sammactuallyhatesyou-blog - Tumblr blog

sammactuallyhatesyou-blog · 8 years ago

Text

Oceans Away

When Eren was younger, all he wanted was to see the ocean. And, at the age of twelve, his wish was granted – but at a price. His mother had been suffering from tuberculosis for years, and when she passed away, she left her son in the care of his older sister, Mikasa, who had turned nineteen the same year. Their father, Grisha Jaeger, was rarely at home at the best of times – and it was only in her will did she reveal the beach house her mother had owned. Grisha had never liked being far from the city after all, but Eren was more than happy to move. Life was easy, for the two; Eren started a new school, and Mikasa a steady job – steady enough for Eren to take up a common sport there.

Surfing.

At that tiny beach, however, he was not the only creature who could not live without water. Their first meeting was that first year; then the strange, dark-haired creature disappeared. At the same time the next year, he came back. Never to talk, never to communicate only to... be. Again, and again, every year... Until the creature spoke his own name.

Levi.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Any unauthorized print or use of this work is strictly prohibited without permission from the author – me. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places, business establishments or locations are purely coincidental.

The soft swell of the ocean was doing nothing for his board, but it was certainly doing wonders for the young boy’s mind. His brunet hair had been soaked, but after sitting for so long in the sunshine it was beginning to dry and become the same fluffy, unruly mess that it always was. Eren had stopped trying to tame it years ago – no amount of combing or hair gel could keep it down. Lanky tanned legs swung lazily beneath the surface of the pristine water, the cool liquid a stark contrast for the sun beating down on him with facades of warmth. The peak of summer meant his skin was greasy with sun lotion, the occasional streak of white where he hadn’t rubbed it in properly interrupting the unmarked expanse of gold-brown skin. He hated the stuff; it was impossible to get off (though that was the point, he supposed) and it made his skin oily and gross, but Mikasa insisted he wear it whenever he surfed. The fourteen-year-old understood why, of course, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

Eren reached up and ran a damp hand through his hair, shifting to lay flat on his board with a sigh so heavy that it almost hurt. There hadn’t been a single good wave all day, but it seemed the perfect day for swimming –- a broken shout interrupted his inner monologue and he startled, almost falling off his board as he turned to see Armin Arlet waving madly from the beach. Eren’s face split into a grin, pearly white teeth bared and green eyes brightening. He made his way back to the beach, almost tripping over his own ripcord in his haste to reach the bouncing blond and causing Armin to laugh at him. He mock-scowled.

“Hey, Min!” He greeted cheerily, finally out of the surf and on the white beach. He bent down to remove the ripcord, the scratch of ripping Velcro making him cringe before he dragged his board further up the beach and enveloped his squealing friend in a wet hug that wasn’t returned, despite the enthusiasm that was put into it. Armin almost whined, looking at the damp patches on his shirt.

“Ahh, Eren, why?” He complained, but he was smiling. He hadn’t seen his brunet friend much over the summer holidays, having been on a three-week camp that his parents had sent him to. Eren couldn’t seem to stop grinning, even when cold droplets of water fell from the tips of his hair and ran down his back causing occasional shivers of discomfort.

“Because you love me.” Eren waggled his eyebrows, looking so utterly ridiculous that Armin had to try and muffle an unattractive snort of amusement, causing Eren to giggle at him.

“Yea, alright, it’s totally platonic though. No homo.” He teased, and Eren stuck his tongue out. It was rather obvious even at such a young age that the Jaeger boy was not into girls in the slightest – he acted like the schoolgirls in his class when it came to celebrity men, and constantly pointed out who he thought was cute whenever he and Armin went into town.

“All the homo.” Eren countered, shaking his head and flinging water at Armin. Armin squeaked, shielding his face as he giggled.

“You dog!” He yelled accusingly. Eren let out a bubble of laughter, shrugging his shoulders and starting towards the house, sand covering his feet and sticking to his skin. It took them a while to reach the house due to their antics, but when they did, Mikasa was already in the door with a towel.

“Hi ‘Kasa!” Eren greeted brightly, taking the towel and slinging it over his shoulders while he went to the outside tap to wash the grit off his feet before drying them off and letting himself inside. He and Armin stayed inside for the most part of that day, playing video games and sulking when Armin thrashed the brunet at Mario Kart II, listening to Armin recount the summer camp pranks, and wrestling over food.

When three o’clock rolled around, Armin’s mother arrived. The boys got another half an hour while his sister stalled for them by offering coffee, but then the sweet blonde picked up her handbag with promises of letting Armin return.

