"Eren!"

Armin perked up from his book he was reading. Eren had briefly gone to the bathroom, so Armin stood up to investigate the source of the voice.

It sounded like Mikasa, and Armin grew more nervous as she called his name again, more urgent. When it was called a third time, Armin had almost broken into a full sprint and found himself at Mikasa's room at the end of the hall. Why no one else was concerned, he had no idea, but he found himself at the entrance if the girl's dormitory. Hesitantly, he opened the door.

And instantly regretted it.

Mikasa must have just come from the showers, because she was clad only in a towel and dripping wet. She was standing on a chair, and looked scared out of her mind.

Mikasa? Scared?

Armin hand moved to his swords. Something must be horribly wrong if Mikasa is acting this way. "What is it? What happened?"

Mikasa spotted Armin and screamed, her fear turning to rage in a spit second. "Get out! Now!"

Armin flinched. "I-I-"

Something skittered across the floor, and Mikasa jumped, terrified once again. "Kill it! Kill it!"

Armin searched the ground and saw it. A huge, hideous rat was hiding in the far corner of the room.

He couldn't help but laugh.

"What the hell are you laughing about!?" Mikasa demanded, "Kill it!"

Armin took a knee and wiped his eyes, still laughing uncontrollably. "You can defeat titans with a straight face, but cower in fear over a rat!? That's completely out of character for you!"

"Shut up!" Mikasa shouted, her face growing red. "Just kill it!"

Armin composed himself and snuck up on the rat. He took a deep breath-

-and it attacked him.

"Gah!"Armin cried, desperately clawing at the creature, "get it off!"

Mikasa jumped from the chair and grabbed it, aiming it at Armin's head.

"Not with the chair!" Armin yelled, falling to the ground. "Pull it off!"

Mikasa set down the chair and rushed to him, and began tugging on the rat with all her might, until the creature finally let go. As a result, she stumbled backwards and fell on top of Armin, throwing the rat against the opposite wall, and it turned and disappeared underneath one the beds.

She made a noise akin to a squeak, and Armin made the mistake of opening his eyes and looking at Mikasa, whose head was by his feet.

"Uh…M-M-Mikasa…"

Her legs were sprawled apart in front of him, leaving her exposed. Armin's face heated up, but for some unknown reason, completely froze up, unable to move any part of his body.

Mikasa sat up, rubbing her head. "Wha-?"

She immediately realized the compromising position they were in and screamed.

And then Cain walked in.

"Oi, what's with the-?"

He stopped, staring at the awkward position Armin and Mikasa were in.

"…what the hell?"

Armin gulped.

Cain Bismo was huge-he made Braun look small-and he always had an aggressive look on his face-and a sadistic one when he smiled. He also had a large scar on his left eye, which he claims he got when he single-handedly fought a titan with nothing but a spoon.

Armin knew that Cain had some feelings for Mikasa, so he must be pissed. Heck, he'd rather have Jean walk in than Cain. At least he isn't as freakishly terrifying.

And then comes Eren.

"Mikasa-!"

He, like Cain, stopped completely.

"…Armin…"

Armin looked down. "…Yes Eren?"

"Why is Mikasa on top of you in only a towel?"

Mikasa stood up annoyed. "T-t-there was…a rat, and-!"

Armin's face was covered suddenly with something soft.

Oh no…

Yet another scream.

Armin's view suddenly cleared as Mikasa picked up her towel and wrapped it around her.

Eren turned to Cain. "Out. Now."

Cain scoffed. "Why do you get to just stay with her half naked, you pervert?! You need to-!"

He was interrupted by a blow to the nose with Eren's forehead. "Get out!"

"No!" Cain shouted, shoving Eren back.

Armin slowly scooted away from Mikasa. "I…I'm sorry…"

Mikasa gave him a terrifying glare, and Armin stayed put. "You got us into this mess, now get us out."

Meanwhile, Eren and Cain had gotten into a fistfight.

"I said get out!" Eren shouted, shoving Cain back.

