compyuutah

Jean...

[It's a concerned calling of his name at the realization, and while it is relieving to step out and have a bit of room to himself, the blood is worrying. He steps closer yet again, hands moving to wrap those scrapes as well. Just enough to get them by.]

You're losing too much blood. We should--

[Of course, one of his steps forward on that weaker leg gets a clumsy stumble and he nearly crashes into Jean, instead reaching for the wall behind him and propping himself up that way. But then that stone sinks in, and Armin's balance is tested again as the entire room rumbles and a new pathway to light is slowly revealed.]

[It's bad enough that Jean instinctively goes out to catch Armin before he stumbles into him–arms wrapping underneath his–it gets worse when the corridor shakes. Jean covers Armin completely with his body, arms wrapped around him and torso curved over him. Luckily, all that hits him is dust. He sighs in relief when it ends, uncurling slightly from around him.]

What the–?

[It's not what he expected to see–a tunnel opening up before them. He stares at it blankly for a few long seconds before turning to Armin with relieved disbelief.] I can't believe it! You're a genius, Armin!

[Excitement seizes over him and he grasps Armin's shoulders tight and

kisses him. On the mouth. Out of nowhere.

Whatever, he'll think about it later. For now, he's scooping Armin up with another wince and charging down the hallway.]

[All of these movements to protect him has Armin frozen in fear that something horrible would happen. That Jean would sustain another injury and it would make one too many. But nothing happens, and suddenly there's sunlight.

He's just as excited as Jean, honestly, beaming up at him. But what he doesn't expect is exactly what happens. A kiss that's met with him freezing in shock before heat rises to his face, and then his feet being swept out right from under himself.]

J-jean?!

[His arms wrap around Jean's neck instinctively so he doesn't fall out of the grip, but his face is still hot, and soon enough he's so confused and caught off guard that he has to lower a hand to tug down on his shirt a bit, trying to make it longer than it really is.

Was that...-- Why--?? He honestly has no idea, and all he can think to add is a warning about exerting so much pressure so soon after being injured.] Be careful!

[He isn't. Armin's smart, but Jean's determined. His limbs have been screaming in pain way too long and there's still Armin's leg to patch up. The exit couldn't have come at a better time.

Granted, it would have been great if it had led them back to the city instead of the desert, but he'll take that too, squinting at the sun as they exit the corridor without injury. With a thunk, a stone slab closes it behind them. Jean doesn't waste time to turn around, instead making his way over to a nearby ruin and gently setting Armin down on it.]

About time.

[Plucking that roll of bandages from Armin's hands before he has time to protest.]

We need to wrap your leg up.

[Don't protest, he's already getting down to one knee.]

[Once he's set down, Armin releases the bandages without too much of a protest. Jean will find that they're already a bit bloody thanks to the way his hand had been cut up, but it's not as if that ruins them. He watches Jean lower himself quietly before slowly extending his leg for better care.

But he's not the type to just be able to forget what just happened and move on. That was a kiss. A kiss... Why? Excitement was one thing, but you don't just kiss anyone when you're excited. There has to be reason for it. All that comes to mind is the amount of times Jean went out of his way to help him out back there...

Could it be...?

He's still thinking, so he keeps quiet about it for now. But he does raise a hand to his own lips to touch softly while he's thinking. That was his first kiss...]

Jean, are you feeling dizzy at all? [He drops that hand from his mouth, watching him.] Light-headed or faint?

A bit. [The truth. Whether it was the heat or the amount of blood he'd lost, he didn't know and he's too transfixed by his current task to care.]

We should clean and rewrap this the first chance we get.

[Or just find new bandages. That seemed like the best option, but also the most far-off. Cupping a hand over his eyes, he surveys the rest of the desert. Not even a hint of civilization. He sighs.] Who knows when we'll see water.

[Another problem that he didn't want to face yet. He focuses on wrapping the wound, tying it off with a quick flourish.]

