Title: Inner Universe
Summary: Young Justice headcanon drabbles for the underused Raquel "Rocket" Ervin of Milestone Media. Formerly posts from my defunct Rocket tumbleblog.
Disclaimer: Raquel Ervin, Icon and Virgil Hawkins are property of Milestone Media and Dwayne McDuffie. Young Justice is property of DC Comics and Warner Brothers Animation.
Appearance - By the time she is inducted into the Young Justice team, Raquel has already given birth to Amistad Augustus Freeman. He's primarily the reason behind her absence (alongside her studies) a great deal of the time.
Heed - At the request of Augustus, Raquel takes a five year hiatus from superherodom to finish her studies and look after her son Amistad Ervin. It frustrates her, the waiting and being unable to help when she knows she can, but her priority is her future and that's just as important whenever she can take the time to remind herself of her that.
Friends - Besides Zatanna and Jaime Reyes, Raquel never really connects with the whole of the Young Justice. There's a certain clique-mentality, a slinkiness about how they interact with each other that rubs her the wrong way. Feeling wholly unwelcome within their fold, she stays away from them.
Prejudice - Raquel understands better than anyone what Miss Martian goes through about her physical appearance and is the first to step forward to show she doesn't care what she looks like.
Janie - Raquel's favorite novel is "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston.
Milestone - Raquel and Virgil Hawkins are childhood friends and keep in touch with each other after his family leaves Paris Island for New York City when his dad gets a new job.
Invites - Raquel and Augustus denied the invitations to the Justice League and the Young Justice team several times before accepting, their primary reason being commitments to Dakota City and prior arrangements made with the Blood Syndicate.
Half Time - Raquel is a part-time Leaguer, splitting her time between Happy Harbor, off planet missions and her primary hunting grounds, Paris Island.
Water - Raquel flirted with the idea of getting involved with Kaldur, but put it out of her mind, remembering she hadn't resolved things with her boyfriend, Noble.
Vigil – Unaware of who her mother is, Raquel babysits Lian Harper whenever Roy can't look after her. Her mother tends to chide her for it, believing she should know better than to become the nanny to someone's kid.
Boys - Raquel does her best to ignore Superboy and Kid Flash's clumsy attempts to flirt with her in battle, unwilling to admit that she actually she enjoys the attention.
Green - Raquel is best friends with rookie Lantern Kyle Rayner and teases him over the fact that he has a crush on world famous model, Mari McCabe (Vixen of the Justice League).
Bailey - "Stick It" is Raquel's guilty pleasure sports movie. It reminds her off all the good and bad times she spent training as a gymnast and the good those skills now do for her in the heat of battle.
Sacrifices - After graduating from high school, Raquel put her college education on hold and devoted her time to either caring for her son or helping the League, much to her mother's displeasure. Though she argued it was a good cause, Mrs. Ervin believed her daughter's education and family more important than playing the hero. It was a argument Raquel found hard to counter despite the circumstances.
Leadership - If Raquel has to team up with anyone among the Young Justice, she always chooses Jaime and Karen. She doesn't want to deal with the relationship drama between Superboy and M'Gann. There's the safety of her team to consider, something which may be compromised if personal feelings get in the way.
Irons - Rocket's inspiration for becoming a hero was spurred after being rescued by John Henry Irons (Steel) during a summer trip to Metropolis on her fifteenth birthday. Noble's botched attempt to steal from Augustus' home helped her put it into motion.
Collectables - Raquel keeps a stuffed Moogle on her shelf next to a rare Aki Ross action figure. They're the only Final Fantasy merchandise she could afford at the time.
Power - Raquel can take out over a dozen enemies with a concentrated blast of kinetic energy from her Inertia Belt.
Represent - Raquel watches the "Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl" and keeps tabs on the show's progress. She's become a huge fan of internet television because of it.
'Traitor' - Unaware of the circumstances surrounding his defection, Raquel gives no quarter to Kaldur when she is confronted by him. Friend or no friend, traitors will be dealt with extreme prejudice.
Guide - When Virgil assumes the alter ego of Static, he asks Raquel and Augustus to mentor him. Raquel's a little flattered that her best friend is a huge admirer of their efforts to protect their hometown and the world.
Bros - Raquel and Natasha Irons became best friends after the two realized that Raquel was the girl her uncle saved in Metropolis. She and Raquel often frequent as partners on off-planet missions and covert operations, despite their boisterous abilities.
Bias Suckers - Raquel doesn't have a problem with L'Gann and puzzles over the defensiveness of the other Young Justice teammates because of his relationship with M'Gann (despite knowing full well the cause of it). She makes an effort to befriend him despite her large absences from earth or Happy Harbor, knowing how it feels to be an outsider in the group. He returns the favor by sending her sporadic transmissions on their progress with the Kroloteans.
First - For the longest time Raquel was never sure whether or not her feelings for Virgil were legitimate or a simple crush. When she realized they were first and not the latter, she made the first move and asked him out. Their first date was a disaster; despite their best efforts to have an awkward free outing, Virgil tripped over his feet and drinks more times than Raquel could count. Raquel herself had a hard time finding something to talk about.
Second - But would've thought chasing down Deathstroke and the location of the Light would make a better date than the first? "I guess bad guys and explosions really do something a relationship, huh?" She remarked dryly. Virgil dusted the debris from his costume and shrugged. "Blitzen and Doner would agree," He replied with a grin. Go figure.