Re-investing in Young Justice. I forgot how much I missed these idiots. Combine that with my sudden desire for it to be summer again and here we are. I'm kinda trying to harness the vibes from 2011-2013, which was like the height of the Spitfire movement in my humble opinion. Please enjoy!

Note: In this story I have them college-aged, so Wally and Artemis are 20, Megan, Conner, and Kaldur are 21, and Dick is 18.


one

Wally West, true to his nature, barges through the door of Dudley's five minutes after he was supposed to. And look, it's not really his fault this time. Uncle Barry was talking his ear off while he was trying to leave, and he still needed to stop on the way for a snack, and how could he have passed up the perfect opportunity to flirt with the girl at the drive-thru window who was way out of his league?

Totally not his fault.

Everyone is already gathered in dyads and triads at the small tables that line the street-facing wall of the ice cream shop. He sees Megan and Dick stifling their laughter as he stumbles over the threshold, and he doesn't miss Kaldur's treacherous smile of amusement, either.

He rubs the back of his neck as he settles at his own little table, the only one with an empty spot. "Fashionably late," he quips. "Hey, good things always take time!"

This one does produce a snicker from Dick, and an eye roll from Conner. Wally figures that's the most emotional showing he'll get from his brooding coworker. Dudley looks at him with a raised eyebrow, his big arms crossed over his chest. A warning, but not too serious. Wally smiles sheepishly.

"Now that we're all here," says Dudley, rather pointedly, "I guess we can get started."

It's at that moment that Wally realizes two things. One, Roy is nowhere to be found. Two, there is an unfamiliar head of blonde hair at the table that Dick and Kaldur occupy.

"Wait," Wally blurts, cutting off Dudley, much to the old man's disapproval. "Who's this?"

The blonde turns to face him, along with the rest of his coworkers, and Wally's eye twitches. She wears a maroon tank top and a frown, and is looking at him as if he's the one with any audacity here.

"What a great question, Wally," says Dudley, deadpan. "Would you like to let me speak now?"

Wally quiets at that, crossing his arms and, okay, maybe pouting a little bit. It's not like it was an irrational question! What was he supposed to do, not ask? From where he sits, he watches blondie lean over to Kaldur.

"Is his name really Wally?" she whispers, to which Kaldur nods. Dick, clearly overhearing, cackles. Wally's jaw drops. Excuse her?

He's about to open his mouth and tell her just what she can call him, but Dudley speaks before he can. "Kids, as some of you already know, this is Artemis. She'll be joining us this summer."

Artemis? Talk about a dumb name. It has to be fake, Wally decides. His hand shoots into the air as if he's answering a question in physics class. "What about Roy?"

"Roy's not working here anymore."

"What?"

"He's got a new job. He doesn't need this one anymore, so I brought in Artemis. Her uncle's a… friend of a friend."

Oh, so she's here because of nepotism. Wally scoffs. "Is she even qualified?"

New Girl lets out an indignant sound and swivels her chair to face him, her arms crossed and brows arched ferociously. "Qualified to scoop ice cream?"

"Please," says Dudley, waving his arms a bit. "I wanna get this over with just as much as all of you do. So, as I was saying…"

Wally effectively tunes out the remainder of Dudley's speech, too busy glaring at the back of New Girl's head once she turns back to face the boss. How dare she undermine him like that when she doesn't even know this place? And making Dick laugh as if she can just fit right in? The rational part of Wally's brain tells him that he is being rather irrational, but his rational part will just have to deal with it.

Dudley goes on about schedules and new prices and seasonal flavors and dress code, nothing that Wally hasn't heard a million times. Apparently they're adding a fried Oreo sundae this summer, which makes him perk up a little bit, but even that's not enough to curb his annoyance. The meeting finally concludes after about an hour, and Wally can barely get out of there fast enough. He notices Megan speaking animatedly with the new girl, laughing brightly at something she said. Wally scowls as Dick approaches his side.

"Well, someone's overwhelmed," says his friend. "Rough day?"

Wally grunts, the pair making their way out of the building. He holds the door for Dick, hearing the little bell ring, and bounds down the concrete steps. Dudley's is right on the waterfront of Happy Harbor, so there's never a shortage of customers. Even today, only mid-May, the main road is bustling with people eager to take advantage of the nice weather. They filter in and out of storefronts, stroll along sidewalks toting kids and dogs alike. Across the street, over the sea wall, Wally can see little human outlines on the jetty. He loves Happy Harbor. Briefly, he wonders when the boardwalk will be opening its carnival.

He's interrupted from his musings when Artemis brushes past him, still chatting with Megan and paying him absolutely no mind. Conner trails a little behind them, but doesn't seem bothered by the obvious intrusion. Wally has no idea how.

"See you tomorrow, Wally!" Megan chirps, turning to wave goodbye. Artemis turns too, and Wally can only describe the way she looks at him as smug. He glares.

"I mean, who even is she?" he asks bitterly once she turns back around, continuing her walk with Megan and Conner. Wally crosses his arms and stops in his tracks. Dick lets out an oof as he collides with his back, unprepared for the short stop.

"Relax," he says. "You only just met her."

Wally scoffs indignantly. "What, so I can't have a bad first impression?"

"I'm just saying," defends Dick, nudging Wally's arm to continue walking. "She actually seems pretty cool. I think you're just mad that she challenged you."

"Please," Wally rolls his eyes. "If you even call that a challenge. I just don't know where she gets off like that, acting all rude when it's literally her first day. I bet she quits as soon as she sees how much pressure this job can be."

Beside him, Dick huffs out a sigh. Wally doesn't care as he continues.

"I mean, seriously, did you know Roy was quitting?"

"I had my suspicions. He did just finish undergrad. This isn't exactly the type of job you keep all your life."

"Tell that to Dudley," Wally grumbles, kicking at a pebble of pavement. He watches as it skitters along the sidewalk, getting lost amongst the sandals.


"Hello?" Wally calls, closing his front door behind him. He takes a deep breath in, enjoying the fresh air that fills the house through the open windows.

"Hey, how was the meeting?" calls his mother from the living room. Wally drops his keys on the counter and finds her sitting in the recliner by the bay window, reading a book with a cup of hot tea on the end table beside her.

Wally tsks and folds his arms over his chest. "Bad," he says. "There's a new girl."

"Oh?" asks Mary, sliding a bookmark between her pages and placing the novel in her lap. "And you don't care for her? That's rare for you."

She's joking, he knows, but Wally's not really in the mood. "This one's different," he says. "She's awful and insufferable and she's going to ruin the summer."

Mary raises her eyebrows. "You've decided this after one interaction?"

"Yes," says Wally, and ends it there. He grabs an apple from the fruit basket on the kitchen table and makes his way upstairs to sulk and drown his problems in video games. In his disgruntled state, he doesn't hear the lighthearted chuckle that comes from the living room as Mary returns to her book.