#jearminweek2018

“Are you sure you’re alright Jean?” Armin asks for maybe the third or fourth time in the last half hour.

Jean’s not. The whole post-dinner walk to the beach had been for the express purpose of talking about what’s bothering him, but the closer he gets to asking the question he needs to ask, the less he wants to hear the answer.

“Armin, I have to ask you something.”

“Go ahead,” Armin says and when Jean doesn’t he frowns slightly. “Jean, you know you can ask, or tell, me anything, right?”

Jean takes a deep breath, steeling himself for any outcome. You only want the best for Armin, his happiness is most important.

“Is my dick too small for you?” Jean finally asks.

Armin wrenches his hand from Jean’s to turn and face him. He blinks several times, and then opens his mouth to reply but no words comes out. He closes it, then opens its, stops to think and the process repeats several times before finally, “What the hell Jean?”

---

The problem started on Jean’s birthday. Precisely it began the day his mother gave birth to a boy with a penis too small to please his lover, but for this particular instance the problem started on Jean’s seventeenth birthday when Armin’s present to him was the best blowjob in the world. That cum was the only thing to shoot from Jean's dick, not his soul or the remains of his dignity, was phenomenal. That Armin could smile and talk, his throat not wrecked from that amazing performance, was a goddamn miracle. Where it had all gone wrong was when Jean asked how to return the favor.

“I’m good.”

“But I can make you feel really good” Jean had countered, but his attempts at a seductive voice must have failed because Armin just laughed at him. Armin, naked and cum stained, laughed at him.

“Just enjoy your present,” He’d said and that should have been the end of that. Jean was man enough to admit his dick sucking techniques were probably good but nothing near that, but it wasn’t like they only ever traded blowjobs.

While Armin dozed, pillowed on Jean’s shoulder, he had done the math in his head. In the past three weeks, they’d had sex nine times and Armin had finished three times to the best of Jean’s recollection. Three times. A whopping two thirds of the time they had sex, Armin didn’t orgasm. Including that time last week when Armin topped; how could he not come from that? Sure that was only a three week sample of their nearly two year relationship, but if Jean had included the first few months, pre and post returning to Shingashina, the rate would probably be even lower.

It’s not that Jean didn’t try, Armin just seemed to hurry them along and he either fell asleep right after or got up to shower. Case in point, a few days later, Jean had tried to focus solely on Armin, kissing down his body slowly, before zeroing in on his cock, but Jean had been there only a minute or two, hadn’t even managed to fit all of Armin down his throat yet, when Armin took hold of Jean’s hand and moved it from his thigh to his backside where, holy shit, Armin had pre-lubed.

Jean had tried to go slow, find that perfect angle that drove Armin crazy and keep him there with long, full strokes, but Armin dug his heels into Jean’s back, and he pleaded and begged him to go faster and looked so good, a flush starting at his chest and moving up his neck and face, those big blue eyes blown, that Jean had complied. And when he tried to reach for Armin’s dick, Armin batted him away then dressed almost immediately, teasing Jean they’d be late for dinner.

Jean didn’t have any previous experience, they’d been each other’s first everything, but he did have the contents of his mother’s bedside table. He must have been seven or eight when he found her collection of erotic novels, and since that day they had been his favorite past time when both his parents were out of the house.

In those novels there were one of two reasons a man couldn’t please his woman. The first was his lack of oral skills, but Armin didn’t have those parts anway. And as for the second, how many times had the heroine laid under a man, usually her husband, as he worked her over with his small tool, while her thoughts were a million miles away on men with nearly double the length and girth.

Armin’s dick was only a few centimeters longer than Jean’s own, and pleased Jean perfectly well when he was bottoming, but he topped more often than not. He knew his penis was average sized; after five years of communal showers, he knew the size of most of his fellow teammates, flaccid at least, and knew he measured up to most, aside from Franz’s abnormally large physique. But, if Armin weren’t coming nearly as often as Jean, maybe he needed more?

Which led to here, ruining their weekly beach stroll. Jean should have let sleeping dogs lie, Armin wasn’t complaining after all, but the thought that Armin might be unhappy wouldn’t stop nagging him.

“Why would you think that?” Armin asks.

“You didn’t come last night.”

“Ok, I don’t have to every time-”

“Or Sunday night.”

“There have been plenty of times where I’ve come and you haven’t Jean, there’s no - “

“You’ve come three times out of the last ten times we’ve had sex.”

That finally gives Armin pause. His brow furrows as he thinks it over in his head. “That bad? It’s not that I haven’t noticed there’s this discrepancy but…”

Jean waits for him to finish, but Armin looks uneasy suddenly. He’s looking down at his clasped hands, not meeting Jean’s eye. The moment of truth is upon them, Jean only hopes the solution won’t be Armin leaving him for another man.

“I always thought you were just… a little over enthusiastic.”

Which is not the reaction Jean thought was coming at all. “Wait, you think I’m the one who comes an abnormal amount?”

“A few times a week is a little excessive, don’t you think?”

“A few times a week? Armin, we lived in the same dorms. After lights out you couldn’t swing a dead cat without hitting someone who was jerking off."

“Yeah, that was when we were twelve. I’m pretty sure our hormones have cooled off since then.”

“Armin, since we’ve had our base, I either have sex with you or jerk off almost every single day. Sometimes twice in one day. Sunday? I masturbated like 40 minutes after you blew me.”

“You’re joking.”

“I am not.” Sunday had been a little excessive and Jean honestly thought he didn’t even have any cum left after Armin’s birthday present, or the mindset to jack off once the doubts of his skills and size came into play, but once he started thinking of sex and of Armin and of Armin during sex, well, it really wasn’t too hard especially with an uninterrupted view of Armin’s back and ass.

“Jean, that’s just… don’t you ever get bored?

That just confirms everything Jean read in those novels. Armin must see his distressed face and is quick to try to correct it.

“Bored’s the wrong word Jean, I’m not bored with you or with sex, I’m just… I think a lot.” Armin looks pleadingly at him. “Well what are you thinking about?”

“During sex? I’m not. Or if I am its just what position to get into next. Once, just once I wondered if Sasha or Eren could hear.” He actually has that thought a lot, there have even been times he’s afraid the whole wing could hear them, but thats always a thought for before or after, or occasionally in the morning when he meets Eren’s gaze as they exit their rooms at the same time.

“What are you thinking about?”

Armin has the decency to look chagrined. “I take it supply chains isn’t the answer you’re looking for.”

“No it’s not.”

They face off against each other, quiet but for the waves breaking over the shore.

“Let’s go back to our room.” And if Armin is offereing to leave the beach, things must be bad.

---

They don’t talk the entire way back. Even when they’re fighting, which has been only a few times in their relationships, they usually keep talking to each other. It’s why they don’t really fight, Armin doesn’t ever let the subject die nor does he let Jean storm away, so by the time they finish talking it out, they forget why they were upset in the first place.

As if to keep up appearances, or maybe just to placate Jean, Armin takes his hand as soon as they start walking, he even lifts it to his mouth and gives him a brief kiss to his knuckles, followed by what Jean thinks is a supportive smile but it doesn’t do much to ease the dread curled up in his stomach.

As they pass through the yard in front of the compound, Connie waves them over to where he’s sitting with Mikasa and Sasha under one of the trees, with what looks like a card game between them. Sasha catches Connie’s hand and pulls it down, only confirming Jean’s suspicion that even holding hands, something looks off between him and Armin. He hasn’t looked over to Armin, but he knows his own expression is stormy, the criminal look Armin calls it.

Inside, once they turn the corner onto their hall, Eren is there talking with Levi. The pair is at Eren’s door, which comes before Jean and Armin’s, and as they pass Levi turns to say something but Jean ignores it. Armin stops, the motion pulling his hand free and if he answers, Jean’s already opening their door. He tries to shut it gently once he’s inside, or at least with the usual force it takes to close a door, but his hand slips and it slams.

Great, now even Eren and Levi will think he’s too dramatic. But too dramatic would be packing up his things right away, when he doesn’t think their fight is anywhere near that level. Though if it would be, Jean suddenly despairs at their choice of only one room. The vets wing only has seven bedrooms, if he and Armin break up they’d have to repurpose an office somewhere, or worse. Jean’s imaging his life back in the new recruits dorms at seventeen when the door opens and Armin quite literally jumps at him.

They hit the bed, Jean first and Armin landing with a bounce on top of him. Armin’s arms are around his neck, and Jean is worried maybe they’re physically fighting, but then Armin burrows into the crook of Jean’s neck and Jean realizes they’re hugging just horizontally.

“Jean, I love you, alright. And I love having sex with you. And I love all 16 centimeters of your penis. I don’t want you to think I’m not satisfied with you- with any part of you- just because I don’t come as often as you do.” Jean holds him tight, one hand cupping the back of his neck and he starts to stroke the soft hair there while Armin kisses the side of his neck. With no warning, Armin pulls his head up, dislodging Jean’s hand, and looks at him hard.

“Wait Jean, are you hard?”

“No!” Jean says, not defensively at all.

Armin spreads his legs so that they drop down to either side of Jean, giving him the leverage to grind down into Jean’s crotch.

“You are!” Armin yells triumphantly, sitting up, still straddling Jean’s hips.

“You’re grinding on me, I’m somewhat aroused, what of it?”

“You were totally turned on before.”

“Well, you were talking like -”

“Like what? I love you? That gets you off?” An evil grin spreads on his face when Armin realizes he’s on to something. “I love you!” Armin repeats it again and again until Jean has to reach up and cover his mouth

“Eren and Levi are right outside the door.”

Instead of using one of his hands to remove Jean’s, or biting him, Armin starts to stroke Jean’s palm with his tongue, then pokes it between Jean’s middle and ring finger, doing his best to suck his ring finger into his mouth.

“Now I’m really getting hard, is that what you want?”

Armin shrugs, then succeeds in his mission and sucks his finger in deep.

