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They drive from Starling City with the stars trailing behind. She reaches for the sky to touch them but catches his hand instead.
* * *
Her shirt sticks to her back and she feels the damp pooling against the leather seat. With a grimace, Felicity leans just a little bit forward to pry the cotton off her skin.
She startles when she hears the quiet hum of the top of the convertible moving up and over them.
“What –”
Oliver pushes the A/C button and Felicity nearly moans in relief as she feels the cool breeze over her legs and face.
“Thanks,” she sighs.
He grins, keeping his green eyes on the road. She, however, stares at her companion with some awe. A sheen of sweat coats his face, a droplet about to fall from the ends of his hair. She imagines dragging her finger across his temple, his nose, that jaw, those lips -
His rough hand covers hers.
“Rest,” he says.
Felicity looks out into the pink sunset staining the entire sky. The fields flatten by the second and she can’t help but grin when she sees cows nibbling away. She leans back into her seat and interlocks her fingers between his.
“I could get used to this,” she murmurs.
There’s that brief moment of guilt that she’s come to expect – even now. But she knows that if she waits half a second longer, she’ll see the warmth in his eyes. Oliver doesn’t disappoint. His thumb rubs over her hand.
“Me too,” he says.
“Large combo with fries and a Diet Coke.”
Felicity reaches for the Coke first and takes a sip. “Oh sweet Lord, that’s good.”
Oliver shakes his head and drops the brown bag on top of the trunk. “It’s only been three days, Felicity.”
She lifts her index finger up but doesn’t say anything until after she gets in another long sip.
“How do you think I survived those long nights in the Arrow cave? This, my friend, is what kept you alive all these years.”
Oliver nods and grabs a burger from the bag. “So really, I owe my life to Diet Coke and not to your amazing hacking skills.”
Felicity tilts her head and waits as he peels off the wrapper. As he lifts the burger to his mouth, she cuts in and takes a bite. She chews and leans against the trunk.
“Mm. Nope. No poison. You’re safe.”
Oliver raises an eyebrow and looks down at his burger. “Thanks for checking.”
Felicity shrugs. “You never know.”
She fights the urge to blush when Oliver reaches over to wipe off a crumb on the corner of her lip. He then takes a bite and Felicity unwraps her own burger. She eyes the building just a few yards away. While she would love to sit in a booth to eat their meal, she knows that he’d rather be out in the open. After spending some time in dark, cavernous dungeons, she gets how the night sky might be a comfort to him.
Although, really, she was the one who had spent the night in the dungeons whereas Oliver had gotten the room with a view.
A real life dungeon.
Something she can cross off her bucket list.
“Hey.”
She turns to him. “Yeah?”
“What do you want to do? Do you want to keep driving or do you want to check in somewhere for the night?” he asks, crumpling the empty wrapper.
Felicity takes the last sip of the Coke and puts everything back in the bag. She wipes her hands before standing in front of Oliver.
He wants to keep driving. She knows this. She knows that it isn’t over just because one declares it so. They can’t start a new life when they’re still running from the old. Hell, she’d let him drive them off a cliff if it meant he could start anew, but she sees the dark circles beneath his eyes.
He’s tired.
“I’ll drive,” she says, taking the keys from him.
“It’s okay, I can –”
Felicity glares at him.
He slides in the passenger seat.
“We staying on this road?” she asks as she adjusts the mirrors.
“Why not,” he replies.
Oliver falls asleep before she even merges back onto the highway.
She notices the smoke rising from the hood about an hour and a half into her shift, and when she does, Felicity glances at Oliver who’s in deep sleep.
“Shit.”
The smoke keeps rising and the lights come on across her dashboard. Gently pushing down on the brake pedal, Felicity pulls the car over onto the shoulder and it comes to a bumpy stop.
She pops open the hood. Oliver merely turns his head to the other side, his eyes still closed. Taking care to keep quiet, she exits the car and comes around in the front. Once she props up the hood, Felicity stares into the innards of the convertible.
