A/N: Ha, updated with 30 minutes to spare. There'll be some...interesting developments in this chapter. Read on to find out what.
[May 2015]
Connor winced as he passed the bathroom, the sound of vomiting clear through the closed door. "Jade's throwing up again," he said as he walked into the kitchen.
A worried frown crossed Roy's face. "Again? Really?" he asked, voice laced with concern. "That's what… the fourth time this week?"
"This week?" Mia asked as Connor sat next to her at the table. "Roy, she's been throwing up for like a week."
"I offered to take her to a doctor, but she insists she's fine."
"Yeah, that's why she seems extra moody lately," Connor said as he poked at his fruit. "Because she's fine."
"If she says she's fine, then there's nothing I can do."
"Well do something," Mia replied. "I'm worried she's dying."
"She's not dying. It's probably some kind of a bug." Even though there were no other symptoms of illness like coughing or fever. Just vomiting, fatigue, and a few abnormal mood swings. 'It could be a lot of things though. I've basically got a college degree in first aid thanks to night activities, but I'm definitely not a doctor. I'm sure Jade's fine. I'd notice if something was wrong.' Roy finished cutting up fruit for himself and Jade and had it in bowls by the time she joined them in the kitchen. "Good morning."
"There's nothing good about it," Jade muttered as she sat down. She ran her hands through her hair.
"Well, I've got some light breakfast for you." Roy sat down and set JAde's bowl in front of her. "Hopefully you can keep it down."
"Hopefully. It's not every food though. Sometimes it's not even food."
"I can always take you to a clinic-"
"I said no, hero. I already owe you enough."
"You wouldn't- Ok, fine. But if this keeps happening, at least consider it."
"Roy-"
"You've been throwing up every morning for a week and you've been more tired than normal."
"I'm fine. One of your little Petri dishes probably brought something home from school."
"Rude," Mia muttered.
Jade rolled her eyes, then winced as pain laced through her lower back. 'Ugh! Great! The last thing I need right now is-' She froze, a piece of fruit halfway to her mouth. "What's the date?"
"The date?" Roy asked in confusion.
"Yeah, hero. The date."
"May 15," Mia said. "Or…the day before our 8th-grade graduation."
"Yeah, I don't care about that. Are you sure it's already the 15th?"
"Definitely."
Roy frowned as he watched Jade's face. "Is everything ok?" he asked.
"…Yeah… Everything's fine…" Jade answered slowly, still doing the math in her head. She quickly shoved a few more pieces of fruit into her mouth.
"I'm going for a walk. Don't wait up."
"…Ok!" A few seconds later the door shut.
"That was weird," Connor said. "Even for her."
"I'm sure the walk will be good for her. Fresh air and all that. You guys don't worry about it, I will. Get ready for school."
"Do we really have to go?" Mia asked. "Its a half-day! We'll be home by lunch!"
"Yes, you still have to go. If I remember correctly, you have to go today if you want to go to the 8th Grade Dance tonight."
Connor made a face. "Do we have to go to the dance?" he asked.
"Of course!" Mia objected. "Do you know how hard I worked to get here? I want to celebrate. Besides, I've never been to a dance before. And you haven't either!"
"And I had intended to keep it that way."
"Come on, Connor. You don't want me to have to go alone, do you?"
For a few seconds, Connor held Mia's pleading gaze, but that's all it took before his resolve melted. "Fine… I'll go. But I won't have fun."
"Whatever."
Roy smiled a little. "Get ready," he said. "You guys don't want to be late on your last day."
Connor put his bowl in the sink, then followed Mia to the bathroom to brush their teeth. 'At least the dance isn't until tonight. I have plenty of time to mentally prepare myself for the torture.' Hopefully, him going to the dance would be good enough for Mia and she wouldn't push him to also dance. 'I don't even know how to dance, so I couldn't even if she tried to make me.' And to the best of his knowledge, Mia couldn't dance either, so hopefully he'd be safe. 'At least it's almost summer vacation. That'll be worth it.' It was worth anything to get away from school for three months.
"I still can't believe they're making us come to school for half a day," Mia said as she grabbed her backpack. "What're we even doing?"
"I don't know," Connor admitted. "Might be some kind of assembly."
