Hi guys! So this is my first attempt at the '5 times' story. I felt like switching the roles a little and have Oliver let some things slip while Felicity is the one to be shocked by it. Also, I've noticed a lot of my stories are actually quite angst-y and the funny thing is that's not me. I am happy by nature so I have no idea where the angst is coming from. So this is me having a little more fun I guess.

This is set after the season 2 finale and before the beginning of season 3.

Anywho, I hope you like it

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ARROW. I AM JUST BORROWING THE CHARACTERS

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"I don't see what the big deal is"

"The 'big deal' Felicity is how you unnecessarily put yourself in danger"

"So what!?"

"So wh - -" Oliver turned away from Felicity and ran a frustrated hand over his face. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

They had just got back from a successful mission where they had to break into Harvey Inc.; a company which deals in shipping and air freight. However, Team Arrow had a suspicion that they had connections with a local gang and were illegally importing weapons to be sold on the streets.

Felicity had tried to hack into their servers to find information but she had informed them that she can't access it without being on-site. She'll need to run her program to sift through all the information while bypassing the mainframes security measures. Oliver didn't like the idea but he knew there was nothing else they could do; Diggle, Roy, Laurel and his knowledge of computers combined didn't even make up half of Felicity's skill with computers so instead of arguing with her about it, he focused on making sure she was safe.

Oliver had stood behind her as the progress bar on her tablet seemed to slowly fill up. Once it was done she took the USB drive out of the mainframe and told him that she's ready. He must have looked as confused as he felt because she answered his unasked question.

"Oh, I didn't need to come; I could actually access the system from the foundry. I just wanted to get out of that cave."

Oliver stared ahead of him with his back still to Felicity. The others had all gone home, probably because they could sense an impending fight between the two and didn't want to be caught in the middle.

"Look, I'm not going to apologize for what I did. You have no idea how boring and stuffy it can be down here." Her nose scrunched up in disgust "Did you know that there is a constant smell of stale sweat down here? It's like walking into a gym."

Oliver let out another sigh as he turned to face her "You still risked your safety for nothing Felicity. What if something happened?"

"But nothing did"

"But what if it did?" He found his hand landing on her shoulder and was surprised to find that he had moved to stand in front of her again. "It's too dangerous for you to be out there Felicity"

An exasperated groan sounded from her "But you were there, literally breathing down my neck; I knew you wouldn't let anything happen to me"

"But something could've happened and if you got hurt I would never be able to forgive myself."

Silence fell between them as his words sunk in. He noticed a light blush colouring her cheeks as she stood there staring at him. He's not surprised that he actually meant what he said; he's more surprised about the fact that he said it. He doesn't speak his mind without knowing what he says. He always thinks before he speaks but this time the words flew out of him before he had time to run it through his filter.

This must be what Felicity feels like when she lets something slip.

He soon realised that he had actually rendered Felicity speechless; a feat he thought no one could accomplish. He stood there staring at her and knew that he wanted to say so much more but this time it went through his filter. Instead, he squeezed her shoulder and spoke softly to her "It's late, you should go"

She nodded her head and he watched her gather up her things. He wanted her to stay but he knew that if she did then he won't be able to hold himself back from her.

"For what it's worth…" She looked at him with her bag in her hand and a ghost of a smile on her lips "…I had checked the security cameras before going into the building; there was no one in sight"

Her words sunk in as he continued to stare at her. Of course she checked before they entered the building. He promised to protect her and he knows that she feels it's her job to protect him any way she can.

He felt a small smile lift the corner of his mouth as he continued to watch her walk up the stairs and leave the foundry.

"What do you mean you won't train me?"

Oliver halted his retreat with a roll of his eyes. Are they going to have this argument again? It had barely been a week since the last time they fought over Felicity going into the field. He thought he made it clear last time why he doesn't want her in the field.

Then again, after nearly three years and spending nearly every waking moment with the woman, he should know better than to just walk away from her after refusing to train her without an explanation.

With a heavy sigh he turned back around to face her. She looked genuinely confused but Oliver could see the set in her shoulders. Combine that with her hard stare and Oliver recognises this stance as Felicity's determined stance.

The: 'she-can-draw-blood-from-a-stone' kind of determined stance.

Shit

"Why won't you train me?"

"Felicity - -"

"No" She stepped closer to him and he couldn't help the small step he took towards her; making the distance between them rather small.

