Expect the Unexpected
"Students!" Professor Smith clapped his hands together in attempt to hush the chattering freshman. He watched as the conversations slowly died down, laughing at the groans that came with the sound of shifting chairs. "That's better! Hey, Eren! I don't think I've ever seen your face!" Professor Smith chuckled as the brunet leaned back in his chair, rolling his eyes. "Now, I'm sure you're all aware of the school play coming up." He sighed as he realized that all of his homeroom students have found other things to stare at. "You will fail this term if you do not participate," Professor Smith informed, making a mental note to tell the other cast members.
"Come on, Professor!" yelled a tall boy confined to the back of the room. The owner of the voice rubbed the back of his neck.
"Ah, Jean," Professor Smith began, "I do believe that there was a request for you to play the lead mal-"
"What!" Jean Kirschtein, the class delinquent, shoved his desk away as he jumped up from his chair. "Why me!?" He gripped the sides of his desk, ignoring his staring classmates.
"Some of the upperclassmen believe that you have this peculiar charm." Professor Smith watched as Jean's eyes widened.
"Ha!" Eren Jeager smirked and moved his eyes towards the angered boy, "Jean? Charm?" He rested his chin in his palm and cocked his eyebrow.
"Jeager, I'll kill you," Jean mumbled through gritted teeth. He met Eren's gaze and squinted his eyes, showing no fear of the smaller boy.
Eren sneered at his classmate before giving in to Armin's, his friend's, protests. He linked his fingers behind the back of his head and leaned back. "I think Jean's the perfect choice for the lead, Professor." He smiled at Jean's huffing.
"I agree," the Professor moved his attention towards the angered boy, "Jean, I think this will be a good opportunity to meet new people."
"Bu-"
Professor Smith held up his hand to stop the boy's complaints. "It's already been decided. You will play the role of William- a lovestruck boy who departs on a perilous journey to rescue Lydia- a fair maiden who is being forced to marry the devious Lord Alard." He looked up from the play information, watching as Jean fell back into his seat.
"Who's Lydia?" Jean rolled his head to the side and crossed his arms.
"That would be," The Professor rustled through the papers, "Ah, that would be Miss Sasha Braus." He looked up to the sound of snickering.
"Oh god, why her!?" Jean threw his hands into the air in frustration. He thought back to all the times Sasha would walk by his lunch table and snatch his roll before slipping away. She's already made a huge impression on the school even though she is only a sophomore. "Dammit," he mumbled under his breath.
"I will expect you to respect the upperclassmen, Mr. Kirschtein." He watched as the boy nodded before dropping his head onto his desk. "Now, the rest of you will be working on the set, with the exception of Miss Ackerman."
A quiet dark-haired girl looked away from Eren to meet the teacher's eyes. "Will I be a member of the cast as well?" She watched as the Professor shuffled through the papers.
"Ah, no Mikasa. You will be assisting the director." He waved away the complaints from the other students. "Mikasa has been requested by the seniors because of her," he stopped to scratch his head, laughing nervously, "um intimidating personality."
Mikasa nodded at her professor before turning back to Eren.
"Congratulations, Mikasa." Armin Arlert turned to his friend and smiled. "That's a great position."
"Haha, yeah. You will get to boss us around. Enjoy it while you can." Eren rolled his head to the side to face his friend. He watched as she calmly raised her hand. "Wait, Mika...Ow!" Eren cried out, rubbing his throbbing head. "I was just joking!"
"I know," Mikasa smiled softly at her friend before looking down at her notes.
"Hey, Mikasa," Eren whispered, leaning close to her, "You should be really hard on Jean. He deserves it."
"I heard that, Jeager." Jean lifted his head and slowly turned it towards Eren. "Are you asking to get beat up?"
"You want to beat me up!? Ha!" Eren glanced up at the sound of the dismissal bell. "Looks like the perfect time to me." He stood up, shoving his sleeves up his arms.
"You are gonna regret this, Jeager." Jean marched towards the shorter boy and grabbed his collar.
"Um, guys?" Armin squeezed himself between the two fuming boys. "We need to get to play practice. Remember, our grades are on the line here." He sighed in relief as Jean dropped his hands and turned to grab his books. "Thank you!" Armin waved to Jean before directing Eren back to his desk to collect his things.
"Yea," Jean lazily waved without turning back, "some other time, Jeager." He flung his backpack over one shoulder then headed to the auditorium.
"Eren, you need to stop picking fights with him." Armin reached down to grab one of Eren's books.
"He started it." Eren snatched the book away and tossed it into his backpack.
"No, you antagonize him, Eren." Armin watched as Eren sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Just leave him be and I'm sure he'll do the same." Armin picked up his own books and held them to his chest.
"Fine." Eren grumbled before turning to follow Mikasa to the auditorium.
"Really!?" Jean looked up from his script at the director, "I die!?" He tightened his grip on the stapled papers, doing his best to ignore the laughter coming from backstage.
"Not everything can have a happy ending, Jean." Senior director Hanji Zoe stated.
"I get the girl then die from a fever. Great play…" Jean tossed his script aside and slumped down into an auditorium seat.
