A/N: I'm not good at one shots. I'm really not. XD Anyway, hey! It's Eremin week! I know this was due yesterday, but hey, it's here now. Already have chapter two done, and chapter three is... Not. XD Today (Yesterday oh well) is childhood! So I decided to write about how Eren and Armin met based on Hajimen's interview where he had Armin answer questions. Obviously one was how he met Eren. So this chapter is just fluffles of rainbows out of a unicorns ears. Tada~

Thank you to Marika for Beta reading this! I know this chapter is long, and I promise the next one isn't... But I have nothing to say about the others. This one wasn't supposed to be this long! X')

-Misty

P.S. This is the only exception to uploading during the week. Don't get used to it.

Eremin Week!

Seven days of these two adorable idiots doing adorable things! Rated k-m for fluff, adult language, and smut.

Chapter One: Childhood

"What's his name, dad...?" Gold eyes flickered up to the older man holding his hand, curiosity shining brightly through thick lashes. His father looked down, a weak, sympathetic smile on his lips before he patted his sons head with his free hand.

"His name is Armin Arlert. He's just a few months younger than you too." His father said before turning his attention back to the road they walked along.

"A few months younger? So he's a baby then..." The child said in exasperation, his eyes falling to the ground in quiet apathy. When his father said he was going to make a friend, he thought it would be someone his age. A few months be damned, he wanted a real friend, not a baby.

His father stopped. The child felt a tug on his hand then as he walked forward, and he was pulled back quiet suddenly. His father got on his knees in front of him, and the little boy was surprised; his father never got his work pants dirty.

"Eren," His father addressed in a grave tone, his hands falling to the little seven year olds shoulders. "You can't think that way. Armin may be younger, but he's very smart, and he's very fun to be around."

"Is that why you visit him so often...?" The little boy, Eren, asked.

"That too. I visit him because I want to, but also because he gets bullied quite frequently. His mother sent for me, because Armin has been hurt again..."

The words didn't make much sense to the seven year old. He knew that his father was a doctor, so it made sense that he would take care of people who were hurt, but if this little boy they were going to see was being bullied, where were his parents? Why weren't they taking care of him, and why did Eren's father have to take time out of his busy schedule to look after him himself?

The child truly didn't know.

"Eren, stop thinking that way." His father warned.

"Thinking what way...?"

"Age doesn't matter, and his parents are busy with work. They can hardly manage their own work let alone their son, so give them the benefit of the doubt."

"Befit of doubt." Eren muttered, trying to repeat his father's words, but his tongue got scrambled in the process. His father sighed and stood up, taking Eren's hand up in his own.

"Eren, just behave. Don't say anything unless someone addresses you, and keep your opinions to yourself."

"Why...?"

"Because it's polite."

"Why...?"

"Because I told you to."

"Why...?"

"I am not playing this game with you today." His father growled, and Eren pouted with his cheeks puffed out in agitation.

On days when he had to work, his father was a grouch to him. Eren didn't like it, not one bit, and the rest of the walk to the Arlert residence was quiet. All that was heard was the chatter around them from neighbors and store carts, but that was it.

The Arlert residence was small, smaller than Eren's home was. Eren looked up at the one floored building with ease, his stomach rumbling upsettingly. The place was rather run down, shingles hanging from the roof dangerously and the windows bordered over with tattered cloth. It looked scary to the seven year old, and he wasn't afraid to voice his fears.

"Dad... This place is creepy."

"It actually looks better on the inside. It's because they can't afford much, but they're nice people, I promise." His father assured and walked forward to knock in the door, leaving Eren no choice but to follow. The knock made the door shake in place, and Eren felt the need to hide behind his father and cower. This was scary. Why didn't his father see that?

"Dad-"

"Remember, behave." His father warned once more. Eren didn't hear the sounds of voices and footsteps on the other side of the door until they got close, and by the time they got close, the door opened.

A slender woman appeared, her hair long and dark down her back until it was at her waist. She wore a dress much similar to Eren's mother, and Eren wondered if this woman sewed clothes like she did.

