~*~i've got this friend~*~

(superheroes? like for real? arrow au)

"I need a Girl Wednesday."

"It's Friday and no!"

"If you ever need to tell somebody about your day, you can always call me."

"I guess this means I still have a shot at employee of the month, huh?"

"No, actually you don't. You're not my employee. You're my partner."

"You'll always be my girl, April."

All the memories of the past two years were bleeding together for April Mendez as she struggled not to cry.

She felt like a total idiot, standing in the underground garage of Reigns Consolidated with Roman and Seth, while tears were welling in her eyes and sobs creeping into her throat.

There they were standing tall, as they liked to say, showing no fear of what they all knew was coming; Roman's final confrontation with Hunter, and there she was struggling to remember how to breathe.

Wrapping her black pea coat tighter around her shaking frame, she swallowed thickly, as Roman spoke, "All that's left is for me to die."

Her eyes went wide behind the thick black frames of her glasses as her mouth fell open. "Die?!" She practically shrieked, so loud if there were glass windows, she was sure they would've been shattered. "As in you'll no longer be breathing?! Like everyone thought you were when Hunter," Her soft features scowled at the mention of the evil man. "Held you hostage, basically, on the island for a year? But you'll actually be dead this time, and not fake dead? Is that what you mean by die? Because no… No…" The sobs she had been trying to hold back were slowly revealing themselves, as she blinked back the tears stinging her eyes.

"April…" Seth reached for the petite IT specialist, but she swatted at him, yelping "Don't touch me!"

Roman swallowed thickly, the utter devastation on April's soft face hitting him like a sucker punch to the gut he never saw coming. Her big brown eyes were shining with unshed tears, glimmering in the dull light of the garage while her perfect bow shaped lips were trembling and her tiny body was shaking.

He knew if he reached for her, she'd swat at him like she did Seth, but he had to try. She did, as he predicted, swat at him, but after their hands batted back and forth a few times, she stepped forward, closing the gap between them, looking up at him with those captivating big eyes of hers, and with the delicate curve of her small hand, she cupped the hard line of his jaw.

"This is what I have to do. There isn't another choice for me to make." This was as close to begging as he'd ever get.

"Why can't Sethie go instead? Even if you and Hunter have your fight to the death, it still won't be over. His army will still be out there, wanting revenge, so why not let Sethie put on the hood this one time?" April batted her velvet lashes and stuck out her bottom lip as far as it could go.

She was desperately hoping the pouting would work, that Roman would cave and let her and Seth help him figure out another way, another plan, something that didn't involve him dying.

"Hey!" Seth's puppy dog eyes narrowed at April. "I thought we were friends, April. What about all those times you stitched me up? Did those mean nothing to you?"

"Oh, please, you totally wished I was Nikki dressed in some disgusting slutty nurse costume." April scoffed while she rolled her eyes at Seth trying to act affronted. "Also, half the time you were begging me to teach her how to stitch you up because she'd actually degrade herself by wearing said disgusting slutty nurse costume. And besides, if I had to choose between you and Romie," She beamed, briefly, at the Samoan before turning back to Seth, her expression neutral. "You know I would always pick Romie."

"Who if it wasn't for me, wouldn't be alive. I watch his back, remember?"

"It's not as if you're completely irreplaceable, I mean Ambrose could…"

"Stop." There was laughter under the deep bass of Roman's voice, as he shook his head at his teammates. "April, you know Seth's my guy, just like you're my girl. Ain't no replacing either of you. As for Ambrose, he can take up the mantle…"

"La, la, la, la, la, la!" April began singing loudly as she skipped around the two men in a circle, fingers in her ears. "I can't hear you! La, la, la, la, la, la! I can't hear you!"

Just as she was about to make her second trip around, Roman's arm reached out, winding around April's thin waist and pulling her into his hard frame.

Her bottom lip wobbled as they stared at each other, but she took in a deep breath, controlling the urge to just break down and sob and scream and kick everything in her path, because this wasn't fair. Roman wasn't supposed to give his life for this, even though deep down she knew it was always going to come down to this. There was only one way for the vendetta against Hunter to end, either he was going to die or Roman was. It was the price, the ultimate price, to pay ever since he first became 'The Hood' before they were ever friends and she was just the quirky IT girl who had an unrequited crush on her boss, Starling City's most eligible bachelor and infamous playboy.

Then he revealed his secret identity and along with Seth, she became part of 'Team Arrow.' The brains of the operation, if you will.

But she was still the quirky IT girl who had that stupid, ridiculous unrequited crush on her boss. It's just he, at least, knew her name now.

And all of that made this, knowing he would have to lay down his life to stop Hunter so much worse. He wasn't just her boss anymore, he was her friend and just because he wanted her to support him on his suicide mission, didn't mean she had to like it.

Because she didn't like it. In fact, she hated it.

"There has to be another way." She sounded like a petulant little girl, pouting over not getting a pony, but she didn't care.

His large hands held her small ones as his grey eyes stared deeply into her soft brown. He squeezed her fingers with his own before they slipped away from his and she reached up, gently cradling the hard line of his jaw with her palm.

"There isn't."

"Roman…" His name fell off of her trembling lips like a benediction, the whisper was like a prayer, and his heart contracted in his chest.

