Author's Note: Artemis Raven Courtney: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.
X: Thanks for the review just now, I hope to retain that kind of chemistry for when I get back to writing Warning Shot.
I noticed that I didn't get a lot of reviews from last chapter. Then I was reading another fic from the Loud House fandom (never watched the show, but I got curious) where the author, ThatEngineer, mentioned having the same problem and blamed it on the timing of the update. So, know I'll try updating earlier in the day. It's hard writing at home in the afternoon, there is just too much background noise. Library is a better workplace.
This chapter is based in the Humorverse, so look for references to We Love Our Two Dads and Halloween Teens. This was suggested for a cliche and I recalled a review pointing out something similar.
Enjoy!
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Come in."
The door slid open, letting Wally into the counseling room. He took in the tranquil sounds of the small water fountain behind one of the seats and sighed. Black Canary sat on one couch, waiting patiently. Wally took a deep breath and walked over to the couch opposite of Canary.
"I'm glad that you set up another appointment with me, Wally." Black Canary smiled. "It's important to touch base on whatever's bugging you."
Wally smiled weakly. "Yeah…didn't think I'd be back here, to be honest."
"So." Black Canary crossed her legs. "Is there anything you'd like to talk about? I know we've been doing this for the past couple of weeks now."
Wally bit his lip. He clenched and unclenched his fists a few times.
"Canary?" He asked. "I think I want to get to the point of why I started coming here again."
Black Canary nodded.
"See…I'm kind of…have you ever felt bullied?" Wally looked down.
"A few times, that's why I took karate when I was younger."
"Have you ever been bullied by someone you thought you could call a friend?" Black Canary's eyes widened at the question.
She bit her lip. "I…I don't know how to answer that, actually. There are people I have personal issues with, but never considered friends. We interacted a few times before I realized that they weren't the ones for me."
"So, how would you feel if this bully were a girl?" Wally asked tentatively.
"Is it Artemis?"
"NO!" Wally stood up and shouted. He blushed when he realized what he had just done. "I mean…Artemis…she's teased me before and maybe whacked me lightly when I said something stupid."
"Is that what she thinks or what you think?" Black Canary asked.
"What I think." Wally answered. "One time, I said something really insensitive near Conner and Megs…and…."
He stopped talking, his voice hitched up. He could still see Artemis being blasted into oblivion, the framing of her skeleton visible for a few brief moments before vanishing. The fire that took him and Robin down, how painful those burns were in just a few seconds…
"Have…have you ever had nightmares about missions gone wrong?" Wally said, not realizing what question he was asking.
"Do you feel comfortable talking about it now?"
Wally shook his head.
"Alright, now back to Artemis. She seems to have stopped this behavior ever since you two got together, right?" Black Canary asked kindly.
"Yeah." Wally said in a high-pitched voice and cleared his throat. "Yeah. It sort of stopped after this one time she saw me with a bloody nose and…and she got scared over how I got it. She didn't know I've been trying to vibrate through walls and assumed the worst. Maybe…maybe she assumed the only thing she could think of."
"I see. So that's when she stopped with the whacks, then?"
Wally chuckled. "The others do it too, she just put in a lot of effort to make sure she didn't hurt me. Very light taps. But, yeah, I think that was when she was more careful. Artemis isn't the problem!"
He said this last bit with an edge in his voice.
"So, is it someone at your school? Has she been making you uncomfortable?"
"No one from school." Wally said. "It's…it's someone on the Team."
"Do you want to give names, or…" Wally nodded.
"Black Canary…is Zatanna supposed to be using her magic on us like that?"
Robin bowed his head in embarrassment while Batman glared at him with disapproval. Zatanna was in a similar posture.
"I'm very disappointed with the two of you." Black Canary snapped. She pointed to Zatanna. "You, for using magic on Wally twice just because he said he didn't believe in magic."
She pointed at Robin. "And you, for suggesting the second costume."
"They still won first prize on Halloween." Robin mumbled.
"That's not the point." Batman said. "Whatever your justification is, attacking a teammate like that is not an appropriate action to take. Your father would be very disappointed with this abuse of power, Zatanna."
"I…I didn't think it was mean…" Zatanna said lamely. "It was just a joke."
"A joke is funny as long as no one has to suffer. That's when it becomes bullying." Black Canary said. "Wally felt very affected by your little 'jokes'."
"And then there's the Voodoo doll you used on him." Batman growled. Zatanna gulped, remembering the big lecture she got from her father after the gala night. "Would you like it if someone did that to you?"
"No." Zatanna said, her head looking down.
"Since Zatara can't discipline you, Canary and I will have to do so in his place. You were an accomplice of the last prank, Robin, so this also applies to you." Batman continued as Robin sighed. "You are barred from missions until further notice, you will be attending a seminar on bullying and its negative consequences for the next four weeks, and you will both be responsible for cleaning Wolf on bath day."
Zatanna and Robin shuddered. Superboy was the only one who bathed Wolf for a reason.
"Furthermore, you'll both be apologizing to Wally for the stress you put on him." Black Canary said crossly. "Any questions?"
"Yeah." Robin said. "You won't be applying poetic justice to our punishments too, right?"
Batman smirked. "Don't give me ideas."
Author's Note: Writing this chapter was a little tricky, it started with Wally just trying to talk about his relationship with Artemis before getting to the matter at hand. Then there was supposed to be several similar scenes with other members of the Team, but I couldn't bring myself to demonize Zatanna like that despite how I heard the cliche went. So I just focused on her actions against Wally in my previous stories and how she is dealing with the consequences.
I didn't realize how mean-spirited it was until a review on Halloween Teens stated this. It was never my intention to make Zatanna seem cruel, but this is what happens when you apply the Double-Standard for female on male abuse. Zatanna never meant to be mean, first time was just to prove Wally wrong about magic not existing and to get a few giggles. The second time scared Wally and made him reconsider his friendship with Zatanna if she was willing to hold a grudge.
Next chapter is on Sunday. Thanks for reading and be sure to give suggestions and critiques as always.