Chapter Text
Waving at the departing Volvo, Armin couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his features. Its been a while since he messed around with his pals and actually hang around. Sure they embarrassed the hell out of him with all the questions and comments about Jean and him, but it was all fun and games.
Plus, Armin would do it in the a heartbeat to his best pals just for the fuck of it all.
Standing outside his home, Armin could be held but glance nervously at the take out bag at hand. He recalled Jean stating that he would be fine and there was no need to actually get him anything. However Armin couldn't ignore the fact that the other teen was laying in his bed, nursing a hangover with an impregnated forehead due to the result of being intimate with Eren's fist. Well, more like Eren's fist forced itself onto poor Jean's head. Seriously forced itself. Without consent and all that...
Armin couldn't help but wonder if the jock was still inside. He wouldn't blame the man for leaving. Armin would have done it. After all, he was a little babe that would run away when shit hits the fan. Frowning at this thought, the blond gave the driveway a quick glance. It revealed that, yes, the Camaro was still parked. So that was even better news for Armin!
Smiling at this, he then turned and headed straight for the front door. Keys were pulled out and all that lovely jazz. Though, before closing the door behind himself, Armin took a moment to glance into the living room.
He shouldn't be surprised to see Levi wearing a pair of sweats, a shirt and armed with a duster and rubber gloves. Biting his cheek to stop the giggling, a quick glance at the time shown that he lost his bet. Apparently Levi cracked earlier than he expected.
Shaking his head, he then proceeded to take off his shoes and head on inside. "I'm back for a bit, still need to head out to see Mikasa's debut challenge." Armin explained as he crossed the living room.
"Brat." Levi called out from his perch on the step ladder. He was taking down the Liverpool banner... The said banner that Armin wanted to do horrible things too.
"Hrm?" Stopping his quest to head back to his room, "What's up Levi?"
"Need to talk with you, so sit your ass down." His tone was one that didn't want to deal with bullshit.
Was Armin in trouble? He couldn't think of anything that got him in trouble. As far as he was concern, Levi didn't seem to care much for what did. S'long as cops weren't involved and he had good grades, everything was pretty much left to his own devices. He really had to wonder what the issue was...
Motioning to the food box at hand, "Can I give this to Jean first?"
"Don't bother. I tossed him to the shower just a few moments ago."
Nodding, Armin then slink on over and sat his rear onto the couch's arm. "What's happening?"
Levi drop down from the step ladder and started to collect discarded trash off the table and ground. "I'mma say this once and I don't care how hypocritical it may sound. I need you to clean up your act with all this bullshit. The weed, the booze and all that."
Frowning, Armin stared at the shorter male. "It does sound hypocritical of you. May I inquire as to why you're making such a request?"
Stopping what he was doing, Levi then leveled his gaze with the blond. "Because you're not a fucken baby. I don't have time to deal with your ass being controlled by that sort of shit. You want to be on a damn shitter all your life, trying to force the crap comin' out of your asshole cause you were too busy suckling on a bong tip or drowning in cans of piss?"
Tsking some at the language being used, Armin slowly nodded his head. "I understand responsibility... but why now? You usually don't give a damn what I do, so long as I don't bring cops or bad grades."
"You're already 16. Another two years and your white ass is considered legal. I took you in as a favor for your ma. I owe her that much. So I'mma tell you right now. Clean up your fucken act, cause when the big One-Eight hits, your ass is on your own."
All Armin could focus on is how Levi spat out that he was doing a favor for his mother. His dead mother. The woman Levi worked in the service with. The woman who... god knows what they had in common. All he knew was the fact that his mother did air and sea rescue missions. It wasn't anything serious, since she wasn't with a special forces unit. Though, it did give Armin an inkling of an idea how those two met and why Levi felt he owe the woman something.
Didn't excuse the fact that Armin felt like total complete shit for that statement. It was as though he was branded as being a burden. Just like the story of his life. The biggest story of his life, mind you. Kind of made Armin wonder when he would put an end to that story. Most likely end with, 'The biggest dead weight lays six feet under here.' written on his tombstone.
"Yeah." Armin stated as he glanced off to the side. The living room's lighting reflected off a discarded can of Natty Ice. Of all the shitty beer that they had to drink, it had to be the Natty Ice. "Yeah, I get it. I'll make sure to get my things straighten out. Got two years and all that..."
Levi grunted in response as the sounds of bottles clinking together in the trash bag filled the tense air. Course the silence wasn't going to grow. Levi made sure of that on. "Look, brat... Don't give me that shit faced look. I'm just tellin' it to you how it is. I ain't goin' anywhere and all that shit. It jus-"
"Its just the fact that I'm a burden. I get it Levi. I get it. I'll fix my shit up and be out of your hair when my 18th birthday rolls in." Armin snapped. In the distance he could hear the shower being shut off.
"You fucken dumb brat. I ain't sayin' you're a burden. I'm sayin I ai-"
"Then what the fuck are you saying Levi?! Wh-"
"-let me finis-"
" -fucken favor do you gotta reply my dead mother!?"
"Brat you're jumping-"
"Jumping what?! Jumping off a building like my useless fath-"
"God dammit brat! Shut the fuck up!" Bottles where thrown onto the floor, breaking instantly. Levi may be short, but his presence can easily take over the whole room and appear ten times his original size. Especially when a muscular arm shot out and pulled Armin down by the collar of his shirt.
"You're pissing me off with this damn shit! I'm telling you right now to clean your fucken act up. What you wanna do ten years from now? Struggling to find a fucken job cause your ass has some sort of drug record?! Think you're gonna get away with this act in college? You want to waste that damn brain of yourss on this shit?! What you gonna do!? Sell your ass on some fucken corner just so you can get your next hit?! Or better yet, you wanna cook up some crack? You got the intelligence to pull that shit off. So, tell me right now, you wanna pull that shit off last moment of your life?! Tell me so I don't have to put effort in tryin' to fix some shit I started."
Each question was inputted with a harsh shake. Armin's whole body jolted as he digested the words. He really couldn't make sense of it all. Sure, he understood the implications and such. But what he couldn't understand was how little trust and hope was instilled onto him. Did Levi really think that he would fall down such a path? Forget who he was? What he was capable of? What about his aspirations and goals in life? Wasn't his passion obvious to the world? Was he that damn pathetic to his guardian's eyes?
Gritting his teeth, Armin glared at the man in front of him. He wasn't going to back out of this one. No tears would be shed for this. Instead he'll just push the man off. Which he did, with as much force as he could muster at that very moment. The effect wasn't very dramatic, since there was an obvious glaring fact of who was the more physically stronger male here. The message however was delivered and Levi did back off, by only a centimeter.
Pulling himself up to full height, "I'm telling you up front Levi. I'm not going down that path. I'm not going to become some pathetic old man who can't deal with their own problems. Nor do I need someone to pimp me out of some damn whore's box either. So don't worry, you're not going to break my mom's promise. Now, are you done? Or do I have to start saying 'fuck you old man' in order to get you to shut up."
A tick went off at Levi's jawline as he glared at the blond before him. It was obvious that the shorter male was weighing Armin's words. Weighing them for their worth. Lets admit it, its easy to say shit compared to actually doing it. But Armin wouldn't give the old man the satisfaction of doubting him. He's going to make that old french bastard eat every word he blasted out.
"Stupid fucken brat." Levi stated. An indication that he was finished with the conversation. "Go feed your bitch. I'm tired of seeing that toupee wearing fuck laying around in my damn house. Also, make sure to clean up your room before I come back from work. That shit is despicable."
The blond didn't need to be told twice to get out of Levi's face.
With the plastic take out bag of food at hand, Armin rushed down the hall to his room. thats when he realized that Jean most likely heard the discussion from wherever he was at. Most likely still in his room, waiting for the right moment to leave. Unless he took the window out. Couldn't blame the guy for doing that, since, you know. It was a pretty awkward thing to sit through.
On top of that he had to hear about his problem. Not like he kept it a secret. Armin would admit it to himself, he does go a bit nutty on the whole drinking and smoking pot deal. Heck, he knows he's been slipping a bit on his studies as of late because he'd fall asleep in a drunken daze.
He had to cringe at that thought.
