Aquagirl (Fem. Percy x YJ)

93

Kaldur stood in front of one of the Zeta Tubes, jacket tight around his waist. Hunched over, he poked at the different keys, frowning like he was having a hard time seeing them. The screen flashed red.

I swallowed, one hand pressed to the wall. Would he be distracted with that long enough for me to slip across the room? Anxiety and fear had my heart racing, making my powers push at the water in the pipes. Dry hair brushed my shoulders. I'd have to be quiet, and maybe I could make it.

One step. Then two. I wished I would've taken off my shoes. Three. Four. His fingers tapped harder on the keys. Five. Six.  Almost halfway. Seven. My sneaker caught on the floor, sending me stumbling. He turned. We stared at each other, frozen in place. He recovered first.

Kaldur grabbed my face. His eyes weren't focused--he probably couldn't see anything clearly. As much as I wanted to pull away, I didn't. 

"I tried," he mumbled. "I tried so hard to keep you safe." His thumb---shaking---trailed over my cheek. His eyes were glossy, and he pressed his lips into a thin line. "I'd do it again." That was only a whisper.

I couldn't say anything, my words stuck as a lump in my throat.

"I'd do it for you. Anything for you." He kissed my forehead. "I mean it. I would do anything. I will."

"How far does that extend?"

"If...you wish to kill me, I will let you."

"I'm not going to be a tool to allow you to get what you want."

He sighed, a huffed out breath that made his head droop. "It is not so much being something I want, but rather something I deserve, sister." Even knowing he was doing it to rile me up, the word stung. "And if the two happen to align, why deprive yourself of this justice simply because it offers me something as well?" A bitter smile spread on his face. He tilted his head so he could see me better. "No one would blame you."

He was right. No one would blame me, and even if they did, I doubt they'd do anything. I could say I thought he was going to hurt me, that it was an accident. That he begged me to do it, and really he had, hadn't he? He wants to die.

But I don't really want him dead. At least, not by my hand.

I hugged him. I pressed my face into his shoulder. I'd been jealous of his height, but it was nice for things like this. For a moment, things could be normal. They weren't, and I doubted they ever would be again, but I was more than capable of pretending.

"This is not-- You are supposed to--" His nails dug into my back. "Percy. Please."

After more than a moment of silence, I said, "I am more than content to let our king pick your punishment."

The death penalty would be far more painful for him than any death I'd exact. And it would hurt Mother less. Or at least, I hoped it would. Was it better to have a child sentenced to death or to have one kill the other? (I'd have to ask one of the gods. I was sure it happened at some point.)

Kaldur ran his fingers through my hair. His heart was racing. I pushed away.

"What were you doing, anyway?" I walked over to the terminal.

"Robin stopped by recently. The other members of the Team are worried about me, and I wish to put their minds at ease."

"So they can be blindsided later?"

"You cannot say anything considering how I was told Beckendorf died."

I winced. "What code are you using?"

He rattled off a long sequence of numbers and letters, an override sequence Robin gave him, and I typed them in. Twenty letters, fifteen numbers. How he was able to remember it was beyond me, but he'd always been the one to remind me of assignments and appointments. He could probably remember something embarrassing from when we were in cribs if I pressed him to. 

The Zeta tube hummed as it warmed up.

As I stood there, staring at the location Kaldur had already inputted, warm, thin arms wrapped me from behind. I did not mind this time. Not to say I liked it, because I didn't. But there was no flinching, no tensing. He squeezed me tight and mumbled 'I love you' into my hair. 

When I pulled away, he untied the jacket and shrugged it on. The collar covered the bandages around his neck, but the fabric hung off of him in a way his new clothes didn't. Pressing my lips into a thin line, I fingered the stones of my bracelet. Is that how I would look if I tried to wear my old clothes?

"Are you trying to give your mother a heart attack?" Tula asked as she walked into the room. She eyed the terminal. "Where are you going?"

"I am still the leader of the Team. The responsibility of ensuring Artemis does not murder Wally ultimately falls to me." Kaldur said it with a seriousness I hadn't heard in a long time, not since the earliest days of being in the Cave.

"You are not active duty. You are supposed to be resting."

"I am supposed to be imprisoned in the Cave, unable to leave without supervision. Forgive me for wanting time to myself with my friends." 

Sensing a brewing argument, because while it was hard to work Kaldur up he did have a breaking point, I brushed my hand against his and pushed a tiny amount of calm to him. His voice mellowed, wavered, and he clutched at Tula's hands. 

"Percy," Tula said, "Garth's in the living room."

I could take the hint.

And look, I've updated uh, like three months after i said id finish the book soon. I really need to stop saying stuff like that don't i?

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the update

See yah