Ok, READ THIS FIRST! This story might be yaoi aka guy on guy action. It's 'Christmas Arrow' Green Arrow and Speedy/Red Arrow. If you do not like, do not read.

Other side notes: I will be using 'Speedy' when it's just Green and him, but 'Red Arrow' when he's around other people. Pairings: Green Arrow/ Red Arrow (Speedy) if you squint.

I don't own DC comics or any of the characters being used here. I'm just taking them for a test drive… and slightly suspecting I should apply for a writing job with Cartoon Network.

Seriously, if you don't like, turn around NOW. I do not want flamers here. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED IN ADVANCE.

*undergoing revisions. Please be patient.

Roy couldn't believe it. What the hell happened? How the hell did it happen? This wasn't even supposed to be possible.

It all started when he had made a run for the goods. Yeah, those goods. The kind he'd kept secret from not only his friends in Batman's kiddy group, but from Ollie as well. Hell, he'd kept it a secret for some time now, and frankly, he felt like there was no way he could turn to his ment- former mentor. After all, Ollie always treated him like family. Like he always had a place to go but there was no way he could even think about giving his old mentor a ring in this condition. It was embarrassing to say the least… track marks up and down both arms, eyes carrying bags twice his dwindling weight, and now tied up in his seller's warehouse while his goons decided to feel him up whenever they damned well pleased.

He actually hadn't eaten in days, and thankfully he'd forgotten his Spee- Red Arrow suit at his place. No one would report a rogue superher- sidekick missing. Especially one that left his mentor so abruptly. Roy was certain that Ollie was still sore over their last confrontation… and at that point, they had argued even later that evening about the embarrassment they both underwent in front of the league and the new 'team' as Ollie had called it. Roy took off that evening and didn't look back. Star City was his home, and Star City had more apartments than Ollie would ever try looking for him in. The next evening, he decided to try something that Ollie would never approve of- just to prove that he could do it. He cashed in $100 for heroin, and one thing led to another. He lost his virginity, found himself among 'new friends', and subsequently landed himself here about a month later. He tried to overdose after seeing Green with his new lost puppy- Artemis. Oh yeah, and then he'd woke up the next morning late for work and vomiting like there was no tomorrow. And he actually allowed his thoughts to wander back to the previous evening of wanting that bastard to come save him. Of all the people in the world, he wanted that jerk to save him from himself.

Just fuck.

Green didn't want anything to do with him. He wouldn't save him, even if he landed himself in the hospital with that bastard as his only contact. Hell, he'd probably call Bats to come get him before ever relenting to the jerk that abandoned him in front of the league.

But as for now, he was trying to make sure his pants didn't come off for these groping morons. His shirt and jacket had already been taken and thrown somewhere. And the only reason he was tied up in front of these guys was that he didn't have the guts to throw them off when they tackled him to the ground in his junked up state.

"So, this is what's become of the infamous 'Speedy'. Green Arrow's kid, right?" The mob boss said, taking his time to allow his eclipsing shadow to cover Roy's face as he knelt down and gripped the young man's tied arm, still stinging from the needle. Roy tried to lash out, but failed as his legs missed entirely. The boss gave an evil chuckle, which then rose to a clown's laugh.

Oh no- nonono- no- Jokers.

This was bad.

If Bat's old crew had taken the time to come to Star City and targeted him. Something was seriously wrong in the league. And while his hurt heart wanted to blame the elder arrow, he couldn't think that even their spat would justify this kind of betrayal.

"Screw off." He responded, wincing at the harshness of his voice. He must have been here for longer than he thought. Given that he was acting completely in defense, he really felt like somewhere in the back of his undrugged mind, there was that annoying little voice of reason.

"No one's coming for you Speedy" The ever annoying voice of the Joker hissed into his ear as the cackles ceased. "Not even lover boy."

Lover boy?

"Your little Greeny has abandoned you. I take it he won't mind us testing out our new biochemical toy on his former protégé." The Joker hissed in his ear as he felt the bite of a needle press into an exposed vein. Everything got really fuzzy, but all Roy could think about was what the Joker had said.

'Lover boy?' was the only thought that hit his mind before the drug took over, sending him into a deep cloud of swirling darkness.

