A/N: Aaanndd we're back to the present time. XD Oh my goodness people, I got a freaking cookie from a reviewer! *noms on cookie* People, there is nothing I love more than cookies and reviews. You people do both and I will be a happy freaking fangirl. XD

So... Who is ready for some smexy time between Eren and Armin? ;D Imma go ahead and say right now that this is bordering rated M... For reasons of my own. But seriously people, if you're reading an SNK fanfic, you're probably used to rated M. XD Not saying that there is any sex or stuff like that in the anime, j-just saying... Ya know... The violence is rated M... And... J... Shut up. e_e

Time for me to do some plugging. Don't forget to check out my other fanfic, "Desires." It involves these two. Also, I am in progress with the next fanfic I'm working on, and I shall tell you it's title. It's called, "It's A One Time Thing." So... Now I'm done selling myself. XD ENJOY!

-Misty

While suffering from amnesia, Armin tries to cope with the hellish word he was born into. Eren is willing to do anything to help his friend regain his memories, but at the loss of his friend, there is only so much Eren can do before he too loses his mind.

Rated: T
Couple: Eren and Armin
Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin

Amnesia

Chapter 10: Kiss the Pain Away and the Memories Back

"Ouch!" Armin yipped with pain and stood up from the bed. Eren looked at him with a worried expression, bloody rag in hand that was dripping with water.

"Sorry, but I never did get a chance to look at your stitches." He said apologetically. Armin whined as he rubbed around his stitches, but never touched them.

"… It's alight." Armin grumbled with a pout. Eren chuckled and patted the bed next to him, motioning for Armin to sit back down again. Armin pouted for a few more seconds, dreading the situation before sitting back down on the bed. Eren re-rung the cloth in the water and help it up.

"I'm just going to get the blood and dirt out of your hair so I can see your wound, okay?" Eren explained. Armin nodded his head for confirmation and fisted his hands against his knees. He waited for the harsh sense of pain to fill his jumbled mind, waited for that sickening, stomach turning nausea to hit him and make him pale, but it never came. Eren was completely gentle with him, running a few strands of his dirty hair between the cloth and rubbing the dirt and blood out. There was an occasional tug on his head from the hair, but it was never too painful. "Does it hurt?" Eren looked to his face and asked.

"No…" Armin mumbled. A small smile crept on his lips as Eren looked back to the rag and continued to clean his hair. After a few slow, quiet minutes a cleaning his hair, it was finally back to its normal self, minus the small tangles that could easily be undone, but Eren didn't want to continue pulling. Instead he washed the cloth out in the bloody water once more and held up the rag.

"I'm going to clean off your stitches. Are you ready?" Eren asked. Armin knew this was going to be the thing that hurt the most, so he braced himself and nodded his head. Eren seemed apprehensive, but pressed the wet cloth against the back of his head, pressing firmly against the wound.

The sensation Armin previously expected was there, taking over him and making his skin turn pale and his stomach slip. He felt like the food he barely ate at lunch was about to be seen again while he felt his skin go into a cold sweat. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and for a moment he was sure he'd faint, but he barely registered the feeling of Eren's warm hand touch his neck.

"Armin, are you okay?" Eren asked. Armin kept his eyes closed to make the vomiting feel go away. He blindly grasped for Eren's hand and help onto it tightly, hoping to keep himself awake. Very soon the cloth was off of his head and the pain was dissipating. He sighed with happiness at the release from his head.

"Now I am…" He murmured. Eren chuckled again and put the cloth down by his lap. Armin could feel Eren separating the part in his hair so he could find the stitches. Eren was quiet, fingers gently pressing on the skin around his wound. "…How is it?" Armin asked, a little hesitant by the way Eren was being so quiet.

"It's okay. None of the stitches came undone, but they did pull. That's what caused the bleeding." Eren explained. Armin felt him push a little more before finally letting up on his head. Armin glanced over at Eren as the taller boy grabbed at the cloth again and placed it in the cool water in the bucket. He watched with a sick and weak stomach as Eren cleaned the rag again and pulled it out.

