Metamorphosis

Chapter 10

It occurred to me, as Armin reached the bar in a flurry of excitement, that I was rushing into this blind. I had no prior experience as a dancer, and I didn't have the slightest clue about performing in front of a crowd. Even though I knew these things before I agreed to go up in the cage, it hadn't hit home until right now. What was I going to do once I was hovering above hundreds of people? Although the thought of having Eren handcuffed and at my mercy was tempting, it wasn't going to solve the problem of me being unable to shake my hips without dying internally. I wasn't cut out for this type of thing, yet I still found myself climbing over the counter to join Armin and Jean on the other side of the bar. No matter what I was feeling, I wouldn't let myself back down from this, not after Mikasa announced that there would be two male dancers out tonight.

As I attempted to appear confident, ready for anything that could be thrown my way, Armin reached out and grabbed the front of my top. I looked down at his hands just as he brought them apart, ripping my shirt wide open with the harsh action. "Armin, what the hell?" I squeaked in surprise, staring at my exposed chest.

He paid no attention to the question, simply demanded, "Take off the chaps."

"What?" Now I was alarmed.

"They're too restricting. You won't be able to dance in them. Now take them off. We don't have a lot of time to work with here. Eren's already up on stage."

It was the one thing he could've said to get me to move. Swallowing down my embarrassment, I removed my shoes in order to get the leather chaps off. When I was free of them, my legs bare for all to see, I put the boots back on and said, "That doesn't explain why you tore my shirt."

"That was to tease Eren. He's already going crazy. Just wait until he sees you now." He took the chaps from me and tossed them to Marco. "Take care of those for me, hun"

"Sure thing," Marco said.

With a smile that could brighten the darkest room, Armin took my hand and pulled me into a swarm of strangers. Jean was right in front of us, shoving people aside if they so much as stretched out their hands in an attempt to touch either Armin or me. I was stunned by his strength. I really shouldn't have been. He was Eren's right-hand man, the person Mikasa called whenever there was any trouble with drunken patrons, and now that I saw him in action, that came as no surprise. With him guiding us through the crowd, I felt relatively safe in my almost nonexistent jean shorts. But even that couldn't quell the panic that was threatening to surface.

The closer we got to the stage, the heavier my legs became. It felt like someone had tied bags of sand to my ankles, making it nearly impossible to walk. I knew it was all in my head, but I couldn't shake the feeling. In fact, if Armin weren't holding my hand in a near death grip, I would've slinked off by now. I needed time to regroup, to rethink this whole situation, but just as my panic reached its peak, I saw Eren on stage and everything fell away, suddenly unimportant. Seeing him gave me immediate relief, because I knew that he wouldn't let me fail at this; neither would Armin.

"There's your man!" Armin yelled loud enough to get Eren's attention. His multicolored eyes found mine in the crowd, and a stunning smile lifted the corners of his mouth. I never felt more proud to claim someone as my boyfriend before. I even found the courage to wink at him, which made his smile grow wider.

After a while of Jean fussing around, he cleared an area in front of the stage. He kept it that way until Eren leaned forward and offered me his hand. I grabbed onto it and let him hoist me onto the stage. He sent out menacing vibes to the people who pawed at my legs, but still they kept on touching. One guy even managed to snag my thigh in his sweaty hand, but Jean was quick to grab him by the shoulder, tightening his grip until the man grimaced and released me.