It was early evening. The clouds had slowly parted to reveal the beautiful sun casting its colors over the deep blue water, the orange and reds spreading like a dress across its reflective surface. The waves were soft and calming, like a gentle push along the sandy shores of the docks. Out in the distance you could see the silhouettes of the seagulls cawing, calling out to each other after their supper, reuniting with each other to fly to their homes.
The shouts of a strong, older man, bearing his white captain's hat with a golden plaque, two small wave symbols engraved into it. He waved across to the shore as his small boat was pulled towards one of the docks. It wasn't a large boat, but neither was it small. It was gleaming white, mirroring the colors of the early sunset here and there. The floorboards were polished mahogany, and on the helm was a small, triangular purple flag, two golden, horizontal, zigzagged lines across it. It waved lazily along the gentle breeze, dipping and swaying along as the boat rocked, the man fixing his white captain's suit before hearing his name called.
A young boy, his dark brown wavy hair blowing slightly, regardless of the caked gel it had. He wore a short sleeved purple and white striped shirt, and khaki shorts with dark brown flip flops that slapped against the wooden floorboards as he ran towards his father. He smiled, his teeth neatly arranged into pearly white rows behind his lips, his oversized glasses gleaming in the evening light. The boy opened his arms as he ran, the man in the captain's suit bending down to pick him up and hoist him onto the dock with a grunt.
"Look who's growin' up to be a big man! Aye, you'll be a mighty good captain at this rate. I might even let you wear the official cap sayin' so." The man stated, a strange smile on his lips, as if his face had not seen joy in perhaps a very long time.
"You got tha' right! I'm goin' 'ta be the best captain a' the sea. All a' the seas!" the boy replied, his chest puffing out triumphantly, as only a young one's small and dedicated mind would. His glasses looked crooked on his small face, and nearly slipped off with the suddenness of his motion. His father let out a small chuckle, and reached to secure the rope keeping his small ship on the dock.
"Yer' off to a good start, boy. Ya' got a good 'un goin' there."
Out in the distance, the patter of feet could be heard; bare feet, beating down against the stony edge of the docks, mindful of the small crevice that was filled with sand. The boy turned around to face her- yes, her. The small girl he had met not too long ago, around his own age. He blinked and a small red blush spread across his cheeks as he caught himself noticing how her long, dark hair trailed behind her, the soft pants barely audible while she ran, giggling and screaming, calling his name. "Eridan!" she gave a giggle and a quick pant. "Eridan you're back! You have to come look; I found the cutest little crab!"
He ducked his head in a bit, glancing back at his father, who had just finished tying the boat in a more secure manner. The captain stretched his back, grunting, slipping off his white gloves and using them to dab at his brow. He only then caught sight of Eridan staring up at him with questioning eyes, as if asking for permission, or more appropriately, advice. Acknowledging this, he leaned down and rested a hand on the boy's shoulder, giving him a light pat.
"Go on ta' 'er. I need ta' inspect the navigatin' systems properly anywaves." He gave him a slight wink after the pun, by which Eridan simply huffed, giving his father a quick kiss on the cheek and nodding quickly before darting off to meet his friend. The captain saluted him as he left, letting out a proud sigh and stepping onto the boat again, staring off at the helm towards the ocean.
The boy panted, catching up to her. She crashed into him, their heads bumping against each other. Eridan smiled, shoving her away from himself and laughing while rubbing his head, observing her pink and yellow goggles that dangled around her neck, the one piece Hawaiian flowered pink bathing suit, completed with yellow swimming shorts. Her dark eyes smiled at him, her hands clasped together in excitement.
"Eridan! Oh my glub! You'll never know what I found!"
"I-I heard you Fef. The crab." He was still panting.
"Oh, great! How'd you know?"
"Fef you were screamin' it! Cod you're so silly sometimes, haha!" Eridan poked her nose, and in return she stuck out her tongue towards him.
"No, you're the shelly one! Mr. Big Boat Ampora!" As the boy opened his mouth to respond, she shook her head, grabbing his hand to tug him towards her findings. "Come here! I have to show it to you! I'm so happy; I think it's the biggest one in the whole sea!"
Eridan ran behind her, gripping her hand tightly. "You keep makin' so many puns, Fef, how lon' did you talk with my dad this mornin' and- woah!" He gasped as he witnessed a flash of a carapace whisking into the crevice between the sand and docks. "Fef is that what you meant? Wow! I-It's huge!"
She stopped to catch her breath, letting go of his hand and getting on her knees, following the trail on the sand slowly to the exact spot the oversized creature had hidden in, her hand reaching out towards it. Eridan gulped and stepped forward cautiously. "Fef be careful, those things have these massive claws that just grab you an' RAAWH RAWWH!" He clicked his hands and stomped on the sand, as if to prove his point to her. She, in turn, pressed her index finger to her lips to shoosh him.
"Eridan be quiet or else he will claw at me, be-tides, you're doing it all wrong!" She stood again, and stomped on the ground harder, walking sideways and flexing her hands, imitating a crab. "They go like this- and crabs don't raawh! What kind of silly fishy are you?" Feferi let out a giggle and knocked into him, watching him stumble back.
"No, they say raawh when you aren't listenin', I know it!" the boy grumbled, not about to be proven wrong by his best friend.
"You reely need to go scuba diving with me some more if you fin-k so!" she stated.
"I don't need no stupid scuba divin'! I know all aboat the sea, my daddy showed me."
"Hey! That's mean, scuba diving isn't stupid, and you only know about the surface stuff, you always miss the lovely corals, I bait you've never even sea-n a cuttlefish!"
Eridan stayed quiet, pulling a pout. He crossed his arms in frustration and looked out towards the ocean, not wanting to face her. Fef was being stupid anyway, he too knew about the ocean. He knew everything about the ocean. Okay, not everything. Fine, fine, he didn't know. But Fef didn't know anything either!
"Oh Eridan, I'm shorey!" She walked closer in front of him, trying to get him to look at her. He humphed and looked away, the motion making his glasses look even more lopsided than usual.
"Eridaaaan! Come on, don't be such a grumpy gills! Look at me! Come on, look!" She began to warble, and to his dismay, curiosity as to what she was doing got the better of him. He turned towards her slowly, finally breaking down into a fit of snorting and laughter. She had slipped on her goggles and squeezed her cheeks, making a fish face, her hands imitating gills. Her eyes were crossed, and she looked quite ridiculous.
"Glub glub! I'm a gruuuumpy gills, gluuub!" She muttered out, moving her face around as if she was swimming, walking in circles around him.
"Fef stop that! Cod you look silly- shelly, fine- no, don't you even dare, Fef! No t-ahaaa!" He tried to wrestle her off, his hands flying down to grab at her wrists and pry her away. Eridan's smile had spread across his face, attempting to wrestle off Feferi's hands from his sides. "I-I declare tickle war!"
She let out a snort and laughed as well as his hands flew to her neck and shoulders, tickling her as well. They each took unsynchronized turns at tickling each other, eventually falling down on the sand as they gasped for air, laughing weakly into the sunset. Children, it seemed, always had the best and simplest moments of joy, and being a young boy, with such a best friend… Who could ask for more? It was as if they were brother and sister. Together as family.
Or at least, that's how it used to be.
Because Eridan grew, and sometimes you don't think of your childhood friends as family anymore. Sometimes you wish they were more.