The Tutor (Eremin) {Editing}

15. satellite~guster

15. satellite~guster

Eren's POV

It was Friday. I had finally gathered up the courage to ask Armin to be my boyfriend. I decided that when I got home from school that day, it would be as good a time as any.

Before the school day ended, I texted Ymir in a panicked haze. can i talk too u after school? abt armin? She responded instantaneously. sure dude let's talk by the track.

Shortly after the bell rang, I paced up and down the empty track, jittery and anxious. A firm hand on my shoulder halted me.

"Eren. What's up?" Ymir quizzed.

Sitting on the bleachers, I explained my dilemma. Well, it wasn't so much a dilemma as paralyzing fear about asking Armin the question. "It's a big deal!" I emphasized. "And like. What is it's too fast? What if he's not ready for something like this, and I end up sacrificing our friendship?"

"Dude, none of those things will happen." Ymir dangled a cigarette from her lips, curling her hand around it to light it. "Armin really really likes you. I was around you two at the party! He seemed sweet on you. Besides, like you said, you guys have gone on dates and do lots of romantic stuff together. And stuff friends definitely don't do. Like kissing. Trust me, you're both ready for this."

"Yeah. You're right. I'm just..." There were knots in my stomach, squeezing painfully. "It's hard for me to feel like. Like I deserve this. Like I deserve to be with him."

Ymir snorted smoke out of her nostrils like a dragon. "You deserve everything good," she said gently, staring at me steadily with eyes like knives. "Do not forget that. You told me Armin makes you happy. If there's anyone on this fucked up planet that deserves to feel happy, it's you, Eren."

I let those words reverberate in my heart, repeating them over and over. Mikasa drove me home, where I babbled to her about Armin for the entire short car ride to soothe my nerves.

"Mom's still not back and I don't have work until late," Mikasa said as we walked into the kitchen, leaning against the counter. "I was going to make cupcakes. Before you walk to Armin's, you wanna help me?"

I nodded, never one to turn down a fun activity when our mom wasn't around. Besides, I wasn't quite ready to see Armin. I needed to collect my nerves.

Mikasa loved to bake on the occasion that she actually had the time and space to do so. I watched her mix cocoa powder into the cupcake batter with an expression of pure joy, humming a song to herself. I was on frosting duty.

"Hey, what if...we set one cupcake aside? For Armin? I can bring it to him as like, a gift, or whatever." I shrugged, trying to remain casual, but Mikasa smirked knowingly.

"That's adorable. Sure, we'll set one aside. In fact, we should decorate it special for him."

•     •     •

Moments after I had completed Armin's cupcake, I was on the way to his house, my legs wobbly with anticipation. As long as the walk was, I decided to make the trip. It wasn't really so long, but it felt like years when I was feeling so anxious. I couldn't run while holding the container with his cupcake, and I wouldn't want to turn up all sweaty anyway. Plus, every time I ran in my worn out Doc Marten knock-offs my feet ached for days. I just hoped Armin wouldn't mind that I would be dropping in uninvited.