Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or organizations from the Young Justice cartoon, comics, or expanded DC universe.
Klarion walked down a long hallway, fuming. The sparse light made his pale skin glow and enhanced the creases in his furrowed brow. Baby sitting. That is what they should call it. Why one as great as he should be required to watch over this new team baffled him. The Aquabrat was supposed to be a big boy now. He could take care of his own affairs. It was Savage that had the idea! Let him rot in this over cramped metal death trap.
Klarion had listed the problems with his assignment over the Light's daily video chats. One of his chief complaints was his cabin. It was too small and not even well furnished. An absolute disgrace! Did they not realize they were hosting a Lord of Chaos! He couldn't even bring Teekl, his familiar would not do well in this environment, but ranting got Klarion nowhere. The Light wanted an unbiased assessment, and Manta was too close, too protective of his newly reclaimed son. They knew that Klarion could be trusted to give an unashamedly honest, if a bit harsh assessment, and that is what they needed.
Regaining the scarab was impressive but the Light wanted to be sure that this team could be reliable. Klarion was forced to report that the team was performing their duties well. The Aquabrat, no Kaldur'ahm as Manta insisted, was a fair leader. The mission given to them by the Light ended in success, though in his opinion more carnage would have been warranted. He was encouraged to spend more time with this new team, and was kicked off the chat, but he could not find the team in the sprawling mess that was this sub.
Attracted to the sound and light at the end of the hallway Klarion found himself in the sub's gym. The soldiers had all been dismissed, leaving the supposedly female Terror twin, the talking freezer pop, and Tigress, on the sidelines. Kaldur'ahm and the mass of hardened flesh that happened to be the male Terror Twin spared in the center of the room. It did not take long for Kaldur'ahm to have him pinned to the ground.
"Again." Kaldur'ahm commanded, as he allowed the male Terror Twin to stand.
The male Terror Twin growled and moved back to his position before charging.
Klarion squealed with excitement at the sight of violence. He plopped down on the bench next to the female Terror twin and magically produced a bag of popcorn. He munched it happily. It was odd for Klarion to see Kaldur'ahm in clothes other than his Manta suit. It was an improvement, or as much of an improvement as work out clothes could be, at least he could see his arms. Klarion never understood why Kaldur felt the need to cover his best feature just because he began working for Manta.
"Give it up Tommy," The female Terror Twin drawled as her brother hit the mat again. She leaned back and kicked out her legs, swinging them.
The male Terror Twin slammed his fist on the mat. "I got 'im. Just you watch." He pulled himself from the floor and got into position again.
Klarion decided that the female Terror Twin had horrible posture and that a finishing school should be contacted immediately. Her brother had an excuse; he looked to be nothing but muscle. It was possible that his brain had hardened as well. Yes, the female Terror twin needed to gain some grace and loose some pounds. She should be more like Tigress. The only one of Kladur'ahm's team that Klarion bother remembering, mostly because her suit did quite a fine job of emphasizing her hips. Seeing her now in yoga pants and a sports bra it was easy to see why Kaldur'ahm chose her as a consort. But besides that she knew how to carry herself, none of that slouching business. And her hair! Oh her hair was so thick and glossy. She also knew how to be quiet, only speaking when necessary. An admiral trait among mortals of either sex.
Klarion's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the talking freezer pop's laughter. The male Terror twin had been slammed again. Though this time he grabbed hold of Kaldur'ahm's shirt as he went down, ripping the shirt from end to end. And that was, well that was more than Klarion bargained for. Were those abs human? Of course not Klarion you dolt the boy…man is half Atlantean.
"Ha!" The male Terror twin roared as he held up the piece of shirt in triumph, distracting Klarion again.
The female Terror twin rolled her eyes and even the unflappable Tigress pinched her nose. The freezer pop continued to laugh.
"Hey you!" The male Terror Twin said as he stood. He tucked the piece of cloth into his back pocket. "I'd like to see you do better."
"Cameron will have his turn in time Tommy," Kaldur'ahm said, simply, calmly. Too calm. Leaders should rain terror upon their subordinates in Klarion's opinion.
The freezer pop looked stricken. "I don't need to get into any rough stuff man. I'll just ice 'em."
"You can not and should not always rely on your powers."
"What nonsense. You could-" Klarion cut himself off. Kaldur'ahm taking off what remained of his shirt caught and held his attention.
"Did you say something?" Kaldur'ahm asked as he folded the ripped shirt.
"Nothing." Klarion shook his head and waved Kaldur off. "Finish your lesson."
Kaldur'ahm nodded. "Tuppance would you like to try?"
The female Terror twin crossed her arms over her chest. "You don't pay me enough for the privilege to pin me."
The freezer pop sat down next to the female Terror twin and draped his arm over her shoulders. "So is there a going rate or…" He squawked when the female Terror twin grabbed his arm, and shoved it off of her.
At least, Klarion thought, she has standards. He would have to reevaluate his stance on her.
