Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Note: Jiminy Christmas. Look how productive I've been. Don't expect many updates after this week, though, 'cause then it's back to school for me.
Hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter. I apologize for how slow this fic is moving along. It's just that since this is a fairly intricate universe, I have to make sure to establish every key point and subconscious plot twist before I get the action rolling. But definite action next chapter! Definite pirate-y stuff as well! And AruAni will make it's first debut in the next, next chapter, I believe :D
Despite the vigor in which he squeezed his eyes closed, sleep evaded Armin for a majority of the night. The blond waited in agonizing stillness for the sun to rise, wide awake in the tiny shack he shared with Eren, Mikasa, and a few consistently drunk tenants. Despite the sluggish ache in the Armin's limbs and bones, his mind was racing, each new idea or thought fragment buzzing like an electric current through his disjointed imaginings. He couldn't settle down, too preoccupied with thoughts of his grandfather, the map, Armin's navigation skills, and Captain Erwin's strange interest that undoubtedly involved them all.
Eren, on the other hand, had already taken to obeying his captain without even stepping foot on the ship. The brunet's light snores and peaceful grunts, which comfortably filled the dark room, informed Armin that his friend was in a deep, uninterrupted sleep. Although he could barely see Mikasa's dark profile over the tip of Eren's nose, the slight whistle of the girl's calm breathing reaffirmed Armin's theory that he was the only one still awake.
The blond nestled deeper into the thin blanket draped around his shoulders and stared blankly at the decaying ceiling above him for what felt like an eternity. Perhaps it is best that we go, the boy thought absently. He was able to picture each streak of mold and each weather-worn hole in his mind even though the entire room was nearly pitch black. I'm not sure how much longer the roof will last. The sheer ridiculousness of the thought—going on an adventure because of a leaking roof—started Armin from his incoherent ramblings and he would have laughed if he didn't fear waking the others.
I want to go because of the…roof? Armin blinked in the darkness, wondering sluggishly in his half-conscious what had caused him to become so…so—boring, he settled after a moment of thought.
After a while, his eyelids finally started to burn and he could feel sleep finally sweep towards him with gentle laps against his consciousness. His eyes closed gradually and colorful, vibrant images hurtled through his mind—caught somewhere between coherency and a dream.
Blonde hair? Blue eyes—but tired. Black sails. Armin bit his lip and tossed slightly in his half-stupor. He was awake enough to know these images behind his eyelids were only flashes from his past, but he was too dazed to rouse himself from the nightmare.
Grandfather? Grandfather! No! Come back! I don't know what this is… Armin rolled over onto his back again, squeezing his eyes tighter. I don't know what this means—whole world—my enemy—blonde hair…a girl?
I don't know where it is!
At the last memory, the blond started violently, staring with wide, unseeing eyes at the ceiling above him. Despite the cool stone below him, warm sweat beaded across his forehead and suddenly his skin felt too hot to bear. He panted softly in the darkness, swallowing each fading memory with a nervous, struggling breath.
What was that?
A faint brush of skin against his sweaty wrist made the boy lurch away again. Still halfway caught between his imagination and reality, he felt the warm grip on his wrist tighten into a comforting squeeze before slipping away. Armin squinted in the graying light of the room and noticed Mikasa's bright eyes glinting over Eren's profile. She merely studied him for a moment longer before sinking back to the floor. The girl's soft breaths confirmed her return to sleep, leaving the blond alone again with his thoughts. Armin appreciated her faint gesture all the same.
As he slowly eased back into a comfortable position, he tried to think what back on what had caused him to panic, but his sluggish mind drew an unhelpful blank. He wanted desperately to go back to sleep, but even with Mikasa's unspoken support, his mind was far too busy dwelling on the future to allow for any rest at the present.
Armin resigned himself with a sigh to staring at the holes in the ceiling for the rest of the night, watching as the dark sky grew light with streaks of gray and blue.
