AN: Well, here it is! I know I promised this a while ago, but many things have eaten away at my free time lately. I'm not ready to let go of the Who We Are 'Verse though so this will be a one-shot dump for scenes I had to cut or things you guys wanted to know more about. Seriously, this is for you guys. As a thank you and an apology for making you wait so long for the end of WWA this sucker will be mostly driven by you lovely people. Send me a topic, a word, an idea, whatever; anything you want to know more about in this 'Verse or that you wish I explored. Two notes: 1) I don't write smut (it's not really my forte) and 2) I don't write slash, unless it's supported by canon. Thank you all for sticking it out with me through WWA; you've been fantastic!
Disclaimer: Despite my best efforts, I still do not own Young Justice. We'd have a season three by now if we did and Wally most definitely would not be gone!
Summary: This is the first time Wally and Artemis officially meet Red Arrow when they're "off the clock". It takes place just after they've left the team. I wanted to add it for a more lighthearted break before things got heavy, but I thought it would give too much away.
Wally and Artemis had been on the run, so to speak, for the past six days. They didn't think the League had sent out anyone to chase them down, at least not yet, but they weren't going to take any chances. They'd spent the first day reassuring their mothers that everything was all right, despite how angry they obviously were about something, and making up some sort of excuse to be gone all summer before racing over to their hideout and clearing out everything they could carry. Anything they couldn't take with them was locked down and password protected as heavily as Artemis was able. Any hard copies of data or plans and any serums Wally had mixed were thoroughly destroyed or diluted. It hadn't been so bad at first, but after spending the last couple nights in uncomfortable hotel rooms they decided a change of pace was in order.
"Are you absolutely sure this is the best idea?" Wally asked, hiking his bag further up his shoulder and glaring sullenly at the door in front of him. "The hotel beds aren't that bad."
"I slept on the floor last night because it was more comfortable," Artemis shot back, though she glanced uneasily at the door as well. "And this isn't the worst idea either of us has ever had."
"Close enough," Wally mumbled as she reached out and knocked on the nondescript white door. He shot another glance down the empty street and eyed a patch of shadows by the streetlight suspiciously. He could have sworn he just saw it shift. "How do we even know she's here?" he asked. "She could be anywhere."
"Then we'll pick the lock and spend the night here anyway," Artemis replied, a frown tugging at her lips. She raised a finger up to her mouth for silence and pressed her ear to the door. "I think I hear something though," she whispered after a minute. She knocked again and stepped back on the stoop to wait.
"This isn't getting us anywhere," Wally sighed as he stepped forward. He sent a quick smirk towards Artemis before reaching up and pressing the doorbell. He waited a couple seconds and pressed it again repeatedly. "You've got to be annoying about it," he winked at the blonde.
"The hell is your problem?" a male voice snarled as the front door was ripped open.
"Um," Artemis and Wally said together. They stared, dumbfounded at the older red head standing in front of them, dressed only in a pair of boxers. He stared back, mouth hanging open and bright blue eyes wide. His face started to take on a rosy hue as no one said anything.
"Well, this is certainly awkward," a female voice purred as she stepped up behind the man in the door and wrapped her arms around his waist. She rested her chin on his shoulder and grinned widely at the two teens on her doorstep. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, baby sister?"
"Um, we need a place to crash for the night," Artemis replied, her eyes still glued to the man in front of her. "Jade, what the hell is this?" she asked, finally managing to look into her sister's laughing eyes.
"I'm not running a hotel you know," Jade replied, completely ignoring Artemis' question. "There are a few a couple blocks over."
"We're running short on cash," Wally told her, staring resolutely at the doorframe over their heads. "Honestly, we were hoping you wouldn't even be here."
"So you'd break into someone else's home while they're away?" Jade grinned wider. "That doesn't seem very hero-like of you."
"Good thing we're not heroes then, isn't it?" Wally growled back, briefly looking into Jade's eyes.
The grin abruptly dropped off of Jade's face. "What happened?" she demanded.
"I don't think the doorway is the best place for this conversation, do you?" Roy interrupted, the blush still raging across his face.
"Probably not," Jade admitted with a sigh as she stepped back and pulled Roy with her. "Well, get your asses in here then."
Wally and Artemis exchanged a quick glance. "This was your idea," the younger red head reminded her.
"I know, but after that I'm beginning to think another lumpy bed wouldn't be such a bad idea, no matter how low our funds are at the moment," Artemis sighed. "All right then."
