First of all, thanks to the lovely people who read/reviewed/followed this. It means a lot, as this was supposed to be a silly little oneshot and it turned into this...thing :))

Anyway, a few things to know before reading this : I used Smallville's Lois & Clark, with a few changes, as I'm obviously ignoring their own Green Arrow (sorry Justin). So this is a bit of an AU Smallville for also other reasons that you'll discover while reading :)

Enjoy !

"So not only is he wearing a red cape, but he also wears his underpants over his tights?"

"It's a costume, Oliver. Some people like to wear green leather, some prefer red & blue...and tights."

Diggle caught the end of their conversation as he walked down the stairs.

"What's going on?"

"We're planning our trip to Metropolis," Felicity said, welcoming him with a smile.

"Oh yeah, to meet that Superman guy."

"So you heard about him?" Oliver asked.

"Well, obviously, the guy can fly. He was all over the news a while ago. You really didn't know?"

Oliver raised his hands. "Stranded on a not so deserted island for 5 years."

They both looked at Felicity.

"I remember hearing something about it but I thought it was a hoax," she admitted before adding, "Also I wasn't much into superhero stuff before I met you guys."

Diggle leaned against Felicity's work station. "Hopefully he'll agree to join Oliver' superheroes club."

"I don't have a superheroes club," Oliver muttered.

Felicity turned to him. "Not yet. But we're getting there."

"Maybe. But we're not calling it 'Oliver'superheroes club'."

She rolled her eyes. "Duh! We'll find a cooler name."

He shot her an offended look. "What's wrong with that name?"

"What? Fifteen seconds ago you didn't like it!"

"That was before you said my name was not cool!"

"Children!"

Diggle's voice resounded in the foundry and both Oliver and Felicity jumped a little.

"Let's wait to have an actual club before naming it," he told them with a pointed look. "Also...you do know he's an alien, right?"

Felicity's lips tightened and she looked everywhere but at Oliver.

His eyes widened slightly. "That would explain the shiny red cape and the underpants," he said, before squinting at Felicity. "You left that part out."

She gave him her best innocent look. "Did I? No no, I'm pretty sure I mentioned it at least once," and she smiled at him sweetly, to which he responded with a mocking stare.

"How do you plan on meeting him?" Diggle asked.

"My friend Lois works at the Daily Planet. She's been writing a lot of articles about him and even got a few interviews. I'm pretty sure she can set up a meeting."

"And I'll take the opportunity to get an appointment at Luthorcorp," Oliver added. "My father had some business with Lex and I want to end it."

"I would love to meet Lex Luthor," Felicity said excitedly. "Can I come with you?"

"Definitely not."

Something in his tone startled the young woman. Even Diggle raised an inquisitive eyebrow at his friend's demeanor.

Oliver soften his voice. "I'm serious, Felicity. The guy is bad news. He's nothing like Bruce. We were at boarding school together. He's dangerous, and I don't want you anywhere near him."

Normally she would have been a bit miffed by his territorial attitude but something in his tone and the look on his face dissuaded her to argue.

"Ok," she just said and he smiled.

"I'll hold the fort while you're gone," Diggle said. Felicity rose from her chair, explaining to him in great details which computer was doing what and why he couldn't use them.

Diggle smiled. "You could just have said 'don't touch anything'."

"Well no, because you can use that one," she said pointing at one of the screens, "If you want to play Solitaire."

It was cold and sunny when they arrived in Metropolis, and after checking-in at their hotel they agreed to meet after their respective meetings for lunch in front of the Luthorcorp building.

On their way there Felicity had wanted to know more about Lex Luthor and Oliver had told her what he knew – that Lex was dealing in shady businesses, and that too many people had been disappearing or been victims of random 'accidents' after having been involved with him. He had once heard Robert mentioning that he deeply regretted setting up a partnership with him.

"You mean he's worse than Malcolm?" Felicity had asked.

"Much worse."

