Armin was, quite honestly, bored. It was a level of tedium which few humans have ever managed to reach, that point where it is quite possible that at any moment his brains were going to melt and leak out of his ears. The sort of boredom normally only achievable during especially slow algebra lessons, when even a yawn lacks the ability to engage focus.
If there is one thing worse than someone suffering from this horrendous condition, it's when that person is also very intelligent. Eren and Mikasa had long ago learned that when Armin got bored, the potential for disaster became terrifyingly high. You see, the trouble is that an unoccupied mind has the ability to consider new ideas and possibilities, make grand plans and fantasies. And when that happens to a genius- someone who can not only come up with a scenario, but also see a way to make it reality… all should beware.
Normally his friends would have noticed the signs, the tell-tale ticks and habits which would have indicated levels of tediousness reaching danger zones. The last time Armin had sat slumped in his chair staring at nothing, Eren had been quick to distract the blond with a need for his help with an exercise from his homework. When Mikasa had last noticed Armin fiddling with the ends of his hair, she had made the ultimate sacrifice and winked at Jean, causing the boy to make a scene as he actually jumped and knocked over his chair, and providing a sufficient diversion.
This time however, both Eren and Mikasa were absent from class for some sort of 'special training', which meant that there was nobody there as critical boredom levels were reached. An instructor was drawing a diagram of a titan's weak spot yet again on the blackboard. Armin sat and gazed off into space. The man began to once more describe the best way to reach the nape, a concept which some people were apparently finding difficult. Armin fiddled with the ends of his silky blonde hair. Someone in the class asked for further explanation for the twelfth time on the nature of the long range scouting formation. And Armin… twirled a pencil between his fingers.
Had his friends been there, they would have both paled significantly, before no doubt rapidly clearing the area.
…..
Nobody ever quite figured out how Levi's cleaning supplies became so muddled, especially considering his usual extreme levels of organisation. Even so, it forever went down in history amongst the scouts- the day that due to a finely balanced chemical reaction between substances, the stones of the castle were turned a vibrant pink whilst simultaneously stinking of sulphur. Moreover, as the cleaning cadets watched in awe, somehow there was a sudden stream of glitter on the wind, which proceeded to coat the entire building.
And so, when Levi returned from his training mission, as Erwin came back from a trip to capital headquarters, they beheld the fairy princess castle of the Scouts in sparkling, pink glory, exuding a smell which forced everyone to wear masks for the better part of a week.
Some blamed Hanji, saying it must have been an experiment gone wrong. Others questioned Sasha and Connie's innocence. Only Eren and Mikasa shot accusing looks at their angelic blond friend, who simply… smiled ever so slightly…
