Fic: Three's Company
The massive scary Titans fic of Doom. Chapter one.
Title: Three's Company
Rating: PG-13 for stuff and things. No explicit sex, but there's some cursin' and some good ol' implied lovins.
Disclaimer: Star City, its inhabitants and its visitors are the property of DC Comics, Time Warner Bros. and their affiliates. Any non-recognizable characters are original and belong to the author. No profit is made from this story and no infringement is intended.
Characters: Roy Harper, Dick Grayson, Donna Troy, Lian Harper and a cast of millions...IE: most of the major players in the DC Universe.
Pairings: Roy/Donna, Dick/Babs, Dick/Kory, Dinah/Ollie, and possible others
Continuity: I screwed with it. A lot. Go with it, people. Don't judge. It's post Killing Joke, Post Death in the Family, and uh...other things. I've kind of chucked continuity out the window for my own sanity's sake. No nit-picking please.
Summary: Three years out of rehab, and Roy Harper finds himself in a very strange place in his life. At least the people are familiar.
Chapter One: The Past Was Much More Fun
under the cut.
“You cannot just leave and take him with you!” Kory cried as she followed Roy out the front door of Titans' Tower and into the sunlight.
He took a seat on the front step and rubbed his eyes. It had been a harrowing trip to the Titans' base of operations, courtesy of the Flash. “I’m not kidnapping him, Kory, he wants to come.”
Kory glared down at him, green eyes obviously angry, orange-skinned hands perched on her hips. Her costume was little more than a glorified bathing suit, which boggled Roy's mind in about ten different ways. She was a tall woman, and when he was sitting down, it made it all the more apparent. “He needs to be here! We’re his family!”
“No,” Roy snapped. “You’re part of his family. So am I. So is Lian. If he wants to come stay with us, that’s his choice, and you’ll just have to understand that it might not have anything to do with you.”
“How dare you-“
“Lady, I've known him a lot longer than you. Dick’s the best friend I’ve ever had, and I’ll be damned if I let you stand in the way of my helping him out.”
“Roy’s right, Kory,” Donna said gently, as she stepped outside to join them. Another tall woman, around Roy's own height. She pulled her black hair into a ponytail. “This is Dick’s choice, and he’s not going away forever.”
Roy smirked at her. “You’re just happy cause that makes you acting team leader.”
Donna tried not to smile. “You’re just jealous because you never got to be.”
“Oh, haha, Wonder Girl.”
Kory gave them both a miserable look. “I wish that he would talk to me."
"He will," Donna said gently. "He'll come around when he's ready to."
"We are engaged," Kory said. "He should be able to talk to me about the things that are bothering him. He shouldn't be leaving like this."
Before either of the other two could get another word out, Kory turned and stalked back into the tower.
Roy sighed. "What's he doin' gettin' engaged anyway?"
"He wants to be happy," Donna replied, sitting down next to him. "You can't begrudge him that."
"No, I guess not."
Donna smiled a little. "How's Roy?"
"Roy...Roy is good. Roy is living pretty simple and working and a full-time dad, and...yeah. Good."
Donna's smile widened. "That's good."
"We're using a lot of goods."
"You started it."
"I did," he nodded. "I did at that." He gazed at her and then looked down. "How's Donna?"
"Donna's good," she replied.
Roy pursed his lips and scooted closer to her. "Does Donna maybe miss Roy? Maybe a tiny little itty bitty bit?"
She smiled again and brushed at his short red hair. "Donna's always gonna miss Roy."
"What are we talking here?" he joked. "Miss like...'I miss my brother' kind of miss or miss like 'man those sexy times were awesome' kinda miss?"
Donna blinked at him. "You are such a delinquent."
"Well, yes."
They sat in silence for a long moment, until Donna looked him up and down.
"You look good."
"There's that 'good' again," Roy joked.
"No, really."
"Well, it beats the crap out of how I looked when I got out of the Betty three years ago, right?"
"We should have visited more when you got out," Donna said softly. "Made sure things were okay."
Roy nodded. "It's okay. I'm kinda glad you didn't."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, no offense," he replied. "I really appreciated you guys showin' up to visit me in rehab, but I was ashamed of myself. It was hard facing you and Dick and Wally." Roy blew out a breath and glanced at Donna. "When I got out, I really needed to get myself together...get my life on track...especially when I wound up with Lian. I figured eventually I'd be able to face you guys. And, lo and behold, Here I am."
Donna nodded and gazed at him softly. "Yeah. Here you are. And you're leaving again in a little while."
Roy blinked and grinned slowly. "Aww, she does miss me."
