A/N:
Hey, guys! So, I'm new to fanfiction and other than the amazing fanfics I've read, I'm pretty starstruck at the intelligence of this site. They have a list of every character and pairing possible, as well as genres that truly get me. Angst. You can't get any better than that. It's like this site was made for perfection- and it is.
I recently got into Young Justice and found myself wanting more, so much more, than what it left off with. So, I read a handful of fanfics and liked them so much, I thought I'd try my hand at writing one of my own. I hope you like it, I write for the sake of improving so just shoot me if you find any problems with it. Thank you so much!
By the way, I planned to upload today because it's Wally's birthday! Happy Birthday, Wally. You will be remembered, and your legacy continues to live on forever.
15/3/14: I made a few grammar changes, nothing much :) I still love this so much, my first ever fic :')
Artemis Crock had been awake for twenty hours, and needless to say, she'd been exhausted when she'd arrived home at her apartment in Palo Alto.
"I'm home," she announced as she slammed the door shut behind her, before tossing her keys to the counter and collapsing onto the couch in a tired heap. She had stayed up most of the night, trying to cram for that stupid biology exam she'd forgotten about. Why did she ever think she could handle a double-major again? Oh yeah, Wally.
Somehow, he'd managed to convince her that she had been smart enough with that annoying yet charming smile on his face, the one she felt the urge to wipe off at this minute. And speaking of which, where was he?
Artemis straightened in her seat, her calculating eyes surveying the apartment around her though everything seemed normal.
As usual, Wally's book bag sat next to the couch where he always dumped it when he got home, and Artemis could see the Flash key ring of his keys on the floor not far away from where he'd dropped his bag. It all seemed ordinary, except his books were scattered from his bag and Artemis knew Wally would never throw his keys. He had a little hook on the wall for that; it was a thing the Wests did over at their place.
She frowned, standing up slowly and feeling the back of her neck prickle with the familiar sensation of dread as she glided towards the corridor.
Had something happened to the speedster? It couldn't be. They had taken a break from the Team and no one knew where, or who they were- Dick had said so; he'd made sure of it.
Unless it was someone who knew them personally, Artemis thought, and a certain wicked, cat-mask wearing assassin, and a bulking figure wearing a hockey mask came to mind. Her heart leapt to her throat and all she could see was Wally's fiery red hair being dragged out of a window- or worse still, a scenario that she'd rather not think about.
Panic surged through her veins and she forgot all about being silent as she slammed the bedroom door open, only to find it empty and she backed out with shaking hands. No, no, no. Wally. Wally!
Sprinting towards the bathroom, she flung the door open. Empty.
"Wally!" She called out, her voice a pitch higher as she ran to the only other place in their apartment she hadn't checked: the laundry room. She got there in seconds and tossed the door open, expecting to find it empty, and she'd been on her heels to spin back around and give Dick a call when a particular red-head greeted her.
"Hey, babe," he smiled at her, oblivious to the emotional turmoil she was feeling.
The air in her lungs expelled forcefully, leaving her deflated as she stood at the doorway, fists unclenching and clenching as she debated whether to beat him up or hug him. However, she could do neither as relief flooded her system, and involuntarily she collapsed onto the floor, taking in deep breaths as her vision swam.
"Woah, are you alright?" He towered over her, concern etched onto his face. His green eyes appraised her, taking in her messy hair and ashen face.
She stared at him, slowly drinking in his familiar features; the intense green eyes, the dust of freckles on his cheeks, and the amused quirk of his lips as he looked down at her. "It's nice to know I still have that effect on women," he quipped though his eyes were still shining with worry.
"I thought you-" She broke off when her voice cracked at the end. "Your stuff, and keys- I thought maybe Cheshire or even- God, Sportsmaster- I thought something happened. But you're here."
She stood up slowly, and with intensity she didn't know she possessed, she reached for him with shaky hands and pulled him into a tight embrace. "You're here."
Slowly, his arms circled around her waist snugly, and his chin rested on top of her head. "I'm here," he echoed, his voice calm and reassuring. "Besides," he said softly, "I can handle Cheshire by myself."
She breathed out a chuckle, feeling herself gradually relax in his warmth. "Not if she's intent on killing you," she mumbled into his chest.
"Is this about the argument we had last week? About how psychotic your sister is? Because if it is, this just proves it."
Artemis laughed, the sound light and carefree, and she felt Wally's shoulders shake as he chuckled along with her.
"She's my sister after all, I had to tell her what you thought of her."
