Title: Come in with the Rain

Author: ihearttvsnark

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Arrow

Pairing: Thea Queen and Tommy Merlyn

Rating: (Hard) R

Word Count: 4,347

Summary: Thea returns to Starling City after being away and finds a kindred spirit in Tommy.

Come in with the Rain

She knows the house should have been her first stop. It has been a year a half since she's set foot in Starling City so the house she have been her first stop, her first priority. But she's never been good at doing what she was supposed to and she doesn't see any reason why that should change now. Besides, it isn't like that ridiculous museum they lived in feels like a home.

Her heels click against the ground as she crosses the short distance between her car and the warehouse door. But it isn't a warehouse anymore; she corrects herself as she slips inside. Now it is a nightclub; one of the hottest and most popular the city has ever seen. That doesn't surprise her though; her brother has always seemed to spin straw into gold like something out of a fairy tale.

The main room is dark since the club doesn't open for several more hours. Thea turns and walks down the narrow hallway that leads to the offices and is disappointed to see that Oliver's office is dark. So much for a sibling reunion, she thinks before she continues down the hall. She pokes her head into the next office.

"Excuse me, Mr. Merlyn, do you have a moment?" she asks in her best impression of the snooty receptionist that answers the phone every time she calls Queen Consolidated to talk to Walter.

Tommy's head shoots up in surprise and a slow grin crosses his face. "Why Thea Queen, as I live and breathe," he replies in the same haughty tone. "I had no idea you were coming home." He gets up from the desk, crosses the small space to pull her into a hug. "How are you?"

"Happy that my surprise return stayed that way," Thea replies. She returns his hug and then pulls back so she can see him. "How are you?"

"Busy and loving life, like always," Tommy replies. He tugs on her hand to pull her away from the doorway and then motions to the empty chair as he moves back around his desk to sit down. "Are you on a school break?" he asks.

"That's one way to put it," Thea replies. She takes the seat he indicates and crosses her legs as she gets comfortable. There is something in his voice that hints things are not as great as his carefree words imply. "What's really going on?"

"You always were perceptive." Tommy shrugs. "Things have been interesting to say the least. But I'm alive and good looking so I can't complain." He flashes his best smile, the one that screams 'rich, party boy', but she knows him too well to buy it.

"If you ever decide you want to complain, I can be a good listener," Thea reminds him. She's seen many sides to her brother's best friend over the years and she isn't sure what to make of this one.

Tommy gives her a genuine smile. "That's the best offer I've had in a long time. So Ms. Queen," he says, using the haughty voice once more. "What brings you back here?" he asks.

She shrugs. "It feels like it's time." Thea isn't sure she's ready to be back or deal with everything that comes with it, like her mother, but she is done hiding. Starling City is her home too and she is not going to stay away any longer because it is what people think is best for her.

The look on Tommy's face tells her that he has more questions, but he simply nods. "Let me be the first to welcome you home."

For the first time in what feels like forever, a real smile crosses her lips, "Thank you."

Thea pays little attention to her surroundings as she moves through the club. The music is loud, voices carry in every direction and she catches more than a few people giving her a customary once over as she passes by. But she isn't interested in dancing or conversation; she wants a drink and to get lost in the crowd.

There is a line at the bar and she waits her turn, purposely leaning in a little bit as she speaks, which has the desired effect of drawing his attention to her cleavage as she orders her drink. Unfortunately, the padded bra that she paid good money for isn't enough to distract the bartender because his gaze moves to her face and he asks for an ID.

She weighs her options, assumes flirting is off the table. Like every respectable twenty-year-old college student, Thea has a fake ID, but there is a good chance the bartender will figure out who she is and will be overly concerned with keeping his job. Thea decides to risk it and reaches into her purse as someone slides up to the bar next to her.

"It's okay, Steve," Tommy says smoothly. "Give the lady her drink and make mine a double." The bartender nods and goes to get the drinks as Tommy shifts sideways to face Thea. "Of all the gin joints…"

"What can I say? I like the best," Thea replies. She turns sideways as well, shifting closer to Tommy when someone attempts to squeeze into the nonexistent space on her other side. "Is this place always this packed?" she asks.

"Since the first time we opened the doors," Tommy replies, not bothering to disguise the pride in his voice. "What brings you by on this fine night?" he asks. Tommy turns once again to accept the drinks from the bartender. He passes one to Thea as he watches her, waiting for an answer.

"Demons," Thea replies. She takes a sip of her drink, her eyes never leaving his. "Ghosts," she adds and then takes another sip. "Our house has been overrun with them for years."

He watches her without commenting as he drains his drink and sets the empty glass down on the bar. "I've dealt with a few of those myself. More than a few," he corrects.

