A/N: I don't own Young Justice

I taste you in infinite colors
Collide in a fountain
At least we are lovers
Kaleidoscope dream...

-Miguel, Kaleidoscope Dream

Kaldur mumbled tiredly about something, making Artemis giggle as they relaxed in his room. They were lounging against the headboard while talking. It had been a long day and Kaldur felt sleepy but didn't feel like drifting off yet. Especially when Artemis was in such a good mood. She had been worried about him for so long that it was nice to her relaxed for once. Artemis looked at her tired friend and smiled. He was finally getting better and showing it. Suddenly, she felt an urge to be closer to him. Giving into an urge she would've once resisted, she sat up and moved so that she was straddling him.

Kaldur automatically tensed and looked at her in shock, his hands instinctively going to her waist to steady her. He definitely wasn't sleepy anymore.

"Is this okay?" Artemis asked as he did. She learned while underwater that Atlanteans were naturally more intimate with each other than humans. This fact amused her to no end, considering how proper Kaldur was. It also propelled her to stop being so afraid to touch him. But this was one of the blurry lines of their friendship. She was human and Kaldur knew that this wasn't a norm between friends in her world, that it was a step further. However, Kaldur just relaxed and leaned back, getting use to her weight on him before shrugging. After the initial shock wore off, he couldn't help but feel comfortable with her like this. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

Artemis gave him a shy smile before looked at his tattoos curiously. She tilted her head before running her fingers over them. Kaldur took a deep breath, not expecting the touch. He looked at her face, the attentiveness and rapture in it, as he tried not to shudder from her touch. Artemis ignored the reaction.

"Were you born with these?" She asked. He shook his head.

"They came while studying sorcery. Had I trained long enough, they would've disappeared, only showing when I used my powers." He explained. He bit back as sigh as she traced them. "They're…sensitive." Artemis raised her eyebrow.

"You seemed fine when I or anyone else touched them." She said. Kaldur closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"No one's ever touched them…like this." He said, his voice low and rough.

"Nobody?" Artemis questioned. Not even Tula? Kaldur looked down somberly.

"Nobody," he repeated. "She hated hers." Artemis was silent, pausing, as she looked Kaldur up and down before being caught in his gaze. They stared at each other, lost in the other's eyes. While Artemis' hands traced his tattoos over and over again, he explored her as well. His hands traveled freely over her waist, the curve of her neck, the small of her back…she hummed at Kaldur's touch, closing her eyes.

"Don't finish studying." Artemis murmured.

"Why?" Artemis smiled a little at the question before opening her eyes.

"Because I can't imagine you without them." She told him, tracing his tattoos from the top of his shoulders to the back of his hands. "Or your webbed hands." She moved her hands up his arms, and over his shoulder until her fingers were skimming the bottom of his throat. "Or your gills."

Kaldur watched her curiously as she cupped his face. His heart beat nervously as she stared at him. There were plenty of ways that Artemis could hurt or kill at that moment but the look in her eye scared him more than anything.

"I almost lost my mind once." He said hesitantly. "Don't make me forget who you are." He was careful not to use her real name, just in case someone was listening. Or so he told himself. There were also the memories that came attached to it…and the guilt hiding there.

"Forget who I am," Artemis said softly, looking down. "That's what I was afraid. You forgetting who I was or remembering too well without the other memories. But mostly, I was afraid you would lose yourself." She moved her hands from his face to her lap, staring at them. "You were going to leave me here by myself."

"I wouldn't-"

"You almost did." She cut off, looking up at him, panic seeping into her voice and eyes. Kaldur grimaced at her fear, wishing she never had to feel it. Artemis looked away as her eyes became watery. "I'm still trying to convince myself that you're safe. That you're still here." Kaldur cupped her face and turned her so that she was looking at him.

"Do you trust me?" He asked. She nodded, biting her lip. He leaned his forehead against hers, stroking her neck lightly.

"I'm a man of my word." He told her. He wiped away her tears, as he looked her in the eye. "I won't leave you." The intensity and determination left no room for argument. She relaxed and let her fear start to ebb away.

