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The Watchtower post-battle was always a hectic place. People would be running everywhere, trying to find friends, family, lovers. Trying to tend to wounds, trying to celebrate whatever battle they had won against a colossal threat. And colossal threats tended to require a lot of people to defeat– hence the presence of the Outlaws.
When Cassie thought about the Outlaws, she thought about a rugged group of outcasts, toeing the line between good and bad. She thought them to be intimidating, at least, and downright scary at most. They were always more… distant from the rest of the hero community– and Cassie assumed they liked it that way. And being led by the infamous Red Hood, they probably spent their free time causing explosions or exclusively talking about weapons, allergic to anything that could be considered fun.
She hadn’t expected this.
Here was the thing: Cassie Sandsmark knew Artemis Grace. Artemis was her sister in battle– how could she not? Artemis was tough, ruthless and callous. That wasn’t to say that she was mean, though. Despite her seemingly hostile nature, Artemis meant well. She could be plenty nice (Cassie supposed that was why she had become a hero in the first place) if she wanted to be. That being said, Cassie had yet to see her supposed niceness yet.
Jason Todd, however, was another story. Cassie had once heard Tim say that Jason was an utter and complete nerd. Cassie didn’t believe it for one second– instead dismissing it as something Tim had made up to slander his brother. Jason Todd, the murdered Robin that had come back insane and with a vengeance. Whose kill streak was a mile-wide– and gruesome too. Like Artemis, he was standoffish and short-tempered, though she’d heard people say he was good with kids. Yeah. Like hell was she letting a kid within a mile of him with a reputation like that.
When Cassie had heard rumors that the two were together, she’d laughed. They were practically made for each other.
With infamy like that, Cassie thought it was okay to be a little nosy when the two had approached each other at the Watchtower. She didn’t know what she expected. Maybe for them to nod formally at each other and leave it at that. Maybe she expected them to not acknowledge each other at all, only sitting down beside each other coldly.
That’s not what happened. Instead, Jason took her hand gently and leant down to kiss it. “M’lady.”
Cassie’s brain short-circuited.
Artemis laughed (she laughed) and pulled the man into a tight embrace, pressing her lips to his head tenderly. Tenderly. “Jason Peter Todd, don’t you ever do that to me again.”
This time, it was Jason who grinned. Not all-teeth and fierce– but a genuine, mischievous grin that lit up his entire face. “What’d I do, Princess?” he asked smugly.
Princess. He called her Princess.
Artemis pulled away, slapping his arm playfully. “You scared me, that’s what you did you idiot.”
The fearsome Red Hood ducked his head bashfully, hiding his face in the Amazon’s shoulder. “Oh. Sorry, Artie.” Artemis pulled him closer and they stayed like that for a minute, simply existing in each other's embrace.
The silence was broken when Jason whispered something inaudible to her and Artemis giggled. Their conversation resumed– although they now talked of much more mundane things. Promises of cooking up a meal together, idle conversation about the latest book they were reading, bickering who had done the laundry last. The whole time, Jason’s hands made their way through Artemis's hair, taking down her ponytail and running his fingers through it before braiding it intricately. And Artemis just sat there, smiling like it was normal. It was just… so weird.
Jason and Artemis. Two of the most intimidating people she knew, and they turned out to be absolutely melty and sickly-sweet with each other. Huh.