"Is it still bleeding?" Armin asked.

"Not much. It's really small but still there." He lifted the rag and, without warning, pressed it against the back of his head. The sensation was immediate and Eren placed a hand on the back of his neck to keep Armin sitting up so he wouldn't faint. Armin swallowed shakily, his hands shaking against his lap as he tried thinking about other things that could distract him. Anything would do, anything at all, so long as it got his mind off of this incredibly pain.

"H-Hey, Eren…" Armin mumbled. His mouth suddenly felt so dry and his throat felt like it was closing up, making it harder to speak.

"Yeah…?" Eren lightened up on Armin's wound to give him the chance to breathe and relax. The gesture was greatly appreciated as Armin leaned against Eren's shoulder for support.

"Mikasa said… That we used to inseparable…" The blond mumbled while sounding distracted. Eren physically stopped what he was doing to look Armin in the eyes. The poor boy couldn't even look into his eyes for five seconds before closing them to stop the world from spinning, but Eren kept staring at him with a questioning (and stupefied) look.

What had suddenly brought that on? What made him want to say that?

Armin opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times, making the black, fuzzy haze over his eyes go away. He looked up at Eren, his half lidded eyes staring lazily into Eren's green and confused eyes.

"Was she lying?" Armin asked. His voice had fallen quiet for a moment, giving off a sleepy impression.

"No, n-not really…" Eren mumbled. He dropped the cloth back to the bucket and sat up straight so Armin wouldn't fall over. "I'm just… Not sure why you said that." Eren looked away from Armin's insatiable, blue eyes.

Armin hummed in response and closed his eyes. He let out a heavy breath, his cold sweat going away and his skin getting to a reasonable temperature.

"Because I wasn't trying to think about the pain…" Armin mumbled. Eren let out a sound, showing he understood what it was Armin was saying before nodding his head.

For a few minutes, the two sat there in the quiet, giving Armin the chance to recover from the pain. He relaxed easily from being by Eren and he was glad that he convinced Eren to bring him to the barrack instead of the infirmary. He didn't want to see the doctor again, not when he was so close to getting everything back. He didn't want to see the doctor and have the man say anything that could ruin that. He didn't want to lose everything when he was so close to getting it all back.

All he wanted to do was stay by Eren. All he wanted to do was be with his friend.

"Mikasa speaks the truth." Eren finally broke the silence by speaking. Armin looked up at him, finally getting the chance to now that his stomach stopped spinning. "I spent so much time with you that I started slacking in school and chores at home and as a punishment I'd be stuck in my room for days on end... I remember one time I got so mad about it that I snuck out in the middle of the night to come see you." Eren recalled, a smile tugging at the ends of his lips.

"You did?" Armin was surprised by how risky of a choice he had made. "I don't remember that-" Armin paused and looked at Eren, realizing that what he said was very ironic. "Sorry..." He mumbled. Eren decided to change the subject, hoping to get rid of some of the tension (and secretly trying to jog something within Armin's disheveled mind).

"I remember times when I helped you from some bullies... And no matter how many fights I had with them they never let up on you." Eren said, a thin frown replacing the smile he had. "I got into so much trouble as a kid... Funny, it all had to do with you though." Eren smiled again when he looked at Armin.

"Eren..." Armin lifted himself from Eren's shoulder while his face held a stern expression. His voice was just as stern to match the expression. "I remember them... The boys who were always beating me up," He said. Eren's eyes widened with hope, but Armin shook his head.

"I remember them... But I remember only ever seeing Mikasa... She always chased them off. I didn't know you were there..." Eren frowned with pain; so even those moments were gone. No, not just got, completely revamped into a different scenario.

It's like someone had taken his memories and taken Eren out of them. Any moment he was involved in was left with only what was there. Now Armin understood why moments like those were fuzzy, because he had been right. It was like his memories had been altered.

Eren sighed, feeling the need to give up. Was there anything he could do at this point? He could try feeding Armin more memories and hope with all of his might that one would eventually click for him, but everyone had tried that. While it was working for others, it didn't seem to be working for Eren. Armin couldn't remember him, no matter what he was told and no matter what he did.

