This is actually based on a real story. Two of my friends who didn't know each other spent time together during a school trip and hooked up by the end of it. It's the longest prompt I wrote for this week!
As always, I don't own snk or any of its characters.
It was all Marco's fault, really.
His parents didn't let him go to the New York school trip. This, of course, made Jean loose practically all of the excitement he had been feeling towards this trip, and made him very grumpy during the entire flight. At the airport, Ms. Hanji made an announcement.
"Alright guys! You now have to find a partner! This is for safety purposes. You are not to leave this person's side during the entire duration of this trip. It has to be boys with boys and girls with girls. Find your partner!"
Jean panicked. Now that Marco wasn't there, who was he going to partner up with? What if he ended up with some really annoying guy like Eren? The thought jolted him into action. He quickly looked around and tried to find the most decent person. His eyes landed on a certain blond haired boy.
"Armin!" He called out, his voice a mixture of relief and panic. He quickly pulled the other boy towards him. "Be my partner, okay?"
The blond blinked in surprise. Then he remembered that Marco hadn't been able to come and he suddenly felt a bit bad for the taller boy.
"Sure, Jean." Everyone was getting into their groups of two. Eren, who had been in the bathroom, walked towards Armin.
"So, who do you think we should choose for our room?" Armin gave him an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, Eren. I'm not your partner. Jean asked first." The brunette stuttered.
"W-what? I don't need to ask you! It should be obvious!" Suddenly Jean's arm was around Armin's shoulders.
"Sorry, Jaeger! If you snooze you loose." Armin seriously thought Eren was going to punch Jean in that moment, but Hanji interrupted.
"Hurry up! Once everyone has their partners get together with another pair with which you will share a hotel room."
Eren scowled at Jean before going to find someone else. In the end, he partnered up with Connie and demanded that Armin and Jean be in his hotel room. There was no way he was going to let that horseface go off with the blond just like that.
At night, Eren refused to let Jean sleep with Armin. There were only two beds per room so it was implied that each partnership would share one. Eren just glared at Jean, said "no way in hell", and pulled Armin to the bed with him.
As they got ready to sleep, Jean decided to annoy Eren by poking fun at how cute Armin looked in his pajamas and with his face all sleepy.
Once they turned off the lights, Jean sighed in annoyance.
"Great, now I'm stuck here with you." He whispered to Connie.
"I'm not happy either; you're way bigger than Eren. I can hardily move!"
"Are you calling me fat!?"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP JEAN YOU ARE NOT LETTING US SLEEP."
"I think your yelling already ruined that possibility, Eren."
Jean grinned at the comment. During the day he had discovered that he really liked Armin. He hadn't taken the time to get to know him before, but he guess now was as good as ever. Besides, It was a good way to annoy Eren too.
A knock on the door woke Armin up. It was Ms. Hanji letting them know it was time to get ready. Jean and Connie groaned. Light snores could still be heard from Eren. Armin yawned and stretched before going to the door and greeting the teacher to let her know they were awake. After that, he walked to the hotel window and drew the curtains.
2 groans filled the room. Eren was still dead to the world.
"Alright guys. I'm warning you now. I'm going to take a shower and if by the time I'm done you are not out of bed I will need to take drastic measures. That means you, Eren!" He threw a pillow at the brunette but he didn't seem to notice.
Once Armin came out of the shower, Connie was dragging himself out of bed and Jean was dressing himself with his eyes half closed. Eren was still asleep.
"Don't say I didn't warn you." Armin sighed. Jean rubbed his eyes to clear them up a bit. He followed Armin's form as he made his way to Eren's side.
"What are you going to do?" He asked. Connie stood up to look too. Armin didn't talk, he just took out his phone, looked something up, and laid it next to Eren's ear. He then took a step back and stood next to Jean. 10 seconds later, a loud car alarm sound jolted Eren out of his sleep with a yell.
Jean and Connie began to crack up. Eren fumbled with the phone, trying to turn the alarm off. Jean put an arm around Armin's shoulders.
"That was brilliant!" He ruffled the blond's hair. This was going to be a great day.
They went to the Metropolitan museum of art. There, they were given a packet with different questions to fill out. It had to be done by working with your partner only. Eren was very angry because neither he nor Connie understood any of the questions. The green eyed boy threw angry glares at Jean who stuck out his tongue and turned back to Armin who was explaining the answer to one of the questions.
Eren tried to sneak close to them and hear. Armin really wanted to help him, but he knew they weren't allowed. Eventually Mr. Levi saw and forced Eren and Connie to move on to another area of the packet, meaning another area of the museum. Jean gave him a mean smirk as he left.
