Sitting Down with dl_greenarrow

[quickreflexes5]

Ian walked through the lobby of the large building taking a deep breath and nodding towards the doorman as he made his way to the elevator. He'd been there a ton of times before, and a few times since Oliver had moved back to Star City, but somehow today felt slightly different. It was close to three in the afternoon and he was meeting up with Oliver so they could talk. He stepped into the elevator, reached out pushing the button for the penthouse, and when it prompted him for the code he started to type it in before he swore to himself and canceled it.

That was exactly what he needed, to walk right in and let Oliver know he'd obviously been there alone with Mia before. That really wasn't the way he wanted to start his visit. He cleared his throat and pushed the buzzer as he stood there waiting for Oliver to answer.

Comments

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

"I trust Mia's judgment." He studied the younger man. "But you seem to have as much dislike for me as I do for you, so why don't we talk about that?"

[quickreflexes5.livejournal.com]

His jaw clenched and he was silent for a minute while he gathered his thoughts studying Oliver's face and debating on what exactly he wanted to tell him.

"I don't know you very and I don't know how much you know about me, but my guess is more than you should," He paused brows furrowing. "Mia thinks you're this amazing guy...I'm pretty sure you couldn't do wrong in her eyes if you tried."

He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Me I see a guy who tried to help a girl who was in a bad place...and that's commendable."

He met Oliver's eyes, "But what was the point of helping her if you were just going to dump her into a strange city where she doesn't know anyone and leave?"

Ian shook his head lifting his hands out of his pocket slightly agitated. "You know you don't like me being around or how I joke around with Mia or that we're so close, but I was here with her. I was her friend. I'm the one who sat up on the phone with her all night when she had nightmares for weeks straight...where were you?"

Ian hadn't meant to get so angry, but his parents had left him when he was little and he spent years in foster care before he was emancipated. He knew what it was like to feel like no on cared. And even though Mia didn't seem upset by Oliver not being around, because apparently he called and visited when he could he still thought it was wrong of him to just leave.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

Oliver stared at him for a long moment, listening to the anger in the younger man's voice, seeing it in his expression, and things began to make a lot more sense.

"There's nothing I can tell you that won't sound like a string of excuses." He shook his head a little. "And honestly, I can't explain things to you anyway. There's a lot you don't know about me, about my life."

He paused for a moment. "There was too much involved and there was too much at stake for Mia to stay in Metropolis when I found her. I have enemies. People who hate me because of who I am. And back there? Things were dangerous. She was a target. And I didn't like sending her away and leaving her to deal alone. It's why I was back here as often as I could be. Why I called and texted her constantly after she came here to live."

Oliver paused for a moment, looking down at the floor. Then he looked up once more. "But I can tell you this much. I'm here now. And I'm not going anywhere. So I think it would be a good idea for the two of us to come to some kind of an understanding for Mia's sake. Because she's been through enough."

[quickreflexes5.livejournal.com]

Ian's shoulder's deflated slightly as he leaned back against the counter and nodded. He probably just succeeded in making Oliver hate him more when he promised Mia he'd try to get along with him.

His chest tightened slightly as he looked up at the frowning man.

"Mia is the first person I've been able to open up to and be myself around in a long time. She means..." he swallowed heavily throat slightly dry, "more than you know to me. She's so happy your back...happy to have a family. I just don't want to see her get hurt," he said softly.

Ian turned his eyes towards the floor for a second before gazing back up at Oliver. "I might not know everything she's been through, but I know it's a lot. I'm not the bad guy you think I am...I would do anything to protect her, Mia can count on me."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

Oliver's expression softened a little at Ian's confession. "I don't think you're a bad guy," he said honestly. "And if you're being honest, then we want the same thing. Mia safe and happy."

He leaned back against the counter. "Why don't we both agree to keep an open mind about one another?"

[quickreflexes5.livejournal.com]

"I am being honest. I don't have a reason to lie." He said lightly before hesitating and scratching the back of his neck. "If I was going to lie to you I wouldn't have bothered coming here."

"And yeah, I guess I can do that...and while we're keeping an open mind on things and since I told you where I stand, I think it's only fair if you tell me why you're not crazy about me..."