The Speed to Rob a Queen's Heart - Olivarry

Surprise, Mr. Queen

Oliver sinks himself onto his desk chair. The time on his laptop read 8:49 A.M, leaving eleven minutes left for him to spare before his first meeting of the day. He wraps his hand around his coffee mug, forcing coffee down his throat to calm his nerves.

Being a Queen didn't just mean being Starling's royalty. It meant being the CEO of not only the Queen Foundation, but of Queen Consolidated. It meant honoring the legacy of his parents, carrying on the family name.

Nowadays, Oliver wasn't sure if he was detested by the life he was now forced to lead. He was only grateful that Walter Steele remained a vital partner to the organization, aiding him in the many decisions it took to rule. But not always could Walter hold his hand, where as on many more occasions, he was alone. It was all up to him. Everything and everyone depended on him.

Every time Oliver sat in the office his mother and father once considered a second home, his heart ached. The responsibility of success buried his shoulders severely. The fear of failing circulated through his bloodstream. The guilt he carried was like a toxin that filled the air. The memory of himself as a little boy crying to his mother saying I didn't mean to disappoint you mommy after breaking an old antique that she loved flashed through his mind. He could still remember the pieces it had broken into, and the look on his mother's face when she had discovered what he had done. He was only six at the time of the incident, and yet that memory stayed with him even as far into his thirties. Before he made every decision that involved the Queen's name and money, he returned to that cold, winter night, imagining that if he failed this task, that same look would color his mother's face if she were here with him today, felt with a greater disappointment towards him.

He had done the same thing when bribing the hospital into giving Barry and Iris visitation rights once Ralph got out of surgery, and scoring him an even bigger and better room to stay in, knowing first hand what hell it was to wake up in a hospital room alone. Handing over his credit card to the staff, all he could think about was of his parents, wondering if he had disappointed them yet.

Oliver flashes back to the rest of last night while waiting for his first guest of the day.

"Come on," Oliver groans while aiding a half asleep Barry outside the car. "This is your place, right?" Barry flutters his eyes open to the house Oliver had parked at, followed by a nod to confirm that it indeed was.

Oliver feels Barry latch onto him as they walked towards the door. Once they reached it, Oliver pokes Barry awake to ask, "Keys?"

Barry yawns greatly, digging his hand into his pocket to retrieve them. Once he opens the door for the two of them, he nearly falls, being caught by Oliver almost immediately, and was thrown into his arms. "Hey, so you really did sweep me off my feet!" Barry croaks, trying his best to keep his eyes open.

Oliver laughs. "Where's your room?"

"Upstairs then to the left." Barry answers, laying his head gently on Oliver's shoulder as Oliver carried him up the stairs.

Making it to Barry's bedroom, Oliver slowly lays Barry onto his bed, tucking him in as comfortable as he possibly could. Barry's speech slurs as Oliver had done this, leaving Oliver unable to understand anything except the words 'case' and 'tomorrow'. But as soon as Oliver finishes, stroking Barry's cheek softly, a small ounce of energy bursts out of Barry. He opens his eyes wide open to look at the man that made sure he made home safely, asking him in a coat of a whisper, "Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?"