Hello everyone! This chapter is somewhat post-episode 7, it's related to it and this chapter is what happens when you give me Olicity holding hands. It's fast -unrealistic- progress if you take it show-wise so don't do that, just pretend it's a universe where those two have the decency to not play with our hearts as much.
Thank you all very much for the reviews and constant support. You guys are amazing.
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Felicity whimpered in fear as the Count ran his hands down her arms. Her skin prickled in revulsion and her vision blurred. He could drug her or kill her and she'd be fine with it, as long as it meant that he'd stop touching her. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the fear to go away, willing her hands to break free from their restraints. But nothing happened and behind her the Count laughed.
His laugh sent an unpleasant shiver down her spine; the sound of it cold and holding a note of complete madness. She told herself that she only had to hold on for a little longer. That he would make it here any second. Oliver would know where to find her. Oliver would come for her.
Except that he never did.
Time passed and the Count grew restless. He started pacing the office and looking more agitated by the second. He ran his hand repeatedly through his hair and moved his head around like a snake looking for prey. When he started looking impatient, Felicity's doubts started eating at her.
"Well, little GoldieLocks, looks like your prince charming isn't showing up after all," He stated with a smile that managed to look both apologetic and amused. "Looks like I'll have to lure him out some other way," The thought seemed to amuse him further and he gave a dramatic shrug. Then took out a gun and aimed it at her. "Meanwhile, I'll have to discard of you, sadly. Although I do like to look at you, but we're not here for my personal pleasure, now are we?"
Felicity's mouth went completely dry. She wanted to scream but couldn't get her throat to work. She thrashed wildly in her seat trying to break free but only managed to make the ties bite her skin.
This isn't happening. This can't be happening. Oliver wouldn't leave me here…. He would come. He always comes. Oliver – The gun went off. Her scream sprang free.
"Felicity!" Oliver sounded more worried than she had heard him in a while. His voice came to her as through thick glass and she had to physically shake her head before she managed to hear him normally. He hovered over her with both hands on her shoulders. His eyes bore into hers but she couldn't read what they said because her brain was just catching up to reality.
She was in her bed. Oliver was there. She had been dreaming.
All three facts crowded her mind at once and she didn't know which to acknowledge first. She went with the most pressing after a moment's hesitation.
"What," she started shakily. "Are you doing in my bedroom?" She sat up against her pillows and Oliver had to move back a bit so his hands dropped from her shoulders. "And how did you get in?"
"Through the fire escape." Oliver shrugged as if it was the most normal thing in the world. As if people often scaled fire escapes to make social visits. "It's a bit dangerous, that thing; we need to at least get you better locks for the window."
"And why are you here?" She asked, her nightmare now all but forgotten. "Not that I don't like having you here or that I want you to leave.. um, not that I want you to stay either since it's night and you're in my bedroom and it'd be inappropriate for so many reasons and everyone already thinks that we're.. err, I really should stop talking now."
Oliver's lips twitched but he gave no other indication to having heard her rant. Her face burned and she silently cursed her traitorous mouth. She was at once thankful for the dim lighting in the room since it hid her blush. Although, knowing Oliver, he could probably see it anyway.
"I came to check on you." He answered, and for the first time she noticed that he was wearing his hood and carrying bow. She had become so accustomed to seeing him in this attire that she didn't even stop to look at it anymore.
"No need. I'm fine," she mumbled, knowing very well that she wasn't fooling either of them. He had just pulled her out of a nightmare after all. "Just a bad dream."
"You've been having many of those?" The question sounded less like a question and more like a statement. She let out a sigh.
"I can't believe he told you." Felicity exclaimed. She was going to kill Diggle for ratting her out. Or she would be putting salt in his coffee in the least. "You have more than enough on your plate, I told him not to."
"I know. You shouldn't have," Oliver's voice was gentle but firm. The look in his eyes was one she had glimpsed briefly before and didn't want to dwell on right now. The last thing she wanted was to start fantasizing with the object of said fantasies sitting a breath away. "You should have told me about it. I could have helped."
"It's already been a week, Oliver. I should be over it by now." She felt a burn, one of shame, heating her face. He had been the one to kill the Count. He had broken a promise for her, and she had no right to do this now. She should be comforting him. Not the other way around. "I've been trying to drink herbs and I researched some things online, which I think are starting to work," she lied. "so you don't have to worry about it."
"Your poker face is no better than Diggle's," Oliver stated dryly. His eyes softening once more at her ashen expression. "What was it –the nightmare, about?"
She shivered, realizing for the first time just how cold the room was. Her blanket did nothing to ward off the chill and neither did her flimsy T-shirt. The nightmare came rushing back to her and her attempts at fending it off failed.
"The count," Felicity decided that she may as well get it out. Maybe it won't feel as horrible then. She had never told Diggle what her nightmares showed her, only that she started having them. "Just bits and pieces of that day with a touch of my imagination, which is never a good thing."
"What happens in them?" Oliver's voice was no louder than a whisper. It barely reached her ears but somehow managed to warm her all the same.
