Changes in Time

It had been a couple of years, that drawn out for eternities because of the constant plaguing fear that one's treasured would not return fully, since they had seen each other. The Recon corps, desperate to end the suffering of humankind, decided their best tactic decision would to split in multiple groups in the way they could cover more. Sure, maybe a few hundred more lifes were lost in consequence but in the end how can change be made without sacrifice. All soldiers knew this, and none more than Armin Alert.

He had been stationed at an information unit, sadly separated from his friends except for his deepest memories of them. He was among other's with the brightest minds the human world had left. Armin sort of resented being held back from the outside world to only be sheltered in safety. Then again at the same time he felt honoured his brain was prized by the military and that he was called the intellectual mastermind of his generation. He tapped his intelligence, using it as a powerful weapon one that could make up for his lack of brawn, and prove that he too could be useful.

And so, he put his mind to good use digging into the mysteries of titans and humanity, and furthering developing the technologies of humankind.

One pleasure for Armin, in this cooped up unit was that he work alongside Hanji Zoe herself. He enjoyed the refreshing exchange of theories and well-composed ideas that stem a bigger and boarder well of knowledge. While Hanji was an expert on Titans, there was no doubt about that, anyone could see that from her enthusiasm; Armin found his expertise in a subject that he was always fond of since childhood, the outside world and beginnings of man. He personally believed that no future could be paved without first discovering the errors and even miracles of the distant past.

Armin was finishing up on a thesis on the past human technology when he heard the news. After all this time, one of the scouting troops had return to base, he found out from the buzzing talk of the men around him. Excitement registered in Armin admittedly, and he heart thump with the thump of his pen hitting the desk. He wasn't sure which scouting team it would be, but he didn't waste any time for he knew one of friends would be there, if they were still alive that is.

It was loud, the chatter was thunderous, but that was a good sign because that meant many had survived. From the corner of his eye he spotted her right away. It wasn't hard to pick out a vibrant red scarf. It wasn't long before he had his arms around her in a gentle hug. It was an awkward hug, not because they hadn't hugged before but because it was strange having her nose collide with his chest. Never before had he been this much taller than her. Changes in appearances were bound to happen; they were now in their 20s after all. A age neither ever imagined of being.

"Mikasa," Armin managed to get out, how long had it been since he used that name?

"Armin," She exchanged with a nod, pulling away. She was never one for long hugs.

He glanced her over, checking to make sure she didn't have any damaging or permeating injuries. Many times have soldiers come back with lost limbs, or inabilities to see. But to him Misaka looked just fine, different but fine. Her hair was a choppy, short cut that suited her well. Her face was just as pretty as when she left; if not even more feminine then before since her pursed lips seemed rosy and pump. But feminine changes such as a rounder chest were complemented along with masculine changes such as more muscle mass in her arms and legs especially. She was raw beauty, but also an embodiment of a soldier.

Armin's changes were more defined, easier to notice by the eye, and by Mikasa of course he looked transformed. He had a taller structure, now towering over Mikasa herself, and muscles he did not once have as a teen but nothing too extreme. Mikasa probably had more muscle mass than Armin could ever dream. His blonde locks swept in his eyes, and were pulled bad in a tight pony tail. When his friends had left he was a mere boy, and now he was a man. It only cause Mikasa to wonder how Eren had grown into manhood.

"I'm glad you are safe." It may have sounded cliché but he meant it.

"I was worried about you too; I trust you put your head to good use?" She inquired.

Armin chuckle, it was deep, odd to Mikasa's ears. "You wouldn't believe the information I found about your heritage! It's so fascinating, and innovated—ah" He had to catch his tongue he was so used to speaking with Hanji in all enthusiasm that he had forgotten that not everyone was interested in the same thing as he.

She gave small smile. "Thank you."

He could feel he did more than he could've ever done that even thinking of something as important to Mikasa as her family meant the world to her, and speaking of family...

"Has Eren come in yet?"

Armin shook his head. "No, it was just your troop in."

"The other one is coming in today, too. I thought it would've before us."

Those words made Armin freeze, a smile traced small on his lips.

Eren

And as if the man had some sort of psychic ability there was the other troop and in the front line, there was Eren. Not an Eren either Mikasa or Armin where used to looking at. He was a strudy looking man, tanned on the skin and built muscular. His hair the same as it has always been was toused and messy as can be. He flashed a smile at his two friends, an Eren smile, one the wasn't too common but was seen greatly by one's who woud appreciated it most. It was so foreign though, coming from that strong jaw.\

Right away, Mikasa and Eren embraced tightly and Armin did not dare to interrupt them. He knew they shared a special bond, one that he would never fully understand since he was an only child. He watched Mikasa tighten her arms around Eren's neck, fingers tangling in the hairs hanging on his neck. He saw how her shoulders shook, he knew but would never say she was crying. Relieved that he was okay.

