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For all of his life, Jean had waited to receive his own black written tattoo on his body of the first thing his soulmate would say to him. His mother gushed about the marks for as long as he could remember. She praised their beauty, the creation of words dancing along the skin to prove someone's everlasting love to each other. The first words of forever, she would gush, a lost look in her eyes.
Jean couldn't remember a day where he hadn't hoped to meet his soulmate. While his dad abandoned them for another woman, disregarding the loving words and running away to start a new family, his mother's admiration for the marks had installed a hope within him.
With chubby cheeks and a baby face, Jean delicately would run his fingers over his mother's tattoo, the words, "For the beautiful woman on my left, a martini" written down her forearm. It was the first thing she heard his father say, and unfortunately, the soulmate ties were not strong enough on his end. He was too young to understand the pain his mother went through at his dad's departure. Her sleepless nights where she put on a brave face and smile when cooking Jean's favorite meals, the tears streaming down her cheeks as they celebrated her first birthday of the two of them. His father was her person, yet he didn't consider her his.
His mother was a strong woman though, as she took all her pain and swallowed it with grace, beaming to Jean as she would tell stories of how she fell in love from the mark. How her friends did, her siblings, it was all magical. Even in his young age, Jean would daydream about when his mark would come in, the wonderful words outlining who he was meant to be with for his lifetime, the same as the forever lasting mark.
Asking endless questions of what a soulmate was, his mother answered in stride. Explaining the marks, how they appeared at 18, how at some point in life you would find someone to cherish and protect, souls truly aligning. While the meeting was never promised to occur early in life, it would happen some day, and two souls would intertwine and feel whole.
Jean couldn't wait for the moment where he would finally find his missing piece to his life, to hold close to his heart. Waking up next to in the morning, showering with kisses and jokes, embracing the other and empowering them to become their best self. It was a dream that Jean was anxious to achieve.
What he didn't expect, was to turn 18 and to see around his left bicep the most humbling words ever written. He expected maybe something cheesy, a simple pick-up line, words of admiration to the boy, anything but what he received. Waking up that morning to seeing the word "horse" included in the sentence made his stomach churn.
In dainty writing, his arm barred the words, "For what it's worth, I don't think you look like a horse."
He thought it was a joke, written by his best friend, Connie who had spent the night into his birthday. Laughing, he wet his thumb and rubbed at the writing. scoffing as it didn't fade away. Concentrated, he rubbed until his skin was raw and paled at the fact that it was not a joke, but simply the words he would live with forever.
With great embarrassment, his ears tinted red at the cackles echoing in the room when Connie demanded Jean show his mark off. From points at the taller boy and tears pricking at Connie's eyes, Jean could only roll his eyes.
His mother's face beamed as he showed her, after grumbling enough at how distressed he was about the words. Her smile refused to leave her face as she told Jean that it was perfect, and that whoever he finds who be the same. It did ease Jean's feelings about the words he would spend the rest of his life with, as his mother consoled him over the thought that it was all about his person, not the words.
So... he waited. And waited.
Connie received his mark a few months later, groaning at his own.
"It's not as bad as mine!" Jean protested, thrusting his arm out to gesture at the blank ink on his bicep. Connie glared at him, as black splotches of, "You eat that potato and you are a dead man", were pasted on his thigh.
"I have a death threat!" Connie screeched, head in his hands. Jean could only chuckle at the reaction. It seemed as though Connie's person was passionate about food and if that didn't scream soulmates to the bald-headed idiot, Jean didn't know what did.
They could rejoice in the fact that both of their marks were silly and perhaps their jokes would not go on deaf ears and the people they found to be their soulmates would be compatible with their personalities.
It was the first week of school when the potato mystery was solved. Deep brown eyes glared at Connie as he reached for the last baked potato in the dining hall, tongs pinched at the ready for obtaining the steaming food. A growl erupted from the shorter girl besides him, anxiously bouncing on her feet with her tray clutched in her hands.
"You eat that potato and you are a dead man!" She grunted, eyes narrowed in at the silver tong getting closer to the crispy delicacy in front of her eyes. Connie paused, tongs in mid-air, ignoring the protests from people further down in the line about hurrying up. Slowly, he moved his head to the side and saw her. She was quite beautiful, with long brown hair and those big eyes, a sneer growing on her face. The tongs clattered against the metal tin hosting the one potato left as he continued to stare at her. With a roll of her eyes, Sasha nudged Connie out the of the way, scooping the tongs and potato in one quick motion and throwing it onto her own plate.
