I'm Fine (An Arrow Fanfiction)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Quite a while later, Oliver returned, anxious to get out.

"Let's go," he said to Diggle before anything else.

Once they were in the car, Oliver ran his fingers through his hair, slumping back in his car-chair.

"You gonna live?" Diggle inquired, jokingly.

With an it's-not-funny glance, Oliver replied with a quick "Yes."

"Just a cold, then?"

"Maybe."

"Oliver?"

"He said I have bronchitis. It probably started with just a cold but now it's worse. I need to pick up some antibiotics later."

"Do you want to take some time off? Felicity and I can handle the business. We're not too busy, anyway."

Oliver rubbed his eye with the back of his hand. "No, I feel better, anyway." Lie.

Diggle took in the shade of the bags under his eyes, the way his lips were parted so he didn't have to breathe through his nose, the way he couldn't pronounce his 'm's like 'b's and 'n's like 'd's, and the way his whole demeanour was subdued and tired. "I don't know how you get away with all this secret vigilante stuff, you are a terrible liar."

"Just, let's go back to Verdant. I think I need to get some" sneeze "rest." Oliver sniffed and rubbed his nose. "Do you have a Kleenex?" Oliver inquired, sifting through the piles of CDs, cords, and other random stuff in the dashboard-pocket.

"Sorry, man, I got nothing. But, why not go back to your house?"

Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding me? How the hell am I going to get rest there? They will do anything I ask but let me rest."

Diggle chuckled. "Well, I still-" he paused as Oliver sneezed loudly, not catching himself in time to cover. He glanced over, waiting to see if he was finished, but his breath hitched and he sneezed again even louder. "Are you don-" Oliver held up his index finger and turned his head and sneezed again, not stopping for some seconds. "Hey, are you alright?" Diggle turned his head from the road to make sure Oliver was okay. "Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm alright," he said, then relented. "Actually, I think I'm gonna take an aspirin; my head is killing me."

"Sure. Oliver, you can tell us if you need to take a break. I know you've been working hard, it's about time-"

"Diggle. Please, just stop. I do not want to take a break. I just need a couple hours, okay?"

"Whatever, man." Oliver could be so stubborn sometimes. But at least he was admitting to his condition now. That was a lot further than he had been the day before.