Fic: Room for One More (Tim/Cissie)
Title: Room for One More
Fandom: Teen Titans
Characters/Pairings: Cissie King-Jones, Roy Harper, Greta Hayes, light Tim/Cissie
Rating: PG
Words: 1583
Summary: In the aftermath of Graduation Day, a new team is forming, and Cissie gets a visitor with a surprising proposal.
Author's Notes: I suppose this is a second birthday present for lady_sarai. I'm spoiling her so much. :p This fic is part of an AU that spun out of her prompts in Comment_fic, but can be read on its own, as it's a prequel. This is set around the launch of Teen Titans, with the AU twist of Roy acting less Winick-y.
Cissie looked at her planner for the day as Greta unpacked on the bed behind her. She had a busy slate of classes, activities, and clubs that day, made only crazier by the fact that she'd be showing her friend around the school. As days at the Elias School went, this was going to be an exciting one.
"I think these uniforms are cute. Don't you, Cissie?"
"I imagine anything's cute after those dusty ghost rags you were wearing for the last year." Cissie laughed. "So, are you excited."
"Like you wouldn't believe!" Greta bounced up and down. "How many people get two chances at life? I hope my second one lasts longer, although without my psycho brother around the odds are good."
"Let's see how excited you are around finals time." Cissie said as she checked her phone for the thirtieth time that day.
"Still nothing from Cassie, huh?"
"No, and I'm freaking out. I haven't heard from anyone since the whole thing with the Superman robot. I know Young Justice shut down, but I don't know what they're doing since then. I know we're not superheroes anymore, but we're still supposed to be their friends. I just wish she'd call."
"I heard something about some new team being formed. In San Francisco." Greta shrugged. "Herowatch had a blog post on it, but it's just rumors."
"Well, I've got to get to the archery range. See you in English?"
"Sure thing!"
Cissie grabbed her bow and raced down the stairs to the gym. There was a big meet that Friday, and even though she usually never had a problem hitting the targets, she wanted to get some practice in. She made a beeline for the equipment locker and grabbed a quiver full of arrows.
"Getting some early morning shooting practice in, huh? Reminds me of the old days."
At the sound of the voice behind her, Cissie instinctively drew her bow and armed herself, pointing it in the direction of the intruder.
"Arsenal?"
Roy put his hands up in surrender. "Easy, kid. Don't shoot. I come in peace."
Cissie dropped the bow. "What the hell are you doing, sneaking up on me like that?"
"I figured it was the best place to do it. A strange guy wandering around an all-girl's school in the morning...doesn't look good."
"Agreed." Cissie giggled. All of a sudden, the events of the last few weeks came back to her, and she stopped laughing. "I'm sorry. About Donna, Lilith...everything."
"Me too." Roy nodded sadly. "I was lost for a while there, not wanting to talk to anyone, but that's not what they would have wanted. I want to continue their legacy, help the people they would have helped. Whether that's on the Outsiders or something else. Which is why I'm here."
Roy extended his hand. He was holding an embossed card with the words "Teen Titans" on it.
"Wait wait wait. Is this an invitation?"
"Yeah. Robin, Superboy, Wonder Girl, and Impulse are already signed up. I figured every team needs an archer, right?"
"You know I'm retired, right? I have been for almost a year. I made the decision to walk away."
"And it was the smartest thing you've ever done, Cissie. You were unstable, from years of emotional abuse from your mother. You saw that, and walked away before you or someone else got hurt. But you've matured since then, and you've got some of the best natural skill with a bow I've ever seen - far more than your mother could ever dream of."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying I know you're retired, and I respect that. But I feel like you deserve to be offered this opportunity, and what you do with it is up to you. The way your mother trained you and sent you into the field - that was the absolute wrong way to do it. If you want to do it the right way...that's what the Teen Titans are for."
"So, what, I'd be Arrowette again? And you'd train me?"
"Absolutely on the last part. Although I don't know if I have all that much to teach you, as good as you are. As for Arrowette, that's your call. But there is another option."
