Night visit
Summary: Locked up in Slabside for his actions as a vigilante, Oliver was simply surviving, as he always had been. The monotony of his life was only broken up by violent fights while a heavy loneliness settled in his bones. That was until the day he received an unexpected visit.
An unusual noise disrupted the calm of the night. Oliver sat up carefully, his eyes wide open in the semi-darkness of his cell. Muffled voices. People walking down the corridors. This was strange, the guards patrolled alone at night, and if prisoners had somehow escaped their cells, they wouldn't be chatting away but would try to be discrete. Intrigued and on guard, he sat on the edge of his bed, the cold concrete under his naked feet helping him chase away the last remnants of sleep.
Two figures recognizable at a glance appeared in his field of view through the bars and his jaw almost dropped in surprise. He had to resist the urge to pinch his arm in order to make sure he wasn't dreaming. No way. These two idiots didn't just break into the most secure jail of the country to help him escape.
"We should have gone by the control room to find out which cell he's in."
"No need, we'll find him easily, super vision, remember?"
"If I used my speed, we would find him even faster."
Oliver rolled his eyes and moved to the bars with muffled steps. They didn't even have a well-established plan for their attempt to free him. These two were incorrigible.
"We've talked about it, you're likely to wake everybody up by entering their cells and raising their sheets to see their faces."
"Not to mention that some sights might scar you for life," Oliver said.
Barry pulled a face in disgust before reacting and running up to his cell while Kara smiled from ear to ear as she came up at normal speed, carrying two boxes in her arms. The two superheroes seemed out of place with their colourful suits in this grey setting. They shouldn't be here.
"You should leave," Oliver said. "I can't escape and become a fugitive, my family…"
"Yeah, yeah, we know, Dig explained everything," interrupted Barry. "Is that how you greet your friends? Also, can we talk about the beard?"
Kara nudged him and assured Oliver that it suited him and that she was really happy to see him. Oliver on his part was confused. If they knew why he had to stay in jail and didn't want to escape, what were they doing here? It didn't make any sense, except if maybe they needed him for something. A threat to fight off, or some tactical advice. Either way, their presence was heart-warming and the corner of his lips went slightly up in a ghost of a smile, which hadn't happened in five weeks. Since he'd said goodbye to William.
He didn't have time to tell them he was happy to see them as he was taken in an embrace that literally took his breath away. For a second, his instincts screamed at him to get rid of the threat, being caught like that only lead to certain death, but he ignored them. This was his friend who was warmly holding him in a hug and he slowly relaxed in his grip, returning the gesture and feeling a weight being lifted off of him. The only human contacts he'd had lately had been violent and Barry was offering him a few seconds of inner peace.
They let go too soon when Kara threatened to destroy the lock to pieces if Barry didn't let her in right now so that she could join this hug. Oliver was relieved that she didn't actually break it, he would have been in trouble with the guards the next morning. Barry did as she said, getting her through the bars in the blink of an eye as if they weren't there. Seeing what he was capable of with his powers was always impressive. Kara dropped on his bed the two cardboard boxes she had been holding until then and turned to him, her arms wide open.
"My turn!"
Again, he couldn't hide a little smile seeing her enthusiasm and she got to him in one step to hug him with arms that had the power to break his bones in an instant. Yet, he indulged in her embrace without fear, savouring this human warmth he deeply missed, his muscles loosening up under her gentle touch. He wanted this moment to be infinite. Their warmth and affection were melting the wall of ice he'd put up around his heart to survive here.
"I think it's the first time you're not trying to run away from it," Barry said.
Oliver raised his head towards him and Kara slowly backed away, and he immediately missed her touch. He wouldn't tell them how much he'd needed it, he didn't want them to worry about him.
"You literally jumped on me," Oliver said lightly. "And I'm stuck here, I can't exactly escape your arms."
Kara must have understood what he wasn't saying because she took him back into her arms, whispering that he had nothing to do in such a place. Barry put a hand on his shoulder and asked him how he was holding up.
"As long as Felicity and William are safe, I'll be fine."
