Chapter Text
“You should come with us!” Dolphin said, her eyes wide and her movements exaggerated.
Roy’s face contorted in shock. He was sitting at his best friends’ kitchen counter, Garth next to him with Dolphin excitedly signing in front of him. He had been over, complaining about how they were abandoning him before they had dinner. Roy looked over to where Lian and Cerdian were playing in the next room.
“We couldn’t,” Roy started to say, but Garth interceded.
“Of course you could.”
“I can’t just move Lian across the country right after Jade…” Roy didn’t finish his sentence out loud, his face dropping. He had been co-parenting with Jade for the last five years, but as those years wore on the duties were pushed to Roy more often than not. Roy loved taking care of Lian. The little girl was his entire world. He just wished Jade hadn’t chosen her career over her daughter. Maybe he was just a little upset that Jade had ambitions greater than his.
“Well, fuck Jade,” Dolphin’s face was furious. Garth gave a quick glace to make sure Lian and Cerdian were not paying attention to the conversation. “She made her decision.” Roy could practically see the steam rising from Dolphin she was signing so viciously.
“Won’t that make it harder for her? I mean she’s already struggling to make friends,” Roy said, his shoulders hunched.
“Maybe a fresh start is what you both need,” Garth said.
Roy sighed, lacing his hands in front of his eyes. He knew it would be nice to get out of Star; to not walk past street corners that still made his heart hurt and his hand twitch. It would be nice to go to a new place, meet new people that didn’t constantly look at him with pity. It would probably be good for Lian too, maybe a new place would help her make new friends, or friends at all. Dolphin touched Roy’s hands gently and he looked up at the woman.
“You don’t have to make a decision right away.” Dolphin’s eyes were warm, and her earlier anger seemed to be dissipated. Roy silently thanked her.
“I think I need a walk, I need to clear my head,” He said after a few moments.
Garth told him to take all the time he needed. Roy signed his thanks and went over to Lian, giving her a kiss on the forehead and letting her know he would be back before dinner. She smiled up at him. He smiled back.
The hot summer sun beamed down at him as he walked out of the apartment complex. Roy sighed and began to make his way down to the sidewalk. Jade had always been a whirlwind in his life, swooping in and out of it like a bird at a feeder. Maybe he was mixing his metaphors. He had loved her when he was a teenager, when he was young and eager for affection. That passionate love had turned to bitter resentment when she left him, and he had spiraled. He had used her leaving as an excuse to be selfish, well, more selfish than he already had been. It hadn’t helped that he had been kicked out of Ollie’s a few months prior. He had stayed at his lowest for years after.
He remembered when Garth and Dolphin had told him they were expecting, that it was that conversation that made Roy run to his apartment and pour out every bottle in his cabinets and delete every number from his phone. He had joined a new group not two days later. Something about the memory had Roy reaching for his phone, scrolling down to the last contact. After a few rings, a gruff voice answered.
“Are you okay?” Roy winced at the deep voice’s lilt of panic.
“Yeah, I’m good Waylon,” Roy kicked a pebble and placed his free hand in his pocket, “Just got a lot on my mind.”
“Good to know you use it sometimes.”
Roy let out a forced chuckle. “Very funny.”
The line was silent for a moment, Waylon using the silence to coax out Roy’s conversation. Roy sighed as he looked up at the sky and explained what was going on. He talked about how Jade had decided to move for work permanently, that she was leaving Lian in his complete care, that Garth and Dolphin wanted him to move to Gotham with them. Waylon stayed silent, only grunting in response to Roy’s pauses.
“I mean, it wouldn’t be too hard on Connor at least, what with Kyle basically living there already. It wouldn’t be a big hassle to replace my name on the lease with his,” Roy continued, “But it’d be too hard on Lian to leave. She already misses Jade, and I’d be taking her from Connor, Mia, and Dinah, too.”
“Isn’t Lian used to missing Jade?” Waylon cut in.
Roy halted his pace for a moment, struck by Waylon’s first comment and the truth of it. Roy wasn’t sure how to respond. A part of him was always angry with Jade; he understood her job was demanding, but he had made a lot of sacrifices for Lian and would probably always be a bit bitter that Jade never seemed to make the same ones. He stopped himself from getting too angry, knowing that Jade had raised Lian on her own for the first three and a half years of her life while managing to get a degree at the same time. The only reason Jade didn’t come back and tell Roy sooner about Lian was the fact that he had been busy making selfish decisions of his own. The main reason it hadn’t worked out with him and Jade was that she had ambition and he didn’t. Or hadn’t. Did he have ambition now?
“Listen Roy, I’ve listened to you babble enough times to know when you’re using Lian as an excuse not to do something you really want,” Waylon said. Roy forced himself to accept the honesty. “In the end it’s your decision, but I think it would be good for both of you to get out of this city.”
“What will I do without you, though?”
“Oh, I’m sure you won’t lose my number,” Waylon laughed.
Roy laughed his good bye and thanked Waylon again before pocketing his phone. Waylon had been his sponsor for nearly six years now and had never been anything but honest with Roy, from the first moments of that first NA meeting when he had called Roy out for being drunk. He had thought he would never be able to come back to the group, but Waylon had seen something in Roy that he had never seen in himself. Hope. Waylon was more than his sponsor, he was a friend.
