Thank you so much for all the reviews. I could tell y'all really liked chapter two, so I used your reviews to inspire the kiss in this story. And for those of you that like a little action in your stories - real action, not *that* action LOL - I have that in here, too. Let me know what ya think. :))
To Build a Kiss
One-shot: Falling In
"Oliver, huurrrry!" Felicity spoke into her Bluetooth comm., her voice quiet but tight and edged with overwhelming alarm as she waited in the stairwell. The small illuminated exit sign provided little light for her and did nothing to unwrap the spine-chilling blanket of darkness that settled upon her shoulders.
She was scared, her eyes wide as she waited for a response. And waited. Precious seconds ticked, and Felicity began to think the unthinkable.
"Fe - city," her name came alive in her earpiece. The audio was scratchy and most likely fried, but at least . . .
"Oh, thank god you're not dead!" Felicity closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm headed - way. What did - blueprints - on – 'op floor?" Oliver asked and Felicity made a mental note to change out his Bluetooth before the next mission.
She wasn't sure if he could hear her, but she answered just in case. "A large open space. The fire escape is on the far side from the stairwell I'm in right now." And for good measure, she added, "Oliver . . . please hurry. These guys are not gonna like what I've done to their security system. I ran a pentest and set up a nasty Trojan that makes other malware look like it was made by a kindergartener. 'Course, I was writing code back then, so I guess that is possible, but . . ."
Felicity heard the metal door open below. She huddled in the darkest corner of the stairwell landing and tried in vain to tuck her bright blond hair into her black beanie. "Felicity . . . Felicity," Oliver spoke her name, his voice an urgent whisper in the dark.
"I'm here . . . at the top." She heard him make his way toward her, feet pounding softly on the concrete stairs until he reached her. "Oh, thank god – I was in the middle of a major ramble about malware."
"I missed it – my earpiece is toast, I'm afraid."
"Oh, I can repeat it if you want – as soon as we get to a happier place."
"I'd love put you in your happy place."
"Oh, the lair is good enough for now." She slapped her palm against her forehead. "3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . ."
Oliver cast a bemused look at her and chuckled. They had really grown so close over the past year, and he enjoyed it when she let an innuendo slip from those beautiful, brightly colored lips of hers. He discovered that he now looked forward to them these past few months. His feelings toward her had been building like a newly ignited fire. It started slowly at first but had been developing in intensity. So much had happened to them since he first met her in her small office in the IT department so long ago.
The bottom door busted open two floors below them. Voices shouted and feet pounded up the stairs. They had been discovered. "Dammit – looks like reinforcements are here." Oliver said as he grabbed Felicity up by her arm.
They pushed the metal stairwell door open and ran into the open space of the top floor. Boxes of various sizes were stacked and scattered haphazardly around the large room, but they wouldn't provide much cover since they were only made of cardboard. They were almost at the fire escape door when four men crashed into the room.
Shots rang out and bullets zipped through the air slicing the boxes apart like a knife through soft butter. Styrofoam peanuts and pellets erupted from their cardboard confines, exploding in the air like fireworks on New Year's Eve. The effect would have been fun to watch if they were not in such mortal danger.
Crouching low, they crawled around the maze of boxes to the door. Oliver looked into Felicity's eyes. "Ready?"
"No . . ." A bullet zinged by and landed inches from them spraying particles of drywall into her hair hanging below her beanie. Felicity gulped, ". . . but I am now!"
"Just run down the escape and hop on the Ducati. It's at the end of the alley," Oliver's voice was steady but it did little to calm the butterflies that found their way into Felicity's stomach. She was scared of heights, and those fire escape ladders seemed downright rickety to her.
Oliver took out an arrow with an explosive tip and aimed it at the ceiling. He released the arrow with expert precision, and it exploded, knocking the men on their feet and raining all kinds of debris on top of them. Smoke and dust rose all around them affording them a chance to get up and move without being seen.
Felicity pushed open the door and they ran out onto – thin air. They fell the three floors to the ground, arms and legs flailing – Fa – thuud! – into a large metal dumpster, one that was full of garbage.
Trash bags busted open and the contents flew up and back down onto the new inhabitants of the dumpster. Oliver and Felicity found themselves covered in dirt, grime, and food from the surrounding buildings' refuse, one of which was a delicatessen.
Oliver came to his senses after having the air knocked from his lungs. "Felicity! Are you –"
"Ugghh!" Felicity responded with a groan. "Too bad the blueprints don't tell you everything. It would've been nice to know the fire escape ladder was missing."
