Author Notes: Starting this chapter is my attempt at shorter chapters, so hopefully more frequent ones.
For those of you who feel like you haven't been spending enough time with Slade lately, this chapter's for you!
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Chapter 8: The Reaping
Exiting Verdant, Slade staggers outside unable to handle it anymore.
What Oliver was saying, it was all just becoming white noise. He didn't want to hear it anymore and he doesn't have to as it was becoming thoroughly drowned out by his own self-hatred screaming at him.
He thinks you're a monster.
He slams the door hard behind him, somewhat involuntarily, not caring if it breaks or falls off its hinges.
Only wanting to give Oliver the signal not to follow him, don't come after him as Slade's not quite sure what he'll do. His heart's thumping behind his ribcage, faster than normal which is already quicker than a normal person's—too fast, and he's crumpling onto the side of his Lamborghini to keep from want of falling to the ground.
He's right y'know?
Slade narrowly avoids crushing the door handle in his anguish as he fumbles for it, eyes still on Verdant as he tries to compose himself. He'd parked the car really conspicuously too, between the club and a dead end of a wall, the luxury vehicle possibly looking really out of place in the Glades.
Did you see the look on his face?
He'd been too pissed off, too worked up to care about concealing it or anyone noticing it as he sped through town to the crappier edges of the city not even an hour ago. He'd waited too long, had waited all week, for the opportunity when Slade could pounce on Oliver and continue their alleged discussion.
He says it's not your fault, but it is…
Originally, he thought the idea of the Vigilante finding out what they were up to, or at least Slade's involvement, would be one part annoying and the other part slightly amusing—that Oliver knew that the he was going to hurt the Omega just as he had hurt him.
Blood declaring he had the Arrow still lit his veins on fire though, pissed him right off that the Beta couldn't follow a simple set of instructions.
To stay away from the Vigilante.
But the Beta obviously found him way too threatening to his campaign, too risky a threat to the Beta's reputation to let run around. Lest the Vigilante start doing some digging, shifting through Sebastian's past and could likely find something incriminating given his resources.
Sebastian wouldn't be running for mayor or getting his shining city of gold to rebuild into his own image—Blood's half of the deal for his work, albeit how disobedient it was becoming—if the Vigilante started slandering him.
Or just put an arrow in him.
Even without the Arrow's direct interference, if such information were to land on Laurel Lance's or her father's desk, the Beta would likely not see the outside of a cell. Sebastian would talk too, he'd break, would give Slade's name away, because although efficient sometimes the Beta was still a coward.
If that were to happen, although guns and the police were no threat to him, Slade would still be forced to flee Starling City, likely America as well as there would no doubt be an arrest warrant out for him.
He'd rather not be a fugitive either (because he will resist arrest in every sense of the word), so it shouldn't surprise Slade that Blood went ahead and tried to have the Vigilante put into the ground anyway. More so when Blood decided the former alone wasn't enough, has to torture and humiliate the one who has no doubt plagued his mind with feelings of anxiousness for weeks now.
Slade was even more surprised with himself when he got defensive about Oliver though.
Sure, he had told Blood to stay away from the Omega in the first place for want of not trying to kill him, though that obviously didn't stopped Sebastian from getting unintentionally too close, at least for Slade's liking, to Oliver and he can't intervene there without looking somewhat suspicious.
So he had let it slide, hoping the Beta wouldn't connect the dots between the Arrow and Oliver Queen. But when Blood had rung him up like a dog bringing back a prized bone to its master expecting a pet he had wished the Beta were in front of him so he could throttle him.
Arrogant piece of shit Beta. Couldn't even follow a simple set of instructions.
Sebastian was too happy with himself to be intimidated over the phone though, had just gleefully went on about how his Brother had the vigilante Omega pinned, oh, and he was going into heat too.
Fuck…
Slade had cursed allowing Sebastian to have Alphas under his scrutiny to begin with, yet Betas probably wouldn't have made much of a difference, were still known to put their hands over a ready Omega. Albeit less intently than an Alpha would.
Slade doesn't even remember what he was doing at the time Blood came calling—likely not sleeping even at the hour—only that every other thought was disregarded when he hears an Alpha has got Oliver cornered on the other side of town.
It might have be his Alpha instincts rearing up but no other Alpha—or anyone for that matter—was allowed to be near his Omega in heat.
Slade was the first Alpha to be granted that honour and he would be the last.
Because although Oliver still needed to be punished and made to suffer for his actions, practically trying to kill him and gutting Slade more in the feelings than anything else, the Omega never appreciated anyone near him during his heats.
This was a known fact from spending months on the island with the kid, weeks that would always turn into anxious waiting games of how much attention Oliver would attract when really he could solve both of their problems in a heartbeat.
