Hey guys hope you're all enjoying the story! Sorry about the delays with the updates I promise you I am working on it!

~BriBrokenHeart~
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Chapter 7: Cocktails and Compassion

Two weeks had passed since Red Arrow had last seen the Team, reluctant to return to the Cave after his encounter with Blade. The experience had left him furious and bitter, more so than usual. It was beyond Red Arrow's understanding how someone as conniving, sneaky and dangerous as Blade had joined, no had been welcomed by the Justice League despite her past and present profile as a 'bad guy'. What had Red Arrow angered even more so was that he had been kept in the dark about it.

Since he'd left Green Arrow's side as Speedy and reformed himself as Red Arrow, naturally a little tension, a little barrier between the League and even the Team was to be expected. Red Arrow had anticipated that going rogue was not going to be easy. He didn't care, he was his own man now.
However, the Team were still important to him. At least Robin, Wally and Kaldur were anyway. Red Arrow was tough, but still he looked out for his friends, in some way he saw them as his team as well, even though he had never officially joined them.

When the familiar pink hair, painted lips lifted into a smirk and the deadly katanas he'd become all too familiar with had greeted him in what he had thought was still a sanctuary Red Arrow had naturally gone on the offence. What the archer had found ticked him especially, was that not even his closest friends had had the thought to inform him of the newest recruit.

'Who cares it's their death wish' He'd found himself thinking initially. But despite his anger, he wasn't cold, but concerned for the Teams safety and well being.
Although certain that some of the Team would have encountered Blade before, Red Arrow had become all too accustomed to Blade's escapades, both as Green Arrow's sidekick and as a rogue himself.
He knew all too well how dangerous and unpredictable the bright haired girl was, and it was only a matter of time before the Team realised that themselves too late.

To drown his thoughts and troubles, Roy sat at the brightly lit bar with a vibrant red drink in his hand, the auburn teen looking uninterested and overly bored as he ignored the loud crowd of people that danced and mingled around him to the loud pumping club music.
It was a Saturday night, the streets had been relatively quiet and free of trouble, allowing the archer a night of normality and freedom.

Roy had found he didn't enjoy personal downtime, it was too calm, gave him too much time to overthink and stress about all the problems he kept shut away while occupied.
Drinking had become his newest pastime, both occupying him and shutting away the troubles he tried to hard to keep at bay.

"Hey watch where the hell you're dancing!" Roy shouted at the clumsy idiot that had knocked his drink on to the bar counter, the archer now dressed in civvies frowned as he watched the colourful liquid spill onto the ground in a steady stream.

"Oh my god I'm sorry!" a feminine voice apologised as a slim figure dressed in black appeared at the bar instantly.

Roy sighed as he picked up the now empty glass, the mysterious girl next to him grabbing a handful of napkins and beginning to mop up the fluid on the counter.

"I'm really sorry, I've had my fair share of drinks tonight already, my balance isn't what it normally is" the girl explained as she turned to face Roy, who looked back at her in shock.

His eyes were met by those of blue and green, familiar facial features and infamous magenta hair, his eyes lighting up in surprise instantly.
"Blade?!" he spat harshly, Aurora now dressed in a short, revealing black cocktail dress rather than her usual pink and black attire, smirked at the auburn haired boy as she threw the wad of soaking napkins in her hand to the bin behind the bar.

"Hot Shot" she acknowledged him with a wink, sitting down on the stool beside him and ordering herself and Roy another drink for the one she'd made him spill.
"Give me something sweet and bright, and another Spirit Crusher for the gentleman here" she said to the bartender with a grin as she felt the archer's eyes glaring at her.

"What are you doing here? You're underage…" Roy scolded the bright haired girl next to him, Aurora laughing to herself as she received her drink before passing Roy his.

"If you weren't already aware Hot Shot, so are you" she smirked, taking a large sip of her new bright blue beverage.

Roy rolled his eyes as she watched Blade, or rather Aurora beside him.
She was tipsy, undoubtedly not far off becoming drunk, that much was obvious as her behaviour was uncharacteristically calm rather than the usual harsh and angry temper Roy had become accustomed to.