"Mikasa, hey now don't tell me your going soft now?" Eren laughed, a bombing laugh that made the hairs on the back of Armin's neck stand up.

Mikasa answered him by punching him in the shoulder.

He winced, "Ow, what was that for?"

No answer was needed, he knew that. He leaned down and kissed Mikasa on the head.

"I was worried about you."

"What's new?"

"You have a squirrel growing on your face." She crossed her arms

"Hey! I look good with a beard. Armin thinks so, don't you Armin?"

"I-I what?!" Armin stattered out. Out of all the things that Eren could first say, it had to be that? Typical Eren.

Eren laughed again, and closed into Armin, placing his strong hands on Armin's shoulders. Armin cursed mentally that Eren was still taller than him, but he didn't let that stick around long as he prepared for a tight embrace.

But none never came, instead there was a smack of lips, it was hard and definitely too rough and quick as lightening. Armin was phased, his brain frosted over which usually works at full compactly. Slow moving at first, he came up with a conclusion must people coming from stressful situation do crazy, kissing is a sign of celebration of gracing coming back safe. There was nothing behind the kiss is what Armin hypothesized and he felt it was true. Eren wasn't like that, no.

"Nice to see you too?" Armin gave a relieved like smile; he really was glad to see Eren in one piece in front of him, it had been too long. As he looked at Eren, he tired reading, tired to find if there were thoughts behind his action but nothing set of any red flags, so he shrugged it off as being Eren.

"So, where's the grub hall here? I'm straving!"

"Always fighting and eating, isn't it?" Armin couldn't help but chuckle at how much he hasn't change, how good that familiarity felt. "Follow me."

The two followed behind Armin. Mikasa was attached to Eren's arm scolding him about stuff, how after all this time he still isn't taking care of himself. Eren rolled his eyes in protest, but secretly Armin thought he actually like how dotting she was on him; it reminded him of his mother.

They filed into the mess hall through Armin's direction, the first thing he lead in well ever. They were each served a helping of watery soup and a roll of bread. Eren scruffed down spoonfuls into his mouth. When Mikasa offered him part of her roll he quickly declined, insisting that she too needed her strength just as much as he.

"You think after turning 20 I would stop getting babied by you"

She huffed, "I would if you considered acting your age."

Armin interrupted them by pushing his roll forward, leaving a hint trail of crumbs towards Eren.

"What?" He fired, looking questionably at Armin.

"What do you mean what?"

"I mean," he stressed, "What's this?"

"That's bread."

Eren snorted, grinning at bit, "You really are the world's finest genius."

Armin shook his head, ignoring that play on words. "Just eat it, Eren, and don't put up too much of a fuss please?"

"Like hell." Eren stared at Armin, not intending to move his a finger a mere inch near that bread.

"I get enough to eat here, way more than you did out there since I bet-no I know you have a higher ration on your food."

To Armin's surprise, he saw Eren give in with a shrug of his shoulders and a huge bite of the roll. He ripped that roll to bits like an animal. He wasn't stubborn for once, and that's what made Armin wonder was there more than just physical growth in him?

His thoughts were put to a hault when Mikasa spoke up.

"Armin was telling me about his discoveries."

This piped Eren's interest. Anyone in a 5 meter radius could see the intense burning in those green eyes that blazed with excitement and curiousity.

"Really? Tell us something!"

Something. That word alone, ringing in Armin's ears, made him want to augh out loud. Something? There was so much he could say, so many things his friends were unaware of. A filing cabinet of mind-blowing achieves.

"People before us spoke in different tongues."

Eren looked perplexed, and he was sure Mikasa was too but it wasn't as evident as it was in Eren's expression.

"That makes no sense! How would people understand one another?" Eren Challenged, and oh did Armin grin at this. He loved when his logic was questioned. He loved creating labyrinths of endless explanations.

"The thing is, people lived in different areas, nothing like with us where we were sectioned off by walls, and were able to contact, but regions distances away. Civilizations of people may not have been aware that other's presence, and therefore, creating and forming there own languages, dialects I even imagine where they resided and about their surroundings." Armin collected his breath and continued of of subconscious thoughts, " So, what if that means there are people out there we don't know about?"

"There isn't," Eren interjected, "We've been out there, and any people that were surviving are long gone."

Mikasa seemed to agree with a quick nod.

"But Eren, have you ever reached the sea?"

"Err..no. But I don't see what that has to do with this."

"The world, our world, has to be so vast that we could never imagine what is out ther. Maybe farther across seas humanity exists!"