Oliver was vigilant in fobbing his advances off though, no matter how many people he ended up having to kill as a by-product of the Omega's pheromones sending out invitations to every Alpha that he was in heat, albeit unwilling to likely stay put for anyone.
Such resistant and unwillingness was more something Slade would have expected from a Bonded Omega. Not that he would ever claim to be an expert on Bonded behaviour himself, having never been so himself or having really been that way inclined.
He was an intelligence spy for Christ's sake, he didn't have time for Omegas and even if he did, leaving them and being apart from one another for his missions constantly would have be too painful.
It would have been far too much strain to be expected to maintain a Bond over, and many Bonded pairs had died over such heartbreak.
But when he had an Unbonded Omega, not even several feet from him, going through a horrendous heat. Not only worn down by it but by malnourishment, the harshness of the conditions he had to live in the Omega has yet to adapt to or will not likely ever be properly suited to, screw it, screw everything.
All that Bonding shit, that was very well possible, but what had it mattered when they all could have likely ended up dead on that island anyway?
And Slade would have been be damned if he doesn't at least try and enjoy himself back then. Or be driven insane by the Omega in agony making a ruckus as he stumbled away from him.
Of course, Oliver didn't appreciate Slade following him, was too stubborn to realise that he'd been looking out for the Omega.
Had to make sure that no one kidnapped Oliver lest he be tortured and give up his location. Slade also watched to make sure the kid didn't get himself raped and killed, did even after the mess with Fyer's men blew over and they were deemed slightly safer.
The only time he was ever prepared to stop tracking and looking out for Oliver during his heats was when he had half his face blown off, chasing said Omega to try and tackle him to the ground so the kid didn't get himself killed by an explosion.
He made Shado promise to find Oliver, even if he didn't end up making it.
To go after Oliver as he would have been nearing a heat cycle soon—about every eight weeks was around when the kid seemed to go—and with their new visitors on the island—whom Oliver seemed to have been taken by—they couldn't afford to be as lax about it as they had grown to be.
Letting Oliver just nick off into the woods unsupervised until Slade found he was too anxious to not go after him.
He waited partially because he's not sure if when he gave chase to the kid that Shado would follow as well.
They'd been like kindred spirits the two of them, Alphas that seemed to know nothing better than how to survive, and that's why they'd gotten along so well. But he'd been hard-pressed enough with trying to get anywhere with Oliver then and would prefer not to have the competition.
For another Alpha, Shado's had still managed to be a satisfying lay though, both of them likely needing the distraction from the Omega in heat running off from them. Shado complained at first, obviously not wanting to be the receptive partner again.
It's in her nature not to; just as Slade could never blame her—smelling the change in Oliver's scent that signalled he'd go into heat within hours—for trying to bang him down by the river only hours ago that day. For taking advantage of the kid's guilt over just murdering someone to try and get close to him, not just emotionally.
Shado had mildly teased him, had said she'd show him how it was done then had chased after Oliver's arse, which usually she was more respectful of, seeing how he obviously felt. He discreetly had followed his fellow Alpha, even though when Oliver truly comes into heat and departs their presence, Slade would be telling Shado to mind their camp whilst he minds Oliver.
Never quite sure yet how to handle someone else around the Omega in heat, especially another Alpha, only knowing he had wanted them away from a ready Oliver.
It never happened though, just like Slade thought and knew from personal experience. Oliver wouldn't stay for Shado so she had to reluctantly settle for giving the Omega control of the situation. Which did nothing for Oliver's on setting heat but obviously the kid's tried either way.
Shado had let herself be the receptive partner thankfully again for him, yet it all ended up being for nought as he couldn't quite distract himself from the thoughts of the kid roaming his mind. That he should have been out there watching Oliver, making sure nothing happened to him, because although their position looked safe and secure, no more enemies to run and hide from, Slade had known better.
So did Shado, who couldn't help but notice when the name that left his lips in quiet rasps wasn't hers and that he purposely took her from behind, like one would need to with an Omega male.
The way he purposefully left her breasts and vulva alone so as not to break the image.
Yet Oliver would be taller, broader in the shoulders, would likely support his weight draped over top of him a lot better than Shado's smaller frame had, and he ended up losing the illusion anyway.
Shado didn't say anything—letting another Alpha screw her even when it didn't do much by either of them except waste a little bit of their time—because if there had been any stronger or equally so aspect in Shado to her strength, it was her understanding.
That's why when the sun was riding low in the sky and they'd both broken away from one another, Shado gave him the gesture to leave, go after his Omega.
That's why, even though he had always asked Shado to stay away from Oliver during heat, when Slade had his face half torn-off, he thought he could entrust that task of watching over the Omega to Shado.
He had wanted to go himself—vigorously chase after Oliver and find wherever the bastards where holding him captive were, be there for Oliver when he inevitably went into heat even though he would reject every advance he has.
But knew he couldn't do any of those things when he could barely stand.
