Memories

Chapter 4

Winter 1935

It had been three weeks since Eren had last seen Armin.

The university exams had consumed Armin entirely. He was buried in his studies, day and night, leaving no time for his secret boyfriend.

Eren, on the other hand, had all the time in the world. After high school, he had chosen to pursue a career as a guitarist. He played small gigs here and there—not much, but enough to put food on the table and pay the rent for his modest one-bedroom apartment in Berlin.

He was going stir-crazy, desperate to call Armin from a payphone or send him a thousand letters asking how he was and when they'd finally have time together. But he knew how grueling medical school was, and how important these exams were for Armin's future. So, Eren tried to distract himself with songwriting and working out.

As he was in the middle of a small workout, someone rang his doorbell. Not bothering to put on a shirt, assuming it was just his neighbor asking for some sugar or salt, he opened the door and began to speak.

"Hi, Miss Sato, how are you? How can I help you today?"

"Do I look like an old Japanese lady to you?" said the person standing in front of Eren. "And aren't you ashamed of answering the door shirtless? Imagine if I were some businessman trying to hire you."

"Armin?" Eren was shocked. He grabbed Armin and pulled him into the apartment, immediately kissing him. But then reality hit him. "What are you doing here? Don't you have exams?"

"I finished them, Yeager. I had the last one today. And before you ask, they went fairly well. I wouldn't say I aced them, but I think I did good enough."

"I just know you did amazing. It's who you are," Eren replied, pulling Armin onto his lap. "Honestly, I was so bored without you, I almost thought about killing myself. But since I know you can't live without me, I decided to learn how to crochet instead."

"Oh wow, my boyfriend's a handyman now. I'm so proud. You're almost becoming the perfect stay-at-home grandmother," Armin laughed.

"Hey, crochet is a really manly skill, and it's incredibly difficult. But that's not the point... I made something for you." Eren stood up and went to the other room.

He came back with a big red scarf.

"Oh, Eren, you made this for me?" Armin's eyes welled up with tears.

"I noticed you didn't have a scarf, and I thought you'd need one since it's freezing outside," Eren said shyly.

Armin cupped Eren's face and pulled him in for a kiss. Eren's hand found Armin's waist, and they kissed for a long while.

Summer 1939

Eren received a letter from the government, summoning him to join the army. Germany was preparing to invade Poland, and it seemed Eren would be one of the "lucky" men to help make Germany great again.

Tomorrow, Eren would leave for training. He had decided to spend his last day with Armin. They were curled up together in Eren's bed while Armin traced the freckles on Eren's skin.

"You're so pretty," Eren murmured.

"Am I?" Armin whispered back, not meaning to say it out loud, not wanting to seem like he was fishing for compliments.

"Yes, you are. The prettiest in the whole world."

"Well, you haven't seen everyone in the world, so how can you say that?"

"A beautiful person is someone who is true to themselves, who loves and is loved. And that's who you are," Eren said, running his fingers through Armin's hair.