Wally and Robin sat on the couch, so caught up in their video games that Wally wasn't even eating.
"Wally, Robin, come check out the resident hottie before she escapes!"
Robin turned his head at the sound of Zatanna's voice, and Wally took the opportunity to knock Robin's character out of the game.
Zatanna and Artemis emerged from the hallway, Artemis at the front, obviously trying to get to the Zeta tubes as fast as possible. Zatanna managed to grab her by the arm, and drag her towards the two boys.
"What do you think?" Zatanna asked, presenting her work before them. "Tell me who wouldn't want to date this. Go on. Give me a name, and I can proclaim them insane."
Wally's jaw dropped, and Robin let out a whistle. "Looking good, Artemis," Boy Wonder said with a cackle. Wally nodded dumbly. 'Good' hardly fit the picture. Artemis was looking particularly feminine, wearing a light blazer over a nicely fitted corset top. Combat boots donned her feet as per the norm, but instead of her usual jeans, she wore a pair of high-waisted shorts that made her legs look amazing. Her hair was out of its restrictive pony-tail, and lay in soft curls over her shoulders.
"Isn't she gorgeous?" Zatanna stared at the archer like a doting mother. "My baby's all grown up."
"Your baby is older than you." Artemis said with a scowl. "And I thought we weren't going to make this a big deal."
"What's the occasion?" Robin asked casually, though Wally knew the boy was just searching for another way to mess with his team mates.
"Artemis has a date." Zatanna squealed.
"What?" Wally asked in surprise. 'Artemis' and 'date' were two words he never thought would end up in the same sentence, "With whom?"
Artemis glared at Zatanna (who in turn batted her eyes expectantly), "Just this guy, Max, from school. And it's not a date! We're in the same group for an English report, and he wants my opinion on some of the stuff he wrote."
"He asked her to lunch, and then a movie!" Zatanna gushed.
"That sounds like a date to me." Wally said, slightly accusatorily.
"Ugh! Fine! Call it what you want." Artemis lamented through clenched teeth.
Wally didn't say anything, but he definitely didn't like the look Robin had given him quickly.
"And where is this lunch taking place?"
Artemis stared at Robin suspiciously. You didn't have to know Robin very well to know where he was going with this. "None of your business; and if you'll excuse me, I have to go."
The three of them stared after her as she made her way to the Zeta beams. The moment the light died away, Robin turned to Zatanna with a smile, "So are you coming too?"
"Artemis on a date? Wouldn't miss it for the world. But the better question begs to be asked: is Wally?"
Wally didn't look at either of them. "I get it; you guys are going to follow her on her date, but leave me out of it. It's none of my business what she does... or who she dates." He said the last bit a little more viciously than intended, and the intonation wasn't lost on either Zatanna or Robin. He picked up his controller to set up another game, but was whisked off the couch before he could protest.
Robin, Wally, and Zatanna sat at a cafe opposite the restaurant Artemis had entered. Luckily their target was seated by the window, and was easily visible; as well as her date.
"Mmh, that boy..." Zatanna murmured seductively with binoculars at hand. Wally and Robin stared at her blankly. "What? He's cute. A running commentary spices things up a bit." She said with a shrug.
"He looks like a bit of a jerk, to me." Wally grunted after taking a look himself, causing Robin and Zatanna to smirk. Artemis' 'not-date' was definitely good looking. He had the build of a soccer player, and looked a little bit like a young Brad Pitt. He had 'jerk' written all over him, as far as Wally was concerned. Who asks someone to read over an English report at a restaurant? "So we're just going to sit here and watch them?"
Zatanna looked like she had been waiting for him to ask that question all day. "Nope, it's going to get way more fun than this, trust me." She turned to Robin and whispered in his ear. A large grin spread over Robin's features.
"I love the way your mind works." Robin said, and they both stared at Wally like criminal masterminds. Wally half expected them to start rubbing their hands together while cackling madly. "Do I want to know?" He asked cautiously, scooting his seat backwards.