Evidentially the boy had managed to doze off sometime during the day as he was jostled awake by an overexcited Eren. Armin slowly pried his eyes open, blinking in slow confusion at his friend's bright, expectant expression hovering over him.
What is Eren doing…? Are we—Armin glanced towards the warm light and blue sky filtering in through the hole in the roof—we're going to be late for work! The blond bolted upright, nearly colliding with Eren's forehead.
"We're going to be late for work, Eren," Armin rushed loudly, scrambling to detangle himself from his strangling blanket.
Eren laughed once and then frowned slightly when he realized his friend was still frazzled. "Relax, Armin."
Armin froze and glanced up and down at his friend. The blond's parted mouth dropped in shock when he noticed what the brunet was wearing. His eyebrows knitted into a classic expression of confusion.
"Eren…" Armin breathed, eyeing the crisp white pants of the King's navy uniform. Eren smugly pulled on his tan jacket, exposing the olive undershirt and blue patch of wings unique only to the Freedom. Faded leather straps wrapped around the boy's calves and thighs, leaving indentations in the white fabric and squeezing his slender flesh slightly. Although nothing was attached to the straps, Armin had a feeling that these bands were where the famous Freedom Wings connected.
"We went to see Captain Erwin this morning to tell him that we want to join the Freedom," the brunet continued enthusiastically. "He even gave us each a pair of the Wing straps," he gushed. "Although we probably won't get to use them for a while," he added, showing a faint hint of disappointment for the first time that morning.
Mikasa entered from a side room, wearing a similar outfit as the one worn by her adoptive brother. Her inseparable red scarf hung limply around her neck; she would never part with it even if it violated the uniform code. Her gray eyes meet Armin's blue orbs for a moment, but she said nothing about the latter's ordeal the previous night. If anything, she still looked slightly dissatisfied with the turn of events and her sudden recruitment on the legendary Freedom.
"We wanted to wake you up too, but Mikasa said you were tired and needed the rest," Eren continued. Armin felt a slight flush trickle into his cheeks as he glanced away from his friends.
"Anyway, Captain Erwin was really excited that we said yes, so he gave us each a uniform to change into before boarding the Freedom officially. We got yours too," Eren offered, holding out a bundled package towards the blond.
At the boy's words, Armin's gaze snapped towards the parcel. He struggled to his feet and carefully pulled the parcel from Eren's outstretched grip. The white fabric on top felt soft and clean against Armin's dirty hands and gnawed fingernails. His fingers curled instinctively into the fabric and immediately he felt like he was making the right decision.
"Hurry up and get changed, Armin," Eren tried to sound annoyed by his friend's gawking, but he was obviously just as giddy as the blond. "Captain Erwin wanted us on the ship by noon." Armin looked up and nodded, retreating to a corner in the back of the shack to change into the new uniform.
He slipped on each article of clothing slowly, savoring the soft rush of the clean, silky fabric against his bare skin. The foreign feeling of indulgence and the boy's lack of sleep made the entire situation seem surreal. The boy was rather disappointed when he rummaged through his new uniform for the Wing straps and found nothing.
No Wings…? I suppose I wouldn't need them…because I won't be on the deck.
As the boy brushed his fingertips against the white of his uniform pants, he still felt upset that he was the one denied the famous Wings of the Freedom, since he was the one who was most interested by their creation and function. He quickly banished the selfish, self-pitying thoughts from his mind and reached down to pull on the last part of the uniform.
He slipped on the tan jacket, at first seeing nothing unique about it in comparison to the ones worn by Mikasa and Eren. His fingers strayed absently across the collar of his undershirt, trying to fix a wrinkle from Eren's messy handling, when his pinky scraped against something cool and metallic. Armin froze and glanced down to see what he hit, noting a tiny, silver badge pinned to his jacket's lapel.
The badge of the navigator.
