15344/Rooftop Follow-ups

Rooftop Follow-ups
Date of Scene:	09 July 2023
Location:	Penthouse -- New York City
Synopsis:	Necessary changes are coming to Felicity's place at Queen Consolidated and she finally has the chance to discuss them with Oliver.
Cast of Characters:	Oliver Queen, Felicity Smoak

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Oliver Queen has posed:
The chance to catch up with Emiko, to enjoy a little downtime with his sister as well before their work truly begins was most definitely a welcome one. It is pretty rare that they see one another when not dealing with some sort of crisis these days, it seems.

Not that Oliver is exactly broken hearted now that she has taken her leave once more either. That just gives him a chance to spend some alone time with Felicity -- which is definitely becoming one of his favorite things. Of course there is something of a lingering question mark hanging over that time together, that little bit of business that they dropped earlier. And while he doesn't particularly want anything to pull them out of their brief respite from the real world, sometimes it just doesn't seem to pay to put off the necessary.

The joys of growing up and gaining a new, better, more mature outlook on the world. Ugh.

The weather in the city is still lovely, though increasingly a bank of clouds rolls in towards the city, dulling the otherwise brilliant blue sky and occasionally passing in front of the sun, breaking that direct heat, at least temporarily.

Despite that fact, Oliver has taken refuge in that infinity pool once more, that water refreshing after laying out in the sun for much of the morning. The view is pretty good too.

Though in truth he's not really taking full advantage of either, instead shooting occasional glances the way of his lady love.

"Sooooo... you mentioned something earlier..."

Felicity Smoak has posed:
Felicity was in much the same boat as Oliver in that regard. She was an only child, and she'd spent most of her life... alone. Her mother worked 60 hours a week as a cocktail waitress for tips to keep food on the table and sent Felicity to MIT (with the help of well-earned scholarships and some student loans). The whole notion of having someone that's your age that's blood related is.. novel, even after years of watching Oliver with Thea and now Emiko.

Certainly not unwelcome, but novel. She was happy to encourage Oliver to spend time with Emiko, play hostess, and even make herself scarce so that he had quality time alone with her.

But she wasn't arguing with getting him back to herself, either.

After shrugging out of her coverup and leaving it on the chair, she'd stepped up to the edge of the pool and dove in wearing a dark purple two-piece, her body cutting cleanly through the water until she came up near the edge that overlooked the rest of the city.

She lingered there for a minute or two, looking out without even realizing that Oliver was watching her until he spoke up. When she turned back to face him, heat rose up into her cheeks and she swam over to him, gently wrapping her legs around him.

"Yeah," she says gently. "It's something I need your help navigating. /My/ Oliver. Not.. CEO Oliver or Green Arrow Oliver." So there were three of him, now, instead of just two.

She sighs softly, watching his face.

"Don't be mad. It's just a conversation, not a decision or an ultimatum. I know that appearances don't bother you, but it's more than just appearances, now. I'm /actually/ sleeping with my boss. And... I have a problem with that. Not to mention that this was /already/ a position I took just to make it easier for us to talk during the day."

Oliver Queen has posed:
Watching her in that bathing suit makes him that much more reluctant for this particular discussion.

It is still a lovely day and when they are done here there will still be plenty of time to get change and finally head out on the town, maybe see a few things on Felicity's bucket list. A chance to do the sort of thing that normal couples do all the time. Even if they don't quite tick the normal box in most of the conventional ways. The looming discussion doesn't really change any of that of course. That's something that Oliver keeps very much in the forefront of his mind.

Of course as she turns away from that truly impressive view of the city laid out around them, as she paddles back over to him and wraps those legs around him beneath the lapping waters of the little pool, that helps too. The pool is shallow enough that he can touch the bottom, and he leans casually against the wall behind him, hands loosely gripping her hips to hold her in place. And when the flush alights in her cheeks, a small smile even slides over his expression.

Then the shoe drops... and it's really not that bad. Not that he was expecting a huge 'I've made a terrible mistake' speech from her of course. But he stays quiet as she has her say, as she outlines her concerns about their work arrangement and the complications that their involvement bring to the situation.

