before i get started, i wanted to thank @eternal-armin, @viccko, @thecrusadercomrade, and everyone in [the writer's guild] discord for helping/inspiring/motivating me to actually work up the balls to not only write this, but post it; thanks y'all!
Boredom
"I'm boooooored!"
"You're always bored,"
"Hey! I mean, true, but, hey!"
Sasha glared across the table at a rather unimpressed Jean, who simply gave her a look before returning to his cards. Armin looked up from his own hand to get his gangly friend's attention.
"Why don't you join us for this next hand Sasha?"
Armin already knew the answer before she even breathed.
"Well...uh, I kinda, um...I don't know how to play?"
She said shyly, her voice raising an octave as she finished. Everyone at the table let out an exasperated sigh save for Mikasa, who simply blinked at Sasha; her own special way of insulting someone's intelligence politely.
"Honestly," Connie began, reclining in his chair as he waited for the game to end, having folded after getting one of the crappiest hands of his life. "You're the one to blame for that. Didn't Armin teach you how to play a few years ago now?"
While Sasha stuck her tongue out at her smug-looking bestie, Armin quietly folded. The last card was exactly not what he needed to make his hand worthwhile, so best to back out now and have something leftover for the next game. While Jean and Mikasa were having an intense contest for best deadpan in Levi Squadâexcluding their esteemed Captain of courseâArmin listened to Connie and Sasha bicker with a small smile.
He had indeed taught Sasha the basics a while ago, or perhaps more appropriately, tried to teach her. See, he had made two serious mistakes that night: one was to teach her just before dinner, and the second was to teach her at the dinner table, which just so happened to only be a few feet away from where Jean was making dinner.
About halfway through explaining some of the more common hands he'd noticed that she wasn't paying attention, and quite possibly hadn't been for some time. Instead, the broiling chicken soup and buttery bread across the room had her rapt attention. To his credit, Armin had tried to get her to focus not once, not twice, but three times before sighing and giving up. Sasha had ever only hummed dumbly and mumbled half-assed parodies that vaguely resembled what Armin had been saying.
It was a shame, Armin thought. With her instincts, she'd give Mikasa a run for her money. The thought of potato girl facing off against Mikasa, and quite possibly winning, was a funny picture in his head. It was probably a one-in-a-million chance, but it was better than what Jean had.
"Call. You're bluffing Mikasa."
"Oh?"
It was at that moment that Connie and Sasha of course stopped bickering to ask Armin a question, leading him to direct their attention to a smirking Mikasa, and a paling Jean.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!"
Jean's screech as Mikasa revealed her hand, which when combined with the deck on the table made an unbeatable hand, and the young woman's playful expression made them all laugh and smile. Of course, Jean was soon the victim of an unrelenting torrent of mocking words and teasing at the hands of Sasha and Connie, who were best friends once more.
"You never fail to impress, Mikasa."
Armin smiled at his friend, who was quietly and politely dragging her winnings to her side of the table. It had been too long since he'd seen her smile like that, even if it was just a small one.
"Thanks,"
She replied plainly, taking everyone's cards so she could shuffle them. As she slid the thin pieces of printed paper into one another Mikasa looked to her blonde haired friend, and his heart grew a few sizes at the twinkle in her eyes. It had been a while since he'd seen her smile like that before, yes, but the last time she'd had that look in her eyes?
It had to have been that night, in Trost, before the expedition. Before they went back home.
Before we found out the truth.
Mikasa noted how his face fell, and after some quick calculations, came to an accurate conclusion. Her childhood friend still tossed and turned about that day, about what had happened and what they'd learned. About what he'd become. Mikasa reached out to place a hand on Armin's shoulder, and squeezed. He looked up at her, and tried his best to give her a smile, which she returned in kind.
The two stayed that way for a time, simply basking in the warmth of each other's comfort while their squad continued to get more and more vocal in their bickering. Fucker! Asshole! Horseface! They were so vulgar, it made both of the Shiganshina kids wince sometimes. Usually it was just Connie and especially Jean, but since they'd managed to convince Sasha to drop the overly polite act from time to time, occasionally Sasha would join in; then it would be a party. Her country vocabulary combined with her folkish accent lended itself greatly to just about any swearing competition she found herself in.
Speaking of the devil, the two best friends were drawn out of their moment by Sasha screeching something incoherently backwoods-y in response to something Jean said about her cooking? Armin thought he'd heard Niccolo's name in there somewhereâit was a hard name to missâbut he couldn't be sure. Just as the two turned to look at the three comrades stand to shout obscenities at an increased elevation, both Armin and Mikasa's eyes caught what their squadmates hadn't.
"Oi."
Their Captain's flat but furious tone made them all freeze, their blood running cold. In the other room, a clock could be heard in the now very silent dining area.
Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.
Somehow, they saw it before they heard it. Armin watched on in distress as Levi swiftly beat each of his rowdy subordinates back into their seats, while Mikasa returned to politely sorting the cards and sliding them into the box; playtime was over then. While Captain Levi went on about how they were all still "Snot-nosed brats with no fucking discipline between the single goddamn brain-cell you dipshits share custody of," Mikasa's eyes drifted between all her comrades one by one.
Jean Kirstein, Horseface, who was bent forward in his seat, moaning into the table in pain.
Connie Springer, Cueball, who was curled into his seat, clutching his stomach in pain with a comical expression of agony.
Sasha Braus, Potato Girl, who was holding her shin with one hand and the rising bump on her head with the other, soft whimpers passing her trembling lips.
Captain Levi Ackerman, Humanity's Strongest Soldier, Pipsqueak, who was standing at in the doorway with his arms crosses, glowering at his team as he went into detail about how they were all going to be cleaning latrines for months for being rowdy and gambling while on-duty.
Armin Arlert; My Brother. My Best Friend. Armin was sitting quietly with his head down, hands in his lap and eyes focused intently on his knuckles, as if he was on his way to the chopping block. He probably would be if he weren't a shifter, if Levi's twitching brow was anything to go by.
Mikasa looked over everyone, her eyes softly drifting between them all, with one single thought in her head.
My family.
Mikasa smiled.