"Do you come here often Harper?" Aurora asked curiously we she turned to face Roy, her eyes were slightly hooded and her speech a little slurred.

Roy smirked to himself to see the usually composed girl on the verge of becoming drunk. "Not really, what about you?" He asked interestedly, wondering how she managed to get into the club in the first place.

"I'm a regular, I'm here most weekends actually. Well, at least when I wasn't out making trades or stealing you know." Aurora answered honestly, Roy's eyes widening in surprise at her response.
"How do you get in here? You don't look anywhere near 21…" He stated, the magenta haired girl looked at him smugly before taking another sip of her drink.
"I have my connections. When you know the type of people I do it's pretty easy to pull a few strings every so often to get what you want. Besides, half of the people in here are your age if not a little bit older anyway… security doesn't even bother checking ID anymore. Isn't that how you got in here in the first place? I mean, along with the classic fake ID as well."
She asked with a knowing smirk, Roy looking back slightly impressed, surprised to see that Aurora was still 'with it' enough to have her bearings right and know what was happening around her, as well as maintaining her usual smart ass attitude.

"You're unusually quiet tonight Miss. Usually I only see you at the bar for a few minutes each night." The bartender commented as he leaned over the counter with a curious look at Aurora.

"I know, maybe I haven't drank enough?" she asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively as she gestured to her almost empty drink. Beside her, Roy rolled his eyes as he shook his head in disbelief.

"No one interest you tonight?" the bartender asked, seeming genuinely curious. Roy looked at them confusedly wondering what exactly he was talking about.
"There's a few I guess, but I've raised my standards… After waking up in the morning the last couple of times, it's been a bit of a wake up call, so to speak" Aurora answered with a chuckle as she passed the empty glass to the bartender for a refill.

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Roy asked frustratedly, growing increasingly annoyed at being left in the dark.

"You don't come here often do you?" the bartender asked Roy knowingly, the auburn boy nodding once in reply.

"Miss Sparks here has quite a reputation for, uhh…" the bartender trailed off awkwardly as Aurora raised a neat eyebrow at him curiously as she awaited his answer.

"Do I really have to say any more?" the bartender asked embarrassedly, looking to Roy desperately hoping he would understand.

"He's trying to say that I have a reputation for going home with a different guy each night I come here…" Aurora laughed as she sipped her refilled drink calmly, smirking behind the rim of her glass as she caught Roy looking at her wide-eyed in shock.

"You're like fourteen…" He stated in disgust as she glared at her. Aurora simply rolled her eyes as she settled the glass on the bar.
"Excuse me Hot Shot, I'm actually sixteen and a half, and I'm pretty sure you were whoring your body out at my age if you aren't still doing that now… So let's not be a fucking hypocrite now shall we?" Aurora said with a smug grin, her grin widening as she watched his cheeks flush so red they would've matched his costume.

"Lucky guess or are you a stalker?" he asked softly, Aurora chuckling as she shot him a teasing look, "I know a slut when I see one" she remarked boldly.
Roy raising an eyebrow at her, "what do you see when you look in the mirror then?" he asked with a proud smirk; Aurora spitting her cocktail across the counter as she laughed loudly.

"I'll give you that one Hot Shot…" she admitted, Roy's smirk growing at his proudness.

The two chatted nonchalantly, threw a few insults here and there lightheartedly as they continued to drink.
For a moment Roy had forgotten that the girl beside him had caused chaos for him and others only months ago, and was still a threat to his friends.
In that moment everything seemed normal between them, but Roy quickly grabbed a hold of reality, bringing himself out of his alcohol induced daze.

"You know, it's been a pleasure talking to you Hot Shot. Considering it's well, you… But if you don't mind, I see a sexy and wealthy looking guy over there that's caught my attention." Aurora smirked as she looked over her shoulder to where a tall boy about Roy's age with black hair stood against a wall watching her with a smile.
"Pfft, whatever" Roy rolled his eyes as he shrugged. He didn't want to admit it, but he'd kind of enjoyed talking to the semi drunk Aurora.
They'd talked for well over ten minutes without a single argument, a record for the two.

