Armin's father arrived few minutes after both boys were back from the restaurant. He was a normal-looking man, shorter than Jean but taller than Armin, with greenish eyes and a calm expression on his face. Jean introduced himself politely and Armin gave him a short embrace that, in the dark-haired eyes, was quite awkward.
"Glad to see you Armin." the man smiled slightly, not continuing the conversation. Jean understood then what Armin meant by "not being close to his family". The whole room cooled down at least 5°C when those two looked at each other, and it was strangely mutual.
The doctor entered the room shortly after and Jean decided to wait outside. He already felt out of place, and even if being alone in a hospital was not the most pleasing feeling for Jean it would be much less awkward.
"I'll wait outside, OK?" He gave Armin's hand a soft squeeze and exited the place, leaving Armin behind with his mother's arm surrounding him.
Armin told him about the results of the different examinations he read on the paper. They were searching for some kind of cancer, and the results pointed towards a possible abnormality in his lungs that needed more research. And Armin was terrified. Lung cancers... they're horrifying. Jean knew no one who went through cancer, had no close relatives with serious health problems, so he could only imagine what Armin was going through. But the sole word would always give him chills.
Ten minutes passed, then fifteen, and Jean was still alone sitting between ill people and their visitors. He despised hospitals to the point he began feeling dizzy and his palms wouldn't stop sweating. Maybe it began when his father had that car accident and an 8 year old Jean saw him connected to all kind of machines and had his face and arms bandaged making him unrecognizable. He had nightmares after that for weeks. Or maybe the fear comes from Krista's suicide attempt few days after Marco's funeral, when she was rushed to the hospital and both Yimir and Jean spent the night in the waiting room because only family members were allowed inside. There's not a single good or even "meh" memory related to hospitals on Jean's mind. Even if they all ended well, he still couldn't walk into one and smell that characteristic scent without getting nervous. How many of these people won't get back home again? How many of the families are praying to a god that won't help? Only by looking around at all those people passing by Jean felt a deep pain.
A door opening brought the boy back to reality. The doctor he met before exited the room, bowing slightly to Armin's father before walking away. Jean gulped and stood up, but didn't move. The door remained open and soon enough Armin walked out with an expression Jean couldn't decipher. The blonde walked straight to him and embraced him so hard they made every person around deeply uncomfortable. But Jean didn't care one bit.
"What happened?" He whispered into the blonde, fruity hair.
"It's not cancer" Armin answered, but he didn't seemed relieved at all. The embrace tightened and Jean began drawing invisible circles with his thumb on Armin's back. "It's some other kind of pulmonary disease that has been going on for a while and since he refused to get treated it worsened..."
Oh...
"How bad is it?"
"They're not sure, more tests are needed to be done but they began a generic treatment, so only time will tell."
None of them pulled away, despite the piercing look some people were addressing them, or the whispers, the eyes observing as if there was a show playing in front of them. Jean knew better than getting annoyed and Armin had his face hidden somewhere in between Jean's neck and chest. In any other situation, the taller would make an indecent insinuation just to see Armin blush, but the only thing he wanted was to soothe him.
After what felt like hours in the warmest, safest bubble, both boys stepped apart and fully detached. Jean would have reached forward for Armin's hand, but his father was staring and not in the best way you could imagine.
If his father is like this, can't imagine the sister, Jean thought.
"We should head to my grandpa's house. I wanted to stay more until he awoke but they're changing him into a non-visitation room."
"You're staying tomorrow then?"
Armin nodded and Jean understood. In his place he'd put everything aside, too.
"I'm sending a notification to my teachers. I hope they understand. Also have to tell Eren and Mikasa, and-"
"Later." Jean interrupted him. He was starting to panic again. "Now it's time to rest a little, okay?"
Armin nodded and breathed in and out a couple of times. He remembered Jean holding his hands few hours ago for him to calm down, and the blonde smiled.
"Yeah" He whispered and then nodded. It's okay, it's gonna be fine. "So my parents are picking Riko up from the airport in a couple of hours. Good thing she refused staying at my grandpa's."
"Good."
Armin nodded, agreeing, and walked back to where his parents were chatting.
With a brief hug, Theresa said goodbye to Armin and waved at Jean, and both boys bowed to the man standing quietly beside the woman. Both walked away, then, new GPS coordinates ready to lead them towards their destination.
