Chapter Text
6 years, she thought, as she filled the coffee pot in the private break room Oliver had had built years ago. She’d been Oliver’s Executive Assistant for 6 years. She remembered when she hated being his assistant. It seems like yesterday… Which, okay, she did hate being his assistant yesterday, but it had been a very stressful day.
In reality, the job had gotten a lot better within the first six months. Once she adjusted to what was expected of an Executive Assistant, she excelled at it. Oliver, for his part, made some adjustments to the job title. He cut back his office hours, and made her officially in charge of the IT Department. It wasn’t the hands on job she had before, but it meant that she still got to do what she loved, and Queen Consolidated still had the best of the best working on their systems.
Their extracurricular activities continued, and although they’d had challenges over the years, Felicity and Oliver were stronger than ever.
"Good morning, Ms. Smoak", Oliver greeted her, as she handed him his coffee. He handed her a pastry in return.
She took it with a smile, their routine a comfort. “Good morning, Mr. Queen.” She sat behind her desk, and Oliver took his place standing in front of it as she began the rundown of his day.
"You have a board meeting at 9am. Business calls until 11am. Dentist appointment at noon, and an hour for lunch with Thea after. You have some calls scheduled afterwards, until 3pm, then you are free."
Oliver smiled, pleased as always with how they operated with such ease. He never questioned it in the moment, but in the evenings, when he found himself in his bed alone, he wondered why it was so easy with Felicity. And why it was so hard with everyone else.
He and Laurel had dated seriously for a few months. It wasn’t long until the cracks started to appear, the lies started to build up, and both of them realized they weren’t happy. He’s seen woman casual afterwards, to keep up his image and feed his urges, but it was never fulfilling. He’d been single for a long time now, and he only found himself doubting that decision when he was standing in front of Felicity.
"I’ll call to confirm your dentist appointment, and I’ll let you know when you need to leave for the meeting."
Oliver nodded. “Thank you, Felicity”, he said, forgoing the formalities they always indulged in in the mornings. It was a kind of role play for them, since formality had flown out the window long before she had become his assistant. She smiled at him widely, making his heart skip. Seeing her happy always made him feel like he was floating.
When he sat down at his desk, he gazed at Felicity through the glass wall as she made her calls. He often times lost track of time staring at her, something that John had called him out on more than once. He shook his head, frustrated with his inability to put her out of his mind, and picked up his own phone to call his mother and see how she was doing.
"Hello, I’m calling to verify Oliver Queen’s appointment at noon", Felicity stated, typing on her keyboard as she spoke. She’d made enough of these types of calls over the years, she rarely needed to devote her full attention to them anymore.
"Of course. One moment. Yes, I see the appointment here. We’ll see your husband at noon." The woman was professional and polite, and Felicity had given up on correcting them years ago.
"Thank you", Felicity replied, then hung up the phone. She grinned to herself and shook her head fondly, recalling all the times someone had mistaken her for Oliver’s wife. It had gotten so bad, she’d caught herself calling him ‘hon’ on a few occasions. She always turned bright red, but they’d known each other long enough that it was never awkward. Sometimes, Oliver didn’t even noticed it happened. He’d reply and go back to whatever he was doing, leaving Felicity wide eyed and, more often than not, John smirking.
Speaking of John, Felicity though as the elevator bell dinged. John appeared as the doors opened, and he smiled at her as he walked down the hall to her desk.
"Morning", he greeted, leaning over the front of her desk to steal her pastry.
"Hey!", she objected, despite it happening most mornings. "Get your own!" She knew he was doing it just to tease her, considering Lyla was a wonderful cook who never let him leave the house hungry. She was happy John had found someone so well suited to him. Their rocky start had lead to a strong relationship, and a beautiful daughter.
John smiled as he took a bite of the pastry, and set it back on her desk. He waved to her as he walked into Oliver’s office. The man in question was on the phone, saying goodbye to his mom.
"I will, mom. I’ll see you Friday at dinner. Sure, I’ll invite Felicity", Oliver rolled his eyes at John as he tried to get his mom off the phone. "I love you too. Okay. Bye."
He hung up the phone and inclined his head to John in greeting as John sat in a chair in front of Oliver’s desk. “Stealing Felicity’s food again, I see”, Oliver grinned, glancing through the glass wall to see Felicity inspecting the pastry. For cooties, he was sure she would say.
"How’s your mom?", John asked, ignoring Oliver’s good-natured accusation. Moira had been released from prison over a year ago, and had some difficultly settling back into normal life. She, Oliver, and Thea had never been closer, though.
"She’s good", Oliver sighed. "The anniversary of the accident is coming up though, and she’s a little solemn. We’re having dinner on Friday though, so hopefully that’ll cheer her up."
"Right", John nodded. "And she wants you to bring the missus?" He ducked his head to hide the wide smile on his face as Oliver glared at him. John had started teasing Oliver about Felicity a few years ago, once Oliver had become stable enough that John wouldn’t have objected to him actually getting involved with her. Truthfully, he’d been hoping they’d figure something out for a while. Everyone knew they belonged together. Most people who saw them thought they were married. It provided John with endless amount of entertainment.
"Yes", Oliver answered, having long ago discovered it was better to ignore John’s remarks. "You know how much she likes Felicity."
John did. Felicity had a talent for putting people at ease, and Moira had been charmed by her. Moira had also been impressed by the good influence Felicity seemed to on to her son, and she wasn’t blind to the way Oliver look at the young woman whenever they were together.
"Speaking of Felicity", John said slowly, lowering his voice and stealing a quick glance at the woman to insure she wasn’t listening. "What are your plans for tonight?"
Oliver’s mouth quirked up as he recounted his surprise for Felicity. “I’m going to pick her up from work early and take her shopping. Then, dinner at Rosso’s, followed by a plane ride to Cambridge for a private tour of the MIT Museum.” She hadn’t been to her alma mater since graduation, and Oliver thought she’d enjoy the trip.
John nodded approvingly. She’d love it. “Do you think she knows?”, John asked Oliver. It was hard to keep secrets from Felicity.
Oliver shook his head. “I don’t think so.” He paused uncertainly. “She may know about dinner, but I don’t think she’s guessed the other things.”
He gazed at her through the glass wall, and hoped she would enjoy the surprise.