"Ooh, you aren't jealous are you?" Aurora teased as she stood up, wobbling as she fought for balance in her high heels before taking her drink.
"Keep dreaming Crim" Roy spat, taking a large sip of his drink. "Aaand he's back" Aurora laughed as she made her way over to the dark haired boy, Roy looking over his shoulder observing the bright haired girl.

He'd never noticed it before, his eyes blinded by his hatred for Blade; he'd never seen how attractive Aurora really was.

She was a thin girl, but had ample curves around her hips and bust. Her legs were quire long and well toned from years of gymnastics and hard training.

Roy tried to ignore the slight tightening n his pants as he watched her butt while she walked, the tight fitting dress hugging all the right places perfectly.

'Pfft, jealous…' he thought to himself, the idea of being jealous of Aurora turning her attention to another boy instead of himself sounded ridiculous.
He couldn't care less… So why did he feel so strange inside?

He frowned as he watched Aurora flirt with the boy excessively, laughing and touching him needlessly; unaware of the blue eyes that stayed fixated on her the entire time.

An hour passed, and Aurora was now dancing on the dance floor alongside the unknown dark haired boy, both completely unaware that Roy hadn't taken his eyes of the pair throughout the hour.

Another ten minutes passed before Aurora made her way to the bar taking her previous seat beside Roy once more.
"What's the strongest thing you can make me?" She asked the bartender curiously, the man pausing before answering, "probably the Pineapple Paralyser…"
"I'll have two please."

"You sure you can handle that? You look like you should've stopped drinking half an hour ago." Roy murmured quietly to the drunken Aurora, who looked at him with a teasing smirk.

"Yeah you'd know, not having taken your eyes off me for the past hour" she said smugly, her smirk becoming a grin as she observed Roy blushing embarrassedly.

"Wow, I was just kidding, but it looks like I was actually right!" Aurora exclaimed before taking a drink of one of the two bright yellow drinks before her.

"You seem pretty cozy with that guy…" Roy said, trying to change the subject of conversation.
"Looks like it I'm sure, but no. That guy has been clinging to me for ages; the poor idiot's mistaken my flirting for something serious… I've been trying to ditch him for the past half an hour." Aurora admitted as she spared a quick look behind her to where the boy was still on the dance floor. He met her gaze and smiled, beginning to make his way to her through the crowd.

Aurora groaned, holding her head in her hand as she sighed, totally irritated. She skulled one of her two drinks before quickly turning to Roy, who was focusing on the drink in his own hands.

"Don't freak out okay?" She whispered quickly to Roy who looked up at her confusedly.
"What are you talking ab-" his question was cut short as Aurora slammed her lips onto his, leaning towards him, a hand on his thigh for balance while the other was on his neck, pulling him to her.

To Aurora's and Roy's own surprise, the archer leant into the kiss eagerly, kissing Aurora back with as much 'passion' as Aurora had him.

Aurora spared a quick glance at the dark haired boy who watched the two, looking crestfallen before disappearing into the crowd of dancers.

The second he was out of sight Aurora broke her lips away from Roy's, smirking as she left the archer hanging.
"Thanks Hot Shot." She said with a wink as she stood up and made her way to the upper floor of the club, eventually disappearing from the archer's sight.

"You're welcome…" Roy sighed softly as he ordered himself another drink, completely confused and conflicted.

Ten minutes passed since Aurora had left Roy at the bar. Nature called, the drinks eventually beginning to catch up with the archer.
He made his way to the bathroom, frowning in disgust as he passed drunken teens and people high on nightclub drugs in the hallway outside the men's room.

He emerged a minute later, checking the time he decided it was time to leave. Frowning with contempt as he passed through the disgusting crowd of drunks and high teens yet again.

"I want to go home…" A familiar, yet weak voice sighed from the floor, Roy turning around and looking down to find Aurora sitting against the wall, her knees to her chest, holding her arm in pain.

