Things Will Change

"Kaldur, do you want to help bake some cookies?"

To Aqualad, traitor-turned-leader of the Justice League's covert operations team, the question seems awfully mundane after all that's just happened.

But Superboy doesn't ask him if he's tired, he doesn't ask if he's okay, he doesn't tell Kaldur that he's done a good job, like everyone else does. He just asks him to join his team. Kaldur wants to say no, the list of stunts the team has pulled with the invasion has merited piles of paperwork that Nightwing so graciously dumped on him, along with letters from his mother and stepfather he cannot bring himself to read, threat letters from purist Atlanteans who are not as forgiving as his team that warn him against returning home. All Kaldur wants to do is rest, but the Watchtower's lounge is not as comfortable as the cave he destroyed, and he has nowhere else to go.

Connor won't take no for an answer anyway. It's been almost a month since the Reach was sent to trial, and Kaldur needs to come out of the room for other occasions than just mission assignments. With his strength cloned from the man of steel, Connor drags Kaldur to the kitchen, with Sphere and Wolf sticking to Kaldur stubbornly.

Miss Martian smiles at her big brother, levitating a tray of finished cookies over to him.

"Kal!" Beast Boy pushes the tray over and holds out a few choice cookies, decorated with Aquaman's symbol in frosting just for him.

M'gann pours milk for herself, Connor, and Garfield and some tea for Kaldur without even asking, and Kaldur notices just how much she's smiling.

"You look well." He tells her.

"Thanks Aqualad, I feel a lot better."

Superboy and Miss Martian's cheeks are pink, sneaking looks at each other every so often that make them turn even more red. Garfield's cheeks are puffed up as he watches in frustration.

Kaldur shakes his head at the two of them, and maybe he does nudge M'gann a little closer to Connor as he reaches for the vanilla extract.

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Wonder Girl is training all alone in the Watchtower's gym, but she's hesitant about using the League's stuff because it's all really nice and new and unlike the stuff that used to be at the cave because the team was so attached to their things and wouldn't let Batman replace it even after Superboy got mad at Nightwing and Kid Flash and threw an elliptical at them. She doesn't have a sparring partner because Superboy's on a date with M'gann, or always with M'gann, and she's too afraid to hurt any of her teammates because she knows she gets a little overexcited.

"You?" she asks when Kaldur volunteers. She says okay because she's dying to let out some energy.

Kaldur senses her surprise when he matches her strength, and Cassie finds herself talking as they spar, asking him questions while trying to find a subject that isn't insensitive. Because he misses it so much, Aqualad tells her all about Atlantis. His training in the military, which is similar to what Cassie's undergone with the Amazons; the religion, Cassie proudly names a few water nymphs she's met on Themyscira; and about his family. Kaldur and most of the team know her mother already, so Cassie suggests that the team have a get-together where they bring their families to meet their friends because the team needs to meet Jaime's little sister.

That night, Kaldur asks La'gaan to give a message to Sha'lain'a and Calvin.

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Honorary-League-And-Team-Member Red Arrow walks into the Watchtower one day to find Aqualad surrounded by half-finished physics books, all that Kaldur protests he's in the middle of reading. Artemis left them at the tower around the start of July for anyone who wanted them. Bart took one, and Tim skimmed one, but the rest have been collecting dust in the Lounge that the team has easily claimed as "theirs" and several members, such as Beast Boy and Bart, have tried to ban all League members from entering, without much success.