19378/Sweatpants, Secrets, and Siblings

Sweatpants, Secrets, and Siblings
Date of Scene:	25 October 2024
Location:	Home Theater Room, Queen Mansion
Synopsis:	As Thea and Felicity gather in the home theater room for a long overdue movie night, Oliver returns home and reunites with his sister after being apart for almost two years!
Cast of Characters:	Felicity Smoak, Thea Queen, Oliver Queen

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Felicity Smoak has posed:
After their reunion, Felicity and Thea had left the Arrowcave like sisters, with the former turning off the lights on her apparent attempt to hack the servers involved in document storage for the White House. She told herself she'd come back to it once it had cooled down. After all, they'd gotten dangerously close (just six hops away) when she jumped up to hug Thea, and she didn't really want to set off any more alarms until they'd let down their defenses again.

Sometimes, even for Felicity, a good hack is like a souffle -- delicate, precise, and utterly unforgiving if rushed. It requires just the right balance of timing, finesse, and intuition to bring it to perfection. One misstep, one wrong line of code or premature click, and the whole thing could collapse, leaving nothing but a flat, disappointing mess. But when she gets it right? There's nothing more satisfying than watching all those layers rise, revealing a masterpiece only she could cook up.

Besides, Thea's home! And that calls for movie night.

Plus, she'd sort of casually dropped the 'my dad is one of our big nemeses now' bomb casually into the conversation, maybe hoping Thea would just move past it without getting angry that she hadn't mentioned it. Because.. she did! But, she knew Thea better than that. She wasn't going to get out of elaborating.

"Before the movie, but _after_ we figure out food," Felicity had promised. "I'm okay. I'll tell you all about it once we're settled."

So the two had returned to the upstairs, which has a butler, now. Edmund, a distinguished man in his late fifties with silver hair and an uncanny ability to sneak up on people. He's been tending to the house when no one's there, because with Moira 'moved out' and Oliver and Felicity spending some portion of their time in New York, the house needed someone to watch over it.

Probably.

Honestly, Edmund sort of moved in before Felicity did. It wasn't really her call, because she's not really a 'butler' kind of girl? But, she's gotten used to 'Jump Scare' Edmund, at least. For the most part.

Like the rest of the houses's staff of maids, Edmund is blissfully unaware of the Arrowcave. Or, at least, that's what they keep telling themselves. It's far more likely that Edmund knows that _something_ is up down there and is just too polite to stick his nose into it.

Some time later, though, Felicity has been upstairs to change into a pair of sweatpants that have 'M.I.T.' down the legs (NOT on the butt) and a tank-top, her hair still up in a ponytail, her glasses still perched on her nose. She's also got a GIANT bowl of popcorn, plenty to share, and a Stanley-style cup with a Pac-Man on the side of it. She's made her way back to the 'home theater room' (because everything in this freaking castle has its own separate room, apparently). She's sitting on the couch, legs criss-crossed with the bowl of popcorn sitting in her lap, munching happily while she holds the remote in one hand, loading up Netflix.

Thea Queen has posed:
Promises of ice cream. Promises of popcorn. Promises of a well and proper chick flick.

They don't have anything of the sort on Asgard. Or in space, stuck on space ships. But, even more?

Promises of a talk with a loved friend whom she's missed. The younger Queen has made many good friends, dear friends, on Asgard and on those spaceships. Yondu made her feel welcome, made her feel a part of the universe while she was away. Thor, Sif.. all amazing people. Brave, valourous, heroic.

But it was not home.

The pair of women separated, each to their own designs; Thea to 'her' room. During her path up, Edmund actually //stops// her as the front door opens.

"May I help you, miss?"

Thea stops in her tracks, the door half open, her body half across the threshold. Her brows crease, and she's honestly surprised, curious, and there is that feeling again that she's an outsider. But, of course this.. person wouldn't know who she is. "Um... who are you?" There's a pause before she steps in fully, "I'm Thea." As if that explains everything? It should.

"I see," is the response. "I shall check with Sir, if you please remain here."

"Oh, sure. Absolutely," Thea responds slowly, each word drawn out.

