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gl0rious-purpose · 3 years

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Slushies (Loki x Reader)

Summary: Every now and then, you and Loki would go and hang out with each other. This time you two got slushies at the park. However, your true intentions are exposed when Thor sees that yours and Loki's tongues are purple.

Word Count: 2103 Words

Warnings: Nothing, but fluffy kissing.

Author's Note: I tried to add as much details as I could before I edited this one shot. Apologies if it's not as good as the others. Please enjoy.

Tossing your empty slushee cup into a bin nearby in the common room, you slowly trudged to the couch. You picked up the pace in fear of collapsing on the floor. As you flopped onto the couch face first, a very heavy chuckle sounded out by you. Startled, but really not caring, you peeked one eye up from the couch cushions to see Thor laughing at you. Not sure whether to feel offended or confused, you sat up and just started at him with a questioning look – at least that's what you hoped it was. The God of Thunder cackled harder at your facial expression, proving your attempt had miserably failed.

"Thor, why on Earth are you laughing at me?" You challenged the god, eyes narrowing as you sat yourself to look at the god fully. You sat back and watched Thor try to regain control over himself before he bursted into another fit of laughter. Just as the next fit started, Bruce walked in and handed you water. He quizzically looked over to Thor then back to you. You shrugged your shoulders as you took a big gulp of water. Feeling the cool refreshment trickle down your throat, you gave yourself a satisfied smile before taking another gulp. This time, you felt it trickle down your windpipe before it hit your throat. The sudden liquid mixing with your oxygen sent you into a coughing fit, glass of water falling out of your hand on to the floor. The glass somehow shattered on the floor as water spilled everywhere. This happened to drag Thor out of his laughing spell, his face flashing with concern as he quickly got up and rushed next to you. Faint footsteps from upstairs indicated Loki was coming down from his room to see what the commotion was about. Oh gods... Don't let him see me like this. You pleaded the Norns, but to no avail. He had entered the room just as you went into another coughing fit, the forced air burning your throat. Bruce gently bent your sitting body over your knees and rubbed your back in hopes of calming you down. Slowly, you felt the sudden pressure dissipate as light coughs erupted from you here and there.

Bruce and Thor gently pushed you back up as Loki just stood in front of you all, clearly confused. His eyes trickled down to the floor that was saturated with tap water and glass shards. His eyes widened as he looked up – scanning you first before scanning the other two for injures. He'd never admit it, but Loki cared for everyone's safety. Despite the past.

"Y/N, can you open up so I can observe your throat real quick?" Bruce asked warily, eyeing your face for a reaction as he took out a small pen light. You simply cracked open your jaw and turned your face towards him as he shined the light slightly above himself. He looked around for a hot minute before turning the light off and raising his hand to your jaw, pushing on it lightly to indicate you could close your mouth. As you did, his eyebrows furrowed. Thor and Loki caught this as you simply just stared at him, waiting for the diagnosis.

"It looks like it's all fine. Water must've accidentally got caught in your windpipe." Bruce paused, face contorting into a confused expression. "However, I'm not entirely sure why your tongue is purple. I don't think it was from a reaction from the water..." Bruce's voice trailed off as he looked down, gears turning. Thor sat back, glancing at Loki. It would've appeared that the God of Mischief had froze, which would be ironic for his case in general. Thor peered at him, slightly confused. Loki's silver tongue shot out to wet his lips as he waited there, trying to not show any signs of distress. A glimmer of purple caught Thor's eyes and he jumped up, pointing at Thor. Startled by the reaction, everyone looked at him, anxious about what was about to happen.

"Banner, his tongue is purple too!" Thor exclaimed, still not understanding what was going on. Bruce looked over at Loki, pondering his next words carefully.

"Did you two hang out today?" You peered into each other's eyes for reassurance before nodding slowly.

"Alright, what did you guys do? Did you drink some type of purple dye?" This time, only you shook your head, implying that wasn't what you did.

"No, we drank slushies." You stared, innocence gleaming in your eyes. Bruce looked at you, expected more. Before you could elaborate, he cut you off with another inquiry.

