Title: A Warning to Knock
Author: Takebuo Ishimatsu
Pairing(s): Aqualad/Superboy
Summary: Aqualad decides it's about time to tell their teammates about their relationship. Their reactions aren't quite what he was expecting. Written for a prompt in yj_anon_meme. AqualadxSuperboy.
Warning: Implied gay buttsex? O_o
Disclaimer: I not own Young Justice.
The Prompt: To mentors, to the team, to anybody! Gen, whatever pairings you feel like, I ship everyone anyway, heh. Just. Need like burning. Please?
I need coming out fic.
"Superboy and I have something to tell you all," Aqualad said calmly, though inside he was burning with something not quite fear, but definitely past uncertainty.
Again, the questions came to his mind: How would it affect the team dynamics? Would they believe he favored Superboy unfairly? Would they be angry and unwilling to work with them? He knew many land cultures taught that same-sex relationships were wrong. Would the boys accept them, but fear sharing a room? What if one of them got injured and had to have his costume removed? Would he protest?
And, on a similar matter, what would their mentors say? Would Superman consider it another reason to ignore his would-be family? Would Batman allow his protege to continue to live with them? Would Flash...well, Flash was generally an easy-going man and Aqualad couldn't honestly see him minding too much. And his king had just chuckled when he'd told him and exclaimed "Finally!"
Still, there were so many things that could go wrong. Perhaps they should way until they knew the others better?
With so many uncertainties swirling around in his mind, Aqualad almost decided to back out, wondering if a bit more freedom for him and his lover was really worth losing everything.
The decision was taken from him when Superboy, ever innocent of the consequences of his actions, made the announcement as if he was declaring that he liked peanut butter.
"We are in a relationship. We have sex a lot."
Aqualad facepalmed. That wasn't quite how he would have put it...
"Dude, TMI," Robin muttered, not taking his eyes off his laptop.
"Totally should have just stopped at the first part, Supey," Kid Flash added, also not bothering to look up from whatever science text he was reading.
Superboy frowned, "Why?" he turned towards Aqualad with an adorably confused look on his face, "I thought the point was to warn them to knock before they came in? So that they don't see us-"
"TMI~" Robin sing-songed, cutting him off.
Superboy gave him a glare; he hated being interrupted.
There was silence as Aqualad looked between the two younger members in astonishment, broken only by the sound of Kid Flash turning the page.
Finally, he said in disbelief, "That's it?"
Both boys actually looked at them this time.
"Uh...yeah?" Robin asked, giving them an odd look before turning to glance at his best friend. Kid Flash shrugged in response.
"Oh! Congratulations!" KF said suddenly, his eyes lighting up as wrongly assumed that he "got" what Aqualad was trying to say. He gave Robin a Eureka! look out of the corner of his eye.
"Oh, yeah. Congrats, guys," Robin copied, giving them a smile and a thumbs up.
"Uh, thanks?" Superboy responded. He glanced at Aqualad, silently asking of that was the correct response.
The Atlantian ignored his boyfriend for a moment, instead clarifying, "I mean, you do not have a problem with...us? Your congratulations is genuine?"
He was hesitant to bring up the homosexuality issue, in case it hadn't yet hit the two. Knowing how short-sighted they could both be a times, perhaps it hadn't yet occurred to them that they'd be sharing a living space with two men that liked other men.
Or, rather, a man that liked other men and a clone that he wasn't entirely certain recognized the difference between the two sexes. The shape-shifting, gender-bending Martian probably hadn't helped his education any.
"What? You mean because Supey's a clone? No way! We know he has a heart just like the rest of us," Kid Flash said, putting a hand over the left side of his chest dramatically.
Robin snorted. "You're such a sap, KF."
"Hey now! It's not sappy to enjoy a good romance every now and then!"
"I'm not even going to respond to that," Robin muttered.
"Yeah, because we both know you download re-runs of the Golden Girls when you think no one else is watching, Mr. Manly-Man."
"I told you, that was for a mission..."
Aqualad sighed, drowning them out as he ran a hand over his forehead in exasperation. Deciding it was probably better to just get to the point before the two went off into their own little world and started on some random topic, such as who would win between Godzilla, King Kong, and a Tyrannosaurus rex vs. Batman, he cleared his throat loudly to get their attention again.
"What I am trying to ask is if either of you are bothered by the fact that we are both male," he said, forcing his voice to stay calm.
