AN: Have fun with more Artemis/Klarion
Disclaimer: action-related violence
Artemis was going to be discharged form the medical bay at lunch and Klarion knew the perfect solution to mull things over with the team. He needed to act more like Megan and there was nothing the Green Martian did better than creating possibly cancerous food.
Klarion stared at the cake mix and eggs he had just bought early in the morning. He had four hours until Artemis would come and eat lunch to bake the worst cake of his life. He didn't even know how to cook, but that probably benefited him in this situation.
"Okay. Everything is here. Hmmm… Maybe I need ketchup. And pickles." Klarion forced Megan to hum and pace back and forth. Purposely baking something the wrong way seemed to need a lot of effort. He wanted Kaldur, Conner and Wally to puke from this. The cake was not made to celebrate Artemis' leave of the medic bay: it was made purely out of revenge for them not trusting Megan.
Before stopping to make lunch from the kitchen, Artemis went to her room for a shower. She felt grimy and tainted. Her nerves had been freaking out during this whole situation. The gushing, cold water from the shower only slightly calmed her.
Did Klarion kiss me? It was good…
No. She couldn't think of that. Artemis realized that she should be plotting to betray Klarion, but still hopefully be able to see after everything was over. But something within her didn't want to betray the witch-boy. That something wanted to help Klarion, maybe even love him. The affectionate feelings inside of her for him felt foreign and twisted.
What is wrong with me? It has to be magic.
Artemis tried thinking of something else – anything that could distract her from warm and fuzzy feelings.
Why did he have to act so impulsively? Now, we're going to have to try even harder to not get found out by the team. And what was flirting with Wally about? Ugh.
Artemis had been attracted to Wally – he was funny in a dorky way and was everything her father wasn't. Wally was good, wholesome, and caring. Wally could never kill someone out impulsively or for the sheer thrill.
But Klarion could. He's the exact opposite of Wally. But Klarion is so much more powerful than Wally and my father.
Artemis didn't know if she was worried that Klarion might kill her. She didn't care as much as she should have that he was a criminal.
Well not a criminal…he's an entirely different kind of being. There are no words to describe him. He's…
Once again, Artemis thought of the kiss and she punched the shower wall angrily.
I hate the way he makes me feel. Something is wrong with me.
"How are you? Who cares," Klarion began yelling exuberantly, "Look at my CAKE!"
Artemis stared at what appeared to be a rotting hunk of meat, but upon looking closer, was an actual cake, albeit one made with a mesh of broken potato chips, ketchup, chocolate, and barely-cooked cake batter with a lightly sprinkled layer of diced pickles.
"You've definitely got Megan down. Just act like a naïve little school girl and yesterday will be forgotten." Artemis stated coldly, trying not to meet Klarion's eyes. She could not think of that kiss again.
"Don't I make the PERFECT housewife?" Klarion's voice rung out from Megan's mouth even more high-pitched than usual.
"Sure," Artemis tried not to give him encouraging responses, "Where is the rest of the team?"
"Waiting for the delicious cake I made of course." Klarion rolled Megan's eyes and puckered his lips playfully. Artemis' eyes immediately set upon Megan's lips, which had shifted into Klarion's thinner and manlier mouth.
He can't know, could he?
Before she could ask, Klarion pulled her while holding his cake out into the living room to meet the team.
"Eat up," Klarion beamed.
Wally picked at his slice of cake experimentally like he was determining the properties of an unknown poison. Luckily, Robin was away patrolling Gotham with Batman.
"Don't you like my cake?" Klarion forced Megan to pout and her eyes to slightly tear up.
"What. I like it," Wally shoved the entire slice into his mouth, quickly regretting it. He silently thanked the accident years ago that gave him his powers and accelerated healing. Wally swallowed the cake, feeling it burn and grate his insides as it slowly slid down.
"Thanks for the treat, Megan." Kaldur said kindly, but Klarion read his mind to find out that he wasn't really eating the cake: he was using magic to make it disappear once he out it in his mouth.
With an incantation mumbled incoherently enough that even Superboy could not hear and decipher it, Klarion cancelled Kaldur's vanishing magic. Kaldur's throat bulged, ready to upchuck the cake that had just entered it. Once again, Klarion read Kaldur's mind. Kaldur did not believe that Megan had removed his spell, he believed that he had simply failed at it.
"Good. Eat up, Superboy."
Wally and Kaldur stared at Superboy, pitying him. The clone had taken several slices of Megan's cake onto his plate.
Wally interrupted, "How about Artemis eats some? The cake was made for her."
Kaldur met Wally's eyes, silently thanking the speedster for helping spare the clone from Megan's culinary torture.
"No that's okay."
Think fast Artemis…
'It's your cake. Eat it," Wally grinned evilly.
Klarion cut in, saving Artemis from being forced to eat, "Sorry, guys. Batman told me Artemis couldn't eat yet. Anyway, Artemis and I have to go shopping."