As she kept gazing at him, Roy's grin slipped. He stared at her, feeling the mood shift from playful to something else, as he felt himself move closer to her.
"Donna...?"
He watched her eyes close and felt his own drift shut as their lips touched. For Roy it was like an electric shock. It had been three years since rehab, and two since getting Lian, and he'd steered clear of romantic entanglements, even one-night-stands were few and far between. He'd set his focus on staying clean and creating a life for his daughter, and himself.
Roy pulled away slowly and opened his eyes. He opened his mouth, too, to talk. To say anything, but didn't get the chance.
A gust of wind and a cloud of dust and Wally West was in front of them.
"Ready to go, Roy?"
Roy blew out a breath and sat back. "I guess. Is Dick ready?"
"I don't know."
"Well, he's the one who's gotta pack. What're you askin' me for?"
Wally huffed. "I was just asking."
Donna sighed with a small, rueful grin on her face. "I'm gonna let you two bicker down memory lane." She got to her feet, and glanced down at Roy.
He stared up at her, his eyes wide and slightly confused, and watched her walk back into the tower.
Wally cleared his throat and shifted a little, pulling his Flash cowl back and shaking his hair. It was red, a little darker than Roy's and much shaggier.
The two men stared at each other for a long, tense moment. They hadn't seen each other since that day Wally had accompanied Dick and Donna to visit Roy at rehab. Dick had been around the most, and Donna had surprised him with a few visits, but Wally had stayed clear.
Now, left alone together, Roy felt his skin itch. "So...congrats on the upgrade, man, that's really great."
Wally nodded slowly. "Thanks."
"Barry'd be proud."
Wally looked down. "Didn't see you at the funeral."
"I...I didn't make it," Roy said awkwardly. "I couldn't find a sitter, and...and Lian's a little young for her first funeral..."
Wally nodded. "Yeah. Sure."
"Wally..."
"I coulda really used you there," Wally said quickly. "We all could have. I mean I know you've hung up the tights for now and all, but-"
Roy huffed. "I wouldn't have been much good, you know."
"We used to be friends," Wally pointed out.
"I was under the impression we still were," Roy replied. "I'm here, aren't I?"
"Yeah, you show up for Dick."
"Because you called me," Roy snapped.
Wally narrowed his eyes. "So you can't show up unless someone literally comes crawling to you?"
"Wally-"
"You're pitiful, you know that?"
"Fine," Roy said shortly, getting to his feet. "I'm pitiful. I'm gonna go check on Dick."
"Fine."
"Fine!"
*****
Dick's quarters were dark. The shades were drawn and the lights were off. A peep of sunlight filtered through, making it a little easier to see but not by much.
Roy shoved his hands into his pockets and sat down at the desk chair. "So it's nice to know Wally's pissed off at me."
"He just doesn't get you."
"Well, I'm sorry if the Blue Valley Track Star can't wrap his head around my behavior."
"You scare the crap out of him, Roy," Dick said quietly.
"Cool. So it's not just me I scare the crap out of," Roy joked. "Good to know."
Dick nodded and kept folding clothes into his bag.
"How're you holding up?"
"Let me see," Dick huffed. "My other best friend was shot and tortured by the most notorious criminal in Gotham, and she'll never walk again. Oh, and I've been told to stay out of Gotham because Batman thinks I'll go on a killing spree. So I can't see Barbara, and I'm not allowed to kill the Joker."
"So you're just peachy," Roy nodded. "Duly noted."
Dick nodded slowly. "Thanks for letting me crash with you."
"What are bestest buddies for?" Roy grinned.
Dick zipped up his bag and then turned to his friend, crossing his arms. "How are you really?"
"Good."
"Liar."
"I'm good, Dick."
Dick took a deep breath. "Roy...have you been fighting relapse?"
"I was a heroin addict," Roy pointed out. "I'll probably always be fighting relapse."
"But you'd tell me if you were seriously considering-"
"I would," Roy said. "But I'm not. I swear." Roy patted Dick's shoulder. "Now come on. Wally's probably doing laps around the tower waiting for us."
******
“If you need anything,” Wally said, adjusting the cowl of his Flash costume, “or if you want me to come pick you up, you just call and let me know, okay?” He pulled Dick into a hug which was not returned. “We’re here for you. Always will be.”
Roy grimaced a little and nodded to Wally as he pulled away from Dick. “We’ll be in touch.”
Wally nodded, and sped off.
