#and yesterday our family's other dog Milli had to be put to sleep too. less than a month after Pulmu

[nowendil]

this year really kicked off with grief huh

[smkkbert]

A parent’s love

Summary: When the Queen Kids come home for a weekend with their parents and siblings, Millie tells Oliver something she has been keeping secret so far.

Rating: General Audience

Characters: Felicity Smoak, Oliver Queen, Camille Olivia Queen

Felicity nipped at her coffee, watching Oliver through the kitchen window. When he had told her that he wanted to use the morning to chop wood for the winter, she had thought he had lost his mind overnight. The entire family was supposed to come together today and spend the weekend together. Using the morning to chop wood had sounded crazy.

Looking at him now, she was glad that she hadn’t been able to convince him to delay this task. Thanks to the tight-fitting shirt he wore, she could see his defined muscles even through the piece of clothing that covered his chest and his arms. His bicep pressed against the sleeves, and his abs were showing through the black cotton.

She had been married to Oliver for more than 25 years now. They had celebrated their silver wedding anniversary earlier this year. Despite the many years they had spent together, Felicity was far from being used to Oliver displaying his muscles and strength. She doubted that would change in the next 25 or more years and-

“Now I know why you didn’t hear me.”

Felicity flinched. Holding her hand to her heart, she turned around. Millie leaned against the kitchen island with her arms crossed in front of her chest and a scolding expression in her eyes. She almost looked like Donna when she had scolded Felicity for spending her summer vacations in front of the computer instead of in the sun. Felicity chuckled.

“Oh my God, Millie! You cannot scare me like that.”

“Mom, I called for you at least three times.” Millie shot a pointed look out of the window to her father. “You were just distracted which, as your daughter, I have to say is yuck. You have been married for more than twenty years. You could really turn down the sexual attraction to each other now. Normal people do that after a couple years of marriage, you know?”

“I am not sure your father and I count as normal people,” Felicity replied, “and I don’t think people should just stop feeling sexually attracted to each other or whatever just because they have been married for a while. Sex is important in any relationship.”

“Not when we are talking about my parents.”

For a split second, the conversation Felicity had had with Oliver earlier this week crossed her mind. They had talked about how weird it would be if Addie would graduate high school in a few months too. They would be all alone in this big house. Oliver’s only consolation for her was that at least they had the house all for themselves to have sex everywhere all day. Surprisingly, it had really been very consoling.

Felicity cleared her throat quickly. “Do you want coffee?”

“Yes, please.”

Millie sat down on the kitchen island, crossing her legs. In the meantime, Felicity poured her daughter a mug of coffee.

“How’s college?” Felicity leaned against the kitchen counters at the opposite side of the room. “Are you satisfied with your classes and your dorm room?”

“It’s fine.” Millie nipped at her coffee. “Quiet but fine.”

Felicity chuckled. William, Emmy and Tommy had all said the same thing after their first weeks at college. The kids, just like she and Oliver, were used to a full and loud house. With five kids who sometimes also invited over friends, quiet had rarely ever been something to find at the Queens’ house.

“Am I the first one home?”

“Yes.” Felicity nodded. “William and Alicia are still in San Francisco to visit Samantha. Emmy is still in Gotham for a friend’s birthday and will back at lunchtime. Tommy should already be on his way. Addie wanted to be back already, but she called this morning. Apparently, the shooting has been going quite long yesterday. She needs a little more sleep before she can make her way home.”

“How is she doing?” Millie asked, frowning at her mother’s words. “Addie.”

Felicity sighed. She thought about her answer thoroughly, remembering the last conversations she had had with Addie. The last years with her youngest hadn’t been easy.

“She is better,” Felicity replied eventually. “She is still struggling with a lot of things, but she is going to therapy regularly.”

“She’s still doing shootings though.”

Felicity shrugged her shoulders. “Addie is turning eighteen in a few months. We can’t forbit her to go to any shootings or fashion shows anyway then. Finding this compromise – Addie goes to therapy and does what her therapist tells her and we allow her to continue modeling in return – sounded like the best choice. She is taking care of herself. She is taking care of her health, and she is taking care of school. That’s the most important right now.”

“You are still worried.”

“Of course I am,” Felicity said. “I am your mother. I am always worried about all of you.”

