Lol hello y'all must honestly hate me at this point I know I'm horrible for not keeping up with other stories. HOWEVER this fic is honestly one of my older ones. I start it like many other fics and add to it once in a blue moon. The fic is currently 11,000 words, so I decided instead of a one-shot to just separate it a bit to make it easier to read. (It is almost done so I will be posting the second and last chapter tomorrow.) This story was based off the song Aquarium by Dark Sarah. Really don't know why but her songs really get my writing spirit a going and the ideas a flowing. So without further ado welcome to my ted talk here ya go.

"It's inevitable Levi. There's nothing you can do. You shouldn't have held this off so long to begin with! Damn, brat." Kenny growled, trying to get his hard-headed nephew to understand that this was the will of the people, not him. If he didn't procrastinate this long then it wouldn't have been a problem. The throne room shook with the angry waves of raw magic radiating off the livid prince, coral walls cracking while the guards cowered behind the beautifully sculpted columns circling the throne. Even the local wildlife were nowhere to be seen, cowering away from the angry energy seeping out of the room.

"Like hell it is! There's no fucking way that I'm fucking shitbrows!" Levi growled, whipping around to glare at said shitbrows huff in distaste at the nickname.

"Who said I would be the bottom?" Erwin began, coming forward but unwilling to stand too close to the fuming prince. "Also I thought I told you to stop calling me that-" Erwin started but was cut off by a very irate prince.

"Shut the fuck up before I shove a fucking pufferfish up your shit infested asshole!" Levi shouted, the water around his form beginning to boil as his anger worsened.

"Levi, be civil!" Kuchel chastised beside her brother, light blue eyes daring her son to backtalk her. Levi glared right back, the water cooling around him as he stared at his mother, his rock in life that always seemed to bring him peace. Well, most of the time. He saw the telltale gleam in his mother's eyes, quickly covering his ears and swimming away to evade getting pinched when she lunged forward.

"Get real, Kenny! Everyone in the damn clan knows that Erwin and I can't live with each other! How the hell am I supposed to give my body to this fuck twat when he isn't even gay!?" Levi growled while Erwin nodded in agreement behind him, dark scales twinkling as his tail twitched in an irritated manner. We need to come up with a decision quickly. Otherwise, Levi will definitely end up killing someone. Erwin thought before swimming up beside the grumpy sea urchin.

"King Kenny, I mean no disrespect but Levi is right. There's no way I could possibly mate with him. We're just… too different. Can we at least try and find a different way to go about this?" Erwin asked, eyes pleading the king to not saddle him up on a ride he most definitely did not want to go on. Kenny sighed and looked at his loving sister, looking for approval for his other candidate in mind. She didn't like it but nodded anyway, knowing her son definitely would not like it. Kenny hummed and looked toward his nephew.

"You know the story of Princess Karula, right?" He suddenly asked, Erwin shook his head but Levi nodded, remembering that Karula was to be the mother of his betrothed when she produced one. Before she disappeared that is. Now I will have to mate with this stupid piss hole.

"She was going to bare my betrothed, but then she fled," Levi recalled and the stand in King nodded.

"Correct. The Ackerman clan had… steady relations with the Jaeger clan, so your father and the Chief of the Jaeger clan struck a deal. The firstborn child, you, would marry the royal firstborn of the Jaeger clan. However, plans had changed when she fell in love with a human and she vanished to land. About 2 ultra cycles ago she returned, the moon had called her back to the sea and she could no longer revert back to her human self. She was punished as any mer would be, forced into the ice caves for a few ultra cycles before the leader of each clan took pity on her story. They had viewed this as tragic, noticing how many youths were fleeing to land for a human lover. So… not too long ago, it became legal for someone to bring a human down here to be mated." Kenny said, not flinching at the sudden outburst it pulled from the mermen.

"What?!"

"When were you going to tell me this?! How the fuck am I gonna run this clan if I don't even know of law changes as important as that!?" Levi growled and Kenny held up a hand to silence him.

"If I recall, you've been resolutely ignoring me for quite a while now to try and get out of this situation, so how could I tell you? Lil' shit.." Kenny grumbled to himself and Kuchel took this time to swim forward to continue the explanation.