"Give me a reason Oliver" He opened his mouth to reply when she held her hand up to stop him "And not some half-assed reason like 'it's dangerous' because let me tell you, I let you use that last time but not this time. This time I have a ginormous list of arguments against that so don't even try"

Oliver had to hold back a smile because he definitely believes that she would have a mental or physical list somewhere.

"I want and deserve a legitimate reason."

He let a quiet sigh pass his lips but he never looked away from her. He knows why he doesn't want her to train – not just with him but with Diggle too. As long as he can help it she will not be going out in the field again.

As far as Oliver is concerned she doesn't need to train because the only things that will attack her are computer viruses and – as she so eloquently put it – butt cramps.

"Felicity, why do you want to train?" He finally asked

"Why are you training Laurel?"

He frowned at that "Because she asked me to"

Her arms lifted a little at her sides "And what am I doing, dancing?"

His teeth ground at that as his eyes focus on a spot over her head. He was starting to feel annoyed, not at her sassy-ness, he's use to that – and kind of likes it. But he's more annoyed at himself because he walked right into that one.

"That's different"

"Why, because she's the almighty Laurel?"

His eyes snapped to hers confused. "What? No!"

"Then why is the idea of me training different from her?"

"She's had training before and if she insists on coming out with Diggle and I on missions then I can't properly focus on that mission if I'm worrying about her safety"

"Exactly!" She raised her hands and from the slight hesitation he assumed that she was gonna poke him in the chest to emphasis her point.

"That's why I want to learn how to fight, or at least defend myself, so you guys can concentrate on the mission instead of worrying about poor ol', defenceless Felicity…" She frowned and looked off to the side "…I just referred to myself in the third person, oh god, before you know it I'm gonna be all broody with a perfect body."

He tried so hard not to react to that, especially when they shared common thoughts on each other's body. He schooled his features and waited for her inner countdown to finish. She finally looked up at him and the remnants of a blush lightly coloured her cheeks.

"My point is that if I were to train then you guys won't worry so much about me when we go out in the field."

Oliver immediately started to shake his head "You're assuming I'm going to let you out in the field."

She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest "And you're assuming you have a say in my life."

"When it comes to your safety Felicity I will do and say whatever is necessary to keep you alive and the best way for me to do that is by keeping you down here, behind your computers and as far away from danger as possible."

He watched her lips part slightly as the realisations of his words hit them both.

Caring about her has never been a secret to him; he accepted it a long time ago. But unwittingly confessing a little too much about how much he cares for her does surprise him. He must be spending too much time around Felicity and that's something he never thought would be a bad thing.

Oliver was caught up in her eyes and he could see that she was searching them with real intent. He figured that she wanted to see if there was a trace of a lie in his words, but he's confident that she won't find anything because he's not lying. Oliver will do whatever he has to do to ensure her safety.

He was snapped out of the staring contest by Felicity turning around with a puff of air. "Fine! I won't ask to train with you again."

Oliver felt a wave of relief wash over him "Thank you Felicity"

He watched her wave her hand in the air casually and muttered a 'yeah yeah' back at him. Once she had gathered up her things he walked her to her car and they said their good nights, none of them mentioning what Oliver had implied.

At nearly the same time the next night Oliver found himself blowing off steam on one of the dummies.

"Are you really that mad at me?"

He heard Felicity ask him but he didn't stop his pounding on the dummy "What do you think?" He grunted.

"Oliver, I said that I wouldn't ask you again. Digg on the other hand was all for me learning some basic moves."

Oliver ground his teeth and hit the dummy harder.

"How do you do it?"

Felicity glanced at him over her glasses and replied distractedly. "The last time I tried to teach you basic code you trained for four hours straight."

Oliver remembers that all too well.

Writing code was like learning another language and though Oliver managed to learn both Russian and Mandarin during his absence, writing a language that computers can understand, is totally different.

'Computers are dumb; they need to be told what to do, otherwise they just sit there like a piece of ugly modern art. Actually, computers are far from ugly; it just seemed like a good comparison but I guess it wasn't… Anyways, you need to give them specific instructions in a language they can understand.' He remembered her little speech like it was yesterday, as if that was supposed to encourage him.

Oliver now associates code to be the literal meaning of jargon and lucky for him, he has someone who speaks fluent jargon.

