Well, this is the first thing I've written a complete fanfiction of any kind... ah, well, since the last time updated my previous works, which was over two and a half years ago. This isn't much, but I'm proud of myself for at least having written something. This may or may not mean I'll be writing more, but I invite you to stay tuned. I'd like to hope I'll be able to write more, anyway.
Kaldur had never been so unsettled by quiet.
He wasn't especially used to it, given that, as serene as Atlantis was, there had always been some background noise. And the surface world was always exponentially louder. But today, at the base, there was no sound at all. But on top of the silence, there was something else – a pervading since of... emptiness, and that was what truly bothered him. As his steps echoed throughout the cavernous expanse of the central chamber, he kept his hand held ready to grasp for his water-bearers at a moment's notice. Something wasn't right.
He walked into the kitchen, which he noted had recently been cleaned. Someone had been here not too long ago. Something caught his attention at the corner of his eye – the gleam from a counter-top? No, it was a piece of paper. It was a handwritten note, and the loopy handwriting could only belong to M'gann.
Superboy-
We were running low on food, and I just used the last of the cleaning supplies, so I went out to pick up a few things from the supermarket. I'll be back in a few hours at most, and while I'm gone, there should be enough food left to make some sandwiches. There's some salami left – your favorite!
Also, Red Tornado said there was an urgent matter he needed to attend to – something with the League, probably – so it's just you for now. But Kaldur said he might stop by later, and I've got my communicator if you need to reach me.
Have fun!
Megan :)
That would explain the silence: there was no one here except Superboy, who wasn't exactly a loud person. Well, not when he wasn't fighting, anyway. But something still felt off. What if something had happened?
Kaldur walked into the living room, his shoes squeaking on the newly cleaned floor. With the cave being as quiet as it was, it sounded like gunshots. Surely Superboy, with Kryptonian superhearing, was aware of his presence.
"He could just be sleeping," the Atlantean said to himself, casting his gaze across the living room. Not to his surprise, there was no one in the room. He resisted the urge to call out for Superboy, in case the boy actually was sleeping, though truth be told he didn't really believe he was. He looked at the clock: it was 2:30. If he was sleeping at this hour, he deserved to be woken up.
"Superboy?" His voice, like his footsteps, echoed through the cave. The reverberation unsettled him. It had never felt this empty before. "It's Kaldur! Are you here?" He waited several moments, to no response. Maybe he had gone somewhere and not bothered to leave a note – he might not even be aware that that was common practice. If he were here, Superboy would have acknowledged him, wouldn't he?
Kaldur continued on his search, heading up the stairs. The upstairs hallway was dark, and suddenly he felt as if he were unwelcome. Never one to doubt his intuition, he grabbed a water-bearers for good measure and flicked on the light.
Nothing.
However, a sound finally did catch his ears – the sound of a faint breeze. A window was open somewhere. A potential security breach? Kaldur slowly crept down the hallway, breathing lightly and muscles tensed, ready to strike. The breeze faded in and out, but gradually grew louder the further down he walked. Confirming suspicions he already had, it was at its loudest just as he was outside Superboy's door.
Courtesy dictate he knock, but Superboy could be in danger, or worse. Casting aside politeness for just one moment, Kaldur opened the door. His pulse skyrocketed as he prepared for the worst...
At first it seemed as if no one was in the room. His shoulders dropped and Kaldur prepared to leave when something moved at the edge of his vision. A shadow on the wall. He turned and found that it was no shadow – it was Superboy's black shirt that was moving, slowly in and out, as the boy breathed. He sat, cross-legged, against the wall, an angry scowl on his face. He did make any acknowledgment of Kaldur's presence, as he was presently focused at glaring at something in his hand.
It was a small action figure, like something Kid Flash might collect. Kaldur wasn't sure who it was, but there was really only one possibility.
Superman.
Superboy was staring at the figure as if it was the only thing that existed in the world. Kaldur wondered how long he had been there, silent and unmoving, staring at it.
He suddenly felt dirty, as if he were intruding on something intimate. That explained the feeling of unwelcome... and the emptiness probably radiated from Superboy himself. That must be how he feels, Kaldur thought. Empty. Alone.
One foot stepped backward, as part of Kaldur wanted him to leave Superboy be. The other part wanted to go forward and try to comfort him, as dangerous as it could possibly be. Superboy, however, made the decision for him.
"Why does he hate me," he said in a low voice just two shades above a whisper. Kaldur wasn't sure if he was actually meant to answer the question, but he knew that Superboy couldn't be alone like this. Cautiously, and with a racing heart, he walked over to the boy and sat down next to him.
"He doesn't hate you," Kaldur said, just as quietly.
Superboy's laugh was more bitter than Kaldur thought could ever come from him. "This little doll... he's smiling. In all the pictures, he's always smiling. Big blue boy scout. Nice to everyone. But he's never smiled at me. He just frowns and scowls. He looks at me like I'm some kind of... disease." There was a slight rattling as the toy shook in Superboy's grasp.
Kaldur looked up at Superboy's face. The scowl was gone, replaced with a frown and tightly shut eyes. He was shaking, and his breathing was more erratic. Kaldur had never seen Superboy this emotional before. His heart fluttered, and his throat got thick.
No, Kaldur thought. Superboy needed him to remain strong. Tears would not be a good idea.
"I've been doing this for hours," he said, through gritted teeth. "Trying to... figure... why. Why."
The bright sunlight coming in from the window made the tears gathering in Superboy's eyes gleam like the kitchen counter. Kaldur placed a hand on Superboy's thigh, trying desperately to steady his own breath. He knew Superboy would be able to hear it shaking.
Superboy threw the figure at the wall on the other end of the room. Something cracked, and Kaldur couldn't be sure if it was the toy or the wall. Before he could look, however, Kaldur's vision was blocked by a mass of black.
The embrace was heavy and shaking. It rattled his entire body. But Kaldur held fast, and eventually both boys calmed. There were dozens of things Kaldur could say, but he decided not to say any of them.
Kaldur had never been so moved by quiet.
Thank you very much for reading, I appreciate it.
-SilverPrince