Roy wiped some sweat from his forehead. There were some good parts of this city, but most of them were moving to Gotham in a month. He didn’t know what he would do without them. He tried to think about his family, how Connor would always be there for him, but that also brought him to think about Oliver which was never a good reason to stay anywhere.
Right now, Ollie was dealing with an uncovered long-term affair and a messy divorce, not to mention Mia and Sin deciding to go with Dinah and not with Ollie. Roy didn’t blame them for making that decision though. Emi wasn’t talking to Ollie again either, which made Connor the go between for them. Bless Connor’s heart for putting up with his father more than anyone else was willing to. Oliver was more of a mess than ever, which meant that Roy was keeping an even bigger distance between them. Roy grabbed his phone out of his pocket and sent a quick text to Connor.
‘Should I move to Gotham?’
Roy pocketed his phone again as he made his way back towards Garth’s. He figured Connor would take at least twenty minutes to draft his reply, listing all the reasons he shouldn’t go. Surprisingly, his phone dinged only a moment later, and Roy scrambled to read the text.
‘If you’re asking me that, I think you already know the answer.’
Roy snorted. Maybe he didn’t have the perfect read on his brother after all.
--
A month and a long conversation with Lian later found him unloading a moving van with Garth in Gotham’s summer heat. Lian was running in and out of the house, excitedly talking about how she got to share a room with Cerdian and not her Dad; that had been a big selling point on her part. Roy had been hesitant to agree to move in with his friends; he felt like he was still failing somehow, not being able to afford a place on his own.
The month prior had been him filling out online applications and wincing every time he had to click yes on the ‘have you ever been convicted of a felony’ question. Even if Ollie’s lawyer had gotten him off the drug charges with a trip to rehab and community service, no employer was jumping out of their seats to hire an ex-junkie. The entire ordeal had made him rethink his decision to move across the country, but it’s not like his two part-time jobs in Star had been raking in the money either. Garth had told him that his position as the tattoo shop’s counter guy could transfer here, and even if Roy jumped at the opportunity to make some money, he was still hoping to get something else that didn’t rely heavily on Garth as well.
“You know, it’s convenient Dol had to start first day we get here,” Roy grunted as he heaved his end of the couch a little higher.
“Well, we did spend an extra two days on the road because your car broke down,” Garth said.
“Hey, I fixed her, didn’t I? Poor thing was not ready for those three thousand extra miles we put on her.”
“I had suggested you sell that monstrosity before we left.”
“I told you then that I could never part with her. Besides, how much would I have even gotten for her?”
“It would have been at least seven dollars.”
“Seven dollars does not cover the emotional duress I would be under.”
They both laughed as they maneuvered the couch into the living room. Lian was excitedly running from room to room, trying to get out the energy she had bottled up from the week-long drive.
“So, Arthur could splurge on sending your car out here, but not getting you movers?” Roy flopped down on the newly placed couch. There were piles of boxes in the living room and kitchen, random odds and ends scattered in between. Roy put his feet up on the coffee table they had moved in earlier and lifted his hat to wipe the sweat off his face. “I would be offended if I were you.”
“You know, he offered it, but I told him you needed the exercise.”
“Fuck you,” Roy signed.
Garth just laughed. Lian came back into the room, plopping herself next to Roy on the couch. He moved to put an arm around her, but she wiggled out of the way.
“You’re too sweaty, Dad.” Roy gave his best offended look. Lian rolled her eyes and gave her father a quick forehead kiss before darting off the couch. “I’m gonna go unpack my room!” She yelled back at the two men in the living room as she darted down the hallway.
They moved the last few things out of the van, only stopping a few times to swat at each other. Roy closed the back of the truck and leaned against it dramatically, throwing his hands above his head. Garth snorted and pushed him out of the way, telling him to not burn down his new house while he drove the moving truck to the rental place.
“No promises!” Roy called before Garth turned around and closed the truck door.
Roy turned to walk back into the house, but noticed a couple walking towards him with a basket and intent. He froze in the driveway like a deer in headlights. He was not ready for neighbors who talked to him. Was this how things were here? Was it too late to back out? It probably was as his belongings and daughter were already inside the house.
“Hey there, new neighbor!” The man greeted Roy with a smile and an outstretched hand. “I’m Wally, this is my wife Linda, we live two doors down across the street!” Roy looked between the enthusiastic redhead’s face and his hand for a moment before realizing he needed to shake it. “Noticed you were new on the block.” Roy wondered what had given it away. Wally and Linda looked at him expectantly. When had he gotten so bad at meeting new people?
“Oh, sorry, I’m Roy,” He plastered on a quick smile.
“Welcome to the neighborhood, Roy,” Linda smiled. Roy could tell from her body language that she meant it, but Wally looked a bit uncomfortable. “So, is that your husband?”
Roy had to restrain his laughter. “No, no, he’s my best friend. He and his family moved out here to start new jobs, so I tagged along with my daughter.”
