GONNA HAVE US SOME MORE SHENANIGANS (IF THAT IS HOW YOU SPELL IT...) AND ALSO NEXT YEAR I'M COSPLAYING AS SASHA FOR GLASGOW COMICON :) YAYS, IT IS SOOO LONG AWAY! IF FEEL CLOSEST TO SASHA BECAUSE SHE IS THE MOST SIMILAR CHARACTER TO ME IN TERMS OF PERSONALITY AND APPEARANCE (EXCEPT I VERY LIKELY WOULD HAVE DIED DURING THEM 3 YEARS OF TRAINING...) ALSO, NATIONALITY HAS BECAME A CURIOUSITY OF MINE, WHEN IT COMES TO THE AoT CHARACTERS, SO I LIKELY WILL ADD THAT IN :) ALSO, DOES AoT TAKE PLACE IN THE FUTURE?... AND IN GERMANY? SEEMS VERY LIKELY TO ME AND I KNOW I NEED TO DEAL WITH THE FACT THAT EREN BEING A TITAN, AND MARCO DYING IN THE CANON STORY WERE THE REASONS FOR JEAN, SASHA, CONNIE ETC JOINING THE SCOUTING LEGION SO I MUST ADDRESS WHY THEY DID WHEN NONE OF THOSE ENCOURAGING THINGS HAPPENED... ALSO SORRY IF YOU FIND MISTAKES IN THIS CHAPTER (LIKE THERE ALWAYS IS), I'VE BEEN UP REALLY LATE WORKING ON IT AND I'M PRETTY TIRED
"Well then, how about steak? No, no no! Venison! Or even pork, or just ham? Or-"
"Stop it, Connie! I'M FREAKING STARVING!" Sasha screamed up to the roof of the stables, where Connie, herself and several others were grooming the untacked horses after a day of working them. "I'm gonna eat this horse is you keep mentioning meat!" She pushed her hand onto her palomino mares' neck.
"Whoa whoa whoa, fine, not meat then. How about toasted bread covered in cheese, onion and mushrooms? No, no, I got it... something sweet, like chocolate!" Connie dug through the recesses of his mind, picturing the most brilliant of feasts. He didn't at first intend on torturing Sasha with the distant idea of food they knew they couldn't have. It wasn't like he wasn't dying a little inside either from the thought, but the look on Sashas' face made the drooling torment worth mentioning.
"Connie... Please stop it!" She cried, clasping the sides of her head in despair, covering her ears from his words.
He sniggered to himself, looking away from her and at his black stallion, brushing down his thick neck. A brush hit his shaved head, hard and sore. He yelped, gripping the new bruise. "OW...!"
She pouted, folding her arms across her chest. A wet sponge slapped her in the face. "AH!" She yelped in surprise.
"That's what you get!" Connie grinned.
She snarled playfully and picked up a long brush that was used to sweep the floors, pointing it at him as though he were a filthy stray dog. "It's on, Con!"
He picked up the bucket of water he was using to wash down his darkened steed, holding it in front of him in a sly manner. "Come at me!" He challenged.
And she charged with the brush extended in his direction, trying to hit him with the sharp row of bristles on the end. He dodged her assault, running out of the stall with some of the overflowing water spilling out of the bucket. "I'm gonna soak you!" He warned, laughing.
"I'll smack you!" She retorted, charging after him.
They ran down the hall in a playful dog fight with the bucket and brush, trying to hit each other with their alternative weaponry.
Ymir and Christa were at the end of the hall, brushing their own horses down, when they both were nearly hit by the two playful idiots.
Ymir dodged without hesitance or failure, remaining unscathed from the insanity racing up and down the hallway. Christa however, was knocked back onto her bottom as they passed by.
"Oww..." She moaned quietly, picking herself up to rub her sore rear.
"Christa?" Ymir asked, raising a worried brow from the stall opposite, with a noticable tang of aggression roaming the air she breathed.
"I'm alright" she smiled nervously, wary of the feeling she knew well from her friend.
"Hey, cut it out!" Ymir barked, baring her teeth.
Connie and Sasha ignored her, but took their fun outside, where the sun was slowly starting to set. Sasha chased after Connie, who still carried the bucket that was now half empty, he looked back to see where she was. He failed to notice what was in front of him, before he tripped into it, with the bucket flying out of his hold.
He dared to look up from where he fell, seeing two soldiers with the crest of the Military Police, still at HQ investigating the Titan murders.
"What the fuck?!" The taller blonde man snarled, looking down at his soaked uniform.
"It's one of those Scouts" his black haired friend growled, pulling at his wet jacket.
"I uh-" Connie was at a loss for words, he couldn't get up, dwarfed by the two older soldiers that glared down at him with rifles readying to fire in their eyes.
"Connie" Sasha spoke a little louder than usual, but it wasn't quite a shout. She shifted closer, stepping at his side, looking from him to both the Military Police soldiers and back again with frigid nervousness.
"I should beat you for this!" The black haired soldier spat, swinging his foot forward to kick into Connies' shoulder. He swayed from side to side, face flushed with the faint whiff of alcohol. Connie held his hands over his head to protect his head, he gasped, sucking in a sharp yelp.
