There's smut at the bottom of this chapter, just warning you now. (Oh god help me)
Chapter Eight
Never Let Me Go
Apart from the horrified shouts from the boys, no one reacted to the Cave being blown up. Artemis stood stiff and straight, staring ahead of her with a cold look on her face, one that matched Kaldur's. I could only watch the flames lick the sky, feeling horrified and physically ill. I was glad of the mask, as it hid my face and the tears that were threatening to spill. Stop crying, you weak little girl.
We pulled into the manta sub and brought the captured three aboard, my stomach threatening to evacuate its contents. Kaldur had not met my eyes since that moment. We climbed aboard the sub and Kaldur was stopped by his father as he walked past. "Come with me." Manta commanded. "You too, Nightfall." I raised my eyebrows, but didn't comment. Why did he want me to follow? We stopped outside his office, Manta telling me to wait outside while he and Kaldur went in.
I waited for about ten minutes, my boots tapping the floor absent-mindedly as my mind repeated the image of the cave blowing up. Seeing the orange glow paint the sky and watching it fall made me want to vomit or cry, probably both. That place had been like a home for me, and it had been a home for other, like Garfield. I just hoped Nightwing and Superboy were okay. They would be, right? Kaldur wouldn't blow up the Cave with them in there, right?
Right?
I hugged my arms, gripping them tightly as I tried to calm down. I was just overthinking this, they were probably fine, just a little battered, that's all. My friends were fine. All-
"Nightfall, come in. Queen Bee wishes to speak to you." Manta's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, making me look up at him. I nodded and entered the room to see Queen Bee glaring at me through screen. The Screen had been split into six but only Queen Bee occupied one. It must be for The Light.
After removing my mask and bowing to the Queen, I began to speak. "I am sorry for my failure, your majesty."
"Apologies will not do you much good now, Nightfall. I am very disappointed. Not only did you fail to recapture Fox, you also managed to get captured by the Justice League's brats." She said, her voice tight like she was trying to not roar at me.
"Will I try to capture Fox again?" I asked, hoping and praying that she would answer negatively.
"No." Thank god. Relief flooded through me. "The Justice League probably knows that we are after her and will be prepared if we make another attempt to take her, any time soon." She said. I bit the inside of my cheeks to stop the relieved smile from coming across my face, making blood fill my mouth as the skin broke.
"Though we may try again in a few months' time, when they think the threat is less serious." She added, sounding thoughtful. Not if I can help it.
"Of course, my queen." I said. "When will I be returning to Bialya?"
"At the end of the month. You will be making yourself useful and assisting Black Manta with the shipments of cargo to his new partner." She replied.
"Yes, my queen." I said.
"And do not think this failure will go unpunished." She added. "Punishment is waiting for you in Bialya."
My throat went dry and it took all of my effort to not physically shake in fear. No, no, no. "Yes, my queen." I said, my voice quieter than before.
"Good. Do not disappoint me, Nightfall." With that, Queen Bee disappeared from the screen. I gulped, trying to get rid of the large lump in my throat.
"I will accompany her to her room, father." Kaldur said to Black Manta as I put my mask back on.
He nodded, before turning to me. "Shipments begin tomorrow. Any failures will be reported to Queen Bee."
I nodded. "Yes sir."
With that, Kaldur walked out of the room and I followed at his heels in silence. Panic and nausea started to twist through my stomach as the thought of punishment settled in my mind. I knew that I would be punished for failing to capture Aurora before this, but hearing Queen Bee confirm it made it even more real. The urge to vomit rose as images flickered in my mind, pain and blood and lashes. I could taste the foul bile in my throat.
We got into the room and the door slid shut, before I removed my mask and sped to the bathroom, throwing up in the toilet. Hands pulled the hair out of my face, making me try to pull them away. "Relax, it is just me." Kaldur said in a calming voice. I relaxed slightly before vomiting again. I sat back, curling up beside Kaldur as he wrapped his arms around me. He pressed his hand to my face, making me look up at him. "You are shaking."
"I-I-I'm fine." I said, still shaking.
"No, no you are not." He said, letting my head rest against his chest and rubbing soothing circles on my back. I leaned against his chest; the cool metal of his armour was soothing against my forehead. Even though I had about a million questions for him and was kind of angry, but mostly confused, about the Cave being blown up, being close to him soothed me and made me relax. "Are you alright, Lila?"
