amillionthings | Felicity Smoak

Thanks. [ She says, with a little tilt in her voice that means she knows he's trying to make her feel better. ]

You though. You look- [ She stops because there's hardly any way to describe him. ] -like James Bond. [ Okay apparently there is a way to describe him. ] Which, is a good thing. That was supposed to be a compliment. I hope that seemed like a compliment because James Bond is hot and [ Damn it how did she get here. ] ... uhhhh lot of other things.

[ Good save Felicity. Really great job. ]

I'm gonna ... get in the car now. [ She says, looking up at him from behind the car door before promptly getting in. ]

[ A soft chuckle escapes his lips at the comment that he looks like James Bond. ] I definitely take it as a compliment. Thanks.

[ The 'save' makes him grin, but he doesn't tease her about it. Instead, he just closes the door once she gets in, and once he's in the driver's seat, he starts the engine as he glances over at her. ]

So. You wanna go somewhere quiet for those drinks, or somewhere loud? I have ideas for either one, you just have to pick the noise level.

Loud. De-fi-nite-ly loud.

[ Preferably somewhere loud enough where, if she talks too much, Tony won't actually be able to hear half the things that come out of her mouth.

Even after all this time, it feels surreal to have Tony Stark pick her up. To have him be her friend. To have him respond to her silly texts about friends with benefits breaking her heart. ]

Loud it is.

[ The engine roars to life as he starts driving, and he drums his fingers idly on the steering wheel. Not out of impatience, but just because his hands are generally always active in some way. Even while driving, he can't quite stop.

He glances over in her direction, seemingly to just check his mirror but it's really just to check on her at least briefly. A part of him is ready to just have her wait for him while he goes to hunt down her 'friend' and pay him a visit, but he prefers this. To be here with her, and make sure she's alright. ]

So...do you feel like making this friend of yours jealous?

[ Maybe it's because she's a little bit raw right now, but she can't help looking at Tony as he drives, and she doesn't really try to hide it. The look on her face says one thing more than anything else: Thank you, for being so nice to me.

It's not that Felicity has grown up lonely, or has a lack of friends. She's a friendly, cheerful person, which means that her life has been filled with people who love her, and that she loves in return. But it never ceases to amaze her when, in moments like this, people in her life really pull through. They leave their fancy parties and come pick up her up dressed like James Bond just so the two of them can go drink in a bar.

When he asks her that question though, her eyebrows raise up and she holds back a laugh, because he can't be serious, but it'll be fun to play along. ]

Oh yes. But how exactly do you propose we make that happen? It's not like I can waltz up to him with a more glamorous friend with benefits. [ As she finishes that sentence though, her tempo gets slower, because ... that's ... not ... that can't possibly be what Tony's about to suggest. Her next sentence comes out just above a whisper. ] Not even sure how jealousy works when it comes to friends anyways.

[ As far as Tony is concerned, there's nothing for her to thank him for. He's more than happy to be here, and to be friends with her. She's one of the few people that Tony actually enjoys spending time with. While he knows thousands of people, there is only a small handful that he's actually comfortable having around him. Felicity has been one of them from the start, because it has always been so easy to talk with her, and really. He's glad to be here.

And okay, his brain may already be plotting a good way to have his outing plastered all over the news. Despite how good he is at playing the cameras whenever a paparazzi catches him, Tony actually hates those intrusions into his life and how little privacy it gives him. Sometimes he knows how to play them in his favor, though, which is what causes a devious smirk to grow on his lips. ]

Well. I know a few people that are dying for a good exclusive, and I'm sure that me leaving the party piqued people's interest. So...a few shots of us arriving at a club would be very popular. A few shots of us cozying up? It'll be trending in seconds.

But [ he adds, because he has to. It's a disclaimer he gives to all his friends that he cares about whenever they could be spotted in public and having it misconstrued in some way by the press. ] you should know if that's the case you'll be asked a lot of questions, probably. Until I do something stupid and the reporters focus on that, instead, so...you know. A few days.

[ Don't get her wrong. She loves being friends with Tony — especially when it's just the two of them, nerding out over something or trying to talk through a particularly thorny hack. There aren't a lot of people that Felicity can go to to just talk about tech, and most people see how much she's glued to her screen as some form of working too much. Tony's the only one who gets that it's not about working or not working. It's about doing and pushing and that need to figure out a problem you've invented for yourself — because no one else is pushing those boundaries.

But when it comes to the public sphere, she remembers who he is and she's still constantly star-struck. He's Iron Man for frack's sake. And he's left a party to be with her because she had a rough night. ]

Yeeeeaaahh ... [ God his offer is tempting, and by the way that Felicity is biting her lower lip it's clear that she's considering it. ] that would definitely work. [ But she- she couldn't possibly. Could she? ]

I don't care about the reporters, and as much as I would love to cozy up to you- [ Uhhh. Pause. Reset. ] Cozy up for show, [ she corrects, ] are you sure? I don't want you to have to pretend to ... you know ... [ be interested in me, in that way. ]

Edited 2017-07-08 15:40 (UTC)

[ Tony stays quiet as she thinks about it, just focusing on the road, because he doesn't want to make her feel like he's trying to push her either way. He would love to find a way to get back to the guy that ruined her night, but he would never do it if she doesn't want the press invading her life. As someone that deals with it so often, the last thing he wants is to bring that attention to her when she doesn't want it.

As she starts speaking again, he glances over at her and manages to not smirk at how she phrases her answer at first.

