Thank you so much for the response to the last chapter! =) This one was a little tough to write. I have a plan for the next one as well. That's the one that you'll need the wine and ice cream for, I think. Enjoy!
Oliver sat down on the floor next to the fire escape's window. He was surprised to find his heart was still racing. For the past few months, Felicity had this connection with him that he could never put his finger on. She snuck up on him, taking him by surprised in every way. Oliver felt safe with her, because she was the only person that never ran when he broke. You are remarkable, he thought, then laughed out loud remembering the first time he told her that.
"What are you doing, Oliver?" He leaned his head back. "Two nights ago you were in Laurel's arms, last night you watched Tommy die, now you are laughing and seriously wondering if you've fallen in love with your best friend." And the second the word's left his lips, Oliver knew they weren't far from the truth. That terrified him. "Why can't I ever have a normal friendship or relationship?" Oliver answered his fears. As he sat there thinking, he found himself more afraid of Felicity walking back into the apartment than he was facing the Dark Archer the night before.
When Felicity returned, Oliver was in the kitchen eating again. Before he could turn around, "I forgot to redress your wound! I'll be right back!" came out in a panicked tone from Felicity. Oliver would have chuckled louder if his ribs didn't hurt so badly.
He stood up and watched the hallway. She came back carrying the things she'd packed earlier. Oliver noticed she was biting lip again, but it was different this time. No make-up, he thought, nice. "I am so sorry. I tend to be a little spastic when emotional and tired, and well, I'm both of those right now. Hopefully it being open this long is okay?" She climbed up to sit on the counter, which put her eye level with Oliver. "Come here, let me fix this."
Oliver smiled at her. He grabbed her shaking hands, "its fine. I've survived worse on an island with no gauze or modern medicine. I think I'll live, Felicity." He saw her chest rise as she took a deep breath trying to calm herself. "Before you ask, I'm not mad at you."
Felicity looked up at him. Her blue eyes showed her thankfulness. "I am so glad. I feel like a complete bitch for yelling at you like that. You saw your best friend die last night. You did not need me to dump my emotional baggage on you, or for me to call you on your BS today. Maybe later, but today was such a bad day. I know when Dig did, you and he didn't talk for a while. I don't want that. I like talking with you," Oliver tried to keep from grinning, "Felicity?"
"Yeah?" He saw her cheeks blushed when she realized that she was babbling.
"Shut up for a moment and listen to me, okay?" Oliver asked. He tried to keep his own hands from shaking as they still held her hands. Felicity looked at him and nodded her head. "You snuck up on me. I was not planning to know you more than lying to you to get help finding information. Then the night I got shot, your car was the only one still there. I knew, without a second thought, I could trust you. That I'd be safe with you." Oliver squeezed her hands, "You were not the first one to get hurt from trying to wake me up from a nightmare. My mother tried right after I got back. The look on her and Walter's face was fear. You never had that. It was concern and wanting to help. I still feel bad about hurting you that night." He lightly touched her left cheek. "You have held me together for longer than you realize. I'm sorry for the times I've been an ass or lied to you. I don't know when it happened, but you went past being my best friend. I'm not sure how to say what is in my head. I just know I won't disappear, and hearing you say that you love me was the best thing that could have happened today." She was smiling when Oliver hugged her.
"Are you saying you might love me, too?" She whispered into his chest.
"Maybe," He said, smelling the berry scent of her still damp hair, "Can you be patient with me?"
He felt her giggle. It was a nice feeling that tickled him slightly. "Oliver Queen, you know I can."
"Good, because above everything else, I don't want to mess this up."
She looked up at him, "We're a "this"?"
Oliver rolled his eyes and smirked, "You are the one person in this world that I know, without fail, I can talk to about anything. I don't think you understand how much of a comfort it is to have a safe haven like that, Felicity. I want to have you in my life like that, no matter what else might happen. I don't want to mess that up. I also know that no matter how much I fight it, I want to be around you. Your touch comforts me. You treat me just as Oliver. Not the damaged Ollie that came home from an island." Oliver realized how close he was to her. "And I just," and he kissed her. Enough fighting, he thought. Felicity relaxed in his arms and returned the kiss.