Jean yelps and pulls his hand free. “Armin be serious.”

Armin pushes his hair back from where its fallen all around his face. “I suppose you’re right. Though,” and he really grinds down into Jean’s dick here “this isn’t what you’d consider fully hard? You are only 16 centimeters after all.”

Jean shoves Armin off and he falls back to the bed laughing.

“That’s low Armin.”

Armin tries to respond, he keeps making the beginning of what should be apologies but he can’t get any word out around his snorting, laughing so hard he curls up on his side and clutches his stomach. Jean can only imagine what Levi and Eren must think is going on in here, and for both their sakes, hope they cleared the hall long ago.

“I was thinking you’d leave me for bigger guy, but I think I’ll have to leave you for someone who doesn’t laugh at my pain,” Jean says.

Armin, still laughing, crawls back on top of Jean and peppers his face with kisses. “Jean I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist.”

Pinned down, the only escape Jean is to turn his head to the side, leaving Armin to kiss the side of his face . He should have never given him an opening though, because after sucking a kiss under Jean’s jaw, Armin sticks his tongue into Jean’s ear. Jean’s reaction, screaming and flailing, sends Armin off in another peal of laughter, and Jean really hopes Eren and Levi aren’t listening in.

“I’ll find me a nice guy who doesn’t stick his tongue in inappropriate places.”

“How boring,” Armin comments. He’s still on top of Jean, his weight a nice pressure against his, somehow, despite everything, still somewhat hard dick.

“You can’t break up with me anyway; we share a bedroom.”

“I could if I left you for Levi. Then I could share his bedroom with him.”

“That’s who you’re going with, out of all your other choices?”

“I need a mature man, who can really understand me.”

“I’ll be mature for you,” Armin says in a voice that neither sounds mature, nor does anything to alievate Jean’s erection.

“Was there something you were going to talk about or just tease me all night?”

Armin sighs, so put out. He climbs off Jean, and fixes his hair that has once again, gone tangled and messy around his face. Jean sits up too, and reaches out with his thumb to rub away the tears collecting in the corner of Armin’s right eye.

“I can’t believe I’m dating someone who finds my misery so amusing.” Jean says. Armin opens his mouth. “If you’re about to say you can’t believe you’re dating someone who’s only 16 centimeters, I swear I’ll go proposition Levi right now.”

“He wouldn’t want you anyway.”

“Wanna bet?”

“I want to now, just to see you try.”

Jean considers it. “He’d kill me.”

“I guess you’ll have to settle for me then.”

“If I absolutely have to. Can we get on with it?”

Arnim nods, and suddenly it’s tactician Armin sitting on the bed with him, not his silly boyfriend who’d been teasing him the last few minutes.

“Our problem is we have a limited frame of reference for sex. I.E. we only have our own experiences with each other and by ourselves. So we need an outside view.”

Jean had even considered that briefly, before he’d confronted Armin about their issues. He’d even go so far as to sit down next to Connie, before realizing the fatal flaw in his plan. That flaw being the most important factor in Jean’s life; Armin is his best friend, his closest friend, and as such the only person he would ever talk to about matters even far less personal than his sex life.

“I’m not talking to anyone about our sex life.”

“Oh come on Jean. It doesn’t have to be personal.”

“How is ‘Hey Connie, I can’t make Armin come from my adequately sized cock, do you have any tips?’ not personal?”

Armin breathes in deep through his nose. “I like your dick Jean. Its big. In fact, when you’re inside me I feel so full, like I couldn’t take even the smallest millimeter more. I-”

God damn it, his erection had just gone away.

“Alright, I get it but what, I tell Connie I can’t make you come because you think too much? That’s still too personal.”

“Are you being purposefully difficult?”

Which, ouch, stings a little when Armin had been the one derailing the conversation at every turn just a few minutes ago, but Armin sorta has a point.

“Fine, Armin, what do I say to Connie then?”

“Our problem is we’re just apparently different in what turns us on and how often. So just ask Connie his experiences. If every day is less, more, or on par with his habits. If ‘I love you’ would work to turn him on. Things like that. And Sasha too.”

“No way!” As a whole, he’s close with Connie, Sasha, Armin, Eren and and Mikasa in ways only people who experience life and death situations together can be, but as for personal relationships he hit it off with Armin and sorta stayed there. He’s closer to Connie and Sasha than Eren and Mikasa, and he and Sasha go practice at the range together to fairly often, but he can only see himself talking to Connie about this, and even just barely. To ask Sasha?

“Would you rather talk to Eren and Mikasa?”

“Not only would I rather eat sand until I suffocate, but I don’t know if I want Mikasa and Eren knowing about our sex life.” They’ve been mostly good about their relationship, but Jean still gets looks from Mikasa occasionally that tell him otherwise. This afternoon, walking back from the beach, he was pretty sure Mikasa was gearing up to take him down when they passed by, and only a small wave from Armin, a clear ‘stand down’ wave, stopped her. Even once they’d passed the rec area and into the base, Jean still felt her eyes on the back of his head.

“They know we’re having sex Jean. Everyone does. Eren has more proof than others.”

Not only was Eren their neighbor to the right, he’d also learned his lesson about entering without knocking pretty quickly.

“I know they know, but they don’t know know. I don’t want them having to hear about how I deflowered their childhood friend.”

“That’s such an antiquated idea; do you think Kaitlyn Wegmann deflowered Mikasa?”

“Kaitlyn Wegmann? The military police transfer? She and Mikasa are---”

“Yes, quite frequently.”

“How do you know this?”

“Wasn’t it obvious?”

Jean had noticed Mikasa had a new friend. There were recruits and transfers from all over now that the Titans had been eradicated; even Jean had made a few new acquaintances. But he didn’t think Kaitlyn and Mikasa were that friendly. Mikasa’s room was only two down surely he would have noticed if--oh god, he suddenly remembers the time a few weeks he’d walked to the men’s restroom as the two were coming out of the women’s. But Jean had showered with the other guys all the time and he wasn’t sucking Eren’s or Connie’s dicks.

“Who else is hooking up?”

“Well…,” Armin lowers his eyes, conspiratorial. Jean leans in close, even though they’re in the privacy of their own room. “You do know about Historia and Ymir right?”

In a role reversal, Jean is the one tackling Armin to the bed this time. They land easier, it’s a much shorter distance to go from sitting on the bed to lying back than from standing at the foot of it, and Jean immediately gets to his knees so his hands are free to grab and poke at Armin’s stomach.

“I may not catch on to romance that well, but I’m not an idiot, Armin,” Jean says as Armin thrashes away from his tickling hands.

“I never-” and Armin breaks into laughter so hard he can’t talk “Jean please- ah ah ah - I never called you an idiot.”

“Well you definitely thought it.”

“Never.” Armin gasps. “Jean, I’m gonna pee myself if you keep this up.”

Jean relents, sitting back on his heels, still straddling Armin’s hips. The view is one he can never get tired of, Armin laid out underneath him, gazing up at him with that easy, thoughtless smile.

“So you’ll talk to Connie and Sasha then?” Armin asks, like anything in that conversation confirmed that.

“Have either of them had any secret hookups?”

“I’m not sure, but I at least have first hand evidence that Connie’s masturbated.” And at Jean’s disgusted face, “Come off it Jean, we shared a dorm. What were you saying earlier, a cat died every time someone masturbated?”

Which was not what Jean had said at all, but the fact remains. “That doesn’t mean I knew who was masturbating individually, I tried to tune that out.”

“I didn’t mean to listen, but come on. You had to be able to tell the difference between voices and sounds. I have an enclyopedia worth of knowledge on the individual habits of each of our fifty person dorm. I could - “

“Even me?”

That causes Armin to pause and he flushes, cheeks turning berry pink before he’s quick to recover. “You were a dormmate, were you not?”

Armin’s eyes track his movements as Jean places first his left, then his right hand to either side of the pillow. When Armin finally looks back up at him, his face is blank. If Jean didn’t know him well, he’d think Armin wasn’t affected, but this is his best friend after all.

“I was.”

“Well then, you were included in that list.”

“That’s it? Just one, completely insignificant noise in the middle of the night amongst all the others?” Jean lowers himself, their faces now only a few inches apart. Trapped and completely caught in his own admissions, Armin manages to still look aloof.

“Mhmm, that’s it.”

“So you watched me jerk off?”

“No!” Armin answers too fast.

“Tell me about it.”

“There’s nothing to tell. It was- I went to the bathroom one night and on my way back… You know it was always noisy at night. Guys were always snoring and coughing and shifting or adjusting themselves, and when I got close to your bed I heard something that made me look over and you were obviously touching yourself.”

Underneath him, Jean can feel the slightest shift as Armin moves his hips the tiniest bit. Armin’s chest is rising quicker and harder than any time in the night, tickling and laughter aside, and his pupils are wide, watching Jean closely. Insignificant his ass.

“That’s it? Come on, babe, I’m the injured party here, with some night creeper peeping on me. The least you can do is tell me what you saw.”

“Oh Jean, I couldn’t really see anything, it was dark and you were under the covers. You were half sitting,” Armin’s eyes close, as if he’s painting the picture in his mind. “Kinda leaned against the headboard and your legs were spread out, knees bent.”

Jean nods, he remembers many a night in the dorms spent bent over his cock, pumping furiously while visions, mostly of Mikasa, played out in his mind. Never more defined than just her presence, dark hair and eyes, thin red lips, some pressure and thrust. He only had his mom’s novels to go off, torrid love affairs, wets folds and quivering members. He had no idea what sex was like when it was with someone you wanted, with someone you loved.

“I moved closer because I could tell you were awake and I don’t know, maybe I was going to say something but then… I could see your right arm, your shoulder really, pumping up and down. Your other arm bent at the same angle so I thought you were probably… cupping your balls or the base of you dick... And you were, uh, moaning just a little. Yeah, a quick, low moan. And cursing, or… I couldn’t really here the words you were saying, but I think it was shit or fuck or…”

Again, Armin shifts, squirming under him but making no move to buck Jean off. Jean’s not resting any weight on Armin, but he lowers himself just a little, and yeah, Armin’s definitely turned on.

