AUTHORS NOTES: Small gap filler for 2x23. Been doing some drabbles as a side project while I work my way through some writer's block on At First Just A Little. I shared them on tumblr and thought I'd do the same here as a thank you for the kind words of encouragement I've received. Hope you enjoy. Arrow belongs to DC Comics. Title blatantly stolen from the song "I See You, You See Me" by The Magic Numbers.

I often thought that you'd be better off left alone
Why throw a circle round a man with broken bones?
But darling when I see you, I see me

~"I See You, You See Me" by The Magic Numbers

The first time is accidental.

Well, as accidental as purposefully crawling into a bed together can be. It's just that they go back to the foundry so Oliver can change, thinking they're going to get on a plane with Slade at any moment. It turns out not to be the case.

The cell ARGUS has for him isn't quite ready and the jet needs fueling and Amanda Waller apparently has to interview Slade herself before she'll let them lock him away. Digg eventually goes back to meet Lyla to find out how long it's all going to take, leaving Felicity and Oliver to stare nervously at each other after he's gone.

She tears her eyes away from him, letting them flit around the room. The place is a wreck, and probably a death trap in some areas, but she's too tired to start working on it now. "I'm exhausted," she says, undoing her coat for what feels like the first time in weeks. She drops it onto a nearby pile of rubble and slowly walks back to where Oliver's bed is. It's miraculously clear of debris. "Mind if I take a nap?" she asks, looking back at him as she crosses to the far side.

He shrugs, walking towards her. "That's fine."

She kicks off her shoes and crawls under the covers, trying not to think about how long it's probably been since the sheets were changed, and closes her eyes as Oliver makes his way over. The other side of the bed dips down as he sits.

"I'm sorry."

She nods into a pillow that still smells like Sara and knows that she's not even close to being emotionally prepared to deal with this. They can talk about it later, when she's had a shower and some coffee and can no longer feel the phantom press of steel against her neck. "It all worked out in the end, Oliver."

"I should have told-"

She opens her eyes and stares up at him, his words dying off based on whatever he sees there. He's perched on the edge and he looks exactly as tired as she feels, maybe even more so. It's not surprising. He's lost so much in the past few days, how he's able to form complete sentences just then is beyond her. His mother is dead, his sister off on her own, and Sara was out there somewhere preparing to head back to her life as not only an assassin, but also Nyssa's girlfriend. Maybe.

It's fucked up. Every single inch of the situation is fucked up. And now they have to go back to Lian Yu. The idea of it seems unbearable.

The last thing she wants him to do is apologize for successfully executing a plan. She reaches out and tugs on his arm. "You should sleep too, Oliver. Come lay down."

He doesn't fight her. Just nods and slides back onto the bed over the covers. She curls up onto her side, facing his body, watching his chest rise and fall as he stares at the ceiling. She should have told him to change out of the leather.

He turns his head towards her, watching her for a moment before his body suddenly follows the movement. Their knees brush against each other as he curls up and she smiles at him.

"I'm glad you're alive," he says, his voice low.

"I'm glad you're alive, too." Her eyes well up a little as she thinks about how either of them might not have been. The whole thing could much more easily have gone wrong. They had been lucky.

Oliver raises a hand and traces his fingers along her hairline until his thumb brushes over the cut on her forehead. It hurts, which surprises her. It feels like the crash was a long time ago, like the wound should already have started to heal, but it had only been a matter of hours. How had so much happened in such a short time?

His hand cups her face and the bed dips again as he shifts towards her, pressing his lips to the injury. Her whole body stiffens until he pulls back and catches her eyes. "I'm so glad," he whispers, their faces close and his voice catching slightly.

She thinks of his whispered "I love you." They're both feeling vulnerable, but none of this really means anything and one of them needs to remember that. When his eyes dart to her mouth she knows it's going to have to be her.

"Go to sleep, Oliver," she says softly, easing his hand away from her face. She twines their fingers together and then twists their bent arms slightly, tucking them up against her body.

"Felicity, I-"

She brushes her cheek against his knuckles before settling their hands under her chin. "No more talking. Just sleep."

Oliver draws in a quick breath as if he's going to protest, but then he nods and squeezes her fingers. Her eyes flutter shut, a wave of exhaustion and relief overtaking her. Now is not their time.

Oliver slides closer, resting his forehead against hers and after a few minutes his breathing evens out as he falls into sleep.

She remembers the small smile he gave her after his words at the mansion and lets her heart swell a little. It's a sweet thought, a sweet feeling, but it's something she'll have to let go of. For now though, she holds it close.

Tomorrow she'll make sure to forget.