Thank you all for being patient with me while I took a few days off. In case anyone is interesting, I had a wonderful weekend and am so happy that Young Justice is back!
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 four
The time to give Artemis a chance comes Sunday evening when the crew meets on Justice Beach. They agreed to meet in the evening after the previous lifeguards had left so as to avoid large congestion on the beach.
Jogging down the wooden steps leading from the boardwalk to the beach, Wally's thankful to find only Kaldur and Dick waiting. Grin plastered to his freckled face, he runs the final stretch to meet his friends, small grains of sand kicking up to hit the backs of his legs
"Hey!"
His excited yell causes them both to look up from their respective stances; Dick sprawled out on the sand attaching string to a large robin-shaped kite and Kaldur standing above him, watching the process with mild curiosity on his serene features.
"Hello, Wally," Kaldur nods in greeting while Dick looks up with a frustrated expression painted on his pale face.
"Come on, my physics friend," he says to Wally, brandishing the string. "Help me get this into the sky."
Sand hot under his skin, Wally joins Dick and fiddles with the knotted string. Kaldur joins them, legs crossed and torso long as he leans forward to examine the kite more closely. The three of them pass the time appropriately, cursing at the kite when it doesn't fly and cheering when it finally stays up in the sky.
Dick is running along the shoreline, his kite trailing behind him dutifully, when Megan and Conner arrive.
"Hello everyone!" Megan cries gleefully. Her eyes positively glow when she sees Dick's kite and, after placing her picnic basket in the sand beside Kaldur, she races off to help Dick.
"Don't even think about it," Conner warns with a smirk, catching Wally mid-step as he reaches over towards the picnic basket.
"You'd deny me food? Conner, it's like you don't know me," Wally says, a hand to his forehead in wounded fashion.
"Don't keep Wally from food, but do keep him away from treacherous thresholds. Got it."
The boys turn in the direction of the voice and all thoughts of giving her a second chance fly right out of Wally's head at the sight of Artemis walking casually towards them.
"Miss me?" she greets cheekily, her angled eyes trained on Wally.
He opens his mouth to respond, but a sudden blur of auburn beside him indicates Megan has spotted Artemis as well.
"Artemis! I'm so glad you came!"
Wally can see a brief expression of apprehension on Artemis's face as she receives an armful of Megan. She wraps a single arm around the other girl tentatively, offering back a meager hug to Megan's tremendous one.
"Was there ever any doubt?" she says as Megan releases her, beaming.
"No," Wally spits out, still irked by her earlier comment. "We just hoped you wouldn't."
Megan's face twists as she glances between Wally and Artemis, and she looks as though she's about to correct Wally's statement, but Artemis wastes absolutely no time in glaring at Wally.
"Speaking of hope, I thought maybe you were an asshole as a side effect from falling on your face." She pauses for a moment, shrugging. "Guess I was wrong."
She walks past him blithely, brushing against his arm as though she couldn't even be bothered to walk around him. Blood boiling, Wally can feel his face flush with anger. He crosses his arms and glares at her back, wondering where the hell she got the impression she had to right to act this way.
Megan giggles nervously and pulls at the bottom of her pink shirt, throwing Conner a pleading look to get him to stop laughing.
"Well," she says, her efforts clearly wasted on Conner, "since Wally seems to be hungry and since you're here now, we can have our picnic!"
Some anger subsides in Wally as he watches Megan open the picnic basket and start handing out food. Elbow deep in basket, she starts pulling out sandwich after sandwich until a small pile of what smells like ham and cheese on wheat is handed to Wally.
"Thanks, babe," he says gratefully. He feels Conner kick some sand at him, but he ignores it completely as he rips the plastic wrap off the first sandwich and sinks his teeth into the soft bread blissfully.
Megan waves off his thanks and hands a few sandwiches to Dick who has suddenly appeared beside her, kite now flightless on the sand.
"I didn't know we were having a picnic," Artemis says warily, eyeing the small tray of sushi Megan gives to Kaldur. She speaks again, her voice both apologetic and defensive, "I didn't bring anything."