"Levi, You must have a mate within three days, otherwise you will, albeit reluctantly be forced to mate with Erwin or the next line of choice, which is…" She trailed off and Levi peaked with interest. I didn't know there was a second person in line for my mate. Surely anyone would be better than fucking douche-brows.

"Who is it?" He asked and Kuchel shook her head and sighed.

"It was not my decision but your uncles, I would just like that to be jelly clear. It's… Hanji Zoe." She murmured and Levi's reaction was instantaneous, faking (or maybe not) a retch before sinking to the sand below them.

"There is no way in Mariana (Mariana trench) that I would ever become mated to that shitty four eyes!" Levi exclaimed and Kuchel nodded, petting his arm gently to try and calm him down. All these hormones bouncing around inside him need to be released. He should have mated at the last true moon 24 cycles ago! Of course, I couldn't force him to mate then, but the people grow restless. The need to ensure their prince is mated is causing a ruckus among them. Everyone knows if you go too long without a mate you drive yourself to ruin! I don't want that for my baby boy. Kuchel thought and put a comforting hand on his back, rubbing the smooth area around his dorsal calmly.

"I know, Lee. That is why we give you this chance. Find a willing mate within three days, merman or not, and you will not have to mate with Erwin and or Hanji." She said gently and played with a strand of silky smooth ebony hair behind his ears. Levi nodded and sighed, trying to think of any merman to have ever caught his fancy. Farlan was hot but… he was obviously in love with a girl already. I don't want to break them apart. I've only met a few humans in my life, the only one cute enough to catch my fancy was a child then… but maybe now the little mer-human is grown. He wondered, remembering the little boy many ultra cycles ago he had saved from the water, only to find out he was half mer.

-[Years Before]-

"Help! H-help! Somebody!" A small voice called, cutting through the water and straight into Levi. He turned his head and swam towards it immediately, concern eating at him as he heard splashing. Is someone stuck in a net? Shark attack? He sped when the sound ceased, fearing the worst as he came up close to the beach, shallow water letting in the light of the sun and nearly blinding Levi. He was still able to see the current dragging its newest victim, a little human boy that Levi could sense was more than just that.

Is he half mer? The signal he was letting out was weak, weaker than any merperson but definitely there, pulsing through the water and straight to Levi's heart. His heart is slowing. Quick as a barracuda Levi snapped into action, grabbing the kid and bringing him to the surface, pushing against his stomach as he had seen humans do to one another in the past and sighed in relief when the child began to cough. He held him to his chest and made his way to the dry sand finding a small cove in a nestle of rocks suitable enough for his escape if needed and dry enough for the little mer-human to breathe.

The boy was huffing against the merman's chest, clutching him with his tiny hands as if the merman were to disappear any moment.

"Thank-k you..." The boy murmured, body shivering as he tried not to cry, the panic he had felt wearing off and only leaving fear in its wake. The merman hushed him and pulled him into his lap once he was settled against a rock. The boy nuzzled into him thankfully, letting out a small sigh of relief and hugging the merman tight. After a few minutes, the little boy was calm once more and Levi felt now was a good time to start asking questions.

"How old are you little mer-human?" Levi asked, trying to calm the boy down a little as he saw the fear in his eyes. Are they leaking water?! Eren wiped his tears away quickly and held up 6 fingers.

"My name is Eren! I'm 5 years old!" He answered with a small smile, but let out a tiny screech when a particularly strong wave ended up pooling water into his lap. He clutched Levi tightly and hid his face in the older boy's neck again. Levi hummed and hugged the boy back, hoping the comfort of touch was enough for him. "Eren… Levi. I'm 11. Why are you so afraid?" He asked and grunted when the kid suddenly whipped his head towards the sea, accidentally bumping his head on Levi's chin.

"The ocean wants to eat me! Mommy told me to wait on the beach while she was inside but it told me to go in! It called me! So I did and all of a sudden I couldn't breathe!" Eren rambled and stared at Levi, hoping the older boy would believe him. Levi nodded and watched the waves gently push against the sand, pulling it back into its depths.

"Eat you eh? Maybe it just thought you were so pretty that it wanted you for itself." He murmured and looked into the green eyes of the boy on his lap. Very pretty. The ocean is greedy and wants everything for itself, that's what my mother told me anyway.

