"Artemis, B07." the zeta tube announced as Artemis stepped through. She scowled as the pins and needles in her arms disappeared. M'gann floated up to her, ecstatic to see her friend, even though said friend was scowling.
"Hi Artemis!" The Martian said with cherry happiness.
"Hi M'gann," Artemis replied dutifully, down in the dumps. M'gann noticed this and frowned, before brightening. She knew just the way to make her friend feel better!
"Do you want to help me bake some cookies?" M'gann asked.
Artemis paused, before deciding oh why the hell not. "Okay. Did you already start?"
"I was just getting some ingredients out, c'mon!" M'gann glided over to the kitchen area, Artemis following her on foot. M'gann had noticed there was a blog, black stormy raincloud following Artemis wherever she went for several days now. At first she had thought it was just no big deal-it was amazing how easily something ticked that girl off-but the gloomy, depressing feeling only grew, not shrunk. And M'gann didn't want Artemis to think she was in her mind, as shallow as that sounded. She knew earthlings were hypersensitive to that sort of stuff.
M'gann chattered on about school, the Bumblebees and other miscellaneous earth stuff she had seen. Artemis mechanically helped make the cookie dough and tore off bits of it to stick in her mouth, though M'gann could tell her mind was elsewhere.A problem that cookie dough couldn't solve was a real big one. Maybe she should just ask…
"Hey, Artemis, what's wrong?" M'gann asked, stirring the cookie dough.
"Huh?" Artemis' head snapped up, and M'gann sadly noted how she insivtively fell into a fighting stance. "What makes you say that?"
The Martian girl blushed sheepishly as the archer's eyes narrowed. "Oh, no. You didn't." The absolute anger, hurt and betrayal in her voice made M'gann want to flinch.
"I didn't mean to, I swear!" M'gann cried, nearly dropping the bowl(thankfully, she didn't). "It's just...anger and, ah, confusion(I guess that's what it was, though it felt like something more) rolled off you in don't be mad." she added when she saw the outrage on Artemis' face.
Artemis sighed, and sagged in a way that screamed DEFEAT. "It's okay. Can I tell you a secret?"
"Um, okay." On Hello Megan, secrets were shared in sleepovers with whispers, giggling and screaming pillow fights. This wasn't anything like it was on TV.
"Superboy isn't here, right? Or Superman?" Artemis asked, wary. Whatever the secret was, it must've been big.
"No, Superboy's out with Robin, Kaldur and Wally for a boy's thing." Don't ask how I know that. I just do. "And I think Superman's on a mission for the League or something. He's not here." I would've noticed.
"Okay." Artemis said, still glancing around. "Zatanna kissed me, November 1st."
.
.
.
"What?!" M'gann squealed. "But that's great, Artemis! Ohmigosh, are you two dating? You'd make such a cute couple! Wait, that's almost a week ago. Why are you just telling me now? Oh, do you want me to make cupcakes to celebrate? If you do, you don't even need to ask! You have my total and 100% congrats, Artemis, that's just wow!"
"M'gann!" Artemis spoke over the rambling Martian. Megan felt her cheeks color a little bit. "That's nice that you'd support us, but...I kind of rejected her."
"Oh." M'gann bowed her head, feeling slightly foolish. "Do you not feel the same way back?"
"I do!" Artemis denied hurriedly. "I was just...surprised, I guess, and kind of still in denial. And now everything is just wrong, and I don't know what to do." Artemis' voice choked at the end, and sadness wrapped the other girl like a blanket. M'gann pretended not to notice, because it was obvious Artemis wanted to appear strong, untouchable.
"So...you want my help?" M'gann offered. Artemis nodded wordlessly, and hesitantly. "Okay. Well, I think you should ask her out. Make the first move."
Artemis panicked, and nearly knocked down the forgotten bowl that M'gann had set down. "What?! But what if she rejects me?!"
Like you did to her? She's been harboring sadness, bitterness and regret for so many days! She won't reject you. "She won't." M'gann said with finality. "Not if her feelings are true."
Those words sounded like they belonged in a cheesy movie or something, but that was practically M'gann's life. Or maybe a cartoon…
"Well...okay." For once, the blonde archer didn't argue, which M'gann was grateful for. "When should I do it?"
"I believe the Earthling saying goes, 'There's no time like there present'?" M'gann inquired, telepathically gently pushing Artemis towards the dorms where Zattanna's new room lay. "I'll finish the cookies, and then start on your celebratory cupcakes so you'll have 'me after your date. Go. Have fun!"
"But, I'm not ready!" Artemis protested, but there was little she could do while already in M'gann's telepathic grip.
