#brau balm

[idontthinkimokaymentally]

Hello there Brau Balm fans.

[corner-stories]

the circumstances of the morning

Captain Ackerman. Commander Kirschtein. Squad Vice Captain Braus. Early Mornings. Finely-Formed Hindquarters. Bitter Tea. 3001 words. (ao3.)

A night in her bedroom turns to a morning in the afterglow, and when Mikasa wakes she finds herself entangled in her lover’s arms. 

Jean is breathing gently when she opens her eyes. He’s on his back while she rests her head on his chest, the spot that always finds herself gravitating towards. It’s the place that has become her anchor — her calm between storms, her safety in a world that is anything but. 

And he’s always warm. She’s never figured out why.

The curtains have been pulled over the windows, yet the sound of droplets hitting the roof tells Mikasa all she needs to know about the day. She’s never liked rain, whether it be an airy mist or a relentless force that leaves her drenched in seconds. It’s times like this that make her want to stay where she is, resting in Jean’s embrace without a care in the world. 

With that thought in mind, she nuzzles her face against his chest just a little bit more, practically savoring him. His presence has never ceased to comfort her, the sound of his heartbeat being her favorite lullaby. She feels dangerously close to succumbing to his touch, to the hands, arms, and hips that had made her feel loved. 

But nothing good lasts forever, because soon Jean begins to stir under her, his arms tightening into a hug before he presses a kiss to her forehead. It’s his preferred way of waking her up. 

“Come on,” he speaks and his voice is soft. “Duty calls, l’amour.” 

Mikasa sighs, but when Jean proceeds to shift some more she lets him slip out from under her. She holds onto his hand for a few more seconds as he steps onto the floor. When she lets him go she is still lounging on the sheets. His smell still clings to the fabric, whether it be the waxy aroma of his pomade or the clean scent of his post-shave balm. She’s still decidedly tired, yet has just enough in her to keep her eyes open, looking very respectfully as her Commander walks around the room in the buff. 

She watches as Jean goes to the table in the room, grabbing the leftover cup of water from last night and drinking the rest. By now he’s used to her eyes remaining on him, as she tends to admire the robust musculature of his shoulders, the length of his limbs, or his finely-formed hindquarters. He tends to do this often — walking around in the nude — and she has yet to find a reason to complain. 

But before Mikasa’s gaze can linger for too long, Jean retrieves a towel from her dresser before heading to the bathroom connected to the room. 

He hangs the towel over his shoulder as he moves past the bed, flashing her a smirk as he goes. 

“Enjoying the show?” 

Mikasa averts her gaze and looks away, partially to obscure the small smile tugging at her lips. 

Soon Jean enters the bathroom and shuts the door. A few seconds pass and eventually Mikasa sits up, letting out a yawn as she moves off the mattress and touches her feet to the cold floor. 

Her morning routine is like any other soldier’s — she assembles her uniform, does whatever personal grooming is necessary to fit the standards of the Scouts, then heads to the mess for breakfast. The only difference nowadays is that she’s doing it in the privacy of her personal quarters, as opposed to the barracks. Being a Captain has given her several privileges that she’s rather thankful for. 

And considering how they danced the night before, she’s sure that Jean is thankful for their shared solitude, too. 

However, Mikasa only has time to pull on her robe before she hears a knock at her door. When she steps over to answer the call, she finds her Squad Vice Captain standing on the other side. 

“Sorry to bother you, Captain!” Sasha greets. Notably, she is still in her sleepwear like Mikasa, donning a similar robe, yet she stands with the energy of any soldier acting on the job. In her hands is an envelope, which she holds out to her superior. “I may have forgotten to give this to you last night and I don’t know how urgent it is and… and…”

There is a beat while Sasha realizes that she’s run out of things to say. 

“...yeah.” 

At this time of the day, Mikasa only has the energy to nod slowly as she accepts the letter. At least she’s not the only Veteran Scout who feels utterly discombobulated at such an hour. Even Armin is far from a morning person.

“Thank you, Sasha, I’ll get to it later,” Mikasa replies as she slips the envelope into her robe pocket.  

“Uh… sorry for bothering this early,” Sasha soon says, letting out a brief yawn. “I just… honestly, I don’t even know.”