Shado took the task diligently of foremost finding but most of all watching over Oliver. Even though she wouldn't leave his side at the time and didn't want him attempting to move anywhere either. She seemed to treat the situation just as seriously as he did though with less focus on chasing Oliver's arse for the hope of knotting.
Slade will never really know though, whether he was right in trusting Shado to deal with Oliver's heats, as their search and inevitable attempted rescue of the Omega went off without a hitch.
Or at least it appeared to, Oliver having pulled along a Beta female in his timely getaway from the men holding them hostage.
This bothered Slade, the two seeming to known each other. He could smell they weren't Bonded, not that they could—even with Oliver's poor attempt at masking himself with dirt—or anything of the sort which had put his mind slightly to rest as he was slowly dying.
Even now, Slade had known Oliver wasn't Bonded, had known the Omega was still very much within his reach despite not having seen the other in years.
Everyone thinks Oliver Queen is a Beta, proof the kid's masking his dynamic like he'd implied to Slade he'd done before the island. The only way he could Bond, being an Omega, was to be the receptive partner during sex to an Alpha.
By the tabs Slade was keeping on him, being the cameras he's had discreetly placed around Verdant and watching the media—which was usually an annual broadcast for the rich, particularly the Queen's lives—the last time he had anything to worry about was when Oliver and his co-CEO were in Russia together.
That was the last time Oliver and anyone who could be a potential mate to him had been thoroughly associating together. Though Isabel didn't seem like the distinctively straight type, usually favouring other Alphas to Betas or Omegas.
The flying off to Moscow had been the most threatening to Slade, almost certain the Omega wasn't Bonded at that point as if anyone knew the truth about his dynamic it would be all over the news, but if he went off with that woman there was no telling what would happen.
Luckily Oliver returned within forty-eight hours, Slade not having yet worked out an excuse to give to Sebastian to go after the Omega. Which then there were still flights and time zone changes to consider yet Oliver came back on his own, thankfully without that other Alpha hanging off his arm.
Otherwise, if she'd looked like she'd made to Bond with him, Oliver willing or not, Slade would have snapped her neck.
Or be it anyone else who he deemed was too close to his Omega.
It doesn't matter if it was Oliver's co-CEO or be it anyone; even Blood's associates weren't out of those crossfires if they stepped into them.
If Sebastian hadn't argued that this Alpha used to be a preacher and they usually wouldn't put hands on any Omegas, Bonded or not, Slade would have been running down there to lop his head off.
No matter how annoying that would have been as that's another wasted vial of the replicated Mirakuru.
No matter, everything else went on hold at that point and was irrelevant as Oliver's was in heat (what the fuck was he doing?), weakened and out in the Glades.
If Sebastian wasn't so much closer to the Glades and preferably Slade should still have kept himself to the shadows at this point of the operation—as he had done over the past few years—he would have made to get down there himself sooner.
Instead he'd been comfortable to sit back and wait for Blood to deliver Oliver to his custody, that way no one else put their hands over Oliver walking around the streets. That might be bordering on overprotective of him but Oliver wouldn't know it was him.
If Oliver got to keep his mask on, so did Slade.
He didn't get the opportunity to suit up and mentally prep himself for seeing Oliver again, though as before that could happen apparently Blood's Brother had gone and lost the Vigilante. Which was even worse, Oliver running around the Glades in heat, then at least in the hands of someone Slade mildly trusted.
It reminded Slade of the island days too much, Alphas stumbling through the bushes to catch Oliver's scent that he would end up having to put his sword through or bullets into to stop their approach.
He called Sebastian off, knowing he'd have to go after Oliver himself then, no time to suit up, just go—Lamborghini effortlessly hitting the speed limit as he rushed through the near-deserted roads of the city going on midnight.
He hadn't smelt Oliver's scent in years, knowing it wouldn't smell the same as he remembers either as no one's got a solid dynamic to the Arrow. Apparently he wears a scent blocker, yet Slade had to trust his nose and instincts anyway to get him to Oliver once he neared the hotel.
It did, or really didn't have to as Oliver practically walked straight to him up through the alleyway coming for his bow.
There had also been another nuisance between them, an Alpha who'd no doubt noticed the albeit faint pheromones Oliver had started to let off as the scent neutralizer started to wane off him in the presence of the Omega's scent overpowering the masking.
He'd snapped the newcomer's neck for daring coming near his Omega, not caring that he hasn't been discreet about it. Or really knowing he'd done it until Slade had snaked his hands around the man's throat, threatening to pull his voice box out.
No one got to touch Oliver, no one, especially not right when the Omega looked dazed and on the verge of collapsing.
He'd kill him. He'd kill Blood's Alpha for pulverising Oliver!
Or he deemed he would later after he assessed Oliver's condition, as some of it could have just been his heat deliberating him, as at the time he'd staggered over still clad in vigilante attire.
