To Sacrifice the Sun
Chapter Twenty
September 18, 2016
19:04
The Tunnel
Beneath Lacandon Rainforest, Mexico
Felicity stood there, in the cold dark tunnel, with the moonstone cupped in her palm for a full minute, waiting. She waited for it to start glowing that unearthly blue glow. To start to feel that sense of confidence and belonging. To have knowledge come to her.
Actually, Felicity waited a lot longer than a minute.
And…she felt…absolutely nothing.
Well, nothing but exhaustion.
Felicity wasn't sure if she should be disappointed or relieved. Letting out a breath, she leaned her head on Oliver's shoulder and closed her eyes. To better concentrate. Or not. Either way, it was a very nice place to be.
But as one minute bled into five and then…who knew how long? The events of the last twenty-four…hell, seventy-two hours started to catch up with her and Felicity let out an involuntary yawn.
Chuckling, Oliver hugged her to him and dropped a kiss onto the top of Felicity's head. "Exciting stuff, huh?"
"Sorry," Felicity murmured, trying in vain to stifle another yawn. Was it her fault that standing here, in Oliver's arms, she felt like she could finally relax? Even if they were still in a life and death situation? "I really don't feel anything."
Though, to be truthful, she was fine with that. Knowing what was at the other end of this tunnel would be nice and all, but Felicity didn't particularly like the idea of a piece of jewelry messing with her brain.
Oliver just hummed in response, rubbing her back and murmuring, "I want to try one last thing."
Shifting, but somehow managing to pull Felicity closer at the same time, Oliver pulled the glow ball out of his pocket and held it out toward the tunnel…the never-ending tunnel. Wow, it just…it seemed to go on and on. Infinitely. And wasn't that a frightening prospect?
"What's down there?" Oliver asked softly.
Tilting her head so that she could rub her cheek against Oliver's shoulder, Felicity frowned. Was this a trick question? "Kin Cuudad," she answered because…duh. Where else would it lead?
"Is that your educated guess or do you know the tunnel leads to Kin Cuudad?"
As Oliver's gentle words sunk in, Felicity's heart skipped a beat, then sped up, exhaustion fading and alertness snapping back.
"I…" Felicity closed her eyes and examined the feeling in her gut. She pushed aside her (healthy) scientific skepticism and listened to her instincts, her intuition. "I think I…I think I know."
Her eyes flew back open. Just like before Tikal and when she first saw the Door and…the knowledge was just there. Felicity had no idea where it came from, but it hadn't been there before and now…frak, it was weird that she was so certain, wasn't it?
"This tunnel was built for the Royal family. To get in and out of Kin Cuudad in a crisis," Felicity whispered and it might have been speculation.
But it wasn't. It really, really wasn't.
Felicity looked up at Oliver, searching his eyes and hoping they would ground her. She wasn't sure if the feeling bubbling up in her belly was excitement or fear.
Actually, she did.
It was both. Definitely both.
Oliver smiled down at her, not looking nearly as conflicted as she felt. But then, he wasn't the one being whammied by magic. Though if Felicity judged by the look in his eyes, the exhilaration and pride, she'd have thought it was a good thing to be spoken to by a shiny magic rock.
But Oliver's confidence did help. Made Felicity feel less like a freak who had entered a weird alternate reality. It bolstered the excitement and calmed the fear. Even if…it was impossible.
And still Felicity was certain. As stupid as that sounded to her scientific and mathematics shaped mind. God, would Cait and her CAVE team laugh at her? Test her for some strange intoxication? Or…would they be just as excited as she was by the discovery?
"I don't know if it's still there," Felicity told Oliver, "but at one time this tunnel led to the City of the Sun."
Oliver's smile spread, his dimples coming out to play. Wow, that was even more intoxicating than whatever was going on with this damn stone. "Well, let's go find out what's left, shall we?"
