Incognito
Prologue

-o-

The air in the room was thick and heavy, almost stifling, but Aqualad refused to give up. Instead, he stared at his friend, watching him with an expression that could only be labeled as "stern determination." He fidgeted with a pen in his hands before placing it on the desk between him and Robin, waiting for him to break the silence.

"You realize what you're asking, right?" Robin ran a hand over his face, fighting back a groan as his head fell back against his shoulders. He tapped a pen over the notebook in front of him, a few notes were haphazardly scribbled over the lines, crossed out, underlined, before he finally gave up trying to keep his mind centered on what Aqualad was telling him. Nostrils flaring a little, he pitched forward and pressed his forearms to the tabletop. The was the last thing either of their teams needed. "If what you're saying is real, then the city could be in serious danger. Very, very real danger."

"Both of our cities." Aqualad's eyes avoided his own, shifting a little under the weight of Robin's stare. He didn't want to admit that all the lines made sense, every connection that he wished he could have disproved had been proven over and over again. This situation was dangerous, and if Aqualad thought he could have handled it on his own, he would have. But it was just a little too far out of his league, so here he was, asking for help. He rubbed his thumb along the edge of his jaw and looked away. "I'm not asking for something you can't handle. You and I both know what they can do and what they're good at. It's going to be dangerous, but you've done an amazing job training all of your teammates and I know they can-"

"You're asking me to put her in danger."

"It's not something that you haven't done before." Aqualad felt a little miffed, his expression shifting into frustration as he ran his hands through his hair. It wasn't as if he was asking Robin to do something he wouldn't have done himself, in fact, Aqualad was putting himself in the exact same danger. All he was doing was asking for help - her help. He shifted in the cold, hard chair and leaned over the tabletop, looking into Robin's face. "I know that this isn't exactly what I would call… an ideal situation-"

Robin snorted, rolling his eyes to the ceiling.

"-but it's all we've got."

"You're asking me to put one of my best teammates in very real, very present danger as you attempt to navigate a society you know very little about." Robin tapped his fingers on the desktop and watched him with that slow, dangerous look. "I trust you on the battlefield, Garth, but I don't trust you here. I don't trust you to be… as tactful as you should given the delicacy of the situation."

"I am a prince-"

"Of Atlantis. Which, as you know, is entirely different than high society that may or may not include organized crime."

"It's not that different."

Robin just lifted an eyebrow, but he said nothing else for a long moment.

Aqualad sighed and avoided his stare, wincing. "I know, okay?" He pursed his lips and glanced out the small window into the night of the bay. City lights flickered off the water, sparkling and shining in the darkness, making it seem almost serene. "I know, that I am not the most adept at navigating human culture, let alone a society like this one. I get that, and I understand my shortcomings. That's why I asked that Raven be my partner for this mission. She's better than me at these kinds of things and I trust her, which is important between partners."

"I know." Robin sighed and let another long silence fall over them. "She hates these kinds of missions, you know that right?" He lifted an eyebrow and stared at him. "Hates them. Abhors them is probably a better word. The last time I made her go undercover like this, she didn't talk to me for a month."

"In her defense, you paired her with Beast Boy. What exactly did you think would happen?"

Robin made a soft chortle, as if he had no other option but to agree with them.

"It's only for a few weeks." Aqualad blushed and looked away. "She just has to pretend for a little bit and then she can go back to being a Titan. And we can both act as if this whole thing never happened."

"Mm." Robin propped his head up on a fist and stared at him. "But you won't."

He feigned ignorance. "I won't what?"

"Pretend that this never happened." Robin's lips pressed into a thin line and he stared at him, never relenting. "I'm a detective, Garth. I'm trained to see things that others don't. Don't think that I haven't seen the way you look at her when you think no one else is looking, or how you go out of your way to help her whenever you can, or the little conversations and jokes you give her, or-"

"I get it." Aqualad cut him off, his cheeks flushed bright red. "I get that you… know."

"I'm not saying it to be mean or throw you under the bus, but I don't want you to think that she won't be professional. She will be able to act as if the whole thing has never happened, she will be able to keep her distance after everything is over." Robin picked up the pen again and he sighed, making a hasty note on the notebook again. "And she won't confuse her cover for something real."

Aqualad looked away, his jaw clenching.

"Will you be able to do the same?"

"You're treating me like I don't know what I'm doing, Dick." Aqualad purposefully used his real name, desperately trying to keep his emotions at bay. He knew what Robin was doing, he was trying to get him to realize that there were real implications to the mission he had proposed. Aqualad knew that, of course he did. How could he not? His relationship with Raven was… complicated to say the least, but he could keep business and his emotions apart and completely separate. But, the way Robin was treating him, it was as if he didn't trust Aqualad to do just that.

"You're a talented hero, Garth."

Aqualad lifted an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

"But, you can let your emotions get the better of you."

He winced. "I won't."

There was a long pause and Robin rubbed his forehead again, still fighting off a headache. After a few seconds he looked back into Aqualad's face and gave a resigned sigh.

"You have to promise me that this entire thing will remain professional, that you will do your best to keep her safe, and that if things get too harried you will call us." Robin's mouth set into a thin, sharp line and his eyes narrowed. He tapped his fingers on the desk, looking at him with a stern expression. "No trying to figure it out yourself, no arguing, nothing. You will come the minute shit hits the fan. Promise me."

"I promise."

Robin licked his lips. "Alright. Then let's begin the preparations."

I don't anticipate this on being super long 4 - 6 chapters and (maybe) some tasteful smut (we'll see how I feel). I hope to have the next chapter up soon! Thank you so much for being awesome!