Faking It

by brittle_bluebell

Summary:

Armin believed his life would become easier once his roommate Eren and best friend Mikasa started dating. However, after walking in on the two of them screwing one too many times, he has had enough, and when they ditch him at a sorority party, he is left alone to contemplate his frustration only to run into Annie, the campus bad girl, who devises a plan to get back at them: a fake relationship. A success at first, but along the way, the lines become blurred. How long can they fake feelings for each other before they become real?

Chapter 1: a deal with the devil

Notes:

here is the link to the writing playlist for this fic if you like to listen to music while you read :) I hope you enjoy reading <3

Armin had suspected he would regret coming to this party before he even said yes to Mikasa, but he hadn’t imagined the night would go exactly as badly as this.

 

Walking in on Historia and Ymir making out was the first thing to go wrong. He wasn’t surprised and was only a little embarrassed, but it was hard for those feelings to burn on when they didn’t seem to notice him anyway. It wasn’t exactly an unexpected sight at Historia’s sorority house, where most of the parties he actually agreed to come to usually were, but he would have thought if Historia was so desperate to get with Ymir she would have done it in her own room and not in the bathroom he’d been hoping to hide in. But it still wasn’t enough to completely ruin his night.

 

Armin only started to grow upset with how the night was going when Eren stumbled into him and spilt his drink all over his shirt. It wouldn’t have troubled him nearly as much if he hadn’t already felt like his printed T-shirt and baggy jeans made him look like a nerdy eyesore, and now the wet patch on his chest certainly didn’t help matters. He didn’t miss the snickering from others, either, which did nothing to lift his spirits. Eren at least had the decency to help him clean up, but when Armin voiced how desperately he just wanted to go home and change, Eren practically begged him to stay. So, soaking wet and heavily embarrassed, he decided he could power through the night by clinging to Eren and Mikasa until they finally wanted to leave.

 

But of course, things couldn’t just go as simply as that. As much as Armin didn’t want to part from them, after another hour of watching Eren and Mikasa make lovey-dovey eyes at each other, he was eager to take up the opportunity to get them more drinks when they’d both drained their cups. Being the third wheel was bad enough normally, but at the moment, he really would have liked to just be able to have a conversation with his friends without them looking like they wanted to make out right then and there. It wasn’t as if he wasn’t happy for them – they’d been pining after each other for long enough, but with Eren being his roommate, he’d walked in and seen far more than he’d liked to of both of them, far too many times.

 

Walking to the kitchen would be enough of a break to be able to deal with them for the rest of the night. The kitchen was quiet as he pushed open the door, so quiet that Armin was sure it was empty. That was until the door swung shut behind him and someone gasped.

 

“Armin?”

 

He raised his head to the corner, where Jean Kirstein, the campus bad boy, who – oh, didn’t he have a crush on Mikasa? – was pressing Marco against the counter, Marco, his friend and main sympathiser over Eren and Mikasa’s torments. Given how red they both were and how Marco’s fingers were still laced through the hair at the back of Jean’s head, or how tightly Jean seemed to be gripping Marco’s hips, it was clear that whatever ‘crush’ Jean used to have on Mikasa was long gone.

 

Marco was still staring at him, wide-eyed and mouth hanging open.

 

Armin finally came back to life. “S-sorry!” he said, cups clattering to the floor as he scurried out of the room.

 

His heart was still pounding by the time the door was shut behind him. Walking in on something he clearly wasn’t meant to see with anyone was humiliating enough, but why did it have to be Jean Kirstein? He could only imagine the threats Jean would send his way in the following days – and it wasn’t like it would be the first time he’d tried to intimidate him. And his next conversation with Marco was probably going to be one of the most painful of his life, too. Marco had been crushing on Jean for a while, as much as he didn’t understand it, so he supposed that was nice for him. But Armin wished he could just crush on a guy who, you know, didn’t threaten to beat him up.

 

His embarrassment had reached its peak so far, so he was almost relieved to find that Mikasa and Eren had vanished when he returned to where they’d been standing. Well, at least he didn’t have to explain to Mikasa how he’d somehow lost their cups in the kitchen. But as his nerves started to settle, the sting of being ditched began to creep in.

 

But he barely had time for those feelings to fester before hands slammed down on his shoulders from behind. “Hey there, Armin!”

 

When he turned around, he was met with Hitch Dreyse, who had clearly had too much to drink. Hitch used to be a bit preppy and honestly a bit cruel, but she’d become a lot more fun to be around since she’d stopped sucking up to Historia so much.

 

“Woah!” she said. “Nice haircut.”

 

He rubbed the back of his head. Mikasa had dragged him to her uncle’s (or however they were related) yesterday to give him a ‘cooler’ haircut. He had to agree that an undercut was a bit better than the mop he’d been dealing with a few days ago. “Thanks.”

 

“What the hell are you doing here?” she asked, her speech slightly slurred.

 

“Mikasa wanted me to come,” he said.

 

“And she’s not even here?” she asked.

 

He felt a stab in his chest again, but he forced a smile. “Probably with Eren somewhere.”

 

“Oh, yeah,” she said. “I walked in on Reiner and Bertholdt earlier, and honestly? I am relieved I am practically black-out drunk.”

 

Armin felt his stomach drop. God, them too? It seemed like everyone was pairing up. The longer he dwelt on it, the worse it got. Even Marco was getting the attention he wanted – not that Armin was necessarily pining after anyone, but –

 

“I even convinced Annie to come,” said Hitch.

 

Armin perked up. “Annie’s here?”

 

Hitch nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t know where she got off to. She was supposed to be my designated driver, you know. I think I’m gonna go back to Marlowe’s, though, so I’ll probably just text her. If she hasn’t already left.”

 

His shoulders sank. It wasn’t like he particularly spent a lot of time with her, but he’d always noticed her on campus and loved her dry sense of humour. She was intimidating to say the least, even at such a short height, and her reputation had preceded her long before he’d even caught sight of her. But he hadn’t let that get to him, and always gave her a friendly smile and a hello when he saw her, even though she wasn’t exactly much for conversation. She hadn’t punched him yet, so he assumed she at least didn’t hate him. And he also had to admit to himself that he’d been paying a lot more attention to her ever since the incident with Jean a few weeks ago.

 

That day, he had just been walking across campus to the library, down a secluded passageway between the science buildings, when he was abruptly slammed into the hard brick wall by his throat.

 

“What are you –”

 

It was Jean, and his eyes were on fire. His fist was clenched around the neck of his T-shirt as if he were going to pick him up and hurl him across the yard. “Did you rat me out to the professor about cheating?”

 

“Why would I do that?” asked Armin.

 

“Because no one else knew, except you,” said Jean. “Do you know how bad this is? I could get kicked out.”

 

“I didn’t do anything,” Armin insisted.

 

“Just shut your mouth,” said Jean. His grip tightened. “I swear I’m going to kill you.”

 

“I’m not lying!” said Armin.

 

Jean shoved him hard against the brick again, hard enough to make his glasses clatter to the ground.

 

“No one else knew!” said Jean. “So tell me, how are you going to fix this? How are you –”

 

But before he could finish his sentence, the grip on Armin’s shirt disappeared, and Jean was ripped away from him. Before Armin could work out what had happened, he watched as Jean was thrown into the wall across from him.

 

“He’s not going to do anything,” said a familiar monotone voice. “God, Jean, you act like you’re a high school bully. It’s pathetic to watch.”

 

Jean straightened and glared at Annie. He towered over her, but Annie didn’t waver. She stood between him and Armin, glaring up at him.

 

Jean laughed. “Oh, I get it. Don’t worry, Armin. Annie’s here to protect you from the big, bad bully.”

 

Jean’s smile cut short as Annie grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and yanked his face down to her level. “Get the fuck out of here or I will snap you in half. And don’t bother him again.”

 

Jean simply stared at her for a moment before scoffing and pulling back. He stormed away, leaving Armin alone with Annie in the passageway.

 

She turned on him. Her eyes were pale blue, paler than he’d first thought – he hadn’t noticed before, but he supposed she’d never really been this close to him. “Are you okay?”

 

He blinked. “U-uh, yeah. Thank you, Annie.”

 

She bent down and took his glasses from the ground. When she stepped closer and placed them back on his face, he caught the scent of her perfume, something floral and sweet and entirely not something he expected from her.

 

“Don’t let him give you any more trouble,” said Annie.

 

“Uh, I’ll try not to?” he said weakly.

 

She looked at him for a moment before she rolled her eyes and sighed. She reached into the backpack slung over her shoulder before pulling out a pen and putting her hand out to him. “Give me your arm.”

 

Despite the cold air, when he stretched out his arm to her, he was shocked to find that her hands were warm when they met his skin. She scrawled something down across his flesh, then pulled back. “That’s my number. If he’s an ass again, call me. I’ll make sure he never does it again.”

 

“O-okay,” said Armin. “Thank you, Annie.”

 

“You’re stronger than you look. I know you’re a swimmer. You could have just pushed him away and left,” she said plainly.

 

“Oh, yeah,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. She knew he swam? He didn’t remember ever telling her that – or having any particularly in-depth conversations with her at all, but he supposed she did talk to Mikasa every now and then. But why would he have come up in conversation? “I don’t know. I just … I don’t run.”

 

“So you’re willing to get beaten up just to prove a point?” she said flatly.

 

“No,” he said. “If I don’t run, I don’t lose. Even if I don’t fight.”

 

Her eyes locked on his. He was sure her gaze could have chilled him to the core. “You’re more interesting than you look.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Uh, thanks? I think?”

 

“Just call me when you need me,” she said, adjusting her backpack.

 

“Thanks,” he said, but she’d already started walking away, leaving him to stare after her retreating form.

 

Ever since then, he always seemed to notice her out of the corner of his eye. A flash of blonde here and there, and he realised she spent more time with Mikasa than he’d ever thought, and he’d found himself asking about her more and more, until Mikasa asked him if he had a crush on her. Then he decided talking to her on his own was enough, but every time he saw her, he wasn’t sure he was making much progress. It hadn’t made sense to him, her offer, especially considering she didn’t seem very interested in actually getting to know him. But maybe she was just a nice person.

 

Hitch opened her mouth to say something, but a hand appeared on her shoulder. It was Marlowe.

 

“I saw Mikasa go upstairs if you’re looking for her,” he said.

 

“Are you gonna stay much longer?” asked Hitch.

 

He shook his head. “No, I think I’ll just go tell her I’m going. I need to get changed, anyway.”

 

He turned to go, but Hitch reached out for his arm. “You should come hang out at our dorm with me and Annie and Marlowe sometime! She doesn’t drink a lot at parties, but she’s so much more fun in private. Plus, since she isn’t seeing anyone, she’s getting pretty sick of third wheeling us.”

 

At Annie’s dorm? He couldn’t imagine she would enjoy that, but maybe Hitch was just drunk and rambling. He smiled. “Yeah, uh, that sounds nice. Just tell me when.”

 

“Okay!” she said with a big smile, and let him go.

 

He sighed as he climbed the stairs. He supposed hanging out with Hitch was probably more fun than any of these parties were, but it wasn’t as if Annie had invited him. Maybe Hitch just felt sorry for him, or for her really, and just thought pushing two single people together to hang out was better than them just going solo. Although he hadn’t known Annie wasn’t seeing anyone – how was she not seeing anyone? Armin couldn’t imagine why someone wouldn’t be interested in her. She was absolutely stunning, not to mention smart and shockingly strong, so he concluded that it was probably because she just wasn’t interested in anyone. She did seem perfectly happy being more of a loner. But …

 

She’s getting pretty sick of third-wheeling us.

 

Armin was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice the noises behind the bedroom door before he pushed it open. By the time his ears picked them up, it was already too late.

 

Make no mistake, he and Mikasa had been friends since high school. They’d been swimming plenty of times, so the sight of her in a bikini wasn’t exactly one he was unfamiliar with. And he’d unfortunately walked into his dorm to find Mikasa and Eren clinging together a few times, but only ever missing a shirt, or a pair of pants, and not completely naked in someone else’s bed.

 

Mikasa was on top of Eren, doing things Armin wished he could never see, both of them too preoccupied with each other to notice that the door was wide open. Armin slammed the door shut and stumbled back into the hall, feeling more than a little queasy as his face burned red. He tumbled down the hallway until he finally shoved through the double doors onto the obnoxiously large balcony, relieved to find somewhere quiet as he practically gulped in fresh air, clinging to the railing for dear life. When he looked down at his hands, he was shocked to find he was trembling.

 

God, he needed to leave, and he needed to leave right now. He was genuinely so embarrassed he felt like the best way to go was straight over the balcony, but he decided that running downstairs and heading back to his dorm to curl up into a little ball was likely a better option.

 

“Drank too much?”

 

Armin tensed and turned his head to see Annie Leonhart standing at the corner of the balcony, dressed in mostly all black, a knee-length skirt and – were those chains? She hadn’t sacrificed her chunky boots for party attire, but it looked like she was wearing makeup, eyeliner, and it made her eyes look even more piercing. She was staring at him expectantly, something clutched in her left hand, and he realised it was a vape. Annie vaped?

 

“Uh, no, just – a really bad night,” he said.

 

“Yeah, I hate these things,” she said. “I guess they’re not so bad when you’re drunk.”

 

Armin had definitely had a few, but not enough to be able to deal with what he’d just seen. “I wish.”

 

She looked at him. “So, what happened?”

 

Armin’s face flushed. “God, I don’t even think I want to talk about it.”

 

“Did Hitch try to kiss you?” she asked. “She gets handsy when she drinks. Promise she means nothing by it.”

 

“Uh, no,” he said. “I just walked in on Eren and Mikasa going at it.”

 

Annie’s eyes widened, and then she laughed. He had never heard her laugh so genuinely before. He was surprised how nice it sounded. “Oh God. No wonder you look so traumatised. The idea of seeing anything of Eren is absolutely repulsive to me.”

 

“I can’t say I particularly wanted to see it, either,” said Armin.

 

Her smile faded. “Are you okay?”

 

He sighed. “Yeah, I just – all night all I’ve done is walk in on people making out or practically grinding or just – literally screwing. I would have preferred – ”

 

“If you were doing the screwing?” she said, taking a puff.

 

He sputtered. “N-no! I just … look, it’s not everyone so much. I’m glad Eren and Mikasa are happy, but Eren’s my roommate. I’m sick of feeling like I can’t walk into my dorm without them nearly fucking next to my bed.”

 

He expected her to laugh at him again, but she just nodded. “Yeah, Bertholdt and Reiner are like that. Practice is excruciating sometimes. Guess people still have all their teenage hormones. Annoying, though.”

 

He looked at her for a long while, and only realised that he’d been staring when she spoke again.

 

“Your hair looks good,” she said.

 

“Oh,” he said, turning away. His face was warm, but for a different reason now. “Thank you.”

 

His eyes flickered down to the vape in her hand. “Oh, God, you better not say anything. I’m embarrassed about it enough.”

 

“You … vape?” he asked.

 

“You’re saying something about it,” she said pointedly.

 

“Sorry,” he said. “I just thought … honestly, I thought you might smoke.”

 

“Nah, that was a high school phase,” she said, inhaling again. “It was mostly to piss off my dad. When he realised I wouldn’t stop, he just bought me this. I did stop, anyway. There’s no nicotine in these. It’s mostly just a habit now.” She held it out to him. “Want to try? It’s strawberry.”

 

Armin barely had time to wonder how his night had gotten to this point before he found himself reaching out for it. Even with her instructions, he still choked, sputtering as she took it from his hand with a small smile.

 

“It’s not for everyone,” she said.

 

When he finished choking, he asked, “So, how long have you been out here?”

 

“Long enough I’m hoping Hitch has assumed I’ve left,” she said, inhaling another puff. “I never leave her at these, but she always thinks I do when she gets drunk and just stays at Marlowe’s. It’s nice to have a night alone.”

 

He paused for a minute. “Do you want to be alone?”

 

“No,” she said. “I like your company.” Then she added, “Plus, I’ve been informed it’s about time I try and make some friends that aren’t just my roommate and my old high school best friends.”

