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perpetual_motionTitle: Growing Up
Author: Perpetual Motion
Pairing: Roy/Hal
Rating: PG
Summary: Lian is thirteen. Let the drama commence!
Disclaimer: Complete lies. I lay claim to absolutely nothing.
Author's Notes/Warnings: This is set after "Tornado's Path" but not in any particular point in recent JLA canon. Written for the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
dcu_freeforall. My prompt was "writer's choice".
Growing Up
By Perpetual Motion
“No,” Lian says and plants her feet.
Hal’s up to his forearms in the morning dishes, but he pauses in his scrubbing to eavesdrop. The kitchen has a window over the sink, and Hal looks through it to watch the show.
“You’re going,” Roy responds and crosses his arms. “I promised your mother—”
“I don’t want to see her!” Lian almost yells. “I don’t like her. She’s a bad person.”
“She’s your mother.”
“I don’t need a mother!” Lian turns away from Roy and stomps to her room. The slamming of her door reverberates through the apartment.
“I’m taking that thing off its hinges!” Roy yells. The only answer he gets is the sudden, throbbing bass from behind Lian’s door.
“I’ll talk to her, “ Hal offers. He grabs a dishtowel and wipes his hands. “You can finish the dishes.”
“Sure.” Roy shakes his head and catches the towel when Hal throws it to him. “I don’t get it. She always wanted to see her mom, and now it’s this whole big thing.”
“She’s thirteen. She’s hormonal. Half her genes are yours.”
“Hey,” Roy says, but he’s smiling a little.
“I’ll talk to her,” Hal repeats and walks down the hall. The bass only gets more obnoxious as he gets closer to Lian’s door, but it cuts out when he knocks loudly. “Open up.”
“No.”
“You talk to me, or you talk to your dad. Take your pick, kiddo.” There’s a pause, and Hal goes for the cheap shot. “You know he’ll take the door off its hinges.”
“You can come in.”
Hal opens the door and finds Lian on her bed, knees up to her chest. “First, you know better than to yell like that.”
“Yeah.” Lian scoots over on the bed so Hal can sit down. “I don’t want to see her.”
“Why not?”
Lian stares down at her feet. “I know who she is.”
Hal raises his eyebrows. “You’ve always known that, honey.”
“But I know-know, you know?”
Hal blinks. “Not quite.”
“I know…” Lian sighs and drops her knees from her chest. “I know everything. I know who she was. I know why she’s in prison.”
“And how’d you find this out?” Hal cocks his head when Lian pointedly doesn’t look at him. “Lian?” He asks with an edge in his tone.
“I found some information—”
“How?”
“In the way you told me not to.”
Hal sighs and rubs his face. “What are the rules?”
“No yelling, no fighting, no hitting, and no hacking.” Lian looks at Hal. She has tears in her eyes. “I just wanted to know. Dad won’t ever tell me anything about her—”
“There’s a reason for that.”
“I don’t need a mom.” It’s almost a shout.
“You ever stop to consider that your dad thinks you do?”
“What do you think?” Lian shoots back. There’s a fight in her eyes Hal recognizes all too well.
“I think that the relationship between your dad, your mom, and you should be discussed between your dad, your mom, and you. I’m here to talk to you about your behavior towards you dad.”
“I don’t need a mom,” Lian says more fiercely. “Not like she’s been here, anyway. I only see her because Dad makes me.”
“Because she’s your mother.”
“Not really.”
Hal nearly reels back at the venom in Lian’s voice. “Kiddo, I think—”
“She gave birth to me, and then she handed me to Dad and kept going,” Lian continues without seeming to hear Hal. “It’s always been Dad. She doesn’t even write me, and she could. Did you know that? That she could write me?” There are tears in her eyes, and she wipes at them with her shirtsleeve.
“I know,” Hal says after a pause.
“Yeah,” Lian says and hiccups. “And she doesn’t. She doesn’t write.”
“Come here,” Hal pulls Lian into a hug and presses his face against her hair. “It doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you.”
“I don’t care. I don’t need her.”
“Lian—”
“I have Dad,” she says and pulls away from Hal. “And I have you. And I’ve got Uncle Ollie and Aunt Dinah and Uncle Connor and the entire freaking Justice League.” Lian smiles shakily when Hal chuckles. “I don’t need her. I don’t want her.”
“You can’t just say that and expect your dad to agree with you, kid. You have to explain it to him.”
Lian wipes at her eyes again. “I know.”
“And you have to tell your mom.”
“Why?” The fire is back in Lian’s eyes.
“Because that’s what adults do,” Hal tells her seriously. “You have to be willing to explain yourself when you make decisions like this.”
Lian breathes in shakily and sniffles. “Okay. I can do that.”
Hal stands up and offers her a hand. “Wash your face, blow your nose, and I’ll meet you in the living room.”
“Okay.” Lian hugs him quickly. She shuffles out of the room and a minute later, Hal can hear water running in the bathroom.
“How do you do that?” Roy asks when Hal walks back into the kitchen.
“She wasn’t mad at me,” Hal says with a shrug. “That makes all the difference.”
“How many years of this?”
Hal laughs. “A lot, from what I remember from terrifying my mother.”
Roy breathes in and lets out the breath slowly. “All right,” he says and squares his shoulders. “At least this will make one down.”
And millions to go, Hal thinks. He smiles at Roy instead of saying anything and sits next to him on the couch when Lian comes out to explain.
Author: Perpetual Motion
Pairing: Roy/Hal
Rating: PG
Summary: Lian is thirteen. Let the drama commence!
