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ultramagicalternate · 9 months

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Octavia and Drusa

Relevant Posts: Octavia, Drusa, Antonia, Vita, Aoife, Ellen, Abezithibod, Captain Roger, Elaine, Daniel, Maxima

Relevant Lore Posts: The Basics of Magic

Master Post

Caution: This is a VERY long post...

- - - - -

So to begin this story, we need to do a crash course on ancient Atlantis. As we all know, Lucifer was kicked out of Heaven for being too prideful. He maintains that he left of his own accord, but in reality Adonai asked him to leave and do some soul searching. He did not have to go to Hell...but he did. Lucifer's arrival in Hell greatly confused the 4 emperors, but they accepted it... mostly because Lucifer was a wild card and they were legitimately concerned about him. Lucifer did what anyone would do in this situation: He got salty as flip. He was going to get back at Heaven for not understanding him, but how? Then it hit him: He would take a group of humans and push them in the right direction!

After careful consideration, he picked out two humans in the form of Askr and Embla. These two were a couple selected by the Aesir to contribute to humanity when the time came and Lucifer planned to give them some help. The only issue was that Lucifer needed a fall guy... and then he found out that Satan had just been booted from Heaven. Lucifer ran the plan by Satan (not the fall guy part), but Satan was hesitant... Then Lucifer informed that he could potentially become a famous figure if everything went according to plan. Satan thought about it and decided to go along with it. Little did he know how things would actually turn out...

Satan was sent to Earth where he would meet with Askr and Embla as a random beggar with a pet snake. He was wandering and needed a place to stay for the night. After being given hospitality, the beggar thanked Askr and Embla by imparting them knowledge. Using an Apple as teaching aid, he taught the two all sorts of wild and forbidden knowledge. He revealed the existence of Heaven and Hell, taught them about different dimensions, showed them what magic was, told of the Unlight and the powerful organizations that inhabited it, and shared some vague details about the far-flung future. The next day, the beggar departed and Askr and Embla bid him farewell.

They then got to work as they had a brilliant idea: They would create a land where they could teach people about what they had learned and had been learning. Lucifer sat back in glee as he watched his two new prodigies get to work. Humanity could advance if they were just told the right things, something Lucifer had always sworn by. With their building knowledge, the chosen two had begun building a grand, floating city above the pacific ocean. This would come to be known as Atlantis and everyone who was willing to learn was welcome. As the city grew and prospered, Lucifer uncorked some wine and celebrated his success... or so he thought.

Atlantis was thriving as technology advanced and the residents became wiser and wiser. In fact, many other groups of humans considered the Atlanteans to be gods and goddesses. It honestly was not too far off from the 21st century, despite predating ancient Egypt. Some among the Atlanteans had advanced so far that they transcended the third dimension and became fourth dimensional. These would be referred to as the Spiritus Magni and would become to be known as the Goddesses of Atlantis. For some reason they were all female... Regardless, this caught the attention of Heaven who had quickly realized this was Lucifer's doing. Why? Simple... it was exactly what he had been proposing right before he had left Heaven... They needed to act quickly, but discreetly. If they sent an archangel, Lucifer would catch it immediately. And then Adonai had an idea: The Aesir.

Adonai sent an up and coming Angel, Raguel, to Asgard to request the help of Odin and his kin. The Aesir were definitely up in arms over what Lucifer had done to Askr and Embla. Since Loki had recently gotten in trouble for his antics, Odin sent him to Atlantis. Together with his son Fenrir, they set out to... let's just say whisper into the ears of the wrong people. The idea was to collapse Atlantis and force it to move off world... wait a second, how did we get here? Well you see, Adonai is a greater Archangel well above the flow of time. Normally he would have brainstormed, but he felt a sense of urgency and peaked ahead into the flow of time. Plus Sophia thought the idea was perfect and what the wife says goes in this instance. She figured she would watch over whatever planet Atlantis moved to, just like how Adonai was with Earth.

Octavia had transcended to Spiritus Magni just before the conflict that would come to be known as The Great Cataclysm. She was a capable Goddess of War, Science, the Occult, and Astronomy. She had noticed that Atlantis was different now. People were complacent, science was growing stagnant, and corruption was rampant. Hell, people were even starting to abandon the Spiritus Magni, with fewer and fewer followers showing up to the temples to worship.

Something was not right and she knew someone was to blame, but who? It was then she noticed a cloaked man running around with a wolf pup. Wherever he went, chaos ensued. Octavia tried to warn the other Spiritus Magni, but no one took her seriously given how new she was. One did listen to her, however. Drusa (Goddess of Combat, Death, Deceit, and Horror) knew who Octavia was talking about. Unfortunately no one trusted her due to her domains.

Instead of wasting their time, they sought out three nobles: Ra, Anubis, and Osiris. These three would begin preparing for the impending disaster and would save as many as they could. And then it happened. An atrocity where an entire district was wiped out sparked a civil war. Atlantis would be at war with itself for ten long years. In that time, Octavia and Drusa lead their forces against the corruption that had been plaguing Atlantis. Ra, Anubis, Osiris repeatedly clashed with Set, Sobek, and the serpent Apophis, three nobles who had sided with the corrupt Spiritus Magni, Fausta (Goddess of Pride, Decadence, Riches, and Glory). The conflict as a whole left Atlantis in shambles and there was no salvaging it... unless something drastic was done. The Spiritus Magni decided to move Atlantis to another planet in such a way that would wipe out the corrupt and the wicked.

As the sky darkened that day, Octavia and Drusa bid farewell to their followers. They would move into shelters while Ra, Anubis, and Osiris set off for new lands. The two goddesses watched as a horrific cyclone and immense proportions surrounded Atlantis and shook the land. The storm roared and fired bolt after bolt of lighting. Those caught in the maelstrom were annihilated as the island began lifting into the air. Shockwaves assaulted the surrounding ocean, causing great waves to form and move outward. With one last shockwave, Atlantis vanished with the loudest crack of thunder possible.

Octavia wept given that her land of birth had fallen and just disappeared. With a hug from Drusa, she dried her tears and vowed to keep moving forward. Loki had been observing from afar and felt great sorrow for the goddess. Once Octavia and Drusa had departed to parts unknown, Loki and Fenrir would create a monument in memory of Atlantis and scatter tomes and scrolls across the world that sang the praises and accomplishments of the fallen land.

From this point onward, Octavia and Drusa would become wandering deities. They would pop in and out of various pantheons as outsiders. Not much happened until Rome popped up... It was remarkably similar to Atlantis, just not as advanced. And then Octavia eventually witnessed its fall. She had hope only to have it completely dashed. At this point she realized it was probably better to let humanity duke it out until only the wisest and strongest remained. Then people like her would step in to guide the survivors to bigger and better things.

Octavia and Drusa would run into each over the ages. They each had a part in keeping humanity on the right track, amongst others. The advent of the common era had rendered her a bit cynical, just a little bit. She was not as perky and upbeat as she once was. This would change once she met two wanderers: Ellen and Abezithibod. Octavia saw Ellen's goal in life and immediately took a liking to her. In fact she now considers her her daughter and a dignified heir to the Spiritus Magni legacy. Octavia would also get the chance to meet Valentina Pari, a fallen angel who was always cooking up something in her head. Given Val's interests and Octavia's domains, the two quickly became friends.

Drusa reentered the scene not too long after as she was worried about Octavia. She was going to make Octavia go out and make some friends, but was relieved when she saw who Octavia was hanging out with. And finally, Octavia would meet her best friend, Aoife Crawford. After hearing a call for help, Octavia bolted to it... only to end up in The Unlight. Just who would be calling out to her from the void itself? Well it was a powerful mage who was in the clutches of an amorphous monstrosity. Just as Aoife was about to be swallowed by the beast, a wicked skeletal snake plunged into the creature, killing it on the spot. Aoife naturally thanked the goddess and was about to go on her way, but Octavia stopped her and asked who she was... she then followed her back to her guild... and then the two became best friends. Much like Valentina before her, Aoife was very interested in the domains Octavia ruled over (astronomy in particular). This would introduce Octavia to the ULTRAMagic guild.

Currently Octavia is bouncing back and forth between her temple (that changes locations), Arcane-Life's main headquarters (Ellen), The ULTRAMagic guild, and the Pari family land.

Octavia was always the upbeat, perky type. This was even before her ascension to Spiritus Magni. She was a dedicated scholar who studied the subjects she would gain domain over. She also had a habit of getting tunnel vision when she really got studying, focusing on her goal rather than what was going on around her. This led her to being somewhat of a loner despite her charm and good looks. She was always pushing towards something, but she did not know what. And then one day, a cloaked woman led her into a temple where something changed in her. Octavia now understood the third and fourth dimensions. And thus, Spiritus Magni Octavia was born. This led to her realizing she now had a duty, and that was to guide and teach.

Constantly looking out for Loki made her very observant... maybe a little too observant at times though. She has a tendency to see issues where there are none. Of course, the years eons after the collapse of Atlantis made her cynical and jaded. Thankfully that went away once she started making friends in the common era. Still, she is diligent and refuses to be tricked. She also now has a mentality of "no matter what, I win in the end" due to her game plan in case humanity does something stupid. No matter what happens to her or Earth, she loves humanity and believes it can achieve great things... if it would just focus for two gosh darn seconds!!!

Oh, right... Aberrant magic. So you see, Magic is divided into 6 categories (Soul, Aura, Necromancy, Alchemy, Void, and Weave). Aberrant in the unofficial 7th category that describes magic that doesn't traditionally fit into the main 6 categories. Octavia's magic is peak Aberrant magic. What can she do? Well all of her spells take on a dark, macabre appearance. Skulls, skeletons, and visages of death. She has a tendency to summon entities that were abandoned by the flow of time, never meant to exist.

Adding insult to injury, her spells have no rhyme or reason to us. They take from all categories of magic. Some even combine multiple types of magic that should not be combined. This can be chalked up to Octavia's 4th dimensional status. Mastery over this dimension allows her to access magic and things we could not even begin to comprehend. The limit of her magic seems to be incomprehensible to third dimensionals, requiring knowledge of higher dimensions to understand.

Before we end this, how about a little trivia?

Drusa may or may not have had influence in a lot of events in relation to Octavia and her life...

No one knows what happened to Fausta. There are rumors of worship in the criminal underground, particularly in northern Europe. Intel suggests her worship has shifted over to Pleasure, Hedonism, Desire, and Corruption.

Despite all the turmoil, Atlantis survived. It was moved over to a planet called Neo Terra. It occupies the same spot as Earth, on that opposite side of the galaxy.

The other Spiritus Magni will check up on Old Earth from time to time.

Rome is very similar to Atlantis. The Atlantean language shares a lot of similarities to Latin.

Octavia was one of the more risqué deities. It was often joked that one of her domains was attractiveness. No, she is not naked.

- - - - -

- - In regards to Drusa - -

Drusa was one of the earlier Spiritus Magni. Initially she was a loner who kept to herself. She was widely regarded as strange given her interest in death and the afterlife. She also had a habit of tricking people for fun, leading her to have a shaky reputation. This did not improve when she ascended to Spiritus Magni. She held the domains of Combat, Death, Deceit, and Horror. Naturally she became the punching bag of the pantheon. It was not from the other goddesses, it was from the people of Atlantis. People tend to refuse to accept death and end up hating it. It was annoying, but she could tolerate it as she had a handful of followers that loved her for who she was. What she could not tolerate was Spiritus Magni Fausta (Pride, Decadence, Riches, and Glory) constantly picking on her. Fausta was that goddess... the one who thought they were all that and then some. It also did not help that Fausta was popular amongst the nobles of Atlantis. In fact, they nearly got Drusa's worship banned until the leader of Atlantis at the time declared that a violation of Atlantean rights. Drusa thanked the leader profusely and gave him her blessing. Yes, he is still around to this day believe it or not.

From that point onwards, Drusa held to the notion that Fausta was a powder keg just waiting to go off. Something bad was going to happen if she wasn't reined in. She repeatedly went to Spiritus Magni Vita (Leadership, Fire, Knowledge, and Life), <i>but Vita was always like "Don't worry, I'll take care of it..."</i> Since Drusa was the least popular and focused on Spiritus Magni, she decided to do some behind the scenes work. With her dedicated followers in tow, she snooped around Atlantis and made note of what she could. Things were a mess... Corruption, arrogance, and complacency were starting to infect Atlantis from top to bottom. She was aware of glaring issues way before Loki had shown up.

What was her plan? Acting upon the advice of Spiritus Magni Antonia (Foresight, Truth, Patience, and Water), Drusa would: Find a scholar who was on her way to becoming a Spiritus Magni, help said scholar become one, and have a friend and ally when things finally hit the fan. Drusa mostly just wanted a friend, however. And thus she began mentoring Octavia.

- - The Atlantean Civil War - -

Jumping ahead to the Atlantean civil war, Drusa naturally had to rub it into Vita's face that she was right. Octavia and Drusa got to work fighting against Fausta and her forces. Drusa took the opportunity to reference media from the 21st century (thanks to her journey's to a realm known as the Unlight) that not a single Atlantean was going to get. She did not care as that was the point, which made it funny when the enemy soldiers had to stop to think about the reference... Drusa's forces got a lot of unexpected wins. As the war raged on, Octavia and Drusa fought in campaigns all across Atlantis. They were unstoppable at first, but the conflict did begin to wear on them. They were on the ropes three quarters of the way through the war as they held their ground in Northern Atlantis. Just as things seemed dire, A new Spiritus Magni led her army into battle, coming to the aid of the embattled goddesses.

Spiritus Magni Athena was formerly a tactician under the command of Vita. She had been making great progress in becoming a Spiritus Magni, but she was on the fence as she would have to give up her humanity. What made her make up her mind was seeing how the war was going. She had had enough of seeing her homeland ravaged and planned to end the war, one way or another. Before riding off into battle, she would be seen off by the Angel of Destruction, Hemah. He had been observing the conflict and wanted to give Athena his blessing for how bold and brave she was being. He also brought her a special horse to ride into the fight: Brimstone. Brimstone was originally in the running to be a horse of the horsemen of the apocalypse, but was not selected. Regardless, he was itching to see some action. Drusa and Octavia would be alerted to a Spiritus Magni joining the battle, but who? All the ones on their side were preoccupied. Imagine their surprise when they saw Vita's lead tactician charge full speed into the enemies' armies.

With Athena's help, Drusa and Octavia could turn the tide of the war. They immediately went for Central Atlantis, planning to take it back from Fausta. They stormed the city and went straight for Fausta. After a couple weeks of fighting, the enemy forces were on the ropes. Word got to the other Spiritus Magni and they all stormed in from Easter, Southern, and Western Atlantis. After another week of fighting, the war was over. Sadly Atlantis was beyond saving in its current state... There was one option, however. Fausta and her ilk had fled, leaving the fools who thought they could fight off the Spiritus Magni. Fearing Fausta's return, Vita initiated the removal of Atlantis from Earth to be moved to another planet. Octavia, Drusa, and Athena would watch in silent sorrow as their home was pulled into a wicked vortex and vanished. After getting their tears out, the three would say their goodbyes and go their separate ways.

- - Long after Atlantis - -

Drusa wandered the Earth, wanting to see more of the planet she called home. She wandered and wandered... and would occasionally cross paths with Octavia. Someone she had not seen for sometime was Athena, however. She found out what Athena had been up to and found herself in ancient Greece. What had Athena been up to? She had been dealing with the Olympians... The Olympians were the descendants of the Nephilim, the offspring of humans and angels from the Mt. Hermon incident that Heaven had to deal with eons prior. Athena was scared Zeus and Hera would cause another Atlantis incident, so she threw herself into the fray. She was a wreck when Drusa found her. On the cusp of losing her mind, Drusa offered to hang around and help Athena out. It was so bad that all of Greece thought Athena was an Olympian. Thankfully Drusa came at the right time as the Trojan war was about to start.

Rome wasn't much better, but both Drusa and Octavia convinced Athena to take a hands off approach with Rome. Athena was definitely feeling a lot better after that. Rome did fall, but it convinced Athena that no matter how bad things got, humanity would bounce back. Plus the Olympians were finally calming down and/or retiring.

At some point in the 21st century, Drusa would pay a visit to the Unlight to see what was happening, if anything. A strange man would bump into her, going by the name of Captain Roger. Naturally he challenged her to a fight... Drusa was unfazed and kept batting him away. Roger eventually gave up and fell to the ground, tired and worn out. Drusa was definitely impressed with the tenacity of the swordsman. Naturally the goddess had to know who this goofy hooligan was. Roger introduced himself, feeling oddly open to this strange goddess. His swords were of particular interest as they reeked of death. Roger would hesitantly explain that his curved swords were possessed by the souls of his dead siblings. There had been a disastrous encounter a long time ago and he refused to say goodbye to his family. He would cast a ritual that would bind their souls to his blades. It made the blades indestructible...at the consequence of giving the swords minds of their own, obviously.

This was truly fascinating to Drusa. Roger displayed no standard magic capability, but bonds that strong could easily fuel weave magic. Since he was all alone, Drusa declared she would mentor him and accept him as one of her followers. Roger was confused, but figured it was best to go alone with it since Drusa had effortlessly shrugged off his attacks. Drusa would then contact a particular weave mage by the name of Ember Gabriella O'Nessie. She just so happened to be in the Unlight and wasn't too particularly bust at the moment.

- - About Drusa - -

As stated above, Drusa is weird. She's studious, but prefers the subjects many reject. She's a trickster, but a good natured trickster. Despite her foreboding aura, she is incredibly friendly and positive. She knows the cycle of life and death, so she sees no reason to be negative. If things go south and you find yourself at the bottom of the hill, the only place to go is up. And if you think there's a level below rock bottom, you haven't actually reached the bottom yet. Drusa likes to play the long game and will often strive towards pulling as many strings as she can. She is very patient and calculating when she needs to be. As for her quirks, she's awkward and weird. Even when she was a human she was like this. She says weird things, hovers over your shoulder for no reason, and tends to stare endlessly from time to time. She was always different and no one could explain why. As if she couldn't get any weirder, she's never expressed sadness or despair. She can feel these emotions, but she has never once expressed them. Drusa is a mystery that her friends and followers have just learned to accept. When in doubt, just go with the flow.

Drusa hides her face because she claims it will drive anyone who sees it insane... her face is most likely normal. She just likes to mess with people.

As for magic, it's weird... she knows how to manipulate Cause & Effect. How much is unclear, but she is not one to mess with. Even higher entities are leery around here as Cause & Effect is a very powerful force. As an aside, she recently achieved 5th dimensional status. When she did that is unclear, but she pulled it off regardless. Rumor has it she is going to shoot for 6th dimensional next.

- - - - -

Further Reading: Drusa Goddess of Death

- - - - -

The Spiritus Magni are my own, original pantheon of deities I came up with for ULTRAMagic Alternate. Drusa is the most noteworthy goddess and the one I plan to focus on. And if you couldn't tell, we will be branching out into Greek, Egyptian, and Norse mythology.

Note that I am having issues on how the goddesses are supposed to appear. I recently drew Drusa again, but I have no idea how to do the texture of her body. Metallic effects are annoying.

Sorry for how long that was. This really should have been it's own story...

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nerdgatehobbit · 1 year

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12/17/22

So… it’s bleak/awkward that I switched from a mostly MMPR icon shortly before Jason David Frank’s death, even if mine was Billy & Kimberly rather than Tommy. I have reworked my plans for next August because it’ll need to be more muted rather originally planned and I included more Tommy-centric episodes in my planned rewatch list to honor him. There’ll still be plenty of Power Rangers content next year, fair warning.

I have heard the news about Ash’s imminent departure from the Pokémon anime. On the one hand, yeah Ash has been achieving his goals and therefore the narrative push isn’t the same. On the other, I am concerned about how the change will be handled.

It won’t be a problem for me as I’m still watching the Alola era, followed by Orange Islands, Johto, & Hoenn.

I’m still loving DS9 obviously, so that project will be continuing! Same with the SGA rewatch! XWP continues to be more of a mixed bag for me but I’m still watching. I’ve read the first eight volumes of Spy x Family now, which was fun.

It was on-and-off but I did finish Andor. I get the criticism about everyone seeming cold and/or lacking agency, but I got the sense that was on purpose to showcase what the GFFA was like during the Empire. Diego Luna was outstanding and I’m likely to watch the second season whenever it airs.

