A/N: GAH! RABID PLOT BUNNIES! LEAVE ME ALONE!
Disclaimer: Sadly YJ is not mine, else we'd be having new episodes since March. And there'd be spitfire. LOT of Spitfire.
Weakest Link
The team was only as strong as its weakest link. Robin didn't fully understand that concept as he could occasionally be found egging the two on. Aqualad not only understood that his team needed to be strong, but he was determined all his links would be made from nothing less than reinforced titanium plated steel.
Which is why Kaldur watched the chink in the team's armor closely, like a welder eyeing scrap iron about to be melded into a stronghold. And they WOULD be strong, he would make sure of it. Even at the cost of the rest of the team's sanity.
So, as subtly as it could be done, Kaldur teamed them up on missions, sparring sessions, and even game night at the cave. Granted, they still had to be paired up with the others to avoid suspicion and to learn their other teammates' quirks, but if Aqualad could get away with it, he stuck them together. Sometimes Aqualad caught the knowing glance of Batman—not so much of a smile as a faint twitch of his lips. It was just enough to let Aqualad know that the Dark Knight was on to the Atlantian's plan and found the tactic…interesting, to say the least.
Still, Aqualad was persistent, and he carefully observed his brainchild in action. They were painfully difficult to watch at first—always fighting at each other's throats. On more than one occasion, Kaldur thought he or one of his teammates might be required to intervene to prevent homicide. At one point, Kaldur even considered scrapping the whole idea—nothing was changing and the team was rifting because of the excess tension.
But patience is usually rewarded, and Fate seemed to take pity on Aqualad's plight. A turning point occurred.
Wally saved Artemis's life.
And it wasn't just a "Hey, I just happened to be running by you so I guess I'll move you slightly out of the way of that oncoming flame torch" save. Kid Flash ran back into the building, ignoring Robin's protests and Aqualad's direct orders.
The hostages had been retrieved, and Artemis and Superboy were at the caboose of the team's retreat, providing distractive cover fire. Normally, Kid Flash would have remarked on how Superboy had to do the work of two people seeing how Artemis would surely screw things up. But the insult died in his throat when the exit they just ran through exploded into showers of glass and shrapnel. Superboy came barreling through shortly afterwards, his arm raised in front of him to block out dangerous projectiles.
"Where's Artemis?" Aqualad asked, his eyes darting back and forth at the flames flickering on the asphalt.
"We were separated. I thought she took the side exit," Superboy replied, looking back at the partially crumbling factory.
"I'll try to find her telepathically," Miss Martian told them, going into a trance-like state. Blinking her eyes a moment later, she looked at Aqualad, worry etched across her features.
"I found her, but her position has been compromised. She's in the same room the hostages were being held. I see her behind some smashed support beams, but they're blocking her exit with-"
"Guns," Robin muttered as several rounds of ammunition could be heard firing.
"I'll get her," Kid Flash said, a note of finality in his tone that left no doubt what he was about to do. He pulled the goggles down over his eyes. "Be right back."
"No Kid, it's too dangerous," Aqualad began, but Kid Flash had already taken off, Robin's shouts following the speedster into the flames.
Aqualad wasn't sure what exactly went down, but from what he could gather between Artemis's hysterical shrieks and Wally's moans of pain, someone had been shot and needed to be taken to the medical bay.
After Artemis had calmed down and Wally had been stabilized in the bioship's medical cot, Aqualad asked her once more what had happened.
When she and Superboy had been separated by the terrorist gunfire, Artemis headed back toward the only other outlet she'd seen—the front exit. But the opposition was firing rocket launchers inside the building after Superboy, causing the ceiling to partially collapse in the main room of the factory. Several ceiling beams fell near her, blocking her original retreat path. She was in the process of climbing over the rubble when a small group of terrorists spotted her position and began firing their automatics.
Artemis was about to fire a few smoke screen arrows to cover her path to the exit, but she failed to notice the two men with guns coming up behind her. She heard the click of the trigger and just had enough time to turn around when Kid Flash whisked her off in a gust of wind.
He had run them both outside before collapsing, dropping Artemis in the process. Artemis, rolling from the momentum, shook off the feeling of deja-vu and crawled back toward the speedster. Kid Flash was splayed out on his stomach, moaning and breathing heavily, a slow stream of red trickled from the hole in his right lower back.
"No, no, no," Artemis whispered, trying not to panic and failing. "Kid? C'mon Kid, talk to me," she pleaded, pulling off one of her arm guards and pressing it over the wound. She grabbed a length of rope from a compartment in her belt and used it to secure the makeshift bandage in place.
"Mmm…Artemis?" Kid Flash mumbled, flexing his fingers and failing to push himself up.
"Wally?" Artemis breathed, attempting to lift the speedster onto her back. "It's going to be fine. We just have to get out of here before they find us."
"S'okay," Wally told her, his arms weakly reaching his arms over her shoulders, his head lolling to the side. "You're-" there was coughing "-not hurt?"
"I'm fine," she told him, lifting him onto her back and taking off as quickly as she could without jostling him too much. It seemed that with every step she took, Wally's grip was slipping to the point she was sure that he would fall off if she didn't find the team soon. Thankfully, Wally held on just long enough for M'gann to telepathically find Artemis again and land the bioship next to the duo.
Aqualad scratched his chin thoughtfully, a habit he'd picked up from his mentor. Artemis had recounted the story to the team then promptly went to the back of the bioship to check on Kid Flash. Kaldur observed the two, watching Artemis say something to the speedster who mumbled a reply. Conner stood next to Aqualad, following his leader's line of vision.
"What did they say?" Kaldur asked the clone.
"She said 'thank you,' and he said, 'I guess this makes us even,'" Conner dutifully reported, continuing to watch the pair in silence.
A small smile made its way to Kaldur's face. Perhaps in all his plotting and planning, he'd missed something. Something that was already there. He watched Artemis conversing with Kid Flash, her eyes furrowed in frustration at something the speedster told her. The archer threw her hands up in a huff and was walking away when he called her back. She tilted her head just far enough to hear what the speedster had to say.
It must've been an apology, because Artemis slowly sauntered back to the bed and sat down on the edge. Wally's hand found hers, and she interlaced her fingers with his. Kaldur didn't need super hearing to know what she told him: she would stay.
Maybe this was where Batman's amusement stemmed. The Dark Knight already knew what was going on, knew that Aqualad need not interfere with the crazy duo. They would be just fine.
The next time Aqualad observed Wally and Artemis, he knew exactly what to watch for-what he had been overlooking. He saw the usual discrete comment made by Wally to the archer, getting shoved half-heartedly by Artemis for the remark. Artemis scoffed at the red head, turning away to hide the small smile that formed. She didn't know that Wally had been sneaking glances at her when she wasn't looking. Aqualad observed everything this time, and the Atlantian knew he had been wrong.
Perhaps the team's weakest link wasn't that weak after all.
A/N: The ending sounded like a Dr. Seuss line.
Sorry for the outrageous liberties I took with the page breaks.