“Oh! Sorry, I guess I shouldn’t have assumed!” Linda said. Roy waved it off.
“It’s okay, you wouldn’t be the first to make that assumption,” Roy said, wishing he wasn’t so used to disclosing every intimate detail of his life with Dolphin and Garth.
“We have kids too! Twins, they’re a handful,” Linda laughed, “How old is your daughter?”
“She’s nine now, growing faster than I want her to,” Roy chuckled. He wondered how he could back into the house without these two realizing.
“Oh! A little older than Irey and Jai!” Linda said. “Well here, it’s not much, but I made some extra muffins this morning.” She handed him the basket and he took it, his constant smile starting to become harder to keep going. “We’ll leave you to it!” She pulled her husband along with her. Roy watched as they crossed the street. He looked down at the basket. He wasn’t sure how long he was staring at the basket for when Lian popped up next to him.
“What’s in the basket?” She asked, her eyes excited. Roy handed her a muffin. Lian inspected it and looked up at her father, confused. “They baked us muffins?”
“I guess so,” Roy said, pulling a muffin out the basket as well.
“Are they poison?” Lian asked, inspecting the muffin again. “You should eat one first.”
Roy laughed as he looked at his daughter’s serious face, “Wow, ready to get rid of me already, huh?” Lian scrunched her nose. Roy laughed again, but bit into the muffin. It was banana nut, and it was also very good. “Doesn’t taste like poison.”
“I’ll wait until later, sometimes poison takes a while,” Lian said, reaching up to put the muffin back in the basket as she turned to walk back into the house. Roy wasn’t sure whether to be proud of his daughter for not trusting baked goods from strangers or offended he was being used as a guinea pig. He decided on proud as he greedily took another bite of the muffin and followed her back inside.
Roy placed the muffins on the counter and busied himself with trying to put together Lian and Cerdian’s bed frames before it got too late. Lian was doing the important work of making sure her toys were all in the right spots. He would try to ask her questions about starting at a new school next week, but she would just be silent and then chatter on about something different. Roy tried not to let it bother him too much. Just as Roy was finishing up with the beds, he heard the door open.
“Did you make muffins while I was gone? Maybe I should have married you instead,” Garth called from the kitchen, his words muffled presumably by the muffin he was cramming into his face. Lian giggled and Roy rolled his eyes.
“That would have never worked, I’m way to demanding for you, remember? Besides, I can’t take credit.”
Garth popped his head into the kids’ bedroom. “Then who made them?”
“The neighbors, I guess,” Roy said. He pointed vaguely towards the door, “I guess they live across the street, wanted to welcome us to the neighborhood. Thought we were married.” Lian giggled again.
“We don’t have to bake something in return, do we?” Garth asked, worriedly looking at the half-eaten muffin his hand.
“I think neighborly laws dictate we don’t return an empty basket.”
“Those demons,” Garth deadpanned. Lian’s giggling was infectious as Roy gave in to it as well.
“I hope they like store bought,” Roy said. Garth nodded his agreement. Roy got up from his place on the ground. “Okay Lian, you’ve got things handled in here, right?”
Lian gave him a yes and smiled. Roy walked out the room after ruffling Lian’s hair a bit, Garth following him. They started unpacking some of the kitchen boxes, which basically amounted to Roy handing Garth things so that the kitchen was organized how he liked it. There was a loud triple knock on the door before it opened again, Cerdian running up to Garth and excitedly telling his father about his day. Roy watched as Ceridian dove into every detail.
Roy smirked. “I guess he liked it?” Dolphin nodded enthusiastically.
“Oh, he loved it! He made friends very quickly. Loved the other instructors, too.”
“And you?”
“It’s my dream job, Roy,” Dolphin signed his name as ‘cap’ it never ceased to amuse him, “Of course I loved it.” She had gotten a teaching position at the Gotham School for the Deaf. She had been talking about it non-stop, saying that the programs here in Gotham were much more well-funded than those in Star, that there were more extra-curricular options, that she would be able to teach a swim class. Roy had been excited for her, and for Cerdian to go to a great school as well.
Garth walked up to his wife and they took each other’s faces in their hands. Cerdian made a face as they stood there with their foreheads touching.
“You want to go help Lian fix up the rest of your room?” Roy asked. Cerdian’s whole face lit up as he said yes and then ran down the hall. Roy turned his attention back to his friends, as they were finished with their greeting. Dolphin pointed to the muffins on the counter and then to Roy. “Nope, the neighbors.”
“Oh! That’s so nice of them?” Dolphin’s face was confused, but happy.
“I guess you’ve got friendly neighbors,” Roy laughed.
“We,” Dolphin frowned, her movements exaggerated, “We have friendly neighbors.”
Roy sighed. He was going to have to get used to that part. He couldn’t help but feel like he was intruding on their new life, no matter how many times they assured him he wasn’t. The rest of the day was spent unpacking and setting up the house. Eventually, Roy ordered pizza as Garth pointed out that muffins were not an acceptable dinner food.