The moment Edmund disappears, however, the brunette is on the move silently, taking the steps two by two until she reaches the top. Then, off to her room to find a proper pair of sweats. Once changed, the younger Queen is in a pair of pink sweats, a loose t-shirt covering her frame, and barefoot. She rushes down the stairs, keeping an eye out for Edmund before slipping into the theatre room.

THAT, she knows is there. Many a movie was watched when she was younger with dad and Oliver (if he wasn't going out).

Sliiiiiiiding into the room, Thea closes the door behind her with a *click* before she walks towards the overstuffed couch.

Her thumb is pointed behind her, her expression underscoring the question, "A new butler? Seriously?" They'd never had butlers. Robert insisted upon everyone doing things on their own, not that it was always successful that is. As for maids and a cook, well.. they had the responsibility of keeping their own rooms clean and such..

She flops gracelessly onto the couch, but even with that lack of grace, there is something 'different' about her. New. It's in the way she moves, maybe?

Oliver Queen has posed:
He missed the previous reunion.

Ollie is not exactly what most people would consider to be a workaholic, at least not when it comes to the day to day operation of Queen Consolidated. He is not an absentee CEO either - though the Board might take a narrower view on that - but he doesn't live and breath the corporate lifestyle.

For the most part he can get away with that too, being blessed with a pretty compentent group of executives that keep things humming along on those occasions when he seems otherwise occupied doing, well, whatever it is that he gets up to. That part isn't always clear. At least not to anyone that doesn't know him extremely well at any rate.

Even when he is working, the blonde billionaire has mostly managed to arrange things so that he can do what needs to be done from home - whether that home is in Starling City or New York City.

But sometimes you just need to be in the office. And that is where he has been for most of the day today. Under other circumstances that might leave him just a little bit surly, a little bit eager to strip out of his monkey suit - which is still better then Felicity's raccoon suit - and into something a little more... green. And punchy. Or at least twangy.

But tonight is a little different then most nights.. While he might not have caught the earlier reunion in the Arrowcave, the ever efficent - and just a little officious - Edmund has insured that he is well aware that there is a Thea Queen in residence. If only because he wanted to insure that she was actually allowed on premesis. And while Ollie might have provided him the necessary signoff, he is fairly certain that she won't exactly be standing around, waiting for the new butler to give her his blessing. The poor man might have his hands full with all of them.

His impatience isn't likely to significantly decline as he tries to get out at a reasonable time and his temper might get just a little short as a seemingly unending stream of delays prevents him from doing that, but finally Ollie breezes through the door of the mansion, hands already digging into the tie at his neck, loosening it and then jerking it free. The top two buttons are unfastened almost as quick and the jacket rather casually tossed onto the bannister rail much to Edmund's apparent disapproval.

"Where--?" he starts to ask, though he is almost immediately cut off by the other man as he gives a little 'ahem' deep in his throat and begins to retrieve and straighten out both tie and jacket. "The theater room sir," is the oh so proper response.

With no further hesitation, Ollie turns and strides down the hall in that direction.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
"Oh! You met Jump Scare. How'd it go? You're here, so I assume you found a way to sneak back in."

The grin slipping across Felicity's lips, even as she munches on a kernel of popcorn, is almost evil. At least for Felicity, who probably couldn't really pull off 'evil,' even if she were given a pound of Halloween makeup. Speaking of which.. they should really do something for Halloween. Aaanyway..

"_So_ not my idea. _Technically_, Edmund was asked to move in before I was, which I'm choosing not to take as a slight because apparently Oliver assumed I was going to move in without him having to ask. Like, we came back here after seven months in New York, and I think he was genuinely surprised I still had an apartment."

The entire time, there's mirth dancing in her eyes and an entirely pleased smile curling her lips. There is _no_ actual animosity about any of it, despite the fact that there had been just a little bit of tension while it was all happening.

"Really, though... there hasn't been anyone here while we've been in New York. So, I get Oliver not wanting to leave the place empty. And Edmund grows on you after a while. It's like combat training. I'm pretty sure he was actually a ninja in his younger years."

Which would be more funny if she wasn't surrounded by so many ninjas and ninja-trained people all the time.

