"I found him!" Marco called as he set the gym bag onto the couch.
Jean, who was cooking as per usual, peeked out of the kitchen. "Found? Found who?"
His roommate merely waved him over, so Jean turned down the stove and did as he told. "Marco I swear if you got another lost puppy or kitten or turtle or something I am kicking it outside!"
"Well…"
It was then that Jean noticed the gym bag. "Marco…"
And then he unzipped it.
"What the fucking shit Marco!?" Jean screamed as he revealed a familiar (and injured) looking blonde covered in a rather alarming amount of blood. "You-are you fucking serious!?"
"He…he was about to kill Bertoldt," Marco admitted, "I think…I think his base instinct to kill has taken over again."
The two-toned brunette's eyes bulged. "I—and you brought him here!?"
"We helped him before!" the freckled brunette shot back, "I'll handle him. He's…he's just been through hell again. You know how he feels about asylums—especially—"
"I-I know…" Jean replied, guilt hitting him like a truck. "Does…does Annie know?"
Marco looked back down at the boy curled up in the bag. "…she will soon enough."
"ANNIE!"
The blonde girl jumped at the sound of her normally quiet roommate's scream. "W-what is it?" she demanded irritably, "You scared the living hell out of—"
"Marco said hi," he interrupted, towering over her with a darkened expression. "He said you'd know what that means."
The book in the girl's hands dropped with a thud onto the ground. "I…shit."
"What do you mean you're going to go after him!?" Annie demanded, "You're going to get yourself killed! You're already walking a legally thin line since you're on probation!"
"I don't care," Marco growled back. "I'm not going to let one of my friends tear himself apart."
Annie wanted to scream. She cared about him too, but…
"You're going to have to tell Reiner and Bertoldt about him."
This time Annie almost did scream. "W-are you kidding me!? That'll get him killed!"
"Not now," Marco said in a voice Annie assumed was supposed to be assuring, "But soon. I'm…having trouble with Armin's aunt. She's…well, I won't be able to hold on to him for long. You'll have to do it."
Why not just let him die?
The moment that thought left her mind, she hated herself even more. How could she think such a horrible thought? Armin doesn't deserve this, she thought morosely he doesn't deserve any of it.
"…fine."
Marco sighed. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, "I…I know this is difficult for you. You love him, but he's still a mass murderer…"
Annie tried to smile, but it ended as a grimace.
"I'm really sorry," he repeated, "Listen, when I need your assistance I'll tell Reiner or Bertoldt that 'I said hi' and when they say that, that's when you need to try to explain as best as you can. Come to me if you need to, and Jean and I will help."
"…what about Eren?" she asked finally. "He…he cared about him at one point, right?"
The freckled brunette was silent for a moment. "He…he did," he replied cautiously, "But…after what happened with Mikasa he…"
"…hates him," Annie finished. "Understandable."
Even though it made sense, it still pissed Annie off. Eren was there for Armin when not even she or Marco could—he has to understand somewhat…
"…he tore out Mikasa's throat."
Annie snapped out of his thoughts as she stared at Marco, eyes wide. "…what!?"
"With his teeth," he added, "He…he had just broke out, and Mikasa…she couldn't escape in time."
Now she couldn't even be pissed off at him anymore. Tearing up her back was one thing, but she was fine physically afterwards—she didn't even have a scar on her back to prove it. The second time he almost killed her was technically in self defense, but this…
"He sought her out on purpose," she whispered, realization hitting her like a truck.
"So Eren's mad," Marco stated, "and has every right to be. I don't think anything will change his mind…"
A terrifying thought struck Annie.
"Will…will he turn us in?" she asked, "Would he do that…?"
"…I don't think so," the freckled brunette replied, "He'd be putting us in danger—besides, we don't have him here anymore. There'd be no point."
"But if we—"
"Annie," he said, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Everything's going to be alright. I promise."
The blonde girl turned away, eyes downcast. "Don't make promises you can't keep."
Marco laughed. "You should get going. The novel on that box over there is pretty cool. I think you'd like it."
Said book was now lying on the carpet floor, and Annie refused to lift her eyes from it.
"…Annie," Bertoldt said, his gaze softening. "You need to tell me what's going on?"
"Whoa whoa whoa," Reiner said, emerging from his and Bertoldt's room. "What's going on?"
