Work Text:
“Ollie! Ollie! ‘Licity!”
“Speedy?”
Oliver groans as he wakes up, a warm feeling settling through his veins as he notes the small warm body curled up next to him, blonde hair spilling across his chest.
“Ollie! You’re in the paper!” Thea proclaims, launching herself up onto the bed. Oliver grabs her and tugs her over to his other side to stop her full weight from hitting Felicity as she starts to come around. He reaches for the remote and turns off his tv, they clearly fell asleep halfway through the movie they put on last night and Oliver smiles at Felicity as she groans, pushing blonde curls from her face.
“I’m always in the paper, Speedy, I don’t see how this is bursting into my room news,” He comments to his baby sister not unkindly and Thea huffs with the indignation that only a seven-year-old can muster.
“Not just you, Ollie! Felicity too!”
“What?”
Felicity sits up immediately, all traces of sleep leaving her as she grabs the paper from Thea’s outstretched hand. Oliver tilts his head and spots the headline just as Felicity’s jaw drops.
BAD BOY QUEEN TAMED BY FATHER’S CHARITY PROJECT PRODIGY
“Shit,” Oliver cannot keep in the expletive as his eyes cast over the photo taken during their date at the cinema last week. It has taken him days to convince her it was okay for them to go by themselves, that he’d be on his best behavior, that nothing would land in the press…
And all of those promises have turned out to be lies.
The photo captures the one moment Oliver let his guard down. It’s innocent as anything, but his feelings are plain to see, written all over his face. They’re walking out of the theatre and Oliver can remember how charmed he’d been listening to Felicity rant about what she loved and didn’t like about the film, an adaptation of one of her favorite books. She’s grinning up at him as she speaks and Oliver is smiling down at her, his love for her clear to all. They’re not even touching but their proximity combined with his expression… there’s no denying their connection.
“Shit.”
Oliver’s eyes widen as he turns to see Thea grinning widely at him, having repeated his cursing proudly.
“Speedy, no, don’t ever repeat that, especially not in front of Mom and Dad,” He blanches, his eyes flitting back to his girlfriend, still trying to gauge her reaction as she stares blankly at the page in front of her.
“But you said it!” Thea argues, her stubbornness coming out and Oliver sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Speedy, you know people only curse when they’re agitated and it’s not something to repeat. It’s not nice to wind your brother up,” Felicity pipes up, her voice steady and calm even though Oliver can spot her hands shaking where she’s holding the paper.
“Ugh fine, Mom’s making pancakes. I want some before they get cold,” The girl comments, and flies off the bed, closing the door behind her before Oliver can even think to tell her to be quiet about all this to their parents.
“Felicity…” Oliver tries as he turns back to his girlfriend, his heart hammering in his chest as he does so. She’s gone back to staring at the page, her lip pulled between her teeth as she always does when she’s concentrating.
“Shh, I’m reading,” She tells him, a hand flying up to stop him when he tries to inch closer. Oliver tries not to let it bother him but the worry is creeping up through him, he doesn’t want to lose her, he can’t lose her.
“Please don’t read too much into it,” He finds himself saying but Felicity ignores him, her head tilting with a frown.
“Hmm.”
“What?”
“Well, it’s not as bad as I thought it might be though I suppose those will come,” She comments and there’s something behind the calm tone of her voice that worries Oliver even as he rushes to assure her.
“They don’t mean anything,” He tries but as her eyes fly to meet his, venom clear in them, he knows it was the wrong thing to say.
“To you. They don’t mean anything to you,” She bites, and Oliver sighs. They’ve had this talk many times and Oliver understands her perspective, he really does, but it’s difficult when he’s lived his whole life as he has.
“Felicity…”
“No, Oliver. How many times have we had this discussion? You have the luxury of being able to ignore these, I do not. This could affect my scholarship, MIT could revoke all my funding for next year,” Felicity reminds him and Oliver feels his heart sink as her eyes fill with tears, her fears written all over her face. This is what she means when she says he cannot understand, he’s never had to question the stability of his position but he knows she lives every day worried that what she’s built will be ripped out from underneath her.
“You know that Dad would never let that happen,” He tries to reassure her but Felicity shakes her head.
“He can’t protect me from everything, and neither can you,” She levels him with a look, and Oliver swallows. He hates that he knows she’s right. He wants to make sure she never feels pain again. But she’s right, he can’t stop every wave.
“Felicity.”
