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 2: Just Because Everything Changing Doesn't Mean it's Never Been This Way Before
Dick woke to a light tapping on the apartment's front door. He cracked an eye open before sitting up and scratching at his dark hair.
Getting off the couch after sleeping on it all night was a small challenge and he was thankful he was in shape. He stumbled to the door and yawned. "Who's'ere?"
"Avon Lady?"
Dick grinned and swung open the door, gazing at Donna Troy. She was holding a small overnight bag and a paper bag.
"I brought bagels," she said.
"For bagel hockey?"
Donna quirked an eyebrow. "Twenty-four hours under the same roof as Roy Harper and you've reverted back to age twelve. I wish I could say I'm at all shocked."
Dick grinned, slightly sheepish and let her inside. "Neither Harper is up and at 'em yet."
"It is eight am on a Sunday," Donna replied. "And he has been living a sort of normal person lifestyle. Weekday job, weekends at home with Lian..."
"Not having to haul his ass out of bed at all hours of the night to stop evil doers or natural disasters," Dick nodded.
"Or Garth stealing the last of the Eggos."
"Garth does love his waffles," Dick nodded in agreement.
Donna smiled a little and set her things down. "So how bad is it?"
"I don't really know," Dick replied. "He seemed fine all day and then Lian went to bed and he just shifted to this erratic, energetic state. He said it's cause he didn't have much to distract him."
Donna nodded sadly. "It doesn't sound good."
"He said he was going to start getting more help today," Dick told her. "I told him I'd watch Lian. And he doesn't want Dinah to know."
They stood in silence for a moment before Donna shifted and took a step toward Roy's bedroom. "I'm going to-"
"Go," Dick nodded. "I'll start breakfast."
She nodded and took a deep breath before opening the door.
*****
Roy blinked before opening his eyes. The person at the door was not whom he expected.
He smiled sleepily, but it faded as he took in her worried expression.
"Damn. You're not here for a booty call."
"That's a lovely way to say good morning," Donna replied as she slowly walked into the room.
"What can I say? I'm disappointed," Roy shrugged. He sat up and scratched at his messy red hair. "I'm assuming Dick called you."
"He did."
Roy huffed. "Well, that's just a kick in the pants, right there."
"Roy..."
"We talked about this, Donna."
"I don't care if you're ashamed," she said as she sat on the edge of his bed. "I want to help you."
"I know," he replied quietly. "I just need to know that I can do this on my own, for myself."
Donna gazed at him softly.
"What?"
"Roy..."
"Out with it, Wonder-Babe."
"What if you die?"
Roy frowned. "That's inevitable."
"I mean...before your time," Donna said. "What if you relapse and wind up dead? And I didn't do anything to help because you needed to prove how manly and self-reliant you are?"
Roy's mouth twisted, his jaw clenching. "There are ways to prove how manly I am that feel way more awesome than fighting off a relapse."
She glared at him.
He huffed out a breath. "Donna, what do you expect to do? I went to meetings on relapse prevention. I know what I'm supposed to do to fight it off. There's nothing you can do. I've been clean for three years; I've been dealing with this without you or Dick or anybody. I can handle it."
"There is one thing I can do."
He quirked an eyebrow.
"I can stay," she shrugged. "Just for as long as Dick is staying. I can stay."
"I don't know how long Dick is staying," Roy replied slowly.
"That's fine."
"Donna...come on. This apartment is barely big enough for me and Lian, let alone me, Lian, you and Dick."
"It'll be fine," Donna replied. "I'm not leaving."
Roy stared at her. "Listen, this is very sweet of you, and it's nice to know you still love me enough to do this but...You're away...Dick's away...who the hell is leading the team?"
"Vic. And Wally when he's not with the JLA."
"That'll go well."
She frowned. "Be nice to Wally."
"He started it."
Donna shook her head. "The maturity is astounding."
Roy frowned back at her and averted his eyes.
"Talk, please."
"He said I'm pitiful."
"Wally?"
