Maintenance on the Maneuver Gear was so much fun for Armin when he was paired with Marco.

In between the seriousness that was required to properly check the gear after their training, Marco would talk to him about the silliest things. Anything from who accidentally swallowed a bug that day, to Jean running into a bird mid-flight, even stories of the small town that Marco was from.

Those stories were what Armin loved the most. It was exciting, finding out about new places, especially if said place was where one of his close friends grew up.

Marco would always tell those stories last, when their gear was put back together and in working order. Armin would always be tired, the day of training catching up to him after the adrenaline of it all had worn off. They would sit on the floor with their backs against the wall and Marco would let Armin lean into his side, pulling him closer with one arm around the smaller's back.

It was something that Armin never did, not even with Eren and Mikasa. Sure, Eren loved to cuddle and Mikasa would more than gladly accept hugs from 'her babies', but Marco was different. Armin would rest his head on Marco's chest sometime during Marco's storytelling and listen to the rumble of the other's voice.

The rumble and the steady heartbeat would lull Armin into a drowsy sleep until, like always, Jean and Eren would barge into the room looking for them. Sometimes there would be others with them, sometimes it would be just one of them. But the spell on the room would be broken with the loud voices.

They would both give a small sigh of disappointment when it happened, unlike the first time they were caught in that position. The first time Jean and Eren had caught them like that Armin jumped quickly away from Marco's side, leaving the other boy puzzled. Eren had a strange, feral look when he realized how close the two had been, and Jean had laughed, teasing Armin about taking his best friend away.

Armin just stammered on about something before getting up and whispering quietly to Eren. The possessive look had left as Armin talked. He and Marco later figured out that it was just Eren's cautiousness about letting Armin get close to the others because of past experiences that made him glare at Marco for a week afterwards.

As time went on, Eren's glare had gone away and Armin began spending more time with him besides in their small room. During breakfast Armin would sleepily sit down beside Marco and lean on him until he woke up more. Their free time before training was often spent chatting away about different strategies they thought might work against the titans.

But it would always lead back to their quiet little room. It was always the same, even after they graduated. Marco would still tell him the stories, Armin would still curl into his side and listen and try to picture everything. That night was much the same as any other, until Armin spoke up about their upcoming decisions.

"Are you still going to join the Military Police?"

It was a quiet question, almost nonexistent yet deafening loud in the silence that followed. Their maintenance work was over and they were settled against the wall yet again. Armin was even closer to him though, almost sitting in the older's lap. Marco had one arm around him, but his other hand was so close to Armin's, it would take no effort for the smaller to move and twine their fingers together.

Marco bit his lip, contemplating his answer. "I want to. I want to protect the King, but…"

The pause hung heavily in the air, and Armin moved. His hand was small compared to Marco's, but they fit perfectly together. He gave Marco's hand a gentle squeeze as their fingers tangled together, and Marco answered in kind.

"I want to join the Police…but I want to be free too. The walls, it's suffocating. You can't do anything here without everyone knowing about it." Marco looked at their joined hands. "And…the King has enough guards, he doesn't need some kid watching him. I'm in the top ten of our group, why waste that?"

Armin blinked in understanding. "You want to help, to gain freedom yourself."

Marco nodded. "I want to be free, not to hide behind some stupid walls. The Scouting Legion would let me be free. I just…I want to be me."

When Armin moved a second time, Marco moved with him. His hands held the small waist of the boy now straddling his lap. Armin's hands held loosely onto his shoulders as he leaned back against Marco's bent legs.

"I want you to be you too." Armin whispered. "I don't want you being someone else."

He did not know how, or even when, it happened. But looking at his friend, Armin knew he wanted it to be more than that. There was no explanation for it, none was needed. Not as the two leaned closer to each other, their eyes locked on each other, gentle blue meeting sharp amber.

The connection was broken though as Marco closed his eyes tightly. The door to the room slammed open and Mikasa's biting voice was destroying their trance as she tore into Jean and Eren. Armin almost whined as Marco's head fell back against the wall.

"-shove you both into the path of a horse if you don't quit it! Armin! Marco! Can you two take care of these idiots?" Mikasa shoved Jean and Eren into the room.

"I swear she has a sixth sense about me and Eren." Armin muttered under his breath before standing up and glaring at Eren, effectively silencing the boy from anything he was about to say.

"Eh, it doesn't matter anymore." Jean shrugged. Whatever the two had been fighting about forgotten. "Just one more day of this shit, and then we'll be in the Military Police! Right Marco?" He sat down next to his best friend, who had yet to move from his spot on the wall.

Marco tilted his head to look at Jean for a minute. Then, with a straight face and monotone voice, he simply said, "I'm joining the Scouting Legion." before standing up and leaving Jean blinking like a wide-eyed owl.

