Title: In So Many Words
Rating: K+
Word Count: 2,900+
Characters: by order of appearance: Dinah, Clark, Bruce, Diana, Oliver, Orin, Billy, Shayera, Katar, Dr. Fate, Hal, and Barry
Summary: (Immediately following 1x21, "Agendas") Moments between League members after their meeting.
Prompt: #151: together
Other Inspirations: none
Note: Plotless, collection of snippets. It's mainly for those that like fluffy, family/friendship moments between the Leaguers, so.
In So Many Words
She finds him leaning against the wall of a hallway off of the conference room, and she knows he's waiting for her, specifically, because he straightens up when they make eye contact and starts walking towards her. "I'll meet you at dinner," she tells Oliver, kissing him briefly on the lips before walking over to where Clark is standing.
"You look like you have something to say, Clark," she tells him.
He chuckles and sticks out his elbow. "Walk with me?"
"Alright." She slips her arm into his, adding, "But if you try something, you know Oliver'll find a way to forge an arrowhead out of Kryptonite."
"He probably will. But should I be concerned that you're willing to let Ollie fight your battles for you?" She scoffs, and he laughs. "It feels like a while since we've talked."
"It's been kind of crazy these last few months," she reminds. "And, not that I don't like spending time with you, but is there a reason we're taking a stroll right now? You're one of the few members of the League that actually enjoy casual conversations, but this doesn't seem like one."
Clark sighs. "I don't know why I think I can try to hide anything from you or Diana, or even Shayera."
"Women's intuition," she supplies. "So what's up?"
"I know… I know you don't owe me anything—neither of you do," he begins, making Dinah's eyebrows pull together in confusion as he stumbles over his sentence. "I just wanted to… How is he?"
"Oh," Dinah breathes, and then a little louder, "Oh. You're talking about Conner."
"Conner?"
Dinah's smiling now. "Superboy. He's chosen a civilian identity: Conner. Conner Kent. And before you get mad, J'onn suggested his surname. Conner doesn't know what it means."
Clark is silent for a minute before shaking his head. "No, I'm not mad. I… I like it. I think it suits him." He looks down to find Dinah beaming. It makes him smile, too. "I really screwed up, didn't I?"
Dinah purses her lips. "I think you could've done more," she admits, looking up to watch him cringe a little. "I can't imagine what it felt like to find out about him, though, and how Luthor got involved. I'm not saying that's an excuse for not getting involved in his life more, but I'm sorry if I was inconsiderate to you about it before."
"I think you both had the right to be," Clark sighs. "I missed my chance."
"That's not true." Clark looks at her. "He may hold grudges, but in the end, he's a huge sweetheart and just a boy who wants acknowledgement from his fa—from you, Clark."
Clark grins a little. "I… You can call me his father, if you want. It's just going to take some getting used to, but…" He exhales. "I think it'll be good to give it a try. I just… I need time to—"
"You don't have to justify yourself to me," Dinah assures, pausing their stride to face him. "And if you need more time, then take it. Just don't take it for granted. Right now, Conner may still be willing to forge a relationship. But don't make him wait."
Clark nods, and leans over to meet Dinah halfway when she stretches on her toes, placing a kiss against his cheek. "Thanks, Dinah."
"Any time, Boy Scout."
... ...
Bruce can really go for some coffee right now.
And, as if she could read his thoughts, Diana is walking back into the now-empty conference room with two mugs in hand and a smile on her face. She slides one mug in front of him and sits herself onto the table with one leg crossed over the other, saying, "Take this as a peace offering."
He brings it to his lips, sipping more eagerly than he'll probably admit.
It doesn't matter, anyway, because Diana knows him. She knows everyone in the League, as in really knows them and all the little things that matter even if you don't think so. Like how she knows he always takes his coffee black even though he hates the bitter taste, so she'll add a dash of cream and a spoon of sugar whenever she makes him some.
But he likes to believe he knows her, too, so he sets his mug back down says, "You're not one to apologize for your own beliefs."
"Did I say it was an apology?" She looks amused, one eyebrow quirked.
"No, you didn't."
She grins. "I'm not taking back anything I said earlier. I stand by every word. I do, however, regret having to be hostile towards anyone. I don't like conflict."
"You weren't anything near hostile back there, Diana," he informs, taking another large sip. "Trust me."
She shrugs one shoulder. "Still, forgive me for pushing about Robin." He sets his mug down and finds her staring into space. "It's still unsettling to me to see him take on this lifestyle, or any of them. But Robin is the closest thing I have ever had to a son, just as he is to you and was to everyone in the beginning. I know you only want to best for Robin. I wasn't questioning your intentions before."
He thinks the faintest trace of a grin tugs at his lips. "I thought this wasn't an apology."
She rolls her eyes and exhales a laugh, shoving his shoulder. "Leave it to you to…" She trails off, shaking her head. "Why am I nice to you, again?"
