The Lion, the Archer, and the Billionaire

by bandgeek18

One-shot. When Roy is mauled by a lion, Oliver faces a trauma from his past. But this isn't last time. It isn't last time. It's not.

A/N: Warnings: graphic descriptions of an animal attack and injuries from said attack. Not like...super graphic but you know...graphic enough. This is just another story about my two favorite archers. Read on.

If there was one person in the world Speedy was learning to hate, it was Malcolm Merlyn. No one could get Green Arrow going quite like Merlyn. The younger archer didn't really understand it. Was it a rivalry thing? Who was the better archer? The answer was Green Arrow of course, but Speedy didn't think that was a reason to go on killing sprees in Star City over. Presently though, the dark archer wasn't killing anyone yet. At least…Speedy was pretty sure he wasn't. The young archer took a deep breath and looked around. They'd been chasing Merlyn through the city when Speedy's world suddenly went dark. Now he was…..here….?

'Where is here?' he wondered as he stood up. The smell of the air told him he was outside still. It was still night, so not much time could've passed. 'Its too dark to-' Before he could finish the thought, bright lights turned on and momentarily blinded him. "Ah!" Speedy's hands flew to his mask and covered his eyes. He moaned and slowly lifted his eyes from his hands. They still weren't properly adjusted and he had to squint at his surroundings. The ground was dirt and there was a scraggly tree off to his right. On his left was a pile of large rocks that formed a cave, maybe 15 feet away. 100 feet in front of him was a chain link fence, with a cement wall behind it. The archer's eyes adjusted even more as hey traveled up the fence up about 12 feet. Turning in a slow circle he found this was the same set up all around him. "What the actual fuck, Merlyn?"

A growl from inside the cave made him freeze. Speedy was no stranger to wildlife. He'd spent most of his childhood outside, exploring the mountains on the reservation where he'd grown-up. If there was a sound he'd become very familiar with, it was the growl a mountain lion. Moving painstakingly slowly, he turned to face the cave. Standing in the mouth of it was a very angry looking male, African, lion. Not exactly a mountain lion, but too close for comfort. Speedy gulped silently and slowly reached for an arrow, only to grab at empty air. He craned his neck backward. His quiver was gone. That was when he realized his bow was also gone. 'That's not good.' The lion growled again, drawing the archer's attention back to it. He took a step backward, very slowly.

'I could never outrun it,' he thought as the lion slowly advanced out of the cave, forcing him back another foot. 'There's nowhere to run anyways. I could climb the fence…' He doubted he could climb it faster than the lion could jump. The lion kept advancing, eyes trained directly on its prey. "G-Green Arrow?" Speedy called out, desperately hoping his mentor might be nearby. "GA?!" The lion suddenly roared, making Speedy jump, and it ran at him. He wanted to run away, but either Speedy's brain had stopped working or his legs didn't understand the command of 'RUN, RUN AWAY! RUN OR BE EATEN!' The lion pounced on him. It was even more massive and terrifying up close and in-person. Its massive paws were on either side of Speedy's chest. At this close distance, the young archer could see all the muscle that made up the king of beasts. "Uh….nice kitty…." The lion growled at him and Speedy's brain kicked into full gear.

He scrambled out from under the lion, but this appeared to the wrong choice because it attacked him. Pressure clamped down on his forearm and a stabbing sensation seared down the appendage, into his shoulder, and down the left side of his body. "Gah!" He kicked out blindly, but it didn't make much difference. The lion dropped him and Speedy moaned. Not wanting to end up in several pieces for GA to find who knew when he tried to crawl away without using his uninjured arm. The lion simply batted him like a mouse and he was knocked onto his back. A sharp pain suddenly sliced through his chest. "Agh!" Speedy tried to push the lion away, but his pushing against its face only seemed to enrage the beast more. He managed to snatch his hand back before he lost a finger, but it didn't stop the lion from biting his shoulder as it claws dug into the young teen's stomach. Speedy's back arched and he screeched, causing his voice to crack.

Only 200 yards away, Green Arrow heard the screech and his blood went cold. In half a second he broke into a dead sprint. It didn't take him long to reach the lion pen. From his vantage point,.. it wasn't hard to see the grim scene before him. Speedy was laying in a pool of blood, probably his, with a full-grown, male lion standing over him. Panic gripped Green Arrow's mind as he reached for an arrow. Unfortunately, his hands were shaking, making nocking his arrow, which was something he could do in his sleep, impossible. Aiming the arrow was even worse by the tremor in his hands. 'Focus Ollie, focus,' he thought. He shot the arrow, but it missed. The green projectile skimmed over the mane and Green Arrow had to fight against the increasingly tightening feeling in his chest. 'No, no, no, no, no! Not him too!' Speedy screamed again. It pierced through Green Arrow's panic and he narrowed his eyes. Pushing aside the panic, he fired again. The arrow hit the lion's shoulder. It howled in pain and thankfully got off of Speedy.

