Title: Little Merman
Author: ferretgirl-1124
Pairing(s): SpeedyxAqualad. RavenxBBxTerra triangle
Genre: Romance, Humor
Rating: PG
Warning(s): Slash, Disney abuse
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the stories, but I do own the strange rewrite and awkward conversations.
Word Count: 3, 70

Summary: A classic story, with a zesty new boy on boy twist.

A/N: A story that's been sitting on my hard drive for some time. I just decided to post it, because I re-read it and realized a I like it, the same way I looked at School and Skirts later and liked that one. I have the second part almost done, and there will be four altogether. And you can thank chocohip2000 for this being posted. It's been sitting in my laptop for...six months now? Something like that. Maybe eight. Anyways, thank her.

Once upon a time…

Ah, what a wonderfully ambiguous statement, considering all past time is 'once upon'. Perhaps I should clarify.

Once, long ago, before your parents and your parent's parents, when the world was not precisely new but still a little shiny, there lived a prince…

"I'm not doing it!" The unfortunate advisor pressed him self up against a wall to avoid the recently flung vase and grappled mentally with the urge to roll his eyes, an action which no doubt would have gotten him thrown from the castle. The prince had always been stubborn and hotheaded, and these undesirable qualities had gotten worse in the years since the King's death. "Prince…"

"No! She acted like she was my mom or something!" The 17-year-old heir to the throne fell back onto the window seat and glared at the ceiling. "I hate all of these princesses, Oliver!"

'God save me from picky Princes' Oliver Queen thought bemusedly, eyeing the prince. The boy still acted like he was a toddler, for God's sake. "I'm sorry your highness, but your father's will clearly stated that you must be married to inherit his throne."

"And so you stuck me with her?"

"You have already turned down all of the other princesses in near-by lands, Prince. Time is running out. In two weeks you will be 18 –"

"And I'll lose the kingdom. I've heard your speech, Oliver." The boy glanced over and scowled, arms crossing his chest in a manner that simply heightened the image of a young child throwing a tantrum.

Queen sighed, eyeing the disobedient boy angrily. "Well then perhaps you should start listening to me!"

The only response was a soft snort as Roy rolled over, turning his back on the Advisor, choosing to ignore his responsibility for just a little longer.

Meanwhile, a few leagues down, a boy lay relaxing. The dilapidated ship he was perched on would have never worked on the surface world, but down here it was the perfect place to hide from his unnaturally large family. It also had a great view of the sunlight slowly filtering down through the water, becoming a shimmering mirage. Oddly enough, though, he couldn't relax. A small voice in the back of his head continued to bother him in a monotonous voice, telling him that he had forgotten something, but not what he had forgotten. No amount of urging could shut this voice up, and after a few minutes, he sat up.

"I met with father…Garfield's still doing my chores as punishment…" The prince frowned, then paled. "Garfield!"

Of course! It was his little brother's birthday, and while all of them -- including Garfield --had considered avoiding the party, none of them really could. Cursing under his breath, he sped off towards the palace, hoping he wasn't too late. He never noticed the yellow eyes tracking his every movement…In a dark cavern, far from the merfolk city of Atlantis, a young woman watched a strange glowing globe, a small smirk lighting up her pale face. This strange young Prince was interesting…and a potential ticket back home. Eyes narrowed in thought, she sunk into a near-by chair, arranging her tentacles under her to cushion her frail looking body. After a few moments, a ball of light sprung from her fingertips and shot off; it would convey a message to her two minions, one of the few ways to speak without being heard by anyone that shouldn't hear. The rebellious dark haired boy would be under constant watch, and when the right moment came, she would spring. Leaning back in her chair, the pink haired girl smiled. If her gut could be trusted – and it always could be - this day marked the beginning of the end for King Triton's rule, all thanks to his precious little Prince…

Back home, mermen and maids swam through the ornately adorned castle idly, laughing and gossiping. The main topic of discussion was the birthday boy's love life. He had more girlfriends then any of the other princes, but unfortunately, he had had both of them at the same time. Now the big debate was over which he would choose, and it was said that if Garfield did not choose soon, his father would.

Ignoring the chatter, the latecomer negotiated his way through the crowds until he floated in front of his father. The king sighed and settled back into his thrown, shaking his head. "Late again, Garth."

"Yes, father."