Jean was really impressed by Armin. The blonde had more intellect and problem solving skills in his little finger than most people learned in a lifetime. Together they were able to finish the packet fairly quickly and had a chance to goof around.
Jean insisted they take funny photos with the sculptures. At first Armin thought it was disrespectful to the artist, but Jean's expressions were hilarious and his enthusiasm was contagious. Armin soon found himself laughing alongside the taller boy as they went around the museum, imitating the images.
There was a point where, in the photography area, Armin posed before a very large image. As Jean began to take pictures, more people joined him. They apparently thought Armin was part of the exhibit. They both tried hard not to break down in bursts of laughter. Once the people cleared, they let themselves cave in.
"Can I brag that I have a friend who is pretty enough to be exposed in a museum?"
"Shut up."
After a while, they went to the souvenir shop. Jean would be making jokes with anything he found. The blonde was impressed at his ability to make anything funny. He couldn't remember the last time he had laughed this much.
Suddenly he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye.
"Jean, look!" He took the item in his hands and stared at it with wonder. Jean looked over the blonde's shoulder.
"Are those little tapestries?"
"They are cup holders, but yes, in the form of tiny tapestries."
"I don't think I've ever used a cup holder in my life."
"I am disappointed in your lack of mannerism." Armin traced a finger over the soft material. "I really like them. If I had a house of my own, I would definitely buy these." Jean chuckled.
"It does look like the kind of thing you would have." Jean watched Armin's dreamy expression, but it suddenly broke.
"I'm being silly. I don't even have a house." He put them down and began to walk away, but Jean saw how he looked back at them for a moment. He seemed slightly upset. Upset enough to forget the "always stick together" rule and walk off to the farther side of the store. Jean watched him go before sighing and reaching towards the tiny tapestries.
Armin was looking around other areas of the store when Jean walked up to him with a bag of purchases in his hand. Armin smiled.
"What did you get?" He asked with curiosity. Wordlessly, Jean put his hand into the bag and took out the tiny tapestries. Armin's eyes widened. "Jean! Y-you didn't have to-"
"There's nothing wrong with dreaming, Armin." He said, placing the objects in his hands. "I know hope can lead to disappointment, but that is part of living. When it comes to things like these, you have to make the choice you think you will regret the least. In this case, it was pretty obvious."
Armin stared at the cup holders in his hands. He looked up at Jean, his blue eyes almost watery.
"You're right… It was obvious. Let me pay you for them." Jean shook his head and gave him a teasing grin.
"Just take it as my thanks for being such huge help with the packet." Armin looked back down at the tapestries and held them tightly against his chest.
"Thank you." He whispered. Then his head snapped up and an excited expression appeared on his face. "Jean! Some day, when I have a house of my own, I will invite you a drink on these cup holders!"
A warm feeling spread through Jean's chest.
"I'll hold you to that."
Before going to sleep, Eren decided to go to the soda machine and get some drinks. Everyone else was lying on their beds and getting ready to sleep. Armin had quickly drifted off while reading a book, which was still lying on his lap. Jean stood from his bed and plucked it from under the blonde's tiny hands. He placed the bookmark on the page Armin had left off and set it on the shelf. He then pulled up the blanket to cover the boy better. Connie was going to make a joke like "are you going to kiss him goodnight now?" but something stopped him. The scene just seemed too sincere for something like that.
Jean sighed and let himself fall onto his own bed. Connie watched him silently. After a moment, Jean growled in frustration.
"Ugh. Why is Eren even sleeping with Armin! He's my partner." At that moment, Eren walked in. Jean pretended to be asleep, not wanting to deal with him.
Once the lights were out, Connie whispered something to Jean. His voice was low enough to be sure only the boy at his side would hear.
"Jean… do you like Armin?" They both knew the kind of liking Connie was talking about.
The question brought a shock over the brunette because… maybe he did.
As he thought of the last few days he had been spending in Armin's company, everything pointed to it being true. He wouldn't mind getting to know Armin in that way. In fact, the idea made him very happy.
"Maybe." He admitted.
Connie was silent for a moment, but even in the dark, Jean could see his eyes widen as he nodded.
"… If you want, I can help you so you can sleep with Armin."
"Really?!"
"Yeah, just leave it to me."
"Is it this way?"
"I think so."
Armin and Jean walked side by side through the streets of New York trying to find the bus where the rest of the class was waiting for them.
Armin suddenly stopped and pulled at Jean's sweater.
