When Felicity finally saw him getting out of the gates of Slabside, she let go of the air that had stayed trapped in her throat for seven months. Her feet moved without permission until she could touch him. He was battered and covered in blood, blood that she hoped was not only his own.
She slowly touched his cheek and when he leaned into her hand, a sob made its way to her mouth. And then he was kissing her, capturing her tears with his fingers, and everything else faded away.
"Felicity—" He whispered her name against her skin and she held him tighter. After a few moments, he almost collapsed into her arms, burying his face into her hair.
"Come on—let's go home."
She let him lean on her shoulder as they climbed into the car. The second his head touched her legs, he fell in a restless sleep.
She took those moments to just look at her husband.
He was so beautiful. And so—so beaten up. Her eyes watered again as she traced her fingers around his eyes, barely making contact, but enough to ground her to reality. To assure herself that he was there in her arms. Finally.
When Dig pulled over in front of their old penthouse, she leaned to kiss his forehead.
"Babe—we're here." She whispered the words against his skin, in the most delicate way she could manage.
He opened his eyes immediately and for a second she read panic in them.
"Shh—it's okay. Come on—"
His eyes connected with hers and he smiled. "I'm sure I dreamt about this."
She leaned to kiss him. "Let's go."
As soon as they climbed out of the car, she didn't spare John a second glance before entering the elevator. She heard them talk for a moment and then Oliver was back in her arms.
When she finally closed the door of the penthouse behind them, she could finally breathe normally again. They were home, together.
Oliver was home.
Her husband just stood there a few feet from her, looking around. She touched his back, coming to stand in front of him.
"Let's go upstairs—I want to check your wounds."
He smiled. "You want me to shave, just say it."
She smiled back, raising her hand to touch that monstrosity growing on his face.
"A little bit longer and you could name it."
He raised a brow. "Carl?"
She slipped her fingers through it. "Matthew?"
"Ben? I like Ben."
She chuckled. "Then Ben it is."
He leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Come on—I would like a shower."
They moved to the bathroom in silence, both needing these moments to themselves. To assure each other that it was really happening. She helped him took off his shirt and pants and she had to bite down a gasp of horror at the sight of his naked body. He was covered in bruises, black and blue, old and new.
Tears were forming in her eyes but she did her best to hide them. She tried to focus on cleaning the cuts and the blood, applying cream all over the bruises.
When she turned again after she was finished, he was holding a razor, looking at her with a smirk.
"Would you do me the honor?"
"With my immense pleasure."
He sat on the toilet lid, opening his legs for her to step closer. She worked in silence, caressing his face as she shaved him.
When she could finally see his chin again, she looked at him. "Bye Ben. Welcome back, Oliver."
He cupped her cheek slowly.
"You are so beautiful—"
His voice was so soft that she couldn't stop the tears that escaped her eyes. The heaviness and the sadness that she had felt during the seven months that they were apart was finally easing.
He wiped away her tears, caressing her face. "I missed you so, so much, baby."
A sob escaped her mouth. "I missed you, too. I love you, Oliver."
He kissed her again, and she felt all of his emotions and love for her floating through her body. She cried a little harder.
"Don't leave me again, Oliver. Please- Don't —" She didn't want to say it, not yet. They had a lot to talk about—but that wasn't the right moment. He got up, crushing her to his body. She felt his tears in her hair.
"Never—I will never leave you again, baby. I love you so much."
She buried her face into his chest, and they stayed wrapped in each other for a while. When she was finally ready to let go, she wiped away her tears.
"Can you manage on your own? I just need a moment- " She eyed the shower and he nodded.
"Of course—"
She closed the door of the bathroom behind her and took a deep breath. She didn't plan to be so emotional. He needed her to be strong, but having him finally in her arms was too much after all of this time. She busied herself in the bedroom, preparing the bed for him to sleep. She was gathering some clothes for them when she heard his voice calling for her. She found him leaning in the shower.
"Are you okay?" She came by his side in a second, trying to ignore all of the new scars on his naked body.
"I think I'm more tired than I thought."
She passed him a towel and some shorts while she helped him out of the shower. After he dried himself and slipped on the shorts, she made him lean on her toward the bed.
"Are you hungry?"
He kissed her hair. "I rather sleep."
She took him to the bed and helped him lay down. After he settled under the covers, she was moving away when his hand caught hers.
"Stay?"
"I'm just going to change."
She changed quickly in the bathroom before joining him back in the bed. His eyes were already closed so she made an effort to move as slowly and silently as she could. As soon as she was settled, his arm came around her, moving her to his body. She laid with her head on his chest, completely wrapped in each other. He buried his face in her hair and while the tears came back with vengeance, she stayed silent.
"I missed this—having you like this." He was tracing the line of her neck, down to her shoulder and back, leaving goosebumps behind.