“Thanks for letting ‘Min-min stay, Mrs. Arlet.” Eren spoke somewhat shyly, beaming when the kindly mother reached over and ruffled his hair. “No problem, Eren.” She turned to Mikasa. “Your brother is such a dear.” She gushed, and a flicker of a smile tugged at the ravenette’s pale lips.

“Who, this knucklehead?” She nodded her head at Eren, who had started to scowl at the teasing name. Soon afterwards Eren was hugging his friend goodbye and Mikasa sent them away, one with a sandwich and the other with a coffee.

With almost five hours of sunlight still left, Eren called that he was going to the rockpools, replacing his shirt and pants with sunscreen and a pair of swimming shorts.

The energetic brunet all but tore from the house, feet sinking into glittering white sand as he ran, a soft breeze filling his lungs with salty air. The sun still glared brightly down at him, endless blue coating the sky until it met the deep azure water.

Eren held his arms out as he leapt onto the first boulder, wobbling precariously at times as he made his way to the rockpools, scrambling for purchase and giggling at himself when he slipped. Eventually he made it, sitting on the edge of one of the largest and watching intently. The rockpools were only shallow, but each one was its own little ecosystem – in particular, Eren loved this one as it was filled with black rock, white sand, tiny silver fish and little crabs a red vibrancy of lipstick. When storms hit the beach, large waves always crash over these rocks, hence the creation of the pools; each little ecosystem was washed away and replaced every time.

Eren frowned as he realized the pools were low on water, pouting as he glanced at the sky and saw not a cloud in sight. He hoped that would change soon, as filling up the bowl-shaped pool himself would only disturb the creatures there and possibly cause more damage than letting it fill naturally would.

A loud splash caught his attention and he jerked around, peering out over the ocean around him. The rockpools were in a small cove, so waves rarely made it into here without the help of a westerly wind or a storm. A dark shape flashed in the corner of his eye, but then it as gone – despite the clear water providing a view of everything beneath it. He put it down to a gull dropping its prize on accident or something, his young mind easily distracted. However, he could not shake the feeling of eyes boring a hole into his back when he turned.

Not ten minutes later he was dozing in the sun when the feeling became more intense, and when he shifted on the sun-warmed rock and opened his eyes, a gurgled shriek of surprise tried to force its way out of his throat. A pair of mercury-silver eyes were trained of him intently, slitted out of wariness and harsh in their glare. Black hair fell over pale translucent skin that was almost grey in colour, and the pointed fin-like ears on the sides of the creature’s head made obvious that whatever it was, it wasn’t human. Eren breath stuttered and his eyes widened further, throat bobbing as he swallowed thickly and tried to make a sound. After a few attempts, he let out a shaky word.

“H-hello.” If he weren’t so scared of this apparently annoyed creature, he would have winced at the way his pubescent voice cracked in fear. The thing’s ears flickered forward at the sound before they flattened against its skull, and Eren’s wide eyes were distracted by a soft sound as a black tail fluke rose from the water. The creature seemed to draw itself closer on its arms, and from there the brunet could see the outline of a thick tail, larger than the rest of the animal and rippling with muscle. The water was shallower here and Eren didn’t know where to look; the lethal black claws digging into the white sand, the powerful appendage trailing from its torso, or the intense gaze t was setting on him Eren didn’t know what to make of it – mermaids don’t exist. Do they?

He swallowed heavily for a second time, watching the thing inch closer with almost curious eyes. Its head rose out of the water and when Eren moved it jerked back, baring its teeth in a hiss and showing off two sets of curved canines, sharp and deadly. Eren froze, breath stuttering.

The two were stuck in a limbo for a while before the sneer began to fade, replaced with a decidedly confused frown. Eren gazed at its face for a moment over the distinctly masculine features – a sharp jaw, narrowed eyes and almost petite nose. Petite, but not feminine in the slightest – this creature was pure power. Grey arms corded with muscle, with scales overlapping from his fingertips to just past his wrist. Other scales littered the skin of his shoulders and torso, with more gathered where the tail met his hips.

“Hi.” Eren tried again, his voice shaky but not as shocked. Scaled, pointed ears flickered again, pressing forwards to catch the sound and the – the mermaid frowned, as if trying to decide what to do with the greeting. A confused chitter bubbled from the pale throat and Eren blinked, apparently having not thought of the language barrier. Eren slowly shifted, moving to press his stomach against the rock seem smaller than he was. He might not have been an academic genius but he knew better than to try and intimidate it, not with the talons lining its fingertips and the teeth hidden behind thin, downturned lips.

