A/N: I'm not even going to pretend that this isn't fluff. Sometimes we all need to read/write/lose ourselves in a bit of fluff though, so deal with it. ;)

Distinct lack of Sara because I had originally written this for earlier in the story. I ended up scrapping it then but I couldn't bear to get rid of it entirely, so I just tweaked a few things. But don't worry, Sara lovers - she has quite a role in the next few chapters!

This chapter takes place mid-chapter 30 of For Blue Skies

He had been up for hours thanks to his early morning meeting with Denmark, and he wasn't sure what to do now. The benefits of a meeting that early was it requiring very little in the way of getting ready - he sat there in his suit and tie and boxers, nodding along sleepily with the head of operations over there. Granted, he had almost gotten up twice for coffee but he had refrained at the last moment, therefore saving his dignity to live another day.

Afterwards, he couldn't get back to sleep on the couch so he grabbed the closest XBox controller to him and powered on the system, switching out the game discs. He had never really anticipated how the gaming console would change his life, which, he realized, sounded absurd. He had bought it on a whim, hurting at the idea of Felicity being bored and held captive in her own house, and, in the words of Roy, willing to 'throw money at it.'

There was no way he could have known how much Felicity would enjoy playing games with him, and how much he enjoyed it as well. The games were just that - games, mindless distractions from the real world, but it turned out that's exactly what the two of them needed. But the delight Felicity experienced with it was the real draw. She loved the silly stories in the Lego games, laughing along with it and frequently slapping his leg to get him to pay attention and enjoy just like she did. She also sat closer to him, her thigh pressed tightly to his, her elbows jostling him as she got way too into the game, moving the controller as if it were able to read the motions in her arms. It was just the perfect escape from their too-often depressing reality.

He hadn't played video games since before the island and even then it hadn't been very often, despite having all the newest consoles. He had been more interested in going out and causing trouble in the physical world, not virtually. He had found this game in his quest for something to do when Felicity napped for longer than he had thought she would, and he didn't have any QC work to do (a bonus and a drawback from having the more-than-competent Walter Steele in his stead). He had stayed away from any 'shoot 'em up' games, mostly because he didn't relish shooting bodies nowadays, with actual faces staring at him in his sleep. He tried a war game just once before shutting it off abruptly in the middle of the opening scene. He had enough nightmares, thanks, he didn't need any help from a video game.

This game was aliens, which was a welcome change from humans. He found himself able to separate out the game from reality and he kind of enjoyed the mechanical ease of it. Point and shoot was a thing he was more than capable of in real life, and the cartoonish aliens on the screen in front of him posed no actual threat, offering him a great escape.

Which was why he was more than surprised when Felicity suddenly appeared in the hallway. How long had he been playing? A quick glance at the clock told him she had risen earlier than he had expected, and she was so damn cute in a pair of his baggy basketball shorts that she had pilfered from him and a tank top with a zip-up hoodie over it. She almost looked like she was gearing up to go to a game.

He rushed to reassure her that he wasn't playing their game, although when it became 'theirs' he wasn't quite sure, but he did know that it wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable without her next to him. ("Break it faster, Oliver! I'm going to kill you if you don't help me!")

He wasn't really looking forward to the talk they were going to have about Stephanie Cassidy and the picture situation, but he knew it was inevitable and needed to be said. Especially since Dig had suggested that she was going out to eat with Lance the night before in an effort to get some space between the two of them. Sometimes she needed space, he was well aware of that, but space because of a disagreement they had was wildly different from space from him always hovering.

He let her begin explaining her feelings as he cut fruit in front him, viciously stabbing the papaya and scooping out the seeds with unnecessary vigor. He didn't know this Stephanie woman from Eve and more often than not, Felicity's judgment in people was sound (save for himself, probably).

He almost forgot he had gotten her a few treats from the bakery down the street until he was placing the fruit in a bowl. Fruits and vegetables were even more important in her diet than they were before, and he was briefly lamenting his lack of a balanced meal when he remembered the carrot cake cupcake. It was better than nothing. And the smile she gave him when he placed them down in front of her was better than anything.

"Oh, that reminds me! Plastic cutlery!"

Just because she had started to undergo treatment didn't mean that there wasn't plenty left to learn about cancer. Oliver still found himself reading blogs and medical journals in his spare time (when he wasn't playing video games, apparently) and he was determined to never let Felicity want for anything. So when he read that plastic cutlery helped curb some of the strange tastes that chemotherapy caused, he had then done research on which brands were the best, before buying some very heavy-duty plastic utensils. He had no shame in admitting how proud he was of that. This was something he could give to Felicity and have her appreciate, right then and there. It was something tangible. It was something.

