Like the Ocean (Eremin)

03. Dolphins

"Armin!" I call, knocking on the door, tiredly rubbing my eyes. I was so exited to see how far we had gone that I hardly got any sleep. Of course I realised that we wouldn't have gotten that far, but regardless I was still eager to find out. A strange man opened the door, an unimpressed expression across his face.

"What do you want?"

"Is a boy named Armin in here?" I asked, assuming they were made to share a room. 

"I'm here," He said, the familiar blonde emerging from the cabin. We manoeuvred our way through the seemingly endless corridors and eventually onto one of the upper decks. 

"Who was he?" I asked, curious to the name of the large man who was in Armin's room.

"His name is Jean. I have to share a cabin with him and another boy named Marco." I nodded, slightly concerned for Armin's well being. Jean was bigger than me, let alone Armin. What if something went down? I tried not to think about it as we made out way to the hull of the vessel. I ran to the very front, leaning over to get a view of the water below us. The steel ship sliced through the waves, water splashing up the sides. 

"Don't lean over too far!" Armin called over to me. "You could fall in." Turning around, I smirked at Armin. I ran towards the smaller boy and lifted him up, my hands on his waist. 

"I'm going to throw you in first!" I joked, spinning around, holding him slightly above me. 

"Put me down!" He laughed before I allowed him to set his feet back on the deck. We locked eyes for a minute, my hands on his waist, his hands resting on my chest. His eyes glistened in the light, shining beautifully. I couldn't help but smile softly to myself. Realising what I was doing, I quickly let go, rushing off to the front of the boat again before things became awkward. Armin reluctantly joined me, leaning only slightly over the edge. 

"I'll tell you what," I begin, smiling reassuringly at Armin. "If I hold you, will you lean over a little bit more?"  He looked at me, unsure. I didn't blame him, we had only met the day before. Eventually though, he nodded. I placed my hands under his arms, allowing him to lean over a bit more. His body stopped shaking as soon as he managed to look at the beautiful sea before him.

"Look Eren! Dolphins!" He cheered, laughing once again. I smiled, his laugh like music to my ears. "Look at them go!" He slid back over the barrier, smiling up at me.

"Thank you for holding me," He said, his cheeks red, looking as though they were glowing. "I've always loved the ocean. It's just so intriguing, don't you think?" I nod in agreement, standing beside the petite blonde as we proceed to walk along the deck. 

"You haven't told me, what are you doing when you get to America?" Armin asks in what I presume was an attempt to make conversation. 

"I'm going to get a job. That's the reason we're going- to start a new life. Though, I would like to be a writer."

"A writer? That's awesome!" He exclaimed, gripping my arm. "You will have to write about me someday." He laughed before releasing his grip and clasping his hands behind of his back. Don't worry, Armin. I did.