A/N: Hehe~ Little smexy time~ Oh yeah, warnings! We have a side pairing! Spoiler alert and blah blah blah. One more chapter to go! :D See you all... Next week. :3
It's A One Time Thing (Modern AU) They're are the only ones who trust each other enough to go this far. They keep sayings it's a simple thing, which it means absolutely nothing, but, to be honest, that couldn't be any farther from the truth.
Rated M: Sexual content, adult language
Couple: Eren x Armin
Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin
"Well hey there ladies," Armin greeted the three girls sitting at the table.
"Hey," Ymir grumbled.
"Hello..." Annie mumbled while brushing her bangs from her face.
"Hi, Armin!" Christa nearly cheered. Armin smiled at Christa's boundless energy as he leaned down against their table.
"What are you guys up to today? And wasn't Mikasa hanging out with you guys last night?" Armin asked.
"Not much really. We felt like going out for breakfast today." Ymir said while secretly motioning to Christa. Ymir leaned her head back against the booth bench while her hands held her head up comfortably. "Mikasa already went home. There's only so much we can handle of that perfect little princess before I try to kill her." She scoffed.
"Ymir, that's not nice." Christa reprimanded with a smack of her hand to Ymir's forearm. "Don't joke like that."
"I wasn't joking." Ymir muttered. Armin chuckled at the two girls. He looked over to Annie who had her head rather low, her bangs dipping into her soda.
"What about you, Annie? What's on your agenda after this?" Armin asked. Armin could swear he saw a hint of pink flushing under her cheeks. Annie looked away and frowned when realizing that she had been caught.
"Nothing..." She mumbled.
"Nothing...? Not even working today?" Armin asked.
"No," She shook her head.
"That's right. She doesn't have the joy of frightening poor children today. It's a Saturday." Ymir sneered in a smooth tone.
"Ymir," Christa smacked her leg under the table. "Be nice." Armin looked to the two and smiled.
They were the perfect example of a working relationship. They worked well with each other, both in an office and out. It took Ymir maybe five minutes to propose a marriage to Christa, but that was a normal thing for her. She got a marriage proposal every other day. It took about five years for her to return the feelings to Ymir.
That was about eight years ago. They shared an apartment and were rarely seen apart.
Armin admired them so much for that. He wished from the bottom of his heart that he could have some kind of relationship like that with someone. Someone strong and confident with a good heart. Someone more than likely taller than him, considering his height, but not overzealous about it. Someone with a nice complexion and soft hair so he could enjoy running his fingers through their hair.
'Someone like Eren...' He distantly thought. His eyes widened with surprise, a blush dusting his cheeks when realizing that all of what he wanted had to do with his best friend. He thought he had locked away those feelings, but apparently he was wrong.
He needed to let go of that pipe dream. The only intimate thing they ever did was have sex, and that was only because neither of them had someone in their lives other than themselves to do it with. They picked each other as a simple fix when they needed it and that was it. Eren hadn't shown any signs of ever feeling anything other than friendship towards him. They were childhood friends and that was it.
"So Annie," Ymir spoke up, breaking Armin from his deep and depressing thoughts. "Wasn't there something you wanted to ask Armin?" She asked.
Armin, being closer to Annie than he had realized, heard a low hiss come from Annie's throat.
"Shut up," She growled.
"I think you did." Ymir leaned across the table, her smug grin and narrow eyes frightening Armin.
"If you have to ask me something then you can." Armin said, a nervous chuckle leaving him when seeing the death stare Annie was giving Ymir.
Annie eventually sighed while dropping her head so her bangs could be in her face again. Armin had a puzzled expression on his face. He didn't know Annie was the hesitant type. Sure, she had admitted to being afraid of many things in the past, but hesitant? Not so much. He still remembered the time this four foot nine girl (who was thirteen at the time) kicked poor Reiner to his ass. Correction; she kicked him to the ground with his ass in the air. She had done the same to Eren a little bit before. There was no amount of hesitancy in her what so ever.
"Armin..." She mumbled.
"Hm...?" Armin tilted his head, his big, blue eyes innocent and secretly pleading for an answer.
"W-Would you like to..." She stopped to rub the bridge of her nose. "Do you want to go to the movies with me sometime?" She asked.
Well, Armin felt like had been slapped across the face with a babies foot. Surprised wasn't even a good enough word. Shocked was probably better.
"Uh... A-Are you asking me out on a date?" His face flushed as he asked. He could hear Christa giggling and Ymir snickering away from where they sat, but he didn't seem to register that into his head.
