Lessons Learned

Chapter 1 - Lessons Learned 

AN - This is my first one with Roy's POV and I have to say that I found him rather fun! It's always a challenge to find a character's voice and I'm not sure I found Roy's so my apologies if his energy seems off to you! I really do like him and want him on the Team - I love the possibilities that presents for the whole Team! 

DISCLAIMER - I can claim nothing as my own unfortunately!

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Roy hadn't been training long with the Arrow but he had learned a lot. Lesson #1 - The Arrow is actually Oliver Queen. Simple but really hard to remember and Roy still kept them separate in his head. That did help him lie to his girlfriend...who's older brother was not only overprotective but also perfectly happy to put an arrow through him (again). He hated keeping this from Thea and wasn't sure how much longer she'd stay in the dark. Thea was surprisingly street smart for a rich kid and really stubborn, like dog with a bone stubborn. She was already suspicious of the missing chunks of time from his days and nights but luckily the assortment of bruises and injuries healed too quickly for her to see them. Roy knew he couldn't be the one to tell her though as that would have to be on Oliver now and hopefully he'd be the one Thea would be angry with after she found out. 

Shaking off thoughts of Thea, Roy continued to watch with Oliver as his broken fingers healed. They had been sparring with the metal batons and Roy had missed a block so Oliver's strike connected with his hand. Roy wasn't sure when he would even had a metal baton handy during a street fight but Lesson #2 (your life depends on your training so always train seriously) kinda discouraged sarcastic taunts and jokes. 

Roy actually did take all of this seriously - the serum made him feel like he was losing his mind and this might be his only chance to save it and hopefully keep Thea in his life. Getting to help the Arrow was an added perk even if it didn't always feel like that. Oliver was a tough teacher but you'd have to be stupid not to respect the skills. Roy considered himself a lot of things (few good) but he didn't think he was stupid. He listened to everything Oliver told him and did everything he said whether they were training in the lair (Arrow Cave still sounded too weird to him) or they were out on the street. 

Lessons #3 seemed to be Oliver's favorite and that was that strength isn't enough. Roy knew he was stronger than Oliver but he still couldn't beat him on the mats nor when they raced on the streets. Oliver kept telling him that it was about focus, precision, control, and balance and the man had all those in spades. It was surreal to watch Thea's older brother jump between roof tops, take down multiple attackers and just generally kick ass without breaking a sweat. 

Life on the street had taught Roy a lot of lessons too: life isn't fair, you have to fight to survive and if anything good ever comes your way then you have to grab it with both hands. Roy often thought Thea was his once in a lifetime gift and he was willing to fight to keep her and keep her safe (even if that meant protecting her from himself). However, he now considered Thea's brother his second chance and he was grateful enough for that to do whatever he told him to do even (if he didn't tell Oliver that). 

He actually found he said little to Oliver...he wasn't intimidated, just cautious really. Roy wasn't sure what he had expected to learn from the Arrow but it wasn't only Oliver who surprised him but also John Diggle and Felicity Smoak as well. The other two weren't as...well, he wasn't quite as cautious around them but he still didn't feel completely comfortable. Felicity was actually very friendly and chatty and didn't seem to fit into this dark world any more than he imagined Thea would. That Felicity was that different, special was enough to have Roy keeping his distance. Diggle was easier to figure out as he was a well-trained soldier and Roy learned from him as well.