Thea appreciates that he doesn't ask her to elaborate, but it isn't like he can't guess. He knows the ins and outs of her life and her family. Speaking of, Thea thinks to herself when she spots a familiar blonde head across the club. She watches her brother as he leans down and whispers something to the woman beside him. Even with all the noise, Laurel's laugh seems to echo through the club.

Tommy must have heard it too because he turns and Thea catches a hint of sadness on his face as he watches Oliver and Laurel for a moment before he faces Thea once more. He seems to be waiting for her questions so she goes ahead and asks.

"Is that happening again?"

"Not yet, but it will be," Tommy replies.

Thea finishes her drink and sets her empty glass down beside his. "I warned you," she says simply, "Another round?" She arches an eyebrow.

"Another round," Tommy repeats, shifting again to catch the bartender's eye once more.

It doesn't matter that it's two in the morning or that it's raining; she can't stay in the house another minute. Thea pulls a hoodie over the tank to and yoga pants she'd worn to bed and rushes out the front door. The pounding rain soaks her to the bone, plastering her hair to her face and neck, but she doesn't care. She gets behind the wheel of her car and drives too fast, the rhythmic sound of the windshield wipers filling the silence of the empty car.

She knows where his apartment is because someone, Oliver probably, mentioned it in passing once. Thea had tucked the information away in the back of her mind and she is grateful for that as she pulls into the parking lot and leaves her expensive car beside his.

The doorman looks at her like she's insane and it's clear that he has no intention of letting her in. Thea stands in the rain and fumbles to get her phone from her pocket. Her hands shake a little as she scrolls through the names and presses the button, whispering a desperate plea that he hasn't changed his number. His voice comes through the line after the second ring and less than five minutes later he's lecturing the doorman to always let her up on sight.

Twenty minutes after that, she's wearing one of his sweatshirts and she's wrapped in a blanket on the couch as he sits beside her and holds out a steaming cup of tea. She takes it and holds it between her cold hands, sipping it slowly until she starts to feel warm again. Even with her eyes on the cup, Thea senses him watching her and she knows this isn't going to be like the other times. He's not going to let this go without an explanation and she knows she has to give him one.

"I thought things would be different," Thea admits. She leans over to set the mug on the table and as she settles back on the couch, she finally meets his gaze. There is concern in his eyes, but no judgment and that gives her the strength to continue.

"School was supposed to be my chance to get away and start over. That's why I picked NYU. It was far away and different and it would have been all mine. No one was supposed to care about the Queen name or my family history, but people still whispered about them. About me and my drug addiction. I knew it was my choice, but where's my clean slate, Tommy?"

She shakes her head and continues talking without letting him respond. "New York wasn't any better than here. People still cared more about my name than me. Every time Oliver or my mother or Walter made the headlines, people wanted to see how I'd react. I didn't think it was possible to feel more alone than I did here. I was wrong," she whispers as the tears she can't hold in any longer start to fall.

He gathers her in his arms so quickly that Thea barely realizes she's moving until she feels the added warmth of his body pressing against hers. She clings to him, buries her face in his shoulder and sobs harder, letting go of the emotions she's been holding in for years. Her body shakes and her face grows hot, but he just holds her tighter, not saying a word as she falls apart.

When it doesn't feel like it's possible for her to shed another tear, Tommy gently eases back so she's forced to look at him. He smiles and brushes his thumb across her cheek. "I will never let you be alone, Thea. Never," he stresses.

Something between a laugh and a sob bubbles up from her throat and she falls against him once more, but this time, she's hugging him just as tight as he's hugging her. They end up shifting on the couch, pressing against one another as Tommy secures the blankets around both of them. She's too wired to sleep, but neither of them speak for what feels like hours and then she asks the question that's been on her mind since she came back to town.

"Did she break your heart?" Thea lifts her head from his chest and finds him watching her and she can practically see his mind searching for a sarcastic quip. She raises an eyebrow, the warning clear.

"Annihilated it," Tommy states and then surprises her with a genuine smile. "Open heart surgery in an alley with a rusty knife would have hurt less."

She laughs because she knows that's what he wants, but her eyes are serious. "I think she's a fool." Thea rests her head on his chest once more and closes her eyes.

Thea is lounging by the pool, enjoying the feeling of the sun heating her skin when Tommy makes his way out onto the deck. Dressed in a suit and tie, he drops into the chaise lounge beside her and lets out a content sigh. "This is the life."

"That's what I'm told." Thea turns her head and pushes her sunglasses down her nose to look at him. "Does my brother know you're playing hooky in the middle of the workday?" she asks.

"I won't tell him if you won't," Tommy says with a wink. He shrugs off his suit jacket, loosens his tie and settles into his seat. "What about you, Ms. Queen? How are you on this gorgeous day?"

"Someone is in a good mood," Thea comments. She pushes her sunglasses back into place and rolls over onto her stomach. "I'm home alone and enjoying the weather so I won't complain." She can tell something is up with him; he's practically bursting with excitement. "Don't make me beg."