It swam closer, apparently just as startled by Eren as the brunet had been with itself. Eren willed himself not to move, breathing softly and dipping his head when it was mere metres away. He heard it stop moving abruptly and glanced at it to see the raven dipping his head as well, grey eyes meeting green with a hint of respect, despite being as dubious of each other as they were.

Eren and the animal began to grow more comfortable with each other’s presence over time, and Eren soon found that he had been so enraptured by it that two hours had passed. He glanced at the sky and clicked in surprise, startling the mermaid and holding his tongue between his teeth in a wince.

“I have to leave.” Eren said softly, hoping the tone of his voice conveyed his disappointment. The raven tilted his head, shaking water from its hair and settling back in a defensive glare when Eren began to stand, ever so slowly. He began to back away from the rocky edge and watched with wide eyes as the mermaid began to swim in small circles, swiftly and almost fretfully. His head burst back out of the water and a croon left his throat, surprising Eren into freezing. A chitter and a burble of something unrecognisable followed quickly, the raven looking around himself almost frantically. Eren frowned a little as it spun around and dove beneath the water, a dark shape the only image left as it retreated quickly. Eren turned to leave and a harsh bark made him jump, causing him to turn and see the mermaid – merman? - glaring at him. Maybe it didn’t want him to leave?

Eren sat down again and the beast looked satisfied, retreating beneath the surface of the water and disappearing. The brunet’s hunch had been right; ten minutes later, it returned.

Eren watched with wide eyes as it didn’t slow down where it had before, maybe even speeding up – A yelp left his throat and he scrambled backwards as the raven-haired creature burst out of the water, clutching at the rocks with another bark as it heaved its torso out of the water. Eren panted hard, scared out of his wits as it gazed at him almost imploringly. He noticed that its hand was clutched around something and the raven’s gaze followed it, seeming to remember something with a jerk before it lashed out, the object flat in its palm. Eren blinked and clicked its tongue, having the nerve to roll its eyes and try to stretch further towards the terrified teenager.

Eren began to recover from the initial shock, sitting back up as he noticed the merman squirming in distaste. His tail was still hanging in the water and the brunet realized that it’s position couldn’t be comfortable before the merman barked demandingly, nodding at its hand impatiently. Its talons uncurled from the object and Eren noticed the shell it had been clutching, mother of pearl glinting in the sunlight with swirls of white, purple, and the same mercury silver that resided in the creatures admittedly pretty eyes.

He slowly reached forward and kept his gaze on the raven for any sign of trap, but saw none as his fingers curled around it and he pulled his hand away, the curled shell resting in his palms. He looked up and watched the merman wriggle, slithering back into the ocean water with a distinctive huff.

“Thank you.” Eren murmured, not knowing if the merman would understand. The raven-haired stranger merely dipped his head again, and after a few more moments he turned away and began to swim, and it didn’t look back.

Eren figured that he should do the same, yet sat there for a while longer, gazing at the beautiful but unexpected gift nestled in his hands. He stood, careful to keep it clutched in one hand safely as he stumbled back to the back and to his house, barely glancing at Mikasa as he walked in and padded to his bedroom. He didn’t emerge until his older sister called for him, announcing dinner was ready – but even then, the shell stayed in his pocket.

Eren returned to the rockpools every day for almost two weeks, and there was never a sign of his dark-haired friend. Were they friends? Did the mer know the meaning of the word? Eren didn’t know. What he did know, however, was the twang of disappointment that loitered in his stomach when he left for home at sundown every day, without fail. The weeks after that consisted of him at the rockpools every few days, then once a week, and then… he didn’t return. Neither did the raven-haired creature.

Eren never told a soul – not even Armin, who might have been understanding or indulgent in the idea. He told himself that it was because he feared no one would believe him, but in truth, he was more afraid of never seeing the creature again. It was irrational fear, but the shell never left his side.

***

Four months after his fifteenth birthday, and Eren was far too attached to his new surfboard. To him, it was a thing a beauty – it wasn’t an expensive or a professional board, but it caught him some amazing waves and he loved it like a friend. A mother of pearl coat with shining navy blue designs, intricate and hand-painted by his older sister. This, of course, made him sure that she had seen the sketches he drew endlessly, all of them of the same mer in the same cove, but he didn’t mind if it borne his board.

