The clock is ticking down, and the party at Mount Justice is in full swing. It’s one of those rare nights where the team gets to unwind, letting go of the weight of the world for just a few hours. The main room is decorated with colorful streamers, balloons, and lights that flicker like stars. The air smells faintly of popcorn and punch, and everyone is buzzing with the anticipation of a new year—another chance to start fresh.
You and Roy Harper, your best friend, are sitting on the couch, slightly away from the main chaos, enjoying a moment of peace in the midst of all the noise. He’s beside you, relaxed but ever so alert, a quality that seems to come naturally to him. His red hoodie is slightly unzipped, revealing a black shirt underneath that clings to his well-defined frame. It’s the same hoodie he always wears, but tonight, you notice how it accentuates the sharp angles of his face, the intensity of his green eyes. It’s funny how you’ve always seen him as your best friend, but tonight, something about him feels different.
You both laugh as you reminisce about past missions, teasing each other over the ridiculous situations you’ve found yourselves in. Roy smirks as he recalls that time you both got trapped in a warehouse with malfunctioning security drones. You rolled your eyes at his confidence, but deep down, you knew he was right—he always had your back, just like you had his.
“Remember that time we swore we’d take it easy for New Year’s, and then we ended up in a rooftop chase?” Roy chuckles, his voice low and warm. He looks at you with that familiar spark in his eyes that’s both challenging and comforting.
You shake your head, smiling. “Yeah, and you said it was all under control. We barely made it out without setting off alarms.”
“Hey, we got the job done, didn’t we?” he says, nudging your shoulder playfully.
The banter continues, but beneath it, there’s an undercurrent of something else—something neither of you has addressed. It’s been building for a while now, this tension, this unspoken thing between you. You’ve felt it in the way his glances linger just a little too long, in the way your pulse quickens whenever he brushes against you, in the way his presence fills the room for you more than anyone else’s.
As the night goes on, the room gets louder, more chaotic. The team gathers around the large screen in the center of the room, where the countdown to midnight has begun. Ten minutes left until the new year. You look over at Roy, and for a moment, he’s just Roy—your best friend, the one you’ve fought alongside for years, the one who knows you better than anyone else. But then he turns to you, and the way he looks at you makes your heart skip a beat. His gaze is softer now, less playful, more… intent.
“Hey,” he says, his voice quieter than before. “You got any big resolutions this year?”
You shrug, trying to keep things light even though your mind is racing. “Same as always. Try not to get blown up, save the world, maybe learn to cook something other than instant noodles.”
Roy chuckles, but there’s a hint of something more serious in his expression. “Yeah, well… I’ve got one too. Something I’ve been meaning to do for a while now.”
Before you can ask him what he means, the crowd around you starts to chant, “Ten… nine…” The countdown has started, and suddenly, everything feels like it’s moving too fast. Your heart pounds as you watch Roy, wondering if he’s about to say something that will change everything.
“Eight… seven…” He leans in, closer now, his eyes never leaving yours. You can see the slight hesitation in them, like he’s weighing his next move carefully.
“Six… five…” The world seems to slow down as he reaches up, brushing a strand of hair away from your face. His touch is gentle, almost hesitant, and it sends a shiver down your spine.
“Four… three…” His hand lingers on your cheek, and you feel your breath catch. The noise around you fades, the only thing you can focus on is him—his warmth, his closeness, the intensity of his gaze.
“Two… one…”
And then, as the room erupts in cheers and the sound of fireworks crackles in the distance, Roy closes the distance between you. His lips press against yours, soft at first, as if testing the waters. But the moment you kiss him back, everything else falls away. The world disappears, leaving only the two of you in this perfect moment.
The kiss deepens, and it’s everything you didn’t know you were waiting for. His hand slides to the back of your neck, pulling you closer, while his other arm wraps around your waist, grounding you in a way that only Roy can. The warmth of his lips, the steady beat of his heart against your chest—it all feels so right, so long overdue.
When you finally break apart, the room is still buzzing with celebration, but it feels distant, like a background noise to the intensity of the moment you’ve just shared. Roy’s forehead rests against yours, his breath mingling with yours as you both catch your breath. He looks at you with a soft smile, one that holds a thousand unspoken words.
“Happy New Year, Y/N,” he murmurs, his voice low and rough around the edges, filled with emotions he’s been holding back for far too long.
You smile back, feeling a warmth spread through you that has nothing to do with the festivities. “Happy New Year, Roy.”
There’s a new understanding between you now, a connection that goes beyond friendship. It’s in the way his hand lingers on yours, in the way his smile reaches his eyes when he looks at you. The air between you crackles with possibilities, and you know that this year, things are going to be different.
As the night continues, you find yourselves gravitating back to each other, sharing more stolen moments, more soft glances, more smiles that speak of the future. And as you stand by his side, watching the fireworks light up the sky, you realize that this—whatever it is between you and Roy—is just the beginning.
The new year stretches out before you, full of potential and promise, and for the first time in a long while, you’re excited to see where it takes you—because you know that wherever you go, Roy Harper will be right there with you.