"Only because you were mad and wanted her to seek retribution on me for accidentally locking you out last month. Regret it now, babe?"
"Never," she joked, and Wally smiled to himself, knowing he had just calmed his little spitfire down. He brushed his fingers through her hair and grinned when she snuggled into him.
The mess he'd made with his books and keys had been unintentional, and it all had to do with the box sitting behind him. He hadn't meant to drop all his stuff the moment he'd gotten home, but he had felt a wet patch growing underneath the box and had rushed to the laundry room in a hurry. The only thing he had planned, had been to hide from Artemis, but he hadn't accounted for her overly dark imagination and hadn't expected her to think he'd been in danger. He'd only done it because he had wanted it to be a surprise.
The thing inside the box was something he'd wanted to have since he was six, but hadn't been able to because of his mom's allergies. And now, he only needed Artemis to calm down so he could break the news and avoid getting his nose broken, or worse, a revengeful assassin sent after his ass.
When they finally broke apart, it was because the box behind Wally had made a noise and he grimaced when Artemis glanced at it. "Did you hear that?"
"Yeah, about that…" he started, but Artemis was already moving towards the cardboard box with holes punched through its walls.
"Is that what I think it is?" She asked, her eyes narrowing at him.
He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly and held his hands up in a surrendering motion, moving towards her. "It's only a small mouth to feed." He opened it and lifted out a little white puppy, before he touched its cute little nose onto Artemis'.
"Please, 'Mis." Can we keep him, please? Please, please?" He took the puppy back from her face and cradled the puppy into the crook of his inner arm as he widened his eyes imploringly at her.
She continued to look at him with narrowed eyes, but she couldn't deny that the little bundle in his arms was the cutest thing she'd ever seen- other than the face he was now pulling. "On two conditions," she finally said after a while, lifting up two fingers.
Wally grinned and pecked her cheek. "Anything."
She couldn't help the smile on her face as she took the puppy from Wally and cooed to it softly. "You're not to feed him anything weird like you did with your neighbour's cat-" Wally's grin fell and a light blush appeared on his cheeks.
"It kept meowing at me, so I thought a couple pieces of pie wouldn't hurt."
Artemis rolled her eyes and continued on. "-and I get to name him."
"What? No. I've already named him. He already has a name. No more takers."
She huffed and lifted the dog so that she was nose to nose with him again. "What's his name, then?" Her voice was gentle, and Wally knew he'd won this round.
"Brucely."
Her grey eyes widened and her golden hair flicked behind her as she whipped around to look at him. She shook her head infinitesimally. "Nuh uh. You're not naming our babyBruce Lee."
Wally's heart almost stopped at 'our baby' and he stared at her for a moment, before realising that he'd been staring at her for a moment too long. "Uh…" he cleared his throat. "Why not? Bruce Lee is the greatest martial arts master in our pop culture; I thought you'd be one to appreciate that. And it's not Bruce Lee. It's Brucely."
She narrowed her eyes at him, but averted her attention to the puppy again when it started licking her fingers. Artemis' heart melted at the sight and despite being a tad emotionally unstable from her panic attack earlier, she didn't have the heart to deny Wally his dream dog. Brucely or Bruce Lee.
"Brucely," she repeated softly, scratching behind its ears and it let out a small contented whine.
"Does that mean we're keeping it?" Wally's voice was hopeful.
She rolled her eyes. "Sure, Wall-man."
In a heartbeat, he engulfed her in a warm hug and whooped out a yes before snatching the puppy out of her arms and running- at a normal speed in case the puppy died of fright- towards the kitchen. "This calls for a celebration!" He yelled.
Artemis laughed and followed him. "No weird foods, Baywatch. Or I'll shoot you between the eyes before you can even stuff your first bite."
There was silence as Artemis made her way to the kitchen, and she'd only rounded the corner to the dining room when she heard the sound of the fridge door closing.
"Just a little piece of cake wouldn't hurt…" She heard Wally mumble and in a flash, she ran in the kitchen to slap it out of hands- only to find it empty and Brucely two metres away. When she looked up from his hands to his face, there was a mischievous spark in his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his lips to hers.
"You're a dog, Wally." She murmured as she glanced sidelong at Brucely, who was now curled up under a dining chair.
"Hush, not in front of the baby," he grinned against her lips.
Please tell me if you liked it and what you didn't, and if you want to read more random Spitfire moments, just PM me. Thanks again for taking the time to read this, I appreciate it!