The Only Easy Day was Yesterday

[Jason stared at Roy for a good ten seconds before finally looking away, clearing his throat.] “Yeah, sure thing, Bud. No worries.” [An awkward pause follows; Jason realizes, for the first time, that Roy no longer felt comfortable around someone he used to call his brother. Jay’s eyes closed, and his breath caught in his throat for just a half second before he opened them again.] “Look, don’t feel obligated to stay. You’re more than welcome to be here, but I’m not trying to piss you off.” [He downs his drink, the glass clacking loudly against the bar top. Instead of refilling it, he grabbed the bottle, carrying it off a ways from Roy.] “Stay or go. I’m not gonna push it.”

[Roy frowned regretfully, sucking his cheeks in, chewing anxiously even with mostly pursed lips. This isn't how he wanted it to go-- he hadn't meant to sound upset, he just found it hard to fall back in line with the way things were here. Roy had gotten used to boundaries-- to setting boundaries for others, not letting them in. He forgot that this was supposedly his family, that the Outlaws who had been hurt by so many others, didn't keep themselves from those they loved.] "I know. I'm sorry, Jaybird. I-- I'm still getting used to it. The arm. It's kinda a sore spot. Didn't mean to take it out on you. [He sighed deeply, pulled in a strong breath, filling his chest before exhaling once again, slowly as he looked over at Jason again.] "I want to stay... I think I just.. had to remind myself it's different here."

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Home, family, love, friends, hope, and freedom. To me all of that is worth dying for.

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DftD (ToDAtL) | Chat | Jay and Roy

[Jason arched an eyebrow, looking doubtful.] “Come on, Harp. I remember you being a technical wizard before. The fuck is wrong? You realize that you can literally hack into things from your arm. How are you not creaming your pants at that?”

#dftd #likeamantra #chat #i dont even know anymore I'm sorry

"Yeah, man I realize. Guess the novelty's worn off." [He sighs, hates how aggravated he sounds, hates his self loathing just a little bit less.] "Sorry, Jaybird just-- look. Can we talk about something that's not my arm? I'm pleading here..." [And he knew exactly how he sounded, and while his arm was pretty freaking cool, it was still a sore spot from time to time, and Roy had had enough emotional exertion for now to last him the rest of his life.]

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DftD (ToDAtL) | Chat | Jay and Roy

"Amazing. So it’s fully wired in?" [If Jason had been the type to wear glasses, he would have peered over the lenses at Roy just then, eyes narrowed in half interest for his words, barely having enough focus left from the examination of the metal arm.] "Incredible. I didn’t know that the tech was this up to speed. No serial numbers, so I’m guessing it was a custom job. Luthor? Wayne? No, not them. Huh. Is that a fucking Rasberry pi board? Dude. You could literally add software to this. Did you know that?”

"Yeah. Totally attached. Nerves worked in there and everything." [Roy quirked a brow, watching Jason continue on like a kid in a candy store. It was... Well. Roy didn't know what it was, but it wasn't quite comforting.] "It was Stone." [He managed to mumble in between his brother's excitement.] "Uhhh. Yeah. I knew that." [The red head nodded, knowing Vic had mentioned something about it, probably when he wasn't really listening, stuck in introspection and self-pity.] "Pretty cool."

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Tiny Dancer (In My Hand) | Kori & Roy

The heaviness in the room increased ten-fold as the sound of the slap finally finished echoing through her apartment. Kori wanted Roy to say something — anything — but he remained silent. How many times was he going to let her down? Even more so, how many times was she going to let him before saying enough was enough. She’d had so many times that ending it could have been an option, years ago now, but she could never bring herself to do it. She’d been in love with him then, though, at least she had that excuse.

So why couldn’t she do it now? Why couldn’t she tell him to get out of her house and fuck off, that it would have been easier throwing him off a bridge? Why, against all of Kori’s better judgement, was she pushing his hands aside so she could lay across the couch and rest her head in his lap? The princess could have blamed it on sentimentality, but the truth was… she’d missed him. Gods, she’d missed him so much, and it didn’t matter how angry she was with him, the fact that he was back wasn’t going to change… nor did she want it to.

"I still have half a mind to throw you off that bridge," she amended quietly after another long moment quiet, fingertips curling around his knee. Her hand stilled, however, and her brows furrowed as her mind finally caught on to something she hadn’t noticed before — his hand… or, lack thereof. Kori sat up immediately, face contorted with concern, as her gaze set on his right arm. When she looked back at him, her eyes were wide and beginning to redden.

"Oh, gods, Roy," Kori whispered, throat tight. The princess knew what had happened, she didn’t need to ask, but the fact that she hadn’t noticed sooner tore her heart to bits. She turned away from him and rested her face in her hands. It didn’t make her feel any better, didn’t give the woman any sort of solace. It only made her feel worse.

