Author's Note: so I've been getting a few new story ideas, but my goal is to continuously update them in a pattern, as to avoid neglecting any one story. Also, this story is an AU and will include flashbacks along the way.
WARNING: This story will include drugs, domestic abuse in many forms, alcoholism, and sexual assault for the first few chapters, but I assure you this story will be a hell of a ride. Sexual assault will be implied but NOT written in detail.
Disclaimer: All ownership rights to Arrow and it's characters belong to DC Universe and CW
Chapter 1: Goldilocks
Three Months Ago
"Look, I understand that what you're going through is tough. And we're not firing you. We're just putting you on probation until you get better. Go to rehab, Queen. How can you expect yourself to be out there saving others when you're not even trying to save yourself?" The short, stocky man with a receding hairline was expressing genuine concern for him.
Oliver Queen had lost his father in a house fire when he was 15- conveniently after the girl of his dreams moved away. That's what pushed him to become a firefighter in the first place. He did it for his father. Sure, his dad, Robert Queen, wanted his son to take over his legacy at Queen Consolidated, but he had know doubt that his old man would be proud of the man he'd become.
At least up until now.
He lost his mother two months ago, after a nine year battle with leukemia. The cancer seemed to appear right after his father passed, and it hadn't just been a battle for his mother. It had been a battle for himself and his now 18 year old sister. After the passing of Moira Queen, his baby sister, Thea, ran off with her boyfriend, Roy. He knew she left because being in Starling was painful. But Oliver felt a sense of resentment in the fact that she'd abandoned him to grieve alone.
When Thea left, (the day after their mother's funeral), Oliver drowned his emotions in alcohol. At first he was drinking heavily and only showing up to work with hangovers. But for the last two weeks, he'd been showing up to work drunk. Needless to say, his captain, Donald Everton, wasn't very pleased about that.
"I understand, Captain." Oliver replied, his head bowing slightly. He was so disappointed in who he'd become recently. Donald stood from his desk, and walked around it to stand in front of the broken man sitting before him.
"Listen, Queen. I care about you and so does your team. We're all worried about you and we don't want to see you go. We're all here for you and we're all rooting for you to get better."
Oliver walked up to the hole-in-the-wall building, surprisingly fifteen minutes early for his AA meeting. Quite frankly, he was excited because he'd officially gone 60 days sober. This meant that he could get his job back, but he'd still have to attend two meetings per week for the next three months.
He missed the blare of the sirens from the front seat of the fire truck. He missed saving lives and family pets, and strange as it was, he missed the smell of smoke. He missed the adrenaline and the looks and salutes of gratitude from civilians.
Oliver entered the building and was instantly greeted by the security guard manning the front desk. He said his hellos with a smile, and headed to the room that he was so familiar with. It was set up at usual: Andrew's desk stood in the far corner with a macbook and some papers on top. There was a long table on one side of the room, in front of the small windows, that was littered in fresh baked muffins, donuts, and coffee. One end of the table hrld napkins, paper plates and was a small cooler underneath the table that held varying flavors of coffee creamers.
Upon Oliver entering the room, Andrew Michaels turned to face him. "Give me good news, Oliver!" He called excitedly, clapping his hands together. "I'm itching for it!" Andrew was about Oliver's height, and though muscular, was scrawny compared to the younger man. Oliver flashed a dimpled smile at his mentor.
"Sixty days sober!" He gushed with a nod. Andrew immediately fist-bumped him, then grabbed a button from a small basket on his desk that read '60 days' on it. Oliver couldn't help his smile as the man handed the button to him. He was definitely proud of himself and he deserved to be.
"I'm proud of you, man, I knew you could do it." Andrew beamed. "Since you're early, whaddya say you help me put out the chairs?" Oliver nodded quickly, pushing up the white sleeves of his navy blue and white henley.
Just minutes after the chairs were out, familiar faces began to pour into the room. He'd been attending with most of these people for the last three months, so he was already friendly with them. Once everyone was seated in the circle, with three of the 16 seats left empty, Andrew stepped to the middle of the circle.
"It nice to see everyone again. For our newcomers, my name is Andrew Michaels." He introduced himself, confidently with a smile. Just then, a small blonde with glasses perched on her button nose, knocked on the open door as she stepped inside hesitantly.
