Hey hey people. Issex here.
It is with great joy that I'm informing you that my internship is over and I am once again a free man. Six months ago, I went into a factory with big dreams of living a life like something out of a sci-fi movie. Six months later, I still hear electric saws cutting metal when I try to sleep and I'm closer to a stranger from another university than I am with my own blood brother. It's weird. I'm home now and it still feels strange to be able to sleep without knowing I have to wake up and put on an overall. I'm a happy man.
I hadn't even intended to write a continuation for this story, hence the completed tag, but [redacted] is interested in seeing the show go on so go on, it must. I'll take that tag away now.
Bad Man Tinubs pass Sinzu Money fr. We shouldn't have let GEJ leave. I remember how we were complaining during his time about the price of things. The same prices we were complaining about now look like something out of a dream. It's even the children now I pity most mehn. How you go tell pesin say pure water bag dey sell for 100 naira at one point in time. Pure water bag that we used to buy in secondary school to wet birthday celebrants, e don turn gold. I no even remember how chicken taste again. As I dey like this, any chicken or goat wey near my gate no go escape me.
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p.s: Beware the Bigtrunk.
Aight I'm done.
"You…are one ugly motherfucker."
"Hehe, classic," Naruto chuckled between bites of smoked beef brisket. Usually he preferred to watch his movies with fast food but the brisket was a gift and while he'd have liked if it didn't bleed so much, he wasn't one to turn down free food especially when it was offered in addition to the payment from a grateful client with deep pockets, a hot daughter, a likelihood to call him again and a smoker that looked like something out of a steakhouse owner's wet dream. That and it felt fitting to eat meat while watching a trophy hunting alien chase people down to brutally murder them. It also helped that the stuff went surprisingly well with instant noodles.
He reached for the two-liter bottle of cola he'd also been gifted and hissed as pain flared up in his head. In retrospect, he should have tried asking for more money or at least the full cut of meat; he'd found his client's hot daughter in the middle of being trafficked by a metahuman-led trafficking ring. They'd given him a real run for his money before he had been able to take them out and that had taken a lot of rewinding before he managed to figure out the full extent of their powers without being overpowered and killed. Some days, he wished he could find an older, far more experienced chronokinetic who'd take him under their wing and teach him how to move time as many times as he wanted without his brain feeling like it'd melt everytime he overexerted himself. Even now, just the thought of dipping his being into the stream of time gave him a migraine. He held onto the bottle as he waited for the pain to pass before breaking the cap's seal and downing as much of the carbonated drink as he could fit in his mouth.
But the headache didn't keep him from grinning and rolling up another forkful of noodles as Dutch Schaefer screamed and rolled on the ground after getting blasted by the predator hiding in the trees. The CGI was as one would expect of the movie's time period and modern critics would probably take a giant shit on it but the predator's menace activity was evergreen, at least in his opinion. He was one of the many who wished it didn't spam invisibility as much but he had to admit its practicality; he would also be doing the same in real life if he got his hands on something that could make him unseen to the naked eye.
A muffled ding alerted him of a message, but he ignored it as he ate - his job agent would have given him a call instead. Or at least not tried chatting him up on a public application. He was about to take another gulp when he got the same notification sound twice. He idly glanced at the screen, hoping to catch a glimpse of the ID but the phone went dark once more before his eyes could focus.
Oh well.
The predator was about to take another soldier off the census when his phone went off again, this time vibrating as a barrage of dings assaulted his ears.
"Oh my-" Naruto irritably snatched the phone off its resting spot on the couch and tapped on the notification bar before it could vanish. A quick thumbprint scan later and, "Hey, what the hell?"
A- Hey
A- Jade poisoned Wally again and I'm feeling kinda horny. You home?
A- Naruto
A- The messages are delivering, I know you're with your phone
A- Naruto Uzumaki!
A- I'm coming over
A- Seriously, you alive?
A- I'll keep this up till you answer me
(5 unread messages)
Naruto dropped his phone with an eyeroll and tried to focus on the movie in spite of the phone's incessant vibration. He'd refused PMCs bugging him to join them for years, turned down offers made by superhero groups and snubbed potential employers just because. One girl's messages wouldn't take him anything to turn a blind eye to, no matter how many she sent or how badly she made his phone vibrate.
Unless it's Artemis. The stray thought of the girl made him slouch down his couch with an exasperated groan.
He'd humored her for a week or two before losing his patience and they'd gotten into an argument over her staying with Wally. Like always, she refused to end what he considered a joke of a relationship with the speedster but wouldn't give up on trying to make him stop seeing Barbara. The sheer hypocrisy she displayed had sent him over the edge and after purposely mauling her clothes, filling her up and making her leave with dried cum crusting up her skin, he'd ignored her every attempt at contacting him unless she decided to either leave Wally or stop contacting him. It had gotten to the point where he now spent days away from home in case she showed up, which she did severally. His door still bore the scars of the tantrums she'd thrown.
He knew it'd be better to just cut her off entirely, to tell her he was done and didn't want to talk to or see her anymore, but he couldn't. As much as he liked Barbara, Artemis was…different. From the time his younger self had seen her, he'd been taken by her. Her sister was hotter, even back then, but it was the blonde who branded herself in his memory. His master at the time had called it a juvenile infatuation that would pass as he got older, but it hadn't. And to make matters worse, he saw her often and it had only been a matter of time before they started talking and got close.
They had been fourteen when he tried asking her out and found out the hard way that while they were friendly with each other, the fact that he was actively training to become a mercenary reminded her too much of her dad for her liking. It seemed to run in the family because ironically enough, Jade, who had all but walked in her father's footsteps, had hooked up with Speedy if the rumor about the two of them being sighted together was true.
He'd pretty much rid himself of the notion of anything happening between them after that, but getting to fuck Artemis that night had rekindled that spark of hope in him and knowing better didn't stop him from occasionally opening his chat to read the messages she spammed him, laughing at the memes she forwarded nor did it stop him from getting hard from the nudes she sent him. Even though he'd resolved to ignore her until she came to a decision, she had a large portion of his heart in her hand and she didn't even know it. It was pathetic, he knew, but it was what it was. It didn't help that she was an animal in bed when she really wanted to be; he'd yet to meet anyone who could gobble up a cock the way she did.
