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STAR CITY, UNDERGROUND
Oliver Queen
I sit in the cell as I continue to freeze from the cold. I begin to starve as the rations of food that the mercenaries are giving is torturous. I look across my cell to see Rene locked up in front of me. It’s been days, maybe an entire week since I’ve last seen the sun.
I told Drake trusting Silver Siren was a mistake. I worked with Silver Siren as Al Sah Him and he’s ruthless. Silver Siren is not human, not one single bit. There’s two types of people in this world, survivors and adapters. Silver Siren is a survivor, using every skill he has to get his way and manipulate those around him, even if it means to kill somebody out of the picture. He has an extreme lack of empathy, making him sociopathic.
I hear the water rushing in the sewers as it never stops and am reminded of Drake’s sudden death. If he was the dead the news would’ve reported it.
All media outlets would lose it if Drake were to die. Drake has become an icon in the music industry, a living legend. He’s the face of LGBTQ+ Pride, magazines, parties, companies, charities, hell maybe the entire world. He’s loved by everyone.
I lay myself down on the thin mattress with a thin blanket and pillow. I cover myself with the blanket as I’m beginning to lose my strength. I start to tremble from the cold and wrap the blanket tighter around me to heat myself up but it’s impossible. I close my eyes trying to sleep so that the pain of this can go away.
I’m going to die.
“Ollie.” I hear Drake’s voice whisper in my cell and I open my eyes to see him squatted down in front of me. He looks at me with tears in his eyes and a small smile. He brushes his hands through my hair which calms me down as it always did. I place my hand on his hand and he suddenly disappears. A Hallucination.
I begin to cry softly as this is torture. I’ve survived so much in my life. I spent 5 years on Lian Yu, and that experience is a true and unimaginable hell. An experience that I wouldn’t even wish on my worst enemy. Even coming back to Star City, I didn’t think the hell would drag on. Losing Tommy, my mother, Sara, Laurel, and myself…
The time I spent away from Star City after my death was painful. Nothing like Lian Yu, maybe even worst. The League of Assassins reverted me back to my old ways. Back to killing. I didn’t think I’d be able to live free again after that, even after the plane explosion. When I got on that plane to get rid of Adrian Chase’s bomb, I knew there was no coming back. I took that sacrifice, to redeem myself for everything I’ve done.
Next thing I knew, I woke up in Nanda Parbat in the Lazarus water. I was confused and lost when I woke up. I didn’t know who I was and it took me weeks to recognize myself in the mirror. At the time, it was perfect for Ra’s Al Ghul to brainwash me and revert me back to Al Sah Him.
Becoming Al Sah Him was the only thing I knew. Ra’s trained me and put me up to the tasks to get rid of his targets that threatened the throne or the League of Assassins. I became the unimaginable. I lost my humanity as Al Sah Him, and I was convinced that I’d never become Oliver Queen. I didn’t even know I was Oliver Queen. The Lazarus pit wiped out everything from me except for one thing. Drake.
Ra’s Al Ghul’s biggest mistake in his plan was partnering me with Silver Siren. Having Silver Siren on the missions to eliminate whatever target Ra’s needed was a reminder of who I was. I was looking at the face of somebody I loved when I was with Silver Siren, but not the soul of the person I loved. All I could figure out on my own was how familiar Silver Siren looked.
When Ra’s Al Ghul laid out his plans and I began my work as Ghost Archer, my first mission was to eliminate Drake. Ra’s had shown me photos of Drake and I together. Ra’s wanted me to eliminate my past to fully commit to my identity as Al Sah Him. The trick was to see if I still had a piece of humanity in me so that he could take it and start over with me.
I remember it because it was the first time I had felt like Oliver Queen during that time. It was a real taste of my past that reminded me of who I was. It was the first mission I had failed.
It was during the time when Drake wasn’t in Star City. When he went MIA for those couple of months after my death and stayed with Dick Grayson in an apartment midtown. Drake had been living in peace for awhile, starting his career at clubs and small venues with Dick joining along as support. Dick got involved into the scene quickly, finding himself addicted to drugs and the party life with his friends that were mooching off his money. He was spending all the money Bruce would give them and had even dropped his Nightwing identity to go out every night and get high. Drake had noticed what was going on and he was not too happy about it.
At the time, Dick was the only family that Drake had after ditching everything from his past in Star City. Dick to Drake was like a brother he’d never had. Bruce had basically adopted Drake when Drake moved to Gotham without a single cent to his name, and gave him a place to stay, a family to have.
I was in that party that night, watching closely. It was the first time Ra’s Al Ghul had let me free to do my mission solo. It was a test to see if I could do it on my own, if I didn’t need supervision from Silver Siren.
