Chapter Text
Thea exited the elevator and walked into the home of Team Arrow, scanning the room for the Green Arrow himself aka her big brother. She was going to see if Oliver wanted to grab a late dinner together, so Thea figured she would stop by headquarters and see him. Hearing the whir of the computers and seeing the walls and tables filled with an array of weapons, gadgets, and super suits, Thea felt a little pang of nostalgia hit her chest. She really missed being a member of the team, even more so after her temporary reinstatement to fight the aliens, but she knew that taking some time off had been the right move to make and still was.
As she took a breath and brushed off the melancholy thoughts, she noticed Oliver was nowhere in sight but a particular blonde genius sat in front of the computer system, zipping back and forth on her rolling chair, checking the different monitors for information. She was moving so fast and frazzled-like that Thea had to hold back a laugh.
"Whoa, where's the fire?" Thea teased as she shot a quick text to Oliver about dinner, but Felicity was too engrossed in her tech to respond. As she moved closer to stand beside her blonde friend, Thea pocketed her phone and decided frazzled wasn't the right word. Based on the frustrated look on her face, the crease in her forehead, the loose hair falling from her ponytail, and the amount of "fracks" she was uttering, Felicity was somewhere between completely stressed out and totally pissed off. Feeling concern for her friend, Thea spoke again, "Felicity... is everything okay?"
"Frack!" Felicity spat, hitting the table top with her palm, then spun in her chair to face Thea. Brushing her loose locks behind her ears, she slumped against her seat and sighed. "I am so screwed."
"Why? What's going on? What is all this?" Thea queried, gesturing to the computer monitors.
"The one on the end is running some trace we found on Prometheus, the other two I am using to cross reference apartment listings, prices, and locations in Star City."
"You're apartment hunting? I don't understand. What happened to your place?" Thea asked, confusion evident in her voice.
"Nothing... I just kinda sorta got evicted." Felicity stated sheepishly.
"You 'kinda sorta got evicted'?" Thea repeated with a laugh. "What did you do? Adopt too many cats or was it the stray vigilantes you took in that were the last straw." She teased, taking a seat next to her in Curtis's rolling chair.
"Neither," Felicity said dryly. "I messed up on some paperwork. The thin is... they send the same forms every year about a month before the lease is up. If you want to renew the lease, you're suppose to sign them and send them into the apartment's office manager, but of course I forgot, and now I am being kicked out."
"No offense, " Thea began. "but how exactly do you forget something like that? I mean, that is a pretty important thing to forget and, let's face it, you're the most responsible one of us all."
"Yeah, well, " Felicity paused briefly, her expression turning sorrowful. "the paperwork came in the mail shortly after Billy...you know... and for the first couple of weeks after I was too numb when I got home at night to do anything normal like cleaning or cooking a real meal or--"
"Going through the mail." Thea added somberly, sorry she even asked. She knew what it felt like to lose someone and didn't want to make anyone else live or relive that kind of pain if she could help it.
"Yeah," Felicity nodded solemnly. "Then stuff was going on with Diggle, and we had to find a new Black Canary, and Prometheus started to escalate even more... it was literally one thing after another. By the time I finally did go through my mail and managed to open the letter, the renewal date had already past."
"That... that sucks." Thea sympathized before continuing on. "But what if you called the office manager or whoever it is that's in charge. Maybe if you explained the situation--"
Felicity cut her off. "I already tried. He just said 'rules are rules' and that the apartment was already being rented to someone else, so there was nothing he could do."
"Man, people in this town can be real assholes." Thea replied, then, after thinking back on the countless enemies she had dealt with over the last few years, she added, "But then again I already knew that." Felicity nodded her agreement, knowing exactly what her friend meant, then listened as Thea continued. "It's okay though. We can bounce back from this. We'll find you a new place in no time."
Felicity smiled a small smile, liking that Thea automatically said "we" and basically told her that she wasn't alone in this. It lifted some of the weight she had been carrying on her shoulders. "Thanks, Thea. I really appreciate the help, especially since 'no time' is exactly what I have."
"What do you mean?" Thea questioned.
"Well, at the end of my conversation with the apartment's office manager, he told me I had 3 days to evacuate the building." Felicity revealed the real issue.
"Three days!?" Thea repeated exasperatedly.
"Technically," Felicity paused to glance at the silver watch on her left wrist. "It's now more like 2 days and 6 hours."
"Oh, yeah, because that's much better." Thea responded, voice laced heavily with sarcasm.
"You're telling me. That's why I've been here for the last two hours scowering the internet for a new place." Felicity answered.
"Did you find any leads?" Inquired Thea.
"Nope." Felicity responded, popping the 'p' for emphasis. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot available in my price range, and the ones I can afford are all pieces of crap."
"You just gotta keep looking. I'm sure the perfect place is out there waiting for you." Thea tried to keep positive.
"I don't have time for perfect." Felicity complained, removing her glasses and wiping her brow with the back of her hand.
It got quiet for a moment until Thea spoke up, "Have you tried looking into renting houses?"
"I did. Turns out the housing market isn't much better." Felicity said, annoyance evident in her voice.
"Well, there has to be something out there for you. Show me some of the contenders." Thea commanded sweetly.
With a sigh, Felicity put her glasses back on and turned to face the nearest monitor. With a few strokes of the keyboard, she made several small windows pop up on the screen.
