Chapter Three — Salvage
"You've been my friend, and that in itself is a tremendous thing."
It's Christmas time and Arley could remember living a life she's sure she'd never experienced, but as she settled by a fireplace she's known she's seen before but can't ever remember actually being near, the life she's lived seemed more like reality; it seemed like a familiar echo.
Hal and John were arm in arm with bright red Santa hats on top of their heads as they sang carols loudly over the radio— both Lanterns had large mugs of spiked eggnog in their hands —and Guy's head had poked out of the kitchen to join them, he had a red chefs hat that had a bell on the very top. Katma and Kilowog sat in the corner of the room laughing at whatever story Carol had been telling them; Carol's hands waved around in the air as she spoke.
Hanukkah decorations still litter the living room bending in with the Christmas ones as— this year —the two holidays overlapped, a string of blue and silver stars of David were wrapped around the Christmas tree like garland and several of the gifts under the sparkling tree were wrapped in Hanukkah wrapping paper as opposed to the Santa covered Christmas papers.
Conner and M'gann are wrapped up in each others embrace— Arley can't remember them getting back together, she knows they did years ago, but she can't remember it ever actually happening —as they cuddled on the loveseat and Dick and Artemis debated something as Kaldur oversaw and made sure nothing got too out of hand; the last time someone hadn't bothered to watched Dick and Artemis debate police procedure a lamp had been accidently broken and the former team of teenage heroes had been banned from Ikea.
The more Arley looked around the more people she saw littered around the livingroom and kitchen; Jade and Roy who— for some reason —Arley was sure had been on their way to a divorce were laughing as a little boy no older than six with Roy's red hair and Jade's dark eyes tugged at Roy's pant legs. Roy never looking away from Jade, scooped the small child up and held him close, in a fatherly embrace but why wouldn't he; Roy was the boy's father after all.
Arley could remember waiting in the hospital waiting room when Jade had delivered him.
Billy Batson and Jason Todd— who Arley was sure had died even though he couldn't have if he was standing in front of her —laughed as Jason ruffled Tim Drake's hair and in the corner of the dining room Bruce Wayne rolled his eyes at something Oliver Queen said; Barry Allen looked on humorously and held two fingers up behind his own head as he turned in Bruce's direction.
Young children's laughter floated down the hall, over the music and Hal and John's drunken singing and both Iris and Dinah turned in the laughter's direction before smiling at each other.
"Look who's up from their nap!" Arley turned; a smile on her face and saw Wally holding a baby boy who was just shy of his first birthday. The striped onesie the baby wore was red and white and there were ginger curls sticking out of the baby sized Santa hat that someone had stuck atop his head.
Wally looked older than Arley could ever remember seeing him look; everyone did, Hal had patches of grey in his hair and there were wrinkles Arley was sure were new etched into Carol's face, but life was like that wasn't it? It moved so quickly if you blinked you missed it.
"Did someone have a good nap?" Arley found herself asking as she held her hands out so that Wally could pass her the baby in his arms; Wally, once the baby boy was snugly against Arley's chest took the open seat next to her, his arm stretched around the top of the couch behind her shoulders.
Arley couldn't help but marvel at the baby boy in her arms; he was so tiny and fragile and Arley's heart swelled with love at the toothless smile he flashed her. His hazel eyes— the same hazel Arley's eyes were; the same hazel her father's eyes were —shined brightly up at her.
"Of course he did," Wally said with a smile as he shook the baby's left foot, "He was in the comfy Christmas pajama's grandpa Hal got him, isn't that right?"
The baby boy's hand moved up and the baby in Arley's arms pressed his open palmed hand to the underside of her jaw.
One of Arley's fingers lifted so that she could travel the curve of the freckles baby's face; the baby boy's hand moved from Arley's face and curled around her finger, bringing it to his mouth.
"Didn't I feed you two hours ago?" Arley laughed at the baby— at her son, the baby in her arms was hers and Wally's and though she couldn't ever remember actually having him she knew in her bones that the bay boy in her arms was hers —and her eyes flickered to Wally.
"He gets being a bottomless pit from you, you know," she told Wally jokingly. Wally raised a hand— a golden wedding band glittered on his finger —and placed it on the top of their sons head.