Wally reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing tight as they stepped across the threshold. The second they were both clear Jade slammed the door closed behind them and stepped further into the little apartment. The older girl had at least tied a robe around herself before coming to the door. She led the way to a small living room space and took a seat in one of the two armchairs. When no one else moved she looked pointedly from Wally and Artemis to the small love seat. The duo shuffled uneasily forward and hesitantly sat at the edge of the couch.
"I'm going to go put some clothes on," Roy mumbled, trying to make his way to the open door down a short hallway.
"You're fine," Jade waved, unconcerned. "Now, explain," she ordered the teenagers.
Twenty minutes later the two of them had talked themselves out and sat staring at the floor. "So that's why we're here," Artemis said.
"Your League is full of assholes," Jade commented, glancing over at Roy.
"Technically, I'm not a part of it," Roy shot back quickly. "I work in conjunction with them sometimes, but I'm solo."
"Whatever," Jade grumbled. "I still don't like them. Are you two okay?"
"Close enough," Wally shrugged. "We've been running for a few days, but we haven't picked up any tails yet."
"What does 'close enough' mean?" Roy asked, frowning at the younger red head. He hadn't had much of a chance to get to know these two, but the one mission he ran with them had left him impressed with the pair.
"We've needed to cut corners with food expenses," Artemis answered, glancing over towards Wally.
"I'll be right back," the older red head replied, turning to the kitchenette.
"Top shelf to the left of the microwave!" Jade called after him. "Are either of you hurt though?"
"Nothing new," Artemis replied. "Just some lingering scrapes from our last mission, but those have pretty much healed."
"You two can crash for the night, but I've already been here for three days myself," Jade told them. "We're all going to need to be out of here in the morning."
"Three days is a pretty long time for you to stay in one place," Artemis grinned suddenly, her gaze flicking over to Roy as he walked over and handed Wally a handful of granola bars.
"This is one of mom's old hideaways," Jade shrugged. "Not many people remember it anymore so I'm safe to linger."
"Okay, seriously, this is driving me nuts," Wally interrupted, passing a couple granola bars over to Artemis. He refused to acknowledge her when she tried to pass one back. "What the hell is going on here?" he asked, pointing between Roy and Jade. "I didn't know you two even knew each other."
"I've been trying to catch her for years," Roy mumbled, blush back in full force as he turned his head away from the couch.
"Looks like you've already caught her," Artemis smirked, looking remarkably like her sister for a moment.
"Please," Jade scoffed. "He's only here because I'm letting him be here."
"And I'm guessing the League doesn't know about this?" Wally asked, raising an eyebrow as he glanced over at the other boy.
"Not exactly, no," Roy mumbled back, scratching the back of his head. "I'd kind of like to keep it that way too."
"We've got no reason to sell you out," Artemis shrugged. "Besides, it's not like we'll be in any position to tell them anything."
"So what's the plan then, baby sister?" the dark haired girl asked. "Or are you just running aimlessly."
"That's the other reason we're here," Artemis admitted. "We're actually looking to join the Shadows, but we don't exactly know how."
"That's a bit of a career shift for you," Jade frowned. "Especially since you didn't want anything to do with this life until your pet came along."
"Hey!" Wally exclaimed, sitting up straighter. "I'm not a pet!"
"She fed you, trained you, took you for walks," Jade retorted with a smirk in his direction. "It seems a lot like keeping a pet to me."
"And how would you know anything about it?" Wally demanded around a growl. "You took off the second you could."
"Guys, can we not do this please?" Artemis sighed. "Look, Jade, can you help us or not?"
"I can't get you in," she admitted slowly. "But I can point you in the right direction. For now though, I think we should all get some sleep; we've got to be out of here bright and early. Artemis, you can take the bed in the spare room. Your options are the couch or the floor out here," she added, grinning at Wally.
"We don't mind sharing a bed," Artemis dismissed as she stood. "It wouldn't be the first time."
"You may not mind," Jade practically purred. "But I'm not letting your boy anywhere near you until he knows there are consequences if he messes this up. You are my baby sister after all, Artemis."
"Oh, so I get to interrogate your toy then too?" Artemis questioned, eyebrow raised and arms crossed over her chest.
Roy audibly gulped, eyes darting back and forth between Jade and Artemis. He'd seen what happened when Jade interrogated someone once and if Artemis was even half as trained in the art, it would not be an experience he would walk away from without a few mental scars. He glanced over at the other male in the room and frowned when he saw him leaning back against the couch, hands behind his head, and a grin on his face as he watched the exchange. The boy had to be a masochist, or insane. Actually, the more he thought about it, that didn't seem too far off the mark.
