Danny puts up with a lot of stress, okay. His coping mechanism is....okay, it's a little weird, he's not gonna lie.
It is widely known that he has a human form and a ghost form; it is not widely known that his ghost form can do pretty much whatever he wants it to.
This includes making it smaller. Changing the ghost tail to a fish one. Making the suit be scales instead of a suit.
He does it so many times he now officially has three forms, and one of them is purely for himself and no one else.
His stress relief is to go to the aquarium, switch to the tiny merman form, and hide in the rocks of his favorite exhibit; the shark exhibit.
He stays in the back, away from the people visiting it's sight, and just vibes. He's even made a small cave the sharks can't fit into a tiny little nest.
No one would expect him there. No one would be looking for him there. He was free to just...take a moment.
Well, so he thought.
Because the humans visiting did see him. Multiple times.
They took pictures.
Now the Amity Park Aquarium is in some deep shit with Atlantis, because there's documented proof that they're keeping a literal baby mer in there as a spectacle.
Consider: Perhaps mers naturally grow to the size befitting their environment. They don't really have distinct species, they simply adapt to the space and food availability around them. The same mer that only gets to about humanoid size in a river could grow massive if moved to a lake or ocean with abundant food.
So when Aquaman catches these pictures and discovers they date back several months and the supposed-to-be-fast-growing mer baby isn't so much as an inch bigger, he concludes that the Aquarium is keeping the baby underfed and confined to a tiny area to keep it small and "cute".
Realizing the infant is in a tank with sharks, predators that would gladly eat something the size of a baby mer, only stokes his rage.
Finding the little hidey-hole nest when he inevitably just barges into the aquarium itself, no baby in side. Little cave (if he's being generous) full of bits and bobbles. Drawings carved into the walls with tiny claws.
The owner of the Aquarium absolutely pissing himself in fear when Arthur turns to look at him through the glass, and all the sharks turn to do the same thing as one unit.
Danny in the back of the crowd, watching this happen:
Oh no
Danny glitched out and froze; he had no idea what to do.
Was Aquaman always scary? He was just the fish dude, right? Why was he this scary?
It wasn't even him Aquaman was angry at and he wanted to hide.
He faced down countless spectral horrors a day, why was he afraid?
"Aquaman, I-"
"King Arthur to you!" One of the Atlantean guards snarled, his weapon beginning to charge.
"M-mister King Arthur, please, we have no idea how that mer got in our tank! W-we think it wa-as one of the employees! We're t-trying-!"
Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit.
Danny looked at the entrance.
Blocked by an Atlantean Guard.
He looked to his other side.
People were edging away and slowly going to one of the other exits.
He was just gonna...go. Aquaman was one of the Justice League, after all. He wouldn't hurt the Owner, he was sure...
...He chanced another glance at Aquaman, only able to see a little bit with how thick the crowd had gotten where he was.
...
Okay, yeah, no. That was not the look of someone feeling merciful. Aquaman was a King before he was a Hero, and he absolutely would hurt the Owner guy if he thought it would free one of his people.
Shit.
He used the cover of the crowd to go invisible, phased through the coral reef Exhibit, and went into his Vibe Form, as he called it.
He let himself fade into the visible spectrum from behind the coral, hiding from the fish.
He wasn't an idiot; everyone knew Aquaman spoke to fish.
Luckily, all the fish were at the glass, watching the Fish Whisperer himself trail water as he made his way to murder the owner of the Amity Park Aquarium.
He swam in full view and nudged aside some of the fish.
The fish, a small pack of clownfish, didn't seem happy about being moved aside.
Then they did a doubletake.
Aquaman froze two steps from the owner and turned to look at Danny.
Danny, for lack of anything better to do, waved.
First Variation: Aquaman's sharp eyes locked onto Danny as the little merman hovered just behind the coral. The King of Atlantis was a commanding figure, every inch the ruler, and his presence made the water in the tank seem heavier. The aquarium owner, who had been seconds away from groveling, took this moment to try inching away.
"Stay where you are," Aquaman growled without breaking his gaze from Danny. The sharks, as if understanding the command, tightened their circling around the tank’s glass, blocking any escape route for the hapless owner.
Danny mentally cursed every decision that led to this moment. He had one rule about his aquarium hideaway—don’t get caught. And now here he was, waving like an idiot at the literal King of Atlantis. Great. Perfect.
Arthur stepped closer to the glass, his expression shifting from wrath to curiosity. He raised a hand, palm out, a gesture that seemed oddly…gentle? “It’s okay,” he said, his voice a rumble that Danny swore the water itself carried. “You’re safe now.”
Danny hesitated. He couldn’t just not react. If he bolted, Aquaman would probably think the aquarium had traumatized him. If he tried to explain he wasn’t actually a merfolk, that opened a whole new can of worms.
So he did the only thing he could think of: he swam closer, small movements, like a skittish fish.
Arthur’s face softened, and he crouched slightly to be at Danny’s level. “I don’t know how they got you, little one, but you’re not staying here another second. I’ll see to it that you’re returned to the ocean.”
Danny bit back a groan. This was getting out of hand. He swam in a little circle, darting forward before stopping short. Maybe if he acted unsure, Aquaman would give up?
Nope.
“Look at him,” Arthur said, turning his head to one of his guards without looking away from Danny. “Malnourished. Confined to this tiny space. Barely any room to grow.”
Danny blinked. Room to grow? What, did he think he was some kind of sea monkey?
“This is a crime against nature.” Arthur straightened, his trident tapping against the tile as his fury returned in full force. He turned to the aquarium owner, who seemed ready to faint. “You will answer for this.”
