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Dinah had been working all day at the watchtower and hadn't been called out once, she had been stuck where she was, sorting through the boring side of hero work while her husband risked his life in the field.
She knew it came with their job and she knew he could defend himself and kick ass but it didn't stop her from worrying.
As the day ended Dinah felt an itch grow under her skin, the need to take care of Ollie, to have him back here and safe in her arms.
After an hour that felt like it stretched for years, the zeta lit up and chimed a familiar moniker and a number she had happily memorised that signified the return of Green Arrow.
Dinah smiled and minimised the screens she had been working on, turning to see Oliver who looked exhausted down to the bone, his bottom lip quivering slightly.
His clothes were drenched, his hair stuck to his forehead and his feet dragged across the floor.
"Come here darling"
Dinah beckoned with open arms, with a little hesitation Ollie slumped into her arms, wrapping his hands around her waist and pulling her as close as humanly possible.
Dinah simply sighed, happy to have her boy back in her arms, nothing else mattered, not her suit, not her work, just Ollie.
She took a small step back and cupped Ollie's cheek.
"Let's get you cleaned up Arrow boy"
Dinah grabbed his hand and pulled him through the familiar corridors of the watchtower toward their room. Ollie's grip was tight, almost afraid to let go as they walked. Even as they entered the room he wouldn't let go of Dinah's hand.
It was no hindrance to Dinah of course, she was well used to this and didn't mind a bit.
She tugged Oliver into their ensuite and sat him down on the closed lid of the toilet.
With a kiss pressed to his forehead and sweet reassurances of her return muttered in between each gentle press of lips she went to collect the softest clothes Ollie owned.
She folded them gently and placed them on the bathroom counter before beginning to run the bath.
She quickly turned back to Ollie once the water began filling the tub and asked him to stand. With a wince of pain Ollie did as he was asked he stood with, almost toppling in the process but catching himself on the sink.
"Hold on to me hun"
Dinah placed Ollie's hands on her shoulders and made sure he was stable before she knelt down to begin un-lacing and unbuckling his boots, removing the fluffy socks underneath with them and putting them aside.
"Are you okay to be undressed"
It was an innocent question but Ollie's cheeks and ears went pink as he nodded.
Dinah made as quick work as she could with how the pants were stuck to Oliver's legs but she managed to wiggle them off without too much fuss, tossing them over the shower to be dealt with later.
Ollie stumbled again so Dinah sat him back down and unzipped his vest, peeling off the heavy fabric, noting the wince of pain as Ollie lifted and bent his arm.
"Can you tell me where it hurts, kit?"
Dinah knelt down in front of Ollie once more and gently rubbed his legs to gain his attention.
With a small pained moan Ollie pointed to his ribs, knees, shoulders and feet.
Dinah tutted with concern and began to massage his feet gently until the tub was filled with warm water.
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Now that the tub was filled, Dinah fussed with magnesium salts and bath bombs, she also lit a couple fragrant candles and made sure she had the soft towels set out.
Once all of that had been set out and sorted she helped Ollie into the bath and shucked her own clothes before climbing in behind him.
Ollie immediately leaned back against her chest and curled up slightly.
Dinah took it as an opportunity to begin lathering soap in her palms to scrub the grime off her boy.
They, -they being heroes-, were always filthy after a day in the field and there was nothing worse than crashing immediately after getting back and waking up dirty. Dinah knew that first hand.
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Once she scrubbed off most of the grime she splashed her hands in the sparkly green water to rinse them and then grabbed the shampoo, taking her time to massage it through Ollie's hair to hear his contented purrs and babbles.
Next was conditioner which she combed through Ollie's hair and left to sit.
Holding a quiet conversation with Ollie as he splashed around in the sparkly water with a little smile on his face, mumbling mostly to himself about things Dinah didn't catch more than a few words of.
Still, she smiled, happy to see the stress falling away from Ollie's frame.
Once the water started to cool Dinah pulled the plug and took him to the shower to rinse off any last muck and remove the conditioner before quickly wrapping him in a fluffy towel and drying him.
After what Dinah assumed was a full day in the rain and sewers, she wasn't risking Ollie getting sick.
Once he was mostly dry she dressed him in clean underwear, soft pyjama pants with bats on them, an oversized Black Canary hoodie and his Green Arrow socks.
Dinah sat him on the bed and quickly got herself dressed, pulling on grey sweats and an old band tee.
"Alright, all clean and snug as a bug, let's get some food in that tum"
The routine was easy, affectionate, loving.
It worked for them, better than anything ever had.
Ollie needed security, gentleness and to be taken care of and Dinah needed to nurture, protect and occasionally kick ass for someone.
They were a perfect pair.
With that thought easily warming both their hearts, Ollie let himself be led to the kitchen, once again holding onto Dinah's hand for dear life.
After arriving in the Watchtower's kitchen he sat up on the bench like a cat and watched Dinah prepare food for both of them. Occasionally she would stop to scratch under his chin or ruffle his hair and Ollie preened with delight.
Dinah would simply chuckle and carry on with what she was doing.
Their dinner was prepared quickly, it was mac and cheese with a side of some very small vegetables that made Ollie chuckle. Baby carrot, baby corn, cherry tomatoes and some other regular salad.
As well as a protein shake in a bottle.
Nights like these never had the highest nutritional value or kept them full all night so Ollie would sip on the strawberry flavoured shake throughout the night and was allowed to keep a snack with him for bed.
It was another thing Oliver had found himself loving, even on days where they both needed it less, the foundation was still there.
Dinah would still make sure he brushed his teeth morning and night and would still keep snacks in their room for Oliver.
It was the little things like that, that Oliver found himself loving the most.
And for Dinah, that statement could not have possibly held more truth. She adored her little. She loved Ollie with all her heart, her boy, her hero. Her world.
With both of them finishing up dinner they rinsed their dishes and headed to their room to do their nightly routines before settling into bed.
Dinah pulled Ollie close to her chest and sang a sweet lullaby as she petted through his hair, occasionally bringing the shake up to Ollie's lips for him to drink from.
That gesture was one they both held dear.
Ollie struggled with food after coming back from Liànyù, so nursing helped, just water or juice at first then milk and shakes, eventually Dinah had him back to eating full meals but the sentiment was still there for both of them.
With the bottle beginning to empty and Ollie beginning to fall asleep in her arms, Dinah turned her singing down to a whisper and stroked her thumb down Ollie's cheek.
She pulled a blanket over both of them and simply watched for a while as Ollie curled into her side, his face completely peaceful as he slept.
"Sleep well little one"