"I'm trying to teach people to expect the unexpected, Jean." Hanji picked up the crumpled script and began to smooth it out. She walked to the complaining boy and threw the script in his face. "Go get on stage, William!"
Jean sighed and trudged up to the stage. "So, where is Sasha?" He looked around then met eyes with Hanji.
"Oh! She got food poisoning, so she will be out for a few days. We will just work through some scenes with William and Lord Alard." Hanji smiled as Jean gaped at the boy walking up to center stage. "You know what to do, Levi," she called out to the play's villain.
Levi Rivaille is the senior that all students fear. Although shorter than most, he has shown his strength multiple times on the school's wrestling team. He always obeys school rules but won't hesitate to jump into a fight if needed. Most students do their best to stay clear of him because any sort of confrontation with him will result in a fat lip. Because of a recent fight he was involved with, Levi was forced to accept the role in the play-it was that or community service for the rest of the term.
Jean flinched as Levi's strong hand slammed down on his shoulder. He looked down at his senior and chuckled nervously. "A-are you ready to work on this fighting scene?" The taller boy gulped as he watched Levi's lips creep into a devious grin.
"Let's fight," Levi tossed Jean the second plastic sword then took his stance- slightly bent knees with both hands firmly gripping the hilt of his own fake sword.
"And action!" Hanji clapped her hands and watched as the two boys aggressively swung their swords at each other as if they were really out for blood.
"Okay!" Mikasa stood up and walked to the bottom of the stage. "Take ten!" She watched as the members of the cast pushed one another, fighting to get to the water fountain.
"Damn," Jean panted, lifting his shirt to wipe the sweat dripping down his forehead. "You really are as strong as people say." He watched as Levi took a long swig from his water bottle.
"Well, you aren't so bad yourself. I'm starting to see why the other seniors wanted you as the lead." Levi lightly punched Jean in the arm before making his way backstage. He maneuvered through the half-painted set props, stopping behind a working brunet.
"You're Eren, right?" Levi peered down at the huge turquoise eyes looking up at him.
"Yea, why?" Eren stood up and looked down at his senior. "Oh, shit! He heard me making fun of his height the other day! I'm so screwed! NO, Eren! Show no fear!" He steadied his breathing and crossed his arms.
"I've heard about you and your cocky attitude," Levi answered.
"So?" Eren took a step back and watched as Levi slowly brought his head up and smiled.
"Why don't you step outside with me for a moment…?" Levi spun on his heel and began walking to the back exit, not bothering to see if Eren was following. He pushed open the door and stepped aside to let Eren out first.
"What's the meaning of th-" Eren's words were cut off as he was slammed against the wall by the strong senior. With wide eyes, he turned his head and watched as the door slowly closed.
"I know it's almost time to go, but I want to run through the ending scene," Hanji moved her eyes to her groaning lead.
Jean sighed and lied down on the bed placed center stage, flipping through his script. "The dying scene? Who will play Sasha's part?" He leaned up on his elbow and yawned.
"Um, go find someone to read Sasha's part, Mikasa." Hanji motioned to the back of the stage and watched as Mikasa grabbed her clipboard and made her way to the set crew.
Mikasa stepped behind the curtain and shifted her eyes towards each person, stopping a little longer on a very disheveled Eren. "What's with that stupid grin on his face?" She continued picking through the set crew until her eyes stopped on Armin. "Hey, Armin," she began as she approached the small boy, "we need you to read lines with Jean." She flinched as he bolted up and gasped.
"W-why me?" Armin stuttered.
"Because, you are the only person who will do a good job. We need to get Jean used to acting seriously." She shoved a script in Armin's hands and quickly made her way back to her place beside Hanji.
Armin drew in a shaky breath as he looked down at the script. "The dying scene? She wants me to read for Lydia? Isn't there a kiss…?" He clenched the script in his hands and marched onto the stage. "Can't you get another female to read for Lydia?" He peered over at Jean lying in the bed studying his lines.
"Just do it, Armin," Mikasa grumbled, "We are not going to actually make you kiss him." She tilted her head towards Jean, sighing as she watched Armin slowly make his way to center stage.
"Action!" Hanji yelled.
Armin quickly read Lydia's lines then looked down at Jean. " William," he began, placing his hand on Jean's cheek, "you're burning up!" He watched as Jean carefully placed his hand on top of the smaller one resting on his cheek.
"Lydia," Jean whispered, "why must my life be stolen away by such a simple illness?" Jean leaned over and peered down at the open script on the floor. "Shit! I forgot to cough!"