×÷×
Armin's grandparents' house was huge, to say the least. Not fancy or extremely decorated, but its size was intimidating. From the outside it stood out among the houses nearby (the few in the area), with a small garden in the front and an old car parked at the entrance.
"And you grew up here?"
"No, no. We lived in another house a few minutes from here. My parents moved here when me and Riko moved out and my grandma died, to take care of my grandpa. He refused living anywhere but here, even though it's way too big and lonely for a single person. Same way he refuses selling the car, that never drives since 2010".
"A tough man".
"That's my grandpa".
Jean's eyes kept on growing as they approached the mansion and didn't react to Armin's giggles. He was amazed and lost the ability to hide it. Such big houses stopped being constructed a century ago, and only rich families afforded one like this. And Armin wasn't rich, so he wasn't surprised by how old and dirty the walls seemed from a closer look. The garden was dead, the rocks formatting a path to the entrance were already breaking and some missing, the only alive thing around was a huge tree growing not far from the house, so big its branches reached higher than the roof.
"Good thing it's warm, but don't get the jacket off. It's usually freezing here."
The inside was kind of normal, despite the thing that every furniture looked tiny compared to the large rooms. Carpets were lying all over the house, and they were clean enough to walk barefoot. Armin led Jean through the entrance to the living room, when he let the boy look around.
"This place is dream-like. How can you live in a tiny apartment after staying here?"
"I don't really like it here."
"It's of the size of like half the apartment complex I live in. Imagine throwing a party here."
Armin rolled his eyes and gave the boy a look that drew a smirk on his face. He was truly impressed, so much he got lost in his imagination looking around he lost track of Armin.
"Jean?"
"Yeah?" He had to walk a little, a tall and busy bookshelf blocking the view of the boy.
Armin was sitting in a big chair laying back, and since it was too big for his legs to touch the ground, he folded them underneath him. To be fair, that chair would be too big for Jean to sit comfortably as well, but in combination of the large room Armin seemed to have shrunk like a piece of clothing in the dryer.
"Sorry for ruining our date."
"You'll have plenty of time to make it up to me." The dark-haired stretched his arms. "Besides, this small trip is saving me from tons of work I'm stuck with."
"Did you start with your music yet?"
"Not really. There are some tracks boss sent me to work through, then I'm in a small project with Isabelle and her EDM shit. I told her I don't like that music but still she needs someone. It's kind of a tight schedule."
"Did you meet Krista yet? She says she misses you."
"Yimir brought her last night. They spent the night there and we would have come together today but Krista went shopping for some nice summer clothes this morning."
Armin nodded, then, nothing left to say. Actually, he was kind of tired both mentally and physically, and was slowly falling asleep. The day had been so hectic now that Armin could stop, he began falling asleep. And Jean seemed to notice.
"What about a nap?" He offered.
"After sleeping in the car, I won't fall asleep before 4-5 AM tonight." Armin complained. Nap sounded just perfect, but he knew the consequences beforehand.
"And what if we go watch the stars tonight? I haven't seen a clear sky since sixth grade on a camping trip."
"That sounds... great, actually."
"A picnic at midnight. Who needs a sunny beach when we have the Milky Way?"
Armin giggled. It was cute and he liked the idea so much he repressed from pointing out that eating in the middle of the night would be quite troublesome.
"That's a plan." Jean nodded and moved towards Armin. "Now, first thing first". The boy reached forwards asking for Armin's hand. "We need some rest."
Armin's mother told him to use the room he slept in as a kid. She made sure to clean and change the mattress for them, and now the once dusty room filled with boxes was close enough to the place Armin remembered as his summer hideout. Even without the books, the posters and all Armin's stuff nicely decorating the huge place, he felt a soothing warmth inside his chest. No matter how sad that house made him feel, it contained most Armin's childhood memories. And now Jean was there, too.
"Nice bedroom." Jean began looking around again, and Armin simply nodded. He went straight to the bed, pulled the covers, took off his shoes and slid into the bed. No matter how much he hated wrinkling his shirts he wasn't going to search for spare clothes.
"An hour will be enough?" Jean asked and Armin shrugged, unsure. "Let's say... Eight thirty"
"Sounds good"
As Armin got comfortable with that familiar scent surrounding him, Jean set an alarm on his phone as he sat by the other's side.
"Just to be clear. You don't mind sharing the bed with me, right?"
"Are you scared of me taking advantage on you, Kirstein?"
