Chapter Text
PROLOGUE
The water is alive, like a monster. Once you dive in, it bares its teeth and attack. But there’s nothing to fear. Don’t give in to the water. Don’t struggle. Fight back. Thrust your fingers like blades through the surface, and carve an opening across its skin. Slide your body through that opening. Fly swiftly across the stream. Move your arms, your head, your chest, ...
Watching Eren forcefully swim his way through the water, Mikasa quietly murmurs to herself, “His swimming always looks so powerful.”
“Yep, but Eren looks so happy in the water. Like a dolphin.” Armin cheerfully replies.
“A monster dolphin, maybe. A titan dolphin.”
“That doesn’t make sense, Mikasa.”
“The way Eren swims doesn’t make sense, Armin.”
A boy about their age or younger gracefully steps up to the starting block, scowling and muttering darkly as he wipes at his goggles with his fingers. “Shit. They’re dirty .”
“Who’s that, Armin?”
“I’m not sure. I think his name is Levi. He transferred into our swim class last week.”
Apparently unsatisfied but no longer willing to care about the smudges on his goggles, Levi swiftly dives in moments after Eren slows at a turn, immediately catching up to him with sleek movements. They both pick up speed, unconsciously racing one another. Eren, albeit a little stiff at turns, is strong with his powerful kicks and long strides, but Levi, even with his small stature, somehow possesses a deadly grace that allows him to cut through the water like air. They both make a quick burst towards the end, where Mikasa waits for Eren with a hand.
“Nobody can beat you when you're in the water, Eren.”
“You don’t have to help me, Mikasa. I can help myself up.” Eren sulkily replies, even as he takes her hand.
“That was so cool, Eren. I want to swim like you.” Armin says.
Levi swims to the edge, and with his goggles off, stares right at Eren. “Not bad.”
“What Levi means to say is, you're an incredibly strong swimmer - as strong as the rumours say.” A rather gangly girl joins in, her goggles still on despite being out of the water. “Eren Yeager, right? What's your time?”
“I don’t care about my time.” Eren quickly spits out.
Easily laughing off his rather unfriendly answer, she goes on. “That’s just like the rumours said too. My name is Hanji, and shortie over there is Levi.”
Apart from an infinitesimal cringe, Levi doesn’t allow himself to react to the name calling, and slowly pulls himself up the edge of the pool, eyes never leaving Eren. Despite being a few inches shorter, Eren feels small under the weight of his stare as Levi leans in and slowly whispers, “Hey, Yeager. Enter the relay with me.”
Eren almost gives in.
“I only do freestyle.” That’s right.
I don’t care about swimming faster times. All I want is to feel the water, with my skin, my eyes, my soul. To never doubt how alive it makes me feel. To fight against the current. To not resist the water, but welcome it. We accept one another. . .
(3 years later)
… yeah right, what crazy shit.
Eren ungracefully comes up for air, his head bursting through the surface of the water, swishing foam and a rubber ducky over the edge of the tub and halfway across the bathroom floor. With his legs hanging off the side of the too small tub, he roughly drags his fingers back and forth through his damp hair. ‘There was some freaky shit going through my head back then.'
‘My late mum used to say ... when you're ten, they call you a titan. When you're fifteen, you're a half titan. Once you hit twenty, you're just plain human. What a titan is, I have no idea. But that's about four more years until I'm just plain human.’
He roughly lets his head fall into the water again. ‘Ah, four more years. I can’t wait to stop fighting.’