The boy gaped down at the tiny representation of a compass rose and his fingers strayed back up subconsciously to absorb every detail of the pin with light, gentle stroke. He had seen this symbol once before in his grandfather's old things from his days before settling down as a mapmaker. He could hardly believe Captain Erwin would already give him this before he even knew Armin's skills, but the boy was flattered and honored nonetheless. Suddenly he felt an overwhelming weight settle heavily on his shoulders—a far greater weight that he had expected. Even though he doubted Captain Erwin would give him immediate power of navigation, it was incredibly likely that in a few years he could be the ship's official navigator.
"Are you done yet, Armin?" Eren's loud whine broke the blond from his thoughts.
Armin jumped and backed quickly out of the corner. He dropped his fingers from the pin and brushed them casually against the rough, canvas fabric of his new jacket.
"I'm ready to go, Eren," the blond smiled faintly and made his way towards the door. Mikasa, who was already standing in the doorframe, nodded politely at her friend. Eren trailed behind the youngest teen and paused in the threshold.
"We might never come back, y'know?" he offered solemnly. Armin blinked, startled by the surprisingly somber statement that originated from the brunet's typical never-look-back mindset.
Mikasa nodded again, neither particularly excited nor upset. Armin thought it expressed their collective feelings rather well. He wouldn't have called the shack they inhabited home per say, but it was still all they had after the pirates invaded. He supposed leaving behind their former life was just another step in a new, different direction.
Eren's uncertain frown suddenly broke into a wide grin. "Are we ready to go then?"
The others nodded their agreement and the three of them left the shack for the last time.
"Oh—I forgot to tell Shadis I was leaving…"
Armin wasn't sure what he was expecting when they approached the Freedom for the first time in broad daylight, but it certainly wasn't what he saw. All three of the teens stumbled to a jarring halt, gazes traveling in unison across the barnacled hull, barely rising from the shimmering, brackish water of the massive dock. Gulls flapped precariously around the impossibly tall masts, screeching amidst their daring aerial assaults. Massive, white sails billowed gently in the sweet, salty air, creating soft whoosh sounds with each breath of wind. A low, content chatter sounded disjointedly from around the main deck and along the dangling ropes, provided by a wide variety of sailors garbed identically to the stunned trio. Even more uniformed men and women ran along the lengths of the dock, dragging and rolling crates and barrels of supplies onto the ship. Even Mikasa looked appropriately overwhelmed by the busy sight.
"Woah," Eren breathed, the first to break the awed silence between the three of them.
A loud bang exploded above their heads and the two boys cringed at the sight of a flailing human only a few dozen meters above them. Armin felt a terrified shout built within his throat, but in a burst of smoke and a triumphant cry, the squirming figure twisted sharply in the air and was drug away by hissing, vibrating coils. Immediately the sailor was darting back around the high sails, using the mast and supporting beams as anchors before landing in the tallest of the crow nests.
"The Wings," the blond whispered reverently. That was the first time any of them had seen the famed device in action and they were not disappointed.
"I can't wait until I get to use them too," Eren agreed in the same hushed murmur. Armin wished for the second time that morning that the same leather straps were worn around his legs too.
"Eren? Mikasa? Armin?"
The three turned at the sound of their names. A smiling young woman with ginger hair waved at them from a nearby dock port. "That is who you are, I presume?"
Eren nodded, taking the role of the leader for the three of them. "Yes," he affirmed.
The woman's smile broadened. "Wonderful! The captain's description of you fit perfectly. Please follow me—oh, wait. My name is Petra," she extended her hand out to the trio. "When Levi told me to find you, I just knew you must have been really special for Captain Erwin to want to take you on as recruits." The woman paused again and uncertainty flickered across her pretty features. "I also want to apologize if the first-mate said anything…offensive to any of you. He can be a bit blunt, but he means well," she smiled winningly again.
A large, ringing bell echoed from somewhere within the ship and immediately the chatter onboard exploded into more excited shouting and calling. The ship was soon ready to set off.
