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Eren Jaeger had a simple ‘hi’ written on his wrist, aka the blandest thing the universe could come up with for him.
He couldn’t count the amount of mini heart attacks he’d experienced every time someone introduced themselves to him. The sudden leap from being hopeful to feeling disappointed always left a dry taste in his mouth. To prevent such situations, every time he heard ‘hi’ he would respond with some stupid sayings or random facts about marine life. Thanks to this he got plenty of weirded-out acquaintances, but no soulmate, because apparently no one had ‘I sexually identify as an alien’ tattooed on their skin.
Also, his sudden crush on his best friend Armin wasn’t helping at all. Because they were never supposed to work out. At least that’s what the experts said.
As opposed to Eren, the universe cursed Armin with the most bizarre soulmate mark it could offer. Many people had snorted their noodles out of their noses upon discovering it, others had made some silly remarks about it being kinky. Their reactions were totally understandable and justified, because how many people have daddy forever carved onto their skin? A very exposed piece of skin, on top of that.
Another discouraging thing was the fact that all of their friends had already found their soulmate. In the case of Connie and Sasha, there was no room for misunderstanding, because each one of them had a very specific message on their skin. ‘Can I have your potatoes?’ and ‘Aren’t you afraid you’ll get too fat?’ are really hard to miss. Jean’s and Mikasa’a teetered on the edge of a casual exchange (‘Your hair is beautiful!’ followed by a simple ‘Thanks’), so it was a close call, but they managed to find themselves eventually, much to Eren’s displeasure.
“Come on, Armin, everyone knows what your mark says. You should stop wearing long sleeves to school,” Eren said, tugging at the hem of Armin’s shirt while they were on the bus.
“But the teachers have no idea,” he objected.
“If you’re so worried about it then you could cover it with another tattoo.”
“I’m not over eighteen yet.”
“You could get a written permission from you grandad?” Eren was one of these people who believed that finding a solution to a problem was always possible. As long as you also wanted to find it, of course. Which Armin seemed really reluctant to do.
“Maybe I’ll do it when I find my soulmate.”
“Why? Are you worried they won’t believe that it really says what is says?” It was supposed to be a genuine question, but came out as a snicker. “By the way, who the hell would be crazy enough to call you that in the first place? Probably some twat.”
“People these days are very cautious, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they wanted to check it. Which is understandable. I’d also want to be completely sure first before deciding to spend the rest of my life with one person,” said Armin, ignoring Eren’s second comment. “And that’s why you have to be three times as certain. In your case it’s even trickier.”
“I know,” he sighed. “Hi? This system is fucking stupid.”
“But accurate.”
“Who knows? Maybe there’s another person who’s so much better than your ‘soulmate’, but you’ll never know because you settled for what your wrist tattoo told you.”
Eren just couldn’t take it all at face value. Not when the love of his life was walking right beside him. It wouldn’t take a lot of effort to reach for the other boy’s hand. ‘Why can’t this be you?’ he thought, admiring Armin’s diminutive stature, his cute button nose, regal profile, and swaying blond bangs.
He looked at his tattoo, 'I wish it said Why don’t you ever fight back?’. It was the first sentence he’d ever spoken to Armin and since then they’d always been on the same wavelength, no matter the circumstances. How could fate make such a grave mistake?
“I’m staying the night at Jean’s,” Mikasa said, stuffing her backpack with pyjamas and skin care products. “You can invite Armin over.”
“Does mom know?” Eren asked, propping his head on his hand. It was a sunny Friday evening, but he hadn’t got enough rest, so there he was lying flat on his stomach and scrolling through Facebook.
“Of course.”
“Use protection,” he whispered loud enough for her to hear. In turn, Mikasa threw a towel at his face. “Ew, I hope it never had anything to do with horseface’s body fluids.” He threw it back, and Mikasa caught it effortlessly.
“You wish.”
“Dude... you’re disgusting.”
He texted Armin that he was welcome to come over if he wanted. Armin didn’t let him down and agreed without second thoughts. Eren felt his soul ascend.
No other person in the world would ever be able to make him appreciate life as much as Armin. ‘They were perfect for each other’ didn’t even fit the description of how special their bond really was. But there existed a word that could.
Soulmate.
