Chapter Text
To: Felicity Smoak :) - So how about that coffee date? ;)
Draft deleted.
To: Felicity Smoak :) - Hey, it’s Oliver. Remember when I came to your cubicle that one time and my service dog jumped on you that one time and we awkwardly agreed to go out for coffee on a date as friends that one time?
Draft deleted.
To: Felicity Smoak :) - Hi, Felicity. It’s Oliver. Do you want to meet at the coffee shop on the corner on Fifth and Maine after you finish work today?
Oliver frowned down at the text, his nervousness causing him to almost feel sick. He was seated cross-legged on one of the couches in the Queen mansion living room in his sweatpants. It was nearly seven in the morning, so all the staff and his family were bustling about the house, preparing for the day. The archer didn’t like being in the house when it was like this. Everybody moving about so quickly, shouting down the stairs and the lengthy corridors, just stressed him out. He preferred to camp out in the living room until things settled down.
Hunter was lying next to him, curled up with his head on Oliver’s lap. Blinking doleful blue eyes up at his master, the husky mix released a low, resounding rumble from his chest, gently licking at the archer’s fingers when he began scratching behind his service dog’s ears. The week had not been good so far. It had been rather trying for both of them, which was partly why Oliver wanted to go on this coffee date with Felicity today. The bubbly, lively blonde was sure to lift his mood from downright depressed to somewhere around the state of happiness. She’d said to call anytime to arrange the coffee date, but in all honestly, Oliver didn’t feel up to it. Talking on his cell phone just made him anxious, especially as his social cues weren’t up to scratch after the island.
He showed Hunter the text. “What do you think? Do you think it’s too forward?”
The service dog huffed, ears swivelling. He shot Oliver what he recognised as Hunter’s classic unimpressed look.
Oliver’s arm flopped down and he dropped his cell phone back into his lap. “Right. You’re a dog, you can’t read.”
“You need somebody to read something for you?”
The archer’s back straightened within an instant, as if he’d been shocked with electricity. He snatched up his cell phone and buried it between Hunter’s back and the couch cushions, hopefully out of Thea’s reach, as his little sister approached with a sly, yet curious expression on her face.
“No,” Oliver answered flatly. “It’s… fine.”
“C’mon, Ollie, let me read it.”
“Don’t you have to get to school?”
“I’d just let her read it, Oliver,” Walter called from the hallway, where he was shrugging on his coat. “She won’t leave you alone until she does.”
Thea reached her hand out, flexing her fingers in the ‘gimme’ gesture. Her smile spread into a wide, shit-eating grin. “Walter’s right, you know. He’s British. He’s always right.”
“Just because he’s British doesn’t mean he’s - hey, Thea, NO! Don’t - Hunter, fetch!”
When Oliver was least expecting it, Thea jumped forwards, stuck her hand behind the service dog’s body and grabbed his cell phone. She danced out of reach, sticking her tongue out as the archer lanced after her desperately. He could hear his blood pounding in his ears, his heart fluttering anxiously in his chest. This was a private thing for him, and he didn’t want Thea blowing it up out of proportion, which she undoubtedly would; he also had the feeling that his little sister would have the time of her life teasing him about being so nervous asking a girl out on a date.
At Oliver’s harsh, barked command, Hunter leapt to his paws, slinking down to the floor with a growl. Nipping at Thea’s hand caused her to yelp, releasing the cell phone so she could lift her hand to her chest protectively. Hunter caught it in his mouth before it hit the ground and bounced back towards the archer, passing over the cell phone. Oliver finally exhaled in relief, not even realising he was holding his breath until Hunter rested his head on top of his knees, whining.
“Who’s Felicity Smoak?”
Oliver’s head shot up, and he said warningly, voice wavering ever so slightly, “Thea, don’t. Leave it.”
His sister had an excited twinkle in her eyes. She wasn’t going to let up until she got an answer, and Oliver knew it. “Are you dating somebody?”
“No.”
“Oh my god, you are. You’re dating this Felicity Smoak.”
“No, Thea, I’m - I’m not.”
“You’re meeting her for coffee after she finishes work!”
“Because we’re - we’re friends,” Oliver said desperately. Hunter huffed beside him, glaring at Thea with his ears flattening to his skull in distaste.
“Is she cute?”
Oliver spluttered. “What?”
“C’mon! Is she cute? She’s gotta be cute for her to attract your attention! What’s she like?!”
“She’s, um…” The archer suddenly felt very nervous trying to describe Felicity, but words came pouring out of his mouth, “She’s - she’s really nice. She’s attentive and kind and she’s not pushy at all. She loves dogs and Hunter adores her.”
Thea squealed, clapping her hands together delightedly. “Oh my god, she sounds perfect! And you’re dating her!”
“Thea, we’re not dating.”
“She has a smiley face after her name in your contacts! You’re totally crushing on her, oh my god, this is so adorable -”
“Thea!”
His little sister’s mouth snapped shut, and she swallowed, watching him concernedly as Oliver stood and began to pace anxiously, fumbling with trembling hands. Hunter rumbled worriedly, accompanying the archer in his pacing. The service dog pressed insistently into his master’s legs, trying to urge him to sit back down so he could comfort him properly. But Oliver just needed to pace, needed to drive off this nervous energy. This was precisely why he didn’t want to tell any of his family about getting back out into the world, and potentially dating a woman - a woman who he genuinely liked, who wasn’t out to date him just for money, or fame. A woman who his service dog liked and approved of, and a woman Oliver felt at ease with. They would work the archer up into a state, making things out to be bigger and more dramatic than they were.
Oliver wanted to go slowly. If he and Felicity did decide to pursue a relationship, and continue dating - he would want that to be for them to enjoy, not for his family. Certainly not for the media.
Walter chose the worst possible time to walk into the living room, straightening his lapels. “Did I hear Thea mention Ms Smoak?”
Closing his eyes, Oliver let his head fall into his hands, collapsing back onto the couch with a soft groan. Hunter hopped up beside him, half stepping over the archer so he could nuzzle into his neck, licking at his collarbone with quiet, reassuring whimpers. Moira glowered at the dog, opening her mouth as if to protest, but she pursed her lips when Oliver began stroking and hugging Hunter to his chest, showing her that he needed his comfort.