Annie took a deep breath. "I have a lot of explaining to do."
Jean nearly flipped his shit when Armin flipped his.
The screams were deafening, and when he rushed to the guest room they had him in Jean wanted to simply walk back out and leave the house because there was no way he could handle this—Marco was running late and wasn't home, and the only other person who had successfully snapped him out of this state was Yeager…
"O—oi!" he shouted, and—not thinking things through at all—slapped the blonde across the face.
The silence was even more deafening than the screaming.
Right as Jean started to deeply regret his actions, the blonde let out a quiet sob.
"I…I'm sorry," he whispered, "I…I'm so sorry…I won't do it again…"
Shit, I just triggered something, the two-toned brunette thought morosely. "H-hey…" he said in what he hoped was a gentle tone. "I-I should be the one saying sorry. I shouldn't have hit you."
"Liar…" the blonde whispered, "…s-stop…lying…"
Jean wasn't expecting that answer. "…what?"
"Y-you're not sorry…" Armin murmured, "you never are…you just keep on killing and killing and killing and—"
"Hey," Jean said more forcefully, "I won't be having any of that bullshit, alright? Your mind's in tatters right now, and that's just because you've been through hell."
"My…my mind is fine," the blonde said, voice raising higher than before. "My mind…my mind is all I have left…my heart is broken and my soul belongs to the devil, but I still have my mind dammit!"
"H-hey now," the brunette said, involuntarily raising his hands. "I-I didn't mean anything by it. You're in a rough place, and I'm trying to help, remember?"
Jean grimaced as Armin started to giggle lightly. "You…you don't care…nobody does…"
Quickly running out of ideas, Jean did the first thing that came to mind and wrapped his arms around him.
There was another moment of silence, and then the blonde did something else the brunette didn't expect.
He began to sob harder.
"I…I'm sorry…" he cried, "I…I just…I don't deserve this…any of it…not you or Annie or—"
"No," Jean interrupted, "You don't deserve the hell you keep slipping into. You need Annie and Marco and I—Eren—"
"I betrayed him!" the blonde sobbed, "I—I keep hurting him…I keep hurting everyone! I hate it! I—I hate ALL of it! I—I just want to live a normal life and—and be happy! I don't want this! I don't want it! I…I…"
Armin was now shaking uncontrollably as tears continued to fall down his eyes, and Jean held him even tighter. "It's alright," he repeated over and over again, "It's okay…"
"I…I just…"
The blonde looked up at him, and Jean's heart snapped in two.
The boy in his arms was no mass murderer—he was just a frightened kid who just wanted to be loved. When large, watery blue eyes stared up into wide, amber ones, Jean felt his eyes sting with unshed tears.
"…I just want my family back."
That did it for Jean. Tears jettisoned from his eyes as he held Armin tight. "I-It's okay," he hiccupped, "Marco, Annie and I—hell, even that dumbass Eren—we'll be your family, okay?"
Dammit, he hates getting emotional like this but he just can't help it—somehow he ended up caring about a crazed murderer who really isn't a crazed murderer and even though his emotions are tied up into knots there was one thing he knew of.
Criminal record be damned, he'll be there for him no matter what.
Suddenly a pair of arms slipped around him, and the blonde nuzzled into his chest. "Y…you mean it?"
Jean nodded vigorously. "O-of course! You've been over before, so why shouldn't we? You're welcome here, got that?"
Then, to the brunette's fear, he giggled…but it sounded different. Looking down at the blonde in his arms, his heart was completely and utterly obliterated as he smiled back up to him.
"Thank you," Armin whispered, "I…I don't des—"
"Don't you finish that," Jean said sternly, "Now c'mon, I'll make you dinner."
"Actually…"
Jean looked back down and saw that Armin was now toying with a lock of his blonde hair. "…can you make me the eggs and bell peppers thing? Y-you don't have to—"
"Comin' right up!" the brunette said, confused at his eagerness to please the kid—but at the same time not caring.
OKAY LET ME EXPLAIN
So I've been going through some super personal stuff, and that has greatly impaired my ability to write a decent, plot progressing chapter. However all's good now(except for the fact that I think I broke my leg…), so now the plot can move forward instead of being stalled with random filler violence XD
And also THIS IS NOT TURNING JEARMIN or whatever that ship name is…though Jean is going to turn into an overprotective little shit later on XD