Chapter Text
This is not a drill, folks. Oliver Queen may be off the market. If he is, though, we can't be too upset because he's made a great choice. Queen was seen getting very cozy with the stunning, and stunningly brilliant, Felicity Smoak - CEO of Smoak Technologies - at the Met Gala after-party. Inside sources say the pair seemed very familiar with each other already as they interacted with other guests together most of the night. It's well-known that Queen has quelled his infamous party-boy attitude in recent years, and maybe Ms. Smoak is the reason. Whatever the reason for the snuggly behavior, I'm sure we can all agree that they do make a stunning pair. ,
May 2018
Shifting a little in the mildly uncomfortable plastic chair, Oliver passed his fingers through his once neatly styled hair. A brief grin tugged at his lips. His stylists were going to kill him for ruining their work, but it wasn't his fault that they knew he had this habit.
"Oliver, tell us all about your upcoming role in this new film. The company has been very secretive, so we're dying to know what you're doing."
His eyes drifted to the interviewer as his "for-the-camera" smile graced his lips. She was nice enough. Someone he had done other promotional pieces like this with in the past. Because she was trusted, and safe. "I'm sworn to secrecy too, unfortunately. It's still early, so if I reveal too much I doubt I'll be doing any more of these interviews." He chuckled, earning a similar chuckle in response from the girl.
"Come on, there has to be something you can share." She pressed. "Let's start small. Tell us a what you can about your character."
Oliver hummed thoughtfully, a playful twinkle in his eye as he reached up and rubbed his hand over his scruffy jaw. "He's a little bit of a loose cannon. " Oliver started with a laugh. "He gets himself into a lot of trouble in the beginning of the movie, but that changes rather quickly."
"How so?"
Folding his lips together, Oliver took his time thinking over his answer. "Here's where I'm probably going to be fired if I say too much." He laughed. "But, something happens that sets his life on a new path, forces him to grow up in a way as he deals with the aftermath." He revealed cryptically.
"They really do have you on a tight leash, don't they." The interviewer joked, flipping through her materials. "Can I assume, that after that event is when Sara Lance's character comes into the picture?"
Oliver grinned knowingly, though he didn't really rise to the bait. "You are correct. She has her own story, one that's maybe darker than my character's. They're very twisted people." He breathed out with a laugh.
"But they're love interests?"
Contemplating his answer again, Oliver nodded slowly. "In a sense, yes. But, that's all I can really say." He offered with a slightly apologetic smile and shrug.
"Well, what you've given us and based on the previews, I'm certainly excited to see how it all comes together." She praised. "But, I must know, how does Felicity Smoak feel about you having an on-screen love interest?" She prompted, curiously holding his gaze now.
Oliver stilled, his perplexed gaze observing the girl. Then, he laughed. It was a hearty laugh. "Where did this come from?" He asked, his tone rather curious.
"I'm sure you've seen the photos from last week's Met Gala. You and Ms. Smoak have the nation captivated with just three photos. So, we're all dying to know what's going on."
Oliver glanced over to Dig, who was hovering a little ways off behind the girl's shoulder. Dig just shrugged, looking about as confused as he felt. "Do you have these photos for me to see? I don't really keep up with those things anymore." Oliver asked slowly as his eyes slid back to his interviewer.
"Of course!" She said with excitement, magically brandishing a waiting copy of a gossip magazine.
And there he was. On the cover. Staring down at the aforementioned Miss Smoak like a boy with a crush. Her own gaze was no less incriminating either. Not to mention the way her hands cupped his jaw so tenderly. Curiously, he flipped to the section with the "inside scoop" and observed the original photo in full, along with two others the paps managed to snap of them. The other photos were no better, perhaps even more suggestive in their own innocent way. In one, neither of them really seemed to be acknowledging the other while they chatted, but Oliver had his hand on her lower back and Felicity was a few inches away from being nestled into his side. The third photo was actually kind of funny, now that he recalled it. They managed to catch Felicity when she had been straightening his bowtie and made a playful swipe at his scruff.
A soft chuckle slipped from his lips as he handed the magazine back, his eyes following the pictures for a moment longer before sliding back up to the expectant gaze of the interviewer. "I can see how those are confusing. But, I assure you, it's not as it seems between Ms. Smoak and I."
"Oh?" She prompted, shifting slightly to lean forward.
"I greatly admire her work, and all that she's done with her company. I've met her a few times, but only briefly. I was fortunate enough to make her acquaintance more formally last week, and she's just as friendly as everyone raves. She has a knack for taking care of hopeless souls, so it's no surprise when she kindly offered to fix my abysmally done bowtie."
"And the other photos?"