"Wait, stop!" Christa pleaded, running out and over to the three. She stood between the two men, and Connie and Sasha, holding her hands up in surrender. "Please, I'm sure this was all an accident, a misunderstanding!" She tried to reason, looking up at them with her big blue eyes.
They looked down at Connie and Sasha with daggers in their eyes, nearly biting their own tongue in disgust, but the daggers were sheathed when they caught full sight of Christa. They hesitated, but didn't back off.
"We're very sorry" she added, her eyes pleading up at them.
The two men shared a glance, biting their lips and letting out low, frustrated growls.
"Oi, back off" Ymir spat, walking closer slowly with an ominous shadow draped over her face, hiding her hardened glare. She stopped beside Christa and they backed off a couple of steps, taking the hint of controlled rage. "Or do you want that picnic of yours to be mentioned to someone..."
They pulled back, staring down at her in rage and fear. She hinted behind them, where a slightly opened crate of stolen food and alcohol was hidden.
"I can only imagine what a commanding officer would do to his subordinates when they act like disobedient dogs."
"What?-" The blondes' voice shivered.
"We'll just beat the shit out of you as well..." The other man hissed.
"Oh?" Ymir grinned, lifting her head higher. "I don't believe it! You're shivering and everything! I haven't even done anything to you yet..."
"Please, we are sorry, we won't bother you anymore..." Christa begged again, holding onto Ymirs' arm so she wouldn't attack them, although it was unlikely to hold her back if she did decide to beat them. The men caught Christas' eyes, sweet and glistening. Then they looked back at Ymirs' fiery orbs, readying to exert hell upon their souls.
"Get out of here" they spat, relaxing their aggressive stance a notch.
Christa and Sasha helped Connie up and they hurried back to the stables, Ymir following after.
"Fucking bitch..." One of the men growled under their breath, but Ymir heard it, looking back with a sadistic glint of pleasured conspiracy.
Upon entry of the stables, Christa checked Connie over for injury, he held his shoulder in pain.
"Connie, does it hurt?" Christa tried to lift his hand to check, but he pulled away from her.
"It's fine! Just a little sting, that's all" he assured her.
Sasha lowered her head apologetically to him.
Ymir entered, and glared down at them all, critically.
"Thanks Ymir" Connie nodded, offering a smile.
She rolled her eyes towards Christa. "I wasn't helping you" she answered him.
"Oh... Of course not" he looked away, losing the smile.
"We could always get revenge on them..." Ymir suggested, grinning again.
"Ymir?" Christa looked up questioningly.
"Yeah, I actually agree with you there" Connie looked at Ymir with a glint of vengeance in his eyes.
"Let's steal their haul" she suggested "free food and drink. Lucky for you kids, I can get those those things without them ever knowing what hit them... But, I'm going to need a distraction."
"What are you on about?" Connie rubbed at his still aching shoulder.
"Free food?" Sasha lifted herself up, a glint of excitement spread across her features.
Ymir sighed, leaning her hand on her hip.
"Maybe you could just beat them up... You know, you're pretty tough, Ymir..." Connie cocked a brow.
"That's not as fun though... I want to see their faces when they realise they've been had. Drunken idiots..."
"I could-" Christa began.
"You" Ymir booped Christas' nose with her finger "are not getting near them again."
Christa rubbed her nose, looking up shyly in frustration. "Why?"
"You saw the way they were looking at you..."
She looked away, hiding her bubbling red cheeks. Knowing she got those looks from a lot of people. Including Ymir.
"You want me to annoy them... Don't you...?" Connie lowered in both mood and stance.
"Of course not! You're a little shrimp compared to them! We'll have like ten seconds before they turn back from your bloodied corpse!"
He growled, looking away from her.
"Me?" Sasha pointed at herself, eyes open wide with anticipation.
"Right on the money, potato girl" Ymir grinned.
"What is Sasha gonna do?" Connie looked back between Sasha and Ymir, curious and still worried by the devious womans' plan.
"Use her feminine charm. What else?"
Sasha looked confused, and Connie jumped in surprise, trying not to laugh "Sasha?"
"Maybe, let your hair loose and get rid of the jacket..." Ymir grabbed Sasha by the shoulders and swung her around, undoing her high ponytail to let her cherry brown hair fall past her shoulders.
"You're serious?!" Connie gasped.
Sasha looked back nervously, trying to understand what was going on. Ymir removed her jacket and tossed it on her arm lazily. Sasha turned around hesitantly, eyes still wide.
"Do you want the food, Sasha?" Ymir asked, teasingly.
"Yes!" Sasha nodded vigorously.
"Ymir, this isn't right..." Christa intruded.
"Oh come on, it's not like she'll end up in trouble or anything. You're alright with this, right Sasha?"
Sasha was ready to nod, but Connie planted his hand on her shoulder. "Do you know what she's telling you to do?"
"Distract the soldiers?"
"Uhuh... By?"
