At This Old Coffee Shop // Jearmin

14. Welcome Home

Jean and Armin walked hand-in-hand out of the apartment complex as Armin spoke out.

"So, where are we going exactly?" he asked.

Jean gulped, "Your parents house."

Silently, Armin slipped his hand out of Jean's and stopped dead in his tracks. He hasn't seen his parents in a year, or at least since the incident with his father. "I'm not going there," he protested in a monotone voice.

"Armin," Jean said softly, "you're going to have to go if you want your birth certifi-"

"No, I'm not going back. Not after what my dad did."

Jean sighed and walked back towards his angered boyfriend, "I talked to your mom this morning, while you were in the shower."

Armin looked towards the ground, he obviously felt hurt, upset, and possibly bit betrayed.

"You'll be okay, he doesn't live there anymore."

He continued looking at the ground, following a dead, frozen leaf dance across the frosted sidewalk. "What do you mean?" Armin mumbled through his teeth.

"Caroline and him are filing for divorce, so he lives in the next town over."

The blond slowly adverted his glistening eyes from the ground towards Jean. "Then let's go see my mom."

Jean locked his warm hand and Armin's freezing one together and walked down the road.

~~~

It was about a ten minute walk from their apartment to his parent's house, but it was worth the walk after seeing how Caroline's eyes exploded with emotion when she laid eyes on her son. When she did open the door her pale blue eyes lit up with such intensity as the night sky would and her nude lips curved up into a never ending smile, that could turn today's bitter weather into a day at the beach. She pulled Armin closer to her and wrapped him in a long, warm embrace.

"I thought I'd never see you again," she breathed out, pushing back tears.

"It's okay, mom," Armin replied, "I'm here now."

She let go of Armin and turned towards Jean. Pulling him into a hug as well, she said, "It's nice to see you again too. Have you been treating Armin well?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"That's great," she answered, pleased. "Oh please, come inside before you two freeze to death."

The two walked in through the front door, confronted with the welcoming smell of cinnamon. God, do I miss coming here , Armin thought briefly before his train of thought was interrupted.

"What made you two want to stop by after almost year?" his mom asked, maneuvering to the kitchen to get them a drink of coffee.

"Well actually," Jean began, only to be cut off by Armin.

"We wanted to see if you still had my birth certificate," he blurted out.

"Oh, I still do. Why do you need it all of the sudden?" she asked innocently, passing out the mugs.

"I'm applying for a new job, and I need identification, I would use a driver's license, but I never got my permit," Armin laughed nervously, bring his hand up to the back of his neck.