"Aurora."

"Hot Shot…?" she whispered, lifting her head to reveal make up smudged eyes. Her eyeliner had smudged and her mascara was running halfway down her cheeks from her crying.
Roy knelt down to her level to pick her up from the floor, holding her up against the wall as she struggled to maintain her balance.

"What did you do?" Roy growled at her furiously as he took her arm in his hand, observing it carefully.
"I don't know what I'm doing or what happened…" Aurora answered shakily, tears falling down her cheeks.

Roy's eyes widened in shock as he found a small, bleeding hole in Aurora's arm, the swelling and bruising around the area indicated it was undeniably from a syringe.

"I'm getting you out of here. Now." He said to her firmly as he took her hand and led her out of the club, ignoring her protests.
"But I left my drink down at the bar… I didn't get to finish it…" Aurora whined quietly, Roy huffing at her frustratedly.
"Good. You shouldn't be drinking at all, it makes you act stupid." He growled at her, ignoring the sad look the magenta haired girl sent at him before she went silent.

"Where are we going?" she asked softly as she stumbled alongside Roy as they walked, the archer thinking to himself briefly before answering, "I'm taking you somewhere safe. You can't stay back there anymore."

The usual ten-minute walk back to Roy's apartment took well over half an hour due to Aurora's messing around.

Once they reached the front door Aurora collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain as she tried to lift herself back up, unable to balance in her heels she fell to the ground once more.

"Oww…" she murmured looking up at Roy who in turn looked back at her sympathetically. "Come on, get up." He said softly as he gently helped her up to her feet.

"Harper, where are we?" Aurora asked as she wrapped her arm around the older teens shoulders, allowing him to drag her inside where he laid her on the couch.

"We're at my apartment." He replied before disappearing into the kitchen, directly heading to the sink where he filled a glass with water.

"It's very nice…" She noted almost silently, as she stumbled to her feet, walking to where a photo frame was hung on the otherwise bare white wall.

"Wow…" Aurora sighed in awe as she reached her fingertips out to touch the photo, only for Roy to reenter the room and surprise her.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice stern as he approached her, ignoring her wide eyes as she took the glass from his hands.

"I like this photo…" she whispered softly, looking at Roy with teary eyes. The auburn hair archer looked at her curiously before inspecting the photo.
"Why do you like this photo? It's just Wally, Kaldur and I."
"I know, and West ruins the photo with his dumb freckled face. I don't like him… But I like this photo because you're smiling." Aurora explained as she held the water in her trembling hands, fighting to steady her hold.

"Why don't you smile Harper?" she asked gently looking at the archer with a curious gleam in her otherwise sad eyes.

Roy paused, considering thinking of an adequate answer before simply shrugging. "I just don't like to." He answered bluntly, Aurora's brows furrowed slightly as she looked at the photograph again before she stumbled back to the couch.

"What about you?" Roy asked emotionlessly, unmoving from where he stood as he looked at the picture.
"What do you mean?" Aurora asked confusedly as she shakily set the glass of water down on the coffee table in front of her.
"Why don't you smile?" Roy asked, turning his head so he faced Aurora who looked at him wide eyed.

"I smile all the time..." she replied weakly, Roy quickly shook his head in disagreement. "No, you smirk; that's not the same as smiling. I haven't seen you smile once in the entire time I've known you. Why?" he elaborated, watching as Aurora's eyes sank down, observing her as a tear ran down her cheek before she quickly wiped it away.

"I- I don't have a reason to smile…" Aurora admitted shamefully, unknowingly grabbing her arm where it still throbbed with pain

"What happened Aurora?" Roy asked softly as he approached her hesitantly, sitting down beside her before inspecting her arm once more.

He sighed as he withdrew a small medical kit from the draw of his coffee table, selecting a few antiseptic wipes and bandages from the surprisingly vast supply of objects.

He wasn't sure whether or not the needle was clean when it was used; he fought to keep his calm composure despite his real worry and concerns for Aurora's well-being.

