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He first saw nothing, then he saw everything.
The ocean was vast, so much larger than he had expected. His hair was coming loose from its ponytail, whipping around his face with the gentle breeze. The crashing of water against land both soothed and excited him, his quest clear through the spyglass in his hands. He collapsed the spyglass, glancing at his fellow crewmates.
Mikasa sat with her black hair flowing gently in the breeze, gripping the brim of her hat with one hand to keep it on. She looked more alive than he had seen her in years. Gripping her other hand was Eren, somehow clutching three suitcases in one hand and managing to look ecstatic all the same. They’d both grown a little taller over time.
A tall woman with wide eyes was reviewing their course one final time. He was ever so grateful for her help on this project, and even happier to see those telltale goggles strapped to her head once more. By her side was Levi, having changed almost none since his training days. Perhaps he’d grown an inch or two, but everyone still towered over him much to his dismay.
“Is everything ready?” he asked Hange. “This is a small craft, so it should be easy for us to make sure all the supplies are here.”
“It’s all there,” Levi replies for her. She’s still engrossed in the map.
They set sail to the west, destination unknown but prepared for everything. The five of them have enough provisions for half a year, and with the combined brainpower of Hange and him plus the quick wit of Levi and Mikasa with an added bonus of Eren for their spirits… it would be a fine journey for them all.
Armin couldn’t get enough of the ocean, really. When they first found it, he felt the same spark of hope that he once had when he left the walls for the first time. They took back samples of the sand, of the water, the small animal that they would later come to call a crab. Over the months, they learned this vast ocean had a plentiful stock of fish, a weather pattern of its own creation, and so many peculiar types of coral and bacteria that Hange and he were so overwhelmed with studying the new specimen that they forgot to eat and sleep. It was a normal thing for Hange to pull all-nighters, however Armin soon crashed after the second day of deprivation.
They sailed long into the month, the April sun already beating down on their necks in an uncomfortably warm manner. On one particular night, Armin noticed something different from the rest of the nights. Their first storm was passing, not an awful one but still rain and wind enough for Armin to be wide awake and worried enough to check on his crewmates.
Eren was missing from his bed, prompting him to peek his eye into Mikasa’s room. Sure enough, the two were fast asleep on her bed, his arm curled around her midsection. Armin smiled to himself, shuffling off to the next two rooms.
Curiously, Levi was missing from his bed too. At the end of the hall he saw Hange’s door slightly cracked, weak candlelight spilling from it. The blonde haired boy crept silently towards the room, well aware of the relationship between the two yet unsure of what he would find.
“Fuck, Zoe, this stupid ass ship…” The voice was undeniably Levi’s, but it didn’t sound like his, for it was rougher and thicker than it had ever been.
“Shh, it’s okay, it’s okay. It’s okay, Levi,” Hange’s voice didn’t sound like hers either. It wasn’t frenzied by a new discovery or dead serious over the fate of humanity, but was rather soft and higher than usual.
“I didn’t even want to come on this ship, but I couldn’t let you go alone, but I’m…”
“It’s okay, I know. You’re so silly… but that’s okay too. I love that. And I love you, for coming along even though you’re afraid.”
“I’m so damn sorry…”
Armin made his way back to his room, having heard enough. He felt as if he was intruding on something so private and raw that it would taint it if he were to linger further. The storm carried into the night, and as Armin finally found a comfortable spot on his bed again among the rocking of the waves, he quietly reminded himself to make Levi some tea in the morning.