Chapter Text
They arrived at the beach house late at night.
It had been Connie’s idea. To spend a couple days at the beach, before they all left for college.
Eren was more than happy to offer this place for them to stay at. It was the Jaeger beach house. Eren’s dad owned a business and made a good amount of money. They’d had it for as long as Armin could remember.
Eren and Jean had split the drive. It was long and they were both very tired and thus had gone straight to bed, as soon as they finished fighting over who got the room downstairs. In the end, Eren won that one. Armin was glad for it. The room downstairs was the only one on ground level, and the one he and Eren always shared whenever the Jaegers invited him to their beach trips during the summer.
Sasha and Connie borrowed the car and went to find the nearest grocery store, tasked with buying enough food to last at least a couple days. At first Armin had been hesitant about letting Sasha be on grocery duty, thinking she may wanna buy half the store, or too many chips, but a death glare from Mikasa had Sasha promising she wouldn’t go overboard.
In the meantime, Armin and Mikasa went to put common items in the house. They put toothpaste and soap in the bathrooms, and washed the pans and plates stored in the kitchen cabinets. Once they finished, Mikasa went to her room upstairs, that she’ll be sharing with Sasha during their stay, to drop her things off there.
Armin made his way to the bathroom to do his nightly routine, on the way there, he took a moment to admire the paintings the Jaegers had put up on the walls over the years.
Down every hall, and in every room, there was some type of oceanic or beach themed painting. In the bathroom, there was a scenic painting of a couple sitting under a palm tree by the ocean, drinking coconut water.
The most prestigious piece of art they had in the beach house was the coral reef sculpture on the half wall that divided the kitchen and the living room. After exiting the bathroom, Armin went over to it, turning on its lights to leave on during the night, as Eren’s parents always had done during all their summer trips here.
“Woah,” said Mikasa, coming up from behind him from up the stairs. “I didn’t know that thing lit up.”
Armin smiled at her. “Isn’t it pretty?”
“Yeah,” she said, standing next to him as they watched the sculpture.
Armin didn’t know where or when Eren’s parents had bought it, but it was the oldest thing in the house.
The sculpture replicated coral reef plants, rocks, and sea life using crystals. The scene was encased in a glass fish tank with lights under it. Now that the lights were on, the tank gleamed in shades of purple, pink, green, and blue.
Despite how pretty the sculpture was, there was another piece of art that depicted a coral reef in the house that Armin remembered most fondly. A painting in his and Eren’s shared room. He’ll be seeing it again soon.
Mikasa noticed Armin’s eyelids grow heavy. She put her hand on his shoulder and said, “You should go to sleep. I’ll stay here and wait for Sasha and Connie to come back.”
Armin shook his head. “I don’t wanna leave you here waiting on your own.”
Mikasa gave him a sweet smile. “Don’t worry about me. I’m wide awake anyway, so I’ll watch tv for a while. And I don’t think you wanna hear me scold Sasha if she comes back with more than two bags of chips. Go to sleep.”
Armin nodded. He gave her a hug while they exchanged goodnights. Then he headed over to his shared room with Eren.
The light was off when he entered the room. Eren was lying on the queen sized bed, with his shoulder length hair untied, and the covers barely reaching his torso. The blond boy’s eyes immediately went to stare at the sliver of flesh visible from the bottom of his shirt. Eren’s eyes were closed, and Armin was glad that he wouldn’t be able to see his staring.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t seen Eren’s body before. After all, they’d been friends since childhood. He’d seen Eren grow from a boy to a man. Countless sleep overs through the years had provided Armin with plenty of mental pictures of shirtless Eren.
But things were different now. This past year, Armin’s feelings for his best friend had turned into something more romantic and carnal. He found himself staring at him more, despite the fact that he’s looked at him for years and could map out each section of his face with a blindfold on.
He knew Eren was hot. He’d known for a while now.
