Arrow, "Dark Stranger" Felicity/Slade, Felicity/OIiver "Five"
Fandom: Arrow
Title: Dark Stranger
Chapter Title: Five
Author: Paynesgrey
Characters/Pairings: Felicity Smoak, Slade Wilson, Oliver Queen; Felicity/Slade, Oliver/Felicity, and Oliver/Sara
Rating: M
Warnings/Spoilers: adult content, spoilers for "Heir to the Demon"
Notes: I'm shooting for about six chapters for this to be finished soon.
Summary: Felicity must make peace with Oliver's choice, even if it means turning her attention to a charming and mysterious stranger. Her attentions to someone else, however, do not go unnoticed.
Other Links: AO3 | FFnet | Dreamwidth
He thought himself a fool; he knew it the moment he pushed Felicity away. He was always pushing her away; especially when they were getting too close, or when she was learning too much about him, exposing his true self in ways he’d never been comfortable exposing before.
He didn’t know what he was doing with Sara. Well, he knew, and she knew, but they had come to each other because there was history, and he was relieved she was alive, so that he could somehow make it up to her all the injustices he had stained upon her life.
They found comfort in each other in the most basic and primal way. She wouldn’t even let him hold her at night while she cried. He would excuse himself from the bed as she clutched the damp sheets, screaming into the pillow to mask out the screeching sounds.
He might have loved Sara once, or he still did but it was peripheral and convenient. It was convenient for her because he knew her, deeply, and because he was here, and she was still running from Nyssa even though the woman had released her.
He’d caught her saying Nyssa’s name in her sleep, without tears, and he knew deep down Sara’s heart still belonged to the other woman - she still yearned for her, and if not for the kind of life that Nyssa required from Sara, there was no way she’d even be in his bed.
He admitted to himself that Sara kept his feelings for Felicity at bay. Fear struck him the moment Felicity told him about Thea’s lineage, and he was surprised at how broken he felt the way she worried he would lose her.
He couldn’t, honestly. He was even more afraid of the kind of man he’d become without Felicity’s friendship, but he kept telling himself that right now, that’s all they could be.
But you want more, a voice inside chided. It was true; he had caught himself several times before falling - before leaning in and capturing her lips or pulling her against him to feel her softness against his scars.
To want that, he felt greedy. He had so much to make up for, so much he owed Starling City and to all who he had wronged.
“You can’t expect her to wait forever,” Diggle had chided him once. It was after Barry had left, and he and Felicity had fought over his criticism of her work performance.
He hated when Diggle said things to him like that. He couldn’t answer, only scowl and know his friend was right.
Though part of him wondered if a man like Barry Allen was better for Felicity. That she deserved someone better, and that to love him would only get her killed. He still had a bitter taste in his mouth when he thought of McKenna, and he’d have nightmares every night of ways that Felicity would die before him, that he would fail her. The Count had made him feel that.
“She’s really something,” Sara said, and it surprised him because they were done training for the day and she was laying on her back stretching her calves. She was staring at the ceiling, and Oliver thought she was thinking of Nyssa.
“Hrmm?” he said.
“Felicity. She’s cool.”
“Yes,” Oliver said, but he gave her a quizzical look, as if he expected her to hate Felicity.
Sara rolled her eyes. “I like her, okay? She’s been nice to me, she patches up my wounds without question, and she’s loyal. Also, she hasn’t called me a bitch yet, which is a huge plus in my book. I hear that enough that it’s become a trigger.”
“Felicity would never call you a bitch. She calls Isobel a bitch, but not you.”
Sara laughed. “I bet she has good reason.” Sara met his eyes and stared. She seemed to have a million questions, but one was obviously sticking out. “Oliver, what are you doing to that poor woman?” Her voice seemed softer, but he could still detect the accusatory tone. “You couldn’t ask for a more pure-hearted, loyal friend in your life, and yet… you’re so blind to her.”
His brow raised and he sighed heavily, seemingly unhappy with the direction of this conversation. “Oh, so I’m blind.” His tone was shaper, and he met Sara’s stare defiantly. “I’m not blind… I just want her to be safe...from me.”
Sara blew out a breath. “Well, okay, but don’t you think it’s a little late for that?”
She stood up from her stretching and began to walk out of the training room without looking back at him, leaving him to his own thoughts. “Do what you want, Oliver,” she told him. “But as long as I’ve known you, you’ve had the best instincts when it comes to people. I can’t believe you left that on the island too.”
---
Felicity Smoak put on her pink pajamas for the evening and crawled into bed. She picked up the business card that Will Shade had given her that night, and she stared at his number.
They had reluctantly left each other’s company that evening, and Felicity had to fight every urge in her bones to ask him up to her apartment for coffee. Thankfully, good sense took over and she made herself wait. A little patience was a good thing, right? She couldn’t just jump into bed with someone because Oliver wasn’t looking her way anymore?