He doesn't answer, but when she holds her coffee out, he clinks their mugs together and they drink in a comfortable silence.
... ...
Oliver isn't sure how long he's standing on the platform, looking out into the open space beyond the glass, when a voice he knows all-too-well asks, "Is something troubling you, Oliver?"
Orin comes to stand beside him, arms crossed over his chest. Oliver exhales and gestures to the view, saying, "It just seems like something Roy would like, you know? He'd really like this place." Then he crosses his arms, too, and frowns as he adds, "I'm not used to not knowing where he anymore."
He hears Orin sigh.
"You were right earlier, you know," Oliver continues. "I'm not trying to reward how reckless and difficult he's being right now. He really did seem ready, and then he started acting differently."
Orin places a hand on his shoulder. "I was harsh earlier," he corrects. "You know I care for Roy as much as I do the rest of the Team."
Oliver nods. "It just seems like it's my fault. He's lashing out because I made him wait so long, made him wait with the others even though they hadn't been at this as long as he had." He sighs, adding, "I guess part of me hoped that by finally letting him join the League, he'd start acting like himself again. That maybe he'd be less frustrated, you know?"
"Oliver," Orin says, making the man look at him, "This has nothing to do with you not being there for Roy. You were, and continue to be, a good mentor and guardian for the boy."
Oliver presses his lips together.
"This could very well just be a phase that the boy is going through," Orin suggests. "I imagine the Team will be experiencing phases as well, if they aren't already."
Despite everything, Oliver chuckles. "God, I can't imagine what Artemis would be like. Or better yet, Conner," he says, making Orin laugh. "But I hardly think Kaldur will be anything like Roy."
Orin crosses his arms over his chest again and shrugs. "You never know," he says, and then almost whispers when he adds, "You're not going to lose Roy over this."
Oliver smiles, just a little bit, and thinks that Orin could be right.
... ...
Billy (well, as Captain Marvel right now) feels a hand grasp his arm, and Black Canary is standing there and smiling at him when he turns around. He smiles back and watches as she brushes her bangs behind her ear and asks, "Do you have a minute?"
"Sure," he says, and follows her to an empty table in the cafeteria. She looks a bit hesitant and he wonders what could be on her mind, so he asks. "What's the matter?"
"I just wanted to see how you were doing after everything," she tells him. "You know Diana didn't mean to hurt your feelings back there when she said all of that stuff before, right?"
He frowns. "Yeah, but they were all true, weren't they?"
She presses her lips together and then sighs. "It would have been better if you told us, rather than us having to find out due to a crisis, yes. But I think you deserve to know that it's not your age that truly bothers us, or even the trust issue. It just came as a shock. And you saw earlier with Diana and Batman that when it comes to the issue of minors in our line of work, it gets—"
"Complicated?"
She smiles and nods. "Complicated," she echoes. Then she reaches across the table and places her hand over his. "But the vote was unanimous. We're all happy that you're still in the League."
He beams. "I'm happy, too. I really like you guys. It would've sucked to have to leave."
"Yes, it would've," she laughs, squeezing his hand in hers for a second before standing up. "Goodnight, Billy."
"'Night." Then he pauses and adds, "Hey, Black Canary?" She turns to look at him. "Why do you call me Billy, when everyone else calls me Marvel still?"
She looks amused. "That's your name, isn't it?"
"Well, yeah. But when you do that, it's like you're trying to talk to Billy instead of Captain Marvel."
She shrugs one shoulder. "I don't see the difference. Adult or child, I'm still talking to an incredibly sweet person."
He beams at her. "Superboy was right. You're going to make a great mom someday!"
And he thinks he sees her cheeks turn a little pink before she shakes her head and laughs again, telling him, "Happy Thanksgiving, Billy," as she's walking away.
"Happy Thanksgiving, Dinah!"
... ...
Shayera doesn't even realize that she's frowning until she feels Katar grasp her chin with his fingers, running a thumb over her lips. She smiles at him and leans her cheek against his palm when he brings his fingers up to play with her hair, something he always does when she's free from that helmet.
Dr. Fate is across the room, standing in the garden like Zatara used to, and she can't help but think that it's not fair.
Whether or not Billy is a child, he was right back there. Nabu coerced Zatara into giving himself up just so that the world could have Dr. Fate back. And it's not as if she underestimates his abilities, or overestimates the League's, but if someone like Nabu could be a member, who's supposed to share their responsibilities and values, then honestly, who needs enemies?
"Whether or not he realizes it," Katar tells her in his deep, booming voice, "Nabu is lonely, banished to that helmet. He watches his hosts come and go, and it affects him more than he understands."
"It is no excuse for what he does," she reminds. "Keeping Zatanna away from her father with no guarantee of ever getting him back is cruel."
She thinks there's a trace of a smile when he says, "But fate is hardly kind."
