Chapter Text
Felicity's outfits: QC/lunch, birthday party
Thea's outfit: morning/lunch
....
It’s Friday.
Usually, Friday means the end of the workweek for Oliver. Maybe grabbing dinner with Laurel and Tommy or going out for drinks. Maybe attending some fancy gala or fundraiser he doesn’t particularly want to be at. But not this Friday.
Oliver lays awake in bed at least an hour before his alarm is set to go off, he doesn’t know why he even bothers using that thing anymore, and stares at the ceiling. It shouldn’t feel any different, like today stands out from any other Friday. However it does and he knows why.
It’s Felicity’s birthday.
It’s Felicity’s eighteenth birthday.
The implications of that simple number are not lost on him, even though he kind of wishes they were. She’s considered an adult now, a legal, consenting adult. While this doesn’t erase the age gap between them entirely, at least now his thoughts aren’t technically illegal. So that’s a start.
It also makes the dream that he just woke up from seem a smidge less inappropriate. Although he’s pretty sure that nothing in this world could ever make the things he had been doing to her with his mouth completely appropriate in any context. The image makes his stomach clench and brings a wave of heat through him. How the hell Oliver’s supposed to keep things platonic between them is beyond him.
A knock at the door has Oliver shifting from his horizontal position so that he’s seated with his back against the headboard. The action conveniently pools the dark green duvet in his lap, hiding the physical evidence of his dream from view.
"Hey Ollie, it's Thea. I'm giving you until the count of 10 and then I'm coming in. 1... 2..."
Oliver can't help but roll his eyes at his sister's antics.
"Thea, you can come in."
The door creaks as Thea slowly pushes it open, hand covering her eyes as she takes hesitant steps into the room.
"What are you doing?"
"Shielding my eyes and my innocence incase you and Felicity decided to celebrate early."
His sister is far too accepting of his, now marginally less, unsuitable feelings for her best friend, far too accepting and eerily supportive.
“Knock it off, Speedy. Just because you’re all on board with it doesn’t mean it suddenly becomes okay.”
Thea reaches behind her with both hands, grabbing the door handle and backing up until it’s tightly shut, before making her way over to his bed. The way she climbs on top of the duvet and then sits with legs crisscrossed in front of her, reminds him of all the early morning she came in as a little girl. She used to do it all the time; Christmas, birthdays, snow days to tell him school was cancelled, the times he came home after being kicked out of yet another expensive university. And every time, no matter how early or how hung-over he felt, Oliver would always give her his undivided attention.
Thea was the one girl in Oliver’s life that he genuinely listened to when he was younger, before the Army. She was his baby sister, of course he did. He cared about every aspect of her life and always wanted to hear about her day no matter how uneventful it may have been. The only difference now is that she’s wearing a blazer and dress pants instead of a tutu and a tiara and she’s traded in her sparkly red “Toto” shoes, she insisted on calling “The Wizard of Oz” the “Toto movie” after she first saw it at age five, for a pair of bright red heels.
“I know. It’s just fun giving you a hard time about it.”
“I really wish you wouldn’t.”
“Oh come on, Ollie. She’s eighteen now, which means that you can’t hide behind the age thing anymore. Plus, we both know that’s not the real problem here.”
Oliver sighs in exasperation. He’s beginning to think this whole thing was easier when Thea didn’t know about how he feels.
“There are a lot of other factors to think about. They don’t magically go away because the law says eighteen is legal.”
“No, but it makes everyone else seem like judgmental assholes for saying that you can’t care about each other just because you’ve been alive longer than she has, if you ask me.”
“Well then I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t.”
Thea rolls her eyes before sticking her tongue out at Oliver, causing him to let out an amused chuckle.
“Whatever, be a pain in the ass about it. But I’m warning you now; Felicity is an amazing and beautiful girl. She’s also extremely intelligent, not that anyone here could ever forget that. She isn’t going to sit around forever waiting for you to get your act together and decide that she’s worth the fight, even though it should be pretty obvious that she is. If you don’t make up your mind you might just lose your chance.”
Oliver is prevented from voicing his reply by a voice calling from the hallway.
“Thea! Have you seen my panda flats anywhere? I swear to God if you threw them out I will make you buy me a new pair!”
“Aaaand that’s my cue to exit.” Thea twists towards the hallway and yells, “Coming Birthday Girl!”
Pushing herself from her crisscrossed position, his sister slides easily off the smooth duvet cover and makes her way to the door. She pauses, turning to address Oliver in a quieter voice.
“I’m taking Felicity to lunch at that place with the awesome dim sum. It’s her favorite, next to Big Belly and that little Bistro with the awesome imported coffee by the park. You should think about coming with us. Hey! Don’t give me that look, I said think and no one would find it weird that the Queen kids and their best family friend are out for lunch together.”
“Seriously, Thea, where did you put them?”
“See ya later, Big Bro!”
And with that Oliver watches his sister duck out of the room so fast she blurs. There was a reason he gave her the nickname Speedy.
Oliver takes his time getting ready, his mind dwelling on what his sister said.
