Armin watched as Jean kept walking into the horizon. He wasn't sure what happened, but something about the man seemed off lately. He wouldn't talk to Armin and when he did the blond was left with an empty feeling because of the way he was treated. Something was definitely wrong and it bugged him not knowing what it was. Sure, there was always that failed thing he had with Mikasa, but why would that be so crippling now? And why would that mean treating Armin like he did? It didn't make sense and, as a theoretician, Armin needed to know the details so he could figure it out.
The blond jogged until he finally caught up with Jean. "We're not supposed to be out here," he pointed out. Camp was getting farther behind them, and that meant they were only walking farther into Titan territory. Both had their gear - they weren't stupid enough to leave without it, no matter the circumstances - but that didn't really mean much. It didn't mean they were in any less danger.
But this was important. Whatever was getting Jean down, it seemed big and Armin was worried. Probably more worried than he should have been, but that was irrelevant. All he cared about was getting the guy back on his feet. They were a team, and a team doesn't function properly if even one part isn't working like it's supposed to, and considering he didn't seem to be able to concentrate so well...
"It was too crowded in there for me. I need air," Jean finally spoke up, not looking up to Armin and instead keeping his eyes glued to the grass beneath them. He trusted the shorter kid to look out for any Titans, not to mention that they'd probably hear any coming, so he felt worryingly safe, considering the kid was his only defense outside of himself and when it came to the field Armin wasn't nearly as good as he was with his brain. But that was still okay, because they needed that too.
Armin pouted slightly. "You've been acting weird lately. I'm worried..." It was strange. Jean was better than him. Jean could protect himself. Worrying about him seemed pointless. Of course, some could argue worrying about Eren was pointless... It didn't matter, because worrying was his specialty. Not the best thing to specialize in, but what could he do? He had too much heart.
"Look, buddy, I appreciate the thought, but there's no need to - fuck!" There were footsteps seemingly coming from nowhere. Loud, fast, getting louder... The boys hopped into the trees, swords at the ready as they waited. And then they saw it. Seven meter, creepy looking, vicious. They'd seen worse, of course, but Jean was distracted and Armin was too busy worrying about him to focus properly. Still, there were two options from here.
One, hang around in the trees awhile to see if the thing backs off. Pros: they wouldn't have to fight, they'd have time to get past some of the awkwardness, trees can be relaxing. Cons: more might gather, the thing might not back off, they could be screwed.
Two, they could kill it now and make a run for it. Pros: they'd get it over with, they'd get back to camp before the sun started poking through, there wouldn't be much time for more to appear. Cons: they could get hurt fighting, they'd use some of the gas in their gear, they could be screwed.
Either way, the results might not be desirable, but Armin quickly made a decision and looked over at Jean. They nodded at each other, fingers tightening around the handles of their blades. Armin was holding on tight enough that his knuckles were a ghost white, whereas Jean's anger was mostly being relayed through his eyes. He jumped sooner than Armin expected, the blond freezing in momentary surprise.
It wasn't until a loud thunk echoed that Armin moved. The kid quickly jumped down towards the Titan. Jean was suspended on a tree branch, halfway looking like he was about to fall. There was blood, even visible form where Armin was hanging around the thing's shoulder, and he was under the assumption Jean had been swatted into the tree. It wasn't him to slip up like that. Jean was careful, fast. This wasn't him; something was definitely wrong and it was starting to get even more worrying. Anything that would take him out of his mind so much had to be horrible.
Armin swiftly swung down and easily cut deep into the Titan's sweet spot. It fell like a domino, and the blond's attention was immediately returned to his friend. "Good one Armin," Jean mumbled, barely audible as Armin got to where he was. "You got it." He seemed almost proud and managed to lift a hand to Armin's shoulder, but he didn't look to be in good condition, not by far.
"You're bleeding..." It was the understatement of the century. Jean's leg had been pierced by a branch, probably broke his nose when he was hit, and Armin wouldn't be surprised if he had a concussion given the force with which he was thrown against the tree. "You should have been more careful..."
Jean simply managed a small smile and playfully ruffled the blond's hair before his arm fell limply back to his side. He didn't even seem to notice the kid sit him up against the trunk of the tree, nor did he notice the hands pressed tight to his upper thigh, where the bleeding was coming from. If the potential of dying wasn't so bad, it'd almost be romantic. "It's just a scratch," he managed, demeanor appearing to have changed dramatically. Maybe this was what he wanted, to get torn to shreds by a Titan. But why?
Had Jean given up? What could Armin do to get him back in his head? Could he do anything? "The sun's coming up... More are gonna come if we don't hurry." He was trying to get the taller kid on his feet, but Jean seemed set on staying put.
"Go, then," he ordered. Armin was confused. He couldn't go anywhere, not without making sure Jean was right there along the way ."You're strong... You can do this." And it hit him. Jean didn't want to go back. This thing may not have started off as a suicide mission, but he sure didn't seem to have much he was holding on for.
"No... No, Jean, you're gonna be fine," Armin insisted. This whole 'leave me behind' crap wasn't going to fly. It was stupid. Never leave a man behind. Armin had seen too many people get eaten and now he was able to save Jean. He had every intention of doing so whether the older teen let him do so willingly or not. "It-it's not that bad, really, we can... we can fix you up..."
Somehow, Jean's hand ended up entangled with Armin's, their fingers entangled like if either let go they'd die... and, given the circumstances, they just might. "Don't hold on too tight. I'd hate to see you hurt because of me." Armin frowned, subconsciously tightening his grip on Jean's hand, his other still damming the blood.
"I'm not giving you up, and I'm definitely not leaving you here like this." They're both stubborn and they both had a pretty strong opinion. Jean was fine with being left there. He'd either figure a way back or die trying. Armin was stuck on them both getting out of there, even if trying to carry Jean would slow him down. He was determined. They were both going back alive.
Jean just looked at his friend with regret and sorrow flooding his eyes. "It's okay. You can go. Better you live than we both die." The option was out there, no taking it back. Something in the back of Jean's mind pleaded for Armin to disagree, to stay until the end, but he doubted the validity of that. Armin seemed to have a crush on Eren or something. There was no way Jean, of all people, was significant to him in the slightest... right?
"I said I'm not leaving you," Armin said adamantly, leaving little room for argument - though that didn't mean Jean couldn't try. And he did.
"And I said to save yourself."
"I can't. I can't leave you here. You'll bleed to death." Somehow, they ended up leaning in towards each other, as if begging each other to just do it. Their faces were mere inches from each other, both were red as a tomato, though neither seemed to notice.
"I'm not scared of dying anymore. It's -"
"- Don't you fucking dare tell me it's okay. It's not okay. I love you and you're telling me to let you die?"
Jean was shocked. Completely and utterly shocked. Had he heard that right? Was Armin just saying that because he was upset? Those were real tears in his eyes and he was real close, but could that mean... what about Eren? "You... love me?"