Jaime sighed, fidgeted in his seat, tried not to look at his watch again.

When Bart had burst in through his window at unbelievable-o'clock in the morning, fully in costume and thrumming with energy, saying something important was going down and Blue Beetle needed to be there for it, he'd thought it would be something a little more important than sitting on the Watchtower watching the news.

The news.

Nothing exciting was happening, no earth-shattering emergency to report to, just sitting up here. In the Watchtower. Watching the news.

With about half a dozen other heroes he didn't know, Bart nowhere in sight.

The little imp had disappeared almost as soon as he'd dropped Jaime here, telling him "SorryaboutthisbutIneedtogetsomeothersstayhereI'llbebackloveyoubye!" and teleporting back to Earth before Jaime could even open his mouth.

Nonplussed, and internally thankful for his skill at deciphering speed-talk, he'd taken a seat and begun his vigil, slightly uncomfortable to be in here when it was so empty.

Well, nearly empty; Booster Gold had monitor duty right now, but Jaime had decided to avoid conversation with the eccentric man for the moment. As much as he admired the older hero, his extravagance could be aggravating at so early an hour.

And then the others began to filter in.

Ted Kord was first, stumbling out of the Zeta-tube with slightly disheveled hair and a bemused expression, which only grew when he caught sight of his protégé. "Jaime!" he said, walking past him on his way to Booster, "Any idea what's got Speedy Gonzalez in a tizzy?"

"No clue," the current Blue Beetle admitted, a bit sheepish at his boyfriend's actions. Who else was Bart inviting?

It didn't stop for a while.

Next was Batwoman, looking vexed and tired and entirely ready to batarang anyone who so much as crossed her in the face.

Booster and Ted wisely kept any wise comments to themselves.

Then the Question arrived alongside Huntress, the face-bearing one of the duo wearing a pissed expression that frankly scared the shit out of Jaime; Bart probably wouldn't survive the next meeting he had with them, that was for sure.

Red Robin appeared without preamble, face hidden under the same grim cowl he had taken to wearing since going solo and appearing far too awake for this hour.

Superboy wasn't far behind, along with a newer heroine Jaime half-remembered being called Icemaiden; she hadn't been part of the League for long, but she was a pretty good shot with her frost powers.

With each new addition, questions were asked – Red Robin hadn't exactly spoken aloud, choosing to emulate his former mentor in more than just looks, but his look spoke volumes – but Jaime had nothing to offer them, merely rubbed the back of his neck like he had in his younger teen years and shrugging, which clearly did nothing to satisfy any of them.

"This is stupid," Huntress muttered, arms crossed and scowl set, ignoring the calming pat Question left on her arm, "What makes that kid think-?!"

Jaime felt a spike of ire at her words; he didn't know what was happening, but Bart wasn't as ridiculous as he used to be. He wouldn't have called them all together unless this really was important.

Before he could rise in his boyfriend's defense, however, the Zeta-tube lit up one last time, and suddenly Bart was skidding to a halt in front of them, hand clamped around the jacket of his last guest to the party.

Jaime blinked, and half the room went stiff with utter shock, and Ted spoke up, "Um, Kid Flash, I know he's reformed and all, but he was part of the Central City Rogues-"

"Yeahyeahyeah, I know! Batman's going to skin me and hang me up on his wall, I get it!" The speedster cut him off, setting an annoyed yet resigned looking Hartley Rathaway , a.k.a. the former Pied Piper, on his feet and turning to the room at large, waving his arms in pointless calming gestures, "It's fine! Well, not fine, but I'll deal with it myself! Anyway, is it time? Please tell me we didn't miss it!"

"Miss what?" asked Batwoman, more curious than wary of their strange situation.

Bart pointed emphatically at the main screen, body beginning to hum again. "There! We didn't miss it!"

There was a brief rumble of dissent, but everyone quickly quieted as the GBS logo flashed and Cat Grant appeared on screen, grinning widely and standing in front of a loudly cheering crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Cat Grant, reporting live from the front of the Supreme Court Building, where members and allies of the LGBT community have gathered in eager hope to hear the Supreme Court's ruling on the law of gay and lesbian marriage in America. As most of us know, the law against equal marriage rights has stood as a barrier against many people's happiness for far too long a time, and finally the men and women who dictate our country's future have met to discuss the issue once and for all."

Jaime didn't know when he'd gotten to his feet; a moment ago he was still sitting near the Zeta-tubes twiddling his fingers. Now he found himself almost directly under the screen, neck craned back and staring in wide-eyed silence.

The hush from around him signaled the others had gone breathless as well, and distantly he felt Bart's familiar hand squeeze his limp one.

'No way…' he thought slowly, struck dumb.

"-well, the wait, and the pain, is over! Yes, that's right folks! I have just received word that the Supreme Court has voted, five-to-four, that same-sex marriage is a basic human right and that equal marriage rights are now completely, utterly legal in every state of America!"

The room exploded.

…not literally, of course; no villain was stupid enough to attack the Justice League headquarters without about ten million battleships, but with the level of noise echoing around them, an actual explosion might've been quieter.

Booster and Ted were hollering at the top of their lungs, arms locked around each other and spinning madly, not even bothering to try avoiding bumping into things.

Huntress had let out an uncharacteristic squeal and tackled Question, laughing loud and long like a maniac, gloved fingers flying to her lover's faceless visage, as if seeking to pry the cover off and kiss her senseless.

Batwoman had disappeared in a flurry of cape and the sound of boots pounding against the metal floor, yelling something about someone named 'Maggie' and whooping with glee.

Tim and Conner had met in the middle of the room, foreheads pressed together and hands linked, whispering things to each other too low for anyone else to hear. Red Robin looked the happiest he'd ever been in a very long time.

Hartley, stuck in the middle of a bunch of superheroes and having no significant other to make-out with, met eyes with Icemaiden across the room. She smirked, he grinned, and they met for a hearty fist-bump-high-five combo, complete with dork explosion sound-effects.

Jaime, of course, noticed absolutely none of this; he was too busy pressing his mouth to Bart's, hard, armored fingers running through auburn hair and dimly wishing he could feel through the black material. The intensely pleased hum Bart pressed into his mouth slightly made up for it.

After a long moment he drew back for a breath, panting slightly and eyes narrowed in a suspicious glare. "You knew about something like this and you didn't-?!"

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Bart admitted, smiling softly as he let their fingers slide together. "It's not every day where you get an opportunity for a win like this. Where love wins."

Jaime grinned wider, any irritation he'd felt melting away completely, and he wasn't afraid to admit there might've been a tear in his eye. "Yeah. Where love wins."

And he kissed him again.


A/N: OH. MY. GOSH. I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU GUYS! SO SO SO HAPPY! Congratulations everyone! I know there's still a long way to go, but this is a great win! Awesome!
~Persephone