That night in the barracks, Armin was forced to endure one of the coldest nights of his life thus far. Winter had set in two weeks ago, bringing with it a near-constant deluge of snow. The trainees were all doing their best to keep warm, utilizing the blankets that had been given to them to provide comfort throughout the unending chill of the season. Unfortunately for Armin, his small stature was highly susceptible to the cold air, and the blanket failed to trap in the meager amount of body heat he managed to exert. Every night, he found himself shivering, despite his attempts to conserve his body heat by curling in on himself and wrapping the sheets around his frame.
This night went like any other, with Armin wishing for at least another blanket for comfort. His thoughts drifted to a peaceful time, years ago when he was still with his parents and grandfather back in Shinganshina. Back then, he never needed to worry about the bleak chill of winter; his family always had warm clothing and blankets to spare. Thinking about his lost family and home caused Armin to shake not just from the cold, but with the old grief that he had done his best to bury during his training. His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden warm touch of a hand on his forehead, the newcomer worryingly asking:
"Armin? What's wrong?"
Armin looked up to see Reiner looking down at him with evident concern. The older male was shirtless, his powerful bulk exposed for the world to see. Armin sniffled and tried his best to put on a smile.
"Hi Reiner. I'm fine" he lied in barely a whisper, not wanting to share his sorrow with his friend, out of fear that doing so would allow the tears he was fighting to hold back flow freely.
Reiner frowned and kneeled by Armin's face, looking right into Armin's light blue eyes with a firm gaze that made the smaller boy feel quite uncomfortable.
"Don't lie to me, Armin. You're on the verge of tears. And you're freezing!" the gigantic blonde muttered in alarm as he placed his hand on Armin's cheek, trying to give him comfort for the sorrow he knew was there, whatever it might be for.
Reiner reached down and gently took Armin into his arms, holding him in a tight embrace. Armin gasped in shock as he registered how warm Reiner's torso was, in stark contrast with the iciness of his body. He decided that it was pointless to protest Reiner's attempts to comfort him, knowing that it was a part of his nature to look out for his companions to such a degree. Armin sighed, wrapped his arms around Reiner's massive body and laid his head on his shoulder, enjoying the newfound heat.
The two of them held each other for what seemed like hours to Armin, though he subconsciously knew that only minutes were passing by. He admitted to himself that the physical comfort Reiner was giving him was soothing, as the older boy stroked his back with his massive hands that almost completely covered Armin's back with their size.
"Please, Armin," Reiner begged after a few more minutes of silence, "tell me what's wrong. I want to do whatever I can to ease your sadness. And don't you dare lie to me again and say that you aren't upset over something. I can see it in your eyes, I can feel it in your entire body. You're holding back a lot of grief, and you need to let it go before it consumes you. Please, just tell me what's wrong."
Armin gave in, knowing that he could trust Reiner with his emotions, and whispered "I miss my family...and my home."
Reiner felt a pang of agony for the small boy, and held him closer to his body. "I'm so sorry Armin" he said, remembering that terrible day years ago when he and his lifelong friend had caused so much death and destruction, chaos that lead to the death of thousands of innocents. Reiner pushed his guilt down into his subconscious, focusing on comforting Armin as best he could.
His eyebrows shot up in shock as he felt Armin start to shake in his arms. Reiner could only watch as Armin leaned back to gaze up into his strong face, revealing the twin shimmering rivers flowing from his eyes, illuminated by the moonlight from the window to their right.
"I couldn't save my parents," Armin choked out as his tears fell quicker and thicker. "I could only run for my life as our town was overrun by the titans. They told me to flee with grandpa, and he didn't let me refuse. He carried me away, running as fast as he could, away from the massacre happening all around us. I never saw my parents again."
Reiner gazed into Armin's face with amber eyes filled with pity, and deep regret for the horror that he was partly responsible for. He stroked Armin's cheeks, wiping away the tears as they came, while Armin continued to unveil his deep grief.
