“I’m sorry…did I leave you with the impression that I was a rational guy?”
Arrow Out of Context Part 4. Send me a number!
Also, check out chapter 1 of Arrow Out of Context, I’ve added an index for all AU organizing needs.
It was hot enough that Felicity could feel sweat dripping down her back. The sun was shining high above their heads in a perfect summer afternoon. And of course, there’s nowhere she’d rather be than at that stadium.
Her son Lincoln seemed to agree, because he refused to get out of his seat until the seventh inning stretch, when he’d made a mad dash for the bathroom, leaving her to chase behind him.
Felicity glanced down at her five year old, his eyes fixated on the game and his legs swinging from his chair. He was almost tall enough that his feet could touch the ground, but not yet. Much to his disappointment.
Digging into her purse, Felicity pulled out her bottle of sunscreen, putting a generous portion on her palm before she reached for him. Like all the games before, Lincoln was too wrapped up in it to care as she fussed over him getting a sunburn. He let her apply it to his arms and legs, only squirming when she got to his face and blocked his view.
The kid had always been enthralled with the sport, so Felicity didn’t think very much of it. He’d grown up with an uncle in the major leagues, and now his mom was dating his favorite player. Lincoln’s interest in baseball was understandable.
Felicity loved it too, and always had thanks to her brother Jason. But she also loved a certain teammate of Jason’s who looked very, very good in a pair of baseball pants. Or shirtless. He looked really good shirtless. And Felicity had realized that he preferred to do most things shirtless. Like mow her lawn, exercise, and wash dishes.
“Up to bat is number six, Oliver Queen,” the announcer’s voice boomed over the intercoms while Oliver’s picture appeared on the screen with his stats from the last eight innings. “Queen has been playing an incredible game, one of his best all season. Not a single strike since the bottom of the first, let’s see if he can keep his lucky streak going.”
“Okay, Oliver,” Felicity mumbled to herself, leaning forward in her chair and wringing her hands together. Beside her, Lincoln mimicked her posture, mumbling the same words. Felicity smiled down at him, brushing his hair back.
Stepping up to the plate, Oliver made eye contact with the pitcher first, his eyebrow raised and his body relaxed. Felicity knew that for some reason, his ease always tended to rattle the pitcher.
When Oliver plays, he enjoys it. The excitement in his eyes every time he took the field was something Felicity would never stop marveling at.
Win or lose, that man came home with a smile and a positive attitude. It was one of Felicity’s favorite things about him.
He tapped his bat against his heel, turning away from the pitcher. Oliver found her in the crowd easily where they were sitting behind home plate. And he smiled, taking a moment to wink at her before refocusing on the game. He’d gotten into the habit months ago, and the attention never failed to make her blush.
The look is short-lived, but long enough that the people around her always notice, which leads to plenty of staring and whispering as they realize that they’re sitting near Oliver Queen’s girlfriend. And then that leads to more blushing for Felicity.
Beside her, Lincoln tugged on her jersey, rocking in his seat. “Momma,” the five year old’s eyes lit up. “Get ready. It’s almost time!”
Her eyebrows furrow as she looked down at him. “Almost time?” Felicity asked. Lincoln had been excited since they arrived, especially whenever Oliver’s turn to bat came around, but his energy was more like the night before Christmas than a weekend baseball game. “Honey, what’s got you all—”
“Watch!” Her son gripped the sleeve of her shirt, shaking her until she focused on Oliver again.
The first two pitches, Oliver didn’t swing. And the opposing team started to get ahead of themselves, thinking their mediocre pitcher might just strike out Oliver Queen. “Come on, baby,” Felicity whispered to herself, holding her breath while Oliver got ready for his third and final swing.
Felicity tensed as the ball left the pitcher’s hand, and within the blink of an eye, a loud crack filled the silent stadium. Oliver’s bat collided with the ball, and Felicity jumped to her feet. “Oh!” She sighed, “run, run!”
The ball flew straight over the outfield and over the stadium wall just as Oliver’s foot touched first base.
