Kaldur had been dealing with his crush on his best friend quite well, in his own opinion. He'd been discreet, taking pains never to press too close or clasp his hand to the other man's shoulder for too long. He had even done a very admirable, he thought, job of hiding the underlying reason for his disapproval of Roy's relationship with Cheshire.

All in all, he'd thought he was in the clear to lead a quiet life of mercilessly suppressing his own feelings until they withered and died like a plant without sunlight.

In retrospect, he thought to himself when Cheshire ambushed him in an abandoned Star City warehouse during one of his routine patrols, he should have known better to than think it would go so neatly.

"I had a little run in with a friend of yours in Dakota City," she told him, ducking under the swipe of one of his swords. "I don't think she knew who I was. She's a very talkative drunk, by the way. Your team should look after her better," she mocked, slipping through his guard to get behind him. In a flash her sai was at his throat, forcing him to freeze. "But I knew who she was, and she had some very interesting things to say about her last boyfriend."

Raquel, Kaldur realized, trapped. Their break-up had been months ago. It had ended amenable enough. She was the one who broke it off, saying she wasn't interested in dating someone caught up on someone else.

She'd always noticed things the others hadn't. Observant, mature enough to be living out of her own head. There was a reason she'd already made it onto the League.

Kaldur's stomach dropped with realization, a ball of lead. He had a feeling he knew where this conversation was about to go, and he wanted no part of it.

Cheshire removed her mask with her free hand. Her grin was beneath it was identical to the one on it, delighted and cruel. "I know your secret," she crooned, breath warm on his ear.

Kaldur flinched, nicking himself on her sai. A bead of blood welled up from the cut, swelling red and round until gravity drove it down the curve of his neck. Cheshire watched it fall, smile curving in pleasure.

"Touchy," she sang. "Looks like I've hit a nerve."

"I do not know what you speak of," Kaldur tried, because he had to.

Cheshire chuckled, body shaking against his own. Her nails dug sharply into the flesh of his jaw as she turned his face down to meet her.

"Liar," she sneered, eyes dancing. "Even if your little friend hadn't pointed it out to me, its obvious once you know to look," she purred.

Kaldur glared at her, shifting in indignation, but kept he mouth sealed.

"Oh, don't worry," she assured, all false concern. "You don't fawn over him. But I've seen the way he can call you to heel, like a pet. All Red has to do is drop one line on your coms and you come running. It's a little pathetic, honestly."

"Roy is my friend," Kaldur spat, breaking his silence. "Unlike you, I know the meaning of loyalty."

Jade hummed, then slipped her hand into Kaldur's pocket, rummaging until she found the inner zipper. Pressing the sai further into Kaldur's skin for good measure, she pulled out her prize, waving it in front of Kaldur's eyes with a cruel grin.

"Do you carry around keepsakes from all your friends?" She teased, tapping Kaldur lightly on the nose with it.

Kaldur stared at the thing balefully, the fight going from his shoulders.

Pinched delicately between her perfectly manicured thumb and forefinger was an arrowhead. It was Roy's, one of the traditional ones he had brought with him when Ollie adopted him off the reservation he grew up on. The archer had gifted it to Kaldur, years ago, at the beginning of their friendship.

Kaldur had given him a magical stone in return, a polished piece of coral enchanted to glow in the presence of toxic water. It was a commonly used tool in Shayeris, which was built close to thermal vents that occasionally spilled noxious gas into the sea.

Kaldur knew for a fact that Roy brought the stone with him whenever he went on a mission, claiming that it was too useful not to bring.

What Roy didn't know was that Kaldur brought the arrowhead with him everywhere.

"How did you…?" Kaldur questioned, giving up all pretext. She had caught him out, and now he had only to figure out what she wanted.

"I follow you kids on missions," she answered blithely. He arched one brow, obviously judging, and she rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Not to watchyou. Artemis is my little sister—I just like to keep up on what she's up to. Big sister's privilege, you know?"

The other brow rose to match its brother.

Jade frowned, bopping Kaldur on the nose with the blunt side of the arrowhead. His eyes widened, affronted, reminiscent of a startled cat.

"I'm not perfect, put I'm not completely negligent," she defended. "You're driving me off the topic. Clever, but not clever enough," she mocked. "Point is, I've seen you. Fiddling with it whenever you're not crossing your arms at those wayward brats you call a team."

"I am the same age as Kid Flash," Kaldur sputtered, offended on behalf of his team. Only he was allowed to refer to them as brats, and even then he did it quietly, in the sanctuary of his room. Usually over a cup of suspiciously calming tea (Roy's fake ID and penchant for sneaking alcohol into the Cave for thrills was one of many perks to their friendship).

"Really?" She questioned, caught off guard. "Then he's even worse than I thought. He acts so…"

"Juvenile?" Kaldur offered diplomatically.

"I was going to say like a twelve year old who just found out what sex is and still hasn't discovered that not every woman he comes into contact with is there for him to try to fuck, but sure," she croons, all false sweetness. "Let's go with juvenile."

