Heroes, Computers, and Billionaires (Olicity) - Ongoing

Chapter 5; Assisting a Hero? An Anti-Hero?

Felicity Smoak:
After returning from work, Felicity was thoroughly exhausted. She had been fatigued lately and couldn't seem to shake the tired feeling.

"I heard that you ate lunch with my mother." Oliver asked as she made her way up the stairs.

"Yes, why?" she asked, turning around to face him with a forced smile.

"Is everything alright, Felicity?" asked Oliver, his face shifting from neutral to what Felicity perceived as slightly concerned. Over the past few weeks, Felicity was becoming increasingly better at reading Oliver's guarded expressions.

"Oh, yes, the pain medication makes me drowsy." she responded lightly, holding up her left wrist which was wrapped in white gauze, covering her burn.

"How have you been feeling?" he asked, his expression once again stoic. Was he being polite or did he genuinely want to know?

"Today was a lot better. I need to keep my mind fresh and nothing helps more than computers." she admitted, motioning to her head.

"Is the work load too much?" he countered.

"Not at all. If anything, I could use more work, people have been covering my load and I want it back."

The hint of a smile tugged at Oliver's lips. "You aren't just saying that because I'm your boss?"

"No!" she exclaimed, before repeating it, softer this time.

Oliver put his hands up in mock surrender. "My apologies. Goodnight, Felicity."

"Goodnight." she managed in response, and quickly rushed up the stairs. She entered her room and shut the door with a heavy sigh. 

The Queen mansion was beautiful, elegant, and all around put together. Her room was furnished in mahogany wood and gold colored drapes with a fancy embroidered bedspread to match. The flung herself onto the bed and buried her face in the smooth fabric. 

Everything felt so empty lately. She loved her work but it had changed so much without her. Moira Queen was kind, but Felicity knew better than to think them friends. Thea Queen was distant - Felicity had only seen her once. Oliver was, well, Oliver. He wanted nothing to do with her and Felicity knew that she should be fine with that - but she couldn't shake the feeling that she wanted to get that night back. She wanted to stay up all night laughing and exchanging stories and, well, what happened the rest of the night had been pure bliss. 

Felicity sat up, confused. She was crying. Why was she crying? She shook her head, drying her eyes. 

"I need to get it together." she mumbled to herself, pinching the bridge of her nose. She had been extremely emotional, perhaps hormonal even, and chalked it up to the trauma. She was shaken. She had almost died. That seemed valid enough a reason to cry sometimes, right? 

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Felicity tried to sleep. She pulled the covers up to her chin and stared at the white ceiling. Nothing.

One sheep. Two. Three. Four - oh, forget it. Tossing the covers, Felicity began to pace restlessly. Slipping on a coat, she decided to go for a walk around the gardens to clear her head. 

She crept through the now dark house, keeping her hand on the wall for balance. She intended to slip out unnoticed but froze upon hearing a noise. It came from outside and sounded like a crash. She paused outside the glass sliding door that lead to the back gardens. Someone was out there. Pressing her face to the glass, she watched as a hooded figure run toward the house - he was running toward her. 

Letting out a noise of surprise, Felicity dashed into the next room, and shut the door. It took her a moment to adjust to the darkness to realize that she was in Oliver's room. He was nowhere to be seen and the room was sparse; void of personal effects. The bed was neatly made and -

The window opened, letting in a gust of cold air. Felicity's eyes snapped to attention and before she could scream a gloved hand was thrust over her mouth. 

Oh my god. Felicity's thoughts were muddled but she fought valiantly against her attacker, kicking him where the sun doesn't shine. 

"God, ah, Felicity, it's me." 

She was released and spun around to face the hooded man. "Oliver?" she asked tentatively. 

He pulled the hood from his head and revealed, indeed, the handsome face of Oliver Queen. He had a small fresh cut on his left cheek and he had green color smeared around his eyes as a means to protect his identity, Felicity supposed. Her mind was racing as she tried to process what had just happened. 

"You are... you are The Hood?" she finally managed to Oliver, who merely nodded in response. 

"I wasn't planning on you finding out this way." he admitted, setting his bow down on a brown chest at the foot of his bed. Felicity eyed it and took an unconscious step backwards. 

"But you were planning on my finding out?" she asked carefully, her eyes searching his face. 

"Yes." he answered firmly. 

"But...why?" she countered, knitting her brows in confusion. 

"I need your help." he responded without hesitation. 

"You think I would help you kill people?" Felicity was incredulous. 

"No, none of that. I need an IT girl. I need a hacker. These men I take out, they are very bad men, Felicity." 

"Why can't law enforcement handle it?" she pointed out.

Oliver scoffed. 

"Just explain this to me, I'm trying to have an open mind here." Felicity shook her head in disbelief at what she was saying. Part of her wanted to run for her life but another part of her willed her to stay. Something about Oliver made her trust him. 

Oliver hesitated. "Someone sabotaged the Yacht to cause the accident that lead to my father's death," he began, "and before he died, my father left me a list of very corrupt men. Men who are ruining Starling City; who are hurting people. I am righting his wrongs." 

Felicity bit her lip. "So the man you killed, the one responsible for the apartment developments that collapsed, he knew that could happen?" 

"Yes, he used cheap building materials and unlicensed workers." Oliver answered her. 

"That man was responsible for the deaths of 500 people?" 

He nodded. 

"I'll help you under one condition." 

"And what's that?" 

"You don't kill these men. You leave them for the law to find with enough evidence to condemn them." Felicity proposed, mulling the idea over in her head.

"It would take forever, to compile evidence against them. And you honestly trust the judicial system to lock these men away? They have money, Felicity, and connections." 

"I can get all the evidence you need to lock these men up and throw away the key in less than five minutes," Felicity argued, "everything is online these days." 

Oliver paused, thinking it over. "We can try it your way. But the second that it fails I do it my way, understood?" 

Felicity's heart was racing. What was she getting herself into? "I..." 

Sorry for the short chapter, I need to set it up this way in order for the next one to be lOnGer :) and I didn't want too much to happen at once. Gotta save the drama. Also I need to change the picture for this chapter but I'm too lazy to do it right now aren't I just the best? :)))

Also, be warned, this chapter is entirely unedited.