11. "Sweet dreams."
Rating: K
Pairing: Oliver & Felicity
Characters: Sara, Diggle, Oliver & Felicity
Season/Episode: Post 2x14
Category: Angst/Drama/Fluff
Disclaimer: (the usual, don't own, idea was mine though)
"Take her home, Ollie," Sara said as she passed him on her way out of the lair.
He'd been standing there, watching Felicity drift in and out of consciousness for the past half hour as Diggle… fawned?... over her. The girl had just taken a bullet to the shoulder, saving Sara's life from the Clock King. Oliver didn't know whether to be mad or proud of her for showing such bravery in the face of danger. All he knew was the relief he felt that the bullet hadn't hit anything major. He could deal with that.
Slade Wilson coming back from the dead, though? Now that was something he couldn't even begin to fathom. He knew the reason he was back was to make Oliver pay for what happened on the island, but right now, he needed to push those thoughts out of his mind before they drove him crazy with worry for his family and his friends.
Felicity proved to be the perfect distraction. She was still sitting in her chair as he'd left her, head bobbing from one side to the other as she tried to stay awake. But her eyes kept drifting shut, fluttering closed for several minutes at a time before she jolted awake again. Sara was right, she needed to go home and rest. A bullet to the shoulder was no easy injury to deal with, something Oliver knew full well having taken several himself.
He was just glad it was Friday night and neither one of them needed to be in the office for at least two days. It gave Felicity a chance to recover some before she needed to be back at her desk, fully aware and functioning. Still, once those painkillers wore off, it wasn't going to be easy managing the ache that would surely have her writhing in agony those next few nights.
"Hey," Oliver softly whispered as he approached her chair, careful not to startle her awake.
"Heeeey," Felicity mumbled, her head swinging to the side until their eyes finally met. She looked incredibly adorable high on Oxy, he had to admit.
"Come on, let's get you home," he said, ever so gently wrapping his arms beneath her knees and behind her neck, being extra careful with her shoulder. She didn't fight him. Her head simply lolled into the crook of his neck as she sighed.
"Oliver…" The stern tone to Diggle's voice had him stopping in his tracks just before he reached the stairs. He turned slowly, trying not to make any sudden movements that could potentially hurt the woman in his arms. The glare his friend shot him would have had a weaker man cowering in fear, but not Oliver. He stood his ground as Felicity drifted off into unconsciousness again.
"I'm taking her home," Oliver firmly replied.
"You might wanna remember her purse and keys," his friend reminded him, placing said objects gently into Felicity's lap along with a bottle of pills. "Make sure she eats and takes another dose of those when she gets home."
Oliver nodded once in understanding and quickly turned on his heels.
He was settling her into the passenger's seat of his car when he realized Felicity still only wore an oversized dress shirt… His dress shirt to be exact. It stirred feelings in him he hadn't expected: protectiveness, of course, but also things he could never admit to. Not yet, at least. He was with Sara after all, and Felicity was his friend… best friend even.
Tamping down those thoughts, Oliver took off his leather jacket and tucked it around her torso to make sure the chill of the night air didn't cause her anymore problems.
Felicity was still asleep when they arrived at her apartment. He gathered her in his arms once more, slowly making his way to the door at the back of her building where the doorman wouldn't see them. From there, it was only a single flight of stairs and he was at her door on the second floor. Oliver slid the key into the lock, a delicate balancing act happening in his arms as he pushed the solid wood open and entered the darkened space.
The light switch was flipped on, bathing the room in a soft yellow glow. He stepped through her living room and headed straight for the back of the apartment where he figured her bedroom was. Oliver pushed open the first door he saw and lucked out. He was soon setting Felicity down on her maroon colored comforter, making sure to lay her on her stomach to prevent any unnecessary pain.
She still had his shirt pulled around her tightly, an image he knew would never cease to leave his thoughts from now on. There was just something special about her wearing his things. It sent a pang of something he couldn't quite name straight through his chest. No, this needed to stop. Oliver couldn't keep thinking like that.
Instead, he focused on Diggle's instructions and headed for Felicity's kitchen to see what she had to eat. Her refrigerator was mostly empty except for a few boxes of (judging by the smell) really old takeout. But her freezer had a pint of mint chip ice cream. Oliver smiled as he grabbed it along with a spoon and a glass of water from her sink.
Setting the items down on her nightstand, he knelt beside Felicity's head and stroked a few strands of her golden hair away from where it covered her face. She looked so young and innocent at that moment. Those feelings threatened to bubble up again, and Oliver whispered, "Hey," before they had a chance to materialize.
