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His Final Question	By : Evilevergreen Category: DC Verse Cartoons - Teen Titans > Het Views: 6645 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Chapter Four: A Friend's Duty

Aqualad paced the length of the Tower. He sighed heavily as he crossed his arms and continued to look over the city. It had been hours since they had sent Bumblebee out on her own to put Pioneer in jail. In that time they had returned Speedy to the Tower to treat his minor injuries and had gone back to the bridge to find and destroy the bombs that Pioneer had set up.

"Where the hell is she?" Aqualad asked out loud. This was all starting to be too strange for him. Every time they had gone as a group to drop off the bad guy it never took more than half an hour, but every time Bumblebee went alone, if felt like it took all day. Sure, Aqualad knew he didn't have to know where she was every single moment of every single day, it wasn't his place and so he never called her out about it, but today she was taking longer than usually. . . even for her.

Then finally, he saw a twinkle in the sky. It was Bumblebee as the sun's light reflected off her wings as she flew. Aqualad watched as he went unnoticed by her as she flew towards the Tower and only stopped long enough to open her window and fly in. After a few minutes of contemplating what he was going to say to her, Aqualad headed towards the door and down to his leader's room.

Her room was only a floor down from the roof so the journey did not take him long. He stood in front of her door and rose his hand as he balled it into a fist to knock, but something stopped him and for the longest time he stood frozen in his position. Something Aqualad had never heard before within the Tower was coming from the other side of the door. Finally, Aqualad's hand slowly retook its place by his side as he recognized the sound. It was the sound of crying.

Aqualad had to admit, the sound completely threw him off. He didn't even know she knew how to cry. She had always been this pillar of unbreakable strength to him that sometimes he forgot that she was only human. "Bee?" he called softly, but loud enough to be heard.

He heard her gasp and then the sound of things being scattered around. "Hold on," she told him before she finally came to the door. She was wearing a smile that to anyone else would have seem sincere, but to one who knew her well, as he did, he could see the falsehood behind it. "Did you need something?" she asked him as she allowed him into her room. Aqualad said nothing at first as he approached the bed and sat down. He crossed his fingers as his arms rested on his legs. "Al?" she called him for short when they were alone. "Al, what's wrong?" her voice was full with concern.

"I was just about to ask you the same question," he confessed.

Bumblebee then placed on that false smile again as she shook her head. "There's nothing wrong with me."

Aqualad looked up at her from the bed as a frown marked his features. "I never thought I would live to see the day where you would start lying to me, Bee."

"I'm not lying," she tried to convince him, but her body language gave her away as she protectively wrapped her arms around herself.

"I want to help, Bee. Whatever it is, you know you can tell me," he told her as he stood up and walked towards her.

"I know, Al. It's just," she held herself tighter, "you can't help me." She lowered her head as she whispered, "No one can help me."

Aqualad looked at her oddly. This was not the Bumblebee he knew. This was the scared girl he had seen this morning; the one that had begged for his help. "Is this still about Speedy?"

She gave an empty laugh. "No, I can handled him on my own." But that was not the impression she had left him with earlier that day.

"What happened this morning between you two?" Aqualad's voice sounded unfamiliar to himself.

"Will you lay off that already? I'm tired of repeating myself." She turned away from him and stood in front of her dresser as she searched for something in one of drawers.

"Bee, don't turn your back on me when we're talking." He reached out his hand and took her by the arm to turn her back towards him.

Bumblebee, as she was whipped back around, only looked down at where Aqualad held her. "Don't." She never rose her eyes to his. “Don't start this now. You have never tired to control me Al and I love you for that, so don't you dare start now."

"That's not want I'm trying to do." He released her. "I'm worried about you, that's all. Why won't you just talk to me?"

She then finally looked up at him. "I want to be alone now."

"Bee-"

"I said now."

He nodded his head. "Fine."

He walked towards the door, but before he could open it he heard Bumblebee’s voice, “I didn’t mean for you to be angry with me.”

“I’m not.” He turned to her. “I just thought we were beyond this, but apparently I was mistaken.”

