The day continued, full of action-packed adventures and... fuck, what am I saying. That's bullshit and even I know that. We actually did some pretty low key things. I guess that was just what he was into and that was okay with me because what made him happy made me even happier. We went for a hike through the local park forest then got some coffee at Tim Hortons. It was freezing outside so we couldn't do anything like go to amusement parks or summer fairs; not that they'd be open during that time of year anyway. There wasn't really much to do during that time of the year. We bought some new clothes and shoes for him at the mall, trying not to pick anything too flashy that would cause him to stick out in his time. Overall, that day was good. I think he enjoyed himself and that made me happy. Once we got home, we went out for a walk around my neighborhood. It eventually got too cold, so we started walking back. "So, Y/N?" he said in a questioning tone. We walked down the bitter cold sidewalk towards my house. The sun was setting, casting the most beautiful ombré of colors upon the world around us.

"Yeah, Armin?"

"I have one last request."

I asked him what it was and he replied, "well, actually, I have a few. But, first, where are we staying tonight?"

"I'm going with here. After all, I want you to have a top-notch birthday."

I smiled warmly at him. He really meant the world to me. "So what're these requests you're talking about?" I asked. "Well, I'm sure these will all sound stupid but, moving on. I want to get to your house and have one of those hot baths. I can't imagine the idea of bathing in hot water. I want to experience it for myself if that's okay. Then, I wanna lay with you and read one of my new books. Last, I want to end the night with a kiss."

"Sure. That all sounds great. Besides, you really didn't need to ask. We probably would have done all those things anyway."

"R-Really? Alright, well, I can't wait," he sighed. His face began to redden as he watched his feet, walking. I couldn't tell if it was from the cold or embarrassment. I grabbed his hand and held it tight. It was cold. Just then, I'd thought of an idea. "Wanna have a bubble bath?" I proposed.

"A what?"

"Just say yes, it's great, I insisted." "Sure..." he replied with hesitation.

"Great. I might even think of joining you because I haven't had one of those in forever," I exclaimed. Armin looked up at me, in shock. "What?" he stammered.

"Never mind, forget I said anything."

Joining in wasn't that bad of an idea. He wouldn't be that self-conscious if he knew we'd be covered in bubbles but regardless, I'll respect his wishes. We finally approached my house. I playfully ran up the driveway to the door, unlocking it with my housekey. He ran up behind me and we walked inside.

"It's getting colder by the second," I stated.

"Yeah."

I flicked on a light and closed the door, making sure to lock it. Making sure to slip off my shoes at the front door, I ran up the stairs. "I'll run the bath!" I yelled down at him. He followed me up the stairs and we entered the master bedroom. I turned on the bath, poured in some bubble bath soap, and closed the door. Armin and I sat down on the bed.

"Y/N, you know, you're so, so, so beautiful."

I could feel my face flushing. I thanked him for the compliment and hugged him. I held him close. His hair smelled sweet, almost like flowers. I'd come to love the way he smelled. It was comforting to me. Whenever I was with him, I felt like I could just be yourself. I sat up and slid off the bed. I jogged into the bathroom and turned off the bath. Armin walked in behind and watched the bubbles foaming up.

"Wow!"

"Armin, can I have a bath with you? Please?" I whined.

"W-With me!? But you're a girl and I'm a boy so that's weird."

"No, Armin, I swear it won't be. The bubbles will cover us we won't see anything I promise. Please?" I begged. He looked at me uncomfortably as I continued to bed.

"Fine, but you better not look at me," he replied, finally giving in. I hugged him and squealed with joy. Secretly, I just wanted him to be more comfortable in his skin around me. I thought he had a beautiful body.

"Thank you," I said between kissing him, "I'll leave so you can get in first. Tell me when I can come in." "No, you can stay. Just cover your eyes," he demanded. I was surprised he was willing to allow me to remain in the room while he undressed. I sighed and sat down, facing the door. I listened to the faint sounds of his clothes hitting the floor. I eventually heard him hop into the bath. "Um, you can look now," he cooed. I stood up and began to pull off my shirt. "Y/N you should have said you're changing!" he yelled, shielding his eyes as if looking at my body was wrong.

"I don't care if you see me naked, Armin. We're close, remember?"

"No, but it's rude. I don't want you thinking I'm a... a pervert," he whispered. I reassured him, "I don't think you're a pervert." I threw my underwear and bras on the pile of clothes he created and got into the bath with him. Armin still had his eyes covered. "You can look," I stated. He peeked through his fingers to make sure, then peeled his hands off of his face. He sat with his knees to his chest at the other side of the bath. I lay down, resting my head on the side of the tub.