Armin couldn’t point out exactly when his friend’s body had changed. Though he remembered when the realization that he found Eren to be very attractive really hit him. It was during their junior year. Eren was in the track team with Mikasa, and Armin was in the debate club. They always met up after practice to go home together, packing up into Eren’s car and listening to music while he drove them home. When Armin walked into the track that day, he found a very sweaty and shirtless Eren gulping down water. The blond noticed the lean muscles of his arms and stomach coupled with the tan from being under the sun for hours after school. That was the first time he stared at Eren with no other motive than to appreciate his body.
By the time he realized his feelings for Eren turned romantic, it was too late. Very soon they’d be leaving the state to go to their respective colleges, and go without seeing each other consistently. Armin knew there was a chance that they might grow apart after this, and couldn’t help but worry about it. Now he wished he’d spent more time appreciating his beauty.
Armin used the moonlight to navigate the room and find his sleeping clothes in his bag. After he changed, he grabbed his own and Eren’s phone from his bag and went to charge them. Eren barely ever looked at his phone. If Armin didn’t charge it for him, it’d be dead almost every day.
After that, Armin went to lay on the empty side of the bed, beneath the covers.
“Armin.”
He opened his eyes to see Eren staring at him.
“C’mere,” said Eren.
Armin scooted closer to him, still laying on his back. Eren pulled him even closer and threw an arm and a leg over his body.
Almost every sleepover they’d ever had ended up with Eren hugging him while they slept. They didn’t have much time left together. Armin would gladly spend every night of this week wrapped in his arms.
Armin heard the front door of the house open, followed by Sasha and Connie’s loud voices talking to Mikasa. Then, came Mikasa’s muffled scolding.
Eren and Armin exchanged a look and laughed.
Soon, the voices died out and everyone went to bed. Armin was happy to be able to share a bed with Eren one last week before leaving. He enjoyed having Eren draped over him, more than he had any year prior. With an arm around his neck, a leg thrown over his own, and his forehead touching Armin’s cheek.
He tried to ignore the feeling of yearning he’d been carrying for months. He wanted to shift his head over and kiss Eren goodnight, but he didn’t.
For the same reason he didn’t try anything during the time he’d been aware of his feelings for Eren. They’ll be leaving for university in different places soon. Armin knew from past experience that he couldn’t manage a long distance relationship. Much less with Eren, who barely ever looked at his phone. He knew that starting a relationship with him before moving away could only end badly and ruin their friendship. It was a bad idea, plain and simple.
Even if they were fundamentally different people, and somehow made a relationship work, Eren hadn’t shown any interest in him. Nothing out of the ordinary. Acts of intimacy, like the constant hugging and hand holding, were common in their friendship from an early age. He wasn’t flirting with him.
No. It was simply easier to get over his feelings for Eren. He’ll move on eventually. He just had to keep trying. No doubt the time apart from him while in school will help out with that.
“Armin,” whispered Eren, barely audible, the sleepiness making his voice hoarse and muted.
“Yeah?” Armin put his hands on Eren’s hair, lightly combing the loose strands.
“Goodnight. I love you.”
“I love you too, Eren.”
Armin looked across the room at the coral reef painting hung up high on the wall. The fish there looked serene and thoughtful, like they were watching him and Eren get older each year.
Armin enjoyed the warmth of his friend’s body and fell asleep to the soothing sound of his breathing.
***
In the late morning, Eren and Sasha made everyone breakfast. They made extra food too, for when lunchtime arrived. Though the house was right next to the beach, they still took it with them, putting the little sandwiches in a bag along with their towels.
Once outside, they picked a spot on the sand, not too far from the water but not too close. They set up a big umbrella, two chairs, and put the goodies bag and cooler in the middle.
Sasha jabbed Connie with her elbow, “I’ll race you to the water.” Without giving him a moment’s notice, she set off running.
“Hey!” said Connie and ran after her, struggling to catch up.
Jean rolled his eyes before following them.
Armin was spreading sunscreen on Eren’s back when he heard his phone ringing inside the bag. Mikasa pulled it out for him.
“It’s Eren’s half-brother,” said Mikasa, reading the name displayed on the caller screen, with a mischievous smile on her face.
Eren rolled his eyes. “He’s just my brother.”