He went to leave again. “Dammit, Al wait.” He stopped again. “I need to ask you something. Something important.”

“What is it?”

“Do you think I’m good at this? Am I just falling on my face?” she asked tenderly. “I mean, I’m not as patient as Cyborg. I’m not as coordinated as him. I don’t make great little speeches before we head out into battle. I can’t even get the twins to eat my cooking, and they eat about anything.” Her shoulders slumped.

Aqualad smiled as he drew near her. “Come, sit down with me,” he told her and when they were settled he began. “We're superheroes, Bee, but that doesn’t mean we’re perfect. Yes, we go out there almost every day and we risk our lives to save people we don't even know. So people tend to look at us like we are more, or in some cases less, than human. Like we don't have normal lives, but we are just that, we are only human. So you don't have to put on an act for me. It's okay for you to be real. It's okay for you to be scared and to be uncertain.” He placed his hand on top of hers. “It's even okay for you to cry. You have that right."

Bumblebee lowered her head. "Bee," his voice was soothing. "We have seen a lot of things in our lives. We have seen lost, destruction, and the most ugliest side of man, but don't lose yourself in that and if you find that are. . .you know where to find me."

"Thank you," she said weakly as he pulled her into an embrace and gave her a brotherly kiss on the forehead. “But what I really wanted to hear was that you like my cooking.”

Aqualad laughed. “Then I would be lying.” She smiled along with him as they pulled away from each other. “Besides, Speedy has declared himself chef of the house so I see it as one less chore for the rest of us.”

“Yeah,” Bumblebee agreed as the smile slowly slipped off her face and she once again wrapped her arms around herself.

Aqualad’s brow drew together in deep thought as he witnessed the change in her. He thought he had cheered her up. “Is there anything else you want to say to me?” He hoped she would open up, but she shook her no and Aqualad headed out to leave her with her thoughts.

OoOoO

Aqualad swiftly walked down the hall. He road the elevator to the fourth floor and got out as he found himself on a mission. He knew whatever Bumblebee wasn’t telling him was hurting her. So much so, that she couldn’t bring herself to admit that she was in pain. Aqualad would not allow that. He had tried to ease her worries, but there was still something else, something he couldn’t touch. He realized that the mention of Speedy had effected her and so decided he was going to get to the bottom of this once and for all.

Aqualad wasted no time as he pounded on Speedy’s door. He heard a groan from the other side as he waited for the door to open. Before he even saw the archer he heard his voice. “So you finally came to check on me. Worried, are we?” When Speedy did come into his view the smile on his face immediately fell.

“No, not really.” Aqualad smiled at the displeasured Speedy took finding him at his door, but the smile was cold, as it didn’t reach his eyes.

Speedy’s shoulders dropped. “What do you want, Fish Boy?” he asked him.

“I want to talk to you,” he told him in authorize type voice as he pushed Speedy out the way and forced himself to his teammate’s room.

Speedy cocked an eyebrow at him as he was shoved. “About what?” he asked as he rubbed his now sore shoulder, which joined the rest of his body as it ached.

“About what happened with you and Bee this morning,” Aqualad explained. “She won’t talk to me and that’s not like her.”

Speedy lowered his hand and held is head high. “Look, I know that this is kind of hard for you to understand, but like I told you before, nothing happened.” He then smirked with a light chuckle on his lips. “And even if something did, it wouldn’t be any of your business.” He then started to walk away from Aqualad. He had been cleaning his bow and wanted to get back to it.

Then out of nowhere Aqualad’s hand shot out and grabbed Speedy’s arm before he could pass. In surprise of the gesture, Speedy swiftly turned his head back to him. They had only been a team for a short while, but Aqualad had never come off as an aggressive type person. In fact, he was so eerily calm that it gave Speedy the shivers how he could keep his cool, but apparently that wasn’t the case today.

“No, you look,” Aqualad began through clench teeth. “I am tired of all the bullshit between you two. So we're going to talk about it, we’re going to work it out, and we’re going to end this.”

“There’s nothing to discuss,” Speedy tried to keep his voice and tone in check as he pushed the offending grip off of himself.

