I had to reupload due to the fact that there was a misunderstanding. Check the bottom for more information.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own YJ. I wish I did though, then there would be a season 3.
Artemis Lian Crock was not a happy Arty. An afternoon planned for reading and hiding indoors has been rudely interrupted by the League, requesting all of the team's attendance, which was a total nuisance. Trust the League to take the only rest day she had. Typical. Putting down her book and cup of tea, she grumpily made her way to the living room where everyone was gathered. Everyone except Wally that was, for some reason, the speedster wasn't present. Craning her neck to look for the ginger, she was disappointed that she couldn't locate him, not that she'd ever let it on of course, gosh. Secretly she had a soft spot for Wally, what with his happy go lucky attitude and ability to keep happy in the most dire of situations. And the fact he was ginge- No. Artemis. Change thoughts, she thought to herself. No more fantasising about gingers.
"Is everyone present?" Bruce's deep voice sounded as he surveyed the room. Again, the blonde looked around for the speedster, but couldn't find him. She could see Robin, tapping on his wristwatch computer, M'gann muttering something to Conner who had his usual stoic expression on his face, living up to the fact that he 'had the emotions of a wall'. Kaldur was flicking through a file, his lips moving silently as his eyes moved up and down the page, being the introverted, quiet Atlantean he nobody else had noticed the ginger's absence, the blonde decided to point it out.
"No, Wally isn't here, we can't start yet." She said, trying to see over the taller members of the JLA but failing miserably, as the other older members of the League were much taller. It wasn't that convenient to be short; hell even Robin was almost as tall as she was, and he was pretty damn short.
"Artemis." Green Arrow walked over to his protege, slinging his bow onto his back and placing a hand on her shoulder, his expression worried. "That is why we called the meeting. Wally's missing." He said gravely, looking at his protege in concern. He knew she had a soft spot for the ginger; their arguments were usually friendly, and they worked well together and had become quite good friends recently, and he also knew for a fact (thank you very much Barry blabber mouth) that the young Flash had quite the crush on the blonde archer. He suspected that she had many of the same feelings, but he didn't need to intrude in her business. After all, he had already lost one protege, he thought darkly, thinking of Roy.
As Artemis heard the news, she felt a cold feeling rush through her, like she had been dropped into a pit of icy cold water from fifty feet above, the information chilling her to the bone, her blood running cold. A feeling of dread crept up in her heart, as her brain processed the news. No. That couldn't be happening. She put her hand out to steady herself, dropping into the sofa behind her in shock, her expression blank. Wally couldn't have been kidnapped or missing. He was one of the strongest; super speed gave him many abilities, including super healing. So it had to be bad whatever took him, as it took a lot to take him down. This couldn't be good. She didn't like to admit it, but the concern she felt for him was so much more than just a teammate, but kind of empty. Like when she was in combat, she knew he would always be there, and he would always have her back. Now he was gone, and she didn't really know how to deal with it. Blinking away the tear that came to her eye, she stood up, to speak to Batman. If she knew anything about the League, it was that Bruce would probably have the most information.
"Do you have any ideas about his whereabouts, Batman?" Artemis addressed the most senior member of the League, leaning her head up to make eye contact with the black clad man. "
No, we do not have any idea." He replied, in his customary tone. All official and businesslike. The fact that they were just standing there not searching just made the blonde angrier, rage melting all the cold feeling of shock that she had just experienced. Why weren't they looking for him? Why did they just abandon him? She wanted to ask, why weren't they looking for him, why the hell were they just STANDING THERE being all OFFICIAL?! Wally was missing for Christ's sake. She covered her eyes with her hands, trying to keep a lid on her emotions before she started going crazy. She removed them a minute later, her eyes wet, and tear stains on her cheeks, her face steely and determined. But her eyes betrayed her, unsure and scared, not knowing what to do, darting side to side. Like a hunted animal, trying to escape their impending doom of the hunter, awaiting the fatal bullet or knife that would inevitably take their life.
Picking up on the girl's distress, Barry quickly walked (more accurately sprinted) towards her, giving her a reassuring smile.
"We are looking for him, and we are currently tracking his Kid Flash uniform now. Don't worry, we won't get rid of him that easily." Barry said kindly, patting her on the shoulder. She gave him a watery smile in return, before looking over at the rest of the Team, who were looking through files or computers. She felt useless just sitting on the couch, and like she wasn't doing enough to help.