“So I don’t think you’ve ever been to this place,” Roy commented as he led Dick inside the small apartment. The place was tiny, and toys and stuffed animals were scattered all over the floor. But it was clean-looking and well-lit by a few lamps and the large windows that looked onto Star City. “Welcome to Casa de Harper. Sorry about the mess. Weekends have kind of turned into Lian’s time, and I wind up letting her run amuck.”
Dick nodded. “Spare room?”
“Uh…yeah. There kinda isn’t one,” Roy said awkwardly. “You’ll have to take the couch.”
“That’s fine,” Dick replied. He closed his eyes. “Listen…Roy…about the…kicking you in the face…thing…”
“Hey, I knew you’d do it,” Roy replied, a wry grin on his face. “I was banking on it. Trying to get you out of the bathroom, remember?”
Dick gave him a sad smile.
“You can’t do that here, by the way,” Roy told him. “Lian will get really angry. She likes to pretend the bathtub is her own personal sailboat.”
“Uncle Dick!!!”
“Speak of the cute little devil,” Roy muttered with a grin.
The little girl rushed out from the kitchen and latched onto Dick’s leg. “Uncle Dick what are you doing here? I didn’t know you were coming! I woulda drew you a picture!”
“That’s okay, kiddo,” Dick replied, lifting her up. “Seeing you is way better than getting a picture.” He hugged her and kissed the side of her head.
“Lian, is Aunt Dinah in the kitchen?” Roy asked.
Lian nodded and rested her head on Dick’s shoulder.
Roy nodded back. “Okay. Why don’t you guys go watch some TV, while I go and have a chat?” He didn’t wait for a reply before heading off for the kitchen, finding Dinah Lance sitting at the table with the morning newspaper and a cup of coffee.
“Didn’t expect you back so soon,” she said, glancing up at him.
“You had to call the Bat?”
“Yeah. I did.”
“Dinah…”
“He had a right to know Dick was back and that he’d heard…”
“It’s not like he was going to comfort him, Dinah.”
“How they handle this is up to them,” Dinah replied.
“Dick’s here.”
Dinah smirked. “I gathered from Lian’s shouting his name.”
Roy nodded. " I don't know how long he's staying."
"Okay," Dinah replied.
"I don't know what he'll do."
Dinah nodded. "Okay."
"I've never had a houseguest here before," Roy said.
Dinah grinned. "I know. But you'll be fine."
"I haven't spent any real amount of time with Dick since before rehab."
Her grin widened. "It'll be fine, Roy."
Roy huffed and slumped down at the table. "So I've got Lian, and I've got Dick. And they're watching TV in my living room. You know the fact that I have a living room of my own is weird enough most days without having my four-year-old and my on-again off-again best friend inhabiting it."
Dinah shook her head and closed the newspaper she'd been reading. "It'll be fine." She got to her feet and sipped the rest of her coffee. "Call me later, okay?"
"Okay, Mom."
"Very funny."
"I know you are but what am I?"
Dinah sighed heavily and shook her head. "Bye, Roy."
"Bye, Dinah."
"Should I tell a certain archer you said hello?"
Roy shrugged. "Well, you could, but you're the one who would have to listen to him be a dick about it."
Dinah sighed again and gave him a somewhat sad look before heading to the door. "Bye, Lian."
The little girl looked up and smiled. "Bye-bye, Dinah!"
Dinah smiled. "Bye, Dick."
He waved to her, but said nothing.
Roy heard the front door close and then got to his feet, grimacing. "Goddammit, Wally," he grumbled and adjusted his jeans, before walking out to the living room. He squeezed onto the couch. "What's on?"
"Care Bears!" Lian cried happily.
"Awesome," Roy replied, lifting his daughter onto his lap.
Dick glanced at him. "You and Ollie are on the outs still?"
Roy shrugged. "We tried talking. It didn't go well."
"Understatement?" Dick asked.
"Oh yeah," Roy nodded. He took a deep breath. "I don't think either of us are ready to forgive and forget yet."
Dick looked back to the TV. "You think you'll ever forget?"
He didn't get an answer. Roy tightened his arms a little around Lian and kissed the top of her head. "Who's your favorite Care Bear, you?"
"I like Grumpy," she replied. "He's like Batman."
Dick struggled to keep his mouth from twisting into a smile, and failed.
Roy chuckled. "I like Brave Heart Lion."
This earned him a very confused look from Dick.
"Oh, come on, I have a four-year-old! Of course I know the names of Care Bears!"
"Daddy," Lian said.
"Yeah?"
"Brave Heart Lion is a Care Bear Cousin."
Roy gave Dick a glower before nodding. "Right, sorry. Forgot about that."