“Then why did she want you off the team?”

Speedy, for the second time that day, looked at him in surprise. “You’re playing with me.”

“I don’t play,” Aqualad confirmed. “So talk. Now.”

“It was a joke. Nothing more.” Speedy hoped that Aqualad missed the panic that lined his words. “I wasn’t actually going to do anything. I just wanted to shake her up a bit, alright?” he tried to explain. “I was never going to force her into anything.”

Aqualad brow creased heavily. “Force her into what?” he asked expecting a quick reply, but became disturbed as he saw the nervousness of Speedy fade away as it was replaced with one of his arrogant smiles.

“Intriguing,” he stated to himself as he tucked his left arm under the other as his right hand took his chin. “Is the missus keeping secrets from you?” he asked. “Very intriguing. Because I believe if Bee wanted me gone, she would have told me to my face. You’re bluffing me.”

“You don’t understand me and Bee at all. We don’t keep secrets from each other.”

“Really?” Speedy placed both of his hands on his hip and took a step closer to his teammate. “So she told you she came to see me in my room this morning?”

“I knew it before you did,” he told him truthfully.

“I’m sure, but I bet you anything she skipped a few details here and there.” His smile grew wider. “Like the fact that she was in my bed,” he then whispered, “underneath me, screaming my name?” Speedy waited for a reaction, when none came he took Aqualad’s silence as a victory. “But like I said before, I was never going to force her into anything, though I can’t say she completely hated the experience. In fact, I think she quite enjoyed-”

“Stop talking,” Aqualad interrupted. “Before you dig a hole you can't get out of. Besides, Bee’s not like that.”

“She’s not?” Speedy was amused. “Are you sure? Because maybe your little girlfriend needs-”

“Why do you always call her that?” Aqualad interrupted again.

“Call her what?” he asked.

“My girlfriend.”

“Because she is,” he said simply. “The way you go around holding, and touching,” he threw his hands up in the air and bobbed his head from side to side, “and laughing, and kissing her forehead.” He then suddenly dropped his hands and head as he looked at Aqualad. “It’s enough to make me sick.” As he finished he noticed a slight smile on Aqualad’s face. “What?”

“You’re jealous of me,” Aqualad said with a smile.

“What?” He took a few steps back as if offended.

“Because you’re in love with Bee, Aqualad stated as if surprised to hear the words come out his own mouth.

“Nonsense.” Speedy turned away from him. “Get out.”

“I’m right and you know it, don’t you?” he asked as he watched the archer sit on his bed, pick up his bow, and begin to clean it. When Speedy said nothing Aqualad continued. “You’re jealous of the relationship I have with her. I always knew you were attracted to her and vise verse,” Speedy’s head slightly jerked up at the statement, “but I never thought-”

“Please,” Speedy interrupted him, lowering his bow. “Look at me. Look at what I do. I have no problem picking up the ladies. So why in the world would I go after someone like Bee who, if you haven’t noticed, can’t stand me?”

“You’ve just answered your own question, Speedy,” Aqualad tired to explain. “You like the chase, the challenge of it all. When I introduced you two for the first time, you were baffled because she didn’t succumb to your charm like other girls. You would have to work for her affections, something you’ve never had to do before. But Bee’s not like the girls who usually chase after your sorry ass and so you don’t know how to handle her, so to speak.” He shrugged. “And that’s why you became fascinated with her, which eventually lead to you loving her.”

Speedy scoffed and arched an eyebrow. “Do you know how stupid that sounds?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t make it any less true.” Aqualad crossed his arms and shifted his weight. “Now, on a very serious note,” his tone changed. He was calm again, for the upper hand Speedy once had was now his own. “I would be careful if I were you, because if you do anything that hurts Bee again,” he turned around and headed towards the door, “I’ll make sure you wake up with the fishes.”

Speedy then watched as Aqualad left his room. The threat bothered him none as he once again picked up his bow to finally finish cleaning it. He laughed lightly to himself as he hung it on the wall and looked out the window. “Me in love with Bee? How ridiculous is that?”

To Be Continued. . .

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His Final Question