Without a doubt, whoever was inside his room certainly heard everything since the door was left ajar. He really didn't want to face Jean at the moment. Sure there was the promise of having a talk about their current... well, there wasn't a romantic relationship. It was more of taking consideration of the situation happening between them. Knowing that he was going to discuss this with Jean after having to deal with the topics Levi thrown at him made Armin feel uneasy. Anxiety was crawling its way down his throat; threatening to claw, knot up and make a mess of his insides.
Licking at his chapped lips, the faint nagging urge to toke up came up. No. That wasn't a good thing to do. He had to prove the point that he wasn't going to be controlled by such substances. On top of that, he really just wanted some form of physical comfort. Like a hug or even a ruffling of hair. Maybe Jean could offer that sort of outlet to him. That is, if their discussion doesn't go south...
Shaking the thoughts out, the door was then pushed open. Inside revealed Jean wearing a pair of boxer shorts with his back turned toward the door. A towel was held between his hands, rubbing furiously at the mop of sandy brown hair. It seems he was desperate to get his hair dry. Honestly it was thanks to that desperation that had Armin admiring the view in front of him.
Jean wasn't a very built compared to someone like Erwin or even Levi. However, as a linebacker, he had the potential of getting there. Even for his age, Jean had an amazing build. He wasn't overly broad, nor that bulky. Muscles flexed and bulged with ever movement. Heck, he had an amazing ass. It was tight, round and absolutely delicious in those lovely green boxer shorts. Would look ten times better in boxer briefs, since it would hug his manly ass just right.
However lets get back to the fact that his muscles were amazing. Have you ever seen a back that curved at the right places with muscles flexing here and there? The sight of the skin had Armin wanting to come over there and lick at ever budge, curve, depression and twitch of flesh before him. Man, it was a sight to behold.
And a party was certainly knocking at the front door of Armin's pants, that's for sure.
Taking in a deep breath, the blond took a moment to calm his hormones. Just a moment, that's all. The sharp intake of breath caught Jean's attention, since the man glanced over his shoulder with a scowl. Though that scowl was replaced with a dazzling grin. It would have been considered an infectious smile, if it weren't for the fact that he was still sporting that nasty bruise and a swollen nose.
"Hey, you're back." Leaving the towel on his shoulder, the jock turned to face the blond. Thank whatever god that was watching over Armin. Last night's activities and the morning chaos didn't allow Armin to get a good look on the goods known as Jean's bod. Lets just say that the party that was knocking for the back view was now ramming the door down for the frontal view.
Tugging down the hem of his shirt, "Uh... Yeah..." Biting onto his lip, blue orbs couldn't seem to tear away from the sight before him. He was so close to saying fuck it and charge at the other male so he can lick away at the six pack before him. "... I want to tease every inch of you skin with my tongue..."
"Uh... what?" Jean blinked his one good eye. He had the expression that he couldn't believe what he just heard. Most likely thought it was a deluded fantasy that his injured brain made up. Sadly it wasn't and Jean was realizing this as he watched Armin try to hide his blushing face due to embarrassment.
"Nothing! Just... nothing." Armin began as held his face with his right hand and used his left to present the doggie bag from Ihop. "Here. I... I didn't know what you'd like, so I just got like... steak and eggs with a side of biscuits and gravy. It's most likely cold, so we can warm it up in the kitchen. Oh, and get some coffee or tea... or whatever that's like, non-alcoholic."
Armin felt the bag being pulled out of his grasp. It was something to expect. However what he didn't expect was to be pulled into a strong, warm hold. Remember that thing about wanting physical contact? Armin was obviously getting it right then and there and man... was he a happy blond coconut!
Snaking his arms around the other male's waist, Armin nuzzled into the small patch of chest hair. He wasn't going to ruin the moment with his mouth. Most likely would be rambling on like some dork, stating random facts and such. He was totally happy to just stand there and lean into the larger frame known as Jean Kirstein... Well, Jean Alphonse Kirstein.
He really couldn't live that one down. Heck, he was tempted to call the man Alphonse right then and there.
"Hey." was whispered into his ear. Armin couldn't stop the shiver running up his spine. Heck, feeling the scruffiness of Jean's chin against his cheek was causing all sorts of things to dance inside of him. "You gonna be okay? I couldn't help but overhear a bit of what happened in the living room."
Marry me! Just marry me already! Armin wanted to scream. Instead he just nodded his head and mumbled a soft, "Yeah... Just... Just a wake up call with real life."
The hold tightened, but not in an uncomfortable ohmyfuckengawd-you're-gonna-squeeze-my-innards-out sort of way. It was more of a tuck-the-blanket-more-securely sort of way. It was very warm and comforting. Not to mention relaxing. All the tension from the conversation he had with Levi just evaporated into thin air. But the most important factor, Armin felt self and secured in those arms.
"It'll be alright... um... I'm here, you know. So, just take it easy, don't rush into things and let it out when you need too." A kiss was pressed against the crown of golden locks. "Like I said, it'll be alright."
Armin nodded and sniffed loudly. Awh heck. Now he was crying. He couldn't be doing this. It was so like... unsexy and embarrassing. God, he was going 'worlds biggest crybaby' written on his tombstone. Right next to the whole dead weight part.
Jean wasn't letting go of Armin anytime soon. He just cradled the blond to his chest, mumbling sweet nothings as he did so. That was it. Thats what did it. The waterworks were now in full motion and there was no stopping it. Gawd, he must have looked like a total loser to Jean right then and there. Why the heck was he being so nice?!
They stood like that for a while, not daring to make any additional sounds. There was no need for it since Armin was just getting some things off his chest. Actually, he's been at this for a good 15 minutes, so its best he gets off of Jean's chest right now.
Pulling away, Armin rubbed at his teary eyes. "Thank you... sorry, I kind of got snot on your... hair..." He couldn't help but chuckle at his own stupidity. He was such a mess.
"Pfft. Snot. I had worse on my manly chest hair." And just to prove a point, Jean puffed his chest out. It was something that was ripped out of a classic Popeye scene. You know, when Bluto catches Olive's attention and Popeye gets jealous so all he does is huff and puffs and eventually catches the girl of his dreams. Yeah. Just like that.
Armin's chuckling erupted into a full bout of laughter as he rubbed away at his snot dripping nose. "Oh god! You're such a dork!"
Jean stood there going from beaming manliness to... uncertainty. He definitely didn't know if he should stand there, looking all proud that he had boogers on the little patch of hair that his prime teenage years would ever develop. Of course that only cause Armin to laugh even harder. It was something about the expression he was being given. Its as though Armin was stealing Jean's lollipop.
Watch out for the Dark Armin.
Latching onto the taller teen for a hug, "Thank you." was whispered out. Then Armin stood at the tippy toes just so he can give the man a kiss on his scruffy cheek.
"Anytime." Jean mumbled in a bashful manner as he returned the hug.
Pulling away, "Best you eat up quick. I gotta kick you out in a bit... Um, want to watch Mikasa fight today?"
As Armin spoke, Jean was already opening the containers of food. There a grunt at the mentioning of being kicked out, however his attention perked up when Mikasa was mentioned. "Fight?"
"Yeah. She does MMA at the local gym. Today is her tournament sooooo... if you want... That is, if its okay. I know you kind of drop the whole 'sleeping over a pals place' on your parents last night. So I suspect they'd expect you home some time soon?" Armin started to pace around his room. Occasionally he'd kick at an article of clothing or pick up some discarded trash he forgotten about.
It was obvious that Jean was absolutely famished. Seriously. The man was digging into the biscuits and gravy with his own bare hands. Sure you can pull that off, if you were just scooping up the white goop of amazing sausage gravy with the lovely baked fluffiness known as a biscuit. But nahhh. These lovely biscuits were smothered in that gravy. A good three or five hearty ladle full of grease, starch and bits of meat. Piled high to give even the healthiest of men a heart attack.
And Jean was scooping that bits of globs with his hands.
"Nah, my folks are okay. If they need me they'd call or somethin' like that." Licking at his fingers, Jean made quick work to start on his next plate of food. We have a starved child here folks! "Mmm... But yeah, I can totally come with. Let me just finish this up... Can't believe you got me a whole steak and egg order with this. Armin, you are amazing."
Blushing at the compliment, Armin just fiddled about with a discarded book's cover. "Um... Its nothing special, just figured you know... that you'd be hungry. Plus you took a beating this morning... How are you feeling by the way? Oh gawd, here I am rambling with my problems and your face looks like its about give birth to something."