Mikasa did that a lot, called Zeke Eren’s ‘half-brother.’ To this day, Eren didn’t realize she only did it to annoy him. Though right now he seemed more annoyed at the fact that Zeke was calling him in general.
Armin took the phone and swiped his thumb across the screen to answer the call.
“Hi, Zeke,” said Armin.
“Armin!” called Zeke from the other end. “Can you tell Eren that I’ve been trying to call him?”
Armin looked straight at Eren. “Well, you know he sucks at picking up his phone.” Eren stuck his tongue out at him and Armin giggled. He continued, “He’s right here, do you want to talk to him?”
Eren’s eyes widened, shocked at his friend’s betrayal. He was mouthing ‘no!’ at the blond.
“Yes,” said Zeke. “Pass him the phone.”
“Ughhh,” said Eren, but took the phone nonetheless and put it to his ear. “Hi.”
Armin patted his shoulder and said, “Good luck.” Then he and Mikasa went over to the water.
When they got there, Connie and Jean were lifting Sasha up over incoming waves, making her look like a mermaid dramatically coming out of the water. Armin applauded them, it looked almost theatrical.
The first step into the water was cold, as usual, but they adapted quickly. He spent the next few hours with Mikasa, submerging themselves in the waves and feeling the weight of the ocean cradle them. It was a pretty day, with clear blue skies, and warm breezes.
“Did you put on enough sunscreen?” Mikasa asked him.
Armin nodded, reaching up to touch his own face. “Am I getting red already?”
“Yeah. Maybe try putting on more next time.”
“I will when I come out of the water,” Armin said. That seemed to satisfy her.
Eventually, Armin noticed Eren still sitting under their umbrella. He told Mikasa he’d go check on him and came out of the water.
When he reached Eren, he had his eyes closed and looked like he was sleeping. He wasn’t, as he quickly opened them once he noticed Armin’s presence.
“You sold me out,” Eren said, shaking his head.
Armin chuckled. “What did Zeke say?”
“He’s still trying to talk me out of going to business school,” said Eren. This wasn’t something new. Eren’s dad owned a company, which Eren was more than willing (and excited) to work at and eventually take over once Grisha retired. Eren agreed to study business before actually doing so. Zeke had been trying to talk him out of it for years now. “He’s saying dad’s brainwashing me.”
Armin's phone, currently laying on Eren’s lap, went off again. Once more, it displayed Zeke’s name. Eren watched it ring, making no move to pick up.
“Are you gonna ignore him?” Armin asked. He took the tube of sunscreen out of the bag and squeezed some into his hand, then he spread it up his forearms.
“There’s no point arguing with him. I’m not gonna let him ruin my day by giving him attention.”
Armin nodded. “Fair enough.”
He looked over to where he left Mikasa and saw her and Jean making sand castles. He smiled.
Armin felt Eren take his hand and pull him closer.
“C’mere,” said Eren. “Sit on my lap.”
“I’m still all wet,” said Armin.
“So? We’re at the beach.”
He pulled Armin closer until the blond fell on his lap. Eren took the sunscreen bottle from him and started spreading it on Armin for him.
“You should put on some more,” said Eren.
“Am I really that red?” Armin asked.
“Did Mikasa point it out too?” Eren chuckled. He took Armin’s arm and placed it on his own shoulder. “Here, hold on to me so you don’t fall.”
“Okay.”
Armin tried not to look at him while Eren’s hands rubbed on his arms, his legs, and his back, spreading the sunscreen. They were warm, and his long fingers were a bit calloused, but pleasant on the blond’s skin.
“Look at me,” Eren instructed.
He did so, and Eren rubbed sunscreen circles on Armin’s face with his thumbs, gently.
Armin still tried to keep his eyes off of Eren’s, though he wondered if his blush was giving his emotions away. He hoped not. Armin really didn’t want Eren to know about his feelings. It wasn’t that he was nervous around him, because despite his crush, he’d been around Eren too long to feel something like that. It was that sometimes, when they did this kind of thing, Armin started having fantasies about him. Both romantic and sexual ones. And they made him feel guilty. Eren was his closest friend. Armin shouldn’t be having those sorts of thoughts about him.