However, I was mostly confused by the first two Willow episodes. Yes, we the viewers know that Sorsha switched sides but it’s odd that they let her apparently inherit a throne?? Also the whole ‘royal parents married for love but their kids must do diplomatic ones’ thing was handled in a clearer manner by the later Tortall books.

The Beauty and the Beast special was delightful in my eyes; honestly I think I might prefer it to the 2017 film although some of that might be the 2022 special including 1991 footage. And I’m just generally weak for this story, I know & accept that about myself. ^-^

I’ve now obtained Stitch in Dreamlight Valley so that’s very exciting. No Belle yet, also I remain adamant that Milo and/or Kida needs to show up. I’ll (very) grudgingly accept no supporting cast but come on! The game is already using the Atlantean alphabet & architecture, don’t tease me like this!

Lastly, there’ll probably be another big photo post where I stress out about my ever-growing backlog/hoard of media. For example, I recently treated myself to the first season of Static Shock and am seriously debating on when to get the others. Because let’s face it, it’s not an if.

#my ramblings #power rangers #Pokémon #and many more #listen the rest aren’t talked about quite enough to justify tagging them

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butwhyduh · 3 years

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Alone Time

Garth of Shayeris x batsis!reader

Warning: smut, being cockblocked so many times. Canon has no home here.

It didn’t take long for you to figure out that you needed your own place in San Francisco. The tower was nice, free, had food and friend. It even made work simple. But there was absolutely no privacy besides at 3 am in your locked room and with certain metas, you weren’t even sure that was private.

You been dating Garth for a few months and there had been a learning curve for sure. He was not used to dating land dwellers and you had never dated an Atlantean and that provided a challenge. Garth learned gentle was not actually as easy as he thought. And you found Atlantean biology unique.

Garth had to hold back. A lot. The first few times he had gotten farther than a few chaste kisses had you pulling back with the intensity. “Softer, please. Not so rough,Garth,” you breathed after his tongue had darted in your mouth like a military invasion.

“Sorry! Sorry,” Garth had quickly answered, his cheeks reddened. His kisses had gone back to simply chaste. You had to encourage him to kiss you more because of his fear of hurting you.

Another time you came across something no land dweller had: gills. Garth had figured out how to gently explore your mouth and was pretty good at it and you finally had some alone time for once. You pulled back just enough to kiss along his jaw. Little nibbles and licks that had him moving toward your touch. Garth’s hands were feather soft against your skin.

You kissed his chin and down the center of his throat with your eyes closed and moved to kiss the pulse point that most air breathers liked but you felt something different and Garth kinda froze. You pulled away to look at him and realized you kissed his gills.

“Did I do something wrong?” You asked concerned. Did that hurt? Or was it bad?

“No. I mean, it was just weird. I’ve never been kissed there. Kinda like getting kissed on the lung, you know?” He said with a little smile as if to say ‘I’m fine.’

“Not really. If you can kiss my lung, I’m in a very bad spot,” you joked and Garth chuckled and nodded. “But I won’t do it again if you don’t like it. On us,” you said, pulling hair from your throat to show him. “There are spots about here and here,” you motioned to your pulse points. “That are sensitive and feel good. They’re probably different on you.”

“Here?” Garth said, pressing his lips to your throat. You breathed in quickly and nodded. “And here?” He asked before straight up licking the other side. You moaned softly. You nodded and Garth had a mischievous smile on his face. He licked and kissed and nipped at your pulse points until you were holding his shoulders, making little noises.

“I’d say a similar structure on Atlanteans are here and here,” he pointed to spots near his collarbones. “As far as reactions.”

“Noted,” you said looking at the spots. “But they’re pretty sensitive on us too,” you replied before kissing them. You nipped at one spot and his gills fluttered slightly and you pulled back.

“Are you okay?” You asked and he opened his eyes confused. “Do you need water?”

“Why do you ask that?”

“Well, your gills..”

“Oh,” Garth said, turning red. “You know when you breathed in fast when I kissed your neck? That’s kinda the same thing. But we pull from both the lungs and gills. It’s isn’t... weird, is it?”

“No. Of course not. I just didn’t know. The only time I’ve seen you do that was when you needed water,” you admitted.

“It can happen other times...” he trailed off.

“Don’t think twice about it. Just wanted to make sure you were okay,” you said before kissing his lips. Garth tried to pull you on his lap to almost toss you on the floor. You grabbed his shoulder to stop yourself with a yelp.

“Sorry! Again,” he said. “I forgot how light you are,” he said and compared to Atlanteans of similar size, you were probably at least 50 lbs lighter. They are so much denser in muscles.

“It’s okay-“

“Is Garth in your room? We have a mission,” said Kori knocking at your door and you sighed. Garth winced and shrugged.

“Yeah, he’ll be there soon,” you called. “It’s okay. We’ll hang out later,” you said before kissing his cheek and climbing off the bed.

��Yeah.”

——————————

It was a few weeks later and you were at the tower alone in his room. A pizza box sat empty on a chair and a movie played on a laptop. But it was completely ignored by you both.

Currently you were on top of him, with your mouth on his. Your hand had slid under his shirt and he was squeezing your breasts through your shirt. You pulled back and pulled your shirt off.

“Hmm,” he said making a little pleased noise before touching all over your bra. It and his shirt soon joined your clothes on the floor and you were flipped over. Garth had kissed down the column of your neck and across your upper chest before finally playing with your breasts. He left soft wet kisses across the skin before wrapping his lips around your nipple unexpectedly. Your body arched off the bed into his touch and you made a little moan.

Your phone started to ring and you smashed the side button without looking. Garth switched sides to give both breasts attention. Your phone rang again. You sighed.

“Do you need to-“

“Ignore it. We’re busy,” you breathed pushing the side button again. Garth kissed the valley between your breasts. He kissed down your stomach and you inhaled quickly with each kiss. When his lips were near your hipbones and his fingers were pulling at the button of your pants, your phone rang yet again. You groaned loudly before grabbing it.

“What?” You said roughly. Garth simply laid his head in your stomach to look up at you on the phone. “Now? Why on gods green earth do I need to be in Gotham, now?.... I’m a little busy..... not a case. Fine! I’ll be in Gotham soon.... I can’t tell you exactly-soon!” You said before hanging up. Garth looked up at you wistfully.

“I’m guessing you’re leaving,” he said.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I really want to stay but...” you said throwing on clothing.

“Gotham. Batdad?” He suggested and you nodded.

“Yep! Batman,” you said before leaning over Garth to give him a slow deep kiss while holding his jaw. “I’ll make it up to you, I swear.”

“Sure. Be safe.”

———————————

It was almost 4 months and the farthest you had gone was shirt off makeout and honestly you were losing your mind. You were never alone. The tower was full. Bruce kept call you for minor Gotham emergencies. You were half a second from blocking him on your phone.

You were at your own apartment. After M’gann had informed you that you think loudly in an embarrassed tone while you were imagining Garth absolutely railing you in the kitchen as you stirred pasta, that was the final straw. You moved out of the tower and it was a little bittersweet. You didn’t have a perfect saltwater pool for Garth to swim in so he couldn’t stay over for days at a time.

But then again, you couldn’t climb into his lap and toss his game controller on to the coffee table at the tower. Garth made a small ‘oh’ sound before sliding his hands up your thighs. You grasped his jaw with both hands and roughly kissed him. You didn’t worry about being too much. He was Atlantean and could handle it.

You pulled back and yanked your shirt off and Garth pulled his off as well before attacking your chest. You held his hair in your fingers as he licked and sucked at your breasts. One of Garth’s hands slid down to unbutton your shorts. You felt fingers move into your panties to play in your folds. Okay, yes. Finally, you thought.

Garth kissed back up to your lips before sliding a finger inside you. You moaned against his lips. “Yes,” you breathed and you could feel his smirk against your skin. After a little bit, he slid in a second finger and your hands moved down to his belt.

“Anyone hooo-mme....” Tim called out before stopping. You froze in your position. You were both shirtless, Garth’s hand was in your pants, and you were frantically trying to open his belt. You turned to see it was much worse than you thought it was going to be.

Tim was staring at the ceiling, Dick had his hand over his face, and Jason was looking with a face that could murder. You both moved your hands and you went to get up but Garth stopped you quickly. His face was red and you realized he was obviously hard and only your body was blocking the view.

“What are y’all doing here?” You asked furiously. Jason was now also looking at the ceiling.

“We thought we would take our sister to lunch but I guess you’re pretty fucking busy,” Jason said. “Gillhead? Really?”

“That’s pretty rude,” Garth said with a frown and you felt him tense a little. You placed a hand on his chest to calm him.

“Anyways, we’re going to leave now,” Dick said practically dragging Jason along. “Lock your damn door next time.”

“We’ll call next time,” Tim said quietly.

After the door closed, you sighed before standing up to lock it. You walk back over to Garth with a hopeful smile.

“Back where we were?”

“Lost the urge. Seeing most of your brothers kinda does that to me,” he said and you nodded, sitting beside him.

“Yeah. Next time I am going to lock the door with traps so elaborate that it would make the Riddler blush so no one can come in,” you said and he smiled.

“Now I see the resemblance between you and your brothers.”

——————————

“Okay so I rented us a hotel room at a place I’ve never stayed under a fake name I’ve never used before and told the staff that we will have no visitors. I also paid off the bellhops and maid that we were never here,” you said pulling off Garth’s shirt as you walked towards the large bathroom.

“It’s it all necessary?” He asked a little bemused. “Pretty,” he commented looking around.

“They asked if I wanted it romantic and I said sure and they chose this but I can’t say that it doesn’t works,” you said as you both looked at the bathroom. Probably 15 candles were lit on every surface and roses floated in a giant stone hot tub style bath that was steamy with warm water. The room smelled faintly of vanilla.

Garth touched the water with his fingers while watching you pull off your clothing. You pulled off your shirt and shimmed out of your pants and Garth made a little humming noise at the sight of you in a simple shear lacy black set. It wasn’t crazy but was just perfect.

You suddenly felt a little self conscious. This was the first time he’d seen you without clothing on. Garth pulled you close and kissed your forehead and cheek and shoulder. “This might be a bit much but I definitely appreciate it,” he said. His hands ran along the lace around your waist before pulling you close by the ass. “Really appreciate it.”

You pulled at his belt and Garth shrugged his pants and boxers off in one move. Atlanteans were not really prudish with clothing. He pulled you to the bath and you both in while you still wore clothing. You yelped and laughed as some of the water sloshed out.

“I’m still dressed, you nut,” you laughed.

“I can fix that,” Garth answered with a roguish grin. “Shit, I forgot condoms.”

“I’m going to kill you,” you said, glaring at him. “You know what? I’m clean and on birth control. You?”

“Clean as a clam.”

“Are they? Are they clean?” You asked.

“Yeah, they clean the water around them and everything,” he answered.

“Okay, new info. We’ll talk about how bad clam metaphors are later. Anyways, I’d be willing if you are,” you said and he looked you over.

“Like I’d say no to that kind of offer,” Garth mumbled, kissing the side of your mouth. He pushed your underwear to the side and before he could do any kind of foreplay, you lowered yourself on his cock. You inhaled quickly. He felt amazing and it had been a long time coming.

“God, Garth,” you whined, just sitting on him.

“Yeah,” he breathed in the crook of your neck. You started moving. The roses and water sloshed around, ignored by you both. You arched your back in pleasure and he took the opportunity to hold your waist and pepper kisses all over your chest. He popped the wet bra off and tossed it somewhere unseen before going back to your chest.

You felt his abs and crazy buff arms. The markings along his skin. You almost smiled at the sight of both his lips open in breath and his gills fluttering slightly. He thrust up into you and you made a mewling noise. There was so many advantages of his strength. Garth held you up and thrusted up into you quickly. You gripped his shoulder as you saw stars.

“I- I- I’m close,” you gasped before clenching around him. Garth groaned but kept up the pace through your high before burying himself deep in release. You both rocked against each other in the afterglow.

“That was something,” you said breathlessly kissing him.

“Do you think we are done? I see a made bed in a hotel room. What an awful thing to waste,” Garth said giving you a look before picking you up leaving a trail of water from the bath to be bed.

#garth of shayeris #Garth of Shayeris x reader #Garth of Shayeris smut #Garth dc x reader #Garth dc one shot #dc Titans Garth #tempest x batsis!reader #tempest x reader

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thr-333 · 4 years

Text

Mismatch- Part 9

Bio Dad Bruce Wayne Month 2020

“yeah sure thing pal”- my friend when I asked for something to put here

First< Previous > Next

-----

“Ok, we’ll be arriving at the museum soon,” Marinette tells Marion, who is focusing on his phone.

“Great, by the way how do you feel about a meet and greet before the concert?” Marion confirms the dates with their manager for said meet and greet.

“Hm, It’ll be tough to fit it in, maybe in our free week?” Marion nods knowing it was already set up in their free week, “I don't know Ri,”

“It’ll be fun,” Because a large event in Gotham is always fun and goes off without a hitch, “Besides it’d be kind of rude to do meet and greets in every other city we’re visiting but Gotham,”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Marinette smiles, looking out the window of the bus, “Oh no Kate's going to kill us for deciding last minute,”

“Don’t worry she already agreed,” Marion ignores her confusion, “It’s a week from now, so it’ll be in our free week,”

“What! You already set it up and didn’t ask me!” Marinette raises the volume of their whispered conversation.

“I did you agreed,” Marion reminds her, "Remember we were in the airport, you were staring at Adrien, and I asked quietly,"

“... and you don't see anything wrong with that?" Marinette deadpans, "Or even considered that maybe I couldn't hear you or wasn't listening.

“Huh, didn't consider that,” Marion looks away with a smile not needing to see Marinette's glare

“You are unbelievable,” She lectures raising her volume, "You know I'm not coherent when he's around!"

“When who’s around?” Adrien pops up behind them from his seat next to Nino.

“No one!” Marinette yells, drawing all eyes on the bus towards her blushing.

“Marinette you please keep your voice down, it's aggravating my tinnitus,” Lila says as sweetly as poison.

Marinette rolls her eyes and they both ignore Rose and Sabrina fussing over her.

“Alright class,” Madame Bustier addresses them after they exit the bus, “You’re parents are all quite concerned over yesterday's events, so we all must stick together today, this isn’t like Akuma attacks where you’re expected to go home, I have to know where you are,”

A chorus of ‘yes Madame Bustier’ is heard as they follow their teacher into the museum. They meet their tour guide for the day falling into a similar pattern of Lila’s posse talking throughout the tour. This tour guide seems to be more accustomed to school kids ignoring him, although he does seem pleased that the twins keep asking questions. The class had been given time to look around the Atlantean exhibit. The twins deciding to look over a mural that seemed to depict a past miraculous holder.

“Hey,” They both turn towards a young man with his phone up like he was recording, “You’re the Wayne twins right?”

“Excuse me?” Marion exchanges glances with Marinette, equally confused.

“Bruce Wayne's new kids right?” The guy pushes, taking a step forward.

“We have no idea what you’re talking about,” Marinette tries to explain, taking a step back.

“Alright I get it, want to keep it on the down low, don’t worry I won’t tell anyone,” He assures, Marion looks doubtfully at his phone he makes no effort to put away.

“You’re recording,” Marion states the obvious, which seems to irritate him.

“No I’m not, just tell me!” He demands, Marinette pushes Marion back slightly to try and get away.

“We don’t know what you’re talking about and you’re being very rude,” Marinette scolds, as the camera is pushed nearer her face.

“Why won’t you just admit it!”

“They owe you no explanation,” Kagami appears, grabbing the man's arm and forcefully pointing the camera away from the twins.

“And you don’t have permission to film or take pictures of them,” Chloe plucks the phone out of the startled man's grasp.

“I just-”

“You just nothing- now shoo,” Chloe chucks his phone onto a nearby bench, presumably with the footage deleted, and guides the twins to an empty hallway, “What was that about?”

“No idea, he approached us out of nowhere,” Marion tells the two seething girls.

“He was calling us the Wayne twins,” Marinette supplies more helpfully, “We should probably call Aunt Selina, she might know something,”

She usually did. Kagami and Chloe nod leaving them to the call, but Marion spots them waiting just outside the hallway.

“Hello?” Their Aunt says through speaker phone.

“Hey, Auntie something weird just happened,” Marion can think of no better way to describe it.

“What happened, you weren't attacked again were you?” Her tone is joking but with a hint of doubt, knowing that it was absolutely a possibility with them.

“No this guy came up to us filming, asking if we were the 'Wayne twins'?” Marinette sums up, wording it far more politely than the actual interaction.

“Wayne twins? Just a minute” She hangs up with a beep, leaving them in the empty hallway.

“... So that exhibit huh?” Marion tries to fill the silence, “You think we should investigate it?”

“I wonder if the Atlantean's part of out order of guardians or if they have their own,” Marinette keeps her voice hushed, she opens up her purse slightly "Do you know Tikki?"

“I’m not sure, we Kwami’s were rarely aware of the whereabouts of Kwamis from different miracle boxes," Tikki tells them from the purse.

“Maybe a branch off the order, I mean the miraculous can be powered up to go underwater so working together wouldn’t have been improbable,” Marinette theorises.

“Then any miraculous they held would have likely been in circulation when the temple was destroyed,” Kaalki adds.

"If thats the case then the order probably can't locate them," Marion frowns, glancing at Marinette's backpack that held their miracle box.

"And those that hold them might not know what they are," Marinette adds, after all Alix's family had passed a miraculous down for generations.

“We could-”

“We’re not going to Atlantis,” Marinette cuts Marion off.

“But-”

“No,”

“I thought it was cats that were meant to be scared of water,” He pouts, getting ignored by Marinette.

“To be fair the last time I was in Atlantis things didn’t go so well,” Plagg says, "Plus it was above ground,"

"Then I'll take Kaalki,"

"We aren't going to Atlantis," Marinette scolds, as the phone starts ringing.

“Here's the thing,” Aunt Selina says as soon as she's put on speaker phone, “Apparently some people took pictures of you the past few days with the Wayne family and figured you must be Waynes too,”

“That's ridiculous!” Marion has apparently been spending too much time with Chloe.

“.... yeah people come up with some crazy theories,” Selina sounds strained, “Look don’t worry about a thing, just enjoy your trip we’ll handle everything,”

“Ok,” They both agree hesitantly.

“Alright call me if you have any other problems, anything at all,” They agree, saying goodbye before the call is disconnected.

“Just a heads up, the whole class saw what happened,” Chloe warns them as soon as they reenter the exhibit, “We looked up the whole ‘Wayne twins’ thing-”

“A ridiculous rumour,” Kagami has apparently also been spending too much time around Chloe.

“Long story short, Lie-la’s trying to convince the whole class you two made it up for attention,” Chloe finishes glaring over at the group gathered around Lila. Minus Max and Alix the latter of which looking at the mural the twins had been earlier.

“And succeeding,” Adrien adds pityingly, as some of their classmates glare at the twins.

“By the way,” Chloe elbows Marion playfully, “You didn’t tell me you were child billionaires,”

“Of course we didn’t,” Marion grins slyly back at her, “Wouldn’t want to make you jealous of our diamond toilet, we know how insecure you get with only a gold toilet,”

“Honestly Chloe, how do you get by?” Marinette sighs over dramatically.

“Does this officially make us the rich kid club?” Adrien chimes in, as they walk out of sight of the rest of the class.

“I suppose it does,” Kagami agrees, with her usual stoic tone, but clearly in on the joke.

“We would make a great reality tv show,” Chloe declares.

“Well we have enough money to buy a camera crew apparently,”

“I like your thinking Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe teases, getting a mock curtsy in response.

They continue with the tour doing quite well at ignoring the slides from Lila against them. That doesn't mean they aren’t glad to go back to the Hotel away from her.

“I think we should just order room service,” Marinette cuts through the arguing.

“It’ll probably be safer,” Kagami hands the menu to Nino, who had been trying to convince them to get pizza.

“How unglamorous,” Chloe sneers, like she had with every other option presented, especially Nino's pizza. He had made it his personal mission to get Chloe to eat pizza. Marion was all for it, but not tonight they had to meet up with Batman later.

“We can paint our nails,” Kagami offers, tired of them arguing for the past half hour.

“Yeah if I still had my nail polish,” Chloe pouts.

“I brought some,” Kagami says, much to the other girls surprise.

“I have some back in my room,” Marion adds.

