#TheArrowAndTheCanary
In difficult moments when he was thinking, Oliver Queen, the young billionaire who used to live in Star City, kept thinking about the possibilities of what would happen, while without anyone noticing, he looked at one specific girl passing through the school halls: Dinah Drake. The man had a secret that almost no one knew about: when Metropolis needed him most, he turned into the Green Arrow, a vigilante with problem-solving skills and improvised arrows. But at the same time, he didn't suspect what Dinah Drake was hiding. While not the ordinary girl, Dinah was the Black Canary, vigilante and leader of the Birds of Prey team. Looking at the blonde-haired girl, Oliver seemed to be quite nervous about himself, until out of nowhere, Johnny appeared behind Oliver, scaring him and making him look backwards because of his nervousness.
"I wonder if you could let me know when you're coming." Ollie said, while Johnny laughed at the scene.
"My bad. It's just that you seemed so fascinated that I didn't want to bother you, you know? Why don't you just admit how you feel?" Oliver just looked away, feigning ignorance. - "Please, I can understand a little bit what's going on. You're in love with Dinah. You just can't admit it."
"It's just that things are kind of complicated. Back where I was studying, in Star City, several girls had a little crush on my person, but at other times, I was the kind of person who almost didn't care about it, but with Dinah, it's different. I don't know how, but it's almost a different feeling than you can imagine." For own experience, Johnny could admit this in a way he couldn't have imagined, considering how much things had changed in the last few months since he moved to Metropolis, just glimpsing how much of a difference he could make about everything. - "You know when you're sure of something and you believe in that idea all the way through? That's kind of how I feel."
"Try talking to her. If Dinah really feels the same way you do, you should at least try to talk, if only for a few seconds. Allow me to give you a little help with this whole story." Without them realizing it, Dinah was standing next to Helena and Renée, while the blonde kept a certain composure next to her locker.
"Why are you feeling so strange?" Renée asked, trying to understand her friend's reaction at the moment.
"Thinking about Oliver. He's been kind of weird lately, and I keep wondering about what might happen if I..." She thought, in an unexpected way, knowing full well that she might have a crush on him, almost worried about herself. - "It's complicated."
"You said yourself that you can't stay near Green Arrow, however, Oliver may be the drama king in certain situations, but he has something, far more different than the usual."
"Say that to maybe, all the other girls he could have dates with!" Laughing a little at the scene, they could imagine things in an unexpected way, but above that, thinking hard about the possibility about having a date with Oliver, despite her doubts at the moment. - "But I admit that sometimes he can be a little different when he wants to be."
"Oliver, think carefully about the circumstances. You have the ability to be able to find the answers to problems. But for the problems of the heart, it's pretty hard to find an exact answer as to all that." Even with different personalities, Johnny was willing to help Oliver in one way or another. He just needed to think about how to deal with the arrogant and cocky personality of the billionaire before him, realizing that this would be quite a difficult task, at least in his view at the moment. - "A girl like Dinah Drake, who wouldn't fall in love with her? The thing is, you need to do things in a very different way. All of this stuff about being yourself to get near the girl?" Oliver just nodded, which made Johnny put one of his hands to his face, nervous. - "Then do everything in an opposite way and don't be the real you."
"Why? Girls like a drama and I... am the drama king!" Realizing that Oliver's personality was just like that of a stage actor, almost arrogant, Johnny just gave a smile, thinking the scene through. - "What happened?"
"Just take my advice and try to talk to Dinah in a way that is not your way of being, cocky. Okay?" Oliver just nodded and at that, started to walk away after taking Johnny's advice at that moment.
Realizing what he had gotten himself involved in, Johnny had a very worrying thought, considering he was helping a person full of self-centeredness and a little too cocky personality, almost a familiar feeling around his body. This time, a smile appeared around his face, having a very unusual idea to solve this story and that in a certain way, could even help to make this unexpected couple get together in his point of view. Getting close to Karen, the girl was surprised by the expression on Johnny's face, while the boy looked through the halls, nervous.
"Something's wrong, Johnny?" Karen asked, trying to understand what was going to happen.
