welcome to the justice lounge

((this takes place during Purge of the Soul, when Kyle takes off on Mogo to find a beach away from his fellow Lanterns ))


“I want a beach,” Kyle proclaimed, and turned to the other three Lanterns. “I’ll meet you guys back here in two hours.” He briefly saluted them, and then flew off.

He meandered a good distance away as Mogo quietly crafted a beach three miles away, that looked almost exactly like the one the planet Lantern had made for him and Jen, years ago.

Jenny.

“You know what I really want, Mogo,” Kyle said, as he landed and stripped himself out of the uniform, a plain pair of long shorts and a tshirt constructing over his body. “Give me what I want, please. Please bring her back, you know who I mean. I need…I need to -“

“Hold your horses, cowboy,” Jenny said, stepping out from a grove of banana-type trees. “I’m here, I’m here.” She approached him and smiled, half-sweet, half-snark as she teased a finger along his chest. “Or should I say ‘cool your jets’ now, hmmm?”

Kyle threw his arms around Jen, holding her tight enough that he nearly wanted to weep. He could hear her draw in a breath to speak but he cut her off.

“It’s okay, I know you’re not real, I know Mogo made you for me. I know. I just…I needed to see you, I miss you so much right now Jen.”

“Well looks like Mister Man needs some of…this -! ” Jenny jumped up on him and clung tight, wrapping her legs around his waist as he took a few steps backwards to catch his balance again. Kyle couldn’t help but laugh a bit. “Better?”

“Heh…I have a friend now who does this same thing, you know. Steph Brown.” Kyle looked up at her, cradling her easily around her bum. “Batgirl? You’d love her, Jen.”

“Kyle, you silly angel. You didn’t come here to tell your imaginary ex-girlfriend how much she reminds you of some other girl, did you?”

Kyle shook his head as he leaned his forehead against her breasts and sighed in her scent. It wasn’t Jenny - not the real Jenny’s scent. No, this version smelled like grass and earth. Like Mogo. “I’ve been feeling so lost, Jen. Half the time I feel so sad and confused…depressed, really. Like when Alex died. When you died. I feel like no one loves me anymore, not like you did. And no one ever will. And I deserve it.”

Jenny made a cooing noise as she brushed her fingers through his hair. “And the other half of the time?”

“The other half I’m on the top of the world, I feel like I can do anything and I’m so lucky to be loved. And I’m so happy. And even though things get rough, I can get through it, with a little help from my friends. And…and Hal loves me. He loves me a lot, and he tells me a lot. And I love thinking of that.”

Jenny’s laugh was like a waterfall. “Sweetie, you just sound like you, like you always do. You’ve always been moody, you know that. My moody little romantic artist.” She prodded his scalp. “C’mon this flight’s not over yet. Captain Jordan said it’s another hour or so till touchdown. So tell Flight Attendant Jenny what’s really going on?”

Kyle laughed into her chest, smacking her bum once. “Snarky monkey.” He sighed, staying silent for a while before speaking up again.

“It’s…mom. Since she died I just feel so off-balance. I’ve been putting it off for so long, trying not to think about it. I don’t know who to talk to about it, about her. I don’t know. Her death, Jenny. Something about it just seemed…wrong. But then I keep thinking maybe that’s just my guilt talking, like. Like I need something to be ‘not right’ to justify why I purposely avoided her while she died. Then I feel like an idiot whining about my dead mom, I mean. Look at who I’m surrounded by. Who doesn’t have a dead-parent tale of woe, right? I don’t know. I don’t know. Tell me what to do.”

“Well, you can put me down first,” Jenny said, and as he released her, she folded herself onto the sand. Jenny pulled Kyle down beside her and settled herself against him.

“Second, you can go back to your friends and your…novio, you call him? So cute!” She pinched his nose. “And then? You can trust in them. Just like you…trusted in me.” He voice got a little sad, but Kyle ignored it. ”They love you so much more than you even know, you silly goose. Stop doubting them, and stop doubting how much they want to do for you, if you just ask them. You’re not alone anymore, baby. You keep forgetting that.”

“I do keep forgetting that,” Kyle murmured, and looked out at the waves breaking. He held her hand. “And you’re right. Of course you are. You always are.”

“I know I am, sweetheart. Peanuts? Or pretzels?”

Kyle got the message from Hal just as it seemed Kate was starting to drift asleep, just a bit. Enough for him to be able to leave her. If Hal was ready to Lantern, it meant Ollie was okay. If Ollie was okay, it meant Kate would want to see him. And if Kate and Ollie were together, then it meant it was time for him to get back to work.

Kyle paused on the way there, floating mid-air as he looked at himself in a reflective surface along a hallway. He was fine. Guy was fine. Kate and Ollie were fine. Which meant Hal was fine. And as for Roy…well. They’d make him fine, whether he wanted it or not. He nodded and kept going, flying faster when he saw the two familiar green glows in the airlock.

“Sorry for being late,” he apologized by rote, and looked from one to the other. “Time to go?”