"I'd better go and help. Excuse me." She said, standing straight and heading over to the others. Ollie watched her go with a worried glance. Artemis was quite an emotional girl, and didn't handle extreme pressure as well as some of the others, especially when it came to the team. She was quite protective, having suffered from multiple betrayals as a child. Multiple? More than. Why did it have to be Wally that was missing? She obviously had feelings for him, and it pained him to see his protege like this. And poor Barry. His nephew was somewhere, lost, alone, maybe hurt, trying to escape his captors. Barry seemed to be handling it pretty well, he mused to himself, stroking his beard thoughtfully and adjusting his hood to cover more of his face to hide the emotion. Behind his mask, his eyes were filled with concern for his friend. He knew Barry too well; his put on happiness wasn't real, it was just a cover. A cover to hide the stabbing agony that hurt him every second his nephew was gone, the pain that filled him with every breath he took. He knew how much willpower the speedster was using just not to cry. The elder blonde gave a sad look at his protege, before excusing himself to go and check some files. Barry would probably want some space.
Making her way across the packed living room to Conner, Kaldur, M'gann and Robin, Artemis sat down on the bar stool that had been pulled up for her gratefully. The other four were hunched around Robin's computer, waiting anxiously with bated breath.
[89% SIGNAL TRACKING: B07 (Kid Flash)] the screen said, bleeping every so often. She gave M'gann a grateful smile as she was pulled into a warm hug by the Martian, trying to blink away the tear that was threatening to come as Wally's picture bleeped on the screen, the signature grin present. After about ten minutes of listening to the insufferable beeping, the screen finally showed [B07: Tracked. Send Location Yes {} No {}] and Robin tapped on the 'yes' button, causing the machine to beep. Reading from some coordinates, he quickly worked out where they indicated. He knew the latitude and longitude was approximately Gotham, or next to Gotham, and since it was the Bat Family territory (as well as a hell of a lot of criminals) territory, he knew the area like the back of his hand. A further zoom of the map placed him in an abandoned factory, in the sketchier part of Gotham, quite close to the Arkham Asylum, which was not the safest of places, and that was sugarcoating it significantly.
He thought about the abandoned Asylum with a slight grimace; they had plenty of weird so called 'therapy' treatments, ranging from electroshock to drug therapy, and not the conventional kind that one would expect. Although the asylum had been shut down a while ago, there were many criminals operating there, and a barrage of instruments that could hurt or even kill lying around. Kind of like a criminals junkyard, he mused. The criminals got up to all kinds of shenanigans back there, and even though the Bat Family was powerful, sometimes a few criminals slipped through the cracks. Actually, more than a few; more accurately, the Bat Family's success rate wasn't as high as they would want. The large space, high security levels (to keep patients from escape), barrage of equipment and isolated area gave criminals space to deal drugs, hide out and commit the perfect crime.
If Wally was really being held at Arkham, then it would be bad news for the team. Arkham was a dangerous place, and even more dangerous to infiltrate. The asylum had survived wrecks of criminals and their traps, which could possibly electrocute or even set one on fire, and those were the more pleasant treatments. Robin shuddered at the thought, before taking a deep breath. He wasn't really prepared to break the news to the others, but it had to be done. Besides, he knew it was much easier to do it quickly and get it done and over with, like taking off a band aid.
"Guys, I have bad news. He's been located-" Robin began, but was cut off by Artemis.
"How is Wally being located bad news?" She growled, giving him a death glare and looking at the computer.
"You didn't let me finish. But anyways, he's been located in Arkham Asylum." He said gravely, putting a hand out onto the blonde's shoulder as she looked at him horrified. Her lips kept mouthing 'Arkham Asylum' over and over again, her grey eyes sad and far away, blank and zipped over quickly at the mention of Arkham, his blonde hair ruffled and his cowl in hand. He indicated Robin to move over, as he took his place in front of the wrist computer. Confirming it was indeed Arkham, Barry straightened up, his face ashen.
"Rescue mission. Twenty." He said, in a very un-Barry like manner. His voice was without its usual cheer and his step without his usual Barry like bounce. Ollie observed out of the corner of his eye, noting the difference in his manner. This couldn't happen. Barry was the cheerfulness in the League, and his behaviour (though sometimes immature) was lighthearted and brought some happiness into the darkness of their jobs. Batman stood straight, looking straight ahead. "You heard the man. Let's go." He commanded, exiting the room. He always managed to exit in such a dark fashion, his cape billowing and encasing him in darkness. Like a bat, Ollie mused, living up to his alias.
