10 - Jean
Armin was still blushing. Jean couldn't really blame him. Eren had called him out on something Armin obviously didn't want him to. But it was so damn funny...
There were more knocks on the door, and Mikasa reached over to open it. Krista and Ymir were both grinning. Ymir had a two-gallon sized jug in one hand. It looked like juice with fruit in the bottom, but knew knew better than to believe that. Ymir's hunch punch was the strongest he'd ever had.
"Hey guys!" Krista greeted cheerfully. She pranced inside and tossed her skinny arms around Erwin first. "Congrats!" He mumbled his thanks and she went to Armin next, nearly knocking him off the stool with the force of her hug.
"Hey Krista," Armin said softly. Jean grabbed two more glasses before finding their punch bowl. He'd bought it just for Ymir's hunch punch during their freshman year. He took the jug from her and poured everything into the bowl. As the fruit hit the punch, it splashed over the counter. Snatching up the kitchen towel, he dried the mess. It was just the first of what he felt would be many.
"You look a lot better!" Krista finally let him go and perched on the stool beside him. Jean passed her a glass of hunch punch with a piece of watermelon in the bottom. "I tried talking to you today, but I don't think you even knew I was there."
Armin looked ashamed. "I'm sorry."
"He caught up on some sleep earlier," Jean tossed in, breaking up the conversation. Armin tossed him a grateful look.
"You both owe me money," Mikasa announced. Jean rolled his eyes and Krista's expression changed into that of shock and then giddiness.
"You don't have to put it like that," Jean grumbled at her.
Mikasa shrugged. "Would you rather me tell them all we walked in on the two of you making out?"
Ymir laughed. She thumped Armin on the back one good time. "And here I thought you were so deep in the closet it'd take some extreme spelunking to find you!"
"Don't be so mean!" Krista gave Ymir a light shove to her arm, but Ymir just laughed again. "Not everyone is as open as you are."
Armin was staring down into his cup, fidgeting. Jean downed the last of his drink and fixed himself some punch after passing a glass to Ymir. "Ease off." Armin glanced up at him for a moment, but Jean knew the teasing wouldn't stop there. Connie was bound to be far worse when he found out.
"Aw!" Ymir latched onto Armin with one arm around his neck. "It's okay! We still love you even if you decided on a prick like Jean!" Eren laughed and reached over to high-five Ymir. She released Armin to return it.
"Yeager's just jealous I got to him first." Jean elbowed Eren in the side and laughed at Eren's expression. His face was screwed up almost in disgust, but with too much surprise.
"He's my best friend! That's just weird!" Eren gave Jean a sharp punch on the arm.
"I told you two to cut it out," Levi snapped.
Erwin chuckled. "This apartment is full as it is. I doubt you want the rest of my squad filling the place up and putting cuffs on everyone."
Jean didn't miss how Armin paled. It was a drastic change from the extreme blush. He felt guilty. Armin probably never wanted to deal with cops again after what they'd been through at the police station. He watched as Armin guzzled the remainder of his drink, then took the glass and refilled it. Armin had fished a piece of watermelon from the punch bowl by the time he passed his drink back to him. His cheeks were pink, but he figured that was from the rum.
Zoe came to stand by Armin's side, closest to the end of the counter. "So Armin, tell me, who is the Top who is the bottom?" Armin's blush returned suddenly as he shook his head. Jean laughed.
"Jean's a bottom," Ymir announced with a casual shrug.
"How would you know?" Levi asked, one eyebrow raised.
Ymir scoffed. "Because my gay-dar is never wrong. And look at him! It's like he's just waiting for someone to-"
"Ymir!" Krista shouted, noticing Armin's discomfort. She giggled, though. "Armin probably doesn't really know what you mean anyway."
Armin was about to retort, but when he saw Zoe's eager expression, he shut his mouth and stared back into his glass. Jean sipped at his punch. He could see Levi's hand disappear behind Erwin's back when Erwin reached up and gripped his right shoulder. Erwin wasn't having as easy of a time as he wanted everyone to believe.
"Armin will be well-educated by the end of tonight, I bet!" Zoe elbowed him lightly with a wide grin. "All that rum?"
"You're drinking rum?" Krista asked, surprise coloring her tone. Armin just nodded mutely. "Well don't drink too much!" She and Ymir laughed together with Eren and Mikasa. Zoe was still grinning her feral grin.
"Speaking of which..." Jean turned and grabbed the last of their glasses and began to fill them water. "Drink it." He sat each glass in front of everyone. "I'm not dealing with you idiots getting dehydrated and passing out everywhere."
"We haven't even had that much to drink," Ymir protested. He could tell from the color in her cheeks that she was only referring to the time they'd been in the apartment. She was already drunk and he knew it. Krista probably was too, but she didn't show it.
"He's right." Levi sat down the scotch he was about to pour to refill Erwin's glass with. They both sipped at their water for a while.
"Was everyone already drunk when they got here?" Jean muttered to himself.
"So play catch-up," Eren said with a shrug. He chugged his water before grabbing his drink again. "Armin's had a couple of shots already, but you've barely had one drink."
Eren was right, but Jean wasn't up for getting trashed with the rest of them. Someone had to make sure everyone made it home okay. He also didn't want to deal with anyone drinking too much and puking all over the place. As long as he wasn't shit-faced like the rest of them, he could at least control how much they kept drinking. Although Zoe probably wouldn't part with her fifth any time soon - unless she started pouring it down Armin's throat again. A part of him wanted to be angry with her for that, but tequila was Armin's usual drink of choice anyway. He'd watched them kill a whole fifth of tequila in an hour and still want more.