Once more, Mikasa can only nod. “Don’t worry, it’s morning.” 

Before Sasha can say anything else, Mikasa hears the sound of the bathroom door opening behind her. In the span of a second, she sees Sasha's eyes widen at a peculiar sight, causing Mikasa to turn around just as quickly. She glances over just in time to see Jean standing in the doorway between both spaces.

Whatever grogginess had been plaguing him is suddenly gone once he notices the extra pair of eyes. Just as quickly he pulls the towel on his shoulder downwards, effectively covering himself, then lets out a curse before he shuts the door. 

At least the way he moves and speaks is characterized by a playful energy, as opposed to that of utter humiliation and shame. 

On the bright side, the relationship between Captain and Commander being an open secret means that Jean’s presence in Mikasa’s private quarters isn’t entirely unexpected. After years of obfuscating their true connection, the Veterans who sleep on the same floor have finally been made privy to the arrangement. 

On the not so brightside, nothing in Mikasa’s decade as a Scout has prepared Mikasa for the burning heat creeping to her cheeks. It seems that being in her mid-twenties does not mean that she’s above blushing like some useless schoolgirl. 

When Mikasa looks back at Sasha, her second-in-command has the goofiest grin on her face. The fact that she appears more amused than shocked has yet to be identified as a good or bad thing. 

“I… I’m sorry you saw that,” Mikasa tries, her voice becoming lower than before. 

Sasha giggles and wiggles her eyebrows for extra effect. “Oh, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.” She lightly punches her Captain on the shoulder, a gesture they’ve been accustomed to for years. “Keepin’ busy, are ya?” 

Instead of dwelling on the implications that Sasha has seen that side of Jean enough to be unfazed by it, Mikasa can only stare blankly at her comrade with all the grace of a deer seconds before it’s ravaged by a bear. 

“I… I’m not going to dignify that with a response.” 

Sasha lets out a sound that is halfway between a chuckle and a cackle. 

“Hey, there’s no shame in it! At least someone around here is getting laid.” 

The way Mikasa nods in response is more stilted than the ones before. 

“You are using protection, right?” Sasha continues on, speaking as if there was nothing peculiar about the circumstances of the morning. “Because I’d hate it if—”

Acting on instinct, Mikasa cuts her off by closing the door. It is not the first time she had done so to silence Sasha and it will certainly not be the last.  

When Mikasa walks away from her door, the blush on her face persists as she goes to her dresser and begins assembling her uniform. She moves a lot faster than usual, perhaps to partially distract her from how tits up everything had gone in the span of a minute. She only gets to pulling on her trousers and shirt before realizing that the other party involved in the incident has yet to exit the bathroom. 

Walking to the door between rooms, Mikasa gently taps her knuckles against the wood.

“... Jean?” She tries to hide the unease in her voice. “Sweetheart?”

No response. 

She knocks again, then slowly opens the door. When Mikasa peers inside the room Jean is standing bare-chested in front of the mirror — with both hands he combs and slicks his hair using the jar of pomade she keeps around for him, just in case. Smartly, he has wrapped the towel around his waist as he parts and styles his ashy brown strands into something more presentable. 

When he looks at her there is a surprisingly relaxed expression on his handsome face.

“Are you alright?” Mikasa asks, then notices his grin. “Why are you smiling?”

Jean lets out a chuckle. “Because it’s kinda funny.” 

For a beat Mikasa remains stone-faced, then shakes her head. “...I don’t think it is.” 

Jean’s smile persists as he styles a loose strand of hair into place. “Well, to each their own, I suppose.” 

In her time as a Scout, Mikasa has experienced her fair share of living nightmares — but now she would have gladly walked towards hell on earth over having to deal with an incident like that ever again. 

There are truly some things in life that she has never been prepared for. 

Despite everything being over and Jean taking it in stride, Mikasa can’t ignore the feeling of distress plaguing her chest. She breathes in and out, trying to keep herself calm as she looks to the floor. Soon she feels the burning blush returning to her cheeks, causing her to put her hands on her face to further obscure her distress. If there was a rock nearby then she would have gladly hidden under it by now. 