“No, it’s fine, I just… I need some time to process this,” She shakes her head, glancing once more at the paper before she throws it on the sheets and stands. She reaches for Oliver’s hoodie, pulling it on over her tank top.
Oliver frowns, he can’t fix this so he guesses he just needs to give her what she’s asking for, “Right okay, I can give you that. Pancakes?”
Her shoulders slump a little as she finishes tying her hair up in a knot on the top of her head and she looks at him with a sympathetic expression, “And space. I need some time and space, I’m going to go home.”
Don’t let her leave you, Oliver’s heart screams at him but he ignores it with a painful sigh, “At least let me drive you, you don’t need to get the bus.”
He can see the way Felicity deliberates for a moment before she grabs her bag, nodding her head, “Yeah, okay.”
“Thank you. I love you,” Oliver can’t stop himself from saying as he walks over to her and Felicity melts, smiling sadly up at him.
“I love you too, Oliver. That’s never been in doubt.”
“Well, this is a surprise.”
Felicity looks up at the sound of her mom’s voice as she enters her room through the open door. She’s smiling at her warmly and the teenager frowns.
“What?”
“You gracing this apartment with your presence after school. You’re normally at Oliver’s,” Donna comments as she sits down on the end of Felicity’s bed, a curious look on her face.
“I’m not there all the time,” Felicity states defensively, her guards flying up, but her mother just chuckles, shaking her head.
“Oh baby, you’re there every single day, there’s no denying it. It’s not a bad thing, just the truth,” Her mother chuckles and Felicity frowns, deflating a little as she thinks of how much the Queen mansion also feels like home.
“Hmm.”
Donna finally catches onto Felicity’s mood, her head tilting as she looks at her daughter, “What’s wrong?”
“Did you see the paper the other day?”
“With the picture of the two of you at the cinema? Of course, you both looked so cute,” She grins, her shoulders shaking dramatically and Felicity chuckles despite herself before she sighs.
“Mom…”
“What? Oh honey, is that what this is about?”
“I wanted more time between just us,” Felicity finally admits and Donna sighs sympathetically before she looks at her daughter.
“Why?”
“I… because I was scared of what everyone else would say, because I’ve worked too hard to be labeled as a gold digger, because as much as I love Oliver, I cannot have our relationship ruin this opportunity,” Felicity finds herself rambling, the tears coming to her eyes as she thinks it through. Losing any of this would be a heartbreak she could not withstand and she doesn’t want to even consider it.
“Oh honey, the world isn’t as black and white as all that,” Donna tells her but Felicity shakes her head, looking up at her mom as her tears start to fall.
“Isn’t it?”
“Oh baby, c’mere,” Her mother calls and Felicity crawls into her arms, curling up in the warm and familiar space of her embrace.
“I’m scared, Mom, I don’t want to lose all this,” She admits into her mother’s shoulder as Donna’s hand cards through her hair, calming her down.
“I know, my love, but you cannot let what-ifs and fear dictate your life, you’re too young for all that.”
“I…”
“No, listen to me. Your love for Oliver in no way discredits that marvelous brain of yours, it doesn’t mean that everything you’ve worked for is not your own. You did that, no one can take that away. You know that, and Oliver and his entire family know that.”
“But everyone else doesn’t,” Felicity tries to explain but her mother tugs her back, looking her dead in the eye.
“Screw everyone else. You are the only thing that matters.”
“But what about MIT? What if they try to take my funding away?”
Donna laughs at that, shaking her head, “Baby, do you really think between me, Robert, and Moira that would ever happen? Heck, they’d be too terrified of what that sweet baby Thea would do to them. Sometimes it helps to have the right people on your side.”
The image of Thea knocking down MIT’s door finally makes Felicity smile and she takes a deep breath, “So you think I’m overreacting?”
“I think you’re scared and that’s perfectly understandable, but I also believe you can’t let that fear consume you. You’re far too smart for that. You and me and all of the Queens know the truth, the rest of them can call us whatever on earth they want to,” Donna tells her slowly, gently brushing her tears from Felicity’s cheeks with a gentle hand.
“I suppose there’s no point in letting a potentially bad thing ruin an actually great thing,” Felicity reasons and Donna nods, bopping her on the end of her nose.
“Exactly, and wouldn’t it be nice to not have to sneak around anymore? Go and get ice cream together? Be normal kids?”
The thought makes Felicity sigh. It would be nice to just be, to not have to think. They’re kids in love, it would be nice to be able to act like it.
“I owe Oliver an apology, I’ve been putting him at arm's length for like three days,” She winces as she thinks it through, noting the mischievous look on her mother’s face as she does so.
