Sing It All Away And I'll Carry You Home

Jean POV

Armin looked pretty adorable standing up on the counter, using an empty vodka bottle as a microphone. But Jean was also concerned. He'd lost track of how much Armin had had to drink, so he didn't know how drunk the blonde actually was. On the flip side, Armin seemed to be having more fun than he'd had in a long while. Jean didn't think he'd EVER seen him cut loose this much.

There also seemed to be a connection between them at this party that he'd never experienced before. If Jean wasn't mistaken, Armin was giving off the vibe that he was interested. He was staring right at Jean as he sang the lyrics, "I want you to want me. I need you to need me. I'd love you to love me. I'm begging you to beg me." Then he dropped the bottle as he broke into air guitar.

"I love drunk Armin!" Ymir exclaimed, raising her beer bottle.

The song ended and Jean stared at Connie dumbfounded as the next one started. "Is this fucking Karma Chameleon?"

"What?" Connie asked.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? I'm never letting you do the music again."

"I like it!" Armin proclaimed.

"I can see that." Armin was seriously jamming out up there. "Maybe you should get down before you fall."

"Nah!"

"Having fun with your boyfriend?" Ymir asked, leaning on his shoulder.

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Somebody should tell him that." She nodded towards Armin. "It's nice not to see him cowtowing to Eren or resignedly following Mikasa around. He needs to make a life without them, because they're making lives without him."

Jean knew she was right. And besides, Armin deserved more. He deserved the world. "Oh Jesus." Armin looked like he was going to fall off the counter and crack his head on the tile. "Armin." He said, stepping closer. Armin turned and just stepped off the counter. "Christ!" Jean lunged forward and caught him, his hands very near Armin's ass. Apparently, this was where Armin wanted to be, because he just giggled and planted a kiss on Jean's nose. "Unbelieveable." Jean felt his face blushing slightly. But he couldn't be mad at Armin.

Ymir raised an eyebrow at him as Armin wrapped his arms around Jean's neck. Jean knew he should probably put Armin down, but fuck it. This was nice. "Okay, so we polished off the vodka, but we got some gin." Sasha held up the bottle.

"I think we're going to take a slight break." Jean said, shifting Armin so that he had a better grip on him.. One hand was spread across a surprisingly muscular thigh, the other on Armin's back.

"We are?" Armin questioned.

"We are." Jean answered. "Let's go find somewhere quieter." He carried Armin out of the room.

"Okay. Bye guys." Armin waved at the group.

"Bye Armin." Sasha waved back.

They passed Floch on the way, and Jean snaked out a hand and stole the bottle of water from Floch's hands. "Seriously, Jean?"

"Fuck off, Floch." He called as he handed the bottle to Armin. "Here."

"I love it." Armin grinned, taking it.

Jean carried Armin back to the sun room and deposited him on one of the chairs before sitting on another one. "So, how ya feeling, bud?"

"I feel great! I've almost completely forgotten Eren and Mikasa's existance!"

"Right. I don't think you can drink enough to forget about them entirely without risking alcohol poisoning."

"Yeah. That would put a damper on the party." Armin said, looking down at his lap.

"Not to mention, you would be sick." Jean was worried about Armin's headspace. He had a history of bottling up his emotions until he snapped, and hurt himself. "You know, if you need someone to talk to, I'm willing to listen. And you should drink that water."

Armin took a sip of water. It seemed like he wasn't going to say anything when suddenly he exploded. "It's just bullshit! Like, they're grown ass adults and yet they behave not better than five year-olds. He's petty and jealous, and she has no ability to let things go and walk away. No sense of decorum or manners. They don't even seem to notice that no one wants to be around them! And then, I tell him, you know, she's going to be here. And he PROMISES he'll be okay, he'll behave, and I'm the dumbass who believes him. So, I walk away for two minutes to talk to Historia, and he loses it. Now they're somewhere in this house, probably choking each other. When did I become their babysitter, instead of their friend? I don't recall volunteering to become a babysitter. I'm just expected to do it. Nobody ever asks me, they just expect me to do it, because no one else wants to be bothered, so I have to be the adult while everyone else has fun. Well, if I'm going to be a babysitter, I'd like to get paid for it, because I have enough shit to deal with." Jean raised his eyebrows. Armin seriously hadn't had anyone to talk to, and had been bottling up big time. What the fuck, Jaeger? The blonde didn't show signs of stopping either.