He slid himself off his perch on the table and made his way over to Felicity's desk. "As lovely as that memory is…" he leaned his back against her desk and with folded arms looked down at her. "That's not what I meant." He watched and waited for her to acknowledge his presence but she didn't.

Felicity was so engrossed in her work that she didn't even spare him a glance. Not that that should surprise him.

She says she can multitask and Oliver has witnessed Felicity hack into some secure database while talking to Digg about how ridiculously long the line at the coffee shop was that day. However, being unintentionally snubbed by her is a regular occurrence. So, he sat there quietly, watching her and waiting patiently for her to notice him.

She does finally notice him when she tried to reach for something but instead grabbed his leg. As soon as she registered what she had grabbed she let out a yelp of surprise and snatched her hand back like the action burned her.

"Oliver!"

She had startled herself out of her chair and managed to knock it over in the process. Her hand was clutched to her chest, like she was protecting something from him, while her other hand took off her glasses so she could pinch the bridge of her nose. He watched her close her eyes and take a deep breath while a blush started to creep up her neck. He fought a smile as he watched Felicity try to compose herself.

"I need to put a bell on you." She said sighing and Oliver couldn't help the breath of a laugh that escaped him.

He watched as she put her glasses back onto her nose and proceeded to pick her chair up off the floor and unceremoniously flop back down on it. She looked up at him with a tired expression; when was the last time she had a good nights' rest? "Is there a reason why you're leaning on my desk looking oh so pleased with yourself? "

"I want to know how you do it."

She frowned up at him. "You want to try and learn code again?"

"No, no, you and I both know that that's a language reserved just for you." He said smiling at her.

Felicity looked at him patiently waiting for him to continue but when he didn't she just frowned slightly "Okay, let's pretend that I have no idea what you're talking about just for a second." She said as she wheeled herself back to her computers to continue this conversation while writing her newest program. "Because I honestly have no idea what you are talking about so take a step back and explain to me exactly what I do that interests you so much."

"You make me smile" Oliver said simply. Felicity stopped typing and looked up at him then. "No matter the situation, no matter what state of mind I'm in, you always manage to make me smile, tonight was the perfect example"

Felicity watched him for what felt like a long while. Oliver knows he doesn't smile much but Felicity can wrangle a laugh - let alone a smile - out of him before walking into a deadly situation. Just like tonight, Oliver and Roy were about to infiltrate a gang hideout and Oliver wanted to make sure Felicity could keep an eye on them.

"Felicity are you ready?"

"I wish you wouldn't call me that"

Oliver frowned and looked to Roy who looked as confused as Oliver felt "You don't want me to call you by your name?"

"Not when you're out in the field and people can hear you" He heard her reply and she was talking to him like it was obvious "How would you like it if I called you by your name in the field?"

"You do"

"Not when I'm out in the field as well" He heard a heavy sigh come through the coms as he could feel his patience wearing thin.

"Felicity can we have this talk later?"

"There you go again using my name. Can't you come up with a name for me? Like 'Fantastic Felicity'? Eww, that's a terrible name. Don't use that name. It's just you're 'The Arrow' – which by the way, because Roy is using arrows too I think it could be a bit confusing so I think you should go with 'Green Arrow' because then it distinguishes between you and Roy who uses red arrows. Roy wants to be called 'Arsenal' – I don't know about you but I'm a little lost on the name choice, it's got the word 'Ass' in it for crying out loud!"

"Hey" He heard Roy cry indignantly over the ear piece but she didn't seem to hear him.

"Then again it would be less of an unoriginal name like 'Red Arrow' huh? Laurel wants to be 'The Black Canary' to carry on the whole sister, hero-team thing they have going on. So why can't Diggle and I get names? 'Wiggle Diggle'?" Felicity snorted over the coms as did Roy and Oliver.

"Maybe behind his back" Roy remarked

Despite his tested patience he could feel himself smiling "You don't need a name Felicity"

"Seriously? Stop saying my name someone could hear you and then they could report me to the police"

"I like your name"

He heard her gasp over the coms "What if they figure out my identity and go after someone I care about?"

