Summary: Sequel to "Slow Burning". Oliver and Diggle are together. This story revolves around moving forward, letting people find out, and dealing with all their emotional baggage as well as outside forces.

Note: I now own Season 1 of Arrow and will be watching it so that I can better develop my stories and such. This takes place after Slow Burning but you will not need to read that because the first chapter of this one is going to be the story Slow Burning.

Chapter Summary: After being shot by the Dark Arrow Oliver feels everything spinning out of control everything but his building feelings for John Diggle. Diggle is there for Oliver as he comes to terms with what John has already known.

1. Slow Burning

Oliver lay on the floor of his bedroom, despite protests from his family, trying to quench the slow building burn he was feeling. Getting shot by the Dark Archer brought forth the deep buried emotions he felt towards his bodyguard and friend John Diggle. Oliver didn't know what he was feeling at first because thanks to the island every emotion he had was blocked with no chance of anyone getting through. He had thought that Laurel would make him feel something but she didn't and when one touch from Diggle was all it took to start breaking down his wall, Oliver knew he was in trouble. Luckily he could bury it behind his need for righting the wrongs but when Diggle found out about his secret identity that plan went to shit.

When Diggle expressed disgust for what he did Oliver for the first time in forever felt hurt and he hated it but hope pushed through when Diggle kept his secret. After Dig came to him and agreed to help him and while Oliver was accepting of the help another part of him was helpless because the more time he spent with his bodyguard and accomplice the more he couldn't hide his feelings. When Helena came along Oliver took the opportunity to sleep with her hoping against all odds that it would extinguish what he felt for Diggle but it didn't and in the end he hurt both the bodyguard and Helena.

Oliver again pushed himself to the brink with his vigilante work and the nightclub that he soon didn't take notice of his feelings as much as before but that all ended when the other archer came and almost killed him. In that one moment Oliver was scared. He was scared for Thea, his mother, Tommy, Laurel, and most of all Diggle. When Diggle came to his rescue Oliver felt a moment of relief before he let darkness consume him. Afterwards in the hospital, realizing that Dig had lied again for him, and feeling alone broke him but what broke him more was that Diggle refused to leave him alone. Every wall Oliver had come crumbling down despite his best efforts and for the first time in five years he was feeling something he couldn't explain.

The weeks after his injury Diggle was a constant but quiet presence and Oliver was grateful because those weeks were spent with him trying to come to terms with his feelings. Finally three weeks after Oliver was certain he was ready to face his feelings but he needed to be away from the mansion to do that. It was partly because he was going stir crazy and partly because he didn't want his family around when he talked to Diggle. Oliver found his apartment address and since the bodyguard was off for the night for the first time in months he went there first. He knocked and leaned against the wall next to the door when he felt his body start to ache and protest from movement. Diggle answered the door in sweatpants and a t-shirt.

"Oliver man what are you doing here? You're supposed to be resting not walking around like you didn't just go ten rounds with somebody," Dig said shaking his head and moving to the side knowing it was pointless to argue with the stubborn billionaire.

"Yeah well all I was doing was sitting in the house letting my family hover over me and I was going a little stir crazy," Oliver said walking in and stopping in the living room.

"I have a feeling there's more to this visit than you being stir crazy," Dig said closing the door and coming to stand by Oliver.

Instead of answering with words Oliver grabbed Diggle by his neck and even though he felt the man tense up continued to pull him closer into a kiss. At first Diggle didn't do anything but then after a second, right when Oliver was going to pull away, he responded tugging on Oliver in turn until there wasn't any space between them. The kiss was full of tongue, teeth, and moans but Oliver sighed a little because despite not knowing the name of the emotions he was feeling being here with Dig felt like home and most of all safety, something he hadn't felt for a while.

~Diggle/Oliver~

Diggle was a military man but he had known from almost the start that it wasn't just the opposite sex he was attracted too. For a while all his encounters were with women but when he was discharged he turned to men. Diggle started working for the Queen's when Oliver Queen was found alive after five years on a deserted island. He hated to admit it but he was intrigued and found himself becoming attracted to the young man. Despite what the kid had said Diggle knew there was more than him being on a deserted island but he had no clue he was a hooded vigilante.

Diggle knew that Oliver was hurt at the disgust he showed but then right as he agreed to help the younger man said man was arrested and the truth of his torture came out. Diggle masked himself as the Hood so he could clear Oliver which luckily worked. The attraction was still there even with all the pushing and shoving they did to each other. Just as Diggle had thought that Oliver accepted the things he was feeling the young man brought Helena into the fold and he didn't trust her at all. Luckily Oliver learned the same thing later on and soon she was gone from everyone's life, at least for now.

Right as things were starting to get better between the two the Dark Archer came and almost killed Oliver. When Diggle found the young man broken and bleeding he felt scared for the first time since his brother's death. He was able to think fast and save Oliver as well as cover up for him so that no one would find out about him.

Weeks of recovering Diggle never left Oliver's side until tonight. He had just gotten ready to go to bed when there was a knock on his door. Opening it he came face to face with an exhausted Oliver. John knew when he came in that the younger man wasn't here just because he was going stir crazy but for something else completely. He just hadn't expected for the kid to be so bold and pull him into a kiss. Diggle waited to make sure Oliver was doing this on his own and knew the answer when he began to pull away. He pulled the blond back in kissing him back and he felt Oliver relax in his arms. Diggle knew this was just the beginning because while he was ready to admit to everything Oliver was still broken from the island and so many other things that he would still need time, time that Diggle had no problem giving to the younger man.