A shadow fell over the room suddenly. Artemis instinctively moved her arms around Kaldur's neck and moved closer to him, her heart jumping. Kaldur automatically wrapped his arms around her waist protectively. They looked out the window, the only source of light and watched as it brightened. Kaldur peered up at the surface.

"It must be a storm." He commented.

"A storm?" Artemis asked, trying to follow his gaze. "How do you know?"

"The ripples," Kaldur explained, "And the waves crashing against the surface. It's getting darker because of the clouds blocking the moon. We're too low to feel it but you can hear it vaguely."

Artemis listened intently and the sound of water crashing met her ears. She smiled. Kaldur was right. But even as a storm brewed above them, the sea around them seemed content. Fish darted past the window as they usually did and it felt strangely calm.

"It's like the world slows down when you're under water." Artemis said. "Everything stretches, almost like life paused for a moment. Seconds are minutes. Minutes become hours. Hours feel like days…you could have a whole other life down here."

"Yes." Kaldur agreed. "You could."

Artemis turned to him and found him staring at her unwaveringly. She suddenly became aware of his arms around her and how close they were. She bit her lip before leaning her head on his shoulder, her breath ghosting over his tattoos like a light caress. Kaldur closed his eyes, shivering as he felt it, not expecting the sensitivity of his skin. He pulled her hair out of its usual ponytail before running his fingers through it, tugging it lightly. Artemis moaned before leaning back, goose bumps spreading across her skin. His eyes snapped open, his pale green slicing into her dark grey. She felt herself getting overwhelmed by him and was only mildly surprised when he kissed her.

Artemis pressed herself closer to him as she kissed him back. He moved them so that she was lying on her back. His hands traveled down her sides. She sighed while running her hands down his back, lightly scratching his tattoos. Kaldur hissed before biting her lip. Artemis moaned before shifting under him. Kaldur sighed contently before moving to explore the rest of her skin, another shadow falling over them.

They couldn't see the other as they continued, the storm casting them into darkness. Only the briefest relief of light let them see glimpses of the other. Artemis remembered admiring how strong his back looked as she peppered kisses along it and Kaldur was thoughtful when looking at her legs, fascinated by how long they seemed at that moment. But they never looked at each other; too scared they might snap out of the moment if they did.

They changed their pace like the water above them. Some moments were slow and calming. Like when he saw his fingers trailing across her skin, mesmerized by the sight or when she kissed his temple tenderly. Then Artemis would nip at tattoos and their desire would rage forward. He would bite at her skin, marking her in the dark. She scratched at his back when he did, leaving shallow cuts behind.

Certain moments seemed to stick out more than others. Moments when Artemis could tell you every detail about feeling shy as Kaldur removed her clothes before becoming consumed by him when he kissed her. Kaldur remembered feeling cold as Artemis slipped off his clothes and the cold air of the ship hit his skin before the warmth of Artemis' skin pulled him back.

No matter how fast or slow they went time never seemed to move for them.

Artemis gripped his shoulders in the dark, feeling him breathe heavily against her neck as he moved inside her. He groaned as she tightened around him. He kissed her one last time before breaking away so they could moan. There was just enough light for Kaldur to see Artemis arch her back one last time before coming undone underneath him. He clenched his teeth, gripping the sheets tight and groaning as he followed her.

In that one moment, every emotion that Kaldur had hidden-the anxiety from the mission, the guilt he felt for betrayal, the anger he felt towards his king and father, the desire he had for the girl underneath him-gripped him, paralyzing him, before washing away. He felt…lighter. Relieved and satisfied.

Alive.

Kaldur looked up as a flash of light came into the room. For the first time since they began, he looked Artemis. She was breathing heavily before sighing, her eyes content but still burning for more.

No regret. No remorse. There was no time for that.

So Kaldur didn't feel guilty as he kissed her gently, leaving a trail down the side of her face before burying his face in her neck. Artemis ran her fingers through his hair soothingly as she lay there with him silently, listening to the storm before drifting to sleep.