Laurel Lance/Tommy Merlyn

Pairing
Pairing:	Laurel Lance/Tommy Merlyn
Alternative name(s):	Merlance
Gender category:	Het, M/F
Fandom:	Arrow
Canonical?:	canon
Prevalence:	common
Archives:
Other:
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Laurel/Tommy is the het canon pairing of Tommy Merlyn and Laurel Lance from the TV show Arrow.

Canon

Tommy and Laurel both knew each other since they were young through Oliver Queen - Tommy was his best friend and Laurel was his on-and-off girlfriend. However, they both grew closer during the five years Oliver Queen was thought to be dead. They start a relationship, but due to Oliver returning, their relationship gets complicated. Eventually they break up, but both love each other and want to get back together. It grows more complicated, however when Laurel and Oliver sleep together.

Laurel takes Tommy's death badly, feeling guilty since if it wasn't for her staying at work Tommy would have been alive.

Fandom

Laurel/Tommy is a fairly common het pairing in the Arrow fandom, that grew popular soon after the first season started and it was clear that the two were close. It's sometimes added to a threesome with Oliver Queen. The pairing is often a secondary pairing/background pairing in other Arrow ships.

Common Tropes & Themes

• Alternate Universes
  • Tommy!Lives - Due to season one's finale, fanworks often rewrite the scene where Tommy survives
  • No Island AUs
  • Pre-Island AUs
• Hurt/Comfort

Fanworks

Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples.

Fics

• Let It Be[1] by BrokenRose12, Tommy wasn't one to dwell on things and maybe he already knew he's been in love with Laurel for just about his whole life but that didn't mean he could tell her. After hanging out with Oliver, he finds himself in Laurel's company opening up to her a little more than he wanted to. Set during flashbacks in episode 2x20.

Vids

• Staring At It[2]
• Somewhere only we know[3]
• We Found Love[4]
• Everything[5]
• The A Team^{[Unable to archive][Dead link]}
• Let Me Go[6]

Archives and Communities

• Tommy/Laurel[7] works tagged at AO3
• Tommy/Laurel works tagged at FFN

Fannish Links

• Merlance[8], Tommy X Laurel & Laurel X Tommy tags at Tumblr

References

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