To Sacrifice the Sun
Chapter Fourteen
September 17, 2016
18:53
The Door
Lacandon Rainforest, Mexico
"Holy shit! You did it. I can't believe it. You did it."
The awe in Oliver's voice washed over Felicity, filling her with pride as her brain…her heart…her everything tried to catch up with what her eyes were seeing.
They did it!
Kin Cuudad. It was real. It was here. Right down that staircase.
A giddy sort of excitement bubbled up and Felicity wanted to laugh. She did laugh.
The rain was pouring steadily and the wind blowing. Her hair and clothes stuck to her and the thunder boomed in the distance and Felicity…
Felicity lifted her face to the sky and laughed out loud. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so happy. She reached out and grabbed Oliver's arm and nothing had ever been so… right. So wonderful. Wonderful and right. She felt high or drunk or…
Turning her smile to Oliver, Felicity took in his astonished face and she…she wanted to forget everything. She wanted to forget these last horrible years ever happened, to pretend that she had made a better choice then and that things were different now. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and have him twirl her around and…
Felicity wanted to kiss him.
The only thing that would make this moment better was if Felicity could celebrate it with her lips on Oliver's.
It didn't frighten her anymore. Felicity just…she just…she wanted….
After five years of feeling frozen, dead inside. It felt like she was coming alive again. And it was…painful almost, but… wonderful too and it would never have happened without Oliver. Felicity wanted to share this with him. She wanted him to feel the same overwhelming joy as she did.
Felicity wanted her joy to be their joy.
Turning to Oliver, Felicity laid a hand on his chest, for the first time wishing he wasn't wearing Kevlar, and smiled up at him. "We did it."
Felicity looked at his lips and wondered what Oliver would do if she just threw herself into his arms and planted one on him.
But instead of smiling back, or stepping closer…or any form of encouragement, Oliver's face became somber. When he met her eyes, Felicity's smile faded too, because he seemed to be staring straight into her soul and she had the fanciful thought that he could see all her secrets.
But that was absurd, because that would be way too easy.
And probably not good, because if Oliver was seeing all her secrets, he really didn't seem to be liking what he saw. Felicity couldn't say that she knew what he was thinking…or feeling but…it certainly wasn't joy.
Then Oliver's eyes did flick to Felicity's lips and her heart skipped a beat, but before she could raise herself up on her tiptoes, his face hardened and he stepped back. Her hand fell from his chest and…she took a deep breath, trying to rein in her disappointment.
Felicity swallowed, trying to snatch back some of that rapidly fading happiness. She wasn't ready for this moment to be over. Her eyes went back to the Door…the open Door and moved to get a closer look.
And just as quickly, Oliver's hand grasped her elbow and pulled her back. "I'll go first." He was already pulling out an arrow and notching it in his bow.
Felicity just had to roll her eyes. Was he this ridiculously overprotective with everyone? Because if it was just her…
It really felt like Oliver still cared for her. Like a lot. That he still…Felicity wished he'd just kiss her. It would really help her rollercoastering self-confidence. And maybe it would help his weirdly unpleasant mood.
"Oliver, this has been sealed for centuries…millennia probably," Felicity said, because arguing seemed to be the way her brain had decided to deal with the situation. "What kind of threat do you think we are going to find down there? A Mummy? A zombie horde?"
Oliver's jaw ticked, but his eyes were still on the Door, his arrow aimed at it as if he expected said horde to come streaming out. "You never know."
If it was possible for one to roll their eyes harder, Felicity did. They had seen a lot of weird crap. A skull that shot death rays from its eyes. A Door that opened when they used their combined handprints as the key…
That was…Felicity didn't know what that was. It had happened so fast she hadn't stopped to think that there really wasn't a scientific explanation for why their touch had opened that Door.
But there had to be an explanation. And no matter what, Felicity did not…refused to believe in zombie hordes. Even if she enjoyed the Walking Dead. Maybe because of how much she enjoyed the Walking Dead
"At least, let me…" Felicity leaned over and scooped up a glow ball. They needed to be rational about this. About something.
"What are you—?"
"Getting a closer look." Tossing the ball down the stairs, Felicity listened to the thump thump that echoed on its way down. The sound didn't last long, stopping just after the glow ball rolled out of view. The light remained though, stabilizing after a moment.
"It must lead to a tunnel," Oliver surmised and Felicity nodded. He stepped forward. "Stay behind me."
Ugh. Okay. Felicity could argue, but…really what would that accomplish? Sometimes, it was just best to throw Oliver (and his anxiety) a bone and go along with it.
"Fine." Felicity answered, waving Oliver (rather impatiently) ahead.
She wanted to see whatever was down there. Like…yesterday. Also, it would nice to be somewhere dry. Felicity had almost forgotten what that felt like. But, more importantly…
Eeeeee! The Lost City was down there!
But…why would a city be below the jungle? That made no sense. How did it get there? It was probably just a tunnel that led to Kin Cuudad.
Kin Cuudad. Through that door and down that tunnel and…they would be the first people to walk her streets in nearly two and a half millennia. Suddenly, Felicity had the impulse to push Oliver to get his overly attractive butt moving.
Yet, when she stepped onto the narrow staircase behind him, Felicity was grateful that he had insisted on going first. She was a lot less nervous stepping down the crumbly steps with Oliver's broad shoulders blocking her fall. Though, as she expected from the light, they didn't descend all that far, maybe ten…twelve feet before they came to a landing.
No, not a landing…a room….
"Whoa," Felicity breathed, looking around at the, now, brightly lit chamber.
It was amazing. Incredible. Felicity couldn't even…it was so gorgeous. And that didn't even begin to express how she felt stepping into a room, clearly designed for ancient royalty or…the gods…untouched by man for longer than Christianity existed.
"Well, at least there's no mummies," Oliver drawled, lowering his bow. Cause…yeah…it seemed he was fully grasping the significance of this moment. Party-pooper.
Felicity decided to completely ignore him…or rather pretend Oliver was just as excited as she was. Yup. She liked that plan. "It's incredible. It's…it's like stepping into another world."
