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It had been their routine since before they graduated high school: study at one of their houses for a little while, then go get coffee. Jean was endlessly grateful that it hadn’t stopped. He was sat on the floor of Armin’s dorm, textbook open at his side and a notebook directly in front of him, scribbling down notes he knew he would have a hell of a time reading later. Armin was getting them some tea made on the hotplate Jean had smuggled in for this very reason.
It was freezing, the threat of snow having been hanging around all day, and Jean had half expected Armin to cancel going out after, even though Armin insisted.. Eren was in a bad mood, he said, and the last thing he wanted was him provoking Jean into a fight.
So, as much as he hated the cold, Armin resolved that they would still go. As long as he had something to warm him up before they left. As per usual, Armin finished taking his notes and reading way before Jean, and got started trying to get some water boiled for them. Jean did his best to focus on the words on the page, but his eyes kept drifting back to Armin, listening carefully to the very beginnings of the kettle so he could turn it off before it made too much noise.
Jean’s own roommate, Connie, had gotten all kinds of cookery banned from the dorms, thanks to coming home drunk one night from a beginning of the year party and causing a small fire in their microwave. Jean had always been a bit rebellious, even more so when it came to Armin, and since he never knew the blond to drink anything stronger than coffee with cream and sugar, he figured it would be a safe bet as long as he kept it hidden.
Not even Eren knew it was there.
It was their secret, and Jean wouldn’t have had it any other way.
He kept working until he could hardly stand to hold his pen and stuck it in his notebook to keep his place for later. An empty cup of tea sat by his leg, and Armin was pouring himself water for a third.
“Why don’t you just use a blanket if you’re so cold, Ar’?” Jean asked, knowing him well enough to know he was already freezing. “Erwin didn’t ban those too, did he?”
“No.” Armin chuckled, turning the hot plate off and grabbing his mug again. “But we’ll be leaving soon, right? I don’t want to get too comfortable just to be forced out right after.”
“If you want, I can just go pick it up and bring it back. Eren can kiss my ass.”
That got a real laugh out of Armin, and Jean’s heart soared upon hearing it. Armin shook his head when he calmed down some, and batted playfully at his arm. “Please don’t start trouble with my roommate. I still have to live here.”
“If things get too bad, just come to mine. I don’t mind kicking Connie out of his room for you.” Jena snorted. “He falls asleep on the couch half the time anyway.”
“I’m not kicking Connie out.” Armin told him, though he couldn’t help but smile thinking that Jean would actually do that for him.
“Then kick Eren out and I’ll stay here.” He joked, pretending to think for a moment before adding. “I think I like that better anyway.”
Armin snorted as he was taking a drink and sprayed tea everywhere, which sent Jean into a laughing fit.
“Jean!” Armin exclaimed, unable to help but join in, and after a moment got up to get a towel. “Can you do me a favor and stick all of that back under my bed? I’ll wash it all later after Eren falls asleep.”
Jean gave a small salute and packed everything back up in the box, sliding it back into place, pulling Armin’s blanket down far enough to hide it all.
Armin came back a moment later with a towel and cleaned up the mess, stuck his mug under the bed with everything else, and grabbed some dry clothes to change into. When he was ready, he was dressed in a thick sweatshirt that Jean had gotten him for Christmas the year before, and knowing Armin was still getting use out of it was everything to him.
“Ready?” Armin asked, smoothing his sweater down and giving Jean a smile.
Jean stacked his books up and slid them back into this bag, slinging it over his shoulder and shooting him a grin. “Yeah, if you are. Are you sure you want to go out in the cold?”
“Yeah,” Armin nodded, opening the door and letting Jean out first. “I want to look through the books anyway.”
Jean stood back and waited for him, watching Armin’s body as he moved, finding so much beauty in his simple actions. The way he held himself and turned the key in the lock, pulling the door to make it a bit easier, it was all gorgeous, and he knew he would make the attempt to sketch it later.
