Technical Assistance

Chapter 27: Network Setup

He doesn’t say anything for a long moment—almost too long. She’s about to drive into a babble about how she meant the collective “you” of him and Diggle, but he finally says, so quietly she almost misses it, “I can’t deny that.” He immediately turns to place the computer in the van, and, by the time he turns back, it’s as though he never said it.

“Well,” she adds with a huff, finally managing words, “I need you, too.” That makes him smile, and she can’t handle the intensity of that expression, so she babbles on, “I mean, when do I get the opportunity to make specialized computers for this line of work? I’m going to have to put together some servers so that I can… borrow some government software, but I can do that later—when we need them.”

He loads the second tower into the van as she speaks, then both monitors. “Tell me what you need, and I’ll get it for you,” is his answer, and she nods as she gathers the box of keyboards, mice, and cables, carrying it into the van as she enters with them. She stumbles on the step up, and he steadies her with a hand at her waist. It’s her intention to go back and close the hatch on her car, but the Arrow gets it instead. So, she slides herself onto the bench against one side wall, waiting to go.

He shuts the door before sitting down beside her, and the ride passes in relative silence, except for some mild conversation between her and Diggle. The Arrow is quiet, stoic as always. It’s the first time she really studies him because it’s the first time she has the opportunity. He sits with his elbows resting on his thighs, head down, though Felicity is pretty sure he’s not asleep. He could be a statue for all she knows, as quiet and unmoving as he is, and she thinks that’s an asset in his line of work.

Suddenly two eyes veiled by a dark mask meet hers, and she blinks twice in surprise. She turns her head away immediately, flushing as she’s caught staring, and fingers in cold leather gloves turn her attention reluctantly back toward him. He opens his mouth to say something, but it’s interrupted by the sudden surge of inertia when Diggle hits the brakes hard.

Because the seating runs in a line from front to back, she’s thrown sideways, into the Arrow. Her vision tilts, and then she feels something cold under the arm she’s ended up laying on. A hand splays across her stomach, and another lands on her arm. In the background, she can hear a monstrous crash, and she prays that they haven’t hit anyone.

“Sorry—idiot pulled out in front of me,” Diggle says, and it’s only then that Felicity realizes what happened. She’s somehow sideways across the Arrow’s lap, and his arms wrapped around her in an attempt to keep her from sliding across the van.

She sits up, blushing furiously, and he touches her shoulder after releasing her. “Are you all right?” he asks quietly. She means to answer, but something catches the corner of her eye, and she stands up as she realizes what the crashing sound was.

“My computers probably didn’t fare so well,” she grumbles, getting up and moving toward them. “I swear, if they’re hurt, we’re going after that guy.” Before she can continue that line of complaint, a bump in the road jars her, and two hands catch her just above the hips and pull her to him.

She can feel every inch of her body heat in embarrassment when she realizes she’s in his lap perpendicularly, with one of his hands at her knee and the other on her arm. He doesn’t seem to suffer the same problem, though, as he responds quietly in her ear, “I think that would be an abuse of power.” Even though he has the synthesizer, she can hear the humor in his tone. “And your computers can wait until we’ve stopped—they’re not worth you getting hurt.”