A/N: Is this an overdone and cliche idea? Yep. Am I going to post it anyway? You betcha. Song is "You're Beginning to Get to Me" by Clay Walker.
Disclaimer: I'm just sayin' I believe this hiatus is getting to me...
You're Beginning to Get to Me
I'm not saying I'm in love.
I'd admit it if I was.
I'm just saying I believe
You're beginning to get to me.
Wally had a serious problem, and its first name was Artemis. Never mind what her last name was; apparently the only requirement for a new member to join their recently assembled, highly elite team was an uncle that vouched for them.
Robin tried to point out that Miss Martian's uncle was a large reason why she was placed on the team, but Wally simply overlooked that minor detail and stated that Miss M was there from the team's official start, making her a founding member and therefore a permanent fixture in their clique.
Not to mention the martian was waaaaaaay hotter than the blonde shrew now gallivanting about their headquarters being a hothead and giving Wally hell about everything. Who did she think she was, wiping the sparring floor with Superboy and talking to Kaldur about Atlantis and showing M'gann the finer art of messing with guys' heads and laughing with Robin over some joke that most certainly involved Wally?
It was annoying how seamlessly she blended with their motley crew; it made it rather difficult for the speedster to remember he was supposed to hate her.
Even more annoying than her being in his presence was her being removed entirely from it, because even then he could hear her voice nagging him in the corner of his mind, like Catwoman's nails down a chalkboard. But if she was going to be a part of their team, then gosh darnit, she should be on time for mission assignments.
Not that he was going to let the others know her lack of attendance bothered him. No sir. If she wanted to slack off and go frolicking through Star City before showing up late and incurring Batman's wrath, she was more than welcome. He wasn't going to say a word.
Unfortunately, his mouth wasn't quite on board with this plan and decided to cut in during the briefing anyway. "Shouldn't we wait for Artemis?" he blurted out, fighting the impulse to slap a hand over his runaway lips.
"There is a creature in my city," Batman's gaze was stern, and Wally vowed he would never interrupt the Dark Knight again. Well, at least not on Artemis's behalf.
After convincing himself he was only irritated over Artemis's absence because everyone was always ragging on him about being late (he was the fastest kid alive, not the most punctual), Wally had to come to terms with another nuance that was turning into a bigger issue. He was beginning to notice that he always placed himself in Artemis's direct proximity when the team assembled.
For the life of him, Wally could not understand why he'd subconsciously situate himself near a girl that constantly spewed fire and ash and caustic remarks at him, like a red volcano of sarcasm. It was definitely NOT a conscious decision to sit behind her on the Bioship when there were three other empty seats further away. Or to stand next to her during mission assignments. Or to team up with her during undercover operations.
But Rudolph was his middle name (not denial, never mind what Robin says), and Wally could reasonably convince himself that it was Artemis, not him, that was the one making an effort to stand close to him, most likely for convenience as she didn't have to project her voice near as loud to yell at him or stretch her arm out as far to hit him.
Regrettably, denial only went so far before Wally was forced to come to terms with the cold hard facts. Artemis had ingrained herself into his world like an intrusive splinter into the side of his thumb, digging into the skin so deeply until it was up to his body's immune system to break it down and dispose of it. Only Wally was fairly certain he would never be immune to her no matter how many defenses he put up.
And he was almost positive that after the failsafe exercise, everyone else knew how much she meant to him, to what lengths he would go to get her back.
So he thanked the omnipotent force out there in the vast cosmos when he saw her, real, alive, and taking on the world around her like she had something to prove.
Because when Artemis turned her gaze to him, a half-smirk challenge starting with the crinkle of her eyes and ending with the jutting hip that served as a perch for a hand that simply itched to sock the speedster in the arm again, Wally finally conceded that maybe, just maybe, she was beginning to get to him.
The way I need you all the time.
The way you hold this heart of mine.
I think it's time that I concede.
You're beginning to get to me.