Disclaimer: I own nothing of the DC Universe. Young Justice belongs to DC Comics and Cartoon Network, I only own my OC's and plot.

AN: I want to thank my wonderful beta mahlia. Also I hope that you'll check out my new story Living with Jeykll and Hyde! :)

Happy Reading!

At Wayne Manor

I snuggled into my pillow, biting at my lip. Being one week removed from Metropolis was a relief, mostly due to the media's new take on my life. It seems that everyone is an expert about it. I glared angrily at my phone; Dr. Pierce still hadn't called me back and I was really ticked off. For someone who seemed so eager about knowing about any strange "symptoms", he sure doesn't take the time to answer his messages. That's right: messages. I must have left four messages for that man to answer. I tried calling the hospital for him, but he's either in surgery or not in.

I'm mostly thrilled about my new ability. Not many people can wake up one morning and say, "I can breathe fire!" Well I don't exactly breathe fire…more like project it out and around my body. I've taken to sneaking out of the manor at night and going back to the chemical factory where this mess all started. Being in the place where I was "bestowed" my new power gave me a sense of purpose. Honestly, I don't know how Alfred hasn't caught me sneaking out yet.

Alfred always seems to stop me from sneaking out to hang out with Viola and Bryn, but my week-night excursions go unnoticed. In fact, Alfred isn't the only one who acts strangely in this house. There is something fishy about Bruce knowing everything about Gotham. I've lived in Gotham my entire life and it's almost as if he knows every street to every nook and cranny. If I say I'm going to a certain area before dinner, he tells me how long it would take and what time I should be back…accurately. And then there's Dick.

Sweet, innocent- nope he's hiding something too. He seems to go missing the same time Bruce is and Alfred replies, "He's staying with a friend." Dick must have a long list of friends because this week alone he hasn't been home for even an hour at a time. But at least Dick has the courtesy to look guilty about lying to my face about wherever he goes. Bruce has perfected his poker face. Sometimes I can't even tell and I've been around criminals for a long time.

My phone vibrated and I stayed on my bed waiting to see if it was just a text or if someone was calling me. The vibration stopped: must be a text message. I grabbed my phone, opened the text without reading who it was from.

7 o'clock. I'm coming over. Wear something cute.

Ugh! I've been dreading this text all afternoon. It was from Roy, my "boyfriend", who is staying in Metropolis for the foreseeable future. Is he my boyfriend? Roy whisked me back home to Gotham after the CultFest fiasco and showed up every day since acting like the perfect boyfriend. Or at least what normal people would call perfect. For most people it wouldn't be acting, but I'm not used to it at all. As much as I don't want to compare Roy to Jason, I fear that this new relationship makes me too nervous.

Roy is just so…"vanilla" compared to Jason. I mean Roy treats me like I'm an actual person and not an object. When I was with Jason I never felt that way. I felt like I was a pet or a dirty little secret. Really, I felt like Jason's mistress. But with Roy, he had brought me my favorite flowers every day this week and took me out on different dates all over New York. My inner feminist didn't like the idea of Roy spoiling me, having him spend so much money on me, but I quickly got over it.

Roy actually likes hearing what I have on my mind. Our dates were mutually stimulating…not like that. I wish. I want to know more about him. Roy makes me feel weird. Like my insides are inside out and I'm completely exposed to him. I don't like it. I don't think I'll ever get used to it, but then again... Jason was too spontaneous. Some women want that in their men. I found that after spending half my life with the most daredevil of men has done nothing but leave me in heartbreak and ruin. When I was with Jason…I had no self esteem and he knew that he could work me to get anything that he wanted.

I sighed, getting off of my bed and walking to my closet. What the hell did Roy mean by wear something cute? Another thing I'm miffed about is that Roy and Jason do have one common factor: arrogance. Overconfidence must turn me on because Roy just has too much of it. Jason had it, but mostly it was for show. But Roy…I wanted to slap him half the time. And when I wasn't busy wanting to slap him, I'd be laughing my head off at his seriousness. My "boyfriend" took himself way too seriously. Sometimes I feel like he's too guarded, like he wants to tell me something and then changes his mind.

