Prompt: Childhood Memories (part 2)
Pairing: Oliver Queen x OFC (Karen) / Fandom: Arrow
It was a cold December day. Oliver and Karen were up in his room, siting in front of the fireplace, talking and laughing. Oliver couldn't help, but to, every once in a while, stare at Karen. They had been together for almost a year, but it felt a lot longer. They had met through Diggle, Karen was a close friend of his and he had thought that her and Oliver would make a cute couple. After giving him the "you hurt her, I hurt you" talk, even Diggle was surprised to see how great they were together.
Oliver was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realized that Karen was staring at him, waiting for an answer. She had just asked him what his favorite part of Christmas was and when she didn't get a response, she just stared at him, waiting. Pulling him back to reality, by waving her hand in front of him, she asked him if he was okay. Oliver just nodded and kissed her.
After asking her to repeat the question, he went on to tell her that his favorite memories were the ones of when he and Thea were little. He told her about their staring contests, the candy cane competitions, the snowball fights and making snow angels in the backyard. He had a smile on his lips while remembering all of them and he knew that he would give anything to go back to that time.
Then, it was Karen's turn. She told him how she was raised by her grandfather and grew up in a small farm. How she used to make popcorn garlands and how only half of the popcorns would end up in a garland, since she would eat the other half, something that used to drive her grandfather crazy. She told him how her grandfather would cut a fresh pine tree for their Christmas tree every year and how she loved the smell of fresh pine tree that would fill the house.
She told him that her grandfather would let her decorate the little farm house any way she wanted and that, one year, she even decorated the stables, putting a hair band with antlers on it, in one of the horses. She told him how she would paint one ornament every year and put it up on the tree and that her grandfather would paint one as well. Those were the best memories she had of her childhood, memories from a time where everything was simple, a time before everything became complicated and dark.
Oliver saw tears in her eyes. It was clear to see that she missed him immensely and that that time of the year was hard for her, because of it. Pulling her closer to him, he wrapped his arms around her and felt her tears soak his buttoned shirt. He told her that he was sure that her grandfather was looking down on her and that he would be proud of her, of the woman she had become.
Karen slightly pulled away and looked up at him, thanking him. Oliver leaned down and kissed her sweetly, feeling her kissing him back. His hands stayed wrapped around her, as they both deepened the kiss. Breaking away so they could catch their breath, they sat there, in each other's arms, until Oliver had an idea.
Standing up, Oliver told Karen to just wait there for him, that he would be right back. Oliver left, leaving Karen on the couch, wrapped in a cozy blanket, watching the fire burn through the wood logs and warming the room. She had no idea what he was going to do but she knew that, whatever it was, it was meant to cheer her up. Oliver always did that, whenever she was feeling sad, he would come up with something to make her feel better and it never failed to work. She loved him for that.
Karen saw Oliver return to the room, after a few long minutes, hiding something behind his back. When Oliver got close enough to the couch, she saw what it was he was hiding. On one hand he had a bowl filled with popcorn and on the other a couple of spools and two needles. She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips when she realized what he was planning.
Sitting down next to her, Oliver took a thread and slid it through one of the needles, giving it to her and then doing the same for himself. Taking a popcorn from the bowl, he poked it with the needle until it was completely through and the line was on the popcorn, therefore placing the first popcorn in his to-be garland. Karen followed his lead and did the same thing.
Half way through it, Oliver looked back at her and saw her smiling at the memories that, no doubt, were coming back to her. He smiled and gave her a kiss on the side of her head, whispering an "I love you" at the same time. Karen turned to him, kissing him sweetly and answered back with an "I love you" of her own.
They spent the rest of the night making popcorn garlands and telling stories of when they were little, laughing at some of the crazy things that they would sometimes do. Oliver could tell that she was feeling better and that made him smile even wider. All he wanted was for Karen to be happy and safe and he would do whatever it took to make sure that she was.