Young Justice: Beastboy's Initiation

S

SickLollipop

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Megan sighed heavily. Her mind was weary with the work she'd been doing. The small boy curled in her lap was finally asleep, however, so her efforts had paid off. She smiled faintly as she watched him. His chest softly lifted and lowered, and she brushed an auburn lock of hair off of his forehead. His cheeks were still tearstained, but at least he could sleep a dreamless night. Still, Megan could only do so much; she could not bear his burden for him.

She could hardly bear her own grief, she admitted to herself. A tear rolled down her cheek, a sensation she'd always thought was odd about the humans. Rage stirred in her chest, along with her mourning, and she left the room, closing the door softly behind her.

The boy was Garfield Logan, son of the woman Megan had emulated during her time here on earth. She'd idolized the character she'd portrayed in an old TV show, but the two had grown much closer then that. About a year before, Megan had transferred her blood to match Garfield's, saving his life and creating a bond between them. After having her plans spoiled by the Young Justice team, Queen B took out revenge by arranging an accident for Garfield's mother.

The poor child discovered the scene himself. Since then, he'd been scooped up by his superhero friends, and comforted, but that wasn't the only issue he brought. Megan didn't want to put him through it this soon, but Batman insisted that they do a few tests and studies on him the next morning. Not only had his pupils changed color to a deep green, but his skin pigment, hair texture, and other features had started to subtly change. Megan was sure it was her fault.

Her head hung low as she made her way into the lounge. A few of her teammates were scattered about, concerned with their own personal business. She looked around hopefully for Superboy, recently named Conner Kent, but her brooding crush was no where to be seen. She silently hovered into the kitchen. She could make a good quick dinner for the bunch, she thought to herself, and even prepare breakfast for Garfield in the morning. With that purpose in mind, the refrigerator door swung open, and various containers started floating out and around her. Her long, scarlet hair pulled itself back into a loose ponytail, and she hummed plaintively as she worked, her tongue poking from the corner of her mouth.
 
Wally West rounded the corner into the kitchen just as Megan began busying herself with the meal she was preparing, munching loudly on a mouthful of chips from the crumpled bag nestled into his crooked elbow. Walking between the young Martian and the open refrigerator, he barely managed to dodge a stream of items and containers that came careening past his head as they drifted through the air towards Megan, no doubt summoned by her telekinetic powers. Just as he was congratulating himself for his super-fast reflexes, a bottle of ketchup flew out from the top shelf of the refrigerator and collided with the side of the speedster's face.

Though not hard enough to hurt, the impact made Wally flinch and then grimace slightly as the bottle pushed against his cheek, the red-headed teenager feeling slightly embarrassed to have been caught off guard. He might have been the fastest kid in the world, but his short attention span had once again betrayed him. Still, Wally felt his sharp wits and excellent sense of humor more than made up for that minor flaw.

Chuckling to himself at how ridiculous the situation was and thankful that Artemis hadn't been there to see him looking like a fool, Wally reached up and grabbed the levitating ketchup bottle. He then walked over to where Megan was standing and placed it on the counter next to her, assuming she was going to need it for whatever she was cooking. Leaning against the counter, he popped another handful of chips into his mouth and spoke to Megan as he crunched them between his teeth, his words somewhat hard to make out.

"So, what're you making here, M?" Wally asked, always curious when it came to the subject of food. Reaching into his bag of chips once again, his hand fumbled around inside for a moment before he held the bag open, peering inside. A look of slight disappointment came to his face before he shrugged and turned the bag upside down, emptying the crumbled remains of its contents into his mouth as he opened it wide. Once the crumbs stopped pouring out, Wally licked his lips with relish and crushed the bag in his fist before tossing it into the trash can nearby.

Still feeling hungry, Wally decided he would stick around for a bit while Megan cooked. One benefit of his super-speed was that he had an extremely fast metabolism, meaning he would have more than enough room for a full meal by the time she was done. Knowing Megan, the food could be hit or miss, but Wally wasn't particularly picky. He stayed there standing next to her, watching as she compiled the ingredients, his eyes growing wider and wider as they began to come together to make what looked like it would be a great meal.
 
