Chapter Text
"Hi." He doesn't have to turn around to know who it is.
"Hey."
"How are you holding up?"
"All things considered, alright."
"At least one of you is bad at lying."
"I'm not lying."
"Yes you are, there's no point in beating around the bush." momentary quiet, and then,
"I guess."
"They're worried about him."
"I know."
"Maybe they're even worried about you."
"Doubt it."
"I'm worried."
"Don't go all girly on me now, Armin. I know you look like one, but at least try."
"I am. You can be a dick about it, but even Eren is asking questions."
"So you're saying Jaeger is into me? It's flattering but I'll have to decline." Jean can feel his disapproving glance. Armin's leaning on the supporting beam, opposite of him.
"The part that bothers me is I don't know what happened." He says, after a long moment of silence. Jean doesn't respond, staring hard at the grass.
"Neither of you are talking. It's bizarre."
"You're tellin' me."
"I think you've got to do something, though."
"What about Marco?"
"You know he won't. He's probably convinced himself by now that it's all his fault. Which I don't think it was."
"And how do you know that?"
Immediately after, he adds,
"You're right, damn it, but how?"
"I thought so. Anyways, it's awkward in there with you. You should probably leave." Armin says thoughtfully, and Jean snorts,
"You don't think I know that? I'm probably the last person he wants to see, he's probably so embarrassed even though it's so stupid that he feels weird. He shouldn't. That's definitely my fault."
"Jean,"
"Yeah?"
"Did Marco come out to you?"
“Come out to me?”
“Oh- I didn’t. I didn't know. I thought for sure he would've told you.”
“Told me what?” even though Jean is totally aware of what that is. He has a sick feeling this is how he would've found out otherwise. If marco hadn't had slipped he'd have learned it from someone else. Probably by accident as well.
“Oh uh… I didn't think I'd be wrong honestly, all the signs seemed to point to it...”
“Armin?”
“I miscalculated I don’t have a clue what-”
“You didnt. You were right.”
“I don't know how I'm going to- wait what?”
“He did. Thats what this is about. He came out to me on accident and I'm pretty sure he’s got a crush on me and its all fucked up. There, I said it. Now can you please just go back inside? I'd really rather not have some sort of pavlovian discussion of my sexuality.”
“Did you mean Kinsey or Freud because as far as I know Pavlov was a physiologist.”
“Armin, it would be great if you could just like, leave.”
“Uh...yeah. Right. You’re right. For now.”
“For now.” Jean echoes, also not turning to see Armin leave. He knew, and somewhere in the back of his mind Jean feels vaguely upset. He really, really hates the position he’d put them in because he just had to be a stupid, naive thirteen year old who watched one too many gay pornos.
He leaves after about ten minutes of sulking around outside, in the warm summer air. He is determined to make amends. He doesn’t know when, doesn’t know how, but he will. Somehow.