Chapter Text
The first time Tommy Merlyn meets Felicity Smoak, she manages to spill a bottle of water on him, nearly break his one good leg and fix his phone, all within twenty minutes.
On Day 16 of what he’s terming his ‘Escape from Starling General’, Tommy manages to engineer a sequel, ‘Escape from Under-Laurel’s-Overprotective-Nose’. From the minute he left the hospital, any attempt by him to not be confined to bed rest earns him a long lecture from the love of his life, ending invariably with some version of the phrase, “A building fell on you, Thomas!”
Tommy’s never been a fan of his given name but it does have a certain appeal emanating from Laurel’s mouth, especially when she’s pissed at him (he doesn’t like to admit it to the lady in question, but he has a weak spot for tough/angry Laurel; turns him on like nothing else). However, since he can’t really act on any favourable feelings he might have (damned doctor’s orders) he’s been left even more frustrated than when they started the argument about him trying to get out bed by himself. A month in the hospital, another fortnight of constant arguments, the look of pure terror in her eyes every time he trips slightly or falters, the mind-numbing routines of being an invalid and caring for one and the sheer exhaustion of it all have started to wear on them both.
So when the he goes back to the hospital for his two-week check-up and the doctor gives him the all-clear to resume light activity and outdoor excursions, he’s about ready to kiss the man. It takes him another full day to convince Laurel that it’s okay for her to start going into work for at least a few hours a day (she’s been offered a job at the District Attorney’s office but has held off so far on accepting it to care for him).
The day after that, the blessed Day 16 of him having left the hospital, he decides to go into Verdant, just to see if Speedy has burnt it to the ground yet. Since the Undertaking over six weeks ago, Oliver has become CEO of Queen Consolidated full time and Thea Queen, belying everybody’s expectations, has taken up the responsibility of renovating Verdant and getting it back up and running while Tommy is out of commission.
What he expects to find are construction crews, a ton of equipment and at least a dozen sweaty men traipsing all over his club. What he finds instead is an empty space that is more or less fully finished and a tiny blonde on her hands and knees rooting through a messy knot of wires near the sound system. While he is very much in love with his girlfriend, he is still a red-blooded male in his 20s, so he’s not above admiring a shapely derriere when he’s presented directly with one. Even as he’s enjoying the view, the woman in question gets up and turns around in a swift motion. Almost immediately, he hears a shriek followed by the feeling of cold water making its way down the front of his shirt.
“Oh my god, you scared me! Haven’t you heard of knocking? Not that you could knock anywhere here. For that matter I wouldn’t hear you anyway, I was fully focused on untangling this stupid wiring. Still, it’s the principle of the matter. You should always announce yourself when you walk in on someone; I could’ve had a heart attack. I mean not really, because I’m only 24 and don’t have a history of heart disease in my family. And the whole scaring someone into having a heart attack thing is a myth anyway.... What was I talking about? Oh yes, you should walk in uninvited to places and scare nice IT technicians.”
“I could apologize,” he says, with his most charming grin, “Or I could ask you what the hell you’re doing in my club.”
Comprehension dawns on her face within seconds as she takes in his words and his many, many bandages, “Holy shit, you’re Tommy Merlyn!”
“That I am. Who might you be?”
“Oh I’m just the IT girl. Wait, you were asking for my name, right? I can never tell. Especially because people are usually super awkward around IT people and never really ask for names. They're always just anxious because they think I’m going to accidentally find all the porn on their computer. Which, by the way, why do you have porn on your work computer? How are you even watching porn in a tiny cubicle surrounded by like 25 other people?”
He interrupts before her train of thought can carry her any further down this particular track, “Yes, I did mean your name. What is it?”
“Felicity. Smoak.” She extends her hand forward and moves towards Tommy but manages to trip on some wires and nearly take him down with her. He catches her, but doing so puts undue pressure on his left leg (his right has only recently gone from a heavy plaster cast to a more manageable small boot cast). He winces when a sharp pain shoots up his leg from the action as they both straighten up.
“Oh no, are you okay? I’m so sorry! Here, let’s get a seat.” She helps him to the nearest booth and sits him down before leaning to check on the leg. “Can I get you anything? For the pain maybe? I’m really, really sorry. I’m very clumsy.”
Tommy takes a few deep breaths before giving her another smile, what he hopes is a calming one this time, “It’s okay Felicity. It’s my good leg anyway and I think it’s passed. Why don’t you sit before you fall and break both our necks this time?”
She chuckles nervously before sliding into the seat opposite him.
“So, Felicity Smoak, IT tech-extraordinaire. I take it Thea hired you to fix the systems in the club?”
“Actually I’m just doing Oliver, I mean Mr. Queen, a favour.”
“You know Oliver? I thought I knew all of Oliver’s friends.”
“No, I work at QC. I’m a systems analyst there. I’m just helping out at the club. Just taking a look at it. That’s all. No biggie.” For some reason, she appears nervous to Tommy.
“In that case, thanks. We appreciate the help.”
“You’re welcome,” she smiles at him. “Aren’t you supposed to be on bed rest? What are you going out and about, rescuing me from evil trip wires?”
He grins again, “Needed to get out of the house. I began to get seriously involved in the lives of various Real Housewives and I thought, it’s either your health or your sanity, Merlyn. Pick one. I picked sanity and here I am.”
“Oh, I know what you mean. I had chicken pox when I was 9 and I read the Lord of the Rings 4 times cover to cover, the entire C.S Lewis series and I think every single Captain America comic in my local library. It sucks to be stuck in bed all day.”
He can’t help be charmed by her rambles and laughs, “Well I do think I’ve had all the excitement I can handle for the day. I’m going to call a cab and head home.” He pulls out his phone and the stupid thing is off again.
“Seriously? Again? Who makes a phone this temperamental?”
Felicity extends her hand out to him, “Hand it over. Let me take a look.” She takes his phone and begins to dismantle it. As she works, she explains to him that this particular model has a factory defect due to a loose wire and tends to switch off frequently as a result. “All you have to do is fix that and it should work fine.”
When she hands him back his phone with a broad, sunny smile, it’s in perfect working order and he calls a cab.
She offers to help him to the door and as they wait, he tells her “You’ve been an absolute delight Ms. Smoak. Thank you.”
She lets out a laugh then, “Wow, you billionaire playboys are all absolutely terrible liars. I poured a bottle of water on you and nearly broke your leg. I think if you stick around for another ten minutes, I might accidentally set your tie on fire. It’s safe to say you barely made it out with your life.”
His cab pulls up and he gets in. As he’s waving her goodbye he says, “Well you also fixed my phone, are apparently helping out at my club and were, I repeat, delightful company. So once again, I thank you.”
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