I'd like to draw your attention to the poll on my profile – I've got two options regarding my next YJ/DP project that you might like to influence. And seriously, thanks for all the reviews! You make me smile, folks.
x.x
A mulish constriction had settled in Danny's chest. He picked up pace, entering the forest around the Mountain.
Tattling wasn't his thing, but he wasn't about to go to M'gann (she was Robin's teammate), and he wasn't about to go back to Black Canary for training (on the off chance that would help him defeat Robin) right after his appointment. He'd had enough of people throwing him around for one day.
The air smelled of sea salt long before he broke the tree cover and slid down a hill, coming around the back of a building that had once been a beachside café. There was a small jetty off to his right, and before him the sand covering an old concrete path, as if trying to claim it for the ocean.
Aqualad – Kaldur, he was called – was no-where to be seen.
It was disappointing, and he squinted towards the waves. It was to be expected, really. Well, now that he was down here he might as well explore.
The sand was wonderfully warm against his toes – not too hot. Seabirds screeched on the jetty and took flight, circling above the trees. Curious, Danny searched the jetty for the cause of it.
Aqualad was emerging from the water. He waved, his face grinning. Danny grinned back.
"Aqualad!" he called. "Hello."
"Hello, Danny," Aqualad answered. "I've been looking for you. I wanted to speak with you."
Danny raised an eyebrow. "You've been looking in the water?"
Aqualad shook his head. Water had mattered his eyelashes and made his skin shine. It seemed being a hero was good for him. Danny hoped that his body would get the message soon.
"Not the water," Aqualad answered. "But did you want to say something?"
"Ah, you first," Danny evaded.
Aqualad watched him, considering, and Danny almost squirmed. Aqualad didn't have the seeing-through-you thing down quite as well as Black Canary, but he was getting there. "Alright."
Aqualad led them to a low wall which separated the sand from the old path. "I hear that Black Canary has taken an interest in training you, and now I have only one reservation about you joining the team, if you want to."
Danny sat up straight, alert and interested. "I do."
Aqualad nodded. "The only barrier now is the animosity between Superboy and yourself."
"Oh," said Danny, looking down in thought. The only barrier? Did Aqualad not know about Robin?
"If you resolve your problems with him, then you can join us on our next mission. I fear it shall be little more than a team-building exercise, but—" Aqualad trailed off.
Danny had been hiding his expression, worried that Aqualad would see his thoughts written of his face, but now looked up.
Aqualad was staring pensively towards the sea. His lips moved, but Danny couldn't make out the words. Aqualad's previous sentence came back to him. Frustrated, his grimaced.
"How am I supposed to make Superboy like me, anyway?" he groused.
"I think Superboy perceives an animosity between you and M'gann. It is not much to go on… but I wish you luck."
Aqualad stood to leave.
"Wait, um, Aqualad?" Danny asked.
"Call me Kaldur," answered Aqualad. "Yes?"
"Does… Robin have any of those creepy spy cameras around here?"
An amused smile twitched Kaldur's lips. "No, he knows this is my space."
Danny pondered that as Kaldur left for the Mountain. Robin would invade M'gann's space, but not Kaldur's? Was it because Kaldur was their leader? In any case, his hands were tied with Robin. If Kaldur noticed, he wouldn't be able to go on the mission.
There was only one thing for it.
By the time Danny was hovering by M'gann's door, he still hadn't found the words. Possible speeches ran through his head: "I've been thinking… I realise you're right about the whole me being your son thing" sounded to blasé. There was the option of "Hi, Mom!", but that sounded worse.
Maybe it would sound more honest if he was truly being honest.
"Danny!" M'gann called.
She shifted her laptop to her left arm and hugged him with her right, then danced past into her room, setting the laptop on the desk with a clunk.
"Well, come in," she said with a flourish.
Danny had stepped inside before it occurred to him to move. "Right. Hi."
There was an awkward silence. M'gann carefully sat on her bed and laced her fingers together on her lap. "What do you need?"
Danny groaned, and flopped into the desk chair. "Stop acting like a parent," he snapped.
M'gann grimaced and broke eye contact, her shoulders hunching. She mumbled an apology.
Regret flared through Danny. He scrambled for a way to make things better. "Look I—I'm sorry, it's just I've been thinking and I kinda realised that you're right about the Mom-son stuff."
Danny breathed out harshly. Would she buy it?
M'gann blinked slowly, drew in a deep breath and tucked her hands into her inner elbows. She looked at her knees, and her fingers clawed at the skin of her arms. "Oh."
Danny tried to wait. He did.
"Look, I'm just trying to—Why won't you believe me!"
Danny's eyes widened and he cut off his shout. He slapped his hands against his face. He'd ruined it. Fingers parting, he peeked at M'gann.
Her face was stony, cold. Danny felt sick. A voice thudded in his head – I didn't mean it I didn't mean it!
M'gann stood and brushed past him. Danny leapt to his feet.
"Mom, don't leave!"
There was stillness.
At last, M'gann looked at him. Her face split into a tremulous smile, hope shining in her eyes, and he saw that she believed him, so he reached his arms up as if to give her a hug.
M'gann wrapped herself around him, squeezed him. A hand entered his hair, ruffling, while rhythmic syllables began to pour from her lips. Martian? There was a lyrical quality to the sounds. A nursery rhyme?
Danny realised he was squirming and stopped. Superboy had better react positively to this.