Based off a role play with KiwiFruit07

Eren/Armin: The Perfect Date

"Mikasa… I need your help with something."

It was common knowledge around Sina High that Armin Arlert and Eren Jaeger had feelings for each other. Armin had let it slip that he had a crush on Eren to the wrong friend (no names mentioned, but, Jean Kirschstein) and the rumor spread like wildfire around the small high school. When word reached Eren himself, and he was asked if the love was unrequited, he paused before answering, "Well, no. I think we've liked each other for a while." That news rebounded back along the line of gossip, and soon the next question was, "Are you two dating?" to which the answer was, regrettably, no. After all, they hardly even saw each other, what with their immensely different academic paths.

Although neither of them verbalized it, both of them secretly wished for that to change. Eren was the one to take action.

Mikasa, Eren's adoptive sister, just looked up at him from the homework she was working on. Eren had his out as well, but he hadn't made any progress on it, for he was staring absently at nothing, lost in thought. Now, however, he had quite the focused look in his greenish-blue eyes as he aimed his gaze at Mikasa. "You're a girl, you're better with these things… Where would be a good place to take Armin on a date?"

Mikasa's eyes widened slightly. She, being closer to Eren than anyone, was naturally aware of their subtle "relationship;" not to mention she'd known both boys since they were 10, and always had a feeling that there was something more hiding between them. "…I don't know."

Eren groaned, leaning back in his chair. "Please…. We've never been on a date before, and if we're gonna do this boyfriend thing, we need to start spending time with each other again. On dates."

Funny, how when they were kids, they'd naturally never been on a date, yet still spent plenty of time together and had quite the chemistry. But Mikasa wasn't about to point that out. "Text him about it."

"And say what? 'I like you a lot but I'm too uncreative to figure out a special place to take you on a date, so tell me where you'd like to go'?"

"…the library," Mikasa offered after staring at her adopted brother for a few seconds. Now that she said it, she was honestly surprised he hadn't thought of it himself. Armin loved books…

First Eren's eyes widened, then an almost childish grin lit up his face. "Yes, that's perfect! He'd love that…" Suddenly, the smile faded as quickly as it had appeared. "Wait, but then we won't be able to talk… Not above a whisper or without getting kicked out."

Well then that was out. "….the ocean," Mikasa suggested next. This time, Eren tilted his head and thought about that. He knew the perfect little slice of beach that was nearly always empty… It was a romantic setting, and he knew Armin had a love for the ocean almost as big as his love for books… His youthful grin returned.

"That's genius, Mikasa! It's a wonder you don't have a boyfriend," he exclaimed.

Mikasa just returned to her homework. "I don't need a boyfriend," she said quietly.

"Then, a girlfriend," Eren said without really thinking, since he was more preoccupied with taking out his phone and texting Armin about these plans he (well, technically, Mikasa) made. Mikasa fell silent then, not even bothering to protest, and that was the end of that.

Eren made sure to arrive at the beach 10 minutes before their designated time in case Armin came early. They had bumped into each other in the hallway and exchanged a brief "Hey" and smiles, but other than that, they hadn't spoken all day, let alone plan out this evening. So, it could go any way. Eren found himself pacing anxiously after waiting for a mere three minutes; what if Armin didn't show up? He had planned this date so abruptly, with little thought behind it… Plus, they weren't even officially boyfriends. Did he have more confidence in Armin's feelings about him than he should? Armin wasn't always one to cave under pressure, but perhaps in this instance, he had lied when approached about his feelings for Eren…

All his worrying proved fruitless when Armin showed up exactly on time, dressed similarly to Eren: shorts and a nice tank top, with a new pair of sandals. "Armin-!" Realizing he sounded more relieved and surprised than he should, Eren took a deep breath and put on a smile. "Armin," he repeated more calmly.

"Eren… You look nice," Armin commented, a light blush on his cheek as he timidly hugged himself with one arm.

"Nice? Uh, thanks…" Eren tilted his head, settling into his smile. "You do, too." They fell silent then, though neither of them really felt awkward; both had rapidly fluttering hearts, and were lost in a flurry of "what-should-I-do-now" thoughts. Eren was the one to speak up first. "Let's go see how cold the water is," he offered. It was a nice evening- not hot enough for swimming, but warm enough to stand ankle-deep in the water.

"Oh, yes, good idea!" Armin agreed, taking Eren's hand. Neither of them thought anything of the gesture; holding hands had been a common thing between them since they were kids. They kicked off their shoes and made their way over to the water, gingerly stepping in. Both of them shivered; Armin with a squeal, Eren with a sharp intake of breath.

"It's so cold!" he shrieked, jolting back. Armin, however, held tight to his hand and prevented him from bolting back to shore.

"I think it feels nice," Armin indicated with a smile. Eren sighed slightly and hesitantly retook his place by Armin's side.

Noticing Eren's discomfort, Armin decided it best to strike up a conversation to distract him. "It's only a few minutes till sunset… Do you know how gorgeous it's going to look, over the horizon? With all the colors…" His eyes sparkled dreamily at the image.

