I Always Wanted To Meet You

Summary: Arthur always wanted to meet his brother. Just because Orm isn’t how he imagined doesn’t make that any less true
Warning(s): Spanking; spoilers for the movie Aquaman; AU

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It had been several days since the battle and Arthur had gained control over the kingdoms. He had his mother and his father and even though his father wasn’t able to visit Atlantis yet, he knew his father was happy.

Being King of Atlantis carried a lot of responsibility; more than Arthur had truly expected. His mother, Mera and Vulko were helping him and advising him, but none of them could help him with the biggest personal problem he had.

Arthur hadn’t seen Orm since his younger brother had been imprisoned. Vulko had been making sure Orm had enough to eat, but every time Arthur planned to visit his brother in the cells, something had come up; whether it was a problem with one of the other kingdoms, or having to settle disputes between the marine life.

Today, though, Arthur found himself with some free time. Sitting in his room with Vulko, picking at his breakfast, he glanced out of the window at the sea life outside before asking, “I don’t have anything you’re expecting me to do today?”

“Today?” Vulko shook his head. “No. Princess Mera is due to arrive tomorrow morning, with her father, though I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that.”

Arthur drank half of his beer and then asked, “Are they expecting us to marry?” He wasn’t against the idea. After all, he and Mera had fought together and found the trident together. But the last thing he wanted was to be forced into marriage. And even though Mera had made it clear she would marry Orm, no questions asked, Arthur wasn’t interested in a relationship built on that kind of foundation.

“I’m sure you will find a way to forge the path you want to follow,” Vulko replied. He nodded to Arthur’s barely-touched plate of food. “Do you intend to finish that?”

“Actually, I thought I’d eat the rest of my breakfast with my brother,” Arthur replied. “You had food taken to his cell, right?” He stood up, picking up his tray.

“He’s unlikely to speak with you,” Vulko commented.

Arthur shrugged. “Then we’ll just sit and eat in silence.” He carried the tray to the door and opened it, stepping out into the corridor.

The walk to the cells didn’t take long. As most of the Atlanteans were unable to breathe air, Arthur didn’t see any of his people until he reached the cells.

Two Atlanteans stood guard outside Orm’s cell, both wearing the helmets filled with water that allowed them to breathe on the ship. They immediately saluted and stood to attention.

“At ease.” Arthur nodded to the door. “Could you let me in?”

“Of course.” One of the guards reached over and opened the door. “When you need to come back out, just knock.”

“Got it. Thanks.” Arthur stepped into the cell and heard the door close behind him.

The cell was fairly large and spacious. A mattress was in one corner and a small table was next to it, with a glow lamp set on it. A larger table with a chair sat at the opposite end of the cell with a tray of untouched food set on it.

Orm was standing by the window in the cell, his back to the door. Without turning, he said, “I suppose you’re here to order my execution.”

“Look.” Arthur set his own tray down on the table and stood up straight. “I know you’re used to a more brutal way of life, but that’s not how I do things. You’re my brother. I won’t do anything that will cause you harm.”

“You mean besides taking my throne?”

“You didn’t leave me with much choice, brother.”

Now, Orm did look back over his shoulder. “Don’t call me that!” he ground out. “We were never raised as brothers. I don’t owe you any allegiance. And I certainly don’t owe you a relationship.”

“You grew up with our mother here,” Arthur said. “It’s something I missed out on. There’s a lot we can teach each other. Show each other.”

“Who says I want to teach or show you anything?” Orm responded. “I didn’t miss having a brother. I didn’t miss out on anything not knowing you. And now that you have appeared, I’ve lost out on everything.”

“Not everything.” Arthur took a step closer to the other man. “You told me our mother had been killed. But I brought her back.”

Orm swallowed visibly and glanced away. In a low voice, he said, “And I’m grateful. But that doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t change anything between us. It doesn’t change that you stole my throne from me.”

“If you’d kept the throne, you would have been responsible for destroying both our worlds,” Arthur said quietly. “And despite what I’ve seen from you so far, I don’t truly believe you want that. It wouldn’t make you happy.”

