#kingormxreader

[klbwriting]

Surface Tension

Chapter 1: Great Unknown

Fandom: Aquaman

Pairing: Ormxfemale!Reader

Warnings: none yet, will have fluff and mild smut later

Summary: Y/N has lived on the surface for nearly 10 years after she was unwittingly a part of an assassination attempt on the then King of Atlantis Orm Marius. She has hidden away in a small coastal town in Maine, living as a human and building a simple but decent life in a duplex on the beach. Then one day someone moves in to the other half of the duplex. She goes to greet them only to discover it's Orm himself.

Note: Here it is! Orm on the surface! I hope you enjoy it, please any comments or critiques are appreciated! Also, if you want to know the song that inspired this chapter it is called 'Great Unknown' by William Ryan Key

Tags: @gabrieleskywalker

Will I ever stop imagining what if I'd done things differently and Will you find it a corner in your heart For me long after we part Funny how time doesn't care who we Love and who we wish we could repair So into this great unknown I will wander on my own

Y/N had never planned to be running from Atlantis. She hadn't meant for any of this to happen. She had just wanted to help the people in the lower city, the non nobility in Atlantis, to have a better life. How handing out supplies and funding small businesses to help them flourish became attempted murder she didn't know. But here she was, in her room at her mother's mansion, packing a small bag so that she could disappear.

She wasn't sure how a person's entire life could fit into a bag the size of small sea turtle but that's all she had. Into the bag went the mosaic of her father and she, when she was barely walking and he was still alive. They were poor, but they were happy. Then the plague came through, killing him in days and she was immune, meaning that her blood was noble. A DNA test later and it was discovered her mother was a councilwoman for King Orvax, so she was sent to live with her. Her mother didn't want her, Y/N was the result of a foolish night of 'slumming' as her mother said and her father had been so happy to have a daughter that, Roux Velix, never had to bother with the child again. But now she had to face her mistake and bring this child into her home. She put a smile on her face, making a story about Y/N being kidnapped by her father as a baby to save face, and welcomed the child like she was wanted.

Y/N put a bracelet into her bag next. The only gift that had been given to her in kindness, from the daughter of another council member, her first real love when she was a teenager. That had ended when her mother had found out, already having wild ideas about her marrying the prince, whom she had yet to meet. They fought, screaming at each other until Roux revealed that she had never wanted Y/N and that she wished that the plague had been made to kill anyone with low blood. Y/N had been suspicious of that comment so she started digging into what actually went on in those council meetings between her mother and the king. She was disgusted by what she found.

A flier for a meeting of the Atlantis for All activist group was slid into the front pocket of the bag. Y/N had snuck out in her early 20's, finally getting up the courage to seek out others with similar ideas, hiding under a maid's cowl, to meet with the small Atlantis for All group in the lower city. It had been cleared of the sickness that had taken her father by now, and this group had been operating for years, doing small acts of kindness for the low class Atlantians. When she arrived they didn't trust her, thinking she was coming in as a plant from the nobility to spy on them. It took a few years of hard work and providing funds from her mother's accounts before they really welcomed her. She bonded with one particular person, Aria, who soon became her best friend.

Finally she put letters into the bag. Letters between her and members of AfA, notes from Aria encouraging her to be her true self, things that made her feel happy and reminded her of the fun times she had before Hendrix arrived to begin tearing everything apart. Just as Prince Orm was readying to become king another member of the nobility had joined them. Y/N had never met him before but that didn't surprise her. Her mother didn't let her come to events where someone might ask her about her home life or her history, and she didn't seek out others in the nobility. The few times she had she had either gotten her nose or her heart broken. But Hendrix came in and he was charismatic, he knew how to make people believe him and even more, believe in him. Soon he was nearly running the show and he tasked Y/N with something so that they could protest the coronation of Prince Orm. She had to find out from her mother the route that the parade would travel that day.

"How did you know my mother was in charge of the schedule of events?" she had asked. She assumed he hated the nobility and despised Orm and what he stood for as much as she did, how could he even speak to enough of them to find out this information. He had smiled sweetly at her, and she couldn't lie, she had nearly melted at the attention. She loved when sweet, kind attention was given to her. She was going to soon realize that those who paid that kind of attention to her were just out to use her.

"We must know our enemy if we are to actually interact with them on their level," he said. "Most of you are lower city, those without noble blood, you were raised with them Y/N, I was raised with the royals. I have found that if I want to enact change I first have to understand what they are about. I spoke to several council members at the coronation announcement and was able to convince one to tell me some details. Please, just ask your mother. Once we know the route we can choose the best spot for our protest."

What an amazing liar Hendrix was. The AfA was planning a protest while Hendrix was planning an attack. What no one knew was that Hendrix himself was in line for the crown should anything happen to Orm and well, he always loved to put on a crown.

The parade had gone as it was supposed to, until they rounded the corner closest to the palace. The group was gathered, Y/N at the front with a projector, voice singing out a song of resistance, asking for equal rights for all. Hendrix was supposed to shoot off a cracker, bringing attention to the group. Then Y/N noticed that the canister was ramping up. It wasn't a cracker, it was an energy pulse. She grabbed it from him just as it shot off, barely missing Orm's head, instead hitting the back of the floater he was in, sending it spinning. She knew she had to run and just before the guards descended she and few others took off. She made it back to her room in minutes.

Now here she was, bag packed, ready to run.

She had no idea what to do once she got to the surface and was lucky that Aria had run early and had the sense to do some research before going to land. They met on the way to a small town in the state of Maine. Aria had the knowledge and Y/N had stolen enough from her mother that they were able to get fake documents and rent a duplex on the beach, rooming together for awhile before Aria found someone in town to love and marry. Y/N remained in the duplex overlooking the water. She knew that she probably would never be able to travel far from the rocky shore but she still wanted to see the ocean. She loved the sea and would forever regret what had happened.

For 10 years she settled into a life in Maine, opening a cafe, learning all she could about the surface, and continuing to try and help anyone she could. She had no idea that soon she would be forced back into the Atlantian world and would have to face the man she almost helped assassinate.

When everybody filled me up with pride I was only looking for a place to hide I am no statue or monument to raise But I try my best these days Funny how time doesn't mind who we Keep and who we bear to leave behind So into this great unknown I will wander on my own

Orm couldn't tell Arthur but he was going to miss him. He was going to miss his brother, his mother, his nephew, and especially his kingdom. He knew it wasn't his anymore, and he had been imprisoned for years, but in that time he had thought about everything he would do differently if he were able to go back, go make things right. Now though, he couldn't go back, not yet, possibly not ever. And that broke his heart.

He took some time, mostly walking up the east coast, still living in the ocean when he could, sleeping on beaches and in coves, still wanting to feel close to his home. He didn't bother much with the surface world, choosing instead to let his pity fester. He didn't want to be on the surface and as much as Arthur touted the pros of living on the land Orm didn't want to bother. It was after Orm started garnering attention on the surface news that Arthur finally had to come in and tell him he had to settle somewhere.

"I know you don't want to, you're restless, but that's making you conspicuous and since Atlantis has been revealed, people are traveling to the surface to explore. Someone is bound to recognize you if you keep making waves," Arthur said as they drove up the coast of Maine. He had said he found a place he could stay. It was near Tom's lighthouse and Atlanna had agreed that she would use part of the stipend she received for being the former queen to help fund Orm's needs. He didn't enjoy the idea but the king wasn't really giving him a choice.

"Making waves, funny," Orm grumbled. "So I am expected to live in this house? And what?"

"I don't know, read a book, watch some TV, you have a neighbor, meet them, make a friend, get laid, who cares? Just keep laying low," Arthur said, pulling up to a house that seemed split in two. There were two doors sharing a large porch, it was two stories, and to Orm's happiness at least, was boarding a rocky beach that allowed him to walk to the ocean if he wanted. "We got it furnished already, fridge is full, and I left information about places to eat and different sites you could visit." Orm got out of the truck and grabbed his bag, just a single backpack, and headed to the front door. Arthur let him know that Tom's lighthouse was only 10 miles north and he could go to them any time he needed anything and they would get Arthur. Orm waved back to the truck and watched it pull away.

He was about to enter his new home when the other door opened and a woman stepped out. He turned to look at her, not sure what he expected from this neighbor, but the look of surprise wasn't it. She recovered quickly and he decided to ignore it. He had probably made a similar face, considering his surprise at how pretty she was. He had seen pretty surface dwellers before, but not like her. Maybe she thought he was just as pleasing to look at. Arthur had said to get laid.

Y/N had covered her shock at seeing King Orm standing on her porch, apparently moving into the other side of the duplex, but she was still panicking inside. What was he doing here? What had happened that the man who's major selling point to the Atlantian people was how much he hated the surface world. She put on a smile, resolving that she would try her best to keep him from realizing that she was Atlantian and also keeping it secret what she had done, what she had been involved in.

"Hi, I'm Y/N Vila, I guess I'm your neighbor" she introduced, offering her hand. Orm smiled a little back at her, taking her hand hesitantly, sending a bit of a flutter through her. O no.

[angelicwolf98]

I REALLY NEED MORE ORM MARIUS FICS! I am like hyper fixated on him right now and I feel like I’ve already read all the available fics on him, twice!! I’m like super fidgety because I don’t know what to do now that I can’t find any more fics! Please, if anyone has recommendations for Orm fics or knows a blog that writes for him, please let me know!!! 😭🥺

[angelicwolf98]

I just love protective Orm! He wants to keep his love safe even if it means breaking her heart! 💔😭 So bittersweet!! Thank you for such a wonderful prequel!!! 💕🥰

Heartbreaking conversation

Pairing: Orm Marius x reader

Part 2 of Leaving you behind

A/n: This is more of a prequel, enjoy!

As Orm stood on the nearby balcony of the bedroom he watched the waves crash on the sand making a pleasant sound.

‘Orm, come to bed.’ Y/n mumbled as her sleepy eyes looked onto him.

He chuckled 'I will… Go to sleep darling.’

It doesn’t take much for her to go back to sleep, her eyes and body begging to get a good rest. As Orm walked to her kissing her forehead he walks out of the house dressed in his pajamas walking towards the sea seeing a tall and dark figure emerging from it. Orm walks to him nonchalantly.

'Black Manta, what brings you here?’ Orm asks cautiously

'Your father.’ Manta trails off seeing the sudden shift in Orms eyes

'He requests your presence back home.’ Manta adds

'And how much is he paying you?’ Or asks his voice cold

Manta smiles at the question 'Enough for me to make a good living out of it.’

'I can double it.’ Orm says

Manta laughs at the sudden statement 'Like hell you can. All people know that you are broke as hell ever since you are with… Y/n.’ He said with disgust

Orm’s hands ball into fists trying to keep his emotions at bay but it seemed far from it.

'What does HE want?’ Orm asked

Manta sighs as he crosses his hands in front of his body 'You. Back to Atlantis.’

Orms eyes widen 'And if I don’t comply?’

'I get to kill your girl.’ Manta answers excitedly.

'You wouldn’t dare.’ Orm seethed

Manta flashes a cocky smile as he raises a small device with a big red button (I know obvious) 'See this? When I press this button your girl will be killed with a bomb with a force to kill 10 people but designed for one, locking onto its target, making it IMPOSSIBLE to escape it.’

Orm huffs out ready to grab the remote

'And don’t think about taking it from me, this is specially designed for my hand only.’ Manta says destroying any glimmer of hope.

Orm nods accepting the inevitable destiny 'I’ll leave tomorrow.’

And with that Orm leaves and goes back home to spend the last moments with his love and breaking her heart in the morning.

@mexythefoodie @scuzmunkie @ultrarebelheart I hope that you like it sorry for the long wait but it was a busy week for me. Tell me what you think 💕

[spinningwebsandtales]

HELLO!

Being the niece of King Nereus had it's perks. The best seat at any play, a taste of some of the finest dishes served, and finally a detailed tour of Atlantis itself. As King Nereus had allied himself with King Orm you and your cousin Mera were greeted at the gates with open arms.

The kingdom of Atlantis screamed power, commerce, and beauty. To which King Orm ruled with great strength. Your cousin Mera would tease you to no end knowing about your little crush on the king himself. So to say you were excited as you and Mera were lead to the throne room would be an understatement. Guards stood unmoving and silent, their presence bleeding out violence to whomever threatened the king. You gulped gripping Mera's arm tighter, she answered with a reassuring squeeze in return. The doors parted causing a swirl within the still waters. There he sat in all his mighty glory. No other could compare to him.

What you didn't expect was the king to look so surprised. Sure Mera was always a surprise no beauty under the sea could compare to her, but what surprised you the most was King Orm wasn't looking at the red head but you.

"Welcome to Atlantis," Orm greeted finding his tongue once more despite the awe that took him.

"Thank you," you spoke. You and Mera bowing in unison.

"Princess Mera it's always a pleasure to see you but I don't imagine I know your guest."

"This is my cousin (y/n)," Mera spoke.

"Hello King Orm," you bowed again. "Your kingdom is marvelous and it's beauty is beyond compare."

"My kingdom is nice yes. But the beauty is lost somewhat now that I've met you," he smirked.

[klbwriting]

Surface Tension

Chapter 8: Shot at the Night

Fandom: Aquaman

Pairing: Ormxfemale!Reader

Warnings: none

Summary: Orm can't do much to help Y/N but he does find someone who can

Note: song is 'Shot at the Night' by the Killers

Taglist: @hyperagitatedcydonian13 @gabrieleskywalker @philiasoul @duchcess

We’re breaking all the rules To find that our home Has long been outgrown Throw me a lifeline Cause honey I’ve got nothing to lose Once in a lifetime

“Why did you settle by the ocean if you’re so afraid of water?” Orm asked, sitting on the back porch with Y/N, watching the waves under the moonlight. She was strumming, singing one of her songs. He was starting to recognize them by now and he knew she sang this one because he liked it. She looked at him and shrugged.

“I used to love the water, felt free and happy in it,” she said. “I told you I was accused of something that I didn’t do. I do bare some responsibility for it though, even though it was an accident. Ever since then, I don’t want to go back into the water, but I can’t let myself forget that day. Part of me wonders if it was my fault.” She stopped strumming and set the guitar aside, wrapping a blanket around herself.

“Did you want someone to get hurt?” he asked. She shook her head. “Not your fault, you shouldn’t stay here feeling guilty. What I did…I wanted to hurt people, all of the pain I caused was because I was angry. You didn’t have that malice.” He looked at the water before looking down at his hands. She reached out and put her hand on his arm, instantly calming him.

“Do you remember feeling like that?” she asked. “Do you ever feel like that now?” He shook his head. “Have you tried to make things right?”

“Yes, I’m trying,” he whispered. She smiled at him and squeezed his arm.

