More Young Justice Trash

The Artist

-Just a little Kaldur-centric fic with elements of the Boy Wonder's mischief-

"Horses are nothing like skateboards." Artemis scoffed. "Are you going to play skate polo? Do an equestrian halfpipe?"

"Horses are exactly like skateboards," Wally argued. "You stand on them!"

At that point, Kaldur decided he'd had enough of the conversation, excusing himself. The humans were always saying things he didn't understand,  it was exhausting.

and Kaldur could pretend he wasn't jealous that M'gann meshed better socially than he did, when he'd ben on land two years and she'd been there mere months... At least he still integrated better than Conner, who struggled to decern sarcasm on his best days.

Kaldur retreated to his room, he felt ashamed for being jealous of his teammates, but at least he had one thing he could control. One thing that was just for him.

The boy sat on the bed, retrieving a pad of graph paper and a mechanical pencil he stolen from the supplies room, and settled down to draw.

Kaldur had been drawing all his life, when he wasn't working, at least. Ever since he was a small child he'd seek out the flattest slate, a sharp metal stylus, and then spend hours scratching intricate designs into the stone. 

Drawing on the surface--on paper-- was a learning curve,  but once he got it, he was in love. So much so that when he was fourteen Wonder woman had caught him searching through the recycling just to find something else to draw on.

Nowadays his drawing was a habit to while away the long days when his friends were in school. He wasn't very good, honestly, but he enjoyed it.

He rifled through the loose pages, searching for an empty one.  Finding what he sought, he got to work, graphite running along the page in winding lines and angles, his fingers mindlessly smudged and shaded the face as it took shape. It was Canary, her nose straight and cheeks thin, platinum waves spilling over her shoulders.

"What'cha doing?"

Kaldur started, dropping his pencil. "Robin." He stood.

"Up to something elicit?"

Flustered, Kaldur fumbled with the papers, stuttering quietly. "Just-- just work."

"Whoa! Did you do that?" Dick gaped, glancing over his shoulder.

"I-- yes." He admitted, grateful that his skin pigment concealed the violent blush taking over his face.

"That's so good!" Robin tugged out a drawing of M'gann from the pile. "Hey, that looks just like her!"

Kaldur lowered his eyes bashfully, scratching his gills. "...Thank you."

"You're pretty good. How long have you been drawing?"

He fiddled with the papers. "A long time ago...I've been improving my hand drawing for about a decade... not that anyone's ever noticed...."

"Can you do me?"

"I have." Kaldur admitted, shuffling through the pages, extracting one of the boy wonder.

"Whoa! That's so cool! Thanks man!" Robin shuffled closer on the bed. "What else can you draw?"

"People mostly, though I draw landscapes sometimes." He admitted. "I can draw some animals... mostly ones I grew up around." He showed Dick a few Copepod sketches and a rather lopsided angler fish. 

"That's awesome!" Dick encouraged. "How did I never know you drew?"

"I don't share it..." Kaldur admitted. "...I'm not very good yet..."