She’s not even sure as to why she feels this way, she wasn’t even the one who accidentally flashed a Squad Vice Captain yet she’s the one looking red as a beet. 

Fortunately, Jean is quick to notice her tension and doesn’t hesitate. Putting down his comb he steps over and immediately pulls her into his embrace, a gesture that he knows will calm her down even if she doesn’t say it. Mikasa doesn’t fight him, simply nuzzling his chest like she did before as her arms find their way around his shoulders. He still smells like soap, his heart is still beating, and he’s warm. He always is. 

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Jean whispers into her hair, his fingers playing with the strands. “You okay?” 

Mikasa nods and tries to focus on steadying her breathing. 

Her voice sounds fragile when she tells him, “I’m fine.”

Jean lets out a hum and keeps stroking her hair. He peppers a few kisses to her forehead, then to her eyelashes.

“If that’s what you say, l’amour.” 

His pet name for her has always brought her a sense of ease. 

Time passes while the two remain where they are, Mikasa pressing her forehead against his sternum while Jean continues to hold her. They stay like this for as long as they can, both to alleviate anxious pressure inside her chest, and to savor a few more moments before becoming Captain and Commander again. 

…

…

…

The delivered letter turns out to be from Anka Rheinberger, the Section Commander of the Garrison. It pertains to an issue regarding the gates of the Karanes district and makes Mikasa wonder why it hadn’t been sent directly to Jean or Armin instead.  Nonetheless, it’s nothing she can’t handle and she leaves the message in Jean’s office, including an attached note asking him to read and reply as soon as he can. 

The day goes on and Mikasa goes through her usual duties, the main priority involving one of the HQ’s classrooms. Every few months new rookies enlist in the Corps, meaning that even more people need to be taught the intricacies of Jean and Armin’s new Long-Range Scouting Formation. Apparently Mikasa’s got more of a knack for it than she thinks, her tendency to be blunt regarding matters of the battlefield being an advantage when explaining things. 

Jean likes to affectionately call it “cutting through the bullshit,” though considering the deadpan, monotone way she tends to speak she’s shocked that no rookie has fallen asleep in the classroom. Yet. 

In the middle of the day the lessons pauses and Mikasa heads to the private mess for lunch, the room specifically reserved for the higher-ups. Though considering how busy things tend to get between expeditions, it’s surprisingly common to find herself alone during mealtimes. Armin and Jean have been known to take their dinner in their offices to not disrupt their workflow, as much as Mikasa tells them both not to. 

Today isn’t an exception, but Mikasa doesn’t mind. She’s just happy to have a brief break from the classroom. She sits by herself in a room lit by torches on the wall as she digs into her meal of steamed potatoes and stew. 

At this time of day she usually drinks some tea, a habit passed down from one of her predecessors — albeit with some minor changes. The brew in her mug is very bitter and filled with contraceptive herbs, ones meant to counteract a certain outcome of her nighty activities. It tastes like a cross between boiled ditchwater and rotting plants, but so far it has succeeded at the intended purpose and for that Mikasa is thankful. At least she has an answer to the question Sasha asked earlier. 

Speaking of which, Mikasa only has a few minutes to herself before her faithful Squad Vice Captain bursts into the room. When Sasha sees her Captain sitting at the table, her doofy grin returns to her face. She walks over with a kind of girlish stride in her step.

“Good afternoon, Captain!” Sasha greets, waving. 

Mikasa turns her head over and gives a single nod. She doesn’t say anything else before taking another sip of her tea. At least the taste gets more palatable the cooler it gets. 

Sasha walks over and immediately plants her ass next to her friend, her playful demeanor looking extremely reminiscent of the way she held herself as a young cadet. 

“So!” she starts, beaming like a fool. “You’re looking… content.” 

Mikasa lets out a soft sigh. Her expression remains steady as she eyes her friend. “Sasha, whatever you want to know I won’t tell you.” 

“Oh, come on! No one’s around! Can’t we gossip and talk like when we were cadets!?” Sasha asks, gesturing wildly with her hands for dramatic effect. It’s a godsend that they’re the only people in the hall. “I mean… if I were getting that much ass then you bet I’d tell you every horny detail.” 

