A/N: Here's the next chapter! Leave a reveiw and let me know what you think.
When Mia got up in the morning, she wandered out of hers and Connor's bedroom to find the latter eating fruit in the kitchen while Jade ate some eggs. "Where's Roy?" she asked.
"Sleeping is my guess," Connor replied. "I haven't seen him all morning."
"I heard him come in last night and it was really late," Jade told them. "Just let him sleep."
Mia shrugged, then stole a few pieces of fruit from Connor as she made her way to the fridge to grab some for herself. 'If Roy was up that late it must've been more like early morning,' she thought. 'He'll probably be up in a few hours.'
A few hours later, Roy still wasn't up. The morning passed peacefully with Connor reading in their bedroom while Mia did homework. They expected to see him at lunch, but he was sleeping.
"Do you think we should check on Roy?" Mia asked as she and Connor finished their lunch. It was almost 1:30 and they still hadn't seen or heard their guardian.
"…Maybe," Connor agreed slowly. "I know Jade said he got home late, but…it's not like him to sleep in like this." Worry that Roy had been seriously injured or was sick plagued the back of Connor's mind as he quickly shoved the last few pieces of sandwich into his mouth.
When they finished eating, Mia and Connor went to Roy's bedroom. As they passed the couch, Jade followed them with her eyes. Mia knocked on Roy's door. "You alive in there?" No answer. The teens looked at each other before Connor tried.
"We just…wanted to check on you."
"Didn't I tell you guys to let him sleep?" Jade asked. She leaned against the doorway to the hall, arms crossed over her chest.
"We're worried about him."
"So? He's probably not dead."
Mia shrugged. "You're not the boss of us," she said as she opened the door.
Jade rolled her eyes as the two teenagers disappeared into Roy's bedroom. 'Stupid…kids,' she thought irritably. Nevertheless, she found herself drifting closer to the open door.
"Hey, Roy?" Connor said as they approached his bed. The lump under the blankets was definitely Roy and when he got closer, Connor could see the man was staring at the wall. "Everything ok?"
"Cause you're kind of freaking us out here…" Mia knelt on the bed by Roy's feet. "Roy?"
Roy took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "I'm fine guys…" he said quietly, voice hoarse.
"You sure?" Connor asked. "You look really tired."
"Which is really weird because you've been sleeping like…all day," Mia added.
"Everything's fine…" Roy told them. He moved to adjust his blanket and Connor gasped quietly when he saw Roy's wrist.
"What the heck?!" he asked.
Mia's eyes widened. "Roy, what the hell happened?!" she demanded. Roy's wrist had dark purple, almost black, bruises wrapped around his wrist.
Connor moved forward and grabbed Roy's wrist gently. As soon as his fingers closed though, Roy reacted. His eyes widened and he jerked free. Connor's grip was broken easily, but Roy had to push himself against the headboard and closed his eyes. His heart pounded against his ribs as his brain kept putting wrist grabbing and green eyes together.
'It's not Ollie,' he thought stubbornly, taking a slow deep breath and trying to hide his wrist behind his legs. 'It's not Oliver…It's not… Calm down…' The fact that his brain was associating Connor and Oliver to the point that he'd almost had an anxiety attack made him feel guilty. Roy took several more deep breaths before he left his head again. Connor and Mia were giving him equal looks of concern and Jade stood in the doorway watching him carefully. "I'm- I'm fine, guys. R-Really…"
"Yeah…no," Mia said. Roy was pale and looked exhausted and wired, all at the same time. Seeing him curled against the headboard of his bed with his legs pulled up to his chest like a child…it made her stomach churn. She knew Roy had PTSD, of course she knew, it was basically part of the orientation…but she'd never seen him so upset like this. "You're not fine. What's wrong?"
"We're you're…partners," Connor said, choosing his words carefully. "Come on, Roy."
'Maybe I should tell them,' Roy thought as he pulled the blankets up over his body. It wasn't like they'd stop asking. He sighed. "Last night… I got a text from Kal… He wanted me to meet him at the pier where Connor and I fought Black Manta. I did and-" Pain stabbed at his chest and Roy grit his teeth to keep his eyes from tearing up. He inhaled through his nose. "Kaldur broke up with me."
"Ouch," Mia winced. "Rough. Did he say why?"
Roy closed his eyes and nodded. "He- Kaldur's joining Black Manta."
