Content Warning: Please note that this chapter contains mature content that may not be appropriate for some. If you find sexual content disagreeable then please feel free to just skip this chapter. You'll be able to progress through the story fine without having to read this.
Roy.
Naked.
Well, naked except for the towel that was currently wrapped around his waist acting as the only shield from prying eyes. Artemis had been ready to scream at him and give him a piece of her mind but now all she could do was gasp like a fish out of water completely devoid of an intelligent thought or a smart remark. When she'd imagined finally confronting Roy her mind had always pictured that more clothing would be involved.
"Close your mouth, replacement. You're starting to drool." His cold, taunting voice cut through her thoughts as she quickly clamped her mouth shut feeling the blood rush to her cheeks. If Roy was surprised he didn't show it; in fact, he looked more amused than anything as he rested one hand on his hip and cocked his head towards her waiting to see what she wanted.
"Please. Like there's anything to drool over." The blonde finally managed to sputter out with far less venom than she'd intended. It was a lie and they both knew it. Roy could be an arrogant little prick but he had a body many women would have happily run their fingers over. Years of training had sculpted him into something resembling a statue of a Greek warrior ready for battle. Still, gray eyes focused back on him not wanting to be accused of ogling him or anything. Artemis' pride was growing thinner by the minute and she wasn't sure she could take another blow to her ego from the other archer.
"Right…" He drawled, a lazy smirk on his face as his eyes sparked with amusement. Roy didn't believe her one bit but he'd play along for now.
It was moments like this that she felt stupid, weak, and childish. No matter how many missions she'd gone on and how many lives she'd saved he could always make her feel like some foolish little infant who was playing with things far above her league. A part of her just wanted to turn around and leave but she couldn't walk away after she'd called him out. Artemis had come here to finally put Roy in his place and she wouldn't give up now. Not after everything she'd been through.
"Do you always have to act like such a complete asshole?" She hissed out between clenched teeth, her hands balling up into fists as she glared at him never letting her gaze fall below his neck. It was a glare that had stopped Wally in his tracks but Roy didn't even flinch as he crossed his toned arms over his broad chest letting his own gaze wander up her body sizing her up for something else. He reminded her of a wolf stalking its frightened prey and waiting for the right moment to strike before tearing the cold, lifeless body apart. His lips curled into a hint of a chuckle as he stepped forward cutting the distance between them.
"No." He purred out, a deep sultry voice that reverberated into her very core. "I do that just for you."
"Don't I feel special." Artemis muttered as she raised her chin and pushed her shoulders back trying to gain back some of the confidence she'd had before walking in on Roy.
The steam of the showers was making it harder to breath and she could see the condensation forming on the tile walls as water droplets slid down the black and white tiles before sliding down towards the drain on the floor only a few feet away from them. The heat was almost unbearable and she could feel her skin pricking beneath her simple gray t-shirt. Her hair was probably turning into a frizzy mess with only the ponytail to hold it back.
"So, what do you want? I'm sure you came in here for more than just a show." Roy was only inches away from her now and Artemis had to crane her neck to even meet his eyes.
What did she want?
He'd asked her the same question back when she'd broken into his apartment. She hadn't had an answer then and now, now that he was close enough to touch, she wasn't sure if she had an answer. She thought she'd storm in here and tell him that he was wrong about her, that she was more than just a replacement but the words wouldn't come out as easily as she had thought. When she had been lying on her hospital bed, Artemis had replayed this moment in her head pinning down every detail of her ultimate smack down on Roy. She had known exactly what she would have said as she gave the man the verbal lashing he deserved but all those carefully plotted fantasies flew out the window now that reality was staring at her.
"I-I did it." The words came out with far less conviction then she would have hoped and Roy did nothing more than arch a single eyebrow as he waited for her to continue.
"I got that girl out of the building. I got her out. Not you, not the team, not the league. Me!" As the words came spilling out she could feel her nerve returning to her. She kept replaying the moment that she'd pushed open the gym doors and the cool air hit her face. Even with all the fire and the smoke she'd been the one to rescue the little girl who would have surely died if she hadn't been there. That was her moment and she would let Roy take it away from her.
"No matter what you say, I'm more than your replacement. My name is Artemis and I'm here to stay." A long index finger jabbed into his chest with every word leaving a faint red mark on his wet skin as she made her point.
Roy needed to know that she wasn't going anywhere.
