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Finally, some alone time, Jean thought as he plopped onto his lumpy military issued mattress. The boys’ barracks were currently empty, and he planned to take full advantage of that and get a head start on his sleep.
Training was kicking his ass, and falling asleep was a hell of a lot easier when he wasn’t surrounded by a bunch of rowdy, sleepless guys. Hence why he’d chosen to skip dinner and turn in early. While everyone else was in the mess hall eating, he would be resting his fatigued body.
He turned over on his side so that he was facing toward the wall and away from the window that the moonlight was now filtering through. Marco’s bunk was between Jean’s bunk and the wall, so at some point this evening the freckled saint would have to crawl over Jean to reach his own bed. Jean didn’t mind, though, and he was sure Marco would try his absolute best not to wake him. He was cool like that.
Suddenly there was a creak from behind him, and Jean opened his eyes and bolted upright, glancing over his shoulder toward the door.
A smaller boy was making his way into the room now, the back of his hand rubbing over sleepy blue eyes. He closed the door behind himself and groggily made his way over to the ladder that led to his bunk before he glanced over at Jean, seemingly just now noticing the brunet.
Armin. Jaeger’s best friend. Jean hadn’t spoken to the kid, but he’d recognize that mop of blonde hair anywhere. Rolling his eyes for no reason in particular, Jean laid back down and pulled his blanket up over himself until it nearly reached his eyes. Suddenly, he could feel his blood beginning to boil. He didn’t hate Armin. He didn’t have a reason to. Yet. Still, he couldn’t help but associate the little blonde with Eren, and anything Eren-related could automatically be categorized as annoying.
Just don’t talk to me, Jean prayed as he closed his eyes and tried to will his blood pressure back down to a healthy range.
“Are you okay, Jean?” the small, concerned voice said from behind him. See? Annoying.
Jean’s eyes snapped open and he growled under his breath. “I’m fine,” he said. “Just trying to sleep.”
“Oh, okay,” Armin whispered, and Jean felt the smallest twinge of guilt in his chest.
He might have to work on this snippy attitude of his. Armin was nothing like Eren, after all. He hadn’t deserved that.
He heard a few more small creaking sounds as Armin made his way up the ladder and across Eren’s bunk to his own bunk by the wall.
Jean laid still for a while before realizing that his guilty conscious wasn’t going to let him get any sleep until he apologized. Sitting up, he turned toward Armin’s bunk and could barely see the blonde what with Eren’s bunk mostly obscuring him from this angle. Stupid Jaeger. Even his fucking bed is annoying.
Sighing, Jean threw his blankets back, walked over to the ladder Armin had climbed and made his way up without so much as a word to the other boy. When he reached the top, he glanced over Eren’s bunk and made immediate eye contact with Armin, causing the other boy to blink in surprise at his actions.
“Yes?” Armin asked after an entirely too long awkward silence.
Jean internally smacked himself. He wasn’t good at apologizing anyway, but he had already managed to embarrass himself trying. Why had he hesitated? Why had he let it get awkward? Why was he still hesitating? Why was he still letting it get more awkward?
“Uh…” he said, dumbly before he realized what it was that had distracted him. God, it was those eyes! Those bright blue, big, innocent eyes. Armin’s eyes reminded Jean of a baby deer. They were so precious and full of wonder, and Oh. My. God! Why had he still not answered?!
“Jean?” Armin asked, closing the book that Jean hadn’t even realized the blonde was holding.
Without another thought, Jean pulled himself up onto Eren’s bunk, shuddering at the idea that this was where that loud mouthed, arrogant, suicidal maniac laid his empty head at night.
Armin turned on his bunk so that he was facing Jean, those piercing blue eyes now filled with concern and patience rather than wonder and life.
“Uh,” Jean said, as he fixed his glance on the blanket below him. “I just wanted to say I was sorry,” he said.
Armin tilted his head slightly, blonde locks falling over his shoulder and catching Jean’s attention in a way the brunet wished it didn’t. “Sorry?” Armin repeated. “For what?”
“For getting an attitude with you.” Jean rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “You didn’t deserve that, and I’m sorry.”
Armin’s breath hitched and he jumped a little. He must’ve been surprised that Jean Kirstein was apologizing to someone for something. It was definitely a weird experience for both of them.
Jean felt his face begin to redden with embarrassment. Couldn’t Armin just accept his apology already so that he could go back to his own bunk for another failed attempt at sleep?
“I see,” Armin said softly, causing Jean to look fully at the smaller boy. “Thank you for apologizing,” he continued. “But you didn’t have to. I saw you were trying to sleep. I shouldn’t have bothered you.” He lowered his gaze and fidgeted with his own blanket underneath him. “It won’t happen again, I promise.”
Ouch! It felt like someone had just punched Jean right in the chest. Was this kid actually apologizing for talking to him? Judging by the blush on Armin’s cheeks and the now sad look in his eyes, Jean could assume that he really felt guilty. Which, of course, was enough to make Jean feel even worse.
“N-no!” he said a little too loudly, startling the blonde and causing him to lock eyes with Jean again. “I mean, we’re friends. Well, maybe not friends, but acquaintances, right?”
Armin tilted his head to the side again. “Actually this is the first time you’ve ever talked to me.”
“Right,” Jean said with a sigh. “Well regardless, we’re around each other every day. You’re free to talk to me whenever you want. And next time, I’ll try not to be such a dick about it.”
An unintentional smile crossed Armin’s face as he stifled a giggle. “You’re not a dick,” he said. “Just a bit of a douche sometimes.”
Jean gaped at him, having never heard Armin use any form of foul language before. He couldn’t help but smile, though. So this kid wasn’t necessarily a goody two shoes after all? “Nice language,” he teased. “Jaeger teach you that word?”
“As a matter of fact, yes,” Armin said, sitting up a little straighter with a proud smile on his face.
“Hmm,” Jean hummed as he nodded at the other boy’s humorous response. “And do you know what it means?”
“Not a clue,” Armin answered with equal pride, his grin never faltering.
Jean couldn’t stifle his laughter. Why had he avoided Armin for so long? He was nothing like Jaeger. He was actually funny. And easy to talk to and get along with. And cute – Oh God! Jean frowned instantly. Tell me I didn’t just think that!