Work Text:
He is still in his uniform, this whole thing was a split second decision, and he hadn't gotten the chance to change back into civvies. Given that, going through the front door is out - it would be immeasurably bad if someone saw Aqualad going into Roy Harper's apartment. Even so, getting into Roy's apartment is easy enough - his flat is on the first floor, with easily accessible windows. The windowsills are covered in ice, and it doesn't take much to convince the ice to melt and push up. Swinging himself onto the ledge is the work of moments, and he's in the apartment.
"Roy?"
No answer. Slightly more urgent this time: "Roy? Are you okay?"
Still no answer. It takes five minutes to sweep the apartment and realize that Roy is most definitely not in it. Perhaps he is patrolling? Kaldur doesn't even know for sure that Roy celebrates Christmas - he could be any one of the numerous of non-Christian surface religions, or none of them at all. There's no reason for him to take a day off if the day is unimportant.
He isn't patrolling. His bow, quiver and costume are all in their separate hiding spots (false backing in the closet, shallow hollow under the loose flooring in the bedroom and behind the medicine cabinet respectively).
So he must be out - maybe at one of Mr. Queen's parties? The vivid image of Roy, sitting at a bar with some girl on his arm, flirting outrageously flashes through his mind and his stomach twists painfully.
As he makes the trek back to the Zeta-Beam he scolds himself - just because he has nowhere to go doesn't mean Roy shouldn't. Just because Roy had laughed when he asked about Christmas plans didn't mean that he couldn't have changed his mind. Just because he's alone doesn't mean Roy should be.
Just because he's been pinning over Roy for the past two years like a lovesick flounder doesn't mean Roy has to care.
Mount Justice is unusually quiet. It's not like he makes a habit of coming here, but when he has there's always been some noise, Wally devouring a pizza, M'gann's TV shows, crashes as Conner broke something, thuds from Artemis' target practice, Boy Wonder's eerie laugh, Kaldur's sighs of exasperation, something. But today it's silent. It sort of makes sense actually. Robin's with Batman, Wally and Conner are spending the holiday with Wally's enormous extended family, M'gann is with her uncle, and Artemis is . . . elsewhere (the only reason he knows all this is because Dinah had mentioned it while she was prodding at him about his . . . crush . . . on Kaldur). And while Kaldur should be here, he's always been the quietest of the six.
He doesn't have time to search the whole cave (because that would take days) so he puts down the champagne on the floor (Kaldur claims Atlanteans don't get drunk, but he's also half human, and you never know if you don't try it) and runs an infrared sweep on the cave computer. Nothing.
Kaldur isn't here.
Roy mentally berates himself for being surprised - Kaldur has a family, and a mentor, and friends. Why would he spend his time off here, on land, alone, when he could go see them? He'd even mentioned a girl a few times - Tulip or Trout or something. And even if he wanted to stay here, why would he stay with Roy of all people? Exactly. It's probably better this way - this way Kaldur doesn't have to find some scrupulously polite way to let him down, to tell him that no, he wasn't interested and would never be. And why had he let Dinah talk him into this in the first place in the first place?
Back in his apartment, Roy decides that the champagne is too good to go to waste. The burn of the alcohol does nothing to mask the burn of loneliness or that of unrequited love.
"How were your winter festivities?" asks Kaldur.
"What? You mean Christmas? Oh, it was . . . great," Yeah, because drinking alone is awesome. Really, "How about you?"
"Atlanteans do not celebrate Christmas, but my time off was pleasant," can lusting after your straight, male, human best friend constitute as pleasant? Kaldur suspects not.
Red Tornado has been called away by the Justice League, so Black Canary is spending the week as their 'Den-Mother'. So Kaldur isn't that surprised to see her lounging by the side of the pool when he goes there for his daily swim. He figures that she must be planning on going for a swim too and carries on. He's about to slip into the pool when she speaks. "Are congratulations in order?"
A slight frown, "Not that I am aware of? To what were you referring?"
"Roy. And you."
Kaldur looks at her blankly. "I'm sorry?"
"Christmas?" she prompts.
Another blank stare and a brief explanation of what he had done on Christmas. About halfway through, when Kaldur describes the empty apartment Dinah buries her face and her hands and mutters something that sounds suspiciously like 'this close to locking you two in a closet'. She sighs, and still not lifting her head, says, voice slightly muffled, "Roy was going to visit you on Christmas. As a surprise." She doesn't mention that he was also going to confess to Kaldur, nor the fact that he had only agreed to do so because she had threatened to tell Batman who painted the Batmobile pink a few years back. Kaldur was a smart kid - he could figure that out on his own. Well. Maybe not the part about the Batmobile.