"More like stepping into the entrance to another world," Oliver corrected with a disappointed sigh. But maybe it was just tired. It was hard to tell.
Felicity really couldn't figure how he could possibly be disappointed. They had gotten through the Door, in record time she might add, far less time and in far worse conditions than anyone had imagined, so…
Yay them! Also…look at this place. Who could be disappointed in this?
But, Oliver stood there, hands on his hips, frowning…no brooding. Definitely brooding, the big dolt, as he surveyed the large room…
The large enclosed room.
With no way out other than the one they had come in…
Aw maaaan!
"It looks like we just traded one door for another," Oliver muttered. "But we have shelter. That's something, at least."
Felicity frowned, feeling rather like an overexcited helium balloon that Oliver had just…popped.
And the worst part, Oliver was right.
As glorious as this room was, it wasn't Kin Cuudad. It was just…an antechamber? A large room with unusually high ceilings, incredible carvings and bejewel murals. Everywhere there was gold and silver, jade and red moissanite, moonstone and obsidian. It was an archaeologists dream.
But for them…it was just another obstacle. Frikity frak frak. Nothing could be easy, could it?
Yet…
"If this is the antechamber, then there must be another door." Felicity flew to the walls, feeling along the length, looking for a break in the flat stone. The limestone had probably been covered in plaster before it had been painted and carved, but still, there had to be a break. A way to continue the rest of the journey to Kin Cuudad.
It was difficult for Felicity to keep from getting distracted by the gorgeous scenes…the life of the Daughter of the Sun, from what little she let herself analyze. God, she wished she had the time to just sit and stare. But getting to Kin Cuudad had to be the priority.
"Unless, it's not an antechamber," Oliver suggested, standing there like a pessimistic lump. "It could just be a hole in the ground. A treasure chamber or something."
Felicity threw Oliver a look. And she sure as hell hoped it conveyed the depth of her annoyance. Because…seriously? Not helping. Not helping at all.
Very purposefully, Felicity turned back to her task, challenging, "Then where's the treasure?" as she continued her slow exploration of the walls.
Oliver had better not be right. Felicity refused to believe he was. Because if he was right, then they were back to square one. With no idea how to find Kin Cuudad. If it wasn't buried under a mile of volcanic rock.
But, at least, she knew now it was real. Kin Cuudad existed. Felicity could feel it in her bones.
Oliver…he just shrugged. "There's been centuries for the treasures to be moved. Or stolen."
Okay, now he was just being obstinate. Felicity wouldn't put it past Oliver to be doing it on purpose just to annoy her.
"Yet they left all the gems in the walls? No." Felicity shook her head and maybe, she was trying to convince herself as much as him. It would be so much more helpful if he'd give her an inch, though. Then she remembered…ha! She had her own inch. "The Door said it was the entrance to Kin Cuudad. In the hieroglyphs."
This had to be an antechamber. It had to be.
Oliver did his grunting thing and it was really starting to get…no, it had already gotten on her nerves. It was like they stepped into the jungle and he lost his ability to use actual words. Or contribute anything but negative opinions and his (scarily precise) ability to shoot things.
But then Felicity found…
"Here! Look!"
Ha! Take that, Mister Negativity!
Felicity came to a spot directly across from the entrance (which was where she really should have looked in the first place, since it was the most logical place for an exit). She could see the seams of a door and in the center…thank god, the palm-print sun.
"See! See! It's the same hand…key…print thingy." Felicity pointed to the imprint, bouncing on the balls of her feet, her hands gesturing wildly. And, maybe, she was acting…silly-ish, but this was worth being excited about and with the negative vibes coming from Oliver…the emotional roller coaster was dizzying.
Usually Oliver would have found her…eccentric behavior amusing but, of course, this would be the one time he didn't. Ugh.
Well maybe his face did soften a tiny bit. Though Felicity really didn't understand why he wasn't more excited. This may not have been everything they had hoped for, but it was progress. Significant progress. And a damn sight better than being out in the rain.
But Oliver's shoulders were stiff and all she saw on his face was exhaustion. He didn't seem at all thrilled with the idea of being stuck here with Felicity. This morning he was willing to move mountains (or 200lbs stone slabs) to be alone with her, in a not dissimilar hole in the ground, and now that he had gotten his wish…
Okay, that was a jump. Felicity didn't have any (clear) evidence Oliver didn't want to be down here with her.
Oliver was tired. That was it. He was just tired and hungry and sore and wet and, Felicity was sure, having an adrenaline drop to end all adrenaline drops. He probably didn't have the energy to be excited. And that negative vibe she was getting…very likely just her own anxiety. She had to stop reading into every little thing.
"Come on, try it with me." Felicity had to force herself to smile this time as she waved Oliver over to activate the handprints again. The handprints that caused a door to open with no discernible mechanism…
Though there had to be an explanation, right? A hidden trigger that was activated by the combined pressure of their hands?
Would any set of hands work? It seemed like it was made specifically for them. But that was ridiculous. Wasn't it? How could they make something that could only be opened by two people who weren't even born yet? Wow, this place had Felicity all mixed up, her head filled with nonsense.
But thinking about that was actually more pleasant than thinking about the fact that Oliver's frown deepened and he hesitated (she was sure of it) before coming over to her. And the only explanation Felicity could come up with was that he didn't want to embrace her.
Now. He decided now he didn't want to touch her. When Felicity had finally decided that she was going to tell Oliver everything and fight for them?
Come on, god? Hadn't she been punished enough?
But he came. Slowly and with way too much equivocation, Oliver approached and gingerly put his arms around Felicity for the second time in less than an hour, each of them fitting their hands into the overlapping palm prints.
Felicity couldn't shake the feeling that they fit a little too perfectly. It really did feel like the imprints were made specifically for them and wasn't that…odd? She must be reading too much into this. She doing that a lot.
Like how Felicity had the distinct feeling that Oliver was trying to hold his body so that he was touching her as little as possible. Like touching her was repulsive or…
Like Felicity was trying to drive herself insane with self-doubt.