"Look!" He pointed. There was a man on the ground, he had his shirt pulled over his head and he wasn't moving.
"Wow." Jean muttered.
"Is he alright?" Armin asked, worriedly.
"Who knows? Let's hurry." But Armin wouldn't budge.
"We have to make sure he's ok." The blonde insisted. Jean panicked slightly.
"Armin! The people here are crazy! You should really just let him be!" The blonde didn't listen. He neared the body on the ground and Jean sighed before following him.
"Excuse me… Are you alright?" Armin poked at the man with his shoe. For a moment there was no response and both boys feared that the man could truly be dead. Suddenly, as if he had been electrocuted, the man leaped up.
Armin and Jean stepped back in shock as the man lowered his shirt back onto his body.
He stank of alcohol and rotten food. His eyes wouldn't focus and he wobbled as he took a step towards Armin.
"Hey, cutie. Wanna spend some time with me?" The blue eyed boy had no idea how to react and he just stood there as the man neared him. Suddenly Jean forced himself between them.
"Hey! Back off!" The man was confused for a second, as if he had just realized Jean was there, then he smirked.
"What? Is he your boyfriend or something?" Armin would probably be blushing a bit if he wasn't slightly terrified. He was about to apologize to the man and go on their way when he felt Jean lace his fingers with Armin's own.
"Yes." He stated. "So go away." The man scowled and mumbled something under his breath as he walked away. Armin let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Thank you. You didn't have to do that." Jean grinned.
"We're partners! Our job's to look out for each other." They continued their walk in search of the bus, but Jean never let go of Armin's hand. The blonde did not complain.
Once they made it there, they saw that people were still lined up to go inside the bus, so they had made it just in time. Eren didn't seem to think so.
"You guys are late!" He called out. Then he saw their laced hands and scowled. He was about to say something about it when Connie suddenly jumped in front of him.
"Aha! You're right, Eren! We better hurry in!" He began to push the green eyed boy until they were inside the bus.
The bus ride was a bit long, and Armin found himself dozing off. The feeling of Jean's hand in his made him relax and let his head fall onto the taller boy's shoulder.
Exaggeratedly violent coughs erupted from Connie's mouth.
"Are you alright?" Armin asked, wincing lightly.
"Ugh. I must have caught something-*COUGH HACK COUGH*"
Jean smirked, but forced his expression into a scowl.
"There's no way I'm sleeping with you getting all your germs on me." He made his way to Eren and Armin's bed. "Scooch over, blondie."
"Wow! What the fuck do you think you are doing!" Eren called out as Jean made himself comfortable in their bed.
"What? Are you really heartless enough to make me sleep with that?"
"*COUGH HACK WHEEZE*" Eren winced.
"No! You can sleep on the floor!"
"Eren! We can share the bed just fine." Armin said, annoyed at his friend's temper. This only seemed to piss him off more.
"Well, I'm not sleeping with the horseface! I guess that mean's I'll sleep on the floor!" Armin looked like he wanted to argue, but he decided it was useless. Eren mumbled under his breath as he got off the bed. He turned off the lights and threw himself onto the ground.
Now Armin and Jean were alone on the bed. There was a moment of awkwardness where they each didn't know how to act or move without making the other uncomfortable. It was broken by Jean's voice.
"I drool when I sleep."
Armin's laughter seemed to melt all the tension away.
"I get cold." The blonde closed the distance between his body and Jean's as he snuggled up to the other boy's chest. Jean put his arms around the smaller boy and laid his chin on top of his hair. It felt so comfortable and so right, as if (as corny as it sounded) it was meant to be.
The next morning, Armin and Jean were in a very good mood. The blonde hummed as he served himself from the hotel breakfast buffet. Jean insisted in carrying Armin's plate back to their table, so the blonde went to get juice for both of them.
They walk, side by side, back to their seats. Jean placed the blonde's plate before him as Armin set Jean's juice next to his dish. Eren gagged.
"You look like a married couple." Jean smirked, put his arm around Armin's shoulders, and buried his head against the boy's neck.
"Does that bother you, Eren?" He asked in a mocking tone. The green eyed boy was fuming.
"I can go get you some juice too, if you want." Armin tried for a peace offering. Eren glared, but stayed quiet as he roughly took a bite of his toast.
They took their seats and began to eat. Eren suddenly couldn't keep his mouth shut any longer.
"I can't believe you made me sleep on the floor!" Armin raised an eyebrow and gave a humored smile.