He sighed again and quickly downed the rest of his dinner before he lost his appetite. All things considered, the only person he felt sorry for was Barbara. She was as stoic while on the clock as one would expect from a member of the 'Batfamily' but otherwise she was nice, friendly or at least as friendly as an introverted bookworm could be and most of all, liked him enough that she'd already began dropping hints at wanting to date him. If it hadn't been for the fact that he'd already began fucking Artemis before they had even started talking, he was sure he'd have been happily going steady with her. But now, he couldn't even trust himself not to cheat on her and he knew himself well enough to admit he'd most likely drop her if Artemis told him she'd left Wally and wanted him.
Once again, pathetic. He really had to tell her something; it was better to either ask her out or reject her than lead her on till she lost interest or worse, caught him with Artemis. However that meant he'd have to get a definitive answer from Artemis herself before deciding which to do but that in itself was a problem - Artemis was stubborn, more than he was. He could pester her to choose between himself and Wally till kingdom come and she wouldn't do so until she felt like it.
Unless he put her in a situation where she couldn't keep refusing to. That in itself was a conundrum of itself because there weren't many ways to pressure Artemis. Her family was out of the question: none of them cared enough to involve themselves and Artemis hated one of them too much to listen to him. He could, but that'd mean he'd not only have to be somewhere she'd constantly see him but somewhere where seeing him constantly would put her in-between a rock and a hard place.
But the only place like that is Mount Justice. Naruto sat up from his slouch as the gears began to turn.
"And would you look at that," Naruto spoke to himself, a sly smile curving his lips as he said, "I just got a pending invite to join its residents." Oh, Artemis would rue her decision to extend the invitation to him. Sure that window of opportunity might have closed but that never stopped a person determined to get in
He got up, ignoring the sounds of laser fire(he blamed Star Wars for the pew pew stuff even if it was right, albeit excessively loud) and opened up a hidden compartment underneath the cabinet atop which his television sat to take out a small flip-phone and after waiting the four seconds it took to boot, loaded up a game application designed to disguise the encrypted communications line only Justice League members and those associated with them had access to. Either Batman trusted him enough or thought being able to easily reach him was worth the risk of having the network compromised because he'd ordered Barbara to install it on his work phone. The girl had been all too happy to give him the contact details of all the superheroes she possessed with hers being at the very top.
It was a bitch and a half to navigate but the network speed put 5G to shame, the calls were guaranteed to get picked so long as the recipient was alive and free, one could freely talk knowing their calls were being monitored by no-one except Batman and probably any other superhero with paranoia and similarly high technology and he didn't need to purchase any network plans to make calls which was the real deal cincher.
There was an oddly large number of obscure Leaguers with names beginning with 'A' but after three minutes of constant scrolling, he was able to find Aqualad's name and a tap on his screen later, he was waiting for the guy to pick. Note to self, ask Barbara how she put her contact in speed-dial.
Barely ten seconds later, the dull ring cut and the boyish-baritone of a male in the twilight of puberty reached his ears. "Hello?" Naruto's difficulty with pinning the accent on a known language was enough for him to know he was speaking with Aqualad. Atlantean, apprentice to the famed Aquaman and leader of the Young Justice.
"Hey, Aqualad, right?" Naruto grinned. "This is Clockwork but you might know me better as Naruto."
There was silence for a second before Aqualad replied. "Naruto Uzumaki?"
"The one and only."
"Your codename is Clockwork?"
"You didn't really think I was going around putting my government name on contracts, did you?" Naruto chuckled as he opened up the cola bottle and tried to ignore his brain melting as he tilted his head back.
"No, I'm just surprised. Artemis never told us your codename." Of that, Naruto had no doubts; Artemis would much prefer to mention him as little as possible and Robin would have assumed they all knew or just thought it'd be funnier to keep them in the dark about his codename.
"Eh, it's fine." Naruto waved it off. "So what's popping?"
"What's…popping?" Aqualad asked confusedly. Naruto imagined the Atlantean looking around to try listening for a popping sound. "I don't hear anything popping."
The team must be full of lames because Naruto couldn't imagine spending nearly, if not over a year with a bunch of teenagers and not know about something as simple as 'what's popping.' "It's a greet-you know what, nevermind."
"I see. What's the purpose of you calling? I don't think you contact random heroes to speak to."
Well, the surprise didn't last long. "You never know, civilians aren't the only ones who do prank calls," Naruto responded, taking a sip of soda.
"I doubt there are any heroes using this medium to pull pranks, Naruto."
"I don't know about that, do you really think one of you guys hasn't thought it'd be funny to ask Superman if he has a blue fridge or ask Mas y Menos if they're the ones or the twos?"
"It sounds like you're just reflecting your own thoughts." Aqualad's tone remained flat. Naruto had a feeling he didn't do much jokes.
"Maybe I am. Seriously though, I'm sure one of you had that thought. So how'd your day go?"
"It would be a bit better if I wasn't having my time wasted by a bored mercenary."
"I prefer freelancer," Naruto corrected.
"...freelancer then," Aqualad amended. "What do you want, Naruto?"
"Do you always have to get down to business so quickly?" Naruto complained. "You know if you want to move up the corporate ladder, you'll have to form a rapport with your mates and superiors, you know? It's not about your work, it's about your network. There's a reason why some guys stay ten years in the same spot while some other guys kiss ass and gobble nuts all the way to the top."
"Then I'm lucky not to be in a corporate job. Here, it's the work that counts," Aqualad's response came with more heat than Naruto had expected.
"It's the same thing," Naruto shrugged.
"Nepotism has no place among superheroes," Aqualad said firmly. "Now why did you call me?"
Naruto slouched back. "Well, I heard from the grapevine that you're considering inviting me to join your clique."
"Hmm. I'm assuming when you say grapevine, you mean Artemis told you?"
"So it's not public knowledge?" Naruto finished the coke as Aqualad began to speak.
"Unless Batman notified the other League members and they spread the news of us searching for a new member, no it's not."
The freelancer hummed. "Oh, so it's an internal decision. Cool, cool."
"So what's your reply?"
Naruto thought of Artemis' face when she saw him prancing around in the halls of Mount Justice and smirked. "Come on now, you think I'd call you just to tell you no?"
"So I'm assuming your answer is yes?"
"Uh huh." Naruto lowered the volume of the movie. If Aqualad was as conversant with his modus operandi as he thought, they'd be getting into the thick of it right about-
"I was informed that you accept payment for services like the one you're offering." -now
And he got down to the money first. Amusing "Hehe, don't worry about that. Since I'm the one who reached out first, I'll give you a much smaller fee."
"I'll have to discuss it with the rest of the team. We had already agreed to search for someone else."