“And then?” Jean asks.

It takes a moment for Armin to reply, and when he does he’s back to aloof. As aloof as he can be with his pupils blown, his breathing shallow and the beginning of an erection forming.

“And then I went back to my bed and I never thought of it again.”

“Uh huh,”

“You don’t believe me?” Armin asks, and it’s too much for Jean not to lean down all the way, lips so close to Armin’s he can feel every exhale.

“You know what Armin?”

“What?”

“My bunk wasn’t between yours and the bathroom.” And then he finally closes the gap between them.

“We ate like thirty minutes ago,” Jean rolled his eyes. “Take a minute but we need to get going before they try and escape since someone alerted them to our pressence.”

Eren stuck his tongue out and face the castle. “Like they’re gonna escape me.”

“Look, I still don’t know what the fuck you are but we still gotta get across that moat,” Jean pointed to the gap between the gates Eren just clear and the wooden drawbridge.

“Oh, let me get that. I just need to sneak in and lower the bridge!” Connie offered, his face lighting up at the opportunity to break into a castle.

Unfortunately an even brighter flame exploded across the moat. The wooden drawbridge shattered into splinters and shrapnel as Eren snapped his fingers. “There, gate open-”

Mikasa proceeded to choke Eren while Jean ran a gloved a hand down his face.

“Don’t worry, I can fix this,” the final adventurer stepped forward, gracefully stepping towards the moat.

Marco knelt down and muttered words in a language only he and his kind understood. His freckles glowed a dull green, catching the attention of their flame sorcerer. Eren stopped struggling in Mikasa’s grasp, watching with curiosity as seaweed twisted upwards from the moat. The plants grew into a bridge.

“Thanks Marco. Come on!” Jean pointed forward. His group ran across the bridge with Jean leading the charge. “Where are they keeping Princess Historia?”

“The top of the tallest tower, duh. Are you even a real adventurer?” Sasha spoke, earning a scowl from the leader of the group.

“This isn’t a fairy tale.”

“Actually, she’s right. Prince Zeke’s room is at the top of the tallest tower and likely where he’s keeping his hostage,” Mikasa informed him.

“Told ya so!” Sasha pointed at Jean.

Ignoring the urge to hit his friend, he clenched his fist while Eren dashed ahead.

“This way, I know how to get there,” Eren stated.

“Wait!” Jean called back, quickly picking up the pace. The group sprinted through the castle, turning various corners. “Does he really know where he’s going?”

“Yes,” Mikasa replied until they found Eren brought to a halt at the end of a corridor.

Standing in the hallway was a petite blonde with icy blue eyes and clad in dark metal armor. Her hands rested on the hilt of a longsword.

“So the prodigal son returns... with company,” a cool voice greeted the group.

“Out of the way Annie. We’re grabbing the princess and leaving,” Eren snapped back.

The blonde knight quirked an eyebrow, drawing her blade.

“...I’m under orders to capture you on sight.”

Eren pointed a finger at Annie, but a black flash ran by him.

Mikasa swung her blade at Annie, who swiftly blocked it with her own. Exchanging glares the two broke out into a fight- metal clanging against metal. Both warriors made use of the ample hallway space and swung liberally, cutting through tapestries and pots. Mikasa looked back at the group.

“Go!”

“But-” Eren reached out for Mikasa, but Marco grabbed his wrist.

“Just go!”

“Cone on, Eren. Lead us to the princess. Mikasa can handle herself,” Marco gently pushed him ahead.

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Eren nodded. He sprinted forward again. Leading the group up a nearby stairwell, Eren paused to take in his surroundings. Pointing to down a barren hallway, the adventurers made it halfway to another intersection before another knight and a group of orcish guards blocked the way.

“Called it,” the large blond knight in their path chuckled at the group. “Bertholdt owes me a round of mead. No one else is dumb enough to blow open a gate besides you.”

“Shut up and get out fo our way, Reiner,” Eren replied.

Laughing loudly, Reiner stepped forward holding a double sided ax. “You’re not getting through me.”

Jean’s eyes widened as Reiner sprinted forward. For such a bulky person he was quite fast. Reiner swung for Eren’s arm but Connie blocked the blow with two daggers.

“I got him, go now!” Connie said through gritted teeth.

“You?” Reiner balked at the thought. “I’m gonna chop a twig like you in half!”

A loud twang echoed around the halls as a lute slammed into the side of Reiner’s head. He rolled to the side as he recovered his bearings.

“Sasha?!” Connie’s mouth dropped. “But your lute?”

“I got you, baldie,” Sasha grinned. “Don’t worry about my lute, i’ll tune it once we get out of here. Besides I can smell the kitchen nearby.”

“Be careful!” Jean called back as he followed down another corridor. The thought of leaving his bard and rogue against a knight like Reiner sent chills down his spine but he had faith in the two. They made it this far in life after all.

Just as Jean began to recollect his thoughts he ran straight into Eren’s back, not realizing the boy suddenly stopped.

“What the hell now Jaeger?” Jean asked, rubbing his nose. he looked around Jaeger to see a tall but lanky man with dark robes in their way. “It’s just one guy. And he’s not wearing armor!”

“That’s Bertholdt the Black you dumbass,” Eren retorted. “He’s on the archmages of Marley. Why the hell are you in this ancient dump?”

“You already know the answer to that,” Bertholdt replied, stepping forward.

Eren took a step back into Jean, unnerving the adventurer. What about this man unnerved Eren Jaeger?

Before Jean could guess an answer, Marco stepped past the two.

“Rescue the princess,” Marco simply stated before his freckles glowed once more. The stone floor between Marco and his friends suddenly rose to the ceiling, separating them.

“Marco!” Eren shouted, slamming his fists against the new wall.

“Eren, let’s hurry! Marco can hold his own but I don’t know for how long,” Jean explained.

“Against someone like Bertholdt though?” Eren wondered as he sprinted down a nearby corridor.

At the end of the long corridor a spiral staircase lead upwards.

“Marco is stronger than you know but I don’t know that mage’s power. He’ll be able to last a little bit at least.”

A massive tremor shook the castle causing dust to fall from the cracks of the stone ceiling. Candles fell from their stands and put themselves out as they hit the ground. Eren and Jean barely maintained their footing.

“That wasn’t one of Bertl’s spells...”

“Oh shit. If Marco is shaking the castle we don’t have that much time,” Jean swore. “Is that the stairwell the tower?”

Eren nodded as Jean and him resumed their run. As they reached the end of the hallway, a gust blew from the tower. A few large stone fell downwards, causing Eren and Jean to stop.

Frowning at the sudden event, Eren turned to Jean. “The prince is here. Just run up and grab the princess like we planned, I’ll hold him off.”

“But I can fight too!” Jean geatured to his blade.

“Not against this kind of magic. He’s like me,” Eren let out a deep breath, releasing some smoke. “Trust me on this one and trust this spell.”

“What?” Jean questioned as Eren placed a hand on his head. He felt his head started to glow hot for a moment. The warmth spread over his body and relaxed his tense muscles. Before he could inquire more he saw his skin start to fade as the familiar invisibility took hold. Normally this was Connie’s schtick.

“Well, well, what an unpleasant surprise,” an older man stated as he floated down from the tower. He stepped through the entrance into the corridor. “What brings you home?”

“You took my princess,” Eren narrowed his eyes at Prince Zeke.

“That’s your princess?” Zeke scoffed, not noticing Jean scooting carefully along the wall. “Of course that’s your preference. If you want ‘em you can have ‘em. Assuming you can beat me, brother.”

“Shut up and fight,” Eren demanded, his eyes glowing red.

“As you wish.” Prince Zeke’s eyes glowed grey as one of the stone from before shot out from behind him and towards Eren.

Jean covered his mouth as he almost gasped from surprise. Quickly but nimbly he ascended the stairs at the castle shook again from the battles below. Flame and stone shot upwards as Jean circled the tower. Despite being in great shape, running up so many stairs left him heaving by the time he reached the top. Whoever the fuck made these things an architectural necessity for castles deserved to be shot with several arrows.

Reaching the door of the royal chambers, Jean opened it and suddenly felt very impoverished. Purple carpet extended from the door to the giant bed in the center of the room. Dark, wooden chairs were pushed into a desk in the corner with papers splayed out on it. A silver jug and wine glasses were set on a table near the bed. After being understandably caught up in the moment, Jean heard sobbing coming from the bed. From the doorway he could see a silhouette through the canopy in the bed.

Taking a step into the room, the carpet crunched under Jean’s weight. A gasp came from the bed and the sobs stopped. Jean swallowed the lump in his throat and continued forward. The carpet continued to make sounds as he made his way around the regal room. On the ground he noticed ripped apart.

The silhouette in the bed disappeared under the covers as Jean reached the side. As soon as he opened his mouth a pillow came crashing into his face. He stumbled backwards and into the table with wine glasses. The invisibility faded and the silver jug spilled wine all over Jean. Now he’d need a good bath after this.

“Ouch!” Jean reacted, rubbing the back of his head.

“Stay away!” A voice warned from the covers.

Before Jean could utter a barbed retort, his throat choked out his words. A beautiful blonde head poked from the covers, her expression a mixture of anger and fear. Jean’s heart pounded and his mouth ran dry. The rumors about the princess being the greatest beauty in the land did have some weight after all.

“Uh. That stung... I mean-” Jean cleared his throat and plastered the cheesiest smile he could muster. “Princess Historia, my name is Jean Kirschtein and I’m here to save you.”

The princess’ eyes widened. “What?”

“Well, it’s more accurate to say me and my friends came to rescue you. We found Eren and Mikasa on the way here and came to help rescue you, my lady,” Jean explained.

The princess’ face turned a deep red. “Eren and Mikasa came to rescue me?”

