Life in a pint

[arsenal_arrow]

Roy Harper spent most of his day in front of a drum set. It wasn't practice, per se, as he wasn't concerned about what came out wrong. He's gotten better over the years, far beyond the novice he started out as, but he isn't as self-conscious of the mistakes when it's just him and the drums

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[arsenal_arrow]

He laughs, but not at her. For years, Roy and Donna had used that excuse to avoid whatever they called their relationship at that time. There was never time, never a moment to breath, never a moment to sit back and think on it, which was really just more time to come up with lame excuses.

"Never is." He says it casually, but it's obvious by the grin on his face that he understands. "A nasty divorce trial with a kid caught in the middle, best friend gets his wedding trashed and the bride disappears, fist fights between teammates, government intervention, a vampire on the loose, along with the mother of my kid who's a wanted assassin, and someone me but not me with a really bad taste in costumes is driving. That guy driving did his best to throw me completely out of the seat, and for a long time, I let him get away with it because I had every excuse to do something else. Sometimes you gotta make time before you lose it. Donna and I did the wedding and the whole thing pretty much on a whim, otherwise, there was never gonna be time. I have no idea how the hell I'm gonna pull more hours out of my day, every day, for Aiden, but I'm ecstatic to find out. Then there's people, like Lian, Hal, Mia, who also remind me sometimes 'family' happens without your permission or when you don't even know it."

[green_shield]

That whole Romeo and Juliet thing makes her smile. It also makes her look to the stars and miss Travis. It's time to just get that figured out and stop worrying about it too.

"Aiden? It's going to be a boy?"

"You know, I know your school thing got thrown off, but - have you considered this? What you're doing now, I mean."

[arsenal_arrow]

"Yeah, it's a boy. Likes barbecue." It's obvious Roy's very proud. Lian was great, and she was about as un-girl as girls come, but there was something for Roy about having a son. In some small way, it made him feel even more connected than Lian had to that stranger in his mind he called a father, before Bravebow or Ollie. That man might be a stranger in Roy's mind, but he never has been in his heart.

He laughs at the thing about school. "What, bein' a jerk and a nuisance? I've never needed a degree for that."

[green_shield]

"Sitting people that need it down and talking to them. You have a rep for being Mr. 'Been There, Done That' among capes. Capes who've already lived through way too much as is." She gets up and brushes the dirt off her pants. "I can take care of broken bodies. Minds and tattered souls are beyond my pay grade."

[arsenal_arrow]

Roy raises both brows. Heh. Really? Since when did anyone listen to him? "I did just spend several hours in a bar with Red Robin and Caleb Zukov, and no bottles got broken over any heads. Maybe. I'll think about it."

He leans back in the grass again, putting his hands behind his head. "Don't sell yourself short. Just like broken bodies, minds and tattered souls can be mended up and set on the right path to recovery, but time is the only thing that can do the rest. And sometimes, all you gotta do is be around for people to put themselves back together. Makes all the difference." He smirks. "Donna let me come back. Miracles happen, right?"

[green_shield]

"When are you two clowns gonna learn?" Her tone is light but the point is there. "She's lucky to have you too, jackass. I'm not saying that you aren't lucky to have her either, but...it's like the Garricks or the Dibnys, man. They're a unit. You're a unit. Whoever tries to pry that apart is in for a world of hurt, not just from the two of you and Lian, but from everyone else around here who need to know -" She stops and searches for her words. "That sometimes the princess kisses the frog and after all the crazy shit, it works out."

[arsenal_arrow]

"Yeah," he agrees, grinning. That pretty much sums it up.

Well-- "Not every gal finds a guy with great hair like me," he jokes, smiling. "Seriously, though. I know it probably feels like every other day the panic button is going off, time and events move along... but it's been four years since your long-legged behind spun into Ollie's life. You've got a good head on your shoulders, and you've been doing a lot of really good work the last few years. Don't forget to give credit to yourself. You turned out just fine by my measure, Tara."

[green_shield]

She takes two fingers and gives him a light thwack to the back of his head. "Oh, no. You don't get to make a joke back there. You say 'thank you, Tara. You're right. Marriage is awesome and possible and even occasionally a good idea.'" She sobers and looks up at the stars, thinking of her own commitments. "It never gets any easier or understandable, does it?"

[arsenal_arrow]

"Easier? I dunno about that. You learn how to roll with it better."

He smirks. "And because it looks like you need to hear it, 'Thank you, Tara, you're right. Marriage is awesome and possible and even occasionally a good idea.'"

It's been a long few months, but Roy hasn't stumbled on learning nothing. Every step has been a lesson, even if most of them have been raw and painful. "It's not all horror. There's the bright side, the people that are always going to keep you straight, and you learn to live for those."

[green_shield]

Why yes, she did need to hear that. "Thank you. Thank you very much."

She gathers her gear. "My brain is full. There's plenty I need to think about." She smirks at him. "Do I pay the receptionist and make my next appointment with her?"

[arsenal_arrow]

Roy chuckles. "As long as the receptionist isn't Lian. She doesn't need any more gossip. Pay by coming by for dinner once in a while and not being a stranger."

[green_shield]

She salutes. "As life permits." Then the teleporter takes her back.