August is Romance Awareness Month but I’m deep in a puddle of sad Olicity tears after the TCA’s yesterday with half of our beautiful OTP notably absent. So today’s Mancrush Monday isn’t so much happy as it is angsty as we look back on Oliver’s romantic awareness of the woman who changed his whole universe. Prepare for an Olicity feels spiral in 3…2..1….
From day one, she was the first person that he could see as a person.
She brought out reactions and emotions that were genuine in nature.
He would just look at her with that mixture of awe and amusement and….
….something deeper and more intense as they got closer.
Oliver trusted her so much that he deliberately sought refuge in her backseat, revealed his identity to her and had faith she would take him where he asked…
….to save his life and become part of his mission.
Once she became the third and final member of Original Team Arrow, Oliver quickly found out there is more to Felicity Smoak than he ever anticipated….
and certainly more than meets the eye. ;)
Even early on, Oliver remembered little details about her, like the day they met.
He is overcome by feelings of protectiveness and infinitely gentle with her.
Despite drowning in his own guilt on a daily basis and being the piney-est of pine trees, he doesn’t want Felicity to ever have to carry that burden alone.
What he said: “If you ever need to tell someone about your day, you can tell me”
What he was thinking: ‘She’s not seeing anyone?! How is that even possible?! She’s so smart and pretty and amazing and…I need to stop thinking about her like that cause I gotta be the Arrow and die alone, so NOPE to dating / marrying / having babies with her but she can tell always tell me about her day as long as I’m alive.’ Still gonna give her heart eyes and touch her shoulder tho. <3
This poor sap is so far gone for her and he doesn’t even fully realize it yet.
Oliver wasn’t just offering his mother a pat response or easy excuse. Felicity and Oliver had developed a complex relationship that was rooted in friendship.
But there was so much more simmering just beneath the surface. Felicity was not the only one who imagined them in ‘very platonic circumstances.’
Felicity brought his self-exile to an end by finding him and bringing him back home. (There could be a whole separate meta on that one statement).
Her opinion matters to him and her opinion of him matters to him even more.
A little Felicity sass (and calling him Mr. Queen) arouse some other feelings.
Oliver is already aware that he has feelings for Felicity, feelings that developed without his control or consent, feelings that are only deepening with every day he spends with her. Oliver knows if he let himself, he would fall in love with her.
Because he already has. When it came to her….
Another new emotion for the former billionaire playboy is jealousy.
Which causes him to lash out at Felicity and then offer an apology and some insight into his behavior. He’s as honest as he can be in that moment.
And Felicity is honest with him. She opens up and Oliver is quick to reassure that she won’t lose him. But emotional vulnerability is not his strong suit at this point and the situation with Moira seems to push him back into some old habits.
After Moira’s murder, Oliver believes his preconceived destiny will come to pass. He plans on sacrificing himself to stop Slade and his face shows the longing and regret of sweet kisses he didn’t get a chance to steal and all he left unspoken as he memorizes her face for the rest of his eternity before walking away.
But from the depths of despair, he was lifted up by those myriad of emotions he struggled to keep in the dark recesses of his heart and understood what he was feeling. Love. Her words reach him in a way that nothing else does because he loves her. He is becoming the man he aspires to be because he loves her. He is a hero because he loves her. In that moment, Oliver literally saw the light.
So when he prepares to battle Slade, he is finally able to tell her how he feels.
And when he prepares to leave for his final battle….
Seven years later, so many things have happened that he never thought were possible. The one that amazes him most is his love for Felicity keeps growing stronger every day and he doesn’t ever miss the chance to tell her how he feels.
He knows the memory of her face will sustain him for all of eternity…
…and he steals one last sweet kiss to carry with him until the day she finds him again and brings him home.
Sorry for the sad, fam. The reality of Arrow’s end has seemed more, well, real lately. I hope to do a happier version before August ends. And I do have a fun Mancrush Monday post in the works since August is also Peach month. ;)
Thank you to all of the amazingly talented gifmakers. Gif credits: 2x22 hug gif to fangirlish.com; 7x22 I love you gif to forums.primetimer.com; and 7x22 my only regret gif to lostinaflashforward.blogspot.com :)
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