A/N: I LOVE AQUAMAN SO MUCH AND AQUAMERA IS MY NEW OTP. THE BATTLE KISS! THAT! FOREHEAD! KISS! I'M SO SOFT FOR THEM

Anyways, I've been meaning to try a 5 + 1 fic for a while now, the problem is I can't make 6 full chapters for most things. But I couldn't resist a fic about top of the head kisses after Arthur's quick little peck after the battle bECAUSE THAT RIGHT THERE IS MY WEAKNESS

(Those comments are months old I've been sitting on this fic for months bUT NOW THERE'S AN AQUAMAN CATEGORY BOOYAH)

Arthur climbed out of the ocean, placing his feet carefully on the sodden rocks. He held out his hand, and Mera slipped her hand into it, letting him guide her as she yawned. "Atlanteans sure like to party hard," he joked.

"You took to it quite well," she said.

"Politics suck. But partying, that I can do."

She rolled her eyes affectionately. "Believe me, I know. You start snoring every time I try to explain our politics to you."

He stopped on the sand beneath his dad's lighthouse, spinning around to pull her against him. "That's why I have you as my queen, Mera."

"Is that the only reason?"

He grinned, leaning in for a kiss. "I don't know. Why don't you remind me of some others?"

She stopped him with a finger on his lips, close enough for their noses to brush. "Besides, Arthur Curry, I'm no one's queen yet. My title is still princess."

"Semantics."

"But true, until someone snatches me up."

"Mera-"

Smirking, she slipped away. He bit his lip, dropping his head back to watch the lighthouse spin beneath the stars. "You, Princess Mera, are such a tease," he groaned. "Why do I love you?"

"Because I'm drop-dead gorgeous and can kill you in a heartbeat," she tossed over her shoulder.

"Right."

He jogged after her, heading inside to their room. He headed to the bathroom, but she went straight for the bed. By the time he emerged, she wore only his softest hoodie and was curled up, pale legs and red hair gleaming in the moonlight shining through the window. Sensing him watching her, she patted the bed behind her. "Warm fork. Come."

Arthur smiled softly. That's why.

He laid down, curling around her. "Spoon," he corrected. "It's big spoon and little spoon."

"Don't care." She shifted sleepily, burrowing into his bulky warmth, and he pulled the blanket over them, tucking it around her. She let out a contented sigh, taking one of his hands into both of hers. "Good night, Arthur."

He kissed the top of her head. "Good night, my princess."

-DCEU-

As the blade stabbed deep into his shoulder, Arthur roared in pain.

Honestly. It was supposed to be a simple day for the League. Just beer and pizza with the team and their significant others. But some terrorists had to pick that day to attack a school. And they had to be armed with kryptonite and Atlantean steel. Leading to a very messy fight in the middle of many streets.

"Arthur!" Mera yelled.

The man, clad all in black tactical gear, tried to shove it in deeper.

Arthur grabbed his fist. With a hiss of pain, he pulled the blade out. Prying it from the man's grip, he stabbed it against the pavement, hard. It shattered at their feet. The man fumbled for a second sword, but he never unsheathed it.

Mera's fist slammed into the side of his head, sending him crashing into the nearest building.

Momentarily out of danger, Arthur let himself stumble, pressing a hand to the bleeding wound. "Ow."

Mera caught him, trying to peek beneath his hand. "Are you all right?"

"I'll heal," he grunted, testing his arm. Painful, but still functional.

"Arthur…"

He kissed her forehead reassuringly. "Really, Mera. I'm fine."

She pursed her lips, but followed as he plunged back into the fight.

-DCEU-

"It'll just be a few weeks, tops."

The team milled around on the Kent farm, saying goodbye to their homebound loved ones around the ship that would take them to an alien planet Clark had heard needed some help. Why that was their jurisdiction, Arthur didn't quite know, but he sure as hell wasn't passing up the opportunity to fight aliens on an alien planet. Or the opportunity to drink alien booze.

Mera crossed her arms. "You have duties here, too, Arthur."

"And a queen who's more capable of handling them than I am," he pointed out, resting his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm still not a queen."

"Mera."

She laid her hands atop his, looking away with a sigh. "But who's going to stop you from doing stupid things out there?"

