Armin had been the first to wake up. And he had been watching Kristof ever since. Observed how the other's chest moved up and down every time he breathed in and out. How his lips moved in his sleep. How he looked so peaceful.

Armin brought his hand up and slowly stretched out to touch Kristof. Hesitantly, he caressed the man's arm, oh so very gently. He didn't want to wake the older one up!

He then reached out for Kristof's cheek and softly touched the scar with his index finger, feeling the lumpy flawed skin underneath his fingertip. He brushed his finger over the indentation a couple of times. It felt smooth and quite soft.

When Armin looked at his husband, he was a little shocked to see that Kristof wasn't asleep anymore! He was watching Armin as Armin was watching him.

Armin quickly pulled his finger away as if he had been caught doing something naughty.

Kristof tried to read the younger's facial expression, but he found it difficult. However, he was pretty sure he didn't see any disgust in his eyes. Not anymore.

"You never asked me how I got my scars," Kristof said.

"I could not do such a daring thing."

"Do you want to know?"

Armin nodded. "Yes... Uh... Will you tell me, please?"

"Of course. I want to share everything with you. It happened a long time ago. On my seventh birthday, actually. My parents said that we would go somewhere nice as a surprise. But during the carriage ride towards that special surprise, we got robbed by a group of men. I heard people screaming and then saw my parents looking at each other with the most terrifying look in their eyes."

Kristof rolled over and supported himself on an elbow as he faced Armin and continued:

"Mom and dad told me to leave and run away to safety. When I stepped out of the carriage, scared beyond words, I saw blood everywhere. The carriage drivers had been killed. Then one of the men got me in his sight and my parents yelled at me to run. So... I did."

"..."

"While running away, I looked back and saw my mother getting stabbed. She screamed so loud. I can still hear it... that shriek she let out. A second later, I heard my father's last cry too. I then ran as fast as I could. But during my escape, I tripped and fell in a deep ditch."

Armin could see it still hurt Kristof to talk about it. He could also understand why he had a hard time talking about it as it all sounded absolutely horrible! It gave Armin shivers. He found it hard to listen to. Everybody could only see Kristof's physical scars, but he now knew that this man had lost something far more important than good looks that day.

His lip started to tremble when he imagined a little boy running and looking back to see his mother getting murdered.

"Actually, it was that fall that saved me, because the robbers couldn't find me that way. While I rolled down in the ditch, I must have scraped my face against something hard. Maybe it was a rock, I don't know, I can't remember it. I passed out during the fall."

Armin felt the tears prickling behind his eyes while listening to Kristof's tragic story.

"I woke up days later in a small forest cottage of a woman named Isoldi. She became like a mother to me during the next few years that followed. She'd found me injured. My hand was smashed and was buried underneath a pile of stones. She couldn't save it, so she had to amputate it..."

Armin felt sick. Sick when he thought about the tales in town. This poor man had lost his parents, who'd sacrificed themselves to rescue him! Yet the people spread gossip about how his own mother had chopped his hand off with an ax. It wasn't fair!

Armin tried to hold back his crying, but a little tear was running down his cheek, so he quickly wiped it away.

"Don't cry, Armin," Kristof said tenderly.

Armin couldn't help himself. Kristof must have been so afraid and sad. He kept seeing a little boy who woke up only to find out his parents had died and he would be scarred for life and missing a hand.

"I'm so sorry. I keep seeing little you in front of my eyes." Armin let out a sob as he wiped away another tear.

Kristof rolled down, lying on his back again.

"You know what also hurts me? That I will never know the surprise they had for me. Where were they going to take me?"

That was a question Kristof had asked himself so many times.

Armin sniffed. "Thank you for telling me," he said as he also laid down in the grass. He then dried his tears.

They lay like that for a while, looking at the sky. Then Armin sat up. Kristof looked up and saw Armin gazing at him. Their eyes locked. Arming reached for his arm and took the stump in his hands. The younger slowly brought it to his mouth and pressed his lips on the scar.

"What...are you doing?" Kristof asked, his brows furrowed.

Then Armin got a little closer and leaned in, only to give a kiss on the other scar.

Kristof felt overwhelmed. This act of kindness and acceptance that Armin showed him had touched him to the deepest part of his heart.

When Armin took his lips off the scarred cheek, he brushed his nose against Kristof's and stopped when their lips were only inches apart, but far enough so he could look Kristof in his eyes.

"I've been feeling so confused these past few days... But yesterday, when the King said I looked disappointed for not kissing you... H-he was right... I was disappointed... Because I wanted it. I thought about it all night... I still want it..."

"...?"

"I really want to kiss you..." Armin said with a trembling voice as he looked at Kristof's lips.

Kristof got up, only to push Armin down, who landed on his back. He then hovered over him, just a hair's breadth away from his lips.

Both heavily breathing, Kristof leaned further in and pressed his lips against Armin's. It only lasted a second before Kristof pried his lips off again.

"Oh, Armin..." the older one hoarsely whispered.

He had been waiting for this for so long. He caressed Armin's cheek with his palm and pressed their lips together again, this time harder and more passionately.

Armin felt and heard the blood rushing to his ears, blocking all background sounds. He could only feel. Feel Kristof while goosebumps waved over his body. He never felt this before.

Kristof nipped at his lower lip and gently licked over it with his tongue.

"Hmm..." Armin let out a small noise before his lips parted.

Kristof tenderly slid his tongue between Armin's lips, which evoked sensations in the younger he never knew he had. He hesitantly swiveled his tongue around Kristof's and clung to him with his arms, hugging him as close as he could.

It felt so intimate. At that moment, they were the only ones existing in the universe.

They kissed like that for minutes, until Kristof broke the kiss and gave Armin sweet little kisses all over his face. Over his eyelids, nose, cheeks, chin, and forehead. Kristof then leaned back and looked at Armin, admired Armin, who was blushing in his face and neck, his lips a little red from their kiss.

Kristof couldn't describe the happiness he felt inside right now.

Armin almost gasped for breath when he saw Kristof's eyes lovingly gaze at him. It felt like his heart was pounding so hard, trying to break free from its cage.

"K-kristof..."

"What does this mean?" Kristof asked. He gave a small peck on the tip of Armin's nose.

"I guess it means I don't want to leave anymore," Armin answered.