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x
Oliver finds out about the rumours.
x
"That's her," Felicity hears someone giggle as she stands in line at her favourite coffee shop.
"Who?" Another asks. Both voices are female and Felicity realises it's two of the women standing a few places behind her in the queue.
"She's Oliver Queen's secretary," the first voice replies, "the one who slept her way into the job."
She tenses then, because they're talking about her. Though, it shouldn't surpriise her; Felicity has been hearing this a lot over the past few months, a few people having even made snide comments right to her face.
"You pay them no mind, dear," Joyce, the lovely, elderly women who runs the little shop smiles warmly at her. Felicity had spoken to her on multiple occassions and found a mutual respect and friendship formed between the pair.
"Oh, I don't." She replies, taking the to go cup and paper bag from her. The two share another smile before Felicity turns to leave, thanking Joyce as she does.
She stops, though, next to the two women she'd heard gossiping about her, looking them up and down once each.
"I'm his Executive Assistant, not his secretary."
The women gape at her. Felicity grins and walks away.
x
When she walks into QC a half hour later, it's much the same. People stare and snicker as Felicity passes security and makes her way towards the elevators. She knows they talking about her, mocking her, but she shrugs it off, rolls her eyes and wonders if the people in this place are ever going to find a new toy to play with.
A sigh escapes her, though, when the elevator doors open a few floors below her desired location and in steps Isabel Rochev. Brown hair is swept over one shoulder, perfectly smoothed down so not one wisp is out of place. Her black dress is form fitting, coming to a stop just above her knee, and is paired with killer heels in the same colour.
The look she gives Felicity is filled with as much disgust and lack of respect as a person could manage to convey with one stare. Her calculated gaze sweeps up and down the blonde with disdain. Felicity knows what's coming.
"If you tried the adult section, you might just find something to wear that wasn't designed for someone the height of an eight year old." Isabel snears.
Felicity keeps her eyes locked on the doors, trying her hardest to ignore the older woman for the short remainder of their time in the lift, but she does find herself subconsciously running her hands over the skirt of her dress, pulling at the hem.
A smirk lights Isabel's face and Felicity knows she's realised the discomfort she's caused.
When a ding sounds and the metal doors slide open, Felicity can't get out fast enough.
x
Diggle knows. Felicity knows he knows. It's all there in the sympathetic looks and the coffee he brings her on the worst days. She can see it now as she fidgets in her desk chair and he stands vigil beside the glass doors of Oliver's office.
In said office, Oliver and Isabel are discussing... whatever it is they discuss during these weekly meetings. Just the woman's presence makes Felicity feel scrutinised, looked down on, and it makes her feel sick.
John walks towards her, pulls round a chair and sits beside the desk. His strategic placement means that he blocks Isabel's view of Felicity and vice versa. She gives him a warm, grateful smile and he nods in return.
"You're too good for this, Felicity." he tells her.
She knows that, too.
x
There are few things Felicity Smoak hates more than company gala's.
A room full of snobby, pretentious people who believe everyone without money is below them has, for some reason, never appealed to her. The party staff are always mistreated by the guests and the clothes the people wear are overpriced and uncomfortable.
At this particular event, Felicity feels like a mouse in a nest of vultures. Not a moment goes by where she is not being watched, circled, criticised. Because she is the IT girl who jumped into bed with the CEO and came out with a promotion - though, Felicity see's it as a demotion, because she did not go to MIT so she could fetch coffee for Oliver freaking Queen.
It is expected of her, though, to attend these things, so she puts on a pretty dress and powers through, making small talk and forcing smiles.
"Excuse me, gentlemen, I need to borrow Miss Smoak." A british voice breaks through the conversation Felicity had been dragged into with three very judgemental men.
When she turns towards the voice, she finds Walter standing beside her, smiling softly. He doesn't give the men a chance to respond before he's guiding her across the room.
"Mr. Steel, you are a God send." Felicity gushes as they come to a stop near a table in the corner.
"Dear, please, it's Walter." He corrects, "And, as for my being a God send, you looked rather indistress over there and who am I to leave a friend in need of saving."
Felicity beams up at him, feeling so much gratitude towards the man standing before her. Her happiness falters, though, when she catches the scoffing and snickering of a group of women standing nearby and realises they're aimed at her.
"Besides, the people here have no idea what they're talking about most of the time." Walter adds, and from that and the look he's giving her, Felicity knows he's noticed it, too.
There are few things Felicity Smoak hates more than company gala's. One of them being the people who attend them.
x
It all goes to Hell at Verdant.
"Felicity!" Thea squeals, running towards the blonde. The young Queen pulls Felicity into a tight embrace, continuing to coo happily in her friends ear.
"Hey, Thea." Felicity laughs, wrapping her arms around the brunette.
"I'm so glad you came!" She says, grabbing a hold of Felicity's arm and pulling her through the crowd of dancers towards the bar.
"I see she finally found you, Smoak." Tommy grins from his place behind the counter.
"That she did, Merlyn." Felicity beams back, slipping onto a stool as Thea does the same beside her.
"Less talking, more drinking." Thea pipes up, leaning her elbows against the bar top.