Dick chuckled.
"Cram it, Shortpants."
"The slacker bad boy of the Teen Titans has a working knowledge of the Care Bears."
Roy grumbled and sat back. "Least he's smiling."
*****
"Daddy, can Uncle Dick read my story tonight?"
Roy nodded and kissed the top of her head. "Sure thing, Princess."
"Don't I get any say?" Dick asked. He was leaning in the doorway of Lian's small bedroom. It was painted a cheery pink, and crammed with stuffed animals, between the spaces where the bed and the small dresser were placed. It seemed too small, but at the same time, just right for a little girl's own private bedroom.
Roy smirked at him. "No you don't get a say. Get your bony butt in here and read my kid a story."
Dick grinned as Roy got to his feet, and they awkwardly shuffled around so that their positions were switched.
Dick sat down on the bed and grinned at Lian, really looking at her. She'd grown up so much from when they'd first brought her back from Japan. Had it really only been two years? It seemed like longer. It seemed like longer since he'd seen Roy as well, though.
"I'm gonna go clean up a little more," Roy said. "Sweet dreams, Lian."
"Night-night, Daddy," she said with a smile, and then looked at Dick expectantly. "Story time?"
Dick grinned and shifted, settling back on the bed next to the little girl. "Story time."
*****
Roy sighed into the phone as he scrubbed the sink. "No, Kory, he's telling Lian a story. I'll have him call you." He frowned at the alien woman's protests. "Kory, if he stops mid-story, Lian is just gonna demand he start from the beginning, and then I'll never get her to sleep, so please, have pity on her poor father, and agree to wait for Dick to call you back?" He closed his eyes. "Thank you. Yeah. Bye."
He hung up and went back to scrubbing the sink. He heard the door to Lian's room close and turned his head to see his friend walking into the kitchen.
"Kory called. She wants you to call her back."
"Yeah."
Roy quirked an eyebrow as Dick sat at the small kitchen table, fiddling with the newspaper. "You're worrying her you know. It's not fair."
"I don't know what to say to her."
"What do you mean?"
Dick took a deep breath. "You saw my reaction to what happened to Barbara."
"And felt it," Roy replied. "Thanks for the kick in the face."
"Any time."
"So? What about your reaction?" Roy asked, going back to scrubbing. "She's one of your oldest and dearest friends. She was nearly killed, of course you got upset."
"It was more than that," Dick said quietly.
"More like...you think you're crackin' up more? Or..."
"More like I might still have feelings for Babs, more," Dick said quietly. "And if that's the case...marrying Kory..."
"Would be very wrong," Roy nodded.
"Yeah." Dick blinked and watched his old friend. "What are you doing?"
"Cleaning."
"How long have you been scrubbing that sink?"
"I don't know, why?"
"Because something tells me it's as clean as it's gonna get," Dick replied warily.
Roy took a deep breath and dropped the sponge on the side of the counter. He turned the sink of with slightly shaky hands and then wiped them on a towel.
"Roy..."
"You want coffee or anything?"
"Roy..."
"Cause I could do up a pot. Or there's hot chocolate, like when we were kids."
Dick got to his feet and took his friend's shoulders. "Roy."
"I'm good. I'm good. I'm just...itchy."
"What do you need me to do?" Dick asked.
"Nothing. I'm fine. I'm fine. I just get a little itchy sometimes at night. You know...work's done for the day and Lian's sleeping and I'm fine, I just keep busy till I get tired."
"You're not fine," Dick said carefully. "You need more help."
Roy gave him a shaky smile. "I got help, remember? Ollie punched me in the face and everything."
Dick shook his head. "It's not just you you have to worry about anymore, Roy. If things are getting bad again, get more help."
Roy swallowed and gave a slow nod. "I'll...I'll call the rehab place tomorrow...maybe set up some meetings...if you could watch Lian...?"
"Of course."
"Cause I don't want Dinah to know," Roy said.
Dick sighed and rubbed his eye. "Yeah, okay. I won't mention it to her. I promise."
Roy nodded again and scratched at his hair. "I'm gonna go to bed."
"Good call."
"The sheets are on the chair by the couch."
"Thanks."
Roy nodded yet again and headed for his bedroom.
Dick watched him; watched until he disappeared into his bedroom, and watched as the door closed quietly. He grabbed the telephone and shuffled into the living room, now devoid of all the toys Lian had laying out earlier in the day. He sat on the couch and closed his eyes before dialing a number and holding the phone to his ear.
"Hi, Donna, it's me. Sorry to call so late, but...you noticed, too, huh? Yeah. See you tomorrow."