"He's becoming a villain?!" Connor gasped. When Roy nodded, he shook his head.
"Why?" Jade asked, clearly confused. The other three looked at her like they'd forgotten she was there, but she ignored them. "Why would he suddenly decide to change sides? That doesn't make any sense."
Roy shrugged. "He said he was angry about Aquagirl's death and Aquaman lying to him about Black Manta being his father-" Roy stopped suddenly when he realized what he'd said, but it was too late. Hot guilt filled him as everyone else digested the newest bit of information.
"Kaldur'ahm's father is Black Manta?!"
"Whoa…" Mia gasped quietly. "Guess it's always the guy you least suspect, right, Connor?" No response. "Connor?"
Connor clenched his fists in his lap, trying to focus and breathe. His heart pounded in his ears, making it difficult to hear. 'K-Kaldur… Aqualad, the guy who led Roy's team…he has an evil dad? And he- he became a villain, even after years of being a hero?!' Panic gripped his muscles and Connor wanted to scream. He wanted to shout and cry because it wasn't fair! He was clearly doomed and it wasn't fair! Then Mia shoved him off the bed and knocked him out of his head. He gave her a half-glare as he got back on the bed. "That's…too bad," he said quietly.
"Forget about him," Mia added. "He's betrayed you and your friends. You deserve better. Right, Connor?"
Connor nodded. "Absolutely."
Their reassurances made Roy want to smile. Part of him wanted to push aside the heartache and stress so he could move on; but another, more dominant part, of his brain was drowning in his emotions. The heartache of Kaldur breaking up with him. The grief that his boyfriend- ex, was choosing such a dark path. Stress from the panic attack the night before and the ensuing nightmares that had kept him from a good night's sleep. The chaotic bundle of emotions made Roy want to bury himself in blankets and never come out. 'But I can't do that,' he reminded himself sharply. 'I have to take care of Connor and Mia. I'm an adult. I have responsibilities.' Responsibilities or not, there was some kind of disconnect between his brain and his muscles keeping him from getting up.
Thankfully, Connor and Mia seemed to understand, even without Roy saying anything. Mia crawled up and grabbed Roy's hand. He flinched and jerked it roughly from her grasp, but Mia barely blinked. "Why don't we watch a movie?" she suggested. "Can't think of a better way to end Thanksgiving break than a long movie night. Hm? Connor?"
"Definitely," Connor agreed. "We can watch anything you want."
"I- I don't know guys," Roy said quietly. Something inside him was longing to be alone. To retreat to his old habits of comfort. Alone meant safety.
"Well, you could stay in here alone," Jade began slowly (once again the other three looked at her like they'd forgotten she was there), "but I just finished the last one of those wizard books. So, I'm planning on holding you to your promise of showing me those movies."
"…Really?"
"Yes, and I personally don't care if you're having a mental breakdown or not while we're doing it, but I'm holding you to your word, Hero."
Connor opened his mouth to object to the way Jade was talking to Roy, but the man nodded before he could say anything.
"Ok," Roy said. "Guess we should watch some movies then. Why don't you guys go get it set up and I'll be out in a few minutes."
"Can we have popcorn?" Mia asked.
"Sure." Just the thought of food made his stomach churn, but that didn't mean the kids couldn't have some if they wanted.
"Sweet! Come on, Connor!"
Connor followed Mia out of the room, not missing the way Roy's eyes seemed to avoid him. Hurt stabbed at his chest and he hurried out of the bedroom.
Once he was alone, Roy got out of bed and put some sweatpants and a t-shirt on. He grabbed his phone as he left. Telling Dick crossed his mind briefly, but he quickly banished the idea. He and his brother may have been talking again, but everything was still too fresh in his mind to talk about it. Just talking to Connor, Mia, and Jade had left him emotionally worn out. So he shoved his phone into his pocket and snagged his Navajo blanket on the way out. When he walked into the living room. the smell of buttery popcorn wafted from the kitchen and the gentle popping sounds carried with it. Still not hungry though, Roy went tot he couch and curled up on one end, wrapping his blanket around his shoulders.
"Nice blanket," Jade commented from the other end of the couch.
"It's Navajo."
"Didn't know you were Native American."
"I'm not, but I grew up on the reservation. Before…"
"Huh." The conversation dropped after that, but Mia and Connor came in less than a minute later.
"I've got the snacks," Mia said. "Connor put the movie in."