She coughs and waves her hand to clear some of the smoke.
“I have no idea what I’m looking at,” she murmurs as she pulls out her phone. Using the flashlight function on her phone, she peers in again.
“Hey. Wh – what happened?” Oliver asks, his voice croaky with sleep.
He steps behind her and puts a hand on her arm.
“There was smoke and all the lights turned on.”
“Why didn’t you wake me?” he asks as he assesses the situation.
She shrugs. “Haven’t seen you sleep like that in… well, ever.”
He doesn’t reply to her statement but only purses his lips.
“I think it’s the alternator. Yeah, look,” he says, stepping away so that she can move more freely.
Felicity frowns as she examines the part he’s pointing at. “Isn’t that the battery?”
“Oh… Are you sure?”
She leans in with the light and grins. “Well, it says battery on it.”
She shines the light on Oliver’s face and he moves his hand in front of his eyes.
“Oliver Queen, you know nothing about cars.”
He grins and shrugs.
“It never came up in all your years of Arrowing?” she asks about his “island” years.
“I guess not. I know how to hotwire one,” he says, peering back in.
Felicity stares around at the dark expanse. “Well, I’ll let you know when I see an unattended car… C’mon, let’s go back in. I’ll call a tow truck.”
Oliver stands over the hood for a moment longer before closing it and joining her in the car. Felicity taps on the steering wheel as she searches for the nearest towing company.
“Hi, I need my car towed. We’re at mile marker 247… yeah… okay, thank you.”
Felicity lets out a breath blowing some hair out of her face and adjusts the seat so that it slides back to give her some legroom. She rolls her head towards Oliver and says, “Get comfortable. It’s going to be awhile.”
He reaches over her to push a button and Felicity grins as the top of the convertible rolls back down. The night sky is once again in view and the unbearable heat from before has settled into a near cool.
“Mm. Good idea,” she murmurs, staring up at the dark canopy above them.
“They’re beautiful,” he says, his voice tinged in quiet awe.
“Yeah.”
“On the island, we could never see the stars. It was weird. At first I thought it was just the weather, but then I realized it was Lian Yu. Purgatory.”
Felicity slowly turns her face towards him. He chuckles, his eyes still on the sky.
“I don’t even know why I was disappointed then. I didn’t care when I was in Starling City.”
“You wouldn’t be able to see much anyway with all the city lights…nothing like this,” she says, clasping her hands together in front of her stomach. “Hey, did you ever have those glow in the dark stars in your room?”
Oliver furrows his eyebrows. “The what now?”
Felicity sits up and gapes at him. “You know, the plastic stars that you stick up on the ceiling and when you turn off the lights, they glow. How do you not know this?”
He grins. “You’ve met my mother. Do you think I’d ever have anything plastic on my walls?”
Shaking her head, she settles back down into her seat. “I had the worst time trying to get them to stay up. I got them from the dollar store so that served me right, but Eddie decided to use duct tape. Mom was so pissed when we had to move. The paint peeled off and she had to pay the landlord.”
Oliver frowns. “Who the hell is Eddie?”
She chuckles. “We grew up together. He lived in the next apartment over. God, he was such a goofball.”
“Huh.”
“He’s married now with two kids. It’s so crazy.” She shakes her head.
“Why is it crazy?” Oliver asks, crossing his arms.
“I don’t know. It feels like it was just yesterday that Eddie and I were kids, but at the same time it feels like it was a lifetime ago. A time before the Arrow,” she says, her eyes drawn to a brighter star.
“Do you miss it? Having a normal life?” Oliver asks, glancing down at his lap.
She smiles and closes her eyes. He still doesn’t get it.
“There’s nothing normal about life, Oliver.”
Her eyes flutter open when she feels his lips on hers. The kiss short and soft, he draws slightly back before resting his forehead against hers. He lets out a small breath and closes his eyes. She cups his face and whispers what they both need to hear.
“We’re going to be okay.”