"Remember when everyone thought 'The Hood' was nothing but a vigilante, before you knew he was me, and they all wanted him to be taken out by the police? Remember when I asked you what you thought, and what you said to me?"

"It's not fair to use my own words against me!"

"Tell me again, tell me what you thought."

April glared at Roman while huffing and mumbling, "He's a hero."

Roman's lush lips curled into a rare smile. "I didn't quite catch that. Seth, did you?"

"Nope, a lot a mumbling, not a lot of talking. You'll have to speak up, April."

"I hate both of you. So much. Ugh, I said… He's a hero, okay?! I said that he's a hero!"

April swung her legs back and forth as she sat atop her desk, twisting the familiar mask between her fingers, as she thought about all the ways she could hide Roman's gear or maybe she could just indulge her inner pyro and light it on fire.

If it was burnt to a crisp, he couldn't use it, and then how would he fight? That would be a shame wouldn't it.

Of course all of that was just wishful thinking on her part. Not that she would actually light his gear on fire or hide it. Just one look from those stunning grey eyes of his and she'd cave, revealing its hiding place or confess that she'd torched it to stop him from his final showdown with Hunter. Of course he probably had eight back-up suits, so in the end it would be pointless, anyway.

Still... Maybe she could... Oh, who was she kidding? She wasn't going to do anything to his suits.

Sighing heavily, April shook her head, ridding her mind of such thoughts and went back to twisting the mask between her fingers, remembering all the times she'd slid it over Roman's head, straightened it and then placed a kiss on his cheek for good luck. Not that he needed luck. Between Seth watching his back and now Ambrose his protegé patrolling with him, and just being him, he always came back in one piece.

Thank God.

"Oh my God!" Nikki crowed, waltzing into what she affectionately called 'Team Arrow HQ,' her heels clicking loudly with every step. "You need grow a set, April, and tell Roman how you feel. He's about to go on a suicide mission to finally take down Hunter, so who knows if you'll get another chance. Don't be a dumb bunny, tell him!"

April eyed the voluptuous brunette owlishly, her eyes narrowing as she took in Nikki's familiar frame.

Long chocolate waves spilled down slim shoulders, her glowing tan skin was flawless, her rich chocolate eyes highlighted by mascara and eye shadow, plump lips painted perfectly with candy apple red glass, and then there was her dress. Despite being a lawyer, she was wearing a body hugging red dress, revealing her every curve, but especially her ample breasts and shapely legs that went for miles, ending in a fancy high heel that had some name the IT specialist couldn't pronounce.

She was gorgeous. Every man's walking wet dream.

And once upon a time she had occupied Roman's bed. Back when he was an overgrown frat boy and ran around with anything in a bra.

Looking down at herself, she clutched her black and white striped cardigan tighter around her, let's face it, non-existent breasts and sighed as she looked at the beat up Chuck Taylor's on her feet.

Though, she had played dress up to help on missions, wearing dresses she could never afford and her hair done in curls instead of its usual pigtails, this – cardigans, jeans and t-shirts promoting bands and comic book heroes and Chuck Taylor's – was as good as it was going to get.

She'd never be Nikki and all the other beautiful girls that always threw themselves at Roman.

"Tell who what?" Roman's deep voice had April's blood simmering hot inside her veins, because omg, did he even know how hot he sounded?

April bit down on her lip, twisting the flesh between her teeth, her eyes raking in his every inch.

All he was missing, since he was dressed in his gear, was the mask in her hands.

As he fastened the gloves on his hands, the muscles in his arms bulged, and April had to remind herself to breathe. In and out. It really wasn't that hard. Except it was. It was oh so very… Her cheeks flushed bright, and she had to duck her head, as she thought about all the times she'd had the pleasure of being pressed against him, feeling all that hard, dense muscle under his smooth skin for herself.

Too bad she'd never feel it the way Nikki did without the barrier of clothing. Against her skin like she desperately wanted.

Letting her fantasies dissipate, she hopped off of her desk, and walked toward him, ignoring Nikki making kissing noises in her ear.

"Can't go without this. Even though, Hunter knows what you look like. The outfit wouldn't be the same without it."

"Like you wouldn't be the same without these?"

April felt her cheeks heat up even more while her heart burst with warmth that flooded every inch of her body as Roman tugged, playfully, on one of her pigtails. "Something like that." She murmured, peering at him through the velvet of her lashes.

Roman smiled as he let her silken strands flow through his fingers before cupping her cheek in his palm.

"I couldn't do this without you. As much as I need Seth and yeah Ambrose is a protégé of some sorts, when he's not just being a pain in my ass cause he doesn't listen to me, I need you too. You're my partner and I rely on you. Remember?"

"I may recall that you said that to me once."

"Don't forget it."

April stood on her toes, pushing the hood of Roman's vest back and sliding the mask over his face.

His lips were centimeters away, if she leaned in, hers would be touching his. Those perfectly shaped full and lush lips that she spent too much time thinking about. But she wasn't going to do that. He didn't need a kiss from her. Not when he was about to face down his sworn enemy.

"How do I look?"

There was only one thing for her to say.

"Like a hero."

soundtrack "i've got this friend" by the civil wars