Chapter Text
Oliver walked down the jetway shifting his heavy pack on his back as he entered the plane. One last check of his ticket reminded him just how last minute this trip was. Seat 29 C. Aisle seat. In economy. He sighed and slowly shuffled down the aisle. Waiting as patiently as he could while other passengers slowly negotiated where to put their carry-ons.
He helped an elderly woman lift hers into the overhead bin. He wondered if it was full of can goods as it felt heavy enough to be. She thanked him with a pat on his cheek. The smell of peppermint on her skin. He nodded and continued to shuffle.
Once at his seat he stowed his bag under the seat in front of him and buckled his belt. He tucked himself in as much as he could. Being six foot 1 didn't leave a lot of space. A moment later he was disturbed when two boys asked him to move so they could take the other two seats in the row. 'Great kids. I should have taken a later flight and gotten first class.'
The boys settled once they decided who would sit where. Oliver resettled and leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He didn't want to leave Starling but he needed a break. Ending things with Laurel this time, though not bad were emotionally charged. It was the final time. In truth it should have ended years ago. Long before a shared apartment and an on/off again engagement. He didn't know why he couldn't just be happy with her.
...
"Ollie I don't understand!" Laurel said as she looked at the boxes in the living room. "I thought things were working this time. We've planned so many things together. Why-"
"I wish I had some grand explanation, but Laurel, I just don't. I feel trapped here." He had decided the truth was best. He ran his hands through his hair and looked at the floor. "You haven't loved me for more than two years."
"I lov-"
"That's not the same. I love you too but not in the way that matters. I've seen and heard the way you are with Tommy." Just the day before Tommy had finally confessed his love for Laurel. By the look on Tommy’s face he knew he'd expected a punch, not a hug and groan of relief which he got instead. They’d spent the next couple hours spilling so many other truths that they’d held back from one another.
"I have no idea what you're talking about Ollie.” Laurel stood staring a hole in the wall next to him. Her eyes purposely avoiding his. He couldn’t help but smile on the inside. She may pretend that he didn’t see the truth, but he did. She was just settling for what she knew, what was easy. Even though it was all wrong and had been for so many years.
“It’s okay. It doesn’t bother me. It’s actually a relief.”
Her eyes moved to his then, some confusion clouded them before shifting into something else. Questions were bubbling under the surface, he’d known her long enough to know those tells. Her eyebrows were almost knit together. She opened her lips as if she wanted to say or ask something several times but nothing came out. Her fingers fiddled with the engagement ring on her finger. One he had no sentimental attachment to. It was just a simple one he’d picked without thought. She deserved so much better than that, better than him.
He stepped toward her and took her hands into his. “He loves you. More than I ever could.” He gave her fingers a squeeze and kissed her briefly on the cheek. It was wet with tears, he wasn’t sure whether she was relieved yet or if she was just as sad as he was that they’d wasted so much time fighting the inevitable. “Be happy Laurel.”
She nodded her head and he let go, and grabbed his backpack and left. The movers would come get his things in an hour and take them back to his parents home for storage. He knew she would be fine. Maybe not that night but sometime in the very near future when Tommy finally took the next step to ask her out.
...
“Sir, you’ll need to put your chair in the upright position please, we’re about to depart.”
Oliver was so lost in his memories that he’d missed the announcement. He didn’t look up at the attendant right away as he pulled his seat forward. When he finally looked up he was shocked by the blue that met him. The woman standing in the aisle met his gaze for just a moment before her eyes darted beyond him.
“Sirs, you’ll need to turn off your devices and stow them for take off.” Her voice was firm and commanding. Oliver took the moment to look at her name tag. ‘Felicity S.’ it read in gold block lettering. He watched as her face took on a no nonsense look and he turned to look at the boys. They had that glint in their eyes he just knew meant trouble, he’d after all perfected it himself. “I wasn’t speaking to the window. Now put them away or I’ll have you escorted off this plane.”
The boys snapped into action and Oliver looked back in her direction but she’d already moved on. He got a nice view of her from the side as she shimmied past another attendant and disappeared into the back of the plane. He shook his head and sat back to relax. He was sure he’d see her again, it was afterall a long flight to New York.
He must have dozed off some time after take off. The boys in the seats next to him, kept to themselves for the most part, as soon as they’d been cleared to use their devices again they’d started a game of some sort. Oliver hadn’t thought to bring any entertainment so decided he would just try to sleep instead.
He was woken with a jolt as turbulence rocked the plane, and a small warm body landed in his lap.
“Oh my frack, I’m so sorry sir!” It was the attendant from before, Felicity. She scrambled to try to lift herself out of his lap when the plane dropped again. Her hand landing directly in his lap this time, applying too much pressure. He winced and groaned softly as she brushed against him. “OH FRACK! Sir, really really I apologize, oh god my hands on your-” She tried to stand, grasping the seat and pushing herself up, Oliver helped her his hand, he realized, on her very firm round ass.
“Miss, I’m sorry!” It was his turn to apologize, pulling his hand back at once.
“Oh!” She was upright finally, only to topple forward again on the next bump. Her chest dangerously close to his face. He got a very good whiff of her perfume and he found himself aroused despite the pain from a moment ago. “Oh dear, what a mess!” She gasped.
By the time she was stable a flush covered her skin and both of them were breathing hard. The boys beside him had started to laugh. She threw them a look that shut them up mid snort. She made a concerted effort to fix her uniform, smoothing it before she held her hand out toward him.
