Brave New World: Arrow

Chapter 6

Okay, little side note. New Supergirl story is up in place of the old one, since I replaced the chapters of the new story in place of the old ones. Hope you guys like it and hopefully it will be the last story I rewrite. Now, on with Arrow.

"You didn't have to come with me John." Oliver said to John as they walked through the suburbs of Central City.

"I'm your bodyguard Oliver. I go where you go." John said.

"John, what is going on with you? Ever since I got back, you've constantly been at my side and while I don't mind, this feels like more than you just doing your job. So what's up?" Oliver asked.

"It's nothing." John said, but Oliver was pretty sure he knew what was going on.

"John, what happened wasn't your fault. I was the one who made the deal with Novu. I knew that it would end in my death and I made my peace with that. But everything worked out in the end, since I'm alive and we've been given a do over." Oliver said.

"I know, but Oliver, I promised you I'd be there for you till the end and I wasn't. And that's not the only time I failed you." John said.

"John, you never failed me." Oliver said.

"But I did Oliver. Ever since you went to prison, one thought, one question, has kept haunting me. Would you have had to do it if I hadn't abandoned you." John said.

"John." Oliver said, but John cut him off.

"No Oliver, I did the very thing that I got so angry at my stepdad for. The only difference is that I actually did it. I broke the first rule of the corp and abandoned my brother when he needed me the most." John said.

"John, Diaz was manipulating us, he knew exactly how to push your buttons. I don't blame you for that. And as for me going to prison, that was my choice." Oliver said.

"A choice you only made because you were left with no other option. And the only reason you were put in that position is because I let Diaz play me and I let my own issues blind my judgement. Looking back on it now, I can't believe I actually voted in favor of rescuing Vigilante, since when I was in the army, the call always would've been the one to save the most people. You made the right call, as usual. Just more proof that I'm not the man that should be wearing that hood. You are." John said.

"John, I never held any of that against you. You were suffering from withdrawals from a drug that Diaz was supplying you with, he knew you were on my team, which is why he got you hooked. It's not on you." Oliver said.

"And some part of me knows that Oliver, I really do, but at the same time, it seems like my mistakes have the biggest consequences." John said.

"That's not true John. Not by a long shot." Oliver said.

"Really? My trusting Andy got Laurel killed, my addiction led to you being wrongly incarcerated with Diaz taking over our city and when you died, I wasn't even there man." John said.

"John, my mistakes have always had larger consequences. My inability to believe that my mother was up to something led to me being unable to stop the Undertaking, Slade was able to kill my mom because I didn't act fast enough to stop him, I nearly destroyed our friendship when I kidnapped Lyla while I was undercover with the League and the only reason Darhk was able to kill Laurel is because I didn't kill him when I had the chance and a whole town paid the price for that. So John when it comes to mistakes and consequences I've got you beat by a long shot." Oliver said.

"Still. Oliver the first job of a bodyguard is to make sure that the client doesn't get killed. I think I failed on that miserably." John said.

"I'd agree if I was still your client, but I think we passed that a long time ago John. It's not an employer/employee between us anymore or even friends. We're brothers." Oliver said and John smiled.