The Scars That Bind Them Forever

They were supposed to be heading out to the Glades to meet with some kind of agent.  Oliver had said something about a new nightclub…in the Glades…uh…huh.  Either way, when Oliver asked Tommy to go with him, he simply said yes.  Mr. Diggle was going to be with them, so there probably weren’t going to be any issues.  Raisa directed Tommy to Oliver’s room.

He walked around the corner and saw Oliver looking at himself in the beveled mirror.  The scars and markings on Oliver’s body were worse than anything he’d ever seen.  He couldn’t stop himself and dashed into the room.

“What the hell, Ollie?” Tommy said; the concern evident in his voice.

Oliver turned and quickly grabbed a shirt.

“Don’t you ever knock?” he growled at Tommy, “You come into this place and act like you own it.  A little privacy would be nice,” he said, stuffing his arms into a navy blue button-down shirt.

“If you closed your door, you wouldn’t have that problem,” Tommy bit back.  He walked up to him.

“Your mom told me you had scars,” he said, reaching out to touch the edge of the fabric that Oliver had stopped buttoning, “but this is beyond ridiculous!”

Tommy pushed the fabric away from Oliver’s chest, fully exposing the massive scarring on his right shoulder and the rest of his chest and stomach.  Oliver didn’t flinch.  Tommy’s hands wandered over his destroyed skin without Ollie showing any sign of being bothered by it.  Tommy ran his fingers over the torn flesh of each of the visible scars, wanting to ask about each, but afraid to look up and see the disgust in Oliver’s eyes.  He’d wanted to touch Oliver so many times before, but now that he was, he didn’t want to see Oliver’s reaction to his touching him so intimately.  He figured that as long as Oliver allowed it, he would take advantage.

Oliver didn’t know what to do.  He was standing in the middle of his room with his unbuttoned shirt wide open letting his best friend of twenty-plus years look his fill of the scars that riddled his body.  He allowed Tommy’s exploration willingly.  Tommy was keeping his head low, not allowing him to catch his eye.  Tommy’s gentle touch on the scar on his shoulder startled him, but he’d learned long ago not to react to touch.

“What happened here?” Tommy asked quietly, touching the scar on his right shoulder.

Ollie had no idea what possessed him, but he responded.

“Shot in the shoulder with an arrow from behind,” he said stiffly, controlling his voice and trying desperately to still his reaction to Tommy’s attentive touch.

“An arrow?” he asked, “Like the hooded man that’s been running around Starling City?”

“I guess,” Ollie responded softly.  Tommy’s touch had him wanting more than this simple contact.  He wanted to sink to the floor and take Tommy with him, but he wasn’t sure his best friend even realized what he was doing.

Tommy’s hand smoothed over the scar tissue.  He opened his hand flat and lightly pressed his palm to the largest part of the scar before he let his hand slide down the plane of Ollie’s chest.  Oliver couldn’t stand the intense thrill that passed through his body at that contact.  Before Tommy could pull his hand away, Oliver grabbed it with his right hand and held Tommy’s palm to his chest.  Tommy finally lifted his eyes and frightened brown met aroused blue.

“What are you doing, Tommy?” Ollie asked.

“What do you mean?” he nearly squeaked.

“Tommy,” Oliver warned, “I’ve been on an island for five years, without the kind touch of another human being.  You’re pushing a boundary you might not want to cross.  I’m just saying…”

Tommy’s eyes softened, the fear melting away.

“Y-you’re ok with it?” he stuttered, “I-I mean…i-if you aren’t, I’ll-I’ll stop.”

He tried to pull his hand away, but Oliver wouldn’t let it go.  Instead, Oliver pulled him closer.

“I’m more than okay with it, Tom,” he said lowly, “Believe it or not, I’ve dreamt of it.”

“You what?” Tommy asked incredulously.

Ollie was done talking.  He pulled Tommy closer and smashed his lips into his. 

Tommy hesitated for only a moment before he responded to the kiss fully.  He pulled his hand free and wrapped his arms around Oliver, one hand on the back of his head, the other wrapped around his waist. 

He had always had feelings for Oliver; feelings that he had hidden with snide jokes and taking a new girl home each night.  But he had never thought or dared to hope that maybe Oliver had felt the same.  He flicked his tongue through his lips experimentally and Ollie opened his mouth and welcomed him.  Their tongues melded and Oliver pulled their lower bodies tighter together.  Tommy felt himself grow harder and felt the hardness of Oliver as well.  He heard the groan and wasn’t sure who it had come from.  They both hesitated and pulled back to look at the other.

Oliver shot him a cheeky grin, the first Tommy had seen since he’d gotten back.  Suddenly, they were both giggling.  They held on to each other, not wanting to let the other go. The giggles grew and soon they were laughing so hard that they had to pull away.  At that moment, Diggle walked in the door to let them know that the car was ready, setting off a new set of laughter.

Oliver settled first and looked at Dig.

“Thanks, Dig,” he smiled, “We’ll be right down.”

Diggle nodded after a curious look at each of them in turn and turned to head down the stairs.  Oliver looked at Tommy, a new-found emotion in his eyes.  Tommy smiled almost shyly at Ollie.

“This is SO not over, Tommy,” Oliver said seriously.

Oliver reached out and grabbed Tommy’s hand, pulling him in for a quick, light kiss before turning toward the door and tugging him toward their meeting.

“I hope not,” Tommy replied quietly, “I really hope not!” as he followed Oliver out the door.