"Oh, that's what I count on." He joked and Armin snorted.
"From now on you're officially ignored." Armin rolled around, facing Jean, instantly contradicting himself. It's easier said than done, especially when the guy proceeded to unbutton his jacket, placed it on a chair near the bed and then pulled the shirt over his head, remaining in a white, tank top. I fucking hate you so much, Jean Kirstein. Armin was working on his expression and, by the time Jean turned around, the blonde appeared. However, Jean noticed the red shadow covering the boy's ear and his cheeks, causing him to smirk.
"I see" He chuckled. "Like what you see, little one?"
"Shut up, you self-centered jerk."
Armin covered his face with the blanket and prayed for Jean to let it slip, just this time. This should have been their first real date, and here they are sleeping in the same bed for the third time. There was no point in making a big deal out of it, but still it seemed strange in Armin's mind. Also, considering their history, there was a high possibility for some dramatic/important moment to take place. But Armin only needed sleep, had no energy left to deal with more erratic emotions.
"Sorry, sorry." Jean slid inside the bed by his side, far enough not to make contact. On purpose? The bed was big enough. For someone who claimed he wanted peace of mind, Armin was making a big deal out of the tiniest details.
"I just- am really tired." He tried to explain, trying not to sound like an excuse. They were making progress and Armin was not going to be the one bringing awkwardness back to their relationship.
"I know." Jean sounded sincere, and he was. The boy turned to Armin, approached him slowly and placed his arm over his chest, hand over his left shoulder. "Sleep."
Armin wanted to say "thank you", but only hummed and rolled around facing the other, then he uncovered his head for air and placed it so close to Jean's chest his nose brushed against the fabric of his shirt. Smells good, he breathed in heavier than intended but Jean didn't react to it. He was allowing Armin to create his safe spot there, not daring to move and scare him away. Just like you do when a cat decides you're worthy of his presence and lies on you.
The blonde soon began to doze off, his usual hectic thoughts shutting down as the boy breathed in the mixture of Jean's cologne and familiar essence of that house, and they matched better than Armin could understand. Or maybe he was too biased.
Jean, on the other hand, remained still until the breathing of Armin took on a rhythmic pace and was clearly asleep. He wanted to sleep, too, but found it difficult. Probably because of the hard beating of his heart sending too much blood in unwanted places, or the worry of leaving Armin alone with his family some days. It was clear the boy was not comfortable there, but loved his grandfather so much he was staying no matter what. Maybe if I make up a family emergency... But there was no running away from his responsibilities. And Armin would be so pissed if he got kicked out because of that.
Minutes ticked away slowly but by the time Jean was ready to drift off the alarm broke the silence the house was in.
"Mmmm" Armin groaned and rolled over, sinking his face in the pillow.
After shutting it down he considered taking some rest himself, Armin didn't seem awake, and the house was still quiet. That is, until a loud crash came from downstairs. Jean recognized it as the front entrance, and suddenly panicked. For one, if it was Armin's dad he was sure as hell the man would be fuming after catching the boys in the same bed. Also, Jean had no idea what to do in the case a robber decided to invade that house that exact day.
"Armin!" A voice called from afar. Maybe scream is more appropriate, though. "You little nerd, come say hi!"
It was approaching, and Jean panicked even more. Armin opened his eyes to a troubled Jean, hair messy, trying to push his arm passed the sleeve of the shirt.
"Wh-"
"Nerdy!"
Armin turned another shade of white, paler than the usual. It was a quick second where the boy jumped off the bed so fast he nearly stumbled, shutting the door close with a loud bang.
"Shit." he muttered. "What is she doing here?"
They were both fully awake by now, one boy confused and the other panicked.
"Who?" Jean asked.
"Riko."
"Oh."
Jean began understanding the situation. Yes, Armin told him about their poor relationship. And about the homophobia. But he didn't expect the blonde to act so scared of his stepsister. He seemed terrified, hand on the doorknob and a foot pushing the door so no one could enter the room.
"Armin? Come on! We're not seven-year-old. I'm not gonna punch you."
"Punch?" Jean mouthed silently. I'm so gonna fight her, he thought. Armin didn't say anything, pointing at Jean as if trying to say Don't move a finger, Kirstein. He breathed in and out a couple of times, stretched at his slightly wrinkled shirt and run his fingers through his hair.
"Okay." he finally spoke, letting go of the door and stepping back.
