Two years can really change a person. Especially when those two years are spent on an island miles and miles away from any living civilization. Or at least sane civilization. Oliver Queen, after being the only survivor of his father's boat crash, had finally given up hope that there was any way out of this eternal hell. He'd always been a pretty cold-hearted person; it's pretty easy to forget who you are when money is what defines you. But now, after being tortured, shot, imprisoned and far worse, Oliver had become an even bigger shell of a person.
The first year being here he was afraid, weak and helpless. But after meeting someone named Yao Fei, and training with his daughter, Shado and another man called Slade Wilson, he had gained strength not only in body but in mind and heart. He was relentless. But after Shado being kidnapped, Yao Fei giving up his life for them and Slade turning against him after being injected by a lethal drug, Oliver was alone. He was pretty sure now that he was the only one on The Island and he hadn't seen a new face in months.
He was beginning to think he would go crazy and kill himself. How could he keep going on with the small fraction of hope that he may someday return to his family? The only thing keeping his sanity was his father's words, "right my wrongs." And Oliver wanted so desperately to be able to do that. To live by his father's dying words. But how was that even slightly possible considering he's stuck on an island with potential threats of death every day? Food was scarce and although he had been taught to hunt, there are a few animals who are not prey but predators, and they could rip him apart in an instant.
Oliver had set up camp when he first met Slade Wilson. The both of them and Shado resided there for months and they had done a pretty good job. There were various makeshift beds and a fire pit with fresh firewood that Oliver had collected recently and there was a chest full of herbs and medicines that Shado had left behind. It was hard returning there everyday, knowing what had occurred on these grounds. But Yao Fei had taught him that survival is more important than your emotions. Just like Slade taught him strength without boundaries. And Shado... He taught him to love and honor the people around him.
Oliver often spoke aloud to himself, sometimes his loneliness creeped up on him and the only way to feel his own existence was to do so audibly. But as he was singing softly to himself whilst washing his clothes in the stream, he hears the splashing of someone hastily bringing their lifeboat to the shore. On high alert, Oliver ran stealthily to grab his bow and hid behind a tree, waiting for the intruder to approach.
"Hello?" A soft voice called. "I know you're there. I heard you." Oliver didn't say a word, eyeing the blonde cautiously. "Please... I need help."
The voice got louder as the woman came closer. Just as she reached the tree, he swiveled around quickly and pulled back the string on his bow. Immediately the woman put her hands up in defense, worry lacing her features. She was petite and wore glasses that must have been damaged in whatever situation landed her here.
"Please... Don't hurt me... " She says cautiously but Oliver does not lower his bow; trust is something he had very little of.
"What's your name?" Oliver let out aggressively.
"Felicity."
"Felicity what?" He said, raising his voice even more.
"Smoak! My name's Felicity Smoak."
Oliver's stance faltered slightly.
"I've heard your name before..."
"No, you haven't... Honestly I'm nobody."
"You work at Queen Consolidated."
"How do you know that?"
"That's my father's company," he concludes as he drops his bow. "How did you get here?"
"I was on a ferry on my way to Vienna... I guess I wanted to let my hair down for once," she said, giving a sad smile to the man before looking down. As she realized what she had heard, she looked abruptly towards him. "Wait... You're Oliver Queen. As in Oliver Queen who has been missing for two years and presumed dead after one."
"They think I'm dead?"
"Of course... You've been gone for 2 years. There was a worldwide manhunt for you and when they couldn't find you well... That was the only assumption that could give anyone closure," she replied, finally allowing herself to sit down on a nearby log. "Am I going to die down here? Because don't get me wrong it's beautiful, and I've always wanted to live near a beach but honestly I imagined it to be a beach that was part of a city. Not a beach that is part of... Well, an even bigger beach," She concluded, taking in her surroundings.
"I don't know. This island... it's unpredictable. There are planes occasionally. But they're so rare that it's hard to be prepared for them. I've started huge fires but no matter how thick the smoke I always seem to be late."
Felicity put her head in her hands before reciting "Oh God," over and over again. Oliver sat next to her awkwardly staring down at her.