Mikasa almost chokes on her tea. Droplets dribble down her lip, which she wipes away with a napkin. 

“You wouldn’t think it’s weird?” she asks, her frigid expression softening just slightly. “To know about me and Jean… like that?”

In their years of friendship, Mikasa had rarely had anything to contribute to her and Sasha’s moments of ‘girl talk.’ But now that she does, the exact circumstances of it all — namely Sasha being close friends with Jean as well — make the telling of certain details a lot more troublesome than expected. 

But to Mikasa’s surprise, Sasha remains lighthearted as she lets out a scoff. 

“‘Like that?’ What are you? Twelve?” she laughs. The way she speaks is so care-free that one would be appalled to be reminded that she’s speaking to Captain Ackerman. Being Mikasa’s closest female friend has granted her some extremely rare privileges. 

“Listen, me seeing him naked this morning is not remotely the weirdest state I’ve seen him in,” Sasha explains a little too easily. Whether or not she will elaborate has yet to be seen. 

She reaches forward and places a friendly hand on her Captain’s shoulder, something she only saves for when they’re off-duty. 

“It’s fine, do your worst,” the Squad Vice Captain assures, flashing her big brown puppy-dog eyes. 

Mikasa sighs again, then brings her mug to her lips to take another sip. 

What can she even say?

On one hand Sasha doesn’t seem to be backing down, but on the other the amount of people Mikasa can discuss her relationship with could be counted on one hand. Her and Jean are an open secret, but still a secret. 

There isn’t exactly anything Mikasa is desperate to get off her chest, as most of her time with her Commander leaves her feeling content and complete. Sure, it had taken some time for her to be comfortable not being the giver all the time, as being on the receiving end makes her lose the sense of control that keeps her at ease in the moment. At least Jean’s monumental amounts of patience had helped them as they figured things out, and nowadays she feels fully comfortable ceding control and allowing him to take the lead. He certainly did so last night, if the way she had sunk her teeth into her pillow was any indication. 

With that in mind, perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to indulge in some elements regarding Mikasa and Jean’s more salacious activities. 

“You know, sometimes I forget that Jean has chest hair,” Sasha suddenly remarks, mildly breaking Mikasa’s train of thought. “Does that ever, like… do anything for ya?”

After taking a longer pull of her tea, Mikasa slowly puts her mug down. In her mind she thinks of both the right words to say and the way her lover’s torso looks in his usual collared shirts, how only those who get close to him are able to see the few strands peppering his muscled chest. There’s certainly a reason why the younger Scouts — and sometimes the older ones — look at him so appreciatively. 

With that certain image in her mind, Mikasa soon says — 

“Well… I’d be lying if I said it didn’t…”

[commander-kirschtein]

modern!au random quirks headcanons for the 104th

have some rather random headcanons that have been living in my brain for the 104th kiddos - mac

masterlist

eren jaeger:

always talks louder than he needs to. this boy doesn’t understand the concept of inside voice.

he gets caught speaking his internal monologue out loud (pretty much canon.)

If it wasn’t for mikasa and armin, he would be late to everything.

doesn’t have auto correct on and types incredibly fast, so expect 5 messages before you can finally understand what he was trying to say first time around.

argues with jean who the best spider-man is. eren thinks it’s toby maguire, jean is strongly for andrew garfield.

mikasa ackerman:

puts four sugars in her tea. she’s got a sweet tooth.

she will baby talk to animals. only in a whisper though because she doesn’t want anyone to hear her being so adorable.

has an almost photographic memory. super good at remembering appointments and people’s birthdays.

likes scrap-booking! she’ll collect tickets/paper souvenirs/stickers and will print off pictures of friends to stick in it. plus she’s amazing at calligraphy style writing so it looks super pretty.

can’t stand artificial light. her bedroom is lit solely by candles.

armin arlert:

knows all the words to asap science’s periodic table song.

can solve a Rubik's cube in 20 seconds.

knows lots of useless trivia. mainly because he spends so much time reading random wikipedia pages.

can’t fall sleep until he’s checked underneath his bed and inside of his wardrobe at least twice (just in case monsters might actually be real.)

