Chapter Text
Comfort was a pint of mint chip after a stressful day. A warm fire and a plush quilt as she huddled on her couch watching Netflix while storm clouds descended on the city. It was a bottle of red wine next to a glass waiting to be filled as she reclined in her tub full of bubbles.
What comfort wasn’t was standing in the pouring rain, her hair plastered to her face, her glasses fogged from her breath as she waited for Ray to show up. The fact that he was late very well meant that she might be stranded. Once Ray became embroiled by a project he could very well forget the world existed for days. His fiancée, Anna, always laughed at his antics when she wasn’t scolding him for putting things off.
It wouldn’t have worried Felicity much, but her phone had died well over an hour ago. She had been playing Candy Crush as the sky darkened. The second the first rain drops began to descend, her phone went black.
So, here she was standing outside the steps of Queen Consolidated after midnight. Not one person in sight. Her car lay at the mechanic’s waiting to be finished after the minor fender bender she had yesterday. The day before yesterday now.
Almost to the point of desperation, Felicity was about to begin pounding on the glass doors behind her begging entrance from the security guards who had warned her, as they did every night she worked late, that the doors were to remain locked until six the next morning.
Frustrated, drenched and definitely desperate, Felicity began to walk down the street in hopes of finding a stray taxi roaming around on a Wednesday night. What she found instead was a masked man with a gun shaking in his hand.
“Give me your purse,” he demanded waving the weapon at her brand new leather purse. The one she had just spent a whole month’s worth of lunch money on. Which pretty much meant that it was devoid of any actual cash. And, frankly, her debit card wouldn’t be of much help to the man in front of her either.
The only bright spot in this otherwise crappy situation was that because she had changed wallets quickly that morning, her debit card was the only thing in there. Well, that and her license which had her full name and address. None of which she actually wanted to share with the man in front of her.
“I don’t think she’s interested,” a deep male voice said from behind the man with the gun.
The robber turned and as he did Felicity caught a glance at her rescuer. The shadows kept him hidden, but there was enough light to have a small reflection off the paleness of his hidden features. Features covered in something just a little bit longer than a five o’clock shadow. But the main thing that gave away his identity was the bow and arrow aimed straight at the heart of the bobbling robber. The Hood.
Felicity wasn’t sure exactly who she was more scared of. Her attacker or the man set out to save her. Right now, she was pretty sure the right answer to that question was both.
Inching back from the tableaux, Felicity wanted to run. However, the shiny Panda flats on her feet didn’t tend to have the best traction in normal circumstances, let alone in the drenching downpour that surrounded her. She stared down at them in contempt while she debated slipping them off her feet and making a break for it, all the while still backing away from the standstill that had overtaken the two men near her.
Which is probably why she never noticed the unevenness of the pavement. Her feet tripped and she went shuddering down to the ground. Her palm skinned from trying to delay her fall. Her skirt torn. Her pride, though, is what hurt the most as she squealed her pain.
A squeal that set off a chain of events. An arrow soared past the robber and right over Felicity’s head. Had she been at the Kentucky Derby, her hat would now be adorned by a green tipped arrow. The robber ran, firing shots wildly behind him in the direction of The Hood. And the sky, which didn’t seem like it could get any angrier, decided to prove exactly how wrong her powers of deduction could be.
The rain became so thick Felicity could barely see her hand. The only good thing to that was that at least the wound would be clean. Leave it to her to somehow find the bright light amongst the chaos.
“Let me help you,” The Hood’s voice came from next to her. That almost caused her to scream again but she managed to swallow it back.
“I… I’m fine. Really.” Felicity reached around blindly to find her bag and purse. Nothing seemed to have spilled which was another bright point in her favor. However, when she began to rise, she found out her luck had run out. “Ow!”
A hand shot out and found her back giving her support when her ankle refused to do as it was supposed to. Bouncing on her good leg, Felicity tried to find some traction, but her flats didn’t decide to cooperate. Before she slipped back down to the concrete below, Felicity was scooped up in solid, sturdy arms.
“I’ve got you,” came the soft, gruff voice above her head. He was using some sort of voice modulator to talk, but because of her close proximity to his mouth she could almost hear a hint of his real voice.
“You wouldn’t happen to have a phone to call a taxi, would you?” Felicity tried to tease but it came out a little more desperate than she intended.
“I do. Is that what you want?”
That was a damn good question. What she wanted was to be at home asleep and to wake up and find out all of this was just a dream. Unfortunately, the pain in her ankle appeared quite real. Pain like that tended to be as effective as a pinch, so she was pretty sure that the situation she was in was quite real. Plus, even with her vivid imagination, Felicity was pretty sure she would have never placed The Hood as her rescuer. Or had him quite as strong as he appeared to be.
