I wrote this in one sitting again. These are my way to procrastinate on Protect Him and Wings of Freedom! I need to stop!

This is a medieval knights AU btw

As always, I don't own SNK or any of its characters.

At first, Jean really disliked the new recruit. He was too weak, too slow, too frightened. Every time Jean saw him during battles all he saw was a boy putting himself in harms way for absolutely no reason and it really pissed him off. He didn't talk to anyone. He wasn't good with the sword.

He shouldn't be here.

Jean didn't understand why it bothered him so much. Why he began to have nightmares about the small blonde knight being injured.

Soon he realized the annoyance became concern and the dislike became protectiveness. He would go out of his way to keep the young knight out of dangerous situations and maybe once or twice bribed the strategist into placing him somewhere near him during battles.

It was during one particular mission where the blonde had actually received an injury that Jean exploded.

"YOU SHOULDN'T BE HERE! THIS PLACE IS FOR PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY STAND A CHANCE! YOU'RE GOING TO THROW AWAY YOUR LIFE, AND FOR WHAT?" Jean yelled right at the boy's face, his aggression hiding his protective intensions.

It was not until he was met with heavy silence that Jean realized what he said. Those were all things he felt but he didn't mean them the way they came out. Suddenly the blonde looked up with a pained but determined look.

"I pledged to offer my life for the protection of the citizens of Rose. There is no greater honor than dying for that belief."

After that, Jean tried to keep his distance. He felt ashamed for saying such cruel things. He hadn't meant to call him useless. He valued the boy's bravery because he knew that having courage didn't mean to be without fear but to have the strength to act in spite of it.

But he couldn't help staying close. Being on the lookout for him during missions. He could tell that the blonde was beginning to notice, but Jean pretended not to know.

Then one day a mission went very wrong and the group was in a bad position. Their leader panicked and abandoned them. The knights lost any morale they had left and were about to fall into despair. Jean cursed and forced himself to step up and set order. Although he felt more unsure than ever in his life he talked them out of their stupor and lead them to a place where they could rest and come up with a plan.

Jean didn't like being in the leadership position but he remembered a friend who used to tell him that that was the right job for him. Now he was faced with a problem he really didn't think he could solve on his own. He was about to admit defeat to his comrades when Armin suddenly stood up and saluted.

"Permission to speak with you privately." Jean blinked in surprise.

"Permission granted." The boy made his way to his side.

"Could you please show me the map of the castle grounds." Jean did so and watched the boy intently with sudden curiosity. Armin's blue eyes showed an intellect that had not been obvious before. You could almost see all the cases and scenarios going through his mind.

"If we have 4 people attack from these corners while the rest serve as a distraction from here then that would be our best chance for getting out of this." He pointed at the referred points and Jean's eyes widened. It was actually a good plan. It could actually work.

We might actually live.

His body felt dull by shock as he smiled.

"I agree. Let's do that." The blonde seemed to snap out of his daze and suddenly seemed unsure.

"Really? Maybe you should compare it to some of your plans?"

"That is the only plan. We're doing that. Let the others know."

With some hesitation, Armin did as he was told. Everyone was more than shocked as the small and weak boy suddenly became the key to their survival. Together, Jean and him got the knights into order and were able to make the plan work.

Once they were safe, everyone cheered for them. Jean turned to the blonde.

"I apologize for what I said to you before. It wasn't my place and it wasn't the truth. You were truly helpful today. Hell, if it wasn't for you we would all be dead." Armin's eyes softened.

"No. If it wasn't for you we would all be dead. You are truly a natural leader, Jean."

"Maybe we shall just agree that we make a good team?"

"We shall." They smiled to each other, then Armin looked away and muttered something under his breath. Jean caught. "…you …have to…me anymore."

"What did you say?!" Jean asked, fighting the sudden heat rushing to his face. The blonde shrugged innocently.

"Nothing."

After that they were always at each other's side. They became close friends and soon developed a good fighting technique that complemented each other's weaknesses.

Although the knights got a new leader they still considered Jean their 'unofficial' leader as well as Armin their 'unofficial' strategist.

One day they got a plea for help from Maria. The kingdom was under attack. The knights were to set off from Rose at dawn to assist immediately. Jean looked at Armin and noticed his comrade looked pale at the news.

"What's wrong?" He asked. Armin looked away.

"I have family in Maria."

When they got there, the fight was already deep into the citadel. Armin, who never offered opinions unless asked to, forced himself into the strategist group and took the lead. He immediately told them the best spots to attack and the most hidden entrances they could take. It surprised Jean how quickly Armin had read that map.

Soon they were in heavy battle. Armin and Jean always back to back and always looking out for each other. At one point, Armin took hold of Jean's arm and pulled him through an entrance that Jean was sure had not been in the map. Suddenly they were at the thrown room where a man in a dark cloak held a dagger against the princess of Maria's throat.

"Release her at once!" Jean ordered. The man snickered.

"Don't worry, I have no interest in princess Historia. I'm here for the prince." Jean frowned.

"Maria has no prince." The man snickered once more.

"Oh but that's where you're wrong. You see, I've been after this boy for a very long time now. His parents sent him away from the kingdom to protect him from me. Ha! If only they knew what he has been up to all this time." Jean was loosing patience.

"Release her!" He repeated. The man smirked.

"I will, once I exchange her for the prince. I have been here waiting for him." The knight decided to humor him.

"And how do you know this prince will come." To this, the man actually laughed.

"Why, he is already here!"

Jean turned to Armin with a look of 'do you understand what this man is talking about?' but he was met with a look of complete and utter hatred. The taller knight was shocked at his expression.

