"Cold"
I may have mentioned I'm writing fics for Spitfire Week. This is my fic for day 5. Of all the ones I've written so far, I'm really happy with this one, so I'm posting it here too.
The prompt was "Cold."
Wally didn't react as she entered the room where Black Canary had them train. He didn't react, he didn't even look at her. Artemis thought he might even have stopped breathing.
Too mad to even breath the same air as me? It wouldn't be a surprise.
Black Canary came into the room directly on Artemis' heels.
"Today's lesson is about fighting in close quarters. You did well in your last mission, but this could save you a lot of trouble in the future."
The team nodded. Their last mission had ended in catacombs when they'd followed an assassin there after he tried to kill a Bulgravian diplomat.
Artemis noticed Wally scowling. He was probably remembering the other notable part of their mission; it had involved actually having to talk to her, rather than muttering something vaguely hostile and walking away.
It had been like this for two weeks. A simple mission in Kasnia had turned into a complicated mission in Kasnia had turned into getting captured by the League of Shadows. Several uncomfortable secrets had come out in that time, including that Artemis was reporting back to her father-at least, he thought she was. In the end, she had chosen the team, nearly getting killed in the process. After she had explained the circumstances, everyone had forgiven her.
Artemis glanced at the speedster. Well, almost everyone.
Afterwards, he had… stopped talking to her. She entered a room, he left it. She asked him a question, he pretended no one was there. He wouldn't even look at her directly, unless mandated by a mission.
The first mission after the Kasnia incident had been a disaster. They had gotten trapped together in a freezer when a thug had led them on a merry chase through Gotham's better restaurants.
Wally tugged on the handle, muttering what Artemis was fairly certain were cursewords.
"Locked?" she asked. Wally froze for a moment, then nodded. He moved away from the door and reached for his comlink.
"Rob? … Yeah, a freezer, how'd ya guess? … You too? Seriously? Well, after Supey and Miss M get you can you send them over here?"
His smile faded as he turned off the com and started studying the shelves. Artemis waited for him to give her the information before realizing he wouldn't.
Damn it, you are not playing this now! As her heart turned to ice, she resisted the urge to go over and slap him. Instead she asked, as normally as possible,
"So, when are they getting here?"
"Ten minutes." Wally's voice was coldly polite. He still wasn't looking at her, choosing instead to read the nutrition label on a bucket of ice cream.
Ten minutes. She could deal with him for ten minutes.
Five minutes later she realized how wrong that was.
Wally had probably read every label in the small freezer three times by now. He couldn't stand to keep still, so he was pacing back and forth on the half of the freezer furthest away from her. Every now and then he would go to the door and wrench on the handle, growling when it didn't work.
"What's your problem?" One of these days Artemis would stop saying whatever came to mind. Today was not that day. "Is being trapped in a room with me that bad?"
Wally paused in his pacing.
"Yeah. It is."
That was probably the most amount of words he had said to her since Kasnia. Artemis felt a brief surge of guilt as she remembered why he was mad at her, but squashed it. She had saved them. She had saved him, and he was going to keep being cold and miserable.
"I'm guessing that means you don't want to cuddle for warmth?" Before everything, she might have meant it. The freezer was cold, and they had started to get along fairly well. Better than well, even. But now, her voice rang with all the mockery she could muster.
Wally smiled, but it looked more like a bitter upward twist of the lips than anything.
"Not a chance."
Artemis felt another surge of guilt. Even stronger was the regret, tied to memories of before.
They sat in silence for the rest of the wait.
"The important part of fighting in close areas, besides knowing your surroundings, is to end the fight quickly. When you fight in a small space, there may not be room for a retreat. You can't run when the fight goes badly, and neither can your opponent. A cornered enemy is dangerous."
Black Canary had pulled in several crates and put them in the training space. They served as walls, confining any fight to a small, six-by-five area.
Black Canary nodded at the space.
"Kid Flash. Artemis. You'll be sparring first."
For the first time in two weeks, Wally looked at her. Green eyes narrowed in hostility and he took a step back.
"I really don't think-" he started. Black Canary cut him off.
"You're a team. Whatever issues you may have, they end on the battlefield." She said firmly.
You're going to have to look at me to fight me, Artemis thought with satisfaction. You can't ignore me when it will result in a punch to the face.
They both walked into the box-space, waiting for the go-ahead. In the small area, they stood closely enough that Artemis could feel his body-heat. As she watched him pull school his expression back to chilly politeness, she prepared for an onslaught.
"Go."
They both stood there in defensive stances. Artemis could feel Black Canary's gaze on the back of her neck as she recalled the lesson. "End the fight quickly. A cornered enemy is dangerous."
Either Wally had remembered the lesson as well or his different perception of time had killed his patience. He attacked, sending a low kick to her right side. She blocked it then took the initiative, sending more several hits this way before he could continue the attack.
As they exchanged blows, Artemis noticed that the speedster's hits were light. He was holding back even more than would be expected for a spar.
Part of Artemis' mind, the rational part, pointed out that he wasn't letting his anger get the better of him, that it was the right decision. The rest of her was just ticked.
Enough of this passive-aggressive bull.
She started putting more power into her hits, letting them sting a bit. He winced and started using superspeed to block, despite Black Canary's "no powers in the ring" policy.
She managed to twist his arm behind him just as he tangled up her legs.
Impasse.
Their faces were less than six inches apart. Behind them, she heard Black Canary declare their spar to be a draw.
"Let me go." Wally whispered. His voice shook. Artemis held his arm tighter.
"Not until you let me apologize." For a moment their eyes met and Artemis thought he might. Then he looked away and pulled out of her grasp.
As he walked away, the heat he had brought with him left as well.