The possibility of Eren finding out and feeling betrayed, or even grossed out, terrified Armin.
Once Eren was finished with the sunscreen, he closed the bottle, put his hand on Armin’s thigh and squeezed a little. “How are you enjoying the beach?”
Now that the act was finished, Armin managed to look at him and give Eren a small smile. “It’s great so far, but I’d really like it if you joined me in the water.”
Eren moved his hand up and down Armin’s leg, pulling him a bit closer. “Yeah? We can go right now.”
Just as he said it, Sasha and Connie came back.
“Heyya,” said Sasha, waving over at them as they got closer. She knelt down to grab a sandwich from the bag. She passed one to Connie, who sat himself down on the other chair. Then she grabbed another one to offer to Armin. “Do you want one?”
Armin shook his head. “Thank you, but I’m not hungry yet.”
“Maybe you should take one,” Eren whispered.
Armin gave him a questioning look but didn’t say anything
Neither Sasha nor Connie were at all fazed about Armin sitting on Eren’s lap, with their arms around each other. He’d known them for years now and couldn’t recollect them ever bringing it up. There were only ever two people who questioned Armin about how close him and Eren were. One was Jean, who had genuinely thought they were dating, and told Armin he could do better. The other was Annie, whom Armin dated back in his sophomore year. He had to assure her that, no, Eren didn’t like him like that. They were just friends who’d been very comfortable with each other for a long time.
Eren tapped his leg. “Let’s go.”
They got up and walked over to the beach. Mikasa and Jean met them halfway and told them they were also going back to the umbrella to grab some food.
Maybe Armin should’ve eaten something before going back in the water. The sun was angled up in the clear blue sky, indicating some hour past noon. He wondered if Eren had eaten anything.
They were in the water now, being softly swayed by the water. The waves had calmed and were now nothing more than ripples.
“Did you eat anything while you were sitting on that chair?” Armin asked.
Eren grinned and moved closer to Armin, lowering his voice. “Don’t tell Mikasa or Sasha this, but I actually had three sandwiches.”
Armin gasped, mouth hanging open. “Eren! Someone’s gonna be left with no food!”
“Yeah, and since you haven't eaten anything it’s probably you. Don’t worry, I’ll buy you something from the boardwalk.”
“I’m gonna make you buy me something expensive.” This, of course, wouldn’t hurt Eren. His family was rich.
“I’ll buy you anything you want.”
They chatted like that for a while, being swayed by the soft ripples. Armin admired the way the sun’s reflection in the water made Eren’s skin glimmer. The rest of his friends came back in around an hour later, chatting, and playing with the water.
Armin was glad the Jaegers had bought this beach house so long ago. It was way more private than a public beach, which meant that at any given time, there were very few people nearby. So far, during this trip, it looked like whoever owned the neighboring beach houses weren’t visiting.
The sun was setting by the time he and Eren exited the water. Despite the warm breezes, the water of the ocean had left Armin feeling cold and he shivered slightly as they walked back to their little camp out on the sand to gather his things.
They dried themselves with towels, waited for a bit to dry up more before putting on shirts, and heading over to the boardwalk so Eren could buy him some food.
It wasn’t very close, but it also wasn’t a far walk. About twenty minutes later, Armin ended up with a plate of cheesy fries and a burger in front of him. Eren had actually bought two burgers, but he wasn’t eating the other one.
“Aren’t you gonna eat that?” Armin asked, after swallowing a bite.
“It’s for Sasha,” Eren answered. “God forbid she finds out I bought extra food and didn’t get her anything.”
Armin chuckled, putting his hand over his mouth.
By the time they sat down to eat, the sky had turned orange, getting ready for night time. They were sitting at one of the few tables inside this little burger shop called Cheesy Breezy, as the letters above it outside indicated. The lighting was faded and the bulbs flickered every now and then. The place smelled of sea salt and grease. Armin felt the warm air of summer enter the shop and caress his skin.
