Like the Ocean (Eremin)

04. Alcohol and smoke

The sun had began to set over the horizon, casting an amber hue over the ship and its inhabitants. I walked beside Armin, discussing what would be thought of as useless information. 

"Hey Armin," I begin. "What do you say we grab Mikasa and go get a drink?" 

"Oh, um...sure, why not?" He smiled, taking my wrist and skipping down to the lower decks. I knocked on our cabin door where I assumed my sister would be. She wasn't really a fan of sailing, you see. The dark haired girl emerged from the room, my old crimson scarf tied around her loosely. 

"You actually brought that with you?" I asked in slight disgust. 

"Yeah, so?" 

"Never mind. Anyway, you coming to get a drink with us?" Slowly, she shook her head before returning to the room. I glanced at Armin, ushering him to begin walking. "Looks like it's just me and you." I said, placing a hand on his shoulder lightly. I didn't mind, of course. I liked hanging out with Armin, whether Mikasa was with us or not. 

We entered the room, loud music blaring as soon as the door opened. The room was filled to the brim with men and women of all ages, all singing, dancing, drinking and just generally having fun. I grabbed two pints of Guinness, handing one of the cold glasses to Armin. 

"Thank you," He said as loudly as his lungs would allow him, sipping the froth off of the dark liquid. I chuckle softly. 

"Armin what are you doing?" I asked.

"Um...drinking?"

"That's not how you drink when you're on vacation!" I smirked down at the blonde, before taking three large gulps of my own drink, encouraging the smaller boy to do the same. He lifted the glass, downing half of the alcohol at once. I cheered for him, lightly patting him on his back. Just by looking at him you could tell he wasn't much of a drinker, so I was proud of him. I lightly grabbed his wrist, dragging him over to the area where everyone was dancing, quickly joining in.

"Eren! I can't dance!" he exclaimed, smiling as he held my hands. 

"Neither can I, just go with it!" With that, we began prancing about in time with the music that was playing, occasionally stepping on one another feet and trying to apologise whilst in fits of laughter. I especially felt sorry for Armin when I stood on him, since I was pretty big compare to him. Smoke filled the air as other passengers lit up their cigarettes, Armin occasionally coughing as it entered his lungs. I grabbed my drink once again, finishing it off, Armin mimicking me, but coughing as he did so.

"Do you want to go outside?" I shouted, making sure he could hear me. 

"Yes please, if you don't mind," He responded, downing his last few drops, still coughing. I lead him out of the room, my fingers wrapped lightly around his slender wrists. 

~ 

We walked out onto the top deck, a mixture of laughter and coughing coming from Armin. We walked over to the railings, both leaning on them and looking out into the distance. 

"Sorry, I don't know why I was so sensitive to all the smoke." Armin said, his voice raspy from the coughing. 

"It's okay, if I had stood on your foot anymore I might've broken it." We both laughed as the waves splashed up against the sides of the ship. The water reflected the light of the moon, causing it to glisten as if it was a light source on its own. 

"My grandfather says he will teach me how to dance like a gentle man, so next time we dance perhaps I wont stand on your toes at all." Armin said, smiling softly to himself. 

"I can save him the time and teach you now if you like?" I said, turning to the smaller boy, my cheeks heating up a little. I stepped away from the the railings, offering a hand to Armin. "May I have this dance?" 

"Why do I have to be the girl?" He responded, scrunching up his nose but still smiling. 

"Because I'm going to demonstrate how you do it, plus you're smaller so it makes sense." I smirked at him as he took my hand. I place my other hand on his hip lightly, as he put his on my shoulder. We began moving slowly, counting to four allowed for a while. 

"You're a natural!" I exclaimed, smiling as I looked into his blue eyes. Right then, the stars were our audience, the moon was our spotlight, and this boat was our stage. We eventually slowed to a stop, looking into each others eyes as we smiled. His skin glowed as the moonlight bounced off of it, his hands shaking ever so slightly.

"Are you shivering?" I asked quietly, breaking the silence. 

"Just a little," He turned to face the ground, his smile small but still there. "For some reason, I seem to feel the cold a lot more then others." I looked at the smaller boy briefly before wrapping my jacket around his shoulders. It looked pretty huge on him but judging by his reaction he didn't seem to mind. He snuggled into the fabric, glancing up at me and smiling softly. 

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it," I smiled once again, walking to stand at the side of the blonde. "I'll take you back to your cabin." We began walking side by side, occasionally making light conversation. I didn't mind being in silence, just being near Armin was enough for me. I didn't mind talking, either, since his voice was soft and soothing. 

We stood in the corridor outside the door of his cabin when it first happened. It may seem insignificant to some, but to me it was a big deal. He turned around, still snug in my jacket, smiling softly. His cheeks were red- with coldness or embarrassment I wasn't sure. 

"Thank you, Eren," He said softly, before standing on his toes to press a light kiss to my cheek. He vanished into his room, leaving me dumbfounded outside. Not only was this the first time I ever kissed a man, but it was my first kiss ever. I think this was the first time I considered that I might've been in love with a man.