Chapter Eight: He's Getting the Wrong Idea

Aqualad

"What is his deal?" I said for the fourteenth time (or was it the fifteenth?) in my ramble to Bumblebee. "I mean, first he spends the night in the hospital—alone—which is already idiotic 'cause that place is creepy, then he gets all worked up about something, then he's practically on Raven, then-"

"He wasn't even standing next to her," Bumblebee pointed out, shrugging as she took a seat on her bed.

"Well… yeah… but… Anyway, then he's got an arrow to my forehead, and then he looked like he's terrified of me or something, and now he says he doesn't want to even talk to me! What is with him!" I rubbed my temples, leaning back against the nightstand. "Bee, you talked to him—why is he so… insane-asylum now?"

She took a moment to answer. "He's not… feeling…"

"He feels perfectly fine!" I laughed harshly. "Raven just healed him up! Hell, my lungs even feel better because of her! No—this is something wrong with his attitude!"

"Aqualad," Bee began. "Just… leave him alone. He's trying."

"He's trying what? To get me so annoyed that just…" I groaned and fell back onto the bed next to Bumblebee. "I don't know. He, being all antsy like this, just gets on my nerves."

"Why?"

"Because he's usually so vain and… Oh, I give up. I don't know why." I looked over to her; she was laughing. Cocking a brow, I inquired, "What's so funny?"

She waved a hand at me, covering her mouth with the other. "Sorry," she giggled. "You just… sound so worried about him, it's hilarious…"

I rolled my eyes and pushed her shoulder. "He's a team member, and if you were a decent leader you'd be worried too."

She shoved me in reply. "Yeah, but if he asked me to stay away, I wouldn't get all angry about it!"

I stood up as I fell off the edge of the bed. With a laugh, I asked, "Do you want to fight me, Bee? Do ya?"

She shrunk down to insect-size and flew directly at my face. Swatting her away, knocking her onto her dresser, I pinned her with a few fingers. "Get off!" she yelped, pushing at my palm. In one smooth move, she returned to her normal size and sent me stumbling backwards with a kick. "Oh--" she laughed, tripping over my foot.

Bumblebee landed with a thud next to me and before she could even think about kicking me again, I rolled on top of her. Keeping her hands away, I managed to kneel over her, leaning forward with a mocking smile.

But just then, the door opened and Speedy's voice wondered, "Hey Bee, do you know if—"

He stopped short as my gaze fell on him and his on I. Bee sat up quickly, heaving me back as she clambered to her feet. "Speedy!" she laughed nervously. "What's-"

"I… I'll come back later," He retreated into the hallway again, stumbling on both his feet and his words as his unmasked eyes flitted between the direction of his room and me. "Nevermind…"

"Speedy," Bee and I both said, venturing towards him.

"Nevermind, I said!" He turned on the heel of his yellow boots, slinking away as quickly as possible.

The door closed, and Bumblebee prodded me forward. "Go after him!"

I spun on her. "Me? Why? He specifically told me not to go near him or talk to him!"

She put her hands on her hips, dangerously close to her stinging, yellow Bs. "So?"

I nodded in resignation. "Fine; I'll go talk to him. But it won't—"

"Go!" She shooed me out the door.