“Oliver’s going out for coffee with her later,” Thea answered for him. “Do you know her, Walter?”
The Brit blinked in surprise at his stepdaughter's revelation. “She works in QC’s IT department. I recommended Oliver go to see her about getting used to his new cell phone.” He turned back to the archer, and his raised eyebrow and bordering on disapproving expression didn’t help Oliver’s anxiety, instead just agitating him more. “You two are… dating?”
“Not… really…”
“You’re going out for coffee together.”
“It’s platonic.”
“Is it really?” Thea teased. “Still a date.”
“It’s our first date,” he muttered.
“Pardon?”
“It’s our first date, alright?!” Oliver practically shouted. At their surprised looks, he choked out a pained sound and buried his head in Hunter’s scruff. “God, this is exactly why I didn’t want to tell anybody about this in the first place. This was such a stupid idea. I’ll just delete that draft and forget about it.”
There was a beat of frigid silence, and then it was broken by Oliver’s cell phone pinging loudly. He glanced down at it and as he saw that tiny blue notification that he’d received a reply from Felicity Smoak, it felt as if all the oxygen was sucked out of his lungs. Hunter snuffled at the phone curiously, tilting his head sideways. Very slowly, Oliver raised his shocked and panicked gaze up to his little sister, his eyes wide.
“Yeah, so, I might have pressed send on that draft?” Thea explained weakly. She didn’t seem perturbed by the archer’s fierce glare, instead pushing Hunter off the couch, much to the service dog’s irritation, so she could scoot up to her brother’s side. “What did she say?”
Re: From Felicity Smoak :) - That sounds great! I’ll meet you there at five pm. Is it okay if I bring a treat for Hunter?
He held his breath, his fingers working quickly on the digital keyboard.
Re: To Felicity Smoak :) - Feel free to bring whatever treats you want. He paused, before adding, Do I get a treat as well? ;)
The response was almost immediate.
Re: From Felicity Smoak :) - We’ll see, mister, haha!
Thea’s fingers scratched at the archer’s arm as she squirmed next to him, trying to catch a look at the phone screen. “What’s she saying? Did she say yes?!”
“We’re meeting at five,” he admitted.
His little sister’s eyes bugged out and she screeched, “Today!?” The shrill tone of her voice caused Hunter to startle, whining and batting at Oliver’s feet as he shook his head in discomfort. Oliver reached down to stroke him at the same time Thea thumped him on the back with one of the throw pillows. “Oh my god! Ollie! You’re going on a date today with a cute girl that you like!” She stood, looking ecstatic. “Okay, tell me your plans. What are you going to wear? What’s your opening line?”
Oliver stared at her. “Um. I’ll wear this and say, ‘Hi, Felicity. How was work today?’?”
Thea gaped at him, looking appalled. She turned to Walter who was watching them both amusedly. “Walter, I can’t go to school today,” she said, completely serious. “This is an emergency. My castaway brother is going on a first date with a girl he really likes and desperately needs my help if he wants to continue dating her.”
“School ends at half three, Thea, you’ll be back in plenty of time to help Oliver out with his dating crisis.”
“It’s not a crisis,” the archer grumbled, scratching under Hunter’s chin.
“But I have lacrosse practice after school until six!” his little sister complained. “Walter, pleeeeeasssseee?”
“You have Interstate Championships coming up, you can’t afford to miss practice.” Their mother strode into the living room with all the regal grace and calmness she usually radiated. Moira was dressed in a smart business suit, one she usually wore when she had an important meeting at QC that day. “But don’t worry, Thea, I’ll help your brother prepare for his date.”
“You will?” All three of them answered in sync, Walter sounding pleased, Thea sounding relieved and Oliver just sounding - well, extremely confused and alarmed. The idea of having his mom doting and fussing over him in preparation of a date was not particularly a very comforting one; Moira tended to have very high standards for everything.
“You don’t have to look so scared, Oliver,” Moira laughed. “It’s been five years since you’ve taken a woman on a date, and times have changed. I just want to offer you some advice on what to wear, what to say and how to act.”
“That sounds like a wonderful arrangement,” Walter agreed. He placed a hand on Thea’s shoulder and began steering her out of the living room towards the front doors, picking up her school bag for her as he shepherded her. “Come on, Thea, let’s get you to school. It appears as if your mother has everything under control.”
Thea turned back, struggling against their step-father’s grasp on her arm. “Mom, don’t let him wear sweatpants!” she shrieked. “He’ll scare her away forever and then he’ll be eternally alone!”
“Don’t forget your mouthguard, sweetheart!” was all Moira replied, her tone slightly scathing but also a hint of amusement underlying it.
The sound of the front doors slamming shut triggered the archer to flinch, his hypervigilance making him jittery. Hunter wormed his way in between Oliver’s legs, resting his head on his crotch and stomach as he gazed up at his master with dark eyes. Signing, Oliver returned to stroking his service dog’s head. This was already becoming a much, much more stressful situation than he’d ever expected it to be. Although, he’d expected to be able to keep going on a date with Felicity secret, not getting his family involved. Drama always seemed to increase tenfold when his mother and sister got involved.
It was the couch cushions shifting beneath him due to his mother taking a seat beside him, not touching him at all but still next to him, that caused Oliver to snap his head up. He blurted out without even thinking, “Please don’t make me wear a tux on a coffee date.”
Moira said nothing for a moment, and then responded dryly, “I was actually going to suggest you wear whatever you think you’ll feel most comfortable in.”
Oliver was stunned, but managed to hide it from her well - Hunter, not so much. The husky mix tilted his head, ears perking as he released a confused sound at the archer’s fluctuating emotions. “Oh,” he managed to say.
“Did you think I was going to dictate everything about this date for you?” his mother smiled knowingly.
“You… do have a bit of a tendency to micromanage,” Oliver admitted quietly.
“Well, I am not going to micromanage this coffee date with Miss Smoak,” Moira promised, reaching up to gently rub his shoulder. Hunter snuffled at her hands, almost seeming pleased by what she was saying, although he couldn’t properly understand. “All I’ll insist is that you have whatever shirt you are going to wear ironed and Hunter wears that adorable little clip-on tie that Walter bought for him.”
“Walter bought Hunter a what?”