She was right; Felicity is beautiful and extremely intelligent. She shouldn’t have to wait around for him to get his ass in gear. In fact, that idea of her doing just that almost makes him feel a little ashamed. All this time he’s been so preoccupied with his own internal crisis over the situation that he hadn’t stopped to think about how Felicity was handling it. He had assumed at first that she was freaked out by his actions, and then he thought that putting space between them when she had expressed her interest was best for her.
But he’s not the only person directly affected by the situation. Felicity is as well and he had unknowingly been making all the decisions for the both of them. Granted he wasn’t sure how deep her feelings went and his thought process had always been about what was best for her. He still hadn’t given her much of a choice either way. The thought of putting her in a position where she is left to sit and wait, putting a part of her life on hold, is unsettling. Felicity is too vibrant and full of life to wait on the sidelines for someone else to call the shots.
Thea was right.
He really needs to get his shit together.
….
Oliver makes his way down the steps and into the kitchen, dressed in a grey suit that is probably way too expensive, briefcase dangling from one hand. The plan is to grab a thermos of coffee and then head out for Queen Consolidated, he’s be early but there’s certainly enough work for him to be doing during that time.
Rounding the corner, Moira comes into view, preparing herself a cup of coffee and plating a variety of, no doubt extremely fresh, fruits. She looks up at her son as he enters and smiles warmly at him.
“Good morning, Oliver.”
“Morning Mom.”
Oliver joins his mother on the side of the island and places a quick kiss on her forehead, squeezing her shoulder in greeting, before going to grab a thermos from one of the cabinets.
“Why don’t you get a mug and come join your mother out on the patio for breakfast?”
A quick glance at his Rolex informs Oliver that he has thirty to forty minutes before he absolutely has to leave. That’s more than enough time to sit with his mother, whom he has seen only briefly over the past two weeks between work and social functions and everything else.
“Sure, that would be nice.”
They load up their plates and prepare their coffee before stepping through the sliding glass door and out onto the expansive stone patio. After setting down their breakfast on the glass table, mother and son situate themselves comfortably on the same side, facing away from the manor. The vast expanse of the Queens’ backyard can be seen from where they sit. A pool lies off to the side with it’s own separate patio, the same pool in which Felicity almost drowned during Oliver’s Basic Training send off party.
The memory sends a chill through Oliver. He hadn’t been around the pool area when it had initially happened, otherwise occupied with Sara Lance’s tongue. But Oliver had heard Felicity’s screams and the second it registered in his brain he left Sara high and dry, sprinting towards the pool. He remembers a watery blur of pink and yellow before diving into the, probably fifteen percent alcohol-filled, pool after her. Felicity had clung to him for dear life as he pulled her out, soaking wet and shivering from the cool night air. He remembers being so filled with rage at the group of idiot college students who had thought throwing a twelve-year-old girl who couldn’t swim into a pool would be funny. The only thing that kept him from hitting one of them had been Felicity’s weight in his arms. That seems like a lifetime ago now and almost ironic given the present circumstances, her life in danger again and Oliver doing everything he possibly can to keep her safe.
“Oliver?”
He’s brought back from his, not particularly pleasant, walk down memory lance by Moira, who’s looking at him questioningly.
“I’m sorry, I missed that. What did you say?”
“I asked if you had seen Felicity this morning before her and Thea left.”
Oliver shakes his head no and takes a large swallow of his coffee, two sugars, no cream, and still slightly burning in temperature.
“Oh, well make sure you do and wish her a happy birthday. Eighteen, it’s incredible. She’s growing into such a beautiful young lady. Soon she’ll be graduating college and starting her professional career, getting married.”
College. Yet another thing Oliver hadn’t thought about. Felicity would be returning to MIT in the fall, on the complete opposite side of the country where seeing her everyday would be impossible. The thought causes a slight pang in his chest.
“Mom, you have a couple years before you have to worry about that.”
“I know. It’s just; you all grow up so fast. I mean look at you, five years in the Army, leadership position in the family company. You’re a whole different person from the one that left us five years ago and I wasn’t there to watch you grow like I had been for the first twenty-four, twenty-five years of your life. It’s a strange experience. You spend all these years dedicated to helping this person live and grow into who they are and then suddenly they don’t need you anymore.”
Oliver takes his mother’s hand in his and smiles lovingly at her, which she returns with a watery smile of her own.
“You will always be my mother and I will always love you. Just because I’m getting older and making my own way does not mean I don’t need you in my life. I just need you in different ways than I used to. The same thing goes for Thea and even Felicity. Okay?”
He leans forward to place a kiss on the crown of his mother’s head and pulls her into a hug.
“Thank you, sweetheart.”
They sit that way for a beat, mother and son finding comfort in each other’s embrace. He had missed this. Before his deployment, Oliver had taken the support of his mother for granted. She was always there for him and Thea, trying to make right every situation they had wronged and comforting them in ways no one else could. His immature, young adolescent self had called it smothering but now he realizes just how much worse things would have been without her.
Moira and Oliver separate from each other and spend the next few minutes nibbling on breakfast; fresh fruits and Russian sandwiches called butterbrots that Raisa prepared on occasion.
“Actually mom, there is something I’ve been meaning to ask you about.”
His mother holds a hand up to lightly cover her mouth as she finishes the bite she just took before looking at him expectantly.
“I’ve been thinking about getting my own place. Not too far from here but closer to the city. Maybe a penthouse on the outskirts?”