"Wait, purple..slushies? I wasn't aware that they even made grape slushies." He questioned you, eyes darting over to Thor who had moved to sit back down, still eyeing his brother. The corners of your mouth turned up into a small grin, turning your face towards Bruce.

"No, silly! I had a blue slushee." Bruce blinked slowly at your response.

"And I had the red slushee." Loki jumped in, not realizing that he might've set you both up for failure. Banner's eyes glanced over at him before letting them drop as he took in the information.

"That doesn't make any sense." Thor exclaimed. Apparently they didn't teach color theory on Asgard. Bruce shot him a look as he put two and two together.

"Oh my god..." His voice dripping with realization, his eyes widened as he glanced over at you then at Loki and back to you. Thor was just sitting there watching the interaction, slowly understanding that blue and red make purple when combined. Thor stood up walking to the window, turning around to face you guys as he got ready to ask a question. Bruce moved to a seat across the room just in case something happened and Loki had sat down next to you, avoiding the glass on the floor.

"Y/N." Thor's stern voice made you look at him, his thick eyebrows furrowed at the situation.

"Y/N, what did you and my brother do today?"

"We went to the park." You answered, making your voice sound as confident as possible. If you believed in your answer as much as you said it, maybe they would believe it.

"And what did you do at the park?" Thor's eyebrows relaxed for a second before they raised, eyes looking right through you and your responses. You swallowed harshly before you decided to carry out the tale you had spun. It was only half-truths. Until now.

"We drank our slushies. Duh." Your matter-of-fact tone kind of felt forced, making Thor feel dubious about your answers.

"And then what did you do?" Faltering, your mouth opened and closed, not knowing how to respond. Beside you, Loki's mouth opened up and closed again like a fish gasping for air. Realizing you probably couldn't say 'Well, we tried each other's slushies' due to the fact your tongues were dark purple – which would mean you did drink a lot of each other's drink – you looked over to Loki as the other two stared at you.

"Do you think that's why our tongues are purple?" You whispered to him, not realizing the others could hear what you had said. Loki's head snapped towards yours, trying to shush you with a look.

"Shut up." Loki coughed, looking up at his brother and shooting him a cheshire grin. Rolling your eyes, you scoffed at him.

"I told you not to use tongue." The man next to you groaned, throwing his head against the back of the cough. Thor fake gagged at the image of you and Loki kissing, his tongue down your throat. Bruce just looked at you in horror. He didn't think that you of all people would kiss Loki, but you did. Thor walked off to get a towel and broom to clean up the mess infront of the couch, drawing Bruce out of his gaze on the both of you. He got up and followed Thor, leaving the two of you alone. With the two Avengers gone, the tension rose significantly. Loki groaned as he rubbed his hand against his face, before sitting back up and looking at you blankly.

"Oops?" You look at him sheepishly, not knowing what to say. He eyed you for a long time, not saying anything. The silence tricked your brain into thinking he was mad about what had happened and you looked away, taking in a shakey breath. Well, I blew it. You beat yourself up internally, turning your head away and closed your eyes. Cold fingers caught your jaw gently, turning your head back towards you. Your eyes fluttered open, centimeters away from Loki's face. Feeling your breathing hitch, you focused on his eyes, fearing for what was going to follow suit. He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. The air slowly blew over your face. It felt cool and smelled minty. How odd for a frost giant to emulate a breath mint. You chuckled at the thought, drawing a smile to the god's face.

"You're lucky I'm over the moon for you." Loki breathed, hand reaching further up and cupping your face. One of your brows raised, questioning his response. As an awkward silence fell upon you, you pressed your forehead to his, gazing deep into his eyes. I could admire him forever. You mentally noted, eyes slowly skimming his face. Loki's heart seem to pick up pace as you got closer, heart nearly pounding out of his chest. With how close you were to him, he pleaded the Norns to not let you feel what you were doing to him. At least, not right now. A god doesn't plead. Loki briskly thought as his pleas grew louder and louder at the back of his mind. But for you? He would beg for eternity. Watching deep in thought, you opened your mouth to inquire further, but he swiftly inclined his face more into your own, capturing your lips with his own. Melting into the kiss, you turned your body towards him, allowing him more access.

