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Published:
2022-03-07
Completed:
2022-03-09
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The Prince delivered my mail?!

Summary:

Conner from Young Justice meets merman!Percy Jackson and has trouble not to fall off his rock
or
Percy offers to deliver a letter from Kaldur's Mum on his way back to New York

Either way, Kaldur needs a nap.

Notes:

Hello there :D

This is my very first fanfic so if you find spelling, vocabulary or grammar mistakes, feel free to point them out. I am thankful for every well-meant advice that will help me improve my writing!

As you have already guessed I do not own Percy Jackson nor Young Justice, that honour goes to Rick Riordan and DC respectively.

Now that that's out of the way, enjoy the story!

Chapter 1: Conner has questions

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Conner took in a deep breath. Hold for one-two-three-four and exhale for eight counts. He focused on the gentle sound of the waves lapping at the beach, the soft feeling of the wind caressing his face.

After the third time Robin had catched him watching static all by himself, the boy had suggested coming out here whenever Conner felt overwhelmed and needed something to ground him.

Some days it seemed like there were new sensations just waiting around every corner with the sole purpose of overloading Conner's senses and then there were of course those cursed constant noices of eight billion people just living their daily life laying siege to Conner's ears.

A fresh sea breeze brought the smell of salt and tang and Connor felt himself relax, his body finally letting go of some tension he wasn't even aware he was carrying around until now. He lost himself in the mumbling of the ocean, breathe in, breathe out, rinse and repeat.

Robin really gave good advice when you weren't on his current prank list.

„Hi there, sorry for interrupting, but you wouldn't happen to know where Kaldur'ahm is at the moment?"

Connor almost fell from his rock.

The young man -no merman, if those blue-green scales shimmering on his lower torso were anything to go by – so, the merman looking up to him from the surf politely ignored Connor's undignified struggle.

„I've got a letter for him and I can feel his general presence closeby, but I can't really pinpoint his exact location."

„I can give it to him." Connor stated, because as new to this world as he was, even he knew that inviting strangers into a top secret superhero base was a Big No-No. No matter how handsome that stranger may be or how open and honest the look in his mesmerizing green eyes seemed.

The colour darkened when the stranger narrowed his eyes and searched Conner's expression in a way that reminded him uncomfortably of Batman assessing a potential threat. Conner barely managed not to squirm.

Whatever the merman was looking for, he must have found it, because the next moment he gifted Connor with the most beautiful, heart-stopping smile he had ever seen and stretched up to offer him a small bronze tube.

„That's a letter?" They look a lot different in movies, Conner almost added.

The other didn't look deterred by the question and Conner put a lid on the surge of embarassement attempting to rise in him.

„Yep", the merman answered deliberately popping the p, „it's an Atlantean letter. They use these bronze tubes because paper envelopes don't really do so well in saltwater." The sparkle in his swirling eyes made Conner feel warm and welcome like he was just let in on a joke meant for close friends.

The tube lay cool in his hands from its journey through the ocean and Conner wondered wether Atlanteans ever got cold. He knew Kaldur had thick skin, but were there like merpeople in the arctic sea?

Wait, how long had he been now silently staring at the stranger? M'gann said he had a broody resting face. Please don't let the guy think I'm scowling at him!

„You look like you're doing some heavy thinking. Anything I can help you with?" The merman still had a sunny smile on his face Conner was relieved to notice, he didn't seem intimidated at all.

„Are there Atlanteans in the arctic?", Conner blurted out just to immediatly blush afterwards. The merman – he really needed to ask him for his name -looked stunned for a second and then started laughing. Like heartfelt, doubling over, straight from the belly, there-is-not-enough-air-but-I-can't-stop laughter. Conner wanted to melt into a puddle of embarassement and drain into the earth.

The other seemed to notice his discomfort and managed to reign in his emotional explosion. Admittedly, if Conner hadn't been so busy scowling he might have been tempted to smile, just to be able to hear the other laugh for a little bit longer. It just sounded so genuinely happy and was almost dangerously infectious. Conner couldn't help but feel like he should commit this scene to memory, to look at in decisive moments like in those mooshy movies M'gann loved so much.

„I'm sorry, I'm so sorry", the merman wheezed out, „it's just that normally I'm the one with the wandering mind and the random questions and you were looking so serious the whole time and then you – you just surprised me. Dam, I haven't laughed like that in months, so thank you, really, I needed that."

„You're welcome?" Conner offered tentavely. The other took one last calming breath before focusing his attention back on Conner and explaining: „Well Atlanteans usually live in and around Atlantis, but I know there are merpeople living along the coast of Norway. And there are definitely tribes around Iceland and near Alaska, but honestly, I don't know if there are merpeople living directly around the arctic ice. I really should ask my Dad next time I see him."

„So are you Atlantean then?" Conner was now genuinely curious. He had just assumed the other was from Atlantis, even though - objectively speaking - the stranger and Kaldur looked almost nothing alike. There was the tail for starters.

„Ahm, no, I guess? My Dad's from Poseidonis and we were on a business trip to Atlantis where I offered to deliver the letter on my way home. Most of the time I live with my Mom, so I see myself as New Yorker?"

