The Five Times Felicity Worked Late and the One Time She Didn't.

Author's Note: Hey guys, this is going to be a new series of Arrow one-shots that I plan on writing. As the title indicates there will be six in total. For a few of them, I'm doing my take on common tropes we find these two in (like Oliver training Felicity) and what not. I hope you enjoy them. Just FYI, there may be some time between chapters since I have other stories that need my focus too, but I hope you enjoy them!

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Arrow.

Adventures in Squatting

Oliver pulled the heavy door closed behind him and took a relieved breath. The door effectively shut out the noises of the crowded club and allowed him to escape the night that was still in full swing. He breathed in through his nose, relishing in the silence only to realize that it wasn't as silent as he thought it should be. He moved quietly, easily sliding into superhero stealth mode as he moved to investigate the source of the noise.

Oliver reached the bottom of the stairs and absorbed every part of the room as he was trained to do. His eyes traveled back past the surveillance and exercise equipment to a dark corner of the room where they landed on the distant blonde head peaking out over an old couch that he never even realized was down there.

He approached slowly, aware that she hadn't moved once since he spotted her—aware that he could be walking into some kind of trap. His eyes flitted to all edges of the room, assessing all possible threats. He was so hyper-aware of everything else that he didn't notice when the blonde realized that he was there.

"What are you doing?" Felicity asked as she looked quizzically in the same direction that he had been staring.

Oliver snapped his head towards her – it was the only indication that she had startled him. He immediately straightened up and cleared his throat, realizing that he had over-reacted.

"Me? What are you doing?" He looked around the room as though expecting Diggle to pop up from the shadows. "For once, you don't need to be here. We were supposed to be taking a night off from Arrow duty."

"So you decided to practice creeping around the Foundry?" She raised her eyebrows above the rim of her glasses.

Felicity set down her tablet and leaned forward to tap the space-bar on one of the several laptops that she had spread out between the couch and the floor, effectively pausing the episode of Game of Thrones that she had been watching. It seemed Oliver had found the source of the noise.

"I heard something," Oliver explained simply in the efficient manner he was accustomed to.

She gave him a half smile. "Just me."

He let the words hang in the air, not quite sure where to go from there. His brain was fried from a long day and he hadn't been prepared to interact with anyone for the rest of the night.

Felicity couldn't stand the silence. "If you came down to work out, you won't bother me. Feel free." She looked up at him, craning her head to keep eye contact. It was a very uncomfortable position.

Oliver looked over at the salmon ladder and sighed. "Uh, no that's not why I came down."

Felicity shifted so that she was sitting straight up. She rearranged her computers, making space on the couch. "Did something come up? Do you need me to track something down?" She adjusted her glasses, ready to focus on saving the city.

"No. No, Felicity, it's nothing. I didn't know you were down here." Oliver braced his hands against the back of the couch and looked closely at the various computers scattered everywhere.

"Is that a hint for me to leave? Because I really don't want to. In fact, I will probably just ignore you."

Oliver failed to hold in a smile. "What are you doing down here anyway?"

"Catching up on some Queen Consolidated work – it builds up when I spend my night watching your ass." She cleared her throat. "Back! I meant watching your back…" She shook her head, trying to bypass her Freudian slip. "I promised a few people I would lend them my IT expertise."

"Aren't you burnt out?" he asked, voicing the very feeling that was plaguing him.

"No, it's kind of nice getting back to the grind. This stuff is easy compared to what you give me."

"And that?" he asked, pointing to the paused DVD player.

"Also catching up on Game of Thrones."

Oliver narrowed his eyes. He had no idea what she was talking about.

She made an incredulous gasping sound and twisted all the way around so that she could face him, "Oliver, enough is enough! You've been off the island for way over a year now. Catch up with pop culture already!"

"If you haven't noticed, I'm a little busy."

"Ya know life is going to get pretty lonely if you keep living on the outskirts of it."

Oliver knew that she hadn't meant to hit any hard spots, but something about it struck a cord. It's why he had found his way to the Foundry tonight. He wanted a break from the world that he didn't feel he fully fit anymore—the world he couldn't simply live in. So he went to a place outside that world to feel comfortable. He found himself on an island again, except this one was one he made.

He glanced down at Felicity. At least he wasn't alone.

Felicity grabbed his arm, trying to shake him out of his thoughts. She pulled him around the arm of the couch (obviously he let her do so) and guided him to sit beside her. "I can give you a crash course. I've read the books too so absolutely any questions you have I can answer." She told him as she rose and found one of the extra tables stored down there for Verdant. She pulled it over in front of the couch so that she had some place for the laptop to sit.

"Answer this: why are you doing this here? While wearing that?" He asked as she moved around. He had just really noticed that she was dressed from head to toe in what looked to be a really comfortable set of flannel pajamas.

