Sadly all good things must come to an end! A big thanks to all who read, reveiw, and- favorited!
I apologize for bad grammar.
Wally's POV then it changes, I'll tell you when.
Out of all my stupid ideas this was by far the stupidest. Sure I have been trying to get Artemis to talk to me for a good two whole days now. After all I was not happy how are last encounter had ended. Everyone thought I was still down because of whole thing with Megan and Artemis seemed to be avoiding me. The closest we had come to one on one time was a sparring match in which I had landed flat on my back, do to the fact that I was preoccupied by that she had kissed me then totally freaked out. She more then kissed me. We had made out. And not just any kind of make out. The hot and heavy, tearing at each other clothes, kinda hurts but in a good way kind of make out. And what was I left with? One awkward conversation with my best friend and a long cold shower to clear my head.
How could someone make me feel so unbelievably good then hurt me so bad? How could she have the power to make on of the best days of my life also the worst? One minute she was all over me; thighs pressed against my hips, tongue sliding in and out of my mouth, biting my lip, full chest heaving against mine, collapsing on the ground together. Then she was telling me that it was nothing? To forget about it? Was she embarrassed that she had kissed me or something? She was emotional a roller coaster and I was beginning to feel nauseous alright. But I don't want to get off. I don't want this ride to end.
Still I always thought that if we kissed I'd know how she feels. Now I was just more confused. If you would have asked me before if there was anyway I could possible be more confused I would have said no. Boy was I wrong. The only thing I know for sure now is that, Artemis, she's crazy! Totally insane! So that brings me to my stupid idea. So I'm hanging out with Rob at this local Gotham City arcade, and he get a call from Bats and has to run of and do the whole dynamic due thing, no biggie. So I'm about to run home when it hits me, Robin had said that Artemis goes to school with him at Gotham Academy and that she lives here. So since I was in Gotham, I might as well try and find Artemis and talk to her on her own turf.
The problem was Gotham is a really big city. Pretty soon I was lost, in what looked like a tough neighborhood. It had gotten dark. Then it started raining. And not the light you can hardly feel it kind of rain. Freezing rain, sheets of it. The kind soaked you clean through, chilling you to the bone. It was as if the universe was conspiring against me. You might be wondering Gee Wally why didn't you just give up and run home all super speed style? And I would but to do that I had to know were I was going, so soon as I found out were the hell I am; sure that was totally the plan.
"Well if isn't a little Puto who got lost in the rain?" Yep, the universe was defiantly conspiring against me. An unlucky number thirteen tatted tough as nails Latino gang member had emerged from the shadows. Sure I could totally take them, but I was in my regular clothes and they had me cornered. One guy with a bald head tattooed with a viper with a wide open mouth on his forehead that by the look of it went all down his spin; spoke to the guy who had called me a Puto, "Looks like your right, Stickers." Stickers, the scary gang members name was Stickers? What was he some kind of prize sticker collector or something? I tried not to laugh, I really did. But I failed.
"This fucker's pretty stupid for someone who's strayed so far for home!" Stickers went to grab something out of his back pocket, mostly likely a gun to shoot my stupid ass with. Either way I wasn't laughing anymore. The bald headed viper guy put his hand in front of Stickers. He was obviously the leader. "Wait a second asshole! Let find out what the little fucker has to say for himself before we make any stupid decisions." He turned to me, "So, what you got to say, fire crotch?" Years of countering that same insult to it had become second nature took over any common sense I may have.
"What can I say? Your girlfriend likes it better that way." I had signed my own death warrant.
"I stand up for you in front of my boys and you have the fuckin' nerve to disrespect me?" Now the weapons were drawn. Shit! Shit that was so stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid! I was in for a fight. This whole protect your secret identify with your life thing was really starting to look like it might come down to that. Just don't know if I truly have it in me to risk dying to protect Kid Flash. But if I didn't it could mean the end of Kid Flash. The beginning of what, witness protection sanctioned by the League? Or if I did it could just be the end. Calm yourself Wally, you can do this.
