-Arrow sibling whump/bonding fic requested by WolfShifter062405!-

"Where are you?"

Artemis grunted in pain over the radio waves. "Windsor."

"Windsor and what?"

"I don't know."

"Then figure it out!" Roy spat, rushing down 20th avenue.

Oliver was out of town for the week, leaving his protégées to cover the city on his behalf. Of course, the two immediately split up; so when Artemis called him, Roy had known something was wrong.

There were a series of whimpers as the girl dragged herself down the pavement. "Thir--thirteenth."

"Thirteenth and Windsor." Roy parroted, turning north on his heel and bolting down an alley. "I'm on my way."

"Red," Artemis' voice was weak. "Am I going to bleed out on the street?"

"You'd better not." He shot down the block. "Keep talking."

"I think the bullet hit an artery." She swallowed hard. "It's bleeding fast."

"Talk about something else."

"Once," She started, words beginning to slur, "Once Jady made me sell my soul to her in exchange for some gum..."

"How old were you?"

"Six maybe." Artemis chuckled weakly before falling silent again for an unprecedented minute.

"Artemis?"

"Mhm?" She hummed tiredly.

"Stay awake." Roy ordered. "Don't fall asleep, keep pressure on your arm." He sprinted past 16th Ave. "Oliver's going to kill me." He muttered, remembering the firm 'look after her' his adopted father had given him before leaving. "Artemis!"

"What?" She asked blearily, her voice weak and sleepy.

"I'm so close, just hold on." He was beginning to cramp from running so hard. "Tell me more about Jade."

She replied, the words barely legible. "When I  was like eight she stole my allowance to by cigarettes."

"And how old was she?"

"I think thirteen..." She fell silent again, distressing him further. 

"Tell me about your mom."

"Can't work, doesn't like talking about life..." She trailed off. "Boring."

Roy almost laughed at her audacity to call an ex-assassin boring. He rushed past 14th, almost getting his by a passing car. "I'm so close Arty, stay awake." He didn't know what possessed him to call her Arty, he was just desperate. 

 "Roy?"

"Yeah?" He panted. She didn't reply. "Artemis?" Again, silence. 

He almost doubled his speed, skidding to a halt on the corner of 13th Ave. It took him a moment to find her slumped body on the side of the road. He rushed to her side. Orange-red blood leaked out from under her clamped hand, spilling into her hair and costume. Definitely an artery, that was bad.

He slung an arm around the younger girl, hauling her up with all his strength. He made towards the nearest zeta. She couldn't even walk, feet dragging beneath her. Pausing, he readjusted, carrying her bridal-style was a little easier, but in the end he decided to carry her over his shoulder like a fireman.

He could already feel her blood running down his back, but he tried to ignore it; he'd shower later. 

Red Tornado worked like a singer sewing machine, stitching up her arm cleanly. "The bullet appears to have merely grazed her humoral artery," The android began, "But Artemis will need a blood transfusion."

"I'm -O, universal donor, I can give!" Roy piped up desperately.

"Thank you, Red Arrow, but we have blood bags ready in the cooler for such an occasion."

"Oh." Roy suddenly felt a little sheepish. "That's probably better."

"Please, can we reduce our volume? I don't wish to wake the residents of the mountain."

Roy agreed, nothing could make this more stressful than clone boy and space case.

"When will I be able to take her home?"

"As soon as Artemis is stable I'll discharge her into your care."

"Great... great..." He sat beside her gurney, watching Tornado set up a drip bag for her.

He was there when she woke up, staring at his phone on the kitchen chair he'd dragged into her designated guest room.

"Mhnm." The girl grunted, her eyes opening a sliver.

"Artemis?"

"...ow..." She  opened her eyes more. "Roy?" She made to sit up.

"Don't lean your weight on it." He warned. "Tornado says you should stay put for a while."

"Tornado... what? Where?"

"You're back at home-- that is, Ollie's place." He replied. "Tornado gave you sedatives before stitching you up, so you were out for a good ten hours..."

Artemis looked down at her right arm, running a finger over the fluid-stained bandages that covered the sutras. "Ow..."

"Hey, don't do that."

"Stop me." She replied, prodding the stitches again out of spite.

Roy huffed, she was definitely back to her regular self. "Now that you're up I'll make us something to eat."

He made plain pasta with butter; it was easy and fast, and while Artemis struggled to feed herself with her left hand, it was generally well received. "Got any more?"

"A little." He replied. She made to stand up. "Hey! No, no, no. You're supposed to stay put." He scolded, taking her bowl. "I'll get you more." 

