Rain
(takes place sorta between chapters 55 and 56)
It was late when he decided to head outside. He couldn't stand listening to the screams anymore. All night, his stomach had been in knots for what Levi and Hange were doing. Some part of him understood that it had to be done - he knew they didn't have a choice - but he didn't have to like it.
He thought he was the only one still awake, or at least out of bed, so he was surprised to see Armin through the dirty window, standing outside in the rain. He was quiet as he slipped through the door. The little awning didn't cover much space in the first place, but it was doing even less against the raging downpour. A crack of thunder made the glass panes behind Armin rattle.
"What are you doing out here?"
Armin looked over at him, a small frown on his face. "I couldn't sleep."
"Yeah, well, me either." Jean rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. The spray from the rain was cold. He crossed his arms over his chest, though it did little good.
They stood in silence for a long while. Armin's hands were down by his sides, but he was shivering. Jean inched closer to him. The earlier conversation rang in his mind.
"Do…" Jean sighed and hunched against the rain that was now splattering over his legs and feet. "Do you really think we're bad people now?"
"I don't like that phrase," Armin muttered. He was staring at a rapidly forming puddle in front of him. "Only others can ever define someone as 'good' or 'bad', and that's always biased." He lifted his eyes and turned his head to look at Jean. "Even by the end of this… some people will consider us 'good' and other people will consider us 'bad'. I don't think anyone can act in a way that benefits everyone."
Jean was silent for a while, chewing at the inside of his cheek. Armin lifted his head, staring up. The spray hit his cheeks and gathered into drops, rolling down to his chin and dripping away. Edging closer to him, Jean tossed one arm around Armin's shoulders and pulled him against his chest.
"Whatever it is we end up having to do," Jean said softly, "whether we're good people or bad people, we'll do it together, right?"
"Yeah," Armin whispered, nodding. He brought his arms up and wrapped them around Jean's waist. Standing together, they were both warmer. The rain continued around them, but they weathered it together.
A/N: I know it's super short, but as far as keeping the story in cannon as much as possible goes, I like to just do hints rather than blatant "omfg i love you" shit.
And yes, I totally stole the line that Armin says to Annie from chapter 31.