There had to be something, anything. There had to have been a moment when it was just him and Armin together, a moment that had to have had one other person to make the memory work. It wouldn't work unless there was someone else with him. That someone else had to be Eren. Yeah, there were plenty of times like that, but how much of it would be a dream to Armin? He didn't know and at the moment he didn't want to know.

Eren shook his head and stood up. Armin was just about to fall against Eren again, but found himself nearly falling on his face into the bed. He looked up, slightly startled by Eren's fast actions as Eren turned away from him. He started to leave, but then Armin called out to him.

"Wait-" He paused as Eren looked over his shoulder at him, his expression a little menacing and frightening. It reminded him of when he first woke up and Eren was panicking to no end. "W-Where are you going?" He asked as he sat up and pulled a hand up to his chest. Eren looked away; he really didn't feel like bothering much anymore.

He opened his mouth to answer, but nothing was coming out. Did he have an answer? He wasn't sure. He didn't have a real destination in mind, just a place where he could go and be away from Armin. He didn't want to be near him. It was too painful.

"Eren, don't go." Armin reached out and tugged on the sleeve collar of his jacket. Eren shook his head; he didn't have anything left to say, except:

"I'm sorry…" He mumbled. He tugged his arm free from Armin and turned away.

"Please Eren, don't go." Armin stood up from the bunk bed, minding his head and injuries at the same time. "I want to remember."

"But if you don't even remember the moments I was in, how can you possibly remember me now?" Eren asked without turning to look at him. He couldn't bear to see the look on Armin's face, whatever it was.

"I-I don't know but… But I know, I mean I want to know…" Armin kept stammering and his face was a little flustered, but he didn't know how else to get his point across. He couldn't stop stuttering though and the pain in his chest was making it hard for him to breathe. He felt a lump of something (he didn't know what) forming in his throat and it hurt to try and breathe or even talk. He felt his eyes burning with tears in the back of his eyes and he cursed to himself for feeling this way.

Eren could hear the hard time Armin was having behind him. He didn't need to look to tell that Armin was trying his hardest not to burst into tears; he could hear it just fine and it was making his heart clench. He needed to leave. He couldn't be around him without breaking down himself, and he sure wasn't going to do that in front of Armin. Not again anyway. He needed to be strong, if only for a couple more minutes so he could leave. He started walking forward again.

"No, wait!" Armin rushed forward and wrapped his arms around Eren's body before he even realized his own actions, but he couldn't let him leave yet. He didn't want to lose this person whose face escaped his memories and at the same time flooded his mind.

What was so important about Eren? What was it about this boy that made his heart pound and his cheeks to turn pink? He was desperate to know.

Eren had stopped dead in his tracks, freezing to the sudden embrace. He was so ready to get out of the room so he could cry in his own pity, but Armin had stopped him and now he was trapped. If Armin didn't free him soon, he'd break down. He couldn't do it. He couldn't last much longer.

"Armin, l-let go." He tried to wiggle free, but the blond had a firm grip on him.

"Please, not yet." Armin rubbed his forehead against Eren's back, mindful of his injury as he spoke, his voice muffled by the jacket. "I-I don't know why, but I just can't lose you yet. I don't remember you and yet I don't want to lose you." Armin cried. Finally he felt he could say what it was on his mind. Even if he didn't want to say anymore, however, he didn't feel like he could stop.

Eren shivered and tried to break free again. He didn't have much time left. However, Armin wasn't ready to let him go, in more ways than one.

"You've been standing by me this whole time… Ever since I woke up it's been you I've seen. You stood by me, waiting for me to remember you while all I did was remember the others. The amount of pain that is, for not only me but for you… Hell, even Jean was surprised you weren't the first person I remembered. I keep thinking about how much that must have hurt you. If all Mikasa said is true then I've been hurting you this entire time because I can't remember…"

"But I know you're important to me now and I'm not ready to let go of that." He mumbled vehemently. "I don't want to give up. I don't want to stop trying…" He trailed off, his throat starting to hurt from talking while trying not to cry.