"Ah, Doctor Jaeger," The woman beamed with happiness and opened the door wider, and obvious invitation to allow him in. "I'm so glad you're here. Please, come in."

"It's good to see you Mrs. Arlert. How are you today?" His father removed his hat and bowed his head as he stepped in, and Eren followed close, tucked away behind his father's thigh.

"Just about the same." The pretty woman responded as she wiped her hands on the apron over her dress.

"And your hands...? How are they?"

"They are still cramping up. I'm finding it harder to cook now, and it's affecting my work." The woman looked away, her blue eyes red with sadness.

Eren's head tilted. Why was this pretty lady sad?

"I have some more of the herbal tea I had you drink before. I can leave some here for you and your husband."

"I-I don't have the money today." The woman said solemnly.

"Mrs. Arlert, I thought I've told you that you can pay me when you are good and ready to. Until then, focus on you, your work, your health, and your family."

Eren watched his father closely, mesmerized by the way he talked so confidently. Eren wished that he could stand strong like that someday.

"Thank you, Doctor Jaeger. I truly don't know what I would do if you weren't around." She said and wiped at her eyes. Eren's father nodded his head and gently touched the woman's shoulder, a touch that made her smile.

"So how is Armin doing today?" Grisha asked casually. The woman suddenly seemed reminded of something, to which she nodded her head and walked towards a closed off room.

"A couple of the neighborhood kids ganged up on him again. I think his wrist is broken of all things." The woman explained.

"I'm sure I can take care of him." Eren's father assured with a smile. The woman nodded, and just before knocking on the door, her eyes found Eren's.

"Oh, who's this?" She asked, suddenly kneeling down in front of the child. Eren his quickly, afraid of what the woman would do.

"This is my son, Eren. I've been telling him about Armin, and he got a little curious and wanted to meet him."

"Is that so...?" The woman asked and held out a hand. "Hi Eren. It's very nice to meet you. I'm Armin's mommy."

"... H-Hi Armin's mommy..." Eren mumbled and touched her hand. The woman smiled a kind smile before standing up, her knees cracking before knocking on the door.

"Armin, may I come in?" Armin's mother asked. There was a small sound that came from the room before his mother opened the door.

Once again Eren went into hiding, only this time he hid behind the doorframe. His father and Armin's mother walked into the room, and Eren's eyes scanned anxiously for the supposed boy they had been discussing about. Eren's eyes soon found him, but that didn't look like a "him" at all. The kid Eren was looking at was small, thin, and petite even, with blond hair to their shoulders and soft, round, baby-like cheeks that Eren wanted to squeeze.

This was a little girl if Eren had ever seen one, and he had. Was his mommy blind?

"Hi, Armin. It's good to see you again." Grisha said as he set down his suitcase by the bed the little girl (because Eren wasn't going to agree that this was a boy) was sitting in. She looked up at him with a smile, the book in her lap being forgotten about. "Oh...? How is the book?"

"It's good. It's about these things called fairies, and now I want one." Armin said, and Eren couldn't believe how nice she sounded, like a little angel.

"Oh really...? What do fairies do?" Grisha asked as he sat down in the chair beside the bed.

"Fairies like to fly around with the wings on their backs, a-and they help things grow, a-and they have magic." The little girl stuttered through her speech, seemingly excited by the knowledge that she possessed. Eren didn't know what these "fairy" things were, but with the way she spoke, he wanted one too.

"I see. Don't they sound interesting? Well, Armin, your mommy says you have a bad boo boo today." Eren's father said. Armin's smile fell, his eyes falling to his lap. "Can I look at your wrist, Armin?"

"W-Will it hurt...?" She asked, her eyes looking up shyly.

"It might, but I know you're brave and strong. I'll try not to make it hurt, but I know that even if it did, you wouldn't feel any pain, right?" Grisha offered a smile, and slowly Armin nodded.

"Right..." She seemed to assured herself. Grisha could easily pick out the injured wrist by the swelling alone, and he gently pulled the injured limb into his hand. "Ouch..."

