A/N: Inspiration is a fickle thing. And this odd little story is a result of reading SamuraiKat67's story concerning the Pirates of the Caribbean cross over. If you haven't read it, go now! :D Its seriously fantastic and plotted plot bunnies in my head I may never be able to get out. But I did my best, so here is this story. It starts at the end of the movie then . . . everything else I made up. x)

Featuring Mer!Dick ! And a suprise. :D

Oh! And if you've never seen the movie . . . I think you'll survive this story. ;] It isn't that hard to follow . . . I hope. o_o

Disclaimer: I no own Young Justice? D: No comprendo!

Enjoy!

Affection

He was there, right in front of me, holding his thin body afloat in the deep waters of the black pool. Richard had not deserted me as I thought.

"Wallace, I can heal you. You need only ask."

"I seek only one thing." I winced, clutching the gaping bloody slash in my stomach. My blood seeped across the rock and into the water as I tried to compress the wound. But I knew it was futile. If it was God's will that my life be taken in order to save Richard's, then so be it.

"What is that?"

"Forgiveness. If it weren't for me you would have never been captured."

"Ask." His voice, his sweet voice was the only thing I could hear. The only thing I ever wanted to hear.

The burning pain in my stomach was reduced to a dull buzz as I stared at the most beautiful of the Lord's creatures. He was stunning. Lovely, delicate and beautiful, but dangerous and lethal all at once. He was without a doubt the most amazing creature on this earth.

"Forgive me?" I pleaded. I tried to convey my all of my feelings through those two simple words. I wanted him to know how sorry I was that I was the reason he had been captured, sorry that I hadn't freed him when I had the chance and sorry that he thought I had deceived him. But those two words couldn't describe how much I yearned for him. They couldn't describe my facination and longing for him. They couldn't describe how much I loved him.

The beautiful boy leaned close, drawing me into a tender, lingering kiss, claiming my heart and my soul. I closed my eyes, deepening the passionate kiss as I felt the pool's warm water encircle my body and he pulled me under.

He swam, his long silvery tail pumping furiously as he tried to get some distance between the surface and the beautiful boy in his arms. He swan down, down where the water's chill became evident and only a little of the sun's warm rays filtered through the clear water.

He swam, down, down, down then suddenly stopped. In one quick motion, he released the missionary and pumped with his tail, putting a few feet of distance between himself and the human boy.

He knows what is about to happen but, while he feels incredibly guilty about it, he can't find it in himself to regret it. It would save Wallace, after all.

The red haired boy stared at him, his large green eyes blinking, uncomprehending. He made to swim toward the mer-boy, but froze before he could even stroke. His back arched as incredible pain shot through him and he opened his mouth in a soundless scream, releasing his breath in a frantic spray of bubbles. The sight was painful to watch, but Richard forced himself to watch. He had inflicted this on the boy, he would force himself to watch, a reminder that this was not a decision that many mer-folk made and it was not one to be made lightly. The boy's body twisted and bent in ways that should not be possible for a human. But perhaps for a merman? Finally unable to take it anymore, he glanced down shamefully, his crystal eyes flashing as he prayed silently to whatever deity this boy believed in so desperately

Please don't let him hate me for this.

The pale, onyx haired boy studied the dark ocean depths beneath them until the red haired boy's jerky movements had ceased. Shy and slightly apprehensive, he glanced up at the boy who had saved his life . . . and stared at the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his life.

He was . . . he was a merman, but like no merman (or mermaid) he had ever seen before. Where there were once strong, tanned legs there was now a tail, a fiery shimmery scarlet the likes of which Richard had never seen on another mer-creature before. The shimmery scales climbed up on either side of his navel until they came together at the small of his back, clinging to his skin more tightly than the clothes he had been wearing before. His skin, once rough and tan and littered with scars and sun kisses alike, was now the smooth and pale, moonlight skin that all mer-people seemed to share. But, Richard noted, oddly grateful, the sun kisses remain. Perhaps to remind them both of where he came from.