"Oh! For sharing," Felicity says, lifting the bowl of popcorn a little. "And you're welcome to some of my water, but I didn't get you anything because _technically_, I'm the guest, here." More humor in her eyes and curling her lips. "Plus, I wasn't sure what you wanted -- "

The words are interrupted by the sound of Oliver's arrival, and though she looks up with a warm smile, she doesn't jump up from the couch. She might have, if they'd been alone, but there was no way she was going to stand in the middle of this reunion. So, she just grabs another kernel and pops it into her mouth, sitting quietly.

Thea Queen has posed:
"Yeah, met him," Thea returns, her tones dry. "Dad never wanted one around," comes the beginning of the explanation. Robert will always be 'dad', regardless of what happens (or happened) in her life. He was the one that defended her, went toe to toe with mom on several contentious occasions when Thea was being less than 'obedient'. Or even mindful. "He always thought them a bit much."

The fact that she found a way around him, though? Thea never had any doubt. While she's not //that// good, she's that good. "You are totally going to have to tell me about this New York City thing, too. Why you guys thought Hell's Kitchen was a thing?" She shrugs, but she's settling in easily enough. The fact she doesn't have anything to drink in hand, however, has Thea rising to her feet once more, her hand in the air, finger pointing up. "Hold that thou-..."

There comes another *click* to the door, and it opens, revealing a slightly askew Oliver Queen, his tie half settled, half 'time to loosen this puppy up'. Thea stands still for a long heartbeat before she launches herself at her big brother, the years melting away, as if she was a kid again. "Ollie!" Arms reach up to wrap around him in a hug/tackle, her smile wide on her face even as blue eyes well up.

Oliver Queen has posed:
Truth be told, Ollie isn't really a butler kinda of guy either.

To be sure there are disadvantages. Like the fact that he felt the need to check in before letting Thea into her own home - or at least trying to deny her access. Or the fact that the man is a little too good at what he does for his own good.

But then Ollie hadn't really intended to call New York City home for seven months. He hadn't really intended to go on splitting his time between those two cities as they have since then. Things come up, and with none of the rest of the family in residence, having someone in charge, someone to watch over the place only made sense. Which means that some small things have to be put up with.

Really, the house has probably never been as efficiently run. And if the man has any questions, any doubts about his employers, he apparently deserves that his generous compensation includes a committment on his part to be both discrete and quiet about their comings and goings.

Catching the last bit of Thea's sentiments as he steps into the room, Ollie plants himself in the doorway and rather casually folds arms across his chest, a slow grin sliding over his face. Peering past his sister for just a moment, he winks at Felicity who happens to be facing his way.

Then he chimes in. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. It's still a good one. Just a little more of a challenge then I bargained for," he comments oh so casually.

But he means it. Following up on the intiative to try and start rehabilitating the Glades it only made sense to continue pushing the Board to extend the program. And Hell's Kitchen made a good, first step. Or at least it would have if it wasn't quite so firmly in the grip of that Triad. Oh well, slow progress is still progress.

Stepping into the room, the grin that slides over his expression wipes away any lingering traces of the days trials and tribulations, any trace of that annoyance and he throws his arms open to catch Thea. "Speedy, it's been to long," he asserts, shamelessly dropping that annoying little nickname.

"It's good to have you back home where you belong," he adds, arms wrapped around her as his gaze flickers over towards Felicity once more. "It's good to have everyone where they belong."

Well, almost everyone at least.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
"Well, if you're going to be sticking around..."

They didn't really need someone to keep an eye on the house if Thea was going to be there. Not that Felicity _wanted_ to put ole' Jump Scare out of a job, mind you. She'd grown fond of being scared half-to-death while standing in the big, walk-in pantry and looking for something to snack on. Because who doesn't love former ninjas running the house they live in?

He probably wasn't a former ninja.

Probably.

Then again, if Thea was going to be coming to New York with them, too, maybe Edmund's job was safe, after all. Whatever. All things to be figured out.

The sound of her crunching on popcorn can still be heard, even as she meets Oliver's eyes at the door, the lenses of her glasses faintly reflecting the room's light. A warm, genuinely happy smile curls her lips, and even as she watches that whole reunion, she stays quiet until the very end.