"Awh gee, thanks for stating the fucken obvious. Really? About to give birth to something he says. What kind of description is that? Imagine giving that to a cop. 'Of yes Officer, he stands 6'5', weighs 'bout 210 and his face looks about to give birth to something. Most likely your mother Officer.'" Jean rolled his one good eye as he tore into the steak. Man, the boy was a mess. Globs of grease and steak juice was running off his chin and onto his bare chest. Mixing with the mess of clumpy white sausage gravy that was slowly making its way down the ride of the six-packs.
Sauntering on over, Armin couldn't keep the giggles at bay. The image was too much. Plus it was such a Jean thing to do. Really, he wouldn't be surprised if he got a call about how he had to spend a few days in holding because he pulled such a stunt off.
"You're too much." Armin whispered as he cupped Jean's face. Tenderly, he caressed the uninjured parts of the taller teen's features. The bruises will be there for the days to come and there wasn't much Armin could do. Honestly he hated that one fact, but alas that is how it is. Maybe he could kiss the bumps away. Well, that would be a childish concept.
Jean hummed in response. Leaning into the touches, the jock was in pure bliss. Heck, he forgot about his breakfast right then and there. You'd think he was sucked into a bubble and he could care less for what happened outside his bubble. If anything, Jean was determined to keep things inside his bubble as it was.
God, Armin wanted to kiss the man right then and there. He really did. He could do it. There was no penalty of doing so, as far as he could tell. Jean even stated that he wished for them to go out. So... it should be okay... right?
"What's wrong?" Jean's mumbling crawled its way into Armin's line of though.
Running his fingers through the brunette's sideburns, "Hrm? Oh... Just..." A bashful smile tugged at the corners of Armin's lips. "Can... I kiss you?"
A sharp brow rose at this question. Sadly, it wasn't enough to stop the shit-eating grin from forming on Jean's features. "I don't know... Last time I let that happened, you stated, quote-on-quote, 'I will fuck your brains out so hard that you wouldn't be walking straight for a week and will be cumming at the very thought of it all.' Sounds familiar right?"
Narrowing his eyes, Armin then tugged at the facial growing along Jean's jawline. A very harsh tug. The awarded yelp of pain brought some pleasure to Armin's mood. "Really Jean? Really? You're making me sound like some...some... Sex fiend!"
"Well you are!" Jean exclaimed as he rubbed at his abused sideburns. They were very sensitive. "Shit, I think you pulled a clump out! Armin, what the hell!? Its going to take me forever to grow them back now."
Rolling his eyes, "Know what, forget about that kiss. Just get dressed and get out. I have to be down at the dojo in like..." a quick glance at the time revealed that it was a quarter to four. "Less than an hour..."
"What?! Oh come on Armin! Don't be like that! I'm sorry! I am!" Jean whined as he tried to pull Armin closer to him. That only got the blond to huff and smack at the jock's finely build chest. It would have been an enjoyable experience, if it weren't for the disgusting, wet, SPLAT of his hand connecting with a glob of cold breakfast grease.
"..."
"..."
"Dude, this is disgusting. Oh. My. Gawddddd... EWWWWWWWWW! GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"
"OH COME ON ARMIN! ITS JUST GRAVY!"
"AND ITS ON MY HAND JEAN! GET OUT! EWWWW!"
After that lovely episode, Levi could be heard voicing his displeasure of having two messy brats in his home. Normally, Armin or anyone that knew Levi well enough, would be joking back with him on this case. However, this wasn't going to happen. Nerves were still exposed to the discussion the pair shared earlier. So, of course an argument was provoked between the vertically challenged pair of the household.
Jean was beyond uncomfortable with the whole situation. It was obvious, since he was edging around the room to get to the door. Heck, he was pulling Armin along with him, desperately trying to shut him up. Of course nothing good ever happened with that one. The pair looked ready to deck it out right then and there.
"God damnit Arlert! I had enough of your shit! Take your damn fuck toy and get out of the house!" A duster was thrown at the said blond's direction. "I don't want to your damn face for the rest of the day!"
Ducking behind the kitchen bar, Armin's angry shouts were heard. "Fuck you, you damn dwarf! Don't you have some midget porn rehearsals to go for anyway?!" If it were any other day, they would have had a laugh at that one. Sadly that wasn't going to happen.
There was a moment of shocked silence coming from the other room. Armin didn't dare to look over the bar. He could feel the death glare burning down on the back of his neck. Oh gawd, why did he have to say that?! Why did he even mention his height? Armin wasn't suicidal. He swears on his mother's grave that he wasn't.
"...You little piec-"
Something pulled Armin's shirt with a sharp jerk.
"-of blond shit! When I get my fucken hands-"
Armin didn't have time to respond to the fact that he was being manhandled. All he knew was that he was being drag across the kitchen floor and out the door. Thank god he was being dragged out, because not a moment has passed before something breaking was heard.
Oh yeah, he was definitely in deep shit for this stunt.
Shoved up against the side of the Camaro, Armin caught sight of Jean rushing to the driver side. The doors unlocked with a loud snap and in Armin's dazed state of mind, he couldn't even register it. At least till Jean yank the door open from within and pulled him in.
Yet again Levi was a second too late. With the car rushing past the house, Armin caught sight of his guardian in the rear view mirror, armed with a baseball bat.
"What the fuck? Like... What the fuck?! God damnit Armin, what the fuck was that all about?! Holy shit... Man, oh fuck man... Are you okay? Fuck that. You obviously are not." He'd look from the road to Armin and back again. That wasn't a situation anyone wanted to be in. Nor did it stop him from going, 'oh shit, oh fuck... oh fuck shit piss... ohh fuuuuuucccckkk' underneath his breath.
"Jean... Just... Just shut up." Armin mumbled as he curled up in the passenger side seat. Reaching into his pockets a pack of camels were produce. Slipping a stick between his lips, "Lets... lets talk about something else. Anything. Please."
"Oh... Um... Okay." Jean began as he began to pull off his Letterman jacket off with one hand. The jacket was then tossed onto Armin. Something the blond was very grateful for. "How about... Directions? To that fight...?"
Both teens cringed at the mentioning of fight. They just managed to dodge a rather nasty one. Don't even try to imagine what sort of damage an ex-Royal Marine could do with their fists alone. Or with a baseball bat. Armin would most likely would be in the hospital's ICU ward – if Levi expressed some sort of restraint.
"Yeah, just head down this street and turn right on 14th." Pulling on the jacket, Armin took a moment to bury himself into the familiar scent known as Jean. God, he loved this. Then he was searching for a lighter. Once he got the object of his desires was in his hands did Armin find another measure of relief behind a lit stick of tobacco.
The rest of the ride was spent in silence, excluding the moments when Armin rattled off a direction or two. It wasn't that long of a ride. Just 15 minutes as they went deeper into the slums of Shiganshina district. It was then that Jean could get a good look at what a difference it was to live on this side of the rail road.
"Did that asshole just deck that woman in the face?" Jean exclaimed as they passed a scene at a corner in front of a bodega.
"Yeah." Armin stated drily. "Don't give it much thought and keep on driving."
"... How can you say that?" The car stopped at the light. Jean was fidgeting in his seat, often peering at the rear view mirror to watch the scene behind him.
"Because being a hero in these parts will only get you beaten, your personal property stolen and then organs gutted for the black market. Course, by then you can't do anything because you're bleeding to your death in some back alley..." He trailed off, thinking on his words. It made Levi's words sound like a blessing. He really was just worried about Armin's well being.
Sighing in defeat, Armin mumbled off yet again. "Its a harsh life out here, but its not that bad. You just have to... mind your own business from time to time."
"I don't get how you can manage that..." Jean mumbled off. Red eventually turned to green and they were heading off again.
"Honestly, I hate it..." Whatever was left over from the cigarette butt was used to light up a fresh stick. Flicking the butt out the window, "I wish I could do something. Anything really. But that won't happen anytime soon, so best just... watch out for your own, right?"
Jean nodded at that, "Yeah, makes sense. What's next, you carry around a piece and involved in some gang?"
Armin scoffed in amusement. Really... him? Involved in a gang? "Yeah, that will be the day. My white ass getting recruited to meanest crew on the streets... Ha."
Jean laughed at that one. It was an amusing image when you thought on it. "Right, right. What about the piece statement?"