He would take her to the hospital to the morning to get checked up, but until then he would help her as best he could possibly manage.
"The man told me that he could make me feel happy. He said that all it took was a little needle and I would feel happy… But I still don't feel happy, I just feel sad… I still feel sad all the time." Aurora replied as she let tears fall down her cheeks, unable to look at the archer beside her.

Roy's heart ached as he watched Aurora sadly, his cold exterior dropping as he observed the unusually vulnerable girl as he took her hand in his own as he cleaned the syringe mark with his free hand. "I never would have known," he admitted quietly as he continued to watch the girl sob.

"It's easier to pretend that everything is okay even when it's not. Because after you do it for a while you almost start to believe that there's nothing wrong and that everything really is okay." Aurora explained as she wiped her tears, hissing as Roy applied a slight bit too much pressure to her arm.

"I'm sorry but I have to clean it properly, otherwise you could get sick" Roy apologised quietly, Aurora looking at him curiously, "how do you know?" she asked.

Wordlessly the archer lifted the sleeves of his shirt to reveal the inner sides of his arms, both of which were covered in small healing scars that Aurora's wound would soon look like.

"Because I did what you did on a regular basis," he muttered, his voice low and full of disgust. Aurora watched Roy tearfully as he finished wrapping the bandage around her arm.

"Why would you do that?" Aurora asked in shock as she eyed the pale pink scars that dotted Roy's arms.
Even before she'd joined the Team, she'd always had a sense of awe towards Red Arrow, even back when he was the side kick to Green Arrow. He'd been a powerful and tactful opponent when she'd faced him while with the Shadows and even more so when facing him solo.
Since joining the Team, Aurora had come to realise she had more in common with Roy than she'd ever had with anyone else in her life. They were both outcasts, stubborn, troubled. However only upon seeing the scars on the archers arms did Aurora truly realise the extent of Roy Harper's damage.

"Have you stopped?" She asked, concern written on her face as she looked up at him with wide eyes, surprised to see him looking back at her with a soft and gentle expression on his face.
"I've cut down on how often I do it. I used to do it almost every night, now it might be every three weeks." He answered honestly, surprising Aurora with his openness towards her questions.

"You seem surprised." Roy stated bluntly as he recognised the magenta haired girls shocked reaction. "I didn't think you would be like that." Aurora murmured honestly, this time surprising the archer who looked back at her with a curious expression. "Why not?" He asked simply, waiting patiently as Aurora leaned back against the couch; watching Roy who sat arms on his knees and head in his hands on the arm chair across from her.

"You're troubled, and have been hurt. But you're stubborn… I thought you would've done everything you could to make Green Arrow regret losing you, make something big of yourself, be something great to show the others how wrong they were to think of you any different." The pink haired girl answered as she offered Roy a small smile.
"Is that what you did? Left the Shadows to become a bigger and better, Crim?" Roy asked as he paused looking for a suitable word to describe Aurora.
"I don't discuss the matters of my associates or my motivations Harper, even if I'm drunk and have poison flowing through my body." Aurora smirked at the archer, who rolled his eyes, despite the small smirk of his own that played on his lips.

"Hey Hot Shot?" Aurora said softly as she lay down on the couch, her eyes hooded with exhaustion. "Thanks, for everything tonight. You're not so bad after all." Roy smiled as he watched the pink haired girl succumb to sleep, her words were so genuine, it made Roy feel good for the first time in a long while. He didn't like to admit it himself, but he was always looking for approval, from Green Arrow, from his friends, he was so insecure and worried about being the best…

For someone like Aurora, who had disliked him, who wasn't judgemental, who hadn't known him for long to tell him he wasn't "so bad" meant more to him than he could've imagined.
Roy stood from the armchair and took one of the blankets folded underneath the coffee table and covered the sleeping Aurora. He smiled again at the peaceful expression she wore while sleeping before heading off to his bedroom where he would follow her lead in sleep.


Thanks for reading all! Chapter eight is almost done!
Feel free to R&R!

~BriBrokenHeart~
xx