"Hey, back off the ginger!" I familiar husky voice shouted above the rain. "He's with me."
Artemis leaped down next me. Which would have looked a lot cooler if she would have been caring a grocery bag with a carton of milk. The gang members obviously see this kind of thing all the time because they were not impressed. Stickers jeered, "If it isn't a little Puta come to save the little Puto."
His fellow gang member laughed. All except Viper head.
"You idiots better shut the fuck up. Don't you know who her father is -" He said something else in a rush of Spanish that I couldn't quite catch but it must have been bad because the other guys paled considerably. "So Artemis this guy with you?"
"Sadly yeah. He's an idiot but he's my idiot."
"Awe chica what you wasting time on a fool like him for? When you gonna come around and get with me?"
"Well George, he's got a real big dick." I nearly chocked, then I notice the slight glare she was giving me and the hint of poison in her voice. "Just one big dick."
"He's not the only one chica. Let me know when you decide to ditch white bread over here so you and me can get together." and with that George, Stickers, and the rest of the unlucky thirteen left.
When she was sure they had gone she turned to me and hit me upside the head. I exclaimed in pain and annoyance.
"What are you doing out here!" She yelled. "At night, in the rain, in Gotham City!"
"I -" came to find you. "I was hanging out with Rob but when I went to go home I got lost."
"Uh-huh, right, like it's the first time you been here to see Robin. You've probably even been to the Batcave before. Are you stalking me now or something?"
"What, no! I didn't even know you lived here in till now!"
"And how do you even know I live in Gotham? How don't you know I'm not just visiting?"
"Do most Star City residents go all the way to Gotham to buy there milk? I think not!"
"Whatever. Still doesn't explain what you're doing here." We just stood there for a moment, not trying to say anything over the roaring sound of the. Artemis looked beautiful, even the dark in with her long pony tail plastered to her back. It was hard not to stair at what the cold rain had done to her breasts.
"Are you staring at my tits?"
"Maybe -" I said slowly.
"You're unbelievable."
"Anyway, thanks for back there."
"Your welcome."
"Who was that George guy? An old boy friend?"
"No! He dated my sis- friend. He dated my friend."
"Still, must be weird being on first name terms with the local thugs." She just shrugged. As if it was no big deal. In a way it wasn't, for us. But viper head guy knew her as a civilian. Did that mean that she truly lived around here? Plus more info about her dad. Not only was he a real class act when it came to parenting, the local gangs were terrified of him. Whoever this guy is I hope he isn't around because I'm in no rush to meet him. "Was that word they called you?"
"Puta." Her nose scrunched up in detest, "it means whore."
"Well," I said through gritted teeth, "that wasn't very neighborly."
"Depends on the neighborhood."
"And me."
"Puto, means fagot, male prostitute, that sort of thing."
"Damn it! Why does every one always think I'm gay?"
"It's the red hair. Plus you can be pretty touchy feely for a straight guy."
"But that's hardly fair."
"No. It isn't." There was certain steel like quality to the way she said it."But that's life."
"O-kay then. So you speak Spanish."
"Just the cuss words." There was a brief pause. I shook in the cold, and I could tell it was getting to her too. She looked at me and her face softened. "Come with me."
We walked a block in the rain. The slow pace was aggravating but she kept me entertained with narrative on the neighborhood. She told me that Stickers was acting that way because he was getting jumpy. Batman had gotten him to sing like a canary on his boss's operation and he was worried about what his fellow thugs would do to him if they knew. The thing was they already did. If he didn't get out of town now he'd be dead within the next couple days. She point out a Schizophrenic homeless man who wasn't dangerous in less he caught you. When I asked why he wasn't in Arkham, or some other hospital, she replied bitterly.
"There are thousand just like him in this city. Sometimes it seems imposable to get to them all. This city is like a person. It laughs and cries. It has good qualities, and it has some bad traits. But this is big city, so that means there a lot that's bad. That doesn't mean that isn't just as much good here."
