Disclaimer: Despite my best efforts, I do not own Arrow and only own one share of Disney.
Felicity skips through the crowds like a kid at Christmas. Oliver smiles serenely, trailing slightly behind her.
"Hurry up!" she calls after him.
He widens his stride a little, listening to the cheerful music and the buzz of people around them. As they enter through the front gates, they are immediately greeted by the sight of Mickey Mouse's head in the planter.
They link hands as they passed through the archway.
"Here you leave today, and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy," Felicity reads dreamily.
"You like Disneyland, don't you?" he asks in amusement.
"Only since I could walk," she says. "My mom would take me out of school to come here on my birthday every year until I was in sixth grade. We'd make the big road trip south and make a little vacation out of it."
"Why did you stop going?"
"I told my mom that I would fall behind if I missed school."
Oliver smiles and kisses her temple affectionately. "I'm not surprised."
Felicity's grin widens even further. "Don't you love it, too?"
He shrugs back. They make their way down Main Street, taking in the smell of waffle cones and popcorn. An a capella quartet sings Disney songs by the firehouse.
"My family came a couple times when we were kids. We usually had a tour guide with us, and my mom didn't want us eating too much junk food."
"You had a plaid?" she asks in surprise. "You didn't eat churros?"
"You're saying words, but I don't know what they mean."
"You simultaneously lead the most glamorous and most deprived life I've ever heard of."
"Tell me, Ms. Smoak, master of the happiest place on earth, what should we do next?"
She leads them to the right, past large rocks and a sign that reads "Tomorrowland." The path is crammed with people and strollers. They weave through the crowds and stop at a cart in the middle of the path.
"I'm going to educate you," she says matter-of-factly.
"That'll be three seventy-five," the tiny ginger girl behind the register chirps. Oliver reaches for his wallet, but Felicity waves him off.
"This is my treat," she says sweetly, handing the cashier cash and receiving a long cinnamon-covered dessert.
"Have a magical day!" the girl calls after them.
"Is everyone here so cheerful?" Oliver asks.
"We are at the happiest place on earth," Felicity says around a mouthful of churro.
She stuffs it in his face, and he takes a bite. It's sweet, crunchy and sugary. He smiles at her and obligingly eats more. As they finish it off, they make their way to Space Mountain.
"Do you like it?"
He stops her and kisses the corner of her mouth. "There was a bit of cinnamon there."
Felicity smiles. "Very smooth, Mr. Queen."
"I try my best."
They make their way through the queue of Space Mountain.
"My favorite part of Disneyland is waiting in line."
He gives her a funny look.
"I like to people watch," she explains. "There are people from every walk of life here."
He stands beside her, leaning against the chain rope. To their right, a small Asian girl in a princess dress plays a game on her mother's iPhone. To their left, a group of frat boys are talking about an upcoming party. There were groups of teenagers who obviously preferred texting to interacting with each other and large gatherings of tourists wearing matching neon-colored shirts and fanny packs.
Then, there's Felicity, wearing a bright red skirt and a Mickey Mouse t-shirt, positively radiant with excitement and glee. She looks around with wonder in her eyes and blushes when she noticed him looking at her.
"What?"
"Nothing. Just wondering how I got so lucky to have you."
"Smooth, Queen. Smooth."
He brushes his fingers over her flushed cheeks and kisses her gently.
"Ahem." They look up, and the mother with the iPhone-playing princess gestures them toward the line, which has moved up 20 feet.
"So damn cheerful," Oliver grumbles, as they step out of the boat of It's a Small World with that goddamn song repeating in his head.
"It's catchy."
"It's creepy."
On Star Tours, Oliver gets motion sick, and Felicity is the rebel spy. Her picture is on the screen, and she's squealing with joy, so he takes it as a good thing.
They ride the Matterhorn roller coaster, and his butt hurts from the bumps.
He wonders how children aren't traumatized after the Snow White ride.
They spend the whole of the Haunted Mansion necking like high schoolers to the tune of "Grim Grinning Ghosts."