"Mhm, so, a lemonade then, Queen?" Tommy asks, raising an eyebrow at the young girl.
"You used to be so much fun, Thomas. So. Much. Fun." She huffs, though there's an obvious teasing tone in her voice.
He chuckles in response before sliding a glass towards her and then turns to face Felicity.
"Same for me, Thomas." She tells him, smirking. He rolls his eyes and pours another glass of lemonade for the blonde.
Somebody nearby giggles and Felicity glances over, seeing two women standing nearby with a tall man. The women look familiar, though she can't seem to place where she knows them from.
"She didn't even deny it." One of them says and - oh. The coffee shop.
"Oh, great." Felicity mumbles, turning her attention back to the drink in front of her.
"Something wrong?" Thea asks, taking a sip from her own glass.
"No," She smiles, "no, everything's fine."
"What the Hell kind of person gets their job on their knees." Felicity hears, and when she glances back to the women she finds that they're staring straight at her. The grip she has on her glass tightens and her body tenses.
"Are they talking about you?" Thea asks, glaring at the women.
"Tommy, I think I'm gonna need something a little stronger." She responds, choosing to ignore the question in the hopes of not completely destroying their night out.
Unfortunately, the women don't stop. They continue to giggle and mock Felicity as if she isn't standing right there within earshot. Thea, though, respects that Felicity just wants to ignore them and doesn't say anything on the subject.
Until a line is crossed.
Thea and Felicity are sharing old stories and laughing away together, with the occassional chip in from Tommy when he has a free moment from serving the happy patrons.
One of the women chooses that moment to say, very loudly, "What a slut."
And Thea flips.
"Hey!" She yells, turning on the women, "You have no idea what you're saying!"
Felicity thinks she hears one of them remarking on the fact that that's Oliver's sister.
"We know exactly what we're saying" The red head scoffs, and her friend nods in agreement.
"In that case you might want to put a sock in it." The young Queen growls, standing from her chair so she can turn her whole body towards them.
"Woah, woah, hey," the man they were with chips in, moving to stand between the two pairs of women, "I don't see how any of this is your business."
"Well, when you're dogs are talking smack about my brother and my best friend, it becomes my business."
"Really, because from what I've heard, they were only speaking the truth." The guy responds, his arms crossed over his face and a smirk on his lips.
"Alright, buddy, you wanna take that back?" Tommy asks, appearing from out of nowhere with a towel over his shoulder.
"I don't think I do, buddy." Comes the reply, and Tommy tightens his hands at hiis sides until they're balled into fists.
"Everythink okay over here, boss?" Roy is suddenly beside Tommy, taking up the same stance as him.
"Okay, guys, this really isn't worth it." Felicity tells the group, wary of where this whole thing is going.
"No, Felicity, they insulted you," Tommy retorts, "we're not just going to let that slide."
"They insulted Lis?" Roy growls, and his body moves into a position Felicity recognises from the foundry's training mats.
"Wow, are there any men around here that you aren't sleeping with?"
The final straw. A fist is thrown and in an instant there's blood running from the guy's nose and red on Tommy's knuckles. Gasps erupt from the onlookers as a crowd gathers around the group and the music stops.
Just as it begins to look like a full blown fight is going to break out, Oliver is there, Diggle not far behind and total silence falls.
"What the Hell is going on here?" His voice is low and rumbling, but still seems to echo through the club.
"Nothing I can't handle." Tommy answers, keeping his eyes locked on the man before him.
"Oh, yes, I see that you're handlng this very well." Only then does he seem to notice Thea and Felicity standing behind his best friend and Roy.
"Ollie, it's not their fault." His sister says, "They were standing up for us - well, more for Felicity."
"Okay, everybody out." He says quietly, "EVERYBODY OUT!" He repeats, raising his voice. The group watch as the people scramble.
Felicity, Thea, Tommy and Roy try to sneak away with the crowd, but Diggle stops them. "You four, upstairs. Now."
The little group hang their heads and walk slowly towards the main office, looking like an embaressed group of teenagers being reprmanded by their father.
x
"So, does someone want to tell me what just happened down there?" Oliver stares down at the four who sit tightly pressed together on the little, white couch in the offie.
"Well, Felicity and I were having our night out." Thea supplies, finally lifting her gaze to meet her brother's.
"And Roy and I were working. Just an average night." Tommy adds.
"You know exactly what it is I'm talking about, so get to it." Oliver orders, glaring at his best friend.
"Okay, fine," Roy says after a long moment of silence, standing up from his position next to Thea, "Tommy hit that guy in the face because his friends and he were insulting Felicity."
"And that was our entire involvment in this whole thing, so, if you'll excuse us, we have work to do." Tommy states, quickly, followed by he and Roy bolting from the room before Oliver can say anything more.
A synchronised call of "cowards!" echoes after them as Thea and Felicity huff in their seats.
"Is this about what people have been saying around the office?" Diggle asks, arms folded over his chest as he stands vigil beside the door.
Felicity nods once, keeping her eyes downcast so as to avoid the pitiful gaze she knows the older man is sending her way.