Moira laughed. “You’ll see later. Now, I have some work to do, so I will leave you alone until around… three o’clock? And we’ll meet in your bedroom.”
“Sounds good,” Oliver confirmed, feeling much more relieved than he ever would have expected about this date now that he knew that he would still have control over it.
Dropping a kiss on his forehead, his mother rose to her feet and began to make her exit. She did, however, pause for a second in the doorway, to quickly add, “And just one more insistence - shower. Please.”
“Are you saying I smell?” Oliver questioned, slightly offended.
“Hunter slept on top of you last night, didn’t he?” Moira asked, instead of answering his question.
“How’d you know that?”
“You smell like dog.” She flashed a grin before disappearing behind the corner.
Oliver blinked in surprise that his mother had apparently just teased him, but shook himself and turned to stroke down Hunter’s back, ruffling his scruff. The husky mix lanced upwards to gently lick his cheek, ears pricking.
“Whoever would have thought that Oliver Queen could get nervous over the idea of going on a date with a girl?” the archer muttered. Hunter snorted, thumping the side of the coffee table with his tail. “I guess it’s because it’s Felicity, huh, bud? We wanna impress her, don’t we? I like her. I want her to like me back.” The husky mix nibbled on his fingertips with a quiet grumble. “Oh, don’t worry, she already likes you. I mean, you did sort of throw yourself onto your lap when you first met her, bud. For a dog you can be pretty forward sometimes, you know that? If you like somebody, you’ve got to show your appreciation for them. With compliments, gifts, that sort of thing.”
After a minute of scratching under the service dog’s chin in comfortable silence, Oliver’s eyes flew open wide. “Shit. Do I get Felicity flowers? Chocolates?” Leaping to his feet, he chased after where his mother had disappeared off to. “Mom! MOM! DO I GET HER FLOWERS OR CHOCOLATES?”
There was a giant knot inside of Oliver’s knot begging to be released, but until Felicity appeared at the entrance of the coffee shop, the archer knew he was going to remain in a constant state of anxiety that she wasn’t going to show. Hunter whined concernedly from where he was curled up underneath the table, nosing his way under his pant leg to lick at Oliver’s calf, as if trying to calm him down.
Preparation for this date had gone well. At three o’clock, Moira had met with Oliver in his bedroom and helped him pick out a reasonably smart, yet casual, outfit for the date, which consisted of dark wash navy jeans, a white, fitted t-shirt and leather jacket. His mother had taken great joy in fluffing up Oliver’s hair with a little gel, since he’d grown it out a bit from his original buzzcut from first arriving home. She’d brought out a mini black bowtie that clipped onto Hunter’s collar and aided the archer in grooming the service dog while they discussed date etiquette. Oliver should have been, by all accounts, rather confident.
Nope, he was practically shitting himself.
He was terrified. He desperately hoped that he wasn’t shaking. He didn’t want to feel scared. He genuinely liked Felicity and wanted to see if their friendship could develop into something more. Sure, Oliver wasn’t actively looking for a relationship - his Hood work made it far too dangerous for him to even consider having a long-term partner - but this coffee date was just a date between friends. Right? Friends. Feeling anxious about it was stupid. Felicity wasn’t going to grill him for information about the island or about his mental illnesses and Hunter, they’d already established that when they’d first met. So there really was no reason for him to feel as agitated as he did.
Except for the fact that he’d put a massive amount of pressure on himself to ensure that this entire date went well and he didn’t screw up in one single instance. Because if Oliver screwed up - he was a failure. Consciously, he knew that messing something up - even as small as maybe stumbling over his words a little - wasn’t going to affect Felicity’s opinion of him. But because of his depression and anxiety, he already had a multitude of possibilities of how this date could go horrifically wrong swarming in his subconscious. (Although their date being blown up or stormed by masked gunmen was unlikely…)
He just… really liked Felicity.
And because Oliver currently absolutely despised himself, because of his record-breaking self-loathing levels, as Tommy said, he was worried that she wasn’t going to like him.
Hunter’s canines dragged painfully over the sensitive skin near his ankle, causing Oliver to wince and jerk, snapping the dog’s name warningly. Hunter blinked up at him from under the table, eyes narrowed and an almost scolding expression on his face. He could sense Oliver’s emotional state swinging between extremes. One moment the archer was blindingly ecstatic about the date, the next he was concerned that maybe he was a little too happy.
Sighing, Oliver reached down to scratch between the service dog’s ears. “Sorry, buddy,” he murmured. “I’m just… very, very tense right now.”
He checked the time. 5:23. Oliver’s breathing hitched. Twenty minutes late. That had to mean that Felicity had bailed on him, right? That meant that she obviously hated him and didn’t want anything to do with him.
Before his hyperventilation could escalate into a panic attack, however, the coffee shop door slammed open and the blonde IT girl skidded in, looking panicked. She was wearing a bright flowery crop top and black high waisted skirt that complimented her figure pleasantly. Her glasses were askew but she straightened them quickly, and her breathing was heavier than usual, indicating that she’d travelled to get here in a rush. Felicity’s gaze immediately fell on the dejected archer and she stumbled over to him, falling into her seat opposite him.
“I am so so sorry,” she breathed, voice laced with guilt. “Things got complicated at work - some kid in Russia hacked into the email servers and everything was on fire - literally - and… I’m so sorry, I didn’t meant to be late.” Placing her palms on the table, she seemed to take a couple of seconds to center herself, calming down, before she flashed a happy smile and greeted him, “Hi.” Hunter nuzzled at her, whining. “Oh! Hi, Hunter. Aw, look at that little bowtie! That’s adorable.” Felicity raked her eyes up and down the archer’s figure with a strange expression that Oliver couldn’t read well. “Wow. You look amazing. And… really pale. Like, about to pass out pale. Are you okay?”
“You’re here,” was all Oliver was able to choke out. His anxiety was settling slightly, relief washing over him.
Felicity’s eyes widened and her jaw practically dropped. “Did - you thought I wasn’t coming?”
He managed to nod, exhaling slowly. Hunter had returned to rubbing his muzzle over Oliver’s calf to soothe him, so the archer dropped one of his hands to gently massage the service dog’s ears. “I was being stupid, I’m sorry,” he muttered. “I definitely don’t think you’re the kind of person to bail on somebody, I just - I arrived early and worked myself into a state thinking that you weren’t going to turn up because you’d finally realised what a complete mess I am… Kind of ridiculous in hindsight.”
