title: hide and seek
summary: sparks flew between their tongues. —seaarrow, drabble.
word count: 864
a/n:
another old drabble that i somehow don't hate, edited a little to be more readable. i'm sorry that i'm doing nothing but upload lots of old writing at the moment — college work is a pain in the ass, to be honest.
i originally posted this on tumblr in response to a seaarrow drawing by tumblr user malin-j (who has done several adorable seaarrow drawings please check them out). link to the specific drawing on my profile.
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"Are you sure they won't find us down here?" Artemis' words echoed and distorted against the domed ceiling about a head above her. She tread water to stay afloat. "I mean, it's not exactly a stretch, thinking you'd go hiding in the water."
"Perhaps," Kaldur responded, "but it is likely that Wally will be too busy seeking out Robin to look for us. I believe that by the time he's succeeded and comes to find us, we'll be glad to be found."
Artemis raised her eyebrows — a pointless gesture in the dark (unless Atlanteans had night vision?). "You're, uh, taking this whole Hide And Seek thing pretty seriously."
"It is an exercise in tactics, is it not?" A slight splashing, as if Kaldur were motioning with his hand. "Finding the best hiding place. I admit that it is obvious for me to hide in the water, but this place is hidden well enough that Wally could swim back and forth directly in front of it and never glance at it."
She had to admit, their hiding place was fairly well-concealed: a bubble of air almost entirely, but not quite, inside the rocky cliff face. It was half full of water, large enough to fit four teenagers such as themselves, and black as pitch. Beneath the water, its entrance was disguised by a formation of rocks. The only clue that it existed was a small gap peering over the surface (which also enabled Artemis to breathe).
Of course, that gap would be easily submerged if the tide rose. Artemis took comfort in the rebreather that Kaldur had pressed into her hand.
Kaldur was right about another thing, too: by the time they were found, she'd be grateful to be released from this stupid game. In fact, she was already starting to bore of it. How the hell did this keep little kids occupied for so long? She tipped her head back and sighed — then yelped, more out of surprise than pain, when something tugged sharply at her hair. "Kaldur!"
Kaldur whispered something Atlantean (she was no expert, but it sounded like a curse word). "I apologise — I think I caught my hand on your hair by mistake. There…is a large amount of it floating in the water."
"Hm. Hey, Kal, can Atlanteans see in the dark better than humans?" Only when it had escaped her mouth did she realise was a strange question it was to suddenly spring upon him. "I mean, if you don't mind answering! It's just…what with you guys living at the bottom of the ocean, 'n'all…"
Kaldur chuckled, and Artemis relaxed. "It is fine. We Atlanteans do have slightly better vision in the dark, yes, but I still find darkness as thick as this difficult to see in. Atlantean cities are rather well-lit, and many of us are capable of using magic to illuminate darker water. Do you wish me to give us some light?"
"If you don't mind. I'd like to know when I'm about to swim into a wall."
The water around Artemis began to hum, before the ethereal, silver-blue glow lit up Kaldur's face — closer than she'd thought.
Artemis and Kaldur blinked rapidly, finding each other in extremely close proximity. Kaldur's blush was suddenly very, very visible. "I-I-I am sorry," he stammered, but didn't move away. "I did not mean to —"
What happened next wasn't an entirely well-thought-out decision. Artemis wasn't sure what possessed her — only that in the pale light his sharp cheekbones and full lips were abruptly very defined and she was acutely aware that he lacked a shirt, and his eyes were a stunning aquamarine colour and he looked so amusingly concerned, so Kaldur-ish —
And she lurched upwards and kissed him.
At first he reacted with obvious surprise. He simply bobbed there as if frozen, eyes wide and mouth unresponsive, and Artemis was just beginning to think oh god what the hell am I doing and preparing to pull away when his webbed hand pressed against the back of her head and his mouth opened — and he was kissing her back.
The water hummed more energetically than before. Sparks flew between their tongues. Embarrassment was banished from Artemis' mind in the wake of Kaldur's enthusiastic response and Jesus Christ, why the hell didn't I do this sooner?
When the two of them finally pulled away from each other, her arms were around his neck, his arms were around her waist, and their cheeks were matching hues of pink. They blinked at each other dazedly for a few moments.
Artemis was the first to speak. "Um," she said, then laughed. "Um. Wow."
The corners of Kaldur's mouth lifted, eyes still transfixed by Artemis' own. "Wow, indeed," he breathed. "That…that was…"
"Damp?"
"Exhilarating."
Artemis laughed again, tucking hair behind her ear and leaning forward. "Y'know," she murmured, "this kid's game isn't as boring as I thought it'd be."
If Wally never discovered them, she couldn't say that she'd mind.
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