 

“Who told you that?” he asked.

 

“My dad,” she said. “Might be about time I started listening to him.”

 

He looked over at her, unsure of what to say. Here was Annie Leonhart, talking to him like they’d talked like this a million times before. But Armin knew that this was a much better way to spend his night than constantly walking in on couples getting it on with each other, so he wasn’t in any rush to end it.

 

“Sounds like he just wants what’s best for you,” said Armin finally.

 

“It’s about time,” she said, but she didn’t elaborate further. “How often do you walk in on Eren and Mikasa going at it, anyway?”

 

He dropped her gaze. “More than I’d like. A lot more.”

 

“Do you have a girlfriend, Armin?” she asked. When he could barely stutter out a response, she said, “Or a boyfriend, for that matter?”

 

“N-no,” he said.

 

“Shame,” she said. “The only way for him to realise he’s being a dick would be to do the same thing to him. He might start to tone it down.”

 

Armin was bright red. “What, have you done that before?”

 

Annie smiled. “No. Hitch is pretty respectful.”

 

“Eren doesn’t mean it,” he said, and sighed. “It just – sometimes it feels like he’s rubbing it in my face, you know? PDA is fine and all, but when the three of us are hanging out, do I really need to see him put his tongue down her throat?”

 

Her nose shrivelled in disgust. But then, she said, “Have you ever dated anyone, Armin?”

 

“Um … why?” he asked.

 

“I’m just curious,” she said. “I haven’t, really. Just made some drunk mistakes in high school.”

 

She’d never dated anyone? He’d been having trouble wrapping his head around the idea of her just not being in a relationship right now, never mind ever.

 

“No, I haven’t,” he said. “But that’s really embarrassing considering I’m at college and all everyone seems to be doing to screwing each other.”

 

“I don’t think so,” she said. “In my experience, it’s pretty overrated. Well, sometimes.”

 

He wasn’t sure if he could blush any harder. God, he’d basically just told her he was a virgin. Annie. Gorgeous, intimidating Annie, who looked like she could get off to walking all over guys. He could barely even look at her and stared ahead over the balcony, doing all he could not to bury his head in his arms on the railing.

 

“Armin?” said Annie. “Do you want to have sex?”

 

He was surprised he didn’t faint right then and there. When he turned back to see her face, she was as cool and composed as ever. “Uh … excuse me?”

 

She just took another puff of her vape. “I guess I worded that wrong. Do you want to make Eren think you’re having sex?”

 

The tension left his shoulders. “What do you mean?”

 

“Well, it’s like I was saying,” she said, “if you do the same thing to him, he might stop being so obnoxious about it. And if you don’t have anyone to actually sleep with, the next best thing is to make him think that.”

 

“How would that stop anything?” he asked.

 

“If he walked in on something,” said Annie. “Especially if it was with me. I think he’s still scared of me.”

 

Armin’s heart was thundering in his chest. Was he hallucinating? Had the night been so stressful he’d grown lightheaded? He opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn’t find any words.

 

Annie looked over at him. “Don’t get too excited. We wouldn’t actually be doing anything.”

 

Armin’s face was on fire. “I – I didn’t think that!”

 

“Sorry. Hitch says I need to work on my social skills,” said Annie. She suddenly looked uncomfortable, which was unfamiliar when he considered her usually stoic demeanour. “I just thought he might stop rubbing his relationship in your face if you showed him how it felt.”

 

She was trying to help him. Of course. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d done that. She really was just … nice. It was certainly a weird proposition, but then again, had he really thought that Annie would be normal? She was cool, definitely, and not on his level of nerdy at all, but he wouldn’t have expected her to just outright admit she was lacking when it came to her social skills.

 

“Maybe suggesting having fake sex with someone isn’t the best way to make friends?” she said with a weak smile.

 

He managed a smile back. “I appreciate the offer.”

 

She snorted.

 

The night air was awfully cold, but Annie seemed unaffected by the chill. The dampness of his shirt clung to his skin, letting the cool air bite into his skin. He’d been too furious and embarrassed to even notice it before now.

 

“You don’t have to make such an effort to be my friend, Annie,” said Armin.

 

She looked at him, eyes wide.

 

“I think you’re pretty nice, actually,” he said.

 

Annie didn’t say anything and turned away from him, but he could see a faint smile on her mouth. “That means you’re my buddy to these awful parties Hitch makes me come to, then.”

 

“I’ve enjoyed the last ten minutes out here with you more than the whole night, trust me,” he said, leaning further forward against the rail. “Anyway, Hitch just tried to invite me to hang out with the two of you and Marlowe.”

 

Annie’s nose scrunched up. “She was hammered when she asked, wasn’t she?”

 

“Yeah,” Armin laughed.

 

“Well, you’re more than welcome,” said Annie. “She’s a trainwreck when she drinks, but it’s not too bad in the dorm.” Then she added, “Wanna go there now?”

 

He was momentarily taken aback. “To do what?”

 

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I like talking to you. Plus, I assumed you’d want to leave soon anyway, and you live on campus too, so … and you get a ride back.”

 

Armin swallowed. Maybe the night was getting better after all. “Okay.”

 

Hitch and Marlowe were nowhere to be seen when they re-entered the house, and he was relieved to see that Eren and Mikasa were not in sight either. He wasn’t sure he could look either of them in the eye after seeing them rutting like animals in Historia’s bedroom. No one else seemed to notice them slipping out, except, unfortunately, for Jean, who gave Armin a look across the room so hard he thought he would shatter, but Jean’s eyes flickered over to Annie when she turned to say something to him over her shoulder, and then his gaze dropped.

 

“Is your shirt wet?” she asked when they were in her car.

 

“Eren spilt his drink on me,” said Armin. “Then he wouldn’t let me leave to change.”

 

“What an ass,” she said. Then she added, “Sorry. I know he’s your friend.”

 

“He’s just a bit self-centred sometimes,” said Armin.

 

Annie was quiet for a moment. “Look, I know I said it really awkwardly before, but the offer is still on the table if you need it. Just … let me know.”

 

He was about to open his mouth to say something, but Annie cut him off before he could respond, clearly not wanting to hear an answer herself.

 

“So tell me how you met Mikasa,” she said. “Considering she’s probably the next best thing I have to a friend after the others. If even.”

 

The drive was short, especially when she was listening to him drone on the full way back to their block of dorms. She didn’t seem to mind, though, and encouraged him to keep going throughout the drive, until they pulled up outside and the engine sputtered to a stop.

 

“You know Hitch is home because she’s usually in my bed after she drinks,” said Annie, unlocking the door and pushing it open. “Ah. She’s not here.”

 

Annie’s side of the room was plastered with band posters and photos of her, Bert and Reiner at concerts and their own gigs. Propped next to her bed were her guitar cases and a pile of books he couldn’t make out the titles of. Hitch’s side of the room was a bit more proper and organised, awfully green and staunchly different from Annie’s side. But as his eyes roamed across the room, something on Annie’s messy desk caught his eye – a single photo of her and a man he didn’t recognise.

 

“Is that your dad?” he asked.

 

“Yeah. He just sent that,” she said. “He’s been extra nice since I came to college.”

 

“I’m guessing he misses you, then,” said Armin.

 

“Something like that,” she said. But Annie clearly didn’t want to elaborate, because she stepped away from the desk and collapsed on her bed with a sigh.

 

Armin looked at the photo for a heartbeat more before stepping away and tentatively sitting beside her.

 

“I have a shirt you can change into,” said Annie. “You must have been freezing.”

 

Armin wasn’t as broad as Eren, but he had definitely filled out in the last few years. And as physically strong as Annie was, her shoulders weren’t particularly broad. “I don’t think I’ll fit into your shirts.”

 

“I have large band shirts, Armin,” she said, getting to her feet. She opened her wardrobe and pulled out a large black shirt with The Cure scrawled across it, and tossed it to him.

 

“You like The Cure?” he asked, examining the shirt.

 

“Do you?” she asked.

 

“No, but Mikasa does,” he said.

 

“Oh, yeah. Music’s the only thing she ever really talks to me about. Told me our songs would be better if they had more of a gothic vibe.” Annie shook her head. “I also occasionally ask her to curse Jean, but she’s worried it’ll kill him. Personally, I’m not that concerned.”

 

Armin laughed, and she looked at him, almost surprised.

 

Then, she said, “I’ll turn around so you can get changed.”

 

“O-oh, okay.”

 

When her back was to him, he stood and hesitantly removed his damp shirt. It was a relief to finally peel it off, and he wiped his chest with its dry back before dropping it to the floor and reaching for Annie’s shirt. But as he was adjusting to pull it over his head, he caught a flash of something blue and saw Annie’s eyes in the mirror against the wall opposite them, locked on his form in the reflection.

 

Armin flushed bright red and pulled the shirt over his head as Annie spun back around.

 

“I’m sorry,” she said, eyebrows furrowed. She barely looked at him. “I – I didn’t actually realise that was there, I – I didn’t mean to stare.”

 

“It’s – it’s fine,” said Armin.

 

It wasn’t as if there was much to see. But when he looked down at her, he saw that her face was red. Was Annie blushing? But – why would she …

 

“Black suits you,” she said finally, eyes rising to meet his again.

 

“Oh,” he said. “Thanks.”

 

Silence settled between them for a while. They had been staring at each other for far too long. When Annie bit her bottom lip, his eyes couldn’t help but flicker down to her mouth. Her lips were a lovely shade of pink, and they looked so soft. How had he never noticed before? His gaze returned to hers, and there was something in her eyes that he couldn’t quite decipher. She looked as if she was mulling something over, but just as she opened her mouth to speak, the door burst open.

 

“Oh, hello!” said Hitch as she stormed in. Her eyes moved to Armin. “Armin! It’s so good to see you again!”

 

“I thought you went to Marlowe’s?” asked Annie.

 

“I was gonna, but someone called in sick tomorrow, so he has to get up super early now,” said Hitch. “You know how I feel about that.”

 

“Yeah,” said Annie.

 

“So, who am I cuddling tonight?” asked Hitch, wrapping her arms around Annie’s shoulders. Annie rolled her eyes. Hitch pointed at Armin. “You look like you could use a hug.”

 

“Maybe another night, Hitch,” said Armin. “I should probably call it a night.”

 

“Come over whenever!” said Hitch.

 

“Okay,” he said with a smile, and met Annie’s eyes. She was smiling. It suited her face shockingly well. “See you later.”

 

Armin thought about how strange a night it had been all the way back to his room. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Annie had suggested – surely, she was joking. Well, he guessed she wasn’t actually suggesting sleeping with him, of course she wouldn’t want to do that. Annie was so far out of his league that he doubted she would ever consider anything with him like that. She was just trying to be nice, after all. And he guessed maybe she just wanted a friend. Especially a single friend who she didn’t have to third wheel. He knew himself how overwhelming that could be.

 

He turned his key in his door with a yawn, his wet shirt bundled under his arm, and pushed the door open. He was surprised to find it fully illuminated – had he forgotten to turn the light off when he left? But his stomach sank when he got his answer, as he caught sight of Eren and Mikasa on the bed, both shirtless, her tongue stuck down his throat.

 

They only separated when Eren caught sight of him. “Armin!”

 

Armin was too tired to be embarrassed. “God, do you guys ever stop? Was fucking at the party not enough for one night?”

 

Eren opened his mouth to speak, but Armin cut him off with the slam of the door behind him as he stepped away from his dorm.

 

He stormed down the hall and all of the stairs until he was out of the building, and stood in the cold air of the courtyard, far away from anyone who could possibly be screwing in front of him, and took a deep breath. Shakily, he reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out, before opening his contacts to find who he was looking for immediately at the top. His fingers were still trembling when he pressed on her name.

 

It rang twice before she picked up.

 

“Armin?” said Annie. Her voice was just as nice on the phone. “Is something wrong?”

 

He was trembling. The only thing that helped him push the words out was how angry he was. How angry he was that Eren and Mikasa had dragged him to this party, angry that Eren had spilled his drink on him and wouldn’t let him leave, angry that they had ditched him when Mikasa asked him to get a drink to go have sex, angry that he couldn’t come home after a bad night and sleep in his own bed because they were going at it again, angry that they didn’t even seem to care how he felt.

 

“Is that offer still on the table?” asked Armin. “To fake it to get back at Eren?”

 

The line was quiet for a moment. “Of course it is.”

 

“Good,” he said. “Let’s do it.”

 

He could practically hear the smile in her voice. “Okay. Come over to my dorm room tomorrow night. We’ll make a plan.”

 

“O-okay,” he said, trying his best, and failing, to not let his confidence waver.

 

“See you then, Armin.”

 

“See you.”

 

The call ended with a long beep, and then Armin found himself standing alone in the cold, wondering what he had just gotten himself into.

Chapter 2: a first kiss

“Since when do you listen to The Cure?” asked Sasha from her bed on the other side of the room. “Isn’t that more Mikasa’s style?”

 

Armin supposed she was right. Thanks to Annie’s shirt, he easily blended in with Mikasa’s side of her and Sasha’s dorm room. Her bedding was all black and there was an original Twilight poster above her bed, surrounded by runes and photos of her and Eren mostly, with a few photos of her, Armin and Marco. Her desk was fairly organised, with one end holding a mound of books on witchcraft and supernatural romance, as well as a stack of records (including one by The Cure) and a record player, and on the other side was a large jewellery box that looked like it was close to bursting, and candles he was sure she definitely wasn’t allowed, but must have needed for her rituals.

 

In comparison, Sasha’s side of their dorm room was about as casual as she was. Her desk was piled high with an assortment of snacks from the local grocery store and what seemed to be every vending machine on campus, and the sheets on her bed were peeling from the corners in a way that suggested she’d never really tried to make it in the first place. Tucked underneath it was her battered skateboard which she could often be seen racing through campus on, leaving Connie trailing behind on his.

 

She was currently cramming a whole twinkie into her mouth as she waited for his response, and was already reaching into the pack for another. Armin didn’t think it could exactly be called a good breakfast, but Sasha did look fairly pleased with herself.

 

“It’s a friend’s,” he said. “Eren spilled his drink on me last night.”

 

Sasha hummed. “You know, you can always stay here when they’re doing their thing. Honestly, it sucks for you but I’m just glad they don’t do it here.”

 

After his call with Annie had ended last night, he’d stormed to Sasha and Mikasa’s dorm, desperately hoping Sasha would be on the other side of the door. Fortunately, she’d just been eating Reese’s cups and watching Food Wars in bed, which she insisted she only watched for the food – which he didn’t really doubt for a second – but watching an anime and eating snacks with Sasha was definitely better than sleeping out in the hall while Mikasa and Eren had sex in his dorm room.

 

“Also you’re the only person I can watch Food Wars with who won’t judge me,” said Sasha.

 

“You know, there are other good cooking animes,” said Armin. “With, you know … less excessive fan service.”

 

Her eyes lit up. “Like what?”

 

Armin pulled on his shoes while he listed several he thought she would love, and she hurriedly typed them down onto her notes on her phone. Considering the subject, it wasn’t particularly difficult to think of some she would enjoy.

 

“Thanks again, Sasha,” he said when he stepped out into the hallway.

 

“Any time,” she said through a mouthful of her next twinkie. “But bring snacks next time if you can.”

 

He smiled. “Okay.”

 

When Armin pushed open the door to his dorm room, he had never been so happy to see it empty. Eren’s side was shockingly clean, and pretty bare, save for a few posters of rappers that he liked, and a few photos of him and his friends, but mostly of him and Mikasa. Armin’s was cluttered in comparison, stuffed with books and manga, and even a few collectables his Grandpa, Marco and Mikasa had bought him over the years, as well as anime posters and photos of him and his friends that Mikasa had taken strewn across the wall by his bed. And as frustrated as he was, when he met Mikasa’s dark eyes in the photo of them as Light and Misa from Death Note from a few Halloweens ago, he felt his heart sink.

