It was pretty early somewhere in the sunny California. The ocean's waves crashed into the rocks and birds were already singing. And life… life in Oliver's books couldn't get any better from this moment. Or more like the next moment, when he would be back inside the beach house they had rented for a week.

(Post-3x23. After 'Porches and Sunsets' but during the road trip. Oliver's birthday.)

AN: So here it is. I didn't know if I would actually write anything to do with the road trip but then I got this idea and just went with it. Tell me what you think about this chapter and thanks for reading!


It was pretty early somewhere in the sunny California. The ocean's waves crashed into the rocks and birds were already singing. And life… life in Oliver's books couldn't get any better from this moment. Or more like the next moment, when he would be back inside the beach house they had rented for a week.

Oliver was aware of the fact that he had that silly grin that Felicity had teasingly called him out on on his face while he jogged down the street, already seeing the tiny house they were hiding from the world in.

The past few days had most likely been the best days of his life since The Gambit had sunk and he still found himself wondering if it even was real. Because it felt unreal how he was finally actually living his dream, driving away from Starling City toward the unknown with Felicity. But he was so happy and he was enjoying every second of their time away from 'the real world'.

"Honey, I'm home", he called out jokingly when he stepped inside the house.

"In the kitchen", Felicity called back. "Come here when you're done showering."

"You could always join me there, I wouldn't mind", he yelled over his shoulder, walking to the bathroom and stripping his sweaty clothes off before stepping under the pouring water.

(He swore that he heard Felicity say 'Yeah, I know you wouldn't mind at all')


He walked into the kitchen, still toweling his short hair. He could smell fresh coffee and something that smelled like chocolate and vanilla.

"Happy birthday big bro!"

Oliver almost jumped a foot when he heard his sister's voice.

"Thea?"

"Turn a bit, you doofus."

When he turned a quarter, he instantly saw Felicity holding a tablet in her hands. Apparently Thea was calling them on Skype.

"Hi Thea. How's everything going?" he said with a small smile on his face.

"Oh nothing special. Put some almost-rapists to jail last night and stopped a few muggings. So everything's going smoothly. But that's not important right now, bro. Did you open my present yet?" Thea's was went from nonchalant to excited in a second and he could see how she was bouncing a bit on her feet.

"A present?" his brows furrowed.

"Ollie! It's your birthday! Please tell me you didn't forget that?"

He raised his gaze to Felicity who just smiled at him and nodded toward the tablet, signaling that he should probably focus on Thea.

"I didn't?" he answered but didn't really sound convincing.

"It's okay, I know that this probably isn't your favourite time of year. But still. Congrats. You're getting old, dear brother of mine", Thea smirked.

Oliver recalled Reverse Flash's words about how old he would actually live and his smile grew even bigger.

Thea's voice had gone softer and it brought him back from his musings. "I'm glad that you're letting yourself to be happy. You really deserve it."

"Thanks, Speedy. I'll call you back when I've opened that present, okay?"

"You better do that. Felicity knows where it is, so ask her. See you later." Thea said before ending the call.

Felicity put the tablet away before coming back and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"You know, if you're not too old, we could think some more creative ways to eat the cake I got from the nearby bakery while you were on your morning run", she whispered while running her fingertips through the short strands of his hair.

"Oh, so you think I'm old now? Then I have to show you what I'm capable of, huh?" he teased her before swooping down and settling her in his arms, carrying her toward the bedroom.

Felicity grabbed the cake on their way out of the kitchen, all the while laughing out loud, her eyes twinkling.

If this was what happiness was like, then Oliver looked forward to the next 56 years of his life.


[Not beta'd, so all the mistakes are mine. Review, follow, you know what to do if you've liked the story so far. If you have a prompt, drop it in my askbox on tumblr or in a review here or on ao3. I'm taivasmeri on all those sites.]