♡︎𝑨𝑶𝑻 𝑺𝑯𝑰𝑷 𝑶𝑵𝑬-𝑺𝑯𝑶𝑻𝑺♡︎

Jean x Armin: Drunken Daydreams

"Jean," says the comforting voice of one intelligent, yet frequently worrisome blonde.

The man lifts his head from the desk, blinking fast as he tries, somewhat unsuccessfully, to clear his vision. The image of Armin doubles with choppy spurts of sight, shifting with each movement of eye-lids until both come together to form one noticeably upset figure. It's Armin, alright; yet instead of shining that famously brilliant smile, he shows a deeply irritated glare. With arms crossed, brows furrowed and a mouth turned down into a frown, he leans over Jean's intoxicated self as if to study his endeavors pitifully.

"Hmm... what are you doin' here?" he asks, meeting the blonde's gaze.

"Me? What are you doing here?" he answers fast, nearly too quick with a response for Jean to keep up. "We have a mission tomorrow!"

Jean nods, "mhm."

"Do you think being hungover will help matters?"

"Mhm..."

"Really? How?"

"Make things easier... if h-hungover..."

"No, of course it won't! I-" he presses a hand to his face. "I can't believe you did this tonight... out of all days..." Armin sighs, removing the hand as his expression grows disappointed. "What were you thinking?"

"Mmph... was- wasn't."

"You wasn't thinking?" repeats Armin with a judgemental voice.

The brunette nods his head back and forth, a hazily tired expression showing on his face clear as day.

"Are you just doing this because you don't want to see Eren again?"

He shakes his head vibrantly.

"Is the mission to Marley scaring you?"

He shakes again.

"Then why? Why tonight, Jean?" Armin lets out a calming exhale, allowing the anger to drift away from his expression with one relaxing sensation. And with that, he turns to walk away. "I'm done. Make your own way back."

"Wait- wait... don't... d-" he grunts, slurring between words near incomprehensibly.

"No, I'm done fixing your battles again. You know, every time you were in trouble, I was there for you. When you passed out in the middle of battle, when you couldn't figure out a plan in Shiganshina, when Annie was about to kill you- even as that woman had her gun to your head. I was always... there," he speaks calmly, with his back to Jean. "I can't do this anymore."

"But- but... c'mon," he says thoughtlessly. "I'll change."

"Then treat me like a person, treat me like I treat you. Be nice to me. Help me when I need you. I've been your personal doormat for four years and I just can't do it anymore." Hearing Jean's silence, he merely sighs. "Even when you're drunk, you don't care."

"I care."

"Then you wouldn't be intoxicated now, would you?" Armin walks off, to the door as he speaks. Yet, when he reaches the handle, a certain statement has him screeching to a screaming halt.

"I'm sorry."

He stands there in silence, allowing Jean's careless rant to continue.

"Don't leave me now. You're really just- you're so... you're nice and s-sweet..." he states drunkenly. "I can't... you can't go again."

Armin states softly, "that's the liquor talking."

"It's not... it's not... I swear, I'm sorry. Just don't go- I- c'mon." He states with words that rumble from low in his chest, "I need you. Please, please, please." 

The blonde sighs, his shoulders slouching forward before turning back around. Approaching the sight of intoxication incarnate, Armin takes his arm and pulls Jean forward, off of the chair and onto his feet.

"Promise me you'll sober up tomorrow," says Armin as he tugs him to the door.

"Mhm."

"I just... I really do need you tomorrow. You're a strong leader, if you weren't there..." his voice trails off. "I don't know what I'd do."

"Okay," Jean replies slowly, thinking very little about the words that escape him. The following statement comes from him instinctively, without even a second of thought, "Marco."

Armin's eyes grow wide, his heart rate ticking away just slightly faster. Such a reminder of the past has him holding his own breath. Yet, all that surprise dissapates with a simple exhale. Of course, he should know by now.

He's just a replacement.