Everyone filed out of the room respectively, Barry actually going at a human speed. The blonde archer (the female one) was the last to leave, flashing a glance at the computer as she slung her bow onto her back. Heading to the changing rooms, she stepped past M'gann before the Martian could inquire about anything, and went over to the lockers. Sitting down hard on the bench, she buried her face in her hands, trying to compose herself. They would find him. They would. Wally was strong and he could definitely survive this. He had to. She looked up, but seeing the swinging light above her made her think twice.
What if he doesn't? What if he dies, the infuriating little voice in her head was screaming. You'll never see him again, never ever. He's going to be gone forever, and you won't ever hear his voice again. You won't ever talk to him, you won't ever get to hang out again. He's gone. She willed the voice to shut up, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to block it out, but failing. The voice kept getting louder, screaming negativity at the girl, until a hand on her shoulder brought her back to her senses. A green hand. She looked up into her amber eyes, filled with concern, M'gann's face looking sad. She gave her a small smile and stood, leaving the Martian standing there with her hand out and a slightly confused expression on her usually cheerful face.
Changing into her uniform quickly, the blonde archer put her tank top and shorts away into her locker, slamming the door with unnecessary force. Heading over to the sinks, she splashed some water onto her face, trying to get rid of the tear stains. A quick check of her watch made her jump, grabbing her bow and leaving the now empty changing room as M'gann had exited a while ago. She was greeted by the sight of the team accompanied by their mentors, with the exception of Barry who was standing alone, looking slightly forlorn, which was understandable. As she was slightly late, Ollie quickly filled her in on the plan, speaking quietly as the others were still conferring. It would be simple enough; Robin's state of the art technology had pinpointed the signal to the East Wing of Arkham Asylum, on the fifth floor in an abandoned electroshock therapy ward. This wasn't good.
The mission would be a rescue; Artemis and Ollie would be providing backup, Barry infiltrating with the aid of the Martian Duo, the Bats coordinating and tracking, as well as providing the intelligence necessary. Even Roy had been called in, to show how major it was, as there would be many criminals present that night. The archer trio had been instructed to shoot to apprehend, and bring as many arrows as they could, as they didn't know who or what was sheltering in the walls. All they knew was that it would be hard, there would be casualties and it was going to be dangerous. As the meeting adjourned, the respective groups stepped into the zeta tubes, reappearing in the one closest to Arkham. As Oliver stepped out of the beam, he wondered if this would be the last time they would all fight together.
The scenery was quite obscene; dark, wet, grimy and God knows what else. Broken glass and destroyed chunks of wood lay on the ground, floating around in puddles. As the groups stepped over the rubble and neared the Asylum, Artemis noticed various items that would belong in either a doctors office or torture chamber lying around, in varying states of dishevelment, most of them completely dilapidated. Upon Green Arrow's command, the three archers swiftly grappled into the building, landing smoothly on their feet with practiced ease.
A quick red blur could be seen flitting to and fro, and if Artemis had blinked she was sure that she would've missed it. Barry, she thought, looking around for signs of the others. A blur of shadows indicated Batman, and the slightly shimmery image showed the Martians floating themselves over the wrought iron gates. Peeking through the broken door, the archer locked an arrow in her bow, looking around before setting off down the corridor, looking back to make sure that Roy was always covering. He could be an ass at times, but she knew she could count on him this time.
After the corridor had been secured, she quickly radioed in, and everyone else arrived. A beep in her ear indicated that a guard was coming their way, so after all of the others had been bundled into a side room, a shot from her arrow silenced him, his body dropping to the ground, dead. As the group advanced towards the East Wing, it continued like this. Oddly enough, not many criminals were encountered, and the ones they did the group had thankfully been able to hide without too much trouble, unless you counted Roy being elbowed in the face, which was very amusing to Artemis, who despite her sadness mustered enough happiness to snicker.