"Yeah."
Donna sighed heavily. "You've been clean for three years, as you pointed out. You've got a steady job, and you're raising your daughter by yourself. Tell me how you're pitiful, because I don't see it, Roy."
"Come on, I am a little bit pitiful," Roy muttered. "I started using in the first place."
"Sssh."
"I had no team and no money and no parents, and the guy who was supposed to be my parent up and bailed on me to take some awesome road trip and leave me behind and I started hanging out with the bad kids."
"Ssshh."
"And I thought 'one hit won't kill me. Let's just see what it's like.' And one hit turned into two turned into five turned into ten and then-"
He didn't get to finish his sentence. Donna's lips pressing to his own stopped him, and he instinctively wrapped his arms around her. They kissed slowly for a few long moments.
"I still love you," he said against her lips. "I always still love you."
Donna nodded. "I know."
He gazed at her, his green eyes unguarded for the first time since they'd seen each other again. "So..." he swallowed. "So you're staying?"
She nodded. "I'm staying."
Roy nodded slowly. "Okay. Just so you know, I'm gonna wanna kiss you a lot."
Donna smiled. "Okay."
*****
Lian licked her ice cream thoughtfully. It was sunny out and she was sitting across from her Uncle Dick, who had opted for a cup instead of a cone.
"Cones are better," she told him.
He grinned. "And messier. I think it's gonna be bath time for you when we get home."
Lian pouted. "Bath! No!"
"What's wrong with baths?"
"Baths are yucky," she said factually.
"So is having ice cream in your hair," Dick pointed out. He took a napkin and gently caught a strand of her hair, getting most of the ice cream off.
"When will Daddy and Aunt Donna be here?"
"Soon," Dick said. "Very soon."
"Where did they go?"
"Your dad had an appointment today," Dick replied. "Sometimes daddies need help, you know? So they go see doctors."
The little girl's eyes widened. She looked about to panic. "Is Daddy sick?!"
"No, no," Dick said quickly. "He just...needed to...I mean..." Dick felt clueless as to what to say to the little girl. She looked worried, and a little scared.
"Daddy just needed to get a second opinion on that bruise he got when we were playing tag the other day," Roy's voice said from behind them. He easily lifted Lian up and grinned at her. "Remember when you ran so fast, and I fell down?"
Lian giggled. "On your butt!"
"Yes, Daddy fell right on his butt."
Dick gave his friend a relieved look. "Things go okay?"
"Oh, yeah, the doc said that bruise should clear right up," Roy replied. He gave Dick a look that clearly said that they would talk more in-depth later.
Donna walked over and grinned at them. "Did you guys have fun?"
Lian nodded. "We went to the park and then we looked in the toy store, and uncle Dick got me ice cream, see?"
Roy grinned as she held the cone up to his face. "Ice cream! Awesome!" He made an "om" noise as he chomped down on the cone playfully, almost catching Lian's hand.
She squealed and giggled. "Daddy!"
He chewed and grinned. "What? I like ice cream too, y'know."
Donna smiled at them. Roy was making parenthood look easy. "I hope that ice cream hasn't ruined your dinner, Lian."
"This isn't dinner?" Lian frowned.
Donna blinked. Perhaps Roy wasn't the perfect father after all.
"No it's not your dinner!" Roy laughed. "I'm cooking tonight."
Dick looked slightly scared. "You? Cook? Don't tell me you're going to try and make shish kabob on your arrows again."
Roy glared at him a little. "Hey, I know how to cook."
Lian nodded in agreement. "Daddy makes the best grilled cheese!"
"Darn right I do," Roy nodded. "Come on, let's head home. It looks like someone needs a bath."
"You!" Lian cried.
"Oh you wish."
Donna ambled behind them with Dick and talked quietly. "It's strange to see him like this."
"What? A dad?" Dick asked. "A good dad?"
Donna nodded. "It's...nice."
"He seems to have gotten the hang of it," Dick replied. "And...he wanted Lian. I remember when he first laid eyes on her. It was like love it first sight."