"Please, Eren; there has to be something, anything! One moment; a moment between us! There has to have been one moment that was us and only us; something that I couldn't possibly think of!" Armin begged, finally releasing his grip and letting Eren free. Eren stood still for a moment before finally gaining the courage to look back.

Just as he imagined, Armin's eyes were red and tears had stained his pale but perfect complexion with streaks of water. He looked like he was trying hard himself not to cry, but for him it wasn't working. He was already falling apart.

"Please, Eren. Don't leave me alone." Armin begged some more. Eren took a sharp inhale of breath, trying not to lose the inner war within his mind.

Armin wanted him. He wanted him to stay and he didn't want him to go. He was begging and crying for him. Any other time had Armin been like this Eren would have stayed by his side for as long as it took to make him feel better, even if it meant weeks. He had done so when Armin's grandfather risked his life to save his own and the rest the residents of Wall Maria. Now he had to think about it. He would never do that at any other time, but it was hard to stay by when he was ready to break himself.

Eren sighed, racking his brain for moments. There were plenty, but non that would probably be impactful enough. He looked to Armin's innocent face and thought harder. This would be his last try. If it didn't work, he'd give up and leave it at that. Either Armin would remember him on his own time or never again. Once that was set in his mind, he had a memory that would definitely be worth giving it a shot.

"Eren…?" Armin murmured after a few seconds and sniffles. Eren sighed again and motioned for Armin to sit back down. Armin hadn't realized that the wound on his forehead was still bleeding; the idea hadn't even crossed his mind, but Eren knew and didn't want Armin standing up straight while losing blood. Once Armin sat down on the bed, Eren sat by him in a similar position he had taken up a while before.

"I may have a memory… I don't know what good it'll do… But I'll give it one last shot." Eren said in a low tone. Armin's eyes widened as they lit up with hope, but hearing Eren say he'd give it one last shot meant that he'd stop trying after this. What if it didn't work? Would he forever be lost without his best friend by his side?

"What is it?" He asked hesitantly. Eren looked down at his feet for a moment, examining the scratches and dirt along his boots, then looked up to Armin. He stared hopelessly into those hopeful blue eyes and frowned. Was he really ready to admit the memory from such a long time ago? "Well?"

It didn't seem Armin was going to let him go anywhere until Eren spat it out.

"I was your first kiss…" He said. Armin went pale. His expression was surprised, but he also seemed like realization had struck him over the head with an iron bat. His tears stopped and for a moment he even stopped breathing. Eren wasn't sure if this was a good or bad sign. "And you were mine."

"… W-When… Was that?" Armin asked quietly, his eyes slowly falling to the floor.

"Before Wall Maria was breached. It was a little after Mikasa had come to live with us. She was doing well adjusting to the city life and apparently some boy had said he thought she was cute. When she told my mom, my mom started acting all funny, saying things about "first loves" and youth being "great"… All that boring stuff," Eren rolled his eyes.

"She mentioned something about a first kiss, but I didn't understand how important it was. I was telling you about it later that night and… Well, it just kind of happened. You hadn't had your first one either, so we both thought it'd be good to get it over with." Eren explained. While he talked, Armin had taken to looking at the floor where a small ant was crawling, trying to remember such a moment.

He peeked up from behind his bangs to look at Eren, mainly his lips. Those soft lips were barely parted, taking in anxious breaths and then letting them out while he waited for some sort of response from Armin. Armin felt his cheeks heat up slightly, but not by much. With his open wound still bleeding, he didn't have enough blood to blush all too well, but it didn't seem to matter to him. He wasn't even aware of his surroundings at the moment.

'I've kissed him before…' He thought while his blush was still present. 'I kissed those lips of my best friend…I kissed him and he kissed me, and we were each other's first kisses. Such a moment sounds so sweet and innocent between two kids and after all the stories of us together…' Armin blinked the daze away from his eyes and thought harder. 'Is that what we are?'

