Mending Fences

Wally had been staying with Dick for a couple of weeks after his last fight with Artemis. He'd run to classes at Palo Alto while Dick worked, bought take out for dinner for both of them and helped him patrol Bludhaven at night. The second Saturday Dick had the day off from work so they spent it watching a Harry Potter movie marathon and goofing off. They talked about Wally's classes, their families and work. However, Wally never mentioned Artemis. Neither did Dick. On Sunday, Dick woke early due to Wally's banging in the kitchen. The speedster's noisiness and clumsiness gave away his nervousness. It was time.

"Are you going to be ok?" Dick asked while pouring himself a cup of coffee and scaring Wally who hadn't notice him.

"Yeah, I think so." The speedster answer after calming his extra fast beating heart. He didn't even questioned what Dick meant.

"Okay. If you need anything , you know where to find me." Dick never thought he would regret offering unconditional help to Wally but, here he was in Palo Alto regretting it while, helping the speedster pack.

He'd never been to the new apartment the couple had rented after Wally's return since Artemis was still pissed at Dick. Also, Wally had been spending so much time at Bludhaven, Gotham and the Watchtower that it hadn't been necessary to come visit. Now here he was helping Wally move out his things.

At first, Dick had tried to protest. "Artemis hates me right now"; "Call Roy"; "You are a speedster! You can move out in seconds!" were some of the protests Dick had been planning to give Wally. However, Wally followed his request with his newly found weapon against Dick: a massive puppy dog pout. So Dick had agreed and here he was trying to help the speedster clear out of Palo Alto before Artemis got home from class. Alas, luck was not on his side.

"What are you doing here?" Artemis asked with a glare when he saw him on her living room. Thankfully Wally saved him from replying by running into the room. Bless his soul.

"Oh! Artemis, hi!" Wally greeted awkwardly while holding a box full of books. We stood awkwardly for a couple of infinite seconds until Wally broke the silence again. "Dick is just helping me move my stuff out. I didn't think you were coming until later." He rushed to say in an almost undecipherable mumble. However, Dick and Artemis had enough experience with Wally's speed talk to understand him perfectly.

"My last class was cancelled." Artemis offered as an explanation. Not that she needed to, of course. This, after all, was her home. We stood once again awkwardly for a couple more seconds. Wally saved us from the silent doom again, thank God.

"Right! Great! I was just about to get pizza for Dick and I. I'll get you some with veggies, be right back." And with that the traitor ran away. Dick regretted every blessing. He was going to kill him.

Instead of standing around waiting for the silence to kill him. Dick decided to continue his mission of packing Wally's things the fastest way possible. After all, the fastest he packed, the sooner he could get out of the house. At this point, he didn't even care if he left some things behind or packed some of Artemis'. Fuck Wally. He was just about to pack a box set of the Lord of the Rings movies that could only belong to Wally when a huff from Artemis made him glance at her.

"He's staying with you." She stated.

"Yeah. Until he finds a new place." Dick answered anyway. She rolled her eyes and huffed again. "Sure" she said sarcastically.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked her confused and a little bit defensive.

"Don't pretend like we both don't know what's happening and will happen." She snapped, turning Dick's confusion to anger. "Oh, pray tell, what's happening?" he snapped back.

"Dick! For the love of God, stop pretending. You won! The least you could do is stop treating me like an idiot"

"I have no idea what you're talking about Artemis!" Dick yelled back while shoving more of Wally's things in the box. He had to get out of there.

"It's obvious that you are ecstatic at this turn of events. You've been trying to make it happen ever since he came back!" Dick gaped at her. Did Artemis truly believe that Dick had tried to drive Wally away from her?

"Artemis, I know that you've been pissed at me ever since Wally came back but, I assure you that I had nothing to do with you guys breaking up." Dick answered truthfully. However, Artemis didn't seemed to believe him.

"Then, why has he spent the last few months stuck to you like glue? Why have I seen my mercenary sister more than my boyfriend since he came back? Why have I spent so much time alone when we should have been making up for lost time? Are you really going to lie and say he wasn't with you?!"

Dick couldn't deny it so, he just stood there quietly. They stared at each other. She was waiting for an answer she already knew and Dick…Dick was just waiting. Finally, the look of anger left Artemis' face. Only sorrow and acceptance left behind. She slumped on the couch and closed her eyes. Dick sat beside her.

"I'm sorry." Dick said for a lack of anything else to say.

"It's ok. It's not your fault." Her answer surprised him.

"I never meant for this to happen. I just want you both to be happy." Dick replied sincerely squeezing her hand. To his surprise, she didn't let go.

"I know. Wally and I…we haven't been right in a long time. Things have been wrong before the Artic or even before we left the team. But, when I lost him, it just hurt so much. I guess, I fooled myself into believing that we had been fine and then…then he came back and I thought everything would be alright but, it wasn't. Wally was never here and when he was all we did was fight, I fooled myself into believing it was your fault but, the truth is that we were just forcing something that wasn't meant to be." She broke down after her confession and Dick engulfed her in his arms.

"It's going to be ok. I know that you guys love each other and this isn't going to be the end of that. Just because you are not together anymore, it doesn't mean that you have to abandon that love." Dick whispered making her sigh.

"You're right."

"Always am." He grinned making her slap his shoulder and laugh weakly.

"I missed you." She said after a couple of seconds.

"Me too." He answered back with a less heavy heart.

"So..." she said after a couple of seconds while drying her tears and standing up. "How long do you think it will take for Wally to finally have the courage to come back?" She asked with an eye roll and fond look.

"Oh, he definitively ran all the way to Happy Harbor to get pizza in order to waste as much time as possible." They both laugh at the speedster antics. After a couple of seconds of laugher, Artemis went to change and Dick continued to pack relieved that the awkwardness was over. She came back five minutes later and started picking up some things and putting them in the box, Dick smiled back gratefully.

"Oh and Dick." She said suddenly. "That Lord of the Ring box set is mine. Take it and you and Wally are dead."

Wally arrived just in time to see them both burst into laughter. His confused expression only made them laugh harder.