"Hrm?" Armin blinked some and then shrugged. Taking a drag off his smoke, "I have a .40 Smith 'n' Weston back home. I have it stashed just under my headboard of my bed. Levi has a whole arsenal in his room though." The mentioning of that man brought an unpleasant tighten to his gut.
"Holy fucken shit... Here I thought I wanted to date some innocent lookin' kinky blond with a monster cock and I end up finding out that you're little bad ass."
"Oh gawd, not this again. I swear I'm not even that big... Heck, I didn't even measure this darn thing. Actually, never mind that." Turning to the brunette, "You're serious, about the dating thing? Oh, just turn on the next corner. Its right next to a Crown Chicken."
Jean nodded as he steered the vehicle down the street. "Yes, I am serious about it." Scratching at his blushing cheek, "If... well, if you don't mind. I know I'm all fancy and stuff, but c'mon. Lets admit it. I'm fucken irresistible." and winks.
Armin just stared at the other male. Well... more like gawk. Come on. Jean really had some gall to pull that one on him. Then again, it made him feel bubbly and happy. He couldn't even stop grinning at this point. "Really? You want to date me? A loser who sneaks out of class to get high on rooftops and apparently has a bigger dick than you have?"
"Oh yeah, rub that one right on in why don't ya." Huffing out this statement, Jean searched for some decent parking.
"Oh, there would totally be some rubbing in during this relationship." He couldn't help the cheekiness. Gawd, he was so happy!
"Oh, ha ha." Finding a good spot to park, the car slid on in like a glove. "So, I take it that its a yes?"
Slapping the jock's bicep with the extra long sleeve known as Jean's Letterman jacket, "Of course silly! I... wow. I can't believe you want to date me is all..."
Shrugging some at that, Jean just flashed a charming grin. Though, it drop the second it came on. "I do... But, there's one thing Imma ask though... I understand if you don't wanna go through with it, but ya know..." shrugs some at that.
That certainly plug a hole in Armin's bubble of happiness. What on earth was he going to ask? That they get on with the frickle frackle right then and there?
Killing the engine caused the car to finally come to a complete stop. Outside the yells of pedestrians could be heard within the mix of Hispanic music and cars zooming past. Occasionally you'd hear the loud thumps of deliveries being unloaded from trucks.
As the seconds ticked, so did Armin's anxiousness. He wasn't so certain as to what to think about all of this. On top of that, it seemed as though Jean was tugging at his leg. Whats next, was he going to yell out 'No homo' and cast him off to the side? Hopefully not.
"Umm Jea-"
"Armin I-"
The boys spoke at once, cutting each other off as they did so. The smile was a bit forced on Armin's part, but he motioned for the taller boy to continue on.
Jean nodded at that and then took a deep breath. "Umm... You know, I'm on the football team, right?" Armin nodded at this. "Well, I know for a fact that a load of the guys a bunch of homophobes. I'm not sure if you know," oh, Armin knew alright, "but I definitely don't want to deal with that sort of issue in the locker room. Heck, even in the game. I need to get that scholarship Arm, even if it means I have to hide who I am..."
That was it? That's what he was asking Armin to do? Armin couldn't get angry at this... well, there wasn't a request made. But it was obvious what he was saying. They had to hide their relationship. The question now, was to whom they hide it from?
Pulling out a third cigarette, "I understand where you're coming from. Gridiron and all are just filled with hot headed lumps of testosterone and bible thumping, gun trottin', right wing fucks." He paused to light the cigarette. "I don't mind this, but I have to ask... to what extent are we going, cause... Eren and Mikasa know about this morning's activities. And trust me, you can't say No Homo to that one."
Chuckling some Jean slowly nodded as a response. "... I... I don't mind them, since they are your best pals. Well, I'd mind Eren since he can't keep his mouth shut.. Though if he keeps it shut, then that's good. Um... I should say just keep it to your close pals. At school, you know, we act like we're straight as fuck but outside and away from the team – I should say – we can like, iunno, do whatever the fuck we want. I'm not ashamed of being with you. Its just... football and my sexuality ain't gonna mix anytime soon."
Armin hummed at that one. "True... I have to ask though, why are you aiming for an Athletic scholarship? You know you can get full ride scholarships from other sponsors, right?"
Jean glanced away and glared out the window. A mother of five could be seen walking past as a messenger weaved their way through the family. "I'm not very good with academics... well, I wasn't before. Thanks to your help though, well..." he trailed off and glanced at Armin. "I guess I can try for it, but that means you'll loose out on your deal with Shardis."
"Yeahhhhhh..." he frowned at that one. "You really need that scholarship eh? What College were you aiming for anyway?"
"Yale." he said softly and tugged the hem of his t-shirt. "Like... sure, my family is well off with the businesses and all, but they can't afford Yale. They're already breaking an arm and a leg for my sister's education and that's with grants and loans pitching in for help. They wouldn't be able to afford a tuition rate like that."
"Thus why you need the scholarships..." Armin supplied. "Of all colleges, you want to go to Yale?" He was rather impressed that the man beside him had such a goal set for himself.
"Yeah. They have some of the top Pre-law programs in the country."
If Armin was impressed at the choice of college this boy wanted to go for, then he was blown off feet at the choice of major. Pre-law?! Jean wanted to become a lawyer?!
"... Your GPA alone won't get you into Yale." Armin stated in a bitter tone.
"Tch." Jean glared at the dashboard. "I know that you jer-"
"You have two years to fix that up though." Armin cut his way through before another comment was said.
Jerking his head to the side, Jean's scowl deepened as he studied the blond. "What are you getting at Arlert?" He only said Arlert when he was serious and ticked off. There was no fun and games when it concerned Jean's pride and dreams apparently.
"Since you're my boyfriend now, I'll be taking on the responsibility to see to that your grades improve." Taking a drag from his cigarette, "And on top of that I will be at your side, helping you out in every way possible to get you in."
Jean blinked a moment as he stared at petite boy in front of him. "... You'd... do that?"
Nodding, "Yes. Boyfriend or not, we're friends Jean. Friends help each other out. Though, since you're my boyfriend now, I'll be going out on an extra limb on the helping." winks.
Jean released an airy laugh at that one. "Really now? You make it sound like I'm one of those... the fuck do they call em. Those little Tamicoochie thingies."
"Tamicoochie? Tami's coochie? Really Jean... you cheating on Tami with me? I'm not sure what to say about this." A blush blossomed onto his cheeks as Armin sang this out. He really couldn't say naughty phrases without blushing sadly.
Jean's jaw went slacked as he stared at the teen across from him. "... Really? You'd think I'd touch such a thing with a ten-foot pole. Everyone knows Tami is the bicycle of the school." Barking out a laugh, the jock shook his head.
Shaking his head along with that, "Don't remind me... I still remember why I'm gay in the first place. Anyway!" Uncurling himself from the seat, Armin leaned over the console. Reaching out, nimble fingers grazed along the the taller boy's undercut. "You're talking about Tamagotchi, first off. Second, I want this." And Jean was pulled down for a loving kiss.
Talk about taking initiative Arlert. Then again, Armin has been wanting to kiss the man ever since he left the house with Eren and Mikasa. God this was better than smoking those Camels earlier. Maybe he should have used a Listerine strip for his breath. Yeah, Armin was totally going to quit. Kissing cigarette slime mouths are nasty.
Though, Jean doesn't seem to mind. If anything, he was really getting into it all. Just feeling the other teen's tongue brushing against Armin's brought an intense amount of pleasure to his system. It was as though someone injected an IV line of pure dopamine into him. Their tongues swirling and dancing along against one another at a pleasurable pace. There was no need to fight for dominance here. They were comfortable with each other like the winds against the ocean's surface. Do not be fooled though, because their passion came at rhythmic flow of a gratifying high.
Nails scraped against Jean's scalp as Armin tried to pull the other man closer. The blond was rewarded with a groan of pleasure that rumbled off of Jean's chest. A shiver ran down his spine just hearing such a sound being emitted. Armin couldn't help but voice out his pleasure in response.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Jean pulled away, trying to find the source of the alien sound. However Armin wasn't going to let him do that. For all he knew it was some sort of pigeon. Pulling that lovely face back to his own, Armin deepened the kiss further. That got Jean distracted.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
"Oi! You're going to catch something from that Horsefucker Arm."