[Quiet at that, Armin raises a hand to Jean's forehead to feel his temperature for a moment. Instead of commenting on that, though, he's going to shift once his leg is wrapped to push himself up and stand determinedly. Any attempted help is going to get a stopping hand in refusal. Or at least a try at one.]

For now we can try to find the area that caved in from above. The ceiling is pretty high...

Wait.

[Stopping, my ass. The moment Armin turns to leave is the same one in which Jean grabs his wrist, grip firm and eyes determined.]

We're not doing any more before the rest of you is wrapped up.

[Tugging on Armin's arm and awkwardly pulling at his torn shirt with a free hand.]

Wha-- Jean!

[It's not like he can resist the tug or grip, and so all he can do is stare as Jean pulls at the shirt that's already been through so much.]

I haven't lost nearly as much blood as you have! If you're feeling dizzy and... [HALLUCINATING??? He is not sure, but he pauses.] We should keep moving.

[FLAT LOOK AND TUGGING ON YOUR HAND YOUNG SIR. HE'S NOT MOVING UNTIL YOU SIT BACK DOWN.]

[...

In a defeated sort of motion he falls back lightly to sit down, legs pressed close together at the knees for lack of pants.]

Thank you.

[A touch of exasperation to how he says it. Jean takes off what little of his shirt remains, ripping it into thin strips. He takes Armin's injured hand gently in his own.]

I wish we had something to dress it with.

[An idle wish. With precision and care, he sets to wrapping his hand instead, gaze darting up to Armin on occasion.] We don't have to rush here. We can afford the time to slow down.

You said it yourself that it's anyone's guess when we'll get to water. If you're already losing enough blood to feel dizzy...

[He trails off, but it's pretty clear what his concerns are. Even still, he watches Jean wrap his hand, surprised by how careful he's being.]

I'm fine. I'm able to do this well enough.

[Sort of. He needs to keep one hand braced on the ground to steady the world around him, but Armin won't notice. Maybe he'd notice the frequent breaks to wipe his forehead clear of sweat or how his lung suddenly didn't seem large enough to hold his breath. Or maybe he wouldn't–either way, it didn't matter now that the bandaging was almost finished. All he needed to do was tie it.

He lifts his other hand and the world spins out of control, the air giving under him before the sand cushions him and he blacks out.]

Jean--!!

[Immediately Armin is shifting. He notices the signs moments before it happens. The way his eyes are, or the movements of his hands being off... He steps off from his seat and leans forward and down to catch Jean before he falls much further.

---

It's maybe twenty minutes later, and Armin has successfully dragged Jean to a well. He was lucky there wasn't any more monsters along the way. At least not now... The major problem now was the sand and the heat. At least there was water. Plenty of it, by the looks of things here, and Armin had settled down enough to lean Jean against the wall as comfortably as he could and set to cleaning out the sand from his wounds and wrapping them.

By the time Jean wakes up, he'll be without any pants or shirt, likely, having them (or what was remaining of them, in the shirt's case) folded off to the side with Armin kneeling beside him. A tear of Armin's own shirt was in the boy's hands, soaked with water as he carefully worked at cleaning one of the wounds on Jean's thigh with a concerned face.]

[The movement and the heat wakes him, head lolling tiredly in an attempt to see what's happening. Eventually, he lands on Armin, frowning at where he's touching and how... close it is. And how he doesn't really seem to mind.

It's probably just the dizziness.

Which is hitting him really hard now. With a groan, he leans his head back against the wall, wincing while his wound stings and the world resettles into vision.] Where are we?

[Feeling Jean stir causes a heavy tension to lift from Armin. He'd been dreading the thought of more monsters appearing while Jean was unconscious. Being unable to protect him... That they might not get out of here with Jean being okay. But him waking up shook some hope into him, and he pauses from his cleaning the cuts to bring a free hand to steady Jean.]