But the biggest shock was yet to come. The missionary had been floating there, eyes squeezed tightly shut, as if waiting for the pain to return and strike again. Slowly, Richard watched as his arms unclenched and his tail twitched. Suddenly, his deep emerald eyes flew wide open with shock and Richard felt something reach out and snag a hold of his heart and, somehow, instinctually, he knew that it would never let go. With that bright orange hair and the smokey scales on his blood red tail, Wallace looked like a flame under water. How fitting, Richard mused, that he should bring bits of the surface world with him.

His eyes wide and disbelieving, the new merman stared down at his tail with something akin to shock on his expressive face. Almost in a dreamlike quality, he watched the missionary shake himself, as if something suddenly came to mind. He quickly jerked his head up and his hands ran down his sides, searching for the gash in his side that was no longer there. The missionary froze and glanced up at the small merman who saved him, hovering just a few feet in front of him, his blue eyes watching cautiously. As emerald green clashed with crystal blue, a grin quickly spread across Wallace's face and Richard felt a smile growing on his face as well.

"You . . . you saved me." He whispered wonderingly, his green eyes soft as he considered the boy in front of him.

"Yes." Richard nodded, joy spreading through his chest as he realized that Wallace didn't hate him for what he did. For saving him. For changing him.

"I'm alive . . ." Wallace whispered, staring at Richard as if he'd never seen anything more wonderful in his life. He felt a geyser of joy bubbling up in him and, unable to stop it, he spun around and cried out, "I'm alive! Yes!"

Richard laughed as he watched the red head spin and swim around, flipping his new tail and watching it in wonder. The red head quickly realized that the clothing on his upper body was extremely unnecessary and quickly shed all of it except the cross around his neck, causing Richard's cheeks to burn, unaccustomed to the feeling of shy wonder.

Wallace swam and swirled around until, suddenly, the red head was in front of Richard, green eyes blazing as he captured the smaller boy's pale lips in a lingering kiss. Surprised, Richard froze for a second before wrapping a pale arm around Wallace's shoulders, just as he felt the older boy's strong arms circling his waist, drawing him in deeper so he could once more savor the delicious taste and feel of their lips molding together. When they finally broke apart, foreheads resting against each other, with Wallace's green eyes boring into his own, he felt like this boy could see into his soul, like everything he was and everything he could be was laid bare for the human-now-merman to see. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling. Neither was the feeling of being kissed by this boy.

Something must have given it away in his expression, because Wallace pulled back a little and teased, "What? Don't tell me you've never been kissed before."

Richard smiled slightly before raising his free hand (not the one wrapped securely around Wallace's shoulders) to touch his swollen lips, "Not . . . exactly. Never as a sign of . . . affection." He averted his eyes, suddenly ashamed again, "I've always been the one who . . . initiates . . . the 'kiss'." Scared and slightly worried, he peeked up through his lashes, expecting a tense response as the once-human considered of all the wrong that his savior had done before saving him, but when he glanced up, all he saw was soft green eyes and all he felt was Wallace's hand slowly tracing up his sides, making him shiver, before they reached up and cupped his face.

"Well," the red head said mischievously, his emerald eyes glinting as he felt Richard's long fingers threading through his hair, "We can fix that."

Richard sucked in a startled breath and tightened his fingers in Wallace's hair as the fiery red head began his assault, kissing his way up Richard's neck and smiling as the younger boy tangled his tail with his, trying to wiggle his way closer as his neck arched and he groaned in pleasure.

When he couldn't take it anymore, Richard tugged Wallace's lips up to his, kissing him fiercely and passionately before grinning against his lips and whispering, "I could do well with some of this 'affection'."

Wallace grinned and brought Richard's face impossibly closer to his own, ready to fulfill this need.

A/N: o_o Inspiration, why do you suck? Ah, well, as out of my element as this is, I thought it turned out pretty well. xD

Oh! If you can think of a better name for this story, please let me know! xD 'Affection' doesn't cover all of it, but it was the best I could come up with.

~Remmy:)