Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice.
Robin and Kid Flash were sitting on the couch, bags of chips and empty containers of ice cream scattered on the floor around them. They were staring intently at the screen, eyebrows furrowed and curse words flying back and forth.
"Out of my way!" Wally yelled, mashing buttons furiously and waving his controller at his teammate. Robin instinctively avoided the swing, his fingers a blur of precise, controlled movements.
Since Batman was unaware that Wally knew Robin's secret identity, they couldn't hang out anywhere outside of the Cave. So the best friends were spending one of their free days here, playing video games. And, of course, the rest of the team was watching them from the kitchen; the two become quite competitive when the Xbox is set up.
Aqualad was busy in Atlantis, so Zatanna was hanging out the team today – she wasn't a permanent member yet, but they knew it was only a matter of time. Zatara was obviously still a little apprehensive considering the last time the teens were left together, but Black Canary's careful nudging was quickly convincing him otherwise.
"You know mindless button smashing doesn't work right?" Robin stated with a smirk, his character leaping over the opponent.
Wally grunted in response; his free hand was busy shoveling food into his open mouth. Zatanna watched him with a mixture of disgust and approbation.
She turned to the Megan and Artemis, since Conner was busy with Wolf, and asked, "Does he normally eat this much?"
They looked at each other before responding, "Yes," "Yeah, pretty much." The girls laughed, watching the remaining food dwindle away.
"No!" Wally wailed as a loud K.O. sounded from the TV, his player dramatically falling onto the ground. He tossed the controller onto the couch and glared at the screen, crossing his arms in an unmistakable pout. Robin laughed, propping his feet up on the coffee table with a self-satisfied smile.
Zatanna stood up from the stool she was perched on and turned to the team. "You guys wanna play?
Artemis quirked an eyebrow, glancing from the living room back to the team. "I didn't exactly hear an invitation," she responded.
"We don't exactly need one," Zatanna insisted, yanking one of Artemis' hands out of her pocket and pulling her forward. "How about you Megan?"
Megan jerked her head towards them, a light blush on her cheeks. She had been staring at Superboy for a while now, her eyes following him as he exited the room.
"I'm a little busy right now," she murmured, her feet barely touching the ground as she followed her boyfriend. Artemis and Zatanna glanced at each other with knowing looks, the former wagging her eyebrows suggestively. They giggled as they made their way to the living room, the boys still sitting there arguing.
"I know you cheated," Wally accused, the game stats on constant replay. He read them over, looking for a discrepancy. Robin sighed, probably rolling his eyes behind the mask.
Zatanna bent over the couch, making Robin face her. "Mind letting Arty and I give it a try?" He fell back in surprise and nodded, scooting down the couch to make room. Artemis sat in the other couch with Wally, snatching the controller out of his hands. He gave her a half-hearted glare and she stuck her tongue out at him.
Artemis sat back, watching Robin demonstrate how to play. Zatanna was listening intently, while Robin tried not to ogle. The Boy Wonder had feelings – go figure.
Wally followed suit and sat closer to Artemis, explaining what each button does and the different combos she could make. Half her mind was wondering why he bothered learning what each button does if he had no strategy, and the other half was wondering if that musky scent he was emanating had always been there. She took an involuntary deep breath, leaning incredibly close to him.
"You got it?" he asked loudly and she snapped out of her daze, her face slightly flushed. She nodded, pressing start.
What followed was two grueling hours of intense game play, the boys' jaws practically touching the floor. When they finished Zatanna gave Robin a high five; Artemis smiled coyly at Robin's undisguised glee.
"You knew how to play? Wally asked incredulously as they began to clean up the room.
Artemis grinned as she put away the game and controllers. "In between shopping for shoes and braiding my hair, I play a little." She wasn't sure whether he heard the heavy sarcasm.
The teens made their way to the Cave's entrance, chatting aimlessly. On their way there, though, Artemis held her arm out and stopped the rest from going forward. Everyone immediately entered a fighting stance, ready to attack.
Zatanna whispered, "What is it?"
The blonde motioned for her to stay quiet, before leaning in. "I'm not sure," she replied, pulling a small bow and arrow out of her boots. "But after the Red Tornado incident, I'm not taking any chances."
They all nodded in agreement, moving closer to the doorway. Zatanna glanced back down at Artemis' boots and grinned.
"Love the boots," she gushed, "How did you make those?"
Artemis looked both delighted and embarrassed, answering the teen with a sheepish smile. "Oh I sewed a pocket on the inside," she replied. "I'll show you later."
"Guys," Kid Flash interrupted, motioning in front of them, "focus!"
They looked at each other in astonishment; Wally the mature one?
"Never thought I'd hear him telling me that," Artemis grumbled and gave Robin a confused glance. He shrugged, equally surprised.
They didn't get a moment to adjust though: Kid Flash ran headfirst into the room. His teammates mentally slapped themselves across the forehead before rushing in after him.
The entrance to the cave was rather small so they easily spotted the speedster up ahead, frozen in place. He was blocking whatever he was staring at, and as the distance between then shortened Artemis could see Wally's body trembling. The hairs on the back of her neck immediately stood up, goose bumps littering her arms. She silently cursed herself for not having her bow and arrow at hand.
She moved Kid Flash aside, pulling back an arrow on her mini bow. Then it dropped. Her dark blue eyes were wide in horror, her mouth agape. She heard the rest make similar sounds of shock, slowly backing away. An arm pulled her back as well, moving her faster than light to the other side of the room.
Miss Martian stood there, a sickening smile on her lips. Half of her body was the green sweetheart they fought with, the niece of Martian Manhunter. The other half, the half with coal eyes that stared mercilessly at its victim, was pure white, with an arm was in the shape of a lance that was stabbed deep into Superboy's chest. She, it, continued to leer at them as it approached the shell-shocked teens, still carrying the skewered Kryptonian.
"Etearc dleihs dnuora em!"
Zatanna's voice piercing through the silence, awakening them. A clear barrier enveloped their surrounding area, protecting the few feet between them and the white Martian. It paused, studying the barrier for a few seconds. Its eyes passed over Zatanna and her knuckles tightened as she tried to make a brave face.
Finally, the Martian seemed to come to a decision. It began to levitate, flying towards them, when the Zeta-Beam teleporter tube sounded.
"Recognized Batman 02, Martian Manhunter 07".
The forms of the superheroes materialized, stepping out with worried expressions. "What's going on?" Batman asked, searching the room.
Miss Martian and Superboy were gone.
A/N: Holy crap I don't think I've had a worse 3 weeks then the ones I endured. My brain is numb. Never taking seven classes again. Ever. So Young Justice isn't releasing any new episodes until next year. Assholes. Sorry again, this update was extremely late, but I think the content might make up for it? Either way I'm on vaycay so more time to write! Thank you for all the reviews! 3