Naruto froze. Artemis' shocked face transformed to a mocking grin in his mind's eye. "And now that I'm offering?"
"We'll still have to discuss it - the payment aspect in itself is already a bone of contention among us. I'll notify you when we come to a decision."
"Or how about this?" Naruto offered. "I join the team for a month or two and do a few missions with you, free of charge. You can start the payment after. If you guys feel you still don't want me by the end of the grace period, I'll leave. Cool?"
"That…sounds somewhat sensible."
"I know, right?"
"But why are you so interested in joining us? I was made to believe you have an aversion to working in a team."
"Who told you that?"
"Artemis."
Of course it'd be Artemis. Artemis would probably do everything in her power to keep him from stepping foot within the four walls of Mount Justice as anything other than a tourist and if Aqualad discussed it with the group, she'd do everything she could to keep them from accepting him even though he'd be joining free of charge for the time being.
He laughed lightly. "Isn't it crazy how that's part of why I'm joining?"
"I don't follow. What does Artemis thinking you wouldn't join, have to do with you joining?"
"It's a pride thing," Naruto said. "We don't like being predictable, us 'freelancers'. So when someone comes out saying they know what we're going to do, it makes us want to do the opposite. Or at least something different."
"And have you considered that perhaps her…prediction might be an attempt at using reverse psychology against you and by joining us, you'd have simply done what she knew you would do because she told you not to?"
"She might be your teammate but I've known her for longer than all of you so take it from me when I say she's not into mind games like that." At least not the ones that didn't involve lying to her boyfriend and trying to gaslight her sneaky link.
"So basically, you're only joining to prove to her that she doesn't know you as well as she thinks," Aqualad concluded. "You must understand my reservations about accepting someone who's only motives are money and spite into a team of people who act out of more…heroic motivations."
"But the benefits of recruiting said person outweigh the recruiter's personal reservations, right?" Naruto asked expectantly.
He heard Aqualad sigh over the phone. "Right. When and where do we meet to discuss the rest of the terms of your…recruitment?"
If a bulb were floating over Naruto's head, it would have lit up brightly. Aqualad seemed like a wound up person, the type who didn't really know how to have fun and better still, he still didn't seem very familiar with a lot of the mundane 'surface world' stuff. That made for a very easy person to prank. Besides, he needed something to take his mind off Artemis with.
"Tell you what, why don't we meet up tonight? Say, eleven pm." Naruto put the phone on loudspeaker and began texting an address. "The Cadillac lounge, largest club in Gotham Central. You can't miss it. Best put on a suit and tie."
"Is there any specific reason why we should meet tonight? And why do I need to adhere to a dress code?" Aqualad couldn't hide his curiosity.
"There's supposed to be a venom dealer showing up there at a similar time."
"That sounds…convenient."
Naruto held back a snort. "Right. And as the name implies, the place is pretty black tie. It's the type to hold auctions for a bottle of water just so people can flex their cash and the standard guest's dressed in a suit and tie. A casual dressing means you're either rich enough not to give a shit about the rules or just new and unfamiliar with the rules. Eitherway, you're sticking out like a sore thumb."
"And that's what we wish to avoid…I see. But how do you know all this? What source did you get this information from?"
The source is I made it the fuck up. "A reliable informant and let's leave it at that. Are you coming?"
"I'll gather the rest of the tea-"
"Are you kidding? A whole group coming in at once is suspicious," Naruto objected hotly. "I'm supposed to go stake him out alone, I'm only bringing you along so you could see and judge my skills for yourself."
"Are we not going to apprehend him there?"
"Or we could just let him lead us to the rest of his guys," Naruto suggested.
"That's true…I'll be there by 10:50."
"Alright, see you then." Without a response from Aqualad, the line went dead. The laugh Naruto had held back during their conversation left him loudly and it wasn't until he'd begun having difficulty breathing before he stopped. He'd forgotten how easy it could be to trick ignorant people.
He'd watched Predator enough times that the scenes themselves were enough for him to know the timestamps and from where he was, he knew it wouldn't be long before the predator would get packed up soon which was good because it was almost nightfall and he wanted to get an hour or two of sleep before heading out to meet the unfortunate Atlantean. Or maybe the right term was fortunate; he would be getting introduced to a whole new part of the surface world after all.
"Boy is he going to get a shock tonight," Naruto snickered to himself. The mental image of the stoic Atlantean's composure being broken saw another laugh escaping him. It was cut short by a sharp pain lancing through his brain. "Fuck!"
Where the hell did he keep the tramadol?
…
As it turned out, he was out of tramadol and the other painkillers he kept around, save for a few doses of below-the-counter morphine shots he kept around for emergencies. Nearly four hours after taking them, their effects hadn't totally worn off and consequently, Naruto sat on one of the curved, red velvet front seats on the second floor of the Cadillac Lounge with a wide, dopey smile and feel-good hormones prancing around in his bloodstream as he watched a group of fringed two-piece wearing dancers do tricks on the metal poles erected on the floor, much to the delight of patrons who threw green notes at them that landed on the reflective black flooring of the stage. If one looked at them close enough, they'd probably see what was underneath the tassels that somehow never flew up high enough to reveal anything. Not that they'd have seen much anyway.
He took a sip of the complimentary champagne he'd been given and threw his head back with a happy sigh. It tasted cheap but the flute it was presented in looked like something he'd see in a sci-fi aristocrat's floating mansion. He lazily looked around, taking note of his surroundings. The other seats similar to his were occupied by three well dressed men who looked more concerned with talking to one another than admiring the pole dancer putting on a show for them. A few meters away, bodies writhed on a dancefloor where the RGB lights placed around the club seemed to avoid illuminating, each one bouncing and shaking their limbs in time to the erratic beats being mixed by a DJ who'd probably forgotten he wasn't performing for coked up tourists in Amsterdam and near the entrance, the hot barmaid looked bored out of her mind even as she put on a show of twirling shakers for a group of obviously drunk patrons who oohed and ahhed as though she'd outdone Houdini by giving metal containers a handjob. He couldn't even blame her; she probably did the same shit every single night.