She was dressed in dark jeans and a black v-neck sweater, with knee high brown boots. Her blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail on top of her head and she gnawed on her bottom lip nervously. She looked drained of energy, but still beautiful. Oliver couldn't take his eyes off of her. She looked vaguely familiar. Andrew waved her inside with a warm, friendly smile.
"Hi," she waved timidly as she approached the circle of chairs. She swallowed nervously before continuing. "I- sorry I'm late. I- umm... we spoke.. on the phone this, um, this morning." She stuttered before swallowing again, and Oliver could see her hands shaking just the slightest.
"Of course, I remeber." Andrew started. "Don't worry, we're just getting started. Why don't you grab a seat, sweetheart?" He smiled, nodding his head towards the empty chair about six seats away from Oliver. She nodded before walking through the circle and getting situated in her seat. The without missing a beat, Andrew continued on as if there was no interruption.
"I lost my wife and daughter back in 2007 in a plane crash, and thought that I could find comfort in the infamous bottle. Today, I am a recovered alcoholic and I've been sober for eight years." Andrew smiled, heading to stand in front of an empty chair, so that he was facing the entire group as they applauded him. "The goal here is to help you all on the road to recovery. Anything you say to this group will not be repeated outside of these walls. We're all here to support each other and to help one another grow, learn, and heal. Think of this people in the room as your family. So, who would like to start us off today?"
A man in his forties raised his hand as he slowly stood. Oliver recognized him from previous meetings, Quentin Lance.
"My name is Quentin Lance, and I'm a recovering alcoholic." The man started.
"Hi, Quentin." The room greeted in unison. Quentin nodded and smiled at the people before him.
"The last time I was here, I told you all about how I relapsed. I got drunk after speaking to my daughter Laurel, and hearing her tell me how disappointed she was in me. How I tore our family apart..." he trailed off looking down. "I want to be better for my family. I miss my wife. I miss my two not-so-little girls. So as of today, I'm back to one week sober. Though it may not seem like much, as Andrew has told us, 'even the smallest victory, is still a victory'. And I'm very proud of myself for this past week." Quentin smiled as the room applauded, before sitting back down.
"Congrats, Quentin. We're all very proud of you." Andrew smiled sincerely. "Who's next?" A dark haired woman stood up, ready to tell her story.
"Hi, guys. My name is Allison Hall. I'm an alcoholic and recovering drug addict." She introduced herself with a nervous smile, and Oliver also recognized her from the previous two weeks.
"Hi, Allison." The group greeted. Allison nervously shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
"Umm.. yesterday was pretty eventful." She started. "My sister, McKenna's police banquet was last night, as I told you guys some days ago... I did end up going. But against my better judgment, I took advantage of the open bar and got carried away. McKenna threatened to never speak to me again if I don't get better... It was just such a wake up call. My sister and I had been close since we were little. She could've arrested me when she found out that I was using meth, but she didn't. I'm proud to say that I am no longer a drug user, but I'm still having trouble staying away from alcohol." She admitted, before sitting down. The group gave her a round of applause as they did for Quentin.
"Thank you for honesty, Allison." Andrew started with a single nod. "And we all know that you'll get better because..."
"We all believe in you." The group, (with the exception of the three newcomers), said in unison.
"Thank you," she smiled, ducking her head slightly. Andrew looked around the room, surveying the group.
"How about one of our newcomers. Just stand, tell us your name, and a bit about yourself." Andrew smiled, looking between the three newbies. No one moved, and he cocked his head to the side. "C'mon, don't be shy. Remember, what you say in this room, stays in this room."
Oliver noticed the blonde shift uncomfortably, before slowly standing, her big blue eyes darting around the room and meeting with his for just a moment. He smiled at her reassuringly, remembering how nervous he was his first day.
"H-hi," she started nervously, before swallowing. Her hands shook just the slightest bit, and when she noticed Oliver staring at them, she quickly folded them behind her back. "Um... my- my n-name is... um.. F-Felicity. Felicity Smoak."
Felicity Smoak.