"If you don't want to go with me that's fine with me." Annie mumbled and her fingers grabbed at the spoon sitting in her soda to begin twirling it around.
"Aha, n-no, no. That's not it. It's just kind of sudden, that's all." Armin began to rub the back of his head, nervous laughter making him stutter. "I don't see any reason not to." He said. "I mean, it's only a movie, right?"
"Right, that's all." Annie couldn't bring herself to use a voice higher than a whisper.
"There are some good movies at the theater tonight. Why don't you go after work?" Ymir suggested and was quickly "rewarded" by a harsh and nearly bone breaking kick under the table from Annie.
"It's not a bad idea, actually. I get off at one so we can go see an afternoon showing if you'd like." Armin remarked. Annie had her head so low that her forehead was almost pressing into her drink, but that didn't stop her from nodding in an almost frantic manner.
"Okay," She muttered.
"Well then I'll see you a little after one, I guess..." Armin stood up straighter and pulled his little notebook back up with its pen in his hand. "Hey, are you guys going to order something or am I just standing here for nothing?" Armin immediately shot a look over to Christa and Ymir. Ymir was holding her sides, crying from the laughter she was trying to hold in. Christa was off in lala land, enjoying the scene unfold in front of her until Armin spoke.
"No. We're going to need a few more minutes." She waved her hand at Armin with a cheeky grin and a blush from ear to ear.
"Alright then," Armin pushed his notebook back into his pocket as he spoke, his voice showing his skepticism.
Deciding to ignore them, Armin left the three girls to their table. Just as he turned the corner, heading back to the kitchen, he heard Ymir shriek.
"Ouch, ouch! Annie, stop kicking me!" She cried. Armin rolled his eyes as he walked into the kitchen.
"What's so funny?" Jean asked, noticing the grin on Armin's face.
"Annie is beating Ymir up." Armin pulled his sleeves up his arms, hoping they'd stay up this time.
"... That's funny? She does it at least once a week." Jean went pack to flipping some pancakes on the grill.
"I guess... But something strange did happen." Armin said.
"Oh yeah; what's that?" Jean asked. He made it sound like he didn't care. Plenty of strange things happened every day and it honestly got old and boring. Nothing surprised him easily anymore.
"Annie just asked me out on a date."
He stood corrected. Jean turned around, leaving his food to overcook as he gave Armin a blank stare.
"… You're shitting me." He said.
"Nope. We're going to the movies after my shift is done." Armin laughed when Jean's mouth dropped.
"No fucking way! No fucking way!" Jean left the stove to grab Armin's shoulders and spin him around so they could face.
"Yes, Jean. It's true." Armin swatted him away with his hands and motioned to the stove. "The food is burning." Jean turned around to see the black smoke rising from the burnt up rocks that used to be pancakes.
"Awe shit!" He cried as he grabbed at a wet dish rag. Armin would have laughed if it weren't for the near fire at the stove. He turned around and rolled his eyes, knowing Jean could handle it himself. "Now wait a minute, when did this whole thing come about?"
"What do you mean?" Armin asked. Jean already had the small situation under control, just like he had predicted.
"I didn't know Annie had a thing for you," Jean said, exasperated.
"Honestly, I don't think she does. Something tells me that this whole date thing isn't what I or you think it is." Armin handed Jean a box of pancake mix as he spoke.
"What do you mean?" Jean asked.
"I don't know myself. I get the feeling that it's not right, that's all." Armin said.
"So then… What about Bertholdt?" Jean questioned, his voice falling to a whisper, as if someone like Annie or said man would walk in on them talking.
"What about him? Nothing has happened yet and I don't intend for anything to happen." Armin stated. "I wouldn't actually date someone I knew my friend was in love with. Like I said, I feel like this date isn't what it's supposed to be, so I guess I'll just play it by ear and see what happens."
"Has your hair gotten longer?" Armin tilted his head, measuring Annie's hair with his eyes. When it wasn't up in a bun on the back of her head it was rather long, down to her shoulders even. It was just a little longer than his own, which was an inch or two away from his shoulders.
"It might have," Annie mumbled and looked away. Armin chuckled quietly when seeing the small blush on her cheeks. This wasn't a side of her he hadn't seen before, but he wouldn't say that he disliked it. It wasn't fitting for someone like her who was so apathetic and calm (Or mostly bored) most of the time, but seeing a bit of actual girl in her wasn't bad.
