"Hey babe. You miss me?"

"Oh my God!" Artemis said as Wally sagged in her doorway. She reached out a hand, grasping his bleeding forearm and pulling him across her threshold. He stumbled a little, his green eyes flicking up to her face. He was bruised and slashed all over, his uniform in tatters. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Hello to you, too. Got thrown through a plate glass window," he said, expelling a gust of exhausted air as she closed the door of her apartment behind him. She glanced at his back, at the slashes of blood and flesh showing through the rips in his yellow uniform.

"Here in Gotham? What were you doing in Gotham?" she asked, hands on her hips. "Last time I saw you, you and the Flash were heading for Central City."

Wally's face flushed crimson beneath his mask and his gaze flicked to her and back again. "Well…"

"You were checking on me, weren't you?" she said, a bite of impatience in her voice, even as she fought a smile. Somehow she doubted that was all he was doing…

"With your mom away, I just didn't like the thought of you home alone. Or worse, out patrolling the streets."

Artemis threw her hands out, gesturing to her bow, which was lying on the coffee table. "Like I can't take care of myself?"

"I know you can! That's not… It's not what I meant," he mumbled to the floor. He grabbed his side and hissed a little. "I guess I just didn't count on running across a pack of 'roidheads trying to shake down a couple for cash."

"I'm guessing they got away, judging by the amount of blood coming out of you. Why the hell didn't you call me? Or Robin and Batman?" Artemis demanded as he groaned, bits of glass raining down on her carpet.

"I'm kind of an idiot," he conceded with a shrug. He stopped immediately though and clutched his stomach. She stepped up to him and touched his arm.

"Tell me something I don't know," Artemis said gently, grimacing as he gripped her shoulders, blood oozing down his forehead from a thin, ragged cut on his hairline. "I…am glad to see you though. Even if you look like a chew toy."

"Rub it in why don't you?" he said, sighing. "Look, I just need a minute to put my ass back on."

Artemis nodded. "At least they were nice enough to hand it to you."

"I'm thanking my lucky stars, believe me," Wally said and then winced as he let go of her shoulders. He pulled his gloves off and tossed them on the coffee table atop her bow. His knuckles were bruised and bloody, his skin torn in several places. Artemis looked him over, cataloguing the many cuts and bruises. One thick bruise was yellowing his eye already and his lower lip was torn, blood drying in a thick slash. His muscled arms were scattered with scratches.

Wally groaned as he looked up at her, then stopped. He had an odd expression on his face. "Your hair…"

She lifted a hand to her hair immediately, confusion crossing her brow. "What about it?"

"It's….down…" he said, pulling a bemused grin. His gaze was trained to her hair, which fell down her back like a sunlit waterfall. "You never wear it down…"

"You don't like it?"

"No…." he said, his voice trailing off. She made an annoyed sound in the back of her throat, and he immediately shook his head with a laugh. "No! That's not what I meant. I mean. I love it. It's…gorgeous…"

"Oh…umm… Thanks," she said as a hot flush crept over her skin. She loved the way he was looking at her. It made her knees knock a little.

"So…do your parents know you're here?" she asked, pulling him toward the couch, which he sank onto with a groan. In the distance they heard a car alarm blaring. Just another night in Gotham.

"Not exactly. They're used to me being gone at all hours. When is your mom coming home?" Wally said wearily as Artemis went into her bathroom and came back with a first aid kit and a washcloth.

"Next week. She called earlier, said she was having a great time in Vegas with her support group," she said as she sank down beside him and lifted the washcloth to his chin, wiping off a trickle of blood.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking care of you, dumbass."

"You don't have to do that," he whispered. His cheeks burned with something like shame. Artemis watched him, seeing the stiff line of his shoulders and the way he winced whenever he moved. He stared at the muted television, quiet and contemplative.

Artemis scooted closer, touching his shoulder. He glanced at her, his handsome face lined with exhaustion. He seemed startled by her touch. Startled and pleased.

"Let me take of care of you, doofus," she said gently. "I want to."