Such a moment was indeed a sweet and innocent moment between two kids. The first tender touch between trembling lips, he imagined, must have had goose bumps rise on their young flesh and their cheeks to go pink from ear to ear. Mikasa had said they weren't even ten when the wall was breached, so that meant it was almost a childhood love, but it was a simple kiss, right? Something like that, such a tender and adorable moment none the less, would be a moment one couldn't forget.

But for him it wasn't there.

'Why, why, why?!' He inwardly yelled. His mental panic and hostility didn't go unnoticed from Eren. 'Such a moment, and I can't remember-'

"Armin." Armin cautiously lifted his eyes up to meet Eren's. He looked at him and he could already see the look in Eren's green eyes. Eren didn't look like he was ready to hear the answer, yet at the same time he looked like he wasn't in the mood for playing around and was waiting as patiently as he could for the answer. Armin could sense the tension though; Eren already knew what the answer was. "It doesn't ring a bell, does it?" He asked.

Armin swallowed, looked away and sadly shook his head. Eren looked to the floor and sighed. There was a tense and nerve wrecking moment that passed before Eren slowly nodded his head and stood up. Armin watch as Eren left the room without another word. His heart pounded in his chest to a painful extent at seeing Eren leave. He didn't want that, not at all.

'Why is this happening?' He questioned.

Seeing Eren leave him alone hurt. No, hurt was an understatement. It nearly killed him. It nearly rendered him deaf, blind and broken. His heart ached, his eyes burned with tears threatening to leak from the back of his eyes and his body shook with bones shaking sobs. He didn't want Eren to leave, not yet. Seeing him leave was hurting worse than not having the memories of Eren at all.

Why was that though? Why was it that the boy, who he couldn't remember, even if it meant saving his life, was causing his body to stir with these feelings? He thought surely there was no possible way for him to feel such emotions about someone he couldn't remember, yet here he was trying not to break down into a painful cry, and it wasn't like this was the first time either. Eren had been making him feel things he didn't understand since he first woke up. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it all seemed… Familiar.

He just had to know.

Armin stood up from the bed and quickly followed him. He ignored the sudden wooziness and the nauseous feeling he felt upon standing. He didn't care for it and he wouldn't let it impede his goal. He walked out of the room just as Eren had turned a corner in the hallway.

"Eren, wait!" Armin called and chased after him. Upon turning the same corner at a run, he saw Eren leaning against the old wooden wall, his forehead resting on his bandaged arm and his hand balled into a fist by his side. Armin stopped mid-step, sensing an ominous feeling coming from his friend, but he then continued. "Eren, I-" He paused when Eren let out a shaky breath.

Was he crying?

"What is it?" Eren asked, his voice wobbly and quiet as he spoke. Armin bit his bottom lip, the words he had leaving him fleetingly just from the sight of his poor friend in such mental anguish. He didn't care what memories resurfaced, if only even one. It could be just about anything, good or bad, and he wouldn't care. All he wanted was to see Eren happy again.

"Armin, talk already." Eren said in a rough voice. Armin jumped a little from the harsh tone. He clenched his hands by his sides and stood up as straight as he could so he could get a sense of bravery in him.

"Kiss me." He said.

For a moment it was quiet, not even the sounds of the cadets training outside could be heard in the hallway, but then Eren finally looked up at him with a dumbfounded expression on his face. His eyes were slightly red and his cheeks had wet paths going down them from crying, but he looked as surprised as anyone who was to overhear that.

"… What?" Eren asked.

"I-I'm asking… F-For you to kiss me… No, I'm telling you to. I need you to k-kiss me." Armin demanded, his hands clenching tighter while his voice stuttered. Eren still seemed too surprised to do anything but stare.

"Just once… Try again. Just one more time… And if it doesn't work then I'll give up too, just…" Armin felt his eyes burn with fresh tears. "Just don't give up on me yet." The rest was finished in a small mumble.