It was funny how it tried to set itself apart but in the end, the Cadillac Lounge was a lot like every other of its type. He chuckled to himself and looked up at the ceiling where the strobing light beams fell on and bounced off the Cadillac Escapade that hung in the air, suspended by several cables. The establishment took its name more literally than others.They also used the dangerous ornament as an excuse to sell overpriced german beer and french wine to well-off people who didn't mind paying five hundred dollars for grocery store champagne so long as they got to lick it off a stripper's sweaty calves. He'd know, he was watching someone do it right now. The stripper tried to keep her sensual smile plastered but he knew she was enjoying it as much as a nineteen year old retirement home worker enjoyed getting frenched by the ninety seven year old millionaire who thought he looked like her teenage crush. He watched it happen bemusedly. A lot of rich people were freaks, they just hid their depravity behind a facade of pretentious etiquette, gelled hair and strict dress codes.
Where the hell was Aqualad?
As if on cue, he caught a glimpse of buzz cut hair before it vanished into the crowd of entrants and emerged again a few seconds later along with the full form of Aqualad. The coloured lights made him look darker than he was but there was no missing the mild glow of his eyes that Naruto had seen in the videos of Aquaman as well. The gills lining his neck were rather expertly concealed by the orange turtleneck he wore underneath a tuxedo and straight fit trousers and light glinted off the watch and rings adorning his left wrist and hand. It seemed to be a common thing for superheroes to clean up really nicely; if Naruto didn't know better he'd easily mistake the boy for a model. The atlantean didn't look out of place in the lounge, surrounded by equally poshly dressed people. Or rather he wouldn't, were it not for the lost expression on his face that turned to embarrassed bewilderment when he noticed the pole dancers and scantily dressed waitresses.
For the leader of a team meant to handle the Justice League's black-op jobs, he doesn't get his bearings easily, Naruto thought amusedly. He was probably being unnecessarily critical but he wasn't meant to get so easily flustered. Debauchery concealed many dangers after all. He watched Aqualad fumble around, visibly clueless as to how to proceed. That'd teach him to neglect setting up a proper rendezvous plan. It didn't take a minute before watching the lost teenager lost its humor and he fished out the trusty flip-phone and after loading up the game app, found his way to his call log. He briefly stared at the contact he'd called first and had called the most frequently. He wondered how Barbara would feel about finding out where he was. She'd be bummed, that was for sure, but she'd probably find some reason to convince herself of why she wasn't meant to be concerned with what he did with his time. She was mature that way, Barbara. Always letting him get away with things even though it bothered her. She was a lot better than Artemis in that aspect. A lot better than him…
Ah shit, I'm crashing. Naruto shook his head. He hated morphine so much. So addictive yet so easy to overdose on. Anyway, he gave Aqualad's line a dial. Hopefully he hadn't shown up without his phone.
Fortunately he saw the atlantean jolt lightly before reaching into his pocket and taking out the phone. The dark skinned blond quickly picked up and put the device to his ear. "Naruto, I'm at the…lounge."
"I know," Naruto replied. His view of Aqualad was momentarily obscured by a twirling dancer lowering herself on the pole. He raised a pleased brow at the smirking woman, not that she'd have noticed. She must not like not being the center of the newcomer's attention.
"What? How?"
"I thought it'd be obvious, I'm watching you." Naruto saw the boy look around, trying to find him. "Don't bother, coloured lights mess with visual perception—to me, you look like a man shaped lump of blackwood-"
"Excuse me?"
"And to you," Naruto continued unperturbed, "I probably look like a…" he glanced at his hand. "...red, suit wearing, redhead."
"That's too vague, Naruto."
"If you wanted specificity, you should have asked what I was wearing beforehand." Naruto sighed. "Look where the strippers are."
"The what?"
"The scantily clad ladies doing gymnastics on a metal pole."
Aqualad looked around for a few more seconds before his wide eyes finally went upwards to meet him. Naruto waved at him. "Don't just stand there, come on over."
Aqualad nodded and cut the call as he approached him, weaving past appropriately and inappropriately dressed individuals. It didn't take long for the boy to reach him but Naruto was sure the awkwardness of the whole thing must have made it feel longer for him. Aqualad's eyes flitted towards the dancers below and he quickly looked away to focus on him.
"Looking at you up close, you're taller than I thought you'd be," Naruto remarked, eyeing the atlantean up and down.
"And you were not where I expected," Aqualad retorted. It was funny how he sounded so calm even while shouting over the music. "I thought you'd be waiting at the entrance."
Naruto laughed. "You should be more specific next time then."
Aqualad scowled. "I assumed-"
"You assumed-" Naruto cut him off, "That I'd just telepathically receive information about where you want me to wait for you. Well bad news, I'm not on your team." He paused. "Not yet, at least. Now sit."
Aqualad sighed heavily but sat next to him, still looking awkward. Naruto saw him glance at him and try to imitate his posture. Shit, he was feeling embarrassed for the guy. "You've really never been to a club?"
Aqualad's jaw clenched. "The name said lounge."
Naruto shrugged. "And the Iceberg Lounge is called a lounge but it's the biggest nightclub in Gotham…how haven't you been to one?"
"This place isn't appropriate for people our age." Aqualad said, looking around. "How did you even get in?"
"The same way you did." Naruto gestured towards the small bump in Aqualad's left pocket; no doubt a wallet containing an ID card made so real the bouncer could search the planet's databases and every detail would check out. If only the Justice League knew the group of minors they'd given the most authentic fake IDs in the world didn't abuse them. A shame, really.
Aqualad pursed his lips and his eyes went back to the dancer. He stared at her for a few seconds and swallowed. "I feel like this isn't what we were issued them for."
Naruto tilted his head. "They didn't give you fake IDs so you could get into places where you'd need to be an adult to get into?"
"...not for leisurely purposes," Aqualad specified and scanned the club again, his eyes finally settling on the stripper. "But we're here for a more serious reason so I'll allow it. Where is the man?"
"All in due time," Naruto said, picking up the champagne flute. "Champie?"
Aqualad eyed the glass judgingly. Even with the dim lights, Naruto saw his brows furrow. "I don't drink."
"You're setting yourself up for a short lifespan anyway so you might as well indulge in the lesser evils before you check out," Naruto urged. "Come on, just a sip."
"I said I don't drink."
"Neither do I but sometimes you've got to do things you don't want to just to keep up appearances or what, you think undercover cops just decide not to commit felonies with the homies?" Naruto held back a triumphant smile as he watched Aqualad's resolve visibly falter.
"I-"
"It's the cheap stuff anyway, your liver wouldn't even feel it." Naruto waved the glass in his face. "Come on."
Aqualad stared at the alcohol swaying in its oddly shaped confine for several moments before sighing, taking a sip and dropping it back on the table with a scrunched face. "It is…not very good."
