Hello hello - Obviously this is a work of fiction and I don't own anything! I've read FF for 20 years now and this is the first time I'm publishing anything. Aspiring writer, etc. etc. Feedback is appreciated, this is a fun project I am actively hoping to use to improve my writing. It's got twisted dark parts, I'll make sure to add CWs and make the really MA stuff easy to skip. Writing about Kiki and Orm's (and Orvax's A+ parenting) PTSD has helped me in dealing with my own a little bit. There's also LOTS of fluff because I enjoy it. I figure Orm's been through enough and should get to have a little fun.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading it even a quarter as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I already have an ending jotted down and planned - promise not to leave you hanging!

Notes:

Bold Italics indicates Orvax's voice in Orm's head

Regular italics indicate Orm's thoughts and conversations with the ghosts in his head

'Apostrophe's indicate Kiki's thoughts'

Onward!

Prologue:

"I'll see you soon." Kiki took a deep breath after hanging up with her cousin Arthur. Turning back she realized she was done packing. Her entire life, twenty-one years, a college degree and two funerals ended up taking up no more than two cardboard boxes, a duffel bag and her father's old leather backpack.

Chapter 1:

Orm wasn't sure what to expect but Arthur certainly seemed excited his cousin had agreed to come stay with them. "Been worried since her folks died a couple months back."

She had readily agreed to coming to Amnesty Bay to help Tom's recovery. Kordax's evil trident left damage that was difficult for even Atlantean technology to fully heal. Kiki, so he was told, was a 'natural healer.' Orm didn't know surface-dwellers were capable of magic.

It was hard not to stare at the young woman who hopped out of Arthur's truck. Raven colored hair fell in loose curls nearly to her waist and purple eyes that stood out against her tan skin made it difficult to look away. She smiled at something Arthur said and while it was genuine and beautiful, he could see the sadness there. It tugged at something in him.

"Really? Are you attracted to a surface dweller?"

Orm winced. Orvax's voice was always with him, he couldn't escape it or the anxiety that it caused. He worried that voice would drive him insane just like his father had been.

"Bro! C'mere and meet Kiki. Kiki, this is my little brother, Orm. I've told you all about him."

He couldn't help but clench his jaw as he approached. Great, most likely her impression of him would be as a fallen and shamed king.

Kiki smiled nervously at the tall, blonde, white man approaching them. Looking back from him to Arthur, she raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Different dads remember?"

"Oh yeah."

When he reached them, he tried a smile as he extended his hand like Arthur had taught him was custom. The young woman seemed a little taken aback but quickly returned his smile and gripped his hand. It was like he'd been shocked.

'Those teeth sure are something. And damn his skin is rough.' She filed these thoughts away for later when she could ask Arthur privately. It would be rude to point out those things and she was more than a little distracted by how good it felt to hold his hand. Those intense blue eyes were the color of the ocean and just as easy to get lost in.

"AHEM." Arthur walked between them, intentionally breaking the contact. "Let's get inside, I want you to meet mom. And pops will be stoked to see you."

Orm looked at the ground and gestured for her to go ahead. "Ladies first." It was something he'd seen both Tom and Arthur do for his mother and Mera. He was rewarded with another shy smile and followed her inside.

Dinner was excellent, Kiki got on well with Mera and Atlana. She would be staying in the guest room of the main house. They'd given Orm use of a small cottage on the property, but he typically opted to stay out at sea, drifting in the bay while he slept. It served two purposes. One, when he woke up from nightmares of being imprisoned, he was instantly reminded that he was no longer buried beneath the Sahara. Two, no one could hear his screams.

She was on his mind after dinner while he drifted by the dock. He enjoyed listening to her talk, her lyrical accent far more pleasant than his brother's abrasive tone. Everything sounded good when she said it. Footsteps on the old wooden planks caught his attention. Out of habit he slipped under the water and out of sight but when he realized it was Kiki he remained under the pier, following her silently. Creepy? A little. But he was curious.

"You're back!" Both of them startled at the sound of another voice.

"Oh no…" Kiki groaned to herself, and he wondered why. Clearly this human knew her. Did she not like him? Was he someone she cared about? His mind was racing. Why did he feel so jealous?

"Were you not gonna tell me you were coming back? I miss you; ya know."

"I know Cameron. But we've been over this. I forgive you but I don't want you in my life anymore."

The jealousy evaporated but was quickly replaced by concern. She sounded upset and what exactly did she have to forgive? He rose up enough that his eyes were above water, and he could see the shadows of the two individuals standing above him.

"I was drunk, it was one stupid mistake Keeks." Orm rolled his eyes in disgust.

