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Oliver whistled as he checked on the garlic bread in the oven, resetting the timer for another five minutes. The lasagna was already sitting on the table and the side salad was chilling in the fridge. He left the wine for Felicity to choose.
Oliver tried to be the best roommate possible. Ever since Felicity found out he was sleeping in the Foundry while they worked to get Queen Consolidated back under his control, she’d forced him to take residence in her guest room. He couldn’t help with rent or any living expenses really, but he could clean and cook healthy meals for the two of them.
Even if she had to buy the ingredients.
He glanced at the clock, wondering how much longer she’d be. She’d come home from her work at Tech Village and almost immediately stepped away to take a shower, claiming she smelled like cheap plastic. He was pretty sure he’d timed dinner correctly - they shared a bathroom, and she never took especially long showers.
Oliver immediately began arranging the silverware needlessly, trying to drive the thought of Felicity in the shower from his mind. He was well aware that the two of them were playing with fire already, attraction brewing and the ruse to fool Slade still lingering between them.
The two of them firmly maintained they were just friends, but he knew their friends were watching - he could only take so many of Dig’s pointed looks and Roy's quips about socks on the foundry door before silencing them on the training mats. He worked very hard to keep a lid on his feelings, not wanting to encroach on Felicity in her own home.
Their friendship and the simple domestic rhythm the two of them had created was too precious to risk screwing it up right now. It wasn’t the right time.
“Ah!” Oliver started, dropping the silverware onto the table as a loud shriek echoed through the apartment, nearly drowned out by the loud crash accompanying it.
The sound came from the bathroom and while Oliver knew there was no way an intruder had gotten into the house, he still grabbed a knife on his way to the bathroom. Standing outside the door, not hearing anything other than the running water, he called out “Felicity? Are you alright?”
There were some muffled curse words, including a few Russian ones that she must have picked up from him, then a beat of silence before “I fell.” Felicity’s voice could barely be heard above the water, and Oliver just knew she was blushing.
“But are you alright? Are you hurt?” It was incredibly difficult to not open the door and see for himself that she was in one piece, and he shifted his weight from side to side in an effort to remain calm. Felicity mumbled something, and he sighed. “You need to speak louder - I can’t hear you over the water.”
“I said I’m stuck. I slipped and tried to grab my shower curtain to stop my fall. That didn’t work, and now I’m tangled, my shoulder hurts, and I can’t manage to reach the faucet to turn off the water.”
Oliver paused, quickly considering his options - there was really only one. “Do you need my help? I’ll be polite, I promise.”
There was a pause and some loud rustling. “Fine. Come in, I’m covered by the shower curtain. If you could turn off the water and hand me a towel, that would help.”
He took a deep breath, set the knife down on the floor, and opened the bathroom door. He was immediately assaulted with the heavy scent of Felicity’s lavender shampoo, and tried desperately to focus on something other than the view of Felicity’s upper back, droplets of water running down and underneath the plastic shower curtain.
Oliver grabbed his largest towel and strode forward, keeping his eyes on the faucet and away from Felicity’s bare legs - the shower curtain covered the important parts, but little else. He turned the water off and held the towel out towards the very red faced woman sitting on the floor, turning to leave as soon as it left his hand.
He could feel his face beginning to heat up as well, and it had nothing to do with the steam in the bathroom.
“Um, Oliver?” He paused at the doorway and tilted his head to let Felicity know he’d heard her. “I don’t think I can get out myself. I’m really tangled and I don’t think I can stand on my own.” There was a pause and then, “I, uh, I’m covered and all, so no worries.”
Oliver braced himself, determined to focus on helping and nothing else. He turned around.
No worries. Hilarious. She might be covered where it counted, but she was also covered in enticing water droplets, adorably disheveled, and the entire room smelled like her. Oliver Queen was not a strong man when it came to Felicity Smoak.
Nonetheless, he walked back over to her, smiling to try to ease the blush that had overtaken her face, her hands gripping the towel so hard her knuckles were white. “I’m so sorry Oliver, I don't know what happened, it was like I was standing one second and on the ground the next.”
“Felicity, it’s fine. I’m glad I’m here to help.”
“I just don’t want things to be awkward...”
“It will be fine. We’re both adults.”
He reached out, hands hovering over her skin until she nodded her assent. He gently grabbed her upper arms, slowly helping her to her feet. The shower curtain was still wrapped around her, underneath her towel and he could see where it was twisted around her feet.
“Hang on.” He made sure she was steady before kneeling down, reaching out towards the curtain. “Put your hands on my shoulder if you need to.” He gently unraveled the plastic curtain from around her feet and legs, trying to touch her skin as little as possible.
Once finished, Oliver looked up and saw her looking down at him, biting her lower lip. He swallowed as their eyes locked and watched her eyes drop down to his adams apple, up to his lips, and finally back up to his eyes.
There was a fire in her eyes, one that he was drawn to like a moth. The delicate line that they had been walking was swiftly being wiped away, the warmth of the bathroom being overshadowed by the heat bouncing between the two of them.
He stood up slowly, keeping his eyes on hers. Her eyes kept flicking from his lips, to his eyes, and back again.
Maybe he was wrong - maybe this was the right time. Maybe this wouldn’t be a mistake.
He leaned down a bit, and Felicity let out a harsh breath, as if she had forgotten to breathe for too long. He let his eyes close as he moved to close the gap -
*BEEP BEEP BEEP*
They jerked apart.
Between the surprise and the slick bathtub floor, Felicity nearly fell again, only Oliver’s quick reflexes catching her hips and saving her from a likely concussion. He became aware of the smell of burnt bread, realizing the garlic bread must have set off the smoke alarm.
Felicity’s face was bright red once more and she avoided his eyes. “You should probably go take care of that before the apartment burns down.”
“Right.” Oliver stood awkwardly in the bathroom for a few more seconds, but the moment had passed and he swiftly made his retreat.
He berated himself as he threw out the ruined garlic bread, opening the large kitchen windows, and reaching up to turn off the smoke alarm. He knew that living together was a bad idea, knew that eventually his feelings would get in the way, but he’d agreed because it was Felicity asking, and, well...there was very little he wouldn’t do for her.
And now he had ruined the first place that truly felt like home since he’d been rescued from Lian Yu.
Footsteps sounded in the hallway, coming closer. Oliver turned and waited, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together. Felicity appeared, wearing her usual loungewear, stopping in the doorway when she saw him, a faint blush still evident on her cheeks.
“Felicity I am so sorry. That was incredibly inappropriate of me, and I would completely understand if you don’t feel comfortable with me in your home anymore, I can move my stuff out tonight if you want and -“
“Shut up.”
His jawed snapped shut with an audible click and he watched, frozen in place, as she stalked across the room and into her personal space. She stared at him for a moment before grabbing his shirt with both of her small hands and pulling him down.
Her lips pressed against his before he was fully aware of what was going on, and his body responded before his mind did, grabbing her hips and pulling her closer.
They kissed for several minutes, bodies pressed together. When they finally broke apart, they were both out of breath and their lips were swollen.
“I’ve been wanting to do that for weeks.” Oliver opened his eyes and saw Felicity staring at him, eyes sparkling in amusement at what he could only assume was the flabbergasted look on his face. She reached up and patted his cheek, pressed one last kiss to his lips, and turned around, walking towards the table. “What’s for dinner?”
It took a second for Oliver to respond, but once his mind had caught up with the present moment, a wide smile broke out on his face and he lunged forward, grabbing Felicity and spinning her around, cutting off her laughter with a kiss of his own.
They skipped his carefully made dinner, but Oliver wasn’t complaining.
He was a much bigger fan of dessert.