Chapter Text
.
-
--
---
“This is Armin, he’s my friend.”
And that was that. That was how it began.
Well, no... If she was being honest, it began the moment Eren had wrapped his scarf around her, sealing her fate to be a part of his life for however many years were to come. Though, that was another not entirely separate story.
The two of them looked at each other. Not as if she a bigger introduction was necessary, there was nothing left to say. Now she knew that this kid existed as someone in Eren's life and he knew the same of her. She only needed Eren. Eren was the only friend she needed.
The boy, at least that's how Eren referred to him, muttered something. His shoulders were caved inward nervously, making him look smaller than he already was. It was hard not to mistake him as a girl; he was shorter than her, younger and feminine looking, with big blue eyes and hair down to his chin that made an arch around his face. But Eren said he was a boy and that was enough for her.
She could have figured out what he said, but it wasn't worth the effort if it was not directed at her. Something about him vaguely irritated her, but she didn’t care to analyze it any further. Hopefully she wouldn't have to deal with him much anyway.
“Huh?” From the corner of her eye, Eren seemed disinterested- even lazy, but his voice indicated otherwise.
“Um…”
To her annoyance the boy then raised his voice to a slightly louder level than was necessary, squaring his shoulders with more confidence, and without missing a beat said,
“Hi, I’m Armin. I don’t mind being your friend too if you’re nice.”
He stared at Eren expectantly, as if Eren was the one who would attest to her “niceness” and agree to their friendship.
Eren paused, looking at Armin with a bit of uncertainty. Armin slightly cocked his head like a bird, staring back at him. Eren shrugged shifting his gaze to the ground, as if embarrassed, before turning to her for the first time. She looked back at him wondering what her actual part in this conversation was.
Behind an idle appearance, her annoyance quickly turned to aggravation. What was she even doing here? Even Eren seemed hesitant about the boy.
Maybe Eren just felt sorry for him, a small and frail looking boy with an odd presence. Eren said he was his friend but maybe he just pitied him and was asking her to go along with it. Surely this kid wouldn't be around much anyway.
So Mikasa did a short nod and that was that.
…
Eren and Mikasa walked back to the Jaeger household; Eren looking casually bored as per usual, and Mikasa faithfully tagged along.
“Hey.” Eren was looking up at the sky, hands behind his head as if he hadn't said anything.
He paused for a second longer, and she figured he was thinking of how to phrase something correctly. She wished he wouldn't tip toe delicately around words with her, as if she was fragile and could break at any moment.
“Um, the kids around here, they're stupid.”
She hadn’t been planning on making any other friends anyway. But he continued,
“They just don’t get him because he’s too smart for them.” He glanced at her. “Armin, I mean.” He added.
Mikasa looked at him, irritation building up in her chest when he mentioned that kid again, and she waited for him to drop the pretenses and get to the point.
“So, if you ever see ‘em pushing him around when I’m not there, come get me and I’ll beat ‘em up, ‘cause they’re little shits that need to be taught a lesson.”
He ended his sentence with utter disgust in his voice. Then, remembering the purpose of what he was saying, he turned to her.
“Kay?”
She finally understood, Eren naturally played the part of protector. Of course he would protect the weaker ones, just like he had done for her when she was unable to stand for herself, and that other boy did seem like the kind of kid to get picked on.
But she was different now and she wanted Eren to know she was reliable- that she could even beat up the thug bullies in his stead. And of course that kid didn't look like he’d be able to protect himself anytime soon.
She nodded dutifully.
“Good.” He replied with approval, satisfied that she was committed to his cause.
But he wasn’t finished, because after looking at her with some consideration he said, “I’m sure you'll be great friends.”
Then, he smiled at her.
Mikasa’s breath caught in her throat and her heart skipped a beat. She wondered if she was catching a cold.
She hadn't realized until that moment, but this was the first time since they met- since that incident- that she had seen him smile. She also realized that she hadn’t smiled since that incident either. And his was contagious.
She smiled back, feeling her face heat up. Yeah, definitely a cold.
---
--
-
.