"Hmm?" she groaned, refusing to open her eyes.
"You have to wake up, Felicity," he said, his hand coming to rest against her cheek as it had earlier, and again she burrowed into it, sighing softly as a smile crept onto her lips.
It was hard to ignore the feelings any longer, Oliver realized. When Felicity did things like this, whether she knew it or not, it was pulling him under her spell. He cared for her, deeply. Maybe too deeply. That was his reasoning behind keeping her at an arm's length. He cared too much for this fragile creature and seeing her get hurt tonight had nearly pushed him over the edge.
Oliver would never admit it, but he'd been scared out of his mind when he found out she'd been shot. The fear and panic that gripped him when Sara came over the comm to let them know what had happened had him rushing to their aid in seconds. Although the bastard who had done this to her lay unconscious a few feet away from where Sara was pressing a wad of cloth against Felicity's wound, he still wanted to beat the crap out of the guy for hurting her.
It had been her yelp that finally brought him out of those thoughts. Oliver hadn't wasted any time, scooping Felicity into his arms and carrying her out to Diggle's waiting car. But it was Sara who pushed him aside to take care of her. They shared a wordless conversation for a couple of moments before he relented and took up the passenger's seat beside Diggle, but glanced back every few moments to make sure Felicity was doing okay.
Now, sitting here before her, on his knees no less, Oliver knew no matter who came into his life, no matter who he dated, they'd never hold a candle to Felicity. Not even Sara, and they shared a much deeper history. No, Felicity was his girl, and always would be, but he still had so many issues to overcome before he ever stood a chance with her.
She was far too good for him as it was. There were still so many things Oliver needed to deal with before he was ready to give them a chance, the first being Slade Wilson. That man spelled trouble, and until the threat he posed was eliminated, Oliver wasn't going to let anyone know the true depth of his feelings for his IT girl. So he would keep Felicity's at an arm's length, even if it meant pushing her into the arms of another man. He just hoped it wouldn't be too late for them.
"Ol'ver," she slurred, pulling him out of his musings.
"Yeah?"
"My shoulder hurts," Felicity rasped as she tried to sit up but the pain on her face told him it hurt too much to try.
"Relax," Oliver said. "Dig sent you home with more… aspirin. But you need to eat something first before I can give it to you." His arm slipped beneath her abdomen, gently pulling her up off the bed and she whimpered. "How does ice cream sound?"
"Mmm… Sounds good," she mumbled. Her back came to rest against his shoulder as he grabbed the pint and spoon, handing them to her. Felicity managed to eat a scoop's worth of the green confection before she was handing it back to him and wiping her hands along the sides of her skirt.
Oliver gave her the next round of painkillers then set her back down on her stomach to keep the pressure off her shoulder. He pulled the comforter from one side of the bed, tucking it around her, and was soon heading back into the kitchen to place the ice cream back in the freezer and refill her water. When he returned to the bedroom, Felicity had her eyes closed once more, her glasses having been placed on her nightstand sometime while he'd been gone.
"Sweet dreams," Oliver whispered as he leaned over her and pressed a soft kiss to her temple.
Her hand crept out from beneath the blanket and tangled with his fingers. "Stay," Felicity whispered back without opening her eyes.
He wanted to; oh, god did her ever, but Sara was probably waiting for him back at Verdant. "I have to go," he said, but still didn't drop her hand.
"I don't wanna be alone," she admitted weakly, and at that moment, Oliver realized he couldn't say no, not when it was obvious she needed him.
With a sigh, he replied, "Okay. Hold on a second. I just need to do something real quick." Oliver let go and stepped into the living room, pulling out his phone in the process. He sent a quick text to Sara, letting her know what was going on, and she replied just as quick.
Take care of her, Ollie. We need her.
He smiled then put the phone on silent as he returned to Felicity's room. Her eyes opened a crack when he grabbed the chair from her desk and rolled it over so he could sit beside her as she slept. "Thank you," Felicity whispered, reaching out to him once more.
Their fingers locked, only this time Oliver silently vowed not to let go until she did. That's how he spent the rest of his night and weekend, watching over Felicity until she was strong enough to get out of bed and do things herself. Of course she had visitors. Both Sara and Diggle had stopped by with lunch or dinner, but the rest of the day he spent sitting beside her as she dozed, letting her body recover from the trauma she'd been through.