"I told you not to call me that, I hate it." He liked her more every minute.

Cameron took a step towards her, she reflexively moved back a step, now at the very end of the walkway. "Just give me another chance."

He sounded angry now.

"Go away!" She sounded alarmed.

One more step and the foul boy would be right above him. Orm considered that cause enough to intervene. When the fool took that step he moved faster than any human would have been capable of, his hands burst through the planks easily, gripping Cameron's ankles. With a firm yank he pulled him down, wood splintering and cracking, until they were underwater. Releasing his ankles, Orm positioned himself behind the boy. When he spun around to face his attacker he was met with a fanged grin.

"Boo."

Oh, how we wished he could have captured the look on Cameron's face for Kiki. He had a feeling she would have appreciated it. Surfacing he made eye contact with her as she looked down the hole where he'd just pulled her pest through. Said pest had made his way to a set of stairs and was running at feel speed back to wherever he'd come from.

Her face broke into a huge grin as she watched him go. "Thanks dude. Wanna come up?"

In a swift motion he pulled himself up to join her. Sitting at the end of the pier, they remained quiet for a few moments. It was peaceful but he had questions.

"Who was that?"

"Some jerk I went on a few dates with a couple summers ago. We went to a party; he got drunk and forgot that 'no means no' for a minute. Or so he says. I kicked him where it counts before he could get his pants down and ran all the way back here. He apologized the next day and has tried a few times to get me back but it's not gonna happen."

Orm processed what she said. "I can drown him and it'll look like an accident."

Kiki burst into laughter, leaning into him slightly in a friendly gesture. "I appreciate it but I don't think he'll be back after what you've already done. Epic, by the way."

That sounded good. This felt good. He liked being next to her. Liked it when she touched him.

"Pathetic. Fawning over a surface dweller?"

Orm couldn't suppress a shiver. She felt it and put a hand on his bicep. "What's the matter Tiger-shark?"

Royals didn't have pet names. Six years ago he would have balked at her audacity. Tonight, it made his heart pound excitedly.

"Tiger-Shark?"

"S'what you remind me of, I guess. You've got a really strong 'I'm looking for a reason' vibe, just like a tiger-shark."

"Do I want to know why there's a human sized hole in the pier?"

Arthur's voice made them turn and Kiki blushed.

"It was my doing. I will fix it in the morning." Orm didn't apologize because he wasn't sorry. But he would repair what he broke.

"Uh huh. And I am guessing that was Cameron I saw hightailing it out of here a coupla minutes ago?"

Kiki giggled. "Yep. Thanks to Orm I'm pretty sure he believes in sea monsters now."

Arthur wasn't sure what to make of this situation. "Kiki, can you give me and Orm a minute?"

She looked back and forth between them, confused but did as he requested. Before she walked away, she kissed him on the cheek and said, "Thanks again tiger-shark."

Now it was his turn to blush.

"Gross."

Arthur watched her go, making faces at one another as she passed, before turning back to his little brother. He wasn't certain he trusted Orm enough to let him close to his baby cousin. Not like he seemed to have in mind anyway.

"What's your angle tiger-shark?"

"Don't call me that. And what do you mean, my angle?" Again, the surface world terminology was new to him.

Sighing, Arthur explained bluntly. "Are you trying to sleep with her? Court her? What?"

Ohhh. That's what he meant.

"Court a surface dweller!? I'd rather see you dead."

Orm bit the inside of his cheek to keep from blurting out something he may have said years ago. Something Orvax would have said.

"I-I hadn't thought about it. I like her. And she seems to like me"

Something in his expression made Arthur reconsider. He seemed genuinely happy about the connection he was forming with Kiki and maybe that was something that he needed. He struggled being king with Mera. Without her? Impossible. Add to that Orm had willingly come to her aid.

"Yeah, I think she does." And truth be told, he didn't want to have to fight Kiki. Having been raised by his aunties and having spent many summers here with them, she would not tolerate being told what to do.

Anxiety rippled across Orm's face when he realized what Arthur was probably about to say. "Brother-"

"Oh, now you want to call me brother?"

Whether he liked the idea more every minute or not, he had to give his little brother a hard time. He had thirty something years worth of catching up to do.

"I know what you're going to say."

"Do you?" Arthur raised his brows and threw his hands in the air. "Like are you sure bro?"

Orm looked confused but hopeful. "You're not saying…you wouldn't mind if I wanted to court her?"

"We say 'date' up here, but yeah. I've got a good feeling about it. And you know exactly who you have to answer to if you hurt her."

"Date? Will you help me? I don't know the first thing about courting a surface dweller."

"Oh boy." Was it too late to change his mind?