'Come on Ollie,' Green Arrow berated himself silently. 'Kill it, damn it!' He nocked another arrow, again fighting the tremors in his hands, and took aim. This time the arrow hit the lion in the right place to kill in nearly instantly. The animal staggered and fell on its side. Green Arrow shot a grapple arrow at the ground and slid down the string to reach his injured partner. "Speedy!" he shouted, running to him. When he reached the younger archer, Green Arrow discovered that the lion's head was on Speedy's chest. Moving fast, Green Arrow put his bow down and shoved the head of the dead animal off the injured teen. A strangled gasp escaped his lips. Speedy's left arm was a mangled mess on his chest and blood covered nearly the entire upper half of his body. The boys' normally pale pallor was even worse. "Speedy. Speedy wake-up." A weak moan emanated from the injured archer, but that was enough for Green Arrow.

Moving quickly, he put his bow on his back and scooped up his injured boy. Speedy wasn't light, but it was no problem for Green Arrow. 'He's bleeding so much, I have to get him somewhere safe. He needs help. Medical help. Where can I go though? This is beyond me…' Only one place came to mind and Green Arrow didn't think, he acted. 'I have to save him. Not Roy too. Please, not Roy too.'

— —

It was very quiet in the Bat Cave and Batman had just returned from his patrol with Robin. The two vigilantes had just taken off their cowl and mask respectively when they saw Green Arrow. The first thing Bruce saw was a bloodied and unconscious Speedy limp in Green Arrow's arms. Robin gasped in horror. Bruce looked at Green Arrow, who looked at him with desperation clear in every fiber of his body. "Help him," Green Arrow begged. "Please…help him."

Bruce nodded, his Batman demeanor slipping over his face. "Alfred!" he called stepping forward to take Speedy from Green Arrow. "Alfred!" Green Arrow's arms suddenly got tighter around Speedy as the Bat attempted to remove him.

"GA lets go," Bruce growled. They needed to get Speedy to Alfred before he bled out. When Green Arrow didn't move he growled even lower. "Oliver! Let go!"

"What's- my word!" Alfred gasped when he saw the two archers.

"He needs help…" Green Arrow said desperately. The panic and worry in his voice was unnerving to Bruce.

"Bring him this way." Deciding it was better not to waste time, Bruce followed Green Arrow and Alfred to the Bat Cave's infirmary. "Set him down on the bed." Green Arrow did just that as gently as possible. "What is his blood type?"

"I…uh…"

Bruce sighed. "Blood type, Queen!" he snapped. "Now!"

"O positive."

Alfred's mouth thinned. "That complicates matters. We do not have any of that-"

"I'm O positive."

"Master Bruce, please extract 2 pints of blood from Mister Queen."

"Come on Oliver," Bruce said, grabbing the archer's arm. It was only after he'd made Oliver sit that he realized Robin was still standing in the doorway. "Robin, go upstairs!"

"But-" Robin began but was cut off by his mentor.

"Go upstairs!" Realizing that the situation was critical, Robin disappeared to sit at the Bat-computer so he wouldn't get in the way. Bruce, meanwhile, was cleaning Oliver's skin on the underside of his arm. Once he had the needle in Oliver's arm and blood was flowing through the tube into a plastic bag, he looked up and noticed Oliver wasn't looking at him. He was looking at Roy. Bruce glared backward at the teen. Alfred was as collected as ever, stopping bleeding where he could. Bruce focused back on his own task. Oliver never took his eyes off Roy the entire time though. Not while the first or second pints of blood were removed, or while Bruce hooked up the first pint to an IV to get it into Roy. He just stared at the still figure on the bed, who was still unnaturally pale. 'No, not again. Not Roy, please not Roy too.' At some point, Bruce left Oliver and talked quietly with Alfred. He crouched in front of Oliver and shook him. "Oliver. Oliver!" Oliver looked at him. "Roy needs a doctor."

"…I…he's a vigilante-"

"I have a friend who can help. She's a doctor and she knows about me and about Robin."