“And I have face masks!” Chloe exclaims running to her room to get them.

“I’ll invite Max and Markov,” Marion offers shooting them a text, “I’ll tell them to pick it up,”

“They don’t have a key,” Adrien leans over Nino’s shoulder to read the menu.

“Max built a sentient robot when we were, like 13, do you really think he needs a key?” Marion finishes typing, getting an instant confirmation.

“Touche,”

“Why don’t you shout us billionaires?” Chloe picks through her food. Sitting at the table with Kagami, both refusing to balance dinner on their knees.

“What? I thought we were the rich kids club, can’t you pay for your own meals?” Marion cringes at the feeling of chewing while wearing a face mask.

“Atlas the rest of us are lowly millionaires,” Chloe slumps back dramatically, fork in hand.

“I’m not a million are or billionaire,” Nino sounds annoyed but it's probably more at his painted nails that Marinette promised they would remove later.

“Neither but I plan to be,” Max had managed to avoid his nails getting painted, but got a face mask to match Markov.

“Oh-ho confident words from the nerd, alright you get early admission, Nino you have to leave,” Marion teases, pointing Nino towards the door.

“What?! I’ll be making millions with my music in no time,” Nino crosses his arms, startling a second later at the nail polish now smeared on his shirt.

“Yeah right,” Chloe scoffs, watching as Marinette fumbles to remove the stain before it sets. Adrien trying, and failing, to help with his still wet nails.

“Thanks, Anyway dudes it was probably a bad idea to spread that rumour on purpose,” Nino says with genuine concern, after Marinette had gotten the stain out.

“What? Nino we didn’t do it on purpose,” Marinette cleans up the tissues and nail polish remover that had ended up ruining her own nails.

“I know,” Nino has a look that screams he definitely didn’t know, “but you probably could have been more careful instead of parading around,”

“We didn’t know we had to be careful,” Marion starts collecting everyone's empty plates.

“Is this what Lila’s been telling you?” Kagami demands, standing to help Marion who immediately sits her back down. Kagami has many skills, house work is not one of them.

“Calm down dude, she just doesn't know the whole story,” Nino picks his plate back up, being the only one still eating,“She’d probably ask but you dudes aren't exactly close,”

“Lila shouldn’t be talking about them behind their backs at all,” Chloe criticises, coming to sit down on the couch now.

“She isn’t-”

“She is,” Chloe challenges Nino, helped by a death glare.

"..."

“... Anyway Nino, do you have any dates planned with Alya while we’re here,” Adrien breaks the silence, not at all searching for ideas on where to take Marinette.

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buck-nialled · 3 years

Text

Undertow - S. Mendes (V)

Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3 // Chapter 4

undefined

youtube

CH V: Working Woman

“Okay, your turn.” Shawn hands the pair of dice over to Y/N. “Just like I showed you, yeah?” The dotted cubes landed in her warm palm as she nodded. Curling the hand into a fist, like Shawn had done moments earlier, she rattled the dice around furiously in her clutch and even blew into the tiny hole at the top of her fist for, as Shawn deemed, “good luck”.

They clattered onto the game board moments later, revealing a collective five. She moved the metal ship that many spaces, as directed by Connor, and landed on the respective cube.

“Ooh, you get to draw a card,” Shawn said, gesturing to the neatly stacked pile of paper on the game board. With an equally excited grin, Y/N swiped the card at the very top and peered at it for a few seconds.

Tilting her head, she read off of the paper, “Go directly to jail.” Connor made a sound similar to a pathetic trombone and guided her piece to one of the corners holding an illustration of cell bars.

“Just like home,” the girl sighs, placing her chin on her hand. Connor’s head snaps up immediately at the comment, eyes wide.

“What?” Realizing her slip-up, Y/N’s head also stiffened and directed itself at Shawn, who was also staring at her with saucers for pupils. Then, the two looked back at Connor, still frozen with shock in his chair.

“What?” The two echoed together. “I was just joking--” Y/N tried excusing.

“Two days ago you didn’t know the meaning of joking,” Connor retorts. “You said being in jail was ‘just like home.’ Shawn, do not tell me we are harboring a criminal.” Connor growled, aiming a desperate look at his roommate. Shawn is a terrible liar to the average stranger. To blabber a fib to his closest friend about their new houseguest would surely result in further interrogation.

“Uh…um…”

“Dear God,” the boy moaned, smothering his face with his hand.

“I’m not a criminal,” Y/N piped up. Separating two fingers, Connor spared a hesitant look at the girl through his hand. “Well, not on land at least.” This urged Connor’s hand to fully remove itself from his face and clutch the edge of the dining table for support.

“Huh?” A sigh is released from Y/N, who shares a look of sorrow with Shawn. There was nothing she could tell Connor that was more believable than the truth. Nevertheless, guilt swelled her insides with every word of her explanation she shared at the table.

“So, I’m basically a fugitive of the sea...surprise.” She sang the last word, tossing her hands in the air.

"Wait so...you--she's a--" lifting an accusing finger, Connor's eyes flicker to Shawn momentarily. Then, they go back to Y/N again, "you're a--a mermaid?"

"No, good grouper!" she bellows. "What is your land-walkers' obsession with having a fishtail? Is that attractive to you guys, or something?" she sputters in revulsion, looking back and forth between the two boys. Shawn and Connor only exchange a look before shrugging.

"It was in the movie," Connor murmurs, lifting his shoulders in a shrug.

"Well, we are called the Atlanteans. Physically, we have all human parts with the exception that our lungs are capable of treating water as oxygen, our blood can range from warm to cold, our eyes fluctuate to perceive different lightings and--"

"Yeah, yeah you're basically a walking mermaid, we get it." Y/N crosses her arms at Connor's superficial retort. Shawn gulps as her glare directs itself at him and she huffs.

"And you wonder why we despise humans so much."

"Woah woah, you despise us?" Connor leans up in his seat with a newfound interest in the conversation. "Why?" At first, Y/N held concern to share such vital information with her new caretakers. But considering Shawn has grown somewhat used to her unearthly routines of living and Connor's reaction to her true identity was less than startled, she figured now to be an opportune time to answer the question.

"Every day, you land-walkers throw garbage around like it's sand or surfing trophies...where do you think it all ends up?" Shawn and Connor tilted their heads down, shameful.

"Not to mention the oil spills and the fact that you catch half of our creatures for sport for no reason. It'd be different if you used them for vital resources like food, but you land-walkers see them as nothing but points to a game. Like this," she spits, knocking over the tiny, silver ship still sat in the jail square.

"If you all treated our world with some decency, you might have known about Atlanteans much sooner."

"Atlanteans are coming up to land?" Shawn arched a brow, earning a snort.

"Were," Y/N corrected. "Hundreds of years ago, that was the plan. That we would make an appearance and find a way to co-exist with humans. If there was a way to form bonds and relations with them...Atlanteans would bring the evolution of land-walkers to entirely new levels physically. You all would be able to swim to depths unimaginable, learn how to control holding your breath easier...but then, you dedicated your lives to destroying our home, our families...”

"Families?" Shawn questions meekly.

"Your best friends are other land-walkers. My best friend is a dolphin."

"Really?" Connor's mouth dropped. She nods in response.

"Yeah...well, and I guess you guys now, too."

"We're so sorry, Y/N. We had no idea how bad it was,” Connor says.

"That's alright, now you do."

"Do you think if more people knew about you, they would stop?" Shawn offers.

"That's what I'm hoping but as long as the royal family of Atlantis continues resenting humans, there's no way for you all to know we exist. Then again, if land-walkers do find out about us...”

"You could be put in danger," Shawn concludes in a whisper. Y/N nods, sparing a glance down at her hands.

She offers a pitiful chuckle. “My father always told me, ‘If they don’t care about life down here now, why bother going up?’”

"But being on land for a few days," she begins, "way better than life down there."

"Well, you're welcome to live up here as long as you'd like." Shawn reaches an arm over the table to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder. Once again, her body was donning his hoodie, and it became flush under his heartfelt gaze.

"Yeah, your secret is safe with us. Well, with me at least." Connor places a flat palm to his chest. "Shawn isn't the best at keeping things quiet." He whispers towards Y/N, who lets out a few giggles at the man's nervous look. Shawn only growls and kicks Connor lightly in his shin below the table.

"I'll take this secret to my grave. I can promise you that," he swears, looking back to Y/N with nothing other than sincerity.

"I appreciate it." She blinks before blurting. “Your eyes are pretty, too.”

Her comment leaves Shawn flustered and Connor confused, but both boys have smirks on their faces after composing themselves and returning to the board game in front of them.

“How do you apply for a job?”

Her question caught Shawn off guard and he froze in his spot in the kitchen.

“You want a job? What for?”

“I can’t leech off of you and Connor forever. Gotta make money one way or another and it looks like I need a job for that.” She stood up, bringing her empty bowl of cereal to the sink and washing it out before placing it inside the dishwasher.

“Do you have a particular place in mind?” He snapped back to reality. Was she already sick of him?

“No. That’s why I need your help. Where do I look and what do I do?” She turned to face him, arms crossed over her chest. He smiled at her disheveled appearance, hair in a messy ponytail and baggy pajamas that swallowed her frame. She still chose to use his hoodie, even with her own clothes to wear.

“What kinds of things are you good at?”

“Swimming and eating cheese balls.” Shawn laughed but Y/N looked dead serious. “Don’t laugh at me,” she scoffed. “Eating cheese balls is a real skill, okay?”

“You’d be a good-” He stopped himself, hesitant to suggest what was on the tip of his tongue.

“Hmm?”

“Lifeguard. You’d make a good lifeguard.”

“What do lifeguards do?”

“Remember when you saved me at the cove?” She nodded her head. “Basically that with some variations.”

Speaking of the cove, his foot had gotten a lot better in the days after getting stitches. He was able to walk without too much pain but he still couldn’t surf. According to the doctor, it could be a while before that happened again. If Shawn was being honest, getting back to surfing had gone to the back of his mind as he spent more time with Y/N.

“So you mean there’s more helpless people like you out there?” She looked at him with disbelief. “You land walkers need to get it together. Save yourselves every once a while why don’t you?”

“Not all of us are mermaids.”

“For the last time, I am not a mermaid.” She nudged him in the shin with her barefoot. “I have legs and feet, not a tail.”

“Same difference.”

“You're impossible.” She turned around to go to his room and get ready for the day. She looked back once she stood in the doorway, seeing that Shawn was still staring at her. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“Mmm hmm.” She stepped further into the room to close the door.

Shawn cleaned up the rest of the kitchen, putting the remaining dishes into the dishwasher and cleaning some crumbs off the counter. He sat down at the table while he waited for Y/N to finish up.

She emerged minutes later, not bothering to close the door behind her. “So, how would I get this ‘saving helpless humans’ job?”

“You could probably talk to one of them. I don’t know how they would feel about hiring you though since you don’t exactly exist as a person in the human world.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She sat down next to him, propping her elbows on the table and resting her head on her palms.

“You don’t have official documentation in the human world. No birth certificate, no ID, nothing that proves you are who you say you are. Especially since you ‘don’t remember’ anything before you ended up in the cove, people are going to be hesitant to hire you.”

“Well, then how am I supposed to get a job?” She rested her hands in front of herself, tapping her fingers on the wood.

Shawn sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. “You might be able to get one at the market.” He noticed her look of disdain, remembering how last time didn’t go so well. “Or you could talk to Wesley about lifeguarding.” He grimaced as he said it, hating that he was even suggesting such a thing.

“That’s not a bad idea. Thanks, Shawn.” She offered him a genuine smile and he melted at the gesture. “I might ask around while you’re at work.”

“Just be careful, yeah?” He reached a hand to lay over hers, concern laced in his eyes. “We don’t know who’s lurking around.”

She turned her hand over to grab and squeeze his. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m a scary sea woman. People tremble in my presence.”

“Okay,” he laughed. “But still, keep an eye out. For me, please?”

“You know I will.”

“So let me get this straight,” Tertis brings a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose, “you know a human who is watching after her?” His eyes land directly on the middle of the pile of knights, where Ripley was standing. The Atlantean delivered a firm nod and a confident, “yes, sire.”

“Then why is she not down here in shackles yet?” he barks, slamming the butt of his trident down onto the sea stone with a firm grip. The large clang reverberated through the walls of the throne room the king had recently gifted him but was now threatening to reap Tertis if the search for the runaway princess is left unsuccessful. “I have given you a job gentleman. Unless you’d like a new one polishing my feet, I suggest you do what I have asked of you.”

Murmurs of “yes, sire” all warp together before many knights are swimming off in their armor to complete the task. Ripley prepared to do the same, before Tertis bellowed a deep, “stop.” Ripley did as commanded, and approached Tertis with fretful eyes.

“What is your name?” The knight gulped.

“Ripley, sire.”

“You are going to be the first of the knights kneeling by my feet if that fugitive is not brought to me soon. Understand?” The growl made Ripley’s insides begin tangling themselves in knots. While catching the runaway princess should be his top priority, the safety of his son surpassed it greatly. What kind of father figure could he label himself to wreak havoc on Wesley’s home, as well as his own wife’s?

He nods anyway. “Yes, sire.”

“Good. And just to make things crystal clear...I want her back down here in two days’ time. No longer. You have wasted plenty of sun piddling on the land-walkers' territory,” he spits in revulsion. The knots within Ripley tighten. Flashes of Wesley overcome his mind, and he feels his heart and throat begin constricting simultaneously. His response is a feeble squeak.

“Yes, sire.”

“Do you know if he lives around here?” Y/N tilts her head, eyeing Shawn from the passenger seat of his Jeep. Her eyes subtly transfixed themselves on his muscled arm, which connected to the hand comfortably holding the steering wheel. His other forearm occupied the small center cubby, separating the two, fingers dancing in anticipation for what this “lifeguard lesson” Wesley (eagerly) agreed to would entail.

“Who?”

“Him,” She points a finger to the radio, currently blasting the top-charting single, Watermelon Sugar, throughout the vehicle.

“Harry Styles?” He scoffs, “I doubt he’s anywhere near here...why?”

Slumping down in the leather seat, Y/N blows out a breath and folds her arms against her chest. “I promised Douglas an autograph from him.”

“Wait—you—you know who Harry Styles is? The dolphin,” Shawn pauses, “knows who Harry Styles is?”

“Of course. Sea people aren’t entirely uncultured, you know? We have music down there,” she remarks with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. The gleam of them blinds Shawn more than the rays tickling the sea at dawn, but he accepted the white glares in their every wake.

“You’re doing it again.” Y/N points out.

“Uh-what?”

“Staring at me. Is something wrong with my clothes?” Her pale hands flew to the straps of the vibrant sundress Shawn now regrets suggesting her to wear. Beneath it lies a swimsuit even more promiscuous and the thought of Wesley earning perks of her body under the afternoon sun for the following hours set an envious fire ablaze within the depths of Shawn’s stomach.

“No, you look great,” Shawn muttered while his eyes flicked back onto the road. You’d look better in my hoodie though, he thinks to himself. Y/N, now observing his profile, saw the subtle shifting of his jaw from her seat.

“That didn’t sound too convincing,” she replies, a smirk barely tugging one corner of her lips up. “Shawn…what’s the issue?” Her query has the driver’s body tensing within seconds and the vicious grip his hand was clutching the steering wheel with was fading into a ghostly white.

“Nothing.”

“Shawn…”

“I swear I’m fine.” But at this point, he didn’t know who he was trying to convince.

“You’re sweating!” she argues, aiming one of her hands beside Shawn’s face. Slowly, he endured a tickling sensation over his forehead as the droplets of moisture were plucked, one by one by Y/N’s magical forces. Her gaze remained concentrated as she worked to form a reasonable bubble of the water she had gathered from him and dangled it before his apprehensive gaze. “See?”

“Please don’t do that. Like, ever again.” His body shifts uncomfortably in the seat, as he feels the moisture reaching his palms. Y/N throws what little she had collected from his damp skin out of the open window to the jeep, disregarding the small splash it made upon landing on the pavement.

“Just tell me what’s wrong--”

“Fine. I think it’s a dumb idea for you to be getting close to the water,” he blurts, chest beginning to heave in irritation.

“You’re the one who said I should try getting a job as a life—“

“I know and I regretted it as soon as I said it. Y/N, what’s gonna happen when they find you back in the water again? Do you think they’re just gonna let you carry on living life on land?” The parking lot was bumpy with sand but his Jeep managed to climb over any humps. As much as he wanted to put the gear of his vehicle in reverse, he switched it to the parking setting instead.

“I-I don’t know but...but I haven’t seen any sign of them here so far, so--”

“Don’t you think that’s because you’ve been doing a good job hiding out, away from water? One trace of you and they’ll drag you right back down to where you don’t want to be.” His snippy tone acted like weights to the corners of Y/N’s mouth. Each harsh word he directed at her further encouraged her frown to deepen. “I’m sorry Y/N, I can’t let you do this.” As his hand went back to the gear shift, hers landed on top of it. Shawn froze at the feeling of her skin cloaking his own while internally, the man became hypnotized with this indescribable warmth.

“No, Shawn. I want this job.”

“I can get you a job in the market,” Shawn offers, earning a sharp glare from the girl sitting across from him. “It’ll draw even more confusion once they ask for proof you are human, Y/N. It’s dangerous either way. I don’t want you to take that risk...c’mon let’s go--”

“I’m not leaving, Shawn.” She shakes her head furiously, catching sight of a few beachgoers running past them through the windows. Screams of all pitches faded in and out during the stampede occurring outside but Shawn took it as nothing out of the ordinary. The weather was nice and teenagers were always excited to end the school week with their friends in the crystal blue waters.

“Why not?” The growl laced in his voice catches her off guard but does not halt her outcry seconds after.

“Because you’re trying to take away the one thing I might actually have a chance at, here! You might not see it as a good idea but you know deep down I’d be way better at saving lives here than at the market selling--”

She inhales a piercing breath; one that makes Shawn’s eyes expand in fear and unknowing. The hand atop of his clenches but Shawn barely feels the fingernails leaving patterned crescents on the tan skin. “Y/N...what is it? What’s wrong?”

But her jaw was locked and unmoving as her eyes continued blinking at the sight behind Shawn’s shoulder. Through the glass of his window, she peered at the menacing waves, which continued crashing high and mighty, washing pedestrians in the opposite direction as they screamed and flailed in desperation on their way to safety.

“Tsunami,” she whispers, her voice barely audible. Shawn’s head snapped back to where her stare was trained, observing the damage for himself. In a moment, his neck was twisting back to see Y/N clambering out of her seat and out of the Jeep.

“What are you doing?” demands a flabbergasted Shawn when he sees Y/N begin sprinting towards the oncoming waves, against the traffic of the crowd. He exits his side of the car, repeating himself even louder atop of the shrieks of terror emitting from the stampede. Through the swarm of bodies and sand, he spots waves he has only dreamed of being able to ride forming and expanding in their travel to shore.

“Showing you that I’m responsible enough to save people! Go!”

“No!” he refuses, shoving his way past bodies as he tries nearing her. She is far past him at this point, though, and getting harder to see through the ever-darkening sky, swirling with clouds. “I’m not leaving you!” She cannot slip away from me this easy, he thinks to himself.

“Then you have a death wish!” Another harsh wave breaks and slams with a large boom, reaching up to the lower portion of Y/N’s calves, and Shawn’s ankles. “Just go somewhere safe! I need to find Wesley!”

“Wesley?” Shawn whispers to himself, halting his stomping feet. Simultaneously, he feels his heart drop, as well as his body. Something vicious jostles him to the ground and the bitter saltwater meets his tongue, bringing him back to the horrid wipeout he suffered a bit over a week prior. The waves continue their harsh entrance onto land and enter his eyes, allowing him to shut them in a hiss while a brutal, unknowing force keeps him sessile.

His heartbeat was erratic but all he could feel was it sinking in his chest like a rock from Y/N’s frantic running away from him. Maybe Connor was right, he thinks to himself, becoming attached to her could only end badly.

Why Shawn decided to call her name after and endure gargling salt water through every scream is unbeknownst to him. Why he continued doing it until his voice reached a murmur and his vision morphed into something spotted is even more of a mystery. The screaming winds hardly catch the broken whisper he lets slip through his lips until the forces surrounding him finally render him unconscious.

“I love you.”

Look out for the next part of Undertow coming 3/5/21!