Guy shoved his fists is his pockets and glanced at Hal. “Time to go,” he agreed, briefly thinking back to the last time he and Kyle had to get all official like this before rolling out; it had been to track down and arrest a SeRVE member who had broken his parole terms, and one they’d both grown to like, personally.

Now, they had to go after an ally-turned-Red Lantern. A friend. The son of a close friend. When was their work as Green Lanterns going to start becoming satisfying, if not enjoyable, once again?

Hal had charged his ring up, and had been waiting for the other two at the airlock. Hands clasped behind his back, he floated just off the floor in a sort of parade rest, his mind working a hundred miles a minute. They had to find Roy, clean him up, and bring him how. Someone needed to chain that boy to the wall, and Hal himself had a good mind to, with all the grief Roy had caused Ollie of late.

When the other two had joined him, he nodded and punched the panel to open the lock.

“Let’s go.”

( earth lanterns ahoy )

The doctors had long since closed up, cleaned up, and vacated, leaving Hal alone with Ollie. He had every kind of tube and monitor imaginable hooked up to him, but not a single one as good as the one on Hal’s finger. Hal’s ring was keeping up with the blond’s condition, monitoring every spike or dip in Oliver’s condition. They would know the second he pushed a threshold either way.

Whatever happened, Hal was not going to lose him.

Like hell you’re not, Ollie grins back, and it’s only when he takes off -- flying? speeding? he can’t even tell, just that he’s moving too fast for it to be his own ol’ feet -- that he realizes this isn’t normal, and the Hal who tucks his arms in close to himself to give high-speed missile chase, laughing all the way, isn’t a real, normal Hal.

But this isn’t … this isn’t the afterlife like it used to be, like it was the first time. This is a swirling, nebulous space, red in places, red, gold and green, karma karma karma --

Hey, don’t get distracted. Hal bowls him over and they go flipping through the empty gel of their space, whatever it is, slowing into twirls and broadside spins, Hal guiding them through until they’re both floating right side up. Hal’s arms feel real enough under Ollie’s hands, and the crooked curve of his smile seems like it always has. But this still isn’t the afterlife like he remembers it.

What does it mean? Ollie asks, only realizing when the words squeak into bubbles in front of his nose how scared that question makes him. Hal catches each bubble tenderly in his long fingers and arrays them along his shoulder before he points with his chin behind Ollie. Ask her, Hal smiles, and takes Ollie’s hand as he turns.

Hi there, big guy, the dark-haired goth chick says, her smile crinkling the Egyptian-style makeup around her eyes. Guess introductions are in order.

( the beating of her soundless wings )

Rose stalked into the cafeteria; and, upon seeing Mia and knowing Mia spotted her grand entrance, she couldn’t help but steer around her, heading to where the food was. She just got a peach and a bowl of grapes, though, before coming over to slide grimly opposite Mia.

“How are they,” Rose asked, concentrating on pushing a loose grape around with her finger.

Mia was tearing the crust off of her bread, eating that before she started on the rest of her toast. It was a weird thing she always did with her sandwiches. She watched as Rose went to get something to eat and then came and sat down across from her.

She sighed, “They’re alive.” Mia said and shrugged her shoulders. “Kate’s doing ok, besides the pain I’m guessing. And Ollie’s alive. Hal’s here now so that’s good.” She grabbed her water bottle off the table and took a drink frowning. “This sucks. I mean it’s not like we didn’t just go through a whole bunch of crap. Shit.”

“Seriously,” Rose agreed, eating three grapes at once before pulling out a switchblade to cut into the peach. She pushed over a couple peach slices for Mia. “What a fucking load of shit…” she started, then glanced up and Mia and decided to barrel on, “…and all because of that shitbag Roy.”

( toast and tense )

I heard about your Dad. I hope he’s okay.

Fucking Roy. Seriously, I don’t know what the fuck business he has coming up and attacking your dad. I’m so pissed off at the world right now, I want to just punch something.

Y’know, you got it right. I see the way you are with Queen. He’s not perfect, but I guess cuz he’s not BATMAN (who apparently everyone fucking worships, despite him being a shitty-ass guardian of all his Robins. And they defend him with their soul. WTF is up with that?! Why the hell do so many people want to kiss Batman’s ugly butt asshole so badly?? Is it made of like fucking Batgold?!)

Anyway I’m just saying I hope he’s okay and I hope you are too. I’ve been watching Queen (because even though he’s old, he’s kinda hot - I know you think so too) and the way people are constantly giving him a hard fucking time for trying to be a good person. Typical isn’t it? He KNOWS he’s done bad things and they’re like “OH YOU KNOW YOU DID BAD THINGS?? WELL GOOD, BECAUSE BAWWWW”, he’s trying to FIX it and people STILL rag on him and call him a tyrant for just TRYING.

Fuck you know this is a bitchy thing to say, but sometimes I feel like some people need to be victims, and Queen is the convenient old boogeyman because he’s old and rich and he DOES things while they all just roll over and take it so they can whine about how MEAN he is to them.