Now Conner really wanted to know how the guy lived mostly in New York when there was the obvious issue of his sparkling merman tail. Unfortunately before he could ask, the other send an apologetic smile his way.

„Well, I gotta go now or I'm gonna be late for dinner. Thanks for passing on the letter! It was really nice talking to you. Maybe we will meet again someday!"

The setting sun bathed his bronze skin in a golden glow as he turned to dive into the waves.

„Wait! What is your name?", Conner shouted, his own voice bellowing in his ears.

„Percy. My name is Percy." The stranger shot him one last smile before he vanished into the oncoming tide.

 

Notes:

I hope you liked the first chapter!

If you want, you can find me on tumblr under
highnonsenselogic, highnonsenselogicspoems and highnonsenselogicslyrics

Chapter 2: Kaldur needs a nap

Notes:

What the double chocolate chip cookie dough, guys??
214 hits already and the chapter hasn´t even been online for a full day yet!!!
Thank you so much for the kudos, you can´t imagine how happy they make me.
I feel like jumping around in the garden and doing cartwheels!
You know what, maybe I´ll do just that.
Enjoy the next chapter!!!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Conner turned the tube in his hands as he strode through the hallways. It seemed like the body itself was reusable, the little nicks and scratches on its surface probably told of years of travel. Only the cap showed any sign of personalization with a string of Atlantean letters that he assumed spelled Kaldur'ahm's name.

The sound of typing Conner had honed in on for guidance along with Kaldur's heartbeat suddenly came to a stop. It was swiftly replaced by a frustrated groan and the dull thud of a head banging on a table. Conner took the last steps to what Robin had dubbed „The Office" and politely knocked on the open door.

Inside Kaldur raised his head from his desk and sluggishly dragged his hands over his face.

„You look like shit", Conner greeted his team leader.

„Thanks.", Kaldur deadpanned, looking at him with tired eyes. „I have to update this case file for tomorrow and I just realized I commited a fallacy somewhere in the beginning so everything I've written so far is basically useless." He rested his head on top of his arms and sighed: „I don't have the brain capacity to deal with this right now."

„Try turning it off and then on again."

Kaldur send him an incredulous look. „My brain?"

„Yes. Take a nap."

The Atlantean looked stunned for a moment but quickly recovered. „You are right, my friend. I should take a break and get to this with a fresh mind afterwards."

Kaldur saved his document and moved to stand up when Conner finally remembered the reason he came to find his friend in the first place.

„You got mail." Conner stated bluntly and offered Kaldur the tube.

Kaldur looked at him like he just announced the sky was purple and made of hedgehogs: „That's an Atlantean letter."

„Yes."

When Conner didn't seem inclined to elaborate, Kaldur took the bronze vessel off his hands and scrutinized the lid.

„How did it get here?", he asked absent mindedly, trailing his fingers along the letters symbolizing his name.

„A merman called Percy brought it here. Is there a problem?", Conner asked bewildered. Halfway through his first sentence Kaldur's head had snapped up and now he was staring at Conner with alarmingly wide eyes.

„A merman called Percy ... delivered my mail ... personally ... to my doorstep." Kaldur paused for a moment in his rambling and Conner involuntarily took a step back at the almost feral gaze bestowed on him. On how much sleep was Kaldur currently running again?

„About my age, black hair, eyes like the shades of the ocean, somehow makes you feel like you can trust him blindly even though you have literally just met?"

Conner bit his lip to suppress the urge to add „smiles like you just brightened his entire world" or „glows with this gentle light like a warm hearth welcoming you home" to the list.

„Yeah, that's him."

„What. The. FUCK!"

Kaldur had lost it. Completely lost it. The sleep deprivation was taking its toll, there was no other explanation. Conner couldn't remember another time he had heard his team leader swear, never mind drop his calm and collected demeanor so thoroughly he was afraid to stumble and impale himself on its pieces. His friend was wringing his hands and looked about twenty seconds away from a hysterical breakdown, so Conner decided to intervene.

Catching Kaldur's hands in a gentle yet unyielding grip he forced him to stop his frantic movements and focuse his attention on him again.

„Breathe, Kaldur, breathe. Who is this Percy anyway?"

Any progress Conner had made in order to calm the other down was nullified by the mention of the merman's name.

„Who is this Percy- just the Prince of the fucking sea!"

A prince? Yeah, Conner could see that. The stranger had the body of a warrior and the aura of a born and tested leader. The title suited him. Still...

„Oookay? And you are the protegé of the king of Atlantis. I don't see the issue."

„He is not the prince of some city kingdom, he is the prince of the entire ocean. His father is the most powerful person under the seas! Most rulers answer directly to him, the few who don't still depend on him in terms of economy or defense and follow his guidance. DO YOU SEE THE ISSUE NOW??"

Conner didn't really have an answer to that. It's not like he knew anything about under-sea politics in the first place.

„He is a very nice Prince of the oceans?", he offered in the end.

Kaldur groaned exasperated and Conner gave up.

„How about that nap now?"