“You’ll get there, let the guilt go, but keep becoming better. I’ll help you, we are better together,” she said.

Orm startled awake, the memory fading from his dream to his waking nightmare. He didn’t know when he had fallen asleep, sometime right before dawn. Last he remembered his mother and Arthur were still there making plans on finding some kind of proof of who tried to kill Orm. The footage was enough to clear Y/N of active treason, but she still could be held for conspiracy. Conspiracy to commit treason was a capital offense in Atlantis and she could still be executed if they didn’t find and get a confession from the culprit.

He was alone now with a note from Arthur that they had left to find proof in Atlantis. Arthur planned to talk to Hendrix and Atlanna was going to talk to Y/N. Orm went over to Y/N’s place. He hated to invade her privacy but maybe she had something. He started searching, trying to ignore that her bed was still unmade from where they had been together, her same clothes from her birthday on the floor around it.

“There has to be something,” he muttered to himself as he went through her closet. He moved some boxes out of the bottom and saw a small door, probably another small storage area behind the wall. He was able to pry it open and inside was a bag. He pulled it out and sat on the floor, looking through it slowly. He pulled out the mosaic of her and her father. It was cheap but well made, a product of the lower city where technology to film wasn’t as widely available. He set it aside carefully. Next came out a flyer for Atlantis for All, listing their goals as equal status, better living conditions, and fairness in the workforce. Orm remembered his father telling him that all those below the nobility were lazy, they just wanted people to hand them money and food without doing anything for it. At the time he had agreed, but this notice listed things that anyone would need to survive and thrive, which is what he thought his father wanted for all Atlantians. He set it aside also and pulled out a stack of papers. This was what he needed, letters to and from different people in AfA.

I work from morning until night, I never see my family, yet they still starve…

My mother died because we couldn’t get her a proper doctor, the nobility never have to worry…

My father died of the sickness King Orvax released when I was a child. King Orvax made me an orphan…

We can fix this. There is a way. King Orm’s coronation is on the first day of the Great Migration…

Here is what he needed. He read through the letter, it laid out a plan to protest, nothing else. They were to have Y/N sing, and Hendrix volunteered to bring the cracker. This was almost enough, but Orm needed something else. Aria was mentioned as one of the leaders of the group. He had to find her; she might have more proof.

Orm wasn’t sure where else to go so he went to the café. It was empty except for Y/N’s friends when he arrived. They were all glaring at him. When he walked in Dean came up and punched him in the face. It didn’t hurt, but Orm wasn’t expecting it and stumbled back a step. Dean was shaking his hand, wincing. He had probably broken a couple fingers. Aria pushed past him.

“Get out tyrant,” she demanded. Orm stood his ground. “We know you did something to her, no one can find her.”

“I didn’t do anything, but Hendrix took her back to Atlantis to face trial for treason,” he said. Aria froze.

“You’re lying, you gave her up,” she said, but her voice lacked conviction.

“If I gave her up I would be on my way to trial too. I’m a fugitive just as much as the two of you,” he said. “We need proof that Hendrix was the one who tried to kill me. I found a letter in her things with the plan for the coronation day, it says Hendrix was to get the cracker, but we need more than that, anything that makes it sound like he alone planned the attempt.” Aria was breathing deep, trying to remain calm.

“How do we know you won’t just take the evidence and destroy it?” Vincent called out. “What if you want to use her to get yourself pardoned?” Orm didn’t have time for this bullshit.

“Because I love her!” he yelled. “Because she is everything to me and I won’t stand by while they execute her. I can’t go back, no one will believe me if I say she is innocent, I’ll just get thrown in a cell next to her, but my brother is king. If I am able to get proof to him he can set this right.”

Aria watched his speech and nodded before motioning for him to come with her. She lived only a few houses down from the café and she also had a bag full of letters. She kept meticulous records and correspondence, including from Hendrix. Hours later she jumped up.

“I found something,” she said, setting the letter down in front of Orm at her kitchen table. By then everyone had joined them, watching. “This is from Hendrix, the day before the coronation. I think I received it by mistake. I never read it because well, I hated Hendrix and anything he had to say was worthless to me.” She pointed to a spot that clearly incriminated him.

“These people are idiots. They’re going to give me the crown and not even realize it. Tomorrow Orm will be dead and I’ll be king,” Orm read. This was perfect.

“Bless that asshole’s giant ego,” muttered Amanda from the couch. Orm stood and hugged Aria.

“I know you hate me but thank you,” he said. He looked between her and Dean. “I am sorry for the tidal wave, for everything. I was wrong and I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself for it.” He left it at that, hurrying out of the house and calling Arthur to tell him he had proof.

[klbwriting]

Who Am I Really?

Chapter 5

Fandom: Aquaman

Pairing: Ormxfemale!Reader

Warnings: the smallest amount of smut

Summary: Arthur is worried about Orm and the growing number of sightings

Notes: this is a short chapter but I hope you like it! Comments/critiques are apprecaited

Arthur hadn’t heard from Orm in almost six months now, but he was hearing rumblings from some in Atlantis that Orm had been seen. Not only seen but that soldiers had gone to apprehend him and they never returned. This was concerning, both the fact that soldiers were sent without Arthur’s approval, and that Orm hadn’t checked in at all for months. Orm wanted this to work just as much as Arthur did and he never missed a check in, and now he had missed so many that Arthur was considering sending Mera and his mother to look for him. But now, after hearing the rumors, he knew he was going to have to do something, to say something, or else it would spread and rumors like that, the return of the tyrant king, would send people into a tailspin and he couldn’t have that kind of chaos.

“Tell me exactly what you saw,” Arthur said, sitting on the throne. In front of him was a woman, a tourist who had visited a small town on the surface a few months ago. She was who it was assumed was the originator of the ‘Orm is alive’ rumor. He had asked for information, and this was the first person to step forward. She seemed pleased to be there, like she was enjoying the attention. It irked him and he hoped this wasn’t a waste of time.

“Well, I was in this small town, enjoying a drink at their…they call them bars?” she said. Arthur noted some of the confusion on the faces of the guards. He nodded.

“Yes, bars, I know of them,” he said. He waved a hand for her to continue.

“And I noticed a blond man sitting at the counter, drinking. He was alone and I thought he looked familiar, so I approached and greeted him in Atlantian, he stared at me and just left. It wasn’t until I returned home and saw an old article about the former king that I realized who it was,” she explained. She smiled at Arthur. “Was that helpful?” Arthur took a deep breath. It wasn’t much of a sighting, bars had bad lighting, and this guy had clearly run off right away, probably thinking that she was out of her mind.

“Thank you for you information, could you tell me the name of the town?” he asked. She provided the name, and he sent her away before bringing forward the next witness.

“Your highness, we must send out a team to find him, at least see if the rumors are true,” one of his advisors said. He sighed and looked to Mera. She looked helpless. There were enough witness reports to warrant an investigation. He couldn’t ignore this. He nodded.

“Send out a small team, tell them to be discreet, and tell them if they spot him to send word back, do not engage him. We don’t know what he’s thinking, he could attack them or innocent surface dwellers,” Arthur said. Once the advisor left, he put his head in his hands and just preyed Orm had moved on from that place now and was somewhere safe.

At the moment Orm felt very safe. In fact he felt many things. He felt YN’s skin under his fingers, felt her hands running through his hair, felt her lips against his, their bodies pressed together in her bed as they moved together. He groaned as she bit his lip, his hips moving faster to hers as he tried to drive her to say his name, his new favorite sound. She broke the kiss to let out a noise and he could tell she was close. He had found an angle she liked so he moved her leg up higher and pushed deeper inside of her. Her head fell back and he watched her in the moonlight, her face looking so beautiful as she chased that high. She finally called his name and he felt her seize around him, fingers pulling his hair as she climaxed. He groaned and after a few more thrusts he finished as well, gripping her close as he panted.

“You know, doing that every night is starting to make me tired in the morning,” YN said as she headed to the bathroom. Orm chuckled, getting up and putting his underwear. He laid back down, draping an arm over his eyes. He groaned a little as an image came to mind. A red-haired woman, a man with tattoos and long hair, they were holding a baby at the lighthouse. By the time he pulled himself out of the random memory YN was next to him, gently tracing patterns on his chest with her fingers.

“Another memory,” he said, looking at her. “A woman and man, they had a baby at a lighthouse.”

“Was the man you?” she asked. He shook his head but noticed she looked a bit stricken.

“What is it?” he asked, turning more to face her, fingers brushing some hair from her face. She pulled back a little and he frowned.

“What if you have someone?” she asked. “What if you’re married? Or have a family?”

“I don’t,” Orm said. She wasn’t looking at him, eyes focusing on the bed, like she didn’t know exactly how she got there. “That is something I think I would feel, like I was missing something as important as a partner or children." He gently took her face in his hand. “You are the only person I think I’ve ever felt like this for. I love you, and it’s such a new feeling I couldn’t possibly have had it before.”

“Are you sure? I love you too Orm and I don’t want…how do you know that you haven’t had this feeling before?” she asked. He thought about how to explain it.

“I…I sometimes remember things, not images or names or anything, but feelings. Like when we did that beach cleanup, I remember feeling such anger at the trash on the beach, at the people who would just let that happen, and that feeling felt old, like I had felt it for years. But this, laying here with you, seeing you smile, hearing you say my name, just existing in the same place as me, that feeling I have for you, that is completely new,” he said. By the time he was finished YN was leaning into him, hugging him close. She felt so perfect in his arms he could die there happy. He held her until he felt her drift off in his arms.

[angelicwolf98]

This was so good!!! I absolutely LOVE the chemistry between Orm and Eva!!! 😍🥰☺️🤗💖💕💘

🔱 On the Beach Chapter One

On The Beach: Orm has spent the last year staying with you, Arthur’s best friend. Part of his sentence is to learn about surface dweller culture from a surface dweller, and try to understand that not everyone above the waves is bad. With the year up, and Orm comfortable with a lifestyle that consisted of just you and him, how will he feel when his half brother shows up, and jealousy rears its ugly head? To put it simply, not very well.

Warnings: Explicit Language, Explicit Content.

To Note: Orm Marius x NAMED!FEMReader, dividers by @firefly-graphics.

Word Count: ~6.3k

Masterlist | Next

"Are you going to behave tonight or do I need to get out the squirt bottle from storage?" You asked while neatening up the collar of Orm’s button-up. Orm’s blond eyebrow lifted as you finished smoothing out his collar and looked up into his eyes.

"I thought you got rid of that incessant thing months ago?" He questioned you, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Snorting through your nose, you patted your hands against his chest, smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles.

"I put it on standby in the event you decided to be naughty." Your answer had him smiling down at you with a gleam in his eyes.

"I do believe I haven’t warranted getting sprayed by your little squirt bottle recently. Why do you feel the need to remind me of its menial existence?"

"Because I like it when we talk about ocean stuff and you aren’t giving me your royal attitude." You responded before poking him in the chest with your pointer fingers. "But seriously, this is for your mother. At least try to be civil with Arthur. You’ve been up here for a year. I’d hate for them to think that you haven’t been trying when I know you have."

Orm had spent the last year staying with you and learning about surface dwellers properly. It was his sentence for trying to start a war with the surface. At first, he was rude, arrogant, and quarrelsome. You didn’t hold conversations; you held arguments. That’s when you had bought a squirt bottle, and reconditioning started.

A few months went by with you spraying him with water every time he was rude, did something you disapproved of, or you were just fed up with him. He caught on fast, but stubbornness had him getting sprayed for several more months until he finally was nicer to you.

Eventually, the squirt bottle went away to storage and the two of you formed an odd friendship… and that’s when you started forming feelings you shouldn’t. But you never said anything. You were content to be a close friend and someone Orm actually trusted to be around.

Trust, that was the most important thing between you at the moment. You trusted him; he trusted you.

So now after the full twelve months had passed, a small gathering was going to be held at your cottage, mostly for Atlanna to hopefully see that her two sons could get along and be in the same room for more than five minutes without trying to kill each other or picking a fight.

Now you were getting ready for the Atlanteans, along with Tom, to show up. You had stuffed Orm into a button-up and shorts, trying to get him to look at least somewhat cleaned up. Well, he looked incredibly handsome in his outfit, and your heart was sighing out in lovelorn.

Orm gently took your hands, gazing down at your face.

“I promise to behave myself, but I cannot speak for my brother.” Rolling your eyes, you curled your fingers around his larger ones and gave him a reassuring smile.

“You leave Arthur to me. He knows not to start anything in my house. I may be tiny, but I know just where to kick him if he misbehaves, and if I have to, I’ll squirt him with my squirt bottle.” That put a smile on Orm’s face. “Can you please go down and make sure I have enough blankets in the closet while I get changed? It’s supposed to get cold again tonight.”

“Only because I favor you,” Orm told you as you slipped your fingers from his and he started heading for the stairs.

“Thank you, you’re my favorite Atlantean!” You called after him as his enormous figure disappeared from view. Humming to yourself, you turned on your heel and headed for your room. You had to get cleaned up yourself. You highly doubted that meeting Atlanna wearing an oversized, stained lounge shirt and comfy shorts would be appropriate. She was a queen, after all.

Changing into nicer clothes, you pulled on white shorts and a green tank top; it was still warm out during the day and you didn’t want to overheat yourself. But just as a precaution, you grabbed one of your big button-ups to wear over your tank top. If you got cold, at least you had something.

Walking for the stairs, you quickly braided your hair back to keep it out of the way, tying it off with a hair band. Just as your bare feet hit the main floor, Orm appeared.

“There is enough in the hall closet,” Orm announced. “And you know us Atlanteans don’t get as cold as you surface dwellers.”

“More for me and Tom then,” you replied as you slipped past him, heading for the back sliding glass door. “And it means I get to snuggle, so that’s a bonus.”

You had actually got Orm to let you snuggle up against his side a few times when you watched movies. He never actually said anything about it or made notion of acknowledgement, but man alive was he a comfortable pillow. Yet another thing you would never, ever, say to Orm’s face, or anyone’s, for that matter.

You just hoped you hadn’t drooled on him when you ultimately fell asleep.

Unlocking the sliding glass doors, your eyes brightened up at seeing several figures rising from the surf and making their way up the path to your cottage.

“They’re here!” You called over your shoulder before opening the door and pulling it aside. Leaving the door open, you darted barefoot down the path and took off running. “ARTY!”

Arthur laughed and opened his arms seconds before you were jumping up and launching yourself at him, wrapping your arms around his body like a koala bear on a tree.

“You know you could have visited!” You scolded Arthur as Mera snickered and Vulko looked on in amusement. “You know, stop by and say hi? It’s not that hard to do, you overgrown sea monkey!”

