Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice.
A/N: Just a friendly reminder that this entire story—including the dates of Wally and Artemis's birthdays—were planned long before "Coldhearted" aired.
A Lingering Feeling
XIV. Amaranthine
I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, then all at once.
- John Green, "The Fault in Our Stars"
Mount Justice
April 15, 15:48 EDT
"—Happy Birthday dear Wally, Happy Birthday to you!"
There was a final collective cheer, followed by the whoosh of Wally blowing out sixteen candles.
Artemis slid next to him on the couch and kissed him on the cheek. "Did you make a wish?" she asked.
"Nah." He turned and stole a swift kiss on her lips. "Everything I've ever wished for is right here in front of me."
"Hey KF! Cut the sap, and start cutting the cake!"
Everyone laughed. Artemis shot a raised eyebrow at Robin, which he returned with his characteristic lopsided grin. She turned back to Wally, and her eyes traveled from the flex of his wrists, up his arms and shoulders, and finally rested on his fluttering auburn eyelashes.
Loving Wally—and being loved by him—was a different tint of happiness Artemis never knew existed. It wasn't like the framed portrait of her life lacked color; but the glossy filter Wally added heightened the contrast and instilled a richer tone to every outline and hue. It was like taking an old photograph and touching up the blush of lips and cheeks, and reapplying the sparkle of eyes and the sun. Beauty itself seemed to become reinvented.
A kiss, Artemis had always thought, was simply the physical touch of two lips—nature's little trick of bringing two compatible genomes together for the success of the species. But when Wally captured her lower lip into a delicate tango of cherry lip-balm and minty breath, she felt a rush in her chest like the unfurling of wings. Her entire soul would become feather-light, and soon her reality was transformed into clouds and sky and galaxies of stars. When they finally pulled apart, the atmosphere quivered like the air surrounding an orchestra's final note; an atmosphere of an imperial symphony come full circle—of suspended violin bows and resonating chords. Their eyes would linger closed until each would slowly open to a smile and the soft touch of hands to cheeks, neither one ever fully believing this was not actually heaven.
And then there were the small acts of holding hands as they walked down the streets, of her head resting on his chest during movies, and of simply being close to each other and the feeling of their auras enveloping their sprightly jokes and glowing gazes.
Now that they were together and free from the bristling doubts of rejection, each enjoyed hearing the stories of how one fell for the other. It was like watching a movie again but with the director's simultaneous comments, and all the illusive hints were suddenly now lucent. Wally liked to joke he was "the King of Fools" for not seeing the signs, to which Artemis would retort: "So does that make me your Queen of Fools?"
Then they would just laugh, and agree all that mattered was both eventually took the dive into the fog only to realize paradise was a simple leap of faith away.
There hadn't been a need to tell the Team about their relationship; everyone had somehow silently known the trip to the zoo was going to be the final click of a puzzle long in the making. When they returned to the Team on their next mission two days later, the only telling sign from their companions were the long nodding smiles.
Oh, and along with a few quiet monetary exchanges. The betting platform had been irresistible, of course. The word on the street was The Flash owed quite a fortune to Green Arrow, but the former had been purposely avoiding the latter to the point where Batman was about to take them both aside for a stern glaring-at. It had even brought a chuckle from Superman.
Artemis passed the slices of cake around, and flittered from one buzzing conversation to the next. At one point she paused and closed her eyes for a few seconds, just to soak in the camaraderie and diapason of her teammates' voices. She remembered that day only a year ago—how lonely and miserable she was; how her only strength in life was to hold onto her passion and the thought of her mother finally coming home.
And then everything changed that August night when the blackness of the sky suddenly burned with a white streak. It had all lead up to this concatenation of their lives: the laughter of Conner and M'gann as he tickled icing onto her cheek; the world-play between Robin and Zatanna discussing the opposite of "opposite"; Racquel loudly asserting the logic of piñatas, while Kaldur softly frowned and murmured at the paper-mache creature in his hands, before passing its ruffled body to a curious Red Tornado; Captain Marvel rustling a bag of marshmallows and trying to dare Roy and The Flash to participate in "Chubby Bunny" while Wolf whined with every crackle of the bag; and the laughter of Wally as he zipped around all his friends—always the laughter of Wally.
She felt a nudge at her side and opened her eyes to see Zatanna and Raquel grinning at her with tilted heads and raised eyebrows.
"Zoning out already, girl?" Racquel teased. "But we haven't even opened the presents!"
"I wasn't zoning out," Artemis retorted; "I was just picturing you and Kaldur playing Spin the Bottle and—"
She was cut off by a sharp jab to the ribs from Racquel and a trickle of giggles from Zatanna. But before any of the girls could continue the conversation, Artemis felt the feathery fingers of wind brush against the back of her neck, followed by a tickling warm kiss on her shoulder. She laughed, and made a grab at her perpetrator only for her palms to meet air. She looked up, and caught Wally's wink from across the room.
