A/N: I do not own Young Justice
Darlin' take my hand
Realize we're on the same team
Try to understand that I'm not your enemy
Let's work it out
Give and take or
Agree to disagree cuz
This ain't the way love supposed to be
-Jeremy Passion Feat. Tori Kelly, This Ain't The Way
Artemis was lying down on her bed, flipping through one of the few books on her bookshelf. She blew the hair out of her face, trying not to die from boredom. She had trained, eaten, and showered and was back in her room. Most people were away on mission or at home. So she was forced to suffer through her bored alone. She wished that there were some kind of excitement happening.
But you know what they say: be careful what you wish for.
Artemis sat up at the sounds of rushing footsteps. She could hear muffled shouting from the hall. She tensed. That was never a good sound, especially in a place with heroes. She opened the door and flurry of activity assaulted her as a crowd passed her. She turned, watching them round the corner when she spotted a familiar face.
"Zatanna!" Artemis shouted. The magician turned to her.
"Tropelet." Zatanna said. Artemis jumped back as she appeared directly in front of her.
"What's going on?" Artemis asked anxiously. Zatanna bit her lip nervously.
"It's not good." Zatanna told her. Artemis' heart sped up, her mind starting to go into worst-case scenarios.
"What's not good?"
"Critical." Artemis' eyes widened.
"Who?" Zatanna frowned and swallowed nervously. That's when Artemis knew it was really bad. Who could it be? Beastboy, Conner, M'gann?
"It's Kaldur." Artemis' eyes widen and bolted out the door.
She sprinted down to the main landing bay faster than she's ever gone. Her heart threatened to burst out of her chest. Her mind raced to the last two years of her life with Kaldur. She even thought back to the first day she met him. She had no idea back then that he would be so important to her. Shoot, even when she figured out that he was, she denied how much. She pushed him away over and over again because she felt too guilty…and because she was scared. Yes, I was scared, she admitted to herself. What if I was actually happy with him? What if we worked? What if we were better than Wally and me? Did I deserve him? Did he deserve me?
But now she wasn't sure if she would ever know the answers to those questions. Now it could be too late to tell him that she regretted the choice she made. If she lost him…it would be too late for her to tell he means everything to her now. If I lose him…If I lose him…she couldn't even finish the thought.
"Kaldur!" She yelled as she charged into the landing bay. She searched frantically through the faces of the team until she found his. He was looking calmly at her. She let out a breath of relief. Before running over to him "Kaldur…" She trailed off as she saw Black Canary bandaging his arm. Only his arm. "What…?"
"Tigress, what's wrong?" Black Canary asked her. Artemis stared at Kaldur in confusion before looking at the rest of the team. Other than a few bruises, they were fine, all looking at her in concern. There was no stampede of doctors and senior members like she heard. Not even Zatanna was she was so sure…
"Tigress," Artemis snapped her attention back to the present where nothing was wrong.
"They-they said you got hurt." Artemis said. "I thought…"
"I'm fine." Kaldur said with a shrug. "Just a bad cut."
"They said you were critical!" Artemis snapped, furious that he was so calm when she had been so worried. Kaldur was taken aback by her outburst. He stood up slowly, his hands up defensively.
"There must have been some miscommunication." He told her. "I'm fine." Artemis looked away. She was still breathing hard from her run. She felt tears pricking her eyes from the wave of emotions that assaulted her in the last ten minutes. She felt Kaldur put his hands on her shoulders. "Artemis…"
"The last time you were in critical condition, you were brain damaged." She said harshly, finally meeting his gaze. Kaldur raised an eyebrow at her sudden anger when he spotted the unshed tears in her eyes. His eyes softened, realizing how worried she must have been. "Or did you forget?" She snapped before shrugging him off and walking out.
"Artemis!" He followed after her, jogging a bit to catch up. He grabbed her arms. "Artemis, stop." She struggled in his hold.
"Get off of me." She gritted through her teeth.
