AN: So I'm supposed to be working on the COVID vaccine, but our vendor screwed us over on consumables (again), delaying us a month, so here we are.

Disclaimer: All rights to DC comics, Cartoon Network, and anyone else who has the ability to sue me over this.

Prologue

A sudden click and a dim light roused Artemis from her slumber, one into which she could not remember falling. Lifting her head and straightening into a sitting position, she rubbed her eyes with one hand while the other groggily fumbled with the seat belt. There was a soft chuckle, then her father leaning into the back seat and doing it for her. "Nice rest, Baby Girl? You left me talking to myself for the last two hours."

She offered only a shrug, too preoccupied with the ache in her spine and trying to gather her bearings, and when her dad gently took him into his arms, she did not protest. Only halfway through the parking lot did realization overcome her. "Wait, Dad, you don't need to carry me. I can walk."

"It's nearly one in the morning, don't worry about it."

"No, no, it's fine, I want to walk." Hearing the franticness, she swallowed and continued, more calmly, "I want to stretch my legs after being in the car for so long. Better for circulation, you know. I need to be in top shape for the mission tomorrow."

"Mhmm. Or do you not want your boyfriend to see you getting carried like a little kid?"

"That has nothing to do with it!" she huffed, hearing the smirk in his voice. "And Cam is not my boyfriend!"

"Whatever you say, Artemis." He set her down and flipped her ponytail teasingly. "Go inside, and I'll grab our stuff from the car. Just be quiet, okay? They're both probably asleep."

She nodded and continued to the safehouse, though house was a generous description for the worn-down, mold-flecked building before her, one of fifty in the surrounding three-mile radius. It had been a local government social experiment nearly two decades ago, as her dad had explained, an attempt to minimize homelessness that lasted all of four years before the money was funneled into corruption and payoffs. Now, it was a perfect hideout, abandoned and forgotten like the constituents it had been designed to help.

The front door creaked as though in pain, and she tentatively made her way, struggling to find a switch. All her attempts were futile, so she resigned herself to the darkness and continued down the hall, listening carefully. No doubt her dad was right, and she didn't want to choose the room the Mahkents were occupying.

Goosebumps rushed along the back of her neck, but before she could get a better grasp of her surroundings, cold hands gripped her shoulders. "Ahh!"

With a shriek, she jerked violently, nearly cracking her forehead against the wall. Turning, she glowered at Cameron. "You—you—ugh, I can't believe you!"

The hall light flickered to life, and as she blinked in the wash of brightness, she caught sight of the senior villain. For a fleeting moment, she was afraid that Cameron had invoked his father's wrath, but instead, he asked simply, "Surprised?"

"You could say that," she muttered.

Her father abruptly burst through the door, Sportsmaster mask askew on his face, a single duffle bag tucked on his shoulder and a spear in hand. As he took in the scene, Joar stepped forward. "Easy there, Lawrence. No need to skewer my kid. He wanted to wait up for Artemis." There was something in his tone she could not quite place. "And this would be on the only way he'd ever get the jump on her, so I figured I'd let him have a little fun."

Dropping the bag and the spear, Lawrence threw his mask at Joar, who barely dodged it. "Well then, since you let the little ice pop nearly send me into cardiac arrest, you can help me get the rest of the stuff out of my car."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Obliging, he glanced back and instructed, "Cameron, show Artemis where she and her dad will be staying."

"Okay." He moved to grab her hand, but she refused, instead crossing her arms over her chest. "Oh, c'mon, Artemis! Don't be mad. It was a joke!"

"It wasn't funny."

"Oh, please, Rapunzel, I'm sorry." Ducking his head so she had no choice but to see his face, he pouted and gave his best puppy-dog eyes. "Pleaaaase, please, please don't be mad."

"Ugh, you are just the worst," she muttered, but she tucked her hand into his all the same, and his pitiful expression immediately morphed into one of joy as he led her down the hall.

The room was small and dingy, bare except a set of dresser drawers and two single beds covered in moth-eaten sheets. Dirt clung to every surface, and a muted, musty smell lingered.

"All the comforts of home," Artemis mumbled, dropping onto the closest bed.

"Hey, it's only for two nights. Not even since tonight's half over. Plus, being here means you're one step closer to spending practically an entire day on a mission with me." With a dramatic leap, he landed next to her and flashed his signature grin. "And what could be better than that?"