She raised a brow, looking around for answers, but finding none. She shrugged, lifting her hands to emphasise the empty space in her mind.
"Ymir..." Connie warned.
"Okay, Sasha. Go out there, flutter your eyes at them, play with your hair and start by saying something like... 'Sorry about earlier, our monkey is an useless idiot, not like you two big boys...' yeah something like that. Got it?" Ymir emphasised the quote with a low, suggestive tone.
"I... uh..." Sasha slowly understood, on as innocent a level as she would allow herself.
"Don't you want the food, Sasha? Who knows what food they have in there... Meat maybe?" Ymir flashed another sly smirk, moving closer to Sasha.
Sasha looked down thoughtfully and then nodded "Yes!"
"Ymir..." Connie judged her wicked trickery.
"Oh shut up, monkey... Now off you go, Sasha!" Ymir encouraged Sasha onward, pushing her out the stables.
Sasha walked slowly back to where the two men were, fumbling her hands behind her back. She refused the thoughts within her head that Ymir suggested to her, she wanted the food and the food she would get. She just had to be... charming?
"E-excuse me?" She looked at them with near wide eyes, focusing on the food she was promised.
"Huh? Oh, you, you after a beating are you?" The brown haired man turned to her, adopting an aggressive stance as he stood above her height, if but a few inches.
She closed her eyes and remembered what Ymir told her to say "I, I'm sorry about earlier, our monkey is a useless idiot..." Her voice couldn't reach the low tone Ymirs' did, but at least she remembered them. Although, she struggled to remember the last part. "Big boys" she said as though it were a foreign language.
The two men paused, looking at one another. "Whatever, now, beat it before you get yourself hurt."
She opened her eyes, looking up with surprise, she couldn't give up, she needed the food. She began playing with a lock of hair. Improvise... she told herself. "I... I'm a girl."
They stared down at her, half in disbelief and confusion. "Yeah... I can see that."
It wasn't working, what else did Ymir say? She fluttered her eyes, and then shook herself from side to side happily, and quite nervously, hoping it would work.
"Um..." They looked down at her, beginning to sway in time with her, thinking of what she was doing. "What are you so happy about?"
Her smile grew and she nudged herself forward, thinking of the food, the juicy steak, the smooth chocolate, the toasted bread.
It idea dawned on them, and they took a step back, cautious of what they should do.
She walked around them, and their eyes followed, until they turned their backs to the crate.
Ymir crept towards it, keeping low to the ground, she tucked her hand into the crate and began picking away at the treats inside. She tucked several small bottles of wine in her jacket pockets, down her shirt, and into her boots. She found the food, picking up chunks of pork, boiled potatoes and bread. She carried them in her arms and crept back towards the stables.
Sasha began to play with her hair nervously again, she didn't like it down, it got in the way.
"What do you want?" One of them asked.
She shrugged, using too much energy in the simple gesture.
"Oi, Sasha! Hurry up, we're done here!" Connie called out, hoping to get her away from them before they were caught out. "We're heading for dinner soon!"
Sasha burst forward, jumping over the two men, using them like a fence or rock to jump over. "FOOD!" She cheered, running towards the stables.
"What the fuck was that about?"
"I dunno... Weird buggers here, right?"
"Yeah... Let's hurry up, we might get caught by someone important..."
"Hey! Where's it gone?!"
"You drank it, didn't you?!" He accused his friend.
"NO, you probably did, dick!"
"I'm gonna kick your ass, man!"
Inside the stables, Sasha rushed around frantically, eager to eat her prize. But Ymir shook her head "that was boring... I was expecting something a lot more out of you, potato girl..."
"Ymir!" Connie yelled, waving his arms to emphasise his detest.
"Oh, calm down... You can have some, have a party or something... But I want half for the effort I put in."
"Fine, fine..."
"I need to ditch this in my room though, don't want to get caught with it, or for it to get all dirty in this place..."
"So you want us to finish up your work here?"
"Yepp" she smiled "I'll leave half of this in your room, don't worry. I always keep my word... Come on, Christa."
"But-"
"Come on" Ymir took her arm and looked down at her with care. "They don't mind, do you?"
"It's alright, Christa, just go" Connie sighed, heading for the horses.
Reluctantly, Christa left with Ymir.
"Hey, Sasha, here's your jacket, and your hair... thing" Connie handed her the items that he picked up from a small seat.
She took them, and stood still, staring. "But, what about the food?"
He frowned "don't worry, we'll head straight back and get the food then, alright?"
She nodded, pouting sadly.
...
"Did you enjoy training today, Mikasa?" Petra turned her head to Mikasa happily.
They walked towards the infirmary to visit Armin, after having an ordered shower that they admitted they needed badly from the sweat they produced during the days training. They wore their casual attire, Petra in a white shirt and tan skirt, Mikasa in a white shirt and red blouse and near black pants.
Mikasa shrugged a reply, too focused on getting to Armin.
"I don't think we've had that kind of training in a while, was kind of fun actually..." She smiled, tangling her fingers behind her back.
"Fun?" Mikasa asked slowly.
