While Tyrone grumbled to himself over having to wait for the whole story, their friends finally came into view. Their chatter still carried with the excitement and good humor the three were known for, but Oliver could feel the touch of strain around the edges. His friends were worried, both about him and about his reaction to them not checking up on him...

It wasn't hard to pick up on, considering he pretty much felt the same.

“Oli!” Ed shouted the moment they were in sight, a wide smile on his face, and the three of them instantly picked up the pace. Within seconds, they stood across from him.

Before any of them could speak, Oliver decided to just cut straight through the awkwardness- and their problems. As much fun as it was to tease Tyrone about having to wait for the story, he didn't want to let things linger any longer.

“Before you idiots even get started... Just don't, ok? You didn't check in on me, I didn't stay in touch... We were all assholes. But people fuck up, right? The important thing is to move past it and do better.”

Seeing the three blank looks directed at him, Oliver sighed and waved at Tyrone. “Back me up on this, Sweet T. I really just want to get past all the weirdness and be bros again...”

“Hey!” Ed chimed in, interrupting whatever Tyrone intended to say. “Don't drag T into this! He's the nicest one of the bunch. Calling him an asshole is just rude.”

Oliver's groan at the ridiculous response was lost under the others' laughter. Shaking his head slowly, he mock glared at Ed for a moment. “You're the biggest asshole here, Ed. Who are you to call me rude?”

“He's got you there, bud.” Gary added, nudging Ed with his elbow.

Clearing his throat, Marty spoke over Ed's indignant sputtering. “I think what the idiots mean is that its good to see you, Oli. And, yeah... Let's just jump past the awkwardness and try to do better- though that's a big ask for these two. Do you know how much of a mess the kitchen has been without you there to yell at them? I swear, it's like I'm a single dad or something, always cleaning up after two kids...”

“We're not that bad!”

“Yeah, and that implies Oli was our mom! And he's far too pretty to have birthed something as ugly as Ed!”

“Fuck you too, Gary. Everyone knows I'm the pretty one of the group!”

“Guys...” Tyrone cut off the impending argument with a sigh. “How about we welcome our friend back without the usual shenanigans? Maybe ask him how he's been? You know, have a normal reunion?”

Before Oliver realized it, each of his friends had pulled him into a quick 'bro hug', slapping him on the back enthusiastically.

“It really is good to see you, bro.”

“Yeah; the house ain't the same without you.”

Oliver couldn't hide the small smile that flashed across his face; it really did feel good to see his friends again. “It's good to see you guys, too. How have you guys been?”

As had always been common for the trio, it was Marty that took the lead in answering. “Honestly, other than us feeling like idiots for not checking on you, things have been pretty good. Especially since Tyrone hooked us up with jobs; good pay and flexible hours are huge for us.”

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“Yeah, can you believe he's actually the boss of some big charity? He still won't tell us how he manage that!”

Seeing the amused smirk on his large friend's face, Oliver sighed again. “Really T?”

“Hey, like I said, its not my secret to tell.” Tyrone held his hands up defensively, his voice laced with laughter. It was obvious he knew exactly what he was doing to Oliver.

The trio looked confused for a moment, and Marty asked the question that all of them were thinking. “What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying that Oliver knows how you got that job?”

Oliver held up one hand, motioning for all of them to wait as he thought about what to say. After only a few seconds, he had already figured it out... He would just do the same as he had with Tyrone.

“Before I answer that, I need each of you to answer something for me: How much of the truth do you want to know? But I need all three of you to understand... this conversation will change everything. Not just how you see me, but how you see the world. And just knowing the truth could be dangerous. For me, for you... I'm not trying to scare you when I say that Sweet T nearly got killed because of me. So, take a minute and think about-”

“Ah, stop being a dramatic, Oli.” Ed interrupted impatiently. “How big of a deal can that job be? You're trying to make it sound life or death...”

“Because it kinda is, bro.” Tyrone answered for him. “Oli's not kidding when he says my life was threatened. And while he's blaming himself a bit too much for it, it really is that serious. If you're in, you'll learn shit you never imagined.”

“And you'll damn well keep this shit secret, bro. Oli probably won't blame you if shit happens, but I'll definitely kick your ass over it. I'm not trying to be a dick, but this ain't the time for joking around.” Tyrone threatened, glaring sternly at the three- mostly at Ed and Gary. He knew Marty likely wouldn't be a problem, but those two... If he didn't know how loyal they were, and how good at keeping secrets they could be, he wouldn't have hired them. Or even really trusted them, friends or not.

But, despite their mischievous natures, they were good friends. And surprisingly trustworthy.

“Chill, T.” Oliver said, laying his hand on the large man's shoulder. “You know they wouldn't do anything to hurt us or fuck us over.”

“Yeah, I know... But still, think about it before you answer...”

Ed, Gary, and Marty all just glanced at each other for a second before nodding in unison.

“Yeah, we're in.” Marty answered for all three of them.

Oliver sighed, knowing how much this would change things. Not the three of them, so much as it would change their view of the world... and of him. “Ok, for starters... Tyrone is the boss at the charity to help me out. I'm not exactly the leadership sort, and he offered, so I took him up on it.”

“Wait... Are you saying that you started the charity?” Marty blurted out, a stunned look on his face. “That... How!? Starting something like that had to have cost a ton! Like, what? A couple hundred thousand at least? A half-million?”

“More like a million, actually.” Oliver answered with an indifferent shrug.

“That reminds me... Since we're starting operations, we're going to need a bit more funding.” Tyrone added from the side, grinning unabashedly at Oliver.

“Fuck! Seriously!” Gary shouted in disbelief.

Oliver shook his head slowly, simultaneously amused and annoyed by them at the moment. “Ok, guys, I need all of you to chill and listen if I'm going to get through all of this. Yes, I own the charity. Yes, I funded it with over a million dollars. And yes, T, I can get you another million tomorrow.”

Unable to contain his shock, Ed just blurted out his thoughts. “Fucking hell, man! Where did you get a couple million dollars? What the hell have you been up to lately!?”

Seeing the opportunity to shock his friends into silence, and fuck with them at the same time, a wide grin spread across Oliver's face.

“Oh, not much really... I went down to South America, cut a deal with a boss in a drug cartel... Then I zipped off to an alien spaceship and visited some other planets- oh, yeah, I met some aliens too. Technically, I met two different races of aliens, though one of them tried to kill me. And I learned some more magic, but that has nothing to do with the aliens- I already knew some before I left. I just picked up some more, really.”

The silence lasted all of two seconds before they all called bullshit on him...

It was worth a shot, at least.