After Roy tucked Lian into bed, he went down to his room. His room was a small, almost-converted basement that he shared with the washer, dryer, and hot water tank. He had his bed set up, but everything else was still in boxes. He contemplated trying to organize or unpack the boxes, but instead just flopped onto the bed, kicking his shoes off in the process. He fell asleep on top of his covers, one foot still hanging off the bed.
--
“Oh man, I’m so pumped about this!” Harley squealed as she rushed into the shop. Roy wondered if he would get used to the woman’s enthusiasm. And volume. Garth was smiling, and Roy could swear he could almost see tears in his friend’s eyes. Garth had been waiting for the day that Arthur would let him run a shop on his own, and now it was here.
“Looks like shit right now,” Roy said, gazing around at the shop chairs still covered in plastic, the boxes scattered about, and two cozy-looking couches haphazardly leaned against the wall. Garth clapped him on the back.
“Looks like you’re getting a work out again.”
Roy didn’t resist his urge to childishly stick his tongue out at Garth. Harley excitedly called dibs on a corner space and started to push a chair over. Roy rolled his eyes and helped her get it to the spot. The other two artists, Chato and Tatsu, started moving their equipment as well, though less enthusiastically. Garth had been flying between Gotham and Star for the last few months, trying to interview as many artists as he could. He ended up finding three artists who were quite happy to work under the Atlantis name.
“So, how long until I get my own chair, Garth?” Jackson was helping Garth move some of the drawers around the shop. Jackson had been Garth’s apprentice for a little over a year now, and he had been itching for his own chair ever since Arthur announced Garth would be getting his own shop in Gotham. Roy could tell the kid had improved, but he knew Garth would make him suffer at least another year. Arthur hadn’t even given Garth a chair until three years in. Though, that probably had to do more with the fact that Garth was constantly missing shifts to put up with Roy’s bullshit than anything else.
“At least another year,” Garth replied, “But maybe you can touch up some of Roy’s for practice.”
Roy shot a look at Garth from across the shop where he was now trying to arrange the waiting area.
“I don’t like getting volunteered for newbie needles without my consent.”
“Tell that to all the tattoos you got for free while passed out on my couch.”
Roy touched his arms defensively.
“No charging for them now!”
Garth shook his head, but Jackson was looking at Roy with those big, blue, puppy dog eyes of his. Roy knew he would be caving in. He would probably even let Jackson do a new piece, if he could find room.
By the time Garth ran out to get everyone lunch, the shop looked almost presentable. Harley was busy decorating her space, her shelf full of little figurines and tiny cacti. Tatsu and Chato were obsessively organizing their inks, and Jackson was helping Roy hang everyone’s flash art. The bell on the door rattled and Roy looked over, expecting Garth to start complaining about having to carry everyone’s orders, but instead being met with a very tall woman who had her long, red hair back in a ponytail.
“Sorry, we’re not quite open yet,” He said, hoping to make this interaction short, “Come back on Monday and we’ll have everything ready to go. I can make you an appointment if you need one.”
“Sorry, I’ve been waiting for this place to open for a while. You poached the best tattoo artist in the city.” She gave Tatsu a small wave and looked around the shop, barely looking like she shouldn’t be there. Tatsu smirked and sent a raised eyebrow to Chato and Harley. Harley stuck her tongue out and Chato just snorted and shook his head. “Who owns that ’91 Accord out front?”
Roy’s eyes snapped to the red car out front, his first thought being that someone had broken into it somehow.
“That piece of shit? Definitly Roy’s,” Chato said, pointing his thumb over at the man. Roy took a moment to look slightly offended. He had only known Chato for half a day, but somehow Roy was already the butt of his jokes. Did he have a sign over him that just read ‘punching bag’?
“She’s not a piece of shit! Only I get to call her that!” Roy was on the defensive. Jackson was hiding his laughter with his hand.
“I was actually hoping to get a look under the hood? I run the auto shop down the road, name’s Artemis.” She held her hand out for Roy to shake and he accepted, if not a little hesitantly.
“She’s not for sale, just drove her across the country for sake of keeping her.”
Artemis put her hands up and cocked her hip.
“Not saying I want to buy her, just look. I’m a big Honda nut.”
Roy pointed at Tatsu and told her she was in charge. He led the stranger out to his car and popped the hood. Artemis looked around in the engine for a while, Roy both proud of the work he had done on his own car, but also very concerned that he was letting a complete stranger poke around his engine.
“You said you drove this thing across the country? How many miles is on it?”
Roy explained that the odometer had stopped working roughly three years ago, and he had never found the time or money to fix it. If he had to guess, maybe 450,000.
“This cannot be the original engine.”
Roy found himself talking to Artemis about his car until he saw Garth pull up with lunch.
“Who is this?” Garth signed from behind Artemis’ back.
“Ah, looks like the boss is back,” Roy said, quickly wondering how long he had been chatting with this woman. “This is Artemis, she runs the auto shop down the road.” Roy gestured awkwardly as Garth loaded his arms with carboard boxes full of takeout boxes.
“It was good talking with you, if you ever get tired of this place, you should come interview at the shop.”
“Oh, I uh, I don’t have a lot of formal training, and I think my certification is expired,” Roy explained.
