Eremin One Shots!!!

The Boy and the Titan Shifter

The rest was unspoken. Neither had to ask what the other meant. The understanding was mutual. They both knew.

~

The room was abuzz with boys chatting as they prepared for bed. Although a mutual exhaustion hung over the group, the boys shared a more upbeat attitude that hadn't prevailed for longer than any of them could recall.

Eren stood beside the bed, back to Armin as he meticulously removed his 3DMG gear. Every so often, he needed Armin's assistance, and the blonde was not reluctant to oblige.

When finished, he unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off of his shoulders. Armin cringed at the mess of scars on his back, weaving a broken path. The boy shuddered, reminded of the fateful day of the occurrence.

Eren turned around then, noticing how Armin's head was bowed. "Everything okay?" he questioned, quietly, as for the other guys not to hear them. They wouldn't have anyway; the sound swelled above their conversation.

"Yeah." Armin tried for a subtle upturn of the lips, which proved difficult, but he managed nonetheless, for the boy he so adored. Eren offered up his signature lopsided smile as he climbed onto the cot beside him.

No more words were exchanged between them as Eren burrowed underneath the blanket next to Armin. His eyes fell delicately closed as he draped an arm around the boy.

Exhaustion weighed heavily upon the blonde, pinning him to the mattress and forcefully shutting his cerulean eyes. Resistance was futile. Armin slipped into subconsciousness, dreams rising to the surface the further he fell.

His internal vision was plagued with crimson red blood, and giant creatures, and the anguished cries of fallen comrades.

Startling awake, he was met with nothing but murky, black darkness, and the soft, rhythmic breathing of various boys throughout the room. While most people found solace in the quiet stillness of the night, Armin tensed, tiny hairs raising on the back of his neck. Darkness only instilled fear within him.

Realization then struck that someone was beside him, and he was not alone.

Heat radiated off of Eren's bare torso like a raging fire. Armin brushed his unruly hair back from his forehead, pressing a kiss there. Even as he shivered from the vague nightmare, he found comfort in the sleeping boy, completely serene as his breathing swelled in and out deeply. Armin imagined the ocean waves to sound like this, as calming but yet equally as dangerous as the very eyes that the brunette possessed.

Loneliness prevailed in being awake at this time of night. Armin, unsure of where he wanted to go, started to rise, untangling himself from Eren's grasp. However, the other male was not so heavy of a sleeper, and reached for him blindly. Armin gasped, but upon figuring out who it was, relaxed, falling onto his back again.

"Where are you going?" Eren whispered, voice low and hoarse as it penetrated through the relative silence of the room.

"I-I don't know," Armin admitted. "Sorry."

"You don't need to apologize," the brunette said gently. "Come here."

Hands on Armin's hips, Eren grazed his lips over the other boy's, who in turn captured him in a real kiss. Yet again, this was enough to allow Armin to forget, the pain dissolving just as his surroundings melted away.

"I love you," Eren murmured through the blanket of darkness, and Armin shuddered upon how raw it sounded, private, meant only for the other boy to hear. His fingers traced easily along the dip in Armin's back, and the curve of his hips, warm hands making contact with the cool skin.

Once again, the kiss pervaded the blonde's focus, sighing into it as Eren gripped his thighs and titled his head back. It was more than they had shared in a long time, as Eren had spent his fair share in the infirmary.

Until, of course, Jean screamed out from across the room, "Hey, Jaeger and Arlert, cut that shit out. It's disgusting and I'm trying to sleep," and Eren separated, sitting up in order to bicker endlessly with the boy on the other side of the room.

Undoubtedly, this conflicted with everyone else's slumber, and as arguing ensued, Armin let his dreams take a hold of him again, these more tranquil than he could have imagined.

~

The following day was a mission. Armin could hardly look at breakfast, let alone eat it, but then he caught Eren's watchful gaze in the corner of his eye and began to chew carefully.

The two boys wouldn't be together for a while. Mikasa departed to allow them privacy, and they naturally gravitated towards each other. Eren rested his forehead upon Armin's, eyes slipping shut as he held the blonde in his arms.

"Be careful, okay?" Eren's voice wavered on the last syllable, and it dawned on Armin that maybe he wasn't the only one worrying.

They spent a few more moments like this, until there were rushed footsteps hurrying in the other direction. Eren was gone in an instant. Mikasa rushed to the blonde boy's aide, taking his hands and whispering reassurances. She knew, more than anyone, how devastated Armin had been upon Eren's first major injury. She needed to keep him grounded and focused, as he was a tactical mastermind and could not remain distracted.

"Let's go," Mikasa whispered.

Days later, it was the fated time to reunite. Worry roped its way around Armin's insides, twisting painfully as he waited for the only one that mattered so much. His anxiety refused to subside, and he stood, clenching his teeth and gripping his arms tightly, tension paralyzing his body.

"Armin!" a voice screamed from across the way, and the blonde startled out of his fear as Eren dashed towards him, arms open. Relief flooded every fiber of his being as he analyzed that Eren was okay, intact, and alive. Very much alive.

Tears flowed from Armin's eyes as Eren encircled him in those very arms, spinning him around and clutching him tightly. He was breathing in gasping breaths and their hearts were beating together and laughter poured from Armin's lips, mingling with the tears. Eren joined in this laughter, reveling in this new and yet familiar feeling, never wanting to let go.

To onlookers nearby, their reunion was something to scoff at; overly-dramatic and sentimental. But the two boys could hardly care. There was no feeling in the world more beautiful to them than the simplicity of being together.