“Hmm, isn’t it his big final match on Friday?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I have an idea.”
“Oliver.”
He whirls around at the sound of her voice. He’s been able to pick it up in a crowd for months now, no matter how quiet.
She’s standing at the end of the corridor, her friends Caitlin and Alena stood a little way off, eyeing him with excited grins. They’re a little off-putting to Oliver but he tries to concentrate on Felicity, nodding to confirm to Tommy that he’ll catch him up, before approaching her.
“Hi,” He tells her softly, unable to help himself stepping into her personal space just a little, her mere presence intoxicating to him.
“Hi, I wanted to wish you good luck and um… to show you something,” She swallows and Oliver’s heart clenches at the nervousness in her voice. She reaches up to fiddle with her hair and it’s only then that he realizes she’s very deliberately placed her hair over her cheek.
“Is it something to do with this?” He asks gently with a small smile, his fingers rising to lightly brush over her forehead. She nods and Oliver’s eyes jump down to where her tongue flits out, wetting her lips. Their eyes lock, her bright blues full of apprehension but also something else he knows to be determination, and he lifts an eyebrow ever so slightly, requesting her permission to draw her curtain of hair back. His stomach twists in anticipation and he takes his time, deliberately drawing his fingertips across her skin as he tucks the thick blonde curls behind her ear.
His heart stutters as he realizes what her surprise is.
His number, painted beautifully on her cheek, in their school colors. There, on show, for everyone to see. Oliver blinks for a moment before a wide grin passes over his face. There’s only one reason a girl goes to a game with a player’s number painted on her cheek.
This is Felicity saying that she’s ready to take this thing between them out into the world.
God, this is everything.
“Really? You’re ready?” He asks, wanting to hear it directly from her.
“I’m ready. This thing is too precious to keep it hidden. I don’t care what they think, I love you and I want the world to know that,” She explains and Oliver thinks his grin might actually split his face in two.
“I love you so much, I’ll shout it from the rooftops,” He cannot stop himself from saying, and Felicity chuckles, her hands flying up to trace the pattern of his number on his jersey.
“No rooftops needed, just us. They can make their own conclusions,” She shakes her head, looking up at him through her eyelashes and Oliver sighs contently, his eyes shutting for a moment as he considers it.
“That sounds… god, I love you,” He tells her, his voice shaking as if it might break with the strength of his emotions.
“I love you too,” Felicity smiles up at him and Oliver hums as her lips meet his, moving together in that familiar way.
Kissing her has always felt like coming home but this is something else. This is a declaration, a kiss without worrying who might see them. It’s freeing and it’s beautiful.
They’re pulled apart by the sound of Tommy shouting Oliver’s name down the hallway. Felicity chuckles as she looks down and spots Tommy’s expression, “You need to go.”
“Ugh I really do,” Oliver sighs as he hears the crowd noise grow as the anticipation rises.
“You gonna be good to play?” Felicity giggles, her hands moving to his shoulders and it’s only then that he realizes he’s bouncing up and down.
“Babe, I’ve never had so much adrenaline coursing through me, I’ll probably play the best game of my life,” He tells her blankly and Felicity snorts at that before that mischievous grin spreads across her face.
“Good, because I expect a win if I’ve painted your number on me. Can’t have people think I have bad taste,” She preens and it’s Oliver’s turn to laugh, wrapping his arms around her waist to tug her against him.
“Dork,” He notes with absolutely no malice as he bumps his nose against hers.
“Your dork,” Felicity grins, their foreheads pressed together as she squirms away from his wiggling fingers, “You really need to go.”
“I love you,” Oliver repeats, unable to stop himself from pressing kiss after kiss to her lips.
“I love you too. Now go win and you can kiss me all you like,” She declares, pushing against his chest and Oliver sighs.
“Excellent motivation, Smoak,” He comments, clinging onto her hand as they pull apart.
“Don’t I know it,” She grins coyly and Oliver chuckles pressing a kiss to the back of her hand before he finally drags himself away, heading down the corridor. Tommy grins at him knowingly and Oliver shoves him away, a thought suddenly entering his mind as he turns around to see Felicity’s friends tittering around her.
“Felicity!”
“Hmm?” She turns around, that bright, disarming smile on her face.
“Sit in the front!” He calls out to her and she frowns before smiling once more.
“Maybe,” She calls back and Oliver grins, ducking into the changing room as he knows she’ll be there in the front when he runs out onto the pitch.