He watched as she glared up at him once again, before striding off to find a table. Connie was frozen in shock, pausing only to look down at his thigh that was covered by his sweatpants, before gazing back at the brunette would began stuffing her face with the exact baked potato she threatened his life for.
Jean could only stare at Connie wide-eyed, mouth open in shock. With a turn, Connie picked up his tray, threw Jean a quick wink, muttering out, "I think I'm in love" before scrambling over to sit by the girl in the empty seat next to her. Jean flashed a grin as he overheard Connie bashfully let out, "Death threats are in fact punishable by law..." before he saw Sasha's face drop and the two began to talk. Grabbing the rest of his food, he made his way over to the table to join the two.
Suddenly, Sasha was a new best friend. It had warmed his heart to see that his person found their person, who he was meant to spend forever with. Jean would subconsciously rub at his arm in those moments, thinking about finding the one for himself. The time will come, he told himself, repeating the phrase said over and over by his mother after months of painfully waiting.
--
Time sure played another foul joke on Jean. He graduated from the University of Trost before returning to pursue higher education, granting his Master's Degree. Feeling a passion to teach others about the wonders of science, he completed a PhD in Biomedical Engineering. Watching his mother battle illnesses before recovering pushed him to improve the crisis of the health situation in Paradis, hoping to discover new techniques and procedures to kickstart development.
The move to Shiganshina to teach at a highly established university was tough, but to continue his research endeavors and embark dedication to students he began to teach as a professor ensured it was the right move. Not to mention, the upcoming industry in the area brought along his two best friends, easing the transition as a piece of home followed him there.
Through all the homework, exams, late nights looking over his results in his latest research project, it became easier to ignore the pain he felt at the thought of not having yet found his soulmate. Sleeping in his studio apartment alone, waking up to make his own breakfast and coffee while staring at the empty chair sitting across from him at the table. It became lonely. He had created friendships at work and in the town, not to mention Connie and Sasha, but a piece of him was still missing. It was out there, waiting to be found. He just hadn't had the luck to find them just yet.
He dove into his research, spent time grading the quizzes from his students. He could tell who was passionate about the material and who took the undergraduate courses to fulfill a requirement. Seeing the glint of hope in eyes of his students pushed him forward. Even if it meant that some of his class bombed the latest quiz.
For a moment, he would catch fleeting glances from a co-worker, Reiner Braun. The flirty looks casted across the table during staff meetings. Reiner was older, teaching Structural Engineering and having been there a few years before Jean. Jean would watch as he scratched his stubble in boredom during meetings, sending a sly smirk at Jean as he would roll his eyes at the lecturer. At first, Jean found it absurd.
This was their job, and as Hange spoke to the team, the head of the Marine Engineering department, it took him aback to see a seasoned member of the department blatantly disregarding the budgeting on new research. Only after numerous meetings did Jean understand the stale taste of the meetings and why Reiner could get away with such behavior... they were in fact boring. Jean would return bored smiles to Reiner, rolling his eyes in a joking manner. Finally, their first conversation identified that the man was not Jean's soulmate, yet became a good friend of his instead.
They were able to bounce ideas off of each other, Jean working on developing his research and Reiner directing him in the path that set him up for success in Shiganshina.
While he enjoyed teaching his students, their gossip spread quicker than he expected.
At 26, Jean was one of the youngest professors at the University. Never one to openly boast about his looks, he disregarded the fleeting stares from his female students during lecture. He heard rumblings in the hall of the hot new professor, with the ashy colored mullet and broody eyes.
"Does he even smile?" A boy asked a girl, hands wrapped tightly around his backpack. He was one of the graduate students, Jean noticed, watching as he left a seminar Jean had attended. The girl nodded, her black cropped hair framing her face shifting slightly as her head bobbed.
"He takes his job seriously, Eren." She said as the boy rolled his eyes. He had a small bun on the base of his neck, his green eyes scanning the people around him.
"I wouldn't smile if I looked like that, that's Dr. Horse!" Jean paused, twitching slightly at the new identification for himself. It had felt like his bicep burned for a moment, the word "horse" replaying in his head over and over. As he watched the boy take the girl's hand, he sighed.
