Roy has liked both the Arrow and Oliver Queen since he met them, so, it made perfect sense that they were the same person. And, yet, although he now knew who the Arrow was under his mask, he still had no idea who Oliver was on the inside. When Roy m...
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Oliver and Roy sat at a table at the dimmed, tiny Big Belly Burger at the edge of town.
Oliver shifted his weight, breathing deeply, trying extremely hard to keep a neutral and controlled expression. The two guys took their menus from a small stack by the entrance, however, Oliver didn't really feel like looking through his. Or eating... Ever again. His insides were twisting as if they were wet towels someone was drying.
What if he doesn't like it? This was a stupid idea, Oliver. You should've taken him to that expensive restaurant. Congratulations, you messed it up already, his demons whispered at the back of his mind. He tried to shush them, shake those worries away. It didn't really work.
"So," Roy said, looking around the small place. His gaze traveled along the weary walls that were once white, with cracks trailing atop them like wrinkles on an old person's skin. He took in the spotted counter, behind which stood a slim woman, with dark hair tied up in a smooth ponytail, and chocolate-colored skin. She was wiping the counter, huffing, barely audibly, under her breath, and, no matter how much pressure she put on the blue dust rag, and how hard she dragged it across the spotty surface, the countertop couldn't seem to get cleaner.
The seats Oliver and Roy sat at also looked old and worn. The wood was scratched, and Oliver's seat creaked whenever he moved. The table was crooked, and the some of the windows were broken.
"Yeah, it's not the neatest or most prestigious dining place around, huh?" Oliver offered in a fluctuant manner, with an uncertain note in his voice, although he was trying to cover it up with a joking tone, noticing where the other man was looking.
"Huh?" Roy was torn out of his thoughts. Oliver caught his eyes, forcing a smile upon his face, which turned real once he saw the strangely bright and child-like glint in Roy's baby blue eyes.
"Carlie says they can't afford to repair the glass in the windows, some boys were throwing rocks at them a couple of years ago," Oliver explained softly, without the slightest idea of why he felt compelled to justify the view.
Because it's crazy sketchy, that's why, Oliver's brain reminded him. Roy let out a gentle laugh, which might have confused Oliver even further. Is he laughing at my explanation or is this an easy-going, it's-Ok laugh? Oliver unwillingly questioned. Feeling even more shameful and strangely skittish, aka the way Oliver Queen, the Arrow, should absolutely not feel ever in his life, Oliver continued quietly.
"I was going to take you out to a nice restaurant, but then I decided I wanted to take you somewhere personal, and this place is really close to my heart. Dig and I used to go here, and I feel comfortable here like I don't have to pretend."
Roy smiled at that. "That" meaning the rather sweet declaration, and the way Oliver was shrugging shyly, apologetic, shoulders tensed, like he wanted to make himself as small as possible, if not disappear completely. Not to mention the faint blush on his cheeks and how, now that he was done, he was looking up at Roy, puppy-eyed, as if both anticipating and dreading Roy's reaction.