Oliver swallowed. "You trust her?" Bruce nodded. "Just help him, please." Bruce didn't say anything, but merely stood up and left the room. After sitting for another few minutes, Oliver stood up and stumbled his way over to the cot that Roy was laying on. The teen was a deadly shade of grey and the heart monitor displayed a lethargic heartbeat. He reached out and gently held Roy's non-bloody hand in his own. He might've been one of the most powerful men in Star City and a member of the Justice League, but he didn't feel like it. At the moment, Oliver felt like he was 10-years-old again. Small and vulnerable. The sounds of roars filled his ears. Sweat trickled down his face and neck as the savannah sun beat down on him. Eventually, the sound of footsteps joined the roars, causing him to turn his head. A woman had entered the infirmary with Bruce, still dressed in his bat suit. "Are you-"

As soon as the doctor saw Roy, she ignored Oliver and ran straight to his side. "How's his heart been?" she asked Alfred.

"His blood pressure is 60/40, Dr. Thompkins," Alfred replied.

"One major bite trauma to the lower right arm and shoulder. Deep cuts on the abdomen. All consistent with an animal attack."

"Lion," Oliver supplied.

"A lion. He needs an IV with blood, good job Alfred. I need to get these wounds clean."

"Will you require sutures?" Alfred asked as he did as he was told.

"No. With wounds like these, it's better to give them simple dressings. What concerns me though is this arm looks broken, so it'll require a cast. For now, I need to keep it clean. The biggest worry right now is an infection."

Bruce noticed the vice-like grip Oliver had on Roy's good hand and decided his friend needed to be removed. "Come on, Oliver," he said putting his hands on the other man's shoulders. "Let them work."

"Yes, please leave, Mr. Queen. You'll get in the way."

"I need to be here," Oliver argued.

"Leslie is right, you'll get in the way. She's one of the best, I promise. Roy is in good hands. If you want him to live then let go and let Leslie work." That seemed to get through to the archer because his grip on Roy loosened and Bruce was able to pull him away. He steered Oliver to another part of the cave and sat him down. "Oliver."

"Yeah?" The roaring was even louder now, drowning out every other word Bruce said. "What?"

"I said, are you ok?"

"Ok? Ok?! Roy was mauled by a….and you want to know if I'm ok?!" Even more, sweat was pouring down his face and covering his hands It was so hot in Africa. The savannah was like a sauna.

"Oliver." Bruce put his hands on the other man's shoulders. "Look at me, Oliver." Oliver looked at him, squinting against the bright sunlight. "How was Roy mauled by a lion?"

"Merlyn…" The dark archer's name was like venom on his lips. He felt the need to spit it out before poisoned him. "We….we were chasing him down and he managed to separate us." The smell of grass was overwhelming his nose, making it hard to focus. "Roy was only missing for an hour…not even and Merlyn….he somehow tossed him into the lion pit…"

"Ok. "

Oliver wiped the sweat from his brow, then stopped. His hands were covered in blood. "Merlyn did this to get to me. He told me that Roy was at the zoo."

"He wanted to scare you rather than actually kill Roy." Oliver nodded. Bruce hesitated. While it was more or less common knowledge among their League teammates that Oliver had been orphaned at a young age, Bruce was the only one who knew the details of how that came to be. "It's not like last time Oliver."

"I know, I know."

"You killed the lion, I assume. Roy is going to live. It's not like last time."

"It could've been. I…I froze up and I was shaking. I missed!"

"Oliver-"

"I shot at the lion and I missed!"

"But you hit it eventually." Bruce hesitated, not knowing what else to say to Oliver. "Have you ever told Roy about…what happened, Oliver?"

"No. It's not exactly something I like talking about."

"I think after tonight you might not have a choice."

"Right now I just want to focus on him getting better. Making sure all of his insides stay on the inside."

Bruce nodded. "Leslie and Alfred won't let him die. They'll keep him in one piece."

"Thank you." It was a rare day for Bruce Wayne to hear a 'thank you' from Oliver Queen. If there was one word Bruce would use to describe Oliver, it was passionate; and ring now all that passion was focused on sincerity. "Roy would be dead if it wasn't for you."

"You're welcome."

— —

Pain embedded deep in his body was the first thing that Roy was aware of. It radiated around his left shoulder and arm and his abdomen in particular. A groan found its way through his lips and he blinked. 'I'm….not dead?' Funny, he was pretty sure his last memory was of dying. Taking a moment to collect himself, Roy heaved himself into a sitting position, wincing and grinding his teeth against the pain. He did manage it, but it felt as if it had sapped the energy from his body to do it. The urge to fall back against the pillows was strong, but he pushed back against it. A desire to get a grip on his bearings was even stronger. He looked down at himself. He was clad only in pajama bottoms, exposing the bandages on his body. What looked like thin white bandages was wrapped around his stomach and chest. He lifted his good hand, staring at the dressings in confusion, as he poked at them, feeling the soft padding underneath. Satisfied all if internal organs were still where they belonged, he turned his attention to his arm. There was a dressing on his shoulder very similar to the ones on his chest and stomach, and a cast on his left forearm.

