Some Traught for you all! Enjoy!
The blonde sighed to herself, as she swung her legs back and forth on the ledge of the balcany.
It was another late night in Gotham city, and she couldn't help herself from indulging herself further into the dark night. She was exhausted. Mentally, and physically. The more she looked, the more dissapointed she felt with herself. This city was supposed to be protected-it was already crime invested enough. She used to be a young hero who faught along with other young super heroes, among Green Arrow- and among Kid Flash, of all people.
Artemis squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out all the memories of him.
Two years later, and it shouldn't have hurt as much, but how can it not, when you've spent so much time with someone you love so dearly? It wasn't possible to block him out, just like that. All the memories they shared together, from the first time they met, up to their first kiss to removing themselves from the league, to start a life of their own.
It hurt, it all hurt so much, still.
She used to be a hero.
But ever since his abscence, she found herself growing more violent, more angrier, more anxious, and despite the fact that she was no longer under disguise as Tigress during the time spent by Black Manta, she had actually become her, once again. Only this time, it was no disguise. There was no spell charm, no black hair or distorted voice, this was her blonde self in the flesh, only more agressive.
She had turned to the life of crime.
And she knew it was wrong, she wasn't supposed to be this person, but the thrill of it all, the thrill of comitting various crimes-it shouldn't be right, she knew this, but it made her feel better. In ways she couldn't explain, it helped supress the memories of her past, helped soothe the pain, if not just a little, even if she knew it was wrong, that this wasn't her, if it made her feel better... she'd continue doing it.
Not all people were too happy with this, though.
Her past team mates still haunted her, and not just in her memories, but in the physical forms.
Nightwing, espicially, had become someone who commonly tried to welcome her back into the life of a hero, or atleast step down from the roll of Tigress and pursue a normal life-but that man should have known by now, if not a long time ago, that she was stubborn, and would take no orders from anyone if it didn't benefit her. If she felt like she was being threatened-and she did, whenever he came around-there was no way it would happen.
Despite this, a part of her felt almost... relieved, to see him so many times. It was a nice thought that he would do this all for her, and there were times when she considered hanging up the mask, but she'd decide against it.
It was better this way.
It was better to stay out of his, and the rest of the teams way.
She had already caused so much trouble for them in these past few years... surely they didn't need her. With a mind as tangled as hers, someone who had lost her beloved, and in return, turned to the life of crime? She felt like such a horrible person.
But then, what about Nightwing?
He had been through just as much, she had to give him some credit. He had lost his best friend. He had to endure keeping her lies under control while she worked alongside Kaldur and Black Manta. And on top of that, he had quit the team, because he was so tired.
Why he had returned, she had no idea, but he had always been so... well, un-stoppable, she supposed. He was a go getter. He didn't stop until he got the results he wanted. And in one year short of loosing his friend, he returned to the team as Nightwing, and his main mission was to track down the blonde to stop her.
Luckily there wasn't too much to stop her from doing tonight.
Unless he would take her captive for admiring the stary sky, which she saw no harm in.
Artemis took in a long breathe in again, feeling a horrible pain in her gut. She glanced down, down to the busy streets, and she felt sicker. "What do you say, huh?" She whispered to herself, never glancing up. Oh, the numerous times she thought about jumping and ending it all... maybe then she and Wally could be re-united. "We'd be together again, babe." And she felt herself leaning forward slightly, not enough that she'd directly fall, but also enough that she could further hear the screech of traffic.
And she felt arms wrap around her waist, whispering into her ear, "Don't do it."
She jumped slightly, but was protected by those strong arms, and when she looked back, she was dissapointed-yet relieved-to see Nightwing gazing at her. She let out a sigh, dropping her head. "Funny how you always show up at the wrong times."
He blew some air out of his nose. "Or right times. But whether it's a good or bad time is up to you."
The blonde forced a laugh, as she turned back to the sky. A strong wind picked up, blowing her blonde hair in the wind. "How long were you standing there for, anyhow?"
"About five minutes."
"Creep."
It went silent between the two, as Nightwing slowly loosened his arms from his waist, but keeping one arm wrapped around her gently, just incase she tried to do anything funny. He rested his free arm of the ledge.
"Lovely night out, isn't it?" He asked, staring straight ahead.
Artemis didn't react to his arm still wrapped around his waist. She had gotten used to his touch a long time ago, so much so that she was almost immune to it. She realised he was holding her, but not enough to fully acknowledge it. Besides, there was worse times where he had to physically hold her against him, so she wouldn't sock him in the face, or try to jump from high places. Those were the times his touch was the strongest. Not so much anymore.
