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Wally West knew a lot of things about Artemis Crock.
He knew she was rude, arrogant, foul-mouthed and short tempered. She had an aptitude for danger and was able to put the fear of god into almost anyone. She had a mouth that would put the worst of sailors to shame and a glare that could give Superman's heat vision a run for its money. And her ridiculous blonde mane shed like a husky in the Sahara, leaving long golden strands all over the goddamn cave.
Artemis was stubborn; once her mind was made up, there was no changing it. Argument only made it worse. Artemis lived for arguments. And she was loud. Oh God, she was SO loud.
He was pretty sure she was part harpy—it would explain a lot.
He knew she wasn't big on commitment or parent teacher conferences. She hated the color pink almost as much as she hated father's day. She wasn't a picky eater, but she couldn't stand ramen or canned ravioli. She never talked about Christmas or birthdays either. And her face would always scrunch up in disgust when the Easter Bunny was mentioned.
He knew she always kept secrets. She was one of the best liars he had ever met. Artemis never mentioned anything in the past. Hell, she didn't even like talking about the previous week. Some would say she lived in the moment; others would accuse her of hiding something.
He knew there were only a handful of people on the planet that could beat her in chess when she really tried, but she never tried—even when she played him.
He knew she liked spiders a lot. While he had never been anywhere near her room in the cave, he had it on good authority that she has a giant pet tarantula named Bitsty.
He knew she pushed people away. Sarcasm was her best friend and a punching bag was her only confidant.
He knew she was annoying, loud and rude.
He knew she probably hated him.
But what Wally West didn't know, was that he loved her.
Deep down, he loved the way she wrinkled her nose when she was mad.
He loved how she would argue with him all day.
He loved how they were always at odds.
He loved the little smile that appeared on her lips before she took the first sip of her coffee. It was probably the quietest moment of the morning.
He loved the little twinkle of determination in her eyes before she fired her arrows.
The thing about having superspeed was that he could watch the world in slow motion. Wally liked watching Artemis in slow motion. Every little movement she made was calculated and deliberate. Even when she fought. She could even make bashing someone's head in look like art in slow motion.
He loved how she never wasted time. She never moved slowly. Sometimes he even struggled to keep up.
He loved the way she drove. He assumed Artemis recognized the speed limit and basic traffic laws as only a suggestion.
He loved the way she would twirl her hair in her fingers when she read the paper in the morning.
He loved her sly little smirk when she came up with a new insult for him. He loved the fact that she even bothered to do so in the first place.
He loved the way she laughed, even if it was at him.
He loved the way she smiled when she thought no one else was looking.
He loved the way she kind of hated him.
But he didn't know that she didn't hate him at all.