 

Armin knew she hadn’t meant to hurt his feelings, but now that he was no longer reeling from the embarrassment of walking in on Jean and Marco making out in the kitchen, he thought it was pretty rude that they’d just left him there on his own. He sighed, trying to ignore the ache in his chest. Eren acting like that was one thing – he could be selfish and impulsive, but Mikasa usually wasn’t. The sting had barely subsided by the time he’d sorted out his bag and left for his first class.

 

As the hours rolled by, Armin did his best to avoid everyone as much as possible. He took long routes to his classes so he could dodge places he knew he’d have a chance to run into Eren or Mikasa, but when lunch came around, and he became less nervous about seeing anyone, he decided to risk going to the library to start his set reading for the week. When most of lunch was over, he thought he’d managed to evade everyone – but perhaps coming to the library was the worst idea, or at least he decided that when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to find Marco standing behind him.

 

He wasn’t wearing his usual glasses – was he wearing contacts? – and his hair looked more styled than normal. Even his clothes were more casual; just a regular pair of jeans and a loose patterned shirt, very unlike the intense button-ups that made him look like he worked in the IT department.

 

“I brought you some food,” he said, holding up a McDonald’s bag. “Sorry if you’ve ate already.”

 

“No, I haven’t yet,” said Armin. “Thanks.”

 

Bumping into Marco was at least better than running into Eren and Mikasa. Armin wasn’t angry with him, although perhaps he should have been considering who he walked in on him kissing at Historia’s. But even if he wasn’t especially upset, he’d still been dreading the conversation they’d have about ... that. Armin rose to his feet, stuffed his laptop into his backpack, and followed Marco out of the library and into the fresh air of the main courtyard. As Armin joined Marco on one of the wooden benches, he caught sight of Sasha across the courtyard trying to teach Connie a new trick on her skateboard, but he clearly wasn’t quite getting it. Her laughter was still echoing through the air when Marco opened his mouth to speak.

 

“I got you a milkshake, too,” said Marco, passing him two McDonald’s bags.

 

A milkshake? Marco was clearly trying to butter him up. Armin felt his stomach lurch, knowing exactly where this conversation would be going as he pulled out his fries.

 

Marco, however, didn’t seem to be in much of a rush to spit it out, so they sat together quietly as they ate, watching as Connie seemed to start to figure out what Sasha was trying to show him, and then their inevitable bickering when he messed it up at the last moment.

 

“I wanted to talk to you about last night,” said Marco hurriedly.

 

Armin put his hands up as his eyebrows furrowed. “Marco, it’s okay. You really don’t have to explain anything.”

 

But Marco didn’t stop. “I don’t know how it happened. It just sort of did. We’ve been talking for a few weeks now and – he just feels bad for how he acted to you. And I know he was an ass to you, so I’m really so sorry.”

 

“It’s okay,” said Armin. Honestly, he thought if Jean really felt bad, he would have apologised to him himself, but he wasn’t about to say that to Marco. “If he feels bad about it, that’s enough. I just hope he’s nice to you.”

 

Marco dropped back in his seat. “He is.”

 

“I haven’t told anyone,” said Armin before Marco could ask. “And I’m not going to.”

 

“Thank you,” he said. “I’m sorry I wasn’t around for most of the night.” Then, he added, “Mikasa thinks you’re angry at her.”

 

Armin’s shoulders sank. “Well … not really, more frustrated than anything. They just sort of ditched me last night. It’s fine, I just wouldn’t have gone to the party if I’d known, you know?”

 

“Did you just leave when they ditched you?” asked Marco.

 

Armin remembered the chill of the balcony air and the smell of strawberries, and he decided if he was going to be convincing, it was time to start planting the idea in everyone’s heads. “No, actually, I hung out with Annie.”

 

Marco’s eyes widened. “Annie Leonhart?”

 

Armin’s voice was barely above a whisper when he spoke. “Oh, and you making out with the campus bad boy isn’t just as unbelievable.”

 

Marco leaned back. “That’s fair.” His eyebrows raised. “Did – did you makeout?”

 

Armin flushed. “N-no! We just talked.”

 

Marco’s eyes flickered down to his chest. “I thought you didn’t like The Cure.”

 

Dammit. He’d forgotten to change. Of course Marco would pick up on something so trivial. But then the realisation of what he could do struck him. “It’s not mine.”

 

Marco’s eyes narrowed. “Mikasa doesn’t own that one.”

 

“It’s not Mikasa’s,” said Armin, averting Marco’s gaze.

 

He checked his phone, and saw that his class started in a few minutes. He hadn’t realised how long they had been sitting out here. He crumpled up the bags Marco gave him and threw them in the trash can beside them when he got to his feet.

 

Armin looked at Marco. “It’s Annie’s,” he said. He didn’t give him any time to react. “I’ve got to go, I’m running late. But I’ll see you tomorrow?”

 

Armin didn’t wait for a response and turned away to head for his next class.

 

When he sat in the lecture hall, he could barely contain his smile when he thought of his interaction with Marco. Surely, that would get back to Mikasa. And everything that got back to Mikasa got back to Eren. He hadn’t exactly outlined a plan with Annie yet, but he’d had an idea of what he wanted to do. If Annie was comfortable with everything, anyway. They just had to be as obnoxious as possible. And considering it was Annie, it was unlikely anyone would say anything to her about it. It was mostly up to him, then, to work on their ruse.

 

Armin couldn’t hide the disappointment he felt when he returned to his dorm after class to find Eren already there. Avoiding his roommate was certainly more difficult than the others, but he still wasn’t happy with his failure. At least Mikasa was nowhere to be seen – it was much harder to stay angry at her.

 

“Hey,” said Eren.

 

“Hey,” said Armin, dropping his backpack to the floor.

 

Eren watched from his bed as he walked across their room to his wardrobe. “Want to catch a movie tonight?”

 

“Sorry, I’m busy,” said Armin, pulling open his wardrobe door.

 

Armin didn’t look over at him as he picked out a fresh change of clothes, but he could feel the intensity of his gaze boring into him.

 

“Armin, are you okay?” asked Eren.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said, and finally turned to smile at him. “Sorry, I just have plans.”

 

Eren leaned back again, clearly satisfied with his response. “Library date with Marco?”

 

Usually a question like that wouldn’t have irked him, but it made Armin clench his jaw. Because what else could he do with his evening, except go to the library with someone? With Marco, specifically, as if he couldn’t be spending time with anyone else?

 

He nearly slammed the doors to his wardrobe shut. “No, actually, I’m hanging out with Annie.”

 

“Annie?” asked Eren. “Annie Leonhart?”

 

“Do you personally know another Annie?” asked Armin, peeling off Annie’s band shirt and tossing his fresh black one over his head.

 

“Since when did you two hang out?” asked Eren.

 

“Since my friends disappeared to have sex when I went to go get them drinks,” said Armin.

 

To Eren’s credit, he flushed a deep red. “Look, I’m sorry.”

 

“I don’t care,” said Armin. While Eren looked away, he turned his back to him and peeled off his pants and underwear, pulling on black underwear and the only pair of black pants he owned. “But I had to do something while you guys were busy.”

 

Eren still looked guilty as ever when he turned back to him. “I’m sorry. It was just the heat of the moment.”

 

“I really, really don’t want any more details,” said Armin, moving towards the door. “I’ll just see you later. If Mikasa’s in here, just let me know and I’ll crash with Sasha again.”

 

Armin let the door click shut between them before Eren could answer.

 

The walk to Annie’s dorm wasn’t a very long one, but it was enough time for his nerves to start building. When he knocked on Annie’s dorm room door, any confidence he’d had earlier had entirely vanished. His heart was in his throat when the door clicked open, and he could barely swallow past it when Annie’s cool eyes met his.

 

She was just dressed in a casual white hoodie and black leggings that clung to her form, and her hair was still pinned back in her usual bun. Her eyes ran down his body then flicked back up to his face. “Black does look good on you.”

 

His face warmed. “Thank you.” Then he thrust out his hands, holding out her T-shirt to her. “I thought I’d bring this back.”

 

“Oh, thanks,” she said, taking it from his hands and moving back to let him in.

 

“Is Hitch out?” he asked when he stepped inside.

 

“Yeah, she’s at work,” said Annie, closing the door behind him. “Lucky you left when you did. She big-spooned me last night.”

 

Armin smiled. “Surprised you didn’t toss her off the bed.”

 

“I was tempted, but I don’t have enough friends to tick her off,” said Annie. She settled down on the bed with a sigh and looked up at him expectantly.

 

“What?” he asked.

 

She patted the space next to her. When he sat, she asked, “So, what happened last night that made you change your mind?”

 

He looked away from her. “I … uh … walked in on them again.”

 

“Again?” she asked, eyes wide. “God, they’re like rabbits.”

 

“I had to stay with Sasha,” he said.

 

“Did she try to spoon you?” asked Annie.

 

“Fortunately, no, but I don’t think I’m allowed her snacks next time,” he said, and she laughed. It was still unfamiliar, but it made him feel strangely warm.

 

“Well, let’s hope there doesn’t have to be a next time,” she said, leaning back on the bed on her elbows. “So? Tell me your big plan, Armin.”

 

“Oh,” he said, feeling heat creep up his neck. Tossing it through his head throughout the day was one thing, but now, sat on Annie’s bed with her alone in her room was something else entirely. He swallowed. “I had a few ideas.”

 

“Like what?” asked Annie.

 

“Well, you said he would have to walk in on something, right?” he asked, and she nodded. “What are you comfortable with?”

 

Annie stared at him. “Are you asking me to have sex with you?”

 

“No!” he said, face now bright red. He turned away from her and rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, like – taking clothes off, sitting on top of me while you do – or if I was on top of you. But just around the hours he finishes classes – that’s most likely when he would walk in at a time we could prepare for. And we’d probably have to hang out on campus more. We don’t have to do a lot of PDA or anything, but maybe acting like we have something to do with each other would work.”

 

She nodded thoughtfully. “I’m fine with full frontal nudity.”

 

When he looked over at her, she was clearly holding back a smile. “You don’t have to say it like that.”

 

Her smile faded and her eyes softened. “Are you sure you’re comfortable with this?”

 

He thought about being naked in front of Annie of all people, and it was an absolutely terrifying prospect. But he knew there wasn’t really a better option. “Uh …y-yeah, it’s fine. We’ll only be doing it until he gets sick of it.”

 

“Considering who’s involved,” said Annie, “I don’t think it’ll take that long.”

 

“Hopefully,” said Armin. Then, he looked at her again. “Why do you even want to do this?”

 

Annie shrugged. “I’m helping out a friend. And sometimes getting under someone’s skin is a high that is unmatched. Trust me.”

 

He breathed out a laugh. “Okay.”

 

She suddenly sat up. “Can I make a few suggestions?”

 

“Oh, yeah, sure,” he said.

 

In that moment he was instantly terrified that she might have thought his idea to be creepy. It wasn’t as if he wanted to see her naked – well, it wasn’t as if he would have minded that either, she was beautiful, obviously, but not like …

 

“Do you not think we should do more than just be naked and basically hover over each other?” asked Annie, snapping him out of his thoughts.

 

“W-what?” he said.

 

Annie was fiddling with the strings of her hoodie as she spoke. “Well, it’ll just look a bit staged, won’t it? Not saying he’s smart enough to figure it out, but if it keeps happening, he might work it out. Or Mikasa will.”

 

“Then … what do you have in mind?”

 

Annie shrugged. “Kissing. Unless you want to grind against me naked.”

 

Armin brought up his hand to cover his face. He was shocked his face hadn’t burst into flames yet. “No, no, uh, kissing would probably be just fine.”

 

“If you’re comfortable with that?” she asked. “I know all of this is weird.”

 

“It’s okay. I’m fine with that. I – I just didn’t want you to think that …”

 

“What, think that you were using this to make a move on me?” Annie tilted her head at him. Armin raised his head to meet her eyes. “You’re not that type of guy, Armin. Anyway, I gave you the idea. Who’s to say I’m not doing it to make a move on you?”

 

He snorted. “Because you wouldn’t.”

 

Her gaze didn’t falter. “Why wouldn’t I?”

 

“Because …” Armin gestured at himself. “I’m me. And you’re you.”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “You’re too hard on yourself, you know. You’re nice, smart, handsome … if no one’s been interested by now, it’s because you aren’t confident enough to show anyone that you’re interested.”

 

Armin looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. Did she just call him handsome? “Annie, I don’t really want to discuss my love life with you.”

 

“Really, I think I’m the best one to talk to about your love life, considering we’re about to start fake dating,” she said flatly.

 

When Armin glanced over at her, he caught a faint smile on her lips. His eyebrows furrowed. “This is – this is a really weird idea, isn’t it?”

 

“Oh, definitely,” said Annie. “But who knows? It could be fun.”

 

“Do you really think so?” he asked.

 

Annie had leaned back down onto her bed. “Oh, yeah. You know Eren better than nearly anyone. Are you telling me it won’t bother him to get a taste of his own medicine?”

 

Armin thought of how priceless the look on Eren’s face would be to find Armin, who he knew he thought of as practically some sexless, innocent little brother, naked and making out with none other than Annie Leonhart, who was arguably the most intimidating person on the entire campus. He’d probably drop dead where he stood.

 

“Yeah, I think it probably would,” said Armin.

 

Annie nudged him with her leg. “There’s a catch. I’ve decided.”

 

“A catch?” he asked.

 

“I’m not even going to tell Hitch we’re faking it if she happens to find out,” said Annie. “And she will definitely ask us to double date. So, you have to come with me to everything she wants to do. Does that sound fine?”

 

“I think that’s more than fair,” he said.

 

In a moment of confidence, he leaned backwards and down onto the bed beside her. She shuffled a bit to make more room for him, and he suddenly became aware of the scent of her perfume. It was floral again, but different from the last time it caught his attention … it was richer, darker almost. For a few moments, he couldn’t seem to stop thinking about how nice she smelled.

 

Okay, he thought, that was creepy. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Should I start coming to your gigs? Isn’t that what supportive boyfriends do?”

 

“Do we really make the kind of music you’d like?” she asked, looking over at him.

 

“I don’t dislike all rock music,” he said. “I’ve known Mikasa for years, you know.”

 

“Okay, but we perform in really crappy college bars,” said Annie. “And Bertholdt and Reiner will make you hang out with us afterwards if they think we’re together. Are you sure you can handle them?”

 

“Why wouldn’t I be able to?” he asked.

 

She smiled. “They’re just a lot. That’s all. But it’ll be more believable if you make an effort with them.”

 

He nodded. “Do you want to be friends with Eren?”

 

Annie laughed. “Mikasa will be enough, I think.”

 

He looked up at a photo of her and her bandmates pinned above her bed. He wondered how often she smiled like around them. “When did you even join the band anyway?” he asked.

 

“God, it was in high school,” said Annie. “We were horrible. It’s debatable whether we’ve gotten better, really, but we seem to have more of an audience.”

 

“So, is that the dream then?” he said, propping himself up on one arm to look at her. “Rockstar?”

 

She smiled. “I’d make a good one. But I don’t know. At the minute it’s just fun. I think Bert and Reiner feel the same, anyway.” Her smile faded. “Honestly, I just want a quiet life with the people I care about. After that, I don’t care much what I do.” She turned to him. “What about you then? What’s the big dream?”

 

“Oh, uh,” he said. “Marine biologist?”

 

She scoffed. “Of course.”

 

“But … I think I want to have the same thing as you,” he said, leaning back. Her eyes softened. But when he thought about that, a quiet life with his friends, he felt his gut tighten. After a few moments of silence, he said, “Is this petty what we’re doing?”

 

“Petty?” she said. “Definitely. But it’s not like we’re being mean.” She looked at him. “Having doubts?”

 

Armin thought of the way he’d spoken to Eren earlier and felt a weight settle on his chest. “I don’t know,” he said finally.

 

“To think most guys would be jumping at the opportunity to have a naked girl on top of them,” said Annie, “and you’re having doubts.”

 

He hid his head in his hands. “I’m not a pervert, Annie.”

 

“I know you aren’t,” said Annie. “You’re a good person.”