As Felicity's thoughts continued to spin, Oliver turned to gather their bags. He stepped out of her arms and…in this cramped and narrow space there wasn't very far for him to go, but she still felt colder as soon he let her go. She was also struck by how very lucky they were that their most important gear was on this side of the wall.
Swallowing, Felicity looked down at the moonstone in her palm, examining it. It wasn't glowing. Did it need to glow to work? Was this…knowledge coming from the stone or…
Had it been inside her all along?
Okay, now that sounded even crazier. If that was even possible. Give her a few more minutes and Felicity would convince herself she was genuinely psychic.
Though, now that she thought about it, the stone hadn't glowed when she was having her mental conversation with jaguar (god, how was this her life?). It had only done that when connected to the Door so, maybe, the glowing wasn't all that important.
It would be helpful if it did though, since Oliver had put the glow ball back in his pocket, leaving it dim and…well, creepy in there. Light didn't seem to carry normally in these tunnels. Neither did sound. It was almost as if the noise and lights were absorbed into the damp air as quickly as they were produced.
Yup, so creepy.
It did feel a little warm. The moonstone. Not like Felicity thought a stone should feel. But maybe it was just absorbing the warm of her palm. It was hard to tell. Such an odd thing. It wasn't making her feel floaty and high this time, which was good but…it wasn't like it spoke to her. She didn't hear voices in her head. (Again, thank god!) It just…somehow…
"Oliver," Felicity whispered, her heart lodging itself in her throat. "I…uh…" Her fist closed around the moonstone and… "I think this might be the Gift after all."
Oliver froze, her bag dangling from his hand as he turned back to look at her. "Felicity…?"
"No. Wait." Felicity shook her head, correcting herself because after the words emerged they…they didn't feel right. "No, that's not quite it."
Felicity closed her eyes again, because it…it was all so damn confusing. The idea that this was the Gift didn't feel right, but it didn't feel…wrong either.
Goddamn magic! Why did everything have to be so…hidden and mysterious? All riddle-y. It couldn't just be straight forward. This was why Felicity preferred computers. And math. There was always an answer with math.
"I…maybe, it's part of the Gift?" Felicity rolled the stone around her palm, feeling the intricate pattern. "This…" She held it out, between her thumb and forefinger. "This fits inside the Sun Medallion."
A medallion she had never seen before.
Yup, this was all so fraking insane. That didn't make Felicity any less sure, though.
"Together they are…" Felicity refused to say magical. On principle. "A powerful…a totem or something."
Felicity was mincing words and she knew it. Wasn't a totem by definition magic? She didn't even know any more.
When Felicity opened her eyes, Oliver was right there, next to her again. He reached up to cup the hand holding the moonstone. "The Gift."
His voice was reverent. In a way Felicity had never heard him talk about any nonliving thing. Ever. Either Oliver had found spirituality in Russia or this whole Mayan thing was affecting him strangely too.
"Yeah…" Felicity murmured, trailing off, tipping her head to the side and examining the stone. "Maybe." Why didn't that sound quite right? "I don't think they called it the Gift." But how would she know that? Maybe…
Her eyes flew to Oliver's. God, she wished he had the same reaction to the stone as she did. It would really help to have another pair of eyes or…feelings…or whatever. Also it would make Felicity feel less crazy. Like when she said…
"It's almost as if this thing contains someone's memories."
Now, that sounded nuts. The tech didn't exist that could truly replicate memories, how could they put it into a twenty-three-hundred-year-old rock?
But, instead of looking at Felicity like she'd stepped off the cliff of sanity, Oliver looked eager. "The Daughter of the Sun's memories?"
Of course, his celebrity crush.
"Oliver…" But then Felicity paused mid-scoff as…an incredible feeling of rightness came over her. "Oh my god, I think you may be right!"
It was terrifying and amazing all at once. Oliver laughed out loud, joy just radiating from him. He grabbed Felicity around the waist and spun her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled into his hair, her eyes prickling as she…just basked in his happiness.
