Chapter Text
Armin sighed contentedly as a light breeze picked up, ruffling his blonde, medium-length, messily-spiked hair. A small smile found its way onto his face as he thought about his new haircut. Until recently, he had sported a relatively long fringe. He had been worried when he cut his hair, but the new look worked well. It made his wide, blue eyes and cute, yet masculine facial structure stand out even more.
Leaning further against the tree he had perched himself on, he closed his eyes.
Sitting in the shade was relaxing. The sun beating down on him all day had resulted in the cool air and relative shelter quickly prompting his sleep drive to finally kick in - insomnia be damned (for the moment, anyway).
It had been too long, he thought, too long since he had slept in the cool outside. Cooped up all day in his room, on a train, in an office… The only time he was ever outside was when he was trying to get inside somewhere else.
Despite being quite aware of his own affinity for the outside – especially in such ideal weather as was currently the case, he rarely found himself taking the time to go out, walk around, and just exist. Nearly all of his time was wrapped up in ambitions, strangled by the tight grip of routine.
Admittedly, there was a good reason this had originally become the case. When he was younger, Armin had been unable to get much done. This most definitely had not been through any lack of talent, rather through too much talent – and a desire to utilise it all at once.
In nearly all areas related to mental prowess, Armin was at the top. Similarly, despite his small stature – standing at a mere 5’ 7”, he was also relatively talented in the realm of athletics, gifted with quick reflexes and above average stamina – albeit not at the level of those playing on varsity collegiate teams.
Unfortunately, the seemingly endless options he had been privy to as a result of such intellectual talents had caused him to rapidly jump from hobby to hobby and, within an academic context, subject to subject. He wanted to learn everything and he wanted to learn it all at the same time – until it got boring, that is.
It seemed as if he was gifted with the intellect to pursue anything, only to be cursed with a complete intolerance for boredom. When he was younger, he would spend days completely focused on one subject to an inordinate degree, only to instantly drop it the second something more interesting presented itself. At this point, with his 30th birthday merely 2 months away, Armin was a veritable piggy-bank of random information.
He supposed it could be worse. At least some of the facts he had inundated himself with during his youth proved useful to a small degree in his career working as a marketing director for a firm serving a huge variety of corporations. Still, he strongly regretted not having pursued a more narrow focus of subjects to a stronger degree.
He sighed.
‘Well, there goes the sleepiness.’
Less than five minutes of a pleasant mental reprieve and he was already mired within the confines of self-analysis. He should’ve known.
Closing his eyes again, he took a deep breath and held it to the count of 10, before slowly releasing.
Upon opening them he spotted his friend, Marco, waving at him from across the street. He smiled and waved back.
After quickly looking both ways, despite the street’s clear lack of traffic – for it was in his nature to be overly cautious, Marco jogged across to meet his friend.
At 6’ 4” Marco was noticeably taller than Armin. Despite this, he posed anything but an intimidating figure. The man’s youthful face, featuring a spattering of freckles across his cheeks and nose was almost the very definition of kindness. His soft eyes and slightly turned up lips gave him the appearance of somebody who loved life and as well as helping others; somebody who was happy to help you with your problems because they genuinely wanted everybody to live life as happily as they do.
In contrast to such features, Marco had short cropped hair. All in all, Marco’s appearance caused nearly everybody’s first impression to align perfectly with his personality – the man being kind and genuine, with a relatively successful career.
Armin had first met Marco in 6th grade, when they had been assigned to work on a project together, and the two had been close friends since. Sometimes Armin wondered how they had managed to stay close over the years. Whereas Marco had been shy and the occasional target of bullying when younger, he had changed immeasurably over the years.
Although still soft spoken, he was now more confident and openly friendly. Armin, on the other hand, was less confident than when he had been a child. Thankfully however, their divergent pathways in terms of outward-showing personality development had produced little effect on how much they valued each other.
“Hey, Armin! How are you - and what are you doing out here?”
“I’m fine… and not much, just relaxing.”
“Really? Aren’t you supposed to be rushing off somewhere, as per usual?”
Armin laughed.
“Come on, I’m not that bad… I do chill out sometimes.”
“Suuuure ya do,” Marco commented while playfully winking.
Armin huffed and rolled his eyes.
“I guess it is pretty rare to see me relatively calm and sitting still, huh?”
“That’s for sure.”
“Haha, well unfortunately, I’m going to have to rush off again soon anyway. I’ve gotta get back home so I can get started on an upcoming campaign for a new candy Nestle contracted our company to market for.”
Marco sighed.
“It’s always something, isn’t it? Too bad, I was just heading down to a bar to meet up with a few friends. I would have loved to introduce you to them!”
“Hmm, well as lovely as that sounds, I’ve really gotta get started on this!”
“Aww, come on, when’s the last time we properly hung out?! It’s been ages! Plus, you and I both know damn well that you are already ahead of where you need to be on this… You always are. Take a breather, come on an adventure!”
Armin exhaled audibly, looking to the side.