He didn't even know Annie owned a skirt. It was gray and went down to her knees, but it did well to accentuate her hips in all of the right ways. She wore a denim jacket, similar to Armin's, but it was cut up near her ribs and the sleeves ended by her wrists. The shirt she wore under it was a plain and simple one, pink to his surprise, but it wasn't at all explosive.
She cleaned up rather nice. Of course Armin wasn't one to gawk, but it did surprise him how nice she looked.
"I'm going to go ahead and guess that that's Christa's skirt." Armin regarded and pointed to the object he was talking about.
"Is it that obvious?" Annie asked, her voice as quiet as normal.
"I knew you didn't own a skirt." Armin chuckled as he pulled on the jacket around his shoulders.
"I'm not a skirt person." Annie remarked.
"How long did it take for her to convince you to wear it?" Armin stared up at the movies board, watching as the names of the new movies went across the screen.
"You'd be surprised how little it took." She grumbled.
"Would I…?" Armin was too busy paying attention to the movies to care too much. "What movies are you interested in by the way?" Armin asked.
"Uh, anything is f-fine." Did Annie just stutter? He must have heard her wrong.
"Well I don't want to get some sappy drama of a movie if you hate those kinds of things." He laughed a little as he looked away and back to Annie.
"I guess you have a point…" She looked up to the movie board, moving a little closer to him unconsciously. "Are there even any movies like that?" She asked.
He was glad that she was starting to talk more. It was hard to get Annie to talk, but once you did the deathly tension she let off slowly went away. Things didn't seem as awkward anymore, though there was still some tension.
"There's that one, but I already read that it got bad reviews." Armin pointed up at the movie in the list.
"I remember Ymir saying that it was some boring love movie." Annie stated.
"Well then I guess we can cross that one off the list." Armin said with a little sigh.
"What about that one?" Annie pointed up to a movie third on the list, a highly recommended one.
"That's a horror movie though. Will you be okay watching it?" Armin looked down at his friend and asked.
"I think so," Annie answered truthfully. It was nice to know that Armin wouldn't force her into something she didn't like, but then again, he had always been a bit of a gentleman. He was raised with proper manners.
"We don't have to see a horror movie if you don't want to. I'm okay with anything." Armin stated.
"No, it's alright. It looks like a good movie anyway." Annie tried her best to smile, but she looked like she feared the movie with her life more than being happy.
"Alright, I guess…" Again, Armin sounded skeptical, but he chose to ignore it. If Annie truly had issues with the movie then they could leave. He wouldn't force her to stay. "Well let's get tickets then." Armin said with a gentle hand against the small of her back.
Yep, he was a true gentleman.
Even though it was tradition for the person who asked another on a date to pay, Armin bought the tickets. Annie kept up a small argument, but she wasn't one for arguments, let along talking. Her argument fell short, and Armin paid for the tickets as planned.
The second argument they had was about snacks. Since Armin bought the tickets, Annie insisted on buying popcorn, soda, or whatever else their hearts fancied. Armin didn't want to keep the argument up for long, so he stopped and let her pay. He thought at least that way they wouldn't owe each other any money, or at least feel like they did.
Annie ended up buying a medium sized popcorn, a water bottle for her and a soda for Armin. She bought some chocolate for herself, but she said that if Armin wanted he could have some.
"Would you like some?" Annie held up the popcorn and asked. Armin stopped sipping on his soda and shook his head.
"Oh no. Keep that away from me until the movie starts." The blond boy stifled a laugh, but when he saw the look on Annie's face, one of confusion, he knew he had to elaborate. "I have a terrible tendency to eat all of the popcorn before the movie can even start." He explained.
"Oh, I see." Annie nodded her head. "Other people do that though. It's not only you." She said.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean they are proud of it either." Armin and Annie both chuckled as they started heading for their theater. They completely ignored the people around them who were pushing and shoving, ignorant and impatient for the movie.
They took their seats in the front row of the theater, being as they both enjoyed the seats. They were glad to see they both had that in common, meaning they wouldn't find something else to argue about. They stayed near the end of the isles, noticing that, even in the rather packed room, this spot seemed rather secluded.
"This is a nice theater," Annie commented. "The seats are nice too."
"Yeah, and look; they recline." Armin pushed the button on the side of the plush seat, making it slowly go down. Annie smiled at how funny Armin looked, which was a look of slowly rolling out of the seat.