Y’know what Roy, you whiny entitled asshole? You want to bawwwww for justice about not having a good enough father? Try on mine for size. Fucking clueless fuck. Grow a pair of balls and while you’re at it, Harper and grow the fuck up.

Maybe Roy should actually shut the fuck up about ‘Oliver Queen the bad father’ and talk to YOU about what a bad father really is. Has he ever asked you, Mia? No, I’ll be he hasn’t, because he’s too far up his own drama-lllama ass trying to put a good man down. Sorry I know he’s your brother or whatever, but he’s a raging asshole.

I heard Lian is at Wayne Manor (ffffffuuuuck) but Queen wrote me a contract while we were in Canada to be Lian’s official babysitter, so that’s where I’m gonna be. I have my commlinks on, girl. Tell me if you need anything. ANYTHING. I’ll do it.

Rose

KATE TXT: Oh my god, did you do what I think you did? You did, didn't you. GODDAMNIT OLLIE

OLLIE TXT: Wait, what? I thought we agreed this kind of thing would be fine? It was a one-off anyhow.

KATE TXT: funny, I seem to distinctly remember saying that NOT FUCKING STUPID sex was fine. this? pretty damn stupid on so many levels, I just…cannot even.

OLLIE TXT: I … look. Let’s at’s least talk about it face to face. Come to the house.

Ollie sent the message, then ran his hand through his hair, then sat down, then stood up, then kicked an innocent throw pillow that happened to be on the floor. In the time, at the moment, screwing Rory had seemed like an innocuous enough way to spend an evening.

Now? It was starting to look more than a little boneheaded. Christ. It wasn’t THAT big a deal, though.

It was fortunate that Kate was alone in her office at the time, because she slammed her fist down hard enough on the desk that the reverberation sloshed coffee out of the nearby mug. “You audacious son of a bitch,” she hissed, and took several very long deep breaths from between gritted teeth before she could bring herself to respond.

TXT: see, I really don’t think that’s a good idea, Oliver. kids or dog or creepy ever so fuckable redhead wandering in? not in the mood to modulate my tone at this time. besides, I’m committed to be up on the tower all afternoon.

TXT: too busy pensar con tu verga to meet on neutral territory?

It was difficult to stab/punch the send button on a touchscreen phone, but she made a pretty damn valiant effort at it.

She’d told Ollie she’d happily take gloves off when fighting with him. He apparently hadn’t thought that through, and it was a pity for him that Kate had had enough time to formulate an effective argument. While a small chunk of her anger was jealousy (she didn’t feel the need to deny it), the rest of it was based somewhere else entirely.

( repent at leisure )

Stepping out of the shower, Guy yells, “Jason! Answer the door!”

“Alright!” Jason yells back and slinks downstairs to go get the door.

“Ah, hey there, Jason,” Oliver Queen says briskly, looking everywhere else except Jason’s face. “Can I come in?”

Jason stiffens a little. “….. “Sure I guess.”

Around the back of the house, Kyle flies back in through an open window chatting to himself about his busy day. Guy meanwhile mutters under his breath and heads to his room to finish towelling off.

Ollie bounces upstairs, past Jason. “Thanks. Is — are any of the Greenies around? I need to ask ‘em something.”

“I’m here!” says Kyle, coming out of his room. He heard the voice but only when he gets into the living room he’s surprised to see Oliver Queen there.

“Rayner, I need a moment of your time.”

Ringing on a uniform, Guy remains in his room and deliberates whether he really wants to see Ollie or not.

Kyle doesn’t see Guy anywhere in sight, and his eyes linger on Guy’s shut door. He reluctantly nods at Ollie. “Alright, I guess, um, we can go…” He pauses to think; he is not installing Ollie anywhere near his bedroom, so he points up to the roof. “We can talk up there?”

“Actually if you don’t mind — and I know how weird it sounds, but — can I take a look ‘round your room? Roy mentioned something of his might’ve gotten mixed up in your stuff, and it’s in a scrap piece of paper, you might not recognize it.” Ollie acts completely nonchalant, smooth as butter as he asks.

( clutch )

Kyle sat down on his hammock, swinging without a care in the world. It’s night out, the few stars breaking through light pollution twinkling along side those from airplane headlights. Then, from no where in particular, Roy’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

“First name basis huh Rayner?” Kyle’s ears twitched as Roy’s voice continued. “You getting lucky~ with someone?”

“Whatchu talkin bout, Willis?” He chastised aloud, thinking he was just hearing things because he wanted to be with his friend.

“That Calender of yours. Harley Quinn.” The voice paused and Kyle could almost feel Roy nudging him. “Come on, don’t hold out on me bro.”

That’s when Kyle realized there was no way he was talking to himself. “Where are you?? Why am I hearing a disembodied voice???”

Making a face, Kyle looked onto the sky, sage like almost. “I don’t answer to ghosts, even Roy-ghosts.”

( messages from beyond )