She took me to an apartment. It was small, two bed rooms, one bath; but well kept with all the markers of a home. There were the imprints of wheels on the carpet and one of those long sticks with a claw on the end on the kitchen. A grabber. "So," I asked, "you live here?"
"Yeah. Me and my mom. Why?"
"Nothing. It's nice. Your mom is she -"
"Parallelized. She's parallelized, from the waste down." She didn't look at me, putting the milk away in the fridge.
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah, so am I." Her words cut like knives. For a moment I thought she might through me back out into the rain but instead she only sighed and said, "Wait here. And keep quiet, my mother sleeping and I'd rather not have to explain why there's a soggy teenage boy in are living room." She smiled and disappeared into one of the rooms. She came back with a pair of boxer shorts, and grabbed two towels out of what must have been the lining closet. She gestured to the bathroom, "Go in there and dry off and change into these." She throws me the boxers and a towel. I held them up; they were red plaid Fruit of the Loom. I raised one eye brow and smirked, "Artemis, why do you have boy's underwear?"
"Just so happens they're really comfy to sleep in, what's it to you?"
"Nothing. Not so sure that I comfortable running around in only your boxers. Got anything else that can fit me?"
"What? You think I'm running a male department store? Look if you stay in those clothes not only are you going to get sick you're going to ruin the carpet!"
"You're always in such a hurry to get me out of my clothes."
"Now Wally!"
"Okay." I went into the bathroom. It was a pretty average room. White tiles with guard rails for her mother to hold onto. I look at my self in the mirror. Red hair stuck down against my fore head. Nose red and lips tinged blue from the cold. Skin paled so that my freckles stood out even more. I looked awful. What the hell was I evening doing here? In Artemis bathroom, in her apartment. What could I possibly hope to accomplish? Did I think I could get her to confess her love? That she wanted to be with me it's just – just what? That she enjoyed messing with me more? This whole thing was stupid.
I pealed of my clothes. Heavy wet clothes that weigh me down. Stuck to me like a second skin making me feel trapped and cold. Till there was nothing else to take off and I was left standing in all my pubescent glory, naked and venerable. I didn't need the towel really, I could just vibrate. The heat caused by the friction of my own body would cause the water to evaporate. But I touch the towel still to my own pale bare flesh, and wondered if it had touched hers, soft and warm. No, I could let myself think about that. It was thoughts like that that had gotten me into this mess in the first place.
"There you are." Artemis said, she was wearing a gray tank top and green sweat paints, her hair wrapped up in a towel. To mugs of something hot in her hands. "I was going to make us some tea but I looked and there isn't any. Or coffee. Or hot chocolate." I took the mug she was handing to me and asked, "Then what is this?" She made a face.
"Hot water with milk and sugar."
"Aw, well at least it's warm." I took a sip, nasty. "Hey, weren't you just at the store?"
"Yeah, to buy milk."
"Then why didn't you buy any of those things?" Big mistake. He face contorted in rage.
"We only have money for milk alright? So why don't you stay out of my business?" It seemed the ever word that came out of my mouth only pushed her farther away. How was I supposed to talk to her about what happened in the cave now? She probably thinks I'm a stuck up asshole.
Then, once again she did something I would have never expected. She apologized.
"Look, I'm sorry. There's no way you could have know. But my life is not your business."
"No your life is my business," I said shaking my head, "your life will always be my business. You're my teammate. And teammates have to watch out for each other." Those gray cat eyes stared at me. They were so heartbreakingly sad. Why were they so sad? I never wanted her to be sad. I never wanted her to feel anything but joy. I had a strange feeling that somehow I was causing this misery. But that was just crazy. Suddenly her fingers were on my bare bicep, causing me to shudder. She spoke quietly, "You're still cold. Come with me, after all teammates have to watch out for each other."
I followed her into the room she had disappeared into earlier. In there was a single window rattling with the force of the rain, on ether side there was a twin bed and the walls were hung with posters, including an Alice in Wonderland poster above the bed on my right which was considerably neater then the bed on my left. Artemis sat he mug down on the end table that was under the window, then sat down on the bed on the left and removed the towel from her head and threw it on the floor. Her golden hair cascaded down past her shoulders. I gulped, what was she up to now? Was I really in her room? Or was I just have one of the longest, weirdest, most realistic dreams of my life? If this was a dream then I knew what always came next. She wrapped her blanket around her shoulders. I went to sit on the other bed.