“Well, I don’t know how far you can classify going to a bar as “an adventure”, but I suppose I’d be able to take a break tonight,” he stated.
“I just hope I don’t regret it tomorrow…” he grumbled, purposefully being loud enough for Marco to hear.
“What could there possibly be to regret after a lovely night out with yours truly and my amazing friends,” Marco chirped, far more cheerfully than should have been possible.
Armin tried to be annoyed, he really did… However, despite work and the myriad reasons a night out could be put to better use, he found himself becoming excited - he really did need to spend more time with friends. He even caught himself breaking out into a smile, which he promptly tried to smother down in an attempt to maintain his playfully pessimistic demeanour.
Maybe tonight would be a fun night, after all.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Armin adjusted his t-shirt and vest before quickly running a hand along the front of his hair for good measure.
Glancing upwards, he took in the bar he was about to enter. Nothing extraordinary, it pretty much resembled your run-of-the-mill, modern offering. The bar’s name, “The Cock and Bull” was painted above the entrance in large, white letters along a green backdrop – with the paint just starting to chip visibly here and there.
It looked friendly enough. However, it also looked boring enough.
He sighed…again.
Boredom and anxiety, two of his oldest ‘pals’. He really hoped tonight would neither be a snorefest he had to pretend he was enjoying nor an introduction to a bunch of people he just wanted to get away from.
Well, he supposed there was no point worrying about it now, he was about to find out.
With one final exhale, he pushed open the doors and looked around the room.
It was lively enough for 7 PM. Most tables had a few people sitting at them and a good half of the ordering area along the bar was filled, but there were a few free tables and the place was hardly overflowing. The level of noise was acceptable, providing enough background so he wouldn’t feel nervous when speaking, but not loud enough to make it hard to hear.
He thanked science it wasn’t overflowing. He wanted to have fun and some excitement, but he wanted to be able to relax while doing so.
After a moment of searching, he spotted Marco sitting at a table with three other people.
To Marco’s left was a tall, relatively athletic looking man with cropped, two-toned hair. He seemed to be quite high energy, talking animatedly to Marco about something quite loudly. To the man’s right was an attractive, if somewhat apathetic looking, Asian woman. She seemed to radiate the kind of inner strength that would make you think twice before messing with her. Finally, on the other side of the woman sat an extremely tall, somewhat bashful looking man with a buzzcut.
Upon arriving at the table, Armin tapped Marco lightly on the shoulder, causing the other man to turn around and smile.
“Hey Armin, I’m really glad you could make it! I was worried you might end up bailing.”
“Well, if he did, it wouldn’t really matter anyway. We would still have just as much fun,” the man with cropped hair stated.
Marco blanched and quickly reprimanded him.
“Jean, why would say that? It’s going go to be much more fun with Armin here,” he concluded, looking at Armin with a smile.
‘Oh great, I know Marco is trying to make me feel like it matters that I came, but now I can’t help but feel pressure to be entertaining,’ Armin thought.
“Armin, meet Jean, Mikasa, and Bertolt”, Marco finished, gesturing to each individual in turn.
“Yeah, yeah, so how do you know this guy again?”
Marco ran his hand down his face at the rude way Jean asked his questions. Mikasa, on the other hand, lightly punched him on the arm.
“Jean, be more polite,” she said in a low, but commanding tone; her face nearly expressionless.
Armin shrugged.
“Its fine, I don’t mind. As a marketer, I’m used to people being demanding - and doing so with even less tact than your friend seems capable of.”
“Hmph, I’m capable of tact just fine… when I want to be…,” Jean mumbled to himself.
Armin smiled, feeling slightly more in his element now. It seems that while Jean is used to dishing it out, he’s certainly not left unaffected when the sass heads his way.
With the introductions more-or-less out of the way – despite Jean’s question not yet having been answered, Armin told the group he was going to get his first drink and asked if anybody would like him to get them one. Marco asked for another cider, Bertolt for a beer, and Mikasa said she was fine for now. Jean asked for a double vodka and coke - Armin finding it unsurprising he should be the one to order the strongest drink.
Within a few minutes, Armin was on his way back to the table with a tray full of drinks. After letting the others take theirs, he grabbed his cider and took the first sip.
He sighed contentedly, feeling relatively pleased with himself for actually making the effort to come out, even if he did have to be coaxed at first in order to do so. Turning towards the three new faces, he asked what type of work they did.
Armin found their answers quite varied. Mikasa was a personal trainer, whereas Bertolt was a programmer - which Armin found fitting, given the man’s shy personality. Jean, surprisingly, was a high school teacher, which must be how he had originally met Marco, also a teacher.
Armin found it hard to imagine Jean reacting well to having his patience tested, but he knew that some people acted extremely differently in the workplace than they did elsewhere. He had to admit that he may have been slightly harsh in his first judgement of the man.
After the initial ‘getting to know each other’ phase had ended, Armin was surprised at how well the conversation kept flowing. He found himself actually enjoying the little get together.
