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The damn book was three weeks late.
And somehow Armin still hadn't been able to finish it. He wouldn't be able to finish it now, either, no matter how he tried to read while walking to the bus stop. And therefore not noticing his bus drive past him.
He decided use his time reading instead of going back home, so he stayed to sit on the bench.
It was a cold freaking bench. And it was a cold freaking Sunday. Why didn't he have gloves?
Armin had only sat there for few minutes when the boy come.
Armin immediately noticed how he walked, how he carried himself like he was the god of self confidence. In a good way. In a very good way, indeed.
Armin didn't get a good look of his face, but even from that little he could tell he was gorgeous.
And, of course, he sat next to Armin.
Oh god. Human interaction. Abort the mission. Code Hot. Remember to breathe!
Miraculously, Armin stayed cool. He tried to keep reading. He wouldn't look straight at the guy. Would go on with his life. No big deal.
But the boy next to him was so... Bright. Intense. So all over the place, even when only sitting in there.
He was bigger than Armin, not only taller, but... Well, he had some muscle in there. That was visible even with the heavy jacket he was wearing. Maybe he was on his way to the gym. Though, he wasn't carrying a bag...
Armin turned the page, not having read a single word from it.
The guy kept staring at him. Or, not staring, but stealing little glimpses here and there, measuring Armin, his face, his hands, his legs... damn it, just all of him.
Did he really think Armin didn't notice?
Probably, since he kept doing it. Over and over again, as if his eyes were trying to get secrets out of Armin.
What kind of secrets was he wishing to find? What was he looking for?
More importantly: Why didn't he say anything?
If he was that obviously interested in Armin (interested in any way, maybe he just thought Armin looked weird or something), surely he would say something? Anything?
But the boy kept silent. The whole twenty minutes it took Armin's bus to come. Silent.
When he got up to get in the bus, Armin couldn't bring himself to look at the boy. He would probably end up staring, and it would be weird.
As the bus drove away, he sighed.
Holy shit, that had been agonizing.
+++
The next time, Armin was prepared.
Of course he couldn't have known if he would happen to be on the bus stop at the same time as the guy. It could just have a one day thing. No use getting the hopes up.
But he did arrive.
Armin lifted his eyes to the sky.
Thank you.
Why was Armin so nervous though? He had it all planned, he only had to open his mouth and let the words out.
Oh god, it was so stupid.
Maybe he shouldn't say anything.
He had to keep his hands against the bench, under his thighs, so the boy couldn't see them shaking.
From the corner of his eye, Armin could see him, sitting with his feet tapping on the ground. The boy took deep breaths, like he was preparing to say something.
Every time the breath would come out without words.
This was ridiculous.
"Did you know that deers lick cars at nights?"
Way to start a conversation with an attractive guy, Armin. He'll surely think you're the most clever human being there ever was.
This had been a stupid idea. What had he been thinking?
Maybe he should just skip the library and go back home. He had enough books already. He had really come here just to see if they would meet again.
But the boy laughed, short but such a beautiful chuckle it filled Armin with a warm feeling.
"What?" the boy asked.
And that was a nice voice. A very nice voice, indeed. Too bad Armin had wasted many minutes not hearing it.
Armin let himself look at the boy and yes. That was a nice face. Handsome. Very much so.
The face was still smiling, eyes so fixed on Armin it was almost creepy.
The eyes, bright green and out of this world, were looking at Armin like he was something out of a fairy tale dream. No one had given Armin that look before.
It made him smile.
"Yeah", he said.
The boy looked like he was holding laughter. It made his face twist into an adorable grin. "Yeah?"
Let it out. Come on, laugh. I want to hear it again.
"Because", Armin explained, still feeling a bit stupid about all of this. But if it would make the boy smile and laugh again, he would tell all the useless shit he knew. "They drink the morning dew from them."
Armin watched as the boy laughed again. This was a good day.
"No, I didn't know that", the guy told him. "What else?"
What else?
Armin tore his eyes from the boy. It was somewhat harder for him to think while meeting that gaze of his.
What else, what else, what else?
Well, anything would be cool enough after that first one.
To keep his voice steady, Armin imagined he was talking to the bright blue sky. "You can't cry in space. The tear won't drop if there's no gravity."
"But the tear will still come out of the eye, right?" His eyes were still burning a hole in Armin's face. "I mean, wouldn't it just float around or something?"
Really? Really? It wasn't enough that the boy looked like a male Aphrodite, no, he had to be smart, too. He had to have a brain. Not a complete idiot.
Great. Armin was screwed.
"I suppose", Armin said, trying to sound and look casual and cool. Not freaking out at all. Cool. And casual.
Oh god, he had actually talked to that guy!
Armin's bus come way too soon. He hadn't had nearly enough time to get himself together, to come up with something else to say. Or to actually say anything. Anything.
He hadn't had any idea that the boy would make him feel so... Weird. Unfocused.
It was scary, yet amazing.
As Armin got up, he managed to give a little smile. Maybe with that the boy would come back next week.
+++
Did Armin's smile have magic or what? There they were, on the same bus stop, on a different Sunday.
"Did you know." Well done with the cool there, Armin. The guy barely just sat down!
But then again, he was definitely sitting a lot closer to Armin than the last time.
"Did you know that cats can't taste sweet things?"
"No, I didn't."
At least the boy looked as awkward as Armin felt. Not uncomfortable but funny and maybe a bit confused.