"If they had something in these chairs to massage you, I would think you would be in heaven." She stated.
"I probably would." Armin curled into a ball into the chair and sighed. "Good night," He sighed. As he closed his eyes, enjoying the nice chair, he could feel his phone vibrate within his back pocket. He sat up and pulled it out.
"Make sure you turn that off before the movie starts." Annie reminded while nibbling on some popcorn.
"I won't forget, mother." Armin countered with. He unlocked his phone when seeing a text message. It was from Eren. It read:
Eren: 1:47 pm;
"I need to see you tonight."
Armin shivered at the sight of the text message. He looked past his bangs to see what Annie was doing. She was completely oblivious to his message while watching some people walk around. Armin focused back on answering the message.
"What time and whose place?" He typed in. He hit send and put the phone in his lap.
"When does the movie start?" Armin asked.
"It starts at two." Annie replied. Armin's phone vibrated in his lap. He jumped in place, surprised from the quick reply before unlocking his phone to read the message.
Eren: 1:48 pm;
"Your place. Mikasa is here."
Armin began typing in his phone:
"Can you come by at around five?"
Armin sat back in his seat and sighed. His phone went off again.
Eren: 1:48 pm;
"I can't stay here right now."
Armin tilted his head at the message. Something wasn't right. Eren didn't sound all too happy, even though it was just a text message.
"Did something happen? Should we meet now?"
Armin didn't want to break the date, but if something was wrong with Eren then he would. Eren suddenly replied to the text message from before.
Eren: 1:49 pm;
"It's not important. I'll meet you at five."
Armin frowned at the message. It didn't sound unimportant, but there wasn't much he could do right now.
"I'll see you then."
Armin sighed. He felt bad, but he didn't know what for. He didn't know what was wrong with Eren and he couldn't find out. It wasn't like Eren would tell him right now either.
"Is something wrong?" Annie asked. She had seen the frown on Armin's face and heard his constant sighing while he was looking at his phone.
"Oh. No, nothing is wrong." Armin gave her a warm smile and said.
"Are you sure?" She asked.
"Yeah. My friend is just reminding me to send him something in an email later. I nearly forgot." He didn't like lying, but he didn't want her worrying over something small and simple. Well, that and because it wasn't easy to tell your date that you were going to go home after this and have sex with your best friend.
Nope. Not easy.
"Okay," Annie looked up at the screen, noticing the advertisements starting to go across. The lights were dimming and Armin opened his phone so he could turn it off. Just before hitting the power button, he noticed one more message from Eren.
Eren: 1:51 pm;
"I'll tell you later…"
"I underestimated it, that's all." Annie smiled as Armin led her down the hallway of their apartment building. She lived in the same building as him, but on a different floor. It worked out better for him; he could walk his date home and then go up two floors to his own home.
"Annie, you had your head in my neck five minutes into the movie." Armin laughed at the blush on her cheeks.
"So did you," She countered.
"Little girls are frightening!" Armin whined. Annie giggled in response. "You actually screamed when the girl came out from the room though." Armin argued.
"You must not have heard yourself scream then." Annie poked his arm and said.
"I did not scream," Armin muttered. "… I yipped. There's a difference." His answer got Annie to laugh quietly into her hand. "Alright, we both underestimated it." He concluded.
"Yeah, we did. I don't think the people behind us deserved popcorn in the face though." Annie said.
"I told you not to let me hold it. The blame falls onto you." Armin nudged her shoulder with his.
"You threw it," She continued.
"Alright, enough about me!" Armin threw his hands into the air in defeat. Annie quietly laughed into her hand again as the two made their way to her door. "Let's talk about you," He suggested.
"What should we talk about?" Annie asked casually. Armin leaned against her apartment door as she began sifting through her small handbag for her keys.
"What made you suddenly ask me on a date?" Armin asked. Annie froze in place, her hand stilling within her purse as she looked up to him without moving her head. "I mean you've never shown interest in me before, that's why I'm asking." Armin shrugged his shoulders as he spoke.
"I just… Wanted to…" She replied quietly.
"Annie, we've known each other for almost eleven years now. You don't have to lie to me." Armin said. Annie pulled her hand from her purse and leaned against the wall beside him. She sighed as she pushed her bangs out of her face and tucked them behind her ear.
"I lost a bet with Ymir…" She mumbled. Armin nodded his head when hearing the reason.
"I thought something was off." He said with a smirk.