The young woman had looked at him with uneasiness. "But isn't it dangerous to let him know that you don't want to have anything to do with him anymore?"

He had smiled at her reassuringly. "Getting out every night with a bow and arrows is dangerous. That's the life I lead. I'd rather take that chance than having Queen Consolidated being associated with him any longer."

"I see. Be careful, though," she had said, uncertainty tainting her voice. He already had enough people wanting to take him and his alter ego down without adding a lethally dangerous one to the list.

He had placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, squeezing it slightly.

She pushed all thoughts of Lex Luthor – and the way her stupid body reacting to Oliver's hand on her shoulder – away while entering the Daily Planet building and walking down the stairs to Lois'desk.

They had met at school ten years ago when Lois' father had been stationed in Coast city for a while. Lois was slightly older but they had hit it off instantly, and even when the Lanes had left they had kept in touch.

Lois rose from her desk and came to hug her. "Felicity! So great to see you. It's been way too long."

Felicity hugged her back, glad to see her friend. She didn't have a lot of friends in Starling, and the few she had made at work had been ignoring her after her promotion. Which meant they were not real friends to begin with, so she didn't regretted them that much (even if it still hurt a bit sometime.)

"Here, let me take Clark's chair. He won't be back for a while."

Both women sat down. "So, I want to know everything about Oliver Queen," Lois said with a knowing smile.

"You know everything already. Nothing new happened since we talked on the phone 4 days ago."

Lois pouted. "Ok, gotta admit, a little disappointed here. But never mind, all in good time, right? Tell me what I can do for you."

Felicity lowered her voice a bit. "I need you to arrange a meeting with Superman."

Lois raised an eyebrow. "Ok, I didn't see that one coming. Uh...may I ask, why?"

"You know Starling's vigilante, the Arrow? Well, I know him. I...we kind of work together? I mean, I help him for some stuff and..."

Lois interrupted her by raising her hand. "What?!"

Her shout attracted a few looks so Lois stood up and motioned for Felicity to do the same, leading her into an empty storage room.

"Are you serious?"

Felicity smiled. "Yes, I am. It's a long story, and I promise to tell you all about it soon, but right now I really need to talk to Superman."

"You'd better tell me all about it sooner than later! And yes, I can arrange a meeting, but do you mind telling me why?"

"We're thinking of putting together some sort of superhero club. I know, that sounds a bit lame said like that, it would be more like a league or something, we haven't really think of the specifics yet. Anyway we went to Gotham and met Batman already, and he was ok with it. So we thought we could try Superman next."

Lois processed this for a few seconds. "Ok, that sounds like a great idea, actually. I can arrange a meeting at my place tonight."

Felicity hugged her quickly. "Thanks ! I'll come with the Arrow around 8 pm, is that ok?"

Lois laughed. "Felicity Smoak, helping out vigilantes. Not something I expected from you, I have to admit."

"I didn't really expect it either. It just happened. I don't regret it, though."

Lois put her hand on her forearm. "Yeah, I know the feeling," she said with an understanding smile.

Both women returned to Lois desk where a dark-hair man with glasses was busy wiping what was obviously spilled coffee from the desk.

"Clark. Really?" Lois asked with affectionate irritation.

The young man raised his head, welcoming her with a smile. "Hey Lois." He threw the towels in the trash. "The lead was a bust, so I came back."

"Sorry to hear that. Clark, this is Felicity Smoak, and old friend of mine from Starling city. Felicity, meet Clark Kent, my partner and fiancé."

Clark extended his hand and Felicity shook it. He had a boyish look and a nerdy kind of charm. He actually reminded her of someone but she couldn't remember who right now.

"Nice to meet you, Clark. I've heard a lot about you."

"I'll set up this...thing for tonight then. You have my address, right?"

"I do. And thank you, Lois."

"Don't mention it. I'm excited to meet your superhero too," she whispered with a wink.