In that moment, Felicity couldn't care less how crazy it sounded. How crazy it was. She would happily live in crazy town forever if Oliver was with her. And…this was the moment, the moment of sheer exhilaration that she had been waiting for since they had found the Door.
That had been thrilling, but this was…this was…
This was right.
Even if nothing else in the world was, this was.
Oliver. Felicity. Here is this one…insane moment in time was right.
Felicity was dizzy by the time Oliver placed her back on her feet. And the hard kiss he gave her before stepping back didn't help.
"Let's go find our city," Oliver announced, slinging both their bags over his shoulder.
Felicity looked down the long tunnel. Down the secret underground path to Kin Cuudad. She slipped the moonstone back in her pocket, snapping it securely shut. It was amazing really. This tunnel had stood, hidden for millennia, just below the surface of the jungle. Frozen in time while the world kept spinning. In a way, it made sense…
Oh…
Except…wait…
This time, Felicity was pretty sure the sinking feeling she had was not coming from the stone. This was her brain putting the puzzle pieces together.
Damn it.
"Oliver? Do we have a compass? The old-fashioned kind. I'm not sure if I trust the watches down here." If light and sound didn't carry…no way were they getting a GPS or satellite signal.
"Of course." He sounded almost insulted that Felicity might considered he wouldn't. Oliver pulled out one of those enormous pocket knives, the kind that screamed Wilderness Man and would have made her roll her eyes if it wasn't so damn useful at the moment.
He adjusted it so the compass was on top and held it up to the tunnel, knowing exactly what Felicity wanted without her asking. 'Cause…he was Oliver.
"It's due west."
Felicity's head fell back and she groaned. Yup. Of course, it was.
"What?" And from the hesitant way he asked, Felicity knew that Oliver knew that…this wasn't good.
"So, uh, ever since I got the info from Digg, back in the Cave, I thought that it was strange that the Door was in the middle of the jungle," Felicity explained, shaking her head. Should she have brought this up sooner? Would it have even made a difference? "If Kin Cuudad was in the Lacandon Rainforest, surely, someone would have found some sign before now. It would be no different than Palenque and Tikal or—"
"Unless it was underground?" Oliver offered, his brow knotted. He was trying his damnedest to catch up.
"But if it was under the rainforest…" That didn't make sense either and Felicity could feel the weight of it settle on her shoulders. "Well, the chances are it wouldn't be in a cavern, chances are that it would be completely buried. There wouldn't be much to find. Not by us, anyway. We'd need an excavation team to get through a mile of dirt and rock, not an ARGUS Spec Ops team—"
Oliver shook his head, looking almost…horrified by what Felicity was saying. Beyond disappointed. "Are you saying you think it's gone?"
"No…no, I…" Felicity wasn't doing a very good job of getting to the point here. She was making things seem worse than they were. Probably. "So, a lot of the experts placed Kin Cuudad somewhere at the base of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range. They think El Chichon, the volcano, was probably what caused its downfall."
"What do you think?" Oliver interrupted, because he seemed to think that was all that mattered. His faith was rather humbling sometimes.
Gulping, Felicity answered the best she could, "I think it makes more sense that Kin Cuudad is there, than in the Jungle. It's more easily hidden, protected. And if it was there, then there's a better chance something survived. What with the caves and the land formations—"
"So…" Oliver's eyes widened and she could see the pieces finally click together in his head as his murmured, "Just how far west is the Sierra Madre?"
Felicity swallowed. "Twenty-five miles."
Oliver's jaw dropped. "That's a ten-hour walk in these conditions. Minimum."
Yup and Felicity could feel the exhaustion kicking in just thinking about it. No doubt if they were fresh, they could do it in less. Well, at least Oliver could but…
"Do you really think the Mayans built a 25-mile tunnel?"
Wrinkling her nose, Felicity said in a small voice, "They were tenacious?"
