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The halls of Starling Prep are often cited as being hallowed.
Oliver’s not entirely sure he believes that. He’s pretty sure it’s some bullshit made up by alumni who peaked in high school and teachers who are desperately trying to get a group of teenagers to have respect for a building where they’re continually overworked.
They’re old, for sure, but hallowed?
He’s not convinced.
They’re definitely empty at the moment as he makes his way down them.
He’s supposed to be in study hall right now but Mrs. Jackson might be the least observant person Oliver’s ever met and she never realises he slips out the back once she’s called attendance.
The school library is at the back of the building. It’s a sprawling room with all the features of a college library, or so Oliver’s been informed. The walls are lined with shelves of books and the middle of the room is filled with lines of desks, complete with reading lamps and book stands.
It’s almost always practically empty.
The students of Starling Prep are no longer the enthusiastic scholars they perhaps were when the school and the library were first built, but children of the elite who are used to their parents being able to fix all their issues with a wave of a few hundred dollar bills. Oliver himself had never stepped in here before the start of this, his junior, year. Nowadays, Starling Prep’s library is often only graced by the small number of scholarship students the school admits each year.
As it enters it now, there’s only one student, sat right at the back table of the room, just out of view of the librarian who gives Oliver a sceptical look as she looks up from her computer.
He’s not concentrated on the librarian, however, and he can’t stop the smile that spreads across his face as he approaches Felicity.
She’s surrounded by books, most of them labelled ‘chemistry’, and he can judge her level of stress by how messy her ponytail is. There’s a few strands falling out but it’s mostly intact so he knows she won’t mind a brief distraction. Her blazer is strewn across the space next to her, the neckties that are the female counterpart to the tie of the uniform around Oliver’s neck placed on top, and the first few buttons of her shirt are undone. She’s writing frantically in a notebook, looking between it, a textbook, and her laptop.
An affectionate feeling rises in Oliver as he approaches her. She’s a stress pot, but an adorable one, and he’s so grateful for her coming into his life. He truly feels like the stars aligned for him on that one.
It all started last summer, when Felicity had flown in from Las Vegas to participate in Oliver’s father’s company’s intern programme for technically gifted high school students.
The two of them met at the start of scheme party his dad throws each year for it where all the students are welcomed to the mansion with virgin cocktails and canopes. It’s something Oliver has always hated but then he’d spotted Felicity in the corner, chatting to Thea.
He had been immediately taken with her, her loose blonde hair in natural curls around her head and her bright blue eyes sparkling beneath her glasses. Usually the students ignore Thea, wanting to engage with future potential employers and investors but not Felicity. She was practically glowing as she spoke to the then six year old, seemingly completely interested in what the little girl had to say. That kindness towards his sister, combined with her irresistible charm made it practically impossible for Oliver to resist introducing himself.
Things just evolved naturally from there. When Felicity wasn’t working as part of the programme, she was hanging out with Oliver. He learned that she’s one of the most intriguing and intelligent people he’s ever met and over the course of the summer, he fell more and more. She encourages him to be the person his parents could always see in him but Oliver could never quite get himself to be.
Both of them had been devastated at the thought of having to separate at the end of the summer. Their feelings had become so intense and the idea of suddenly having hundreds of miles between them was terrifying.
But everything had fallen into place.
Turns out, Felicity had not only captivated the younger generation of Queens. Oliver’s dad had been so impressed with her work at the internship that he offered to pay her tuition at Starling Prep if she could continue to apprentice with them through the year. She’s a year younger than Oliver but working two grades above her age, so is aiming towards her graduation this year. Robert offered her and her mom one of the apartments that their family owns in the city rent free for the year, claiming it as an investment in the future of the company.
Oliver doesn’t really care about the reason. He’s just so happy that he gets to be with his girlfriend easily for the rest of the year.
“Hey you.” He comments as he slides into the chair next to her, moving her blazer and her tie out the way so that he can lean his chin on her shoulder.
“Oliver! You scared me!” Felicity counters, nudging him off of her shoulder before she turns to look at him.
“You need to get a better awareness of your surroundings. Constant vigilance!” Oliver smirks, it turning into a smile as she frowns for a moment, considering his words, before her red lips curl in a smirk.
“Thea’s been making you listen to her read Harry Potter again, hasn’t she?” She questions, raising one of her perfectly quaffed eyebrows and Oliver grins, shrugging his shoulders innocently.
“Maybe.”
“Kid’s got great taste.” Felicity comments with a chuckle, finally placing down her pen and leaning into the arm he wraps around her back.
“She’s asking again when you’ll come round to watch the next film.” Oliver smiles, being unable to resist reaching up to tug the hand out of her hair. Her curls come tumbling down around her head and Oliver smiles, threading his fingers through the soft locks. Felicity groans softly, leaning her head back into the feeling.
Oliver smirks, she’s always so responsive to his touch, it’s one of the many things he loves about her.
“I told her on the phone the other day when I’ve finished my applications.” Felicity hums, her fingers sliding shut as Oliver’s nails scratch over the spot where her ponytail had sat.
“And she’s seven. You know that means nothing to her.” He counters, watching as Felicity sighs.