His other hand reached around your waist and pulled to closer to him, trying to get you as close as possible to him. Hand pressed firmly against the small of your back, he hungrily reached out and took your kiss-swollen bottom lip in between his teeth, biting down lightly before letting it drop back into is rightful place. As he did so, you let out an airy moan – one that was audible enough for the two of you to hear – muffled by Loki's lips. With your mouth open, Loki took advantage of the moment and slipped his tongue into your mouth, invading your own tongue's space. His smooth tongue plunged into your mouth, slithering around like an eel maneuvering through the ocean floor. The action blocked out all of your senses, overpowering them all as Loki's tongue sought an unreachable terminus near your uvula. You focused more on relaxing and allowing his tongue to thoroughly explore your mouth; it swirled around, it pulsated, and made contortive sweeps of your mouth’s vault: you certain that at least once it turned upside down. His chest was pressed against yours, feeling it slow it's heaving pace. The god recognized that you were probably in need of a deep breath, or at least moment to comprehend what had just happened.

As he slowly broke away from you, longing to imitate what had just happened, a very, throaty gag sounded by the door frame, makingboth of your eyes shoot open and darting towards the location. Thor gagged more as he walked away, muttering 'nope' several times as he abandoned Bruce who just looked at the two people on the couch, mouth gaping at what he had witness. Loki gave a sheepish smile as he laughed lightly, pressing his forehead to the side of your face, nuzzling is has laughter started to bubble out of you. Trying to give an apologetic look to the now leaving Bruce, you wrapped your arms around Loki's shaking form, clinging onto him like he would disappear.

"I can say without a doubt," you started, pausing to make sure you had Loki's attention. His head brushed against you like a sly cat looking for attention. "That was definitely better than what happened at the park." Tightening your grip around Loki, you pulled him closer. He hummed in response, agreeing that it was definitely better. Even though this was the first time a slushee had ratted out what you two do when alone, it was certainly worth what happened after.

And it sure as Hel wasn't going to be the last time it happened.

You can also read this fic here <3

#Loki #Loki x Reader #Slushies #Fluff #Thor #Bruce Banner #Purple Tongues #Kissing #Marvel #MCU #Marvel One Shots

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eremiie · 3 years

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broken promises

❥ angst | 3.9k words | eren x armin

❥ content: none. just pure heart break.

❥ the moment you’re born your soulmates words are etched into your skin, and the moment you meet them they disappear just as fast. so when eren meets armin why don’t his words go? and why does armin have to carry the weight of a wretched life on his shoulders? surely his fate is his fault.

this fic is a rendition of chapter 139! read at your own risk

this fic is for @mikaberries 4k collab event! my word was ‘broken promises’ and my ship was eremin! enjoy<3

ty to @arlerted for beta reading this fic!

"hey, why don't you put up a fight?"

those were the first words muttered to him.

"you're wrong! i'm not losing because i don't run."

those were the first words that made the black mark sprawled on eren's wrist begin to fade away, seeping from the tan skin and sprawling like dust onto the concrete he stood on.

the first words that made the blue of armin's eyes dazzle with interest, peering over his shoulder almost tumbling over to get a fresh look at what was holding eren's interest so well.

he knew what was holding eren's interest, he's seen it before with so many people close to him, he's heard stories from his grandparents. it couldn't be happening to him though? happening so soon? i mean he was just a kid, he—

"you're my soulmate..."

so if eren was his soulmate, why didn't the words disappear?

why were his first words to him not the ones scribbled on his skin?

nevertheless, armin wanted to grasp any hope presented to him. if eren was his soulmate he'd try his best to believe him. surely it was just a glitch in the system, maybe a phenomenon never discovered. but even then it didn't matter, because how eren's eyes gleamed at his bare wrist, eyes flicking from armin to his arm, to armin, it was all the confirmation armin needed.

still, on sleepless nights, when only the moonlight would beam through the window of the barracks leaving enough light for armin to peer down at the bare skin of eren's wrist and the words i promise on his own, he couldn't help but wonder if eren was really his.

his pale hand engulfs with eren's as eren drapes his arm over armin's waist. it was so welcoming. that same hand wraps him in blankets, it cups the soft skin of armin's cheek, it adjusts armin's ODM gear, it was the hand that armin, just by the way it moves so lovingly, would've suspected belongs to his soulmate.

it couldn't have been a mistake, mistakes with things like this just didn’t happen.

