Hey hey hey! Thank you so much everyone who reviewed! And a thank you to all followers and favoriters (thats not a word). Anyway, here is the longest chapter so far and I really hope yall like it. Still Robins POV. Enjoy
Despite the rocky start, our team bonding weekend (I don't even remember what Wally officially named it) was already a blast. M'gann made us heart shaped cookies which actually weren't too bad, though I think Zatanna may have helped. Artemis brought "Cards Against Humanity" which is basically apples to apples but for adults. I may be the youngest, but I wasn't the one howling with laughter and almost spitting out their Mountain Dew (do I even need to say it?). M'gann and Conner were really confused about some of the words, and having to explain it made it even funnier. The clone would turn red in embarrassment while M'gann giggled at his side.
Since Wally had already returned to his normal super chipper attitude, no one really mentioned his brief meltdown from earlier. Everyone was just happy to see he was ok. Out of all of us, he was probably the last one I would peg to walk into a room and start crying. I still don't know what to make of it. His explanation was very vague and it was obvious he was hiding something, but he's in a much better mood now and I don't wanna mess it up. I guess I don't have any room to talk about keeping things inside…
"No way. We're not watching a kiddie movie."
"Oh come on! It's such a cute movie and the robot is funny!"
"You want funny? This is gonna be funny."
Picking a movie to watch is never an easy task, and M'gann and Wally were facing off with the top two picks. M'gann wanted to watch some Disney movie called "Big Hero 6" which apparently involves a super smart kid whose parents are dead and he becomes a superhero. Why do Disney movies always involve dead parents? I began to subconsciously wonder if my life was a Disney movie.
Wally's pick seemed a lot better. It was called "Deadpool" and although Batman would not approve of such actions if that guy was real, I still thought it would at least be funny to watch. Even when he was Bruce Wayne, Bats was always pretty strict about things I was doing and an R rated movie would have earned a big thumbs down. Not to mention our card game from earlier. Oh well. He's not here.
Zatanna had joined sides with M'gann. Superboy, although reluctant to leave the martians side, agreed with Wally's choice of movie. Both sides were currently trying to persuade Kaldur to join them, and he looked kinda overwhelmed. I'd join them eventually and vote on Wally's side, but I was currently at the fridge, struggling with my own debate. Mountain Dew or Cherry Dr. Pepper?
I eventually decided on Dr. P when Artemis entered the kitchen. She started some popcorn in the microwave and then leaned against the counter. Artemis always amazed me with her ability to constantly look flawless. It was clear she wasn't rich, (of course I knew this to be fact, Bruce had given her a full ride to Gotham Academy) she never wore expensive clothes and she wasn't super girly. But she had her own style. Even though we had to wear uniforms at school, she always stood out in the crowd. I wasn't the only one who noticed either. Barbara always made comments about how the new girl "sticks out like a sore thumb". There were always jocks following her and making flirty comments, but Artemis told those douche bags just where to go. Her hair was always perfect; she didn't really need makeup because she had such nice skin. In a way I envied her attitude. She seemed so sure of herself and didn't let other people get to her.
I'm not really certain if I was staring at her or not; I have a tendency to analyze people and that often leads to staring. Of course she wouldn't know if I was or not. That was one of the positives of wearing shades or a mask all the time. That, and Wally couldn't see my puppy dog eyes whenever he did anything cute (which was always).
"So, Wally seems to be back to his usual annoying self. Never thought I'd be glad to see that." Artemis glanced over at the speedster who was currently playing rock paper scissors with M'gann to see who got Kaldur's vote. After losing, Wally used his super speed to snatch the movie away from M'gann and run down the hall. He returned without it and acted as though nothing had happened. Artemis rolled her eyes and grabbed a Mountain Dew from the fridge. She opened the can, took a swig, and turned to face me.
"You must be amazing at cheering people up. What's your secret?"
"When you spend most of your time in a cave, you learn how to brighten things up yourself."
Artemis chuckled at that and took another drink. I glanced back to the rest of our group in the living room, which had become a battlefield. Kid Doofus made the mistake of refusing to retrieve the movie and found himself dodging pillows and couch cushions as M'gann used her telekinesis to send them flying at the speedster. He yelled for Conner's assistance as he leapt over one of the cushions. "I'm not getting involved in this." Was all the clone responded with, giving the martian a smirk. The redhead then started to plead for Aqualads assistance, but was promptly silenced completely by on of Zatanna's spells. He sent a pretty nasty look her way.
I couldn't help but laugh at the way Wally danced around the flying furniture. I waited for Artemis to make a snide remark about Wally not being able to talk. "We should probably go find the movie while the living room is still in one piece." The blonde began to walk towards the hallway. Hmm. Maybe she only likes it when the other person can go back and forth with her. I made mental notes about the blondes banter policy as I followed her out of the room.
I figured Wally probably hid the movie in his emergency food stash spot. There's a painting of a beach in the hallway by the library. Behind it, there's a hollowed out space in the wall (cliche, I know). Batman said there used to be a safe embedded in the wall there (but wouldn't tell me what it contained) and that it was removed when they relocated to the watchtower. I told Wally about it and he jumped at the chance for a food stash no one else could raid. I've sworn to secrecy about it ever since (and even used it to blackmail him a few times). Artemis was probably going to check his room, so I'd wait until she was out of sight to retrieve the movie.
"So, did Baywatch tell you what his little meltdown was about?" Artemis interrupted my scheming with her inquiry. I didn't think she would care about Wally that much. I was actually surprised when she was the first one to follow him down to his room.
"He said he was just pretty stressed. I don't know if I buy it though." I tried not to tell her too much. The speedster had a right to a little privacy. Of course he was comfortable talking to me. I almost grinned with the thought of being Wally's sole confidant.
