“I thought, this is the most incredible thing I have ever seen, and I had better keep it a safe distance away from me. I thought, if someone like that ever loved me, it would set me on fire.”  

Casey McQuiston, from Red, White and Royal Blue.

Specifically I want to talk about the difference between the way Oliver kisses Felicity in 3x01 vs 5x20. 

Look at this tragic melodramatic boy in 3x01. Look at how desperately he grabs her face. Because he can’t be the Arrow and be with her but HE HAS FEELINGS, DAMMIT!: 

He holds her face so close to make her FEEL how much he feels:

Such an impatient boy. All fired up. He’s never felt anything like this before, and if he doesn’t express it right this moment, he might EXPLODE!:

But wait, what is this!? It’s even better than he imagined, better than he ever could have guessed, and that fiery passion shifts, becomes deeper, and OH SHIT he starts to realize he’s in for a lot more pain than he was expecting:

The poor baby. So in love with Felicity but so CERTAIN they couldn’t be together, that he would have to put his love on the back burner for his mission. So certain he could. But then, in the course of this one kiss, he starts to realize this wasn’t just any kiss. And he starts to understand, it’s not just any love. Poor baby Oliver. He has no idea what he’s in for. 

* * * 

OKAY BUT NOW!! Let’s compare that to the 5x20 kiss(es). Here we have a much different Oliver. An older, more mature Oliver. An Oliver who has experienced the kind of love that only comes once in a life time and lost it. 

This Oliver would never be so cavalier with something like Felicity’s love. This Oliver has learned his lesson. He is infinitely more cautious. When she kisses him, he doesn’t seize her, doesn’t grab her face and force her to take his emotions. He waits, to see what she will do. He remembers how much it hurt when she walked away after that first kiss; he remembers even better how much it hurt when she walked away after they broke up, and how much it still hurts every day:

And so he holds his breath when she kisses him, waiting to be sure she really means it, because this Oliver isn’t taking any chances:

And when she goes in for a second kiss, that’s when he lets himself breathe, and kiss her back, because this is the chance he’s hoped for, waited for, but never let himself expect. And he sure as hell isn’t going to waste it:  

A final shitty gif because duh. Now everyone go watch the scene ;)

"...then I met you.”

olicity love fern | a symbol of true love

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