“Oliver, I hope you don’t feel unwelcome here. I know things with your father are still… at odds and quite frankly might always be. But you are always welcome at home.”
To be honest, he and Robert have never had a very close relationship to begin with. It’s not even on the list of things that Oliver is currently trying to work through.
“No, no that’s not it. I just think that it’s time I get my own place. I have a stable job and more than enough money for it. Also, I’m thirty years old, sharing a home with my parents isn’t exactly the most flattering living situation.”
“Well, alright. I guess you do have a point. I can talk to Jeanine. She mentioned she was showing this new apartment complex in the city, high-end security, very private.”
“Thanks, mom.”
A quick glance at his watch shows that Oliver’s time is up and that he needs to leave for Queen Consolidated if he doesn’t want to be late.
“I have to get going, do you want to ride into QC with me?”
“Oh I am about to leave for Verdant to oversee the preparations for Felicity’s birthday party tonight. Thank you for the offer, darling.”
Oliver gives his mother a smile before ducking down to kiss the top of her head in goodbye, grabbing his suitcase, and heading back through the kitchen towards the town car no doubt waiting for him at the front door.
….
By twelve o’clock Oliver will be happy if he never has to read another partnership proposal again. He had been going through Bertinelli’s drafted proposal and contract, looking for any weak spots or points of fault. So far he hasn’t found any that would be grounds for outright rejection and he’s been looking over it for almost three hours. The pounding in his head is evidence of that.
Luckily, Thea had texted Oliver, instructing him to meet her and Felicity in IT at noon if he wanted to grab lunch with them. He had accepted, deciding that lunch wouldn’t hurt and would serve as a much-needed break from the grueling paperwork he was sifting through. Sliding one of the drawers in his desk open, Oliver grabs a bottle of Ibuprofen and downs two of the blue gel pills before making his way towards the elevator and the IT department.
The second the doors slide open on the correct floor, Oliver hears Felicity’s tinkling laughter from down the hall. The sound instantly put him in a better mood and if his gait happens to speed up, well, that’s pure coincidence.
His lifted mood is short-lived, however, when Oliver rounds the corner and finds the cause of her laughter.
It’s his assistant/intern, whose name he learned is Barry, who seems to be the reason for Felicity’s laughter. The kid standing by Felicity’s chair, all awkward dangling limbs. He has this goofy smile on his face as he looks at Felicity, like a little puppy, while she laughs at something he must have said. Her hand rests gently on his scrawny arm and Oliver gets a sudden urge to separate it from his body.
“Psssst, what are we spying on?”
Oliver just about jumps out of his skin and ten feet into the air when Thea comes up behind him.
“Jesus!”
“Nope, just me. So, what are we eavesdropping on?”
“I wasn’t eavesdropping.”
“Course you weren’t. Now let me see.”
She leans around him to find what Oliver had previously been staring at. A surprised look crosses her face before she pulls back to smirk at her brother.
“Well would you look at that. Seems like you’re not the only one with a crush, Ollie.”
“Would you stop that?”
Thea raises her hands in a show of backing off after he snaps at her.
“Okay, okay. Geez. Who pissed in your Cheerios this morning?”
“I didn’t have Cheerios. Now are we going to lunch or not?”
“Yeah, yeah, let’s grab Felicity. If she can bear to part from her man piece, that is.”
His sister steps forward and into the Intern Corner before Oliver can respond, leaving him to follow suit. He tries not to outright glare at Barry’s head and instead focuses on Felicity. She looks beautiful, as always, in a light blue dress and the shoes she had been yelling about earlier. The little smiling pandas scream Felicity and it’s one of the most adorable things he’s ever seen.
“Hey Birthday Girl, you ready for dim sum and fresh air? This place reeks of cheap coffee and wasted paper.”
Both Felicity and Barry startle a little at the intrusion. She immediately draws her hand away from Barry’s arm and Oliver doesn’t miss the way her eyes flicker between him and the kid before settling on Thea.
“Yeah, yup, let me just shut down the computer and grab my purse.”
Felicity turns to do just that, leaving Oliver, Thea, and Barry standing in awkward silence. Thea looks expectantly at the kid, waiting for an introduction. Oliver is still lost on how he knows Felicity in the first place. Barry fidgets in place for a few seconds, deciding on what his best course of action is before stepping towards Thea with an outstretched hand.
“Hi, uh, I’m Barry. Barry Allen. I work for Mr. Queen as an intern here in Applied Sciences.”
Felicity whirls around to face them, knocking over a pile of papers in the process.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so rude I forgot to introduce you. Thea, this is Barry. Barry, Thea Queen, my best friend. Oh crap. Those papers were organized by date filed and complaint number.”
She drops to the floor, quickly gathering the papers together. Oliver is about to step forward and offer his assistance when Barry beats him to it, ducking to pile more of the papers on top of each other.
“Here, Felicity, let me help with that. I can come back when you’re finished with lunch and help reorganize them. If you want me to, that is.”
Has his intern always been this enthusiastically eager? Actually, yeah, now that Oliver thinks about it he kind of has been.
“Oh no, that’s okay you really don’t have to. I’m sure one of the other IT interns can help me out with this. You probably have a bunch to do in Applied Sciences with Defense Tech and everything.”