Blue orbs stared into a pair of annoyed auburn. They both knew who it was. It was none other than Eren – fucken – Jeager. Seriously, his friend has to stop pulling stunts like these. All the darn time. Its as though it was a running joke in some sort of... he didn't know... A fan novel!? Something cliché like that.
Pulling away from each other, both boys sent a glare through the driver side window. Low and behold, there stood Eren with an angry scowl fixed on wearing a classic skeleton hoody and a pair of worn down jeans. Did I mention that he look angry enough to ram his fist through the glass? Yeah. That sort of angry.
Sighing some, Armin spared his friend a smile before placing kiss onto Jean's cheek. "Its time we head inside anyway."
Stepping out of the car, Armin could already hear the other two argue. It hasn't even been two seconds and these two were at it. At least it was... somewhat amusing. Why else would Armin lean against the car and watch the interactions.
"Why are you trading slobber with this jerk Armin?" Jean was trying to get out of the car, but apparently Eren wouldn't allow that since he kept on pushing the door closed.
"God fucken dammit Jeager! You're really starting to piss me off!" Jean could be heard inside. Most likely was ready slam the door into his rival's junk.
"You can go home now, Kirstein!" Why exactly was Armin befriending people that had the epic shit-eating grins known to man kind?
"I'm here with Armin, so piss off! Oh fuck this, I'm going to run your ass over." The door was forced open one last time before the engine could be heard roaring to life. Apparently Jean was serious about his threat.
"What? Arm, is that true?" Armin nodded to the question. That only got the scraggly eyebrow teen to fume. "Oh come on! This is suppose to be about us. God dammit... first he's sucking your dick and now you're both sucking each other's teeth out. What gives?"
"We actually decided to start dating Eren. So, get use to the fact that Jean will be hanging around me a lot mor- oh god damnit. Eren!" Too late, his friend was storming off.
"What's his problem?" Jean asked as he emerged from the car.
Good question. Armin thought. Watching Eren's form disappear into the dojo, the blond couldn't help but sigh. He knew his friend well enough to guess why he was upset. But to actually storm off like that? That isn't like him at all. Even if it did involved Jean.
Of course there was the fact that Eren was only use to his social triangle. That did make sense in Armin's mind. Even he would find it weird if he got word that Eren was starting to date someone Armin disliked.
"... He doesn't share well. But don't worry, I'll talk to him later. Lets head inside before we're locked out." Walking around the car, Armin didn't bother to reach out for Jean. Instead he just beckoned the other teen to follow along.
"You're going to have to explain to me one of these days how on earth you manage to deal with that asshole." Jean grumbled from behind.
The dojo itself looked to be a hole in a wall place with a glass door as its only entrance. Mind you, it had the most generic sign as far as stenciling goes for a company. Fall of Maria was what it read and if you weren't careful, you'd most likely missed out finding the place. Apparently when in construction, the architect wanted to deceive the public. It was actually a fairly large establishment, that stretched out into the city block. No complaints on that part though, since this gym happens to be the best in the Shiganshina district. So you can imagine the amount of customers that come flying through here.
Plastered onto the front of the door, a poster of tonight's match could be seen. It was between the local gyms in the area. Though everyone was more interested in the main event, that being Mikasa versus a... well, the contestant was known as a Veronica 'Smiles' Anderson. Not much was known other than the girl being fairly new to the area. Plus, there was her score of 2-0-0.
Armin highly doubted that the fight would hold much promise. Knowing Mikasa, she'd stomp the newcomer and protect her title yet again.
"Smiles? What kind of a stage name is that?" Jean asked as they slip into the building.
Waving at the girl at the front desk, Armin made quick work on signing them in. "Its better than Joker. Who knows, maybe she'll play the main theme song."
The demonstration hall was empty, saved for a few signs that lead guests toward the back of the building. That's where the cage were set up for today's excitement. Armin personally wasn't looking forward to watching people smash their faces in, however it was all for his best friend. So, he can definitely hang around and enjoy this.
"I never listened to the Dark Knight soundtrack." Jean grumbled off. "I can't even remember if there was one..."
"The Dark Knight version is... eh? I'm thinking of the original Batman movie. The '89 one that sounded like a remix of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker stuff."
"Oh. My. Gawd. You are a nerd." Teasing the shorter male, Jean's arm shot out so that he could hold the door open for Armin. What was once silence turned into a roar of cheers and taunts. The next room over was soundproofed for a reason. Not to mention there was that faint smell of feet.
Armin couldn't stop the smirk from growing. "Are you complaining? Because last I heard, you wanted to date this here nerd." They shared a laugh at that one. They couldn't deny that wonderful bit of information.
"Just wondering, anyone else fro... oh wow." Standing by the door, Jean stared at the sight before him in semi-shock. Honestly, Armin didn't know why he was acting like that. It wasn't a special sight. It was just a open area with folks gathering about on the stands, circling an Octagon cage.
Maybe it had to do with the fact that a fight was already happening in the middle of the cage. And let me tell you, it wasn't a pretty one. Both contestants were exchanging blows as they struggled in a clinch. It didn't seem all that bad, since all you can see is a fist being thrown randomly. But those fists felt like a ton of bricks when they connected. Heck, Armin knew that his ribs would break if he took more than one blow from the current fighters.
Tugging at Jean's hand, "Hey, come on. Lets go find some seats. I think I see Eren over there..."
Indeed they found Eren alright, sitting next to his mother Carla. Jean didn't seem too pleased about it, however Armin wasn't going to hear it. He wanted to sit by his best friend and his mom. The blond actually missed Carla. She was a great lady. Seriously, she always invited Armin over for dinner and didn't even care for the fact that he was gay or that his guardian was a stripper. Most mothers would be appalled by the idea. However Carla was cool with it. Plus she made the best hot wings known to man kind. Oh, and her chicken and dumplings was amazing. If you can cook like that, then it won't take much for Armin to love you. He was all about food, since most of the time what he ate was take out, microwaved dinners and an occasional baked good made out of a box of stuff. Aka his brownies.
Talking about brownies... He really wanted one right now. Ah well.
"I don't want to look at that damn horse." Eren grumbled into Armin's ear.
"What the hell is that douche bag saying this time?" Jean grumbled into the other ear.
I swear, these two were the worse.
"Armin, I see you managed to make it and with a friend!" Carla exclaimed with a kind smile. Oh how Armin loved her. "Though he looks like he gotten mixed up in a cage fight..."
Jean rubbed at the back of his neck as he tried to hid his injured face. There was a mumble of, 'Blame it on your son.' Thankfully it was drowned out over the audience's enthusiastic yells.
Flashing a grin, Armin yank Jean over so that Carla could get a better look at him. "This is Jean! Jean, this is Eren's mom, Carla. We've started dating and apparently your son hates it."
"Mom, don't associate yourself with this horse faced looser." Eren whined as he tried to protect his mother's eyes from the sight known as Jean Kirstein.
"Horse faced looser?! At least I'm not acting like an overgrown child!" Leaning against Armin, Jean's burly arm stretched out to poke at Eren's shoulder.
"The fuck did you just say?! And don't touch me!" Eren poked the taller teen back.
"You heard me Jeager!" Pokes back.
It was a poking war that was occurring over Armin's head. Why? Oh god why!?
"... Armin, are you sure you're dating him?" Carla finally pipe up as she watched the interaction with an amused look.
Shifting his gaze from the current fight, a thick brow was raised in confusion. "Yeah... Why?"
"The sexual tension between these two is telling me other wise."
There was a pause between the boys as they registered what was being said. Armin on the other hand was giggling into Jean's Letterman jacket. Bravo Ms. Jeager! Bravo. You officially got these two to shut up.
"MOM!"
"WHAT?!"
Both boys then glanced at each other and pulled a face of disgust. "EWWWWWWW!" was squealed in union.
Lets just say that Armin and Carla would never live this one down. If anything, it would be the best way to get them to shut up. Think about it. All you had to do was make some cheesy lewd comment like 'bow wow chicka wow wow' when they were arguing. It was absolutely perfect!
"Mom, that's disgusting. You know that right? You're not even allowed to make comments like that."
"Eren, you're going to be a 17 year old man, who happens be sexually active and I know where your porn stash is hidden. If I know these facts, accept these facts, then I am allowed to state such facts. Now, hush while I try to figure out who is dating who and what is happening." The elderly woman patted at her son's shoulder and turned toward a giggling Armin.
