Red and Green – Part 3
Oliver abruptly stopped a few meters from the staircase, indecisively contemplating returning to his bedroom to climb out the window instead of having to maneuver past Roy. Roy had stopped a few steps from the landing, midstride, and was staring at Oliver intensely. It was an unnerving stare, and it made Oliver uncharacteristically nervous.
Whenever Oliver was not gallivanting around in a leather costume, fighting for the safety and honor of the citizens of Starling City, he was dressing smartly in designer clothes, neatly polished brand name shoes, and getting around town in lavishly equipped sports cars. But, whereas the Arrow was the epitome of confidence, agility, and strength, Oliver Queen was presented as an awkward man with no real purpose, reveling in the riches that was his birthright. It was an act that was absolutely necessary to deflect unwanted attention and separate him from his alter ego. So, he was pretty good at pretending to be nervous or ignorant in front of the people that he associated with on a daily basis. But, whenever he was in Roy's presence, Oliver felt truly uneasy. Pinpointing the source of his apprehension might have been a lot easier if Roy would just stop magically appearing around every corner. Oliver needed time to sit down and think, but Roy seemed to have no intention of granting him that temporal space.
As Oliver passed Roy on the stairs, he debated over questioning the former hoodlum on the whereabouts of Thea. It seemed a little off for Roy to be roaming around the mansion without his enamored escort. In the end, Oliver decided that saying nothing would guarantee him a quick exit, so he passed his sister's boyfriend without so much as a nod.
"Hey," Roy called out, catching Oliver lightning quick by his forearm. "Where are you going?"
Oliver pulled his arm back in annoyance, expecting to break free and continue on his way, but his movements were halted by the power of Roy's grip. It was unbreakable.
Turning to Roy, Oliver gave him a look that was a cross between scolding a dog and challenging a python. Why did he keep forgetting that his aspiring protégé was no longer just an ordinary street thug? Every time he underestimated Roy, he ended up halfway across the room, flat on his back. "I have business to attend to."
"Arrow business?" Roy narrowed his all too serious eyes at Oliver, not relaxing the tension in the fingers that crushed cotton fabric and kept Oliver immobile with bruising force. "I thought that we were past this? You said that you needed my help. I made a difference last time. I got control of my temper."
Oliver winced a bit as Roy clenched his fingers closer together to get his point across. "Did you really?" He questioned sarcastically. "And how's that control working out for you right now?"
It took a moment for Roy to catch on to Oliver's meaning, but when he did he immediately released Oliver, looking sincerely upset and apologetic. "Sorry, I was just worried that… Dammit!" Before Oliver could wave off Roy's concern, Roy was backing Oliver up against the staircase railing. One hand held Oliver's right arm steady by the elbow, while his other yanked up the sleeve of Oliver's white designer shirt. "Shit, you bruise easily." His fingers gently skimmed the darkening skin of Oliver's forearm, oblivious to the discomfort that he was causing the other man.
"No, it's your fingers that crush easily," Oliver muttered, trying to slip out of the space that Roy had trapped him in.
"I didn't mean to hurt you." Roy carefully watched Oliver's reaction to his touch, noting how Oliver bristled sharply when he stroked his thumb over the sensitive flesh of the archer's wrist. Having admitted his interest in Oliver to Thea hadn't been enough to convince Roy that this was what he really wanted. As brash as he was, he had no desire to mess with the dynamics of his relationship with Oliver. Or at least he hadn't planned on altering their shaky friendship until he'd begun to pick up on some awfully peculiar telltale signs. It wasn't that Oliver was doing anything to encourage him. It was what Oliver wasn't doing to push him away.
"It's fine, Roy," Oliver said gruffly, attempting to shatter the uncomfortable moment that he felt Roy had locked them in.
Maybe Roy was reading the signals all wrong. Maybe he was just inventing them for his own benefit. As far as he knew, the roguishly handsome Oliver Queen had never been with another man. And there was no reason for Oliver to suspect that Roy was coming onto him. Why should he? A mere five minutes earlier, Roy had been in Oliver's sister's bedroom, making out with her… and visualizing Oliver instead.
"Oliver…" Roy started, hesitating when Oliver yanked his arm away and made as if to continue down the stairs.
"I have things to do. If you need advice about Thea…"
He should let Oliver walk away and take some time to compose himself and reflect on his feelings. This was nothing but a one-way encounter. There was no way that Oliver could possibly reciprocate his affections. While Roy was drinking in the imaginary tension in the air, Oliver was acting as if nothing was amiss. The archer suspected nothing. And that was the way Roy should leave it. Let Oliver go on with his meaningless life of self-recrimination and internal suffering. Just stand by and watch him get trashed and betrayed by the people he strove to save. What did it matter to him?
But, as Oliver took another step downwards, Roy suddenly slammed both hands onto the railing on either side of him. If nothing else had, that threatening movement switched Oliver into attack mode. He seized Roy's left arm with both hands, preparing to throw him, but was knocked off balance by Roy's body weight.
"I can't let you go." Roy aggressively pinned Oliver up against the railing, grabbed the archer's scruffy chin with his free hand, and covered the startled man's mouth with his.
(If you enjoyed reading this, please leave a review and let me know what you think! I'm dying to see the next episode of Arrow. Roy has so much potential.)