Still, curiosity for Will Shade bubbled in her brain, and she could resist researching him further in the only way she knew possible.
She was going to hack into the CIA’s database tonight. It wasn’t her most honest hobby, but it did give her a thrill. Only, normally she hacked into their system for important reasons.
She supposed vetting a new boyfriend was a good enough reason.
Turning to her laptop recharging on her nightstand, she pulled it into her lap and flew through her encryption keys to her programs.
“Just who are you Will Shade,” she whispered to herself, and she got to work.
---
Slade smiled as his computer beeped at him. He turned to the red-headed woman sitting next to him and met her eyes. She was smiling with satisfaction and excitement. Having her create an identity for him all across the world’s networks had been a great challenge, and a thrill.
“She’s looking into you, sir.”
“Thanks, Barbara. I imagine our dear Felicity Smoak is going to enjoy what she finds,” he said, and they both watched in glee as screens blinked and flashed at him, showing them how deeply Felicity could dig.
“She’s good,” Barbara said in admiration.
“Yes, she’s one of the best,” he said, and he heard Barbara snort next to him.
“Don’t be mad, love,” he told her. “Soon she’ll be out of the picture, and you won’t have any more competition.”
---
Felicity had hacked into enough intel about Will Shade that she was allowing herself to find. Some things, namely the majority of his past, was best left to redacted documents and shady reports.
She supposed he was being protected for a variety of reasons, one of the clearest being that he was often an asset to the American government on negotiating deals and bringing them high level information. He was a valued contractor and it was apparent the US had liberally given him some great freedoms, as well as a pretty solid reference if he were ever questioned for his expertise in any job setting.
Knowing that made Felicity admire him a little more. He was a true ally to the US, especially when he had no loyalties to a country that wasn’t his own. It only showed Felicity that he was a pretty decent guy and probably fought for his causes to create peace and diplomacy among sticky situations.
Despite the relief this gave her, Felicity was more than determined to pursue him. Once she was done with her programs and rounds for Oliver and their team that evening, she’d have to tap into her bolder self and call up Will’s number - maybe ask him out to a place other than Corner Bakery.
Of course, there was a snag in her plans - and her determination.
When she arrived in the basement that evening, everyone was gone except Oliver. The lights were dimmed, and Felicity was worried that they weren’t meeting tonight even though Oliver had sent out the group text to meet.
“Oliver, where’s Digg and Roy?” She didn’t ask about Sara. Sara had told her the night before she was going to be on her own for awhile trying to break up a rumored sex trafficking ring that had stained the Glades for a long time. Felicity definitely offered her full support on that, and she gathered a lot of information for Sara to use.
“Diggle is helping Lyla with a tough case, and Roy is actually out with Thea tonight. Some sort of anniversary.”
“Huh, so I’m excused for the evening?” she asked, feeling uncomfortable as he stared at her with eyes full of uncertainty and turmoil.
“Felicity, we need to talk,” he said simply. Felicity’s brow raised, and she almost choked in surprise.
She thinned her lips. “Oh, that whole you ignoring me thing, we’re finally going to talk about that?” she asked, feeling cheeky. She’d been so worried, so angry with Oliver’s cold shoulder lately that she felt like lashing out right now. At least a little bit. He had to at least know how she felt.
Oliver sighed and shifted his eyes, and she could see he was trying to control his own temper; which, when he did that with her, it usually meant he expected her anger.
“Look, you barely said anything to me after I told you about Thea and your mother. You didn’t even give me a chance to explain what really happened between me and your mom, and you acted as though nothing changed between us…” Her words trailed off. “Or between you and Sara.”
“Felicity,” he said her name, in a way that always made her shudder down to her toes. She couldn’t help the feeling; it was what he did to her, but she was still angry nonetheless.
“It’s okay; I get it,” she said. “Well, I don’t but I can see where you’re coming from.”
“I’m sorry,” he finally said, and she was taken off guard for a moment, but then she steeled her nerves.
“What’s to be sorry about? You kept your promise,” she said with a weak smile, and she avoided his eyes, looking anywhere but in his face. She didn’t want to see his expression; she didn’t want it to give her hope to keep waiting, only to be pushed aside again.
“You haven’t left me. You’re still my best friend,” she said in a shaky voice, and it took everything in her power not to cry. “So,” she sucked in a deep breath. “We’re done for the night? Nothing going on?”
“Yes,” he said, though his tone sounded uneven and she could tell he wanted to say more, but couldn’t. The ball was in his court, she mused, and he was still having trouble making the play.
“Alright, if you’ll excuse me…” she said, and she finally looked at him, feeling numb and shielded from the disappointment on his face. “I have a date with Netflix.”
When she turned heel and walked up the stairs, Felicity could hear Oliver yelling and grunting as he began attacking a nearby heavy bag.
