Wally sat staring intently at his fingers, brow furrowed, and his lips set in a scowl. His green eyes, usually displaying his usual bright happiness, were dull.
"You're going tomorrow." His voice cut through the silence, and he looked over to Artemis who was sitting at the table. She had to move her ponytail over to her other shoulder so she could see him, and she pressed her lips together, unsure what to say.
"You won't be coming back for a while."
Artemis nodded, but Wally was no longer watching her. He was looking back down at his fingers, concentrating on them as if his life depended on it. Artemis watched him, and the silence grew heavy, until she could no longer stand it. She stood and moved over to him, curling her foot underneath her as she sat down on the couch beside him and put her arms around him, pulling him into a warm embrace.
"I'm going to miss you, babe." She heard him mumble into her shoulder, and she squeezed him closer, her hand curling into his short orange hair.
"I'll miss you too." Artemis finally said, and his arms wound around her waist. He pulled back slightly and looked at her face, and she saw his eyes, and her heart clenched. She didn't want to leave him behind. Yes, she did want to help the team by going under cover, but she didn't want to have to leave him. He'd been with her for the last five years, and they'd been planning to make that a lot longer. But now they couldn't plan something like that. Because Artemis didn't know if she ever would be coming back.
"I love you Wally, you know that." She smiled slightly. "When I do come back, we can have a huge dinner. Invite the Team around. It'll be fun."
Wally's lips quirked up. "And what if, when you come back, I want you all to myself?"
Artemis' smile widened, and she leaned over so her forehead touched his. "We can certainly arrange that."
Wally couldn't resist. He leaned in and caught her lips in his, kissing her softly, but he got more urgent and rough with every breath. She melted into his kiss, both arms going around his neck as her eyes fluttered closed. Without breaking the kiss, he moved her so she was sitting on his lap, both her legs bent on each side of his.
Artemis was the one to pull back, and her hands moved down to the bottom of his shirt as she began to pull it up.
"You know, I haven't come back from the mission yet."
"Consider this a goodbye."
With Wally's shirt now gone, Artemis' hands were free to explore his chest. The skin was smooth, and wherever her fingers dragged across his skin, a trail of goosebumps followed. She bent down and placed a gentle kiss in the middle of his chest, moving up to his collarbone, then back up to his lips. He was already pulling at the bottom of her shirt, and she moved away just long enough for him to pull it off her before she kissed him again.
Wally shifted slightly, and then suddenly she was lying on the couch, and he was leaning over her. His lips moved down her neck, and his hands were undoing the button on her jeans. She lifted her hips so he could pull them down, and she kicked them away. He pulled off his own, and then his underwear disappeared, and she was gazing up at a completely naked Wally.
"I see you're eager, Wally."
He just grinned down at her, shameless.
Reaching back, she unclasped her bra strap, and then pulled it off her shoulders and dropped it over the side of the couch. Smiling, she slowly slid out of her underwear, her eyes locked with his as she kicked them away slowly. Wally leaned closer, his skin flush with hers, and she could feel the heat coming off his naked skin.
He kissed her, long and hard, his lips molding around hers and tugging at her bottom lip. Then he started moving down, along her neck, past her collarbone, and then stopping between her breasts. He moved to the left, his lips gliding across her skin as he moved over her breast, and then stopped at the peak. His teeth grazed her nipple, and she shivered as his lips closed around the darker skin, pulling at it slightly. Her eyes closed, and she felt his breath on her skin, his right hand trailed around her other breast, the tips of his fingers barely touching her, and yet she could feel it as if his touch had been magnified by a thousand.
Wally's right hand started trailing downwards, and Artemis' grip tightened in his hair. He looked up at her and grinned this huge grin, and she wanted to hit him, but before she could do anything his fingers had made their way down and were moving against her, and her breath came out in a rush. He's an idiot, she thought, but she closed her eyes and let herself smile as a shiver went up her spine and goosebumps appeared all over her skin. Her idiot.
"I'll be right back." She heard him whisper, and she felt a cool breeze and an absence of heat for a second before he appeared again, opening a small packet and producing a condom. He expertly rolled it on, and he bent over to kiss her before she felt a pressure on her opening.
He started slowly, and her hands were on his back, bent like claws and nails scratching his skin. He was teasing her, and she wanted to show him her irritation. Finally, he seemed to give up, unable to wait himself. He pushed in, and Artemis gasped. The heat of her skin seemed to match his own, and as he moved his hips, she felt herself following the rhythm automatically. Her heartbeat was erratic, her breathing heavy, and he was kissing her again, and she melted into it, enjoying the feeling of him. Just over five years ago if she'd told herself this was where she'd be, she would have scoffed, not believing it at all. But it was happening, and she loved it.
Artemis' stomach felt like it was twisting, and she was shaking slightly as she felt the build up. Her skin was flushed, and she clenched her teeth as all the tension in her body seemed to be released at once, and the air escaped through her teeth as a soft hiss. The waves of pleasure rolled over her, and her fingers were digging into Wally's back harder than she intended, and she could feel him tensing up as he came. He was more lying on her than leaning above her now, but she didn't mind. She liked the feeling of his skin on hers, and knowing that she wouldn't feel it for a while, she had to savour this moment. The thought of leaving him behind still pulled at her heart, but she couldn't think on that now. Not when Wally's head was resting on her chest, and he was looking up at her, and his smile wasn't like the idiotic grin of before. It was a genuine, loving smile. The smile that made his eyes seem to smile as well. And she felt herself smiling back as her fingers brushed through his hair, arranging it back into its proper position.
Wally shifted, and he was no longer looking up at her face. "Don't go, Artemis."
She winced slightly, and she could feel the guilt making its way into her mind. His tone was sad, and he was pleading with her. She felt horrible. But she couldn't quit now.
"I'm not going yet." She said. Not a lie. "You still have me for a little while."
He looked back up at her, and his smile was sad. Just like his eyes. His eyes would be the undoing of her. "I guess I should make the most of it then."
And then he pushed himself up towards her face and he kissed her again.