So, there he was, a lanky, golden-skinned teenager with lean muscle built up over his months of work paddling giddily through crystal clear water towards the cove. He was knocked off his board by a wave he hadn’t looked up to see and a breathless bubble of laughter sounded when his head broke the surface of the water again with a gulp of air. Armin laughed at him and he threw his finger up at his paddle-boarding friend, heaving himself somewhat gracefully back onto his board. Once they made it past the breaking waves he stuck his tongue out at the blond, shaking water from his hair and making Armin wobble then fall as well.

“Karma’s a bitch, my friend.” Eren snorted out a laugh, tipping his head back and watching the now-bedraggled blond struggle to pull himself back onto his neon pink and yellow paddle board. Armin returned the favour by splashing him with his paddle, making Eren sputter. The waves were steadily getting larger and the two laughed again, turning their boards into the waves and paddling forwards again, the small mother of pearl shell that Eren had tied into a necklace pressed between him and the waxed fibreglass.

Eren whooped playfully as he sat back and spun his board around, paddling fiercely to gain speed before the swell of the wave picked him up, throwing his board forwards as he made one swift movement to stand. Armin yelled in delight nearby, both ecstatic to get such a good ride to start off. Eren almost made it to shallow water before he ditched, diving off his board and resurfacing behind the broken wave a few moments later. Armin arrived seconds later, still on his board and smiling happily. Eren grinned up at him, treading the water before he snatched up his board and pulled himself back onto it.

“Man, I told you today was a good day.” He huffed out with a smile, and his friend rolled his ice blue eyes.

“I was the one who checked the weather report.” Armin retorted, looking miffed but playful.

“Well, you’re not wrong.” Eren admitted with a chortle before he began to paddle again.

Armin frowned as Eren sputtered for breath upon coming up for air, a similar expression on the brunet’s face.

“Man, and it was going so well.” Eren complained, clutching at his board as the waves steadily got rougher. Armin nodded and they both held their breath and ducked under the water as another wave crashed over them.

“C’mon, we should head in!” Armin stated loudly upon resurfacing and Ere nodded in agreement. Armin tucked the paddle on the underside of his board and the two of them remounted, paddling towards the shore. They shouldn’t have gone that far out in the first place, and they both cursed themselves for it. Some of the waves helped to push them along and most of the merely pushed them off their boards, but when Eren stopped resurfacing as fast his blonde friend began to worry. Armin made almost to the shore when he turned to yell to Eren, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Eren yelped underwater as his ripcord pulled taught, his board surging forward with the roll of the wave. A lungful of air escaped him and his eyes watered, scrabbling for the surface where he could see light filtering through the gritty water. A pained gasp sounded as he got his head above water, panting heavily. He glimpsed a blond head of hair near the beach before another wave crashed over his head, pushing him back down underneath the sea’s surface. His ripcord pulled tight again and he felt the Velcro tear, and suddenly the weight was gone, but that left him with no way of knowing which way was up – his arms and legs kicked out and flailed as he began to panic, a mouthful of salty water running down his throat. His vision began to blur and his chest hurt, it ached so harshly that his heart stuttered and his movements began to slow with fatigue.

The last few bubbles of air left his lungs when something barrelled into his side with a jarring sear of pain, and the swift grey shape caused Eren’s first thought to be shark! But then a mouth sealed over his own and forced his lips open. His next thought was what the fuck before he could think no longer, eyes sliding shut. Small amounts of oxygen filtered into his watery lungs and he knew he was moving – no, he wasn’t moving, but something was holding him, moving him – and then he all but blacked out, sluggish and confused and in pain.

What seemed like seconds later a sharp pain echoed on his torso and his eyes snapped open, a wretched cough heaving out of his chest with an additional mouthful of water spewing onto the sand underneath him – sand? Air? A tight grip on his waist kept him grounded as he desperately sucked in his breaths, the rush of oxygen making him dizzy as he rolled onto his side and rid himself of more salt water. Unfamiliar arms cradled him to a cold, almost slimy chest as he was gently sat up, wiping his mouth on his wrist and clutching his shell and his saviour.

“E-Eren?” A scared voice called and Eren looked up wearily, seeing Armin a few metres away, clutching his ripcord and staring at the brunet with wide eyes. If Armin was over there, then… Eren looked up, his vision still watery as a soft crooning reached his ears and a grey figure blurred in front of him. He blinked a few times to move the water and then a somewhat familiar face came into view – mercury eyes, black slicked back hair and scaly skin. Eren gasped and the action caused him to cough again, then the odd crooning growing louder as if an attempt to comfort him.