Petra glanced back over her shoulder and then returned her bright stare back to the gathered teens before her. "We better get on board before they leave without us," she added cheerfully. "Levi told me to 'get your mops' immediately," she rolled her eyes good-naturedly, "but I'm sure a tour of the Freedom wouldn't hurt first." Her gaze landed on Armin. "But I think the Captain wanted you to meet Hanji first," the young woman smiled weakly. "You'll get along well, I think."
Armin smiled uncertainly, wondering just how mad this "Hanji" was to cause other people to be so anxious.
Although he had only gotten the briefest of tours as Petra guided them to Hanji's quarters below deck, Armin's head was spinning at all of the chaos around him. He was already positive that he would enjoy spending nights outside just watching the mechanisms of the ship work while everyone else slept. It seemed like the only time when he could ever find some peace and solitude. Petra dropped him off in front of the darkened door and waved apologetically as she and Armin's best friends continued walking down the candlelit corridor.
Eren caught his friend's blue gaze and smiled reassuringly. "We'll find you later tonight—I promise!"
Armin nodded and returned the smile weakly. "Have fun," he responded.
Eren waved one more time as his blond friend before the three disappeared around the corner. Armin could still hear snatches of their conversation for a moment before the disjointed whispers and laughs finally died away.
It's now or never. The blond took a deep breath and slowly brought his knuckles to the cool door and rapped them lightly against the smooth surface. The knock echoed through the room without a reply and for a moment Armin was afraid he would be forced to stand there, waiting for someone who wasn't actually there. He was about to knock again when a frenzied shout and a hurried scrabble sounded from within the room. Armin lowered his fist and waited another tense moment before the deadbolt slid away and the door was wrenched open by a wide-eyed, frazzled sailor with thick glasses.
"Ehh? Who are you?"
"Armin Arlert," the blond responded nervously. The technician before him seemed sane, although he couldn't be completely sure based on preliminary contact.
"Armin Arlert…?"
"Captain Erwin told me to find you because of my navigation skills…?" he answered back uncertainly. Suddenly, he was struck with a horrible realization that this person before him might not actually be Hanji Zoe.
The person blinked sluggishly and then a wide smile spread across the technician's features. "Of course! Of course! He said you knew how to work these blasted things," Hanji stepped away from the door, revealing a room full of complicated instruments. Armin knew each dial and sextant by name. Armin followed the inventor hesitantly in the room, the latter of whom sweeping a disinterested and frustrated arm over the gathered instruments.
"I'm not a trained navigator," Armin started slowly. "But I am familiar with the basic principles. My grandfather taught me years ago," he finished pathetically, mashing his lips firmly together.
"I feel like we've been rowing in circles with my help," Hanji chuckled lowly and Armin felt a weak smile creep back across his lips. "Anything's better than that." The technician frowned, sadness momentarily dulling the elder's bright, inquisitive gaze. Armin was again reminded of the role he was filling and the former navigator he was replacing. He felt the urge to reach for his pin, but he didn't want to draw attention to it just in case it brought forth any bad memories for the veteran sailor. For all he knew, the silver emblem pinned to his lapel could have been the sole remaining artifact from his murdered predecessor.
Hanji hummed loudly and turned back to the papers scattered on top of a heavy, aged desk. Armin took the technician's action as a sign of their conservation being politely over and he was free to do as he wished. Armin strayed back towards the instruments, reaching out to adjust one of the tools thrown haphazardly in the pile. It appeared as if Hanji hadn't even bothered to separate even the navigational tools from the charting tools.
He had a lot of work to do.
Armin had been so consumed by his organization and cataloging that he was finally torn from his work when the last of the candles finally sputtered out. Armin jumped and glanced up sharply, staring sightlessly in the dark room. He was alone—he vaguely remembered saying goodbye to Hanji a few hours ago—and he could barely see his own hand when he waved it in front of his wide eyes.