Armin was loosening up a little, at least. He wasn't hiding his face anymore, but was laughing with Zoe about something as he munched on another piece of watermelon. It still surprised Jean whenever he watched Armin drink like this. His tolerance was ridiculously high for someone his size.
"Jean, bring the ice." He glanced over at Levi and nodded once. It was a pain to get bossed around in his own house, but Erwin didn't have anymore ice in his glass. He figured Erwin probably wouldn't need too much to drink. He was sure he was probably still loaded down with pain killers.
After breaking the ice free from the tray, he sat it in front of Levi while he scooped out a few pieces. Eren was still in the kitchen, picking on Armin from the sound of things.
"I just don't get why it had to be Jean," Eren grumbled. "I don't care or anything but he just acts like such a jerk." Jean smacked the back of his head with the flat of his hand as he put the ice tray back into the freezer.
"Drop it already, Yeager." Armin didn't need to hear all of that. Especially not tonight. It was too soon. Jean rounded the counter and stepped by Zoe. He wrapped both arms around Armin from behind. "He's mine now and you can't have him!" Armin relaxed against him rather than trying to squirm away.
Eren made a face, but Zoe, Krista, and Ymir laughed. "That's how you do it!" Ymir's cheer was met with another high-five, but from Zoe this time. "Never thought I'd say it, but you two are kinda cute together."
"Just don't deface my employee," Levi barked from the other space of counter. Jean raised one eyebrow, but Krista was already reaching up and pulling at the collar of his shirt. She poked at one of the hickeys Armin had left earlier.
"Too late for that!" Ymir almost shouted. "Damn, Armin moves fast."
"No faster than you," Krista retorted. "I always had hickeys everywhere..."
Ymir laughed and pressed her lips to Krista's cheek. "Had to let everyone know you were mine!" Krista just rolled her eyes.
"And yet Krista is..." Zoe trailed off, waggling her eyebrows as Ymir.
"Krista is my queen and I treat her as such." Ymir wasn't shy, Jean could give her that. He rested his chin on Armin's head for a moment.
"Fancy way of sayin' you're whipped," Eren mocked.
"Oh, like Mikasa has you whipped?"
Eren started to protest, but it was a miserable failure and almost everyone was laughing. Even Erwin was chuckling. Levi still had his hand on Erwin's back, though it wasn't as noticeable from this angle. He doubted they would stay long. In truth, Jean wanted everyone to leave. He never wanted this party.
Once glance at the clock and he was surprised to find that it was already after midnight. The drinks weren't refilled as fast, though the hunch punch was now almost gone. Armin had abandoned his drink in favor of the fruit from the bowl, but Jean stole the next two pieces he grabbed. It was just as strong as he thought it was.
"Ymir," Jean said, interrupting her conversation with Zoe. She looked over at him. "Did you put rum in the punch this time?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I guess I did. Almost forgot about that." A wide grin broke out over her face. He could feel one of Armin's hands brushing over his thigh, though he doubted Ymir could see that. "Hey Armin, you know the fruit is pretty potent, right?"
Armin nodded. "It's delicious." Ymir snickered and grabbed two pieces. She fed one to Krista and popped the other into her mouth. Armin was fidgeting again, but not from embarrassment.
Jean stepped away from him and went back into the kitchen and gave everyone more water. He snatched up a few more pieces of fruit. He was laughing at the bits of conversation he was catching. He watched them all. Mikasa hadn't had much to drink either, but he assumed that was because Erwin was sitting so close. Eren was shouting rather than speaking. Levi actually laughed a little at one of Zoe's shit jokes. Erwin didn't look like he was in as much pain. Krista was sitting, but she kept latching onto Ymir to stay in the stool. For as much as Ymir had had to drink, she wasn't as far gone as he'd expected. Zoe's tequila was almost gone, and she was leaning heavily on the counter between Armin and Krista.
Armin was staring at Jean. He couldn't recall ever seeing a look like that on Armin's face. It was drunken desire, he supposed, but it was intense and calculating. He felt his neck grow hot.
"We're heading out." Levi grabbed the scotch, but left the whisky and Coke. He looked at Jean. "I expect you at work." Jean nodded once.
The goodbyes circulated quickly. Levi didn't touch Erwin again until the door was almost closed behind them, but Jean caught him with his hand on Erwin's back once more. He'd never really considered how hard Erwin's missing arm was affecting Levi. He knew it couldn't be easy for either of them.
Krista was yawning just a short while later, so Ymir gathered her up and helped her out the door. They left with their own flurry of farewells. Jean shouted after them to text him when they made it back. They had the longest walk of anyone, since their apartment was right next to the campus. Jean began to gather all of the glasses. He put them all into the sink but didn't bother to wash them. He'd do it tomorrow.
"Come on Eren, let's go home too." Mikasa stood up and gave Jean a pointed look before eyeing Armin. Somehow, Armin's expression had intensified even more. He was only half listening to Zoe as she babbled in his ear. He nodded once at Mikasa.
"Aw!" Zoe moaned. "But this party was so short!" Jean sat a second glass of water in front of Zoe. He couldn't let her leave. She'd fall and break her neck just trying to get down the stairs.
"Drink." Zoe did, and Eren and Mikasa grabbed their bottle.
"Don't wake up the whole building, alright?" Eren gave Jean a suggestive look over his shoulder, but Jean just rolled his eyes. Eren and Mikasa lived two floors down and on the opposite side of the building.
"Good night," Armin called after them. They waved and shut the door. Jean swiped up the rest of the glasses before tucking the whisky and Coke away in a cabinet.