"You still love us," Wally told her cheekily.
"Of course I do," Arley said only for the kitchen's smoke alarm to go off; all the heroes in the house jumped and the baby in Arley's arms let out a wail as Arley instinctively brought him closer to her chest.
She'd protect him, nothing would happen to him on her watch.
"Awe fuck!" Guy cried out; the smoke alarm got louder and louder until it was the only thing the Lantern could hear. Arley turned to Wally, the speedster said something but the smoke alarm continued to wail and wail and wail, drawing him out.
Arley woke up in her bed the day before Valentine's day; she was twenty-one and though Wally groaned in bed next to her, protesting the thought of waking up, he wasn't her husband.
She'd been dreaming; and as the Lantern reached over to her side of the bed to shut off her alarm she couldn't help feel disheartened because she could remember the dream— the lightness in her chest, the happiness she couldn't help but feel when her and Wally's son had been placed into her arms, having a family with and being married to Wally —and she wanted it.
She wanted the baby boy in her arms and she wanted the golden band around Wally's finger and she wanted to feel untouched by the horrors she had seen and the atrocities she'd committed in the name of Justice.
"Morning," Wally croaked as he slowly sat up in bed, his hair shot out every which way and his eyes weren't even fully opened.
"Morning Handsome," Arley said, "Sleep okay?"
"With you in my arms?" Wally shot back, his head tilted back and he smiled cheesily at Arley, "Never better Babe."
Arley leaned over and pressed her lips against his, when she pulled back her lips hovered over the speedsters.
"I love you," she cooed. Wally pecked his own lips against Arley's,
"Love you more."
…
Arley had a migraine and there was nothing her ring could do about it because it wasn't as if she'd been hit and her head hurt because she was concussed. No, Arley had simply stopped taking her medications, both the anti-depressants and anti-anxiety pills Dinah prescribed her for her Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and her birth control.
Dick had said it was better if she had stopped now and on one hand the Lantern knew the former boy wonder was right, she didn't need to be fighting her teammates and withdrawal symptoms at the same time while undercover, and yet— as she laid in her darkened bedroom, curled up against Bodie —Arley couldn't help but loathe Dick Grayson and the fact he was right.
…
Being a full time Lantern and hero of Earth and college student who needed over three thousand clinical work hours so that she could one day become a social worker didn't leave Arley with a lot of time for a regular day job, which is why she tutored people in English and History, various languages and some sciences.
Jaime Reyes, a teenage hero Arley had taken under her wing after he'd joined the team, had needed help in history and the League had agreed to pay her on the young heroes behalf— though for Jaime Arley would have done it at no cost —which is why after several hours of grocery shopping, Arley— like every Saturday she was on Earth and not on some mission —found herself in her kitchen, seated across from Jaime Reyes.
Arley and Jamie had already been studying for close to two hours; outside Arley's kitchen window one by one the lamp posts lights began to turn on as the sun set over the tops of the houses that lined the other side of the street.
"Okay so tell me three reasons why the Roman Empire fell," Arley said. Jaime had his notebook in front of him and his history textbook was open in front of Arley. Bodie— looking for head scratches and love like the marshmallow Arley always called him —had his head on the Hispanic boy's lap just under the countertop.
"Any three?" Jamie wondered, Arley nodded; Jaime's pen flicked back and forth in between his fingers. Jaime blew a puff of air out from his lips as he tried to remember.
"Uh-invasion by barbarian tribes?" Jaime listed one on his finger, Arley with a smile nodded. Jamie flipped a second finger up, "Economic troubles? And Caesars murder?"
"No," Arley shook her head, "Caesars murder came before the fall but you are on the right track, why was Caesar murdered?" Jaime blinked, the New Mexican teen shrugged,
"He sucked?" Arley snorted,
"No-well yeah but no. Political instability was one of the reasons Rome fell," Arley said, "Rome had become so big of an empire it was hard to govern, and it being hard to govern made the fact the empire was so large an even bigger problem."
"Oh?" Jaime's brows knitted together.
"Tell me where you're lost," Arley said easily.
"Why didn't they have a bunch of little governments answer to a bigger government or why not elect a dude that could actually do the job?"