"Well, do you have any idea what else might be bugging him?" Artemis looked at me with almost a smirk. She didn't sound like she was really asking. Almost like it was a rhetorical question. Like she already knew. I took a moment to reevaluate Artemis and Wally's relationship. They were always bickering and teasing each other. I knew there was some annoyance on both sides but; was there more? Was it…...flirting?
I almost ran into the blonde archer when she stopped in the middle of the hall. We weren't at his room yet so I had expected her to continue. But I should've guessed it. We had of course stopped right in front of the beach painting. Artemis removed the painting and grabbed the movie from atop a stack of wrappers, replacing the painting once more. I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. I thought it was our little secret, "Baywatch". I began to walk back with Artemis to the living room. More like stomping actually.
"I'll take that as a no." Artemis hadn't lost her mysterious tone. I had unintentionally ignored her question. I wanted to ask her a few questions of my own, like when my best friend told her about the hiding spot that I showed him. I refrained and kept my cool (as per usual, I'm the whelmed type) and just shrugged in response. As we approached the living room again, we heard the voices of our friends welcoming someone. I didn't expect anyone else to be coming. Artemis and I exchanged confused looks and quickened our pace a bit.
I was surprised to see Roy standing in the living room. He was currently talking to Kaldur, devoid of his Red Arrow uniform. It was kinda weird to see him dressed so casual like the rest of us, especially since we don't see him as often as we used too. He was wearing grey sweatpants and a dark blue tank top that seemed pretty tight on him. Probably for showing off his muscles (yes, I noticed). Before I could say anything, Artemis fumbled with the movie and dropped the case onto the floor. It slid across the tile floor of the kitchen and smacked into the side of the counter. She looked really really REALLY embarrassed.
So much for always being so sure of herself. I need to work on my analytical skills.
"Wow Artemis, you had about as much control with that movie as you do with your bow." Roy rolled his eyes and began to walk towards the plastic case. Artemis snapped out of whatever daze she was in and returned to banter mode. "I guess I was just in shock that you would stoop to our level and join in our kiddie movie night." She moved to grab the dropped movie as well and and reached it at the same time as Roy. I breezed past them both, not wanting to interrupt their tug of war/shouting match. Why is there always conflict around here?
The couch had been reassembled and I'd planned to take a seat next to Superboy and M'gann (mostly to avoid Ms. Magical Flirty Pants), when Wally grabbed my arm and yanked me towards the kitchen. I didn't resist (who would?) and watched as he grabbed a fistful of popcorn from the bowl. "Dude, I gotta show this app on my phone." He shoved the popcorn in his mouth with one hand and got out his phone with the other.
"I swear if this is the corn hub thing again.." I rolled my eyes and Wally almost choked on his popcorn from his laughter. He'd thought it was the most hilarious thing ever and he sent me pictures of corn for like a week after, no doubt in tears laughing all the while. He's such a dork. After regaining his composure and the ability to breathe, he instead moved to stand beside me and held his phone out in front of us. "It's live face swapping! Uncle Barry and I did this all morning." I smiled at how easily I could picture the two of them wasting who knows how long with something like this. They're both so smart, but they have the same sense of goofball humor that you could sometimes confuse for flat out idiocy.
Wally's plan was thwarted when he realized it wasn't going to work very well with my shades. "Can't you take those things off just this once?" He pouted at me like a little kid. It was really hard to tell him no, but I knew Bats would freak. There were enough things we were doing today that he wouldn't approve of. "You know the answer to the already Wally. I wish I could." I tried to sound as sincere as possible. I really meant it though; I loved the look in Wally's big green orbs, and it'd be like meeting face to face again for the first time.
"Aw come on! We're supposed to be "bwest fwends" but I don't even know your eye color or your real name!"
"Wally I-"
"I won't tell anyone else! I swear!"
"Batman would kill me."
"Ok fine. Forget the name. At least take off the glasses. Honestly I'm not convinced you even have eyes at this point."
"Is that so?"
"Yep. I bet it's like a radar or a camera and Batman remote controls you."
Wally set his phone down and grabbed both of my arms, moving me around like a puppet and making robot noises. I tried to suppress my laughter and stay serious. Does anyone else see this moron? I yanked my arms free and jabbed him in the stomach. "Well I'm not convinced there's not a trash compactor in there." Wally responded by shoving more popcorn into his mouth and purposely chewing WAY louder than necessary. He picked up his phone again.
"How about I take them off at super speed, take the picture, and then put them back? Its face swap so it's not like I'll be able to see it very well." He didn't relent in his effort for this dumb picture. I think it was less about the picture itself and more about getting to take off my glasses for a split second. Did he create that whole plan just for that? I guess there's no harm in it. Batman won't know and you really won't be able to tell. Sigh, I can't say no to him.
"Alright, but make it fast." He jumped for joy and started hooting, pumping his fist up in the air.
D O R K
He held his phone out in front of us and before I knew it he'd snapped the picture and my shades were back on. I had to readjust them a bit since Wally basically slapped them back onto my face. I felt at ease looking at the picture. My face was so contorted after being swapped with Wally's, and he'd been making some ridiculous expression.
"See, what I'd tell ya? And it looks like you do have eyes after all!" He saved the picture and slipped his phone back in his pocket. He then turned and (catching me way off guard) threw his arms around me and pulled me into a bone crushing hug. "Gee, thanks robby wobby. I knew you'd trust me. We'll be fwends forever!" He began to rock me back and forth like a baby. I pretended to be annoyed with the gesture.
In reality, I hoped he'd never let go.
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