Spotting the sign for the East Wing, Bruce quickly did a check on everyone to make sure they were alright. Apart from Roy having a black eye, Barry sporting a swiftly healing gash and Artemis having a few pieces of glass lodged in her arm, everyone was pretty fine. Well, completely fine apart from Ollie who was missing part of his beard and looking damn disgruntled about it too, growling every now and then. Whatever, beards would grow back, but Wally's time was ticking. If it was anywhere else, the mission would've been more carefully planned, but in Arkham it was more than unpredictable. So with the best intentions, everyone had been rushed off, as the longer they waited the less chance his heart was beating. Giving everyone a few minutes, Bruce checked in with Robin, who was manning the connections and making sure the coast was clear. Luckily for them, the East Wing had about six remaining working video cameras, and after Robin had altered the connections and power cables, the group could use the cameras in their favour, allowing them time to escape if criminals or guards were seen. Barry looked over impatiently, green eyes darting back and forth from the door to Bruce and back to the door again.
After a few minutes, Bruce gave the signal, and the archers entered the wing, quickly destroying the battered wooden door with their bows, splinters of the material breaking off and clattering onto the floor. As the blonde walked in warily, a grimy hand snatched her from behind, muffling her words. Not missing a beat, she quickly elbowed him in the face, turning around and whacking him forcefully on the head with the bow, twisting away with a swift kick. When she returned, everyone was already heading down the hall, Ollie waiting for her with a look of approval at his protege's combat skills. A further message from Robin directed them down another corridor and up a fire escape, which passed quite uneventfully, or as uneventfully as Arkham Asylum could be, at least. When she walked past a dilapidated door, she heard the word "stop" in her psychic link, and stopped in front of the door.
"Guys, this is it." The archer said, pulling a smoke arrow from her quiver and locking it in her bow. With a quick "thank you" to Dick, she waited until everyone was assembled. Knowing Arkham there would be a lot of, ahem, interesting villains lurking, and it was best to not take any chances. Upon Ollie's nod, Roy wrenched the door open, and the two blonde archers entered, followed by the redhead, then the bat and the Flash. The Martians exited the asylum via window, as the group would be hindered with them as their powers were mostly psychic instead of physical.
When Artemis' eyes adjusted to the brighter light in the room from the single lightbulb, she felt her heart shatter. Wally was tied up in the center of the room, unconscious and bleeding. A large amount of small shallow cuts were all over his body, several syringes lay scattered, empty vials all over the place. Most horrifyingly, a severed jumper cable and empty bottles of water stood next to him, the cable still connected to the power box. Wally's shirt was ripped and covered in blood, ashy marks where the ends of the cables burned him, and red marks all over from beatings. After Bruce, Ollie and Roy made sure the area was secure, Artemis and Barry ran over to him, looking at him in concern. The blonde choked back a sob at his battered appearance, his green eyes were closed and the ever present smile on his face was no longer there. His ginger hair was tangled and matted with blood, and his arms had puncture wounds. The son of a bitch that did this is going to pay, she thought savagely, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth.
As the duo walked up to Wally's unconscious body, Barry was feeling many of the same emotions. He surveyed his nephew's broken body, and wondered if the green orbs would ever open again. Pulling off his cowl, Barry swept his blonde hair out of his eyes, and unhooking the chains that bound him. Upon release, Wally dropped into Artemis' arms, a dead weight in her arms. She cradled his broken body close to hers, feeling for a pulse, when she found none.
"Barry! Barry!" She shouted in alarm, grey eyes widening and the tears that she had held back for so long threatening to pulled his nephew's limp body out of the blonde's arms, looking at her in concern.
"Barry...there's no pulse." She sobbed, tears mixing with blood from a cut into a swirly red beautiful mess of art onto the dirty floor of the asylum. As Barry heard the words, he felt his heart crumple, and all the breath leave his lungs. He placed him down on the floor gently, silent tears falling from his green eyes. He made no effort to wipe the tears away, and just cried, kneeling on the floor, failing to notice Bruce feeling the ginger's neck and wrists for a pulse. Feeling a slight heartbeat under his wrists, Bruce's face split into a smile, a small smile but still a smile. After about ten seconds, the smile faded into his usual scowl. He stood up, and walked over to Barry, his smile showing his teeth. He must be so happy about Wally, Barry thought sarcastically.
"Barry. He's alive." He announced, placing a hand on Barry's shoulder. What came next, he was not prepared for. Barry's eyes lit up, what had been lifeless green eyes sparkled with hope. Turning around swiftly, Barry pulled the Bat into a bone crushing hug, whispering his thanks as his tears soaked Bruce's uniform, and arms wrapped around the bat. Surprisingly, the bat hugged him back gently, instead of pushing him off straight away.
