Their night

AN: It's been a while since I posted and it's always nice to be back here! BTW, Sissylove25 inspired this story with a PM requesting more Olicity romance. Unfortunately, I didn't actually fulfill her specific request that followed…who knows where inspiration may lead though! ;) This was quickly written and without a beta review - pls forgive any mistakes. As always, reviews are much appreciated!

DISCLAIMER: CW's Arrow doesn't belong to be unfortunately.

XX

Felicity pushed her glasses up and then crossed her arms to hug herself. After a few deep breaths, she flexed her fingers and then paced around the bunker. The click of her heels was the only sound other than the whirring hum of the equipment. With no distractions, thoughts and memories ran rampant - colliding, worrying, twisting in her head until it pounded in time with her racing heart.

Oliver in green leather almost painted red in blood but still with a smile on his face when she bandaged his wounds again.

Team Arrow and their friends in so many variations gathered in the bunker to strategize, to train, and to argue so they could protect the city and do good.

Oliver racing through the streets on his bike – dark, haunted, scarred, and stubborn.

So many villains of the week terrorizing their city with blood and death…until Team Arrow came together and brought them down.

Oliver in a business suit – his tired eyes widening in surprise when she placed a coffee in front of him.

OTA, the OGs, sharing drinks and laughing – it had started with the three of them.

Merlyn, Slade, Darhk, and so many conspiracies greater than she had ever imagined or feared even during her hacktivist days.

Oliver, shirtless and sweaty, training on the salmon ladder.

Stopping, Felicity huffed out a laugh and stared at what was still her favorite piece of training equipment. So much had changed in their lives – they had changed in so many different ways. Some things did stay the same though. Traditions.

Their night was their tradition.

She resumed her pacing and wondered what could have made him forget, worried about what could have kept him from her. While she couldn't say exactly when they had started the tradition in its current form, she knew she would never forget it. She had never forgotten it. Regardless of what was happening in their lives, they always found their way together. More memories, lighter and brighter, filled her mind.

A red pen…a green fern…a blue shirt…a blackened omelet.

Colors had become so important, so symbolic. Their lives had been overtaken by darkness. It wasn't just the years they had been forced to hide in the shadows. Doing good meant living through dark times – deaths, pain, anger, fear.

Oliver believed she was his light but he had helped illuminate her path too. His loyalty, his determination, and his honor had always inspired and driven her to do more, to be more. Oliver himself had pushed her and pulled her even when she didn't want him to but she knew she would always have him. Without him, there were so many times that she didn't think she would have found her way back.

It wasn't about the light though. It was about not losing yourself in the gray – the tantalizing space between the black and white, between the bad and the good. It was easy to numb yourself so you wouldn't feel the pain but then you couldn't feel the joy, the love. He had always been the one to make her feel.

Love…lust…friendship…trust…hope

All the bright colors in her world had somehow merged into green, into him. It was why she was wore green so often. Pinks, purples, blues, all had their place but green had become her favorite. It wasn't something they talked about but she knew he noticed. He noticed everything – his Island skills had only been honed in new ways as he continued to be the Green Arrow.

She knew he noticed but she wondered if he knew. Did he know she still loved him? Had always loved him? It was what kept her by his side. It was what made colors and tradition so important…especially on their night.

Their night was the night she had found him in her car – bleeding and needing her. It was the night her life changed in an explosion of green.

A single tear ran down her cheek. It was almost midnight but Oliver hadn't come. They hadn't missed their anniversary…ever. The first year she had found a red pen in her car. The second year ice cream in her fridge. She had sought him out the third year and he had given her a ride home on his bike. Their anniversary wasn't something they spoke of, not even to John. No one else knew. It was theirs and theirs alone - something bright and beautiful hidden in the dark. Even during the worst times, they had still found their way together. Each year became a bit more, just as they became a bit more.

More than friends, more than partners, more than lovers.

Accepting that he wasn't coming, Felicity turned on her heel and left the bunker. She had thought they had overcome their recent struggles, the separation and doubt. She had hoped they could be together again. Her hands flexed again as a slight tremble coursed through her and her breath caught painfully in her chest. Her heart ached and yearned. She felt empty without him even if it was only one night. It was their night.

Closing her car door, Felicity rested her head against the steering wheel. She needed a moment to pull herself together before driving home alone.

"I was beginning to think you'd never get out here. We really do need to get you a bigger car." Oliver's voice was pitched low and soft but he saw her jump and twist in her seat. When their eyes met, he froze at the sight of tears dulling her bright blue eyes. "Felicity."

His voice calling her name always made her heart lurch in her chest. She gave him a slight smile of reassurance but then her face paled. "Are you okay? You haven't been shot again, have you?"

Reaching back, her hands and eyes scanned his body with a familiar motion born over years together. Oliver could read their environment, their enemies with his skills but she could read Oliver. She knew him better than she knew herself. There was no blood but something was wrong. He was tense, almost nervous.

"I'm fine. I haven't been shot." Oliver shifted slightly and tried to unclench his jaw. It was their night and he wanted to be with her. He wanted to be with her forever.

"Felicity."

She had just been staring at him laying her in backseat but his voice pulled her gaze to his eyes. Thoughtlessly, needing the reassurance of physical contact, she reached a hand for his face. It was their night and she wanted to be with him. She wanted to be with him forever.

Oliver caught her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. Swallowing with difficulty, he deliberately lowered their hands and watched her eyes follow the movement. Many people had watched him – to train him, to test him, to scorn him, to use him, to kill him. Felicity always watched him with love, knowledge, and hope in her eyes. She knew him better than anyone and her love meant more to him than anything. Even during the darkest times, he looked to her and she had remained by his side. Smiling, he held up his other hand and watched her.

Felicity's red lips fell open to slight O as pink rushed into her cheeks. White light reflected off the stone in a bright rainbow of colors. The ring was familiar to her even though she hadn't seen it in years. It was her engagement ring.

"Felicity, will you marry me?"