"This is so nice. Armin just lay down and relax."

"S-Sorry, okay."

He moved over beside my body and lay down. cautiously. I quickly wrapped my arms around his chest and brought him close to myself.

"Y/N, what are you–"

"I just wanna hug you. Is that too much to ask for?"

"But you're naked..."

"Armin, if my naked body makes you uncomfortable then just say so. I don't want to force you into anything you don't want to do. If you don't want to hug me right now then please just say so. I don't want to have to keep assuming your boundaries. You can be straightforward with me," I explained. He whimpered, "But Y/N, this is different. We're naked, you know?"

"I don't see that as a problem but if you do then I'll stop."

I let go of him and lay back again, closing my eyes. "I'm so sorry, Y/N. Are you mad?" he asked.

"No, Armin. Of course not."

"You swear?"

"Yes."

He looked at me nervously then moved closer. He held my arm with his smooth, wet hands and rest his head on my shoulder. His bare legs touching mine. No barriers between each other's skin. Pure human touch. This is what I'd been missing. After maybe 20 minutes, I was beginning to feel tired, so I decided I should get out soon. Just as I was thinking this, Armin told me he was ready to get out. I stood up and hopped out of the tub, then realizing that I'd forgotten to get towels before getting in. "Y/N, I told you to warn me when you were getting out," Armin screamed, shielding his eyes.

"Sorry, I need to get some towels. I totally forgot about them."

He was practically blushing through the hands covering his face.

"Ah, found one."

I grabbed a towel out of the cupboard under the sink and dried myself off.

"Here," I said as I threw the towel at him. He caught it clumsily. I walked out of the steamy bathroom into the cold master bedroom air. I ran downstairs to my room and jumped on my bed. "Armin, I'm in my room!"I yelled. The words echoed throughout the house. He didn't respond but I assumed he heard me. I lay there, closing my eyes. My muscles felt so relaxed and I was exhausted. Armin walked downstairs and entered the room, wearing the towel I threw him. The second he saw me sprawled out on my bed, he shielded his eyes. "Y-Y/N, I'm here. I swear I didn't see anything. I-I'm not like that I promise!" he insisted.

"You know I don't care if you see me like this. I only care if you don't like it. If you don't want to see me like this then say so."

"B-But if you were any other girl you would have hit me and called me a pervert for walking in on you naked."

"Well I'm not them so it's fine. I've practically seen you naked so I don't mind you seeing me naked. We're friends, right?"

"Yeah but..."

He stood at the door then took a few steps forward. He awaited his instructions. "You can throw the towel in the hamper over there," I explained. "What about my clothes?" he asked. I groaned and shoved my face into my pillow. I was so tired and I was beginning to feel frustrated towards him. I was losing my temper, which I knew was wrong. "Can't you just sleep naked? I'm too lazy to go get your clothes and clean them right now," I growled.

"You mean with nothing on?"

"Yes. That's what I was planning on doing, if that's fine with you. I usually sleep naked at home. After all, it lets your skin breathe."

He put a hand over his mouth and cheeks to try hiding his crimson red blush. All sorts of thoughts and scenarios ran through his mind. "I-If that's what you want..." he muttered.

"Armin, it doesn't matter what I want if you're not okay with it. You get to choose what happens. Just say the word and we can get dressed. We're sleeping here tonight. If you're fine with sleeping naked then turn off the light before you get into bed."

He nodded and walked over to the hamper. He stood there, still debating on whether he was actually going to sleep completely exposed. Once he decided, he slowly took off the towel and dropped in inside the hamper. It made a faint thump as it hit the bottom. He covered his groin and ran to the light, flicking it off and closing the bedroom door. I moved over towards the other side of the bed, making space for him. I couldn't feel the pressure of him hopping into bed. "Coming?" I asked through the darkness.

"Y-Yeah. I just feel a bit weird..."

I felt bad. I hoped I didn't pressure him into doing something he wasn't comfortable with.

I reached over and grabbed his wrist, pulling him onto the bed. He awkwardly lay down, pulling the covers over his body. He told me how nice my blankets felt on his bare skin. He cherished the things I had. He cherished me. I meant more than the world to him, and that's why doing something like this was hard for him. He didn't want to risk the relationship he had with me.