Disclaimer: I don't own the DCEU or its characters. I'm just having fun with them.

Mera found that kissing above water was an even better experience than kissing under it. She and arthur had kissed hundreds of times below the surface but she did not spend enough time on land to allow for a sooner discovery.

But on one of the few times she visited the surface, Arthur had taken her on what he called a date which confused Mera because the date was December and how would he take her there?

But it turned out that a date was not a month of the calendar at all. Or rather, it wasn't just that.

"We're not going to spend this date in a whale's mouth again, are we?" Mera asked, lips curled as she teased the king.

Arthur rolled his eyes playfully. "You're never gonna let that go, are you?" He sighed. "No, we're going to the Christmas carnival."

A carnival, Mera learned, was a celebration with lots of shops and human food, rotating balloon-shaped ships that never seemed to fly away from the beams of steal that they were attached to, a pirate ship that swung from left to right, stalls with various games, and a fat bearded man who Arthur said was called Santa.

They walked further in when Arthur stopped abruptly.

"What?" Mera asked.

Arthur cocked his head upwards and Mera saw a green surface weed with berries hanging atop them.

"Mistletoe."

"What's that?"

"When humans stand under a mistletoe, they have no choice but to kiss."

Mera's eyes widened in interest and she studied the mistletoe more earnestly. "Really?" If it had this much influence over surface dwellers, why would they place it on high places? Unless they were only influenced to kiss if they were directly under it. "Does the mistletoe's range of influence only fall in the area below it or does it also include a certain diameter around it?"

Arthur stared blankly at her, blinking. And then he barked a laugh. "Only below it, I'm afraid." He took Mera's hand and playfully tugged her close to him.

She took a step, innocent and curious eyes still trained at the coercive weed. She looked puzzled at Arthur. "I don't feel the need to kiss you or anyone. Does its power only work on humans?"

Arthur grinned and nodded. "Oh, yes. And seeing as how I'm half human, I have half a need to kiss right now or I'll go crazy."

Mera studied him in concern and then her face hardened in resolve. "I'll get rid of it, then"

Arthur shook his head. "I have a better idea."

He began to lower his mouth to hers while Mera drew her head back, neck extending at an angle.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Arthur's puckered lips disappeared and he straightened. So did Mera but she kept a distance away from him. "I was thinking about kissing underneath a mistletoe."

Mera narrowed her eyes at him and then

Whack!

Arthur blinked at the sudden pain. Mera had slapped him.

It was rare that he felt any pain, but unfortunately for him, Mera, being another water-dweller, had the strength to accomplish it.

"Fight it! The mistletoe is not your master."

"Mera-"

She turned on her heels and with a firm hold of his hand, dragged him out from under the mistletoe.

"Is that better?"

"I just wanted to kiss you under a mistletoe," Arthur muttered.

Mera rolled her eyes. "That's the mistletoe's influence over you. Now come on, you promised me a rose."

Arthur smiled, amused. He should probably tell her flowers weren't meant to be eaten by humans.

They ended up getting cotton candy in the shape of a rose and Mera's eyes crinkled in delight as she tasted it.

"It disappears in my mouth!" She exclaimed as she took another bite. She gasped in delight again.

"How does it do that?" She tried chewing but got only melted cotton candy.

Arthur tore a piece off her already deformed rose candy, said, "Look at this" and flattened the piece between his thumb and forefinger.

Mera laughed and licked it off his fingers. A bit of it was stuck on the corner of her lips and Arthur was about to point it out to her when he decided he could just take care of it himself.

Completely engrossed on eating the cotton candy, Mera was surprised when Arthur kissed her.

She was even more surprised to discover that he tasted sweet.

He never tasted like that underwater. When they first kissed, he tasted of the sea. Subsequent underwater kisses were also salty, never sweet.

With the novelty of surface kissing occupying her, she brought her hands around his neck and deepened the kiss, eager to taste more of him, the cotton candy forgotten.

Arthur was very obliging, bringing his own hands to Mera's waist.

He broke away for air but Mera pulled him back again, kissing him enthusiastically, hungrily.

Arthur was slightly taken aback "Mera," he tried to say but his words were swallowed in kisses. His body shivered and blood rushed south.

With her tongue inside his mouth, Mera could taste traces of cotton candy, the bread they had for breakfast, and the typical salty taste that was definitely all Arthur.

There was no water to compete with in surface kissing, only tongue and sweetness.

She pulled away and said in amazement, "You taste different. The same but different." She licked his lips, much to Arthur's surprised bemusement, and then pressed their mouths together, lips closed. She wiggled her mouth against his, once in a clockwise motion another in a counterclockwise direction. She stopped, pulled back, stared at his mouth and said, "Your lips feel different too. Am I being affected by the mistletoe or is surface kissing simply different?"

"Um-"

Arthur's words were lost again as this time, Mera sucked and nipped at his lips so studiously that Arthur was sure his lips would bruise.

Finally, he tore Mera away from him with a push at her shoulders and gaped at her with a look of awe mixed with adoration.

"Wow," he said, breathing heavily, keeping his hands where they were.

"Remind me to educate you on the wonders of kissing on land when we get back home."

Mera pouted and then her eyes widened as she looked at his hair. "There's cotton candy in your hair. I'm sorry."

Arthur laughed, releasing her from his hands and pulling her close to hug. "I'll just take a shower. You can join me, you know. It's more fun than kissing."

Mera looked up at him, expression serious. "But can we still kiss after the shower?"

Arthur's eyes twinkled at the opportunity. "We can kiss during the shower if it means that much to you."

Mera smiled and nodded. "Now?"

Arthur laughed, cupping her cheek and planting a chaste kiss on her lips. "Sure. Why not?"