She giggled "yes, you finally started working with us."
"Oh."
"I mean, I understand you're strong, Mikasa and I don't know how many Titans you've killed so far, by yourself I assume. But we need to work together, trust each other, you know?"
Mikasa looked to her side, locking eyes with Petra. She nodded, giving her a half smile.
They found the infirmary, but found it empty. Mikasa quickly scanned around the room, looking for hints of life. She found none, and her breathing hitched. "Armin?"
There was no answer.
"He's probably feeling better, maybe he's gone for dinner?" Petra encouraged, turning to leave.
"Yes, he must be... That's good then" she followed.
...
They neared the mess hall.
"Hey, Mikasa?" Petra asked, hoping she would listen to her.
"Yes?"
"You really should trust Corporal Levi as well. I know you don't get on with him" she reasoned.
Mikasa sighed at the thought "you might jinx it... He'll be around the corner if you mention him."
"He's not all that bad, you know" she laughed, despite knowing Mikasa never really meant it as a joke.
"I don't doubt that, I just get a bad feeling from him, reminds me of something I try not to remember. I can't shake the feeling off..." Mikasa tried to explain, blocking the memories.
"He gives everybody a bad feeling..." She admitted, trying not to pry any more as she noticed the sad look on Mikasas face.
They entered the mess hall and Mikasa quickly found Armin in the crowd, sat beside Jean as usual. Mikasa near enough ran in his direction, slamming her hands onto the table, causing Armin and Jean to jump in surprise.
"M-Mikasa?" Armin stuttered.
Mikasa looked down at him, smiling as she saw her scarf still wrapped around his neck.
Armin saw her eyes wander to his neck and he reached for it "oh..." He unwrapped it and offered it out to her.
"Are you feeling better?" She asked.
He nodded "I still have a sore head, but I'm alright."
She took the scarf and wrapped it back around him, covering his face with it "keep it for now."
"Hey, Mikasa. Everybody's going up to Connie and Sashas' room, you coming?" Jean asked, glancing down at Armin as he fixed the scarf around his neck again. He shook his tan eyes back up to Mikasas, awaiting her very important answer, which would dictate whether or not he would go to the little get together.
They caught sight of Petra, who walking over to stand next to Mikasa.
"Maybe" Mikasa answered, looking down at Armin.
"I think it'd be nice for us all to hang out again, like back in Training" Armin said, giving a smile.
"Mind if I tag along?" Petra asked happily, knowing she would have to follow Mikasa around anyway, at least until she went to her room to sleep, as Lance Corporal Levi ordered. She didn't really mind, Mikasa was nice, although, she hoped they wouldn't stay up too late, she wanted to sleep soon.
"Nobody will mind" Mikasa assured, knowing Petra was charged with keeping an eye on her. At least she was being followed by the kind hearted Petra, and not by the detestable Corporal Levi. "Who is all going?" She sat opposite Jean and Armin, Petra sitting down as well.
"Well, obviously Connie and Sasha will be there. I'm going, Jean?" Armin turned to his friend.
"I'll be going" Jean answered, smiling, intending it to reach the raven haired girl opposite him, although he didn't dare look at her for fear of her uncaring stare.
"Alright, I know Reiner and Bertholdt said they would go, I think Christa convinced Ymir to go. That's everyone I know about" Armin finished, folding his arms on the table in front of him.
"Sounds like fun" Petra smiled, looking around at the three around the table.
...
The group walked down the hall. Ymir lead the way, with Christa by her side, followed by Jean, Mikasa, Armin and Petra, with Reiner and Bertholdt at the back.
"You have quite a few friends, Mikasa" Petra noted out loud, looking around at everyone.
Mikasa raised a brow at her, as if questioning whether or not it was an insult.
"I didn't mean to sound surprised, it's just, you're really withdrawn..." Petra frowned, trying to smile her way back into Mikasas' good side.
She hummed, looking down.
"This is us!" Ymir shouted back at them, opening the door she stopped in front of.
From inside they could hear Connie and Sasha singing, their voices were clearly off tune, and swaying.
"O, mein Freund! Jetzt hier ist ein Sieg. Dies ist der erste Gloria. O, mein Freund! Feiern wir diesen Sieg, für den-"
"Everybody!" They called over to their friends, standing on one of the two beds.
"Are you guys drunk already?" Ymir walked over and sat on the bed, picking up a bottle for herself.
Everybody hovered at the door, but quickly Christa shuffled over beside Ymir, and Reiner and Bertholdt went over to stand at the end of the bed where Connie and Sasha stood. Reiner took a bottle, and opened it, but didn't drink it.
"We aren't drunk!" Connie exclaimed, jumping down from the bed.
"Of course you aren't, monkey" Ymir took a drink, rolling her eyes over to Christa, who pulled her knees up to her chest.
"Everybody, come take a seat, have a drink. We did have food as well" he looked over to a bubbling Sasha, who fell onto the bed sheepishly "but someone ate it all."
Mikasa went over to sit beneath the window, between the two beds. Petra followed, sitting against the bed where Sasha was, while Jean took the sitting beside her against the bed where Ymir and Christa sat. Armin followed, sitting beside Petra.