“I don’t think that’s ridiculous. Wait - no - not - I’m not trying to imply that you’re a mess and I’d realised that and that would make me not turn up - I’m here and I’m here to stay. I’m just saying that it’s not ridiculous for you to feel nervous. I mean, I’m nervous too - not that there’s anything we should feel particularly nervous about! We’re just two friends getting coffee together.” She smiled, and it was then that Oliver noticed her anxious drumming of her fingers on the table, her little fidgets every couple of seconds. Felicity was restless as well. “Sorry… I tend to babble a lot when I’m… well…”
“When you’re nervous?” Oliver finished, lips quirking up into a small, hesitant smile.
She grinned. “Yeah.” Leaning to the side a little, she chuckled lightly, peering under the table. “I think Hunter can sense that though. He keeps nudging my legs and tugging on my dress.”
“I’m sorry,” Oliver immediately said. He shot a glare at the husky mix, silently willing him to behave.
“Oh, no, it’s fine! I don’t mind.” Reaching into her bag, Felicity pulled out a little packet of vet-approved chicken jerky strips for dogs. “I bought these for Hunter, if that’s okay. I did some research online and the company that makes these only use natural ingredients, and the strips are meant to help dogs’ teeth.”
“That’s so nice of you. You didn’t have to do that.”
She shrugged. “I wanted to. We’re getting a treat, Hunter should too.”
He startled, remembering suddenly about the gift he’d brought her. “Oh, um, I wasn’t sure what chocolates or flowers you liked, so I - well, I brought you this.” Hesitantly handing over the selection box of flower shaped dark, milk and white chocolate, he finished, “I thought I’d combine the chocolate and flowers.”
“Oh my god, these look amazing,” Felicity gushed, her eyes wide with delight as she carefully took the box, examining the chocolates inside. “Thank you so much, Oliver! You didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to,” he smiled. “And you don’t need to worry - um, Walter told me it was on your QC file that you’re allergic to nuts, so I made sure there aren’t any in the chocolates or any traces.”
The blonde appeared shocked, and her voice was slightly thick with emotion as she murmured, “That’s so sweet, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“So since this is meant to be a coffee date, do you want to get some coffee?”
“I’m… not actually allowed coffee,” the archer admitted, running a hand through his hair sheepishly. “My doctor advised me to stay away from stimulants and caffeine, because they can heighten anxiety.”
He winced, expecting Felicity to question why, then, had he agreed to go for coffee with her, but she barely even blinked. She just looked up at him after feeding the service dog a piece of the chicken jerky and crooning to the pup softly about how he was a good boy, suggesting, “You could always get decaf, or tea or hot chocolate.”
“That’s… a really good idea,” Oliver said. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Coffee shops don’t usually just serve coffee, ya know,” Felicity teased him.
He laughed. He suddenly didn’t know why he’d been so nervous before. Felicity was wonderful and lovely and kind. There was nothing to be scared of. “There’s the slimmest chance this might be a really strange coffee shop and only serve coffee.”
“What should I order you then?”
“I can go and order for us, you don’t have to.”
“Nooo, you’re settled with Hunter lying on top of your feet. I’ll go up.”
“Um, could you ask Kelsey to make me something like what she did last time? When I came in here last week, she made me some sort of iced drink that was off the menu and it was great.”
“Sure! I’ll be back in the minute.”
Oliver watched with a smile as the blonde bounced up to the counter to order, quickly being drawn into a conversation by Kelsey, the barista. It gave him a chance to fully exhale, going through the motions of one of the thirty-second breathing exercises. Things weren’t going horribly. Things were actually going well. He just needed to relax and open up a little bit more. Hunter poked his head out from under the table to fix his gaze on Felicity, watching her curiously, and the archer quickly adjusted his little bowtie while ruffling his scruff.
Kelsey, the barista leaned around Felicity to wave at him, and Oliver waved back. After a couple more words, Felicity headed back towards him, slipping into her seat with a beaming grin. Her knees knocked into the husky mix as he hurried back under the table, as if embarrassed being caught spying on her; to the archer’s shock (and delight), Felicity leant down to apologise to the service dog, feeding him another piece of jerky.
“Kelsey’s going to bring our drinks over,” she informed him. “I paid - nope, I don’t care about you paying me back. My treat. Kelsey gave us a discount anyway. She told me to say that she’s going to give you one of her new speciality iced drinks that she guarantees will blow your mind.”
“Looking forward to it,” Oliver smiled.
“Why’d you choose this place, by the way?” Felicity questioned curiously, leaning on her hand as she focused her attention on him. “I get that’s it’s only a five-minute walk from QC, but… I would have thought you were more of an Aroma Coffee type of guy.”
Oliver wrinkled his nose. “Isn’t that the coffee shop where all the executives of QC have their business meetings and the coffee tastes like dirty dishwater?”
Felicity looked surprised. “Uh, yeah.”
“They’re not service dog friendly,” the archer informed her. “I tried to go in there with Thea and Mom last week and they wouldn’t let me in with Hunter.”
“My mom really didn’t take it well. Don’t be shocked if that place shuts down within the next few months.” He glanced around their current establishment. The coffee shop was reasonably empty, with only a couple of other people sitting in booths and in the comfy leather chairs as they worked. The interior was quite bright but not overpoweringly so, and the staff were always incredibly welcoming. “To be honest, what attracted me to this place initially was the name.”
Felicity beamed back at him. “Espresso Patronum? You’re a Harry Potter fan?”
“I do a lot of reading as a calming technique and after I finished reading all the Greek Literature in the house, Thea begged me to read the Harry Potter books,” Oliver nodded. “Now, I’m hooked.”
“Have you watched the movies?”
He startled. “There are movies?”
Gasping in horror, the blonde reached across the table to grab and squeeze his hands, demanding, “Okay, you have to come over my apartment sometime in the next couple of weeks so we can binge-watch the movies. The last one, DHP2 came out last year, so there are no excuses not to.”
“DHP2?” Oliver repeated, laughing.
“Deathly Hallows Part 2!” Felicity exclaimed, waving her hands around wildly.
“They split the last book into two movies?”