Tigress picked up a squirt bottle from the bench. She tossed it towards Kaldur'ahm.
Kaldur'ahm caught the bottle one handed. "I am fine."
Tigress gave him a look, and Kaldur'ahm relented. The rest shook their head at the obviousness of their closeness. Kaldur'ahm drained half of their bottle. He then began to pour the rest of the bottle's contents over his head. Time slowed down for Klarion as he again caught himself staring. He zoned in on the drops of water as they ran down Kaldur'ahm's face, and to his shoulders. On the way Kaldur'ahm's mouth parted slightly, on the way Kaldur'ahm's gills fluttered when the water touched them. Was he looking at him, walking towards him? Klarion held his breath. He was snapped out his delusions of it by the sound of his name.
"Klarion?" Kaldur'ahm asked, he stood in front of Klarion. And Klarion wondered what it would be like to lick the lone drop that had traveled past Kaldur'ahm's shoulders and to his abdomen before it disappeared into the waistline of his pants. Klarion flushed, and his throat went dry.
"Klarion?" Kaldur'ahm asked again, more insistent, and perhaps worried. He pressed the back of his palm onto Klarion's forehead. Being an underwater creature and all, Kaldur'ahm's skin was not as clammy as Klarion would have imagined
"Well, he does feel warm," Kaldur'ahm said.
"Can Lords of Chaos catch fever?" the female Terror twin asked.
"Want me to cool him off boss?" the Freezer pop offered. He raised his hand in the air and gathered ice at his fingertips.
"No!" both Kaldur'ahm and Klarion said at the same time.
Klarion shooed away Kaldur'ahm's hand. "And I am fine. I just…I am just not suited for this horrid environment. The air is far too stale in this submarine."
Kaldur'ahm sighed. "Come. Let us get you to your cabin."
Klarion pouted a bit, looking more like Witch boy, than a Lord of Chaos.
"Come." Kaldur'ahm said using a touch of his command voice.
Klarion sucked his teeth and made his way into the hall way. Kaldur'ahm followed. It was several minutes afterwards when Kaldur'ahm spoke again.
"You are uncharacteristically quiet Klarion."
Klarion's eye twitched. "I am not! I.. just do not wish to go back to that dank room."
"Oh?" Kaldur'ahm paused for a moment. "Did you not open your shutters?"
"Shutters?"
"Ah! The men must have not told you about them."
He said nothing more until they reached to Klarion's cabin. Klarion was glad for it. The silence gave him time to clam himself. Though he still wasn't certain what had happened in the gym. The shutters were just under the ceiling, and bordered the entire cabin; they opened with the push of a button. The light was faint, filtered through sea water; it gave the cabin a blue hue. Little shadows passed on the walls as brightly colored fish swam by.
"It disturbs the others," Kaldur'ahm said softly. "But I like it just fine. It is so odd to be under the water and not be able to see it." His eyes grew soft for a few moments. "Well, I doubt it would do much to help. These rooms were meant to be practical."
Klarion bounced onto his bed. "It may alleviate the boredom. Teekl would have liked seeing the fish. I shall tell him about it once I return to the surface." He sighed. "There is nothing else to do here. I can not even get in a good game of chess."
"You play chess?"
"With Savage or Luthor. Though Luthor cheats."
"I have a set if you would not mind playing against me, though I am out of practice. Tigress prefers checkers."
"Fine." For whatever reason the mention of Tigress bothered Klarion greatly. "Now leave." Klarion waved Kaldur'ahm off. "And get properly dressed. It is hardly decent."
Kaldur'ahm chuckled before turning to leave, and Klarion wondered if he had ever heard Kaldur'ahm laugh. He pushed the thought out of his mind as he stared up at the ocean.
Klarion disregarded what happened in the gym. He was simply out of his element in this submarine. He liked dark places but the sub was simply depressing. Kaldur'ahm would bring a portable chess set, and a bottle of wine to Klarion's room, and they would play for several hours. Klarion found Kaldur skilled enough to not bore him. Though he resolved to purchase Kaldur'ahm a real chess set. He also decided not to look up while sitting across from Kladur'ahm, that way Klarion would not become distracted by the color of his eyes.
From then on Klarion found himself following Kaldur, he had been given permission to use the shortened form of his name, around during his stay on the sub. It was for his assessment of course, not personal interest. Just as his getting upset whenever Kaldur asked Tigress for advice, and not him, was a matter of professional pride. He did have the most experience after all. It was Queen Bee that identified the problem.
"You're crushing." She said in amusement.
"I'm what."
"Crushing. We asked for a report on the team, and you have done nothing but talk about Manta's boy."
The rest of the panel laughed nervously and Klarion blushed. "I know what a crush is Bee. He is the leader of the team of course the report focuses on him!"
"Not with that tone of voice." She smiled slyly. "You get quite excited when he is the topic."
"I believe she has a point." Luthor smiled as well.