"Trying to avoid the fight? Don't blame you." They were at that moment joined by his older brother, Victor. For all that they were each born to different mothers, the seven boys were still very close, always looking out for each other. Triton knew this, and knew that he was lucky for it, so he simply waved the two boys away. Victor would be more likely to get through to the boy anyways.

As the two swam away they were joined by Wally and Richard, and all three began to chastise him.

"Gar's been looking for you all day!"

"Dad's been so mad!"

"You were hiding at that old ship again, weren't you?"

Besieged by questions, the prince could do nothing but blink at his half-brothers, painfully aware that everyone at that party was now eavesdropping on the conversation. "Are you actually going to give me a chance to answer, or just yell at me?"

Wally snickered, and crossed his arms. "Yelling's so much more fun. Plus, you got out of the fight that started this whole damn party."

"Yeah." Richard scowled over his shoulder at the younger boy, who had been cornered by the two enraged girls. "Tara and Rachel were torn between killing each other, and killing him."

Snorting softly, Garth rolled his eyes and watching gratefully as the partygoers turned their attention back to the romantic dispute. "Personally, I hope he chooses Rachel."

"Same." Victor sighed, and then glanced over at his brother. Garth was the proof that middle children weren't always ignored; he had been the favorite of their father as long as any of them could remember, partly because his mother had been Triton's favorite in the harem. Fortunately, their father had made it clear that he loved all of them, and there had never been any animosity towards the dark eyed boy. In all truth though, that was because he was the one that needed the extra love the most. If it weren't for that, he would have been killed long ago. Needless to say, this wasn't the first time he had been late to family function, and it wasn't uncommon for him to skip them completely.

Finally, many hours later, six of the brothers – the youngest put to bed hours ago - were gathered in one of the rooms, talking. Garfield was the first to bring up Garth's late arrival. "I can't believe you missed part of my party. Some brother you are."

"You were off looking up at the surface again, weren't you?" Isaiah smirked, tucking his bright red tail underneath him. He was the hothead of the family, with a natural skill for getting under some one's skin without making them quite angry enough to want to fight. Right now, he wanted to irritate his younger brother; he thought the boy had gotten off too lightly considering his excuse for being late to the hellish party involved his strange fixation with the unpleasant surface world.

"Shut up Iah." Richard often took the job of disciplinarian and was eerily good at it, managing not only to keep the others under control, but also to make them listen when he yelled at them.

"I bet he was, though. He's never happy here."

Garth glared at the irritating boy. "I am too!"

"Oh yeah? Then why are you always off at that stupid ship?" Unfortunately, Isaiah pushed it too far that day, and only Victor's timely intervention stopped a fight.

"Guys, come on. Grow up." The oldest brother held Garth back easily, ignoring the glare that was passing between the two.

"Tell him that!" Garth struggled away and darted from the room, fists clenched. Yes, he liked the surface world. But that wasn't bad; the surface was just so much more interesting. Back in the room the brothers exchanged looks, and Richard, Garfield, and Victor followed him.The moonlight was amazing. It was hard to see most nights, but during the times he could, he had decided that he liked the moon better then the sun. So when something obscured the view, he decided to investigate.What he saw on the surface was even better then the moon; a huge ship, adorned in banners, spitting fireworks into the sky in celebration. Entranced, Garth swam closer, not noticing the three following him. Music floated over the water, and he grabbed the side of the ship, scrabbling for a grip before finally pulling himself up to the level of the deck, peering through a small slit in the sides.

On deck, sailors laughed, danced, and played music. In the midst of the men, there was one boy, dressed much more elegantly but engaging in the fun just the same. Garth watched him, not noticing as Richard joined him.

"See something you like?"

Garth bit back a yelp and glared at his brother. "Why do you always have to follow me?"

The dark haired boy smiled slightly and peeked through the small hole. "Because I worry about you. You didn't answer my question."

He sighed softly and leaned his head against the side of the boat. "So much for privacy. Are Gar and Vic with you?"

"You're still avoiding the question. Let me guess; you're ogling the prince, right?"

"How do you know he's a prince?" Garth carefully avoided the accusation, focusing the discussion in another direction.

"Because, they're calling him Prince Roy. Simple detective work." Richard smirked as the older boy pushed past him to see the deck again, eyes glued to the human Prince. If he were evil, this would have been prime blackmail material, but as it was he couldn't even mock his brother. God only knew how many people would have thrown a fit if they could seen what he now did; his brother, peering through the small window in the side of the ship, a blush lighting his whole face as he gaped at another boy.

