A/N: I got a review from a guest (meaning I can't reply to it, so I'm going to put it here) asking if I got this off the SnK kink meme, implying that maybe I did not write this and instead stole it.

This story is in no way affiliated with the kink meme. I am aware of the kink meme, and have written for the kink meme, and when I do I put it in the desciption that it was written for the kink meme.

That being said, was there a prompt similar to this on the kink meme? Or was there a fill similar to this? I didn't put this on the kink meme, so if it is there that means someone else posted it there without my permission.

That is all.

Aha, so this is a gift fic for the lovely miss-quality because she is super sweet and completely made my day, so thanks again, and I hope you enjoy.

Jean liked to think he was a pretty cool guy – he was good looking, had an amazing personality, and it was a wonder his fellow trainees weren't all over him. That might sound a bit cocky of him, but it was true. Jean was an honest man, which as far as he was concerned was a great trait to have. Sure, he was a bit blunt at times but he didn't see anything wrong with it. He was also in-touch with his emotions. He might come off as abrasive to others, but that was just because he wore his heart on his sleeve – he had to keep his guard - and that impeccable smile - up. If he was angry, he wouldn't hesitate to preach it and if he was sad, it would be written across his face.

He was confident in himself, had every reason to be, and yet here he was pacing back and forth in his bunker – trying to calm his nerves.

'This is it,' he thought - hands shaking, 'Today is the day' he wiped his sweaty palms on his pants one more time, before the wooden door to his room was creaking open and Armin was poking his head through the doorway – peeking in.

Armin. Armin was everything Jean wasn't and more. He was calm under pressure, thought things through, and served as moral support for his teammates; whereas Jean was hot-headed, was terrible at planning ahead, and was at his best when he worked alone. He admired Armin – admired him because he was small and terrible at combat and yet brave enough to fight anyway and smart enough to survive.

Jean hated to admit it, but he had always been somewhat of a coward himself. After all, his main reasoning for even joining the training corps was because he wanted to live within the safety of Wall Sina.

That wasn't the case anymore; he had matured since fighting for Wall Maria. It had been the first time Jean had witnessed the true horrors of death for the first time. Up until then, death was just a far off idea, a part of life that would inevitably happen – but it had never affected him. He'd never had a loved one or a close friend die before his very eyes – not until that day. And he was horrified as he watched his comrades drop like flies; and even more so when he found himself more concerned about himself than the ones in need.

That had been his wake-up call, the warning bell that shook him to the very core – he was a coward.

It had been then he decided he wanted to join the Scouting Legion; if that bastard Eren could do it, then so could he. Part of his main reasoning for deciding to join was to prove himself – he wasn't weak, not physically at least, and so it shouldn't be too hard. That was what he had told himself at least, but he still cried alone in his room after joining – for himself, for his loved ones.

It was probably that night he realized he was in love with Armin. Though maybe he had loved him all along, and just hadn't realized it until then. The boy had knocked before letting himself in the room, but it hadn't been enough time for Jean to wipe away the evidence of his tears. He distinctly remembered yelling at the shocked blond – telling him not to look and demanding he leave. But Armin just stared at him, before he was crossing the room and hugging Jean from behind, who had turned to face the wall to help hide his embarrassment.

'It's okay to cry,' Armin had told him and Jean had snapped back, 'Yeah, for you maybe. You cry all the time like a baby.' He had hoped the insult would make the other boy leave, but he had only squeezed him tighter.

It was then Armin said, 'There is nothing wrong with being weak. We're all born weak and it is up to us whether we will grow or not. The fact that you are trying to become stronger, the fact that you are facing your fears and joining the Recon Corps despite previously being so dead-set on cowering within the safety of the inner walls speaks volumes.'

They had talked well into the night, Armin eventually letting him go so they could sit on the edge of Jean's bed, and Armin continued to him exactly what he needed to hear. When the smaller boy finally got up to leave, he had squeezed Jean's shoulder farewell and then bid him goodnight – not even a backwards glance as he made his way to the doorway.

'Hey Jean,' Armin whispered, stopping just outside the doorframe, still facing away, 'You're my hero,' and then he was leaving and Jean could feel his heart thumping erratically in his chest – what?

"Did you need something from me Jean?" Armin asked as he stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him and the brunet flushed - nerves still on fire, as his thoughts reeled back to the present.

"Uhm yeah," Jean chuckled, his right hand going to scrub at the back of his neck nervously, "I just wanted to ask you something."

Jean watched as Armin nodded, a small smile on his face before he was sitting down on the bed and patting the space next to him – an offer which Jean took immediately, haphazardly plopping down next to the blond.