"I won't let anything happen to you because I can't lose you"

Oliver said smiling; she worries far too much about everyone's safety that he feels as though he's the only one looking out for her. But when Roy smirked at him only then did he realise what he said. Oliver's smile disappeared as he cleared his throat

"Besides, need I remind you that Captain Lance is on our side. He would squash that report as soon as it came in"

Oliver tried for a cover-up but, the way Roy was shaking his head at Oliver, he knew he did a terrible job of it. It had been nearly two weeks since his previous slip of the tongue and he thought that maybe it was a passing thing but apparently it wasn't. The funny thing is that everything he's saying is true, he does like her name; it suits her. And there is no way in hell he will let anything happen to her because he can't imagine his life without Felicity.

Oliver let out a sigh as he rolled his eyes; they're here for a purpose. Just as he was about to say that to Felicity she spoke up

"I should think so because 'The Tech Whiz' promised him that she would stop hacking into their database" He heard her groan in his ear "That's even worse!"

Oliver had laughed then and he remembered wondering at the time how she manages to do it. They were about to walk into a heavily armed gang hide-out and Felicity had Roy and Oliver smiling like idiots before-hand.

A small smile finally lifted her mouth "I guess you're not the only charming one around here"

Oliver smiled back at her and kept smiling until she had turned back to her computers. "I still think we should have names. At the very least give Diggle a mask; he goes out in the field just as much as you do"

"I'll get right on that Fantastic Felicity" Oliver let out a laugh at the glare she was giving him.

Oliver was just on his last set of the salmon ladder before calling it a night. It was only eleven o'clock but it had been a quiet night for Team Arrow – Felicity's name not his – so no one was around. Digg had gone home to Lyla, Laurel was stuck on a case, Roy was…somewhere and Felicity was on a date.

That bothered Oliver more than he has a right to be. He knows this but he can't help the thought that keeps crossing his mind of using the GPS tracker that Felicity designed to find out where she is and keep an eye on her – just to make sure she's safe of course.

Oliver groaned; maybe one more set after this.

The sound of the door at the top of the stairs startled him out of his thoughts. His initial thought was that someone had stumbled upon their hideout; until he heard the tell-tale sound of Felicity's heels clicking down the stairs.

He dropped to the ground and had to swallow hard past the sudden dryness in his throat. She looked beautiful. A dress that seemed to hug every bit of curve she has that stopped just above the knee. Impossibly high, black, strappy heels that made her already impressive legs go on for miles. And he couldn't help the possessive feeling that pulled in his stomach at the sight of her in that particular shade of green.

However, upon seeing her face that was shrouded in her blonde curls, he immediately stopped taking notice of how her appearance affected him and concentrated on why she looks so sad.

"Felicity?"

"Oliver!" He watched her jump in surprise and tried to hide his amusement. He patiently waited for her as she took some calming breaths.

"I don't know why I didn't expect you to be here, where else would you be? You practically live here, old, sweaty, gym socks smell and all"

He allowed himself to smile at her then, how could he not? He finds her ramblings endearing. "Why do you look so sad?"

He watched her heave out a sigh but noticed that she completely avoided looking at him. He immediately tensed up as that made him think something really bad had happened on her date but she didn't want to tell him. "Felicity, what happened?"

"If we're going to have this conversation then you need to put a shirt on" He cocked an eye brow at her; she's seen him shirtless many times before, why is now any different?

"I can't have this kind of talk with you when you're standing there in all your…" She drifted off as she gestured to his body "…sweaty, sculpted, half-nakedness glory okay? A girl can only take so much"

Oliver let out a laugh as he felt a bit of relief wash over him; that's why she wouldn't look at him. He went over to his towel that was sitting by his t-shirt and gave himself a quick pat down before pulling his shirt on. He turned around and as soon as he caught her eyes Felicity quickly looked away with a guilty look on her face. He knew immediately that she had been staring at him, again.

Hiding the slight smirk, he walked back over to her "Can you tell me what happened now?"

Felicity finally looked at him but didn't say anything. He noticed her make-up was light – she didn't even have her usual bright lip stick on – but it was effective in making her already startling blue eyes stand out. There was a loose strand of hair that Oliver was itching to tuck behind her ear but opted to shove his hand in his pocket to stop him from scratching the itch.

She was taking so long to answer that Oliver wanted to ask her again. "Do I come across as the easy type of woman?"

Oliver snorted at that and immediately regretted it when Felicity angrily pushed past him to her chair "Don't worry, message received"

"No wait…" He made his way over to her desk and knelt down next to her chair "…I'm sorry that was really insensitive of me"

She gave him a look that told him that he's an idiot but he carried on anyway "Felicity you are not an easy type of woman, trust me I think my history with women is a good reference to that. I laughed because the very thought is so ridiculous to me."