She looked down at herself like she too had also just noticed what she was wearing. "Right, well the apartment above mine flooded their bathroom and caused a big soft spot in my ceiling. It takes a few days to fix so I thought I could camp out here."

Oliver just gave her a blank stare. He blinked several times trying to figure out exactly how he should respond first. He went with anger.

"Felicity, are you insane? Of all the places you have to crash, you chose the Glades. It's not safe here."

She quirked her head to look at him and stood up straight from pulling the table into position. "It's not safe in your secret underground superhero lair?"

Oliver balked. "I don't like the idea of you being here at night without me. Of you hanging around the Glades more than you have to."

"Well you don't have to worry then because you're here." She smirked and flopped down next to him.

Oliver gave a long sigh and the frown lines around his mouth decreased. "Please don't stay here."

Felicity crossed her arms over her chest. She didn't want to give in, but she felt bad that she was worrying him. "Come on. I like it here. All of my girlfriends have multiple roommates and I knew it would be nice and quiet here. Dig and Lyla are still getting…reacquainted. This place is perfect. I can work and play." Oliver raised an eyebrow at her. She leaned forward and picked up the laptop with the paused television show. "You can play with me," she said in a sing-song voice until she realized what she had said. She coughed a few times as if to clear the awkwardness from her voice.

Oliver took the computer from her and set it aside. "Why wouldn't you ask me?"

"Ask you what?"

"For a place to stay. There's always room for you at the mansion." He touched her arm softly in that sincere way that always made her listen.

"Of course. I knew you'd offer, but you already have a lot going on in your life. You don't need me all in your business."

"I don't mind you being in my business. I usually prefer it—it tends to keep me alive."

She gave him a wide grin. "I just figured it would invite more questions than we needed – with Thea and your mother. And I already get enough looks at work from my sudden rise in the company."

Oliver narrowed his eyes. "Do people say things to you?" he asked it calmly, but she could tell by his clenched fist that he was anything but.

She tapped at his fist to get him to loosen up. "Put the arrow back in the quiver, hot-head. It's nothing that I can't handle."

"You know you can come to me if you need help with any of it." He said, ducking down to make sure that he caught her eye.

She nodded. "I know and I appreciate it." She tucked her legs under her body. "Now, tell me why you came down here when there is a whole club full of people who would love to party with you upstairs."

"Mainly to escape the whole club full of people who would love to party with Oliver Queen."

Felicity rested her head against the couch cushion as she took him in. "I guess I can see how that could be annoying."

He tried to shrug it off. "It's just part of the job."

"Is that how you see your real life? As a job?"

Oliver shook his head. "That isn't my real life—it's my public life. And yea, it's my job."

That bothered Felicity. "Then what is real for you? And I mean your life away from all the work. Because as good and necessary as it is, being the Arrow is a job too."

Oliver never really considered that. "It may be a job, but it's where I feel comfortable—like myself. It's real. My family life—that's real. And ya know, down here. Dig and…and you—you guys help me in more ways than you know."

"I wish you didn't have to hide who you are," she said almost wistfully. She hadn't meant to voice that thought aloud.

"It's worth it." There was a long moment where nothing was said, just silent agreement. Then Oliver cleared his throat. "Alright, time to fill me in on your pop culture stuff—tell me about this show, Professor."

"Oh, I am on top of you—erm, it!" Felicity exclaimed as she pulled the laptop to her. She lit up as she went over every detail between the show and the book that she could remember. She was only halfway through the first season herself, but she had up to the current season on DVD. Oliver watched her talk in quiet amusement. She finally got to the exact place where she had paused the show and was ready to start it up again. She stopped herself.

"What's wrong?"

"I am suddenly remembering the number of graphic sex scenes in the show thus far," she admitted.

Oliver laughed. "I think I can handle it."

"I'm not sure I can."

He laughed again and pushed the play button for her.

Felicity settled back into the couch stiffly while waiting for the next sex scene to appear. It didn't take long. She held her breath and tried desperately not to look at Oliver even though it killed her not to see his reaction. Her heart was beating wildly and she started to sweat. She didn't know why she felt so embarrassed, but it was like she was back in high school.

When it was over, she finally breathed again. She kept her eyes glued to the screen though.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Mmmm Hmmm."

She could feel him smiling. She did not approve of his enjoyment of her discomfort. She yanked a pillow out from behind her back and smacked him with it.

"Hey!" he guffawed.

"Oh, shut up!"

"Is this any way to treat your boss?"

"I think you can handle it."

Oliver settled the pillow behind his head and turned his attention back to the show. The rest of the night was spent much the same. They watched episode after episode well into the night, stopping only to talk briefly about this and that. They lasted well after the final club goer had gone home until the credits on the sixth episode that they watched together rolled with neither one of them awake to play the next one.