"Well probably because as time went on the guards would kill whoever the emperor was and either sell the position to the highest bidder or give it to someone they saw fit; but the second and third centuries it was practically a death sentence."
"Oh," Jamie said, "Okay," he nodded, Jaime looked down to write as he spoke; "So three reasons Rome fell was political instability, economic troubles and barbarian invasion?" Arley beamed.
"Exactly." The door behind Jaime opened Wally walked through the door with a heavy winter coat over his clothes and his backpack strewn over one shoulder.
"Hey Blue," Wally nodded at the teen hero who nodded back.
"Hey Wally." Wally then shot a wink and a calico-like smirk over to Arley as he shrugged off his coat and hung it up on the coatrack Artemis insisted be by the door.
"Babe!"
Arley blew a kiss in Wally's direction. The speedster pretended to catch the kiss and press it against his heart before he continued on towards their bedroom. Arley followed the speedsters back until the door of their bedroom shut behind him.
"Okay," Arley said as she looked back at Jaime with a lovesick smile she tried to fight off, playing on the ends of her lips. Jaime with a crudely smothered smile of his own looked brightly at Arley; as if he were internally laughing at her and Wally's interaction. "Back to studying, we have another fifteen minutes before you're done so we just need to go over a few more things, like what do most historians consider the end of Rome? We know what led to the fall but when did the Roman empire end?"
"Can I look in my textbook?" Jaime wondered.
"Try to figure it out first but then if you get it wrong sure."
"I'm going to get it wrong," Jaime said; wordlessly, Arley sent the teen a flat look. Like Guy, perhaps if being a social worker didn't work out she could always be a teacher.
"Think first-look after." Jaime held his hands up.
"The end of the Roman empire, the end of the Roman empire," Jaime muttered, "That would be when an emperor was killed?"
"Super vague but you're on the right track-I know you know this Jaime," Arley said and Jaime's lips pressed together. He let out a hum for several seconds as his fingers drummed along the edge of the counter.
"I-was it when the city of Rome fell and the emperor was killed?"
"Super close!" Arley clapped, "You're practically there now fill in the blanks!" Arley handed the teen his textbook and Jaime flipped to the page he knew the answer was on.
"Most historians agree that the Roman empire fell September fourth, four hundred and seventy-six common era, when Emperor Romulus Augustulus was deposed by the Germanic King Odoacer."
"Okay now not looking at the book, what came after the fall of Rome?"
Jaime looked up at Arley and squinted his eyes.
"The dark ages?"
Arley snapped her finger and nodded; "Yes!"
"Babe!" Wally called urgently from the bedroom; the speedster threw the white door open and hung half out the bedroom with one shoe still on, both Arley and Jaime, alarmed, looked up at the speedster who's cell phone was in his hand.
"What's wrong?" Arley asked getting to her feet; a thousand and one possibilities flashed through her mind both related to— some kind of super villain was attempting to take over the world, more aliens were trying to invade, some kind of ancient magic had been unleashed and the end of the world was nigh—and unrelated to— Rudy had fallen off a ladder again, Carol had been shot at, Joan had suffered another heart attack —superhero business.
"Nightwing and Arrow found Roy, we need to meet them in DC."
Arley looked to Jamie and then to her phone that had sat idly next to her and the time the cellphone read. She and Jamie still technically had another five minutes.
"Do you mind cutting the session a few minutes short tonight?"
"No of course not," Jamie said as he closed his notebook and textbook; the teen nudged Bodie's heavy head off his lap as he stood and slid his things into the backpack that had been hanging on the back of the chair.
"I hope everything works out with your hermano," Jamie said when looked up at Arley and Wally.
Arley knew the newcomers on the team had heard about Roy being a clone and how the archer had spiraled after that once the League had called off the search for the original Harper boy; most of them had been around to see Roy's reaction when he had been told the League had called off the search for the original Speedy.
The Lantern smiled at the younger hero, "So do I."
…
Arley and Wally— Arley in her uniform and Wally in his heavy winter jacket and knitted Superman winter hat that Conner had given him as a gag gift —had met Dick, Oliver, Dinah and the other Roy Harper clone— Jim —Cadmus had grown a top a condemned DC building.