He saw a small, sad smile turn her lips up as the thought occurred to him "Did your date expect something from you that you weren't willing to give" His fist clenched and his jaw tightened at the thought. He knew he sounded like a possessive boyfriend but he didn't care. If anyone harms Felicity in any way then they will be receiving a personal visit from the Arrow.

And he won't be a pleasant guest.

"Calm down caveman" He breathed out a laugh as she smirked at him "It's nothing I can't handle. It's just, I don't know, lately, every time I go on a date, the guy expects me to go home with them, like tonight. Or other dates are just torture because they are so boring but then there's the guys that are too nice for their own good and won't take charge of anything. Not that the nice guy is a bad thing, it's just nice to know that a guy wants you enough to just kiss you out of the blue. And when I say kiss I mean mind-blowing, pushed against a wall, fireworks inducing kind of kiss you know?"

Oliver merely nodded as he willed his brain to keep up with Felicity's mouth. But in all honesty, Oliver's brain faulted at the kiss part; he could definitely be the one to give her that kind of kiss.

"Is there something wrong with me?"

Oliver snapped out of it and frowned at her "What?"

"Is there something wrong with me? And please don't lie, because you suck at it and I don't think I can take a pity party tonight."

"Felicity, there's nothing wrong with you"

She searched his eyes and he could see a light blush colouring her cheeks "Well then why am I becoming such a serial-first-date person?"

Oliver shrugged like it was obvious "Because you're dating the wrong people. It sounds to me that you're dating idiots"

She laughed a little and rolled her eyes at him "Just because they don't meet my criteria Oliver, doesn't make them idiots"

"Any guy, whether you go on a date with them or not, has to be absolutely brain dead if they don't realise what an amazing and beautiful woman you are"

And again with the verbal slips. He can see why Felicity gets flustered and annoyed with herself after one of hers. Although, Oliver should be thankful that his are coming out as compliments rather than Felicity's usual of double entendre.

He watched her swallow hard and her lips part. Her mouth was moving but no sound was coming out. She was about to ask him something and he knew that it had something to do with them but he had to stop her before it started, else they could both be in a world of trouble.

Oliver smiled slightly at her and stood up running a hand over his short hair. "What're you doing here anyway? We get an early night and your first choice is to come here instead of home?"

He started to feel a little uncomfortable under her gaze; she was not happy with him right now and he can't really blame her; how many times now has he accidentally told her how much he cares for her but immediately pretended that it didn't happen? Thankfully, she gave him a tight lip smile; one he noticed didn't quite reach her eyes and let him take the out

"I just wanted to check on a couple of my updates" she responded curtly

He sighed and closed his eyes; every time he has this kind of talk with her he seems to always take one step forward and three steps back. He'd like to think that maybe one day they could try being together. That one day they would be able to act on whatever it is that's between them.

But if Oliver was being realistic, he knew Felicity didn't have to and wouldn't wait for him to get his shit together - especially when he notices how many men look at her. For her, she wants them to try but, as per usual, she's not thinking of herself and forcing him into something he isn't quite ready to do.

He placed his hand on her shoulder and spoke softly "Don't take too long okay? You need to rest"

"You know you're an idiot right?"

"This wouldn't be the first time you've told me that"

"Doesn't mean she's not right"

"Thank you Diggle"

Oliver dropped to the floor after doing his pull-ups. Laurel and Digg had apparently decided that it was time to talk some sense into Oliver. He looked at them curiously for a second because he knew that Diggle never really liked Laurel down here. Of course he played nice and he was civil towards her but Oliver could tell he was never comfortable with her being down here. Diggle must have decided to push their differences aside in favour of joining forces for a common interest.

He couldn't really blame them though; ever since he and Felicity spoke that night almost three weeks ago the tension was thick and awkward between them. The other three had definitely noticed – he would actually be more surprised if they didn't notice – and now, he guessed, was them getting sick of it and wanting Oliver to do something about it.

"I don't see what the issue is Ollie" He looked to Laurel standing by Diggle mimicking his stance with her arms over her chest "She likes you, you like her, so why don't you ask her out?"

