"Should we really be using the mountain's computer for this?" M'gann, asks for what may be the third time, her floating movements sporadic
"Who cares?" Wally calls from the podium where all of the outlets and inputs can be found, busily plugging in the old Xbox that never gets any use at his house.
"Won't be saying that when Batman walks in," he hears Artemis mutter, but it doesn't matter because she's setting up the mats and that's enough for him.
"It'll be fun!" he exclaims, plugging in the last jack and powering the system up. "Team bonding—we're supposed to do that too, you know!" He zips over to where the group is waiting. "Right, Kaldur?"
The Atlantean concedes a smile. "Of course." He eyes the mats warily. "What is this game, exactly?"
Wally proudly brandishes the disc's case. "Dance Dance Revolution!" he exclaims. "It's the last game I have that works for this old system, and what better place to play it than here with friends?"
"The arcade," Artemis answers.
"It's more fun with people you know," Wally disagrees, "plus, the screen is bigger here. Computer: Input Two."
The electronics suddenly spring into life, lighting up the cave with the multicolor menu screen.
"How do you play, exactly?" Conner asks, crossing his arms and looking at the mats in a way not unlike Kaldur.
"Artemis and I will demonstrate," he says, turning to his teammate. "If you would?"
Artemis smirks. "Gladly. Unless you're afraid to get your butt whooped?"
"Please. I am the champ at this game."
"The champ of who? You and your grandma?"
"Hey, Grandma Flash is a beast at this."
Artemis opens her mouth to respond, but opts to shake her head with a smirk instead. "Alright then, Kid Mouth—let's see you back up this title of yours."
With a whoop, Kid Flash jumps onto the first mat and jumps to the song selection. "Any preference?"
She makes a motion that clearly indicates she could care less. "Anything, so long as you refrain from your super speed."
"Psh. Duh."
She gives him a sidelong look, brows arched.
He deflates. "Fine. You have my word."
"Because that means so much, coming from you."
There were snorts and giggles at that, but when Wally whirls to look at his teammates, they're poker-faced.
"Just pick a song," Artemis pulls his attention back to the game.
He scrolls through the choices with quick taps of the foot on the arrow button before coming to his choice. With a devilish smile, he picks it and eyes Artemis' reaction, expecting some type of horror to spread across it.
Instead, he sees her smirking. "If you were trying to throw me off," she begins, "I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."
His eyes go wide, even as the song finishes loading. "You like this song?"
"Rock Lobster" is the choice, and Artemis laughs. "One of my best."
"Well there goes that advantage," Conner remarks, the first notes beginning to play.
Wally throws up his arms in exasperation. "Just—" he makes an undignified sound not unlike a "hrmph" and starts following the steps, his footwork near-flawless. Thing is, so is Artemis'. Being on the same level as him—Standard—she matches him step for step, their movements nearly in sync.
"Do you have to throw in the arm movements?" M'gann asks.
Wally frowns. He doesn't use his arms—
"No," Artemis responds, and he turns to find her, swinging and moving her arms with the music and the steps. "Just makes it more fun—more like actual dancing, you know?"
"Not that it actually compares to dancing." Wally probably would have jumped with the rest of his teammates, but he's so used to Robin silent entrances that it hardly fazes him. "Starting without me guys?"
Artemis—startled—misses a step just as the song starts to end, throwing off her combo streak.
"Yes!" Wally exclaims, hitting the last few steps and finishing the song without missing a step. Sure enough, when the score sheet comes up, Wally just managed to edge out over his teammate.
"That's not fair!" Artemis exclaimed. "Ninja Boy threw me off!"
"That's no excuse," Robin protested. "I will not be used as a scapegoat."
Artemis crosses her arms and steps off the mat. "Fine. Let's give the others a shot, Wally."
Wally practically skips over to where Robin stands, still in full uniform. "Bats let you go early this weekend?"
Robin smiles, and if Wally wasn't Wally he might not have caught the effort in it. "It's been a long week," he says quietly.
Wally is about to ask what happened, but he decides that Robin probably wants to be left alone, so he does.
Artemis got Kaldur, Conner, and M'gann all going at once before joining them off to the side. "I gotta admit, Wally, this was a good idea."
Wally grins and looks back to where their teammates are playing. "Er," he starts, torn between a smile and a grimace, "should we tell Conner that he doesn't need to stomp?"
Artemis and Robin follow his gaze, and he sees them both stifle snorts.
"Nah," Robin finally answers, smiling. "Looks like he's still having fun."
And he is, and not just because he's doing fairly well himself (Cadmus-programmed coordination, most likely), but because M'gann is moving so well—she hits all of the steps with decent accuracy, adding a shake and a shift and a little hip where the movement allows. It's infectious, too, her enthusiasm. A broad grin covers her face, and every glance Conner sends her way makes his lips twitch upward, his usual frown replaced by an easy smile. Even Kaldur's getting in on the fun, his face a mixture of concentration and amusement, his eyes following the arrows.
It's only a poor sport that doesn't enjoy a good game of DDR.