 

Armin dropped his hands and sighed, sitting up on the edge of her bed. “I just don’t want to start a big thing.”

 

“You won’t,” she said. “Honestly. I think telling him directly would genuinely sound meaner. At least he’ll understand what he’s doing if you show him.”

 

Even if it was petty, the more he thought about it, the more he realised she was right. Eren didn’t exactly take criticism like that very well, and considering said criticism would also involve Mikasa, he knew Eren would react badly to whatever he had to say.

 

“I guess you’re right,” he said.

 

“We don’t have to do it,” said Annie. “You can back out at any point.”

 

“I know,” said Armin, straightening. “But you’re right. It’s the only way he’ll get it.” He smiled at her. “And it’ll be nice to spend time with you.”

 

Annie’s eyes widened. His smile faded and he flushed. Had he really just said that? When their ‘spending time together’ was making out naked?

 

“Um,” said Armin, hands raised in defence, “I mean – it’ll be nice to hang out more! And – you know – I think – I think we could be good friends? I … uh …”

 

“Armin?” she interrupted.

 

He swallowed. “Yeah?”

 

“Can I ask you something?” asked Annie. Her eyes were determined.

 

Armin did his best to not crumble under her gaze. “Uh – yeah, sure.”

 

“Have you ever kissed anyone before?” she asked.

 

The room suddenly felt too small, and he was very aware of how close she was. Had it always been this warm in here before? He turned away from her and rubbed his hand nervously down his face. “No.”

 

The bed shifted as Annie leaned slightly more towards him. “Not even an innocent little peck when you were a kid?”

 

“Uh, not really,” said Armin. Why had he said yes? Why were they having this conversation? Armin was sure he was going to implode, right then and there, if she kept pushing.

 

He could feel her gaze burning into him. “That’s why you weren’t suggesting it, wasn’t it?”

 

Armin swallowed past the lump in his throat. “I wasn’t going to ask you to kiss me when I don’t know what I’m doing,” he said quietly.

 

“Of course you know what you’re doing,” she said. “You’re the smartest person I’ve met.”

 

Armin was too embarrassed to acknowledge the compliment. He could still barely look at her as he said, “Knowing what to do in theory and in practise are two very different things.”

 

“Well,” said Annie, sitting up. “Do you want to?”

 

His eyes finally met hers. “H-huh?”

 

“Do you want to kiss someone?” she asked. “Do you want to kiss me?”

 

“You mean – r-right now?” he stammered.

 

Annie nodded.

 

“I, uh, I don’t know what I’m doing,” he said. Her perfume smelled overwhelming now. Had she been this close before?

 

“I just thought if we’re going to kiss later anyway, we might as well do it now,” said Annie. “You know, to make you more comfortable. You’ll feel awkward enough.”

 

“Oh … yeah.”

 

Armin knew what she was saying was completely correct, and logically made so much sense, but he could practically hear the blood pounding in his ears. He really hadn’t been looking forward to embarrassing himself in front of Annie, and he hadn’t thought it would happen so soon.

 

“Do you want to?” she asked again.

 

“I … I don’t know,” said Armin.

 

Annie leaned back. Her expression was usually cool, but somehow she almost looked disappointed. “That’s okay.”

 

“Wait,” he said, reaching out for her wrist. He was painfully aware of how clammy his hand must have felt against her skin, but he was too busy trying to calm his racing heart to care too much about it. Annie’s eyes widened. “I – I would like to. But – not in a weird way. I really don’t want to seem like a creep.”

 

“You don’t,” she said coolly. “Anyway … we’re friends, right? Maybe your first kiss should be with someone you care about. It’ll make you less nervous when you kiss someone special.”

 

“You are special,” he sputtered out.

 

Colour rose to her cheeks and she dropped his gaze.

 

“I mean! – you’re a really nice person, Annie,” said Armin. “And – a good friend.”

 

When her eyes met his again, there was something in them he couldn’t read. They somehow seemed darker than they did the day before, but still blue, so distractingly blue, he barely noticed when her hand start rising towards his cheek.

 

His heart fluttered when her palm cupped the side of his face. “I – I really don’t know what I’m doing, so it’s not going to be very good –”

 

“Then let me show you,” said Annie.

 

He couldn’t find any words to say, so he just swallowed and nodded.

 

Annie’s eyelids fluttered shut as she leaned forward and pressed her mouth against his. Her lips were as soft as they looked at the party the night before, and practically feather light as they brushed against his. It was only a heartbeat, a fleeting moment, but Armin wasn’t sure he would be able to catch his breath by the time she pulled away from him.

 

Her eyelids were half-lidded and she was still so close as she leaned back. “It wasn’t that scary, was it?”

 

Armin swallowed. “I – I didn’t even do anything.”

 

Annie ran a thumb over his bottom lip and he was embarrassed at the way his breath hitched. “I didn’t say we were finished.”

 

Armin could barely speak. He just managed to stammer, “O-okay.”

 

Was he dreaming? Had he hit his head at some point last night? For a moment he wasn’t sure, but then Annie leaned in again and captured his lips with hers, soft as ever, but pressing firmly now and moving over his own. He came to life this time, tentatively moving against her in a similar way. It felt as if his whole body was tingling. Annie moved against him with more force, and he tried to mimic her intensity, but by the time he had caught up, she parted his lips with her own and slipped her tongue into his mouth.

 

He wasn’t proud of the little noise he made at the back of his throat when her tongue slid over his, but Annie didn’t say anything and continued her assault on his senses. She tasted so sweet, like something sugary and addictive. Annie’s hands moved to grab his and slipped them down to her waist. He made a surprised noise, but Annie just moved firmer against him, lips grinding and tongue teasing him as he tried to follow her motions. He pressed back against her, gripping her hips, and now her fingers were tangled in his T-shirt – when had they gotten there? – and when he tried to take control of the kiss, she relented, and he explored her in the same way she did to him, and was shocked when she made a tiny moan against his mouth. Encouraged, he continued his movements, and she sighed against him, pulling him closer by the front of his T-shirt.

 

After what felt like minutes, their movements slowed down to mere sloppy pecks, until she leaned in again and brought his bottom lip in between her teeth and bit down gently. He couldn’t contain the gasp that escaped him, but she tried to muffle it with one last wet kiss before pulling away.

 

A string of saliva followed her from his mouth, and she snorted, before wiping it away with the back of her hand. Flushed, he reached up and did the same, trying to force his breathing back to normal.

 

“You know, you really are too harsh on yourself,” she said finally. “I thought that was good. If I didn’t know better I would have just said you were nervous.”

 

“You – liked it?” he asked.

 

Annie raised an eyebrow. “Did you not?”

 

To say he liked it would have been an understatement. He was sure his lips were still tingling from her touch. “I really liked it.”

 

She smirked as she leaned back. “I think we’ll be fine. He’s definitely going to buy it if you can kiss me like that again.”

 

His ears were burning. “How much …” Armin stopped himself. “Uh, yeah, okay, I’ll try.”

 

Annie looked at him. “What is it?”

 

“It’s nothing,” said Armin, averting her gaze.

 

“Come on,” said Annie. “You can be honest with me.”

 

Armin was starting to notice that Annie was clouding his judgement – he should have just stayed quiet. But finally, he managed to say, “I was going to ask how much you wanted to practise before, but then I realised how it sounded.”

 

Annie’s eyebrows rose before a tiny smile curled at the corners of her lips. She pulled herself off of her bed and stepped in front of him. Armin looked up at her, throat suddenly very tight.

 

“Annie?” he asked. “What are you –”

 

Her hand rested on his chest. Could she feel the way his heart was pounding? She pushed against him gently. “Lie back.”

 

Hesitantly, he obeyed, leaning back on his elbows until she seemed satisfied with his position. Then, without warning, she climbed on top of him to straddle his hips.

 

His hands instinctively came up to her hips as if to hold her in place. “A-Annie?”

 

Annie grabbed his T-shirt before yanking him towards her, until their lips were only a few inches apart. “I thought this would be how we’d do it if we wanted to look like we were caught in the act. Do you not think so? Of course, you could go on top.” When all he could say in response was a few stuttered noises, she asked, “Is this okay for you?”

 

“Y-yeah, this is f-fine,” he said. Dammit. Why was he so nervous? It wasn’t like this was real. It wasn’t like this was actually going anywhere.

 

“Good,” said Annie, and then she leaned forward and pressed her mouth against his once more.

Notes:

I meant to actually mention in the notes of the first chapter, but a lot of the characterisations are inspired by the High School AU from the fake previews if you didn't realise, but more like what they'd be like if they were a bit more mature in college (so a bit more mixed with their canon personalities).

As always, comments are welcome, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)

Chapter 3: a new spark

“I don’t know, Annie,” said Armin, holding up the ripped black jeans Annie had thrust into his arms, “it’s just not really me.”

 

“Come on,” she said, and then pulled out an oversized black band tee from in between the railings. “You’re my boyfriend. You have to look the part.”

 

Boyfriend. Obviously, he wasn’t. The real reason she’d dragged him out here to this thrift store anyway was to get him a few outfits to wear to her gigs that wouldn’t get him harassed for looking like he’d walked into the wrong place. Mostly, she’d said, it would probably make Bertholdt and Reiner like him even more for making an effort.

 

“Oh, what about this?” she asked, pulling out a sheer black lace shirt, with an intricate floral pattern stretching down to the wrists and all the way up to the neck.

 

“I really, really don’t think that’ll work,” said Armin.

 

Annie frowned and put it back. “If you insist.”

 

“Will Hitch not just be in her normal clothes?” asked Armin, trailing behind her with the pile of clothes she’d shoved into his arms.

 

“No,” said Annie. “She gets dressed up for these big time; acts like she’s picking out a Halloween costume. And considering you’ll be sitting with her all night, you’d probably look better if you matched.”

 

This wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation. Armin had already asked her if it was really necessary on the drive here, but Annie was adamant. In the end he’d decided that it wasn’t the worst compromise, considering he’d spent the first half of the drive talking her down from the idea of him getting his ears pierced, (to make him look more ‘deviant’, as she put it), but with his current sense of style – which was basically non-existent – he was still a bit hesitant to start matching Annie's fashion.

 

“We’re gonna have to get you some boots,” she said. “And a jacket.”

 

The gig wasn’t until Saturday, but Annie was more than prepared. He found her dedication to their little lie quite sweet, but he was taken aback by how much she seemed to enjoy fabricating this fake relationship of theirs. He did take it as a compliment, at least, that she seemed to enjoy the time she spent with him – she was far less stoic when they were alone together, and, he had to admit, much warmer than her cool demeanour would suggest. Annie was proving to be very little like he’d been expecting. But what shocked him most about her change in behaviour was all the ‘practising’ she kept suggesting.

 

Armin flushed at the thought, turning his face away from Annie as she rifled through the clothes crammed onto the railing beside them in search of a jacket. Almost every time they’d spent time alone together since they had first kissed, Annie had turned to him and asked him if he wanted to ‘practise’. It did make him feel more confident the more they did it, he had to say, but it still sent butterflies fluttering through his torso every time she leaned towards him. He expected that she would be easier to read than this, but he honestly couldn’t figure out what she was up to. It wasn’t like he didn’t enjoy it – she was beautiful and a very good kisser and, well, it was Annie. If someone had told him a few weeks ago Annie Leonhart wanted to make out with him, he would have fainted. But, he figured, this was what normal college students did, wasn’t it? It wasn’t exactly unheard of to make out with someone you didn’t have feelings for. She probably just enjoyed kissing him. It wasn’t as if there could be more to it than that. To her, maybe it was just friends with benefits – obviously without a great deal of the usual benefits.

 

“Here!” said Annie, stopping him in his tracks as she yanked a leather jacket off of the railing. “It still has the tag on. Here, I’ll take those. Try it on.”

 

He shuffled the mountain of clothes she’d dropped on him over to her arms and took the jacket from her. He was shocked to find how comfortably it fit when he slipped it over his shoulders. He’d never worn a leather jacket, though – he was sure this sort of thing was reserved for guys much cooler and much more confident than him.

 

Annie had been standing staring at him wordlessly for far too long, and he started to squirm under her gaze.

 

“Do I look weird?” he asked, eyebrows furrowed.

 

“No,” she said, and smiled. “It looks really good, actually. You might make Hitch swoon.”

 

“Really?” he asked, and she nodded. He doubted he’d be making anyone swoon, but he took the compliment anyway.

 

“I think we’ll have to get you a new pair of boots,” said Annie. “But I think this is a decent amount of outfits for a few gigs.”

 

After Armin removed the jacket, Annie handed the pile of clothes back to him and then started rummaging through her handbag.

 

Armin’s brow creased as he looked at the garments in his arms. “You want me to get all of this?”

 

She nodded. “Why? Do you hate it all?”

 

“No,” he said. “I just don’t think I can afford it all.”

 

She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Who said you were paying?”

 

Annie pulled out her purse and dragged him over to the counter before he could protest. This thrift store wasn’t exactly cheap, crammed with things carefully labelled as ‘vintage’ and ‘alternative fashion’, and the price tags had already made him queasy before she had tried to pay. But when the cashier told Annie the price, she was as unfazed as ever as she swiped her card through.

 

“You really didn’t have to buy all that,” he said once they were driving to the next store.

 

Annie took another puff of her vape. He was touched that she felt comfortable enough around him to keep vaping with him here considering her reaction on the balcony that night. The smell of blueberries spread through the car and drifted out of the open window.

 

“It’s fine,” she said. “Don’t look at the prices when we go to buy boots, though. I think you might faint.”

 

In spite of her warning, when she picked out her favourite pair for him to try on, a simple black pair of Doc Martens, he couldn’t help but glance at the price tag. He opened his mouth to protest, but she pressed a finger to his lips and said, “They’re perfect.”

 

He even offered to pay, not that he could afford it either, but hundreds of dollars had just been spent on him on clothes he had only planned on wearing a few times. Now he had every intention of wearing these outfits as much as possible, but Annie still looked bored as ever as the transaction went through.

 

“Annie, are you sure you don’t want some money for this stuff?” he asked when they were back in her car.

 

She shook her head. “It’s fine, Armin. It’s not like I can’t afford it.”

 

Armin looked at her for a moment. With Annie’s entire attitude and vibe alone, he wouldn’t have thought she would be some sort of rich kid.

 

Annie could clearly tell he was dying to ask about it, so she relented. “My dad sends me money every week. He’s basically paying for everything. He used to be an ass when I was in high school, but on the morning I was leaving for college, he basically got on his knees and apologised for being so shitty. Said he would do anything he could to make up for it, and that he loved me and wanted to be a good father.” She took another puff of her vape. “I guess it pays for your dad to be an asshole for eighteen years and then change his mind.”

 

“Oh,” he said. “I’m sorry, Annie.”

 

She shrugged. “It’s okay. He wasn’t that bad. Just a bit absent. And when he was around, all we ever did or talked about was training.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Training?”

 

“Honestly, it’s embarrassing,” she said after a moment’s pause. “But he wanted me to be an MMA fighter.”

 

Armin sputtered. “Excuse me?”

 

“Don’t you dare laugh,” she said. “Well, he wanted me to be anything like that, honestly. He had me in every sort of martial arts club there was. I barely got a moment of rest. Judo, karate, Muay Thai, kickboxing, even wrestling … you name it, I did it. Think he was trying to live vicariously through me. He only realised how messed up that was when he realised I might not come back.”

 

Armin looked over at her in disbelief. No wonder everyone found her so intimidating. She could probably demolish anyone who wronged her.

 

“So, basically, you could destroy me,” said Armin.

 

“Oh, yeah,” said Annie. “Why do you think Jean’s so scared of me? I’ve beat him up before.”

 

Armin’s eyes widened. “When’d that happen?”

 

There was a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “Honestly? He was flirting with Hitch outside a party, and she was clearly very drunk, and he was too, but I didn’t really care about that. Then when I told him to leave, he wouldn’t listen, so I basically flipped him over his own head. I don’t think he’s even looked at her since.”

