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“Oh thank you…” Armin smiled at the soldier that reached above him to hand him a book. “We need a taller ladder.”
“I’ll see what we can do about that,” he smiled back. Armin walked back to his table, ponytail wiggling. His hair always got in his face if he didn’t pull it back but for some reason it always meant that people were more helpful than usual. He was 18, willowy and slender he was almost as tall as Eren now, which was really the only concern he had at this point. However without his own knowledge he’d grown into quite the beauty. Something that didn’t escape other people.
“Hey back off, you don’t need to be doing stuff for him all the time.” Jean grumbled as the soldier passed. “He’s a senior scout now, so back off.”
“What’s your problem Kirchstein?” He shot back and Jean glowered. “Got a thing for Arlert?”
“No! I just said stay away from him!” He threatened, grabbing his shirt.
“Whatever man! Geez…” He grumbled, shoving his hand away and walking off. Jean felt satisfied as he watched him go, glancing over to see Armin watching him curiously. Shit what the hell is wrong with me? He turned his back to him.
---
It happened again. Armin blinked as one of the scouts offered him an orange. An orange. Fresh fruit was hard to come by and even harder to keep fresh these days. “Oh thank you Marcus this is wonderful!” He smiled.
“You’re welcome,” he glanced over Armin’s shoulder and saw Jean standing the door to the castle, arms folded over his chest. “Uh… I gotta go… d-d’you wanna--” The hand gesture scared him off. “B-Bye!”
Armin furrowed his brows and glanced over his shoulder. Was that Jean?
“You like Armin, right?” Jean brushed past Sasha and glared.
“I do not!”
“Then why are you scaring off everybody that talks to him?” Sasha asked curiously, swinging around to follow him.
“I don’t like Armin! I just… think those guys are jerks,” He grumbled. I don’t like Armin.
“They’re not jerks, you like Armin.”
“Shut up Sasha.”
“Just tell him.”
“Sasha I’m going to eat all your bread for the next month.” Well at least that shut her up.
---
Armin was starting to notice a pattern. People would be nice to him: bring him books or flowers or treats (which were all things he liked) and suddenly Jean would be there. He wasn’t sure why Jean was being so mean to all these people, or why it was even a problem… they were all just being nice.
“You’re pretty dense sometimes,” Eren said with his head on the table.
“What do you mean?” Armin asked as he split some of the cookies he’d been given with Mikasa and Sasha.
“I don’t know it’s like you have no idea why people are giving you stuff,” he grumbled.
“Well not everybody gets special treatment. Captain Levi treats you like his mistress,” Connie complained as he stole a cookie from Sasha.
“He does not! And this isn’t about me! This is about Jean being in love with Armin.”
“He’s not in love with me!” Armin protested as everyone else at the table nodded wisely.
“He’s totally hot for you,” Sasha agreed.
“We’re just friends! We spend a lot of time together! I can come up with new tactics and he puts them to use it… it’s just… we just work well together…” Armin’s defense was coming up a bit weak.
“E-Excuse me… Armin?” A new recruit pawed at the ground behind him shyly. She was small and sweet with long brown hair tied up in a brain around her head. “Could I… talk to you?”
“Oh? Sure Jessie,” He stood up and shot a dirty look at whoever had said ‘Here we go again.’
“Jessie? I heard Captain Levi was looking for you.” Here we go again. Jean towered over her, the smile on his face pleasant.
“Oh.. really!?” Her eyes lit up. “I-I’ll go see him right away.” She hurried off and Armin glared at him.
“What’s the big idea? You’ve been following me around everywhere lately!” Armin stepped towards him. “People are starting to think you like me!”
“It’s… those people are all creeps! That’s all!” Jean told him, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Jessie’s a creep?” Armin asked critically.
“W-Well her intentions weren’t good I mean… what would we do without our tactician?” Jean retorted.
“Weren’t good? People are just nice Jean!”
“No they aren’t! People aren’t just nice! They’re nice for a reason and the reason is they all want in your pants!”
Armin looked like he’d been slapped in the face, “Jean! Why would you say something like that? People…” --his voice grew quiet-- “don’t think that way about me.”
“Sure they do! Aren’t you supposed to be smart, Arlert?” Jean criticised.
“I--W--Well what do you want!” He closed the space between them. “Why do you think you have the right to run them off?”
“I-I just don’t think you need to be bothered by them!”
“You know what I think?”
“What do you think?”
“I think you’re both stupid,” Levi interrupted. “Quit yelling in the foyer, shitty brats.” Eren snorted so loud he had to stuff his hand against his nose.
“I think you’re… I think you’re jealous.” The last word was so quiet Jean had to strain to hear it, leaning forward, and giving Armin the opportunity to jerk him into a kiss.
Jean didn’t argue about liking Armin anymore after that.