"Why don't you?!" Cain responded with a punch.

Eren and Cain went back and forth, and Armin just laid there, cowering under Mikasa's glare.

Then he got a horrible idea.

"Hey Eren…" Armin said, laughing shakily, "what would you do if I said that Cain wants to take advantage of the fact that Mikasa is only in a towel?"

The two stopped for a moment, and Eren gave the same terrifying glare Mikasa has to Cain. "Is that true?"

"N-no!" Cain protested, "I would never-!"

"You do have feelings for her, though…don't you?" Armin said, smirking.

He had a justified reason for calling him out; earlier, Cain had called out Armin's crush for Krista Lenz in front of the entire squad-including Krista herself-just yesterday. As a result, he gets teased more than ever and Krista seems to avoid him at all costs.

Armin was never one for vendetta, but he saw the opportunity and took it gladly.

"Well yeah, but-"

Big mistake.

"Well you need to go," Mikasa, who had been boring holes into Armin with her stare, turned on Cain. "Before I make you."

Cain rolled his eyes. "Afraid I'm going to see you naked? A bit late for that, isn't it?" A chuckle escaped his mouth. "Unless you're playing hard to get-"

Eren's leg flicked out and kicked Cain in between the legs.

"Holy-!"

"That'll be the last time you disrespect my sister!" Eren shouted.

Cain collapsed on the ground. "…o…kay…"

Eren turned to Mikasa, concerned. "What exactly happened…?"

Mikasa didn't say anything, her face full of terror again.

Armin and Eren both looked, and the rat jumped at Eren.

"What the-?" Eren saw it skitter towards him and drop kicked it, causing it to sail out the door, hitting the wall and skittering away.

"…it really was a rat…"

Armin let out a shaky laugh. "Well yeah…apparently Mikasa is deathly afraid of them…"

"Like you were deathly afraid of everyone finding out you like Krista?" Mikasa shot back emotionlessly.

Armin flinched. "I understand you're mad, but that was a low blow…"

Eren shook his head. "Hurry up and get dressed. Armin, come help me drag Cain outside."

Cain, whom was hunched in a ball of unmanly shame, spoke up. "I…can move…by myself…"

Armin stood up and pushed Cain over the threshold with his foot. "There."

"…you're really upset about that whole Lenz thing still, aren't you?" Eren asked as they stepped outside.

"Of course."

Eren sighed. "Nobody seems to be acting right today. First Mikasa and her phobia of rats-"

"Musophobia," Armin put in.

"…that, and then Cain being douchier than usual-"

"He's always been like that! At least, to me he has…"

"-then you knocking him down a few pegs with his crush on Mikasa."

"What's so wrong with that?"

"You…don't seem to be the type that would do that."

Armin shrugged. "I had to get him back for what he did yesterday."

"Speaking of which," Eren said, stopping and grabbing Armin's shoulder. "Isn't that Krista coming over here?"

Armin couldn't speak.

"…Armin?"

"Hi Eren! Armin!" Krista called as she approached the two, "Have you seen Mikasa? She was supposed to be training with me today."

Armin couldn't move.

Eren noticed this and nudged him. "Say something," he whispered.

"I like turtles," was Armin's immediate response.

Eren covered his face with his hand. "Mikasa is in her room getting dressed."

Krista nodded. "Thanks!" She said. After a worried glance at Armin, she walked down the hallway towards Mikasa's room.

Armin collapsed on his hands and knees, breathing heavily.

"H…how can I be so stupid?" Armin shouted, beating the ground with his fist, "I hardly even know what a turtle even is!"

"Hey!" Eren said, grabbing Armin's jacket and pulling him up, "stop beating yourself up! So what if you clammed up in front of your crush? Just don't do it again!"

Armin sighed as Eren let go of him. "She probably hates me, though! I mean-"

"What did I just-?"

"I know what you said," Armin shot back, "You haven't been in my situation before! This always happens to me!"

"Well then you need to learn how to try-!"

"I did try!" Armin shouted, head butting Eren.

And then everything went black.