chapter nineteen.
( heroes just wanna have fun. )

     Yue remembered being seven and holding her mother's hand as they went from apartment to apartment in the small building complex, collecting candy from their neighbours on halloween night rather than travelling into the dark streets surrounding Crime Alley.

She remembered the costumes her mother would spend weeks saving up to buy from the local corner store, and she remembered the last Halloween they spent together when she was twelve; She dressed up as a fairy that year, with a pair of cheap wings that her mother had to hand-stitch back together when she got them caught in the doorway of her bedroom.

After moving in with Bruce Wayne, Halloweens were no longer spent trick-or-treating but rather on patrol to protect the city from itself. Spending three years like that, she can't help but think that today is odd.

She's benched until Black Canary clears her for active duty, so instead of wearing the Flamebird suit and perching herself on a rooftop to watch for crime, she's wearing another fairy costume and getting ready for a party like any other teenager would.

"I've never been to a Halloween dance before." M'gann says as she rifles through the plastic bag of supplies she had bought the week before for Conner's costume. "Well- I've never done anything for Halloween before, actually."

Yue stands in front of the small mirror on the wall of M'gann's bedroom, smearing pink lip-gloss across her lips before she smiles. "It was nice of you to invite the team." With one last look in the mirror, she turns around to face the girl. "I think a Halloween party is just what all of us need right now."

"That's what I was thinking!" M'gann nods excitedly, then her smile falters. "But it's a shame that Robin and Kaldur can't come."

"Yeah, parties aren't exactly Rob's thing," Yue replies with a shrug of her shoulders. It wasn't a complete lie, he didn't mind parties – in fact he had been planning his birthday for awhile now – it was Wayne Galas he detested.

She glances down at her phone, watching with a grin as a text from Wally lights up the screen. "Adding final touches now and then I'll be on my way, babe." Her cheeks heat up at the pet-name, she was sure no matter how many times he had called her that over the last two weeks, she would never be used to it.

"Was that Wally?" M'gann asks, her lips curling into a smile of her own as she stares over at her friend.

"Yeah, he said he's almost ready."

"I'm really happy for the both of you," she says. "At least something good came out of..." Yue doesn't miss the look of guilt and regret that flashes in M'gann's eyes as she cuts herself off.

A knock taps against the door quietly and when M'gann answers with a "come in", the metal door slides open and Black Canary leans her head inside. The hero's eyes scan over the girls, a soft smile tugging at her lips. "Hey, girls." She greets as she enters the bedroom. "I have time for another session if one of you would like to come in before you leave for the dance."

Yue glances over at M'gann, who shakes her head. "I'm alright with waiting until tomorrow, Canary." The Martian answers politely.

"Alright." She nods, her eyes flickering over to the dark-haired girl standing beside the martian. "Yue?"

"Okay," she shrugs. "As long as it means I don't have to have another appointment tomorrow."

Dinah sighs. "Of course not." She watches the girl tuck her lip gloss back into her bag before moving to follow her out of the room. They reach the lead-lined office a few minutes later, and she takes a seat across from Yue, crossing one leg over the other and reaching for her notebook on the small table. "So, how are you feeling after our last session?" She asks.

"Good. Better ." Yue answers honestly. After getting most of it off her chest last week, things did feel better, even if her relationship with Bruce had never been worse; she had barely been back to the Manor since, let alone talked to him, but Canary didn't need to know. "Tonight is... Well, it's kinda one of the first holidays I get to spend with friends. I should be more excited, right?" Her brows furrow as she speaks. "And I am! Excited, I mean. I just... It doesn't feel right."

The woman raises a brow, "What doesn't feel right?"

"Spending Halloween like this." She explains. "I should be on patrol. I'm always on patrol on Halloween. It just doesn't feel right to take tonight off for something like a party, imagine how many events he must've skipped because he had patrol." She shifts in her seat. "They wouldn't mind if I didn't go..."

"Yue." Dinah frowns as she stares across at the young girl. "Remember what we talked about? You aren't Batman and you don't have to be. You're allowed to go out and have fun." A smile tugs at the woman's lips as an idea strikes her. "Here's an idea. Be a normal teenager for just one night, not a hero, not a Wayne. Just see how it feels and maybe after our next session I can tell Batman you're ready to go on missions again."

