In Sickness and In Love
Jean tossed his tan jacket onto his bed before throwing his arms above his head-back arched and hands clasped together high in the air behind his head. He let out a noisy yawn while bringing his hands down to rub at his bleary eyes.
The tall brunet turned to sit on his bed, pulling his boots off as he peered at the lump on the bed across from him. He decided to ignore it, figuring Armin did not have time to properly make his bed, but a shift in the lump followed by a sniffle got the taller boy curious.
He stood and shuffled across the room to the other bed, tilting his head slightly as he noticed a wisp of blond hair resting on a pillow-the only thing not hidden by the thick blanket. He unconsciously rubbed the back of his neck as he cleared his throat, causing another stir in the covered bulge. "Um, Armin?"
A light groan in response had the brunet carefully pulling the blanket back. "Woah," Jean muttered as he took in the blond's features- his normally smooth blond locks now lay plastered to his forehead, the tip of his nose was bright red, matching his flushed cheeks. "You okay? You look like shit."
The blond's eyelids fluttered open, revealing tired, watery eyes. He blinked rapidly to allow his blue orbs to focus on the taller boy standing before him, groaning when he realized his blanket was no longer covering his upper half. He reached with a shaky arm and grabbed the end of the blanket, slowly pulling it back up under his chin.
Jean frowned and crossed his arms, feeling cold just looking at the shivering boy. He glanced behind his shoulder at the door, contemplating on whether or not he should go find someone more suited to deal with this. However, a low croak from the blond had Jean turned back around in an instant, kneeling down so the sick boy wouldn't have to talk as loud.
"It's just a cold," Armin mumbled. "You don't have to go get anyone. I will be fine by tomorrow."
Jean cocked his eyebrow, shooting the blond a skeptical look. He stood back up, turning towards the door. "I should get Eren or Mikasa," he called over his shoulder as he rested his hand down on the cool doorknob.
"No!" Armin shouted, regretting it as soon as the word left his lips. He shot up and clutched at his stomach with one hand while covering his mouth with the other. He felt his shoulders quickly rising and falling as he fell into a harsh coughing fit.
Jean raced back to the sick boy, pausing a few feet away. He had no experience with these kinds of things. His mother babied him, so he was never put in a situation as the caretaker. However, that did not stop him from digging through his brain, desperately trying to recall previous times when he was ill.
"Right!" Jean came back from his thoughts, cautiously sitting on the edge of Armin's bed. He carefully placed one hand on the small of Armin's back and began moving his hand in a circular motion, hoping to mimic what his mother once did for him when he was ill. After a few moments, he sighed in relief as he noticed Armin's coughing becoming less frequent. He watched as the blond inhaled and exhaled deeply, catching his breath.
"You okay?" Jean watched as Armin rested his hand against his shuddering chest before peering over his shoulder.
Armin nodded before collapsing back against the pillow-falling hard enough to cause the tall brunet to slip off the bed, landing on the floor with a loud thud.
Jean cursed under his breath as he stood up, rubbing at his sore backside. He looked down to watch Armin clumsily drape his small arm across his eyes. "What do you want me to do?" He asked, again rubbing at the back of his neck- a nervous habit perhaps- while he waited for an answer.
"Nothing," Armin mumbled. "I just need some rest."
Jean reclaimed his spot on the edge of the bed. He gently pulled Armin's small arm away from his eyes and placed it at said boy's side. He then carefully brushed away Armin's damp bangs before placing a strong hand on the blond's forehead. He took his free hand and touched his own forehead, gasping at the drastic temperature difference between the two.
"Um, Armin?" Jean watched as the blond rolled his head to the side and blinked up at him. "You have a really high fever…" He waited for Armin to say something, but the blond just closed his eyes and pulled the blanket closer to his chin.
"If you don't want me to get Eren or Mikasa then you need to tell me what I can do to help." Jean crossed his arms, watching as the blond sighed then drew a trembling arm free from the blanket, weakly pointing to the water basin against the wall.
"Go wet a cloth with cold water." The blond mumbled as he quickly shoved his arm back under the blanket.
Jean nodded and walked over to the basin, feeling the already cold water. He looked around until he spotted a clean wash cloth. He dipped the cloth into the icy water then pulled it out. He was about to head back to the blond but was stopped by a small groan.
"Wring it out," Armin stated, trying to remain patient with the brunet.
"Right, sorry," Jean mumbled as he moved back to the basin, squeezing away the excess water from the dripping cloth. Once the cloth was no longer sopping wet, the brunet turned and made his way back to Armin, stopping before him.
"Can you fold it then drape it across my forehead?" Armin asked. "I don't want to have to expose my arm to the cold air again."
Jean thought the room felt fine but he still obliged, carefully folding the damp cloth before smoothing it over Armin's burning forehead. "Anything else?" He questioned, genuinely wanting to help the sick boy.
"No, just the light," Armin whispered as he closed his eyes.