Slade had known from the beginning, or at least had a fairly accurate idea of who the hooded vigilante was when he'd started showing up in the news. Even without having been in Starling at the time, only knowing that Oliver was back from the dead and the green-hooded crusader showing up around the same time couldn't have just been a coincidence.
Green hood… Shado's hood, Oliver had kept it after all those years.
Seeing it sent a twinge of pain through Slade, the symbolism of Oliver wearing her hood even years on sticking out to him. That Oliver had possibly cared for her more than he did him.
Obviously seeing as he'd been the one to end up with an arrow in his head.
He'd wanted to ask him at the time, be furious at Oliver about why he'd done it.
When the Omega collapses onto him—or Slade prevents him from entirely doing so on the floor—he can't bring himself to want to ask. Not right now. Not when Oliver needed him to protect him, like he'd always done during the Omega's heats.
Or at least it seems that way, the Omega growing lax in his arms, before jolting away from him. Realizing this was not the presumed hallucination Oliver thought it was.
Slade remembers when he thought to himself that coming face-to-face with Oliver again would be one part annoying and the other part slightly amusing. Well, he found out he was wrong… the former turned out to only be one half of the equation.
Seeing and being around Oliver again—which was mostly just the two of them growing frustrated at one another—was all of those things, but it was also relieving and equally internally destroying.
Their first re-encounter together wasn't exactly a hospitable experience.
The sex was equally unexpected yet Slade was still prepared for the moment Oliver went to jab his other eye out. Seeing the Omega again, alive, very much alive, it feels like it had changed something within him. Like he doesn't want to hurt him, can't hurt him.
Not if he wants to be Oliver's Alpha, take him as his own. He has to protect him instead, which starts with keeping Blood away from him. Or it would, but before he could throttle Blood something else comes up.
He'd grown placid over the next couple days, too so, like he's been backing right off Oliver's case completely. Not that he was going to go after him again immediately as the Arrow drops off the streets and Oliver looks like he's trying to drop out of his sight as well as he avoids Verdant.
Or anywhere that Slade could catch him out without causing a scene for that matter.
Preferably without violence and this time the Omega not being in heat.
Just wants to see Oliver.
It works, as the only place Slade knew certain to find him then is at Queen Consolidated or at the mansion, neither of which are desirable places to see one another as they're both too public.
Too much at risk if either one of them were to slip up.
So again, he had waited, he's good at that. Very patient considered he'd waiting for four years for Oliver to come back from the dead. That patience expires when he noticed it. The real reason Oliver had let himself be knotted.
Bastard had managed to Bond him.
Or rather he'd Bonded Oliver as the Alpha was always the one to initiate it, but the receptive partner had to be willing as well.
Stupid, deceptive and manipulative little Omega!
Thinking he could pull something like that to keep him at a distance and not expect any repercussions on himself.
The moment Slade found out about that, screw waiting. Screw everything, he'd swing by Oliver's house if he had to and introduce himself to the family. First Verdant though, as that was the less risky option and he could always leave his scent everywhere there that way Oliver knew he's coming for him.
Things did not go in his favour though as right now Slade has to resist the urge to go back into Verdant. He wants to go back in there and scream at Oliver that he was lying again. That he was just saying all of this to hurt him, hurt him again like he always seemed to.
He wrenches himself away from there though, knowing better, finally knowing better.
Slade had nearly killed him… he'd nearly killed that stupid Omega. The one he'd been jealous of when Shado had put her hands all over him. Possibly the last distinctly good thing he had on Lian Yu, or just in general, before it all turned to shit… and he'd nearly utterly annihilated him without even knowing it.
He was right to try and kill you, you monster.
And now, after all this time, Slade thought he was in the right trying to take revenge. Take everything away from Oliver like he feels the Omega had from him.
He was so wrong, so unbelievably wrong.
He's fucked up so badly and somehow his mind had just ended up warping everything out of proportion.
It's all your fault.
Slade stumbles upwards, realizing he's still leaning against his car outside the side of Verdant. The door's still closed, the way he left it.
He doesn't want to see Oliver, can't see him right now. Obviously Oliver doesn't want to see him right now either, probably hates him, is relieved he's left.
Fumbling for the key fob in his pocket and getting into his car, Slade has to hope Oliver won't come. Don't come chasing after him because if the Omega's going to, it better be to put another arrow in him.
Don't come, Oliver.
Don't come.
I don't want to hurt you.
Not again…
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Author Notes: Some of you might be wondering as well why I didn't sum up things from Slade's point of view through flashbacks. Which I could have, and it would have likely been more efficient, but this method was quicker. I may right this in future with some flashbacks of his own.
Also, in canon it's implied that Slade has a son (as he does in the comics). Here we're going to disregard those facts as we're already got a lot going on as it is.