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iwritethat · 5 years

Text

Wally West: One

A/N: This was a detour from what I was doing. Oops.

Warnings: None

>>>>——————————>

"M'gann?"

"Yes."

"The cute alien chic?" You thought of the girl, clarifying it was indeed the correct one.

"Yes."

"And you're sure this one is the one because you said that 3 girls ago."

"Yes... I mean no, I don’t know - look can you please help me (Y/n)." Wally playfully pleaded with you like he’d done on multiple occaisions prior to this and you could only shrug in defeat.

"Sure but my conditions remain the same."

"I know, no bragging, pizza on me, you pick the film for the next 3 weeks."

"And?" You mockingly coaxed, knowing how much the next particular demand pained him which was evident in his deadpan but reluctant tone.

"And no mocking your dates."

"Good."

The following day you’d stategically accompanied Kid Flash on a visit to Mount Justice, the sight of you two together was no surprise to Robin, Aqualad nor Speedy though the remainder were intrigued by the mysterious stranger so Wally proudly made introductions.

"Hey M'gann, Conner, this is (Y/n)."

"Ah, this is who you love so much to talk about!" The Martian beamed grasping your hands as you shot a glare to a flustered Wally, the guy sheepishly running a hand through his strands.

"Is this your... girlfriend?" Superboy casually inquired after thinking of the correct terminology, yet again leaving you to wonder what your friend has been saying about you in your absence - also considering the implication this’d have on your scheme.

"No! Definitely not! I'm totally single, just because I've told you about (Y/n) doesn't mean we're dating. We're not dating by the way." Wally briskly recovered, blush fading as he emphasised his point specifically for the sake of M'gann.

"Nice to meet you both. Ah Kaldur!" You lit up once seeing the Atlantean, immediately embracing his form just as he did to you in hopes of catching up with him.

"It's been a while (Y/n), you look well."

"(Y/n) is here? Looking as lovely as ever, surprised you're still hanging with Wally though, you're way out of his league." Robin proudly joked as he walked toward you, genuinely happy to see you again and a girl called Artemis agreed with him despite only recently learning your name - supposedly teasing Wally was a commodity amount the Team.

"I'm here for training, Canary said she'd activated the sparring platform so I wanted to test it." With a content shrug you set your plan in motion, gesturing over to the designated area as indication.

Now you were very well trained, the team knew that so it wasn't a surprise when every single member landed with a 'FAIL' until Wally challenged your winning streak. You went two rounds, the first you played to his strengths allowing him to take you down with his speed and received the only 'PASS' of the day. M'gann cheered, flying over with questions and compliments whilst you comfortably sat up and proudly watched Wally bask in the desired attention. Meanwhile got to your feet, brushing yourself only to be met with a smirking Robin beside your figure.

"I know what you're doing and you are good at it, but I don't think it's gonna work."

"Does it ever work with Wally? He's never met a girl he's really caught deep feelings for but I'm only in it for the free food he's promised me." Came your knowing reply, softly smirking at Robin who seemed to disagree but accepted your justification nonetheless.

"There is one y'know..."

"Hey (Y/n) ready to get your ass whooped by the best there is? Fastest kid alive babe." The speedster smugly gained your deadly gaze, his boasting violating the agreement you’d struck less than 24 hours ago and thus not giving you a chance for Robin to elaborate like you’d wished.

This time you would not allow him a victory, like the others you took him out with a mischievous smile and then crouched over his waist whilst he leaned up on his elbows to meet you.

"No. Bragging." You raised a brow, tilting his chin towards you as you punctuated each word as a reminder before heading out. Although your plan had still succeeded to a degree, you walked backwards finding the Martian kneeling down to your friend inquiring about his condition as you winked at him - Wally seemingly impressed with your antics, as he usually was whenever he roped you into these scenarios.

You retained your attentive skills, even talking him up to M'gann but it became painfully obvious that her romantic affections were reserved for a certain clone which left you disappointed albeit pleased for her. Now, you had to break the news to Wally - you'd considered such measures while sitting against the wall in one of the Mountains many hallways bouncing a ball off of the other side as a form of contemplation.

Soon enough your felt a familiar comforting presence beside you, catching the ball and initiating a harmless game between the two of you.

"What's on your mind?" Wally knew you incredibly well, narrowing down I even the smallest quirks and he'd use that to his advantage.

"Nothing, but I'm afraid you might have to give up on M'gann."

"I know. Supes right?" He didn't seemed phased by your sympathetic disclosure, which surprised you slightly due to how long he’d spent gushing over the girl.

"Yeah, sorry West."

"It's alright. Thanks for trying, I'll still get you that pizza."

"But I didn't...?" His response was unexpected, leaving you somewhat speechless but he soon continued with conversation before you could finish, no evidence of heartbreak to be seen.

"That Dan guy you went out with? (Y/n) c'mon you're stunning, and he didn't even offer to pay the full check at the coffee shop. You deserve so much better, his flirting game was awful too." Wally reminisced on the details you’d cruelly given knowing he wouldn’t able to comment due to you deal, although such a thing was now void and you’d regretted that decision. Yet part of you enjoyed his mocking support.

"So I get the pizza but have to suffer your judgements for not getting you a date? I'm sure you have something to say about Jackson too." You threw your head back with an exaggerated sigh, Wally laughing as he replied.

"Don't get me started..."

How unaffected Wally seemed about the let down still puzzled you, although you believed something else must've attained his focus - not that you had any indication of what it was as you sat flicking through the channels.

"So... there's another girl." There it is.

"Dude, are you kidding me? Give yourself a month at least."

"No this one is the one, I know it." His tone was oddly confident compared to his usual dilemmas regarding that topic which automatically gained your full attention.

"Uh Huh. And when did you meet her? Love at first sight or whatever?"

"I've known her longer than a few days give me some credit here. But it wasn't at first sight, I didn't even notice it was happening or rather happened..." Wally's point was certainly more realistic in comparison and he was being truthful - again, maybe this peculiar circumstance held promise.

"You know my terms an-" You simply shrugged, assuming he wanted your assistance once more which dulled your growing investment slightly.

"No, not for this one."

"Hot damn, this woman must be special. Tell me everything!" That decision shocked you and it was evident in your tone, you excitedly encouraged him to indulge your lowkey interrogation since he never turned down your assistance.

"Yes she definitely is, but I don't know what to do for her y'know?"

"Romantic restaurant? Roses? Tell her over a romantic dinner." You listed things instantly, barely stopping for a breather.

"Would you want all that though?" Wally considered your ideas, furrowing his brows before he asked his question even if his posture radiated nervousness despite the confident facade he’d attempted to convey.

"Hah, no way! Honestly I'd love a chill night in, order a take out, put on a good series and just enjoy each other's company. I mean roses are nice too but I want to know my date likes me enough to relax and be themselves - you can't really do that in a fancy restaurant. Anyway, you should probably find out what this girl likes first." You simply smiled, giving him an honest opinion and advice for you felt he'd finally found someone more than just a crush to him.

"I guess..."

It was silent for a moment until familiar words echoed in your mind 'There is one y'know...' and instantly you stood up with your realisation.

"I know who it is!"

"What?! How?!" Wally snapped to with concern evident in his expression like a deer in headlights, unbeknownst to you why that was but he too halted in his tracks.

"Dick told me, I don't believe it Wally - it's great!" Now you had Artemis in your head, they'd hated one another at first so it certainly made sense that he'd grown to like her. They'd also kissed at New Years Eve or so you'd heard.

"Robin told you I liked you?! Are you kidding? He only knows because I thought he had a crush on you." That answer caught you off guard, practically disintegrating your ability to form a coherent sentence or even think straight due to the abruptness of it.

"Wait me? I didn't, um, I can't, since when? All the times I've been helping you with girls I... I..."

"Wait you didn't know? Okay stay there, I'm doing this again!" Wally held his hands out in defence, soon disappearing leaving you standing alone with your thoughts. A dangerous thing really.

Did you even have feelings for him? Quite possibly, that would explain why you occasionally compared dates to him and why you were always so willing to help him find his happiness but surely you wouldn't have suppressed them? It was so confusing.

Within a minute he appeared before you, a single red rose in hand and sheepish smile.

"I'm late I know that but there's no pressure for you. This is not how I expected you to find out, I aimed to flirt with you and only you before making a move so it wasn't thrown on you so suddenly but here we are. Guess I'm not great with girls without you."

With a mischievous grin, you pulled him close by his red hoodie and gently met his lips with your own and you couldn't deny how right it felt - an action you’d hope would quell the warring emotions. You pulled apart, his arms wrapped around your waist and yours on his shoulders.

"You're actually quite adequate, I'm just as surprised as you are."

"Oh you're hilarious." He matched your witty sarcasm, but still you find his happiness intoxicating.

"Can we, um could we take things slow? I know that's ironic to ask the fastest kid alive but please."

"I'd slow down for you, I want to take my time in every moment I get so it won't be a problem (Y/n). I promise." Despite the trace of concern in your voice, Wally was reassuring and sincere with his words so you both felt comfortable in whatever situation you'd crafted.

"So, I assume you won't be mocking my dates anymore."

"I think every date you'll have from now on is gonna be too great for me judge. Ah too bad, I know how much you loved me doing that." The speedster playfully responded with a knowingly satisfied smirk to which you threw him an 'are you serious?' expression.

Later, as you both sat comfortably on Wallys' bed eating pizza whilst a film played in the background, you received simultaneous texts from none other than Dick Grayson - his smugness translated even in a message.

[Dickiebird: Told you so.]

#wally west #wally west x reader #wally west imagine #kid flash #kid flash x reader #kid flash imagine #dc #dc imagine

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vannahfanfics · 4 years

Text

So Many Things

Category: General Fluff

Fandom: Atlantis- The Lost Empire

Characters: Kida

Kida’s toes kissed the mirror-smooth surface of the pond, causing little ripples to appear in the otherwise flat sheet of water with every tiny movement of her body. The dampness of the algae-coated rock seeped into the thick fabric of her clothes, keeping her body pleasantly cool as the humidity of the dense jungle trapped the volcanic heat in the artificial atmosphere. Her fingers hugged the stone edge of the cleft overlooking the idyllic cove nestled within the network of broad-leaved ferns and twisting green trees hugging the circumference of the lost city. Kida breathed in the fresh air, then sighed deeply. Blue eyes sad, she turned her face upward towards the vast stone dome that separated their city from the outside world.

[Matim,] she mourned quietly. So many thousands of years it had been, and yet, Kida missed her mother just as much as the day she had been swallowed by the light. Kida’s father had never explained what had occurred, at least no further than the ancestors had chosen her mother to protect their people from the great cataclysm. Kida supposed that she ought to consider it an owner on her mother’s part, to be fused with the spirit energy of her ancestors to see Atlantis through the greatest catastrophe of their lifetimes. Yet, the bitter child locked away inside the princess could not help but feel that she was robbed.

Kida exhaled again, hand curling over her heart. She always wondered if her mother could see her. Would she be proud of her? Kida dearly hoped so. She had strived endlessly to serve her people and bear the burden of royalty both proudly and properly. Yet, Kida knew in her heart that she was still painfully naïve and ignorant of many things.

Kida clicked her tongue against her front teeth as her eyes bored into the distant stone ceiling. So long it had been since they had seen the world above, so many thousands upon thousands of years. Kida wondered what had become of the planet. Did the great flood obliterate the entire world, transforming it into an endless ocean? Were the Atlanteans, secluded deep beneath the ocean bedrock, the only living creatures sequestered to land? Or had the human race evolved into something unrecognizable and strange? Kida wondered this, among many things pertaining to the world above the stone, quite often. Her young, spirited heart, despite how much she loved Atlantis and her people, craved the unknown. That was why Kida pushed the borders of patrols to their absolute limits, creeping forward day by day despite the hesitations of the other members of the guard. One day, Kida hoped, some strange miracle would be discovered on those ventures, something foreign and exciting and new.

[Is that selfish?] she asked aloud, though she knew her long-lost mother couldn’t answer. The Atlantean words dripped sorrowfully from her tongue in place of the mournful tears she could no longer shed. [I know that your sacrifice saved us from extinction, but…] She chewed on the inside of her cheek as she contemplated aloud. [I cannot help but admit this endless existence bores me.] Was that normal, to find complacency stifling? For her spirit to wither on the repetitive ins and outs of immortal life thriving away from the rest of the earth? In her heart, she felt that it was not so, but she still couldn’t help but feel guilty for entertaining such thoughts. Her father would surely remind her that their people are alive and thriving because of the secrecy, and searching for adventure or outsiders could only invite ruin.

And yet… Kida gazed longingly at the mist wafting through the stalactites clinging to the cavern roof, pretending that they were instead the white, fluffy clouds she vaguely remembered meandering across the clear blue sky. She had always wondered if they were like mist, incorporeal with water droplets bursting against her skin as she waded through it, or actually of solid form, soft and yielding. She’d never know now. With a small groan, Kida pushed her cheek into her hand. She’d gone and depressed herself. She tore her eyes away from the stone heavens to focus instead on the pond, trying to cheer herself up by observing a frog on a lily pad. It licked its glassy black-and-yellow eye, croaked, and leaped into the water to vanish from sight. Kida tutted, thinking it only par for the course for how the day was progressing.

The gentle rustling of ferns captured Kida’s attention. She turned to see a few of the other Atlantean guards pressing through the jungle, holding their elongated, wood-carved, grass-frond-covered masks at their sides.

[Princess,] one of them addressed her with a polite dip of his head. He gestured with his spear into the tangles of ferns and vines and bushes. [We are going to patrol the perimeter. Would you like to join us?] Kida nodded in affirmation and stood, retrieving her own spear and throwing her mask over her face. She tromped past them to lead the patrol party into the denseness of the jungle, trekking confidently over thin, well-worn intertwined paths to the edge of the city. With every step she took, the distant cascading of several waterfalls grew in volume, until it filled the air with a consistent, steady gushing. They strode along one of the many rivers carving through the jungle to the edge of their world, where the water would spill over the precipice to cascade down into the dizzying chasm to disappear into the thick sheet of water vapor.

Kida’s sure feet expertly navigated over the protruding tree roots, checking the edge of the void for any signs of concerning erosion. The watery atmosphere slowly ate away at the rock, chipping it away in small places. In several instances, large chunks of the landscape had just caved in, sliding into the abyss to leave a gaping hole, like a giant had taken a bite out of the platformed city. The Atlanteans had reinforced the edges of the chasm with concrete, but even that was only temporary; as time pressed on, the water wormed its way into the pores to spread cracks and fissures across the light gray stone constructs.

Thankfully, Kida didn’t note any alarming progression of the erosion. They tracked a swift, purposeful path to what used to be the entrance of their city, which was now a collection of large stony steppes budded with large ferns and a few small shrubby trees. Kida froze when a strange noise greeted her ears, and she quickly raised a hand to order the small scouting party to stop. Kida narrowed her eyes behind the mask when she recognized the sounds as distinctly human.

[But how can that be?] She wondered aloud, crawly forward on all fours to lower a broad purple leaf. Several yards away, a medium-sized group of very distinct people were talking animatedly about something. Kida found herself drawn to the skinny, gangly young man with orange-brown hair and spectacles framing his eyes. Kida cocked her head to the side slightly as she regarded him, strangely fascinated by him.

Kida jumped slightly as her fellow Atlanteans crouched down beside her and whispered feverishly, asking her what she intended to do. As fascinating as the newcomers- the answers to her prayers, really- were, she had to apprehend them before they could get into too much trouble in this new and strange land. Kida instructed the group as to how to proceed, and then, in a flash, they had the strangers surrounded.

[Who are you strangers and where did you come from?] she demanded while brandishing her spear, pouring more malice into her tone than she felt.

Someone shoved the skinny boy forward. He fumbled with a small, leather-bound journal and stammered a few incoherent words. Kida cocked her head slightly, watching as he struggled to regain his composure before clearing his throat. Kida’s eyes blew wide behind the carved wood as he timidly uttered a few broken phrases in Atlantean.

[Who... are you strangers and where... do you come from?]

[He speaks our language?] She wondered incredulously, eyes widening behind the mask. How would a surface-dweller have any knowledge of their ancient, lost culture? The man jerked and flipped open the book to hastily flip through the pages, stumbling over his words. Kida slowly lowered her spear, growing increasingly intrigued. A few enunciations and pronunciations were off, but she could largely understand what he was saying. Making a hasty decision, she removed her mask, watching as the man’s eyes widened and a blush blossomed on his cheeks.

[Your manner of speech is strange to me,] she told him with a curious look. The man grabbed his forehead as he struggled to retrieve the proper words, hand whirling in unconscious gestures as he forced out, [I… travel… friend!] Kida repeated his words softly, a bit confused as she struggled to understand him. Inhaling deeply, he suddenly crossed his arms and flashed her a smile. He suddenly switched to a strange dialect, yet one Kida could understand perfectly.

[So, my friend, I am a traveler!] He clarified with raised eyebrows.

[You speak the language of the Romans!] she realized with an almost accusatory look, fascinated by the sudden switch. Grinning now that he was finally getting somewhere, he keened while leaning forward, “Parlez-vous français?” Kida smiled amusedly and agreed with an impressed, “Oui, monsieur!” The others standing behind the linguist watched with various degrees of shock and confusion as the two communicated. Finally, the man exhaled satisfactorily.

“We’re friendly travelers,” he explained with a hand splayed graciously over his small chest. “We’ve come from the surface world.” Behind her, her guards exchanged galvanized but concerned whispers. Kida ignored them, enthralled at the golden opportunity she’d literally stumbled upon. I can finally learn everything about the surface world! She thought, automatically switching to English as the group began introducing themselves. By matter of protocol, Kida would have to deliver them to her father, the King; she would take all the time she had to squeeze as much information as she could out of them.

“Come with me,” she addressed them with a smile. “I will take you to my home. Please, follow us,” she said, gesturing into the brush with her spear. The others led the way, while Kida fell in step with them at a small distance, absorbing the peculiarities of their persons with bright, glimmering blue eyes.

Matim, she thought with a quick glance up at the dome. There are so many things I have yet to learn, but… I think after today, I shall be a little less ignorant, no?

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

Tag List: @deliathedork

#kida #atlantis #atlantis the lost empire #atlantis: the lost empire

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bubble-tea-bunny · 5 years

Text

the sacred place

[orm marius x reader]

author’s note: i just found out there’s fanfiction for stardew valley and i lowkey wanna write my own lol

word count: 2,847

The fall of Atlantis had been naught but a bump in the road. When it rebuilt, it became greater than before. Books from the surface contain only classical descriptions of the lost city. For people on land, this island swallowed by water is no more, and so on the ocean floor are pieces of a once great civilization, and its stories are told like fairytales or mythos. But the reality lends itself to the contrary. Down here, away from prying eyes, too far down for any human to venture, the Atlanteans flourish. To write of the wonders and technologies of this sprawling metropolis indeed sounds like make-believe, but for an entirely different reason. No longer is Atlantis a glimpse into the past. It’s a herald of the future.

Changes had been vast, but the evolution was deemed logical. A second chance meant an opportunity to be greater. Visionaries were all too enthused by the idea, and the city as it is now is what they have to show for their efforts. More than worthy, and enjoyed all to themselves. Those on land would never know. But throughout these transformations, from rising to collapsing to rising again, there is one constant, one piece untouched.

It seems strange to leave alone the bridge on the edge of Atlantis. It’s not very large, just wide enough for a chariot, which it had often hosted at the dawn of this civilization. No one has much use for it anymore since a separate stream had been created for all the ships coming in and out, which are much larger than any old chariot. The stones of this bridge are worn and aged, tinged green from algae. Most Atlanteans have a silent understanding that it will stay as it is.

Children are the ones to question its existence, wondering why it’s so special and why they aren’t allowed to visit. The answer is the same no matter who is asked. The bridge is a sacred place. Don’t disrespect it. Usually this is enough for a child to be satisfied, if not because of the words themselves then because of the stern tone of the one responding. It signals the end of the subject.

What goes unsaid amongst everyone is why. No one is confident on the reason the bridge is held in such high regard. It had been a sentiment passed down until it was commonplace. Most believe it remains as a cultural landmark, a small part of their history. But others speculate there’s more to it than that. They toss around stories of a creature looming in the depths below the bridge, and should it be disturbed, it would disrupt the way of life in Atlantis. Enough to wipe it out again, some of them dare to say, relishing in the shudders of those listening.