Images of a brunette girl, blue eyes heavily lined with eyeliner, popped into his head. The girl that he lusted after since his freshman year, who the day he worked up the courage ask out, told him that it was her last day at their high school. That she was moving away to Las Vegas. But surely, it couldn't be the same girl... could it? Oliver stared intently at her face trying to imagine how it would have looked as a 14 year old.
"Hi, Felicity." The group greeted, all intent on her nervous face.
"What brings you here today, Felicity?" Andrew asked, as she stood there silently rocking on her heels.
"Um... I'm an... alcoholic... and d-drug user." She said quietly, looking at the floor. Andrew tipped his head to the side slightly.
"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Felicity. We're all here to support you." He replied sincerely, causing her to look up at him. "Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself? How did you end up here?" Felicity chewed on her bottom lip before answering.
"I got into a relationship when I moved back here last year, from Central City. I started drinking anytime i was stressed out and... he introduced me to... drugs." She replied, before folding in her lips.
How many Felicity Smoaks could one meet in a lifetime? Oliver thought to himself. It had to be her, she must not have recognized him.
"If you don't mind me asking, what kind of drugs, Felicity?" Andrew asked, causing her to look down again and fiddle with her fingers. "You don't have to tell us if you're not ready, but if you do, remember it stays between us." She nodded, her ponytail bouncing slightly.
"Umm... I've been using c-co..." she paused briefly to swallow, her large eyes flitting around the room. "I've been using co-cocaine." She finished, licking her lips. Oliver couldn't believe it. Who was the asshole that dare bring drugs into the amazing woman's life. The Felicity he knew would never touch drugs, especially something so hardcore as cocaine.
"Thank you for sharing with us, Felicity." Andrew replied, his voice dripping with sincerity. "And we all know that you're going to get better because..."
"We all believe in you." They all said together. She offered a small smile to the group then sat back down in her seat. Andrew looked around the group, waiting for the next person to stand. Oliver stood, knowing that if this was the Felicity he knew, he'd be able to tell for sure after introducing himself.
"Hey everyone, I'm Oliver Queen, and I'm a recovering alcoholic." He started, glancing in the blonde's direction, judging her reaction. He got the answer he needed, when he saw her pink lips part and her eyes widen just the slightest bit. He offered her a quick smirk before continuing. "Today I'm officially 60 days sober."
The group erupted into applause, most of them already knowing his journey. He nodded and smiled at them as congratulatory calls echoed around the room.
"Thanks, guys," he smiled proudly. "As many of you already know, this means that I get my job back, but I'll still see you guys twice a week. I just wanted to thank all of you for your support. I wouldn't have been able to do it without you guys." The group applauded again, except Felicity, who seemed to stare at him in awe. As he sat down, she offered him a small smile before looking away.
The next hour continued on with everyone drinking coffee and telling their stories. Felicity and Oliver made eye contact many times throughout the session, and he was dying to speak to her.
"You all did amazing today." Andrew smiled, standing from his chair. "I'm proud of each and every single one of you. Especially our newcomers. I know it takes a lot of guts to stand in front of group of strangers and tell your story. I hope to see you all again. Now, in closing, I'd like you all to take the next half hour to eat and mingle." Everyone stood and dispersed.
Some headed over to grab coffee and snacks and others just conversed, but Oliver noticed that Felicity was still seated. She was chewing on her lip and staring intently at her phone before typing something and sticking the phone back into her purse. She looked up and her eyes met his. She smiled nervously and gave him a small wave, which he took as an invitation to approach her.
"So... Goldilocks," he started with a smile as he slipped into the chair beside her.
"Goldilocks?" She asked, her smile just a sweet as he remembered. "Oh! Duh, the blonde hair." She giggled. "I dyed it when I moved to Vegas. It was just time for a change."
"It suits you," Oliver smiled, unsure of what to say to the woman who still haunted his dreams after all these years. "So does the glasses." He added in.
"Yea? My um... boyfriend... didn't really care for the contacts, so I made the switch." She shrugged. Oliver felt the steam going straight to his brain, as he thought about the man who managed to make the intelligent woman turn to drugs.
"Right, your boyfriend..." Oliver trailed off. "It know it's not business, but are you still with the same guy that got you into... drugs?" He asked cautiously.
