HELLO! I obviously don't own Young Justice, Wally West or Artemis Crock. They're just an OTP of mine and I felt the need to write this. I'm a huge music freak so whenever I hear a song and think of my OTP, it automatically becomes a story in my head. I'm not the best writer so bear with me but I'm tired of requesting stories from actually good writers so I've decided to just make them myself. I'm open to criticism and comments if you have any and especially if you want to help out. I hope to do this frequently, because I'm constantly listening to my ipod and I'm constantly thinking of scenarios for these two. Let me know what you think please :D
Artemis awoke to the sound of a whimpering puppy. She glanced at the nightstand to check the time. It was 6:42AM. She looked down at the puppy, to assess the situation and realized he was covered in ketchup and mustard. "Digging through the garbage again, Nelson?" The young pup wagged his tail excitedly, probably recognizing the sound of his own name.
Before she got up to move, she felt Wally's arms tighten around her midsection. He was awake but not entirely. He groggily said, "5 more minutes, babe…" Artemis sighed and attempted to move his arm from her torso. "Wally, It's Sunday. You can go back to sleep. I'm going to check on the puppy." Still too tired to function, the sleepy speedster let her go and rolled over to the other side of the bed, pulling up the covers to his chin. Artemis took in his appearance and chuckled to herself before saying, "Goodnight Baywatch" and getting to her feet.
Artemis stepped out of their bedroom into their open concept kitchen/living room and stood in the doorway with her mouth hanging open. There was trash everywhere, food all over the floor, and the entire place reeked of fish. The remnants of Wally's infamous Fish Taco Saturday dinner were everywhere. Artemis was not happy, fully aware of the fact that she'd have to clean it up before Wally woke up. It was her idea to get the dog and although Wally was onboard, he was adamant about it being well behaved. Artemis knew he wouldn't take the dog back to the shelter, but she didn't want her two boys getting off on the wrong foot.
She looked down at the dog, now sniffing and circling her feet, with his tail between his legs. "You're lucky you're cute, bub." Artemis quickly cleaned the apartment, realizing that a majority of the work was just putting the trash back in the can and quickly mopping up the floor. Once she was done, she turned to the dog. He was still licking the mustard and ketchup off of his fur.
Artemis quickly picked the dog up and brought him to the bathroom. She couldn't help using her baby voice on Nelson. He was still just a puppy. "Someone needs a stern talking to and a long bath." She couldn't exactly place it but having this dog made her feel more maternal, which was probably why Wally was so quick to agree, always talking about marriage, and starting a family after finishing school. Artemis was more concerned about establishing themselves financially and focusing on her career.
She placed the dog in the tub and grabbed the new bottle of puppy shampoo from underneath the bathroom sink. She left the bathroom briefly to grab a towel and her ipod to put on some music. Artemis felt music made things bearable, whether it was working out or doing mundane chores. She placed the mp3 player in the dock on the shelf in the bathroom, and put it on shuffle.
As she turned the water on, the gentle guitar strumming of Kina Grannis resonated throughout the room. Acoustics and bathrooms just went well together. Artemis smiled to herself as she began to rinse the dog off and sing along to the lyrics.
Love, It's a special day.
We should celebrate and appreciate
That you and me found something pretty neat
And I know some say this day is arbitrary…
There weren't many reasons Wally would willingly get out of bed, but Artemis was one of them. He could hear her gently singing one of her favorite songs; Valentine by Kina Grannis. He could appreciate the softness and 'coffee house singer' vibe she exuded but it didn't compare to Artemis singing those words. Especially since he always forgot Valentine's Day. Wally was one of the luckiest guys in the world, to have a girlfriend who didn't mind if he forgot what day Valentine's Day was. He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, remaining quiet and straining to hear Artemis sing.
The dog in the tub was cute up until he started to splash and get water everywhere. His white coat was currently a yellowish pink. His wagging tail and over excited manner resulted in Artemis getting drenched. She was still in her pajamas and was grateful she hadn't tried to clean herself up for the day yet. The effort would have been futile. As the song continued to play, Artemis redirected her frustration and sang along.
But it's a good excuse, put our love to use
Baby, I know what to do,
Baby, I
I will love you, I'll love you, I'll love you.
Wally decided to get out of bed and start the day. It was only 10 to 8 but if Artemis was up, he knew he should get up too. Wearing only his pajama Flash Boxers, Wally entered the kitchen, thinking Artemis was preparing breakfast. The kitchen was spotless save for a piece of his leftover fish taco being in Nelson's bowl. He inspected the kitchen, discerning that 'check on the puppy' meant 'clean up a mess the puppy made before you get up'. He followed Artemis' voice to the bathroom down the hall and tiptoed over to the door, still listening to her sing.
Love, I don't need those things
I don't need no ring
I don't need anything
But you with me
Cus your company
I feel happy, oh so happy and complete.