"I-I don't know." I stammered, pressing the heels of my hands into my eyes to stop the tears that threatened to leak out. "I don't know." I breathed, pulling away from his chest and looking up at him.
He brushed the hair out of my eyes and sighed. "I have missed you." He said. He leaned down to kiss me and I pulled away, making him give me a confused look.
"You don't want to kiss me yet." I said. "I stink."
"I do not think I mind." Kaldur replied, planting kisses along my jaw and making my eye close. I let out a breathy sigh and it felt so-
Wait.
Focus Lila.
I put my hand against his chest and pushed him back. He looked down at me, raising his eyebrows. "I need to get the taste of vomit out of my mouth and take off my uniform and ask you about…." I trailed off, swallowing. "What happened to the Cave?"
The slight smile faded from his face. His eyes flicked away from my face, not wanting to meet my own eyes. "I know, I know. I will explain later. Do what you wish first." He said. I watched him go and bit my lip. I was still upset with him because of what happened to the cave, but seeing the exhaustion on his face and the slump of his shoulders, like the weight of the world was on his shoulders, made the feelings fade. God, I hope his mission ended soon.
I let out a sigh and grabbed the unused toothbrush from the sink. I started to brush my teeth, eager to get the taste of vomit out of my mouth. I finished, spitting out the toothpaste, before I removed my uniform, leaving me in my underwear. I ran my hands through my hair and went back to Kaldur, who had taken off the top half of his uniform. My eyes flicked up and down, a slight smile coming across my face. "I didn't realise you were planning on staying." I said teasingly.
"Well, now you…" He had turned to face me and trailed off halfway through his sentence, his eyes going to my middle and down to my legs, staring at my scars in horror. At least he hadn't seen my back yet. I looked down, the smile fading from my face as he gave over to me. He traced my sides and He traced my sides and I couldn't meet his eyes. Instead, I stared at the wall behind him. "Oh Lila, what have they done to you?" He whispered.
I placed my hands on his neck and pulled him into a long kiss. It was softer than the one in the warehouse, less like we were trying to make up for lost time. I pulled back, leaning my forehead against his. "Don't focus on that." I whispered. "Focus on me. You have me tonight." I smiled softly at him.
He kissed me softly again. "Give me a moment." He replied, before stepping back. I went over to the bed and curled up in the covers as he pulled the lower half of his suit off.
My throat suddenly felt dry.
Oh wow.
He turned around to face me and raised his eyebrow slightly. "Are you alright?" He asked.
I then realised I had been gaping at him.
Keep it in your pants, Lila.
I coughed awkwardly, feeling my cheeks stained scarlet. "Yeah, yeah, fine, fine." I muttered, not meeting his eyes. My cheeks turned pinker as I heard him chuckle.
The ass.
He came into the bed beside me and we curled up together, my head leaning against his chest. He gave me a soft kiss and lapsed into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, before he kissed me again. I kissed back, rolling around so I straddled his lap, knees on either side of his hips. I put my hands on his neck, pulling him closer. He pulled back, allowing me to breath. "What was that for?" I asked breathlessly.
"I missed you." He said, before kissing me again. "I missed you." Kissed again. "So, so much." Kissed again. His hands slid up my sides as I deepened this kiss. He moved his lips away from mine, placing kisses down my neck. I let out a gasp as he found a particular sensitive spot on my throat. I pulled back, making him raise his eyebrows. I smirked slightly, before pulling off my sports bra. His eyes flicked down before he trailed kisses down my chest. "You are so beautiful." He said, punctuating every word with a kiss.
I let out a giggle as he reached under my breasts. I don't know why, I always found that spot ticklish. "That tickles!" I exclaimed. He chuckled, kissing the spot again. "You're ruining the moment Kal." He chuckled, pulling back to look at me with a slight smile on his face. "What are you looking at?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.
"Making up for lost time." He said, before I pulled him into a kiss.
I pulled back, leaning my forehead against his. "That was such a cliché."
"You are, what's the phrase, ruining the moment, Lila." He replied, making me giggle.
"I try." I replied with a large smile. He chuckled, before suddenly rolling us over so he was on top of me. I let out a high pitched squeak in surprise, making him chuckle louder. He placed kisses along the centre of my chest, diverting his mouth to kiss my breasts. I gasped as his tongue flicked over my nipple, making me groan.