"Do you think we can get him to get help this time?" Wally murmured as he leaned against an old air conditioning unit; Oliver waited out in the open against the wall he knew Roy would have to hit if he was going to make the jump between the building they were on and the building Dick had assured them all Roy was going to take.
"Jade couldn't," Arley mumbled; perhaps five years ago at sixteen Arley hadn't cared for Artemis' sister— she had been the enemy after all —but since then Arley had grown to like the former assassin, if both Artemis and Roy— two people Arley viewed as family —cared for her how could Arley herself not?
Perhaps Arley didn't view Jade as a sister like she thought of Artemis and M'gann, but nonetheless the eldest Crock sister was family, if only by proxy.
Dick opened his mouth to say something when the familiar sound of a grappling arrow hitting the wall by Oliver rang out across the rooftop. Dick turned and while Arley flew slightly over the former boy wonders head, Wally loomed over his best friend's shoulder to get a better peak at Roy rolling across the roof.
Roy stopped at Oliver's feet; his bow several feet away.
"Hey Roy," Oliver said as he stretched out his hand for the clone to take, "Need a hand?"
Roy looked up at his former mentor before he slapped the man's hand away.
"No," Roy snapped as he shakily got to his feet.
"Really cause we think you do," Dick said softly as he stepped out of the shadows and towards their friend; Arley and Wally, hand in hand, followed behind him. Jim and Dinah emerged from the other side of the roof and the five stood behind Oliver; Dinah's hands rested on her hips as she gave the long haired clone a motherly look Arley was accustomed to seeing.
Arley could make up the bruised track marks that littered the clones bow arm.
"I have nothing to say to any of you," Roy said with a glare, "Nothing to explain, nothing to justify." Roy turned to pick up his bow and walk away when Oliver grabbed the large wad of money out from his back pocket.
"Nothing?"
Roy stilled.
"It's not what it looks like," Roy said and Arley blinked, they had all heard that from him before, especially after he's started shooting up. "I mean, that store owner won't miss it, he offered me a reward anyway." Roy turned. "Besides, I deserve it. The guy wouldn't have the rest of his money back if it weren't for me."
Wally arched a brow, his grip on Arley's hand tightened; "Dude are you even listening to yourself?"
"Look I need it!" He snapped as he snatched the money from Oliver, "I need it to find Speedy, the real Roy Harper. A search like that is expensive especially when the rest of you have all given up," he sneered.
"Come on you know it's not like that," Dick said.
"Really?" Roy scoffed, "Cause the last I checked all of you had given up-I'm the last one here looking for him!"
Dinah breathed and stepped around Oliver, "Roy I know you feel lost but that doesn't mean you're alone."
"I'm not the one that's lost," Roy said as he spun around on his heel, away from her.
"When was the last time you trained?" Arley called out, she stepped up away from Wally and next to Dinah, "The last time you slept? Just tell me the last time you ate a hot meal!"
"You don't get to start lecturing me self care," Roy bit over his shoulder; Arley's eyes narrowed at the clone. There had been nights over the years that both Roy and Arley had found themselves in dark places— times where the dark jokes they made sounded less like jokes and more like grim plans —and perhaps worrying about him and how well he took care of himself made her a hypocrite but she didn't care.
She couldn't find it in herself too; Roy was her family.
"Don't be an asshole," Wally snapped defensively from behind Arley.
"I'm in the best shape of my life," Roy declared.
"Oh Really?" Dinah asked before her hands fell from her hips and her leg swung out at Roy. The red headed archer barely missed the blonde Leaguers swing and he didn't manage to dance back far enough when she swung her arm out afterwards.
Dinah walked Roy back all the way to the edge of the building; catching him by the front of his uniform as he tripped over his own feet and the backs of his thighs hit the semi-wall at the edge of the roof's building.
"Best shape of your life," Dinah scoffed. Roy fell forward on his knees as Dinah let him go "That was me holding back-way back. Roy you used to treat your body as a temple but now—"
"—My body's no temple," Roy spat, cutting her off. Arley's face fell at the sight of her friend and Wally placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's a cheap knock off, a clone."
Oliver stepped away from Arley and the others and walked softly over to Roy; once more Oliver held his hand out for the clone to take.
"Come back to Star City," Oliver said, "It'll be like old times, you and me training-fighting crime, hanging out, shooting—"
Roy got to his feet and glared at his old mentor.