“Yep, so there are eight overall.”
“Okay, I guess we’ll have to get together and watch them then.”
“Yes! Please! Because then I can take you to Harry Potter Con and you, Hunter and I can all cosplay, and it’ll be awesome!”
The barista arrived at that point with their drinks, passing Felicity what looked like an iced coffee of some kind and then handing over a suspiciously green smoothie to Oliver. Both of them were in plastic take-out cups. “One caramel espresso frappe for Felicity, one Green Samba smoothie for Oliver and… a cup of ice cubes for Hunter.” She knelt down and placed a little plastic plate piled with ice cubes on the floor for the service dog, who licked her enthusiastically in thanks before beginning to scarf them down. “Thank you, guys. Enjoy!”
“Well… that looks interesting,” Felicity laughed as the archer took an experimental sip of his drink.
“It’s good,” he said. Pushing it over to her, he prompted, “Here, try it.”
She took a quick slurp, and Oliver very pointedly tried not to focus on where her lips were wrapped around the end of the straw, a faint smudge of her lipstick being left behind. “What is that? It’s mint, strawberry and… is that chocolate?”
“White chocolate, I think,” the archer grinned. “And I think there’s some cinnamon in there as well.” He rubbed the sole of his shoe over Hunter’s side lightly when the service dog made a curious, soft sound under the table, poking his head up slightly.
“It’s not too sweet, which is really nice. That tastes incredible,” Felicity said. “I might have to come back here and get one for myself.” She took another sip of his drink before sliding it back towards him. “Want to try some of mine?”
He shrugged. “Sure.” After tasting it, he winced and passed it back over to her. “It’s good, but it’s a little too sweet for me.”
“I imagine after five years of having little to no sugar in your diet, everything tastes too sweet for you,” Felicity said, shooting him a sympathetic look. It wasn’t pitying, however, so Oliver didn’t mind it.
“I threw up after eating ice cream for the first time when I got back,” he admitted. “Thea was so confused. It took her, Mom and Walter a few weeks to realise that I wasn’t eating any of the food we were having for dinner because it was too rich for me.”
“That sucks. Is it at least better now?”
“Yeah,” he nodded. “Raisa - she used to be mine and Thea’s nanny, but now she’s our housekeeper - has been helping me wean myself back onto proper food. I would probably enjoy your drink if it was without the caramel sauce.” Hunter snuffled into his leg, licking at his ankles again with a whine. It was the particular sound he made when he needed to go outside to relieve himself. “Hey, do you mind if I pop outside with Hunter for a sec. I think he needs to do his business.”
Felicity stood quickly, scooping up her drink. “Let’s go.”
“Oh, you don’t have to come -”
“It’s fine,” she smiled. “We should go for a walk in the dog park two blocks away so Hunter can get a run around.”
Oliver’s heart swelled with emotion. The fact that Felicity was so accepting of his service dog and was willing to go out of her way to make Hunter and him the most comfortable they could be just made him adore her even more. “Thank you.”
They ended up walking to the park together, letting Hunter off his leash and off duty for ten minutes or so he could run around freely, bursting through bushes and crushing vegetation as they followed along the park. The service dog always paused every few seconds to check where his master was before returning to his fun, and since it wasn’t very busy, with hardly any other dogs with their owners around, Oliver felt confident enough to let his pup explore.
Felicity babbled about random things as they strolled side by side, her enthusiasm and animated expression making the archer smile. He listened intently as she described why Goblet of Fire was her favourite Harry Potter book, but Prisoner of Azkaban was her favourite movie. She kept on stopping and blushing, muttering her apologies for talking so much, but Oliver just grinned widely at her and promised that he wasn’t bothered, that he liked listening to her opinions.
At some point, they must have gravitated so close to each other that their sides were brushing, because Oliver startled when Felicity slipped a warm hand into his, squeezing lightly. Their joint hands swung between them as they continued to walk, keeping an eye on Hunter as he sniffed at some trees. At first, the archer held himself stiffly - he’d hoped that some sort of romantic contact would be initiated, but he hadn’t expected it so soon, and to be honest, he didn’t know exactly what to do. It had been five years since he’d been on any kind of date; he was unused to hand holding. After a minute or so, however, Oliver found himself growing more comfortable with the contact, even risking entwining and tangling their fingers together, his thumb gently caressing her palm.
“This has been really nice,” Oliver murmured.
“I’ve enjoyed myself too,” Felicity replied happily. “But, I’ve gotta say, I think Hunter’s enjoyed himself the most.”
The archer laughed, glancing over at his service dog, who was now crouched low to the ground, belly brushing the grass as he stalked a squirrel. The squirrel darted off as soon as it heard the husky mix shuffle towards it. Instead of chasing after it as it ran off, Hunter just raised his head, a disappointed look passing over his face as his ears slumped.
“Yeah, he’s had fun.” He turned to Felicity, smiling as he questioned, “Ever been on a date with a guy with a dog third-wheeling before?”
“Have to say no,” the IT girl laughed. “Although I wouldn’t say Hunter’s third-wheeling. We are at the dog park specifically for him, after all.”
“Hmm. You did bring treats for Hunter and not for me. Maybe I’m the third-wheel, and this date is actually between you and my service dog.”
She prodded her elbow into his side. “Nah, I prefer my dates bipedal.”
“Good to know.”
“I used to have a dog,” the blonde mused, leaning into him and pretty much resting her head on his shoulder as they settled down on a bench. “He wasn’t a service dog, obviously. He was a Golden Retriever, named Lucky. I miss him. Hunter sort of reminds me of him sometimes.”
Oliver didn’t really know what to say. “I’m sorry,” he offered, voice uncertain.
“Oh, no! Don’t be! It doesn’t make me sad - well, it does, but since I have mostly good memories of him, thinking about Lucky actually makes me happy.” She sighed, kicking her feet back and forth. After a couple of seconds, she wound her arms around his, slipping her hand back into his. “My mom ended up looking after Lucky when I went to MIT and then when I moved here. I specifically searched for an apartment that would allow dogs so that I could take him back in after I got settled, but he ended up getting run over before that could happen.”
“That’s awful, I’m sorry,” the archer replied, eyes wide. He couldn’t even begin to imagine the devastation he would feel if Hunter was run over.