"No, William!" Armin obeyed the script and fell to his knees, clinging onto Jean's hand. "You mustn't leave me!" He pulled Jean's hand and pressed it against his heart. "My heart only beats for you…" He watched as Jean slowly opened his eyes, looking at him longingly. "He's…He's very good at this…"
"Lydia," Jean spoke through shuddering breaths, "Go forth and find a new man to carry your heart…" "This is so stupid. But, Armin's doing okay…" He watched as a single tear trickled down the blond's cheek. "He's even crying! Damn! He's showing me up, and it's not even his part. Time to step it up a bit." With his free hand, Jean gently swept his thumb across Armin's cheek, pushing the tear away. He darted his eyes down to his script. "The kiss is coming soon…"
"How could I do such a thing!?" Armin cried, holding Jean's hand closer to his heart. "I will always love you, and only you. You are the only man that is worthy of carrying my heart!" He scooted closer and buried his head in Jean's chest, whimpering into his shirt. "I should probably tone it down before people get the wrong idea, but… Everything just feels so natural…"
"Ar-I mean uh Lydia," Jean began, cursing himself in his head, "I want you to be happy. I want to see you smile when I look down from heaven." He ran his hand through the blond locks sprawled out on his chest. "How far is this kid going to go?! Ugh, dammit! I almost said his name instead of Lydia." Jean glanced down at the script. "Oh shit! I gotta die!" He dropped his head and let his hand slide down Armin's hair, falling to his side. He closed his eyes and let his head roll slightly to the right.
"William!" Armin sat up and placed both hands on Jean's cheeks. He peered down at the lifeless-looking boy, gasping as he watched his tears hit Jean's face. "William…" He moved closer to Jean's lips. "I will always love you," he whispered. "Should I ki-"
"Wow!" Hanji hopped up from her seat, startling the two boys. She clumsily wiped away the tears rolling down her cheeks. "Beautiful!" She began jumping up and down, clapping.
Jean watched as Armin muttered thank you and gave a quick bow before running off the stage. He clasped his hands behind his head and fell back on his pillow. "Was that kid about to kiss me? Why was he so freaking good at this part?!" "Ugh!" Jean sat up and ran his hands through his hair, stopping once Hanji approached him.
"You're a natural, Jean!" She slapped him on the back and laughed. "Is that a blush I see!?" Her laugh grew as she watched Jean quickly turn his burning cheeks away. "Great work everybody! Same time tomorrow, okay?" Hanji hopped off the stage and began gathering her things.
Jean stood up and rushed off the stage. He snatched his backpack and raced out of the auditorium.
"Darn it!" Armin stood in front of the school exit, watching as sheets of rain poured down. "Why did I have to forget my umbrella today?" He looked down at the five library books resting in his arms. "And my backpack… If these get wet, I will have to pay a fine. Crap…" He sighed and began sorting through his options.
"Here."
Armin came back from his thoughts as an umbrella was shoved into his face. He looked up and saw Jean holding the umbrella out, looking away.
"Take it."
"But," Armin looked up at the taller boy.
"Just take it before I change my mind." Jean dropped the umbrella into Armin's hands and pushed the door open.
"Jean!" Armin raced after the brunet. "We-we could share it…" He watched as Jean rubbed the back of his neck- a nervous habit he developed. "Well, it's just that you are the lead, so it would be bad if you caught a cold from the rain…"
Jean sighed and took the umbrella. He opened it and motioned for Armin to come under it.
The two boys walked holding casual conversation. Jean asked where Armin's friends were, nodding as Armin explained that Mikasa went to check on Sasha and wondering why Eren was seen sneaking around with Levi. Much to his dismay, Jean felt a blush creep up his cheeks every time he brushed shoulders with Armin. Occasionally, he would peer down at the small blond and smile softly.
"Um, Jean?" Armin kept his eyes locked to the ground.
"What's up?"
"I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable earlier." Armin hugged his books tighter to his chest.
"Oh, that. I-Uh-I wasn't uncomfortable. You're a really good actor." Jean rubbed the back of his neck and laughed nervously.
"So are you!" Armin shot his head up and looked at the taller boy. "I really thought you were dead!" Armin giggled into his hand.
"Ah, haha. I actually almost forgot I was supposed to die…" Jean smiled as Armin's laughing grew louder. "So, umm…" He looked down at the blond peering up at him curiously. "Not that it really matters or anything, but were you actually gonna kiss me?"
"Oh!" Armin stopped walking and looked down. "Well, everything just felt so natural and I thought maybe it would help you get used to acting and-" Armin's words trailed off as Jean tilted his chin up towards him. "Umm?"
Jean let the umbrella fall as he guided his hands to Armin's cheeks. He looked down and chuckled softly as Armin squeezed his eyes shut. He leaned down closer to the blond, letting his thumbs trail lightly across his temples. He watched as Armin slowly tilted his head back. "This kid…" Jean gently pressed his lips against Armin's forehead, sliding his hands down the blond's now-soaked shirt. He pulled away and laughed at Armin's confused expression.
"Did you think I was gonna kiss you on the lips?" He asked as he picked up the umbrella.
"Well, umm…" Armin brushed a few wet locks away from his eyes.
"We have to learn to expect the unexpected, don't we?" Jean laughed and began walking again. He peeked at the huffing boy. "Hey, Armin?"
Armin looked down as Jean laced his long fingers in between his small ones. "Yes?"
"I hope that Sasha will be out for a few more days." Jean gave Armin's hand a squeeze, choosing to ignore the familiar blush that crept up his cheeks.
This was my first AU that I've ever written. I had fun, and I hope I did okay!
Special Thanks to my bro Ai Enmaxjigoku shoujo (Tehavengeh) for helping me with ideas for Mikasa's role in the story!