"A reason to stay clean," Donna said, her voice quieter.
Dick sighed. "So? The meeting?"
"He'll tell you later," Donna replied.
"Or you could tell me now," Dick said.
Donna glowered a little. "It's not my place. Leave it until he tells you later."
Dick huffed out a breath. "Fine." He shoved his hands into his pockets and then glanced at her again. "So what happened between you two this morning?"
Donna held her head higher. "Nothing."
"Riiiight," Dick grinned.
"I'm staying."
"You...you what?"
Donna nodded. "I'm staying. For as long as you are."
Dick shook his head. "That apartment is tiny, Donna. There' barely enough room for me to stay."
"I've been down this road with Roy, and I'm staying."
"Where are you going to sleep?" Dick asked.
"We'll figure it out."
"It's like a shoebox."
"You know, not everyone has trust fund money, Dick. Roy is getting by on his own."
"Oh, that's really nice," Dick snapped. "That's what you think of me? Y'know, Roy grew up around money, too."
"Hey!" Roy called. "Quit bickering back there!"
Neither of them seemed to pay any attention.
"And if Ollie wasn't such a jackass, Roy'd have a trust fund too," Dick pointed out.
Lian giggled. "Jackass!"
Roy groaned. "That's just great."
Lian pointed to Dick. "Jackass!"
Donna shook her head. "Look what you did, Dick."
"Me?!"
Lian pointed to Roy. "Jackass!"
Roy frowned. "Lian, we don't say things like that. It's mean."
"But Uncle Dick called Gran'pa Ollie a jackass."
Roy nodded slowly. "Yes he did, and it was very wrong of him." He looked back at Dick, giving him an expression that clearly said 'if you don't agree with me, I'll break your face.'
Dick sighed. "Yeah. It was wrong. I didn't mean it. It was very mean of me to call Ollie a jackass."
"See?" Roy said. He rubbed Lian's arm gently. "We don't call people mean names like that. It hurts their feelings."
"Ollie has feelings?" Dick muttered.
Roy groaned again. "Will you-?! I'm trying to teach important life lessons here! Stop screwin' it up!"
Donna put a hand to her mouth, trying to hold back her laughter. "Come on, let's just get home," she said, clear amusement in her voice.
"Gran'pa Ollie doesn't have feelings?" Lian asked.
"Of course he does," Roy replied.
"Is he a robot?" Lian asked.
Roy grinned. "Of course not."
Lian frowned. "Do I have to take a bath?"
"Oh yeah."
Lian sighed. "Fiiiine."
*****
"Did you just cut the crusts off of all of the bread your going to use?" Donna asked as she pulled a wedge of cheddar cheese from the refrigerator.
"Yep."
Dick chuckled as he set paper plates down on the table. "That's just adorable."
"Eat me," Roy replied, thankful that Lian was playing in her bedroom while they were getting dinner ready.
"I believe I'll leave that honor to Donna," Dick said.
Donna's eyes widened and she took a plate and whapped Dick over the head with it, bending it.
He laughed and shifted away. "Hey!"
"You asked for that," Roy said.
Donna shook her head and glanced at Dick. "Look at you, having a good time. It's good to see."
Dick took a deep breath. "The entire situation seems easier to handle here."
"Away from Kory?" Roy asked.
Dick shifted and frowned.
"When are you going to call her?" Donna asked. "She doesn't deserve to be treated this way, Dick. You know that."
"I just...I just need more time," Dick replied. "Well, actually no. What I really need is to talk to Babs."
"So call her," Roy replied.
"And say what?" Dick scoffed. "Sorry about your legs? How's that gunshot wound doing?"
Donna rolled her eyes. "You are so clueless."
Dick swallowed and turned to Roy. "So? Your meeting?"
"Oh yeah, there he goes, shifting the focus," Roy replied. "The doctor at the rehab center thinks I should join a support group."
"It's not a bad idea," Dick nodded.