"i'm yours." eren's voice would grumble against the nape of armin's neck, breath fanning over the new goosebumps formed, and hand squeezing armin's a little tighter.

armin's breath hitches, swallowing his spit before adjusting himself until he was facing eren.

his eyes were so beautiful in the dim light. armin could admire every speck of blue that would dance across the green canvas, every slight glimmer of gold that reminds armin of eren's mother. it reminds him of the same glimmer that dropped onto the cold concrete when eren was deemed his.

eren blinks, once or twice, armin can't remember because his mind drifts farther than he wants, and untangles their hands, bringing one up to armin's cheek.

it's wet, a fresh tear falling from the corner of armin's eye that eren brushes away with the pad of his thumb.

when armin leans back to give eren a one over, he doesn't remember when eren’s hair got longer, when his eyes became so dull, or when his smile became a permanent pout.

his soulmate isn't supposed to be his and he lets the thought pull him away from reality more often than not. no matter how many times eren could repeat how they were meant to be it would never feel right.

there was a barrier in between them that kept armin farther away from eren than he wanted to be. a barrier that armin pounded against, aching to break and release him from the solemn thoughts that clouded his brain.

when eren wipes another tear that shines against armin's cheek, he pushes forward on the bed, pressing his forehead against armin's and closing his eyes so armin can't see them anymore.

the simple touch, the simple gesture brings armin back to reality and he can feel that familiar longing in the pit of his stomach, the furrow in eren's brow, and the newfound wetness of his cheek.

he doesn't mean to press his forehead so hard against eren's, but the closer he is to him, the more he can feel the warmth of eren's skin. he can silence the storm inside of him. maybe if he tries hard enough and sticks close to eren that barrier would break, at least crack.

eren's palm brings armin as close as possible by the back of his head until he can feel armin breathing on his chin. armin could tell eren that he wasn't meant for him over and over again, but there was no mark on his wrist anymore, no sign that screamed armin wasn't his in his eyes. as long as his skin was a clean slate, as long as he could spend restless nights with his lover, days laying in each other's arm's under the tree as they stared at the wall longing for freedom, armin belonged to him.

"will you still be mine when you leave for marley?" he cuddles closer to eren, hands sat against his lover’s chest as he takes pleasure in his presence.

eren reluctantly nods his head and presses armin closer, a soft press of his lips to armin's nose.

"i'll still be yours."

"and you'll—"

"i'll still be yours. until we see the rest of the world together; the flaming water, frozen plains, and snowfields of sand."

armin stifles noise and sinks down from where he was against eren’s forehead until his head is in the fabric of eren's shirt, hands grabbing at the cotton so tight that eren's afraid he might tear it.

eren's shirt is getting wet but he doesn't mind. he wants to cry too.

instead, he lets his thumb smooth over the same strands of blonde hair he plaits while sitting in a field of campanulas, and lets his hand lightly ruffle the tresses he watches armin toy with, contemplating if he should cut them or not.

the next time he sees armin they're cut.

the next time armin sees eren, his eyes are duller than that night they were tangled in each other's arms.

armin barely says a word to eren on the airship, there was nothing to be said. nothing to be said when sasha died, her blood staining the wood of the ship. nothing to be said after the conversation at the table, armin's blood being wiped away by the damp cloth in mikasa's hand.

he never had a voice like eren, but when he screams at him on the floor where he sits around shards of broken glass and spilled wine as mikasa tries to get him to stand, he uses eren's own voice against him— words so passionate and spat like venom at eren that he has no choice but to turn around for a mere second.

someone who could kill so plainly and drag his loved ones along, not shedding a single tear as he goes, didn't seem like the soulmate set for armin.

but the way eren turns around, a snarl on his face that juxtaposes the gloss of a limpid tear in his eye— for a second, just for a second armin thinks otherwise.

and when he looks down at his wrist, "i promise." still haunting him, he wishes the world was kind.