"Seriously?" Yue's eyes widen as she stares at the hero. It seemed so easy, too easy, she thought.

Dinah nods with a grin. "Seriously," she confirms. "If you can prove to me that you're able to separate yourself and Flamebird from the choices he makes, then I'm ready to sign off on your return to the team."

Her phone buzzes in her bag and she's quick to pull it out as her lips curl into a smile. "Wally's on his way," she informs the hero sitting across from her, her eyes flickering up from her phone. "Can I-?"

"Go." She nods. "Have fun at your dance."

She grins. "Thanks, Canary." Tucking her phone back into the small handbag, she jumps out of her seat and excitedly takes off toward the main-hall. She enters the room just as Wally exits the zeta-tubes, locking eyes with the boy as he smiles her way.

"Nice costume, babe." He compliments as he comes to a stop in front of her, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips.

Her nose scrunches as the hair of his faux-beard rubs against her chin and her hand reaches out to gently wrap around the non-casted arm of his letterman jacket. "You just had to dress up as Teen Wolf, didn't you?" She sighs playfully.

He rubs the faux-beard in thought, "What, are you saying you don't like me with fur?" When she laughs, he continues. "You've liked me for three years, through it all, but fur is where you call it quits?"

"Yes." She nods her head with a giggle. "Two weeks into a relationship is too early for you to ask me to deal with furry alter-ego, Wal."

He rolls his eyes and wraps his arms around the girl's waist, pulling her closer despite her squirming, to plant another soft kiss against her lips. She laughs against his lips, her hands coming up to rest against his cheeks.

"Yue–" The sound of M'gann calling out to her has both teens jolting away from each other with red faces. M'gann stands nearby, her hands on her hips and a teasing smile curling her lips upward as she watches her friends. "Can you help me with Conner's costume?"

"Ye- Yeah, I'll be right there!" Yue squeaks out, sending a dry look Wally's way as he chuckles to himself. Their friends might know they're in a relationship but she wasn't sure she would grow used to kissing her best friend in front of all of them. Gently, she pushes the boy's shoulders, then moves to follow M'gann toward the clone. "So, what are you supposed to be again, Conner?"

"A mummy," he answers, while M'gann sighs and reaches into the plastic bag to retrieve a set of bandages.

"He didn't even want a costume at first," she complains.

Yue hums in response, her eyes flickering to Conner as she wraps a bandage around his forehead. "I just don't see the point in dressing up," Conner replies, almost wincing when M'gann pulls his arm toward her. "Why can't I just wear my normal shirt?"

"Do you want to give away your identity?" Yue raises a brow as she looks from the bandage to him. "Besides, it's nice to add some more colour to your closet. Even if it's just one white shirt."

Behind them, Wally tilts his head back and lets out a loud howl. Wolf glances up at him, then lays his head back down on the cool, white tiles below. "Really? You're not gonna join in at all?" He stares down at the wolf with a raised brow, disappointedly scratching at his fake beard. "What kind of wolf are you?"

"Wally," Conner glances past the two girls to glare at the speedster. "Stop torturing him."

With a dejected sigh, Wally leaves the wolf's side to return to the group. He reaches them just as the girls finish with the bandages, and as Yue's hands fall back to her sides, he throws an arm around her shoulders – careful not to disturb the fairy-wings hanging from her back – and glances at the Martian girl beside them. "So, Megalicous," he grins, "You going as my favourite Martian?"

"Not exactly." M'gann smirks and takes a step away from Conner. Slowly, her Miss Martian suit morphs into a torn bridal dress and her skin fades to a pale white, much like a zombie.

"Woah. Babe, eat my brains anytime," Wally jokes.

Yue rolls her eyes, her elbow gently hitting the boy's ribcage before her eyes flicker back to M'gann. Before her feelings were out in the open, before she knew Wally felt the same, she would've been jealous over such a comment– she knew better now. "You look great, Megs."

"Great minds think alike!" A loud familiar voice echoes through the cave, and as Captain Marvel flies into the room, the team turns to face him. Despite wearing his hero-suit still, his face is painted in a zombie-like fashion similar to M'gann's.