 

So that explained why he’d backed off so easily that day when she’d shown up. Much to Jean’s credit, Armin wouldn’t have guessed he’d actually been more than intimidated by Annie. She certainly didn’t look like she could do something like that – but it wasn’t as if she wore ridiculously form-fitting clothes most of the time, so who could suspect that so much power could come from someone so short?

 

“Do you still do it?” he asked.

 

“I do classes at the gym sometimes, but mostly just the self-defence stuff,” said Annie. “On the bright side, I can walk home alone at night and not have to worry so much about creeps harassing me.”

 

“I might have to start getting you to walk me home,” said Armin.

 

“Maybe you should,” she said. “Are you hungry?”

 

“I could eat,” he said. He glanced over at her. “I can pay, though.”

 

Annie snorted. “Armin, you’re a college student. Just take the charity.”

 

He settled back in the seat. “Okay.”

 

She drove them to a tiny local Thai place that he’d been to only once before with Marco and Mikasa; it had a certain charm to it that was far more welcoming than bigger chains he’d been to. He still offered to pay again, but then Annie looked at him with her usual cold stare and he decided it was best to just drop it.

 

He caught sight of the booth he’d sat in with his friends the last time they were here as he and Annie waited for their food, and he felt his heart twist. He still hadn’t really talked to Mikasa in a while, although it wasn’t really on purpose. He was avoiding being in his dorm, really, and considering Eren and Mikasa were usually together there in their free time or out anywhere together, he hadn’t really caught sight of her in a while. He’d debated reaching out, considering Marco said she thought he was angry at her, but he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to know. He’d only really seen Marco, and a decent amount of Sasha, who’d started texting him when Mikasa was out with Eren – because of course Eren still wasn’t telling him when Mikasa was over – and between his swimming and whatever this thing was with Annie, in the past few days he just hadn’t crossed her path.

 

This … thing. He looked up at her as she sipped from the tea she’d ordered. He’d never really found her scary, but now, she didn’t really seem very intimidating anymore. Only in the moments where he was completely out of his depths, when she’d lean in close to him, would he wonder what he’d gotten himself into.

 

“Wanna go try these on?” she asked, snapping him out of thoughts.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“We can do it in your dorm,” said Annie. “Just so you don’t have to carry all this stuff back.”

 

Armin hoped Eren and Mikasa wouldn’t be around because, as convincing as he could be, he was far too self-conscious to do some sort of fashion show in front of them. It was embarrassing enough in front of Annie, and she certainly wouldn’t relent just because they were there. If anything, he thought, it would make her want to do it more.

 

He relaxed when he pushed open the door to find the room empty.

 

“They must be out,” he said, dropping his bag by the door.

 

“Guess this is your side?” she said, pointing towards the wall plastered with anime posters and surrounded by books.

 

He did his best to hide his embarrassment. “Uh, yeah.”

 

When she moved towards his desk, nose crinkling at the figures standing on it, he did his best not to pass out. “Wow, you really are a nerd.”

 

He flushed, but when she turned, she had a smile on her face. His shoulders slackened.

 

“Why do you never talk to me about this stuff?” she asked.

 

He shrugged. “Because … you’re cool. I didn’t think you’d be interested.”

 

“I’m cool?” asked Annie with a scoff. “I’ve actually seen some of these, actually.”

 

Armin perked up. “Really?”

 

“Well, not many,” she said, and looked at him pointedly. “I like Death Note.”

 

Death Note. Of course she liked Death Note. Mikasa loved it too – he thought of when she’d gotten him to go as Light so she could go as Misa to a Halloween party a few years ago, although with his longer hair it definitely didn’t look as well put together as her costume. He wondered if Annie would ever want to go to a costume party with him like that; if this would even go on long enough for that.

 

“Well, it is a classic,” he said.

 

“I was actually debating reading the manga,” said Annie. Then she scoffed again. “I can’t believe you think I’m cool. You saw me vaping and you think I’m cool.”

 

“I don’t think vaping necessarily makes you uncool,” said Armin.

 

“Vaping definitely makes you uncool,” said Annie.

 

“Well, uh,” he said, moving towards his pile of books, “if you’re thinking of becoming even less cool, here.”

 

He handed her the first two volumes of Death Note he had crammed by his bed. He had the rest somewhere, but he had so many books piled around that he decided he would just look for them later.

 

“Thank you,” she said.

 

He shrugged. “So, you want me to try those on now?”

 

Annie laid out all of the clothes on the bed and tried to put together outfits for him. He knew she’d bought a lot, but he was overwhelmed just by how much she’d managed to find at that thrift store. He’d probably been too preoccupied with his thoughts to notice. There were jeans, ripped, skinny, cropped and cuffed; band tees, plain tees, jackets, plaid shirts, belts, even chains – and of course, that leather jacket she had hunted for.

 

“Try this one on first,” she said. “I won’t peek.”

 

He turned his back to her and, after checking over his shoulder to see her sitting with her hands over her eyes, he began to change. His clothes dropped with a thud and he pulled the white shirt over his head, then slid the jeans on. They were black and cuffed, but ripped at the knees, and then he slipped on the matching black distressed denim jacket that was just a little baggy, but he supposed maybe that’s what she was aiming for. He stepped back into his boots and cleared his throat.

 

“Uh, is this okay?” he asked.

 

She moved her hands. “Oh my God.”

 

“Is it bad?”

 

“You look like a different person,” she said. “And it’s not even that much.”

 

She rose to her feet and pushed him in front of the mirror. He definitely looked different. It wasn’t anything particularly outlandish, but he was shocked to find how well put together he looked. Maybe the long undershirts, graphic tees and khakis weren’t really the best look.

 

“It’s still probably not enough for our gig,” said Annie, “unless you want your ears pierced.”

 

“I think you’d have to do a lot more convincing for that,” said Armin.

 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” said Annie. Then she poked him. “Be careful with those boots. They’re hellish to break in.”

 

Armin glanced down at his feet. “What should I do then?”

 

“I’ll bring you some bandages next time I see you,” she said.

 

His eyes widened. “Bandages?”

 

Annie shrugged him off. “Okay, now try on this one.”

 

They kept going for a while, Annie picking out her favourites and mixing and matching combinations for what must have been more than an hour. Armin didn’t mind so much; his insecurity ebbed away more and more as the minutes went by, and Annie’s genuine compliments certainly helped. By the end, she was most drawn to a sleeveless Bon Jovi shirt and ripped cuffed black jeans, and of course, the boots.

 

She wanted him to bring the leather jacket too, but told him it’d be too warm inside so he could just keep it backstage, because, “Your arms are too nice to cover up.”

 

Armin’s entire face lit on fire. “Uhm, thank you?”

 

Her hands ghosted over his biceps and he did his best not to shiver. “Not to criticise your fashion sense too much, but maybe you should mix it up a bit.”

 

When her hands dropped, he said, “Well, I think I have enough clothes to do that now.”

 

She smirked at him and jabbed at his chest. “I know it’s not your style, but I think you look good.” Then, before he could say anything, she added, “Hitch is going to try and do your eyeshadow when you come over too, so I thought I should warn you.”

 

“Eyeshadow?” he said. “I don’t know, I … I don’t think that’d look good.”

 

“It’ll just be like eyeliner. Just black eyeshadow,” she said. “I’d wear contacts, too, if you have any. Some of those bars are pretty rowdy and I wouldn’t want your glasses to break.”

 

Armin opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly the door started to rattle, and before he could even think, Annie grabbed his face and smashed his mouth down to hers.

 

He was so shocked he could barely move, but he’d had the sense to at least close his eyes before Eren stepped into the room. Much to her credit, Annie was more composed than he was in that moment, and pulled back from him, eyes widened as if she’d just been caught doing something she shouldn’t be.

 

“Oh … hey … Eren,” said Armin weakly.

 

Eren’s jaw was nearly on the floor. He was clearly at a loss for words.

 

Annie’s hands were still on his cheeks, and she turned his face back to hers and pecked his lips. She smiled at him, before stepping back and picking up her bag. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

 

“O-okay,” said Armin.

 

Eren came back to life enough to move out of Annie’s path as she slipped out of the room. Once she was out of earshot, he and Eren stood there without saying a word, both of them clearly not eager to be the first to break the silence between them.

 

Finally, Eren said, “What the hell are you wearing?”

 

“Clothes…?” he said weakly.

 

Eren could barely fathom an answer.

 

Armin’s face was red. He hadn’t anticipated being caught in the act so early, and though he was usually quite quick on his feet, all he could think to do was pick up his bag and mumble some excuse about needing to go to the library. He did have an essay to work on, anyway, and it was a good enough excuse to keep him away from Eren’s questioning, at least for now. The more he thought about it as he walked away though, he had to say, the look on Eren’s face was completely worth the embarrassment.

 

His satisfaction was short-lived though, because it only took a few hours before his phone buzzed and he saw a message from Sasha telling him that Mikasa was in his dorm. He sighed. He hadn’t even gotten a chance to put all of his new clothes away. He texted her back and asked her what snacks she wanted tonight, and when she texted him a long list, he started packing up his stuff and headed towards the nearest store off of campus.

 

“Hey, woah,” said Sasha when she opened the door. “What are you wearing?”

 

He shrugged. “A friend picked it out for me.”

 

“You look like an emo,” said Sasha.

 

Armin frowned.

 

“Not in a bad way!” said Sasha. “Wait – do they call it alternative now?”

 

Armin extended out the bag he’d brought. “Just take the snacks and put Yumeiro Patissiere on.”

 

Sasha passed out a few hours later with a pack of chips half-finished on her lap. He decided it’d be best to just leave her where she was and shut down her laptop, and crawled over into Mikasa’s bed. He sighed when he clicked his phone off and rolled over to settle down to sleep, Sasha’s snores softly echoing through the room. Sasha was definitely a better roommate than Eren, that was for sure, but he was starting to miss his own bed.

 

He finally saw Mikasa the next day in between classes when he was eating dinner underneath the tree in the courtyard. He, Marco and Mikasa used to hang out here when they first moved to college, but these days they all seemed to be doing their own things. He was sure Marco was sneaking around with Jean but he couldn’t really criticise him considering what he was getting up to with Annie. At least Marco’s sneaking around made some sense – there was no way Armin could explain this to him or anyone else.

 

He was halfway through a page of his book when a shadow fell over him.

 

“Hey,” said Mikasa.

 

She was wearing a thin, long-sleeved black sweater and a long, frilly grey skirt that touched the boots at her feet. She had her usually silver necklaces on, and dark eyeshadow and lipstick which crinkled when she smiled down at him. When he returned her smile, she dropped her bag by the tree and settled down beside him.

 

“I haven’t seen you in a while,” she said.

 

“I guess we’ve both been busy,” he said, closing his book.

 

Her brow creased. “I’m sorry about the party. I really wasn’t trying to get rid of you or anything. But that doesn’t make a difference. I’m sorry.”

 

At least he hadn’t had to ask for an apology from Mikasa, but out of the two of them Eren really was the stubborn one. “Thanks, Mikasa. It’s okay.”

 

“I’ll make it up to you,” she said. “Let’s go manga shopping this weekend. I’ll buy you anything you want. I can even hex Jean, if you’d like. I’m pretty sure I won’t kill him now.”

 

Armin smiled. “I think it’d be better if you kept him unhexed.”

 

She hummed. “Yeah.” Then she looked at him expectantly. “Do you know about Marco?”

 

“What about him?” asked Armin.

 

She leaned in and whispered, “He’s with Jean. Can you believe it?”

 

His shoulders relaxed. At least he wasn’t the only one carrying that secret around. “Not really.”

 

“I knew you knew,” said Mikasa. “I already asked him. I haven’t even told Eren. I walked in on them.”

 

“You too?” said Armin. “I walked in on them at Historia’s.”

 

“Not being as secretive as they think,” said Mikasa.

 

“No,” said Armin. “Maybe you definitely shouldn’t curse Jean.”

 

She hummed. “I won’t. For now. But if he hurts him, that’s the final straw.”

 

Armin hadn’t realised how much he had missed these stupid conversations with Mikasa. He had been so frustrated with her and Eren he’d practically forgotten how much he enjoyed being around them. It was just the third-wheeling that was annoying. And the PDA. And having sex so he couldn’t sleep in his room. And …

 

“But I might buy you the Twilight manga when we go,” said Mikasa.

 

“It isn’t a manga, Mikasa,” said Armin. “It’s just a graphic novel.”

 

“They’re still good,” she said. “If you want manga, then, start with Vampire Knight, and then move on to those. I promise you won’t regret it.”

 

“We’ve literally watched the movies together,” said Armin.

 

“Yeah, well, the graphic novel is a whole different experience!” she said. “You won’t regret it. Plus, it’ll be free.”

 

Just as he was about to respond, a new shadow fell upon them. When he looked up, he was met with Annie’s cool gaze. She was wearing a plaid skirt and ripped tights, along with a baggy black jacket over a simple band tee.

 

“Oh, hey, Annie,” said Mikasa. “Do you need some crystals for Reiner again?”

 

Annie shrugged. “Maybe in a week or something. He really believes in them.”

 

“They do work,” said Mikasa.

 

“I know,” said Annie, but something told Armin she didn’t think so at all. She turned to him. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

 

“Oh, uh, yeah,” he said.

 

Mikasa nodded, but still looked awfully surprised. Had Eren not told her what he’d walked in on? Maybe she hadn’t believed him. If someone had told him that a few weeks ago, he wouldn’t have believed it either. “I have to get to class soon, anyway.”

 

“I’ll see you later,” he said, pulling himself up. Annie grabbed him by the hand and pulled him across the courtyard. “Is something up?”

 

They were in the passageway where she had saved him from Jean a few weeks ago. It was empty this time, save for the two of them. He was about to ask her again when suddenly she shoved him against the wall and pulled his mouth down to hers.

 

It took Armin’s brain a few moments to catch up. What was she doing? There wasn’t anyone around. But her lips were demanding and so soft, and eventually, he moved back against her, letting his hands tighten around her hips whilst hers gripped at the front of his T-shirt. Her urgency was shocking, but he tried to match her pace, and tried to stay quiet when her tongue moved against his. By the time she pulled away, he was sure it hadn’t been that long, but it had felt like minutes. She let out a deep sigh as her blue eyes met his.

 

“You need to act more casual when I do that,” she said once her breathing had returned to normal.

 

Armin could barely fathom her words. “Huh?”

 

“When Eren walked in yesterday, you were so surprised,” said Annie. “If you act like that every time, he’s going to catch on.”

 

“I don’t think he’s that smart,” he said.

 

“Maybe not,” she said. “But you can’t act surprised when your girlfriend kisses you. Not every time.”

 

So that’s what that was about. He didn’t know why, but a part of him felt almost disappointed. But why? This was just some sort of act they were playing, anyway. It wasn’t like it was anything more than that. Annie seemed more than comfortable with just being his friend. And he was fine with being her friend. But that feeling was still nagging at him when he opened his mouth to speak again.

 

“Sorry,” said Armin. “I’ll try and act more natural next time.”

 

“It’s okay,” she said.

 

They were still stood pressed together in the quiet of the passageway. He swallowed, trying to ignore how hard his heart was pounding in his chest. Her eyelids dropped again, and she leaned up to meet his mouth. It was softer this time, and very sweet, and it left his toes tingling. He moved to deepen the kiss, moving his hands to her lower back, and she made a small noise against his lips. He was so lost in her touch that he had barely noticed the appearance of someone at the edge of the passage.

 

“Hey!” said a voice.

 

He and Annie broke apart. It was just one of the campus janitors. But the sight of this one made his stomach drop. It was Levi Ackerman, some cousin or something of Mikasa’s, and she always used to tell him he used to be the leader of some sort of gang. They’d only spoken a few times, and to say Armin was intimidated by him would have been an understatement.

 

“Cut that out,” said Levi. “You’re making the place look dirty.”

 

“S-sorry, Mr. Ackerman,” said Armin.

 

“Save it for your dorm rooms where I don’t have to see it,” said Levi, before stepping back out of the passageway.