#tiny dancer #lifebetweenthedeath #rp

"I know you do." He replied, easily letting Kori brush his hands aside. Roy kept any further comments to himself, didn't think Kori needed to know the thought of being tossed (or falling, really, he wasn't picky) off anything high, had been a welcome thought as of late. The red head sighed and while he wanted to brush a hand through the woman's long, wavy locks, he resisted. It was a comfort he was not welcome to, nor did he deserve it.

Roy knew the instant Kori realized, her body tense and frozen for a split second before the mood spiraled once again. One more, the ex-SEAL resisted the urge to reach out and touch his team mate, though it would be for her comfort this time, there were too many uncertainties. Still, he hated that he had upset Kori further and he watched her back as she sat beside him, but facing away from him. It's not as if she didn't already know, Jason had explained what they found of him, but he supposed the reality or it was now setting in. Roy sighed.

"Hey, Princess. It's..." He didn't want to use the word 'okay', didn't want to leave any room for misinterpretation, so he paused, thinking. "It's not that bad." He flexed his fingers, moved his arm slowly as he ignored the tinge of pain from recent injury. "I mean, it is... but it's.." The red head trailed off, he didn't know what to say. It had been two years since he lost his arm, a little less since he had the prosthetic and while he accepted it, there were times, a lot of the time, where he still wasn't at peace with it. It wasn't that bad, not, but it wasn't okay.

"You don't need to be upset on my behalf. You've had enough of that..."

DftD (ToDAtL) | Chat | Jay and Roy

[It was remarkable. Mid bicep, skin met metal in a garish scar, ropy and horrid looking. The prosthesis itself was compact, but Jay could tell it housed a veritable wonder of tech. He snorted at Roy’s analogy, grabbing the fake arm by the wrist and rotating it.] “You haven’t been a virgin since you were 14. I take it you have full use? What’s the material, a titanium alloy? Lightweight. What’s all inside? Any weapons? How about range of movement? Cyberkinetics? I need details, brother.”

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"Born again, then." [Roy rolled his eyes, turning his arm as Jason moved it, lessening the tension. He had a knife wedged in between the flesh and prosthetic not days ago, and the wound was still sore, limiting consensual movement when he wasn't high on adrenaline.] "Hey, a little consideration, there are nerves hooked up to the thing." [The red head flexed his fingers, tried not to ask why Jason even bothered with questions if he knew all the answers.] "Yeah, that's about right. Insides got a blade or two, small tools. Totally inspector gadget.."

[He resisted the urge to sigh, never liked talking about his arm, even if Vic ensured it was totally sweet.] "I can tie my shoes, use my bow, take a shower with it. It responds to nerve signals just like any other limb. The weight is meant to match my real arm, lift as much and it even tells me the weather."

Tiny Dancer (In My Hand) | Kori & Roy

The princess let out a long breath as he explained why he’d seen Dick. It made sense enough, sure, but that didn’t mean she had to like him. She’d have to discuss with Dick later as to why he hadn’t said anything… though, to be fair, she knew finding out was best coming from Roy. It wasn’t Dick’s place to say anything, nor was it his fault that Roy was too much of a pussy to confront she and Jason the moment he’d returned to Gotham. Kori sighed again at Roy’s words, pursing her lips as she contemplated what exactly she wanted to do. She had always been, to an extent, the most vengeful of the three of them… perhaps now was the moment to show Roy just how upset with him she really was for all of the bullshit. There was only one way to do that and, seeing as he’d already mentally prepared himself for having the shit beat out of him, that way was to take the ginger by surprise.

She nodded at his words, lips flickering into a small smile as she noticed Roy begin to brace himself for a hit. Instead of instantly slapping him, however, she stood from her place at the coffee table and clambered into his lap. The princess took in a deep breath as she began to close the distance between them. Kori pressed her lips to his gently and, if she didn’t have other very specific plans, she certainly wouldn’t have minded staying like that for awhile (even if she was pissed at him). If there was one thing she truly missed… The princess pulled away after a moment, her eyes remaining half-closed as her lips left his. As soon as she was out of immediate range, however, she swung her arm and her hand connected with his face — luckily for him, on the same side Jason had struck. A large crack sounded as Kori stood once more, absentmindedly shaking out her hand as she did so.

"Welcome home, asshole.”

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It was like his meeting with Jason all over again. His team always aimed to kill, didn't pull any punches, and while they weren't ready to send the red head back to the grave just yet, they made sure their actions hurt. Not that his own had been harmless and he supposed it was karma-- that they both reminded him of the good times before the real pain came. In Roy's case, however, the pain he received, he knew it was coming eventually, and while the kiss threw him for a loop, it didn't feel any better-- his body tensing before the hit even came.

He resisted the urge to put a hand to his cheek, swallowing down the fresh metallic taste on his tongue instead. He took a moment to compose himself, to remind himself to breathe again, before he glanced up at Kori, expression infuriatingly blank, he was sure. There was nothing he had to respond to that, nothing he deserved to respond with, and as he sat up straight again, he wondered if he still looked as tired as he did the night before.