“Overgrown sea monkey?” Arthur repeated with a small laugh. “Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously!” You responded before dropping to your feet. “But really, you could have visited.”

“He cause you any trouble?” Arthur asked, his eyebrow raising. You shook your head as you started heading up to the cottage.

“No, I conditioned him.” You announced proudly. Vulko and Mera looked positively confused, and Arthur snorted in laughter.

“What is that supposed to mean?” He asked as you reached the patio. You gave him a sly smile, not planning on revealing anything.

“Oh, you know, he figured out a few things about the surface world,” you replied vaguely, twisting your hands behind your back. “But enough about that. When are Tom and Atlanna coming? I need to know when to order the pizzas…”

Pizza boxes were scattered around the kitchen, the haunting smell of gooey cheese and pepperoni filling your nose, along with the anchovy variation you had discovered Atlanteans loved. Tom and Atlanna had arrived only a few minutes after Arthur, Mera, and Vulko, and after chowing down on pizza, Atlanna was grilling Orm on his year-long stay with you. It thrilled you that he looked like he was enjoying telling his mother about his year with you.

Mera and Vulko had gotten into a debate of feasible pizza toppings, leaving you to goof off with Arthur. You were currently seeing how many coasters you could balance on top of his head before the tower fell. Your current number was 11.

“Would you stop fidgeting,” you huffed at him as you carefully slipped on coaster number twelve. “You’re going to make my work fall.”

“Have you tried staying still for this?” Arthur griped in return. “I have a crick in my neck!”

“Stop being such a baby!” Tom, who had been watching you, let out a snort of laughter and shook his head. Picking up coaster number thirteen, you slowly stacked it, your fingers releasing the cardboard ever so slightly as the tower wobbled slightly.

“What are you doing?” Mera asked, her bright eyes staring at the stack of coasters on Arthur’s head.

“Trying to see how many I can stack before they fall,” you answered with a cheeky grin. Arthur rolled his eyes.

“These two have some crazy stories of what they used to get into,” Tom spoke up as Atlanna scooched over on the bench seat and snuggled up next to him, her eyes sparkling with happiness. “I’ve never seen two people with such a close bond of friendship.”

“Best friends forever, Eve,” Arthur crowed with a big grin, holding up his hand. Not breaking your concentration with coaster number fifteen, you clapped your palm against his with a grin of your own.

“Yes, yes, now stay still, I mean it, I want to break my record,” you commanded as the fifteenth coaster made it onto the tower.

“How long have you two known each other?” Atlanna asked, her head tilting to the side as she smiled.

“Since second grade, he punched my bully in the nose,” you said as Arthur laughed.

“Oh yeah, I did, little brat wouldn’t stop yanking on Eva’s braids, so I took it upon myself to be her knight in shining armor,” he chuckled, as if reliving the thought. “I got suspended for that, but Eva and I have been best friends since then.”

“I’ll say, you two were practically inseparable,” Tom commented, a smile on his own lips. “And it seems you still are from the way Eva gave you that lecture about not visiting.”

“What can I say,” Arthur said while you carefully lowered coaster number sixteen onto the precarious tower. “Eva and I understand each other.”

Rolling your eyes, you were about to place coaster seventeen on the wobbling stack when Orm rose to his feet, his chair scraping on the floor as he did so, and quickly strode from the kitchen. The stack on Arthur’s head fell as Arthur turned his head in the direction Orm had disappeared.

“What’s got his trident in a twist?” Arthur grumbled, preparing to get to his feet. You put your hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

“Let me handle this,” you said quietly, getting to your feet.

“You sure?” Arthur asked, his eyebrow rising once more.

“I’ve spent a year with him, Arthur. I think I know him far better than you at this point,” you told him before stepping around the table and following Orm. Exiting the cottage, you spotted Orm walking down the beach, heading around the curve to the part that was hidden from view. “What is going through your head right now, Orm…”

Jogging to catch up with his long stride, you only made it to him when your cottage had disappeared from view and nothing but beach, rocks, and ocean could be seen.

“Orm!” you called, your feet digging into the sand as you trotted up to him. Orm turned around in surprise, his eyes mirroring his body language.

“What are you doing here?” He asked crisply, his lip curling in distaste. “Shouldn’t you be with Arthur? Your best friend?”

You blinked up at him, surprised at his sudden hostility. You thought you had conditioned all of that out of him… apparently not.

“He might be my best friend, but that doesn’t mean I can’t talk to my other friends, or to you.” You answered evenly. “And as a concerned friend, I want to know what is currently running through your mind.”

“Leave, I have nothing more to say to you.”

Oh, hell no.

“I know you did not just use that tone with me, Orm Marius,” you growled at him, your eyes narrowing. He huffed at you.

“And what if I did?” He shot back sharply, towering over your smaller frame. “What? Are you going to squirt me with that little toy of yours? Go back to Arthur, Eva, he clearly intends to take everything I have, and that includes you.”

His last words were spat out with venom. But you could pick up on the hurt behind those caustic words, and that had your eyes going wide as you froze. He thought Arthur was going to take you away from him? That everything you had struggled to build and then worked towards with him would be reduced to ash in a single moment?

While you were standing frozen on the beach, dumbstruck at the implication of his words, Orm turned back around and started stalking away. Blinking yourself out of your trance, you lurched forwards, your hand shooting out to grab his shirt.

“Orm wait!” You called out only for your foot to catch on a chunk of driftwood you had failed to notice. Letting out a startled shriek as your clumsiness struck again, your fingers released Orm’s shirt while you flailed your arms. You were going down, hard. Orm was whipping around, his arms going around your body to stop your downward movement, but at that point, it was already too late.

Your flailing limbs struck an unprepared Orm, and you both went down. Back hitting rough sand and your legs tangling with Orm’s, you let out a shuddering breath as you realized he had prevented you from face planting. Despite your less than graceful fall, Orm had slipped a hand behind your head to protect it from smacking the sand, and then had used his other arm to prevent himself from completely falling on top of you.

Cheeks flushed from arguing and the embarrassment of wiping out while taking Orm down with you, you stared up at Orm’s face, which no longer held anger but concern. Your heart thundered in your chest from his proximity and from the rush of adrenaline from falling.

When it became apparent that you were unharmed, Orm let out a small breath of relief, but still continued to hover over your body, keeping you pinned to the sand.

“Orm,” you started, his name soft and warm on your lips. What could you say to reassure him that Arthur wouldn’t take you away from him? You had to say something. “Orm, I’m not going anywhere, you still have me.”

Burning intensity and lust filled his dark blue eyes, and in return, a shiver went up your spine from heat and electricity that suddenly ran rampant in your veins. Your words had made an impact, but you weren’t sure how.

Staring up into those eyes you had seen every day for a year, you hadn’t noticed until now just how much Orm hid behind his icy blue irises. You would have kept staring, mesmerized by the color, but Orm clearly had other ideas running through his mind. Moments later, he was pulling your head up and his lips were roughly smashing against yours, possessively moving against your lips with hunger and fervor. You let out a small noise of surprise that was quickly swallowed by his hungry mouth.

Your mind went blank for a few seconds, needing time to catch up to the moment, and when it did, your hands, which had been resting on the sand quickly reached up and sunk into his hair, pulling his mouth infinitely closer to yours. His mouth commanded yours, running across your lips with dominance, nipping and tugging at them until soft moans had your lips parting.

Orm didn’t waste one second. He deepened the kiss, sucking on your bottom lip slightly before thrusting his tongue inwards and tangling with yours. Arching your back and pressing yourself further against his chest, you found yourself on a new high you had never felt before. Threading your fingers further into his hair, you tugged on the strands and hungrily nip back, wanting so much more.

The raging energy between you was like a game of tug of war. Every time you thought you had the upper hand, Orm refused to concede, smothering any ounce of control you tried to enforce. He was insatiable, dominant, and everything you wanted. Nothing like the gentle giant you had been living with for the past year.

Well, you couldn’t exactly label him as a gentle giant. He was probably the deadliest man you knew and could wield a knife in the kitchen better than you could. But that was not the point. Your point was that despite all of his hostility and resistance to surface living, he hadn’t ever threatened you.

Orm continued his onslaught with his mouth. His hand left the back of your head, running down your back until his fingers reached your shorts. Letting out a growl of discontent from the large button-up you were wearing over your tank, Orm fisted the material before yanking it up, jerking your body a little.

Gasping against Orm’s lips as your tank rode up and your lower back hit sand, you couldn’t help but drag your nails down his scalp and neck, the feeling of his large warm hand pressing against your back euphoric. But it did not satisfy Orm to only have your lower back exposed to his hand. Abandoning his hovering position, Orm tore his mouth from yours as he reached for your denim-clad waist.

While his fingers viciously tore at the buttons holding the shorts together, your own fingers slid down his shoulders to his chest and grasped the material of his shirt. Breathing heavily, you wiggled and lifted your hips to make the process of him dragging your shorts and underwear down easier, faster, quicker. You wanted them off now; you needed to feel him against your skin, in your body.

Electric blue eyes bore into yours, nearly glowing in the twilight sunset on the horizon. One more trembling breath and he was moving again.

Orm’s mouth came back down, landing on your bared neck and pressing a trail of open-mouthed kisses that ranged from simple teases to full-on bites. Exhaling a small whine as his mouth skipped the section of your chest that your tank top bunched at, you felt Orm pull your shorts and underwear off your legs, tossing them to the side with little thought.

Now you were getting somewhere.

Expecting Orm to make his way back up to your mouth so you could kiss those incredibly sinful lips once more, your jaw nearly dropped open when his hands latched onto your thighs and he yanked them up. While your calves were awkwardly tossed over strong shoulders, your wide eyes watched in enthrallment while Orm ran his lips along your inner leg, starting at your knee.

Every inch that lips covered was soon tingling and begging for more. Even Orm’s shaved jaw gliding over your skin felt euphoric and twisted your thoughts to one burning word. More.

“Orm, stop torturing me.” Your whimper was met with curved lips and a Cheshire smile.

“You and I have very different ideas on what torture is, Eva,” Orm murmured against your skin before taking a sharp little bite out of your skin. You sucked in a breath from the little bite of teeth. “I am appreciating the beautiful creature before me.”

Your cheeks burned as if you weren’t already bare-ass naked from the waist down beneath him.

“And I am still hungry.” Those words caused your brain to short circuit for a few moments, and that was all the time his mouth needed to reach your pelvis. Your eyes nearly rolled back the moment his tongue lashed a line right up your center to your clit.

Biting down on the cry of pleasure that came crawling up from your throat, your left hand latched onto his blond hair while your right slammed to the coarse sand next to your bodies, your nails sinking into the soft yet grainy material. Within a minute, he had you squirming underneath his bold and possessive lapping. You curled your fingernails into his hair and pushed his head further down.

It was absolute torture for you and Orm seemed to feast like the King he had been, noises of approvals echoing your choked gasps and soft cries. Every lick, kiss, and suck stole the very breath from your lungs and made your back arch off the sand. Your body writhed against his iron hold, torn between wanting relief and wanting more.

You had guiltily imagined this at least a thousand times while lying in bed at night. You wondered what it would be like to be lavished by him, by a king, and nothing quite prepared you for just how intense Orm would be. Sand dug into your back and hands tightened around thighs as your thrashing increased. It was practically carnal the way Orm worked your body to the point of writhing uncontrollably beneath his touch.

Your heels were digging into his back, and your knees were shaking against his shoulders now. A strangled sound then caught in the back of your throat when his tongue delved deeper, your twitching hand half buried in the sand curled, your nails making claws. No other man had brought you to the brink this quickly or this skillfully. It was nearly embarrassing.

“Oh God,” you breathed out, your entire body trembling as the fire in your belly raged uncontrollably. “Jesus Orm, you’re seriously going to make me—“

A particularly well-placed, and timed, flick of his tongue had you cutting your words off and crying out once more. At this rate, this man was going to pull an orgasm out of you like no other had before, but just when you thought he was going to push your body past that point, he pulled back. Legs flopping to the sand like limp noodles, your brain finally caught up.

Your mouth gaped open as you sucked in oxygen, reeling at what just happened while your heart raced. Hand falling from his hair and onto your bare stomach as you panted, the sound of him unbuckling his belt and pulling down his own shorts and underwear hit your ears. You were still staring at the darkened sky, dumbstruck and dazed by the edging he gave you, when one of his arms snaked around your back and pulled your upper body up so you were face to face.

Your face was beyond flushed from pleasure alone, and still trying to catch your breath from his teasing, you stared wide-eyed into his blue stormy eyes, your arms scrambling to latch onto his shoulders, your fingers clutching at his shirt.

“You are mine, Eva, all mine,” He darkly stated, his eyes telling you he meant every word, and in seconds his mouth was back on yours while his hips thrust forward, every inch of his already hardened cock sinking into your ready and waiting body.

Your back arched, and you groaned into his mouth at the feeling, and for a moment all your mind could think about was how full you felt, and how incredibly heavenly and toe-curling Orm made you feel. It was serendipitous. But it didn’t stay that way. The fullness disappeared before reappearing seconds later, Orm’s hips thrusting against yours.

Your hands slipped underneath his arms and clutched at his shoulder blades as his thrusts quickly fell into a rhythm that matched his words. Passionate, possessive, and above all else, ravenous. Not once did he falter, or break from the tongue-tying kiss he had you wrapped up in, and as the fiery burn quickly returned in your body, your nails clawed at his cloth-covered back, desperate to sink into flesh.

Letting out a guttural whine, your head dropped back when Orm pressed more open-mouthed kisses against your jaw and neck, giving every inch of your skin his full attention. With your pelvises crashing together with every powerfully thrust, your heels wrapped around his waist and dug into his ass.

Abandoning his quest to kiss every inch of your exposed skin, Orm’s mouth trailed up to brush against your ear, his teeth grazing against the outer edge.

“Orm,” you panted out, your nails digging into the fabric of his shirt. Another growl of satisfaction left his lips before he was pressing you back down on the sand. This gave him an all-new angle to thrust into your body, increasing both his pace and the pleasure he created.

Tongue-tied and on cloud nine, you pressed your head back into the sand, many whimpers and moans intermittent with your heavy breathing. Each calculated thrust drove you higher and higher until you couldn’t take it anymore.

Letting out a cry, your body twitched beneath him as you came. Your eyesight blurred and energy crackled in your veins. You slowly came down from your high, Orm cupped the side of your face, his eyes burning into yours.

“Mine,” He growled, full-on possession burning clear as day in his eyes. You couldn’t help but return with the appropriate answer.

“Yours,” you hoarsely panted back as his rough thrusts faltered. “Only… yours,”

That did it. His hips slammed against yours one more time before he groaned out his own pleasure and his own orgasm brought forth a fresh wave of heat that had your body twitching beneath his. Dropping his body to the side so his weight wasn’t completely on you, you turned your head to look at Orm while you both caught your breath.