Artemis waved her hand up and down, “Don’t worry about that nonsense, come and interview. Hope you don’t mind I’m poaching your employees.” She gave Garth a smirk.
“Please, take him, he’s free.” Artemis laughed and waved her goodbyes as she stuck her other hand in her jacket. Roy walked back into the tattoo shop with the food as Harley picked her face off the glass where she had been pressed against it to watch Artemis leave.
“You get her number?” Harley asked, eyebrows dancing.
“Harley, don’t you have a girlfriend?” Jackson asked as he grabbed his order out of the box.
“Yeah, but she don’t mind sharing.”
“I did not get her number, I don’t think I even remember how to do that,” Roy said, stabbing into the Chow Mein in front of him. Roy tried to think of the last date he had been on. Was it that terrible tinder hook-up or the equally awful blind date Connor had set him up on? Both of those could easily have been two years ago.
“What do you mean you don’t remember?” Harley’s eyes were wide and her mouth hanging open. She looked so scandalized that Roy remembered to be slightly embarrassed about not knowing when the last date he went on was.
“I, uh, I haven’t really been on that many dates the last six years.”
Between getting clean and raising his daughter, he hadn’t had a lot of time for romantic pursuits. Garth and Jackson shared a knowing look. Roy knew that look. It was the look that usually came before one of them launched into a speech about how it was okay to be single. Roy really hoped they would spare him this once.
“You into guys or gals?” Harley asked, looking at her phone, presumably scrolling through her contacts.
“Don’t have a preference, but I really don’t want to get set up with anyone, I’m good. I’ve got to worry about Lian starting school first.” Roy knew Lian wasn’t looking forward to school that much. Even with her avoiding the subject every time it got brought up, Roy knew she was a lot like him. She was too smart with not enough attention span. He just hoped he wouldn’t be coming to the school as much as he had been in Star. She tended to be a lot for most teachers to handle.
Harley frowned at him, but placed her phone on the table anyway. “Let me know if you change your mind.”
“Please don’t go out with anyone Harley suggests, for your own sanity,” Chato mumbled into his food.
Roy chuckled. They finished their food, with the conversation thankfully being derailed with Harley telling them a lot of stories about the people she knew that Roy prayed were only, at most, half true. They had the shop organized by the time they left, and Jackson climbed into Roy’s car. Jackson’s boyfriend, Miguel, had been watching Lian and Cerdian while Dolphin ran errands. Jackson had been more than happy about moving to Gotham, as that was where Miguel was currently going to school.
“So, are you going to take that Artemis person up on her offer?” He asked, flipping through the radio stations. Roy swatted his hand away from the dial when Jackson tried to flip past Pearl Jam. Roy didn’t know how to answer his question, but it wasn’t every day an opportunity literally walked up to you.
When they got to Miguel’s apartment, they could hear Lian’s giggles from outside. Roy opened the door and found Miguel wrapped in a blanket with what looked like a pot on his head, holding a broom. Lian and Cerdian were both running around the small living area, throwing what looked like rolled up socks at Miguel. When Lian caught sight of her father, she ran up to him and gave him a hug around his knees that nearly toppled him.
“Miguel is so fun, dad! Can he watch us all the time?” She begged. She turned to Cerdian and asked him if he wanted Miguel to watch them all the time. Cerdian’s eyes lit up and his face turned into one huge smile as he said yes.
“Well, I’m sure Miguel would be happy to,” Roy said, peering over at Miguel who signed ‘of course’. Jackson walked over to his boyfriend with a smirk on his face and flicked the pot on his head.
“Anytime, really. Well except for weekdays, my course load is a little heavier than I thought it would be. Serves me right, taking Tim’s advice.” Miguel gave Jackson a kiss on his forehead. “How does the shop look?”
“Looks almost respectable,” Roy joked. “Thank you again, for watching the kids. I know they can be a handful.”
“They were good! Even if communication was a little rough sometimes,” Miguel gave Lian a wink, “Luckily your daughter is an excellent interpreter.”
“Miguel speaks Spanish, just like Kyle!” Lian said, bounding on the balls of her feet. Roy smiled at his daughter. She was very good at languages, even at nine. Roy wished he was the same way, but he supposed it came with the territory of who Lian was raised by. Jade was always insistent on speaking Vietnamese with Lian, and she had come to learn ASL almost better than him.
“That’s pretty cool, did you learn any new words?” Roy asked, Lian trying to balance on his feet.
“Yeah!” Lian explained how she had learned the words for ‘wizard’ and a couple other fantasy words. Roy nodded along with her story.
Cerdian looked tired. Roy asked him if he was ready to go home. Cerdian told him yes, then rubbed at his eyes a bit. Roy bid Miguel and Jackson farewell and managed to wrangle the kids into their car seats. The ride home was filled with Lian recounting her entire day while Cerdian dropped into sleep.
--
“Do I have to go to school?” Lian pouted. She was currently standing next to the door, her backpack on the ground and her coat only hanging onto her by her shoulder. Roy had forgotten how hectic getting Lian ready for school was.
