Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. If I did, we'd have our own YJ Channel that played every episode 24/7.

Artemis was fuming as she slammed the door shut. She had gotten into yet another argument with her mother, and she had to get out for some air. It wasn't too late, but it was dark out. The street lamps glowed as Artemis stormed down the sidewalk. She pulled out her phone to call M'gann when she remembered M'gann had a football game with the rest of the cheer squad. And if M'gann was out, that meant Conner was close behind. Kaldur'ahm didn't have a cell phone, so Artemis couldn't turn to him for comfort, and Robin was fighting crime in Gotham with Batman. That left only one last resort, and Artemis knew she'd never hear the end of it if she called Wally. Still, he was the only teammate she knew was available, and she just didn't want to be alone.

"Wall-man speaking," he said when he picked up.

"W-Wally? It's Artemis."

"Artemis? Is everything alright? I thought we had the night off?"

"We do. This is... well... What are you doing right now?"

"Not much, just playing video games. What's up?"

"Well, uh, I'm just... out and about, and, uh... I wanted to see if you'd be up to hanging out or something?" she asked cautiously, unsure of his reaction.

"Sure. Meet me at the Happy Harbor Ice Cream Shoppe in ten minutes?"

"It'll take me longer than ten minutes to catch a bus to Happy Harbor."

"Then I'll meet you at the station in Gotham in..."

"I can make it there in about five minutes."

"Great! I'll meet you there."

"Okay, sounds good."

"Oh, and Artemis?"

"What, Wally?"

"I'm glad you called." Artemis was dumbstruck as the line went dead. Still, she was happy to have company, even if it meant hanging out with Wally West for an extra night.

At the Gotham Bus Station, Artemis found Wally already waiting, sitting on a bench.

"How did you make it here before me?" she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Fastest kid alive, duh."

"You're not that fast."

"You insult me," he feigned offense. "Okay, so maybe I was out and about, too."

"I thought you were playing video games."

"Yeah, over at that arcade across the street," he admitted.

"Why? Don't you have your own video games at home?"

"Not arcade games!" Wally jumped to his feet. "C'mon, I'll show you." He grabbed Artemis by the hand and tugged her along. A tiny shock ran up her arm where he touched her, and she had to catch her breath as Wally dragged her across the street to the neon-lit arcade.

"Behold the glory!" he said with a wide grin. Artemis looked, but didn't see much glory. What she did see were teenage boys hunched over gaming machines that zinged and beeped and whirred at different tones. Artemis turned to Wally, who was waiting to see her reaction.

"Yeah, I don't really get it..."

"What? Do I have to explain everything?" Artemis rolled her eyes. "C'mon, then, let's play." Wally once again took hold of her hand, but slowly led her to an air hockey table without yanking her arm out of its socket.

"Air hockey? Really?"

"This isn't any air hockey game! Look! It's the Flash Special Edition!" Indeed, the table top and hockey puck were both emblemized with the Flash's lightning bolt symbol.

"Wow. I'm not sure if you're just really proud, really nerdy, or really conceited."

"I'm not! In case you hadn't noticed, Batman and Superman get the majority of the attention," he defended, feeding quarters into the machine. It whirred to life, lights blinking red and yellow like the Flash.

"So, you up for it?"

"Up for..."

"This!" Wally waved wildly at the table. "Unless you're scared you'll lose."

"Oh, it's so on."

"Great! Loser buys ice cream after."

"Do you ever stop thinking about food?" Artemis asked as she took her place across from Wally.

"Just a minute ago I was thinking about beating you at air hockey," he smirked.

"In your dreams, Baywatch," she smirked back.

Artemis won three games out of five. She let Wally win to boost his confidence, only to crush him one last time. Sticking true to their bet, Wally paid for the giant sundae they shared afterwards.

"So, why did you decide to call me?" Wally asked, sawing off a piece of banana with the edge of his spoon.

Artemis sighed. "M'gann had a game, and Kaldur doesn't have a phone, so... You were the only one who I figured I could reach."

"Okay, but what about friends from school?"