has notifications turned off on his phone because they make him nervous, therefore it might take 3-5 working days before armin gets back to your message.

jean kirschtein:

loves peeling the plastic off brand new things - would buy a new phone just to peel the plastic off the screen.

likes to go for random drives at night with the radio playing. preferably in the passenger seat so he can drift off.

the volume of the tv/his phone always has to be an even number.

goes off on tangents - the topic has to change 5 times before he makes his point.

he snores - tell him and he’ll deny it.

sasha braus:

can’t keep herself still. always fiddling with something and will shift weight from foot to foot when standing around.

likes to eat squirty cream straight from the can.

can’t have her nails painted because she instantly gets the urge to peel it off once they’re dry.

can open bottles with her teeth.

makes the corresponding animal noise when she sees an animal. she sees a dog - she barks. she sees a horse - she neighs (much to jean’s dismay.)

connie springer:

puts milk in before cereal. when people ask why he tells them that it’s his way of bringing chaos to the world.

won’t eat the crust on bread/pizza.

his shoes are always untied.

really good at accent and impressions. it’s his best party trick and it always makes everyone laugh.

has to drink everything through a straw. even bottled drinks and cans.

marco bodt:

really good at wrapping presents. at christmas he’s his friends go to present wrapper.

likes to write nice things to his friends on post-it notes. mainly things like ‘i hope your exam goes well today!’ or ‘hoping you have a wonderful day today!’

refuses to curse. he’s just so pure. jean’s making it his life mission to hear marco say ‘fuck’ at least once.

is super giggly and finds everything funny when he’s tired.

panics when going through airport security even though he knows he’s done nothing illegal.

historia reiss/christa lenz:

refers to her friends with pet names only. most common ones are honey, sweetie and lovely.

that friend who always has everything you could possibly need on her: painkillers, plasters, tampons, lip balm - she has it all.

taps her nails on every surface and says ‘asmr’ when she does it.

wakes up early every morning just to see the sunrise and then will go back to sleep. she just thinks it’s pretty.

ymir:

doesn’t sit on chairs normally. big L from death note vibes when it comes to ymir and chairs.

has a denim jacket covered in pins and badges.

she won’t admit it but she’s extremely ticklish. Don’t tickle her though because the consequences are not worth it.

refers to babies as ‘gremlins.’ and sticks her tongue out at little kids who stare at her.

the queen of eavesdropping. knows everything about everyone. don’t get on the wrong side of ymir cause she’s full of blackmail material.

reiner braun:

terrible at singing - but this doesn’t stop him from singing.

so bad at taking compliments. he can dish them out with ease but dies inside if he’s complimented back (please compliment him he needs love.)

gives an active commentary about every film he watches. Don’t take him to the cinema unless you want people to shush you every 10 minutes.

calls all of his friends ‘kiddos’ despite being the sameish age. He’s just such a dad. Speaking of which - he’s a dad dancer and dad joker.

likes to pick up his friends and throw them over his shoulder or bridal carry them by surprise. even bertholdt. especially bertholdt.

bertholdt hoover:

he can do some card/magic tricks. don’t ask him how, he won’t reveal his secrets.

he has freakishly bendy fingers. can do that thing where he pushes his fingers backwards and they touch his wrist.

starts most of his sentences with ‘umm.’

trips over nothing quite often (it’s those long ass legs - but reiner is always there to catch him ;))

likes to listen to minecraft music to fall asleep (okay but sweden is so nice to fall asleep to.)

annie leonhardt:

still sleeps with stuffed animals (so do i there’s no shame in it folks.)

likes to go out for walks listening to music, pretending she’s the main character in a coming of age movie.

everyone will agree that she has the most amazing smile. but you don’t often see it because whenever she does smile she covers it with her hand.

wears socks to bed. especially fluffy ones.

fascinated by reptiles. she wants to have a lizard and a snake as a pet.

[shingeki-no-scenarios]

Title: Impromptu

Characters: Niccolo x Sasha Braus

Genre: Fluff

AU: Present-day

Warnings: Cliché af, one (1) TikTok reference if u spot it i'll buy u a coffee

Summary: Kitchen mishaps with Sasha and a whole lotta love from Niccolo.

