Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It wasn’t a surprise to anyone when Armin drunkenly confessed his feelings towards Eren. In fact, everyone besides Eren himself knew of the blonde’s feelings.

On the other hand, it wasn’t a surprise to Armin when everyone – rather begrudgingly – explained that Eren was madly in love with Mikasa.

Armin had been the first to know.

After a particularly rough mission, Eren had cried to Armin about how he loved the raven haired girl.

Unfortunately, that was the moment Armin had recognized his own feelings. That was the moment Armin realized he was in love with Eren Yeager – not that it mattered.

Eren was in love with Mikasa.

Slowly, Armin was learning to accept that. He knew Eren didn’t love him back, but it didn’t make it hurt less when he’d accidentally walked in on the brunette’s confession to their shared childhood best friend.

The blonde quickly slammed the door shut, not meaning to intrude.

Eren’s eyes widened, muttering a quick, “Fuck.” He let out a long sigh, looking over to Mikasa.

The two locked eyes and let out a laugh.

“That went well.” Mikasa deadpanned.

Eren stuttered out a laugh, “Yeah. Perfect.”

Chapter Text

Armin slammed the door, mind set on heading back to his room and never coming out.

Realistically, the blonde knew he was overreacting. He’d already known Eren’s feelings, so why was he so bothered by this? It wasn’t a surprise to him – or to anyone else really.

Too deep in thought, Armin didn’t realize what he bumped into before it was too late.

“Ah! Fuck, sorry! I wasn’t-” The blonde started.

“You’re good, man. Hey- are you alright?”

“Huh? Oh, um, yeah I’m just gonna..”

“Armin?”

The blonde looked up, realizing who he was speaking to for the first time.

“.. Jean.”

“That’s me. Anyway, are you good man?” he asked again.

The younger boy took a moment, really thinking.

He winced, “Um- not really?”

Jean nodded, a look on his face that Armin couldn’t place.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

Armin paused. It wouldn’t hurt, would it? It would be nice to just.. talk about it.

“Okay.” he muttered, "My room?”

The brunette's eyes narrowed, “After you.”

After a moment, Armin once again started walking towards his room now with Jean following close behind him. A nice quiet settled between the two of them, taking their time back to Armin’s room.

It was only when they were three doors away that Armin’s mind started to spiral. What was he going to say? How could he explain how he was feeling? And why did he not mind the idea of telling Jean?

Armin was not one to talk about his feelings – not anymore, at least – so why did the idea of talking to Jean about his situation not seem so shitty?

Interrupting his thoughts, Jean said, “Are you going to open it?”

Armin’s eyes widened, realizing he’d just been awkwardly standing in front of his door for at least two full minutes. “Sorry!”

He quickly dug the key out of his pocket, fumbling with it while trying to unlock the knob.

“Woah, relax man.” Jean sympathized, “It’s fine, I was joking.”

“Oh, yeah. Okay.” Armin muttered, nerves piling in his stomach.

He pushed the door open, cringing at the creaky sound it made. God, he hoped he’d put everything away. The embarrassment would kill him if his room was a mess.

Luckily, it wasn’t.

In fact, there wasn’t a single thing out of place.

Jean whistled, “Room’s cleaner than mine, that's for sure.”

Armin laughed at that, his nerves slowly disappearing.

“You can, um, sit wherever. I don’t mind.”

The brunette hummed, walking towards the chair by Armin’s desk.

“So,” Jean started, “talk to me dude. What’s going on?”

The younger boy paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts.

“Do you remember the other night? When I, um, said everything about Eren?”

Jean lifted an eyebrow, a slight grin on his face. “When you said you were ‘so in love with Eren’ that you would fist fight a titan for him – and I quote – ‘but like, a titan that's also like my size so it’s totally fair’? That?”

Armin blushed, “Yeah.. that.”

“Okay yeah,” Jean nodded, “I remember that. Kinda hard to forget.”

The blonde rolled his eyes, “Yeah, yeah. Very funny, Jean. Well, anyway, I kind of walked in on Eren, you know, confessing.. to Mikasa.”

The grin fell from Jean’s face, “Oh shit. I’m sorry. That’s terrible.”

“I mean, it’s not like new information or anything.” Armin smiled, not reaching his eyes. “I don’t know why it bothers me so much..”

Jean stood up, meeting Armin on his bed. “Because you love him, Armin. It’d make a lot less sense if it didn’t bother you.”

