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Artemis knew from the moment she laid eyes on Wally West—the kid was an idiot. A complete moron who bumbled his way through missions with an almost intolerable arrogance. A privileged middle-class kid who never had a taste of suffering. Who never had to understand the pain that people like her went through.
She didn’t like the speedster. Not. At. All.
In fact, they argued every time they crossed paths. Her pride was still bruised from when Wally had denied her legitimacy as a hero (a sore spot for her, considering her family history) (being called a replacement sure didn’t help any).
Despite her status as an alpha, Wally had never bothered showing her a decent amount of respect, as most betas normally did (the kids at her old school, at least) (Gotham Academy had a much higher alpha enrolment rate).
Admittedly, it was a little sexist of her to think this way—but when you dealt with Wally West on a near-daily basis, you began to conjure up the wildest of reasons to justify him having to stay still and shut up.
She also hated the careless way he flirted with nearly every single beta female he met, without regard for their feelings nor the situation at hand. It struck her as odd that the hot-tempered (alpha) Conner allowed Wally to blatantly flirt with M’gann while he was in the room—in fact, they both hardly seemed to mind (was this an alien thing?).
Nevertheless, Artemis controlled her temper with an iron fist.
She knew she couldn’t afford to mess up—Batman had made this very clear when he and Green Arrow paid her that surprise visit to recruit her. While they had been willing to make an exception and overlook her family’s criminal history, she would have to prove herself on their terms if she ever wanted to make it as a fully recognized hero in the eyes of the League.
It was the end of another training day—and with no missions to complete for the first time in two weeks, she was looking forward to spending her Saturday lazing around Mount Justice with the team, indulging in cheesy romantic comedies (M’gann) and whatever new video game Robin had managed to score.
Even better, Wally was at home, out of commission until next week.
She remembered Black Canary briefly mentioning something about a broken ankle—though it was really no major cause for concern, considering speedsters healed really quickly.
Kid Mouth would enjoy his time lazing at home and she would enjoy a Wally-free weekend.
A win-win situation for both of them.
So imagine her disappointment when she finds a certain redheaded speedster standing in the kitchen, after a piping hot shower.
She scowls, aggressively toweling her hair dry and a scathing remark already prepared, when Wally dramatically keels over the marbled countertop and slumps onto the floor.
Oh crap. Artemis isn’t sure whether to laugh or gasp at the sight. She rushes over, dropping the towel in her haste.
As she nears his fallen form, his scent hits her. It’s oddly familiar—sweet and a pinch of something else, something uniquely… Wally. Then something clicks, the metaphorical lightbulb going off in her head.
Having lived with her older omega sister and sharing a room with her most of their lives, Artemis was no stranger to the symptoms of heat. Flushed cheeks, sickeningly sweet scent, short of breath… It baffled her, how Wally had been able to keep this a secret for so long. It had been nearly three months since she joined them.
Who knew Kid Mouth was such a good liar?
“What…?” Wally pants, cracking an eye open. His fiery red hair is sticking in all directions, damp with sweat. “Do I… have something on… my face?”
She snorts, grabbing a towelette off the countertop and tying it firmly around her face, effectively smothering her nose. It made his scent a little less suffocating—good enough for her to temporarily subdue him before he did something stupid—like run out of the cave. You could never predict what Wally was about to do next, let alone when he was delirious.
Artemis grunts as she lifts Wally’s arm around her neck, heaving him off the floor. She very briefly ponders the different ways she’ll kick his ass for lying to her—to the team.
These things were important, damnit! They needed to be informed! What if something went wrong on a mission? A long-term mission, for example, at the wrong place and the wrong time… with a team consisting of a Martian, a beta Atlantean, three alphas, and an omega meta— perfect recipe for disaster.
She feels the anger bubbling in her gut in spite of her reluctant worry as she leans Wally against the marble countertop, grabbing his shoulders and giving him a rough shake.
