A/N: A oneshot story based around the time of the "Rainy Days" Fic I wrote.
Please enjoy!
"How long does the rainy season usually last?" The brunette asked his blonde companion as they walked down the street.
Armin smiled happily at this. "A whole month! Thank you for reminding me!"
Jean grumbled. "I forgot, you absolutely love the rain."
"And why shouldn't I?" The blonde asked, snuggling in closer to him. "It's what brought us closer together, isn't it? Hiding out in that cave while the rain poured on for a week."
Jean grinned at the memory and felt his cheeks grow warmer. "Just us sitting by the fire while everyone else was at the training camp with Shadis and his obstacle course. I remember, and I love the memory."
Armin grappled onto his arm and cuddled in closer. "I'd think you'd have a whole new appreciation for the rain with everything it brought you. Or are you still hooked up on Mikasa to see what's right in front of you?"
"Don't even go there." Jean raised his voice slightly. "You know I lost interest in her, and we both know you're ten times better than her in every way, shape, and form. You're cute, stunning, brilliant, and a shit-ton other things that make you better than over half the females back at camp. Mikasa was a nice crush, but you are a perfect partner."
Armin hummed at this and hugged onto his arm a bit tighter. "A good save, Kirstein."
"I try. Now let's pick up the pace. I don't want to be there any longer than we have to be."
"But Jean, she's your mother! You should want to spend as much time as you can with her. There's no telling what might happen in the future."
"Once you meet her, you'll understand. I just want to grab my books and supplies and head back."
"So why bring me along?"
At this the brunette blushed fiercely and looked away from his blonde companion. "I may… or may not have mentioned you and our relationship in my last letter to her."
The blonde could feel the sly grin on his face at hearing this, but said nothing in return to the teen. However blunt Jean might be, Armin found it to be endearing. There was more trust to be had when his partner was truthful with him. Jean spoke his mind, and it made everything easier on the two since there was no fear of him hiding anything.
The embarrassed teen scratched his head in nervousness. "She wrote to me almost right away with her begging to meet you or cut off her ties to me. I would have enjoyed that if she didn't send food every once in a while."
"She sends you food?!" The blonde asked in shock as he backed away slightly, knowing it wasn't looked highly upon for parents to be sending the soldiers' food while they were training. Sasha's father had sent food only once before Shadis had punished her for having contraband supplies. Though, unlike Sasha, Jean knew how to hide his parcels from sight of everyone a lot better than others. It really should be a surprise to Armin that Jean was capable of something like that.
The brunette grinned slightly. "I complained about the food one too many times and she took her stand against it. At first it was just simple biscuits and pastries, but then she got creative and sent over a few meals. Ever notice my portions aren't always the same as everyone else's?"
Now that he mentioned it, Armin had begun noticing Jean wasn't eating as much as the others were some days. It made him wonder if he was ill or something, but would see that he'd be eating the same portions as others the next time around.
The blonde grumbled at this. "I'm surprised Sasha didn't catch you with food."
Jean only smiled. "I hide the tin underneath the floorboards in the barracks. When it's empty I send it back and she restocks it for me."
This made the blonde giggle. "Aw, mommy's little boy!"
A growl from the taller teen only made the shorter giggle more.
They found their way to the steps of a house and hurried towards the door. There was nothing really special about the house other than the small flowers that grew in the small pots by the doorway. It was your typical two story building with stone walls and wooden beams. But with each house came a different story. And in this one Armin could see that it'd been like any other childhood home. Happy and healthy, with lots of love.
Jean knocked on the wooden door before Armin stepped behind the boy in a bit of nervousness.
This made the taller teen laugh. "She doesn't bite."
"I'm not hiding from her." He protested, quickly making up an excuse. "You're taller than me and you can keep the rain from hitting me."
"Aww, is the rascally rain making my poor Armin damp? I thought you liked the rain?"
The blonde pulled on his hood to cover his eyes before hearing someone approach the door. As soon as it opened, Armin met with a short, stout woman with a look of pure happiness in her eyes.
Despite him being soaked, the woman pulled her son into a hug effectively making Armin giggle. The sight of Jean being squashed by this sweet little lady made the blonde like her all the more. Obviously she loved her son very much, and Jean reciprocated the feeling since he wasn't fighting her off.
He really was a mommy's boy.
"Jean-boy! I'm so happy you came home!" The woman said ecstatically.
The brunette coughed out from the force of her hug. "I'm only here for a few moments, mom. I need to gather my things and head out before curfew hits. Please remember that."
She immediately caught sight of me and let her son go. "And you must be Armin! I'm so happy to meet you! Jean-boy has said so much about you in his last letter, I thought he'd written a novel!"
The blonde looked over towards the brunette. "Really?! And here he's told me he only 'mentioned' me?"
"'May, or may not have'!" Jean corrected. "I can't remember exactly what it was I wrote…"
"I believe you referred to him as '…a god-sent in a sea of woes,'" the woman interjected, "'with the brains and looks of a god, and eyes that sparkle like a thousand starry skies!"
