Chapter Text
Sitting together on the floor, both Jean and Armin laid their arms over their stomachs. Stuffed to the point they wanted to burst, their dinner with their parents was more than fulfilling. Armin’s parents and Jean’s mother had left only an hour ago after another extended conversation full of laughter and promises. With the sudden peace in their home, their surplus dinner and dessert truly began to hit the couple.
“I think I’m in a food coma right now,” Jean slurred.
“Ditto,” Armin mumbled.
Well, their home wasn’t entirely silent once their parents had left; holiday music sang on Jean’s newly received record player, and the sounds of clumsy paws smashed torn wrapping paper. Beneath their decorated tree, a fluffy, blue merle, Australian Shepherd pranced about on trashed wrapping paper and ribbons.
Yawning without covering his mouth, Jean’s head lolled to his shoulder. He stared at Sea-sea whose nubby wiggled with undeniable excitement while he stomped and bit at the paper and bows. The puppy he had surprised Armin with was making himself right at home and it caused him to smile.
“Babe?”
“Yes, darling?”
“Merry Christmas.”
Closing his eyes with a wide smile, they slowly opened for the sight before him. He stared at silly Sea-sea and Armin eventually held his hands out to his puppy. For years he had hinted and hoped for a dog. Ever since he was a child, the blonde had dreamt of a companion that he could play with, whisper secrets to, and distract him from racing thoughts. Sadly, his family couldn’t afford a canine companion, so Armin never got to experience growing up with a dog at his side.
“Merry Christmas, Jean,” Armin replied sweetly. Cradling his gifted puppy in his arms, he giggled when an eager tongue and baby teeth caught his chin. Twiddling his fingers at Sea-sea, his voice hinted with a curious sort of tone. “This is the eleventh time you’ve told me that today, you know? Do you still have tricks up your sleeve or something? You repeat yourself when you’re nervous.”
“I’m not nervous,” Jean lied. Frowning from finally being caught, he sat straight. The taller man leaned sideways and he pressed his side into Armin’s to keep himself grounded. Staring at pink and black toes that swatted with determination for the blonde’s fingers, his gaze steadily fell sideways for that handsome face.
Lifting his head, the blonde turned it towards his boyfriend. He decided to take the lead and confessed what he was feeling at that moment. “I think I should be the one who should be nervous here.”
“Why?” Jean questioned. His gaze sharpened with hinting curiosity.
It was unlike his partner to confess what he truly felt random- especially when it was one of worry. Jean was able to read him most of the time, with his subtle expression changes or body reactions (like a twitch of his fingers, his brows raising, or the way his nose would flare), but it was difficult to seek out when the man was nervous. Armin hid it too well unlike himself when it involved hiding something from his partner.
Lowering his chin, he brought Sea-sea against his chest. Kissing the puppy on the head, Armin’s arms grew slack and he watched their bundle of joy hop away and beneath the tree again. Sucking in a slow breath, his lips curved into a light smile of both excitement and anxiety.
“I have one more gift to give you.”
“Really? You’re holding out on me, babe? Shame on you,” Jean tried to tease. Cocking his head, he watched his boyfriend lean forward and onto all four. The blonde snuck his hand between branches and suddenly he noticed a black envelope was hidden among their twinkling lights, ornaments, and strung tinsel.
“Sort of?” Armin chuckled. Settling back down on the floor, his thumbs rubbed along the dark envelope he had personally sorted together. Keeping his hands on his lap, Armin steadily allowed the envelope to lean sideways and towards his boyfriend. “Do you remember that one case I dealt with last year? The one that involved that mall strip being split evenly between the divorcees?”
“Oh, yeah. I remember that one. That was a weird ass case you dealt with. What about it? Is the husband wanting to take his ex-husband's side of the mall now?” He wondered. Taking hold of the envelope, Jean slowly began to peel it open for the contents inside.
“No. The one who gifted me a bottle of wine as a thank-you gift reached out to me recently. He’s still very thankful for how I handled their sticky situation and he offered something I couldn’t possibly refuse. I took advantage of it to give you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Armin hinted. His voice was calm and quiet, something that encouraged Jean to grow even more inquisitive of the envelope. Feeling his heart quicken with that familiar thumping of prickling nervousness mixed with excitement, Armin’s eyes never fell away from his boyfriend’s face.
Pulling the folded papers out, Jean flicked them open and he began to read the contract. His brows steadily knitted together and his eyes began to speed across the neatly written letter. The longer he delved further into the heartfelt note, the weaker his jaw grew. Jean’s eyes widened and his lips fell away from one another when he realized what was exactly offered to him. Stunned, he forced himself to speak his jumbled thoughts.
