A/N: My first one-shot, but I couldn't resist because literally every time I hear this song Artemis and Wally pop in to my head. For some reason this song just defines their relationship for me. For anyone who hasn't heard the song, its called 'Young Blood' and its by The Naked and Famous. You've definitely heard it before its just one of those songs that you don't really hear the lyrics and just listen to the tune of it.
BEWARE: major fluffiness ahead. You've been warned.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. I almost did but it didn't work out.
Young Blood
By JustJanelle
We're all young and naïve still,
We require certain skill,
The motive changes like the wind,
Hard to control when it begins.
Artemis was surprised when Wally kissed her.
They had been fighting, which didn't surprise her, but when he launched himself forward, cutting her off mid-rant and practically sucking the words from her lips she found herself utterly startled.
She was stiff in his embrace for a moment, a moment in which Wally managed to take advantage of the situation and greedily slip his tongue in to her already open mouth.
Greedy little bastard, Artemis thought wryly as she did something that she had wanted to do since she had first laid eyes on this boy, months ago. She ran both hands through his thick, fluffy red hair and used her grip as leverage to pull herself a little higher, to bring their mouths a little closer.
It felt like they remained that way for an eternity. Their minds reeling. Their breath intermingling. Their hands pulling themselves closer and closer.
"Jeesh, get a room," Robin's voice echoed from the doorway and Artemis and Wally sprung apart.
For a moment they had forgotten that they were in the kitchen. Hell, they had forgotten that they weren't the only two people in the entire world, let alone the cave.
Neither of them acknowledged Robin, instead they stared at each other. Their cheeks still a little flushed. Their hair mussed. Their lips swollen.
Then Wally smiled smugly and sat back down to the homework he had been attempting to finish before Artemis had stormed in, demanding why half of her arrows had been used to pin her backpack to the ceiling of the training room.
After a moment Wally looked back up at her, "Well?"
She sighed, pushed her hair back in to place and sat beside him at the counter. All the while reminding herself that this was bound to happen sooner or later.
The bittersweet between my teeth,
Trying to find the in-between,
Fall back in love eventually,
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
"You were staring at her ass, Wally."
"Like hell," Wally protested, "I was staring at your ass."
Artemis crossed her arms over her, "Oh, like that makes it any better."
"It should."
"Well it doesn't."
"Well fine."
"Fine."
"Fine." Wally snapped, crossing his arms before he sped off in to the night.
He was gone before Artemis could blink, before she could even utter the word that was tumbling out of her lips, "Wait."
Instead she stared at the space where he had been for half a second before spinning on her heels and walking herself home.
It was late and quiet and Artemis wasn't used to so much silence in Gotham but she wasn't complaining. She had only made it three blocks before she heard the gun shots.
Typical, She thought morosely. This was Gotham after all, but before she had time to react or even to pull her crossbow from her purse two strong arms engulfed her from behind.
She pulled her elbow back, shoving it in to her assailants stomach with enough force that his arms flew away from her. She was facing him when he pulled himself to his feet. His dark red hair reflecting off the streetlights only feet away.
"Wally?" she whispered.
"Jeez, Artemis," he said, holding his stomach playfully. She knew that a blow like that couldn't have really hurt him. "Is that how you greet your boyfriend?"
She dropped her arms and turned to walk away but he grabbed her again and this time she didn't fight back.
"I heard the gun shots. Got scared," he said softly. His breath tickling her neck as she sighed, bringing her hands up in order to hold Wally's arms against herself, "I'm sorry."
"Me too."
Can't help myself but count the flaws,
Claw my way out through these walls,
One temporary escape,
Feel it start to permeate.
"Robin said this would help us get along better."
"Really, Wally? You're taking relationship advice from a thirteen year old?" Artemis guffawed, crossing her arms firmly against her chest.
They sat in the living room of the cave, on the couch, facing each other.
"See? This is what I'm talking about. The constant criticism," Wally said, writing something down on a piece of paper.
"You are not writing this down," Artemis protested, reaching for the paper, but Wally was faster of course.
"Nuh-uh," he said, shielding his scribbling from her view, "You don't get to see until the end. Here-" he handed her a paper and a pen, "You do your own."
Artemis stared down at the blank page, silently startled.
"Sooo, what am I supposed to write?" she asked.
"Whatever annoys you about me. Although to be fair make it ten things. After all if we just went on forever my list would be way longer than yours," Wally said without tearing his eyes from his paper.
Artemis nodded but Wally didn't notice.
Ten things, she thought wearily, This shouldn't be too hard.
A half an hour later Wally and Artemis swapped papers.
"The way I eat? Really? How does that annoy you?" Wally demanded.
"Easy, you never stop talking even with your mouth full," she shivered, "Hey, my secrets? What is that supposed to mean?"