"Remember the night we joined the Recon corps and you talked with me in my room?" Armin frowned, but nodded nonetheless – he had obviously not been expecting this conversation, "That night you told me that I was your hero… What did you mean by that?"

Knowing Armin, there was probably some deep meaning behind it and Jean wanted to know what it was exactly. Because the compliment had made his heart soar and his throat tighten and it had been the last thing he had expected to hear and he wanted to hear it again; but more importantly he wanted to know why.

But Armin only flushed, cheeks lightly dusted red as he absently scratched at his chin and that warm smile was back, "Well actually, I used to say that to Eren a lot when we were children."

Oh. So he hadn't meant anything special by it – it had been nothing more than a passing comment, something said to make him smile and nothing else.

Jean swallowed, shoulders feeling particularly heavy as he realized how stupid he was to have looked into Armin's words too much, "Aha, really?"

"This is probably the last thing you want to hear, but you remind me of Eren sometimes," well Armin had been right about that – he definitely hadn't wanted to hear that, "You're both pretty hot-headed and you guys can be really mean sometimes when you don't mean to. But you are both incredibly kind and sensitive, even if you don't show it. So being around you makes me feel warm – you remind me of my childhood, back when the thought of titans invading the walls was something impossible."

"So… I'm like a brother to you then?" Jean asked, hands fisting he fabric of his pants and narrowed eyes glaring at the floor. Everything Armin was saying was incredibly nice (even though the blond had compared him to Eren) but it was the last thing a guy wanted to hear when he had been planning on confessing his love.

Jean looked up, gaze snapping to Armin when the blond grabbed one of Jean's hands, gently unfurling his fingers from the bunched fabric so he could weave their fingers together, his other hand coming to rest atop their intertwined hands.

"I wouldn't say that," Armin was smiling coyly up at him and Jean couldn't help but blush at how cute the other boy looked, "While it is true that you sometimes remind me of Eren, there is another side to you that I like. We actually have a lot in common, you and I. People tend to underestimate me and assume because I cry easily that I'm not good at anything-"

"-What are you talking about? You're amazing Armin – you're the smartest guy I know and I've never met anyone mor-"

Armin chuckled, releasing their locked hands so he could press a slender finger to Jean's lips, effectively silencing the other boy.

"I know that and I know you know that too. That is one of the many things I like about you Jean. You seem like the type of guy who judges people by appearance alone, but you always seem to listen to what others have to say. You are quick to jump to conclusions though, but that's just your backwards way of trying to get to know someone better." Armin removed his finger from Jean's lips, "When I am around others, I sometimes feel like I need to give it my all; I feel that if I mess up even once I'll lose all the faith they had in me. But when I am with you, I know that I can relax and be myself. I used to think you didn't like me, but that time, you told me you always admired me and thought I was a pretty reliable guy. That really meant a lot to me. Not a lot of people have ever said that to me and it made me very happy. And you only made me happier when you confided to me about all your doubts and worries. You don't seem to let your guard down around many people, so for you to open up to me like that – well that meant a lot to me too."

"Armin," Jean breathed, staring at Armin in shock, because he had honestly not expected the boy to say such things to him. The blond only continued to smile at him, before he was squeezing his hand.

"You asked me why I called you my hero," Armin said, the hand he used to silence Jean earlier, coming up to cup the taller boys chin, "It's because you are a very special person to me Jean. I love you."

And Jean stared blankly, skin slowly growing redder and redder, before he was jerking his hand out of Armin's grip and tugging at his dusty brown locks of hair and screaming, "No!"

The blond looked up at him in shock, smile quickly fading, "Did I… say something wrong? Is this a no then?"

Jean only shook his head frantically, face still read, "No I – I love you too!"

The blond looked a bit relieved, though still a bit concerned, "I see, that's good then but… I'm a bit unsure as to why you seem so… upset?" he jumped slightly in shock when Jean's hands suddenly clasped around his shoulders, the brunet leaning towards him.

"I was going to confess to you. I spent weeks coming up with the perfect thing to say and you and then you just – just went and said all of those thing spur of the moment!" Armin blinked in shock, before he was giggling into the palm of his hand.

"I see, I'll apologize then. You can tell me now if you like,"

Jean only shook his head 'no', ears still red from embarrassment, "You've already upstaged me – there's no way I can beat a confession like that."

The blond stopped laughing, before he was releasing Jean's hand, his other one sliding down across Jean's collarbone, and his fingers curling in the front of Jean's shirt, "Then… 'I love you' should be sufficient enough."

Jean nodded, right hand slipping up towards Armin's neck, large hand cradling the side of his face – a smiling, blushing Armin nuzzling softly against his hand, "I love you Armin." And then the brunet was leaning forward and claiming the smaller boy's lips – heart thumping against his ribcage – yes, this was definitely love.