Jean dimmed the light until it went out, surrounding the room in darkness. He blindly made his way to his own bed, stumbling over his boots. "Shit," he cursed quietly. He nudged the boots out of the way before sitting down on the edge of his bed. He began removing the many straps from his uniform then pulled his shirt over his head, deciding not to bother changing his pants. He tossed the shirt aside then fell back against his pillow, pulling his legs up onto the bed. He clasped his hands behind his head and listened for the steady breathing from the smaller blond. Satisfied that Armin was sleeping soundly, he too closed his eyes and allowed his mind to wander off into a deep slumber.
Unfortunately, Jean's deep slumber was not as deep as he had hoped when he was awakened an hour later by the sound of chattering teeth. "What the hell," He mumbled as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. He shook his head to try and clear his foggy mind, finally remembering that Armin was sick. Putting two and two together, the brunet cursed before stumbling over to the blond.
The tall boy crouched down and placed a hand on the shivering figure before him. "Shit…" He stood back up, biting at his nail as he pondered his options. He could go and get Eren and Mikasa but they would probably scold him for not retrieving them sooner. He could give Armin the blanket from his bed, but he felt that may not be enough. "Maybe?" He thought back to a time where Reiner was discussing how he and Bertholdt got trapped in a snow storm and were forced to strip down and hug each other for body heat so they could survive. "Should I take Armin's clothes off..?" He quickly shook the thought away from his head as he felt a light blush littering his cheeks. "I'll just wake him up and ask what he wants me to do…"
Jean knelt down and shook the shivering blond but was unable to wake him. Realizing he needed to act quickly, he very carefully climbed over the blond, planting himself between said boy and the wall. "What now?" He muttered to himself- his answer coming from Armin's next actions.
The blond-still in a sleepy daze- rolled over to face Jean. He squirmed closer to the inviting warmth, curling up against Jean's bare chest.
Jean gasped as Armin's cold hands clutched at his exposed chest. He draped one arm around the shivering boy and – unsure why- planted a light kiss atop his blond locks. He jerked his head back as he felt Armin's head lifting. "Shit! He was awake?"
Armin blinked slowly while peering up at the brunet beside him. "J-Jean?" He stuttered, squinting his blue eyes to try and get a better look at his friend.
"Um, hey." Jean muttered, mentally kicking himself. "Explain yourself, you idiot!" "Er, you were shivering so I thought maybe that-"
"Thanks," Armin spoke, cutting Jean off. "That was a good idea." He went to lie his head back down but was stopped by a firm hand on the back of his neck. "Jean?"
Jean wasn't entirely sure what he was doing, but he knew one thing. He needed to kiss Armin right then and now. He leaned up on one elbow and moved his face closer to the blond's. "Has he always been this cute...?" Jean mentally questioned before pressing his lips against the blond's trembling one's for the first time. He was careful at first, barely applying any pressure to the smaller boy's soft lips. But, he pressed his lips down harder once he felt Armin's hand relax against his chest.
Armin felt his whole body warming as he leaned into the kiss. He had always admired Jean but was unaware of Jean's feelings for him. Regardless, he did not want to pull away from the taller boy for he was rather enjoying the kiss- he hadn't felt that warm in hours.
Jean let his hand fall to the blond's waist, pulling said boy even closer to his chest. He pressed with more force against the small lips before him- shocked when the blonde obliged, parting his smaller lips so he could greet Jean's tongue with his own.
Somewhere in the back of Armin's mind he knew he should stop before he got Jean sick, but his desire for the warmth and comfort the brunet provided drowned out all other thoughts. He dug his nails into Jean's bare chest, inviting him to fill the remaining distance between the two.
Jean shifted forward, running his free hand down Armin's neck, stopping to lightly trace the small boy's protruded collar bone.
After a few more heated moments, Armin finally pushed against Jean's chest, catching his breath as Jean pulled away.
"You okay?" Jean asked peering down at the panting boy.
"Yes," Armin mumbled. He rested his head on Jean's shoulder, smiling as Jean wrapped his strong arm around his small body.
Jean rested his chin atop Armin's head and closed his eyes.
A loud groan escaped from the brunet's lips as he pried open his brown eyes. He lolled his head to the side in time to see Armin walking towards him, damp cloth in hand.
"What are you…?" Jean frowned at how raspy his voice sounded. He sighed in relief as Armin placed the damp cloth across his forehead.
The blond leaned down, planting a soft kiss against the brunet's cheek. "Sorry," He mumbled against Jean's hot skin. He pulled away and smiled. "I will be back to check on you later." That being said, Armin quickly turned on his heel and exited the room.
Jean carefully touched his tingling cheek. He felt his lips twitching into a smile before closing his eyes, falling into a blissful slumber.
Ignore the title. I really can't with titles… They are just as hard as summaries..
Anyway, I feel like it's been forever since I wrote a one-shot of these two cuties! So, I got to work!
Sorry in advanced for any grammar errors I may have missed and I hope everyone enjoys!