Because Felicity absolutely thought they built a twenty-five-mile tunnel. Even though it was mind bending to even consider the work it would have taken to do so. By hand. But considering the pyramids they had built…
Sighing, Oliver stopped to readjust the bags. He crisscrossed his duffle over his quiver on his back. His chest was still deliciously naked, making him look a little bit like Tarzan.
But instead of re-exploring that chest, after her very loooong drought, Felicity had a twenty-five mile underground hike to take. Frak her life.
"Well, let's see how much ground we can cover before you collapse from exhaustion." Oliver's tone was teasing, but…they both knew it wasn't a joke.
"I'm fine," Felicity protested, frowning and trying to swallow the yawn that immediately tried to brand her a liar. Her body was always betraying her like that. "And I can carry my own bag," she insisted.
"I know you can. You're just not going to." Oliver gave her a cocky smile and held out his hand.
Rolling her eyes, Felicity took it. It really wasn't worth arguing about. "Are you going to be even more protective now?"
Oliver leaned in and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Nope."
Felicity just scoffed, not believing it for a moment.
"But that's only because I don't think I could get any more protective," Oliver drawled, making Felicity laugh. That she believed. "Come on. Let's get you to your Lost City, my little Sun Queen."
September 18, 2016
22:10
The Tunnel
Beneath Lacandon Rainforest, Mexico
"You know we can stop at any point to rest."
At Oliver's words, Felicity felt another wave of pure exhaustion wash over her. But they had only been walking three hours. They hadn't even made it halfway. Not even close. It wasn't even midnight, for frak's sake. A proper ARGUS Agent should be able to go days without sleeping.
"It's fine," Felicity mumbled.
Then she wrinkled her nose when she realized that she sounded as delirious as she felt, which meant that Felicity was fooling precisely no one. This wasn't the first time they'd had this argument tonight and if she had her way it wouldn't be their last.
Oliver had a very different goal. He squeezed her hand, whispering against her ear, "That would be a whole lot more convincing if your eyes weren't closed."
Felicity immediately snapped them back open, her back straightening, trying not to slump. "My eyes are open." Wasn't the most intelligent defense, but it was all she had at the moment.
Over next to her, Oliver looked annoyingly awake despite having been through all the same ups and downs as she had. All the same battles, physical and emotional. She would be irritated by it if he wasn't looking down at her with the absolute sweetest expression on his face. All Felicity wanted to do curl up in his arms and sleep for a week.
Well, between bouts of mind-numbing sex. It was the evilest irony that just as Felicity got Oliver back in her life, saving the word kept getting in the way of celebrating.
"Sunshine, you're doing the commuter nod. It's impressive that your legs are still moving."
Well, at least, she was impressing someone because she was disappointing the hell out of herself. Felicity hated when she felt like she was a burden, like she wasn't pulling her weight. "I can go a little longer. We should get as much distance between us and…" She broke off in a yawn…goddamn it! "…HIVE as we can."
Oliver rolled his eyes and let go of her hand. Which, kinda sorta made Felicity panic a tiny bit. Because, frak, she was never going to be able to stay upright without his help!
But then Oliver curled his arm around her waist and pulled her closer so that he was baring even more of her weight. Which was probably what he had intended in the first place, which made Felicity feel dumb and also…it felt so good. She hummed and burrowed into his shoulder.
Oliver chuckled again and, this time, Felicity gave him a pass. It didn't hurt his cause the way he dropped a kiss to the top of her head. "When was the last time you had a good night's sleep?"
That was an excellent question and Felicity was very tempted to say five years, three months, and fourteen days. It would be pretty damn truthful. But not, she thought, the answer Oliver was looking for.
"I slept the entire drive from the coast to Palenque." Felicity even though those hours were pretty restful.
Oliver scoffed. "That does not count as a good night's sleep."
Since when was Oliver the sleep police? If there was anyone less qualified to take on that roll Felicity didn't know who.