"Oh, that's fine! I always bring enough for everyone," Megan smiles up at her after handing Conner a hoagie. She digs around in the picnic basket again before unearthing a few more neatly wrapped sandwiches. "I wasn't sure what you liked, so I made you peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."
She holds them out easily and Wally watches as Artemis accepts them slowly, as though waiting for Megan to pull her hand away before she could actually take the food.
"I really hope you're not allergic to peanuts," Megan says worriedly. "And I also really hope you like grape jelly."
"Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are my favorite, actually," she reassures her. "And I love grape jelly." Artemis gives Megan a small smile and seems to internally debate with herself before settling down next to the other girl and unwrapping her sandwich.
A dig in his side from Dick makes Wally look over at his friend. Dick's mouth curves into a knowing smile and he gestures over to the girls as if to say, "see, she's not all fangs."
Wally just rolls his eyes and takes another bite out of his food, determinedly looking away from Artemis.
Everyone sits in the sand in a circle, eating in silence and listening to the spare other people roaming the beach with kites of their own or with metal detectors scanning over the sand. Artemis finishes eating first and she leans back on her elbows, legs spread out in front of Wally. He finds himself following the line of her long legs from the bottom of her jean shorts to the flip flips precariously hanging off her big toes.
Her voice interrupts his lazy thoughts and he nearly chokes on his sandwich.
"So, if we weren't working the tower this week, does that mean they haven't had a lifeguard yet?" She jerks her thumb behind her at the lifeguard chair on its side several yards behind them, dragged back away from the water.
"Nah, there's always lifeguards," Dick informs her, whacking Wally in the back until he stops coughing. "But it's a seasonal gig. This was the last week for the guys before us and this week we take over for the summer."
"That chair there represents that this part of the beach is a single section," Kaldur continues. "Each section of the beach has six lifeguards who alternate throughout the day. Two people work at a time and take shifts throughout the day to keep awake and focused."
"Otherwise you might start seeing sharks and UFOs," Dick comments slyly, giving Wally a wayward look behind his sunglasses.
"Seriously?" Artemis laughs, giving Wally an incredulous look.
He ignores her laughter, not willing to rise to the bait. He does shove at Dick though, who dodges the attack as if expecting it.
"You're not helping," Wally hisses, retracting his arm to fold it across his chest.
"I'm not trying to," Dick counters with a single shoulder shrug.
"What's more likely is you tune out and miss someone in distress," Conner carries on, raising an amused eyebrow at the pair.
"Yeah, that too," Dick relents, still chuckling at Wally's scowl.
Megan nods, her bangs brushing against her forehead with the movement. "Four people work throughout the day so that two people can have a day off at a time."
"Cool," Artemis nods as she mulls over the information. Seemingly satisfied with everyone's explanations, she leans her head back and lets the last bit of the evening's sun wash over her face. Her throat exposed and tendons stretched out, Wally eyes the dip of her collarbone and counts three grains of sand that have settled there.
"I thought you said you were a lifeguard before," he asks, shaking himself out his thoughts.
"Not at Justice Beach," she returns, eyes popping open at his voice. She turns her head sharply, narrowed eyes seeking him out in challenge. "Each place is different, after all."
"Dick," Megan says suddenly, "would it be all right if I tried flying your kite again?"
Dick, looking mildly disappointed that she had changed the subject so abruptly, nods. "Sure thing, Megs."
Megan stands up, brushing the sand off her legs and tossing her now-empty salad container back into the picnic basket. Gathering up the kite, she skips off towards the shoreline as they all watch her retreating form. Conner rises silently a moment later to join her.
Wally watches Artemis give Conner's backside a calculated stare before Kaldur speaks up and gets everyone's attention.
"If this is your first time at Justice Beach, where are you from?" he asks, pale eyes curious and expression genuine.
