asblueasthetardis asked: Wally accidentally punching Artemis in the face because he gesticulates too wildly.
Post-Revelation, then skips to post-Insecurity.
~O~
"Look, all I'm saying is-," Wally jumps down from his soapbox (the coffee table), "We need a team picture."
"Wally," M'gann pulls up from her stretch and tilts her head, "We have a lot of pictures of the team. I'm making a scrapbook."
"I mean a formal team picture, you know? Not a bunch of cell phone pictures."
Conner looks up from petting Wolf and raises a brow as he asks, "You want us to take professional pictures?"
"We just need one picture." Wally holds up one finger, exasperated.
"When should we take this picture?" Kaldur glances at the clock on the wall.
"Soon."
Robin looks at his watch and shakes his head, "Not today. Black Canary's going to be here in six minutes."
"Do we have to take a picture?"
"It's necessary."
Robin points at his friend's arm, "You want your cast in the picture?"
"Okay," Artemis swings around in her swivel chair, rubs at her aching temple, and snaps, "Everyone stop saying 'picture'. It's starting to sound like it's not a real word. We'll take it Sunday night."
"Actually," Wally uses his good hand to rub his neck, "I kind of don't want the cast in the pictu-"
"Don't say it." Artemis cuts him off, warning laced in her words. The entire room holds its breath. M'gann and Conner look at each other while Kaldur watches Artemis' hands curl into fists. Robin sees the smirk before he can stop it.
"Pict-"
"Stop."Artemis clips.
"P-"
Her eyes flash dangerously, "No."
Wally takes a dramatic breath, "Let'swaitafewweekstotakethepicture'causethisisgoingtoimmortalizeourteamforeverandgenerationsfromnowpeoplewilllookatthatpictureandaspiretoreachourlevelsofawesomeandnooneisgoingtothinkawesomewhentheyseeapictu-"
He's lucky he's already using his super speed, because there's no way he could dodge the pencil she sends flying at his head otherwise.
Stupid archer aim.
-o-
-December 14th-
She doesn't want to be here. She doesn't want to take a team picture if she's 'Second-String Archery Girl: selfish, insecure, suspected mole'. She doesn't want that immortalized at all. Red Arrow's off the grid- probably trying to prove she's the mole- so it's just the seven of them, lined up in front of the command center, waiting for Red Tornado to set up the camera.
Kid Grudge insisted on using an ancient camera because he thought it would be 'more authentic'. She knows he just wants it to look like the one the League took when they first got together. That's why he wanted the thing in the first place. Artemis wipes a nonexistent piece of lint off of her arm guard as Robin steps out of line to help Tornado. She's kind of hoping they get called out for a mission before they figure it out. The kind where she gets to let out her pent up frustration.
Honestly, Kaldur standing between them is the only thing keeping her from strangling Kid Complainer.
"C'mon, guys," He gestures at the tripod, "We still have time to rethink placement. We could have four in the back, three in front- give off the illusion we actually get along."
The only person you don't get along with is me. Artemis scowls before her expression saddens. She huffs before looking at the rocky ceiling.
"It took us fifteen minutes to get situated in an order you approved of the first time." Conner points out with a sigh.
"Trust me-" Wally steps out of line, "This'll look way cooler. Okay, everyone spread out."
Artemis folds her arms over her chest as she shuffles to the left. Kaldur gets stopped when Wally drags him to the center.
"Tallest in the middle." His voice speeds up as he rushes to pull Zatanna into place, "Zatanna,you'reshort,getinfront."
He tries to place everyone in a nice cluster, but then he realizes he forgot to place himself in the bunch and asks them to reassemble. Again.
By the time the camera is ready, they've been moved three more times and have ended up in their original positions. She doesn't want to be here.
"Can we just get this over with?" Artemis asks with a groan, and Conner, on the other end of the line, nods his head. Wolf is getting stir-crazy. It's time for his walk.
Red Tornado holds up a hand to silence them, and says, "I will take the photograph in ten seconds."
Artemis straightens her posture and turns her shoulder so her ponytail doesn't cover her arrows. She tries to smile, but she's not feeling it. With her father breathing down her neck to switch sides, maybe taking a picture with the good guys isn't such a good idea. Stop, she scolds herself, You're not him. You're not Jade. He's wrong.
She smiles wider. You belong here.
"Artemis." Red Tornado turns to her, and she bites her lip when the others break their poses and look at her too, "Is something wrong?"
"What? No- why?" She blinks.
"Your expression was… unusual."
She hears Wally muttering to Kaldur, "That's just her face."
She so doesn't want to be here. She swallows down a scathing retort and apologizes, "Uh- I was thinking about something. I'm focused now. Let's do this."
"Okay, ten seconds."
Ten.
Nine.
Ei-
"Wait!"
The group collectively groans when Wally puts his hand up and jumps out of line.
"Everyone stay put, I'll be right back." He disappears from sight and, judging by the air current he creates, he's heading straight to the souvenir room.
If he brings that tracer, I'm killing him. Artemis decides, as she steps out of line to make a face at Zatanna. The magician just shakes her head.
"Okay," He skids to a stop in front of them, arms full, "I got one for everybody."
He starts at the opposite end of the line, handing M'gann a robotic eye, Conner a gorilla's beret, Zatanna a robot hand, Robin a Kobra hood, and Kaldur - Cheshire's mask. When he stops in front of her with a medical backpack strapped to his back, he pauses. She taps her foot until he begrudgingly hands her the arrow that she used to stop the Reds, wrapped in a piece of Count Vertigo's cloak that he ripped off during their fight against the Injustice League.
She examines at the objects in her hands longer than she means to. Things had been okay then. When did everything get so hard?
Wally steps back into his spot but immediately backtracks, "Oh, shoot-"
"Stay." Artemis snaps and she jumps out of line to grab his suit before he can speed away. Unfortunately, he was already in running form when her fingers pulled him around. His fists are up- and blurry-
She feels the punch a few seconds after it happens. Her cheek pulses as she throws him to the ground hard and horror spreads across his face when she glowers at him. Good. Be afraid. The rest of the team take tiny steps away, and she's pretty sure Robin and Zatanna are 'oooo'-ing.
Oh, he's dead. She tucks the arrow and cape fragment into her quiver and pulls out a nice boxing glove arrow she got from Ollie.
The picture Red takes of them at that moment is the one they put on the wall.