"I'm sorry," Grisha said. "Now, I have to move your hand around a little. I need to make sure if anything is broke or not, so it might hurt." He warned and pulled at her pinky. Armin nodded and looked away, her eyes suddenly seeing Eren across the room still hiding behind the door. She didn't get the chance to question anything before Grisha started rotating her hand, but she didn't seem to notice the pain. Her eyes were on Eren and Eren only.

Grisha did this several more times, going in one direction, the other, and then bending her wrist back. She flinched then, but the man had already come to a diagnosis by then.

"It's not broken. If anything, it's just a really bad jam." He assured and set her small wrist down.

"Bad jam...?" She asked with curious, blue eyes.

"Armin, when you tried to stop someone from hitting you or kicking you, did you hold your arm out like this?" Eren's father asked and held out his arm in reference to his words.

"Mhm..." Armin hummed.

"What that did was push your bones together when they hit or kicked your hand, and the bones scrapped and bruised. Your wrist will be a little stiff, like you can't move it very well for a few days, but it'll be fine later on. Nothing is broken, so there's not need to worry." His father said and touched the little girl's head.

"Really...?" She beamed with happiness.

"Yes, really. I told you before that you are strong, didn't I?" Armin's mother smiled brightly, happy to hear the news that her little girl wasn't seriously damaged. Eren wouldn't lie and say that he wasn't happy either. He was ecstatic even to know that she would be able to use her hand again. Small, delicate hands like hers shouldn't have been broken by stupid people who knew nothing about the wonders those hands could do.

Now if only Eren could experience them himself.

"I'll give you a few scoops of that herbal tea, as well as some medicine to reduce the swelling and pain in his wrist." Grisha looked up to Armin's mother and told her.

"Thank you, Doctor Jaeger. You have no idea how much you help my husband and I. My father appreciates it as well."

"Please, Mrs. Arlert. Call me Grisha, and like I said before, it's fine. Armin's a good kid, and getting to help him and you out is payment all on its own." Grisha stood up from the bed, grabbing at his suitcase beside the bed so he could get the things he spoke of. Armin's mother teared up this time, but for fear of worrying her son, she did her best to remain calm, at least until she got out of the room. "Come, let's go brew up some tea and chat." Grisha suggested with a gentle touch to the small of the mother's back.

She nodded her head meekly, leading the way out of the room and being the first to leave. Grisha followed soon after, sending a pointed glance to Eren, as if silently telling him to behave himself, but there was something more. Was his father telling him something more? Did it have to do with the beautiful girl still sitting in the bed?

Eren didn't know what to do. He knew it himself that he wasn't good with people. It didn't take an education at those fancy buildings called schools to know that. Eren had never been good with people, had never been good at talking to them, and had never been good at making friends. If this was his father's way of trying to help him make friends, he was sadly mistaken.

"I know you're still there." Suddenly, Eren was all too aware that he had been caught. He peaked back into the room, and those big, blue eyes were staring directly into his. He felt himself blush, the tips of his ears burning. She had pretty eyes. Eren could get lost in those eyes.

"S... Sorry..." Eren apologized and stepped further into the room, though he didn't abandon his post at the door. Armin frowned, and Eren didn't like that frown. It didn't look right on her face.

"My momma is in the next room over. If you t-try to hurt me too, she'll make you eat soapy water." Armin warned, her uninjured hand grabbing for her book. "That's what my m-momma said she'd make you do."

"I'm not trying to hurt you." Eren said softy, his head shaking lightly.

"Then what are you here for?" Armin asked, her eyes narrowing at Eren. Eren looked back to his father in the main room as he sat at a rickety table before walking further into the room, abandoning his post and comfort in favor of pacing to the chair his father once sat in.

"My dad brought me here... H-He's the doctor who helped you..." Eren explained sheepishly as he climbed into the chair.

"Oh..." Armin mumbled and looked down. Again, Eren hated that frown.

"I-I'm Eren... Eren Jaeger..." Eren introduced himself, his gold eyes looking anywhere but at this pretty girl in the bed next to him. Armin looked around the room, trying to think of something to say before her eyes fell to Eren. "W-Who did this to you?" Eren spoke first, however, saving her the trouble.