"Would you like to help me with a very interesting little thing?"
Karen seemed to be a little surprised by this request, until Johnny started walking along with the girl, looking at Dinah and Oliver, realizing the mission that Johnny had gotten involved in to try to bring the two together at that moment. The concern around the boy's body was enormous, but Karen, on the other hand, had a smile on her face, which made Johnny really nervous with what he was seeing now.
"What is it?" Johnny asked, running one of his hands close to Karen's face, until the girl approached Johnny confidently.
"I always wanted to help make a future couple to be together! I can't believe you're actually giving me this chance, Johnny!" The boy didn't expect Karen's reaction to be the most optimistic possible, but now he knew he would have a big hand in what lay ahead.
Nearby from her locker room, Dinah could see all the worries around her growing in ways she couldn't even imagine in the face of it all. Still trying to deal with the fact that she was a little weakened, unable to use her Canary Cry because of the confrontation with Cheshire in an attempt to stop Lex Luthor's plans to remake Metropolis on his own image, Dinah felt that her voice was her greatest weapon, but also her main talent in front of the shows she did and the beauty of her songs and everything else that could be imagined under the circumstances. Without realizing it, Johnny and Karen approached the blonde, making Dinah a little nervous.
"How can I help you?" Dinah asked, while Johnny stood forward, looking at the blonde.
"Not at all. It's just that we've been thinking about certain things for a while." The boy began to speak, as he slowly looked away. - "I couldn't help overhearing the conversation you were having with your friends, Dinah. Just to make this clear, it was unintentional on my part. I was passing by for my next class and ended up only hearing a few details. You didn't tell me you were liking someone." Dinah just blushed, in a completely nervous expression, being caught off-guard, only confirming the boy's suspicions. - "Sorry, I shouldn't have commented on anything."
"No, it's fine. It's just that I'm not used to talking about this subject with other people." Managing to make Karen and Johnny curious about what was going to happen, being sure of the plan, Dinah just positioned herself in her locker, looking at her friends in an ominous way. - "There's a reason people think I'm a little different. This boy and I are two polar opposites, with opposite personalities. He, by himself, has qualities that I don't have. People already think I'm a goth because of the clothes I wear, not to mention the heavy metal, hard rock, grunge and the other styles of music I love. The blonde spoke, making clear the difference in her personality: Underneath the mask and the persona of Dinah Drake, she was Laurel Lance, known as The Princess of Darkness in the League of Shadows. The fact that she was talking about Oliver, the fact that the kid was rich and had a dramatic personality only fueled the fact that they had something much bigger to deal with in this story. - "I'm not sure how to do that."
"Look, if you want my tip, try asking that person on who you have a crush to a date. Be yourself and see what the response will be." Karen said, confident that the idea of getting Dinah and Ollie together would work out, in her view. - I've seen it in a lot of movies, and in most of them, you have to take chances to find the answers to what you want. If you really believe in the odds, do whatever it takes. Talk to him, call him to a date, and see what happens.
Karen's words seemed to have convinced Dinah. Slowly, the two looked at each other, in which Johnny could sense how willing he was to do the right thing and bring a future couple together, in his view. Arriving near his locker, he and Karen returned to the exchange glances, a little nervous.
"What do we do now?" Karen asked, while Johnny smiled back at the girl.
"Well, if it works out, we'll put the next part of our plan into action. You will help Dinah while I get a handle on the boy he's crushing. I think I have a hunch about who it might be, but I'll see if it works out." The pair were ready to do anything at that moment and with that, the two split up, willing to see the results. Just then, Oliver approached Johnny, with a great smile on his face.
"It worked, Johnny! It worked! I have a date tonight!" Oliver hugged the boy in front of him, making Johnny very nervous about what he was seeing. - "I can't believe it actually worked out!"
"How did you manage to get Dinah to accept your invitation to a date?" Johnny asked, while Oliver smiled back at him.
"Actually, she was the one who invited me. She said she wanted to do something different and suggested that we both try something different. A date, to see how things will go. More precisely, on the milkshake store." Johnny then, began to analyze Oliver, realizing what could go wrong, with the arrogant and cocky personality, to not say dramatic, at least, in his point of view, making the pair quite nervous. - "What's wrong?"