Then she moaned a little bit around the cupcake's frosting on the fork and he felt his pride begin to mix with more than a little lust. He quickly became aware of the thin pajamas pants he was currently clad in and quickly sat down across from her.

He listened patiently as Felicity continued to explain her case for not going after Stephanie Cassidy. He silently conceded defeat when she mentioned not wanting to punish the woman's daughter, Casey, for the actions of the mother. She hadn't meant for it to be a low blow, just a fact, but he still felt it all the way to his gut. He wouldn't do that to the daughter. He couldn't.

But that still didn't change the fact that he didn't know this woman and he didn't think it was wise to continue to talk to her. In any capacity.

He should have known that Felicity wasn't going to go for that.

"You're going to tell me who I can and can't talk to now?" Her voice was light, conversational, which meant the question was anything but. He swallowed back his instant response of 'yes.'

It wasn't that he wanted to control her; he just wanted to protect her. As always.

She agreed to watch what she said in front of her, which he knew was all he was going to get at that current moment, so he decided to divert the conversation into less hazardous waters, like their plans for the day.

That day was somewhat of an anomaly. He had no other QC work to do, the weather was unseasonably warm, and Felicity was feeling good. It made the fact that she was going to check in to the hospital the next day all the more bitter tasting, but he was determined to capitalize on their good fortune, even if it was only temporary.

Considering how much he knew about Felicity's rambles, he wasn't entirely sure why he was so surprised when her mouth led them down a path of awkwardness that early.

One second she was teasing him about mini-golf (he would have done it, yes, but he would not have been happy about it) and the next she was haphazardly accusing him of loving her. It was a joke, sure, but not to him. Not to them. After all, what else could explain how much time and effort and care he was putting towards her? It might not have been spoken, but it was obvious to everyone that Oliver Queen loved Felicity Smoak. How much and what kind of love that was were the million dollar questions, but the fact remained.

What he hadn't counted on was it getting even more awkward with her suddenly mentioning how naked and wet she would be, just a thin wall away. As if he hadn't had that thought process once or seven million times since moving in with her. When it looked like she was going to elaborate, he had to cut her off. He could only take so much.

His shower, still surrounded by the steam and lilac-scented bodywash of her own, was decidedly cold.

He had come up with a few options for their day together, but one in particular excited him. Felicity loved a good glass of wine, but she so rarely got to try different ones. He knew of a winery outside city limits that he had been to a few times, and was hoping with the strange time of day it was that he could snag them reservations for a tasting that afternoon. After securing those, he decided to take it up another notch.

"Diggle."

"You said Lyla was in town this week, right?" Oliver didn't bother with a greeting, knowing the man didn't take it personally.

"Yes. Why? Is Felicity okay?"

"She's fine. She's good, actually, which is why I was wondering if you wanted to come out to eat for an early dinner tonight. You and Lyla. We're spending the day at Vino Costa winery, and they have an excellent restaurant."

"A winery? Do you two need a driver?"

"How about I just try not to get trashed at 2pm. Asking you as a friend, not a driver."

Dig gave a laugh at that and the smile was evident in his voice when he replied. "Dinner sounds good, man. Just let us know when and where. I'm glad she's feeling up for it."

"Okay, I'll shoot you a text later. Thanks."

"Don't thank me, I'm just going because you're definitely paying."

He rolled his eyes but disconnected, dialing the next person on his list. In a move that shocked no one, Thea also agreed to meet them out for dinner with Roy in tow. What did surprise Oliver was Sara's refusal.

"Are you sure? Its just going to be a few of us. If you're worried about being the odd man out-"

"Odd woman out, and no, that's not it, Ollie," she explained to him calmly. "I've got to deal with some...I have to talk to Nyssa, and unfortunately, I think that's going to take more than a little time."

"Everything okay?"

"Just let her have this, okay? A nice day with her friends. Give her a break from the Lance family charm. And try not to mention anything with Nyssa, if you could."

Not wanting to fight with her, he reluctantly agreed. "If you change your mind, you know where we'll be. Dinner will probably be around 5."

"Have fun," she told him softly before disconnecting.

When Oliver told Felicity as she was getting ready in the bathroom, excitement lit up her face before she bit her lip, causing his heart to plummet. Did she not want to? It was going to be really relaxed and low-key, but maybe she wanted to do something more exciting on her last day before chemo round 4?

"It's outside of the city, you said?" She had never gone to Vino Costa, despite wanting to for the last few years. "And it'll probably be pretty dead, right? It is a Thursday afternoon in October."