Roy ran a hand through his hair before sliding both palms along his denim covered thighs, rubbing slowly as though trying to warm him hands. This is the part where he would fill the silence, where he would have something witty to say, infuriating but charming and Kori would smile in any other situation, call him some name with just the right amount of endearment that Roy would grin back at her and they would enjoy the rest of their night in. But this wasn't any other situation, and the ex- SEAL couldn't charm his way out. He wanted to leave, to give the princess her space, but leaving, on his own accord or otherwise, was never again an option. So he sat there silently instead, waiting, letting Kori chose the direction of this reunion and thought, if not for the umpteenth time, that if he could have gone back, he'd have never run into that building two years ago. He didn't leave on his own accord, but he came back on it, and he wished that could mean more right now than his friends justified anger.

Tiny Dancer (In My Hand) | Kori & Roy

Kori had never been very good at hiding her emotions, which was why, when she laughed bitterly at Roy’s statement, it was clear that no, she didn’t need his praise. At least, not anymore. She wanted to be overjoyed he’d returned, but how could she be? They’d buried him, what little there had been, they’d put him in the ground. He left them to grieve. There was no denying the pain that he’d inflicted on all of them and Kori wasn’t about to pretend like all that hurt still wasn’t there. The word ‘usual’ elicited another sharp exhale from her, her gaze falling back to her mug before she took a sip. There was nothing usual about any of this. No, the entire situation was very unusual, indeed.

"Yeah, you did," she agreed, the smallest flicker of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she looked back up at him. Kori ran a hand through her hair as he spoke, lips pursed. "You saw Dick a week ago?" the princess asked incredulously, her brows furrowing, "You’ve been here for more than a week, and you -" She stopped herself, looking away from him and blinking rapidly. Of course he’d been back that long and couldn’t come around. If there was one thing Roy had never been, it was punctual. Kori took another sip of her tea before she turned back to the redhead once more and set her mug on the table beside her.

"I don’t know what I’m supposed to do here, Roy," Kori admitted, "Because, on one hand, I really want to be happy you’re back… but I also kind of want to throw you off of a bridge for what an utter dick you’ve been, and I’m having trouble making up my mind as to which is the better option.”

#tiny dancer #lifebetweenthedeath #rp

Shifting on the couch at Kori's sudden alarm, he realized he probably should have waited to divulge that information at a better time. Roy sighed, scrubbing a hand back through his short, red hair.

"Yeah I saw him. I didn't mean to, though. He was ambushed by this gang-- looked like he needed help." The ex-SEAL took a long sip of tea. "I was trying to get my barrings, settle in, work up the courage." Roy sighed, long and deep, knowing his excuses meant nothing, falling on deaf ears. Kori was angry, and she didn't care about the words he was spouting, she only cared about his actions of the past two years.

"If... that's what you want, I won't stop you. Everyone's been getting in a good one. You might as well get it out.." Roy didn't even try and smile, just meeting Kori's gaze as he told her the truth. He knew she wouldn't throw him off a bridge-- but she would hit him, maybe rough him up more than that. The air was tense, and as much as he didn't want it to be, as much as he wanted to sink back into his old routines with his friends, he knew he couldn't. Because to them, it had been so much more than 'I miss you', it was 'you're never coming back.'

Setting his cup down on the side table Roy only hoped that the woman hit the same side that Jason had. He didn't need two bruised cheeks after all, and momentarily he wondered if maybe it was better to do this outside. Kori hit hard and he really didn't want to end the visit with something else of hers broken.

Tiny Dancer (In My Hand) | Kori & Roy

Had she not been so taken back by the situation, she would have probably noticed that the embrace wasn’t more… involved. If anything, Kori figured he was too shocked by her reaction (she did have half a mind to blast him out of the building, but that would mean actually killing him and, well, she’d just gotten him back, so that didn’t seem like the brightest move) to show affection properly. She nodded as he accepted, shoving the door closed with a loud bang as he passed her and entered the apartment.

"Don’t worry about it," the princess said, feigning nonchalance as she entered the kitchen, "I’ll fix it." Kori had never been particularly handy, but she knew a few tricks. Her gaze flickered to Roy as he sat down on the couch, and Kori smiled half-heartedly to herself. Him being back, alive, everything… it all felt like a dream, like this was just her imagination playing tricks on her. Kori prepared the tea quickly, her usual and his (which she hadn’t forgotten), before bringing the two cups to the living room. She held out his cup for him to take as she sat down on the coffee table, fingertips curling around her own mug once both hands had been freed.

"Yeah, I’ve been working as an EMT for about a year and a half now," Kori replied, her tone factual as she looked up from her mug to Roy. "Speaking of Jason," she sighed, "I suspect that’s a welcome home present from him?" Kori motioned to her own cheek, though her eyes were on Roy’s. It didn’t surprise her that he would have gone to Jason first… he had always been the more keen to forgive of the two of them, after all, but Kori knew Jay wouldn’t let the redhead go unscathed, or that she wasn’t displeased about the fact Roy had gone to Jason before her.