She shrugged. "I guess I just wanted someone who got the whole 'secret identity' thing."

"Really? Why?"

"I... I got into another fight with my mom."

"About what?"

"The team. She wants me to quit and focus on school, go to college, blah, blah, blah."

"But you won't, right? You can't quit, after what we've all gone through for this team."

"I'm not quitting. If I could, I'd quit school and become a full-time hero. She wants me to become a doctor, so I can fix her legs so she can walk again."

"A doctor? You're way too talented to become a doctor."

Artemis smiled. "Thanks, Wally. That's about the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"Well, it's true. And it'd be a shame to let that go to waste."

"Yeah, tell that to my mom."

"Who cares what she thinks? If she doesn't believe in you, so what? You've got five teammates who know what you're capable of." Artemis looked down at the table. "Hey, Artemis. Look at me."

Wally reached over and gently cupped her chin, tilting her face upwards. Their eyes met, and Artemis felt her stomach somersault. Her steely eyes met his emeralds, and for some reason her heart skipped a beat.

"Seriously. I've got your back. We all do. Superhero life and personal life, we're a team. Got it?"

Artemis felt a tear spill down her cheek as she nodded. "Thanks, Wally. For... everything."

"Sure." He reached up and wiped away the tear that Artemis had shed. "Look, I know we were never BFFs or whatever, but... I gotta say, I like this better than fighting."

"Yeah, me too."

"Truce?" Wally smiled.

"Truce," Artemis agreed.

After finishing their sundae, Artemis and Wally wandered out on the street, not talking, but they didn't have to. A new understanding came about; they didn't need to keep discussing a dead topic, and only a new discussion would be initiated if it was absolutely essential.

"It's getting pretty late," Wally finally started. "You think it's safe to go home yet?"

Artemis shook her head. "I can't. Not tonight."

"What are you planning on doing tonight?"

"Probably crash on the couch at the cave or something."

Wally rolled his eyes. "Come on, you can stay at my place."

"Wally, I don't want to intrude on your family."

"You're not. There's a spare bedroom, and Mom makes pancakes for breakfast Saturday mornings. Let's go."

"I shouldn't-"

"But you are." Wally scooped Artemis into his arms and took off after pulling his goggles over his eyes. Artemis wrapped her arms around his neck, hiding his face so she wouldn't get hit by flying debris.

"This feels familiar," Wally smirked, remembering their mission in Bialya when their memories were erased.

"Just shut up and don't get caught," she mumbled into his chest.

He chuckled. "Sure thing, blondie." Artemis cringed and shut her eyes as Wally ran to his house without stopping.

"Home sweet home," he announced, screeching to a halt in front of his house. He carefully set Artemis down, who wobbled and had to grab Wally's arm to steady herself. "You alright?"

"Dizzy. I've never traveled that fast, even in a car."

"They don't call me Kid Flash for kicks," he grinned. "Come on in and meet my folks." Wally took Artemis' hand for the third time that night and led her inside.

"I'm home!" he proclaimed loudly, closing the door.

"In here, Wally!" a woman called. Wally led Artemis to the living room, where his parents were watching college football on television. Artemis dropped Wally's hand as his parents turned to them.

"Mom, Dad, this is my friend Artemis. She needs a place to stay tonight, so I told her she could sleep in the guest room."

"Hello, Artemis, it's nice to meet you," Mrs. West smiled, getting up and offering her hand.

"It's nice to meet you, too. I really appreciate you letting me stay."

"Of course, it's no problem at all."

"Wally doesn't usually bring friends around, much less girls," Mr. West smiled.

"Dad!" Wally groaned, and Artemis laughed lightly.

"Oh, hush you two. So, Artemis, is there anything I can get for you? We have apple pie, or I can fix you up a plate of something in the microwave."

"No, thank you. We just had ice cream, so I'm really full."

"Yeah, and it's getting pretty late, and we had a long night. I think Canary wants us for a morning session tomorrow, so we should really get to bed," Wally said quickly.

