Welcome to the new version of Consequences.

I liked my little idea a lot, and I needed something to write in between working on With You and it's Alternate, so I went back to this one and made it better!

Please let me know what you think.

This is an AU. My favorite ships will all be featured, if not in great detail. I'm leaving only Jean x Armin in the tags, but there's some Connie x Sasha, Erwin x Levi, Ymir x Krista, and Eren x Mikasa. :3

I had a moment of weakness and deleted this. I apologize. It's back now.

01 - Jean

"Hurry up, Jean," Sasha whined, waiting by the back door with her arms crossed over her chest. She was bouncing up and down, trying to stay warm as the rain drenched her hair and clothes. He rolled his eyes and ran through the back, flipping off all of the lights in the pub and grabbing his hoodie from the back of the door that led to the bar. He skipped outside in front of Sasha as she slammed the door closed. The keys jingled in the lock as she flipped the deadbolt and slapped them into Jean's hand. "Took you long enough!"

He pulled his hood up over his head as he grinned down at her. "Not my fault you forgot your jacket." She huffed loudly. "Oh quit bitchin'. Go home and get warm."

"See you tomorrow." Sasha took off running down the back alley, ducking her head against the rain. Her apartment was just across the next street and three floors up. He sighed and shoved the keys into his pocket before heading around to the front of the building.

To his surprise, Armin was waiting by the front door, his overly-large black umbrella keeping the rain off of him. He grinned and ducked his head under the edge. Armin gave him a small smile.

"I thought I was early." He looked down at the ancient wrist watch he always wore. "Oh… The battery is dead." He shrugged and dropped his arm by his side. "How was your day?"

Jean just shook his head and took the umbrella from Armin's hand, holding it up a little higher. "Same old, same old. Did you finish your econ paper?" Armin nodded once and they stepped off the sidewalk to cross the street. The little alley they headed for was the fastest way to reach their apartment three streets away.

"You still have that painting to finish…" Armin looked up at him, his eyebrows drawn together to make an adorable little wrinkle. "You should talk to Levi about a day off."

"Nah," Jean shrugged. "I'll get it done over the weekend." He stepped over a bag as they entered the alley. The world always seemed to grow a little quieter when they came this way. His arm brushed against Armin's shoulder.

He sighed a little. They'd been sharing the apartment since the end of the last semester. They'd spent most of the summer working on getting the place somewhat furnished. Now it was an eclectic mess of random pieces that didn't match, but it was home. Now it was the middle of September and they were working through their junior year.

Sometimes, Jean really couldn't believe how dense Armin could be - especially since he was so damn smart. He'd been dropping hints to Armin for months, but nothing seemed to work. Armin would laugh him off and continue whatever it was he was doing whenever Jean said something. Sasha was the one who'd told him Armin just didn't notice. Apparently, she'd grilled him about it one day, and he'd been oblivious. Jean was tired of waiting for him to take the hint, though. He wanted a way to let Armin know what he felt without just having to come out and say it and feel like an idiot. Armin had brushed off everything else he'd said, so it had to be something more than just words.

He switched the umbrella to his other hand, freeing the one that was closest to Armin. In a bold move, he grabbed Armin's hand in his own and held it tightly.

"J-Jean?" Armin looked up at him, his eyes wide and his cheeks a little pink. Despite the rain and the darkness of the alley, Jean could see the color in his pale skin, but he didn't stare long. His own flush was creeping up his neck. "What…"

"Just shut up and let me hold your hand, okay?" Jean turned his face away, but he cut his eyes to look at Armin. He could swear that he saw a small smile as Armin dipped his head low.

"Okay." Armin's fingers slipped between his own and squeezed. They continued walking in silence, reaching the end of the alley and stepping out onto the sidewalk once more. They both checked the street before darting across to the next one and sliding into another alley. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, but it was charged with things left unsaid. Jean could almost picture Armin's brain going into overdrive. He smiled again.

"Did you really just not notice?" Jean blurted. He bit down on his lip, cursing himself for his habit of speaking without thinking first. Sasha's pep talk rang in his mind. She'd told him to just come out and say it already, but that was just so difficult...

"I..." Armin hesitated, and Jean knew he was searching for just the right words. "I didn't realize at first, no." Jean looked down at him, one eyebrow raised. Armin understood his question without him having to say the words. "Remember when Sasha came over a few weeks ago?"

He nodded. He remembered it too well. She'd been fighting with Connie about something stupid - he didn't remember why - and crashed on their couch for the night after drinking herself into oblivion. He'd been working on a paper for his history class at the time, so she'd gone to Armin's room to bug him for a while. It was only a few days later that she'd confessed about asking Armin if he noticed Jean doing anything strange. She wouldn't tell him anything other than no, Armin hadn't noticed.

"What all did she tell you?" His question lingered in the air between them until they crossed the next street.

"Nothing of consequence, but I managed to connect the dots." Armin gave him a timid smile and Jean felt the back of his neck grow warmer.

"Took you long enough," Jean teased. He came to a stop just inside the next alley and Armin looked up at him curiously. He paused, then turned so that he was facing Armin. The flush had crept up to his ears. His stomach was a fierce knot of jitters. "Can... can I..."

He didn't finish his sentence. Armin reached up with his free hand and latched onto the front of Jean's hoodie, pulling him down as Armin stood on his toes. Their lips met for just a moment. He could taste Armin's chapstick - it was honey. He grinned like an idiot when Armin fell back to his feet and released Jean's hoodie.

Armin was bright pink. "I don't..."

"Just quit thinking about it," Jean said softly. He bent down and caught Armin's lips once more, pressing harder. Armin's mouth moved against his. He could feel Armin's tongue tracing a line over his bottom lip. He pulled back a little, smirking and licking his own lips. Armin looked frustrated with himself for a moment.

"Jean, you're a tease." Armin's flat look and tone made him laugh out loud. He wrapped his arm around Armin's back, umbrella and all. He could feel Armin's hand shaking when he pressed it to Jean's back in return.

"No, that's all you." He let go of Armin and took a step forward. "Come on, let's get out of the rain." Armin nodded and began to walk with him again.

This was the longest and widest of the three alleys. He'd told Armin a hundred times not to walk through it alone. Two homeless guys were huddled under a tarp stretched above them, but they ignored him and Armin as they passed. The city was full of desperate people, and Armin looked like the perfect target.

He could still remember their days in high school. Some of the jocks had bullied Armin, but Eren and Mikasa were usually always there to defend him and fight them off. When Armin had come to class after lunch with a black eye and busted lip, Jean himself had taken on the dicks who'd done it that afternoon. He'd earned himself, Reiner, Bertolt, and Marco three days of suspension, but they all agreed that it was well worth it. He'd had a soft spot for Armin ever since they'd been paired together in biology their sophomore year, and besides… He and Marco had taken full advantage of those three days.

But Marco was gone. Had been for over two years. It still made Jean ache when he thought about him, but he'd managed to move on. Armin had helped more than he knew, just by being there for him. He'd had a hard time with anything involving fire for a long time. He didn't even start cooking again until he and Armin shared their dorm during the second semester of their freshman year of college. Armin couldn't cook to save his life, but he did make really good sandwiches.

Being lost in his thoughts left him distracted. He didn't even notice the girl until she was right in front of them.

Please review. It means a lot to me.