A/N: Yes, yes, I'm having difficulties with this one. And I am following the song a bit more than I'd like, but it's the thought of what's in the song that matters. This one is to "Last Time Around" by Nick Jonas and the Administration. The song is one of my personal favorites on the album besides "Vesper's Goodbye" and "In The End".

Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice nor the songs mentioned above; they are purely for inspiration purposes. I am making no profit off of any of this.

Last Time Around

"You cut your hair."

I cannot believe that's the first thing he says.

We haven't seen each other for a year. Last summer was the last time I saw him. He was finding out what I did. And then I disappeared into the shadows like I'd been trained to do, letting go of the people I called my friends, relinquishing my hold on a normal life.

My bow's still pointing an arrow at him, but I can think about what my hair looks like. I chopped it up a few weeks ago. Short in the back, long in the front, still blonde, still normal. Just shorter.

"Yeah."

I almost feel stupid. That's the first thing I said to him after a year of not seeing each other.

I'm standing up in the rafters, shadows hiding most of me. There's light on my eyes, but it's hard to keep in the light and I'm hard to see. Going back to wearing black was the best idea I've had in a long time. Shadows are now my friends again.

He's on the ground looking up at me with almost heartbroken eyes. I know how sad he looks. Pitiful, absolutely pitiful. Completely pitiful. If I were closer, I could imagine seeing all the hurt in his eyes at me abandoning him; no, not just the team, I abandoned him. Because we meant something to each other. For a little while, at least. And me leaving out of the blue didn't help matters any.

"I almost asked for your name," he says with a faint smile lingering on his lips. I can read it. He's sad. Not depressed, not upset, just sad. Very sad. "Didn't know it was you for a few seconds there." I can imagine those sad green eyes...

"Can't your remember anything, Kid Mouth?" I didn't want to insult him, but I had to. It makes me feel better. I don't want to be in this position any more than he does. I'm supposed to be fighting him, and instead we're having a stare down with sad eyes and I'm not even trying to hurt him. I should be. So I aim the arrow and let it rip.

He doesn't move.

And just as I aimed it, it slams into the floor right beside him, narrowly missing his foot. The metal head slices through the solid concrete slab of floor.

"I remember that you don't have the heart to kill me." He's still not running, still not moving. Why won't he just leave me alone? Really, I don't need to deal with this right now... I just need to keep moving. We have to forget what happened and focus on who we are now. I need to focus on who I am. I can't fail, and I can't turn back. "I remember that you love me."

Why did he have to play that card? Anything else and I probably would've had the heart to stick an arrow in him, but not that. You can't beat the "you love me" schtick. You can't. Physically impossible. It tugs on the heartstrings and plays them like a harp. Damn it.

"I remember who you used to be."

Of course. Just great. Just perfect.

"And I remember that you love me. Said you always would."

Damn it. Damn him. Damn the world, for that matter. I mean, can't I just get a break? I'm assigned to fight him (to the death) and he just decides to stare at me. Stare. Like he knows I won't kill him. Because he does know, really. Because every time I wanted to kill him in a fight before, I didn't.

We always used to be at each others' throats. Now it's just a dull roar. Now we know. Especially now that I'm a Shadow operative again.

And I never could bring myself to kill him when I always said I would.

And I did say I always would.

Damn me and all my stupid talking. Too many words and things spill out. Like being an assassin. And being a traitor. And being hurt. And, you know, never wanting to kill him.

Because I don't want to kill him. I love him. Still. Even after all the shit we've been through, I still can't give up on him. He's too… He's too good. He's too innocent, too sweet, too much.

I know his life story. Abuse and all.

He knows… none of mine. Until now. I'm an assassin, how's that for details?

He's still just staring up at me like I'm going to say something. But I'm keeping my big fat mouth shut because I don't want to say anything else stupid. He already knows my weakness: love, comfort, friendship, a lot of the things that the Shadows can't offer. We're killers, not buddy-buddy people.

"Artemis, come on, we don't want to do this." He takes one step forward.

I refocus my aim and have it on the floor just behind his head. I'm hoping that maybe I can just scare him off and fetch the arrows later. I don't want to kill him and I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to kill me; for one, it's against the Justice League's rules, and for two, I can tell that he still loves me. "Stay back." The arrow is pulled back, the string taut and dangerous. "I don't want to do this."

"I know you don't." He takes another step. "Just end this now." His voice is soft and gentle. He's pleading, almost begging. I can't even fathom how much he wants this. I want to go back too, but I know I can't. I have to stay with the Shadows or else Il'l have my head on a silver platter and delivered to Ra's before morning.

"Wally West…"

"Artemis Crock," he counters, voice mimicking mine and failing at it.

I pause. Because I'm not going to kill him, he's not going to kill me, and talking all this over will probably end up with me doing something I'll regret in a few hours. So I try and step back into the darkness, making my terrible attempt at disappearing. "Let's make a compromise," I breathe, knowing he can hear me. The whole place is echoing all of our words all around.

"But-" He's protesting and I know he wants so badly for me to go with him, to go back to the League, not just because I have Shadow secrets and information, but because I can be with him again. He's so desperate that it's almost pitiful. He is pitiful. So pitiful that I want to go down there and kiss him.

But I won't.

"I am going to go back to the Shadows and you will go back to the League." I put the arrow back in its quiver, feeling my fingers shaking. I don't want him to go. I don't want to go. "I was supposed to kill you, but I won't."

"I was supposed to capture you." He's still staring up at me. I'm too far away to see his innocent green eyes, but I can imagine that they're hardening, trying to make him stronger for the rejection he knows is coming. "But I won't."

"I'll go back to the Shadows and tell them that you got away. You're Kid Flash, so it couldn't be too hard for them to believe."

He let out a short little sigh, one that showed how stubborn he was to go along with this plan, but it also told me that he was going to go through with it anyways. "And I'm going back to the League and telling them that you knocked me unconscious and got away."

It hurt to hear him sound so pitiful. God, I just wanted to go down there and grab him and hold him like I used to be able to. Because I still care and it's obvious that he does too. "Good."

"Good."

He's quiet. I'm quiet.

"Wally?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for leaving."

His response is delayed, but he says, "I'm sorry too."

And in a heartbeat, he's gone, a blur in the place where he stood only moments ago.

I put my bow down and let out a sigh before leaping down from the rafters, landing like a cat. If only this were the last time I'd see him. Next time, maybe it won't be so easy.

A/N: The theme of the song is more relationship based, but I twisted it a bit to my own liking. Anyways, reviews are good, thanks for reading, adios!

~Sky