Survive - Arrow Fanfiction

Chapter Eighteen

Life on the island carries on. Mercenaries still patrol the island, Fyers still has a plan and Yao Fei is right in the middle of it all. Everyday is still a fight for survival and she is still well aware that at any moment that they could be killed.

But things are different now.

Slade was worried about a romantic relationship being a distraction from their ultimate goal. But he was wrong. If anything it makes her work harder because she has something else to live for other than a goal which sometimes seems impossible. She fights for him now and a future for them that she had never thought possible.

Despite the change in their relationship, Slade still makes her train. He kicks her ass more times than she can count but she does manage to best him a few times. It turns out that getting off doesn't make Slade pull his punches - it makes him hit harder.

She pulls him up on it one day after her aching body feels as though she's been hit by a bus. She all but collapses onto her cot with a groan as she waits for his usual bullshit response of how he needs a soldier and not a whining party princess. Instead Slade's deathly silent for such a long time she sits up to check that he's still there. Slowly stripping himself of his gear until he's clad in a clean vest and cargo pants, his dark eyes are solemn when he eventually looks at her and answers.

"I keep my promises kid. If I die-"

"Stop it," Olivia snaps, unwilling to even imagine it. She forces herself to her feet despite her protesting limbs, ignoring Slade's hard eyes as they track her every move.

"-at least you will have some skills to see yourself safe," he finishes.

"We are both going home," she snaps, ignoring the pricking of her eyes as she whirls around to face him. She's being irrational and stupidly naive, even she knows that. Though it's something they haven't said out loud in a long time, they both know that there's a good chance that they could die at any given moment despite how much Slade trains her or how hard they fight for one another.

One of her biggest fears is being alone in this wretched place. But it's just not the thought of only having herself to rely on that scares her. It's the thought that she won't have Slade. With the memory of his deathly pale skin and his labored breaths still fresh in her mind despite the weeks that have passed since he was shot, there is no way in hell she can even stand to think about-

Slade clenches his jaw, no doubt holding back words that are bound to hurt her. "I'm being realistic here," he says stiffly.

Olivia laughs bitterly. "What happened to the man that would have killed me without a moment of hesitation if he deemed me a risk to his survival?"

She wishes she could take the words back immediately, but it's too late. Slade goes deathly still and looks at her with an intensity that scares the living daylights out of her. Olivia looks away in shame and feeling every bit the brat that Slade accuses her of being.

Moving so quickly and suddenly, Slade is right in front of her, his strong hands framing her face and forcing her to look at him. "You want to know what happened to that man?" Slade says, his tone as cold as his gaze. "Olivia Queen happened. You wormed your way into my head, into my heart and any thought of my survival became insignificant in comparison to yours." He stares down at her, his intense gaze penetrating her down to the very marrow of her bones.

She wants to argue that he's being ridiculous, but no words come out. What is someone even meant to say when a man who has spent years squashing his feelings basically tells you he's willing to die for you?

She has forced herself to not push him when it comes to revealing his feelings, and though she admitted her love for him once, she won't push it onto him again with this thing between them being so new and fragile.

She loves him. She loves him more than he can possibly fathom and that's why she will never, ever let him die for her-

Slade swears under his breath and wrenches himself away from her with a ferocity that has her cringing away from him. "Slade," Olivia whispers as he backs away from her.

"Forget it," he growls, turning away and heading for the door. Olivia stares at his retreating form, her heart pounding in her chest wildly as she realises what her silence has cost her.

She's such a fucking idiot.

Stumbling after him, Olivia catches herself on the doorway before she can fall over. "Slade!" she shouts just as he's about to disappear into the forest. "I'm sorry," Olivia calls after him.

If he hears her, he doesn't turn back.

It's their first fight.

But it won't be their last.

--

The sound of his familiar footsteps wake her from her fitful slumber. He's been gone for hours and though she ached to go and find him, she knew that she would just end up getting lost in the dark and just cause further trouble. So instead she crawled into Slade's bed and allowed herself to have a pitiful cry until she fell asleep.

He strips out of his clothes and crawls into bed behind her, his cold body pressing up against hers causing her to shiver. A strong arm wraps around her belly and pulls her impossibly tight against his chest. Swallowing back tears, Olivia threads her fingers through his and brings their joined hands to her lips to kiss his cold hand.

After a long while of nothing but the sound of their intermingled breaths, Slade says softly, "I have spent a very long time trying to get back to my son."

Olivia forces herself to remain silent despite all of the questions that are on the tip of her tongue. She can count the number times Slade has spoken about his son on one hand, and though she wants to know more about the man who has captured her heart, now isn't the time. Neither have really spoken about before, and a part of her is selfishly terrified that he will be reminded that he had a life before her with a family that she has no part of.

His hand slides down her side, his skilled fingers tracing the curve of her waist. His breath ghosts her ear as he says, "I wasn't the best father. I wasn't around much for the boy. He thought that I was a pilot and he looked up to me. He would be ashamed if he knew the truth."

"That's not true," Olivia murmurs, squeezing his hand tightly in comfort. "What's his name?" she asks tentatively.

After a long pause, Slade lets out a shaky breath and replies, "Joe."

"And what of his mother?" Olivia asks gently, half afraid of his answer.

"I'm not married. Not anymore. Adeline hated that I was always traveling with work. She hates what I am, couldn't live with a husband that bothered to show up half the time. We split up many years ago."

Olivia turns to face him, her eyes struggling to see his expression in the dark as he leans over her. "I shouldn't have left you before," he says, his hand cupping her face firmly. "For two years I have thought about nothing more than getting back to him. Every decision I made was made for my son. And then one day, this girl stumbles into my life and turns everything upside down. I no longer just think about getting back home to my boy. Now I think about having you by my side when I finally do." His voice dips as he says, "I'm not used to caring for anyone other than my son."

Olivia threads her fingers through his hair and says softly, "Nothing will stop you from going home to your son. Not even me." Slade tries to protest but Olivia shushes him. "He comes first," she says firmly. She drags him down to her and kisses him.

"I'm sorry for being a brat," she breathes against his lips.

"I'm sorry for running away," he replies softly, a small grin tugging at his mouth.

"No more talk of death," Olivia says with a grim determination. "We protect each other just like always, and we will get through this."

Slade lays down next to her, his face inches from her own as those dark eyes look at her as though he knows her inside and out. "I hope so Kid," he says softly.