 

“I guess I’ll see you later,” said Annie, stepping away from him. “Are we still on for tomorrow?”

 

Tomorrow. He’d almost forgotten. He tried to swallow past the lump in his throat. That was one of the only days he’d been certain Eren would be coming back to the dorm at a certain time – he always dropped off his bag on Wednesdays before going to football practise with Reiner and Connie.

 

Armin nodded. “Yeah.”

 

Annie smiled. “I’ll see you then.”

 

The next day, Armin was so nervous about Annie coming over that he could barely stop thinking about anything else, even when he was supposed to be listening in class. He’d barely written anything down by the time it ended, and when he got back to his empty dorm, he wasted a few hours furiously cleaning to keep his mind busy, but it didn’t do much to stop his heart from pounding.

 

He was definitely in over his head, and when he opened his door to find Annie standing before him, gorgeous as ever in her usual casual shirt, skirt and ripped tights combo, he knew he had bitten off far more than he could chew.

 

“Hey,” she said. When he didn’t budge, she said, “Can I come in?”

 

“Oh,” said Armin, blinking. “Yeah, yeah.”

 

When he stepped back, she brushed past him and dropped her bag to the floor. The silence was deafening when the door clicked shut behind them. Eventually, Annie cleared her throat.

 

“I brought my speaker,” she said. “I thought music might make you feel a bit more comfortable.”

 

“Oh, yeah, yeah, that’s good,” he said.

 

When Annie had connected and put on some random rock playlist, she turned to him and said, “How long will it be until he’s back?”

 

Armin checked his phone. “Uh, maybe like ten minutes now.”

 

“Well,” said Annie. To her credit, she looked almost nervous herself. “Want to get started?”

 

Armin could barely choke out a reply.

 

Annie’s face softened. “It’s not too late to change your mind, you know.”

 

“N-no,” said Armin, swallowing past the dryness of his throat. “I want to do this.”

 

“Okay,” she said. “Get on the bed, then.”

 

Armin obeyed, stepping back and sitting down before her. His heart wouldn’t stop racing. He could barely take his eyes off of her as she began unbuttoning her shirt.

 

It only lasted a few moments before he realised what a creep he looked like, and dropped his gaze to the floor. His face was so hot he was surprised his glasses weren’t steaming up. God, what had he gotten himself into?

 

He heard Annie take a step towards him as her shirt fell to the ground. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

 

“Armin?” said Annie. “Are you okay?”

 

He nodded, but he still hadn’t opened his eyes. He felt a pressure on his chest, and he leaned back on his hands. He felt her move onto his lap and his breath caught in his throat. Then, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his.

 

They’d done this enough by now that it shouldn’t have had so much of an effect on him, but he felt his whole body heat up as she pressed her mouth harder against his. She was being rougher than normal, but maybe it was just nerves. He tried to match her force but it still made him gasp against her lips when her hands came up to tangle tightly in the back of his hair. Her mouth was almost desperate against his, and oh so demanding, and he could barely stay quiet when she bit down on his bottom lip, hard.

 

“Sorry,” she murmured against his mouth.

 

She barely gave him time to respond before she kissed him again. It wasn’t like he’d minded the biting, anyway, but he wasn’t about to tell her that.

 

It wasn’t long before her hands had found their way to the bottom of his shirt, gripping onto the hem and tugging, and it was clear what she wanted. He finally opened his eyes and parted from her, tugging his shirt over his head and trying to avoid staring at her. But he caught sight of her chest, held up by a lacy black bra, snugly fitting around her breasts, and his face turned bright red as he dropped her gaze and stared at the ground just past her.

 

“You can look, you know,” she said.

 

“I think that’s a bit far,” he said.

 

“Really?” she said.

 

“We’re friends,” said Armin, still staring past her. “I’m not a creep.”

 

“Do you think I’m a creep?” she asked abruptly. “Because I’ve been staring at your chest ever since you took your shirt off.”

 

His eyes moved back to hers. She was looking at him intently. What – what was she saying?

 

“I don’t think you’re a creep,” he said quietly.

 

“Then you can look at me,” said Annie.

 

Armin swallowed and let his eyes drift to her chest. He suddenly felt very constricted, and incredibly embarrassed, and was very close to pushing Annie off of him before she noticed the firm mass forming by her thigh, but before he could even fully consider it, Annie leaned forward and kissed him again.

 

Her hands had found their way to his chest, small but oh so very warm against his skin. When they ghosted further down as she shifted, he let out a tiny noise at the back of his throat, and his heart nearly stopped at how embarrassing he sounded. But Annie didn’t seem to notice, and if she did, she certainly didn’t care, because she didn’t stop moving her mouth against his.

 

Suddenly, her arms retreated from his chest and he heard a clicking before she shimmied against him like she was shaking something off. He only realised she had been taking her bra off when she grabbed his hands and yanked them onto her chest.

 

His eyes flew open and he looked down. He was shocked there was enough blood at the top of his body for his face to get even warmer, but he certainly managed.

 

“A-Annie?” he asked.

 

She was as cool as ever. “Is this okay for you?”

 

“I, uh, well, I,” he stuttered. His arms were nearly trembling just pressing against her skin. She was so … soft. It was the last thing he had expected from her. “Is – is it okay for you?”

 

“I wouldn’t have put your hands there if it wasn’t,” she said flatly.

 

“O-oh, y-yeah,” he said, and swallowed. “This is fine.”

 

“Good,” she said, and she leaned forward again to catch his lips in hers.

 

His entire body was on fire. Oh, God, what was he doing? Annie was kissing him, beautiful, gorgeous Annie, which he’d expected, which he knew was going to happen, but he hadn’t expected her to do this. What did she even want him to do? Was she – enjoying this? Maybe she was just trying to make the most of whatever situation they’d gotten themselves into. He couldn’t say he didn’t enjoy kissing her, but he hadn’t even imagined she’d want him to touch her. She was probably just getting carried away in the heat of the moment. And it wasn’t as if he had said no – they were just as guilty as each other.

 

Her fingers suddenly clamped around his and squeezed, causing him to tighten around her breasts. He was shocked he didn’t just faint right then and there.

 

When her hands fell back down, he gently squeezed her chest again. She made a noise, maybe something like encouragement, and it was enough for him to do it again. She was so incredibly soft, and it was the first time he’d come close to her and thought that anything about her felt fragile. He fondled her more, trying to gauge her reaction, before brushing his thumb over her nipple. She gasped against his mouth.

 

He tried doing it again, changing his approach, pressing harder, before taking them gently between his thumb and finger and rolling them. Then Annie – much to his shock – moaned against his lips.

 

Armin pressed back against her mouth and bit down on her bottom lip to make her gasp; then as he continued his ministrations at her breasts, he took control of the kiss and slipped his tongue into her mouth to caress hers. She made another tiny noise, and his entire body felt like it might just explode right then and there, and he was so lost in her that he’d completely forgotten why they’d even been doing this in the first place when the door rattled open.

 

“Hey Ar – oh my God!”

 

Eren dropped his bag on the floor as Annie pulled away from Armin’s lips. He looked like a deer in headlights, and his hands practically flew up to his face to cover his eyes from the sight before him.

 

“Do you mind?” said Annie flatly.

 

Eren finally unfroze. “Uh, yeah, sorry, uh, I’ll come back later.”

 

The door slammed shut and in the quiet that came after they could hear Eren’s hurried retreating footsteps.

 

Annie turned back to him and grinned. “Think he was shocked?”

 

Armin came back down to earth. “Y-yeah, he looked it.”

 

Annie peeled herself off of him and Armin adjusted awkwardly, trying to hide the way his pants were pitching.

 

“Not bad,” she said as she clicked her bra back on.

 

He cleared his throat. “Uhm, thanks?”

 

She picked their shirts off of the floor and passed his back to him. She was still smiling by the time she was completely covered up.

 

“Yeah, I think he believed that,” said Annie. “You were quite convincing.”

 

Armin pulled his shirt over his head and met her unwavering gaze. “So were you.”

 

Annie’s eyes flickered downwards to his crotch, and he flushed a deep red and moved his hands awkwardly to cover himself.

 

She cocked an eyebrow at him.

 

“Sorry,” he said. “I, uh, I really didn’t mean to –”

 

“It’s fine, Armin,” she said, suddenly dropping his gaze. A faint tinge of pink had spread across her cheeks. “You … weren’t the only one feeling that way, anyway.”

 

His mouth felt very dry all of a sudden.

 

Annie cleared her throat. “I’ll see you later, yeah?”

 

Armin nodded. “Yeah. That sounds good.”

 

She smiled and stepped back, before letting the door swing shut between them.

 

Notes:

I hope you enjoyed this! Also apologies for any spelling and grammar mistakes, I've come down with the flu so editing was a bit harder than normal for this chapter, but I wanted to get it out as soon as I could. Hope you enjoyed! Comments are welcome as usual <3

Chapter 4: a gig like no other

“So, uh … you and Annie?” asked Eren.

 

It was the second thing Eren said to him the next morning when he woke up. The first had just been a simple ‘Good morning’, and a small part of Armin had wished he had just left it at that. He had been wondering how long it was going to be before Eren tried to talk to him about Annie; the plan had been to get on his nerves, for him to catch them together. But talking about it like this, thinking back to it, made Armin’s face warm.

 

“Uh, yeah,” said Armin, not meeting his eyes. “I guess so.”

 

Eren leaned back in bed, fingers interlaced behind his head. “I just didn’t think she was your type.”

 

“You don’t think I have a type,” said Armin, pulling on his shoes.

 

“I thought you’d be scared of her,” said Eren. “I mean, unless, I guess, you’re into that. Scary girls can be hot.”

 

Armin gave Eren a pointed look.

 

Eren raised his hands in defence. “Okay, okay, sorry, I just … I wouldn’t have thought you were her type, either.”

 

Armin did his best not to grit his teeth. That was one way of telling him straight to his face that he thought Annie was out of his league. He couldn’t say he disagreed with him, considering they weren’t actually dating at all. “You’d be surprised.”

 

“I am surprised,” Eren admitted. “But I mean – hey, good for you! Mikasa likes her, so she can’t be all bad.”

 

“She’s really nice, actually, Eren,” said Armin.

 

“I know, she’s just …”

 

“Intimidating?” asked Armin.

 

“Isn’t she like …” Eren raised his hands, his fingers forming air-quotes, “A ‘bad girl’?”

 

Armin wasn’t ignorant to Eren’s careful choice of words over something far more disrespectful. Armin thought it was all ridiculous anyway – it wasn’t like Annie was a bully or anything; she just didn’t take anyone’s bullshit. Everything else was just rumour and gossip, and after that, Annie was still his friend, regardless of what anyone else thought of her. And these days, with Mikasa and Eren practically smothering each other, he certainly enjoyed her company more.

 

Armin picked up his bag and stepped towards the door and said, in a very un-Armin fashion, “Bad girls are really hot, Eren.”

 

Eren stared at him as if he had just seen a ghost, but before he could respond, Armin simply said, “I’m going for a swim, so I’ll see you later.”

 

He hid his smile until the door was firmly shut between them.

 

Swimming usually helped Armin clear his head, and recently he’d found there were many things he’d rather not think too much about. Although Eren’s reaction to him and Annie did give him some satisfaction, he couldn’t ignore how confused all of it was still making him feel. It was nice, he supposed, that he was finally getting to experience a lot of his firsts that his peers had steamrolled past in high school, and Annie was a perfectly good person to be having them with, but he wondered if it would have been nicer if their moments were real; he wondered if they were supposed to feel more special.

 

Not that Annie wasn’t special, but as nice as those moments could be, once they were over, they were over. They could get so worked up and heated, and so close to one another, but once the act needed to end, she was as cool as ever, as if a few moments prior they both hadn’t been gasping for air. But still, as much as he tried to shake it, he couldn’t stop thinking about what she’d said: “You … weren’t the only one feeling that way, anyway.”

 

He felt his face flush as he towelled off in the changing rooms. She had been the one to take it a step further … but she had also left afterwards like it had been nothing. He shook his head. What was he thinking? There was no way that that was anything more than a lapse in judgement. College kids did stupid stuff like that all the time. But he knew Annie wasn’t like other college kids.

 

As much as he tried to shake those thoughts out of his head as the day went by, nothing could keep him distracted for long. Even scanning through books in the library, cramming in information for an upcoming test, could barely hold his attention. The only thing that jolted him out of his thoughts all day was when his phone started ringing that evening.

 

“Hey?”

 

“Wanna go get some snacks for tonight?” asked Sasha.

 

“Tonight?” he asked, his stomach sinking.

 

“Mikasa’s at yours again.”

 

Armin tried not to groan. Apparently his and Annie’s little escapade hadn’t been enough for Eren to get the point. “Yeah, okay.”

 

Well, on the bright side, at least he’d gotten to spend more time with Sasha these days. Although he was starting to think he was sleeping in Mikasa’s bed more than he was sleeping in his own. At least Sasha didn’t pass out halfway through an episode this time, although, she still managed to fall asleep with an open pack of chips on her chest. He decided not to risk taking them from her before he shut down her laptop and crawled into bed.

 

The next day, when he came knocking at Annie’s door, he was surprised at how much his heart was racing. He shook his head – what was wrong with him? It was just Annie.

 

“Hey, stranger,” she said when the door creaked open.

 

He opened his mouth to speak but found his throat to be shockingly dry. He cleared his throat. “Hey.”

 

“Nice outfit,” said Annie, moving out of the doorway for him to step inside.

 

He was just wearing something casual she’d picked out for him – a big band tee and cuffed black jeans. “Thanks. Uh, you too.”

 

She was in a very similar outfit, ripped, cuffed black jeans, and an oversized band tee. It certainly looked much better on her than on him – even in casualwear, she put him to shame.

 

“So has Eren said anything to you?” she asked once she settled down on her bed.

 

“A little,” he said, sitting down on the edge of her mattress. “He’s clearly surprised about us, but I had to crash at Sasha’s last night again so I don’t think our message was clear enough.”

 

Annie snorted. “I would have thought it was clear enough.”

 

Armin rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, well, apparently not.”

 

Annie looked at him for a moment. “You know you can stay here when he does that.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows raised. “Uh, sorry?”

 

Annie shrugged. “We’re supposed to be dating, right? Hitch doesn’t mind staying with Marlowe anyway. It’d probably look more believable than you crashing with Sasha.”

 

Armin supposed she was right. But something about staying in Annie’s room with her, sleeping so close, made his throat tight. “I mean, yeah, thanks, if you don’t mind.”

 

Annie shrugged. Then, she asked, “What do you even do at Sasha’s anyway?”

 

“Uh … we watch anime,” said Armin.

 

Annie looked at him blankly. “Are all of your friends otakus?”

 

“She only likes the cooking ones,” said Armin.

 

She snorted. “Of course.” Then she said, suddenly, “I read the first volume of Death Note.”

 

Armin perked up. “Oh?”

 

Annie nodded. “Yeah, when I got back from your place the other night.”

 

The other night. Armin cleared his throat and tried to ignore any thoughts about that night, before asking, “So what did you think?”

 

“I liked it,” she said. “But I’ve seen the show so I expected to. It was still good, though.”

 

Armin smiled genuinely. “I’m glad you liked it. I have the rest of the series here if you want to read them.”

 

“Aren’t there like twelve of those things?” she asked. “And you brought them all to college?”

 

“I mostly just brought books to college,” he said sheepishly.

 

“You really are a nerd,” she said. “But I’ll read the rest of them.”

 

Armin’s chest warmed and he smiled. “I can bring them over next time.”

 

“I can just pick them up when I come to your dorm next,” said Annie. “Whenever you next want to torment your roommate.”

 

Armin flushed. “Uh … I don’t know.”

 

Annie’s eyes softened. “You know we can stop this if you want. I’ll still hang out with you.”

 

For a moment, Armin debated if they should. He would have thought what Eren had walked in on would have gotten him more of a reaction than just asking about his relationship status, so really, how effective could continuing this farce be? But a tiny part of him, a foolish and illogical part which he couldn’t ignore, really didn’t want to stop.

