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ambassadorarlert · 7 months

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HEAT WAVES... (Armin Arlert x afab!reader)

0.6 AS ABOVE… (main menu | spotify) ↳ summary: armin does something special. // sasha starts getting curious. ↳ warnings: so much fluff it'll make you sick, minor mentions of violence, flower language. ↳ genre: comfort, comedy, fluff ↳ word count: 6k

“Woosh… woosh…”

All was quiet in the girls barracks. Crickets sung outside of the window, the pale light of the moon high in the shy offered relief from the darkness of the night.

“Woosh… woosh…”

The layout in the barracks were rows and rows of bunk beds with a nightstand in between each one that housed a single oil lamp. To your right was Mikasa, who slept on her back as if she were sleeping in a coffin. Above her was Sasha. Her foot hung off the side of her bunk, beckoning to be grabbed or tickled. To your left was Christa, and Ymir, who snored loudly on the top bunk.

The sound of whooshing had woken you up. You rubbed an eye, looking around for the source. Everyone around you seemed comfortable and cozy, out cold from a hard day of training. After another quiet ‘whoosh,’ you pinned that the sounds were coming from above you. You kept your eyes half shut to retain your sleepiness so you could easily go back to bed, and climbed the ladder on the side of your bunk.

Annie laid on her back, one arm out from under her covers and rested above her head. She looked just as intimidating asleep as she was when she was awake. Annie had a bad habit of talking in her sleep. Sometimes, they were incoherent sentences but most of the time she made the silly “whooshing” sound effects.

Annie had talked in her sleep since she started cadet training, and you figured she had done it her entire life. You always wondered what an aloof person like her dreamt about. You asked once, but she never gave an outright answer. It only added to her cool mysteriousness.

You waited less than thirty seconds to catch her in the act and “whoosh” again under her breath. With a pillow in hand, you whacked her with it. Annie jolted upright, sputtering confused and dazed.

“What was that for?” She hissed at you.

“You’re talking in your sleep again.” You informed her.

Annie looked around her. Her eyes were blown out wide, lips turned upside down into a different kind of frown from the one she wore during the day. She looked around, getting a grip back into her waking reality.

“Are you okay?” You tested.

Perhaps she was having a nightmare, and smacking her with a pillow wasn’t a good method to wake her up. You immediately felt guilty.

“Yeah. I’m fine. Sorry.” She mumbled.

Annie turned on her side, facing away from you now, and cuddled back under the thin sheet. You returned to your bunk, settling down on your back. You closed your eyes to get back to sleep. Not even five minutes had passed until you heard,

“Whoosh… Whooooooshhhhhhhh…”

The morning was warm and breezy. The sky above was just beginning to turn blue. Shades of yellow swirling behind the clouds. The sun had not come up yet but here you, Sasha, and Mikasa were, ready to train.

It was Mikasa’s idea. Now that everyone had returned home to Paradis, it was time to fall back into the usual routine. Mikasa used training to blow off the stream Eren left her seething in, instead of laying in bed and rotting. You and Sasha woke well before the crack of dawn to accompany and support her.

Two months had gone by, and neither of you missed a single day.

“Om…” Sasha hummed. She increased her volume slowly with each meditative mantra.

Before physically training the body, Mikasa stressed the importance of training the mind. For forty-five minutes the three of you did peaceful meditation. Mikasa led since this was her routine. She’d find a comfortable spot and you all would fall into a higher state of consciousness.

“Om…”

“Sasha, quit it.” Mikasa chuckled.

You kept your eyes closed as you focused on finder inner peace. There was no way you could now. Sasha exclaimed out loud, pouncing on you and Mikasa’s shoulder.

“Look, look, look! There he goes!” Sasha excitedly hushed.

Just a few feet away, Niccolo walked to the mess hall. It was unclear if he knew you three were there and watching him or not. All you could make of him was the back of his curly blonde hair, white chef's coat, and the crate he was carrying. You put the pieces together and assumed he was beginning the breakfast shift in the kitchen.

“For a Marleyan, isn’t he dreamy? I wonder what he’ll be making this morning!” Sasha sighed whimsically.

You weren’t completely sure if she was drooling over Niccolo himself, or the idea of his cooking.

Sasha was completely head over heels for this guy, and you could understand why. Niccolo was relatively good looking, but the fact that food was Sasha’s love language and Niccolo was a chef boosted his score. She had fallen stomach first for the grumpy and apprehensive Marleyan that was hired to work in the kitchen temporarily, both of them forgetting that he was technically a prisoner. Niccolo couldn’t hide how he had begun to soften around Sasha. Whatever he cooked, Sasha ate it and was always given a sample before it was properly served.

No better match could have been made.

“For you.” Mikasa chortled.

The wet morning dew from the grass dampened your clothes, especially on your butt. It had gotten to a point which you couldn’t tolerate anymore. Having enough of Sasha’s lustful shenanigans, you quickly stood up on your feet.

“Can we get started now?” You asked.

You extended your arms out, pulling Mikasa and Sasha to their feet as well.