It had to have been a full minute that went by, him still very much in you, and both of your releases dripping down your inner thighs. Your mind was still locked up in your whirlwind of pleasure. You were having a hard time remembering why you had been arguing in the first place.

“What were we arguing about again?” you questioned in slight confusion, your eyes searching Orm’s blue ones. His lips curved slightly as his fingers brushed against your cheek, gently stroking your skin.

“That doesn’t matter, you’re mine.” Your lips, slightly swollen and stinging from your fevered kissing, curved upwards at the idea.

“This is probably a little late, but I think you fell in love with me a long time ago,” you murmured, briefly closing your eyes and enjoying the way his fingers glided across your cheek. “And I’m pretty sure I’ve been yours for a while now…”

“I could say the same about you, beloved.” Your cheeks flushed a darker pink at his words, and you promptly buried your face in his chest with a wilted moan. You felt Orm’s chuckles as he ran his other hand up and down your back. A minute ticked by with you just lying there, and when you had finally caught your breath, you spoke up again.

“As much as I would like to stay with you here on the beach, the others might come looking for us to make sure we haven’t killed each other yet, or haven’t thrown any punches at least…”

“It would be wise to return. You are for my eyes, and my eyes only.” Orm responded, making another rush of fire flow through your body. Good lord, this man was hot, in an authoritative way… when he wasn’t being a complete ass.

“As you wish, my king,” you whispered lightly. In response, Orm pulled your head in for one last impassioned kiss that once again sent your brain spinning.

With a little help, since your legs were a little shaky from your fast-paced tryst in the sand, Orm helped you get cleaned up in the cold ocean before helping you back into your underwear and shorts. You still had sand everywhere. It certainly clung to the places you were wet, but at least it no longer looked like you had made love right there on the beach.

It was going to take a while for your brain to fully compute that you had done that, if you’ll be honest. Sand isn’t exactly the most comfortable of surfaces.

So, walking back towards your cottage, you stayed close to Orm, wobbling slightly on shaky legs and trying not to continually blush at your previous animalistic actions. Orm, however, still had a streak of possessiveness and kept his hand on your lower back, slipped between your button-up and tank top.

By the time you got to your back patio, you were half hopeful your cheeks were no longer red with embarrassment and arousal. Patting your cheeks with your hands, you shook your head to clear the indecent thoughts and images of Orm from your mind, lest you end up broadcasting what was really running through your mind. A thought crossed your mind.

“Wait, you didn’t leave any marks… did you?” you questioned, panic building in your veins, slapping a hand on your neck as you turned and looked up at him. His eyebrow rose, and he gave you a half-smirk, his eyes burning with lust once more.

“Worried that they’ll see? They should. It will tell them you are mine, Eva.” Your face burned crimson, the exact color you were trying not to show on your cheeks at the moment. You swung your fist up and hit him in the chest.

“They don’t need to see anything!” you squeaked out as he let out a small laugh and reached up to grab the fist you had hit him with. His fingers threaded with yours as he pulled you forwards. You stumbled up against him, your remaining free hand pressing against his chest.

“With reluctance,” Orm drawled out, his eyes sparkling down at you with mirth before he pulled your hand up and pressed his lips against your knuckles. “I’ll admit that you look untouched, save for the fact that you look like you rolled around in the sand.”

“Oh thank God, the last thing I need and want is Arthur’s teasing,” you sighed out relief before Orm’s arm wrapped around your waist tightened.

“But that doesn’t mean next time I will be so gracious to your wishes.” He added, a clear warning for what was to come. King Orm was a possessive Atlantean and liked it when everyone knew exactly who put the marks on your neck. You nodded meekly before looking at the sliding glass doors.

“Really though, we should probably head in, you know, before Arthur gets curious and comes looking?” Orm huffed at you before releasing your hand and body from his hold.

“You are lucky that I respect you and your wishes, Eva, otherwise you wouldn’t get away with talking to me like that.”

“Whatever, your majesty,” you threw back into his face as you turned for the patio door. “Come on.”

Trying to walk as normally as possible, given your sore body, you sauntered over to the doors and pulled one aside, Orm following behind you.

Stepping into your living room, your eyes scanned the room, seeing that everyone was still present but had moved into the living room. Tom and Atlanna were sitting on the loveseat next to your couch while Vulko inspected your bookshelf.

Arthur caught your eye, and his eyebrow rose.

“You two are looking quite sandy,” He commented before getting elbowed in the side by Mera and receiving an equally sharp look.

“I tripped,” you stated as Orm came to a stop next to you, sand covering parts of him too. “And clumsily took Orm down with me as I went, end of story.”

Arthur snorted at you and shook his head, a grin clear on his face.

“You know, I would have thought you’d outgrow your clumsy days, Eva, but I guess not…” Narrowing your eyes at him, you raised your right hand and presented your middle finger to him, making him laugh at you.

“Not everyone gets to be as graceful as an Atlantean, Arthur,” you snapped at him before looking around, your eyes settling on the stacks of DVDs you had left on the coffee table. “Did everyone decide what movie we are going to watch?”

Mera held up a DVD, and squinting at it, you recognized it as Finding Dory. Your eyebrow shot up to your hairline, and you bit down on your lip to stop the giggles that wanted to crawl up your throat and burst from your lips. Oh, this was going to be funny watching with a bunch of Atlanteans. You had already made Orm watch it along with Finding Nemo months ago, and his reaction was hilarious.

You might just spend the entire movie laughing from their facial expressions alone.

“Alright, Arthur, get out the disc, will you? I need to wash my hands and get the popcorn going. I am not going to miss this,” you said as you started heading for your kitchen. “Oh, and will you get the extra blankets down from the closet? I can’t reach that far up…”

Arthur grunted at you before going to do as you asked. Entering your kitchen, you washed your hands free of sand before grabbing your canister of popcorn kernels and the biggest pot you had. You dished out several scoops into the pot and turned the stove on.

While the kernels were heating, you pulled out the popcorn bowl and set it down next to the stove. Knowing Arthur’s voracious appetite and that you had several Atlanteans who had never tried popcorn before, it was better to make more than needed than not have enough.

“You know you cry when you watch these types of movies. Especially this one.” Looking over your shoulder, you saw Orm leaning against the kitchen counter near the fridge. He looked hotter than ever, hair mussed, arms crossed with his muscles on show, and that delicious little smirk you wanted to kiss off his lips.

You shot him a dirty look.

“I do not,” you huffed at him with a scowl. His eyebrow rose at your blatant denial, and pushing away from the counter he had been leaning on, Orm slowly walked up to you, towering over your smaller frame. You shrunk where you stood. “… it was one time, and I was feeling emotional…” you finally admitted, puffing your lip out.

“And yet I feel like it is a common occurrence.” Huffing again, you continued to give him a look, daring him to outright say that you were a crybaby with children’s movies. He was saved by the popcorn rattling in the pot, making you jump in surprise.

Grumbling under your breath, you turned around to check the timer you had set up for the popcorn. Well, by both the time left, and the sounds coming from the pot, it was almost ready.

“Do you mind saving me a seat on my couch?” you asked, keeping your back to him as you tapped your fingers on the lid of the pot. “Arthur likes to hog the couch, and I want to at least have some leg room… you both are freakishly tall.”

For a moment you thought he was going to state that he was a prince, and princes didn’t take orders from commoners, least of all a surface dweller (that’s what had been thrown in your face the first couple of months he stayed with you, he still had a stubborn streak that cropped up sometimes), but he didn’t.

Hands landed on your hips, sliding around to brush the front of your thighs. Orm then pressed his body up against your back, his nose brushing against your neck.

“As my beloved wishes,” Orm purred into your neck, both his lips and his breath tickling your skin. Heat crawled up the back of your neck as the hairs raised. The hot bastard was pressing a kiss to your neck right here in the kitchen! Shivering from his words and touch, your jaw nearly dropped when he expunged himself and walked out of the kitchen.

“Oh, that is so mean,” you whispered to yourself, leaning forwards and banging your fist against your forehead while his incredibly soft chuckle echoed in the kitchen. God, he could be such a smug, hot bastard sometimes. Moaning to yourself for a few more seconds, you finally cleared your head long enough to finish preparing the popcorn and pour it into the serving bowl.

Giant bowl in hand, you headed back into the living room. The menu was on the screen, and the movie was ready to be played. Arthur, luckily, had confined himself to one section of the sofa, with Mera at his side. Trying not to walk oddly in front of the Atlanteans who were none the wiser about what went down after you had run after Orm, you handed the bowl over to Arthur with a command to share before carefully climbing across the longer part of the sofa and settling down next to Orm who held out your favorite blanket.

Taking it, you stretched out your legs next to his, which were noticeably shorter than his. Unfolding the blanket, you covered your legs, making sure that your feet were properly covered before looking at Arthur.

“You got the lights and remote?” you asked. He nodded his chin, holding up the remote before stretching an arm out and flicking the light switch, sending the room into darkness save for the television. Arthur hit play, and the movie started.

With a tired sigh, you rubbed your face. After the little tryst on the beach, you were feeling exhausted and tired, and without a doubt, you might fall asleep before the movie ended, so you might as well get comfortable.

Under the cover of darkness, you twisted onto your side and snuggled up against Orm’s side. He kept his eyes on the television screen, but the corner of his mouth twitched into a partial smile as he slipped his arm around your back and underneath your blanket to rest his hand on your waist.

It had been a long year, a very rough start at the beginning, but slowly you had gotten to see the real Orm, and that’s when you fell. You still had a long way to go with fixing the relationship between Atlanteans and surface dwellers, but if Orm could come to see that not every surface dweller was mean and cruel, others could too.

Date Published: 11/8/20

Last Edit: 4/28/24

Masterlist | Next

[klbwriting]

Who Am I Really?

Chapter 1

Fandom: Aquaman

Pairing: Ormxfemale!Reader

Warnings: violence and attack in this chapter

Summary: Orm is traipsing around the surface when he decides to visit an animal shelter. While there Atlanteans soldiers attack. Orm is able to fight them off before they can report him back to Atlantis, but in the process he loses his memory

Notes: Hello! This is one of 2 fics that I will be posting! This one will be posted daily in the morning. I hope you enjoy! Comments/critiques are appreciated!

Orm Marius was many things. He was a disgraced king, a mighty warrior, a proud Atlantean, but a good surface dweller he was not. He couldn't figure out why they did so many stupid things. Why did they throw out perfectly good food? Why didn't more of them know how to grow things, how to make things? He had grown up with servants yet he knew how to grow his own food, mend his own armor and clothes, make sure there was not unnecessary waste. He couldn't understand why surface dwellers weren't taught these simple things. He wandered the land, learning more about the corruption and hatred they held also. Arthur liked this place? His own mother loved someone from this hell hole? How? Then he started noticing something else. He noticed community gardens that were flourishing, with volunteers helping to harvest and give the food to those in need. Atlantis could learn from that. For all their merits about being environmentally conscious and able to take care of themselves they didn't do as well taking care of each other. He saw a news story on one of those TV's about a house fire and neighbors coming together to raise money to make sure the family affected could build a new house quickly, offering their own homes to stay in while they waited. And finally, he found a person who did something he could not even imagine. This person saved animals. Marine life seemed never ending to Atlanteans. They would eat every part of the creature but they weren't pets. When his first animal companion, a sea turtle, had died, his father had found him mourning and had made sure he understood that animals were nothing to mourn. The scars on his back were enough that he never mourned another creature again. This woman fascinated him.

He entered her shelter, a small compound by a lake he had been camping around, just to watch her and how she interacted with the small creatures. She smiled happily at him, introducing herself.

"I'm Y/N, can I have your name and reason for your visit? Are you just looking or adopting?" she asked, bringing up a clipboard. Orm frowned a moment.

"I'm Orm," he said finally, knowing this surface dweller wouldn't know who he was from anyone else coming in. "I was just looking, never had a pet before, wondering what all the fuss is about." Y/N nodded, writing his name down and pulling a sticker off the clipboard. She put the nametag on his chest. "What is that for?"

"In case you need help, I just met you, I'm not going to remember your name after one meeting," she said. That was a lie. She had seen Orm's blue eyes and knew she wasn't going to forget him, but she still needed to be professional. Orm nodded slowly and she blushed a little, making him smile. She was pretty and by the blush he figured she might find him pretty as well.

"What is the purpose of this place?" he asked. She smiled a friendly smile now, it lit up her face. She waved him through to a door towards barking.

"I started this shelter slash adoption center around five years ago. I've always wanted to help animals but wasn't really smart enough to be a vet, not steady-handed enough to be a groomer, so here I am, trying to save strays and get them into forever-homes," she said, walking them through a hallway with what looked like dog apartments in it. "This is the inside sleeping area, it links to the outside through that little door. In the summer we keep it open all the time, the outside area is contained and they can sleep or just sit out there as long as they want." Orm stooped down by a few of the dogs, looking into their eyes. They looked well fed, even happy. They had some toys, blankets, beds, everything you needed to be comfortable. Just no home. Orm understood that right now. He followed Y/N as she moved to the next area. She finished the tour of the dog wing before standing by another door. "Would you like to see the lakeside play area? I'm really proud of that."

"Ya, let's take a look," he said. He didn't know why he was so pulled to this place, to this person, but it felt like home here, among these other strays. He felt welcomed and like he could be happy here. They stepped outside and he stared. The lake was shimmering in the early sunset, glittering. It was clean, not like other lakes he had seen, and there was a large fenced in area that had dog play equipment and even went so far that the dogs could run into the shallow water if they wanted. "This is nice."

"Ya, I love animals, but I love the water too. There's something so freeing about floating, letting the waves carry all your worries away with them," Y/N said. She frowned, squinting her eyes as she looked over the water. "Is someone swimming?" she muttered. Orm frowned, looking closer. Atlanteans. Three of them. Soldiers if the gear they were wearing was any indication.

"Go inside, lock the doors," he said. If his tone wasn't so commanding she might have argued but Y/N did as told, going inside and locking the doors. She started even getting the dogs inside and locking the doggy doors to that side of the compound. She then sat in a corner and waited, listening to the sounds of a fight, something beyond a human brawl, going on outside.