And Oliver gives a quiet sigh. "I'm not mad Felicity. Don't get me wrong, I love having you as my Executive Assistant, both because you excel at it and because it means I get to see you so much," he says quietly, that warm smile sliding back into place. "But I do understand. The world isn't exactly a fair place and while no one is likely to say anything snide to me about our relationship -- and I wouldn't care if they did -- I know the same probably can't be said for you," he acknowledges.

The world might be changing -- but there are still some double standards that don't seem to want to die.

"And when I'm not being selfish, I fully realize that you're a little too good for the role. You make my life easier there, but you'd excel at anything you choose to do." he says intently, gaze locked on her own.

"So I guess the only really important question to ask is, what is it that you /want/ to do?"

Felicity Smoak has posed:
"A /little/ too good? Oliver, I have two Masters degrees from MIT, and as we discussed, neither one of them are in the secretarial arts."

It's pointed and a /little/ catty, but there's at least a flicker of amusement in her eyes when Felicity says it. They'd already fought this battle a long time ago, and she'd lost. She'd lose again this time if she pushed it because, in the end, she would be what and where Oliver needed her to be. If that was as his secretary, that's where she would stay.

"And I know you think they wouldn't say something to you, but you know the board is already watching you. The last thing you need is for them to think we're sneaking away during the day to get freaky. And whether or not you want to believe it, that's going to undermine your reputation.. /and/ mine. I didn't bust my butt and win the Nevada Mathlete competition three years in a row so I could get labelled /that/ girl."

So, her point was made. This was something she was passionate about. She had her reasons, and with those laid out, she brings her hands up out of the water. Her fingers move to his temples, sliding over his ears to brush at his hair affectionately, more than a little relieved at his receptiveness to talk.

"That's the hard part. I could just resign and figure it out.. put my resume out there, but whatever I find is going to make me less available for Team Arrow." Yes, she called it Team Arrow. "So, I thought I could start a foundation that I would be the executive director of. That's still an option. Then I thought.. maybe I could start my own company. It would be time consuming, but I could make my own hours."

Oliver Queen has posed:
The cattiness might be at least a little deserved though it is doubtful that Oliver is deliberately understating her accomplishments. Though he might not truly appreciate the time, effort and commitment that her effots at NIT would have taken. His own college career was considerably less accomplished, with his name and family money probably having more to do with carrying him to a degree then any real effort on his part. Effort would have required less partying and that certainly would not due, now would it?

He's grown, he's learned, he's not particularly proud of that part of his life. That has been fairly well established over the past few years.

"I may have been understating some," he says with a brief smile. "Possibly a lot. A whole lot," he adds, hands still loosely holding onto her beneath the surface of the cooling water. "It wasn't some sort of negotiating tactic, or anything," Oliver hastens to assure her.

"I know your worth Felicity."

Could he convince her to stay on in the role of his executive assistant? Probably. Oh, he could argue that the needs ot Team Arrow need to come first. That it is for the good of Star City and all of their efforts thus far. But that wouldn't be fair to her, to them. When he first returned home from Lian Yu, from his wanderings after his time on that island, he had a very solitary gaze, focused on one thing and one thing only. Vengeance for his home.

He's grown. It's only fair that she has the same opportunities.

"I don't disagree that you need to move on, but if there is any small part of you that thinks you're doing it to protect me, well I'm a big boy," Oliver counters, though still smiling and leaning forward to press a quick kiss to her forehead. "If the Board or the executives or whoever wants to complain that I have my girlfriend working on the company dime there is plenty evidence, both empirical and observational, that you are an amazing asset, amazing at your job, and that losing you is bad for the company. That's not an issue," he says firmly.

But it doesn't change the essential argument, doesn't change the fact that they can't just run out reams of evidence or facts or stories against everyone who sniggers at either of them over the matter. That it just isn't something that Felicity should be limited to and while Oliver would offer her a better, more important, more challenging position in the company in a heartbeat, she would still, first and foremost, be Oliver Queen's girlfriend.

"I'm not saying that it won't be challenging, maybe even for both Queen Consolidated and Team Arrow," he admits seriously before an devilish smile slides over his face. "And losing you before we really do have the chance to sneak off and get frisky in the middle of the day seems like a horribly wasted opportunity," he adds slyly before growing serious once more.