That same expression from earlier appeared on Jean’s face – something similar to pity mixed with curiosity.

Armin hummed, “I guess. It’s just, ah-” he laughed, “slim pickings. You know?”

Jean squinted, “I’m.. not following.”

“I mean,” he squirmed, “being.. attracted to men in the Corps make it a little difficult sometimes. Feels like I’m the only one.”

The brunette's eyes sparked, “Definitely not the only one..” he muttered. “But, I get it, really.”

Armin’s face twisted, “What’d you say?”

The air between the two quickly shifted. The atmosphere quickly thickened and the change was obvious to both of them.

The blonde thought he’d just heard him wrong when Jean didn’t answer. Even if he didn’t, there was no way to know who he was referring to, anyw-

“Definitely not the only.” Jean swallowed, “That’s what I said.”

Armin’s eyes narrowed, quickly noticing how Jean refused eye contact with him.

“Is that true?” the blonde practically purred, a new-found confidence lit inside him.

Jean stuttered, Y-yeah, um. I’m.. uh bi. Bisexual.”

“I know what bi means, Jean.”

Looking away, the brunette's face flushed, “Oh, yeah. Okay-”

Gently, Armin put his hand on Jean’s cheek, twisting so the two were making eye contact.

The latter's face quickly turned pink, but he didn’t look away. Slowly, the two brought their faces closer together.

“Is this okay?” Armin whispered, looking down to the brunette’s lips.

The blonde looked back up into Jean’s eyes. His pupils were blown up, almost entirely covering the pretty brown shade of his eyes.

Jean swallowed, “Yeah.”

“Promise?” the blonde muttered practically onto Jean’s lips.

Jean’s voice came out breathy, “I promise.”

Carefully, their lips met.

Armin let out a soft “mmf”, his eyes fluttering shut.

The kiss was soft and tender, filled with quiet warmth. It was filled with the spark of something.. more.

The blonde was the first to pull back, his pupils dilated.

Jean took in the sight of him, reveling in the pink blush spread across the man's face. It lit a sense of pride in him and suddenly, all he wanted was more.

Without a word, Jean closed the distance between them. His lips met Armin’s in a deeper, more urgent kiss. Desire swept through them both and suddenly, Armin was straddling Jean.

Jean’s hands found Armin’s waist, pulling him closer. His breath came out in short puffs and almost inaudible moans. Armin ran his fingers through the brunette’s hair – tugging the slightest bit – evoking a groan from the older man that made Armin squirm.

The kiss deepened, raw and electric, as if neither could get enough of the other.

Armin’s initial hesitation quickly melted away, his touch getting bolder. His hands traveled from Jean’s hair, to his throat, and then to the buttons on his shirt.

Jean grinned against Armin’s lips, “Touchy, are we?” he teased. His voice came out low and rough as he pulled back just enough to lock eyes with the blonde.

Armin groaned, “Fuck, Jean. Take.. take it off.” He fumbled with the buttons of Jean’s shirt, desperation clear in his voice.

The brunette’s face flushed, the urgency in Armin’s voice sent a shiver through him.

“Fuck- fuck, okay. Yeah.” He fumbled with the buttons, his fingers shaking.

As soon as he was done, he ripped the shirt off, tugging it off his shoulders. His hands found Armin’s neck, pulling him closer.

The two met in another kiss before Armin pulled back, “Wait- wait. Stop, I want to see you..” his words coming out in short breaths.

Armin's hand travelled down, reveling in the feeling of Jean’s skin. He loved the feeling of Jean’s abs against his fingers, the feeling of his collarbones, all of it – all of him.

The blonde leaned in, his lips brushing above Jean’s collarbone before leaving a trail of kisses up his neck. When Armin’s lip met the side of his throat, he started sucking.

“Armin..” Jean’s voice cracked slightly, his composure slipping.

The younger boy leaned back just enough to lock eyes with Jean, his eyes flickering with amusement. “Is something wrong?”

“I- I can’t..”

“You can’t, what?”

“I don’t know.. I’ve never..”

Slowly, Armin caught on – Jean had never been with a man before.

The blonde let out a laugh. “You’ve never been with a guy before, I’m guessing?”

Jean swallowed, “Yeah.”

The brunette looked away, tightening his jaw.

“That’s okay, don’t worry. I can..” Armin trailed off. “Do you trust me?”

Jean blinked, “Of course.”