There was a moment of silence between the three of them, but to Armin it fet like hours. Would his friends think he's mad? See that he really did waste all these years on nonsense babble, and was a true waste to humanity all together?

"Amazing." Mikasa uttered, firstly.

"I didn't think you could get more brainy, but you did it!" Eren toasted with his mug of water.

Armin smiled proudly at his two friends, "What did you think I was slacking off this whole time?"

After their prolong dinner of catching up and aughing together like those good old days, Mikasa split from the group to check up on some other's who had returned. That left Eren and Armin alone, and the only thing Armin could think of doing was to show Eren his room, the plae he did a lot of his heaviest work.

"Here it is."

He opened the door to a small room, but spacious enough for one man. The space wasn't necessarily the problem, it was what was done was the space. In Armin's case, it was quite clutered. The bed was neat and made, but the desk was the true source of disaster filled with piles of paper, pens and ink as far the eye could see.

Armin rubbed the back of head in embarrassement. "If I knew I would have had company I woud've cleaned up but well—"

"No, it's perfect."

"I—" He tried scratching his brain for a good explanation, "Wait..what?"

"This is what the inside of your head looks like, right?" Eren gave a quick circle around the room, and motioned to the desk mess, "Like this."

"Saying my head is a pig sty isn't much of a compliment, Eren"

"No, err your mind is, there is so much, so many different files and papers of hidden thoughts. Thoughts I bet you haven't shared with anyone, but damn I guarantee it's a gold mine."

"Eren I—"

"Better than killing a few hundred titans, I'd say."

Armin stood there, incaple of movements or words. His mind was overflowing with contradicting thoughts that tried snatching Eren's praise away, and trampling it to dust, replacing it with a feeling of doubt. When was anything more important than killing titans, exacting his revenge? And then there was the confusion. Why this all of a sudden? And when had Eren become so poetic? Everything in his mind left him absolutely speechless.

"Eren I don't know what to say, honestly."

Eren invited himself around armin's room by sitting down on Armi's creaky bed. When his bottom hid the mattress the strings gave an atrocious squeak. "Don't say anything."

He chewed the inside of his mouth nervously. The tension in the room was thick and strange for Armin. There wasn't something right with Eren; he hiding something.

"C'mere," He muttered, patting the spot on the bed next to him.

Hestianty, but surely he sat next to Eren. Two grown men on one mattress made it sink pretty low, and it wasn't a comfortable mattress to begin with.

Eren glanced to the side, purposely not looking at Armin. "Would you hold my hand?"

This was something common for Eren and Armin, it was actually a bit strange for Eren to ask since they would just grab at each other's hands at seemingly aporate times. It was a friendly gesture is what Armin had always told himself, but now that he thought about it maybe it was a bit odd back then for two 15 year olds to be holding hands. No wonder Jean had mocked them, Eren mostly, and Ymir made cat calls about the two.

"Aren't we a ittle old for that?" Armin asked with a chuckle laced with his words.

"Not if we don't want it to be."

And with that, Armin caved in. He couldn't find a way or actua reason to say "no". He nudged his fingers over Eren's .Feeling the rough coleuses over his palms was no surprise. They didn't make pulse his hand away, but rather it enticed him to run his fingers over them, and over the cracks and imperfections of the soilder's hands. It didn't matter, not to him at least. It wasn't long bfore there fingers were tangled together, giving Eren permission for a tight squeeze.

Now Armin remembered why he aways loved to hold Eren, it felt so comforting. It felt like you weren't alone and if you were to fall or to lose your way , you knew that person would be their to guide you. It's a gentle gesture, but more meaningful than meets the eye. Armin traced his thumb over Eren's In a constant circular swipe as he studied Eren's nails. They were dirtied with gunt hidden in the beds, but that was to be expected of a soldier.

"It's been so long," Armin whispered after their brief peaceful moment.

"You mean, 'too long'" Eren added.

Armin breathed out a sigh, "Yeah."

Eren et out a rawr of an exhausted sigh before flinging himself onto the bed, and taking the man attached to him with. Armin's bangs flopped upward in every which way, Eren's hair was even messier than usual. They both exchanged quick glances, and busted out in laughter at each other's crazy dos.

After the laughter resided to only aches in their bellies they found each other staring at each other, bue to green.

"You know," Armin started as he reached the hand not captured by Eren's to his face, siding it along the brown bristles that poked out. "Mikasa is right iy does sort of look like there is a rodient nesting on your face," He teasingly said.

Eren clicked his tongue, "You are just jealous because you can't grow any!"

"That's not true!" Armin shoved at Erens face, like a playful slap.

"And then you grew your hair out," he mentioned as he fingered the small pony tail, running his fingers through threads of blonde.