Six
Title: Dark Stranger
Chapter Title: Five
Author: Paynesgrey
Characters/Pairings: Felicity Smoak, Slade Wilson, Oliver Queen; Felicity/Slade, Oliver/Felicity, and Oliver/Sara
Rating: M
Warnings/Spoilers: adult content, spoilers for "Heir to the Demon"
Notes: I'm shooting for about six chapters for this to be finished soon.
Summary: Felicity must make peace with Oliver's choice, even if it means turning her attention to a charming and mysterious stranger. Her attentions to someone else, however, do not go unnoticed.
Other Links: AO3 | FFnet | Dreamwidth
He thought himself a fool; he knew it the moment he pushed Felicity away. He was always pushing her away; especially when they were getting too close, or when she was learning too much about him, exposing his true self in ways he’d never been comfortable exposing before.
He didn’t know what he was doing with Sara. Well, he knew, and she knew, but they had come to each other because there was history, and he was relieved she was alive, so that he could somehow make it up to her all the injustices he had stained upon her life.
They found comfort in each other in the most basic and primal way. She wouldn’t even let him hold her at night while she cried. He would excuse himself from the bed as she clutched the damp sheets, screaming into the pillow to mask out the screeching sounds.
He might have loved Sara once, or he still did but it was peripheral and convenient. It was convenient for her because he knew her, deeply, and because he was here, and she was still running from Nyssa even though the woman had released her.
He’d caught her saying Nyssa’s name in her sleep, without tears, and he knew deep down Sara’s heart still belonged to the other woman - she still yearned for her, and if not for the kind of life that Nyssa required from Sara, there was no way she’d even be in his bed.
He admitted to himself that Sara kept his feelings for Felicity at bay. Fear struck him the moment Felicity told him about Thea’s lineage, and he was surprised at how broken he felt the way she worried he would lose her.
He couldn’t, honestly. He was even more afraid of the kind of man he’d become without Felicity’s friendship, but he kept telling himself that right now, that’s all they could be.
But you want more, a voice inside chided. It was true; he had caught himself several times before falling - before leaning in and capturing her lips or pulling her against him to feel her softness against his scars.
To want that, he felt greedy. He had so much to make up for, so much he owed Starling City and to all who he had wronged.
“You can’t expect her to wait forever,” Diggle had chided him once. It was after Barry had left, and he and Felicity had fought over his criticism of her work performance.
He hated when Diggle said things to him like that. He couldn’t answer, only scowl and know his friend was right.
Though part of him wondered if a man like Barry Allen was better for Felicity. That she deserved someone better, and that to love him would only get her killed. He still had a bitter taste in his mouth when he thought of McKenna, and he’d have nightmares every night of ways that Felicity would die before him, that he would fail her. The Count had made him feel that.
“She’s really something,” Sara said, and it surprised him because they were done training for the day and she was laying on her back stretching her calves. She was staring at the ceiling, and Oliver thought she was thinking of Nyssa.
“Hrmm?” he said.
“Felicity. She’s cool.”
“Yes,” Oliver said, but he gave her a quizzical look, as if he expected her to hate Felicity.
Sara rolled her eyes. “I like her, okay? She’s been nice to me, she patches up my wounds without question, and she’s loyal. Also, she hasn’t called me a bitch yet, which is a huge plus in my book. I hear that enough that it’s become a trigger.”
“Felicity would never call you a bitch. She calls Isobel a bitch, but not you.”
Sara laughed. “I bet she has good reason.” Sara met his eyes and stared. She seemed to have a million questions, but one was obviously sticking out. “Oliver, what are you doing to that poor woman?” Her voice seemed softer, but he could still detect the accusatory tone. “You couldn’t ask for a more pure-hearted, loyal friend in your life, and yet… you’re so blind to her.”
His brow raised and he sighed heavily, seemingly unhappy with the direction of this conversation. “Oh, so I’m blind.” His tone was shaper, and he met Sara’s stare defiantly. “I’m not blind… I just want her to be safe...from me.”
Sara blew out a breath. “Well, okay, but don’t you think it’s a little late for that?”
She stood up from her stretching and began to walk out of the training room without looking back at him, leaving him to his own thoughts. “Do what you want, Oliver,” she told him. “But as long as I’ve known you, you’ve had the best instincts when it comes to people. I can’t believe you left that on the island too.”
---
Felicity Smoak put on her pink pajamas for the evening and crawled into bed. She picked up the business card that Will Shade had given her that night, and she stared at his number.
They had reluctantly left each other’s company that evening, and Felicity had to fight every urge in her bones to ask him up to her apartment for coffee. Thankfully, good sense took over and she made herself wait. A little patience was a good thing, right? She couldn’t just jump into bed with someone because Oliver wasn’t looking her way anymore?