Felicity threw Oliver an incredulous expression. "Then you aren't going to like how I spent the last five years," she joked. "Because four hours caught at my desk or in a cot in the lab…not only routine, but considered pretty good." Occasionally, she would stumble off to the apartment she shared with Cait and sleep for 18 hours, but that wasn't all that often.
But Felicity's joke fell flat. When he didn't respond, she glanced up to see Oliver looking down at her with thundercloud face.
"What?" Felicity grumbled, starting to feel defensive. "You're one to talk. I don't believe for one minute you were getting a solid eight hours a night working for the Bratva."
But Oliver just brushed her argument off by saying, "I don't need as much sleep as you and you know it."
And that…was as true as it was unfair. Like the perfect agent he was, Oliver could go three days without sleep before he even seemed to feel it, never-mind have it affect his performance. He could actually will himself awake. But what was more, he could will himself asleep.
Oliver could sleep anywhere. Anytime. And it was actually restful. So Felicity knew he had gotten decent sleep in the chamber even if their stress levels had been sky-high. While she was tossing and turning, he was out. Digg and Sara could do the same. Their CO called it battle sleep.
It was annoying. Even if the ability had saved their asses more than once.
Felicity was still grumbling over the unfairness of it all, while trying to come up with a decent argument when she…tripped.
Head over ass, feet a tangled mess, would have fallen flat on her face if Oliver hadn't had an arm banded around her waist, tripped.
Frak!
"Whoa!" Oliver pulled her back upright. "Okay, now we're really stopping. Your legs aren't even working."
"No, I…" Felicity pulled out of Oliver's arms, putting an arm out to lean against the wall as she searched for…something. "That wasn't just my legs giving out. I tripped over something."
She wasn't just making excuses. Felicity would swear she'd caught her foot on something and was about to ask for the glow ball when she found what she was looking for. She fell to her knees and scooped it up. Until this point, there had been nothing in this tunnel but rock and dirt but this…
"Oh my god," Felicity whispered. Tears immediately flooded her eyes as a wave of grief came over her. Her hand fluttered up and covered her mouth.
"What is it?" Oliver murmured, crouching next to her.
Felicity fumbled a little as she held up her treasure. "It's a…um..." The words got stuck in her throat. She was completely choked up just looking at it. Which had to be a gross overreaction, because it was just…
It was a child's toy.
An ancient Mayan carving, god knows how old, of a jaguar on wheels. Felicity had seen something similar in a museum once and had been fascinated. But this one…for some reason it made her want to weep.
"Okay. We are definitely stopping," Oliver announced, dropping their bags against the wall, across from her. His thumb came up to capture a tear that Felicity hadn't managed to keep from falling. "I know it's a creepy looking—"
"It's not creepy," Felicity defended, her voice high and squeaky, even though she knew Oliver was teasing. Trying to lighten the mood. But…she hugged the poor maligned toy to her, collapsing to the floor, to lean against the wall. "It's gorgeous."
Oliver's eyebrows shot up and he gave her an amused and indulgent smile. "I realize you are inordinately fond of jaguars but—"
"It's a toy," Felicity burst out, her voice cracking. And there shouldn't be a toy in this dark dismal place. It didn't belong here. "There was a child in this tunnel and he…or she…" Though for some reason Felicity felt certain it was a 'he.' "…dropped this toy and he probably loved this toy and missed it and do you think he was running from someone? Oh god, do you think he's okay? Do you think he…do you think he died?"
"Felicity, baby," Oliver stroked her cheek softly and she could tell he was trying not to smile, which…kinda annoying. She was well aware that she was becoming increasingly hysterical and had no idea why or how to stop it. "Given that thing is a couple of thousand years old, I'm pretty certain that the child who owned it is dead."
Her automatic response was to whack him, but then Felicity processed what Oliver said and let out a chuckle. She was being ridiculous. Beyond ridiculous.
Felicity scrubbed her wet cheeks with her palms and admitted, to herself at least, that it probably was time to rest if she was getting this emotional over a millennia old toy.