"Yeah, sure, except that means I need a sitter for Lian and I'll probably have to move around my schedule and-"
"What's worse, Roy?" Donna asked gently. "Having to finagle your schedule, or relapsing?"
Roy nodded. "I know. I do. I just...hate that I need to do this."
"One of us could baby-sit," Dick said.
"Yeah while you're here, but once you leave..."
"We can still baby-sit," Donna replied. "Any one of us. Me or Dick or Kory or Gar of Vic or Wally or anybody. Dinah. Ollie."
Roy scoffed. "Yeah, I really wanna leave my kid along with him right now."
"There are worse people," Donna replied. "There's Bruce."
"My god," Roy laughed. "Does he even know what to do with a four-year-old?"
Dick smirked. "Hand him or her over to Alfred."
"Then again, we didn't think you knew what to do with a two-year-old," Donna pointed out gently, leaning against the counter next to Roy. "And your pretty good at parenting."
"It grows on you," Roy smiled at her. "Like weeds. I never thought I'd like being a dad but...I do. I like it."
Donna smiled back and kissed his cheek. "Hurry up with that grilled cheese. I'm hungry."
"Ma'am yes Ma'am," Roy replied.
Dick shook his head. "So...sleeping arrangements tonight. There's four of us. Lian sleeps in her room, Roy sleeps in his room, and there's one couch and minimal floor space."
Donna nodded slowly. "That is a problem."
"Not from where I'm standing," Roy replied, looking Donna up and down playfully.
"Of course not," Dick shook his head.
At that moment, Lian ran out. "Daddy, is dinner ready yet?"
"Just about," Roy replied. "Have a seat. Have some milk." He started to scoop the sandwiches off of the griddle with a spatula.
"Where did you get a griddle?" Donna asked.
"Wouldn't you like to know," Roy wiggled his eyebrows. He served up the grilled cheese and then took a seat.
Dick took a bite of his and chewed slowly. "You know? This is good."
*****
"This is the stupidest thing ever."
Dick glared up at the ceiling of Roy's bedroom. "Shut up and stop hogging the covers."
"This is my bed," Roy snapped. "If I wanna hog the covers, I'll hog the covers."
"You suck."
"Awesome. Get out of my bed."
"Where am I supposed to sleep?" Dick asked, sitting up. "Donna got the couch. There's no floor space."
"This sucks," Roy said. "This sucks hard. She wasn't supposed to take the couch, you were."
Dick quirked an eyebrow. "Well, did you ever think that there are some women in the world that don't want to share a bed with you, Harper?"
Roy frowned. "What you say?"
Dick groaned and flopped back down on the bed. His eyes narrowed. "Your feet are freezing."
"Then stop touching them," Roy replied.
"You stop."
"I didn't do anything!" Roy cried.
Dick shoved at him.
Roy shoved back.
Dick kicked him, and received a kick in return and all of the sudden they were wrestling.
"Get off!"
"You get off!"
"God-dammit, Roy!"
"You started this, Shortpants!"
It was at that point that they both slid right off the bed and onto the floor with a loud thud.
They stared at each other in shocked silence for a long moment before they both burst into loud laughter.
"Oh my god," Dick laughed, sitting up. "We are such losers."
Roy stayed laying down, his hands over his face. "Oh, man. That really just happened, didn't it?"
Dick nodded. "Oh yeah."
"Is it weird that I feel thirteen again around you and Donna?" Roy asked.
Dick leaned back against the side of the bed. He took a deep breath, calming down from his laughter. "Maybe it's not so much feeling thirteen as it is feeling safe enough to act thirteen. You know?"
"When did you get all philosophical?" Roy asked, looking up at him.
Dick shrugged. "I don't know. You hang out with Batman long enough, and there's so much silence that all you really do is think sometimes."
Roy nodded. "I wish Ollie would shut up sometimes."
"Everybody wishes that," Dick grinned playfully.
"You know, you've been hating on him an awful lot today," Roy pointed out.