"—You're confused. Probably thinking of the other guy. You know the original, the one you stopped looking for. Me, I'm just—"
"—We get it," Jim snapped, his voice was deeper then Roy's, "You're a clone, but you're not the only clone on this rooftop." Jim stalked forward, his hands out of his pockets. "I know from personal experience how tough it was to come to grips with being a copy of someone else. That's why I gave up my identity as Guardian-so that I could figure out exactly who Jim Harper is supposed to be."
"That's not the only thing you gave up," Roy sneered; Jim's shoulders dropped.
"Roy, you know we both spent years looking for the original Speedy. As did everyone else here on this rooftop, and we haven't found him because the Light didn't keep him alive."
Arley flinched at the truth; she's long ago come to terms that the annoying fifteen year old boy she'd met in Oliver Queen penthouse was dead but that didn't mean hearing it didn't hurt. She may have not known the original Roy Harper well but she had still known him; still laughed and joked with him.
"It was Cadmus policy to delete the source material; he's dead brother, which is all the more reason you have to live. To honor the Roy that was."
Roy snorted— not humorously — as he sat on top of a vent that stuck up out of the roof.
"I'm whelmed by all this attention." Roy looked up, past Jim, over at Arley, Dick and Wally. "What are you even doing here West? I thought you ditched the hero game?"
"Ditching the game doesn't mean ditching my friends and before you round back to the whole original Roy Harper—" Wally said with a pointed finger, "—Lets face the facts he was never out friend."
"We've all done the math," Dick said, "Speedy was abducted before any of us met."
"Not her," Roy said harshly nodding his head in Arley's direction.
"So?" Arley shrugged, her jaw clenched, the Lantern pushed the original Roy's laughter from the corners of her mind, "That doesn't change the facts that you're the Roy I grew up knowing-I mean come on, I met the original what three times before Cadmus got him? I didn't know him, not like I know you. You're the boy that used to try to outpace me on missions, and you're the boy who used to tease me over my feelings for Wally. You Roy-not the other guy."
"Yeah," Wally nodded, "You're the guy we trained besides, fought beside-you're the only you we know."
"You're our friend, just because you're a clone with anger management issues doesn't change that," Dick said.
"Seriously," Wally said, "Have you met Superboy." Arley elbowed the speedster in the gut and Wally curled into himself. Roy bent his head.
"All done?" Roy asked and Arley's shoulder's fell. "Roy stood up and walked past Jim and then he brushed between Arley and Dick, "You want to salvage someone's soul, go get Kaldur to see the light, from what I hear he needs course correcting, but leave me out." Roy stopped at the edge of the roof and raised his bow, "Write me off, or don't, either way, blow it."
And then he jumped down onto something that sounded like the lid of a dumpster leaving Arley to meet Wally's eyes with a heavy and disappointed gaze.
…
It was nearly midnight by the time Arley and Wally made it back to their tiny Palo Alto apartment; Bodie was asleep on the couch, taking up the entire piece of furniture. The pair fell against the kitchen counter, in between the stools.
Their coats were hung up by the door and both of Arley and Wally's gloves were stuffed into the speedsters jacket pocket. The hat Wally had worn laid on the counter.
"I want to strangle him sometimes," Arley breathed as she thought about Roy.
"Tell me about it," Wally said as he turned to lean one arm against the countertop so that he could look at Arley. "And on top of all this my Vietnamese Lit paper is still due at eight am." A sly smirk curled over the speedsters face, "I don't suppose you'd finish it for me, Miss Universal Translator?"
With a low sounding laugh Arley leaned over and pressed a kiss to the speedsters lips; it was short and sweet and she had pulled away before Wally had the chance to deepen it. Wally's hand pressed against the side of Arley's neck, his fingers against her pulse. Arley's hand hung off his forearm.
"Not a chance," she told him with a grin. The watch on Wally's wrist went off and the red headed ex-hero perked up, his emerald eyes sparkled to life.
"It's midnight," Wally breathed, "Which means happy Valentines Day Glowstick." Arley beamed,
"You remembered!"
"Of course," Wally chuckled, "What kind of jerk would I be if I forgot, for the fifth year in a row?"