Orm surveyed the three soldiers around him. He had a chance against 3, anymore he might have had real trouble, but 3 he could handle. They all pounced at once, but even without a weapon, he was ready. He bent, building the strength in his legs, and when he felt hands from the first attacker he twisted, bringing his fist up, sending the first soldier flying back several feet, knocking him into a tree, forcing his sword out of his hands. Orm would need to get that before the soldier fully recovered. He turned his focus to the other two, kicking one backward as he moved to grab him, then punching the other in the stomach to double him over before bring his elbow down on the back of the neck, disabling the water apparatus to suffocate him. That was one who was completely down now. He turned, seeing the first soldier scrambling to get to his weapon. Orm ran faster, grabbing it and slicing. Two soldiers were taken care of. Now just the last one. He turned, seeing the other one with a pulsar of some type. Orm looked around, grabbing the body of the Atlantean he had slain, throwing it towards the other one. He caught the body and fell back, rolling into the lake. The body drifted off on its own while the still living attacker recovered. Orm moved to the other body he had created, throwing it as well. Y/N didn't need a mess when she came back out. The attacker dodged this one, moving to climb out of the water again. Orm repositioned the sword, getting ready to throw it. Just as he launched it at the final attacker, the attacker fired the energy weapon, hitting Orm in the chest and knocking him back into the solid wall of the shelter. The last thing Orm saw was the attacked falling, sword impaled in him, into the water and sinking. Then Orm himself sinks into darkness.

[klbwriting]

Surface Tension

Chapter 3: Jackie and Wilson

Fandom: Aquaman

Pairing: Ormxfemale!Reader

Warnings: none, this is just fluff and relationship building

Summary: Orm and Y/N have been keeping each other at arm's length, but through talking and her meeting his family, maybe its time they get closer

Notes: I love the slow burn (and yes, 3 chapters is slow burn for me >.<) and them just learning and feeling each other out. Comments/critiques appreciated. Also, song is 'Jackie and Wilson' by Hozier

Taglist: @gabrieleskywalker @philiasoul

The whole idea of Halloween confused Orm to no end, but it was giving him the opportunity to see his mother and his nephew so he would go along with it anyway. They were going to come into town with Tom and Mera for a children's costume party at the local library so he figured he would join them, spend some time with people he cared about. However, he wanted to not be completely in the dark and being that he lived next to a surface dweller that seemed very willing to teach him about this world and didn't treat him like an idiot, he would ask Y/N about it. He stood in his bedroom, looking in his closet, debating what to wear to go knock on her door. Why was he doing this? He had no idea, but here he was debating between a black shirt and a blue one before finally settling for black. He headed down the stairs and knocked on the wall a couple times, their new way of announcing that they were going to come visit. He got a knock back and headed to her door. She was already there, wrapping herself in a sweatshirt.

"What's got you visiting me this early?" she asked. He frowned, looking at the sky and seeing that the sun was just starting to rise. "You're lucky I'm up early to check on the morning work at the cafe." He rubbed the back of his neck, blushing a little. She smiled at him. "Ok, out with it, what's going on?"

"Um, my family is bringing my nephew into town for the costume party at the library and well, being honest, my side of the family didn't do Halloween so I'm not sure what its all about," he said. Y/N nodded, once again being understanding about Orm's seeming lack of normal surface dweller knowledge.

"Come on in, I'll make some tea and give you a crash course," she said. Orm was nervous for a moment, having not been in her home yet. They mostly just sat on the back porch, or he would visit her cafe, never in each other's houses. He stepped in and looked around. It was a mirror of his place, entering the living room, open to the dining room and kitchen in the back, then stairs to the bedrooms. Where he had nothing really in his house, preferring to pretend that he was only there temporarily, she had decorated. It was sparse, but homey, with a few photos on the wall, a television (at least he assumed that's what it was called), furniture that looked lived in and comfy. She led him towards the kitchen where she had a mug out and water heating. She grabbed another with Justice League symbol on it and got some loose leaf tea ready. "Ok, so hit me with the questions."

"What is the point of this holiday?" he asked, taking the seat she offered him at the round table.

"Well back before there was candy involved it was believed that October 31st was the day the veil between the living and the dead was thinnest, so ghosts and spirits could freely walk among the living," she said. His eyes widened a little and she smiled, setting the mugs on the table and setting a timer for the tea to steep. "And some cultures still believe that. For some people the spirits of their family returning is a reason to celebrate, they make food, have parties and make offerings to their ancestors and its beautiful. Other people are frightened and wear masks to hide from the spirits. That's where the whole idea of trick or treating came from. People dress in costumes, go to houses and get candy." The timer went off and she poured them each a mug. "Anything else?"

"Why would the dead want to come back?" he asked. She laughed, but not in a mean way.

"Good question, the living world is a mess, why come back?" she said. "I guess if they felt something was unfinished, or maybe they miss their living family. I know I miss my father and wish his spirit could visit me sometimes." Orm looked at her, never hearing her talk about her father before.

"What happened to him?" he asked. She sipped her drink for a second, took a deep breath and he was worried he had stepped too far into her world with this. They kept each other at arm's length and he hated it, but he had been following her lead, maybe he had finally pushed her too hard.

"He died, when I was a child, sickness," she said finally. He felt a pang in his heart for her. Despite the fact that his father was a step down from a monster he still missed him sometimes, and he knew how it felt to watch someone you thought was immortal die slowly.

"I'm sorry," he said. She nodded, not looking at him. "I'm sure if his spirit could visit you he would." It felt lame, but it was all he had to offer in comfort.

"Thank you Orm," she said, smiling. He noticed that she again looked surprised by him. He wasn't sure of her experience with men before but it couldn't have been good with how shocked she was by him being the bare minimum of kind.

Y/N was constantly surprised by Orm's kindness. What she remembered of him was a narcissistic, nearly genocidal prick, not this kind, funny, almost humble person. Sure he still carried himself like a royal, but it was like he had been knocked around some too, the crown had a few scratches in it and it made it more interesting, more beautiful. She cleared up the mugs and looked at the clock.

"I have to get going, bring your family by the cafe later, I'll give your nephew a treat," she offered. It wasn't until she was at the cafe and starting to make something nice for the boy that she realized how dumb she was. Orm may not recognize her, but his mother might. She did mildly resemble her mother and she had met the queen a few times as a teenager. She could only pray that he chose not to bring them around.

Tom, Atlanna, and Junior arrived at Orm's home after lunch. The baby was nearly 2 now and he remembered Orm from the last visit, reaching out to his uncle excited when he saw him. He hated to admit it, but Orm adored the boy, despite him being the son of his idiot brother. He took the boy, noticing the costume.

"What is he?" Orm asked, the little regal costume confusing him. "And where is Mera?"

"He's prince charming," Atlanna said, "and Mera was called back to Atlantis, the council is trying to wrestle more power away from Arthur. They want to put forward demands of the surface and threaten war if they don't comply." That was concerning, the council still seemed to be annoyed that their king had revealed Atlantis to the world and wanted to get some vengeance against him.

"I hope they can squash that, although I don't hate the idea of forcing the surface to make some changes," Orm said, letting AJ down to walk around his place. "I know the party is soon, but could we stop by the cafe beforehand? My friend said she would have a treat for AJ." Atlanna perked up at the mention of a friend. Orm hadn't ever talked about anyone before, and never with that tone of voice.

"Friend?" she asked. Orm realized the can of worms he had opened with that statement and sighed.

"Yes, Y/N, she lives in the other side of the duplex," he said, trying to sound nonchalant, but the look in his mother's eyes told him he failed.

"Then let's go and meet this Y/N," she said, gathering up her grandson and husband.

The cafe was empty when they arrived, close to closing time and just passed a lunch rush. Y/N was behind the counter, looking like she had been busy that day. Orm smiled at her, liking when her hair was slightly messy and she smiled back. Atlanna frowned for a moment, trying to place the girl's face. Y/N looked worried for a split second before masking the face and going to the counter, pulling out a small box.

"Hey, you must be Orm's family, I'm Y/N, his neighbor," she said, coming around to the front. She saw AJ in Tom's arms and smiled big at him. "Aww, he's precious." She opened the box for him, showing a vanilla cupcake with a jack o'lanturn design on it. Tom thanked her and took the treat for AJ, getting him set up to eat at a table. Atlanna came up and greeted her, shaking her hand.

"You look familiar," she said. Y/N felt panic rising in her chest.

"Honestly, people tell me that a lot, I have one of those faces," she said, trying to sound relaxed. She hoped it worked. The queen seemed to buy it, just smiling and going to see AJ, making a mess of the table with the icing, Tom trying to clean up. "Don't worry about that, let him play, I have wipes for that."

"You look nervous," Orm said, standing next to her now. He could smell coffee and vanilla on her and it was intoxicating if he was honest.

"Well, they're your family, I want them to like me," she said. He looked at her, eyebrows raised a little. "What? I like to be liked." He chuckled, noticing her blush. He was watching Y/N and she was watching Atlanna, noticing her probing looks, still trying to figure out why she knew her. "I'm going to get those wipes, get ready for closing, just leave the mess when he's finished." She headed to the back, through a door to the back area. Orm frowned and looked at his mother, who shrugged and went back to AJ.

The party was fine, AJ got lots of candy and had fun with the other children. On the way home Orm sat in the back with the baby and heard a song play on the radio that he recognized from Y/N's concerts on the back porch.

"She's gonna save me, call me "baby" Run her hands through my hair She'll know me crazy, soothe me daily Better yet, she wouldn't care"

he sang to his nephew, who giggled at his uncle dancing and singing the backseat. Atlanna was watching through the rear view mirror the whole time and when she walked him to the door she smiled.

"You like her don't you?" she asked, nodding towards Y/N's door. Orm felt the red rush to his cheeks, but shrugged. "O, you really like her."

"Fine, yes, I do, I like her more than any other person I've ever met," he admitted. He had missed so much time with his mother it felt nice for her to needle him into admitting something like this. "But she seems to want to keep us as friends, which is fine, I'm happy if she's happy."

"Orm, she made a special cupcake for your nephew and the smile on her face when she saw you today? That is not the kind of smile a friend gives someone," she said. "Give her time and I think she'll see that she feels the same for you that you feel for her." She kissed his cheek and hugged him tight and he relished in the feeling. They parted and she left with Tom and AJ and he went inside, rolling her words over in his mind.

[klbwriting]

Adventures In Atlantean-Sitting

Chapter 13

Fandom: Aquaman

Pairing: Ormxfemale!Reader

Warnings: violence

Summary: YN goes to save Orm

Notes: Here it is, the end! I hope you enjoyed! Comments/critiques are appreciated

Orm waited until they were halfway to the beach before he started fighting the guards. His hands were bound so he threw his weight into one of soldiers holding him, knocking him to the ground, causing the other to let go of Orm in surprise. Orm jumped back, dodging as another guard tried to grab him. He started to run when a shot passed his head, nearly clipping him. He stopped and turned. Orlan was holding the pulsar, now aimed right for Orm’s head. Orlan’s eyes were narrow, his face reddened.

“The next one will kill you; I don’t care if the council wants you alive,” he said. The guards watched as he approached Orm, grabbing onto his arm roughly. “I have wanted to kill you for years, do not tempt me now, my son is supposed to do the honor.” His voice was low so only Orm could hear but it just confirmed his suspicions. Leo was going to ‘attack’ the convoy taking Orm back to Atlantis and he was meant to be a casualty in the crossfire. He let Orlan guide him back to the others and let the soldiers take hold of him again. The whole delay was only around two minutes, he just hoped that was enough time for YN and Arthur to get ready.

YN noticed the beach was quiet, she and Arthur were seemingly the only ones around. They were currently holed up in lifeguard’s shack, watching for signs of Leo and any men he had brought. Arthur had contacted Mera, Nereus, and Atlanna, they were ready and waiting in the shallows. Arthur was antsy, wanting to get this over with and hopefully get his power back. He didn’t realize what he could do with the power he had until he lost it. Already the council was trying to undo his work in bridging the gap between the surface and the sea and he needed to be reinstated to get back on track. YN just wanted to get Orm back to her cottage and their life together. Finally, she saw Orlan and his guards with Orm, walking him down the beach.

“Hold until Leo shows himself,” YN said, noticing Arthur getting ready to throw open the door. He eyed her.

“I am a king you know,” he grumbled. She rolled her eyes. He hmphed and sat back again, watching.

They had just passed the lifeguard shack when Leo and nearly a dozen Atlanteans emerged from under the boardwalk nearby. They aimed their weapons at Orlan and the guards. YN watched the guards. They seemed genuinely confused, Orlan, however, was probably the worst actor she had ever seen.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, voice louder than necessary. Leo smirked and became just as bad an actor as his father.

“I have come to take my revenge from the tyrant king for trying to banish us,” Leo said. “Step aside and you will not die today, leave the prisoner with me for execution.” Orlan held up a hand.

“Enough, we do not need to shed blood tod…” he never finished. Leo shot his father in the chest. This was surprising. Arthur, YN, and the rest of those hiding came out of their places, weapons ready, but confused.

“Finally,” Leo said. “Come on, I am going to kill that bastard king, but I was so tired to dancing to that idiot’s tune.” His men all aimed their weapons as the guards, ready to fire.

“Stop!” Arthur yelled. Leo rolled his eyes.

“Why? What could you, a half-breed, possibly say to stop this?” he asked. YN was reminded of a petulant child who needed a nap. Arthur stepped forward, next to Orm. Leo re-aimed at Arthur.

“Whoa, calm down there Terminator, I just want to know why you shot your dad, weren’t you both trying some kind of coup?” he asked. Leo let out an aggravated breath.

“Yes, but that old asshole would have just used the coup to become King of Atlantis. Why just Atlantis?” he asked. “So now, I kill everyone and then I…take over everything. Where Orm tried to be Ocean Master I will become Ocean Master, I will take Atlan’s trident from your cold dead hands, and then after I am ruler of the seas I will come here to the surface, now, fire away.” His men tried to fire but found their weapons useless. “What the hell?” YN held up a device, red light blinking on it.

“O, sorry, those are useless now thanks to my friend here,” she said. She put the device in a pocket and held up another, a tranquilizer gun. She was able to get off two shots, taking out two of Leo’s men before he started hand to hand combat. Orm moved aside, going to a guard who, after a few moments of contemplation, freed him from his restraints. He wasn’t given a weapon, but he didn’t need one. Arthur and Atlanna fought together with their tridents while Mera sent sharpened water with pinpoint accuracy. The Atlantean soldiers who had come with Orlan fought also. All the while YN was dodging, firing tranqualizer darts at any of Leo’s men. She finally was able to sneak up behind Leo, pressing a tack into his neck and holding her Atlantean dagger to his throat.

“Hold!” Leo yelled. He only had a couple fighting soldiers left but everyone froze at his cry. YN glared, looking at him. Nereus darted off, going to get reinforcements from Atlantis. “Going to kill me surface scum?”

“I should, for everything you’ve done, for hurting people in my city, for trying to kill me, for trying to frame Orm. I should kill you, but I don’t think they want me to do that, they need someone to arrest and prosecute,” she said. Leo laughed. “Something funny?”