But, when she asks if he's sure, he chuckles under his breath. Not making fun of her, his chuckle is more warm and even a little in disbelief than anything else. ]

You make it sound like that would be a bad thing. It wouldn't be that hard for me to pretend, you know.

[ Because, while Tony has never really tried to cross that line between friends and something more with her, it doesn't mean that he can't imagine himself dating her. She is a very interesting woman, and she's very attractive. She's brilliant, and funny, and really, he wouldn't need to pretend to be interested in her at all. ]

If that's the only thing holding you back, you don't have to worry about it. Really.

[ A small part of Felicity is starting to feel like this isn't about getting back at someone anymore. But if that were the case, it'd have to be about her and Tony, and just thinking about that is enough make her heart beat a little faster.

Get a grip Felicity, she thinks. ]

Okay, how about, we start small. [ Her fingers pinch together, leaving room for maybe an inch, as she gives him a hopeful look. ] Aaaand if any point, it gets out of control, we ... um ... squeeze each other on the shoulder. That'll be our signal. [ Because dear god, Felicity knows herself, and she's going to stay on a very strict "no comment" line with reporters. Otherwise, with the things that come out of her mouth most of the time ... she's going to make Tony take a hit to his reputation, and that's the last thing she wants to do.

Even if the world already treats him like a playboy, she knows he's not like that, and she just ... well, she doesn't want to do anything to hurt him. Not if she can help it. ]

Soooound good? [ She asks, smiling again as she pokes her head into his field of vision. Since, you know, he's driving and all. ]

That's fair. If at any point it feels weird, or you don't want to continue, or it doesn't feel like it's working, we can just stop. No problem.

[ He even holds his hand up, as if swearing to keep his word, before he reaches for his phone. All he has to do is press a button to dial for Happy. The conversation is quick, asking him to coordinate a 'surprise visit' at the club where they're heading to, and once he hangs up he turns to Felicity. ]

...I may have set up the paparazzi a few times. Nothing like this situation [ he's quick to clarify ] but. Sometimes they need to get distracted when I'm dealing with other things on the side.

[ He says it casually, like it's not a big deal. But, well, if there's one thing that dealing with the press has taught him, it's to play them in his favor.

Loosening his tie completely, he takes it off before tossing it to the backseat. He undoes the top button of his shirt then, and rakes his fingers along his hair again to 'style' it to a more fashionably disheveled look. It only takes a few more turns before they pull up at the club, especially with how he drives (although he's considerably more careful considering he has company in the car), and once they pull up at the valet station, he reaches over to give her hand a squeeze. ] Ready?

[ She makes a mental note of asking him what his "other things on the side" are another time, because as much as she'd like to ask him now, Tony throws his tie to the backseat, and Felicity can feel her hand hold onto her clutch a little harder. Is he-?

But right. Of course, he's not undressing, it's stupid of her to think that he was. Instead, he's just making himself look so ... disheveled ... and ...

It's not like Felicity has never looked at Tony before and thought of him as attractive. It's just such a given. Everyone who has eyes knows that Tony's handsome, and she was so thrilled to be his friend that she'd never dared hope for anything more. Plus, it's not like she has a good track record when it comes to billionaires. In the end, she ends up breaking their hearts more than anything else and Felicity ... she doesn't want to do that to Tony.

But right now, he's making himself look so irresistibly disheveled that by the time he squeezes her hand, she's already been trying so hard not to stare. Felicity pulls it together and turns to him though, and nods. ] Ready.

[ If Tony notices that she stares for a moment, he doesn't show it. His eyes just dart outside where the flash of a camera can be seen from somewhere in the crowd waiting to be let in the club, and he knows it's show time. He gives Felicity another smile, a real one, before it almost looks as if he morphs as he lets go and reaches for his door. Because he's going from caring friend to cocky playboy in a matter of seconds as he steps out of his car, and the world has no idea.

He plays the part too well, after all. He almost glides as he walks over to the passenger door, and he offers his arm once he opens the door and Felicity is out of the car. The crowd seems to realize then who just arrived, causing people to call out his name and pull out their phones for a picture, but after a quick wave and tossing his keys to the valet, Tony just flashes a smile at Felicity as they walk towards the entrance. And, once they're far enough away from the crowd but still visible for them to keep taking pictures from behind, he leans in to her. From behind, all pictures will seem as if he's kissing her cheek as he reaches for the door, but in reality he's just speaking softly. ]

You're doing great. It'll be less crazy inside.

[ At least people won't be shouting his name and the pictures will be more subtle as they all think they're sneaking pictures of the new couple. ]

[ Okay Felicity, she tells herself, it's not like you've never done this before. It's just like every other press conference or stakeholder's meeting or ... No. No one ever cares about her this much. The press certainly cares, but the paparazzi? That was solely in Queen territory, and neither Oliver nor Thea ever cared to explain to her the finer details of how to deal with this kind of attention. Not that either of them were particularly good at it either.

But when Tony opens her door, she lets herself be guided by him. She's trusting him here, like she's trusted him in so many things in the past, and well ... Tony is ... he's amazing at this. Practiced. Nuanced. Poised. ~~Perfect~~.

When he leans in, Felicity takes the smallest glance backwards at the photographers, suddenly fully aware of what this looks like to them. Her eyes wander up to Tony's though, when he starts talking.

Amidst the backdrop of reporters shouting "MR. STARK!" and the constant flashes of cameras, she gives him a soft smile. ]

You're really good at this.

Felicity Smoak | Arrow

for @im_ironman

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