Work Text:
Oliver POV
Felicity was curled up against me, her breaths were even and soft against my bare chest. I reached over and smoothed her hair from her face as I lost myself in thought. A red bruise currently covered the left side of her face and would be a nasty purple by tomorrow. Seeing her tonight at the mercy of two murderous kidnappers trying to get a hefty ransom was the final straw. The nightmare of her getting hurt became a reality tonight and I couldn’t risk Felicity’s life. I almost lost her for a few million dollars. She was priceless though and if she had died, so would I.
But living my life without her in it was pointless. Part of me knew that no matter how dedicated I was, I couldn’t just be around her and not kiss her, touch her, tell her how much I loved her. Even the risk of tempting myself was not enough to have her out of my life completely though. I couldn’t protect her if she wasn’t around, and I couldn’t survive if she didn’t bring her light into my darkness and make it easier to continue.
Felicity POV
I awoke to a soft stream of sunlight filtering in through the curtains. Oliver was fast asleep next to me and I carefully got out of bed and tiptoed out the room. In all the events from last night, I hadn’t exactly gotten to eat and well, being kidnapped I hadn’t exactly eaten then either. Today was Raisa’s day off and so I set to work making my own breakfast. Thea and Oliver barely managed to be able to pull together a meal, I had tried to have them help me with dinner on my first Sunday. Needless to say, I understood why Raisa would make muffins on Saturday night and Sunday was always takeout day in the Queen Mansion.
The only sound in the huge kitchen was the sound of the omelet in the pan. Thea came down shortly after and I made another for her as she liked it. She set to work making coffee, which was relatively easy considering it was a Keurig. Lucky for her, and me, though I would probably drink bad coffee for the caffeine right now. We sat at the counter and ate our breakfasts quietly.
“I’m sorry you got kidnapped for money.” Thea blurted out as we finished our eggs. When I raised an eyebrow at her apology, she made a surprised face.
“I think you’re rubbing off on me...or I’m just too tired to make coherent sentences rather than blunt apologies.” We chuckled a little at that and she began asking questions about the whole ordeal. I enjoyed Thea’s company because she wasn’t afraid to ask the questions that everyone else just asked behind people’s backs. Since I knew she was curious and not trying to be rude, I answered every question, with as much truth as I could grant. Oliver came down as I was explaining how I had managed to punch one of the men in the face. He took a seat next to me.
“Felicity, don’t indulge her.” No good morning, or how are you, just a rude command. How very...morning Oliver. It didn't take me long to know that Oliver was not a morning person and with out coffee, he was nearly the Green Arrow's persona except without the hood on. Sighing, I ignored him, even though I knew he just didn’t want to think about all the details. Thea had asked and I wanted to make sure she knew a few things in case god forbid she got kidnapped...again. The Hoods, the four copycats from after the Glades, had taken her once and that was bad enough. Thank god Oliver had gotten there in time.
“You’re so brave, Felicity. I can see why Oliver likes to have you around.” Thea stated and I wondered what she meant. She had such amazing insight on things sometimes.
“Are you calling me weak?” He grumbled, leaning his head on the counter. He probably didn’t sleep well last night. I ran a hand over his back and stood to make him some breakfast.
“No, after the island, you’re different and I’ve adapted to your new self. Anyways, you’re strong and you take on a lot, Ollie. The company, helping me occasionally with the club, dealing with Mom. I think Felicity is really good to have around because you can lean on her.” Thea smiled and finished her coffee before leaving the kitchen. Oliver looked across the counter at me and we smiled.
“I love your sister. It’s nice to kind of have a little sister.” Oliver groaned at my confession.
“I’ll trade you for your life as an only child.” He offered in reply as he ran his hands over his face.
“I heard that!” Thea suddenly yelled and Oliver chuckled. As the omelet finished cooking, I made him his favorite coffee.
No matter what he said, Thea meant the world to him. He would do anything to protect her, to protect anyone that he cared about. Suddenly he stood and walked over to me as I flipped his omelet onto a plate.
“Thea makes everything so hard for me. I fought with myself all night trying to convince myself that you would be safer if you weren’t with me. But the selfish, and slightly more rational, part of me knows that I don’t exist without you. Thea’s right, I need you. But I have to keep you safe. Increased security, no leaving me for extended periods of time, and no being alone in public.” He sighed and I nodded. He knew I hated the idea of security guards but after last night, we could both use a little peace of mind. Oliver face lit up at my motion.
“Really? No fighting? I think I’ll have to go find the real Felicity.” He teased and I leaned up to kiss him.
“I know better than to fight with you when you worried about me. As you put it, you get irrational.” He quirked an eyebrow at me and I smirked in response. Oliver wrapped his hands around my waist as I grabbed his plate and his coffee and we shuffled over to the counter.
“You know it would be easier to walk if I didn’t have a muscular beast attached to me.” I pointed out and he loosened his grip but his hands still lay on my hips.
“Just doing my protective duties is all.” He joked as he sat down in a chair and began eating. I sipped at my coffee and relaxed now that the issue of last night was solved and that Oliver was smiling.
There wasn’t much of a purpose to my days before Oliver Queen, but after becoming his “sidekick”, I had realized that I was one of the few and privileged that could actually produce a genuine smile from him. At the end of the day, any bruises I had gotten in the crossfire of being involved with him was worth it if I could make him happy.
“I think I might just keep you around, Oliver.” My voice filled the momentary silence and Oliver’s head suddenly snapped over to me, his eyes dancing with light.
“Might?” He asked, a little too quickly, if you ask me.
“Only because I love you.” I managed to keep a straight face. He merely shook his head with a soft grin playing at his lips as he ate his breakfast.