Starling Wing - Arrow & Rising Robin Crossover Fanfic

Chapter VI: The Mayor

Richard laid in bed, staring up at the roof above him. He had his hands laid back behind his head. He attempted to steady his breathing, letting his eyes close shut. He felt his chest rise & fall to the beat of his heart, but even as he tried to relax, he couldn't. His mind continued to race & his thoughts fled, bouncing around his skull like millions of lightning bolts bursting all around his mind. His thoughts bounced from Bruce to Barbara, from his scattered team to the League, from Jason to the Green Arrow. So much has gotten to Richard, drilling anxiety into his mind.

Richard sat up in the bed. He always had a hard time meditating, putting his mind to ease. He could never do it on his own.

Tim had gone downstairs, to the restaurant in the lobby for the free continental breakfast. Richard was too tired to make his way down, & the boy didn't hesitate to leave him behind for the pancakes & bacon. Richard decided to take the time to examine the Batarang that the mysterious biker left behind the night before.

The biker must have been Jason. Who else would use Batarangs at those murder scenes?

Richard was suddenly startled by a vibrating coming from the nightstand in between the two beds. Richard sat up in the bed & reached over to the nightstand, slapping his hand over his phone. He brought his phone up to his face & scanned the screen. He was getting a phone call from an unknown number. The area code was one from Star City.

Richard swiped the answer key & brought the phone to his ear. "Hello?" he answered.

"Hello, is this Mr. Grayson?" asked a deep voiced man.

"Yeah," Richard answered slowly. "Who am I speaking to?"

The man cleared his throat. "This is Oliver Queen. I'm calling on behalf of my sister in regards to your presentation this week."

Richard gasped softly to himself. The Mayor of Star City was calling Richard personally. Was this even ethical? Why hadn't Thea just sent a receptionist to leave him a message. "Pardon me, Mr. Queen. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I was hoping we could talk face to face. Have you had breakfast yet?"

Richard parked his car along the curb of the breakfast join that Oliver Queen was meeting him at. Richard felt unprepared for this; being alone in a public spot with the Mayor. He was only supposed to sell his product to the Mayor in his presentation, which the Mayor wasn't even there for. Maybe that's why he felt the need to see Richard today; to make up for his absence that morning. Still, it seemed odd. What did he really want?

Richard took a deep breath as he walked around the car, up into the front patio of the restaurant. He needed to relax. His paranoia had become a natural thing for Richard.

Richard approached the blonde haired man in the suit & scruffy beard. The man turned & stood as Richard smiled softly. "Good morning, Mayor Queen," Richard said.

Oliver Queen smiled, holding out his hand. "Please," he said. "Call me Oliver."

Richard nodded, shaking his hand. "Alright, Oliver." Richard sat down on the chair opposite Oliver's. "Thank you for inviting me out this morning."

Oliver waved Richard off. "Please, it's the least I could do after skipping out on your presentation the other day. It was so rude, & I apologize."

Richard shrugged. "I didn't mind. Your sister was polite enough, to be honest."

Oliver chuckled softly, glancing at his glass of water. "Yeah, she's something else."

Richard cleared his throat, glancing around the restaurant. It was still early, but, there weren't a lot of people in the restaurant. A waiter hadn't even shown up yet. It felt strange to Richard. "So," Richard started. "No security detail?"