Millie smiled comfortingly. After a moment, she put her mug of coffee away and approached her mother. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug.

“You are a great mom,” Millie whispered. “You always have been, and you still are.”

Felicity sucked in a deep breath and hugged her daughter back. Measured at the results of her education, she wanted to believe that she had done a lot of things right. Her kids had all turned out quite great. They were kind and compassionate. They stood up for others that weren’t as lucky as they were. Most of the times, they were even happy though they struggled with that from time to time.

“Speaking of great parents.”

Millie pulled back a little to look at Felicity. There was nervousness in her eyes which made Felicity frown. She tugged some strands of her daughter’s dark hair behind her ear and frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Millie said quickly and smiled though the nervousness was still shining through. “I have just been thinking a lot these past weeks, and I decided that it’s time to tell dad.”

Felicity smiled. “Are you ready for that?”

Millie nodded. “I think I am. I am nervous about it, but yes. It’s time to tell him.”

“You know that your dad loves you very much, right?” Felicity asked. “He’s not going to make you feel bad about what you feel and who you are because there is nothing bad about it. I don’t know what other people told you or who made you believe that it’s not okay, but there is nothing you have to be ashamed or worried about. Just like I do, he will support you. You know that, right?”

“I think I do, yes.” Millie shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know why I wasn’t ready to tell him before. I mean he never did anything to make me think that he wouldn’t support me, but I- I don’t know. By now, he will probably be madder with me for keeping it a secret from him for so long than for that.”

“It’s fine,” Felicity told her and squeezed her hands reassuringly. “He is not going to hold that against you either. He knows how tough it can be to overcome insecurities.”

Millie took in a deep breath and looked out of the window at where Oliver was still chopping wood. He was listening to music with his headphones, so he probably hadn’t heard that Millie was already home.

“Do you want to talk to him now?”

Looking back at her mother, Millie nodded quickly. “Yes, I think that’s better.”

Felicity squeezed her daughter’s hands reassuringly once more. When Millie just looked at her mother with held breath, Felicity perked up her eyebrows.

“Can you come with me?” Millie asked. “Please?”

Felicity smiled. “Yes, of course. Come on.”

Arm in arm, they strolled outside. Oscar, their Saint Bernard and Rottweiler crossbreed, heard them first. He came running from the other side of the garden, barking loudly, and jumped up at Millie repeatedly to lick her face.

“Oscar!” Millie chuckled and crouched down, so she could pet their dog. “Oh, I have missed you the most of all. How are you doing?”

“He’s been sleeping in your bed the past weeks,” Felicity replied. “The poor guy thinks that everyone will leave him.”

“Oh, no,” Millie told him and kissed his nose. “Did you really miss me that much, Oscar?”

Felicity chuckled since Oscar made almost purring sounds like he was answering to Millie’s question. He had rolled onto his back and let Millie pet his stomach. He kicked with his legs like a baby and his tongue was hanging out of his mouth. He had certainly missed Millie as much as Felicity had.

“Yea, Yea,” Oliver said with a sigh, pushing his headphones into the pocket of his pants. “Of course the dog is more important than your dad. I shouldn’t be surprised.”

With a smile on her lips, Millie got up and took the few steps to her dad. He wanted to hug her, but she took a quick step back.

“Ugh, Dad. You are sweaty.”

Oliver sighed dramatically. “You kids always find reasons not to let your old man hug you now. You are unbelievable. You have all been addicted to cuddles when you were kids. Those have been good times.”

Millie stepped forward and kissed her father’s stubbled cheek in apology. Oliver smiled happily. No matter how old he was or how old the kids were, he still loved them as much as he had when they had been his little girls and little boys.

“How’s college?” Oliver asked. “How are your classes? Are the journalism classes what you expected them to be?”

“It’s super interesting,” Millie replied with a wide smile. “It was definitely the right choice. Journalism is my thing, and it’s so much cooler than working in our newspaper project team at high school. I mean it feels a lot more meaningful.”