The corners of his lips twitched and he searched her face carefully. "I could use a patch-up. Maybe a total body overhaul."

"Good, then stop being such a pain in my ass," Artemis said and patted him on the cheek, making him flinch away from her. She got up and got a bowl of water in her kitchen. When she came back, she found that Wally had lowered his mask and was shaking glass out of his red hair and onto her carpet. "Thanks. Because I'm never barefoot in my own living room."

"Sorry," he said as he smiled a little and let her wipe the blood away from his skin with a wet cloth.

"You will be," she said gently and concentrated on his wounds, dabbing at the split in his lip. The crusted blood lifted away and he winced, his hands landing on her hips and squeezing. He seemed entirely unaware that he was doing it. The feel of his strong hands landing on her waist made her skin heat up. She looked up into his eyes, but he was too busy concentrating on not wincing as she cleaned his wounds.

She remembered, with skin-tingling clarity, the way he'd held her at the cave the day before. She had no idea what was happening between them, but it was strong. For the past few months they'd kissed, touched, fumbled and gone too far (and yet not far enough). Every thought she had seemed to be about him. Somewhere along the way, Wally West had crawled beneath her skin. And he wouldn't leave.

"Take off your shirt," she said, wringing the blood-tinged cloth out in a bowl of water; blood spread in a pinkish cloud and she stared at it for a moment, not liking the sight of his blood made weak by the water.

"What?" Wally asked, a little startled.

"You've got cuts everywhere, Wally," she said impatiently, attempting to keep the blush from her skin. It wasn't like she hadn't seen him shirtless before. He'd seen her topless before. But…this felt different. "You can't expect me to work around your uniform. Besides, it's ruined anyway. Just take it off."

Wally's eyes glittered a little. "If this is a ploy of yours…"

She smiled at him. "Ploy? Me?" She laughed a little, a nervous flutter in her stomach.

"Yeah, you," Wally said as he let a true smile cross his face, but he reached for the zipper on his uniform, sliding it down to his waist. Very carefully he peeled the padded garment off of his arms, his face contorting with pain as his stiff shoulder muscles pulled. The top of the uniform pooled around his narrow waist. Then he laid on her couch, stretching out his long, muscular limbs.

She nearly gasped as she saw the extent to which he was hurt. His freckled torso was a mass of scratches. She glanced at his back and saw that he'd managed to cut himself there too.

She found her voice with difficulty. "How big was that window?"

"Big enough," he mumbled, his face lined with shadows from the flickering fire. "Do I need a doctor?"

"No. Everything is superficial. I can handle it," she finished for him, fighting the urge to surge forward and kiss him fiercely. She was trying to be an adult, and to be objective about it, but the sight of him shirtless, sitting on her couch, was enough to cause a high flush in her skin.

He was gorgeous, and she wanted him. She couldn't help it. Whenever he put his hands on her she lost it entirely. And he seemed to know it.

To cover her impulse, she wrung out the wet cloth again and lifted it to his chest, wiping crusted blood from his many wounds. Soon his chest was covered in pinkish scratches and bruises. She moved to his arms, then down his stomach toward his crotch. He hissed as she pulled a sliver of glass out of his abs. He caught her hand for a moment, his green eyes blazing. "You okay?"

"I am now," Wally chuckled, and she was glad he couldn't see the stricken look in her eyes; she was having trouble breathing. She avoided his gaze and finished bandaging his front. At her prompting, he rolled over and laid himself flat on the couch, moving the pillow so that he could rest his head on it. Artemis let her gaze slide over his butt, then up his muscular back.

There ought to be a law against him looking this damned delicious…she thought to herself, fighting the urge to bite him. Instead she straddled his ass, one knee buried between his body and the back of the couch. He jumped a little as her weight settled on him, and he glanced over his shoulder at her.

"What are you doing?" he asked, eyeing her.

"Just relax," she said patiently, gently dabbing at a wound on his back. "Does this hurt?"

"A lot," he mumbled, gaze back at the television, where the news was playing in silence.