“Yes, you have to go to school,” Roy said, slipping her lunch box into her hand and trying to get her to put on her backpack. He pulled out his phone. “Can you smile so I can send your mom a first day of school picture?” Lian pulled her lips back into a grimace; it was Lian’s signature ‘I’m not getting my way’ smile. Roy snapped the picture anyway.
“Mom said she would call before school.”
Roy looked at his daughter and tried to put on his best dad face.
“Well, your mom lives in a very different time zone, now. She might be late for her lunch, but that doesn’t mean she loves you any less.” Roy looked at his phone praying to whatever deity would listen that Jade hadn’t forgotten.
“Can’t I drop out like you did?”
“Lian, you’re only nine. When you’re fifteen we’ll talk again, okay,” Roy said, inwardly wishing he wasn’t always so honest with his daughter.
“But what if no one likes me?”
“I’m sure some of the other kids will like you, sweetheart.”
“But what if-,” Lian’s next objection was cut short by Roy’s phone ringing. Roy quickly answered it. He greeted Jade and then handed the phone to Lian. Lian’s face lit up as she spoke to her mother in Vietnamese. Roy caught about a third of what his daughter was saying. After a couple minutes, Lian handed the phone back to Roy.
“Mom says she wants to talk to you.”
Roy reluctantly took the phone from his daughter’s small hands and put it up to his ear.
“Roy, you know I’m sorry I’m not there.”
“Uh huh.”
“She’s just worried she won’t make any friends.”
“I know.” Roy heard Jade sigh. He waited for her to say something else as he led Lian through the door to walk her down to the bus stop. Lian held onto his hand a little tighter than usual, and he gently squeezed back.
“I think she’s going to be fine. She’s our daughter after all, she’ll find a way.”
Roy hoped that was true. “That she is. Alright, Jade, thanks for calling her.” Jade wished him a good day and he slid his phone into his pocket.
They got to the bus stop at the end of the street. Wally was there and gave Roy a quick glance before hesitantly waving. He was standing with a few of the other parents as their kids chatted and giggled together. Lian inched closer to Roy and squeezed his hand tight. Some of the kids looked over at Lian, but Lian hid behind her father. The bus pulled up and the kids started to pile onto it, some of them waving to their parents and getting last minute hugs.
“You’re going to be fine, sweetheart,” Roy said, squatting down to Lian’s level to place a hand on her shoulder. Lian’s eyes were a little wet. “You are the bravest little girl I know. Think of it like a new adventure.” Lian nodded and gripped the arrowhead that was tied around her neck. Roy pulled out his own and smiled. Connor had made Lian an arrowhead necklace that matched his and Roy’s when Lian first met him.
“I love you daddy,” Lian said, wrapping her arms around Roy. Roy pulled her close and gave her a kiss on her head.
“I love you too, sweetheart.”
Lian pulled away from her father and ran up into the bus, the door closing a few minutes later. Roy watched the bus pull away and tucked his necklace back under his tank top.
“First day at a new school is tough, huh?” Wally said, walking up to Roy. Roy nodded. “Yeah, Irey and Jai’s first day at school was tough, but kids are tough.”
Some of the other parents were looking curiously at Roy. Roy suddenly felt very aware of his messy hair and tattoo-riddled arms and chest. Wally looked like he was going to try to fit the word ‘tough’ into another eight sentences, so Roy quickly removed himself.
“Well, gotta get ready for work, good seeing you again.” Roy turned around with a wave and walked a little faster than his usual pace back to the house. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He looked at the message from Jade that had come in.
‘Cute!’ was all it said, in response to the picture Roy had sent. Another text came in. ‘She looks more and more like us every day.’ Roy scrolled up to the picture of his daughter. He could see Jade’s eyes, hair, and complexion, but he could never see why Jade thought she looked like him. He knew he got stares a lot, when he had his daughter with him. ‘She definitely has your smile.’
Roy snorted and texted back. ‘Smartass.’ He tried not to miss Jade in that moment. They hadn’t been together romantically for years, but she was still one of his best friends, despite their hardships. He reminded himself to ask how her job was going later.
He walked into the house as Garth walked out of his room, wrapped in a towel and groggily reached for the coffee Roy had made earlier.
“You’re always so pretty in the mornings,” Roy laughed.
Garth flipped him off.
“You going in like that today? That’ll definitely drum up some walk-in business.”
“I can’t make this seem like the new dress code, Harley will want in on it.”
--
The day at the shop was quiet. Their official grand opening was on Friday, so Roy was mostly checking in a few already made appointments for Harley and Tatsu. Garth had taken a couple walk-ins, both of whom simply chose some flash art. Jackson looked bored out of his mind as he scribbled some sketches next to Roy. Chato apparently took Sundays and Mondays off. Roy wondered if the whole week would be like this.
So, Roy found himself wandering down the street, looking at the various shops that were close by. He tried to take his mind off worrying about Lian’s first day, but the fact that he hadn’t gotten a call yet meant that she was at least trying. He found himself in front of an auto shop, presumably Artemis’. He tightened his grip on the resume he had printed out at the shop and pushed open the door. He was greeted by a rather large man at the front desk, rolling some putty around in his hand as he stared at a computer screen. Roy waved and gave a half smile. He wasn’t sure what his plan was, but luckily he was stopped from having to formulate one as Artemis walked out from the back, her coveralls smeared with oil and her long hair pulled into a complicated bun.