Tommy laughs. "I wouldn't dream of it. After nearly three years of stony disapproval, Malcolm Merlyn came to the club this morning to tell me that he was proud of me and what I've accomplished. Can you believe that?"

She can hear the disbelief in his voice and that stops her from confirming her own shock. "Was he recently diagnosed with a fatal disease?" Thea can't, won't, hide her distaste for the older Merlyn after everything he'd done; not only to her family, but to Tommy.

He laughs again. "That actually crossed my mind and I'll have you know he didn't appreciate the question. But he took credit pretty fast when he pointed out that I never would have made something of myself if he hadn't cut me off to teach me a valuable life lesson."

"Ah, there's always a catch," Thea muses. "Still, it must have been gratifying."

"It was. It is," Tommy says as he folds his hands behind his head and leans back in the chair. "I think you and I need to celebrate this momentous occasion. Dinner? Dancing? A trip to the moon to watch the pigs flying?"

She laughs. "Maybe we should keep the celebration here on earth, but I'm game. Is there anywhere in town we can go where we won't run into your family or mine?"

He considers it for a moment and sends her a resigned look. "Takeout, a movie and my couch?" he suggests.

"Best offer I've had in ages."

"Cheater!" Tommy shouts, appalled, as he practically leaps from the couch and points an accusing finger in her direction. "Don't give me that innocent look either. I know what you did."

"I know too," Thea replies with a smug smile. "I beat you at your own game and I didn't even chip a nail," she says proudly as she tosses the video game controller aside.

Tommy shakes his head even as he grins at her. "Hasn't anyone ever told you that it's unattractive to gloat?" he asks. "I know you cheated. I'm just not sure how."

"Being a sore loser is even less attractive," Thea points out. She leans forward and reaches for the television remote. "I am going to find the most girly movie in existence," she states, still smirking as she begins flipping through the listings.

"This is the last time I invite you over to celebrate with me," Tommy declares before taking his seat beside her once more. She's still laughing as she settles on a comedy and drops the remote, shifting closer to him without thinking about it.

"You'd miss me too much," she states and drops her head to his shoulder as the movie starts. He makes a disgruntled noise that she takes as confirmation that she's correct.

Halfway through the movie, she feels his hand teasing her hair. Thea doesn't think much of the gesture; he absently played with her hair a lot when they were together. But his thumb brushes against her neck suddenly and she doesn't know if he meant to do it or not, but she can't hide the shiver that goes down her spine. He does it again and this time, there's no mistaking the way his thumb traces the curve of her neck.

She turns her head and finds him watching her instead of the movie. Thea holds his gaze for a few moments; it feels like time stops as they look into each other's eyes. She's honestly not sure who moves first, but in an instant, their lips are touching and the kiss is everything she's always wanted and then some.

At some point he pulls her closer and Thea shifts to straddle his lap as their kisses grow more passionate. Her fingers are in his hair and then her fingernails are gently scraping his neck while his hands slide beneath her shirt and he caresses the sensitive skin of her lower back. She moans into the kiss and he does it again, letting his fingertips glide even higher.

The sound of a cell phone vibrating against the table breaks through the intimacy of the moment and Thea shifts back, her breathing harsh as she opens her eyes and tries to read the look on his face. She worries she'll see regret or horror, but instead, he just smiles at her.

"I'm firing whoever is on the other end of this phone," Tommy insists as he reaches for the phone, all the while leaving one of his hands beneath her shirt, resting against her bare skin. "Tommy Merlyn, make it quick," he answers.

Thea sees his expression change instantly and then she feels his body tense beneath hers. The smile leaves her face and her heart begins to race for a different reason. She knows that look; she recognizes the panic and waits for him to end the call. "Who?" she asks, the second he does. Fear grips her heart as she waits to hear who is in peril.

"My dad," Tommy says. "He's in surgery after someone lodged an arrow in his chest."

He disappears after the funeral and spends weeks avoiding her and everyone else in his life. She's not happy about being shut out, but she lets it happen because she's been where is and she knows solitude is the only comfort. But a month goes by without a word and Thea decides that's long enough and seeks him out. She finds his apartment empty, but she sits down on the couch to wait. Nearly an entire day goes by before he returns and the look on his face warns that he is not happy to see her, but she gives him a look that states she doesn't care.

She stays at his apartment for a week and he ignores her presence, continuing to come and go as he pleases or not come home at all. She remains undaunted; returning to Queen Manor to shower and change and make small talk with her mother, but then she's back on the couch, silently waiting.

Tommy comes back at three in the morning one night, stumbling in drunk with a nasty cut on his cheek and a swollen right eye. She bandages the cut and he glares at her with his good eye when she purposely uses more antiseptic than necessary. She starts to get up, but he pulls her back onto the couch, wraps his arms around her and sobs against her shoulder. She laces her fingers through his hair and does her best not to let him see that she's crying too as her heart breaks all over again for him.

