be us against the world - t - olicity - part 3 [b]
title: we keep all our promises (be us against the world)
category: arrow
genre: drama/romance
chapter rating: pg-13/teen
overall rating: nc-17/explicit
inspiration: gif (source)
word count: 6,602
summary: [au - no island] Oliver Queen has no idea what he's doing with his life, but when his father gives him an ultimatum, he has to figure it out. After meeting Felicity Smoak, he finds himself on a new path and his eyes are opened to what happiness really means and how finding it takes more courage than he ever thought he had.
[Return.]
After bringing Jasper back to the shelter, they had breakfast at a little hole in the wall diner that specialized in hangover food. Oliver dug in happily, his headache slowly receding, while Felicity sat across from him. She fished around in her purse while he was filling his mouth with hash browns and brought out a stack of printed pages from her purse, red pen circling various parts and underlining a few others.
"What's that?"
"Research," she said, before laying them out on the table in front of him in three piles. "These are all of the most popular clubs in Starling," she said, pointing to a small stack. "I looked up their websites and then searched reviews for each of them on a few different sites. I've made notes in the margins on what worked and what didn't." She pointed at a second stack. "These are the clubs that started up and failed in the last two years. It's not a deterrent, or it's not supposed to be. I just wanted to see what they did wrong so you guys could avoid doing the same." Finally, she pointed to a third pile. "This is a compilation of the best clubs in the country. Now, they might cater to a different clientele than you're expecting here in Starling, but I thought it could still help, right? You're going to have to find something that sets you apart, but at least this way you'll have an idea of what people are doing, what they're looking for, and what to avoid."
He stared at her a long moment before his eyes fell to take in the piles. "This… must've taken you hours."
She shrugged. "A few days. It was nothing."
He shook his head. "No, it's…" He looked up at her, his brow furrowed. "You're remarkable, you know that?"
She smiled brightly and reached up to adjust her glasses in a nervous gesture he rarely saw. "Thank you for remarking on it."
"I… I can't thank you enough. I mean…" His throat suddenly burned with emotion and he looked up at her, tenderness flooding through him. "I know I've never really said it, but you've been amazing to me. I know we got off on a rocky foot and I screwed that up, but… Sometimes you're just the only person in my life that I feel actually gets me and… it means a lot."
Felicity reached across the table and found his wrist, squeezing gently. "Well, you were there when I was having a hard time, so it's nothing to do the same for you." She smiled lightly. "It's what friends do, right?"
"Yeah," he said, his voice raspy. "Yeah, friends."
She glanced down at the table for a moment before saying, "Listen, I know it's a sore subject and I might not be the person you want to talk to about it, but… Last night, you said some things about your parents and, I don't know, some fears you have that maybe they're disappointed in you…"
Oliver went completely still, his grip on his fork tightening. "I said that?"
"You… said a lot, actually. You were really upset about things with your parents and Laurel and… You said you always screwed up and that you would again, like you always do."
He could hear his heart banging in his ears. He wouldn't say those weren't fears, they were things he thought of often, he'd just never really voiced them before, so to hear them out loud felt a little overwhelming. A part of him wanted to deny the stark truth behind them, to somehow go back and stop those words from ever getting out. He didn't realize he was afraid until his hand balled up into a fist. He knew he'd been pathetic last night, but the fact that he laid all of that out there… He wasn't sure he wanted to know what she thought of him now.
"I was drunk," he said. "Apparently I'm… a depressing drunk."
She didn't answer right away and he slowly raised his eyes to see her.
She was staring at him a long moment, scanning his face, and then she said, "It's okay to feel lost, Oliver… It's okay to feel like you have no idea what you're doing with your life. But you should never feel like you're a disappointment, because you aren't. You're not a failure." She shook her head. "I can't speak for your parents, because I don't know them or what's going on in their heads or what kind of history you have with them. But I do know you…
He stared at her hesitantly.
"I know you love dogs and sushi and your favorite person is your little sister. I know Tommy Merlyn is your best friend and there is nobody you trust more than him. I know you hated school, you never felt like you fit there, but you tried because you thought that's what people were supposed to do. I know you hate the corporate world and ties and business meetings bore you to tears. I know how you like your hot dogs, that playing fetch with Jasper will always make you smile, and that you are trying really, really hard to be a responsible person other people can be proud of…
"But I'm going to tell you something you don't know that you should know…" She shook her head. "You don't need to make anybody else proud. You only need to make youproud." She tapped his hand, which he only realized just then was shaking. "Because at the end of the day, having somebody else tell you that you're happy or that you did the right thing or that this is where you are supposed to be doesn't make any of it true unless you actually believe it. So until you do what's right for you and make you proud of yourself, you're never going to fit anywhere."