"Roy, come on. He found out you were using and he slugged you in the face and then kicked you out," Dick said. "That's not how you handle that situation."
"That was years ago," Roy replied.
"And you two still aren't speaking?"
"Good point."
Dick nodded.
"I miss him sometimes," Roy admitted. "I miss the stupid jokes and the trick arrows and I even miss the self-righteous talks about environmental responsibility. He's been the closest thing to a dad to me since I left the reservation. It's hard not talking to him."
"So what's stopping you?" Dick asked.
Roy shrugged. "I don't know. I'm still feeling a lot of shame over the heroin, you know? I'm embarrassed. But with Ollie...I'm not sure if he feels like he failed me or I failed him. Maybe we just failed each other. Maybe he never shoulda taken me in in the first place."
"Yeah, but if he hadn't we wouldn't be here," Dick pointed out. "We wouldn't be on the floor and Lian wouldn't be sleeping in the next room and Donna wouldn't be on the couch."
Roy nodded. "That's all very, very true. And god only knows, I coulda wound up a junkie anyway, right?"
Dick looked down at him. "Maybe you need to stop thinking of yourself as a junkie."
"What? What do you mean?"
"I mean...you're other things. You're my best friend. You're Lian's dad. You're...whatever you are to Donna. You're a youth councilor, you're working with the CBI. For all intents and purposes, you're Dinah and Ollie's kid. You're a Titan."
"The hell I am," Roy scoffed. "Not anymore."
"Shut up," Dick said. "You're always gonna be a Titan whether you like it or not."
Roy's mouth twisted into a grin. "Sure thing, Boss. Can I have a new costume?"
Dick kicked him in the thigh.
"Ow. Watch it, Boy Blunder."
The door opened then and Donna leaned in. "Hi."
Roy grinned. "Hi, pretty lady."
She shook her head and walked over, laying down on the bed on her stomach. "What are you two doing on the floor?"
"Long story," Dick replied.
Donna quirked an eyebrow. "Let me guess: You got annoyed at each other, and wrestled right off the bed?"
"She's good," Roy said to Dick. "Has she always been this good?"
Dick nodded. "Pretty much."
Donna smiled at them. "I couldn't sleep."
"Neither could I," Dick replied. "Roy's feet are like giant blocks of ice."
"You don't know the trick for warming them up," Donna smiled.
Dick looked utterly disgusted.
"Not like that!" Donna laughed. "You have to bunch up the covers around them really tight. That way, if it doesn't work to warm them up, at least you're protected from them."
"My feet are not that cold," Roy protested.
"Roy, you and Dick got into a fight over how cold they are," Donna pointed out. "That's pretty cold."
"Can we stop talking about Roy's feet?" Dick asked.
"Okay," Roy nodded. "How about we talk about what you two are gonna do tomorrow?"
"What's tomorrow?" Dick asked.
"I have to work," Roy replied. "And Lian has preschool."
"I could fly back and check on things back home," Donna suggested. "Make sure the team isn't falling apart."
"No," Dick said. "Then you'll get sucked into staying there and you won't come back. We can call tomorrow."
Donna nodded. "Uh-huh. And you can call Kory."
"Or Babs," Roy added.
"Or Kory and Babs," Donna said.
"Stop ganging up on me," Dick glowered.
"You can't just not call either of them," Roy pointed out. "It's not fair."
"You're the one who enabled me to run away," Dick snapped.
"Yeah, because if you stayed at the Tower you were gonna kick someone's face in."
"I did," Dick said. "Yours."
Roy nodded. "Yeah, and I can take it with no hard feelings when you do that. As opposed to some of the other members who aren't as willing to forgive kicks in the face."
Dick huffed. "I just...I feel trapped. If I get in touch with Babs, does that somehow change what I have with Kory? If I don't get in touch with Babs, she'll think I don't care about her."
"Listen," Roy said, finally sitting up. "You can't have your cake and eat it too, here. You have to figure out what you want, because Kory's dangling like a very well-endowed worm on a hook."