"Armin?" The boy seemed to snap out of it. He turned to Jean.

"I'm sorry." He whispered before dropping his sword and walking towards the man in the dark coat.

"W-what are you doing?!" Jean stuttered.

The blonde stood before the man. He held himself straighter than Jean had ever seen him do before.

"I'm here. Let her go."

"Armin! Don't!" Historia yelled. Jean was hit by the sudden realization. The man rejoiced.

"Oh! How you have grown! And you're a knight now too. A bit stupid, don't you think? You're putting your life on the line when what you should be doing is hiding."

"My life would be of little value if I didn't do something with it." The blonde spoke with determination. It reminded Jean of the response given to him all that time ago when he had yelled at the blonde. Something in him broke.

"Armin, stay away from him." He growled. The man's smile grew.

"How cute! It looks like you got a pet during your travels." Armin clenched his fists but his voice stayed calm.

"This has nothing to do with him." He then nodded towards Historia. "Let her go."

The man did so. He roughly threw her to the ground. The blonde moved towards her but there was suddenly a sword against his chest. Jean made an angry noise that went unnoticed.

"Now, she will be fine as long as you don't do anything stupid."

Jean moved forward. The need to protect the blonde was overwhelming.

"Jean. Don't." Armin's voice held an authority Jean was alien to. He stopped but kept his eyes on the sword gleaming against his comrade' s chest.

"This is simple." The man spoke. "Your life in exchange for hers. Do we have a deal?" Jean's eyes widen in horror.

"What?! No! You're mad!"

"It's alright, Jean." Armin's voice had become soft. "This was unavoidable. My parents have just tried to prolong it for as long as possible." He gave a sad smile. "The kingdom doesn't need me. My life means little."

"You're wrong!" Both Jean and Historia yelled. The girl continued.

"The people have missed you! Your intellect and strategic ability is incredibly promising! The kingdom needs you! They need you more than me!"

These two are self-sacrificing idiots! Jean thought with annoyance. He took a step foreward and yelled out.

"Neither of you is dying today so stop that!"

"What? Do you think you can defeat me?" The man mocked him. For a moment the man turned his sword towards Jean. Armin steped between them.

"This has nothing to do with him." He repeated.

"Well he seems very eager to protect you." The man said with a casual voice. "I'll just kill him and then I'll kill you."

That was more than Jean could take. He quickly pulled Armin behind him and slashed at the man. He easily parried his blow and laughed. The two began a heated fight.

"Jean! Stop! Please!" The blonde begged. The taller knight scowled.

"And just let you die? No way!" Swords clashed violently. "Your life may mean nothing to you but it means a great deal to me!" Armin's eyes widened and his chest tightened. He needed to stop this fight. He was about to yell to the man to focus on what he came for when he suddenly froze at the sound of a sword impaling a body.

The man smirked in victory as Jean's weapon clattered on the floor.

"NO!" Armin yelled. Jean's body crumbled to the ground. The man raised his sword for the final blow but was met by Armin's own. The blonde was fueled by a wild and powerful anger. Each thrust was made with 5 times the strength he usually possessed. Even so, he knew he wasn't a match for this man.

"Aw! Did you care much for your dog?" Instead of anger, realization came to Armin.

That's it. That's my weapon.

"I'm not the one who has been stalking a kid for more than 8 years!" He slashed at him. "I'm not the great hunter who lost sight of said boy that wasn't even hiding!" Hard clashing vibrated in his ears. "I'm not the one who proclaims to be strong when he has to threaten his target's loved ones instead of fighting him directly!" With each word the man grew angry and lost concentration. At the last sentence he raised his arms to give a hard blow. Armin took this moment to quickly stab him in the chest. The man stuttered before falling to the ground.

Armin ran to Jean's fallen form. The boy had been stabbed in the stomach and was bleeding profoundly.

"No, no, no…" Armin whispered. His eyesight grew blurry as his fingers became stained red.

"You defeated him..." said Jean. He smiled through the pain.

"Don't talk. Reserve energy. You'll be fine."

"Armin…" The blonde ignored him and turned to his sister who was hovering behind him.

"Go search for help! See if the court physician is still alive! Hurry!" She did as she was told. Jean's blood was a sticky pool on the ground.

Armin felt a hand over his own.

"It was an honor fighting at your side." Armin shook his head. The tears were threatening to spill.

"You'll still fight by my side for many years." He insisted with a shaky voice.

"We both know that's not true, your highness." The blonde almost winced at the word. "Your people would need you. You would leave the knights."

"… I would offer you a position here in Maria. I would make you the leader of the knight and I would fight at your side." Jean smiled.

"That would've been… truly wonderful…" Jean's consciousness was slipping away. Armin felt panic take over him.

"Stay awake! Look at me! Please!" The brunette did as he was told. He stared into Armin's eyes with fondness. He weakly lifted his hand to the boy's cheek.

"You're beautiful…" he whispered. Armin's eyes widened and the tears finally ran freely down his cheeks. Jean's eyes began to close.

"Jean! Jean!"

The hand at Armin's cheek fell.

"JEAN!"

I hadn't meant to give it a sad ending but it just happened.

Guys! I have an idea!

Story number 15 is coming up soon! I wanted to do something special so how about this: I will make a sequel for one of the past prompts.

You guys choose which! I'll give you until I publish the next story! When I do so I will count how many votes each got. Choose wisely otherwise you might never get a sequel for that particular story!

PS. rilexhorton1001! You almost made me cry with your last comment! I'm so glad you like these little stories!