The Way We Talk

Hero (Little Talks #17)

Prompt:  "Don't touch me."

Thea pounds her fists against the steel wall repeatedly, yelling in frustration all the while.  She can't believe there's a rusted chain around her ankle, and she's taking her anger out against the only thing she can find.  Not that she thinks it will help her escape or anything—but it would be a nice bonus if she could.  Mostly, though, she wants to give Helena Bertinelli a migraine for kidnapping her; it would serve her right.

Oliver wasn't kidding when he said she had a few screws loose, and that was why they stopped dating.  She keeps going on about getting revenge on the Vigilante, or some such nonsense, for trying to kill her.  Thea isn't quite sure how kidnapping her fits into Helena's plan of revenge, but, hey, she isn't going to argue with the psycho chick holding the crossbow.  It's a thing she likes to call common sense.

As if on command, though, the Vigilante makes his presence known.  She can't exactly see him through the metal door separating her from Helena, but she can hear his synthesized voice.  "Let her go," he demands of Helena.  "She has nothing to do with this.  It's hard to tell with the synthesizer, but it sounds almost as if he's angry—furious, actually.

Helena doesn't seem too afraid as she laughs haughtily at him.  "Oh, you haven't changed one bit," she says to him, equal parts taunting and scathing.  It surprises Thea that they actually seem to know one another, though.  "I knew you'd come," she tells him, sounding almost bored.  "Maybe I should have picked someone more important to you, though; Thea's been a bit... well, boring.  Your blonde girlfriend was fun to play with last time," she says, and Thea suddenly understands how Felicity knew Helena's name.  They must have had an altercation in the past—one that didn't exactly end well.  Helena thinks about that for a moment before saying, "Well, there's always next time."

"No, there's not," the Vigilante respectfully disagrees, and the thought is punctuated by the sound of two arrows being released almost as one.  "This is my city," he says then, "and I will not let you wreak havoc in it."  She's not sure if the silence is good or bad, nor what it means for Helena.  A pause before he adds, quieter this time and further away from the metal door.  "The Queen family is protected—make that clear to your friends in prison."  Thea isn't quite sure why that is, but she can hazard a guess.

The door slides open then, and the Starling city Vigilante stands before her, in all his green-hooded glory.  He's taller and more muscular than she expects him to be in person, all sharp angles and way too much leather for her tastes.  (Seriously, the guy needs a good designer.)  He's careful about the way he approaches her, moving slowly and gripping the bow very loosely in his hand.  Finally, he's close enough he can crouch before her, so patient and steady, until she can make out the stubble on the line of his jaw and the black mask over his eyes.

"Are you all right?" he asks, his voice quieter than she could have ever imagined possible, even through the synthesizer.

"Sure, peachy," Thea replies dryly, rolling her eyes.  "I've been kidnapped by one psychopath, only to be rescued by another.  Why wouldn't I be all right?"

It could be the drugs making her see things, but she thinks she can see the corners of his mouth lift ever so slightly.  He leans down abruptly, examining the metal shackle around her ankle carefully, going out of his way to avoid touching her.  It's rusted shut, but somehow he manages to break the hinge wide open, allowing her to pull herself free.

He rises again, turning away from her while saying, "I need an exit strategy.  Now."

Now he's just being ridiculous.  "Do I look like I'm walking around with blueprints in my head?" she replies with a huff.  Pardon her for being in a bad mood, but, after all, she was just kidnapped by her brother's psycho ex.  If the Vigilante is looking for a grateful damsel in distress, he just needs to look elsewhere—because she's not interested.