A tall, blonde girl entered the room. She had a quite similar hairstyle as Armin now, only with some little braids on her right side. Her eyes were a darker blue, hid behind fine glasses, and she looked quite a lot like her father. In the bad aspects, specially. Like the coldness in her eyes, it gave Jean chills when she began staring at him with that half smirk.
"Hope I'm not interrupting anything." she said.
"Where's mom and dad?" Armin said in response.
"At the hospital. A friend picked me up. Thomas, remember him?" It took a second for Armin's cheeks to redden, but Jean couldn't tell if it was due to embarrassment or rage.
"Riko."
"You do, don't you?" She chuckled, shaking her head lightly. "Calm down, he's in the car. I just wanted to see my little stepbrother and meet his new..." The girl looked at Jean from head to toe, rose an eyebrow and adjusted the glasses over her nose. "I have to say, you don't seem the type", the last word had an obvious connotation Jean didn't like one bit. "I mean, Armin here is kinda girly but still..."
"You don't-
Jean wanted to say so many things, quite nasty stuff, but Armin cut him quickly.
"You saw me, now you can leave."
"This is my house too, Armin. If I want to hang by, I'm free to do so." Armin didn't say one word, staring at the girl in the eyes as she looked back as if trying to intimidate the younger. Jean was convinces Armin would break the contact, but it was her who look away first. Sometimes I forget just how tough this boy can be. "Jeez, I'm not going to steal your boy. Chill, nerdy. Whatever." she stepped back, sighing slightly. "I'm gonna go. Thomas is taking me on a date."
"Did you even go visit grandpa?"
For some reason the question angered the girl.
"You have no right, Armin. No fucking right."
She stormed out without a second word, and Armin's fist unclenched, but it was only after they heard an engine roar is when both boys breathed again.
"That was... intense." Jean tried measuring his words. He really wanted to call Riko a list of names, just to take it off his chest, but it wasn't the moment.
"I hate her so much" he mumbled, walking to the bed and jumping face first onto the undone sheets.
"You downplayed the situation quite a bit. It's not that you're not close, you hate each other."
"I hate her. She feels nothing about me. I can confidently say she's not even disgusted anymore but likes to play with me because it entertains her."
"Now I get why you moved so far from home."
"It's not- I don't know..."
"You want to talk?"
"No. I want to punch something."
"I mean... I can take a punch."
"Not you!" the blonde chuckled. He grabbed a pillow, pushed it over his head and screamed into it as if he was about to burst. Jean let him do, he himself was having a hard time recovering from the short but intense conversation with Riko. The way she talked, the coldness in her voice, her eyes, her half smirks that were meant to mock whoever they were dedicated to. That girl was worse than Yimir. Worse than Annie in her bad days. Jeez, she was probably worse than Jean's mother when they fought over his life choices.
He called Armin girly as if it was an everyday kind of conversation. Jean didn't know the girl but despised her either way. Just for the state she put Armin in Jean had the need to punch her. If this is what I'm leaving Armin alone with... Jean wanted to stay, he truly wanted to be there for Armin as an anchor, to keep him grounded, to give him a warm shoulder to complain on. Yes, Armin's mother seemed nice enough, but it wasn't only her Armin was going to spend days with.
"I thought I could do this, but..." Armin talked softly, pillow still over his face but his both arms were now extended at his sides.
"You want me to stay a couple of days?"
"I-..." The boy pushed himself up, sitting at the edge of the bed with the pillow on his lap. "I want to" he finally spoke, "but you can't. We're adults, and it sucks. You need to work, and I have to stay here."
"I could try."
"I'll be fine." He sighed. Armin didn't seem confident in his own words but tried to play it out anyway. "I am fine. I lived with them enough to know how to survive a week around them."
"You can always call if you need" Jean insisted and Armin smiled.
"I know. Thank you."
"I'm serious."
"If you're gonna miss me that much you can call me yourself." Armin chuckled, arms folded over his chest. He was trying to appear determined, but his cheeks recovered the redness from five minutes ago.
"Oh" Jean was surprised, but not quite taken aback. "Then you got to make sure I miss you."
"You'll drive me nuts, Jean."
Their little bubble was beginning to surround them again. The anxiety didn't dissipate completely, all the things that happened throughout the day left a heavy weight on both their chests. But Jean was adamant to make the best out of the situation, and Armin didn't seem to mind changing subjects.
"Now. Let's have that date, shall we?"