“He had a good life. Well, as good as a life as I could give him with us living with my mom,” she laughed.
“She sounds like an interesting woman.”
“Interesting is one way to put it,” Felicity snorted.
“Yeah, I think it’s the same with my mother as well. My dad always used to say that our mom was the alpha in our family; the person that’s secretly in charge.” He ran his hand that he wasn’t holding Felicity’s hand with through his hair, lips quirking up in amusement. “When it came to attracting investors for QC, he lured them in and then my mom would unleash her charm and intelligence to trap them. Before they would even understand what was going on, she would influence them into signing on. Dad always said she was his boss.” He sobered, eyes flicking down to frown at the ground. “Guess she’s Walter’s boss now, considering he’s dead.”
There was a solemn beat of silence. Oliver glanced over at Hunter, who had abandoned his leaf chasing to trot back up to them. Even though he was off duty, he could still sense the archer’s change in mood, so had come to investigate if he was okay. Oliver ordered him back on duty with a hand motion so quick that Felicity probably wouldn’t have seen, stroking over the service dog’s head fondly.
“If it makes you feel any better, my dad abandoned my mom and me when I was seven,” Felicity offered, tightening her grasp around his fingers gently in support. “He didn’t even say goodbye. He could be as good as dead for all I know. Frankly, I don’t care. But it’s caused me to have trust issues for the rest of my life.”
“Both of us have family issues that have messed us up then, huh.” He managed a weak grin.
“Oh yeah. Some good came out of it though - my dad leaving and the depression I slipped into afterwards was what resulted in my mom giving in and letting us adopt Lucky. Seven year old me was obsessed with puppies.” She reached out and, with a swift look over at Oliver to check if it was okay, joined in with fussing over Hunter, ruffling his scruff as the archer scratched under the dog’s chin. Their hands brushed, which caused Oliver to blush a little. “That obsession has not faded. It has remained constant for sixteen years.”
Oliver had known Felicity was twenty-three due to the file he’d compiled on her when first investigating whether or not she was a good candidate for future vigilante technology assistance. Their four year age gap did not bother him at all, but it was something that he knew other people would not approve of. That wasn’t even starting on the stark class difference between them. And he was constantly worried about being judged by those surrounding him, so he couldn’t help but shift nervously in his seat. Hunter instantly picked up on his unease and whined, licking his master’s hand as he rested his head on Oliver’s lap.
“I would love to have a dog again,” Felicity murmured. “To wake up with a dog lying on top of me and nuzzling my face, to snuggle on the couch watching movies and then go to bed with them cuddling up to me to keep me warm. It would be amazing.”
“Having a dog is pretty incredible.”
“Oh! OH! If we ever moved in together that would mean I would technically have Hunter! And he already adores me so that would be great, right!?”
If Oliver had been drinking anything, he would have spat it out in shock. Very slowly, he turned to face her with an expression that closely impersonated a deer in the headlights. Did Felicity even realise what she’d just said? What she’d just implied? It was only their first date, and she was already thinking about them moving in together in the possible future. He had to admit… while the idea hadn’t crossed his mind before, he was definitely thinking about it now.
It seemed to dawn on Felicity finally what exactly she had said, because she blushed crimson and spluttered, “I’m so sorry. I need to get some sort of permanent brain to mouth filter installed. That was so inappropriate to say considering this is our first date-between-friends-but-also-not-because-I’m-starting-to-think-it’s-not-just-platonic date.” If possible, her flush deepened, and she cleared her throat, looking so embarrassed that Oliver wanted nothing more than to hug her. Hunter sensed her disconcertion and shifted so he plopped his head down on her lap instead of his master’s, letting loose a purr-like noise to comfort her. “I shouldn’t have said that. I really shouldn’t have said that. I’m so sorry. I should just get my mouth sewn shut, it would be better for everybody so they wouldn’t be subjected to my awful babbles.”
“I love your babbles,” Oliver grinned at her.
“I think you’re the only one.”
He glanced down. “Hunter loves them too.”
“He’s a dog, Oliver.”
“An intelligent service dog,” he corrected. “And he likes you.”
“Does not change the fact that I am an awkward human being.”
“Who is confused about whether or not this date was platonic or something more?” Oliver guessed, squeezing her hand. She averted her gaze, appearing sheepish, but before she could say anything in response, the archer finished, “Because you’re not the only one.”
Felicity’s head jerked towards him, and she appeared relieved. “Yeah?”
Oliver nodded, stroking Hunter’s head. Seeing how the service dog was wagging his tail ferociously, almost crouching on his hind legs, he wrapped his arm around Felicity’s waist and scooched them sideways on the bench. The blonde squeaked, grabbing at his arms, but they managed to move over to the other side of the bench in time so that neither of them had a giant husky mix dog crashing into them as Hunter jumped up and sat beside them, propping his head on Oliver’s shoulder. He panted happily, licking his jaw before he crawled half across his master’s lap to nose curiously at Felicity’s arm.
“I’m going to be honest and say that I hoped this date wouldn’t be entirely platonic,” he admitted. “And after… well… all the hand-holding and physical contact and emotionally opening up to each other…”
“We accidentally but totally not-accidentally made this date the least platonic we possibly could, didn’t we?”
Oliver chuckled. “I think we did.”
“Well, there’s only one way we can finish this date.”
“Hmm?”
“We agree to go on another one,” Felicity said seriously, “With the full understanding that it’s not a platonic date.”
A jolt of shock ran through his system, because he hadn’t ever expected this to be the outcome of this coffee date, but he wasn’t exactly going to protest when this was exactly what he’d silently been hoping for. “That sounds like a good idea,” he managed to get out without choking too much.
Hunter huffed next to him, butting his head against the archer’s arm.
“Hunter seems to approve,” Felicity said. “So, another date?”
“We should go out for dinner next time rather than coffee.”
Felicity didn’t get the chance to reply, because at that point, Diggle calmly jogged up to them from the right. He’d been parked outside the coffee shop during the date and then tailed them to the park as per his bodyguard duties required, but he’d respected Oliver’s desire to have some private time with the blonde, so had maintained his distance. The only reason he would be intruding on their date was if there was an actual threat approaching that he needed to alert Oliver of. Judging by the faint panic that the archer could see under the bodyguard’s calm, strict facade, there was something serious about to happen.