"I don't doubt it," she said, prodding the ripped flesh. Then she cleaned the wound, put Neosporin on it and bandaged it. Wally relaxed a little beneath her as she ran her fingers over the large cut. He shifted beneath her and she heard him curse under his breath. "What's wrong?"

"I jacked up my shoulder," he said, his voice muffled by the pillow. "I can barely move."

"Angling for a massage, huh?" she said, leaning down, her breasts just brushing his shoulder blades. She kissed the hollow just below his ear before she could stop herself and was delighted to see his skin flush. She bit down on her lower lip, her hair falling forward. "You're lucky I'm in the mood."

"Oh?" Wally said, turning his head to eye her again, his hair falling across his face. "Do me and I'll do you?"

"You promise?" she whispered, but her voice gave out on her and she had no idea if he'd heard it or not.

He looked back at the television, his back rising and falling beneath her as he breathed in, clearly enjoying the feel of her hands on him. She massaged his shoulders, feeling the taut muscles slowly soften and release. Wally sighed in pleasure as she rubbed the heels of her palms into his shoulders, her fingers rubbing small circles.

She let her hands wander across his skin, rubbing, massaging. She counted the vertebrae of his spine, the feel of him making her hands tingle. Her fingers smoothed down to his arms and she massaged him slowly, his skin glistening.

"That feels so amazing," he sighed heavily, shifting beneath her. "If this whole superhero archer thing doesn't work out for you, you'll make a damned good masseuse."

"Turn over. I'm not done," she said, a little smile on her face, her fingertips trailing down his back and moving toward his ribs. Goosebumps rose up over his skin and he turned to his side, his gaze connecting with hers. His eyes glittered with the first hint of arousal. She was inflamed to see it there.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, turning over completely beneath her. He brought his arms up, shoulders obviously no longer sore, and pillowed his head on his crossed wrists. She settled on his crotch, and he didn't object. He cursed a little and twitched his hips upward, surging against her. Obviously, her massage was having the desired effect on him.

She felt a warm rush go through her as she placed her hands flat on his chest. His eyes slammed closed as she smoothed her palms down his chest, massaging into the bruised skin on his belly, fingertips playing in the hair there. She massaged her fingers into his pecks, enjoying the way he moaned a little at the feeling.

Wally closed his eyes in pleasure; the feel of her hands against him felt good and she knew it. She worked her fingers into his ribs, pushing and sliding, moving his muscles in little circles. He opened his eyes after several long minutes of quiet between them, the only sound in the room his deep breathing and the sounds of sirens echoing outside her apartment. Her fingers massaged down his stomach, toward the trail of thick red hair leading down his middle. He hitched in quick breath and cursed softly. She knew she was definitely getting to him.

"Artemis?" he said softly, uncrossing his arms and touching her legs, his hands spreading up her thighs.

"Yes, Wally?" she said, her fingers trailing down the middle of his chest. He watched the progress of her hands, his gaze turbid with emotions.

"If you don't stop, I'm going to end up fucking you," he said, his eyes flashing a warning. She laughed out loud and bit down on her lower lip.

"That was the general idea."

Wally growled and she suddenly found herself on her back on the couch, his weight atop her. She shouldn't have been surprised by the move; not with the way he'd been looking at her, but she was. He could move so damned fast sometimes. She looked up at Wally's face. He had a soft smile on his split lips, his hair falling into his eyes.

"You," he said, his voice pitched deep, "are going to get it."

"Bring it on," she said and laughed again, her heart rushing to her throat. He grinned and bent his head down, his mouth closing on hers. She eagerly kissed him back.

His kiss was blisteringly warm and forceful. Artemis wove her arms around his neck, drawing him down on her body, his long, muscular length covering her. He angled his head, slamming kiss after kiss to her mouth, making her dizzy with them. His tongue teased her lips open and she slid her tongue alongside his, chasing it from her mouth to his. She fisted her hands in his hair, shifting beneath him to wrap one leg around his. His weight settled on her hips and she moaned a little. She could feel his arousal against her pelvis, which she pushed upward greedily, wanting more…

His hand moved down her sides, briefly flirting with her breasts before landing on the hem of her t-shirt. He got his fingers up beneath it, spreading warmly across her stomach and then up to her ribs.