"Where'd you hear that song before?" Armin asked, looking at Connie as he sat beside Sasha on the bed.
"We umm... We heard some soldier singing it to himself earlier, one of the uh... Squad Leaders... I think..." he grinned.
"The Wings of Freedom?" Petra asked, remembering the tune, she began to hum it to herself, shaking her index finger in time with each note. "Now that one I know, sort of... Wow, that's an old song" she gasped, trying to remember the words.
"It's about the Scouting Legion, I'm guessing? 'Cause of the title and the crests?" Jean asked, grabbing a bottle himself.
"Yeah, seriously old song, from back in the early days of the Legion" she nodded.
Jean took a drink, but spat it back out with a pained expression "what the hell! How can you guys drink this?!"
"It 'ad a bit'r like taste to begin with, but it really does get better!" Sasha giggled, rolling down and onto her belly.
"Just drink up, Jean" Ymir teased, pronouncing his name like 'Jeen'.
He growled "Jean..." He forced himself to swallow some.
Reiner and Bertholdt sat down closer, leaning against the beds, opposite one another. Reiner took a drink, and hid a ragged cough.
"Poor little Reiner, can't handle it?" Ymir tried another tease, receiving no reaction but a cocky grin from him.
"So why did you all join the Legion anyway?" Petra tried to converse, hugging her knees.
Nobody answered her, looking away from one another.
"I want to be able to help, I couldn't get into the Military Police, I didn't reach the top ten... And I couldn't join the Stationary Guard, I just, thought it would be better here. I'd be more useful, somehow. I always wanted to see the outside world too... That's pretty much how it all started. Staying inside the walls feels wrong, like being in a cage, almost." Armin explained, hoping to satisfy the silence.
"I want to help too, help my friends." Christa added with a sense of sweet duty.
"I've just found myself here, I guess" Ymir hushed, keeping the bottle on her bottom lip.
Mikasa picked up a bottle herself, opening it with a light pop. She brought it to her lips and took a small sip, with a bitter expression on her face.
"I don't even know why I joined! Why did I?" Connie questioned, scratching his bald head.
"Me either, like... I dunno!" Sasha cried, remembering when they had to choose branches.
There was a silence between them as they heard Sasha whine. Connie shook her, and she nearly fell off the bed onto Petra, but regained her balance on time.
Jean began to speak, in a serious tone "I wanted to join the Military Police, was dead set on it from the very beginning. I suppose, I don't want them all to die in vain, don't really want what happened in Trost to happen again... It's not like I'm not afraid." He took another drink. "I can't really believe I actually joined, even now." He sighed, drowning out the thoughts.
Petra looked down at her feet "I joined three years ago, I was an idiot back then, my dad calls me starry eyed. I believed there was a hope, a victory waiting to happen. Admiration for, to be honest. I was scared too, but I believe things will be alright in the end."
"Three years? Long time." Jean said, hinting at his surprise for such a long survival.
"Not as long as some, but I've gotten by this long because of those I trust, my comrades, my superiors, my friends. A little bit of faith can go a long way" she smiled at him, encouragingly. "Even if you have reason to hate some of the idiots around here..." She joked.
Reiner and Bertholdt shared a glance, both thinking the same thing. Reiner took another drink, giving a light hearted chuckle to let something out that wasn't as guilty or dejected as he felt. "Sounds encouraging" he stated, voice low.
"I'm glad you think so" Petra smiled to him, and his eyes looked elsewhere.
"Pass me 'nother bottle, will ya?" Sasha pulled her arms out, trying to reach the bottles.
"Uh... sure" Armin said, then picked up another bottle and passed it to her.
"Cheers, cheers, Armino!" She laughed, drinking up the bottle as though she were a baby with a bottle of milk.
Jean and Mikasa drank at the same time. Then shared a glance.
"Cheers?" He offered his bottle up, and she nodded, tapping her bottle against his. "Cheers."
Armin looked over, worried. Mikasa never drank, well, to be fair, they never received the opportunity... But it still didn't seem right for her to drink. Peer pressure? Perhaps bad memories she wanted rid of. He tried to conclude, he'd make sure she got back to her room okay though.
"J'ai toujours voulu vous tuer, vous savez?" Jean spoke with a light tint to his face, directing the strange speech towards Mikasa.
Everyone stared at him as though he were possessed by a Titans' ghost.
"Hey, uh, Jean? You really can't handle a little bit of wine?" Ymir rolled her eyes.
"Go 'ome, ya drunk!" Sasha yelled and burst into little giggles.
"I'm not drunk" Jean spoke in as steady a tone as he could manage. "It's an old language, my mother taught it to me. It's French. I am French, français."
"What the hell is French?" Connie asked, throwing his head as he spoke.
"A race of people, a language..." Jean tried to explain.
"I've heard of it" Armin spoke up for his friend.
Sasha suddenly jumped up from the bed and charged for the door, nearly tripping over Armin and Reiner. She slammed the door behind her as she left.