A smile tilted at Oliver’s lips the longer she sat there without answering his question. Who was this woman? Where had she come from? All good questions. None of which he thought she would answer. “Why are you wandering the streets?”
“My ride didn’t show.”
Someone had left her here? Alone? Sure, this wasn’t exactly the Glades, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a chance that she could be assaulted. Case in point, the robber who he had run off. “You’re hurt.”
The blonde grimaced up at him. “You don’t have to tell me that.”
The smile that had been ghosting over his face came on full force. What was it with this woman that lightened his mood? “Can you stand?”
She shook her head, her face still radiating the pain she must be feeling. “I don’t think so.”
Oliver walked down a nearby alley. He had noticed that there had been a discarded chair. Finding it, Oliver set her down and bent down at her feet. He pulled her foot toward him and examined it. She tried to shy away from his touch at first, but he held on stronger trying his best not to hurt her further. “Let me see.”
He poked and prodded the swollen flesh. It was already turning blue. That wasn’t a good sign. Glancing up at her, Oliver nodded to the foot on his thigh. “It’s broken. I’m sorry. You’re going to need to get this looked at by a doctor.”
Oliver gently set her foot down before he rose. Turning, Oliver scanned the immediate area. At least here in the alleyway, they were protected from a large majority of the rain and his sight was much better despite the darkness. Spotting what he was looking for, Oliver went over to retrieve it. Returning to her side, Oliver bent down again and pulled a roll of bandage he kept in case of emergency in his jacket. “I’m going to wrap it with this stick. It should keep it steady enough until we get you to the doctor.”
“We?” He noticed her voice pitch higher.
“I’m not about to leave you here alone.”
“What about the cab?” she protested. “You can call one and wait for me in the shadows if you prefer to make sure I’m okay.”
Oliver began to wrap up her leg as he considered her offer. It was probably the more logical solution. But for some reason he wanted to make sure she actually made it to the doctor for treatment. If he could, he would walk her right inside the Emergency Room, but that wasn’t exactly an option in his nighttime suit. “If that’s what you really want.”
“Yes. It’s what I want.”
Oliver pulled out his phone and tossed it into her lap as he tied off the bandage. “No calling the police.”
“I wouldn’t,” she assured him. She sat there staring down at his burner phone. “Do you happen to know the number for a cab?”
He couldn’t have kept the laugh back if he tried. “Here.” Oliver held out a gloved hand to get his phone back. Quickly she handed it over, her hand shimmying over his for the briefest of moments. Oliver tried to ignore the shot of electricity that went through him at the soft touch of her flesh that somehow managed to glance over the small patch of skin that had fallen open between his gloves and his jacket. Closing his eyes, he gripped the phone tight. “Give me a moment.”
Rising, Oliver went over to a corner of the alleyway and called Diggle. “Hey.”
“What’s going on? Was there a problem?”
Oliver glanced back over to the blonde. “You could say that.”
“Talk.”
“I ran into a guy robbing a woman. I saved her, but she was hurt. She managed to break her ankle,” Oliver explained. “She wants a cab to take her to the Emergency Room.”
Diggle hummed as if in thought, considering Oliver’s words. “I have a friend. He drives a cab. I can see if I can get my hands on it.”
“She might recognize you. I can’t take that chance. We were both on the news recently after the whole arrest thing.” Oliver still couldn’t believe that he managed to get out of that one.
“So, what do you want to do?”
“Call her a cab.” There wasn’t much he could do otherwise.
“Where are you at?”
Oliver gave Diggle the address and hung up. Slipping the phone back into his pocket, he walked back over to the blonde. “Cab will be here shortly.”
“Thank you,” she said with relief on her face. “For everything.”
“You don’t need to thank me.”
The woman pushed herself up from the chair, hobbling as she tried to remain steady. Automatically, Oliver reached out and held onto her arm to give her the support she needed. “I really do.”
Oliver thought that would be that. He never expected her arms to encircle him in a hug. Despite her drenched state, he could smell a whiff of the honeysuckle and rose perfume that lingered softly on her skin. It reminded him of summer on the cold dreariness of the late fall night. Oliver could feel her skin shiver and it was then that he realized exactly how wet and cold she must be. She’d be lucky if she didn’t end up with pneumonia. Pulling her closer, Oliver tried to share some of his warmth with her. Having her so close was making his own skin burn.
“Thank you,” she whispered as she snuggled deeper into him. “I didn’t realize I was this cold.”
“You have to stop thanking me,” he whispered back.
