AN: Supreme Court has restored my faith in justice. 'Merica!
Disclaimer: Duh.
Safe
"Hey, Cam, get a move on! Training starts in ten minutes!"
The teen groans at the sound of Robin's voice and attempts to roll out of bed. An "Ouch! Cam, my hair!" follows, and, blinking sleep from his eyes, he realizes that Artemis is beside him.
"Crap!" he yelps, tumbling off the other side of the bed. "You're here! You weren't supposed to stay!"
A sleepover had never been anticipated. Spending half the night talking and cuddling? Totally. Making out? Duh. Having her actually stay over? Nope. Even though they had done this since they were kids, it seems so much more taboo now that they're dating, no matter how innocent it is.
"Whatever, Cam, it's not that big a deal," she objects as she gets to her feet, hands working at her hair in hopes of forming a presentable ponytail. "I just slip to my room and into uniform, and we head off separately to training. Easy as that."
"But if they find out, I'll never live this down!" he objects, back on his feet.
"First of all, we would never live this down." She kisses his cheek. "Second of all, no one will know. Promise. Just stay cool."
"Aren't I always?"
She rolls her eyes. "Should have seen that coming," she mutters, heading for the door. "I'll see you there."
The sight that greets them from the hallway is one of an impish, smirking acrobat. "Hey, guys."
"Dude, don't say anything," Cam pleads, all the inappropriate things he'd said about Robin and Zatanna replying in his head. "Nothing happened—you know that. Please don't say anything."
"Say anything? Me? Would I really—?" And then he's off, sprinting for the arena.
"Damn little ninja," Artemis growls.
Cam groans. "This sucks."
"Just grin and bear it, Frostbite. Besides, it won't be that bad."
Actually, it is. He's barely stepped into the room before the rest of the Team turns his way, heads shaking and tongues clicking.
"Cam, Cam, Cam," Wally sighs, his arm finding the cryokinetic's shoulders. "I know you're at that time when your brain can only focus on one thing—"
"Shut up," he objects, and the ice that pops along his flesh is enough to make Wally retract. "Nothing happened!"
"Yeah, that's what they all say," Connor returns smugly.
"It is quite…inappropriate conduct," Kaldur adds.
"You guys suck. Nothing happened!"
The girls share a look and a collective, "Umhmmmmmm."
"You're all immature!"
"Oh, gee, look who's talking!" Robin jumps in. "You've been making cracks like these since you joined!"
"That was different!"
"How?"
"Uh…I'll get back to you on that."
"Alright, alright, leave him alone." Artemis struts in, wearing a I-dare-you-to-say-anything look. "There's so much blood rushing to his face he's going to die."
"I bet that wasn't where the blood was rushing last night," Robin murmurs.
Cam, if possible, blushes even more, but Artemis is unfazed. "You shouldn't be talking, Boy Blunder," she states, emphasized with a light smack to the back of his head. "I know what you've done with Zatanna, and I highly doubt Batman would approve."
The whites of his mask widen. "Zee! You told her that we—"
"I didn't tell her anything!" the magician quickly interrupts. "Not one thing."
The fourteen-year-old seethes at the archer, and Wally maneuvers in-between them. "Now, now, enough of this. Remember, we all came together to embarrass Cam. So let's stick to it: For shame, Cameron, for shame! Allowing your hormones to carry you away like this. What would her mother think? What would Ollie think?"
"My mother would not care," Artemis returns, "because she knows Cam is an absolute gentleman. And Ollie wouldn't care either."
"Are you so sure of that?" Connor raises an eyebrow. "Because I know Martian Manhunter would make my mind explode if he even thought I did anything with Megan."
"And Icon would not be pleased in the least," Kaldur supplies. "A sacred trust has been broken."
Cam gulps. "You think?"
"Ignore them," Artemis instructs. "They're messing with you. Ollie would not care. Now let it go—Dinah's here."
He can't let it go, though, not with the disappointed gazes sent his way throughout the session, and his mind won't release what Kaldur had said. Nothing happened between him and Artemis, and it's not like this is anything new, but he still feels…guilty? Yeah, that's the best he can describe it. There are new rules that come with this relationship, and he knows her being in his bed, even if all they do is sleep, is not supposed to happen, not this early, anyway. Ollie does trust him—he'd said that when Artemis told the news—but would he if he knew what had happened? And what if he somehow finds out and doesn't trust him anymore and won't let him date Artemis and…
Resolved, Cam is determined to set the record straight. That opportunity comes sooner than later when the Emerald Archer arrives immediately after training ends. "Ready for Watchtower duty?" he asks his girlfriend.
She just smiles and says, "Alright, Team, good work. Hit the showers."
The couple starts to retreat, so before Cam can lose his nerve, he stands. "Uh, um, Ollie, I, I need to tell you something."
"Cam, don't," Artemis hisses amidst the snickering of the boys.
"Last night, uh, well, um, Artemis…she slept in my room. We didn't do anything, I swear! We just slept, that's all. Promise."
Ollie doesn't miss a beat: "Okay."
"Okay?!" Wally explodes, up on his feet. "Okay? That's it? Nothing else?"
"No, not really."
"If I had told you that when we were dating, you'd have killed me!"
"I wouldn't have killed you—"
"Uh, you totally would have! You said during my interrogation, and I quote, 'If I even think you are doing anything with Artemis, I will use you for target practice for a month!'"
"Interrogation?" Artemis and Cam repeat.
"It really wasn't so much of an interrogation as a…friendly chat," Ollie objects.
"Friendly? A room with just the two of us with one light and you polishing your arrows is not a chat!"
"Ollie!" Dinah scolds.
"What? You think Augustus [1] and J'onn didn't have discussions with Kaldur and Connor? It's a precautionary measure."
"You didn't have one with me," Cam points out.
Wally's mouth snaps open. "Are you kidding me?! You just, you just, you just let him date her?"
"It's different!" Ollie insists. "Cam's safe."
"Safe? What am I, a serial killer?"
"No, it's, I mean…she's known him longer, and I know he won't…try anything."
"And I would?"
Ollie crosses his arms over his chest, and Wally recounts, "Okay, scratch that last part. But still, that's not far. Sitting through that interrogation is a testament to our devotion!"
"I think Cam's testament to devotion was turning in an entire prison of the worst criminals in America, if not the world, and becoming a hero after being trained as a villain for years," Raquel offers.
The ginger opens his mouth, thinks better of it, and sits down with a pout. "Still not fair," he mumbles under his breath.
Dinah just shakes her head and tugs on Ollie's arm. "Alright, let's go before we're late."
The Team watches as they leave. After a moment, Cam asks, "So being safe…that's a good thing?"
"Yes, Frostbite." Artemis slips her hand into his and kisses his nose. "It's a great thing."
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[1]= Icon's real name. Fun fact for the day.
