4AN: Yes, I should be working on 'Sisters', but I signed up for icanhearyouglaring's Secret Santa Fic Exchange, and I got chaneldancegirl (I hope you like this!), who said in her request that she likes historical AUs and Spitfire. The 1920s is one of my favorite eras, and we've been looking at them in history, so naturally this happened.
Enjoy!
Dick was wrong.
That was the thought that ran through the mind of Wally West as he sat in the crowded speakeasy, watching his friend knock back glass after glass of bootleg beer and slur his words as he talked to pretty, young ladies, who paid his drunken speech no mind. After all, how often did one get a chance to talk to the one and only ward of Bruce Wayne? Every girl wanted a marriage with a good-looking, rich guy like Dick, and every girl was determined to kick start that fantasy, regardless of whether or not he would remember their first (and, unbeknownst to them, their only) conversation.
It drove him crazy.
Of course, he wasn't jealous or anything. No, that would be preposterous. So what if his friend had dragged him here by telling him to 'live a little', and that in a year or so he would be married, and he 'might as well meet pretty women before the hour of doom'? He didn't want those shallow girls anyway, with their knee-length skirts and bobbed hair. They flirted with anyone that smelt of money or was tall, dark, and handsome enough for money to be irrelevant. Such women were not worth his time, and were far too immature and dependent on others for his liking. While he would never admit it (he knew that mockery would ensue) he was looking to meet a girl that was more…driven.
The sound of soft clapping drew him away from his thoughts, and caused him to clap clumsily and pretend he'd been paying attention. The jazz band had decided to take a break, and he spotted his good friend Kaldur packing away his saxophone. He was about to call him over when-
"Arty!" His inebriated friend cried, before being hushed by the people around him-the last thing they needed was a police investigation*.
Wally, who was still facing the makeshift stage, whipped back to hiss at his friend -was he trying to get them arrested? -when he met the eyes of the person his friend had been wildly gesturing to.
The words died in his throat.
Standing there, cigar in hand, was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.
Her blonde locks shot down to her waist, which, logically, should have clashed with the tan of her skin, but somehow only highlighted it. Her eyes were a blue-grey color, and their cold gaze made him liken them to the sky just before a storm. Her lips were full, but lacked the unnatural tint of makeup.
That alone was enough to make her different from the rest of the women in the bar, but it was her clothes that were the real jaw-droppers.
It seems 'Arty', as Dick had called her, had not been told that women were wearing heavily embroidered, knee-length dresses with plunging necklaces nowadays. Instead, she wore pants of all things, paired a plain white blouse and something similar to an aviator jacket. The closed-toed high heels she should have been wearing had been swapped for a pair of black boots. All and all, she looked completely out of place, out of time.
Beautiful was the wrong word. She was breathtaking.
And she was walking right towards them.
"Dick, how much have you drank?" She asked incredulously.
"Not thaaaaaaaat much. Honestly Arty, you should have a liiiiiittle more faith in me." The billionaire replied, slurring the words 'that' and 'little' enough to get the mystery woman to raise an eyebrow at him in sheer disbelief.
"I'll have faith when you stop drinking." She quipped.
"But Arty-"
"Don't call me that."
Dick let out a long, drawn out sigh, as if saying her full name required immense physical effort. "Artemis, if I didn't drink I wouldn't get to see you!"
Wally's face fell at that-clearly this 'Artemis' was just another woman interested in his friend's money.
"Thank goodness! Maybe I'll even get home early! Do you know how long it takes to get Kaldur to drive you home every night?!"
Okay, maybe not.
"Sorry, who are you?" He interjected rudely. Inwardly, he winced at how confrontational he sounded.
Artemis stiffened, as if noticing his presence for the first time, before replying with "Artemis Crock. The woman you're now sharing a table with." She then proceeded to retrieve a chair and take her place at the circular table, as if it were perfectly natural.
"Wally West, never heard of you." He bit back, irritated by the way her confidence made his heart beat faster than when he was sprinting.
"Artemis's dad-"
"Runs this place." She finished, shooting Dick a warning look. "No big deal." Then, after a brief pause, she added "What about you?"
"Mainly work at my uncle's motel." He answered truthfully. "It's called The Flash."
"And he trains for the Olympics." Dick added with a laugh, causing Wally to turn beet red.
"I am never letting you drink again." He proclaimed, smirking at his friend's horrified reaction. Then, noting the curiosity in Artemis's eyes, he added "I've always been fast and I want to put it to good use. I know I'll never get there, but-"
"Who's to say you won't?" The blonde interjected. In that instant, he liked her even more, if that was possible. "It's good to have ambitions."
At that moment, Wally recalled his uncle's advice on love, a subject on which he said he was an 'expert'. He often said that when he met Iris, the love of his life, he realized that she was everything he'd ever hoped to find in a woman. At that moment, he grinned at the outstanding woman in front of him and knew exactly what his uncle meant. At that moment, he wanted Artemis to be more than some girl he happened to meet in a speakeasy.
It was probably one of the most important moments of his life.
"You know, if you're not too busy, you should swing by the motel sometime. Dick never believes me when I tell him it's the best one in Central, and I could use a witness."
Hesitation swirled in his eyes as she considered his offer, and he almost jumped in and told her that he understood if she didn't want to, before she gave him a small smirk (God, what was it about this woman?) "Well, if it's to prove Dick wrong, I suppose I don't have a choice."
"Does no one love me?" Dick cried, only to be shushed again. He rolled his eyes and gripped at his chest, pretending to be stabbed.
"I'm sure Kaldur does. After all, he does cart your drunken behind home every night." Artemis retorted with a grin. "And besides, M'gann has been telling me to come see her at work for months, so I'm not going just to prove you wrong."
"Right, just mostly for that."
"Exactly!" She smiled, before turning to Dick. "See? Wally understands."
Wally silently reveled in the complement, before he felt his stomach drop. She knew M'gann. M'gann, the pretty girl who came to America from a tiny island off the coast of Europe with a culture so different it was practically another planet. M'gann, who he had flirted with for months before she finally told him that she was dating Connor Kent, the bouncer of this very speakeasy. M'gann, the hotel receptionist who often saw him chatting up pretty guests in the lobby.
M'gann, who would probably tell Artemis exactly how much of a loser he was.
What had he got himself into?
AN: Thanks for reading! I know Wally and Artemis didn't exactly get along when they first met, but since in this world Wally doesn't see her as Roy's replacement, and Artemis doesn't have to prove her archery skills, I figured there wouldn't be as much animosity. Plus, Wally and Artemis would totally bond over their mutual love of mocking Dick. Also, what did you guys think of drunk!Dick? Let me know in a review!
* In the 1920s, prohibition was in place and alcohol was illegal, so people drank in secret bars, otherwise known as speakeasies. Of course, getting caught was a serious concern, so you had to speak quietly (hence the term 'speakeasy').