Eren stood up straight and left his spot at the wall in favor of being next to Armin. His eyes were sad while staring down at him, and for a moment Armin wasn't sure if he regretted bringing the idea up at all, but then Eren's hand slowly touched his own. Armin's smaller hand immediately relaxed to the touch and it gave Eren the chance to slowly tangle their fingers together. Eren's hand had gone up his arm and held onto his shoulder loosely. The whole thing caused him to shiver. He swallowed as a chill went up his back. Armin let a small breath pass through his lips before looking up at Eren whose eyes were downcast.

"It's not a good idea…" The taller boy mumbled sadly.

"I don't care." Armin said in as stable of a voice as he could get. Even so, it still shook.

"Armin, I don't think-" He stopped when Armin spoke up.

"I don't care what you think. I'm telling you to kiss me already." The determination in his voice was almost surprising. Another shocked expression went over Eren's face, but this time it was accompanied with a blush. Armin knew himself that even now he was blushing, but he didn't let up. He kept his strong stance and did his best to keep his body from shaking so badly. Regardless, he was still shaking just a tad, something Eren saw.

"… Are… A-Are you sure?" Eren asked. Armin felt his ears burn with a blush.

"Y-yes I'm sure!" His voice unintentionally squeaked in response. "So just do it before I change my m-mind!"

Eren didn't give him the time to. All too swiftly he cupped Armin's cheek into his hand, bent down and pressed his lips to the smaller boy's. Armin's let his eyes widen in surprise, staring into Eren's green eyes which were barely open and staring right back at him. The kiss was soft, tender and euphoric, giving him goose bumps on his skin. His whole body shook with anticipation and need, and after pulling away, he was left with the feeling of wanting more.

Armin's hands fumbled to hold onto the bottom of Eren's jacket, just barely clinging to it as he stared with wide, blue eyes at his friend. Eren seemed just as surprised, but whether he was surprised that he actually went through and kissed Armin or he was still surprised from Armin asking him to do it wasn't for sure. All he knew was that he had done it and that it had made his hand shake against Armin's burning cheek.

"Eren…" Armin murmured. He found himself moving again, looking for another taste. He wasn't disappointed.

They met each other half way, the kiss a little bolder than before. This time their eyes closed, blinding them to the world and leaving their senses to do all of the seeing for them. The hand that had been resting on Armin's cheek slowly moved under his hairline to hold onto the back of his head, just below the wound (that, by now, had stopped bleeding). Armin's own hands were hesitant, but slowly let go of Eren's jacket to slowly touch Eren's neck where the skin was warm and inviting. Eren's other hand fell to his waist, enticing a small (very small) sound out of Armin's lips.

He tilted his head after hearing the sound, feeling a gentle warmth spread through his lips. He felt the slide of soft skin against his own and he too got goose bumps. Armin tilted his head in the other direction, following Eren's lead and felt Eren's grip tighten. Another small sound left him, bordering a whimper as he moved an inch closer to Eren. The motion got Eren's hand to move just a little lower and slide around to the small of his back, holding him in place.

They stopped momentarily to breathe, opening their eyes to gauge the others reaction. Armin's face, despite his head injury, was as red as could be. Eren had his own blush dusting from ear to ear, but it wasn't as prominent either. Both of their eyes were clouded and looked foggy to the other, but to only a certain extent. It was like all they could see was each other.

Armin dropped his head down onto Eren's shoulder and let out a heavy sigh. He could hear Eren's strong heart beating loudly in his chest and it was like a soothing lullaby. He was sure his heart was beating just as loud, if not louder, but he didn't care.

It made him happy.

"Eren…" He murmured against the taller boy's neck. Armin could feel the shiver go through Eren because of what he did. His hands left his head in favor of wrapping Armin into an embrace, trapping him in his body heat. Another sigh left him as his fingers played with the ends of Eren's thick, brown hair.

Eren touched his cheek and guided Armin's face back to his. He brushed his lips against his friends and Armin quickly moved forward for another touch. Eren complied, letting their lips mold together one more time. Eren's hand went back to his hips, his fingers lovingly dancing against his body as they found their destination. His other hand weaved through his blond hair, his fingers tenderly rubbing against his scalp. Armin's hands cupped his cheeks, his fingers grabbing behind Eren's ears for a better hold on him.