"... S-Some bullies in the town... They always beat me up though..." She mumbled under her breath, but Eren still heard it.

"That doesn't make it right." Eren said, annoyed that she would think anything less than what was right. No one like her deserved to be beat up by some stupid boy's.

Where were those boy's mommies? That's what Eren wanted to know. Didn't they know that boy's don't hit girls? It was a rule of God that you don't hit girls, and Eren had been raised with that knowledge since birth.

"It happens a lot, so I'm used to it." Armin excused, and Eren felt sick to his stomach.

"It shouldn't happen at all!" He suddenly blurted out, not intending to be so blunt or angry, but that was how he was. No one had the right to beat another person up, and it wasn't fair that this pretty, little girl thought this way about herself.

Of course, Eren's outburst ended up spooking her. She visibly leaned back in the bed, her arms coiling up as if in defense, her book sliding off of her lap. That was when Eren saw how truly scared of him she was.

Why though? Eren wasn't going to hurt her. He had no intentions of it. In fact, he wanted to make her feel better. He didn't want her being in pain.

"Ah... I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Eren apologized, leaning forward in his chair a little. Armin scooted over in the bed, as if to put distance between them now that Eren had moved forward.

"It's okay..." She mumbled again. Eren frowned, hating that she was so... There was a word for what she was being, but Eren didn't know a lot of big words.

"No it's not. I shouldn't be yelling at you, not after you've been bullied..." Eren hopped out of the chair, only to start climbing up the edge of the bed. This bed was tall though, and Eren found great difficulties in scaling the titan-sized bed.

"W-What are you doing?" Armin asked, seemingly panicked so suddenly.

"Can I look at your wrist?" Eren asked as he finally managed to hook a leg over the bed and pull himself up.

"Why...?" Armin questioned.

"Because I want to see it." Eren stated bluntly. It wasn't a very good reason, not at all. It didn't even answer Armin's question properly, but if Eren wouldn't hurt him... Then maybe it was okay.

"... I guess... It's okay..." Armin uttered while looking away. Eren felt an odd sensation in his stomach, like butterflies flying around in there, when he saw Armin's cheeks turn red.

"I'll be careful, I promise." Eren assured with a grin, happy and proud with himself for making Armin blush.

However, because she was blushing, did that mean Armin had a crush on Eren? Now Eren was the one who was blushing.

"Okay," Armin said and nodded her head.

Eren was gentle for sure. He let his hand push into the mattress to slide under hers, and then he balanced hers within his own. Eren was definitely blushing. Her skin was so soft, like baby skin. If Eren didn't know any better, he would have just held her hand all day, but that was something boyfriends did with girlfriends, wasn't it?

"Does it hurt...?" Eren asked in a small tone.

"... No." Armin answered and wiggled her fingers in his hand. Eren felt goosebumps rise on his skin at the sensation. "M-Maybe just a little..."

"Does it...?" Eren asked while looking up at her. For a split second he caught her gaze, but her eyes darted away quickly, her cheeks darkening in a rosy shade of red.

"Yes," She said and nodded her head. Eren puffed out his cheeks in determination before lifting her hand up higher, bringing the limp close to his face.

With the single-minded determination of a bug trying to escape a spider's web, Eren moved forward quickly and kissed the side of her hand, maybe a little too hard even. Armin yipped in surprise, pulling her hand away from Eren and nearly falling back in the bed in the process of doing so.

"W-What are you doing?" She practically cried out, her eyes red and a little wet from what looked to be the oncoming's of tears.

"Kissing your hand," Eren responded like it was an everyday question, but his cheeks and his ears were a dark red.

"Why...?" Armin questioned, dumbfounded by this new boy she had just met.

"Well... My mommy says that kisses make everything better. I thought it would help..." Eren looked away, as if he had done something very bad. He was only trying to help, and his mommy had told him that, but if the little girl didn't like it, then maybe it was wrong. "I'm sorry..." Eren apologized profusely.

"I guess..." Armin began, and Eren looked up at her without moving his head. She was still blushing, to the point where now even her ears were going red. "I-... It does feel better..."