"You're right. It's not any of your business." She hissed at him, her blue eyes squinting at him behind her glasses. Oliver was taken aback by her reaction and opened his mouth to speak, when her phone rang. He saw her face pale momentarily as she looked at the name on her phone. She stood and moved a few feet away from Oliver as she answered, but not far enough that he couldn't hear her.
"Cooper I-" she started in rushed whisper, and he could tell that the person had interrupted her. "I know but-... please I just-...okay... yes... k, see you soon." She said before hanging up. Not giving Oliver a second look, she walked over to the refreshment table and poured herself some coffee.
As the day's session drew to a close and everyone began to proceed outside. It was only about 7:30, but Oliver figured that he'd make it an early night since he was returning to work in the morning. He saw Felicity walking towards a black car and jogged to catch up to her, grabbing her hand- which she snatched back as she turned to face him.
"What?" She hissed, glancing over at the double parked car. The windows were heavily tinted and he couldn't see inside.
"I just wanted to apologize." Oliver started, sincerely. "I didn't mean to stick my nose in your business like that." He smiled, charmingly, as he stuck his hands in his pockets.
"It's fine," she whispered, turning to walk to the car.
"Felicity, wait," he said quickly. She whipped her head around to glance at him as a tall, scrawny man exited the car and advanced on him quickly.
"Cooper, don't-"she started, talking to her boyfriend that was glaring at Oliver.
"You got a problem, buddy?" Cooper asked, angrily, getting in Oliver's face.
"What?" Oliver asked, smirking and knowing that he could snap the skinny man in half if he wanted to. Felicity got between them, facing Cooper.
"Babe, let's just go," she pleaded with him, worry in her eyes. He looked down at her angrily.
"Get in the car, Felicity." He demanded.
"Is that any way to talk to your girlfriend?" Oliver pushed, annoyed by the way Cooper was demanding her. Felicity's eyes widened and flicked to look at him, and he could see her throat move as she swallowed.
"Get in the fucking car, Felicity." Cooper snarled, and she quickly obeyed, sitting in the passenger side and closing the door. Cooper stared Oliver dead in the eye. "I can talk to my girlfriend however the hell I want. You stay the fuck away from her." He growled before turning to get in the car and driving off. Oliver couldn't help but worry about Felicity's relationship, Cooper was clearly verbally abusive and he hoped that it went no further than that.
Felicity
The drive back to their apartment was a quiet one. Felicity stared out of the window, picking up on Cooper's emotional state. He was pissed, partly because she'd gone to an AA meeting without permission, but mostly because of their interaction with Oliver. She knew she was going to have to pay for that when they got home. Cooper only knew where she was because he traced her phone.
He parked on the street in front of the building and exited the car quickly. He came around to her side and yanked the door open. He glared at her as she undid her seat belt, then grabbed her by the wrist pulling her out of the car roughly. She could already feel her wrist preparing to bruise from how tight he was holding, but she didn't dare speak.
Cooper dragged Felicity into the building and through the lobby, keeping his tight hold on her wrist throughout the 10 story elevator ride. When they reached their door, she was already bracing herself for what was to come. He swiftly and single handedly unlocked the door and shoved her inside, before slamming and locking the door behind them.
Felicity stood in place, already trembling with fear as Cooper turned on the lights. Their apartment was ridiculously nice. They currently stood in the large living room. The walls were white and the beams were black. There were two black suede sofas perpendicular to each other on top of the white furry carpet and a large glass coffee table in the center of the room.
She could see Cooper's reflection in the floor-to-ceiling windows before her, as he approached her from behind. He stood behind her for a moment, so close that she could feel his breath on the back of her neck, shooting fear up her spine. He turned and walked over to sit on the sofa.
"Get over here, Blondie." He demanded, his voice low. Felicity slowly walked over and stood beside the sofa, not making eye contact with him. "Have a seat, Blondie." He said patting the spot beside him.
Her mouth went dry as she sat down beside him, her hands shaking as usual. She watched as he grabbed the small ziploc from his pocket. He dumped the white, powdery substance on to the coffee table, using a credit card to create four thin, long lines. He picked up the short straw from the table, and snorted two of the lines quickly, releasing a sigh of relief right after.
"Here, Blondie. I know you haven't had your fix yet today." Cooper smirked, holding the straw out to her. Her knee bounced nervously as she swallowed.
"Cooper, I don't-" she started.