"Take off my clothes," Artemis gasped, breaking away from his mouth. He groaned a little, his mouth landing on her jaw line, where he placed hungry kisses all the way to her ear. His mouth closed on her earlobe, tugging it between his lips. Shivers ran down her sides, tightening her nipples even as his hand closed over one breast. He seemed too intent on touching her to remove her shirt, so she did it for him, grasping the hem and wrenching it off of her head and arms. She tossed it aside, cool air caressing her hot skin.

His hands fell to the fly of her blue jeans and he quickly had them undone. They both helped peel them off of her legs, and her panties followed swiftly. She kicked them both free as he pried off his boots. The rest of his ragged uniform followed, his weight lifting off of her on the couch as he breathed hard, his eyes glassy in the light of her flickering television. She helped him shed his boxer briefs, their hands fumbling, a shake in their limbs.

She felt his hardness brushing against her stomach as he sank against her again. She moaned and wrapped her hand around his stiff cock; Wally hissed against her ear and turned her head to the side so that he could kiss her again.

She stroked him several times, urging him toward her. His tongue plunged into her mouth, stroking quickly, drawing out startled little gasps from her throat. His hands landed on the straps of her bra, twisting them up. She lifted her shoulders, letting him get his hands around. The clasps went easily beneath his fingers and he practically ripped it free of her arms and chucked it aside, moving so far it left her dizzy.

His mouth left hers; he was panting hard, his eyes glittering with strain as she stroked him in her fist. He was hard and throbbing between her fingers. She hitched her hips upward, wanting him inside of her. He didn't need the hint though. They'd danced around this for too long.

"We need protection."

"Damn," she growled, stroking him hard. She didn't want to wait that long; she needed him now. "I think there are some condoms in my bedroom." Wally's eyebrows lifted, but she smiled ruefully. "My mom gave me that talk years ago. She's a realist. Hold on, I'll get them."

"Okay," he said and kissed her hard enough to make her want to stay. Screw the risks…she just needed him. She broke away from him with a gasp though and managed to scramble into her bedroom.

It took her about ten seconds too long to find the box of condoms she kept in her bedside table. When she finally located it, her hands were shaking so hard that she ripped it open and the foil packets inside flipped out and landed on the floor. She cursed and bent to retrieve one from the floor. When she stood up again, she felt strong arms snake around her from behind.

She hadn't even heard him come in.

A mouth landed on her ear, suckling at the skin and making goosebumps shiver down her sides. She shifted against Wally, and felt his cock against her lower back, insistent and warm and stiff. "You took too long."

"Are you speedsters always this impatient?"

"Fuck yeah…"

Artemis turned in his arms and he immediately kissed her. She jumped up and he didn't even stagger as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He took her weight with a moan and then they were moving, kissing fiercely, bodies shifting against one another. She was pleased to find herself being dumped onto her bed. Her computer was on, the light from the monitor bathing Wally's bandaged chest in cold light as she looked up at him. He climbed onto the bed and covered her body with his own, taking the condom from her hand and liberating it from the packaging in record time. He rolled it on and then kissed her again.

"You're injured…" she managed, breathing erratically.

"M'suddenly fine…" he said, kissing her again. "Can't feel a thing…"

"Good. Come here…" she mumbled as he shifted against her, his cock nudging her opening. She was wet, a heavy throb taking her over. She was dying to feel him inside of her…they had both needed this for so long…

Wally covered her completely as she arched toward him. He gripped her hip, his back bowing. He touched her opening and she guided him inside; he slipped all the way in, so deep she wanted to scream. He came to rest for a moment, filling her, stretching her. He stared at her with a touch of wonder quirking the sides of his mouth.

"Are you…?" he breathed hoarsely as he trembled. Artemis lifted her hips off of the bed, lifting him with her. Wally moaned, moving with her as she thrust against him.