"I doubt there will be that many people, no. And they are very discreet there; my mother hosts some of her 'girls weekends' there, or at least she did. They have never been anything but private."

"Do you think it'd be okay if...I mean, I'd understand if you didn't want me to, but - do you think it'd be okay if I didn't wear my wig today?"

He let out a huge breath of air. That's what she had been worried about?

"I'd wear a hat, obviously." She took his silence as hesitance. "And lots of sunscreen, too. I'd be careful. It's just with the thinning out of my hair, I keep losing more of it every time I put my wig cap on because it's so tight, so I thought maybe - you know what, it's stupid. I'll just wear the wig, I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable-"

"No, Felicity. Of course you don't have to wear your wig if you don't want to. And don't feel like you have to wear a hat on anyone else's account, either. You wear what you want to wear. You'll look perfect either way."

"Well, the hat is more for sun protection than anyone else's comfort, but if you're sure…"

"I am."

She wore tight black leggings and a large, oversized shirt that paired perfectly with the floppy sunhat she had chosen to cover her head. With the addition of flat black, slouchy boots, she actually looked more fashionably chic than she had anticipated.

"You good?"

"Yeah," she told him after she swigged down the last of her morning medication. "Let's go!"

She had expected to feel uncomfortable without her wig on, since it had been her security blanket for the last few weeks, but she felt oddly good. Oliver didn't look at her differently, having long since gotten used to her impending baldness, and the staff at the winery barely spared her a glance. She wondered if they honestly thought that she had cancer or if she was just trying out an edgy hairstyle. She decided that it ultimately didn't matter - she was there to have a good time, and that's what she would do, wig or no wig.

First thing they got the opportunity to do was to go on a small tour of the winery's cellar, walking around all the barrels and the learning about the process of how they made their wines.

Oliver watched as Felicity soaked up all the knowledge that was fed to her, her attention rapt and undivided to whoever was speaking at that time.

"What?" She finally asked as she caught him staring for the fifth time.

"Nothing. Its nice to see you enjoying yourself."

"And we haven't even gotten to the wine tasting part!"

He acted on pure instinct next, having no underlying reason or need to do what he did next, but he slung an arm over her shoulder and gathered her close as they moseyed through the barrels and rooms. Felicity didn't move away or question it verbally, choosing to just tip her head up and give him a brilliant smile.

He kept his arm around her until they were led back upstairs and onto an outside porch. With the weather being so nice and the table being directly in the sun, Oliver felt confident that Felicity would be okay outside for so long, and if not, he always kept an extra jacket in the car for her, or they could go back inside.

The sommelier told them that he'd return shortly with their first tasting menu and in the silence, Felicity stretched out, temporarily removing her hat and feeling the sun shine down on her body. It felt so good to be out and about and she didn't even have the first tendrils of fatigue curling around her body. She felt, honest to goodness, great. So great that she forgot, even if it was just for a few brief moments, that she had cancer at all.

"This is so nice," she whispered, her eyes closed.

"Yeah, it really is." He watched her, affection running thick through his blood. When she was like this, it was so hard to remember why he wasn't doing all he could to make her his. Not that she wouldn't object - hard - to being referred to as something a person could own, but that was besides the point.

"You come here a lot?" She finally sat back up straighter, choosing to leave the hat off just a little while longer. "Hot date spot?"

"Ah, not exactly. I haven't been here since I've been back from the island, and before, it was mostly with my mother."

"You tagged along on girls weekends?" She laughed at the imagery but didn't entirely discount it.

"No, she would take me here when she thought the city was...getting to me. Overwhelming me, I guess."

"Did it help?"

"Sometimes. Sometimes, I just drank a lot of wine," he confided.

"Shocker."

They were interrupted with a waiter bringing them a tasting flight, with the sommelier trailing behind, ready to experience it with them.

Felicity couldn't even give the illusion that she wasn't excited. She had done a few wine tastings with her friends in college, but never a legitimate one with this much pomp and circumstance. The glasses were black for them to drink out of, not giving away the color of the wine, and the sommelier was certainly more knowledgeable than Amy, her second year roommate with a penchant for ports.

They went through the motions for the first glass, swirling it, sniffing it, but before drinking, Oliver held out his glass to cheers with her.

"To today," he told her. He couldn't promise her tomorrow or the next day, or even what the next year would bring, but they had right then, that moment, that day.

"To today."

She clinked glasses with him softly before sipping delicately, then letting out a fairly loud moan.

"Oh my god, this is the best day of my life."

