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For as long as Ollie could remember, something had felt wrong. His skin crawled when people called him Miss Queen. People treated Miss Queen like a spoiled rich girl, bound to waste away the money inherited from her parents. No one afforded Miss Queen any respect.
Maybe she didn’t deserve it. Maybe she was complicit and foolish.
Maybe she was compensating for the fact she never existed at all.
By the time Ollie was rescued from Starfish Island, having destroyed the heroin operation being run there and alerted the authorities, it felt like he was a different person. Like he’d learned something about himself.
Only a few weeks later, Ollie announced that Queen Industries would be rethinking many of their policies, and that he would be taking a more vested interest in the running of the company. That caused plenty of stir on its own.
Then, Ollie announced that he would be changing his name to Oliver Queen – that he had realized something about himself during those weeks of isolation – and left that press conference the only one not shouting at the top of his lungs.
He’d always known how to make a statement.
Ollie liked the Justice League just fine, but there was one person who he loved more than any other – Black Canary. What a woman! She was confident, powerful and unwilling to put up with shit from anyone.
Just his type.
They’d snuck away from the rest of the Justice League after missions, when the adrenaline was high, their blood was pumping, and there was only so much else they could think of to calm themselves. Black Canary had been the one to kiss him first, and man… Ollie was not complaining. They’d shared a few kisses since then, every one of them frantic and breathless, but Black Canary always pulled away before things went any further. Not that Ollie expected anything more, but… he was curious if it was ever gonna be on the table.
“Hey, Pretty Bird?”
Dinah looked up at him through her blonde eyelashes. “What?”
“I really like you, you know that?”
“Gee, is that so? I never would have guessed…” Black Canary grumbled, rolling her eyes. “What’s this about?”
“I was just thinking… if we’re gonna do anything other than kissing, you gotta know something about me.”
The look on Ollie’s face must have finally registered with Black Canary, because she straightened up instantly. “I’m listening?”
“I don’t exactly have all the equipment you might be expecting.” He was working on it, but scheduling a surgery and the necessary recovery time around Queen Industries and his vigilantism was tricky business. “Just… wanted to tell you. You know, in case that’s a dealbreaker.”
He really hoped it wouldn’t be. He loved Black Canary. Having to break things off would kill his little heart.
Black Canary stared at him for a long moment, causing Ollie to avert his eyes. Things were starting to feel awkward. Black Canary’s question only made things weirder. “Is this… some sort of joke?”
“Why would I joke about something like that?”
“I don’t know. It’s a shitty joke, though.”
Ollie frowned. “Come on, you know me, Pretty Bird. I don’t go around trying to piss you off. Besides, it’s not a joke.”
“... are you serious?”
“Serious as a heart attack.”
To Ollie’s surprise, Black Canary’s lips quirked into a smile. “All this time, I was scared to tell you…”
It took Ollie a few seconds to catch on. “You mean…?”
“That’s why I never let things go too far,” Black Canary admitted. “I didn’t want you to find out and… hate me for it.”
“I could never hate you, Pretty Bird,” Ollie said gently. “Especially not for that. It’d be the same as hating myself.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that. You’re no good at being hateable.”
“Being hateable? You’ve had more eloquent moments, Canary.”
Black Canary rolled her eyes. “Now, being annoying, on the other hand…”
“You know you love me for it,” Ollie snarked. “Right, Birdie?”
Black Canary answered his question with a kiss.