Whispered rumors of a monster keeping watch of the bridge eventually manage to reach the ears of Orm Marius. He’d never thought much of it, dismissing it as just that—hearsay by people with overactive imaginations looking for a good story to tell when they’re sitting round a table with companions and drinks in hand. If there truly was a threat, it would’ve been looked into long ago. But no tome in the library has addressed the issue, so as far as everyone in Atlantis knows, the bridge is there because it had always been, and thus, it will stay.

Even for all that ease Orm had been able to brush aside the tall tales, a nagging curiosity keeps him awake one night. He dreams of that archaic pathway and he’s not sure why. It hadn’t crossed his mind recently. So when he’s staring up at the ceiling, now fully alert, he takes it to be his subconscious desiring to put to rest the theories and guesses. There’s nothing there. He could tell that to the citizens, but he’d only be believed if he checked for himself. While the rest of the city sleeps, he slips out of bed.

He tells the guards keeping watch at the front of the castle where he’s going, and he doesn’t miss the slight furrow of their brows. Concern. They’ve heard the stories, and they haven’t been so quick to ignore them. I won’t be long, Orm tells them. Even if they’d expressed their worry, Orm would’ve gone anyway. He can handle himself. Besides, he isn’t going unarmed: he clasps his trident tightly as he makes his way to the bridge. Just a precaution, since he would be a fool to go somewhere unfamiliar without a weapon. Though he isn’t expecting to use it, since of course, there would be nothing to greet him there.

Despite the bridge being well within the walls of the city, when he approaches, his surroundings grow quieter. The bustling of the ships fade into the background, and all that reaches his ears is the sound of the shifting water as he moves. It’s as if he’s entered a bubble. He stands at one end, and he can see the other from here. Relative to all the other structures of Atlantis, this one is tiny. He supposes he’d never gotten a good look until now. No beast could possibly be hiding beneath.

He steps onto the bridge and comes to a stop in the center, remaining unmoving for a few moments to see if anything happens. But he’s all alone from what he can tell. With narrowed eyes and a resolution to be thorough, he braces his free hand on the rough stones and leans forward to gaze below. If something were there, he’d see it.

Or at least, he thought he would. He can’t see the ocean floor. An abyss stares back at him, fading from dark blue to black the farther it goes. Is this where those rumors had stemmed from? But who could’ve known this was here? Coming to the bridge wasn’t illegal, but it wasn’t the first thing someone would think to do. It was always observed from a distance, whether out of reverence or fear. Could there truly be substance to those stories?

Suddenly, a figure emerges from the depths, entirely too quickly for him to see exactly what it is. It shoots straight up, and Orm stumbles back. The force with which it propelled itself kicks up a stream behind it, and, regaining his footing quickly, he braces himself, trident at the ready. But he hears no roars nor sees any monster coming to attack.

You float in front of him, high enough that he has to tilt his head back to look at you properly. In the midst of his confusion, for you’re not what he had been anticipating, his stance relaxes slightly and his shoulders drop, trident lowering in turn. The warrior in him prevents him from completely letting down his guard, because though you don’t appear to be a threat, you could still be dangerous and lash out if he does something you don’t like.

Orm keeps his trident between the two of you, and notices your gaze drop down to the glistening silver prongs. His fingers tighten around the handle, prepared to defend himself, but you show no sign of aggression. When you’ve had your fill of surveying the weapon, you look up at him again. Your long hair splays out like sun rays, curling gently as you keep still, suspended in the water. The dress you wear is plain, and certainly doesn’t seem fit for the smoothest swimming, unlike Orm’s suit, nor the suits of many other Atlanteans. But the article of clothing doesn’t bother you or hamper your ability to move around, if the speed you’d demonstrated just moments before was any indication.

“Who are you?” he inquires quietly. Could you even understand him?

You don’t respond, so he thinks perhaps you can’t. In lieu of speaking, you start to lower yourself, and Orm lifts his trident out of habit, but you don’t attack. The thought crosses his mind that if you’d meant to, you would’ve moved much faster in an attempt to get past his weapon. Instead, you come to float on the other side of the bridge railing, your arms braced on top of it. You’re keeping your own layer of separation between both of you, as he had with his trident. He wonders if it’s to your benefit or his because the longer he observes you, the more he begins to speculate there is more to you than meets the eye. Had you really been living here this whole time?

He decides to ask another question, one that might be answered more easily than the first. “Do you keep watch over this bridge?”

You nod once, and it’s this simple confirmation that causes him to understand the importance of keeping this old and unused road into the city, an importance that had never been outlined with words, but merely by the respect held by one generation to be observed and practiced by the next. The bridge is your responsibility to guard, and the fact it’s no longer traveled on has no relevance. You’re bound to it, and you always would be. So the structure remained as it is, from the rise of Atlantis to its fall and to its rise again. It was all because of you.

The depths in your gaze are enough to compete with the depths from which he’d watched you emerge, a testament to all that you’ve witnessed over the centuries, the changes you have stood spectator to from this place. He can only begin to imagine the things you have seen. As he continues to stare, and as you stare back, it occurs to him that you hadn’t gotten aggressive because you don’t deem him a threat. For you, his presence on this bridge is one of many you have encountered, and far from the first potentially hostile. And how strong must you be to be left alone here over the years, for rulers to concede this area as yours?

Orm allows himself to relax fully, and he holds his trident at his side, prongs facing upwards to show you he has no intention of attacking. This time your eyes don’t follow the movement of the weapon. You watch him closely, head tilted, and only one word escapes his lips, breathed out in a sigh of disbelief and fascination—Incredible. It’s a low murmur but you can still hear it well, for Orm swears he spots the corner of your lips lift in a small smile.

To those who ask him what he’d found at the bridge, Orm says that he hadn’t found anything. Empty. Just as suspected. Some deflate upon hearing this news, knowing that not even excitable gossip and hearsay was adequate to give their tales legs to stand on now. It had been confirmed by the king who actually went there himself that no such monster lurked beneath.

He’d been honest, to a certain extent. There was no monster. Just you. (Considering it now, this hadn’t been the best phrasing; it’s not just you and to phrase it like so was to minimize how remarkable you are and Orm, for one, believes you’re extraordinary.) He doesn’t reveal your existence, not even to his court, because if you’ve lived in secret this long, you must prefer the privacy. Maybe your favorite place to linger is in dreams, toeing the line between imagination and reality. He wonders if you’re aware of the stories people tell of you, and wonders how it makes you feel. For the ones more devoted to the stories, the likes of which are undeterred by Orm’s claims that no creature guards the bridge, you’re practically a god.

Another reason he keeps you a secret is because he wants you to be his secret. He’d been drawn to you from the first time he saw you, and wanted to know you better. He wanted you to himself. You don’t seem to mind his late night visits. Maybe you looked forward to it, just as he did. The guards on duty when he goes to the bridge figure it’s because it’s a good place to think; it’s quiet out there. He doesn’t make much noise when he approaches, yet you always seem to know when he arrives. You pop your head up over the side of the railing, a playful peek, and he can’t help but grin when he notices.

The guards were right—this is a good place to think. And he does so out loud, to you. He tells you about everything, the deliberations he makes and the duties he attends to. You listen as you twirl around aimlessly above him. Most of your responses to what he says are sympathetic smiles and nods and sometimes a quiet laugh if he’s said something funny (though this sounds more like an awkward rasp, owed most likely to your different set of vocal chords, and while odd at first, it’s almost endearing). Sometimes he comes to you with problems weighing heavy on him. He’s stuck at an impasse, and he voices a question of what to do and it’s then that he wishes you could talk.

During those moments, the instances of uncharacteristic vulnerability and hesitation, you settle down to be nearer to him, bare feet settling upon the aged stone pathway, and he’s looking down at you rather than up. When you’re this close, the gleam in your eyes is clearer than ever. There’s a softness to them, like you’re telling him to follow his gut feeling, to make the decisions he deems right. It’s all you can offer but for Orm it’s more than enough. You’re the angel on his shoulder that need not speak to offer advice. You remind him to slow down and take a deep breath. And that’s no small matter. In fact, it matters the most.

You must think these issues so small, given the scope of time you’ve been here, with your bridge and your own devices. A small piece of the timeline passing by. The coming years which Orm views as long and rife with difficulties (as such is the nature of being king), is just a blink of the eye to you. Maybe that’s why do you so well to calm him down when he feels himself drifting too far. Maybe you know that it will all be okay in the end.

He trusts you more than his advisers, and he finds a sense of comfort to be in your presence. When he comes to this conclusion, he realizes how special you’ve become, and how special you would always be to him from this point on. He wonders if you realize that. He doesn’t want to be just a blink of the eye, a quick flash behind your eyelids, there one second and gone the next. He wants to be what you see when you close your eyes to sleep, to be with you in a realm where hours feel like eternity.

Being on the bridge with you is the closest he figures he’ll get to forever. Time seems to stand still and he’d gladly watch millennia fly by because you’d be with him. That’s all he wants. One night you’re standing before him again and he slowly, carefully, sets a hand on your face, thumb gently stroking your cheek, and he lets out a quiet breath when he makes contact. He’d almost expected to be met with thin air, for a part of him doubted you could be real, that you were a figment of his imagination or just a dream from the beginning. So to touch you was to quell all those concerns.

You’re enchanting. He whispers the words to you, and they’re followed closely by his confession that he’s fallen in love with you, wholly and utterly. There were many before who could’ve dared to venture here, to stumble upon you and fall in love with you, and Orm considers himself lucky to be the one who had. He hopes you love him too. Maybe there is substance to the claim that you’re a god, because maybe you could see all of time, hold it in your hand, and had been looking forward to the day you knew you would meet him, and you wouldn’t be so quick to let it pass by.

Perhaps you were waiting at the bridge for him, anticipating the night his curiosity would guide him to you. It wasn’t his time with you that would be gone in one blink; it was the time spent waiting until you reached this very moment, as you watched the world around you rise and fall and rise once more with the knowledge that with each shift you were only getting closer. Centuries were mere seconds. And so maybe the delicate smile you grace him with now upon his admission, which looks much like the smile you first gave him on the day you met, is a smile of love and of the realization that you have finally arrived.

#orm marius x reader #orm marius imagine #aquaman imagine #aquaman x reader #bubble-tea-bunny #queue

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trashmagines · 5 years

Text

The Visitor: Orm Marius x Female!Atlantean!Reader

TrAshy Says: Yes, I am in my Orm feels. I LOVE MY NOT REALLY BUT KINDA MISGUIDED SEA DADDY. This is part one y’all!

Warnings: Blood mention, Aquman spoilers!

The loud pounding on your door startles you awake, the frantic beat immediately throwing you into defensive mode. You grab the sword you keep close to your bed and quietly make your way to the door, the knocking fierce and loud and shaking you to your core. You swing the door open and raise your weapon to strike at the source of the noise, only to be stopped short by Arthur’s flailing hand.

“Arthur! What the hell are you doing here?!” “It’s my brother, Y/N. He was attacked.”

You have no chance to answer as Arthur drags a moaning and bleeding Orm into your living room, laying him on your otherwise unused coffee table. You quickly peer outside to make sure no one else heard their ruckus before making your way to the visibly distraught man.

“I don’t understand; why bring him all the way here?” “He was attacked in prison.” “He’s still a prince of Atlantis; they would have treated him.” “You know as well as I do that Atlanteans aren’t that forgiving.” Arthur gives you a knowing look and you shy away from his gaze. “Y/N, please help him.” “Alright.”

A few days later.

Orm awakes to the sound of waves rolling outside the window. He jolts upright, his mind quickly registering that his body no longer in pain. He thoroughly inspects himself, taking in the odd clothing that is now covering his form, before examining his surroundings. He immediately picks up on Arthur’s loud snoring and finds his elder brother sprawled on your couch, knowing he must have been the one to bring him here. As he makes his way through another entryway, he finds himself surrounded by furniture, you in the midst of it. You’re standing in front of some large metal object and humming a tune he knows all too well.

“My mother used to sing that to me when I was younger.” “So did mine.”

You don’t move to face him and instead keep working on cooking breakfast for the three of you. Orm sits on one of the bar stools at your island, studying your movements. You were too graceful, too fluid; nothing like the clumsy land dwellers he’d bared witness to on numerous occasions. When you finally turn, his mouth goes dry and he’s at a loss for words. You’re beautiful.

“Here, you should eat. Arthur, breakfast!!”

Orm frowns at the yellow mush accompanied by what seems to be some form of meat. He glances up at you only to find you already eyeing him, a smile tugging at the edge of your lips.

“Eggs and bacon,” you say slowly, pointing to the respective items. “I know it isn’t what you’re used to, but you should eat something. Both are a bit of an acquired taste, but I tried to make it as palatable as possible.”

Orm nods only once before trying the food. You were definitely right about the taste and the textures aren’t all that great either. Still, he finds it satisfying enough to continue eating, and you smile fully before going to plate the rest.

“Finally, I thought you were going to let me starve!”

Arthur’s booming voice breaks the pleasant silence that had enveloped the kitchen. You smile and Arthur kisses the top of your head as you hand him his overflowing plate. Orm feels a twinge of jealousy at this action, despite having just met you. It wasn’t fair; Arthur had already taken Mera and Atlantis from him, and now here he was again, eclipsed by his brother’s large shadow.

“You’re finally awake, little brother. Sleep long enough?” “Surprisingly given the loud sounds you make when you’re asleep. How long have I been unconscious?” “Three days.”

Orm’s a little startled by that fact. Had he really been injured that badly? The anguish he was in seems so far away now; he barely remembers it. If that were the case, even given his physiology, he wouldn’t have healed in three days.

“You can thank Y/N for that.”

Of course; Atlantean’s thoughts are not always their own. Orm shifts his gaze to you and you grin sheepishly as you chew a bite of eggs. That’s when it hits him.

“You’re one of us.” “Yep, Princess Y/N of... the coast of Florida!” Arthur chuckles.

You shake your head at Arthur as Orm looks at you, confused. He’d never heard of such a place.

“You’re in Florida,” you answer his questioning thoughts. “And I was a princess. I’m not anymore.”

There’s a trace of sadness in your voice that both brothers notice, but Arthur quickly replies ‘Once a princess, always a princess.’ before putting his plate in the sink and throwing an arm around your shoulder. You smile up at him and the scene makes Orm’s stomach churn.

“Brother. What about Princess Mera?” “She knows where we are; I told her I was coming here.” “Do you think she would appreciate... this?” Orm gestures between the two of you.

It takes only a second before Arthur and you both burst out laughing, Orm not understanding what exactly is so funny.

“Don’t worry, we’re not laughing at you. But Arthur and I? No. Never.” “Y/N’s one of my best friends. I met her when a cruise ship went down in the middle of its trip. She was already there, swimming people to shore before I even showed up. It was cool to meet someone like me; a fish out of water.”

You lightly elbow Arthur and turn to put your plate in the sink. Orm sits back in his seat, feeling somewhat foolish and very out of place. He’d never seen such actions between friends, but it also made him wonder. Would you treat him the same if you were friends? How were you with those that were considered more than friends? His thoughts are cut short by Arthur’s voice ringing out again.

“So uh, I should get going. Gotta make sure pirates aren’t pirating and boats aren’t burning.” “I suppose this is goodbye then, Princess Y/N.” Orm stands, ready to accompany his brother back home and ultimately be escorted back to prison. “Uh, actually,” Arthur runs his hands through his hair and his eyes shift between you and Orm. “I was hoping he could stay here for a while, Y/N.” “Huh?” “Excuse me?”

Both you and Orm give Arthur questioning looks. Yes, Orm would be imprisoned again, but he thought that much better than being stuck above water. At least he’d be close to Atlantis, to home. He also couldn’t see you opening your place to him, someone that was basically stranger, whether you were Atlantean or not.

“Listen little bro, you were assaulted down there. On my watch, I might add. Our mother would kill me if anything happened to you and I’d never forgive myself. We haven’t even gotten a chance to get know each other. So, Y/N, if it’s okay with you, I’d like him to stay here. I trust you and I know you’ll look after him. It doesn’t have to be for long; just until the heat dies down, you know?”

Arthur’s voice is steady but his eyes are pleading, almost begging you to say yes. So you do.

“If Orm is alright with it, he’s more than welcome to stay.”

Arthur turns his attention to Orm, his gaze stern but still pleading and trying to convince him that he was only concerned for his safety. Orm peers out your glass patio door before sighing heavily and turning back to his brother.

“I will stay here.”

You and Orm see Arthur off. He gives you both hugs, a gesture Orm isn’t that used to but feels strangely comforted by, then dives into the sea leaving the both of you standing on the beach. You peek at Orm as he stares longingly out into the distance, silently promising that you’ll do your best to make him feel at home.

#Orm Marius #Orm Marius x reader #Aquaman #DC's Aquaman

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imagine-writing-rainbow · 5 years

Text

War: Alliance (2/4) King Orm/Reader

Word Count: 1209

Lost of exposition, but Orm is in this one. Yay! Thank you for reading.

Trigger Warnings: War, Tragedy [Don’t wanna spoil]

Then sun has risen and set many times since the sparkling pool bore its grim warning. And as it were, the sun would set again with war no nearer than it was yesterday, but unease weighs down on your soul; the deities were never wrong.

It near midday, and the streets are full and busy with people preparing for The Festival Of Stars.

You maneuver through the town square, hoping to find something simple, but well-formed. Though you can only seem to find the most flashy of garments left behind.

A clothing stand, a little ways back behind all the excitement, captures your attention. The owner is busy sewing more garments to sell during the festival.

You browse through fine pieces, searching for a exquisite outfit to wear to The Festival Of Stars. You prick yourself on a pin still stuck in a fine black tunic that caught your eye.

You yelp in pain, but the idea hurts more than the wound. The woman behind the stall looks up from the sewing machine, eyes wide with worry. She reaches over and snatches up the garment, searching for anymore dastardly pins. She bows her head, “My liege, I am so sorry”

“It's just a pin prick,”

“But, My liege-”

You smile at her concern, but wave it away just the same, “How much for the tunic.”

The Festival Of Stars is held on the highest hill overlooking the kingdom. It begins at dusk and continues well into the night. The sun has dipped below the horizon and the stars have begun to sparkle into existence as you make your way through the shop stalls.

The smell of festival food and wood fire fills the air. You think of your youth. It wasn’t much of a childhood you suppose. Most kids don’t learn war strategy and negotiation tactics, but you learned them for a reason. You wonder if the sparkling pool could have been wrong, maybe it was confused. Was war really coming? You shake those thoughts out of your head, to doubt the deities now would be a mistake.

Your stomachs grumble brings you from your thought, perhaps it was time for dinner and a show.

The stars are shining bright and the sky has turned the deep purple of night. Many stall owners with children have begun to head home.

A young boy and his mother pack away a stall full of intricately embroidered dolls. You remember these dolls; each one is handmade and no bigger than a woman’s palm; not a single one is the same. You had quite a few when you were younger; even one that was made to look like you.

“Hello, My liege” The stall owner says, “See any dolls you like.”

“Oh, I’m much too old for dolls” You say.

The young boy stops packing and holds a doll up for you to see. The stitch work is messy, but done with love. “I made him myself,” he says, a big smile spreads across his face, he’s missing a tooth toward the back of his mouth: he’s absolutely adorable.

“He’s a brave warrior” The young boy says, “like you.”

“Is he now?” You ask.

“Yeah, mom says he’ll protect me, just like you protect the kingdom” The young boy beams.

The stall owner has packed away the last doll and is ready to leave. It would not be easy getting through the festival-goers after the party had begun and nearly all the children had been taken home too. The young boy shares with you one last beaming smile and then waves goodbye.

Though turmoil has coiled around your gut and refuses to let go, the warmness of love reminds you to enjoy the festival

The crisp chill of night has set, the stars glimmer like diamonds around a bright full moon.

In this moment, all is peaceful.

In the next, a whistling fills the air, high and shrieking. It grows louder and louder, closer and closer.

You don't quite wake up, so much as float just within consciousness. You're too knocked out of your body and far away to actually consider yourself awake.

“My liege,” Priestess Hera calls for you, she sounds so far away, “My liege, please!”

All at once, the world snaps back into place. You're off your back and on your feet, running out into the city before the nurses can catch up.

Your hurt thunders in your chest and in your ears. You stumble some, your head spins, you keep running.