He sighed and looked away from them "It's not that simple"

"Cut the crap man. It is that simple, you're the one who's making it difficult"

Oliver rolled his eyes "If I were to get involved with Felicity then her life would be in even more danger and I can't let anything happen to her"

"You realise how sorry of an excuse that sounds right?"

Oliver glared at Diggle then but he didn't even flinch. Come to think of it, Oliver's pretty sure Diggle's never flinched away from him.

"It is pretty poor." Laurel chimed in and Oliver looked to her. It feels a little weird having this kind of talk with her. They know that nothing will ever happen between them and as far as Oliver is concerned he is absolutely fine with that. But it doesn't take away the weirdness of the situation.

"There's something else isn't there?" She asked but by the sound of her tone she already knows the answer to that

"I don't deserve her" He said quietly, shaking his head "She deserves better than me"

It hurt him to say it but it's true. He doesn't deserve her. He remembers all that time ago after Russia when she said that he deserves better, he never believed her because in his eyes, she is the very definition of 'better' and he doesn't deserve her. He doesn't even deserve having her as a friend or part of this team. But there's a more selfish side to him that wants to keep her around for the sake of having her presence surround him.

As much as he doesn't want to admit to it; he needs her, more than anyone should need someone.

"Felicity is a big girl Oliver. Don't you think you should let her decide whether or not you deserve her?"

"But I know what her answer will be Digg." He said exasperatedly "We all know that I have a terrible history with relationships and if I screw things up with Felicity, there will be no going back. I can't put her through that. I can't be the one to break her heart because I made a stupid choice and I can't risk that because I love her too damn much to lose her."

He looked between them and noticed they looked shocked. He frowned at them and went back over what he said. Did he say love? Because if he did, he didn't mean to. Yes he cares for Felicity, yes he has more than platonic feelings for her but love? Did he truly love Felicity? Sure when they were at the mansion during Slade's attack all those months ago, he got a bit carried away and the words sort of just tumbled out without him realising it. But that's all it was: a slip of the tongue.

So why can't he deny it?

"I never thought you would say it out loud" Diggle remarked and Oliver looked to him. He tried to say that he didn't mean it, that he meant to say 'need' but no sound was coming out.

"You didn't know you love her" Oliver looked to Laurel and saw a rueful smile on her face "Ollie, I've been your friend longer than I dated you and I thought you loved me then. But then I see you with Felicity and…" She trailed off as Oliver watched a small genuine smile lift her mouth "…I can see that you were never in love with me."

Oliver watched her and didn't say anything. He didn't really know what to say let alone think. He should be trying to convince her that it's not true that he did love her then but he couldn't do it. Much like he couldn't deny, even in his own head, that he loves Felicity, he can't say truthfully that he did love Laurel like he loves Felicity.

Holy shit

"Look Oliver, you may not be ready right now to be with her but know that she won't wait around forever for you to get your life in order. So get your ducks in a row, stop trying to deny yourself and Felicity the happiness you both deserve and kiss the girl already."

Oliver let out a breath of laughter at that and nodded his head. They were right about everything. The more he denies himself, the more he hurts Felicity and that's the last thing he ever wanted to do.

"I don't think I have to remind you but I will anyway" Diggle said pointedly "If you hurt Felicity, I will hurt you more"

Oliver happened to glance down at his bowling ball size arms and felt himself smile. "You'll have to get in line Diggle"

Another three weeks had passed since Diggle and Laurel had talked to Oliver and he's finally starting to line his ducks up. Things were slowly coming together for him. He officially got his company back yesterday, crime in the city has gone down because of the effort of Diggle – they still haven't figured out a name for him but Digg says he's pretty content with the mask - 'The Black Canary', 'Arsenal' and 'Green Arrow' – name courtesy of Felicity, who decided that she doesn't want a name, just insists on no one using her name in the field.

Oliver has managed to locate Thea and after the initial anger and shock of finding out that Malcolm Merlyn is still alive, they've made plans to get her back within the week.

He's finally able to start looking at an apartment now that he's CEO of his company again. He was so happy when Roy pointed it out to him; as much as he loves the Lair – again, Felicity's name, not his – he spends nearly every waking moment here. A home is supposed to be a place of sanctuary; a hideaway from life on the outside. So since Oliver has been considering the Lair his home for six months, he can't really say it has a homely feel.

All in all, Oliver's life is finally starting to look up.