It was a lie and they all knew it. This place was slowly destroying him.
"We will always be there for them," Kara promised.
Barry confirmed her words with a solemn nod and Kara eventually let go. Their promise meant a lot to him, they were the two most powerful beings he had ever met and he trusted them to protect his family. They couldn't be there twenty-four seven and he knew perfectly why, but they would answer at the first call for help, he had no doubt about that.
"So," Oliver said, clearing his voice. "Why did you come here?"
They didn't come just to give him a hug. Their seriousness vanished at once and two big smiles appeared on their faces as they shared a conspiratorial glance.
"We wanted to visit you of course!" Barry said.
"And we brought you a surprise!"
Kara was almost jumping on her feet in excitement. Oliver looked at the two boxes they brought with them, wondering what could be inside. They knew that he couldn't keep anything here. Each of them took one box and presented it to him, holding it like a tray, their hands flat underneath it. Of course. Food.
"Guess what it is!" Kara said with a big smile.
"What do you miss the most?" Barry added.
Felicity.
He bit his tongue to keep it to himself, she obviously wasn't in these boxes and he would darken the mood that his friends were trying to lighten up. Knowing them, it could only contain pastries. He eliminated ice cream for practical reasons, and the obvious answer was…
"Chocolate."
"Chocolate!" they repeated in unison. Oliver briefly wondered how the other prisoners could still be asleep, but he focused his attention on his friends who were solemnly opening the boxes.
"A chocolate cake," Barry announced as if he was a maître d'.
"Cookies and muffins," Kara said in the same tone.
These two were insane. They infiltrated the most secure jail of the country to bring him pastries. Although, he had to admit these were mouth-watering. A divine smell was coming from the boxes, and he had the sudden urge to taste them, even though he usually wasn't a fan of store-bought cakes. He would make an exception this time, he was sure to enjoy them after the bland meals he was served here.
"You know I can't eat all of these by myself?"
"Yeah, we'll help you out, no worries."
For a second, he wondered if they'd organized all of this just to have an excuse to stuff their faces with cakes. Except these two didn't need any excuse, they were gluttons and didn't hide it. But there was a flaw in their half-formed plan.
"You can't stay, the guards' rounds are random at night and…"
They would have a heart attack if they saw Flash and Supergirl eating cookies in his cell.
"Do you take us for amateurs?" Barry asked as if he was offended. "We checked their timetable, we have an hour ahead of us."
So they did work on this plan. A bit.
"And surveillance cameras are on a loop. We've got everything covered," Kara said proudly.
Except finding out which cell was his. He kept it to himself, not wanting to diminish their enthusiasm, but their plan had another flaw.
"What if prisoners take advantage of this to escape?"
"They wouldn't stand a chance against all three of us," Barry said.
The fact that he was still including him with them, as superheroes and defenders of innocents, warmed his heart. They still saw him as their friend and ally, as the Green Arrow, despite the façade of ruthless warrior he was presenting since he came here. He simply nodded and offered them to sit on his bed. It was narrow but it was the only remotely comfortable place of his cell. Kara studied the room with a calculating look before declaring she had an idea. Barry told her to take care of it while he brought the drinks he'd left on the roof to have his hands free in case they needed to fight, and took off with his superspeed.
With one hand, the kryptonian lifted his mattress from the bed to put it on the floor, and spread his thin sheet next to it as a makeshift tablecloth. She dropped his pillow on the other side and put the boxes in the middle, on the sheet. All the free space of his cell was now occupied for their improvised picnic. Kara finally sat on the mattress and gestured for him to join her. He barely had the time to sit that Barry reappeared, thermos and cups in hands. This time, Oliver discretely pinched himself. No, he wasn't dreaming. They'd brought coffee.
"It's cosy, I love it!" Barry said while sitting down on his pillow.
Oliver almost choked and Kara laughed softly, at him or Barry, he wasn't sure. He took off his gloves to serve them coffee and Oliver held the warm cup between his hands like it was a treasure. The smell of caffeine was intoxicating and he couldn't resist the urge to take a sip of the precious liquid. Fireworks exploded on his tongue and he closed his eyes to appreciate every second of it.