"Eren!" The girl smiled, a few chuckles dying out over what the boy had said before. The boy only shrugged, wavering in his pace slightly as his eyes caught Jean. He didn't look away, almost as if challenging him, before Jean cut contact and walked past the two. "Armin's out of lab, we can go grab lunch now." the girl mentioned as their voices died alongside the busy hallway.
His chest throbbed briefly, the excitement of hearing a word that he has stared at for the past 8 years dying out. A glimmer of hope bloomed in him at the thought that he was getting somewhere, he was close. To hear that new nickname, as embarrassing and awful as it is, was new. He hadn't been told he looked like a horse before. Maybe for once, he was finally getting somewhere.
Whipping out his phone, he sent a quick text to Connie before placing it back down. He entered his office before heavily planting himself in the desk chair. It was a comfortable space, with plaques on the wall outlining his degrees, some literature that he published with his research findings, bookcases of binders housing years of research. It certainly felt like another lonely home to spend his time in.
He planted his feet on the desk, reclining in his chair as a ping rang out. Grabbing his phone, he scoffed at the response.
A string of horse emojis filled the group chat he had with Connie and Sasha. Groaning, Jean disliked the message. Connie followed it up with an edited image of Jean's own face on a horse.
Jean groaned, rubbing his hand through his hair, using the other to write out a new message to the two.
Do I really look like a horse?
No.
Thanks Sasha, at least you love me.
Your nose gives equestrian.
No, Connie, it doesn't.
Sash I hear you laughing.
This is ridiculous, Sasha, please, do I look like a horse?
Sash I swear I can hear him neighing even at home.
I don't neigh Connie.
Sorry, couldn't hear you over your feet galloping on the ground.
Jean, no, you do not look like a horse, Connie is an idiot.
Neighhhhhhhhhh
I hate you.
Jean threw his phone at his desk, laughing as Connie promised to ensure he had hay sent to the studio apartment as soon as possible. It was stupid, but he couldn't help himself from glacning in the little mirror placed delicately on his office door, studying his features.
The girls in class gushed over him, never once comparing him to a horse. The kid meant nothing by it, and for Jean to entertain the thought was immature. He didn't look like a horse. End of story.
Glancing at his schedule, he had time slotted in to resume grading the exams he gave out the previous week to his students before another lecture. The last graded exam from an Eren Yeager had been scored so poorly it made Jean question his own teachings. Perhaps it was a course requirement and the kid didn't give a shit about what was going on in the class. Seeing the next student perform highly raised pride within his chest, smiling as he gave out another A.
It wasn't him, he was a fantastic professor. He continued to grade until his next lecture, reviewing slides for the students and giving a short speech about their upcoming quizzes in the class. His fingers rattled against his side as he anxiously waited for the lecture to end. After this, it was time to continue data entry for his latest research project. The data would confirm if a new model he was proposing to the board was effective, proving his worth in the realm of biomedical sciences for the time being. He had to get that data in, analyze it, and perhaps install a long night ahead to do it.
He couldn't wait to make it back to his office to discover if he truly made a breakthrough.
--
"Remind me again why we are getting coffee at 3pm?" Eren grunted out, blowing a stray stand of hair that escaped his bun out of his face.
"Armin was studying after class there, that's lunch." Mikasa reminded him, quickening up their pace to the coffee shop with a glance at her phone.
"You made me go to that stupid seminar, I've been starving for hours." Mikasa shot him a glare and Eren held his hand up in protest.
"I told you to eat a big breakfast." She murmured, slowing down once they reached the doors to Armin's favorite study place.
The coffee shop was quiet, students flipping pages of their textbooks and pens scribbling notes. A head of blonde hair was just barely visible over the laptop seated in front of his face, fingers dancing quickly over the keyboard as clicking filled the room.
"Your usual?" He asked Mikasa, stepping into the line. She nodded before heading over to where her friend sat, pulling out a chair with a screech and settling into it.
Looking up, Armin adjusted his glasses, the black frames sliding down his nose. They assisted in protecting his eyes from the screen, the blue light having proven to provide headaches that were incurable until he found a solution in the glasses. He moved them up to the top of his head, blue eyes squinting a little from the movement.
He smiled happily at Mikasa who questioned what he was working on, before showing her the screen of the manuscript of a paper he was writing under the direction of Dr. Hange, the Marine Engineer.