“Who is going to arrest me? This is clearly an attack that Orm and you planned. I was trying to help my father contain the threat when you killed him, and his men, and then tried to kill me,” he said. Atlanna shook her head.

“I do not think anyone will believe your story Leo,” she said. “We have proof of everything that has happened here.” She motioned to the camera on top of the lifeguard shack. Leo glared, snarling. He moved, surprising YN, knocking her back into the sand and disarming her. He turned, bringing the dagger she had just been holding down, the tip just inches from her chest when a strong hand grabbed his wrist. Orm used all his strength, knowing that Leo had none at the moment, and threw the man to the ground.

“You almost killed her once and I promised that the next time I saw you I would kill you,” Orm said, grabbing the knife himself. He picked Leo to stand, the knife once again at his throat. YN stood, putting her hand to Orm’s shoulder. He took a deep breath. YN wouldn’t want this, wouldn’t want him to kill again, cause more pain and bloodshed. “But I don’t think I will.” He pushed Leo towards Arthur, who had him restrained along with the rest of his men. The victors lined the prisoners up on the beach just in time for the council and more soldiers to arrive. By then Orm and YN were safe in the shack, hiding out again.

Arthur showed the video to the council, explaining that Orm had been caught, along with the traitor from the surface, however Leo had intervened, and they had disappeared in the fighting. Atlanna also presented the evidence they had found that cleared Orm of the surface attacks. He was still wanted for his escape from the deserter prison and for trying to hurt the heir to the throne, but these attacks were not his. The council seemed satisfied, taking Leo and his men back to Atlantis. Once everything was clear Orm and YN returned to the cottage.

“Do you think we should find a new place to live?” YN asked a few weeks later. She was nervous, wondering if the council would return. Arthur assured her that his power was back in place and that the council thought Orm and her were far away, in Russia, and they were safe. But she still worried. Orm walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her from behind as they looked out the front window. “No, I think we are safe here, in our witch’s house in the woods,” he said, kissing her head. She smiled and leaned to him, taking a deep breath. They were still in hiding, but at least they weren’t alone.

[klbwriting]

Surface Tension

Chapter 2: Landslide

Fandom: Aquaman

Pairing: Ormxfemale!Reader

Warnings: none just building some fluff

Summary: The first few months are awkward, but they figure things out

Note: Chapter 2! So excited for this, and I love Orm being both confused but still trying to pretend he knows what's going on! Comments/critiques appreciated! Also, song is 'Landslides by Fleetwood Mac

The first month Y/N and Orm only exchanged pleasantries when they saw each other leaving or entering their homes. A quick hello, or how are you, followed by a hasty exit that left Orm confused, what if he had caused her to dislike him, and Y/N worried, what if he became suspicious of her? Despite their meetings being quick and dismissive both found themselves fascinated by the other. Y/N would often stand in her bathroom upstairs, in the bathtub no less, discreetly watching Orm as he walked the beach, sometimes swimming despite the chill of the autumn weather. She envied him honestly, he must have been on the surface because he wanted to be for some reason. If he were hiding out here he would be too afraid to go into the water like she was. Either that or he was still just as self-centered as he was as king and didn't fear being caught. She hadn't stepped foot in the water for the last decade, afraid that somehow her mother would find her and drag her back for punishment for a crime she had tried to prevent.

Y/N thought she was being discreet but Orm could feel her watch him. What he couldn't figure out was why she wouldn't talk to him. She hurried through any interaction they had, putting as much distance between them as possible. He didn't think he had said or done anything offensive, mostly just tried to smile and be polite. It had worked with other surface dwellers, why not her? Could she sense he didn't belong here somehow? He pondered this while he swam in the shallows of the ocean, receiving strange looks from those walking by. He knew the weather was too cold for humans to be swimming but he needed to be in the water, feel a part of the sea at least for a little while during the day. And today was the day he was finally going to confront Y/N, at least so he could apologize for whatever he had done to make her dislike him.

Orm was just coming in from the beach through the back sliding door of the house when he heard Y/N returning home through the wall splitting the house. He waited for several minutes, getting dried off, before he approached her door, knocking. She peeked out of the peephole and nearly passed out. Why was he here? Had he seen her watching him and wanted to tell her off for being creepy? She took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Hi," she said, trying to hide how nervous she was. Orm swallowed, almost forgetting the words he wanted to say. She looked like she had had a long day, hair in a messy ponytail and clothes wrinkled from whatever job she did. She looked like she had just gotten out of bed and the thought of her in bed almost made him blush.

"Hello, I just, I notice that you seem to run off at the sight of me and I am wondering have I...done something to offend you?" he asked finally, stringing a usable sentence together, much to his surprise. Whatever she had been expecting him to say, this was not it.

"O, um, no, I'm...I'm sorry," she stammered out, trying to think fast about why she was avoiding him. "Its just, strange man moving in next door to me, not the first time I've been polite to a neighbor and he has thought that I was flirting, I didn't want to, I just wanted to make sure you weren't a creep first before being nicer." Was that an explanation? Did those words even work? Orm drew his eyebrows together, thinking over her statement.

"I hope I didn't come off as a creep, I am not one I don't think?" he said, voice unsure. Y/N couldn't fight the smile that appeared, he seemed so sweet and genuine. He wanted her to think he was a good man, not someone to be afraid of. She took a deep breath and decided to give him a chance.

"No, you haven't, you've been perfectly respectful," she said. "I'm sorry for making assumptions but you can never be too careful can you?" Orm agreed and looked at the weather. It was overcast, but not rainy.

"Would you like to take a walk on the beach?" he asked. This was actually surprising. Y/N looked towards the back of the house, thinking about the rocks and the water and then Atlantis. Then she pictured a force arriving on the beach to carry her back to the kingdom for execution. She shook her head.

"No, but how about a walk to the park?" she asked. Orm nodded. "Give me 2 minutes to change my shirt, I just got off work and feel like I smell." She laughed at herself and Orm smiled, nodding.

While he waited he thought about the look she had on her face when she had looked towards the ocean. It wasn't boredom, or even nervousness, it was fear in her eyes. Was she scared of the water? If so, why live in this house where the waves sung him to sleep every night? What was she afraid of? He filed the question away to think about later as the door opened again and she came out in a sweater and her ponytail smoothed out.

"Shall we?" she asked, offering him her elbow. He looked at her for a second before she laughed. "Sorry, its the gentleman's job to offer his arm isn't it?" Orm cocked his head to the side before mirroring her move, sticking his elbow out. Now he wished that he had watched those movies that Arthur had talked about, maybe he would know what was supposed to happen with his arm like this. Then Y/N slid her arm through his and linked them together. Now he understood. And he liked it. They started off towards the small green park that was nearby.

"Its nice today," Y/N said, breaking the silence as they started to circle the fountain at the park entrance. "Cloudy, but the temperature isn't too cold yet. I'll bet we'll have snow soon though." Orm looked up at the sky.

"I've never seen snow before," he said. He knew about the weather pattern, water froze in the air and then fell lightly to the ground in white flakes, but he had never bothered to go see snow. He wondered if he would like it.

"A southern man, I see," Y/N said, stopping by the edge of the community garden. She walked over to the small patch she took care of, grabbing a small bit of weed that had popped up in the last day and tossed it aside. "That's my part of the garden, I grow some vegetables."

"I've never gardened before either," Orm said. As they walked he was realizing he hadn't done a lot despite being on land for almost a full year now and wondered if he should start actually trying to live instead of just hide here. He shook the thought from his head and looked back at his walking partner. "So, you just got off work, where do you work?"

"I own a cafe in town, little place that's open for breakfast and lunch," she explained. "You should come by sometime, could always use more customers." She nudged him with her elbow, making her own heart skip a beat and deciding maybe it wasn't a good idea to walk with him, be this close to him. But he was like a magnet for her and she had spent so much time trying to fight speaking to him, it had been exhausting. They could be friends.

After the walk, for two months they had small talk. Nothing too deep, just general things they liked and disliked, some bland stories from their past that could easily be pulled from almost any surface dwellers memories. They walked in the park a few days a week and despite either of their best interests they were starting to really enjoy each other's company. Y/N loved to hear Orm's laugh and see his smile. Orm liked how the sun made Y/N's eyes a deeper color, but how the rainy days brought out her silly side, splashing in puddles or swinging at the vacant, soaked, playground. These walks were Orm's favorite times of the week, but after tonight he would have another favorite to add.

It was late, after midnight, and Orm was barely dozing, a nightmare waking him over and over. One would think the nightmares he had would be about his imprisonment, or the attempted assassination from his coronation day, but no, the nightmare's were about his father on his 18th birthday. His party had just ended, and it wasn't much of a party, more a show where his father could pretend to be so happy and proud of his soon-to-be king son. They had known his father was sick by then, would be dying within the next few months, so he had thrown Orm a grand bash to remember him by. Orm couldn't recall a single thing about the evening until he was saying goodnight to his father at the door to his room.

"You ate still an embarrassment," Orvax had said, looking Orm over. He was wearing his finest armor but still felt like a child playing knight and his father knew it. "Your reign will be the worst of any of the Atlantian kings and I hate that my child is going to be the greatest disappointment in the history of the sea." Then his father went into his room and died that very night.

Orm had spent the next decade trying to prove his father wrong. He knew he had, he knew now that Arthur being king was the greatest thing that could happen to Atlantis, but there was still a part of him that felt the pang of guilt and shame of being exactly the disappointment his father knew he was going to be. He woke up with the shame swimming in his body, but this time he heard something outside. He stood, throwing on a shirt as he ventured downstairs. The sound wasn't threatening, it was, music. Y/N was outside on the back porch playing...guitar...that was the word, and singing. He thought he recognized the voice but couldn't place where from. He opened the sliding door to the back quietly, wanting to listen. She was seated on a wicker rocking chair facing the ocean, strumming as she sang to the sea.

Orm must have made a noise because the song stopped and she turned, looking at him. He blushed, feeling caught peeking into something he wasn't supposed to see. After a moment though, she smiled and waved him out. He closed the door and moved to sit on the other wicker chair out on her porch.

Oh, mirror in the sky

What is love?

Can the child within my heart rise above?

Can I sail through the changing oceans tides?

Can I handle the seasons of my life?

"I hope I wasn't keeping you awake," she said, still strumming softly. Orm watched her fingers, shaking his head. "I can't sleep either. What's got you awake, if you don't mind me asking."

"My past," he said softly. She nodded, seeming to understand. "You?"

"My past," she mimicked his voice before laughing. Orm chuckled. It must have been the sound of the waves or the sight of the stars because Y/N decided then to trust Orm with a little more of herself. "I was blamed for something that I didn't do, but because of me it was still able to happen. Someone almost died, so I ran. I couldn't live at home anymore, seeing what my foolishness caused so, here I am." Orm looked at her and sighed. "What? Same thing for you?"

"Worse," he said. Her eyebrows shot up. "I also did something foolish, and well, I was high on who I was, the power my name afforded me, and I did hurt people, almost killed my own brother. He forgave me, taught me a hard lesson in the process, and now I just want to figure out who I am without that world, without that power." Y/N reached out her hand and set it gently on his.

"I'm glad we found each other then, maybe we can be friends and help each other be better then we were," she said. Orm smiled, squeezing her hand and sitting back to enjoy the ocean as Y/N pulled back to start playing again, singing him to sleep.

[klbwriting]

Surface Tension

Chapter 12: Pointless

Fandom: Aquaman

Pairing: Ormxfemale!Reader

Warnings: this is just fluff

Summary: epilogue, five years later

Notes: I hope you enjoyed this little story! I hope to write another story soon, I do have another idea in mind, just need to flesh it out. comment/critique appreciated, song is 'Pointless' by Lewis Capaldi

Taglist: @hyperagitatedcydonian13 @gabrieleskywalker @philiasoul @duchcess

I bring her coffee in the morning She brings me inner peace I take her out to fancy restaurants She takes the sadness out of me

Orm let out a breath, seeing it as it drifted into the snow-covered forest. It was getting dark soon so he better head back to the house. Everyone would be arriving soon, and he wanted some time to get ready. He piled the wood onto the sled and called for Rex to get moving. The Pyrenees barked and started walking back through the trees to their home. He unloaded the wood into the shed, grabbing a few for the fire and walked into the mudroom of the cabin. The wood went into the holder, his hat and gloves into the cubby and his coat on the hook. The dog ran deeper into the house, and he heard the joyous laugh of a baby and smiled. The mudroom led into the kitchen where Y/N was standing by the counter, decorating a cake meticulously.

“It looks and smells amazing,” Orm said, walking over and kissing her head. She took some of the frosting and made to let him lick it off her finger. He leaned in and she poked his nose with it instead, laughing.

“Your nose was red, wanted to give it a blanket,” she teased. He laughed, wiping his face and stealing the bowl of icing from her as revenge. “Orm! I cannot chase you in this condition!” she said, motioning to her stomach, just barely a bump showing. He set the bowl down again, but not before taking some and eating it. “Go see your son, get yourselves ready for the party.”

Orm headed into the living room and lifted his two-year-old son from the playpen, carrying him up the stairs. If you would have told Orm five years ago, but when he and Y/N took off from Maine in the night that he would be living in north end of Yukon Canada with a son and a daughter on the way he would he laughed. They had been so scared for the first year, moving at night, staying away from the water and major cities, not sure if Atlantians tourists would see them. They didn’t talk to anyone, dropping communication with Arthur, Aria, Atlanna, everyone. They were in Alberta, just roaming, when Y/N found out she was pregnant and they decided to find a place and settle, at least for a while.

They bought some land outside a small town and built a cabin, adding to it when they needed the room. Now it was just enough for them and their children, and Y/N even got to open another café in the town, becoming popular quickly since she was the only place to get decent coffee. Despite all their safety and happiness, they still wanted to see their family and friends again. Orm took it upon himself to get back in touch with Arthur and the others, inviting them to surprise Y/N with a birthday party. She still thought that evening was going to be just her, Orm, and Naut.

Orm put Naut, named for Y/N’s father, in the tub and helped him get cleaned up before dressing him in his pajamas. No reason for him to be uncomfortable when he was meeting new people.

“Play in your room while I get dressed ok?” Orm said, sending him off. He dressed and was just getting finished when Y/N came in.

“The cake looks great. Still don’t know why you requested so much, its just us,” she said, getting a dress on. No matter if it was just them, she still dressed up for birthdays, wanting to celebrate them as much as she could.

“That cake will be gone in the morning, and you know it, now we can enjoy it for a few more days,” he said, pulling her to him, kissing her softly. His hands drifted to rear, pulling her against him. “I know you just put the dress on…” he whispered, kissing down her neck. She giggled, pushing him back gently.