Artemis looked out the window, trying to ignore most of what Max was saying. He had chosen to sit beside, rather than across from her, at the booth. It was hard to ignore him when he was this close, and his proximity was slightly unsettling. She was starting to get the feeling that this was a date. Call her crazy, but usually friends didn't rub their legs against hers, and certainly didn't take every chance to touch her. The moment she had walked in, he had given her this look; a look that was now directed right at her chest.
Artemis had had her fair share of suitors, but she hadn't really been interested in any of them. She was especially not interested in the kind that looked her in the eyes about 10 percent of the time. There is no way I'm admitting to Wally that my 'not-date' was a slime-ball, Artemis thought. She winced. How on earth did Wally end up on her mind? So maybe they had gotten along a little bit better than usual; that didn't change anything. Their exchange this morning proved that.
But Artemis knew something was different now. They spent more time together than they had before. Sometimes Wally would just drop by her room at the cave to distract her from her homework. Artemis wouldn't admit it, but she enjoyed the times he managed to drag her from her room, and out on a little escapade. They would go for dinner, or wind up at an amusement park, and return to the cave only to spend way too much time talking into the wee hours of the night. "Conner and M'gann are doing couple things, Robin is trying to impress Zatanna, and Kaldur is in Atlantis." She remembered him saying the first time he'd asked her to hang out with him. That's what they continued to tell themselves; that everyone else was busy. Never mind the fact that Wally always seemed to want to go out on the nights when everyone else had plans.
Artemis turned her attention back to her current situation. She was contemplating how to best get away, when a new voice disturbed her thoughts. "Here are your waters. Your waiter will be with you shortly." Artemis looked up, and nearly choked. There was Robin in full host-uniform, handing out glasses of water, and menus. The sight would've been funny, had Artemis not known there was a more annoying reason as to why he was there. He looked way too young to be working anywhere, and his sunglasses made him highly suspicious.
"Is something wrong, Artemis?" Max asked. Artemis shook her head quickly, taking a sip of her water. A kid in shades is serving you water, and you don't think something is wrong? She wanted to say, but she bit down her tongue.
"No, no, I'm fine, really, I'm-"
"Hello my name is Wally, and I'll be your server for today. Are you ready to order?"
This time she really did choke and Max rubbed her back in some lame attempt to help. Wally's voice had come out oddly forced. As if by magic-
Zatanna. Artemis thought, scanning the room and pinning down a familiar black head.
She looked up at Wally and tried to smile politely. He seemed just as shocked as she did, and scowled in the direction of their magician friend.
"Having a good time?" Wally asked with false civility.
"A blast." Artemis said. "I'll have the fettuccini alfredo."
"A moment on the lips, a life time on the hips..." Wally muttered as he wrote on his notepad.
"Want to say that a little louder, Kid Hypocrite?"
"Shall I bring hearing aids with your order of creamed heart attack?"
She kicked him lightly from under the table.
"Ouch." Max yelped.
"Sorry! I meant to kick Wally!" Artemis sputtered.
He rubbed his leg and leaned towards her, putting on his best suave voice, "It's okay... You can make it up to me later, peach." He twirled a finger through her hair.
Artemis swatted his hand away and glared. "Excuse me? How exactly do you think I'm 'making this up to you'?"
"Cute, playing coy. But you know what I mean." He leaned into her neck to whisper into her ear. "Don't pretend you don't want it-"
Wally had him by the neck of his shirt in a heartbeat. "Okay, that's enough. I think you've made her plenty uncomfortable for today."
"Hey, let go!" Max wriggled out of Wally's grasp and pushed him aside. "You guys are both crazy," he said angrily, grabbing his jacket and pushing past Wally. "I'll see you Monday, Artemis. Just don't bring your boyfriend along next time." He huffed, and stalked out with a wince.
"He's not my boyfriend!" Artemis called out uselessly as the door to the restaurant swung shut. People were staring now, and Artemis shifted uncomfortably. She turned around in search of Zatanna and Robin, but they had wisely vacated the premises. "I am going to murder them," she seethed.
"You can do that when we have fewer witnesses." Wally said, motioning to the audience of eyes that had turned their way.
"How fast can you get us out of here," she asked.
He grinned, picking her up and high-tailing it out of the diner.
They were sitting on the couch of the cave, waiting for Robin and Zatanna to return.
