Roy's initial reaction to the doorbell to his flat ringing in the evening was to brace for annoyance. He considered himself pretty tolerant of Oliver and Dinah's overly concerned attitude towards him, he'd already relented today after a few voicemails and checked in with his former mentor, and Black Canary had run into him on patrol and mothered him about everything she could think of. Therefore neither had any reason to come knocking for at least a few days. He was surprised when he opened it and saw Aqualad standing in his civilian garments looking even more uncomfortable than usual.
"Uhm..Kal?" Roy asked with a lilt of surprise.
"Roy..I .." Kaldur hesitated, his eyes dragging over Roy, taking in the teeshirt and sweats he was wearing to lounge in. "Nevermind. I don't wish to impose. "
"You're not ..." Roy sighed exasperatedly. "Get your ass in here already fishsticks. "
Kaldur allowed himself to be pulled inside and directed to the cluttered kitchenette with minimal protest . Roy shoved him in the direction of a wooden stool and mumbled a halfhearted apology about the mess.
"So what brings you here? Business or pleasure? " Roy asked, looking through cabinets to find a second clean cup to offer Kaldur a drink.
"I beg your pardon? " the Atlantean looked somewhere bemused. Roy snorted and shook his head.
"I doubt you came here just to sit in my apartment. What's up? "
" I required a stable set of hands." Kaldur said matter of factly.
"What." It was Roy's turn to be confused. Kaldur unzipped his jacket and pulled it off with a subtle hiss of pain, immediately Roy looked concerned.
"I was injured earlier and its at too awkward an angle for me to stitch properly myself. " He explained casually, gesturing at a gash in his side. The dark color of his uniform hid the spreading blossom of blood.
"Don't you have a medbay for that? And a team to help? " Roy snarled derisively. "And isn't Atlantean skin tougher than human? How'd that even happen?! "
" kobra venom enhanced elephant tusks overcome even the protection my abilities offer. As for my team...I have fallen out of their favor as of late." Kaldur finished quietly.
"That's no excuse. They should be looking out for you. " Roy said in a growl, digging through his medkit for supplies.
"I did not wish to worsen the fragile relations...ahh " Kaldur gasped in pain, gills fluttering when Roy's fingers probed the wound.
"Sorry, sorry! Damn it Kaldur. This better not become a regular thing." Roy grumbled, searching for a needle and thread while Kaldur eased his shirt off to properly expose the wounded area.
"I could find another means of treating my injuries if you do not want involvement. " Said Kaldur sheepishly, guilt and regret creeping into his tone. Roy's anger shifted and subsided.
"No, Kal. I'm glad you came to me and I'll always patch you up if you need me to, but seriously, the league's equipment is infinitely superior to my questionably sanitary supplies. " Roy made quick work of applying topical anesthetic and starting the stitches.
"Your care is sufficient. My immune system is designed for the microbe filled ocean, I will not succumb to infection from this." Kaldur tried to reassure Roy, but the archer merely snorted and glared as he tied the thread.
"I still want to know why the teams not treating you." Roy stood up and pulled Kadur up too so he could bandage him. He glared at the dark blotches of bruises marring Kaldur's physique, and stepped behind him to secure the bandages. "Are those Burns!? You've been fucking burned and not all of them are even treated! I follow your mission reports! When?"
"During the Red's attack. I was held in a fire cage with Miss Martian. I was preoccupied with concern for her. " Kaldur at least looked slightly abashed telling Roy. "I had limited time to treat my injuries before our next assignment."
"Damn it Kaldur. That team is going to be the death of you. They know how heat affects you, and how prone to burns you are! Why weren't you treated properly afterwards!?" Roy latched a hand onto both Kaldur's arms.
"The discovery of my...suspicions of a mole preceded upon our awakening and I was too concerned with the mission to-" Kaldur started, not meeting the archer's eyes.
"To concerned with the mission damn it. Kal. What if something happened and the injuries compromised your fighting? What if you were captured and became dehydrated? What if you died?" Roy interrupted him and ranted, voice progressively filling with more emotion. "I've noticed your self-sacrificing behavior, Kal."
"It is my duty as leader, and my personal wish, to protect the others before myself. I have considered it greatly and if someone must be sacrificed in a mission, my death would cause the least disrupt." Kaldur ground out, the words sounding forced and false; a lie to Roy and himself.
"The least disrupt?! Kal! They- we would all mourn you! How could you- Never- Kal." Roy looked stricken.
"Mourn me, yes, but they could recover. I say this because I know the truth of it." Kaldur said darkly, "You know of the failed telepathic training simulation, yes?" Roy nodded, " Once free of the exercise, the team rushed to those that had died and those most visibly distressed. I was hardly spared a glance despite sacrificing myself for a league member and the team. I understand why. Since my promotion to leader I have oft been forced to choose between what I wish to do as a friend and what must be done as leader. It is easier to simplify that decision and be only a leader."
"If you sacrifice yourself on a mission, I swear I will bring you back just to kill you again for doing that. And you shouldn't have to choose. You didn't ask for this. You deserve friends. To hell with Batman. He's a selfish prick." Roy growled.
"No, in fact I aspire to lead more in the manor of Batman." Kaldur stated.
"There are worse role models, but I swear if you get a stick up your ass like him, I'm holding an intervention to yank it out." Roy said, calming down. Kaldur flushed at the analogy and its implications. "And I'm gonna knock some sense into the junior justice league. Wally and Robin certainly will be friendlier, as for the others..."
"That is not necessary. I am not displeased with the current dynamic." Kaldur was quick to discourage him.
"But I am. Seriously Fishsticks, you shouldn't be so ostracized that you zeta to me instead of the team's med wing for stitches." Roy said, giving Kaldur one of his spare shirts in lieu of the bloody one.
"If you joined the team your proximity would be far more convenient." Kaldur said half jokingly.
"And I could keep you from throwing yourself into the frying pan." Roy jested, but then looked away. "You know why I just... I can't."
"You need not explain yourself to me, my friend." Kaldur gripped Roy's arm and smiled, then gathered his things to leave. "I must depart. The less time absent, the less excuses I must make for where I have been."
"You're allowed to have friends. You could crash on my couch. It'd be fun." Roy offered.
"Perhaps next time." Kaldur replied thoughtfully. Roy watched him leave, despite his wishes he knew this wouldn't be the last time a bloody Atlantean stained his floor.