“You can rip it off me later alright?” she said, kissing him again. There was a knock. “Who…who is possibly here?” Orm shrugged and waited for her to turn before smiling. She went to get Naut, wanting him close in case whoever was at the door was a threat. Orm answered, smiling at his brother who pulled him into a hug instantly. He led them into the kitchen where Y/N waited, eyes filling with tears. Everyone filed in, Orm reuniting with his family and getting reintroduced to AJ and to Arthur’s other 2 children. Atlanna was holding one with Tom holding the other. Aria, Dean, and their child walked in after and looked at Y/N holding Naut still.

“O God, Orm procreated,” Aria said, leaning to Dean for drama. She ran over, hugging Y/N gently and looking at Naut. “He’s beautiful, so blond.”

“It’s a very strong gene that hair,” Y/N agreed. “This one will probably match.” She patted her stomach and Aria squealed. “Now, can everyone quiet down for a second?” The group looked at her. Orm smiled.

“I thought, it’s been long enough, our family should be able to see us,” he said, moving over to her. She nodded and looked at him.

“Thank you, this is great,” she said. He kissed her softly before letting Atlanna come over. Y/N gently handed Naut to her, telling him that this was his grandma. He seemed nervous but soon warmed to the queen.

“He looks just like Orm did at this age, is he trouble? Orm was trouble,” she said. Y/N nodded. Orm and Arthur stepped aside as everyone kind of sectioned off, finding food or exploring the cabin.

“I’m glad you called,” Arthur said. He watched as AJ and his other kids played with Aria’s child and Naut while Aria, Atlanna, Mera, and Y/N watched them from the couch. Tom and Dean were discussing the cabin, looking at the fireplace. “This is amazing, who knew my dick of a little brother would be capable of all this.”

“It wasn’t just me,” Orm said. “Y/N is what brought this about.” Arthur shook his head.

“It isn’t just her either. You were already doing the work, trying to be a better man. That’s why she chose you,” Arthur said. Orm nodded with a smile. He went to the stereo and turned on a song. Y/N looked up as he approached, offering her his hand.

“Care to dance?” he asked. She smiled wide and nodded, taking his hand. He pulled her close, hand to her waist, the other in her hand. “Does this make you happy?” She nodded, kissing him softly.

“Yes, this makes me happy, you make me happy.”

I make her cards on her birthday She makes me a better man I take her water when she's thirsty She takes me as I am

[klbwriting]

Who Am I Really?

Final Chapter

Fandom: Aquman

Pairing: Ormxfemale!Reader

Warnings: just fluff

Summary: Orm goes home

Notes: I hope you enjoyed! This is the end of this fic, but Adventures in Atlantean-Sitting still has about 3 more chapters left. Please comment/critique! Thank you for reading!

A year seems like a long time when you’re waiting for someone. Orm didn’t sleep a lot, he kept waking up from dreaming. Sometimes they were amazing, he was back with YN, helping with the animals, on the couch with her watching TV and laughing, or in bed feeling her pressed against him, and his heart would hurt so much he’d wake up and just stay awake, not wanting to feel that ache anymore. Other times he had nightmares. Someone had hurt her while he was gone, someone had taken her from him and now she loved them instead, or worst of all, she had just forgotten about him, her eyes blank when she saw him. Those dreams he would sit up for hours just trying to convince himself that wouldn’t happen. That year in Atlantis was his worst and yet his best also.

“I’m shocked you survived here all year without at least trying to sneak back to YN,” Arthur said on Orm’s final dinner with them. Orm shrugged.

“Was better than getting caught and having to go back to the desert,” he said. He was pushing food around his plate, unable to eat honestly. He was worried about tomorrow. Technically he could go anywhere as soon as midnight passed, but what if she didn’t want to see him? What if everything had changed?

“Orm, you don’t have to worry, YN Is just as excited and nervous about tomorrow,” Mera said. Orm knew they spoke sometimes, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up. He was so used to having everything fall apart around him that he didn’t thing he could survive if YN changed her mind.

“When did you last speak to her?” he asked softly. Mera smiled.

“We talked yesterday, I went to visit her,” she said. “Brought over Junior and everything.” Orm smiled a little. YN loved kids, always got so excited when they came in to adopt a pet. She would listen to a toddler babble about their kitten, and she never got bored. At least not while they were there, after the family left, she might talk about how annoying the kid was, but still cute.

“Did she mention…”

“She only talked about how happy she was to see you, kept asking if you were coming back or if you had changed your mind,” Mera said. “She’s just as scared about you abandoning her as you are.” Orm frowned, how could she think he wouldn’t come back to her? Then again, he thought the same thing about her. Love was terrifying when the other person wasn’t around. He sighed and stood up.

“I’m going to bed, I’ll be in your office in the morning to get this thing off Arthur,” he said, waving his house arrest bracelet around. Arthur nodded and Orm went back to his room. He laid down and tried desperately to sleep just to make the time pass faster.

YN paced the shelter hallway, running her fingers along the chain link separating her from the dogs. They were sniffing, licking her fingers, some were barking, but she was barely paying attention. It was nearly 2AM and she just couldn’t sleep. In a few short hours Orm should be back and she didn’t know what to expect. What if he came back to tell her he had decided to stay in Atlantis? That she wasn’t worth coming back for? Worse still, what if he just didn’t come back? She might never know what happened. Mera had said he was coming back, that he wanted to be with her, but what if Mera was wrong?

She stopped by the window, looking out towards the lake. She might as well wait out there, it was a warm summer night, she would be fine on the beach for a few minutes. She sat down on the rocky shore, watching the waves. Before she knew it, she was asleep.

Orm took a deep breath as he waited in the lake. H should have brought her something. He had been in such a rush to see her after Arthur removed his bracelet and declared him free that he stopped to think. He had just needed to get back to her. Now though, he was wondering if he should have brought her something, maybe prepared what to say. How did you reintroduce yourself after a year? He took a deep breath. If he wasted more time, she might think he wasn’t coming, it was time. He emerged from the lake and smiled a little, seeing her asleep on the beach. He walked over, gently lifting her and carrying her back to her home. It felt amazing to have her against him, feel her in his arms. He set her in bed and covered her before seeing if she kept his things. He opened a drawer, and everything was still there. He got changed into something more surface friendly and slid in bed next to her. She must have noticed his movements. Her eyes opened and she smiled, breathing out a relieved breath.

“You’re home,” she said, reaching out and touching his face, making sure he was real. He kissed her palm and touched her hand.

“I’m back YN,” he said. “I’m free to be with you.” She moved closer, hugging him close. He kissed her deeply, having missed this feeling. When they parted, she sighed.

“I haven’t been sleeping well,” she said. Orm nodded.

“Neither have I, how about we sleep now and later we can go get lunch at that place you like on in town?” he asked. It was like falling back into a comfortable routine. Everything seemed to be back in place.

“Sounds great. I love you,” she said, turning so her back with pressed to his chest. His arm went around her, and he kissed her cheek before closing his eyes.

“I love you too,” he whispered. He felt complete. He felt like he was finally home.

[klbwriting]

Surface Tension

Chapter 5: Cut to the Feeling

Fandom: Aquaman

Pairing: Ormxfemale!Reader

Warnings: here comes the smut! its most of this chapter, if you would like to skip the italicized part is where it is over

Summary: just see above, but everything may be falling apart

Note: hope you enjoy! comment/critique appreciated! Song is 'Cut to the Feeling' by Carly Rae Jepson

Taglist: hyperagitatedcydonian13 @gabrieleskywalker @philiasoul

Around the 7th step Orm couldn't stop himself, pulling Y/N back to him, and doing a sort of double walk with her up the rest of the way, kissing at her neck as he went. She tasted amazing and he wanted to savor every part of her. She guided him to her room and he stopped her just before her bed, one arm holding her firm around the waist while his other pulled up her skirt, fingers sliding into her underwear and feeling at her core. She moaned as he started doing circles around her clit, head falling back to him. Before he got too involved he wanted to hear her fall apart, and when she moaned out his name he wanted to hear it again and again. Her face turned and she kissed him before she had to stop, focusing on the feeling of his fingers dancing over her.

"Do you like that?" he whispered, teeth grazing her earlobe before biting it softly. She said his name again.

"Yes," she finally said, then she let out a soft cry and he could feel her shutter. She panted as he brought his fingers to his lips and tasted her. She tasted amazing and he wanted to taste her more, but he knew he couldn't hold out for that long. Once she had a moment to come down he turned her to face him. She wasted no time in pulling his shirt over his head, kissing down his chest and undoing the top of his jeans. Y/N wanted to have some fun with Orm like he had with her so once he was out of his pants she took his cock into her mouth, licking the underside before taking him fully in. He groaned out loud, a hand tangling into her hair.

"Y/N, I want you," he whispered, hearing the begging tone in his voice. He glanced down and she smirked up at him and he nearly released in that moment, but thankfully she stood up and he pulled her dress over her head. She took care of her underthings herself, beckoning him towards her bed. What had started as hot and fast had slowed now, just a little. Orm was going to take his time now, despite wanting to take her as fast as possible. She laid down and he started to kiss up her leg, exploring with his lips and tongue, fingers inching up with him as he climbed up her body. He met her core and he couldn't help himself as he dove in, licking a few times, hearing those sweet noises again before he pulled back. She looked down at him, her fingers toying with her nipples as he watched for a few moments.

"Please..." she whispered, clearly wanting him to continue. It was his turn to smirk, shaking his head as he moved up her body more, moving one of her hands as he kissed at her breast, taking her nipple into his mouth and sucking it gently before licking it and moving to give the other the same treatment. By the time he kissed her again she was wrapping her legs around him, trying to guide him into her.

"How do you want to do this?" he asked. He wanted her to enjoy this, wanted to make sure she remembered this night forever. She thought for a second before she pushed him onto his back and climbed over him. He held her hips as she moved into place, sliding onto him and letting out a content sigh as he filled her. She put one hand to his chest, the other to her headboard as she started to move to him. He watched her for a few moments, relishing in how she felt on top of him. Him giving control to someone else wasn't something he was used to but he thought he might have to do this more often. She started to move faster as she came closer to another release. He sat up some, arm holding him up as he kissed at her breasts again, nipping the skin before she pushed him back and kissed him. He moved his hand, sliding it between them to find her clit again, circling again, knowing it was still sensitive from his previous touches. She moaned into the kiss, pulling away to pant and call his name. She cried out and froze for just a moment, enjoying the high she had hit. A few more thrusts and he released also, gripping her close to him as they came down.

"That was...amazing" she said softly, climbing off him. She went into the adjoining bathroom, throwing him out a hand towel before closing the door to clean up herself. He sighed a little and laid back, not bothering with his clothes again. She came out a little bit later and climbed into bed naked next to him. They should have been tired but Orm found himself awake, thinking back to every moment of that day and committing it memory. "Orm?"

"Hmm?" he asked, looking at Y/N on his chest. She looked up at him, those eyes melting him. He couldn't stop himself, he kissed her again and she laughed, pushing him back gently.

"I want to ask you something," she said. He sat up a little, adjusting so she was using him as more of a pillow. "This was the best birthday I have ever had, so I was wondering, what was your best?" He froze, not sure how to answer. He looked down and then at her.

"Honestly? I've never really had a good birthday," he said. She looked shocked. "I know, well I might have had good ones before my mother was...left for a bit, but my father wasn't a very kind man and he didn't really think birthdays were anything special. In fact, he died on my 18th birthday, after informing me what a disappointment I was." Y/N sat up more, looking at him very serious now. "What?"

"You don't believe him right? You know that you should be proud of yourself?" she asked. He stared back at her before looking away. In truth, no, he wasn't proud of himself. Not after what he had done without any consideration for others. And if Y/N was honest with herself she knew he probably wasn't proud of himself. She remembered the destruction he caused five years ago, but she couldn't believe that this Orm was that person. He wasn't, he couldn't be.

"I am working on that," Orm finally said. Y/N nodded and yawned. He smiled at that. "Come on, get some sleep, and happy birthday." They snuggled down ins't bed and he kissed her head as she drifted off on his chest.

In the morning Orm woke up alone, still naked, but hearing some music from the kitchen. He got up, sniffing a little, whatever Y/N was making smelled amazing. He found his clothes, sliding them on and heading downstairs. He was quiet as he approached the kitchen, leaning on the dining table as he watched her sing and dance as she cooked.

I wanna play where you play with the angels I wanna wake up with you in tangles I wanna cut to the feeling, o ya, I wanna cut to the feeling

She turned then, holding a plate of pancakes and another of bacon. She stopped and laughed, blushing that he caught her. He walked over, taking a plate and carrying it to the table.

"Did I wake you? I wanted to finish before you got up," she said, getting some OJ and silverware. He got cups and set them out and noticed how strange yet wonderful this felt, setting a table with her, being here with her in the morning after holding her all through the night. He wanted to do it all again tomorrow, and the day after, and then another day. He never wanted it to end.

"You didn't wake me, but you didn't have to do all this, I have been living off of Fruit Loops honestly," he said. She laughed and gave him some pancakes and bacon. "Do you have work today?"

"No, I'm free, took it off because who wants to work around their birthday?" she said. Then she looked at him. "When is your birthday?"

"In a few months, after the new year," he said, waving it off. She still stared at him. "January 12th." She nodded, satisfied.

"I will be sure to repeat last on your birthday, only you will get all the fun," she said. Orm felt himself heat at just the thought of another night like the last one. "Which, just so you know, last night was probably the best sex I've ever had." Orm felt himself flush with pride.

"Me too," he answered honestly. "I have to go talk to my brother today, but maybe I could see you again tonight?" She was about to answer when there was a loud and angry knock at her door. She went to answer and there was Aria, staring daggers at her. Then she saw Orm and Y/N knew this was the end of everything.

[klbwriting]

Surface Tension

Chapter 4: Like Real People Do

Fandom: Aquaman

Pairing: Ormxfemale!Reader

Warnings: none this chapter, next one will have some, this is more fluff

Summary: Y/N introduces Orm to her friends and they take a next step

Notes: more good stuff! comments/critiques are appreciated! Song is 'Like Real People Do' by Hozier

Taglist: @gabrieleskywalker @philiasoul

"You are so into this guy!" Aria laughed as she sat at her kitchen table with Y/N the day after Halloween. "What is his name again?" She was multitasking, feeding her infant. Y/N hadn't said his name, knowing that if she did Aria would know who it was. Orm wasn't exactly a common surface dweller name and Aria still had contacts in Atlantis, she had just been telling Y/N that the previous king Orm had escaped his prison cell and was presumed dead in some attempt to retrieve the Black Trident from the Lost Kingdom. Although, according to Aria, that sounded ridiculous, Orm was in hiding somewhere. And Y/N had paled a little, thinking about how he was in hiding, right next door to her.