Her head tilted back and Oliver wondered if she might be able to see his face in such close proximity. The grease paint had to have smeared in the drenching downpour. “Are you allergic to thank yous or something?”
A smile lifted the right corner of his mouth. “No. I just don’t deserve them.”
“I think you do.”
Oliver didn’t know why he did it. He had no idea he was even going to, until he did. His head lowered and his lips touched hers gently. It was a more of a butterfly kiss than a real one. But as he began to retreat from his stupidity, she pushed up on her one good foot and touched her lips to his again. He couldn’t have stopped kissing her at that moment if the entire police squad arrived with guns drawn.
Burying one of his hands into her hair, he held her there, anchoring her as he sought entrance into the warm, wetness of her mouth. Oliver groaned deep in his throat the second she gave him what he searched for. Their kiss deepened, lengthening to a point that Oliver began to feel the need for air. It was only then that he pulled back. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”
She opened her mouth to speak, but the honking of a horn interrupted whatever she had in mind to say. “That’s my cab.”
“Probably.”
“I’ll never see you again.” She stared up at him and Oliver recognized the desperation to keep her close. He didn’t want this to be the end.
“Tell me your name.” He never felt this desperation to know someone. He wanted some link to her. Some way to possibly find her again, even if there was no reason to search her out.
“Felicity.” She hesitated for a second and Oliver thought that would be all she would say. “Felicity Smoak.”
“Let me help you get to the cab.”
“Thank...” She smiled and nodded at him. “I forgot you don’t like those.”
“I think for you I can make an exception.” Oliver swept her up into his arms. He was determined that she wouldn’t need to walk until absolutely necessary.
“Then, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Oliver carried her the length of the alleyway. The shadows had shifted so he couldn’t go much further without exposing her to scrutiny. If anyone knew she had been with The Hood, the police might search her out for questioning. Not that she knew anything, but he didn’t want her to be exposed to that if she didn’t need to be. Oliver nodded toward the awaiting vehicle. “There’s your ride.”
“I’m surprised they waited this long,” Felicity said as she quickly looked in the direction he indicated.
“I might have mentioned you were injured.” The Hood gently eased her down his body, lending her whatever support she needed to settle on her own.
Silence descended on them while they stared at each other. Felicity gave a half-hearted wave and turned to go. She barely stepped away when he reached out of the shadows to grasp her hand. Unsure of his intent, Felicity allowed him to guide her back into the darkness.
“Felicity,” he breathed deep and she suspected he wanted to say something else. “I know you’re tired, but you have to promise me you are going straight to the ER.”
“I will,” she assured him.
“Good.” He nodded at her, but didn’t release her. “You also have to file a police report.”
“I can’t,” she quickly protested. She didn’t want to get him in trouble. And that’s exactly what would happen if she told the police all that happened. They would completely disregard the fact that he had actually helped her afterwards.
“You have to. That robber could have hurt you.” His eyes fell down to her ankle. “More than he already did. Than I did.” The Hood paused as his eyes met hers. “Tell them that you escaped but hurt your ankle in the process.”
“I will.” Felicity squeezed his hand. He truly seemed to be concerned. A side she had never pictured the man behind the hood to have. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”
“Too late,” he said with a soft smile.
She nodded because she didn’t know what else to say to that. Reaching out she patted his chest. “I hope that one day I can meet you again.”
The Hood nodded back at her. “Maybe one day.”
Felicity pressed upwards and placed a quick kiss to his cheek, relishing the slight pain from his beard. “Be careful.”
Those were the last words she said to him before she turned away and walked the best she could toward the taxi that would lead her away from him, maybe forever. The man in the taxi noticed her gait and quickly jumped out of the car to help her into the car. She thanked him and slid down into the seats thankful for the fact that the inside was nice and warm. Steam practically came up from her clothes at the difference in temperature.
Swiping a hand across the fogged window, Felicity squinted out the car towards the shadows. She couldn’t be sure, but she had a feeling he was still there watching. Felicity raised a hand and waved slightly. It was only as the car pulled away that he stepped out of the shadows and waved back.
Felicity settled back on her seat the second the driver turned the corner. She smiled down softly at her wrapped leg. After having the vigilante at her feet caring for her, Felicity realized her definition of comfort had now expanded.
There was something to be said for having one of the most dangerous men in the city lending her support, caring for her with gentle hands, making sure she was safe. Before today, Felicity would have never guessed that she would have felt comfortable around him. Now, she almost felt lonely without his warm presence next to her. And she didn’t even know his name or what he even looked like. Funny, she really didn’t even care. He had shown her who he was inside and that was the man that she would always remember.