'Where's Ollie?' Roy wondered as his brain's ability to think slowly came back to him. Determined to find his guardian, he threw back the covers and slowly eased himself off the bed. The world titled and spun a little bit when he stood up, causing him to fall back onto the bed. 'Slowly…slowly…' Roy took a moment to just breath, which actually hurt a lot, and slowly, very slowly, pushed himself into a standing position. Everything still spun a little bit, but he was able to stay on his feet. Satisfied this meant he was good to go, Roy shuffled forward. He had to resist the urge to catch himself with his left hand since half of it was encased in a cast. The pain in his abdomen slowly got worse until ti was like a burning in his body by the time he reached his door. 'I'm ok,' he told himself. 'I'm ok.' He had to stop at the door and lean against it for a minute to regain his strength.

The first place he looked was Oliver's bedroom. It was unfortunately empty, which meant Roy had to brave the stairs. Getting to them wasn't significantly harder, but he hesitated before descending. He gripped the banister with his right hand and slowly eased one foot down a step. The another. Then another. Every few steps he had to stop and breathe. When he got to the first landing he sat down on a step and leaned his head against the bars of the banister. The burning had now turned into a sharp stabbing sensation. 'I've come this far…' He took a deep breath, which turned out to be a mistake because it resulted in the stabbing pain intensifying in his chest and around his Willpower rivaling that of a Green Lantern, Roy pulled himself to his feet and stumbled down to the next floor.

'Am I on the first floor?' he wondered, leaning against the banister for support. His head dropped down a little bit, strangled and labored breathing. The young archer had to lock his knees slightly to keep his legs from giving out from under him. "O…Ollie…" he gasped. "O-Ollie…" Body starting to shake, he pushed himself away from the stairs and started shuffling. 'Can't…search the whole…' he frowned as the word he was looking for escaped his brain. A cool breeze caught his attention. He followed the breeze, mostly moving on instinct, out the back door. The sunlight bombarded his eyes and he half whimpered/half cried out. His cry caught the attention of Oliver, who was shooting at a target.

"Roy?!" he gasped when he saw the teen standing outside the door. "What the hell are you doing?!" He threw his bow down and ran over to Roy, half catching the teen as he fell.

"C'me….t'…f'nd…'ou…"

"You should be in bed!" Roy cringed at how loud Oliver's voice was. His head was swimming and just as his legs gave out his feet left the ground.

"Mmmm…"

"Relax, I'm taking you back to bed." Roy wanted to wonder if that was why he felt like he was floating. He opened his mouth to ask, but the only thing that came out was unintelligent garble. He didn't remember Oliver climbing the stairs, but he blinked and next thing he knew, he was back in his bed.

"H-Hur…."

"I know, I know it hurts, kid." Roy turned his head and saw a couple of pills in Oliver's hand. "This will make it better, I promise." Roy stared at them like they were alien objects as Oliver lifted his head and helped him swallow them. His brow furrowed for a minute. "Give it a few minutes." Oliver reached out like he wanted to touch him, but pulled his hand back at the last minute. "Just…stay in bed, Roy, ok? You need to rest."

"Mhm…"

"Good." Oliver turned to eave, but Roy lunged at him suddenly. Pain shot through his body, making him yell out in pain. The older archer spun back around and gently pushed him back down. "Roy-"

"Stay…"

"Roy-"

"St…ay…O…llie…"

"Ok, ok." Oliver pulled his desk chair over and sat in it. "I'm right here, kid."

"…kay…" Roy's eyes started to close and fatigue was overtaking every part of his body. For a while, he just laid in his bed with his eyes closed, but eventually, the pain ebbed away and everything fell away.

— —

The sound of roars and the sensation of tearing flesh jerked Roy awake. "Huh?!" he gasped, looking around.

"Hey, hey," Oliver said, hesitating a hand towards him. "It's ok. Relax Roy, it's ok." Roy laid back against the pillows, taking a moment to survey what was going on. The room was kind of dark; with only a little bit of sunlight making it through the closed curtains. Oliver was sitting next to his bed, looking really worse for wear. He was scruffy and he had dark bags under his eyes and lines on his face. The pain that was still attacking Roy's shoulder and chest drew his attention away from his guardian. The sharp, stabbing sensations were awful, but he could at least think in full sentences. "Are you in pain?" Roy nodded. "I'll give you some more pain medicine. Do you think you could eat something?"