"You're not the boss of me," Connor muttered but still did as she said. He found the movie on the shelf and popped it into the DVD player before sitting on the floor. Mia was on the couch between Jade and Roy, and there was definitely room for him if he'd ask her to move, but that would mean either 1) sitting next to Jade, who still made him nervous despite having lived with them for two months, or 2) sitting next to Roy who seemed intent on looking anywhere that wasn't at him. So, Connor sat on the floor in a cross-legged position. 'Sitting on the floor isn't so bad anyway.'
"Let's start the nerd movie!"
"I resent that," Jade told her.
"You're the one who read the books, nerd."
Jade smirked at the teen as she snatched a few pieces of popcorn from the bowl.
— —
Watching the movie did take Roy's mind off Kaldur for brief amounts of time. Every so often though, his brain would wander from what he was watching and launch itself down the rabbit hole of anxiety. What was Kaldur doing right now? Was he with Black Manta? Planning an attack on the League? On Atlantis, against the people who he'd protected as Aqualad? Has he killed anyone yet—
"Roy?!" Mia asked, her voice laced with concern.
Roy blinked and realized he was shaking and on the verge of hyperventilating. He closed his eyes for a moment, then started counting as he breathed. While he did this, a hand settled on his arm and he jerked back. "S-Stop!" he said. "Don't- Don't touch me!"
"Ok, ok… Sorry…."
Jade frowned as she watched Roy. When she realized he was breathing very slowly and deliberately, she started counting how long it took him to inhale, hold his breath, then exhale. It only took a few times to figure out he was using some kind of breathing regimen. "Don't stare," she said sternly to Connor and Mia, who were both watching Roy. "Geez, you'd think no one taught you kids basic manners. Go back to the movie."
"But, Roy-"
"Is fine. He's got it under control. Go back to watching the movie."
Connor turned away and looked back at the tv. He could feel Mia's confusion and hesitation but didn't know what else they could do. 'It's not like I'm going to help anyway,' he thought as he watched the movie. 'Roy can barely stand me sometimes when he's not on the verge of a panic attack. While he's this upset though? Forget it.'
They slipped back into silence with only the movie and Roy's breathing making any sounds. Jade kept stealing glances at Roy, watching his breathing as it evened out and he eventually opened his eyes. 'Good,' she thought as she turned her attention back to the movie. 'We probably don't need him having a panic attack.'
When the movie ended, Connor put the next one in without needing to be prompted. Later afternoon became night with the four of them watching the movies silently. They made it through the 4th one before Roy glanced at the clock and grimaced. "You guys need to go to bed," he told Connor and Mia. "I didn't even feed you-"
"What'd you mean?" Mia asked as she stood and stretched. "We had a whole bowl of popcorn."
"That's not food-"
"Is too! Don't be so lame."
"Just…go to bed."
"Come on, Connor. Night, Roy. Jade."
"Night, Roy," Connor said as he passed.
"Night, guys," Roy said as they left. He stood, the blanket still wrapped around his shoulders, but only looked toward his room. The thought of nightmares, of hands grabbing him and hurting him, feeling helpless as his arm was twisted behind his back, and cruel voices hissed in his ear-
"Roy!" Jade said. When Roy's head snapped toward her she gave him a small smirk. "Going to bed sometime tonight?"
"I… Uh…" Brain stalled, Roy opened his mouth despite no words coming out. "I…"
After a few seconds, Jade's smirk disappeared. "You don't want to sleep, do you?"
"Well…"
"Forget it. It's fine. We're not impressionable teenagers, we can stay up as late as we want. Let's put the next movie in."
"I- I can go to my room-"
"It's fine, Roy. Assassins don't always have the luxury of a normal sleep schedule." Jade went over to the shelf to grab the next movie, so Roy resumed his spot on the couch.
"…Thanks. For this."
"It's nothing."
Despite knowing, deep down. that avoiding sleep because of nightmares would only make managing his mental health harder to handle and was firmly in the 'unhealthy coping mechanisms' category. But he also didn't care. Kaldur broke up with him and one of the people Roy loved most was soon to be a murderer for sure. It didn't really feel like anything mattered at the moment. Eating and sleeping were distant thoughts compared to everything else. So, he stayed up late with Jade, watching the rest of the movies silently, not really comprehending anything.
When the movies were over, it was a little past midnight and Jade looked at Roy. "Feeling like sleeping?"