"Because you've got my bitch ass Aunt Sharon, who used to beat the shit out of me when I lived with her, thinking she has rights to my fucking money. Like first, she genuinely thought she was going to get the money my dad left for me. As if. But now she's after the money the old bastard left for me, like I wasn't one of his grandkids. Like, he may have hated me, but he still decided to leave that money to me. Also, what are her kids going to do with it? Squander it on meth most likely. Or maybe they're on crack now. I don't fucking know. But in any case, it's my fucking money. Like, she somehow thinks depriving me of that money is going to make me get out of her life. Just give me my money and you'll never have to see my gay ass again. I'll peace the fuck out. I don't want anything to do with her, or her dumbass sons anyway. The whole family can die in a fire, for all I care. Only one I ever got along with was her daughter, Amanda, because she's the only one who's nice to me. She gets as much shit as I did."

"Jesus, dude." Jean said when Armin paused for a sip of water.

"I know. Did I ever tell you that the only reason she and goddamned Aunt Jenny took me in at all was because the old bastard paid them?"

"No, you didn't. Jesus, really"

"Yeah, fucking $600 a month, and they still couldn't keep me for more than a few months at a time. Now, I know why Dad travelled so much. The whole family is bat shit insane. Wish they'd just be like my mother, take off in the night and vanish completely. Once I get my money and my degree, that's what I'm doing. Taking off and never looking back."

Jean had never heard Armin talk about what his plans were after college. He knew he was majoring in chemistry, but he never knew what Armin planned on doing with that degree. But he did know that Armin was smart, smarter than most of them combined. If any of them were going to change the world, it was Armin. "Sounds like a good plan."

"I just can't stand it. And Eren keeps nagging me about moving in with him. If he keeps carrying on the way he's been, I think I'd rather kill myself." Holy shit. Jean didn't think Armin was capable of having a bad thought about Eren, let alone voicing such an extreme reaction. It must be the alcohol talking. "All he does it pester me for information on what Mikasa's doing, then bitching about it, for HOURS. Like dude, move on. But he doesn't. I know he's still in love with her, that's part of the problem. And deep down, she's still in love with him, but they forget to act like adults around each other, so it's never going to work. And the worst part is that he doesn't even realize how shitty he's being. Like, he knows I've been in love with him for forever, and yet he insists on complaining about someone else, nonstop." Jean was just appreciating the irony of what Armin was saying, given their situation, when Armin froze.

"What?"

"Oh my god." Armin stared at Jean with horror. "I'm doing it to you right now. I'm turning into Eren." He buried his head in his hands. He seriously looked like he was having an existential crisis. Jean felt bad.

"You're not turning into Eren. If I thought you were, I would have punched you by now." Jean couldn't imagine ever actually raising a hand against Armin though. He shifted forward on his seat, getting closer to Armin. "Look, it's going to get better. It has to. I mean, you're already at rock bottom, right?"

That succeeded in getting a small laugh out of Armin. "You underestimate me. I brought my rock hammer, and am going to dig even deeper." Armin lifted his head and looked at Jean. "I've treated you like crap."

"No, you haven't."

"Yes, I have. You are so amazing to me, and I've only had eyes for someone who only has eyes for someone else. It's pathetic."

"Come on, Ar. We're in college. We're supposed to be pathetic…and drunk."

Armin smiled. "Oh, I am definitely drunk. The room is sort of spinning."

"That's probably not good."

"Probably not." Armin shifted closer to him. "You've been so amazing, putting up with my drunk ass tonight."

"Anyone would have done it." Jean shrugged.

"You're the one who's doing it though. I don't see anyone else here. You saved me from Floch and Marlowe. You saved me from Mikasa and Eren. You're like my knight."

"Alright, Arlert, now I KNOW you're trashed." What Armin did next really surprised the hell out of Jean. Armin leaned forward and pressed his lips to Jean's. Jean initially melted into the kiss. After all, this was what he had wanted for so long. But then, he began to think about it. No. This was wrong. He grabbed Armin by the wrists and gently pushed him back. "No, Armin. We-I can't."

"Oh. Was I-"

"It's not you. I swear, this is something that I want. But you are not in control of yourself right now. And if this is going to happen, I want it to happen the right way, when you're thinking rationally, Armin. If I did this while you're drunk, I'd be taking advantage of you, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I want this to be real, if it's going to happen."

Armin slowly pulled back, but he didn't pull his arms from Jean's grasp. Instead, he gave Jean a sad smile. "You really are amazing."