ᝰ

armin slams the door behind himself, leaving mikasa alone in the gloomy storage room.

it was his fault a darkened cloud was hanging over the room, his outburst at mikasa wasn't her fault— but how could she even think about eren with all the peril happening?

his breathing is heavy and the sounds of titans are right next to his ears, pounding and stomping their way across the ocean, across the world. it was so noisy, the screams outside, people running from falling debris. he wishes the noise would cease for only a moment so he could gather his thoughts.

armin wipes at his eyes in hopes that it would stop the way his vision begins to blur. he stumbles backward using his free hand to steady himself once he hits the brick wall behind him.

truth being, no matter how little the thought was he was thinking about eren too.

he pulls at his sleeve to further hide his wrist, teeth-gritting as he fails to hold back tears that slip from his eyes and onto the floor he stood on. they decorate the stone floors in lovely splotches, darkening the grey and creating spots that'd disappear with time. but, as long as armin kept crying the least likely the evidence would simply "disappear".

"i'm tired." his voice cracks and like a broken dam tears begin to flow free, sliding down his cheeks as his skin begins to flush. he knows he can't stop them now. he can't stop the thoughts in his head or the tears staining his cheeks. he wishes to relax and be at the ocean again, staring across the waves where he finally got a taste of what freedom was before it was snatched away again. "i hate this."

no matter how hard he wipes at them, they're never-ending. why does he have to be the boy whocries? who can't defend himself, the boy with the burden placed on him, the boy with no soulmate. "i hate this, i hate this."

his knees buckle and he allows himself to slide down the wall, ODM gear clinking as it hits the floor, the wall rough as it scrapes against the material of his shirt. it's easier to block out the cries of terror outside and instead bury himself in his hands to cry for someone to release him from this stress.

he's tired of the wrenching in his heart, thoughts being solely on the one he thought was destined for him. no matter how hard he tries to think of what was most important his mind can't help but wander back to calm nights with eren. what could've been and what he wished became.

how did he fall in love with someone so wretched? and how did they make him so wretched?

his sniffles are the only thing he can hear and his tears decorate the sleeves of his shirt— just like he decorated eren's the last night his arms cradled him close.

"i hate you. i hate that we have to kill you— you're," a sob breaks his sentence, but he's thankful for it because he didn't want to finish it anyway. the next words to come out wouldn't have been true. they would've just been a fit of anger and sadness that clawed at his heart, twisting it between its grasp and trying its best to break the little hope armin had left.

"we have to kill you." is what he says instead.

what was he doing? there was no time to sob, no time to cry over someone like eren. he would heed the words he told mikasa— there was no time to think about eren, he was a lost cause.

armin unsteadily picks himself off the ground, adjusting the gear around his waist and using the back of his hand to wipe stray tears. he's lucky no one came through or went out the doors— it would've just been another open performance of his weakness and it'd be proof that erwin was the one who should've been chosen that day.

he would let eren go and he would do what he had to do to save the people around him, it was the least he could do after erwin's death.

ᝰ

when his titan is standing in front of eren's colossal titan those words mean nothing.

it's the adrenaline that tames the pull on his heart. he's so close yet so far— his soulmate, no eren, is right there but here he was doing all he could to stop him.

there's no time to relish in the past, although it flashes in the back of his head. loose memories of what eren was and the monster he’s become.

he wants to remember eren's rough palms against his cheeks again, his natural warmth he radiates while he pulls armin close as possible. but he pushes the memories to the back of his head— they were nothing but an echo now.

he has to give it his all because he's sure eren isn't thinking the same way as him.

the mosaic of him holds pieces of eren in it and it was evident by the flicker of eren's passion in his eyes when he stares him down, fists raised and only a murmur of "why did it turn out this way?" leaving trembling lips.

