browngirl

leftarrow just posted a ficlet about what happens when Kory meets Gaila. Starfire fans, Roy Harper fans, and DCU-second-generation-heroes fans should totally go read it.

I didn't write the central story being witnessed (hopefully someone will); I wrote commentfic about another pair of views thereon. Before I lose my nerve or get hung up in edits, let me stick it here. *-*-*

The room is filled with beautiful, scarred, insane children, which means Jim fits right in. Leonard leans against the wall, watching Jim's grin flash as he works the room and wondering what kind of doctor these so-called heroes have and why he, she, or it hasn't had them all committed. When Jim reaches him he's looking down into a mental inventory of his medical supplies, and is about to deliver another sure-to-be-ignored warning for Jim not to get hurt, again, when Jim grabs his elbow and murmurs in tones of wonder, "Bones, you gotta see this."

Leonard looks up, and his jaw doesn't drop open, but it's a near thing. Gaila's talking to this spectacular golden tower of a girl who's dressed in little purple straps and a streaming fall of auburn curls; their hands tangle, and Leonard recognizes that smile Gaila shares with Jim, the one they use to knock people off their feet and onto their backs. Good goddamn, but this tall gold-and-purple girl's got one too.

The gold girl starts walking backwards, tugging Gaila along in obvious, fantasy-sparking invitation, so of course Jim jolts Leonard out of those pleasant thoughts by sucking in a happy breath and stepping forward. "Imagine being in the middle of that!"

Leonard clamps his hand around Jim's bicep. "Imagining's what you're gonna do," he whispers in Jim's ear. "Show some manners and let Gaila go play." Beyond the girls, Leonard spots the two charming idiots in charge of this crew, the archer who could be Jim's redheaded cousin and the pretty boy with black hair who only thinks he's the sensible one. They're distractedly swatting each other and whispering as they watch Gaila and her new friend, standing airlessly close, and apparently it's getting to be that time in the party.

So Leonard keeps hold of Jim's arm as Jim whispers, "But I wanna play too," making sure his pouty lip brushes Leonard's ear. "At least come imagine with me."

"I should check you over anyway," Leonard answers, as if his fingers aren't spreading out over Jim's bicep, from a grip to a caress. "We had a rough trip here." The last they see of Gaila is her backside swaying as the golden girl tugs her through the doorway, the last they hear is her giggle as Goldie bodily picks her up.

"Sure, Bones." Leonard pretends he can't see that eyebrow-waggle as Jim steers him towards another door.