#perpetualxaffinity

new (sub)verse starter for @perpetualxaffinity

Gaze shot swiftly upward, meeting Tommy’s eyes with a spark in his own. The remnants of guilt lingered at the corners of his lips, hindering any attempt he may have made at a smile. Things had been tense, to say the least, since Tommy found out who Oliver is — since finding out his best friend was the vigilante. But they were Tommy and Oliver and one way or another things would clear up.  Eventually, they would get back to their normal selves. If Oliver didn’t believe in anything else, he believed in that. In them.

“Hey.” The lone word carried only a short distance with the quiet that overcame him. Mere days ago he’d been right there in Merlyn Global only using his best friend as an alibi. A reason for being caught there. While the mission had been successful and Felicity got to the information they needed, Oliver hadn’t enjoyed how he left things with Tommy and he certainly knew that getting back on track wasn’t going to be easy. He knew that it would take time — time that he didn’t have — to convince Tommy to forgive him, but maybe this was a start.

→ @perpetualxaffinity

They had barely been back in Star City. Barely settling in and their lives seemed to just keep changing, not that Oliver minded. So long as he had Tommy by his side, he didn’t care where in the world they ended up. Truth be told, the team needed him. The city needed him. And that responsibility, the fact that he had promised he would protect their home, was the reason for the upcoming conversation, though he’d been perfectly content to just watch Tommy every time he had a chance to look up from the dinner he was cooking.

A smile graced his lips, happiness evident even in his eyes. Of course he had been concerned about returning to his life as the Green Arrow. He had been concerned it would complicate their relationship in ways they weren’t ready for. Aside from deciding to postpone from proposing, it hadn’t had any significant effects yet. It almost seemed like it was possible for them to have it all. Things were going so well and he knew, logically, that that meant he needed to slow down. Not embrace the good, since the bad always ended up worse, but he had lost his ability to think straight around Tommy.

Food finished and was promptly placed onto plates that he carried from the kitchen to the couch, setting them both down on the coffee table before turning to Tommy. Carefully taking the other man’s hands in his own, Oliver had given up entirely on ridding himself of the grin that had spread so easily. “Tommy, I’ve been — trying all day to wait for the right time to do this, but I... need to tell you something.” A deep breath helped prepare him. “These last five months with you have been... perfect. You know I love you and you just mean the world to me. You always have.”