"The family assembly is tomorrow so that's dumb."
"Oh well. Come on, we don't want to be late on our last day."
"Speak for yourself."
Connor rolled his eyes a little as he followed her. 'Almost to summer break. Almost there.'
— —
The assembly at school was entirely uneventful. All the honor roll students were recognized, including Connor, who could hear Mia's cheering all the way across the gym. When they got home, Roy was still at work, so Connor made lunch for the two of them.
"What'd you think the dance will be like?" Mia asked.
"I don't know, I've never been to one."
"I'm excited. It's kind of cool to do something normal like this, isn't it?"
"I guess." It definitely didn't sound better than going on patrol but had more than earned a night of normalcy. So if it made her happy, then he supposed he could put up with it for one night.
"Any girls you're hoping to see there?"
"Nope."
"Really? Not even Alyssa?"
Heat flooded Connor's cheeks at the reminder. "I- I don't-"
"Connor, you can tell me you like her. It's fine. I won't even tell anyone if you don't want."
"That's not- It's not like that…"
"Then what's it like?"
"Its- It's-" Connor stumbled over his words, not sure what to say. What could he say without telling her the whole truth? "It's complicated."
"Doesn't sound complicated. You either like this girl or you don't."
"I- I don't…" The confession did little to make Connor feel better. If anything, it just made the snake constricting his ribs even bigger.
"Did something happen?"
"…What?"
"Did something happen to make you stop liking her?"
"N-No. I've never liked her."
"What?" Mia frowned in confusion. "Then why did you kiss her on Valentine's Day?"
Connor stood up. "I'm going to meditate."
"Connor-" Mia grabbed Connor's wrist as he passed her. For a moment he froze, then the freaked gaze on his face became a glare and he jerked his wrist free. Mia's grip broke easily and he stopped back.
"Leave me alone, Mia."
"Connor-"
"I said leave me alone! You- You just- You don't understand!" Connor ran from the kitchen and into the bedroom. The door slammed shut behind him, but he didn't care. His heart pounded in his chest and he sat with his back against the door. For a minute it was quiet, just him and the heavy ball of emotions in his chest. Then someone knocked on the door.
"Connor?" Mia asked hesitantly. "Open the door."
Connor didn't say anything. He pulled his knees against his chest and bit his lip.
"Con, come on. I'm sorry if I upset you. I- I just want to talk. I'm worried… Please, Connor?"
As upset as he was, Connor couldn't help but give in to the distressed tone in Mia's voice. He sighed, then slowly stood so he could open the door. "What'd you want?"
Mia blinked for a moment, taken aback by the thin film of tears over Connor's eyes. "Con… What's going on? I'm sorry I upset you, but… Why are you so upset?" There was a clear moment of hesitation on his face. "I just want to understand. Come on, we're friends. Why are you so upset?"
There were another few seconds of hesitation before Connor spoke. "Come in here. I- I don't want Roy or Jade to overhear if they come home."
Mia nodded and walked into the room, making sure the door was shut securely behind her. "What's going on?"
"…A lot… I guess…" Connor sat on the floor by his bed and pulled his knees up to his chest again. He waited until Mia was sitting next to him before he kept talking. "I- I don't- I don't like girls." He paused for a moment. "At least…I don't think I do."
"Really? That's it?" The look on his face told Mia that wasn't the right response. "I mean…good for you?"
"It's not good!"
"Sure it is-"
"No, Mia, it's not!"
"Why, what're you worried about? Is it Roy? Maybe it's because he's had a boyfriend, but I really think he'll be cool about this."
"It's not Roy."
"Then what is it?"
Connor was quiet for a few seconds. "I spent my whole life being bullied. It got so bad I was kicked out of two schools. My father is a notorious villain and murderer. I- There's already enough about me that's abnormal. I don't need anything else."
"You're not abnormal."
"I am. Everyone knows it."
"So what if you are? Connor, I'm HIV positive. I'm not exactly living the normal teen life over here." Mia waited for a response but didn't get one.
"If you don't like girls, then why did you kiss Alyssa?"