Conner Kent meanwhile, had hit the gym a while ago. A hand rose to wipe the sweat away just before the beads could hit his brows, as he had been taxing himself to the limit. It was a training routine he'd been following in the hopes of naturally building up some extra strength after he had quit Luthor's kryptonian shield patches and the influence they had taken on him. He could deal with not being able to use secondary kryptonian powers like heat vision or super speed that would have put him on equal terms to Wally, perhaps even faster. But perhaps the power he missed most of all was flight, the one ability that would have had everyone pegging him for Superman's partner. How the two could have flown together into danger side by side was but a dream now.

He grumbled slightly as he put the weights he held down, his entire body ready to keel over for about an hour. That is, if it wasn't for his hunger compelling him to get up and head out towards the exit. Now, it didn't take any kind of super-sense to see Megan was cooking something up. And from the way the smell of it seemed to drift towards his nostrils, he could tell this one was hopefully going to be an improvement of her growing skills as a chef. Taking a small towel, he walked out to the kitchen with the cloth all over his face, as he hopped onto the couch.

"Wally. Megan." He greeted, taking the television remote. "You guys been doing anything new lately?"
 
Megan hardly noticed Wally, considering he practically slept in the kitchen, but Conner's sudden presence caught her by surprise, sending her floating items in a dizzy circle. She tried to control the rapidly growing blush across her cheeks, and cleared her throat.

"Hi, Wally, Conner.. Nothing new, just trying to make something yummy for Garfield. He's had a long night, and I thought he'd like something to fill up his tummy." She casually glanced over her shoulder into the lounge, making out Conner's sinuous form laying across a couch. A towel hung around his shoulders, and the mouth-watering tang of his sweat was in the air. She licked her lips and stirred faster. She knew she should still be down, but just having Conner in the room made her heart beat faster and a smile tickle the corners of her mouth.

A blonde head peeked around the corner, with a half-cocked smile. Megan grinned back at her friend; it seemed that anytime she started cooking, all the Young Justice members came out of the woodwork. "Hi, Artemis, where have you been?"

The lanky girl emerged from the hallway, casting a friendly glare at Wally. "I was looking for my chips." She crossed her arms and jutted a hip out.
 
Wally was a little disappointed to hear that the meal was only going to be for Gar, but he supposed if anyone was in need of some comfort food right then, it would have to be Megan's "little brother." The kid had been through so much recently, first losing his only parent and now having no choice but to move into Mt. Justice with the Team. What's more, he seemed to be undergoing some kind of transformation as a result of Megan's blood transfusion that not even the best scientific minds in the Justice League could completely figure out.

It was certainly a lot for someone so young to have to deal with. Wally couldn't help but feel somewhat sorry for the orphaned boy, but then again none of them really had ordinary lives: Megan was an alien from another planet, while Conner was a clone created and raised in a lab. Even the Team members who didn't have superpowers came from strange backgrounds, Artemis having a family full of criminals and Robin ...well, who knew what the whole truth was behind his constant mystery act. Still, Wally guessed keeping secrets was to be expected from the protégé of a master crime-fighter like Batman.

He glanced over to where Garfield was sleeping on the couch. Megan had been taking care of him so far, but the rest of the Team had mostly kept their distance. None of them really shared the same connection that the two of them had, and Wally figured they all just thought it was best to give him space. Nevertheless, he thought maybe it wouldn't hurt to reach out to the boy once it became clear he was starting to get over his grief. Perhaps Wally would show him his collection of souvenirs from their missions someday when he was feeling better.

Wally heard Megan greet Artemis as she came into the kitchen and gulped when she mentioned her missing chips. In a blur of speed, he raced around Miss Martian and over to the garbage can, placing himself between it and Artemis in hopes of blocking her view.

"Oh hi there, Artemis," he said, chuckling nervously. "I-I, uh, don't think I've seen any chips around here." He flashed a smile at the female archer, trying to look as innocent as possible.
 
Artemis growled, her eyes narrowing at the grinning redhead, who was looking more and more like a target. She sighed heavily, and passed her palm across her face in an attempt for patience. She stepped around Megan, who seemed to be caught in a whirlwind of thoughts, and she laid a hand across her shoulders. This was a hard time for her friend, and Artemis wished she could offer more then the security of her friendship, but one can only do so much. "Well, if there's any leftovers after Gar's through, I am starving. Especially now that I'm out of snacks." She tossed another stare at Wally, raising an eyebrow.

Megan managed to smile back at Artemis, spatula in hand. "You know I always make enough for everyone, including you, Wally." She indicated the stack of potatoes, chicken breasts, and other vegetables being washed and dryed methodically. "All that's just for you, and here, so you don't die waiting." A quickly made turkey sandwich floated into Wally's grip.