And the man’s smile was everything.
Oliver didn’t stop, but he slowed down as he rounded second base, turning his hustle into a victory lap. Lincoln jumped up to stand with Felicity, both of them cheering Oliver on.
As he reached home plate, Oliver landed with a heavy foot, tossing his arm in the air and soaking in the enthusiastic energy surrounding him in that moment. Oliver’s eyes lock on her again, his pure joy sparking the same feeling in Felicity. She beamed at him, her own voice mixing with the Blue Jays’ fans as she screamed for him.
He doesn’t look away, giving his head a slight shake. Despite the craziness around them, Felicity could read him so clearly, seeing his eyes soften. And she knew that he wasn’t thinking about the score, the crowd, or the game.
The high of his home run was still radiating throughout the stadium, but Oliver doesn’t seem to notice. He was looking at her like he didn’t even hear it.
Felicity stopped, her arms dropping to her sides as she stared back at him.
Even when his rowdy teammates swarm him, Oliver pushed them back, keeping his eyes on her. He walked closer until he reached the waist-high wall that separated him from the stands.
Still, Felicity couldn’t do much more than blink at him. Especially when she noticed the footage of them on the mega-screen above his head, as if the whole field just wanted to know what he was up to.
Oliver didn’t go out of his way to hide their relationship, but he was also a fairly private person. Aside from his little winking ritual each time it was his turn to bat, he hardly paid her any attention during the games. Probably because he knew it would end up projected in front of the whole stadium, just like this.
It wasn’t until Lincoln gently pushed her legs forward that she realized Oliver was waiting patiently for her to meet him halfway.
“Nice hit,” Felicity breathed, coming closer until her toes touched the wall between them. She cupped her hand over her forehead, blocking the sun so she could peer up at him.
Oliver’s eyes traveled down her body and back up. She raised an eyebrow, shifting on her feet while he smirked. “Nice jersey.”
Felicity glanced down at his number displayed over her chest, lifting a shoulder and smiling coyly. “You’ve seen me wear this thing a million times,” she pointed out.
“Yeah,” Oliver sighed happily, his gaze dropping again. “And it looks damn good on you every time.”
She had no idea what he was doing or why he was acting like he wasn’t in the middle of winning this game, but she didn’t really care. She’d go along with any plan that involved him looking at her just like this.
Rolling her eyes playfully, Felicity reached across the wall to push his chest. “All right, Romeo,” she teased, lifting her chin towards the field. “You better go figure out how the Blue Jays are going to beat those assholes.”
Oliver laughed, catching her hand and leaning closer. “We will. I kind of wanted to ask you for something first, though. It could very well be the thing I need to help us win tonight.”
“What’s that?” Felicity asked, cocking her head to the side.
He gave her a breathtaking, crooked smile, the sweat on his forehead distracting her for a moment. Seriously, how was it possible for him to be this sexy?
“A kiss,” he answered quietly, the dimple on his cheek making an adorable appearance. “You are my good luck charm, after all.”
“Well,” Felicity bit her lip, pushing onto her toes and smoothing her hands over his shoulders. “If that’s what it takes to help you go home a winner tonight, I think I can manage it.”
Closing the remaining distance, Oliver leaned down to meet her, not letting the wall stop him from running his hands down her back. “I’m already going home a winner,” he whispered, rubbing his nose against hers before their lips met.
His kiss was chaste and sweet, his mouth forming around her bottom lip while she tasted the salt on his upper. And his fingers skimmed to her waist, sending a shiver through her just as he pulled back.
Felicity looked up at him, ignoring the crowd that still cheered for him. She loved the calm, peaceful look in his eyes. And she especially loved that it was an expression she caused. “Will that do the trick, Queen? Are you ready to go kick some ass now?”
Oliver’s bottom lip disappeared beneath his teeth, and he gave his head a slight shake.
Blinking, Felicity hesitated as she tried to decide if she’d heard him right. “What?” She asked, certain that she did but needing to hear it again.