"Don't sit there!"
"Uh, okay. I'm sorry I -" she patted the bed next to her. Was this really happening? I sat my mug, now empty next to hers, and then I sat down next to her. She held out her blanket and wrapped it around me so that are bodies touched. Shoulder to shoulder. Waist to waist. Hip to hip. Thigh to thigh.
"Uh, I -" Cleared my throat, "you aren't going to jump me again are you?" Her lips turned up in a slight solemn smile.
"No. You're perfectly safe."
"That's too bad." I said under my breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing." A whole lot of nothing.
"Stop wiggling your leg. It's getting on my nerves." Like she should talk, she was fidgeting as much as I was. We just sat there for a second. Then there was a collective moan from all the electronics in the building and the glow of the alarm clock went out. Leaving us in complete darkness. I felt her move next to me.
"And then the power goes out." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm, "Great." somewhere a phone rang. She tensed up next to me. The ringing stopped, and then there was the muffled sound of women's voice.
"Hello?"
"That's my mom! She's up! Quick, get under the bed!" She yanked the blanket off of me.
"Wait what -" She gave me a shove and I toppled onto the floor.
"Crap, she'll hear that! Get under the bed." I couldn't believe this was happening, it just seemed so silly. So normal. Never the less I found myself crawling under the bed to hide from Artemis's mother. There was pause were all I could here was the steady pounding of the rain and the sound of her breathing. Then I heard the sound of creaking metal and a knock on the door, "Artemis?" I heard the thud of footsteps and the slight screech as she opened the door.
"Yeah mom?"
"That was the landlord. He said the back up generator should kick in a few minutes." Her mother spoke with a Vietnamese accent.
"Kay."
"Goodnight Artemis."
"Goodnight mom." There was a creaking as Artemis's mom went to go back to her room.
"Oh, and Artemis," Her mother said, more distant this time. "Tell your friend he can stay in till it stops raining."
"Thanks mom."
"Um hum."
Artemis closed the door and walked back over to her bed. "You can come out now, and stop giggling!" I pulled me self out from under her bed and climbed back up next to her. I had found something of hers under there that I was eager to share. I smiled, "Oh I don't think I'm going to stop giggling any time soon. Any reason why you have The Flash underwear?"
"What can I say? Value pack at Costco. The whole league for three ninety five. Well most of the league anyway."
"You and your increasingly strange taste in underwear. Well you can't knock Costco, or Sam's Club. Or really any place where you can buy food in bulk."
"I assume you are a member?"
"Not just a member, I'm their most valued member. And I totally get why you want me down there."
"Don't be an ass. Besides, they're The Flash underwear, not Kid Flash underwear. It's not like I shop in the tween department."
" Don't even joke about my mentor or my fan base, okay!" We laughed together quietly in the dark. Then I got my nerve. "You know I wouldn't mind it, not really."
"Wouldn't mind what?" she said her voice husky as ever. I took a deep breath.
"If you jumped me again. I mean, I want you to." There was silence so dreaded the consumed the sound of the wind and rain, of the city, of are breathing, of everything. It was just silence and me and her sitting on her bed in her room. Silence and her refusing to meet my eye. Then she spoke.
"Wally, you and me -" She took a raged breath.
"Yes?" I felt is if I would stop breathing waiting for what she was going to say.
"We just don't work, okay?"
"No that's not okay. How do you know we don't work if you won't even give us a shot?"
"I just know!" She glared at me, "God Wally, why the fuck do you want to be with me anyway?"
"I just do!" Why was it this girl had be so infuriating? Couldn't she see that I loved her? That was it wasn't it? I love her.
"See, you don't even know why. What's the point of two people like us being together anyways? We hardly ever get along and haven't you heard that red heads and Asians have ugly babies?"