"Carla, you are an amazing woman. Don't listen to your son's whining. Keep at it. Keep on preaching the truth. We, the people, must know the truth!" A sicken crack of the jaw echoed over the the cheering. Cringing, "Oh my gawd! Eewwwwwwww! What on earth happened to his face! Jean! Jean! There is sooooo much blood! Oh my gawd. Ewww!" Shaking his hands in a frantic display of disgust, Armin tried to hide his face against Jean's shoulder.
Sadly, not only Jean, but Eren as well were cheering at the acts of violence. Seriously, how can they be so happy about watching acts of barbaric violence like that?! It was disgusting. You should see the other guy! His whole face was covered in blood thanks to a nasty cut. At least that fight was over.
"I still wonder why Mikasa is determined to practice such a sport." Carla sighed some as she leaned against her seat. Looking over at Jean, "So, you name is Jean?" She pronounced is as Jsh-een.
"Ah, no. Its Jsh-ahn. Jsh-ahn Kirstein." Jean stated with a nervous grin. Rubbing at his undercut, "But yeah, that's me. And... I'm with him... There isn't anyone else from school here, right Arm?"
"Hrm? Oh, um... Well, Reiner and Bert have graduated. Annie might be around, but she wouldn't care about that sort of thing. Then there's Mikasa, but she's most likely getting ready for her fight." Turning toward Eren, "When is Mikasa's match going to start anyway?"
"Uhh... That's like, in two fights. Right Mom?" Eren glanced over at the woman in question.
She raised a brow at her son and then shrugged. "Something like that... Why are you concerned if someone at school is here?" Carla Jeager was already starting to judge Jean right then and there.
The said boy cringed a bit at the question. "I'm on the football tea-"
"Was on the football team." Eren interjected.
"Still am." was snapped back. "My grades are improving, so I should be back on the team in about a week or two."
"Oh great. Now I can look forward to that meat shield for our next game." Of course Trost High's runner would state that one.
Rolling his eyes, Jean then turned his attention back to Carla, "Homophobia is big within the rank of Trost High's football team. And I need an athletic scholarship for the college of my choice. Normally I wouldn't care, but this is something I need to do. Even if it means hiding who I am..." Trailing off, the brunette glanced down at the ground with a heavy sigh.
"Yeah, its why I don't announce myself so loudly at school." Armin supplied as he watched the next fight begin preparations. It was just a check up to make sure all equipment was set up properly and that there wasn't anything illegal being brought into the cage.
"Ah, right. Trost is so... sophisticated with its right winged conservatives and bible thumping white folk." Carla shook her head at this. "One of the reasons why I never moved out of Shiganshina district. Its a tough place to live in, but the people here would see your worth as person for your actions more than your labels. Course that's not saying the district doesn't have its fair share of homophobia. There's no escape of it. Just like there's no escaping us hetros."
"Its really unfair though." Eren stated as he slouched back. "Like, why does it matter who you lay your bed with? Like, I remember reading a study about how kids growing up with homosexual parents are actually more well off than those in hetro households. Yet you got people denying these claims."
"Its cause it broaches the topic of sex." Armin began as leaned further into Jean's shoulder. The said teen smiled while wrapping a strong arm around the skinner teen. "Depending on what community you're stuck with, you can have a very prudish upbringing. So of course when you mention anything with sex that goes against someone's belief, they would state first off, how disgusting it is, then deny the facts and make up some sort of vulgar, perverse situation of why it shouldn't happen in the first place. I like to call this ignorance by the way."
In the background the ringer was heard going off. The next fight started with the contestants pacing back and forth trying to figure out the best tactic to start off the fight with.
Carla laughed, "Oh, how right you are Armin. Oh how right you are." Glancing back at Jean, "I can't blame you for that one. Its nice to know that someone is serious about their life goals..." she tugged at her son's ear, just to get her point across.
Swatting at the hand, "Hey! I'm serious! I'm serious. Just... give me a minute to figure it all out."
"Awhh! Look at Jeager getting all flu- holy shit!" Jean jump up and motioned to the fight.
Armin jolted up in shock as he looked over the cage. The scene went from slow to fast in the matter of moments. Red gloves was on the floor as blue went for a ground and pound. It wasn't as brutal as the fight before hand, however it was just as nasty. Luckily the referee came in just in time before the blows became more lethal.
"Jean... Sit your fine ass down." Armin grumbled as he cocooned himself in that Letterman jacket. Seriously, what was so exciting about a man straddling another man... Wow, those bike shorts do look amazing.
"But Armin, look! It was... totally kill worthy reaction. Maybe I should get into this. Think Mikasa could show me some basic moves to try out at home?"
"Mikasa would own your ass." Eren jeered. "She'd most likely tell you to try to break out of Armin's hold first before agreeing to such a thing. For some odd reason Armin has this unbelievably tight hold." Was... Eren actually trying to be nice?
Armin glanced over at his friend, noting the scrunched up expression. The blond couldn't help but smile at this. Eren just gave him a pitiful shrug of the shoulders. He was trying. Something Armin was grateful for.
He was still going to give Eren shit though.
"Mikasa has no ownership on Jean's ass. I do Eren. Only me." Leaning against his friend, Armin hook an arm around Eren's. "Unless you want to... ya know, release some of that built up tension."
"Armin! Oh come on! Its weird enough as it is that I have to know you're getting head from a horse! And geddoff!"
Making a kissy face at Eren, Armin's hold tightened around Eren. "C'mon lovah boy. Give me some lovings!"
"Oh hell no! Armin! Come on man, seriously stop it! Duddddeeee, this is gaaayyyy! Jean, control your the monster here. Come on! Eww, Help! Oh gawd. Mom don't laugh! Stop laughing!"
That's pretty much how the next 30 minutes were spent as the group waited on Mikasa's match. Honestly no one cared much for the other fights. Maybe Jean, since this was his first time watching a cage match that wasn't behind a television screen. Also, Armin didn't latch onto Eren for much longer. Instead he turned his attention to Jean. He really couldn't help but squeal at some of the violence being displayed.
Also he got to feel up on those wonderful muscles that made up Jean's figure. Seriously, you should feel his thighs. They were like... ogawd amazing. Actually, no. You do not touch these thighs. These thighs now belong to Armin Arlert. End of story.
The most eventful match happened to be Annie's. She wasn't in the gym system for long in order to get a match for the title belt. However, she had the potential for climbing up the ladder for that given match. Just another two or three fights and she'd be right there challenging the champion for the Lightweight belt.
It was 4 minutes of clever fighting. It wasn't just, go in there and beat your way to the top. She knew her opponent would be bigger and stronger than she was. So she did what was the smart. Wear her opponent down with clinches, kicks, elbow blows and submission holds.
It ended with Annie pulling off a Kimura on the bigger girl. It was a submission hold that involved joint locking. Basically think about your shoulder being hyper-flexed all the way behind you to the point that it was threatening to dislocate, but it wasn't going to happen. It was an immense amount of pain to endure. Armin would know. He had experience something similar to a Kimura before, when he was younger.
The referee ended up declaring a TKO, thus handing the win to Annie. If he had allowed the short blond to continue on, the injuries sustained would have been permanent. Plus, I doubt anyone wanted to see anymore bones being forced out of their sockets. One event was enough as it is.
After that, Mikasa's fight came up. And let me tell you, the crowd was ten times more enthusiastic for this match. Not that there was anything wrong with Annie's fight. Its just the fact that Mikasa's fights were always the best. Some of them were drawn out if the challenge was good. Other times they ended quick with a powerful blow delivered to the head. She was the Fall of Maria's undefeated women's division light heavyweight champion for a reason. Defended that belt 7 times already.
"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit." Jean could be heard, bubbling with excitement as he jitter about in his seat.
Armin too was jittery due to excitement as he leaned further against Jean. "Hush you! The Announcer is about come up. I love this part."
"Really? You want to hear him say ready for rumble?" The all too familiar airy chuckle brushed against Armin's ear. The blond couldn't help but tighten his grip on the taller teen in response.
"No. I just love how he introduces Mikasa." And as soon as Armin said this, the announcer came up. Course they only did this for show, since it wasn't an actual sanctioned UFC battle. Still, was fun as heck to watch.