"I guess I might be…deliriously exhausted," Felicity finally admitted, sighing.
Oliver's smile faded as he rubbed Felicity's back with soothing circles. "Does this happen a lot? When you…see kids' toys and stuff?"
Felicity winced, because she hadn't even…she looked up into Oliver's eyes, seeing worry, but sadness too.
"No. No." The last thing Felicity wanted to do was add emotional baggage to Oliver that wasn't even there. "It's just pregnant people that trigger me. Kids and babies are fine." She assumed, anyway. "Well, it's not like I've had a lot of exposure to either in the CAVE so…" Damn, she wasn't helping. "I don't think that's it."
Yup, definitely not helping.
Oliver's eyes were still so sad and so empathetic and, well, that wasn't going to dry up Felicity's tears. He cupped her cheek and pressed a kiss to her lips. And that would have helped, if he hadn't kept it so short.
"It's just that…" Felicity shook her head, for some reason, feeling the need to explain. But how did one explain something that was so irrational? She lifted the toy to look at it more closely. "I don't know. The little boy that it belonged to, what was he doing in this never-ending tunnel? Was he trying to escape someone or something? Was he running for his life when he dropped it? This must have been precious to him. He wouldn't have left it behind on purpose. What if he never got out? What if he died trapped…?"
Felicity's voice broke and she pressed a hand over her mouth as a wave of grief passed over her. Maybe children were a trigger after all. That and her runaway imagination.
"Hey, if that were true, we would have seen a skeleton or something," Oliver argued, again the rational one. And he was treating Felicity like this was a reasonable thing to be upset over. Not acting like she was silly or crazy. Which she probably was. "So far there's been nothing."
"So far," Felicity repeated, fighting another sob as the thought of what else they might find in this tunnel became overwhelming.
It was unrealistic to think they wouldn't eventually find bones. She'd seen the movies. Indiana Jones, The Mummy, Goonies…there were always skeletons in tunnels like this. All Felicity could pray for was none of them were the tiny bones of a child.
But even that was crazy talk. As Oliver had said, this toy was thousands of years old. If they died at six or seventy-six, the owner of this toy was dead. Why did it matter so much to Felicity where and when?
Please, let it be seventy-six. Please.
Oliver put a finger under her chin and tilted it up so she was forced to meet his eyes. "Felicity, sweetheart, as far as we know the child that owned this lived a full life. As far as we know this could belong to your King Caiden—"
"Cadmeal," Felicity corrected, again, with a watery laugh, grabbing Oliver's hands and fighting the odd desire to beam at him and cry at the same time.
"Right…King Cadmeal. He was the Prince of Kin Cuudad, right?" Oliver asked and Felicity nodded. He was so sexy when he remembered what she told him. Even if he did insist on Americanizing the Mayan names. "And you said royalty used this tunnel, right? And he wound up founding Palenque and living a long life."
"Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense." Felicity nodded, clinging to his words like a lifeline. She glanced at the toy now sitting in her lap. She felt better just thinking about Oliver's theory.
Dropping another kiss on her temple, Oliver leaned back and started to unbuckle his quiver. "Come on, let's try to rest up a little." He placed his quiver on his duffle, up against the wall, before staring at the rough stone with a frown. "I think I'm going to regret not grabbing my shirt."
As much as she loved the Tarzan look, Oliver's back was going to get pretty scrapped up trying to lie against that stone for any length of time. Luckily, that wasn't going to be an issue.
Smiling, Felicity reached into her bag, glad to be able to do something for Oliver. They'd only been back together for a few hours and, in that time, he'd done most of the care-taking.
"As much as I enjoy the view…" Felicity handed Oliver the shirt she'd grabbed off the clothesline and stuffed in her bag. Oliver paused, a wave of emotion cascading over his face and…it was her turn to reach over and cup his cheek, asking gently, "What is it?"
