Archive of Our Own

It didn't matter what Armin was doing; If it was raining, he was outside. He'd drop everything he was doing, leave everything behind, and run outside to feel the downpour.

Today was one of the good ones, a storm that came hard and fast and showed no signs of stopping for a long, long time. It would likely rain all day and night, straight into the next morning. The last time it rained was nearly a month ago; Armin needed this.

He loved how cold the water was, and no, despite what many of his friends and family said? Taking a shower with clothes on was not at all the same. 

Out here, with the wind forcing the rain to change direction, change intensity, it was a completely different kind of soaked. It was being able to see just barely. Clothes ready to sag right off his own body, yet still clinging tightly to his skin, as the rain could only do so much.

The intimidating silence between the shine of lightning in the clouds and the thunder clapping. The deafening static of trees bending in the wind, leaves being assaulted by thousands of raindrops, and water rushing in rivers on the edges of streets. 

No candle could ever capture the way the world smelled when it rained, in any season. Showers and sprinklers would never replicate the temperature. The sound could never be captured and replayed authentically. Like a sunset, there was nothing that could compare to the real thing.

Armin could only get this here, and there was no promise that it would be back soon. Each time it rained, it was always different. How could he ever pass it up?

He'd walk aimlessly through the neighborhood for hours, whenever possible. 

Sure, this made him strange, and he'd been asked a few too many times by well-meaning neighbors, from the safety of their homes and cars, if he'd needed any help. Every time it was the same: Smile, wave, and a polite "no thank you". 

Maybe they'd leave him be if he brought an umbrella. Armin couldn't give up the feeling of water rushing down his face, though. The way it overwhelmed his short eyeslashes, and his eyes squinted and almost stung at the prolonged exposure.

Armin always got to be truly alone out here, with no one to bother him and no one for him to force a wave or a greeting to. No, while the rain poured, Armin could truly be at peace. The world entirely to himself. 

Except, for today.

He was stunned, and he froze as he realized the figure he was walking towards, motionless there at the end of the street, was a person.

Jaw lowered in shock, eyes narrowed with concentration, Armin walked slowly forward. "H-hello?"

They turned, their small blue umbrella leaning back as if to give him a better view. "Oh.... Hi." The man's head was almost completely dry: Evidence they hadn't been caught out in the weather.

Both of them stared at each other at the end of the street, a bend in the road. They were only a few feet apart, and they wordlessly took each other in with their awed gazes. It became more clear now to the pair, that they were both previously under the mistaken belief that they were alone.

"Uh... I'm Jean. Are you...? What are you doing out here?" Perhaps part of him realized that Armin didn't need any help.

Armin took a step closer without thinking about it, his heart beating the slightest bit faster, urging him on. "I'm Armin. I... I take walks out here. All the..." He trailed off, noticing that Jean, while protecting himself from the rain with an umbrella, had no shoes on whatsoever. He was completely barefoot.

They both smiled slightly, as if reading each other's minds.

'Don't you get cold without shoes on?'
'Aren't you cold without an umbrella?'

"I like it out here too!" Jean's smile widened, looking around at the downpour. 

"Really? Do you... do this a lot?" Armin got closer, and Jean leaned his umbrella forward, giving them both shelter. 

"As much as possible! It's the only real place I have--"

"To think." Armin interrupted with not much more than a whisper, eyes beaming. 

Jean laughed, scratching the back of his head. "How... have I never seen you before?"

Armin shook his head lightly, wiping excess water from his brow and blinking away what water was left in his eyes. 

Something was sparking between them, just like the lightning that flickered through the clouds. It was almost like... they'd been waiting for each other.

"Why don't you bring an umbrella? Isn't it hard to see?" Jean asked with a smirk, wiggling the base of said instrument. 

Armin only smirked back, kicking up water from the running stream towards Jean's pale toes. "Isn't it hard to walk?" Their toes curled, but Armin had a sense that he hadn't been bothered by it.

"After a few years, you get used to it. Callouses, y'know? You don't like the feeling of water under your feet...? Splashing in puddles, that kind of thing." Jean's last sentence was quiet, and he looked down with a slight blush on his face.

"I like the water on my face. You don't really need to see, not perfectly anyway. I try to," Armin gestured to the side of the road, "Stick to the left. Can't get run over that way."

"Wellp!" Jean straightened his back, pride emanating from him. "I paint, so this is kinda inspiration for me too. But even with this," He shook the umbrella. "People still ask if I need a ride somewhere, heh."

Armin swallowed, breathless as he realized what they were both here for. "You're an artist...? I... I write." Peace and inspiration, and something more.

Jean looked at a loss for words, mouth hung open slightly and eyes glazed. 

"I-I'll tell you what," Armin started, looking back at the shower around them. "I'll... take my shoes off, and you, will put that umbrella away!"

Eyebrows raised, Jean started to laugh again. "You sure!? Don't hurt yourself to prove anything to me...." His face softened, calmed by the genuine pleasure that radiated off of Armin. "Well... if you stay in the grass, it's not so bad."

Armin sucked in his bottom lip gently, chewing and sucking on it to keep himself from smiling wider. He lifted one foot up, shoving his index finger into the shoe by the ankle, and slipped it off. And again, with the other.

The sensation wasn't something new to him, as he'd checked the mail barefoot a few times. But in the rain, oh it was interesting. The running stream from the heavy downpour went over and around his toes, enveloping them in the smooth, perfect temperature he'd adored so much about the rain. There was a slight pain, too, like the fading sting of a half-decent slap.

"Your turn!" Armin dared, turning to continue his walk down the street, shoes in tow. He hummed after a few steps, reveling in the new sensation. Each time he took a step he could feel the impact, but with the rain pouring down so loudly, he couldn't hear it anymore. 

The patter of raindrops on nylon disappeared after a soft clack, and shortly after, a loud gasp escaped Jean. 

"Oohh! Ho! Wow th-this is... wow." Jean slid the loop of the umbrella over his wrist and slowly followed.

Armin looked back, slowing his pace so he could watch. Something about witnessing Jean's shirt darken, absorbing the water and sticking to his slender body was... comforting. He wondered if Jean felt the same way, as Armin was quick to lift his feet up with each step to avoid the chill and coarseness.

Side by side, they continued their walk through the neighborhood, soaked from head to toe. 

"You know what...." Jean spoke just loud enough to be heard over the rain, "There's really... nothing else like this, huh?"

Armin stopped and turned, causing Jean to halt as well. Their hearts thumped, but they weren't frantic. It was a comforting, homey feeling. A relief. It was a different kind of excitement, one that shouldn't have been but very much was familiar to them both.

Shoes dropped to the ground, splashing in a puddle. Hands lifted up to reach around the other's neck. 

Closer.

Armin stood up on his toes, ignoring the pinching of pain on his soft, bare soles.