Wally stood outside of the bathroom, fully aware of how amazing the girl inside actually was. The song was a favorite of Artemis' but the first time she played it for him was on their 2nd anniversary. He thought it was a mean joke about how he had forgotten Valentine's Day twice, consecutively, but the lyrics slowly brought him back to reality; it was a song about a beautiful girl who just wanted her guy to know she adored him.
But it's a good excuse, put our love to use
Baby, I know what to do,
Baby, I
I will love you, I'll love you, I'll love you.
The door of the bathroom was slightly ajar and Wally couldn't help but peer in. Artemis had insisted that Nelson, the puppy, was 'the one' when they went to the shelter. When Artemis picked him up and he licked her face, she was sold, and to be honest, so was Wally. The dog now stood up on his hind legs in the tub, covered in bubbly foam, while wagging his tail, splashing water everywhere. Artemis was soaked, but still singing and genuinely happy. She would scrunch up her face, smiling, and sing to Nelson, who continued to wag his tail. That dog had no idea how lucky he was to have Artemis as a mom.
So won't you be my honeybee?
Giving me kisses all the time
Be mine, be my Valentine
So won't you be my honeybee?
Giving sweet kisses all the time
Be mine, be my Valentine
Oh, oh, whoa,
Be my Valentine.
As the song ended, Wally made his presence known and pushed the door open. "I thought that was our song?" Artemis had just finished singing and jumped a little, surprised to see Wally up so early. "You scared me. And now it's all of our song" she said, while gesturing to all of them, in the bathroom. She sat in a puddle on the floor, looking up at Wally. Her hair was up in a high messy bun and her extra long red jersey was practically black with moisture. She got to her knees and began to rinse Nelson off. Wally smirked at her, "What happened with the dog?" Artemis continued to pour water down Nelson's back with a cup, removing the suds from his fur coat. "He woke me up and I thought I could give him a bath."
Wally crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, next to the door. "So he didn't make a huge mess in the kitchen this morning? And that wasn't a half eaten fish taco in his bowl?" Wally raised one eyebrow, challenging Artemis. She let out a defeated sigh. "I cleaned it up. Besides, he's still a baby. Look at the mush face!" She held the pooch's face in her hands and directed his gaze towards Wally. "He's sorry, Wally, see?" Wally looked down at the dog. Nelson looked as if he had a perpetual smile on his dopey face. Wally made his way towards Artemis and knelt down beside her and the dog. "You're lucky mommy loves you."
Just as Artemis turned off the faucet of the tub, Nelson began to shake the water off of his body violently. Artemis laughed as Wally tried to quickly get out of the way but slipped in a large pool of water by the foot of the tub. Artemis stifled a snort and quickly made her way to Wally who had yet to get up from his position. "You okay, Wall-man?" She crawled over to him, making little splash noises with every move.
She positioned herself over him. He got up onto his elbows, while rubbing the back of his head. He peered up at Artemis, who wore a huge grin. "That's karma. You're lucky I love you too." Wally smiled up at the blonde, nodding his head. "I am." The archer placed a gentle kiss on the speedster's cheek and got up from the floor. She was dripping wet, but focused her attention on the puppy in the tub. He wasn't big enough to get out of the tub by himself yet and whimpered when he saw he had his adoptive mother's attention again. She grabbed the towel from on top of the toilet and began to rub the puppy down.
As Artemis finished, she pulled Nelson out from the tub. She carried him out of the bathroom, stepping over Wally. "Who's a good boy?" she said while coddling the dog. Wally finally moved to get up and made his way to the kitchen. There he took in the image of Artemis bouncing Nelson in her arms. It was an image he couldn't wait to see later in life; he knew she would be a great mother. Her tough exterior was just that, an exterior, a protective casing. Very few people knew just how understanding and gentle Artemis actually was underneath it all.
She spun around, noticing Wally had finally made his way out of the bathroom. The puppy in her arms began to wriggle in her arms and then let out a yawn. "Aww, someone was up a bit to early, huh?" Artemis removed the dog from the towel and placed the puppy on the couch. Nelson quickly made himself comfortable and shut his eyes. Wally walked over to Artemis and embraced her from behind. She placed her arms around his and leaned back into his chest. Wally whispered into her ear, "He's going to be one of those dogs, isn't he. The kind that sleeps on the couch and on the bed and does whatever he wants." She giggled and covered her mouth. "Hey, I let you get away with a lot too don't I?" He chuckled into her ear and she let out a muffled laugh.
The puppy stirred for a minute but was not awoken. "I get it now, Wally. He's our practice baby." He tightened his grip around his spitfire as she laughed, and proceeded to carry her to the bathroom, bridal style. "We need to clean up this mess and shower because we smell like wet dog." Artemis didn't attempt to wiggle free from his grasp. "Fine, but we have to make it fast. I don't want to leave Nelson alone for too long." She smiled up at Wally and clasped her hands behind his neck. He wore a grin, wiggled his eyebrows, and quietly said "Fast? Have you forgotten who you're talking to?"
Hope you guys enjoyed it! :D