Sasha mostly kept up with her archery and shooting skills, since she was the kill shot of the squad. The sound of her emptying her magazine didn’t bother you as much anymore. You didn’t need to see how she had obliterated the target dummy with bullets and arrows. Wherever Sasha’s target was— between the eyes, center chest, or the groin for giggles, she hit it with impeccable accuracy.

You liked to imagine Sasha as a little girl with a crossbow in her hand, proudly displaying the game she had hunted. She always kept you entertained with her childhood stories about growing up in the forest. You could recall how ecstatic she was when she had conquered that wild boar in the forest of Trost District. Sasha had brought it down with a single arrow to the skull. That was when you truly realized how amazing she was.

You couldn’t break your eyes away from Mikasa for a moment to admire Sasha’s damage. One distraction would cost you your face. With boxing gloves on her hands and safety pads on yours, Mikasa boxed you with no remorse. You dug your feet in the dirt to keep your balance upon her impacts, focusing on her flying gloves to protect yourself. Mikasa’s eyes were cold and dissociated as she pounded your palms. You and her were together often enough, you had a stellar idea of her routines and habits. Still, you wondered what the hell she ate that made her so strong. Or, perhaps, she was simply born effortlessly talented.

From your peripheral vision, you saw how Mikasa raised her foot for a kick. Without hesitation, you swatted her ankle away. Mikasa caught her own balance. She never fell, slipped, or tripped over anything.

She had barely broken a sweat. This moment of lapse made you realize just how far you both had moved from your original position. A good ten feet or so. Mikasa was slowly backing you into a corner, she always had the advantage.

When training for the day had drawn to a close, Mikasa suggested that your living quarters would be the ideal spot to recuperate and relax. You agreed, saying you had nothing planned for the day.

As the three of you slowly approached your living apartments, an object in front of your door came clearer into view. You all stared at the wrapped bouquet of blue Campanulas perfectly placed in the corner of the doorframe. They were delicately protected in white parchment paper.

“Someone left you flowers.” Mikasa announced, her tone comically flat as she pointed her finger at the conspicuous gift.

“Who are they from?” Sasha incredulously gawked.

You carefully picked them up and inhaled the petals. They smelled divine, a hint of Earth still lingered which meant they had been freshly selected and dropped off not too long ago. The gag was that you already knew who had left them. It was a typical token of affection and appreciation that Armin would present you with a flower, or a small bundle he had chosen for you. He also liked to place a few of them in your hair. Then, later, you pressed them into your personal journal for safe keeping.

Buried deep within the stems was a small note card. You plucked it and read the face silently to yourself.

10am. Same place, was all it said, written in Armin’s tiny penmanship.

During those two months since you had returned from Marley and adjusted back to regular life, you still hadn’t told a soul about you and Armin. Since Mikasa was healing from a broken heart, it felt insensitive for two of her best friends to be open about being in a relationship with each other. You and Armin didn’t exclusively agree to continue your low key relationship on those terms, it just seemed clear that now was not the right time to broadcast it.

The honeymoon phase of your relationship was still buzzing. Since you and Armin couldn’t be out and about in the way you liked, the routine you had become accustomed to on Marley had bled into your lives on Paradis; sneaking through the halls at odd hours of the night and averting a wider audience of wandering eyes, letting your eyes linger on each other longer than normal, holding hands and playing footsie under the table.

Being in a secret relationship had its perks and downsides. It was fun to lurk in the shadows, feeling as if you were doing something you shouldn’t. You never had a rebellious phase. Slipping out with Armin and creeping back in the small hours of the morning, hushed quickies in empty closets, keeping your own secrets and knowing things about each other no one else knew was far too exhilarating.

The only negative perspective was that you couldn’t shout from the rooftops on how madly in love you were with Armin already, previous years of undercover pining like a juvenile included. Armin had made you feel so special with his words of affirmation, tender acts of service, and romantic quality time. He was supernaturally kind, always considerate of your feelings and carefully choosing his words. He had literally given you the clothes off his back, letting you wear his heavy Survey Corps coat if you weren’t adorned in yours and the night was chilly as you roamed the streets together after dark. He picked up easily on your likes and dislikes, what your favorite anything was, and how you expressed displeasurement by the way you turned your nose up at certain things.

You had been awake for so long, it started feeling later in the day than it actually was. Sasha had a watch, you grabbed her wrist to read the time which read nine forty-five.

“Oh, shoot! I completely forgot I had something to do this morning after training!” You falsely gasped at the time.

Sasha blinked. Her first thought was how it was unlike you to forget anything, especially if it was something important. Mikasa spoke, but Sasha didn’t hear. Your suspicious body language was too overwhelming not to pay attention to. Sasha saw the note you slipped into your pocket, and the way you cradled the bouquet closer to you as you fumbled with your key. It seemed like putting a key in a lock was an exceedingly difficult task given how you began to tremble like a leaf in the wind. She watched you cautiously.

“Aw, that’s a shame. I was hoping you’d touch up my eyebrows.” Mikasa pouted. She traced a finger over them as she thought about it.

You quickly unlocked your door and briefly stepped inside. Mikasa and Sasha didn’t follow, as you’d be leaving anyway. Sasha stuck her head through the door, she watched as you chucked a smaller and more decayed bunch of flowers into the trash and added the fresh flowers to the same vase.