She's not sure whether or not he's talking about Dr. Fate, or their fate, or something else, but he presses his lips to hers and she lets herself get lost in him.
When they're walking again, arms linked, and she thinks she sees something flash behind those green eyes when Dr. Fate passes by and she tells him, "You will be reunited with Zatanna, old friend. I promise."
... ...
"Aren't you about to have Thanksgiving dinner?"
Barry looks up from his tray of food and Hal is there, sinking into the seat across the table from him. "So?" he asks, swallowing what's in his mouth, and Hal shakes his head as he chuckles. "It's better this way, so that there'll actually be food for everyone else. I'll still have room for more, anyway."
"You probably will," Hal agrees, and they sit in relative silence and Barry consumes the remainder of his deli sandwich. "So, what did you mean before, about Plastic Man?"
Barry sighs, gulping down his water. "I wasn't judging the guy because he has a criminal record," he explains. "I just thought that if we're weighing the pros and cons, then it needed reminding. But no, I don't think his past should prevent him from having a chance on the League. And I half-expected Bats to say the same thing before Captain Marvel's little outburst."
"He sees everything in shades of gray," Hal agrees, blowing out a breath, "That's why he's the boss. He probably would've vouched for Catwoman if we ever debated adding her."
"You think we won't?"
Hal smirks a little. "You think Batman sees some good in her?"
"I don't doubt that he does," Barry chuckles. "I mean, she's ended up on our side of the law a couple of times already." Then he arches an eyebrow. "Why do you asking?"
Hal shrugs. "Curiosity, I guess."
"Take it from someone who's happily married and madly in love," Barry tells him, "I can tell when a guy's got a girl on his mind. You're thinking about Carol."
He says it as a statement rather than an accusation, but Hal still presses his lips together tightly and then reaches over, steals a wedge fry and dips it in some ketchup. "I guess that's something me and Bats have in common," he says, taking a bite. "Except, I don't think Catwoman is too big of a threat to humanity."
"Batman thinks otherwise."
"I mean," Hal corrects, "I don't see Catwoman losing herself enough to, I don't know, kill someone. Carol's a woman scorned with all of that power at her fingertips, and it's my fault."
"Hal, you can't beat yourself up over Carol being chosen to become a Star Sapphire," Barry tells him. "That's something she did on her own. If you really care about her, like I know you do, then I'm going to tell you exactly what I told Batman."
Hal arches an eyebrow. "Which is?"
Barry grins. "When they become official League members, I'm going to yell a big, fat I told you so right in the middle of the ceremony."
Hal just shakes his head, an unmistakable smirk on his lips again. "You're somethingelse entirely, Allen."
... ...
He finds Diana in the kitchen washing out two mugs, and she turns to look over her shoulder when she hears him come in, smiles and greets, "Hey, Kal," as she twists the water off. He grins and takes the towel from her after she's dried her hands, making her arch an eyebrow at him.
"You washed, I'll dry," he supplies, and when she says that he didn't even drink out of one, he just shrugs his shoulders like it doesn't really matter.
"So where'd you disappear to earlier?" she asks, leaning against the counter as he wipes off both mugs. "I thought you might've gone home right away."
"I had a chat with Dinah." That's all he says on the matter, but he thinks it'll take Diana all of two seconds to connect Dinah to Conner (yes, he's almost entirely sure Diana knows his civilian name, too) and Conner to him, so. She nods and doesn't press on, either, so obviously she understands who they talked about.
"Is Kara making it for Thanksgiving?"
Clark grins. "She got home an hour ago. I think she was just avoiding the meeting."
"Yeah, that sounds like your cousin," Diana laughs. "You can't exactly blame her, though. Meetings aren't my favorite thing in the world, either."
"That's because you don't like it when we're tense," he points out. "Kara just finds them boring."
Diana shrugs one shoulder. "I like to think we're a family," she reminds. "Of course I participate openly and honestly in these meetings, but it doesn't mean I like the conflict it can cause."
"Well, that's what working with family is about, right?" Clark asks. "We hash things out during meetings and such, but we try not to let matters affect our personal relationships with everyone. Plus, I think you underestimate your affect on the League."
Diana looks at him.
Clark grins. "We're all too afraid to disappoint you to let business come between us."
"We're all better together." Diana laughs a little and pushes her fingers through her hair. "And I don't know whether to be worried that I frighten you all or happy that you use it as motivation."
"Does it really matter?" Clark grins at her, setting the mugs in the counter and draping the towel over the side of the sink. "I think it's about time to head home before it gets late. I don't know whether or not you've got plans, but you're welcome to join my family for Thanksgiving dinner." Diana's eyebrows rise. "Kara'll love seeing you again, and Ma always makes too much food, anyway."
"They won't mind me dropping in at the last minute? I don't even have a change of clothes."
"Borrow Kara's then," Clark shrugs. "And you know you're always welcome."
Diana smiles. "I may have to take you up on that offer."