Aqualad One-Shots

Crush (xreader)

DC Rebirth. Jackson and the reader have both joined the Teen Titans. The (female!) reader has a crush on Jackson. It doesn't work out.

"Hey Jackson! Your new uniform looks great!" 

Anna, aka Kitsune, the former sidekick of Vixen, ran down to the seashore to greet the other most recent Teen Titan. 

After her mentor died, Anna had no idea how to continue being a hero. At least,until she was abruptly "kidnapped" by the most recent of the half-a-dozen incarnations of Robin and offered a place on his team, a resurrection of the Teen Titans formed by Nightwing, Troia, Flash, Arsenal, Tempest, and Omen. Damian was a jerk, but Kitsune was more than happy to put up with him if it meant continuing to be a hero and hanging out with other teenage superheores. Especially Jackson.

Jackson had never felt at home in his desert hometown, especially when his mother made him suppress his water-controlling abilities. Jackson had run away from home when he'd heard about the Titans, and despite Damian's original adversity, Jackson had pulled through and helped them out, and was rewarded with a place among the Titans, a uniform from Robin himself, and the name Aqualad.

"You're up earlier than Damian," Anna remarked, sitting on a rock next to Jackson as the sun began to peer up over the bay where Titan's island was situated.

"So are you," Jackson pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's because I drugged his coffee." Anna grinned to herself. It was the little things that made life with the insufferable Robin easier.

The two watched the sunrise together, at least until a more grumpy than usual Robin called everyone for mandatory training. But Jackson and Anna found the usual regimen much easier to endure while they were both laughing about the drugged Robin behind his back. 

Everyone on the team was so much fun to hang out with, even Damian on rare occasions, but Anna found herself to spend more time with Jackson than with anyone else. When she risked her life to save Aqualad from a vicious attack from Hive Five member Mammoth, Kitsune woke up in the tower's med wing with the sudden realization that she had a crush on him.

"It took you enough time to figure it out," Robin grunted, feeding Goliath, his furry gargoyle-like creature. 

"You're not going to be like Batman and ban all teammate relationships, are you?" Anna asked.

Robin tutted. "So long as you don't take foolish risks to save each other or jeopardize any missions, and so long as he wants this relationship too, what you do with other's is none of my business."

Anna was so happy she gave Damian a peck on the cheek, not missing the blush that consumed his face as she ran off to find Jackson.

Kid Flash said he'd heard Jackson on the computer in his tower room. Anna was too excited to knock, throwing open the door to his bedroom.

"Hey, Jack-" she stopped in her tracks.

Jackson guiltily looked up from the computer, showing a half-drafted profile for an LGBTQ dating site.

"W-what's this?" She asked, hoping beyond hope that she didn't sound angry, or heaven forbid, upset.

Jackson sighed. "I guess it's time you all knew, I mean Robin'll figure it out sooner or later." He said.

"Anna, I'm gay."

Anna didn't respond, but a smile spread across Jackson's face, not looking at Anna.

"Wow, it feels so good to say it out loud! I'm gay. Oh wow, Anna, I'm gay!"

Anna pushed her emotions down to the pit of her stomach, clutching the door handle. "H-how long have you known?" She asked, attempting a smile.

"A year or two. My first boyfriend back home broke up with me before I left home, it was actually the catalyst that convinced me that the only place that would accept me was with you guys, the Titans." Jackson hadn't stopped smiling.

"Well, I'm pretty sure Starfire's a lesbian, so you wouldn't be the only one..." Anna tried to hide her movement to rub the tears out of her eyes.

"Hey, Anna, are you alright?" Jackson asked.

Anna nodded, a lie, and gave Jackson a big hug. "I'm so happy for you." That, however, was the truth. They said if you love a person, you'll let them be. Anna definitely wouldn't dare to try to force Jackson into a relationship.

"Thanks, Anna," Jackson hugged her too. "I'm glad someone is."

Anna definitely preferred being at the Tower with other heroes than with her insane civilian fantasy, but her mother was begging her to come home for a proper family dinner, especially since her grandparents were visiting, and Anna knew she could use a break from the tower.

After a couple good night's sleep, talking with her amazing older brother, and one particularly enjoyable meal, Kitsune returned to the tower, to Starfire's hugs, to Raven's gothic attitude, to Kid Flash and Beast Boy's pranks, to a standoffish Robin, and to Aqualad.

"Hey, Jackson?" Anna approached Kaldur the next morning as he washed the dishes from the other Titans' breakfast. 

Her stupid heart pounded faster as he looked up at her. "Yeah?"

Anna took a deep breath in and squared her shoulders back. "I...I don't mean to be rude, and I hope that it's not wrong to ask this, but...my brother came out to the family last night. In front of our grandparents and everything." 

She let a small laugh slip out. "It was kind of funny, Gramma kept pestering him, asking why he wasn't too upset when he found out his girlfriend cheated on him and broke up with him, and Granpa was saying it was because he was a man and then my brother just blurted out that 'No, it's because I'm gay'."

Jackson started laughing too. "That is funny."

Anna smiled hopefully. "I was wondering, maybe, he's currently single, and I was wondering, maybe...would you like to come over and meet him? Maybe ask him out? He's kind of mortified at how it came out and my parents and grandparents were really hard on him for being gay, I think it would be better, if...you know, he had someone to go through it with."

Jackson turned off the water and smiled at Anna. "I would love to."

Honestly tho I rlly rlly dislike Damian Wayne.

You know, I did consider making Kaldur's surface alias "Jackson Hyde" in several of my fics, because that's his name in the comics, but I really don't think Kaldur or Sha'lain'a would try and name him after Manta, considering who he is and what he does, even if they do still love him. I firmly believe that Kaldur would rather take on the name of the man who raised him and was there for him and his mother his whole life (aka Calvin Durham). Or come up with an identity all his own.