Ollie wasn't a happy man… and when he wasn't happy, all he could do was sit around and be a bitchy little billionaire.

Currently, he was nagging his butler to get him another 1987 glass of red Chateau Montellana while he beat the ever living crud out of Quan Shi in Mortal Kombat (as Reptile, but you saw that coming…) in his pajamas. He missed the days when Roy would sit less than a foot from him on this very sofa while they gave the butler a day off. And since they would be alone, Roy would lose the shirt, revealing that building chest and those unbelievably perfect abs…and poor Oliver would just stare when Roy wasn't looking or had dozed off against the many pillows they kept around. After he and Roy had the fight, Roy left, and Ollie never got the chance to apologize or explain. True, he had believed that Roy, despite being 16, was more than ready to join the big dogs in the Justice League. And he didn't actually know that Roy wasn't going to join, or the other kids for that matter, but he felt like he really let Roy down more than anything else. Roy meant the world to him, and the fact that the kid looked so disappointed when they last spoke just killed him. So when he went to talk to the kid later, he was hurt to find that all the kid's things were gone and he was nowhere to be found. Oliver couldn't think what to do after that. Well, aside from the 'brat tantrum' he threw once he realized the kid was actually gone. And Roy was 16, so in Star City, he was legally allowed to be on his own if he wanted to. Oliver couldn't do anything to get him back either, which stung worse than the time his first quantum arrow exploded in his face (it wasn't as big of a blast as his later inventions, but it still stung badly).

Oh what he would give to have Roy here, even just for a minute. Hell, he'd even left the windows open the last few nights in the rare hope that the kid would wander back and decide to come in.

"Master Oliver, there is a phone call for you." The butler said, handing him the phone as he paused his game at the exact moment that Reptile ate Quan Chi's head.

"Hello?" Oliver said, trying to stay as calm as possible as he silently hoped for the young apprentice to speak…

"Oliver, it's Bruce." The stoic voice of Batman came through the line, making Oliver's shoulder's droop in defeat as he tried to hold it together by what few strings of his patience wasn't completely frazzled.

"Hi Bruce. What's up?" He managed to mumble out without too much trouble. He personally wanted to kill the man right now for having such a picture fucking perfect life with Robin. Why couldn't Speedy just see things his way? And why the hell did he have to run off on him like that? He could have just waited for five minutes for the man to explain what happened… but then again… it wouldn't have been his Speedy if he hadn't acted irrationally once in a blue moon.

"There's been word of Jokers in your territory. I was wondering if you had any run ins with them in the last few days." Bruce asked, making Oliver ponder for a moment. Jokers? In his neck of the woods? What the hell were they up to here? Star City didn't have as much traffic of goods they normally targeted. Not like Gotham.

"Can't say I have Brucey. Why do you ask?" Oliver questioned. He could have sworn he heard Bruce sigh on the other end of the phone.

"Because they sent me some pictures through the Justice League address. They must have faked capturing Speedy. I was worrie-" Oliver didn't even hear the rest. He knew Bruce was talking, but it was all a buzzing sound as his thoughts rushed to Speedy.

"Where are they keeping him?" Oliver demanded. Bruce shut up in an instant.

"What do you mean Oliver?" Bruce said, startled by the aggression behind Oliver's normally happy voice. Oliver could have sworn the phone in his hand was screaming for mercy from his death grip.

"Speedy left me after the incident at the Justice League and the new team. He packed up his stuff and left." Oliver said, resigned to the fact that he felt like a complete failure when it came to Speedy.

"Oliver, can't you just send the cops after him? He's a runaway right?" Bruce said, trying to be as sympathetic as one man can be towards another when it came to advice with kids. Robin had never left him, so he really didn't know what to do about a kid who didn't want to be near an adult like Oliver. The man himself never seemed to grow up, so most kids adored him. Speedy was the only one who ever seemed to dislike the idea of staying a kid for a few more years.

"No. Here he can run off. He's 16, Bruce. I mean, I met him when he was 8, and since then he's always been here. I- can't think of life without him here. It's so cold in this damn house without him. I mean- fuck- I miss him so much. I don't even know where to start looking." Oliver barely managed to keep his composure as his emotions raged against his steadfast façade. Bruce sat straight up in his chair, waving off his secretary.

