Armin whimpered as another punch reached his jaw, his head swinging to the side. A kick landed right in his stomach. The boy keeled over, unable to hold his own weight for any longer than a millisecond.

"P-Please…" He begged, holding his stomach tightly. There was a chuckle.

"God, you're pathetic." Another kick landed into his side. Armin landed on the opposite side, whimpering and looking up at the taller boy. Jean. That was his name. A handsome boy. Jean had short, light ash-brown hair with the sides trimmed, and a darker shade. The dual toned boy was average height, a scowl which usually played across his face. He hated Armin's best friend, Eren more than he hated Armin himself.

"You going to cry to your mom, Armin?" Jean laughed as he kicked the smaller boy in the abdomen. Jean mercilessly kicked and punched the boy, spitting insults whilst doing so. He knew how weak Armin was and this made it even easier for him to treat the boy like this.

Marco ascended to the scene, pushing past the crowd and stood watching.

"Jean!" Marco called, running and quickly stepping in front of the helpless blond who lay on the ground. He watched as Jean's face went from amusement to anger.

"Get away from me, you freckled bastard!" Jean yelled, violently shoving Marco to the side. Marco caught his balance, looking slightly hurt at the fact his best friend just shoved him after he had tried to help.

"Get away from Armin!" Eren yelled, running towards Jean with an angry look on his face.

This made Jean's grin widen. He loved the drama. He loved the pain that he was causing to the two shorter boys.

"Why would I do that?" Jean asked with a cocky smile as he pulled Armin up roughly by his hair. Armin whimpered but didn't struggle, he knew it would only make things worse for himself if he did.

"Jean!" Marco yelled, his patience wearing thin.

Jean's other friends laughed as they watched their friend make the two weaker boys feel like complete shit. Yes, Eren was mentally strong. It took a lot to hurt his feelings, all though his patience could disappear as quick and easy as ripping a petal from a daisy. It didn't take a lot for him to lose his temper. Armin, on the other hand, was weak. Physically but also emotionally. His intelligence was the only thing which made him threatening in any form. He was also strong willed. Or, he used to be. He'd stand up and defend himself using his smart remarks. He soon realized it only amused the bullies. He gave in to them.

Eren growled. "Horse-face."

Jean growled back, tossing Armin to the floor. Armin scurried away behind Eren.

"What did you say, Jaeger?" Jean stepped towards the brunet boy, his usual scowl replaced the glare that was once on his face.

"I called you horse-face. You look like a horse." Eren said through gritted teeth.

Jean lifted his fist to punch Eren. Eren moved backwards but stumbled to the floor as Jean's friend had put her foot out. Jean laughed and kicked Eren all over.

"Jean, enough!" Marco yelled louder this time as he yanked Jean back. Jean looked shocked as he didn't expect his usually gentle friend to react like that. He paused, staring at the taller boy for a moment. He pulled his arm from Marco's grip and walked off. His friends followed him.

"Are you guys okay?" Marco asked. Eren stood up and shrugged it off. Armin looked as though he didn't even have the strength to get up. He winced and lowered his head, even more humiliated by the fact that everyone still had their heads turned in their direction. Marco crouched beside Armin and held his hand out. Armin looked at it for a second before looking up at the freckled boy with a shocked and confused expression. He raised his hand to his chest before taking Marco's hand hesitantly. Marco smiled at this and carefully helped the blond up.

"I'm sorry about Jean and his friends." Marco sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He was embarrassed at their behaviour.

"It's not your fault, Marco." Eren said and took the blond boy's hand and looked down at him. "Are you okay, Armin?"

Armin nodded. He hid his winces and whimpers the best he could, holding his tears back.

"I'm fine. A-Are you?" He asked in a shaky voice. Eren nodded.

"You guys should get cleaned up. The bell is going to ring in a few minutes, you don't want to turn up to your last class covered in blood." Marco said softly. He didn't leave like the two boys had expected him to. They were surprised that he had stuck around.

"Yeah…" Eren said. He watched as he noticed Armin on the verge of tears. He squeezed his hand gently and led him to the bathroom. Marco followed, a little bit unsure of his actions. He didn't want Jean and his friends to start another fight. It wasn't fair to call it a fight. Eren had some strength, but Armin definitely did not. He was built like a daffodil. But even if the two of them had strength, there was more of Jean's friends than there was of the two of them. It would still be an unfair fight.

Armin didn't want Marco to follow, for the simple reason he didn't want to be seen crying on his best friends shoulder. He wanted to feel safe, though.

They entered the boys' bathrooms and Marco shut the door behind him and stood in front of it.

Armin could no longer hold his tears back, and he immediately burst into whimpers and sobs. Eren turned and quickly pulled Armin into his arms.

"Armin, don't cry… Crying won't solve anything. Don't let him get to you. This is what he wants…" Eren mumbled softly, holding his friend close to his chest. Marco felt his heart crumble. The fact that his best friend did this to the sweet little blond stood in front of him broke his heart.

Eren pulled away and opened his backpack, pulling some Band-Aids and First Aid items out. He clearly knew what the two had coming. Marco walked over to the two and carefully lifted Armin onto the sink. Armin lowered his gaze to the floor, holding back more sobs.

"Armin it's okay…" Marco whispered softly, lifting the boy's chin and giving him a soft and gentle smile. He soothed small circles into Armin's arm as his other hand gently brushed the blond hair from his face. Eren pulled off Armin's sweater and the button-up shirt which lay underneath it. He then carefully cleaned up the blood, tending and treating Armin's injuries. Armin hissed at the touch, flinching.

"I-It hurts, Eren…" He whispered, gritting his teeth. Eren gave him a soft and gentle smile.

"This will help, just stay still."

He finished treating the cuts and bruises and proceeded to treat his own. Armin sniffled and wiped his tears. He buttoned his shirt back up with shaky hands. He could barely put the button through the loop with his trembling hands.

Marco smiled at the boy, buttoning the shirt for him as if Armin was a child and Marco was the guardian. He picked up Armin's sweater and put it on him, careful not to cause any pain. Once Armin was fully dressed again, Armin looked up at the freckled boy through his hair. He looked away shyly when Marco noticed him staring.

"T-Thank you." Armin choked out, looking back at Marco and giving him a grateful smile.

"Don't thank me. Any decent person would help." Marco replied and ruffled the blond's hair. Armin scooted over to Eren and watched as the brunet winced at his own touch.

"Do you need any help, Eren?" He asked. Eren smiled and put on his baggy green shirt with tassels at the collar.

"No thanks. I'm good. Just a few scratches, it's nothing." Eren reassured, straightening his shirt and putting his backpack on. Armin stood, putting his messenger bag over his shoulder and reaching for his favourite book. He looked down at it and smiled, looking very content.

The bell rang and the three boys left the bathroom and left to their last lesson of the day.

"You two going to be okay?" Marco asked with a worried expression.

"We'll be fine. We've got each other." Eren said with a grin.