The Thousandth Man by 'rith (PG-13)

[marag.livejournal.com]

Fandom: DC COMICS
Pairing: Roy Harper/Garth (aka Arsenal/Tempest)
Author on LJ: kerithwyn
Author Website: 'rith's Tiny Little Homepage
Why this must be read:

In my opinion, neither Arsenal nor Tempest gets nearly enough love, and this story very nicely remedies this ::grin::. This is neither a story about eternal love nor about one-night stands, but what happens when you go through life or death situations with a group of people nearly every day of your teenage years. This is a great introduction to these characters and the complex relationships between the original Teen Titans.

Head over to 'rith's webpage (the Nightwing and the Titans section) if you're interested in reading the two variations on a sequel to this fic.

Friday night in Titans' Tower was always pizza night.

It was tradition, that was all. Anyone who wasn't busy met up, ordered out, and just hung for the evening--watching movies or lying by the pool or merely talking. No working out, no sparring or war games--simply friends who played as well as worked together. The critical difference between the Titans and the JLA, or the JSA, or any of the other superhero groups who were only teams, and not family.

Other things were tradition, too.

"Extra anchovies, right, Gillhead?" Roy Harper--Arsenal--never knew when to quit. Most of the time it didn't matter, because they were all used to it. "I shoot off my mouth like my arrows," he'd said on more than one occasion, and it was true. Unlike arrows, his words were rarely meant to wound.

But sometimes...

Tempest sighed in frustration. "Roy, I'm asking you. Please, don't. I hate that nickname."

Victor glanced at Gar, concerned, and whispered, "Harper's really asking for it this time."

Changeling nodded. "No Dick or Donna here to save his butt. He's toast."

This Friday night the Tower was more empty than usual; only Arsenal, Tempest, Cyborg, and Changeling had shown up for the weekly ritual. Roy'd laughed about that: "Without the ladies, the kids, or Short Pants, we can pull out the *good* movies!" The other three ignored the suggestion, which drove Roy to even more annoying extremes.

And Garth had always made such a *excellent* target. "Yeah? Whatcha gonna do about it, Fish-Boy?"

"Don't--"

"Aw, had a hard week? Swallowed too much ocean? Hey, I know, it's been awhile, right? I know this cute little mermaid...."

"*Stop.*" The flare of anger caught everyone's attention. "Please. Save it for our enemies, Roy."

Harper smirked. "Oh, c'mon. Take your best shot. Even Robbie gets one in, once in a while."

"My...best shot." Garth's eyes lit up--literally--and his hands glowed. "That's the last thing you want, Arsenal."

O-kay. *That* wasn't funny. Roy took a nervous step back. He'd never seen Garth like this, though he'd known him for years. He suddenly understood why Garth was Tempest and no longer "Aqualad," and gulped at the thought of the power in Garth's hands, carefully restrained.

"My best shot. Something to make even you stop talking." Garth moved forward, considering, eyes narrowed. "So many things to choose from, but I think...yes."

He reached out quicker than Roy could react, hauling him off his feet and into a kiss that utterly stopped Roy's mouth.

The Thousandth Man