when he throws a heavy arm at eren it's like it all happens in slow motion; first, a pounding in his skull, causing him to close his eyes at the twinge, then a burst of light flashing over his eyes, and albeit how they stayed close a blanket of white drops over his vision.

he loses his balance and wonders if eren has knocked him out yet, until he lands on a hard surface. the pale sand is grainy under his hands and for some reason, his mind is blank. the soft whirring of what sounded like wind whips past his ears. he's calm.

armin flutters doe eyes open, adjusting to the brightness of the light in front of him. it was oddly familiar. purples, blues, and greens surrounded the striking light— and the longer he stares forth, the more it reminds armin of a tree whose branches reach for the sky. he's mesmerized. this must be what space is— stars adorning the black mural, as rays of colorful light burst over the top of armin like pops of fire being sent into the sky.

it's beautiful, and armin's reminded of earth, of the comfort of life— even in the walls. maybe this was what he believed was on the other side of the walls when he was younger, and if he sat in front of his younger self and explained the sight in front of him, telling him this is what was out there, he was sure he would've believed it.

"armin."

the blonde whips his head around, meeting a face his memories know so well.

eren's skin is illuminated by the light of paths, a gleam in such familiar green eyes that he only ever thought he'd see in his dreams. his hands are pocketed and his hair is free, laying gently against the side of his face. bags pull at the skin below his eyes and a tired smile graces his face as he puts a hand out for armin to grab.

armin wants to grab it but he recoils, scrambling to stand up on his own and dusting the sand from his hands. his eyebrows are furrowed and he's scowling at eren as he crosses his arms.

he doesn't know what to say— he doesn't know where he is. he's still mad at eren, he can't just take him to a dream-like place and think everything is okay. he's killed so many people, he's dragged his friends into what could only be described as hell, and eren didn't know the toll he put on armin's life. he couldn't just waltz into it, destroy everything, and expect armin to just talk to him again.

armin seems to always be too caught up in his thoughts because when eren's palm– that's still as warm as he remembers– presses him to eren's chest it takes him a moment too long to realize. the ends of eren's hair that graze armin's nose is something he'd never thought he'd feel again.

eren shouldn't be hugging him, but he can't push him off— it hurts.

it hurts when eren's stray tears hit the top of his head and it hurts when eren clings to armin like he'll disappear if he lets go. the cries of "i'm sorry," are all armin can hear as eren sinks to the floor in front of him, weeping tears of agony and years of pain that he was never able to share.

eren knows he caused everyone pain, and he knows what he's done is unforgivable, and although he's caused everyone so many tears, eren needs to be the boy who cries this time.

armin shudders, impending sobs trying to wrack his body. his hand cups his mouth as he drops to his feet as well. when eren glances up at him with woeful eyes, he can paint a picture with those blue flecks and glimmers of gold that he finally gets to see again. he sighs shakily and turns his head away from eren in fear of the tears he was trying to blink back from falling.

armin lets eren explain himself.

he lets eren reduce him to a complete sobbing mess. all these months of asking himself why was all summed up to him, the only question being left unanswered being why he still had words slapped across his wrist. he doesn't dare to ask about it— he's sure he already knows the answer.

"so... you're going to die?" armin asks hesitantly, scrunching particles of sand in between his hands.

"i have to. i have to atone somehow."

it's the words armin knows would slip from eren's mouth but not the words armin wants to hear. leaning forward he places his hands on eren's shoulders, a pleading look across the ocean that was his eyes. at least that's how eren would describe it.

"but maybe there's a way we can fix this!"

eren gives armin a small smile, placing his hands over armin's so gently. "armin... you think i'll be free like you once all this is over?"

armin's pleading expression fades and is replaced by a dejected one, his lips falling and his eyebrows turning upwards. "eren..."

eren pulls armin close to him, hand in his hair once more, tangling through the blonde strands and burying his nose into them. they smell just how he remembered, even with how short his hair was now— like fresh linen and the smell of the ocean that lingers even after only one visit.