They go to California Adventure across the way and explore Radiator Springs.
He lets her win in the Toy Story shooting game, though he denies it when she uses her Loud Voice about it afterwards.
They ride the Little Mermaid ride, and he spends more time paying attention to her singing along to all of the music rather than the ride itself.
They eat Dole Whip, a sweet pineapple-flavored soft-serve, and watch the parade ("it's a music celebration").
They're stopped four times by random guests, and The Famous Oliver Queen begrudgingly takes a photo with them. Felicity is the one who takes the picture, smiling and only making fun of him a little bit.
He treats her to a fancy dinner at the Carthay Circle Restaurant, ordering her a bottle of her favorite red wine. They sit out on the balcony and watch people walk by. They start by counting the number of flashing balloons floating by, giving up after 50 before the waiter brings out their bread. Then, they begin to make stories for the people walking by.
"See those girls over there?" Felicity points to a couple of college girls wearing heels and walking arm in arm. "The one in the middle just got dumped by her frat boy boyfriend, so they're going to the happiest place on earth to remember dreams do come true."
On a bench directly below them, a couple is breaking up. "She caught him hooking up with Sleeping Beauty behind her castle," Oliver says.
"Her name is Princess Aurora," Felicity supplies.
The girl on the bench stands up and slaps the boy.
"Bad news," Oliver continues, watching the boy on the bench begging after the girl. "Princess Aurora is pregnant with his child."
"Oops," Felicity adds in with a laugh.
The waiter comes and takes their order. Oliver gets the Angus steak, and Felicity gets squash ravioli. They lapse back into amicable silence as the waiter leaves.
Felicity props her head on her hands and smiles at him. He smiles back, tipping his head in question.
"Thank you for today."
"We're not done yet."
"Well, I've had fun."
"Me, too."
He reaches out, and she rests her hand in his. He gently brings her knuckles up to his lips and massages the kiss in with his thumb.
He loves the way she blushes and shivers at the contact.
"I can't wait until we get home, and I get to do very un-Disney things to you," he whispers wolfishly.
If possible, she turns even redder.
The waiter brings out their food a few minutes later, and at precisely 9:30, the lights of the restaurant dim slightly. The previously calm ambience stops, and more magnanimous music.
To the north, bright lights and bangs erupt. They can see the tip of the brightly lit castle in the distance, surrounded by illumination of fireworks.
For the umpteenth time that day, he drinks in the site of her beauty. Lit up by the flash of fireworks, she stares in awe, her fingers tightening around his across the table. He releases her hand briefly to slide onto the bench seat she is on and wrapping his arms around her.
She leans into his embrace, resting her head back against his shoulder. He touches his lips to her temple and watches the show, loving the feeling of her breathing against him and her gasps at just the right times.
When the show ends, she swipes at her eyes a little.
"Were you crying?" he teases.
"They were so pretty. And the music just gets to me. It's just so magical."
He chuckles. "You are remarkable, Felicity."
"Thank you for remarking."
After dinner, she drags him through the stores, where she buys a Stitch pillow pet. The California park has closed, and the path is empty. They sit at the edge of the fountain, enjoying the sound of music and the stillness of the usually packed area until security asks them to leave.
"I may have had my fair share of police encounters," Oliver says, "but I have never been escorted anywhere by cops with a badge in the shape of a mouse."
They return to their room at the Grand Californian. They soak their aching feet in the bathtub.
"Thank you for today," she says as they settle into bed.
Despite whatever un-Disney-friendly activities they had hoped for that night, they both are snoring in minutes, with dreams of churros and Mickey Mouse floating through their heads.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Disneyland is actually one of my favorite places ever, and I may be channeling myself in Felicity a little bit (The story of my mom wanting me to ditch school for Disneyland, for instance). Also, in my head, I based the cast members on my friends in their locations at work. Please let me know your thoughts, and if you need any recommendations for future Disney trips, I'm your gal ;)