"My kind of jerk," Arley mused as she brought her face closer to his.
Wally moved the stool that was in between them with his foot and stepped closer to Arley, he rolled her back against the counter so that as he braced his weight next to Arley with the arm that wasn't pressed to the side of Arley's neck he could hover over her.
Arley's arms locked around his neck, dragging his face closer to her own, the tips of their noses brushed against one another.
"Seriously though," Wally told her, "You and me, tomorrow-tonight?" Wally asked before shrugging, "Anyway whatever, the point is we have a reservation at that really nice Italian restaurant you've been talking about."
"Wally, you know you didn't have to do that," Arley said.
"I want to, I always forget Valentine's day-I want to show you how much you mean to me." Arley blinked at the speedster, her head reared back and she looked at the young man as if he'd grown a second head.
"Wally I don't need a reservation at a nice restaurant or a day pre-marked on the calendar we get from the Chinese place we order from to know you care about me. I know you do because every time I wake up screaming you're there for me, telling me it's going to be okay, and I know you love me because every time I come home from a mission my favorite food is already cooking on the stove; I fell in love with your kindness Handsome, your looks were just an added perk," Arley told him.
"I love you," Wally sighed before he kissed her; Arley didn't waste time before she began to nip at Wally's bottom lip, pulling at it until he opened his mouth and slid his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss.
Arley pulled the speedster flush against her and as one hand slid down his spine— her nails raked against the soft fabric of his shirt —the other pulled at his hair. Wally pressed himself against Arley further as he moved his hand from the edge of the counter. Arley moved herself against Wally as his hand traveled down her side and— he paused for a moment to slip his hand over the globe of ass and squeeze, dragging out a moan of the dark haired woman —to the back of her thigh; Wally tugged at the Lanterns legs and hooked it over his hip.
Arley's breath hitched when Wally pressed himself against her.
Wally's hand ran up and down Arley's leg; squeezing and groping her every so often.
As Wally's hips continued to move against her— Arley could feel him hardening beneath his jeans, making her eyes roll into the back of her head every time he grinded the clothed head of his cock against her —Arley pulled her lips away from the speedsters mouth and began to leave a trail of kisses from his swollen lips down his face and along his jaw until she came to the the shell of the speedsters ear.
At that moment she needed him more then she needed the air in her lungs.
"Bedroom," Arley moaned and Wally, who had craned in his neck so that Arley could have better access to his jaw and throat nodded. The hand Wally had buried in Arley's hair disappeared so that he could scoop the Lantern up; Arley's ankles locked around his waist and for a moment she was perched on the very edge of the counter.
"I love you," Wally told her breathlessly, his pupils blown wide. Arley dipped her head forward to press a heated kiss against the speedsters lips and Wally turned them— Arley clung to the speedster tighter —as he started towards their bed room.
Arley was the one who fumbled with the door handle and Wally had been the one who kicked the door shut behind them.
Wally walked over to their bed, his and Arley's lips never detaching until he had thrown her on their messy comforter with a laugh. Grinning, Arley haphazardly kicked off her sneakers; Wally did the same with his own sneakers before he came down for another searing kiss.
Arley's fingers— as the red head moved to kiss down her neck, nipping and sucking at every other patch of skin —walked down Wally's torso only to stop at the hem of his shirt; the Lantern tugged upwards at the hem of the speedsters sweater.
"Off," she panted and Wally detached his lips from the column of her throat. As Wally tore off his own sweater, Arley was quick to get out of hers and eagerly threw it behind her leaving her in only an old hot pink sports bra.
The bra had a coffee stain on the left breast and a loose thread on the back that hung halfway down Arley's back, yet Wally didn't seem to care how unsexy her bra was compared to the lacy one she had tucked away in her dresser, because as his lips once more attached themselves to Arleys one of Wally's hands slipped under the elastic of her bra; his thumb roughly brushed over her nipple causing the Lantern to moan loudly into their kiss as she arched her back.
More, she needed more. Arley's thoughts were foggy; the only thing she could focus on asides from the fire that flooded her veins with every touch and kiss was how much she ached for the speedster above her.
Arley threw her weight to the side so that she could straddle Wally; Arley didn't wait for him to push up her sports bra before she took it off herself, flinging it in the same direction she'd thrown her sweater.
