Once they're in Eren's bedroom and everyone else is sequestered away for the night, Armin realizes that it's the first time he and Eren been alone since Stohess. It sends a fresh wave of relief flooding through him; after everything that's happened, Armin is desperately grateful to have Eren near, uninterrupted.
"I really missed you," Eren is the first to say, pulling Armin into a tight embrace.
Armin immediately wraps his arms around Eren's waist in response, burying his face in the brunette's neck. Eren is warm and firm, and he smells of soap and the smoke of a crackling bonfire. He can even feel Eren's pulse fluttering against his lips where they touch his neck.
It's all proof that Eren is wonderfully, blissfully alive.
"I missed you too, Eren," Armin mumbles, squeezing him tighter. "I thought we - I - almost lost you."
Eren pulls back from Armin then to look him in the eye, hands resting on the blonde's upper arms. "Hey now," he says, tone light. He smiles, just a small one, even though Armin can see the spectres of worry and fear lurking behind his gaze.
I must look the same way to him, Armin thinks. He shakes his head to clear his thoughts.
"You're right," Armin says, his own lips quirking up briefly. He presses himself up against Eren again. "Let's talk about something else."
The conversation dies there despite Armin's prompting; he knows it's because there's nothing else to talk about. This fight against the Titans is their entire life and every waking moment is devoted to it. So instead Armin just stands with Eren, clinging to him as their hearts beat together in unison.
Eren's fingers find the soft, fine hair at the nape of Armin's neck, resting there, and Armin's breath puffs out hot in a sigh. Tonight, he feels especially world-weary, as if the universe, in all its infinity, is weighing down on him. His head is full, his heart aches, and all Armin wants is for it to stop. Just for a little while, at the very least, but even that may be asking too much.
Armin feels, more than hears, when Eren abruptly murmurs his name. "Hmm?" he replies.
"Sleep in here tonight?"
Eren phrases it as a question, but Armin knows it's really a statement: I don't want to be alone right now.
He doesn't want to be either.
"Yeah," Armin answers simply. He pulls away from Eren's warmth to look at him head on. Moonlight filters through the flimsy curtains hanging over the bedroom window, bringing Eren's features into sharp relief. In this light, Eren's skin is pale but his eyes are bright, piercing even; he looks as haunted as Armin feels.
Armin begins to undress first, gently undoing the buttons of his shirt. He shrugs it off and lets it fall to the floor, crumpled. Eren has no nightstand so, even if he folded it, it would end up on the floor anyway. As Armin toes off his shoes, Eren follows suit in disrobing, pulling off his own shirt to toss it on top of Armin's.
There are no secrets between them, so Armin doesn't need to hide as he watches Eren's pants slide off his hips to pool around his ankles. Eren is all lean, tightly-wound muscle, his strength clearly visible to anyone who cares to look. It's only one of the many things Armin has long admired about him.
Down to his underwear, Armin crawls into Eren's bed and under the blankets, situating himself close to the wall. He holds an arm up and Eren climbs in beside him, scooting close and pressing his face into the crook of his neck. The bed is small, barely a twin, but with their arms wrapped around each other and their legs all tangled up, they fit neatly enough. Armin exhales; sandwiched between the wall and Eren's embrace, he finally feels safe.
Eren rubs the tip of his nose against Armin's throat. "You smell good," he says, shifting so that his palm lays flat against the blonde's back. "You always smell good. Like, I don't know, dirt. Earth. Is that weird?"
Eren looks up at Armin then, catching his gaze. His expression is a mix of sheepishness and curiosity.
Armin makes a soft, amused sound in response. "A little," he says. "I don't mind, though."
Eren smiles, more genuine this time. He shifts back into his original position and presses an open-mouthed kiss to Armin's neck. "Good."
His breath ruffles Eren's hair as he exhales with a small shiver, "Eren…"
"Yeah?" Eren murmurs, purposely touching his lips to Armin's throat again as he speaks.
Armin shivers again; he can't help it. Eren's lips are dry and smooth and feel good against his skin, and it's been something like forever since they've been this close. He has the sudden realization that, after tonight, it may be another eternity before they're able to be like this again. That thought stings like salt on a wound and Armin pushes it out of his mind forcefully, though the hurt lingers. He scoots down so that he's eye-level with Eren and touches their foreheads together.
Their breaths mingle as they watch each other silently. So many of their conversations are like this; expressed in glances and stares, idle touches and stolen moments. Armin closes the short distance between them and presses their lips together, gently, slowly at first. He has no intentions of rushing things, but Eren opens up to him like spring in bloom and all of their built up emotion, the things left unsaid, comes pouring out into the connection of their mouths.
Eren's sudden intensity leaves Armin breathless, like a punch in the gut, the wet, sloppy sounds of their mouths loud in his ears. Eren rolls on top of him and he puts up no resistance, all too happy to welcome the sensation of Eren's weight bearing down on him. Armin tangles his fingers in Eren's hair, Eren's elbows bracket his head, and like this he can hold on to him, let his moans be swallowed up by him as they kiss, and kiss, until they're both panting and Armin feels like his body is going to shake apart with the force of his desire.
Armin's lips tingle madly, feeling tender and bruised, when they finally break apart. He's hard in his shorts and Eren is too, if he's is to judge by the thick length nestled up against his own. Eren presses his heated cheek to Armin's, breaths coming fast, and Armin feels his cock twitch hard just from that simple touch.
He slides his palms up and down Eren's back, reveling in the brunette's warmth, the feel of his skin, smooth and unmarred in spite of all of the different injuries he's sustained. Armin often finds himself in awe of Eren and this time is no different; he's amazed, absolutely, at everything about him. For a moment, despite his arousal, Armin thinks he could be okay just like this, with Eren pressing hot up against him but Eren is shuddering on top of him, his hips jerking involuntarily in response to his touches, and that's enough to make Armin want more.
"Armin…" Eren's voice comes out low and husky. It makes his cock twitch again and Armin can't help but rub himself against Eren with a soft moan, heat pooling heavy in his groin when he does.
"Do you wanna? Like this," Eren murmurs, punctuating his statement by rolling his hips down, rubbing his cock against Armin's own. Oh.
Armin hadn't let himself think of this much before, too focused on survival, on just being able to see Eren again, and now, now.
"Yes," Armin answers breathily, gripping Eren tight as he rocks up again, shockwaves of pleasure zipping up his spine.
He can feel Eren trembling against him, short, breathy gasps being pulled out of the brunette with every touch. It's good, more than good, and Armin feels like his body is slipping out of his control in the wake of the sudden, dire longing welling up inside of him. Armin searches out Eren's mouth, sealing their lips hotly together once more as he bucks up against him. He thrusts his tongue into Eren's mouth and Eren sucks on it greedily, desperately, grinding himself down against Armin.
The worn mattress creaks underneath them with the force of it and Armin moans, breaking their kiss. His orgasm comes up on him before he's ready and he's blindsided by the intensity of it, his fingers digging into Eren's back as he rides it out, hips stuttering.
He hears his name fall from Eren's lips, muffled by the blood rushing in his ears, and then Eren's slumping against him bonelessly, face pressed into his neck. His crotch is a damp mess and Eren is heavier than he has any right to be, but the last thing Armin wants to do is move away.
Tomorrow is full of questions he can't answer and here, wrapped up in Eren, even if only briefly, he's safe.
So he doesn't.