"I missed your skin against mine—" She buried her face a little more into his chest.
"Everything in there was so cold, and sharp—I missed your warmth."
She couldn't help but look at him in the eyes. Her hand raised to his face while his buried into her hair. She traced the outline of his eyes, his nose down to his mouth.
And then, she whispered three simple words.
"Kiss me, Oliver."
And he did.
It was something moving and trashing that woke her.
It was still the middle of the night so her eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness. When they did, they traveled to the body that was fighting air beside her.
Oliver was almost at the edge of the bed, his head whipping back and forth trapped in a nightmare. Yet, what made her heart clench in her chest, was the noises. He was crying, hauling in pain like a caged animal—and in the midst of all of that, he yelled her name.
She didn't think. She was on her knees beside him in a moment, one hand on his shoulder and the other on his cheek.
"Oliver—" A few tears leaked from her eyes.
And it all happened in a second.
The next moment she was pinned down on the mattress with Oliver above her— one of his hand around her throat. The shock took her breath away, but the grip on her neck wasn't painful and she could still breathe. She raised her hands, searching his eyes. When she found them, a few more tears leaked out. It wasn't because he was harming her, not at all. She was crying at the utter panic that was staring back at her.
"Oliver—baby, it's me." She tried to speak as calmly as she could.
"Look at me—you're home." A sob caught in her throat. "You're safe—"
"Come back to me- please."
He wasn't looking in her eyes though, his gaze suddenly focused on something on her chest. A chain with a silver ring- his wedding band. The hand that wasn't against her throat, took the object from between her breasts, delicately lifting it up to study it.
She saw in his eyes the moment her husband was back with her.
He dropped the ring like it burned and the pressure on her neck was gone in a second. He backed away from her, turning away, breathing heavily.
She touched her neck for a moment, before rising to her knees once again.
"Oliver—"
He sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. "Don't—I just-"
No way.
She climbed out of the bed, slowly coming in front of him, kneeling between his legs. When she touched his knees, he flinched a little.
"Oliver—it's okay."
He shook his head. "I'm so sorry—"
"No—it was my fault. You told me many times- I shouldn't have touched you—"
He shook his head harder, shutting his eyes closed. She took his hand in hers, making him focus on her.
"Oliver—look at me. I'm fine. It was nothing—"
He finally did what she said, and when he looked down at her, she smiled a little.
"Hi."
He slowly exhaled, kissed the hand he was holding. She kissed his right knee, leaning her head on his leg. "Do you want to talk about it?"
He broke her gaze, but she pressed on.
"You— you said my name."
Oliver closed his eyes, kissing her hand again. " I don't want to burden you-"
"Tell me."
He closed his eyes.
"They attacked me while I was in the shower. I was alone—and there was a lot of them."
She stayed silent, but her eyes filled with tears again.
"I was so angry. I fought them all— I took most of them out, but one punched me hard in the face—and just before I passed out he told me that Diaz had found you—and that you were dead."
Tears were floating down her cheeks and when he opened his arms to her, she didn't think twice before standing and jumping into them. He cradled her on his lap, burying his face into her hair.
"I was so scared— he said you were dead and I couldn't do anything." His voice cracked and another sob escaped her mouth. She felt him kiss her hair, her temple, crushing her to his body. They stayed like that for a while, just breathing each other's air.
Finally, she moved back a little to meet his eyes. He cupped her cheek, wiping away the tears. When his eyes traveled to her neck though, he stilled again. A few bruises were forming on her skin.
"I hurt you."
She made him look at her again. "I'm fine Oliver, you didn't hurt me."
"I did—these bruises—" She didn't let him finish. "—will fade. Look at me."
He met her eyes.
"The bruises will fade away. All of this—pain, will fade away, baby."
He trembled a little under her, and she caressed the skin under his eyes. "We'll get through this like we always do—together. We have a lot to talk about—"
He nodded. "I know—"
"And we will—but not now. The only thing that matters now is that you're home, and we're safe. We are together and we are safe."
He leaned down to kiss her, and she poured in it all of the love she had for the impossible, loving man in her arms. When he moved away again, his gaze traveled back down at the band that was dangling safely near her heart. She followed his gaze and smiled. He reached for the piece of silver, warm from her skin, he twisted it between his fingers.
"You kept it here—all of this time?"
"I wanted to feel it—I wanted to feel you."
He kissed her again and when he eyed the ring asking permission, she smiled. She picked up the chain and took it off her neck, dropping the band into her hand.
"May I?"
He offered his left hand to her. "Please, baby."
She carefully slipped the ring through his finger, and when it was finally back where it belonged, she kissed it. He was watching her with so much love that her heart jumped in her chest.
"I love you so much, Felicity."
She leaned her forehead to his.
"We'll be fine- I won't let anyone take you away from me again. You are mine, Oliver. Only mine."
"And you are mine—forever."