Remember that person you thought about in superlatives only, who met all of your expectations, understood you like no one else, and on top of that had an adorable laugh? Whose only flaw was that they were off limits? That’s how Eren perceived his current situation.
He looked at his wrist with burning hatred. He wanted to cry, scream, and punch, but instead he looked at Mikasa, defeated.
“Are you happy with Jean?”
Mikasa considered him warily, her expression stunned, and put down her phone.
“Yes. Why are you asking?”
“Are you sure he’s the one for you?”
“Well...” She put some stray hair behind her ear in one graceful motion. “We’ve been together for a year now... And I have no complains so far. Actually, I’m happy it’s him.”
“Hm...,” he let out a soft grunt. “Thanks, Mikasa. Have fun.”
After she left the room Eren desperately tried to look up some phrases like ‘soulmate mistakes’ or ‘wrong soulmate assigned to me’, but all in vain. The system was foolproof.
The only results that kind of answered his query were extreme cases like premature deaths, murderers, no soulmate mark or more than one tattoo. All interesting, but did nothing to calm his nerves.
Armin came into his house in a simple black T-shirt, no long sleeves in sight, and Eren sighed with relief. Also, he couldn’t deny that Armin looked like a snack with his forearms exposed and collarbone peeking from behind the material. ‘Is this what people call thirsty?’ he thought, standing up to grab some spare pillows.
They spent an eternity deciding on a show to watch. The laptop lying on Eren’s lap generated so much heat that in the middle of the movie he had to take off his tank top.
The moment he did it Armin said, “I would kill for an iced coffee.”
Eren sent him a suspicious glare. Was it a direct comment about his bare torso? He wished it was, but at the same time he didn’t allow himself to interrogate Armin more, because in the worst case he’d be outed as a desperate over-reactor.
“I was thinking about going to a night club,” Armin said immediately after the credits rolled on the screen.
“Huh? Why?” The picture of Armin in such a dilapidated, dirty location rubbed Eren up the wrong way.
“I think that’s the place where I’m the most likely to be called...you know, daddy. God, it sounds so stupid.” The fact that Armin still couldn’t openly discuss his mark made the situation even more amusing. Frustration looked funny on his face. “Why are you laughing?”
“It’s good to see that I’m not the only one who’s desperate,” Eren said, winking at him suggestively.
Armin snorted, but let it go.
“Well, all jokes aside, it’s high time we finally found them,” he sighed.
As it turned out later, the drastic measures Armin proposed weren’t needed at all.
A distinct sound of giggles lured them both downstairs, where they found Carla and Armin’s mum sitting on the couch and visibly out of breath.
Upon entering the room they exchanged concerned glances. What was the purpose of this weird meeting?
“Why are you so shocked?” asked Armin’s mum.
“Who told you that old women couldn’t have a girls’ night?” Carla barely kept her composure.
There was a bottle of wine, half empty, and it explained everything. Eren sighed with great pain and drank straight from it; so did Armin a moment later, except he only took a gulp.
“Oi, you’re still a baby!” Carla’s motherly instinct kicked in despite her silly state.
Eren stuck his tongue out and launched himself at the pillows next to Carla. She just waved at him dismissively. Armin plopped down next to his mother and she ruffled his pretty hair. ‘They’re like two peas in a pond,' Eren thought. If you compared their looks and body type, they were almost the same: short, slim, and blonde.
Only Armin’s eyes made a difference, beautiful, deep, and ocean-like. Simply mesmerising.
“What are you doing?” Armin asked, peeking with curiosity above his mother’s arm. That’s when Eren also noticed she was holding a box full of photos.
“We were just talking about what a pain in the neck you two were when you were little,” Carla huffed, crossing her arms on her chest.
“Always ready to fight...” Armin’s mum sighed, probably remembering some vivid details.
“...and Mikasa had to save you every time...”
“...because someone couldn’t stop baiting flat earthers...”
Armin let out a nervous laugh. He looked at Eren and shrugged. It really was pretty dumb.
“...and someone couldn’t contain his aggression.” Carla pulled Eren’s ear, who in turn yodelled.
“We get it!” They both said at the same time.
Carla went through the photos and took one with Eren still in diapers. She smiled fondly before showing it to others. “You were cute though,” she said. “I can’t believe you are already sixteen.”
“Muuum,” Eren whined. He couldn’t believe she had forgotten. “I’m already seventeen.” He hoped it was a joke.