"You will need to make a little change. Lucky for you, I know just the way to go." A devious smile appeared around Johnny's face, convinced that he would make a change to make the date work.
Johnny found himself determined. Trying to sort out the things that were going on around him, the boy was willing to see some changes around his life and with the feeling that everything could work out in the middle of everything and with that, knowing that Karen would be willing to help Dinah with the date, he also knew how things could go if something went in a way, far more unexpected than the usual.
During the afternoon, hours before the date, Green Arrow took the opportunity to patrol the streets of Metropolis, looking for a little bit of action to chase away the boredom he was feeling around his body. Waiting to see the exact moment to act, the vigilante saw a fleeing car with bank robbers, which made Green Arrow give a smile, realizing the action at hand. Jumping on his motorcycle, the vigilante began to follow the criminals, who were amazed to see the man behind him. However, suddenly, Black Canary appeared on his side, riding a motorcycle, leaving the vigilante surprised.
"I thought I would leave this play to the big boys, Canary." Using his sarcasm, Oliver made a point to joke in every way he could, while at the same time, leaving Black Canary annoyed with this. - "What are you doing here?"
"I've heard some rumors and decided to give a shot. Looks like my cue was right. My team and I we've been chasing these robbers for a long time!" Dodging the shots, Green Arrow put the motorcycle on autopilot and launched an arrow upwards, on which the arrow became stuck to a door on the car and with that, an electromagnetic pulse was released, deactivating the vehicle and forcing the criminals to flee on foot. Giving a small laugh, Oliver got off his motorcycle and approached an alley through which the thieves were fleeing. - "What? Aren't you going to do anything?"
"You want to decide on luck to see who will go after then? Because as I see it, I've already done most of the job, so I think we can come to a consensus."
"Just when I think you can't get over yourself with arrogance, you reach a whole new level! But this time, I'll take care of this one."
Positioning herself facing the criminals, Dinah just gave a smile, holding her metal staff, as she thought about what she would do now. Having a certain confidence around her body, as the Black Canary, it was her mission to help protect Metropolis from any enemy that appeared on the streets. Two shots were made, however, Dinah used her Canary Cry and with that, destroyed the bullets before impact and with that, knocked the criminals to the ground, in just a few seconds, proving how much she had evolved as a heroine and leader since her move to Metropolis, alongside with her friends.
"But if there's one thing I've learned, it's how to improvise on moves and contain the bad guys in a way that doesn't put anyone in danger." Black Canary was pretty determined to solve problems, but beneath the mask, Dinah was sure how much there were things they couldn't agree on, in this case, her partnership with Green Arrow that seemed to be filled with banters and quips between one another that showed how the two of them had a rivalry, that no one could support each other sometimes. - "You still have some tricks you need to learn, Green Arrow. You can't depend on gadgets to do that."
"It sounds like a lie, but I know several fighting techniques that might leave you surprised as to all the patrols I ended up facing." Ollie still had a bit of arrogance before his body, but deep down, he cared about helping people. - "So, what's your appointment today?"
"I don't think it's kind to meddle into the affairs of a lady, Arrow." Putting one of her fingers between his nose, Dinah just laughed at the scene. - "Besides, I already have a date later. And I think I won't be able to return your possible feelings."
It was a very unusual situation. Leaving Green Arrow alone, Black Canary reflected a lot on each possibility and how much she had a lot of things to figure out, but she needed to return home and make sure she was ready for her date, making sure everything worked out in the end. On the other side, Oliver Queen could feel something different for the vigilante, almost as if their paths intertwined several times without realizing it, to the point of letting the confusion take over his heart.
Arriving near a restaurant, Oliver and Johnny seemed to be feeling the tension building up around their bodies, with the two of them using bluetooth communicators on their ears, which only made it clear how much both of them had plans to put in place before the date Oliver would now have.
