Their hotel in Sicily was right next to the beach. It was inevitable that they would spend the day at said beach where the sand was comfortably warm and where the water was crystal clear in the lovely shade of sapphire. The many structures and buildings such as tiny and quaint cafes and boutique shops. They were like marble stones and brick boxes decorating the perimeter of the beach. Specks of greenery bloomed across the landscape like glitter particles in vibrant cosmetics. It was then that Eren decided his favourite colour was blue; he adored the way the water was an ombre that went from teal to indigo to cobalt, and how the aerial blanket of blue above him was a mirror reflection of the ocean stretched out below it like an endless plane of that magnificent colour.
Eren laid down in the water where he was shallow enough for his head to not be engulfed by the gentle pushes and caresses of the ocean. He stared up at the cerulean sheet above and the blazing sphere of heat that accompanied it. The warm water surrounding him embraced him like an old friend and for a fleeting moment, he thought perhaps in another life he belonged in the deep depths of the ocean with the other sea creatures. The calm breeze sang into his ears like a nostalgic lullaby as his eyelids fluttered closed. He was at ease with himself and everything in his life. Mikasa and Armin were next to him on either side, except they only had this feet and bottoms in the water while his parents sat behind them on expensive- looking lounge chairs that the hotel provided for their guests. Children played and laughed in the water, making him recall his days as a child when his parents would take long drives to the beach to satisfy his urge to collect baby crabs and ancient shells. Even in this heated whether Mikasa was somehow wearing her favourite red scarf, but it added a pop of colour to plain black bikini. Armin wore the matching swim trunks Eren had purchased for the both of them in the past as a joke.
"He would have loved this," he whispered to himself, subconsciously.
"Who?" Mikasa asked softly, enjoying the view and the calm of the atmosphere as well.
"My boyfriend," Eren said boldly. It wouldn't do harm to reveal the gender of his lover.
"Explain," Armin urged.
"I remember," Eren began as he curled and uncurled his toenails before burying them in the sand. "He once climbed this very unstable and old tower- like structure just to admire the sunset. You know when the colours blend and mesh? He loves that, but I feel like he would love the sun during the daytime too."
"Why doesn't he just go outside them? It's always there," Mikasa said, almost annoyed.
"He's afraid," Eren murmured. He wasn't answering her question. More like speaking to himself.
"Of what?" Armin squeaked.
"It's funny because he is the bravest soul I've ever come across in my life, but he had this irrational fear of being judged too quickly. He'll go out in crowded areas dense with people but will struggle when someone approaches to talk to him, and I think it's sad because he's lovely. As if the word lovely was created for him and him only," Eren blabbered on. Perhaps he was talking about Levi too much. But he couldn't help it, he was his most favoured topic. "And he's so kind. He does nice gestures the way people breathe; every second. You both know how annoying I can be, and he would grab me closer even after I have a tantrum. And I don't know how loving me can be so easy for him when I'm so complicated."
"He sounds wonderful," Mikasa told him. "I want to meet him one day.
Armin looked over at her nervously.
"One day," Eren agreed.
"I'd like to meet him too. He really does sound like he's a nice guy after all," Armin piped in.
