Inspired by: Young Justice

Characters: Dick and Artemis (Traught)

Summary: When one hot basketball player dribbles into her life, Artemis doesn't know quite what to do with herself. Artemis' POV.

Note: This is a collab between asterush and myself. She did the cover art and animation. I wrote the drabble. Be sure to check the whole thing out at chipofmintchocolate . tumblr post / 27581514369 / a-nice-view-part-2

A Nice View: Part 2

From a young age, Artemis had a refined taste when it came to boys.

Tall and built were two indispensable features for her "perfect man." Blue-eyed and dark-haired just added icing to the beefcake.

So when her "white rabbit" Superboy flew over her head, through the wall of Gotham Academy's gym, and into her life, she felt instantly attracted to him.

Of course, the archer could delicately separate carnal desires from emotional attraction in her mind. When she ended up with Wally, she considered his looks (exactly the opposite of her dream boy's appearance) as proof to her that it wasn't pure lust between them. She believed what they had was something she could feel, something that was real and better than her previous flings and crushes.

Then this basketball player, who physically checked and double-checked every tab on her "perfect man" list, had to come along.

The other day as she was walking to class with friends, they had passed by a group of guys playing three-on-three. There had been nothing better to do in the ten minutes before U.S. History, so Artemis decided to stay with the girls and watch the game.

When mystery boy spread out his toned legs and crouched into position to catch a ball from his teammate, or when he soared through the air as he pitched a basket, arm muscles bunching and flexing, she could feel the lyrics of LMFAO's "Sexy and I Know It" reverberating in her mind.

Ahhh, girl, look at that body… Ahhh, girl, look at that body…

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" she muttered to herself as for the fifth time that day, the image of that hot guy's ass popped into her head with its theme music in the background.

In the moment, just watching him move had been a pleasure, but in the aftermath, her less-than-pure thoughts left a bad taste in her mouth. She didn't know why (because it wasn't like she could cheat on Wally with her EYES, right?), but since she already had a boyfriend, she was feeling undeniably guilty.

"Artemis, you're talking to yourself again," Bette said with a roll of her eyes.

Her friends had long grown used to Artemis' quirks, which included an inbred paranoia, a tendency to hoard food (always saving snacks or half of her lunch for later), and reflexes so sharp they were borderline inhuman.

"Oh. Sorry," she mumbled self-consciously, adjusting her schoolbooks in her arms.

Think of something else. Think of...grilled cheese. Think of the carrot top you FELL IN LOVE WITH, god dammit...

Maybe that would force the imagery out of her head before she had to face Wally and explain why she was acting guilty and evasive.

Bette parted ways to head to her English AP class while Artemis veered in the opposite direction, passing through the junior class halls on her way to Spanish. She was so distracted by not thinking of that guy, not letting the shape of his…glutes…cross her mind, that she failed to notice when someone came up behind her, colliding into her as they passed.

Clipped from behind, Artemis tripped on a flat surface and fell forward to her hands and knees. Her books, pens, and papers went flying in all directions.

"Shoot!" she hissed, trying to shuffle the mess back together.

At the noise, the student who had so carelessly bumped into her stopped, and then turned around, but Artemis didn't notice.

At this rate, she was going to be late to class again! Señor Castillo was going to kill her! With pencils sticking out at odd angles and all her schoolwork in a disheveled pile, she hastily stood up to sprint to class, only to find herself toe-to-toe with Mr. Hot Ass himself.

Oh. My. God. She felt weak at the ankles. This was so not happening to her.

His ears stuck out from his dark hair slightly (she could imagine him as a kid who had to grow into his ears), and his irises were such an intense hue of blue, it was almost unreal.

Yep. She swallowed slowly. This junior was the physical definition of her perfect man, and she didn't even know his name.

"I think you forgot something."

His interjection pulled her out of her daze, and she blinked stupidly as his eyes focused on a spot on the floor.

"Oh," she said, but before she could move to grab the stray pen, he beat her to it.

He bent over to reach for it, and the blood drained from Artemis' face. The fabric of his pants stretched taught over his butt as he leaned over. No one had business looking so good in school-issued trousers.

Artemis licked her chapped lips. Day-um that ass was fine. There was no denying it.

"Sorry for bumping into you back there," he said, handing the blue ballpoint to the speechless senior. "We don't know each other from anywhere…do we?"

"I-I don't think so."

It frustrated her, but the confident persona she took on as Artemis, the crime fighting archer, abandoned her at school. At Gotham Academy, she was Artemis Crock, the transfer, the quiet but tough-girl type. Problems had to be solved socially and academically, when she naturally preferred solutions involving arrows and fists. Neither of which would do her any good after running into Mr. Hot Ass on her way to Spanish.

"Well, since we're already late to class…" Artemis chanced a glance at the digital hallway clock and groaned. "Might as well introduce ourselves. Dick Grayson."

He extended his hand to her, and Artemis hesitantly took it (she never did anything hesitantly. Something was obviously wrong).

"Artemis. Artemis Crock."

"Nice to meet you, Artemis."

Why did her name sound so nice when he said it?

His blue eyes twinkled and crinkled, and a dimple formed on the left side of his cheek. Artemis felt like she was going to die.

You have a boyfriend. His name is Wally. Wally Wally Wally Wally….

"A little late to make introductions, considering I'm graduating in a few months," she said with an almost sad smile.

"Naw, it's never too late."

Grinning, he stuck his hands in his pockets and strolled past her, taking one hand out to wave back to her as he went.

"See you around."

"Yeah. See you."

For a second, she squelched the urge to take one last nice look at him, but then she decided, I'm going to girlfriend hell for this anyways, so she appreciated her eye candy as he disappeared down the hall.

And then she lit off for Spanish like her grades depended on it (which they probably did).

Little did she know Mr. Mystery Man was her teammate Robin, who was currently hiding behind some lockers and watching her go with the goofiest grin on his face.

Mission "Troll Artemis with Butt" (TAWB) Phase 2 = Success

Later after school...

Guess what song was playing when Artemis arrived at the department store where she worked?

"I'm sexy, and I know it…"

"Arg!"