Arrow Family: In it For Life.

Sequel to 'Roy's a Big Softy (At Heart)' – The rest of his 'family' drop by for a 'visit'; or the time Roy just knew he shouldn't have let the Boy Wonder keep those photos on his phone. Birds are terrible at keeping quiet.

Artemis sat on Roy's outdated couch, eyeing the room. In some places, the plaster and paint were cracking. And the ceiling wasn't the best either, but for apartments, this place wasn't actually too bad.

She figured he'd been kept too busy by college, the superhero gig and, of course, impregnating her sister to fix it up.

When she heard the click of his front door being opened, and then the virtualised voice of his alarm system recognising who was coming in, Artemis sat up that little bit straighter.

She turned her head, watching the door as Roy entered.

He hadn't noticed her, head down as he lugged quite a few heavy carrier bags through before dumping them on the counter and slamming his door shut.

Only when he turned did he see her sitting there, a little smug, before he froze for split second and then sighed.

"Make yourself at home." He muttered, almost throwing his keys down.

"You're not going to freak out about my being here?" Artemis asked, lips pursed and head cocking to the side slightly.

"Considering you need a DNA sample to get in- no, I'm not. Instead," Roy took this moment to stroll over to the window, "I'm going to presume Boy yonder over there let you in." After which he fumbled with the lock, yanked the window up, and yelled: "STOP LETTING PEOPLE INTO MY APARTMENT!"

He was answered by the faint click of a zip line, and a ghostly cackle. Roy slammed the window shut, once again making sure it was locked.

"We need to talk."

Roy rolled his eyes, and slumped down in the chair opposite. "Go figure." He ran a hand through his hair.

"You knocked up my sister." And Artemis was as blunt as ever.

"Believe me, it wasn't intentional." Roy had been dreading this conversation. He was just lucky it was Artemis and not Sportsmaster.

"But that doesn't change the fact that you did." She sniped.

Roy glared.

"So wh- what the heck is that?" Artemis was staring, dumbstruck, at the doorway to his room.

A doorway which Miles was now proudly strutting through, tail high and swaying from side to side, now that he knew his human was home.

Miles ignored the woman, content with turning his head to the side so he could scratch his ear against Roy's leg. Roy responded in kind by picking the fur ball up and placing it on his lap and continuing to scratch the ear.

Miles was purring; loudly at that.

"He's my cat."

"It's disabled." Artemis whispered, almost in awe.

"He is perfectly able, thank you very much." Roy snapped.

"Since when have you had a cat?" Artemis questioned, still very much in disbelief.

"A while," Roy admitted, letting Miles jump out of his hold and scoot over a little cautiously to Artemis.

He jumped up onto the arm of the settee, and whilst crouched, sniffed the air near Artemis. After waiting a few moments, with both humans sitting in silence, Miles decided to place one paw tentatively down onto the couch, before following it with the other one soon after.

Seemingly half decided about whether or not to approach the unknown (and only) female in the apartment – ever -, Miles froze in that surely uncomfortable position.

"Uh…" Artemis glanced back at Roy slowly, careful not to make any sudden movements. She didn't want to frighten him, after all. "Does he do that often?"

Roy frowned, "Not usually. But Robin and Wally are the only ones that really come here, so he's used to them. It's probably because you're new." He figuratively brushed it off, knowing full well that Miles could hold his own.

"I see." Artemis's lips quirked up a little at that statement, but Roy didn't notice. "What's his name?" She asked,

"Miles." Roy answered, and as if the blurt of his name from his owner prompted movement, Miles moved from his undeniably cramped position and stalked the rest of the way forward, pausing only a short while away.

He reached a paw out and batted, and, after Artemis made no rebuttal or response, leisurely padded forward and began rubbing his head and neck over her body.

Artemis began stroking him and scratching him in the desired places, smiling as she listened to him purr.

"I think he likes me!" Artemis exclaimed fondly, continuing to pet the ever affection creature.

"Well that makes one of us." Roy chimed in sweetly.

"You have a cat." Was Dinah's first observation when she stood on the inside his closed door, hands inside her jacket pockets.

"Yes, Dinah, I have a cat." Roy confirmed, sighing inwardly.

"I don't like cats." She mumbled, somewhat downtrodden.

"Go figure." Roy muttered, scooping Miles up and petting his head softly. There was a soft little gasp, and Roy guessed she'd just taken a proper look at his face.

There wasn't an ugly scar or anything, or an empty socket. The vets had done a fine job with taking care of the little guy- not that Roy would have been bothered if they hadn't been able to heal it as well, as long as it was healed, it didn't matter what he looked like.

