Fever

By: DKM

Rating: K+

Pairing: Oliver/Felicity

Season/Episode: Post 1.19

Category: Hurt/Comfort, Friendship

Synopsis: She vowed to help him, flu be damned. But will the decision to go to work sick be one that Felicity Smoak comes to regret?

AN: For those of you who don't know me, I'm Diana: writer, artist, photographer, meteorologist and storm chaser. (I'll stop there, you can read the rest in my profile). I've been on this site for quite some time writing in many different fandoms, most notably CSI:NY, Bones and Fastlane. But ever since my friend Shelby introduced me to Arrow, I've been smitten! My muse has returned from her 4 year hiatus and is itching to get back into the ring. Which brings me to this little note: PLEASE BE GENTLE! This is my first honest-to-god fan fic in over 4 years. I greatly appreciate your input and always send back my love to those who have reviewed. Thank you for stopping by and reading my story. I can't wait for the next inspiration to hit.

Special thanks to my friend Erin for being my trusty beta for this fic. (FYI, I'm looking for more, so if you're interested, feel free to PM me.)

Disclaimer: My original idea, but I don't own the characters or the show. Just trying to be creative.

"What happened to you? It looks like you got hit by a bus." It was his initial reaction upon watching her stagger down the steps in a grey sweatshirt and jeans, her hair pulled into a messy ponytail at the top of her head and her eyes and nose a bright shade of red behind her glasses. She had also foregone the makeup and ditched the high heels for a sensible pair of running shoes. It didn't make the sight of her fumbling through the basement any more bearable. She was a mess, and not in a good way.

When she tripped over her own feet, he knew something was wrong and immediately went to help her up. Of all the things Oliver Queen didn't like, the sight of a woman too sick to get up off the floor was probably one of the worst. Dropping the arrow he'd been sharpening, he was at her side in moments, his arm wrapped around her waist hoisting her back into a weak standing position.

"I'm... I'm alright, even though I think this is the worst case of the flu I've ever had." Felicity Smoak, IT extraordinaire, wasn't feeling much like her bubbly self this evening. "Doesn't mean I can't do my job," she sniffled before dusting herself off and grabbing her purse from off the ground where it had fallen with her. The embarrassment of having her boss watch her stumble and fall was easily masked by the fevered flush of her cheeks. She pulled herself out of his grasp and gingerly walked to her work station, her body flopping into the desk chair in a muddled heap.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Oliver asked, eyeing her suspiciously as she slumped forward and logged into the mainframe.

"I haven't puked all day… but I don't think you wanted to know that. I'll be fine," she rasped before burying her face in the crook of her elbow and hacking out a very serious sounding cough.

"Maybe you should go home," he replied, skeptical that she was up to the task of helping him cross another name off his list tonight.

"Oliver, I'm fine. I've been through a lot worse than this and still made it through the day no problem." Felicity was determined to make it through the night as well. Ever since she had inadvertently stumbled into his secret life, she wanted nothing more than to continue working with him. It gave her a sense of purpose in life she didn't know existed. Besides, she thought it was cool helping a superhero. At least that's what her opinion of his night job was.

"But you look awful."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, boss." Her reply was pointed enough to make him think twice before making another observation. Although Felicity looked as if she'd dragged herself out of bed that morning, having gotten through the day without so much as one episode of nausea was pretty impressive. Then again, she also hadn't eaten a thing since the onset of the flu the day before.

"Sorry." Oliver's mumbled response surprised her. He was out of sight moments later before reappearing in his green hood, a quiver of arrows slung over his back and his bow in hand. He already had a target in mind tonight; another one of the city's many drug dealers.

"Hey," she called out to him before he left. Oliver stopped and glanced over his shoulder at her. "Be careful." With a nod, he was gone. Felicity always worried about his safety. Ever since she found him in the backseat of her car bleeding from a gunshot wound to the shoulder, she had made it her mission to remind him every night before he left. Even if she physically couldn't save him, being a guiding force in his ear helped ease her mind somewhat.

As she placed the little Bluetooth device in her ear, a sudden overwhelming feeling of dizziness shot through her head. Felicity sat there with her eyes closed and after a few moments it passed. Rubbing her forehead with her hand, she dialed in Oliver's number and waited for him to connect.