Gray eyes burned with fire as they stared up at blue ones waiting for some biting retort or backhanded compliment. Instead, Roy seemed to be smiling; if you could call it that. His lips were turned up but there was no spark of mirth in those cold blue orbs. Instead, all Artemis saw was hunger.
"Is that it?"
How was it that even in the moment of her great confrontation he could still make her feel so small? So insignificant? With great difficulty, the archer nodded her head in affirmation catching a whiff of the cologne he must have sprayed on after his shower. It was dark, musky; leather with a hint of cinnamon and smoked wood. The smell filled her with each breath she took and Artemis had to fight the urge to step back to get away from the intoxicating scent.
If she didn't want to punch him so bad she would have actually asked where he got it from.
"So your big mission, your breaking into my place, that was all just to prove something for me?" Roy cocked his head to the side never letting that masking smile slip from his face as he looked down at her. He was baiting her, trying to trap her but into what she didn't know. There was an eagerness in his voice that urged her to answer. This was a trap but Artemis had gone too far down the rabbit hole to see it.
"Yes."
Trap.
Mistake.
As soon as the word left her mouth she knew she had fucked up. Roy's grin only spread as he stepped closer pushing her back until she could feel the wet tile soak the fabric of her t-shirt. Artemis was pinned against the wall and Roy and she had no idea how it happened. She'd been far too lost in staring him down that she hadn't noticed how he inched her closer and closer towards the wall until his form was looming over her the hunger growing with each passing second.
"Just to prove it to me…" He mused as he reached hand up and entwined his fingers with the end of her ponytail. "I had no idea I meant so much to you, Replacement." His fingers toyed with her hair winding it around long, tapered digits in a practiced rhythm. The sight of golden locks being twirled between his fingers was almost mesmerizing and Artemis found herself have to tear her eyes away from the hypnotic sight. Somehow, the feeling of his fingers in her hair was more intimate than when he'd had her pinned against the floor.
"You don't!" She growled back though whether those words were meant for Roy or for herself was anyone's guess.
She took a labored breath trying to calm her nerves but forcing her heaving chest to press against his naked body. Roy leaned over her, his shadow encompassing her smaller form as Artemis' eyes darted around the room looking for some way to escape. The moisture that had seeped into her shirt was making her shiver as she took another deep breath trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach from the feel of his body against hers.
She needed to leave.
Grunting, the archer balled her hands into fists and pushed them out towards Roy intent on knocking him out of the way so she could make her escape. Unfortunately, the man was quicker as he grasped her wrists in a vice-like grip digging his fingers into her tender flesh. Artemis could only yelp in pain as he dragged her arms above her head holding them high as he pinned her wrists together with one hand. Struggle as she might, she couldn't break free from his no matter how hard she tried. The more she struggled the tighter he held her and soon she could feel the blood being cut off from her hands as her fingers started to tingle.
"Let. Me. Go!" She ordered thrashing against his solid frame. The guy had to be built out of rock considering he didn't even flinch as she tried to slam her body against his.
"No."
How could he sound so calm? Hell, he even sounded amused by her struggles and if her hands were free she would have punched him right in his smug little face.
"See, I think you lied to me, Replacement. And I don't like being lied to." Roy hissed as he leaned closer until his warm breath tickled her neck. His cheek pressed against hers and Artemis could feel his lips brush against the shell of her ear. He was so close now that there wasn't space for a sheet of paper between their bodies. The front of her t-shirt was now just as wet as the back and she could feel a trail of sweat down her back as she tried to turn her head away from his.
She bit down on her lip trying to suppress a whimper as he free hand ran up and down her side trailing his fingers against her shirt. His breath was so warm and Artemis could feel the heady sense of anticipation clouding her mind. Her skin pricked from the humidity in the room and blood rushed to her cheeks as she felt his hand slip under her shirt and onto her bare skin. If she was thinking clearer, Artemis may have wondered how the hell his towel stayed up but she was far too gone to even amuse such thoughts.
"Wha-what are you doing?" The blonde whimpered, hating how weak and needy her voice sounded as he continued her exploration of her body. She couldn't see his face but she knew he was smirking and her weakness. By now her fingers felt cold from the deficit of blood flowing to the digits but the rest of her body felt as if it were on fire.
"Testing a theory." He remarked. "I think this is what you were after all along, Replacement."
His fingers were calloused and rough from years of training as they glided over the smooth expanse of her stomach reaching higher and higher until they brushed against the outline of her bra. His hand was relentless in its exploration, in its domination.