Thea blurts an enraged, "People have said that stuff before?" at the same time as Oliver asks "What have people been saying at the office?"
"Look," She sighs, finally lifting her gaze to look at her friends as she addresses them, "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."
"Fe-li-ci-ty. What have people been saying?" Oliver repeats, obviously having had enough of people not giving him the answer he's looking for.
"Oliver, man, maybe you should just leave it." Digg jumps in, picking up on the uncomfortable look that crosses Felicity's face as she squirms under the CEO's gaze.
"Mr. Diggle, would you mind taking my sister home?" He replies, though he doesn't take his eyes away from Felicity and they both know the request is rhetorical.
"Come on, Miss Queen." He sighs, motioning towards the door.
"What? No, I'm not just going to leave Felicity here so you can yell-" Thea tries to start, but Oliver shoots her down.
"Thea, go." He growls, finally trning his fierce gaze away from the blonde and onto his sister.
"Whatever." She mumbles, before rising from her seat, "See you soon, Lissy." She adds, turning to her friend.
"Yeah, see you soon, Thee. And thanks."
The youngest of the group nods once before turning and walking out of the room, John hot on her tail.
A click sounds as the door shuts and there's only two left in the room. They stare at eachother but neither say anything, both waiting awkwardly in the silence that engulfs the room, expecting the other to make the first move.
Felicity can see Oliver getting impatient as he stand before her, with his arms folded over his chest and one foot tapping against the floor white carpet.
"So, you going to tell me what's going on?" He eventually huffs, moving so he's standing right infront of her and she has to crane her neck to meet his eyes. "And don't say no-"
"Nothing." She interupts.
"Don't say nothing." He tells her, "The truth. Now."
"There's this stupid rumour floating around, it's not a big deal, really." Felicity responds, still trying to downplay the whole thing.
"What rumour?" She doesn't know when he got so close, but he's there, now, down on his knees in front of her.
"People are, uh, speculating about how I got my job." She mumbles, voice becoming higher in pitch and quieter as she speaks.
"What do you-" He starts, but cuts himself off when he's hit with sudden realisation, "Oh. Oh, no. Tell me they're not saying that we..."
"Yeah." Felicity confirms, rubbing a tired hand over her face.
But, then, Oliver's fingers are wrapping around hers and pulling them towards himself, placing gentle kisses against her knuckles. Two pairs of blue orbs lock as a momentary silence decends once again over the room.
"What did those people downstairs say?" He whispers, pressing his forehead against hers.
"They were just making comments. Thea snapped when one of the women called me a slut," A fire blazes in Oliver's eyes as anger surges through him, his rough hand tightening around her little one, "and Tommy punched the guy when he said... something else."
"What did he say?" His voice comes out somewhere between a hiss and a growl, and she pictures him, standing on a rooftop somewhere in full green leather, putting the fear of God into someone with the voice.
"It doesn't matter." Felicity reasures him, quickly, bringing her other hand up to hold their already intertwined ones, "It's okay, I'm used to it by now."
She winces as she sees pain and guilt mix in with his anger. That was not the right thing to say.
"How long has this been going on?" He asks, quietly.
"Oliver, I-"
"HOW LONG?" he bellows, releasing her hand and surging to his feet so he towers over the woman, making her flinch back in surprise.
"Si-since I started work as your assistant." Felicity stutters, wrapping her arms around her middle.
Oliver's eyes soften as he lowers himself slowly back onto the gloor, this time opting to rest his foehead against her knees.
"That was months ago." He sighs, looking up at her.
"I know." Felicity breathes, allowing a single tear to trail down her cheek. Oliver's hand is moving instantly to wipe it away, though his palm lingers against the side of her face, lightly carressing the soft skin.
One moment, she's sitting on the couch and the next Felicity is on the floor with Oliver, being cradled tightly against his chest.
"I'm so sorry. I'm so, so, sorry." He whispers into her hair.
x
"Oh my God!" Thea cries, startling Felicity. The other people in the diner turn to look at the pair but neither pay much attention to them.
"What?" Felicity asks, leaning forward to try and get a better view of her friend's phone.
"Isn't that the guy from last night?"
Sure enough, a picture fills the screen of the man they'd encountered at the club last night, pinned to a wall by two green arrows in his sleeves, with a third arrow stuck between his legs, right below his groin.
The blonde laughs. A real, belly aching laugh. She laughs to the point where she's struggling to breathe and she think she might fall off her chair and then she laughs some more.
"Excuse me for a moment." She manages to wheeze out.
"Where are you going?" Thea asks, though her eyes only drift from her phone for a second.
"I need to call your brother."
x
Thoughts? This was a lot longer than the rest of my one shots; is that okay, or would you guys prefer me to keep them shorter? I don't start out writing these with any real intent on how long they're going to be, I just aim for a minimum of 1000. I hope you enjoyed this installment. Thanks for reading!
ALSO: I started writing an Arrow in Vegas fic, that was originally going to be posted here as a two parter, but I decided to publish it as it's own story. So, go check that out if you want to :)
I do not proof read nor spell check these before I post them, so I apologise for any mistakes.