Kryptonite

A cool autumn breeze tossed the fallen leaves all around the yard of Fowl Manor, creating the impression of an abstract painting, delicately laced with only the loveliest of Earthen tones. Every so often, the wind would sweep a handful of leaves into the air, where they would hover for a moment against the brightest of skies. Twenty year old Artemis Fowl sat cross-legged on the red and white checkerboard blanket that was placed neatly on the ground. His fingers delicately turned the pages of the novella he was indulged in. A girl was next to him, lying flat on her stomach, propped up on her elbows, staring off into the distance, as if captured by a dream. A picnic basket sat between the two unopened, the lid lightly bouncing up and down with the wind. It was a scene pulled straight from the perfect romance movie. It was ironic that neither Artemis nor the girl had ever cared much for romance; that is, until they met each other.

"Wouldn't it be wonderful to have superpowers?"

Artemis's eyes tore away from his book and looked towards his companion, who had rolled onto her back, now staring up, unblinkingly, at the few clouds that littered the cerulean sky. His eyebrows arched, ever so slightly, at her odd interruption. A friendly smirk played upon his lips and danced up to his mismatched eyes.

"I'm sorry," he chortled, "But I was under the assumption that you already did." The girl turned her admiring gaze away from the Irish sky onto Artemis' pallid face, their perfectly matched eyes locking for a fraction of a second. Her lips hosted a playfully, sarcastic smile.

"You know what I mean," she said, her words coupled with gentle laughter.

"Actually Holly, I've no idea what you're talking about." Artemis couldn't help but smirk at Holly's typical reaction of rolled eyes and chuckling, at what she had so affectionately nicknamed 'genius cluelessness'. In response, Artemis had told her that it sounded like some horribly mediocre medical disorder.

"Shall I spell it out for you?" Holly asked, making a mockery of the word condescending.

"Go right ahead," Artemis invited. He closed the novella and tossed it aside rather carelessly. There were, after all, more important things in life. Artemis made quick work of squirming into a position almost identical to Holly's. He shielded his eyes with the handsome sunglasses that had previously been perched atop his head. Artemis knitted his fingers together and placed his hands behind his head, creating a reasonably comfortable pillow. Once settled, his gaze fell back to Holly, who was staring at him expectantly. He matched her gaze with the utmost perfection, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"May I ask why you're looking at me like that?" His words tumbled out in a low, almost uncertain tone. Holly gave a short little laugh.

"You already did."

"Oh, very clever," Artemis said sardonically, "And would you care to give me an answer?"

"Sure," Holly replied nonchalantly, "I was waiting for you to get comfortable."

"How incredibly chivalrous of you," Artemis winked. Holly's eyes narrowed and her eyebrows rose. Her expression greatly amused him. He couldn't help but to chuckle. Holly breathed out pointedly through her nose.

"May I continue?" she asked, her tone bordering on snapping. Artemis nodded, his lips pursed to keep him from laughing any further. "Thank you," Holly continued in an overly bright tone, and after a brief pause, "I forgot what I was going to say."

"Wonderful," Artemis commented, rolling his eyes jokingly, "And you were going to inform me about what sort of superpowers you'd like to have, since the fairy magic you already possess doesn't seem to qualify."

"Magic is magic," Holly said, "But superpowers are something entirely different."

"They seem very similar to me," Artemis adjusted his hands to further enhance his comfort, "You can heal, hypnotise, fly, and shield. Not many can jot that down on a résumé."

"Point taken," Holly nodded, "But I can't fly without wings. I don't have laser vision or super strength. I'm definitely no Superman."

"Superman?"

Artemis had not meant for the word to sound like a question. He wasn't even sure why he had repeated it. Oh well, it was too late now, even if he had mastered the art of time travel.

"Don't tell me you've never heard of Superman," Holly gawked at him. This seemed to be another case of the infamous 'genius cluelessness.'

"Of course I've heard of Superman," Artemis defended himself, "I'm just…surprised you have."

"Fair enough," Holly sat up, shrugging as she did so.

"And besides," Artemis continued, "You'd make a much better Supergirl." The young man glanced over at Holly and saw that she was smiling with a rather red twinge staining her cheeks. Artemis could tell she had taken the compliment well. He rolled closer to her, their arms now touching lightly.

"Don't I get a thank you?" he asked jokingly, staring into Holly's pretty face with hopeful eyes. The elf swatted his arm gently and giggled, the red twinge disappearing from her dark skin.

"Thank you Artemis," she mustered through her giggles. Artemis smiled in response and the two fell into a deep silence, broken only by the sounds of their light breathing. Lately, Holly and Artemis had begun to spend much more time simply hanging out, rather than saving the world. And during their socializing, Artemis learned more about Holly than he could've ever imagined. He had grown to know the Holly who never learned to dance, the Holly who was proud of her garden, and the Holly who greatly disliked the smell of cinnamon. And somewhere along the line, he had fallen in love with this Holly, who was much more than a law enforcement officer.