Armin had to place his hands over his lips to keep from giggling at the sight of Jean's blush. "Aww, Jean…!"
"Mother, can we please just come in and rest for a bit while I grab my things?!" Jean interrupted angrily.
The woman guided the two in, smiling deviously as her son glared at her. Once they hung up their hoods Jean set off to grab his things as fast as he could before his mother could do anything more to embarrass him.
The woman sighed as she shook her head. "Once they become teenagers that's it for mothering them. It's a useless battle after that, especially with hormones raging."
"He'll grow out of it eventually." Armin spoke up a bit nervously.
The woman smiled sweetly at the blonde. "I suppose your mother fears the same as I do then."
Armin said nothing at this but merely looked away. He didn't want to tell her about the fall of Shiganshina or losing his family. Not on their first meeting.
However, it would seem that his turmoil was written all over his face.
"Oh… I'm… I'm so sorry." She apologized to the boy. "Were they…?"
"Shiganshina," he confirmed. "Only I and my grandfather got out, but they sent him on the recon mission. It's just me and a few friends right now, but I'm glad I met Jean along the way. He always listens to me when I need someone to."
Jean's mother smiled lovingly at the boy. "I'm glad he's being kind while he's away. I know he isn't the greatest to get along with, but he's sweet when he needs to be. I suppose I don't help matters by spoiling him so much."
"He's an only child in a great city like Trost. People here have money to spare, or so I was told by my grandfather. He always wanted to live here and just be free from the shortages around Shiganshina. That or go outside the walls along with my parents someday. Though, that dream never really came true as you could've guessed."
"Well, you're still around aren't you?" She reasoned. "So then bring that dream back to life and set out for the land outside the walls. And, if you don't mind, bring my son with you so he knows what's it's like to be so far from his family for once."
"It would be a god-sent, mother!" Jean yelled from upstairs.
Armin rolled his eyes. "You'd miss her cooking and you know it!"
Silence filled the air before they heard a slight grumble.
"Touché."
"Oh! Speaking of which…" the stout woman said happily as she shuffled over to the kitchen to grab a tin. Once she game back, she handed the tin to Armin with a loving grin. "Take this and make sure you aren't seen with it. A small gift from me to you for putting up with my Jean-boy!"
Armin smiled back at the woman and thanked her kindly for her gift, promising to return the tin the moment he was able.
The woman then hugged the blonde close to her. "I apologize for being forward, but when my Jean-boy mentioned he had someone in his life I never imagined them to be so adorable and sweet! Plus with how much he talks about you, it makes me happy to see him happy about something as well. Like I said, I know he isn't the easiest to get along with…"
Armin only giggled at this. "If he's mentioned any truth about me in his letter he should've told you that I like a challenge! Besides, he's a sweetheart when he wants to be."
The woman giggled at this before releasing him. "Oh I know! There was one time when he found a lost kitten and begged me to keep it promising he'd feed it and love it, and I almost caved into those giant puppy eyes of his!"
"Oh, I know the ones. Yes, the same ones he uses every time he wants a kiss. I have to repeatedly tell him that others might see when it was his idea to keep things in the shadows for a while, and that my friends would not take kindly to his muzzling in. Still, I managed to cave in only twice after his begging. I call that a success."
"I know you two are talking about me!" Jean yelled to the two of them from his room upstairs.
Armin only scoffed. "Then come down and stop us if you don't like it!"
"Oh, but please don't hurt yourself, Jean-boy!" His mother called back in worry, turning to the blonde. "That boy can be so clumsy some days. Why, there was this one instance with the stairwell…"
The brunette suddenly ran down the stairs, jumping on the last step before grabbing Armin's hand and pulling him towards the door.
"It was great seeing you mom! Love you! Miss you! Write to you soon! Bye!"
They ran out into the rain, carrying their coats, and Jean practically slammed the door.
He looked up at the blonde. "Trust me when I say that you don't want to hear that story."
Armin giggled at this. "Well now I want to hear it even more now! And that was just rude running out on your mother like that. Go in and apologize."
Before Jean could protest, he saw the pleading look in Armin's eyes and immediately felt guilty for rushing out like that.
He growled audibly. "I hate you."
"No you don't." The blonde replied as he pushed Jean back through the door and shut it behind him.
Jean rolled his eyes before walking up to his mother and hugging her lovingly. "Sorry for rushing out like that. You know I miss you though, right?"
She hugged him back and grinned. "I miss you too, Jean-boy. And please take care of Armin. Someone like that doesn't drop into your life every day."
"I will." He promised, hissing her cheek before leaving the house.
Once he closed the door he faced Armin once again. "Happy?"
The blonde pulled him into a kiss before releasing him once more. "Very."
They began their walk back to the training camp hand in hand, each of them happy to have gone to see the woman no matter how brief the visit was. Thought Jean had been embarrassed to all hell, having heard the conversations from upstairs, he was glad to see his mother happy and healthy as always. Although, he wished he'd stuck around and had some of her cooking before rushing off.
Perhaps Armin wouldn't notice a few biscuits going missing from his tin?