Oliver shifted again. The smile fixed to his lips. "She's remarkable. But, I'm not the only one who's of that opinion. She's absolutely brilliant and has done amazing things for the STEM community and women in STEM. I admit, I might have been a bit star-struck meeting her." He said with a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck and tugging his fingers through the hairs at the base of his head.
"So, no budding romance between you two? Such a shame because it's clear the chemistry is undeniable."
A softer smile graced his lips for a moment, and his eyes zoned out briefly, but he quickly recovered and re-composed his features. "Ms. Smoak and I are friendly acquaintances who just so happen to admire the other's work and got the opportunity to tell the other that night."
The girl contemplated him for a moment before nodding with finality. Then, she turned her gaze to the camera over his shoulder and fixed a sad smile on her face. "Well, there you have it folks. Olicity is off, but we're still more than excited to see what Oliver will do in his upcoming film. Thank you so much for the inside scoop, Oliver."
"Thank you for having me." Came his easy, practiced response with a somewhat awkward wave to the camera fixed on him, paired with his usual dashing smile.
As soon as the camera's cut, Oliver looked back over to the girl with a curiously quirked brow. "Olicity?"
She laughed a little and shrugged at him. "That's what the public deemed your couple name was going to be. I can't believe how quickly it caught on."
Oliver shook his head and laughed right along with her. "People really are creative."
"Ladies and gentlemen, today we have a really special guest. She's the fast-rising darling of the tech industry who's out to save the world – Felicity Smoak!" Ellen announced dramatically.
With a deep breath, Felicity strode out onto the set and waved at the crowd with a big smile. When she scanned the crowd, the abundance of young girls here to see her warmed her heart, and she made sure to acknowledge a few of them personally as she passed by. As she approached Ellen, Felicity shared a hug with her before they both took their respective seats. But, the cheering took a few more moments to die down and it had Felicity looking around in awe. She never fathomed, as a child of a single cocktail waitress from Vegas, that she would be here today for her accomplishments.
"Wow, this is insane." Felicity said, though she assumed it was quietly. However, the crowd and Ellen gave an amused chuckle. "Oh my god. I'm so sorry. That was louder than I thought. I've never done anything like this before." Felicity gasped, covering her mouth with a hand as she shifted in her seat to cross her legs.
Ellen waved a hand in front of her with an amused grin. "Don't be sorry. That's part of the charm that's captured the world's attention."
"Really?" Felicity faced Ellen with curious eyes.
"Absolutely! I mean, you graduated from MIT at nineteen with not one but two Master's degrees, started your company at twenty-four, and are now the youngest member of the Forbes 500 at twenty-eight." Ellen rattled off, periodically glancing down at the cards in her hand. "If that doesn't pique our interest, then someone's doing something wrong." Ellen punctuated with a laugh.
"You're too kind, Ellen. I'm just doing what I love, that's all." She brushed off with a shy smile at the applause she received after Ellen's generous introduction.
"Nonsense. You deserve it for all the amazing work you've done to revolutionize the technology industry and the treatment of disabilities. Can you tell us more about your work before we get to the good stuff?" She prompted, transitioning them to the main point of the visit.
"Maybe you shouldn't ask me that. I can talk for days about the implant." Felicity laughed, her nerves slowly ebbing. Iris hadn't been lying when she said Ellen was an expert at making guests comfortable. "This is actually a really personal project to me, Ellen. A few years ago, a good friend of mine was badly injured in the line of duty. My VP, Curtis Holt, and I had been tinkering with the idea of stimulus implant for a while, but we never had a catalyst to push the project forward. My friend, he... uh, lost the use of his right arm. Nerve damage, nothing gruesome! It was something we knew we could fix with this implant. So, after a year of some very late nights, we got the implant working and my friend has full functionality of his arm again – like the injury never happened." Felicity shared, beaming with pride and a more than a few tears making her eyes glisten.
Ellen shook her head, which rest in the palm of her hand now, with awe. "That's truly incredible. Complete functionality?"
Felicity folded her lips between her teeth, nodding twice enthusiastically with a hum. "Crazy right? There were times we didn't think it was ever going to work."
"How did you finally crack it?" Ellen prompted.
Scrunching up her face, Felicity pondered the best way to explain it. "The chip acts like an intermediary between the brain and the damaged tissue, by-passing the damaged nerve pathways so signals from the brain can still reach their intended target. The most troublesome bit was the power source. We struggled to develop a battery that was compatible with such a small chip. Partnering with Ray Palmer, we were finally able to miniaturize a battery and keep it efficient enough to operate for years without replacement."
"Thanks for making that understandable for those of us non-science people." Ellen laughed. "So, what's next? Smoak Technologies develops more than just the implant, but is that the main focus going forward?"
"Mainly." Felicity agreed with a hum. "We still need to figure out a way to make the product mass-producible and cheap, so that's the company's main focus. We're still producing our smart-wearables and advanced alternate reality technology, but the implant is the goal."