 

Notes:

Here´s the second chapter, tomorrow comes the third and last.
I hope you like it <3

Chapter 3: The Prince is doing WHAT in my kitchen?!

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

„Well hello there Mister tall, dark and broody! What has gotten you looking so down?"

If anybody was asking, Conner did not struggle to retain his balance on his favorite rock overlooking the sea, thank you very much. It is also important to note that he definitely did not spend the next ten seconds staring at the handsome merman before him like he was Venus and Conner was witnessing his birth.

Percy, the apparent Prince of the entire ocean, sheepishly dragged a hand through his hair, leaving it pleasantly rumpled.

„I really should start announcing my presence sometime before I surface right in front of a person, shouldn't I?"

„Might save someone a heart attack someday", Conner managed to press out, „Why are you here?".

Percy cocked his head to the side in a thoughtful manner, his neck a beautiful arch. „Honestly, I'm not quite sure. I went for a swim to clear my head and somehow ended up here. Thought I'd say hello and ask how you're - Do you smell that?!"

Conner who had been pondering how best to explain the situation that had left him so irritated earlier - without giving away any sensitive information that is - startled at the sudden change of tone. Acknowledging the open concern expressed in the merman's furrowed brows and taunt body language, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Instantly his nose was assaulted by the biting stench of burned food and smoking kitchen appliances.

„M'gann!", Conner exclaimed in equal parts worried and exasperated. He turned to apologize to his royal aquaintance for leaving him to check on the Martian and the kitchen equipment when he caught sight of the merman's miraculously clothed backside just vanishing through the very secret and carefully hidden cave entrance that Conner did not tell him of!

As much as he wanted to question how the merman had gotten through the identity scan or when the fuck he had grown legs to walk in the first place, there was no time if he didn't want a stranger running unaccompanied through the team's headquarters.

Conner sprinted around a corner trying to catch up with Percy when he almost ran straight into him. The raven haired was standing stock-still in the door to the kitchen area, staring gobsmacked at the mess presenting itself to them. Several baking trays, a kettle, a colorful variety of fruits and a burning rag were levitating in the air. There was smoke coming out of the oven. Some unidentifiable lump on the hearth was on fire. The toaster was on fire. And right in the center of it, M'gann was frantically beating at the flames with a dish towel in one hand and an empty water pitcher in the other.

Percy recovered first. He raised his hand and suddenly there was a water stream bursting out of the sink and moving to smother one fire after the other. When the last flame extinguished, the three teens released a collectively held breath in relief.

After another moment of now increasingly awkward silence Conner felt like he should do something to make the Martian aware of her audience, but found he needed another moment to calm his nerves and regain control over his voice.

„Someday", M'gann muttered frustratedly while eying the black blobs on a nearby floating tray, „someday I'm gonna get it right. And then they are gonna be the best cookies in the entire world!".

Percy perked up: „You were trying to make cookies?!"

 

Kaldur was done. He was exhausted, he was tired and he desperately wanted his bed. If he could just make it there without another incident, he swore he wouldn't leave it for the next twenty-four hours, come what may.

The Atlantean was dragging his whinging body towards the living area with the general idea to snatch up a sandwich and a waterbottle before continuing to his room when he heard it.

Laughter.

Coming from the kitchen.

Kaldur wanted to rip out his hair in frustration. He so did not want to deal with any of the team's shenanigans right now. Or their loud voices. Or them. No offense to his friends. Alas, his hair was too short to get a satisfactory grip on. One more thing to be frustrated about.

Kaldur took a deep breath and steeled his nerves. Just get in, get a pre-packed sandwich and some water, say no to M'gann's cookies and get out. Easy-peasy.

With great effort and forced determination he opened the door and promptly froze. He could not believe his eyes. M'gann was sitting on the counter, stirring something in a large bowl and giggling softly. Standing next to her was Conner, looking more relaxed than Kaldur had seen him in weeks or like, ever, and sporting a splatter of what looked suspiciously like blue batter on his nose.

So far, so good. The blue was unusual, but didn't bother Kaldur enough to interrupt his quest for food and rest. The real issues were, firstly, the smell - it smelled delicious, like heaven captured in chocolate and dough, and wasn't that suspicious alone – but more importantly: Percy freaking Jackson, Son of Poseidon, Prince of the Seas, crouching casually like anything in front of the oven and proclaiming with a sort of childish glee that „the first batch was almost ready".

It had happened. It had finally happened. After all the cut-short nights writing reports for Batman, leading the team on missions, managing the team off-mission while simultanesly juggling his duties to his king, Atlantis and his family, it had finally become too much.

Kaldur spun around on his heel and resolutely marched off to his room. Imagining THE Prince baking blue cookies in the Cave, really, what else was he gonna see? Batman in a Hello Kitty costume offering free hugs? Kaldur shook his head. He needed a nap. Several days of sleep. Maybe a light coma. Hopefully his brain would accept the peace offering and put a stop to the hallucinations!

 

Notes:

Hello to all of you reading my first ever fanfic!!!
Thank you so much for your kudos and comments, they never fail to brighten up my day <3
Maybe I´ll see you again for my next work!
Now go to sleep and have a wonderful dream of flying,
Roya