Danny winced. He couldn’t just let this escalate. Not when he wasn’t even a real merfolk. He darted toward the glass, trying to catch Aquaman’s attention again. He waved both hands this time, then pointed emphatically at the tank’s filtration system, as if to say, I came in through there.
Arthur frowned, clearly puzzled. “What are you…?”
Danny repeated the gesture. He mimed a little swim, then pointed at the filtration grates again. This time, comprehension dawned on Arthur’s face.
“You…swam in on your own?”
Danny nodded vigorously. He made a little "shrugging" motion with his hands, hoping it conveyed something like, I was just hanging out.
Arthur tilted his head, scrutinizing Danny. “You’re not…trapped?”
Another nod. Danny folded his arms and tried to look as indignant as a tiny merman could, which apparently was convincing, because Aquaman’s anger visibly cooled.
“So you’re here…by choice?” Arthur sounded both relieved and baffled.
Danny mimed a very clear thumbs-up.
The King stared at him for a moment, then let out a long sigh. “Well, that’s a relief.” He turned to the aquarium owner, who was still trembling. “You’re not off the hook,” Arthur said sharply. “This facility is barely fit for fish, let alone merfolk. Clean it up, or I will shut it down.”
The owner nodded so fast his head looked like it might pop off.
Aquaman turned back to Danny. “If this is your chosen place, little one, I won’t interfere. But remember, the ocean is your home. If you ever need help, I’ll be there.”
Danny gave a small wave, watching as Aquaman and his entourage swept out of the building with all the drama of a royal procession. The crowd parted like the Red Sea, and the room gradually emptied.
As soon as the coast was clear, Danny swam back to his little hidey-hole and flopped into his makeshift nest, utterly drained.
"Never doing that again," he muttered to himself. He needed a new stress relief spot—preferably one that didn’t involve Justice League royalty.
Still, as he glanced out at the now-quiet tank, he couldn’t help but smile. It wasn’t every day you outsmarted Aquaman.
--- Second Variation:
Aquaman froze mid-step, his ocean-blue eyes zeroing in on Danny like a shark that had just caught the scent of blood. Danny, floating nervously behind a clump of coral, felt his stomach drop. Oh, this was bad. This was so bad. Why did Aquaman have to be scary? He was supposed to be the fish dude! The guy who talks to dolphins, not the guy who looks like he’s about to declare war.
For a second, Danny considered bailing. Just—poofing invisible, phasing out of the tank, and pretending none of this ever happened. But the way Aquaman was staring at him, with the intensity of a guy who’d absolutely chase you across the seven seas, made that idea feel… unwise. So Danny did the first thing his panic-addled brain could think of: he waved.
Like an idiot.
The room went dead silent. Even the sharks stopped moving, their dark eyes flicking between Danny and the literal King of Atlantis. Aquaman blinked once, his brow furrowing, before his expression softened in a way that was honestly worse. Oh no. Oh no no no. That was the protective dad face. Danny was doomed.
“It’s okay,” Aquaman said, his voice deep and weirdly soothing, like the ocean right before a storm hits. He crouched a little, holding out one hand like he was trying to coax a skittish puppy. “You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”
Danny blinked. Wait, what?
He swam forward a little, just enough to look curious but still cautious. It wasn’t a total lie—he was curious what Aquaman thought he was doing.
Arthur’s eyes softened even more. “It’s all right,” he murmured. “I know you’ve been through a lot. But I swear, you’re not going to be hurt anymore.”
What is he talking about? Danny thought, frantically. Then it hit him like a freight train. Oh. Oh no. Aquaman thought he was some poor, abused baby mer trapped in the tank. Danny suddenly regretted making his “vibe form” so tiny and pathetic-looking.
Okay. Time to fix this before Aquaman declared war on Amity Park.
Danny pointed at himself, then at the coral, then mimed a little “chilling out” gesture with his hands. Like, No, bro, it’s cool, I live here.
Arthur frowned. “You… live here?” he repeated, sounding skeptical.
Danny nodded furiously. Then, for good measure, he mimed a little shrug, like, Yeah, it’s not fancy, but it’s home.
Arthur’s frown deepened, his gaze flicking around the tank. “But you’re so small,” he said, almost to himself. “And in a shark tank? Why would anyone—”
Danny cut him off with an exaggerated eye roll and mimed swimming through a pipe, pointing dramatically at the tank’s filtration system. *I swam in here, dude. I *chose* this.*
The realization hit Arthur like a bucket of water. “You… came here on your own?”
Another frantic nod. Danny added a double thumbs-up this time, just to really hammer it home.
Arthur straightened, blinking down at him like Danny was a particularly confusing fish he’d never seen before. “So… you’re not trapped?” he asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
Danny made a big, exaggerated nope gesture, throwing in a sassy little tail flick for good measure.
There was a long pause. Finally, Arthur sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Well,” he muttered, “this is… not what I expected.” He turned to glare at the still-shaking aquarium owner. “You’re not off the hook,” he said sharply. “This facility is unacceptable. Fix it, or I’ll make sure it’s shut down.”
The owner nodded so fast Danny thought his head might pop off.
Aquaman turned back to Danny, his expression softening again. “If this is your choice, I won’t take you from it. But if you ever need help—if anything changes—you can call for me.”
Danny gave him a little wave and watched as Aquaman and his entourage swept out of the aquarium like a very dramatic fish-themed hurricane. The second the coast was clear, Danny swam back to his hidey-hole, flopping into his nest with a groan.
“Never. Doing. That. Again,” he muttered.
But as he curled up in his little cave, surrounded by shiny rocks and a couple of fish friends, he couldn’t help but grin. Out of all the ridiculous things he’d survived, accidentally gaslighting Aquaman might just take the cake. -
Don't know what I'm doing.