That was when Garfield joined them, pushing his way through to see. Garth scowled as his view was blocked, then made a face as his little brother's bright green tail hit him, almost knocking him from his perch. "Gar!"

"What's so special about that human?"

"Nothing!" Garth pushed the other two out of the way, while holding up a hand to keep them quiet. "One of them is saying something."

Oliver Queen paced the deck of the ship, keeping an eye on his ward as the celebration picked up. Finally, he stepped forward and motioned to a large, tarp covered object. "Happy early birthday, Prince. May you marry soon so that you can have a long reign."

The prince glared at his advisor. "Thanks, Oliver. Nice little reminder there."

Queen smiled slightly and yanked the tarp from the object, revealing a statue of Roy in full battle armor, holding a bow and smiling triumphantly. Only years of etiquette training kept the boy from laughing, and he could only choke out a quick 'thanks' before rushing over to the side of the boat, holding up a hand to cover his smirk.

Surprised, Richard and Garfield let go of the ship, dropping into the water and diving under the waves with Victor. Only Garth stayed behind, looking up at the human with a mixture of fear and interest. If Roy was to look down, he would have been in a world of trouble, but the redhead simply leaned against the side and stared into space, giving Garth a better view then he could have ever hoped for, and a strange insight into the handsome Prince's mind as he began muttering to himself. "Dammit Ollie…stop trying to force this…I can't help it if I don't like any of those girls."

The merman gazed up at the human boy, never noticing his brothers until they grabbed him. The large 'Splash!' caught Roy's attention, but by the time he looked down, they were gone.Underwater, Garth grappled with the three, still some what entranced by the idea that his man-pretty crush might not like girls. "What are you doing? He could have seen you!"

"We could say the same to you, little brother." Victor ignored his brother's protests, slowly pulling him back towards Atlantis. "That was a stupid chance. If the human had looked down, you would have been caught."

"Besides, there's a storm coming, and storms are dangerous on the surface." Garfield darted around the other three anxiously, stopping only when Victor smacked him. "Owww! What'd you do that for?? I was just talking about the storm…"

Garth stared at his little brother in shock, and then struck out suddenly, freeing himself. His brothers, stunned, could only watch helplessly as he fled, with only Victor having enough sense to call after him. "Garth! Where are you going?!"

"To help them! If there's a storm, the humans are going to be in trouble!"

The prince was accepted by the crew; royalty or not, he was an overall hard worker and good person, even if he didn't have the calmest temperament. So, as the storm wailed around them, no one gave extra thought to his safety. He ran with the rest of them, loosening sails and preparing the ship as much as possible.

As the cause was determined to be a lost one, the boy began helping the sailors into the lifeboats; not thinking of him self until the last minute, and by then it was too late. Garth watched in horror as the ship began to sink, completely engulfed in flames from a lightening strike, then swam towards it hoping to help the other prince before he lost his life.

The smoke was already getting to be too much, despite Roy's attempts to block it from entering his nose and mouth-- he danced around the flames, looking for a way out, but by then, his vision was already swimming. Another step and he was coughing horribly, hand clasped tightly over his mouth-- another, his knees buckled and he was flat on the deck, losing consciousness by the second with a fleeting hope that he'd make it out somehow.

The fire made it to the left over fireworks and gunpowder, causing a horrible explosion that rocked what little was left of the ship, and the merman gritted his teeth, plowing through the waves. After discerning that Roy was nowhere near the surface, he dove down, quickly catching sight of bright red hair. After latching onto the other boy's waist, Garth hauled him to the surface, watching anxiously for any sign of breathing.

There was nothing at first; the prince was motionless. Then, he sputtered suddenly, hacking streams of water that seemed to be lodged somewhere in his throat. His eyes squinted briefly, but they didn't open-- his only other movement was the rise and fall of his chest.

Releasing a breath that he didn't know he had been holding, Garth began pulling Roy towards shore slowly. Hours passed, and by the time they reached shore the storm had ended and dawn light was beginning to show on the horizon. Exhausted, he dropped the redhead on the beach and collapsed beside him, breathing heavily.

Roy's consciousness had been wavering in and out, the changes so sudden each time that his surroundings didn't seem to be a dream or reality, but some strange half-way point where all ability to think coherently faded. A quiet groan had finally left him, his fingertips gently twitching. He was slowly starting to wake up, but he was hardly aware of where he was; just barely realizing that he felt solid ground against his back.