"I didn't want to say anything though. I didn't want to hurt your feelings." Annie murmured. "I didn't think you'd say yes to the date either."
"I was being polite. I already knew something was up by the way Ymir couldn't breathe because she was laughing so hard." Armin said and chuckled.
"You aren't upset then?" Annie looked up past her bangs with hopeful eyes.
"Of course not. Besides, I had fun. It wasn't a bad date." Armin mused as he stood up from her door. "And if it helps, you can tell Ymir and Christa whatever you want." He added.
"I'll do that." She smiled slightly. "Thanks for understanding."
"Like I said, I was just being polite." Armin waved his hand at her and rolled his eyes. "Besides, I know I could never stand up to Bertholdt when it comes to this kind of stuff." Armin almost broke into laughter when seeing Annie's face turn as red as the flower painting beside her door.
"You know about that?" She asked, her voice wavering ever so slightly.
"Annie, everyone knows. I have bets with Eren on when you two are going to stop playing cat and mouse and just get together already." He retorted with a chuckle. Annie leaned her head against the door, sighing to herself.
"Right…" She murmured. Armin frowned when seeing the thin line on her lips and the sheen of something in her eyes.
"… He's pathetically in love with you, you know." He proclaimed.
"I know…" His friend answered.
"He has been for years now too." Armin gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Is that so hard to believe?"
"No… It just isn't easy." She looked up to him with almost pleading eyes.
"Whoever said it was easy? Of course it isn't easy. It never is, but why bother with the "what if's" and spend your life wondering when you could simple find out for yourself?" Armin asked. Annie's stare lingered on him before looking away. "You may not know how you feel for sure, but avoiding his affection won't solve any of the questions in your head." He added.
"And don't say it's easier because then you can just avoid it. That's not true." Armin knew what she was thinking and it wasn't hard to read her. The fact that she opened her mouth to stop his argument just proved it. "It'll bug you and eat away at you until you can't handle the pressure and break. You know that better than anyone." He said.
"I guess I do, don't I?" Annie swallowed a thick lump in her throat that was constricting her breathing.
"You really are a scardy cat." Armin patted her shoulder and said, a small smirk on his lips. Annie chuckled and nodded her head.
"I am, but I think I know that this is a moment where I've been more scared than anything." Annie said. Armin smiled as he leaned forward, brushed some hair from her face, and pressed a small kiss to her cheek. Annie's eyes widened as she stared up at her friend.
"You're tougher than you let yourself on to be, Annie, but you shouldn't be afraid. Bertholdt does love you so it's not like he'd turn you down." Armin stated. "Or is it that you are afraid of turning him down?"
"That's not it." Annie uttered.
"Then what is it?" Armin asked. Annie looked to her feet, a quiet atmosphere settling between them. "You can tell me, Annie. You know you can."
"… Bertholdt and Reiner were there for me for years. If I messed things up with Bertholdt… Who else would be there for me?" Annie's voice shook more as she spoke. It was obvious how much this scared her, and Armin knew this feeling all too well. "I'd be all alone… They're the only family I have left…"
'This is what I constantly think about with me and Eren…' Armin thought.
"You don't know that though…" Armin said. "And if you're constantly wondering what'll happen then you'll make yourself sick, but I can't help that. If you're truly afraid of that, then tell Bertholdt that. He'll understand and from there you guys can talk that out."
Annie felt the phone in her inner breast pocket of her jacket. Was she really considering what Armin was saying? Fifteen years of the two hiding their feelings and she was really thinking of saying something?
Something must have been in that soda she had at the theater.
"Annie…?"
"Hm?"
"You okay?" Armin tilted his head as he looked at his smaller friend.
"… Yeah, I think so." Annie reached into her purse and pulled the keys to her door out. Armin watched with a small frown as she unlocked her door and slipped inside. "Armin…" She mumbled.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you." She said with a small smile. "I had a good time." She continued. Armin smiled and waved.
"I'm still nothing compared to Bertholdt, but you're welcome." He said while turning away. "So I'll see you tomorrow at work?" He asked. Annie nodded her head and waved her hand.
"See you later, Armin." She closed the door behind her and Armin made his way to the elevators. Annie leaned against her door, staring at her empty apartment with forlorn. She reached into her breast pocket for her phone and pulled it out. After scrolling through a few names within her contacts, she reached the one she was looking for.
She quickly hit dial on Bertholdt's name before she had time to think twice.