"His name is Oren," she said, thinking as fast as she could. It could work, not like Aria was going to meet him any time soon if Y/N could help it. "He's from somewhere in Europe."

"Tell me more about him, I've heard he's hot, and that's he's funny, what else does he have going for him?" she pressed and Y/N regretted bringing him up. She hadn't meant to tell Aria, but she was her best friend and just like most best friends, she knew when Y/N was infatuated with someone and Y/N was bad at keeping secrets from her.

"Well, funny thing, you know who he reminds me of?" she said, figuring if she told her he reminded her of Orm maybe if they did stumble across each other it would set up the idea in her mind that he was some kind of surface dwelling doppelganger. Aria nodded for her to keep going as she spooned more baby food into her daughter's mouth. "King Orm actually, he's got the same exact kind of royal way about him. He also is blonde, sometimes things he's the greatest thing to happen in the world, and he's charming as hell." She had rambled a little more than she meant to and didn't realize Aria was now staring at her.

"If he's anything like that prick Orm you should leave him be, that asshole was a genocidal maniac who didn't care about anyone but himself and that stupid crown," Aria said, voice dripping with venom. Y/N bit her lip.

"I said he's like Orm, but he's also so kind and I can't imagine him being a genocidal maniac or not caring about others. He's been nothing but sweet to me and anyone I've seen him with. You should have seen him with his nephew yesterday, that man is nothing like Orm was," she said. Aria narrowed her eyes, assessing her friend for a minute before finally nodding and offering a small smile.

"Well, I hope he comes to your birthday party tomorrow, Dean would love to meet him," she said, looking a little guilty now. YN's eyes widened. Her party, at her house, that Orm would definitely notice, and be really hurt if she didn't tell him he could come. Aria was supposed to be there, but she had said only Dean, her husband, would meet him.

"Why is only Dean coming?" she asked. Aria sighed.

"The hospital had another flu breakout among the nursing staff, I've been called in for 3 12's," she said. "I'm sorry, I promise we got you an amazing present! And once I'm done with these horrendous shifts I will take you out for a proper fun time." Y/N nodded, putting on an upset face, but inside she was doing a cartwheel. If Aria wasn't there and Dean talked to Orm, then he could report back to Aria instead of her seeing him for herself. Dean had no idea who Orm was, he was a surface dweller who barely understood anything about Atlantis and honestly, didn't care to know once he heard how horrible they were to the lower city. She knew sooner or later Aria would meet Orm but she could warn her first, actually talk to her about him and tell the truth before then.

The day of her party, after getting the supplies and starting to make some of the food she had planned she walked to Orm's door, knocking on the wall as she went. She frowned when didn't answer so she went to the back porch and towards the water. He was swimming again, just a few hundred feet out and back. She took a deep breath, walking slowly down to the beach. She could stay on the shore, it was too cold for a human to be swimming, he would make the excuse he always did, he was used to these temperatures, family of swimmers, blah blah blah, a human would have been still suspicious, but she would pretend what he said made sense. She got to where the rocks started and stopped.

"Orm!" she yelled, hoping he heard her over the wind. He didn't seem to so she took a couple steps forward, heart starting to pound as she pictured a drop of water getting onto her shoes and somehow sending word to her mother that she was near the water, ready for capture. She knew how crazy that was but the fear in her mind didn't care. "ORM!" she yelled, this time louder, and with a little more panic in her voice. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She saw him freeze, looking at her. She wasn't sure what he saw but he swam, faster than any person would be able to, back to the shore, running over to her.

"Y/N, are you alright?" he asked. Orm had heard her voice, hearing thinly veiled terror in her tone. Then he saw the look on her face from the water, she looked pale, like she was going to pass out. He knew he had swam too fast, but he was worried about her, had to get to her as fast as he could.

"I'm alright, just scared of the water," she said, but he felt that was a lie. Why did she lie about the ocean? He couldn't understand it, but he would accept it. "Are you finished? I wanted to ask you something?" He nodded and she forced a smile. He took her arm gently and started to lead her back towards the house, seeing the worry melt away the further they moved from the sea.

"What's going on?" he asked once they were safely back on their porch.

"Well, um, I'm having a party tonight, its my birthday party and I wanted you to come. Its nothing big, just a few friends. We'll mostly eat, play some board games, nothing crazy," she said. Orm stared. The last birthday party he had been to was his 18th and that had ended terribly, he hoped all birthday parties weren't so bad. He swallowed the memories of that night down and nodded.

"Ya, I'll come, what time?" he asked. He had to know how much time he had to find her a present, if he knew one thing about birthdays here it was that gifts were required.

"At 8, and no gifts required, we're all saving for our own lives, so no one ever brings any," she said. He frowned, not liking that. She deserved a gift for just existing and making his world infinitely better over the last 4 months. He nodded anyway and smiled.

"I will see you at 8 then, now I'm going to shower, its freezing out here," he said, realizing he should have been shivering. Y/N just nodded, a knowing look in her eye that he could never place and headed inside.

Orm did in fact shower, go out to a small boutique in the town, and get ready all within the time frame and was knocking on her wall at 8 before heading to her door. It was thrown open by a strange man before Y/N pushed him out of the way to greet Orm. She came onto the porch, closing the door behind her, but he Orm noticed several faces peering out the front window.

"Alright, this is a little out of control, but um, I have never invited anyone outside of this little friend group to a party before," she said. Orm didn't hear her at first, staring instead at how beautiful she looked. She had dressed up in a green dress with blue pearl accents around the neckline, her hair was down and longer than he realized, and her face was made up in soft golds to bring out her eyes but not hide her freckles. She looked more amazing than any woman on land or in the sea. He shook himself and blushed a little. "They think we're dating but you know, I've been trying to tell them we're friends, but they, they don't believe me." She was blushing also, glancing from him to her friends and trying to wave them away from the window.

"It's...its fine, hopefully they like me," he said. They were friends, but were they? He knew he didn't feel like she was just his friend, he was starting to feel like she was more than that, more than everything to him. She nodded and then noticed the small bag in his hand. She took it gently as they walked inside.

"I said no gifts to him, I promise," she said, setting the bag down on a side table, out of the way and safe from the festivities. Her friends just smiled, all looking like they were anticipating something. Orm now understood the scrutiny he normally placed on others. They were watching his every move, trying to read how he felt about Y/N.

"Hi, I'm, I'm Orm," he said, unsure what else to do, he looked to his neighbor and she seemed to be coming out of a trance.

"Ya, um Orm, this is Vincent, his husband James, Amanda, her husband Nick, Colleen, her fiance Erin, and this is Dean, he is my friend Aria's husband. She's a nurse and couldn't be here tonight," she explained, going down the line. He noticed that her voice hitched a little when she spoke and Dean and Aria and Orm knew those were the ones he was trying to make a good impression on. The others all came over, introducing themselves and talking at once at him. He felt relief wash over him when Y/N suggested they play a board game, something called Horrified, and they seemed to lose interest in Orm.

The party was great, food amazing, music soft but still fun and celebratory. Y/N kept asking people to dance with her but no one did and Orm can see it was bothering her. He would have if Dean hadn't cornered him a little, asking him questions about himself and then dropping a bomb on him.

"Aria thinks you and Y/N should be together," he said. Orm looked at him surprised. "O come on, you are all Y/N talks about anymore and you haven't taken your eyes off her all night, you two should just kiss and get it over with." In that instant Dean reminded Orm a great deal of Arthur and he thought he much he wanted to talk to his brother. He never thought he would be wishing for Arthur's perspective on something but now he craved it. Arthur had dealt with all this before, the feelings, the desires, Orm hadn't really dated anyone ever. Mera was supposed to marry him, so he may have found someone to warm his bed from time to time he never had actually felt like this for anyone. He wanted to hear Y/N tell him her secrets, he wanted to taste her skin and her lips, he wanted to hear her laugh, wanted to feel her body against his, he wanted everything with this person. He didn't know how to react to that.

"Ya, well maybe," was all he could offer Dean, but the other man just smirked some and nodded, before saying goodbye to Y/N and heading out for the night. It was getting late and her friends were all starting to leave. Orm hovered in the background, getting glasses and dishes to clean up and find some time to be alone with Y/N. She got the last guest out of the door and turned to face him.

"Hi," she said softly, noticing he was still there. He set down to dishes he was carrying to walked over to the side table, getting the present.

"Would you like to open it?" he asked. She blushed and took the bag. She opened it slowly, inside was a necklace with a silver chain and a single pearl. She stared for a moment, mouth open a little.

"Orm, this beautiful, its too much, but thank you," she said. He smiled and offered his hands. She handed him the box and he took out the necklace as she moved her hair. He gently put it on her, fingers thrilling at the touch of her skin. He was tempted right then to kiss her before stopped himself. He wanted to know that she wanted to kiss him back, wanted to see it in her eyes first. He heard a song playing, soft and perfect for a dance.

"You said you wanted to dance, well, shall we?" he asked. He had never danced before on the surface but he had seen a couple movies, he knew the idea and he wanted to see her smile. She nodded, taking his hand and pulling him to the center of her living room. She put one of his hands her her waist, hers on his shoulder and she held the other. They started the song a foot from each other but as it progressed they moved closer until they were nearly nose to nose, whispering to each other about the party, about anything really.

She could hear the songs words and now was glancing from Orm's blue eyes to his lips. She noticed him doing the same and despite knowing that this would open her up more, would make her vulnerable, more than she had let herself be with anyone since she ran away from Atlantis, she nodded at him. He didn't need any other signs, leaning in and taking her lips with his. They had stopped dancing, now just in an embrace. Her hands went into his hair, his to her hips, pulling her even closer to him as his tongue pressed against her lips. She welcomed it, meeting him as they deepened the kiss. When they parted she took a deep breath.

I will not ask you where you came from

I will not ask and neither should you

Honey, just put your sweet lips on my lips

We should just kiss like real do

"Would you like to stay the night?" she asked. He nodded and she led him upstairs.

[klbwriting]

Adventures In Atlantean-Sitting

Chapter 1

Fandom: Aquaman

Pairing: Ormxfemale!Reader

Warnings: violence

Summary: Atlanteans have attacked a coastal surface city, framing Orm for the attack. In a bid to keep Orm secret and the council off his back Arthur gets the help of YN, a metahuman with tracking abilities, to track Orm and let him stay with her while they figure out the real attacker. Orm is not too pleased about having a babysitter.

Notes: here is the second fic! I hope you enjoy! This will be posted in the evenings (for me at least), comments/critiques are appreciated

Traveling the US had become almost fun to Orm after the last year. He had explored national park, lakes, even got all the way to Alaska to see the northern lights. Anything that the country had to offer in nature he had done. Now he was ready to try maybe giving the less natural world a shot. That's what first led him to Coast City, shining on the California coast and one of the nicer cities in the country if the magazine Orm had read was correct. Being here he believed it. It was big, but not overwhelming, there was good food, the people were decent, and he even found a cheap place to sleep while he visited, something he didn't always have. For the first few days it was wonderful.

Then the attack happened.

Orm hadn't been exactly where it happened but he had seen the emergency vehicles, saw a green metahuman flying that way. So Orm went the opposite way. He had to keep his head down and out of trouble or else get sent back to Atlantis and that sandy prison he spent four years in. No thank you. Instead, he went back to his room, sat down and watched the news on the television. He had held no great love of the surface but seeing the destruction that was happening did not sit well with him now. Then he saw the attackers clearly. He was sure no one without enhanced eye sight would be seeing this clearly, thank Poseidon, but there were at least three Atlantean highborns with energy rays shooting randomly at buildings, creating as much smoke as they could. It was a confusing strategy. Why just make a mess? Was this some kind of warning? He knew Arthur wasn't the brightest man in the world...or even in a kindergarten class...but he had better sense than to do this. This was rogues, someone sending a message. Orm just couldn't fathom what it could be. He got up, going to the adjoined bathroom to get a drink and noticing the cup he had this morning was gone. Strange, they must replace them daily. How wasteful. He shrugged some and went back to the main room, turning off the TV and deciding on a nap instead.

"You found what at the attack site?" Arthur asked the council, looking at the documentation of evidence. Green Lantern had reported an Atlantean weapon found in some rubble, but the DNA that was on it couldn't be possible.

"The tyrant king Orm Marius's DNA was used to activate the weapon," councilwoman Yavon spoke. She looked pained at the statement. "It appears that he not only escaped his prison, but he also survived the attack against you with the Black Trident." Arthur sighed. This made no sense. Orm was in Coast City, Arthur knew that, but he had spent a year just walking around the country, being completely nonthreatening. He even seemed happy sometimes. What had changed? Arthur frowned more.

"How is his DNA even able to activate these weapons still?" he asked. The council shifted nervously, like they had hoped he wouldn't be smart enough to ask. People underestimating his intelligence would never not be annoying.

"It seems that some of the weapons' caches in that part of the ocean had not been updated to remove his ability to use them," council Horath spoke, sounding bored. Arthur glared at him.

"Are we keeping you from something councilman?" the king asked, wrapping his fingers around Atlan's trident. The councilman sat up a little straighter.

"No, your majesty, I am just glad that finally the escapee slipped up. I have been warning this council that the former king has been living, traveling the North American continent for a year now and everyone ignored my warnings. Well here you are, plan as day, seeing that he is in fact alive and now has found weapons to attack the surface with," he said. Arthur sighed. He couldn't hold off Horvath any longer. This was too much to argue with.

"Yes councilman, I see that we have gravely mistaken your warnings, what we thought was paranoia was insight into a criminal who was cunning enough to hide in plain sight. We will not make that mistake again," Arthur said. Horvath seemed satisfied, a haughty grin on his face. Another councilman, Orlan, stood up.

"Let me send my son after the king, he is a general with the battalion in that part of the ocean, Orvex will be able to find him and bring him to justice," he said. Of all the council member Orlan was the worst. He was constantly trying to undermine Arthur or wrestle just a little more power away from someone else. It was aggravating and unnerving and Arthur knew he had to be careful with the handling of this situation..

"Let us not jump to such things just yet. Sending a general to the surface with a small army may concern the people there. They might take it as an act of war and we don't need them trying to find Atlantis and drop a nuke on us Independence Day style," Arthur said, drawing blank looks from the others. God he missed his wife, Mera at least was starting to understand his references. "I know a metahuman on the surface. She has incredible power, she will be able to track down Orm and even subdue him, all without get the military involved. She lives around where the attack occurred and I'm sure she knows the area enough to know where he might be hiding. I just need the DNA evidence to take to her. She will use that to find and captured my brother." He could see Orlan seething at his son's big moment being taken away but Arthur needed to make sure that Orm didn't do this. If he did Arthur would cart his tantrum having ass back himself, but if he didn't he needed to warn his brother that someone knew he was alive. And was trying to use him to start a war with the surface.