"Sasha?" Connie questioned, as though she could somehow hear it from a distance of walls and doors, like a secret friendship telepathy. "Sasha?!" He made for the door, opening it.
"I'll help you" Reiner made to stand, following behind, closing the door behind him.
"I hope Sasha's alright..." Christa nearly whispered, pressing her hands against the bed sheets.
"Maybe the wine is making her feel sick" Petra added, hoping for the best.
"She probably ate twice her weight in food too..." Jean said, taking another drink.
"Connie and Reiner will take care of her" Armin said as a matter of fact. "She'll be fine."
Bertholdt looked around, feeling uncormfortable without his old friend in the room. He just had to be the good guy? The hero? He sighed inwardly, looking down at his feet, knowing his friend just wanted to feel something positive. He was too nice for his own good sometimes.
...
Mike travelled down the hallway, heading back to his bedroom to finally get some sleep. Erwin had kept him at the office late, concerning the upcoming expedition, not that he minded, he liked Erwin and his scentless company. He yawned, picturing his sweet, comfy bed.
His nose twitched, catching a faint tang of alcohol and vomit. He travelled further down the hall, finding one of the new recruits, sitting next to a pool of her own sick. He raised a brow at her, seeing her look up stupidly.
"You... You remind me of my third... no, no... fifth husband!" The brunette girl cheered, trying to stand, but failed.
"Do I?" He humored her, leaning down. He resisted the urge to leave, as the smell was strong, hitting not his nose now, but deep in his brain, as though he had eaten a bowl of wasabi. He moved a few inches closer, getting a better smell. He looked away and smirked. "Come on" he insisted in helping her up, hooking her arm around his shoulders.
"You're such a sweet young man, Barry" her toothy grin widened.
"Alright, let's find your room" he laughed to himself at the recruits' alcohol driven mind.
She burst out laughing as he carried her through the halls.
"Sasha!" Connie called, sprinting towards them, he froze when he saw Mike, frightened by the idea of being caught.
"Sasha, is it?" Mike asked. "I assume you're up to no good, both of you?" He gestured to Reiner who stood behind Connie, also worried.
"We uh..." Connie tried to speak.
"Con! This is Barry, he's helping me back to my room!" Sasha smiled.
"My name isn't Barry, if you remember" Mike stated, knowing Sashas' two friends had also been drinking. Was it wine? Smelt like wine.
"Umm..." Connie tried again nervously.
"Do you know where her room is?" Mike asked.
"Yes, she's with me" Connie replied.
Mike let out a short laugh "what ever happened to gender seperated dorms? Nobody seems to get it nowadays..."
He moved closer, taking a sniff at Connie, then another at Reiner. He smirked, noticing a faint heather scent behind the alcohol from Connie, but a strong smell of something like birch and musk from Reiner. Suspicious.
"Alright, lead the way" he gestured for them to go.
"I could carry her, sir" Reiner suggested.
"I'd like to make sure she gets back personally, please don't take offence."
...
"Petra Ral?" Mike was surprised to see Petra, surprised to see a party going on as well.
"Sir?!" Petra jumped, surprised to see Mike.
"I found her in one of the upper halls" he lead Sasha over to the bed, she was of course sleeping at this point.
"Is she alright?" Petra asked.
"Might not be tomorrow morning" he smirked, lying her on the bed. "Wine?" He turned to look at them all.
"We were just heading back to our rooms, actually..." Petra giggled nervously.
"Oh?" Mike smiled, knowing who had and hadn't drank. "That sounds best, I'll be leaving then." With that, he left the room with hesitation.
"We should all go now, before any more harm is done" Petra suggested, looking down at Mikasa.
She nodded to her, getting up with a sudden feeling of unsteadiness.
Armin got up too, holding her arm so she wouldn't fall, although Mikasa wouldn't allow herself to fall anyway.
"Thanks, Armin" she smiled, holding her dizzying head.
"Come on" Petra rolled her eyes with a smile.
...
"I can walk myself" Mikasa insisted, and Armin let go cautiously, ready to help her if her body decided to collapse. "I can still control myself, don't worry."
"You sure?" Armin asked, worried.
"Yeah, I only drank one little bottle. I can still speak properly too, right? Not like Connie or Sasha?"
"The fact you have to ask, says a lot" Petra couldn't help but giggle.
She blushed, looking away "I'm fine."
They continued on, Mikasa forced her body to walk straight, and she did with the slightest wobble here and there. Until they found their room, in which she opened the door, proving her steady mind and hand-eye coordination.
"Well, I should be off to bed too, don't stay up too late. You know the Corporal will come get you..." Petra frowned, but kept her voice light and pleasant.
"Night, night" Mikasa waved her fingers, entering the room.
"Goodnight, Petra" Armin waved also, and entered the room after her.
"Night" she waved back and walked off.
...
Petra entered her room with a long sigh, leaning against the door as she closed it, eyes closed.
"Where were you?" Came a low, cocky voice.
She kept her eyes on the floor and walked towards her bed, falling onto it lazily, lying on her belly. "Mikasa went to a party..."