Disclaimer: Complete lies. I lay claim to absolutely nothing.
Author's Notes/Warnings: This is set after "Tornado's Path" but not in any particular point in recent JLA canon. Written for the
dcu_freeforall. My prompt was "writer's choice".Growing Up
By Perpetual Motion
“No,” Lian says and plants her feet.
Hal’s up to his forearms in the morning dishes, but he pauses in his scrubbing to eavesdrop. The kitchen has a window over the sink, and Hal looks through it to watch the show.
“You’re going,” Roy responds and crosses his arms. “I promised your mother—”
“I don’t want to see her!” Lian almost yells. “I don’t like her. She’s a bad person.”
“She’s your mother.”
“I don’t need a mother!” Lian turns away from Roy and stomps to her room. The slamming of her door reverberates through the apartment.
“I’m taking that thing off its hinges!” Roy yells. The only answer he gets is the sudden, throbbing bass from behind Lian’s door.
“I’ll talk to her, “ Hal offers. He grabs a dishtowel and wipes his hands. “You can finish the dishes.”
“Sure.” Roy shakes his head and catches the towel when Hal throws it to him. “I don’t get it. She always wanted to see her mom, and now it’s this whole big thing.”
“She’s thirteen. She’s hormonal. Half her genes are yours.”
“Hey,” Roy says, but he’s smiling a little.
“I’ll talk to her,” Hal repeats and walks down the hall. The bass only gets more obnoxious as he gets closer to Lian’s door, but it cuts out when he knocks loudly. “Open up.”
“No.”
“You talk to me, or you talk to your dad. Take your pick, kiddo.” There’s a pause, and Hal goes for the cheap shot. “You know he’ll take the door off its hinges.”
“You can come in.”
Hal opens the door and finds Lian on her bed, knees up to her chest. “First, you know better than to yell like that.”
“Yeah.” Lian scoots over on the bed so Hal can sit down. “I don’t want to see her.”
“Why not?”
Lian stares down at her feet. “I know who she is.”
Hal raises his eyebrows. “You’ve always known that, honey.”
“But I know-know, you know?”
Hal blinks. “Not quite.”
“I know…” Lian sighs and drops her knees from her chest. “I know everything. I know who she was. I know why she’s in prison.”
“And how’d you find this out?” Hal cocks his head when Lian pointedly doesn’t look at him. “Lian?” He asks with an edge in his tone.
“I found some information—”
“How?”
“In the way you told me not to.”
Hal sighs and rubs his face. “What are the rules?”
“No yelling, no fighting, no hitting, and no hacking.” Lian looks at Hal. She has tears in her eyes. “I just wanted to know. Dad won’t ever tell me anything about her—”
“There’s a reason for that.”
“I don’t need a mom.” It’s almost a shout.
“You ever stop to consider that your dad thinks you do?”
“What do you think?” Lian shoots back. There’s a fight in her eyes Hal recognizes all too well.
“I think that the relationship between your dad, your mom, and you should be discussed between your dad, your mom, and you. I’m here to talk to you about your behavior towards you dad.”
“I don’t need a mom,” Lian says more fiercely. “Not like she’s been here, anyway. I only see her because Dad makes me.”
“Because she’s your mother.”
“Not really.”
Hal nearly reels back at the venom in Lian’s voice. “Kiddo, I think—”
“She gave birth to me, and then she handed me to Dad and kept going,” Lian continues without seeming to hear Hal. “It’s always been Dad. She doesn’t even write me, and she could. Did you know that? That she could write me?” There are tears in her eyes, and she wipes at them with her shirtsleeve.
“I know,” Hal says after a pause.
“Yeah,” Lian says and hiccups. “And she doesn’t. She doesn’t write.”
“Come here,” Hal pulls Lian into a hug and presses his face against her hair. “It doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you.”
“I don’t care. I don’t need her.”
“Lian—”
“I have Dad,” she says and pulls away from Hal. “And I have you. And I’ve got Uncle Ollie and Aunt Dinah and Uncle Connor and the entire freaking Justice League.” Lian smiles shakily when Hal chuckles. “I don’t need her. I don’t want her.”
“You can’t just say that and expect your dad to agree with you, kid. You have to explain it to him.”
Lian wipes at her eyes again. “I know.”
“And you have to tell your mom.”
“Why?” The fire is back in Lian’s eyes.
“Because that’s what adults do,” Hal tells her seriously. “You have to be willing to explain yourself when you make decisions like this.”
Lian breathes in shakily and sniffles. “Okay. I can do that.”
Hal stands up and offers her a hand. “Wash your face, blow your nose, and I’ll meet you in the living room.”
“Okay.” Lian hugs him quickly. She shuffles out of the room and a minute later, Hal can hear water running in the bathroom.
“How do you do that?” Roy asks when Hal walks back into the kitchen.
“She wasn’t mad at me,” Hal says with a shrug. “That makes all the difference.”
“How many years of this?”
Hal laughs. “A lot, from what I remember from terrifying my mother.”
Roy breathes in and lets out the breath slowly. “All right,” he says and squares his shoulders. “At least this will make one down.”
And millions to go, Hal thinks. He smiles at Roy instead of saying anything and sits next to him on the couch when Lian comes out to explain.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
on 2008-12-31 08:47 pm (UTC)[lj-cut text="I don't miss being thirteen."]
no subject
on 2008-12-31 08:52 pm (UTC)::fixes::
no subject
on 2008-12-31 09:05 pm (UTC)*warm fuzzies*