A/N: Although this story can be read as a stand alone, it takes place in my Life After Death 'verse.
February 2025
As a very small child, one of William's favorite picture books had been If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. One of the fading memories he still had of his mother was her reading the story to him. He would giggle hysterically every time she would turn the page and dramatically announce the next thing the mouse wanted, her eyes dancing with excitement as though she hadn't read the same story dozens of nights in a row. It had tickled William to see the requests getting bigger and bigger, more and more outlandish, as the mouse tried to see how far he could push and still get what he wanted. As William got older, he realized the story actually probably taught kids the wrong lesson, essentially saying that the way to get a big thing that you wanted was to ask a never-ending series of small, seemingly unimportant requests. Nevertheless, he'd never forgotten the story or its questionable moral.
That was probably how he ended up at the kitchen table, stuck in a staring contest with his dad.
"Absolutely not," Oliver said, his voice steady, belying the 'oh hell no' Will knew Oliver really wanted to yell. His dad had this odd way of looking almost Zen on the outside even as he stood his ground like a boulder being challenged by an ant. It probably came from so many years as both the above-board mayor of the city and underground vigilante protector of the same.
"I'm not asking you to let me go toe to toe with a meta," Will said carefully, trying to figure out how to best phrase his request. He'd tried to pick the best time, even making chili using his dad's favorite recipe, to put him in a better mood. Will was already using his best please-please-please voice which usually broke down his dad's defenses, but so far it didn't seem to be working. But this was far bigger than wanting to stay out half an hour past curfew.
"I just want to shadow you a few times. See how you do what you do. You won't even know I'm there."
Oliver barked out a laugh, the first time his calm, neutral face had shifted since this argument started. "Right. I won't be freakishly aware of my only child mere feet away from me as I'm trying to take down a bad guy who, by the way, would love to hurt the person that means the most to me."
"I can stay on the roof tops," Will offered.
"At the risk of sounding like a huge hypocrite, being on rooftops without permission is trespassing if you get caught." Oliver held out a hand to stop William from interjecting. "Furthermore, even if I can't see you, I know you're there and I'd be worried the whole time. Being that distracted is dangerous. Plus, I have no way of watching your back if we're not in the same place and being kidnapped twice in one lifetime is more than enough."
William slumped in his chair. Damn you and your reasonable logic. Will bit his lip, his temper starting to flare a little.
"I know you want to keep me safe, and I really appreciate it, but you can't keep me in bubble wrap forever. I'm not a kid anymore."
Oliver's eyebrows went up as he sat back and uncrossed his arms. A sad smile tugged at his lips. "Actually, I have it on good authority that you are. At least for a little bit longer. Rhymes with beagle diner?"
William felt the tingly burn as a blush stole across his cheeks and up his ears. "I'll only be a legal minor for a few more months. Plus, I'll be done with school right after your birthday!"
Oliver scoffed and closed his eyes for a moment, perhaps a second's prayer for patience, before looking at Will, head tilted questioningly. "And your big over-the-hill present for me is going to be you risking your life for no reason?"
Sarcasm dripped so heavily from the words, Will almost expected to see a puddle on the floor.
The fact that Oliver was getting older made it even more important that Will start learning the ropes. Oliver would be turning 40 on his next birthday. Tyler, Will's girlfriend, always joked that Oliver had the anti-dad bod. Will had teased her for even looking at his dad that way and pointed out that his dad was starting to get gray hairs.
He's going to be a silver fox, Tyler insisted. If I ever leave you for a more 'mature' model, it's going to be for your rich and powerful and hot-for-an-old-guy dad.
A similar comment about her mom had earned Will an outraged gasp and a sharp pinch to his side.
The fact remained, Oliver wouldn't be able to guard Star City forever. At least not as the guy in the hood. Eventually, his reflexes would slow and almost two decades of death-defying feats would catch up with him. William already knew for a fact that Oliver had started wearing knee braces under his suit almost three years ago. When the time came for Oliver to put down his bow, William wanted to be ready to pick it up.
"What if I promise not to get hurt? I've been training with you for years."
"Just like I told you eight years ago, that's not a promise you can make," Oliver reminded him. "What I do is dangerous. And your training is self-defense. When I go out, I'm working on the offense."
"So teach me!" Will nearly yelled in frustration.
Oliver did not match him, remaining as coolly calm as ever. "No."
"I could get someone else to train me," William muttered as he picked at the table mat in front of him. He looked up when the air in the room went still. Oliver's eye glittered with a calm fury William had never had directed at him.
"Barring the fact that you don't actually know any vigilantes, who do you think is going to cross both the Green Arrow and the Director of ARGUS if we put out the word that you're persona non-grata?"
"That's not fair!"
Oliver shrugged. "Life's not fair. And the fact that you're using 'that's not fair' just like when you were ten does nothing to convince me that you should be out there."
Will huffed out a breath, nearly shaking with frustration. All he wanted to do was help people. Like his dad did, day and night. He drew in a few breaths and forced his heart to slow from its jack rabbit pace.
"What would I have to do to convince you that I'm serious?"
Oliver studied him for a long while before he sighed and wiped a hand over his face. "Go to school. You have chances most people would kill for. I can send you anywhere in the country. Get a degree. And then, if you still want this… I'll train you myself."
Will stopped, blinking a few times. "But that's at least four years."
"That's my condition. Most of those heroes you like so much? The Flash, Kid Flash, The Atom, Vibe, Firestorm? They all went to college. Most of my old team did, too. Felicity, Curtis, Laurel, Dinah. Me." Oliver counted them off on his fingers before looking at Will. "As much as I would love to say 'no, never' I can see this is important to you. You've got a lot of me in you, so I know 'no' is a dare. I just want you to have options. I want you to be able do this because you want to, not because you have no other skills."
William nodded slowly and Oliver stood, gathering their dishes and taking them to the sink to wash.
His dad probably thought four years of higher education would change his mind, send him in another direction. But Oliver was wrong. William would go. And learn. Use the time to build his skills. A cover identity. Then he could become someone else. Something else.