Roy shook his head. "Not….hun…"

"I know, but it's been a few days since you last ate." He reached out and gently tapped the IV on Roy's non-cast-bound hand. The teen frowned at it, wondering why he hadn't noticed it before. "That's keeping you hydrated, but I'd like to give you some food."

"Food?"

"Just some broth, I promise." Roy shook his head. "Please Roy?"

"…..Fine…"

"Thank you." Roy looked at the ceiling, suddenly feeling tired again. "I'll be back. Don't get out of bed." For a few minutes, all Roy could focus on was his own labored breathing and the stabbing pains. His eyes slipped closed and he yawned. 'I'll close my eyes for a minute.' Next thing he knew, someone shaking him gently.

"Hmmm…"

"I know, kid. You can sleep after you eat. Come on, wake up." Roy slowly opened his eyes. "There you go." Oliver carefully put his arms around Roy to help him sit up. Roy fell back against the headboard and his guardian rearranged the pillows to keep him comfy. Oliver sat down in his chair and picked up the bowl of broth. "Open up." If Roy had been less out of it he would've been indignant about Oliver feeding him, but as it was he was still tired and the sharp pain was fatiguing his body, so he allowed it to happen. For his part, Oliver tried to keep from dripping any broth onto his blankets. Roy was out again before he'd eaten half the bowl, his head falling sideways. "At least he ate something." Oliver set the bowl aside and gently eased Roy down so he was laying on his back. He swallowed as he brushed some hair away from his forehead. Guilt clenching his stomach, he stood up. 'I have to go shoot. I have to practice.' He was outside for hours; driving bullseye after bullseye into the target. He kept shooting as his arms fatigued and his fingers cramped. Even when his muscles screamed for him to stop, he remembered missing the lion and he kept going. Eventually, the sun went down and he was forced to back inside.

Oliver went straight back to Roy's room, setting his bow and quiver by the door, and sitting in the chair by the bed. He sighed and rubbed his face, then put his arms on his knees. Wanting to feel useful, he checked the IV, making sure it was giving Roy enough water. He yawned and sat back down. 'I'll just….close my eyes for a moment..' He leaned forward and put his head on the bed; then closed his eyes and fell into an uneasy sleep. Visions of golden lions and scarlet blood dashed across his eyes. Dead eyes stared back at him. His mom and dad, their organs torn out and their blood spilling across the ground. Though these nightmares weren't new to him what was new what when the bodies of his parents were replaced with Roy. Oliver jerked awake and scrambled to reach out for Roy's uninjured wrist. He found the pulse there and let out a sigh of relief. Rubbing his face, he saw he'd only been asleep for a few hours, so he selected a book from Roy's shelf and sat back in his chair.

It was another 10 hours before Roy woke up again. The teen moaned and Oliver set the book aside. "Roy?" he asked gently. "Are you with me?"

"Mhm…"

"How are you feeling, kid?"

"Mmm…"

Oliver winced. The teen was still obviously out of it from the pain. "I'll give you some medicine, but you have to have some more broth."

There was a moment of labored breathing before Roy mumbled, "Ok…" For a moment, Oliver reached for the bottle of aspirin but then hesitated. Every time he gave it to Roy it knocked the kid out when the pain was gone and his stomach was currently empty.

'Just give it to him,' a voice in his head berated him. 'He's in pain because you missed the fucking lion! Give him the medicine!' Almost cringing in self-loathing, Oliver helped Roy take the medicine and went downstairs to make more broth. Thankfully, when he got back upstairs Roy was still awake, so he could start feeding him again. He still only got through a little more than half the bowl before the teen fell asleep again. Sighing, Oliver drank the rest of it to appease his own hunger, then grabbed more bandages and cleaning solution. Being as quiet and gentle as possible, he eased the blanket back and unwrapped the wounds. The bite mark on Roy's torso was still horrible to look at, momentarily causing Oliver to be overwhelmed by the sound of lions roaring, but he gently poured a sanitizing solution from a squeeze bottle onto the wounds. Roy shifted a little in his sleep but didn't wake up. Oliver quickly re-wrapped the wound and moved on to the others.

When that was done he sat back down, but suddenly remembered the arrow missing the lion and nearly shot out of his chair. Before he could think about what he was doing, he grabbed his bow and quiver. In almost no time he was outside, shooting at the target. He never missed the bullseye, but it didn't matter. He had to keep shooting. 'Keep going,' he told himself mentally. 'Keep going until you don't miss. Until you can't miss.' Once again, he kept shooting until the sun went down; and only then did he go back inside to sit by Roy's side. As luck would have it, he got there just as the teen was waking up again.

