Work Text:
A Talk with a Friend
“Dude, you’ve got it bad.”
Oliver’s head jerks up and he glances to the side to find Tommy sitting on the park bench next to him. He glances around the sunny backyard of Queen Mansion. He didn’t hear his best friend approach.
“What are you talking about Tommy?”
His friend laughs and pats him on the back. “You have that stupid, lovestruck look I know I always wore around Laurel. Come to think of it, you used to look at Laurel that same way. But it’s not her this time.”
Oliver sighs, leaning back into the wooden bench, feeling the slats against his back, running a hand through his hair. “No. It’s not, but it doesn’t matter because nothing can happen.”
“Why not? You love her, she loves you. I’m not seeing the problem here buddy.”
“It’s not that simple, Tommy. Because of what I do-“
“Don’t give me that bullcrap! This is just your commitment issues speaking.” Tommy claps him on the back with a shit-eating smile. “What’s new is that you actually want something serious with this girl.”
“Tommy...”
“No. You’re too thick headed to make a move because of your perceived threats to her life. Here’s the problem, Oliver: She’s willing to risk it. She’s in danger every day, yet for some reason she stays. I’m your best friend and even I couldn’t sit down there every night and help you do what you do. The two of you are something special.”
“Tommy-“
“No.” He doesn’t raise his voice, just holds out a hand to stop his friend. “Oliver, here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to tell her that the ‘I love you’ wasn’t a ruse. Then, you’re going to ask her on a date, take her out to a nice dinner, and then kiss her when you say goodnight, like a proper gentleman. You’re going to do this right.”
“I don’t-“
“Oliver Jonas Queen, you are going to do this. I called you a murderer, but she has turned you into something greater: a hero, a symbol. She did something Laurel and I couldn’t do. And I think you know that. Stop being an idiot.”
“How-“
“Oliver, stop making excuses and just do it. That’s what you do best. Just act, don’t think.”
Oliver laughs, shaking his head. “I’m just...” He flounders for the right word.
“Nervous?” Tommy chuckles at his best friend’s startled expression. “Let me guess, there are butterflies assaulting your stomach and you can’t think straight. You’re torn between wanting to thoroughly kiss her and wanting to run away from the intensity of your feelings. You can’t form coherent sentences around her. You’d give anything to see her smile and scare away her fears. You can’t stop smiling when she looks at you. You can’t keep your eyes off her when you’re in the same room.”
Oliver’s smile softens as he thinks back to his girl and her life-brightening smile, her adorable rambling, and her love of colors.
“Face it, Ollie: You’re in love.” Tommy claps his buddy on the back again, a sad smile on his face that Oliver is oblivious to. “So as soon as you wake up, ask her out. Don’t waste another second.”
Oliver nods, confident smile back in place. Then he actually listens to the words. “Wake up? What do you-“
“OLIVER! DON’T YOU DIE ON ME!” Felicity’s voice pierces the dream, echoing around the scene as it wavers, like a bad TV connection.
Oliver turns back to Tommy, finally noticing the sorrow in his eyes. With startling clarity he remembers finding his friend dying in the collapsed CNRI building. His eyes start to tear up. “Tommy-“
“It was good talking to you, buddy. Take good care of your girl.”
Taking a shocked breath, Oliver sits straight up. The pristine mansion lawns have been replaced with the cold, dark city. He’s soaking wet with Felicity and Digg leaning over him, both of them obviously breathing easier than a few seconds before. Felicity throws herself into his arms and he wraps her in a hug, the image of his best friend still lingering in his eyes.
“Thank God! I thought we had lost you for a second there.”
“Me too,” Oliver whispers into her hair.
She pulls back and pokes him angrily in the chest. “Don’t you ever scare me like that ever again.”
He nods somberly and lets them help him up, forcing himself to walk normally without their help. Digg walks ahead to get the car, but Tommy’s words echo in Oliver’s head and he grabs Felicity’s arm to pull her back. Her eyes are full of love and worry as they meet his and it takes his breath away. The butterflies return full force and he has to swallow past his sore throat to speak.
“Felicity, would you like to go to dinner tomorrow night, well I guess it’s technically tonight, but dinner...with me?”
He waits with baited breath as she contemplates him before she beams and he can’t help but smile back. “You mean, like a date?
“Yes...a date.” The word doesn’t sound real to Oliver, like this is more a dream especially when she nods in consent and the whole world seems a bit brighter. He’s walking on clouds for the rest of the night.
Tommy stands beside his best friend and pats him on the back. He knows Oliver can’t feel it, but he’s happy for his friend. The stupid lunk just needed some sense smacked into him and Tommy’s glad he was the one who got to do it. It looks like his work here is done. “Just don’t mess it up, Oliver.”