Title: Prompt #1 – Summer Vacation

Written for the Olicity Hiatus Fic-A-Thon started by thebookjumper over on Tumblr.

Summer Vacation

"This isn't exactly what I had in mind when we were discussing summer vacations."

He smiles down at her as her arms slide around him, her chin coming to rest on his shoulder. Well, as close to his shoulder as she can reach.

They stand together beside their recently erected tent, the one he's assembled completely on his own while she'd been off collecting firewood. The rest of the team – Curtis, Rene, Dinah and Thea – are on the other side of the fire pit arguing over the logistics of who is sleeping where and who – the boys or the girls – gets the bigger tent.

He shrugs and grips her forearm where it's draped across his abdomen.

"I know. But I thought, after everything that happened… I figured we could all use a break."

They've spent the day hiking the trail, with Felicity in charge of the map, searching for this exact spot. Their view of the Feather River is resplendent and the moment that their group had reached the clearing that allowed them this particular sight, everyone had stopped and stared in silent wonder. Even now, in the midst of their arguing, the four other members of their team seem to respect the tranquility around them, keeping their volume to a minimum.

"Hey, we're all alright, Oliver," she assures gently, "Everyone made it out. Except… Except Slade, I mean. But he died saving us. Because he felt like he had to. He felt like he owed it to you. After everything that he'd done… I won't ever forgive him for the hell he put you through, the hell he put us all through, but he saved my life. He gave me another chance with you. I'll always be grateful for that."

He turns and wraps himself around her, bending down to press a kiss to her smiling lips. She returns it with fervor, the distance that had kept them apart for nearly a year now gone, and her nails scratch at the scruff that's grown out along his jaw. He pulls back with his heart racing in his chest and presses his forehead to hers. She's grinning broadly and he can feel her rapid pulse where it beats beneath his hand. Somehow it had ended up on her neck and neither of them seems surprised.

"Okay, love birds, we need a tie breaker here."

She sighs, shaking her head, and breaks away.

"Curtis, Dinah, let's go. Rock, paper, scissors."

Rene snorts, "Seriously, Barbie?"

She shoots a pointed glare at their teammate and he just rolls his eyes, crossing thick arms over his chest and watching on as Curtis and Dinah follow Felicity's instructions. As they focus on resolving their – in Oliver's opinion – childish debate, Thea steps up beside him.

"Things could've ended so differently," she says softly, observing the four people opposite them.

"I know."

"We were all lucky. Every one of us. Even though John… even with his injuries, he'll still recover. He's alive. He got to go home to Lyla and JJ. We were lucky."

All he can do is nod. He doesn't disagree with her. Luck was certainly on their side that day on Lian Yu. If Slade hadn't been there, if he hadn't been familiar with every square foot of the island, Oliver would've lost every one of them. His friends and family. The love of his life. They all could've been taken from him so easily. But he'd been granted a reprieve from the pain and suffering that had filled his life for nearly a decade. All because a man who he had once considered a friend, a brother, had sacrificed himself to save them all.

"William didn't want to come?" Thea asks, bringing him back to the present.

"I think he would've come but after everything, Samantha was a little hesitant to let him out of her sight. And to send him off into the woods again? She just wasn't ready. And I understand. I don't know if I could've handled having him out here with us."

"Paper beats rock and the ladies take it! Sorry guys."

Curtis and Rene groan in stereo, making everyone around them chuckle, and Thea skips over to Dinah, the two of them bumping fists in triumph.

An hour later, with a fire blazing in the pit, Felicity presses herself into his side, sighing softly.

"Hey."

He chuckles, "Hi."

"This is nice."

He hums his agreement and glances down at her.

"But not what you were hoping for?"

Felicity shrugs, "Not exactly. I mean, when I thought about being out here under the stars well… I was remembering that summer before we got to Ivy Town. We spent a lot of nights in places like this. Just the two of us, alone in a tent…"

He chuckles and drapes an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer and pressing his lips to her ear.

"We'll still be alone in that tent."

She snorts, aiming a playful punch into his thigh.

"Not going to happen, Queen."

"Right. Because we're taking things one step at a time."

Felicity lifts a gentle hand to his cheek, offering him a radiant smile and a small shake of her head.

"No, because we're not alone. Not really. As for taking things one step at a time… I meant what I said on the island. I already have too many regrets where our relationship is concerned, Oliver. I think – I think maybe the time for going slow has passed. I don't want to lose you. Not ever. And I thought that I had. I thought I'd never see you again. Whatever happens next, wherever… wherever life takes us, all I know is that I don't want to let you go."

He takes a breath, deep and even and necessary, before closing his eyes and dropping his forehead onto hers again.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Another scoff from Rene draws them both out of the moment and he's not surprised to find their companions staring at them. Thea and Curtis fail to hide their giddiness at the obvious show of affection, even Dinah has a knowing grin on her face, but Rene is faking disgust.

"We should turn in. It's been a long day and we've got a few hours hike ahead of us in the morning."

The other members of their team share incredulous looks, each of them shaking their heads and grumbling under their breath about keeping it down and not embarrassing themselves. All of which, combined with the way everyone scampers off to their respective tents, has Felicity blushing brightly in the firelight.

"Subtle."

He huffs, shoving to his feet and dragging her up with him, leading her toward the tent they'd wordlessly agreed to share. He follows her in, dropping onto his sleeping bag and tugging on her hand until she tumbles down beside him.

She gasps softly.

"Oliver."

"Felicity… I want you to know that I'm not letting you go either. Never again."

She grins and brushes a kiss to his cheek. When she settles against him with her head on his shoulder, their hands intertwined on his chest, he feels the stress and tension of the last few months melt away. A sense of calm unlike anything he's ever felt washes over him in its place, settling into his bones and twisting its way around his heart. It's her. He knows that it is. It's always been her. And even though he'd said the words aloud to her, he makes the same vow silently to himself. He will do everything in his power to keep her, to fight for her, because he won't survive losing her again. Felicity Smoak is his always and she's finally giving him a chance to be hers. He doesn't plan on letting her down.