The Atlantean propped himself up on his elbows and eyed the other boy, expression oddly gentle. From offshore, Victor, Richard, and Garfield watched with trepidation, trying to come up with a halfway believable explanation for what their brother was doing. Completely unaware of their presence, Garth pushed himself into a sitting position and leaned over Roy, smiling slightly.

"Wake up, idiot. I'll feel bad if I leave before I know you're going to be okay." His voice was quiet as he spoke, trying to wake the Prince without alerting the other humans.

The soft voice came as a quick wake-up call. His eyes fluttered open, groggily taking in surroundings-- which didn't take very long for him to take notice of the other boy leaning over him. His eyes widened and he scooted back in a hurry from surprise, finding himself staring. "What the--?"

Roy blinked several times, finally spitting up a few more sensible words. "Who are you?"

Scooting back to hide his tail behind one of the rocks littering the slightly more private section of beach, Garth smiled and shrugged. "No one important. Are you okay?" He knew he should get out of there, but the chance to actually talk to a surface dweller was too compelling to leave just yet, no matter the consequences.

Watching all of this from the edge of the cove, Garfield blanched. "Vic, he's talking to a human! If dad finds out, we're going to be in so much trouble!" Victor could only shake his head in disbelief, slowly swimming farther into the cove in the hopes of hearing what the two boys were talking about.

Oblivious to the three would-be eavesdroppers, the prince stared at Garth for another moment longer before answering. "My head hurts like you wouldn't believe," he commented, rubbing it briefly. Suddenly realizing that he was talking and breathing just fine, Roy paused, brows furrowing. "Wait... I'm still alive?"

There was a tone in his voice that said what he hadn't himself-- that he shouldn't have been here, breathing, right now. And now his gaze seemed fixed on this mysterious boy, as if he were asking for an explanation.

Garth nodded slowly, his small smirk the only indication of amusement. "Yes. I found you floating out at sea, and brought you back here." The only saving grace in this travesty of a decision was the fact that the sun was rising behind him, making his features far less distinguishable.

"You saved me," The human stated slowly. A smile started to curve his lips at last. He raised a hand up to shield his eyes from the oncoming sunlight, still trying to catch a good glimpse of his savior. "Thank you," he said, squinting through the rays, "Can I have your name?"

"I suppose you could say that." The Atlantean leaned back slightly, obscuring his features more, knowing he could stay only if his family and home weren't in danger. Curiosity was all well and good, but his loved ones and his responsibilities came first. "And don't you have your own?"

Roy blinked, rubbing the back of his head, the headache making the other boy's odd comment hard to follow for a few a moments. "No-- that's not...er-- what's your name, is what I meant." Squinting a bit more, he found it hard to even look at the other boy with the sunlight blinding him. Yet, he couldn't will himself to look away-- it was as if he were entranced by him.

Propping his elbows on the sand again, Garth leaned his head on his hands and smiled. "That's not really important. I'm just..." He hesitated, trying to figure out his relationship with the other boy before continuing. "I'm a friend."

Roy's brow rose. "Of course it's important. You just saved my life!' He shifted his position, allowing him to scoot more towards Garth, trying to get a better look at him.

Garth pushed himself back urgently, trying to hide his tail in nearby bushes. "N-no, it's not." His tone was just as urgent as his movements, and if Roy could have seen his expression he would have seen how sad the Atlantean looked. "You should go home, Prince. They've got to be worried about you."

Roy frowned, tilting his head to the side slightly. He didn't know how his mysterious savior knew he was a prince, but that question could wait. Right now, he just wanted to thank the boy properly. "Yeah... but they'll probably want to reward you for saving me,"

He curiously moved forth a little more, peering at the sun-drenched boy.

The Atlantean moved back more, realizing that his window of time was closing; soon the other boy would be able to see him. "I don't need a reward. It was enough just talking with you." He smiled slightly, and then looked away. "I need to go..."

"Wh--?" Roy's brows furrowed in slight confusion. This boy acted a little strange and it was starting to bother him. "Wait-- you haven't even told me who you are!"

His brothers, noticing his retreat, crept into the cove. After finding three good-sized rocks, they flung them up, watching as they hit the water with a huge crash, giving Garth the chance to run.

The boy hesitated, glancing back at Roy once more. "It was nice meeting you." He sounded regretful, but he turned and dived while he had the chance, disappearing in the murk quickly.

"Hey! Wait!" Roy shouted, but it was already too late. The boy was gone... he didn't even know his name.

And he was sorely disappointed...