"…Not particularly…"
"Cool." Jade shifted so she was facing Roy. "So…he kicked you to the curb, huh?"
Roy almost choked. "Really? You're starting with that?"
"Sorry, I can be…"
"Blunt? I've noticed. Artemis is the same way. Sibling thing apparently."
"So I can assume you and Nightwing are emotionally closed off like Batman? Hm?"
"I don't know if I'm…emotionally closed off…"
"But Nightwing is? It's fine you don't have to answer. I mean…he's your adoptive brother, but you've talked to him…twice in the past year?"
"18 months, but that's not the point."
"What happened between the two of you?" Jade wrapped her arms around her legs as she pulled them against her chest. "I mean, if you're brother,s why did he ghost you for over a year?"
"I don't know if it's ghosting, but… It's complicated."
"Apparently we've got nothing but time so…" When she didn't get a response, Jade went with another tactic. "How about an exchange? Tell me what happened between you and your brother, and I'll tell you a story about Artemis from when we were kids."
Roy almost smiled at that, but he just ended up sighing when he thought back over the last year and a half. "After Robin died— the second Robin— we had a big falling out. Batman told all of us in the Bat Cave what had happened and…Nightwing got angry. He blamed me for Robins' death."
"You?! Why?!"
"Because I was in the country. Nightwing and Batgirl were with the Team on a mission when it…happened. I was here in Star because I'd already stepped down. But…I didn't know. Batman never tried to contact me for help finding Robin, he never even told me he was missing. I didn't know anything had happened until that night in the Cave."
"Wow… What a jerk."
"He was…upset."
"Still. You heroes are supposed to be a big happy family, aren't you?"
That got an amused snort from Roy. "I guess… It hasn't really felt like that lately though…"
"Well, you've got your two ankle-biters in the other room."
"That's…different. I don't even know what my relationship is with them." Roy shrugged, allowing his blanket to fall off his shoulders a little bit. "Your turn."
"Ok… Once, when she was…2? No, 3. When Artemis was 3, I convinced her that the stupid Charlie Brown pumpkin movie was a true story. So she spent the entirety go Halloween night waiting to see the Great Pumpkin."
The corners of Roy's mouth twitched. "Ok, that's mean and also kind of adorable."
"Hey, I never said I was a good sister. Better than the time she was 2 and I told her she would get sucked down the drain in the bathtub."
Roy's mouth twitched a little more. "You're horrible."
Jade flashed him a smile. "The worst. So, your turn again. Got any good stories about Nightwing?"
"…hm…" Roy thought for a moment, nodded slowly. "Yeah. How about the time he was fighting a bunch of Riddler's goons and slipped on some ice."
"He slipped?"
"Mhm. Fell right on his face and gave himself a black eye."
Jade snickered. "He's a vigilante who got a black eye during a fight…but he didn't get it from the bad guys?"
"Nope."
"Nice. Has Artemis ever told you the story of how she lost her first tooth?" When Roy shook his head Jade smiled. "I knocked it out."
"…You knocked out her tooth?!"
"On accident. We were playing hide and seek-"
And so they went on through the night, exchange stories about the respective younger siblings. A few times Jade almost managed to make Roy smile, but never quite got there. Eventually, Roy glanced out the window and noticed the sun was coming up. "I should…make breakfast. Connor's no doubt up and meditating, which means Mia will be up soon." He yawned and Jade gave him a look.
"Don't think you'll be a very effective private detective when you're so tired."
"Maybe I won't go into work today. I can just…stay here." Besides, just the thought of going out into the city terrified him. His nerves jangled up like he was being watched.
Jade shrugged. "It's your life."
"Thanks." Roy stood and grabbed his blanket, which he'd let fall on the floor at some point, so he could put it in his bedroom before he started on breakfast. "You going to sleep?"
"I'll probably nap while the kids are at school."
"Fair enough." Roy started to walk away, but stopped and looked back at Jade form the doorway that led to the hall. "Thanks… For…you know…"
"Anytime, hero."
'Anytime,' Roy mused as he went to his room. 'She's acting like we're friends or something.' Which was crazy. Because Roy was a hero and Jade was a villain. They were completely different people in so many ways. There was no way they could ever be friends. No matter how nice the idea seemed. 'She'll take off as soon as she's fully healed. Just watch. This will all be a distant memory. A nice story she tells her assassin friends.' Because Roy and Jade weren't friends. No. Definitely not.