"I'm just so happy they're together," Zatanna sighed at no one in particular.
"And about time too!" Racquel added. "I swear those two were the last to know they were actually dating!"
Artemis turned back to her friends with an eye-roll, but there was no sarcasm in the world to hide the radiance on her cheeks and the dance in her eyes.
In the kitchen, Wally was in the midst of scooping more tortilla chips and salsa onto his plate when he caught a very distinctive jingle of laughter. Even if they were on a tarmac in the busiest airport in the shadow of an erupting volcano, he would always be able to distinguish her laughter. And even if that airport were exploding in flames from a storm of lava and smoldering ash, just the sound of her voice in a crescendo of mirth would bring him to ataraxia.
He was living in an ocean of exhilaration, rolling through daily waves of gratitude and tenderness. He was a lucky boy floating through newly built castles, and swirling among scintillating schools of fish he had never noticed before. And being with Artemis—loving her, cherishing her, protecting her (if only from spiders)—gave him the epiphany of what it really meant to be a superhero. For the first time in his life, he didn't put his own happiness first. For the first time, someone's wellbeing came before his own, and as long as Artemis was smiling, his life was perfect.
Artemis waited until the party had ended before whispering to Wally to come with her to the beach. In her hand she held a large rectangular book-like object wrapped in silver. As everyone said their good cheers and good-byes and walked towards the zeta-tubes, Artemis and Wally made their way in the opposite direction to the quiet beach outside Mt. Justice.
"Your birthday present," Artemis announced as she handed over the object in her hand. She sat down in the sand, and motioned for Wally to join her.
"You mean I get another present other than you?" Wally quipped as he plopped down.
Artemis widened her eyes into a look of disbelief. "Shocking!" she riposted.
The speedster laughed, and began to carefully peel back the gift-wrap. It revealed a large and thin book, bound by metal spirals, and looking extremely familiar. Suddenly, Wally's mind jumped back to November of last year, an image of Artemis lying in her bed with a wound to her head.
"Oh Arty, re-gifting was so last year," he spoke.
This elicited a snort from Artemis, but without further reply, she flipped back the cover of the book.
"The Story of How Wally and Artemis Came to Be," Wally read. He angled his face towards her and smiled. "Is this a textbook about where babies come from?" he joked.
Artemis knocked him playfully on the shoulder, and he looked back down, eagerly turning to the next page.
It was a sketchbook, drawn and rendered by Artemis, and it depicted all the pivotal moments that had led to their friendship and then ultimately, relationship. The first drawing was a portrait of the two swimming in the ocean at dawn—or rather, Artemis was splashing and laughing, while Wally stood comically shaking with cold on the sand wearing nothing but loudly colored Batman boxers.
"I can't believe you still remember that," he pretended to lament painfully.
Artemis tapped her temple once and stuck her tongue at him. "What goes into the vault, stays in the vault."
"Wow. You're a really good artist," Wally acknowledged as he flipped to the next drawing of the two of them on a couch, with himself eating a giant strawberry and Artemis gingerly leaning on his shoulder while staring unblinkingly at a glowing television screen. "Aww look at how scared you were!" He then proceeded to make cooing noises and wiggled his fingers at her, only to be swatted away.
"Tickle me and die," she snarled.
"Even on my birthday?" Wally gasped, with mock mortification lighting up his face.
"Ironic, right?"
Wally snorted, and turned back the page to the next sketch: a group of dancing termites wearing party harts while inside what appeared to be—
"Are those my Batman boxers?" he practically shrieked.
Artemis released a peel of laughter at his reaction, and couldn't speak for nearly a minute as she tumbled backwards into the sand. Wally, bright red and faking ire, patiently waited for her to quiet down.
"Vaulted?" he flatly assumed.
"Forever," Artemis replied with a wink as she sat up.
With every sketch, Wally had no problem in remembering almost the exact details of each event, as most were some of the same memories he had held onto when measuring the rungs in their growing friendship and eventual relationship: frolicking in the park with Finnegan the Corgi; their first fiery sparring session which ended in him acquiring a little piece of Artemis as his souvenir; stargazing on the beach; the candid and comical moment of him flapping the sleeves of his jacket around like a windmill; the apology after their first regrettable fight; Artemis playing charades as Cupid aiming a love-arrow at his heart; fighting back-to-back each other's greatest physical fears in life; that teasing mistletoe kiss on his brightly blushing cheek; a fairytale rendition of Artemis in shining armor rescuing Wally the prince; and lastly, their trip to the zoo, and that first real kiss that ended the spark and set forth the fire.
"I know it's not much," Artemis concluded apprehensively as he closed the back cover, "but it's a way to remember some of my favorite memories of us so far, so—"
Wally silenced her with a kiss. "It's perfect, and I love it," he replied as he drew away. "Just like you," he added.