Connor sighed. "I- I didn't really kiss her. I mean…there was kissing but… I didn't kiss her. She kissed me. She- She started asking me about the Valentine's Day Dance and I told her I wasn't going. Then she put her hand on my knee and tried to touch my hair, but I- I got uncomfortable. So I told her and tried to leave, but she- she stepped in front of me."
"…She stepped in front of you? Like…she pinned you against the wall?"
"She- She didn't really pin me-"
"Did she prevent you from leaving even after you said you wanted to?"
"Yeah… And then she said if I didn't want people to say I was gay, I should kiss her. Then she kissed me."
"Did you…tell her you wanted her to kiss you?"
"No! I didn't want her to! It was…weird and gross!"
The fact that this girl had kissed Connor against his will angered Mia, but she set that anger aside for now. "I'm sorry, Connor."
Connor sighed and rubbed his head. "I wanted to tell people I didn't like it, but I knew if I did it'd basically confirm I was gay and they'd keep making fun of me. I just wanted them to leave me alone."
"That sucks. You should just ignore those jerks."
"I try. It's just hard sometimes…"
"And you didn't think about telling Roy?"
"I didn't want to tell anyone. Because…if I said something it would be…a thing. And I'm not 100% sure I'm…you know, so… I just didn't want to be a thing…"
Mia winced. "Guess I ruined that. Sorry."
"It's ok."
"So you're not absolutely sure?"
"I mean…I don't really understand the appeal of girls. They're ok, I guess, but not to the extent all the other boys do. And honestly…I wish my first kiss had been with the guy who sat in front of me in English."
"I'm sorry, Connor." Mia put her hand on his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "And…I've got your back. You know that, right?"
"Yeah…"
"I mean it. If you decide you want to tell the whole school you're gay, I'll be there for you. We're friends. That's what friends do, right?"
"Guess so…" Connor wiped his eyes with his other hand. He gave her a small smile. "Thanks."
"Is this why you didn't want to go to the dance?"
"Yeah. I mean… I don't know how to dance, but I also didn't want to run into Alyssa. I've spent the rest of the school year trying not to be near her."
"If I promise we'll stick together at the dance, will you still go?"
"Yeah. I guess."
"We'll have a great time. You'll see. It's going to be great. Now come on, Roy's not home, so we can have some ice cream."
"You don't think he'll notice we had some?"
"Probably, but he wasn't here to tell us no, so what can he really say?"
Connor shook his head as Mia tulle him toward the kitchen. "Hard to argue with that logic."
— —
Later that night, Roy couldn't help but smile as he watched Connor and Mia get ready for the dance. Connor was wearing a green button-up shirt and black slacks. The teen frowned in confusion as he tried to figure out his tie.
"Hey Roy…" he said. "Can you help?"
"Yeah, hold still." Roy carefully tied Connor's tie for him. "You excited?"
"Not really. I'm only going because Mia wants me to."
"Well… I'm sure you'll have fun. Dances are great."
Connor frowned in confusion. "How would you know?"
"I- I went to one. Once."
"Really? When?!"
"…Never mind. Just forget it."
Connor wanted to keep asking but decided to let it go because Roy was obviously uncomfortable by the subject. "I'm not sure how much fun it'll be. I don't know how to dance."
"Just…move randomly with the beat of the music. It'll be fine."
Mia rolled her eyes as she finished brushing her hair. "You'll be fine, Connor," she said. "We're going so we can have a good time and celebrate."
"What time does the dance end?" Roy asked.
"Uh…10 I think."
"Ok. I'll be there to pick you guys up."
"Are you going to patrol while we're there?" Connor asked.
"No, I'll probably just hang around here. If anything I might go to the Cave for trick arrow maintenance. Don't worry, you're not going to miss much."
"Ok, I'm ready," Mia said, twirling a little to show off her dress. It was red with lace around the neck and arms, and a few frills on the bottom. "Are we leaving?"
"Yes. Let's go."
Connor tried not to sigh or drag his feet as he followed Mia and Roy out the door. Mia might've reassured him they would stay away from Alyssa, but it didn't completely assuage his worries. 'What if the other kids expect me to dance with a girl? I mean, I could probably do it, but what if she tries to kiss me like Alyssa?' It made Connor wish he was going on patrol that night instead of the dance. At the very least, he felt more sure of himself when he had his mask on. 'It's just a dance. I can get through it. I can do this.' He fiddled with his tie all the way to the school; only stopping when Mia elbowed him.
