Yo. Welcome to the show. It's currently...Pandemic 2020.
So I was killing time and rereading my own fic, because what else is there to do? And I apparently never proofread my own stuff. Wild. So Shopgirl is got a little facelift. No plot changes, or anything big, but fixing continuity errors, grammar, spelling, things that actually make a fic good. Even the nicest items need a little polish :)
Never been here before? Be on the lookout for mild language and sexual situations. We are Pg-13 people.
He comes in every Thursday night to watch her fold jeans. It sounds stupid, but there was something about the way she did it that was heavenly. It was the faces she made as she tried to reach the tops of the shelves. She always folded the jeans a little harsher after someone messed up her perfect piles, the sound of her snapping the denim filling the store.
This is one of the few nights Wally let his best friend Dick tag along. In his mind it's less creepy if he has someone with him. He'd rather have someone to converse with as opposed to awkwardly staring her down all night. That was creepy.
"Is today the day?" Dick asked as he looked through racks of shirts, not that it mattered. There wasn't much he could afford after buying his college textbooks. He should have just found them online.
"No. It will never be the day because she's probably out of my league," Wally sighed. He was hiding, actually hiding behind a rack while watching her. Again, trying not to be creepy. Unfortunately, failing horribly.
"Everyone's out of your league. I'm out of your league." He put the shirt he was holding back on the rack. There was no way he could afford it, every button-down was like $50.
Wally turned around looking defeated. "What good are you?"
Dick adjusted his sunglasses and smiled. "Trolling"
Wally smacked his friend on the back of the head. This was not the kind of encouragement he needed, and it was already later than he had intended on it being. He had to make some kind of move soon. At least ask her about the sale or something. Be not creepy, dude.
"Will you just grab your belt or whatever bullshit item you're buying tonight so we can leave? We've been standing by these shirts for 10 minutes." Dick could understand why his best friend would, for lack of a better word, stalk the shopgirl, but he also grew tired of being Wally's beard when they were at the mall. They were clearly not having the "Quality Bro Time" he had been promised.
Wally sighed again and grabbed a pair of boxers off the wall. He was pretty sure he has a couple pairs of these exact ones at home, but it's an excuse to talk to her so it's worth extra underwear. He walked over the wall of denim and tapped the girl on the shoulder.
This was his favorite part of his Thursday.
When she turned around to look at him, Wally was certain time slowed down. Or stopped. It was frame by frame. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail that seemed to dance as she turned her head. Her eyes were some strange grey color he had never seen before. Once Dick had asked him to describe them and he could only respond with vague answers - the color of rain, the wind during a storm, the same as his future wife's. The girl didn't look surprised to see him standing behind her, but the way her lips parted gave her a look of feigned shock. It was stunning.
"Heeey..." He was trying not to be awkward, but it couldn't be helped. He held up the boxers in his hand. "Do you mind?"
The girl looked to the counter to see if there was anyone already there. It wouldn't be the first time he had asked her to personally check him out. There was no one at the register, and she tilted her head to the side and smiled. "Sure."
They reached the counter and she started processing the purchase. "So, Wallace West." She had learned his name after handling his credit card about a dozen times. "More underwear. You must really go through these and socks." Her voice held a hint of teasing.
"Yeah, I just keep ruining them!" Oh great. He would say something like that. Her eyebrows rose in a combination of shock and amusement. "Not like that! I just...ugh, ignore me."
The girl laughed, and it did not help the situation. She had a wonderful laugh that was dry and almost silent. Wally held is head in hands. This was going swimmingly.
"And you are?" Suddenly Dick was at his side, or maybe he had been there all along. Wally could never tell. "Seems only fair since you know his."
"Artemis," she said after a beat. "Your cashier for the evening."
"Artemis, huh? You named after a cat or a goddess?" Dick was so much better than him at this.
"Neither as far as I know. Nice reference though." She smiled at the shorter boy before returning to Wally. "$10.87, Wallace West."
"Wally. Just Wally. Definitely not Wallace." He finally moved his hands to give her the credit card.
"Or Wall-man. He loves being called Wall-man."
"Wall-man? You should get that put on the card." Everyone was enjoying this far too much.
"I just want my underwear and to go home and drink until I do something even more embarrassing than this."
