Chapter 3

-[Evan]-

He woke up to the feeling of something licking his face. Groggily turning to the culprit, he glared at Ace who only continued pestering him.

"Go away. I want to sleep." He groaned, turning his face away but that option was taken away as the sound of someone knocking on his door was heard.

Realizing why Ace had been bothering him, he sighed, petting it as he accessed the camera that he'd disguised as the peephole.

He frowned in slight confusion, seeing Artemis standing there with a few books in her hand.

Getting to his feet, he cleared the table of his gadgets, hiding them in a box and putting that box in the closet which he then locked.

Tossing on a shirt, he idly switched the computer screens to display an online game as he made his way to the front door.

"Hey Evan, can you help me with-!" Artemis started speaking as he opened the door but her words froze as she saw the bandages on his face. "What happened?!"

"Some thugs jumped me when I took Ace for a walk last night." He lied smoothly.

Testing and calibration of the velocity belt was progressing but he wasn't there yet, meaning more bruises until he figured out a solution

Before he could explain further, she was already inspecting the bruises and prodding his body for any more of them.

"I'm not made of glass, you know." He said, stopping her probing hands as she gave him a dry look.

"Coming from the guy who spends all his time playing video games." She shot back as she quickly gathered the books she dropped, walking in as they settled in his room.

From her perspective, she was right but that was his fault. He had portrayed himself as a gaming nerd who had never so much as done a single pushup but it couldn't be farther from the truth.

It was true that he was a nerd but he wasn't an idiot. While developing his powers, he hadn't neglected his physical body like most tend to do.

The key to a sound mind was a healthy body and while he may not have abs of steel like Superman, he had abs all the same. His lean frame and clothes just hid his physique.

Ace barked before running towards Artemis, playfully nibbling at her feet.

"Traitor." Evan called out as he settled on the bed, causing Artemis to laugh as she began petting the dog.

"So, what brings you here this early in the morning?" He asked.

"It's three in the afternoon." She said with an exasperated look. "Honestly, how do you get anything done like this?"

"Because I'm awesome and there's not really much to do." He said as Artemis let Ace down to the floor and picked up a book that he recognized.

"I'm not doing your homework. At least not unless you're paying." He said immediately, causing her to groan.

"Come on! Please." She pleaded.

"How do you even have homework? It's summer?" He asked in confusion.

"Well because of a certain someone, everyone in my science class thinks I'm a genius." She said with a light glare at him.

He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Don't blame me. You wanted me to tutor you. You got a ninety four in that exam, you should be happy."

"Yeah, I was happy until they started giving me extra homework to 'challenge me'. Now I'm stuck with extra credit projects for the summer." She complained.

"And you're welcome." He said with an amused smile as he used his pillow to block the book that was aimed at him. "Hey, I'm injured here!"

-[Artemis]-

She often wondered a lot of things about the dark haired boy who was currently helping her.

She knew he didn't go to school but it never explained how he played video games all day and still ended up knowing more than the teachers in charge of their education in school.

Had she not known better, she would have thought he was one of those super geniuses who graduated early but he never actually went to school.

Out of respect for his privacy as well as knowing her own situation with her family, she didn't pry about his parents or his background before he moved here.

Apparently he got the money he used to take care of himself from winning video game tournaments, which she could actually believe with how much time he spent on his computer.

Her dad wasn't the nicest person…screw that, he was the worst. People in the apartment building mostly avoided her because of their fear of him.

Though she had friends in school, there was something different about having a friend live so close that you were basically neighbors.

Her dad was usually only around to brutally train her before leaving for another mission. Evan was a breath of fresh air for her with his casual and sometimes lazy nature.

That and the other fact that she would shamelessly admit, he was hot for a nerd. She had never seen him do anything relating to physical exercise that didn't go further than taking Ace on a walk but he looked fit.

She found herself distracted as his amber eyes stared at her questioningly.

"Are you even paying attention?" He asked in exasperation. The bed head that he was sporting after just recently waking up made him more appealing.

'Control yourself Artemis!' She told herself as she zoned back in. "Huh?"

Evan let out an exasperated sigh, slumping back on the bed. "You weren't even listening and I'm so hungry!" He complained, getting a scoff from her.

"Only you would think about food when you have a hot girl in your room." She said with no heat in her tone.

He gave her a dry look. "You mean the girl who can hand my ass to me if she's in a bad mood. I may not have been clear but I like living."

She giggled at that as Evan sat up straight. "I'm not that bad!"

"So, what are the options? Burger? Pizza? If we go now, there's a taco stand that sells the best tacos you'll find in Gotham." He said, getting off the bed and fishing out a jacket from his wardrobe.

"You go there at least twice a week!" Artemis exclaimed but that didn't deter him.

"That's how good they are. Are you coming?" He asked.

She really wanted to say yes but once again life reared its ugly head forward. "I can't. I have to go pick up my mom from the airport. She's moving back to Gotham to live here." She partially lied.

Her mother was just released after serving six years in prison and she was going to pick her up from the bus stop but she couldn't tell him that.

He caught the hesitation in her words but didn't call her out, another thing that made her feel terrible. He was too perceptive.

There were many times she knew he caught her lying when it came to her parents but he never called her out on it.

"Alright. There's always next time." He said, not mentioning it as usual.

She bit back the sigh that threatened to escape her lips. 'Yeah…next time.'