Oh no… The boy suppressed the urge to groan out loud. His first night on the Freedom and he was already trapped in a dark room below the ship deck.
"Armin…?"
The blond jumped again and banged his elbow against the table, causing his carefully sorted instruments to clatter to the floor. Armin dropped to his knees and fumbled around in the dark, scrambling to catch the escaping ball bearings before they rolled under the furniture.
"Armin? Are you there?" Armin could see the barest flash of yellow candle light underneath the doorjamb.
The blond smacked the back of his head on the table. "Ow! Eren…? In here." He reached up and rubbed the pulsing injury gingerly.
The cabin door squealed open and Eren's grinning, illuminated face appeared in the threshold. "Glad I found you." The brunet paused and studied his blond friend, huddled under the table with one hand pressed to the back of his head. "Why are you on the floor…in the dark?"
Armin carefully maneuvered out from underneath the table and dropped his retrieved instruments back on the table. "The candles went out," he murmured embarrassedly. "I dropped things and tried to pick them up," he finished with a weak shrug.
Eren's grin widened and he turned back towards the door. "Come on—there's something we have to see. Mikasa's already waiting for us."
Armin followed slowly, wondering what could have possibly made Eren so excited. He was already on the ship of his dreams—anything better and Armin feared his friend would explode from overjoy.
Along the way, the brunet chattered excitedly about how both he and Mikasa were able to try on a pair of Wings. Armin listened enviously as Eren described the sight of Mikasa balancing gracefully in the air. However, when Armin prompted Eren on his attempt with the Wings, the brunet fell sullen and quiet and refused to divulge any more details.
Eager to keep his friend talking, Armin asked about the rest of Eren's day. The taller teen enthusiastically explained his new duty on the ship. Temporarily, he was in charge of keep the deck scrubbed, though he was optimistic that a promotion was in the future. Already he and Mikasa had met a large number of teens close to their age who had also managed to be recruited similarly by Captain Erwin. Armin blinked, startled by the simple notion of meeting new people. Self-confined in the tiny, overcrowded room, Armin had only had a brief conversation with Hanji and that was the extent of his social interactions for that day.
"You can probably meet them tomorrow or maybe tonight," Eren continued. "We're all bunking together." He continued to rattle on about each individual, painting detailed, quirky images of each new crewmember in Armin's exhausted mind. In particular, the brunet seemed particularly fixated on another sailor who went by the name Jean Kirschstein.
"You wouldn't believe how arrogant he was…" Eren rambled. Armin nodded along with a faint smile, trying to memorize each door and corner they turned down while traversing the candlelit corridor. He was grateful for Eren's presence, as he doubted he could navigate the ship's underbelly himself.
Finally the two reached the doors that they had entered the hull earlier that day. Eren pushed open the heavy door with a grunt and ushered Armin up the final steps to the outside air.
The teen gasped the moment the salty wind ruffled his thick blond hair. He craned his neck to see above him, relishing the deep smell of salt and wood as it assaulted his olfactory senses. The sky above him was scattered with glimmering diamonds encased in an ebony blanket.
"The ocean…" the boy breathed, wandering dazedly to the cool, salt-crusted railing of the ship. He gently wrapped his lithe fingers around the wood and breathed deeply again through his nose. Mikasa, who had been standing nearby, casually crossed towards the two, wearing a faint smile. Armin opened his previously closed eyes and surveyed the dark, tossing waves before him, catching glints of starlight reflected in each slosh of water. Accompanied by the scent and sight of the wide sea, Armin now could feel the gentle rock of the Freedom, but below the ship's deck, he hadn't even been conscious of its initial departure. The entire situation was mesmerizing, magical.
Armin knew it was pathetic, but he could feel a slight moisture welling up in his eyes and obscuring his vision. He was finally at sea.
Thank you so much for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing! You guys are awesome! Like I said, definite action next chapter. Most likely some AruAni interaction next, next chapter.