The brunette’s breath hitched, the intensity of Armin’s gaze was making him come undone. His heart pounded in his chest as Armin’s fingers travelled and traced the lines of his body.

Each touch against his body was slow and deliberate, driving Jean crazy.

“Like what you see?” he joked, his voice coming out strained. His grin returned despite the obvious heat flushing his face.

Armin laughed softly, his fingers pausing beside Jean’s V-line before pressing down, making the brunette twitch beneath him. “You’re unbelievable..” Armin muttered, his voice filled with both awe and playfulness. “So perfect, perfect.. just for me.”

Jean let out a shaky laugh, his confidence faltering under the weight of Armin’s words. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly locked eyes with the blonde.

“Yeah? Just for you?” he asked.

Armin hummed, his eyes filling with lust. “Just for me..” he mumbled.

Armin smiled, bringing his hands up to Jean’s jaw. Slowly, he leaned in and kissed him. The kiss was slow and deep, filled with an unspoken promise between the two.

Jean groaned into the kiss, his hands softly grabbing at Armin’s back. He grumbled realizing that all he’d been able to feel was the rough material of Armin’s shirt.

He pulled back, “Off. Please?”

The blonde let out a laugh, quickly pulling his shirt over his head. As soon as he threw it to the floor, he returned his attention to Jean.

They met in another kiss, full of hunger. Jean pulled Armin closer – he let out a soft sigh when Jean’s cold hands stood firm on his side – though they didn’t stay for long.

Jean’s hands traveled across the blonde’s body, desperate. They traveled from his neck, to his collarbone, down to his ribs, only stopping when they were right above the hem of Armin’s pants.

Armin pulled back, “I like it when you let go,” he muttered. His voice was thick with desire and came out rough.

Jean chuckled, his confidence seemingly at its peak. His hands gripped Armin’s waist with just enough pressure to make the blonde gasp.

The brunette’s lips parted, his mouth curving into a devious grin. He leaned in, whispering against the side of Armin’s face, “This is just the start.”

Jean pulled back, locking eyes with the blonde. “You haven’t seen anything yet, pretty boy.” He winked.

“Oh, really?” Armin laughed. His voice filled with lust, “Why don’t you show me then?”

The air between them crackled with tension and without hesitation, Jean grabbed Armin by the hips and flipped their positions, pinning the younger beneath him.

The older leaned down and whispered into Armin’s ear, “You’re so damn cocky,” but there was no malice in his tone – only desire mixed with a weird sense of admiration.

The blonde grinned up at him. “You love it,” he shot back, his voice teasing.

Jean didn’t bother with words, instead meeting Armin’s lips in a kiss that was all-consuming. His hands travelled along the younger boy’s thin body.

Armin arched into his touch, craving more, more, more.

His hands travelled down to tug at the waistband of Jean's pants. “Off,” he groaned.

The brunette chuckled and quickly pulled back, his hands moving to unbuckle his belt. His gaze never left Armin’s, even as he tugged off his belt and began to undo his pants.

There was no hesitation in the older boy’s movements, no shyness – only pure intent.

Armin watched him with his full attention, eyes not once straying away from the man in front of him. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he drank in every inch of Jean.

“God, you’re gorgeous.” Armin muttered before he could stop himself.

Jean paused, teasingly dipping his finger inside the hem of his black briefs, “You’re not too bad yourself, ‘Min.”

The blonde froze at the familiar nickname, his mind quickly filling with memories of Eren calling him that same name. He thought of his feelings for Eren – his love.

Then, he thought of what he’d walked in on earlier today.

Eren didn’t love him, and that’s okay.

Jean’s fingers brushed against Armin’s chest, feeling the quick rhythm of his heartbeat picking up beneath the skin. The energy between them surged as Armin’s hands moved with purpose, trailing down to the brunette’s briefs.

He looked up to Jean, a pleading look on his face.

“Not bad at all..” the older man murmured, his voice a mixture of teasing and amazement.

As soon as Jean pulled off the final garment, Armin pulled him back down, their lips meeting in a kiss that was equal parts tender and demanding. Both of them were fully caught up in the moment, their confidence feeding off each other as they continued to explore.

The kiss deepened, raw and urgent now, each of them taking what they wanted – pushing and pulling, but always coming back for more. They reveled in every touch, every sound, and every breath they shared.

The world outside of them faded away as their connection deepened, almost as natural as breathing, and just as necessary.