“Yup, it’s definitely the radiator. You’ll need to get that replaced. Where should I take the car?” the stocky man asks after closing the hood.
Felicity runs her hand through her hair and glances at Oliver.
“Um –”
“Where’s the closest town?” Oliver asks.
“Lorita. Small town. There’s an auto shop just down the road from where I live. It’s my cousin’s place. He can be an ass sometimes but he’s good at what he does and he’s fair.”
“Right. Well, that uh works,” Felicity says.
“There’s an inn two miles west of the shop. Jake won’t be able to look at it until tomorrow. You two will need a place to stay,” the man says. He gestures towards his truck. “Go on. There’s room for both of you. I can give you a ride.”
Oliver nods. “Thank you, um …”
“Raf. Just call me Raf.”
“Thank you so much for your help, Raf,” Felicity says.
Raf shrugs. “It’s no problem. It’s a shame your car broke down on your honeymoon.”
“Oh no, we, uh –”
“But I’m sure you’ll make do,” Raf grins as he heads toward the equipment. Before Felicity can say another word, Oliver slings his arm around her shoulders and brings her in close.
“As long as we have each other, that’s all that matters,” Oliver grins back.
Felicity blinks as Raf waves them over to the truck. “Go, get in. I need to hook this up.”
Oliver helps her up and as he closes the door, she glances at him. He avoids her gaze and clears his throat.
“Most people don’t go on road trips for their honeymoon, right? I mean, they fly to Hawaii, Paris, Venice. Or they go on a cruise. I think Eddie went on a cruise. Alice, his wife, said that after wedding planning, she didn’t want to bother with all the details of a big trip. So they went on a cruise, all the planning’s done for them. Anyway, so that was weird, him thinking that we’re on our honeymoon. I mean, not that this isn’t nice – us driving off into the sunset but uh … Did you and Nyssa have a honeymoon?”
“What?” Oliver’s face scrunches up at the last bit of her ramble.
“Well I guess, you two did get on a plane. Although it was more of a suicide mission than a honeymoon, which I’m still pissed about, by the way.”
“Felicity –”
“In fact, the whole Nyssa business –”
“Felicity.”
“What?”
“I’m sorry.”
“I know.”
The motel smells like stale bread and she tries not to stare at the fat cat sitting on the owner’s lap. Oliver grabs the key and places his hand on her back.
“This way,” he murmurs.
The door to their room sticks and Oliver uses some force to swing it open. When they both step in, their gaze is immediately drawn to large stain on the carpet. They glance at each other before Oliver tosses the duffel bag onto the bed.
Felicity stares at the stain. “I’m visualizing chalk lines and yellow caution tape. And blood. Lots of blood.”
Oliver grimaces. “Don’t. It’s not too bad. Look, we even have a view.”
He pulls the curtains apart to reveal a swimming pool.
“Oh.”
Exhaustion sets in and Felicity gingerly perches on the bed. Oliver closes the drapes and turns to her. He pauses and places his hand on her head.
“Hey, we should get some sleep,” he says softly.
“Mkay. Good idea.”
Once they both wash up, Felicity plops into bed and as her head hits the pillow, she sighs in relief. Her body lowers as Oliver sinks into bed next to her. She turns around to face him and even in the dark, she can see the evidence of weariness around his eyes.
I’m happy.
But that feeling of happiness was only momentary. It came and went in waves. Because this is real life, she thinks. There are no “happily ever afters” outside of fairy tales, but she doesn’t mind. She can do unhappiness, with or without Oliver, but she prefers with. Always with.
“You’re staring.” He smiles.
“No, I’m not,” she grins back.
“Yes, you are.”
“Am not.”
He pinches her nose.
“Ow, you jerk.”
“Sleep,” he says before turning over so that he lies flat on his back.
“You can’t make me,” she mumbles, her eyes drooping.
“Wanna bet?” he mumbles back.
But they both fall into the silence of sleep before Felicity can respond.
Her eyes shoot open. Felicity grasps the covers and holds her breath as she feels something crawling up her leg. It’s just in your mind. She closes her eyes again but winces when she feels it creeping along her knee.