Barry passes the last of the papers he’s collected to Felicity and she adds them to a stack on the desk before grabbing her purse from beneath it. She faces Oliver and Thea, the first time the two of them have made real eye contact since he arrived here.
“Okay, I’m ready. Let’s go.”
Felicity begins to walk towards the Queen siblings when Thea speaks up.
“Wait, Barry, would you like to join us?”
Three heads snap around to stare at Oliver’s sister. Felicity is wide-eyed and looks almost nervous at the prospect. The kid, Barry, whatever, seems far too delighted by the idea. And Oliver, Oliver has an unexplainable desire to duct tape his sister’s mouth shut.
“That would be – “
“Unfortunately not possible today. Barry has a lot of work to get done in Applied Sciences. Don’t you, Barry?”
For a second he almost feels bad about shutting the kid down when Oliver sees his face fall, almost.
“Uh, yeah, Mr. Queen is right. We’ve got new drafts coming in and a couple contracts I need to file.”
Felicity speaks up then, turning to face her fellow intern and apparently friend.
"Oh... Okay. Well then, you should come by Verdant tonight. If you can."
"I would like that."
The two exchange a smile that leaves a sinking feeling in Oliver's stomach. Thea's words from earlier this morning come back to him.
She isn’t going to sit around forever waiting for you to get your act together.
Oliver is past the point of denying his feelings for Felicity. He knows what he feels and he knows there’s no use in fighting it anymore. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s sure of admitting them to her, especially after all he’s done to keep her away. But seeing her with Barry, an age appropriate guy who is clearly interested in her, reminds Oliver that if he doesn’t make a move, he has to be okay with letting her go. And he’s not.
“Earth to Oliver. You ready to go?”
He’s pulled from his thoughts by Felicity’s questioning tone and her hand gently resting on the inside of his elbow. Warmth immediately blossoms from where she’s touching him, even with the material of his dress shirt between her hand and his skin. It’s the first time she’s directly addressed Oliver today and the sudden relaxation of his body makes him realize just how much he had been anticipating their interaction.
“Yeah, let’s go. Do you need me to carry anything?”
“No, it’s just my purse. I’m completely capable enough to carry that. But thank you for the offer.”
Her hand trails down his arm and slides to the pulse point at his wrist where her fingers idle for half a second before dropping away, sending Oliver’s heart into overdrive. What is she doing? As if he hadn’t suffered enough from their accidental contact and his not-so-logical actions around her as of late. Now she’s initiating touches and lingering in ways that are, for all intents and purposes, innocent but somehow more sensual than any contact he’s ever been on the receiving end of.
Oliver has the sudden urge to loosen his tie and maybe pop open the top button or two of his dress shirt. The AC on this floor must be busted or something. He’ll have to talk to maintenance about that.
“Alright, well we’re off then. It was great meeting you, Barry. Hopefully we’ll see you at the party tonight.”
Thea links her arm with Felicity’s free one as she smiles at the intern.
“Yeah, I’ll be there. Have a nice lunch, Felicity.”
“Thanks. Bye, Barry!”
Felicity throws another smile at Barry before Thea tugs her towards the elevators, Oliver falling into step next to them.
“Well he was pretty cute.”
He could really use that earlier mention duct tape right about now.
“Yeah, Barry’s a nice guy and he’s really smart.”
“Sounds like the total package. What do you think, Ollie? He is your assistant, after all.”
Oliver glares at his sister over Felicity’s head before schooling his features into a pleasant smile when she turns to look at him.
“Uh huh, he’s a good kid.”
The emphasis on kid may have been a little unnecessary.
….
“What about those faux leather Alexander McQueen shorts and the adorable cap-sleeved lace crop top I got you, that you never wear, for tonight?”
“For me or for you?”
“For you, obviously. I’ve had my outfit picked out for weeks.”
They’ve been sitting at the table munching on dim sum for almost thirty minutes and all that Thea and Felicity have talked about are party details. Oliver can’t decide which is worse. This or going through the Bertinelli contract. But then Felicity will laugh at something Thea says or smile across the table at him and it’s not so bad.
“Thea, you might as well take the shorts. You’re the only one who ever wears them and probably ever will.”
“But the one time you tried them on they made your butt look so good. I could not deprive you of that and still call myself a good friend.”
Oliver almost chokes as he takes a sip of water and quickly fumbles for his napkin. Felicity reaches a hand over to soothingly rub his back as he coughs and it only serves to prolong his breathing problem for a few moments.
“Geez, Ollie, did you forget how to drink water?”
“I just –“ he pauses to let out a final cough “ – thought I saw something, outside.”
Both girls stare at him like he’s grown a second head, neither of them buying his explanation but not really knowing what to say in reply. Felicity’s hand still rests lightly against his upper back, moving in small, soothing circles.
“I’m fine.”
As he straightens out, Oliver feels her small hand fall away and instantly misses the contact. But it’s probably for the best.
“Ooookay. So, uhm, are you going to stop by Verdant tonight?”
Honestly, he had been debating it in his head, weighing the pros and cons, the maybes and the what ifs. But right now, looking at Felicity’s hopeful face, Oliver knows what his choice would have been in the end. His choice will always be Felicity and her happiness. In fact, it’s not really a choice at all.