Title: Three's Company
Rating: PG-13 for stuff and things. No explicit sex, but there's some cursin' and some good ol' implied lovins.
Disclaimer: Star City, its inhabitants and its visitors are the property of DC Comics, Time Warner Bros. and their affiliates. Any non-recognizable characters are original and belong to the author. No profit is made from this story and no infringement is intended.
Characters: Roy Harper, Dick Grayson, Donna Troy, Lian Harper and a cast of millions...IE: most of the major players in the DC Universe.
Pairings: Roy/Donna, Dick/Babs, Dick/Kory, Dinah/Ollie, and possible others
Continuity: I screwed with it. A lot. Go with it, people. Don't judge. It's post Killing Joke, Post Death in the Family, and uh...other things. I've kind of chucked continuity out the window for my own sanity's sake. No nit-picking please.
Summary: Three years out of rehab, and Roy Harper finds himself in a very strange place in his life. At least the people are familiar.
Chapter One: The Past Was Much More Fun
under the cut.
“You cannot just leave and take him with you!” Kory cried as she followed Roy out the front door of Titans' Tower and into the sunlight.
He took a seat on the front step and rubbed his eyes. It had been a harrowing trip to the Titans' base of operations, courtesy of the Flash. “I’m not kidnapping him, Kory, he wants to come.”
Kory glared down at him, green eyes obviously angry, orange-skinned hands perched on her hips. Her costume was little more than a glorified bathing suit, which boggled Roy's mind in about ten different ways. She was a tall woman, and when he was sitting down, it made it all the more apparent. “He needs to be here! We’re his family!”
“No,” Roy snapped. “You’re part of his family. So am I. So is Lian. If he wants to come stay with us, that’s his choice, and you’ll just have to understand that it might not have anything to do with you.”
“How dare you-“
“Lady, I've known him a lot longer than you. Dick’s the best friend I’ve ever had, and I’ll be damned if I let you stand in the way of my helping him out.”
“Roy’s right, Kory,” Donna said gently, as she stepped outside to join them. Another tall woman, around Roy's own height. She pulled her black hair into a ponytail. “This is Dick’s choice, and he’s not going away forever.”
Roy smirked at her. “You’re just happy cause that makes you acting team leader.”
Donna tried not to smile. “You’re just jealous because you never got to be.”
“Oh, haha, Wonder Girl.”
Kory gave them both a miserable look. “I wish that he would talk to me."
"He will," Donna said gently. "He'll come around when he's ready to."
"We are engaged," Kory said. "He should be able to talk to me about the things that are bothering him. He shouldn't be leaving like this."
Before either of the other two could get another word out, Kory turned and stalked back into the tower.
Roy sighed. "What's he doin' gettin' engaged anyway?"
"He wants to be happy," Donna replied, sitting down next to him. "You can't begrudge him that."
"No, I guess not."
Donna smiled a little. "How's Roy?"
"Roy...Roy is good. Roy is living pretty simple and working and a full-time dad, and...yeah. Good."
Donna's smile widened. "That's good."
"We're using a lot of goods."
"You started it."
"I did," he nodded. "I did at that." He gazed at her and then looked down. "How's Donna?"
"Donna's good," she replied.
Roy pursed his lips and scooted closer to her. "Does Donna maybe miss Roy? Maybe a tiny little itty bitty bit?"
She smiled again and brushed at his short red hair. "Donna's always gonna miss Roy."
"What are we talking here?" he joked. "Miss like...'I miss my brother' kind of miss or miss like 'man those sexy times were awesome' kinda miss?"
Donna blinked at him. "You are such a delinquent."
"Well, yes."
They sat in silence for a long moment, until Donna looked him up and down.
"You look good."
"There's that 'good' again," Roy joked.
"No, really."
"Well, it beats the crap out of how I looked when I got out of the Betty three years ago, right?"
"We should have visited more when you got out," Donna said softly. "Made sure things were okay."
Roy nodded. "It's okay. I'm kinda glad you didn't."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, no offense," he replied. "I really appreciated you guys showin' up to visit me in rehab, but I was ashamed of myself. It was hard facing you and Dick and Wally." Roy blew out a breath and glanced at Donna. "When I got out, I really needed to get myself together...get my life on track...especially when I wound up with Lian. I figured eventually I'd be able to face you guys. And, lo and behold, Here I am."
Donna nodded and gazed at him softly. "Yeah. Here you are. And you're leaving again in a little while."
Roy blinked and grinned slowly. "Aww, she does miss me."