Once their hands were in place, Felicity forced herself to focus on the matter at hand. Or under her hands. The Door. Kin Cuudad. Right on the other side. She held her breath and waited.
And…
Nothing.
No warmth. No shifting walls. They held their hands there longer than they had the first time and when Oliver finally dropped his, Felicity didn't protest. She just…
"Frak."
Felicity blew out a breath, her bitter disappointment a direct mirror to the excitement she'd felt just minutes before. Before she even knew what she was doing, she collapsed back against Oliver's chest. For no other reason than she was exhausted and with the loss of the excitement she really felt it. And his chest was just…there.
Oliver's hands stayed at his sides. He didn't touch her in any way. It wasn't particularly encouraging.
But then, he leaned over her shoulder and pointed to the center of the palm prints. "There's an indentation here. By the thumbs." Oliver put both arms out to trace the area with his fingers, effectively embracing her again, as he whispered, "Maybe something fell out. That's why this one doesn't work."
"I just hope that doesn't mean it's broken. As in permanently," Felicity breathed. She had no idea why they were talking so quietly. But…if she closed her eyes, it almost felt like he was holding her.
Too bad Felicity was certain that wasn't Oliver's intent.
Especially since Felicity wanted to pull his arms around her and just snuggle in. Couldn't they just lie down like this and stay this way for the next 12 hours? They could deal with everything else…later.
Oliver sighed. It didn't sound particularly hopeful, but it also didn't sound particularly…not. "Well, you have the whole length of the hurricane to see if you can figure something out."
At least, Oliver seemed to have snapped out of his over-the-top pessimism. Swallowing, Felicity turned before his arms fell away completely. His hands dropped to her upper arms…which wasn't as good as her waist but better than him stepping away.
They were alone.
Trapped by a hurricane.
Cait had said that they needed to be alone together to work everything out, even joked she wanted to lock them in a room together. Well, a hurricane served that function rather well.
And Oliver's lips were right there. A kiss wouldn't be a bad way to start them off. If he leaned down just a little…
Felicity didn't feel panicky this time. She…
Oliver stepped back, setting Felicity away from him and breaking the spell as surely and as pointedly as…
Ugh. Life sucked sometimes.
"I'm going to grab the rest of our gear," Oliver murmured, turning away.
The rush of disappointment made Felicity almost dizzy. "Of course." Gulping, she asked, "Do you need any help?"
Oliver shook his head. He didn't even look at her. "You work on the translating. It's not like I can help with that anyway. I'll be back soon."
Felicity watched him leave. Once Oliver was gone, she looked around the beautiful chamber. Suddenly, she felt very alone.
September 17, 2016
23:50
The Antechamber
Lacandon Rainforest, Mexico
The feeling didn't improve. The feeling that Felicity was alone even though Oliver was right there.
Not that Oliver was right there. In fact, he was barely there. Intermittently there…was actually the most accurate.
Mostly, he was out there. In the jungle. In a burgeoning hurricane. Because Oliver would rather be out there than in here.
With Felicity.
And all of that was probably…
A gross exaggeration and completely unfair because Oliver was working, goddamn it! He was preparing for the actual hurricane. What did Felicity want him to do? Sit there and gaze at her while she translated? Would that make her feel wanted? Secure? When had she become so goddamned needy?
But Oliver had been out there an awful lot and it wasn't just disheartening. It was terrifying. Because he'd been out in the jungle in a storm for…Felicity glanced down at her tablet…crap, over an hour this time. What the frak was he doing?
At first, Oliver was emptying out everything from the bike. Understandable. Completely. Of course, they needed all their supplies in here, their shelter. The one that was so much bigger than Felicity had even dared hope for.
Which she was glad for. Honestly.
And not disappointed.
Not in the least.
So it wasn't the cozy little burrow Felicity had imagined. The one where they would have no choice but snuggle close for warmth…
Nope, this was much better. Obviously.
And if Oliver seemed a little curt while he was working, well, what did she expect? They were in a dangerous situation. Deadly, even. He was working out in a tropical storm, wet and miserable. Could Felicity really blame him for not being in the mood to flirt?
God, what was wrong with her? This morning, any sign of possible flirting had freaked her the frak out and now…now Felicity was freaking out because Oliver wasn't flirting.
One might come to the conclusion that Felicity was just looking for something to freak out about.
But then, after bringing in their supplies, Oliver had disappeared for almost an hour to hide the bike. Because, apparently, they couldn't bring that down here. Oliver didn't think he'd be able to carry it back up the stairs and they both knew Felicity would be of no help in that regard. So again, totally reasonable.
And if it took longer than Felicity would have expected…well, maybe her expectations were too high.
Then Oliver had to gather wood. Because even if it was too wet now for a fire, who knew how long they would be here and, hopefully, (according to him, anyway) it would dry out.
Next, Oliver filled their canteens with rain water.
And then, Mr. Jungle Survival Expert showed up with the armfuls of fruit he had gathered.
One might think they was settling in for a two-week blizzard, not a 24-hour storm.
And this last time…Felicity didn't even know what the hell Oliver was doing out there now. What the hell else was there to do? Was he setting booby traps? Building a decoy jaguar? Seriously? What the hell?
It wasn't like Felicity hadn't tried to ask either. But all she had gotten was that stupid grunt for an answer. One of these times that grunt was going to make her pop off, she swore to god.
And also, Felicity was starting to get seriously worried here. And not because (well, not just because) she was afraid Oliver didn't want to spend time with her.
But because…what if something had happened to him? Oliver could have been attacked by another animal. Or knocked out when the wind blew off a tree branch or uprooted a tree or…
And all because Oliver couldn't bear to spend time with Felicity.
Okay, she was spiraling.
Deep breaths. Now was not the time to overreact. Felicity really needed to get a grip.
But where was he?
Felicity's head fell forward and landed on the beautiful fresco of the Warrior King battling some sort of serpent monster, his trusty jaguars at his side. Too bad the jaguars here weren't on Felicity and Oliver's side.
