Summary: The first time he sees her that day she's punching a Freshman in the face.
Character Dynamics: Artemis, Dick Grayson ( A.K.A. – Robin )
Episode: Anytime after #12, "Homefront"
Spearing a juice box with his straw, he takes a thoughtful sip as he settles down at a vacant table in the cafeteria. Knowing that Barbara, engulfed by the line of students waiting to purchase their meals, will take a while to join him, he minds his own business as he savors the flavor of his drink. Chewing on the end of his straw, decidedly bored, his mind cannot help but formulate numerous ways to kill a man with a mere juice box. In the process of devising scenario number seven, he's suddenly jarred from his personal musings when a commotion explodes four tables down. Instinctively, he swiftly slides out of his chair and takes a battle stance, prepared for anything that dares to confront him.
Well, anything except this.
With bright eyes he watches, mouth agape, as Artemis Crock, tenth-grader, newly admitted transfer student and notorious rebel punches a boy nearly twice her size in the nose and drives him into a table with her fist. Through the throng of students crowding around the scene and above their excited yells, the blonde assailant's vicious slander assault his ears. Once pried away from the bleeding boy, she's hauled off to the the Dean's office even though, worst case scenario, a nosebleed and wounded ego is all that the victim really suffered.
Still, no one knows Artemis like he does, and therefore can't possibly fathom that, in their world, the blood trailing down the boy's face would simply be the equivalent of a paper cut. He's milking it, Dick concludes sourly as the bloody boy insists his friends act as human crutches, acting as if the journey to the nurse's office simply could not be made on his own two feet. The crowd disperses, and, aside from an upturned table and a small scarlet puddles, the cafeteria appears orderly once again.
Dick knows what that was about. Everyone knows what that was about, actually; Artemis Crock is a bit of a legend at Gotham Academy and even if you hadn't taken the past few weeks to get to know her personally, you still know her. The boy in his Freshman class was indubitably taunting her about coming from the slums of Gotham on a pity scholarship.
High school students, public or private, thrived on gossip. After a mouth off with a rather snobbish student on her third day at the institute, the fact that she was a transfer from Gotham North attending solely on a scholarship spread like wildfire through the student body. Today's development was merely fuel to that vile, hungry fire.
Much to Dick's amusement, his teammate has failed to see him as just that: a teammate. His alias wasn't terribly clever, but hair jell and naked eyes seemed to fool her. The surprise snapshot he took of them on her first day was, naturally, his antics at work. Just some fun and simple way to mess with her head. Since then, however, he knew he'd grown to be more than that one Freshman to her. Although he's made a few lighthearted jabs at her ( and, to be fair, she was always quick to retaliate ), he doesn't mock her like the others. If Artemis has been pulled out of her classes for the remainder of the day, he considers, then he's doomed to oblivion as far as his mathematics period goes. Advanced as he his in the subject, and, additionally, being the school's Mathlete honoree, it's no surprise the school board approved of him skipping a level. It was also no surprise for him to be placed in that class with Artemis. Their expected friendly banter throughout the hour, however, was shot if she was to be absent. Sighing heavily, he jammed the plastic straw of his juice box into the empty pouch. Crushing the container, he tosses it over his shoulder to dispose of it. Since the start of the school year, he's proven an accurate shot at the wastebasket behind him and never bothered to look for his target anymore.
"Ow! Dick!"
Turning around to the source of the irate tone, his eyes collide with a blazing blue pair. "Sorry Barbara, didn't see you there." Chuckling as the girl picked the crumpled carton from the ground and properly disposed of it, he began to unwrap the remainder of the lunch Alfred packed for him.
"So, did I miss a fight or something?" Seating herself beside him, she picks up a fork and pokes around at the food on her plate. "I heard a bunch of shouting while I was at the salad bar."
"Mmm, you didn't miss much." He slips a smirk at her, which seems to throw her off.
Pausing mid-bite, Barbara imploringly arches an eyebrow and carefully sets her fork down. "Really?"
"You sound dubious."
"I am. What happened?"
"Artemis literally pounded the snot out of the Freshman football team's top linebacker." Suddenly, the cellular device in his pants pocket vibrates, nearly activating his compact utility belt. Quick to silence his phone, he checks the screen to see that the new message had been issued by Bruce.
Noting the splatter of blood around an overturned table, she's unable to suppress the surprise in her voice, "But he's... really big."
Hastily typing out a reply to his mentor, a cackle flees his lips, "Bats is trying to reason with the Dean right now. He's having trouble grasping the prospect of his nephew getting his face smashed in by a girl."
"Or," she interjects, "that his nephew would dare to insult a girl."
Returning his phone back to its pocket, he shakes his head in disagreement. "I still think it's because he got beaten by a girl." After all, Bruce had always been one to tease him for every time Barbara could pin him when they sparred. He wasn't entirely sure, but it seemed that was just the way it was with guys.
A/N: Because Artemis & "that one Freshman" are fun to write. ^-^ Most likely, I'll end up adding on to this one-shot with a few other chapters. Of course, they'll involve Robin & Artemis' interactions at school... and maybe I'll drag in the rest of the team eventually? Feedback can determine this!
So you read it. Like it? Love it? Flame it? Let me know in a review!