As she kept gazing at him, Roy's grin slipped. He stared at her, feeling the mood shift from playful to something else, as he felt himself move closer to her.
"Donna...?"
He watched her eyes close and felt his own drift shut as their lips touched. For Roy it was like an electric shock. It had been three years since rehab, and two since getting Lian, and he'd steered clear of romantic entanglements, even one-night-stands were few and far between. He'd set his focus on staying clean and creating a life for his daughter, and himself.
Roy pulled away slowly and opened his eyes. He opened his mouth, too, to talk. To say anything, but didn't get the chance.
A gust of wind and a cloud of dust and Wally West was in front of them.
"Ready to go, Roy?"
Roy blew out a breath and sat back. "I guess. Is Dick ready?"
"I don't know."
"Well, he's the one who's gotta pack. What're you askin' me for?"
Wally huffed. "I was just asking."
Donna sighed with a small, rueful grin on her face. "I'm gonna let you two bicker down memory lane." She got to her feet, and glanced down at Roy.
He stared up at her, his eyes wide and slightly confused, and watched her walk back into the tower.
Wally cleared his throat and shifted a little, pulling his Flash cowl back and shaking his hair. It was red, a little darker than Roy's and much shaggier.
The two men stared at each other for a long, tense moment. They hadn't seen each other since that day Wally had accompanied Dick and Donna to visit Roy at rehab. Dick had been around the most, and Donna had surprised him with a few visits, but Wally had stayed clear.
Now, left alone together, Roy felt his skin itch. "So...congrats on the upgrade, man, that's really great."
Wally nodded slowly. "Thanks."
"Barry'd be proud."
Wally looked down. "Didn't see you at the funeral."
"I...I didn't make it," Roy said awkwardly. "I couldn't find a sitter, and...and Lian's a little young for her first funeral..."
Wally nodded. "Yeah. Sure."
"Wally..."
"I coulda really used you there," Wally said quickly. "We all could have. I mean I know you've hung up the tights for now and all, but-"
Roy huffed. "I wouldn't have been much good, you know."
"We used to be friends," Wally pointed out.
"I was under the impression we still were," Roy replied. "I'm here, aren't I?"
"Yeah, you show up for Dick."
"Because you called me," Roy snapped.
Wally narrowed his eyes. "So you can't show up unless someone literally comes crawling to you?"
"Wally-"
"You're pitiful, you know that?"
"Fine," Roy said shortly, getting to his feet. "I'm pitiful. I'm gonna go check on Dick."
"Fine."
"Fine!"
*****
Dick's quarters were dark. The shades were drawn and the lights were off. A peep of sunlight filtered through, making it a little easier to see but not by much.
Roy shoved his hands into his pockets and sat down at the desk chair. "So it's nice to know Wally's pissed off at me."
"He just doesn't get you."
"Well, I'm sorry if the Blue Valley Track Star can't wrap his head around my behavior."
"You scare the crap out of him, Roy," Dick said quietly.
"Cool. So it's not just me I scare the crap out of," Roy joked. "Good to know."
Dick nodded and kept folding clothes into his bag.
"How're you holding up?"
"Let me see," Dick huffed. "My other best friend was shot and tortured by the most notorious criminal in Gotham, and she'll never walk again. Oh, and I've been told to stay out of Gotham because Batman thinks I'll go on a killing spree. So I can't see Barbara, and I'm not allowed to kill the Joker."
"So you're just peachy," Roy nodded. "Duly noted."
Dick nodded slowly. "Thanks for letting me crash with you."
"What are bestest buddies for?" Roy grinned.
Dick zipped up his bag and then turned to his friend, crossing his arms. "How are you really?"
"Good."
"Liar."
"I'm good, Dick."
Dick took a deep breath. "Roy...have you been fighting relapse?"
"I was a heroin addict," Roy pointed out. "I'll probably always be fighting relapse."
"But you'd tell me if you were seriously considering-"
"I would," Roy said. "But I'm not. I swear." Roy patted Dick's shoulder. "Now come on. Wally's probably doing laps around the tower waiting for us."
******
“If you need anything,” Wally said, adjusting the cowl of his Flash costume, “or if you want me to come pick you up, you just call and let me know, okay?” He pulled Dick into a hug which was not returned. “We’re here for you. Always will be.”
Roy grimaced a little and nodded to Wally as he pulled away from Dick. “We’ll be in touch.”
Wally nodded, and sped off.