Y/N get flowers regularly… Interesting, Sasha thought to herself.

“I’ll do them later, I promise.” You said, closing and locking up your apartment.

“You said that last week!” Mikasa protested.

You looked in between both Mikasa and Sasha. Mikasa’s unkempt brows were bent together in the middle in a dissatisfied frown. You had been putting off helping Mikasa with some of her beauty regime because any other amount of free time you had was spent mostly with Armin. You glanced at Sasha, eyebrows turned in the opposite way. She had hers quirked up, her eyes shamelessly looking you up and down. They both stared at you intensely, and you knew if you lingered a second longer they’d start asking questions.

“I’ll see you guys later!” You caved, not being able to handle the silent pressure. On that note, you scurried off down the hall, not looking back as you exited quickly. Sasha and Mikasa stood for a brief second in silence. They exchanged odd glances, knowing they were both thinking the same thing. What’s with them?

“I can do your eyebrows for you!” Sasha offered.

“After what happened last time, there’s no way I’m letting you that close to my face ever again.” Mikasa spat out.

The sounds of horses snorting amongst themselves along with the smell of hay lingered in the air. Each stall was occupied with either a single horse or a mother and her foal. Whenever you went to the stables on unofficial scouting business, you tried your best to never arrive empty handed, whether it be a crunchy carrot or a nice head pat and a scratch. You offered the new colt your friendship, petting along its little face, and paid brief attention to some of your friends' horses as well.

You briefly scanned the stables for a sign that Armin might be here, but all was silent and vacant. To pass the time you thought you would visit your own horse.

You walked further down the isle of horses, each one snorting and making noises to themselves as they stood around in tranquility. Walking by one particular stall, you heard an all too familiar sound.

“Psst.”

Doubling back your steps, you saw that it was Armin tending to his own horse.

“There you are!” You exclaimed.

You briefly eyed Armin up and down. He was in rather casual clothes, accepted with a pair of his tougher boots he wore for working in. His horse also had a saddle strapped to her back, ready for an adventure.

“What’s with the get up?” You wanted to know.

“I was going to the forest this morning. I w-wanted to know if you would like to come along with me?” The words spilled from Armin’s lips like an accident that was waiting to happen. His sky-blue eyes were drawn open wide, wholeheartedly hoping you would agree to his invitation. He rubbed his palms together, a sheepish mannerism you realized he had.

The smile that slowly began to spread on your lips lifted the heavy weight in Armin’s chest. He logically knew that he had no reason to be nervous about rejection, as you had never denied him before. You had alway been open to his ideas he shared, always met up on time when you arranged meet-ups, and you never pushed him away whenever Armin started poking and prodding at buttons that he knew would make you turn to liquid in his hands. Even so, the potential chance of being turned down lingered involuntarily.

“Okay!” You didn’t even miss a beat.

Armin released a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He grinned ear to ear, ready to immediately set out. You didn’t notice the rucksack in the corner until Armin grabbed it. He wasted no time gathering his bag and strapping it to the side of the saddle. Armin held out his hand, obviously waiting for you to take it. His hands were usually soft and just a little sweaty, but you didn’t mind it that much. Armin assisted you in helping you jump up on his horse’s back, hoisting you up by your foot. You could mount a horse on your own, but you allowed him to be a gentleman. - The Scout Regiment’s headquarters was stationed in Trost, and had been for a few years. The pastures from Wall Rose and outward had been completely wiped of titans, thanks to Hange and Eren’s ingenious guillotine, thus making expeditions outside of the walls a breeze. With Armin taking the reins and you sitting behind him, you both trotted off of Scout property and into the streets.

It surely didn’t take long to reach the gate of Wall Rose, the only thing keeping civilization and the nearest stretch of wilderness apart. You never would have imagined that you would be able to travel back and forth, and still remain alive. This would be your first time going beyond the walls, not necessarily alone, but without a parade of scouts. You took a moment to look up at the wall and at the people around you.

You already knew that the walls were made from titans, but your brain just couldn’t imagine how they’d all fit together inside. The haunting face of a titan peering through the brick, or what you used to believe was brick, never left your imagination. A flock of birds flew overhead, making shadows while they flew in front of the sun.

“State your name, regiment, and business going outside of Wall Rose.” The Garrison guard demanded. He held out his hand promptly to inspect Armin’s exit permit to be outside of the wall on his own.

“Cal, you already know me.” Armin sighed, obviously annoyed. He reached into his back pocket to present his permit.

“No exceptions, Arlert!” Cal spat back.

You relaxed your posture and waited. You looked out at the people around you. Since there were no titans outside of the wall, the Garrison didn’t have much to look out for. Not that their jobs were back breaking anyway. A few guys in their short tan leather jackets sat around a wooden crate, playing cards and passing around a flask. They were all painstakingly bored, because the guard currently monitoring the lack of traffic through the gate was giving Armin a particularly rough time.

“This looks fake.” Cal huffed, holding the permit high in the sunlight to spot any forgeries.

“Well, it’s not.” Armin responded dryly.