"You don't what, Blondie?!" He growled, tossing the straw onto table and standing from the sofa. Felicity opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. He walked around the sofa and paced behind her momentarily, before grabbing her ponytail and yanking her head back. He smiled hearing her hiss in pain. Still holding on, he bent down so that his lips were leveled with her right ear. "Let me tell you something, Blondie, because you seem to have forgotten. You do as I say, when I say. Now get the fuck up." He growled, roughly releasing her blonde locks. She quickly stood and turned to look at him, the sofa being the only barrier between them.
"Come here." He said, pointing in front of himself. She felt the tears already threatening to fall and when she was just a couple of steps away from him, he yanked her by the front of her sweater. Cooper leaned down so they were nose to nose as his green eyes bore into her blue ones. She blinked quickly, failing to keep the tears from falling, as he released her sweater.
"Cooper, I'm sor-" she started quickly before she felt him backhand her harshly across the face, knocking her onto her butt as her glasses flew onto the floor.
"You're what, baby? Sorry?" He mocked, kneeling beside her as she held her face and flinched away from him. His strong hand quickly and tightly wrapped around her throat and he smirked as he watched her gasp for air. Her two small hands clawed at his hand on her neck, to no avail.
"You know, babe, I'm real tired of having to teach you lessons all the time." He growled, and only let go when he saw the color drain from her face. Her color instantly returned and she began coughing and attempting to take in as much oxygen as she could.
Cooper stood and walked back to the coffee table, picking up the straw. "Now get the fuck over here and snort the damn coke. I'm not gonna tell you again." He demanded. Felicity made to stand and Cooper furiously shook his head. "No! Crawl, bitch! Crawl like the bitch you are!" He yelled, as she began crying full force.
She obediently crawled to the coffee table on shaky knees. Once she was in front of the two powdery lines, he dropped to his knees beside her. He used the credit card to fuse the lines in a pile, before grabbing the back of her neck and forcing her nose into it.
"Fucking snort it, Blondie!" He demanded, and she followed his orders, tears falling from her eyes. He held her head in place until most of the pile was gone. Felicity immediately felt the drugs taking effect as she sniffled, light-headedness taking over her. Cooper stood and pulled her up by her forearm, before dragging her to their bed room.
Once inside, he let her go, and stood in front of her. He held her face gently between his hands and licked the excess powder from her face. She stood before him, trembling, as he moved his lips to hers, kissing her ever so gently.
"You know I don't like to hurt you, baby." He whispered against her lips. "Tell me. Tell me that you know I don't like hurting you, babe." He demanded softly. Felicity sniffled once more as he pulled back his head and looked into her eyes, his green ones dark with desire.
"I- I know y-you don't like h-hurting me." She whispered, trying to believe her own words.
"I love you, baby," he stated, pressing another kiss to her lips. He looked at her expectantly as she swallowed but stayed quiet. She felt his hands, that were cupping her face ever-so-gently tighten. "I said I love you, baby." He said through clenched teeth.
"I- I love y-you too." She whispered and he cocked his head.
"Good, now do you have anything to say for yourself?" He asked, his eyebrow raising and expectant look on his face again.
"I'm sorry." She said immediately.
"Well, I would damn sure hope so." He replied with a smile. "Now take these clothes off and get your sexy ass into bed." He demanded reaching down and smacking her butt, hard. Felicity quickly did as told, uncontrollably grinding her teeth the entire time.
Oliver
After the Cooper and Felicity fiasco, Oliver sent a quick text to his two closest friends, to meet him at Big Belly Burger. He currently sat at a booth awaiting the arrival of Tommy Merlyn and John Diggle, who both came in shortly after. Tommy sat beside him and Diggle sat across from them.
"You're looking good, man," Diggle smiled at Oliver, after the waitress took their order.
"Thanks, I'm feeling much better." Oliver replied.
"It's good to see you taking care of yourself again." Tommy agreed.
"Thanks, I'm excited about getting back to work tomorrow. I spoke to Don this morning." Oliver beamed at them.
"Yeah, Don made the announcement today that you're coming back. Eveybody's proud of you, bro." Diggle told him as Tommy nodded in agreement. The waitress brought them their food and they all thanked her.