The streets are empty, rubble and broken shop carts lay in pieces like broken bones. Your legs take you faster before your brain registers it. Buildings lay collapsed where they once stood tall, you come to a halt. Your body screaming.

You find yourself in a familiar place: the market square. Charred fabrics blow across the sand like weeds. On the ground near the rubble of a fallen tenement, you pick up a hand-sewn doll.

Your legs give out beneath you, spilling you across the sand and debris. You brush the matted yarn hair from his face. A wet sob escapes you, a few tears wet the warrior dolls armour. The bomb blasted has burnt away his smile.

The Atlantean king shows up a couple weeks after the bombing. Walks out of the ocean, fantastical armour glinting in the sun. Behind him a big ship surfaces, within it an army.

The castle has survived unscathed, it had been built to withstand. Many people were left without homes, they now refuge in the castle halls. Even your office is occupied, so you speak with the King Orm in your bedroom.

“Why would the humans want war with us” You ask, more to the deities than the king beside you, “They shouldn’t even know we exist”

You will yourself not to break down. To look weak in front of the King would bring shame to your people—more shame than the failure which already laid heavy on your shoulders.

“Why wasn’t I prepared?” You whisper, then, as if you had remembered your audience, you ask, “Was Atlantis attacked as well?”

“One of our cities was hit,” King Orm says, there’s a bitterness to his voice. Though, you suppose there’s a bitterness to your voice as well.

“So you wish for my peoples help then,”

King Orm nods. “This is a necessary alliance, if we do not ally ourselves both our kingdoms will fall”

You consider his words carefully, “My people have been manipulated by your kind before,”

“I am not the kings before me” He says.

You peer out of the bedroom window, it had once given you a view of your beloved kingdom, now you are accosted by the sight of ruins every sunrise.

You worried your lip between your teeth: could you not win the war alone?

“You have very little to lose” King Orm offers, “and very much to gain.”

As hesitant as memories of the past made you, King Orm was right. Atlantis had been attacked as well and warring with your people would ensure mutual destruction.

You consider Orm one last time, searching for treachery in his eyes. Satisfied that you have found none, you make your decision: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend”

@ultrarebelheart @fueled-by-novocaine

#King Orm #king orm/reader #king orm x reader #gender neutral reader #aquaman imagine #aquaman reactions #aquaman #orm marius/reader #orm marius x reader #orm marius reactions #King Orm reactions #reader insert #reader-insert #king orm imagine #orm marius #orm marius imagine

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eternallyyoungjustice · 5 years

Text

Wherever the Winds Take You: Chapter 9

Mount Justice

July 18

11:16

“Recognized: Robin-B01, Kid Flash-B03.”

As the two young boys ran out from the Zeta-Tubes and into the main cavern of Mount Justice, their faces were lit up with excitement

Their energies were practically bouncing off the walls, and their grins only seemed to grow as they neared their three teammates who were standing in the center of the cavern and observing a holographic map.

Upon hearing the boys’ footsteps, the others turned. All were dressed in civilian attire, and the excited energy seemed to twirl around all of them in different ways.

“Did you ask him?” Robin asked once they had joined the others.

“What’d he say?” Wally jumped in.

“He’s arriving now.” Kaldur smiled, obviously also feeling the excitement but hiding it, although poorly, as he tried to act maturely.

“Then what are we waiting for?” Wally exclaimed, and he zipped over to the hangar door nearby. The slanted metal of the ceiling descended upon command, revealing the grassy outside terrain. The others followed quickly behind, lastly of which were Miss Martian and Superboy who glanced at each other briefly before following.

It was less than a moment later that a familiar red robotic man and a small brunette girl descended from the sky just outside of the hangar. The other teens ran up to greet them.

“Zeph’! Red Tornado!” Wally yelled over the sound of the rushing winds that the air-manipulating duo used to fly.

“Bonjour Mon Chers!” Lina greeted as her feet made contact with the ground. “Lovely weather here today, no?”

“Greetings.” Red Tornado also replied. “Is there a reason you intercept us in front of the cave?”

“We’d hoped you had a mission for us.” Kaldur explained.

“I told you they would be asking soon…” Lina muttered in a sing-song voice, smirking at her mentor as she went to stand beside her teammates.

“Missions assignments are The Batman’s responsibility.” Red Tornado replied automatically, without even missing a beat.

“But it’s been over a week and-“”You will be tested soon enough.” Red Tornado cut Robin off, raising his hand to stop the young boy. “For the time being, simply enjoy each other's company.”

“This team is not a social club.” Kaldur said, suddenly much more serious.

Lina turned to him, looking slightly surprised. “I mean, it kind of is...”

She didn’t get a response.

“No, but I am told social interaction is an important team-building exercise.” Red Tornado replied, just as stoically as ever. “Perhaps you can…’keep busy’ by familiarizing yourselves with the cave.”

As Red Tornado walked away, the teenagers watched him. Very put out. The moment he was out of earshot, Wally punched Robin’s arm.

“‘Keep busy’.” Wally mocked.

“Does he think we’re falling for this?” Robin exclaimed, shoulders tensing like an angry cat.

“Ooh!” Miss M suddenly popped up, whirling around to focus on Red Tornado. “I’ll find out!”

After her little t-shirt trick upon first meeting the team, the Martian girl had barely shown off any of her powers, so it surprised the lot of them a little that she was suddenly using her telepathy.

But alas, after a moment, her shoulders slumped.

“I’m sorry...I forgot he’s a machine, inorganic.” The girl explained. “I cannot read his mind.”

“It’s alright Miss M, I believe Robin was simply being sarcastic.” Lina smiled.

“Nice try though.” Wally smirked as he stepped toward the Martian girl, leaning in towards her as he dug his hands into his pockets. “So...you know what I’m thinking right now?”

Robin elbowed his best friend, scoffing. “We all know what we’re thinking right now.”

There was a pause, and then Kaldur broke the silence with an irritated tone. “And now we tour the clubhouse.”

Lina raised an eyebrow up at the Atlantean, surprise and worry coating her gaze.

"Well…" Miss Martian piped in, trying to ease the tension. "Superboy and I live here. We can play tour guide."

"Don't look at me." Superboy grumbled, shrugging.

"We won't." Wally cut in, leaning in to focus intently on Miss M. "A private tour sounds much more fun."

"She never said private!" Robin interjected, voice cracking a little.

"A tour would be good for team building, we should all go together." Lina said, covering her concern for the anxious tension with a cheerful smile. To emphasize her point, she wrapped her arm around Kaldur's, who looked down at her but thought little of the action.

And then the Martian girl began leading the way back inside, explaining that the area they were in was technically the front entryway, even though it was hard to find the 'front' of a mountain. As the others walked away Kaldur, however, was stopped by Lina's suddenly-firmed hold on his arm. He halted and looked back, seeing that the girl's gaze was suddenly returned to being one of concern.

"Don't let Roy get to your head." She said, not breaking eye-contact. "We're not a 'junior justice league', and we're not being shoved aside. Plus, social interaction and friendship is very important in a team. I know you know all of this."

Kaldur remained silent for a moment, studying the girl latched onto him. After that moment, he let out a large sigh and some of the tension in his shoulders released.

"Apologies. You're correct." He gave the girl a small smile. "Thank you."

"I'm starting to feel like the, what's his name…'Jiminy Cricket', between you two boys." Lina laughed.

Kaldur looked amused as he watched the giggling girl, but said nothing.

"Are you guys coming or what?" The two teens heard Robin's voice calling from inside.

"Oui!" Lina called back. "We're coming!"

The two teens looked at each other for just another moment before Lina detached and dashed over to where her teammates had gone. Kaldur remained for a moment, smiling, and then followed as well.

Throughout the tour, Miss Martian had to endure with Wally and Robin's shenanigans, but surprisingly seemed unphased by them. Although whether that was because she had the patience of a saint, or she just didn't realize they were flirting was anybody's guess. The same boys, as well as Kaldur, would pipe in with little tidbits of information every so often, obviously being very knowledgeable in their years of being proteges. Lina, not knowing anything about the cave that wasn't common knowledge, was restricted to simple giggles and the odd comment about how big/cool the place was. Superboy however, remained silent throughout the entirety of the tour.

"...and this is our back door!" Miss Martian concluded. "The cave is actually comprised of the whole mountain."

"It was hollowed out by Superman and Green Lantern in the early days of the League." Wally explained.

"So why abandon it for the Hall of Justice?" Superboy asked.

"The cave's secret location was... compromised." Kaldur explained.

"So they traded it in for a tourist trap?" Superboy scoffed. "Yea, that makes sense."

The four 'original proteges' exchanged glances, but said nothing.

"If the villains know of the cave's location...we must be on constant alert!" Miss Martian exclaimed, panicked.

"The bad guys know we know that they know about the cave, so they'll never think to look here." Robin said, taking the girl's hand in his to 'soothe' her. This only seemed to confuse the alien more however.

"What he means is that we're hiding in plain sight." Wally cut in, pushing their hands apart.

M'gann scratched her head, obviously still confused. "Ah, yes. That makes...much more sense…"

Lina couldn't help but shake her head at the boys. Their attempts at 'flirting' were abysmal.

"What they're trying to say, Cheri, is that we are okay." The air-manipulating girl stepped up, placing a hand on Miss Martian's arm. "There's no need to be worried. And even if there was, we've got each other's backs."

The alien seemed less confused and the frown between her brows decreased as she nodded. "Thank you, that's really nice to hear!"

Lina glanced at the two younger boys, who looked both mildly put out and intrigued. The girl gave them a small smirk, conveying a clear message.

"That's how it's done"

The moment was cut off however, by Superboy sniffing the air and remarking, "I smell smoke".

"My cookies!" M'gann exclaimed, and promtly flew off in the direction of the kitchen.

Confused but intrigued, the others followed.

The cave's kitchen was open concept, leading into a small living areas with a green plush coach, some chairs, a coffee table, and a TV. The kitchen itself was just as simple, stainless steel appliances, white counters, and wooden cabinets.

With her powers, Miss Martian opened the oven and took out a baking sheet of blackened disks.

“I was trying out Granny Jones’ recipe from episodes seventeen of-“ Suddenly, the green girl cut herself off. “Uh...nevermind.”

Everyone picked up one of the pieces of charcoal, examining it.

“May I suggest a lower heat next time Petite?” Lina asked, breaking the cookie in half. “Both the interior and the exterior shouldn’t have burnt like this."

The alien girl perked up, smiling and nodding at the advice as she made a mental note. "Ah, okay! Thank you Zephyr!"

“I bet they would’ve tasted great.” Robin smirked as he leaned against the counter, then nodded towards Wally. “He doesn’t seem to mind."

Everyone turned to see Wally, ever the walking stomach, scarfing down the blackened baked goods two at a time. Stopping once he had been spotted however, the speedster swallowed the remnants in his mouth and then spoke.

"I...have a serious...metabolism."

Lina couldn't help but snort in laughter, earning her a look from both Kaldur and the ginger.

"I'll...make more." Miss M replied, although it sounded more like a question.

"It was sweet of you to make any." Kaldur nodded.

Miss Martian exhaled in relief and returned the kind smile. "Thanks Aqualad."

"We're off-duty, call me Kaldur'ahm." The Atlantean corrected. "Actually, my friends call me Kaldur."

"Evangélina Dubois." The small girl introduced, giving a little curtsey to the girl with green skin. "Or just 'Lina'."

"I'm Wally." The ginger speedster piped in, putting his head in his hand. "See, I already trust you with my secret ID...unlike Mr. Dark Glasses over here." Wally gestured to Robin. "Batman's forbidden 'Boy-Wonder' from telling anyone his real name."

"Mine's no secret!" Miss M grinned, brushing off the exchange and placing her hands on her hips. "It's M'gann M'orzz. But you can call me Megan! It's an Earth name...and I'm on Earth now…"

Her happiness about being on present on the planet Earth was clear, and it seemed to hit everyone-except Superboy who remained slouched in a corner. As he turned to walk away however, he caught Megan's eye. The Martian focused her dark amber eyes on him, so subtly that nobody else noticed.

But everyone else did notice when Superboy tensed, then whirled around to seeth at M'gann.

"Get out of my head!"

As the four 'Earth-dwellers' focused their attention on M'gann, they were suddenly hit with an unfamiliar and sudden stinging.

"What's wrong? I don't understand." M'gann's voice rang through each of their heads. "Everyone on Mars communicates telepathically."

As the voice ran through her mind, Lina could feel the serum running through her system suddenly slow and almost flicker in and out of existence. As her senses heightened and her mind shifted gears, the noise bouncing around in her skull suddenly felt akin to a jackhammer digging into her brain and down her spine. She let out a cry in pain, her muscles tensing and knees shaking as she cupped her hands over her ears.

The voice was all she could hear.

The pain was all she could focus on.

"M'gann, stop." Kaldur's voice cut through everything, and the voice-and then the pain-slowed to a stop. As the medicine in her bloodstream began to correct itself and normalize, Lina could feel a warm, webbed hand carefully touching her upper back. She took deep breaths, and tried to focus on her heartbeat, the warmth of the comforting hand, and the familiar smell of saltwater and sandalwood that wafted around her.

"Things are different here on Earth." Kaldur went on to say. "Here your powers are an extreme invasion of privacy."

"Besides, Cadmus' creepy little g-gnomes left a bad taste in Supey's brain." Wally motioned towards the clone."

M'gann looked humiliated. "I-I didn't mean to-"

"Just stay out!" Superboy growled loudly, then huffed over to the seating area.

"Lin', you alright?" Robin muttered, stepping closer to the crouching girl.

Still breathing deeply, Lina nodded. "Oui...yes. Je ne sais-" Lina cleared her throat. "I suppose my medication does not react well with telepathy."

"I'm so sorry…" M'gann whimpered, giving her fellow female a terrified look. She expected the air-manipulating to yell at her, like Superboy had, but instead Lina simply gave her a small smile.

"No, no. It's okay M'gann." She nodded. "You meant no ill will. Goodness knows everyone makes mistakes with their powers from time to time."

Looking relieved, M'gann eased up. The alien tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear, mentally running through her recent actions in her head and making mental notes in her head. Only her first real interaction with the team and she was already facing culture shock…

Meanwhile, Lina looked up at Kaldur who was already looking back at her with concern in his eyes. Lina gave him the same smile, and nodded.

"Thank you." She said, and after a moment Kaldur smiled back and removed his hand as Lina straightened up again.

The moment and any residual tension was shattered when Megan suddenly cried out, "Hello Megan!" and slapped her forehead. "I know what we can do!"

As the alien girl zipped through the air and into the nearest corridor, the remaining four teens turned to glance at each other, shrugged, and then followed.

M'gann however, paused in the corridor, then floated back to peer into the seating area.

"Superboy." She called to the Kryptonian who was brooding quietly on a plush chair. "Please?"

"Don't talk to me." He growled back.

There was a moment when M'gann simply looked down in disappointment and guilt, then the Clone looked at her. Seeing her saddened expression, the boy let out a sigh and stood up.

A short while later, all six of them walked into a hangar, a large open space with sleek metallic floors and giant pipes running along the walls. There was a large pool of water washing in from the sea that framed the lifted metal floors. Even if it was cold and grey, the room itself was quite peaceful.

And in the center, the only real thing with colour in the proximity, was a red, egg-shaped, thing about the size of a small car hovering in the air.

"It's my Martian Bio-ship." M'gann announced.

To no surprise, Lina heard a couple voices surround her.

"A flying machine? How primitive."

"This girl can fly, why would she need such a thing?"

"Machines that use and abuse us...a staple of the human scum."

Lina shook her head a little, getting rid of most of the louder voices.

"So jealous…" The girl thought, keeping her head tilted to one side as she scanned the red dome. "Although it would be cool to rely on a machine to fly...I wonder what it's like. How does it work?"

"Uh...cute." Wally observed. "Not very aerodynamic, but cute."

"It's at rest silly. I'll wake it." M'gann waved her hand, and suddenly the egg began to morph. It flattened, the front extended and sharpened into tips and long wings protruded from the sides. As the airship took its final form, the entire team stood wide-eyed in surprise.

And then they all ran in, eager to see the interior.

The inside of the ship was dark, lit by dim blue lighting. There was a back section with a shelving unit and a bed that could be used for medical reasons, and a main hull with a captain's chair in the back with two orbs that were presumably used to drive the machine.

"Strap on for launch." M'gann spoke as six chairs emerged from the ground, living the ship's walls.

"Woah!" Robin cried as he sat down and cross-seatbelts wrapped themselves around his chest. Wally ran to the chair directly across from his best friend, Superboy cautiously sat in the chair at the direct front, and Kaldur and Lina took the seats on either side of him and in front of Wally and Robin respectively.

As she watched her new teammates' wonder, M'gann took her seat at the captain's chair, her own large grin stretching across her face.

"Red Tornado, please open the bay doors." The Martian spoke, placing her hands on the orbs on either of her sides.

As commanded, the giant hangar doors began to slide open and everyone inside the airship braced themselves as the craft lifted off the ground and took off.

Lina suddenly found herself grasping onto the wall beside her and onto her chair for dear life. When the sight of the town's titular harbor came into sight, zooming towards them, the French girl jammed her eyes shut.

"This was a mistake! Big mistake!" Lina could feel her mind reeling. "Merde, I'm going to die! Where the hell is the support?"

Superboy turned his head, eyebrow lifted.

"I can hear your heartbeat, it's quickened."

"Yea no shit!"

"I'm just...really not used to flying in a machine...apparently." Lina whispered, her body temporarily forgetting how to breathe. "But I'm fine! Totally okay…"

There was a moment of silence, then Lina felt a pressure on the hand that had a white-knuckled grip on her seat. Opening her eyes slowly, Lina looked down to see the clone beside her with his hand over hers. Out of pure surprise, her gaze speeded to Superboy's who looked back, emotionless.

"Physical contact is supposed to be comforting to people with anxiety." Conner explained without Lina even having to ask.

Lina blinked and her mouth gaped, wondering if this was the same boy who had just tore into M'gann for simply using her powers.

Superboy tilted his head to the side, listening more for Lina's heartbeat. It had slowed down to an almost normal pace, so he removed his hand and sat back up right.

Surprised, but not put out, Lina slowly straightened her back and began to focus on the scenery outside the large windshield in front of her. She was so shocked that she didn't even feel panicked at speed in which the landscapes were flying past.

"Incredible." Robin spoke as his face was practically glued to his window.

"She sure is." Wally looked, awestruck, at the captaining Martian. But when Robin turned to give him an accusatory look, the ginger snapped out of his gaze. "The ship is, I mean...which, like all ships is a...she…"

"Fast with his feet." Robin smirked up to M'gann. "Not so much with his mouth."

"Dude!" Wally cried.

The two male team members in the front of the helm however, weren't paying attention to their younger comrades as Kaldur leaned in closer to Superboy.

"I may not have psychic powers, but I can guess what you're thinking. You overreacted and you don't know how to apologize." Kaldur spoke in a low voice as to not alert the others. "Just say sorry."

Superboy looked away, not replying. But the Atlantean soldier knew he had been heard.

The girl they were referring to however, took Superboy's mostly silent demeanor to heart. She had witnessed the boy's compassion to Lina, and how differently that interaction had been as opposed to her own with him. As she thought it over, a pit grew in her stomach and a small frown grew between her brows.

"He'll come around, don't worry." Robin whispered, leaning over.

"He doesn't seem to like me very much…" The Martian girl observed, and upon seeing where her eyes were; Robin noticed the slight glances she was sending to Lina's way.

"Trust me," Robin chuckled, "you have nothing to worry about there."

"You guys know Supey can hear you, right?" Wally interjected.

M'gann cheeks darkened to an almost forest green, before Robin heightened the volume of his voice.

"Hey, how about showing us a little Martian shape-shifting?" Robin asked, a little too loudly.

M'gann slowly stood up with a giddy smile and everyone turned to watch. Slowly, the alien's skin and clothes began to melt away, almost seeming to be covered by a black liquid of some kind, only to be replaced with a yellow red and black colour; until standing where M'gann had been was an older, female Robin in-uniform. Domino mask and all.

With a small twirl, the 'Girl Wonder' morphed into a female Kid Flash. Yellow uniform, yellow mask, insignia, and even the shortly trimmed ginger hair. The only difference between her, and the real KF was the endowed chest.

"Is it wrong that I think I'm hot?" The real Wally West asked, his voice almost sounding dazed. Lina let out a loud snort in laughter, which caught the yellow-clad female's attention.

