Love Sick
Armin never thought a simple case of the common cold would reveal so much about his friends.
The third day, they finally show up.
"Glad to see you're feeling better, Mikasa," Armin says, as he closes the book he's reading. She gives him a faint smile as she sniffles slightly and buries her face in her scarf.
"Thanks," she whispers.
"Yeah, well, she's still sneezing, though," Eren says, almost defensively. "You probably shouldn't get too close to her if you don't want to get sick."
"Mmmkay," he replies slowly, resisting the urge to point out that Eren is the one standing in close proximity to her. Not that that matters or anything.
His thoughts are interrupted when—sure enough—Mikasa sneezes. Delicately, and in great resemblance to the high-pitched squeak of a mouse. "Well, I could have stayed home another day," Mikasa blandly states, "but Eren insisted that we come see you today, Armin."
"You didn't have to come with me," Eren shoots back. "I don't need you following me everywhere."
Mikasa sneezes again, before crossing her arms and retorting, "You practically dragged me out of the house."
"No I didn't." Eren looks back at her with gritted teeth. "I merely asked you if you wanted to come with me."
"Achoo!—Well, you sure have a—achoo!—strange way of asking…"
"Come to think of it, Eren, why didn't you just come out while Mikasa was sick? Since you don't want her following you, I mean."
"My mom said I should stay and keep her company."
"Achoo!—Liar," Mikasa sniffles. "She told you to go out a-and—achoo!—play so you wouldn't catch it, too. Plus, I was sleeping half the time."
"Shut up, Mikasa."
"She does have a point, Eren. What, you've just been watching her sleep these last few days?"
"…"
It was a joke, but as Eren's face turns redder, Armin realizes that he might not have been that far off.
Mikasa chuckles, gently. "Actually, I couldn't even get to sleep with him around. He sat there and kept trying to talk to m—"
"Mikasa!"
"Achoo!" This time her sneeze doesn't sound as convincing.
"Oh, is that so, Mikasa?" Armin smirks.
"Y-yeah—achoo!—you should h-hear the things he—achoo!—says when he thinks I'm asleep…"
"That's it!" Eren says with balled fists, his green eyes narrowing as they meet her onyx ones. "The next time you get sick, I'm not even going to care a bit. And you know what, gimme back my scarf!" He lunges for the red material around her neck, but she effortlessly evades him.
Armin reopens his book to where he had left off, watching as Mikasa takes off—running remarkably fast despite her physical ailment—and the visibly incensed Eren trails behind.
They don't show up for another three days, and Armin doesn't question it. He knows his assumption is right when the two of them do show, and Eren can't stop sneezing.