"He looks like he's in a warehouse… somewhere near water judging from the birds in the window. Try the piers. And you might want to hurry…" Bruce said, his voice stiff as he did his best to understand how the man was feeling.

"Why? What's happening to Speedy?" Oliver asked, breath catching in his throat. Bruce sighed deeply.

"I think it'd be better if a showed you. Get on your computer." Bruce said, trying his best not to jump out of his chair and rush to Star City to help his friend.

"Already there." Oliver said, pulling his computer off the floor where he'd pushed it off the sofa earlier.

"I'd brace myself if I were you." Bruce said, leaving Oliver confused. The man's email address came up as he sat waiting. He opened it and saw the attached files.

What came next made the bile in his stomach rise to his throat, as well as the sudden nonnegotiable urge to brutally murder the assholes behind this…

Speedy- his Speedy- was being held down to the floor by a Joker in the first one. That alone pissed him off.

The next one showed the monster's tying him to a pole and ripping off his shirt. Now Oliver wanted to kill them in the most painful way possible. NO ONE touched his Speedy like that. NO ONE.

But the next photo made him want to vomit. Speedy was being stabbed with what appeared to be a syringe. Were the Jokers trying to make him sick? Were they trying out a new bioterrorism weapon? What if he was hurt? What if they were trying to make him overdose on something awful? He was a good kid! He didn't ask for anything like drugs or seek a fight when there wasn't one already started! What on Earth were they thinking?

But the next picture was the straw that broke the camel's back. Speedy was now shoved to the floor and held in place by his tied wrists as one of the Joker's goons whipped out his crowbar, holding it near his ward's head. The young boy he'd raised was completely vulnerable under this bastard. Thank heaven he was unconscious. Oliver was worried that he would actually remember this later on and take it out on himself.

He didn't even look at the other photos in the pile, choosing to close the email and get ready to go. Speedy needed him, and even if the kid was pissed about it, he didn't want to wait any longer. The longer he waited the longer he risked losing Speedy to those sadistic Jokers.

Speedy awoke on the floor; sore, tried, and cold with his hands tied behind his back. He could barely move his arms as he tried to turn himself over. He felt like he'd been kicked repeatedly, since his sides were burning and there were boot prints on his chest from what little he could see. He tried to cover his lower body as he observed his surroundings, the heroin barely managing to make it out of his system as he came to. He could still feel the effects of the drug, but it was nothing compared to the amount they had given him earlier. His skin felt cold and his mouth still felt dry, but at least the euphoric feeling was gone. It always hindered his abilities.

This was the last time he did this shit. No more after this. He couldn't let himself be hindered by a substance of all things. Not if he wanted to show Ollie that he could make it on his own. And no one would believe that a druggie was anything worthwhile if they couldn't even ditch a drug.

Speedy heard footsteps approaching and quickly shut his eyes, pretending to be asleep. His steeled his muscles and allowed himself to go completely motionless. It had to be one of the Joker's goons, they were too heavy to be anyone else in the warehouse. These guys were huge, brutes of men that could easily rival an ox in size comparison. It wasn't hard to tell when they were coming by the thundering steps that followed them.

"Wake up!" The man's greasy voice said as he gave Speedy a harsh kick to the side. Speedy immediately yelped in pain as his body slide a few feet. He curled into his core as best he could, trying to prevent any further injury at the hands of these crooks.

"Well well well… seems our little toy is awake." The Joker's voice rang through the warehouse. Speedy threw his body on its side and tried to look at the man. Smug as always, the Joker looked down at the other man with a hyena cackle. Speedy growled at him as well as he could, only to be met with a dry throat and a rough cough. The Joker let out an exaggerated laugh at the boy.

"Oh how cute! He thinks he can scare us with that wittle growl! Too bad Red." The Joker said as he picked up the younger man by his bindings. Speedy yelped again, his body begging for people to stop touching him. He did manage to notice, through the soreness and pain that seemed to come from the slightest touch, that it was only the lackey and the Joker this time. His goons and Harley must have been elsewhere. The Joker threw him on the table and grabbed his shoulders, throwing him down as hard as he could.