He moved his mouth to the scars on my stomach and it wasn't until he placed a soft kiss on the one on my shoulder, that I wanted to cry. Oh god, I love him so much. I love you, I love you, I love you.
I could feel the happy tears burning in my eyes, just as Kaldur looked back up at me. He looked concerned, brushing his hand against my cheek. "Are you alright?" He asked. "We do not-"
I cut him off. "No, no, it's not that. I just- I love you so much." I rambled.
He just smiled softly, placing a gentle kiss on my lips. "I love you too." He replied, before he began to kiss down my chest again.
I smirked slightly before flipping over so I was on top, making him raise an eyebrow. I just smiled and grinded against his hips, making him groan before I slipped off his boxers and sank down onto his cock. I let out a gasp as I slipped down the hilt, just as he groaned out my name. "Fuck." I breathed, letting out a cry as his hips thrusted.
He sat up suddenly, wrapping his arms around me and sank his teeth into my shoulder, making me cry out as it pushed me towards the edge, before he traced his tongue over my throat. "Kaaal." I groaned, making him let out a breathy laugh against my throat. Two could play at that game.
I leaned down to his throat, trailing my tongue up his gills. His hips bucked and I let out a whine, before I let out a breathy giggle. You have no idea how sensitive his gills are. They come in very useful sometimes. I bit them gently, just enough to make him moan under me. "Lila." He groaned.
I giggled, brining my mouth to his ear. "Something wrong?" I asked mockingly. He response was another thrust to make me cry out.
I was so close, so close to the breaking point. Kaldur gave one last thrust and I let out a loud cry, spiralling through my orgasm. Moments later, Kaldur let out a groan, before a full sensation hit me. We stayed like this for a few moments, his head still buried in my shoulder as we got our breath back. He leaned back slightly, taking in the bite mark on my shoulder, before he smirked slightly. I tipped my head to the side, raising my eyebrows. "Aren't you going to apologise?" I asked.
"Why?" He asked, matching my expression. "You sounded like you enjoyed it."
I pouted at him, before swatting his shoulder and making him chuckle. I slipped off him and slid down to his side, lying with my back to the wall and my head on his chest. Now that it was over, I just wanted to be close to him, feel his warmth before I had to go back to sleeping on my own. Lying there was a comfort, a comfort that I loved.
The sound of his heartbeat and steady breathing was comforting. I wished we could stay like this all night but I knew I had to address the elephant in the room.
Well, one of them anyway.
"Kaldur?" I said.
"Yes?" He replied.
"What happened to Tula?" I said, trying to be gentle. I knew how much Tula meant to Kaldur, they had been friends since they were small children. He had told me that there was a time when he had feelings for her, but by the time we started dating, the feelings had disappeared. Tula and I became friends when she joined the team, surprising pretty much everyone. Her death upset me too.
Kaldur let out a sigh, taking a few moments to answer the question. When he did answer, his voice was strained, like he was trying to not cry. "There-There was a mission." He gulped. "And-And Tula saved us all. By doing that….she died." He said, deciding to not reveal any more information. It must still hurt for him.
"When did it happen?" I asked. I didn't want to push it; I didn't want to put him through any more pain.
He gulped. "Last year."
"I'm sorry." I whispered, glancing up at him. He wiped at his eyes, so I leaned up and kissed his cheek gently.
"She died to save us all." He whispered, still not meeting my eyes. His hands gripped the sheets and I slipped my hand into his, making his grip softer. Oh Kal.
"She was always so brave." I replied.
A soft smile came across his lips as he turned to face me. "Yes, she was. She always was." He turned to me, pulling me into his arms and burying his face into my neck. He muttered Atlantian into my neck, words that I actually did recognise as he had said it to me so often. I remembered even after the memory loss and the experiments and the pain.
"I love you too." I breathed.
OH GOD THAT WAS SO BAD I'M SO SORRY.
But yeah, I hope the smut was….okay. The next couple of chapters will have a lot of Kaldur in them. Hopefully I'll get the next chapter out quicker. Idk guys, I think I was procrastinating writing the smut and after all that, it was still terrible. But yeah, hope that was okay.
SinistrousDelirious- Was it okay? Oh my god I was panicking about writing it so much.
The-Moyashi- Thank you! I hope it was okay!
Koren Flashblade- Yeah, I thought it would be the best place too. I was considering doing it earlier but I had no idea when to get her to the Manta sub. Thank you so much by the way!