"Barry. We need to get him back to Mt. Justice so he can receive the adequate care he needs." Bruce said quietly, prying the blonde off him. Barry nodded in understanding, going over to Wally and picking him up in his arms, hating how limp and small he looked, but grateful for the fact that he was alive. Martian Manhunter appeared outside on the ledge, and levitated the pair down. Bruce, Ollie, Roy and Artemis all grappled down, landing smoothly on their feet. After they had all landed on the ground, the archers shot a series of arrows to exit the asylum, shortly followed by Barry still carrying Wally, speeding away to the zeta tubes. Bruce followed in a blur of shadows, and the Martians flew over and disappeared into the zeta.
When they arrived, Wally was swiftly placed onto a waiting gurney; luckily Batman was very quick on a telephone. As he was whisked off to the medical centre to get checked over, Artemis dropped onto the couch in slight disbelief. Wally was alive. He was going to be okay. He was gonna be okay! She thought, feeling elated. But the voice came back again. He was unconscious, who knows if he's gonna wake up again, huh? The annoying voice pestered the blonde. She tried blocking it out, just looking at nothing in particular, her eyes unfocused, not even noticing Ollie plucking glass shards out of her arm. Only the sting of alcohol jolted her out of her reverie, and she looked at Ollie in alarm. Her pleading eyes said it all; no words were necessary. Is he gonna be okay, she asked, without words, her hand gripping his tightly. He shook his head with a slight shrug. He didn't know. He really didn't know.
After a few hours of repercussion, the group were all clean and tended to. Seated on various couches, they all waited anxiously. Well the group except for Artemis, who hadn't bothered to get a shower yet. Still grimy, she had been sitting outside in the icy corridors, waiting for the prognosis on him. There was simply no denying it, but her feelings for the ginger were more than the average teammates. As she thought more of the limp figure tied up in the asylum, the more she realized how much she cared about him. It wasn't enough just to sit around and wait, she wanted to do something to help to make sure he was okay. Wiping away another tear, she slid onto the floor, biting her lip, ignoring the glass shards that fluttered out of her hair. She sat there in a daze for another hour before Ollie found her there, mangled and disheveled, with a confused expression on her face. He sat down, putting an arm around her and pulling her into a hug, being surprisingly gentle.
"What's the prognosis?" She whispered, looking at him with glassy grey eyes. He shook his head, telling her to wait for the doctors. Inwardly, he knew. Wally had been subjected to what appeared to be electroshock torture, and the long term effects weren't good. After Batman and Robin had done a thorough analysis of any drugs left in his system, they had found that his super healing had been compromised due to the lack of food there, and the various drugs injected into him couldn't do much good, as the long term effects were unknown. Due to his not so extensive medical knowledge, he didn't know what could have happened to the young speedster, and he didn't know if he would ever wake up again. He looked at her sadly, not wanting to tell her his fears.
But Artemis knew Ollie too well, and the sad glance could only mean the worst. What had been optimistic for her now suddenly came crashing down in unbearable grief, and she couldn't keep a lid on her emotions any longer. Not wanting to show weakness in front of her mentor, she excused herself shakily, and ran out of the corridor, ignoring the tears that dripped onto the floor as she ran. Flicking her straggly blonde hair out of her eyes, she exited the crowded interior of the living room, retreating to the gym, her quiet sanctuary
The gym was an odd place, but she liked it. The speedster-equipped treadmill stood in one corner, along with Superboy's weights. Somehow, the league had managed to find weights heavy enough to have Superboy properly work out, and that was pretty hard. They were usually locked up, since they could do some serious property damage if left untended. She sat down at the edge of the treadmill, musing, letting tears fall freely onto the floor now. A slight rustle from above caught her attention, and looking up, she saw Dick. As he saw her tear stained face, he swung down from from the rafters, looking at her in concern as he a hand on the older girl's shoulders, he sat down next to her, hugging her close a little to comfort her.
"Artemis, it's okay. He'll live." He consoled the blonde. She nodded fiercely, agreeing with him. They sat there discussing random events for about thirty minutes until his phone beeped, and he excused himself.
