Metamorphosis

Chapter 5

"There are ways."

As Armin approached the center of the stage, a metal cage descended from the roof. When he reached it, he grabbed onto the bars, swaying his hips in a way that demanded your immediate attention. He teased the crowd with an innocent smile and opened the cage door with his boot-cladded foot—with his foot! I was so enthralled by his performance that I didn't even notice that there were other, smaller cages being lowered.

"Look," Eren said, pointing to other dancers making their way onto the stage. They were all women in outfits similar to Armin's. "Armin is the only male dancer, so we get quite a bit of men coming in to see him. Club Rose is the one nightclub in this city that offers this kind of entertainment."

Even from where I stood, I could make out the vivid blue of Armin's eyes as his gaze swept over the sea of people occupying the dance floor. He worked the crowd like he owned everyone in the room, his movements never faltering. I couldn't even imagine myself asserting that much confidence at once. Especially when he stepped into the cage and began moving to the music in a way that made me self-conscious. The last thing I saw before the cage rose from the stage was him winking as he twirled a strand of blonde hair around his index finger.

"I can't do that," I declared, matter-of-fact.

"Neither could Armin. Not until Mikasa trained him and whipped him into shape, that is. He was like you when he started this job: very shy and reserved. Now look at him."

I turned my head in disbelief to glance up at Eren's face. "You can't be serious."

"Oh, I am," he said. "You can do this, Levi. You just have to believe you can."

The sound of my name in his throaty voice had me wanting to hop up on the stage right now, but I needed to know something before I even considered going through with this. "What if I don't want to?"

"Then you don't have to. I'm not going to force you to do anything you're uncomfortable with. If this job isn't for you, then that's that." He tapped the side of my glasses with a grin on his lips. "I would still want to date you, though."

"Why?" I asked, honestly curious about what he saw in me. I was sure that he could get anyone he wanted, so why go after someone like me?

The way he looked at me in that instant was enough of an answer for me, but he still replied with, "Because you drive me fucking crazy."

Well, that I could understand, because I felt the same way about him.

When Armin's dance was over, he came and joined us at the bar after Jean escorted him through the crowd that was eager to touch him in some way. The moment he reached us, he plopped down in the empty stool beside mine and took off his knee-high boots with a sigh. He offered them up to Marco as though they had offended him for the last time. Marco took them without question and asked, "Need a drink?"

"An atomic cocktail, please. My feet are killing me."

"One for me, as well," Jean said, taking the seat next to Armin's.

"You're on the clock."

Jean grinned and waggled his eyebrows. "So?"

"You owe me." Marco turned around to make their drinks. When he was finished with them, he set the two glasses down that harbored an amber liquid that for all the world resembled apple juice.

After Armin took a sip of his drink, he turned to face me. His eyes were even bluer this close up and he smelt of something exotic. "You must be Levi."