Rose’s was a small cafe a few blocks from their building, tucked between a thrift shop that they frequented, and Armin’s favorite bookstore. It had an upstairs that doubled as extra seating and a small library with bookshelves all along the back wall. Armin loved it, and Jean did too. They always played good music and had a decent selection of art books to flip through. It had been their own slice of paradise since they discovered it the beginning of their first year.
Armin walked quickly down the street, wanting out of the cold as soon as possible, and Jean easily kept up with him, chuckling a little when he saw the puffs of air coming from in front of Armin in quick succession, indicating that he was pushing himself a little too hard. They pushed open the doors in what felt like record time, the smells of coffee and flowers hitting Jean in the face as soon as they stepped inside.
The walls were painted in a fading yellow that made everything look a bit dated, a faded mural of the town strip on the wall behind the counter looking more like a ghost town than a bustling city. Since they were regulars, the owner, a small blonde woman with freckles and deep green eyes, knew that Jean was an artist and personally asked if he would be interested in helping her with a remodel project.
Of course Jean had agreed, and offered to do a new mural if she wanted, only if she promised not to say anything to Armin until it was done. All he had to do was wait for the word to get started.
The lights were low inside, giving the place a calm feel that always just made Jean sleepy if he was there too long. It was nice sometimes, though, when school was hard or he was stressed, just to be in such a comforting place with Armin, where it could just be them away from their lives in a place that belonged just to them.
That was how Jean had always seen it, anyway. Sometimes he thought Armin did, too, that Rose’s was their place, their secret hideaway where they could just be with each other away from prying eyes and the loud banging up and down the hallway of drunk college kids bumping into the walls as they stumbled back to their rooms. It was one of the biggest reasons Jean had agreed to help give the place new life: to make it better for Armin.
They got their drinks and went to a little table near the back, a little ways away from the main crowd of people. An old jazz album crooned from a record player, and Jean smiled when he realized that he knew it. Ella Fitzgerald sang through the cracks and pops of the old vinyl, filling him with a wave of nostalgia for being back home with his mother and listening to the same one on her ancient record player brought with her from Germany.
As the years went on, it evolved to a CD player that he’d saved to buy her for Christmas one year, and in more recent times, her phone. Despite how often the tech changed, the music never did. Coming back home during his breaks and listening to those same notes and words even after all these years was the best comfort anyone could give him.
He longed for it now. Christmas was still a bit over a month away, and his heart yearned to be back there, with a home-cooked meal and tea that Armin loved, to have him sitting next to him in front of her old fireplace after and talking fondly of days gone by.
If he focused hard enough, he could almost hear her fussing over Armin and how skinny he still was, and getting on him about why he wasn’t making sure they were both eating enough. Jean would complain, of course, but he would feel affection for his mom for how much she still worried about the both of them.
Jean sat down across from Armin and picked up his coffee, adding just a little sugar to it and taking his time to let it mix in. He wasn’t in any hurry to get back, and from the looks of it Armin wasn’t either. He seemed to hesitate a little before adding in his usual extras to his drink, and his nose scrunched up the way it always did when he was thinking too hard.
“What’s on your mind?” Jean asked, leaning in the tiniest bit.
“Nothing,” Armin shook his head. “I was just wondering what you’re doing tomorrow?”
Jean’s gaze flickered up to the counter, seeing Marie talking to a customer, and shrugged. Now would be as good of a time as any, he thought, and got up. “Hold that thought, I’m gonna get something to eat.”
“You should have said something!” Armin frowned, and Jean waved him off before he could start feeling too guilty.
“It’s fine! I just started feeling hungry.” Jean lied easily, shooting him a quick smile. “I’ll be right back!” With that, he hurried up to the counter, turning on his charm for the small woman. “Are you ready for me to start painting?” He asked her, his hazel eyes glittering with excitement.
“Are you free tomorrow morning?” Marie asked. “I was just talking to Lucy about starting to redo the walls this weekend.”