You locked eyes with a woman. She was blonde, her hair had a dustier hue to it, compared to Armin’s yellow undertone. She sported the knee length green coat with a unicorn in the center of the crest, indicating she was of the Military Police. Being an MP was your first goal once you joined the cadet corps, but as time went on and with the more friends you made, and the more you changed your ideals, you decided to stick it out with the scouts. A decision you were glad that you chose, even through all the disaster and tragedy the scouts had to endure and will experience more of.

Everyone knows two things about the Military Police; they’re lousy at their jobs, and the women were gorgeous. The woman you were having an unintentional staring contest with was no exception.

You politely smiled at her, a favor which was not returned back to you. Her lips were thinned in an expression of judgment and you were close enough together to see some emotions in her eyes. She scanned you up and down as if she knew already knew what your greatest sin was. Your smile fell from your lips, no longer seeing a point in trying to be nice. She turned away with a roll in her eye, and carried on with the squiffy men seated around her. You watched her out of the side of your eye as she twiddled a piece of her short hair and flirtatiously laughed above everyone else.

The screeching chains of the gate being lifted caught your attention. Since they weren’t in a formal formation, As the outer gate to Wall Rose was lifted to let you pass, you could see the green fields as far as the eye could see. A new and fresh gust of wind blew right through you. You got your arms around Armin’s abdomen and held on, knowing Armin would tear off for the open field. Armin snapped the reins, and broke speed in record time.

You held Armin tightly as Armin’s horse booked it by his command. The sky had never been so blue and the grass had never been greener. You could actually admire the land you lived on now that blood didn’t stain the ground, and steam from destroyed titans didn’t fog up the sky. You thought back to the very first time you had gone outside of Wall Maria, bound for what seemed at the time to be the edge of the Earth. Life really was beautiful when it wasn’t polluted with death and destruction.

The nearest set of trees wasn’t far, only a half an hour ride. Armin rode up to a heavy patch of the deepest pine and juniper green trees that stood well over eighty meters tall. Their leaves rustled in the wind, a few falling high from the branches above. Armin hopped down from the saddle, tying his horse off on the trunk of the tree. His blond hair glistened in the sun. Armin’s hair had three different dimensions of color, a few pieces around his face and temples had a different texture compared to the rest of his head. Sweat had curled the hair framing around his face, his cheeks and the tip of his nose flushed darker than usual.

“So,” You breathed once your feet hit the ground. “We’re here. Now what?” You asked.

All around you, there was nothing. No villages or homes, not even empty or abandoned ones. The land was flat and appeared to continue forever if you didn’t know that the ocean was on the other side of the distant horizontal line. The wind was silent and warm.

Armin took a few steps closer, the grass squishing under his boot. His eyes trickled over your face, talking in all of your beautiful details in the organic sunlight. Armin kept eye contact with you while he sneakily grabbed your hand and held it politely in his. Even through his fingertips, Armin radiated kindness. He gently pulled you towards the man-made gap in between the trees. There was a trail that led through the shadows.

“Come on, I want to show you something.” His voice was low and enticing. There was a bass in his quiet tone that made your ear drums tickle.

You glanced over his shoulder to look through the massive tree trunks. There were glimmers of light that came through the branches. Looking deeper in, you could see that it was dark and shady. Ominous and suspicious. A shiver went through your spine and a reflex to wonder if there were titans lurking about.

“Are you sure there are no titans out here?” You asked.

You moved your feet apprehensively as Armin continued to tug you closer. You felt silly for asking considering you were on the expedition to double check that all titans beyond Wall Rose had actually been eliminated.

“I swear.” Armin promised.

With his word of honor, you grasped Armin’s hand tighter and brought yourself to his side. Your fingers locked in with his while you walked into the forest.

Comfortable silence blew through every now and then, but Armin mostly talked while you listened. This seemed to be your usual dynamic. He asked how your morning training went, if you were tired and if you needed a break from walking. Armin filled you in on his morning. He finally finished that book he had been reading for most of the month and how he didn’t like the ending, the ideas he proposed to Hange and how he was looking forward to seeing some of them come to fruition. The railroad was almost complete, and was about to kickstart a new project. Armin thought it would be beneficial for the population inside the walls to construct a major institution where the sick and injured could be treated. If there was one place the severely ill and wounded could heal, there would be more free space for minor illnesses and grievances in local doctors offices. That way, health care could be provided easily and evenly. You thought it was a fantastic idea.

The forest wasn’t as threatening as it seemed. The sun came through the canopy of the trees beautifully, creating an ethereal environment. You spotted a bush of Campanulas along the matted dirt trail. One section was missing several flowers. You put two and two together. Armin had been here earlier, but why? With the rucksack hanging on one shoulder, items inside of it clinking together, you knew he had to be up to something.

Jumping over fallen branches and bending under low branches, Armin began to lead you uphill. The mourning doves were still hooting softly in the distance. Armin stopped abruptly. He popped up directly in front of you. He already had a solid grip on one of your hands. With his free one, he slid it down your arm to the one he didn’t have. His touch sent a cold chill through you, despite it being quite warm outside. He held them both as he spoke.

“Close your eyes, okay?” Armin couldn’t resist giving your knuckles a quick and chaste kiss.