 

“It’s okay,” said Armin. “I think it hasn’t happened enough to piss him off yet.”

 

“We’ll just have to be persistent,” said Annie.

 

Armin swallowed. “Yeah, we can do that.”

 

Then Annie said, “I’m sorry about last time. I … I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

 

Armin could barely meet her eye. Uncomfortable? That wasn’t the word he would have used. He remembered how soft she had felt under his hands, the way she gasped against his lips; how beautiful she had looked … it wasn’t uncomfortable, but it wasn’t what ‘friends’ did. But they were supposed to be friends, and those weren’t really lines they should be crossing.

 

But he couldn’t say that to her, so he just said, “It’s okay. You didn’t make me uncomfortable.”

 

When she dropped his gaze, he caught sight of the pinkness dusting her cheeks. “I got a bit carried away. I should have asked.”

 

His face was hot. “I-it’s okay. I got carried away, too. I – I didn’t really mind at all.”

 

Her eyes came back up to meet his. They were so light; it was nearly mesmerising. Annie shuffled closer to him and laid her palm on his thigh. His breath caught in his throat.

 

Annie took a deep breath. “Armin, I –”

 

The door flew open before she could finish her sentence.

 

“Annie! I just walked in on something I need to –” Hitch stopped herself. “Oh, hey, Armin.”

 

Annie jerked away from him, but their proximity was not lost on Hitch. A smirk started tugging at the corners of her mouth.

 

“Hey, Hitch,” he said as coolly as he could manage.

 

“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” she asked, putting her bags down. “I’m going to interrupt it anyway.”

 

“It’s fine, we’re just hanging out,” said Annie, leaning back on her hands. “What did you see?”

 

Hitch shook her head and collapsed on her bed. “You need to get your friends in check. I went to go look at the journals in the library – you know, at the top floor in the back where no one goes? Well, apparently, people do go there, but it isn’t to read journals.”

 

“Don’t say you saw –” Annie started.

 

“Reiner and Bertholdt were – oh my god, I don’t even want to say it,” she said. “Reiner was – on his knees, if you get my drift.”

 

Annie’s nose crinkled. “In the library?”

 

“I know!” said Hitch. “It’s not even late or anything. That’s the second time I’ve walked in on them – at this point, I feel targeted.”

 

Annie gave Armin a look, but she said simply, “I’ll talk to them.”

 

“You better,” said Hitch. “Otherwise I might call their parents. Like I get it, but come on boys. And honestly, I was really worried I’d nearly just walked in on something between you two – and I quite frankly don’t think I could have taken that.”

 

“Well, aren’t you lucky I planned on screwing Armin after you left again,” said Annie flatly.

 

Armin flushed, but Hitch simply said, “Unfortunately, I’m gonna be here for a while, so you’ll have to put that on hold.”

 

“Well, that’s awfully rude,” said Annie dryly.

 

“I can put my headphones on and close my eyes,” said Hitch, “but after what I just saw, I don’t think I can do that right now. Speaking of that,” she pointed at Annie, “am I getting kicked out of here after your gig?”

 

“Are you not staying at Marlowe’s?” she asked.

 

“No, he can’t make it,” said Hitch. “He’ll let me stay over, but he has an early shift again.”

 

Annie’s voice was as monotone as ever when she said, “So no post-gig sex then?”

 

“Unless you want me to be involved,” said Hitch with a wink. “But as flattered as I’d be, I don’t think I’d really want to. No offense.”

 

“What a killjoy,” said Annie.

 

“I know,” said Hitch.

 

“It’s okay. I can’t have you stay over, anyway,” said Annie, nudging Armin, who had been trying his best not to melt from embarrassment. “I have a date the next day.”

 

Armin’s stomach lurched. “A date?”

 

“She’s Reiner’s plus one to his mom’s birthday party,” Hitch explained. “Don’t try and get too jealous.”

 

“I would have brought you as my plus one, anyway, if Bertholdt could come,” said Annie.

 

“Not me?” said Hitch, pouting.

 

“Sorry I would bring my boyfriend as my date rather than my roommate,” said Annie.

 

“You need to get your priorities right,” said Hitch with a sigh. Then she swung round to face Armin, pointing a finger at him. “Also, you need to get here early before the gig because I’m doing your makeup.”

 

“Makeup?”

 

“I told you already,” said Annie.

 

“It’ll just be eyeshadow,” said Hitch. “But you should get here early before Annie goes to get set up. We can just go down to the bar early.”

 

“Is eyeshadow really necessary?” asked Armin.

 

Hitch frowned. “Of course it is. We have to look the part.”

 

“You’ll look good,” said Annie reassuringly.

 

“It won’t be really feminine,” said Hitch. “You’ll look very masculine. Like the singer from Måneskin.”

 

Armin decided it was probably still a better option than the ear-piercing Annie had been pushing for, so he finally relented. “Okay.”

 

Hitch practically squealed. “Oh, I can’t wait! Oh, also, we’re drinking here. They won’t ID at the door, but they will at the bar, so it isn’t really worth getting kicked out over.”

 

“You better not show up to my gig shitfaced again,” said Annie pointedly. 

 

“I’m more supportive when I’m drunk,” said Hitch.

 

“Yeah, like a groupie,” said Annie. “You nearly got kicked out last time.”

 

Hitch waved her off. “Armin will keep me in check. Right, Armin?”

 

“Uh,” he said, not entirely sure he could. “Yeah, sure.”

 

“See?” said Hitch. “It’ll be fine.”

 

Armin was more excited than he expected to be by the time Saturday rolled around. Rock had never been his type of music, but it wasn’t something he particularly disliked, and growing up with Mikasa had given him little choice but to appreciate the genre. However, he was still grateful for the distraction Mikasa offered in the morning before the gig. Trailing from bookshops to manga stores for hours kept his mind busy enough to stop his excitement from jittering into nervousness.

 

“Oh my God,” said Mikasa. “There she is.”

 

It was there, plain as day, in the middle of the bookshop: the first Twilight graphic novel. Mikasa practically sprinted towards it.

 

“I promise you’ll love it,” said Mikasa after she had paid at the checkout.

 

He hadn’t hated the movies, and he was certainly more than familiar with them thanks to Mikasa, but he couldn’t really say for certain that he would love the graphic novel. It was still sweet of her to buy him it, and considering how much manga she had been willing to buy him, he could be nothing but grateful, so he just smiled and thanked her. 

 

“I think you’ll like Vampire Knight,” said Mikasa once they had finished their shopping for the day. 

 

It was one of the few volumes he had let her buy for him on her recommendation. Considering the topic, he wasn’t surprised by how she raved about it. “I think you may be a bit biased.”

 

“Maybe,” said Mikasa. “But it’s genuinely really good! We can watch the show together – I don’t think it’s as good, they definitely changed some important things, but it’s still fun.”

 

Armin’s chest warmed. Recently, Mikasa had felt less like his friend and more like Eren’s girlfriend, so it was nice to be with her like this. “That actually sounds like it’d be really fun.”

 

Mikasa beamed. “I think you’ll really like it!”

 

They just chatted all the way back to the bus stop that they needed to wait at for the bus back to campus, but when they stopped, she said abruptly, “Is there something going on between you and Annie Leonhart?”

 

Armin’s eyes widened. “Why would you ask that?”

 

“Well, she was holding your hand the other day. And Eren talks,” she said. “Also, I bumped into uncle Levi yesterday and he told me that ‘your friend Armin is filthy’ and that he caught you making out with a blonde girl by the science buildings. I assumed it wasn’t Historia.”

 

Armin hadn’t expected Levi, of all people, to blab. His hand came up to rub the back of his neck and he said, far too awkwardly, “Uh … maybe there is?”

 

Mikasa frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

 

“I don’t know,” said Armin. “Marco didn’t tell us about him and Jean.”

 

“Yeah, because we hate Jean,” said Mikasa. “You know I like Annie.”

 

“I didn’t know how much you like Annie,” said Armin. “Eren doesn’t like her all that much.”

 

“Eren doesn’t matter,” said Mikasa, eyebrows furrowing. “We’ve been friends since high school.”

 

Armin tried to ignore the way his heart was sinking. “Okay, I’m sorry, Mikasa. I just … I’ve never dated anyone before. I didn’t really want to talk about it in case it didn’t last. Especially considering it’s Annie of all people …”

 

Mikasa looked at him for a moment before she sighed. “It’s okay.” She smiled softly. “I’m happy for you.”

 

Happy for him. That was somehow even worse than being upset with him. He was sorely anticipating the fake breakup he and Annie would inevitably have with the fake heartache and the fake comforting. He had definitely bitten off more than he could chew – but there was no way he could stop now.

 

So he just said, “Thank you.”

 

“I should have seen it coming, anyway,” said Mikasa. Before he could ask what that meant, she added, “You know what this means though, right?”

 

“What?” he asked.

 

“Double dates!” said Mikasa.

 

Before he could answer, the bus pulled up in front of them. As she rummaged through her bag for her purse, he pulled his ticket out of his wallet and said, “Oh, uh, yeah … that’d be great.”

 

Armin couldn’t imagine it would be great at all, considering Eren’s obvious hesitancy when it came to anything Annie-related. But Annie would probably enjoy an opportunity to annoy Eren, and maybe even Mikasa, just to make a point. He pushed those thoughts away as they sat down on the bus – maybe Mikasa would forget about it before their fake breakup, anyway.

 

But there was a relief now that she actually knew. He didn’t know why, but after a few moments of sitting quietly on the bus, he said, “I’m going to her gig tonight.”

 

“Annie’s?” asked Mikasa. “With who?”

 

“Hitch,” said Armin. “You know, her roommate.”

 

Mikasa nodded. “That’s sweet of you.” Then she added, “Well, I’d come, but Eren and I are having a date night. He’s agreed to do a Ouija board with me, finally.”

 

“You two better not bring anything bad onto campus,” said Armin.

 

“It’s fine,” said Mikasa. “The spirits like me.”

 

“Do they like Eren?” asked Armin.

 

“We’ll see!” she said.

 

When they parted ways on campus, Armin just had enough time to relax and eat before he had to shower and get ready to head to Annie and Hitch’s dorm. He was dressed in the outfit that Annie had seemed eager for him to wear to the gig – simple, cuffed black jeans that were ripped at the knees, that sleeveless Bon Jovi shirt, and of course, those black boots she loved so much. He slipped his leather jacket over his shoulders and stepped in front of his mirror. He guessed he didn’t look bad – but he wasn’t used to this sort of style yet to be able to say that he looked good. But if Annie liked it, maybe that was enough.

 

Hitch was the one who opened the door when Armin arrived. “Loverboy is here.”

 

It was like looking at a different person. Her hair was pretty normal, but her makeup was dark and dramatic, and she was wearing an outfit that looked more like something Mikasa would wear – a big band tee and a knee-length wavy black skirt with lacy tights, and chunky platform boots which made her even taller than she already was. Her face was framed by dangly silver earrings, and there was a long chain around her neck with a similar pendant.

 

“You look nice,” he said.

 

“I know,” said Hitch, stepping aside. “You look good, too. But the makeup is still a must.”

 

When he stepped in, his eyes immediately fell on Annie, who was lying down on her bed, as casual as ever. His heart fluttered at the sight of her. She was just wearing ripped jeans and a low-cut black shirt that made his throat constrict. Every piercing she had in her ears was filled with earrings, a shining array of silver studs, bars and tiny rings, and she even had her nose ring in tonight. And her hair was down – she never wore her hair down, but he was surprised by how nicely it fell around her face. Her eyes were donned with black eyeliner and some sort of nude eyeshadow which brought out her pale blue eyes even more, and her lips were a dark purple that he hadn’t realised he had been staring at until her eyes locked on his.

 

“Hey,” he said, a smile fighting its way onto his face. “You look amazing.”

 

Annie rolled her eyes and stood up, before pulling him into a kiss.

 

“Woah, woah!” said Hitch. “Take it easy.”

 

Annie pulled back and smiled. “You look nice too.”

 

A blush was creeping up his neck and remained even when she stepped away. “Thank you.”

 

“Want a drink?” asked Hitch, moving towards him with a cup. Her fingers were sparkling with silver rings.

 

“This early?” he asked. They didn’t have to be at the gig for at least a few hours.

 

Annie leaned towards him. “Please try and hold her back if she starts hollering at the stage.”

 

“It’s never too early,” said Hitch, handing him the cup. “It’s only a vodka and coke.”

 

“Oh yeah,” said Annie, rolling her eyes. “A weak drink.”

 

Hitch certainly didn’t make it weak, and Armin made a mental note to keep a close eye on her throughout the night in case she got into any trouble. He would make sure she at least had a glass of water before they left at the rate she seemed to plan on going.

 

“Now get over here,” said Hitch, sitting on her bed and pulling out her makeup bag.

 

Armin placed his drink down carefully on her desk and sat down beside her.

 

“Now,” said Hitch, turning to him with a brush and an eyeshadow palette, “close your eyes.”

 

To her credit, he wasn’t sitting there for very long before she told him she was done. When his eyes opened again, Hitch was practically grinning at him.

 

“Mascara now,” she said.

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Is that necessary?”

 

“Of course,” she said, and she pulled the stick out. “Now, don’t flinch or I’ll poke your eye out.”

 

He was shocked by how difficult he found it not to flinch away, but he supposed she was awfully close to his eyes this time. Still, she managed to do it, and only slipped once when he accidentally jerked away from her, but it was only under his eye and was easy enough to wipe away.

 

“Okay,” she said, sheathing the mascara. “Done now.”

 

He blinked.

 

“I think it looks good,” said Hitch. “Annie? What do you think?”

 

He turned to face her, not entirely confident. Annie’s eyes widened slightly, and a light blush rose to her face as she looked down at the ground. “Uh … it looks good.”

 

“Doesn’t it?” said Hitch.

 

Armin was still unconvinced. Why was she looking away like that? Did it really look that bad? “Are you just saying that?”

 

Annie shook her head, but she still was barely looking at him. “I think you look nice.”

“Armin,” said Hitch, pulling his attention back to her. “You look hot.”

 

His face warmed. He looked back over at Annie, maybe for reassurance, and when he caught her gaze as she raised her head, he saw that her face was completely red now. His heart seemed to be stuck in his throat.

 

“Come on,” said Hitch, pulling him up to his feet. “Look in the mirror.”

 

He was still worried he would look like – what had Sasha called him the other day? An emo? But when he looked in the mirror, he was taken aback. He actually looked … good. Makeup definitely wasn’t his thing, and even the whole outfit had been out of his comfort zone, but the makeup wasn’t anything extreme, just black eyeshadow applied as if it were eyeliner, well blended and just enough to bring out his eyes. He definitely looked more like the kind of guy who Annie would be dating rather than the nerdy swimmer with no fashion sense.

 

“It actually isn’t too bad,” he said finally.

 

Annie cleared her throat. “I still think a piercing would have looked good.”

 

Hitch lit up. “Oh my God, yeah, a lip piercing!”

 

“Well, I meant an ear-piercing,” said Annie.

 

“I think this is enough,” said Armin, brow crinkling. “A piercing is a bit too permanent.”

 

“They close up, you know, if you’d changed your mind,” said Hitch, as if he’d decided to get one in the first place. “I had a nose piercing in high school. It completely rejected, but you wouldn’t even know it was there now.”

 

Armin grimaced. “Uh, yeah, I think I’ll pass.”

 

“You’ve scared him off,” said Annie with a sigh.

 

“I’ll ask him when he’s drunk,” reassured Hitch.

 

“You will not,” said Armin.

 

Annie snorted and got to her feet. “Okay, I’m going to have to get going to get set up.”

 

She slung her guitar case over her shoulder and walked over to him. She pressed a kiss against his mouth and his heart almost skipped. When she pulled back, she jabbed his chest. “Don’t let her get wasted.”

 

“Hey!” said Hitch.

 

Armin ignored her and smiled. “I’ll try.”