This place was filled with incredible, fascinating things and Felicity's ability to focus on them was dwindling by the moment.
This was ridiculous. Felicity just needed to go out there and make sure Oliver was okay. And if he got angry with her for going outside, then…he damn well shouldn't have stayed out there this long without telling her what the frak was going on!
God, she hoped he would be angry at her, she prayed she would get an earful of bullish over-protective nonsense. Because the other alternative…well, the other alternative was that Oliver was stuck under an upended tree, bleeding to death, while Felicity was down here twiddling her thumbs.
Felicity wiped her hands off on her now dry (but not for long) shorts, pushed a pair of pen darts into her pocket (just in case), and made for the stairs. She held on to the sides because the stairs still freaked her out, scardy cat that she was.
And really? Who had ever thought that Felicity Smoak could be a decent Field Agent in the first place? Seriously bad judgement on the part of whoever had made that decision.
Half-way up the stairs, Felicity could hear the wind rushing and feel the spray of the rain. It was worse than it was before. Like a lot a lot. Could there possibly be a rational reason Oliver was still out in this when there was a perfectly safe, perfectly dry room downstairs?
Other than Oliver couldn't stand being alone with her, that was?
Felicity paused, taking a deep breath. She wondered what she had done to remind Oliver that he hated her. Hated her enough to risk his life needlessly out in the storm. Because he hadn't seemed to hate her last night. Or this morning. It wasn't until after they got to the Door that he started acting this way. Well…maybe a little after the crash.
Maybe Oliver had been hurt worse in the crash than Felicity had realized. Concussions could cause mood swings. Maybe it was that. And not that somewhere along the way Oliver had remembered she was the traitorous bitch who broke his heart.
But whatever reason he was…or wasn't avoiding her, Felicity had to know Oliver was okay. Onward into the breach. (And when she got him safe inside she would make sure his injuries weren't worse than he let on and maybe give him a piece of her mind for taking stupid risks).
It was hard to believe that the hurricane wasn't already here, given the strength of the winds. The pelting rain was almost painful and Felicity winced as she pushed herself up and out of the entrance. It was fraking dark out. There was no sign of the light from the bike (which, of course, should have been well hidden by now) or a glow ball.
Shielding her eyes (and her glasses) with her hands, Felicity yelled, "Oliver! Oliver!"
"Right here."
Felicity jumped, almost falling down the stairs as she whipped her head around to see Oliver standing not three feet behind her.
Oliver did have a glow ball in his pocket, but the rain was so strong it muted the light. The idiot was soaked to the skin.
Crouching down, Oliver yelled (it was the only way to hear him), "What are you doing out here?! I told you to stay inside!"
So it was mad at her then. Thank goodness.
"You were gone over an hour!" Felicity screamed back, barely holding back the stream of insults that threatened to spill out in her overwhelming relief and intense irritation. "I was worried! What the hell are you doing?"
Because if Oliver was just standing out here avoiding her…Felicity didn't know what she was going to do.
Oliver scowled and looked down. Felicity realized he had the tarp in his hand. "I'm trying to secure this over the door to conceal the opening!"
Felicity would have rolled her eyes, but it seemed foolish, given she could barely open them with the force of the wind and rain. There was a steady stream running down her glasses and distorting her vision. "I hardly think you need to hide from HIVE—"
"Maybe not, but this would be an excellent place for an animal to try to take shelter from the storm!"
Oh. Well. That was actually very smart. If Oliver had just communicated, everything might have gone a whole hell of a lot smoother. And it may have saved her say…two dozen insecure freak outs. Now Felicity felt rather foolish.
But the hell if she was letting Oliver know that. He should have said something. Taking a deep breath, Felicity yelled, "Then let me help you!"
Oliver shook his head and Felicity seriously considered finding something to throw at him. If all this angst was because he was being an overprotective jackass…
"Seriously? Look at how much success you're having trying to do this on your own?" Felicity gestured to the half secure tarp that lay under a pile of rocks. The other three sides were flapping violently in the wind. "At least, let me hold on to one side!"
Felicity thought that Oliver gave her one of those grunt things, but she couldn't really hear it, which suited her just fine. She stared at him for what felt like a full minute, watching the muscles in his jaw tighten and his lips thin, until finally…
"Fine," Oliver barked. "Just sit down and get yourself secure!"
Felicity did as she was told without any (further) lip. Because, one, Oliver had agreed to what she wanted so she kinda sorta already won and, two, her throat was already raw from arguing with him over the roar of the storm. It seemed like she was going to have to choose her words wisely. Not exactly her strong suit.
Sitting on the stairs, so that only the upper half of her body was above the opening, Felicity could do little more than watch Oliver work. He had removed his Kevlar as she had, so his grey t-shirt clung to him like second skin, the light in his pocket giving off just enough light.
For Felicity to see the definition of every single one of Oliver's muscles.
Frak. Felicity really hoped she was imagining the whole avoiding her thing, because otherwise, this was going to be a very painful twenty-four hours.
Oliver handed Felicity one side of the tarp, then worked to make sure the other two sides were completely buried under rocks and large heavy branches.
"Pull tight!" Oliver yelled and Felicity complied to the best of her ability.
They were able to work quite quickly when all was said and done. And with fairly little effort on Felicity's part. It made her want to scream at Oliver for not asking for help earlier. They could both be inside and dry by now.
Of course, lecturing Oliver was probably not the best idea. Not with the possibility of him being angry at her still hanging over her head. Which would annoy her, if she didn't have five years of penance to do.
It did feel good to work together in this way though. Easy. Right.
Maybe Oliver wasn't angry at her. Felicity was probably just being paranoid, her guilt playing with her overactive and exhausted mind, causing it to play tricks on her.
Soon, Oliver was squeezed in next to her and lifting a large rock. Felicity shoved the tarp underneath.
"Okay," she yelled and was a little shocked when, instead of being muffled, the sound echoed back at her. The tarp, now tight above them, sounded like a set of drums, the rain a steady beat above their heads. Felicity pulled her hand back just as Oliver dropped the stone and…
They were done.