“Of course! Right now they’re fighting below but once I activate this scroll,” Jean gestured to a parchment on his belt. “We’ll teleport out of here and the others will get the signal to do the same. Shall we?”

“Uh... I don’t have any clothes...” The princess looked at the ripped pieces of cloth on the ground. “Prince Zeke isn’t known for his... temperament.”

“No fear, you can use my cloak,” Jean offered before realizing it was covered in wine. “It might be a bit damp.”

“That’s fine, that was my fault,” the princess raised her hands out of the cover, causing the duvet to fall. Before Jean could avert his eyes, he noticed the pale chest of the princess and that it lacked... “Oh my!”

The princess covered her chest but it was already too late. Jean’s face fell at the sight. “Y-you’re not a girl.”

“N-no. I’m not the princess. She’s in another castle,” the impostor frowned. “My name is Armin.”

Jean pressed his lips together as his hopes and dreams for a cushy life were dashed once more. he pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled a deep breath. “So your friends mislead us?”

“I’m afraid so...” Armin’s face fell, tears forming on the edges of his eyes. “They kidnapped me by mistake. When Zeke found out a bit ago I thought he was going to kill me until an explosion rang out.”

Jean’s chest tightened again. Seeing the petite boy on the verge of tears made his stomach twist in knots. Resigning himself to reality, Jean stepped forward and wrapped his wine-soaked cloak around the poor boy. He offered a gentle smile. While not a princess, he did at least knock one thing off his bucket list; he rescued a beauty from an ancient, evil castle.

“Come on, let’s get you out of here,” Jean extended a hand and bowed a little.

Caught off guard by the chivalrous treatment, Armin’s blush deepened.

“Thank... Thank you,” Armin took the hand and stood up. His eyes darted to the desk and he ran over.

“What are you doing?” Jean tilted his head from confusion as Armin grabbed all the letters off the desk. Another tremor shook the castle. “We need to get going!”

“Making sure this humiliation wasn’t for naught,” Armin replied. he bent over and opened a drawer. he flung out some quills and and ink until he found a bag. he grabbed the bag and ran over to Jean. “I’m ready.”

Grabbing the parchment, Jean opened it. He glanced over the arcane text before muttering the words Marco trained him to say. The scroll glowed a dull purple. “Hang on!”

Jean hooked an arm around Armin and pulled him close, both of them disappearing in a quick flash.

Both boys were teleported to some plains far away from the castle. Armin landed on top of Jean, knocking the breath out of his chest.

“I’ve been saved,” Armin stated as he rolled off Jean, disbelief evident in his voice. “This must be what the princess feels like.”

“How’d you know that?” Jean asked, taking in a deep breath. While emotionally confused, he was glad to at least have his life.

“She tells me in between kidnappings. I swear Ymir let’s it happen just so she has an excuse to ravish her,” Armin answered as he sat up.

“Wait, you know the princess? And she’s repeatedly kidnapped?” Jean’s eyes widened. maybe this wasn’t a complete crapshoot.

“Yeah, we’re best friends,” Armin admitted, his eyes falling to his hands. “And she’s kidnapped enough that it’s pretty normal. If you were expecting a reward for saving her I don’t think you would’ve gotten it.”

“Damn it,” Jean cursed falling back into the grass. “I was hoping to at least get a kiss for all that bullshit.”

Before he could register what was happening, he felt a pair of lips press against his. It was a chaste kiss but it left Jean red faced, especially since the sounds of the others teleporting in rattled his nerves. He was going to have fun explaining why a he had a naked boy on top of him instead of Princess Historia.

---

In the days following his return to kingdom of Eldia, Armin found only restlessness and trepidation. His grandfather and the king’s personal doctor worked around the clock to try and save Jean, whose pained screams echoed around the castle’s stony walls. Armin dared to pass by his grandfather’s study when he knew no guards would be around. The two old men were either over Jean taking notes, over a cauldron taking notes, or pouring over books while taking notes. While having a patient with Maria’s curse was a rarity that had to be documented, it left Armin on edge.

His worst fears were confirmed when both caretakers fell ill.

“Bloody miasma,” Armin’s grandpa cursed, breaking down into a fit of coughs afterwards.

Armin rubbed a damp cloth against his grandfather’s sweaty forehead. “How long until you’re better?”

The old man sighed and took a deep breath. “No idea, my boy. Perhaps a few hours without exposure will flush the noxious gas out of my system. Poor Dr. Jaeger. He’ll need more time.”

A chill ran down Armin’s spine at that news.

“But what of Jean? Will he be alright without your attention for so long?”

“Mayhaps. He’s a strong one but without proper treatment he’ll succumb eventually,” Armin’s grandfather admitted. He shifted onto his side, his eyes fluttering shut. “I’ll attend to him… as soon as I feel better…”

On cue, another scream of agony echoed down the halls. Armin frowned, no longer able to sit idly by. He set the rag down and carefully tiptoed down the corridor. Much to his relief no one guarded the door. Perhaps the fear of death kept the guards away. Armin slipped in before anyone could catch him.

Lying on a wooden table with only a blanket over his naked body was Jean. All four limbs were strapped to the legs of the table. Whether due to the near-naked appearance or the look of anguish on Jean’s face, Armin averted his gaze and surveyed the room for his only real hint of what to do. Lying on the ground next to the cauldron Armin found his grandfather’s personal notebook. He retrieved it and opened it to the last page.

“…with Grisha’s analysis I postulate that a combination of containing the necromantic rot around the wound, a flame potion to sear the infected tissue, and perhaps a sealing spell can limit the damage and save the lad’s life. Such a sealing spell would be of the highest order and likely require the boy’s essence. Obtaining such an ingredient would be dangerous to say the least and will require the utmost cauti-”

Armin flipped through some of the previous pages to understand what his grandfather meant but they only provided a little context to the nature of the wound. He frowned, contemplating what he’d need to do in order to save Jean’s life.

Grabbing a spare cauldron from the corner of the room, Armin got to work preparing the potions he knew how to make. First he dug into his grandfather’s closet to remove the appropriate herbs and animal parts to create a lesser version of the flames Eren could conjure on a whim. Strong enough to sear skin but enough not burn a body to ash.

Next he searched for a certain book in his grandfather’s personal library. Necromancy was one of the few schools of magic forbidden to general practitioners but being the royal court mage gave Armin’s grandfather access to special tomes. Tomes that Armin eagerly read when his grandfather was away from the castle.

“Rather than contain the rot, let’s try amplifying and reversing the damage,” Armin muttered as he scoured the book for a passage he vaguely remembered. It took longer than he wished but ultimately he found a spell that was meant for more than just reanimating the dead, it was meant to regrow rotted flesh. Carefully researching the ingredients and the runes, Armin thanked Ymir that he had all he needed.

Within a few moments, Armin created the experimental potion. He left the bubbling purple liquid into in the cauldron.

For the final part he searched through his grandfather’s library until he found a high level book on sealing. Armin flipped through the pages until he found what he considered the strongest sealing spell he could find. Everything seemed normal until he reached the ingredients portion of the spell.

“Human Essence: trace energy of life. Obtained from a living creature by extracting either liquid or flesh from the body. The strongest source of essence is that which gives life…” Armin read aloud, his face flushing at the last sentence. He took a deep breath, glancing back at Jean. The hero grunted, writhing from pain.

Swallowing the lump forming in his throat, Armin steeled his resolve. If Jean was willing to get eaten by an undead dragon in order to save his life, this was the very least Armin could do in order to return the favor. “Good thing I prepared extra potions.”

Armin walked to the door, locking the latch so he wouldn’t be interrupted. He grabbed an empty vial from the shelf, sparing a moment to grab one filled with a clear liquid. He set both items down on a table by the cauldron. Taking one last look at Jean, he inhaled deeply. “I must apologize but I’m doing this to save your life… and returning a favor.”

He pulled the blanket off with a mighty yank. Armin’s face flushed at the naked sight below. His eyes focused on the muscles at first, tracing Jean’s toned chest. Sure he knew that adventurers had to fit due to their lifestyle but seeing it in person left Armin’s legs feeling a little weak. His wandering gaze eventually settled on the happy trail right above Jean’s navel. He followed it all the way down and…

“Wow,” Armin mumbled, biting the inside of his cheek. The only dicks he ever saw were either in books or quick glimpses in the showers with Eren and the other boys at court. Not that Armin ever admitted to the occasional stray glance. Having one in full view without anyone to catch him left him a bit awed and excited. Ignoring his body’s natural responses, Armin ran a hand down Jean’s torso.

He closed his eyes, absorbing the details his eyes caught earlier. Despite a light sheen of sweat, Jean felt cool under his touch. Armin’s hand slid further south, passing over the happy trail before nervously settling on his dick. Even soft, Jean appeared bigger than most of the boys he saw.

Armin gave an experimental pump, half expecting the unconscious boy to respond. To his dismay no such reaction happened. He tried a few more times but nothing occurred besides a growing problem in Armin’s pants.

Using his other hand, Armin tried massaging Jean’s balls. Still, nothing happened.

“Damn it,” Armin cursed. He bit his lip as he contemplated next steps. His gaze turned to the vial with the clear liquid. “I’m sorry, Jean.”

Armin twisted the cap off the vial and poured a generous amount into his hand. He crawled onto the table by Jean’s side. Licking his lips, Armin placed his hands between Jean’s toned legs. He shut his eyes as he pushed his hands between Jean’s cheeks. After a few seconds he found Jean’s entrance. Slowly he made motions with his lubricated hand around Jean’s hole. Occasionally he slipped a finger inside Jean, coating what he could with the viscous liquid. After withdrawing his hand to pour the rest of the vial into his hand, he inserted a second finger into Jean.

Jean groaned at the sudden intrusion, not waking from his magical slumber.

Armin froze, all the color draining from his face. When he realized Jean wasn’t moving he continued to scissor his fingers inside him. He continued for a few moments until his arm started to get sore. “I promise this will feel good. I know from experience.”

