A/N: A friend and I were talking and we wondered: if a person cried in the ocean, could their tears be seen? Who came to mind as the perfect person to answer this question? Aqualad! So, this is just a little one-shot about the first time Kaldur saw tears on the surface.
I don't own Young Justice.
Kaldur could remember the first time he had seen a surface dweller cry. It wasn't the fact that she was crying that startled him so much; her home and many of her neighbors' homes had been destroyed when a power plant had exploded, setting fire to much of the surrounding brush. The fire had spread quickly—it had been exceptionally dry recently—and much property damage had occurred before Aquaman and Superman had been able to contain it. Thankfully no one had been killed, but Kaldur knew it would take years for residents to get back on their feet; many of their memories—photographs and mementos—had been lost and most had nowhere to live.
It wasn't the surface dweller's crying that concerned Kaldur, it was the rivulets of water running down her cheeks. She was sitting in the back of an ambulance wrapped in a blanket; no one seemed especially concerned about her eyes leaking. Kaldur wondered if this odd reaction was natural for traumatized surface dwellers.
After returning to Atlantis, Kaldur asked his king about the woman's unusual behavior. Orin frowned for a moment before his face cleared as he understood what Kaldur was referring to. "She was crying," he explained to his protégée. "When surface dwellers cry, they produce salt water, called tears, from their eyes. It is simply a chemical reaction brought about by emotional distress." He placed his hand on Kaldur's shoulder. "Do not be overly concerned with wondering about how surface dwellers cry. Don't forget—we have training in the morning; I expect to see you bright and early!"
Aqualad considered King Orin's words. He wondered if Atlanteans also wept salt water tears. There was plenty of cause for weeping in Atlantis—the death of a loved one, a broken heart, fear from an attack by Ocean Master or Black Manta—but he had never seen tears before. There were certainly ways of expressing emotion; there were many beautiful dirges and laments written for mourning, and those who felt sadness could always find solace in the support of friends.
Kaldur couldn't decide which was better; expressing your feelings through socialization and music, or having your sadness be on display whether you wanted it to be or not. But, he concluded, the point was moot. For better or for worse, there are no tears in Atlantis.
A/N: Yes, I know it is entirely possible to repress your tears, but Aqualad has only just found out about them; it's only natural he would be a bit confused.