"Looking good, Cap." Yue compliments their former den-mother, then snickers, "I didn't realise you Leaguers knew how to have fun." She could never imagine Batman at a League Halloween party.

M'gann glances up at the man with a raised brow. "Are you going to a Halloween celebration, too?"

He blinks. "Well, sure, I'm going with... I mean, you did invite the whole team, right?" The smile drops from his face as he looks between the teenagers.

"Yeah, we'll all be at the dance!" M'gann nods happily. "So don't worry about us. Go have a good time at your party."

"Recognised: Artemis, B-Zero-Eight. Zatanna Zatara, A-Zero-Three." The Zeta-Teleporters announce the arrival of the two girls as they enter the Cave in their own Halloween costumes; Artemis is dressed as a vampire in black and red, while Zatanna, ironically, chose to dress as a witch.

"Oh, hey, Zatanna." Artemis's lips curl into a smile as she stares across at the short magician. "You look great."

"Oh, thanks! You too." Zatanna grins back at the archer as they stroll towards the team. She comes to a stop beside M'gann and Yue, her eyes flickering over to Captain Marvel. "Oh look. Zombie Captain Marvel, that's-" She pauses to find the right word. "Hilarious. Is the Justice League having a party? 'Cause my dad didn't mention it."

"No, no, no. See I–" Captain Marvel shakes his head, his brows furrowing as he stares down at them. "–Fine! I'm going trick or treating." He huffs and crosses his arms as he flies toward the Zeta-Teleporters. "And I'm not sharing my candy."

Yue, as the flashing lights of the gymnasium blinds her eyes, realises their group outing had become more of a double date than anything else. Artemis and Zatanna decided to go on patrol, Dick and Kaldur denied the invite long ago, and it left just her, Wally, M'gann and Conner to attend the high school dance alone.

M'gann and Conner had been good at hiding their relationship from the team– so good, in fact, that Yue was sure her own boyfriend didn't know a thing about their friends' relationship despite it going on for months now. Wally's blindness when it came to that was the only reassurance she had that their first official date wouldn't be to a school neither of them attended.

With her hand in Wally's, their fingers intertwined, she follows the group further into the gymnasium. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding," Conner groans, his arms crossing over the white half-bandaged shirt he wears as his eyes scan over the decorated school gym.

Yue comes to a stop, her brows furrowing until she follows Conner's gaze to the other teens filling the room. Over half of the kids in attendance were dressed as superheroes from the Justice League.

Wally, realising the girl had stopped when he felt a tug on his hand, glances over his shoulder. "You alright, babe?"

"Yeah, I just- I thought tonight would have no heroes." She comments as she meets his eyes, her lips curling into a reassuring smile. She was supposed to be a normal teen tonight, but surrounded by people in cheap hero costumes made it harder than she thought.

"Hey, it doesn't change anything." Turning to face her, he squeezes her hand gently before swinging both of their arms between them as he grins. "Don't tell Megs, but out of everyone here, you still look the prettiest, birdy."

Her cheeks turn red under the slow flashing lights. "Really?" Her voice comes out quiet, a mere whisper among the pumping music; if Wally heard the softened tone of her voice, he didn't say anything as the girl moved on to joke around. "Cause I thought you were the prettiest here, Wal."

"Oh yeah. You come second after me, of course." He turns away from her, and if Yue catches the blush spreading across his cheeks, she pretends not to. They reach M'gann and Conner just as two girls come running toward them excitedly.

"You look amazing!" A girl with a blonde wig– dressed as Black Canary, Yue assumes with one look at her leather jacket and tank top – compliments the disguised Martian's zombie-bride costume.

"Girl, who did your makeup?" The girl in the bumblebee dress grins, while a boy wearing a leather jacket and Superman shirt walks over to them.

He lowers his glasses, giving Conner a look up and down, before raising a brow. "Burn victim?" He asks with a playful lilt to his voice.

"Mummy." Conner answers dryly. "You?"

"Superman." The boy states with a smirk, his hands coming up to adjust his leather jacket as if he were showing off in front of the group. "Done right."

