Always Traught

Pictures and Guilt

"You look fine, Dick. Let me just take a picture with you," Artemis chuckled as she ruffed up her best friend's hair. Dick rolled his blue eyes and grabbed her wrist.
"You know how long it took me to do my hair this morning?"
"Longer than it took me to do mine?" The blonde guessed as she pushed a bit of hair out from his eyes.
"Bruce says it's important to look presentable, and you messing up my hair to take a picture is breaking that rule. It's also messing my beautiful locks," He pouted.
"More like it's an excuse to not cut your hair," Artemis scoffed as she pulled out her phone. Dick remembered a time where she didn't have one, so he bought her one. She only used it to text and take pictures. Mostly it was a tracking device for her mom and him. He liked tracking all his friends. It was how he showed affection.
"I thought you liked it?"
"I do. You look cute," She laced one arm around his shoulders and smiled. He continued to pout, "Oh come on!" Artemis whined.
"Fine, I'll smile. But you're absolutely getting me ice cream after this."
"Anything for you. Plus, we'll laugh about this someday," Artemis said which made him smile. She took the picture within a few seconds and lowered her phone onto her lap. "I like it."
"So do I," Dick smiled larger as he looked at it, "You better send it to me once you buy my ice cream."
"Come on, O' Holy Prince," Artemjs said as she stood up and brushed off her school skirt.

Three years later

Dick looked at the picture in his gloved hands and frowned at it. She wasn't really dead, but it felt like it. Besides Wally, who hated him in the moment, Artemis was his best friend. Every nightmare, every failed mission, and for every death Artemis was there for him. He couldn't text her, couldn't call her, or have any contact with her. And he knew she wouldn't come back at the rate her mission was going. Black Manta was getting suspicious, Kaldur was stuck in mental void, Slade had taken a extreme interest in Tigress, and M'gann was down there too. If M'gann shared the wrong thought, the mission would be over. Artemis would be the first to be slaughtered, and it would be his fault.
"Artemis ... I am so sorry," Dick managed to croak out to her false headstone in front of him. It was pathetic and weak, but no one was there to hear it. "I sent you to death, Artemis. If I could trade places with you, Lord knows I would. It isn't fair that I did this to you. I ruined everything. I ruined your future with Wally, your relationship with your sister, and I hurt all our friends."
He fell to his knees and he felt hot tears run down his face. It felt like she was gone. Everything in his body told him that she was dead and that this was his fault. "Why did I send you on that damn mission? Why!?" The acrobat was glad it was night time, so no one would be able to see him.
"You were my best friend and I just sent you away. I promised I didn't want to become Bruce, but I disregarded your life. I was so selfish. Now I've lost you," He didn't talk or move for serval long minutes, not until he felt a tap on his shoulders. Dick turned his head and was blinded by a flashlight. The person holding it lowered it. The person wore a uniform that said, "Gotham Cemetery Security."
"I'm sorry to disturb you, sir, but the cemetery will be closing. I have to tell you since we've been seeing gang activity."
"Alright ... I just have to do something real quick," Dick answered the guard as he wiped his nose dry.
"Take your time, son. I know what it's like to lose my significant other," The guard patted his shoulder before he left.
Dick sat up when the other man was gone. His stomach quenched with nausea. Artemis was Wally's significant other, not his. He couldn't bare the thought of losing someone like that, but that was what he did to Wally. That was what he did to Artemis.
The raven started to dig up a small hole by her large headstone. He couldn't help but cringe at the wet dirt going underneath his finger nails. Once he was done digging the hole, Dick looked at the picture of them. Artemis was smiling big, and Dick was smiling just a little bit. She was happy then, happy with him.
"I'm so sorry, Artemis," Dick whispered as he gently placed the picture in the whole. He used the side of his hands to bury the photograph. After that, he quickly stood up. "I'm so sorry,"
Dick couldn't bare to look her grave anymore. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and got out of the cemetery as fast as he could.