"Not until you talk to me." She stopped as a couple team members passed them. She walked up to a window, staring out in space so she didn't have to look at him. "Why you so upset?" Kaldur asked. Artemis stubbornly stayed silent. "Artemis, are you okay?"
"No I'm not!" She exclaimed, turning to him. She took a calming breath before closing her eyes, fighting back tears. "When I heard that you had been hurt, I thought…that if I lost you…" She felt a couple tears escape and wiped them away stubbornly. Kaldur didn't move to touch her yet, knowing that it would only maker her feel weaker. She would just walk off he did so he waited to hear the rest of what she had to say.
"I would've lost you and you would never know that I regret the choice I made." She confessed in a broken whisper. She looked at him with tears streaming down her face but her eyes were strong and stubborn. "I should've said yes to you. And you could've died never knowing that. You could've died thinking that I didn't love you." Kaldur looked away, not sure what to do with her honesty. Artemis turned back to the window. She didn't even know why she told him that. It had been too late for her to say those words but for one moment it seemed like the most important thing in the word to let him know. She felt Kaldur touch the back of hand hesitantly before taking it.
"Now I do." He whispered. He watched as the fear and relief clashed inside her, causing her tears to increase. He pulled her to his chest as she broke down. He rubbed her back soothingly, whispering that it would be okay. He cupped her face and kissed her forehead, wiping away tears with his fingers.
"Symbiosis." He murmured against her skin. Artemis pulled back, wondering if she heard him right. He stroked her face gently as he gazed into her eyes. "I know we have been hard on each other but only because we refuse to see that we are still broken in a way that goes deeper than our bond. But we need to stick together. We have to help each other repair. Slowly…that's the only way we're going to get through this. Okay?" She nodded before laying her head back on his chest. She sighed at the sound of his strong heartbeat.
"Symbiosis." She agreed.
The moment it happened, nobody saw it coming.
It had been about six months since Artemis' scare and while everyone was confused where it came from, they were relieved that it made everything back to normal. They didn't even realize how bad it was until it wasn't. Suddenly, there wasn't an emptiness Finally someone could eat lunch with both Kaldur and Artemis without it being a hassle or subtly awkward. This was exactly what Bumblebee, Beastboy, and Supergirl were doing when it happened.
They were all chatting about a topic that wasn't important but debatable. Kaldur was making a point and Artemis was arguing the other side, not realizing they were going back and forth between Atlantean and English. Kaldur made Artemis laugh and he smiled at her fondly. Then he reached out, tilted her chin up and kissed her. It was gentle and natural with just enough pressure for her to feel everything he wasn't saying out loud. Artemis smiled against his lips as he pulled away
"Whoa!" Beastboy said loudly. "Where did that come from?" Artemis smiled as she tried to fight off a blush before she looked at him pointedly, silently asking the same question.
"Since when did you guys get together?" Bumblebee asked. Artemis and Kaldur looked away from each other, trying to figure out the answer.
"Um…" They said simultaneously.
"A while." Kaldur answered. Artemis nodded in agreement.
"Fairly new." She added, trying not to smirk. She felt Kaldur take her hand under the table. She intertwined their fingers.
"Wow…that's great!" Supergirl said. "You guys are totally cute together!"
"Wait this isn't a part of some kind of mission or experiment, is it?" Beastboy asked skeptically. Artemis gave him a deadpanned look. He's really going to have to get over that.
"No." She told him. She looked out the corner of her eye to see someone staying a few feet away with a smirk on her face. "I'll be right back." She said before getting up and walking over to Zatanna who was looking triumphant.
"And what are you so smug about?" Artemis asked, crossing her arms. Zatanna shrugged innocently.
"I'm just glad to hear the news. Cassidy's right. You guys are cute." Zatanna told her.
"Mhmm," Artemis said. "By the way, I never thanked you for the stampede." Artemis looked at her pointedly. Zatanna's smirk widened into a smile.