“Yeah, yeah I’ll be there. It starts at nine, right?”
Her face lights up like a million twinkling lights and Oliver feels a sense of accomplishment at being the reason why.
“Mhmm, party starts at nine, cake cutting is at ten. Tommy and Laurel will be there. Digg will be there, too. He helped organize the security for the event to make sure there are no… incidents. It’s going to be a lot of fun. You don’t even have to stay the whole time. Just as long or as short as you want.”
How she doesn’t run out of air when she babbles like that is a mystery to Oliver. She does pause at the end and take a breath so at least he knows that she’s breathing. But God help him, it only makes her that much more endearing. Actually, everything about her seems to be designed to draw him in, like a bee to honey.
“Felicity.”
He gently takes her hand in his.
“Mhmm?”
“I’m sure it will be great. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Okay. Good.”
For a moment they’re the only two in the room. Her hand in his is all he feels, her shining smile that reflects in her eyes is all he sees. She’s the only thing and everything.
But then there’s the sound of shattering glass as a waiter drops an empty cup to the floor and the people around applaud him. It breaks the bubble and brings Oliver back to the world around them. He gives her hand a light squeeze before letting go and turning back to his meal, trying his best to ignore Thea’s perceptive smirk and the light pink dusting across Felicity’s cheeks.
The three of them eat in silence, the low din of the adjacent restaurant patrons providing a comfortable background noise. It’s not until after dessert is ordered that conversation returns to topics heavier than appropriate lunchtime sweets and which dessert yields itself the best to birthday candles, which Thea of course has with her.
“So, have you heard from your mom at all today?”
Felicity pauses mid-reach for her glass of water at Thea’s inquiry.
“Uhm, she tried to call me while I was at work but I missed it.”
It’s a lie. Oliver can tell before the words even finish escaping her mouth. A glance at his sister reveals to him that she’s not buying what Felicity’s attempting to sell either.
“Lis, she’s your mother. I know you two were never really close or on the best of terms, but if she tried to call you – “
“I told you, I missed the call. And you’re right, we aren’t close at all. Actually, we’re the farthest you can be while still being related by blood. I get a small percentage of the trust she set up for me once a month and that’s it. I guess now it won’t be so regulated since I’m eighteen but it’s not like there’s much to regulate anymore, what with the majority of her accounts being frozen and all. I’m surprised they’re giving me any of it.”
The dessert comes then, a slice of rich chocolate cake for Felicity and some fruity pastry for Thea. Oliver stuck with plain coffee. Felicity immediately grabs her fork and stabs at the cake as if it’s done her a serious injustice.
“So I guess we’re not doing candles then… But seriously Felicity, she’s been trying to reach out to you since the arrest. Don’t you think she might have something important to say? Maybe she’s realized her wrongs and is trying to make amends.”
“She knew what she was doing. Karen is a lot of things but an idiot is not one of them. So maybe she should have thought about how this would all affect me before she decided that large scale embezzlement was a good career choice.”
Oliver stays quiet throughout the exchange. He knows about the trial and he knows that Felicity and Karen are not and never were close. That’s where his knowledge on the subject ends. It’s not his place to get involved and advise Felicity when she hasn’t asked him to. But it doesn’t stop him from wishing that he could say or do something to help her and the situation.
“I just think that – “
“I’m done talking about this, okay Thea?”
He’s never seen Felicity snap at someone or heard her so much as raise her voice before. And even though this could be considered tame, Oliver can see the turmoil and the storm beneath the surface. Coming from Felicity it’s more than a little bit intimidating.
“Whatever you wish. It is your birthday after all. Sorry to put a damper on it.”
Felicity sighs before looking up at her best friend and giving her a soft smile, one that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
“It’s okay. I know you’re just trying to help and I appreciate that. But Karen and I will never have a good relationship and I’ve come to accept that. Let’s just move on from this conversation and not dwell on it, okay?”
“… Okay. Now, can I have a bite of that cake? It looks divine.”
The rest of lunch goes off without a hitch. They finish dessert, Oliver covers the bill, and all topics family related are avoided. Felicity, for her part, does a good job of continuing on as if the conversation about Karen never happened. She jokes with Thea and talks to Oliver about the Defense Tech plans and Applied Sciences. She smiles and laughs and goofs around with Thea on the walk back to QC, at one point they try synchronizing their steps but Felicity is in flats and Thea has heels on so it doesn’t keep for very long. There’s only one sign of distress that stands out to Oliver.
Felicity won’t stop fidgeting with the ring on her right hand.
….
It’s a good thing his earlier headache has dissipated because the second Oliver steps foot in Verdant the bass starts sending vibrations through his body. It’s a quarter ‘til ten and the place is already flooded with people, bodies grinding and writhing to the pulsing beat of the music, arms outstretched in either exhilaration or an attempt not to spill drinks. The crowd is a mix of all ages, but there’s a significant amount of people whom Oliver suspects to be underage or at least younger then twenty-one. Luckily, security is extra tight tonight and that majority of them are wearing neon wristbands, signaling their age.