"Ollie…?" Roy asked quietly.

"Hey Roy," Oliver said, sitting down in his chair. "How are are you feeling?"

"….Hurts…"

"Sorry, I can't give you any more pain medicine right now."

"Ohhhh….."

"How about we watch a movie, huh? Take your mind off the pain."

"….Ok…"

"How about some classic Robin Hood, hm?"

"K'vin…Cos…"

"Prince of Thieves? Really?" Roy nodded, making Oliver sigh dramatically. "You have no taste, but fine." Roy smiled a little bit, lifting some of the guilt from Oliver's stomach. Then he decided that he didn't deserve to be guilt-free and the feeling doubled-down. Once he got the movie set up he sat back in his chair he made Roy lay down in case he fell asleep again. Roughly an hour later he looked over at Roy and found the teen fast asleep. He smiled a little. "Told you this movie was boring."

— —

The next time Roy was awake, he didn't feel like he needed to sleep for ten years. He yawned and looked around. Sunlight was streaming through the windows and Oliver was nowhere to be seen. Frowning in confusion, he sat up wincing and hissing at the stabbing pain in his abdomen. 'At least I can think in full sentences,' he thought. Suddenly realizing he needed to pee, Roy threw his blankets back and slowly eased himself to sit on the edge of the mattress.

"Roy!" Roy looked over at the doorway and saw Oliver standing there. "What're you doing?!"

"….Going to the bathroom." It felt good to be able to talk in complete sentences again.

"You have to rest."

"I also have to pee, Ollie." Oliver walked over and helped Roy stand.

"Easy, don't move too fast."

"I can walk on my own-"

"No, you can't. You're hurt."

'I've been hurt before,' Roy thought, detaching himself from his guardian at the bathroom door, then shutting it so he could have some privacy. 'He's never been this concerned when I was shot that one time or the time I was stabbed.' It wasn't like his guardian hadn't cared at all, he just hadn't freaked out like this. Wanting a few moments alone, Roy took a tad longer than was necessary while washing his hands. He splashed water on his face and even dark a small handful.

"Roy! Are you ok?!"

Roy gave the door a look of disbelief. "Yeah, Ollie! I'm fine!" He shook his head as he shut the water off. 'What's going on with him?' Figuring if he didn't leave the bathroom soon Oliver might break down the door, he slowly walked back into his bedroom. Oliver was waiting for him as soon as he opened the door and Oliver immediately started helping him back to his bed. A total of 2 seconds passed between Roy sitting back down on his bed and Oliver making him lay down.

"I need to change your bandages."

"Ok." While Oliver was busy with that, Roy instead took the chance to survey his guardian. The man had bags under his eyes and lines on his face. It looks like he hadn't slept in ten years. "You look like shit."

"Langauge…" Roy winced as Oliver cleaned his shoulder wound. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Roy glanced down and blanched. "That looks so gross."

"Yeah, it does. But it's not infected, which is good."

"When you're done, can I have something to eat?"

"Yeah. I'll make you some soup."

"Ok." Once Roy's wounds were clean and re-bandaged, Oliver covered him up.

"Just….relax, ok?"

"Yeah." Oliver left, but not before giving Roy a worry glance as he left.

'What's wrong with him?' Roy thought. 'It's not like I haven't been hurt before.' By the time his guardian returned, Roy was so hungry he forgot about Oliver's strange behavior. At least until the man tried to feed him. "What the hell?!" Roy demanded a little weakly as he pulls this face away.

"What?"

"Ollie, I'm 14!"

"But you're hurt-"

"I'm capable of feeing myself." Huffing a little in annoyance, Roy grabbed the spoon and gestured for Oliver to put the bowl down. The man did so slowly, keeping his hands close by. Roy rolled his eyes a little bit and started eating. Within a few minutes,; he became partially thankful for the pain in his chest because it gave him something to focus on besides Oliver's eyes following his eyes move. Every once in a while Oliver would reach out if Roy grimaced or whined in pain, but one look from the teen and his hands would quickly retract. It took Roy nearly half an hour to eat, but when he was no longer hungry at the end, so it was worth it to him.

"Lay down," Oliver told him as he took the bowl.

"Ollie, I'm not tired."

"You're hurt, you need rest."

Roy sighed. 'I was almost torn apart by a lion, let him worry a little bit.' He almost groaned at the understanding part of himself. "Fine. Can I at least have a book?"

"…..Yes." Oliver looked around and Roy pointed to where he'd left the book he'd been reading. Book in hand, Roy propped it up against his legs, wincing and gritting his teeth as he pulled his legs up to use as a stand. Oliver remained in his seat, watching Roy for a while.

