Complexity- Armin x Reader

Chapter 16: Below Zero

"Because..." Jean gulped and looked away, out towards Y/n. In the distance, she was quickly barreling through the girl's bathroom door, clearly slamming the door shut behind her. And Jean had his answer.

"'Cause she just went into the girl's bathroom. Man, you can't go in there, Armin. You wanna risk being labeled a pervert? Unless you just wanna go in there to get a kick out of it?" Jean raised an eyebrow at the blonde, crossing his arms as if he were a cop interrogating a guilty man. Armin stuttered at the question and burned a bright scarlet red, and Eren couldn't help but laugh at the situation.

"Armin, you thirsty or something-"

"NO, STOP EREN!"

The blue-eyed boy quickly sat back down in his seat and pulled his hoodie over his face, gripping the hood's hem tightly and making sure Eren, Jean, and Mikasa couldn't see how flustered he was.

"J-Jean, that certainly wasn't my intention! I-I'm just worried about her."

Jean threw the blonde a slight glare.

"Are you, now?"

Armin looked up in confusion at Jean's sudden cold tone.

"What?"

"I'll go check up on her," Mikasa offered, looking at Armin and bringing the boy some relief. The blonde thanked her and she momentarily nodded at Jean, to Eren's slight surprise. Slinging her backpack and adjusting her scarf, Mikasa left behind the riled up boys and headed towards the far-off bathroom. Even though she hadn't said anything during the entirety of their conversation, she was worried about Y/n. So of course she offered to help, even if she wasn't the best at these kinds of situations.

She cracked open the door and peered into the vacant room. All of the stalls had their doors swung wide open. Except for the one on the far end.

Figuring that's where the girl was, Mikasa quietly made her way towards the stall. She heard what sounded to be quiet sniffles that soon stopped as she now fully stood in front of the locked door.

Clearing her throat slightly, Mikasa called out.

"Y/n?"

Mikasa was met with silence and she peered down at the shoes visible underneath the stall. There was writing on the white tip of the left weathered Converse. Some of Eren's smallest penmanship in refined, permanent marker.

Haha dont leave a sharpie next to ur shoe dumdum

-Jaegermeister

"Y/n, I know it's you. Those are obviously your shoes."

"Dammit, Eren!" Y/n softly cursed. The girl unlocked the stall and looked down and away from Mikasa. "I'm not feeling too good."

"I know." Mikasa answered calmly and stood quietly alongside her friend.

Y/n found the silence intimidating. Almost as if Mikasa knew it would encourage the distressed girl to talk.

And Y/n hated to admit it, but it was working.

"I don't feel good, but not because of the fever. But because of the things that are going on. And I don't know how to deal with it all, or cope. Or how to- how to get away from this constant in my life that's suddenly turned into something I can't turn to anymore."

Y/n didn't cry anymore at that point. Her eyes were tired and worn out, and she was sure she was driving herself blind with how many times she rubbed at her wet eyes.

Mikasa only stood and listened. The girl's gray eyes shifted from Y/n's face to the bathroom floor's tiles, and she focused on what she could say. After a moment of quiet contemplation and slight hesitation, she sighed softly and very uncharacteristically grabbed Y/n's hand, the unnatural feeling getting under her skin. But Mikasa pushed on and kept her friend's cold hand in her own.

Y/n snapped her head up in surprise and held a flustered expression. Mikasa merely looked away and used her free hand to tug her red scarf over her pink face.

"Getting away isn't so bad. As to how to do so, you just do."

Mikasa stiffly held Y/n's hand while she thought of what to say next, and Y/n felt awkward. But in an odd way, Y/n felt much love towards her friend. Mikasa was definitely going out of her comfort zone to hold her hand and Y/n felt nothing but appreciation for the silent girl next to her.

"Just don't hurt anyone when you do," Mikasa added. At this, Y/n looked up, and for once, Mikasa looked straight at her with her dark eyes. They didn't have their usual lackluster polish. Instead, they were a bit wider than normal, almost as if Mikasa were hinting at something. And Y/n felt puzzled. What did Mikasa mean? Did she know what happened?

"Mi-Mikasa? Do you...know-?"

The first bell rang, marking the end of breakfast and the start of first period, and Mikasa let go of Y/n's hand. But her face was still the softest Y/n had ever seen.

Now out of the bathroom, Mikasa turned to Y/n one last time before they would see each other at lunch.

"Don't be so obvious, Y/n. Try to fake it to avoid a fallout. Sit by Jean and I during lunch. We'll help you."

And with that, Mikasa left Y/n standing in the sea of bustling students rushing towards class.

Y/n didn't understand what had just happened or what to make of Mikasa's words. The girl had said so much when she knew so little of the situation. And Y/n was beginning to suspect that Mikasa knew more than she led on.

Now that Mikasa had disappeared from view, Y/n had nothing to distract her from the horrible, mangled feeling she felt in her stomach. She willed herself to walk towards the girl's locker room, but not before scoping out the area for a certain boy.

She saw three familiar boys disappear into their respective locker room, and she made a beeline into the building.

That first day being back was hard for Y/n. It hurt her to be so curt with Armin throughout the day, but it also hurt her even worse to speak to him as if he were someone that actually cared for her. Because she remembered his exact words, and they would plague her for some time.

"I'm not even that close to her."