A/N: THAT THIRD EP OF ELSEWORLDS OH MY GOD I HAVE SO MANY BIG BROTHER OLIVER FEELS IDK HOW TO EVEN COPE WITH THEM. Also they deprived me of another trio hug and I'm bitter
(Also, side note, this is my first time really writing Oliver's POV so be kind to me if he seems OOC)
"There might be a way to slow Deegan down," Barry said. "We literally slow down time."
Oliver stared.
"Come on, that's gotta be, like, only the fourth most crazy thing you've heard in the last three hours," he pointed out.
A fair point.
"How do we slow down time, Barry?" Kara asked.
"If Supergirl and I travel around the globe in opposite directions at just over Mach 7, we should be able to create enough centrifugal force to slow the Earth's rotation."
"And everything else."
"Rip the book out of Deegan's hands, and everything goes back to normal," Oliver finished.
Barry nodded.
"We can do this," Kara stated. With one last look at Oliver and Clark, she and Barry started to leave.
Oliver opened his mouth to say something – what exactly, he wasn't sure, but it was probably along the lines of that is the most insane thing I have ever heard why are you two trying this – when Clark beat him to it.
"You both die."
That stopped everyone in their tracks.
"When I opened the book, I- I watched both of you die doing exactly what you're talking about. And if it's in the book-"
"It's destiny," Oliver said, stepping closer to Barry. "I believe Clark."
"We have to try something," Kara insisted.
Oliver opened his mouth again, but he had nothing to offer. Barry's plan was insane, and deadly, and their only chance.
"Ready?" Kara asked Barry.
"Yeah."
And just like that, they were gone. Off to save their world with their speed, even at the cost of their lives.
"Kara!" Clark yelled. But it was futile, and they both knew it.
With their speed.
Mere hours ago, that would've been Oliver's job. And Barry would've been safe, safe in Central City, ready to either live or die right alongside his family. Alongside his best friend, and his wife, and his daughter. But now Oliver was powerless, leaving Barry to take on the burdens he had never been able to before all of this.
Barry and Kara would die, and Oliver would be left to pick up the pieces.
No. I refuse to accept that.
He marched for the door, knowing exactly where to take his frustration.
"Where are you going?" Clark demanded.
"I have an idea. Just get the book."
"And Barry and Kara?"
"We need to hope destiny's gonna be rewritten."
-EW-
He headed straight for the ratty place he and Barry had tried to hide in, only to find the door locked. "Novu!" he yelled. "I know you're in there, you son of a bitch! I'm not afraid of you. I'm not impressed by you. Stop with these games and show yourself!"
With that, he kicked the door in, channeling every ounce of rage at what was happening into the blow.
He found himself back in space, Monitor mere feet away.
"So much passion," he remarked, slowly turning to face Oliver. "And hubris. You think that if you just yell loud enough, you can command a god."
"You're not a god."
"And yet, there isn't a name for what I am, so I suppose god will have to do."
Oliver clenched his jaw. Monitor moved closer.
"Your time is limited – I'm not sure what little remains is best spent making demands of me. I already told you what you had to do."
"I know what happens to Barry and Kara," Oliver said, reluctantly, as if speaking it would make it true.
"Mmm," Monitor murmured. "And now you're here in the faint hope that I can alter it."
Faint? Faint? You got us all into this mess!
"You said you were a god. Now I don't think you're testing us to see if we're strong enough – I think you're testing us to see if we're good enough. And I don't think, in any of the universes you've tested, that anyone has ever stood and confronted you like this."
"Yes," Monitor admitted, turning back to surveying the stars. "You are the first in a multitude."
"I'm not who you need."
That caught Monitor's attention, stopping him in his tracks, head turned slightly to listen to Oliver.
"You said I'd pass the test if I knew my true self."
Monitor turned, seeming to truly see Oliver for the first time throughout this entire situation.
"My true self is full of darkness. But Barry and Kara are different."
Oliver moved in, advancing on Monitor, carried forward by his love for the two heroes racing towards their deaths as he spoke. He felt tears begin to burn his eyes, a burn he felt even more keenly in his heart at the mere thought of a world without Barry and Kara. It would be like a world without light, without love – a world Oliver had known, and clawed his way out of, helped by the two shining rays of hope that were Supergirl and The Flash. Helped by Kara and Barry.
And like hell he was going to let Monitor take that from him. From Clark, and Iris, and Alex, and Nora. Like hell.
So he let the tears come, let the waver in his voice speak to just how passionate he was about this. "They inspire hope. They inspire people because they are the best of us, and if this test of yours is going to kill our best chance at stopping this crisis, well, as gods go, you're not a very smart one."
Monitor watched him curiously. "You phrase this as if it's for the universe, and I do believe that on some level it is, but… you truly care for these two, don't you?"
Oliver lifted his chin. Once, he had thought love a weakness, but these last days of embracing the love and happiness and light in his life in order to emulate Barry had taught him otherwise, had taught him that pretending it was less important than the fight would cost him everything, and he wouldn't let go of that lesson now. "As if they were my siblings."
Monitor nodded slowly. "The universe is a complex piece of machinery – the balance must be maintained. One change requires another. How would you propose I keep the balance? What would you do to protect, as you call them, your brother and sister?"
I'm sorry, William. I'm sorry, Felicity.
"Anything."
-EW-
As the world slowed, Oliver ran forward, loading the special arrow Monitor had given him. As Deegan spun to face him, aiming the book at him, he fired.
Blue light exploded from the book. Deegan screamed.
Time slammed back to normal speeds, and Clark caught Lois, holding her close. Oliver jumped to the ground and crouched, closing the burned book before it could do anything else.
"Barry and Kara?" Clark asked.
Oliver knew the sacrifice he had made, but still, he looked around tensely. Where are they?
With only a rush of air and flash of lightning to announce their arrival, they skidded to a halt between Clark and Oliver. They were burned, doubled over and gasping for breath, but they were alive. And fistbumping.
Oliver dropped his bow and swept them into a hug.
"Whoa," they both gasped, surprised, but after the initial shock of Oliver initiating a hug, they melted into it. And for just a moment, Oliver bore some of their weight, letting himself hold them both close this one time.
One last time.
And then it was over. Clark pulled Kara from his arms, hugging her tight, flashing Oliver a grateful glance over her shoulder. A flash of lightning announced a second speedster, and suddenly Barry was gone, darting over to clutch the daughter that had been erased from existence.
Oliver didn't begrudge them their reunions. He just smiled and watched, knowing that his own sacrifice was more than worth it.