"Really...?" Eren was immensely happy the moment she said that, and he let it show. She seemed surprised by his reaction though, taken aback by how happy one boy could be for helping out someone else.

"Y-Yeah... It feels a lot better now." And Armin liked the smile on his face. He seemed so relieved, so happy to know that he had done something good for Armin. Armin was willing to feed into that behavior, if only for the time being.

"I'm so glad!" Eren chirped, practically bouncing on the bed. Armin smiled, grinned really, and Eren felt the sudden urge to move forward and... Whoa, that was only for big people to do.

"Uhm... Armin...?"

"Yes...?"

"Why uhm... Why are you blushing...?" Eren asked with a nervous laugh and scratched at the side of his arm. Armin didn't seem to notice that she was blushing until Eren had pointed it out, but now that she knew, she seemed even more embarrassed that before.

"Oh, Uhm... W-Well you surprised me... I've only ever seen mommies and daddies kiss each other, and when they do that, it means they like each other, so I... I-I got surprised." The little girl explained sheepishly.

"Like...? My mommy and daddy kiss each other too, but they do it on the lips..." Eren muttered. The two kids exchanged glances with each other before contorted looks crossed their features, small laughs leaving both of them.

"Eww," Armin uttered.

"I know..." Eren agreed and scrunched up his nose. "Well... I like you... N-Not like mommy and daddy like each other!" Eren suddenly panicked when he saw the look of astonishment show in Armin's expression.

"What...?"

"N-No, not like that! I-I meant that I like you as a friend... Like a nice person... I only kissed your hand to make it feel better..." Eren explained, his eyes dropping so he didn't have to look into those big, blue eyes of Armin's. Those blue eyes would be the death of him, and he was too young to die.

"Oh... Oh no!" Armin suddenly cried in what sounded like fear.

"What's wrong?" Eren asked, moving close to make sure the little girl wasn't hurt.

"Because you kissed me, does that mean I'm pregnant?" Armin asked with panic, his blue eyes widening and filling with tears. Eren's opened his mouth to answer, only to stop with air coming from his mouth. Eren had absolutely no idea if that was true, but it sounded like a huge possibility. "Mommy!" Armin cried out, tears slipping down her cheeks.

There was a clatter in the kitchen, followed by the sounds of frantic footsteps before Armin's mother and Eren's father came into the room.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Her mother asked as she paced over to the bed and sat beside Armin and Eren.

"Eren kissed me and now I'm pregnant!" Armin cried and dropped her head into her good hand to cry.

And the whole room went silent.

"... W-What?" His mother asked, but there was a hint of humor behind her tone.

"Eren kissed my hand, and now I'm pregnant..." Armin sobbed.

"I'm not ready to be a daddy..." Eren felt ready to cry on his own, his worried showing as he looked at Armin. However, he didn't get the chance.

The woman suddenly covered her mouth with her hands, her cheeks spreading in a wide grin that she tried to hide. She stood up from the bed, and Eren could hear her snickering before the woman lost all sense of purpose and broke out laughing altogether. She laughed so hard that she fell against the wall, using it as a prop to hold herself up as tears slipped down her cheeks, and where was Eren's father?

Doing the same exact thing against the door frame.

Eren's cheeks puffed out in a pout. Why were they laughing? Couldn't they see this wasn't funny? Armin was pregnant with his baby, and now Eren would be a dad of his own. He didn't even know how it happened, but now it did, and their parents weren't taking it seriously.

That was fine with Eren, he assumed. He'd forget about them, buy a nice house and live with Armin on his own. He'd take care of his new baby, and soon-to-be wife, because parents were supposed to be married, weren't they?

"It's not funny!" Armin cried, falling against Eren's shoulder to sob. Eren froze in place, surprised by the sudden proximity Armin was at, but he remembered that they'd be married soon, and they'd have to sleep in the same bed, and then kiss each other before one left for work.

This was all so tantalizing and difficult.

"Oh goodness, you don't know how much it really is!" Armin's mother tried to collect herself so she could talk. The key word was try of course, and as she slumped against the bed, a new fit of laughter overcame her.

