Mount Justice

August 23rd, 12:43

“This boyfriend and girlfriend thing doesn’t feel like more of a big deal than I thought it would be,” I said as I chopped an onion into cubes with speed, my knife a blur to the eye. “We’re just hanging out as always.”

Megan, who was busy cutting up the celery with considerably less speed, angled her body towards me, and stood on her tippy toes to deliver a kiss to my cheek that sent a surge of warmth through my body. “And kissing.”

I chuckled, trying my best to play the affection off even as my cheeks heated up. A blush on a pallor like mine would be all too obvious. Dammit. “Yeah. Hanging out and kissing. That’s all it boils down to, huh? I like that. No reason to make things more complicated than they already are.”

She continued cutting her celery, but took a step to the side, closer to me, so that we were touching. Right in my space.

I both loved this and felt strangely uncomfortable about it.

I finished up on my onions and took a step behind Megan to hug her from behind, burying my face in her red hair.

Still felt… slightly off-balance, but… it felt right, too.

Most things did when I was around Megan. Once she finished cutting up her celery stalks and carrots, she turned on the heat on a sauce pot and drizzled in some olive oil with a few shakes, all the while as I hugged her from behind.

Then she dumped in a tray of diced pancetta and stirred.

Megan giggled as I continued holding her everywhere she went in the kitchen, to grab spices from the rack, or procure the red wine that I had stashed deeply in the bowels of a cabinet. “You’re kind of getting in the way,” She giggled.

I hugged around her neck instead and started floating, “Don’t mind me, I’ll be like your cape.” She turned to me with a raised eyebrow and a wide smile. “All heroes need capes.”

Her eyes turned soft and dreamy, “I’ve never had such a handsome cape before.”

I craned my neck to reach her for a kiss, still floating almost horizontally, arms held around her neck.

My eyes darted open as I detected a potent source of magic approaching our location. Kaldur. I could now sense his skin-icons, meaning he was more than just a tiny bit of information almost indivisible from the sea of insignificance that my Six Eyes could pick up. He had a presence now that was difficult to ignore.

Everyone did, in fact. To varying degrees. The more magical or super powered you were, the more I could sense that presence.

I disentangled from Megan’s neck cutting off our kiss abruptly, much to her confusion, and instead looked into the pot of pancetta, now rendered and browning in its own fat. “Oh!” She said, remembering to add in the trio of veggies we had cut.

Kaldur turned the corner in the hallway and saw us. He grinned. “Smells good,” he said.

“Are you staying for lunch?” Megan looked over to him and asked with a bright smile.

“Thank you, Megan, that is kind of you,” Kaldur said, ever the polite guy, “But to tell the truth, I have been feeling a rather intense craving for seafood. I will take the Zeta Tube and find a place to eat.”

“You into sushi?” I asked him. “Here’s an idea: why don’t we go to Tokyo for lunch, and before that, you can ask Batman if I’m no longer grounded.”

Kaldur sighed, “You will be the first to know when you are not, Gojo. But clearly, there is work being done that requires you don’t leave the cave. Please understand.”

Dammit! “Man, that blows.”

“It won’t be forever,” Megan comforted, hand on my shoulder, “It’ll be over before you know it, I’m sure.”

I sighed. “Eh, whatever. Just getting a little antsy is all. It’s just—I can see so much more of the world. Magic everywhere.”

“I’ll leave you two… to it,” he grinned, as if he knew a secret or something—wait. Did he know Megan and I were dating?

Also, why was I trying to keep it a secret? What was that urge just now to make sure Kaldur thought I wasn’t closer to Megan than I actually was?

I had nothing to hide at all. I loved Megan.

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What are you gonna do about it? I heard Megan speak into my mind lasciviously.

“Alright, see ya,” I said to Kaldur, and he proceeded onwards towards the Zeta Tubes.

I felt Megan pout at me and looked up at her with a raised eyebrow.

“What?” I asked, taking the wooden ladle and stirring the pot to prevent overcooking. “Wait?” I cracked an incredulous grin, “You wanted me to kiss you in front of Kaldur or something? Is that your kink?”

Megan’s cheeks reddened. “No!” I just thought it would be nice to not have to tone ourselves down whenever you notice someone coming.

