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Roy calls home the instant the spaceship enters their home solar system and video calling is finally available. After not seeing his mate and daughter in real life for six months, Roy can't possibly wait the three hours it will take for the Javelin to dock with the Watchtower. He needs to see their faces and hear their voices now.
Roy positions himself in front of the screen and calls the main computer in the family room. The space lag is real, and he has no idea what time his own body thinks it is, but the ship's computer says it's just after 6 p.m. on the Eastern seaboard of the US. Dick should be home from work, Lian from her after-school activities, so with luck, he'll be able to talk to them both.
The trip to Tamaran had included all of the original Titans, plus Kori, minus Dick. Dick had not ingratiated himself to the Tamaraneans the last time he was there, what with the whole Karras drama, and no one wanted to separate Lian from both Dick and Roy short of a true emergency, so Dick had decided to stay on Earth. Jason, having worked closely with both Kori and Roy in the past, took his place.
After a few rings, Lian answers, beaming. "Daddy! I missed you so much!" She's bouncing around a bit too much for the software to parse, so she blurs and pixellates.
"Hi, sweetheart! We just passed Pluto so I should be home tomorrow!"
"Yay? So we can see you tomorrow?" the five-year-old bounced even more.
"Not in person, not yet, since we have the 72-hour decontamination procedure, but we'll be able to talk like this whenever you want."
"I can't wait to see you and hug you and tell you all about Mr. Froggy."
Roy chuckles. "Who is Mr. Froggy?"
"My new guinea pig, of course! Silly Daddy! Did you forget that you said I could get a guinea pig for my birthday?"
"No, I didn't forget, I just didn't connect the name Mr. Froggy to your new guinea pig."
Lian stills enough to give him a disbelieving stare. "Why not?"
Roy shrugs and spreads his hands wide. "No idea, Dart. Ignore your silly old daddy - obviously Mr. Froggy is the guinea pig."
Lian gives a sharp nod of agreement, then launches back into her story. Roy has a tiny bit of a hard time following since the narrative segues from the new pet to her friends at school to what it takes Roy an embarrassingly long time to realize is a tv show, and then something about a dream Lian had, then back to Mr. Froggy's favorite food.
"So if Mr. Froggy's favorite food is carrots, does that mean that you eat them now?" Roy interjects, latching on the last thing she said that could allow him to participate in the conversation.
Lian giggles and wrinkles her nose. "Papa asked me the same thing, isn't that funny? But I told him no, of course not, because I am not a guinea pig."
"Your papa is very smart. So you've decided to use Papa and not Dick?" Before Roy had left, they'd talked about what Lian would call him. Uncle Dick, that she'd been using since she could talk, didn't seem right now that Roy and DIck were officially mated, but they didn't want to do anything that would make LIan uncomfortable. From the totally natural way it had slipped out of Lian's mouth, it seemed the last six months have helped smooth that little awkwardness over.
“Yeah, it was too hard at school to explain who my Dick was. So I decided I liked Papa best. He’s right here. Do you wanna talk to him?”
“Sure!” Roy tries not to seem too eager - he loved talking to Lian and missed her just as much as he missed Dick, but Dick was his partner in every sense of the word. His emotional support, his best friend, his equal.
Dick’s voice drifts tinnily through the speaker, but he doesn’t appear on screen yet. “Give me a sec, Roy! I’ll be right there.”
“No rush - it’s only been two months since our last video chat,” Roy retorts but makes sure his tone is warm enough that both Dick and Lian will know that he’s joking. Roy’s screen goes blank as if there is a glitch in the transmission, or maybe a problem with the camera on their end.
“Exactly - which is why I want to wipe the chocolate off my face first,” Dick laughs back.
“Check your camera, pretty bird.”
“On it. One more sec.”
There’s rustling and then the sound of fingers on the microphone, a few more rustles, and then the video brightens back to life. Dick is behind the chair, leaning down so his head is at about the same height as Lian’s, arms crossed on the back of the chair.
“Hey,” Dick says and grins at Roy.
“Hey, yourself,” Roy says, feeling his own lips pull into a mirroring grin. He probably looks like a total sap, but he doesn’t care. The two people he loves most in the world are there, he can see them, and talk to them, and in just a few days he’ll finally be able to hold them in his arms.
“You look good, hon,” Dick says, eyes scanning Roy for any sign of injuries or unwellness, not even bothering to hide his scrutiny.
“I’m feeling good. Everything’s healed up just fine and I’m stronger than ever.” He flexes his arm - the arm that had taken an alien blast during the last mission - his sleeveless top allowing him to pose just like a bodybuilder and wiggles his eyebrows.
“Daddy!” Lian giggles.
Roy curls his other bicep, pretending he isn’t giving Dick the same examination Dick gave him. Dick has bags under his eyes, looks tired but not severely so. He’s getting at least some sleep a night, then. Other than that, he looks fine. Better than fine, even. HIs face is just a bit softer, and his skin is like the “after” picture in a skin care ad. He looks younger, in a way. Clearly effectively single parenting Lian for the last half a year hasn’t been too rough, then. Good - looks like moving back into the Manor had been a good choice.
“Knock it off Roy,” Dick says, chuckling. “I don’t recall asking for tickets to the gun show.”
Roy makes one more pose. “You are missing out, short pants. But, tell me what’s been going on since the last time we chatted?”
Lian immediately launches into another story and they chat happily until Roy hears a small ding. “Well, that means dinner is almost ready and since Jason’s cooking tonight I both want to and need to be on time.”
Dick and Lian both nod and grin, knowing that Jason is the by far the best cook on the ship but also intolerant of tardiness when it comes to eating his own food hot and fresh, “as I damn well made it so it could be appreciated and not sat congealing on a counter.”