You were right. There was a trick up his sleeve, an ace in his deck you weren’t expecting. There was a flux in his tone of which he spoke, drawing you to say anything except no. His eyes sparkled with mischief and surprise while he held you so close to him.

You did as he said with no questions asked.

Behind the darkness of your eyelids, you could hear Armin doing things and moving around. He unzipped the rucksack. Whatever items he had in there clanked around as he moved about. Armin muttered quietly to himself.

“Are your eyes still closed?” Armin asked, though he could see that they were squeezed tightly.

“Yes.”

“Don’t open them yet!” He instructed.

“‘Kay.”

You stood awkwardly, eyes still closed and not yet completely sure of your surroundings. Your ears were finely tuned into the noises around you. Birds flittered and chirped closely, leaves rustling up above your head along with the faint breath of breeze. You drummed patiently on your thighs as you waited, growing more anxious by the second as to what Armin could possibly be up to.

“Okay, open.” His voice this time was lower than a whisper and appeared right in the shell of your ear. Your heart pounded at his lips suddenly being so close.

You did just as he said, opening your eyes and letting them adjust to the greenery around you. Both of you were standing in the middle of a clearing. The sun was at its highest morning peak, not a single cloud in the sky. It shone a spotlight down on the clearing Armin was leading you up to the entire time. On the ground was a blanket with food spread buffet style. White flower bushes encased the area like a natural fence.

“I-I figured that since you don’t have anything planned this afternoon, and I don’t have anything to do either, we could just hide out here…?”Armin explained, an open and hopeful suggestion left in the end. He rubbed his hands together nervously as he spoke.

It wasn’t really surprising that Armin had gone out of his way to do something this nice, as he tried to do things for you while keeping a low profile. The bouquet of flowers weren’t out of character, and neither were the little notes. Armin left little pieces of himself in places only you could see; the inside of your Survey Corps coat, in books.

This set up, however, was the grandest thing he’d ever done.

Armin pulled on the joints of his fingers to soothe the storm in his stomach. He scanned your body language. Your face lit up, a wide and surprised smile spreading across your soft lips. The knot in his tummy quickly untwisted itself.

“Aw!” You gaped at how everything was intentionally set up and laid out before you.

“You like it?” Armin questioned, as if the sentimental gloss in your eyes made it difficult to actually tell.

“Yes!”

You immediately got comfortable on the splayed blanket. It was unexpectedly soft. You laid on your back and threw your hands behind your head, looking up at the sky through the deep green branches. Armin joined your side without wasting a single second. You took a closer look at all of the food and smaller things he brought. It wasn’t much, but there was bread and jam, bits of different cheeses, apples and grapes. There was also a deck of playing cards and two books. They were simple things to come by.

Your chest felt as if it could just explode from the way Armin made you feel. Before you had gotten into a relationship, you never would have guessed that Armin was as romantic as he had been. Often a man of a few words unless prompted into conversation. Logical, analytical, and practical didn’t seem to go hand in hand with romance and affection. It was a side of Armin that only you got to see, a side that you knew that was only reserved for you. Which made you feel all the more special.

“This is really, really nice. You’re so sweet to me.” You gave him praise and recognition. Armin jokingly rolled his eyes, shrugged his shoulders and scoffed with faux imperturbability.

“Well, you know…” His face turned a deep pink.

After all the hard work and organization he put in to set this up, you decided at least a kiss was in order. You extended your neck slightly to meet his lips in the middle in the midst of his humble denial. Only then did Armin fall silent. He caught up to the pace of how you moved your lips in between his. His body melted on top of yours, now lying comfortably on top of you. He helped himself to hover you, his waist making home right in between your legs and hands holding him up on both sides of your head. You threw your arms around his neck, Armin instinctively lowered himself. The tips of your noses brushed against each other, and abdomens flush.

In between little make outs, you fed yourselves and each other, played a few rounds of Go Fish, and finally nestled down and started reading once all of the food had been eaten. You cracked open the newest book Armin had got just for this occasion. With a book in one hand, Armin rested his head in your lap and you played with his hair as you read out loud. You used your nails to scratch at his scalp, and twirled pieces of fine angel hair around your finger. Armin’s eyes fluttered shut, resting them as he listened to you read. He could listen to your voice forever.

Apart from the sounds of you reading and the feeling of you gently twirling his hair, everything around Armin seemed to fall away. Armin could only seem to find peace of mind whenever you were in his presence. Just the sight of you soothed the redundant and dull ache in his chest he had acquired from the trauma of the last few months. Armin still missed Eren more than anything, he thought of him every single day. He wondered if Eren was alright, if he had somewhere to sleep or something to eat. Whether or not Eren had grown comfortable in the new life he abandoned his old one for, or if he was even alive at this point. Instead of bottling up all his emotions inside, keeping his thoughts to himself so as to not upset Mikasa and others, you encouraged him to speak his mind. Little by little, each day got easier. Even still, apart from you and Mikasa, Armin couldn’t confide in anyone else on the same level as he did with Eren.