"It doesn't matter," She tried a smile and found that her muscles were indeed starting to relax. She still felt cold. "The details don't matter, and it's just a nightmare, nothing to be done about it. Not until my brain learns to handle the shock better, anyway."
"You look cold," Oliver noticed her hands rubbing up and down her arms. What he did next was something that Felicity only dared to dream about deep in the night. He took of his hood –revealing a white T-shirt underneath- and draped it around her shoulders.
A moment of silence passed where they both stared at the place his hands rested to adjust the hood around her. When he pulled away, she prayed that he'd start talking again because for the first time in ever, her words had abandoned her.
"It does matter," He carried on as if they had never been interrupted. "It's wearing you out. I could see it… all week long, but I never thought it'd be this bad." He shook his head, a shadow falling over his eyes. "I know nightmares, Felicity, and I know what they do to you. They take away the only comfort you're allowed. They take away oblivion and turn it into something you dread."
Felicity was torn. She wanted to hug him and ask about his nightmares. Did they ever stop? She also wanted to make him stop talking. Kiss him. Kiss the broken look off of his face. Make his eyes light up. She wondered if she could ever have that effect on him.
"It's late," she said instead. Carefully. Softly. She had one chance at this and she had to do it right. If it came out the wrong way then it'd be disastrous for their friendship. "We have a long day ahead tomorrow."
Oliver, not waiting for her to finish, started to get up. She grabbed his hand without thinking and pulled him back down so he sat on the edge of her bed.
"No, I wasn't.. I mean.." She took a deep breath. "What I'm trying to say is.. you can stay if you want. You can sleep here with me.." Her hand flew to cover her mouth and her eyes widened in horror. "Not that kind of sleep with me, I meant sleep sleep. Ugh. I obviously get much worse after midnight."
Oliver's usual façade of indifference dropped. He let out a small laugh; the sound surrounding her and sending a smile of triumph to her lips, and wiping away the embarrassment she felt.
"Yes," He nodded, his features arranging themselves back to normal but a glint residing in his eyes. "I wouldn't mind to sleep sleep with you." The same look from before returned and Felicity finally allowed herself to analyze it.
It was a look of tenderness –something that she never associated with Oliver before- and wistfulness. He looked like a lost boy. He looked like someone longing for something they couldn't have. She recognized the look because she often saw it reflected at her in the mirror.
Without a word, she scooted to the other side of the bed. She had a huge bed. One of the very few luxuries she had allowed herself after becoming Oliver's assistant. The bed could comfortably fit four people in it. She bought it thinking of sleepovers with her friends and of having enough space to lay down all her books and tablets on her bed at the same time.
Oliver only hesitated a second but bent down to take off his shoes. After that his bow and arrow went to rest against her bedside table and he lay down beside her. They both stared at her ceiling, choosing not to disturb the silence. She couldn't help but wonder at the choice she made. Maybe she shouldn't have asked him to stay.
"Oliver?" She whispered. He turned his head to look at her. "Thank you. For getting me out that day.. and for coming tonight, you didn't have to."
"You already thanked me." He moved slightly closer. If she reached out now, she could touch him. She could hug him or just hold his hand. She kept her arm by her side. "And what happened to you was my fault to begin with. It's because of me that you're having those nightmares now." She tried to deny it but he only shook his head. "I put the nightmares there, Felicity. Let me fend them off."
She didn't know what he was asking permission for but she nodded anyway. His eyes were the softest shade of blue. One with the promise of stars and good things to come. He looked peaceful and right lying down beside her. How could she deny him the comfort of comforting her?
She scooted closer to him but couldn't keep facing him, so she turned her back to him . His arm went around her waist, hesitantly at first but more surely as he pulled her against him.
There was a palpable tension as they both held their breath, but then she felt him taking a deep breath and her worries danced away. Sure, tomorrow they'd have to deal with whatever this meant. They'd have to look each other in the eye and hide their feelings the way they had done all along. Tomorrow would bring questions and doubts and probably more nightmare. But at the moment, Felicity felt like she owned a little piece of heaven and one that she intended to keep for as long as possible.
She felt her body fitting itself to his. She felt the press of his lips against her hair, and for the longest time, she fought a losing battle against her drooping eyelids. Trying with all her might to stay awake long enough to commit everything that happened tonight to memory, for fear that she'd wake up alone tomorrow and think that this was nothing but a dream.
Whatever effort Felicity made must have paid off because minutes, or maybe hours, later she felt Oliver's breaths coming and going in regular bursts that ruffled her hair. In a show of bravery she moved her hand to grab his lightly and congratulated herself with a mental pat on the back while resisting the urge to giggle.
As her eyes grew too heavy to hold open, and her thoughts started picking up fragments of her dreams and mingling them with reality, Felicity decided that maybe Oliver didn't just stay to fend off her nightmares. Maybe he stayed to fend off his own as well.
A/N: I don't know where all that came from. Maybe the feels from last episode or my wishful thinking for Olicity, but anyway I really hope you guys liked it.
As always, I'd love to hear what you guys think and I'd be very grateful to get your reviews (we're also about to hit 300 reviews YAY!)
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