"What do you want, Grayson?" She asked coldly. She couldn't count how many times he had stopped her from doing something stupid, or in this case, as well as others, saving her.
She hated to admit it, but she had grown accustom to it, and at this point, sometimes even expected him to come to her rescue in such drastic times. Dependency was a horrible thing to cling to, but since Wally's passing, she couldn't help but fall back on Dick, even just a little.
Even if they were on two different sides of a coin.
"I came here for you."
"As if that wasn't obvious enough."
More silence. She could tell he hated how much she had changed, or how blunt she was, but she had always been. He tolerated her, and in some cases, Artemis could see the pity behind his masked eyes, or she could feel the sadness of her leaving raditating from him, and she couldn't help but pity both him and herself, but all of it hurt too much to stop, everything was all too much, and-
"What are you thinking about?" He silenced her thoughts.
She glanced over to him, to find he was already staring at her. At this point he with drew his arm from her waist, to clasp his hands together, now fully leaning against the ledge.
She wasn't sure what she was thinking about.
She was thinking about everything. How much had gone wrong, she was thinking of Wally, she was thinking of her old friends, she was thinking of all the times Nightwing had offered her a chance to change, to hang up this anger and frustration, to try and channel it into something else, something that wasn't crime. In all honesty, she was thinking of everything, and nothing, at the same time.
"I don't know." She said blatantly.
Nightwing threw her a lop-sided grin. "C'mon. It's obviously something."
"It's none of your concern."
"I beileve it is."
"Why should it be?" Artemis snapped then, looking bewilderly at him. She let out a sigh, as she tried to calm herself, keeping her voice steady. "All these times, you come to bother me, you try to rehibilitate me, but does it ever work? Is it really worth all this time or effort? Don't you and the league, or you and Batman-you, and anyone else have anything better to do, than to come and bother me? Face it, Bird brain, I'm not the same anymore. I've changed. You need to accept that." She was yelling by now, her face becoming more angrier, as Nightwing stared back at her, his eyebrows turning up, a frown evident on his face.
And slowly, he began to speak. "I come and 'bother' you, because I care about you. I don't like seeing you like this, you're putting yourself in more danger than you would with the rest of us. You're protected, with us, with-with me," He slipped up a little, as he put his hand up to cover his mouth for a moment. "But-but out here, you aren't. You don't realise how dangerous going solo, let alone as a villain actually is. What if you get in trouble, or if you get hurt?"
"I can take care of myself!" She snapped back at him.
He gritted his teeth. "I'm not saying you can't-"
"Then don't talk to me like I can't! I've been doing this for two years now, Dick, I'm fine. Worry about yourself, got it?" She growled slightly, turning her gaze away from him. She was just ready to jump off this building, just so she wouldn't have to have this conversation with him.
"I worry about you, though." He admited slightly.
Artemis said nothing, as she looked forward. Strands of her silky blonde hair whipped against her skin; the wind was picking up.
She heard Nightwing sigh next to her.
"Look-I know-I know, things haven't been easy for you lately. I completely understand, Artemis."
"Don't call me that." She whispered.
He acknowledged her, but continued on. "And I completely understand that you're still shaken up by Wally's-uh... I'm still sad about it, too. I still break down and cry at times, too. He was my best friend..." He seemed to trail off for a moment, and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the pain on his face. She squeezed her eyes shut.
"...And he was your boyfriend." He spoke up again, coughing into his hand. And he paused. "Look, I've already lost one friend... I don't want to loose another."
Artemis felt her gut tighten, and she felt even more guilty. He had never said something like that before, and to hear him sound so vulnerable... it just tore her up inside. She never truly realise how much she must have been hurting him. And what about the others? What about M'gann, or Zatanna...? They were all her friends, and there was a good chance she had hurt them all too, in the process, without realising it.
Because she had only been thinking of herself.
In those two years, she had forgotten that Wally had friends outside of her. She had forgotten how close he was to Nightwing, and the others on top of that.
She hadn't even realised.
"I think it's a little too late for that, Dick." She mumbled softly.
More silence.
And she heard a soft sigh beside her again.
"Please just think about it." He mumbled back.
And before she could say another word, or before he vanished-he did the unthinkable-he leaned in, pecking her on the cheek. She quickly found herself growing bright red, her eyes wide with shock. That had been the first sign of affection she had had in almost two years-she turned her head to the side to look at him, only to find that he had already vanished.
He was gone.
Just like Wally.