"Diana's got that covered."

"And who's going to then do the stupid things with you to make sure you don't get killed?"

"Barry'll do anything to seem cool."

"It's true," he said from behind them.

Despite herself, Mera chuckled. "All right, fine. But you'd better come back in one piece. Atlantis needs you."

"Just Atlantis?"

She slipped her arms around his waist, leaning her chin against his chest to tilt her head up to look at him. "Clearly."

Arthur lingered over the kiss he pressed to her hairline, memorizing the warmth of her skin, the pleasantly fishy scent of her hair. "See you in a few weeks."

"I'll make sure of it," Diana promised, coming up to rest a hand on Mera's arm.

Mera smiled. "I know. Because he's a dead man if he dies out there."

Arthur laughed.

-DCEU-

Water whipped through Arthur's hair, rushing around him as he powered through it. Beside him, Mera grinned, racing forward alongside him. The ocean sprawled around them beneath a cloudless afternoon sky, the world wide open for them to let loose and swim, joyous and carefree, just the two of them.

Well, not quite just the two of them.

Arthur pointed up, and Mera nodded. They climbed towards the surface, merging with a large pod of dolphins. They didn't skitter away, simply adjusting to accommodate the two Atlanteans in their midst.

Up front, the dolphins began to leap. As the wave reached them, Arthur and Mera jumped beyond the waves, soaring through the air for a moment. Then they dove, sliding back into the water. On the second leap, Arthur added a midair spin, laughing from the sheer joy of it.

"Do you want to see something cool?" Mera asked once they were underwater again.

"Always."

As they reached the trench of their dive, her eyes began to glow that gorgeous blue. Water rippled around her hands, and she rose almost faster than Arthur could keep up with. She closed her eyes and tucked her head in, letting her hair fall over her face, blinding her. With a final surge of aquakinesis, she broke through the surface.

As Arthur watched her, time seemed to slow to a crawl.

Streams of water burst from each hand, twining together behind her in a braided trail. She held one leg straight out, bringing her other knee forward, and when she flung her head back, her hair spread in a sail of vivid red. Water droplets spun out around her, catching the sunlight in a shimmering aura of gold. With her eyes closed and a casual smile glowing on her face, she was the picture of angelic grace.

Arthur could've watched her fly forever.

She brought her hands forward, and she slid back into the water with hardly a ripple, followed on either side by a pair of dolphins. Arthur dove behind her, meeting her with a proud high-five before they returned to their swim.

A few hours later, they laid on a sun-warmed rock, beneath a sunset obscured by a few clouds. Mera curled against his side, one leg hooked over him, her head pillowed on his shoulder as she dozed. Arthur cradled her close with one arm, his other playing with the hand she had rested on his chest.

She let out a little hum of contentment, always the first sign of her waking up. She shifted, tilting her head back to peer sleepily at him. "What are you looking at?"

You being beautiful and adorable in my arms. "That bird over there."

Mera squinted at the seagull perched farther down the shoreline. "Lucky bird. I should kill it."

"The great Princess Mera, jealous of a seagull."

"No, I'm hungry. I could eat a humpback."

"A woman after my own heart."

"Oh, did you finally notice?"

They laughed, and as they did, a cloud slid to the side. A shaft of deep golden sunlight fell across them, lighting Mera's hair on fire. Looking at her bathed in the sunlight, glowing with happiness, her laughter filling the air, the words slipped out: "Marry me, Mera."

Her laughter faded, but her smile stayed as she looked up at him. "Ok."

"Ok? That's it?"

"I've been waiting for an eternity, slowpoke."

Arthur rolled his eyes affectionately. "So impatient."

"Living with you tests my patience every minute of every day," she shot back, snuggling more securely against him.

Arthur leaned down to kiss the top of her head, imagining, not for the first time, what she would look like in a queen's ceremonial crown. "And you're a saint for putting up with me."

"A queen," she corrected, bringing his hand to her lips. "Almost."

-DCEU-

After the underwater ceremony, they emerged from the ocean hand in hand. He wore his shining Aquaman suit and his own crown, while she looked resplendent in a thick, strapless, diamond-studded white dress. Her mother's crown, an elegantly simple silver one studded with emeralds, perfectly complemented both her dress and hair.