“Oh God, oh God, oh God.”
She takes in a breath and pokes Oliver’s side.
“Oliver. Oliver. Oliver!” Felicity hisses.
He stirs awake and blinks. “What is it?”
“I think there’s a bug on my leg.”
He stares at her. “Are you sure you’re not imagining it?”
“I don’t know. Turn on the light please.”
Oliver reaches over to the nightstand and clicks on the lamp. Felicity sits up and pulls the cover off her carefully. She sees a large cockroach on her pale leg and she screams as she kicks to get it off her. The roach lands next to her and Felicity yelps as she scrambles, her legs and arms flying about, up and over Oliver.
She barely feels Oliver putting his hand on the back of her head to protect her from hitting the nightstand and she plunges to the floor dragging him along. She hears an oof and her breath is knocked away when Oliver lands on top of her. Immediately, he uses his elbows to push up so that she isn’t crushed by his weight.
“Oops,” she says.
Oliver stares down at her and bursts into laughter. He climbs off her and leans his back against the wall, huffing for air in between laughs. Felicity covers her face with both hands, still lying on the ground.
“Stop,” she whines.
“Sorry,” he wheezes.
She digs her big toe into his thigh. “Go kill it!”
“Okay, okay,” he says as he gets up from the floor, not trying to hide his smile at all.
She hears a loud thud.
“I got it,” he says from across the room.
Felicity smiles.
“My hero.”
They slide into the booth and try not to feel too out of place in a diner full of elderly couples. A waitress with a head full of red curls and dark lipstick flips to a new page on her pad.
“Anything to drink?” Georgia, the waitress, asks.
“Coffee. Please. Black,” Felicity murmurs.
“Okay, and for you?”
“Water is just fine. Thank you.”
“Alright. Coffee and water. Here’s our menu. I’ll be right back with your drinks.”
Oliver eyes her. “Are you okay?”
Felicity nods and clasps her hands together on the table. “I will be once I get some coffee.”
Oliver nods and pulls out his phone. He drags his finger along the screen and frowns.
“I wonder how long it takes to change a radiator.”
“Where are we going to go once it’s fixed?” Felicity asks.
He looks up in surprise. “I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it. I thought maybe we would stay on the road until we find something.”
Felicity bites her lip. “There’s nothing you want to see? Any place you want to visit?”
He shrugs. “You?”
Tons of things, she wants to say. She wants to see the Grand Canyon, taste Cajun food from New Orleans, get on a trolley in San Francisco. There are so many things she wants to see and do, that Felicity can’t help but feel resentful towards him.
“I feel sort of aimless,” she finally admits, looking down at the table.
“I’m sorry. I guess I just wanted to get out of Starling. It felt … freeing to drive without a destination,” he says quietly.
“I get that. I really do,” Felicity says.
When Georgia comes with water and coffee, they order their food and fall into silence when she leaves. After a long lull, Oliver leans forward.
“Where do you want to go?”
“It’s okay. We can drive and see what we run into. I’m sure we’ll see cool things.”
“Please.”
Felicity gazes at him and tries to picture sightseeing with Oliver. Growing up, she had visualized all these places, being there with her significant other, but now… she just can’t see Oliver getting on a trolley with her, enjoying the scenery of San Francisco.
“I don’t know,” she says. “I don’t know where I want us to go.”
“Oh yeah. You’ll need a replacement. Replacing a radiator should only take a few hours. Come back in three hours and I’ll have it ready for you,” says Raf’s cousin, his head looming over the hood of their car.
“Wow, that’s great,” Felicity says, glancing at Oliver.
“How much would it cost?” he asks.
Raf’s cousin tilts his head. “About $200. That okay? You can try the shop on Wayne Street if you want, but let me tell you, they jack up the prices over there.”
“No, that’s fine. Thank you. We’ll be back in three hours,” Oliver responds.
“Is there anything in town within walking distance? Something to keep us busy?” Felicity chirps up with a friendly smile.