"Yes, you are." M'gann said, and she really, truly believed it. She also happened to believe that, if Artemis and Zatanna got together sooner rather than later, it would never happen. And that Superboy was hot, but that was completely off topic.
"Don't burn the cookies!" Were Artemis' last words before disappearing down the hall. M'gann saluted (something she had seen Robin do to Wally many times), even though Artemis couldn't see her. Silly humans. On Mars, it was common to prepare food that way. But, they didn't have cookies on Mars(such a sad fate), and she had to admit they didn't taste as good while burnt. And that Superboy wouldn't like them if they were.
She sighed, going back to stirring. M'gann expected Artemis and Zatanna to go on a date tonight, even if it was just something little, and if not Artemis would face the wrath of M'gann. But, oh, how she wished it would be as easy to play matchmaker with her and Superboy… It was like she didn't even exist…
Zatanna stares at the boxes(so many). She'd been pulling them out, the contents(her life) scattered all over the floor. She knows she shouldn't, but she stares. Stares at each and every one of them. Remembers, remembers all that time spent with her dad with no mother to go to and only cousins as her other family members(she barely even knew them). She knows she shouldn't, to just forget and move onto the future. Less tears will be cried that way.
But she doesn't want to forget, and that's the problem.
Knock knock. Two sharp raps hit the door hard. Zatanna sighed, still staring at the unpacked box in front of her. Robin had already checked on her countless times(well, to be generous, she stopped counting after three)in the entire time she had been in here(an hour? A day? she didn't even know-or care).
"I already told you I'm fine, Robin!" she called, trying to ignore how dead and hollow her voice sounded.
A pause. Maybe the little troll had already left. She smirked. But then she remember how it felt to be rejected, and how she shouldn't be happy about it. Her smirk fell off her face.
"Not Robin." A familiar, female voice said. Zatanna stared straight ahead in shock. Artemis. The blonde haired girl hadn't spoken to her since November 1st. Well, no, that isn't true, was it? Zatara-no, Dr. Fate-floated up, leaving her to collapse on her knees. She could feel the impact as her legs hit the ground, and the splash of mud accompanied by two pairs of footsteps as KF and two others sped up, but didn't react to it. She just stared, dead as her father(she'd never see him again, not ever, in a fate worse than death). She could feel a gloved, gadgetted hand on one shoulder-Robin-and a slender fingered, calloused hand on the other shoulder. Artemis.
"I'm coming in," Artemis announced, and Zatanna froze, even more than before(if that was possible). She was puffy-eyed, red faced from crying and her hair was an absolute mess. A spell could fix that in an instant, but her brain had just turned into mush and, even if she could remember the tediously practiced words, she doubted she'd be able to stutter them.
"You look like shit," Artemis' voice announced, much closer. Zatanna felt her face burn up in shame. She should've been over Artemis by now. Kissed her(yeah, that went over well), got rejected and Artemis never talked to her again-until now. Whatever friendship they had had before all this-ka BOOM, gone! Zatanna wished she could just rebuild it with the archer, but those pesky feelings kept on getting in the way. Stupid feelings.
As if noticing Zatanna's shame, Artemis sighed and kneeled next to the magician. Zatanna snuck a look through her mess of black hair. Artemis' long, long, long blonde hair was tied into it's usual ponytail, and the archer worse tank top and jeans. If even that took Zatanna's breath away, than their friendship was in serious trouble.
"Look, I might not be the best at feelings or whatever, but I know enough that I should've been there for you. And I'm sorry for that, I really am. Just, I've been thinking the past few days and…" Zatanna looked down at her hands. This was it, the bomb. She prepared to be destroyed. "...I was wondering if you wanted to go out tonight. Y'know, as another girl's night out."
Zatanna decided to just openly stare at her...what? Crush? Lover?..Girlfriend? (yes please yes please) Was this what she thought it was? The facts that Artemis' had just the tiniest of blushes on her fair skin(and a few other facts)indicated yes. Yes please, yes please!
Then Zatanna remembered she was supposed to respond. Oops. (to be fair, the distractedness usually only happened around Artemis) "Oh, yes! Yes please, that'd be nice."
Artemis smiled. "Great! That's, that's great. Um, need some help with those boxes?"
Zatanna shook her head. Those boxes indicated her old life, and she would like to focus on her New Life right now. That didn't mean she'd forget about her Old Life, but it also didn't mean she'd grieve forever. "No, they can wait. See you then?"
"Yeah, I have some training with GA. Just wanted to stop by. See you,"With that, Artemis left, leaving behind a cookie dough-y aroma(yeah, Artemis had been spending wayyyy too much time with M'gann).
The door clicked shut, and Zatanna allowed herself a small happy dance.
Yeah, I suck at 'girl talk'. But, hey, big step!