Roy handed Cissie a briefcase. She opened it and peeked inside. Her eyes went wide.
"No way."
-----
Greta hurried into her dorm room after the English class from hell. "Cissie, where were you? You could have warned me that Ms. Keating expects everyone to come to class with three #2 pencils! I was - Whoa."
Greta froze as she saw Cissie looking at herself in the mirror. But she wasn't dressed as Cissie. She was wearing a modified version of the classic Speedy uniform.
"Greta! I was just - "
"Planning out this year's halloween costume, I hope!"
"Not quite." Cissie played with her hair nervously. "Roy showed up in the equipment locker this morning. He offered me an invitation to the Teen Titans. He even gave me this uniform. Which...wow."
"Well, you're not going to do it, right? You're retired! We're retired! We get to have a normal boring life here now! Right?"
"Well..."
"Cissie!"
"The thing is, he pretty much nailed every point I was going to make about why I retired. And then he told me how it would be different this time. I'd be training with him. I wouldn't have my psycho mother making heroing decisions for me based on PR. You know I've looked up to him all my life. I retired because I didn't trust my mother, and I didn't trust myself. But he seems to trust me. And if a legend like Roy Harper trusts me, maybe it's time to stop punishing myself for something I did when I was an angry, messed up kid."
"Do you miss it? You always say you don't, but I can tell you're lying."
Cissie paused, then sighed. "Every day. There's nothing like it. I know things were different for you. What you've got now...it's a gift, and I'd never want to take it away from you. Anita turned Garth down when he approached her, because she wants to concentrate on raising her parents. But as much as I hated my mother's way of doing things, I loved the adventure. I loved helping people. And now I have the chance to do that again. Like he said...do it right. Tim, Kon, Bart, Cassie...they were all great heroes already when we met them. I wasn't, and I kind of want to see if I can be."
"You're not leaving me here, right? We're still going to go to school together, and be friends like you promised?"
"Of course!" Cissie reached out and gave Greta a hug. "This is a weekend thing. I'm still going to have a normal life. I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm never going back to the crazy 24-7 superhero thing mom made me do."
"Then..." Greta grinned. "You look totally kick-ass in that costume. Are you calling yourself Speedy now?"
"I don't know." Cissie shrugged. "It's a cool name with a lot of legacy...but I don't know if I want to copy someone else. I'll talk it over with Roy before the first meeting."
-----
They had been gathering at Titans Tower all morning. Tim arrived first, followed by Conner, then Bart, and Cassie. It was an awkward first meeting, and no one quite new what to say. Some of them hadn't spoken since the team's last fight, and even those that were still on speaking terms didn't really feel comfortable.
Tim scratched the back of his head. "So I guess this is the new base, huh?"
Bart looked around. "Yeah. It's huge. Going to be weird with only the four of us here."
"Four? I count five."
Bart spun around. Cissie was standing there, in full costume, with a grin on her face.
"Cissie?" Tim's mouth hung open in shock.
"In the flesh. Is there room for one more in the clubhouse?"
"Always! But...are you sure about this?"
"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't. I've got a real mentor now, a legacy to live up to...plus, let's be honest - you guys need me around here! It's the first day, and you're all grim and gritty!"
"A lot's changed since you left, Ciss." Cassie sighed.
"I know. But one thing hasn't - we're still friends. And I figure if we're going to do this, to try to live up to the Teen Titans legacy, we should do it together."
"Nice costume." Conner snickered. "You fill it out a lot better than Roy ever did."
"Aw, I liked the old one." Bart pouted. "So you're the new Speedy now, huh?"
"Not quite. I talked it over with Roy, and I want my own name. Something that's part of the legacy, but that I can make my own. So you can call me...Red Arrow."
"Welcome to the Titans, Red Arrow." Tim extended his hand. Suddenly, Cissie grabbed his hand and pulled him close, giving him a powerful kiss that brought him right back to the Young Justice cave.
"Thanks for believing in me, Tim. Then and now."
The group of five friends turned towards Titans Tower. What seemed like a formidable structure with too much legacy to imagine now seemed a lot more welcoming, because for the first time in a while, they were all together.