"Seriously?"
She turned her head from her pillow, looking over to Auruo sluggishly. "What's that?" She asked quietly.
He looked down at the paper in his hands "letter from home."
She smiled "that's nice, everything well then?"
He nodded, yawning.
"You didn't have to stay up, it's really late" she yawned herself, liting herself up to sit.
"Didn't realise, besides, you know I'm always waiting for you" he smirked.
"Uhuh" she rolled her eyes, and got up, walking over to sit next to him. "Mind if I read?" She tucked a loose lock of ginger hair behind her ear.
"Go ahead" he handed it to her, without a care.
She scanned each line, a warm smile on her face, she gave a laugh when she read what mischief his little brothers got up to every now and again. "Sweet" she said softly, thinking of her dad.
"Mhm" He hummed.
She handed the letter back to him, careful not to damage the sheets in any way, understanding the values of home. "Reminds me, I need to get to writing my dad another letter, he must be getting worried by now."
"Not tonight" he almost questioned, but made sure he said it as a statement.
"Tomorrow then, I am quite tired actually" she emphasised it by holding a hand over her mouth to yawn.
"You gonna sleep over here?" He half joked.
She rolled her eyes "just when I was getting comfy as well..." She picked herself up and went back to her bed, tucking herself under the covers. "Night, night then. Thanks for staying up." She closed her eyes and relaxed into the mattress.
"Goodnight" he replied, sitting the letters onto his bedside table.
...
"You sure you're alright, Mikasa?" Armin questioned, still standing as he watched Mikasa sit on top of her bed.
"Yes" she nodded, not tired yet, so she sat her back against the wall and played her fingers around her ends blouse.
"Okay..." He walked over to the other bed, sitting down, with his back against the wall like her. He sat in his casual clothes, white shirt, tan pants and grey cardigan.
"It's a really nice night" Mikasa spoke, wanting to talk.
"I guess?..." He was puzzled, wondering if the alcohol was beginning to talk and not his friend.
She frowned, ready to start again when a knock came at the door. She almost growled at the intruder.
"It's open!" Armin called to the door, getting up to walk over and open it. "J-Jean?"
"Uh, hey Armin" he sounded nervous.
"Is everything okay?" Armin asked, concerned.
Mikasa moved over to the edge of her bed, peeking her head forward to catch a glimpse of Jean.
"Y-yeah... I was wondering if I could see Mikasa for a few minutes?" He noticed her looking at him, and his gaze dropped to the floor.
"What do you want?" Mikasa asked, almost uncaringly, but she definitely was curious to why he'd turn up now.
"Could I talk to you, just you and me, just for a couple of minutes!" He looked up, becoming unsure of his own words.
Her dark brow arched, and she nodded "sure?" She made to stand, walking over to the door. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes, Armin, okay?" She turned to him as she spoke, and then walked out of the door, closing it behind her.
Jean stood back, giving her room, not knowing if she was going to be aggressive or not.
"Is something wrong?" She asked cooly.
"N-no, it's just..." he looked away, unable to say what he wanted to say.
"Are you drunk?" She bluntly asked.
He chuckled shyly "not that much. You?"
"Only a little" she admitted, giving a half smile.
"I didn't expect you to drink..."
She looked down "I was curious, and wanted to forget something..."
He bit his lip "sorry, if I brought that something back into mind."
"Not your fault, all mine" she looked back up. "Why did you want to see me?"
"Être stupide ..." He sighed.
"Something stupid?" She asked, tilting her head. "French, was it?"
"Y-yes. I'm just being stupid."
"I can do that too."
"What?" He almost laughed, she could be stupid too?
"I can speak a dead language."
Oh, that's what she meant. "You're oriental?"
She nodded "half Japanese."
"On your mother or fathers' side?"
Her face looked away, saddened. "Mother."
"She teach you?" He couldn't help but want to confirm.
She nodded.
"She sounds really nice" he tried to compliment.
"She was."
He pulled back, realising "I'm really sorry... I didn't mean to..."
She nodded again, looking down.
He had to change the subject, quickly, or leave.
"Is this what you wanted to talk about?"
He shook his head, feeling bad "Je devais te dire que tu es belle."
"I don't understand."
"You probably wouldn't even if I told you normally..."
She frowned, and turned to leave "I should g-"
"Wait" he grabbed the sleeve of her blouse, not wanting to leave it at that.
"Yes?" She turned back, concerned.
"I'm sorry" he replied, pulling himself slowly closer, closing the distance between them as he leaned in for a kiss.
Her eyes widened as his lips made contact with hers unexpectedly. She searched his eyes for answers, but they were forced closed. She didn't know what to do, pull away? She just couldn't do it.
He tucked his hands at her waist, and licked at her bottom lip. Her lips parted slightly, curious about this new sort of contact. His tongue slipped into her mouth, making contact with hers. She played around with the idea of what was happening, and kissed him back.
He didn't expect her to return the kiss, but enjoyed it all the same, keeping up the moment as long as he could. He made several more attacks on her mouth, trying not to let her go. She didn't reject any of them, and in fact met with the battle head on.