Just as she was about to say hello, a loud shuddering sneeze overtook her body. "God damn it, Felicity!" she heard Oliver yell into her ear. "Are you trying to kill me?" He didn't sound too happy. She wouldn't be either if she was on the receiving end of that sneeze. It could still be heard echoing off the walls of the cavernous room.

"I'm sorry," she sniffled, wiping her nose with a tissue she pulled from her pocket. After tossing it in the trash can beside her feet, she grabbed another one for later use.

As Oliver drove through the empty streets of Starling city looking for his next target, a steady rain fell from the grey clouds over head adding a crisp chill to the night air. The ringing in his ear from his minion's sneeze was giving him a headache and he was beginning to regret allowing Felicity to stay in the condition she was in. He didn't want to go as far as saying tonight she could be a liability, but it wasn't out of the question. Even he fell victim to illness every once in a while. But he didn't know how well Felicity could handle hers, and that's what made it so dangerous. Pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind, Oliver decided to put his focus back on the task at hand: catching another one of the city's corrupt.

"Felicity, I need directions," he said over his earpiece, but only silence greeted him from the other end. "Felicity! Are you there?" He stopped immediately and turned around to head back to home base. Something was wrong, and he would rather be safe than sorry tonight. Besides that, a feeling of genuine concern for Felicity's wellbeing suddenly overwhelmed him.

Oliver knew she was driven when he gave her a task to do, but hearing only silence over the phone scared him. It made his heart race as he revved the engine into a higher gear. What if she had passed out at her desk? What if she was lying unconscious on the floor? What if...? The "what ifs" were putting him in panic mode.

A bolt of lightning illuminated the sky just as he pulled up to the hidden side entrance. Thunder rumbled through the dark night, an ominous sign of things to come. As he ran inside, Oliver found the cavernous room devoid of her presence. "Felicity!" he called out, but only got the echo of his own voice as a response. "Felicity!" he yelled again. His heart was ready to thump right out of his chest until he caught the sound of a cough coming from somewhere off in the distance.

The bathroom! Oliver took off in a full run, throwing his bow and quiver onto his work table in the process. His hood was discarded somewhere along the way as he reached the closed door. Pressing an ear against the cold steel, he heard the labored heaves of a woman desperately trying to hold back the contents of her stomach.

With a gentle knock, Oliver called out her name before twisting the handle to find it unlocked. Felicity was sprawled out on the floor, her upper body hugging the toilet as her head lay against her shoulder and eyes painfully shut. The groan that escaped from her aching throat told him everything he needed to know. Kneeling down beside her, Oliver placed a gentle hand on her forehead to find it burning to the touch.

"Felicity," he whispered, stroking a few sweat drenched strands of blonde hair away from her face.

Her eyes opened slightly, and through the blur, she could just barely make out the contours of his face. "Oliver?" He nodded, the coolness of his hand still pressed to her cheek. "I'm sorry," she mumbled before rolling her head forward as another bout of nausea had her dry heaving into the toilet bowl.

"Shh, it's okay, I'm right here," he said, holding back her hair and rubbing her back until it was over.

The strangled sob that escaped her lips felt like a dagger through his heart. "I'm so sorry," Felicity cried. "I should have stayed home, but I didn't want to disappoint you. But I still did because you had to come back instead of doing your job."

Oliver gently scooped the sobbing woman into his arms and carried back out into the basement. There was a well-worn leather couch on the periphery of the main area where they, along with his bodyguard and friend John Diggle, would all get together for dinner every once in a while. He laid her out of the soft forest green leather before changing into black sweats and returning with a blanket and bottle of water for her.

Felicity had her eyes closed, her glasses now discarded on the floor beside her as she rubbed her forehead. Although she heard him approach, her eyes remained closed in fear that if she opened them, the spinning in her head would return and she'd possibly throw up again, no matter how empty her stomach was. How could she have possibly thought adding her duties as Oliver's personal researcher wouldn't result in the current disaster? It had been stupid of her to think she could have gone through her normal work day then come in for a few more hours to deal with the added stress of what he did at night. Now, she'd let him down all because her body did not feel like cooperating.

"You didn't disappoint me." Oliver's response caught her off guard. She cracked one eye open and stared at him as he handed her the water. "Everyone has their breaking point. You don't know what it is until you test it."