They give the others a few more turns, giving them pointers ("Don't look at your feet—just move.") and laughing when Rolly tries to get in on the fun, nearly bowling M'gann over in the process. Kaldur surrenders first, stepping back to give Artemis a shot at the mat. Conner steps off after the next song, and Wally looks to Robin.
"All yours, Wall-man," Robin assures. "You all can't handle this much skill."
Artemis and Wally exchange looks. "Did he just…?" she starts, hands going to her hips.
"I think he did," Wally confirms, turning back to Robin with crossed arms and arched brows. He leans forward so he's at eye-level with his friend, barely an arm-span away. "You think you're hot stuff, do you?"
Robin matches his smirk. "You just go play with the girls, Wally, and we'll see."
"Oh, no," Wally says, taking Robin's arm and dragging him forward. "You talk the talk—now walk the walk."
"Wouldn't it be dance the dance?" M'gann adds, smiling and accepting Robin's high-five as she steps away to give him a mat.
"Ha-ha," Wally concedes.
Robin eyes them both before shrugging. His hands go to his neck, unclipping his cape—slowly, deliberately—and dropping it to the ground in a heap. He looks to his opponents—both of them having stared a little longer than appropriate—with arched brows as he steps onto the mat.
"Alright, Wonder Boy," Artemis says, tearing her eyes away and clearing her throat. "Your choice."
"How thoughtful," he responds, flipping through the songs. "Mind if I pick a warm-up song first?" He doesn't wait for a response, picking Devo's "Whip It."
In a way that somehow doesn't surprise any of them, Robin manages to keep pace with Wally and Artemis—easily.
"My turn," Wally asserts, picking "Instanbul."
Again, Robin doesn't miss a step, smiling all the while.
"Impressive," Artemis admits as she picks the song: "What I'd Say."
When Robin manages to throw a backflip in with his steps, they both groan.
"Show off!" Wally exclaims.
"Haters gonna hate," Robin acknowledges, shimmying just a little more than what's probably appropriate (eyes up, eyes up)
And that's when they both begin to slip, their eyes—at first occasionally and then consistently—shifting from the screen to where Robin dances in between them. It is a dance, too, because he's moving in a way that goes beyond the simple arrows and even past Artemis' earlier movements. Sweat's beginning to gather on his forehead, rolling down his face and the back of his neck, and his hair is damp and tussled with all of the movement.
Add that to his lack of cape and, well—they were doomed.
Several songs later, accuracy beginning to suffer on all counts, Artemis throws her arms up. "I surrender." She steps off the mat and flops face-first onto the cushions M'gann brought from the living room.
Robin smiles. "Just you now, Wally."
Wally swallows, trying not to focus too much on that drop of sweat currently dripping down Robin's forehead and to his chin and why did Artie have to go and leave him to fend for himself—
Focus. You will not be defeated.
Wally nods to himself, his hands going for his shirt. He can't help but be satisfied when he catches the way Robin's eyes go wide in surprise (and did he just lick his lips?) that Wally is continuing without a shirt.
Good. Now Robin gets retribution for exposing them all to his naked backside (well, cape-less, but it's essentially the same thing even if Wally wouldn't mind—).
Robin picks the next song and Wally could seriously die because it's "Moment 40" and the amount jumping required in that song is ridiculous and he's not sure how much longer he can go. But he stands up straight and takes the steps as they come.
It doesn't mean he's going to be particularly accurate, though, and he hears Robin laugh from next to him.
"C'mon, KF," he insists, still moving as if there's nothing more natural in the world than a DDR marathon. "Keep up, would you?"
Wally splutters and falters, and it's enough. "I'm done!" he exclaims, falling down next to Artemis.
It's only then that he realizes that their other teammates have left them.
"What time is it?" he asks, sitting up for just a moment.
"About two in the morning or so," Robin answers, going to shut the system down.
Wally flops back down with a groan.
"I told you guys that you couldn't handle this."
Wally grunts, refusing to concede defeat.
"Admit it, Wally. I'm DDR champ."
"Can't make me."
If Wally could see past Robin's mask, he'd be willing to bet that a familiar, mischievous light just came into his friend's eyes.
"Is Artemis asleep?"
"Yeah, I think so, why—"
And suddenly Robin tackles him, hands going to his bare belly and tickling him mercilessly. "Admit your defeat!"
"Never!" he gets out, trying and failing to abstain from hysterical laughter.
"I won't stop!"
Wally would attempt a witty response, but he's so devoid of air, with his already sore limbs made weaker by the laughing. Making an intelligible response really wasn't all that possible.
And then they realize Artemis is indeed awake, watching them with a knowing smile.
"What?" they ask, Robin pausing in his torture long enough for Wally to speak.
"Oh, nothing," she says, sitting up. "Just two hormonal teenage boys on top of each other. Both of them are sweaty, one is shirtless and the other is in tight spandex. Nope, don't see anything out of the ordinary here."
They blink at her, then at each other. In that short time-span, they come to an unspoken agreement.
Even if she'd known, Artemis couldn't have prepared for the onslaught to come.
:D