“Roy,” She greeted, wiping her hands off on a towel, “Tired of the boss already?”
Roy chuckled. “Ah, you know, could always use a little extra income.”
“Always true.” She grabbed the resume from him and gave it a look. Roy shuffled his feet a bit.
“Who the hell are you talking to?” Roy heard a man’s voice call from the work area.
Artemis rolled her eyes. “Come out here and help me with an interview!”
“Oh, am I getting interviewed now? I would have changed.” Roy looked down at his shop attire. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt with the shop’s logo on it. Artemis waved her hand, reassuring him that he looked fine. From the back walked a guy who was probably a few years younger than Roy.
“Is this the guy with the ’91 you were talking about?”
“Yeah, the one with the custom manual conversion.”
The guy looked impressed. Roy puffed his chest out a little, particularly proud of that accomplishment. It had taken him a week and more money than Roy was willing to admit to swap everything out.
The guy held his hand out to Roy.
“I’m Jason. This shop would fall apart without me.”
Roy snorted and shook his hand.
“Roy.”
“He gives himself too much credit. I keep him around for manual labor only,” Artemis said. Jason placed a hand over his heart. “This is Biz, he works the counter,” Artemis motioned to the man at the computer.
Roy smiled and raised his hand in greeting again. Biz waved, but didn’t take his eyes off the screen. Jason leaned himself against the wall and Artemis motioned for Roy to sit down in the small waiting area. He took a seat, trying to figure out how he had walked into an interview.
“So, what’s your schedule like?” Jason asked.
“Uh, well, the shop just opened, but other than this weekend, my hours are pretty sporadic.” Roy knew that Jackson was covering the shifts that Roy didn’t work, since Jackson didn’t have a chair yet. Honestly, Roy was pretty sure Arthur had only hired him years ago because he felt bad for him, and Garth was just trying to help his friend. “Also, I try to be home around 4 most days, so I can be home before my daughter.” Roy flinched, knowing he shouldn’t mention that he had a kid in an interview, but for some reason he felt pretty at ease with these people already. That usually led to Roy oversharing.
“That makes sense, I think we could work around that,” Artemis said, looking through what Roy assumed to be a schedule of some kind in a notebook. “I’m mostly looking for someone to help out with four hour shifts anyway. Last new hire was a flake. She was also a little disturbed I think.” She shot Jason a look and he put his hands up defensively.
“How was I supposed to know she would try to rob the place? She seemed nice enough!”
Roy’s eyes widened a bit.
“Well, that’s why I’m doing the hiring this time.” Artemis turned back to him, “He’s a terrible judge of character.”
“Must be why I’m friends with you,” Jason mumbled.
Roy laughed, their bantering reminding him of his own friendship with Garth.
“So, you said your certification might be an issue, but it looks like from what you have on your resume we can sort that all out within the week.”
“You say that like I have the job already,” Roy said, confusedly looking between everyone in the shop.
“Well, if you want it, it’s yours. Won’t be a lot of hours to start with, but I talked to you long enough the other day to know you know what you’re talking about.”
Roy could physically feel himself fighting between being proud of himself and overly self-critical.
“I’ll still ring your old bosses for a quick reference check. Just to make you a little nervous.”
“It’s working,” Roy laughed.
“Anyway, I’ve got some papers you can fill out, so I can do a background check. New policy,” Artemis said, staring directly at Jason. He seemed to ignore her. “Anything I should know about before I have you fill them out?”
And here was the moment Roy had been dreading.
“I have, uh, some drug charges from years back, and a few juvie offenses that I couldn’t seal,” Roy explained honestly. He looked at the floor and tried to prepare himself for rejection.
“I assume you’re clean now?” Artemis asked.
“I’m five years sober, two months ago,” Roy said, shocked that she hadn’t immediately turned him out the door. “I haven’t gotten anything worse than a parking ticket in six years.”
“Doesn’t sound like anything too troubling then,” She handed him the papers. Roy had to hold in his shock. “At least you don’t have attempted arson or battery, like some people.” She shot Jason another look.
“Hey, it was self-defense,” Jason shot back.
Roy smiled as he filled out the paperwork given to him. Maybe life was going to start going his way. Artemis told him to come in again once he got his certification sorted and the background check came through. He sat and chatted with them for a few more minutes before excusing himself to go back to the tattoo shop.
“See you on Monday!” Jason called as he walked out the door. Roy felt his steps get lighter as he walked back down the street.
“Did you get food?” Garth asked as he walked back inside the shop. Jackson looked up in hope.
“Actually, I got a job,” Roy said, the words sounding ridiculous even to his own ears. Garth clapped him on the back with a smile.
“They hired you on the spot?” Jackson asked, “Dang, that’s so great!”
“It means you’re going to be at the counter more, though,” Roy teased.
“Maybe I can get Miguel to come work on weekends,” Jackson said, looking at Garth.
“And lose our new favorite babysitter? Not on your life,” Garth said.