Armin stepped out of the elevator with his hands in his pocket and his head down. He was glad that Annie was going to listen to him and try to follow what she felt, but Armin noticed the double standard. Her situation with Bertholdt was similar to his with Eren and he hadn't said a word to Eren. While he wanted to, now more than ever, he wouldn't. He couldn't risk losing the only family had had left.
"Armin…?" Armin lifted his head to the sound of his name being called out. He saw Eren standing by his door, a confused look on his face and a bouquet of flowers in his hand. Remembering that Eren was supposed to come over, Armin pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the time.
"Oh crap. I'm sorry, Eren; I lost track of the time." He was half an hour late. He didn't expect to spend so much time with Annie, thinking they were only going to see a movie, but they ended up shopping a little at the mall after that.
"It's alright," Eren mumbled. Armin cocked an eyebrow at him, noticing the scratchy tone he had. He didn't sound well.
"W-What are the flowers for?" He asked while pulling his hands behind his back so he could nervously twiddle his fingers together. Eren looked down to the flowers in his hands; his cheeks dusted a pink color as he shifted in place.
"T-The flowers on your table were dying." He said and held them out. Armin smiled, his own cheeks turning red as he took them from Eren.
"Thank you, Eren." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys for his apartment. "Well then, let's not stand around here and let them die. Come on in." Armin unlocked his door and walked into his apartment. Eren followed and took off his shoes so he didn't drag any dirt into the apartment.
Armin's apartment was small. Living alone, he didn't need much space, but he also couldn't afford much. It wasn't bad in Armin's eyes; a simple bedroom for him, a kitchen and living room connected together and a small bathroom with a shower. Eren insisted Armin live with him and Mikasa, fearing Armin would get sick in a place as small as his, but Armin disagreed to it. He wanted to live on his own so he didn't feel like he was taking advantage of their friendship. He already had asked a lot from them over the years, so he didn't want to ask any more of them.
"So did your shift run long today?" Eren asked. Armin set the flowers down on the kitchen counter.
"No, I got off at one." Armin said. Eren hummed as he sat at the small table.
"So what'd you do in your free time?" He questioned.
"I don't think you'd believe me, even if I told you." Armin said as he pulled his jacket off and set it on the edge of the chair Eren was in.
"Try me," Eren challenged with a smirk. Armin noticed the small hint of sleep in Eren's eyes, like he was tired.
"I was on a date with Annie." Armin smiled in a devilish way when seeing the shock fly across Eren's face.
"What?" He exclaimed.
"Jean's reaction was better." Armin pointed out. He left an astonished Eren in his chair and went to the flowers.
"You're kidding me," Eren scoffed.
"Nope," Armin pulled a knife from the drawer and cut the ends of the flowers off. "We went to see a movie and then we walked around the mall for a couple of hours." Armin explained. Eren watched with a deadpanned expression as Armin continued caring for the flowers. He pulled the plastic wrap off of them, filled the vase from his table with water, discarded the old flowers, and put the new flowers in. "Then I dropped her off at home and now I'm here." Armin finished.
"S-So that's it…?" Eren asked. He did his best to hide the pain lacing his emotions.
"Yeah, pretty much." Armin turned around with the vase of flowers and set it down on the table in front of Eren. "So, why was it you needed to see me today?" Armin asked. Eren was still reeling from the news Armin had just given that he didn't hear the question. "Eren…?"
"Huh?" Eren shook his head a little.
"You didn't sound right when you texted me. Did something happen today?" Armin asked.
Eren had been so dumbfounded by the thought that Annie and Armin had gone on a date that he had nearly forgotten about what it was he needed from Armin. He remembered and he wished he hadn't. He had already been in a bad mood, and now this happened.
"Eren, what's wrong?" Armin placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and asked.
"I-I uh… I lost my job today…" He mumbled. Armin paled in complexion at the news.
"What, but why?" He sat down in the chair next to Eren and pulled it close to him. He placed a hand over Eren's and gave him a sympathetic and loving stare. Eren couldn't help but fall for those big, blue eyes of his, but his heart was aching, and it wasn't because he lost his job.
"Our department had to give layoffs to fifteen people today… I was one of them." Eren answered and forced his eyes away from Armin's. Armin touched Eren's cheek and dragged his fingers through the fringe in Eren's hair. The sympathetic look he was wearing for Eren was killing him. He didn't care for the job. He didn't care if he lost his job, because there were plenty of jobs in the world. His heart was still stinging at the information about him and Annie.