“You shouldn’t be out of the water.” Eren managed, confusion colouring his words. He almost jumped out of his skin when raspy words reached his ears.

“That is the thanks I receive? The words were thick, like a foreigner putting a new language to use. Well, that was what it was, Eren supposed.

“Thank you.” He croaked out instead, and Armin called his name again. The unfamiliar voice caused the merman to pin his ears back and hissed before Eren pushed feebly at his chest in reprimand.

“It’s okay, he’s my friend.” He whispered, his throat raw. The creature hushed him, but became somewhat less tense. Eventually the grip on his waist was relinquished and the raven pulled away, only to pause and reach out to finger to shell with his talons. “I didn’t know you could talk.”

“The language is… Unfamiliar. I am not used to such sounds.” Indeed, the raven’s mouth shaped the words like he was struggling to get them out at all. Eren liked his voice nonetheless. “You are... Eren?”

The brunet nodded, reaching up to fiddle with the leather cord. The mer nodded back. “I am glad you kept this, then, Eren. It was the only way I would find you again.”

Vibrant green eyes met with silver, doused in confusion and curiosity. The merman seemed to remember something, jolting away and beginning to shift, grimacing at the feel of sand on his scales.

“I must go.” Was all he said, and as he turned and made for the ocean again. Eren noticed the dark fins fluttering on his arms, from his elbow almost to his shoulder. Two flukes and three sets of fins lined the mer’s tail, the large appendage rippling with corded muscle.

“Wait!” Eren cried out, his voice coming as a rasp. The mer stopped anyway, ears flickering as he turned his head. “Come back tomorrow?” He pleaded, and the raven tilted his head in consideration. “And… You never told me your name.”

The mer seemed to click his tongue in annoyance and used the lethally curved claws to dig into the sand, heaving himself up to rest like a yoga position. Eren’s eyes widened as cool lips brushed his ear, cooler breath brushing over his skin.

“Levi.”

And with that, he was gone.

His beloved board washed up not a minute later after the last sighting of Levi’s dark tail was gone and then Armin was at his side, shivering with the cold and mouth opening and closing like a fish as he tried to speak. Eren shook his head. “Not now, Min. I’ll tell you when we get inside.”

Armin helped Eren stand and the two slowly made their sodden way back to the house, leaving their boards in the shed with Eren almost whimpering at the sight of his broken ripcord. After the both of them had showered and eaten, and after a thorough panicked lecture from Mikasa, Eren allowed himself to fall face first onto his bed, turning his head and pressing his cheek into the comforter. Armin made himself comfortable on the end of the bed, legs crossed underneath him and blue eyes gleaming in anticipation.

Eren groaned.

Sitting up, the brunet carded his hand through his unruly russet hair and took a deep breath, then stopped. “Ask away.”

“What is he? When did you meet? Is it a he or is it asexual or something? Did I just misgender a fish? Anyway, why didn’t you tell me?

Eren blinked, Caribbean eyes looking hazy after the onslaught. “Geez, Min, you sound like Professor Zoe.” He finally said.

Armin winced sheepishly. “Ah, sorry, Eren. I’m just… He’s incredible.”

“I am ninety percent sure he’s a mermaid – or a merman or whatever – but that’s the first time he’s actually spoken a human language. The first time was just these weird clicks and really low whines.” Armin nodded as his friend spoke, obviously remembering something as he did so, but the blond stayed quiet.

“It wasn’t long after I first moved here that I saw him. Four months after my birthday, actually. Maybe he’s migratory or something? Or just a coincidence?” Armin shrugged and the brunet imitated him with a weak smile. “I was at the rockpools in the cove,” he jerked his head in the general direction, “and he just happened to show up an hour or two later. That’s when I got this.” His fingers wrapped subconsciously around the shell bound in leather.

“Did he give it to you?” Armin asked. Eren nodded, the action seeming to pull him out of a reverie. He glanced up as he continued to talk.

“Yeah. I tried to leave when he looked he was but he didn’t seem to want me to, and kind of yelled at me by barking and growling till I sat back down. Half scared me to death when he came back and almost landed in my lap when he jumped up to the rock-ledge I was sitting on.” He chuckled at the memory. “He handed me this, then left, and I kept going back but he was never there. He said earlier that he was glad I kept the shell because it was the only way he would find me again or something.” He gazed down, fiddling with the shell between his fingers. “I don’t know. Mer magic? I honestly don’t know. I didn’t tell you because… Well, I was a little bit scared you’d just think I’m a lunatic. And, um, don’t laugh at me, but I also thought that if I didn’t keep it as my own little secret, that if I revealed it, it would end up being some weird fantasy or something.” He admitted quietly, letting out a deep sigh. He stood up, searching through one of the drawers of his desk before pulling out a black folder and dropping it in Armin’s lap.