Oliver decided to give everyone the night off tonight because the previous night got unexpectedly messy. They decided to have a few drinks up at Verdant because Oliver had won back his families company which also meant that he owned Verdant again. They decided that they'll have it ready for re-opening for when they get Thea back.

Oliver only had a couple of drinks, least an emergency leaves him suiting up in the middle of the night half inebriated. Laurel happily played sober driver for everyone, Diggle had caught a taxi home half-way through the night, claiming that he's too old to try and keep up with young livers and Roy and Felicity played drinking games together while Laurel and Oliver watched them highly amused.

Oliver remembers thinking that Felicity has had so much to drink but she doesn't seem drunk. Her filter, or lack thereof, still doesn't work, she still speaks fast, her wit is still as sharp as ever, she still has that cute crease between her brow when she's thinking too hard on a question to ask Roy. It wasn't until she stood up and stumbled that he realised she is drunk. It marvelled him to see that Felicity drunk is still Felicity, albeit unsteady, but still Felicity.

Usually, alcohol turns good people into bad people, saints into sinners. It can amplify certain emotions leaving people more emotional than normal, or can make those with great self-control lose themselves, but not Felicity.

He was brought out of his reverie by the sound of the door opening at the top of the stairs. He listened out and could hear Felicity's heels clicking. Oliver frowned, they sound uneven.

His eyes widened as he quickly reached the bottom of the stairs to look up at her. She's limping.

Worry filled him as he raced up the stairs to help her "Felicity what happened?"

As soon as he saw her face he could see the starting of a bruise on her cheek. He felt rage flare through him as he gently placed his fingers on her chin to turn her face so he could look at it "Who did this to you?"

"Why do you always assume someone did something to hurt me?"

"You mean besides the mark on your face?"

"Just help me down the stairs Oliver; you can go all vengeful, Neanderthal later"

Oliver ground his teeth and rolled his eyes but stayed silent; there's plenty of time to get answers out of her, he should just concentrate on helping her down the stairs. Without any warning, or thought, he bent down and looped his arm around the back of her knees and easily lifted her into his arms.

She shrieked a little but winced and Oliver made quick work of the stairs before putting her down on the med table to get a better look at her.

"What hurts?"

"My ankle…I think"

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow "You think?"

She sighed exasperatedly and motioned to her foot "Well there is a throb in the general area of my ankle"

Oliver looked to her ankle and then back at her in disbelief "Why didn't you take your heels off? These already break ankles"

She groaned "Can you just get them off and patch me up first before you berate me"

He frowned at her as he could feel his anger slowly building up. But he sighed and worked on fixing her ankle instead.

Lucky for Felicity it was just a sprain. No bone damage whatsoever, it'll just be sore and bruised for a while. Oliver had moved Felicity to his cot and had her ankle propped up in his lap as he iced it while she held another ice pack to her bruised cheek.

He glanced up at her and saw that she was off looking at something on the opposite side of the room "So are you going to tell me what happened or are you going to have me guess?"

He saw a small smile lift her lips before she looked at him "I want to say guess but I don't think you have the imagination to make this game fun"

He smiled and looked back down at her ankle "You're probably right there; my imagination is not what it used to be"

"You're no fun"

Oliver breathed out a laugh as he put the ice pack on the table. He'll take it up again in about ten minutes to carry on icing her ankle. He lay his arm over her shins to keep her legs in his lap and looked to Felicity "Can you please tell me what happened?"

She looked away from him then "I don't want to"

"Why not?"

"Because you will most likely tell me off and I don't want to be yelled at tonight"

She almost sounded like a whining child and Oliver would smile at that but he could feel his anger from earlier come back "Were you attacked?"

"Not initially"

He clenched his jaw at her vague answer "What do you mean 'not initially'? You were either attacked or not"

Felicity sighed and Oliver watched her drop the ice pack on the ground "In black and white terms: no I was not attacked, technically I attacked them"

Oliver frowned feeling utterly confused. Felicity attacking someone is not possible in any sense of the idea. But before he could voice his thoughts she continued.

"I was hungry and I was coming here to see if you wanted to grab something to eat because I know you probably haven't eaten yet"

He watched her intently as he worked his jaw.

"I was parking my car when I heard a scream. I turned around and there was a girl being held by three guys, one of them had a knife. So I called Captain Lance to tell him what was happening but I could see that if I didn't do something then she could die. So I did something"

Oliver's eyes widened as he gripped her leg "You fought them off by yourself? Why didn't you call me?"