"Sorry about today." Wally said, breaking the silence. Artemis looked over at him in shock. Was Wally West apologizing to her? She didn't say anything, and he took it as a cue to continue. "But seriously that guy was giving me the shivers. I don't know what it was, but I just wanted to punch him in the face."
"Yeah, I did too."
They looked at each other, and laughed. She swung her legs over his lap, and he played with the laces of her boots. There was so much she had wanted to say to him, to ask him. But something always stopped her. She couldn't be sure he felt the same way she did, and that scared her. How could she possibly know when he was always flirting with someone else?
Were you jealous?
"You can do way better than that guy, you know," Wally said, looking at her uncertainly. He had surprised her yet again, and felt a warm flush at her cheeks. He was being sweet again. She hated when he was being sweet, mostly because it made her feel indecently happy.
Do you like me?
"I'm starting to think I'll end up that crazy old woman who lives in a dingy shack alone with a bunch of cats." She said with a sigh, and she regretted it instantly. Even she could hear how much her comment didn't sound like a joke.
"Well you have 'crazy' right," Wally quipped. "How about, one day, if we're both old and lonely... We get a shack for two? No cats, though."
No cats, no shack, and definitely none of that 'old' bit. But you and me? I could do that.
Artemis blushed. She tried to convince herself that Wally was being the usual flirtatious (and utterly ridiculous) Wally West. But something in the way he said it made her pause, and wonder if he really meant it. "Then I guess I'll make sure not end up old and lonely." She blurted.
She could never say the right thing, and she knew she had messed it up when Wally had laughed with her, slightly dejected. He played with her laces again. The conversation was done, but she wasn't satisfied. She pulled her legs away, and sat up so she was closer, able to count the freckles on his face.
"Or maybe not." She whispered timidly. He searched her eyes for a moment, and Artemis thought she'd lose her nerve and leave before anything happened. Slowly, he leaned forward and kissed her. It was soft and hesitant. He had barely brushed her lips when she pulled back, about to run away.
"Stay," he had murmured, sensing she was about to leave. He wasn't forcing, wasn't commanding; he was asking, pleading, hoping that she felt the same way. Artemis smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. How was it that everything could be so clear without a single word? He guided her back to his mouth by the chin, and pushed her down on the couch, crushing his lips into hers. She was kissing Wally. The same Wally that could make eating look like a crime scene. The same Wally that bantered with her over trivial things like movies and video games. The same Wally that defended her when some creep made her uncomfortable. Suddenly it didn't seem so weird that she wanted to be so close to him; to make him hers entirely.
Her hands raked through his messy auburn hair, mind buzzing. The first kisses were unsure and tentative, but after a couple minutes he had her gasping for breath. She wanted desperately to yank his shirt off and explore the lean muscles underneath. Judging by the way his hands were moving up from her hips, he wanted the same. The announcement from the Zeta Tubes caused them to spring apart.
"Hey, Artemis. Wally." Zatanna said sheepishly as she walked in, Robin in tow. "Hope you aren't too mad about what happened."
"Oh I am plenty mad-" Artemis began.
"Really? Mad enough for a make-out session?" Robin piped up. Wally turned an extraordinary shade of red, and Artemis just stared.
"H-how did you know?" She stammered out.
Zatanna and Robin looked at each other, eyes wide and questioning. "I didn't," Robin said as Zee stifled a chuckle. "Not until now, at least."
Robin and Zatanna took off as soon as Artemis leaped over the couch.
"Wait a minute, beautiful." Wally said, drawing her back by the waist. He kissed her again, a bit more passionately this time, his mouth moving blissfully across hers. Her knees weakened, not wanting the moment to end. "Don't be too hard on them." He whispered as they parted.
She blinked, "You don't want to help catch them?"
"Nah. Let's just say that I'm not completely unhappy with their results. Let me know when you need an assistant-torturer."
"The chase is half the fun, you know." She murmured, running her hands along his very nicely sculpted arms. She backed away slowly, torn between leaving him and exacting her revenge. They would have more time together, she decided, and took off after her prey.
"I think I know better than you realize." Wally said to himself with a chuckle.