“Soon.”
“That’s what I told her. She misses you, we all do.” He can’t resist adding, tilting his head forward to press a kiss to her cheek.
“Oliver…” Felicity sighs again, her shoulders tensing, and Oliver’s not sure as to whether it’s in response to his words or the public display of affection.
“No, I know. We’ll all have plenty of time together this summer and once you’ve completed all your schooling so that you can rule the world. That’s what’s happening, right?” Oliver questions teasingly, grateful to see that the tension leaves her shoulders too.
“Pretty sure.” She smirks, shifting so that his arm is wrapped around her shoulders and her head tilts to lean on his upper arm. She looks up at him through her glasses, those big blue eyes that Oliver has never been able to resist sparkling with a warm affection. “Thank you for understanding.”
“Well, when you’re rolling with Felicity Smoak, you gotta know that you’re always going to be second to computers.” Oliver smirks, watching her with rapt attention as she narrows her eyes teasingly before she gets that mischievous look in her eyes and she pouts as if she’s thinking.
“Don’t forget coffee.” She counters with her honestly pathetic attempt at a wink. It never fails to make Oliver laugh though, as he does now, tugging gently at her hair.
“So I’m third now?” He questions in mock offence, his eyes still captivating by the sight of her as she raises her finger to her lips in pretend ponder.
“Hmm, well, there’s also my mom and I do really like Thea…” She trails off, her brow furrowing and Oliver snorts with an affectionate shake of his head.
“Minx.” He comments, reaching out with his free hand to dance his fingers across her waist. She jumps at the sensation, giggling adorably as she squirms to try and het away but Oliver’s other arm holds her in place.
“Tommy’s also pretty cool…” She starts to say through her giggles but Oliver just ignores her, lifting his hand from her waist to her cheek to pull her into a kiss.
Felicity freezes against him in surprise before she relaxes into it, their lips moving in a practiced dance.
Oliver doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to the sensation of kissing Felicity. He used to think that kissing was just a needed step to get you further with a girl but, like everything, it’s different with Felicity. Kissing her makes him feel warm, as if her light literally transmits through their connection and spreads through his bones.
“Oliver!” Felicity pulls back suddenly with a gasp, as if just only realising his actions in tandem with their surroundings.
Oliver knows why she’s worried, he knows it’s what she’s always worried about when they’re together at school… people finding out they’re dating.
He understands Felicity’s holdbacks, he really does, but if he had the choice, he’d like nothing more than to scream how lucky he is to call Felicity Smoak his girlfriend from the top of every school building and his parents’ company for good measure. But people at school know who is funding Felicity’s scholarship and she doesn’t want to be judged or have to deal with people claiming it’s some form of nepotism because she’s dating her boss’ son.
Oliver gets it. But he’s not a particularly big fan of it.
“There’s no one around.” He confirms at her worried expression, leaning back to see the front desk where the librarian is still buried in her computer.
“You’re incorrigible.”
“Thanks, I think.” Oliver counters, his brow furrowed and Felicity chuckles.
“Hmm, sounds like someone needs to do some vocabulary homework.” She teases, ducking out from his embrace to turn back to her word. Oliver catches her before she can slide too far away from him, however, tugging her to the edge of her chair with his best charming smile.
“Or we could both take a break?” He suggests, one of his hands landing on her thigh just where the plaid skirt of her uniform ends.
“You can’t take a break if you haven’t started.” Felicity states smartly, plucking his hand off her leg with a raised eyebrow.
Oliver, however, remains undeterred, and loops his other arm fully around her waist to plant a kiss on the spot on her neck he knows she loves. “Okay, I could not start and you could take a break?”
Felicity groans, clearly affected by his ministrations and Oliver is smirking against her skin, thinking he’s onto a win when she struggles away from him once more. She turns to face him in her chair, levelling him with a look that Oliver knows means she means business.
“Work with me for the rest of this period and I’ll come to yours this evening.” Felicity offers, pointing to his backpack that he placed on the table when he arrived and remains unopened.
Oliver perks up at her suggestion. He hasn’t spent an evening with Felicity in so long. Her college applications have been taking up a lot of her usual spare time and he would never begrudge her that, but he misses her something awful.
“I thought you needed to work on your applications?” He questions but she just smiles, shrugging her shoulders.
“I’m basically done and I wanted your dad to look over them anyway.” She explains with a hopeful smile and Oliver feels his heart lighten.
The idea of getting time with Felicity at his house, where everyone’s aware of their relationship, is the best thing he’s heard all week.
“You know everyone’s going to want to see you. I won’t get you to myself.” He counters, thinking of how his entire family has been complaining about missing the bubbly blonde. Oliver’s dad has seen her the most, working with her at Queen Consolidated as part of her apprenticeship, but even he has bemoaned missing her presence around the house.
Felicity seems undeterred by his complaint though, merely shrugging her shoulders with a smirk.
“But it’s a Friday and I haven’t been round in ages so I think we can wrestle a sleepover out of your parents and my mom, no?” She suggests and Oliver positively lights up at the concept.
“You’re a genius.” He states, suddenly realising that his weekend is going to look a far lot better than he initially thought.