Fandom: Teen Titans
Characters/Pairings: Cissie King-Jones, Roy Harper, Greta Hayes, light Tim/Cissie
Rating: PG
Words: 1583
Summary: In the aftermath of Graduation Day, a new team is forming, and Cissie gets a visitor with a surprising proposal.
Author's Notes: I suppose this is a second birthday present for lady_sarai. I'm spoiling her so much. :p This fic is part of an AU that spun out of her prompts in Comment_fic, but can be read on its own, as it's a prequel. This is set around the launch of Teen Titans, with the AU twist of Roy acting less Winick-y.
Cissie looked at her planner for the day as Greta unpacked on the bed behind her. She had a busy slate of classes, activities, and clubs that day, made only crazier by the fact that she'd be showing her friend around the school. As days at the Elias School went, this was going to be an exciting one.
"I think these uniforms are cute. Don't you, Cissie?"
"I imagine anything's cute after those dusty ghost rags you were wearing for the last year." Cissie laughed. "So, are you excited."
"Like you wouldn't believe!" Greta bounced up and down. "How many people get two chances at life? I hope my second one lasts longer, although without my psycho brother around the odds are good."
"Let's see how excited you are around finals time." Cissie said as she checked her phone for the thirtieth time that day.
"Still nothing from Cassie, huh?"
"No, and I'm freaking out. I haven't heard from anyone since the whole thing with the Superman robot. I know Young Justice shut down, but I don't know what they're doing since then. I know we're not superheroes anymore, but we're still supposed to be their friends. I just wish she'd call."
"I heard something about some new team being formed. In San Francisco." Greta shrugged. "Herowatch had a blog post on it, but it's just rumors."
"Well, I've got to get to the archery range. See you in English?"
"Sure thing!"
Cissie grabbed her bow and raced down the stairs to the gym. There was a big meet that Friday, and even though she usually never had a problem hitting the targets, she wanted to get some practice in. She made a beeline for the equipment locker and grabbed a quiver full of arrows.
"Getting some early morning shooting practice in, huh? Reminds me of the old days."
At the sound of the voice behind her, Cissie instinctively drew her bow and armed herself, pointing it in the direction of the intruder.
"Arsenal?"
Roy put his hands up in surrender. "Easy, kid. Don't shoot. I come in peace."
Cissie dropped the bow. "What the hell are you doing, sneaking up on me like that?"
"I figured it was the best place to do it. A strange guy wandering around an all-girl's school in the morning...doesn't look good."
"Agreed." Cissie giggled. All of a sudden, the events of the last few weeks came back to her, and she stopped laughing. "I'm sorry. About Donna, Lilith...everything."
"Me too." Roy nodded sadly. "I was lost for a while there, not wanting to talk to anyone, but that's not what they would have wanted. I want to continue their legacy, help the people they would have helped. Whether that's on the Outsiders or something else. Which is why I'm here."
Roy extended his hand. He was holding an embossed card with the words "Teen Titans" on it.
"Wait wait wait. Is this an invitation?"
"Yeah. Robin, Superboy, Wonder Girl, and Impulse are already signed up. I figured every team needs an archer, right?"
"You know I'm retired, right? I have been for almost a year. I made the decision to walk away."
"And it was the smartest thing you've ever done, Cissie. You were unstable, from years of emotional abuse from your mother. You saw that, and walked away before you or someone else got hurt. But you've matured since then, and you've got some of the best natural skill with a bow I've ever seen - far more than your mother could ever dream of."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying I know you're retired, and I respect that. But I feel like you deserve to be offered this opportunity, and what you do with it is up to you. The way your mother trained you and sent you into the field - that was the absolute wrong way to do it. If you want to do it the right way...that's what the Teen Titans are for."
"So, what, I'd be Arrowette again? And you'd train me?"
"Absolutely on the last part. Although I don't know if I have all that much to teach you, as good as you are. As for Arrowette, that's your call. But there is another option."
Roy handed Cissie a briefcase. She opened it and peeked inside. Her eyes went wide.
