Jin stared at the device in her hands, her eyes glazed over. She'd been doing something. Upgrading, or cleaning, or... something. There were metal pieces all over her worktable, and while she knew what they were and how they went together, she just couldn't recall why she'd taken it apart in the first place.

She rubbed her face, the roughness of her work glove calling her brain back to attention. "Forget it." Today wasn't a day for work. She tugged off her gloves and put them in a drawer, then lay a plastic tarp over her unfinished work to prevent dust. There was a dull, throbbing pain above her eyelids, and she knew it was going to get worse before long. It was really getting on her nerves, and deeper than that, she was so afraid. Things had happened that she hadn't even discussed in therapy. It made her fear for her future. Still, there were things that Jin was determined to handle, no matter what the year ahead looked like.


Striding though the new headquarters, she thought about going to her room to change and tidy up. The thought was dismissed quickly; Gabe had seen her covered in sweat, bruised, bloody and beat up. He could handle her in a t-shirt and shorts.


She inhaled slow as she reached his room, and she knocked on his door before she could talk herself out of it.


Gabe didn't have to ask to know that it was Jin who knocked on his door. She was the only person allowed in his room, something which he made known to the rest of his team fairly quickly. But now, he wasn't sure that was the case anymore. With his developing radiation powers, he didn't want anyone, especially not her, exposed to him for any longer than necessary. 


"Won't be a minute," he called out, getting out of the bed he hadn't moved from since waking up.


He pulled on a tank top and pants, before taking a look at himself through the mirror in his bathroom. Aside from the dark rings beneath his eyes, he looked okay. Hopefully, Jin wouldn't catch on that something was wrong.


"Just gotta do something."


Gabe took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and focused all his energy on dissipating any leftover radioactivity. After a short while, the veins on his arms began to glow a bright green, and searing pain filled his arms and expanded throughout his body. A green mist floated towards him; the radiation. Once it reached him, his hands seemed to absorb it, leaving no trace of radiation in his room. 


The effort caused him to let out a cry of agony. His body felt like it was burning up, about to explode. But as soon as it came, it went, and Gabe composed himself before opening the door for a probably very worried Jin.


Jin smiled warmly as his door opened. The grin faltered somewhat, as she saw the dark rings under his eyes and the fact that he looked a bit sweaty. She'd also heard a shout of what she thought was pain. She hoped it was pain. Not because he would be hurt, but because Canary had explained some things about teenage boys during her therapy, and sweat plus loud vocals could mean something completely different...


"Ah... you look tired." There was concern on her face, but she tried to wipe it away with a smile. "Isn't that my job?" She reached out and cupped his face, giving him a scruitinizing look. "I hope you're not getting sick, Gabe." Slightly red faced, she dropped her hands away. 


"I wanted to talk to you, about something kinda important. But if you're not feeling great, I can wait." She didn't want to wait, but she could feel her courage starting to fail her. 


When Jin cupped his face, it took all of Gabe's self control not to lean into her touch. It was so comforting. Almost as if it was letting him know that everything would be okay. 


"You can always talk to me," he said, trying his best to smile. Nervousness was welling up inside him. This was it. The perfect moment to tell her. The next time he'd get this chance, it might already be too late. So, with a long sigh, he said, "And there's something I've been meaning to tell you, too."


"Oh, okay." Jin wondered at his weak smile, and hoped whatever was bothering him wasn't serious. She still had nightmares about the long night of saving his life when he'd been poisoned. If Batman hadn't showed up, she didn't know if she could have won. "Rooftop?" Their new HQ had a very nice view of the sky, and even a helipad for emergencies. Jin liked the peace of it, being able to look over the city and be away from all the trouble for a moment. She led the way up, the high-speed elevator getting them to the top floor in a smooth ride of less than 10 seconds.


Jin stepped out, smiling briefly at the sun warming her face. She settled on a bench, looking up through the thick, bulletproof plate glass that encapsuled the roof. "...so... Should I go first, or should you?" 


"Ladies first," Gabe answered, managing a smirk.


"Alright." She was hoping he'd take the initiative, but it was time to bite the bullet. She exhaled slow, then started, hoping the words would come when her mouth opened. 