"Okay, fine. I faked it so you would actually talk to Kaldur." Zatanna admitted. "I know it must have been really scary but I couldn't think of anything else and you two need some kind of push!" Artemis looked at her with mock disapproval before hugging her friend tightly. Zatanna was shocked at first but quickly hugged her back.
"Thank you." Artemis said sincerely. She pulled back and pointed at Zatanna. "But that is the last time you interfere with my love life! Next time work on your own."
"Hey!" Zatanna said with a pout. "There's nothing wrong with being single." She said crossing her arms defensively. Artemis placed a hand on her hip and looked at her friend with a smirk.
"You know, at this rate, I'll be hearing about you and Nightwing going on vacation in a couple of years." Artemis laughed as Zatanna's eyes widened almost comically.
"How—"
"Trust me, you're isn't the only ones who can notice things. Tell me, does you're stomach still twist up when you talk to him on the phone?" Artemis teased, remembering how Zatanna use to gush over Nightwing they first dates years ago. Zatanna shoved her back towards the table.
"Shut up." She murmured. Artemis laughed before heading back. Zatanna thought for a moment before speaking again.
"Yes." Artemis turned around to look at Zatanna, who shrugged. "Every time." Artemis smiled smugly but didn't say anything. She would let Zatanna and Nightwing work that one out on their own. Who knows what would happen with those two. Artemis sat back down next to Kaldur, noting that the table was empty.
"What was all that about?" Kaldur asked with a relaxed smile. Artemis shrugged.
"Girl stuff." She said before poking his chest. "But you and me have things to talk about."
"Yes." Kaldur agreed.
"You kissed me." She said.
"I did."
"That's the first time you kissed me since we made up."
"I know."
"Why?" Artemis asked. Kaldur shrugged.
"It felt right." He told her. "And I know Batman will say that dating within the team leads to nothing but disaster, hurt feelings, being distracted in the field, blah, blah, blah." Artemis giggled as Kaldur rolled his eyes. Kaldur smiled before moving her hair behind her ears and cupping her face affectionately. "But we already went through that. So what else is there to be afraid of?" Artemis thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. There wasn't much else that could really intimidate them anymore. She raised her eyebrow with a smirk.
"And doing it on the spot like that?"
"Added bonus," he reassured her. She giggled before sighing.
"Okay. But if we're going to do this, we need to be on the same page about things all the time, like retiring and living together and things like that. And we have to be partners." She looked away with a pained look on her face. "If I lost you…" Kaldur stroked her face gently before kissing her forehead.
"If you lost me, you would move on." He told her. "You have to. That's life, Artemis. And I know it would be hard but that's what you would have to do. But understand that I will fight with everything I have protect you and to come back to you. No more fear, okay?" Artemis looked at him in amazement before relaxing against his shoulder.
"Symbiosis." She said.
"Symbiosis." He told her before kissing her once more, sealing the promise. She smiled against his lips and still was when he pulled away. Then she sighed and stood up with her hand out to him.
"Come on, let's go tell Batman and J'onn." She said. He took her hand and stood up. He wrapped his arm around her waist, kissing her temple. "And Diana. And Superman…and Hawkgirl and Green Lanturn. Man, this is going to be so awkward!" Artemis admonished while Kaldur laughed. She shook her head but relaxed in his embrace, not realizing that every step they took was in sync.
Many years later…
Artemis lounged on the beach chair beside Kaldur who was doing the same. The sun felt nice on her soaked skin and the view in front of her was captivating. Nothing but white, powder sand and blue-green water stretched out for miles in front of her.
"We better not come back with more kids after this." She mumbled, languid under the sun. Kaldur chuckled quietly.
"You know if we do, you have to love it all the same." He replied, not opening his eyes.
"True," She said, turning to him. "But I like the amount we have now. Plus theirs one I've been neglecting lately." Kaldur opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow at her. She just smirked before leaning over to kiss him sweetly. He shook his head with a bemused smile. He never understood why "baby" was a term of endearment among humans. But he would be lying if he said it didn't make him smile every time.