Jean’s eyes lit up even more, and he nodded, his smile about to split his face when he thought about surprising Armin. “I can help you with the walls, too.”
“I would hope so!” Marie replied, doing her best to reach up and pat Jean on the top of the head. “There will be a lot of places I can’t reach!”
“Okay,” Jean chuckled, bending down a little so she could reach him, just to tease her a little. “Can I get two sugar cookies?”
Marie rolled her eyes, a little smile on her own face as she bent down to get them. She grabbed two of the biggest ones from the case and handed them over, shooting a quick look back to where Armin was sitting, watching them. “I still can’t say anything to him?” She asked.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention it.” Jean replied, glancing back over at Armin himself. “I want it to be a surprise.” He said, grabbing for his wallet to pay.
Marie reached over and smacked his hand, shooting him a look. “No. Consider it a thank you for you two being my best customers.” She told him. “I probably would have had to close my doors by now if you two didn’t start coming in every day.”
Jean rolled his eyes good naturedly and quickly stuck the money in her tip jar instead. “What time do you want me here tomorrow?”
“Can you be here by seven-thirty?” Marie asked, handing over the treats. “I’d like to get as much done as possible. I’m hoping to open back up Sunday night.”
“I’ll be here at seven.” Jean promised, knowing that meant he’d have to cut the night with Armin short. He hated to even think about it, even though it would be worth it.
“I’ll see you at seven, then.”
Jean waved goodbye to her and went back to Armin, handed him his cookie, and sat back down. “Anyway,” he started, breaking off a bite and popping it into his mouth. “I think tomorrow, I’m gonna try to sleep in a little while. I can’t remember the last weekend I’ve been able to. Maybe do some shopping, call my mom… Probably annoy the shit out of Eren for awhile.”
“Oh, that… sounds good.”
Jean noted the change in Armin’s mood almost immediately and laid his arms on the table, leaning in again. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Armin said, shaking it off.
“Armin, you’re a shitty liar, you know that?”
“I was just hoping to get to see you is all.” Armin admitted, sighing a little bit. “But it’s fine.”
Jean softened a bit, then, and reached over to poke him in the nose. “How about when I get done with all that, you and me go do something?” He offered.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to.” Jean insisted, hoping Armin would agree. “I’m so sick of campus food, I need something real. I know you do, too.” Armin said nothing, despite still having a look on his face, and Jean knew he had him. “See?”
“Do you have any idea where you want to go?” Armin asked, keeping his eyes on Jean.
“Somewhere kind of nice.” Jean shrugged. “It can be a late birthday present.”
“Jean-“
“What? We didn’t get to celebrate it right. I want to make sure you know that I’m in this to annoy you for the long run.” Jean chuckled, teasing a bit. “And treating you to a nice meal is the least I can do.”
“I’m not letting you pay for me… that’s too much.”
“No it isn’t. Not for you.”
Armin looked up at him then, almost expecting Jean to start laughing it off, but when their eyes met he saw how serious he was about it. Jean’s cheeks were a bit pink, the tint just visible in the low light of the cafe, and it made him stop for a moment and really consider his words. He never had been the type to lie, not about things like that, but their relationship had always been different from everyone else; Jean was softer, more open, and it made it easy to believe that he would tell a white lie now and then to spare his feelings.
Now though, as Armin saw the sincerity written all over his face, it was clear that he treated him much the same in that regard. It made him stop to think about every compliment or kind word Jean had ever said to him that he’d dismissed or brushed off as him being nice, because it wasn’t. Those were his real thoughts.
“Okay.” He breathed, agreeing finally, knowing that he would be doing the same for him on his birthday when it came around.
The grin that lit up Jean’s face was so worth it, Amrin thought, and his heart began to soar with affection for him.
The boys hung out at the cafe for a bit longer before Jean figured he should get home and get some sleep, as much as he didn’t want to. When they left, they said goodbye to Marie, and the other employee, Grace, before stepping out into the cold November night.