Armin was in his first year of his Master's program, studying to become a Marine Biologist. The dreams of traveling the seas and discovering what lies beyond at the forefront of his mind, hoping to find adventure in it all. His grandfather praised his aspirations, encouraging him to go forward with the joy of discovery. Armin only wanted to make him proud.
Removing her jacket, Mikasa commented about how Armin was due for a break. He had worked hard his entire life to get to where he was. Always the smartest in class, first to raise his hand and ask questions, first to answer the teacher inquiring on their own. He wanted to make a life for himself and wouldn't let anyone step in the way, and a life he made. He graduated top of his undergraduate class, earning scholarships to pursue his higher education. It was enduring to see that for once, the ambition he held would create something for himself.
"I'll get a break when I finish this paper." Armin told her, fingers resting over the keys on the laptop, timidly waiting to resume typing.
"Finish it tomorrow, you got the entire semester to do it." Eren said as he placed two mugs in front of himself and Mikasa, a warm muffin in his other hand. Armin gave a small wave, eyes flickering down to the words planted along Eren's forearm.
"You dropped your scarf!" it read, swirling around his skin. Mikasa's matching tattoo replied back with a "Keep it, beautiful.", lining her collarbone. If Armin wasn't one for romance, the words would have made him puke.
In fact, watching Eren's lovestruck eyes as he grinned at the mysterious girl who held a red scarf in her hand almost did. Even Armin's heart skipped a beat as the girl finally said what Eren had waited two years to hear. From then on, it was as if Mikasa was in Armin's life all along.
They had known each other for three years, yet like Eren, it had felt like a lifetime. She blended into the group flawlessly, watching over Eren's sometimes troubling antics and being a rock for Armin to lean on. Watching them alone would convince you of the soulmate bond, the love in their eyes, growing stronger with each day.
"Eren, you know Dr. Hange expects the best" Armin muttered, shifting his glasses back down to rest on his nose. His eyebrows scrunched as he took a peak at what he had last written, the words leaving a sour taste in his mouth. It was not quite right. What was he missing?
"At least you don't have Professor Kirstein" Eren flopped on the chair, pulled out from Mikasa. Armin lifted his eyes in confusion, quirking an eyebrow up in question. Eren sighed, picking at the crumbs of his muffin.
"Dude gives quizzes every week, reads the most boring slides off for lecture, talks about new research that has been adapted..." Eren slows to pause, his cheeks tinting a little pink, "I literally bombed his exam last week Armin. And no-before you ask, the grades aren't posted-" he was interrupted by Armin chiming in that grades are the definitive answer compared to anxious thoughts that do no good. "I bombed it. Questions on there that made no sense! We take practice quizzes weekly that he claims will be 'just like the exam' but no!" Eren throws his hands up to gesture his words, mimicking Jean's deep voice.
Armin rolls his eyes at Eren's antics, "Did you even study for it?"
"No, I didn't. Because Biomedical Engineering 501 is stupid. His research is stupid and his exams are too hard and the only reason people take his dumb class is to stare at the dude and make kissy faces at the guy." Eren grunted out, eyes narrowing with each word. "Armin, you don't get it, Dr. Kirstein looks like a goddamn horse. A horse. Long and pointed and everything. A damn horse yet the girls still want to get him in bed!"
"Eren, you know if you studied... the exam would not be as difficult." Armin justified, thinking back to overhearing conversations in the hallway of the new professor for Biomedical, and while he hadn't met the man personally, he was in the Engineering department and that meant something. Marine Engineering could use the logistical and scientific mind of his, and Armin thought that perhaps that was why Hange held the young professor in a high regard. Obviously, never commenting about his horse-like looks.
Eren throws Armin a pointed look, before looking down back at the muffin he was destroying and using a high voice to mimic Armin's words.
“Armin… you traitor. Dr. Kirstein won’t shut up about groundbreaking research and his little assistants foam at the mouth about his manuscript updates.” Mikasa gabs Eren’s foot under the table with her own, earning a light squeak from him.
”Anyway…” she chuckled lightly at Eren’s brooding face, “how did it go with the new lab member, Armin?” Her eyes bore into his own as he blushed deeply.
He had told his friends that a new lab assistant was starting earlier that week. In classic Mikasa and Eren fashion, they immediately pestered Armin about how the student could hold the potential of being Armin's soulmate.
Armin had waited five long years from the day he had received his mark. A small, "I'm glad someone thinks so" written across his wrist for the world to see. He found himself listening intently to every conversation he began, waiting for someone to say the words. Luck was not on his side for nobody had.
