63

                                    

                                          
e moment Kaldur saw me, he rushed forward and wrapped me in a tight hug. He pressed his face into my neck and I could feel his fingers digging into me through my clothes.
                          
"I- I thought you-" he cut off, not finishing his sentence. He didn't have to. I know what he meant.
                          
"I'm fine Kaldur." I mumbled patting his back. He was crying, and I hated that I was making him go through this. Me basically turning myself into the League was supposed to make his life easier. It was supposed to keep him from stressing. All it did was the opposite.
                          
I thought that I'd be getting out of a lecture, since Orin left the room. Turns out I was wrong.
                          
"What in your uncle's name were you thinking?!" Kaldur pulled out of the hug, but grabbed my shoulders just to make sure I couldn't escape. "You could have been killed!"
                          
"But I wasn't."
                          
"You know that is not the point, Percy. You left without a warning, without so much as a note. I had no idea where you were and if it wasn't for my king I still would not. I am supposed to be your protector, and yet you keep me from fulfilling that role."
                          
He knew what my response was to that, so I didn't have to say it. He sighed and dropped his hands. He wiped his eyes before kissing my forehead.
                          
"I want to keep you safe. I need to keep you safe. It is not a matter of my duty, it never has been. I love you and care for you as my sister, I simply want to make sure I can protect you."
                          
"You're staring to sound like you're older than me." I smiled. "Seriously Kaldur, I'm fine."
                          
"But what if you were not? What if you got hurt and I was not there to prevent it?"
                          
"Then I'd be hurt and still getting this lecture." I grabbed his hand. "Come on, let's watch some TV."
                          
I pulled him to the couch and sat down, turning the TV on. I didn't fight against Kaldur as he pulled me close to him and wrapped himself around me. I'd just get yelled at more.
                          
"I am glad you are safe." He mumbled against my shoulder.
                          
Neither of us are really safe. He's in danger because of me and I'm in danger because of my dad. I stared at my hands. Arms tightening, Kaldur shifted me closer to him.
                          
"What's wrong?" His voice was soft.
                          
"Nothing."
                          
"There is something."
                          
"It's nothing that we can change Kaldur, so don't worry about it."
                          
"You know, that makes me worry." Orin reentered, carrying a pizza. I raised an eyebrow. He smiled. "There are some perks to being a superhero. I am going to change." He sat the box on the coffee table.
                          
Neither Kaldur or I made a move to get pizza. Orin came back, now dressed in sweats and a t shirt. He sat beside me.
                          
"Do you want to explain what the two ofyou were thinking?" He asked. "You could have ended up in prison."
                          
"We were careful. Besides, what's different about us being vigilantes? That's how Batman and Green Arrow started."
                          
"The difference is we have founded a hero organization. Operating outside of it does not-"
                          
"Roy operates independent of the Justice League, though he will occasionally ask me to assist him." Kaldur lifted his head from my shoulder. "My king, can we please postpone this? I..." He swallowed and pressed his forehead back to my shoulder. He trembled.
                          
Orin didn't hesitate. He pulled the two of us into a tight hug.
                          
"I was so worried for the two of you. When you disappeared, I assumed the worst. I thought I was going to have to go tell Sha'lain'a that you two had killed yourselves. The only thing that gave me any hope was the note Kaldur left."
                          
I chewed the inside of my lip. "I told you, I'm not going to kill myself. Not when it would hurt you guys."
                          
"You already hurt us when you tried before." Orin sighed. He released us. "Kaldur, your mother wishes for you to visit her at some point along with Percy. I presume you know what the matter being discussed will be?"
                          
We nodded. Orin stood up.
                          
"Good. I am going to go get plates. The two of you do not look like you have had a good meal in a while. What do you want to drink?"
                          
"Water." Kaldur and I responded at the same time, leading to us giggling like we were five. Which we were still doing when Orin came back with cups and plates.
                          
It turns out that eating four pieces of pizza after eating next to nothing for a while is not a good idea. I laid stretched across Kaldur's lap, groaning.
                          
"This is what you get for eating so fast." He rubbed my stomach. "Especially when you went three days without eating-"
                          
"What?" Orin stared at us.
                          
Oh great. We're in even more trouble now. Yay.
                          
When neither of us answered, Orin ran a hand through his hair. "When was the last time you ate before this?"
                          
"Dad took me for ice cream." I said.
                          
"I had a can of peaches yesterday. Percy had a can of pears before she left where we were staying."
                          
"That is nowhere enough food for the two of you. Why didn't you call me?"
                          
"We were trying to stay away from the League and we didn't want to get you in trouble." I sat up, Kaldur grunting in pain as my bones dug into his leg.
                          
"Yet you essentially handed yourself over to the League?"
                          
"I thought if I did that, Kaldur wouldn't be as stressed."
                          
"For the record, it only made me more stressed." He poked my stomach and I groaned in pain.
                          
"Stop." My words were mumbled as I relaxed against him.
                          
Orin stood up and gathered the plates. "You two are going back to the Cave. You are going to talk with Black Canary and you are going to eat a balanced diet. After you two are in a better place mentally, then we can decide where to go."
                          
"Orin!" I whined.
                          
"No. You two are not arguing with me. You know you need help and it's time you get it."
                          
*confetti cannons* 
                          
I'm alive!
                          
And I'm gonna go get some macaroni pizza
                          
See yah