After a long moment of browsing, Thea finally replied, "These aren't so bad... I'm mean that one is... it's sort of..." Thea trailed off, trying to find something nice to say, but when the words didn't come, she decided to be honest. "Okay. You're right. They're crap."
"Told you." Felicity said, slumping back in her chair in defeat.
"I mean, if this is the best you can find, you are probably better off living down here." Thea said jokingly, gesturing around the basement they were currently in.
"That's not a bad idea." Felicity said suddenly, sitting up in her seat.
"Felicity, I was kidding." Thea spoke slowly and deliberately.
"Yeah, but I'm not." Felicity tossed back. "I could rent a storage locker for most of my things and just keep a box or two of the necessities down here. Oliver's still got that cot somewhere, right?" Felicity asked as she began glancing around the room.
"Felicity, look at me..." Thea spoke seriously as she placed a hand on her friend's shoulder to regain her attention. "You are not living in a basement."
"I know it's not the Four Seasons, but it would just be temporary until I found something better. This way, I won't be rushed into making a decision I'll regret." Felicity explained.
"Yeah, I'm not so sure about that." Thea said, thinking she was doing just that.
"Well, unless you can find me an livable, affordable apartment, preferably with wood floors and a spectacular view, then I am doing this ." Felicity told her.
Thea thought for a moment and as she imagined the apartment Felicity described, she found herself picturing her own apartment. It was at the moment, she had the perfect idea.
"Live with me." Thea blurted out, wondering why she didn't think of this sooner.
"Seriously?" Felicity questioned, surprised at her generous offer.
"Why not?" Thea retorted. "It's got the floors, the view, plenty of space..."
"And an Oliver." Felicity replied, giving Thea a pointed look. "Don't you think that will be a bit awkward?"
"It'll be fine. It's like you said before... it would be temporary, just until you found something better." Thea argued. "Anyway, between you day jobs and your night jobs, you will barely be at the apartment together other than to sleep at night."
Felicity bit her lip and thought about it. Thea made good points, and what was the alternative? A high tech yet creepy basement?
"You sure Oliver will be okay with this?" Felicity said finally.
"Of course. Trust me, he wouldn't want you living down here anymore than I do. Besides, my name is on the lease, not his, so when it comes down to it, his opinion technically doesn't matter.
Felicity shook her head and smiled. She wasn't so sure about that logic, but she knew that this offer was something she couldn't refuse. It wasn't like she would be there that long anyway, so she took a deep breath and said, "All right, let's do it."
"Really?" Thea said excitedly.
"Yeah, if you're really sure about this." Felicity answered.
"Totally... roomie." Thea replied with a smile, playfully nudging her on the shoulder.
Felicity smiled at the thought of that. She hadn't had a roommate since college, and they did not get along very well. This was going to be a new experience, a better and more enjoyable experience.
"Well," Felicity began as he shut down her computer system. "I guess I better go home and start packing."
Thea's phone vibrated with a text, so she quickly checked the message and replied. With a small smile, she slid her phone back into the pocket of her brown leather jacket, then responded to Felicity, "Looks like I'm meeting Ollie for dinner at Big Belly Burger. I stop by after and help you pack. We can make it a slumber/packing party."
"Sounds perfect... a slacking party! Wait, that sounds like we are gonna be slackers, which obviously were not since we are gonna be packing my stuff which is actually pretty productive. So, it's more like a plumber party! Wait, now it sounds like we have a thing for plumbers..." Felicity trailed off, trying to remash the words in her head.
"Why don't we just call it a girls' night?" Thea suggested.
"I like it. Simple yet accurate." Felicity nodded her approval.
"Girls' night it is." Thea peeked at the time on her phone to see it was nearly 7:30pm, then went on. "I'll be over around 8:30, 9:00 at the latest."
"I'll be waiting." Felicity stood with a grin, glad to have a friend like Thea in her corner.
Thea stood as well and turned to leave when Felicity called out, "Thea?"
Pivoting on her left foot, she spun halfway around and said, "Yeah?"
"Are you gonna tell Oliver? At dinner, I mean... about me moving in? I figure you are, and you totally should. We don't exactly have a lot of time to do so. It's just, if you want, I could--" Felicity started to offer.
However, Thea lifted a hand and cut her off. "I got this. No worries."
Felicity gave a curt nod and turned to grab her purse. Thea turned back around and took one step before pausing again at Felicity's voice.
"Thea?" She called out once more.
"Yes?" Thea said, turning the same way she did before. Her voice came out partly amused because the situation was kind of funny with Felicity calling her back again and again, but also partly annoyed because she was beginning to get hangry which was evident by the growling in her stomach that was picking up speed.
"Thanks." Felicity said sweetly, coming to give her best friend a quick buy tight hug, showing her how much she appreciated her generosity.
A little surprised at her friend's actions, Thea just stood there for a second before hugging back. When they separated, Thea simply shrugged and said, "Your family, and if there is anything Queens actually do right around here, it's look out for their family."
"Very true." Felicity agreed, then held out her elbow and added, "Shall we?"
Linking their arms, the girls made their way out to the parking lot together before going their separate ways, both feeling grateful for their friendship and the happiness it brings them. They may have each lost a lot of people over the years that they will never get back, but luckily they have found at least one that is for keeps... a best friend, a roommate, a sister.