"Alcohol usually isn't," Naruto nodded empathetically. "You'll get used to it. So, how are you liking it here?"
Aqualad silently stared at the dancers. Naruto couldn't fault him for that; his first time going to a strip club had made him feel the same way and even then, the dancers hadn't been as hot as the ones here. The Atlantean took another sip of champagne and idly remarked, "the drinks of Atlantis are richer in taste."
"Shame we're on the surface," Naruto said then frowned a moment later. "I thought you said you don't drink."
"Everything tastes richer in Atlantis," Aqualad sighed. "I've grown used to life on the surface but it is inferior to my homeland in as many aspects as it is inferior. Most of our items are fresh, not pre-packaged and crammed full of preservatives."
"That doesn't sound too bad." Naruto nodded noncommittally and gestured towards a woman moving around with a tray of finger food. He went unnoticed. "I doubt I'll be going below water anytime soon so I'll have to take your word for it."
Aqualad glanced at the waitress. "Do you want me to call her for you?" he offered.
Naruto waved her off. "Don't worry about it."
"I assumed you were hungry."
"It's just snacks, I've already ordered some food but the cornbread appetizers should be coming soon." Naruto watched the boy for a reaction but got a blank look in return. Odd.
"Why cornbread?" Aqualad asked. So he was still unfamiliar with these things. Nice, nice.
"You don't like cornbread?"
"I've never had cornbread."
"There's a first time for everything then." Naruto sighted the waitress again and waved at her. This time, she saw him.
"Indeed." Aqualad glanced between him and the waitress who approached them with a practiced smile on her face as she lowered the tray for them. He looked further below her face and got an eyeful of overboob, further pushed up by the corset she wore. "Should we be talking while she's here?"
Naruto casually eyed the woman. If she was listening to them, she was doing a good enough job of hiding it—not that she was being paid to care. She'd have heard worse conversations in the past and was probably just glad theirs didn't seem to involve her. "Even if she hears anything, she's not going to tell anyone."
"Why are you so confident about that?"
"Because working in a place frequented by criminals and being a tattletale is a recipe for a short employment duration and a short life," Naruto said, smiling at the waitress, but none of the trio had missed the poorly-disguised warning. Aqualad watched him but didn't attempt to reprimand him. At least he could recognize an intimidation attempt when he saw one. He picked a slice of sashimi from the tray but was surprised to see Aqualad take one too and pop it into his mouth unhesitantly. "Oh."
Aqualad raised a curious bow at the blond's expression. "What?"
Naruto picked another piece of fish from the tray and Aqualad watched him write something on a piece of paper. "I figured you guys don't eat fish, what with you being sea dwellers."
"Our primary source of meat in Atlantis is fish," Aqualad replied, amused. "But I can understand your surprise; Miss Martian was horrified to see me order seafood the first time we ate out."
"No surprise there—it kind of felt like witnessing an act of cannibalism watching you munch on the sashimi."
"By that logic, isn't it only not cannibalism when you eat a flying animal?"
"...true," Naruto conceded with a shrug and handed the piece of paper to the waitress who, after taking a moment to read it, nodded and left. While Aqualad picked the champagne flute for another sip, he took the chance to look around for the shadiest guy he could find; of course he could just tell Aqualad he'd lied about the venom dealer but that would piss him off and guarantee that he'd forever stay out of the Young Justice so…one guy had to get the privilege of having a metahuman and a submariner clandestinely surveil him until he could properly introduce Aqualad to the club life. It was hardly like searching for a needle in a haystack but it still took him a few seconds to single out one of the multiple patrons: a middle aged man in a fitted suit seated at the ground floor's bar. Even with the coloured lighting, his skin shone with sweat that matted his hair onto his scalp and his eyes flitted between the entrance and the strippers as he downed the contents of a small glass, probably something strong. He looked rather out of place, a lot like he'd never been here before and probably hadn't even planned to be. A guy like that was most likely here for a reason other than the search for a good time.
"What are you looking at?" Aqualad asked, trying to trace his gaze.
But first, "the strippers," Naruto lied. "Aren't they good looking?"
Aqualad looked towards the poles and blushed lightly. "Isn't it inappropriate to stare at them like this?"
Naruto laughed. "But that's exactly why they're there, Aqualad. They wouldn't be earning their pay if they didn't know how to make a guy's eyes stay on them."
True to his word, Aqualad saw more than half the patrons glance, if not stare at the women performing around the glistening poles. He couldn' even fault them; he'd heard tales of exotic dancers from Wally but the speedster's description of them had been less than flattering. From what he was seeing, Wally was wrong or at the very least, not entirely correct. The women were far more attractive than he'd been told and what they did were most definitely not unimpressive. He'd seen greater acts of flexibility from Robin but there was an almost serpentine grace to the dancing women that made him unwilling to look away. It was akin to staring at the shifting scales of a brightly coloured snake as it crawled towards him.
"It's…quite a sight," he remarked unsurely.
"Yes it is. Now you see that guy sitting at the bar down there?" Naruto asked, pointing downward.
"Hmm?" Aqualad narrowed his eyes. "Which one of them?"
"The tall one at the leftmost seat."
"I see him…what about him?"
"That's our guy."
It was as though a switch had been flicked in Aqualad. The Atlantean's awkwardness vanished and its place was laser focus as he stared at the man, seemingly committing every detail of his appearance to memory. "He looks quite unassuming."
"They usually do," Naruto agreed. "So what's the team like?"
Aqualad raised a brow, not taking his eyes off the man. "Does that matter right now?"
"Of course," Naruto said, "I need to know what they're like before I join."
"And you couldn't ask after we're done with this mission?"
"It's not like he's going anywhere," Naruto pointed at the man as if to emphasize his point. "Come on, spill."
"You don't ask what your coworkers are like while at an interview, do you?"
"What?"
"I thought you likened this work to an office job," Aqualad reminded him, his voice carrying a tone of jest as he spared him a side glance. "Or have you undergone a change of perspective since our last conversation?"
Touche.
Naruto shrugged and went back to watching the strippers. Truth be told, he didn't really care what they were like; they could be as terrible people as possible and he'd still work with them so long as it meant he'd get paid…and make Artemis' life difficult. They spent several minutes alternating between surveilling the 'dealer' and watching slash rating the dancers before Aqualad decided to answer him.
