A few weeks passed. The hurt and agony everyone (especially the bereaved parents) felt didn't appear to diminish. Even so, life dragged on painfully.
Armin's seventeenth birthday had come and gone. He didn't celebrate it, apart from Jean buying him a large cupcake and sticking a candle into it.
"One of my co-workers told me about this bakery about a block from the car repair shop," he'd told him while lighting the candle and proffering the cupcake to him. "He says the smell is pretty great, so the actual baked goods should at least be all right."
Armin didn't say anything; he merely blew out the candle and slowly ate his treat. It didn't seem to have much of a discernible taste.
He didn't tell Jean that, though; no sense in hurting his feelings.
...
The next day was Saturday, to everyone's relief. Like always, Armin could be found in bed, wrapped up in all the blankets that were on there.
Jean was laying in bed next to him, sound asleep and apparently unaffected by the lack of coverings upon him. He didn't have to go into work today; another co-worker picked up his shift for him.
According to him, it was so that Armin wouldn't have to be home alone. His state of mind was a bit worrisome right now.
Even late at night, he could hear him weeping. It was during one of these particular nights that Jean felt like he needed to do something.
Armin's sobbing sounded rather pitiful, which only stopped when Armin felt himself being pulled backwards into Jean's chest.
"Uh...?" He felt Jean tracing a finger down and around his body. He reached upwards to then rub his thumb against his lips.
It was starting to become clear to Armin what Jean was trying to say to him. Or that was what he presumed. Instead, Armin was pulled out of bed, up to his feet.
"Jean, what are you-" He was promptly shushed, then pulled over to a nearby end table with a small radio on it.
Before he could properly comprehend what was happening, Jean had the radio on and tuned into some classical music station.
Armin wasn't entirely with whatever it was Jean had in mind. Even so, he let himself be swayed and twirled, and every so often he was dipped.
While this was happening, Armin rested his head against Jean's chest, closing his eyes and letting himself go into a place beyond here.
A place where all their troubles weren't that overwhelming.
...
Jean and Armin were standing right in front of a slightly rickety yet functional table. Across from them sat Justice Dietrich, who had just gotten Eren and Mikasa to sign as witnesses for this impromptu ceremony.
"Now then..." He said to them both as he stood up and pulled out a worn-out leather handbook. "Can the two of you turn to face each other for this next part?"
Armin held his bouquet of lilies to his chest while doing what Justice Dietrich had requested of him. He looked up into Jean's intense eyes, while raising his left hand up to rest in-between both of Jean's. To his surprise, Jean was trembling (possibly with nervousness).
Justice Dietrich cleared his throat after flipping through his handbook to the right page.
"Now Armin," he said to him. "I want you to repeat after me. 'I, Armin Arlert, take you, Jean Kirstein'..."
"I, Armin Arlert, take you, Jean Kirstein..."
The entire time, both of them could feel Eren glaring right at the side of Jean's head.
...
The married couple remained quiet as the song on the radio ended, and another one began.
Instead of dancing along with the next song, the two kept embracing each other. Armin could feel one of Jean's hands reach up and tangle itself into his hair.
Jean's other hand reached downwards, stopping directly on top of Armin's chest. Armin did the same. The both of them could feel each other's heart beating, at a slightly elevated rate.
They both then leaned in to lock their lips together in a rather passionate manner.
It was clear what was about to happen.
...
Once Armin had finished speaking his vows, Justice Dietrich looked over at Jean. The latter seemed distracted, going by the way he was staring off into space. Again, he cleared his throat to get his attention.
"Now Jean, I want you to do the same. So repeat after me..."
Jean nodded, making it clear he was listening and waiting to start.
"I, Jean Kirstein, take you, Armin Arlert..."
"I, Jean Kirstein, take you, Armin Arlert..."
It more or less went the same as Armin's did, just with the names reversed.
At the very least, it wasn't too complicated to follow.
...
On the floor now, there lay Jean and Armin's shirts and pants.
Staring upwards at Jean, Armin's breathing had now taken on a more erratic rhythm. He watched as Jean reached down and hooked his fingers into the waistband of his shorts. He gave permission by nodding, lifting his hips up to make removing them easier.
Armin then threw his head back as Jean leaned downwards and took him in. The warmth and wetness of the inside of Jean's mouth was overwhelming.
"Ah...Ah...A-Ahhh!" His sweet voice cried out while Jean nuzzled and breathed in the scent of Armin's pubic hair. Then he sucked a little more forcefully, to Armin's complete pleasure.
"Jean! Oh, yes!" He writhed about, being held still when Jean took hold of his wrists and gently yet firmly grasped them. In return, Armin rested his thighs at either side of Jean's head.
Some time later, Armin's moaning and gasping in pleasure reached their peak. He lay back and relaxed as he came, to both his and Jean's delight. After he did, he lifted up a hand and clasped it with one of Jean's, weaving their fingers together.
