Title: Fireworks.
Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice.
Rating: T.
Notes: Spoilers for Episode 26.
Summary: YJAA meme prompt. Roy/Kaldur. It's almost New Year and Kaldur has someone he has to find.
Red Arrow has always been difficult to find when he wants to disappear. (Apparently Roy Harper hadn't been – stealth wasn't his thing. Until he disappeared for several days and was found in a bloody heap on the floor with no memory of what had happened. After that he was suddenly a natural at so many things.) But Kaldur has always known where to find him. Has always known the archer best. So he knows where to go now, knows where he will be. Star City Harbour. Perched on the top of Star Bridge, overlooking his city. He always goes up high when he has things to think through.
And Poseidon knows that Red Arrow has a lot to think through.
There's no traffic on the bridge when Kaldur arrives. Not surprising considering it's almost the New Year here in Star City. Either way it makes it easier to spot the redhead perched on one of the pillars staring at the city in front of him. Red Arrow has always wanted people to treat him like an adult, like he can handle anything the World throws at him. Kaldur had never understood why because, when it was just the two of them, Roy had always been willing to admit to his insecurities and Kaldur had become his rock, his someone to lean on. The Atlantean now realises that it was the archer's programming that stopped him from reaching out to Green Arrow or Black Canary for help because he needed them to view him as mature enough to join the League.
But even though Red Arrow chose to lean on Kaldur, the archer still found it difficult to talk about things. Most of the time he just bottled things up until he couldn't anymore. Then he would explode – yelling and ranting about whatever the problem was to Kaldur, who would patiently sit through it all before offering his advice and a cup of tea. Roy had always found his tea obsession odd – saying it was very British and didn't he know which English speaking country he'd washed up on? They would always laugh at that and things would go back to normal. The Atlantean doesn't think that it's going to go like that this time though. What's happened today is too . . . big to be settled by something as simple as a rant and a warm drink.
Sighing, Kaldur tilts his head back to peer up at the pillar. All he can see is red hair; he can't tell if Red Arrow has even noticed him yet. So he makes sure that the archer hears him coming. Lets the water slap against the sides of the bridge as he pulls it out of the bay to from a platform he can stand on. Makes sure that he knocks his elbow into the pillar as he orders the water up higher until he's eye-level with his best friend of two years.
"Wasn't excepting you." The redhead mumbles. Red Arrow has his knees drawn up against his chest and has wrapped his arms round his legs to keep them there. Everything about the way he is sitting screams defensive at Kaldur. But he hasn't been sent away yet so he takes the acknowledgement of his presence as permission and steps onto the small space beside the redhead, allowing the water he had been manipulating to fall back into the bay.
"We have always rung in the New Year together because Green Arrow has, and I am quoting you here, 'ridiculous boring fancy-pants parties to go be an idiot at as his alter ego.'" Kaldur announces, sitting down beside him. "Is that where he is now?"
"Probably." Arrows sighs, "He said he wasn't going to go, that I was more important. But I told him to go."
"Why?"
"How can you ask that?" The archer snaps, turning to scowl at Kaldur. "I'm a clone. A. Clone. I – He – My whole is – I'm not who I thought I was. I needed to think it all over. By myself."
"Roy." Kaldur mumbles, reaching out to place his hands on the archer's shoulders. "You – "
"Don't call me Roy." The redheads snaps, slapping the Atlantean's hands away. "I'm not him, I – "
"You are Roy to me." The blond whispers, reaching for him again. Red Arrow flinches slightly but allows Kaldur to gently rest his hands on the archer's shoulders this time round. "You are my best friend. Your name means nothing to me – it is your actions that count. And your actions of the last two years tell me that you care about me. About all of us. The memories we shared are real. What we have is real. Nothing will change that."
"Should have expected you to come up with some emotional rubbish like that." Red Arrow whispers, the corner of his mouth twitching up in a repressed smile.
"I shall take that as a compliment." The Atlantean says then jumps slightly when a barrage of fireworks go off in the distance.
"How is that they always startle you?" Red Arrow grumbles, "I've told you time and time again it's a tradition in this City to start letting off fireworks a minute before midnight. Like a run-up. And then they go crazy and release hundreds at midnight itself. Honestly, you are far too easy to surprise."
"I see." Kaldur replies, more to himself then Roy. "Far too easy to startle."
"Five . . ." The City seems to yell in the distance suddenly, their voices washing over the two of them.
"Four . . ." Red Arrow offers him a small uncertain smile, glancing out the corner of his eye to look at the fireworks in the distance. He shifts, as if to shrug off Kaldur's hold. But the blond tightens his grip fractionally and Roy stops trying to get away.
"Three . . ." For a moment the archer holds himself still and then he leans into Kaldur's touch, suddenly relaxed. As if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Kaldur thinks that maybe the archer hadn't really believed him about still being friends until that moment, until he refused to let go both physically and emotionally.
"Two . . ."
"One . . ." And the entire sky practically lights up as the citizens of Star City set off thousands of fireworks between them and Kaldur reaches forward suddenly, pressing his lips firmly against the redhead's. The archer's eyes widen almost comically and he seems to freeze beneath Kaldur's touch. And just as the redhead seems to gather his wits about him and realise that yes, some kind of response would be good, Kaldur pulls away. A satisfied smile on his usually serene face.
"You just kissed me." Red Arrow mumbles, staring at Kaldur as if he had grown a second head.
"Well done." Kaldur says, his smile widening. He rather likes this flabbergasted look on Roy.
"Totally out of the blue kissed me."
"I wouldn't go that far."
"I would." The redhead exclaims, flapping his arms around. He seems to suddenly notice what he's doing and drops his hands to his sides. "Just look, why would you kiss me at all?"
"Is it not a surface dweller tradition to kiss each other at midnight?" Kaldur asks in response, quirking an eyebrow at his friend.
"We have celebrated New Year together before and not once have you ever kissed me." Red Arrow points out.
Kaldur smiles. "Doesn't mean I didn't want to."
Roy opens his mouth to reply to that then seems to realise he has nothing to say and closes it again.
"I care for you." Kaldur says, noticing the archer's uncertainty. "What we have discovered today changes nothing. And you didn't seem to believe me when I told you that I cared so I decided to prove it to you." He pauses then adds, "And I wanted to startle you for once."
"Well it worked." Roy mumbles then smirks cockily at Kaldur, "Want to startle me again?"
"Happy to." Kaldur replies softly, leaning in and kissing Red Arrow again.
Kaldur thinks, as Roy pulls him in close, that the archer might just believe him when he says he cares now.
End Fireworks.
So I saw the prompt and couldn't resist. My heart is bleeding for clone!Roy. Who still belongs to Kaldur no matter what! Hope you liked it.