"We don't need you! I can take care of Armin and our baby on my own!" Eren assured with reluctance, trying to sound as manly as possible, but it wasn't easy in a situation so dire.

"Oh stop it, Eren." His father daunted and cleaned off his glasses that were now covered with tears. "Armin, I can promise you that you aren't pregnant." He said as he walked over to the bed.

"... I-I'm not?" Armin asked while looking up from Eren's shoulder.

"Yes sweetie, you aren't pregnant." Her mother finally regained some form of cognizance, sitting up from the bed and using her apron to pat her face dry. She pressed a hand into Armin's cheek, wiping away her tears and pushing her bangs from her face. "Honey, only girls can get pregnant." She explained.

"Really...?"

"Yes-"

"You're a boy?" Eren suddenly yipped with surprise. Armin looked up at him with surprise, though his lips pulled into a frown.

"You thought I was a girl?" Armin asked angrily.

"Oh, Mr. Jaeger, I'm not mature enough for this." Armin's mother laughed some more, standing from the bed to walk out of the room where she continued to laugh.

"Y-You... You look like a girl though..." Eren muttered.

"I'm a boy!" Armin exclaimed.

"Okay... Stop it, you two." Grisha said, but it wasn't at all convincing with the way he was laughing. "Listen... Armin, you aren't pregnant, so stop worrying, okay?"

"Are you sure?" Armin asked, doing his (because he was indeed a boy, and Eren just couldn't wrap his head around it) best to wipe the tears from his glassy eyes.

"I'm positive," Grisha said with meaning behind the joke, and Armin's mother laughed painfully hard from the kitchen. "Kissing doesn't make a person pregnant... Although I wasn't expecting this to happen between you two." He said while tilting his head to the side. "You don't need to worry anymore, okay? Armin isn't pregnant."

"That's a relief..." Eren said and sighed. He was definitely happy to hear the news, but he was upset at the same time. He kind of liked the idea of a family. With Armin, well, that was undecided. He was still trying to figure out how this was a... Well, boy.

"So Mr. Jaeger, looks like you're my new brother-in-law!" Armin's mother suddenly said from the doorway, her cheeks red from smiling so much.

"It's great to have you in the family," His father openly joked and stood to leave the room. Armin and Eren watched the older man leave, and they could still hear them throwing jokes around in the kitchen and laughing up a storm.

"... My momma hasn't laughed like that in a really long time." Armin mumbled, his eyes looking over to Eren.

"I think we're missing some sort of joke... It's not really funny..." Eren muttered.

"Maybe it's something adults know?" Armin suggested.

"Probably. Adults get to know all of the fun things." Eren pouted. Armin nodded his head, humming in agreement. He looked down into his lap, his fingers twiddling together in thought as they went quiet. The only thing that could be heard were their parents, but Eren was sure that anyone in Shinganshina could hear them with how loud they were.

"Eren...?" Armin addressed quietly.

"Hm...?" Eren mumbled and looked to Armin.

"Did you... Mean what you said earlier?" Armin asked hesitantly, like he was afraid to know the answer.

"What did I say earlier?" Eren asked.

"When you said you liked me... A-As a friend... D-Did you mean that?"

"Did I mean liking you and being your friend...?" Eren asked just to clarify. Armin nodded his head, a little shaky, but he was nervous.

Armin had never had a friend before, at least not a real one. He'd had some when he was a baby, but that was when he was a baby. They all grew up and left him, and Armin wasn't good at making friends. That's why he always had bullies chasing after him instead of friends, but was Eren a possible friend? Would Eren want to be his friend?

Hell, two minutes ago Armin was thinking of marrying him for the sake of a child that wasn't real, and Eren was thinking the same. If he was willing to go that far, than maybe friend was a possibility.

"I would like to be your friend." Eren finally answered. Armin looked up at him, surprised by the answer he had received. "I-I mean I'm probably not the best person to be with. I don't have any friends, and my dad says I'm hard-headed, but... I want to be friends with you."