“Basically everything is recounted in that. Don’t laugh at the sketches either, you know I suck at art. They turned out better than expected, to be honest with you.” Armin opened the folder as he listened to Eren’s voice, eyes widening infinitesimally as he took in the array of sketches. From particular parts like the mer’s tail or ears to whole body sketches, ones Eren had seen himself – the way his tail curled when he swam in a circle, or the obvious power and muscle as the creature leapt on the ledge, and even ones that Eren had imagined; Leaping out of the water like a dolphin would, back arched towards the sun, or mouth open in a snarl as he chased after fish.

“Eren, these are…” He trailed off, holding a sheet of paper in each hand and spreading more in front of him. One thing, he noticed, was that on every page, a pair of eyes were drawn. Pen, pencil, calligraphy ink even, the same pair of slitted, narrowed, wide, or hazy eyes were drawn. Armin raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment.

***

The next time they met, Eren was waiting. His legs curled underneath him and half-asleep in the sun. He startled and almost fell off the rock as cold droplets of water rained down on his bare torso, and he opened his eyes to a triumphant snicker and the sound of a tail slapping the water. He yawned and rolled over, sitting up and rubbing at his eyes. “Levi!” He cried out, only now fully awake. “You came back!”

Levi slunk through the water with movements as graceful and fluid as a cat, a smirk tugging at those thin, pale lips. “You requested I do so yesterday.” He reminded the brunet, who smiled widely in response.

“I… didn’t know if you would.” Eren admitted. Truthfully, he had been worried that Levi wouldn’t return, but the swelling relief created a warmth in his chest so he didn’t question it.

“I can stay for now, but I must leave again tonight.” Levi hummed, eyebrows pulling together in a small frown as he spoke. Eren found himself frowning as well, but schooled it into an expression of optimism.

“Then if today is all we have, I’ll make the most of it.” He grinned, shifting forwards. Levi watched curiously as Eren sat up on his knees and stood, pursing his lips a little before he nodded his head and leapt off the far edge of the rock ledge, where the water was deeper. Levi watched with liquid silver eyes as Eren’s back arched under the water and feet planted into sand, pushing him upright and allowing him a steady footing as he shook water from his hair and turned his eyes towards the mer.

“And the point of that was…?” The raven asked dubiously, a teasing lilt in his voice even as he struggled around the words. Eren stuck his tongue out like the mature fifteen-year-old boy he was.

“So you wouldn’t hurt your neck by staring up at me.” Eren shrugged noncommittedly, gesturing to the rock ledge. Levi dipped his head.

“Well, thank you for the consideration, then.” He replied, moving to lean back on his hands in the shallow water and curl his tail in front of him. Eren made his way closer, mindful of the growing wariness in those grey eyes and when Levi’s lip began to curl unconsciously he stopped, now in water shallow enough to comfortably seat himself. The crystal clear blue-green of the ocean around him glittered in the sunlight, getting darker where it became deeper and showing off its pretty white sand and abundance of clam and oyster shells.

“Hey, Levi...” Eren started, worrying his plump lower lip between straight white teeth as he thought. Levi hummed in reply, raising an eyebrow as he waited. “Uh… Do – Do you mind if I ask you a coupl’a questions…?” He asked quietly, obviously uncertain of how Levi would react.

The raven only blinked slowly, staring at the brunet for a moment before a small smirk tugged at his lips. “Alright, go ahead – only if for every question you ask, I ask one in return.”

“Sounds fair to me.” Eren smiled, grimacing as a drop of cold water ran from his hair down the back of his throat. The slicked-back russet was already beginning to dry, and he was sure that in no time it would be – unfortunately – as fluffy as it always was. He cleared his throat awkwardly, not exactly wanting to offend this lethal-looking creature.

“So, um... I – I don’t want to upset or offend you or anything and I’m not a very sensitive person, so please me call me out if I sound like a total ass or anything.” Well, that’s a good start. Levi merely nodded, however, so the brunet ploughed on. “Uh… What – are you, exactly?”

Thankfully, the only immediate reaction he got was an amused snort. Levi tilted his head back, leaning heavily on his arms sending a breathy, short laugh towards the sky. When he finally looked at Eren, his lips were curled into a smirk. “Mother of pearl, you humans are so predictable.” The raven teased, and a delicate flush crept up onto Eren’s cheeks.