...
"By the power vested in me and the law of the county," Justice Dietrich said once Jean and Armin's vows were spoken,the papers were signed, and the rings were exchanged, "I now pronounce you officially married. You may now kiss."
When hearing these words, the newlyweds could also hear Eren making gagging noises while sticking a finger down his throat. The way Justice Dietrich glowered at him showed that his commentary was unwanted.
Jean and Armin then stepped closer, with Jean clasping Armin's free hand in both of his. After a moment of hesitation, Jean leaned his head down and pressed his lips against Armin's.
"I'll take really good care of you," he whispered as he pulled back. "I promise."
His words made Armin blush from behind his flower bouquet.
...
In bed, Jean and Armin were on their sides, as Jean pressed himself into a now well prepared Armin from behind. The gradual way he pushed in helped Armin get used to him at an acceptable pace.
To try and distract him from the pain, Jean left soft, insistent kisses everywhere he could on Armin's bared skin. Armin certainly loved it when he felt him press his lips below his ear.
"Is this all right?" Jean whispered into Armin's ear while he gradually got a little faster. "You want me to stop?"
It took Armin a few moments to catch his breath, before gasping out "Don't stop, please...!"
Neither of them said anything else; Jean simply settled on an acceptable thrusting speed. It was certainly one that pleased Armin.
Once Jean could feel himself reaching the point of no return, he buried his face into Armin's neck and shoulder and grunted in time with his thrusts. The entire time, Armin was crying out and begging for more.
After it was over, Armin sighed in bliss, letting it meld with that of Jean's groan of completion. Then the both of them lay still, basking in their afterglow.
...
In the morning, Armin woke to an empty bed. It was still warm, though, meaning Jean had to have just recently left.
Now left to his own devices, Armin got up and slipped on a long T-shirt and surprisingly revealing shorts. He then grabbed his afghan and quilt, wandering to any place he could sit and be alone with his thoughts.
To his surprise, he came upon Jean fashioning something up with his mother. It looked like a huge cloth sling, that was being hung up in the main room. In all honesty, it looked kind of ridiculous.
"What...?" He choked out, getting the other two's attention. "What is this?"
Jean kept quiet, patting the center of the makeshift hammock to entice Armin to climb in.
...
To his delight, Armin found himself to be quite comfy in his impromptu hammock. With his coverings and a soft pillow under his head, he was quite warm and content.
"I'm thinking I'm gonna try to convince Mister Smith to let us get one for the house," Jean said to him as he handed him the remote and a TV Guide. "It'd probably be easier to relax in than that old rocking chair we got."
Armin just nodded, nestled underneath his quilt and afghan. Jean almost envied him.
Then he remembered that this was meant to be an effort to comfort him in the wake of their baby's passing.
Because of that, he didn't envy him so much anymore.
...
The next doctor's appointment came about a week and a half later. Armin didn't want to go, but Doctor Hanji said that checking on the condition of his body was mandatory and of utmost importance.
Now that he was actually at his appointment, Armin could only lay on the examining table and stare upwards. Doctor Hanji was busy checking his vitals, making certain that nothing was too far into the danger zone.
Armin just wanted to cry. He also wanted to go home and curl up in his hammock and covers. If he had his way, he would never come back out.
"Well, I do see that your cholesterol levels are a little high," Doctor Hanji said to him while flipping through some papers. "But I assure you that that's normal after giving birth."
Now Armin just wanted to reach over and smack her; her voice was boring into his skull like a power drill.
...
On the way back to the apartment, Armin stopped by his and Jean's house. Why, he wasn't sure. He just knew that he was compelled to.
After a brief search inside, he came across a baby related item that Marco had probably overlooked:
A little stuffed rabbit. Once Armin pulled it out from under an end table, he held it tightly against his chest.
He didn't feel comfortable standing alone in the house anymore. It felt too much like his baby was haunting the place.
Quickly, while still holding the stuffed bunny, he left and returned to the apartment. Armin then climbed into his hammock and settled in.
Jean and his mother were nowhere to be found, which was odd. Usually, one if not both were home.
Armin tried not to let it bother him, and proceeded to turn to his side to take a nap.
...
It was a few hours later that Armin awoke to muffled (albeit still fairly audible) voices coming from the kitchen. One of them sounded very unhappy. He remained on his side, eavesdropping.
"I don't understand why he doesn't leave. The only reason we even got married in the first place was for that kid!"
A pause.
"Do you want him to leave you, Jean?"
"No! It's just that now that we don't have our baby, there's no point!
"Hell, early on he said that he and I were a couple of kids ourselves."
Jean suddenly began to sound a bit more agitated. "That's what we are; we aren't really a married couple! We're two kids playing house!"
Listening to his own words being used in this context did upset Armin a little. He drifted off to sleep while hearing one last thing:
"I wish I knew what to do..."