He gave up, turning to school and using his skills elsewhere. Trying to make a name in academia led to it being at the forefront of his mind. Not to say he wasn't patiently waiting for the day he would find love... he grew up with love.
His mother got diagnosed with a rare, brutal cancer that took her body over before Armin was old enough to realize. After her passing, his father died of a broken heart, their love a testament to the strength of the soulmate bond.
His grandfather would recall stories of the two of them, emphasizing that beyond it all, the love they shared was their power, encompassing their being.
Armin dreamed of growing strong through love like his parents, if they were ever going to show up.
Unforunately, the student had not said the words pasted on Armin's wrist. The freckled boy was quiet, shoulders hunched in concentration over beakers and giving small words of encouragement.
"Not my soulmate, don't worry" Armin recalled the twinge of disappointment that rang through his body at the discovery, his impatience being to cloud his judgement. "Great guy though... just not mine" he shrugged.
"Next time, champ!" Eren grumbled, crumbs flying out from his mouth across the table. Armin only nodded as he closed his computer screen.
"Are you coming over tonight to study with us?" Mikasa questioned after shooting her boyfriend a look of disgust as more crumbs escaped his mouth from his open chewing.
Armin groaned, "I wish, but I don't have the time." He checked the time on his phone,
I have lecture shortly and then I'm going back to lab, finishing up my diagnostic testing... late night again for me."
Eren winked at Mikasa, who only hummed back to Armin in response, feeling pity for the busy schedule the blonde signed himself up for.
Leaning over a little, Eren caught Mikasa's ear, "we can always bring the fun to him!"
Armin furrowed his eyebrows at Mikasa's light chuckle and nodded as she waved off his reaction. Weird.
"Sorry guys, I have to go prep for lecture," Armin saluted to the two as he grabbed his things and headed out the shop, waving before he began his walk over to the lecture hall.
Tilting back in his seat, Eren smirked and cracked his fingers, turning to Mikasa with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "We are so breaking in to that lab tonight."
--
Glassware lined the desks in the laboratory, beakers and flasks of different sizes filled with varying liquid colors. The hum of equipment acted like white noise, the beams of industry lighting above shining down on the screen of Armin's computer.
He had finished running a test to prove a newly hypothesized behavioral pattern in zebrafish, yet the data was not aligning with his previous data. Actually... it was better. It was fantastic. If he could repeat the trial again and receive similar data, it would support his hypothesis greatly.
He grinned madly at the screen, eyes scanning over the charts and graphs that were generated. Luckily, he was alone and that prompted him to do a little celebratory dance over the results. He threw up his arms and let out a small whoop, his bangs swooping around his forehead.
"Finally!" he muttered to himself, gazing at the slides at the desk in front of him and the visualized genealogy on the screen. He had made a breakthrough. Dr. Hange would be so proud of him.
His heart fluttered a little in suspense at the sound of something echoing in the hallway outside, just loud enough to be heard over the growls of machinery running in the lab. He checked his phone, it was 8pm and most of the staff and students had gone home for the night. He considered himself basically alone on this floor.
Shaking his head at the ridiclousness of his fleeting fear, he got up to begin prepping for running another trial to see if the data would show up the same.
Footsteps boomed in the hallway, getting louder with each second. Maybe someone left their bag here and were rushing to get it. Armin tried to justify any reason as to why the echoes were gaining in volume... and getting closer. Much closer.
It seemed as though the feet pounding against the floor were right outside the lab door.
The door slammed open in a frenzy as Armin almost dropped the pipette he was about to use on the cell culture in front of him. Goosebumps lined his arms as the little hairs on the back on his neck stood up straight.
Gazing at the door in shock, eyes wide, he froze when Eren's panting form was in the doorway.
"I-holy shit-I didn't know you needed a damn keycard to get in here-I think I'm dying-at night-Mikasa I can't breathe-" Through pants, Armin only stared back at the boy in confusion, what was Eren doing here?
Placing his hands on his knees, Eren took in a few deep breaths, heart pounding in his ears. "Security, we had to run. Why the hell do you need a keycard, it is literally 8pm."
"Eren! What are you doing here?"
Eren huffed at Armin, tossing a hand up as he continued to calm his breathing, "You work too hard. We wanted to surprise you. Not get chased by some loser security guard."