Repositioning himself over Jean, Armin rubbed his hands together to get both slick. He slipped his two fingers back inside Jean, experiencing no resistance this time. While one hand probed deeper, the other wrapped around Jean’s dick. He pumped with one hand while the other explored Jean. Suddenly Jean bucked, scaring Armin into stopping.

“Found it,” Armin smiled.

Armin resumed the rhythmic motions, pumping as he pressed the spot that elicited a reaction. Jean moaned loudly, a much lewder sound than the pained screams from before. Armin’s face flushed red as his blood traveled to the tent in his pants. The fact Jean couldn’t see him like this made him feel so much better… though the thought of being caught only made him harder.

Jean’s cock slowly hardened under Armin’s touch. By the time Jean reached full mast, Armin’s muscles were sore. Still, the sight made Armin proud. He made this happen, though he needed to finish it off.

Frowning at the next idea, Armin quickly shook the fearful thoughts from his mind. He had to do this. For Jean.

He lowered his head towards Jean’s dick. Shallow breaths escaped him, barely cooling the heat emanating from Jean. With a tentative lick, Armin tasted the tip and some of Jean’s pre. Where he expected bitterness, he only found a tasteless warmth.

“Interesting,” Armin commented before going down on Jean.

He wrapped his lips around Jean’s cock, testing how far he could take. By the time Jean’s dick reach the back of his mouth, Armin realized he wasn’t even all the down on the hero. This would have to do though. He began bobbing his head up and down while his other hand pressed back into the hero. It took him a little before he regained his earlier rhythm.

Jean bucked into Armin’s mouth, almost gagging the boy but Armin withstood the urge. Moans escaped the unconscious hero. They grew louder and more frequent causing Armin’s lips to curl into a smile. Or at least as much of a smile as he could muster with Jean’s cock in his mouth.

When he felt Jean stiffen underneath him, Armin almost swallowed from surprise the sudden burst of cum in his mouth. There was the bitter taste he expected. Jean let out the loudest moan yet, unloading a week’s worth of pent up stress into Armin’s mouth.

Armin withdrew his hand but kept his lips locked around the dick until he felt it stop spasming. Blindly reaching for the table, Armin pawed around the surface until he found the empty bottle. He brought the bottle under his lips and opened his mouth, letting the cum slowly fill the container. The thought of someone watching this process brought a dark blush to Armin’s face. Once his mouth was empty and the embarrassment passed, Armin set the container down on the table and climbed down from the table.

He walked over to the cabinet to find another empty jar and set it on the ground.

Armin pulled his pants down to free his dick, taking a seat next to the empty jar. He rubbed a slick hand around his needy cock. The front of his pants already had a wet spot that he didn’t want to explain to anyone but he didn’t have the time to worry about that. The very act of blowing Jean already left him on edge.

“Fuck,” Armin muttered, feeling a coil forming in his belly. A few strokes from his hand, coated in a mixture of lubricant and Jean’s cum gave Armin the much needed stimulation. He grabbed the jar and brought it in front of his dick. His body stiffened from the pleasure, releasing a few white ropes into the glass.

An intense euphoria left Armin breathing heavily, leaning against the bookshelf. It wasn’t until his tongue started tingling that his senses returned to him. He quickly pushed himself up, struggling to not fall from his wobbly legs. Pulling his pants up he stumbled to the cauldron and poured the contents of the cauldron into the jar of his cum. He swirled the dark purple mixture for a few seconds before the burning in his mouth almost reached a painful peak. Throwing caution to the wind he chugged the potion.

Armin fell to his knees, gagging on the mixture. His taste buds barely registered the disgusting taste, instead focusing on the burning feeling going down his throat. He couldn’t let this pain cripple him. With an intense focus, Armin forced himself to reach the table and grabbed the container of Jean’s cum. He crawled back to the cauldron and poured the remainder into that jar. While he swirled that, the pain in his body faded. Now euphoria buzzed around his head.

Rising to his feet, Armin walked over to Jean. He hovered over the hero’s injured arm and poured the potion onto the wounds. The purple liquid bubbled and burned, causing Jean to howl out once more.

“Stay strong, just a little more,” Armin encouraged the unconscious hero. He rubbed the liquid into the wounds and ignored the burning sensation on his hands. Next, Armin lifted Jean’s head and poured the remainder of the liquid into Jean’s mouth. Doing his best to make sure the hero didn’t choke, he patiently waited for Jean to swallow the contents of the jar. Once he was done with that, Armin returned to the cauldron and stuck his hands in here. He washed his hands in the liquid and made sure to rub some on his dick. “There, sanitized.”

Armin smiled, proud of his work. He glanced back at Jean’s arm and already noticed the wounds closing. Content with that sign, he walked to the door and unlocked. Just as he opened the door, the euphoria in his head faded. A heavy weight hit his mind and everything went black. The last words he heard as fainted were the sounds of rushing footsteps.

When he came to, he found himself in front of his grandpa and the other educators of the castle in the infirmary.

---

“Y-Y-Yes…” Armin admitted, humiliation returning to his mind. “I wanted to use the most powerful sealing spell… and it said the strongest essence came from the one that gave life.”

A few hushed whispers around the room left Armin stewing in his embarrassment, and the howls of laughter from Ymir did little to temper that reaction.

“Ymir, stop it! He saved the guy who rescued him,” Historia elbowed the knight.

“I know… I know… It’s just- that’s hysterical. Oh my goodness, that’s the best thing I’ve heard in ages,” Ymir wiped tears from her eyes.

“Armin, my boy. What that tome referenced was blood. Blood is what gives life,” Armin’s grandpa rubbed his beard, further sending Armin into denial. “Though I must admit the properties of… semen aren’t well known. And now we have further cause for research.”

“But, Lord Arlert,” One of the wizards spoke. “He openly admitted to using a necromantic potion as well. Isn’t that a cause for alarm?”

More hushed voices echoed around the room, most sounding of disapproval.

“Quiet. One thing at a time,” Armin’s grandpa shook his head. “While frowned upon, using the fallen goddess’ own magic against itself was intuitive and probably what allowed for this miraculous event to take place. None of us would’ve thought of that.”

“For good reason-”

“I said hush. We’ll cross that bridge later,” Armin’s grandpa raised a wrinkled finger, silencing the room.

“What’s going on, grandpa?” Armin wondered, still unsure why so many people came to see him as he awoke.

“Well, it’s hard to say but Jean’s been awake for some time now. You’ve been asleep for almost a week. And it seems whatever ritual you performed has… what’s a good way to put this? You’ve unlocked a new unknown power within him. I suspect the same can be said of yourself since you ingested cursed semen.”

Armin shuddered at that phrasing. “Please don’t use those words.”

“But Armin, my boy-”

“Just… what do you mean by power?”

Armin’s grandpa scratched his head before shrugging. “I can’t quite say. Jean is stronger than ever, successfully dueling our strongest knights into submission in mere moves. As for yourself… well.”

The old man as well as the other wizards in the room looked upwards, causing Armin to glance in that direction. His eyes widened when he saw a hole in the stone ceiling, extending through several floors. “Wh-what happened?!”

“You, my boy. You seem to have inherited some new power and I suspect that seal on your tongue has something to do with it. For now we’ll let you rest as you’ve filled in the blanks. Please, just rest and recover.”

Armin nodded at those words, feeling a sudden tiredness wash over his body. Ymir and Historia ran to his side while the older men and women left the room.

Once the crowd was outside, one of the wizards closed the door.

“Archmage Arlert, you know the price of necromancy,” one of the wizards stated.

Taking a deep breath, Armin’s grandpa wiped a tear away from his eyes. “I know but let the boy rest. He’ll deal with the consequences in the morning.”

Connie and Sasha exchanged suspicious looks but didn’t say a word.

“About that. So we saved him and he saved us? I don’t like being duped but I guess we’re even,” Connie changed topics.

“Oh don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re all handsomely rewarded for your troubles during Armin’s rescue,” Historia walked out of the kitchen with another set of plates. “Once Ymir and Marco are back to strength we can go home.”

Armin’s eyes fell at the mention of Eldia. He almost bucked when he felt a pair of hands squeeze his. The familiar touch soothed his nerves.

“Yeah, sorry about dozing off for a few weeks,” Marco apologized, polishing off his salad. “I feel much better.

“You’re sorry?” Ymir narrowed her eyes at Marco. He sheepishly looked at his clean plate. “I saved your ass. I teleported Trost back to this realm. What’s your excuse? You fucked Jaeger. Repeatedly.”

Eren groaned. “I said I was sorry!”

“You were under mind control, it’s okay,” Marco gingerly pat Eren on the back.

To Jean’s surprise, Eren leaned into the touch.

Just then, Mrs. Kirschtein returned with several bags of fruits and vegetables.

“My, my, you’re a hungry lot,” The older woman smiled at the group in her house. “I’m glad to see everyone is awake.”

“Thank you for the food, miss,” Marco bowed his head.

“Yeah, it’s very delicious!” Ymir agreed.

Jean’s mother set the fruits and vegetables down on the counter, walking over to the table. She wiped her hands on her apron as she looked over the group.

“I’ve met the others but I don’t think I know your names?” Mrs. Kirschtein questioned Marco and Ymir. “You slept for quite a while.”

“I’m Marco, a druid from the north,” Marco smiled, exuding warmth.

“And I’m Ymir, resident heroine and Eldia’s best knight,” Ymir grinned cockily.

“Like the goddess? Your parents must’ve been very devout,” Mrs. Kirschtein commented, returning to the vegetables.

“They were something like that,” Ymir chuckled along with Marco, both exchanging a knowing look.

Before the group could get into further discussion, the clanging of bells across town echoed into the house. Everyone stopped their eating and stared at Jean.

“Shit, we need to go. Now,” Jean gestured to the door. The others nodded and followed him out into the city. “Thanks mom!”

“Anytime, Jeanbo!”