“Apologies for the interruption,” Diggle said politely, “Mr Queen, may I speak with you for a moment, please?”
“It’s okay, Dig, whatever you want to say to me, you can say in front of Felicity,” the archer replied. “Felicity, this is John Diggle, he’s my -”
“Bodyguard?”
“Babysitter,” Oliver answered.
Diggle rolled his eyes. “That’s what he likes to tell people. Hunter’s his babysitter, I’m his bodyguard. Although, keeping him out of the way of physical harm and harassment seems to be a minor part of my job, these days; I spend more time carting him around to make sure he gets to places on time and doesn’t embarrass himself at social gatherings.”
“What’s going on?” the archer questioned, crossing his feet at the ankles and watching as Hunter leapt down from the bench to go and sniff at the bodyguard in greeting.
Grimacing, Diggle took a step sideways and cast a cold glance backwards. Across the park, there was a black van parked on the side of the street. “Paparazzi. They’ve kept away from you three for the last half an hour or so, but it’s only a matter of time before…”
“We should go,” Oliver nodded. “Sorry, Felicity, this really wasn’t how I wanted this date to end.”
“It’s okay,” she smiled quickly. “It’s the media, you can’t do anything about them, and they’ve been infatuated with you and Hunter lately if the headlines and gossip TV shows are anything to go by.”
“Gossip TV shows?” the archer repeated, raising an eyebrow.
Felicity blushed. “I don’t watch them… but my co-workers do.”
“It’s getting late, anyway,” Diggle chimed in, which prompted Oliver to check his watch, quickly clipping the leash onto his service dog’s collar. He was surprised to see it was nearing seven pm - they’d been on this date for around two hours. “Felicity, would you like a lift home?”
“That would be great,” she smiled. “I took the bus into work this morning because some of the streets in the Glades around my area were closed.”
Oliver already knew that Felicity didn’t live in the Glades per-say, but rather on the outskirts, but it still unsettled him to think she was living so close to such a crime-ridden area of the city. “You should really consider moving to a safer apartment, you know.”
Standing and brushing herself down, taking Hunter’s leash for a moment so Oliver could do the same for himself, the blonde attempted to comfort him, “Don’t worry, I’ve only been burgled twice.”
“That’s not reassuring in the slightest,” Oliver said, alarmed.
She leaned into his side as they walked, keeping a hold on the service dog’s leash for him. Diggle strode just in front of them, leading them back towards the Queen’s town car. “Hey, it’s fine. I’m an IT girl, remember? Ever since those incidents, I’ve installed the best, most advanced custom security locks and CCTV available. Haven’t been bothered since.”
“I’d still feel better if you moved somewhere safer in the city.”
“Unfortunately, until I have a higher monthly income so that I can afford a more expensive rent rate, that’s not going to happen. And no, you can’t help me pay rent or buy me an apartment, Oliver.”
He almost pouted. Holding the back door open of the town car, he allowed Felicity to clamber in first, Hunter jumping in after her. Sharing a glance with his bodyguard, Oliver rolled his eyes when he saw Diggle smirking at him out of the corner of his eye. The journey to Felicity’s apartment on the edge of the Glades was a short one, only ten minutes in the heavy rush-hour traffic. They spent the time fussing over Hunter and discussing how the media had been relentless in their obsession with the archer and his service dog in their coverage since finding out that Oliver had Hunter. They shared the same opinion - the paparazzi needed to back off and let them have their space. Felicity didn’t seem to mind all that much when the archer hesitantly warned her that pictures of them in the park together may emerge online; she winked and promised they wouldn’t stay up there for long.
Once they arrived at Felicity’s apartment block, Oliver walked her to her door with Hunter plodding along gleefully at his side, Diggle parking the car up and keeping it running.
“Thank you for today,” the blonde said, unlocking her door and turning the alarm off before resting her shoulder against the door frame. She regarded him a shy smile, flicking a lock of hair behind her ear. “I had a lot of fun.”
“Me too,” Oliver agreed. “Although for our second date, we might have to try and arrange something where we’re out of the public’s line of sight.”
“That’s going to be pretty difficult.”
“I think so,” he confessed. “But… I want to make this work.” He reached out and carefully took her hand in his. “I like you, Felicity.” There was a growl from behind him. Oliver snorted in amusement, nodding back to include his service dog. “We like you.”
“I like you too,” she beamed.
Hunter whined, thumping his tail.
“Oh, don’t worry, buddy, Felicity loves you,” Oliver informed him. Hunter shook out his fur with a satisfied look on his face, finally turning away and resting on his haunches to give the two of them a private moment.
“This may be way too forward,” Felicity said slowly, “But would you like to come around here? We could have dinner together… watch some of those Harry Potter movies you haven’t seen yet and snuggle with Hunter on the couch.”
Warmth blossomed in his chest, and a wide, genuine smile of pleasure spread across the archer’s face. There was a lightness fluttering in his chest that he knew was happiness. He was experiencing a weightlessness and contentment that he hadn’t felt for years. “That sounds incredible.”
“When are you free in the evening for the rest of the week?”
Oliver looked sheepish. “Um… every day? I usually make plans for lunch with my family and friends rather than dinner.”
“Oh! Well, do you… do you want to come around tomorrow night then?”
Somehow managing to contain his excitement and shock, the archer just nodded. Seeing as how Felicity was leaning forwards a little, smiling up at him with almost a halo of light around her head, Oliver gave in to the urge rolling in his stomach. He bent down, brushing his lips against hers and sinking down into the kiss. Felicity leant up, wrapping her arms around his neck and locking her fingers so their bodies were held flush together. Oliver inhaled sharply as he felt her tongue dance across her lower lip, but before he could fully respond, he was shoved out of the way forcefully. The archer stumbled backwards and Felicity crashed to the ground as Hunter bowled her over and began giving her a load of enthusiastic goodnight kisses of his own, licking and slobbering all over her face.
Mortified, Oliver grabbed his service dog by the collar and yanked him off her. “Hunter, no! Bad dog! We don’t jump on people! You’re supposed to be more well-behaved than this!”
Felicity, however, was laughing. Curled up on the floor, and undoubtedly horrifically winded from having a massive dog slamming her into the ground, but she was laughing. “I think Hunter was jealous he wasn’t getting in on the action,” she wheezed.