"I need to go, I've got a date with Barbara." He said apologetically, patting her on the shoulder. "I'll see you later." He said, exiting the gym. The blonde just went over to the archery targets and started practicing, every single one of her arrows hitting the centre of the target easily. She continued shooting for a long time, until someone clearing their throat behind her jolted her back to her senses.
"Artemis, you can see him now. He's stable, and will be for a long time." Oliver said gently. Luckily, the electroshock torture and drug combination hadn't done too much long term damage, but the doctors had had to keep him in a aware coma for awhile. He was completely still, but could still hear and his brain was able to register what was going on around him. The younger girl nodded eagerly, putting down her bow and mumbling something about getting a shower as the medical centre was somewhat strict when it came to cleanliness, and getting kicked out wasn't fun, and she probably wouldn't be let in until she cleaned up anyways.
After a quick shower, the girl changed into a Flash sweater and jeans (the only clean clothes she had in the locker rooms), towelling her hair dry as she jogged barefoot to the medical centre. Slipping her feet in the shoes she held in her hand, she registered on the visitors log, pushing the door open. The hiss of the pressurised door and the biting chill of the air conditioner making her shiver a little. When she saw the limp figure lying on the bed, loosely covered by the thin sheets, she felt her heart shatter again. The beeping of the monitors were an incessant metronome, just there to make the torment worse, the beeping a constant reminder of the hospital surroundings.
Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she looked at him sadly, wishing he was awake. Upon observation of the monitors, she saw that he was critical, but stable, which she guessed was slightly reassuring in an odd way. Picking up the clipboard on the end of the bed, she ruffled through the papers, trying to find out exactly what had happened, her jaw dropping in shock at some of the anecdotes written on the page. Severe electricity burns on his chest, multiple cuts and bruises. Apparently there was some poison too, and he was in quite critical condition, and the doctors hoped that after a week he would enter the safe zone, where they wouldn't have to have so many machines supporting him.
"Oh my god, Wally." She whispered, her smaller hand sliding into his, hating how cold and thin his hand was compared to her muscled limbs. The pulse monitor beeped as she squeezed his hand.
"Wally, you scared us so much. But you're okay, and that's what matters." She said, a small sob coming as her voice wobbled. A single tear dripped onto his hand as the blonde sat with him, cradling the limb. Not remembering that he could still feel, she leaned over and placed a small kiss on his cheek, whispering a word softly as she did so. Finally, the exhaustion of the day caught up to her, and her eyes closed, falling next to him on the narrow bed, her hand never leaving his. She didn't feel the small squeeze that he gave her; she was already asleep. Even during his comatose state, Wally's lips stretched into a small smile. If his eyelids were open, his green eyes were sure to be sparkling, his lips stretched into a smile.
I need to wake up, he told himself. I have to, for her. I need to wake up. He mentally thought, all of his thoughts on giving up gone after her soft lips met his skin.
A sudden loud beeping awoke the blonde from her slumber, and a look to the left revealed that the heart monitor was going berserk. The beats kept climbing and climbing, until they peaked with a loud screeching noise, before the BPM monitor went to 0, and the monitors went blank, the line graph a straight line with no peaks. With a strangled scream, Artemis slammed her hand on the call button, crying for someone to please come, help him, anyone please come and help. She could only stand to the side, falling limp in Ollie's arms as the medical team (and Barry) rushed the bed out of the room. She had no more fight in her, her grey eyes glassy and jaw slack as his body was pulled away on the gurney, vainly trying to escape Oliver's powerful arms as he restrained her, her hands clawing at the muscle and screaming as he hauled her out of the room.
Twenty minutes later, the blonde was sitting on the couch with M'gann , still in a dazed state, tuning out the Martian's incessant chatter. She knew that M'gann meant well, but she wasn't really up to dealing with that right now. As her fingers curled into the soft fabric of the couch, the foam getting stuck in her fingernails, her mind kept wandering to Wally, and the fact that his condition was completely unknown. Barry was nowhere to be seen, so that couldn't have been good, as the speedster was a regular in the living room. She remained on the sofa for a few hours, lost in thought, not knowing or caring about her surroundings as the others moved about and went about their business.
Pulled out of her thought train by a small tap on her shoulder, she looked back to see Barry, his green eyes sparkling as his face split into a wide smile. The smile could only have meant one thing. He was okay. He lived. It was just a panic, over nothing. In retrospect, the fact that the monitors went berserk was that speedsters hearts usually beat too fast for the machine to detect, causing it to seem like they had died. Whatever had happened in Arkham had been reversed, and his metabolism was probably back in gear as well, reducing the healing time very drastically. A smile formed on her face, and she leapt off the couch, a bounce in her step, running after Barry at a speed that even he would've been proud of if he wasn't so preoccupied with his protege's condition.