Stroking.
Caressing.
Teasing.
Marking her as his own.
Artemis was silent, helpless. Pinned by his grip she was unable to do anything to stop him and, perhaps, if she were honest with herself she may admit that she didn't want to stop him. His hand was a serpent of sin leading her into the darkness that made her knees weak and her breath catch in her throat. Just the feeling of his body against her own was so good that she didn't want it to stop. The warrior inside her demanded she put an end to it but the girl she'd so long neglected craved this dominant touch.
Chapped lips parted letting out a single, solitary moan encompassing all the desire she'd tried to keep buried inside.
"Good girl." Roy whispered in her ear his voice the guttural howl of a wolf staking its claim. He turned his head and she could feel the rough stubble on his cheek graze her as she caught sight of cold blue peering at her with boundless yearning.
Artemis couldn't even yelp out in surprise as his lips crushed against her own capturing them in a searing kiss. There was nothing sweet or gentle about the kiss. Instead, it was one that screamed of dominance as his tongue pushed past her lips probing her mouth and pinning down her own tongue. Artemis wanted to fight back but she couldn't under his relentless pressure as he pushed against her harder bruising her lips. Eventually, a part of her gave out and she yielded to his kiss, his touch.
Roy tasted like peppermint tough that sharp taste was soon interrupted by something copper filling her mouth. It took a moment for her to register the pain as her lip sent signals to her mind that he had bit her and the copper she tasted was her own blood. His hand didn't stay idle as it slid beneath her bra and his thumb flicked over raised peaks. She moaned again into the kiss feeling pleasure course through her body making her slump against him.
Control.
This was what it felt like to give up all control.
Artemis had spent her whole life fighting to keep the smallest bit of control as her world turned upside down. Even in fits of anger she still held on to her emotions never letting anything crack beneath the hard shell she had built around herself. No one, not even her father, had been able to wrench her command from her grip but somehow Roy had torn it apart and left her exposed and naked even beneath her layers of clothing.
All too soon the heat of his lips left hers as they traveled down her chin tracing the strong curve of her jaw all the way to her neck where he bit into the tender flesh drawing more crimson liquid. Artemis was left panting and wide-eyed her mind a jumble of strange emotions and dark thoughts.
She wanted so desperately to slip under those cold blue waves.
Fall.
Unbridled.
Unbound.
So very free.
"Man, you should have seen the look on his face! I told you I could kick his ass -"
Wally's voice cut in through the tension as it echoed through the halls followed by Robin's laugh. The rest of the team must have come back and the sounds of their voices was all it took to pull her away from the blissful reverie she had found herself in. Just like that, Roy had let her go and she'd found herself slumped against the wall her hand clutching her chest looking up at the redhead who seemed utterly unfazed by the interruption.
Artemis didn't even look back as she sprinted out of the room her heart beating in her ears and her wet shirt clinging to her body. She ran until her lungs burned and her legs just about gave up unable to carry her weight. She ran until she couldn't hear any voices, until she was all-alone in an empty corridor with only the sound of a flickering light to keep her company. It was there that she finally gave up and slumped against the cold metallic wall until she was on the floor hugging her knees to her chest.
A trembling hand reached to her bruised lips and when she pulled her fingers back she could see them stained with blood.
Roy.
Whatever had just happened, whatever he had just awoken inside of her. She still couldn't make sense of it all as she held herself tightly trying to ignore the smell of his cologne that still clung to her body. Whatever this was she couldn't make sense of it but one thing was certain;
She wanted more.
A/N: I am so sorry this update took so long! I was completely overwhelmed by the holidays and projects that I didn't even have time to really sit down and right. And, to be totally honest, the new season of YJ has left me very underwhelmed. I just feel like it is so rushed and we're not even getting an insight into so many of the new characters. I get that Blue Beetle is an important part in this arch but we still know next to nothing about the other members of the team. It's just very disappointing and I do not like many of the new episodes.
Okay, so this chapter was actually supposed to go a completely different way but upon rereading 's guidelines I kind of had to scrap what I was planning and go in a completely different direction. Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait though I'm not sure when the next one is going to come up because now I have to plan something completely different.
Please leave any comments, questions or criticism in the reviews or PM me if you would like. I'd be happy to address anything the readers may be concerned with. Oh, and one more thing.
Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and reviewing this story! I know it's frustrating that I haven't been updating but I'd really like to thank you guys for putting up with my delays and still reading it! Much love!