Artemis couldn't help but laugh. "Um, just about anything," she teased, but they both knew it wasn't true. They'd known each other less than a year and had only see one another a handful of times, but she already considered him her best friend. They'd been introduced just a few weeks after Jade had run away—and she'll never know if it was pure serendipity or her father's attempt at penance for splintering their family even further—and the connection between them had been all but instantaneous. They were both kids growing up in the life, after all, and there was an unspoken bond, a comradery against the harshness and injustices and suffering which came with that.

"That's just rude! You know you missed me." He rested his forehead against hers, and despite the temperature of his skin, she felt a prickle of heat crawl along her neck and cheeks.

"I wouldn't be so cocky, Frostbite."

"When you're this awesome, it's not cocky if it's true."

A door slammed, and they both quickly sat up, arm-length apart. Their fathers entered, setting the bags and weapons on the ground. "Alright, Cameron, go clean up and get to sleep," Joar told his son.

"But, but can't Artemis and I—"

Joar narrowed his eyes, and the twelve-year-old cowered slightly. "Do as you were told. You'll see her tomorrow."

They would be on the job tomorrow, though, and their conversations would be minimal at best, and they'd be high-strung and tense, fighting to prove themselves to their fathers and avoid the punishments which came with failure. And then they would return to the safehouse, battered and sore, to collapse into a fitful sleep before departing in the early hours of the morning, not to see each other for another few months.

Artemis turned to her dad and offered a small, pleading look. It was strange to consider that, between the two men, her dad was the lenient, level-headed one. As harsh as he was when it came to the job, once the mask was off, he was back to the man Artemis remembered from when she was young, long before she'd learned about her parents' double-life. Joar always seemed to be in a sour mood, towering over his child, ready with harsh words at the slightest mistake or act of disobedience, and though she'd never watchedhim strike Cam, she knew, had seen the aftermath as faded bruises on his face, and she wondered how someone so good and kind and sweet could be related to a man like that.

Lawrence stepped forward. "Y'know, we do have a couple of things to discuss. We could let the kids hang out while we iron out the details. And it's not like we need to be up at the crack of dawn. They'll be fine."

Pursing his lips, Joar considered for a moment. "Fine." Redirecting his attention to Cam, he continued, "But go get cleaned up now. As soon as we're done talking, you're going to bed, not a second later. Understand?"

"Yup!" He leapt to his feet and went racing from the room.

With a shake of his head, Joar muttered to his cohort, "If he's not on his game tomorrow—"

"Then you can blame me." Addressing Artemis, he said, "Alright, Baby Girl, you have about an hour. Get cleaned up too."

"Okay."

Once they were gone, she kicked the door closed and pulled out her toothbrush, toothpaste, and soap from her bag, then a pair of sweatpants and an old Cheshire t-shirt of Jade's. As she got changed, she heard a strange scuttering sound. Cam, she thought, convinced her friend was standing outside the room, holding back a laugh as he tried to startle her for the second time. Well, you aren't going to get me.

Head popping through her shirt, she realized just how wrong she had been when she saw the rat standing less than a yard in front of her, inspecting her discarded clothing.

A scream was torn from her throat, and she hastily ducked into the closet, grabbing her bow and arrows. She fired, but she'd been too quick and hadn't given herself enough room, elbow slamming painfully into the wall too early, and the arrow barely went forward. Adjusting her position, she launched another, but the rat had scampered before it could land.

One more. Just one more. It was a waste of time and weaponry, but she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep if that little beast was in the room.

The door swung open to reveal Cam, arms encased in ice, eyes wide. As the rat scurried to the corner, Artemis launched one more arrow just as Cam let loose a blast of ice.

"What the Hell is going on?" Joar boomed, him and her father appearing, clearly on the defensive. Fear gave way to fierce, overwhelming embarrassment as Artemis processed the current situation: her cowering in the closet over a single rat, which was frantically running around the ice prison in which Cam had encased him.

"There…there was a rat."

Silence for a beat, then her father all but collapsed in a fit of laughter, using the doorframe to hold himself. Joar looked far less amused but did not speak, and Cam approached, mouth twitching as though he too wanted to laugh but refrained out of respect for his friend. "You okay?" he asked, ice melting off his body as he offered a hand.

"Yeah," she muttered. "Just caught me off guard."

"Oh, man, Artemis, you never cease to amaze." Wiping a stray tear, her dad straightened up. "A rat? Really? That's what's going to scare you?"