"By the time you got in your Green Arrow gear it would've been too late. So I did, I fought them off without being touched, I mean, apart from the punch…" She let out a sigh and Oliver could see her frowning to her lap "I know it was stupid of me, I could've been really hurt or the girl could've been hurt too. But…" She trailed off as she took a deep breath and looked at Oliver determinedly "…I don't care. I did what you, Digg, Roy and Laurel would've done in that situation. I fought to save someone's life and I won. We are both alive because I acted and used Diggle's training to disarm and knock them out before Captain Lance's men could get there. My actions saved a girl's life and took three dangerous people off the street so I don't care if you pass out from yelling at me about how dangerous that could've been because there is no amount of yelling that would change my mind if the situation ever arose again. I would make the same choice again if it meant saving someone's life"

Oliver was staring at Felicity as she looked back at him with such conviction that he couldn't help the swell of pride he felt in his chest. She is one of the most, if not the most, kind-hearted person he has ever met yet she will defend what she believes is right and not back down, no matter Oliver's attempts at intimidating her. She is so intelligent but will admit to needing help when it's not her area of expertise. She had stuck by and believed in Oliver when everyone else - save for Diggle - had left during Slade's attack. She is the light in his darkness and the pure to his tainted. And she is so beautiful that he wonders about the state of mind of men these days; there should be a line of men outside her front door.

He felt the beginnings of a smile happen as he shook his head. He knew exactly what he was about to say to her. For the first time in just over two months his filter worked

"You're remarkable"

Before he over-thought what he was about to do, he leant forward and kissed her. One hand came up to cup her unmarked cheek while the other rested on her waist. He worried for a moment because she wasn't responding to him. But as quick as that thought came it was gone when he felt her lips press against his and her hands looped around his neck pulling him closer.

He had finally done what Diggle and told him to do and, now that he's done it, he didn't know why the hell he waited so long to do it. He could feel every nerve end spark to life as he moved his mouth over hers. He was hyper-aware of her hands playing with the hair at the nape of his neck and he was suddenly aware of how they were making out on his cot.

He forced himself to pull away, not wanting to take it any further tonight, but stayed close to her. He watched her eyes flutter open and noticed they had grown considerably darker. Desire swam in her eyes and it pulled at something deep within Oliver.

"I was expecting a different kind of tongue lashing"

Oliver laughed. His head fell forward as his shoulders shook with laughter. Trust Felicity to say something like that.

He lifted his head, unable to keep the smile off his face and shook his head at her. He started to caress the skin under her eye with his thumb.

"You're remarkable"

A small smile lifted her mouth then as she replied "You've said that"

"It's true and you know it is because I can't lie to you" He felt her lean into his hand as he felt one of her hands leave his neck and rest on the curve where his neck turns into shoulder.

"Well, you are a terrible liar"

Oliver's smile only got wider and before he knew it she pulled him in for another kiss. This one was a lot shorter but with the same amount of passion as the last one.

She pulled away and leaned her forehead against his "So this is real"

He breathed out a laugh "Felicity, would you like to go on a date with me?"

She pulled away from him to get a better look and Oliver watched a smile slowly stretch her mouth. "I'd like that"

Oliver kissed her forehead before going back to her ankle and taking up the ice pack again. He placed it gently back onto her ankle and all the while the smile didn't leave his face.

"Huh, maybe I need to get injured more often, especially if that's going to be my reward"

His smile vanished as he looked at her with his best disapproving look "Felicity"

"Oh lighten up Oliver it's just a joke"

He shook his head when a thought occurred to him "How did you hurt your ankle?"

She tilted her head in question at him so he elaborated "You mentioned that one of the guys punched you and that was it. So how did you sprain your ankle?"

Oliver watched a light blush colour her cheeks as she avoided eye contact with him. His eyes widened as he pointed at her shoes accusingly "You rolled your ankle on those things after the fight didn't you. That's why you didn't take them off"

Felicity shook her head "They are not things Oliver they were in fact my favourite shoes...before they turned on me"

"Favourite or not, you still rolled your ankle purely on your own"

"Oh just shut up and keep icing"

Oliver laughed again. Yup, life was certainly looking up.

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Thanks for reading everybody and please let me know what you think=)