"The coffee's pretty nice," Barry said. "But wait to take a bite of the cake, you'll be on cloud nine."
"I doubt it could get better than this," Oliver said in a whisper.
"Trust me, it does."
He remembered then that Barry had been imprisoned too, not for as long as him and not in such a difficult place, but he'd lived these privations. Oliver put his cup down and without hesitation, Kara gave him a napkin and a piece of chocolate cake.
"I'm sure you'll love it!"
Barry was already eating a cookie, and Kara had a half-eaten muffin in her hand, they'd let him savor his coffee in peace, while failing to resist the chocolate. They were insatiable. Oliver eventually took a bite of the cake, expecting to taste the sickly sweetness of store-bought pastries, but a completely different flavor awakened his taste buds. Dark chocolate, almonds, a delicious lightness that melted in the mouth. For a second, he saw himself in his apartment, sharing a snack with William, a rare but precious moment. He reopened his eyes on his cell which had been transformed, on his friends who were devouring pastries while keeping an eye on him, and a smile, a real one, spread across his face.
They were offering him the best of gifts.
Locked up here, as the days went by, he'd started to forget that he wasn't really alone, that outside of these walls there were people who cared about him, that he wasn't just this pariah amongst the prisoners. The family he had was much bigger than just William, Felicity and Thea. Today, with their visit, they were giving him back a piece of himself he had lost. He would forever be grateful.
"Barry, I hate to say it, but you were right. The coffee was nothing compared to the chocolate."
With a big smile, the speedster high-fived Kara in victory.
"How did you know… about the recipe?"
He was really moved that they had specifically looked for his personal recipe, the one he'd created and which he recognized on the first bite, they didn't just look for one on the internet.
"Well, we didn't want to bring you a cake from the store, I know how much you hate them," Barry said. "Although, it's not really justified, some brands…"
"We asked Dig for advice," Kara said, interrupting Barry from going on a food rant. "He's the one who gave us your recipe. I made it today so it's fresh, I didn't want to bring a two days old cake, and voila!"
"You're the one who made it?" Oliver asked, not hiding his surprise.
She feigned to be offended and asked him how he could doubt her culinary skills after tasting her cake. Oliver had to admit that it was perfect, but that wasn't the reason why he was so surprised.
"No, it's delicious but… I just can't picture you baking a cake and not eating it right away."
Kara was left speechless, as if she couldn't believe what she just heard and didn't know whether she should be flattered that he knew her so well or offended that he'd even suggest such a thing. Barry burst out laughing and almost choked on his fifth cookie, while Oliver lost his seriousness and smiled, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Kara whispered that he wasn't completely wrong, she'd actually made two cakes, the first in order to taste it to make sure it was good. This time, Oliver let out a hearty laugh. He couldn't remember the last time he'd done so, it was liberating.
"You guys can laugh as much as you want, at least I'm not the one who spent two whole days baking cookies because I was eating them faster than I was making them."
Barry immediately stopped laughing and pointed at her accusingly, telling her that it was supposed to remain a secret between them, and in reply, she stuck her tongue out at him. Oliver took another bite of his cake while they bickered, wondering if he'd just started world war three. This time, he let out a moan, it was exquisite. A deathly silence fell around him, his two friends looking at him in disbelief.
"Did you just…"
"No," Oliver said to cut him off.
"I do have super hearing, in case you forgot."
"And you didn't hear anything."
Barry and Kara exchanged a look before bursting out laughing, and Oliver ignored them to focus on his piece of cake which he ended up devouring in silence, savoring each bite. When they regained their senses, he asked them about their lives. He longed to know what was going on outside of these walls. The world didn't stop turning just because he wasn't part of it anymore.
"I just saved my earth from another alien who wanted to blow it up. The usual."
"As for me, I just met my daughter from the future! It's the coolest thing ever."