"And my grandpa...he was killed along with the other refugees in that attempt to retake Wall Maria. They were all sent to their deaths, by the people who were supposed to look after us. They were all massacred for the sake of removing the surplus in the population. My family was destroyed by the greedy hunger of the titans, and the cold indifference of the humans in power."
"All I can do is try to survive through training, so that I can join Eren and Mikasa in fighting back. I try as hard as I possibly can to not let the sorrows of my past distract me, because I don't have the time to show my weakness to others."
With that, Armin collapsed onto Reiner's huge chest, sniffling as the remnants of his sadness ebbed out of him. Reiner let him lay there, as he stroked the small boy's back with one hand and softly ruffled his hair with the other. He felt deep compassion for his friend, and took a small amount of satisfaction from knowing that Armin was being soothed by his efforts.
Reiner softly whispered Armin's name, and slipped a finger under the younger boy's chin, gently lifting it up so that Armin was looking into his eyes once more. Armin's tears were starting to dry, and his eyes were red from his weeping. Reiner wanted to do whatever he possibly could to ensure that his friend would never experience this level of grief ever again. But for now, he would focus on helping him get through this bout of sadness.
"Never be ashamed to shed tears over lost loved ones Armin," Reiner said as Armin continued to gaze into his amber eyes, "it's only human."
Armin nodded and let his gaze sink down as he shyly admitted "I know. I just don't want to drag others down with me."
Reiner knew that feeling, and he despised it. He hated having to hide his thoughts and feelings from others for their sake.
There was one more thing he wanted to do, to completely erase all traces of Armin's sadness from his mind. Reiner gently lifted Armin up so that he was right in front of his face, bent forward, and kissed him on the mouth. He took Armin by surprise, but to his pleasure, the small boy didn't protest or fight back. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Reiner's neck and kissed him back as passionately as he could.
Reiner's lips were strong and warm, just like the rest of his body. He was so gentle with his kissing, refusing to overpower Armin, wanting his kiss to comfort him rather than serve as a way to feed on his passions. They kissed for several seconds, before Armin giggled and stopped to breath. Reiner took that as the sign to stop. The two of them smiled sheepishly at each other, Armin no longer haunted by his grief.
"You're a great kisser, Reiner," Armin told him, still chuckling slightly, "I wish I had discovered that sooner."
Reiner smirked and replied "I'm available anytime, anyplace, baby." He asked Armin in a much more serious tone, "Do you feel better now?"
Armin gave Reiner a loving smile that filled Reiner with a joyous feeling that he had nearly forgotten after years of hardship, and said "Thanks to you, I feel at peace, and I haven't been at peace in so long. Thank you so much, Reiner."
"Of course, buddy," Reiner whispered affectionately, ruffling Armin's hair. "Will you be able to get some sleep tonight?"
The small boy sighed and muttered "Well, I could, if I could just get another blanket to keep me warm. It's so cold, I count myself lucky if I manage to ignore it and drift off to sleep."
Reiner realized that Armin had been suffering alone all these nights, and nobody had bothered to step up and help him. Still filled with that wonderful feeling, Reiner hugged Armin again and told him lovingly, "I'll be your extra blanket tonight, and on any other night that you need somebody to keep you warm."
Armin giggled and nodded. With that, Reiner yanked back the sheets, placed Armin carefully back on his bed, and laid himself on top of the smaller boy so that he was covering him but not crushing him. Their faces were right next to each other's, both of them blushing profusely. Armin wrapped his arms around Reiner's immense torso as the older male wrapped the sheets around them, and placed his arms underneath Armin's tiny body, holding him close so that he would receive as much warmth as possible.
That night in the barracks, Armin was warm. Warm with Reiner's body heat, and warm with a love that he thought he would never experience. The two of them quickly fell asleep, protecting each other from the cold. When the other boys woke up the following morning, they would find the two blondes still locked in each other's arms and deep asleep, smiling contently and ignorant to the confusion of their peers.