“So I don’t think you’ve ever been to this place,” Roy commented as he led Dick inside the small apartment. The place was tiny, and toys and stuffed animals were scattered all over the floor. But it was clean-looking and well-lit by a few lamps and the large windows that looked onto Star City. “Welcome to Casa de Harper. Sorry about the mess. Weekends have kind of turned into Lian’s time, and I wind up letting her run amuck.”
Dick nodded. “Spare room?”
“Uh…yeah. There kinda isn’t one,” Roy said awkwardly. “You’ll have to take the couch.”
“That’s fine,” Dick replied. He closed his eyes. “Listen…Roy…about the…kicking you in the face…thing…”
“Hey, I knew you’d do it,” Roy replied, a wry grin on his face. “I was banking on it. Trying to get you out of the bathroom, remember?”
Dick gave him a sad smile.
“You can’t do that here, by the way,” Roy told him. “Lian will get really angry. She likes to pretend the bathtub is her own personal sailboat.”
“Uncle Dick!!!”
“Speak of the cute little devil,” Roy muttered with a grin.
The little girl rushed out from the kitchen and latched onto Dick’s leg. “Uncle Dick what are you doing here? I didn’t know you were coming! I woulda drew you a picture!”
“That’s okay, kiddo,” Dick replied, lifting her up. “Seeing you is way better than getting a picture.” He hugged her and kissed the side of her head.
“Lian, is Aunt Dinah in the kitchen?” Roy asked.
Lian nodded and rested her head on Dick’s shoulder.
Roy nodded back. “Okay. Why don’t you guys go watch some TV, while I go and have a chat?” He didn’t wait for a reply before heading off for the kitchen, finding Dinah Lance sitting at the table with the morning newspaper and a cup of coffee.
“Didn’t expect you back so soon,” she said, glancing up at him.
“You had to call the Bat?”
“Yeah. I did.”
“Dinah…”
“He had a right to know Dick was back and that he’d heard…”
“It’s not like he was going to comfort him, Dinah.”
“How they handle this is up to them,” Dinah replied.
“Dick’s here.”
Dinah smirked. “I gathered from Lian’s shouting his name.”
Roy nodded. " I don't know how long he's staying."
"Okay," Dinah replied.
"I don't know what he'll do."
Dinah nodded. "Okay."
"I've never had a houseguest here before," Roy said.
Dinah grinned. "I know. But you'll be fine."
"I haven't spent any real amount of time with Dick since before rehab."
Her grin widened. "It'll be fine, Roy."
Roy huffed and slumped down at the table. "So I've got Lian, and I've got Dick. And they're watching TV in my living room. You know the fact that I have a living room of my own is weird enough most days without having my four-year-old and my on-again off-again best friend inhabiting it."
Dinah shook her head and closed the newspaper she'd been reading. "It'll be fine." She got to her feet and sipped the rest of her coffee. "Call me later, okay?"
"Okay, Mom."
"Very funny."
"I know you are but what am I?"
Dinah sighed heavily and shook her head. "Bye, Roy."
"Bye, Dinah."
"Should I tell a certain archer you said hello?"
Roy shrugged. "Well, you could, but you're the one who would have to listen to him be a dick about it."
Dinah sighed again and gave him a somewhat sad look before heading to the door. "Bye, Lian."
The little girl looked up and smiled. "Bye-bye, Dinah!"
Dinah smiled. "Bye, Dick."
He waved to her, but said nothing.
Roy heard the front door close and then got to his feet, grimacing. "Goddammit, Wally," he grumbled and adjusted his jeans, before walking out to the living room. He squeezed onto the couch. "What's on?"
"Care Bears!" Lian cried happily.
"Awesome," Roy replied, lifting his daughter onto his lap.
Dick glanced at him. "You and Ollie are on the outs still?"
Roy shrugged. "We tried talking. It didn't go well."
"Understatement?" Dick asked.
"Oh yeah," Roy nodded. He took a deep breath. "I don't think either of us are ready to forgive and forget yet."
Dick looked back to the TV. "You think you'll ever forget?"
He didn't get an answer. Roy tightened his arms a little around Lian and kissed the top of her head. "Who's your favorite Care Bear, you?"
"I like Grumpy," she replied. "He's like Batman."
Dick struggled to keep his mouth from twisting into a smile, and failed.
Roy chuckled. "I like Brave Heart Lion."
This earned him a very confused look from Dick.
"Oh, come on, I have a four-year-old! Of course I know the names of Care Bears!"
"Daddy," Lian said.
"Yeah?"
"Brave Heart Lion is a Care Bear Cousin."
Roy gave Dick a glower before nodding. "Right, sorry. Forgot about that."
Dick chuckled.
