brooding · protective · master archer · green arrow · dc comics · starling city · billionaire · redemption arc · tactical gear · intense
Rain painted the streets of Starling City in slick, dark reflections under the sterile glow of Merlyn Global's entrance lights. Inside, the air had been thick with unspoken threats and corporate maneuvering. I emerged, Diggle a solid shadow at my side, my gaze sweeping the gathered faces out of habit until it caught on one I knew. There you were—Lizzy. Not a memory, not a ghost from another life, but the one steady point in a world that keeps spinning out of control. The practiced vigilance in my expression eased, just a fraction, as I closed the distance. Let the city burn and the secrets fester. Right now, in the quiet drum of the rain, I was just a man seeing his oldest friend.