#this guy. I wanna hang him out to dry on a balmy summer afternoon and then tuck him into bed w/exactly 5 mg of melatonin

[pondslime]

What do you want from me? What have I done? I'm just a word processor, for Christ sake!

Griffin Dunne as Paul Hackett AFTER HOURS (1985) dir. Martin Scorsese

[katiebug445]

A Summer Night

Jearmin Week day 3 - Summer Nights  Word Count: 1409  A/N: This fic was brought to you by my lovely sponsors - cheese puffs and @cruspey-loves-levi and the letter 9. ENJOY.

Do u wanna do something?

The text came through just as the sun was starting to go down, and Armin was sitting in the living room with his grandfather as he read the paper. Armin’s eyes flickered up to the old man, hating to ask if it was okay for him to leave or not, but curious to see what Jean had in mind. He tapped his fingers over the back of his phone, debating on what to reply for a moment. 

What do you have in mind? 

He sent, his thumbs tapping quickly over the screen. “Hey, Grandpa?” Armin spoke, waiting for Jean to answer him. “Jean, um, might come over soon.” 

His grandfather looked up from the paper, then at the clock, before turning to his grandson with a frown. “It’s getting a little late for him to be dropping by, isn’t it?” 

“Maybe a little…” Armin mumbled, about to tell Jean no, when he responded. 

Cool. I’ll be there in a few. Be ready 2 go.

“I guess we’re going somewhere.” Armin said, getting to his feet and looking for his jacket and shoes. It was only August, but he was beginning to get chilled at night despite the hot days. 

“You’ll take your phone, won’t you?” His grandfather asked, concerned. 

“Of course.” 

“And you won’t be out too late?” 

“If I can help it.” 

“Be safe, Armin.” 

“I will.” Armin replied, smiling a little. Just in case, he went over to the older man and hugged him before going outside to wait for his friend. 

Jean showed up a few moments later, hurrying up to the house and grinning when he saw Armin. “Sorry it’s so late. Mom was driving me nuts. I had to get out of there for a bit.” 

“It’s okay.” Armin said, tucking some hair behind his ear. “What do you have in mind?” 

Jean looked around, unable to look Armin in the eyes, and cleared his throat. “Wanna go down to the park?” 

“This late?” 

“Why not?” Jean shrugged, still avoiding eye contact. “It’ll be safe enough. And if anyone tries to start anything, I’ll kick their ass.” 

Armin smiled, just a little, and led the way down the sidewalk. “I guess you’re right.” 

Luckily, nobody else had the same idea, and the park was completely empty when they got there, which meant they had their pick of equipment. Unlike when they were young, Armin noted. “I’M CALLING SWINGS!” Jean shouted, taking off at a dead sprint for them, and plopping down on the highest one. 

With a roll of his eyes, Armin followed after him, sitting down on the one next to him with a bit of difficulty. Apparently whoever had come before them was tall, and didn’t appreciate the swings being at a normal height. “It’s so weird to be here this late.” Armin admitted, his feet barely able to touch the ground. 

“Yeah, but it’s kinda nice, isn’t it?” Jean replied, pumping his legs a little to gain some speed. “It’s nice to have the place to ourselves for once.” 

“I guess.” 

“You guess?” 

Armin just shrugged, staring down at his legs. “It doesn’t feel… right. Being here without others hanging around. Like it’s some kind of… portal or something. It feels like there should be some kind of spirit or monster here.” 

Jean stopped swinging for a moment and looked straight ahead, almost as if he was seeing something, then, with a nervous laugh, looked over at Armin. “You, uh, really know how to kinda freak a guy out, you know?” 

“Yeah.” Armin replied, a little dejected. “That’s the thing I’m best at: Freaking everyone out.” 

“It’s not… a bad thing, Armin.” Jean mumbled. “You just have a big imagination, is all.”

“Thanks?” 

“Don’t mention it.” 

Armin snorted, letting his feet dangle above the ground for just a moment or two longer before getting up and walking around behind Jean. He pushed his back gently, causing the swing to move a little, and Jean just held on for the ride. “Shouldn’t I be doing this for you?” He asked, turning just a little. 

“Not necessarily.” Armin responded, pushing him again. “I don’t mind doing this.” 

“Well… okay, then.” Jean said, turning back around while Armin pushed him, a small chuckle falling from his lips. It felt so weird to be doing this, to let himself be swung by the blond like this, but he couldn’t deny that it was kind of sweet. And he did kind of enjoy getting a free ride. 

He was going higher and higher on the swing, to the point that Armin actually had to step back a bit to avoid being knocked over, and his hands touched lower and lower down Jean’s back. Every touch sent a small jolt through him, causing him to tense just a bit with every bit of pressure from Armin, and knew eventually… He’d be putting them somewhere else. 

Could he handle that? He didn’t think he could. Just the idea of Armin’s hands on his butt was making his mouth dry, and he knew he needed to make this stop before it got to that point. “H-Hey, Armin? Can you slow me down? I’m - I’m getting a little high, here.” He said, his voice a little shaky. 

“Yeah, sorry!” Armin replied, stepping out of the way so Jean would lose a bit of momentum, and waited until he was down just a little lower before grabbing the sides of his swing and stopping him all together. A whiff of Jean’s scent hit his nose, and Armin froze there for a moment, leaning over Jean’s back, their hands almost touching on the chains of the swing, and his breath hitting Jean’s neck.  

Jean was all too aware of how close Armin was, the light pressure of him pressed against his back, his hands, his lips, everything was so close and that, coupled with the balmy, late summer air, was enough to make Jean start to sweat. 

Another second passed without either of them moving, and Jean could clearly see Armin from the corner of his eye, and swallowed. It would be so easy to turn his head and kiss him. But would Armin want him to? 

The blond must have been thinking the same thing, because as soon as Jean thought that, Armin leaned in, brushing a gentle kiss to his cheek. He pulled back immediately afterwards, his cheeks pink, and a slew of apologies falling from his mouth. 

“It’s… Okay.” Jean replied, a little dazed. He touched the spot where Armin had kissed him, a tiny smile on his face. His heart pounded in his chest, and his hands were sweaty, but he was glad to know Armin felt the same way. 

“M-Maybe… Maybe we should go back.” Armin mumbled, beyond embarrassed with himself. 

“Hey, it’s okay.” Jean said, getting off the swing and walking up to him. “But if you wanna go back, I guess… I guess we can.”

Armin had no idea what to do. He wanted to stay, but he would have been lying if he said he wasn’t afraid of what might happen if they did, and… it would be better to stop it now. Jean would be leaving for the other side of the country in just under a month for school, and he’d be heading east. It would be best to stop things before they got started. “Let’s head back.” 

“Okay.” Jean breathed, starting to head back. Much to Armin’s dismay, though, Jean slipped his hand into his, holding it in his own while they walked, and he swore he could feel the taller boy’s pulse through his fingers. It… helped a tiny bit, knowing Jean was every bit as nervous as he was. 

“S-So, uh, Armin?” Jean started, keeping his eyes straight ahead. His face was on fire, and he knew Armin would be able to see it, even in the low light. “Would you, uh, be up for, like… going to get coffee with me tomorrow?” He asked, hating himself for doing so. 

Armin considered it for a moment, half of his head screaming no, but his heart yelling a very loud YES, and shrugged. “I’d like that.” He grinned, looking up at him. “I’d like that a lot.” 

“Cool.” Jean breathed, letting out a relieved breath. “I’ll meet you at your place tomorrow afternoon? We can head out after I get off work?” 

“It’s a date.”