“Sir, I’d like to formally apologize on behalf of the airline for basically groping your very well...um I mean landing on your lap and causing any, possible damage to your…” She gestured toward his lap, looking away swiftly and tightened her fingers into a fist. “Wait, this is going wrong. I mean, let me start over. I’m sorry for the plane dumping me on your lap. It’s a very nice lap but still, I should have been able to maintain my balance.”
He chuckled. He couldn’t help it. The chuckle rapidly turned into a laugh and he heard the most beautiful sound as she giggled with him. If any situation called for a laugh it was this one. Never once before had a beautiful woman literally been dropped into his lap. Felicity was very beautiful. Her blond hair was half pulled up, what wasn’t pulled back flowed in curls to just below her shoulders. Her blue eyes sparkled behind her glasses. He held his hand up towards her. “My name is Oliver.”
“Felicity Smoak, and I really am sorry for, pretty much all of that.” She gestured wildly with her other hand.
“It’s really okay.” He squeezed her hand gently before letting her remove it from his grasp. He noted how soft and delicate it had felt in his own.
“Is there anything I can get for you? We’ve still got half the flight left. I’ll bring you anything, on the house for that horrid display and well the almost mentioning touching your... Oh my and I’m stopping in 3… 2…” She looked away, crossing her arms across her chest.
“Felicity,” he tested out her name, and finding he really liked the way it felt rolling off his tongue. Her eyes met his, he smiled. “Honestly, all I need is water.”
She nodded and grinned. “Water is a can do. I’ll return shortly.”
With that she disappeared. He looked around him then, the boys obviously bored returned to their game. Most of the passengers around him though were sound asleep. He wondered what she had been doing when the turbulence hit. Possibly she was filling a request for someone else. That was highly probable given the hour. There hadn’t been a cart or another attendant around.
Oliver shifted in his seat so he could look back in the direction that she had gone. Of all the people that could drop into his lap it was her. He could still smell her perfume in the air and damn if it wasn’t quickly becoming burned into his senses. He watched as she came out carrying a cup of ice and two bottles of water and what looked like a cookie. She smiled at him and bit her lip as she walked up the aisle.
The smile and lip biting did something to him. He shook his head, pushing away sudden indecent images. The minds a dirty place sometimes. He looked up at her as she came to a stop by his seat. He put the tray down in front of him and she set the items on it. “I really do apologize.” She said softly, now not wanting to disturb other people around them.
“Felicity, stop apologizing. Trust me, you didn’t hurt anything, everything seems perfectly fine down-” He stopped and felt himself flush as he realized what he’d almost said. He had to shift in his seat as he watched her go pink and her eyes lock on his lap. He closed his eyes and breathed. “Its perfect, I promise.”
He opened his eyes again and let them find hers. He almost groaned at what he found there. Somewhere between what he’d said and the probable embarrassment she’d made some kind of decision. She leaned forward, her perfume swam in the air around them at her close proximity. Her lips brushed against his ear as she whispered, “Oliver, I can only hope its as perfect as it felt, it would be a shame if it wasn’t. I hope you enjoy the rest of your flight.”
She stood abruptly as a help light binged on several rows ahead. Before he could think or say anything she was gone, and he was hard and uncomfortable. He groaned and tugged at his jeans, her smell lingering long after she was gone. The rest of the flight was uneventful, he’d managed to calm down enough to sleep in fits.
Hours later it was finally time to descend and disembark from the plane. He stood and let the boys go ahead of him. He’d managed to talk to them for a short time. They were twins named Richard and Robert, the were twelve and on their way to visit their father. For the most part they were good travel companions.
He pulled his bag up off the floor and slung it onto his shoulder. It hit something solid and an ‘oomph’ sound came from behind him. He turned and felt instant shame as he realized he’d swung his bag and hit none other than Felicity. “Fuck, Felicity, I’m sorry!”
Felicity laughed and just shook her head. “I’m so clumsy, not usually so while I work but you sir have given me quite the flight.”
“It wasn’t my intention.” He said with a smile, stepping back into the seats so that people behind him could pass. Felicity was in the seat across the aisle from him.
“I know. Look, this may sound so odd…” She fidgeted with her name tag a moment before biting her lip between her lips and letting her eyes finally connect with his. “I’m off duty now so maybe it wouldn’t…”
“Felicity?” Oliver asked, unsure of what she may say, but hoping it was along the lines of wanting to meet up.
“I was just... Well I shouldn’t actually do this as you’re a customer, but I mean I’ve never quite… embarrassed myself as bad ever as I have tonight. If this is your final destination, or if you’re staying here for a little while. I was wondering if maybe-”
“Do you want to get a bite to eat?” He blurted out, catching them both off guard and stopping her mid ramble.
It took her a moment before she nodded, then smiled. “I’d love to.” Her hand went into her vest pocket and pulled out a business card. She waited for another person to pass before handing it to him. “Here’s my cell number. I can meet you in ten minutes by the baggage claim if you’d like.”
“I hit you with my baggage!”
“Well then… just wait for me after you get off. I mean off the plane, not like get off get off. Oh god kill me.” She turned a darker shade of red and looked away.
“I understand what you meant. I look forward to getting off.” Oliver stated with a wink and headed off the plane.
Oliver wasn’t sure what he’d planned to find when he set off to New York. It was supposed to be a small vacation. What he found instead was a loft on the lower east side with a bubbly blonde that changed his life forever.