"Who says that?"
"Oh, I don't know, everyone?"
"Well it's not like I'm asking you to have my babies or anything! I just want us to be together!"
"And what? To be together and what Wally? Do you want us to go on long walks together in the park holding hands? Do you want us to go on dates like normal teenagers? Or perhaps you want to take me to the school dance? Or maybe you want us to be boyfriend and girlfriend?"
"So what if I do?"
"God, you're such a hopeless romantic!"
"And what wrong with that?"
"Because we're not normal teenagers, Wally. And we never will be."
"If you this about your dad I could care less how bad of a guy he is. I want you and I don't give a damn who your dad is!"
"You wouldn't say that if you new the truth." In the dark a tear slid down her cheek.
"Artemis I -" I reached to wipe that tear away, put she caught my hand by my wrist. Her grip was strong. Her eyes gazed into mine; cold, steely, and intimidating. So dark they were almost black. Sad. Painfully sad.
"Get some sleep Wally. I'll wake you when the rain stops."
As I lay down on her bed I made a promise. I was a hopeless romantic and I wouldn't stop till we were together. I may have lost the battle but I wouldn't lose the war.
After all, all is fair in love and war.
Mystery POV
Dunna dunna dunna dunna Batman!
Artemis's phone rang. She groaned and rolled over recoiling in shock at the sight of the redhead sleeping peacefully next to her, as if she had forgotten that he was there. She relaxed as a soft sleepy smile graced her lips and she gazed at her bed mate. Then she slid onto the floor and quite literally crawled about in till she found her phone, making a spectacle of herself. "Hello?" she said groggily, voice horse with sleep.
"Hey Artemis. It's me Robin. Sorry if I woke you."
"S'okay, I wasn't supposed to be asleep anyway." she yawned, rubbing her eyes.
"Listen, KF left his phone at the arcade so you should probably let him know that his family's really worried about him sense he didn't come home last night. There not to traught right now. I mean the guys been gone for a little over twelve hours and they think some guy kidnapped him or something."
"Okay." she replied sleepily, and then she blinked as it sunk in, "Wait! How did you know he's with me?"
"I just know things." There was silence as the girl just tugged on a strand of her long blond hair looking a combination of embarrassed and perplexed. "Oh, and before I forget, Artemis -"
"Yeah?"
"Don't let whatever happened to you in your past keep you from being happy. You're so close to being happy now and if you deny yourself happiness because of that wouldn't be fair. Trust me I know."
"What are you talking about, I am happy." She said, stunned and now fully awake.
"You may seem happy, but you hold every one around you at an arms length. Never allowing anyone to get too close. Including Wally."
"Look, you're not making any sense and I don't see why this is important. Nothing is going on between me and Wally anyway."
"Oh really? Then how come he's half naked in your bed?"
"How-"
"I know things. Oh, and seriously Artemis, that ring tone?"
"You -"
"Well bye." I hung up. She ran to the window and threw it open. She stuck her head out but she wouldn't see me. I had years of practice of not being seen working against her. I knew they had kissed. I'd seen it written across his face clear as day. I mean the guy's my best friend, and a total open book. Plus there was no way he had both bitten his lip and thrown all his stuff of the shelves for no reason. Didn't even ask him about the bulge in his pants. Kid Boner would have to wait for another day. Must have been some kiss. I was little pissed that they didn't just tell me about it, but figured they must have had a reason. After all, they're totally into each other. It's as clear as the early morning sun after the storm.
She closed the window. I watched as that angry frown dissolved as she gazed at Wally as he slept peacefully, his hair glowing in the early morning sun light. She gently brushed a strand of hair off his forehead, then she kissed his cheek. She curled back up beside him for few minutes before waking him. And they say I'm immature. Either way, the whole thing had me grinning like a love struck idiot, or really quite Wally like. She might not have really believed what I said when I was saying it but one day, she would.
Trust me, I know things.
THE END!
Really that's it.
But you know Robin be peepin' in your windows and watchin'what ya doin'...
I going to do HW now.