“Happy?” Orm repeated, a note of disbelief creeping into his voice. “I’ve never….” He cut himself off abruptly.

“Never been happy?” A note of sympathy slipped into Arthur’s voice. For all he’d grown up without his mother, he’d still had a good life.

“Don’t pity me!” Orm snapped.

“I’m not,” Arthur replied. “But even if I didn’t have Mom, I at least had a good life. Friends. People I care about.” People he’d fought alongside. More than just Mera. After all, Bruce, Clark, Diana and Barry had become more than just allies. “I have people who care about me.” He paused, hesitated, then asked, “What about Vulko?”

Orm shook his head. “The first chance he got, he switched allegiance to you. He was never truly on my side.”

“It wasn’t about him picking one side over the other,” Arthur said quietly. “Vulko never betrayed you, brother.”

This time, Orm didn’t deny the word. He just walked over to the window and stared out once more, looking at the ocean outside the window. “It would be kinder for you to throw me to the Trench than to leave me imprisoned here.”

“I’d prefer not to have you locked away at all,” Arthur replied. “You’re my brother. Even if you can’t be King, there’s a lot you can teach me and show me about your people.” He paused and then added, “About our people.”

Some of the tension seemed to seep away from Orm and he sighed, looking nearly as defeated as he had when Arthur had beaten him in battle. “Even if you choose to trust me at your side, Vulko certainly isn’t going to let his guard down around me. How do you plan to keep me in line?”

Arthur wasn’t sure if the question was serious or not, but it gave him an opening. He moved closer to his brother, right into Orm’s personal space. “You want to know how I’ll keep you in line?” He wrapped his arm around the younger man’s shoulders.

“I have the feeling you’re going to tell me.”

“No. I’m going to show you.” Arthur led him over towards the mattress and took a seat. He moved Orm over his lap.

“What are you doing?” Orm didn’t fight, didn’t resist. He lay limp over Arthur’s lap, the note of confusion obvious in his voice.

“I guess no one here ever used the kind of punishment and consequences reserved for family.” Arthur rested his hand on Orm’s lower back and brought his other hand down in a firm smack at the crest of Orm’s backside.

The younger man jerked and hissed out an, “Ow.”

Lifting his hand again, Arthur delivered a second strong swat on the opposite side. This time, although Orm’s whole body jerked, he didn’t make a sound; and he lay limp and still as Arthur continued to swat firmly down to his thighs and then started over from the top again.

Partway through the second circuit, Orm began to squirm and writhe. While not outright struggling, he was clearly attempting to get his backside out of the range of fire. “Why are you doing this?” he demanded.

“Because you’re my brother.” Arthur began a third circuit of swats, beginning to smack a fraction harder and faster. “I never wanted to fight you, Orm. I always wanted to meet you. I always wanted to meet my brother.” He dropped his voice, feeling emotional.

“I…wanted to meet you too.” The admittance was uttered quietly, ending on a quiet sniffle.

Arthur’s other hand rubbed over Orm’s back. “I’m sorry it took us so long to actually meet. And I’m sorry that we didn’t meet under better circumstances than this. But it’s not too late. It’s not too late for us to be true brothers.”

Another quiet sob was the response and Orm’s whole body slumped over Arthur’s lap. “It’s not?”

“It’s not,” Arthur confirmed. “Because I’m here now. And it looks like I’ll be here for a while now. I could really use your help, brother.”

“Yeah….” Orm’s breath hitched slightly. “It’s a…good deal.”

Arthur helped his brother up and wrapped his arms around Orm, relieved when his brother wrapped his arms around him and hugged strongly in return.

After a few moments of hugging his brothner, Arthur asked quietly, “You ready to eat now? And then we can go and meet Vulko. Figure out what our next plan of action is.”

Orm pulled back slowly and nodded. “I can eat now, brother,” he agreed.

Grinning, Arthur wrapped his arm around Orm’s shoulders and led him over to the table and the food that waited for them.

The End