A simple shift let Armin feel something pressing against his back; the wall. He didn't notice they were moving until it was too late, but now he was pressed against the old, wooden wall with Eren's hands slowly moving up and down his back.

Armin let out a weak moan. It felt good, too good. Just a simple kiss had his heart pounding. It had his pulse racing and his cheeks burning. What had his friend done to him?

He dared to put more pressure in the kiss. He was rewarded with one of Eren's hands slipping under the back plate of his 3D Maneuver Gear and his other hand giving a small tug to his hair. Another small moan left him as he felt Eren's body press against him more. The tight pressure against his chest forced him to lift his arms completely over Eren's broad shoulders. His hands clung to the back of his training jacket, fingers ruffling the fabric and pulling it up.

Eren pressed against him more, his tongue shyly swiping against Armin's bottom lip. The boy's separated, their eyes opening for a moment to look at each other. For a moment they stared at each other, their breathing faster than before and fanning against their skin while their eyes did all of the talking. With a few more seconds and a nod from both of them, their lips connected again, but this time their tongues brushed together. Armin's legs buckled under him and he nearly dropped from Eren's grasp, but at some point Eren's leg had slipped between his legs, alternating between keeping his friend up and causing a sudden amount of pleasure that the smaller boy couldn't explain.

He gasped against Eren's lips and Eren took the opportunity to have his tongue invade Armin's mouth. The warm muscle wrapped around his in a tender embrace, much like their own. The sounds from within their mouths rang in his ears while the two learned to breathe through either the gaps between their lips or their noses. Eren was a fast learner, getting him the opportunity to use this skill wisely, but Armin wasn't as fortunate. He had no choice but to pull away, his lungs clenching in pain before he gasped for breath.

Eren saw another opportunity for himself and took it. He pressed his damp lips against the pale column of Armin's neck, sucking where he felt his pulse beating the strongest. The smaller boy whimpered from the sensation, his legs going weak to the point where most of his weight was being held by Eren's leg. He didn't see any other reason why considering that he wasn't standing on his own, so a leg of his lifted up over Eren's own hip. Eren shivered, feeling a heat pooling in his lower abdomen as he pulled on Armin's other leg, lifting it up and over his other hip.

Armin felt the wall slide behind his back and now he was only an inch or two higher than Eren with the way he was being held. Eren moved his lips around Armin's neck, pressing to the other side of his neck and just below his ear. The spot was a lot more sensitive that either had predicted and Armin moaned quietly, the sound echoing off of the walls in the hallway.

"Aha, E-Eren…" He whined and shuffled his body within his arms. Eren stopped torturing his neck and pulled Armin in for another kiss. Their lips connected, their tongues danced together and a bit of saliva dribbled past their lips. Armin finally caught on, on how to breathe while kissing like this, giving him all the time he could ever want or need.

His hands were running along Eren's sides, fingers gripping at the belts and buckles of his 3D Maneuver Gear. His arms pushed against the jacket, noticing the sudden block in his path. He hastily yanked on the jacket, trying to get rid of it so there wouldn't be any more hindrances. Eren grunted at the gesture, his arms slipping away one at a time to get the jacket off of him. Their kiss momentarily broke so he could remove the jacket, but once gone, it was nothing but lips against lips.

Armin ran his hands up Eren's arms, feeling the muscles of his toned arms as he ran his hands over them. He could also feel the bandage under the sleeve of his shirt. He was mildly aware of the injury on Eren's arm and that he should try not to irritate it, but it was so hard to do. Eren's strong forearms were holding him off of the ground and balancing him. They were keeping him in a strong but gentle embrace all at the same time. They were warm, reminding him of Eren's body heat and keeping him in a distant reality, and when those hands were suddenly slipping under his shirt, his reality was gone.

