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Thea thought she was going to enjoy tonight's night out a lot more than she currently was. Loud music thumped at her eardrums; something that normally got her dancing but tonight it only irritated her. She was dressed up and looked as stunning as she normally would on a night like this, but she couldn't get comfortable as she grew more and more sick of men leering after her. For once she was sat on her own and while she would have gone to find her friends, she had had enough of them as well. Not that they would have wanted her attention at that moment anyway, each of them currently wrapped up in some guy or another. She knew they were incredibly superficial but she assumed that at least one of them might check she was ok.

Thea found herself sympathising with her brother at this moment. Watching him rub shoulders with the "finest" was a skill that she still struggled with. He somehow managed to remain civil amongst the worst clinger-ons no matter what dreadful things they did or said; an art that she only had a mildly capable grip of. Sure it was nice to have company, but Thea was no fool. She could see that her friends were mostly there because of the status that her surname brought her, to milk whatever they could. Thea was ashamed to admit that she had previously built her ego on this false affection and was now uncomfortable in the façade that she had constructed for herself over the last five years. She wished that Sara was here with her but her best friend had been grounded after her parents found out about their previous excursion. She took out her phone to send the blonde a text but found her battery was out of charge. Sighing she turned and took a swig from her drink, only to find there was only residue and crushed ice left. She rocked back melodramatically and got up, walking towards the bar.

Despite the fact that she was 17, Thea never had trouble getting served, her surname and heavy tipping ensuring that liquor was easily accessed. The crowd around the bar parted for the brunette but Thea wasn't in the mood to thank them. She took a newly vacated seat and turned into the room, watching the sweaty bodies rub against one another. In between the lasers and strobe lighting, she could make out her tenderly named friend Beatrice locking lips with a rugged looking man with his hands thrust underneath her dress. She swiveled back toward the bar in disgust and spotted the grin of a young bartender wiping a glass dry on the far side.

His hair was spiked up, like a teenage boy might have, which was an odd thing for her to notice first. As he put the glass down, Thea took in the sculpted jaw line and strong cheek bones that dominated his face. He must have been over six foot tall she estimated and had broad shoulders and long legs. As he started to walk over, she could see that he was slightly uncomfortable in his uniform as he pulled at the collar a little and wondered what he normally wore if the collared shirt, waistcoat and suit trousers bothered him so much. She watched carefully as he came closer, moving past the other workers and spotted that his ears stuck out a little, his nose was cute and his eyes baby blue. The last thing she noted was how big his hands were as he placed them on the counter in front of her. "Do you want something to drink?"

Thea didn't know why she was surprised he didn't say something else. Maybe she had seen too many films where the bartender becomes a therapist. "Yeah, sure, I mean that's what I'm supposed to do isn't it?" Thea half asked herself.

"That's true, then again I'm not legally allowed to serve you a drink yet but that doesn't stop me," the bartender grinned as he ran his hand up and down the tap.

"Are you implying I'm underage?" Thea smirked, sitting back on her barstool.

"Not that it matters, but I know for a fact you are," the bartender replied smugly as he poured a beer and took a sip. "Still, my boss told me to serve as much to you as I can anyway."

Thea raised her eyebrows but the news hardly shocked her; once again the Queen name had given her another gift. "So you know who I am?"

"I have no idea who you are," the bartender laughed, "but judging by the thousand dollar dress and shoe combo, I'm guessing you're very rich."

"It's not all there is to me," Thea warned, sitting a little straighter. A man shouted from behind her telling the bartender to stop fucking flirting and serve the bitch a drink.

The bartender flicked off the man and leant in toward Thea, "I never said that." Another worker shouted in their direction telling "Roy" to get back to work. "I'm just checking this young lady is ok, Carl," Roy yelled back.

"I don't give a shit about your broad Roy," the little man replied harshly as he stormed towards the bartender, "just finish up stacking those glasses now."

"Sorry," started Thea, "it's my fault, I called him over."

"I don't care abou-" turned the short man who visibly wilted at the sight of the Queen's youngest offspring. "Ms Queen, I'm so sorry, please forgive me, and, please, err, accept a free drink on the house, err, ma'am?"

