A/N: Holy-fast-update. Enjoy this one, because my birthday is Thursday, so I'll be busy with birthday activities for the rest of the week and weekend!
Chapter Eleven
It took John Diggle all of one afternoon with Oliver and Felicity in the foundry to figure out that something had happened. First, they were cautiously polite to each other. It was all stilted casualties and averted glances – the slight charge that always seemed to accompany their exchanges absent and awkward banality in its place. Still, Digg told himself he was overanalyzing things. Maybe they were just tired from the weekend of travelling. Weddings were busy enough, and then you add a long flight on top of it.
But then he noticed how Oliver tensed up when Roy was over by Felicity, their shoulders touching as Roy looked at something on the computer screen. When Oliver felt Digg's glance he quickly found something else to look at, clearing his throat. Then later, Oliver took on the salmon bars with an aggression Digg hadn't seen since the early days when Oliver first returned from the island. And Felicity, who had always watched him with naked appreciation, wholly ignored the scene, typing away at the computer with an almost pointed determination.
When the day wound down – and Felicity headed home, giving Digg a warm farewell and Oliver a decidedly tepid one – Digg decided it was time to figure out what the hell happened.
"So, you going to tell me what happened this weekend?" Digg asked casually.
Oliver was reorganizing his arrows and he glanced up, features assembled in a visage of mild confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"You suck at lying," Digg returned blandly. "Don't forget that."
"Nothing happened," Oliver held. "We went to the wedding. We had a good time. That's it."
"I don't believe that for a second," Digg pressed, walking toward him. "You're all weirdly polite to each other. And she didn't even look at you once when you were on the salmon ladder. Something happened."
Oliver sighed. "Look, even if something did happen – which I'm not saying it did – it can't go anywhere. We both know that."
"And why is that?"
"It's Felicity," Oliver said, as if that explained everything. It didn't.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Oliver slid the arrow into its leather strapped holster and set it down on the table.
"Do you know why I went to her car when I was injured that night?"
"Because you were bleeding out?" Digg deadpanned.
Oliver shook his head. "No, beyond that. Beyond the fact that I was injured and I needed help. I went to her because even then I knew I could trust her. I knew she was good. She's the best person I know. The kindest. The most loyal. And the one I would do anything to protect." He paused and added firmly, "Even if it means sacrificing my own happiness."
"And what about her happiness?"
"She'll get over me," Oliver said with a certainty that Oliver didn't share. "And then she'll find something better. Someone who can love her the way she should be loved. Someone who's not damaged. She deserves that."
Oliver's words laid between them and Digg realized, as he watched Oliver return his attention to the arrows with a tightly set jaw, that this was about more than protecting her from what they did.
"You don't think you're good enough for her," Digg murmured after a moment. "You're not just trying to protect her from other people. You're trying to protect her from yourself."
"Can you blame me?" he returned levelly, although his eyes were dark with pain. "After the things I did on the island – the things I did even when I returned. She deserves better than that. Better than me."
"Oliver, you did what you had to on the island to survive. And last year – I won't say you were always right, but you had your reasons."
"I was a killer."
"And she brought you back," Digg reminded him. "She saw all of that and chose to stay. She's still choosing to stay."
Oliver was silent, and Digg took it as a sign for him to continue.
"She's always had faith in you, Oliver. In you, not the Hood, not the billionaire playboy, in you. So, why don't you have a little faith in yourself?"
"I don't want to hurt her," Oliver said
"I know you don't. But do you really want to see her with someone else? Think about it. Really think about it, Oliver."
Reluctantly, Oliver imagined what it would be like when she found someone else. He imagined someone else walking beside her on some nameless street, his arm around her and Felicity smiling up at him. He imagined someone else kissing her, making her laugh and get that little crinkle between her eyebrows. He imagined her looking at someone else the way she'd always looked at him.
"It's not fun, is it?" Digg asked. "Imaging her with someone else. And now just think how bad it'll be when it's actually happening."
Oliver frowned, his chest constricting uncomfortably. The leap from imaginary and reality made him sick to his stomach – even if the leap was only in theory.
He glanced down at his watch, swearing inwardly when he saw the time. He was supposed to meet Thea up at Verdant fifteen minutes ago, and he was not in the mood for the attitude he'd be getting from Thea for being late.
"I need to go meet Thea at Verdant," Oliver said.
"Okay."
Oliver went to leave but then said, "Do you think you can maybe check on her? Just make sure she's okay?"
"So, there's a reason she might not be?"
"Digg, please.
Digg sighed. "I'll stop by her place on my way home."
"Thank you." He paused and tacked on, "For everything."
Digg offered him a sliver of a smile. "You'd do the same for me, Oliver. It's only fair I return the favor."
Oliver nodded. He went to say something, but then stopped himself.
"What is it?" Digg said.
"Nothing. I'll see you later."
"Okay. See you later."
Felicity was already in her pajamas where there was a knock on her door. She'd been watching an episode of Doctor Who, and paused it before getting up and walking over to the door. She was surprised to find Digg standing there with a white paper bag in his hand.
"Digg, what are you doing here?" she asked, eyeing the paper bag.
"I brought you some froyo," he said, raising the bag. "Chocolate chip cookie dough. That's your favorite, right?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Oliver sent you, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did," Digg returned immediately. "Are you going to tell me what happened or just dodge the question like him?"
She plucked the bag from his hand. "There is not enough liquor in the world to make me tell that story."
"It's that bad, huh?"
"No," she said. "I mean, maybe. I don't know. I'm dealing with it in my own way."
"Which is…" he asked leadingly, shutting the door behind him.
"Binge-watching BBC shows. British accents always make things marginally better."
"Ah, so that's why you liked Walter so much."
Felicity laughed. "You don't have to stay, you know. I'm fine. You can report back to Oliver and say everything is peachy keen."
Digg smirked. "Peachy keen?"
"Uh huh, the absolute keenest."
"Well, despite you being peachy keen, I think I'll stay a while. There's no reason we should eat our froyo alone."
She looked at him in confusion and he took the bag and pulled out the two small Styrofoam cartons.
"You didn't think both of these were for you, did you?" he asked with a small grin.
She shook her head. "I wouldn't have dreamed of it."
"Alright," Digg said, walking over to the coach and sitting down. He popped the top off of his container. "Let's get this show playing."
They settled on the couch and Felicity un-paused the show. She stuck a spoonful of froyo in her mouth and then glanced over at him. He felt her gaze and look at her with a soft smile.
"Yeah?"
"I'm really glad you're in my life, Digg," she murmured. He nodded slightly and reached over to gently squeeze her knee.
"Me too, Felicity."
A/N: I know, it's short. BUT, I have a big thing planned next and wanted it to have its own lovely chapter. So, at least you get this one in between! Please leave feedback - it makes my day to read your thoughts on this :D
