Author's Notes: Psst, this is for a friend of mine (Jubilantcrumpet) because she requested that I write a fanfic for her. After weeks of procrastinating, here it is. It's finally done, and I have to say, I sure am proud of it. ;v;
Eren winced slightly as Armin cleaned and bandaged his newly acquired wounds. He had gotten into a fist-fight with Jean prior to that morning over something stupid and received some minor injuries. This was a fairly common occurrence; leave two hotheaded hormonal teenagers in the same room alone for more than a couple minutes and shit's bound to happen. After being broken apart by his fellow soldiers, Eren was then dragged out of the mess-hall by a muttering Armin and a silent, stone-faced Mikasa.
At the time he had been too angry to care about how the stress of always having to pull him out of fights had been affecting his friends. But now, after hearing Armin's sigh of exhaustion, he did. Lowering his head so that his mahogany hair obscured his sea-foam green eyes from view, he bit his lips and began thinking up countless ways to apologize.
Armin hummed softly as he dug through his first-aid kit, pulling out pearl-white gauze tape and disinfectant cream. He knew he should be furious with his brunet friend for causing so much trouble but he just couldn't bring himself to be. Instead, he was tired and just a tiny bit curious. What was it that Jean said that angered Eren so much?
Shaking those thoughts away, he concentrated on the task at hand; patching up his best friend and possibly more. Wait – possibly more? Where did that come from? It took all of his effort just to keep down the rising blush that threatened to unveil itself ungracefully upon his cheeks.
Eren was just a friend… No; he was more than that. Eren was his hero – his knight in shining armor. He had always been there for Armin; saving him from countless bullies and making him feel better when he was sad or scared. And what about the butterflies that suddenly appear in the pit of his stomach every time Eren smiles and laughs? That had to mean something!
So yes, Eren was more than a friend. Armin let a small smile grace his cherubic face as he finished applying the disinfectant cream on a decent-sized gash on the lower part of Eren's left arm and wrapping the gauze tape around it. So more than a friend, huh? Could the feelings he be harboring towards Eren possibly be love?
It was quite the possibility. The way his heart would beat faster during their accidental touches, how the brunet always seemed to be on his mind, the panic and fear of losing Eren that swelled within him when he knew the titan-shifter was in danger – all of these things proved it! But did they even matter? The chances of Eren liking him back were slim to none.
Armin sighed tiredly and began putting the medical supplies away. Even if it didn't matter, the blond still wished that it did. It would be nice to be loved by someone – to be held in warm, strong arms and be kissed so deeply that it took your breath away. Hell, now he was starting to sound like a lovesick school-girl!
As he finished sealing the first-aid kit, he dared take a glance at the brunet boy who sat so dejected on his bed. Armin's eyebrows furrowed and he asked with concern fully apparent in his voice, "Eren? Are you all right?" At the sound of the blond's voice, Eren's eyes shot open, startled.
Armin didn't move a muscle, for at that moment, time seemed to stand completely still. He was able to see so many emotion's in his poor friend's eyes that it was almost painful. There was sadness, regret, fear, and was that adoration? All in all, Eren looked like a puppy who had just gotten kicked.
Time regained its orderly composition just as quickly as it had lost it. The emotions residing in the brunet's eyes were still there but he looked a whole lot calmer now. Before the blond could speak again, Eren beat him to it. "I'm sorry," he choked out.
As if seeing the blond's confusion, he continued on. "I'm sorry for always causing trouble and relying on you and everyone else to drag me out of it. I'm sorry for being so ill-tempered and always jumping to conclusions and shit. I'm sorry I can't do anything right and that I'm so weak and inconsiderate of others. I'm sorry I –"
Without giving Eren the chance to continue on, Armin pounced on him, successfully pushing the brunet onto his back, while being mindful of his injured arm. He was now straddling the taller boy's waist. "Stop Eren!" Armin pleaded, his cerulean eyes glistening with unshed tears. So while he had been having an internal conflict, Eren had been having one too?
Eren stared at his blond friend with uncomprehending eyes. Why was Armin asking him to stop apologizing? Wasn't he angry with him? The brunet felt even worse now; his best friend (or is he more?) looked like he was about to cry. "Why?" He questioned, genuinely confused.
"Don't you want – oh no! D-Don't cry!" It was if someone had just hit a dam with a wrecking ball; the tears Armin had desperately tried to keep in were now freely streaming down his cheeks. "Eren, do you really think of yourself as weak?" he managed to ask through sobs. He continued before Eren could even answer.
"B-Because you're not. Eren, out of us all, you're the strongest. After all you've been through, you've never given up. You've stood tall and given it your all. I admire you for t-that."
Eren didn't know what to think. It was true; even though he'd always wanted to give up, he had never actually done it. So that made him strong? He moved his uninjured arm up and ruffled the blond's hair before pulling him against his chest.
"I'm sorry for getting you so worked up and upset Armin," he murmured. The smaller boy sniffled softly and gripped onto his shirt. "S'not a problem," he replied, voice muffled. "B-But please don't think of yourself that way. You… It makes me really sad to hear stuff like that. I mean, in my eyes you're perfect…"
Armin froze. He hadn't meant to say that last part out loud. What would Eren think? Would it creep him out that his best friend thought of him as some sort of God? Would he want nothing else to do with him?
He was taken completely by surprise when the sound of Eren's laughter met his ears. The blond's face flushed and he quickly looked up, meeting the brunet's eyes. A wolfish grin was spread across Eren's face as he stared at the smaller male. "Me? Perfect?
No way; I'm nowhere near perfect. If anyone's perfect, it'd have to be you." He moved his good arm and poked his cerulean-eyed friend's nose, which crinkled in response. "You're so intelligent and witty – I'm surprised you'd even want to hang out with someone like me."
Armin blinked and without thinking he exploded, "Why wouldn't I want to hang out with someone like you? You're funny and considerate and strong – you're extremely cool, too! I get really excited when I get to be near you because I –" He paused, contemplating whether or not he should take a chance and continue, "– I really like you Eren." He couldn't stop the endearing smile that decided to unravel itself upon his face.
It was strange how abruptly he went from a sniveling child to a self-assured, love-struck fool. As time ticked on without a response from Eren, Armin's confidence slowly began to fade. Had he made a mistake in revealing his secret? Did Eren really not feel the same way about him? The brunet's eyes gave away nothing; it was as if a shield had been put up, protecting them from outside view.
Armin was about to apologize and quite possibly beg for forgiveness when soft, voluptuous lips hastily crashed against his own. Not hesitating even once, the blond's eyes fell closed and he eagerly responded and kissed back with as much force. The kiss itself was passionate and needy and it sent shivers down the blond's spine. He could feel Eren's long slender arms wrapping around his waist and pulling him closer and closer until there was barely any space left to separate the two of them.
Armin gasped softly as Eren began nibbling on his lower lip, pleading for entrance. The smaller male happily obliged and allowed the other male's tongue to slip into his mouth, where if fervently began exploring. He was unable to stop the moan that escaped from his lips as the wonderful sensations continued and their tongues brushed together. After what seemed like forever, Eren finally broke the kiss and began leaving tender kisses along Armin's jaw as the smaller male tried to regain his breath.
Letting out a breathy chuckle, Eren placed one final kiss upon the blond's lips before letting his grip on him slacken. "D-Does that mean you like me too?" Armin asked timidly once his heart had stopped racing. Eren grinned and replied, "Yeah."