'He'll get over it soon,' Roy told himself silently as he turned the page. 'I've been hurt before, he'll get over it. Give it some time.'

— —

Some time turned into days. Thankfully it was summer, so Roy didn't have to worry about school, but Oliver did eventually have to go back to work. It actual concerned the teen how reluctant his guardian was to leave. Seeking to get away from Oliver's constant helping hands and worried gaze following his every move, Roy encouraged him to get back to work. That combined with unavoidable obligations to his company, Oliver was forced to leave Roy home by himself.

"Remember, don't leave the first floor," Oliver said as he helped Roy sit on the couch and mad him lie down. "Don't play with the bandages. I left you some more soup, all you have to do is warm it up-"

"Can I eat something besides soup? I've been eating soup for almost a week!"

"No. Keep your phone right next to you." He put the teen's cell phone next to, him on the cushion. "Got all that?"

"I'll be fine, Ollie. Relax."

"Ok, ok." Oliver left the room but hesitated in the doorway. He looked back at Roy for a minute before nodding to himself. "Ok."

Roy rolled his eyes and kicked off the blanket, then sat back with the remote. "Finally, some peace." That peace ended up not being as peaceful as he hoped because Oliver called him. Every hour. By lunchtime, Roy was ready to throw his phone outside but decided against it. 'If I do he'll probably just come home early,' Roy thought as he heated up his soup. For the next three days, Oliver would call or text Roy every hour while he was at work. One the third day, Roy's phone went off and he was going to chuck it across the room until he saw who it was. He smiled a little bit as he read it.

AcroBat: How are you?

ArcheRoy: Better

Zippy: WHYY? WHAT HAPPENED?

ArcheRoy: I was mauled by a lion

Zippy: …BRO

AcroBat: I know

Zippy: Y DIDN'T U TELL MEEEE?

ArcheRoy: I've been hurt :'(

AcroBat: Tru can't b mad at someone who is hurt

ArcheRoy: :'(

Zippy: ….Fine

Zippy: Is that why Uncle B is extra BUSY?

ArcheRoy: Yeah. Ollie has been mother-henning me

Zippy: HAHAHAHAHAHA

Zippy: Having fun?

Before Roy could answer he got another text from Oliver he rolled his eyes and replied before returning to the group chat.

ArcheRoy: He's relentless

AcroBat: B said I can't laugh at him

Zippy: Y?

AcroBat: Dunno. Something about "respecting others' demons"?

Zippy: demons? I thought you said you were mauled by a lion

ArcheRoy: I was. Ollie is just being weird

AcroBat: Gotta go. I have flips to practice

Zippy: Same, Uncle B is taking me to see the microbe exhibit at the science museum

ArcheRoy: ^Nerd

Zippy: rude

ArcheRoy: hurt :'(

That night, Roy decided to take a shower. He slowly undid his bandages after he'd turned the water on, grimacing, but also morbidly curious about the wounds. They'd started healing and he could see the new, pink skin a few layers under the torn skin. Moving slowly, he used his teeth and free hand to tie a plastic bag over his cast. He stepped into the shower, momentarily pleased by the hot water on his body. Then the water started getting into his wounds. The brand new skin tingled at first, but that soon escalated into a sharp pain in his body. Without realizing what was happening, Roy's arm spasmed and he grabbed at the shower curtain. Wanting to get out of the water, he tried to step out but accidentally pulled it instead. His feet slipped and suddenly Roy found himself laying in the bathtub with half the shower curtain cover his body.

'Fantastic,' Roy thought sarcastically. He looked at this cast hand, which was useless, then at his other hand. Taking a deep breath, he slowly reached for the side of the tub, only to fall back with a cry of pain. Water continued to pour down on him as he lay there. 'I can do this. No big deal. I can do this.' With another deep breath he was mentally prepped and he reached out to the edge of the tub again. Stabbing pain struck through his abdomen and he had to fall back again. Roy sighed and moaned. "Ollie!" he yelled in defeat. "Oliver! Oliver! Oliver!"

"Roy!" Oliver yelled through the door. "What's wrong?! Why is the water running?!"

"I need help!"

The door opened, thank god he'd left it unlocked, and Oliver gasped. "Roy! What happened?!"

"I think it's kind of obvious what happened."

Oliver shut the water off and grabbed a towel. "I told you I'd help you shower."

"I don't need your help."