"No way."
-----
Greta hurried into her dorm room after the English class from hell. "Cissie, where were you? You could have warned me that Ms. Keating expects everyone to come to class with three #2 pencils! I was - Whoa."
Greta froze as she saw Cissie looking at herself in the mirror. But she wasn't dressed as Cissie. She was wearing a modified version of the classic Speedy uniform.
"Greta! I was just - "
"Planning out this year's halloween costume, I hope!"
"Not quite." Cissie played with her hair nervously. "Roy showed up in the equipment locker this morning. He offered me an invitation to the Teen Titans. He even gave me this uniform. Which...wow."
"Well, you're not going to do it, right? You're retired! We're retired! We get to have a normal boring life here now! Right?"
"Well..."
"Cissie!"
"The thing is, he pretty much nailed every point I was going to make about why I retired. And then he told me how it would be different this time. I'd be training with him. I wouldn't have my psycho mother making heroing decisions for me based on PR. You know I've looked up to him all my life. I retired because I didn't trust my mother, and I didn't trust myself. But he seems to trust me. And if a legend like Roy Harper trusts me, maybe it's time to stop punishing myself for something I did when I was an angry, messed up kid."
"Do you miss it? You always say you don't, but I can tell you're lying."
Cissie paused, then sighed. "Every day. There's nothing like it. I know things were different for you. What you've got now...it's a gift, and I'd never want to take it away from you. Anita turned Garth down when he approached her, because she wants to concentrate on raising her parents. But as much as I hated my mother's way of doing things, I loved the adventure. I loved helping people. And now I have the chance to do that again. Like he said...do it right. Tim, Kon, Bart, Cassie...they were all great heroes already when we met them. I wasn't, and I kind of want to see if I can be."
"You're not leaving me here, right? We're still going to go to school together, and be friends like you promised?"
"Of course!" Cissie reached out and gave Greta a hug. "This is a weekend thing. I'm still going to have a normal life. I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm never going back to the crazy 24-7 superhero thing mom made me do."
"Then..." Greta grinned. "You look totally kick-ass in that costume. Are you calling yourself Speedy now?"
"I don't know." Cissie shrugged. "It's a cool name with a lot of legacy...but I don't know if I want to copy someone else. I'll talk it over with Roy before the first meeting."
-----
They had been gathering at Titans Tower all morning. Tim arrived first, followed by Conner, then Bart, and Cassie. It was an awkward first meeting, and no one quite new what to say. Some of them hadn't spoken since the team's last fight, and even those that were still on speaking terms didn't really feel comfortable.
Tim scratched the back of his head. "So I guess this is the new base, huh?"
Bart looked around. "Yeah. It's huge. Going to be weird with only the four of us here."
"Four? I count five."
Bart spun around. Cissie was standing there, in full costume, with a grin on her face.
"Cissie?" Tim's mouth hung open in shock.
"In the flesh. Is there room for one more in the clubhouse?"
"Always! But...are you sure about this?"
"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't. I've got a real mentor now, a legacy to live up to...plus, let's be honest - you guys need me around here! It's the first day, and you're all grim and gritty!"
"A lot's changed since you left, Ciss." Cassie sighed.
"I know. But one thing hasn't - we're still friends. And I figure if we're going to do this, to try to live up to the Teen Titans legacy, we should do it together."
"Nice costume." Conner snickered. "You fill it out a lot better than Roy ever did."
"Aw, I liked the old one." Bart pouted. "So you're the new Speedy now, huh?"
"Not quite. I talked it over with Roy, and I want my own name. Something that's part of the legacy, but that I can make my own. So you can call me...Red Arrow."
"Welcome to the Titans, Red Arrow." Tim extended his hand. Suddenly, Cissie grabbed his hand and pulled him close, giving him a powerful kiss that brought him right back to the Young Justice cave.
"Thanks for believing in me, Tim. Then and now."
The group of five friends turned towards Titans Tower. What seemed like a formidable structure with too much legacy to imagine now seemed a lot more welcoming, because for the first time in a while, they were all together.