"Most women find long haired men attractive, so I've heard!"

Eren raised an eyebrow, and huffed, "I didn't say I didn't like it."

"Oh." That was shocking for Armin to hear at all. What was with him? What happened while he was away? "Eren, you said Mikasa was getting soft, but are you sure you aren't the one?"

Eren snorted, an arrogant one, "You wish! You and Mikasa are always trying to get me to slow down but I swore I would oblirate every last titan out of existence!"

A rigid breathing expanded Eren's chest. He always got like that while firing off about titans. But he cooled down when Armin gave a soft tug inside his hand. "Besides, we promised we'd see the ocean, isn't that right?"

Armin nodded. "And the land made of ice, the mountains that spew fire, and the ribbons of light in the skies."

"That's right." Eren agreed, then pondered for a moment.

Their hands together were getting sweaty and occusionaly they had the need to wiggle their fingers about. "Armin, I was thinking what you said about being more humand out there, and if there is, even if there's a chance there isn't, we have to protect them too."

"And the future," Armin added.

"Yeah, imagine a generation of chidern not living in fear and not like lambs sheltered behind a fence!"

Armin liked the sound of that, he liked it very much. Even if he would never be able to meet these children, their life would be worth saving. That way no child woud have to go through the pain they had.

"You're starting to sound grown-up,"Armin chuckled.

"We did grow up, hun?"

Eren lifted his hand once again to brush his fingers over and through Armin's bangs. It was a gesture that Armin didn't think much about because it seemed natural to him. What didn't seem natural to him was when Eren paused. There was an oddness in the way his face ywisted in a half smile, dripping with a hint of sadness. Where his eyes watery?

"I'm glad you're still alive."

A lump caught in Armin's throat of guilt and sorrow. "Says the one who was on the front lines, and the one who I already saw die once!" Armin shook his head, and tried to make it side like one of their playful jabs, "Sometimes, Eren Jager, I don't know where your head is."

"Armin," his voiced husked, it was a tone that definitely scared Armin. "I mean it, I'm glad your alive, goddammit! Take it as it is and shut up!"

His eyes widened then casted away. He didn't mean to upset Eren, but there he went and did it, messing up another thing. Armin let his hand loosen in Eren's palm, but Eren wouldn't release his tight grip. Why wouldn't he? Is exactly what Armin was wondering, wasn't he mad?

"I didn't—" he huffed, it was an obvious struggle, "I didn't mean to to get…well you know how I get. But I hate how you push yourself off like you are nothing!"

Armin tried to look away from Eren, especially since he was acting like this. Eren wouldn't let him, "No you look at me, Armin, listen. You are one of the bravest soilders I have ever met you woud risk your life for me, and Mikasa or Jean, hell all of humanity. You are aso one of the brightest men I have ever known, probably the smartest in the word. I wish I coud think like you could, I could remain calm like you do in the shittest situations, I knew what was right from wrong. Look at what you made for yourself, Armin. You may not say it or even think the most obvious thought in that big head of yours, so you are damn lucky you have me hear to say it for you."

He squeezed his hand; his burning eyes never flickering from Armin's not even to blink."I'm proud of you. I'm proud to call you my comrade and my friend, and you know I don't give out compliments like flyers, so…please take it."

Armin looked back in those eyes sincerity, and blinked as his eyes grew sore and heavy. He wasn't going to cry, no, not this time. He didn't know where he thought wron, or what caused him to doubt people honoured him, his friends treasured He already knew that for the longest time.

"Eren." He didn't know what else to say, and that was his way of taking Eren's words to heart. He thinks he knew that.

"The reason I'm glad your alive is err—" his words faltered as he grew nervous, "…I can't imagine this world without you."

Armin snapped a glare at Eren, something so stern on Armin's face was rare. "You shouldn't say things ike that! What about Mikasa? You two need each other just as much!"

"I didn't say I would off myself! Of course there's Mikasa, she's like my sis, I'm not leaving her alone here, but it still…it wouldn't feel the same without you there."

"…I know what you mean," Armin choked out.

It suddenly seemed so hard to breath as their foreheads where touching and their fingers curled around each other's. Armin didn't let his thoughts get in the way this time; he didn't over analyze. He let the dizziness in his head that numbed him, and followed one action.

He kissed him.

It wasn't like how Eren kissed him. This kiss was more subtle and crisp, and he felt the warmth. He felt warmth in fact radiating his whole body, but yet there was Goosebumps on his arms. When he pulled back his lips tingled, still fresh with the taste of Eren's mouth. Their breathes were rugged as Eren spoke with the stupidest of all grins,

"It's about time you returned that."

AN: If you enjoyed, have any comments or critics about this oneshot I would really love the feedback. Thanks for reading~