Chapter Text
The first time he saw her was during patrol. It was also the first time he saved her from a gunman, the first time he spoke to her, and the first time Batman allowed him to patrol Gotham alone for a few hours.
He was immensely grateful his mentor hadn’t come along.
When he swiftly took down the gunman and saved the blonde girl from danger, his heart soared for the first time. He could almost feel the lump in his throat as he gazed at her.
For the first time, he was hypnotized by her beauty. Her olive skin glowed, her pearl-gray eyes were soft and captivating, and her long, glistening hair flowed effortlessly in the wind.
"Thanks for saving me, Boy Wonder," she said with a wicked grin.
It took him a moment to respond. "No problem. Though I don’t think a girl like you should be walking around Gotham at this hour." Robin realized he was mesmerized by the sound of her laughter. God, this girl is so—
"Well, I don’t think a boy like you should be jumping around and saving people in Gotham at this hour either."
—perfect. She’s so perfect. Robin grinned up at her. "It’s a hero’s job to protect the citizens. And as a concerned hero, let me escort you home." He saw her roll her eyes and snort with laughter, but she obliged anyway.
And so, for the first time, he escorted a lady home.
.
It wasn’t until a week later that he saw her again—not as Robin, but as Richard "Dick" Grayson.
His week had been going well. Not that he’d been watching her every night during his solo patrol (though he totally had). It got even better when he heard that familiar, soft laughter echoing through the halls of Gotham Academy.
Dick whipped around, trying to pinpoint the source of the laughter, hoping it was the same girl he’d met (and watched) the week before. The same girl he couldn’t get out of his mind. The same girl who had distracted him so much during a mission two days prior that he’d nearly messed up.
"Dick! Dick!" He turned to face his best friend of three years, Barbara Gordon. But it was the person standing next to her that made him almost choke on his own saliva. No way. "This is Artemis Crock; she’s a new sophomore at the school."
Dick watched as Artemis extended her hand. He took it slowly, savoring the softness of her skin and the way it felt against his. "It’s nice to meet you. I’m Richard Grayson, but you can call me Dick."
"…That’s an unfortunate nickname, Dick," Artemis replied smoothly, smirking at him.
He smirked back. "So, Artemis, new around town?"
The blonde chuckled. "No. I’ve lived here my whole life. Actually, I’m here because of the Wayne Scholarship Program."
The Wayne Scholarship Program? No freaking way. Dick couldn’t believe his ears. He’d gone through every candidate in the program and hadn’t seen her profile. Not one. "Well, you must be whelmed by the high expectations here."
Artemis raised an eyebrow at Barbara. "I know; he’s destroying the English language." She turned back to Dick. "I’ll get you a dictionary. Read it; it might improve your vocabulary."
The next day, he received an English dictionary as a gift from her. He kept it in his room as a trophy, something to look at every day.
.
Over the next few months, he got to know her better.
Artemis was incredibly skilled at archery—so skilled, in fact, that she always hit the bullseye. Her talent quickly earned her a spot on the archery team.
She lived alone in an apartment in Gotham Heights. It took Dick a while to process that she lived by herself in Gotham. He shouldn’t have been so worried, but Gotham Heights, while not as bad as Crime Alley, still had its share of criminal activity.
He also learned that the reason she lived alone was because her mother had died in jail, her father had left when she was six, and her sister had abandoned her by the time she was seven.
"You’ve been living alone all these years?" Dick asked, his voice tinged with concern.
Artemis gave him a grim smile, her eyes glistening slightly. "My dad used to visit for my birthdays and Christmas, but only for a day. Eventually, he stopped coming altogether. Don’t worry, though; a relative from another city checks on me once a week."
Right then and there, all Dick wanted to do was give her a tight hug.
And he did.
The next day, he and Barbara visited her and kept her company until sundown. He also discovered that Artemis had been taking care of a young boy named Jason Todd. Jason’s parents had died when he was only five, and after Artemis found him in Crime Alley—well, more accurately, after he tried to mug her for bread—she took him in.
"It’s not that hard looking after Jason. He’s great company—like a little brother to me," Artemis explained, watching the boy do his homework in the other room. "But I do worry about him sometimes. His temper gets him into trouble."
At some point, Dick got to know Jason Todd, the eleven-year-old boy. It was clear that Jason was deeply grateful to Artemis for giving him a home, taking care of him, and providing him with a better education. All the boy wanted was to make her proud.
After nine months of knowing Artemis Crock, Dick felt like he knew everything about her. Her favorite color? Green. Her favorite food? Minced pork over rice. He could list everything about her if someone asked.
.
It was a month into summer vacation, and his best friend of three years, Roy Harper, wanted to meet up in Star City. It was their monthly ritual to have a "Guys’ Night Out." This time, Dick, Kaldur, and Wally were meeting Roy at the Star City Mall.
The trio found Roy in the middle of the food court, talking on the phone.
"—Babe, don’t worry about him. I made sure Ollie won’t teach him archery. Oh… well, you didn’t say anything about me teaching him. C’mon, the kid’s bound to learn anyway! Okay, fine. I’ll see you soon. Love you too." Roy ignored the looks from his friends.
"Dude, tonight is Guys’ Night Out!" Wally exclaimed dramatically, sitting across from Roy. Dick and Kaldur took the remaining seats.
Roy smirked at the speedster. "I thought today would be a good day to introduce my longtime girlfriend to you guys."
Kaldur smiled sincerely. "I’m looking forward to meeting her."
"Yeah, I’m feeling pretty whelmed right now," Dick replied with a wicked grin. The four of them chatted for another twenty minutes about Roy’s mysterious girlfriend. Dick had heard plenty of stories about her, even from Roy’s mentor and his mentor’s girlfriend.
So, he was pretty excited to meet—
"Roy! I’m sorry I made you and your friends wait. I tried talking Jason out of learning archery from Uncle Ollie."
"Don’t worry, babe. Hey, guys, meet my girlfriend, Artemis Crock."
—her. Dick’s world froze. No. This couldn’t be…
"That’s Wally West, Kaldur Corin, and Dick Grayson."
"Dick! I didn’t know you knew Roy!"
He flinched when he felt her body heat against his as she hugged him. When she pulled away, his world began to spin.
"How do you two know each other?" Kaldur asked curiously.
"We go to the same school in Gotham," Artemis explained.
"That’s pretty cool. So, how long have you and Roy been together?" Wally asked.
Roy hummed thoughtfully. "Roughly two years, right, babe?"
"Right."
Dick felt dizzy. Two years? Two years? And she hadn’t mentioned she was in a relationship? That she’d been dating his best friend for two years? At that moment, all he wanted was to disappear.
When his eyes finally focused on the scene before him, he wished they hadn’t.
As he watched Artemis kiss Roy passionately, his heart shattered.
Artemis Crock—his first love—was already taken.