Jackson pouted, but it earned a chuckle from Roy.
The rest of the day went by smoothly, with Roy only having to explain to one person why no one in the shop would tattoo the heel of their foot. When 3:30 rolled around, Roy took off back home to await Lian’s bus home.
He had just sat down on the couch when Lian walked through the front door. She threw her backpack and jacket onto the floor dramatically and kicked off her shoes. Roy stared at her as she flopped down onto the couch next to him.
“You wanna talk about it?”
Lian sighed, her whole body sighing with her. “School sucks.”
“I hear you,” Roy replied as Lian snuggled into his side, “Did you learn anything?”
“No, the teacher made us all get to know each other.” Lian rolled her eyes. Roy snorted. “It was dumb. Do I really have to do that every day?”
“Well, you’ll probably start lessons tomorrow,” Roy said. He swung his arm around her, pulling her a little closer. “I got a second job today.” Lian looked up at him. “I’m going to be working at an auto shop close to Garth’s parlor.”
“Cool!” Lian said excitedly. She frowned after a moment, her eyes full of worry, “Are you still gonna be home when I am?”
“Of course, sweetheart.” Roy hugged Lian. He thought about how much he loved her. She was getting bigger and smarter with every day, but he never took these moments for granted. He kissed her forehead. “You want to give Uncle Connor a call?” Lian nodded eagerly and Roy pulled his phone out.
“Can we do the video call?” Lian asked, reaching for Roy’s phone. He handed it to her, nodding, and she quickly placed the call. It rang for a few minutes before Connor’s face took up the screen. His brother was smiling, and Lian’s face lit up.
“Hello, Lian, how was school?”
“It was boring and I hated it,” Lian answered.
“Wonder where you get that from,” Connor said.
“Is Kyle with you?” Lian asked. The screen shuffled for a minute and Kyle came into view. He was sitting at his desk, a bunch of papers strewn about as he drew.
“Say hi to my niece, Kyle,” Connor said. Kyle turned towards Connor and waved at Lian. Lian smiled and waved back, the phone bouncing around in her other hand.
“How’s Grandpa Ollie?” Lian asked. By the way Connor’s face ran through about ten emotions in two seconds, Roy figured there had been new family drama.
“He’s good, he misses you,” Connor said. Roy was grateful for everyone sticking to the ‘don’t tell Lian about every piece of family drama’ rule.
“When are you going to visit?”
“Maybe next month Lian, for your dad’s birthday,” Connor said. Roy had forgotten he got one of those. He was still recovering from planning Lian’s birthday party in August. Lian squealed with joy. They chatted a little while longer, until Dolphin and Cerdian came in with Garth.
“Hello, Connor,” Garth said as Roy’s phone was haphazardly transferred into his hands. Garth handed the phone to Roy as Lian and Cerdian excitedly started talking about Cerdian’s day at school. Roy transferred the call to audio only and excused himself to his room.
“So, what’s going on with Ollie now?” He heard Connor let out a long sigh. “That bad, huh?”
“It’s nothing more than usual, dad’s just all over the place. One day he’s drafting love letters to Dinah over a bottle of rum and then next he’s either saying he’s going to buy Hal a car or join a monastery.” Roy laughed at that. “But mostly I’m just worried for when he comes to terms with the fact that she’s not coming back this time.”
“He hasn’t already?”
“Roy, you know as well as I do what their relationship has been like. He keeps talking about future plans with her and…” Connor sighed, more sadly this time, “I know he hasn’t seen Sin in like a month, and Dinah barely returns my calls anymore. The only info I’ve been getting is from Mia. Emi hasn’t even called me in two weeks.” Roy knew that the burden of trying to keep the family civil with each other was weighing on Connor. He felt a twinge of guilt for not helping more, but he knew he was protecting his own sanity. And sobriety.
“You don’t have to keep tabs on everyone, you know. Ollie is a grown man who needs to figure out how to deal with the repercussions of his actions. And if Dinah needs some space, I don’t blame her.”
“I’m pretty sure she’s just mad at me for not saying anything to her about the affair.”
“You didn’t know that’s what was happening, Connor, don’t blame yourself.” Roy sighed. Roy knew more about Ollie’s affair than anyone, but he hadn’t told anyone. He hadn’t felt like it was his place. Connor didn’t even know that Dinah had been seeing someone new months before she filed for divorce. Roy didn’t like getting in the middle of their fights. He also didn’t like burdening Connor with secrets.
“You’re the smart one, you know. Running off across the country.”
“It’s worked out for me so far,” Roy joked. He told Connor a bit about what had been happening, how he got a second job, Garth’s new shop, Dolphin’s job. He expressed his worries about Lian, but Connor had just reassured him that she would be fine. It wasn’t until Dolphin knocked on his doorframe that Roy realized he had been talking to his brother for nearly an hour.
“Dinner’s almost ready,” She said from the door way.
“Be right there, sorry Dol,” He replied. “Gotta go, Connor, I’ll talk to you later.” Connor said goodbye and Roy hung up the call. He didn’t realize how much he would miss living with his brother, but after hanging up the call, his heart felt heavy.