"So, we kind of took you down today." Artemis shrugged, talking to her mentor after the intense mission the Team had completed.
"Yeah kid, whatever." Green Arrow scoffed, giving her an unamused glare through the mask. Truthfully he was very impressed with the task the Team had completed tonight, it wasn't something to be taken lightly and they didn't. They did what they had been trained to do and kept calm in a tight situation.
"Sure, You're just jealous that a bunch of kids brought the Justice League down." She boomed triumphantly, walking around him in circles of victory dance. Still, slightly, on a high after the New Years festives.
"Uh huh…" He hummed, "I'm pretty sure the door did all of the work." Absentmindedly rubbing his back where he had been slammed into the metal hard door of the hangar.
Not fun.
"The door was a major contributor, thank you very much." She clipped, "And plus, you couldn't aim a clear shot, old man. What's up with that?"
He grumbled under his breath, she would never- never- let him see the end of this. On his death bed the last words uttered to him by her would be, 'Remember the time the team bet the Justice League, and you couldn't aim a shot, old man?'
Exactly what he wanted to hear on his death bed.
"I was under control." He whined, "You expect me to aim clearly when I have Klarion, a hair horned freak, controlling my every move? You think to highly of me young one, much too highly." Green Arrow finished, stroking his goatee wisely.
"That is so… weird." She said with blank eyes, "Anyway, did you and Dinah make any plans for new years, the traditional kiss? A reservation at your favourite restaurant? A romantic stakeout?" She blubbered on; listing off places that Oliver would take Dinah, which could honestly be the weirdest places to have a date.
"Traditional kiss?" he asked her, almost accusingly. "You know that when New Years was announced the whole league, minus Captain Marvel, was totally blacked out. I know you know because you were the one that woke me up by pouring water on me ten minutes after New Years."
She aimlessly opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish, trying to find a comeback or a sassy remark that would stump his sorry A. She didn't think he'd pick up on that one, seriously with all the snide remarks about his romance skills he could've gotten her for that.
"I'm just asking," she defended weakly, "I mean, it's not like I did anything remotely close to that. In fact we just sat around in a circle discussing what to do next."
Okay. So maybe she wasn't the best liar around, and maybe she was a tad under the worst liar in history, but she had been working on it. And as a matter of fact she had noticed Ollie not picking up on the lie until a second later than he normally would have, that had to count for something.
"Okay, kiddo." He glared, "Who did you kiss?"
On the outside shell he was stoic, as clam as ever and trying to be very understanding of the situation. But on the inside was a whole other story. His stomach was churning, his heart was beating at the rate of Speedy Gonzalez and his lungs were clawing at his rib cage for air.
"Um…" She said, biting her lip gingerly, "Whuuuh." Artemis mumbled, taking her beloved ponytail and twirling the tip around her finger.
"Pardon?" He said, cupping his hand to his ear to action to her to speak up, "My old man ears couldn't hear you."
She burned a bright red, "Wally."
He blinked.
She scrunched her eyes up, waiting for the onslaught of profanities.
He blinked.
…
…
…
"Isn't Wally the one you spent four months complaining to me about on patrol?" He said hollowly, the one thing weighing on his mind wasn't what should be going through one ear and out the other.
"Um, yes?" She said,, unsure about where this was going.
"Son of a Bat." He hissed under his breath.
"What?" She asked, she didn't know what the fuss was about, she was at a time in her life where the other sex was very appealing, and she so happened to find her interests in a certain red headed speedster.
"I can't believe that little twerp, he knew. He bloody knew." He grumbled, now pacing back and forth. Waving his arms around wildly,
"Who knew? Ollie, shut up and tell me." She whined, she hated not knowing things, granted she had a few things she didn't want people to know but still- she hated not bring in the loop.
"Robin." Green Arrow spat with distaste, only thinking of a smirking bird and an even broodier smirking Batman, saying 'I told you so' and 'you lost to a fourteen year old boy.'
"What the hell does Robin have to do with this?" She shrieked at the arrow-wielding hero who was storming away down the halls, as she heard one last cry from him.
"We'll talk about this later young lady, your mother will be hearing about this!"
She rolled her eyes; trust him to be making the promise to tell her mother, when in truth she couldn't care less about it. Paula just wanted Artemis to have friends she was comfortable with, not some people she had to put up a fake front for.
"Have you brought it all?" The bird said, his head tilted up triumphantly.
"Yes." Green Arrow deflated, holding the countless bags of items. Remembering that fateful day the adult and child spent making a bet about his protégée.
"Including the butler suit?" Robin smirked, oh yes, this was going to be fun.
"Including the butler suit." Boy did the archer regret making that deal with Robin now. Who knew the kid could manipulate you so easily? Bats, he scoffed, not the same as they used to be.
"I hope you will have learnt your lesson after this." Batman said monotonously, smirking very widely on the inside. He was going to enjoy watching the struggle very, very much. And it didn't hurt when your protégée out does a league member, there will always be a sense of pride there.
"Not like your trying to stop it." He sneered at the boss man. Anticipating the next twenty four hours of waiting on the bird, following out his every command. And he was pretty sure Robin was going to use this to embarrass him in front of the Team and the League.
"Your right," Batman smiled, frightening everyone- minus Robin of course- that could see the turn of his lips, "It's too bad you made a bet with a fourteen year old boy and lost."