"Obviously you do." Oliver moved the shower curtain and wrapped Roy in the towel. "Hold on." Not feeling like pointing out his hands were pinned to his sides, Roy was silent as Oliver lifted him out of the tub. Oliver brought the teen into his bedroom and set him down on the edge of the bed. "Are you ok, did you get hurt?"

"Just my pride."

"Hang on, I'm going to get you some clothes."

"I feel useless."

"You're injured, Roy. You were-" Oliver cut off abruptly and Roy could've sworn he saw the man flinch. "You need to take it easy."

"I've been taking it easy."

"Easier." Oliver set the clothes down and Roy stood up. Oliver helped him get half dressed so only his chest was bare, then made him sit down again. "I'm getting some bandages, don't move."

"Mhm." Roy sighed when Oliver left. 'Why didn't he say how I got hurt?' Roy frowned. 'Actually, he hasn't brought up the fact that it was a lion that mauled me at all.' He thought back to his earlier conversation with Dick and Wally. When Oliver came back, he gave the man a strange look as he re-wrapped the wounds. "Why won't you say that I was mauled by a lion?"

Oliver flinched. "What?"

"You just flinched."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did. Ollie, what's going on?"

"Nothing-"

"You've been acting really weird. You never leave me alone you're hovering, and I don't know when's the last time you slept!"

"Roy-"

"Tell me the truth, Ollie." Oliver was silent as he removed the plastic bag from around his cast.

"….Roy…" Oliver sighed as he sat down on the bed next to Roy. "You know my parents died when I was 10."

"Yeah…." Roy turned slightly to face him, wondering where this story was going.

"We went on vacation to Africa. They had been fighting, a lot, so I was really looking forward to it. We went out into the savannah without our guides. I had brought my bow and arrows with me. I shot an arrow at a bird, but it missed, so I ran to retrieve it. My dad ran out after me. There was a lion in the grass and it….it attacked my dad." Oliver looked down at his shaking hands. "I didn't know what to do, he yelled at me to run but I….I just stood there in the grass that was almost as tall as I was, and watched as it tore him apart. When it finally stopped attacking it looked at me and I looked back at my dad, but I knew… So I ran back to my mom, who'd come looking for us. The lion followed me and tackled me to the ground. My mom had grabbed my dad's gun from the jeep and shot at it. The lion turned on her and attacked. She tried to shoot it, but she missed again and it…" He sighed. "I tried to shoot it with my arrows, but I was too scared and when I actually shot I missed by a lot. When it was….mauling my mother I ran. I ran away and hid in a tree."

"When-when did they find you?"

"About a day later."

"I-I'm sorry, Ollie. I had no idea."

"I know. When I saw you and the lion….It reminded me of….what happened."

Roy suddenly felt bad for getting aggravated with his guardian. 'He's not doing it to be annoying, he's doing it because he lost his parents- Holy shit, Merlyn must've known that!' His good hand balled into a fist. 'When I see him again I'm shooting an arrow straight through his shin!' Roy reached out and grabbed one of Oliver's hands. "I'm really sorry, Ollie. That's….that's awful. That'd be like…"

"Like what?"

"….Like me seeing you trapped in a fire."

Oliver wrapped an arm around Roy's shoulders and pulled him close. "You have no idea how worried I was about you, kid. I thought….I thought it was happening all over again. I know I've been crazy lately but I can't lose someone else I love to one of those beasts and when I saw you in the cage…" Roy stilled a little bit.

'He-he loves me?' Roy thought. 'He loves me?' The thought didn't cause him to panic like he'd always feared it would. It actually made him happy and filled his chest with a warm feeling. "I'm alright, Ollie. I'm ok. I'm going to heal and be as good as new."

"I know, but…can you just take pity on the old man and take it easy until then? Please?"

"Yeah, I'll take it easy, Ollie. I promise."

"Ok."

"….Hey Ollie?"

"Yeah."

"You haven't been sleeping have you?" Instead of answering, Oliver's arms wrapped around him tighter. Not knowing what else to do, Roy put out a suggestion. "Do you want to watch a movie?"

"A movie?"

"Yeah. We can….even watch Errol Flynn."

Oliver laughed and ruffled his hair. "I can never say no to that. I'll pop us some popcorn."

"Sounds good." Roy let Oliver help him stand up, then help him down the stairs. He left Roy in the living room and the teen sighed. 'Maybe watching Ollie's favorite movie would help him relax enough to sleep tonight.' The thought made him shiver. 'This really messed him up. When I find Merlyn, I'm kicking his ass into next week.' Oliver came back with the popcorn and grabbed the movie. 'When I'm better.' Revenge could come later, for now, Roy felt it was his turn to give Oliver some comfort. After all, it was the least he could do.