"Miss Martian is nice, if still a bit naive," the Atlantean began. "As long as you become part of the team, she will accept you." He paused as if deliberating what to say next. "Superboy is…less eager to trust but he'll give you the benefit of the doubt, even if only because of Miss Martian. Just take care not to give him reason to believe you're flirting with her."
"Oh, he's got nothing to worry about in that aspect," Naruto grinned. "I might like to talk, but I don't bite everytime I bark."
"Like when you threatened to kill that woman if she exposes us?"
Ah yes, murder. The cardinal sin of superheroes. Given how staunchly superheroes were against the taking of life, no matter how justified or necessary it was , he hadn't expected Aqualad to let even an empty death threat slide. "We both know that was just to make her think twice about telling anybody. Besides, it's not even like she heard too much."
"I hope so," Aqualad hummed. "I'm sure you already know how Robin and Artemis are. Frankly, I believe the only one you might have a problem with is Kid Flash—he and Artemis were the only two adamant on not even inviting you in."
"If his girlfriend doesn't want me in, I don't think he has a choice other than to support her," Naruto said, still smiling.
Aqualad shook his head, slightly exposing the gills on his neck. "It's more of him disliking that you work for money."
"So he has a problem with freelancers and salary earners?" Naruto asked. "Sounds like an unemployed man's envy to me."
Aqualad smiled wryly. It probably was, just not in the way the mercenary meant. "Superheroism is a field where everyone within is there by choice; the notion of someone becoming one for money is considered questionable, oftentimes unacceptable."
"That's a shame, but the adoration of the public and the feeling of accomplishment after doing the right thing doesn't keep my lights on nor does it renew my phone subscription."
"You could live with us instead," Aqualad offered.
"But how would the economy survive if I stopped paying bills?" Naruto sobbed. "Think of our boys in green. How will they afford the 50 cals if the VATs stop flowing in?"
"I doubt you're concerned with the state of the economy or the military," Aqualad said dryly.
"If you think so."
A woman, this one dressed differently from the waitress from earlier, placed the plate of appetizers on their table and even with the stench of sweat, perfume and spilled alcohol permeating the air, the aroma of fresh bread didn't escape their notice. They might overprice their goods and greet people with cheap drinks but they at least knew how to keep the Yelp reviews from dropping below three stars. The woman then walked behind Naruto and began rubbing his shoulders, something that made Aqualad, who'd already bitten into a small slice of cornbread, stiffen. The Atlantean's hands crept towards his back only to stop when Naruto motioned for him to stop.
"Jesus, man, why are you so on edge?" Naruto waved his hand at the dark skinned boy.
"Why's she rubbing your shoulders?" Aqualad shot back. His cautious look didn't fade, but he relaxed enough to give the woman a once over and when he noticed what she was wearing, his eyes opened wide. "She's a dancer."
"A?" Naruto chuckled. "No nio, she is the dancer. Finest one in the building." So far. At least she took it well if the soft giggle he heard was any indication. It was hard to tell if she was genuinely flattered or just putting on an act but he didn't really care: he hadn't called for himself anyway. "And she is here for you," he finished, pointing at Aqualad who leaned away from him.
"What?!" Aqualad could feel his face burning and his heart racing as the woman left Naruto's back to stand in front of him. The smirk on her face was positively sultry and in spite of himself he couldn't fight the steadily growing boner in his pants, something made worse by the perfume wafting from her, it's already heady scent mingled with the tanginess of the sweat that shone on her lithe body. He'd seen her performing when he first arrived and she'd been eyecatching enough from afar, but up close he couldn't find it in himself to look at anything other from her. "W-wait, what about the dealer?"
"About that…I lied." Naruto grinned impishly. "The dealer's a McGuffin."
"You what?" Aqualad couldn't believe his ears. He'd been hoodwinked. "But why?"
"To get you here of course, you sounded constipated over the phone. You need to let loose once in a while. Which is why…" he looked at the dancer expectantly.
"Candi," she replied.
At least give me something less generic, Naruto thought. Seriously, he knew they didn't like to be found outside their jobs but why did they always resort to the most common names? Ah, whatever. "Candi is here," he continued. "By the way, it's his first time so go easy on him but make it memorable."
"Naru-oh." Aqualad's words froze in his throat as the dancer sat on him, her shapely ass pressing down on his laps and still growing prick. It was soft, so soft he was sure he'd be able to knead it were he to give it a squeeze. She felt so warm sitting on him and their closeness let him smell her. All of her. He'd always wondered how a girl's breasts and butt would feel when he wasn't touching them as part of a chain of acts that would lead to him inflicting harm on said girl but he hadn't imagined it happening like this. The dancer…no, Candi, gently rocked on his lap, moving her hips in a pattern that saw his erect cock slightly digging into the valley between. It was extremely embarrassing but the woman either didn't notice or didn't mind because she simply continued to move, her actions oddly in time with the music playing in the background.
Wait…was this a lap dance?
As if reading his thoughts, Naruto spoke. "If you think this is intense, you should see when she really gets going. Oh, and normally they don't let you touch but I paid extra for her services so Candi could you put him through, please?"
"With pleasure," was what Aqualad heard before she took his hand in hers and placed it on her breast. Her breast…he was really touching a breast. "Don't be shy to give it a squeeze, pretty boy."
Naruto amusedly watched the Atlantean grope the woman. He looked so out of his depth, it made him want to laugh. "Seems like she's taken a liking to you. I think you're in good hands."
"W-what?"
"...and with that, I shall take my leave." He got up and straightened his suit. "Normally I'd have stayed to get in on the action but you know—things to see, people to do."
That snapped Aqualad back to reality. "You're really leaving me here?"
"I already achieved what I set out to," Naruto replied. "So what's the word, am I in?"
"After you tricked me?"
"I said I wanted to show you my skills, I didn't specify which," Naruto tightened his tie with a sardonic grin. "At least now you know I can con our enemies on top of kicking ass."
"I-" Aqualad's breath caught in his throat as the dancer twirled on him so they were face to face and he could feel the heat of her crotch on his. "I'll message you."
"Hmm, good enough. See ya." With that, Naruto made his way out of the club, leaving the Atlantean to enjoy his first experience with the Gotham nightlife in peace.
…
It was at around three o'clock in the morning that the flip phone chimed loudly, waking Naruto up from his sleep. He felt for the small device with a hand and upon finding it, dragged it under his blanket. He squinted at the screen, waiting for his eyes to adapt to its brightness before the words became visible.
Batman: Amusement Mile, 5:45am.
He grinned.