"I wish I hadn't," Felicity groaned as she rolled onto her side. The nausea returned almost immediately, prompting her to return to her original position on her back. She took a sip from the cold bottle then placed it against her forehead. A contented sigh escaped her lips as it cooled her feverish skin. "Don't you have any special tea or something to get rid of the flu?" she asked suddenly. "You have herbs for everything else."

Oliver chuckled. "I wish," he replied before throwing the blanket over her and taking a seat on the floor beside her head. "But if you want tea, I do have ginger. That should help with your nausea."

"Sign me up," she answered with a wave of her hand. The water bottle she'd been holding rolled to her side, but she didn't bother to grab it again. It felt good where it was. "I'll take anything that'll make the spinning and puking go away." He was gone before she knew it. Damn, that man was quick. One moment he was there, and the next, POOF! Felicity thought of a commercial she'd seen recently revolving around a magician's shop where everything kept disappearing in a cloud of smoke. It made her giggle when she thought of Oliver doing the same thing.

"What's so funny?" Felicity glanced up to find him standing in front of her with two mugs in his hands.

"Someone should put a bell on you or something," she replied, slowly sitting up before taking the tea from him.

It was his turn to laugh as he sat down on the couch beside her. "Why?"

"Because you have a tendency to disappear and reappear suddenly and it kinda scares me sometimes," she answered before taking a sip from her mug. "God, that's good."

"You want me to wear a bell so you know where I am?" The incredulous look he gave her spoke volumes.

"It worked for my dog." Oliver burst out in a fit of laughter just as she realized what she'd said. As embarrassingly stupid as her comment was, hearing his candid laughter made up for it. This was such a rare moment: Oliver Queen being carefree and happy. She wished she could see him like this more often instead of the preoccupied brooding man he usually was. It made her wonder what he'd been like before the island. Was he this carefree back then? Whatever the case, she didn't ask. Their relationship was forged on honesty and patience. One day he'd tell her what she wanted to know, but for now she was content on just sitting beside him giggling at the silly things she said.

"I think this flu has made you delirious," Oliver said as he pressed his hand to her forehead again. This was the second time Felicity had felt his touch against her skin in less than an hour. If her face wasn't red enough already from her fever, it would be now. Yes, there had been moments like this in the past, but they were few and far between. Now he was catering to her every whim instead of it being the other way around.

"Oliver," Felicity said as she gazed up at him. "Thank you for being so kind and understanding. You really are a wonderful person and I'm lucky to call you my boss." Her soft smile was infectious. Soon he was grinning at her as well.

"Thank you for everything you've done to help me."

"You're welcome." Her head fell to into his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her. They sat there in comfortable silence for quite some time drinking their tea.

After nearly an hour had passed, Oliver glanced down to find her fast asleep. He took the mug from her hands and placed it on the floor beside his. Not wanting jostle Felicity out of her peaceful slumber, he decided to instead sit back and be her pillow that night. It was the least he could do considering all she had done for him.

A long time had passed since Oliver allowed himself the freedom to be who he truly was around another person, let alone this one in particular. His fondness for Felicity was growing from her just being the smart IT girl he turned to for help into something much akin to friendship and mutual respect. She had shown him her worth beyond what was required and strived to make him a better person as well. He hadn't expected to be so moved by her frank comments, but it was also the little things, like telling him to be careful whenever he went out on one of his missions, that made her presence so endearing.

It was at that moment Oliver suddenly realized he needed her more than he ever thought possible. Felicity had become his guiding light and one of the few people he came to trust with the deepest of his secrets. Not only that, but he had come to rely on the way she saw the world in terms of good and evil, life and death. She reminded him that choosing life was far more important than raining death on the people he thought had failed the city. Justice would be served, but justice that didn't result in death was by far the best option.

Oliver smiled. He glanced down at Felicity again, this time regarding her in a far more different light than before. She was stunning, and not just in the looks department. Her heart was so breathtakingly beautiful as well. Placing a tender kiss on the top of her head, he tightened his hold around her shoulders, pulling her closer to his warmth. Her arm came around his waist as her head fell into the crook of his neck. Feeling her slow, rhythmic breaths against his skin, Oliver relaxed against the couch cushions. It didn't take him long to fall asleep, content that he was right where he needed to be at that moment.

Fin.