Twirling once more, yellow and red faded to white and gold, then short ginger became long brown locks.

And suddenly Lina Dubois was looking at a realistic-looking Zephyr. In response, the original girl's laughter increased tenfold as she began to clap, amazed.

Robin joined in the applause. "Very impressive, but y'know you're not exactly going to fool anyone with those first two."

"Mimicking boys is a lot harder…" M'gann admitted, turning back to her original green form.

"And your clothes?" Kaldur asked.

"They're organic, like the ship." M'gann explained, listing the lapels of her pink cardigan to show that they stuck to her like some kind of clay. "They respond to my mental commands."

"As long as they're the only ones." Superboy growled. This seemed to hit M'gann deeply, and her body subtly curled into itself.

"Can you do that ghosting through walls thing that 'Manhunter does?" Wally piped up, anxious not to let the tension from Superboy's comment linger.

"Density shifting?" M'gann asked. "No...it's a very advanced technique."

Robin was more than happy to try and cheer M'gann up…at his friends expense.

"Flash can vibrate his molecules right through a wall. When he tries it," Robin motioned to Wally who began making a clear 'please no' expression with his eyes, "bloody nose."

"Dude!"

"Here's something I can do!" M'gann exclaimed, and suddenly from outside the windows, the wings and the body of the ship began to disappear.

Lina suddenly became much more physically attached to her seat as she spouted out curse words in languages that nobody understood.

"Don't worry!" M'gann comforted, extending a hand towards the petrified girl. "It's only camouflage mode!"

"I'm sorry M'gann, this is really very lovely of you and a great experience." Lina stated with eyes as wide as saucers. "But your flying death machine is going to kill me."

"Red Tornado to Miss Martian." Red Tornado's voice appeared through the walls of the Bio-ship. "An emergency alert was triggered at the Happy Harbor Power Plant. I suggest you investigate covertly. Sending coordinates."

"Received. Adjusting course." M'gann acknowledged.

"Tornado's keeping us busy again." Wally grumbled as the Bio-ship turned slightly and headed for its new destination.

"If there's anything we should learn from Cadmus." Lina said, forcing her fear down enough to turn to the boy. "Is that we shouldn't ever underestimate a mission."

"We should at least find out what caused the alert." M'gann agreed.

"I think I know the cause." Superboy alerted, pointing forward. Everyone focused their attention to see a tornado.

A tornado headed straight for them.

The winds quickly swept the small aircraft into its clutches, and Lina swore she saw her life flash before her eyes.

M'gann grunted as she tried to gain control of the ship, but it was no use. The tornado was stronger, and sharply spun the craft round and round in a vortex. Finally, after a long moment, the ship was able to wrench free. It hovered over the ground and all the proteges' jumped ship.

Lina, the first to speed out from the ship's confinement, anxiously breathed in the fresh air in an attempt to quell her sickened stomach. However, the Winds around her were loud in complaints.

Something was definitely wrong.

"Robin," Kaldur called as he tried to ease his own stomach, "are tornadoes common to New England?"

But the only response he received was the sound of Robin's distant laughter. Everyone turned to see the Boy Wonder had disappeared.

"He was just here!" M'gann exclaimed.

Lina shook her head, "He does that."

Suddenly a small explosion drew their attention to a nearby factory, and the group of young heroes sprinted towards it. Heading the charge, Superboy and Lina soared through the air to enter through a hole in the ceiling. The duo quickly spotted Robin, lying on the ground as he had apparently been blown back by the explosion.

As the others ran in, Superboy and Lina turned to face what Robin was glaring at. They were met with the sight of a large, hulking robot floating just above the ground. His exterior was dark red with neon tubes attaching his arms and torso, and slanted eyes that made his look angry. The majority of his face was blocked by a long, tattered scarf that flapped behind him like a cape.

The similar make to a certain other robot didn't escape Lina's eye.

"Who's your new friend?" Superboy asked.

"Didn't catch his name, but he plays kind of rough." Robin informed.

"My apologies," the scarfed figure cut in, "you may address me as...Mister Twister."

"Oh mon dieu, that's a bad name." Lina muttered under her breath.

As 'Mister Twister' raised his hands, the Winds around him began to contort and form into whip-like tornados which the robot aimed at a charging Superboy. The vortexes picked him up and sent him flying straight into a nearby wall, crashing hard enough to make a dent.

Once Lina blasted off the ground, she swerved down and attempted to deliver a full-bodied attack to the robot. However, she was quickly countered by Mister Twister flinging his tornado-whips into her direction. Steeling the Winds around her, Lina took hold of the tornados to stop them but with another surge from her opponent the girl was overwhelmed and sent flying back, her back crashing into a nearby support beam.

Upon seeing their two teammates so easily beaten; M'gann, Kaldur, and Wally all glanced to one another before facing off, the last of whom dug his hand into his pocket to take out his red goggles and slipped them onto his face. Once Robin groggily stood back up again, Kaldur made eye-contact with the others and nodded; signaling them.

As Mister Twister sent an attack their way, Wally ran ahead and leapt. Turning his body to try and do a double-leg springboard kick, the boy was quickly blocked by a large gust enveloping him and sending him up and through the roof. Kaldur and M'gann tried to run up while the robot was distracted, but with a single wave of his hand the two were sent flying out of the factory.

"I was prepared to be challenged by a superhero." The robot chortled. "I was not, however, expecting children."

As Lina lifted herself back into the air, she found herself frowning. She could hear the cries of the Winds he was abusing, controlling without a care for the element itself. The girl used her own powers, summoning more and more Winds with her gentle calling as she faced Twister dead-on. "How about this superhero gives you a taste of your own medicine?"

And with that, Lina released her Winds. The gusts of air seized forward, blasting straight into the robot's chest to knock him off-balance before curving around his torso to encapsulate him. Fisting her hands, Lina tightened her hold, and the robot's limbs were forced into his torso: compacted.

"Do not pretend you're on my level, girl." The robot growled, and ripped his arms away from his body; sending the Winds away. Her own Winds were turned onto Lina, and she was sent straight into the ground. Able to catch herself, Lina pulled a breeze to wrap around her and she rolled back up; flying closer to the robot and swiftly extending her leg. Her Winds rolled with her body, moving up from lifting her and hurtling off her leg and aiming for Mister Twister’s head.

It was just like sparring with her mentor.

However, almost effortlessly, Twister’s hand extended straight through her air attack and latched onto the girl’s foot. Before she had time to register, Lina was thrown up and through a hole in the ceiling.

As Lina was thrown into the air, she tried her best to gain some sort of grip on any Winds that would respond to her. But all summons were short and sloppy, her mind too focused on how fast the world was spinning and how quickly the ground below her was approaching. Her rookie attempts managed to catch the attention of some weak Winds, and Lina’s fall was softened, but she still nonetheless hit the ground hard enough to knock all air out of her system.

“Zeph’!” Lina heard, and she opened her eyes too see Wally with his goggles looking down at her. “Are you alright?”

Groaning for just a moment, Lina nodded and the ginger helped her stand.

“C’est bien?” Lina asked, voice groggy but her mind quickly clearing. "Are you okay?"

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” Wally nodded.

They were cut off however by the sound of mechanical whirring. They both turned around to see Mister Twister floating out from the factory.

The rest of the team were nowhere to be seen.

The two immediately snapped to action, rushing over to the robot. “What have you done with our team?” Wally asked.

“Embarrassed them largely.” The robot said nonchalantly, and both felt a small sense of ease. But that was promptly ended as the robot sent a tornado into Wally. Before even thinking, Lina blasted off towards the boy; catching him and ripping him from out of the tornado's grasp.

“I have you.” Lina eased, and she could feel the speedster ease as she made her way back down. Both of them were happy to see that the others had joined them outside, looking a little bruised and wind-swept but perfectly fine.

"I thought you all would have learned your lesson by now." Twister exclaimed, facing the children.

"What do you want?" Kaldur thundered angrily.

"Isn't it obvious?" The robot asked, rising up into the air. "I'm waiting for a real hero."

"Read his mind!" Kaldur spoke to M'gann. "Find a weakness."

"I thought I wasn't supposed to do that?" M'gann exclaimed out of confusion.

"It's okay with the bad guys!" Robin yelled back, anxious.

The Martian girl focused for a moment, then her eyes widened. "Nothing, I'm getting nothing!"

"He must just be a robot, like Red." Lina shrugged.

M'gann slapped her forehead, like she had done in the cave's kitchen. "Hello Megan! Mister Twister is Red Tornado in disguise! He's inorganic, an android! How many androids do you know that can generate tornados?"

Lina frowned, then shook her head. "No way. Red would never put so many people in harm's way."

"Red Tornado did send us here." Kaldur muttered. This took Lina by surprise. Had he not heard her?

"Right after he said we'd be 'tested soon enough'!" Robin barked.

"Guys!" Lina exclaimed, growing desperate and jutting a finger out towards Mister Twister. "I know my mentor, that's not him."

"Speedy called it, we're a joke." Wally growled. "This game, so over."

Very few things could make Lina Dubois actually angry. People at school making fun of her disability, the dangerous French extremists that were severely damaging her mother land, the evil that she and her comrades fought everyday.

Those same comrades completely ignoring her.

But by the time she went to speak out again, it was too late. The three boys had already walked over to the robot flying high above them.

"We know who you are and what you want." Robin cried out.

"So let's finish this." Kaldur added.

"Consider it ended." The android answered, and he raised his arms high up and summoned two tornados. The funnel winds rose up into the atmosphere, collecting clouds to the center and turning the sky above dark.

Lina could hear the Winds crying in her ears, running wild.

"Oh….merde." The girl muttered.

"An impressive show." Kaldur called. "But we will not indulge you! We will not engage!"

His calls fell on deaf ears as the clouds above the teens began to crack with lightning. Sharp bolts reigned down, almost striking the Earth.

"Uh...can Tornado do that?" Wally asked.

"No!" Lina yelled back. "He can't!"

"You think I'm Tornado?" Twister asked. "Ironic."

And just then, a bolt of lightning struck the Earth. The force of the electrical attack caused all the teen's to fly back and hit the ground, save for Superboy who simply ripped off his newly destroyed denim jacket and leapt at the robot. His attack was short-lived however as he was directly stuck by another bolt, and the boy was sent plowing into the Earth; joining his teammates.

The robot approached the group, then stopped.

"Fine then." He growled. "I won't deny you children have power, but playing hide and seek won't help me achieve my objective. So stay hidden, and if you confront me again...I will show you no mercy."

And just like that, he was gone.

"What...just happened?" Wally asked.

"I put the Bio-ship between us." M’gann explained.

Everyone’s attention was suddenly snapped to the clone as he demolished a nearby boulder with his fist.

“And that’s supposed to make it right? You tricked us into thinking Twister was Red Tornado.”

Lina was quick to put herself between the two aliens. “That isn’t fair.” She spoke calmly and steadily, being careful not to anger the boy even more while still getting her point across. “She was just following a hunch, we all do it. And I did try to tell you all.”

Robin sighed, sounding distraught. “We should have listened to you Lin, not M’gann. It was a rookie mistake.”

Lina’s eyes flew open. “That is not-””You are pretty inexperienced.” Wally said, addressing M’gann as he shoved his hands inside his pockets.

“Stay out of our way.” Superboy growled as he stomped past everyone in the direction Mister Twister had escaped from. Not long after, Wally sped off behind him, then Robin.

“Am I speaking English right now?” Lina wondered to herself. “I think I am but clearly nobody can understand me.”

“I just…” M’gann lowered her head, as her body began to shake slightly, “wanted to be part of the team…”

Kaldur and Lina looked at one another, then down at the ground; the former rubbing the back of his head, and the latter fiddling with a strand of hair. “To be honest,” Kaldur sighed, “I’m not sure we really have a team.”

Kaldur began to walk away, but Lina stalled for a moment; kneeling down to Megan’s level.

“I’m sorry.” The older girl muttered, and placed a gentle hand on the other’s shoulder. When she didn’t get a response Lina exhaled deeply, stood up, and flew in the direction her comrades had left.

Happy Harbor

July 18

16:50

To say that the harbour was in chaos would be an understatement. The town was in utter shambles. Destroyed buildings were splintered beyond recognition from having tornadoes blown through them, boats from the nearby docks were strewn about the beach or ripped apart, and civilians were running and screaming as they tried to avoid being swept up in any of the spinning cyclones.

This destruction was not helped in any way however by the battle waging between the giant air-manipulating robot, and the teenage heroes that had finally caught up with him. But with the injuries still recently sustained by their past fight, and their short-fused attitude from their conflict with one another; it was becoming obvious that none of the teens were in a good enough state to take down the hulking metal figure in a regular fire-fight.

And that’s when Red Tornado intervened.

“Hit the showers boy,” The caped android commanded, “I was hoping you could handle this. Clearly, you cannot.”

“Come on, we have a plan now!” Robin cried, but it proved useless.

“The subject is not up for debate.” The hero said strictly. And with that, the heroes sadly skulked away. But what Twister failed to see were the hope-filled glances the teens were sending one another and the smirks itching at their lips.

“I was beginning to think you’d never show up.” Twister mocked.

“I’m here now.”

As Tornado extended his arm, palm facing the ground, the air around the two androids began to pick up and the ground rumbled as a cyclone began to emerge. The funnel wind blew straight for the darker shaded robot, but he easily dodged. Twister made a tornado of his own, this one quite a bit larger, and sent it towards his opponent who swept his hand away. On cue, the vortex dissipated.

"We are evenly matched Twister!" RT called as another tornado appeared behind him, picking rocks and pieces of debris in the process before shooting towards Twister.

"No Tornado, we are not." The other android thundered as he punched the ground, which on command lifted all the air around it and shielded him against the oncoming projectiles. When it was safe, Twister summoned his lightning yet again. In an effort to protect himself, Tornado flew behind a wrecked boat but it proved in vain as the lightning struck the makeshift shelter and RT was struck by the electrical force.

As the darker coloured android looked over Red Tornado, snake-like chords emitted from his hand.

"Remain still, Android." Twister spoke lowly. "Reprogramming won't take long."

The chords were stopped however, by a thick red hand grasping them as the Android's head turned to reveal a female, green-skinned face.

"Longer than you might think." M'gann grinned.

As Twister let out a loud 'no', the wind and Earth seemed to quell to reveal a smiling Wally, and Lina lowered to the ground; a grin on her lips and her hands still moving as she controlled the formerly-debris filled cyclone. While Twister was frozen in shock, Superboy reigned down and landed a few strong hits which sent the android straight into the water.

He didn't remain there for long however, as he was soon shot back out with a few new fist-sized dents, and was followed by a victorious Kaldur. Not a moment later, M'gann picked up the villain with her powers and tore off his arms just as Robin shot a handful of exploding birdarangs to finish the job.

As the android's broken body crashed down onto its knees, and the team regrouped in front of it, a panel on its torso gave way to reveal a hidden hatch with a lean, long-haired, long-nosed man inside. Gravity claimed the man's body as he tumbled out of the machine.

"Foul!" The man warbled. "I call foul!"

What shook everyone to the core however, was M'gann stepping forward, telekinetically picking up a large boulder,

and dropping it right on the man.

"M'gann! No!" Kaldur exclaimed, but it was too late and the rock smashed down onto Mister Twister's driver.

Everyone was frozen, eyes widened out of a sudden paralyzing fear.

"What the f-""I don't know how things are done on Mars!" Robin screamed, narrowly cutting Lina off as he took an angry step towards M'gann. "But on Earth we don't execute our captives."

M'gann smiled, satisfied with her payback. "You all said you'd trust me." As she lifted the boulder once more, she revealed the crushed remains of mechanical parts.

The man had been another android.

"That's why I couldn't read his thoughts." M'gann said snuggly.

A collective sigh of pure relief blew through the group of heroes.

"Wow M'gann, first you come up with the idea to pretend to be Red, now this…" Lina gestured to the crumpled collection of parts, "you're really trying to show us all up, aren't you?"

Her smirking remark caused the Martian's smile to grow tenfold.

"Cool.” Wally stepped up to the crushed parts and picked up one of the only remaining intact pieces: a mechanical eyeball that had detached from its socket. “Souvenir.”

“We should have trusted you.” Kaldur spoke, placing a hand on M’gann shoulder.

“Yeah, you really rocked this mission.” Wally grinned. “Get it? Rocked?”

Everyone rolled their eyes at that one.

“Ignore him, we’re all just turbed you’re on the team.” Robin explained.

“This ‘turbed’ word you keep saying…” Lina squinted, “is it actually a part of the English language?”

Robin only smirked as he walked away, followed by a laughing Wally, and Lina felt a twinge of annoyance.

“Damn Anglophones” she thought.

As M’gann and Superboy joined the two mischief-making boys in their walk towards the Bio-ship, Kaldur remained where he stood and turned to face his female comrade.

“We also should have listened to you about the Red Tornado theory.”

Lina felt an ache in her chest lighten as she smirked back at the Atlantean, then nudged Kaldur’s shoulder. “You’re damn right you should have.” But as she pulled away from nudging her friend, she noticed for the first time how bare his chest was.

Suddenly distracted, Lina let her eyes trail down the well-defined muscles that were no doubt formed from the years of military training he had done in Atlantis. Broad shoulders lead to sharply dipping collarbones, and sculpted abdominal muscles were framed by a defined waist.

Stopping before she got too low, Lina’s eyes snapped back up to the boy’s grey/green eyes. Her cheeks were suddenly warm and a loose knot formed in her stomach, but a strong smirk pulled across her face as she faced her friend.

“And I suppose you just had to do your part without a shirt on?”

Kaldur’s cheeks darkened, but a matching smile pulled at his lips when he had seen Lina’s eyes tracing up and down his figure.

“Are you complaining about my work methods?” He asked smugly.

The knot in Lina’s stomach tightened, but she brushed it off as a delayed reaction to seeing M’gann crush what she had thought was a human body. “Not at all.” She brushed a strand of hair out of her face and stepped back, heading towards the Bio-ship and the others. “Now come on, you have to join the others in the Bio-ship.”

“And you don’t?” Kaldur asked, raising an eyebrow as he joined Lina.

A shiver ran through Lina’s spine. “Are you kidding? I am not getting back in that...machine for such a short flight.”

Mount Justice

July 18

17:40

By the time the team had gotten back to the cave, night had already fallen. But everyone remained as to debrief with their pseudo-den-mother about the attack that had taken place. Throughout their story, Red Tornado remained silent and listened intently to the tale they told as he stood over Mister Twister’s deactive body. Robin and Wally joined him over the mechanical parts, but instead of silently analyzing them they were playing with them, the young scientists fascinated by the technology.

“It was clearly created to sabotage or destroy you.” Kaldur concluded.

“Agreed.” Red Tornado nodded.

“Is that why you wouldn’t help us?” M’gann asked.

“No.” The robot replied. “This was your battle. I do not believe it is my role to solve your problems for you, nor should you solve mine for me.”

This seemed to take M’gann aback. “But if you’re in trouble-“ She was cut off by another robotic retort by the great master of tornados.

“Consider the matter closed.

And with that, Red Tornado began to walk away.

“Are...you sure he’s your mentor?” Robin asked Lina, causing her to smirk.

“Trust me,” the girl responded as she gazed at her exiting mentor with a look of warm fondness, “he can get even more emotionally distant when he wants to.”

“Batman, Aquaman, Flash...they’d have jumped right in to fix things.” Wally muttered, almost in awe.

“Guess if we’re going to have a babysitter,” Robin shrugged, “a heartless machine is exactly what we need.”

Lina snapped her head to glare a the raven-haired boy. “Quoi?” She exclaimed.

“Yea dude, harsh!” Wally claimed, elbowing his friend in the ribs.

“Also inaccurate; I have a heart, carbon-steel alloy.” Red Tornado’s voice cut through the room. “I also have excellent hearing.”

“Right…” Robin fumbled. “Sorry-I’ll...strive to be more accurate.”

“And more respectful.” Kaldur smiled as he placed a hand on the smaller boy’s shoulder. Robin gave a sheepish smile in return.

“Speedy was so wrong.” Wally sighed, a happy smile wrinkling his freckled face.

Robin grinned, and nodded. “This team thing…”

“Might just work out.” Kaldur added.

Lina smirked, and joined the boys as they began to walk away towards the Zeta-tubes. “Was there ever any doubt?”