“Yea, well, what did you expect?” Eren grouched under his breath. “Curiosity is natural, isn’t it? Anyone would be curious.”

“Curiosity can get you killed if you’re a merman.” Levi pointed out, answering Eren’s question in a way.

“So I was right!” Eren grinned, lips pulled back to reveal white teeth. “I didn’t know what to call you so I stuck with ‘mer’ – not that I told anyone about you, except Armin, but I couldn’t exactly pussyfoot around that one.” He added hastily, his voice creeping into something more sheepish towards the end. Levi lost the glare in his eyes and raised an eyebrow.

“Is this Armin kid the yellow coconut from yesterday?” He queried, and Eren let out a soft laugh.

“Yes, but don’t call him that to his face – he might be small but he’s one of the sassiest people you’ll ever meet.”

“… Sassiest?”

Eren blinked, having forgotten that English wasn’t Levi’s first language. “Ahh… Sassy. He doesn’t take shit from anybody. But he does it with words, yaknow?”

“He didn’t look like a very violent person yesterday – but then again he stank of fear, so that’s understandable… Still.” Levi Had to hold down the curl of his lips when Eren’s eyebrows almost met in a frown of confusion.

“What do you mean ‘stank of fear’?”

“Ah-ah-ah, that’s not fair. You ask a question, I ask a question.”

“You asked two!”

“I did?”

“Three!”

“Fuck you.”

“Right, you can swear like a sailor but you don’t know what ‘sassy’ means.”

“Well, I know now, but priorities, Eren.”

“True. Where were we?”

“I was asking a question.”

“Right. Fire away.”

“Why did you keep the shell?”

The question surprised Eren into stillness, and the russet-haired teenager opened his mouth to speak before closing it again.

“Uh…” He stalled, and Levi waited patiently. A light flush of colour began to spread across tanned cheeks.

“It’s stupid.” He ended up mumbling, and Levi’s ears had to strain forward to catch the sound, almost missing it had he not seen Eren’s lips moving. He shook his head and waited for Eren to look up.

The brunet drew a slow, deep breath and let it all out in a rush, blurting a few words on the tail end, breathy and nervous. “I was scared and it was the only proof of you that I had.”

The raven-haired creature blinked slowly. He had to take a moment to process the words, but eventually the smallest twitch of a smile began to curl his lips upwards, inviting Eren to continue. “I thought I was crazy for a while, y’know? Some unknown, mythical, even legendary creature shows up and hangs around for a few hours before leaving as if he were never there? I thought I’d gone inane. But, then you gave me a tangible thing, a shell that you’d bothered to go find and gave it to me and it was something so pretty and rare that I’d’ve never found it myself…So it had to be from you. It… gave me hope, sort of. Proof that I didn’t need to be locked up or out of the sun, for one thing, but, also proof that you really had been here. And then you came back because of it.” Eren let out the rest of a quiet sigh when he finally finished, a tinge of pink underlying the tan on his cheeks.

Eren hadn’t realized the raven had started moving until a sharp intake of breath made him aware that Levi had begun to curl around him, grey eyes mostly closed and lungs becoming shallow. “I’m glad.” He hummed softly.

Eren swallowed thickly and had to tell himself he hadn’t imagined the tiny lick that had stolen across the bottom of his ribs at his back as Levi curled around his seated figure, dark tail encircling him until Levi had nowhere to go – except up and onto his lap. The brunet went wide-eyed and still, every muscle tense as the lethal-looking merman slid his slick skin across Eren’s until they were pressed chest to chest and Levi had his forehead resting on the boy’s shoulder.

“I’m glad that you cared enough to remember me.” Levi murmured.

“I’m glad you c-came back.” Eren managed to stammer back quietly.

“And I will again.”

“Truly?”

“Truly.”

The two of them were silent, Eren trying not to fidget and trying to relax, Levi closing his eyes and breathing in the strange scent.

Then Levi began to move, slitted eyes still closed and pointed fin-like ears flickering to press against inky hair as his pointed nose began to trail across the golden expanse of young, tanned skin. Eren tried his best to stay still, not wanting to interrupt the raven in whatever he was doing, despite the strange shiver that ran down his spin when oddly cool breath fanned over his throat. His mouth opened to speak and hurriedly closed again when Levi’s search reached his jaw, cold lips brushing the joint of skin between the brunet’s ear and neck as he nosed at the soft valley under Eren’s cheekbone. Eren’s eyes began to slip shut as well, not a sound escaping either of them as the merman continued his travels, cautious and gentle.

