Warning: This story contains violence, slight references to drug use, and adult language.

Please note that this is my own au version of Roy Harper, who is based off of "Arrows'" and the comics. Notable changes are as follows:

Roy is 16

Roy has been physically abused most of his life.

Roy is underweight.

Roys' mother is a drug addict.

Other changes have been made, but these are a few I need to actually tell you about, in order for you to better understand this story.

This is the story of how I became a better man, how I gained a father, lost a mother, and was trained by Oliver Queen, to become his ward and aid him in protecting Star City. My name is Roy Harper, my name is Arsenal.

The lithe young man lay in his bed currently home alone and tired from a long, restless night of tossing and turning. The darkness outside has been filled with angry yelling and occasional gunshots, some close enough to make Roy uneasy. To him this was the closest thing he had ever known to a lullaby, hearing people bitch and moan about their pathetic lives in this hell hole called "The Glades" and the gunshots that silenced them. He stirred slightly groaning in annoyance as he was unable to get back to sleep, though being naturally stubborn he decided he would at least doze here for a bit. Though as the lean brunette closed his eyes a scent slowly lingered around him and as he inhaled through his nose. Roy harper smelt smoke, thick and heavy beginning to form around him, like a dense fog. The young mans' eyes snapped open, already his body was sending out adrenaline to help him process and deal with the situation before him. His bright blue eyes darted around the room looking for the source of the fire and he saw a bottle with a strip of cloth dangling in it. He glared through the smog at the site of two men running away, though he couldn't gather any details about them.

They had been too cowardly to throw the bottle and splatter its contents of flammable liquid throughout the home, but still the fire found a foothold, and gained purchase as it began to crawl it's way up the walls and spread out. Roy darted and found that his mother was not currently home, which gave him a mixture of relief and confusion. He didn't have time to linger on the thought as some of the flames from above dripped and fell as red hot embers leaving small blisters along the majority of his forarms. The young man hissed and made his way towards the door, in his panicked state he forgot to test the metal handle for substancial heat. His sensitive palms sizzled as sweat instantly evaporated and his skin was badly burnt. Prying his hands away he grunted in pain and then he spotted the window. Roy didn't have the liberty of time as he darted forward and made his way out into the open air and pulled up his red hood as he walked away from what had once been his home. He quickly made his way across The Glades, using various back alleys he knew by heart in order to avoid being seen.

Roy knew someone had placed a hit on him, someone wanted him dead. The young man reached into his jeans and checked his phone, finding a text message from his mother which contained all of one word 'Goodbye.' He rolled his eyes and stuffed the cellular device back into his pants. "Figures." He approached the club Verdant and slumped down in the back alley, resting his chin on his knees as he closed his eyes and tried to think of who would want him dead. The young mans' eyea were closes and his face, arms, and hair were slightly singed. His cheeks were smudged with ash, as was his favorite red hoodie. The brunette looked like a poster child for the homeless, for now Roy knew the best option was to keep his head down and to keep a low profile, and that is exactly what the boy did Roy crurled himself up into a ball and fell asleep, his skumber was short lived and he could hear voices nearby whispering. "Oliver are you crazy?!" Hissed Diggle "You can't just bring some kid in here!" "He's not just some kid Dig he's in really bad shape...I couldn't just leave him in that alleyway to die." "The kid has a few burns, they don't seem life threatening to me." The taller dark skinned male growled in agitation.

Oliver sighed and glanced at the young man with concerned eyes. "He's underweight...like amaciated, when I picked him up I could feel his ribs, I honestly don't understand how he's alive." Diggle slowly approached the youth and began to lift up the young mans' hoodie when suddenly Roy leaped over his back and used every bit of the element of surprise and his weight to slam Diggle to the groud his eyes wide with fear. "I think I know how.." Diggle coughed out having the wind knocked out of him. "This kid's a scrapper." Roy glanced around frantically looking for an escape route his heart racing, but his adrenaline was already spent he was running on fumes, and Oliver was afraid the kids' heart was going to give out at this rate. Up until know the lights in the lair had been turned off but now the older male flipped on the breaker and slowly approached the lean brunette. "Easy kid, just breathe no one is gonna hurt you." "Maybe while I'm down here at least.." The boy said slowly beginning to relax as he looked around the room and his eyes locked on "The Vigilantes' costume. "Are...are you him?" He asked glancing back at the other a look of awe showing in his eyes. Oliver chuckled and gave a slight nod. "Now tell me..what's your name kid, and what kind of trouble are you in?" He gestured to a chair and Roy hesitantly sat down. " Roy...Rpy Harper, and I'm still figuring it out myself to be honest." A loud gurgle shattered the brief silence and Roy felt himself flush with embarassment, as his stomach rumbled hungrily. Oliver shook his head "Don't worry about it, Diggle could you run out and get Roy something light? He hasn't eaten in a few days so we don't wanna over do it." Roy looked stunned the young man had never known such kindness. "W-why are you helping me?" "Because you're a good kid, underneath all that soot and grime, would you like a shower?" Roy was skeptical of the other and it showed, but he also knew he reeked. The brunette chuckled lightly "I get the feeling that more of an insist than a question, but then again..I'm sure I smell like an ash tray." Oliver shook his head in light amusement and chuckles "Try a fireplace chimmney." Oliver sat down beside him "Roy most young men, don't know how to use momentum in a fight. Where did you learn that sort of technique?" Roy shrugged. "I got tired of getting the shit beat out of me..my mother has pretty crappy taste when it comes to men." Olivers' eyes widened "Is your mother alright?" The brunette fished his phone out of his pocket and showed Oliver the text. "I mean is that first class parenting, or what?" Oliver read message silently and blinked "You mean she-" "abandoned me?, yeah seems like it, which means she blew town, and the local drug dealers aren't too happy about not getting paid what she owed." "That's why your house got burnt down." Roy gave a small nod "As far as Brick is concerned he runs The Glades and he's using me to send a message." Oliver looked at Roy the kid had guts, and he was brave, but in his condition he couldn't take another assault by this "Brick". "Roy you need to keep a low profile, stay here for a couple of days, get your strength back, rest up."

The brunette looked up at Oliver and sighed "Why are you doing this for me? We don't know each other, and I don't like owing anyone seems to bring a lot of baggage." Oliver couldn't help a small smile out of the corner of his mouth. "You won't owe me anything, just keep my idenity a secret." The youth gave a nod as he hels Olivers' gaze "That still doesn't answer why old man." Oliver nodded "You remind me of myself, when I was on Lian Yu, stubborn, scared, angry at the world, that anger is going to burn you up inside and turn you into something ugly, if you don't find a waay to channel it."

The young man rolled his eyes in light annoyance. "Yeah and how exactly do you expect me to do th-" Oliver suddenly smacked him in the back of the head, and the young man winced "Ow! Jeez, What the hell was that for?!" Oliver grinned "You use your mouth too much, use your fists." Roy blinked up at him somewhat puzzled. "W-wait you wanna fight?" He asked raising one of his eyebrows curiously. "Not fight, train I can't have you out on the streets again until I knoq you can handle yourself in a fight." Roy backed up a bit and watched Oliver warily. "I can fight." He said matter of factly. Oliver smirked and leg sweeped the youth without warning, knocking Roy onto his rump, and quickly pinned him down. "You can take a beating there's a difference." Oliver Queen looked down at the thin, frail, exhausted, young man and shook his head lightly, smirking at the young man. "Training starts as soon as you regain your natural weight." The older male ruffled the youths' hair a bit and Roy grunted in slight annoyance as he squinted his eyes and sighed. "Alright, alright now get off of me you're not exactly light."