"Yeah, that was an important detail," Oliver agreed.
"I don't know what hurts more – my body from the fall or my nose from the stench."
"Don't move," Oliver advised. Although they were rid of the goons following them thanks to the explosive arrow, they now had a new problem.
"Too late," she had already tried, only sinking deeper into the quicksand of trash. "Ewwwww!"
Oliver fared a little better, managing to reach the edge of the dumpster and pull himself out. Securing his bow on his back, he reached his arms back into the dumpster for Felicity. She swam her way toward him through the sea of lettuce, oils, and bits of bread, and possibly even a stray rat or two.
Pulling her out of the dumpster and standing her on her feet, Oliver looked her over for any serious injuries. "Thank god the dumpster was full. That garbage saved our lives," he said, plucking a stray piece of lettuce that was wedged under Felicity's beanie.
"Yeah – and I'm so totally beating you to the shower when we get home . . . I mean, to the lair."
Back in the safety of the lair, they rechecked each other for injuries. Oliver was fighting a losing war in his head. It was getting harder and harder to keep his hands in appropriate places around Felicity. He sighed, knowing he was fighting a losing battle.
"What's wrong?" Felicity looked up at him.
"Jus' thinking." His hand moved from the knee he had been checking, fingers lightly trailing up her thigh, and he took her hand in his own. "You always come through for me whether it's here hacking away in the safety of the lair or on the field risking your life for the sake of intel I can't get without your expertise. Like tonight."
Felicity gave a nervous laugh. She wasn't quite sure what direction Oliver was going, and her heart flipped like a gymnast doing a tumbling run inside her rib cage. Patience didn't begin to describe how she was with her feelings toward him. "Is this your way of bribing me into you getting a shower first?" She decided to play it safe and go for witty.
"No," his expression, and the depth of his blue eyes, made her melt. "You're a brave woman. A brave . . . and beautiful woman . . ." his voice was tender and full of emotion. He breathed in deeply and continued. "I don't want you to be in danger, but I can't deny my feelings for you anymore. I only hope you'll have me after . . ." Oliver's voice trailed off.
"After what, Oliver?"
"After I've made you wait so long."
She stood completely still, scared to move for fear of this tender moment ending.
Oliver reached for her other hand, holding both together in front of him. He brought them up to his lips and kissed them. "I've fallen for you, Felicity Meghan Smoak."
"Please tell me it's not into a dumpster you've fallen. We already did that tonight."
"Nope," he chuckled, smiling down at her, "it's only love I'm falling in – and I hope you'll join me for the ride."
"Oh," she paused, swallowing deep and reaching her hands up toward him. She laced her fingers behind his neck. "Good. 'Cause I've had enough of dumpsters."
The distance between them now gone as their bodies entered this new realm of hugging, a realm with a much more intimate level of affection, and it only served to kindle their senses after all the excitement of the night. All they knew was each other, the surroundings of the Arrow Cave fading deep into the background. This was their moment, and nothing could stop it.
Oliver leaned down closer and closer, taking in the moment before their lips touched, brushing his lips against her cheek. Felicity felt her heart quicken as Oliver's lips made their way to hers, his whiskers brushing gently against her chin. His hands settled on her waist and inched down toward her hips, his thumbs hooking around her belt loops while his index fingers explored just inside her waistband. The touch electrified Felicity's skin, and she ran her fingers along the base of his neck hoping to return the sensation. His tongue traced her bottom lip. A moan escaped her lips as she parted them, and their tongues met, eager to explore. Delicious warmth spread through them both as their kiss deepened.
"So . . ." she started after several moments of complete bliss. "Someone needs to break this up so I can beat you to the shower," Felicity said, her lips not daring to leave his just yet.
She felt Oliver's lips turn upward into a smile. "Mmmm . . ." he mused, savoring the softness of her lips, ". . . who said you have to beat me?" And, with that, he scooped Felicity up in his arms and made his way toward the back of the lair.
A/N: Whew - that turned out waaaaay longer than my original storyboard. I totally expected it to be under 1,000 words. LOL
I hope you enjoyed it.
~~ Please review ~~
BTW, I appreciate all of you following my different stories. I currently (as of June 7, 2014) have five "stories" I am continuing to either add chapters to or one-shots to for all my Arrow ideas. I am trying to make myself rotate through them equally, but sometimes my plot bunnies ignore me and sink their teeth into just one area (like Bringing Down the Beast). At any rate, I appreciate the patience y'all have as I continue to add to my other stories.