"What do you think?" she said and nipped his lip playfully.

"I think this is the best night of my life…"

Then he started moving, thrusting smoothly into her body in a sure, steady rhythm that was all Wally. He fucked like he fought, with a single-minded intensity that left her gasping and begging for more. The furious pace was too much though…if he kept it up, he wouldn't last and neither would she.

"Oh…Wally…" Artemis moaned as she wrapped one leg around his, her foot between his splayed legs, pushing him down into her responsive body. "Slow down…"

"Sorry…sorry…" he moaned, slowing his pace. She pulled him down over top of him, staring into his eyes as their chests pressed together. His hips slowly rolling against hers as he trembled, trying to hold himself back.

"Yeah…like that…" she breathed against his ear, moving with him, letting the pleasure roll between them. "Nice and slow…"

He cupped her breast, kissing down her neck until he'd closed his lips over one hard nipple. He rolled his hips forward, crashing into her with a hard, deep thrust. Her head went back and she closed her eyes.

His thrusts rocked them back and forth on the bed, her hair spread in a blonde halo around her head. His mouth trailed up her neck again, attaching to her pulse point. Pleasure laced throughout her, centered in the place where their bodies met. The friction between them was immense. His thrusting cock grazed her clitoris just right and she found herself rocking her pelvis upward in sharp snaps, meeting him in the middle.

Her hands scrambled over his bandaged body, clutching at him as he stroked into her smoothly. She lifted her hips against his, her mouth on the joint of his shoulder. Her lips tingled as she kissed at his skin. His mouth found hers again and they kissed frantically, their bodies shifting on the bed.

"Harder…" she breathed as he released her mouth. Wally shot her a grin that had her toes curling.

"Hold on to me," he growled, and then his hips slammed forward quickly, plunging inside of her with short, sharp strokes. She cried out against his lips as he found a responsive spot, grinding her own hips upward in circles. Her fingers dug into his ass, urging him closer, but there was no getting closer. She didn't know where she ended and he began.

"Faster," she panted against his mouth. He growled a little in his throat and pleasure threaded her sweaty spine. She looked into his eyes; he was all hunger, all need. He bared his teeth and slammed his hips high into her, fast and hard. Her teeth chattered together, pleasure racing through her as his hips grew tight against hers.

She tangled her hands in his hair, then smoothed them down his rolling back to his arms. "Artemis…"

The sound of her name coming out of him like a tortured moan was enough to undo her completely. She arched off of the bed toward him and he grasped her hips, pulling her back with him so that only her shoulders and head were touching the bed. She clasped his hands on her hips, her head going back as he surged against her. Gasped encouragements spilled from her throat as she clung to him.

Artemis writhed against him, her sweaty belly contracting as his cock touched her womb again and again, stretching her, stealing her breath as pleasure quaked through her. "Yes…yes…"

"So fucking good," he gasped and she dug her nails into his wrists. "Come on…"

His speed increased until he was battering her. She loved it, loved that he was losing control. He practically vibrated against her. He knew just what she needed, what she wanted, and how much. She felt an intense burn crest over her skin, centering low in her belly, coiling up. Ready to strike. She strove for completion shamelessly, writhing in his arms, screams and gasps of pleasure spilling from her throat, along with a long line of obscenities.

"I'm gonna…!" Wally moaned as he hit her g-spot and she went sailing over the edge and into the abyss. Her body went haywire, seizing up tightly around him as he continued to fuck her with that single-minded intensity. He cried out a moment later, his voice more a growl of possessiveness than an exclamation of pleasure. His mouth dug against hers, stealing her breath as he slammed into her. He came with a spine-bowing crash, his body sinking into hers deeply.

The sound of his growl of pleasure made her come again. Orgasm tore through her with a vengeance and her entire body spasmed around his, her thighs clenching together around his pumping hips as her body twanged like a bowstring. It was too much, and still not enough. He slipped out of her all the way and then entered her again, massaging into her slowly, bringing them both down from their sudden, frantic high.