"You're going shopping?" Wally's mouth stood open, gasping.
"Yes, Kid Loser. I am a girl. Girls go shopping. Therefore, I go shopping. Does that prove it to you?" Artemis rolled her eyes.
"I think it's good that you are being nice to Megan," Kaldur said supportively, but Klarion knew from reading his mind that the Atlantean just wanted Megan to leave so he could throw the cake away.
"It's settled! This will be so fun!"
"What are we really doing then?"
"MAGIC!" Klarion bellowed, transforming into his own form. "I hate having to look like a girl all the time around your team." Klarion pouted at Artemis.
Klarion led Arteis to a clearing in the woods not that far from the tour. It was too far away for the team to watch them.
"Okay. Stand here," Klarion pointed with his claw-like hand. His hand's nails were black with a slightly red tint.
The tint of blood…
"There. Now feel your magic and try releasing it through your hands. Focus on where you want it to strike."
Why is he so serious now?
"Just listen to me, " Klarion spat, "We don't have all day to teach you the basics."
"Okay."
Aremis concentrated on her core and the feeling of dark magic inside of her. She opened her eyes, her thoughts lingering on the cold breeze in the clearing. She glanced around, her eyes resting on a tree several feet in front of her. As if she were aiming an arrow, Artemis rose her hand and released the energy building inside of her. It erupted wildly in a wave of blood red fire that not only hit the tree she had focused on, but also the surrounding trees.
"You need more control. Here, take me left hand. Try sensing how my body gathers and expels the magic."
Artemis felt a small center of overpowering dark energy within Klarion. The energy slowly gathered within Klarion flickering through him, up his arm and into his right hand.
It feels so effortless the way he does it. But his magic is so dark…
A blood red fiery blast swept from his gingers tips, which Artemis studied.
His fingers are so long and smooth like a pianist's…what, stop thinking that! Concentrate!
Artemis returned her attention to Klarion's blast that struck the tree she had previously been aiming for. It hit the tree and engulfed it in red flames that quickly charred what was left of it into a pile of ash.
"Now you try."
Artemis gathered her inner magic once more, projecting it into her hands and towards one of the few undamaged trees in the clearing. It struck the tree and burnt the majority of it, but it was nowhere near as destructive as Klarion's spell.
"That's good enough for now. Now let's try something more interesting."
Klarion clicked his fingernails, summoning a bound and gagged man, who Artemis had never seen before.
"Strike him with your energy blasts."
"I don't want to kill."
"You're doing it."
"I'm not going to kill, witch-boy."
"Artemis not wanting to kill? I'm not your Young Justice daycare squad, so don't pretend you don't want to."
"I don't!" Artemis screamed, not caring who heard her.
"I can read you mind. Don't forget that." Klarion stepped up behind her. His face was close enough against her ear that she could feel the warmth of his breath. He drew one of his pointed fingernails and traced it against her cheek.
"I know the thrill you experienced. Your father might have ordered you to kill, but it was you who enjoyed it in the end. You are a killer."
"I'm still not going to."
Klarion cut her cheek with his fingernails, chanting another unknown spell.
If only there was a way to find out what he was saying...
Artemis sight suddenly vanished, but the spell had done further damage. Her bones felt like splintering and piercing through her skin. Each breath made her lungs bulge and feel like deflating.
"Do it. I can make it worse."
"No…"
"I can also hurt your mom."
"NO!" Artemis shouted hoarsely. Her magic built up and shot out more viciously then before out of her hands and at the man. As the blast contacted him, Artemis' sight returned and she stood free of pain.
"Better than before. But still not dead."
Klarion stepped closer to the man, raising his arms to cast another energy blast and finish him, but Artemis rushed forward and grasped his arm.
"Please don't."
Klaron stared at her. Despite having killed before, her eyes were reddened from tears. Her usual sarcastic tough girl behavior had dissolved into an emotional mess. Klarion felt a tinge of remorse, but quickly dismissed it. He could let Artemis have her way…for now.
"Fine. This will let your practice healing spells. Come sit with me by him."
Klarion gripped her hand, holding it possessively as he led her to heal the man.
This is my life now. I need to learn to make the best of it…with Klarion. Whatever that means.
AN: To harrysgirl1993 - the pairing will be Artemis/Klarion. Wally/Artemis is more of a one-sided thing. Thanks again to Indigoprincess37 and Epic Mickeygirl for reviewing again :) To ygirl87, I just want to lock the two in a room and force them to make out, but Klarion would probably use his magic to kill me if that was even a real situation. To Little Miss Domm-and-Gloom, I've been hinting at a Kaldur/Conner pairing since you suggested it, but am unsure if it should go anywhere.
Anyway, I mentioned earlier that finding Abra would happen sometime in this story. Should Abra be in prison or should he have escaped, thus causing Artemis and Klarion to have to find him?