Despite himself, Kaldur chuckled. Wally had certainly gotten…better, under Artemis's influence. And the swift, painful punches she delivered to the man's arm every time he flirts with a girl who's obviously not interested. Wally had a permanent bruise on his upper arm the first three months of his relationship. Now he only ever seemed to flirt to tease her, which Kaldur took as a good sign.

"Wally is…Wally," Kaldur said, feeling he should at least attempt to defend his teammate. "I am simply grateful he doesn't engage in banter to the same extent as his uncle."

Cheshire hummed, then was silent for a moment, calculating. Next thing he knew, she was pulling Kaldur backwards by his shoulder, maneuvering him to sit on a wooden shipping crate. She kept her sai pressed to his throat as she came around to his front, pushing into his space. It'd be provocative if Kaldur thought she had any interest in him—or if he wasn't already used to her…unique way of trapping her opponents.

Even if he hadn't witnessed so many of her and Roy's more antagonistic encounters, he's been on the receiving end of her sais often enough throughout the years to know she only uses physical proximity to unsettle her targets.

Not, he told himself as she pushed between his legs, practically pressing her chest up against his, to flirt with them.

"You're very polite, you know," she teased, tracing the line of his cheekbone with the arrowhead still pinched between her fingers. "I wonder what a gentleman like you sees in a guy like Red."

"Roy Harper is a good man," Kaldur deadpanned, not even attempting to defend himself from her insinuation. They'd both know it was a farce. "Which is why I find myself asking what you see in him."

She laughed, delighted. "Pretty little fish boy can bite after all!" She shrugged. "Red has a few more moral hang-ups than I'd like, but he's essentially the same as I am. He'll do what he has to get what he wants," she grinned, pressing closer. "It's just your luck, and my misfortune, that what he wants is truth, justice, and the American Way."

"Considering the life he faced growing up on a reservation, I don't think Roy thinks much of the American Way," Kaldur said, subtly attempting to shift back and away from her…sai. If Artemis ever takes on her sister's dress sense, he thought weakly, We may have to switch to using her to intimidate information out of suspects instead of Conner.

"Semantics," she dismissed. "You still haven't answered my question. The League's full of good men and women and, based on your past with your little Dakota friend, l I know you like both. So, why Red?" Her voice kept its teasing lilt, but her gaze hardened with the question.

Kaldur had the distinct, and very uncomfortable, realization that this whole encounter felt very much like a twisted, much more threatening version of the infamous 'shovel speech'.

Something softened in his chest. He had long known of Cheshire's odd fascination with Roy. It wasn't until now that he realized she must truly care for him.

"He is the best man I have ever known," Kaldur admitted softly. "He is selfless to the point of being destructive, single-minded. He is the most genuine person I have ever met—he has never lied to me. I can trust him, and he returns the favor."

"And never judges you, does he," she finished for him, gaze softening. She stepped back, out of his space, sheaving her sai. "No matter what you do or say, he never judges you."

Kaldur sighed, leaning forward to brace his elbows on his knees, head cradled in his hands. "I can tell him everything. He is always honest with his opinions, but he does not make me feel—"

"—like you're wrong, to feel the way you feel. Like you're broken," she said, hand squeezing tight over the arrowhead, letting it cut into her palm.

"I am often unsure of my own emotions," Kaldur admitted, not quite knowing why. "I have often felt out of place amongst my peers, even my team mates. Even amongst my fellow Atlanteans."

"You don't feel like you belong anywhere," she said. A gentle smile played on her lips, genuine and secret, hidden by her hair. "But he's never made you feel like a stranger. Like you're—"

"—Alone," Kaldur finished for her.

Silence stretched out between them, the only noise coming from the soft lap of waves on the docks. The sun had set, the gulls falling silent with the night.

Kaldur felt warm, slim fingers wrap around his wrists, drawing his hands gently way from his head. Cheshire pressed the sharp shape of the arrowhead into one palm, its edge wet with her blood. She folded his other hand over it, pressed his hands firmly between her own, drew his fingers tight around it so it dug into his flesh.

"You should tell him," she told him, not a hint of mockery left in her voice. "I won't do it for you. Just remember—you're going to have to share."

With that, she left, as silent as she had come.

Kaldur sat there alone in the dim light of the warehouse, hand clenched around the arrowhead.

An indeterminable amount of time passed before his com buzzed.

"Aqualad, come in," a familiar voice huffed, breathless. "This is Red Arrow, requesting immediate back-up."

Kaldur jerked upright, pressing his finger to his ear to activate his com, chest tight.

"Red Arrow, what is your status," he shot back.

Laughter. "Two of your piece of shit teammates have engaged me in a firefight," Roy replied. Kaldur could hear Wally's indignant yell in the background. "We're in Central, park area. Get your ass over here and help me. Look for the two snow forts and the two punks getting their asses whooped in a snowball fight."

Kaldur's shoulders dropped, chest loosening. He couldn't repress the laugh that escaped him if he'd tried. "I am en route," he said warmly, walking out of the warehouse towards the nearest Star City zeta tube. "Hold the defensive perimeter until I arrive. I will flank from the rear while you take the front."

"Sounds like a plan."

"And Roy?" Kaldur slipped the arrowhead back into his pocket, cut stinging on his palm. "After we vanquish our foes—I have something to tell you."