“S-six months of-? Armin, we can’t afford this! Like, sure, you’re a fantastic fucking divorce lawyer, but almost all of your money goes to-”
“Jean, he struck me a deal. He’ll lease the space for more than half the cost to us for six months. The man was more than happy to hear that my boyfriend is an aspiring artist who will bring customers to his half of the mall strip,” he gently interrupted. Shifting to kneel beside his partner, Armin grabbed his arms so he could shake them just enough for reality to grip Jean. “Darling, you have somewhere to sell your art. You have a place where people can walk in and admire your talent in person instead of only online. Jean, you have a place where you don’t have to worry about moving your stuff around. You have a place to call your own for your job now.”
He shook his head in utter belief. His heart was racing like some wild fireworks on a drunken holiday and Jean felt the corner of his eyes sting with threatening tears. “Baby, I don’t deserve something as marvelous as this. I-I don’t know if I’ll receive the same traction as I do online and-”
“I had a feeling you’d say that.”
“You fucking didn’t,” Jean exhaled, knowing those words meant there was more.
Not helping himself to laugh from his reaction, Armin began to thumb through the short stack of papers. Slipping one out, he laid it on top so Jean could read it. “With my connections, I was able to contact Bertholdt and he said he’d be more than happy to blog about your upcoming place. These are the types of questions he wants answered, along with the location of your place, and photos of everything displayed. You’re all set in stone, Jean. When the new year comes, we’ll pick up your key to the place and I’ll help you with the layout. What do you-”
Dropping the priceless envelope, Jean tackled his boyfriend in a tight hug. He buried his face in the crook of his neck and not even bothering to react while Armin tensed, they both fell flat on the floor. Ruined wrapping paper, bows, and their clumsy puppy surrounded the pinned blonde. Armin began to laugh joyously from the flurry of licks on his face while Jean strangled his midsection.
“I don’t know how I’ll ever thank you. I don’t know how I’ll ever thank that guy. This- this is a dream come true for me, Armin. I’ve been saving up for so long and you just decided to beat me to it. Fuck, I’m so in love with you that it’s driving me insane!” Jean cheered. Cupping his face, he captured his boyfriend in a heated kiss. Scrunching his nose, the pinned blonde began to squeal against his lips when Sea-sea desperately tried to push between their faces.
“Sea-sea! No more kisses from you!” Armin chuckled when a furry face shoved its way between theirs.
“Yeah, it’s my turn to kiss Armin. Back off,” he playfully growled. Wrapping his arms around the blonde's head to shield them both, his shoulders scrunched forward when paws slapped at any crevice between them. Teeth even dared to tug at his hair, but he didn’t mind the immaturity of their puppy.
Blindly reaching an arm out, it curled around their quivering ball of fur and he pressed the puppy into their sides. Sharing a few more kisses, each and every single one long and passionate, Jean pulled back just enough for their eyes to meet. Armin’s dazzling eyes shimmered with satisfaction while Jean mirrored it with blunt happiness.
“Do you like your gift? Do you know what you’re going to name your place yet?”
“Do I like it? I fucking love it! As for a name, you already know what it is!” Jean whispered. Huffing a breath, he lightly rolled his eyes with a growing grin. “You know, you surprised me with a pretty damn big thing. I don’t think your last gift will surpass what you did tonight…”
He gasped at the news of receiving another wonderful gift that day. “So you do have something else! I knew it! What is it?!”
“Don’t rush me!” Jean mumbled. Feeling his cheeks warm with a dark blush, the sharp-eyed man turned his head away. He steadily lifted his much larger body off of his boyfriend, but he continued to kneel over his legs. That earlier nervousness caught up to him from Armin’s question and he awkwardly cleared his throat.
Sea-sea crawled on top of Armin and flopped on his stomach. Panting with his nubby slowing, the puppy began to tire once again. The couple laid their hands on his fluffy body and they sweetly ran their fingers through his fur. The canine was going to be loved and spoiled.
“I was going to wait for New Year’s, but since Connie invited everyone over for a party, I know damn well I won’t be able to give it to you then. Everyone is too nosy, and noisy, and can’t keep their mouths shut,” Jean began. Cupping the side of Sea-sea’s face, he chuckled at the sight of his fluttering lashes. “Here, let me put him in his crate while I go find your last gift.”