"Who happens to be turning down this hallway now!" Mikasa ushered, eyes locked down the hallway, body outside the door.
"Shit!" Eren gasped, chest heaving as he stood up. With pleading looks, Eren pouted at Armin.
Armin crossed his arms, "Do not beg me to run from the security with you."
"It'll be like old times sake!"
"Eren, we aren't children anymore."
"He's getting closer!" Mikasa screamed out, tugging at her boyfriend's hand and gesturing to continue running down the hall.
Eren jutted out his body lip, "please Armin, you know the way around here, help us escape!"
Rubbing a hand through his cropped hair, Armin muttered a hasty fine through clenched teeth. Grabbing at Eren's hand, the trio quickly feld the lab, pipette clattering still against the floor. Armin quickly heard the pounding of footsteps down the hall as the security guard ran after them.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Armin growled, being to sprint with Mikasa and Eren right on his heels. They made their way to a doorway, Armin tugging a door open with such force it banged against the wall as he made his way up the staircase.
"I hate-ugh this is awful-stairs!" Eren panted, continuing to follow Armin in climbing up the stairs. Mikasa shushed Eren and pleaded that he not make more noise, her breathing even and not seeming at all affected by the chase.
After going up three floors, Armin threw another door open and led the others down a hallway, before entering a doorway into the adjacent building.
"Do you think we lost him?" Armin sputtered, breathing heavily alongside Eren.
"Better safe than sorry! Find a room to hide in." Eren wheezed, clutching at a cramp in his side.
The first three doors Armin tried to thrust open were locked. Just their luck.
Finally, a light was on in the fourth door down the hallway, and with a feeling of accomplishment, Armin threw the door open, rushing in and turning around quickly, ushering the other two inside and slamming the door shut.
His hair was thrown around, the short cropped bangs on his forehead swept from the run. Eren's gasps for air flooded his ears as Mikasa's short inhales were covered by the wheezes. Armin's chest heaved as he begged for air, putting his hands up against the door, his forehead leaning against it. Breathing in and out, he questioned what the hell his life had become.
"This is the literal.... worst day... of my life!" Eren barked out between gasps of air. Armin slowly turned around, hand placed in his hair trying to throw it back to normal.
A gasp left his lips as he stared into the brown eyes of Dr. Kirstein, the young professor who girls fawned over and Eren claimed to be a curse to the university. It was the Eren-proclaimed horse man himself.
Horse... that can't be right. The older man had ashy hair that reached his neck, swept over his forehead and Armin's fingers twitched at the desire to play with the long strands. His honey eyes were captivating, if Armin managed to look past the confusion and shock blooming in them.
His lips were pink and Armin wanted to feel them, he predicted they were soft. He shook his head slightly at the thoughts, this was a professor, what was he doing?
In a rush of fatigue and delusion, Armin uttered out the only words he could think of at the moment.
"For what it's worth, I don't think you look like a horse."
Jean's mouth flew open, heart pulsing in his chest. The world seemed to stop, as he stared at three students begging for air, cheeks flushed and adrenaline racing through them. Those words... those were his words. His soulmate's words.
The blonde in front of him was adorable. He was handsome, with short blonde hair and the biggest, brightest blue eyes he had ever seen. Red cheeks, flushed from whatever run they were doing in the building late at night. The softest looking cheeks he had ever seen. Even through deep inhales, his torso appeared tone and Jean wanted to run his hands along it.
He stuttered, pausing at the realization of what he heard. With a dry mouth, Jean squeaked out, "I'm glad someone thinks so."
Whatever breath Armin had recovered, escaped him all at once. His hands shook, whether from the running or the sentence that rang in his ears on repeat, he couldn't tell.
They had both waited years, Jean longer than Armin, to hear each other say the delicate writing left on their body at 18. Finally, they had found each other.
Eren threw his head into his hands, words tangling out between them. "You can't tell me that Professor Horseface himself is your fucking soulmate."
"Eren... for once, please, shut up!" Mikasa hissed, seeing the pink tint on Armin's ears as the two men stared at each other in wonder and admiration. It was beautiful, if anyone deserved this moment, it was Armin.
Jean stood up, his height towering over the others in the room, even behind his desk. Rubbing at the stubble on his chin, his eyes didn't break Armin's gaze.