"I believe my bartender is enjoying my free drink already actually," shot back Thea, pointing to the pint glass in Roy's hand. The little red man seemed to bottle up a lot of anger before swearing loudly under his breath and storming off.

"Cheers for that," Roy said, sipping the aforementioned beer. "Did you want a drink in the end?"

"No, not really. I think I'm gonna leave if I'm honest," Thea responded with a smile.

"Oh, ok, have good night then Queen," Roy smirked before turning away.

xxXxx

Thea hadn't bothered saying goodbye to her friends and now, stood on a dark street in the Glades, she was massively regretting that decision. The taxi cab company had promised her five minutes but she doubted whether that would ring true and it certainly didn't stop the cold. Shivering, she turned- straight into the arms of a hooded man. "Get off-phhgg!" Thea tried to scream as the man pulled her back into a dark alley, scraping at the straps of her dress. The young woman elbowed her attacker, resulting in him letting her go and she ran down the street as fast as her heels would let her. The man barely had to break into a proper run before he managed to grab her arm once again and push her hard against the wall. Thea cried out as the brick sliced her cheek and dropped to the ground, winded. The greasy man, whose hood had fallen off, grinned and fiddled with his zipper as he waddled towards her. Thea started to try and get up, moving as fast as she could before she heard a fleshy thunk and the attacker went flying.

A pair of men rolled on the floor for a second before the attacker sprung up and grabbed a glass bottle. Her saviour in the red hoodie rose as the attacker smashed the bottle against the wall over Thea's head. The brunette ducked as glass showered over her and as she brushed shards from her hair, she could hear sounds of the vicious makeshift blade being swung through the air. The attacker thrust the broken bottle forward and apparently this was the opening the man in the red hoodie was looking for. He seized the attacker's wrist, yanking him off balance before dropping a sharp elbow and knee combination to the back and front of his head and finally finished him off with a hard kick to the guts that left the criminal lying among the rubbish.

Thea gasped for air and using the wall for support pulled herself up. "Thank you," she managed, reaching out for the man. She was shocked to see that it was Roy when the man dropped his hood. "Roy? What are you doing here?"

"I quit my job, thought it'd be romantic. I hated it anyway and you helped me see how miserable it was making me. And you know what they say: an unemployed man is every woman's dream," Roy quipped with a grin.

Thea laughed and brushed her hair out of her face again. She took a quick glance at the man groaning on the floor. "You saved me."

"I wish I didn't have to," Roy muttered, casting a venomous look toward the crumpled crook. He noticed a splash of red on the brunette's face and made forward. "You're hurt."

"It's nothing," Thea tried to assure him but he was having none of it. "Honestly, it's just a cut, I'm surprised you're not hurt. You really know how to fight."

"Again, I wish I didn't have to. Still, my place is around the corner, I can patch you up there if that's okay?" He asked tentatively, putting his hands in his pockets nervously.

Thea laughed at the sight of the street fighter standing timidly in front of her but stopped after the hurt look on his face. "Sorry, I wasn't laughing at the offer- just you, my little street fighter."

"Who are you calling little?" Roy shot back with a smile on his face. "You look cold, take my hoodie," he added as he stripped himself of the jumper.

Thea tried not to notice the gorgeous sight that presented itself to her as his shirt rode up a little as he took the hoodie off, but couldn't help herself anyway. "Thanks," she replied, ducking through the head-hole and taking in his scent- it was comforting.

"C'mon, we'll be there in two mins," he offered as he stuck out his arm for her to loop through. Thea stepped forward and they rounded the corner arm in arm into the night.

xxXxx

Song choice: Wonderful Life, Hurts.

Thank you very much for reading this opening chapter :D I love Arrow, it has to be my favourite show and I'm dying waiting for season 3. I noticed that there wasn't much fanfiction for Roy and Thea and I think they deserve more! This universe is a tad AU as I will certainly not be keeping to the cannon but will still contain The Hood, the Queens and of course Diggle and Felicity. It will be Thea and Roy centred but I wouldn't bet against Olicity occurring anyway haha Anyway, thanks again for checking out my story and please let me know what you think- I'll reply to all reviews! Cheers, Dylboyslim.