With just the two of them here, and Eren seated across from him, this almost felt like a date. He wondered if people who passed by, or even the cashier, thought they were a couple. It wasn’t an uncommon thing for people to think. Back in school, a fair amount of people at school who didn’t know them assumed it. Privately, in Armin’s mind, he hoped they did.
Armin didn’t particularly like sitting across from Eren, so he got up and pushed his chair to be seated next to him instead.
“Wanna share this?” Armin asked, pointing at his food.
“Armin, I already ate your sandwich,” said Eren. “Don’t let me have your fries too.”
“If I’m not full afterward I’ll just make you buy me another one.”
Eren smiled. Still, he made no move to eat.
“Are you not hungry?” Armin asked.
“I could eat.”
Armin grabbed one of the fries and lifted it to Eren’s mouth. “Here.”
Eren looked at him for a moment with an unreadable expression, then he leaned forward and took the fry from Armin’s fingers with his teeth.
“Do you want another one?” Armin asked.
“Are you gonna feed it to me?”
“Yes.”
Armin did. He liked the way Eren’s lips felt against his fingers. They were soft and kissable. He was so close, it would be so easy to just lean in.
He looked up to see Eren staring at him, and likely seeing how long Armin’s eyes had lingered on his lips for too long. He snapped his eyes away and took another bite of his burger.
That was one thing they didn’t do. No matter how much they touched, they never blatantly stared at each other’s lips. It was unfortunate. Armin used any chance he got to really stare at them. There was so much to love and admire about Eren’s looks. The shade of his eyes, his hair, the toned muscles of his arms, and his soft looking lips. Armin wanted to spend hours looking at him and exploring his body with his eyes, hands, and mouth. But he couldn’t.
Eren leaned into him, his mouth next to Armin’s ear. He whispered, “I know you have feelings for me.”
Armin almost dropped the burger. He felt his stomach sink to the floor. He could feel how red his cheeks were, but most of all, he couldn’t tell if he actually just heard that or if he imagined it.
“What are you talking about?” Armin said, with confidence he didn’t feel. His eyes avoided Eren’s.
“It wasn’t a big change in behavior,” Eren said, scratching the back of his head. “But there were little things here and there in the past year that told me that maybe your opinion of me had changed.”
Armin put down his burger and looked at his food. If Eren was making him confess now, what did it mean? Even if he had a chance with him, it was too late. Armin’s flight to his college town was leaving about a week after they went back home. And if Eren didn’t feel the same way… Why bring it up? There was only one thing Armin knew for sure.
“Can we talk about this back in our room?”
Eren nodded. They wrapped Armin’s food in napkins and walked back to the beach house. It was dark by the time they arrived. Eren handed Sasha the extra burger, to which Connie complained about him not buying another one for him. Armin took the distraction as an opportunity to sneak away. He went to his shared room and grabbed some clothes, then he headed to the shower. Whatever conversation they were about to have, he wanted to be comfortable, which meant feeling clean with no sand on his body. He was sure Eren felt the same way.
He took a very hot shower. He thought about what to say to Eren once he made it back to their room. Eren was probably showering right now too. They would both probably arrive back to the room at around the same time. Armin should have something to say prepared, but his mind was coming up blank.
As he washed his hair, all he could think about was how he’d feel if he got rejected. Surely, if Eren knew how he felt, he wouldn’t be bringing it up this late just to reject him, right? He’d always been considerate of Armin’s feelings and always watched out for him. But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t shake the feeling that that’s where this was going. Eren showed no romantic interest in him. He always acted the same way.
Armin came out of the shower and walked to their room. Eren wasn’t there. Meaning he was probably still showering.
He sat on the bed. Armin listened to the sounds of his friends chatting and laughing in the living room. He thought about joining them, but he was so nervous they would no doubt notice it and question him on it. Armin turned off the light on the bedside table lamp and got under the covers, laying on his side, facing away from Eren’s side of the bed. Whenever Eren came in, he didn’t want to see his face.