Carla’s hand stopped mid-air, her eyes filled with dread. She quickly concealed it and mouthed something to Armin’s mother, who in turn paled and nodded.
“Really?” Eren raised a brow. He wasn’t offended or anything like that, he was just surprised by his mother’s forgetfulness. She always remembered about other people’s birthdays.
“As if you remember how old I am,” she said in an attempt to redeem herself.
“Forty five?” It sounded more like a question than a statement.
“You hesitated.”
“But I’m right,” Eren argued. Carla didn’t respond. Without saying a word, she got up and started rummaging through a cardboard labelled “kids”, and finally found a VHS cassette. Eren hadn’t seen one in a long time.
“What is it for?” Armin asked, out of his depth. For the whole time he was just watching the situation unfold like a complete bystander.
“You’ll see,” she said with a mischievous smirk.
Armin looked at his mother, hoping she’d give them some clue, but she shushed him. They could only watch Carla as she set up an old VHS recorder. It didn’t seem to cooperate at first, but eventually it swallowed the cassette whole.
Eren was expecting something tooth rotting and embarrassing, and his fears came true. He was now facing his ten month old self with chubby cheeks and running nose.
“Smile at mummy! Eren, look!” Grisha pointed at Carla, who was hidden behind the camera. She giggled. “Mummy’s right here!” The kid finally looked at the camera with innocent curiosity.
“Daddy?”
“Not daddy. It’s mum! M-u-m,” he said it, prolonging every vowel. This time little Eren managed to reproduce the sound with his unique, childish accent.
“Aww.” Carla was in awe.
Off-screen the door let out a soft creak, and then footsteps could be heard. Armin’s mum appeared in the frame with long fair hair and a cute baby boy in tow.
“Oh, who’s that? It’s auntie and Armin” Grisha told excited Eren, who suddenly started wriggling in his arms, probably begging to be put down on the floor. Mister Jaeger compelled and another shot showed Eren sitting in front of Armin, who seemed very interested in his thin brown hair. Eren, on the other hand, couldn’t stop staring into his big azure eyes. Some things never change.
“Daddy,” he said suddenly.
Armin, of course, didn’t understand, but replied with a word of his own.
“Hi.”
And then everything clicked into place.
Eren immediately found Armin’s eyes. They were looking back with delight.
“Does it mean what I think it means?” Eren asked, breathless. He felt as if a certain weight had been lifted.
“I can’t believe this...,” Armin said, and for a moment Eren’s heart stopped. Was he disappointed? Unsatisfied? “I’m so glad it’s you.”
If it weren’t for their mothers’ presence, Eren would jump into his arms and smother his face with kisses. One for every time he’d wanted to do that before. Unfortunately, he had to stay civil. At least for another while.
“I guess we’ll leave you boys to yourself?” Carla asked, visibly content with the outcome of this situation.
“Yeah.” Eren nodded. “Just one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Why have you kept this a secret for so long?” The question was also directed at Armin’s mum.
“Oh, honey...,” Carla sighed. “Would you rather I had told you when you were fourteen?”
“Yes. No.” Eren hesitated. “I don’t know.”
“Children this age have better things to worry about than falling in love.”
“We were worried it would change your relationship. And you weren’t ready for romance yet,” Armin’s mother added, getting up and dragging Carla behind her. “We’ll leave you alone for a while.”
“Remember about consent. It’s important.” Was the last thing Carla said before exiting the room, and later the house.
'It’s awkward,' Eren thought, seeing how Armin kept avoiding his gaze. He could relate; those weren’t the best circumstances to find out someone you had already spent half of your life with was your legitimate soulmate. At the same time, he understood his mother’s decision to withhold this news. It wasn’t a coincidence that 98% of people found their significant others after reaching adulthood.
“I’ve had a crush on you since we started high school,” Eren said to loosen the atmosphere.
“I’ve had a crush on you since you punched Floch that time.”
“Holy shit, that’s long!”
“But I think I always knew. That it’s you, I mean.”
“And are you happy about this?”
“Of course.”
“You’re lying!”
“Have I ever lied to you, Eren?”
Eren smiled. “Never.” Trying not to act too obviously, he sat a little bit closer. “So, can I kiss you?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Armin smiled and leaned in for a kiss, meeting Eren halfway.