"Hah ah, Eren," He tilted his head back against the wall and sighed. He arched his back, feeling Eren's warm hand constantly pressing down on his skin. He tightened his grip around Eren and hid his face away into Eren's shoulder, his whimpers reaching Eren's ear.

And then it was like something clicked. It was like realization was tossed right back into his face. Eren stopped his actions, his hand slowly slipping out from under Armin's shirt to touch the boy's back carefully. Armin could feel the change in Eren's mood without having to look, but just before he could lean back and question his friend, Eren's hands were escaping, slamming against the wall and pushing himself back. The two separated, Armin falling to the ground so swiftly that it knocked the air out of him while Eren fell against the wall on the other side of the hallway.

The two were suddenly panting, eyes wide and staring at each other in a mix of worry, surprise, fear, anticipation; the list was endless. Once Armin could feel some coherent thoughts, he realized what it was that happened.

All he asked for was a kiss; just one touch of their lips. They weren't supposed to go that far and shouldn't have, yet they did.

Armin gripped his shirt, feeling the cold air seeping in through the places that weren't covered and had been touched by Eren's warm body. He was suddenly cold and shivering, but he couldn't tell if he was shivering because of what had just happened or because it was cold. More than likely it was a mixture of both.

"… S… Sorry…" He said between ragged breaths. Eren looked away and crossed his legs, trying to hide the evidence of what happened and that it had truly affected him. He ran his fingers through the fringe of his bangs and tried to clear the mess Armin had made by running his fingers through each individual tangle. He didn't have much to say, not now at least while the blood was still rushing into places that he couldn't let on about.

Not only was he aroused, but he was utterly embarrassed. Never, in a million years, did he think that he'd ever go so far with anyone, let alone Armin. They had shared their first kiss and Eren made a mental promise never to do anything so drastic ever again, no matter what the consequences, but what they had just done destroyed all promises (and probably some laws) that he had set up. The indecency he just acted upon his best friend was too much. That wasn't supposed to happen.

He cleared his throat and forced his brain to think.

"… D-Did you…" He stopped to wipe his lips on the back of his sleeve. "Do you remember anything from that?" Eren asked. Eren was secretly praying that he did, because then things could go back to normal and would no longer be so confusing. He wouldn't have to be so internally confused and questioning every little thing that happened between then.

However, there was a part of him hoping that Armin didn't remember anything. Why was that?

Armin looked at the floor, watching his feet and nothing else. He blinked as much of the daze from his eyes again as he could and tried to think. He was so lost in their actions that he wasn't paying attention, but now that he thought about it, did he see some things that were familiar? The images were still blurry and unfocused, but they were there. That time he was sure of it. Was it his mind playing tricks on him?

"… No…" He answered. Without definitive proof he couldn't possibly lie and say he did. He didn't want to get Eren's hope up like that and then crush them. At the same time he didn't want to hurt Eren's feelings. Either way, though, he was going to lose. There was nothing he could say or do to raise the stakes for him. He was at a loss.

Eren got the picture. He didn't need to be told twice. He nodded his head, the tears slipping down his eyes before he could stop them. He couldn't hold back anymore and at this point he didn't care who saw him cry. He was tired, he was irate, he was bleary and all he wanted to do was hide.

Armin watched as Eren wiped the tears away against his bandaged arm and stood up.

"… Eren?" He asked in a mumble. Eren paced over to Armin only to grab his jacket on the ground. After that he left without another word and all Armin could do was watch with jarred emotions.

A/N: I gotta ask you people something. Next chapter is a big one (probably going to be long too, just saying. XD) and there's a moment where someone is needed to help Armin with something. Now I want Mikasa to help him, but I'm leaning more towards the doctor. Tell me what you people think. Should the doctor regain his fans?

Doctor- What fans?

Please say no because I am truly ashamed of this man. For those who want to know what he looks like, I'll put the link up again of who I am picturing when I write this. XD

2012/08/17/to-the-beautiful-you-episode-02-zombie- recap/beautiful_you_ep02_0247/

*Fully ashamed of this man* God damn you doctor. XD