Some ten minutes later, the door of his room opened and closed. Armin felt the bed dip down when the brunet crawled up on it. Eren lifted the sheets and laid down next to his friend. He said nothing, and they both lay there unmoving for a while. Then, Eren gently grabbed his shoulder, making Armin roll over on his back, and caressed his cheek.
By now he’d thought about what to say. At least what he would say first. It still took him a bit of courage to actually get the words out.
“Do you like me back?”
It was a whisper, so soft he wondered if Eren actually heard him. After a moment of doubt, he opened his eyes to look at him.
Eren was thinking about it, or maybe about how to phrase his next sentence. This was bad. If he was doing that, it was only because he wanted to find a way to let him down easy. Armin shut his eyes, already feeling hot tears forming.
“That’s a no,” Armin whispered.
“Armin…”
Armin shook his head. The way Eren said his name, all solemn and apologetic, was enough confirmation. “You don’t have to say it. I get it.” He frowned, fighting the tears from escaping. “I just don’t understand why you would bring it up if you were only going to reject me. The reason I was keeping it to myself in the first place was to keep our friendship intact. Why? Why would you make me confess?”
“I wasn’t going to at first. I’ve known for a while now and I kinda figured that that’s what you were doing,” said Eren, his hand still on Armin’s cheek. “Then I thought about it a little harder. About how happy you look when I show you more attention and affection than other people.”
The blond took in a ragged breath. The tears were escaping now. Eren moved to hold himself up on his elbow, looking right at Armin, and wiped his tears with his thumb.
“Armin,” Eren said. His hand went to the blond’s hair and brushed back the bangs on his forehead. “You’re my best friend,” Eren continued. “And I want you to be happy. Since we don’t have a lot of time left together, I thought…” He paused. Armin looked at him and saw his expression had gone shy. That made Armin curious. It wasn’t often that Eren made that face. “I thought, maybe I should indulge you a little.”
Armin couldn’t tell if he’d gotten the meaning of that statement correctly. Now, he had an idea of what Eren might have meant, but he was convinced his own mind was theorizing this because it’s what he wanted. Surely, Eren had meant something else by that. He just needed to explain himself.
When Armin spoke, he did so very slowly. “By indulging me, you don’t mean, like-”
The hand on Armin’s hair moved farther down to reach the back of his neck. Eren leaned in closer, checking the blond’s eyes for any sign of protest. Armin’s mind went blank.
Then, Eren’s lips pressed against his own.
Armin’s head was spinning. All he knew was that Eren’s skin was warm and his lips were as soft as he’d imagined.
Then, Eren pulled away. Now it was his turn to avoid looking at Armin.
“So,” Eren asked, trying to sound casual. “What do you think?”
Armin’s mouth hung ajar. Half of him didn’t even believe that’d just happened. He stared at Eren in mild disbelief.
“But,” Armin started, he sounded as confused as he felt. “If you don’t like me back, wouldn’t it bother you to do that?”
Eren seemed to consider his words. “I do find you attractive, I just don’t have those extra feelings,” he said. Then he gave Armin a smirk. “If I didn’t know you, and I saw you out in the street, I’d definitely ask you for a hookup.”
“Eren!”
Eren chuckled. Then his expression relaxed and he looked at Armin with affection. “I liked the kiss. But, most of all, I hope you liked it too.”
Armin did like the kiss. Hell, he loved the kiss. And he was glad that Eren having kissed him was distracting him from the fact that he didn’t actually like Armin back.
Still, he didn’t know how he wanted to proceed with this. Some of the tension was gone now, but the air in the room was still charged.
All Armin knew for sure was that he did like the kiss. He wanted to kiss him again. A lot. And more passionately. It looked like Eren wanted to kiss again too, but their feelings for each other were still on different pages. Obviously, Armin wanted to do more than just kiss him, and there had to be a point where Eren would have to draw a line.
“How much can I do?” Armin asked. “How much are you okay with?”
“I don’t know.” Eren shrugged. “I hadn’t thought this far. Part of me was sure that after I brought it up, you’d just tell me no and we’d carry on like before.”