Scanning the crowd for Felicity and Thea is futile. There’s no way he’ll be able to find them in the masses, even if he seems to be acutely aware of Felicity whenever she’s in close proximity to him. Instead, Oliver makes his way towards the bar, knowing already that he’s going to need a drink. Or three. Maybe a couple shots.
“Hey Ollie!”
As he approaches the bar, Oliver spots a familiar, smiling blonde waving at him from behind it.
“Sara. I didn’t know you worked here.”
It’s nice to find a familiar face in the crowd of inebriated thrill seekers and he quickly makes himself comfortable leaning against the bar.
“It’s a new gig, just on the weekends. Everything is really great at The League, my training facility, but I missed bartending a little. So when Tommy asked me to work as back up on his busier nights I accepted and here we are. What can I get you?”
“Hmmm… how’s the house draft?”
“Definitely worth trying. Let me grab you one. Half pint or full?”
Just then there’s a commotion on stage and Oliver turns to find a cake being brought on, Thea and Felicity in tow. The sight of the blonde, beaming and laughing with his sister, brings a smile of his own to Oliver’s face. Until he sees what she’s wearing, that is.
There’s no doubt in his mind that Thea had a hand in Felicity’s outfit choice for the evening. She’s wearing a sequin cardigan that just barely comes together at the ends in an attempt to hide the top she’s wearing underneath, one that clearly does not meet the waistband of her skintight jeans. Hot pink heels make her legs seem a mile long, even from Oliver’s place at the bar and her hair spills freely over her shoulders in large, loose curls.
The look on his face is probably comical to anyone paying him any attention, jaw dropped and eyes slightly bulging out of his head. Oliver imagines he looks something like a cartoon.
“Ollie, hello, what size beer do you want?”
Shaking his head and turning back around Oliver tries to move his thoughts away from Felicity and her outfit, although to be fair it’s less revealing than Thea’s, much to his dismay. He’s not even sure how his sister got out of the house dressed like that.
“Sorry. Give me a full.”
“Coming right up!”
Sara ducks down to grab a pint glass and fills it from the tap before sliding it in front of him.
“Thanks.”
“It’s on the house. Now if you don’t need anything else I’m gonna slide on down and get my flirt on with the hot girl on the other side of the bar. I’ve never been more attracted to a fedora in my life. See ya, Ollie.”
He chuckles at Sara as she subtly adjusts her top and saunters down to the side of the bar to chat up a woman with dark hair and slightly exotic features.
“Oliver! Oliver, hey!”
Turning around on the barstool he’s now occupied, Oliver finds Laurel and Tommy making their way towards him, hand in hand. They look every bit the power couple they are, all clean cut and charisma. Oliver stands to greet them, pulling Laurel into a quick hug and patting Tommy on the back.
“Laurel, you look beautiful, as always.”
“And you are being quite the charmer this evening. Thank you. Did you talk to Sara? I was on my way over to say hi but it looks like she’s otherwise occupied at the moment.”
“Yeah, I did. But I’m afraid we may have lost her for the night.”
Laurel leans around Oliver to peek at her sister, loving smile on her face, before pulling back.
“Aw, let the little sis have some fun, Laurel. Plus, this just means I have more of you to myself for the evening.”
Tommy wraps his arm around Laurel’s waist and pulls her into his side, planting a loud kiss to her cheek and earning him a heartfelt laugh and a soft shove on the chest before she falls further into him. They really are a great couple.
“So have you seen Felicity yet?”
Has he seen her? Ha, yeah he definitely has.
“I just got here a few minutes ago but I saw her get on stage with Thea.”
“Doesn’t she look beautiful? And so grown up. God, I can’t believe she’s eighteen!”
Just then the music cuts off and there’s a short-lived pitch from the speakers as a microphone gets turned on. Thea stands on stage, mic in one hand and other arm wrapped around Felicity’s shoulders. A plastic tiara with something pink and fluffy at its base is now perched on top of Felicity’s head.
“Hellllooo everyone!”
The crowd yells and cheers in reply to his sister’s greeting and she signals with her hand to quite down after a few moments.
“Tonight is a very special night here at Verdant. Does anyone know why? What could we possibly be celebrating?”
Felicity laughs in delight on stage as shouts of ‘birthday’ and ‘Felicity’ and ‘eighteen’ ring through the audience along with one very enthusiastic exclamation of ‘she’s legal! Fuck yeah!’
“That’s right! It’s Felicity Smoak’s 18th birthday ladies and gentlemen! Now, would you all kindly join me in serenading our gorgeous Birthday Girl? On the count of three, ready? One… two… three! Happy Birthday to you…”
Oliver joins the crowd in the age-old song, laughing occasionally at Laurel’s attempt to stay in tune and the slightly out-of-sync words being sung, or rather shouted, throughout the room.
Felicity’s bubbling laughter echoes through the speakers as Thea pulls her close. Oliver thinks he’ll never get enough of hearing that sound. It’s so genuine and happy and all he wants is to hear it everyday for the rest of his life. Watching her on stage right now, spotlight shining on the swaying form of her and his sister and playing through the golden strands of her hair, it’s easy to forget everything else in the world. It’s easy to forget his parents, Bertinelli, the press, the age difference, easy to forget everything but Felicity and how perfectly she embodies her given name in this exact moment.
But then people are shouting and lights are dimmed and music is restarted as the song ends and the party comes back in full swing.