No one could take Eren’s place in Armin’s heart. However, the space Armin had for Eren and you separately started to slowly merge. Your touch comforted him like soup on a sick day. Armin never knew how much physical touch meant to him until Armin got to hold you almost whenever he wanted to. Your hands fit perfectly together, your bodies evenly meshed when you were pressed against one another. Hearing you laugh drowned out the buzzing in his brain. He slept deeper and longer with you snuggled up next to him. Those thoughts that had their own tiny voices couldn’t be heard over Armin hearing you moan his name in your ear while you both fucked each other.

Armin took advantage of the pause you took to flip the pages to speak after he had been quietly paying attention to your story telling.

“Can I ask you a question?” He blurted out.

You gave up trying to turn to the next page and closed the book completely, giving Armin your full attention.

“Yes,” You spoke, not even thinking twice about it.

Armin sat straight up. You leaned back on the blanket, supporting your weight with your hands. Armin’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. There was something on his mind that he just could not hide. Armin was a quiet man, and you studied his body language carefully. A slightly turned head with eye contact was reserved for when Armin was curious, inquisitive. When Armin turned his head without eye contact, something was on his mind. He took a reasonable pause.

“If you could have anything you wanted, what would it be?” Armin implored.

You reached out again for his hair. It was so soft, as if you were touching nothing. His hair wasn’t as neat as it normally was since you had been playing in it. The wind blew his bangs back. You remembered when his brass-blonde hair was just shy of touching his shoulders. Armin hardly ever did anything with his hair, as a guy usually would. It always hung in his face, shielding him from being perceived. All you wanted to do was let the strands fall through your fingers.

Now, Armin’s hair was shorter in the back and layering longer at the top. It wasn’t quite a bowl cut, but it worked for the shape of his face. When Armin first got his hair cut, you were glad to see the guy behind it, but sometimes you did miss the length. You never got to play in it while it was long.

Your first thought to his question was to be able to turn back time. You would take it back three months ago in Marley, where Eren stood in front of you shaking with an unknown anger you had never seen before. You would change how you didn’t try hard enough to get him to articulate his thoughts. You would make yourself follow him outside so he wouldn’t be alone. Then perhaps he would only be minutes late to meet back with the squad instead of never showing up at all. Armin would be happy and still be conjoined to Eren’s side. Mikasa wouldn’t have cried for weeks and weeks, her smile would be brighter and her eyes wouldn’t be so cold. Captain Levi would still have someone to sarcastically abuse, Hange would have at least one person willing to stay up until three in the morning with them, Jean and Eren would fight as usual. Connie and Eren would still teasingly taunt and terrorize you at every chance they got. Everything would be in balance, as it had been before, and as it should be.

“I don’t know.”

You shrugged innocently as you took a section of Armin’s hair and split it into three pieces. It would be best not to say. You didn’t want to ruin a perfectly good and wholesome moment.

On the other hand, there wasn’t anything else you immediately wanted or needed. You were so grateful for all the times you scraped by death without even a broken bone. There wasn’t much one could ask for once you’ve been given life so many times. You weren’t starving, you had a roof over your head, and money in your purse. You had friends, and Armin, who gave you heart palpitations every time he blinked those long eyelashes. What else could you want?

“What about you?” You asked Armin in return.

You reached around you towards the flower bushes and plucked one straight from the stem. Within the white petals and yellow center was a sultry and sweet aroma. The scent tagged itself in your memory. You chose a few more flowers and placed them along the crown of Armin’s head.

Armin had already gone beyond the walls and had already seen the ocean, his ultimate life goal. He had an influential hand in transforming the island of Paradise, installing the railroad that was almost completed, and several other new ideas. Those ideas were just that so far. Armin wanted to think of an objective that was outside of work, something personal.

“I’d like to revisit my old house at some point, and see what it looks like.” Armin admitted.

“That can easily be done.” You said while your fingers kept working. Armin chuckled.

“Yeah. But, I can imagine some renovations would be in order for it to be livable.” Armin added.

You hummed. The scouts didn’t have the greatest salary, and saving money for a home would take quite a while. Even in a less fortunate outlier district such as Shiganshina. Why would the government waste money on paying soldiers in a regiment who were destined to die anyway?

You started your project on Armin’s hair over, since the flowers wouldn’t stay put in its fine texture. You recreated a braid going across the crown of Armin’s head, and then stuck the flowers in where they fit best. You worked on him as Armin spoke about his home in Shiganshina.

He and Eren lived in the same neighborhood, just a few blocks from each other. Armin remembered sitting at the kitchen table with his grandfather, who taught him to read, showing him pictures in the infamous book Armin brought up a few times. At the same table, his father would fix up the scrapes on his hands and knees from falling, either because he was clumsy and mistook his step or because he was shoved to the ground. And, Armin definitely remembered sitting in his mother’s lap while she showed him all of the blueprints for the hot-air balloon and the plans she had made.

Armin thought about his bedroom, and how juvenile it would be for him now. How the dishes would still be piled in the sink, books on the shelves were still organized in chronological order, shoes still by the front door and clothes for a little boy hanging in the closet and folded in the dresser. Everything would have layers and layers of dust, but would still be perfectly in place.

“And after reconstructing whatever needs to be done, we could get off-campus permits and live there.” Armin said.

Your heart almost stopped completely at hearing him say ‘we.’ As in you and him together.

