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"You still sleep with a stuffed animal?" Eren asked, eyeing the fluffy bear in Armin's hand—its body limp as he held it by its paw. It was their first ever sleepover, and Armin brought his teddy bear, refusing to go even one night without it.
"We're already seven!" Eren thought it was outrageous to need a plushy at their big age.
"I don't care." Armin said, his little fist clenched tighter around the arm of the soft toy. "He's my friend."
"But I'm your friend." Eren pouted.
"I have two friends." Armin simply shrugged.
One friend was enough, if you were to ask Eren.
One of the eyes of the bear came loose, and Armin was inconsolable.
"It's just a stupid bear." Eren said, almost indifferent to his crying friend. Almost; he didn't like to see Armin upset.
But Eren still thought it was stupid to cry over a lifeless piece of fabric. And he still didn't really understand why Armin was so attached to the object.
"My mom is good at sewing." Eren muttered, "She can fix it."
The sniffling quickly came to a halt; Armin's glassy eyes widened at the words. "Really?"
When Carla repaired the little bear, Armin was over the moon. Even though the placement was off and the thing looked a bit silly, Eren couldn't help but notice the way Armin's eyes lit up.
All because of that stupid bear.
"Aren't you afraid you're going to get bullied again?"
"Huh?" Armin's head shot up, and he propped himself up on the mattress, elbows dipping into it.
"I mean," Eren started, "you're twelve and still sleep with a stuffed animal." He'd been staring up at the wooden ceiling in the sleeping barracks, up high in their shared bunk-bed.
"It's not like I bring it everywhere…" Armin trailed.
"Still, you're the only one in the entire barrack with one." Eren said flatly. "Why don't you put it in our clothing chest?" He waved his hand in the direction of the end bed, where the chest sat.
Armin only gave a timid shake of the head.
Eren raised a brow.
"Why do you even hold onto it like that?" The words left his mouth harsher than intended.
"He helps me sleep," Armin said softly, holding up the paws of the teddy, fingers circling over its worn fur. It used to be a lot softer. A sad glimmer flickered across his eyes, and his voice frayed at the edge. "I feel less anxious when I can hold something familiar."
Eren scoffed, nearly rolling his eyes.
The bed suddenly creaked, Armin dropped his head and rolled over, backside now facing Eren with a slight tremor in his shoulders.
Crap, he hadn't meant to upset him. Eren crawled over to his side of the bunk, hand reaching out to Armin's back wanting to offer a touch of comfort. But Armin just curled up tighter, turning himself into a small and fragile little ball, snuggling his face into the soft belly of the little teddy bear.
The way he curled into himself was a stark reminder of when the mission to retake Wall Maria had been declared an official failure. Armin's granddad had been drafted.
A harsh pang of guilt tore through his chest. The teddy bear had been a gift from his grandfather, given to him way before he even met Eren.
He didn't dare to say anything anymore.
At least the lifeless toy couldn't make it worse by running its mouth, like he just did.
But still, Eren wanted to calm him down, too.
Even at age fifteen—actual soldiers in the Survey Corps now—Armin still held onto the plush. Cuddling with it frequently. Even on their day off, when they'd decide to take it easy and just enjoy a quiet evening. They sat together under the windowsill; Armin was reading one of his many books. Eren mindlessly gazed outside, watching birds pass by.
The bear's shape had become limp with age, patches of fur were missing, and many colourful sewing lines littered its little body like scars.
Clearly it had been very loved over the years. Some odd feeling tugged at Eren's chest.
Eren thought it looked kind of creepy, with its mismatched eyes and many fixed-up holes. Its head flopped over Armin's elbow as he embraced it to his chest, and it now faced Eren.
The thing was staring at him. And Eren couldn't ignore its penetrating and judging eyes. He just glared back.
Even though Eren was well aware of the sentimental value, why Armin even needed to hug such an ugly and ragged teddy bear was still beyond him. At least give the thing some mercy and put it into storage before it wastes away.
It wasn't that Eren was jealous of a silly and worn-out plush toy, no way.
He must admit, Armin looked stupidly adorable when asleep and tightly holding his plushy to his chest.
How can an adult man, a trained soldier, the fucking Colossal Titan, be that cute?