"…Hah? W-wait, you can't be serious Marco! That's suicide! Marco, come back here! Marco!"

Armin was still shaking as he and Mikasa walked slowly to where the others were waiting. Eren's trail was over, nothing but a recent memory now. From what he had heard, the clean up of Trost was almost finished too.

His heart was hammering in his chest. He knew Mikasa and Eren were safe, but what of the others? Christa, Jean, Annie, Sasha, Connie, their friends.

Marco…

Was he safe? There was little time during the attack for the two to check on each other. Even at the supply storage, Marco was too busy giving orders with Jean for the others, leaving no chance for them to do much more than stand pressed together while shooting at the titans. It was enough for them for the moment, the reassurance that they were both still alive.

They had lost track of each other after that. Armin had to focus on Eren, and Marco was barking out more orders, this time to Dazz and Sasha, and leading his own squad.

Armin whimpered at the thought of Marco being gone. He had to survive, he just had to. Marco was not the type to just give up, he was strong. Armin had to believe that. He had to believe that in the room the Scouting Legion member- Armin remembered Commander Erwin saying her name was Nanaba?- lead them to.

Mikasa's hand was a warm comfort on his back as Nanaba opened the door for them. His heart was beating even faster. The fear was growing, almost enough to make him want to run away. But he stayed right next to Mikasa as the others looked up at him.

They looked terrible, everyone did. The room seemed even larger with how small they looked. Even Annie and Reiner seemed exhausted. Christa was a tiny ball in Ymir's lap, a bandage covering her cheek. Sasha had one arm in a sling, and Connie's leg was bandaged up. It was Jean that worried Armin the most.

He was staring wide-eyed at Armin and it was clear he had been crying. His hands were speckled with black soot from helping to clear away what was left of the fires from the night before. Annie's hand was on his shivering shoulder.

"Armin…Marco…" He sounded close to tears and Armin began to back out of the room, shaking his head.

"N-no. No. No."

Jean was quick to react, shaking his head. "NO! Armin he's not…he's alive."

Armin fell down with a sob, Mikasa quick to stay at his side. Marco was alive. He survived, they both survived.

But why did Jean want to cry when saying Marco's name?

"W-what happened?" Armin asked, wiping away his tears.

Jean looked even more pained as Armin cried. "He…I…the titans…"

Annie sighed, gaining Armin's attention as she squeezed Jean's shoulder gently. "I'll tell him." She said before motioning for Mikasa to help Armin into the empty chair in the room opposite of Jean.

It was beside the only bed in the room. A shape Armin knew to be Marco was lying in it, facing the wall and Armin thought he was asleep. No one moved as Armin sat down, no one spoke to him or to each other. The attack had shaken them all to their cores.

Armin sat down and Annie began talking again. "His squad was killed. All of them." She began. "I tried to save them but it wasn't enough. There were too many. I…I got to Marco but…"

"It's ok." Armin's breath caught in his throat as he heard the familiar voice. The voice that had told him all of the stories that he still remembered, each one etched into his mind like fire burning against wood. "It's…Armin, you here?"

"Yes. I'm here." His voice was strangely steady, even as he moved to sit on the bed next to Marco. "I'm here, we're safe. We made it."

"We barely did." Marco whispered.

He turned over and Armin gasped, understanding what Marco meant. "Marco." Armin whispered. His hand shaking as he brought it up to run gently over the bandages covering half of Marco's face. "Oh Marco…" More tears came to his eyes as Marco's hand came up to grab his, squeezing it gently and twinging their fingers together.

"Hey sweetheart." Marco whispered. "…still want me to just be me?"

Armin chuckled weakly, bringing their joined hands up to his cheek. "Is that even a question?" He did not pull away, even as the others looked over to them. To hell with them, he thought, if they did not like what was about to happen.

He let them be interrupted once before. He would be damned if it was going to happen again. Before anyone could protest- none of them wanted to anyway- Armin moved first once again. His lips pressed against Marco's in a heavy, loving kiss.

They were aware of the shocked noises from Jean and Mikasa, but neither cared. They had almost lost each other. There was no chance in hell they would lose each other again.

"I love you." Armin whispered as he pulled back, lingering close enough to press another kiss on Marco. "No matter what. I love you."

"I love you too." Marco whispered back. "I love you."

"Well." Ymir's smirk was present even in her voice. "Now we know why freckles changed his mind about the MP."

"Ymir!" Christa smacked her arm lightly. "Shut it! Let them have their moment."

Marco was snickering even when Armin squeaked in surprise as he was pulled on top of the other. Giving Armin a light kiss, he looked to the other two. "Yeah Ymir, let us have our moment. No one was complaining when you decided to attack Christa." He teased.

Armin pouted before hiding his blushing face against Marco's chest. He could feel even more bandages there and it scared him. He had come so close to losing Marco. But, even with the fear, he had never felt happier.