Deeper Than Blue

Six

Hanji sat at their desk, examining the scale curiously. It was dark out, the room lit by phosphorus algae and corals along with Hanjis pet angler fish named Hitch.

Hitch sat in place on the desk, her light hovering over Hanjis hands as they flipped the rock over and over. It shined softly, reflecting the light around the room and sparkling like a diamond.

Hanji had trued to smash the gem like scales with a rock. The rock broke.

Hanji stuffed it down the throat of dolphin to see if it would be digested by the stomach acid. No such luck.

Hanji placed it over a hot water vent. Nothing.

This scale was basically indestructible.

Which only helped prove Hanjis hypothesis.

There was once a mer race long ago that Hanji read about in their tablets, described to be covered in rock like scales that served to be armor.

The Mers were known to be guards, the elite species that protected king's and queens along with the subjects from attacks by whales and squid and sharks.

The species had suddenly died off.

The women and men no longer produced offspring with the armor scales due to their mates being outside of the species like humans and regular Mers.

They disappeared.

Maybe Eren carried the gene? Maybe there was a sudden trigger in his life that caused the gene to activate and take form.

Hanji would believe it. It would be an incredible discovery if Eren did share the DNA with an Armoured Mer.

Now to prove the theory, Hanji needed to find a corpse of an Armoured Mer and compare the scales of Eren to the corpse.

Hanji suddenly squealed at a thought causing Hitch to lurch in fright.

Last time hanji squealed like that, Hitch, the previous lab assistant, was pricked with a needle and turned into a fish.

"WHAT IF THEY HAD BABIES?? OHHH MYYYY GOOOODDESS THEY WOULD BE ADORABLE!! HOW MANY WOULD CARRY THE GENE? HOW MANY WOULD EREN HAVE? OH I CANT WAIT!!" They shrieked in excitement as they started to swim and twirl in circles.

Hanji shot out the door, swimming like a mad mer as they swam past servants and guards and even townsfolk who were here to meet with Kenny.

Hanji ran into Mike who was the closest thing to Hanjis mate as there was, Hanji being born mateless, who caught the crazy mer with a grunt as they swam into his chest.

"MIKE MIKE MIKE! ASK KENNY IF YOU CAN ENTER THE MONASTERY OF THE ARMOURED MER AND BRING ME A SCALE! PRETTY PLEASE MIKKKKEEEE!?" Hanji twirled him around with them, a maniacal grin on their face.

Mike nodded quickly and pulled away, bending over with a retch from the dizzying spinning as Hanji swam off towards Levi's room.

They busted through the anenomes and almost died at the gorgeously adorable sight.

The stoic and usually angry mer known as Levi sat on the sponge bed with his shy mate in his lap, covering his blushing bride to be in jewelry made from his scales. A beautiful necklace collar, earrings, rings, and a crown meant for their wedding day which was a circlet of gold vines that interlocked together like the coral cage above the castle, a beautiful blue scale sat in the center with black scales intertwined with the gold sat in an open box on the bed.

Levi was also wearing scales. A gem like necklace covered his neck and small earrings poked from his ears. They both had their hands on wires of metal, weaving Erens scales into a design of a crown for Levi.

Said mer was glaring at Hanji angrily. "Get out." He said simply, staring angrily at the scientist.

Hanji pouted but the sad emotion didn't reach their happy eyes. "But leviiii!" Hanji whined with a smile.

"I have something to tell Eren about his scales." They added which made Eren perk up.

"Really?" He asked quietly, taking Levi's hand which made hanji coo and aw.

"Yep! Though the idea I have is still a hypothesis but I have one test to run to make the idea a fact. I just have to wait for my mer to return with a certain scale and I'll know exactly what this is." Hanji held up the scale they had gotten from Eren.

Eren couldn't help but smile, "Thank you so much, Hanji! Is it anything I need to worry about?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's not going to kill him right?" Levi questioned a bit worriedly, his face soft as he cupped his mates face.

"The opposite in fact." Hanji replied with a smile.

"I currently believe that your scales match those of the Armoured Mer from way back when. If so, you carried a dormant gene that was suddenly triggered for some reason. There's nothing wrong with you Eren, you just have a permanent armor on your body. You can get bit by a shark and survive. You can get stabbed with a sword and you'll be fine! Isn't this incredible?!" Hanji started to drool, thinking about the possibilities.

"And when you two lay your eggs, just imagine how many will carry the Armoured gene! Oh I can't wait! I'm so excited for you two!" Hanji started to wiggle and swim around the room, cackling and giggling like a mad mer.

Eren and Levi exchanged glances before Levi got up, directing Hanjis swimming towards the anenomes causing the crazy mer to swim out, leaving the two in peace.

Levi returned to his mate, resting himself on the floor in front of the sponge bed where he rested his chin on Erens tail. "What do you think about that?" Levi asked softly.

Eren shrugged, gently touching Levi's head.

"I think that whatever it is about me, I'm a bit scared of it. Why suddenly just me with this weird trait? How come no one else has it?" Eren tilted his head. "Would you still love me and take me as your mate?"

Levi nodded quickly, hugging Erens waist and pressing a kiss to Erens neck. "Of course I will." Levi said assuringly, squeezing Eren close.

"But I meant what do you think about us laying eggs together?"

Word count: 1041