Swallowing, Oliver shook his head, looking embarrassed. "I just…it's just been a long time since…"
"Anyone took care of you?" Felicity supplied, taking pity on him. It was contrary to the ARGUS handbook to admit these things.
Oliver shrugged, his eyes finding a particularly interesting rock on the ground. He broke her heart. Felicity cleared her throat, urging his chin up so she could capture his lips. She meant for it to be sweet and slow, and maybe it was, but there was a surprising amount of desperation in it. From both of them. It had been too long.
They might have shared dozens of kisses over the last few hours, but it didn't feel like they would ever be able to make up for all the ones that had been lost.
She wasn't sure whose lips parted first, but soon Felicity was moaning, shifting fully into Oliver's arms, getting lost in the slow, deep slide of tongue on tongue. She may have been too tired for hard and fast, but…slow, sensual, and emotional she could definitely do. Oh and loving, never too tired for that.
Oliver eased out of the kiss, rubbing his nose against hers, then affectionately nudging her glasses and it was so…them, like the last five years had never happened, it made Felicity want to cry.
Or jump him.
If only she had the energy. Felicity had the will…oh, yes, she had the will. Now, if Oliver would provide a little of that delicious muscle and never-ending energy, maybe they would have a way.
Oliver gave her the sweetest smile. His dimples were always so distracting. Tired as she was, Felicity found herself just staring, her brain all soft and fuzzy.
And in her distracted state Felicity didn't realize Oliver was pulling on his shirt until it was too late. It kinda made her want to pout, which made actually her pout because she was way too tired for any sort of impulse control. Why on Earth had she brought his shirt with them?
Oliver settled himself on the floor, his back to the wall and tugged her between his legs. He pulled off her glasses and carefully placed them a top of his quiver, but then, instead of returning to the kisses (which was what Felicity was hoping for) he captured the hand that still held the jaguar toy and picked it up to examine himself.
Ummm…they had been kissing, here?
"I thought the Mayans hadn't invented the wheel," Oliver mused, tapping the wheels so they spun on their wobbly (and very old) axis.
Felicity leaned into Oliver and tried to rub a sensual circle on his chest…though she probably only managed a tired pat. "They…" And there came the yawn. Dammit. "They only used wheels for toys like this."
Nuzzling her face against Oliver's chest, she felt her eyelids grow heavy. Well, heavier. That was okay though. Heavy eyelids were sexy, right? How come his muscles could be so hard and yet so soft and comfy? She knew there was very logical medical reason, but at the moment it really seemed like a paradox. Or magic. Yup, the bestest magic.
"They used wheels for toys, but not for, say…wagons? Isn't that kinda dumb?"
As much as Felicity adored have academic discussions with him, she really didn't understand why Oliver was so interested in this right now.
They were alone.
Safe…ish.
They'd stopped to 'rest.'
And they hadn't had sex in 5 million years.
Yet Felicity found herself explaining, "Wagons aren't super useful in the mountains and jungles. Especially when you don't have beasts of burden. Monkeys and jaguars…not so apt to wear a harness."
Oliver chuckled and Felicity enjoyed the warm sound and the way it rumbled through his chest and caressed her cheek. It kinda made her hum. "Hmmm." Yup, just like that.
Pulling her closer, Oliver completely enveloped Felicity between his legs, so her entire side as pressed up against his, regretfully, clothed torso. "So, you're saying they invented the wheel, but the most useful thing they could come up with using it for was toys?"
"Pretty much." Felicity gave up the battle with her eyelids and nestled her head under his chin, loving the way his arms came up to surround her. She felt like if she pulled her knees to her chest he could surround her completely. It just felt so…safe. And warm. And…mmmm Oliver.
Felicity burrowed her nose into his chest, loving his smell. She had really missed his smell. It was one of the things she had missed most, actually. She'd thought maybe one of her issues sleeping was not being surrounded by the musky scent. God, she hoped she could fall asleep to this smell for the rest of her life.
