Rotten Apples, chapter 6

Needless to say, Oliver was anything but happy on the way out of Gotham… 'Getting someone to validate he was apt to keep Roy at home'? 'Dealing with CPS'? What the actual fuck…
So, maybe he should've taken Roy to the doctor or something sooner, but how on earth was he supposed to know the kid wasn't faking it this time? Easily five of ten words he said were lies anyways… However, Oliver tried not to think about it in that precise moment. He was furious, yeah, but at Bruce and Hal… Like they were the best damn parents...

The man tried to calm down a little bit. He knew Hal, Bruce and he had way too different parenting methods, they had already had some issues about it before, but one would think they'd have learnt to respect those damn differences by now. Seriously, he was just so fucking tired of everyone not minding their own business…

Oliver sighed tiredly, he needed a break so bad.

Just then, he stopped at a red light and took advantage of it to look at Roy, who was leaning miserably against the car window. Leslie's shot had helped with the nausea, but he could tell the kid still felt somewhat weak and tired, that and stressed too… Bruce hadn't been exactly discreet about his requirements of them getting a CPS visit when they left the Wayne Manor. He knew that wasn't by far the first CPS threat they had ever received, but it didn't make it any less stressful for the boy.

Screw it.

"You know what?" Roy actually raised his head a little to look at him, "Let's take a damn break."

Now Roy was genuinely confused.

"A what?"

"A break. Let's just skip work and school and leisure around for a few days, or let's go somewhere, I don't know… Look, I'm really tired. Let's just hang out for a few days."

That last offer totally caught Roy's attention. He knew it wasn't like the best moment and everything, but Oliver almost never wanted to take days off from work, and even less to only be with him just because.

"Come on, we can even go on vacations. It's been forever since the last one… Maybe we can finally go to the Grand Canyon?"

Roy then felt an instant smile spreading on his face and knew just then that it was a lost battle… Oliver had just proposed going to Arizona, to take him home. It had been YEARS since he had gone, and he missed it with every fiber of his self. He did like Star City, it was amazing and big and impressive, but it was just the opposite from his old home…

On the other hand, it didn't sound like a great idea to play hooky an entire week precisely when Hal and Bruce were practically throwing CPS at them.

"What about school?"

Deep inside, Oliver knew the kid was right and that he had to go to school, but the whole situation was just so frustrating…

"I don't think a week off is going to be the end of the world. I can call them tomorrow and it'll be fine. Let's just pick up your dog and go, I don't think Mia will mind." Oliver insisted. Roy had this dog he had bought him when the boy was like six or seven and Roy loved it, even Oliver did, and when Dinah and Mia, whom they had adopted, moved in with them, the kids started sharing the animal… But now they weren't together anymore, so Mia got to have it two weeks, and then Roy'd have it another two.

And it wasn't that Roy weren't worried about the current situation anymore, but an entire week with Oliver, Wolfy and in Arizona...

"Fine, I'm in," he smiled, the excitement pushing all the anxiety away.

"Great." Oliver parked the car outside their house. They'll get some clothes in a backpack and then head to Dinah's.

.

"Hey, Dinah," Roy said, rushing past her and into the house as soon as she opened the door.

"Hi, Roy," the woman replied, shoting the man at the entrance a nasty look.

"Hey." Was Oliver's greeting.

"Hal called me." The man groaned as soon as she said that, "Seriously, Oliver? Wasn't it enough with this exact same problem when Roy was a little kid?"

"Look, Hal and Bruce are just being assholes… And we don't have to address precisely that period every time I have a situation with Roy. I was still getting used to having a kid around back then, alright?"

"Yeah? And what's your excuse now? That 'kid' is fourteen now, buying him a dog won't be enough for him to put you back on the pedestal."

"A dog he and Mia share. You're welcome."

"That's kind of the only good thing she got from living with you."

"That's not true!"

Dinah scoffed.

"What else? The idea that she can do whatever the hell she wants because you'll let her as soon as it doesn't disturb you?"

"And again with the same…"

"Well yeah, I wouldn't have agreed with Hal so fast if I hadn't had to leave with Mia because she was becoming a second Roy."

"Look, whatever… I'm not hearing this anymore. Would you let Mia go to Arizona with us?"

"Absolutely no."

"Figured. It's a shame, though, we were looking forward to spend these days with her."

"Wait, these days? As in right now?"

"Well, yeah, why?"

"Why? Roy has school, and… Nevermind… You're unbelievable."

"Thanks," he spat out sarcastically, "I'll wait for Roy in the car. At least there I can hear my own thoughts."

"Like that's anything good."

"Better than hearing at your annoying know-it-all voice…" he muttered on his way to the car. He had been less strict with Mia than Dinah was, sue him… He couldn't wait to be driving miles away from everyone and their fucking unrequested advice. Roy's attitude could exasperate him sometimes, but Oliver preferred thousand times to put up with the boy than with his intrusive so-called friends.