A/N: I had this story in mind as a sequel to The World's Greatest Detective and then started to write Gotham Knights instead but I'm sort of hooked on this pairing now so this may just replace Gotham Knights entirely depending on the amount of interest and hits it generates. Either way I will be finishing this story before that one and it will be the last of my Batman Beyond series, no matter how much it pains me to say. I felt that Roy needed his own Boy Wonder.

Matt McGinnis woke up on his eighteenth birthday with a message from his older brother Terry reminding him not to forget to come to Bruce Wayne's house that night for dinner. He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

His brother and his millionaire boyfriend were giving him a big party and all his friends were invited, but Matt couldn't help but feel stupid. He didn't have many friends and the ones he did have weren't very impressive.

He didn't even get why Terry was giving him a party to begin with, but his mom said it was very nice and that he had better appreciate what he was given.

Terry had been living with Gotham's number one bachelor for almost ten years now and they'd been together for as long as Matt could remember. Also, his brother was Batman, though Terry never even bothered to tell him.

"Matt! Breakfast!"

"Coming mom!"

He threw on a shirt and pants, running down the hall and nearly hitting his head on the dip in the ceiling. Matt hated being tall but his mom tried to tell him being tall was very attractive to women.

Like he cared. His last girlfriend had told him he was boring and talked about video games too much, and the one before that had freaked out when Matt tried to do more than kiss her.

Matt ran up to his mom and picked her up, hugging her. She laughed and he put her down. "Someone sure is happy this morning. Oh honey, I'm so happy. Are you excited tonight for the party?"

Matt tried to smile. "Totally."

He grabbed a piece of toast and looked at the clock. "Slag it, mom! I'm gonna be late!"

"Don't forget to come straight home after school!" his mother called as he ran out the door and he sighed.


Like he could forget tonight even if he tried.

Roy Harper looked at the calendar with distaste.

Today he was officially seventy years old, though in body he was only thirty-two. Either way, he felt like an old man.

He checked himself in the mirror and flashed a fake smile easily, winking at his reflection. Last night he'd slept with a playboy playmate, and the night before he'd been with a very handsome young man with black hair and green eyes named Tommy.

For the past few years there'd been too many black haired men and he was afraid to admit why.

His perpetual longing for his best friend's boyfriend hurt like hell but he was the king of fake smiles so he lived through it.

Tonight was gonna be hell though, it was Terry McGinnis's brother's birthday and he was invited to the big party Terry's sugar daddy Bruce Wayne was putting on for it. Why the hell he'd want to go to an eighteen-year-old boy's birthday he didn't know, but like an idiot he was going.

Roy just hoped no one told them it was his birthday too.

He couldn't be so lucky.

His phone rang and he sighed at the name.

JASON TOLNE ACCEPT?

Roy just set the phone down and took off his shirt, heading for the shower when the phone rang again. He picked up the phone and saw the same name and sighed again, this time answering it with a smile.

"Jason."

Jason Tolne had grown up a lot the past eight years and in places where he'd still looked like a boy years ago now he was a man with a boyish smile.

His smile was genuine and it warmed Roy to think what his life could have been like had he just stolen Jason away all those years ago. But it was in the past and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Hey, are you coming tonight? Terry's really excited about this party. He said his brother is kind of a loner so he's inviting every kid in Matt's school to get him to meet some people."

Roy raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that going to look kinda desperate? The kid has enough problems."

Jason laughed. "Terry's been kinda weird lately. Dick thinks it's early mid-life crisis."

Roy smiled. "At 27?"

Jason cocked his head to the side. "Well you know Dick, he's always trying to analyze Bruce and Terry."

Roy bit his tongue to keep from pointing out that it was because Dick was still way too much in love and lust with Bruce Wayne but he knew he couldn't say that to Jason. The kid had been through all of that before and if Dick wasn't acting on it, Roy saw no reason to bring it up.

"Speaking of analyzing people, he had a new theory about you."

Roy sighed. "Jason, I really…"

Jason frowned. "Busy? I'll call you later."

"Please. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay, see you tonight."

Roy nodded. "Bye."

He hung up his phone and closed his eyes, counting to ten. It was gonna be a long night.


When he walked into the thriving party all for him Matt wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. The lights and decorations, the music, the dancing, he didn't fit in here. He took a deep breath, waved to his brother who was trying to force Bruce Wayne to get up from his seat.

Terry ran over and hugged him. "Matty!"

"Ter, don't call me that! I know these people!"

Terry laughed. "Sorry, just excited. C'mon!"

Matt tried to block out most of what happened after Terry brought him up on a stage and everyone sang to him, which was so incredibly embarrassing that he knew his face was reddening horribly but it was Terry.

He loved his brother enough to pretend to be happy.

When he finally got away to hide he chose what he guessed was Bruce's study since it was a giant room full of books and chairs. Matt found a lamp in the corner and he touched it, waiting.

Nothing happened.

Sighing he hit it hard and again, nothing.

"What the hell?"

"It's got a pull chain," came the reply, scaring him half to death.

There was a click and a man's face was illuminated very close to him. The man smiled.

"Sorry if I scared you, I was just sitting here and I saw you come in so…"

"You were sitting alone in the dark?" Matt asked.

The man shrugged. "Beats staying out there, don't it?"

Matt smiled. "I see your point."

They both held their hands out at the same time and then both laughed. The stranger took Matt's hand and they shook hands. "Roy Harper."

Matt blinked. "Roy…you used to be Arsenal, right?"

Roy actually looked surprised. "Yeah I, how did you know that?"

Matt laughed and sat down. "I read your book! It's one of my favorites actually, I…this is so weird!"

Roy sat down across from him and stared, mesmerized. He'd written the book on the fly when he'd turned forty, outing himself as a superhero but changing the names of everyone who asked him to. It had been a commercial failure and barely sold 1,000 copies.

"I didn't…you actually liked it?"

Matt nodded, clearly excited. "Yeah I've read it like, twenty-two times. I found it in this store in junior high and I just," Matt blushed and smiled, "It's a really good book."

Roy swallowed and asked, "Matt, right?"

Matt grinned. "I'm sure no one here tonight will forget my name."

Roy smiled and then they began to talk of Matt's favorite parts from the book how he'd felt so horrible reading about Roy's drug addiction and was fascinated by archery for years after he'd first read the book and how he'd actually tried to learn how to use a bow.

"But I'm really horrible at it. My brother used to make fun of me and..."

Roy laughed. "I'm sure Terry couldn't hit much either, so don't be embarrassed. I…you know something?"

"What?"

"I can teach you."

Matt blinked. "What? I really don't need to learn now I just, it was something I played around with as a kid and…"

Roy reached out and put his hand on Matt's knee. They locked eyes and Roy swallowed.

Blue eyes. Not Green. Blue. But it was another black haired young man and he felt very guilty for the things that ran through his mind for a moment before he thought better of himself.

It wasn't even an option.

Matt blushed again and laughed a bit nervously. "Okay, I guess."

Roy smiled and reached into his pocket pulling out a card, handing it to Matt. "Call me."

Matt looked down at the card and then looked up from under his eyelashes at Roy.

"I will."