“Good.” Oliver smiled at her widely. “You know that I am happy when you are happy. How about I jump under the shower and switch into some less sweaty clothes, so we can sit down together and you tell us everything. We could-“

“Actually,” Millie interrupted him quickly, “I-“

Millie stopped and swallowed hard. Felicity could hear the nervousness back in her voice. Oscar seemed to notice it too because he sat down next to Millie and leaned against her leg like he wanted to comfort her. She stroked her fingertips over his head absentmindedly.

Oliver looked at Millie with perked up eyebrows, waiting for her to finish her sentence. She seemed to have lost her words though. Seeking help, she turned around to Felicity. With a smile, she stepped next to her daughter and put an arm around her.

“I think our daughter wants to tell you something.”

Oliver frowned slightly, but he looked at Millie with a patient smile. Felicity bit down on her bottom lip and shot Millie an encouraging look. She suspected how hard this was for her daughter, and she wished she could just ease the burden for her. She couldn’t do more than what she had done already, encouraging her to tell Oliver what she had been keeping secret and support her no matter what she decided to do.

It was how Felicity saw her role as a mother of her kids now that they weren’t exactly kids anymore. She could listen to them and maybe hand out an advice to them. After that, all she could do was accept whatever they decided to do and support them. The kids needed to make their own experience, good ones as well as bad ones.

“I met someone,” Millie said eventually, blurting it out quickly like she was ripping off a band-aid. “Matty.”

“Cool.” Oliver nodded with a smile though Felicity could see a little bit of confusion beneath his smile. “You know, just like your siblings’ boyfriends and girlfriends or any of your friends, everyone you are holding dear is always welcome here. You can invite Matty over for dinner today or tomorrow if you don’t consider meeting the entire family too crazy or too early.”

Millie smiled briefly before she shot another look at her mother. Felicity smiled encouragingly.

“Dad,” Millie said, taking in a deep breath. “Matty’s full name is Matilda Alejandra Santiago. She’s a girl, obviously, and… I think I’m in love with her. I mean we are together… kind of. It’s still new, so I don’t know where exactly this will be going. I just know that I have butterflies in my stomach whenever she is around, and my heart goes crazy every time she kisses me. I have never felt like that for anything, so, yeah, I guess I am in love with her.”

“That’s great, Millie. I am so happy for you,” Oliver told her with a smile. “Now, when can I get to know her? I can’t wait to meet the girl who stole my daughter’s heart.”

Millie stared at her father in disbelief for a moment. When she shot another look at Felicity, she could see the tears that were welling in her daughter’s eyes. Felicity just smiled and shrugged her shoulders. She hadn’t expected any other reaction from Oliver.

There was a long moment of quiet. Millie and Oliver just looked at each other. Neither of them said a word or moved though. Felicity watched them, unsure if her heart should break or feel warmed.

She knew how much Millie had struggled to tell her dad about this. No matter how much Felicity had encouraged her daughter to tell Oliver, she hadn’t been able to do so. She had had to overcome her fear of rejection first. While Millie had probably known that her father wouldn’t rip her head off for falling in love with a girl, she hadn’t been convinced that he would accept her and love her the same either.

Felicity didn’t know why that was the case. She and Oliver had told their kids about Sara, who had been bisexual. Still, she had been their friend, and Oliver had been in a relationship with her. Curtis Holt, who worked for her at Queen Incorporated and helped out in the Arrow Cave every once in a while, was gay. Even outside their friends, Oliver and Felicity had always openly supported the LGBTQ+ community. They had never wanted their kids, a friend or anyone else to feel unsafe around them.

“Oh, come here.”

Oliver put a hand to the back of Millie’s hand and pulled her into his arms. Despite the sweat that still stuck to his skin and his shirt, Millie went willingly. She wrapped her arms around his middle and snuggled into her father’s embrace. He held her, rubbing her back, while she was crying.

“There is no reason to cry,” Oliver whispered and kissed her temple. “Everything is fine.”

“I’m so sorry, Dad.”

“You don’t have anything to feel sorry for.”

“But-“

“Hey.”

Put his hands to Millie’s cheeks, he pulled out of the hug, so he could look at her. He wiped away some tears from her cheeks and just looked at her. Felicity knew the expression in his eyes, the calm and reassuring expression that had comforted her in the last thirty years too.

“Is Matty a good girl?” Oliver asked her. “Does she make you happy?”

