I'm not sure when this is supposed to take place in the series. They're fighting Titans. That's all you need to know. This might be a one shot for now but we'll see?

Armin's body shook with each breath. He lay exhausted on his back, struggling to gasp as quietly as possible. The earth quaked beneath him. His eyes were two glowing full moons staring fearfully at the shadows of passing giants. For once, he was too scared to even cry. Too exhausted to even squeak.

One was growing nearer. Its shadow expanded before him. The black mass crept ever closer to Armin's conspicuous hiding spot beneath a bridge. He should have kept running. He should have stayed back. He should have died months ago.

Another shadow appeared behind him. A human hand clamped around his mouth before he could even attempt a scream.

Eren was three inches from his face, holding his index finger over his lips in a silent shhh.

Armin remained frozen as Eren's eyes bore into his. He knew what he was thinking: "look at me, don't look over there, don't look, look at me, stay quiet and don't look."

It was so hard not to look. He could still sense the inhuman presence, now mere meters behind him. Even Eren's eyes couldn't hide that carnal fear, that inescapable terror when the creature came closer. Armin thought he could see a disgusting lump of flesh reflected in those green irises. Oh god-Stop that! Stop shaking you big baby.

The Earth shook with each enormous step. Fortunately, those steps were headed in another direction. Thank the gods for not granting those monsters keen senses on top of Goliath proportions. Brains and senses were all humanity had in their favor.

When the footsteps turned to echoes, Eren released his breath and his hand.

"That one wasn't too impressive. Mikasa could bring it down single handedly. Good move, staying under the bridge. We've got bigger shit to fry."

"Uh, yes..."

"Ok. So, where do you think we should go next?"

Eren's eyes resumed their sparkling eagerness. He looked like a puppy waiting for his owner to throw a stick. Where do I fight next? Where should I go? Eren was a flaming fireball of energy and rage, an oversized guard dog who hadn't yet adapted to his full size, and Armin was starting to feel more than overwhelmed by his demand to always know what to do, always know where to strike next. Maybe he didn't want to be in charge all of the time. Maybe he didn't always have the answer. Maybe he didn't want to be the one holding the leash. He was so tired, so tired, and the world still felt like it was shaking with giants.

"I think... I think we should sit for a while." He held his knees to his chest and stared at the dirt, too embarrassed to look at Eren's reaction.

"Oh... ok. You need a second to plan something?"

"No... I... I don't want to plan something today." A tear ran down his cheek, but it wasn't a sad tear or a scared tear. It was an angry tear. It was an I'm-fed-up-with-this-responsibility-bullshit tear.

"Armin? Are you ok?"

Armin sniffed. "No. No, I'm not ok. I'm tired, Eren."

Eren bit his lip. "You can get all the sleep when we're done, Armin, I promise. I know you're tired. It just isn't safe right now-"

"It's never safe!" Armin jerked up, rage burning in his face and darkening his hoarse whisper-scream. "And I don't know what to do! I don't! You think I know, but I don't! I'm just guessing, Eren, I'm guessing as best as I can but that's all it is: guesses! You can't beat monsters with guesses!"

Eren was speechless. He'd never seen Armin like that before-that angry, that hopeless. The outburst seemed to take something out of Armin as well. He rested his head on his knees and tried to hold in tears. Dammit, why do I have to cry even when I'm mad?

"Don't say that Armin," Eren warned. "Don't ever say that again."

"What do you want me to do, then? Lie? Would that make you feel better? Am I just here to lie to you, Eren?"

Eren was never very good with words, and he couldn't think of any at the time, so his last resort was to snatch Armin by his collar and pull him in close enough to see the desperate rage glowing in his eyes and the tiny glint of sunlight on his bared teeth.

"That's not Armin talking. I know Armin. He's smart and caring and-and he never lets anything keep him down. This isn't Armin. This is a coward. You need to wake up, because I'm not losing the real Armin to this."

"This is the real Armin," he spat back. "It's always been the real Armin. You've just been too stupid to realize."

Eren never thought he'd slap his best friend. Armin felt the side of his face that now burned like a brand mark.

"Don't you dare say that." Eren's words were choked with tears. "Don't you lose yourself now. You were the one who told me about the ocean. You were the one who told me about everything out there, everything beyond the titans and the walls. It was you. It was you."

The ocean. Something in Armin snapped back into place, like a fracture correcting itself in less than a second. He saw himself at ten, pointing at pictures of deserts and icebergs in his books, showing Eren what a penguin looked like. Someday we'll go there together. Someday we'll see everything.

"Eren I'm so sorry I'm so sorry I lied I lied I didn't mean it..." There was no stopping the tears now. "Don't hate me please don't I'll never again."

"I don't hate you, idiot," Eren wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and pulled Armin into a sloppy hug.

Armin's forehead burned against his shoulder. Christ, he had a fever to rival Hell's. No wonder he was acting strange.

"I'm sorry." Armin took deep, shivery breaths. "I should have never said that Eren it's not true. It's not true. I love-I mean."

They both froze. Eren looked down at his friend. His childhood friend. He and Mikasa were closer to him than anyone else on Earth. Closer than he could imagine anyone else ever becoming to him. Armin's blonde hair was wet with tears and a cold sweat Eren now realized came mostly from a fever.

What if he was really sick? What if he was dying?

What would he do? Could he ever see the ocean without him?

He couldn't stomach the thought. He couldn't even contemplate it. So he kissed him.

He was going to kiss him on the forehead, but it landed on his lips instead. It was going to be short, but it seemed to last forever, yet not long enough. It was a simple kiss, but it hinted at something less simple. Something complex and confusing to them both.

They both looked dazed when it ended.

"I guess I do too," Eren could barely speak.

"What... what was that?" Armin squeaked.

"I don't know, but you need an ice pack and some rest."

Eren busied himself with checking his 3-d maneuver gear, refusing to look Armin in the eye just yet. He'd have to carry him to the infirmary for sure. Part of him felt excited to do so. Uh.

"You have a fever," he said matter-of-fact. "I'll have to carry you back."

"Ok? Eren, what?" Armin touched his lips in amazement. What was that? Was that good? What did that mean?

Before he could ask again, Eren's arms were beneath his head and his knees, tucking him into a cradled position.

"I'm confused!" Armin stared at him with ocean-wide eyes. First kissing and now this?

"You're sick! What's to be confused about?" Eren peered out from under the bridge, waiting for an opportune moment to run.

"Are you going to do that again?" Armin clenched Eren's shirt.

"Do what?"

"The... that thing... that you did... with uh..."

"The kiss?" Eren asked as though it were another titan-hunting tactic. That maneuver? That kiss?

"Yes!"

"Oh, uh, maybe." He bounced on his heels, waiting for the right moment to make a run for it. "If you don't mind."

Armin stared, cast even further into shock. "I don't mind," he barely whispered.

"Good," Eren said.

The coast was clear. He aimed a grappling hook at the nearest building roof and prepared to fly.

Armin rested his head against Eren's chest and tried to contain his heartbeat, which was thundering with fever or elation or both.