“Oh that was so cute! I hope the photographers got good pictures of that!”
“Laurel, you and Moira hired five of them. I’m sure somebody did. Now, let’s get some champagne to celebrate, shall we? Oliver, you want any or are you good with your beer?”
Oliver looks down to see his drink is only halfway empty before shaking his head.
“No, thanks, I’m good. You guys go grab some. I’ll be right here.”
He smiles at his two best friends as they nod and Tommy leads them back around to the opposite side of the circular bar and out of sight.
Turning back to the crowd Oliver tries his best to spot Felicity. Now that he knows what she’s wearing it shouldn’t be as difficult. And it’s not. He finds her within two minutes of beginning his search. Unfortunately he wishes he hadn’t.
She’s dancing with Barry. It’s not the close contact grinding that the people around them are partaking in. Instead Felicity moves with the beat, hands above her head and twirling on occasion. Barry does some awkward movements next to her that cause Felicity to laugh before she grabs him in an endearing hug. It’s almost worse than the lewd grinding.
The dancing goes on for another five minutes, it feels like an eternity, before the two make their way to the bar. Oliver waits approximately one minute and thirty seconds, just long enough for them to be served two glasses of water, before he wanders over.
“Hey, Felicity.”
“Oliver! You’re here!”
Suddenly his arms are full of her warmth and Oliver doesn’t remember why he was so agitated in the first place. He returns the hug in kind, large arms easily locking around her tiny waist, and inhales, letting the feel and smell of her surround him and take over his senses. It brings him back to the moment when this all began, right in this spot on the day of his return. When she wrapped him tightly in her arms and he realized that she wasn’t the little girl he had pictured her as anymore. It was a little over a month ago but it seems like it’s been ages since.
Slowly Oliver leans back, breaking the hug but not every point of contact as one of his hands slides down to gently grab hers.
“Can I talk to you for a second?”
Felicity looks at him in confusion, probably at the somber tone in his voice, before replying.
“Yeah, sure. Let me just say goodbye to Barry.”
She turns away, hand lingering for a beat before fully leaving his, and addresses the kid.
“Hey, I had a really great time dancing with you but Oliver needs to talk to me about something really quick. I hope you don’t mind. I’m not trying to ditch you, I swear. You really are a great dancing partner.”
Barry laughs a little at that before shaking his head.
“You and I both know that’s not true but I appreciate the sentiment. Go ahead. I think I see Caitlin and Cisco anyway. Happy Birthday, Felicity.”
Oliver watches as the kid leans over and gives Felicity a brief hug, before walking past him.
“Mr. Queen, enjoy your evening.”
“You too, Barry.”
The kid – Barry isn’t all that bad. Now Oliver feels a little bit like a jerk for sticking him with all that extra paperwork when he got back from lunch.
“So, what did you want to talk about?”
“Do you mind if we go somewhere quieter? It’s kind of hard to hear in this place.”
She smiles softly up at him.
“Sure, lead the way.”
They fall in step next to each other as Oliver guides them towards and up the stairs, hand resting on the small of Felicity’s back. He can feel the heat from her skin through the flimsy material of her cardigan. It causes his hand to flex for a minute before relaxing once again. Neither of them says a word as they come to the second level and Oliver opens the door to the large storage room, gently leading Felicity inside before closing the door behind them.
It’s much quieter in here, even though the base still thrums through his body. Or is that just his heart rate picking up pace?
“What’s going on, Oliver? Is everything okay?”
Now that they’re here, he’s realizing that he’s really not sure what he’s doing. Like just about everything else in his life that has to do with Felicity, Oliver hadn’t thought any of this through. One second she was stunningly euphoric on stage, the next she was in the arms of Barry Allen. Then he was crossing over to her at the bar in the spot where it all started, asking her to talk, about what he wasn’t sure.
“Oliver, did Digg talk to you? Is something wrong? Am I in danger?”
Of course she would assume that. Oliver hadn’t even considered what this would look like to her and he has to act quickly to quell the panic creeping into her voice.
“No, no nothing is wrong.”
“Oh, okay. Then what did you want to talk about?”
He starts pacing in the limited space of the storage room between the desk by the two-way mirror and the racks of liquor in varying colors and bottles. He’s at a complete and utter loss as of what to say to her.
“Are you sure nothing’s wrong? You’re kind of worrying me with the pacing.”
Felicity steps up to him, placing a gentle hand at the crease on the inside of his elbow. She looks up at him with bright blue eyes full of concern, beseeching him to tell her what’s going on so that she can help him. It’s the moment that tips the scales and sends him stumbling towards the rabbit hole.
“I care about you.”
She doesn’t get it. He can see it in her bemused look before she even responds.
“I care about you too, Oliver.”
His hands lift of their own accord and gently encircle the place just above her elbows.
“I mean I really care about you, Felicity.”
Her head tilts to the side, puzzled smile still in place and eyebrows pulled together slightly.
“Oh… kay? I really care about you too. We’re practically family.”
“No, that’s not it. You’re not… that’s not what I meant.”
He pulls away then and walks across to the opposite side of the storage room, back turned to her, forefinger and thumb rubbing at his temple. What is he doing?