They did three flights of wine, and Felicity was feeling the effects by four thirty. They had munched on some oyster crackers throughout the day, but it wasn't substantial, and she knew she had to get some food in her soon.

"I'm kiiiiind of hungry," she confided.

"Really?" He didn't bother to pretend that he wasn't excited by that. It was such a rare declaration from her these days, with most meals being preempted by him or another friend, and Felicity having no taste for anything.

"Yup." She popped the 'p' at the end of the word, smiling saucily. "Feed me?"

While most often he would assume she was completely oblivious to the innuendos that laced her words, the sparkle in her eyes told him that perhaps she wasn't that oblivious after all.

"Well, I guess we can go get a table inside. It's almost time for our reservation."

"We have a reservation? You planned this?" She stood up and swayed slightly and Oliver stood just as quickly, having her grab onto his bicep and the front of his shirt.

"Whoa," she breathed, her eyes locking with his. Just when she was about the take the plunge, to stand on her tiptoes and press her lips to his with the excuse of the wine readily available should he not be interested - but he was pretty damn interested as far as she could tell - a voice interrupted them.

"Tell me you guys left some wine for us!"

Oliver reluctantly broke his gaze with Felicity, trying not to be too frustrated with his sister and Roy as they took the last step up to the patio they were on, making their way closer.

"Hi Thea, Roy," he greeted.

"What are you guys doing here!" A combination of the wine and the emotions had her brain working slower than normally, and Felicity was a little confused as to why Roy and Thea had suddenly appeared.

"We're here for dinner. Are we that early? Roy drives like a maniac."

"You're eating dinner with us?! Oliver invited you?" Felicity whipped around in his arms and reached up and hugged Oliver tightly around the neck. "Thank you," she whispered into his ear.

Her hug surprised him enough that it cut off his remark to Roy about proper driving etiquette when his little sister was in the car, but he did send a dark glare to the boy who looked sufficiently chastised.

"I knew I recognized that car that cut us off on the interstate!" Dig and Lyla suddenly appeared behind Thea and Roy and Felicity could've sworn her heart was going to burst.

Oliver watched happily as she made her way around the group, hugging everyone tightly and expressing her gratitude that they came out with her.

"Has your entire party arrived, sir?" A waiter popped out of a nearby door that led to the inner restaurant and he nodded, motioning for the others to go ahead of him and follow the staff to their table. Felicity sidled up next to him, linking her arm with his and clasping tightly.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"You're welcome."

"No, I'm serious."

"And am I not?"

"I just mean - this is perfect. You're perfect. Thank you."

And while it wasn't exactly what she had planned on doing earlier, they both still felt the same glow of satisfaction as she leaned up and impulsively planted a kiss on his cheek before pulling him to get to their table faster.

Oliver wasn't much of a storyteller but if it got Felicity to laugh as hard as she currently was, he would devote hours to it if he had to.

"I'm serious! She was maybe 8, and drunk off her ass. I guess we shouldn't have been surprised when she turned into a bit of a wild child later on."

Thea stuck her tongue out at Oliver, but she too was laughing hard at that.

"I was 8! I really thought it was grape juice! And I wanted to be just like my mom, so I drank two glasses. Guess I was a bit of a lightweight."

"I think that's a pretty impressive amount for an 8 year old," Roy disagreed, kissing the side of her head.

"We will not be calling wine 'grape juice' around our kid," Lyla told Dig through her giggles. "We can calmly explain that wine is just an adult drink."

Oliver felt his eyebrows raise into his hairline and even Roy looked a bit shocked. He trusted the women at the table to pick up the slack and he wasn't disappointed.

"Kid? Are you two - is there something we should know?" In her excitement, Felicity's hand found Oliver's thigh, and he took advantage of the opportunity to thread his fingers with her's.

"No, no, no," Dig reassured. "Not...yet."

"Not yet?" Thea piped up. "As in maybe someday soon?"

"I don't know," Lyla blushed but couldn't keep the grin off of her face. "We're just...not trying to not, you know? Whatever happens, happens."

Oliver locked eyes with Felicity, who was gripping his hand alarmingly tight, but her face held nothing but joy. She beamed at him and he couldn't help but to return it, giving Dig a nod as well. He was truly happy for his friend. After all, the shared value of the importance of family was what brought them all there together that night, sharing a few bottles of wine over some good food. He watched as Dig's eyes knowingly went to where his own hand was still clasped with Felicity's under the table, but he just gave his friend a small eye roll.

The topic shifted quickly with Lyla uncomfortable with all the attention, but his hand didn't leave Felicity's until the end of the meal. And even that seemed a bit too soon for him.