"Really?" He asked, looking towards the water, thighs gently gripping the base of Levi's tail. Levi gave a little whine at that but otherwise said nothing about it. Eren seemed to just realize that the texture against his legs was not the same as his and looked down, eyes widening at the sight of one long what he assumed was a leg. "Levi you only have one leg! Did you lose the other one?! Why is it so big?" Eren suddenly asked looking behind himself to see that it ended it what looked like the fins of a dolphin. He whipped back around and stared at the boy with awe in his emerald eyes. "Are you a fish? That is so cool! Do you know Ariel?" Eren asked in rapid-fire succession, not giving Levi any time to answer the questions before he was staring at Levi's slightly pointed ears. "Wow, you're like an elf too! Do you know Santa?" He asked and grabbed at the pointed end, finding them to be a little slimy.

"Oi, one question at a time brat. This isn't a 'leg' and I'm not a fish. I'm a merman and who is Ariel?" He quickly interrupted, grabbing the child's hands to ensure he didn't jeopardize his sensitive ears. Eren just looked confused before realization and horror dawned on his face.

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHO ARIEL IS?!" He shouted in horror, launching into a very detailed explanation of who Ariel was. "... and she has beautiful long red hair and a green tail. Actually, if you're a mermaid shouldn't you know who she is? She is the princess of the whole ocean and all the mermaids!" He concluded as Levi stared in confusion at the child's explanation. "That's... not possible. No clan rules over the entire ocean and… I've never seen a mermaid with green scales… I don't think it's possible. Besides what makes her so special? I'm the prince of the Ackerman clan, I can do anything she can." Levi said with a cocky smirk, sure that he could whoop this Ariel's tail any day. Especially to impress such a cute brat.

"Well… she can sing really prettily. She also fell in love with a human." Eren explained, giving a little jump when he felt the reach of the sea tickle his toes. Levi huffed and grinned at the boy. "I can sing better than her I bet. However, I don't know about the human thing. Humans are weird." Levi murmured truthfully, holding back a growl when the brat jumped around his tail. My tail is sensitive dammit! Be careful! Levi wanted to say, but he didn't want to see the boy sad again.

"You can sing? Please sing for me, Levi!" He asked so cutely, eyes wide with excitement and mouth pulled up into an ecstatic smile. Levi couldn't possibly say no to the kid with his face like that. "Fine, then you can tell me who sang better." Eren nodded at this and leaned back, giving the boy some room to sing. Levi took a deep breath and looked at the cute brat, thinking about something that would fit this situation. The lyrics came to him than his voice low as he began to sing.

"Into the sea, I pull you close to me,

Slide 'neath the waves and down into the caves,

Please be my love and come rest in my arms,

Dream your dreams with me,

Slide beneath the sea,

Come to me my love to forget the land above,

Slide 'neath the waves and down into the caves,

Forever with me." Levi finished the shanty his mother had sung to his father when they courted, looking at the boy expectantly. Eren was wide-eyed, smiling ear to ear by the time the boy had finished his song.

"Wow! You sound even better than Ariel! Are you a princess too?" He asked, sitting rather still for the song had calmed his weary mind. Even sudden slaps of the ocean waves against his feet and thighs did not scare the young human as he watched the merman. Levi chuckled and smirked, his chest puffing out with pride at the compliment from the mer-human youngster. "No, but I am a prince. Why?" Levi asked, noticing the slight blush starting to take over the boys cheeks.

"Ah, well… it's been my dream to be a mermaid! And and and the internet says that one of the ways to become a mermaid is to marry one! I… I was going to marry Ariel but… uh…" Eren started off in excitement but it quickly became embarrassment the more he spoke. Levi, thankfully, had a wit as sharp as a sea urchins spikes and was able to understand where this was going very quickly. He laughed and brought the boy closer so he could look into his eyes, finding the boys' embarrassment rather cute.

"Hah? I am but a humble prince, uncultured in the ways of mankind, what is this 'marrying' that you speak of?" Levi teasingly asked, having a pretty good idea that it must've been something embarrassing for the boy to blush as he did. Eren is actually very cute. Like an Axolotl. Eren fidgeted where he sat and mumbled something before looking up.

"When two people get married… it means they love each other. So… they live together. Forever." Eren explained, picking up Levi's hand where it resided on his thigh. "They give each other a ring for their finger and never take it off. And… they eat together, and sleep in the same bed." Levi nodded in understanding, figuring that this 'marrying' thing is similar to mating.