“That sounds lovely.” Your breath tickled the back of Armin’s neck. He rolled his eyes back at the sensation, toes curled in his boots and stomach turning.

From that comment on, Armin continued. He shared how he wanted a flower box in every window, even on ones facing away from the street where no one could see. He wanted bookshelves built into the walls so it appeared more flush and cohesive, an oven to make bread at home instead of struggling to buy a loaf every week. All the renovations would be expensive, most definitely, but if he saved just enough and learned how to do a few things himself, the possibilities would be endless.

You lost your concentration for one moment, and a flower tumbled from Armin’s head to his lap. He picked it up and lifted a finger to ever so gently touch the delicate petals. All that Armin described sounded like a dream. But, there was one tiny minuscule flaw.

“Wouldn’t people notice that we live together? What would we do then?” You asked, half teasing.

So far you and Armin were so good at hiding your relationship, no one had suspected anything. It was easy to slip undetected while everyone’s attention was averted to coping without Eren and adjusting back to regular life. If word got out that you and Armin were living together off Survey Corp grounds, there would definitely be assumptions and questions.

Armin shrugged. He shoved his nose into the flower that had fallen into his lap. Armin got a whiff of a spicy scent with earthy undertones. He twirled it in between his fingers.

“It’ll take a while to save for even a down payment, then having the off-campus permit go through. W-We’ll just figure it out when we get to that point, I suppose.” Armin talked low, despite you two being the only ones out in the forest.

Armin’s flower crown was completed. He moved his head around carefully so as to not ruin your masterpiece. The flowers sat on the top of his head as if you had crowned him a prince of the trees. Armin did a half turn to at face you. The sun coming through the greenery above granted Armin a glowing shadow around his shoulders. He looked like an angel.

“What kind of flowers are these?” You wanted to know.

You quickly changed the subject. Thinking further ahead about living with Armin was making your head spin. You wouldn’t be totally opposed to it, but you never had lived with a boyfriend before. The possibility of settling down somewhere seemed so far away, so unlikely given the chance you’d die the very next day. A new window of potential cracked open ever so slightly.

Armin took a final glance at the flower in his hand, and then gently placed it in your hair just above your ear. You flushed quickly at the feeling of Armin’s fingers dusting through your hair.

“I believe these are gardenias.” Armin replied matter of factly. He responded with little hesitation.

“We could plant some of these in the windows!” You mentioned excitedly.

“Okay, sure. Whatever you’d like.” Armin smiled, and chuckled.

His cheeks burned hot, he could feel himself turning an embarrassing shade of red. He smiled gently and genuinely at you. The corners of his eyes turned upwards happily. Only you were capable of making him grin this way these days. The pulling feeling in his chest was a sensation reserved for you and you only. The tunneling vision whenever you were in his line of sight became clearer and sharper with focus. Armin’s body was already admitting to itself that he had fallen for you harder than he had ever thought imaginable.

When the sun shifted and time set to late afternoon, it would be time for dinner by the time you and Armin returned back. The thirty minute trek lasted another thirty minutes because Armin’s horse walked the rest of the way to Scout headquarters. Armin could have made her pick up the pace a little bit, but he wanted to spend his time with you as much as he could. Armin didn’t talk much. He stayed quiet and enjoyed the slow trot with you holding onto him again. You didn’t have to hold onto him so tightly, but Armin liked it nonetheless. You both parted at the stables, but not without quickly and deeply pressing your lips together in a long kiss. Neither of you were sure if you’d be able to see each other later, or if this was your secluded parting for the night. You went ahead of Armin to the mess hall. The snacks Armin had brought were eaten hours ago, and you absolutely needed more sustenance. The mess hall was busy, as expected. You got your plate and sat yourself at the usual table. Connie and Sasha had already claimed their spots, sitting right next to each other and shooting the breeze. You plopped in front of them, greeting them breathlessly before helping yourself to your meal. The food today was just alright, but beggars can’t be choosers. You completely missed the way Sasha and Connie exchanged short looks at each other.

They leaned in closer, keeping their eyes on you until you noticed them staring directly at you. Connie naturally had wide eyes, big and a yellowish-hazel, lighter than Sasha’s. If you didn’t know them both, you would have assumed they were fraternal twins. They spent so much time together they started looking like one another. You blinked at the both of them, staring you down like you had grown a second head. “What?” You asked. You took your napkin and wiped the corners of your mouth, in case there was something on your face.

“Who’s the guy?” Sasha simply asked as if it were the easiest question in the world. You scoffed.

“What?” You choked. “Who is the guy?” Sasha pressed again.

“There is no guy!” You automatically denied.

You did the best you could to keep your composure, but your body couldn't stop the increase of anxiety. You might as well be under a single spotlight lamp, playing carrot and stick. Sasha leaned in closer, the smirk on her face grew bigger and bigger as you kept insisting there was no person of interest. There was no getting out of this conversation, Sasha could smell fear. Her honey-hazel eyes met to yours, you subconsciously avoided eye contact. If she looked too deep into your eyes, they might tell her the answer she seeks.

“Oh, there’s a guy.” Connie input with a knowing smirk on his face. “‘Cause I’m a guy, and I know when there’s another guy.” He explained as if he was making sense.