Jean groaned as his friends cracked goofy smiles, none daring to laugh out loud. “Moooooom! I’m all grown up. Just call me Jean…”

His mother shook her head. “You’ll always be Jeanbo to me.”

Swatting his hand in the air, Jean exited his house and made his way for the plaza. He heard his friends trying- but failing- to hold in their laughter. Once they got far enough away from the house, the group started cackling at Jean’s expense.

“Jeanbo?” Eren spoke, wiping a tear away from his eye.

“Don’t you fucking start, Jaeger,” Jean pointed a finger at him. “Or do I need to remind whose ass is responsible for this?”

Everyone stared at the evening sky, their jovial mood fading. Among the stars and moon of the night sky, crimson bled around the horizon and gave the night an eerie atmosphere. Dusk had long since passed.

“Low blow,” Eren frowned.

“Just like Armin,” Ymir broke out into another round of laughter.

Armin’s face tinted pink, earning confused looks from Eren and Mikasa.

“Seriously, what happened?”

“N-nothing,” Armin pressed his lips together.

Marco studied Armin for a moment and then observed Jean. His eyes met Jean’s for a moment but he didn’t speak.

Torches lit the plaza as citizens gathered around the raised platform usually reserved for the town crier. Standing atop the platform were two guards in white platemail along with the mayor of the city. When Jean and his friends approached the platform, Jean recognized one of the guards as Erwin from Eldia.

“Citizens, we have dire news,” the mayor began. “I’ll let these fine soldiers explain.”

“Thank you, sir,” Erwin nodded. Clearing his throat, he faced he crowd. “I must keep this brief. As many of you know the kingdom of Marley is the remnants of the empire of the fallen goddess Maria. Their one and only goal for the last thousand years has been her resurrection in hopes of returning to their former glory. Unfortunately that goal has been achieved. Either through sorcery or back magic they’ve revived her.”

A swift elbow into Marco’s side caused him to grunt. He turned to see Ymir glaring at him.

“Her army now marches for Eldia, the former home of her sister Ymir. She plans to destroy our city as revenge for Ymir. I come seeking aid for the oncoming battle.”

Loud murmuring arose from the crowd, the civilians debating amongst themselves.

“Now I know Trost is still licking its wounds from their last battle with Marley, but everyone here knows the fate that awaits those who Maria attacks. The fallen goddess won’t stop until she’s plunged the entire world into darkness and decay. We must stop her now! Who’s with me?”

“We are!” Eren shouted, causing everyone around them to face them.

Erwin quirked an eyebrow but smiled as he recognized the group.

“Eren, Mikasa, Ymir, and… Princess Historia? We’ve been looking for you for weeks,” Erwin chuckled. The news of the Eldian princess earned a few gasps.

“Ymir has been protecting me,” Historia shrugged, causing her girlfriend to flex an arm.

“Clearly. I also see you made some new friends,” Erwin glanced between Jean and his friends. His eyes fell on Armin, who he spotted shrinking behind Jean. “You even have Armin the White among you. Glad to see you’re in good health.”

Armin nodded but didn’t reply. Eren and Mikasa faced Eren, shock written in their expressions.

“You earned a title? And the White?” Eren muttered. “How and why didn’t you tell us?”

“He sucked-” Ymir began before Historia covered her mouth, much to Armin’s relief.

“He forsook land and country to save a life,” Erwin stated. “We’d be honored if you joined us in the battle.”

“Honored?” Armin replied, shocked by the proposition. “But…”

“Banished or not, we’re in no position to turn down willing allies. Especially dragonslayers,” Erwin pointed to the skeleton from their previous fight laying in plaza. “At least I suspect that was you and Jean.”

Armin nodded, feeling lightheaded at the offer to at least fight for Eldia. Perhaps it was a chance to redeem himself.

“I’ll do it!” Armin shouted, saluting Erwin.

The crowd roared at others mimicked Armin’s gesture.

---

“You’re banished?” Eren asked again as the group gathered their belongings.

“Yes,” Armin muttered, his face a mixture of disappointment and embarrassment. “I didn’t want to worry you guys about it.”

“Its okay,” Mikasa spoke, embracing Armin. “We’ll go with you wherever you go. And you can tell us whenever you’re ready.”

Ymir snorted but a glare from Jean silenced her.

Marco stepped forward, grabbing Jean’s arm and pulling his sleeve down. He studied at the markings on Jean’s arm. Black runes wrapped around his arm while a shield with blue and white wings rested atop the wound from the dragon.

“Marco?” Jean mumbled, a bit concerned by Marco’s odd behavior.

The druid then walked over to Armin. “Please show me your tongue.”

Chewing on his lip for a moment before obliging, Armin stuck his tongue out for Marco.

Marco squinted at the seal, mumbling a few words. His eyes glowed a dull gold before widening. Turning back to Jean he stared at the seal. Bouncing between the two seals, Marco’s mouth fell.

“Are you okay?” Jean questioned.

“You… how… Ymir, he didn’t,” Marco looked to her for confirmation. She grinned widely.

“Now you’re catching on,” Ymir nodded. “Took ya long enough.”

A blush flashed across Marco’s cheeks. “But you know what this means, right?”

“Yup. We can actually kill her this time.”

“Kill who?” Jean gave Ymir a suspicious look, unsure about this conversation. “And how exactly do you two know each other?”

The two freckled people shook their heads.

“This dumbass is my brother,” Ymir admitted.

Jean glanced between the two. “Really? But he’s so much nicer than you…”

Ymir glared at Jean and shrugged.

“Ymir is nice,” Marco defended his sister. “She has everyone’s best interests at heart.”

“Yeah, underneath all her interests,” Jean rolled his eyes.

“Insult me one more time and I’ll tell everyone how your boyfriend earned his title,” Ymir threatened. “It’ll give a whole new meaning to Armin the White.”

“Ymir, stop,” Historia frowned, causing Ymir to scowl.

While Jean and Ymir continued to squint at each other, Armin approached Marco. He laid a shaky hand on his shoulder.

“You mentioned killing someone. Who?” Armin inquired, his blood going cold.

Marco glanced at Ymir, both nodding.

“When you saved Jean you unknowingly bound yourselves to Maria. Your powers are the direct result of hers,” Marco explained.

“What?!” Jean’s mouth fell.

“Technically, you’re her warriors,” Marco informed them, causing the rest of their friends to look at them nervously.

“But we can’t be. I mean, we just killed another of her dragons,” Jean balked at the thought.

“Yes but that’s the amazing part. You both still have your freewill. Unlike others that are bound by her beliefs and desires, you two can do as you please,” Marco explained while waving his hands around.

Armin bit his bottom lip, focusing his eyes on Jean’s seal. “You mean I undid her corruption? How?”

“Honestly I can only guess. There’s no necromantic energies in either of you two… just natural magics,” Marco stated as his eyes widened. “Wait. No.”

Ymir tilted her head for a moment. “Natural magics? The fuck does that mean?”

“Magic derived from plants and animals,” Marco answered, staring at his hands.

“But that’s your domain, not Maria’s,” Ymir frowned until a realization dawned on her. “No. Oh you’ve gotta be kidding me. They’re yours?”

Ymir rubbed her temples. “How? It’s her curse!”

“Yes, but we’re twins. Similar magics. It was always possible but I never thought we’d share servants,” Marco smiled, clapping his hands together. He started bouncing on his feet at the thought. “I have followers!”

Everyone besides the two freckled people exchanged confused glances.

“Can someone please explain what’s going on? You lost me when you mentioned Maria,” Connie crossed his arms.

Ymir sighed. “Short version: When Armin saved Jean by making those seals, he used Maria’s powers against itself. By doing that they got godly powers on accident. However they get their powers from two gods: Maria and her twin brother.”

Jean scrunched his face from confusion while Armin processed the thought.

“Maria has a twin brother?” Armin asked first.

Nodding, Ymir gestured to Marco. “Meet Maria’s completely forgettable and unassuming twin. Also your god. Congrats, you’re his first actual servants.”

“Hey!” Marco punched her shoulder. Rather than dwell on the insults, Marco stepped forward and hugged the two boys with seals. “I can’t believe I have followers!”

Everyone froze from shock as they processed that information.

“M-Marco is a god?” Jean managed to speak.

“Your god,” Ymir snickered.

“But if he’s your brother… then you’re also…” Jean paled at the thought.

“Yup!” Ymir cackled. “The one and only Ymir! Take it in mortals.”

Jean muttered a few curses while Armin continued to piece the information together in his head.

Historia stepped forward, falling to her knees. “My goddess.”

To Jean’s surprise, Ymir scowled at the sight. “Get up, Historia. I have no interest in people worshipping me just like my idiot brother. Besides, I’m the only one who gets to see you on your knees.”

The group fell silent, everyone’s face blushing red. Even Historia felt embarrassment and shame creep up her back.

“But, what does that have to do with killing anyone?” Armin wondered, circling back to the original topic.

Marco and Ymir smiled, letting out sighs of relief. Marco continued to explain, “Only one’s own power can kill a god or goddess. Servants use fractions of their god’s powers. This is why we’re not so gung-ho about making contracts with every little person. However, the more one shares power the more influence they wield and the stronger they become in turn. That’s why Maria imbued her power into a curse. She never expected anyone to be smart enough or talented enough to undo it though.”

“Which means what?” Connie interjected again.

Ymir grinned widely, “Meaning Jean and Armin can kill a goddess. Or Marco. Whichever they prefer.”

Marco’s face whitened at the thought. “Please don’t!”

“Never!” Jean vehemently shook his head at the thought.

Ymir laughed at her brother’s expense. As the others began to understand what was explained to them, they heard her comment. “This is so fucking hilarious.”

“How? The world is on the brink of ending,” Historia asked.

“Yes but if this works the legends will be so great,” Ymir relished the through, earning a suspicious stare from Jean. “To think, a cursed blowjob might save the world.”

