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This is the worst situation she’s ever been in. “Dig,” she laments, thumping Diggle’s his chest, “this is the worst situation I’ve ever been in,” she cries into his shoulder. Upper arm. Whatever. She’s much shorter today since she’d decided not to wear heels when she’d learned that the charity brunch for the Starling City Animal Shelter was being held on the grounds surrounding the Queen Mansion. Oliver’s backyard, basically.
Diggle pats her back sympathetically. “I thought this was your dream?” he asks, turning her back around to face the adoption tent. “Coffee, mimosas and all kinds of cats?” He repeats the words she had been chanting not even two hours ago as they drove to the function together.
“No!” She cries out, and a few guests turn to look at her. Was she being overdramatic? A cat looks at her and paws at the bars of the kennel it’s being kept in. She was definitely not being overdramatic. “I should have been careful,” she whines and bends down, sticking her finger into the kennel to pet it. The cat turns it’s head to lean into her finger. Her heart is breaking and it hurts so much.
“Careful about what?” Oliver approaches the pair, and they were probably quite a sight – Diggle attempting to hide his laughter as he stares down at Felicity, whining and pouting as she pets the cat.
“About what I wished for,” she clarifies, giving the cat one last sad pat on the head and standing upright. “Cats. I mean. I wished for cats. But this is horrible.” She snatches a champagne flute of mimosa from a passing waiter and gulps down as much as she can without choking on it.
Oliver takes her drink away and studies her, tilting his head. “They can let the cats out so you can hold them, you know.”
“I know but I can’t!” She pouts. “I thought this would be perfect but it’s actually heartbreaking, Oliver. I want one.”
Oliver raises an eyebrow at her.
She looks at the cat again. It just wants a home. “Do you think we-“ she turns to Oliver and Diggle and is met with blank stares. “Like at night, I mean, I could take it-“
“Felicity,” Oliver says, and she knows that tone. It’s the same one he uses every time she hints at getting a 3D printer for the foundry. Which they totally need. For science. And crime fighting. “Do you really need me to explain why you can’t take a cat with you to your… other job?”
She pouts. “Not right now, but you might have to remind me tonight while I’m sitting by myself in the foundry while you and Dig go on patrol.” She says petulantly, just loud enough for only them to hear. She takes a deep breath. “I think I should step away. Maybe grab a croissant.” She puts her arm through Diggle’s and walks back towards the buffet table, prompting Oliver to walk alongside them.
“I’m sorry Felicity,” Diggle says as he pulls away for a second to put her arm around her shoulder. “Let’s get you a cronut. Better than a croissant.”
She hums and leans her body into him, but turns her head the other way. “Hey Oliver, you know what would make me feel better?”
“What would make you feel better, Felicity?” He’s obviously indulging her, but there’s a hint of sincerity in his voice.
“A 3D printer?” she says, and she can feel the rumble of Diggle’s body as he laughs. She slaps the arm he has around her, but keeps her hopeful eyes on Oliver.
“We’ll see.” Oliver says, but he’s kind of smiling a little bit, so she guesses that’s most likely a yes. She would pump her fists right now, but she doesn’t want to change his mind. She does it in her head instead.
She can’t hide her smile though, as she disentangles herself away from Diggle and walks to the buffet table to grab a cronut and take a bite. “Do you guys want one?” She turns to ask, the words sounding kind of garbled around the bite she had taken.
Dig walks farther down the table to grab some more coffee, and Oliver is just standing there, watching her eat with that same almost smile. She raises an eyebrow and wiggles her pastry, but he just shakes his head and walks away, taking a sip of the mimosa he'd taken from her.
“3D printer, Oliver Queen!” She calls out to him. He doesn’t turn around but he raises the champagne flute in acknowledgement. She’s going to take that as a yes. Yes. She is totally going to figure out how to print a 3D cat figurine. It’ll be the best way to christen her new printer.