She smiled at him, "Are best friends supposed to kiss each other?"
"Not sure. I've been out of civilization for a while."
"Loving and kissing your best friend is probably against some friendship rule or law. Rather abnormal." Felicity said, that spunk back in her voice that Oliver loved.
"Felicity, I wear a hood and shoot arrows at people, and you are my computer genius that hacks into things for me. We passed normal way back." Oliver smiled.
"Absolutely perfect point," she chuckled. "We will make it work. Whatever it, is." She held up the bandages, "Can I please fix you now?"
Oliver conceded and turned his left shoulder to her. I wonder if you know just how much you are fixing me, he thought as she went to work.
Felicity spun around in her computer chair in her office. "Has today really happened?" She wondered out loud. The door was partially closed so she didn't wake Oliver up, who was taking a nap on the couch. On the next revolution, she stopped herself in front of the monitor. Felicity flicked the mouse to wake the computer up. She had lost track of time today and was shocked to see that it was one in the afternoon. Oliver had been resting about an hour, while she had been attempting to process everything. The kiss. It was not how she had dreamed, but it was perfect. Felicity was not sure just where they were now, but she promised to keep going with the flow. Hey, it's worked so far, she thought.
Taking the opportunity while Oliver was asleep, Felicity looked up information on Moira Queen. Google pulled up a mass of news articles. Many, many people were livid at Queen Consolidated and Merlyn Group. More details had come to light while Oliver and Felicity had been offline. Seems Moira had admitted that Walter knew nothing and was kidnapped when he got too close. The board at Queen Consolidated was already moving to place him back in the CEO position. "I don't think Oliver will complain about that," she made a mental note out loud. "Hopefully that will take the heat off of Thea and Oliver. They don't need it."
A few more clicks and Felicity could not find what she was looking for. Nothing about the Dark Archer. Her heart stopped. Oliver killed him, she assumed. "It's not like a man in a black hood would be confused with some Glades John Doe, not to mention his body wouldn't have been in the Glades. Felicity searched a few more databases, but she couldn't find any information. The only Merlyn confirmed dead was Tommy. Malcolm Merlyn was just in the news as the mastermind of the Undertaking, but no one had seen him. "Shit.."
"What's wrong?" Oliver's voice came from the door way causing Felicity to jump.
I can't lie to him. "Malcolm's body hasn't been found. There literally is no report or evidence that he is dead. I mean I can only assume that you left him with at least one arrow in something vital to sustaining life."
Oliver nodded and pointed to his shoulder, "I stabbed myself as he had me in a choke hold. It was that, or him snapping my neck. I picked the stab wound."
"Well, that makes that injury a little more clear than I pictured." Felicity said, fidgeting with a slinky from her desk. "Should we worry that he is still out there?"
"Not today." Oliver leaned against the door frame. It seemed ages since this morning. Since last night. Felicity spun around in her computer chair again. "Why do you do that?"
"Helps me think. I don't like the idea that he is still out there. I also still feel responsible for him setting a trap for you when he found my Trojan." She pulled the sticks out of her hair and shook out her curls. "Something about this is bothering me, and I can't place it." Felicity stood up and started pacing in front of her desk.
Oliver walked over to her. She smirked that he had the hood to his sweatshirt up. His five o'clock shadow was thicker than usual, defining his jaw even more than usual. Her body liked the feeling of his rough, warm hands on her bare arms. "For the rest of the day, we aren't going to worry."
"But…" Felicity started to protest. She had all the arguments in her head, but Oliver interrupted her.
"Look at me," he had that soft look that always made her feel safe, "I need my best friend today. This," he motioned to her computers, "can wait." She saw a sparkle in his eye and knew something smart ass was coming, "I know your boss, so I'll put in a good word."
"You aren't going to let me argue? I had a very detailed one in my head, but you interrupted me." Felicity tried her best to look frustrated, but Oliver just shook his head. "Fine. Gotcha. One best friend going offline," as she reached over to turn off the monitor. "I'm all yours, Oliver Queen." Felicity caught the smile Oliver tried to hide.