“...well, at that point all I could do was just shake my head and tell him he’d have to take the zero. I felt bad and all, but it wouldn’t have been fair to everybody else if I had given him another chance. I just hope he’ll remember this next time. Although, something tells me the same thing will happen again,” Jean stated, concluding the small story he had been telling the quartet about one of his chronically late students.
Armin snorted, the story reminding him of classmates from his own days in high school.
“There’s always that one guy in every class, isn’t there?” he stated.
“Man, you’re telling me… It’s like some kind of unspoken rule!” Jean replied, laughing and smiling at Armin.
“Thou must be plagued by at least one student per class who will spend more time and effort explaining why they couldn’t do something than it would take them to do it. So sayeth the teacher’s bible!” Armin voice in a mockingly authoritative manner.
“Seriously, though, I just don’t get it…,” Jean sighed, “Oh well, I can’t complain too much. Some of the other teachers’ classes are a lot harder to deal with than mine!”
“Nah, I don’t think that’s true. You’re just a lot better at dealing with things than most teachers,” Marco complimented.
“Heh, thanks man.”
“Wow…and here I was worried for the health of any students who dare disobey the great Jean. I guess under that rude exterior you’re just a big ball of fluff, huh?” Armin teased.
“Pfft, yeah right, just try pissing me off and see what happens.”
“Honestly, yeah, he kind of is a bit of a pushover,” Mikasa deadpanned.
“That’s only to you…and only because the idea of pissing you off is so scary. Seriously Armin, you don’t want to see her get angry,” Bertolt warned.
“Haha, thanks for the advice, though I try not to piss anybody off anyway,” Armin responded, mentally noting to avoid bringing Mikasa’s wrath down on himself at all costs.
“That’s true. To be honest, you should probably learn to be a bit more confrontational. You’re too worried about what people think or about hurting somebody’s feelings. You need to live a bit more dangerously,” Marco stated.
“Wow, advice about being more confrontational…coming from Marco? Damn, maybe I really do need to be a bit more assertive. Heh, well, I can try…” he replied, knowing full well that probably wasn’t going to happen in the near future.
“Just…don’t try it with Mikasa,” Bertolt jokingly warned.
“Oh come on, I’m not that bad! It’s not like I’m going to snap somebody’s head off just because they don’t bow down at the sight of me! I just don’t like bullshit,” she replied, rolling her eyes.
Armin laughed, “Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning on it! I’ll have to start with somebody like Marco!”
“Hey! Are you saying I’m not intimidating?! I’ll have you know my students definitely know not to argue with me!” Marco responded, faking indignation.
“I think that’s more out of fear for Jean, who they know would rain down on them if they gave you a hard time,” Bertolt commented.
“Ahhh, so that’s why you tolerate him, he’s your ‘enforcer’,” Armin sassed.
“Eh, keep that up and you’ll find out how good I am at it!” Jean shot back.
“Oh, I’m sure,” he replied, pretending to suppress a laugh.
Mikasa sighed, “As amusing as it is watching Jean fail to prove his manliness, I think we’ve gotta call it a night. I know it’s only 10, but I’ve gotta get up at 6 for an early training session. It’s been great getting to know you though, Armin! I’m really glad you decided to join us!”
“Agreed, I have to get home and finish debugging software,” Bertolt shrugged, unamused at the thought.
“Yeah, I guess it’s about that time, huh? Ah, well, let’s grab our stuff and head out then,” Marco added.
“It’s been great meeting you all,” said Armin, a friendly smile on his face. “Even you, Jean,” he winked, muffling a laugh.
“Heh, you’re not too bad either, shorty,” Jean replied, sporting a small smile of his own.
“Hopefully we can all do this again soon,” Marco beamed.
Everybody voiced their agreement before saying goodbye and and heading to their respective car.
Armin looked at the ground, smiling to himself. Marco was such a sweetheart - he was glad he was friends with such an overwhelmingly positive guy. Whenever they hung out, it really did help keep Armin from feeling too depressed.
“You actually did have a good time, I hope,” Marco asked suddenly, startling Armin out of his thoughts.
“Yeah…Yeah, I did. I’m surprised, but your friends are actually really nice and pretty fun to hang with.”
“Well, of course they are, dummy,” Marco jokingly punched Armin on the shoulder, “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be friends with them!”
“I suppose that’s true.”
“So?”
“So what?” Armin tilted his head, not understanding the short question.
“Well, are you really planning to come again next time we meet up?”
“Heh, well it depends on how busy I am…,” he stated, glancing to the side.
“Arminnnnnn,” Marco drawled out, clicking his tongue.
“Fine, fine, I’ll be there,” he grumbled back, knowing Marco could tell he wasn’t truly trying to avoid it.
“Good! I still have a few more people I’d love for you to meet! I think we’re gonna get together again on Friday. I’ll let you know for sure tomorrow. Well, see ya soon,” he finished, waving goodbye and heading to his car.
‘More people?’ Armin thought, wondering what he’d gotten himself into.