Swallowing thickly, he blinked back the stinging of his eyes and nodded at her. "Felicity Smoak gets deep," he said lightly, but had to clear his throat when his voice came out thick.
She smiled gently. "Well, I've had some amazing people pick me up on some pretty bad days."
He nodded, shifting in his seat. "I like your friends. Jennifer seems really nice and Kelsey is…"
"She's a whirlwind," Felicity answered with a laugh.
"She is," he agreed, half-grinning. "But it works, the three of you together… I, uh, I've only ever really had Tommy. I guess I was kind of selfish with him, actually. I never really wanted to share and… making more friends was hard." He shook his head. "Growing up like I did, I had to be selective about who I got close to. Tommy was the only I knew wouldn't stab me in the back at the first chance."
"You guys must be really close."
"We are." His brows hiked as he reached for his coffee. "He's like my brother."
"And possible future business partner?" She arched a curious eyebrow.
"Possibly…" He turned his attention down to the papers. "I don't even know where to start."
She rubbed her arms lightly, her elbows on the table, and looked over the stacks thoughtfully. "Well, when I was doing research I thought you could show it to Tommy, put together a plan, and then pitch it to your dad. Maybe he'd sign on to help or be a backer. I'm not really sure how your money situation is, I just know it takes a pretty good chunk of change to start a business from scratch."
He hummed. "I think if I told my dad right off the bat that I wanted to open a club, he'd freeze my trust fund before I could finish the sentence."
"So maybe instead of telling him that's what you're going to do you could appeal to the CEO side of him."
He raised an eyebrow.
"He's a business man, right?" She shrugged. "So show him why he should invest in you."
With that, Felicity launched into the details of a good business plan, sharing ideas with him on how he could pitch it to his dad and what he would want to point out, above all else. Her hands waved around as she spoke, getting more animated the deeper she got. And, while he was listening, hearing how excited she was and how much work it would take to prove the club was a legitimate business deal, all he could think was that this woman, who didn't even like him a few months ago, had supported him more than anybody else ever had. She believed in him. Encouraged his dream. And, without even really meaning to, put him on the right path.
It was what friends did, yes, but he wasn't so sure friendship was the very limit of what he saw with her.
"What do you think?" she asked, smiling at him warmly.
He nodded. "Sounds great," he agreed. "I'll call Tommy, show him everything you put together."
She pumped her fist in success. "I'll be first in line when you open the doors."
"You'll be on the VIP list," he promised.
A light flush tinted her cheeks and he knew he'd never seen anything lovelier.
"You're serious?" Tommy asked, looking at him excitedly.
He dug the papers out of his briefcase and put them on the table between them. "Felicity did some research for me. We have everything here to help us build a business plan. She even looked up stats on alcohol consumption and what we can expect to be paying each month compared to what we'll bring in." His brows hiked. "So? Do you want to open a club?"
Tommy laughed, climbing from his chair and clapping his hands. "Are you kidding? Yeah, I want to!" he cheered happily. Shaking his head, he said, "I need to meet this girl of yours. She sounds amazing."
Oliver's excitement ebbed a little. "She is."
He grinned wolfishly. "Pretty too, right? I remember you saying she was pretty."
He nodded slowly, an uncertain feeling suddenly turning his stomach. "Yeah, ,no, she's… Felicity's beautiful."
Tommy's brow furrowed as he pulled his head back a little. "Beautiful," he repeated. "I don't think I've heard you call a woman beautiful since…" His eyes widened as he stared down at him. "Are you sleeping with her?"
"What?" He laughed, shaking his head at the accusation. "No."
Unconvinced, his best friend frowned at him. "Do you want to…?"
"I…" Oliver sat back in his chair and looked down at the papers in front of him. "It's not about sex. I mean… Yes, I want to sleep with her. But… Felicity's different. She's… special."
"Oh my god, Oliver." He leaned forward. "Are you in love with her? What about Laurel?"
He sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. "I-I don't know. I…" He shook his head. "Things have been off with Laurel for a while, and… I'm just… I'm happy when I'm with Felicity." He met Tommy's surprised eyes. "Things just makes sense when I'm with her."
"So… what are you going to do?"
He pinched the bridge of his nose, let out a heavy breath, and then forced himself to smile. "I'm going to put together a business plan, I'm going to pitch it to my dad, and I'm going to be co-owner of Sapphire, Starling City's most popular night club. That's what I'm going to do."
"Sapphire…" Tommy nodded. "Okay. I like it."
"Great." Oliver picked up a stack of papers. "Let's get started."
Tommy eagerly started exploring the information in front of him.
Oliver stared down at the pages in front of him and got to work.
He decided not to think too hard on the fact that he was naming his club after the color of Felicity's eyes when she was happy.
When the door swung open, he wasn't sure what he was expecting, but Laurel staring up at him with a hesitant smile wasn't it. "Hey," she said quietly. "I… didn't think I'd see you so soon."
He nodded, shifting his feet. "We need to talk."
She let out a heavy breath and pulled the door open wide. "You're right, we do." She walked down the hall, the invitation clear.
After closing the door behind him, he joined her in her living room. Things felt off. He felt off. Usually, after a fight, he and Laurel were on an unspoken break. A few weeks would pass of him screwing around and hitting the club network hard and then he'd drag himself back to her door, beg for forgiveness, and lay out all the reasons he would be a better person starting right that second. And she would accept his half-assed promises, despite knowing he was almost definitely lying, and they would get back together. Sometimes, half-way through that apology, they'd end up having make-up sex and just put the whole thing behind them. That wasn't the vibe he was feeling tonight. Instead, he felt distant, removed from her in a way he hadn't before.
He opened his mouth to start the conversation, but she'd already turned to face him.
Her eyes were brimming with tears and her mouth quivering. "I need to apologize to you," she started.
He blinked. That… was not how any of these conversations had ever started.
"You came to me and you were really excited about this club and I… I didn't support you, at all." She waved her hands around. "That wasn't fair of me. I should've listened to you and instead I just ripped it apart and I… I'm really sorry, because that wasn't right or fair and…" She shook her head, reaching up to swipe tears from her cheeks. "It's just, Ollie, you have to understand, we've been doing this for so long and it just feels like every time we're making any kind of progress, you pull back or you get scared or you get drunk…"
He nodded. "I do," he agreed. "I run, every time. As soon as any kind of responsibility shows up in my life, I'll be the first person to do anything not to have to carry it… But this club, Laurel, I want this. I want something of my own. Not- Not something my dad built and expects me to take over." He clenched his teeth, a muscle ticking in his jaw. "I can't fit in his shoes… I never will."
She stared at him a long moment, her brow furrowed, before finally she nodded, a jerky shake of her head. "Okay."
He smiled, but it was bitter. "This is usually the part where you tell me that I need to be better or you won't stick around… And then I lie, and I tell you I'm going to be exactly what you want… But I'm not. I'm never gonna be the guy that you want in your life." He licked his lips. "And we're just gonna keep doing this until you finally stop forgiving me."
"You're not the one who needs to be forgiven here." She walked toward him, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ears as tears dribbled down her cheeks. "This was me. I wasn't hearing you. I-I wasn't even listening. I've just been so… busy with school, and when you needed me to hear you, I just shut down. I… assumed that it was just another one of your excuses. Because that's all I ever get." She stared up at him, her eyes sad. "It's excuses with you. Just something to hold us over until the next time you drink too much or you drop out of school or you spend the weekend with three Victoria's Secret models… And you're right, I do forgive you, for all of that, so just… just this once, can you forgive me for not hearing you?" Slowly, she reached for his hand, squeezing it tight, her thumb rubbing circles around his knuckles. "I should've listened. And I will this time…" She tugged on his hand as she backed up toward the couch. "Please? Ollie? Just… tell me about the club, about anything…"
He stared at her.
Beautiful, loyal, loving Laurel… who put up with so much over the years. Who forgave him every time he screwed up, every time he cheated on her, every time she had to bail him out of jail. Who loved him when he did nothing to earn it. And even though he knew it was a mistake, he sat down on the couch, he let Laurel curl up against his side, and he told her about the business proposal and what he saw in his future. He told her about a club he was naming after another woman and he added it to the list of reasons he was a shit person.