"Chill," she hissed. "Everything's fine."
Connor nodded, then forced a small smile. "It'll be fine." They stopped outside the school and he took a deep breath. 'Just a normal middle school dance. Can't be any harder than taking on drug dealers with big scary guns.' Somehow part of Connor's brain felt they were tied.
"You guys have your student IDs?" Roy asked. Connor and Mia showed him the small cards. "Got your phones?" They held up the devices, then he handed them each a $20. "Behave. and I'll be here to pick you guys up at 10 pm sharp. Understood?"
"Understood."
"Got it," Mia answered quickly. "Let's go, Connor."
Connor waved idly to Roy as he got out of the car, then followed Mia to the school gates. Only one of the gates was opened and an administrator was standing there, checking people's IDs. As soon as Connor and Mia showed him their ID cards, then paid their entrance fee, they entered the dance. It took up the whole courtyard of the school. Connor followed Mia around the edge, hanging near the back. The music was loud and he…didn't exactly recognize the song.
"This song is great!" Mia yelled in his ear.
"I don't really know music!" Connor yelled back.
Mia rolled her eyes. "Want to dance?!"
"I can't!"
"Sure you can!"
"But-" Connor stopped when Mia grabbed his hand.
"If you can fight, you can dance!"
Before he could say another word, she dragged him onto the dance floor. Mia started bopping her head along with the music. She smiled at Connor, moving his arm as she danced.
"Come on, Con!"
"Mia, I can't-"
"Yes, you can!" Without wanting, Mia's free hand formed a fist and she swung it toward him. Connor pivoted away, but Mia kicked at his shins, forcing him back again. Connor frowned in confusion, but Mia was just giving him a playful smile. She jerked him back toward herself with the hand she held, then repeated her earlier gestures. Connor focused on trying to keep his feet under him with Mia jerking him back and forth over the same foot of space. After a couple minutes though, he noticed something. She moved in a way that her moments were in time with the music. Which in turn made Connor move with the music. He started anticipating her movements, moving his own feat and body just as she attacked him. It was weird, and definitely not like any dance he'd ever seen, but the two of them were moving together, in sync with the music. "You're doing it, Connor! You're dancing!"
'Is this really dancing?' Connor wondered. His hand was released from Mia's grip, but he kept moving. Except he added moves of his own now as well. He kicked at Mia's feet, pushing her back a few inches.
Mia grinned even wider when Connor smiled a little, then punched at him from the other side. They kept punching and kicking at each other, forcing each other to move from side to side as they slowly began circling each other in their corner. If anyone had seen them, they wouldn't have been sure if the two teens were dancing or fighting. But it felt like dancing to them. Especially for two teenagers that didn't actually know how to dance. They also didn't really care though. Connor kept smiling, the gesture slowly growing (and becoming more genuine) as they danced. Soon he didn't even care if anyone saw them or what they thought. He was just happy to be dancing with his friend and having a good time.
— —
After Roy dropped Connor and Mia off at the dance, he went home to get a few things before he could head to the Cave. When he walked in though, Jade was pacing in the living room. "Oh, hey," he said. "No one's seen you all day."
"Uh-huh…" Jade muttered.
"We missed you at dinner."
"Sure…"
Roy frowned as Jade kept pacing, not even looking at him. He took a few steps closer. "Jade, what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"It doesn't seem like nothing." When he didn't get a response, Roy walked closer to grab her arm. Jade stopped suddenly and glared at him. For a second, he was afraid she would attack him, but then the anger faded from her face.
Jade physically backed down and sighed. "I- I've got something to tell you, hero."
"What is it?" There was no response for a few seconds, so Roy moved his hand from her arm to her hand. "Jade, come on. We're friends, you can tell me anything."
"You sure about that?"
"Of course! Whatever it is, I'm here for you."
"Good to know I guess…" Jade turned away from Roy, pulling her hand out of his. With her back turned to him, she put her hand on her stomach.
"Roy…" A hand settled on her shoulder and she sighed again. "Roy… I'm pregnant."