That was it.
They had just succeeded in barricading themselves inside for the duration of the storm.
And suddenly, Felicity was very, very aware of how close she was to a very wet, very large, very gorgeous love of her life.
Felicity shivered and it wasn't because she was cold.
"So, um…" Felicity really had no idea where to take things from here. "Guess that's it."
Was this show time? They were alone. No longer in a life threating situation. Was this where she tried to find an opening to tell Oliver…everything?
Felicity's palms started to sweat.
"Yup." And the simple word conveyed…well, not a lot, but it was clear that Oliver wasn't feeling all that sure of himself either.
No more running for Oliver. Or Felicity for that matter. They were trapped in here.
Yup, they were.
The stairway was rather narrow. Oliver was so close it felt like they were breathing the same air.
"Guess we should…?"
Felicity's voice trickled off and her traitorous mind supplied 'make-out like bunnies.' Which was ridiculous and silly and exactly the opposite of what Felicity had been thinking 12 hours earlier, but sounded soooo good…
God, she hadn't even been alone with Oliver for a full day and already Felicity had been turned upside down and inside out.
Oliver took her elbow and Felicity actually thought that he was going to pull her to him. And that just showed how delusional she was where he was concerned, because all he did was use his hand to steady her, to help her stand and guide her back down the stairs. Ever the gentleman, Oliver Queen.
Breathe, Smoak. Stop jumping to conclusions! Oliver wasn't going to kiss her out of nowhere any more than he was going to…what? Rage at her?
She had no idea, she was so tied up in knots. Besides, Felicity needed to tell him everything before things…became physical.
Felicity had to remind herself of that. There were no…bunny make-out sessions until she came clean about everything and saw whether Oliver…well, still wanted to make-out with her.
But one thing was for sure, the tension in this small (and it was feeling smaller by the second) room was insanely high. Felicity was really hoping that it was of the sexual variety and not the grrr variety. But, unfortunately, her instincts told her it was both.
Down in the main chamber, Oliver reached for the emergency kit that he'd pulled out from the bottom of the bike's cargo seat. For a moment, Felicity worried it was because he was hurt and hadn't let on…
But it didn't just have medical supplies, it had all sorts of basic necessities for a prolonged mission. Soap. Tooth brushes and tooth powder. Thermal sleeping bags that rolled up to the size of a soda can and basically amounted to sleeping in a giant garbage bag, but it could keep you alive and inflated a little for a tiny bit of cushion.
There were also two towels and that seemed to be what Oliver was looking for. Well, they were really thin dish towels, but beggars and choosers and all that. At least they were dry.
"Here." Oliver tossed her one.
"Thanks," Felicity murmured as she watched him dry his face and hair through blurry vision as she wiped her own face and glasses.
Oliver dried his neck and hands, very pointedly not looking at her as he did. Felicity waited with baited breath and a nervous kind of excitement (that sorta made her feel like a voyeur) for him to take his shirt off.
Because of course, Oliver was going to take his shirt off.
It would be stupid not to. It was soaking wet and he had even put up clothesline for their stuff to dry (made from one of his grappling arrows) and Oliver had never been shy about walking around shirtless. So much so that it really shouldn't affect Felicity at all. It was normal and something any agent in these circumstances would do. So, it was probably not at all appropriate the way her mouth was already watering and her fingertips tingling with the need to touch.
Felicity was so busy trying to get a grip on her rampaging hormones that it took her a full minute to realize Oliver wasn't going to take off anything.
Seriously? What the frak?
She knew for a fact that Oliver would have before. And if Felicity were Digg…or Sara…or, hell, Cait, that shirt would already be off like it was no big deal. Which it wasn't.
But instead, Oliver was scurrying around, looking like a drowned rat, his face a hard mask.
So…Felicity could rule out the possibility that Oliver was going to try to seduce her.
And that sucked. Really sucked. Because she would have really enjoyed letting him.
It had been Felicity's favorite bike-ride fantasy.
Even though, logically, Felicity knew that she couldn't allow anything significant to happen until after she confessed. But… maybe…a kiss. Or two. That wouldn't be too far over the line, would it? Maybe even soften Oliver up a little before she laid on the pain? Remind him of their…incredible chemistry?
But now…
Not going to happen. Clearly. Because Oliver preferred to stay wet. His shirt was quickly going to start picking up dirt from all the dust in here and…yuck. Or, maybe, he planned on getting in his sleeping bag like that. Yeah, that's comfortable. He'd probably get moldy.
Why was he doing this? Did Oliver think he was being a gentleman? Was he trying to keep Felicity from being uncomfortable? If so they really needed to communicate better, because his keeping the shirt on…making her really uncomfortable.
Once upon a time, they had been spectacular at communication. Now, Felicity didn't even know where to begin. Words stuck in her throat.
Felicity watched Oliver lay his towel over the taunt wire and made a decision. It was time to start acting like herself. Like the real Felicity Smoak. Overwatch and Sunshine and all that.
Thank goodness for sports bras.
Trying to look as casual as she possible, Felicity pulled off her shirt and wrung it out. It took an incredible amount of concentration and willpower not to falter under the heat of his gaze when Oliver froze, staring at her out if the corner of his eye.
Felicity felt light-headed. Was it possible to pass out from something like this?
No. That was stupid. She was not passing out. She was strong. She was in control.
Yeah, right.
And still Oliver just stood there. Like a big dumb statue.
Frak it. "Take off your shirt," Felicity told him in what she really hoped was a no-nonsense tone.
Not nervous. Or seductive. Or desperate. All those things would be bad. Though Felicity supposed she should just be glad she didn't squeak.
Oliver's eyes widened and he stared at her…well, continued to stare at her. Only more obviously. Did he think Felicity was trying to seduce him? Was she trying to seduce him?
"You need at least one piece dry of clothing," Felicity told him. Very reasonably, she felt. But she had to keep her eyes on her own shirt and not let them wander or the whole pretense would go out the window.