"Do you know- the very first day we met, and Bruce introduced us? I hated you." She realized how that sounded once the words were out in the open, and winced. "Of course my opinion changed quick enough. But, at the start... I was completely sure that I was being replaced. Here was this guy. Smarter, younger, more powerful, and didn't have all the rumory bullshit that came from raising a teenage girl when you were a middle aged bazillionaire living in a mansion by yourself."


She smiled and shook her head. She'd been wrong, beyond wrong. Her wariness hadn't really worn off until the first time they fought as a team. "You remember our first night out? We thought we were stopping a mugging, but then it turned into a whole street fight. All of a sudden, it was like we could read each other's minds. I struck, you had my back. You threw fireballs, and I shielded you." Her smile was broadening at the memory. "That was probably one of the best nights of my life. You were my partner, my brother, and my best friend from then on, and... I'm happy." She paused, picking at her nails in an open, nervous gesture that was very unlike her.


"I mean, I was happy. Up until like... a year ago." It felt like ages- could so much really happen in 12 months? "Things got rough. You went off with Fenrir, I went quiet, everything kind of went to pieces for the team. I missed you, and I hated you because I missed you. I hated myself for missing you-" She was starting to babble now, because she could feel her throat closing up wiith emotion. "I've never had anyone mean as much to me as you do, and it scares the crap out of me, Gabe. I don't even let Bats in, and he's putting clothes on my back and a roof over my head. He could get snuffed tomorrow, and my first thought would be how to carry on the work, and not about the man who did it."


Knowing she was getting off topic, she tried to force what she wanted to say out of her mouth. "I care about you, Gabe. A lot. More than I've ever cared, or even wanted to. You are my best friend, and my brother, and all sorts of other good things, and I'm such an idiot-" The tears were coming now, she could feel them burning in her eyes. "I'm an idiot for being greedy enough to want more--" A tiny sob escaped her, and she reflexively covered her face. All that and she still couldn't let the words out. Her shoulders shuddered as she tried to hold back a thousand emotions that were threatening to take her over at the same time. Her hands only pressed tighter as she tried to muffle her crying.


Gabe looked at Jin, at the hands that covered her face, at the tears that escaped them, at the shoulders which shook with each sob, and all at once, emotions erupted within him. He took her hands in his, lowering them from her visage. His eyes locked onto her tear-filled orbs, and he let go of her hands, cupping her face. Slowly, he drew closer to her, his head tilting to the side, and--


Their lips met. The caterpillars in his stomach broke out into butterflies, fluttering around uncontrollably. He didn't know if he was doing it right; was his nose in the right place? Was it annoying her? Did he remember to brush his teeth? What should he do with his hands? Keep them on her face? Eventually, those thoughts disappeared, and the world seemed to stop. For the first time in years, everything seemed perfect.


After what didn't feel long enough, Gabe pulled away, his hands still cupping Jin's face. Looking into her eyes once more, he uttered the three words he'd been wanting to tell her for three years.


"I love you."


Jin was warm, impossibly, amazingly warm. The whole world had slowed down, and all she could see was Gabe's green eyes, overflowing with emotion. Love, he'd said. Love. This was what all the romantic comedies and sappy songs were about. Suddenly a lot of things made sense, falling into place like the final piece of a prototype.


She wiped the tears from her face, and her fingers trailed against her mouth. She still felt his lips there. "Gabe.." She started, and then stopped, and then started to laugh. "Dammit, it's going to sound so stupid if I say it back now!" Still chuckling, she leaned against him, savoring his warm, his solid body, her forehead resting in the curve of his neck. "I love you." It slipped out of her like it was somehow still a secret. "I have for a while, I just was- well, I am- pretty much terrified about it. I never even dreamed of the possibility that you could love me back." 


Gabe gazed at her, leaning against him, and wrapped his arms around her. Telling Jin about his radioactivity took a backseat in his mind. That could wait. Right now, all he wanted was for things to stay the way they were. Him and Jin, on the rooftop, in each other's arms. He wouldn't have it any other way.