"Oh Wally," Artemis exhaled as she inhaled the kiss, "you are such a sap."
Wally wrapped an arm around her shoulders and planted a firm kiss on her temple. "Yeah, but I'm your sap now."
"Oh goody, aren't I the luckiest girl in the world."
"Hey, tell your sarcasm it needs to work on its poker face."
They remained in comfortable quiescence, each basking in the glow of the setting sun and each other, and feeling all the silent words pass between them without ever speaking. Artemis leaned into Wally's shoulder, and he nuzzled his cheek against her hair. Together, they watched the seagulls glide over the golden waters, their silhouettes black against the sky of citrine and amethyst—velvet shadows against a backdrop of jewels. The only sounds that reached their bubble of halcyon were the eurhythmic washes of the ocean against sand, and the goodnight calls of the birds.
"So, I heard the news," Wally spoke suddenly. "About your mom."
Artemis smiled into his neck. "Yeah, I can't wait to see her again. Who would've thought the Wayne Foundation also provided lawyers? And great ones at that."
"Well, with your dad confessing everything, they were bound to let her go," Wally reasoned.
Artemis nodded, and resumed staring at the smooth line between water and sky.
"What do you like better: sunrises, or sunsets?"
Her question was random, but it was nothing new in their time together. They both enjoyed discovering each other's fresh opinions and stories even after nine months of seeing and talking to each other almost every week.
"Sunrises," Wally answered almost immediately. "I like the promise of a new day. A fresh piece of paper, I guess, and all the excitement that comes with the unknown. What about you, Beautiful?"
"Hmm, sunsets."
"Because they're purdy?" Wally teased.
"Not for their beauty," Artemis replied, brushing away his baby-talk, "but what makes them beautiful, you know? All the dirt and smoke kicked and thrown into the air; all those things we say are ugly. But then at the end of the day, you realize it's the ugly things in life that make living all the more beautiful."
Wally smiled into her hair and breathed in her wild fire. "Kind of like your life," he murmured into her golden locks.
"And yours," Artemis mused out loud. "And everyone else on the Team and the League. And the rest of the world."
Wally remained thoughtfully quiet for a spell, before speaking. "Remember that quote you told me, about Kent Nelson's passing…the one about the sunrise?"
"Life is a great sunrise. I do not see why death should not be an even greater one," Artemis repeated.
"Yeah, that one." Wally smiled, and then turned back to the sky. "Maybe the end of all things is actually a sunset, its colors made more brilliant with the living of life…"
Artemis didn't reply right away. She was lost in her own thoughts, just as her eyes were lost in the tones of blue in the sky. "No, I don't think sunsets symbolize the end," she quietly spoke finally. "I think they represent a new beginning—" she turned to Wally and drew him closer, "—the dawn of another starry night, then of another bright sunrise…"
Her final words trailed away as dots of air upon Wally's lips, and they kissed slowly and passionately as the final rays of the sun reached upwards, until the glittering orb finally disappeared into the dark hills behind them.
Mount Justice
April 16, 6:02 EDT
The first thing Artemis noticed when she gradually woke up was the smell. Though it didn't remind her of her own room, it was nonetheless a bouquet of comfort. It smelled like a swirl of earth and mint, mixed with the scent of laundry detergent and the final vestiges of familiar cologne. She took deep breaths, feeling her lungs and diaphragm swell with the fragrance, and picturing it whirling around like eddies. She continued to silently breathe until the scent disappeared into her memory.
The second thing Artemis observed was the warmth surrounding her. She was lying on her side, and there was an arm underneath her neck that had snaked its way protectively around her shoulder, and another arm lying relaxed over her abdomen. She then recalled never in her life has she slept so soundly, and wondered briefly if this bear hug was a key player.
And lastly, Artemis became aware of the sheets around her—or more so, their absence. She was wearing nothing but sleep shorts and a loose t-shirt, but not even the northeastern spring could chill her at this state.
Finally, after noting these differences, serenity surged through her. She remembered returning to Wally's room after their time on the beach, and lying next to him on his bed just simply talking and holding each other. She then remembered falling asleep with her head on his shoulder, and in the cradle of his arms.
Then, right on cue with her thoughts, there was a rustling behind her and then she felt the softest, most gentle kiss on the back of her neck. She sighed, and turned around.
"Morning, Beautiful," Wally mumbled groggily.
Artemis grinned. "I could get used to waking up to that."
"Morning, Arty," he repeated in a sing-song voice.
"But that might still require some more time."
Wally smiled and pulled her closer. "I think we're going to have plenty of that."
A/N: Short and sweet! Thank you so much for reading and taking the time to leave a comment (if you so choose, of course!) See you in the Epilogue!
Also, the namesake of this chapter comes from Enya's song of the same title. It's very beautiful, soothing, and fitting for this chapter.
P.S. Parallels with Chapter 1, anyone?