“A cursed what?!” Eren shouted, causing Armin to turn as crimson as the sky.

Muttering an incantation, he touched his dragonbone bracelet and inhaled deeply. When he released the air in his lungs, a stream of fire flew forward. Flames pressed against the gate. Crackling wood sizzled until the fire breath seared through the gate. Armin closed his mouth, cutting off the spell. He burped out a tiny cloud of smoke, quickly placing a hand over his mouth.

“Perfect, great work,” Jean complimented him, clasping a hand on his shoulder. He gave him a peck on his cheek before running through the newly created hole.

Armin gingerly pressed a hand to his cheek until Ymir ran by.

“Let’s go, lover boy,” Ymir teased. She grabbed Armin by the arm and ran into the city.

Unlike the chaos outside the walls, the city remained intact and suspiciously untouched. The immediate streets around the entrance were deserted, though a bonfire glowed against the setting sun in the town center. With a destination ahead, the group ran forward.

As the group walked to the center, they noticed a large gathering of scared civilians. Jean tightened his hand around the hilt. To his surprise a patrol circled the civilians. Finally internalizing the concept, Ymir pointed to the shadows. They huddled behind objects and approached stealthily.

Jean gasped when he realized his friends patrolled the perimeter together with two of the warriors he met the night he rescued Armin. To his surprise he saw no other soldiers.

“Are you going to keep crawling around in the dark or will you join us?” A loud voice greeted them from behind. Jean’s eyes widened when he saw Eren leering over them. So much for stealthy approach.

The patrol at the center of the town stopped to stare at the commotion.

“Goddesses be damned,” Jean cursed, earning a scowl from Ymir.

“Eren?” Armin asked, peering into his friend’s eyes.

“Oh you came too, ‘Min? And you brought the princess. Perfect,” Eren gave a toothy smile.

Armin narrowed his eyes, muttering some words. A yellow spark popped from his fingers.

“What’s going on?” The tall blond brute with an axe shouted at Eren from the town center.

“Found some guests for the ritual.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Jean whispered to Armin, slowly getting to his feet.

“He’s under some sort of charm, a very powerful one at that,” Armin informed the group. “See that necklace he’s wearing? It’s acting as a conduit for the spell.”

Under the evening sun, the group saw a gem glinting around Eren’s neck.

Jean looked back at the group approaching them and took a headcount. “Blonde bitches 1 and 2, Connie, Sasha, and Mikasa. I think we can take them if the stories about you are true.”

Ymir scoffed at the notion, “Please, I’m so much more.”

“Armin, can you take Eren? I don’t see Marco but if he doesn’t show we’re good.”

Ymir quirked an eyebrow at Jean but didn’t say anything.

“Yeah, I know the extent of his abilities. Remove the conduits and the spell fails,” Armin reminded the warriors. “Theoretically.”

“Charge!” Jean shouted, catching the attention of the civilians in the plaza.

“Bold strategy, Jeanbo, let’s see how that works out for you,” Connie smirked, drawing two daggers. He sprinted towards his friend along with the blond man.

“You really think you can take us, Ymir?” Reiner taunted, keeping pace with Connie.

“Easily,” Ymir replied. To her surprise Jean ran ahead of her. “Hey!”

“That blond bastard is mine. Can you handle the girls?” Jean requested.

“Oi! Just because I’m-”

“It’s not that! I’ve seen their swordsmanship and they might kick my ass.”

“Oh,” Ymir’s anger changed to pride. “In that case, sure. What about the chick with the lute?”

At the end of the street, Sasha glared at the group while strumming on a lute.

“She’s moral support, don’t worry too much about her,” Jean advised. While Sasha’s music usually enhanced their skills, she wasn’t playing those songs at the moment.

“Pay attention or you’re gonna get smashed,” Reiner yelled at Jean, preparing to swing his axe at him. Before he could land the blow, Jean pulled a fist back. A purple light glowed under the sleeve of his jacket. He sent a punch into Reiner’s side, launching him upwards into the second floor of a nearby building with ease. “The hell-”

Connie tried to slow down, stunned by the impressive display of strength. Jean continued his charge and threw himself at Connie. He tackled his friend through a fruit cart, smashing him into a wall. Connie grunted from the pain, dropping his daggers.

“Sorry but you’re not leaving me much choice,” Jean apologized. He grabbed the necklace around Connie’s neck and pulled it over his head. He chucked the necklace down the street, sending it soaring out of the city. Glancing as his hand, Jean clenched his fist. He needed to get a grasp on his newfound strength.

Further up the street Armin and Eren circled each other.

“You really should join us ‘Min,” Eren extended a hand. “It feels so amazing to not hold back. I don’t have to hide my heritage anymore.”

Eren clenched his fist and a small ball of fire erupted upwards.

“You never had to in the first place,” Armin frowned. “This isn’t you.”

“What do you mean I didn’t have to? Those Eldian scumbags judged me every day! Don’t think I didn’t see them scorn us for just existing. We’re survivors, ‘Min! Come join us and we’ll help Marley end this century’s long war.”

“Never,” Armin declined, taking a deep breath.

“Then die!” Eren shouted, snapping a finger and sending flames towards Armin.

Acting on instinct, Armin released a powerful torrent of water from his mouth. It smothered Eren’s fire and stunned his friend. The rush of water swept Eren down the street and onto his ass. Not giving him a chance to recover Armin muttered another incantation. His tongue tickled and his hands glowed purple. A purple sheen surrounded Eren’s necklace. Armin waved his hands and the accessory flew off his childhood friend and smashed into a wall.

Turning his attention down the street, Armin’s eyes widened when he saw Ymir standing over the fallen bodies of Mikasa and Annie. Ymir stood triumphantly with a foot on the two girls while a girl with a lute strummed ferociously from a little further away.

Armin pointed a hand at Mikasa’s necklace, causing it to start emanating purple light. Rather than toss it, Armin pulled it hands apart and the jewelry ripped in half. Next he turned his attention to the necklace around the lute player’s neck. With a flick of the wrist the necklace flew into the night sky.

Sasha stopped her strumming, falling to her knees. She grabbed her head.

“Ow…” Sasha groaned.

“Woo, victory!” Ymir declared, flexing her arms as Historia ran up to hug her.

Jean helped Connie to the ground while Armin ran over to Eren. Both friends were knocked out but otherwise appeared normal.

Suddenly, a column of red energy erupted around the walls of the town, encasing the city.

“What the hell?” Jean glanced around the city.

Armin stood up, frantically spinning around. “No, no, no, no!”

“Armin? What’s going on?” Jean ran over to the panicking wizard.

“Bertholdt’s doing it again! This is what happened to Shinganshina!”

The blood drained from Jean’s face as adrenaline began to rush through his veins. He drew his blade and looked for the mage causing this trouble.

The sky changed from a menagerie of pinks and oranges to a solid crimson, the setting run replaced by three all too familiar moons.

“Godsdamnit,” Jean cursed. He flinched as a purple light glowed from his forearm where the dragon wounded him. When Armin recoiled from pain, Jean instinctively wrapped an arm around him. He noticed a similar purple glow coming from Armin’s mouth.

A loud roar echoed through the sky. Everyone looked upwards to see a massive dragon soaring. It circled the town center, slowly descending towards the civilians. On its back stood Bertholdt surveying the crowd below. He had someone sitting next to him.

“Reiner, Annie?” Bertholdt called out, trying to find his comrades.

“They’re a bit preoccupied,” Ymir shouted at him.

He squinted at her, tapping the dragon. It landed on a tower looming over the square.

“Ymir? I should’ve guessed,” Bertholdt sighed. Shaking his head, he frowned. “Oh, you brought the princess? Interesting but not entirely unwanted.”

“You son of a bitch!” Jean cursed loudly.

“Why, Bertl? Wasn’t Shinganshina enough?!” Armin joined the chorus of criticism.

Bertholdt’s eyes widened, his face tinging pink. “You two are alive? How? Actually never mind, at least you’re clothed this time.”

Armin’s anger faded into embarrassment.

Ymir paused to turn and give the boys an incredulous smile. “Clothed? Did you do more than suck-”

“Ymir, focus!” Jean interrupted.

“Oh, right. Reverse your spell Bertholdt and I won’t break you like a twig,” Ymir threatened. “Maybe an arm. But not your neck.”

“Very tempting,” Bertholdt shook his head. “How about I keep you all here and condemn you to your deaths instead?”

Bertholdt grabbed the body next to him and raised Marco over the plaza.

Jean’s blood ran cold. “Marco!”

Ymir’s cocky expression fell at the sight of the druid. “Oh shit.”

“You know, it took much longer than it should’ve to realize no ordinary druid could go toe to toe with me in magical combat,” Bertl began. “What really gave it away was when my specially crafted necklaces had absolutely no effect on him.”

“Drop the prissy druid and give up,” Ymir frowned.

Shooting Ymir a look of disbelief, Jean walked towards the plaza with Armin.

“I’m sure you’d want that Ymir, but not when I’m this close to fulfilling my contract,” Bertholdt smiled widely. “The seal is finally weak enough.”

Marco opened his tired eyes, briefly surveying the plaza. “Hey, Ymir…”

Even from below Jean could see his friend looked absolutely exhausted.

“What did you do to him?” Ymir asked, her voice a mixture of fear and confusion.

“Wore him out with a little help from Eren. Who knew he’d actually be useful for something besides blowing stuff up?” Bertl chuckled.

Ymir looked at Eren’s groaning body and then back to Marco.

“Jaeger? Really?” Ymir pinched the bridge of her nose. “You had two jobs, Marco. Two! And you failed both.”

“Sorry, Ymir,” Marco replied, offering a dopey smile.

“Commune with nature to maintain the seal and celibacy. How hard is that?”

Marco shrugged. “Living in forest for so long weakened my resolve.”

“I swear to me… it’s not that hard!”

Marco frowned slightly at Ymir. “What about you? The Eldian princess? Really?”

Ymir opened her mouth but no words came out. A dark blush hid her freckles.