Both boys blinked at him before their eyes slowly slid to each other's, a silent conversation passing between them before their gazes turned back towards Superboy and him.
"You mean you don't know?" Robin asked slowly, gauging his reaction.
Aqualad frowned, shifting his gaze between the two. Admittedly, he'd always thought them a little close, but he'd never realized they were in a relationship as well. He'd thought they were still in the denial stage, neither quite to the point where they knew they cared for the other more than just as a friend.
"You mean...?" he trailed off, not wanting to say it in case he was mistaken, "I have noticed the signs, yes. I just didn't want to assume."
Kid Flash gave him a reassuring smile, "Yeah, I know what you mean. It's kind of hard to believe at first, before you really stop to think about it and then suddenly it makes perfect sense! I mean, it's like they were made for each other!"
"Besides all the death glares and arguing, you mean," Robin amended, amusement clear in his voice.
"It makes for great make-up sex," Superboy said.
"TMI!" Robin shouted, covering his ears with his hands.
Aqualad gave them all a confused look, wondering what in the world he was missing that even naïve Superboy managed to pick up on.
Apparently mistaking his confused look, Superboy added, "That's what Speedy told me, anyway."
"Dude, we shouldn't have introduced you to him. He's a bad influence!" Kid Flash said, shaking his finger at the other hero in a mock scolding.
Superboy shrugged, "He told me how to get Aqualad's attention, so he's ok."
"Oh God, Speedy giving dating advice. That's just too whelming," Robin groaned.
"What's everyone talking about in here?" Miss Martian asked as she floated through the wall.
"Well-"
"Aqualad and Superboy have officially come out of the closet," Robin interrupted before Aqualad could say anything more.
Again, not how he would have put it, but by this time he had given up trying to control the situation.
"We weren't in a closet," Superboy said with a frown.
"Just an expression, Supey," Kid Flash supplied. Turning towards M'gann, he added, "It means they've announced that they're in a relationship."
"A sexual relationship," Superboy corrected.
"Superboy! You can't just go around saying that! It's TMI! TMI!" Robin cried, making several violent Xs with his hands.
Superboy glared and crossed his arms, "I just want to clarify that we aren't in a friendship relationship. Or a brother-brother relationship. Or-"
"Trust us, when you say that you're in a 'relationship' with someone, the sexual part's kind of implied at some point," Kid Flash broke in before a fight could break out.
"Then why not just say 'sexual' in the first place? It indicates that you shouldn't come into our room without knocking, which is the primary reason we're even telling you!" Superboy snapped back, getting more and more angry at their teammates' implied insult to his intelligence.
Aqualad moved to step in, just in case the clone actually decided to get physical with one of the less-powerful boys.
"Too late," Miss Martian said, a slight blush on her face as she shrugged awkwardly.
Everyone in the room froze.
"Does that mean what I think it means?" Kid Flash whispered to Robin, though all of them could hear it in the silence.
The Martian blushed some more, "I'm sorry. I know I should have said something, but I didn't want to make you both uncomfortable."
There was continued stillness until KF suddenly sing-songed, "Awk-ward~"
Robin giggled and even Aqualad smiled, though he knew he really should have been more angry at the privacy breach than he was. He was the leader; he shouldn't have people floating through his quarters unannounced.
"Not as bad as walking in on Superman and Batman. Though, at least then he was forced into talking to me, I guess," Superboy said with a shrug, and Aqualad knew he was trying to hide how much Superman's cold shoulder hurt him.
The clone frowned as he added, "He went on and on about condoms and stuff but he and Batman weren't-"
"TMI!" they all screamed at the same time.
"What does this 'TMI' mean!" Superboy yelled back, looking annoyed at being left out.
"I'll explain," Aqualad said softly, gently pulling him towards the empty couch.
Just as they sat down, Superboy asked suddenly, "Does this mean I can kiss you in public now?"
Aqualad glanced over to his teammates uncertainly. Kid Flash had on an amused smile, Miss Martian looked supporting, and Robin merely raised his eyebrow, as if telling him that it was his move.
"I suppose it does," he answered and leaned forward.
AN: And the story ends on a sappy kissy-kissy moment. Hope everyone seemed in-character & there were no blaring mistakes. (As many mistakes as you can make for a 2-episode show, anyway. ^_^)