As the door opened to the room, Artemis ran in with a wide smile. Wally was sitting up, beaten up but alive and coherent. She paused, nearly keeling over, not sure if she should've come in, remembering the kiss that she had placed, and finally remembering that he could still hear and feel during the comatose. She paled quickly; oh god what if he doesn't share the same feelings? That's gonna be so awkward, and he's going to think I'm crazy. She mused, looking side to side in an attempt to pull out of the situation. Wally's wave and wide smile made her reveal herself from behind the door, blushing profusely as she made her way over to him shyly in a very un-Artemis like manner. "Hey," she said quietly, sitting down at the edge of the bed as he gestured. "Uh, how are you fe-"
The blonde was silenced by a pair of bandaged hands pulled her close, cracked lips meeting smooth. A surprised squeak came out of the blonde as the ginger pulled her into a kiss, silencing the blonde's next words. She returned it, pulling him closer until someone clearing their throat pulled them out of it. Blushing, they looked up, spying Barry and Oliver at the door. Ollie was smiling widely whilst Barry snapped pictures on his phone. Only the flash of the camera made them realise exactly where they were; Wally was sat up on the bed with Artemis next to him, half on the bed half standing.
"Oh my god, it's not what it looks like!" She squeaked, jumping off and landing not so smoothly on the floor. Oliver's knowing smile made her blush further, crawling away from sight. As Barry selected the print button on his Polaroid camera, he went over to Wally and ruffled his hair. As the picture came out of the slot, he whipped it out with a smug smile.
"Souvenir? Souvenir." He said, holding the photo at arms length. A "That's my line!" came from Wally, who was blushing as red as his hair and trying to hide under the sheets, but failing miserably. Ollie smirked when Barry spoke. This was too good to not use.
"Barry," he said slyly. "Was that a TFIOS reference?" He said, not even trying to stifle the laugh that came. But Barry is the flash, meaning his brain works much faster than the average human, which unfortunately Ollie was.
"Oh really? How did you know it was the fault in our stars? Is it because you read it? Multiple times?" He said, taking off before Ollie could process what he said. After Ollie had actually figured it out, his face burned red, to the amusement of the two protege's. He quickly exited, muttering about stupid speedsters and dumb teenage books, leaving the two proteges in the room.
Wally's hand was placed on Artemis' and she was smiling contentedly, giggling about what the two mentors argued about. They both knew that the older two were big fans of the book, but refused to admit it. The mentors and proteges had had many a conversation about the book. Green eyes met grey, the two of them sharing a laugh. He patted the spot on the bed next to him, inviting the blonde to sit down, which she did. She sat down gladly, but slightly confused. What if the kiss was just a fling? What if he didn't like her in that way? Wally's next words put her at ease.
"Arty?" He questioned hesitantly. It was the first time he had used the nickname on her, and he really liked it. She turned to him, opening her mouth to speak, but his hand silenced her.
"Will you be my girlfriend?" He asked shyly, cringing and hoping she wouldn't say no. He really liked her, and he really hoped she liked him back in that way, and didn't really know if he could take it if she said no.
The girl's hand dropped, surprised, her expression shocked. Wally's smile faltered; she was going to say no. Oh god. He turned away, a sad expression on his face as he felt his entire body go numb. Artemis could've kicked herself; why the hell did she hesitate?
"Wally. Yes I would love to." She said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He turned around with a smile, an elated expression on his face.
"Really?" He said, perking up. "Yes really." She said, beaming widely, pulling him into a gentle hug, missing the smile that formed on his freckled face as he buried it in the girl's shoulder.
I guess I found my spitfire, he mused, his head buried in the blonde's shoulder.
A/N: I had to re upload because I forgot to 'Paste and match style' and it turned out to be a hell of a lot of code. But I hope you enjoyed it, and there may be another part to this story, I'm not sure.
Again, I am still un-betaed so please excuse my mistakes.
If you liked it, maybe you could review/favourite? It would be absolutely phenomenal.
And does anyone have any fanfic requests? I'm looking for some prompts.
~Adamantium Arrow