They said their own goodbyes at Jean’s dorm since it was the closest, and Jean stood there, watching until Armin was out of sight, before going into his own and all but collapsing on his bed.
*
Jean woke up at 6:00 the next morning, tired and desperately needing some coffee if he was expected to make it through the day. He grabbed his clothes and a towel before heading down to get a shower, running through a list of everything he needed to take with him, along with some designs for the mural that Marie wanted him to paint.
He had a few extra minutes to spare before he needed to get going, so he took care to pack his sketchbook and dry his hair before getting bundled up to head down to the cafe.
The early morning air nipped at his cheeks and nose as he rushed his way down the block, for once understanding why Armin hated the cold so much, and breathed a sigh of relief when the building came into view. Jean hurried inside, letting the door shut behind him, and hung his coat up on the hooks by the door.
“Morning!” He greeted, shooting Marie and Grace a beaming smile.
“Ugh,” Grace complained, putting her head in her hands on the table. “You have too much energy for this early.”
“Coffee is brewing, Grace, you’ll be fine.” Marie snorted, shooting a smile of her own back at Jean. “You’re here early! I wasn’t expecting you for another twenty minutes!”
“I wanted to go over some of the designs with you.” Jean explained, sitting down across from Grace and pulling his sketchbook out. “And I wanted enough time to work on something new if you decided you didn’t like them.”
The girls crowded around Jean as he flipped through the book, looking nervously up at Marie as she looked over his designs, and wondered what she was thinking. When he flipped to one of the last ones, she picked it up to get a closer look, and a huge smile crossed her face. “This one.” She told him, not even needing to think about it. “This will be perfect.”
With a nod, Jean looked over the one she picked, and felt the itch to get started under his skin.
While waiting for the coffee to finish brewing, they went ahead and got everything ready to get started, figuring that they should go ahead and do the wall for the mural first so Jean could start on it as soon as possible while they did the others.
Once they had everything set up, Jean sat back down at his book, listening to the girls discuss their plans and flipping to a new page. There were half finished doodles and sketches there, all of which had been inspired by Armin that he’d planned on giving him for his birthday, but chickened out at the last minute and kept them hidden. Taking a breath, Jean looked them over and found himself wanting to try again later on.
He put pencil to paper and got started finishing the simple ones first, his heart warm at the thought of the blond as he worked, hoping he would like them. He hoped he would like the cafe, too, once he got to see it done, and found a question forming on his lips.
“Marie,” Jean started, looking up at the woman again, “how long do you think it will take to get this done?”
Marie looked around at the walls, really considering it for a moment, and shrugged. “If we get started soon, maybe by the end of the day? But we still have to get the new furniture delivered… so tomorrow night at the earliest.”
Tomorrow night, Jean thought, a bit upset because he’d planned on surprising Armin with it after they ate, but… maybe if he could help them get it done, it would go a lot faster… “I can come back tomorrow morning, too?” He offered. “If - if that will help?”
“Thank god,” Grace said, dipping her roller in paint so she could get started, “I was dreading having to move that stuff.”
Jean chuckled a little at that, taking the opportunity to flex for the girls and show off a bit, some of his old cockiness coming out. “I am pretty strong…”
Grace rolled her eyes teasingly and got started painting, giving Jean an expectant look. “Are you gonna help us with this, or just keep admiring yourself all day?”
*
By the time they finished for the day, the walls were done and the mural was well on its way. All Jean had left to do was some detail work which could be finished in the morning while they waited for the furniture to arrive. He couldn’t help but feel excited about it, about having some of his work displayed in such a public place, that Marie trusted him enough to do it in the first place, and that it was being done to better a place that he and Armin considered to be theirs.
Jean packed his things up for the day, rinsed his brushes, and said a quick goodbye to the girls before hurrying out into the cold November night, knowing he’d have to be fast to get everything done before Armin showed up.