Out of all the things I’ve done in my life, this was the worst thing I’ve ever done. It haunts me every night knowing the pain I’ve done to Drake. The guilt lives with me every day and it keeps up at nights where I find myself alone when Drake has trouble sleeping. I see the ghost of the man I killed, the man that would’ve made everything alright for Drake.
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GOTHAM CITY, 4 YEARS AGO
Drake Lance
I get out of backstage and step into the main club area hearing my songs continuing to play on the speakers. I walk towards a bar seeing my cup of whiskey ready and I take it like a shot.
“Another one.” I ask the bartender slamming the cup back on the counter. He takes the cup back and puts it away cleaning it out.
“It’s not in your contract man.” The bartender tells me getting bossy and it pisses me off.
“Well you being an asshole isn’t in my contract either.” I tell him rudely not wanting to deal with his bullshit right now. He sighs loudly, rolling his eyes and pours me a glass of bourbon. He passes the cup towards me and I take it, giving him a small fake smile.
I walk away from the bar heading to my vip section seeing Dick having the best time of his life. Dick dances on the table with a champagne bottle in his hand and pops the cap off, pouring it all over himself and his friends. Dick shouts like a frat boy and his friends record him as he’s drunk off his ass.
“Are you having fun Drake!” I hear Adrielle’s slurred voice walk towards me as she dances around me.
“I’m having bourbon.” I respond in a serious tone wanting this party to end. Dick has had enough fun for tonight. Adrielle chuckles and then Dick spots me giving me a huge smile. He jumps down from the table and walks towards me as he’s shirtless and sweaty. “Where’s your shirt?” I ask him and he giggles.
“That was great Black Bird. You have no idea yet, but you’re a rockstar!” He says not looking at me straight, with his eyes starring at every single thing. Adrielle sneaks around us and wraps herself around Dick and gets touchy with him.
“Lets go to the bathroom.” Adrielle whispers to Dick and looks at me with a small smile. It’s only code for drugs. I quickly get up wanting to defend Dick from that lifestyle before he goes in too deep.
“Dick, come on!” I get up ditching my glass of bourbon on a table and walking towards him as they begin to walk away. “You don’t need any more of that shit.” I grab on to Dick’s arm pulling him towards me and he pulls back like a child.
“I’m fine.” Dick says in a childish tone and then walks away with Adrielle towards the bathroom. I take Dick’s word halfway but I can’t fully trust him. He’s gotten to involved in this scene and it’s beginning to become my problem to deal with every night.
I watch them walk away and then a guy walks towards me with a glass and bottle of champagne. He stops in front of me with a smile offering himself to me. “Champagne?” He offers with a cheerful attitude and I look at him up and down ignoring him.
“I don’t do bubbly.” I say with a rude tone, dissing him completely and walk away from him going into the dance scene.
“That dude is bitter. I’m into it.” I overhear him and begin to dance with a couple of people. A bunch of men begin to grind on me and one lays his hand on me pulling me towards him. I quickly grab his hand and twist it, throwing him down to the floor. Everyone around me pauses starring at me and I walk away from the scene as everyone continues to dance.
“Party at my place!” Dick shouts and I look over at him to see him standing high on the stage with two bottles of vodka in his hands. He begins to scream and pours the vodka all over himself, drinking what can land in his mouth.
Dick then jumps down, walking out with his big giant group of friends, along with the strangers who invited themselves to the party. I quickly follow Dick as this is a bad idea, I live in that apartment too, and I would like some privacy and some good sleep. I push people around, making my way towards Dick as we leave the club all together seeing the limo outside ready to pick us up.
He’s wasting Bruce’s money on things like this that he doesn’t need. Hell, we can barely even afford our apartment if it weren’t for Bruce pitching in money to support Dick and the apartment. At the end of the allowance he gives us, I don’t have anything.
“Dick! I have auditions in the morning.” I complain to him not wanting this party to happen.
“Well skip it, Bruce can get you someone better through his connections!” Dick shouts at me and he’s not giving up. I watch the limo get packed into with his friends and this isn’t what I wanted for the both of us.
“You know how I feel about that!” I say not wanting to rely on Bruce like Dick does already. Bruce knows where I stand when it comes to him helping me, I don’t care that he’s a billionaire wanting to help me.
“I’ll figure it out for you!”
“I need to sleep!” I whine again softly not wanting to fully piss him off.
“I want to be with my friends!” Dick says as he begins to enter in the limo when everyone is in.
“You think they’re your friends?” I ask confused as he’s getting things twisted. “They’re just leeches, sucking your money, your booze, your food…” I say wanting to protect Dick from getting hurt.
“And you’re not?” Dick responds back to me meanly. “Why don’t you pay for your own goddamn rent?” He shouts at me rudely standing outside of his limo.
“Because you and Bruce insisted.” I respond back as I remember them finding me in the alley not giving me a choice to ditch them.