"eren," his eyes screw as he bawls into eren's shoulder while wrapping his arms around him. "but you promised."

armin pulls away just as fast when the thought hits him. he grabs eren's wrist and pulls it from his hair. "you promised! you said we'd see the flaming water... the... the frozen plains and the snowfields of sand! you promised!"

eren shakes his head profusely, more tears being shed as his hands come up to cup armin's own wet face.

armin's vision is obscured by his own tears and he rests his head in the palm of eren's head, indulging in the feeling because he won't get to feel it again.

he'll remember the intimacy he shared with eren from hearing his heartbeat in his ears as he laid against his chest to tracing the skin of eren's arm to lull himself to sleep. it wasn't fair that it had to be like this. that it had to be a mere reflection of what was, but it was his fault for being so gullible.

from the day he was still left with such a taunting mark he should've known that if his mark was still etched on his wrist, eren being his soulmate wasn't tangible. he should've left well enough alone and accepted his fate, met his soulmate years from that day and lived the life he was meant to live.

maybe then he wouldn't be stuck in what was a cruel form of torture, a life that lead to show him his karma of being so greedy— of trying to hold onto whatever was sent his way. he wasn't even supposed to be here right now.

yet, here he was, eren pressing his lips to armin's forehead, both of his cheeks, his nose and then a last tender one to his lips. although armin struggles to reciprocate them, eren can understand that they were received.

"you go, and you see all of those things without me because even when i'm not here the freedom you're granted is proof of me."

shaky hands reach to place themselves over eren's. "you promised."

"i'm sorry."

"eren, you—"

"i'm sorry."

to armin, it was confirmation that him and eren weren't meant to be. soulmates just weren't like this. he wouldn't have his mark, there wouldn't be so much hurt, and the promise eren shared with him would've been fulfilled.

armin refused to believe that his soulmate is eren.

he couldn't wonder who would come after eren when someone like eren existed. he couldn't fathom who else would put their life on the line like eren did not only for him but for everyone around him. who else would fight like eren did, all for selfless reasons.

whoever was eren’s true soulmate has to be the saddest yet happiest person on earth, to have a destined one like eren yet never be able to acknowledge him.

he'd come to terms with eren's fate, and he'd move on— after all what he thought was his fate was never meant to be.

eren pulls armin to a standing position and using the sleeve of his coat he wipes both him and armin's faces.

"i love you."

armin takes in eren's features, noting them down so he'd be able to remember them forever— even after he's gone.

"i love you too."

stepping forward, eren takes armin's hand in his own. "i'll be with you every step you take away from those walls and i'll be with you everywhere you visit."

it's hard to hear, but armin still manages to nod his head.

"i promise."

eren and everything around him begins to fade. he's trying to piece him together in his mind— create a solid memory to cherish forever.

the world around him fades and he's back on a sad dirt ground, palms stabling him as he begins to get up, mikasa walking towards him with the remnants of eren in her hands.

when he reaches for eren's head, it's only then he notices the words that his eyes used to linger back to every few hours are gone.

armin didn't realize when the words on his arm began to faintly glow and bleed because at the same time he was picking pieces of eren up and placing them together to create a firm picture that he wouldn't forget.

pale skin was the only thing left in its path— and when his eyes flit back to eren he sees his soulmate. for the first time he's sure of it.

“paths...” armin mutters to himself as his hand smooths over the cooling skin of eren’s face.

this eren existed in paths where time is nonlinear— speaking armin words for what could have been the first as long as he continued to reside in them. “he said it in paths…” he says shakily, and he winces at his own voice.

time wasn’t linear in such a void, and eren had spoken the short sentence on his wrist into existence long before armin knew.

eren was his soulmate.

his soulmate who he was supposed to see the world with; flaming water, frozen plains, and snowfields of sand.

his soulmate who set him free yet he'd rather be chained to for the rest of his life if it meant he could wake up with him everyday.

his soulmate who he doubted so heavily, transfixed on two words that plagued his whole being.

his soulmate who didn't even know broke his heart, broke their promise.

"you promised."

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