Wally rolled his eyes, "Please, that is self-explanatory. You hide everything! I've never even met your parents."
Artemis stiffened, "So, I've never met your parents."
Wally rounded on her, "The guy is supposed to meet the girl's parents first. That's the way it works."
"Oh, really, where is that written-"
"Hey, what's this?" Wally asked, flipping the page, "You already wrote ten things you hate. What are these?"
Artemis could feel her cheeks turning red so she focused her eyes on the TV screen, which was broken. The No Signal alert was flashing in the upper right hand corner, managing to hold her eyes away from Wally's face as she explained.
"You told me to write ten things that I hate about you. So, I thought it was only fair to write ten things that I like, too."
Wally glanced down the list, a smile slowly forming on his lips. Not that Artemis cared. She sat as nonchalantly as she could manage until her boyfriend surprised her by pulling her in to his lap.
Their lists fell to the floor and Artemis gave an uncharacteristic squeak as she found herself moved on top of Wally at super-speed.
When his lips met hers she was reminded of the number one thing that she loved about Wally: The way he forgave her.
We lie beneath the stars at night,
Our hands gripping each other tight,
You keep my secrets hope to die,
Promises, swear them to the sky.
"My father is Sportsmaster," she whispered.
She couldn't see Wally's face beside hers. They were outside, somewhere in Kansas maybe. Artemis couldn't be sure because she had asked Wally to take them somewhere private and before she knew what was happening they were lying on a hill under a blanket of stars and the night was dark but beautiful.
They had been lying next to each other but the moment the words left her lips Wally was gone. His hand left hers and she knew that he had left her for good.
For a brief moment she wondered if it was a bad idea telling Wally before the rest of the team. She had wanted to tell him first so that he would know how much he meant to her. How much she trusted him.
She went to stand and her legs wobbled, but if it was from the pain in her heart or her sore muscles she couldn't tell.
Before she could take a single step forward there was wind in her hair and a boy in her arms and he was tucking a flower in to her braid and telling her that it was okay and for the first time since Artemis was a little girl she cried.
As it withers,
Brittle it shakes,
Can you whisper,
As it crumbles and breaks,
As you shiver,
Count up all your mistakes,
Pair of forgivers,
Let go before its too late,
Can you whisper,
Can you whisper,
Can you whisper,
Can you whisper.
"Let me go, Wally."
Wally shook his head and if his cowl wasn't covering his face Artemis would have sworn that he was crying.
"No, Artemis, don't-"
He never finished his sentence before Sportsmaster yanked her to her feet and away from him. Wally struggled against the goons that held him and the rest of the defenseless team to the ground but it was no use. They'd been trapped out there for forty-eight hours and all of them were tired, hungry and useless.
Artemis had one arrow left, rolling around in her quiver as if it were taunting her because she had lost her bow hours ago.
"I'm so glad that you've decided to come home, sweetie," her father whispered in her ear, "It was very unwise of you to sacrifice yourself for your team but that masochism can be beaten out of you with a little more training."
Artemis averted her eyes from the team as her father's goons released them and shoved them through the doors to freedom. She tried desperately to block out the sounds of them calling her name as Sportsmaster carried her on to the helicopter.
There was an explosion and suddenly Artemis' head snapped forward. Her forehead banged in to the chair in front of her and blood began to fall in to her eyes.
She barely had time to register that the League had found them and broken in to the warehouse, that they were safe, before Sportsmaster pressed the blade of her last arrow to her neck and stepped out of the demolished helicopter, one whole side of which had been blown off.
Artemis' vision blurred as she shook her head weakly. The League couldn't let him go for her. No way in hell. But her protests only forced the blade deeper in to her skin and soon blood was dripping down the front of her uniform.
"Artemis!" a voice screamed and Artemis' just barely had time to recognize that it was Wally's before her father released her, sunk the arrow in to her back and then disappeared in a puff of smoke that would have been comical if Artemis wasn't sinking to the floor.
Wally caught her and his eyes were tinged with red and his hair was dirty and his lips were chapped but she thought that he was beautiful and she regretted every single damn time she had picked a fight with this beautiful, beautiful boy.
She managed a weak smile before fading in to the din of her painful thoughts.
A day later Artemis woke up in the Watchtower.
Wally sat beside her bed. His head resting on her hand.
She smiled and then feebly slapped him.
He shot up, his eyes widening before he pulled her in to a hug.
Years later Artemis would still swear that he had cried, which Wally would adamantly deny, which would start a fight to rival the likes of World War II and would end in a passionate kiss that neither Artemis or Wally ever regretted.
Fall back in love eventually,
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I warned you it was fluffy.
PLEASE REVIEW! XD