“And your own goddamn life, instead of mooching off me and Bruce!” He shouts and he’s got it backwards, I’d never want to mooch off them I’ve done everything on my own to get where I am in my career and life. Dick’s words begin to hurt and do more damage than they should be.
“You think I need you?” I shout at him as Dick begins to get into the limo again but stops. “You think I can’t get what I want, when I want? I don’t need anything from the both of you.” I say and look towards an ATM machine.
I walk towards the machine and suck in a quick breath. “SCREE.” I lightly scream at the machine breaking the door and I open it with my strength. I pull out cash from the machine and raise it in the air in front of Dick to prove a point.
“See? All set.” I shout at Dick as some of the cash flies out of my hand into the wind.
“That’s great. That’s just great.” Dick says disappointed in me and what I’ve done.
“Dick, forget him. Let’s go.” Adrielle shouts from inside the limo wanting to get with the party and inject Dick with more heroine.
“You know what? Don’t call us when you’re arrested and you need bail.” Dick shouts hurting me as I see him as a brother. He’s all that I have right now, no Ollie, nobody. I’ve left everything behind to be here.
“And don’t call me when you OD and need a hospital.” I say as my voice breaks with tears growing in my eyes. Dick looks at me knowing the truth, but denies it entering into his limo and slamming the door shut. The limo drives off and I see a GCPD cop car hiding behind Dick’s limo and I see the lights turn on.
“God damn it.” I say picking up the cash from the floor quickly and stuffing it into my jeans as I’ve left my leather jacket behind in Star City as well. The cop gets out of the cop car and I begin to realize who it is.
“Stop it right there!- Drake?” He says squinting at me, and crosses the street to see me. As he gets closer I begin to recognize his face and it warms my heart to see somebody familiar.
“David?” I say as I stop stuffing the money in my jeans. The old SCPD cop David Jones AKA my ex, has come back into my life once again. David walks up to me with a smile and I smile back at him as I thought I’d never see him again.
_____________________
Two weeks go by and me and David have managed to catch up with our lives. David and I have gotten back to where we left off at and he’s much better support at my venues than Dick will ever be. Being with David is the first time I’ve felt pure happiness since I lost Ollie. David has given me a bed to share with in lower east, and nothing else. It’s better to work on my own, and make my own money, helping David pay off some bills which is the best that I can do.
Me and David make out on the street by a light. “Alex?” David whispers the name as he kisses my neck.
“No.” I chuckle out loud with a small smile as David begins to kiss my neck.
“Mmm… Jake?”
“Uh-uh.” I say and David kisses my lips as I wrap my arm around the back of his neck as he places his hands on my waist bringing me close to his body.
“Tulip?” David says as a joke taking a wild guess
“Seriously?” I laugh as we stop kissing and I hold on to his shirt, being clingy with him. David chuckles and then places pecks on my lips twice.
“You do have a middle name right?” He asks and I don’t but it’s fun to see him try to crack it.
“It’s private.” I sigh with a smile, lying to his face to keep the joke going. Don’t know when I’ll tell him that I don’t have a middle name.
“What happens if you were kidnapped? How would I alert the media and my Captain if I don’t know your middle name?” He says with a smile, making some cheap excuse to figure out my fake middle name.
“I will alert the media when I hang the kidnappers by their nut sacks.” I tell David flirtatiously and he chuckles.
“Touché.” He says softly and goes in for another kiss. “But most boyfriends know their boyfriend’s full name by this point.” David says declaring what we are to me and I look at him confused with a soft smile.
“Is that what we are now?” I say softly not bothered by the idea of it.
“What do you think we are? Roommates?” David says with a charm in the tone of his voice that makes me fall deeper in love with him every time.
“With something on the side.” I say hinting at our nonstop, crazy sex life. I wrap myself around him not ever wanting to let go of David and he doesn’t either.
“Which doesn’t include knowing your middle name, apparently.” David says still rambling on about the middle name gag and I chuckle.
“Not knowing keeps a healthy cushion of distance.” I say patting his back with the hand wrapped around him and he smiles. He goes in for another kiss and we continue to still make out. He stops making out with me and then pauses starring directly at me.
“Hey, I want to get my roomey something special.” David says starring at a shop with a leather jacket on a mannequin trapped in the window. The leather jacket has a black bird embedded in the back and I love it. We both stare at it and the shop is still open.
David grabs on to my hand and pulls me with him as we walk into it. David asks for the jacket not looking at the price and asks the vender to put it on me. “Fits you.” He says as I slip the black leather jacket on and stare at myself in the mirror.
“It’s perfect.” I say impressed with how good the jacket looks on me. It even matches the band, and my vigilante name, Black Canary.
“We’ll take it.” David says starring at me, and I catch him in the reflection with a cute smile. He looks at me amazed by me and I turn around with a big smile on my face. David pulls out his credit card and hands it to the vender and I walk to David planting a giant kiss on his lips.
This is my jacket, forever.
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