Artemis shivered.
--
If you're interested, the rest of them are here at ff.net.
The prompt was "Cold."
Wally didn't react as she entered the room where Black Canary had them train. He didn't react, he didn't even look at her. Artemis thought he might even have stopped breathing.
Too mad to even breath the same air as me? It wouldn't be a surprise.
Black Canary came into the room directly on Artemis' heels.
"Today's lesson is about fighting in close quarters. You did well in your last mission, but this could save you a lot of trouble in the future."
The team nodded. Their last mission had ended in catacombs when they'd followed an assassin there after he tried to kill a Bulgravian diplomat.
Artemis noticed Wally scowling. He was probably remembering the other notable part of their mission; it had involved actually having to talk to her, rather than muttering something vaguely hostile and walking away.
It had been like this for two weeks. A simple mission in Kasnia had turned into a complicated mission in Kasnia had turned into getting captured by the League of Shadows. Several uncomfortable secrets had come out in that time, including that Artemis was reporting back to her father-at least, he thought she was. In the end, she had chosen the team, nearly getting killed in the process. After she had explained the circumstances, everyone had forgiven her.
Artemis glanced at the speedster. Well, almost everyone.
Afterwards, he had… stopped talking to her. She entered a room, he left it. She asked him a question, he pretended no one was there. He wouldn't even look at her directly, unless mandated by a mission.
The first mission after the Kasnia incident had been a disaster. They had gotten trapped together in a freezer when a thug had led them on a merry chase through Gotham's better restaurants.
Wally tugged on the handle, muttering what Artemis was fairly certain were cursewords.
"Locked?" she asked. Wally froze for a moment, then nodded. He moved away from the door and reached for his comlink.
"Rob? … Yeah, a freezer, how'd ya guess? … You too? Seriously? Well, after Supey and Miss M get you can you send them over here?"
His smile faded as he turned off the com and started studying the shelves. Artemis waited for him to give her the information before realizing he wouldn't.
Damn it, you are not playing this now! As her heart turned to ice, she resisted the urge to go over and slap him. Instead she asked, as normally as possible,
"So, when are they getting here?"
"Ten minutes." Wally's voice was coldly polite. He still wasn't looking at her, choosing instead to read the nutrition label on a bucket of ice cream.
Ten minutes. She could deal with him for ten minutes.
Five minutes later she realized how wrong that was.
Wally had probably read every label in the small freezer three times by now. He couldn't stand to keep still, so he was pacing back and forth on the half of the freezer furthest away from her. Every now and then he would go to the door and wrench on the handle, growling when it didn't work.
"What's your problem?" One of these days Artemis would stop saying whatever came to mind. Today was not that day. "Is being trapped in a room with me that bad?"
Wally paused in his pacing.
"Yeah. It is."
That was probably the most amount of words he had said to her since Kasnia. Artemis felt a brief surge of guilt as she remembered why he was mad at her, but squashed it. She had saved them. She had saved him, and he was going to keep being cold and miserable.
"I'm guessing that means you don't want to cuddle for warmth?" Before everything, she might have meant it. The freezer was cold, and they had started to get along fairly well. Better than well, even. But now, her voice rang with all the mockery she could muster.
Wally smiled, but it looked more like a bitter upward twist of the lips than anything.
"Not a chance."
Artemis felt another surge of guilt. Even stronger was the regret, tied to memories of before.
They sat in silence for the rest of the wait.
"The important part of fighting in close areas, besides knowing your surroundings, is to end the fight quickly. When you fight in a small space, there may not be room for a retreat. You can't run when the fight goes badly, and neither can your opponent. A cornered enemy is dangerous."
Black Canary had pulled in several crates and put them in the training space. They served as walls, confining any fight to a small, six-by-five area.
Black Canary nodded at the space.
"Kid Flash. Artemis. You'll be sparring first."
For the first time in two weeks, Wally looked at her. Green eyes narrowed in hostility and he took a step back.
"I really don't think-" he started. Black Canary cut him off.
"You're a team. Whatever issues you may have, they end on the battlefield." She said firmly.
You're going to have to look at me to fight me, Artemis thought with satisfaction. You can't ignore me when it will result in a punch to the face.
They both walked into the box-space, waiting for the go-ahead. In the small area, they stood closely enough that Artemis could feel his body-heat. As she watched him pull school his expression back to chilly politeness, she prepared for an onslaught.
"Go."
They both stood there in defensive stances. Artemis could feel Black Canary's gaze on the back of her neck as she recalled the lesson. "End the fight quickly. A cornered enemy is dangerous."
Either Wally had remembered the lesson as well or his different perception of time had killed his patience. He attacked, sending a low kick to her right side. She blocked it then took the initiative, sending more several hits this way before he could continue the attack.
As they exchanged blows, Artemis noticed that the speedster's hits were light. He was holding back even more than would be expected for a spar.
Part of Artemis' mind, the rational part, pointed out that he wasn't letting his anger get the better of him, that it was the right decision. The rest of her was just ticked.
Enough of this passive-aggressive bull.
She started putting more power into her hits, letting them sting a bit. He winced and started using superspeed to block, despite Black Canary's "no powers in the ring" policy.
She managed to twist his arm behind him just as he tangled up her legs.
Impasse.
Their faces were less than six inches apart. Behind them, she heard Black Canary declare their spar to be a draw.
"Let me go." Wally whispered. His voice shook. Artemis held his arm tighter.
"Not until you let me apologize." For a moment their eyes met and Artemis thought he might. Then he looked away and pulled out of her grasp.
As he walked away, the heat he had brought with him left as well.
Artemis shivered.
--
If you're interested, the rest of them are here at ff.net.