Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or any characters affiliated with DC and/or Cartoon Network.
"Artemis. I need to speak with you."
He tried to keep his voice calm, emotionless—as if neither of them had anything to hide. As if he didn't know her secret. As if it didn't matter, didn't hurt.
She stopped in her tracks, casting a nervous glance over her shoulder. He could see a flash of fear in her eyes, before she masked it with a look of nonchalance. "Sure, Kal. What's up?" He wouldn't have caught it if he wasn't listening for it, but he heard the slight shudder in her voice. She knew he'd found out.
He took a deep breath; no going back now. "Artemis, you do not have to hide from me anymore. I know."
She narrowed her eyes. "Don't know what you're talking about. Are you feeling okay?"
"Artemis, stop it. I know." He couldn't look her in the eye. He stared at the floor, the wall, anywhere except her, as he waited for a response.
None came; finally he had to look. She was just staring at him—or through him, he felt, with an unreadable expression on her face.
"If you know," she said slowly, "then you know what I have to do. You're a liability now, Kaldur."
"I do not believe you will harm me," he said. "Would I have approached you otherwise? Alone?"
A cynical smile brushed across her face. "Right as usual, Kal. You were always the right one to lead the team." She fell silent again, and he had no response for that.
"How long have you known?"
He shrugged. "A few months, perhaps. I did not—do not—wish to expose you. Whatever you may be, Artemis, I cannot deny the fact that I have grown to… to care for you." The last words came out as barely a whisper. She must think I am weak, he thought, but he couldn't take back what he'd said. He expected her to laugh, to ridicule him. But what she did next shocked him beyond anything he could have imagined.
She kissed him.