"So, how'd the meeting go today? Congrats on 60 days, by the way." Tommy spoke up, taking a large bite if his cheeseburger.
"You'll never believe who was there today." Oliver frowned, shaking his head, before taking a bite of his own burger. Diggle and Tommy looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to finish the bite, so they could hear who it was. "Felicity Smoak." He said, matter-of-factly, watching both of their eyes pop out.
"Smoking hot, brunette from high school? No fucking way." Tommy replied skeptically, shaking his head before popping a few fries I'm his mouth.
"She a blonde now," Oliver started. "Just as beautiful as ever... but I'm worried about her." Diggle cocked his head at his friend.
"Why?" He asked. Tommy shook his head again.
"Why not?" He spoke up. "It's Felicity Smoak at an AA meeting. If that's not reason enough to worry about her then I don't know what is." Oliver nodded in agreement with Tommy.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm worried about the things she said at the neeting, but I'm more worried about what happened after." Oliver said, staring off into space.
"You talked her?" Diggle asked.
"Yea, I did. I was trying to talk to her after the meeting but her scrawny little boyfriend was getting in my face." He replied. Tommy chuckled slightly.
"I hope you showed the bastard what you're made of." He replied, popping more fries.
"Believe me, I wanted to knock his nose crooked." Oliver sighed, sipping his water. "The way he talks to her is what got to me. Like, the asshole demanded her to get in the car, and I shit you not, she looked so scared of his scrawny ass. It was enough to make me want to beat him shitless."
"I hate guys who feel like they can just walk all over women. Especially a girl like Felicity. How'd someone like her get tied up to an asshole?" Diggle asked rhetorically, remembering the girl who tutored him in trigonometry. Oliver shook his head and responded with a shrug.
"I don't know, man, but she deserves so much better than that." He replied, staring down at his food.
"You mean she deserves someone like you?" Tommy asked, nudging his friend, making him smile a bit.
"I'd sure as hell be an upgrade from the bastard she's with now." Oliver snorted. "I saw him for all of two minutes and I already wanna wring his skinny, little neck."
"I dont even know the guy, and I wanna wring his neck." Diggle agreed, shaking his head.
Felicity
Felicity lay naked under the covers, as Cooper snored lightly, his back to her. She was thankful that the drugs seemed to have worn off, but like most nights, she couldn't sleep. It was already going on one in the morning, and her body was aching. She'd felt a gushing wetness between her legs about an hour ago, when Cooper finally finished having his way with her. She'd been wanting to check, but was too afraid to feel his wrath again.
Now that she was sure he was in a deep sleep, she slowly sat up in bed, every inch of her body crying out in pain and her inner thighs itching from the moisture. She grabbed her iPhone from the nightstand and turned on the flashlight.
Slowly lifting the blanket, she shone the light on the bed seeing the dark red blood staining her legs and the sheets. She knew it came from his forcefulness, and that it wasn't her period, considering that it had already came and went that month. She took a deep breath and gently shook Cooper's shoulder, whispering his name.
"What?" He asked turning over to look at her, through sleepy eyes.
"I- I'm b-bleeding d-down there." She whispered nervously, hoping that he wouldn't get angry.
"What? Like, you have your period?" He asked, a slightly disgusted look on his face.
"I-it's n-n-not my p-period." She whispered back, starting to cry. He sat up and turned on the beside lamp, before rubbing his eyes. He looked at her then down at her legs, his eyes widening slightly.
"Shit, babe," he muttered, getting out of the bed, wearing just his boxers. "Stay right there." He said walking into the en-suite bathroom. She watched as he flicked the bathroom light on, tears streaming down her face. Seconds later she heard the bath water running and poked his head into the room. "Is it still bleeding?" He asked sounding genuinely concerned.
"I- I don't th-think so," she sobbed softly. He looked at her for a minute, then disappeared back into the bathroom and she heard the water stop. He re-emerged and walked over to her side of the bed, slipping his arms under her, and carried her to the bathroom, her small form cradled in his arms.
Once inside of the bathroom, the smell of lavender filled her nose. She saw that he'd run a bath and had a pack of baby wipes sitting on the sink. He put her on her feet, keeping an arm around her waist as he grabbed the baby wipes. He sat down on the edge of the tub, her naked, shaking body in front of him.