Arthur's mother emerged behind them, and waiting for them on the beach was Arthur's human family. Aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, the League – they all raised their glasses in a cheer as Arthur's father swept his son and new daughter-in-law into an ecstatic hug.

"It's about time," he joked.

Arthur sighed. "Will those jokes ever stop?"

"Of course not," his mother said brightly.

Laughing, Mera hooked her arm through his and led him away to mingle.

It had been about an hour when Mera slipped away, turning his attention from the party towards a trio of kids. They stood on the shoreline, a little girl and two older boys. The girl was pleading, jumping for something the taller boy was dangling over the water – a teddy bear.

Arthur started making his way down, but Mera beat him by a longshot. She slipped into the water and came up behind the boys, her eyes glowing for the drama. When she plucked the girl's toy from the boy's hand, they jumped, then ran screaming past Arthur. He chuckled as Mera crouched down in front of the girl.

The girl reached sadly for her bear. "He's all wet now."

"I can fix that. May I?"

The girl nodded.

Mera held the bear in her open palm, and carefully with the other hand, she pulled drops of water from the stuffed animal. As it dried, she made the droplets dance, coalescing into a ring of dancing mini bears. The girl laughed, her tears forgotten as she watched the show in delight.

Finally, Mera held the bear out, returned to his dry, fluffy glory. "He's all better now."

The girl took it happily. "Thank you!"

She took off, running back to her mother, and Mera straightened up. Arthur came up behind her, wrapping his arms around his wife. "You'd make a good mother, you know," he murmured. "Terrifying when they screw up, but good."

Mera leaned into him, lifting her hands to hold his arm. "And you'd be a good father. And you will need an heir someday."

"I sure will," Arthur agreed, kissing her temple softly. "And I hope they have your hair."

"And my brainpower," she added cheekily.

"Hey!"

-DCEU-

Arthur sat in his office, looking at the documents spread across the large white table. Extensive information about taxes and many other math things covered each one, and he had been sitting here try to make sense of it all for hours. Fighting and learning Atlantis's history and looking cool at ceremonies, that he could do. But trying to make financial decisions based on what looked like a billion endless lists of numbers?

"Screw math," he grumbled, rubbing his eyes. "I have financial advisors. Why am I doing this?"

"Because you're the king."

He sighed in relief at the familiar voice. "Thank God. Please tell me you understand this stuff."

Mera leaned over his shoulder. "I do. But I'm here to tell you to take a break."

Arthur turned his chair towards her. "But you're always telling me I need to focus on this stuff."

She settled on his lap, taking his hands into both of hers. There was a glow about her, a type of happiness Arthur had never seen in her. "Not today."

He tilted his head. "What's gotten into you?"

In response, she laid his hand on her stomach, her hands overtop of his. "It finally happened."

Arthur blinked. "What did?"

She pointed at their hands. "I went to the doctor, and she said…"

She trailed off, as if expecting him to fill in the blank, but he just stared, mind still muddled from the attempt to do math. "You're not sick, are you?"

"We've been trying to do this for a while now…" she prompted.

"Um… that's not specific."

"Arthur!" She cupped his face, both looking and sounding like she was resisting the urge to strangle him. "Arthur, I'm pregnant."

And suddenly, it clicked. The glow. The hand placement. The doctor. The trying.

He glanced at her stomach, then back up at her, watching her smile return. "We're… you're… you are?"

Mera nodded. "I'm two months along."

Arthur looked back at her stomach, taking another moment to process. Images swirled through his mind, images of a redheaded girl, showing her Atlantis, watching her first snow from the lighthouse, teaching her to swim and fight and rule, all with Mera at his side, watching and helping.

He swept her into a kiss, long and deep. It tasted of promise, promise and hope; where once he had been a loner, bitter and hating what he was for getting his mother killed, coming and going like the tide, he now had everything he once hadn't dared to dream of. And here was his future, cradled in his arms, kissing him joyfully in return.

He never wanted to let her go.

A/N: I considered ending this with the proposal or the wedding kiss, but I mean, I feel like those two scenes are more common, and after seeing Mera with that little girl in Sicily I needed more kid content for these two