Maybe they should. But now that he had the option to hook up with Eren and still remain friends, he had to consider it. The time away at university would lessen his feelings for him. At least the romantic ones. If he already has an idea of what hooking up with Eren is like, he also won’t be left wondering. Or what it would’ve been like if he confessed.
Another thought came to his mind. “What do you get out of this?”
“Making out with someone feels good,” said Eren. “And I like you a lot, even if it’s not in that way. I want you to feel good, and I think doing this would be enjoyable for both of us.”
“I don’t want you to feel like I’m using you.”
Eren snorted. “Armin, if anything you should be worried about me using you. You’re the one who has feelings for me, and I don’t want you to feel like I’m just taking advantage of that, because I really don’t want to hurt you. I brought it up hoping we’d both enjoy this. And if you decide you want to do this, and at any point it makes you uncomfortable and you wanna stop, tell me and we’ll stop.”
Armin considered his words. He wasn’t as experienced as Eren in this type of thing. After all, his whole reference of experience with kissing was Annie two years ago. He just hoped he wasn’t so terrible at this that Eren forced himself to keep doing it just to spare his feelings.
Still, he wanted it. Armin wanted to kiss him again. And Eren had given him the option of trying it and putting an end to it at any point.
“Okay,” Armin said. “We can do it, but if I do anything that bothers you in any way, or makes you uncomfortable, please tell me.”
Eren nodded. “Likewise.”
They stared at each other for a moment. Armin didn’t dare make a move. But he didn’t have to. Eren leaned back down, putting both elbows on each side of Armin’s face, and connected their lips once more.
It was sweeter and longer than the last. Eren rolled him over so they were both laying on their side, facing each other. Armin pulled back to breath for a moment, then Eren kissed him again.
Eren’s hand slid down to his waist, then up under his shirt. The skin to skin contact while kissing felt so good, Armin’s hands turned to fists to hold back his excitement. He still didn’t allow himself to actually touch Eren with his hands.
Eren’s other hand cradled the blond’s head above the pillow. Then he opened up his mouth and Armin followed suit. Eren slipped his tongue inside Armin’s mouth. Armin hummed in pleasure against his will and broke the kiss, embarrassed.
“S-sorry,” Armin apologized, trying not to look at Eren.
Eren chuckled. “Don’t be shy, that sound was cute.” His hand on Armin’s waist gave him a light pinch. “Do you really think I would offer myself like this and not expect you to moan at least once? Make as much noise as you want.”
Armin felt his face heat up. No, he couldn’t do that. “We can’t let the others hear.”
“How many of them would be shocked if we told them we were making out in here?”
With how close and affectionate he and Eren always were? None. But still, it embarrassed him.
Eren stared at him, waiting for Armin to say something, but no words came out of the blond, so he spoke again.
“You can touch me,” said Eren. “With your hands. You don’t have to ball them up into fists.”
“That wouldn’t make you uncomfortable?” asked Armin.
“No. I’m fine, stop worrying about it.”
Armin lifted up a tentative hand, moving it toward Eren, and tracing his face with his fingers. Eren closed his eyes and let him. Armin stared at him, really stared at him, finally feeling like he was allowed to. The loose strands of brown hairs that fell on his face were soft when Armin brushed them back. There was a light smile on the brunet’s lips.
God. Eren was gorgeous.
Eren opened his eyes, and leaned back in, checking Armin’s eyes as he did so. Instead of going for his lips, he brought his face to Armin’s cheek, then lower, to Armin’s neck. He began kissing it.
Armin felt his body go weak and closed his eyes. He moaned, softly, still a bit self conscious, but feeling better after Eren told him he liked the noise he made earlier. Armin allowed himself to make noise but kept conscious of the other people in the house. He took Eren’s head in his hands and pulled him back to kiss his lips again.
Eren’s hand slid farther up beneath the blond’s shirt, to the skin between his shoulder blades. He deepened the kiss, opening Armin’s mouth with his own.
They spent the rest of the night like that, kissing and touching each other until they eventually fell asleep.
In the heat of Eren’s mouth, and with his arms wrapped around his best friend’s neck, Armin genuinely forgot he’d just gotten rejected.