Between A Rock And A Hard Place

by The Dark Marvels

Disclaimer: We don't own the characters, names, or anything like that. Boo.

The Dark Zodiac's A/N: Welcome to our first co-authored fic. We hope you enjoy it and leave plenty of super awesome reviews! The fic is about Beast Boy and Aqualad and it all takes place after the whole Terra/Slade trying to destroy the world thing. So...read and enjoy! Holler. Xoxo

Reeny's A/N: Hey all! Dark Zodiac and I hope you enjoy our fic about the wickedly awesome, unconventional and adorable couple that is Beast Boy and Aqualad. Feedback would be greatly appreciated!I am a self-proclaimed feedback ho. Hope you enjoy the fic! Kisses!--Reeny

Chapter I: Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

On the surface, ominous clouds crowded a heavy sky. The cool water was dull and choppy. Aqualad broke the surface of the stormy waters and took in nature's unrest before diving back into the calm depths of the ocean. Something more than a storm is coming. He continued towards the ocean floor, towards Atlantis, and a sudden drowsiness overtook him. I hate storms. They always make me tired. Using his telepathic powers, he contacted a dolphin to aid him on his trek to his home. After a few minutes of waitng, he crossed his arms and scanned the water around him. Hm... Suddenly, he felt a poke at his butt and turned around to see a dolphin. I was wondering where my ride was. That warranted another jab in the butt and Aqualad grabbed onto the dolphin's fin and continued towards Atlantis. Another dolphin swam past and for a split second, Aqualad thought it was Beast Boy? He rubbed his weary eyes and slid his arm back around the dolphin's fin. Beast Boy...you've got me seeing green and it's not just the seaweed. A sea turtle whizzed past Aqualad and his companion as they neared Atlantis. Beast B-...oh wait...sea turtles ARE green...

Once they reached the ocean floor, Aqualad released his ride and swam up through an undersea cavern into Atlantis. It's good to be back home. He ran a hand through his jet black hair and walked towards his home in the City of Atlantis. He walked into his room and flung himself on his bed. So...tired... Even as he drifted off into slumber, the color green bled into his dreams. Beast Boy...I miss you. But this wasn't the first time Beast Boy was the center of Aqualad's thoughts...and dreams for that matter. Not by a long shot. It's true they didn't exactly like each other when they first met, but after defeating Trident and his clones, they warmed up to each other. Well, Beast Boy warmed up to Aqualad. Aqualad was hot for Beast Boy. Since that fateful day the Teen Titans came crashing into Aqualad's world, he'd wanted to head to Titan's Tower to pay the little green prankster a visit, but he could never think up a good enough reason. Even the Master of Games' competition didn't afford him a good enough reason to pay the green changling a visit.

Was Aqualad gay? He didn't know. He never really thought about it. All he knew was that he wanted to be with Beast Boy. There was just something about him that Aqualad was drawn to. Could it be Beast Boy's endless supply of odd little quirks? Maybe. Could it be that Beast Boy is just too adorable for words to describe? Possibly. Or could it be the skin tight, black and fuschia costume? Booya! Aqualad had often wondered what secrets that form-fitting suit was hiding from his hungry eyes. He'd often fantasized about running his hands over Beast Boy's smooth green chest, pinching his firm butt, planting kisses across his toned stomach, and even running his tongue over the green changling's teeth and dipping it into his mouth. Aqualad's dreams, however, were nothing short of X-rated.

Aqualad shifted on his bed and reached out into the emptiness of the dark room.

"Beast...Boy...come back," he moaned in his sleep. "Please...just a little longer." He reached his hands out to grasp the object of his affections, but air was all that filled his fist. He reached out one more time, but instead of air, he felt his sheets in his hand and his head on the floor. "Owww," he moaned as he sleepily rubbed the bump on his head. "I need a bigger bed."

"Aaaaaaqualad," came a voice from the darkness. He turned around and saw nothing.

"Aaaaaaqualad," the haunting voice repeated, as if beckoning to the startled teenaged superhero.

"Who's there?" he demanded.

"Aaaaaaqualad," the voice beckoned from a different side of the room. He stood up and walked to where the voice seemed to emanate from. He found nothing but a wall shrowded in darkness. The voice came again from another side of the room. Again, he went to investigate and again found nothing but a wall and darkness. The voice came yet again from another side of the room and then again. It seemed to be spiraling around the frightened teenager. Finally, the voice stopped moving and beckoned one last time from the night stand next to Aqualad's bed.

"All that just to open a drawer?" he asked to the darkness. Hesitantly, he slid his fingers around the handle and pulled the drawer open. Nightvision wasn't one of his powers, so he turned on a small light to illuminate the drawer's contents. The Titans communicator sat atop a picture of the Teen Titans. There was also a picture of Beast Boy that was given to him by the green teen himself as a little joke. On it he'd written, "To my biggest fan, Aqualad. Stay gorgeous. Love, Beast Boy. XOXO. PS: I broke Trident's pointy thing!" Beast Boy drew a mouth with a tongue sticking out under the dots of the exclamation points. Beast Boy...are you okay?

Around 4 am, all hell broke lose in the tranquil city of Atlantis and Aqualad found himself on the floor yet again. What is it now? He left his room and walked out into the city amongst other Atlantians who were violently woken up.

"What's going on?" he asked a man walking past.

"I dunno," he replied. "People said it's a seaquake...maybe shifting of the plates or something."

"Thanks," said Aqualad as he walked back to his home. I'll check it out tomorrow morning and maybe pay a visit to the Titans. I have a feeling they'll know something about this...and I'll get to see Beast Boy...

Aqualad went back to his room and laid on his bed, but he couldn't get to sleep. Beast Boy, I hope you're alright. I hope nothing's happened to you...or the other Titans for that matter...but especially you... He reached over to his nightstand and took the picture of Beast Boy out. A smile spread across his face as he stared at green teen's sarcastic puckered face and goofy pose.

Beast Boy sat alone outside of Titans Tower, quietly appreciating the solitude and the beautiful sunset. His usual disposition made what he was doing very strange indeed. He rarely ever sought alone time, thriving on being around friends and being the comic relief in whatever dangerous mission they had to complete. But now…he lately felt so detached from the rest of the team. Ever since…ever since that day. So now he sat alone as he so often did now. He sat alone, feeling an incomprehensible sense of loss…and feeling robbed. Robbed of something he never knew he truly needed. Until now. The rest of the team had been trying valiantly to raise his spirits, something that had once been his job. He felt it was his duty to constantly lift everyone's spirit, make jokes and in general spread joy to others and the same appreciation for life that he had. Those days seemed to belong to a past that he was no longer connected to. An overwhelming sense of sadness consumed him and he gripped a nearby rock convulsively. A rock. Oh god, Terra, why? Why did it have to end that way?…

This thought alone was enough to elicit a startling cry of anger as he hurled the rock into the water. He followed the rock's trajectory path as it sailed through the sky, heard the splash that it made and watched the ripples it formed reverberate though the water. The rock had momentarily disturbed the calm murky waters that surrounded Titans Tower. As he stared it into the waters depths, he had a fleeting mental image of lean, muscular, streamlined body. Tiny beads of water clung to the black and blue spandex suit that outlined and tenaciously adhered to every curve of his body…

Beast Boy shook his head vigorously, as if trying to forcibly rid himself of that image. He had started to think of someone who, for all intents and purposes he should not be thinking about at all. He stood up, ready to go inside. Walking back to the tower, he cast one last look at the glittering water that so beautifully reflected the orange evening sun and couldn't help but wonder….

End Chapter I: Sitting, Waiting, Wishing


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