Paper Airplanes (Ereri - SNK)

A Feather in the Wind.

* * *

"Hey, Armin," I say later the same evening at dinner. The blond stands next to me stirring his steaming pasta.

"What's up, Eren?" he asks with a cautious smile.

I occupy myself with pulling down a box of tea bags and sorting through to find the flavor I want. "I've got...kind of a strange question for you," I begin.

"I'm listening."

Select a bag, pull them from the box and replace it in the cabinet. "Do you have a plan? I mean, for the future?" Place the bags in a mug and wait for the kettle to whistle. "Like, are you ever going to move out of here?"

"Eventually," he says before filling his mouth with noodles. "Why do you ask?"

"I'll explain in a minute. But do you plan on doing research on the titans for the rest of your life?"

"Well, my ultimate goal is to explore the outside world as thoroughly as I can before I can't move anymore," he says with a halfhearted chuckle.

"Ah," I say, trying and failing to hide my disappointment.

"What's this about all the sudden, Eren?" he asks, eyeing me through the dissipating steam.

Buying time, I pour the water into my cup and place the kettle back down to cool off and absently stir my tea with a spoon. As I turn to face Armin, Levi comes into view out of the corner of my eye, sitting with his legs crossed on one of the tables.

"I wanna move out," I say; Armin isn't completely able to hide his surprise. "And I think I'm gonna try and open a tea shop."

"A tea shop?" he asks in bewilderment.

"Yeah." I glance up; his big blue eyes are clearly confused and he's neglecting his noodles. "For Levi."

"Oh..." he murmurs, face relaxing slightly, eyes drifting away for a moment.

"I was going to ask if you wanted to join me," I go on. "But you've got your own plan, so I won't ask you to mess with that just for me."

Armin hums, going back for another bite. I blow on my tea and lift it to my lips. I have to suppress my yelp of pain as the hot liquid assaults my tongue, and Levi rolls his eyes; I just ignore him. I'm about to tell Armin goodnight and head back to either mine or Levi's room when he speaks up again.

"That actually sounds fun," he says. "I think that's a good way to uphold his legacy. I mean, the man's blood was practically tea." From the corner of my eye, I see Levi uncross his legs and lean forward in Armin's direction and I have to take another sip of searing tea to stop myself from laughing too hard. "And it'd be nice to work with my best friend again."

My cup nearly slips out of my grasp. "B-best friend?" I stammer, not even bothering to hide my shock.

"Yeah, why?" Armin says around a smile. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just I thought...you didn't see it that way anymore...because I've been so distant..." I trail off, getting a small taste of that regret Thomas was talking about.

"Eren," Armin states matter-of-factly, "You've been my friend since we were kids, and you always stood up for me. You even yanked me out of a titan's throat. No matter what happens between us, you'll always be my best friend."

I press my lips together for a moment. "You shouldn't be so forgiving," I say. "I've been a shit friend."

He shakes his blond head. "It's nothing to worry about now. It just makes me happy that you've come back and decided to ask me to accompany you in this tea shop business. And I accept."