No, it’s just… I sighed, not really sure what it was. Then I remembered something—Wally.

Why are you thinking of Wally? Megan asked.

Ugh, I’m in trouble. Ah, screw it, I’ll just come out and say it—Wally has a huge crush on you. And I kinda… uh, recommended that he confess to you. Tried to give him advice, you know, to maybe make you like him as well.

She gaped at me in shock. Why would you do something like that?

Wally’s not a bad guy—

Did it occur to you that maybe I didn’t like Wally? Megan asked.

Yeah. That’s why I told him to confess to you and clear the air. That’s how we do it back home. If it’s a rejection, then no big deal, right? Both parties move on. Then he wouldn’t have to pine on you for too long.

But… why would you do that? She asked me, You like me, don’t you?

I sighed, Surely, you can feel the love I have for you. But you can also feel my hesitation.

She smiled helplessly, you don’t make any sense at all.

I shrugged. Pretty much, yeah. Then I grinned lecherously at her, But things are different now. I’ve changed. And I do want to show you how much I love you.

She looked at me flatly, Go mince the meat.

Ouch. I did as was told and started cutting up a fatty steak by hand, using two cleavers.

I feel like I wronged Wally, I thought idly, Might turn into a thing. Yikes. No wonder workplace romances are so frowned upon.

How did you wrong Wally? Megan asked.

I mean, I told him you’re all his if you’d take him.

All his? She frowned. I feel like a piece of meat being traded around. What about my wishes?

That’s why I said ‘if you’d take him’. Anyway, don’t worry about it so much. It happened quite a bit ago, Megan. Maybe it’s not the best idea to just dredge up things like that? I shrugged, Besides, I already made a promise to be better, didn’t I? To not hurt you. I’m sorry, M’gann, for my behavior.

I intensified my chopping until a fast-paced beat of metal on cutting board started ringing throughout the room.

I’ll talk to Wally, Megan decided. Not you. You don’t speak for me, and you don’t have the right to trade me around. I want you to know, Gojo, that I’m not happy with you right now.

Damn. She even used my clan name.

Let me make it up to you, I thought in a sing-song mental voice.

She grinned over her shoulder at me. How?

Damn, I wish I could read your mind—uh, we can watch that sitcom Friends together.

How many episodes?

Pain. Let’s watch ten. I’m sure I’ll start liking it at some point.

She giggled, It’s so much more fun that you don’t like it.

You’re a total sadist, you know that? I don’t hate freaky little kinksters like you.

Stop! Megan laughed.

000

The team meeting we ended up having in the afternoon was, unfortunately, once again without Artemis. That was really starting to make me worry, but the team consensus, reinforced by Kaldur’s opinion, was to not get too overbearing about the issue. Artemis would return or not in her own pace.

Once we finally split off, Megan went to talk to Wally, who grinned lasciviously at her. They went to the living room together to talk, and although I wasn’t close enough to hear, I did get a look of Wally’s expression cycling between sadness, anger, remorse, and finally depression. The talk must have taken twenty minutes, and once they finally separated, Wally gave her a sad smile and they hugged it out.

I looked away when Wally rounded the corner, stomping towards the Zeta Tube. He walked past me, not even acknowledging me.

“Wally,” I said.

He looked over at me with narrowed eyes, “What is it.”

I really didn’t know what to say except just… shrug, “Believe what you want, but I didn’t really do it on purpose,” I said flatly.

He glared at me, before his expression eased into neutrality, and he sighed. “I know man. It’s just how it goes. Don’t worry, I’ll move on.”

“I’d hope so—moving’s what you’re good at.”

“Hah,” he chuckled, almost mirthlessly, “Yeah, whatever. Gonna go now, eat a tub of ice cream maybe.”

He zipped into the Zeta Tube and it disappeared him away within seconds.

I warped next to Megan, who was sitting on the couch and watching TV, and hugged her. She giggled and wrapped a hand around my arm. Superboy was about to walk into the room, and I continued hugging her. Superboy ignored us completely—and he probably must have known about this for some time now.

Couldn’t deny the awkwardness, but I had to say—her warmth made all the difference in the world.