Artemis had a sharp eye; she wasn't blind to Megan's secret glances at Conner as she looked over her shoulder. Frowning a bit, she took a few steps into the lounge, sitting near the brawny clone and propping her boots up on the table. With a trill of beeps, Sphere appeared at her side, stopping for a quick pet before moving on to each of the teens. She chuckled, and nudged Superboy. "You know, you have the coolest pets, dude. I think even Superman would get jealous; Krypto doesn't have anything on Wolf, for example." She smiled warmly at him, batting her almond eyes.
 
Conner rolled his eyes for a moment, stopping on a news channel, standard procedure if they couldn't find anything to watch. "Sphere's pretty great but I've met Krypto before. He's a good dog. Shoots heat vision and everything. I mean, it didn't save him from Wolf's tackle, but Krypto took it pretty well when they had a little match outside of Smallville."

Conner then leaned back a little, doing a little stretch and putting his arms on the top of the back of the couch as he began to ease his body some. The training still left his body a little sore, and he was ready for some serious rest. He eyed Artemis's movements, her feet on the table and what he referred to as 'the thing with the eyes.' But he never told her that out loud, it was what he told the others when they asked what was up with the Emerald Archer's protege.

"But the best part of my 'Vacation' last weekend? The Kents: Ma wouldn't let me leave until I had some of her apple pie-- I see why Superman likes apple pie so much now-- And Pa took me out fishing once. Really relaxing. I'm going to see if I can go there on weekends when Clark's busy."
 
Wally smiled sheepishly at Artemis' annoyance with him. Although he often irritated the fiery blond, he knew her jabs at him were all good natured and not to be taken too seriously. In fact things had been particularly good between them since last New Year's when the two had kissed at the stroke of midnight. It was the first time either of them admitted having feelings for each other, although they had both agreed it was something they wished had happened sooner. They had been particularly close ever since, although neither of them had come out and defined their relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend yet. It wasn't something that bothered Wally too much, though. He was more than willing to wait and take things slow so they could really grow into each other and be stronger as a couple.

Noticing the sandwich Megan had made for him, Wally reached out and grabbed it, stuffing it into his mouth and biting it roughly in half without wasting a second. Through the muffled sounds of contentment he made as he chewed the mouthful of food, he somehow managed to force out a barely intelligible "Thanks, Megan!" before pulling up a stool and taking a seat at the counter next to his fellow redhead.

Sphere rolled by and paused for a moment next to him, the alien machine's single ocular sensor flashing as it emitted a series of inquisitive beeps and tones. Not really sure what it wanted, Wally playfully extended the other half of his sandwich to the extraterrestrial orb. Sphere's light blinked at him a few more times before it turned and rolled away as if to dismiss the very idea of someone feeding a turkey sandwich to a mechanical alien ball as ridiculous. Wally thought about it for a second, then shrugged and concluded that was probably right. He quickly wolfed down the rest of the sandwich and sucked the tips of each of his fingers in turn, just in case there might be a few crumbs left there.

"That was great, Miss M. Can't wait for the rest!" He beamed brightly at the Martian girl, hoping his approval of her cooking might encourage more of it in the future.

Wally noticed Artemis walking over to Conner out of the corner of his eye and watched as she sat down next to the Boy of Steel. He couldn't deny that seeing them talking and being so close made him more than a little jealous. Maybe she was just trying to get back at him for eating her snacks, he thought, or maybe she was just being friendly. Then again, she had seemed pretty upset when she first found out about Megan and Conner being an item. Whatever the case, Wally decided he would just ignore it. It was true he sometimes felt insecure about his relationship with Artemis. With her living in Gotham and him living far away in Central City, the only time they really got to spend with other was either on missions or here at Mt. Justice. Still, they were all friends after all, and if they couldn't talk to one another without people getting jealous there was no way they would be able to function as a team.

Feeling better about the whole thing now that he had reassured himself everything was all right and a little surprised at himself for handling it so maturely, Wally watched Megan as she continued to cook. It was funny to think about now, but back when they had all first met he had actually had a crush on Megan. So much had changed since then, from Megan revealing her true form as a White Martian to them to her and Superboy becoming a couple. In the end he guessed it was just a sign of how far they all had come.