Wally's Adams apple bobbed as he looked up at Arley, awestruck; it was the same look he'd worn when they were seventeen and back in Coast City. It was the same look he always wore. His hands traveled up her ribs only to stall on the thick, ropey scar she'd gotten the last time she and the team had faced Vandal Savage. Wally's lips twisted into a frown.
"I'm sorry." Wally's brows dipped forward as his thumb brushed over the scarred skin. Wally's tongue darted out to lick his lips.
"It's not your fault," Arley breathed, "It wasn't you-not really."
"It doesn't matter, I should have known better then to fall into Savage's trap—" Arley leaned forward and kissed him, she pulled back a moment later and a thin line of saliva followed after her.
"What happened wasn't your fault, I don't blame you." And then she kissed him again; the kiss, just as needy as the others that'd come before it, was firmer, it was as if Arley was trying to kiss the reminder of what had happened not being his fault into him.
Arley's teeth mashed against Wally's as their tongues danced and slowly Wally's hands began to slip from Arley's rips and down her sides until they instead settled on her hips. Wally began to move the Lantern against him.
The iron hot ball that had settled in Arley's lower stomach had started to tighten the harder Wally pressed her down against himself.
"I need you out of these jeans," Wally panted against Arley's abused lips.
"I was thinking the same thing Handsome," Arley breathed; she reached down between herself and the speedster to snap open the button of Wally's jeans just as Wally reached up to unfasten the button on hers.
Arley and Wally's legs tangled together as they unpeels the others pants off of them; Arley simply dropped Wally's pants and boxers off the side of the bed while Wally, who had balled up Arley's jeans and panties tossed the two pieces of clothing over her shoulder.
Arley's hand wrapped around the base of Wally's cock; the speedster shuddered as Arley moved her hand up and down the member, her thumb every so often sweeping over it's weeping head. Two of Wally's fingers danced across and up her thighs, with a whiny and shuddering breath Arley's toes curled as Wally's fingers crooked inside of her and this thumb circled around her clit.
"More," Arley whined. "Moremoremore—" the Lantern sucked in a sharp breath as Wally's hips snapped against her hand, the Lantern fell forward and she braced her weight on the arm she'd put next to Wally's head. "—Please Wally, please—"
"Please what?" Wally asked in a low, knowing voice. His teeth nipped at the skin on her neck as his fingers continued to pump in and out of her. Arley's arm wobbled.
"Fuck me," Arley panted, "Please just fuck me."
Wally pressed his lips against Arley's as he rolled them so once more he was on top. Arley let go of Wally and the speedster moved to settle between her legs; both of Wally's hands gripped at Arley's hips and for a moment the speedster rutted himself against her. Arley clawed at the space between his shoulder blades, her teeth scraped over the skin of his collarbone.
"You are such a tease," Arley growled; Wally's snickered turned into a throaty groan as he slid himself all the way inside of her, anchoring himself to her, as if she'd drift away given the chance.
"Fuck," Wally breathed, he pressed a searing kiss to Arley's lips, "God I love you."
Arley's legs locked behind the speedster. The heel she had against the small of his back urged him to move; he started to thrust shallowly before he almost completely pulled himself out— Arley mewled in protest —before he thrusted back in so that their hips smacked together loudly.
Arley could feel herself slipping, the edges of her vision dotted white as she felt herself started to clench around him; Wally's pace picked up.
"Wally, Wally, I'm—" Arley couldn't remember shutting her eyes as she let out a vulgar sounding moan; all she could remember was her breath escaping her as she reached her peak.
"Come on," Wally moaned into the side of her neck and as he shuttered against her— his hips rolling against her own —Arley clung to the speedster.
Both Wally and Arley's breathing was ragged as he rolled off of her; Wally rested on his side, one of his arms was thrown over her stomach as his head rested on the other and Arley blinked up at the ceiling before she turned to him, her thoughts swimming.
Wally had already been smiling at her.
"Happy Valentines Day Wally," Arley whispered with a grin. Wally leaned over, closing the gap between them, his forehead dotted with sweat and kissed her; the kiss was more teeth than lips and it was far from perfect but it made Arley's heart sputter all the same.
"Happy Valentines Day Arley."
