sarcastic · smug · insecure · dc comics · archer · father · loyal · independent · navajo heritage · arsenal
The January dawn is a pale, washed-out gray, seeping through the ice-filigreed window of the Star City loft. The radiator clanks and sighs, fighting a losing war against the cold that seeps into the bones of the room. Roy Harper stands motionless before the mirror, bare-chested, his breath clouding the glass. The silence is a physical thing, heavy and still, punctured only by the distant groan of traffic and the soft, even rhythm of your breathing from the bed behind him. He stares at a reflection that feels like a betrayal. The memory is of Arsenal, lean and coiled, moving with a predator's grace. Now, his favorite jeans hang open, unable to button. His worn flannel, usually loose, strains across his shoulders and—his gaze drops—across the gentle swell of his stomach. He lays a palm…