A/N: has this done before– anyway u know I had to do it to u 👁️👅👁

"Shit, shit, shit!" Sasha cussed like there was no tomorrow once she saw how much smoke was coming out of the oven. Hurriedly grabbing two dish towels, she raced against time to take the black-as-midnight roast chicken and vegetables out of the oven without burning her hands.

Slamming it on the kitchen counter, Sasha stared at the monstrosity with dejection and horror. How could I mess this up?, she thought. She followed the Tasty recipe right down to the decimal, and made sure each ingredient was measured with precision, though she forgot that she was supposed to set the oven at 400°F and not C. She was no dummy in the kitchen, but her skills were no match for her culinary genius boyfriend, Niccolo, and her excitement got the best of her meticulousness.

Staring at the charred mess in front of her, the brunette blinked back tears in frustration. Niccolo was bound to walk through the front door any minute, and she wouldn't have a warm meal to serve him after a long day at the office like she had planned. Letting out a sigh, she concluded that there was not much she could do but dump the burnt food in the trash and call the take-out place close by lest she makes Niccolo's day longer by making him cook.

Before she could reach for the roasting tray, she heard the door unlock then creak open, leaving the tears to spill out of her eyes knowing that in 5 seconds, Niccolo will walk in and see the stupid mess she made. Sniffing and wiping her tears, she tried her best to muster to smile she always greeted him with.

"I'm home!" her loverboy called out, stepping into the kitchen with a bright, wide smile before his face fell upon seeing Sasha standing in front of what seemed like charred chicken and vegetables, teary-eyed and red in the face as she forced a smile.

"Hi." she replied, gritting her teeth as she forced down the sob of embarrassment bubbling in her chest by smiling as wide as she could. Her masquerade didn't fool him, however, as her eyes held what she was feeling deep inside. Dropping his work bag, Niccolo technically launched himself at Sasha to envelope her in a hug.

"Hey, baby." his voice was as smooth as velvet and immediately soothed the painful heat in her gut like balm. "What's wrong, huh? Don't cry, please. Don't cry." he muttered, pressing loving kisses all over her face as he did so. Like magic, the romantic gesture calmed her down almost immediately.

"Nothing." she breathed out once he pulled away and cupped her face. Once her eyes met his, she was met with a gaze that kindly but firmly asked her to tell the truth. "I..." she started with a stutter, too embarrassed to give to him straight. "I wanted to make you dinner for once, but I got too excited and messed it up, and now my dinner surprise is ruined, so the entire evening's ruined." Sasha made her admission in one breath, exhaling deeply in frustration afterwards. "I'm just so embarrassed." she added.

To her surprise, Niccolo gave her a gentle smile– one she wouldn't expect to see during a situation like this. "Don't laugh at me." she pouted, looking much cuter than she already was in his eyes. Shaking his head, he assured her that he wasn't laughing at her, lightly squeezing her cheeks as he did.

"We all have bad days and make mistakes, babe. Don't be ashamed." he said ever so lovingly, making Sasha's heart flutter as if it was the first time she spoke to him. Smoothly running his hand through her hair, he settled for her shoulders as he continued to calm her down with his words. "Listen, why don't you get into your pajamas and pick a movie while I order us some take-out? I wanted to eat something junky, anyway." he added, making Sasha chuckle lightly and nod her head in agreement, her humiliation disappearing immediately.

With soft smiles and tinted cheeks, the pair moved to do their respective self-assigned tasks, feeling their hearts skip a beat as they mutually thought of how lucky they were to have such an understanding, thoughtful, and caring partner.

––

About an hour later, the pair found themselves snuggling against each other, chowing down on sodium-loaded take-out and occasionally laughing at the ridiculous comedy movie Sasha picked out.

Content with how things turned out, Niccolo let out a happy sigh before pressing a kiss on the crown of Sasha's head. Looking up at her better half with a twinkle in her eyes, she quirked an eyebrow as if to ask "what?", slightly taken aback and majorly giddy at his abrupt gesture.

"Nothing, dear." he said, giving her a gentle peck on the nose for assurance. "It's nothing." he murmured, making her lean on his shoulder before facing forward to focus on the movie.