"Well, alright. Wally, you know where the extra sheets are for the guest room," his mother said. "Goodnight." She kissed Wally on the forehead, causing him to turn bright red, and then gave Artemis a hug goodnight before Wally led Artemis by the hand.

"They're really nice," Artemis smiled as they climbed the stairs slowly.

Wally shrugged. "They're parents. That's how all parents act in front of their kid's friends."

"Not all parents," she reminded.

"Right. Ninja-dad wants ninja-daughter to kill her ninja-boyfriend."

"It was a movie!"

"Sure it was. This is your room," he announced, opening a door at the top of the staircase. It was simple, with a double bed and two dressers. The walls reminded Artemis of autumn leaves, which made sense with the matching bed spread.

"I'm right here across the hall," he pointed, "bathroom is right next door. I'll, uh, grab you something to sleep in."

Artemis nodded as he dashed into his room. She leaned against the door frame, taking in Wally's bedroom. The walls were painted blue, and there were dirty clothes all over the floor. His desk was littered with homework, and a tank of fish sat on top of his dresser, through which he was rummaging quickly.

"Ah ha!" he cried, pulling out an old t-shirt and pajama bottoms. "These should fit."

"Thanks, Wally. This means a lot." She accepted the clothes and pecked his cheek before she hurried to the bathroom. Wally stood in a daze for a whole minute, holding on to the spot where her lips touched his cheek. He finally shook himself back to his sense before getting himself ready for bed.

Artemis had her knees tucked close to her chest when a soft knock came from the door.

"Come in," she called gently, and Wally leaned in.

"Hey, just wanted to check on you before turning in. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's great. You guys really didn't have to go through all this trouble-"

"It's no trouble at all," he cut off. "Seriously. So just get some rest and don't even worry about it."

"Okay. And Wally?"

"Yeah, Artemis?"

"I will repay you for this, some day."

"Don't. This is what friends do. They take care of each other."

Artemis nodded, speechless. "Goodnight, Wally."

"Goodnight, Artemis. You know where I am if you need anything." He then turned out the light and closed the door tightly behind him.

That night, after his parents had gone to sleep, Wally laid in bed wide awake. He was still trying to process what had happened earlier that evening with Artemis. Normally, they were at one another's throats, fighting or teasing each other. But somehow, a wall had cracked, and it was slowly crumbling between the speedster and the archer. Was that such a good idea, for the pair to get closer? Sure, it would create a stronger bond as teammates, but what about outside training and missions? Sure, he wouldn't mind hanging out with her more often, but maybe she didn't feel the same way. After all, she implied he was basically her last resort. He tried to convince himself he was okay with that, but a small nagging voice taunted him that he wasn't. Deep down, he wanted to be her first choice, before anyone else. He remembered how she clung to his neck as he sped home, and he smiled. She smelled like lavender, which he always liked on girls. He liked how she held on to him for safety, and wished she hadn't let go.

The door slowly creaked open, and Artemis sidled into his room, making sure his latch clicked.

"Artemis? What's wrong?" Wally bolted upright instantly.

"I-I can't sleep," she admitted, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't. Come here, do you wanna talk about it?"

Artemis bit her lip before crawling into bed beside Wally. He tucked the blankets around her as she pressed her face into his neck.

"I don't want to be alone anymore," she whispered.

Wally held Artemis close to his chest as she trembled. "I'm right here, Arty. You've got me. I'm not going anywhere."

She looked up sadly and met his tender eyes. "How do I know you won't leave me, too?"

"Does this help?" He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

"A-a little bit," she panted when they broke apart. He kissed her forehead and smoothed back her hair comfortingly.

"Just try to relax. I'll still be here when you wake up."

"Promise?"

"I promise. I'll always be there for you."

She pressed her body against his, feeling his heartbeat against hers. After a few seconds, their heartbeats began to synchronize, thumping to the same beat. Artemis closed her eyes, and fell asleep to the sound of Wally humming a lullaby into her ear.

I could definitely get used to this, he thought as he closed his eyes, keeping Artemis close as he happily drifted to sleep.