"I go to Gotham University," she answers in a roundabout way. It's not a straight answer, but Kaldur seems satisfied. Dick, however, continues to stare at her with wide blue eyes before she adds, "Sophomore."
"Nice," Dick nods in approval. He juts a thumb at his chest. "Justice Academy."
"You're still in high school?" she comments with a note of surprise.
"Senior, baby. Wally and I used to rule the school."
"Sure," she snorts, rolling her eyes and pulling herself up into a more comfortable sitting position. She pulls her ponytail in front of her and plays with the ends of her hair. "More like rule the AV Club."
"Matheletes, actually," Dick corrects with a shake of his finger. "That's where it's at."
"You were in Matheletes," Wally comments, feeling a need to clarify. "I ran track."
"Yeah, not dorky at all," Dick jokes, gathering up trash to put in the picnic basket.
Artemis hands him her plastic wrap before turning a questioning eye to Wally.
"So, used to go to Justice Academy? Where has our beautiful mind decided to go now?" she asks, tossing her hair behind her and leaning forward, resting her elbow on her knee and her chin against her fist.
"I'll be a sophomore at Stanford."
He feels a surprisingly overwhelming surge of self-satisfaction when he sees her impressed expression.
"Swanky," she admits. She leans over towards Kaldur, looking at his remaining sushi with interest. "How about you, Kaldur?"
"I will be entering my senior year at Atlanta University," he answers, holding his tray out to her in wordless offering.
"That's pretty far from here," she says, carefully selecting a single piece. She eyes it all over before shrugging to herself and popping it into her mouth.
"I am from a small town near Atlanta, but during my parents' divorce, they deemed it necessary for me to be kept from the heat of their arguments. It was agreed that I would attend school elsewhere," Kaldur speaks slowly and Artemis looks momentarily stricken.
"I'm sorry, I just-"
"It is fine," he assures her with a warm smile. "It worked out for the best and I enjoyed attending school with Dick and Wally."
She returns his smile, holding his pale gaze for a moment before glancing over at Conner and Megan. Conner seems to have managed to get the kite back in the air and Megan is clapping beside him, face split in a wide grin.
"Did Conner and Megan go there, too?"
"Nah," Dick answers, shaking his head. "Megs is from Kansas or something like that. She wanted to be near the water, so she's going to the local university. She and Conner met there. I think they'll both be juniors."
"Speaking of which," Artemis asks, still eyeing Conner with obvious interest, "what's the deal with Mister Muscles?"
"He's dating Miss Megan, if that's what you mean," Dick clarifies, giving Wally a sideways smirk.
The corners of her mouth pull downwards for a moment as she continues to watch the pair guide the kite through the air. "Cute."
"They're very happy together," Wally snaps, forcing her attention away from the couple.
"I just asked," she exasperates. Her eyes spark at him and her mouth twists unpleasantly at his unspoken accusation. "I'm not going to cause any problems. The girl made me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, for Pete's sake."
"Good," he shoots back. "We just don't need anyone coming around and messing things up more than they already have."
Artemis seems to recognize the dig for what it is and her mouth opens and shuts quickly as she thinks over whatever her possible comeback might have been. Instead, she gives him a cool look, eyelashes lowered and lips pursed.
"Oh, go fly a kite," she tells him bitingly, a single eyebrow raised.
Kaldur nearly chokes on his food and Dick just laughs.
"Told you she'd fit in."
Wally is less than amused.
Wally arrives back at his aunt and uncle's house a few hours later, closing the door behind him with a click. He turns around to see his aunt and uncle sitting together on the couch, the news muted on the television in front of them.
"So," Barry grins, "was it as bad as you thought it'd be?"
Wally opens his mouth to snap about Artemis's attitude and her snide comments, but the sudden memory of Artemis smiling at Megan and sharing sushi with Kaldur and her expression when he told her about Stanford changes his mind.
Instead, he mouths wordlessly for a moment before muttering something about it being an okay time.
He walks upstairs, taking the steps two at a time, and misses the amused look shared between his aunt and uncle.
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