“Okay,” Armin murmured. Eventually, he stood from his spot when Jean slipped off of him. Adjusting his clothes, the blonde chuckled while he thought about their rambunctious friend. “Talking about Connie, I remember last year when Ymir tried proposing to Historia the second it struck midnight. I had never seen that man more terrified in his life when he accidentally slipped what was going to happen at that party.”
Jean snorted from the hysterical memory, but he didn’t say anything in response. Pressing a kiss to Sea-sea’s soft head, he lovingly thumbed at his cheek while he made his way across the room. Before he slipped their sleepy puppy inside his crate, Jean secretly reached out and dug beneath a pile of toys at the entrance. He had hidden something there earlier while Armin was distracted by their parents.
Watching after his boyfriend who cradled their bundle of joy close to his chest, his smile softened from an intruding thought of Jean doing just that with their child. A human child of course, but he knew that wouldn’t happen for a couple more years. Armin was finally making his mark in his career and he had plans to open his law firm in the next year or so. And of course, Jean was just stepping into his own business inside a physical building. For now, Sea-sea would give them experience while they worked their way forward for something more.
“Hey, Armin? I think Sea-sea has fleas,” Jean lied.
He frowned steadily, a brow raised in suspicion. Staring at his boyfriend’s back, Armin tried reading him from his body posture. Continuing to kneel on the floor, the taller man’s head was held low while he “inspected” their tired puppy.
“Since when did your mom’s place have fleas?” Armin finally questioned. Walking forward, he made his way closer to his boyfriend to inspect the puppy in turn.
Armin then froze when Jean turned around. The taller man continued to kneel and his chest puffed out with any remaining confidence he had gathered for this very moment.
Jean’s heart was rapidly racing in his chest and his breaths were a little out of sync. Holding Sea-sea close to his chest, he carefully wrapped a large, red bow around the puppy’s neck.
But within that bow that was present on the puppy earlier during the day, with the twinkling lights from their tree lighting the majority of the living room, he spotted something glimmering back in response.
“Armin Arlert,” Jean began. A pale blush kissed beneath his cheeks and he admired the way his boyfriend’s eyes grew wide with realization. “If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be where I am now. You helped me when I needed someone most in high school and I know there are not enough words in the world to tell you how much your kindness, sharp tongue, and cleverness meant to me at that time. I was a fool back then, but there you were guiding me to a successful path where I could explore my interests and become the man I am now.”
“I’m so glad I can call you mine, in the same way, you can claim me as yours. This is well overdue since our friends and especially our parents have been hinting about us deepening our relationship, so let me ask you… will you marry me? Will you continue to stay at my side, through thick and thin, and see where our future will lead us? I promise to tell you every day that I love you, I promise to keep you warm during the coldest nights, and I promise to cook you the best meals humankind has ever known.”
“Yes! A thousand times yes I’ll marry you!”
With utmost care, he laid Sea-sea in his crate. Taking hold of the ring, Jean guided Armin’s hand closer and he slipped it on his finger without issue. Opening his arms, he pushed off of the ground and brought his fiance into a swinging hug. Chuckling with pure relief from his answer, Jean’s smile mirrored Armin’s wide, undeniably ecstatic one.
“Gosh, Jean! I love you so much! You’ve spoiled me rotten today!” Armin cried. Keeping his arms tight around broad shoulders, the blonde pressed his cheek against his fiances. “You hid this well, you know?”
“Good! It’s difficult to surprise you with things!” He chuckled. Feeling pride captured him whole, he grinned with victory.
“I’m going to become Arlert-Kirstein!”
Jean’s grin softened and those threatening tears from his gifted envelope grew thicker from Armin’s announcement. Continuing to hug him close, he steadily leaned down till the blonde’s feet landed back on the ground. Kissing his forever red-tipped nose, Jean released the softest of content chuckles.
“Yes. Yes, you will. And I’ll become Kirstein-Arlert.”
The snow was thick outside. Decorations were lit aglow. Families, friends, and individuals kept themselves company on a day when sharing warmth, love, and happiness was meant to be exchanged on such a lovely holiday. The new year was right around the corner and most were excited to start another chapter in their lives.
Jean and Armin, through the years of falling for each other deeper and harder, faced something life-changing that night. They were intertwining their lives even more with thoughts of a set future together as husband and husband, with their adorable little Sea-sea at their side. Plenty more days and nights full of Armin’s divorce stories, Jean's breathtaking art pieces, and dates that involved hot cocoa, snuggles, and lazy mornings were set in stone for the couple who wanted to grow old together.