And Oliver…he kept staring, his mouth hanging open. He looked like he wanted to argue, but couldn't come up with anything to say. It made Felicity's stomach turn over in a very unpleasant way. Why did she feel like if he didn't take off his goddamn shirt she was going to cry?
Thankfully, that wasn't tested.
Finally…fi-nal-ly, Oliver turned his back to her and peeled off his shirt.
Yes, peeled was the only appropriate word for the way the fabric came off, glued to his skin the way it was. Felicity wondered why he couldn't look at her while he did it.
Closing her eyes, she blew out a shaky breath, glad Oliver couldn't see. Okay, Felicity had won that battle. Barely. Now what?
They were stuck down here. Alone. Half-naked. Caitlin and Curtis couldn't have planned it any better. Felicity could almost hear them snickering. She could hear the whole team snicker. A virtual cacophony of snickers.
But had any of them taken into account Oliver's weird mood swings? Or the possibility that he didn't want to be alone with Felicity?
Taking another deep breath and holding it this time, Felicity forced herself to turn and look at Oliver and…oh god!
Felicity had to bite her lip to keep from letting out a gasp at all the new scars that littered his already marred skin. They hadn't been so apparent in the dim campfire light yesterday. But in the bright light of the glow ball…what had they done to him? It looked like he had been…sliced.
Like multiple times.
What kind of monsters were these Bratva? Felicity hoped Oliver had burned them to the ground. Painfully.
And then Oliver turned and Felicity instinctively yanked up her shorts, to make sure he couldn't see her newest set of scars. The ones low on her abdomen from the gunshot wound and that fateful surgery after Tikal. She wasn't ready for him to see that yet. One thing at a—
Then Felicity got a good look at Oliver's left shoulder and arm.
This time, Felicity didn't bother to smother her gasp. "Oliver! Why didn't you tell me you were this banged up from the crash?" Because he hadn't been covered with gouges and black and blue marks yesterday, that was for sure. She skirted around him and grabbed for the med kit.
"It's nothing," Oliver grumbled, holding out his arm and twisting it to inspect the damage. Of course, he couldn't see how the back of his left shoulder was black and blue.
It was Felicity's turn to grunt at his macho nonsense. Then she scoffed for good measure as she pulled out cream and bandages and… "Do you need stitches?"
"No." Oliver said it as if it was an idiotic question and that made Felicity steam. She wouldn't be surprised if he'd dislocated his shoulder and didn't tell her.
Had Oliver been cranky all this time because he was in pain and refusing to say anything? He was the idiot! Felicity gave him her very best withering look, then reaching out to grab his arm, it occurred to her… "Did you break anything?"
"No!" Same tone, only louder. Was Oliver the only one allowed to be worried about his partner's health? Hypocrite.
"A sprain? If you lie to me—"
"Felicity!" Oliver grabbed her rapidly gesticulating hand, stilling her. "Seriously, it's just a few scratches and a little bruising. All very normal for this sort of mission," his voice gentled and Felicity gulped. "The worst is a sore wrist. But it's fine."
The intensity in Oliver's blue eyes made Felicity…twitchy or something and…he still held her arm and the way he had softened his voice kind of made her melt. Just a little.
Swallowing, Felicity's gaze skittered away from his and focused on his scraped-up arm. "Well," she mumbled, unable to get her voice to raise much above a whisper, "sit down and let me get some antibiotic ointment on that at least."
"I can—"
"See behind you? Not even you are that good." Felicity leveled him with a hard glare and this time it was Oliver's eyes that flicked away. "Sit down."
Sighing (with a little grunt for good measure), Oliver got to his knees…and, boy, did that do something to her insides. From her heart to her toes and everything in between.
But Oliver seemed far from thrilled at the idea of her touching him. Felicity tried to tell herself it was because he was in pain and, as always, hated to acknowledge it. Was it awful of her that part of her hoped that his injuries were enough to account for Oliver's…crankiness?
But once Felicity had cleaned him off, his wounds did seem rather shallow.
Which was good. Of course that was what she wanted. She smoothed on the cream and Oliver grunted and barked, "Ow," like the baby he could be. And, that, was so familiar Felicity was actually able to smile, a little of the tension leaving her.
As she worked, Felicity peaked along his chest and abdomen. Looking for more injuries. Yup. That was her story and she was sticking to it. It wasn't that his new tattoo, the star-pattern over his heart, kept drawing her gaze. It wasn't that different than the Mayan sun and star patterns all over the walls…
Oliver caught her staring and gave her a raised eyebrow, making Felicity's eyes jerk away guilty. "New tattoo?" she tried to ask causally.
Guess that wasn't a good question, because Oliver frowned, his shoulders tensing and his eyes squeezing shut as he grumbled, "Bratva."
His tone was clear. Oliver was not open to talking about it. At least not at the moment. He rolled his head on his shoulders, presumably to work out the kinks and before Felicity knew what was happening her hands were cupping the back of his head, carding through his hair.
Oliver's eyes snapped open. They were filled with so much shock, Felicity almost…
"Looking for bumps. Hold still." Felicity blurted the first excuse that came to mind and moved her fingers to gently do just that. God, it felt good. Too good, maybe. "Did you hit your head?"
"No," Oliver whispered and, for a brief, second his eyes were open and vulnerable as they stared up at her. Felicity's fingers lingered, stroking until…he caught her wrists, pulling them away as he stood. "I was able to keep my own head from hitting the ground. Just not yours."
He turned away, right back to growly, grumpy Oliver. Fabulous. When his eyes did flick back to Felicity it was only to go as far as her elbow, before he turned away to riffle through the med kit himself. "You should put some of that ointment on your elbow."
Felicity flipped over her arm and…sure enough, her left elbow was skinned good. But it didn't look like Oliver was going to offer to help her put on the cream. Crap. This was not going the way she hoped.
And they hadn't even gotten to the hard part yet.
Squeezing some ointment out to tend to own her wounds, Felicity muttered, "Are you sure you didn't hit your head? That would explain the grouchiness."
Oliver froze, his hand around a pill bottle. "Grouchiness?"
