Chapter Text
He didn't expect it. That feeling in his stomach whenever he saw her with someone else. The laughter that floated to him from across the office had grabbed his attention immediately.
The young man standing at her desk looked familiar but Oliver couldn't place him. He was tall and lanky with a head of sandy blonde hair and a charming smile.
Oliver watched as she leaned into him, listening to what he said while a smile played across her lips. That tightening in his gut grew into a knot of emotions. He wasn't supposed to feel this way. Not about her. Not like this. It shouldn't bother him to see her happy. He wanted her happy.
Except. This wasn't right. He couldn't quite put his finger on why. But this wasn't right.
Swallowing, he narrowed his eyes, his hands balling into fists as the man leaned over Felicity's shoulder, his fingers brushing hers as he pointed something out on the computer screen.
Something possessive crawled up within him and he was halfway to the door before he heard Diggle clear his throat. Whipping his head around, he narrowed his eyes at his partner. "What?" he growled, his voice low and dangerous.
Diggle gave him a pointed look and crossed his arms. "You can't just storm out there whenever someone is flirting with her."
Oliver froze. "I don't..."
"You do," Diggle interrupted, holding up his fingers and ticking off instances. "Last week, the mail guy came by and talked to her for two minutes. You interrupted them by asking Felicity for files you already had. Two days ago, a friend of hers from the IT department came by to visit. You decided you needed to meet with her about the new technology upgrades to the system when you'd just discussed most of them over lunch. And, yesterday, when one of the men from the visiting company lingered for five minutes to talk to her after the board meeting, you pretty much pulled her away from him and leveled him with a glare worthy of your other suit."
Oliver's jaw ticked in annoyance, and frustration as he recalled each of those events and a few others Diggle had been kind enough not to mention. He had the same feeling with each of those times as he did now, but with this guy, it was different because Felicity was actually flirting back. It was that realization that had him wanting to go to the lair and pummel out his raging emotions on the practice dummy.
"It's not what you think..." Oliver began, but when Diggle arched one eyebrow sky-high, he swallowed the rest of that thought.
His eyes wandered back to Felicity's desk, where they sat and were now whispering and pointing out things to each other on the computer.
“Digg, who is that guy? He looks familiar.” Oliver asked, not bothering to conceal his dislike.
“Looks like the one of the forensic investigators that came after the copy-cat vigilantes welcomed you home.” Digg replied dryly. “I think his name was Barry Something. He took an interest in Felicity after learning her name.”
Oliver’s gaze narrowed and if he looked down, he knew he would be in his Green Arrow stance, all muscles coiled and ready for action. Something in his gut told him not to trust this guy.
When Felicity turned slightly in her chair, Oliver saw Barry’s hand land on her knee and, before he could stop himself, he was halfway out the door.
As the door shut behind him, he thought he heard Diggle sighing, but he couldn't be sure.
Approaching the two, Oliver tried to hide his annoyance, switching into his CEO mask and smiling charmingly at the people he passed.
"Felicity!" he called out, when he was five feet away from her desk.
She whirled, and he had to keep his body from reacting when he saw her flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes. An image of her sprawled out amongst his dark sheets, hair mussed and with the same expression flew through his mind.
"Oliver?" she asked, and he slammed his eyes shut for a moment to quell the desire that instantly flooded through him at his thoughts. He was not supposed to be thinking of her like that. He couldn't allow himself to have feelings right now - for anyone. People he cared about got hurt. That wasn't a chance he was willing to take with anyone, especially not his Felicity.
His. Where had that come from? She definitely wasn't his. The deep, primitive part of him growled, but he forced it back.
"Are you okay?" she asked, and he realized she was right in front of him now, her lavender scent surrounding him while her blue eyes staring up at him in concern.
"Fine," he bit out, and threw a glance to Barry who stood behind them, hands in his pockets, watching the scene unfold.
"You're Harry, right?" Oliver greeted, purposely messing up his name as he held out his hand with a fake smile.
Oliver could feel Felicity's nervous gaze and wondered why she was suddenly on edge. He sidestepped her to come to stand directly in front of the thinner man, unconsciously putting himself in between them, and protecting Felicity.
"Um. Barry, actually..." The younger man answered, and Oliver smiled inwardly as he noted Barry’s sudden level of discomfort.