It was nice to notice he wasn't all perfect. Though, he still seemed pretty perfect to Armin.
"I also don't know your name."
He wants to know my name, Armin sang in his head.
But: Armin, you damn idiot, why didn't you ask that in the first place! Gah, that would have been an easy start. Mental notes, Armin, mental notes.
"Armin." Oh my god, your eyes sparkle like green stars, the brightest in the galaxy. May I take a picture of them and hang it on my wall?
"Eren." He sounded like he though he was talking to an angel.
Stop seducing me with your voice. It's not fair.
"Hello, Eren." Armin heard his own voice a bit too eager.
"Hello, Arm -"
Armin couldn't contain himself. The sneeze Eren had just let out in the middle of pronouncing Armin's name had to be the cutest thing he had seen him do so far. Seen anyone do so far.
Like, imagine a sweet little puppy sneezing. In the middle of a meadow full of flowers. And butterflies. Fairies flying around.
"Bless you", Armin managed trough his laughter. He had to bring his feet on the bench, he pressed his cheek against the knee and hug his legs, so he wouldn't jump to hug Eren.
"Thank you."
Damn. The affection on Eren's face was glowing so intensely it couldn't only be Armin's imagination.
It was ridiculous.
This time Armin didn't let Eren out of his sight when he spoke. "Did you know that your heart stops when you sneeze?"
"No, I didn't", Eren said, laughing a deep laugh that sent his whole body shaking.
Armin felt his own heart flutter with Eren's laughter.
He hugged his legs tight.
+++
"Where are you going?" Eren asked. Funny it had taken him weeks to ask that.
Armin watched the frozen road, the one his bus would be driving on soon. Too soon, again.
"I really want to go to Australia."
Armin knew damn well that wasn't what Eren had been asking. But he wasn't confident enough to tell the truth just yet. To tell Eren he had actually just come to see if he would be there. Again.
To be honest, he could have stayed on the bus stop for hours, every day, with Eren. He had never been going anywhere, not after that first Sunday.
Eren shrugged. "That's a pretty long bus drive."
Armin felt a giggle coming from his mouth. God, why did he have to giggle?
Armin asked: "Where are you going?"
"To buy eggs", Eren answered.
That was a lie.
Yes, Eren had kept his eyes steady on Armin, managed to make his voice sound calm. But his shoulders had been tense, his eyes had blinked a few times too often. Not that Armin minded seeing those dark eyelashes in action.
The point was: Armin could tell Eren wasn't telling the truth.
What Armin couldn't tell, was the reason why. Why didn't he just tell Armin where he was going?
Unless...
Armin had dodged the same question. He had his reasons. He had chosen not to lie, but to tell a different truth.
What if maybe, just maybe, there was a slight possibility that Eren had the same answer? Was he lying because he didn't want to admit it yet, just like Armin?
Armin wasn't going to ask. Not about this, anyway. He would let Eren do and say what he wanted, when he wanted.
He could wait a little longer.
Armin looked at the sky and told the sun about his realization, silently, with a smile.
+++
Eren looked adorably excited when asking Armin: "Did you know Elvis dyed his hair?"
Armin did.
"Damn", Eren said, slight disappointment creeping into his grin.
"But." Armin leaned against his shoulder, feeling Eren tensing up under his touch. His spring jacket's touch, to be exact. It was cute how Eren still hadn't gotten used to it. "That was a good try."
Eren was the one who would come sit closer to Armin, week after week, until there wasn't really room for even an ant to walk between them.
The air was still a bit chilly, but with Eren's "Thanks" Armin felt warmer than ever.
Armin would have thought himself stupid, sitting there, just hanging out with this boy, not doing anything special. Week. After. A week.
Would have thought, because Eren was doing the exact same thing. He sat there too, waited for the bus he didn't need to take.
He was lost in Armin's eyes just as bad as Armin was in his. And if they both were in this, it wasn't that stupid.
Armin heard his bus getting closer. He ignored it. He didn't want to go. He didn't need to.
He wasn't going to leave Eren this time.
"That was your bus", Eren said as the bus drove past.
Killjoy.
"No", Armin told Eren, emphasizing every word as he said: "It wasn't. I'm not going anywhere."
"So you came here just to sit with me?" Eren's voice full of obvious amusement and disguised wonder.
"Yeah." Was this really happening?
"Oh."
Armin felt his face burning. What if he had read Eren wrong, what if he was a complete idiot to think that Eren might have -
"Same here."
I knew it!
Wait, what?
That was it, Armin was going to pass out. From gratitude, from happiness. If he'd open his mouth, rainbows and unicorns would run out from his soul, crying the sweet tears of joy.
So he didn't open his mouth, not before he had leaned closer and placed it carefully against Eren's.
And now he would stay there, making up for all the days they had spent talking and sitting and not kissing.
Eren seemed to agree, answering with the same fire Armin had seen in is eyes long ago.
Armin didn't notice the sun going down, he didn't mind about the stars. The only colors, the only lights he cared about, were on Eren's face.
"Did you know", Armin asked at the end of a kiss. "That octopuses have three hearts?"
"No", Eren breathed, his lips curving into a smile like sunshine. "I didn't."
"Well, I only got one." Armin kissed Eren's nose, cold but soft. "And you're not supposed to break it."
He didn't think Eren would. He felt his own heart, big and strong, capable of holding into Eren's for as long as they both felt free.
Still, Armin asked, one last time to know for sure. "Did you know?"