Felicity could feel her cheeks heat up. She said that out loud then? "Yeah. As in snappish. Irritable. Cranky?" Oliver grunted and she couldn't resist an exasperated, "Like that."
"This is just my personality, Felicity," Oliver drawled, going back to opening up the bottle.
"Since when?" And…oh, why couldn't she keep her mouth shut!
Oliver's eyes snapped wide open at that. He pulled himself up to his full height, towering over her…and Felicity was kinda sorta terrified of the answer. "Since the Gambit? Since Tikal? Since the Bratva? Since birth? Take your pick."
Swallowing, Felicity forced her shoulders back and met his eyes, debating whether it was a good idea to point out that her Oliver had been no such thing. Not before Tikal anyway. Not with her.
Instead she said, "And here I thought it was because you were mad at me." And Felicity had no idea how she got so brave. Or so stupid.
Oliver's gaze fell away. He swallowed and then…he grabbed her hand and Felicity's heart leapt into her throat.
"I'm not mad at you," Oliver insisted, pressing two pills into her hand. "Ibuprofen. For your head."
Then Oliver stepped back and turned away from her again. Leaving Felicity to stare, dumbly, at the pills in her hand. His denial was far from convincing. And he wouldn't look at her. So…really not feeling like him being angry at her was off the table.
Maybe this was her opening though? Maybe…Felicity should suggest that Oliver was mad at her for leaving him? She had already been blunter than she had intended, why stop now? Should she just jump right in, address the elephant in the room?
When she didn't swallow the pills right away, Oliver pressed a canteen into her other hand and Felicity's mouth went dry…which was kind of ironic. She needed to say something…
"I'll try to be less grouchy but, please, take the medicine." And just like that, her Oliver of this morning was back and it startled Felicity into nodding and doing as she was told.
"Thank you," Felicity murmured, her voice sounding oddly breathless. Okay, it was definitely time—
"You want to show me what you found?" Oliver asked, gesturing to the wall.
Or they could talk shop. That worked too.
Didn't accomplish much…except, you know, the mission but…
"Yeah…sure…" Felicity wrung her hands and tried to get a hold of herself. Then she realized that wringing her hands was a total tell and dropped them to her side. She turned back to the wall, suddenly feeling very half-naked. Whose idea was that anyway?
Maybe a little break from the personal stuff would help. Before the gut wrenching conversation. Give them both a chance to catch their breaths. Yeah, that was a good plan. Felicity could use a minute to get her emotions more…settled.
"So, the murals depict the life of our favorite couple," Felicity began, because at this point she needed to say or do something.
Then she realized what she had said and…crap, did that sound too familiar? It did, didn't it? Felicity glanced over at Oliver only to find that he had become distracted by a largish carving of the Daughter of the Sun and was staring at it intently, his massive arms crossed, his hair so attractive, spiky and wet…
Right…what was she saying?
Felicity shook herself, grateful that Oliver was looking anywhere but her at the moment. She'd take anything to keep him from noticing her spazing out, even if it was him staring at his 2300-year-old crush…
Why did that make Felicity smile? Actually, it made her feel all warm and fuzzy-bubbly inside. Really, it was a welcome change. Even if it was a very weird way to react to the situation. Though, it would have been illogical to be jealous of someone dead more than two thousand years.
Clearing her throat, she forced herself to start again, "This side of the entrance is dedicated to the life of the Daughter of the Sun," Felicity gestured to the right of the doorway. "It starts with her birth and wraps around…" She spun around and pointed to the door…the new Door (still with the capital 'D'). The unopened one. "And here…their stories combine. This area around the Door is their lives together."
Felicity waited for Oliver to join her at the…exit, for want of a better term. But instead, he wandered to the beginning of the princess's story. Of course, he did. He was nothing if not single-minded.
"So, this is our Sun Queen as a baby?" Oliver gestured to the wall with his chin and Felicity tried not to stare at where his arms crossed, just under his pecs.
"Mmmhmm," she murmured. Was it weird that Felicity found Oliver's fixation kind of adorable?
"Well," Oliver sighed, "I'm sorry to say, your Viking theory is clearly false."
For a moment, Felicity felt a twinge of anxiety and maybe even offense, but then Oliver glanced at her with a little twinkle in his eye…oh thank god! He was teasing.
This was the first sign of anything playful since the battle had begun. Maybe that was all Oliver's distance and irritability was. Battle Mode. Mixed with worry and pain, post bike crash. Maybe Felicity was totally overanalyzing and over-reacting. It certainly wouldn't be the first time.
"Why would you say that?" Felicity's voice came out more gravely than she intended, given she hadn't intended for it to come out gravely at all.
"Clearly," Oliver waved a hand at the fresco on the wall, "she was plucked as a baby from the sky by the sun god and sent to earth on a bed of sunshine."
A burst of laughter, so very welcome, bubbled out of her and Felicity felt the tension drain away. The bad tension. The upset tension. The other kind of tension…well, that wasn't going anywhere.
Grinning, Felicity came to stand next to Oliver, not even bothering to preserve anything resembling a personal bubble between them. She was really hoping the bubble would be gone for good soon.
The carving Oliver was looking at featured an enormous jewel encrusted Kinich Ahau, the Mayan sun god, holding a small girl with gold hair in his out-stretched hand. The next panel showed the girl floating to the ground on what looked like a sun-shaped cloud, where she was discovered by Mayan villagers.
"Oh, I see," Felicity said, playing along. "Obviously, this is undeniable proof that she not only existed but was crafted from a sunbeam."
"Thank you!"
They looked at each other and when Oliver shared her smile, Felicity just felt…like she could burst. But all too soon he yanked his eyes away and cleared his throat.
"So what else?"
Nothing that Felicity particularly wanted to talk about. Not at that moment, anyway.
"Various scenes where the Daughter of the Sun is brought to the Royal Family. Where she grows up beautiful and kind, is worshipped, heals the sick, blesses the harvest, yadayada…"
Felicity walked around the room as she recited, keeping her tone lighthearted and hoping it stuck. She didn't think her nerves could handle going into excruciating detail about any of this right then. Oliver followed close behind, saying nothing, and that was nerve-wracking enough.
