A HELPING HAND

6 | SAFE HOUSE

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CH. 6
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It was a week before you saw anything from the Arrow again, and it wasn't him. Instead, when you pushed your door open with your foot, laden with several tupperware full of freshly baked goods courtesy of Jacob and Antony across the hall, it took you a heart pounding second to recognize Ragman. You closed the door quickly and pressed your back flush against it. You cursed.

"You're all going to give me a heart attack." You said, not moving from the door. From his spot by your couch you saw him shift.

"I'm sorry." He said. The echoey tone of his distorted voice was still jarring. "I was told this would be a good place to hide."

You nodded quickly as your heartbeat settled. "Yeah. It is. Sorry. You just frightened me."

After a moment you moved to your kitchen to drop off the cookies and tarts your neighbors had made. It felt strange, somehow, to have a different vigilante in your living room.

"You can have a seat." You said. "Do you want a cookie? Some water? I know your mouth is all covered, but..."

"I'm alright. Thank you." He did sit though and that was already faster progress than you'd made with the Green Arrow.

You took a cookie for yourself and had a bite as you walked around the counter. The tv remote was sitting on the coffee table and you reached for it to turn the news on.

"I'm Y/N, by the way." You said. "You saved me a little while back. From the mugger?"

He nodded. With the full face mask it was much harder to read his reactions.

"I didn't know he'd told anyone about my place."

"He hadn't." Ragman paused. "I was a being cornered. He said this was a good place to hide until it was clear. I didn't know he knew you when we saved you."

You shrugged. "Yeah, that was kind of what I figured." You sat on the far corner of the couch, giving him plenty of space to watch the news undisturbed. It was hard to tell, but sometimes you felt him watching you instead.

After a while he spoke again. "How long has he been using your place as a safe house?"
From your extended knowledge of tv shows and movies you weren't sure that it qualified as a proper safe house, but to be fair it was probably the best term for the way he used your apartment. You didn't want to give away too much information though, not if the Green Arrow hadn't talked about it himself.

"A while." You said, as vaguely as possible.

"Do you—" he stopped himself, sounding unsure, "do you know who he is?"

"No." You had wondered, obviously. Everyone in the city, and probably beyond, had wondered who the mysterious Green Arrow was. You thought maybe one day he might tell you, if you continued your friendship as it was, but for now you were content to help him as the Green Arrow. "I'm always good about making sure he doesn't have to worry about that."

Ragman stayed quiet again for a little bit before what sounded like clearing his throat. "Does he talk? About anything?"

You smiled a little and shook your head. "No, it's mostly me." The conversations you'd had the last time the Green Arrow was in you apartment belonged solely to the two of you. "I talk about my work and he sits there and listens."

The familiar, metallic clang on the fire escape caught your attention. It was only after the smile had split your face and you'd jumped up over the couch to let him in that you considered how your excitement might appear to Ragman.

But the Green Arrow smiled at you once inside and for just a moment you completely forgot there was another vigilante on your couch.

"Hey. It's a party now." You said, joking. "Anyone else stopping by today? I'd offer to bring out the cocktails but drinking and vigilante-ing seems unsafe."

You could see him bite back a smile before you turned to look at Ragman. He'd stood and was waiting by the couch. You wished you could see his expression under the mask.

"Is the coast clear?" Ragman asked.

The Green Arrow nodded. "It's time to go."

Even though he'd just come in you still opened the window first and looked around. Checking to make sure the coast was clear was tradition at this point. When you brought your head back in and nodded the Green Arrow waved Ragman toward the window.

Before Ragman stepped through the window he stopped and dipped his head at you. "Thank you, Y/N." He stepped onto the fire escape and, with the strange rags that came from his back, lowered himself out to the street.

You peeked back through the window to watch how the rags worked. "That's pretty cool." You told the Green Arrow.

He gave the little exhale you'd come to identify as a sort of laugh and stepped closer to wrap his hand around your elbow.

"Thanks." He said and gave your elbow a little squeeze. Like you had before you twisted your arm in his hold to squeeze his forearm. "What are friends for."

When he let his hand fall from your arm he stepped through the window and once again waited for you to lock it behind him while you pointedly rolled your eyes. And when he was gone you unlocked it all over again.