Hi everyone! Thanks so much for the reviews I've received for all of my stories. I'm honestly ecstatic that you like them so much. So here's another one-shot I dug out from the abyss known as my computer. It's really outdated, but I still decided to post it.
Hope you like it!
Wally West was one very confused individual.
For a couple of weeks now, his emotions had been going haywire. At random points throughout a day, he would suddenly find himself wanting to laugh when nothing funny had been said. Sometimes, he would be oddly nervous with his palms sweating and his heart racing. And then, there were the other times, the times he hated the most, when an unidentifiable emotion made itself known through the butterflies in his stomach and the way he couldn't seem to talk and/or stop talking.
Being the (mostly) intelligent boy he was, people automatically assumed that Wally would figure out what was going on. His team already had. Megan would feel tension, frustration, and nervousness rolling off him in waves whenever Artemis walked into a room. Conner could hear the frantic beating of his heart every time she looked Wally's way. Whenever she was nearby, Robin could see his body tense up and his eyes flit nervously across the room. And Kalder, having some experience in the ways of love, recognized what the blushes, fidgeting and nervous laughter meant.
The only one stupid enough not to figure it out was Wally. And Artemis, of course, who was oblivious.
If you asked him about his current condition, Wally would probably sputter a laugh and blame it on puberty. Although, if anyone had even half a brain, they would realize that Wally's voice had deepened some time ago and puberty did not cause these emotions. Especially emotions that were only triggered when a certain someone walked into the room. But no, Wally stubbornly remained in denial about what seemed like the most obvious thing in the world.
Wally had a crush on Artemis.
So now here he was, laying down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, trying his hardest to come up with another answer to his problem that didn't involve him liking the blonde archer. The very idea of it was ridiculous! Him! Having romantic feelings for her! Right.
Sure, she was somewhat attractive. Alright, maybe even pretty. But that didn't mean anything. Lots of girls are pretty. And Wally didn't have a crush on lots of girls. Besides, beauty was often deceptive. Her outer appearance just hid the beast within.
He started to feel a little reassured. Of course, he didn't have a crush on Artemis. To think that he was actually considering the crazy notion.
Chuckling to himself, Wally thought about all the other things that would disprove the crazy theory. Like how they argued. I mean, come on. If he really liked Artemis that way, they wouldn't argue like they did all the time. So maybe he secretly liked getting her all worked up. Watching her turn her fiercest glare on him, the one that could freeze the sun, gave him a slight thrill. And maybe he enjoyed it when he saw her face flushed, chest heaving with each breath, teeth bared in a snarl. In a twisted way, it made Wally slightly proud that he was the only one who could annoy Artemis so much.
But that didn't mean anything. He was sure that everyone got that same feeling when they were in an intense argument. Right?
Well, never mind that. What about when she constantly teased him? Wally smiled to himself. He knew he couldn't have a crush on Artemis when every other word out of her mouth was some sort of mocking insult. He hated that cocky little half smirk she got on her face whenever she got in a particular good jibe. And he especially hated it when he couldn't think of a good reply. So maybe it was a bit refreshing to have someone make him speechless. And maybe he didn't exactly hate that tiny smile that played on the edges of her lips, the closest thing to a real smile he'd seen from her.
But that didn't mean anything. He was sure that just because he didn't mind her teasing him didn't mean Wally had a crush on her. Right?
Feeling a little frustrated, he thought about something he really hated about her. Like her hair! Wally sighed in triumph. That blonde hair. He hated it. He hated the fact that it was so long. And he hated the fact that it was such an ugly color yellow. Okay, so maybe it wasn't exactly ugly. And the more he thought about it, it seemed more gold than yellow. But he still hated it. Really, who had hair that long? It wasn't practical. Especially when you're a part time superhero. So maybe it did look really soft. And maybe it did smell just a little bit like green apples. And maybe his fingers did twitch a little, as though desperate to reach out, whenever she happened to be standing in front of him.
Wally's eyes widened.
But that didn't mean anything, couldn't mean anything. Wally was sure that just because he acknowledged Artemis had nice hair didn't mean he liked her. Right?
He started to panic a little. Quickly, he went through a checklist of the things he hated about her.
He hated the way her fingernails were bitten down to the quick.
He hated those stupid baggy basketball shorts she always wore to training.
He hated how she always challenged him.
He hated when her lips parted whenever she was lost in thought.
And he really hated how she was making him notice all of these things about her.
But Wally couldn't like her! She was just…she was Artemis! The oil to his water, the orange juice to his toothpaste, the Voldemort to his Dumbledore! He did not have a crush on Artemis.
Right?
Wally laughed sarcastically. Right.