"Really...?" Armin asked, his eyes cloudy with new tears.

"Yeah... I-If you'd like to be my friend that is..." Eren added, his cheeks turning red again.

"I-I would like that a lot." Armin nodded his head, his cheeks hurting from the smile that spread them.

His first real friend.

"Then let's make it a deal! Friends from here on out!" Eren said enthusiastically and held out his hand. Armin nodded his head and grabbed at that hand, only to be reminded too little too late that it was his injured hand. He whimpered in pain and pulled his hand away to cradle it against his chest, and instantly Eren's expression fell in sadness. "Are you okay?"

"Mhm..." Armin whimpered and nodded his head. Eren's fingers gently touched the back of his hand, prompting Armin to look up at him. Armin did, and Eren nearly forgot what he was going to say by the adorable look on his new friends face.

"Armin... If any of those bullies come after you again, you let me know, okay?" Eren told him. "I'll make them go away, and I'll make sure they don't hurt you again."

"You don't have to do that for me." Armin assured.

"I want to. I-It's what friends do... I think. Even if it wasn't something they do, I want to protect you, so... Let me?"

Armin wanted to argue, but who could with that adorable pout on Eren's face?

A hand slammed into the wall beside Armin's head, making him flinch in fear of being hit. However, it missed, and he was relieved to know that he hadn't been hit again. If only he could know he wouldn't be hit today.

"Ya know, we didn't get to finish with you a few days ago."

It was them again, and Armin feared the worst. It had only been two days since they first went after him, and Armin was worried for himself and his hand. His hand was still stiff to move, and it hurt when he made a fist. What would happen if he tried fighting back? What would happen if he re-injured himself? Armin didn't want that, not at all.

'Didn't Eren say that he would protect me...?'

"You got me in trouble with my old lady. She beat me over the head with a wooden spoon, because you ratted us out." The boy standing in front of him growled, his face getting dangerously close to Armin's.

"Y-You did something bad! My momma says that when someone does bad things, you need to suffer the consequences!" Armin yipped, trying to stand tall and face these thick-headed boy's in front of him.

"Your mom's a dirty whore! That's why people hate you! It's because you're the son of a whore!" Another boy spat, and Armin flinched. Armin didn't know what a "whore" was, but he assumed it was an insult.

"T-That's not true!"

"Hey, I got an idea." One of the boy's spoke up. Armin looked over at him meekly, watching as the boy bent down to pick something up and stand back up. Armin cringed at the sight of a slug in between his fingers, and he waved his hand back and forth with a devious smirk on his face. "Let's make him eat it."

Armin gasped, his eyes widening in horror. Armin bolted in the direction that was being blocked by this thug's hand, but arms wrapped around his torso, pulling him into a flat chest.

"Hold him still!"

"Get his mouth open!"

Commands were being thrown back and forth between the group of boy's, but Armin fought within their grasp. He didn't want to eat a slug, not at all. It was disgusting and it would make him sick, but he was weaker than them. One boy was holding his arms in place while another began prying at his mouth, trying to force his jaw open.

'Eren said he would protect me! Where is he?'

Armin's fears became real when a finger managed to wedge its way between his teeth, and then another, and then a whole hand had pried his mouth open. Armin saw the boy coming forward with the slug and closed his eyes.

Of course he wasn't coming. Armin should have never put his trust into someone he didn't really know. Eren said friends protect each other, at least he would, so where was he? Did this mean Eren wasn't really his friend?

Of course. Why would Armin delude himself into thinking he actually had a friend?

"Ouch! What the hell?" Armin opened his eyes, seeing all attention off of him and on the person standing behind them, waking one of the guys with a thick, heavy stick.

"You leave him alone!" Armin's eyes widened. He knew that voice. He knew it from when Eren saw him a few days ago.

It was Eren.

"You annoying little brat!" The boy he had hit the stick with barked, which resulted in another hit, this time to the face. It wasn't a hard hit, but enough to leave a good damn scratch.

And that pissed them off profusely.