It's good to have everyone where they belong.

Felicity's expression softens, and there's a little bite of her bottom lip as that acknowledgement passes between them. She, just as much as Oliver, seemed to feel that this is where she belonged, too -- where she could be with him and now Thea. She'd loved her apartment, her bachelorette pad, and all of the memories she had there... but after seven months in New York, it was hard to imagine going back to a life that only included Oliver when they were working or 'dating.'

It... didn't really feel like 'dating' anymore. After thirteen years of knowing each other and figuring out the romantic side of that relationship over the last couple of those, they'd finally settled into something much more comfortable than that. Partners. In crime, of course, but also in life.

Of course, she knew, too, how many were missing from that equation.

"Just in time for the holidays," she points out, trying to keep the mood up and scooting a little to make sure there's room for Oliver -- wherever he may choose to sit -- but staying where she is. There's no rush to this. She got her time to greet Thea. This is Oliver's.

Thea Queen has posed:
"Ugh," Thea manages, still so totally keeping a hug around her big brother, "it was amazing, not being called Speedy." Has it really been so long? It seems like forever ago and just yesterday. She doesn't particularly want to let go. Not right now. Maybe in a few more heartbeats, but at this very moment? Nope.

Everything is just so //familiar//; as if she'd never been gone. But yet, things absolutely have changed.

Finally, Thea manages to look up again, and quickly wipes those wet-welling eyes. (Thankfully she'd taken off her eyeliner, at the very least!) "Even without mom here," she begins, the question in her voice, "I mean, it's a hell of a bachelor pad. I wouldn't think you'd want your little sister in the way." She finally glances back to Felicity, her tones taking that //little sister// tonality, if only for the moment. "And you have to tell me where mom is. Or I have to get her number from you." Here's the guilt setting in. Who knows what Moira thinks, not having Thea around for a couple of years. Does she think her to be dead? Mad and simply not called? Has mom tried to call her and she simply never got the message, as cell service sucks in outer space?

Finally, however, she gets something of an answer, 'back home where you belong', and she leans into him again, the hugging restarted, if only for the moment.

She does have to let go, and let go she does, but unwillingly. She looks up at her brother, her smile tinged with those tears, "Ollie, I have to tell you what I did. The things I got to see, and do." Years on Asgard, in space, and she's here, home, crying because she's face to face with her adored big brother. And now, even without it being an official addition to the family, an addition to the family.

Thea barks a laugh, looking over her shoulder at Felicity at the mention of holidays, and undoubtedly decorating. "With you here, it means twice the holidays." And TWICE the decorating. "Think you're up for it?"

She nods quickly, however, underscoring her next words, "Yes, I'm sticking around. I have the club, and I just need to be //home//, and regular ol' Thea." And maybe Red Arrow. Definitely NOT Speedy. "And maybe now that I'm home..." Unspoken is 'mom will come back?'. As much as the two women have fought over the years, it's still her mom.

Oliver Queen has posed:
That almost immediately prompts a face from Oliver, scrutching his own up as he gives a little shake of his head. "That sounds horrible. I can't have you going soft on me Speedy. Don't owrry, I won't let you forget it. What else are big brothers for?" he asks with wide-eyed innocence - something that he most definitely cannot pull off. He is a man of many talents. That is certainly not one of them.

Still he keeps his arms wrapped around her for a few moments longer - that's one of the advantages of watching movies in the comfort of one's own home, they don't start until you chose them to - and for a moment they even tighten before his grip finally slackens a little. "Sounds like you might have a few interesting stories to tell to," he agrees with a smile, finally letting one of his arms drop back to his side.

The other lingers in place, comfortably draped around his sister's shoulders. That smile likewise lingers, all trace of the days frustration seemingly gone. It only dampens a little at the mention of their mother though he's quick enough to nod. "Where she is, who's to say. She seems to be keeping on the move," he says drily. "But I can give you the number to reach her. If she picks up at any rate," he offers, brow furrowing slightly. "I can't believe she hasn't been in touch. You really must have been off the beaten trail," he says, starting to steer them back over towards those comft seats.

