Oliver and Felicity out on the range.
Written for Olicity Flash Fiction Prompt #1 - Into the Wild

"Felicity, I don't understand why you dragged me out here," Oliver grumbled as he lifted his gear out of the trunk.

"You said that if I was going to keep going out into the field then I should learn how to use a bow," Felicity reminded him.

"This is not what I had in mind," Oliver said, frowning as they walked past the sign which read Starling Sportsmen Association. "I trained Roy at the Foundry before and now at the Arrowcave, as you keep calling it. Why can't we just do this there?"

"Yes, I know where you trained Roy," Felicity said, sighing. "But we spend way too much time there as it is, and it is a beautiful day outside, I just wanted to get out and enjoy it."

Oliver stopped short of the main building. "What if it draws suspicion? We shouldn't risk it."

"First of all, I doubt anyone here cares about Oliver Queen. This is hardly your usual society groupie crowd. Second of all, I'm the only one who is going to be doing any arrow-ing today."

"Arrowing?" Oliver's lips quirked upward in a small smile.

"It's a word," Felicity insisted.

"I don't think that it is."

"Well, I'm making it one," Felicity sighed. "Look, we didn't bring your usual bow and the guy that I spoke to said that the outdoor range usually isn't busy at this time of day. I even used a fake name to reserve the space, so stop being so paranoid."

"Alright," Oliver acquiesced. "Let's go."

"Yay," Felicity smiled. "This is going to be fun. It'll be just like Robin Hood or something."

"Really? You have to bring him into this?"

Felicity rolled her eyes and headed into the main building to sign in. They headed out to the outdoor range, which was divided into two sections, one with paper targets, and the other with 3D targets.

"Let's begin over here," Oliver said, indicating the structures affixed with paper targets.

"Obviously," Felicity told him. "There's no way that you're convincing me to shoot Bambi over there." She pointed to the life sized animal targets.

"Felicity, you know that I'm teaching you this because you might have to use my bow in a fight, right?" Oliver asked her, brow furrowed.

"Yeah, well, they would have it coming," Felicity insisted. "Bambi has done nothing wrong."

Oliver smiled. How Felicity saw what they did was something that never ceased to amaze him. They walked over to a nearby picnic table and Oliver opened the duffle, pulling out a compound bow that was slightly smaller than his usual bow. He'd ordered it specifically so that he could train Felicity on something that would be a better fit for her, knowing that if she could learn to use this bow, she would be able to use his if she ever needed to.

This was the first time that Felicity had actually used the bow to shoot at a target. They had spent some time in the lair, working on her stance and her form, but this would be her first opportunity to loose arrows. He was pleased that their earlier training had stuck with her, as her form was almost perfect. However, he still took the opportunity to get close to her, putting his arms around her and making minor corrections to her form as she nocked the first arrow.

He let his hands linger for just a moment, before stepping back.

"Remember, stay focused on your target, and loose the arrow as you exhale."

Felicity did as he instructed and with her first arrow she hit the outer circle of the target. She turned to Oliver, frowning.

"I was so close," she told him, clenching one hand into a fist.

"It was your first shot," he responded. "And it was pretty good for a first shot."

"I can do better," she insisted.

Oliver couldn't help but smile at Felicity. She was nothing if not determined. He knew she'd keep trying until she hit her target, even if it took all day.

As she picked up another arrow and resumed her stance, the sun glinted off her blonde hair and she looked both beautiful and deadly. In that moment Oliver couldn't help but think, maybe this hadn't been such a bad idea after all.