Mera seeing people fishing at the bay for the first time and being utterly confused cause they are "using a stick and line that rolls?" And "why are they throwing the fish back in the water won't they eat it?" And Arthur explains that very few people fish to eat and they prefer to buy it ready at the market and those people are doing sport fishing with a rod and it's just for fun, catch the fish, take a picture and get it back in the water
Okay, which one of you is sending me actual fics in my inbox and not writing them? I need answers, you guys. There’s hidden talent in this fandom! I’m honored that you’ve decided to share your ideas with me, but I also hope you’re sharing the wealth!
This seems like a completely plausible scenario, but I had to wonder: why is Arthur fishing in the first place? He doesn’t seem like the fishing type. Do you know who I could see being the fishing type? Tom. That’s when I got this idea… I’ll post a preview here, but it got rather long. I posted the full version on AO3 here.
“We’re here!” Tom announces.
Arthur, Mera and Atlanna look to one another in unenthusiastic solidarity. No one wanted to be on this trip but, to make Tom happy, they all agreed to go. Fishing became a hobby of Tom’s over a decade ago. When Arthur was thirteen, Tom came home from the bar one day declaring that he was going to become a fisherman before promptly passing out on the couch. Arthur had thought Tom would forget about it when he woke up the next morning, but Tom awoke invigorated and determined. He went out that same day and bought all the fishing supplies he needed for both him and Arthur. He somehow roped his thirteen year old half-Atlantean son into fishing. Even though Arthur complained and tried to get himself out of it, Tom was his best friend and he loved spending time with him. It didn’t take long for him to give into his dad, even if it meant having to fish.
Arthur thought it was kind of funny, to be honest. He didn’t have a normal childhood. Hell, he wasn’t just any normal kid. However, the one thing that could definitely be considered “normal” were these fishing excursions with his dad. Between the summer and autumn months, they would go out to Tom’s favourite fishing spot and spend hours talking, drinking beers, and attempting to catch fish. After a few years, Tom had to go on these fishing trips alone more frequently. After all, Arthur was grown now. He had other responsibilities and sometimes Tom would go weeks without seeing his son. He never complained. He was proud of Arthur and all the good he was doing, so it didn’t stop him from fishing. He would pack up his supplies and go fishing on his own. Oddly enough, he never caught anything when he fished alone. He began to fondly call Arthur his “lucky charm” since he always caught at least one fish when he was with his son. All of this led to their current situation: sitting on a sailboat at Tom’s favourite fishing spot.
“Hey! Don’t look like that. You two,” Tom says, gesturing to Atlanna and Mera, “are going to love it. My lucky charm here is all we need! We’re going to catch fish for sure.” Tom smacks Arthur’s arm with excitement before cajoling his wife into helping him ready three fishing rods. Atlanna had preemptively decided to forego the activity, opting to read and simply enjoy the company of her family instead.
Arthur gives a weak smile to Tom and turns to Mera who has been eerily quiet the entire boat ride.
“You ready to do this?” Arthur asks, noticing her barely suppressed wince as he interrupts her thoughts. He waits for her to respond, practically seeing the gears turning in her mind. She really doesn’t understand why we’re here. Arthur smiles in fondness.
“I suppose so. The mechanics of ‘fishing’ still seem pointless. We could simply go down there and catch a fish and it’d be over in a matter of minutes.”
“It’s a human hobby. Part of the fun is seeing whether you’ll catch a fish or not.”
“You’re saying humans gamble their time for the chance of fish?” Mera asks dryly.
“In a way, I guess,” Arthur laughs. “It wouldn’t be as satisfying if they could just shove their hand into the water and get a fish. They like to work for it.”
“I’m sure your father enjoys the the company, too.”
“Yeah, this is the first fishing trip he’s got to go on with my mom.”
“I’m sure he really enjoyed these trips with you, lucky charm.”
Arthur’s smile slips from his face, guilt coursing through him. He knows Mera is just teasing him, but she doesn’t know his secret. He can’t tell her when Tom is in hearing distance. If Tom knew what he’d been doing all these years, it might hurt him. He tries to cover up his discomfort with a smile but Arthur has never been a good liar. Mera sees through his forced grin, her expression turning from smugness to concern.
“What’s wrong?” she whispers, intuiting Arthur’s hesitation to speak aloud.
She puts her hand on his knee, anchoring herself to him, as he struggles to answer her. The words are at the tip of his tongue, an exhale away from an explanation. He opens his mouth to speak when he hears Tom’s laughter with Atlanna and he chokes on his words. Mera’s eyes search his face, finding the guilt bleeding through his mask of indifference. Confusion makes her brows furrow. She follows his hurried glances at Tom and awareness dawns on her. She sits up, removing her hand from his knee, and meets his eyes once again.
Without moving her head, Mera’s eyes quickly move from Arthur’s to Tom’s general direction and back again. Arthur interprets her unspoken question: It has to do with Tom?
Arthur nods as relief of understanding begins to calm his nerves. Yes.
With an imperceptible tilt of her head, Mera grasps the dilemma. You’ll tell me later?
Arthur nods again. Of course.
Mera softly smiles at him and he gives her a ghost of a smile in response. He finds comfort in the fact that they can speak like this. Body language of subtle gestures and vague looks has been foreign to him, a language he never seemed to master with others. But, with Mera, it came naturally. They have this indescribable link to one another, an emotional tether that allows them to perceive the other’s feelings. They can speak non-verbally and allow their bodies to interpret the words they want to say. Almost as if they have a language only allowed between them, creating a world of their own. Before he met Mera, Arthur never thought another person could truly understand him (after all, many have tried and failed), but she’s seen through every mask and every wall. And he has seen through all hers. They’ve never had a problem being vulnerable and open with one another.
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