Artemis made to stand again. "Okay, but still..."

"What did I just say, you dumbass!" Roy pushed her back into bed.

"I was going to shower!" She snapped.

"I'll help you up if you need to go."

"Roy, it's my arm they hit! not my legs!" She reluctantly let him pull her up, walking her across the hall. "Okay, this is where your help ends." She said. "Just go get the food, I can handle this."

"What if you fall? You're anemic." Roy hovered over her shoulder. "Shout if you fall, I'll be right up."

"I'm sure I will." She said, shutting the bathroom door.

Artemis ended up bathing with minimal help, sitting in the shower and gently rubbing over her sutras with a washcloth. She really needed it, watching the dried blood and grime rinse away down the drain. She didn't have the energy to wash, brush, and dry her hair, but she spot-cleaned the bits crusted with blood.

She was most of the way through drying herself when she slipped; a sudden onslaught of black spots blurring her vision as she struck the linoleum

"ROY!" She panted, the wind knocked from her lungs. 

In seconds the door shook open and he stood silhouetted. He set the bowl of pasta on the counter and slid to her side.  "What happened? What did I say! I knew--"

"Just. Help me up." She grunted. 

He lifted her to her feet, adjusting her towel to cover her better. "Let's get you back to bed."

"I'm fine." She insisted. "It was just iron deficiency..."

"I'm not risking it." He said, half-dragging half-carrying her to her room. He rifled around in the cupboard, removing a miscellaneous pile of clothes. "Here, put those on, I'll be right back."

Artemis dressed herself, but having a hard time with getting a shirt over her arm, she settled for just a bra.  Roy returned shortly, as promised, with some ibuprofen and water to take it with. 

"Roy." She asked, chowing down on her second bowl of pasta. "Why do you care now?"

"Hmm?"

"Well before I thought you hated me, like really hated me..."

After some sort time, he answered: "I never hated you. I didn't even know you. I just wasn't going to let Oliver replace me like that." 

"So... all this...Is this because you don't want want Ollie to yell at you?" She asked. 

"Partially, no, it's because I'm not a monster who lets people bleed out on the street." Roy explained, only lying a little. "And because you need all the help you can get."

"Hey! No I don't!" She huffed. "You're just coddling me!"

Roy took the empty bowl from her. "Rest up. You need it."

Later that day, just as he was making dinner, Roy's phone began to blow up. "Hello?"

"Roy? I just got tornado's report! Why didn't you--" Dinah began

"I've got it covered." He replied coldly. "I can take care of her!"

"Well tell that to Oliver, he's already booked plane tickets home for tomorrow." She sighed. 

"He never trusts me!" Roy complained.

"Well maybe he's worried because you always hate her for no reason."

"I don't-- ugh!" He hung up, pinching between his eyes. He'd have to clean the house up a bit before they arrived. Not to mention looking after Artemis and working on his applications... No, screw cleaning and screw applications, his replacement took full priority.

The Artemis fell asleep early that night, having finished dinner she'd complained of being bored; Roy fetched her laptop and but on a Ghibli film for her.  He hadn't meant to fall asleep on the edge of her bed, but Artemis fell asleep against his arm, so he couldn't exactly move...

Besides, he liked Totoro.

The next morning the two binged on toast and cereal in her bedroom, equally disheveled and sleepy. Roy was just taking their dishes downstairs when he heard a key in the lock.

"Where is she?"

"In her room."

Oliver didn't even take off his jacket, sprinting up the stairs with Roy and Dinah on his heels.

Artemis had sat up in bed, and was playing some game on her laptop "Can you knock?" She looked up. "Ollie?"

"Kid!" He fell to his knees by her side. "I came as soon as I heard, are you okay?"

"Uh yeah, fine." She said, a little embarrassed to be fussed over so relentlessly. 

"I heard from tornado that they hit an artery, how do you feel?" He demanded. "Do you know who shot you?"

"Ollie, you're smothering her." Dinah said. "Artemis, have you been eating? Sleeping?"

"Yeah." She replied. "Roy made us some food."

The adults turned to face him, causing the teen to turn somewhat pink. "Only cause I had to." He said, puffing out his chest. "only cause you'd cut me off if I didn't."

"You volunteered to do it." Artemis laughed. "You told me I wasn't allowed out of bed until I felt better. We watched Totoro last night because you wouldn't leave me alone!"

Roy turned a little redder. "I don't think that's what happened." He quickly excused himself.