Still, curiosity for Will Shade bubbled in her brain, and she could resist researching him further in the only way she knew possible.
She was going to hack into the CIA’s database tonight. It wasn’t her most honest hobby, but it did give her a thrill. Only, normally she hacked into their system for important reasons.
She supposed vetting a new boyfriend was a good enough reason.
Turning to her laptop recharging on her nightstand, she pulled it into her lap and flew through her encryption keys to her programs.
“Just who are you Will Shade,” she whispered to herself, and she got to work.
---
Slade smiled as his computer beeped at him. He turned to the red-headed woman sitting next to him and met her eyes. She was smiling with satisfaction and excitement. Having her create an identity for him all across the world’s networks had been a great challenge, and a thrill.
“She’s looking into you, sir.”
“Thanks, Barbara. I imagine our dear Felicity Smoak is going to enjoy what she finds,” he said, and they both watched in glee as screens blinked and flashed at him, showing them how deeply Felicity could dig.
“She’s good,” Barbara said in admiration.
“Yes, she’s one of the best,” he said, and he heard Barbara snort next to him.
“Don’t be mad, love,” he told her. “Soon she’ll be out of the picture, and you won’t have any more competition.”
---
Felicity had hacked into enough intel about Will Shade that she was allowing herself to find. Some things, namely the majority of his past, was best left to redacted documents and shady reports.
She supposed he was being protected for a variety of reasons, one of the clearest being that he was often an asset to the American government on negotiating deals and bringing them high level information. He was a valued contractor and it was apparent the US had liberally given him some great freedoms, as well as a pretty solid reference if he were ever questioned for his expertise in any job setting.
Knowing that made Felicity admire him a little more. He was a true ally to the US, especially when he had no loyalties to a country that wasn’t his own. It only showed Felicity that he was a pretty decent guy and probably fought for his causes to create peace and diplomacy among sticky situations.
Despite the relief this gave her, Felicity was more than determined to pursue him. Once she was done with her programs and rounds for Oliver and their team that evening, she’d have to tap into her bolder self and call up Will’s number - maybe ask him out to a place other than Corner Bakery.
Of course, there was a snag in her plans - and her determination.
When she arrived in the basement that evening, everyone was gone except Oliver. The lights were dimmed, and Felicity was worried that they weren’t meeting tonight even though Oliver had sent out the group text to meet.
“Oliver, where’s Digg and Roy?” She didn’t ask about Sara. Sara had told her the night before she was going to be on her own for awhile trying to break up a rumored sex trafficking ring that had stained the Glades for a long time. Felicity definitely offered her full support on that, and she gathered a lot of information for Sara to use.
“Diggle is helping Lyla with a tough case, and Roy is actually out with Thea tonight. Some sort of anniversary.”
“Huh, so I’m excused for the evening?” she asked, feeling uncomfortable as he stared at her with eyes full of uncertainty and turmoil.
“Felicity, we need to talk,” he said simply. Felicity’s brow raised, and she almost choked in surprise.
She thinned her lips. “Oh, that whole you ignoring me thing, we’re finally going to talk about that?” she asked, feeling cheeky. She’d been so worried, so angry with Oliver’s cold shoulder lately that she felt like lashing out right now. At least a little bit. He had to at least know how she felt.
Oliver sighed and shifted his eyes, and she could see he was trying to control his own temper; which, when he did that with her, it usually meant he expected her anger.
“Look, you barely said anything to me after I told you about Thea and your mother. You didn’t even give me a chance to explain what really happened between me and your mom, and you acted as though nothing changed between us…” Her words trailed off. “Or between you and Sara.”
“Felicity,” he said her name, in a way that always made her shudder down to her toes. She couldn’t help the feeling; it was what he did to her, but she was still angry nonetheless.
“It’s okay; I get it,” she said. “Well, I don’t but I can see where you’re coming from.”
“I’m sorry,” he finally said, and she was taken off guard for a moment, but then she steeled her nerves.
“What’s to be sorry about? You kept your promise,” she said with a weak smile, and she avoided his eyes, looking anywhere but in his face. She didn’t want to see his expression; she didn’t want it to give her hope to keep waiting, only to be pushed aside again.
“You haven’t left me. You’re still my best friend,” she said in a shaky voice, and it took everything in her power not to cry. “So,” she sucked in a deep breath. “We’re done for the night? Nothing going on?”
“Yes,” he said, though his tone sounded uneven and she could tell he wanted to say more, but couldn’t. The ball was in his court, she mused, and he was still having trouble making the play.
“Alright, if you’ll excuse me…” she said, and she finally looked at him, feeling numb and shielded from the disappointment on his face. “I have a date with Netflix.”
When she turned heel and walked up the stairs, Felicity could hear Oliver yelling and grunting as he began attacking a nearby heavy bag.
Six