Breathe

∆The Ending Cold∆

Eren was so happy.

He felt so warm.

He has Levi now. Everything will be alright.

Levi promised to be by his side forever and never harm him or leave him for another. He even sealed his promise with a kiss, something taken very seriously by the Mers.

Eren had been waiting for his mate for so long. It felt like eternity but it was only twenty two years.

Then he felt a flash of warmth and a sharp tug upwards. Heading to the surface, he saw a silver bird flying up high. Eren had seen them before. Was the silver bird his mate?

He didn't know but if his mate was there, he had to get their attention before he lost them forever.

He started to sing, begging and pleading for the bird to land so he could find his precious mate.  

The bird had complied but rather roughly, going into a steep nosedive and landing in the water, breaking apart with a loud crash.

Eren was devastated. Did he unintentionally kill his mate?

He searched the wreckage, his heart giving a sigh of relief when he found Levi floating in the water.

Eren sang as he pulled his mate into his arms, pressing his forehead to Levi's before he took him to his hideaway to nurse him she his wounds.

After Levi had sealed his promise to Eren, the mer had pulled his mate into the water. Levi had fallen unconscious which was for the best. He would probably be terrified right now if he wasn't.

Levi was in Eren's arms, chest to chest with his head buried in the Mers neck as Eren swam.

The first lights of day leaked from the surface, barely enough to penetrate the dark beneath them.

The water was unnaturally warm, filling Eren with a happy vibe. He would never be cold again now that he had Levi.

Erens strong tail propelled the two through the water, shifting between the different hues of blue and purple.

Among the Mers, he was a beauty.

His eyes not matching his scales and his voice a force to recon with.

Eren had wanted his mate so badly to turn up and now he had him. The way Levi looked at Eren with attraction was enough to make all those hours of grooming worth every moment.

Mers were creatures of vanity. They craved attention from everyone and could never have eyes stray from them. Eren loved the way the others always watched whenever he entered or left a room. It made him positive that his mate would simple adore every detail of him.

The sandy sea floor slowly Rose from the deep, portraying the wave like hills as it reached slowly up towards the light. The sand met a steep rocky slope that didn't go very high. Maybe six feet up. It lead to a large, open plateau that stretched for miles in each direction.

The area was filled with mountains of rock that were riddled with caves and forests of giant blue kelps that reached for the surface. The Mers were currently in a time of rest, laying in their caverns hidden in the mountains. At the center of the plateau was a slab of marble that was polished with abalone.

A large pink anemone sat on the top, swaying in the current.

At the base of the slab, multiple tunnels lead downwards. Eren circled the slab once or twice before he went down one tunnel, talking Levi down with him. The tunnel twisted and curved in so many different ways that Eren was scared Levi might get them stuck. Eren was flexible, able to bend his body in half to get through the curves but he wasn't so sure about his mate.

He had to get the make through though because at the end of the tunnel sat a cavern. And in that cavern sat the witch doctor.

No sooner did he think it, he found himself exiting the tunnel to the open room.

Bioluminescent plants grew on the walls, the room always the warmest place in the plateau due to the volcanic vents that sprouted in the back.  Small fish and crustaceans swam and crawled along the floors and walls, shifting to different colors in the bioluminescent light.

The witch doctor perched by the vents, watching intently as kelp floated up and down on the vents.

The being wasn't a mer.

She was a cecaelia. An octopus.

From waist up, she had a tan, muscled body that was mostly bare besides a strip of cloth tied around her upper bodice. She had messy hair tied up with woven seaweed and a pair of goggles on her eyes. From waist down, she had a leathery body that sprouted eight tentacles which clung to everything nearby.

“Hanji?” The cecaelia turned her head when Eren called her name.

Her face lit up immediately at the sight of Levi.

“EREN! YOU BROUGHT ME A PRESENT?! YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE!” She screeched, jetting towards the mer and human. Eren immediately turned his back to the witch doctor, shielding his mate with his body.

“No, Hanji. This is my mate. Levi.” Eren said patiently, looking back at her gently. “Can you help us?”

Hanjis face fell when Eren said no but immediately lit up at the word mate.

“OF COURSE! You need him to be able to breathe right? You have a simple respiration spell on him. Glad I taught you that one. Wears off in a couple hours. Hmm let's see.” Hanji slithered off towards a shelf that was stacked with bottles and chips and powders.

She rummaged around them a bit before pulling out a leaf of red kelp. She swam over to Levi, pinched his jaw causing his mouth to pop open.

She shoved the leaf into his mouth. “Make sure that stays there.” She ordered before she went back to grab a bottle. She went to Eren and gave him the bottle. It looked like an old beer bottle with a thin film over the opening.

“Put that in your mouth and suck out the liquid. Afterwards,” Hanji used her finger nail to cut a neat slice on Levi's neck. “put your mouth here and push the liquid into the wound.”

Eren hesitated, staring at the blood that dripped from the cut. He quickly pressed his lips to the wound, pressing the liquid forwards as he parted his lips a bit against Levi's skin.

The make groaned softly as the substance infiltrated his system. Eren pulled away once the liquid was gone, making a face at the coppery taste. It wasn't Levi's blood. It was the potion it whatever it was.

“What is that?” Eren asked curiously.

“Fermented finfolk blood.” Hanji simply replied causing Eren to gag.

“Why?!” He asked in astonishment, wiping his tongue on his sleeve.

“The kelp is to keep his body safe while the blood attacks his system and DNA. Keep that kelp in his mouth until he wakes up.  The blood is going to rewrite his DNA which will alter his body. Then he'll be aquatic and he won't die from drowning.” Hanji explained with a smile.

Eren nodded slowly, checking his mate. Levi's skin had taken a pale bluish tint, Eren pushing his mouth up to keep it closed. He could already feel scales forming on his skin. Rough, smooth scales that clung to Erens skin.

Eren then ran his fingers through Levi's undercut, staring at the grimacing face. Before, his face was peaceful as he slept, relaxed without a single wrinkle. Now it looked as it did when Eren was nursing Levi. Filled with pain.

“Alright. Thank you Hanji. I'm going to take him to my quarters now.” Eren murmured softly, pressing a kiss to his mates cheek before he left, holding Levi close as they swam through the twisting tunnels and into the sunlight.

Word count: 1322
12-21-17