"They are diseased! And they can eat through soft tissue into your internal cavities! And—"

"Alright, alright, settle down, I get it." He grabbed his spear and headed toward the trapped creature. "Well, you won't have to worry about it for much longer."

"Wait!" Cam quickly intercepted him. "I, I can just release him outside. The ice, it's hollow, I can shatter it and let him go."

"No." Joar's voice had a dangerous edge.

"I mean, there's no point in killing him, not now."

"No, Cameron, you are not going to release it."

"Please, Dad, we don't have to kill him."

Before Artemis had a chance to agree—because no matter how badly that ball of fur and fleas made her skin crawl, now out of her panic, the idea of it being impaled sickened her—Joar was across the room and crushing his son's upper arm in his hand. "I am getting real sick of you not listening, Junior," he growled, his free hand clenching into a fist.

A gasp burned in her throat but died before reaching the open air, and she felt absolutely powerless as Cam lowered his head, waiting.

Seconds ticked painfully slow before Joar let out a frustrated sigh and released his grip. "Never mind. You want to let it go, fine."

"Thanks!"

"Just make sure you take it a ways away," her dad said. "If it made its way back, it would just love to nest in Artemis's hair."

"Funny," she muttered as her friend took off.

Rubbing his face, Joar mumbled, "Alright, Lawrence, let's get back to the logistics."

They left, Lawrence making sure to give his daughter's shoulder a squeeze. With a shaky breath of relief, Artemis grabbed her toiletries and went to the bathroom. Cam was sprawled on the bed when she came back.

"Thanks for that," she said, lying next to him.

Smiling, he mock-bowed. "Anything for you, Rapunzel. Couldn't let that ferocious beast eat its way into your stomach, could I? 'Sides, it comes with the territory of having the superior skillset."

"My archery is in no way inferior to your ice powers," she countered, emphasizing the statement with a shove. "Do you know how much training goes into what I do?"

"And yet it was my power that saved you." Flexing, he added, "Besides, you don't think training has to go into perfecting this bod?"

"Oh, right, all your skin and bones just…" Her sight settled on the row of newly formed bruises encasing his right bicep and triceps, indigo against his pale flesh. "Oh, Cam."

Following her gaze, Cam stammered, "Oh, it's, that's nothing. I, I bruise easy."

"He shouldn't have grabbed you like that."

"I'm lucky that's all he did. I disobeyed."

"So?" Anger surged in her chest, and she propped herself on one elbow. "He doesn't get to just hurt you whenever he feels like! It isn't fair, and it isn't right, and he could do some serious damage. He's so much bigger than you!"

"It's, it's how I get taught."

"But if my dad did that to me—"

"It's not the same! We, we aren't the same."

"It doesn't matter!" Her volume bordered a shout, and she took a moment to restore composure. "Your dad has no right to hit you."

"It's…it's complicated, Artemis. This is how it works for us. He, he does it because he wants me to get better, t-tougher, y'know? So other people won't be able to hurt me." Rolling onto his other side, he didn't speak for nearly a minute. When he continued, his voice wavered. "Look, please, I don't like talking about this kind of stuff, it's…there's a lot more to it, okay? And…and I just really don't want to get into it, not now. Please, please can we talk about something else?"

"Okay. I'm sorry, Cam, I didn't mean to upset you." She wrapped her arms around him. "Hey, I, I have lots of things to talk about with school."

Joar had taken him out of school that summer [1], a decision that was "in his best interests," as Cam had explained during their last mission, even though he adamantly disagreed. While most kids their age dreaded school—and there were days in which Artemis would have loved not having to deal with some of her classmates—it offered normalcy and stability, a stark contrast to the unpredictability and ever-changing landscape of the life.

"Yeah?" He shifted to face her once again. "How's it going?"

She told him everything that crossed her mind, stupid kids and hallway gossip, homework assignments that were insultingly easy, the slop they served in the cafeteria and the playground hierarchy, and Cam listened with his usual attentiveness, completely absorbed by her stories. They were safe, far removed from the demons of his homelife and her imprisoned, crippled mother and missing sister. Eventually, those buried topics would one day surface, Artemis was sure, but for now, she was content with the lightheartedness and simplicity and the feeling of his hand in hers.

[1] Head-cannon that Joar took Cam out of school after sixth grade to protect him from harm since A) Icicle doesn't wear a mask, so his enemies would be able to determine who he is and track his son that way and B) Cam has cryokinetic coloring that would make it pretty easy to deduce that he's Icicle Junior