Ellen grinned, nodding along with Felicity's words. "Well, I wish you all the best." Ellen changed direction, turning to the camera at the center of the stage. "We're going to take a little break, but when we come back, I'll subject Felicity to your favorite game, Never Have I Ever, so stay tuned!"
*********
"Welcome back! We still have the delightful Ms. Smoak with us, and she's about to reveal her deepest secrets."
Felicity laughed, fiddling with the paddle with 'I Have' and 'I Have Never' written on separate sides. "I'm afraid I'm probably going to disappoint, Ellen. I'm not as exciting as you all seem to believe."
Ellen gave a hearty laugh at that, even holding her side. "Well, the game will decide that for us. Ready?"
Taking a deep breath, Felicity nodded, her fingers tightening on the paddles slightly. She wasn't provided the questions beforehand, but she took some comfort knowing this was a family show.
"All right, let's see..." Ellen hummed, reading the first question. "Never have I ever been in handcuffs?"
Immediately, Felicity lifted her paddle with the 'I Have' facing the camera earning few calls and whistles among the laughs and gasps at her response. Pausing, the paddle drooped slightly and her eyes went wide as saucers. "Oh my god, wait, no. Not like that! I was arrested once. Oh no, Ellen, I'm not responsible for my answers right." Felicity panicked, mostly because she couldn't stop babbling but also a little at what this would do to her reputation.
Ellen's shock gave way to full blown laughter, bringing tears to her eyes. "Complete discretion, I promise. What happens here, stays here." Ellen comforted, though they both knew that wasn't true, but the mirth in her eyes pulled a laugh from Felicity.
"Phew, good. Wouldn't want it to get out that I'm actually a delinquent." She quipped back, her smile relaxing into a more natural shape.
That had the whole crowd and Ellen laughing. "I knew I liked you." Ellen observed as her laughter quelled. "All right, never have I ever been high."
Again, Felicity raised the paddle with the 'I Have' to the crowd earning another round of shocked gasps and laughter. "Felicity Smoak, you've been hiding some things." Ellen said, her mouth falling open again in amused shock.
"There's a story there! It’s not what you think!" Felicity defended quickly. "I didn't know it, but I had a pot brownie at a college party. I might have enjoyed the high if it hadn't been for the walnuts in the brownies which sent me straight to the hospital." She laughed, recalling the irony of the situation all those years ago.
"Well, that takes all the fun out of it." Ellen laughed. "Um, let's see... never have I ever flirted to get out of a ticket."
Spinning the paddle, it was 'I Have Never' this time. "I swear I'm a good citizen!" Felicity laughed, shaking her head at Ellen's dubious look.
"Okay, okay. Never have I ever sexted." Ellen asked, leaning forward a little with a curious look.
Biting her lip, Felicity fiddled with her paddle a little, flipping it between the two sides. The crowd murmured, the interest in her final answer growing, just like the blush on her cheeks. Finally, she settled on 'I Have.'
"Mmhmm, good girl, huh?" Ellen teased.
"I am!" Felicity countered. "It was one time!"
Ellen's brows raised, glancing conspiratorially between Felicity and the crowd. "Recently? Maybe with a certain Oliver Queen?"
Felicity stared at Ellen for a moment before laughing. "Oh my gosh. In my dreams maybe, but no, definitely not with him." She denied through her blush. "What gave you that idea?"
Ellen shrugged, that familiar twinkle still in her eyes as she shuffled the cards in her hand. "Ever since the Met Gala a few weeks ago, there's been a lot of speculation. Do we have those photos?" Ellen asked out to her production crew. "Oh, we do! These are... if you haven't seen these, then you must be leaving under a rock, because these two are very cute together." Ellen said towards the camera and crowd.
When Ellen spun to view the big screen behind them, now plastered with the three photos featured in just about every magazine lately, Felicity drew her gaze to them as well. Looking at the photos now, she laughed through her smile.
"You're telling me you're not sexting that?"
That pulled a true laugh from Felicity who shook her head adamantly. "Mr. Queen is certainly attractive, but any straight woman with functioning hormones would agree. I hate to disappoint but he is only a friend. We've met a few times in passing, and we happen to have mutual admiration for each other, but there's nothing beyond that."
Ellen observed her with a slight smile, humming contemplatively. "Well, he doesn't know what he's missing out on, but good news for all your admirers out there. Keep me updated if anything changes." Ellen winked.
Felicity laughed. "You'll be the first to know. I'll make sure you're on the wedding list too."
"You don't know what you've gotten yourself into because I'm holding you to that." Ellen teased before shifting in her seat to face the crowd. "Felicity Smoak, everyone!" Ellen closed with a laugh as the crowd's applause picked up, prompting Felicity to wave to them as her time was up.