But now, it was as though there had never been a socket on that side of the face at all- the only give away were the few eyelashes (or eyebrows, Roy wasn't entirely sure) that stuck out. Besides that, it looked like perfect natural skin.

"What happened to his eye?" She questioned, and there was a fragile quality to her voice when she spoke, like she was trying to be delicate.

"I found him like that." Roy's voice automatically matched up with hers, a small smile finding its way onto his face as Miles stretched upward clawed gently at the skin on either side of his neck. He wanted petting again.

"Wait, you found him?" Dinah sounded surprised as she inched forward ever so slightly.

"Yes." Roy nodded slightly in confirmation, and Dinah was now within stroking distance. Hesitantly, she reached a hand out and paused, before decided to just bite the bullet, so to speak, and stroke that cat's head.

Mile's instinctively leaned into the touch, recognising a gentle hand when he found one.

"When?" Dinah was honestly curious. She hadn't expected Roy to be so kind as to adopt a stray cat- no, that wasn't right. She knew Roy was kind enough to do that. She was just surprised, because knowing something has the potential to happen and then finding out it has happened are two very different things and the knowledge makes her surprisingly elated.

"When he was a kitten." Answered Roy honestly, "which was over a year ago now, I guess. Huh." Roy blinked, as though it had only just dawned on him exactly how long Miles had been in his life. It didn't seem that long ago since he'd found him injured in the rain, but at the same time, it also felt like a lifetime ago.

"And you kept him?" Roy shrugged, "why?"

"Company, I don't know. I couldn't just leave him there to die!" Roy didn't have an answer to that question, at least not one that was truthful. He really couldn't recall what had prompted him to take the cat home.

"You could have left him at the vets." Dinah reminded him gently,

"They'd have sent him to a compound where he'd have been put him down," Roy growled, "No one wants an injured cat." He was getting defensive now, and he knew it, but could do nothing to slay the beast inside that reared its ugly head when the thought of Miles being mistreated or worse, killed, appeared.

Roy just really didn't like it.

Dinah smiled fondly at Roy, giving Miles a final scratch behind his ear.

"No one but you, apparently."

"Ollie, get out." Roy didn't even question why Ollie was in his apartment, or who even let Ollie in in the first place. Didn't even have it in him to open the window and yell out to that insatiable dick bird outside (who was definitely outside, because Roy knew from experience that he liked to stick around and observe Roy's reaction to finding strangers in his home.)

Ollie ignored the 'greeting' from Roy, instead opening with a purely neutral statement that could do absolutely no harm what so ever. "Dinah tells me you have a cat."

"No. Yes. None of your business. Go away." Roy was irritated now. What was it with birds and their inability to keep their mouths shut?

"I bought toys." As if to prove this, Ollie lifted up the bag in his hand and gave it a little shake. Something inside – a bell, presumably – jingled. Roy sighed,

"Miles has enough toys." He severely hoped the cat hadn't heard the jingle. He didn't believe he would have it in him to deny that cat anything, let alone more play things.

"Who's Miles?" Ollie enquired with genuine interest, seeming to perk up at the possibility of their being an unknown male in Roy's life.

"My cat!" Roy growled, exasperated.

"Aha! So you do have a cat!" Ollie sounded triumphant, as though he'd just solved an ancient riddle. As though sensing this, in came Miles's pattering feet. "He's adorable." Ollie declared immediately, reaching down to stroke the cat.

Now, being entirely comfortable with strangers whilst (and only whilst) Roy was present, Miles didn't flinch or anything as he was eventually bundled up and deposited on the male's lap. Instantly, he started purring- Miles was an attention hog, and would gladly receive any offered to him.

Sometimes it was annoying, and other times endearing. There was no in between.

"I want him." Ollie blurted, hands securing around Miles's stomach.

"No." Roy denied him, firmly prying Ollie's fingers away. "Dinah hates cats." He added as an afterthought, deciding to keep Miles within arm's reach whilst Ollie was in the near vicinity.

"But she likes that one." He almost whined, attempting his best kicked dog look. Roy was not taking the bait.

"She also likes delivering unimaginable pain to guys who displease her. And, you know, bringing a feline into her home will probably displease her; even one as cute as Miles."

Ollie grumbled, mostly to himself, but otherwise said nothing else about the subject.

Roy could relax, because Miles was safe for another day.

So apparently I couldn't resist doing a sequel (side note: I really wish I had a cat.)