Ok, but, in my head Oliver first went to Felicity and told her what he was thinking of doing, that he wants to give up being the Green Arrow in order to be there for William. And he asked her for her input and took it into consideration. Because he's learned from the past and he's not about to exclude her from major life decisions which will ultimately affect her too. Because they are partners.
In my mind, he calls her. He spent the entire afternoon with William and it’s been on his mind, ever since picking him up, ever since he’d had to leave his son again when Anatoly called him. He’s ready to make a decision, but he isn’t quite there yet.
“Hey,” she says, a smile evident in her voice.
“Hey,” he says, dropping onto the couch. His tie is loose and his are sleeves unbuttoned. His stomach is full of Chinese food and his heart is brimming with a happiness he didn’t even know existed because his son has started opening up to him. He’s letting Oliver learn things - like that he’s a little sneak kicking Oliver’s ass while Oliver mashed buttons - but also that he always ordered sweet and sour chicken because it was his and his mother’s favorite.
“I was just about to call you.”
He settles into the cushions, letting his head fall back. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” she confirms, and he can hear her smile growing. “Curtis said yes.”
Oliver grins. “Congratulations.” A new brand of warm contentment spreads through him as he basks in her joy with her. In the fact that she’s sharing it with him at all. “That’s fantastic news. And it’s good, because according to the paperwork you filed he said yes ages ago.”
Felicity laughs. “Yeah, well… I’m hard to say no to.”
A moment of silence settles between them because god, she has no idea. It’s not a strained silence, but it’s definitely full - of knowledge, of promise, of the future. Oliver closes his eyes. He wants to talk about that with her, so badly it aches. And all the promises of ‘soon’ are starting to stack up. Like right now. It’s not the time, but if she agrees with his idea, if she thinks it’s a good idea, if she supports him… then maybe soon isn’t so far off.
“So what’s up?” Felicity asks.
He fills her in on his afternoon with his son. He tells her every single detail, marveling in it all over again, feeling like he’s experiencing it all again for the first time as he tells her.
“It got me thinking,” Oliver says, “about what I could do now to be here more.”
“I mean, like, maybe… maybe taking a step back again. Away from the Green Arrow.”
He waits for her to process.
“Not, like… not permanently?” she asks.
“No,” Oliver replies immediately, and he’s surprised by how true that is. “I couldn’t do that, not like before. It’s part of who I am, it always will be. But right now I need to get some other things realigned.”
This time her voice is quieter, softer, coming from a place of gentle understanding. And maybe even a hint of something more. It gives him the assurance he didn’t know he needed to tell her his idea.
“I was thinking of asking John,” Oliver says. No, he more blurts it. He doesn’t realize how heavy that thought has been weighing on him until he finally voices it. “It’s a lot to ask, I know, but…”
“But he’s the perfect choice,” Felicity fills in. “The right choice. Can you imagine Curtis out there? Well, no, because I need him to be my second-in-command - which, by the way, please remind him I’m Jobs.” He has no idea what that means, but she breezes right past it. “And Rene couldn’t do it, he’d blow your cover faster than you ever could.” Oliver chuckles. “And you trust John.”
She’s quiet for a moment. “I think you should. At least ask. I think he’d go for it, for as long as you need. Remember when J.J. was born, when he put you in your place about trying to sideline him? This is his fight as much as yours. And mine. All of us. And I think he’d understand why you’re doing this. It’s not like William has anyone else right now.”
The relief that rushes through him is heady.
Oliver sighs and some of the weight on his shoulders fades. “Thank you.”
“For being… you. For understanding. For… for being here for me.”
“I’m always here for you, Oliver. Always. Thank you for letting me be.”
(Or something like that.)
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