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the main event of the night!" The voice boomed as a sharp looking black man could be seen in the ring, holding a microphone to his lips. He was a looker, as far as Armin was concerned. Seriously, you should those biceps bulged as he held the mic. " In category of The Woman's Garrison Division Light Heavyweight championship here at Shiganshina District's Fall of Maria I present you the one, the only, 20th Titans Rumble Match! Presiding this event we have the judges Cody Bryant, Barbra Holmes, and Bobbie Clayton with our referee, Kitts Verman!"
There was a pause. A very dramatic pause as silence swept over the crowd. Everyone was at the edge of their seats, staring intensely at the announcer. They wanted to hear it. They wanted to know the opposing forces that would be fighting tonight. They all wanted it to start already!
"Now." was said slowly as the man shifted his stance. Looking over the crowd with a grin, "In the red corner weighing in at 150 pounds with a record of 12 wins, 9 by way of KO and 0 losses, the current womens undefeated Fall of Maria's Light Heavyweight champion, "The Juggernaut" Mikasa ACKERMAAAANNNNNNNN!"
The majority of the audience was on their feet, yelling out their support to the current champion of the women's Light Heavyweight belt. It was insane how much energy was being poured out by the masses. You could be sitting by the side, not wanting to join in on such excitement because you weren't the type of person to do so. However it was deemed impossible. It was as though the atmosphere itself was curling around your limbs and pulling you up. Next thing you knew was that you were yelling and screaming out unintelligent phrases just to show off your support.
And let me tell you, if you thought that was loud you should have heard the crowd when Mikasa came up to the ring.
Pumping her gloved fists up in the air, the stoic female jogged a lap around the ring. She was strong as she was beautiful. Mikasa's figure was built to be what was described as humanity's strongest. Sure the excessive muscles would have been deemed as unattractive – to some – however this was Mikasa we were talking about. Wearing a pair of women fight shorts with a sports bra over the chest protector, everyone could see the what made up Mikasa's beauty. Heck, if Armin wasn't gay, he would have been chasing after Mikasa himself.
It wasn't till the crowd calmed down when the announcer continued. Heck, you could hear in his voice that he wasn't as enthusiastic for introducing the opponent, however he had to keep it up beat. He was, after all, the neutral part. "Her opponent in the blue corner, weighing in at 153 pounds with a record of 2 wins by TKO and Zero losses, from Shina district's Stohless please welcome.. Veronica "Smiles" Andersooooooooooonnnnnnn!"
Other than the additional three pounds, the contestant had a huge advantage considering height and arm reach. The female looked to be 6'3''. An additional 8 inches over Mikasa. And from the look of those lanky arms, she could easily keep Mikasa at bay with her punches. What was more disturbing was this so called Veronica's face. It looked as though she took on a full tank of the Joker's laughing gas with how wide her grin was. Manic wasn't even the word to describe why this female was standing there with an open wide grin. Her lips were pulled so far back that you could even see the teeth located at the back of her mouth.
At least we knew why she called Smiles. She most likely was on a continuous supply of anti-psychotic medicine in order to keep to a sane state of mind for today's match. Seriously, it was eerie and right down creepy. Like a nightmare of a horrid future that has to come. Just in a form of a freakishly large monster.
A shiver ran up Armin's spine as he thought on that idea. It left an awful taste in his mouth. Heck, he wanted to crawl somewhere and hide for the rest of his life if such an idea were to become reality.
"What's wrong?" Jean whispered as he watched the referee check both fighters and read off the rulings.
"That Smiles character... Freaky as all fucken shit." Armin mumbled softly. Both fighters tapped gloves and went back to their corners.
"You're telling me?" The ringer went off and the cheering went wild. "I think I'mma have nightmares because of that woman." Immediately Veronica was on Mikasa, slugging it away with poorly aimed blows. It was obvious that the woman wasn't use to fighting someone as fast as Mikasa. Though she knew how to fight someone that was shorter than her.
"You have no clue man... Like, that face is something I would be tripping balls over that if I got my hands on a stash of shrooms again." Mikasa is countering the blows now. If he was closer, Armin would most likely hear the thundering crunching of her fist connecting the other female's flesh. That was a nasty liver blow Smiles had to endure. "YEAH! YEAH! BEAT HER! BEAT THAT FREAKY LOOKING THING!"
Jean laughed loudly at Armin's antics. He was use to it all by now, since Armin has been bouncing up and down on his seat for most of the fights. Even for Annie's he was very enthusiastic. "Shrooms? Really? What's the list of drugs you're currently taking?" It sounded like teasing, but Armin had a feeling that he was also being serious.
Mikasa got caught in a clinch just after her blow was delivered. Apparently Smiles needed a moment to recover. Shame that blow wasn't enough to take Smiles down.
"I stick to weed mainly. I tried shrooms cause Hanji had it in her bag and I was looking for munchies. Um... other than that, Igot Valium for anxiety. But I haven't had a need for them, so I keep them around just in case." Mikasa hook her right leg under Smiles and executed an ankle sweep takedown. This gave the shorter female the opportunity to fully mount the larger woman. Mikasa didn't hesitate to hammer her fists down, not much as batting an eye when her opponent tried to block.
Now Jean was joining in on the cheering. Heck, Armin didn't know who was louder, Eren or Jean. Maybe he was. He couldn't tell since everyone was going nuts when Mikasa got the leverage. Heck if this continued then it would be yet another easy win for Mikasa!
"Juggernaut! Juggernaut! Juggernaut! Kill! Kill! Kill!" The crowd chanted.
A blue glove caught onto a pair of reds, stopping Mikasa for just a millisecond. That's all that was needed before Smiles twisted her body around into a half guard. It didn't look like it was affective, but in Armin's eyes it was obvious what the taller female was trying to do. She was trying to get Mikasa out of the full mount and putting some control on the situation.
"No!" Armin cried out as he latched onto Jean's arm yet again.
The fighters were on their side, exchanging yet more blows. Mikasa was obviously trying to flip the taller woman over, however it had no effect. Because of the advantage of arm reach, Smiles managed to push Mikasa's hands away. Mikasa isn't able to flip them over, but they were still on their flanks. At least that counted for something.
"Come on Mikasa! Take side control and roll that bitch off of you!" Eren shouted in vain.
"Throw that doosey off of you 'Kasa!" Carla yelled along side her son. Hopefully that message could be heard over the shouts.
As the struggling continued between the ladies, Smiles made a big mistake on her part and turned her back toward Mikasa. Another opportunity was taken. Submission was dealt by wrapping her legs the lanky woman's waistline. One bare arm was wrapped around Smiles' neck and the free on pulled, thus executing a rear naked choke.
"Don't let go Mikasa! Don't let go!" Armin cried out as the others hollered beside him, expressing their support for their friend.
Everyone was shouting at this point. Not like it was any different from earlier. But just to see their champion put their all into one move. Just one move. That was all that was needed in order to determine a win or loss to a fight like this. Just a little more and eventually that freaky looking bitch would tap out and it would be a win by submission. That's all that was needed.
But that didn't happened. Of course it didn't happen. The good guy never gets to have it easy.
No one seen the elbow coming. Blood spurted out from the nostrils as Mikasa was knocked off. Smiles was up on her feet in a matter of seconds, ready to charge forward and take advantage. However the referee, Kitts Vernman, intervened. Smiles backed off as Mikasa got up onto her feet.
Kitts was about to let the fight to resume, however the ringer went off. It was the end of the first round. The end of the first five minutes of the match. There was no way that all happened within the length of five minutes. There was just too much happening all at once.
Though, this was a good thing. This gave Mikasa a minute to rest and get her nose checked out. Just to make sure it wasn't serious enough so that she could continue on. Course as this happened her coach was beside her with an ice pack and motivational advice.
"This is a good thing, right?" Jean was up on his feet, trying to get a view on the fighters in the corners.
"Yes. This will give Mikasa the chance to form a plan and take advantage of another directive. Honestly, the best option for her to wear that freakish woman out and go for the kill with a submission lock." Armin caught sight of Smiles in her corner. She was looking worse than Mikasa. Bruises sprouted across her pasty white skin in a patch work of purple and green.
"You sure that will work? Wasn't she trying to do that before?" He was obviously concerned with the outcome of the match. Given the nasty blow to the nose, Mikasa hasn't been that successful with her clinches or submission holds.
"She needs to wear her out, which is what Mikasa has been trying to do during the grappling. She just needs to push a bit more, cause... come on. Look at that damn woman. She looks like a colleague of domesticated abuse case photos."