You're awake! [It's relief and something else, and eventually Armin lets his hand slip away from Jean's shoulder to stop steadying him. He seems awake enough to not fall over.] I tried to get as far away from the pyramids as I could. We're at a well right now. You had sand in your wounds, so I've been cleaning them out while you've rested.

[Looking back down at Jean's leg, he keeps his eyes focused on that cut as he wipes gently at it again.] ...How are you feeling?

[He shifts, looking down at Armin again. He's careful to lean his head against his shoulder, staving off the dizziness for the moment.]

Like my body's on fire.

[Whether its' the stinging, the sun, or the general lack of blood, he doesn't know. All he knows is that his sweating and lightheadedness hasn't gone away.]

Why am I naked?

[That's really forward of you, Armin.]

You were covered in sand.

[Armin explains it simply enough, eyes turning their attention to the pile of supplies he'd arranged next to them. He'll take more cloth that seems to have been ripped from his own shirt-- almost out of real bandages now, so he's trying to save it for worse wounds-- and wrap what he's dealing with now on Jean's leg.]

I wanted to make sure your wounds could heal properly without any risk of infection.

We should do the same for you.

[His voice is groggy as he speaks. Another bout of dizziness settles over him. He closes his eyes in an attempt to stop it, clutching his head desperately.]

Is there enough water for a drink?

Don't worry-- I've dealt with the worst of mine, and I wasn't as bad as you were.

[He shifts, placing a hand on Jean's shoulder to urge him to stay as he stands up himself.]

I'll get you some, so just wait here. [He has to step over and set up the empty bucket again, lowering it into the well and struggling a bit as he pulls it up full. But he finally does manage to get it up, leaning over and taking it out, carefully bringing it over to Jean.

It's not without a few light spills, but there's enough water where it doesn't matter so much. Setting the bucket down beside them, he kneels by Jean and assures his hands are clean before dipping them in the fresh water and holding them up to Jean's lips.]

Here.

[He drinks greedily and sloppily, the water splashing down his chin and chest more than ending up in his mouth. It empties in no time and he waits for Armin to refill, licking what remains off his lips. The lightheadedness doesn't fade. If anything, it gets worse–forces him to watch Armin with a doofy smile.]

It tastes good.

It... does?

[That's odd. Why is he looking even more out of it? It confuses and worries Armin, and he lowers his hands to the water so he can take a small sip himself. But the water tastes fine. Normal. It didn't make him feel any different as immediately as Jean seemed to, and so he dips his hands back in for another full palm to let Jean drink.

He does this a couple more times, growing increasingly worried when Jean doesn't seem to be stabilizing in mood. It doesn't make sense, and a particular swift attempt to turn back to the bucket instead leaves him losing balance and falling sideways. He tries to catch himself, palm meeting the sand on the other side of Jean, but he's essentially leaning in Jean's lap at this point, cheeks colored just slightly as he worriedly looks up to Jean.]

Sorry.

No need to be sorry.

[Another doofy smile and a pat on the head that slides down and plays with the ends of his hair. His other hand loosely wraps around Armin's waist, balancing him. Making sure he doesn't fall over.]

Get me some more water.

[The motions catch him off guard, somehow, and his chest tightens as he feels Jean's fingers through his hair. The hand around his waist does help him feel more stable, but suddenly he's positioned so directly over Jean's legs it's awkward.

No one's ever given him this sort of attention before, and he's uncertain of how to handle it. On top of that, it's startling enough to be intimidating and worrying, but it's not bad either. He freezes in place with his eyes locked on his friend before they slide over to the bucket.]

Ah-- [Right. Water. Maybe he should just focus on that? Whatever was going on with Jean, he did need water. He slides the bucket closer before dipping his hands in for another handful, awkwardly attempting to hold up his hands for Jean to drink from at this new angle.]

YEAHHH DEFEAT THOSE MOVIES

defeats them

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