“Oliver, you’re not making any sense. I can’t read your mind, even though it would be a lot easier sometimes if I could. Tell me what’s going on and we can figure this out together.”
He turns to face Felicity, taking all of her in. She’s standing with hands clasped in front of her, idly toying with the ever-present ring on her finger. Her hair has been pulled over to one side, exposing where her neck and shoulder meet. The tattoo he once caressed on a whim peeks out over the edge of the waistband of her jeans. Her eyes shine with concern and compassion and a sincerity that he’s never seen echoed in any other’s.
She’s so damn beautiful.
“Felicity, I…”
He can’t do this. He has to do this. He doesn’t even know what this is.
“Oliver?”
Fuck it.
He’s crossing the room in a matter of seconds; his hands gently taking hold of her face and his mouth pressing tenderly to hers.
He’ll never be the same again. No matter what happens next, if she continues the kiss or if she shoves him away in disgust, Oliver will never be the same. This will never be the same. He’s reached the edged of the rabbit hole and now he’s tumbling down with no end in sight.
But Oliver gives her this decision, this choice. Where they go from here is completely in Felicity’s hands and it’s terrifying. But it’s also exhilarating because he’s been fighting this for weeks, months, and he’s finally giving in. He’s finally letting go.
But then she’s not responding and his heart begins to sink. He pulls back to look at her.
“Felicity?”
Her eyes are open wide in what he assumes is shock. But she hasn’t run away or started screaming so that’s good.
“Felicity, talk to me, please.”
“Do you kiss all your sisters like that? Because there’s a word for that and it rhymes with smincest.”
A smile starts to make its way across her face and the relief that floods through Oliver can’t be contained as he huffs out a laugh.
“If you still think I see you as a sister then you’d be very wrong.”
“I think I need some more convincing on the subject.”
She doesn’t have to tell him twice.
Oliver crashes his lips back to Felicity’s and this time there’s not hesitation, no waiting on either end. Their mouths slant against each other instantly, tongues peeking out shyly at first before taking bolder strokes against one another. Each one of them takes their turn exploring the other’s mouth, learning what they taste like for the first time.
Felicity’s hands come up to card through Oliver’s cropped hair and he groans into her mouth when she tugs at the strands on the back of his neck. More, he needs more but it’s hard to do when she’s so much shorter than he is. So without a second thought Oliver’s hands slide down from where they somehow ended up at her waist, over the curve of her ass, pausing to kneed the flesh there for a second and drawing a moan from her mouth, before tugging at the backs of her thighs.
Felicity takes the hint and hops up to wrap her legs around Oliver’s waist, pulling her mouth from his for a second and giving him perfect access to her neck. He quickly rains soft kisses up and down the delicate, pale column before sucking over her pulse point, causing her to cry out.
“Oliver!”
God, he’s dreamt of her gasping his name like that so many times, both in his sleeping and waking hours. It sounds so much better than he ever imagined it would and sends a bolt of heat shooting straight through him. Her hands cling to the back of Oliver’s head, holding his mouth against her neck as she pants above him. He nips at the spot that he’s been occupied with for the past minute, now a satisfying purple, the surrounding area red from his stubble rubbing against her skin.
That’s his mark on her skin, his brand on her body. The sight causes him to groan.
Felicity pulls his mouth back to hers, pressing urgent, openmouthed kisses against it as her hands slide down his neck and around his shoulders to unbutton the top one, two buttons of his dress shirt. Oliver takes this as permission and he moves her hands away, sliding his own to push the loose fitting cardigan over her shoulders and down her arms. It catches at her elbows and he fumbles with the singular button holding it together. Once it’s released Felicity pulls the garment off completely before returning her hands to his shoulder, finding purchase as she rocks her hips against his own. Oliver’s knees buckle beneath him and his breath catches as he mumbles against her mouth.
“Shit, Felicity.”
He stumbles slightly, bumping into one of the racks and knocking a bottle to the floor where it shatters.
The noise pulls Oliver and Felicity apart, as they survey the mess they made. Glass and amber liquid cover the floor. Her sequin sweater lays just to the right of the mess, crumbled and haphazardly thrown in their urgency. The tiara she donned earlier also lies forgotten on the floor.
But none of that matters because there’s a buzzing in Oliver’s ears that pulses with his racing heart. Every nerve ending in his body feels like a livewire.
“Maybe we should – “ Felicity pauses, still trying to catch her breath through kiss-swollen lips and Oliver can’t help but be a little proud of the affect he has on her. “ – Maybe we shouldn’t do this here.”
Admittedly she’s right. But it doesn’t stop Oliver from leaning back in and pressing his mouth to hers. The kiss is gentle, sweeter than the urgent, messy ones they shared less than a minute ago. He captures her bottom lip between his and sucks at it, nipping gently before lightly pressing his mouth fully back to hers.
They spend a few more minutes like that. Oliver’s arms support her weight, one banded around her waist, the other wrapped beneath the backs of her thighs still wrapped tightly around him. Felicity cups the back of his neck in both of her hands, thumbs gently running back and forth over the space behind his ears. Their kisses eventually reduce to small pecks until they part completely, foreheads resting gently against one another and eyes still closed, basking in the blissful stupor they’re both in.
“Happy Birthday, Felicity.”