When he got in, he threw his things down by the door, startling Connie awake from his spot on the couch, and rushed to his room to get a towel and his body wash. He was covered in paint and sweat, feeling gross and wanting to make sure he looked his best for the evening. As he showered, he did his best to plan out the outfit he wanted, but still found himself panicking over that when he got out.
Jean rummaged through every piece of clothing that he had brought with him from home, irritated with himself for not bringing something nicer than some old t-shirts and two sweaters. This was supposed to be a nice night out for a celebration with Armin, and nothing he had felt worthy enough for it.
Frustrated, he finally threw together an outfit paired with his old hat, using it more as a comfort item rather than a fashion statement, and was just getting his shoes on when he heard a knock at the door. Jean quickly tore out the finished sketches for him from his sketchbook and slipped them into his coat pocket before heading out to meet Armin.
He was breathtaking. Dressed in a shirt the same color as his eyes with a tan cardigan overtop it, he looked gorgeous. Jean had to stop for a second to drink it in, hardly able to believe that he was really seeing this. He swallowed, nervous, and felt his cheeks getting warm the longer he looked at him. “H-hey,” he greeted, “you look… really nice.”
Armin quickly looked down at his outfit and then back up to Jean, and he was able to catch sight of a blush coloring his cheeks. The sight brought an embarrassed smile to Jean’s lips and his heart squeezed with affection for him.
“Thank you…” Armin murmured, stepping aside so Jean could join him in the hallway.
“Do you know where you might want to eat?” Jean asked, falling into step right beside him as they made their way out of the building and onto the street.
“I was hoping you had something picked..” Armin replied, glancing quickly over at him. “It was your idea.”
“It’s for your birthday, Armin.” Jean told him, shaking his head a little as he bumped gently into him. “I’m not going to force you to go somewhere you don’t want to.”
“I’d just be happy going to the cafe, Jean.”
“Armin,” Jean started, stopping him with a frown. “This is for your birthday. I want to do something special for you. We can - we can go to the cafe tomorrow night. Just…” Jean bit his lip, a plea clear in his eyes as he met Armin’s, and let out a breath. “Humor me. Please?”
Seeing Jean like that never failed to catch Armin a little off guard, and before he knew what he was doing, he nodded. If it would make Jean happy, he thought he could play along for one night. “As long as we go somewhere that we can get some cake after…”
That brought a grin out of Jean and he took his hand, an idea hitting him as they made their way towards the center of town. “Let’s pay Niccolo a visit, then. I’m willing to bet I can charm him out of a slice or two!”
The restaurant where Niccolo worked was on the main street and big enough that it took up half a block on its own. It was owned by an older couple who had been in business since the early 50s, and had fallen completely in love with Niccolo’s cooking when he interviewed there. Enough that he’d risen his way through the ranks to sous chef in under two years.
Armin pushed open the door and was hit with a comforting blast of warm air as soon as he stepped inside, finding himself beginning to relax already. It wasn’t as nice as the mountain of blankets waiting for him back at the dorm, but it was nice, and he knew Jean would have a hell of a time convincing him to leave it in favor of the icy chill that waited for him outside.
They were seated at a small table directly under a vent and left on their own for a little while to decide what they wanted. Armin scanned the menu for something cheap since Jean insisted on paying, but not small enough that it would rouse suspicion in him as to what he was doing.
“Do you know what you want?” Jean asked him after a moment, peering over the top of his own menu to look at Armin and feel him out. He knew his tricks and how guilty he could feel if ordering a full meal, and he had a plan in place already to make sure he actually ate something.
“I’m thinking about getting a salad…” Armin admitted, guessing right when he saw the look on Jean’s face, and held up a hand before he could speak. “And a bowl of mac and cheese.”
Jean shut his mouth then, a little pout forming on his face knowing that Armin knew what he was going to say. “Alright.” He mumbled.
Armin grinned victoriously and sat back in his seat, knowing he got him and feeling pretty proud of himself. “What are you getting?”
“I was thinking about getting a steak.” Jean replied, looking back down at the picture and feeling his stomach starting to growl.