Conner scoffs, "Good luck with that."

The blonde girl's eyes flicker over to Yue and Wally, who stand hand-in-hand beside M'gann and Conner. "I don't think I've seen either of you around before," she points out, drawing the attention of her other friends to them. "Do you two go here?"

The team, with the knowledge that undercover work is just one of the many things Yue was taught under Batman's guidance, glance her way. She clears her throat and plasters a smile on her face, "Actually, we're just visiting town for the weekend." She answers the girl's curiosity, then squeezes Wally's hand. "Megan is my boyfriend's cousin."

"Right!" Wally nods in agreement, his emerald eyes flickering from Yue to M'gann, who grins back at him. "We're cousins."

M'gann steps forward before any of her school friends can voice their suspicions. "Wally, Yue, this is Wendy, Karen, Mal and..." She trails off as her eyes fall onto the boy at the furthest end of the group; he wears a cheap knock-off Batman costume with glasses and stares down at his phone.

"Ignore Marvin," Wendy sighs with a roll of her eyes. "He thinks we're being invaded by Martians."

"I never said that!" Marvin defends himself with a shake of his head. "It's just, reports are all over the internet, and I'm not the only one getting them." His eyes flicker back to his phone. "I mean, Martians aren't invading. It's just a prank gone viral, right?"

M'gann's smile falls and Yue, as she glances over at her friend, lets out a sigh. "Just say the word, Megs." Her thoughts draw the Martian's attention over to her. "We can dip if you want."

"Of course it's just a prank. Ever hear of Martian Manhunter?" Lucas Carr – Snapper, the League and Yue knew him as, and it took everything the girl had to not walk away as he speaks. Batman and the rest of the League chose this school for a reason when M'gann expressed a want to attend high school and that reason, as unfortunate as it was, is Carr. "Martians aren't hostile."

"Uh, babe," Wally leans closer to whisper in her ear. "Maybe you should go a little easier on their teacher. Isn't he the only reason we're allowed to be here?"

She blinks in surprise. She didn't even realise she was glaring. "That's not just their teacher, Wal," she murmurs as she faces the boy. "That's Snapper."

"Seriously?" He looks between Yue and Carr, back and forth, until his eyes land on her again. "Isn't he, like, the reason the Cave became compromised?"

A year before Yue joined Batman's crusade against crime and when Dick was only ten, the Justice League still operated out of the secret sanctum in Mount Justice. Snapper was a civilian associate of theirs, and when he compromised the Cave and allowed Joker to bypass security– leading to the Crown Prince of Crime almost killing the Justice League– he was the hero-equivalent of fired from the business.

"Yue!" M'gann steps over to them with a bright grin, snapping the two teens out of their conversation as they turn towards her. "Karen, Wendy and I are going to dance. Are you coming?"

Yue's eyes flicker from M'gann to Wally, who nods his head. "Go," he urges her. "Didn't Dinah say to live a little?"

"That's so not how she phrased it." She grins. He was right though, she thinks. Dinah told her to act like a normal teenager for the night in order to be taken off probation, and though part of her wanted to give Snapper a piece of her mind, she wasn't going to let him ruin this for her.

Yue takes M'gann's hand and follows her to the small dance-floor in the centre of the gymnasium without rebuttal.

"Wayne!" Karen exclaims from where she stands at M'gann and Yue's sides. After spending almost an hour dancing with the rest of their friends, the girls had taken a momentary break to rest and get food.

"What?" M'gann glances at her friend in confusion.

"I've been trying to figure out how I recognise you all night." Karen grins at Yue. "You're that kid Bruce Wayne took in a few years back. It was all over the news."

"Oh- Uh, yeah." Yue presses her lips for a moment and nods her head in response. "That's me." No matter how hard Bruce tried to keep his foster-kids under the radar back when he took them in, the paparazzi didn't care for his attempts. Her arrival to the Manor was blasted across almost all news stations when it happened.

"That's so cool!" Karen's eyes flicker over to M'gann. "You didn't tell us your cousin is dating a billionaire."