"Then we take him off the mission." Manta demanded.
"Oh come now. Do not be so protective." Bee rolled her eyes. "It is just a crush."
"Perhaps," Savage sounded contemplative. "But his infatuation will impede his ability to give an accurate report."
"It will not! And I am not infatuated." Klarion stomped. Sure he thought the man was attractive. He had given up trying to deny that. But A crush? Such human emotions were beneath him.
"We will send someone else." Savage decided with a nod. "But in the mean time we need to deal with this infatuation."
Manta crossed his arms. His eyes glowed. "Yes we do."
"We will set them up on a date so that-"
"A what!" Manta squawked. "Absolutely not Savage! This is preposterous! My son-" There was a click and Manta's feed was cut off.
"Yes, a date would be good. No?" Brain interjected.
"We need a location." Luthor mused. "Somewhere in Europe would be romantic enough."
"But not France. Far too cliché." Bee said.
"And what is wrong with France?" Brain said. Mallah grunted behind him in agreement.
"Like I said it is cliché." Bee continued.
Klarion blanked out as they spoke, confused. But his confusion soon turned into anger. How dare they prattle on about dates! As if the great Klarion needed help wooing anyone. He simply did not wish to court Kaldur. Why, he was nothing but a boy. Not even a fourth his age. He raised his finger into the air ready to rant when Manta's screen flicked back on.
"How dare you!" he bellowed. "He is my son I will not be kept out of any decision concerning him!"
The room became quiet.
"It is just a date David." Savage said, sounding exasperated. "It is not as if we are setting up a tryst. Though he is old enough for such things."
Manta snatched off his helmet. He looked as if he was about to turn purple. "Now you speak of whoreing my boy out! I-"
"Do not worry. Even if the night lead to that your boy seems responsible enough to use protection."
"Do I have no say in this!" Klarion screamed. He pale skin was now beet red.
"You do not," Savage answered. "It is for the best of the mission if you got this out of your system. So we will make arrangements."
Klarion huffed then snarled. He shut his laptop, cutting off the video feed, and marched out of his cabin. The few soldiers who were in the hallway leapt out of his way, they could see the anger roll off of him, and they did not wish to risk being turned into anything.
It was in this way that Kaldur found out about Klarion's bad mood. He had just received orders to direct the ship towards Spain, but when he asked a member of his crew to inform Klarion of the change in schedule the crew member flat out refused. Seeing how much his action displeased Kaldur, the crew member bumbled out an explanation. Kaldur searched the Witch boy out, carrying his portable chess set , a bottle of wine, and a couple of glasses. He found him brooding in a deserted corner of the sub, and saw the problem immediately. Lords of Chaos, as it seemed, drew apparitions to themselves when sulking. Kaldur couldn't help but chuckle. The sound caused Klarion to turn around, his shoulders slumping when he saw that it was Kaldur. The apparitions dissipated.
Kaldur sat cross-legged on the floor near Klarion. "I heard tales that you were in a fell mood." He set up the two glasses and opened the bottle of wine. He poured some for Klarion and himself.
Klarion produced a blanket and a cushion for himself to sit on, then took a seat across from Kaldur. "My moods are of no concern to a mere mortal." He took his glass and began to gulp down his wine.
"They are to this one." Kaldur responded.
Klarion almost choked. He forced himself to swallow before speaking. "They are?"
"They are." Kaldur said as he began to set up the chess set. "Especially when they negatively affect my crew."
"Oh…" Klarion responded, sounding dejected. He took another swig of his wine.
"Do you care to talk about it?"
"No."
"Then do you have any idea why the Light is sending us to Spain?"
"I do."
"Do you care to elaborate?"
"Not particularly."
"Do I have to play you for such information?" Kaldur's eyebrow rose.
Klarion sighed. He grabbed the bottle of wine and refilled his glass. "I should do this before all power is stripped from me concerning this matter. I do not like feeling powerless. I gave that up centuries ago."
Kaldur's eyebrow rose further.
"I am taking you on a date" Klarion blushed. He cleared his throat and continued on. "I mean, if you would like to go on a date with me. We can bring Tigress if we must."
"Pardon?"
"Details." Klarion waved the question away, though he still flushed. "Trust me it is better if you do not know. Just say yes."
"Did you ask the Light if-"
"I did not!" Klarion interjected. "They are acting on their own. I just thought that I should inform you of the decision they made, and ask you myself." He grumbled under his breath.
"I suppose then that I do not have a choice?"
"You do not." Klarion said, haughtily. "Now, do you have something suitable to wear, or do I have to create something for you."
Kaldur just blinked at him.
"Fine." Klarion stood. He knocked back the rest of his wine and eyed the bottle that lay near Kaldur. He snatched it up. "Follow along. I suppose that I must teach you everything." Klarion snapped his fingers, making the cushion, blanket, chess set to disappear. He then marched down the hallway to his cabin, leaving a bewildered Kaldur follow after him.