“Do it!”
“Yeah?” Jean asked, thinking on it for a moment before ultimately deciding to go ahead. “You might have to help me, though.” He told him, fully intending on sharing with Armin before it was all over.
“Maybe…” Armin shrugged, hoping Jean would end up forgetting before the night was over. He wanted to make sure he had room still for cake.
Jean was quiet for a few moments, looking around at the other patrons, and in the low light of the restaurant, the glow just bright enough to make his eyes look even warmer, Armin couldn’t help but think he looked beautiful. He kept stealing glances at him, at his profile when he turned and his smile when they were facing each other, and it took everything he had in him not to reach over the table and kiss him right there.
“It’s a shame…” He murmured, watching as a waitress dropped off some drinks for another table. “Tonight would be perfect to have a little wine.”
“If you want, I can try to order some.” Armin offered, reaching for his wallet until Jean stopped him.
“Nah, it’s not worth you getting in trouble over if I get caught drinking. Just wait for a couple months and treat me on my birthday.” Jean chuckled, thinking that sounded like a nice time. “Bring me back here, and we’ll get the cheapest shit they have.”
That got another laugh out of Armin and he covered his mouth with his hand, not wanting to cause a scene. His face was going red as he tried to keep quiet, caught off guard by the joke, and shook his head once he was able to calm back down. “I’ll be sure to save for it.” He promised, knowing in his heart he would do that no matter what.
They spoke for a few more minutes until they were able to place their orders, then were left on their own again for a little while. It was such a nice time already, and if he didn’t think about it too much, Armin could have almost fooled himself into believing that it was a date.
Of course, though, he couldn’t help but think about it, why Jean would have wanted to bring him here of all places, and a question bubbled its way to the surface.
“Why were you so insistent that we do this tonight?” Armin asked, unable to help himself from being curious.
“Did you not want to?”
“No, it’s not that, I just… You didn’t have to go through this much trouble. I would have been fine just hanging out at home.”
“Which is exactly why we’re here.” Jean told him, a soft smile on his face and his eyes full of love for him. “I know how you are, Ar’. You don’t let yourself have fun enough.”
“That isn’t true,” Armin argued.
“Armin.” Jean replied, using the tone that suggested that he didn’t believe a word he was saying.
“What? I do!”
“Not often enough.” Jean said. “We’ve been friends for years. All you do is work and study; you need to make time for stuff like this.”
“Jean, I do.” Armin insisted, all but pleading with Jean to believe him. “That’s why I always want to hang out with you. Being with you, even if we’re just talking, or studying… That’s fun for me.” He reached out, taking Jean’s hand in his own, and offered him a loving smile. “That’s what you are to me. You always have been.”
Jean’s gaze flickered down to the hand holding his, his cheeks going pink at the warmth of Armin’s skin on his own, and uttered an unsteady breath. The touch almost felt intimate to him, like the blond was trying to tell him something with it, and Jean’s stomach flipped when he thought that maybe… this would be a good time to tell him the secret he’d been keeping from him.
“Armin, I-”
Before he could say anything else, their plates were set down in front of them and Jean quickly pulled his hand back, embarrassed at having been caught in such a tender moment, and laid both of them in his lap before weakly offering their waiter a smile. He turned his full attention to his food, hoping Armin would do the same and forget about what he was about to say.
They ate in silence for a few moments, not looking up from their food, both of them with pink cheeks and shaking hands. Armin fiddled with his napkin in his lap with his free hand, curious and wondering what Jean was going to tell him before they were interrupted, but too afraid to ask.
Once they were finished, Jean flagged their waiter down again, asking him quickly if Niccolo was working that night, and when he confirmed he was, asked if they could see him. Once he left to fetch their friend, Jean turned to Armin with a wicked smile, anxious to see if he could really pull it off.
Ten minutes later, they were leaving the restaurant with two free slices of cake and a hastily written up birthday message on a napkin, which Armin found so sweet he knew he would keep it in something until he could put it with his other cards at home.