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megexpress · 5 years

Note

Mera seeing people fishing at the bay for the first time and being utterly confused cause they are "using a stick and line that rolls?" And "why are they throwing the fish back in the water won't they eat it?" And Arthur explains that very few people fish to eat and they prefer to buy it ready at the market and those people are doing sport fishing with a rod and it's just for fun, catch the fish, take a picture and get it back in the water

Hello~

Okay, which one of you is sending me actual fics in my inbox and not writing them? I need answers, you guys. There’s hidden talent in this fandom! I’m honored that you’ve decided to share your ideas with me, but I also hope you’re sharing the wealth!

This seems like a completely plausible scenario, but I had to wonder: why is Arthur fishing in the first place? He doesn’t seem like the fishing type. Do you know who I could see being the fishing type? Tom. That’s when I got this idea… I’ll post a preview here, but it got rather long. I posted the full version on AO3 here.

“We’re here!” Tom announces.

Arthur, Mera and Atlanna look to one another in unenthusiastic solidarity. No one wanted to be on this trip but, to make Tom happy, they all agreed to go. Fishing became a hobby of Tom’s over a decade ago. When Arthur was thirteen, Tom came home from the bar one day declaring that he was going to become a fisherman before promptly passing out on the couch. Arthur had thought Tom would forget about it when he woke up the next morning, but Tom awoke invigorated and determined. He went out that same day and bought all the fishing supplies he needed for both him and Arthur. He somehow roped his thirteen year old half-Atlantean son into fishing. Even though Arthur complained and tried to get himself out of it, Tom was his best friend and he loved spending time with him. It didn’t take long for him to give into his dad, even if it meant having to fish.

Arthur thought it was kind of funny, to be honest. He didn’t have a normal childhood. Hell, he wasn’t just any normal kid. However, the one thing that could definitely be considered “normal” were these fishing excursions with his dad. Between the summer and autumn months, they would go out to Tom’s favourite fishing spot and spend hours talking, drinking beers, and attempting to catch fish. After a few years, Tom had to go on these fishing trips alone more frequently. After all, Arthur was grown now. He had other responsibilities and sometimes Tom would go weeks without seeing his son. He never complained. He was proud of Arthur and all the good he was doing, so it didn’t stop him from fishing. He would pack up his supplies and go fishing on his own. Oddly enough, he never caught anything when he fished alone. He began to fondly call Arthur his “lucky charm” since he always caught at least one fish when he was with his son. All of this led to their current situation: sitting on a sailboat at Tom’s favourite fishing spot.

“Hey! Don’t look like that. You two,” Tom says, gesturing to Atlanna and Mera, “are going to love it. My lucky charm here is all we need! We’re going to catch fish for sure.” Tom smacks Arthur’s arm with excitement before cajoling his wife into helping him ready three fishing rods. Atlanna had preemptively decided to forego the activity, opting to read and simply enjoy the company of her family instead.

Arthur gives a weak smile to Tom and turns to Mera who has been eerily quiet the entire boat ride.

“You ready to do this?” Arthur asks, noticing her barely suppressed wince as he interrupts her thoughts. He waits for her to respond, practically seeing the gears turning in her mind. She really doesn’t understand why we’re here. Arthur smiles in fondness.

“I suppose so. The mechanics of ‘fishing’ still seem pointless. We could simply go down there and catch a fish and it’d be over in a matter of minutes.”

“It’s a human hobby. Part of the fun is seeing whether you’ll catch a fish or not.”

“You’re saying humans gamble their time for the chance of fish?” Mera asks dryly.

“In a way, I guess,” Arthur laughs. “It wouldn’t be as satisfying if they could just shove their hand into the water and get a fish. They like to work for it.”

“I’m sure your father enjoys the the company, too.”

“Yeah, this is the first fishing trip he’s got to go on with my mom.”

“I’m sure he really enjoyed these trips with you, lucky charm.”

Arthur’s smile slips from his face, guilt coursing through him. He knows Mera is just teasing him, but she doesn’t know his secret. He can’t tell her when Tom is in hearing distance. If Tom knew what he’d been doing all these years, it might hurt him. He tries to cover up his discomfort with a smile but Arthur has never been a good liar. Mera sees through his forced grin, her expression turning from smugness to concern.

“What’s wrong?” she whispers, intuiting Arthur’s hesitation to speak aloud.

She puts her hand on his knee, anchoring herself to him, as he struggles to answer her. The words are at the tip of his tongue, an exhale away from an explanation. He opens his mouth to speak when he hears Tom’s laughter with Atlanna and he chokes on his words. Mera’s eyes search his face, finding the guilt bleeding through his mask of indifference. Confusion makes her brows furrow. She follows his hurried glances at Tom and awareness dawns on her. She sits up, removing her hand from his knee, and meets his eyes once again.

Without moving her head, Mera’s eyes quickly move from Arthur’s to Tom’s general direction and back again. Arthur interprets her unspoken question: It has to do with Tom?

Arthur nods as relief of understanding begins to calm his nerves. Yes.

With an imperceptible tilt of her head, Mera grasps the dilemma. You’ll tell me later?

Arthur nods again. Of course.

Mera softly smiles at him and he gives her a ghost of a smile in response. He finds comfort in the fact that they can speak like this. Body language of subtle gestures and vague looks has been foreign to him, a language he never seemed to master with others. But, with Mera, it came naturally. They have this indescribable link to one another, an emotional tether that allows them to perceive the other’s feelings. They can speak non-verbally and allow their bodies to interpret the words they want to say. Almost as if they have a language only allowed between them, creating a world of their own. Before he met Mera, Arthur never thought another person could truly understand him (after all, many have tried and failed), but she’s seen through every mask and every wall. And he has seen through all hers. They’ve never had a problem being vulnerable and open with one another.

If you would like to read more, click on the link above!

#AquaMera #Aquaman #Arthur x Mera #Mera x Arthur #megexpressedit #thx for the msg anon~#hope u enjoy cuz i def #did not intend for it to get this long but lmao that's kind of expected by now huh #and i promise i'm not dead you guys! the snow has been insane here and our #power goes in/out. we aren't supposed to get another pile of snow until the wknd #so i hope to answer more asks by then. i've decided anything >3k goes on ao3 lol

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chalantness · 5 years

Text

fic: You’re Every Part of Me

Rating: PG-13 Word Count: ~3100 Characters: Arthur/Mera Summary: His smile softens, concern touching the edges once more as he lifts a hand to cup her cheek. “Still feeling nauseous?”

“No. I’m alright now.” She leans into his touch, turning to brush a kiss to his palm and murmur against his skin, “But a bath sounds perfect.”

For: an anon

A/N: I ended up with something that feels tonally different from the original prompt, but I hope you still like it, anon! I loved getting to write something so domestic and tender between them.

Read On: [ ao3 ]

Having lived her entire life under water, it’s easy to forget that, once upon a time, their bodies had been made for the surface—for fresh air, and the gentle press of gravity weighing her down. She adapted to the change in her balance and momentum of her first steps as simply as the first time she’d ever breathed air, and with that, it was easy to forget that her body wasn’t actually accustomed to being on land. Easy to forget that there were more fatiguing effects the surface might have on her other than a little nausea.

She’s barely two steps into their hotel room before she feels herself sway, her vision blurring as she blindly braces a hand outward against the wall to steady herself.

“Whoa, hey,” Arthur murmurs behind her, his large hands sliding over her waist to grip her with a gentle squeeze, and she lets her body melt against his as he pulls her back against his chest. His lips brush her temple as she closes her eyes and swallows, trying to will the ground to stop spinning from under her feet. “Talk to me,” he says, his plea gruff and gentle all at once as one of his hands sweep over her, pressing against her forehead to gauge her temperature, then dropping to her injured shoulder to trace the wound she received in their tangle with the strange creatures that Arthur’s surface friends antagonized. Whatever they were, they’d been capable of puncturing Atlantean skin.

“I’m fine,” she mumbles, turning to press her forehead against the curve of his neck. “Just a little light-headed.”

His chest rumbles in a low chuckle. “Yeah, this is probably the longest you’ve ever had to breathe such poisoned air,” he says, voice light with his teasing, though she knows that if she opens her eyes, she’d find his eyebrows pinched together and his eyes flickering in concern.

That’s the thing about Arthur that she’s come to adore just as much as she admires—his every emotion swim in those mesmerizing eyes of his, his every expression bright and clear on his face. Try as he might, he’s a terribly open book. He may be able to play things off to an extent when need be, but he prefers not to. And as someone who learned at an early age to wield her composure and her charm in calculated measures, it’s… refreshing. To not have to guess. To not have to be wary of his intentions. Some may criticize him for being too passionate, too governed by his emotion, but it’s exactly what makes him a great king. The people of Atlantis have come to love it about him, and so has she.

“And the gravity,” she reminds as his arms wrap around her, warm and sturdy, and she hums softly as she tips her head back against his shoulder. “It’s different up here.”

His body shakes in a quiet laugh. “Need me to carry you?”

A smile tugs at her lips as she exhales a laugh of her own. “Don’t tempt me, my king.”

The title draws the playful groan of exasperation she’d intended it to, making her smile widen, and then she lets out a soft yelp of surprise when, in one swift motion, he has his arms tucked under her to sweep her up with ease. Her arms wrap around his neck on instinct to steady herself, and she finds her face only inches away from his, that endearing and mischievous grin on his face as he arches an eyebrow at her. “Leave it to my queen to be sassy with me even when she looks like she’s about to puke her guts,” he laughs.

She wrinkles her nose at his words. “Eloquently put,” she remarks. And, simply to poke more fun, she adds, “and technically, I’m not a queen. Not yet.”

He tips his head as he makes a noise of agreement, walking them across their suite and into the large bathroom, and he sets her atop the granite countertop before flicking on the light. She flinches at its sudden brightness, though nothing compares to the brightness of the smile on Arthur’s face as he gazes at her.

“True. I haven’t even proposed to you yet.”

The thought makes her chuckle. “You don’t need to. I was betrothed to the king of Atlantis, and with Orm gone, that alliance now falls to you.”

He pauses to glower at her, just as he always does when he brings up his brother, especially in relation to her. “I thought we agreed not to talk about that,” he grumbles as he turns away from her, leaning over the tub to twist the water on. Over his shoulder, he adds, “and that doesn’t count.”

This makes her pause. “Our marriage won’t count?” she asks, not hurt, but confused nonetheless.

“Not what I was talking about.” She can hear the amusement in his voice as he shrugs out of his jacket, tossing it carelessly to the floor, then reaches over his shoulder to grab his shirt in his fist, tugging it off and over his head.

And, not for the first time, she finds herself drawn to the intricate designs inked into his skin, stretching and coiling around the broad expanse of his back. The patterns are both jagged yet fluid, reminding her of scales and also of armor as they wrap around the dips of his muscles, as if they’d grown to become part of him.

Then he turns to walk back to her, oblivious to her staring, or maybe simply used to it by now. She finds herself pausing to watch him quite often, for one reason or another—admiring his easy charisma with the people of Atlantis, or surprised by the quiet but firm way he commands his royal court, or simply because she wants to. Because, despite what she’d told Arthur before about duty versus want, she’s discovered that she can balance both with him. With Orm, their personal relationship had been overshadowed by the politics and agendas of their alliance, manipulated by her dedication to her people. But with Arthur, their betrothal had been severed from all of those complicated strings.

Her love of her duty had grown because of her love for Arthur, and with that, her life carried a kind of warmth and lightness that hadn’t been there before.

A warmth that flutters in her chest in this very moment as Arthur slips under the edge of her shirt, finding the smooth, soft skin of her stomach and splaying his fingers over it. She shivers lightly, leaning into his touch.

“I’m talking about the proposal part,” he says, finally answering her question as his hands start pushing her shirt up her torso, exposing her skin. “You deserve a real one.”

“Stop trying to distract me,” she interrupts with a playful shove at his chest. “I’m too tired to have sex with you right now.”

A laugh bursts from him, echoing in the small space of the bathroom, and perhaps part of her would’ve had the sense to be offended if not for the pure delight and amusement in his eyes as he tugs her shirt up higher. She complies, lifting her arms so he can pull it off, and he drops it to the floor. “And you think I’m not? I was out there getting my ass handed to me just like everyone else until you and Diana finally came in with the save.” Eyes twinkling, his smile grows a little wider as he adds, “I’m not an animal, you know.”

She rolls her eyes, her lips twitching as she tries in vain to fight off a smile of her own. “I seem to remember you boasting the contrary to your friends the other night.”

He grins, unapologetic. “Yeah, well, right now I just want a warm soak. Maybe that’ll help take the edge off.” His smile softens, concern touching the edges once more as he lifts a hand to cup her cheek. “Still feeling nauseous?”

“No. I’m alright now.” She leans into his touch, turning to brush a kiss to his palm and murmur against his skin, “But a bath sounds perfect.”

“Atta girl,” he says, tapping her hip, and she complies as she slides off of the counter and onto her feet. She lets him strip away the clothes that Diana had leant her, then he rids himself of his jeans, steps out of his shoes and then turns to twist the faucet off. Water sloshes over the edge of the tub and onto the tiles as he settles in, but the tub must be deeper and wider than it looks, because he settles comfortably inside. Then he holds his hand out and she grasps onto him for balance as she climbs in after him, tingles quickly spreading over her skin as she sinks into the steaming hot water, and the relief it has on her muscles is almost instant as she settles across from him with a soft sigh.

“This ritual of yours is almost worth the trouble it takes to be on land,” she says as she lets herself sink all the way in, until the water just barely touches her chin.

Arthur chuckles, his hand curving under her calf in the water to lift her leg, and then he takes her foot in both hands, gently but firmly pressing his thumbs into her sole and drawing a soft moan of content from her lips. His eyes twinkle. “Don’t forget about this ritual.”

She hums, eyelashes fluttering as he massages away the ache in her foot that she hadn’t realized was there. “Oh, I certainly hadn’t.”

He chuckles again, then lets the sound fade into the comfortable quiet of the air between them. She leans her head back against the edge of the tub, her eyelashes fluttering but not quite closing completely as she holds Arthur’s gaze, his fingers working over the bottom of her foot in gentle presses before sliding higher, kneading at the tension in her calves, then higher up her thigh. She makes a noise from the back of her throat, earning a twitch of his lips, and then he sets her leg down and starts again with her other foot.

“See?” he says after a few quiet moments, kneading at the side of her thigh, working over a tender spot with the pad of his thumb. “It’s not so bad up here on land.”

“It has its charms,” she admits, lifting her hand out of the steaming water to runs her fingertips over the edge of the tub. “You know, I don’t hate the surface.” She says it simply, not trying to be defensive, and he nods like he understands.

“I know.” His lips twitch at the edges, tugging in a grin. “But don’t think I forgot how vocal you’ve been about not liking it, either.”

She laughs softly as she pulls her leg back, moving forward onto her knees to bring herself closer to him. He taps her hip gently and she complies, turning herself as gracefully as she can in the small space, settling between his legs with her back to him. He reaches for a bottle perched on the edge of the tub, uncaps it to squirt a dollop of liquid in his palm, and then his hands are in her hair, fingers gently massaging at her scalp as he lathers her in suds. She hums, leaning back into his touch. She remembers the first time he’d done this to her, in his small bathroom in his childhood home by the lighthouse—how small and simple the gesture was, yet it had been one of the most intimate things she ever felt. His affection is always so open and impulsive, almost absent, like he’s touched her this way their entire lives, and it’s entirely unlike any affection she’d ever received.

But where she expects there to be hesitance on her part in receiving it, there isn’t. She’d adapted to it as easily as she’d breathed air, and she finds herself craving it more and more each day.

He takes his time rinsing the soap from her hair, then grabs a different bottle, making her gasp slightly as he squirts the cold liquid directly onto her skin this time. His hands are warm and calloused as he starts rubbing it over her skin, working more of the tension from her muscles as he washes her.

“You know,” she says, turning her head to peer at him over her shoulder, “you never did explain what you meant by giving me a proper proposal.”

A smile tugs at his lips, his eyes warm and bright. “Well, for starters, an arranged marriage doesn’t count as a proposal. Not up here in on land, anyway.”

She gives him a playful look. “I think the arranged marriage is more of a royal thing than an Atlantean thing.” Turning her head forward again, she leans away slightly, giving him better access as his hands work lower down her spine to the small of her back. “There are actually quite a few similarities between human and Atlantean culture that survived despite how different we’ve always been, even before Atlantis sank to the bottom of the ocean. You just happen to have met me first, and I’m not exactly normal.”

“Lucky for me,” he says with a laugh, his arms suddenly wrapping around her waist from behind and pulling her back against his chest, spilling water over the edge of the tub with the sudden motion. He kisses her temple and then buries his face in her wet hair, making her smile. “Any normal girl wouldn’t have put up with me for this long.”

His words, simple as they are, make her feel tingly and light. “I was doing my duty, which unfortunately now includes you,” she teases. His chest vibrates against her back in a low, rumbling laugh, and she tips her head to the side to look at him, smiling.

His amused expression softens at the edges, turning contemplative. “I would’ve been tempted to do something big and flashy, just to embarrass you in public,” he tells her with a breathy sort of laugh. “But you would want something simple and quiet. Just the two of us, like this, so you know that it’s from me and not from some king.”

“You are a king, Arthur,” she points out, running her fingers along the scruff of hair along his jaw. It’s not as smooth and soft as it is under water, but she finds that she likes the texture of it against her skin. “But that doesn’t make anything you do less sincere.” She gazes into his light eyes, finding them open and eager. “In fact, you are the most genuine person I’ve ever met. And if you wanted to make some royal declaration of our betrothal, I would still believe it came from your heart. Though don’t get any bright ideas,” she adds when his lips twitch at the corners, his eyes practically gleaming in mischief. “I will not be made a spectacle for your amusement, even if you are my king.”

He feigns a noise of disappointment. “You’re no fun.”

She rolls her eyes, smiling as she tangles her fingers in his long hair. “Simple and quiet sounds quite lovely, actually,” she admits, voice softer now. In Atlantis, despite being betrothed, there are days where she barely sees him. They get pulled in so many directions, and she finds herself wanting nothing but to be shut away in their bedroom, just the two of them enjoying each other’s company as they are right now. It had felt selfish at first for her to want something like that, but she doesn’t see it that way anymore.

“Yeah,” he agrees, brushing another kiss to her temple. “It does.”

They lapse into another comfortable quiet as he continues washing her, and then she turns around in his arms to return the favor, laughing softly when he starts to pepper her neck and her face with kisses, attempting to distract her as she works the soap over his skin.

Eventually he stands, pulling her up with him, and wraps her in a soft towel before she steps out of the tub. Her every muscle feels tired, though not in the aching way it had before they’d gotten into the bath, so she doesn’t protest when Arthur decides that he wants to dry her off himself. He gently wrings the water from her hair, moving the towel in soft strokes over her skin, and then he leads her back into the room, pulls one of his large shirts over her head and draws the covers on the bed back for her to climb into.

Her eyes are practically closed when he climbs in beside her, and she feels him draw her body close, starting to work a brush through her hair in gentle strokes. The steady, repetitive motion nearly lulls her to sleep, then loosely twists her hair into a braid over her shoulder.

He nudges her shoulder, guiding her to lay down, but she shakes her head as she turns to face him, holding her hand out. He chuckles as he places the brush in her palm before turning to let her brush his hair, too, her fingers gently massaging at his scalp as she works the tangles out of his wild locks.

When he speaks again, his voice is low and gravelly, and the touch of—not hesitance, but something almost similar, makes her pause when he says her name.

He pauses, long enough for her to set the brush down and grasp his chin, gently turning his face toward hers. “Arthur?” she prompts softly.

Meeting her gaze seems to give him the reassurance he needs, because his smile is warm and bright and so very hopeful that it makes her smile, too, even before he says the words, “Will you marry me?”

She holds his gaze, her stomach fluttering. She takes his face with both of her hands and presses her lips to his, gentle but firm, making a soft noise from the back of her throat as his hand cups the back of her head and draws her closer, kissing her just a little bit harder. “Yes,” she breathes against his lips, kissing him again, and again.

He chuckles lowly, arm wrapping around her, and she feels him tip her gently back against the bed as his body comes over hers, large and warm, drowning out the rest of the world until it’s just him and her and their simple, quiet moment.

#aquamera #arthur x mera #arthur curry #mera #aquaman #chanty writes #anon

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