his stare couldn’t help but remain glued to the mask though artemis pulled it away. his mind races back to the memory of the last time he saw her as TIGRESS, they had just won against the light and no one could tear wally away from artemis after all the time they were forced to spend apart while she was deep under cover ( no one dared to even try ) so they stood in the locker room of the watchtower, a place that once felt like home a lifetime ago. his kid flash suit was exchanged for a fresh one, her orange and black discarded for signature green. he opened up about how MAYBE he would want to get back into the hero game after all this mess. he covered her face and body in kisses and sweet promises of his love. at that time it was wally and artemis, now it’s wally and tigress.
it was a question that wanted to bubble on his lips WHY exactly was she tigress ?? though it was going to have to be saved for a later time when the next few years are told to him his priority right now is to earn her trust make her believe who he really is. wally knows he’s headed in the right direction. he spent his life since he was sixteen memorizing the woman in front of him. wether it was missions and masks were on or at home and masks were off, no one knew artemis like wally. it’s something he took pride in knowing that only he was the only one lucky enough to love her. that’s why wally ignores the PIT that settles in his stomach at the thought of someone else taking his place. he should know better than that, what artemis and he have is something special it’s the same love with barry and iris, ollie and dinah, kent and inza. so he’ll just SWALLOW the familiar feeling of insecurities back and remain hopeful. he died and came back alive, there is no WAY he’s going to live a life without artemis after going through all that. if there was someone else then they were SCREWED. she was his spitfire, he’ll never let her slip away again
the distance between the two is destroying him slowly. he feels his body itch to run, years in the speed force and years being capture took a toll on him. it makes him feel impulsive again like he was the same kid that ran away from all his problems except right now all he wants is to find the familiar space is his bed and curl up with artemis next to him. a few kisses would be nice too. he settles for his hands intertwine with each other to prevent any shaking to start. he has to be PATIENT trust takes time, all she has to do is believe him and then they could be happy again !! all he has to do is prove to her that it’s him, it’s really the boy who fell on his face in front of her at their first meeting. they have YEARS of memories built together and soon enough they can build more. the plan to grow old together looking more and more possible as his gaze settles on her.
he remains quiet, green eyes absorbing everything about her as if any moment now she’ll realize it’s HIM. his lips find themselves curling up in a small smile as he waits. the insecure girl that he once knew grew into a confident woman, and damn was she was gorgeous as ever. he could find himself getting used to TIGRESS, it was still his artemis with or without the mask. they were adults now and he couldn’t ALWAYS remain kid flash, wally has to actually refrain himself from letting his mind wonder about what his new alias should be, his focus needs to remain in the reality of this moment not the about the future they will be able to build together.
the question catches him off guard though it shouldn’t. all this time during the reunion all he could think about were the HAPPY times together, the ones that carried him through the feeling of loss in the speed force. quickly all the ANGER he has for sportsmaster comes back and face morphs along with it. he feels like he’s young and learning about the all abuse artemis went through. his eyes still remain on her, she’s the only thing that is keeping him calm right now like she did once before, resisting the urge to speed to wherever lawrence is and drive his fist in his chin. no matter how many years pass and how many enemies are added to his list lawrence crock will always top it. ❝ i was bandaging your back up after a mission, we’d only had been dating for like SIX months and you refused to go to the infirmary so we sat in your room. even though your back was turned to me you KNEW i was looking at the scar. i never asked about it, thought you would tell me in your own time. you did. ❞ he pauses for a bit when he realize wally is getting caught up in the details of the story in regular wally fashion. head shakes slightly and he pushes up out of his seat, feet slowly and carefully crossing the bioship making his way over to her as he started talking again. ❝ sportsmaster didn’t take you to the hospital like a real DAD should. it never healed properly. after you told me about it i kissed your scar. i then looked at you and promised you i would KISS any scar you have and any scar you get. ❞ he stops short of her still letting some feet of distance keep them apart. he opens his arms though in typical wally west fashion letting her know any second she can jump into them and feel the contact between them once again. ❝ knowing you i imagine i have some new ones to kiss. ❞
she doesn’t think back on her childhood much, not anymore. in fact, she actively avoids it. after all, wally helped her to put it behind her. with the help of the team she learnt that family isn’t who you share dna with, it’s who you love unconditionally. the team, wally, they quickly became her real family. with their unconditional love she was able to leave the past behind her. finally, she could properly forgive her mother for leaving her all those years ago. their relationship was no longer littered with guilt, but instead an understanding. she was even able to rebuild her relationship with jade, be a proper aunt to lian. but her father? he remained absent in her life. it was her choice.
just the mention of the incident makes her shoulder ache, as if it’s remembering the pain from that day. only twelve and yet the sword felt comfortable in her hands. years of training had led to that moment, where she finally faced her father in a do or die fight. of course, her life was never truly in danger. her father was capable of a lot of things, but he wouldn’t kill his own daughter. not when she was primed and ready to join the family business, not when he had spent so many years training her to become as good, if not better, than him. she fought hard, swinging the sword with relative ease. but he counters her every move, the echoes of metal colliding and harsh grunts fill the room. artemis loses focus for a moment, wonders what her life might have been like if she left with jade, and her father takes advantage. she manages to dodge the blade, but it still leaves a long, dark gash on her shoulder. sportsmaster is annoyed. training has to stop for the day. he dismisses her when she asks to go to the hospital, just stitches it up himself. but it’s lazily done and the wound bleeds on and off for days. eventually it heals, but the pain lingers. she has to work through it.
teeth clench at the memory. she hadn’t thought about it for years, not since she shared the memory with wally. when she had finally been able to let go of everything her father had put her through. she finds herself gravitating towards him. her body seems to relax. maybe it’s the sound of his voice, or the way he says that last sentence, or that she knows no one but him could know that story. but she believes him. no. she knows it’s him. that after all this time he’s found his way back to her. the realisation causes a lump to form in her throat and tears to prick at her eyes. she couldn’t speak, even if she knew what to say. all she can do is look at him, her features soft and her eyes glassy, as if she’s doing so for the first time. she’s drinking him in, comparing the man before her to the boy from her memories. he’s almost exactly the same.
❝ how ? ❞ she’s walking towards him now, her feet moving unconsciously. it only takes a few steps for them to stood almost chest to chest, only millimetres of space between them. it would be so easy to close that distance, to take him in her arms and not let go. every inch of her itches to touch him, to feel his warm flesh underneath her touch. but part of her doesn’t dare. as if he’ll just disappear if she gets too close. ❝ you disappeared — you died. ❞ i had to learn to cope without you. she’d been told there was no way he would come back. barry had exhausted himself looking for ways, using up every resource the justice league had. yet someone, somewhere, had achieved the possible. they brought a man back form the dead.
his arms are out, inviting her in, and she can’t hold herself back anymore. she throws herself at him with such force that she can feel them back stumble. the contact is enough to break her barriers, unleashing the floodgates. she can feel the tears streaming down her face as her body shakes from the force of the sobs. there’s so much she has to tell him, so much that he’s missed. but she’s scared to open back up to him. her feelings never changed, such a thing would be impossible, but now she knows what it’s like to survive heartbreak, to combat mourning. the last few years were the hardest she’s had to live through. getting through each day, especially at the start, had been a milestone in itself. she can’t go through it again. opening herself up to him again means the possibility of opening herself up to that pain. she doesn’t even need to think about it. even an extra day with him would be worth it all. ❝ don’t you dare leave me again. ❞
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