"You gotta eat something Jean," Sasha gripes, shoving a plate of breakfast in front of her desolate friend who only grumbles to himself, slumped over the kitchen table with a sour expression on his face. "I know you're sad, I get it— but you can't starve yourself."

"Not hungry."

"Please, just a few bites at least."

She's practically begging at this point, but Jean's stubbornness seems stronger than his will to survive at this point, with the way he's hardly been taking care of his daily basic needs— it's lucky enough for him to even take a shower every morning.

"Not taking care of yourself isn't going to solve anything, Jean. You can't let this take over your life!"

"Do you know how it feels, Sasha, to have the one and only person you've ever loved go behind your back and fuck someone else? To be completely fucking humiliated— have some fucking loser laugh in your face for taking what was supposed to be yours?" He seethes, his anger accumulating with each twisted memory of that day— Eren's taunting words playing over and over in his head. He just couldn't shut them off, no matter how hard he tried.

All he could see was your face— the way you kissed Eren in the car, and how you ran to his side to check on him after their fight; concerned for Eren's well being, not his.

"I may not know what you're going through, but I still want to help. If it matters, when I saw y/n at your apartment, she seemed pretty upset about the whole thing. I'm not making excuses for her, cause why she did was wrong, but I can tell she feels awful about it." She offers this information as a consolation for him, but it doesn't seem to make much of a difference— not that she expected it to.

"... what did she say?" He asks, interest piqued to at least find out if you feel as badly as he does.

"Not a whole lot, just that she's sorry for putting us all through this and that she regrets doing things the way she did— also that she's staying at Mr. Ackerman's condo for a few days until she can find somewhere else to go."

"Oh? Let me guess, she fucking him too?"

He spits bitterly.

"Jean!" Sasha scolds, wacking him in the arm with the wooden spoon held firmly in her hand.

"Ow— what? Wouldn't be surprised with how easily she spread her legs for Jaeger."

"Stop it!" She scowls, brows furrowed as she shoots him a malicious glare. "Y/n is still my friend and I won't let you talk about her like that!"

"Traitor..."

he mutters under his breath, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back into his chair so heavily that he almost tips it over.

"I'm not taking sides, Jean. Both you and y/n are important to me, okay? Don't make me choose."

"How can you still be friends with her after what she did to me?"

"You did some pretty shitty things to her too! You almost hit her, incase you've forgotten." She hated to bring it up, but she felt it was necessary to remind him that he definitely wasn't the only victim here.

"I— fuck— I wasn't trying to hit her. I hit the wall because I was just so frustrated, but I never would've hit y/n. You know me better than that Sash, I'd never lay a fuckin' hand on her." He averts his eyes, remembering that night as one of the worst fights you've ever had— one he now realizes was the last straw for you. Even if you had or hadn't cheated by that point, he understands that this was the final push towards Eren's direction you needed.

"I believe you," she assured, although hesitant, "but you have to understand that you scared the shit out of her, and I don't blame her for leaving you that night."

"You don't think I know that? I've beat myself up about it this entire time— I know it was my fault, but that doesn't make it hurt any less," he sighs, running a hand through his messy ashen hair. "If anything, just makes it hurt even more."

She sets down her cooking utensils and makes her way over to jean, sitting next to him as she places her arms tightly around his shoulders. She squeezes him into a hug so tight that he could pop, but it does bring him some sort of comfort, even if just for a brief moment. Cupping his jaw in the palm of her soft hands, his stubble tickles her skin as she strokes his cheeks tenderly with a smile.

"Jean, it's not your fault that she cheated. She made that decision on her own, and she knows it was the wrong one. Both of you played a part in this, both of you made mistakes— it's hard to let go of someone that you've loved for so long but you have to understand that it wasn't getting any better. I already apologized to y/n for my part in encouraging you two to stay together even though I could see that you should've been apart. Now, I'm apologizing to you."

She gives him a motherly kiss to his cheek, bringing a hand up to push strands of strayed hair that had fallen in front of his sunken brown eyes. She knows he won't get over this so quickly, but there's a glimmer of hope in her heart when he offers her a weak smile.

"Thanks, Sasha— dunno what I'd do without you," he mutters, finally wrapping his arms around her waist as he envelops himself in her tender embrace. It what he needed, after all— these days without you have proven to be some of the worst, even cuddling with your favorite sweater wasn't enough anymore.

You weren't there to hug him, kiss him— make him laugh with your stupid jokes that weren't even remotely funny— making him swoon when you would read him passages of your favorite books, telling him how they would remind you of him; the way you felt about him, the way you loved him...

you wouldn't be there to do those things ever again.

You were probably off somewhere with Eren doing all of those things for him.

Just as a glimmer of happiness appeared while in the arms of his best friend, it disappeared just as fast— fleeting, as if it were just a stranger passing by with an awkward glance.

Why couldn't he have just been better for you? Maybe he should have found a better job, one that wasn't so stressful and demanding of his time for so little pay. Maybe he should have picked up a hobby to let out his frustrations, instead of unloading them onto you. Maybe then you wouldn't have cheated— looking for comfort elsewhere when he couldn't offer it to you. All of these 'maybes' were turning into nothing but harsh slaps of reality, each one leaving a searing impression on his heart.

As much as Jean may say he hates you,

he hates himself even more.

