Chapter Text
“Who are you?” She asked in disbelief.
Oliver didn’t have an answer for her. It seemed lately, he had no idea who he was or what he was. He just existed.
“Thea-” Oliver pleaded,he stumbled a halting step towards her but she moved away, her bow clanking on the floor.
“No, no, stay away from me.” Her choked reply gutted him. Even behind her mask, he knew she was crying. He could hear it in her voice.
Regret, hard and heavy bore pummeled him. His breath came out in puffs.
“Thea.” Oliver tried to rush to her side, tried to grab her arm, but like a ghost she evaporated into the shadows.
The empty space which his sister had just vacated left a gaping hole. He felt raw and numb all at once, like all his nerve ends had been overexposed and pushed over their limits.
“Oliver?” Felicity’s soft, tentative voice came over the comms. Oliver closed his eyes and swallowed the dry lump in his throat.
“Yeah?” He croaked out, his voice as rough as if the modulator was turned on.
“Come home.” A pang pounded inside him at the sound of the word, the sound of her voice. It soothed like a balm and he needed her right now.
Needed to just be near her.
When he got to the lair, everyone but her was gone. Most of the lair was shrouded in darkness, only the glow from Felicity’s monitors and the emergency lights casted colored illuminations of the space.
At first he didn’t see her. She was in her chair, but near the corner of her desk where the light didn’t hit, but he heard her move and then watched as she materialized in shades of blue and red. She didn’t speak and when she reached him, she let her hand wandered up to his face, pressing it against his cheek.
The feel of her touch broke his tentative hold on raging storm inside him. He let out a breath, hitching so much he was afraid he would break. Felicity eyes were dark, hard to see in the dim light, he could feel her compassion, her empathy ebbing off her like a wave. He let it wash over him, wish more than once, that he could just drown in her. In all of her.
She withdrew her hand and for a moment he felt bereft and that horrible chasm in his stomach emerged, but he felt her hand drift downward, lacing itself with his.
She squeezed and lead him to her chair. When he sat, she let go of him, her presence hovering before him. Calm, and still, so unlike her usual self. But he knew this side of her, relied on it more than once, this seemingly bottomless ocean of strength and love.
He felt her fingers on the edges of his hood, soft and tentative as if she was unsure.
Then he saw her take in a breathe and pushed it back. The cool air of the lair waffled around his exposed head. Oliver shivered. He felt exposed, vulnerable.
She smiled softly and both her hands came to cradle his face, tilting it towards hers.
“You are Oliver.” Confusion crunched his face and her sweet grin widen, sadness laced at the edges of her mouth.
Her touch became firm. “You are not just Oliver Queen, you are not just the Arrow, you are both of them and more. You so many things, a brother, a partner, a savior, an avenger, a friend.” A lover, he whispered to himself in his mind.
Tears pricked at the back of his eyes.“You are Oliver.” She said emphatically, giving his head a slight shake. Something, a tingling rush built and bubbled under his skin. He felt lightheaded.
Her thumbs brushed away his wayward tears who dared to escape. His leaden arms moved and wrapped around her waist. She stiffened for a second, then relaxed, allowing him to gather her to him, his face pressed against her warm stomach. Her scent, a mix of jasmine and sunshine surrounded his senses. The sound of her rhythmic heartbeat steadied his own. Calm washed over him, he held on to it like a beacon, guiding him back.
“She will come back. Give her time.” Felicity whispered against his hair, her breath on his skin created a cascade of shivers down his back.
He held on tighter instead of answering. His own hands drew patterns on her back. She answered in kind, moving her hands to rub his neck and back through the leather of his jacket.
Each spreading parts of themselves back and forth within their touch, ebbing and flowing within the tides of the other.
Infinite.