"This whole thing was a terrible idea, Johnny. I don't know what's going to happen. What if I screw it up?" Ollie asked, which made Johnny slap him in the face, leaving him surprised.
"It won't go wrong, because I will be guiding you to help you on the date. If she starts to say something that you may not know, I'll start talking over the phone and you repeat after me. Follow my lead and everything will work out. I'll be at one of the tables to give you a hand."
The tension had built up in a very worrying way, while at the same time, Dinah approached the restaurant, wearing the black long dress, reaching her legs, red lipstick and showing off the beauty around her face and body. Trying to dispel the Princess of Darkness personality and the fact that she thought people believed she was a goth, Dinah began to perplex everyone in the restaurant, as well as Johnny, practically confused by the scene. It was something totally unexpected, but the boy regained his concentration and looked at the scene, seeing Dinah sitting before Oliver, while Johnny held the menu, trying not to arouse suspicion.
"Did I arrive late?" Dinah asked, which made Oliver much more nervous, completely confused, until Johnny made a little noise on the communicator, bringing Oliver back to reality.
"No. Actually, I just got here now. Truth be told, I almost didn't recognize you with all that makeup." Oliver stated, making Dinah give a laugh at the scene. - "Apparently, I managed to surprise you, didn't I?"
"Apparently, you notice people's inner beauty when you are focused. But tell me: have you ordered yet?"
"I've been waiting for you to arrive. I like to make decisions on equal terms." Oliver's determination was clear, until Johnny looked to his companion again, trying to help.
"You have started well, now let me give you a boost. Your eyes are so beautiful. They look more like a serene picture from a movie."
"Your eyes are so beautiful. They look more like a serene picture from a movie." Ollie repeated what Johnny was saying, causing Dinah to smile back at Oliver in a very surprising gesture. - "And I think you look so beautiful as to look like a model."
"I admit I'm a little surprised, you know? For a guy who considers himself the king of drama, you sure know how to make a girl feel special." Oliver smiled to Dinah, confidently, which made Johnny give a smile, realizing the direction the story was going to go.
However, without the three of them noticing, Karen was sitting at one of the tables, using a bluetooth communicator and guiding Dinah during the date, almost an out of the ordinary feeling now, with the girl trying to help in the same way as Johnny, without both of them knowing. A very unusual situation.
"I keep thinking about what this date would be like, but at the same time, trying to notice something different, without trying to worry about what happens. Sometimes my thoughts always get confused." Without Karen saying anything, Dinah started to talk, making it clear that some of her words were really hers at that moment. - "People keep thinking that this gothic appearance I possess is something quite different. They think that the fact that I like rock, heavy metal and different genres of music make a girl something outside the normal standards that people believe they should be."
"If you want to know something, I also think differently about a lot of things. But with the girls, I try to do everything to solve the problems. Johnny looked at the scene, noticing something quite unexpected, almost as if he were facing a date that was a little strange, but with a chance of working out.
Without realizing it, Leslie and Jason started to approach the restaurant, in a very annoying way. They both looked at each other in a way that they couldn't quite understand, causing Jason to look back to his girlfriend, worried.
"You don't look like you had any fun with anything today. I thought at least a dinner would make you happy, you know?"
"You're trying to do something different beyond our routine and that's something I'm not liking one bit coming from you. There are some things we need to review." The girl then smiled convincingly, looking at Jason. - "But how about dinner and we see how far this story goes?"
"Follow me." Jason said, letting confidence take over.
In an unusual way, two couples in the same restaurant were about to have a totally different dinner than usual. A classic moment in which the following question could be asked? What could possibly go wrong? This was a situation that had everything to end up in trouble in an unbelievable way. Even more considering how a couple of heroes and a couple of villains gathered in the same place, without anyone knowing their secret identities, was a very difficult combination to solve.
To be continued...
Author's Note: Well, folks. How's that for a surprising chapter? Truth be told, I've been thinking about making this chapter focused on Green Arrow and Black Canary for a while, but the time I was taking for writing this chapter forced me to divide this one in two parts, but in the next one, you're all gonna be in for a trip, dear readers. Because there are some surprises you can't expect to see here.
See you all next time!