The atmosphere on campus seemed brighter than usual, or maybe it was just the way you were practically floating on cloud nine after your amazing weekend spent with Eren. Getting to know him better had proved to be just as exciting as you anticipated, and it was hard not to feel weightless knowing that you found someone who seemed to understand you so well; it was effortless with Eren, you finally felt like you could just breathe without constantly feeling so suffocated.

The hall was nearly empty, except for a small group of students chatting amongst themselves. Your attention is focused on the sound of a laugh so obnoxious that you immediately realize who it belongs to: Connie, who leans lithely against the bricked wall as he chats up some pretty girl with beautiful dark brown eyes and perfectly glossed, plump lips. You weren't sure how he did it, but he always managed to sweet talk anyone he set his sights on.

She walks off with a smile on her face— you can only assume he made his move and succeeded at it. Now left alone and scrolling through his phone, you thought about approaching him as you normally would greet your best friend whenever you saw him on campus, but this time you hesitate.

Sasha assured you that both her and Connie were still your friends, but that was coming from her mouth, not his; especially considering the fact that Connie was actually there to witness the fight that happened at your behest.

Clutching the strap of your messenger bag slung across your chest, you work up the courage to approach him with the intentions of asking him how he felt about the state of your friendship— that is, until another familiar voice calls out to you from behind, diverting you from your original plan. You glance over your shoulder, spotting those beautiful baby blues you've come to know all too well.

"Armin, hi," you smile, happy to see another friendly face this morning.

"You look cute," he smiles back, admiring your choice of outfit today before running a hand down the sleeve of your jacket, his fingers meeting yours in a delicate brush of subtle affection.

You thank him, complimenting him back with ease because honestly, when doesn't Armin look cute? His cheeks flush at your words, his ' boy next door' charisma making him that much more attractive— especially when you know about that other side to him— the one that he keeps hidden well underneath those big, puppy dog eyes and baggy cardigan sweaters.

"We should get going, let me walk you to class?" He asks. You nod in agreement as the two of you trudge forward through the hall that's now empty, Connie no where in sight.

"Which class are you going to?" You question, deciding to make small talk during your short journey.

"Really, y/n? He chuckles, shaking his head.

"What?"

"We're heading to the same class... philosophy?" He deadpans, before dramatically clutching his chest in faux despair. "Don't tell me you never noticed me before?"

"Seriously? There's no way... I'm sure I would have—" you panic, not wanting to offend him.

"Relax, y/n— it's okay," he chuckles, "I'm someone who prefers to be seen and not heard— well, in this case not really seen either I guess. I'm not surprised you didn't notice me, the class is pretty big and I usually sit towards the back."

"Yeah, I'm sorry." You apologize bashfully, but internally you pondering on how you could have missed seeing him in class. Perhaps you did and just didn't remember— it's not like you would have known to look for him before until lately. Still, it did strike you as odd that he's never bothered to mentioned it before.

"Don't worry about it!" He smiles brightly, taking ahold of your hand and practically dragging you through the classroom door. "Sit with me?"

"Sure," you smile back, "I just need to talk to Mr. Ackerman first. Save me a seat?"

He nods, his fingers slipping from yours as he heads towards the back of the classroom, finding a table off in the far left corner. You walk up to Levi who stands at his desk, flipping through a stack of papers as he allows the remaining students to filter in, preparing for his lecture.

"Miss L/n, I imagine everything went well with your stay?" He says nonchalantly, hardly sparing a glance in your direction while he speaks to you, per usual.

"Yes, I just wanted to thank you again for allowing me to stay there. I'm working on finding somewhere else to stay, I should be out of your hair soon."

He stops his incessant page flipping at your statement, cold gunmetal eyes meeting yours with that oh so familiar intensive gaze.

"Don't speak as if you're a burden, y/n," he counters, "I wouldn't have offered if I didn't care about your wellbeing. You're my student, and as such, I feel partially responsible for your safety."

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate that so much."

"That being said, don't feel rushed about finding a place, only until you find somewhere safe to live. As long as you respect my property, I have no problem with you staying there in the mean time," he adds, taking a glance around the room to see that everyone has found their seats and are ready for class to start. "Go ahead and take your seat, class is starting."

You nod, heading towards the back of the classroom where you find Armin sitting patiently and ready to learn with all of his materials set on the table— his texts books and laptop open and out, and a smile on his face as he watches you walk to your place next to him. Grabbing your own laptop out of your bag, your expression is a bit less eager, realizing that with everything going on lately you haven't been putting enough focus on your schooling.

Armin's quick to notice your downcast shift in demeanor, leaning closely into you to quietly ask if you're okay. His soft blonde hair tickles the skin of your cheek, as the warmth of his peppermint breath fans the shell of your ear. There's no point in denying it; something about Armin's pleasantly sweet voice makes you feel comfortable around him, even if your mind tells you to be careful in trusting him.

"I'm falling behind in my courses— everything's been so chaotic lately with... well, I'm sure you know... on top of it all, I'm crashing at Mr. Ackerman's condo because I've got no where else to go on such short notice and I can't help but feel bad about it, like— I don't know— like I'm taking advantage or something."

He chews on his bottom lip for a brief moment, his eyes shifting from left to right as if he's pondering something. He smirks, his pouty lips gleaming underneath the white florescent lighting.

"I'm not sure if I can get rid of all your chaos, but maybe I can help alleviate it a bit...

If you want more Armin, I've just published a new book for him ! Feel free to head over and check it out, incase you missed it; It's titled