"I think your exact words were 'I guess that mean's I'll be sleeping on the floor'. There doesn't seem to have been much decision making on my part." Eren scowled and looked away.
Jean took Armin's hand under the table. The blonde blushed lightly. He wondered if this behavior was going to continue once they were back home. Maybe this was just a fling for fun during a trip, but he remembered that that usually only applies to the summer where there are no witnesses. Jean was not hiding his affection, and the people around them were the same people who would be with them back home.
"Jean! Try this." Armin cut a piece of his mushroom omelet and feed it to Jean. The taller boy munched with a thoughtful expression.
"It's good, but check this out." He got a spoonful of hash browns. The blonde obediently opened his mouth, the resulting image being very cute. Jeansmiled fondly and took a second to record that image clearly in his memory. He let the spoon slip through Armin's lips.
"Yum!" The blonde exclaimed.
"You want some more?"
Eren slammed his hands against the table and stood up. Armin rolled his eyes as he opened his mouth again to be fed by Jean.
The moment Armin stepped out of the bathroom his 3 other roommates' eyes widened.
"Wow. Nice!" Connie called out. Armin blushed.
"Is it too much? My grandfather got really excited about me going to the opera."
They were all dressing in formal attire for this event, but some people's outfits were less refined than others.
Connie was wearing a simple dress shirt and black pants. Eren's shirt was a bit nicer and he also had a tie, which Connie refused to wear. Jean was actually wearing a suit, but it looked old (well it was the one he always used to any formal event, from a wedding to a funeral.)
Armin suit, on the other hand, was brand new. It had been purchased just for the occasion. It was also so shocking because it was white. The tie was a bright blue that matched the tone of his eyes. Even Eren looked impressed.
"Nah, man. You look awesome." Jean was still too shocked to speak. Armin made his way to the full body mirror.
"I'm not sure. Maybe I should…"
"It's perfect." Armin blinked in surprise. He watched Jean by his reflection in the mirror. The taller boy blushed lightly and looked away. Armin smiled.
When they made their way to the hotel reception, Armin caught many eyes. He was the only one who didn't seem to look awkward in formal attire, although that didn't mean the boy in question felt confident in it.
Reiner wolf whistled and Jean scowled.
Ms. Hanji ran to Armin and began to freak out about how great he looked and how she appreciated that at least someone actually looked ready for the opera.
On the bus, Armin felt more over dressed than ever. Jean noticed and he gave him a light nudge.
"Stop worrying. You look super hot." Armin laughed whole heartedly. He had never been called that in his entire life, but he knew that Jean truly believed what he was saying. He let his head fall onto his shoulder.
"I'm glad you think so."
"Reiner seems to think so too." Jean muttered annoyed.
"Who cares." The brunette smiled at Armin's dismissive tone. He laid his cheek against the top of the blonde's head.
As they began to step out of the bus, Jean offered Armin his arm. The blonde smirked before taking it. They walked down together.
Jean was very proud of the company he was holding. They caught the eye of many people but instead of feeling jealousy he only felt satisfaction.
"Yes. Take a good long look. This angel is with me. "
The opera was in Italian. There were little translators in front of their seats. Jean thought of putting it in French, but Armin insisted that Italian was closer to Spanish and since they both knew a little bit they had the obligation to put it in that language. In the end he had to agree. It was good practice and it was fun to whisper with Armin and try to figure out what the performer had just said and what a certain word meant.
"That was wonderful! Don't you think so, Eren?"
"I have no idea what happened. Connie fell asleep."
They were walking out of the Opera and through the Lincoln center. Armin rolled his eyes at his friend and decided to change his focus to the beautiful fountain at the center.
"You want me to take a picture of you?" Jean asked. Armin nodded happily. He stood before the fountain and Jean took a picture with the blonde's camera. "Hold on!" Jean called out as he took his own camera and took another picture. Armin felt like his heart was going to explode. The moment he put the camera down, Armin couldn't control himself and he ran towards the taller boy.
Jean laughed as he caught Armin in his arms and the blonde gave him a tight hug. Before he could regret it, he pulled back and kissed the shorter boy. There was some clapping and cheering. Eren gaged.
Marco was very excited to see his friends and hear all about what they had done in New York. He was slightly shocked when Eren was the first to greet him. He walked straight to him, fuming.
"This is your fault." He said. Before Marco could ask what he meant, Eren looked behind his shoulder and scowled before walking away. Confused, Marco looked over to where Eren had been looking and saw Jean and Armin walking together holding hands and talking. Marco blinked, still confused.
"What happened on that trip?"