Eren smiled at him. "You're right… Purple, and pink, and orange, all reflected in the water."

"Yes! Exactly! It makes the scenery even more beautiful," Armin breathed, ecstatic that he didn't appear to be boring his companion. Eren's smile softened.

"You've always loved the ocean, huh? I remember you carrying around a different ocean-related book every week. Books about Atlantis, aquatic mammals, folklore about the sea, fish…"

Armin perked up slightly, blushing. "You remember that? Yes, I… have always loved it," he nodded. "….I miss those days," he added quietly. "When we were kids…"

Eren's smile faded, and he glanced sadly down at the water. "…yeah. Me too. When we spent hours together, every single day…" He turned back to Armin, furrowing his eyebrows to give him a serious expression. "I'm really sorry, Armin. That we've… fallen apart lately. It's just so hard, when we have no classes together, and we're in different crowds now… And we're always so busy. It's not like I avoid you or anything, we just rarely cross paths anymore."

"It's okay, I completely understand…" Armin murmured. "You can't have much free time when you're always training to slaughter the Titans," he grinned up at Eren, referring to Sina High's enemy school's football team, the Titans. Eren returned the smile, though softer.

"I miss you, Armin. And by the time it finally clicked that I, well, love you," Armin's cheeks flushed at those words, "we were already so distant."

"I wouldn't say so distant…" Armin disagreed gently. "We haven't hung out since middle school, but we do text on occasion… And think about each other…" His blush deepened. "A-at least, I think about you…" Eren gave him a nod, assuring him that his thoughts did in fact tend to trail to Armin. "Plus, here we are now! On a date… As, boyfriends."

"…are we, though?"

Armin felt his heart freeze and his body tense. Realizing what it sounded like he was suggesting, Eren quickly continued, "I never formally asked you out, did I? Everyone just assumed that since we both liked each other, we were boyfriends, so, we just went along with it. That being said…" Eren squeezed Armin's hand tighter and used his other hand to caress his cheek, tucking a bit of his blonde hair behind his ear. "Armin, will you be my boyfriend?"

Tears briefly jumped into Armin's deep blue eyes, and he blinked quickly to clear them away. "Of course, Eren-!" Eren smiled gently and leaned down slightly to give Armin a peck on the cheek, causing his face to glow its reddest. "…did you ever see this coming?" he asked once his blush had died down a bit, wiggling his feet in the water in order to better feel the soft sand between his toes. "You and me, in love…"

"…no. I don't think I did," Eren answered honestly, tilting his head.

"Neither did I," Armin agreed, skirting his fingertips of his free hand across the shallow water below.

"But now that we do feel this way… I'm glad. I'm just surprised we didn't realize it earlier."

Armin looked up into his face, and smiled. "I can say the same."

They then fell silent, but not because they didn't know what to say next; they had locked eyes, and suddenly found themselves hypnotized. It was so peaceful, with nothing but the subtle crash of waves gently breaking filling their ears, their hearts filled with joy at hearing declarations of love, and their eyes filled with nothing but the face of the person they loved most. So peaceful, so perfect… Yet it could be made even better. They were absently leaning closer, closer, lost in pools of teal and blue, until their eyes seemed to close on their own accord and the distance between their faces was gone.

Just as they were melting into this new sensation, starting to acknowledge what was going on, it suddenly came to an end. Armin had shrunk back, eyes wide, heart hammering. Eren frowned and tilted his head slightly. "What?"

Armin covered his mouth with one hand, blushing awfully. "Don't get the wrong idea, please-! I just-! I've never been kissed before… I don't know what I'm doing…."

Eren immediately loosened up, smiling softly and taking Armin's hand away from his mouth. "Well I'm in the same situation. So we're even."

"You mean you've never-?" Eren shook his head; Armin gaped in surprise. "But you're on the football team, I just assumed you-"

"-spent every night with a cheerleader? Please, I've never cared about dating. Of course, you're a special case…."

"…wow," Armin breathed. "I'm sorry, Eren-!"

"Why are you apologizing?" Eren chuckled, and began to lean in for another kiss, only to have Armin hold him back by the shoulders. He sighed. "You're that insecure about kissing, huh…"

"…h-help me," Armin whispered. "You seem to know how to do it, so, show me…! Please…"

Once again, Eren wore a smile that displayed nothing but sheer affection. "Of course. It's easy, really. Not something you think about, it just comes naturally. Close your eyes…" Armin immediately shut his eyes, perhaps too tightly. Eren swallowed a laugh at Armin's effort. "Part your lips just barely, and pucker them slightly…" Armin's cheeks flushed a deep pink and he almost protested, but he reluctantly obliged. Eren bit his tongue, mentally reveling at how undeniably adorable (and silly) Armin looked. "Okay, now when I kiss you, just lean your face against mine, mostly with your lower face. Then when I pull away, if you want another kiss, just pucker your lips a little more and lean toward me."