Wally looked on as she used her mind to masterfully manipulate all the items and ingredients as she cooked. It was truly amazing the things the young Martian was capable of. Come to think of it, she was probably the most powerful out of all of them. Wally was glad she had been able to escape the manipulations of Queen Bee and stand with the Team in the end, because it would be truly frightening to think about going up against her as a tool of the Light.

"Wow, Megan. Psychic, superhero, amazing cook. Is there nothing you can't do?" he asked jokingly, grinning playfully at his teammate.




(( OOC: Let me know if that was TL; DR and I'll try to keep my posts shorter in the future.))
 
Artemis was intrigued. It wasn't often Muscle Boy here would admit to soft memories, and fishing and apple pie was as classic as it got. She tilted her head. "You know, I think I would've loved to have seen that. Krypto and Wolf, battling it out. So who won?"

Megan had finally reached a break point in her work, and allowed the food to settle. She leaned over the counter, flashing Wally one of her sunny, innocent smiles. "You are such a flatterer, Wally. How do you deal with him, Artemis?" She pressed a hand against her mouth to stifle a laugh as Artemis tossed a couch pillow at Wally's head, quite accurately. "I don't," the saucy blonde added. "Its enough trying to keep myself sane!"

Artemis knew that the cushion couldn't have hurt him, but Wally's frown made her stomach drop a few inches. Realizing she may have went too far, she tried on a sheepish grin. "You know I really don't mean it, right?" Although her maddening crush made her wild with frustration sometimes, she realized she never really wanted to hurt his feelings like that. She'd keep her banter in check a little better from now on.

Megan joined them in the lounge, taking a seat on the arm of Conner's couch, and leaning into his shoulder. Nestling her head into the curve of his jaw, she smiled and inhaled his musky scent. I miss you, she said in a telepathic whisper to him, So did Gar. He finds your strength to be very reassuring. That was putting it lightly, Megan knew. Gar had worshiped Superman, Batman, Robin, and the rest of the League just like any young boy, and even though Conner was far from Superman, he was close enough.
 
"Krypto." Responded Conner, who watched Artemis throw the pillow. "Tacked Wolf through a cloud, but we caught him. Wolf's been grouchy about it for a while..."

The familiar touch of the martian girl was inviting, and it only felt even better with a soothing telepathic whisper, Conner allowing Megan to do more of them. In fact, it now felt like she was sliding a pillow under his head at bed as opposed to the unwanted intrusions he mistakingly saw them as when the two of them had first met some time after the cadmus escape. He was loving every moment, two star-crossed lovers. A test tube mutant hybrid and his perfect little martian. "I think the folks wouldn't mind if I brought you and Gar along, Meg--"

But the next part was what really shocked him. Sure, Gar must have thought his being like a younger Superman was pretty cool, and Conner did try to find some appreciation of that view the boy had of him, but to actually have just enough power to make another person-- A young boy feel safe, inspired him. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond, but quickly let off a small smile, his hand closest to Megan taking her cheek, and his lips meeting the side opposite.

"I never thought I'd make someone feel safe. I mean, S.T.A.R. Labs tests confirmed It was highly unlikely I'd be getting full kryptonian powers-- Even if I worked at it. But... It feels good. Like I'm actually being someone's hero."
 
Wally laughed as Artemis talked about how he made her crazy. It was true that he loved getting her riled up, but he could tell when they were just being playful and when he was genuinely getting on her nerves. It was all meant to be in good fun, but he had managed more than once to truly get on her bad side, and that was never a fun place to be. Artemis could get fiercely angry if provoked enough, and even though he continued to laugh, Wally knew it was best to back off and leave her alone before things went too far.

His laughter came to an abrupt end when a pillow struck him squarely in the face. Taking hold of it before it could fall, Wally grimaced slightly in Artemis' direction. Still, he supposed a pillow was better than an arrow or a crossbow bolt, and took that as a sign he should lay off the annoying boyfriend routine for a little while.

Walking over to the couch where Artemis and Conner were sitting, Wally climbed over the back of it and sat down next to his girlfriend, leaning back and placing the pillow she had thrown behind his head. "Yeah. Sorry, babe. You know I only do it 'cause you're so cute when you're angry," he said, grinning slyly as he glanced over at her.

Looking over to where Gar laid sleeping on another couch nearby, Wally chewed on his lip pensively as he contemplated the boy's fate. He turned back to the others and then asked, "So...what're we gonna do about the kid? Should we try to help him get adjusted to the place or just let him sleep it out?