…
"Can you believe that?! How was I supposed to tell between stones and bomb pellets when I'm running around with mud in my eyes…"
Artemis, comfortably laying on the couch with her head on Wally's legs, absently kicked her legs in the air as she, along with the remaining members of the team, was forced to listen to Robin bitch about his unfortunate run-in with Clayface in the Gotham sewers the night before or probably earlier this same morning. It was hard to tell; him and Batman patrolled for a lot longer than most other superheroes, oftentimes going as far as to continue until dawn and the fact that the boy joined them in their daytime activities told that he probably never even got up to five hours of sleep and it was the understanding of his plight and the sympathy they felt for him that made them bear his early morning tirades. But hell if it didn't get annoying after a while.
"And then he blew up! In the sewers! Who blows up in a sewer?! I got splashed with everything! And you know what's in the sewers?!" Robin stared at his teammates expectantly. It was after a short but awkward silence that they realized the question isn't rhetoric.
"Um…" Megan started. "Poop?"
"Poop!" Robin screeched. "I got poop all over me! In my gloves, in my boots and in my suit!"
"Errr, eww?" Superboy commented unsurely. Artemis held back a snort. The last time they'd gone after clayface as a team, they'd had the luck of facing him in one of the relatively clean drainage systems. The ones below Clayface's usual stomping grounds were the stuff of nightmares.
"It wasn't all that though, Batgirl got some of it in her mouth," Robin said, snickering. "You should have seen her. She puked so hard her face turned red."
Artemis didn't join him in laughter but the smirk on her face told of her amusement. She imagined Barbara's face at that moment. Considering Robin's hair still reeked even after he'd used the League issued soap, the redhead was probably far worse off. Hell, she could even be sporting bad breath by the next time she went to-
"Really didn't need that mental image, man," Wally groaned, his voice distracting her from her straying thoughts. He sounded drowsy, as though a minute's silence would be enough to lull him to sleep. Jade's poison, although not enough to kill him, had knocked him out cold throughout the previous day and it hadn't completely left his system if his heavy yawns were any indicator. Sometimes she really envied the team's non-humans; Megan and Connor were wide awake and active while her brain still felt like mush from staying up to message Naruto.
At the thought of the blond, her face darkened. That bastard had been ignoring her since their last argument and for a while, she'd been afraid that he was dead until she saw he had not only been reading her messages but continued to meet up with Barbara. She'd shown up at his place but as if he knew she was coming, he was never around. And he said she was acting childish.
"Now that I think of it, where's Kaldur?" Robin asked, looking around. "He's usually one of the first to wake up."
"Oh, he went out last night and he hasn't been back since," Megan chimed in helpfully. "I don't know where he went though…you think he's okay?"
"Yeah, his communicator would have sent a distress signal if something happened to him."
Now that perked Artemis' interest. Kaldur almost never left the mountain on his own and especially not at night without telling anyone where he was going. "You think he went to see someone?"
"Unless Aquaman called him to meet up for some reason, no." Wally frowned. "How was he dressed?"
"In a suit," Connor said.
"Yep. Definitely not Aquaman." Robin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I know!" he exclaimed, suddenly perking up. "I can just pull up his location logs from yesterday."
No sooner had he raced towards their computer did the zeta tube come to life, the chamber filling with yellow light as the AI's voice blared, Designation 03: Black Canary.
A few seconds later, the heroine in question emerged from the light, walking briskly towards the group of teenagers. Artemis' eyes narrowed in jealousy. She'd never understand how Dinah always managed to look fresh regardless of the time she was summoned. Seriously, it was six in the morning and the woman still looked like she'd had the time to take a long shower, brew a coffee and comb her hair. Even her costume looked neat, granted it didn't take much to make fishnet, a corset and a leather jacket look smooth but still! Low-key, she hoped to look as good as her when she got to her age.
"Canary?" Robin stared at her, surprised. "I thought we weren't supposed to have training with you till Wednesday."
"I'm as surprised to be here as you," Dinah Lance grunted as she stretched. "I thought I'd have the morning to myself and planned accordingly, but Batman told me to show up so here I am." She sighed. "If I knew he'd keep me waiting, I would have taken my time getting ready."
"Why would he call you?" Megan inquired. "Did something happen?"
"Prepare?" Artemis parroted the older blonde irritably.
"Why of course," Dinah smiled, showing off perfect dentals. "I've got to look prim and proper for the newcomer after all."
That got all their attention. Even Wally had shaken off the poison induced drowsiness plaguing him.
"A newcomer?" Artemis swung her legs off the armrest and sat up from Wally's lap. "That fast?"
Robin eyed her quizzically. "What do you mean that fast? It's been over a month since we said we were looking for someone new."
"Yeah, but I figured we wouldn't get any soon—it's not like we've been doing interviews and posting job offers online," she snarked.
"And you think Batman wouldn't have been searching for one?" Robin smirked but it dropped off his face soon after. "Who even is it?" he asked Black Canary.
Dinah shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. Considering we didn't hold a meeting over it, I'm guessing he found the person on short notice."
"You think it has to do with Kaldur leaving last night?" Wally asked no one in particular.
Dinah's brows shot up. "Kaldur went out on his own last night? To where?"
"That's the thing, he didn't say," Megan replied concernedly. "Maybe he thought we were all asleep and didn't want to disturb but he could have left a note."
Dinah's brows furrowed. "That's…concerning. It could have been Batman who summoned him."
"Unless Batman wanted to take him to a fashion show, he wouldn't have made Kaldur wear a suit." Wally rubbed his eyes. "Man, I'm sleepy."
"It could have been a date," Megan suggested.
Artemis scoffed. "At night?" The martian deflated.
"Maybe it was to go get the new guy," Connor offered. Artemis thought that was the most likely option, but she couldn't think of anyone the Atlantean would need to put on a suit to recruit.
"I guess we won't know unless we see him," Dinah made her way to the chair. "Scoot, you two."
As if on cue, the zeta beam came to life once again. Designation B-02: Aqualad.
Just as the AI had said, Kaldur came trudging out of the zeta beam clad in a suit just like Megan had said or rather, what was meant to be a suit. The jacket was missing, leaving him in only his trousers and a black turtleneck spattered with small rhinestones that scattered the light falling upon them. Artemis was sure the stones didn't come with the outfit. His trousers were rumpled from the knees down, as though he'd pulled them up and he wore a pair of dark sunglasses that completely blotted out his eyes but Artemis could see his forehead and brows furrowed as if he were squinting. He looked fine or at the very least, uninjured.