Have sex, give one another a mating mark, and protect one another until the day they die, then have more sex. A human's 'ring' must be a symbol of their everlasting love for one another, their mating mark. How odd. Levi realized that he hadn't been paying attention to the guppy and that he had said something. The boy was blushing hard, his cheeks and down to his shoulders a bright red as he wrung his hands together.

"What'd'ya say brat? I didn't hear you." Levi teased, tilting Eren's head up so that he could look into his eyes. Eren squeaked a bit and mumbled, but after receiving a raised eyebrow from the merman he sputtered out a "will you make my dreams come true and please marry me so I can be a mermaid?" before promptly shoving his face into Levi's shoulder. Levi chuckled, humoring him as he picked up a small clamshell and used some magic to sculpt it into a ring with a shiny pearl at the center.

"Give me your hand brat." He ordered, amused at how quick the kid obeyed him. He placed it gently on the boys middle finger as a good luck charm and gave him a smile. "There. Now we are married." Levi murmured, watching the bright expression on the boys face. He started bouncing up and down, giving this weird squeaking sound that was oddly reminiscent to a dolphin as he stared at it. "I'm gonna be a mermaid!" He screeched right in Levi's ear, the merman giving him a little shove in order to try and quiet him. "Oi! No shouting in my ear dammit!" He growled but it went unnoticed to the brat still staring at the ring.

"Thank you, Levi! I will cherish this forever!" Eren vowed, putting a hand over his heart. Levi nodded and sighed, petting the boy's drying hair for a moment before he heard the unmistakable noise of shouting. He turned to see a woman and a man walking along the shoreline, both long haired brunettes and one had glasses. Who the fuck-

"-ren! Eren! Where are you?!" The one called, gathering the attention of the boy on his tail. He stood and waved at them before shouting. "I'm over here mommy!" and then promptly nuzzled back into Levi. Both of the figures turned upon hearing their son and jogged towards them. "Eren! I told you to stay on the sand in front of the…" She began to chastise but stopped upon seeing who her son had met, noting the tail and the tell-tale eyes of an Ackerman. Oh no.

"Eren! Get away from him now!" She screeched, running forward to grab at her son. Both boys were shocked at the reaction, Levi holding the boy tighter for a moment before looking towards the sea. Should I take him with me? He can breathe in water right? Eren stared up at his mommy, clearly confused at why she was yelling at Levi like that. "Mommy, this is my friend Levi! Please don't yell at him!" As soon as she was within reach she grabbed her beloved child from the merman's arms. Backing up as quickly as possible.

In the flurry of limbs, the clamshell ring fell off and plopped into the sand, the receding waves quick to snatch up the trinket and pulled it into the shallows. Eren cried out, noticing that his precious ring was no longer on his finger and began to scream, hoping it would carry his message across. Levi sure understood it, immediately diving into the shallow pool to search for it. It took a few minutes but he managed to find it unscathed. However, as he had been searching, the boy had been whisked away by the two other humans, and no matter how long Levi waited, he never saw him again.

-[Back To The Present]-

That kid was adorable, and he is half merman so there is a chance that he can grow a tail! He was so cute when he asked to marry me, squealing as he did when I told him I would. Maybe he remembers his promise to me? Hopefully he still lives by the same shoreline, otherwise, I'm fucking beached. With a nod he gave his mother a hug, feeling the smooth dark blue scales melding into dark blue flesh of her back. Despite her age, she never lost her youthful features. While Levi shared many traits with his mother, like her elven nose and grey eyes, he inherited nothing from his uncle or his father. He had the same small stature as his mother and the same silky black hair. His uncle just looked like a little bitch with his long ass face and his gray hair. Said seahorse looking ass bitch glared at Levi from where he was and Levi smirked.

"I think I have the perfect candidate in mind." Levi murmured. He let go of his mother and was gone in a flash of blue scales and bubbles as he hurried to make preparations. Kuchel was about to ask who her grouchy son could possibly want, having shown no interest in any living organism before, but was too late as he suddenly took off. My little barracuda, where do you go so quickly? I hope that you are able to find a mate swiftly. She thought, chuckling when she heard her brother cursing her son in low tones underneath his breath. Will they ever get along?

Levi didn't think so, finding his way to shore, seeing the moon above the surface. Remember me, my little Axolotl. I'm comin' for you.