"Hold still," he muttered, taking out a wipe and shoving the pack in her hands. Felicity trembled as she looked down at him, her legs tightly clamped. "Open up, babe," he said, gently squeezing her thigh. She did as told and he began gently wiping the blood away from her legs, tossing the dirty wipes into the open toilet as he cleaned. One particular spot on her inner thigh caused her to hiss in pain and flinch when he touched it.
"I'm sorry hun," he said sincerely, looking into her eyes. "You got a nice little gash here, my ring must've cut you." He muttered, in reference to the skull ring he wore on the middle finger of his right hand. Felicity didn't say anything, she just swallowed and continued to watch him clean. "I'm gonna have to give you stitches, babe. Don't worry, only four or five."
Felicity trembled as Cooper went to the sink, grabbing the first aid kit from under it. He came back and took the baby wipes from her, tossing them to the side, then sitting back where he was.
"This is gonna hurt, baby, but you can squeeze my shoulder if you need to." He told her softly, placing her left hand on his right shoulder, before going to work.
He made quick work of the five stitches, Felicity not squeezing his shoulder once. When he was done, he stood up, towering over her and place his hands on her waist, searching her eyes. Felicity felt her bottom lip begin to quiver as his eyes bore into hers, then the water works began. Cooper brought his hands upto her head. His fingers massaged the back of her head tangling into her hair.
"Don't cry, baby. Shhh, don't cry." He murmured lovingly, placing two gentle kisses on her forehead. "You know I didn't mean to make you bleed, right?" He asked gently. She didn't respond, she instead continued to cry, fear plastered on her face. Cooper frowned then pulled Felicity into a hug. "I promise that was an accident, baby. I may rough you up but I'd never make you bleed on purpose, babe. I promise." He murmured into her ear before kissing it.
"C'mon, let me help you into the tub, babe. I even put that lavender oil you like." He smiled, stepping away from her and hoisting her small frame into his arms. He gently sat her down into the bath tub and she stared into space, her eyes red and puffy. "I'll come and get you when I'm done changing the sheets, okay?" Then he was gone.
The second he closed the bathroom door, tears wracked her body and she sobbed uncontrollably. How did her life end up like this? A few minutes later, he returned with two aspirins and a glass of water. He handed them to her wordlessly, then left again. When he came back into the bathroom, she was still holding the pills in one hand and the glass in the other, staring into space. Cooper sighed and took the pills from her.
"Open," he demanded, tapping her lip with his index finger. She broke out of her trance and looked at him, before doing so told. He place both pills in her mouth and held the glass for her to drink for from. She sipped the water, swallowing the pills and he pulled the glass back. "Do you want more?" he asked, referring to the water. Felicity nodded, wordlessly, and he handed it back, waiting for her to finish.
Cooper took the glass and place it on the bathroom counter before unplugging the tub drain. The water rushed down, and he held her hands pulling her to her feet. He grabbed the soft blue towel from behind him and wrapped her body, before carrying her back to their bed room. She immediately noticed the turquoise sheet set that now adorned their bed.
He stood her next to her side of the bed and removed the towel, surveying her body. He sighed as he brushed her fingers over the purplish hand print on her neck, then the small bruise of her cheek. Cooper then picked up the clean shorts from the bed and helped her into them, then helped her into the tank top.
"Get in the bed," he whispered before kissing her forehead. She pulled the comforter back and followed his instructions as he returned the wet towel to the bathroom. When he came back, she was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling. He climbed I'm bed next to her and sat up on one elbow, looking down at her.
"W-why do y-you do this to m-me?" Felicity asked softly, fresh tears falling from her eyes, as she continued looking up. Cooper put a hand on her face and turned her head to look at him.
"I'm sorry, baby." He whispered before placing a slow, passionate kiss on her lips. He then moved his lips to her neck and kissed on it gently. "I'm sorry for this too, babe. Let me make it up to you." He murmured against her neck, then ducked his head underneath the blanket.
Okay, that's all for now, folks. I'm currently working on the next chapter of Arrow through a Clover, this story was just taking over my brain so I had to get it out.
Tell me what you think in the reviews and if you'd like me to continue. Thank you for reading and feel free to check out my other stories.
xoxo cloverlotus