With a nervous little chuckle, Oliver let go. Then he lifted a leg and easily hopped over the wall. Standing in front of her, he took both of her hands while the announcer wondered out loud ‘what the hell’ Oliver Queen was doing.
Felicity’s heart was stuck in her throat, but it went soaring when Oliver got down on one knee in front of her.
“Felicity Smoak,” he spoke again, clearer this time. “Will you marry me?”
The proposal wasn’t coming completely out of left field. They’d talked about marriage. More kids. A life together.
She’d told him that she always wanted a memorable engagement and he’d told her that he would make sure it was. When that day came. They both understood that they were ready for ‘that day,’ Felicity just hadn’t been expecting it to be today.
A giggle passed her lips as she tried to catch her breath. The crowd erupted into thunderous excitement as they realized what was happening behind home plate. And the stadium grew louder than his home run celebration. Felicity tuned it out, focusing on Oliver.
She already knew her answer. And he did too, or else he never would have asked her like this. “Are you sure you’re not just on an adrenaline high?” She clarified anyway.
Felicity was hoping to keep him in a little bit of suspense, tease him for a moment, but Oliver just grinned as if he’d expected her not to give him a ‘yes’ right away. He shook his head. “Definitely not.”
Since he was playing along… “How would I know?” Felicity cocked her head, and he squeezed her hands. “This whole thing seems like a spur of the moment decision, Oliver. I don’t even see a ring. How should I know that you’re thinking rationally about this?”
“I’m sorry…did I leave you with the impression that I was a rational guy?” Oliver grinned, his voice sarcastic.
“True,” she pulled her lips to the side, pretending to analyze him.
“Come on, Smoak,” he winked. “I always have a plan. You don’t think I’d do something this big without some help from a teammate, did you?”
Felicity’s eyes furrowed, following Oliver’s gaze over her shoulder. And there she found her son standing there, or rather bouncing there. Lincoln looked so excited…
Oliver waved him over. “Don’t you know us at all?” He teased, bending down to lift Lincoln into his arms.
Standing in front of her, Oliver gave her a knowing look, and then he leaned in to whisper in the boy’s ear.
With a mischievous grin, Lincoln reached into the pocket of his shorts and pulled out a simple, gorgeous ring. Her son raised it in front of Felicity’s face, and she gasped, watching the diamond glint in the sunlight. A surprised laugh fell from her lips.
Tears sprung to her eyes, finally realizing why her son had been so fidgety all afternoon, carrying that thing around. Felicity could only hold the tears back for a moment, because as soon as she looked at Lincoln, he smiled at her as if this was his dream, too.
As if Oliver was their dream.
“Hmm,” Oliver hummed, leaning in again to whisper to Lincoln.
Her son nodded along with whatever Oliver was saying. And then he sighed, holding the ring a little higher. “Oliver would really, really like it if you said yes, momma. Because he would really, really, really, really like to marry you.”
“Yes,” Felicity laughed, shaking her head at them both. She finally snapped out of it, taking the ring from Lincoln’s tiny hand. “Of course I want to marry you. I really want to.Yes.”
The smile Oliver gave her in response was gorgeous, his eyes swimming with emotion as he took her hand, looking down at the ring now on her finger.
Felicity watched him, trying to burn the expression on his face into her brain. As much as she knew that Oliver was a dream come true for her and Lincoln’s life, Oliver proved to her every day that he felt the same way about them.
Looking back up at Oliver, Felicity cupped his chin in her hand, pulling him in for a kiss. “I already can’t wait to marry you,” she mumbled, forgetting all about the crowd, the game, and even the animated five year old getting squished between them.
Oliver didn’t break away from her this time, so they finally parted when Lincoln shoved a hand against Oliver’s cheek. “Guys!” The boy interrupted, “I can’t wait to eat cake, either! It’s okay!”
Chuckling, Oliver kissed the top of his head. “I told you buddy, that’s only part of what weddings are about.”
Lincoln rolled his eyes, “and I told you that you can marry my momma as long as it’s a chocolate cake.”
