Hold Steady ⚡ The Flash

Oliver

One person understood Rowan Nyx and her complexities. He understood her reactions, her reasons, even the slight twitch of her eyebrow which meant she was suspicious. 

They related on a level that many did not understand. 

So when Oliver Queen get a call from a blocked number at two in the morning he knew who it was and why they were calling. 

"Are you okay?"

Despite the tears streaming down her face only to evaporate due to the heat of her skin, Rowan managed to smile. "What do you think?"

"Are you safe?"

"Yes Ollie. I'm in Central City."

Oliver immediately thought of Barry. Very few things made Rowan cry and those things were the same things that made him cry. 

A boy or a girl were not one of those reasons. So obviously it had to do with her father. "Did you find him?"

The line was quiet for a few seconds, "Do you think I should stop? Just give it up?"

Oliver knew what she wanted to hear. But he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of hearing it. Tough love was a thing for a reason. 

"Yes."

Rowan scoffs, wiping angrily at the hot tears on the apples of her cheeks. "What if your dad was alive and sending you messages?"

"You didn't call me so you could hear what you wanted to hear Ro. If you wanted that you would have called Felicity."

"How is Flick? I was so mean to her the last time I saw her."

"She understands why you did what you did. She's just worried about you."

"Are you?"

"Of course I am but I also know you can take care of yourself. You've been doing this longer than any of us." Oliver heaves a sigh, glancing over at the empty case where Rowan's suit usually resided. "Now are you going to tell me what that idiot said about your father?"

Looking over the desolate streets of Central City Rowan begins to retell her tale. Oliver was her best friend. So she told him everything, starting from the moment she found her father's note. Oliver listened diligently, not interrupting, but taking note of important factors. Once she recounts Barry's words Oliver breaks his hour long silence with a deep and hearty laugh. 

"What an idiot." 

"I know right." The tears had stopped minutes ago but the words and events still hurt. 

"You know he just wants to help you."

"Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt." 

"So what are you going to do? You've been wandering around for two months without any leads. I know you don't want to hear it but you need to learn how to control your powers. You can't be a vigilante if you don't have control. You were the one who told me that."

"I'm just so tired Ollie. I'm exhausted." 

 "I know." 

Sliding down the concrete wall she had been leaning on, Rowan rests her head on her knees. "Say it. I know you want to."

A small smile slips through the facade that is Oliver Queen, "You should stay in Central. Barry needs your help just as much as you need his."

"I don't trust S.T.A.R. Labs though."

"Predictable." 

"Come visit soon okay?"

"Of course."

"Stay safe."

"Same to you." 

Dropping the phone from her ear, Rowan press the end button with a sigh. Rowan could always trust Oliver. They understood the world on the same level as a result they understood each other. 

Pushing off from the ground, Rowan brushes her short hair behind her ear. She slips her phone into the back pocket of her black jeans. With a quick survey of her area, Rowan spins on her heel and heads in the direction of the one place she still felt at home at. 

Despite the early hour the lights were still brightly shining in the smoke smelling room. Upon opening the door three heads turned to greet the new arrival. 

With ash smudged on their forehead and collar bones, the firemen smile, raising from their card game. 

"Rowan Nyx. Welcome back." 

♋

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