A/N: Be kind to me, give me feedback please. This is the first time I've written fanfiction in years, I need the help. Also this is because of the severe lack of Spitfire in Secrets, and lack of Young Justice altogether from my laptop for the next two weeks or something.
They were watching TV, some sitcom M'Gann had put on earlier, and neither of them had bothered to change the channel when she wandered into the kitchen a while ago to do some baking. Neither of them was watching it; Wally was watching Artemis. She'd been unusually quiet that day, sat on the couch beside him, her knees up to her chest and her dark eyes glazed over, staring at nothing.
"Hello Megan!" They both jumped slightly, Artemis brought out of her own thoughts and Wally from watching her, and snapped their heads to the kitchen, where the Martian was stood, hand on head and a smile on her face "I forgot the chocolate chips! Do either of you want to go to the store with me? We can pick out some junk food and have a night in!"
Wally watches as the blonde shrugs, mumbles an apology, something about being tired and homework, and then turns back to the screen, where she continues to stare blankly. M'gann's smile falters, and for a moment she looks like she might cry, but she pulls it together, fixing another bright smile on her face and turning to Wally hopefully. He's ready to smile, compliment her, agree to go to the supermarket with her and flirt outrageously- when he hears Artemis sigh beside him, sees her roll her eyes slightly at his grin, and finds himself saying "Nah, thanks Megalicious, but I think I'll stay here, I've got... stuff to do"
The green girl looks downcast again, and turns away from them, mumbling a little 'Oh' and damn it now Wally feels guilty, and is about to apologise and offer to go anyway, when Conner walks in. M'gann instantly brightens, and begins chattering to him incessantly, asking him if he'll go to the supermarket with him and whether he'd like some chocolate chip cookies when she's done baking them. His answer is a small smirk, a shrug, and they both walk out, M'Gann practically skipping, leaving the archer and the speedster alone on the couch.
They sit in silence again, and Wally actively tries to watch the TV, but all he can hear is Artemis breathing, her sighing, and the sound her clothes make as she shifts in her seat and drops her feet to the ground. He glances at her, she's got her head up, and her eyebrows are furrowed slightly.
"Do you smell burning?" they both sniff the air again, and, with a sigh, Artemis stands up, and strides towards the kitchen. He tries not to watch her walk away, but she's wearing those tight jeans and he wouldn't be a teenage boy if he didn't at least glance at her. "M'gann..." Artemis growls from the kitchen, and opens the oven door, glaring at the inside and letting out a huff. She closes the door with a little more force than necessary, and turns it off.
Wally stands up, stretches a little, and zips over to the kitchen. He opens the oven door and grimaced, not even he would eat those pieces of charcoal now; because that's what they are now, little chunks of blackened... lumps. Gross. He let out a disappointed groan; M'gann really needed to improve her memory, because the... lumps were now inedible, he couldn't eat them, and now he'd have to go hungry.
He was about to voice his thoughts, when he heard Artemis sigh. He turns, an eyebrow raised, ready to quip something along the lines of 'What's up with you Blondie', when he sees that she's not even paying attention to him, therefore not sighing at his dramatic 'pity-me-I'm-starving' groan at all.
It makes him wonder what's going through her mind; clearly there's something bugging her, it's written in the way her eyes stare unblinking at the counter she's leaning on, her expression soft yet closed off, her arms crossed across her chest and her shoulders hunched, and he was brought back to that time, in the simulation when he thought he'd lost her...
He didn't even think about it, just felt himself zip to her side by the counter. He lifted a hand, ready to help comfort her because she looked so down-
Wait. His hand dropped to the counter, and he turned his head away from her. This was Artemis, she'd be fine, she was a tough girl, so she didn't need Wally to pat her on the back and-
And well to be honest, it looked like Artemis could use more than a pat on the shoulder.
His arms spasmed, tried to move up and around from their current position on the counter. He clenched his hands and flung his arms back to his sides. He was not about to- to hug Artemis. No, he didn't want to hug Artemis.
He just – needed to stretch his arms. That's why when Artemis gave a small, broken sigh, his arms twitched, and then folded across his chest firmly.
He would not hug Artemis.
He wouldn't because not only would he rather gouge his own eyes out than even touch the blonde harpy, never mind what Artemis would do to him if he dared to invade her personal space, wrap his arms around her then bring her to his chest, and he could just hold her because he was there, and she was alive and everything was going to be just fine now and-
Okay.
So he was lying, he was "in denial", he had a slightly, over the top, possibly a tiny bit extreme reaction to Artemis's… death. But she was fine and everyone was alive and he could laugh it off as Miss Martian projecting, pushing her own grief and anguish and heightening his own. Of course he was –would be- upset when-if Artemis had died, but it was a natural reaction, amplified by the Martian. That's all. Team mates. Frenemies. That was all.
And he was comfortable with that.
Yeah. Of course he was.
Before he could talk himself out of it again, he slung his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into him before she could react. She tensed, and for one awful moment, Wally was ready to be pushed off her and beaten to a pulp for touching her.
When she relaxed, let out a sigh and turned towards him so her head could fit snugly onto his shoulder. Her breath tickled the short red hairs on his neck, and he slipped his fingers into the long blonde hair she'd tied back in a ponytail.
He didn't realise she had wrapped her own arms around him until she gave him a squeeze and whispered "It's fine Wally" Wally, not Baywatch "I'm okay"
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