"As for staying, of course you will. This is still your home too," he insists before that smile slips into an outright smirk. "It's not like you'll be crowding us. The place only encompasses two or three zip codes," he points out, voice still colored by dry humor.

"If you come visiting us in New York that might be another matter. There's a couple of guest rooms, but you might eventually be more comfortable in a hotel," he concedes before flashing a wicked grin Felicity's way. "Though I guess we could try to behave."

Turning his head, he brushes a kiss across Thea's cheek. "It's good to have you home Sis," he says quietly, finally slipping that arm free, padding over to his girlfriend for the moment, leaning in to press a quick kiss to her lips as well, one hand instinctively coming up to bury in her hair. At the mention of hte holidays though he straightens, wry smile on his face. "I thought we could have Edmund decorate for Halloween," he suggests with feigned innocence. "I figure he could come up something that would surely terrify you."

Felicity Smoak has posed:
Felicity lifts her hands, palms up, in a gesture that could either be surrender or a good-natured defeat. "Count me in! I mean, Oliver and I spent the holidays in New York last year, and I have _always_ wanted to see how this place manages to get all those decorations up without looking like it belongs on a postcard from the North Pole," she laughs, her blue eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

"I literally assumed you guys hired, like, an entire team of decorators to handle it. I mean, just the garlands on the grand staircase would take ages," she adds, gesturing with wide eyes as she imagines the mansion decked out for the season. "As long as we can find a place for the menorah, I'm totally on board. I've got this really beautiful, minimalist one that's battery-operated, so it won't cause a fire hazard in the middle of our winter wonderland."

There's a beat.

"Just don't expect me to hang up the really high ornaments. Anyone who puts me up on a ladder does so at their own peril. Or my peril. One of the two. I'll leave the ladder work to the experts."

Though I guess we could try to behave.

"Oliver!"

...who then gets pelted by a well-aimed popcorn kernel. Maybe _she_ should wear the hood, some time. Armed with POPCORN. It doesn't keep the heat from creeping up into her cheeks (or the smile off of her lips), but she shakes her head and turns her attention back to Thea.

"The penthouse is huge," she insists. "There's _plenty_ of room for you, and if you're up for it, there's plenty to do in New York, too. We could always use an extra set of hands."

But then Oliver's walking towards her, and she places one hand on the popcorn bowl to steady it as she leans up to meet that kiss with a warm smile, hand briefly brushing across his chest before a couple of fingers catch his shirt and she gives him a little tug.

"You're going to be sad when I finally have that heart attack," she warns with a mock shiver, though there's laughter in her eyes.

Thea Queen has posed:
There it is again. "Ugh," Thea repeats before giving her brother a nudge. "I guess I forgot that part," she grumbles, though she absolutely can't keep the happy grin off her face.

Home! She's home.

//Of course// little sister picks up on the silent cues, particularly about mom, but Thea absolutely can't help herself. It doesn't seem right, them being together and mom being, well, somewhere else that isn't here. "Okay, give me the number," and it almost sounds like she has a plan. Or at least forming one that may or may not involve travel.

Who knows?!

She can't help the laugh, the sound a happy one. "It totally does. Remember we used to yell down the dumbwaiters in our rooms? Used to drive mom nuts. And Consuela." The cook. "The one thing this place actually needs is a communication system." But, it's probably too old of a building now.

As Oliver slips free, Thea is also freed up in order to get something to drink from the kitchen. "I.." She opens her mouth and closes it again, "Ew. You know how hard I worked on getting you guys together, right?" There's the grin, her blue eyes gleaming, and she waves a hand, "I'll let you guys have the Penthouse. All yours. Walk around in your underwear if you want." And probably worse, no doubt. But that's okay!

As for the decorating?

"Ollie and I used to decorate the place. Took a weekend, but we did it. An a tree. And we used to pull out our old ornaments. You know, the kind we used to have to make at school?" Her tones turn conspiratorial, "Oh, no. You're not getting out of it with one little apartment sized menorah. We're going lights, we're going candles. And we're totally giving all the presents." Which means? Shopping. How many shopping days until Channukah now?

"But, lemme grab something to drink. I'll be right back. Then, we start."