Although, love was a strong word, perhaps stronger and even more everlasting than hate. To Artemis, it was a new feeling; not being able to go a single day without word from Holly. He had deduced and embraced the fact that his heart, where the elf was concerned, was beating for more than just friendship. And of course, the thought of mentioning all this to Holly was a terrifying one to say the least. But Artemis knew that suppressing emotions was unhealthy, and if he cared any for his sanity, a confession was his only route.

She had taken it much better than he had expected. In fact, instead of a violent punch resulting in a broken nose, he received a genuine smile and a delicate kiss on the cheek. They were not officially 'dating', but there still existed a mutual tenderness between the two. And both were content.

Holly stood up, pulling Artemis out of his reverie. The young man, still lying still, looked up at her, awed by the way the bright sunlight bounced off her messy auburn locks.

"Going somewhere?" he inquired, tipping his sunglasses down to the bridge of his nose.

"Maybe," Holly replied, "Depends on what time it is." She stared down at Artemis, waiting for the usual immediate response. However, the Irish boy took his time checking his watch. Holly watched him with amused eyes.

"Have you forgotten how to tell time?" she quipped. Artemis rested his eyes upon her, blinking slowly.

"I'll let that insult slide," he said casually.

"How very chivalrous of you," Holly chuckled, mocking his earlier words, "Now what time is it?" She poked Artemis' leg with the toe of her boot. He sighed dramatically.

"That's not really necessary."

"No," Holly agreed, "But it is fun. Don't make me tackle you for that watch Fowl." She glared at him dangerously, her hands balled into fists.

"Oh, I wouldn't mind that too much," Artemis smirked. Holly's face flushed terribly, her mouth had transformed from determined slash to gaping hole. Artemis chuckled.

"It's just past noon," the man told her. Holly seemed to regain composure at the answer and nodded, with a smile playing across her lips. It relieved Artemis to see that she was not upset by his admittedly lewd remark. He stood up to bid her farewell, and the two embraced.

"I'll call you later," Holly spoke into his chest, her head coming almost-level with his heart.

"I'll look forward to it," Artemis whispered into her ear, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head. They slowly broke apart and Holly stared at Artemis a little while longer. He gazed back imploringly.

"If you could choose," Holly whispered softly, "What superpower would you want to have?"

"I would chose not to have one," Artemis answered simply, after only a moment's thought. Holly looked at him quizzically. "Every superhero has a weakness," he continued, "A 'kryptonite', if you will."

"Ah, still the same old Fowl," Holly remarked.

"Old habits die hard."

"Sometimes," the elf corrected him, "Only sometimes." Artemis smiled and nodded.

"Goodbye Artemis," Holly grinned as she suddenly disappeared from the visible spectrum. He contentedly sighed and went back to sitting on the blanket. His thoughts instantly turned to the topic of conversation Holly had chosen earlier.

Superman.

Of course he was familiar with the concept. His brothers absolutely adored the man in the red cape and tights. Artemis never really showed any interest in the man, other than trying to calculate his apparent velocity of 'faster than a speeding bullet'. But that was simply his genius talking. To him, there was nothing appealing about superpowers. As he had mentioned, they always come with a weakness. Superman, for instance, fell apart at the presence of Kryptonite. Weakness was not something he needed, not something he desired.

Now that was something Artemis found relatively fascinating. Kryptonite. Its colour reminded him of something that he couldn't quite place. A brilliant green, beautiful enough to mask the lethalness it held. But what exactly was so familiar about the fictional substance?

Grass? No, most definitely green but not nearly beautiful enough. And not lethal, not that Artemis had ever cared to munch on the plant.

Emeralds? Perhaps. They were, after all, one of the most beautiful gems on Earth. Brilliantly coloured and gorgeous, perhaps, but certainly not lethal. Mother owned many lovely emerald necklaces and she was still living. No, not emeralds either.

Artemis closed his eyes, concentrated on finding an answer. It hit him like a pound of bricks. It was Holly! Or rather, the one hazel eye she still possessed. There were tiny, angelic flecks of bright green lining the outer edges of her iris, contradicting her nut-coloured skin with certain beauty. Yes, it was definitely the right colour. And when the light sparkled against the iris, her gaze seemed to become deadly. When Artemis was caught in her gaze, his knees buckled and his stomach began to flip like a circus performer.

It was at that moment that Artemis Fowl came to what could be called his most devastating realization ever. He had a weakness. He had a kryptonite. Her name was Holly Short. And it didn't bother him in the slightest.

The End

--x--

A/N; I hope you enjoyed that! I would like to thank my wonderful, fantastic beta Treme. Without her, this story would have never been posted. Also, I don't own Artemis Fowl or Superman, so don't sue. You can review though. Thank you, thank you, and thank you! Cheers!

-Liv. xoxo