"What was that you said Armin?" Carla asked with raised brow. A very judgmental raise of the brow.
"I'm said that Smiles fellow looked like colleague of domesticated abuse case photos. You should see the bruise she's sporting on right flank."
"I want to know how on earth do you know how such case files would look like." Carla shook her head and turned her attention back to the ring. The bell went off, signally round two of the fight.
"Who cares for that, the fight is starting back again. GO MIKASA!" Jumping out of his seat, Eren's shouts echoed over the cheer of the crowd. Heck, Mikasa took a moment to waggle two fingers in their general direction. Of course she never took her gaze off her opponent.
Both girls were standing off, seeking out the best opening to take advantage of. These two were at the same level as far as determination and skill went, so some intelligence had to be put into their game. That and Mikasa really needed to wipe that creepy smile off of that Anderson woman's face. It was so unnerving how she managed to keep the facial expression up for most of the fight.
Recklessly, Smiles charged forward and instead of throwing blows, she just went for another clinch. Both bodies were struggling against one another as Mikasa tried to throw the taller woman off of her. Though that wasn't going to happen. The shorter female was dragged toward the side of the cage and held there. Boney knees came up, striking away at the current light heavyweight champion ribs. Over and over and over again.
Fans were shouting out in anger by now. Their champion was getting manhandled out there. Some even said that it was a foul blow, but anyone who knew the rules would state otherwise. There was no foul play here.
From his seat, Armin was able to see Mikasa seething through her mouthpiece. Sure, she was taking some nasty blows, but she wasn't going to lay on her back and get fucked in the process. Heavy fists hammered into Smile's temple. The force was heavy enough to cut through the flesh at first contact. The next one had Smiles stumbling back.
"Yes! Yes! Yes! GOGOGOGO!" Armin encouragement was shouted in union with Eren and Jean's, "Knock that bitch out!"
Mikasa was on her opponent like a wild bull coming down onto a Matador. It wasn't just punches that were being aimed at Smiles. There were kicks too, mainly to parry off the taller girl's defense and keeping her within arm reach. It got even better when Smiles was no longer smiling. Instead her face was scrunched up in a disgusting expression of blood painted onto pain.
The infamous chant of Juggernaut swept over the crowd. The adrenaline was being pump into the atmosphere by the gallon. Everyone was growing more and more wild because of this. Especially when Smiles was backed up against the cage's side. Mikasa was winning! She wasn't going to loose. She was going to defend her title for the 8th time in the row!
Back pressed against the fence, Smiles was hunched forward trying her best to defend herself. It was useless. It had to be useless. Eventually the referee would interfere and claim for a TKO. It was so obvious. And yet...
No one expected the freakish woman to pull an ankle sweep.
It threw Mikasa off balance, but she didn't fall. Instead one hand was pushed against the cage just so maintain her stance – which also left her wide open for a tackle.
"No..." Armin whispered the second Smiles went in for offense. There was only 1 minute and 35 seconds left on the clock. Either Mikasa ended it right there or last it out for the next round.
Taking in the force, Mikasa used it to her advantage. Legs kicked back in an outward position, forcing most of her weight to center around her chest. Both females were down on the mat, leaving Mikasa with the advantage of being on top. Though she wasn't in full mount just yet.
The girls struggled it out in the middle of the ring, each of them trying to fight for dominance. With the advantage left in Mikasa's steed, she risked aiming a few blows to the sides, being very mindful to not aim for the back or the spine. Such areas to strike were considered fouls. Something Armin mumbled toward Jean just as Smiles gathered momentum and pulled herself up onto her feet.
Now Mikasa was hanging onto the taller female's shoulders. This was dangerous. Very dangerous. If she fell off, then that would give Smiles the chance at getting a full mount. Or possibly worse. However! At the same time, Mikasa still had the advantage. That advantage was seen when her left leg was thrown across the other female's chest and wrapped right underneath the crook of the arm. With her free leg she then locked the limb in place.
"What the hell?! What is she doing!?" Jean shouted in excitement.
"Its a reverse triangle choke. Holy shit! Its almost impossible to get out of that move!" Armin's eyes widened as he continued to watch, anxious to see the ending of it all.
True to those words, Smiles was trying her damn best to shrug off the shorter woman. Even with her hands latched onto the legs, trying with all her might to pull the hold off of herself, it only seem to be done in vain. And to complicate things further, Mikasa held onto her opponent's long legs.
Panic was etched onto Smile's face as she tried to keep her balance, but it was obvious that the oxygen was being cut off to her brain.
"Juggernaut! Juggernaut! Juggernaut! Kill! Kill! Kill!" The chanting grew more and more.
In what could be described as a warrior's final cry for battle, the taller teen hunched over for a split second and pushed all her weight backwards.
You know how folks say that when something frightening and significant happens, it just goes in slow motion? Yeah, that's what happened here. It was as though someone pressed pause on a movie, just so that you can see that one expression before the shit hits the fan. With this angle view, it was almost impossible to see Mikasa's expression. If you had to guess at it, it would most likely be one of shock. Instead what Armin saw was Smiles in the air, mid-flip with Mikasa clinging onto the taller female, back exposed to the ground.
Just like that, all you saw was that snapshot in time before it was gone forever and all that can be registered was the aftermath.
The sound of flesh colliding with the mat wasn't your usual thud or slap. It was more of a crack against the meat. Not a crunching crack of bones. It was the type of crack you hear when whipping a slave, with the intent to break the skin and force their victims to bleed out. Or in this case, it was to stop all movement and force the air out of Mikasa's lungs. The amount of pressure that was forced down caused Mikasa's mouth guard to go flying. Heck, it almost went over the cage's fence. That's how much force was being pushed into her.
Referee Kitts came into the scene. Quickly, he tapped onto Smile's shoulder and motioned her to back off. The woman was off in less than a second, coughing and gasping for air. Kitts didn't bother to check on Mikasa. Instead he crossed his arms, motioning the end of the fight to the judges.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
"The fuck!?" Jean exclaimed. "She didn't loose. Right?"
Mikasa rolled onto her side, gasping heavily for air. Blood not only drip from the front, but also at the back. It was a steady tinkle of red going down her back.
"We don't know yet." Eren was heard as he tried to get a better look at the scene. "I... I think she's seriously injured. Is dad still at the Hospital mom?"
Carla was already on the phone, "Yes. He's making sure there is a staff ready to take her in when we get there."
The fighters where back in their corners. Smiles looked very pleased with herself, As for Mikasa... she was furious. It was impossible to hear what was being said over the shout of disbelief from the audience, but it was obvious that she was arguing something with her coach and the referee. However Kitts wasn't going to listen to it as he moved past her and to the judges. A medic on site tried to reason with Mikasa so that he could see to her injuries, however the fighter wasn't going to allow that.
"What the fuck is going on?" Jean tried to look for the answers, however no one was giving it to him just yet. It obviously frustrated the teen.
Weaving his hand into Jean's, "I don't know... I think Mikasa wants to continue the fight..."
Callous fingers wrapped around Armin's nimble ones, squeezing them in a comforting manner. "No way... Not if she's bleeding at the back of her head... Hopefully its just a nasty cut."
Sadly, the impression his friend gave off wasn't made in concern for her injuries. She just charged at the referee once more to reason with him. Though the action was made in vain, because after she got a few words in her whole form crumpled. Other than Jeager's cries of concern, a stunned silence filtered through the audience.
Not much as batting an eye, Kitts grabbed onto the fallen woman's arm and pulled her right back up onto her feet. With his free hand, Smiles was beckoned over. The announcer came back onto the ring and with much hesitation, the announcement for winner was made.
"Ladies and gentlemen the outcome of today's match presented by The Womens Garrison Division, went way by a body slam onto the back, the decision was made official 4 minutes and 23 seconds into round number two, the winner by Technical Knockout, Veronica "Smiles" Andersssoooooooooooooooooooon!"
No one bothered to stop Eren from shouting obscenities at the judge. What they did right there was an insult to their sister. And like hell they were going to allow that fly by quietly. Still, it didn't stop the anxiety from eating its way through Armin's chest.
A familiar force tugged Armin down into a surprisingly warm hold. "She'll be alright... She'll be alright."
Armin couldn't really believe in those words right now. Which was a true shame.