"Cram it, Shortpants."
"The slacker bad boy of the Teen Titans has a working knowledge of the Care Bears."
Roy grumbled and sat back. "Least he's smiling."
*****
"Daddy, can Uncle Dick read my story tonight?"
Roy nodded and kissed the top of her head. "Sure thing, Princess."
"Don't I get any say?" Dick asked. He was leaning in the doorway of Lian's small bedroom. It was painted a cheery pink, and crammed with stuffed animals, between the spaces where the bed and the small dresser were placed. It seemed too small, but at the same time, just right for a little girl's own private bedroom.
Roy smirked at him. "No you don't get a say. Get your bony butt in here and read my kid a story."
Dick grinned as Roy got to his feet, and they awkwardly shuffled around so that their positions were switched.
Dick sat down on the bed and grinned at Lian, really looking at her. She'd grown up so much from when they'd first brought her back from Japan. Had it really only been two years? It seemed like longer. It seemed like longer since he'd seen Roy as well, though.
"I'm gonna go clean up a little more," Roy said. "Sweet dreams, Lian."
"Night-night, Daddy," she said with a smile, and then looked at Dick expectantly. "Story time?"
Dick grinned and shifted, settling back on the bed next to the little girl. "Story time."
*****
Roy sighed into the phone as he scrubbed the sink. "No, Kory, he's telling Lian a story. I'll have him call you." He frowned at the alien woman's protests. "Kory, if he stops mid-story, Lian is just gonna demand he start from the beginning, and then I'll never get her to sleep, so please, have pity on her poor father, and agree to wait for Dick to call you back?" He closed his eyes. "Thank you. Yeah. Bye."
He hung up and went back to scrubbing the sink. He heard the door to Lian's room close and turned his head to see his friend walking into the kitchen.
"Kory called. She wants you to call her back."
"Yeah."
Roy quirked an eyebrow as Dick sat at the small kitchen table, fiddling with the newspaper. "You're worrying her you know. It's not fair."
"I don't know what to say to her."
"What do you mean?"
Dick took a deep breath. "You saw my reaction to what happened to Barbara."
"And felt it," Roy replied. "Thanks for the kick in the face."
"Any time."
"So? What about your reaction?" Roy asked, going back to scrubbing. "She's one of your oldest and dearest friends. She was nearly killed, of course you got upset."
"It was more than that," Dick said quietly.
"More like...you think you're crackin' up more? Or..."
"More like I might still have feelings for Babs, more," Dick said quietly. "And if that's the case...marrying Kory..."
"Would be very wrong," Roy nodded.
"Yeah." Dick blinked and watched his old friend. "What are you doing?"
"Cleaning."
"How long have you been scrubbing that sink?"
"I don't know, why?"
"Because something tells me it's as clean as it's gonna get," Dick replied warily.
Roy took a deep breath and dropped the sponge on the side of the counter. He turned the sink of with slightly shaky hands and then wiped them on a towel.
"Roy..."
"You want coffee or anything?"
"Roy..."
"Cause I could do up a pot. Or there's hot chocolate, like when we were kids."
Dick got to his feet and took his friend's shoulders. "Roy."
"I'm good. I'm good. I'm just...itchy."
"What do you need me to do?" Dick asked.
"Nothing. I'm fine. I'm fine. I just get a little itchy sometimes at night. You know...work's done for the day and Lian's sleeping and I'm fine, I just keep busy till I get tired."
"You're not fine," Dick said carefully. "You need more help."
Roy gave him a shaky smile. "I got help, remember? Ollie punched me in the face and everything."
Dick shook his head. "It's not just you you have to worry about anymore, Roy. If things are getting bad again, get more help."
Roy swallowed and gave a slow nod. "I'll...I'll call the rehab place tomorrow...maybe set up some meetings...if you could watch Lian...?"
"Of course."
"Cause I don't want Dinah to know," Roy said.
Dick sighed and rubbed his eye. "Yeah, okay. I won't mention it to her. I promise."
Roy nodded again and scratched at his hair. "I'm gonna go to bed."
"Good call."
"The sheets are on the chair by the couch."
"Thanks."
Roy nodded yet again and headed for his bedroom.
Dick watched him; watched until he disappeared into his bedroom, and watched as the door closed quietly. He grabbed the telephone and shuffled into the living room, now devoid of all the toys Lian had laying out earlier in the day. He sat on the couch and closed his eyes before dialing a number and holding the phone to his ear.
"Hi, Donna, it's me. Sorry to call so late, but...you noticed, too, huh? Yeah. See you tomorrow."