The following afternoon found him in a flower shop. It wouldn't be the first time he'd argued with Laurel and found himself feeling like he owed her something. She'd repeatedly told him it wasn't his fault that they fought, but guilt was gnawing at him and the only way he knew to make it go away was through gifts. The roses he was standing in front of were familiar; as in, he'd frequently bought bouquets of the same a hundred times before, but something wasn't clicking as he stood frowning down at them.
"Oliver, right?"
He tore his eyes away and looked up to find himself looking at a pretty brunette he vaguely recognized.
Her mouth ticked up at the corner. "Jennifer," she told him, tucking her hands into the front pocket of her smock. "Felicity's best friend."
He leaned back. "Right. Her co-best friend," he remembered with a faint smile.
Laughing lightly, a soft tinkling noise, she nodded. "So? What are you looking for exactly? Apology flowers? Thank you flowers? Sorry your baby's so ugly flowers?"
His brows hiked. "I'm not sure the last one has a card to go with it…"
"I'm sure it does, but there are a select few you could give it to without being assaulted." She shrugged, glancing down at the flowers. "Or maybe something a little more… romantic?" She reached out to touch the deep red petal of a rose. "These aren't bad. A little clichéd, but you get used to that owning a flower shop." With a shrug, she walked past him to a bouquet of wild flowers on the opposite shelf, the colors loud and eye-catching. "Depending on who you're buying them for, I always say personality is better than tradition." Cupping her hand under an orange and pink tiger lily, she explained, "The key to flowers is to make sure you get them for the person, not the sentiment."
His brow furrowed. "Isn't there a whole thing about what flowers mean? I thought women liked that kind of thing..."
"People like it when they get things for them. You can buy roses because they're the most expensive or because tradition says they're the most romantic. Or you could buy daisies because they're a girl's favorite. Or you could buy a bouquet of wild flowers because when you look at them, they remind you of her spirit or the way she's always waving her hands around or maybe because when you're with her, your heartbeat forgets how to slow down…" She shrugged, tucking her hands back in her pockets. "But, by all means, if traditional is what you're looking for, those are fresh roses. I grew them myself. And the thorns aren't nearly as sharp if you take care of them well… But if you're looking for something a little less traditional, maybe something with a little more heart than the others, then this is where I'd point you."
He looked at her a long moment, the undercurrent of her meaning floating in the air. He looked past her shoulder to the wild flowers and his mouth turned up at the corner.
"Or maybe today isn't the day you get flowers," Jennifer said knowingly. "Maybe another day, when the choice isn't so hard."
He looked back at her and nodded. "Thank you."
"Sure," she said. "Good seeing you."
"You too."
Another day then, he decided, as he stepped out onto the street, walking away with his shoulders weighed down far more than they should. But the farther he got from the shop, all he could think was that there was no choice to make. He wanted wild flowers, he just wasn't sure he deserved them.
[Next: Part Four.]
Author's Note: A shorter chapter this time, but I felt this was a good place to leave it. There's a lot going on here, actually. Oliver gets to meet Felicity's crazy friends, Felicity helps him through a little bit of his self-esteem issues, Tommy and Oliver are a go for the club, Oliver and Laurel finally talk, even if a lot more is going unsaid, and Jennifer sees what's going on and puts it into perspective for Oliver.
Here's what I'm going to say about the Laurel/Oliver non-break-up... Oliver feels he owes Laurel. He's still in the beginning stages of changing his life and he's terrified of the unknown. He's used to Laurel - she's familiar - and this time it's not him making a mistake. But he does feel guilty because while she's apologizing and trying to make things better, he's still not being completely honest with her. There is a lot that he needs to say and hasn't. And that will come to a head, I promise, but I do want to stay honest with canon Oliver and he was a coward. He makes bad decisions and, here, he's still learning. Oliver can only deal with one thing at a time, and he has to show his dad that him going into the club business is a good idea. I'd love to hear how you think that will turn out... Will Robert yay or nay the club idea?
Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter: sandy1024, jaimer90, phoenix_173, purple_moon123, calliope1975, lionhearted_21, moonstar_sfu, and isdon_isgood9.
Please leave a review, I'm eager to know what you all think. Thanks so much for reading!
- Lee | Fina