If you are reading this, please hug yourself since I'm not there to do it myself. Thank you to everyone reading and reviewing, it means so much to me. I will be away for the weekend and I'm not sure if there will be internet where I'm going... If I can't get connection, I will not be updating until Monday, at the latest. But, let's hope for the best, shall we? :)

NOTE: I am not a lifeguard. I have never been a lifeguard. I have never even been saved by a lifeguard. Any and all lifeguard duties are researched through observation, internet research, and discussion with a friend who is a lifeguard. If you are a lifeguard and you notice a mistake, please let me know. I want my writing to be as realistic as possible. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or The Decemberists (the title comes from their song Summersong).

I taste the summer on your peppery skin.

chapter three

Gratefully stepping into the cool air-conditioning, Wally shuts the summer air behind him as he closes the door to his aunt and uncle's home. He can already smell the grilled chicken and it sounds like maybe someone is frying okra in the kitchen.

His stomach's eager grumbling is greeted by the teasing laughter of his aunt. He looks up to see Iris peeking at him from the kitchen with a raised eyebrow.

"Let me guess," she jokes, "you were so hungry you ran right home?"

He grins a little at her comment, glad to think of their house as home. Shucking his sneakers off into the already shoe-cluttered corner, he nods.

"Took it at a bit of a jog, yeah."

Iris shakes her head, red hair swishing pleasantly around her shoulders as she waves him off to go clean up before dinner. She steps back into the kitchen, calling out to her husband who Wally can't see from his stance near the staircase.

"Left the house late for his meeting and now he's home late for dinner. He might be my blood relative, but he definitely takes after you, Barry."

"Good!" comes the disembodied voice of his uncle. "The ladies can't resist this charm."

Said "charm" soon causes a small commotion in the kitchen. Wally laughs as the sounds of pots and pans falling follow him as he races up the stairs. He can hear the amused laughter echo after him.

He reaches the second floor landing when his aunt's voice carries upstairs.

"Bart! Come set the table!"

A semi-disgruntled noise emits from behind one of the closed doors along the hallway before the door flings open and a small figure with russet hair comes darting out.

"But it's Wally's turn!" he cries in response, his voice lacking any real refusal. Upon seeing Wally, Bart sticks his tongue out in lieu of greeting.

Wally returns the sentiment and reaches out to push at Bart's shoulder, but his cousin dashes just out of reach, running downstairs without further complaint. Entering the bathroom for his shower, he winces as Bart runs to help his mother. For a skinny kid, he makes an impressive amount of noise bounding down the stairs.

Unruly curls remain plastered to the nape of his freckled neck and Wally can feel a few remnant drops of water race down his back as he passes the bowl of fried okra to his uncle.

Fresh out of the shower and with food on his plate, Wally digs into his dinner with fervor. Across from him, he can see Bart eating with equal gusto.

"So," Iris directs at Wally, mixing ranch dressing into her summer salad, "your first day of lifeguard duty! How was it?"

Swallowing hugely, Wally shrugs his shoulders before responding. "Well, technically the first day is Monday. Today we just met to go over rules and schedules and everything."

"Still, it must be nice to see everyone," Barry comments. Grinning, Wally notices that he did not take the time to swallow a mouthful of chicken before talking.

"Yeah, definitely," he agrees, nodding. Wally puts another forkful of okra into his mouth and chews contemplatively. "Well, Roy wasn't there. Apparently he's got some internship now that's a big college grad, so he can't be bothered to stick around with us."

"So have they hired someone new?" Iris asks with interest.

"Yes," Wally scowls. He glares down at his grilled chicken as though it had personally offended him. "And I think she might be evil."

"Just because she doesn't laugh at your lame jokes doesn't mean she's evil," Bart chirps, brown eyes bright with the tease.

Without any hesitation, Wally flicks a piece of chopped okra at his cousin, who dodges it easily. He takes a gulp of water, clearly ready to spit it back out at Wally when Barry's voice cuts in.

"Guys," he says warningly, holding his fork out in the clichéd "Watch yourself, mister" gesture from old television shows.

Bart swallows his water, his cheeks no longer puffed out, and he and Wally nod their compliance.

"Oh, you're so cute when you're parenting," Iris quips with delight, batting her eyes with exaggerated coquettishness at her husband.

Barry winks at her, flashing her a smile that cause Wally and Bart to pull faces.

"Blergh," Bart says with an extra shudder. Then, determined not to let the subject escape, he turns his attention back to Wally. "So this evil girl? Does she have a name? Lady Macbeth? Wednesday? Bellatrix?"

"Artemis," Wally answers, effectively cutting off Bart before he picked up any real steam.

"Huh," Bart says, picking up a piece of chicken with his fork with a satisfied expression. "I was actually sorta close."

"What makes her evil?" Barry asks too innocently to be trusted.

Wally looks at his uncle for a few seconds, trying to discern the reason behind the expression. Finding no immediate answer, he shrugs and explains, "It was a bad first impression."

"Right," Bart adds seriously. "The devil should really hide her horns upon first greeting."

Wally probably would have kicked his cousin under the table, but Barry, probably sensing a need to intervene, distracted him from his revenge.

"Just give her a chance," he tells Wally, waving his hand as if dismissing the obvious problem that is Artemis's rude first impression. "She was probably nervous meeting a bunch of people for the first time. Especially since the rest of you are already so close. It's hard to infiltrate a close group like that."

Wally chews his food slowly, turning his uncle's advice in his head. He can practically hear Dick in the back of mind saying "I told you so" on repeat. Finally with a sense of resignation, he nods in agreement. His aunt and uncle both smile at him for a moment before everyone settles back in to eating their dinner.

Then all seriousness abandons the meal as Bart starts brandishing his fork like a pitchfork and holding his fingers up to the side of his head like horns.

More than one piece of okra flies free in retaliation.

Please review! And remember, our hiatus is over! We made it! :)