"But whether you decide to search for another position, or start your own business, I'm right there behind you Felicity," He promises. "If I were you, I think I would bet on myself. Be your own boss. But no matter what your ultimate choice is we will find a way to make it work," he assures her quietly.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
/I know your worth Felicity./

"I know you do," she says softly, leaning in to brush her nose against his. "We both knew I was overqualified to be your assistant when I moved up to the top floor, but it made sense... sort of. At least from one, kind of narrow point of view. And there was at least no reasonable argument against it. It wasn't like the money was an issue, it was convenient, and I only answered to you about what I was doing with my time."

Felicity's eyes lid when he leans in to kiss her forehead, and she smiles.

"There /is/ some part of me trying to protect you, Oliver. There will /always/ be some part of me trying to protect you. The last thing I want to do is add more complication to your life and /that many/ more people noticing and starting investigations into your personal life because you and I have taken the afternoon off to stop some supervillain. You've worked too hard to get where you're at. It's not just my credentials, it's /you/ looking like you're reverting to old habits and being irresponsible when you're not."

That devilish smile, though, has Felicity pursing her lips, one corner quirking up.

"You're a bad influence," she muses at the remark about a wasted opportunity. "And nothing says I can't stop in and bring my ridiculously wealthy and handsome boyfriend cheap takeout for lunch on occasion." She leans closer, pressing her lips gently to his -- a lingering touch that has her closing her eyes and relaxing against him.

"Thank you. That means more to me than you know," she says after a moment, eyes opening to find his. "And I'll still be your girl. I'm not leaving the team. We'll just... be able to have a more normal relationship, outside of all of the crime fighting."

Oliver Queen has posed:
So, the other shoe has dropped... and it's not nearly as bad as it could have been.

Oh, he rather doubts it will be completely smooth sailing. But then when is it ever? They just know some of the challenges that they will be facing up front and hopefully can plan accordingly. And when the unexpected inevitably crops up? Well, they will deal with that too. Just like they always have.

The lot of them are heroes. Overcoming challenges is pretty much built into the job description. If it was easy, everyone would do it.

It probably isn't very realistic for Oliver to tell her not to worry about him, that she doesn't need to protect him. It is also way too late for that. The intelligence that Felicity gathers as Overwatch, the advanced warnings she is able to provide, the research and investigation into leads -- all of it makes him better at his job as the Green Arrow. Makes what he does just a little safer. That already falls into the wheelhouse of protecting him. Worrying about his reputation, well, that's just one more thing right.

Sometimes you have to pick your battles, and ultimately Oliver has already surrendered this one. Fighting on seems a little pointless. So he smiles, leaning his forehead against her own, eyes glinting in the afternoon sun. "Fine. Be that way Felicity. Protect my reputation, even from my own natural instincts. See if I care," he says, his lips twitching slightly before he tilts his head and kisses her softly.

"Look, I have to make you work hard to counter my bad influence. I wouldn't want you getting bored by making things too easy for you," he teases softly, one hand slipping up her back to play along the nape of her neck once more. "I shall miss having you at my beckon call," he adds, lips curling once more into a grin. "But I suppose launch dates with my fabulous, beautiful girlfriend are at least something to look forward to," he murmurs.

Then arms slide around her more fully, drawing her in against his chest. "I know. Like I said, we'll find a way to make it work. It's just a new equilibrium that we'll have to figure out," he agrees. "Given everything else that we've accomplished, I'm sure we can manage that too."

Felicity Smoak has posed:
"Trust me. I could /never/ be bored around you," Felicity counters, eyes glinting playfully. Whether that was a jab at Oliver's non-stop quest to root out evil or something more personal isn't entirely clear, but one thing is absolutely certain -- she's pleased with the direction the conversation took. She seems lighter and, frankly, a little excited.

And who wouldn't be? She was very close to making a life-changing decision to branch out on her own... to remain a part of a team that was affecting real change on the people of Star City, but also to start something of her own entirely new. To be able to guide research, sell products, make a difference in the commercial sector as much as they were doing in the Arrowcave.

/Given everything else that we've accomplished, I'm sure we can manage that too./

Felicity's arms slip more fully around his neck, perched happy against them with the sounds of the water rippling in their movements. She gazes into his eyes after that statement, and there's nothing but utter belief and trust.

She smiles, leaning in to place one more kiss on his lips. "I love you."

Her eyes linger on him, after another moment, her feet are finding purchase on the wall behind him and she's wiggling herself out of his grip, pushing herself away. "Now come on! We still have the Met to get to, today, before they close."