“Do you want to eat this tonight, or save it for tomorrow?” Jean asked on the way back, not realizing until then how late it was getting, and how tired he would be the next morning when he went back to the cafe to help finish up.
“I doubt I could even if I wanted to. That was too much food.”
“Nah.” Jean teased, throwing his arm over Armin’s shoulders. “I’ll hang onto it until tomorrow night, alright? We can go to the cafe or something and have it there.”
“Are you going to be busy again or something?”
“Well… yeah.” Jean admitted quietly, knowing he couldn’t lie to him. “It’s… a secret, though, alright?”
Armin waited expectantly, figuring that Jean would tell him, but all too soon he realized that it must have had to do with him, because he wasn’t getting much more than that. “Will I get to know what it is?”
“Tomorrow night, hopefully.” Jean replied, grinning down at him, his heart soaring being this close to him. “But… I should probably be getting to bed soon if that’s the case.”
Armin deflated a little when Jean said that, but his curiosity was getting the better of him knowing that he would maybe have something to look forward to the following night, and didn’t complain too much about it.
When they got back to the dorms and up to Jean’s door, he stopped just outside, hesitating to leave. “Thank you for tonight.” He murmured. “It was… really nice. I had fun.”
“You’re welcome. I’m just glad you let me treat you for once.”
Armin playfully rolled his eyes at Jean, flashing him that smile that always made him melt, and Jean’s breath caught in his throat. They stood there for another moment, lost in each other, before they both figured they should go inside for the night. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Armin said, waving goodbye before heading to his own dorm for the night.
*
Jean stumbled his way through the door the next morning, having been way too worked up to get right to sleep, and mumbled out a hello to Marie and Grace.
“Uh-oh,” Grace teased, setting down the table she was helping Marie move, “looks like it’s someone else’s turn to need coffee.”
“Is there any made?” Jean asked, looking hopefully at Marie.
“Ready and waiting for you, Jean.” Marie grinned, pointing to a tall to-go mug on the counter. “You look like you need it.”
Jean went right for it, picking it up and gulping down half the liquid in one go. “I do.” He confirmed. “I was out late with Armin last night.”
Grace’s eyebrows shot up and grinned devilishly at Jean. “Were you now? What were you two doing?”
“Celebrating his birthday.” Jean told her simply, trying not to start blushing in front of them. “You can quit looking at me like that, now.”
Grace held her hands up in surrender, but Jean could still see the look on her face. He sighed, shaking his head, and got his paints ready to go so he could start painting the rest of the mural.
By noon he was finishing the last touches, wishing he could just go home and take a nap, but before he could finish getting his brushes cleaned out, the truck was there. Marie called for him to come help unload everything and Jean went outside, his muscles aching already, and climbed up into the truck.
Before too long, they had everything ready to go and out of the truck, just needing to get it inside and unboxed. Jean helped with most of the heavy lifting, taking the chance to show off a little bit again for the girls, letting them get started putting it all together while he did.
After that, everything was put back up on the walls, splashed paint was cleaned up, and the counters and appliances were wiped down, and by late afternoon, they were ready to open back up.
“Thank you both so much for the help!” Marie beamed once they were done and she was able to look around at all the wonderful work that had gone into making the place into a dream come true. “I can’t… I can never repay you for making this happen for me.”
“You don’t need to. Just give me a raise and I’ll be happy.” Grace teased, winking at her boss.
“We’ll discuss that later.” Marie replied, fully intending on doing just that, and turned to Jean. “Will you be back later with Armin?” She asked. “If you want to get some rest, we can handle it from here. Thank you so much, Jean.”
Jean sighed, grateful for her letting him go, and went to get the rest of his things. “Yeah, we’re planning on it.” Jean replied, exhausted. “If you’re sure, I’m gonna head back.”
*
After taking a minute to shower and get the paint off of him once more, Jean dragged his way back up to his room and fell into bed, passing out as soon as his head hit the pillow.