Oliver was silent, not entirely sure what to do. He hasn't had to comfort anyone for two years, it was usually everyone else doing that for him since he was the new one on the island. But looking at the fragile girl in front of him, he remembers just how scared he was when he first arrived here. If it wasn't for Yao Fei teaching him what he needed to know about survival, there's no way he would've lasted this long.
"Listen, you're going to be fine. We're alone on the island at the moment... Or at least as far as I know. Look, I'll explain as much as I can but first of all we're going to have to stitch up that cut on your leg."
Felicity's head shot up to look in his eyes. "Stitches?" Oliver nodded. "No, no you don't understand, me and needles? Not friends no, no no. I'm like the least clumsy person on the face of earth purely because when I was 10 I slit open my elbow and they had to physically put me to sleep to stitch me up. So now I make sure that I never have to go through that traumatizing experience ever again."
"First lesson, you're going to have to face your fears, and most importantly you and pain are going to have to get along."
Felicity furrows her eyebrows in worry, she could deal with pain, needles however were a different story. She had skipped all of her school immunizations, if she had symptoms that required a blood test to have a diagnosis she'd lie to her mother and her doctor. Crap, my mother. She thought to herself. She wouldn't realize that Felicity is missing yet. She was supposed to be in Vienna for 3 weeks and her mother knew she was taking the trip to get some time alone so she wouldn't be expecting any calls. Felicity sighed loudly. She thought her life had no meaning, that no one would miss her when she was gone. But now, as she sits on a log with a man who was pronounced dead over a year ago, she can't help thinking that her life could've amounted to so much more.
"Do you even have supplies to stitch me up?" She asked, looking up from her previous position where her head was in her hands.
"Yes, come with me," he says, offering his hand for support as she got up.
In normal circumstances he would've left this girl for the dead. But remembering his father talk fondly about Felicity Smoak, the IT genius that worked at his company, all of his natural instincts went out the window. Although his father was gone, he was the only one in his family who he felt he had any personal connection with. Of course he loved his mother and sister, but their presence seems so far gone that he felt as if they didn't even exist. It also felt comforting having someone from QC here with him. It was like a part of his family had been transported here to be with him in the shape of a pretty young woman.
He helped her limp over to the plane where he had set up camp. He then gently let her sit down on a blanket that was splayed out across the floor. She winced slightly as her foot made contact with the ground. Oliver went over to Shado's chest and opened it up. He grabbed one of the suture kits which was made out of sharpened shells and thin strips of leaves before returning to Felicity and placing the items next to her. Felicity watched in fear as he put some liquid on a cloth, looking away as he placed it on her wound. She bit her lip, trying to hold back the excruciating stinging pain that she was feeling. She didn't want him to see her fear. He knew he could snap her like a twig and she didn't want to prove that even further.
"I'm going to sew it up now, okay?" He asked for permission gently.
She didn't return her gaze, she just continued to look away from him as she nodded her head. She held her breath as he inserted the needle into the first bit of skin. Each time the needle penetrated her body she winced slightly, but as Oliver got closer to concluding his suturing, her entire calve had gone numb.
"All done," he said, wiping her wound over one more time with what she assumed was disinfectant. "See, wasn't so bad was it?" He asked, giving her a small smile.
She returned with, "no, but now that I've endured something I hope I will never have to go through again it's made me realize something."
"And what's that?"
"I'm starving."
He let out a humored huff of air in response as he stood up from his crouching position on the ground.
"Okay, I'll get us some food, just stay here okay?"
"Wait, you're leaving me? Please don't. What if an angry bear comes and tries to kill me? Or my stitches come loose and I bleed to death. Or a mob of flesh hungry mammals come out of nowhere and-"
"Felicity," he says gently, interrupting her irrational babbling. "First of all, we're on an island, there aren't any bears here. The worst I've come into contact with are spiders and snakes-"
Felicity's eyes widen more and Oliver realizes he used a poor choice of words. "No, it's fine! They're only really in the deep part of the island, where all the trees and wildlife are." He says trying to comfort her again. Her face still doesn't falter. "The point is you're going to be fine, I'll be half an hour tops. And if anything happens there are flares in that box, just shoot one and I swear I'll run straight back here."
She nods slowly, watching him walk away until he is no longer in her sight.