Clearing his throat, Bertholdt brought the attention back to himself. He revealed a dagger and floated upwards with Marco. “As I was saying, I have a fallen goddess to bring back to the world. Fritz, if you would?”

Bertholdt plunged a dagger into Marco’s neck, causing Jean to reach out. “No!”

The dragon bellowed again, focusing its attention on the plaza.

“Toodles,” Bertholdt flew away with Marco’s bleeding body as the dragon climbed downwards.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Ymir muttered, her claymore suddenly vanishing. She bent down to kiss Historia on the lips. “Arlert, Kirschtein hold off the dragon. I need to stop Bertholdt before he ends the fucking world.”

In a move that surprised those watching, Ymir floated off the ground and flew off after Bertholdt.

Shock seized Jean’s muscles, still processing his best friend being murdered before his eyes.

“Jean… Jean!” Armin jostled Jean from his thoughts.

“I’m… I’m here,” Jean replied quietly. He swallowed a lump in his throat, gripping his blade. “I’m going to fucking murder him.”

“Me too,” Armin agreed, but looked at the dragon. “But we need to stop that thing first.”

Jean glared at the dragon, memories of the previous battle rushing forward.

While bigger than the last dragon, this one seemed to be in the same state of decay. Holes punctured the webbing in its wings, while rotten flesh exposed bones and ribs. Magic may have animated it but Jean and Armin were determined to return it to the ground.

“You still have that telekinesis spell?” Jean asked as the two walked towards the plaza.

Armin’s hands glowed brightly as he clenched his fist. “Yeah. What’s the plan? Please tell me you’re not going to get eaten again.”

“What? No,” Jean shook his head, laughing at the thought. “Throw some rubble and get its attention. I’m personally cutting its head off for attacking my town. Then I’m going to do the same to all the Marleyans who did the same starting with Bertholdt.”

Shrugging off Jean’s sudden bloodlust, Armin pointed to the broken food cart and threw it at the dragon.

The cart shattered against the beast’s scales, successfully lodging a few splinters into the mushy flesh. Turning its attention to the pair approaching it, the dragon opened its mouth. A noxious gas blew from its nostrils before a dark green, stream blasted towards Jean and Armin.

“Acid!” Armin shouted.

“Hold on!” Jean pulled Armin close and crouched. He held up his arm and the purple light turned white. In a bright flash an ethereal shield appeared in front of the pair. The acid slammed into the shield, hissing against the magic. Despite the powerful blast, the magic held. When the acid breath stopped, to the surprise of the citizens in the plaza, Jean and Armin were unharmed. The street surrounding them melted under the attack but they were fine.

“…did you know you could do that?” Armin whispered as the shield faded, a bit stunned by the sudden spell.

“Would you believe me if I said yes?” Jean pressed his lips together, trying to contain his nervous chuckle. When Armin shook his head he let his bravado fall. “No but I don’t know if I can do that again. We need to slay it fast.”

Jean held his blade forward, almost dropping it when he noticed it glowing blue.

Armin pulled out his dagger, noticing it had a similar reaction. “Of course, what better weapon to slay a dragon than dragonbone?”

“I don’t know,” Jean admitted. “But if this thing is good against it care to give me a boost?”

Armin nodded, holding his glowing hands forward. “Caution to the wind then.”

“Huh?” Jean said when his body glowed. He was thrust through the air towards the dragon. “Shit!”

The dragon opened its mouth to try and catch the flying target.

Jean held out his sword, déjà vu flooding his mind.

Armin lowered his hands so Jean avoided the attacked. Instead he maneuvered Jean beneath the dragon, his blade slicing the dragon from chin to belly. Armin ended the spell, sending Jean tumbling behind the undead beast.

The dragon roared as its acidic guts spilled into the streets. If it weren’t undead that might’ve been a fatal blow. Instead it turned to face Jean, leering down at him with hollow eyes. It slammed its tail into Jean.

“Oh hell no,” Jean grabbed the tail, successfully catching it. When the dragon tried to pull its tail back, it couldn’t break free of Jean’s grasp. “That isn’t happening again.”

Jean yanked the tail away from the dragon. To the surprise of everyone including himself, the dragon whipped around and into a nearby house. The tail detached from the dragon. Jean stared at his hands before dropping the disgusting appendage.

The dragon shook off the blow and barred its teeth at Jean. It snapped its mouth at Jean, who dropped his blade and caught the dragon’s bite. He grabbed its fangs to stop it from crunching him. The light from his wrist now glowed blue.

Jean looked down the throat of the undead dragon, flashbacks returning to him. This time though he smelled noxious fumes before a dark green stream seeped forward and shot out at him.

“Fuck me,” Jean yelled as acid rushed forward.

“No!” Armin screamed. His tongue prickled again and a dark purple light enveloped his hands. He pointed at the dragon, its entire frame glowing a dull purple. He pulled his hands backwards. The dragon slid back a few yards before getting stuck. “Give me Jean!”

Sweat slid down Armin’s forehead as he focused on an image of the dragon, his hatred and fear driving him forward. He pulled as hard as he could, the desire to save Jean spurring him on.

A loud tearing echoed around the plaza, muscle and sinew giving away under the strain of magic. With a mighty yank the dragon’s body flew back over Armin’s head and crashed into the street, sliding into the town gate. The head remained in place at the center of the town.

Armin ran forward, adrenaline driving him. He heard loud gasping from the plaza. As he arrived, he dropped to his knees. Exhaustion ran through his body as the magic around his hands faded. Historia knelt down by him.

“Armin…” Historia glanced over his body.

“Jean!” Armin called out, tears forming at the edges of his eyes.

“Yes?” Jean replied, stepping out from a noxious cloud in front of the dragon’s head. While shirtless, Jean otherwise looked unscathed. “Was that you who pulled on it? I thought it was trying to get away so I held onto the fangs.”

Armin’s face fell, disbelief written all over it. “You’re alive?!”

Jean looked over his body and shrugged. “Yup.”

Armin ran to Jean, embracing him as he held back his tears.

Suddenly, bright white light enveloped the town just as the red light did earlier. The citizens clung to each other as the ground rumbled and the sky changed from a crimson red to the familiar black. To Jean and Armin’s relief, the three moons faded into the starry night.

A brief purple light flashed over Annie’s body and from one of the wrecked houses, her body disappearing.

Another purple light flashed by the square, this time Ymir appearing with Marco’s body slung over her shoulder. She fell to her knees panting. Marco rolled off her.

“Marco!” Jean ran over to his friend, his heart stopping. He let his arms fall limply to his side.

“Yeah, don’t worry about me. I’m just peachy,” Ymir groaned from the ground. Historia quickly came to her side. “Hey, babe.”

Armin rushed over to Jean.

“H-how?” Jean mumbled.

“I’m… I’m good,” Marco offered a weak smile, passing out shortly after.

“Bullshit,” Ymir spat back, slumping over as exhaustion took hold.

---

Fires crackled around Trost’s plaza as festive music filled the air. When Trost returned to the world, the invading army disappeared. Dead guards and civilians alike were mourned and buried. Not letting their sacrifice be in vain, the living celebrated Trost’s victory and its brave rescuers. While Ymir and Marco recovered under Historia’s constant supervision, Jean and Armin toasted with the civilians at the celebration

“To the brave men and women who gave their lives so we may be here,” the mayor held up a mug of beer.

The citizens raised their glasses. “Here, here!”

Jean and Armin sat next to each other, mimicking the gesture. Jean began to down his drink while Armin sniffed the concoction. His nose wrinkled from the bitter smell.

“How can you stand to drink this?” Armin frowned, offering his cup to Jean.

Chuckling at Armin’s innocent reaction, he replied, “It’s an acquired taste. Not everyone is as picky as you.”

“I’m not picky!” Armin frowned, pulling his drink back. To prove his point he took a big gulp of the beer, his face immediately souring at the taste. “Yuck!”

“Told ya,” Jean rolled his eyes, sipping his drink.

The joyous music gradually faded and a slower tune began to play. Some people, mostly couples, stood up and walked to the square. They embraced each other and swayed to the somber tune.

Seeing an opportunity, Armin grabbed Jean by the arm and pulled him towards the plaza. “Come on!”

“Huh? Wait-” Jean barely set his beer down before he found himself pulled by a rather strong Armin. Did the bookish wizard actually workout?

Armin wrapped his arms around Jean’s neck and held him close.

Placing his hands on Armin’s hips, Jean tried to follow the rhythm of the song.

The boys eventually found the beat of the music, joining the others in swaying along. Rather than pay attention to those around them though, Jean and Armin focused on each other’s’ eyes. Warm amber peered into curious blue. Pressing their foreheads together, they smiled gently.

“Gods, you’re beautiful,” Jean mumbled.

Armin pulled his head back, tilting it. “Huh?”

“I said you’re beautiful!” Jean tried again, getting drowned out by the music.

A puzzled smile came to Armin’s face. He shook his head, “I can’t hear you.”

“I said,” Jean took a deep breath just as the music faded. “You’re beautiful!”

Everyone in the plaza stopped what they were doing to look at the couple. Jean’s face flushed red as people he recognized stared at him, some smiling- others confused. Trying to hide his embarrassment, Jean buried his face in the crook of Armin’s neck.

Armin laughed at the reaction, pretending he wasn’t blushing furiously at the loud compliment. “You’re gorgeous too.”

“You bet he is,” a female voice agreed, its tone warm and sweet.

Armin looked for the source and found a tall but lanky woman approaching. She had long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail with a warm smile on her face.

Jean peeked out from Armin’s neck for a second before a shocked expression took hold. His eyes widened and he paled upon seeing the woman.

“M-m-m-mom?!”

“Welcome home, Jeanbo,” his mother opened her arms as she approached. She did a once over of Armin, causing the boy to stiffen. “And who is this handsome gentleman?”

The wry smile told Armin that Jean’s mom asked a rhetorical question.