Tipping up her chin, Felicity rubbed her nose against his neck and through his soft stubble. Oliver had the softest stubble. She supposed it was because he never shaved it all off and that was just perfect too.
She trailed kissed along the underside of his jaw and luxuriated in the soft, low moan that came reverberating out. It gave her enough momentum to move her sleepy hands, one settling to draw lazy circles on the small of his back, the other sneaking under his shirt to trace the ridges of his abs.
"Mmm…so nice…."
Did she say that? Or Oliver? Felicity couldn't really tell.
But then Oliver chuckled, so it seemed that she had. "Felicity, baby," his voice had that low and raspy quality that felt like warm honey running over her skin. "You need to sleep."
That was very sweet of him but really not necessary. "Sleep later," she murmured against his throat before sucking the closest patch into her mouth. It had been a whole lot longer than five years since she'd had the desire the give or receive hickeys but…hmmm…sounded nice at the moment.
Oliver's hand fell onto if hers, stopping Felicity's exploration. "I think we need to do sleep first."
What? Why?
Felicity pouted. Though she wasn't sure Oliver could see, because pulling away from the cocoon thing they had going on would require way too much energy. She really didn't see why this couldn't happen. Oliver just need to take a little more initiative.
Wiggling her fingers out from under his, Felicity trailed them up his chest, wheedling, "But…I don't want you to be grouchy and you said the not-sex was making you grouchy so…."
Oliver burst out laughing and Felicity wondered if she should be insulted and the exhaustion and the Oliver-is-wonderful-we-just-got-back-together-high was keeping her from feeling it.
Hugging her closer, he pressed a long hard kiss to her crown, murmuring, "I love you." Clearly Oliver was just trying to butter her up. Felicity wasn't sure for what though. "I am not making love to you for the first time in five years, three months and…"
"Fourteen days," Felicity helpfully supplied and, goodness gracious, was that her voice that sounded all…slurry?
"Fourteen days," Oliver repeated and Felicity could hear the amusement in his voice, "when you can't even keep your eyes open."
"Mmmm…I have faith in your ability to wake me up." Felicity tried her best to move against him in a suggestive manner. She wasn't sure it worked.
Oliver tipped up Felicity's chin and gave her a slow and sensual kiss that was just starting to get good when…
"We have all the time in the world." He dropped a kiss on her nose and then guided Felicity back to his chest. "Now…go to sleep."
"Mmmeh…but UST," Felicity whined. Though she was too warm and content to pull away again.
Oliver's chuckle rumbled beneath her cheek. "Sunshine, as soon as you said you still loved me, it went from unbearable sexual tension to delicious anticipation."
"Delirious anticipation is more like it," Felicity grumbled, but his words and his answering laughter was making her feel all soft and cozy and maybe it made her chuckle as well. "You are a closet sap, sir."
"Shhh. Don't tell." His hands were now stroking a hypnotic pattern down her spine. "Sleep."
"What about you?"
"I'm fine. I'll keep watch."
Well, that didn't sound fair at all. "Wake me in an hour."
Oliver scoffed and if Felicity had the strength to open her eyes she would totally be rolling them right now. "I'm serious. Just a little cat nap and then we'll keep going."
"Just pretend we're in bed back at the Safe House, okay?" Oliver said and that wasn't a real answer, but his rich voice lulled her sleepy brain complacency. "Or, better yet, a hotel. Where we don't know anyone. The kind with fluffy white pillows and a matching down comforter."
"Mmm…." Felicity could imagine being tangled up with Oliver under one of those. "That's lovely."
"I'm going to take you to the best hotel in Cancun and keep you naked for a week…"
For the first time on years, Felicity drifted off to sleep smiling.
Author's Note:
The only Mayan artifact found with wheels were toys. Before that it was assumed that the Mayan's had just never invented the wheel. Now most scholars believe wheels were useless in this part of the world without beasts of burden to pull anything the wheels were attached to.
I didn't just include it because it was an interesting piece of history though.