-She was never The Stag, but she could still be the goddess of the hunt-

"Artemis, can you come with me, please?"

Wobbly kneed, she followed the woman, glancing around anxiously.  She didn't know if she was in trouble, or what was going on. She followed Black canary, her heart rate spiking to see Green Arrow waiting around the corner. She must be in trouble.

"Can I help you?"

"Just wait out here with green arrow, okay? I'll be right back." Black Canary said seriously. Why were they so quiet? Did something happen? Oh god was it mom? Did something happen to her? the family had so many enemies... maybe Jade was killed, she hadn't heard from her in months...

"What's going on?" She asked Oliver, sitting on the edge of an uncomfortable waiting room chair.

"Don't be scared, kiddo."

"I'm not." She lied "I just want to know."

"You'll know soon enough." He tussled her hair, teasingly. "Don't worry."

"I'm not!" She ran her fingers through her hair. She wasn't wearing her wig right now, so it wasn't as long as it was on missions and public appearances. Someday her hair would be that long, but it would take a long time. 

Black Canary reentered, a few leaflets of paper in hand. She sat across from them. "Artemis."

"Yeah?"

"How are you feeling right now?"

"O-- I'm okay."

"Good, Good." She shuffled the papers, excitedly. "Are you keeping up the coping mechanisms we discussed?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. Artemis, We brought you here to let you know that you've been moved up the waitlist. We've scheduled you a consultation for about two weeks from here."

Her heart skipped several beats. A consultation. A consultation for an evaluation for a perscription for estrogen.

She was going to get estrogen maybe. Which meant she wasn't definately not going to get estrogen. 

"Congratulations" Oliver squeezed her shoulder encouragingly. "It took a lot longer than it should have, but there you go!"

"Thank you." She said, shakily, a bit confused as to what to say. Her voice was going to go high again, and then she would be able to give a real reaction.

"Hey, kid, let's go get ice cream? To celebrate?"

She nodded, tugging her hair a little. It was gonna be sooo long and she was gonna have a pretty high voice and she'd be feminine and everyone would see her and treat her just as she wanted them to!

This, this was the start of something good!

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Roy grumbled, picking up. "Hello?"

"Roy."

He hastened to hang up, not  interested in Oliver calling him. He wasn't the sidekick, if Oliver needed help, he could ask his new kiddie assistant. 

The phone rang again, and he tried to ignore it. After a few calls, he gave in, picking up. "What?" He snapped.

"Roy, I need you to--"

"Artemis! She's you're sidekick, remember?"

"Artemis needs to go home, I need someone to help cover."

"oh no is it past her bedtime?" He rolled his eyes. "Maybe think that through first."

"Roy, this is serious." The redhead raised his eyebrows. That tone was rare. He was supposed to be the one shutting down Ollie's bullshit. "Okay, Artemis is hurt and needs help getting back to the house."

Roy sighed. "You do it."

"I can't! Roy please? She needs it!"

He sighed. Oliver owed him. "Fine. Send me the locations."

Roy didn't like Artemis. He'd met her once and found her Pretentious, stubborn, and irritating. Compounding his annoyance, neither she nor Ollie would tell him her real name. HE was the hero here, Ollie and him should be keeping secrets from her! Not the other way around!

Moodily, he took the car out, sliding into the front seat. At least he got to drive the car for once! God, Oliver never let him have any fun. Plugging coordinates into the gps, he set off at a barely-more-than-legal speed. 

A choke came from the back seat. 

"H-- H-- He kept calling me--e son." Roy didn't acknowledge her words, inching out in an intersection. "I still look-- he recognized me. I still look like him..." Roy glanced in the rear view as she babbled, covered in drool and  tears and snot. Her voice cracked and choked and was so much lower than he'd heard before. "I'm still his--" She gasped for air. "Imstillhisson."

"What?"

"I'm, I'm still-- Dad knows itsme he didn't evenknowI wasagirl" She practically screamed in between gasps for air, cowering against the seat.