Before Jean could reply, Ymir burst into the room. "Here you guys are! Oh my god, you have to come see! Connie and Reiner have set up an obstacle course, and have convinced Marco and Hitch to do it."

Jean shook his head. "No way this ends badly."

Armin shot to his feet. "I have to see this!" Jean got to his feet and followed the other two down the hall. Now that he was standing. Jean could see how inebriated Armin was. He stumbled, and Jean put a hand on the small of his back to keep him from crashing into the wall or something. Armin smiled up at him and Jean felt his heart melt.

The obstacle course was a complicated one, that involved sliding down the hand rail of the stairs, climbing over the backs of the dining chairs, army crawling under the coffee table, sliding across the kitchen table, climbing over the back of the couch, crawling out the living room window onto the front porch, where they were supposed to jump the railing into the snow on the front lawn. Definitely no way this went wrong.

Jean stared up at Marco, who was already at the top of the stairs. "Icarus, you're flying a little close to the sun."

"Shut up, Jean. It'll be great." Connie said.

"I notice that you're not doing it, Connie."

"Marco's the least drunk person. He's testing it for us."

"Marlowe and Floch are less drunk than Marco. They don't drink."

Connie huffed. "Marco's the least drunk person willing to try it."

"That's because this is stupid. Even Floch can see how idiotic this is."

"I'm accepting your backhanded compliment!" Floch called from the kitchen.

"Literally wasn't supposed to be a compliment at all. I meant even a dumbass like you could see this is fucking stupid!" Jean called back.

"Still taking it!"

"Alright, I'm going!" Marco declared.

"Terrible idea." Jean said, taking a step back, and pulled Armin with him. He stood behind Armin and wrapped an arm across Armin's chest, hugging the smaller man against him.

"Godspeed, Marco." Sasha was evidently in line behind Hitch.

Marco climbed up on the railing and hesitated. "Do it, you pussy!" Ymir yelled.

"Ymir!" Historia exclaimed, lightly punching her fiancée.

That apparently did the trick, as Marco let go and began to slide. "Holy shit!" He yelled as he hit the bottom and slid across the hardwood floor in his socks, barely catching himself before he crashed into the chairs. Jean facepalmed, which made Armin giggle. Marco made it through the rest of the course, though he refused to jump in the snow.

"Bitched out." Ymir commented as Marco came back in the house.

"Are you planning on undertaking this enterprise?" Jean asked her.

"Maybe."

"That's a no." Armin said.

Hitch went next, and despite being smaller and drunker than Marco, she actually did it faster, and she did jump in the snow. As Sasha was getting ready to go, Connie declared, "Hold my beer!" and shoved it into Armin's hands.

"Can you even make it up the stairs?' Jean asked.

"Shut up!" Connie retorted. He had to crawl up the stairs, though, so Jean knew he was right. Jean took the beer from Armin and took a long swig from it. "Asshole!" Connie called.

"Don't just pass off your beer then, dickweed."

It was during Sasha's run that Armin paled, and then bolted into the kitchen. 'That's not good." Ymir said.

"Armin?" Jean followed him and got there just as Armin began to vomit into the trash can. "Oh no."

"That's gross." Floch said from the corner.

"Why don't you get out of my house, Floch?" Jean snapped back as he gently rubbed Armin's back. "Why don't you fuck off and get out of my house?"

"Poor guy." Ymir leaned in the doorway, and she seemed to genuinely feel sorry for Armin. "I have been there."

After about ten minutes, Jean walked back into the living room. "I'm requisitioning the couch." He said.

"But what are we going to slide onto?" Connie snapped.

"The floor, asshole." Jean snapped back as he and Ymir pushed the couch against the wall, out of the way.

"But Jean-"

"Armin's sick, douchebag." That shut Connie up. "And Reiner, if you slide down that railing, and break it with your big ass, you're also paying for any damage you cause." He looked up at Reiner, who was at the top of the stairs. He returned to the kitchen, grabbed the trash can and guided Armin to the couch.

"Poor thing. Is there anything I can do?" Historia sat down on one side of Armin, while Jean sat on the other. Jean resumed rubbing Armin's back.

"Some water?" Armin asked, before vomiting again. He was vomiting so hard he had tears rolling down his face.

"I got it." Ymir vanished into the kitchen.

"Hey!" Someone exclaimed.

"Shut the fuck up." Ymir replied, before reappearing with an already open bottle of water. "It's the last one." She said as she handed it to Armin.

"You didn't take it from Marlowe, did you?' Armin asked.

"Nah. Took it from Floch."

