Fighter


"Dad, can you teach me how to fight?"

Oliver froze in the signature of his name in one of the documents currently almost devouring his desk. He looked up, his mouth hanging open, to see his pink skirt-cladded and leather jacketed daughter using a fierce expression on her face. He smirked, noticing the mix of her mother's and godmother's tastes.

"And why would you want such a thing, Emilia?" he asked, putting the pen down and rising. He walked towards the black leather couch and sat, gesturing at his daughter to follow him. In this house no parent talked with their children with a desk in the middle of them.

Emilia sighed, but nonetheless followed her father.

"There's this boy in my school and he is bullying a friend of mine…" she said and Oliver's ears perked.

"And when you say friend it's not a way to say it's you, right, Mia?" he asked and Emilia shook her head.

"No, it's really a friend. Do you know Maria, right? She came here to do that Science Project…" Oliver nodded, remembering a brown haired girl with a vivacious nature.

"Yes, well, there's this boy, Josh, and he is always asking her to do his homework and for lunch money, and he is older and really big and he gets all red faced and really angry when someone tries to stop him… I'm scared he might hurt her somehow… Maria won't stand for that for long, she is a bit like Uncle Roy, you know? She acts before she thinks, but now while she is scared she isn't doing anything, but when she gets really mad…" Mia explained and Oliver sighed, rubbing his fingers together.

"And you want me to teach you how to fight so you can defend your friend?" he asked and the girl nodded. "You know I won't train you to attack other people, right?" Oliver asked and Mia nodded excitedly, her face beaming. "And that is solely to defend yourself."

"Yes, I know, dad!"

"But…" Oliver said and Mia eyed him suspiciously. "I want you to report him to someone of higher power. I don't want you involved in a fight if there is another way to resolve things." Oliver said and he saw Mia deflate.

"Another boy from our class already did that…" she said and Oliver felt his stomach sink.

"And that didn't go that well, did it?" and she shook her head.

"This Josh guy got suspended, but his father wasn't that worried, he even smirked at the director… And he will be back in a few days, and I don't want him going after Maria…"

Oliver felt a headache approach him. He couldn't cheer his daughter into getting into a fight, even if it was kind of hypocrite of him, but he knew she wouldn't stand still if someone was going to hurt her friends. He found himself between a rock and a hard place. Where was Felicity when he needed her? Oh, right, in Gotham, visiting Lucius Fox.

"Let's go!" Oliver said to his daughter, suddenly.

"Where?" Emilia asked.

"To this Josh's house…" he replied. He grabbed his phone and pressed one.

Emilia followed behind her father, while he walked towards the garage.

"Hey, honey!" Oliver said and Emilia's eyes widened. He was calling her mom! "Can you get me an address? No, it's nothing of the kind, just a little project Mia and I are doing…" he said, mouthing full name to Mia. "Right, Josh Mark." He replied, after Mia's answer. "Thanks. So, how is the old man? Okay, okay, I won't call him that… And Wayne? Good, it's good Lena is taking none of his shit… Send a hug to Selina. Love you!"

"So, Uncle Bruce and Lena are fighting again?" Emilia asked and Oliver nodded.

"Apparently, he is not happy with her choice in education…" Oliver replied, opening a black Mercedes' doors.

Emilia entered and closed the door. Oliver extended her a black beanie.

"Seriously, dad?" she asked and Oliver smirked.

When they arrived, Oliver parked right in front of the house. It was big, in brownstone, with high windows and a big yard. Oliver observed the local and then, suddenly he opened the car's door and walked out.

"Hey, where are you going?" Emilia asked, noticing the weird combination of her elegant father in dark jeans and leather jacket and the beanie in his head. She quickly got out of the car and ran after him.

"I want to see this guy." He explained.

Oliver stopped in front of one of the windows and peeked over it. His eyes moved around, until he saw a bunch of prizes from wrestling competitions. He looked down at his daughter, too small to reach over the window and accessed how quick she could evolve and be able to beat this guy. The odds were not in her favor and he would be a lousy father if he knew that and let her get into a physical fight with this guy.

So he did what he had to do. He walked towards the front door and knocked.

A big man in a suit appeared and behind him the boy he imagined to be Josh.

"What do you want?" the man asked and Oliver eyes him coldly.

"My name is Oliver Queen. It reached my ears that your son has been harassing some students in his school. And I won't stand for that." He said in a dark voice that made Mia shiver. This was not her daddy. This was someone else.

And the man in the suit agreed, because he stepped back. His son's eyes widen at the big man on his threshold.

"You, young man, I don't care why you do it, but if you try one more time to hurt or harass in any way someone innocent, this won't be the last time you hear from me." And to make sure the message was clear enough, he crackled his knuckles in the most threatening way, chuckling in a cold, low tone. Mia was scared and Josh and his father too.

Oliver turned around without another word. Mia was frozen for a second, until Oliver turned around, smiled fondly at her and called her name. She jumped and run to follow him.

The drive home was silent and awkward.

When they finally entered the mansion and took out the black beanies, Emilia finally turned to Oliver.

"Dad…" she said softly.

"Did I scare you, Mia?" he asked and she sighed.

"A little bit. Not because I thought you could ever hurt me, that's just impossible, but because for a split second I didn't recognize you as my daddy…" she whispered. "Am I horrible, feeling like that?"

"No, baby, because in that moment, I had to use a mask. I had to be mean and cold. I saw he had the experience to take you down. I know you should fight your own battles, but I would be a horrible father if I let that gigantic kid touch you with one finger. I would break his hand and the rest of his body." Oliver replied, unapologetic and Mia nodded slowly.

"You were kind of badass back there…" she chuckled softly and Oliver smiled.

"So, what do you say to a bit of warm up in the gym?" Oliver asked and Mia's eyes shone.

"Seriously? Even if I'm 100% sure that Josh won't even look at Maria?" Mia asked and Oliver nodded back.

"I don't want you to fight, but I don't want you unprepared either. I know you are too much like your mother and that is a dangerous thing sometimes… You put other people in front of you and that can make you choose wrong paths…" Oliver said, walking towards the farthest wing of the mansion. "But, you have to know, I won't teach how to attack. I'll teach you how to defend yourself, how to be prepared to act quickly, okay? And when your godmother is in town you can ask her to teach you some tricks... She did the same with your mom..."

Mia nodded and Oliver's arm surrounded her shoulders. He kissed her head and Mia looked up.

"You know, mom is going to be pissed we went to Josh's house and you got all growly at him, don't you?"

"And I will take it, I know it's wrong to scare a kid, but it's worse to let him terrorize other people without doing anything to stop it. And if his father couldn't do that, then, I won't stand still, watching it." Oliver replied. "And now, let's use the rest of liberty I have before mom knows about my little adventure."