But why? Armin was never his to begin with. Their relationship was platonic, a complete false lie of a relationship. They were friends since childhood and that was it.
"I'm so sorry, Eren." Armin apologized. Eren shook his head, Armin's hand still gently resting on his cheek.
"What are you apologizing for? You didn't lay me off." Eren attempted a smile, but he couldn't do it. Armin hated that. He wanted to see Eren smile.
Armin stood up from his chair and went back to the kitchen. He opened up a cupboard and pulled out a box of rice.
"What are you doing?" Eren asked.
"I'm going to make you something to eat. Just sit back and relax for a moment." Armin said. He pulled out a bowl and poured the dry rice in it. Eren watched his friend start to cook. He watched as Armin pulled out more things from the fridge and worked them into his cooking.
He watched the muscles under his shirt move with his body, flexing and relaxing as he moved. His shirt wasn't covering his neck like his jacket had been, so the skin of his neck and a bit of his shoulders were exposed to the world. His hair brushed against his delicate shoulders when he lifted his arms and then rubbed against the skin of his cheeks and neck. He looked so soft and inviting.
'Why did it have to come to this…?' Eren wondered as he stood up from his chair. He stood behind Armin and wrapped his arms around Armin's waist, pulling him close so his back was pressed against his chest.
"E-Eren…?" He froze up as Eren brushed some of his hair off of his neck. Eren softly pressed his lips to the skin presented to him and he could feel Armin's hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He sucked on this one spot, careful not to leave a mark in such a noticeable place, even though he wanted to. Eren's hand slowly made its way down to the front of Armin's pants where his palm kneaded at the flaccid flesh hidden away. He felt Armin squirm beneath him.
"W-We just did it last night…" Armin murmured. He tilted his head back, allowing more of his neck to be devoured by Eren's needy lips. The multiple sensations of the kisses and sucking to his neck to the heat pooling together in his lower abdomen had him sighing. "Eren," He whined and shuffled his hips.
"I want to do it now though…" Eren breathed against his skin. Armin could feel the heat rise to his cheeks and the glaze of lust fog over his eyes. He could feel his pants tighten as Eren pressed down harder on him, almost relentlessly. Eren's lips traveled up his neck and to his ear where he blew into it. It made his knees quake and his body shiver with delight.
"Ngh," Armin bit his lip to suppress the sounds he was so desperate to release.
"Please…?" Eren begged into his ear.
How could he possibly say no when Eren sounded like that? In short of being sore for the next couple of days, it was far too late to think rational thoughts.
Armin nodded his head. He turned within the trap that was Eren's arms and draped his own over Eren's shoulders. His hands scrapped at Eren's shirt as he held onto his shoulders, desperate for something to hold on to. He pulled him in for a kiss without thinking twice and moaned as Eren continued to fondle him. The sudden forcefulness of it had Eren gasp within Armin's mouth, but it didn't take too long to slip his tongue into the well-known territory and find what he was looking for.
Their tongues began to battle for dominance, but to Armin it was never a battle. Eren always won, taking over his mouth and lavishing him completely. This time was no exception. Eren's mouth seemed more eager today, however. In fact, all of him seemed eager.
As they fought each other in their heated embrace, Eren's hands found their way to his legs where he pulled them out from under Armin. Armin got the point and wrapped his legs around Eren's hips to keep himself up. In this position, he could feel Eren's erection straining against his pants. He could feel his own give an involuntary twitch.
"Eren…" Armin breathed against his lips. "T-The bed…" He mumbled. Eren broke their desperate kiss to press his lips against the pale column of Armin's throat. While servicing him, Eren made sure his grip was tight around Armin's legs before carrying him to the bedroom. His door had been open, to Eren's luck, so he wasted no time in throwing Armin down onto his bed.
Armin gasped as he fell, but it became muffled by Eren's lips. Eren settled himself on top of Armin, pushing his legs open with his body and grinding his hips into his smaller friend's without hesitation. Armin rewarded him with a loud moan into his mouth, something that made him shiver.
Armin couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that was plaguing him. What Eren was doing was wonderful, without a doubt, but there was something different, like he was trying to communicate something other than their previous times. He seemed desperate, among other things, but the way he kissed his with as much vigor as he could, it almost seemed like he was… Possessive…? Was that the right word? Armin's mind was so fogged up with lust that he couldn't think straight. All he knew was that Eren was acting a little strange and that was it.