“You…!” She growls, feeling a sense of satisfaction when Wally recoils, his pose submissive. “What the hell, Wally?! Who let you out of the house?” An omega never left their nest close to or during their heats! It was instinctive. And wasn’t someone supposed to be watching him, being underaged and all?
Her instincts flare up as Wally inches closer, his freckled cheeks flushed. His scent causes something feral inside her to stir—Artemis scowls, keeping her arms crossed in a stubborn attempt to prevent herself from moving forward. From touching him.
The redhead blinks, looking uncharacteristically hurt at her animosity.
“I wanted to… movie night…” Wally mumbles. His pupils were blown wide, and his eyes lidded. His heat had turned Wally into more of a babbling idiot than usual, hypersensitive to his surroundings.
Artemis sighs, deciding to save the scathing remarks for later. His scent is getting more overwhelming by the minute—and the last thing she wanted was to do something dumb.
“Idiot…” She grumbles, stalking over and jabbing him in the ribs with her fist. Cracking her knuckles, she squats slightly in preparation to lift him. “You’re a real piece of work, you know that?”
Whimpers escape Wally’s parted lips as her hands come to wrap around his mid-drift. His body is warm—hot almost—the heat radiating through his clothes and enveloping her palms where they make contact. Wally leans his head onto her shoulder, weakly scenting her, a pitiful whine escaping his lips.
“Arty…”
She grits her teeth. A vein is throbbing in her temple and she keeps her lips firmly pressed together, despite feeling her canines itching to bite.
To claim.
UGH! This is Wally, remember? Kid Mouth? Get a hold of yourself!!! Artemis forces Wally’s head away from her neck (he cries pitifully, sounding like a hurt puppy) (it tugs on her heartstrings, though she’ll never admit it) and cleanly lifts him over her shoulder with a grunt. She knows she probably has less than a minute before the others start showing up. Wally needs to be hidden somewhere safe before they call the Flash or one of the adult Leaguers (preferably a beta) to ferry him home.
Artemis leaves the kitchen and crosses the communal area, coming face to face with Robin, freshly showered, aggressively postured, and looking furious.
Shit.
“Put. Him. Down.”
Dick feels his canines growing, pressing against the insides of his cheeks. He allows his lips to part and growls dangerously at the blonde archer when she refuses to comply. The scent rolling off his limp and groaning best friend is terribly off, alerting him immediately to the speedster’s abnormal state.
Where the hell did she think she was taking Wally?
What did she do to him?
Why did he smell—Dick flinches like he’s been slapped.
Comes to a realization in a matter of seconds.
He had his suspicions… well, this was disastrous. Heavy on the dis.
The shock leaves his system when Wally emits another pain-filled whine, hands clawing uselessly at Artemis’ back.
“Alpha… please…”
Dick flies into a rage, launching himself at Artemis and delivering a powerful kick to her abdomen. She falls back, narrowly avoiding getting hit, crouching and lowering Wally to the ground.
“Get out of my way,” Artemis warns, arms raised defensively. Her voice is muffled through the cloth around her face. “You don’t want to do this, Robin. He needs to be locked up.”
A poor choice of words.
Dick feels himself bristling in anger.
“Locked up? He’s not yours to do with.”
“Well the last time I checked—Kid Mouth didn’t belong to you either!” She snaps, her fangs bared now. The aggressive pheromones are heavy in the air, both alphas tensed and prepared for a fight.
Artemis is snarling, ready to pounce. Dick doesn’t care much for talking anymore—Artemis was a threat to Wally’s safety.
She was trying to take him away.
Protect Wally. That’s all Dick’s mind can supply in his nearly feral state.
Artemis hates it when she loses control over her instincts, but she also hates dumb, buttheaded male alphas who automatically think with their dicks whenever omegas are involved.
She sneers, glaring at Wally (pitifully writhing on the ground) and Robin (looking irrationally murderous). Obviously, Batman’s protégé had let his instincts take full control. He was a young alpha (probably presented not long before the team was first set up), but that was no excuse in this day and age.