"All sorts of ordinary things. Then over there," Felicity pointed to the other side of the room, "our Prince…his life was all kinds of boring. Stuff like wrestling a jaguar as a toddler, beating an army as a boy, slaying monsters with only his trusty pets beside him…"
"Yes, yes, very boring," Oliver repeated, and while his tone was of someone playing along with the joke, he still ignored that side of the room to come back to the second set of hand prints. They were surrounded by depictions of the Queen and the Warrior's life together. "Do you think that is the Gift?"
Oliver pointed to where the Queen was handing the Warrior King a sun-shaped carving.
"Maybe. This hieroglyph here," Felicity pointed to the left of where Oliver was focused, "is for 'gift' and it is the only one that I've seen here so far. But I think it says that she is giving him something, so it might not be the Gift, just a gift. It could mean a lot of things, since this scene looks like this it's depicting a betrothal or some such. And the shape of the present here…" Felicity hurried back to the beginning of the Daughter's story, "See, it's the same shape as the 'sunbeam' she floats to the ground on. Actually, that shape in present in every one of her panels."
Felicity walked around, pointing to each of the sun-shapes. They got progressively smaller as the Queen grew, until it fit in the palm of her hand. "Though, this here," Felicity pointed to the last panel where she was gifting it to the Warrior, "isn't exactly large enough to carry a baby down to Earth, Superman style."
"Oh ho," Oliver teased. "Is this a new theory? Aliens, perhaps?"
Felicity chuckled, giving Oliver an eyeroll, though that was mostly for affect. She was beyond thrilled with his teasing. He wasn't kidding about trying to be less grouchy. "No. But the shape is clearly significant and I do think that she is gifting him the medallion we saw the Warrior wearing on the slab in the Temple of The Sun."
The teasing fled Oliver's eyes and he shot her a sharp look. He turned back to examine the grown Queen, then the other panels of the two Mayans together.
"And she has the moonstone." Oliver pointed to where the pendant lay on her chest. Though without the magnifying feature of her glasses working, Felicity couldn't look close enough to see if the details were the same. "But not until the later panels where they are…married, I presume?"
"That would be my guess," Felicity agreed. The later panels had the sun pendant around the Warrior King's neck.
Oliver's lip quirked. "Your very educated guess?"
Well, there was no stopping Felicity's blush after that. "Yes, my very educated guess." And, yes, her voice sounded like sandpaper.
Nodding, Oliver's teeth sunk into his bottom lip as his eyes moved over the carving. It was absurd that Felicity was jealous of his teeth, right? "So, it looks like we are looking for a sun pendant and maybe a moonstone one. Assuming we haven't already found that one."
Oliver looked pointedly at Felicity and her hand automatically found her shorts pocket, where the moonstone was still snapped safely in place. She nodded. "Until we can find evidence to the contrary."
"At least, it's some direction." Oliver sighed, blowing out a breath. "When we get through this Door. If it is a door."
Ah and there's Mr. Pessimism again. He was very good friends with Mr. Mood Swing.
"It's a Door, see these glyphs here," Felicity pointed, determined not to lose the progress they were making. "It's identical to what the Door…the other Door…said. 'Through these doors lie the House of the Glorious Kinich Ahau, God of the Sun. Enter only his true and righteous servants. Home of the Brave Children of the Sun. Enemies will surely perish," she read.
That finally seemed to convince him. Oliver had an impressed look (not a glass half-empty frown) on his face. "And it has the same handprints. Except with the piece missing."
"Yeah." An irregular shape seemed cut (or broken) from center, where on the outside Door it had had a carved face in the center. Felicity just hoped it didn't meant this Door was irreparably broken.
"Any idea what may be missing—?"
"Nope," Felicity cut Oliver off, because thinking about the opening mechanism being broken gave her a whole different kind of anxiety.
"Well, we left the sledgehammer back at camp, but I still have my exploding arrows—"
"Yeah, let's call that plan D," Felicity cut off, really hoping Oliver was joking. "Or plan R." Because, besides the whole desecrating a holy site and curses and whatever, there was the fact that an explosion may very well collapse this entire room.
Oliver just shrugged, saying lightly, "Have it your way."
Felicity bit back a smile. This was…okay. Good, even. Much better now that they were dry-ish and safe from the storm. Maybe, this was a good place to start a conversation. The conversation. Felicity could just start telling the truth and see where it got her.
"So…umm…maybe we could talk—?"
"Actually, I uh…" And frak…that face was back. Like, instantly. Oliver locked up and his expression shuddered. "I don't think I'm up for anything more today. I'm beat. I'm just going to try to sleep."
Oh.
Okay.
That message was loud and clear.
"Yeah. Of course."
And as Felicity pretended not to watch, Oliver unfurled his garbage bag bed. She tried to remind herself how exhausted he was. Of course, he wanted to rest. He probably wasn't feeling up to an emotionally trying conversation and, god knew, this would be as emotionally trying as it got.
So Oliver wanted to sleep? Why wouldn't he? They could talk about everything tomorrow. After they were both more well rested. It had been a ridiculous day.
Felicity told herself that this was for the best.
Tomorrow. They would talk about it tomorrow.
Notes:
(More photographs and art for this chapter here)
Ok, people, I know the unresolved part of the sexual tension is beyond painful at the moment and you are probably feeling like you can't stand it one more second (or page. ;-)). So, it's a good thing that you just officially finished the last chapter of "slowbuild." The next three chapters are an explosion of feels. All the secrets are coming out. The wait is over…well, the wait is exactly one week, actually.
Chapters 15-17 are the chapters I've been waiting to write since I started this story. They contain three of my top five moments in the entire fic. It's an intense and bumpy ride and, personally, I can't wait.
All the love and thanks to my lovely beta's Ireland1733, Fairytalehearts, and imusuallyobsessed. They are my saviors!
And to all the wonderful readers who stop by the leave me comments, you are so appreciated and inspiring.
Happy Reading,
Emmy