Prompt: Roy teaches Kaden how to use a bow

Roy: 38
Kaden: 14

"Raise your arms a bit. Good, good. Now take aim; set your sights along the arrow shaft," Roy instructed. He pushed Kaden's arm a bit and helped him adjust his aim, then stood behind the teen and crouched down to watch him. Lian was away, vising with Oliver and Dinah, and as promised, Roy was teaching Kaden how to use a bow while he was visiting him in Star City. Kaden seemed to learn quickly; his first few attempts to fire the bow ended with his arrows not even reaching the target, but after a few more tries and some pointers from Roy, his arrows were now reaching their mark. Mostly around the edge of the target boards, but hey, progress was progress.

"Now, take a deep breath-" Roy instructed. Kaden sucked in a deep breath and held it for a moment as he drew back on the bowstring "and fire!" Kaden loosed the shaft with a twang and the arrow whistled through the air, striking the target. The arrow embedded itself in one of the inner rings and Kaden let out a cheer.
"Haha! yeah!" He cheered, pumping his fist through the air. Roy laughed and clapped the teen on the back, a prideful grin on his face. He trotted across the field and grabbed the arrows out of the board and returned to Kaden and high-fived the teen

"Not bad, Kades, not bad. You're a natural," Roy complimented. Kaden grinned pridefully as he nocked another arrow.
"One more time? Please?" Kaden asked, giving them an his best puppy eyes look. Roy frowned a bit and crossed his arms over his chest; the kid had his father's puppy eyes look. Cheating!
"Alright, one more, and then we'll go get some lunch, alright?" Roy replied with a smirk, patting the boy on the back. Kaden cheered and sighted down the shaft of the arrow. He felt Roy's hand on his shoulder and arm again.
"Remember, deep breaths. Focus," Roy whispered. Kaden sucked in another deep breath, drawing back on the bow string. He held for a few moments, closing on eye and sighting down the shaft of the arrow with the other, and then...twang...he loosed the arrow and it whizzed through the air, striking the target board, just on the edge of the center ring. Both Roy and Kaden let out a cheer and Roy clapped the teen on the back before trotting across the field to collect the arrow.
"Like I said, you're a natural! Keep practicing!" Roy complimented, leading Kaden to his car, a red 2009 Dodge Challenger. Kaden grinned pridefully up at his...uncle? dad? After learning about his and his parents'...relationship...he wasn't' sure what to call him right now. He thought 'dad' seemed appropriate, all things considered, but it was still somewhat confusing.

The walk back to the car was rather silent; Roy could see the teen was deep in thought and didn't want to interrupt him. Considering recent events, it didn't exactly take a rocket scientist to figure out what might be on his mind.

"So, whaddaya want? Pizza? Fast Food? Maybe go back to the apartment and I can cook-"
"Pfft, you cook? This I have to see," Kaden teased. Roy frowned and playfully shoved the teen.
"Hey, your dad and I might have a lot in common, but cooking is not one of those things. I can actually cook!" Roy replied. Kaden snorted playfully in response and waved his hand dismissively so Roy took that as a challenge. "Alright, my cooking it is."

The two of them returned to Roy's apartment and Kaden made himself at home while Roy cooked lunch. Kaden had been here only a few times before; Star City was literally on the other side of the country from Gotham so the distance made it difficult to visit. Fortunately, Grandpa Bruce had 'business in Star City' and offered to let Kaden come with him on his private jet. Roy's apartment was like his home away from home, not counting Wayne Manor, of course.

"Hey kiddo, lunch is ready!" Roy called from the kitchen. Kaden hopped up off of the couch and made his way to the kitchen and was impressed with what he saw; Roy was sitting at the table with a plate of bacon cheese fries and a cheeseburger in front of him, and likewise at an empty space for Kaden. The teen eyed Roy for a moment, who flashed a smirk, then he sat down at the table and took a bite of the burger.

"Mmmm. Wow, uncle Roy, this is pretty amazing," Kaden complimented, eating some of the fries.
"All home made. Told you I can cook," he said with a wink and a grin. The two of them ate in silence for a time after that, Kaden having drifted off into his thoughts again. It seemed like the whole meal was going to be silent, until Kaden finally broke through the silent atmosphere.

"I'm not mad at you," Kaden finally said, taking that last bite of his burger. Roy looked up at him and waited for him to go on; he wondered when the boy might bring this up. "Or, not anymore. I guess I was a little mad, but-"
"You're still mad at your dad, huh?" Roy asked. Kaden gave a nod.
"Eight years he kept it a secret from me. Eight years you were like..another dad to me, practically. Why would he keep that a secret?" Roy finished his burger and took a few sips of his drink, considering the answer carefully. Usually in tight situations like this, he'd fall back on jokes and sarcasm, but Kaden deserved better than that right now.
"I don't know, Kades. Your dad is a complicated guy. He probably figured it'd be better if you didn't know. Y'know, because two dads is not considered normally and-"
"Yeah, Alfred said the same thing," Kaden said with a chuckle of amusement "only more eloquently.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Roy replied in mock offense. Kaden laughed and waved his hand dismissively.
"It means you're a dork, dad," Kaden replied with a laugh. Roy smiled at the term 'dad'.
"It's okay if I call you that right? I mean, you kind of are, and-"
"Like I said Kades, you can call me whatever you want."
"Great! But I think I'll call you just uncle around dad. That'd be less confusing," the teen said with a laugh. His phone rang then so his fished through his pocket for it.

"Hey grandpa. What's up?" Kaden asked. Kaden nodded his head a few times as his grandfather spoke to him. "Alright. Okay, see you in an hour." Kaden hung up the phone and pocketed it again, heaving a sigh. "Grandpa's coming to get mt in two hours to go back to Gotham. He's all done here." Roy gave a silent nod and Kaden helped him with the dishes.

"Before I go, do you think we can practice with that bow for a little bit more?" Kaden asked, scrubbing his plate with a sponge. Roy looked over at the teen as he dried his own plate and placed it on the drying rack.
"Sure thing," he replied with a grin, ruffling the teen's hair. The two of them finished up and Kaden grabbed up his bow, rushing for the door.
"C'mon, we don't have much time!" he called excitedly. Roy laughed and followed after the teen with his own bow.
"I'm coming!" he called. He patted Kaden's back and said "and y'know what?" Kaden looked up at the man curiously as they made their way downstairs. "Why don't you keep the bow?"
"What?! Really?!" Kaden asked, wide-eyed ion surprise. Roy grinned and gave a nod.
"Sure. It's all yours." Kaden hugged the man, grinning like a kid in a candy store.
"You're the best!"