It takes another few days before he starts having conversations with her and Thea knows calling the few words they exchange a conversation is being generous, but she'll take it. A few days after that, he starts going to work again and she fights the urge to go to the club and make sure he's okay. She does text Oliver and her brother insists Tommy is slowly getting back to his old self. Thea is somewhat pacified, but at the same time, she's not convinced Oliver has any clue who Tommy really is.

One night, the waiting is too much for her and Thea falls asleep on the couch before he returns. She's awakened when she feels his arms wrapping around her as he lifts her from the couch. Confused, she opens her eyes and he smiles at her for the first time in a long time before setting her down gently in his bed and pressing a lingering kiss against her lips.

"I don't deserve you."

She wraps her arms around his neck and holds his gaze. "You have me anyway," she states.

Her heart warms when he gives her another genuine smile and crawls into bed beside her, pulling the covers snugly around them before he rests his head next to hers on the pillow. "Sweet dreams, Ms. Queen," he whispers.

Small noises leave the back of her throat and her fingernails dig into the skin of his back as he moves steadily inside of her, long deep strokes that have her seeing stars as her body writhes with unspeakable pleasure. She wraps her legs around his back, encouraging him to go even deeper and he hits that spot inside of her that makes her scream.

His thumb circles her clit, rubs it hard as his hips pick up speed and all she can do is hold on for dear life as the tightly wound coil inside of her snaps and she feels warmth and pleasure spreading through her as his name eagerly falls from her lips. Her head falls back against the pillow, but she keeps her arms and legs around his as he lets his control snap.

She's still breathing hard as he shifts to lie beside her and she turns her head just enough to see his face. His eyes are closed as he tries to catch his breath, but the smile on his face tells her everything she needs to know. "Don't you wish we'd done that a few years ago?" she asks.

Tommy laughs. "Yes, I'm sure prison has a lovely pen pal system that we could have corresponded through while I was doing five to ten." He opens his eyes and sends a beaming smile in her direction. "What was it you stopped by for this afternoon?"

"I wanted to borrow your apartment for a few hours," Thea reminds him. Her mother was throwing a garden party and she'd rather set her hair on fire than sit through it. She props her head up on her hand, letting her free hand explore his chest.

"Feel free to help yourself to anything in the apartment," Tommy says, still grinning at her, "Anything at all you want to put your hands on."

She can't keep the silly smile off her face, her body still tingling from his touch. "That's very generous. I could get used to a 'hands on' policy."

He reaches out and tangles a hand in her hair. "I'm more than happy to oblige," Tommy insists as he tugs her closer until her lips meet his.

It's all too easy to remember the first time she found herself caught in a rainstorm and soaked to the bone as she blindly rushes into his apartment building. This time the doorman greets her by name and she has a key when she steps off the elevator onto his floor. She lets herself in and closes the door heavily at her back. Thea's heart is racing and the scene seems to be playing on a continuous loop in her brain.

She should have known. That was the only thought she kept coming back to. She should have known; she should have seen it and not just Tommy, but Oliver too. It all made sense now and she felt like a fool for not seeing it sooner. Then again, they didn't seem to see it or maybe they did and they were just very good at pretending. Was that what she was going to have to do now, pretend?

The thought is too much for her and Thea pushes herself away from the door, needing to do something, anything, to take her mind off what she'd seen. She moves down the hall to the bedroom and into the bathroom, sheds her wet clothes and steps into the shower, letting the warm water pour down on her, barely noticing that it turns her skin red.

Thea wraps herself in a towel and moves back into the bedroom. She grabs one of Tommy's shirts and slips it on before sliding beneath the sheets and breathing in his familiar scent as she rests her head on the pillow.

She closes her eyes and sees it again; two men dressed in hoods, shooting arrows at one another. Only one of them was aiming to kill, but she knows it won't be long before they both line up their kill shots. Where would that leave her? She'll lose her brother or she'll lose the man who she loves with her entire heart, body and soul. She is terrified.

He doesn't say anything when he crawls in bed beside her, presses his front to her back, and rests his hand on her hip. The silence confirms her suspicion; he'd seen her standing there in the shadows and that is what had made him turn and flee. She wants to cry and scream and curse everything, but Thea knows there's no point.

Tommy breaks what is feeling like an eternity of silence. "I didn't think you'd be here when I got back."

She turns so she's facing him and there's just enough light coming from the window to illuminate his features and let her see the despair in his eyes. She reaches out, brushes her thumb across his cheek. "I belong with you," Thea says.

Tommy swallows hard and when he speaks, his voice is thick with emotion. "I'm the bad guy, Thea."

"No one said our story was going to have a happy ending," Thea whispers.