I hurt myself in more than one way by writing this. And then I asked myself an eternal question: why?
They say you can measure time in heartbeats.
One minute equals approximately sixty five heartbeats.
They say you can measure time in heartbeats.
If your heart is racing - does the time go faster?
They say you can measure time in heartbeats.
If your heart stops beating - does the time stop?
They say you can measure time in heartbeats.
In that case, the time has stopped for me.
They're on the rooftop, the two of them. It's merely snowing, and more and more snowflakes come their way with every new gust of wind, curling softly into the messy raven hair, and mixing with the red stains on a green uniform. The boy doesn't seem to notice them at all; his panicking blue eyes behind the mask are focused on the blond girl in his arms, begging for a sign of life. He puts his two fingers softly on her neck and tries to feel the heartbeats. Even though weak, they're there; going at almost a normal heart rate. He has called the ambulance, and they should be there any minute. With his right hand, he presses her wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but he has this weird, choking feeling that he's only making things worse. She moans, turns her head to the right and coughs up blood that looks even darker on the white thin layer of snow.
"Dick…"
"I'm here, 'Mis, I'm here," he says, his voice cracking.
Artemis opens her eyes and he feels lost in the grayness, and he clings onto that feeling as much as he possibly can. "Some fight, huh?" She gives him a small smirk which is quickly followed by a pained expression on her face.
"You really shouldn't talk much," he replies, rolling the words over his tongue. He feels tears coming up in his eyes and is grateful he has the domino mask on.
"Why, because I should-ugh-save my energy? We both know I'm not going to make it, Dick." She squirms a little and realizes she's made a mistake. Dick readjusts their position and puts his left hand behind her neck, still holding the wound with his right. He can feel her heartbeats clearly; they're still at normal rate.
"Don't say that!" He cries out.
She can see beyond his mask. She can feel his panic and she gives him a small smile. He may play tough. He may play the game for adults, but under the façade, he's just a boy. And she's just a girl. She closes her eyes and takes a deep, shaky breath in, and winces at the sharp pain under her armpit. "Fine."
"The ambulance should be here any minute now," he mutters under his breath, but she can hear him clearly.
"Count the seconds then," she encourages him gently.
"I don't have a watch."
"Then count my heartbeats."
One, two, three, four, she reads his lips as he concentrates, his eyes tightly shut. Artemis knows they're not closed because he's trying to concentrate. It's because he doesn't want to look at her in pain.
"Hey. Remember that time when Megan caught us making out?" She chuckles and the sharp pain strikes once more, but she tries to hide it when he opens his eyes. He gives her only a hint of a smile.
Thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six. "Yeah. I have never seen her blush like that," he says honestly and lets out a laugh. A laugh that's full of concern and tension.
"I'll miss those times," she says and looks away.
Fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine. "What have I told you?" He groans.
"How long has it been?" She ignores the question.
Sixty-five. "A minute."
She feels the coldness crawling up into her body, making her shiver. Still pressing her wound, he takes off his cape and wraps it over her shoulders, and she fails to tell him it doesn't help. This is a kind of cold that will stay with her forever, the cold that is inevitable to all people. Mortals, at least.
"Thanks," she mutters.
Twenty-six. The numbness is slowly taking over her legs. She knows she's lost a lot of blood, and if the ambulance doesn't show up soon, she won't make it. And she has to make conversation to take Dick's mind off of it.
"Did you study for the test on Friday?"
Forty-three. "I'm a mathlete, remember?" He replies with a soft smile, hope flickering in his heart. "You're the one who's going to need studying!"
"I guess t-trigonometry isn't m-my thing."
"Math isn't your thing."
They both laugh, but Dick stops the second she moans in pain. Her face is now pale and her lips are bluish and trembling. Her heartbeats are slowing down with each passing second, but he won't give up, praying for the ambulance to show up. He hears the siren approximately two blocks away.
"They're coming, 'Mis. They'll be here in a heartbeat" he whispers gently.
One. Two. Three. She gives him a smile that terrifies him. "Dick." Her hand goes up weakly and caresses his jawline, wiping off the tears he hasn't even noticed. He takes off his mask and his blue eyes meet hers, and he knows it's the last time they'll ever do so. His vision becomes blurred; his grip tightens just a little bit on her neck. Ten. He closes his eyes, tears streaming down his face, and leans in, softly pressing his lips against hers, feeling their coldness; he forgets the warm fluid on his right hand, he forgets that she's dying in her arms, he forgets about the siren that's closer and closer, he forgets about the fact that his identity is compromised, he forgets her own father did this to her. Twelve. It's this moment that counts. "I love you," he whispers and buries his head into the crook of her neck, pulling her closer to him, to feel her touch for one last time. Thirteen.
"I love you too," she manages to say softly and raises her hand in an attempt to curl her fingers into his hair, but it helplessly falls down onto the ground, lifeless. The glint in gray eyes slowly fades away, leaving only hollowness behind. His heartbreaking sobs grate the air before everything stops.
They say you can measure time in heartbeats.
The snowflakes don't dance around them anymore. The siren can't be heard, nor the footsteps of the paramedics running up the stairs. There's no wind whispering softly into their ears. There's just the two of them, on a rooftop, and only one heart keeps beating.
They say you can measure time in heartbeats.
Dick knows that isn't true. Because on that rooftop, time has stopped for both of them.
*runs into a corner and cries*
I wanted this to be longer, but I just couldn't add anything else. I am so sad now.
Hope you liked it and please don't come after me because I did this!