"I wish we could go to Atlantis." Artemis said, staring out into the ocean. "Me and the kids. But unfortunately I can't handle the pressure down there."
"You forgot Dick's present already?" Artemis looked at Kaldur confused. She thought back to their anniversary party a few days ago. She remembered him giving her a gift bag. On the inside there was some weird type of clothing she never saw before.
"What is this?" she asked at the time. Dick gave his I-Know-Something-You-Don't smile.
"A wet suit." He told her. "Have fun." Artemis' eyes widen in realization.
"A wet suit?" She asked tentatively.
"Specially designed to handle the water pressure." He said. "It's some miles out from here but I borrowed a submarine from the king." Kaldur leaned back, closing his eyes again. "We're expected in three days time." Artemis launched herself out of her chair into his lap.
"Oh my god!" She exclaimed, pulling him to her. "We're going to Atlantis!"
"Yes," He said with a grin before pulling back. "But there are some things I need to tell you before we go."
"Okay," Artemis said, listening intently while quelling the urge to jump up and down excited. I'm going to Atlantis!
"That was strange. Fun but…strange." Artemis commented when they were walking to their room. "This suit is handy but it's not fun being the only astronaut at the table."
"All things considered, you didn't stick out much." Kaldur said. "They are understanding of the circumstances. Although, I did not realize how much you're Atlantean has improved until now."
"Almost speak it better than English," Artemis joked dryly as they entered their suite. As soon as the doors shut, the water began to drain from the room. Artemis looked at Kaldur in shock, the air mask automatically tucking itself back in the suit so she could breath regularly.
"A room with no water?" Kaldur shrugged.
"For guests who breathe oxygen. You are not the first."
"Oh," Artemis responded, touching the bed curiously. It was dry. I could get use to this, she thought. She pressed a button and her suit began to retract itself until it was a simple pair of gloves. This was Artemis' favorite feature, glad easy it was to take it off. She removed the gloves, leaving her in a tank top and shorts. She turned to where Kaldur was, finding him staring at her. She put her hand on her hip and raised her eyebrow.
"What?" she said.
"I want to try something," Kaldur said suddenly.
"What?" Artemis asked. He held out his hand. She took it and he led her to another room. There was a small pool in the middle of the floor along with a pair of sinks and a toilet. Artemis tried to figure out why Kaldur led her to the bathroom. He stepped into the pool.
"Kaldur, we just got done being wet for hours." She complained. It had been a long day. With the big welcome committee, Kaldur showing her around all day, watching sorcery classes, and dinner with Aquaman, Artemis was bone tired. All she wanted to do was sleep.
"Just for a few more minutes, please?" He asked innocently. She sighed before removing her clothes and walked into the pool, which she was sure doubled as a bathtub. She stood in front of Kaldur. He took her hand in his.
"Hold your breath," he said before going under the surface of the water. She followed, glad that it wasn't salt water. Her eyes were still red from earlier. Artemis wasn't sure how long they stayed under, staring at each other but soon enough her lungs began to burn for air, bubbles escaping her mouth. Before she could move to stand, Kaldur cupped the back of her neck, bringing her closer to him. He sealed his lips over hers. Slowly, he breathed out, the air from his mouth going into hers. Artemis pulled away and stood up gasping.
But not for air; she was gasping in shock.
"Did you just…?" Artemis sputtered as Kaldur rose to the surface. Kaldur nodded with a small, satisfied smile on his face.
"Something equivalent to your CPR." He explained. "My gills filter the water for oxygen. I was curious. I wasn't sure if it would work or not…"
"I could breathe." Artemis replied in awe. Kaldur nodded, just as amazed. Artemis smiled. "Let's do that again." Kaldur chuckled at her excitement.
"Okay," He agreed. Both immediately plunged under the water again.
The End!