Cause when I'm with him
I am thinking of you
Thinking of you
She clipped the back of the bra up again, shaking her head slightly. She slipped her straps back over her pale shoulders, the once scandalous material now something she despised. It was red, just like his hair. It was like flames when her hair fell next to it, reminding her once more of what she has lost. She could hear the sleeping man next to her breath. She slipped her discarded tank top over her head, grabbing her shoes in the processed and walked out the door.
Artemis Crock was now 23, living in a new apartment and dating a new man, one who wasn't Wally West. She swore off love and anything that was involved in it. Sure, she could kiss new men and she could use them for sex. But she didn't love them. She didn't love any of them, only Wally. He was her partner. He was her soulmate. There was no Artemis without him. It's been two years without him and each day, it gets harder on her. So she let other men touch her, love her, kiss her, anything they wanted really. She tried to erase him from her mind, to scrub it clean of any trace of Wally. But she couldn't. She had a taste of perfection and it slipped through her fingers.
The last thing Wally said was "I love you" to Artemis. Her heart was ripped out of her chest and displayed for the entire world to see. He was gone and she was left to pick up the pieces. She knew that he would want her to move on. But where could she go without him? She moved out of their old apartment, the sight of it just made her sick to her stomach. She lived on campus for a while, attending classes once more. But it was only a distraction. She couldn't focus on anything the teachers said. She couldn't focus on her friends whenever they spoke. She used missions as a distraction from life. She became Tigress, a ruthless hero who didn't play by the rules on most missions. She vented out her anger on the enemies, as a way to release everything she shoved down. Artemis tried to move on, but she could only go for second best at this point.
Whenever she met a new man, they all seemed to have similar characteristics to Wally. She would smile at them, the smile not actually reaching her eyes like they used to. She'd flirt with them, playing bashing them. But it was different. It was all fake. Everything she did was fake, but she pretended it to be him. She pretended that Wally was really there, laughing right back at her. She would kiss the different men, tasting Wally's lips on her own. She would pretend that Wally was the one touching her, hugging her in her sleep. But she knew it was all a lie and that he was really gone. People said it was unhealthy for her to be doing this to herself. But she didn't care. As long as she could pretend that Wally was there with her, she was okay.
The Team tried to search for him in the first few months. Dick launched another private mission, only using the original team to do so. Zantanna looked for spells while Miss Martian searched on different astral planes for him. Dick hired every scientist that could possibly know anything about different dimensions and traveling between them. Superboy kept an eye on Artemis most of the time, acting as her protector. But when they decided to call it all over, she self-destructed. Artemis stopped eating again; she stopped attending mission meetings and eventually just gave up being Tigress for a while. Miss Martian convinced her to begin again as a way to escape the pain. He was her drug, an everlasting heat source to her cold heart.
Artemis hated herself for what she was doing. She hated it so much but she couldn't stop. She needed someone to make her feel loved like he did, even if she didn't love them back. Miss M and Dick said that it was unhealthy for her to do this. But she didn't care anymore. She despised the thought of it all. People said that she needed to get over it, but they didn't understand. She found the engagement ring in one of his drawers one day. He was going to propose after the mission, she knew that. He promised to love her forever. He promised to see the world with her. He told her that they were endgame; they were going to be together till death. At least he got one thing right.
She didn't know how to react the first time Dick said that they might have found a way to return him. He had been working on different theories and one that caught his mind was the idea that Wally had bonded with Speedforce. Barry, Wally's uncle, suggested the idea to him while on a mission with Bruce. Dick began to research all he could on it and discovered what was true. Wally joined with Speedforce and would be able to return, with the correct procedure of course. When Dick told Artemis that Wally could return, she turned numb. The cup of coffee that was in her hands fell to the ground, smashing into multiple pieces. A knot formed in the pit of her stomach and her eyes watered over. After everything she's done without him, how could he forgive her? She was disgusted with herself. All the things she did were to get over him. But now, he was coming back to her and he was staying forever.
She told the man in the bed that she was leaving for good. That they weren't together anymore and that this would be the last time she ever saw him. Her suitcase was packed near the door, waiting for her to just pick it up and leave forever. She could feel Wally's arms now. Zantanna was returning back with him any moment and she promised to be there. She just needed to pack away her destructive life first. She picked up the suitcase, yanking the door open and stepping out into the morning sun. Her car was parked on the side of the road, just waiting for her. She was there in a matter of seconds, speeding towards the zeta tubes on the outside of town. She was going home.
The second she arrived back in the Cave, the energy had shifted. People were filled with happiness and joy, laughter and smiles. Even Dick was smiling again. She pushed past them all, hoping to find Wally. But Dick said that Zantanna hadn't come back yet and that they only had to wait. So she waited. She sat on the couch all night, waiting and waiting for them to return. The rest of the team all piled into their respected rooms for the night, saying that they would catch up with them in the morning. By the time Artemis fell asleep, the air was shifting again. She could faintly hear chanting in Zantanna's voice but she couldn't pinpoint the words exactly. A soft laugh rang in her ears and she knew deep in her heart that Wally West was back. She was in his arms in a matter of seconds, leading her out of the zeta tubes before anyone else was awake.
Artemis Crock woke up in the arms of Wallace West in their old apartment. There was a mattress set up on the floor with a few boxes scattered around them. Candles that might have been lit were melted away. She looked at the sleeping man beside her, his red hair spread out across his head. She smiled a real smile in the longest time. His eyes opened, a playful smirk spreading across his lips. He shook his head, squeezing her tighter against his chest. She got lost in his eyes, the bright green eyes that he loved so much.
"Hey Arty. Sorry it took so long to get back." His voice was rough, edgier now. He had little scruffs of a beard growing on his face and he was more muscular than she remember. But Artemis didn't care. She had her Wally back in her arms, forever this time.
"As long as you stay this time, I don't care how long it took." His fingers were sprayed across her hair, tangling together in the mess. He kissed her softly, rubbing small circles into her side.
"I'm here as long as you'll still have me, babe."
"The answer's yes Wally. It'll always be yes."
So obviously this is based off the ending of Endgame. I was very unhappy with the way they ended the series, killing off Wally and everything. But I guess they did foreshadow it in earlier episodes. Anyway, I wanted my Wally to come back to Arty so thus this was born. If you like it, then I greatly appreciate it. Thank you for reading this oneshot!
Oh, and I don't own Young Justice. If I did, Wally and Artemis would be married by now.