"You know, I take issue with it being implied that I'm your toy," Wally laughed at the blonde.
"You are, now shut up," Artemis smirked back. "And you," she added, rounding on Roy. "Do you usually answer the door in just your boxers? Cause that seems rather…exposed." Her grin shifted to something much more cat-like and any doubts Roy had about Artemis and Jade being related instantly vanished.
"All right, enough of that," Jade sighed. "I suppose it doesn't matter where I tell you to sleep, you'll both end up in the same place anyway," she added, spearing her sister and the younger red head with a look. "Just no funny business."
"Looks like you and Roy have that covered," Wally laughed as Artemis grabbed his arm and tugged him out of the room. He ducked quickly and shot a cheeky grin over his shoulder when the knife the older woman had thrown thudded into the wall behind him. "Gonna have to be a lot faster than that," he snarked.
"Next time I won't miss!" she called after them, a scowl on her face. She waited for the tell-tale click of the door closing before she let out a sigh and hooked an arm around Roy. "Come on," she mumbled, dragging him with her back to their room.
"You okay?" Roy asked quietly, once they'd situated themselves beneath the covers.
"I'm worried about her," she admitted after a beat. "I'm worried about both of them really, even if Wally hates me."
"He hates you?" Roy questioned. "He seemed a bit tense, but I thought that was more to do with being in the same room with his girlfriend's overprotective sister."
"He's never forgiven me for abandoning Artemis like I did," Jade told him. "He may have been smiling and laughing, but he also made sure to stay loose and ready to move. He tracked me whenever I so much as twitched, and he stayed as close as possible to Artemis." She shook her head against the pillow. "Wally was ready for a fight since the moment he walked in through the door. Hell, I think a part of him was actively trying to start one. I don't blame him though," she added when Roy shot a look over his shoulder at their closed door. "What I did to Artemis was selfish and cruel. I'm glad she had him though; it made leaving a lot easier than it should have been."
The two fell quiet for a moment and Jade shifted closer, throwing an arm around the red head's waist. "We need to keep an eye on them," she decided, lifting her head up to stare down at her bed partner. "They don't know what they're getting in to and it sounds like they've burned a lot of bridges, they'll need people in their corner. I doubt they'll take any overt help from me, but promise me you'll reach out to them? Watch over them as best you can. They're playing a very dangerous game and I want them to have some sort of backup."
Roy only nodded in agreement and the pair shifted once more to get comfortable before drifting off to sleep. When he woke up the next morning Jade had already slipped away. Sighing to himself, he rolled out of bed and quickly threw on some clothes and packed his bag. He did a quick sweep of the room and cleaned it out as best he could. With one last look at the bed, he lugged his bag up onto his shoulder and trudged out into the kitchen.
"Didn't expect to see you two here," he said, glancing between the two teens seated at the counter munching on bowls of some sort of cereal.
"We couldn't exactly leave the same time Jade did," Artemis shrugged in response.
"Though I suppose we could have gone out the back window," Wally added. "But grabbing some breakfast sounded like a better option."
Roy just nodded and grabbed a bowl for himself. "Any idea where you're headed from here?"
"Not really," Artemis answered, handing over the milk. "And no offense, but we wouldn't really tell you if we did anyway."
"Fair enough," Roy replied as he shoved a spoonful of cereal into his mouth. He swallowed quickly and put the bowl down, glancing between the younger teens again. "Look, it may not mean much, but I get your thing with the League," he told them.
"You still work for them" Wally snorted.
"No, I work with them, on occasion," the older red head replied. "I struck out solo because I was tired of them controlling my life and telling me what I was or was not ready for. I'm an independent entity. I'm a bit surprised I'm still in their database for the Zeta Tubes, to be honest, but we're getting off track here," he added with a shake of his head. "I'm trying to say that I get it and if you need an extra set of eyes or another body, or even just someone to talk to, you can comm me." He dug in his bag for a piece of paper and a pen, scribbled a couple numbers on it, and passed it over to Artemis. "It's a secure line that links directly to me," he told them. He gave them both a quick grin, tossed his bowl into the sink and hoisted his bag up once more. "If you guys could do a quick sweep and clean before you leave, that would be great." He tossed a wave over his shoulder and slipped out the front door into the early morning grey.
AN2: And that's how I imagined Wally and Artemis getting Roy's number. I don't think they would have used it much (or at all really) before they got caught, but they still had it if they needed it. The second shot should be up soon, but this thing is mostly for you guys. If there's anything you want to see, or know more about, send me the ideas!