Who knows what would’ve happened if he’d been the first to find Wally?
She’s prepared to pummel the younger hero into the ground in order to get by him when she feels herself floating off the ground. Despite her anger and her instincts screaming at her to show dominance, the archer unwillingly breaks eye contact with the Boy Wonder, putting an end to their staring match as they are levitated apart.
“Both of you, stop it!” M’gann flies urgently towards them, her powers keeping a struggling Robin from launching himself at her (god, would he quit it already?). “Why on earth are you fighting?”
Artemis sighs and jerks her head stiffly downwards, to where Wally is (still) a useless mess on the ground. His scent was beginning to filter through the pathetic makeshift diffuser she’d tied around her face, his heat intensifying in the presence of not one, but two alphas.
The Martian had arrived just in the nick of time.
“Grab Wally and lock him in his room. Don’t let anyone near him. Call. The. Flash.” She grits out, despite her alpha instincts screaming at her to fight, to make Wally stay.
Oh good GOD was she going to hate herself when this was over.
M’gann quickly does as Artemis says, dropping both of her aggressive teammates to the ground. She winces from the impact with the concrete floor, having the wind knocked out of her. Robin is groaning just a few feet away, rubbing his head where it had collided with the ground (ouch).
By the time they’re both back on their feet, M’gann and Wally are gone.
“You’ll thank me later, Boy Wonder.” Artemis shrugs when she locks eyes (mask?) with her teammate. He still looks pissed, though nowhere as feral as before. His fangs had receded, at least.
They stew in the awkward silence until Conner and Kaldur arrive, sent by M’gann to make sure they hadn’t actually started trading blows. She feels almost insulted at the lack of faith in her patience. It was tested every day!
Kaldur lectures them about their lack of control and how their actions might have endangered Wally’s safety. Conner looks calm but nods firmly in agreement as she and Robin are lectured like a couple of misbehaving children.
She feels indignant and betrayed—she knows her intentions were good, and she had only been trying to get Kid Mouth somewhere safe. She was trying to help. But there was no proof. And to the authorities (or in this case, their leader Kaldur), proof mattered over all else. Artemis knew this from experience.
Artemis tries not to let the hurt show on her face. It’s hard when Kaldur and Conner take turns giving her suspicious looks, almost exactly like the way her neighbors stare at her mother as they whisper under their breaths (her poor, poor mother).
She feels like a criminal.
A week later, Artemis is lounging at home, having chosen to avoid the team—at least, until Wally’s back on his feet and missions resumed.
Things had been terribly awkward between her and Robin the past few days, which is why she’d ultimately chosen to flee the cave. She hoped he didn’t take what happened personally, that he was alpha enough to see the bigger picture. Artemis respected Robin as a teammate, and even a friend, if things hadn’t been damaged beyond repair.
She stands by her decision to help Wally the way she did—it was how she helped Jade when her older sister sometimes foolishly neglected to follow protocols and safety precautions before her heat started.
No matter how much she disliked Wally, no matter how much she found him annoying, Artemis would never stand idly by when she had the ability to help someone in need. That was what set her apart from the rest of her family. Where Jade often laughed at the kids getting bullied on the playground, Artemis had always run to help.
And look where that got me, she sighs.
Her phone lights up, alerting her to a new text message.
She ignores it, but it pings again.
And again.
Multi-texters. Ugh. She relents, picking up the phone with a roll of her eyes.
[Kid Mouth]: Hey. I just wanted to say thank you.
[Kid Mouth]: For, u know.. (Don’t make me say it!!!!!)
[Kid Mouth]: Rob brought sum games if u wanna join ??
Artemis snorts. She texts back her affirmative, getting in a quick insult about his grammar, grabbing her jacket, and trying her hardest to take her time.
She finds herself running to the nearest zeta-tube anyway, a smile on her face.