Oliver knew what they were doing and he was thankful. He didn't have it in him to listen to their problems, not today, not while he was locked up here. They knew it and made light of their experiences. And they always had such fascinating stories that he was sure would distract him for days. They both lived impossible lives.
"Are you kidding?" Kara asked in excitement. "What's her name? How old is she? Does she have your powers? Why haven't I met her yet?"
They talked about Nora for a long while, Barry being incredibly proud of her even though he'd only met her a few weeks ago. They shared the tales their last missions and the misadventures of their friends, in a joyous and relaxed atmosphere. Oliver even forgot that they were in his cell, that their time was limited, that he hadn't seen his family in weeks. He was just enjoying this moment, losing himself in the incredible stories of his friends, nibbling on the pastries they'd baked for him.
Barry suddenly disappeared for a half second before sitting back where he was as if nothing had happened. But his gloves betrayed him, they weren't in the exact same place as before. Not to mention the fact that he was sporting an innocent face.
"What did you just do?" Oliver asked, narrowing his eyes at him.
"Who? Me? Nothing. I didn't do anything, what are you on about?"
Kara hid her face behind her hand to contain her laugh at his inability to lie, and Oliver stared at him until he gave in.
"I may have put to sleep the guard that was about to patrol this floor."
"Put to sleep?" he repeated, wary.
He didn't want to accuse Barry of anything, but if he'd knocked out a guard so that he wouldn't interrupt them, he would be so pissed. The idea that Barry would do this for him was sickening. There was no love lost between him and any of the guards, but they were just doing their job and none of them deserved to be attacked.
"Yes," Barry said, oblivious to the storm raging in Oliver's mind. "Cisco added chloroform to my gloves, I can release it with one pressure. I just have to put my hand on their nose and mouth to put them to sleep. And of course they don't realise what's happening since I'm using the speedforce. He'll just think he fell asleep in front of the monitors."
Oliver retained a sigh of relief but Kara still looked at him strangely. It wouldn't surprise him if she heard a change in his heart rate. But it wasn't something he could control all the time, so he focused on the information Barry just gave him. They had actually planned things ahead. Except for a few key details.
"Is that why none of my neighbours have woken up yet?"
He nodded and Kara put her arm around him, pulling Oliver against her side.
"We didn't want to be interrupted, not when we're having such a good time."
"We're not leaving until all the cakes are gone," Barry added with a smile.
Oliver looked at the boxes and said that there was only three left, it would all be gone in minutes. Kara held him tighter and he enjoyed her embrace with a content sigh. A bit selfishly, he was storing up as much of their affection as possible. Soon, he would be left alone in this empty cell and he wouldn't see any friendly face for a long time.
Barry gave a piece of cake each and put the boxes aside, and despite what he'd said, they stayed long after they finished eating them. They talked for a long time, laughed about their feats, shared secrets and smiles. Eventually, it was time to go and Kara put everything back into place in seconds, gathering in a corner the stuff they would bring back with them. Not even a crumb could remain in his cell.
They hugged him again, and if he kept them against him a little longer than usual, they didn't say a word about it. Oliver thanked them for everything, for coming, for the pastries, for their talks. He didn't mention how much he'd appreciated their affection, their warmth and their friendship, but there was no doubt that they knew. They didn't leave before making him promise not to lose himself in this place, and to always have hope, his allies would soon find a way to get him out of there legally, without making him a fugitive.
Oliver went back to sleep sated, his heart singing. Their visit had awakened in him a fire that had been extinguished, and their presence had marked this room in its foundations, making it a little less grey, a little less dull. He would never forget the bubble of happiness they had created here.
Barry and Kara occupied a place in his heart that very few people did. Just like Felicity, Thea and William, they were his family. He would do anything to protect them.
Anything.
…
Note: This is the first time I translate one of my fics into English, I hope there aren't too many mistakes! Don't hesitate to tell me if there are, and please let me know what you thought of these two visiting Oliver in jail just to cheer him up!
I have a Tumblr where I share more arrowverse stuff, it's amelia-queen-black, come and say hi! (there's a link in my profile)