“I am so sorry,” the archer winced. Hunter finally seemed to have calmed down and realised what he’d done was wrong, because he was whimpering pitifully and trying to nudge at Felicity’s legs apologetically. Kneeling, Oliver allowed the blonde to brace her forearms against his so he could help her back onto her feet. “Are you okay? That looked nasty.”
“I’m fine,” Felicity said, her head falling forwards onto his shoulder as she shook with laughter. “Was not expecting that.”
“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “He’s - he’s jumped up on a lot of people lately, it’s definitely something he needs disciplining on.”
“I don’t mind, it’s okay,” she assured him, patting the archer on the arm. “Goodnight, Hunter, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Oliver grinned fondly as Felicity ruffled the husky mix’s scruff, holding his face so she could press a kiss to his forehead. Hunter barked happily back at her, tail flying as he snuffled at her neck before sitting back down on his haunches and transforming back into obedient, serious service dog. The archer was pleasantly surprised when Felicity quickly went up onto her tiptoes to give him a swift peck on the cheek and then a chaste kiss on the lips, one that left him craving for more. “Goodnight, Oliver. Thank you for everything.”
“Goodnight,” he whispered, stepping back so that she could close the door.
Oliver waited until the lights inside the apartment had been switched on before leaving, heading back down to where Diggle was waiting in the car. There was a strange quivering sensation spreading through his chest and abdomen; it wasn’t unpleasant at all - it was more delicate than anything else. But it was nothing like anything he’d ever felt before. He wanted to leap into the air in elation, but also melt into a puddle of goo on the ground at the same time. Hunter nudged at the back of his knees to urge him forwards when he froze at the bottom of the stairs, coming to a sudden realisation.
He’d just gone on a date with Felicity. It had gone well. And they were going to have another date, meet up the next night at her apartment, to have dinner and watch movies together.
They’d kissed.
“Looking a little faint there, Oliver,” Diggle called, the window rolled down on the car. “You okay?”
“Yep,” he replied. “Um. Just. Processing some things.”
“Want to do that in the car while I drive you back home? It’s getting late. Mrs Queen, Mr Steele and Miss Queen are wondering where you are.”
Oliver shot him an amused look as he clambered into the back seat, signalling Hunter to settle down so he was lying on the seats beside him. “How many times has Thea texted you, exactly?”
“I lost count somewhere after thirty-seven,” Diggle responded. “Most of the messages were in all caps. Let’s get you back to your family so they can interrogate you instead of me about your date with Miss Smoak.”
As soon as they arrived back at the Queen mansion, Oliver was met with Thea standing in the doorway. She squealed, clapping her hands together joyfully as soon as she saw the look on his face. “Mom! Walter! Oliver’s smiling!” she shouted, sprinting up to him and hugging him tightly. Chuckling, the archer embraced her back, dropping one hand down to stroke over Hunter’s ears as the service dog whined at being left out.
Both Walter and Moira appeared at the top of the staircase, appearing curious. “How did it go, sweetheart?” his mother asked in an anxious tone.
“Great,” Oliver replied, grinning.
Thea shrieked in delight, arms tightening around Oliver’s neck which made him flinch slightly.
“Thea, release your brother,” Walter told her. He greeted Hunter with a scratch under the chin as he descended the stairs, turning to the archer with a warm expression. “I’m glad it went well, Oliver, and that you enjoyed yourself.”
“You have to tell me everything,” Thea insisted.
“Oliver doesn’t have to tell us anything if he doesn’t want to,” Moira said sternly.
“Are you going on another date?”
“Thea…”
“It’s okay, Mom,” Oliver reassured her. “And to answer your question, Thea, yes, we are.”
“When, when, when, when?!”
“Dinner, tomorrow night.”
Thea practically screamed, shaking the archer’s shoulders before running off.
“She seems excited,” Oliver observed. “Alright, I’m heading to my room. I’m exhausted, need to get an early night in”
He aimed a pointed glance Diggle’s way, as the bodyguard had just entered and was closing the front doors behind him. The night was young enough for the archer to engage in a short a Hood patrol. Hunter definitely wouldn’t like it, but the Vigilante hadn’t been spotted by the police for a couple of nights, so he needed to put an appearance out to curb any suspicion. Diggle gave a small nod of acknowledgement - he always appreciated it when Oliver let him know when he was going out onto the streets and putting himself in danger, most likely due to the fact that it gave the bodyguard some time to prepare himself and their supplies if the archer got injured.
“Goodnight,” his mother said, smiling. “Oh, and Oliver?”
“Hmm?”
“If you’re going to dinner with Miss Smoak… I am not micromanaging, but I will stand firm on the fact that I think you should wear a suit.”
“Goodnight, Mom.”
“At least a tie.”
“Moira, let him be,” Walter laughed. “Goodnight, Oliver.”
“‘Night, Walter. C’mon, Hunter.” With one last shared look with Diggle, they silently agreed to meet outside near the entrance gates as they always did.
The service dog trudged up the stairs behind him, muzzle occasionally brushing at his master’s calves. He immediately bounded up onto the bed and curled up tiredly, daintily scraping his paws over his ears. Oliver sighed; of course Hunter would be exhausted after having to help him deal with his hyped-up anxieties all day, and the husky mix certainly wasn’t going to take it well when he realised that the archer was planning on going back out - and Hunter would end up spending half his night in the Foundry with Diggle, waiting for Oliver to come back, again.
As soon as the service dog caught sight of Oliver changing into black thermals, he dropped his head down onto the pillow with a loud groan, ears flicking back against his skull.
“Sorry, bud,” the archer said. “Just because I went on a date doesn’t mean I get to neglect my other duties.”
Hunter rolled over on the bed until he fell off it. He had an expression of disdain and exasperation on his face, and Oliver swore he saw the service dog roll his eyes as he went to stand by the door, ready to leave.
“You can sit on Felicity’s lap if she lets you tomorrow night while we’re watching movies?” The husky mix perked up instantly. “Yeah, I knew you’d like that idea. But I’m the only one who gets goodnight kisses from her tomorrow, Hunter. You know that, right?”
Snorting, Hunter swished his tail against the door frame on his way out, as if saying, In your dreams, buddy.