Well, to be fair, Armin had always looked quite young for his age, and just because he turned eighteen the other day didn't mean he suddenly lost all of his youth.
Apparently it also didn't mean he'd finally ditch that damned stuffed animal.
But still, Eren couldn't let go that Armin was an adult now. An adult who still slept with a stuffed animal. As he got older, his anxiety lessened and his confidence bloomed. Surely he must be growing out of it soon.
Eren's eyes darted over Armin again, still sleeping peaceful as ever. Compared to when they were seven—the bear back then huge in comparison to Armin's tiny self—it was now a mere little thing, Armin having grown much bigger since Eren first came to hate the annoying object.
He must be comfortable.
Eren definitely didn't wish he was sandwiched between Armin's arms instead.
At last, Armin finally 'got rid of' the bear. Or well, not quite. He just put the poor battered thing on a shelf—at Eren's insistence. He would never actually make Armin get rid of his beloved teddy.
They lived together—in their own place now, just outside of Shiganshina and beyond Wall Maria. And Eren refused to let Armin bring the filthy thing into their bed. So instead, Armin fixated himself on Eren. Clinging on tightly to his figure every night—not giving him an inch of breathing room. Arms tight around Eren's waist, one leg hooked over his hips, and his face pressed into his chest. Always that same damn position.
"Is this still necessary?"
"Yes." Armin nuzzled deeper into Eren's comfy chest. "If you don't let me have my teddy, then you're going to have to take his place."
Eren could only let out a sigh at his childish response. Usually, Armin was the mature one.
He tried to shift, but Armin tightened his grip, suffocating him further. Another sigh. He always did that. Eren couldn't even get out of bed if he needed to take a piss in the middle of the night; Armin would yank him back into an inescapable bear hug with surprising strength. This night being no different.
Even though Armin had always been rather weak compared to everyone else, he was deceptively strong after years of serving in the military.
Staring up at the bare ceiling, Eren's mind wandered off.
Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around? How can a twink bear hug? He was supposed to take the bear's place? Huh?
As much as he was glad the stuffed animal had been demoted to decor, he wasn't so sure if he liked being smothered this way. But as long as he wasn't confronted with that creepy teddy bear following his every move and taking all of Armin's attention, he could bear with it.
Hah.
One day, Armin woke up with a fever.
Sweat-drenched bangs clung tightly to his forehead, and all the colour on his face concentrated in a deep red painting his cheeks. His breathing was a little laboured, his lips trembled, and the shivering was visible through the thick blanket.
"Don't go." The words were barely audible, a strangled whine catching in his throat. Armin caught Eren's hand as he slowly shifted up, sitting on the bed.
Tenderly tucking the damp bangs aside, Eren placed the back of his hand against Armin's forehead. He was burning up.
"Sorry." He leaned in to press a kiss to his flushed cheeks, also warm against the sensitive skin of his lips. "I have to."
Another whiny groan slipped out from Armin.
"You know how the Commander is." Eren said, his voice growing soft. He'd rather stay with Armin too. Especially now that he's sick.
Grunting, he stretched out his legs and stood up.
Eren's eyes lingered on Armin; worry welled up in his chest. He really didn't want to leave him alone like this. Then, his gaze caught that damned bear, still sitting on the shelf above their bed—watching his every move.
That'll do for today.
With a sigh, he reached for the old plush and yanked it off the shelf. He took a short moment to look at the thing. Its patchy fur was rough under his touch, its body still limp as its ears flopped over, and those darned beady eyes still held that eerie and empty gaze.
"Guess I'll have to leave him in your care today." Eren grumbled under his breath, voice so low Armin didn't seem to catch it. Good.
"Here, teddy." Eren simply said as he shoved it between Armin's arms.
Armin didn't say anything, just rolled over to his side and curled up, hugging the bear tight to his chest as if on instinct. He shot Eren a thankful glance as a soft smile stretched across his lips and nuzzled into the worn fabric.
Still cute as ever.
Armin, not the teddy-bear.
Wordlessly, Eren tucked the blanket tighter around them, and gave a hearty pat on Armin's shoulder. "Get some rest."
"I won't be gone for too long." He said as he padded out of the room, throwing back a quick look over his shoulder. As the words left his mouth, his eyes narrowed at the bear.
They were at truce, for now.