“Downtown Lorita’s your best bet. Although there really isn’t much to it. Just a mile that way.”
“Thank you!” Felicity calls out as they walk away.
Oliver puts his arm around her shoulder and she grabs his hand that’s hanging near her arm. She likes how the gravel sounds underneath their feet, the stones tumbling together to get them started on their little journey.
They walk through the one street of downtown Lorita. She stops in front of a boutique and announces, “We’re going in.”
When Oliver grabs her purse from her as she moves to try on a dress in the fitting room, she barely even notices the fluid action. Once she realizes her purse is gone and in Oliver’s arms, she turns away with a smile.
She catches onto his pattern. When she wears something that he likes, his eyes go a little bit wide and his lips turn up. When he doesn’t like an outfit, Oliver tilts his head and scratches his chin.
“You look beautiful,” he says in earnest.
“Hmm,” Felicity replies. “But what about the shirt?”
Oliver shifts. “It’s got a big flower on it. It – it’s distracting.”
Felicity looks down at the flower.
“It is?”
“It distracts me from your face? Which is pretty. Please tell me when to stop,” Oliver blurts out. “I’m out of my element.”
Felicity winks at him. “You’re doing just fine.”
When she comes out in a sleek dress, Oliver stares.
The boutique owner glances at Oliver and then grins at Felicity. “Looks like we got a winner.”
The ducks waddle over to them as Felicity tears off a piece of her sandwich and tosses it to the ground. Oliver leans on the back of the bench and watches as they peck away with their beaks. Once the food is gone, the ducks waddle back to the pond and plop in with a small splash.
“After Hong Kong, I went back to the States. I … had some people chasing me and I ended up in this town called Smallville. It wasn’t tiny as this, but it was still quiet. There was a pond just like this,” Oliver says, staring at the ripples of water.
“I hid in this abandoned piece of property. It was just a shack in the middle of a field, but I wandered off and found the pond. It was night and I could see the stars,” he continues.
Felicity grabs his hand.
“For the first time ever … I felt completely at peace.”
“Good,” she says, brushing his hair with her fingers.
He stares down at her. “Have you ever felt that way?”
Felicity drops her hand and leans her head against his shoulder.
“There’s this bookstore in Vegas by where my mom and I used to live. I’d go in there everyday after school, because Mom would still be at work and I hated being alone in that apartment. One day, I found this row of books on code.”
Oliver rests his chin gently on her head.
“It was like discovering a secret language. I couldn’t ramble and embarrass myself in code. I could be efficient and create things. I don’t know. I guess that’s how everything got started.”
He kisses her on the top of her head.
“Will you take me there?” he asks.
Felicity lifts her head to look at him. “You want to go to Vegas?”
He nods.
She kisses him softly on the lips and whispers, “Show me Smallville first.”
Raf’s cousin wipes his hands on his jeans. “Alright. It’s good as new.”
Felicity hands him her card and waits as he runs it through the machine. He tears off the receipt and she signs it with a flourish. Raf’s cousin hands her the keys and grins.
“Have a good honeymoon,” he says and turns away to take care of other matters. Felicity stares at his back and chuckles to herself.
“Say thank you to Raf for me,” she calls out. Jake waves her off and she walks outside.
Oliver stands by the car and quickly catches the keys when she tosses them.
“All good?” he asks.
“All good,” she replies.
They enter the car and after they close their respective doors, Felicity and Oliver both breathe in.
He starts the car and smiles as the engine sounds.
Then he looks at Felicity.
“No more running,” he says softly.
“Okay,” she says. “No more running."
* * *
The stars spread out in front of them, guiding them as they merge onto the next interstate. Felicity sticks her hand out the window to feel the breeze. She grins when she sees a green sign – Smallville, 182 miles.
Oliver looks over at her with a soft gaze. He follows suit and sticks his arm out the window with one hand on the wheel.
“We’re almost there,” he murmurs, his lips curling up into a small smile.