Armin sighed into the half-empty cup of punch clutched in his hand, watching the way his reflection quivered. Prom wasn't nearly as magical as everyone had said it would be. It was a time for dancing, smiling, laughing, an arm wrapped around your date. Not a time for sulking alone in the corner with a red solo cup full of punch and wishing to be like the couples on the dance floor. Armin at that moment was a perfect example of his worst expectations.
It wasn't as if he was completely alone, he had his friends (however limited in quantity and resilience), but he hadn't managed to work up the means or the courage to ask a girl to be his date. No one was really his type.
Or at least that's what he told his small group of close friends, Eren and Mikasa. But this wasn't entirely true. It wasn't that he hadn't found his type, he most certainly had, but who had caused him to figure that out wasn't anywhere near female. And his heart still raced at the sight of chestnut hair and emerald eyes.
So that was why he was standing there.
Alone.
In the corner.
Nobody had asked him to dance thus far and he hadn't been able to spot Mikasa nor the oblivious object of his affections. But just as the thought crossed his mind, his eyes swept the gym and there, at the opposite end of the room stood Mikasa and Eren and their gazes met. Eren smiled and Armin really didn't want to be here right now. They made their way over with hurried steps, as if they were rushing to welcome someone back from an especially long business trip. "Hey," was all the boy said when they finally reached him. Mikasa offered a small wave and Armin an equally small smile. "Hi."
He then looked them up and down, seeing what they were wearing and, if he was brutally honest, to see if he was underdressed. Mikasa was wearing a thigh-length burgundy dress, finally ditching the old scarf Eren had given her for her birthday for one second. It was strapless and decorated at the collar and along the skirt with beautiful shimmering silver sparkles. His eyes flitted to Eren next and he swallowed the growing lump in his throat. He wasn't dressed particularly glamorously, at least not for prom, but the tux he wore fit him in a way that had Armin blushing intensely. He felt like his words were choking him, but cleared his throat and managed to say, "You — you guys look nice."
They both grinned. "Thanks." Mikasa said, opening her mouth as if to say something more, but Eren cut her off. "You clean up nice yourself."
Armin blushed and squirmed self-consciously, twisting the hem of his suit jacket between his fingers. "Th-thanks."
They talked for awhile, about random things. How long Armin had been there, if he had a date, what they were going to do for the rest of their lives, things like that. They managed to find somewhere to sit and gladly did, resting their already exhausted feet for a moment. Someone cleared their throat and the three looked to see Annie Leonhart, possibly the school's biggest badass, stood there blushing like a rose. She glanced at Mikasa, her face almost angry before turning away. "Do you wanna dance with me?" she asked bluntly and for a moment Armin didn't know to whom she was talking. He felt his stomach twist at the thought of her possibly asking Eren. But where her eyes then focused made everything clear. Mikasa's face went from mild surprise to her usual calm self. "Alright." she said smoothly, almost sassily, but Armin could tell there was something else behind her tone. Something like nervousness that she was desperately trying to push down.
Looking out at the crowd, Armin realized that maybe this whole fear over a stupid crush was just paranoia. He saw a number of couples who didn't seem to give a damn about whether they were seen as "normal" or not. Ymir and Christa, Jean and Marco, Reiner and Bertholdt, Levi and Erwin. Well, Levi seemed to be dancing with anyone who asked, but still. And now Mikasa and Annie.
He cast a sideways glance at Eren, who seemed to be watching his adopted sister with a tiny smile on his face. Maybe it was time. Maybe he should finally face the two biggest fears in his teenage life thus far: honesty and rejection.
His lips quivered, the words aching to be spoken, but not quite being able to form on his tongue. He thought of ways to go about it, hoping that maybe one way might be easier than the next. They were all equally terrifying.
Armin had just begun to consider what he was going to say, his face flushing and heart pounding furiously in his chest, when Eren turned to face him. "Dance with me, Min?"
He did a mental double-take. "Wh-What?" he asked though he'd heard him quite well. "Dance with me?"
There was a strange look in Eren's eyes — a spark of hope and maybe fear and maybe nerves combined into one. Armin felt about ready to burst into flames, he was blushing so profusely, but somehow his head was nodding even though he didn't really know how to dance. Eren smiled and held out his hand with a bow, which the blond took hesitantly. If it were another situation, he might've laughed at the cheesy gesture, but he couldn't bring himself to. His world was spinning around him and he was sure the punch wasn't spiked. He led him to the dance floor where a relatively upbeat song was blasting from the speakers. Eren began doing some type of movement that resembled dance and though he wasn't the best, he wasn't bad either. Armin just did some stupid movement with his arms and legs, but judging by the smile on Eren's face, he must've been doing something right.
The songs continued and eventually a slow song was bound to play. Armin had been dreading that moment and had been planning his best escape route for when it happened. So when the track switched to a far slower one, Armin turned to leave. A hand clasped his wrist and he turned back to face Eren who was giving him an almost pleading look. "Please?" was all he said and Armin just stared. This was a song you danced to with your date. It was a song you danced to with your arms wrapped around someone else. It was a song you danced to and finally kissed the person you've wanted to for years. This was not a song for best friends, especially not when half was falling quickly in love with the other.
But still, Armin found himself staying, drifting closer to Eren, his cheeks ablaze as the boy's hands met his hips. He put his own hands on Eren's shoulders, trying to ignore the touch, the eye contact, and the proximity. But he failed for all three.
His skin burned where Eren's fingers brushed and he wondered if this was what it felt like to be in love. His head spun as they did, moving softly, gently, like a breeze in the summertime. It was then that Armin's mouth got a mind of its own.
"I think I'm gay." he said bluntly and immediately he panicked, his heart stopping before starting again at a million miles per hour. Eren just grinned. "Good."
And then they were kissing and Armin's heart leapt into his throat, butterflies dancing the tango in his stomach. He felt suddenly faint, everything around him disappearing until there was nothing left to focus on except Eren and the way their lips fit together — like pieces of a puzzle. Armin's eyes slipped shut and he kissed back, gripping Eren's shoulders like he would fade away if he let go. Like this was all a dream. Time stopped and suddenly started again as he pulled away and Armin was left with a swelling happiness, but at the same time wanting more. He leaned their foreheads together and still he thought he was imagining this. It couldn't be real. He kept his eyes closed, fearing that when he opened them, he'd be in bed having just woke up from the best dream of his entire life.
"I guess I'm a little gay too." Eren said softly and Armin could help the giggle that escaped him. Now with an air of confidence, Armin replied, "I'm glad." before bringing their lips together once more.