"Slow down! jesus." He leaned on the gas, removing his hand to have a swig of water. "Are you talking about your dad? What?"

"He was th-- he-- he didn't know I'm a girl he thinks I'm a boy."

He frowned. "You're talking crazy. why is your dad calling you a boy?"

and then Roy stomped on the breaks as it hit him. Artemis was thrown forwards onto the floor of the car. She was Trans. He'd written it off as her athleticism form the flat-ish body, the wig or extensions as a disguise... He thought the lack of spandex and preference for cargo pants as her just trying to be different from the other woman crimefighters.

Now that he thought about it... Oliver had always jumped in to stop any teasing of her femininity, always bringing her home any girly thing that made him think of her.

Weirdly, Roy was relieved that this meant Oliver wasn't favoring her, he was just awkward.

There were several long, aggressive honks from behind them. Jumping back into reality, he took his foot off the break and pulled off. He didn't know what to do now. His mind was racing.

Knowing that Artemis was a trans girl put an entirely new filter on what he hated about her. He was always on about how obnoxious and raspy her voice was, but lot of the annoying things about her were not right put into words. They were ingrained things to him that seemed like normal things to hate, but weren't really one thing...

and weren't really something she did.

He pulled over to idle at the side of the road. Artemis was still on the floor, occasionally emitting sniffles.

Okay.  What was he supposed to do now?  He would never have let himself be transphobic about her if he knew she was trans.  Logically, it was the culturally ingrained hatered towards transwomen and any woman who looked too man-like, but that didn't make him any less uncomfortable with leaving her crying on the floor of the backseat.

He could hate her without being transphobic right? He wanted to smack himself for thinking it at this moment. he could explore his hate for her when it was more justified. right now he looked like the asshole.

He needed to make the ground a little evener so he could hate her without punching down. 

"you... want anything from McDonalds?" He asked, spotting the golden arches accross the street.

"what?"

"I don't know. but I have Ollie's card and his car so I thought-- I want to burn a little cash"

She sat up on her knees, apparently realizing the car was still. "Why?"

He didn't know? Why couldn't she just take the damn olive branch! "Uh-- Revenge" he said, not even sure what that meant. "Look, do you want fries or something? It's his card, just yes or no!"

"Okay." She hiccupped, sliding back up onto the backseat.

"No-- I mean-- come up here so you can see the menu." He said, pulling a U turn and sliding into the Drive in.

The girl struggled to keep her balance, crawling over the cupholder and falling into the passenger seat.

Roy wasn't hungry, but ordered himself some food to encourage her to do the same. He ordered and pulled up to the next counter to pay-- on his card. Yeah... Oliver didn't trust him with his visa card.

He pulled into a parking spot and parking. He flipped on the heating, and tore into a bag of fries. He passed Artemis her nuggets, watching as she defensively pushed herself against the door. "Thanks..." Eyes wide like a deer in the headlights, locked on him, she raised a nugget to her mouth and hurriedly tore in. Once one was down, she was able to look away and shove food into her mouth.

Roy looked away, uncomfortable. "Don't you eat?" He muttered. She let out a little whimper and pushed food in his mouth. The redhead regretted saying anything. 

"We're not supposed to eat in the Tesla." He said, changing the topic.

She paused for a second, reached up to the dashboard, and flicked over a full carton of sweet and sour sauce. She gave a mischievous smirk.

"You little shit." 

She smiled wider under her tear stained cheeks. "You're the adult, remember? You're not the kid, you're the one who bought food on his card, in the tesla."

"Oh, fuck you." He scoffed, taking her big mac in punishment. 

She laughed, drying her face. "You're the one in trouble!"

"How about you keep your mouth shut or I'll take you down with me." He tossed a fistful of ketchup packets at her. 

"No you won't! Ollie likes me."

"Please! I was the first. I was here before you, and I'll be here long after you're gone." Roy scoffed. She muttered something into her pepsi straw, smiling. 

He was right: She was still annoying.