Armin nodded slowly, furrowing his eyebrows and going over all that in his head. "Yes… Got it… Okay, now, kiss me." Eren smiled fondly, took Armin's chin in his hand, closed his eyes, and pressed a gentle kiss against his lips.

This time, they both relished the moment. The rest of the world melted away; their bodies felt weightless; their lips tingled; everything was perfect, so long as they were there with each other. When their mouths finally separated, they remained close, Armin on his toes with his hands pressed against Eren's chest and their noses touching. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"…I guess not…" Armin murmured, his eyes shining and cheeks pink. He glanced away for a moment, then suddenly wrapped his arms around Eren's neck, pulled him down to his level, and kissed him with double the passion as before. Eren was taken aback at first, but quickly slipped his hands around Armin's waist, pulling their bodies close together, and returned the kiss. Once they pulled away, they were wearing rather opposite expressions: Armin looked nervous, as if he'd done an awful thing, while Eren was smiling, like he was experiencing the best moment of his entire life.

"That was a little sloppy, but it was nice," Eren teased. Armin opened his mouth to defend himself, but Eren cut him off with a quick peck on the lips. Armin pouted, yet a teensy smile had begun to creep onto his lips, and soon enough they were both laughing like amused children.

For about a minute, they simply stood there in the water, waves lapping at their ankles, smiling airily in each others' arms, when suddenly the ocean tides took a slight change. A wave much bigger than any they had seen since they got there crashed nearby, creating an unexpected undertow. "Whoa-!"Eren gasped, snapping out of his lovestruck stupor. He began to trip forward, and Armin reached out his arms to stop him; however, the current ended up pulling both of them down, flailing in a fruitless attempt to regain balance. "Shit! Armin, are you okay?!" Eren asked frantically, sitting upright and shuddering at the feeling of the water and sand against his clothes.

"Yes, I'm fine… Just a little wet," Armin answered. That was quite the understatement: he was soaked from head to toe, and would probably be washing sand out of his hair for a few days. Nonetheless, he was smiling contentedly. He gradually scooped up a handful of sand, and in an instant he had whipped his hand out of the water and flung the sand at Eren.

Eren just gaped in disgust for a moment, but a grin slowly appeared on his face. "You're dead, Arlert." He dug up two handfuls of wet sand, and smacked it against the front of Armin's shirt.

Soon enough, they had each other by the shoulders and were tumbling around the shallow waters, splashing and rolling around and chasing each other. Just like they were kids again. After only a few minutes, they were equally soaked and sandy, and out of breath both from laughing and running. "…oh, Eren… Look…" Armin gasped, falling sideways into his boyfriend as Eren wrapped his arm around his shoulders.

"Oh, wow…" Eren breathed, his eyes widening and breath settling. The sun had begun to set, and it was just as dazzling as they had expected: the colors reflected against the already shimmering waves, and the sun was a red-orange half circle dipping below the horizon.

"…Eren…"

Eren glanced down at Armin, whose eyes were still glued to the breathtaking sight in the sky. "Yeah?"

"…I love you." Now Armin turned away from the sunset, gazing up at Eren with a sincerity he could hardly remember feeling before.

"I love you too… Armin…" Eren brought his hands to Armin's cheeks, brushing away some mud that had got there. Both of them looked awful; drenched, sand-covered clothes and hair with mud all over their bare skin. Yet that hardly appeared as a flaw to either of them. They had an overwhelming feeling of joy racing in their chests, their mouths ached from smiling and laughing, their lips still tingled with the memory of the kisses they had shared, and most importantly, they were together. It had been so long, too long, since that had happened. And they both missed it desperately.

"You look awful," Armin murmured, smiling airily with obvious doting in his tone.

"So do you," Eren retorted, tapping him on the nose with a muddy finger.

Armin flashed a brief smile, closing his eyes and nuzzling his head into the crook of Eren's neck. In turn, Eren rested his head on top of Armin's. "…we should do this again sometime."

"Absolutely," Eren agreed without a moment of hesitation. He planted a kiss against Armin's forehead, hugging him close with one arm. "Now that we're dating and everything, we need to find each other in the halls… I could walk you to class, maybe."

"I can text you my schedule, we'll change our walking paths so we can pass each other more often!" Armin offered. Eren smiled at him with a nod.

"Good idea. And speaking of which, we need to start texting each other daily again."

"We do."

Now their lips met yet again, this time tasting of sandy saltwater. But they didn't mind; it was still just as magical as the other kisses. "We should go get rinsed off…" Armin whispered against Eren's lips, their eyes closed and foreheads touching. They rubbed together as Eren gave a nod to his head.

"I'll walk you home…"

The boys headed out of the water hand-in-hand and retrieved their shoes. They chatted as they rinsed off the sand and mud in the beach's outdoor shower and all the way home, catching up on the things they'd missed in each others' high school lives. They both immensely regretted losing contact over the months… But it was okay. Things were changing now, and they were becoming better than before.