"Get him!" Armin was released, but only to go after Eren. Armin fell to the ground to catch his breath, because he hadn't been breathing with fingers down in his mouth. However, when he heard the deafening sounds of kicks and punches to Eren that knocked the air out of him, Armin was up on his feet again, pushing at the taller boy's to move them.

"No, stop it! You're hurting him!" Armin managed to squeeze his way into the group and drop to the ground where Eren now lay, gasping for the air they kicked out of him. He sat over Eren, putting his hands over him in some form of an attempt to protect him. To his surprise, the fighting stopped, hearing scoffs and tuts of the tongue coming from the boy's above him.

"Let's go. They aren't worth the time and breath." The leader of the bullies said and wiped at the blood along his cheek. Armin kept his eyes on them, watching them leave. It was suspicious, but as they turned a corner, Armin deemed it somewhat safe.

For now.

"A-Armin," Eren coughed up a storm as he sat up. Armin looked away from the direction the boy's left and down to Eren. He helped him sit up, keeping a hand on his back to make sure Eren didn't fall over.

"Eren, are you okay?" Armin asked, touching the hand that covered Eren's beaten tummy.

"I'm okay. A-Are you okay? They didn't hurt you, did they?" Eren asked, taking Armin's hand up into his own.

"I'm okay. You got here before they could do anything to me..." Armin's words fell away, noticing the small trickle of blood on Eren's face, but it wasn't his. It must have come the guy he beat up with that stick.

"That's good..." Eren sighed, leaning against Armin's chest when he felt a little woozy. Armin placed a hand on Eren's shoulder affectionately, the other still sitting on Eren's back to hold onto him.

"Eren... Why did you do that...?" Armin asked quietly, almost in a dull whisper.

"Do what...?" Eren asked, gold eyes closed to rest. Getting the air kicked out of him sure made him tired. He'd have to make sure that wouldn't happen again.

"Why did you get into trouble for me? If they hadn't left, you'd be really hurt." Armin said, leaning back to look at Eren. Eren finally opened his eyes, looking up at those blue eyes that had caught his attention two days ago, and the eyes that had been on his mind since he met him.

"Armin, I told you I would protect you. I said I would and I meant it." Eren said with a strong sense of determination that showed in his golden eyes. "Did you really think I'd let those guys hurt you after I said we were friends?"

Yes. That's what Armin wanted to answer. After enough time, Armin truly thought that Eren would leave him and let him get bullied all over again, which was like another form of being beaten all on its own. He'd had it happen plenty of times before, where his so called "friends" wouldn't show up, or they would, and then would run away and let him feel the blunt of their anger.

Eren was different though. That much was obvious now. Eren wasn't going to let him get hurt, because Eren really did care about what happened to Armin. He cared, because he wasn't like the other kid's.

Eren was his friend.

"I'm just glad you're okay. When I saw them grab you, I thought I wouldn't make it in time, but I did-" Eren was stopped in thought and word when Armin quickly wrapped his arms around Eren, inevitably knocking the two of them over into the dirt. Eren got another lung full of air knocked out of him, but it was nothing compared to the brute force of those bullies kicks. Eren soon realized, however, that Armin was fully on top of him, arms secured tightly around him with his head against his shoulder. Eren was no more than a little surprised; no one beyond his family had ever been this close to him, let alone hug him against the ground.

"Thank you, Eren…" Armin mumbled by his ear, and Eren could hear Armin's tone shaking, as if he was crying. Eren could only nod his head, all speech development over the past seven years that he had gained going right out the window to float with the birds. He wrapped his arms around Armin's body, holding him as close as physically possible (and that was hard to do considering their positions). "Eren… You're my best friend…" The blond mumbled again.

Eren's heart suddenly froze.

He was Armin's friend? His best friend? Eren went from having a friend to have a best friend?

The words Armin said made him want to cry. Eren had never had a best friend before, even if his mom said she was his best friend. He had a best friend, and there was no one better suited for the job than Armin. Armin Arlert.

"… Y-You're my best friend too…" Eren said softly, and as Armin shuddered with a heavy sob, Eren ran his fingers through that pretty, blond hair and relaxed in the comfort of knowing that he had a best friend.