"I'm not a–" Yue goes silent as the lights and music switch off. Screams echo through the small gymnasium as the school's backup generator kicks in and the red-tinted emergency lights turn on. With a frown, Yue wraps her hand around M'gann's and the two girls stroll toward where Conner and Wally were last spotted.

"Everyone calm down!" Lucas Carr calls out to the students. "It's probably just a blown fuse!"

"Says here Martians have taken over New Haven and Providence," Mal notes as he reads over an article on his phone.

"Spotted in Happy Harbour, too!" Wendy gasps as she reads the article over Mal's shoulder.

Yue lets go of M'gann's hand, and as she steps to Wally's side, reaches into her small handbag for the second phone Bruce gave her– it was primarily used for contacting other heroes or connecting to the Bat-Computer and she knew she was meant to be taking a break from all of it, but if anyone was going to know about a supposed invasion, it would be the League.

Wally's arm wraps around her shoulders and he glances down at the phone in her hands, the two teens sharing a look as they read over the blog posting about the attack. It may have fooled a bunch of civilians, but for two long-time heroes, it was easily fake.

"Guys, guys." Carr walks over to the group. "It's a Halloween cliche."

Karen glances up at the teacher with a look of disbelief. "Meaning it happens a lot?"

"Attention." A voice speaks through the school's p.a systems. "Homeland Security advises everyone to stay inside the gymnasium. This is not meant as confirmation of any alien invasion."

"Seriously?" Yue talks into the mind-link as she tucks her phone back into her bag and turns to the team. "Do they really think the government would backhandedly admit to an invasion like that?"

"Should we call the Cave?" M'gann frowns, her amber eyes flickering between her teammates. Conner holds out his hand toward his girlfriend, then shakes his head and as he turns back to the wall in front of him, a brief image flashes through the mind-link; a boy sits in the classroom behind the gym, childishly giggling into his hand as he holds the p.a. systems microphone in his hand.

Conner smirks, "I have an idea."

Yue leans against the brick wall on the outside of Happy Harbour High, her arms crossed over her pink dress as she rubs her hands up and down her skin in an attempt to keep warm. When Conner informed them of his plan to prank Marvin, she didn't think she'd have to wait outside in the cold for over fifteen minutes.

"Here." Wally shrugs off his letterman jacket and holds it out for her, waiting for her to shrug off her fairy wings, before he gently drapes the jacket over her shoulder "Bats'll kill me if I let you get a cold."

"Thanks, Wal." She smiles as she slips her arms into the jacket's sleeves, her shoulders relaxing as she melts in the warmth. Despite the cold breeze blowing against her face, she can feel her cheeks warm as she stares down at the sleeves around her wrists.

"You know, when I imagined sneaking out of the dance, I thought a lot more about kissing than pulling pranks on Conner's friend." His laugh is contagious and Yue, with a grin on her face as she stares at her boyfriend, leans her head back against the bricks.

"Well the night's not over," she assures him. "And when you get rid of that god awful beard–"

He ignores her complaints and leans closer to plant a kiss against her cheek. "Are you saying you're gonna love me a lot less when I'm old and have facial hair?" The implications of his comment aren't lost on Yue, but she refuses to tear her gaze from his as he stares back at her in curiosity.

"I guess you'll have to wait and find out." She offers. "I might get used to it by then."

A lovestruck smile spreads across his lips as he watches her tug his jacket tighter around herself, though the smile soon falters as M'gann's voice echoes through their minds. "The plan is a go," she informs them.

"You ready for the performance of your life, babe?" Pushing himself off the wall they both lean against, he holds his hand out for her to take.

She laughs as she slips the fairy wings back over Wally's jacket, then wraps her hand around his. "How hard can it be to fake your own death?"

Wally clears his throat, then takes off running through the school's courtyard with Yue following shortly behind him. "Martians are coming!" He shouts to Marvin; the boy stands in front of the gymnasium door spins around with wide eyes. "The Martians are coming!"

"Run!" Yue screams. "They're right behind us!"

Conner runs out from behind Marvin, his hand shooting out to point up at a light as it shines down on the two teens running toward him. "Look out!" He calls out to them. "They have disintegration rays!"