In the evening he was awake again, eager to show Armin the cafe and see what he thought of it. He hurried down to his dorm and knocked on the door, calling for him until finally he answered. “Hey,” He smiled, warmth spreading through him when he saw the blond, and let out a long breath.
“Hey. Sorry, I was reading.” Armin told him, running his hand through his hair, an embarrassed smile on his face.
“Do you still want to go get coffee? I’ve still got our cake… we can take it with us?”
Armin beamed when he heard that and hurried back into his dorm, grabbing his heaviest coat and getting his shoes on. In just a few quick seconds he was ready to go. “Will Marie get after us for bringing food in?”
“I doubt it.” Jean snorted, knowing even if she was, she owed him for helping so much. “C’mon, let’s go.”
When they got to the cafe, there was a line to get in, and from where they stood, Jean could see some new fairy lights hanging from the ceiling that the girls must have put up that afternoon, adding to the coziness of the cafe. The furniture was dark stained wood with fresh, dusty pink vinyl seats, and a couch and coffee table to match.
They finally got inside and Armin looked around the place in awe, the light in his eyes shining brighter than Jean had seen it in a long time. He smiled to himself, glad that Armin seemed to like it so much, and went up to the counter to say hello to the girls.
“Well, how do you like it?” Jean asked Marie, leaning on the pressed wood and smiling at her. “It looks a hell of a lot better than it did.”
“I’m in love.” Marie replied, looking around herself at the beauty of the place which she now felt confident in calling her own. “Gracey even surprised me with the lights. She said she’s been waiting to bring them in for months now. I’m so happy.”
Jean’s gaze drifted back to Armin, who had just noticed the new addition on the wall, and his stomach flipped with nerves over what he would think.
Armin slowly made his way to it, reaching out and touching it gently with his hand, taking in the details of the bouquet of roses and the petals that floated away in a graceful dance all across the wall, carried away by an invisible breeze. From where he was, Jean couldn’t see his face, but he could picture the look that was most likely on it.
“Go see what he thinks.” Marie encouraged, nudging Jean over to Armin’s direction.
Jean batted at her hand, rolling his eyes playfully, before going to do just that. He stopped beside Armin, looking at his work up close, and took a deep breath.
“You did this, didn’t you?” Armin asked, not taking his eyes away from it.
“Yeah.”
“This is what you were busy doing this weekend?”
“Mhm.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me?”
Jean looked over at Armin and found him looking back, his deep blue eyes full of questions, and his mouth pinched down at the corners like he was trying to hide his upset. Jean shrugged, stalling for a moment while he thought of something to say, but the only thing wanting to come out was the truth. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”
Armin considered that for a moment, finding it sweet but also being a bit upset that he hadn’t known, having spent the weekend wondering why Jean was obviously lying to him about what he was doing.
This had been a wonderful surprise, but it didn’t stop the hurt he’d felt since Friday night. “Why… go through all this trouble?” He asked softly.
“I did it for you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah.”
“Why for me?” Armin breathed, his eyebrows pinching together in the way that Jean had always loved.
“Because…” Jean breathed, reaching out and gently taking Armin’s hand in his, squeezing it softly and hoping it helped convey what he was afraid to say out loud. “This… is our place. A-and I know it means a lot to you, and, well, you mean a lot… to me.”
Jean swallowed, looking everywhere but directly at Armin, afraid of what how he would react to that. He was smart. He knew he would figure it out easily, and the fear of rejection was getting to him.
To his surprise though, Armin’s arms slipped around his neck and pulled him down until their foreheads were touching, inches away from their lips touching. Jean could feel each breath Armin took on his cheeks, every puff of air making him jolt a little knowing he was so close, and wrapped him up in a hug.
“You mean a lot to me, too.” Armin whispered, leaning in and kissing him softly on the mouth as he held Jean, his fingers tangling in his hair as they pressed closer together.