“The League is planning a little ‘Welcome Home’ party right after your team clears quarantine, in the Watchtower,” Dick says.
“We’re decorating and making signs and everything!” Lian chirps.
“Should be fun,” Roy says, even though he really just wants to spend time with his mate and daughter before greeting and hanging out with the rest of his friends. Hopefully, they won’t have to stay long, though Dick usually enjoys a party and Lian is quivering with excitement.
They say their goodbyes, blow kisses and then the screen goes blank. Roy sighs and heads to the mess hall. Just a few more days.
****
Roy manages to have a few more conversations with Lian and Dick once the ship is docked and he and the rest of the crew are going through the decontamination process. It’s tedious, but even Roy can admit it’s necessary. The hours drag by until finally they’re released. Roy does his best to resist shoving to the front, but he’s not the only one missing his loved ones. He does make damn sure he’s not last through the door, though.
The largest common room in the Watchtower is decorated with streamers and balloons, in all the colors of the various returning heroes. Wally is already surrounded by Linda, the twins, and Barry. Diana and Cassie have Donna wrapped up in a double hug. Vic gives his dad a handshake, but they’re both smiling. The other Titans are moving ahead and spreading out in front of Roy, as he hangs back, looking for Dick and Lian. He sees Batman standing against a wall in the back, but no sign of either his mate or his daughter.
Jason nudges Roy in the ribs. “There they are.” He jerks his head to the right, and Roy looks where he indicated. Initially obscured by Kori and her flaming mass of hair, Roy sees Dick and Lian. Dick holds a large “Welcome Home!!!” sign in front of himself, probably decorated by Lian based on the massive amount of glitter and sparkles. Lian has her right hand gripped around Dick’s elbow, but she’s waving madly with her free arm.
“Here! Daddy!” she yells when she sees Roy looking their way. “Here! Here we are!” She leaps up and down with each shout, her left arm flailing even more enthusiastically.
Dick lasers in on where Lian is looking, and he and Roy make eye contact. Dick beams, entire face lighting up.
Roy takes six long strides over to his family, drops his bags just in time to catch Lian launching herself into his arms. He laughs, nuzzles her nose with him, then lets her bury her face against his neck, scenting him. For a moment, all his focus is on his little girl, feeling her weight solid and familiar in his arms, her soft, clean pup smell, mixed with the strawberry scent of her shampoo. Roy rubs his wrist against her cheek and down her neck, letting their scents mingle, feeling more complete and whole than he has in half a year. He takes a moment to just breathe, to let everything settle, before raising his eyes to his mate.
Dick still has the sign in front of him, just a hint of tears shining in his eyes. But he’s smiling, and as once again their eyes lock, Dick’s smile gets even wider, one side higher than the other, the way it gets when he’s about to make an awful pun or pull a prank. The smile Roy fell in love with all those years ago when they were young Titans, that got increasingly rare as they grew both older and apart.
Roy has a split second to wonder what the joke is before Dick drops the sign. He feels his own eyes grow larger and his jaw drops, taking in the sight of a large, spherical belly straining against a skintight white shirt. While Roy hadn’t been with Cheshire when she was expecting Lian, he is certain that either Dick has stuffed a volleyball under his shirt, or he’s pregnant.
It takes Roy another second to completely rule out the volleyball.
He puts Lian down slowly, arms shaking, afraid he’ll drop her.
One more step and he’s pulling Dick into his arms, hugging him, feeling Dick’s unexpectedly firm belly pressing against Roy’s stomach.
“Really?” Roy whispers into Dick’s hair.
“Really.” Dick pulls back enough to look at Roy. “Surprise!”
Lian cavorts around them, clapping and giggling. “Surprise!” she echoes.
Roy needs a moment to process this. Hell, he needs an hour or two to process this. Dick’s eyes search Roy’s face. “Is this?” Dick pauses and licks his lips, looking uncertain for the first time. “Is this a good surprise?”
Roy tries to speak but can’t find his voice, so all he can do is nod vigorously like one of those giant-headed bobble dolls, grinning so hard his cheeks hurt.
Lian grabs his hand. “It was my idea, daddy! You always said you loved surprises? Are you happy?”
Roy clears his throat and forces the words out, past a lump the size of Texas that has suddenly appeared in his throat. “So happy. And so fuc-fudging surprised.”
Dick chuckles, back to looking incredibly pleased with himself, takes Roy’s other hand and puts it on his bump. They’d tried for a baby during Dick’s last heat before the trip to Tamaran, but a pregnancy test a month later had been negative, and then a month after that, Roy had left. This news is unexpected but by no means unwanted.
“When baby? How secret?” Roy manages to ask, super intelligently, because half his brain is frantically but delightedly trying to reboot and most of the other half is marveling that just below a thin layer of skin and muscle, his baby - their baby - is just below his hand.
Dick nevertheless seems to know what Roy was trying to ask. “My due date is in three months, are you seriously asking how a bat can keep a secret, but also, clever camera angles and of course Lian was in on the whole thing.”
Roy can’t help but shake his head. Sneaky clever bats, and his sneaky, clever daughter. “Of course. When did you find out?”
“A few weeks after you left, when my heat never came, I got suspicious. Conception out of heats is unusual, but not unheard of. And that last weekend before you left when Lian went to stay with Oliver . . .” Dick’s voice trails off suggestively.
He feels himself flushing, but Roy laughs. It makes sense. “Is it a boy or a girl?”
“I don’t know yet. I thought we could find out together, or just wait until the baby is here, and have it be a surprise.”
“Well, why not? I do love surprises.”