"Oh, right, well, what brings you by the Queen Consolidated offices today?" he asked, squeezing his hand a little too tightly.
Barry winced but said nothing, quickly withdrawing his hand. "Um..actually, Felicity...Ms. Smoak...," he corrected at Oliver's raised brow, "We met a few weeks ago when you had the shooting here. I’m a forensic assistant with the SCPD and after talking to her, I realized she knew about that Green Arrow guy and, well, I've been trying to track him for awhile now. I know I probably shouldn't have come but..."
The moment the words ‘Green Arrow’ came out of the other man’s mouth, he felt Felicity tense next to him. The hand resting at his side itched to reach behind him and steady her.
"It's nothing, really, Ol...Mr. Queen," Felicity interrupted, shaking her head at the name switch, "And I’ve already told him I don’t really know anything about 'Green Arrow'. But then we started talking about one of the newest programs released to identify small bits of DNA and...well...anyway,” she said with a deep breath, and he could tell the moment she realized she was rambling. Turning her bright eyes toward him and begging him silently to drop the Green Arrow questioning, she planted herself firmly in between the two men and asked. “Did you need something? I thought you were on a conference call to Beijing?"
"I'm done," he replied, keeping his eyes locked on the other man before swiftly turning all his attention to Felicity.
“And, now, I need you in my office,” he told her authoritatively, a tone he didn't normally use with her in the office unless he was playing the part for other executives.
With a quick jerk of his head to Barry, he cupped Felicity’s elbow and started to lead her back towards his office. She grabbed her tablet on the way by her desk and threw an apology over her shoulder. Moving his hand to her lower back, he steered her the short distance to his large executive suite and closed the door behind them.
Diggle gave him an exasperated look when they entered which Oliver decided to fixedly ignore.
“Listen, Oliver, please don’t worry about Barry and his questions. So far, he’s been pretty harmless and he’s surprisingly easily distracted...” Felicity stated quickly, and he had to hold in his growl at the ‘pretty harmless’ bit.
When he said nothing else, she pushed her glasses further up on her nose.
“So what did you need?” she asked, tablet already open and ready to start a search for their next project, QC or otherwise related.
Oliver’s step faltered mid-stride, his lips pressing into a thin line as he shut his eyes. He honestly hadn't thought that far in his plan - all he knew was he needed to get her away from Barry especially after learning he was asking questions about Green Arrow. Despite the twisting in his stomach that had become too much to handle as he watched them interact, it was that information which had pushed him to act and tell her he needed her help.
It’s not that he hadn't seen her work with other people before - or even mention a date or two, but ever since she’d come to the island with Diggle to bring him back, he’d started to feel something deep inside shifting whenever he looked at her. His gaze would linger a little bit longer than it had before, and the urge to put a hand on her arm or back when she was near was almost constant.
“Oliver?” Her voice broke through his thoughts and he shook his head, trying to focus.
“Right,” he stated, clearing his throat. “Well, um...the printer isn't working. I think it might be out of ink.”
He instantly cringed at the words that fell from his lips. Turning his head, he watched her jaw fall open and her eyes blaze.
Diggle looked at him, blinked twice, and then walked to the door, exiting quickly. As he watched Felicity’s reaction, he suddenly wished he would have joined his friend.
“What…” she sputtered, her brow furrowing in that way that always drew attention to the streaks of brown at her hairline, and the little wrinkle she got on her nose. “The printer…”
Her eyes flew to the object in question and then back to him. He waited, every muscle in his body tightening so he wouldn't wince when she used her loud voice. He knew it was coming. The attempted flash of his charming smile that didn't even really work before she knew everything about him was what finally set her off.
Tablet clutched tightly in her hands, she found her voice. “I am not your personal secretary, Oliver Queen! What is going on?!”
He sagged at her words, drawing a complete blank on how to answer her without giving away the conflicted feelings that raged within him.
“You don’t need me to fix your printer, and even if you did, that’s not my job and you know it. My job is to be your consultant, not your secretary. I’m not here to get your coffee or run your copies,” She continued, her voice rising with each word.
“I know,” he finally ground out, interrupting her. “I know that.”