"Aqualad? Where the hell have you been, man?" Wally glared at him. "And what's with the suit?"
"Forget the suit," Robin's nose wrinkled. "What's that smell?"
Artemis' eyes narrowed. Smell? It was when the Atlantean got close enough to the rest of the group that the stench of stale cigarette smoke and alcohol became perceivable. The years of experience with her father made it easy to connect the dots as to where Kaldur had gone.
Dinah had been even faster at coming to the same conclusion. "You went clubbing?"
"Hello Megan!"
Wally couldn't believe it. "He went to a club?!"
Aqualad grimaced. "Keep your voice down, Wally."
"Hell no," the speedster refused and continued to speak loudly. " How did you even get in? You don't look 21! What the hell did you go to a club for? Why didn't you tell anyone? Who-"
"Wally, shut up," Dinah interjected. "He's obviously hungover and you're not helping."
"I'm not trying to help," Wally said stubbornly. "I'm trying to find out why he'd leave the headquarters at night an-"
Designation Z-01: Batman.
Everyone paused to stare at the beam as the familiar cowled silhouette of the Dark Knight himself appeared, no doubt with the newcomer. Artemis idly wondered who it would be. She couldn't boast of knowing every superhero within her age bracket but she was confident enough to guess where the most likely candidates would come from. BeastBoy had split from the Doom Patrol a short while ago, Zatanna was probably looking to leave her father's shadow, she'd been hearing word of some kid called Blue Beetle recently a-
New guest designation added…Designation A-60: Clockwork.
Wait, what?
"Who the hell is Clockwork?" Wally asked around.
"Oh." Robin paused and looked back at Aqualad who sat slouched on the spot of the couch Canary had vacated for him. "Well, that explains it."
"What explains what?"
"Where Kaldur went," Robin answered vaguely. Dinah massaged her forehead with a sigh. Of all the people to scout, it had to be him.
Designation A-60: Clockwork.
Artemis grit her teeth as another silhouette appeared next to Batman's and a second later, the caped crusader came out followed by the guest designation's owner. Her stomach dropped when she noticed a shock of yellow hair underneath a baseball cap. She didn't have to see what was behind the hexagonal reflective sunglasses to know there would be a pair of blue eyes staring right at her. The smirk was enough; that damned cocky smirk that made her skin tingle. The dick. The absolute fucking dick. No wonder he'd been ignoring her—he'd probably been setting this up for weeks.
Uzumaki Naruto's smirk evolved into a toothy grin. "What's wrong, Artemis? You look like you've seen a ghost."
That confirmed it. He was here because of her.
He took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. "Ahh, it smells like truth, justice and the American way in here." And then he noticed Kaldur. "Oh, nevermind, it's just beer. Hi, Aqualad."
The hungover teenager raised a hand in greeting. "Naruto," he whispered.
"Hello Megan, I thought we weren't inviting him anymore," Megan looked at Aqualad. "That's why you went out?"
"Yep." Naruto nodded. "We had a heart-to-heart with drinks."
"Aren't you below drinking age too?" Dinah asked suspiciously. "Why would you take him to a club?"
"So the bartender could make us drinks to drink," Naruto shrugged. "We drunk 'em, got drunk and you know what they say, a drunk man never lies."
"If you both got drunk, why's Kaldur-" Wally cursed himself for the slip-up. The glares he got from Robin and Dinah said he wasn't the only one doing the cursing. "Aqualad, the only one who's hungover."
"It was past my bedtime so I left early." Naruto responded, still not taking his eyes off Artemis who scoffed. "From what I see though, it was a wild night. Candi treat you well?"
"Oh my God," Dinah exclaimed, bewilderment filling her face. "You took him to a strip club."
"I'm sure the owners of the Cadillac Lounge would be insulted by the debasement of their establishment." Naruto gave the heroine a once over. He'd been hoping to see her in person and he had to say, he was not disappointed in the least. Banging body and a face card straight out of his wet dreams. She even wore a choker. How the hell did Green Arrow bag someone like her? God really blessed the wrong people sometimes.
"...You took him to an expensive strip club."
Artemis shook her head resignedly. So Jade hadn't been bullshitting when she said she'd run into Naruto at the Iceberg Lounge's basement. He really did sneak into clubs and all.
"You make it sound bad." Naruto sniffed. "It's a new experience, Black Canary. Life's all about adventure and trying new things."
"Not when the new thing is crime," Dinah snapped. "And you left him alone drunk. And in the company of a stripper."
"They're not all bad , you know." You could pass for one yourself.
Naruto heard Megan gasp and whisper something in Connor's ear, prompting the clone to glare at him. Shit. Rewind time.
…
"Aren't you below drinking age too?" Dinah asked suspiciously. "Why would you take him to a club?"
"To stake out a potential venom dealer," Naruto lied and saw Artemis frown, look around then glare at him. She'd gotten too used to his powers. Oh well.
"I found Aqualad alone in the company of two women," Batman spoke up, staring at Naruto intently, "He said you tricked him."
Fuck-why did he even care what they thought?
…
"They're not all that bad, you know?" Naruto argued. "Besides, we had fun. It's the illicit nature of it that makes it so fun, like skipping class or staying out past curfew to go bowling with your friends."
Dinah sighed. "Just…don't make a habit of it, okay?" She looked at Batman tiredly. "I told you we shouldn't have given them fake IDs."
Only Robin was familiar enough with Batman's body language to know the man had shrugged. "It was bound to happen."
The teenagers jolted. Was Batman really defending them? Sure they hadn't all gone but he was basically saying he wouldn't have minded if they had.
"I can't believe I'm the one sounding like a wet towel here," the metahuman murmured and shook her head.
"That's not to say you should have left him alone," Batman said to Naruto. "I only overlooked it because Aqualad insisted I accept you into the team."
Naruto tilted his head. "Is that your decision to make?"
"Yes."
"Isn't Aqualad the leader?"
"He already wants you in. And he's not in the right state to make official decisions."
"Oh."
Batman nodded. "Get familiar with the rest—you'll be seeing them constantly for the duration of your contract." With that, he turned to leave with Black Canary joining him.
"Hey, can you tell Barb I'm up here?" Naruto called after the retreating man but got no response. Edgy prick. He looked back at the rest of the team who stared at him cautiously.
"So…does anyone here like Rambo?"
Did you hear? Baby Keem just humbled a model. Not a fake one, a real one, don't stunt.