Yue slows down, glancing over her shoulder slowly as her eyes begin to widen. If there was one thing she had learned from all the horror movies and Bruce's training, it was how to make something look believable– so when the Bioship, still in camouflage mode, becomes bright enough to blind Marvin, she lets out a shrill scream loud enough to make the attack seem real.

Before Marvin's eyes can adjust to the light, Wally picks her up and sprints to hide in the nearby bushes. "Run, Marvin!" Conner pushes his friend back as he takes a step forward. "I'll hold them off!"

A scream of fear, one rivalling Yue's own, emits from Marvin's throat as he watches Conner be picked up by something invisible to the naked eye. M'gann telekinetically throws her boyfriend against the brick-wall, while Yue and Wally quietly laugh as Marvin runs back inside the school.

When the boy is out of sight, Conner pushes himself off the ground, M'gann shifts back into her zombie bride costume, and Yue and Wally emerge from their hiding spot. The team's laughter echoes through the empty courtyard.

"Come on," Conner chuckles. "We do not want to miss this."

Sneaking back into the gym was easier than leaving, Yue realises as she climbs through the open window at the back of the room. She drops into the crowd of students, a grin on her face as she hears Marvin shouting. "--The Martians just killed three people!" He yells frantically.

"Who?" M'gann gasps as she pushes to the front of the crowd, faking concern as she glances at her friend. "Who did they kill?"

"Them!" With widened eyes, Marvin points behind M'gann and at Yue, Conner and Wally as they approach their teammate.

"Me?" Yue raises a brow as she points at herself in surprise. "I feel pretty alive, what about you?" She glances at Wally.

"Me too, babe." He nods in agreement.

"Wait!" Marvin lowers his hand, then looks back to Carr and the other students with a frown. "I- uh... Oh..."

Wendy crosses her arms in disbelief. "Marvin!" She hisses.

Realising the teens around him were staring at him in a mixture of annoyance and frustration, he smiles sheepishly, "Trick or treat?"

"You want half?" Wally, sitting on the swing beside her with his feet planted on the ground to stop himself from moving, pulls a wrapped kit-kat bar from the small trick-or-treating bag. "No trades needed this time, cause I'm a good boyfriend."

After leaving the dance early they had stopped at a few houses around the neighbourhood for last minute trick-or-treating, and when they found a small park not too far from the Cave, they just couldn't stop themselves from hanging around a little later than planned.

"I already told you a coca-cola lollipop is a good trade for strawberry!" She laughs as she watches him snap the kit-kat in half. It had been over ten minutes since she traded her coca-cola chupa chup for his strawberry one, and he was still adamant that it was a scam. "You like the coca-cola ones."

"So not the point." He huffs out jokingly, then passes the chocolate to her. "We both know the strawberry ones are better. You can't trade something kinda good for something way better, it's not how trading works!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, your highness." With a grin, she shifts in the swing to turn to him. "How am I ever supposed to make it up to you?" One hand holds onto the chain-link carrying the swing-seat, and she leans across to kiss him softly. "Does that work?"

"Maybe." He smiles against her lips, then kisses her again. When she pulls away, her eyes flicker up to the night sky and her lips curl into a frown.

"You know," she starts as she kicks herself forward, pushing the swing to move back and forth slowly. "I hate how you can't see the stars in Gotham."

"Really? That's the only thing you hate about Gotham?" He follows her gaze up to the starry sky above their heads. He pauses, silence washing over the two of them until he begins again, "Would you... Would you ever leave the city?"

His question catches her off-guard, and she blinks in surprise. "I've never really thought about it," she answers– the only time the thought crossed her mind was shortly after Kisumi's death, when Yue wanted nothing but to get out of the city that took her mother. "The city is always gonna need heroes to look out for it, you know?"

"So, you're gonna be in the red and gold forever, then?" He raises a brow.

"Sure." She shrugs, then tilts her head down to look at him as a smile tugs at her lips. "As long as you're still in the red and yellow by my side."

He grins. "Of course I will be, Birdy."

Maybe she'd never be normal– she didn't know how to be, and she was sure she never would. What she did know is when she looks at Wally, she can imagine, if only for a moment, a normal life at his side.

If she could have that, she's sure she would give up the mask in a heartbeat.