Communication Error (Eremin)

Chapter Ten • Ideas

Armin felt someone shoving him and quietly repeating his name. He stirred and rubbed his eyes with his palms. When he opened his eyes, he realized it was Mikasa that was speaking and trying to wake him up. He blinked slowly.
    "Armin, get up. We have to leave soon," she whispered.
    Armin groaned and ran his palms over his eyes again. "Leave?"
    "For school. Come on." Her tone was slightly harsher.
    "Right." He forced himself to sit up. "Sorry."
    She slid off her bed and stood by the door. "It's fine. I have to get ready, so would you mind leaving?"
    He got off her bed as well. "Sure." He left her room and headed downstairs. The bedroom door closed behind him. As he made his way into the living room, he saw the couch had a folded blanket and a pillow sitting on it. At that he recalled he hadn't slept there, and instead ended up staying in Mikasa's room. Darn it. Way to go, falling asleep upstairs. He sighed quietly and picked up his backpack from the same place he always leaves it, then brought it with him to the bathroom. There, he freshened up and changed his shirt.
When he opened the bathroom door to leave, he hit his head against the side of the door.
"Ah! Geez . . ." He placed his hand on his forehead.
"Morning, Armin," a disembodied voice greeted. He recognized the voice to be Carla's.
"Good morning, Ms. Carla." He turned to see her standing at one end of the hallway, close to the kitchen, with a mug held up to her face.
She blinked. "That looked like it hurt."
"Y-yeah."
"I can tell mornings aren't your thing. Come get something to eat and maybe you'll wake up more." She waved her free hand and headed into the kitchen behind her.
Armin followed her into the kitchen after setting his backpack in the living room again. He spotted Eren sitting at the table, finishing up a plate of scrambled eggs.
"We have scrambled or fried eggs," Carla stated. "Which would you like?"
"Uh . . . Fried, please."
"Alright." She stood by the oven, where she took a spatula and scooped up an egg that was already done frying. She put it on a plate beside her and handed it to Armin. After he took the plate, she began frying up another egg.
Armin sat down at the table, across from Eren, and started to eat.
Eren looked up, and the two exchanged greetings. Then he got up and took care of his dishes.
It didn't take Armin long to finish eating. Once he was done, he gave his dishes to Carla, who placed them in the sink. Afterwards, he finished getting ready to go.

"I never caught that you had fallen asleep," Mikasa stated.
Armin shrugged. "Yeah. I would've left if I knew I was falling asleep. Sorry."
"You don't have to be sorry. Accidents happen." Mikasa smiled. "I'm sure Carla won't mind."
"I hope so. Thanks for waking me up, though." He looked at Mikasa. "I would have slept for centuries."
Mikasa puffed her cheeks and widened her eyes. "Believe me, I would've too."
Eren, who had been walking in front of Armin and Mikasa, fell behind for a moment, only to place his arms over Mikasa's shoulders and practically lean on her.
She didn't care, it appeared. She just pat his hand and continued talking to Armin.
"I'm sure Carla and Grisha would love having you over again," she informed.
"You think so?" Armin's eyes widened as he looked at her.
"Yes, I think so." She smiled and nodded. "They like you a lot. I mean, I'm sure you already noticed that."
"I guess." He tilted his head and looked away for a moment. When he looked at Mikasa again, he watched as Eren placed his hands on her face and leave them there. This annoyed Mikasa, and, despite her multiple signs to him, he refused to move them off.
She slapped his hands hard, which immediately made him move them off her face.
He gave her a sour look, but she wasn't paying attention.
"Is he like that a lot?" Armin asked.
"Way too much," Mikasa answered in a low tone.
He looked at Eren, who still eyed Mikasa angrily.
The three of them walked mainly in silence. It wasn't a long walk before Mikasa and Eren parted with Armin, right before he headed inside the school building.
The following hours were boring and familiar, with nothing particularly exciting in the mix. Armin's mind flooded with the signs he had been taught as he reviewed them over and over again. When he wasn't doing that, he would wonder how long it was until he left, or if he'd be able to communicate with Eren soon.
How long will it take? he'd ask himself. It frustrated him to feel like he wouldn't be able to for a while. If he was honest he'd admit that it not only frustrated him—it bothered him. He wanted to be able to talk to him so much. He didn't want to depend on Mikasa, or Carla, or Grisha. They certainly helped him learn, but that wasn't enough.
Then he had an idea.
Why don't I teach myself at home? I have a computer. I have the Internet, he thought. I'm sure there's something online that can help me learn!
Excitement pulsed through him. He was now extremely anxious to get home and begin learning more signs.
However, he still had some time to go before he was able to leave.
Great. He sighed. He obviously was in no mood to wait.
Somehow he managed to get through the last painfully slow hours. He wasted no time afterwards in grabbing his belongings and heading out. Though, once he was outside, he stopped and waited for Mikasa. In the last hour, another idea sparked in his head. He'd set up video chat sessions with Mikasa so she could assist him with what he had learned. Perfect!
When he saw her walk out the door, he called her name and got her attention.
"You look excited," Mikasa stated once she noticed Armin's wide eyes and vibrant aura.
"Yes, yeah, that's because I am!" he informed.
She grinned. "Okay. Why?"
"So, I had this idea to help me learn to sign quicker. Do you have Skype?"
She nodded.
"'Kay, good. What's your name on it?"
    "My name, Mikasa Ackerman," she replied. "That's spelled M-I-K-A-S-A A-C-K-E-R-M-A-N. You might want to write it down."
    "Got it." He pulled out his phone and took a moment to type it in his notes. When Mikasa verified the correct spelling, he put his phone away. "I want to teach myself more signs, and I thought we could Skype whenever to review what I learned. Y'know? You could assist me," he suggested, "if you want to."
"Carla already teaches you," she stated.
"I know." He blinked. "But, I mean, I could go at my own pace and learn more throughout the week between lessons with her. Is that a bad idea?" His excitement faded a bit.
She shook her head. "No, it's not a bad idea. I get what you're saying now." She softened her expression. "I'm up for it. When do you want to do review calls?"
    "Maybe on Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday nights?"
    "That's good. If we need to change the times, we can." She straightened her posture. "Alright. So, is that it?"
    "Yea—oh! Please don't say anything to anyone about this. I want to surprise everyone."
    "By 'everyone' you mean 'Eren', right?" she teased.
    Armin sighed at her.
    "I know." She laughed quietly. "I got it. I won't say anything."
    He smiled, and his excitement returned. "Thank you so much for this. It means a lot."
    "Sure thing. Well, if that's it, I'll see you tomorrow."
    He waved at her. "Yep. See you!"
    The both of them went their separate ways.
    Armin was in no hurry to get home, despite his eagerness to be there and in his room.
From hereon out, he began excitedly, I'll be learning quicker.
    This thought drove him to quicken his pace unintentionally.