Felicity felt her brain struggling to keep up.
Inexplicably gaining a boyfriend and losing her virginity after more than twenty years was one thing. Discovering that same boyfriend was a kidnapper with antisocial tendencies? That was something else entirely. Yet his file was classified top secret—not exactly the treatment a kidnapper would receive. Jack Kadere grew more mysterious by the hour, and Felicity grew more helpless, unsure how to face him.
t/n: Ignore the v-card part.
The only thing she knew for certain was that being with Jack Kadere was definitely more exciting than hacking the Department of Defense at seventeen.
Looking at Jack, who had already lain down, Felicity thought for a moment, closed her laptop, and lay down beside him. Since she didn't know what to do, she would let time sort it out. Wrapped in his arms, more physically and mentally exhausted than she had ever been in her twenty-plus years of existence, Felicity quickly fell into a deep sleep.
The problem with letting time solve things was that time could be lazy. Felicity woke without any sudden enlightenment or solution. So—dressing, washing up, eating—she decided to go to work first. Before leaving, though, she gave Jack a key. She didn't know how he'd gotten in yesterday, but it certainly wasn't through conventional means.
With the key in hand, Jack didn't bother going out. He lay on the sofa, basking in the sun, letting his thoughts drift. If Felicity had been Green Arrow's girlfriend, he would have happily cuckolded him. Had his fun, left, maybe even told Green Arrow his girlfriend was pretty good. But Felicity had become his girlfriend before she'd even met Green Arrow, so the situation was naturally different.
Jack didn't intend to change his habit of moving on quickly. He didn't mind breaking up. Didn't mind love turning to hate, or even a mutually destructive relationship—melodramatic, sure, but exciting. Maybe even a second spring. What he did mind was someone complaining about him the way he complained about Green Arrow.
Life was a journey. He passed by others, and others passed by him.
Fine.
But others wanted to pass by too?
Absolutely not.
After much deliberation, Jack decided the best solution was to find Felicity something to occupy her time. Something fulfilling. Something she could pursue for a lifetime.
Becoming a hero, for example.
Felicity's personality naturally carried a sense of justice. Her physical fitness wasn't great, but her hacking skills were extraordinary—more than capable for a support role.
"Planning for a breakup on the first day of a relationship. I doubt anyone else does that." Jack sighed softly. "Impulse really is the devil."
He'd already planned to train Laurel into Black Canary anyway. Might as well bundle Felicity in and turn her into a vigilante too.
If Felicity became an ex-girlfriend and a symbol of a city, that wouldn't be bad. If he wandered wherever he pleased, accumulating ex-girlfriends and cities along the way... would it be too much to have ex-girlfriends everywhere he went?
Actually, thinking about it, there was something thrilling about that.
So when Felicity returned from work, Jack had diligently prepared dinner. He hung up her coat, led her to the living room, and explained in detail the process and cause of his kidnapping of Laurel, as well as the reason for his interest in her.
"The Queen's Gambit accident wasn't an accident? It was deliberate?" Felicity stared at him in surprise. "That's huge. How did you find out something so secret?"
"I have my methods," Jack said.
He wouldn't elaborate, but Felicity filled in the blanks herself. Perhaps he was a secret government agent? That would explain why his information was classified top secret. Like an undercover operative, he had to pretend to be a bad guy to facilitate his missions and gather intelligence.
Overthinking was dangerous. Being naive was worse.
Thinking this way, Felicity instantly felt at ease. At least she didn't have to struggle and worry about how to face him anymore.
She linked her arm through his, smiling brightly. "So, do you need me to help with anything?"
"Just monitor Laurel," Jack said.
"No problem. Leave it to me." Felicity patted her chest confidently.
After dinner, she opened her laptop and got to work. Without physical contact or device access, monitoring someone was extremely difficult—but this was Felicity Smoak. A super hacker who had successfully infiltrated the Department of Defense. She broke into the telecommunications company, found Laurel's phone number, obtained the internal code signal, and set up real-time location tracking. She even configured call recording, routing everything to a newly created inbox.
"Done."
Felicity's lips curved into a triumphant smile. "As long as she has her phone—whether it's broken or turned off—I can check her location anytime through this software. This computer will stay here, and I'll teach you how to use it."
Jack nodded and listened. After a while, he asked curiously, "So as long as you have the telecom company's internal code signal, you can monitor someone's location at any time. Did you write this software yourself?"
"I did." Felicity smiled.
"This seems illegal. What were you originally planning to use it for?"
"My roommate's boyfriend had been cheating on her for a while, and I was bored, so I wrote it. Never actually used it, though." Her expression turned slightly awkward, and she quickly changed the subject. "Oh, by the way—you don't have a cell phone, do you? Want me to get you one?"
Was that an explanation, or a hint?
Jack gave Felicity a thumbs up for her quick wit.