Mikasa nudged Eren in the side, leading him to wheeze out in pain and grumble to her about hitting him right on a cramp. Gesturing to the door, she slowly eased herself outside, winking slightly at Armin as he stayed frozen. Eren crossed his arms, muttering to Mikasa about how the world was unfair and Armin was unlucky to find such his match was his "head-ass professor".
"I, uh, I'm Jean." Glancing down at the Dr. Jean Kirstein name plate gleaming on the desk. Immediately, he worried about how old the man in front of him was. Jean was a professor, this was a student, what were the roles?
His heart dropped at what was to come, yet it fluttered away in a moment as Armin spoke up, saying his name through stuttered breaths and looking away shyly.
Armin Arlert. Jean had heard that name before... but where?
It hit him all at once. Dr. Hange's research prodigy, their pride and joy in the research realm. The graduate student who had found success in undergraduate studies, researching under Hange's mentorship over new mechanisms in behavior of marine organisms. The exact student they raved about in their meetings at times when discussing their research projects to the group and how to continue financing.
A graduate student. A rush of relief passed through Jean as he moved away from the desk, stepping closer until he was within a few feet of Armin. Up close, the blue eyes glowed, happiness shining bright.
"The running?" Jean whispered, watching as Armin's cheeks turned to a deeper red. Armin ushered out about working late, the stupidity of his friend, the chase, all of it leading to this moment.
Armin couldn't believe his soulmate had been here all this time. Waiting for him, for the perfect moment to arise where they would meet.
It made his heart grow already. Only looking into Jean's eyes, he knew that this was the person who he would grow old with, start a family. Someone to finally fill up that missing piece of him.
Jean hestitated briefly, raising his hand up to cup Armin's cheek.
"You... are so incredibly handsome." Jean gushed, rubbing his thumb along Armin's jawline. Armin gulped, biting at his lip from the compliment. Was this what it felt like? To feel a connection building already and wanting to protect this person with his life?
"I never thought I'd find you," Jean confided, looking at the floor. "I'm grateful that you finally ran your way into my life."
"Literally, ran..." Armin chuckled, grinning ear to ear.
"I want to know everything about you..." It was odd for Jean to feel such a strong bond already. He knew it was common, he saw it with Connie and Sasha, the immediate intertwining of their lives together at the first moment they met. The connection building stronger with each day, going from strangers to lovers in the blink of an eye.
This is what destiny had planned for him. And obviously... destiny picked right.
"I had a late night... want to grab dinner with me?" Armin looked up shyly, feeling a little embarrassed from the lack of knowledge of what to do. It seemed so natural, talking with Jean already, even though they had just met.
Jean nodded, smiling down at the younger boy.
"One condition..." Jean chuckled, eyes squinting slightly, "promise me that you truly don't think I look like a horse." Armin let out a hearty laugh, reaching out his hands to lay them against Jean's chest. Jean felt his heart swell at the motion, heart pounding in his chest at the touch.
"Of course not!" Armin squeaked out, paling at the realization that whatever his friend had been saying traveled enough to affect his soulmate. Already, his heart ached at the realization. The bond was formed quicker than Armin expected, and he already felt protective over the older man, "you are perfect."
"I would be anything for you, Armin." Jean never thought he would sound so cheesy, but even just looking into Armin's eyes made him want to be everything for him. To be successful, loving, to prove that he won't be like his father. To treat his soulmate with respect, to strengthen the bond, to uplift each other. He had forever to prove that they were meant to be, and Jean decided right there that he would work at it every day to be the perfect soulmate for Armin.
"Can I kiss you, Armin?" Jean's hand shook a little at the question, not meaning for it to come out so shakily. He was nervous. It eased his nerves slightly with knowing that regardless of what happened, they would be okay.
Armin slowly moved to the tips of his toes, reaching his hand around Jean's neck, brushing against the hairs that were dangling against it. Like he predicted, his skin was soft and warm, and utterly perfect.
Their lips pressed together lightly. Armin could have sworn sparks erupted around them at the connection, dipping deeper into the softness against him. They moved in sync, as if the movements were too familiar. Tongues grazed at bottom lips, hands clutching cheeks and the base of necks.
Like his mother said, the kiss was magical and Jean never wanted it to end. Armin pulled away first, pants leaving his mouth as red coated his cheeks from the kiss now, the acceleration of the running disappearing.
Leaning his forehead against Armin's, Jean muttered out, "my world."
Armin grinned, throwing his arms around Jean's waist, whispering back, "my soulmate, forever."