Felicity arrived a few minutes before Oliver stepped out of the Luthorcorp building.

"How did it go?"

Oliver shrugged. "Better than I expected. Not sure If I should be happy or worried. What about you?"

She smiled excitedly. "We have to be at Lois'apartment tonight at 8. She seemed confident that he would go with it."

"Good. Any idea where you want to have lunch?"

"Well Lois recommended this nice restau..."

"So this is why you were such in a hurry to leave, Oliver," a voice spoke behind them.

Felicity felt Oliver froze. He slowly turned around, partly shielding her from the newcomer's view and Felicity understood immediately who he was.

"It's my assistant. We were leaving."

Lex sent him a mocking look. "Well, that is no reason for hiding her. Where are your manners? I'm Lex Luthor," he said, extending his hand to Felicity who had no choice but to take it.

"Felicity Smoak," she introduced herself reluctantly. If she had been flattered by Bruce Wayne's attentions, Lex's appreciative gaze made her feel uncomfortable. She started to understand what Oliver had meant.

"Bring her with you next time, Oliver," Lex suggested with a sly grin.

Oliver's face darkened. "There won't be a next time, remember?"

The other man nodded, obviously enjoying this. "Ah, but you never know. Starling city is not that far after all," he said before walking away with a mock salute.

Oliver took Felicity by the arm. "Let's go."

The lunch was tense at first, but after a few moments Oliver started to relax and Felicity even succeeded in making him smile.

After lunch they decided to go back to the hotel to work and rest a bit before their meeting at Lois.

In the middle of the afternoon, there was a knock on the door and a bellboy walked in with a huge bouquet of flowers.

"For Miss Felicity Smoak," he said, leaving after Oliver tipped him.

"Oh, Oliver, you shouldn't have," she told him mischievously, knowing perfectly well they weren't from him.

He gave her a curt smile. "There's a card."

She opened it, her heart sinking in her chest as she read the words.

'That encounter was too brief for my taste. Until wee meet again, hopefully. Lex.'

She bit her lip. Damn. In a few seconds, Lex was going to have a very pissed off Arrow breathing down his neck.

Oliver put his hands on his waist, raising an inquisitive eyebrow. She handed him the note, but the dangerous glint in his eyes told her that he knew already. He glanced briefly at the note.

"Son of a ..."

He threw the note on the table and started pacing in circle, one hand on his neck and the other one still on his waist.

Why this seemed to be such a big deal to him, Felicity didn't know exactly. It was more than just jealousy because some guy sent her flowers. And ok, Lex was apparently dangerous, but she was dealing with dangerous guys in Starling on a daily basis.

She had to intervene before his temper got the best of him. She had realized a while ago that when it came to her or her safety, Oliver had a very, very short temper.

She closed the distance between them, putting her hand on his arm.

"Come on Oliver, you know he's doing this to provoke you. He doesn't care about me. He just want to rattle your chains."

He took a sharp intake of breath, looking at the ceiling then back at her. He put his hand on her shoulder, his thumb brushing her collarbone. Most times it was a gesture he used to comfort her, but this time it was obvious that he was the one needing it, as if to anchor himself to her and let go of the seething anger and fear he was feeling. She brought a hand to his cheek, looking at him tenderly.

"Please don't be mad."

He sighed, feeling his body relaxing a bit at her soothing voice. He released her shoulder, his arm easing up to wrap around her body and she could feel the muscles beneath his shirt flexing as he tightened his hold on her. His hand moved up and down her spine gently and he pressed his cheek to the crown of her head, taking solace in her serene breathing and the way her body molded perfectly into his.

"I'm not mad...I'm scared," he finally admitted softly. "The less Lex knows about my life and the people I care about the better."

"He thinks I'm just your assistant. He doesn't know."

He let out a humorless laugh, taking her face in his hands. "Felicity, if Lex decides to investigate a bit deeper, believe me, he will know." His voice dropped an octave. "He will know how important you are to me."