"It won't take much" Dick laughed.
"Oh, now there is something I would like to see." Artemis handed the poor kid his bag with a look of exaggerated pity. Their fingers met for a brief moment, and Wally swore his heart skipped a beat. "Unfortunately," she continued, "my place is here until close."
"Well next time you don't have to close you can join me in watching Wally drink himself into oblivion." Dick stuck his hand out to shake the girl's.
"That is a plan." Artemis accepted and shook Dick's hand to seal the agreement.
"I hate both of you." Wally grumbled as he turned towards the door.
"But you don't even know me!" Artemis countered as she followed them, breaking at the denim wall.
Wally and Dick headed towards the car as the latter tried not to snicker too obviously. Wally could feel the blush rising in his ears. This was not good.
"So, he asked her?" Barbra asked. Wally groaned and shoved more nachos in his mouth.
"Can we please stop talking about it?" He had wanted to drink his embarrassment away at home. Alone. Watching old action flicks. His favorite way to wallow.
"No, I asked her. Wally was too busy talking about ruining his underwear." Dick laughed and attempted grab a fry off of Barbara's plate before she swatted his hand away.
"Dude." Conner had a look of immense confusion on his face as he put his arm around his girlfriend. Wally was dying on the inside.
The group of them sat in their usual booth at bar, a little dive aptly called The League. Each friend had a specific spot around the table - Barbara, Dick's on again, off again girlfriend, was on the end with Dick to her side. Wally sat in the middle of the rounded booth so he could sample all the food. He hadn't told anyone that was why, but they figured it out soon enough. Next to him was usually their friend Kal, but he was studying abroad that semester. Instead was Megan, Conner's wisp of girlfriend. The hulking guy rounded out the booth at the end across from Barbara, glaring at any server that paid too much attention to his very friendly (and very pretty) girlfriend.
"Oh, come on! It couldn't have been that bad." Megan took a sip of her water, and God bless her she was always the optimist.
Wally continued to groan. "No, it was. She actually knows me by name because I keep buying socks and underwear." Dick let out the laughter he had been stifling, Barbara also starting to giggle. "I hate you," Wally said into his glass as he took an entirely too big gulp of his beer.
"Hate me all you want, but I got her name as well as her to show interest in seeing you outside of underwear purchasing. If not for me, you would be wallowing in embarrassment and self-pity." Dick hit Wally on the back causing him to cough up most of what he had just drank. He shot his friend a look before attempting to swat him in retaliation.
"Name? What's her name?" Megan asked excitedly. "Wally, we need a name for the lovely blonde face you have been telling us about for months."
Wally blushed furiously and mumbled something into his food. The way the night was going, they would probably make fun of her name as well.
"What was that? We couldn't hear you," Barbara teased him, and put an exaggerated hand up to her ear. All eyes were on Wally, except Conner's who seemed to be preoccupied with his own plate of fries.
"Artemis. Her name is Artemis. Happy?" Wally returned his companions' stares with one of his own. Dick never seemed to stop laughing and Barbara's teasing grin moved from Wally to Dick. Megan tried in vain to contain her eager, eager emotions. Conner continued to eat in silence and was currently Wally's favorite person at the table.
"Artemis!" Megan said, trying the name out with her own tongue. "Oh, that is so pretty, and not something you hear every day. You think she was named after the goddess? Is she Greek?"
"Yeah, has she pledged a vow of maidenhood to her father?" Dick asked as he placed a glass to his lips. Wally shot him the look and drank from his own glass. Had he known he was going to be interrogated, he wouldn't have agreed to come out tonight.
"Did you get her number?" Conner had finally stirred from his meal. "Or at least a full name to InstaFiend her or something?"
Wally blanched. He had made so much progress today. He got her name. She had showed some form of interest in seeing him sometime in the future. He had even managed to be inappropriate yet charming! But not once did he think to ask how to contact her. He was basically back at square one! Within seconds he finished what remained of his beer and poured another.
"That would be a no," Dick laughed as his friend continued to drink.
Uh, hey guys. Thanks for the read. This is one of the many ideas floating around in my head that I decided to jot down after the success of Undapants. The sequel to that is coming along and will be up shortly. Meanwhile, enjoy whatever this is haha.
laters.