Millie nodded. “Yes. Yes, absolutely. She understands me. She encourages me and motivates me. She comforts me. She- She’s just perfect. I have never been happier.”

“That is all I need to know,” Oliver told her, “because that is all I ever wanted for you.”

Oliver pulled Millie back into his arms and hugged her again. He rested his head on the top of her, looking at Felicity. She smiled at him, wordlessly thanking him for his reaction. She had known that he would be perfect. She had had nothing but faith in him because she knew how much he loved the kids and that nothing would ever change that, especially no sexual orientation.

“Thank you, Dad.”

“There is nothing to thank me for,” he replied with whispered voice. “I am your father, and I love you. There is nothing that could make me love you less, and there is nothing I wouldn’t do for you. Besides, don’t tell your sisters, but you have always been my favorite daughter.”

“Dad?”

“Hm?”

“You know that Emmy, Addie and I talk every now and then, and we know that you say that to each of us, right?”

“Pssst,” Oliver hushed her with a smile and kissed her head. “I only mean it when I say it to you.”

“Yes, that’s what you always tell the others too.”

Millie, Oliver and Felicity all chuckled. It took away from the tension of the moment, at least a little. Oliver just continued holding their daughter, and Felicity could almost see in his eyes that he was thinking back to all the moments Millie had been snuggled up into his arms like that when she had still been a kid.

When Millie’s phone buzzed, she pulled out of Oliver’s arms. Taking in a sniffling breath, she quickly wiped some tears away. She grabbed her phone from the back pocket of her jeans and took a look at the display.

“It’s Matty.”

Oliver nodded towards the house. “Take the call and talk to her.”

Millie smiled. “Thanks.”

“Sure,” Oliver replied, “and tell her we are excited to meet her. She is always welcomed here.”

“I will.”

Oscar looked back and forth between Oliver and Millie for a moment. When she opened the door to the house, he quickly ran after her to follow her inside though.

As soon as the door closed behind the two of them, Felicity stepped in front of Oliver. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his chest. Oliver puckered his lips, wrapping his arms around Felicity’s shoulders. He angled his head forward and kissed the tip of her nose.

“How long have you known already?” Oliver asked. “Officially I mean.”

Felicity shrugged her shoulders. “Since Christmas.”

He perked up his eyebrows. “Since Christmas?”

“We were sitting in the kitchen at Christmas Eve when everyone else was already in bed,” Felicity remembered. “We were drinking some hot chocolate, and she told me that she thinks she fell in love with a girl she met at a friend’s party.”

Oliver nodded slowly and frowned. “Why didn’t she tell me?”

“I don’t know.” Felicity shrugged her shoulders once more. “I don’t think she knew it either. She just needed more time. It’s not because she didn’t love you or didn’t trust you though. It was probably just new for her too, so she didn’t want to tell too many people before she was sure what it was.”

“I am glad she told you.” Oliver sighed and leaned his forehead against Felicity’s. “And I am glad she told me now.”

“So am I.”

Felicity straightened up onto the tips of her toes and captured his lips in a gentle kiss. She sighed into it and pressed herself even more tightly against Oliver. When their lips parted eventually, he scrunched up his nose.

“I guess I should take a shower.”

“You know that I love my husband all sweaty, but the kids don’t really see it the same way.” Felicity nodded. “A shower would be better, yes.”

Oliver puckered his lips. “Are you going to join me?”

“I don’t think Millie would like it,” Felicity said. “For some reasons our kids are disgusted by the thought that their parents still have sex.”

“What did we do wrong with them?”

“I have no idea.”

Chuckling, Oliver pecked Felicity’s lips once more. Hand in hand, they strolled back into the house. Without any secret between them, it was safe to say that their weekend with the kids promised to be a good one. Felicity couldn’t wait to have everyone around again like in old days. She missed having all her kids gathered here. She had always loved their house most when the entire family was there. It was how it was supposed to be.

My first one-shot since Christmas - wow! XD

This is set in the Time for a story-verse and part of the Adventures of parenting teenagers-series, a little glance into the future.

I hope to write more of these future chapters with the kids being teenagers or even all grown up eventually, especially once I might have to end Time for a story. We might learn more about whether Millie is gay or be and how things between her and Matty develop. We might also see what’s going on with Addie.

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