“Then what is going on?” she asked, her heels clicking on the tile floor as she moved closer to his desk and him. “For the past few weeks, you've been interrupting every conversation I've had with another man with the most ridiculous excuses. Or there was that one time where you basically went all “Grr” Green Arrow and glared the man to death. If I didn't know better, I would say you were jealous. But that’s ridiculous because you being jealous of someone with me...well, yeah, we do not live in that world. Not that I’m not a catch. I am - as you should know by now, but well, you’re you and I’m me and I pride myself in not living in Disney’s make-believe world, although I do love to watch those movies - Beauty and the Beast was always a favorite. Belle was so independent and strong and she found love in a man everyone thought was too fierce and broken to be loved. She saw past all of that...and well...”
He listened to her ramble with a frown on her face. And while half of what she said pulled at the corner of his mouth because of her own expressions, most of it left him even more confused.
“Felicity,” he said, wanting to pull her out of her rant before she got too far off track and they ended up in a completely different conversation about a mouse with big ears and his penchant for love stories.
Her cheeks tinged pink and she bit her bottom lip - an action that didn't help his concentration.
A groan escaped his throat and her eyes widened slightly as he slumped in his chair. She stepped closer, around his desk and leaned against the side. He watched as her hand reached out and hovered in mid air as if she couldn't decide if she should touch him or not. His body craved it - her touch. So soft and gentle the few times she’d actually let herself do it.
Finally, her hand descended, finding his forearm and giving it a light squeeze.
“Oliver…talk to me,” she began hesitantly. Something flared to life within him hearing her say the phrase he usually uttered to her. “What’s going on? What’s this really about?”
He ran his hands over his face, his fingers scrabbling in the short strands of his hair before flicking his gaze up to meet hers. He wondered what she saw in his eyes because hers darkened slightly and a small ‘o’ formed on her lips.
“I don’t know,” he finally said hoarsely. “I just…”
His voice trailed off because he honestly wasn't sure what to say. How could he tell her that seeing other men around her made him want to lock her up in the basement of Verdant and keep her all to himself? Or that when she laughed at another man, he felt as if he’d been punched in the stomach? Or that when Barry’s hand had landed on her knee, he wanted to cross the space between them and rip his arm back, pinning him to the desk.
None of those were normal feelings. None of those wouldn't make her take one look and him and run in the other direction. Then again, she’d seen him do a lot worse and she hadn't left yet.
What had really surprised him though, was the idea that she didn’t think he could be jealous for her. The fact that the word was even being thrown around made him accept that it was in fact the emotion he was feeling. Green, paralyzing, ugly, punch-to-the-gut, jealous. And unlike his other suit, this was not a good color on him.
He knew he was possessive by nature. Sharing was not something he did well when it came to his love life. Love life. And that’s when time seemed to stop.
He blinked a few times, Felicity still standing in front of him. Blonde hair falling to her shoulders, glasses perched on her nose, bright blue eyes watching him with a hint of anticipation. Her bright teal and navy striped dress hugged her curves without being lewd. Her long legs peaked out from under her knee length dress to the black pumps that flexed every muscle, making his hands twitch wanting to reach out and run his fingers over the smooth skin.
Love. That was a word he definitely hadn't used for a long time. Sure, he said he loved Laurel and Tommy and his family. Those were people he’d loved before the island though. They’d carried over, and, unfortunately for him, none of them knew the man he was now. But since the day he stepped off the island for the first time in five years, he’d closed off his heart, refusing to let himself care or love for the good of his mission. In the end, it hadn't mattered, and he’d returned to the island deciding it was betterfor him to be alone than with people who he could hurt - because that’s what he did. He hurt people.
Of course, when she’d showed up there, risking so much to find him and bring him back -because she cared - he couldn't deny that he felt nothing. That somehow she’d cracked open the solid dam he’d built around his heart and snuck inside. And once she was there, he knew he’d never let her go.
Maybe that’s why he’d been so bothered by seeing her with other men upon his return. Because after getting a glimpse of how far she was willing to go - how much she cared - he couldn't deny it any longer. She was a part of him now.
“Oliver?” His eyes snapped back to hers and he let out a long sigh as she repeated her words. “You just what?”
He opened his mouth to speak, but he had no idea where to start or what to say. After a few minutes of silence, Felicity’s shoulders sagged and she shook her head.
“When you figure it out, let me know,” she muttered, turning and walking out of the room.
He was standing and calling out her name seconds later, but she was already gone. Sitting back down at his desk, he looked around and admitted a truth he’d long kept hidden deep inside. He was tired of being alone.