It was as if Levi was trying to map out every inch of Eren’s face, as odd as the gesture seemed, but never once did he pause – even when his mouth brushed the corner of Eren’s, noses tucked against each other before he moved on. His breath had become oddly shallow, Eren noticed, when his mouth touched across Eren’s right eyelid. It was only then that the brunet had become entirely lax in the raven’s loose grasp. Levi’s bottom lip dragged slightly up Eren’s temple and eventually he slowed to a stop with his nose brushing the teenager’s chocolate hairline and mouth pressed against the unwrinkled skin of Eren’s forehead.

“Remember me,” It was the softest whisper, so soft that if Eren hadn’t felt the small movement of Levi’s mouth then he wouldn’t have thought he’d spoken at all. He was confused; hadn’t he just proved that he had indeed remember the dark-haired creature? “Please.”

A single word and Eren could feel his heart begin to break. Levi – Levi was going to leave again, wasn’t he? The raven began to draw away when Eren’s breath shuddered out, viridian green eyes refusing to open in fear of them welling with unwarranted tears. He could feel the burn in his nose and a lump in his throat telling him that yes, he was going to cry, irrevocably, and without a proper reason, but that did not matter him. What mattered to him was the soft coo that had begun to rumble in Levi’s chest, unconsciously trying to comfort the torn-up boy.

“Don’t go.” Eren mumbled, his voice weak and lost. He didn’t even understand why – this creature was nothing human, they did not know each other, they had only met twice – thrice, if you counted the day before, and the first time Levi hadn’t even been able to speak a word of any human language. Levi seemed to understand; both Eren’s warring mind and the reason he felt so upset.

Levi didn’t speak, somehow knowing that words would not comfort the young, confused boy. His tail began to uncurl and Eren’s hand shot down to stop the movement, blunt fingernails scrabbling against slippery navy-blue scales in vain. The brunet hiccupped and slowly moved his hand away, eyes still closed. Levi moved away wordlessly.

“I have to.”

Eren clamped his mouth closed against the pointless pleas that threatened to overflow. He only moved his hands to clutch tightly at Levi’s thin wrists whilst he tried to calm himself. The two of them were motionless aside from the erratic rise and fall of Eren’s bare chest for a few for minutes before dulled green eyes began to open, but still not meeting Levi’s. “I know you do.”

He didn’t know why, but he knew that Levi would have to leave again for another year whether he wanted to or not. Levi began to pull further away and Eren’s grasp loosened until his hands fell into the water with a splash. The raven shifted in front of the boy before raising his clawed hands, gently cupping Eren’s cheeks and running a gentle thumb over the smooth, unmarred skin. “I will return.” It was a promise, and far from an empty one. “I vow to you that I will return. Would you wait for me?”

Eren began to nod, his eyes finally rising to meet with a mercury, piercing gaze as he agreed to – he wasn’t sure exactly, but whatever it was, he would wait for Levi to come back.

The small cove had begun to become their corner of the universe, always providing a way home. White sand, clear water, but nothing was quite as beautiful as the promises the two creatures were making.

“I’ll wait for you. I promise.” Eren murmured breathlessly, his already red-rimmed eyes beginning to well up again. He was frozen still when Levi ducked low, eyelids snapping down tightly and spilling the tears as Levi kissed them away. It was strange, almost unnatural to think that the raven knew of something so intimate, so gentle. Eren felt like he was stood on a firing line, that one wrong move or word would shatter the peaceful world they’d created in a matter of moments like a lead bullet.

And when the day was over, Eren felt like the sky was falling. His lungs almost felt like there was a giant hand wrapped around them, squeezing all the breath out of him relentlessly until all he could do was sob wretchedly on the beach. One hand was clawing into the soft, gritty sand and the other was clutched around the warm shell bound in leather and hanging from his throat. The pretty shell had become beautiful… One last gift that Levi had given him before leaving. A navy blue and silver scale, rippling in the light almost like an oil spill and pulled from his own tail. The raven had flattened the sharp scale against his thumb and pressed it against the curve of the shell, where it had heated up without explanation and slowly sunk into the hard surface, lining it to keep it secure but leaving its shape and surface to show it off. Levi had promised the boy that it would never fall out, that it would always serve as a reminder that he had indeed existed, and that he would return.

And Eren would wait for him.

When Levi returned to the same place the next year, Eren would be waiting for him.

No matter what.

21 notes · View notes