"I see this serum worked a little differently than expected…" The Joker said as he gently gripped the younger man's neck, pulling it hard enough to earn a yelp from him. Speedy could feel tears forming at his eyes, but refused to start begging the man to stop. Inside his mind he could hear himself scoffing at such weakness, but at the same time, he couldn't fight back well.

"Well now… what have we here?" The Joker said as he tossed the younger man across the room again.

"Aww, we grabbed the wrong serum. That was suppose to turn you into a mutated dog or something. Instead, now we get to have a little fun with you." The Joker said as he kicked the red head as hard as he could in the ribs. Roy forced back the yelp of pain that ran up him throat, only to have it show up as a strangled gasp.

"What's the matter little one? Scared now that your big green daddy isn't here?" The Joker taunted into the younger man's ear. He'd have to get himself out of this if he was going to escape at all.

The Joker adjusted himself as his other hand tied the ropes around Speedy's wrists tightly to a nearby pole, making sure to secure the bindings. His free hands now ventured down to the archer's foot, grabbing it roughly and pulling hard enough to string the kid out. The Joker started to kick Roy harder in the ribs, waiting to hear a crack or at least a plea from the young man.

"Too bad. I bet you would make a better dog than a bitch." The Joker said, making Speedy struggle even more. He knew what was coming. There was no denying it. The Joker, the craziest man in the world, was about to kill him. And judging by the camera in the goon's hand, they planned to make this a little voyeuristic. They must have planned this for a while. Speedy knew they wouldn't have tried this with Robin. Bats would have throttled them in a moment for even touching the boy. But Bats was a great mentor. Green Arrow wasn't Bats. Green Arrow seemed to ignore him. And when he did pay attention, it was only to a screw up.

Speedy felt the tip of a crowbar pressing itself at the back of his chest. He tried to scream but his voice was lost in his throat.

The mad man struck him once, the sound of bone resonating against metal. Speedy let out a pained scream as the red oxygenated fluid poured from one of the lacerations made by the crowbars' tip. The Joker just laughed, but his goon flinched at the sight. This was too much to bear, even for a hardened criminal.

The Joker didn't even give him second to adjust before pulling half a swing back and crashing down on the kid's chest again. Speedy cried out again, tears pouring out of his eyes as his unmasked face twisted into a tight, painful contortion. Oh he wished Oliver was here. He wished that he brought his real arrows with him and was shooting the man in the back right now.

But each pain filled thrust into the younger man's bleeding chest reassured him that he was completely alone. He wanted to go home, away from this mess, away from the drugs, away from the Joker, safe in Ollie's and Dinah's arms.

As soon as it had begun, he found a disgusting sense of warm relief spreading inside of him and heard a camera shutter click. He felt like vomiting through his dizziness. The sickening laughter of the Joker could be heard leaving as he was released. The floor was cold, but it helped his aching body relax.

Then there was the sound of boots.

He could barely hear anything through his fog of self defense, but he heard familiar boots. Was Bats here? Too slow to be the Flash. Not the Lanterns either, they flew. Too heavy to be a woman. Superman and John flew, so who could it-

No-

No no no, not like this. Please not him! Anyone but him! He couldn't be seen like this! He was a mess! Ollie couldn't see him-

"Roy!" The green clad man yelled. Roy felt his heart sink straight to the deepest circle of hell. He didn't… couldn't move. It hurt too much. He did feel the hands on his body, and tried to gain what little distance was dictated by his bound body. He could feel someone loosening the binds and picking him up in his arms while wrapping a cloth around him. Was it his coat?

Roy forced his eyes open to see the man of his envy standing right there, and his mouth was moving. Roy couldn't hear anything. Ollie looked worried. Was he- was he crying? He- tears? Who were they coming from? What?

Darkness claimed the young man's mind as his mentor tried to survey the area.

Ollie could only look at the needle that fell out of Roy's pocket when he picked up the jacket, and feel like it was all his fault that the kid went this far.

Yeah, I have no idea what I'm doing… ok yeah I do. Should i continue?