Aqualad One-Shots

Young Hero

110% necessary camera angle.

But honestly though I didn't think Red Tornado was able to put his hands on his hips. I mean, I know he can bend his arms and such, but it's just not something I picture him doing.

Sha'lain'a let out a strangled cry when she saw her ten-year-old boy, she couldn't help it, even if she'd rather he'd only see her at her strongest. His split lip, black eye, broken nose, were just the beginning of his injuries, no doubt placed by fists only slightly larger than his own. Calvin gripped Kaldur's hand tightly, trying not to sigh, but what confused Sha'lain'a the most was the huge grin on her son's face.

"Kaldur!" She hugged him tightly, and Calvin shut the door behind them to let Sha'lain'a nurture her son in peace. 

"My dear boy, who did this to you?" She asked, sitting him on her lap on the couch as Calvin handed her the med-kit.

"The children at school," Kaldur answered, as if that wasn't always the answer he gave to those questions.

Sha'lain'a blinked back tears, gently applying ointment to Kaldur'ahm's eye. "What did they do to you," She thought out loud. She wasn't asking the question, but Kaldur answered her anyway.

"It was not what they were doing to me, Matim. They were doing it to La'gaan and Topo." He told her matter-of-factly. "They are new students at school, and La'gaan looks more like a fish than me, and Topo has tentacles on his face like an octopus!" He held his hands up to his mouth, wiggling his fingers to imitate. "

"M'Chiste and some of the others were making fun of them for how they looked, like they used to do to me, so I stood up and told them to stop hurting them, so they hurt me again instead." He smiled proudly.

Sha'lain'a felt her tears return, but they were no longer sad.

Calvin stood over the back of the couch, smiling knowingly. Kaldur had most likely recounted the entire tale to him over and over on their way home. 

"Matim?"

"Yes?" Sha'lain'a took a minute to answer.

Kaldur grinned up at her. "May I invite La'gaan and Topo over for lunch sometime? Tato said they could as long as you said yes. We could play with Lori and Blubber!" He suggested. 

Sha'lain'a smiled proudly at her son, her beautiful, brave son with a heart too big for the ocean. 

"Yes, Kaldur," she hugged him tightly, "you may."

I totally imagine Sha'lain'a's house as being that one house in the neighborhood that all the kids are always hanging out at because the mom is awesome and she always feeds everyone and she always listens to and looks out for the kids, even those who aren't her own, and she won't tell the other kids' parents if they sneak out at night  ^-^ Enjoy your happy headcanons!