Artemis aimed a roundhouse kick at Wally's head and he desperately fought the impulse to scream like a little girl. He managed to doge at the last second, but just barely. The green-clad girl smirked at him, a flash of humor briefly illuminating her steely eyes before they narrowed again in determination. Behind them, he heard Dick's mischievous snicker, and shot a quick glare at the thirteen year old before turning back to his sparring partner.

"Uh oh, Baywatch," the she-devil taunted, "Even your best friend thought that one was cutting it pretty close."

"Yeah, yeah," Wally shot back, "You martial artists are all alike. Let's just not forget who can break the sound barrier here."

"Bragging about superpowers, Wally?" Artemis replied, her smirk growing wider. "Sounds like someone's overcompensating."

Wally opened his mouth to reply, but Black Canary's voice cut in. "Alright you two," the instructor intoned impatiently, "Save the flirting for off the mat."

Wally just grinned, but Artemis rolled her eyes. "She should talk," the archer muttered, throwing a punch that Wally knew was mostly for show so she could get close enough for him to hear. "Trust me, when she and Ollie spar together it's not even training-" she spun and threw an elbow, which even with her half-effort, he only barely managed to block, "-it's foreplay."

"Are you trying to tell me this isn't?" he shot back with a wink, and he saw her smile before she could hide it with another punch, this time thrown with actual force. She aimed for his solar plexus (the brutal little minx) and he may or may not have used his super speed to dodge. Just a little.

Artemis' eyes narrowed, and suddenly the steely grey took on the gleam of a predator—which made him the prey. The thought probably should have terrified him, but honestly? It kind of just turned him on.

"You're cheating," the archer told him.

"Yeah, because you're scary," Wally shot back, only half-joking.

That brought a wicked smile to her lips, and damn, it was hot. Hot enough to make it practically impossible for him to concentrate—which was definitely going to cost him because Artemis was back on the offensive. He was a goner, Wally knew as he felt himself giving ground in a desperate attempt to avoid the blows. It probably would have helped him to use his super speed again, but all he could think about was the way Artemis moved, fluid as silk, with a transfixing combination of grace and deadliness that was hypnotic to watch. Or the way her hair whipped through the air behind her like a torrent of gold, or how the toned muscles that rippled under the surface of her smooth, tan skin like the muscles on a thoroughbred.

The lack of concentration finally caught up to him (it always did). Artemis at last landed a hit, a carefully aimed kick to his chest that he knew was purposely tempered to not hurt him but was still powerful enough to knock him off his feet. As he felt himself flying backwards through the air, it occurred to him that the whole time he'd been having his ass handed to him the only thing he'd been able to think about was how beautiful Artemis had been while she was doing it.

Yep, he was falling. Hard. And not just literally.

Applause rang out loudly across the large chamber, a nice accompaniment to the echo of his body hitting the ground that still sounded through the room. He didn't need to look up to know it was coming from Dick, the traitor. As gratifying as it was to know that his best friend approved of his new relationship (Wally wasn't sure if he could call it that officially, but he knew he definitely he wanted to) it was obvious that what Dick liked about it most was getting to see Wally look like an idiot most of the time.

Artemis stood over him, hands on her hips, with a cocky smile on her face. "Where's that super speed now, Wallman?" she asked, and it was taunting and sarcastic, but with a note of affection in it that a few months ago, he'd have never caught. The small hint of fondness in her tone might have seemed like nothing to most people, but to Wally, it sounded like music.

"Gone, apparently," he told her and threw a hand across his face theatrically. Then he added in a dramatic voice, "Just like my pride."

He was rewarded with a sharp burst of her laughter. She held out a hand and Wally took it, allowing her hoist him to his feet. "Drama-queen," she told him with an eye roll. This time the note of affection was harder to miss.

"Very nice, Artemis," came the sound of Black Canary's voice. She glanced at Wally with a wry smile. "But as for you, Motor-mouth? I'd stick to the super speed."

"Duly noted, Senpai," Wally replied, giving their instructor a mock salute. The tall blonde just shook her head, but Wally could see she was trying not to laugh. "Alright," she said, turning back to Dick, Kaldur, and the rest of the group. "That's enough for today. I don't think I can handle any more of you troublemakers."

The teammates exchanged grins and turned to follow their fight instructor out of the training room. Wally saw Dick shoot a mischievous wink over his shoulder until he disappeared around the corner after the rest of the team with a flip of his cape.

Artemis started after them, but Wally shot out a hand and grabbed her arm. She glanced at him over her shoulder, a taunting look on her face. "Already up for a rematch?" she asked him teasingly.

"Something like that," he muttered, then pulled her against him in a smooth motion, pressing his mouth to hers.

It was their fifth kiss since New Year's (yes, he'd been counting). At least, their fifth real one, if you didn't count the very quick, occasional pecks he'd sneak on missions, courtesy of his super speed. By now he had gotten used to the sensation of her soft, full lips, the intoxicating vanilla smell of her hair and the way her skin felt under his fingertips when he'd brush them across her cheek or shoulder. The sensations still left him breathless.

And right now, Artemis seemed a little breathless, too. The sudden motion had caught her by surprise, but she'd softened against him almost instantly, wrapping her arms around his neck and curling her fingers in his hair. She moaned a little as he pressed her closer, sliding a hand down to the small of her back where her costume left the skin exposed. Wally loved that sound.

There was a word he'd heard once, maybe during his freshmen year biology class. Euphoria. He was pretty sure could still remember the definition printed in his textbook: "intense state of transcendent happiness, well-being, or elation". At the time, it had sounded like a load of crap.

But at that moment, he understood it better than ever.

A/N: This got a little confusing. Originally, I was going to start with a flashback and then transition back to the present within the same chapter...but then I got lazy. The next chapter will resume where Chapter 7 left off! In the meantime, enjoy a little blast from the past.