"Okay." Armin took a sip. Jean honestly didn't know how Floch kept ending up at these events. The only people that could tolerate him were Marlowe, Marco, and sometimes Hitch. Even Historia didn't like him, and she liked everyone.

"Do you need anything else?" Historia asked.

Armin shook his head. "Go have fun. Don't worry about me." That might as well be Armin's catchphrase. He never wanted people to worry about him. He didn't think he was worth it.

Historia knew better than to argue with him. She stood up and walked over to Ymir. After another ten minutes, Armin stopped throwing up. He rested his head on Jean's shoulder, and Jean wrapped an arm around him. Jean watched Reiner attempt the obstacle course and get stuck under the coffee table. Then, Ymir went, followed by Historia. The most surprising was when Marlowe went. Sometimes, Marlowe could be cool. Historia walked back over. "If you want to try it, I can sit with Armin."

Jean shook his head. "I'm good." He watched Thomas fall on his face attempting to climb over the chairs. "But thanks."

After another few minutes, during Thomas' second attempt at the course, Mikasa appeared from upstairs. She took in Armin's appearance, and the positioning, and just seemed to know what had happened. She looked sad as she walked over and crouched down in front of Armin, placing a hand on his thigh. "I've been such a bitch tonight. I'm sorry, Armin." To Jean's surprise, Armin didn't answer. What did that mean? "Do you want me to take you home?" Armin shook his head. "Do you want me to stay?" Again, Armin shook his head. Mikasa nodded her head sadly as she stood up. "Okay, well, I'll call you tomorrow. I hope you feel better." She leaned forward and placed a kiss on the top of Armin's head.

Armin finally spoke up. "Goodnight, Mikasa."

"Goodnight, Armin." She didn't say goodbye to anyone else as she left.

Jean must have dozed off, because the next thing he became aware of was Eren whispering. "Armin, I'm going home now."

"Okay, goodnight, Eren." Armin whispered back. Jean decided to pretend like he was still asleep.

"You're not coming with me?"

"No, Eren. I'm not coming with you."

"How are you getting home, then?"

"I'm resourceful. I'll figure it out." Jean had to fight to keep a smile off his face. Damn. Armin was a totally different person this evening. Rather closer to the rest of them in personality.

"Armin-"

"Holy shit, dude. I'm 22 years old. I can find my way home." Armin sounded really annoyed. He must really not feel well.

"Damn dude, there's no need to get hostile."

Armin sucked in a deep breath. If it had been Jean, he would have smacked Eren by now. "Eren, I feel like shit, and it's 330 in the morning. I just want to sleep."

"Right. I'm sorry. I heard you got sick."

"Are the pair of you done? Because there's other people trying to sleep." Ymir sounded like she was also on the couch.

"Yeah. I'll talk to you tomorrow, Eren."

"Night, Armin." Jean listened as Eren's footsteps retreated, and then the front door opened and closed.

He opened his eyes and glanced at Armin. "You good?"

"I'm fine. Just tired and wish everyone would stop bugging me."

"Preach it, Arlert." Ymir said. Jean glanced over to see she and Historia were curled up on the other end of the couch.

"Alright, well I'm going to go and sleep in my bed." Jean stood up.

"Take your boyfriend with you. Historia and I need space."

Jean shook his head, too tired to argue. Instead, he scooped up Armin bridal style and carried him upstairs, stepping over Marlowe, who was sprawled out on the floor, in the process. Armin apparently didn't mind, as he nestled his face in the crook of Jean's neck. Jean liked the feeling of Armin's breath on him. Franz Kefka was passed out in the upstairs hallway, and Jean just knew he was going to find people asleep in some weird places. He opened his bedroom door to find Connie asleep in his bed. "Connie, get the fuck out of my room."

Connie groaned. "But there's people in my room." He protested.

"That is not my problem. Fuck off before I make you."

Connie groaned again, bt left the room. "You should be nicer to Connie." Armin said as Jean placed him on the bed.

"Go to sleep, Armin."

"I'm just saying."

"I hear you saying. I'm ignoring it. I'm not nice to anyone." Jean climbed in on the other side of the bed.

"That's not true. You're nice to Marco." Armin rolled over and looked at him. "You're nice to me."

"You're still drunk. Go to sleep." Jean didn't want to admit that Armin had a point.

"Okay." Armin scooted over and rested his head on Jean's chest.

"Not on me-" Jean sighed. "Goodnight, Armin." He wrapped his arms around him.

"Goodnight, Jean." Jean could spend forever like this.