"Shit," Eren cursed in a heavy pant as their kiss broke. Armin stared up at his friend, his body numb to the point that he felt like he couldn't move anything other than his hips. Eren's lips fell back on his neck, attacking the soft skin on his collar bone. Armin writhed beneath him while his hands found his way into that soft, brown hair that he loved. He gave a little tug, something that made Eren groan with pleasure. "Tease," He breathed on Armin's neck.
Armin let out a halfhearted chuckle, his breath hot and airy. Eren continued to attack that one spot. Screw his or Armin's pride; he didn't care. He sucked until a visible red spot was clear and bright on his skin. Most of it would be gone by tomorrow, but at least the impression of it was there.
"D-Don't do that, Eren." Armin whined. Eren stilled his movements, his lips just barely pressing to Armin's neck. Armin noticed a sudden tension in his friend. He looked up to Eren, watching as the brown-haired boy sat up a little to look down at him. "What's wrong?" Armin asked.
Eren sat up more to slide away from Armin and sit on the edge of the bed. Armin sat up too, pulling his legs up to his chest as a means to close himself off. He felt so vulnerable when Eren wasn't with him.
"Eren…?" He called out. Eren was so still that it almost looked as if he was dead, and if it weren't for him having to breathe it would probably seem that way.
"Can I… Ask you something?" Eren asked in almost a whisper.
"Of course you can. You can ask me anything you want." Armin scooted up to Eren and pressed his hands onto Eren's back. He wanted to know why Eren would stop so suddenly in such an intimate moment. In all the years they had been having sex, Eren had never stopped, not even once.
Something was definitely wrong.
"H-How long have you been seeing Annie?" Eren asked, his voice still quiet.
"How long have I been seeing Annie?" Armin repeated. Eren nodded his head. Armin tilted his head, confusion written all over his face from such an odd question. Was he joking? If so, then the answer only prompted a funny response.
"Well… We met about eleven years ago, so I saw her then, and last week I saw her walking down the hallway while I was heading to work, and then yesterday she was at the diner for lunch-" He thought he had been funny, a small smile creeping onto his lips, but Eren proved him wrong. He sat up from the bed, nearly knocking Armin backwards in the process.
"I'm serious, Armin!" He barked. Armin's eyes widened from his response. He sat up on his knees and tried to grab Eren's hand, but he swatted him away.
"Eren, I-I don't understand what you mean." Armin stuttered.
"What is there not to understand? How long have you been seeing Annie?" He asked again. His voice was laced with anger, shaking and wobbling all over the place. His eyes were glassy, but Armin didn't think that it was because he was aroused.
"I haven't been seeing her at all." Armin stood up from the bed, his own voice rising with irritation.
"Didn't you just say that you went on a date with her today?" Eren asked.
"Yes I did, Eren. A date. That doesn't mean nor imply anything!" Armin was already beginning to shout.
"It implies a lot of things!" Eren shouted back.
"Like what, Eren? That we'd hit it off right away, get married, and have a couple of kids together?" Armin asked.
"It could if you played your cards right," Eren hissed.
"What does it matter to you anyway? Why do you care?"
"It doesn't matter! I don't care what happens!"
"Then what the hell do you care what I do with my love life?" Armin dared to shove Eren by the shoulders. Eren felt his heart be hit with a ton of bricks while his knees hit the back of the chair to Armin's desk.
Love life? Armin had one? With who? Was he talking about with Annie or someone else? It never crossed Eren's mind that, while they had sex to satisfy their own needs, Armin could have easily been seeing someone else.
"I don't care!" Eren yelled and shoved Armin back as well.
"Good, then stay out of my love life!" Armin yelled back.
"I'll make it easy for you; I'll just stay out of your life all together!" Eren pushed past Armin, their shoulders bumping together in the process. Eren slammed Armin's bedroom door behind him and a few seconds after that Armin could hear his apartment door slam shut.
Armin was physically shaking from the exertion of yelling. He was panting from the lack of air and his hands were clenching by his sides. He ground his teeth in irritation as he reached for a pillow on his bed. He chucked it at his door and yelled.
"Asshole!" He cried. He slumped against the wall and fell to the floor, tears beginning to slip from his eyes. He pulled his knees up to his chest to hide his face and the tears that were soaking his cheeks. He lifted his head up to wipe his face with his hands, but it did nothing to make the tears go away. They slipped out even when he had his eyes close. There was no doubt in his mind that his eyes would be swollen by morning.
"T-This is exactly what I was trying to prevent…" He cried into his hands.