He reluctantly pulled away to let her breathe, panting, he wiped his mouth.
She looked down, wiping her own mouth, hiding her flustered face. "I should... Go to bed now."
He was a little disappointed, but agreed, knowing she had to go back. With Armin... he dared to growl in his mind. "Yeah, me too." He answered, releasing his hands from her hips and pulling away a few steps.
"That..." she shook her head and turned from him, curling her fingers around the doorknob.
"Goodnight, Mikasa." He said, his voice calm, but hinting at pride.
She looked back, but her hair hid her face from him "goodnight..." She opened the door and stepped inside, leaving Jean to walk away with a smile spread across his face.
That could've gone better... But it worked, it actually worked! he thought as he walked away, back to his room, forgetting his worries about Armin, he wasn't anything to worry about.
...
"Mikasa, is Jean alright?" Armin asked, sitting up on his bed with some paper and a pen lying in front of him. He moved them to the end of his bed, out of the way.
"Y-yes... He's fine" she whispered.
"Are you alright?" He became immediately worried, noticing she was avoiding all eye contact him, moving away to the opposite side of the room to sit on her bed.
"I think so" she answered shyly, finding the corner of her bed to sit in.
"What happened?" He asked, nudging from closer where he sat.
She shook her head, refusing to answer him.
He stood and moved over to sit beside her, she seemed to shuffle even closer to the wall, further away from him. He frowned, and took off the red scarf he was still wearing, offering it out to her. She grabbed it without any hesitation when she spotted it and hugged it tightly. She moved a little closer to him, with her back still against the wall. "...Can I ask you something?"
"Yes" he nodded, kneeling next to her with his hands on relaxed on his lap.
"Have you ever been kissed?" She burried her head into the scarf, hiding the embarrased look on her face.
He blushed, and jarred his head back "b-by you... That morning..."
Her head shook, whipping her silky black hair from side to side. "Not like that..." She looked up, and pointed at her lips "here?"
He understood what was wrong immediately, Jean must have kissed her, finally. He looked down, thoughtful "no."
"Neither had I..." She paused, staring at the scarf unable to think properly. "I don't understand."
"Jean always liked you" he gave a light laugh.
"I know, but I... I don't get what just happened..."
"Do you think you like him?" He asked, sitting back.
She glanced up at him, looking for answers "I kissed him back."
Armin kept eye contact, keeping himself steady.
"I don't know why I did it" she began to wrap the scarf around her neck, wanting back the warmth she had missed.
"You could be a little... tipsy? I know you said you're fine but you clearing drank a little bit too much..."
"I guess I did, could that be it?" She seemed to ask herself more than him.
He smiled "maybe in the next few days you can find out, you'll see more clearly when your sober."
She smiled back at him "maybe... I feel a little bit weird."
"You mean drunk?" He rolled his eyes playfully.
"No, happy."
"And that's weird?"
"This kind of happy is... I've never felt it before, I don't think..." She whispered to the air around them, pondering the right words for the feeling she had.
"You should probably get some sleep" he frowned, starting to get up.
She pulled him back by the arm, without a word, and put her hand back onto her lap calmly when he was sitting.
He raised a brow at her, and made to stand again.
She pulled him back again, a playful look on her face.
"Mikasa..." He tried to reason, smiling at the unusual look on her face.
She didn't speak, closing her eyes and tilting her head to the side with the same smile still there.
He tried to get up.
And he got up.
He looked back at her, she was watching him intently. He cautiously walked over to his own bed, sitting down. She was still staring. "Umm..." He didn't understand what was going on.
She picked up her pillow, and tossed it at him. It hit him, and he fell back with a yelp. "Mikasa?!" He questioned her actions, trying to get up.
She pushed him back down, sitting beside him. She seemed to put in little effort in keeping him down. She let out a soft giggle.
She was playing with him, he decided. Drunk Mikasa was now a playful Mikasa? It was better than an upset Mikasa. He flung the pillow back at her, hitting her in the arm.
"Ow..." she rubbed her now sore arm.
"I'm sorry, Mika-"
She smacked him again with the pillow, laughing.
"Mikasa! That was a cheap move!" He laughed with her, weakly throwing the pillow back, not really intending to hit her.
She held the pillow a moment, then placed it on top of the one behind her gently. "Watashi wa, anatagasukidesu."
"What?" He looked at her, puzzled.
"I said that to you the day we met, do you remember? Eren want me to meet you, I wasn't all that keen... Even when I did meet you. You seemed nice though, and you were his best friend."
He frowned, searching her features. She didn't seem saddened by the mentioning of Eren, at least he couldn't see any sadness in her eyes. She was just smiling happily.
She lifted the ends of her scarf, and hit him lightly in the face with the loose ends. It tickled him, and he rubbed his nose, making her smile grow. She leaned against the wall with her legs flat against the bed, Armin sat beside her, too used to having to do so.
She leaned into his shoulder, like she had done before. She exhaled "Armin, arigatō" and began to tickle his face with the scarf once more, teasing him as though they were children again.