"And in the meantime, Barbara is going through something terrible, and as her friend, you should be there for her," Donna said.
Dick glared at Roy. "Stop checking out my fiancé's breasts, please."
"I wasn't!" Roy cried. "They're there! And they are bright orange and her costume is kind of obscene."
Donna rolled her eyes.
"Kory hates me anyways," Roy grumbled.
"What?" Dick said. "No she doesn't."
"Are you kidding?" Roy scoffed. "You're staying here. Away from her. With me. She hates me."
"I can't remember, does drug abuse make you paranoid?" Dick asked Donna.
"Hey, don't put me in the middle," Donna grinned.
Roy huffed. "On that note, I think it's bedtime."
"No way," Dick replied. "I'm not sleeping in that bed with you again."
"Aww, Dickie, don't you wanna snuggle?" Roy asked jokingly.
"Don't ever touch me," Dick replied.
Donna chuckled. "Okay, you two, knock it off. I'll take the bed."
"Score," Roy said.
"You wish," Donna replied with a smirk.
Dick shook his head and got to his feet. "Good night, you two."
"G'night, Dick," Donna said. She watched as Roy hopped to his feet and got on the bed.
"Hi," he grinned.
"You know I forgot that you're like a big, eager, drooling puppy sometimes," she said.
Roy grinned.
"If you start barking, you're gonna wake up Lian," Donna said.
"That girl can sleep through just about anything," Roy replied. "And she hasn't woken up yet, and that includes Dick and I falling on the floor."
"Hrm," Donna muttered, as she laid back on the bed. "I have a dilemma."
"Oh?" Roy asked.
"Mm-hmm," she nodded. "See...I was seeing someone before I came here."
He nodded back slowly. "Oh..."
"His name is Terry," she told him. "He's a college professor. He's older than we are."
"College professors usually are," Roy replied, his voice slightly wary. "Listen, if you're seeing this guy, what're you doing staying here?"
"Well, that's the thing," Donna whispered. "I'm here because...you're you. And you've always been this kind of wonderful mess, that I love. But you don't seem like much of a mess anymore. I mean, now you're more worried about getting baby-sitters than getting into trouble."
Roy stretched out beside her, placing his arms behind his head. "If I get into trouble, who's gonna take care of Lian?"
Donna nodded. "See? You got all responsible."
"So?"
"So it's kind of attractive?"
Roy wrinkled his nose. "Really?"
Donna nodded.
"Huh."
She sighed and curled up against him. "The thing is...How do I say this without scaring the hell out of you?"
"I'm hard to scare," Roy pointed out. "I've changed diapers."
Donna smiled. "If I call Terry tomorrow, and tell him we shouldn't see each other, I want it to be because you and I are serious."
Roy frowned. "How serious?"
"Pretty serious."
He sat up and scratched at his hair. "Look...Donna. I love you. I'd do anything for you. You know that. But if we get serious, you're not just getting serious with me. It means you're gonna be in Lian's life." He looked down at her. "She adores you. If things don't work out, we're gonna have a lot of explaining to do, and it's not going to be fun."
"So are you saying you don't want to?" she asked.
"No," he said. "No, not at all. I just want you to know what you're getting into."
Donna nodded and sat up. "I'm listening."
"This is a package deal," Roy told her. "And there will probably be a few canceled dates and nights spent watching some seriously cheery cartoons. And...and then there's me, and...like you said. I'm a mess. And you're right, I've gotten better but I still have a lot of cleaning up to do."
She quirked an eyebrow. "You don't think I have baggage?"
"I don't think yours involves quite so many needles."
"Roy."
"What?"
"Yes or no?"
He stared at her, eyes wide, and then nodded slowly. "Yeah."
She grinned. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
Donna nodded, her grin breaking into a smile. "I'll call Terry first thing in the morning."
Roy grinned a little. "It'd be inappropriate if I did the calling and gloated, right?"
"Extremely," she replied.
"Just checking."