I plucked a cute top and jeans for my date tonight with Roy. He didn't say where we were going and I know better than to ask. He'd run circles around me before telling me where he'd whisk me off to. And that's another thing I'm worried about. When the time comes I need to have it in me to put my foot down with him. With Jason he got his way…all the time. I'm not going to let that happen again. This new life is an opportunity I don't plan on messing up.

I paused. What the heck do I want out of this relationship, anyway? Am I even ready to fall head over heels again? Not if it ends the way it did with my ex. I don't want that for me ever again.

At Grant Park

Damn it! He's an arrogant prick. He's a sweet arrogant prick. Roy had shown up at Wayne manor with a picnic basket and, of course, another bouquet of flowers. He'd driven us to Grant Park, brought extra blankets and pulled out a handmade dinner that would make Yogi Bear drool. I've never had someone do this for me, it was all too sweet. Maybe there is such a thing as perfect.

After stuffing our faces, Roy wrapped me in a blanket and moved me so that I sat in between his legs. It was when I felt his arms around me and he had buried his nose in my hair that I decided I couldn't forever hold my peace. I had to ask him. I need to know what this thing between us was.

"What are we?" I asked.

He sighed, "What do you mean?"

"Are we really dating or are you just trying your hand at being spontaneous?"

He laughed. "I could have asked you to be my girlfriend in more gentlemen like manner but the moment called for it. Why did you wait a week to ask me this?"

I huffed, pouting. "Because I wanted to give you time to come up with a better way to say it. By the way, your reasoning sucks!"

"Aw! Are you pouting? That's cute, babydoll but it's not going to get you what you want to know. Start talking."

"You'll answer any question I ask?"

He gently squeezed around my middle, sighing. "I'll try,"

"Okay, who was the blonde from that party for Queen Perdita?"

Roy hummed, "She's a friend from Gateway City, and she's practically a kid. A really tall kid. It was a favor to Ollie."

"Why would Oliver Queen need you to bring her? And what's this kid's name?" I asked, intrigued.

"Oliver got himself in trouble with one of his colleagues and the payment was taking his colleague's ward to see Queen Perdita. Cassie, that's her name, they're both the same age I think. Besides, I wanted to go with you but you didn't seem into me."

"Wait, what? I didn't seem into you! Oh please, you were the one throwing out mixed signals. I wanted to date you the moment I met you, okay? It's why I asked you out first, sweetie," I said, scoffing.

He moved my hair out off my left shoulder and placed a chaste kiss there. I got a little bit nervous; it was a bit too soon to be doing that. I'm a hypocrite, I want to make out with him and here I am getting testy about him kissing my neck.

"I'm sorry, I promise not to give you any more mixed signals. Um…you feel a bit too warm. I think you might have a fever," Roy said.

"No, I feel fine. One last thing and I want you to be as open with me as you can."

"Shoot," he said, tickling my sides.

"Roy, stop it! This is a serious matter, delicate, even. I want to know, what made you decide to get clean?"

"I knew this would come up eventually…to tell you the truth I can't even remember much of my life then. It's like a blur but I know that Ollie was really worried about me when I showed up on his door step. He threw me straight into rehab. When I got out he said it was like I was a different person. I started college and working at Q-Core. He's never been more proud of me."

I bit at my lip and scrunched my eyebrows. I knew a few junkies from Crime Alley and drugs were really bad. The way Viola explained it to me and how Roy is explaining it…it doesn't add up. He's hiding the full truth. But it's more than enough that he's even telling me this. It shows that he trusts me, but I'd like for there to be a time where he'd be able to trust me fully.

"You don't have to tell me everything if you're not ready to, okay? I know that it's probably hard for you say everything now and that's fine. After all, I haven't told you about all the skeletons in my closet either," I sighed, clutching at his hand.

"Thanks for being patient," he said, kissing my temple.

Damn it! When am I gonna get a real kiss from my boyfriend?

"You're welcome, Red."

"A pet name? Aren't we a little bit too old for those?" he said, laughing.

"No, so I'm going to call you Red from now on!" I said laughing, while being tickled by my perfect boyfriend.