Finally, he came to rest inside of her, his hips snug with hers. He let them both down, his weight sinking down on hers. She laid her head back on the bed, staring up at him. His hair was plastered to his sweaty forehead. His split lips were open and he was panting, his eyes lowered. He looked completely exhausted, a high flush on his freckled skin.

Artemis rubbed his back and shoulders, over the bandages. Wally just stared at her from behind his sated eyes. She smiled up at him lazily, letting out a soft breath. "If that's what a massage does to you, I'm giving you one every night…"

Wally flashed her a genuine smile, the tiredness receding from his face for a moment. "I insist."

He pulled out of her and leaned forward, kissing her sweetly on the mouth, his weight on his elbows, their chests pressed together. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he rested his head on her chest, his mouth trailing lazily across her breasts. Slowly, their rapid breathing came back down to normal. The only sound was that of Gotham beyond the barred windows of her apartment.

After a few minutes he moved off of her and got up. He went into the bathroom for several minutes, leaving her lying on her bed in a sweaty, naked heap. She stared at the fuzzy darkness, wondering what was going through his head. She wasn't even sure of what was going through her own head at the moment.

"We're going to have to talk about this," Wally said from the doorway to her bathroom. She looked up at him, puzzled.

"What's to talk about? We only just lost our virginities and holy crap I came twice. Unless you're bragging, there's not much else to say," she said as he climbed back into the bed. She twitched the covers aside and they both climbed beneath; she was pleased to see that he wasn't trying to run off. As she watched, he pulled a satisfied grin.

"Twice, huh?" he said, pulling her against him. "Man, I'm good."

"Don't gloat," she said and snuggled up to his side. He didn't protest and she smiled a little. "I'll kick you out if you do. Butt ass naked."

"No, you won't," he said into her hair. He seemed fascinated with it, twisting his hands in it as it clung to the both of them. "You like me naked right here."

His hand stroked down her side and cupped her buttocks, squeezing. "I won't argue with that."

"I can't believe we had sex…" he said in awe. She had a feeling he'd done a victory dance in the bathroom. She smiled at the thought as he nuzzled her neck. "You seduced me, you know."

"Did not," she denied, blushing hotly. "Besides, I know that's why you ran all the way to Gotham tonight. Don't deny it."

"Honestly, I was only going to angle for a blow job," he said and yawned. She knew how he felt; she could feel sleep gliding over her exhausted body, though she knew it was barely midnight. They'd both been running themselves ragged lately though, and they needed the rest. Wally certainly did after his fight with the window. She noticed that he was fighting sleep and losing. "You're the one who started it though."

"I am not," she whispered, brushing his hair from his face. He looked up at her, his eyelids drooping.

"Are to," he yawned. "Listen, can we have this fight in the morning? I'm exhausted."

"Sure. I think you've earned a nap," she said, and kissed him deeply. When they pulled back several minutes later, she said, "I'll make breakfast in the morning. Eggs, bacon, toast."

"And pancakes? Lots of pancakes?"

"And pancakes. Boy howdy did you earn some pancakes…" she said with a whoof, kissing his nose. He lifted a hand, rubbing one finger across her cheek.

"I love you," he said.

Her brows drew down as she stared at him. "Because I'm making you pancakes?"

"That too. But mostly because I'm in love with you. Like, a lot," he said, causing a hot river of pleasure to break through her middle. She smiled and kissed him hard.

"I love you too. You big annoying idiot," she said as he grinned at her. They stared at one another for a long moment, and then he kissed her again, slowly, savoring her. Savoring the moment. She could tell that he was exhausted though. She knew the feeling.

When they broke apart, he sighed in contentment and sank back against the pillow. "I am so going to fuck you again after breakfast."

"Promise?" she said, as rockets of want zipped through her flesh.

"Count on it, beautiful," he mumbled and closed his eyes. Artemis's lids drooped and she felt sleep curling over her with a contented, somnolent sigh. Beyond her window, Gotham's stirred, dark and angry and violent. But it couldn't touch them.

Not tonight.

(end)