"Fuck," Kaldur curses, the word heavy and foreign on his tongue before asking, "May I use the Zeta-Beam?"
Black Canary sighs. "Sure. Go for it. Lemme know if you're not going to be back this evening."
"We are both, very possibly, idiots. Black Canary informs me that you planned to visit me on Christmas day," says Kaldur in lieu of greetings or explanation when Roy opens his door.
"Yeah? I was bored. You were at Atlantis or something," replies Roy, but he speaks a little too fast and his muscles are tensed like he's preparing for flight. What elsehad Canary told him? "Why does that make us idiots?" Me maybe, but not us.
"Because, my friend, I had the same thought. I was not at Atlantis, I came to see you here. You were - obviously - not in residence at the time," says Kaldur.
"Because I was at the cave looking for you. Oh God, we are idiots. Classic," says Roy with the beginnings of a full blown grin playing around the corners of his mouth, "You wanna come in?"
Kaldur nods and follows Roy into what serves as his living room, consisting of an old TV, a coffee table held together with duct tape, and a couch that Roy flops down upon lengthwise, still snickering. Kaldur eyes the remaining space and sits down next to Roy's feet, swinging his legs up so that the two of them are sitting mirrored, with their legs pressed together from hip to toe. They've found, after much trial and error, that this is the only way for both of them to be comfortable with Roy's meagre supply of furniture and they've spent hours on end - weeks probably, if you add it all up - like this, talking, watching crappy TV, and eating cheap take out.
It's comfortable. Reliable. And not enough. Not by a long shot. Enough would be reaching over and kissing Kaldur, finding out if his gills were as sensitive as they looked. Enough would be Kaldur rolling on top of him, his weight warm and heavy and so, so good - Kaldur shifts and Roy snaps back to reality. Reality, where having fantasies about your friends while lying right next to them is a bad thing. He switches his attention back to the TV where Sally is cheating on John-the-accountant with Dave-the-physical-trainer. Fascinating. If that was real life there would have been at least one alien attack by now.
He reaches for the remote and turns the TV off. "Bored."
"Would you like me to entertain you then?"
Roy almost chokes on air, because dammit, does Kaldur know what that sounds like? What it sounds like he's offering? Of course not. It was an innocent question.Innocent. Right. Roy casts around for a topic of conversation, "How's the team?"
"They are all well as far as I am aware. Artemis and Zatanna recently announced their relationship."
Roy smiles crookedly, "Oh, good. So that means next time I visit the cave the sexual tension won't be thick enough to cut with a knife?"
Kaldur hits him gently on the leg and says, "That is an accurate description, if rather crude."
"Dinah's playing mom this week isn't she? Has she killed any of you yet?"
Another, slightly harder swat. "No Roy."
"Really? Not even KF?"
They're both silent for a few moments then Kaldur says, as if he's just remembering, "Before Black Canary informed me of our . . . blunder, she asked me if congratulations were in order. In relation to us. Do you know what she meant by that?"
Roy's heart stops - he knows. Black Canary told. Rationality reasserts itself - if he knew, would he be sitting here? No. So he doesn't know. But he's smart - he'll figure it out soon enough. He'll ask Robin or Artemis and he'll know. Probably the only reason he doesn't already is that he still isn't completely comfortable with human culture. Better to come clean then. He stares fixedly at a piece of peeling plaster on the ceiling as he speaks, "I am . . . attracted to you. Dinah knows this and she . . . encouraged . . . me to tell you. She also labors under the delusion that you, ah, return my feelings. She was asking if the . . . situation was . . . resolved. I'm sorry." Roy's voice is carefully blank and clinical, but it cracks on the last few words.
A minute passes, and Kaldur hasn't reacted. Hasn't moved or spoke or anything. The suspense is killing him, so Roy risks a glance at Kaldur. He's looking at Roy, his head cocked, almost . . . curious?"
Roy opens his mouth to growl at Kaldur to do something, to react, but before he can get the words out, his lips are covered by Kaldur's.
Roy's laughing when they break apart for air. "How long?"
"More than a year."
"Fuck, we're stupid."
"I'm afraid I have to agree with you there. Oh, I have to call Black Canary," Kaldur says, reaching for his comm.
"Why?" Roy takes Kaldur's unoccupied hand and plays with the webbing he finds there, enjoying the way that the Atlantean's breathing becomes heavier as he does so. He stutters when Roy brings his hand to his mouth and licks, exploring. When he bites gently, Kaldur whimpers in the most fascinating of ways.
"Sh- she said to t-tell her if I was g-g-going to stay the n-night."
"What? Stay the - oh. Oh. I can deal with that."