She shivered slightly at the intensity she read in his blue eyes and the meaning behind his words.

Her voice was slightly shaky when she said, "Well I have Batman, and you, and hopefully Superman to watch over me. It's all the protection a girl could need, right?"

Her attempt at humor worked and his lips twitched before he leaned down, depositing a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth. She closed her eyes, savoring that too brief moment of intimacy.

He finally let go of her. "We should go grab a bite before meeting Lois and Superman," he suggested, his voice back to normal.

On their way to the restaurant he held her hand and it didn't cross her mind to deny him that simple gesture.

She needed it too.

Felicity had to admit that upon seeing the costume for the first time, it did look a bit ...weird. But Superman was really handsome and he had a really ripped, muscular body that she definitely appreciated – after all she had two beautiful specimen at home.

Also, he looked familiar.

Wait.

"Oh, for crying out loud. Clark Kent?"

The three other people in the room turned towards her, surprise on Lois and Superman's faces, confusion on Oliver's. Not that it was obvious since he was in full Arrow gear.

Clark turned to Lois. "See, I told you that people would end up noticing."

"Well so far it worked for all of Metropolis and most of the World, so..." the pretty brunette retorted.

"Felicity is smarter than most of the World," Oliver commented. "Care to explain?"

Felicity turned to him. "Clark is Lois' fiancé and partner at the Daily Planet. I met him earlier today. He had glasses on." She laughed suddenly, taking off her own glasses. "Seriously ? I'm pretty sure I wouldn't fool anybody in Starling like this even if I wore a cape."

"You would look cute, though," Lois smiled. "Well, since the cat's out of the bag..."

"...Maybe you can reveal your identity to us too," Clark finished.

Oliver hesitated. Even if Lois was a friend of Felicity, he didn't know them. Plus they were reporters. On the other end, they had come here to ask Superman to join this...club, or whatever it was they were trying to do, so showing a little trust was probably a good first step.

Lois directed her frank look at him. "Don't worry. I know what it's like to have to protect someone's double identity. Especially someone you love," she added for Felicity, and after a look at his blonde partner, Oliver removed the hood.

There was a moment of surprise obviously, but Lois and Clark recovered quickly. Lois sent a knowing look to Felicity who blushed furiously and ignored her.

They spent the next hour discussing what they had come there for, and Clark was on board immediately. He had heard of Batman and had been thinking about gathering people like them for a while now.

"Did you come up with a name?" Felicity asked.

Clark smiled. "Not yet. Did you?"

"Well we already know what we're not calling it," Oliver said with a warning glance to Felicity who stuck his tongue at him.

The rest of the evening was spent pleasantly. Before they left, Lois took Felicity aside.

"So you have your own super hero now. Just another thing we have in common," she winked.

"Well he's not my super hero...we're friends and partners."

Lois scoffed. "Yes, that's exactly how Clark and I started. And dear God it took him the longest time to get over his first love. At some point I thought I was going to have to start literally slapping some sense into his pretty head."

"Yeah, I know the feeling," Felicity muttered.

"I see. You have one of those back home too ? Don't worry. The way he's looking at you, she won't be in the picture much longer," Lois whispered with a knowing smile.

They parted a few minutes later, arranging to meet with Bruce in the near future.

"Well, this is really starting to take shape," Felicity said happily once in the cab back to their hotel. Oliver had changed back into a regular hoodie under his jacket.

His arm came to rest casually on the back seat behind her shoulders. "Thanks to you. You're the instigator. We might make a big difference in the future if this actually works."

"Since it was my idea, do I get to give orders and boss everyone around ?"

He gave her a lopsided smile. "Isn't that what you're doing already?"

She elbowed him but before she could come up with a witty retort her phone buzzed.

She opened it, and despite the relative darkness of the cab's interior, he could see she was paling.

"What?" he frowned, concerned.

A wide grin spread on her face. "It's Barry. He's awake."