You squinted, not understanding Connie’s logic. You and Sasha cut your eyes at each other.

“Old flame, or is it someone new?” Sasha continued. She wiggled her eyebrows and shimmied her shoulders.

Just because you have had an incredibly dedicated crush on Armin since you were cadets, did not stall the pursuit of other potential partners and lovers. For years and years, you had become comfortable admiring Armin from a distance. You never actually thought you two would potentially end up together. Had you known that, you obviously would have waited for him. Then, you never knew when your last moment would be, so you lived your life as fully as you could for a soldier — per Sasha, who encouraged you to have normal relationships.

You took a pause to actually think about what you might want to say next. You didn’t honestly believe you could hide much without at least Mikasa and Sasha catching on. They were both very intuitive, and Sasha was more of a gossip than Mikasa was. Confessing now, in front of Connie and without Armin present, thus leaving Mikasa the last to know, seemed inappropriate.

Like Armin said, you’d both figure out what to say when you got to that point. Whenever that day comes, you’d like Armin to be with you. Connie wasn’t paying attention anymore. His focus was directed towards his bowl of stew. He shoveled food into his mouth as if someone would come by and snatch it from him. Sasha’s face twitched with excitement. She leaned in closer and spoke just a smidge quieter, a tone that was befitting the noisy environment.

“Who is it?” Was her next question, naturally.

You sighed. You took a look around the mess hall, wondering where anyone else was so the current conversation could come to a close. You shook your head.

“I can’t say.” That was all you were willing to admit for the time being.

“Whyy-uhh!?” She whined as she stomped her feet under the table.

“We want to be…private.” You put it lightly so as to not hurt Sasha’s feelings by saying it was a secret.

You wanted to tell Sasha so badly. She was always your number one supporter about crushing on Armin. If your circumstances and environment had been different at the scene of defining your relationship, she’d be the first person you’d tell.

Sasha slouched back in her seat, arms folded with a smug smirk across her lips. Her eyes glanced you up and down about twice before she nodded and threw her hands up.

“Fine. Don’t tell me. I’ll figure it out myself.” Sasha declared.

You hadn’t looked away from Sasha’s suspicious yet omniscient stare down. Not knowing who the mysterious guy is would drive her insane for sure. Perhaps it would be fun to see all of her guesses, and to watch her face fall every time she got it wrong. The chance of Sasha naming Armin right off the bat was slim.

Right in the nick of time, Jean had helped himself to sitting on your left.

You didn’t see Armin, but you felt him. You smelled him. The aroma of gardenia still lingered on his skin, on his clothes, in his hair. Armin gently sat down across from you, next to Connie. Jean had occupied the only space next to you. Armin greeted you with a soft ‘hey.’

“What are you trying to figure out?” Jean wanted to know. He got a spoonful of his stew and blew on his spoon lightly.

“Sasha’s gonna figure out who Y/N’s secret boyfriend is.” Connie summarized the conversation.

You opened your mouth to speak but nothing could come out of it. Like a sixth sense, your eyes honed in on Armin across from you. Armin kept his hands folded in his lap, ears open and listening to the conversation as he pretended to be busy with a string on the hem of his shirt.

“Like I said, it’s private.” You repeat yourself again so Jean could retain that bit of information.

Under the table, Armin nudged your foot with his. You made eye contact for half a second. You met each other with stealthy and knowing twinkle in your eyes. You knocked your foot against his in return, rubbing the side of your shoe with his boot.

Armin’s face muscles ached to pull to smile, but he held it all inside with an awkward swallow. His heart skipped a few beats when you raised your foot to graze higher on his calf, teasing him under the table.

“That’s your business. I don’t care.” Was all Jean had to say. He began to eat his dinner and remained silent.

“I care! I care so much!” Sasha exclaimed.

Sasha had worked herself up so, she went to flail her hands up to her chest in dramatics. She knocked into Connie’s wrist, and his spoon flew from his fingers. The muted clang of metal rang from Connie’s position.

“See, look what you made me do! You made me drop my fuckin’ spoon!” He complained.

Armin refrained from giggling at the irony. If it hadn’t been for Jean and that humongous gulp of alcohol he made Armin chug, you and him would not be a private item. Another thought crossed Armin’s mind. He knew you both couldn’t stay in the comfort of your secluded relationship forever, and eventually the truth would come to light. If Sasha was asking questions, how much longer could you two get away with it?

Armin watched you and Sasha go back and forth. Sasha spat out a few names of Scouts you might know and who might be interested in you. You shook your head at every name Sasha gave, promising her that she wouldn’t guess it so easily. Once she ran out of names to give, she gave up and insisted she’d try again later.

“You got me now, but I will figure this out!” Sasha swore as if her life depended on it.

You could spare her sanity and give her a hint, tell her to shorten and reel in her fishing net, or offer a clue about his identity. Sasha was so hellbent on solving the mystery, it seemed to be more entertaining to let her do it on her own than to offer help. You failed to hide how much you were resisting to smile. You nodded, while still brushing yourself against Armin’s foot only inches from Sasha’s own casual flat sandals.

tags: @callm3senpaii @aegonslawyer @arminsdiscordkitten

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