The Way We Talk

Smile (Little Talks #5)

Prompts:  "Are those wedding bells I detect?"

When Thea steps off the elevator on the top floor of the Queen Consolidated building, she notices it immediately. She's not snooping, really; she's only there because she's supposed to meet Oliver for lunch, and he forgot (again). It's all pretty innocent, honestly, though she does like the opportunity to observe her recently-changed brother when he's not acting for the sake of the people around him.

And he is most certainly not acting around Felicity Smoak. He's smiling for a change as he leans against the glass wall separating their offices, carrying on some conversation with his executive assistant. Felicity is doing most of the talking—not surprisingly; the girl can talk—and he's nodding and smiling that little half-smile reserved specifically for her.

He says something short and abrupt to her, and Felicity shakes her head, smile falling off her face as she clearly starts talking about something else. She seems a little more concerned than usual, and how Thea would love to be a fly on the wall for that particular conversation. Abruptly, Oliver reaches over and touches her shoulder, saying something to her with a very intense expression. Felicity reluctantly smiles and nods before turning back to her computer screen. By the time Oliver is back in his office, it's as though the whole scene never happened.

It startles Thea to realize that Oliver actually let someone in for a change. And it surprises her that he touched Felicity. Oliver never touches people—or allows them to touch him. She figures it's a thing from the island—he had to get those scars somehow, after all—but Thea didn't think he'd feel that comfortable around Felicity Smoak. It's something she completely understands, but it still makes her a little frustrated with her brother. Why can he let some random person in, but not his own sister?

Thea tries to mask her surprise, but it must not work as well as planned. Felicity fixes her with a questioning expression the minute she walks into the office, head tilted to the side and calculating expression in place. Thea knows the game is up, so she does what she does best: turns the tables. She puts a hand to her ear jokingly before saying, "Are those wedding bells I detect?" She grins, crossing her arms before adding, "Sounds like it to me."

As expected, Felicity flushes, turning a rather impressive shade of crimson. "Oh..." she breathes, sounding strangled. "Oh no. Oh God no. No, we're not like that. It's just—" She pauses before starting again, speaking faster. "Not that Oliver isn't a good guy or anything. He is. Really. People don't give him enough credit, if you ask me. But it's just—I'm not that kind of girl to, you know, be the secretary in love with the boss or anything like that. I mean, that's probably the biggest cliché ever, and I'm trying to keep my life as cliché-free as possible, really." She winces. "Honestly, I don't think it's working for me, considering I work for Oliver Queen during the day, and at night—"

She cuts off abruptly, stopping herself mid-ramble at about the same time Thea can no longer contain herself. She laughs at Felicity's plight, and Felicity colors even darker (if that's even possible). "You are so easy to mess with, Felicity," she says, still laughing.

Oliver takes that moment to walk out of his office and into his executive assistant's, clearing his throat before saying, "If you're still interested in that lunch, Thea, we should go before you scare off my best EA." He takes her elbow to guide her out, but that doesn't stop her from missing the possessive tone in his voice.

Felicity stops him by replying, "I'm your only EA." Her tone fakes annoyance, but Thea knows better. "And besides, I know she's joking. She's my friend." Thea's a little surprised by the conviction in her tone; she's never had a friend that sounds so devoted to the idea.

Oliver ignores the second half of her statement—the most important part, in Thea's opinion—instead saying, "Yes, but if I had another EA, you'd still be the best." He winks at her, causing some of the faded color across her cheekbones to return.

"If we're friends," Thea suggests, "we should do lunch sometime. It would be fun." Felicity affirms in a soft tone, half-distracted, and Thea realizes she's missed some sort of exchange.

The conversation the two have is in some sort of language Thea doesn't know, using raised eyebrows, half-smiles, and intense glances instead of words and phrases. Whatever it is, they seem to understand each other in a way that belies the intensity of their friendship. Thea marvels, not for the first time, at the way they seem to be so in tune with one another. She's drilled them both—on separate occasions—about their relationship, and while they've both said they're not together, Thea wonders again if they aren't just exceptionally good liars. But, then again, she's known Oliver all her life, and the guy couldn't lie his way out of a paper bag.

Thea could probably give him the third degree during lunch. She could demand answers, could ask how much time the two really spent together, could inquire as to why Felicity didn't mind upgrading Verdant's computer systems pro bono. She could do all those things—and more—to demand details of her brother's love life, but she doesn't really see the point.

It doesn't matter what Felicity is to him because she makes him smile. That's enough.