 

“Okay,” said Annie, stepping back. “I’ll see you guys tonight.”

 

As soon as the door clicked shut behind Annie, Hitch’s speaker powered up with a loud beeping noise and a loud pop-punk song soon followed. He was trying to figure out if he recognised the song when Hitch shoved his drink back into his hands.

 

“Get going, Loverboy,” she said.

 

Perhaps keeping her steady was going to be harder than he’d anticipated. With the amount of alcohol Hitch wanted him to drink, it seemed like staying sober enough to keep her in check would be difficult. But she’d agreed to drink water before they left, after a lot of persuading, as long as she could drink for a while before – it made him feel better about the night ahead, at the very least.

But when her speech began to slur, he regretted that little compromise. Maybe she was a lightweight after all. As soon as he noticed, he offered to make her a drink himself, and filled her cup with just the soda. She was smart enough to recognise the lack of vodka, but she let him get away with it and slurped it down.

 

“You know, Armin,” Hitch began, “I’m so glad you and Annie are going out. Me and Marlowe have like no one to hang out with. Like, we hang out with Annie, but I know she feels like a third wheel.”

 

Armin smiled. He certainly wasn’t in the state Hitch was in, but his drinks had started going to his head. “I’d love to hang out with you guys. I’m sure Annie would love to do something.”

 

“I think it’d be great,” she said. “Like, we could do stuff, you know? Like, we could go to the arcades, or even just like drinking in the dorm would be so fun.”

 

Armin nodded. “It sounds good, Hitch.”

 

“And it’s really nice, too, obviously,” she droned, “because she’s had that crush on you for like, so long. I never really got it, no offense, with the long hair, but I guess you were kind of cute and –”

 

Armin’s heart stopped. “Wait, what?”

 

Hitch took another gulp of her soda. “Well, she’d never admit it,” she said. “But I thought she had a crush on you. She was always asking Mikasa about you – it’s like all they ever seemed to talk about after their music. And I guess I was right because – here you are!”

 

“Heh, yeah …” he said, trailing off. “Here we are …”

 

Hitch tilted her head back and finished her soda, before holding it out to him. He took it from her hands and moved to refill it to give it back to her. He shook his head. Hitch was just drunk. Of course she was. Why would Annie have had an actual crush on him? He’d had a bowl cut only a few weeks ago, for God’s sakes, and no kind of fashion sense at all – he dressed like he was on the set of The Big Bang Theory. And appearances weren’t everything, of course, but even then, he was just a weak little nerd with weird interests. They didn’t even particularly speak before all of this – he was just nice to her. She was cool and interesting and beautiful and everything and so totally out of his league.

 

He handed Hitch her soda and poured himself one. Tonight wasn’t the night to be thinking about things like that, anyway. He was just hanging out with Hitch at a gig. It was just supposed to be fun.

 

“I made a sign, you know,” said Hitch suddenly, dragging him out of his thoughts.

 

She reached under her bed and pulled out a plain white piece of cardboard, which was covered in read lettering that said: I LOVE YOU THE TRAITORS.

 

“I made this one,” she said, reaching back behind her, “but I know I can’t get away with this one.”

 

It just said: I LOVE YOU ANNIE LEONHART.

 

Armin tried to suppress his laughter. “Uh … Hitch … I don’t think you can get away with either of them.”

 

Hitch sighed and dropped them. “Yeah … you’re probably right.”

 

He only let Hitch leave once he was sure she was sensible enough to be out in public. Once both of them had drunk some water, she called a cab to take them into town. It was bitterly cold outside, but Hitch didn't seem to mind; he just hoped the bar would be a little warmer.

 

When they got inside, he was relieved that he could take off his jacket without shivering. It was dark and dingy, and he supposed it was just about what he would have expected for a college bar. The stage was small too, but there was already equipment set up for the performance. They were clearly early, but there was a decent amount of people in the room already. He couldn’t really say that he knew a lot about Annie’s band, other than it was just a hobby she did with her friends; but from the way Hitch wouldn’t stop talking about them, Armin was starting to believe they were a lot better than Annie had let on.

 

Armin brought them back vodka-less cokes from the bar, much to Hitch’s blatant disappointment. He tried to remind her that she was the one who said they couldn’t risk getting ID’d, but her mood completely flipped when Reiner, Bertholdt and Annie came out on stage.

 

The bar started clapping as the owner introduced them, and it wasn’t until then how he’d realised how much Bertholdt and Reiner absolutely towered over Annie. She made up for it with her entire presence, which even from all the way down here at the table was intimidating. Bertholdt sat down at his drum kit in the back as Annie moved to the side with the electric guitar. Reiner patted the owner on the shoulder and grinned at him as he stepped towards the microphone, bass in hand.

 

He tapped the microphone and leaned forward. “You all having a good night?”

 

There was a cacophony of yeahs from the crowd, which were all drowned out by Hitch’s incredibly loud, “Woo!”

 

“Well, it’s about to get even better,” said Reiner.

 

The way Annie rolled her eyes behind Reiner wasn’t lost on Armin, and he tried to fight the grin that was threatening to rise to his lips.

 

“We’re The Traitors!” yelled Reiner, and Bertholdt began drumming, followed shortly by the bass and Annie’s guitar, before Reiner finally began to sing.

 

Armin was surprised by how nice Reiner’s voice actually was. He definitely wouldn’t have expected it from the guy, especially while playing the bass. Bertholdt’s drumming was pretty impressive too. But he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t completely transfixed on Annie with her guitar, fingers moving at an impossible speed. He could make out her black nail polish from here, gleaming under the faint lights, as her fingers moved over the strings. Had she always had such nice hands?

 

“Pick your jaw up, Loverboy,” said Hitch, nudging him harshly.

 

Armin blushed, and did his best to make his staring less obvious.

 

Before he knew it, the first song was over, and the crowd burst into applause as Hitch wooed at the stage. Armin decided joining in with Hitch wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, and gave his best “Woo!” at the stage. When Annie glanced over at their table, a giddy part of him almost regretted not letting Hitch bring the signs.

 

“This one was written by our lovely Annie Leonhart,” said Reiner, holding his arm out to Annie with her guitar. “Which is why it sounds so aggressive.”

 

Annie gave him the finger, but Bertholdt started counting them in.

 

Hitch was clearly very into it, but Armin was genuinely surprised by how much he enjoyed their music. Maybe he should ask Mikasa to come next time. She did prefer more gothic stuff, but she was partial to some more pop-punky and indie-sounding stuff every now and then. He was tempted to text her right then, but remembered her spirit-contacting plans, and slipped his phone back in his pocket – it wasn’t worth distracting her and risking getting cursed or something, all because he wanted her to see how cool his girlfriend’s band was. Well, his fake girlfriend’s band.

 

But it wasn’t just him and Hitch who were enjoying it – there were clearly people here who even knew their songs. Armin couldn’t believe how much Annie had downplayed them.

 

“Okay,” said Reiner, once one more song came to an end. “We only have one song left and it’s a very sweet one I wrote for my lovely boyfriend Bert – but Annie wanted to dedicate it to her special someone tonight. So, Armin, this one is for you.”

 

He could tell from Annie’s face that she had not intended that at all; but when she looked over at their table, he wasn’t sure what came over him. Maybe it was the alcohol still in his system, or maybe even the confidence he got from his clothes, or how enthusiastically Hitch was nudging him, but when her eyes met his, he winked at her. Winked. The lights on the stage were bright enough that he caught the way her face flushed before she dropped his gaze and raised her guitar.

 

Armin could barely take his eyes off her for the rest of the performance. The lights just made her look even more radiant than she already was. When Reiner and Bertholdt fizzled out of the song, and Annie’s solo started, he thought his jaw might have hit the floor. Before he knew it, Bertholdt came back in with the drums and Reiner with the bass, and the song ended with a passionate cacophony of sound.

 

He and Hitch were practically screaming when the applause started. Reiner was grinning as he leaned back towards the microphone. “Thanks guys! Thanks for such a good night.”

 

They started packing up their stuff, and the owner came on stage to give them one final thank you and call for another round of applause. Then, the three of them slowly disappeared backstage.

 

“God, it’s always so fun,” said Hitch. “Marlowe doesn’t get as into it as you. You’re coming every time. No questions.”

 

Armin laughed. “Okay, I will.”

 

She got to her feet. “I’m getting us one last real drink.”

 

“Uh, Hitch, we can’t drink,” he said quietly.

 

She grinned and winked. “Don’t worry about it.”

 

It was late enough – and the bartender clearly found Hitch attractive enough – that when she came back to the table and handed him his coke, he found the burn of vodka when it ran down his throat. Just as they’d finished their drinks, a figure suddenly appeared at their table – it was Annie, not looking very impressed.

 

“Annie!” said Hitch, standing up and enveloping her in a hug. “That was amazing.”

 

Annie patted her on the back. “Thanks.” She turned to Armin. “I see you didn’t stop her from drinking.”

 

“He tried,” said Hitch, pulling away. “But he just joined in by the end.”

 

Annie cocked an eyebrow at him. “You aren’t wasted, are you?”

 

“No,” said Armin. He was tipsy, though, but he tried to play it off. “I can handle it better than Hitch.”

 

“I’d be offended if it wasn’t true,” said Hitch.

 

Annie rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. “Bert’s parked out back so you can get a ride back to campus and we can hang out in Bert’s dorm.”

 

“I think I might call it a night after,” said Hitch. “But you’re still giving me a ride.”

 

“A sensible choice for once?” asked Annie.

“Shocking, I know,” said Hitch.

 

Annie reached out for Armin’s hand to pull him up. “Let’s go.”

 

When Reiner caught sight of Armin in the alley behind the bar, he pulled him into a bear hug. “Armin! Fucking hell, I wouldn’t have recognised you.”

 

“Uh, thanks,” said Armin when he pulled away.

 

“I think it’s a compliment,” said Annie, patting him on the back.

 

“It totally is,” said Bertholdt, smiling.

 

“I have a bone to pick with you guys,” said Hitch, climbing into the van. “But I’m going to wait until you start driving before I say it.”

 

“Hitch, I already told them,” said Annie, piling in the back. Armin climbed in next to her.

 

“I think they need to hear it from me,” said Hitch.

 

The doors slammed shut and Bertholdt revved the engine up. Without warning, Annie’s hand dropped down and rested on Armin’s thigh. His mouth turned dry, but it was almost like she didn’t seem to notice.

 

“What is it, Hitch?” asked Reiner. 

 

“Can you guys find somewhere else to get down and dirty other than the library?” asked Hitch.

 

Reiner guffawed, but if Armin could see Bertholdt’s face, he was sure he would be bright red.

 

“Seriously! I’ve walked in you guys twice. We don’t even live together! I haven’t walked in on these two,” said Hitch.

 

“Yet!” said Reiner.

 

“God, please, no,” said Hitch.

 

“It’s more than likely,” said Reiner.

 

Armin had drunk too much to think about what he was going to say before he opened his mouth. “Eren walked in on us the other day, so …”

 

Annie elbowed him in the side as Reiner started laughing and Hitch groaned. “God, no. I’m going to call you every time I come back to the dorms. Not risking it.”

 

“I’ve literally walked in on you and Marlowe,” said Annie.

 

“Just kissing! It’s not as bad as what they made me see,” said Hitch, pointing at Bertholdt and Reiner in the front.

 

“How bad was what Eren saw?” asked Reiner.

 

“Reiner, don’t be such a pervert,” said Annie. “We were just making out.”

 

“With how little clothes on?” he asked.

 

“Less than average,” said Annie flatly.

 

Reiner started laughing again.

 

Before they knew it, they were back at the dorms. Annie and Armin made sure that Hitch got back to their dorm, and once she was safely in bed with a glass of water by her side, Annie shut the door and took Armin by the hand as she led them to Bertholdt’s room.

 

“You were amazing today, Annie,” said Armin. “Why’d you never tell me you guys were that good?”

 

Annie shrugged. “We’re just a little college band. I don’t think we are that good.”

 

“I think so,” said Armin.

 

“I think you’re drunk,” she said with a smile.

 

“Yeah, but I’m just a little tipsy,” said Armin. “But you really are great. Especially you. I didn’t know you could play like that.”

 

“Practise,” she said.

 

Armin was suddenly very aware of her hand in his. Why had she taken his hand? Was she that worried he was drunk and she thought he might just dash away? Or did she just … want to hold his hand?

 

“Annie,” he said abruptly. “You looked gorgeous tonight.”

 

Annie’s eyes flashed up at him, and she started slowing down. Before he knew it, they’d stopped in the hallway. He could vaguely hear music, and assumed they must be near Bertholdt’s dorm now. But Annie was only looking at him.

 

“You looked good, too,” said Annie, gaze determined. “Hot as hell, actually.”

 

Armin felt his face flush. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Thank you.”

 

Annie bit her lip. “You still do.”

 

Armin’s breath caught in his throat.

 

“You’ve drank tonight,” said Annie, stepping closer. “And I’ve had a few. So,” she leaned in, lacing her fingers through his hair, “don’t think about this too much, okay?”

 

Armin couldn’t speak. He could only manage to nod, and then Annie’s lips came down on his, hot and hard.

 

He gasped against her mouth and dug his nails into her waist. Annie shoved him back until his back slammed back into someone’s dorm door, but he was too lost in her to care. Her lips were as soft as ever, and the feeling of them moving against his made something ignite inside of him, and it was something he was sure he could never tire of. He couldn’t stop the little noise he made when her tongue met his, but he did his best to smother whatever sound tried to burst out of him when she tugged at his hair. She was overwhelming and demanding, and Armin, in his tipsy haze, was starting to think maybe, just maybe, she was everything he wanted.

 

But just as his hands had started to run up the back of her shirt, desperate to get even closer to her, suddenly there was nothing supporting his back, and he stumbled backwards, and unfortunately, so did Annie.

 

She collapsed on top of him on the floor of Bertholdt’s dorm room, and he groaned at the tension in his back.

 

“I feel like we’ve walked in on you,” said Reiner, grinning.

 

“It feels like they’ve made us walk in on them, somehow,” said Bertholdt.

 

Annie gave Reiner the finger and scrambled off of him. She leaned down to help him stumble back to his feet.

 

“Well,” said Reiner once the door was closed. He was grinning and holding a bottle of what was unmistakably tequila. “Shots?”

 

“Really, Reiner?” asked Annie.

 

“I’m not doing them,” said Bertholdt. “I’ve got another shift tomorrow.”

 

“I’ll do one,” said Armin, still embarrassed from what Reiner and Bertholdt had seen, as he unruffled his hair.

 

“That’s the spirit!” said Reiner, clapping him on the back.

 

“It’s your mom’s birthday tomorrow,” said Annie.

 

“And?” said Reiner, pouring three shots. “You know my family. They love to celebrate.”

 

“I don’t think we can do much celebrating if we show up hungover,” said Annie flatly. But she still accepted the shot.

 

Armin took his shot from Reiner, and with a countdown, they all shot theirs back. The burn seemed to bother Reiner the most for all of his talk, but Armin, not entirely sure why, couldn’t take his eyes off of Annie. The way the dim lights of their dorm struck her face … she was stunning.

 

Annie could feel his gaze on her and turned to look at him.

 

“You’re radiant,” he said quietly, and Annie’s face flushed.

 

Her eyes flickered down to his mouth, and she opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Reiner’s voice came crashing through the quiet.

 

“So,” he said, sounding almost like he could choke. “Another?”

Notes:

Okay, so I got a bit carried away with this chapter and it's a decent bit longer than the others, but it is what it is! Editing was a nightmare with this one too, but I'm glad I've finally gotten it out. As always, comments are more than welcome, and I hope you enjoyed this instalment of this fic :)

Chapter 5: a pretty picture

It wasn’t Armin’s alarm that woke him up the next morning, but the low sound of Eren’s voice. “You came back awfully late last night.”

 

Armin stretched and groaned, sitting up in his bed. The room stunk of coffee, and when he cracked his eyes open he was met with the sight of Eren perched on his desk chair, coffee in hand.

 

Armin’s voice was hoarse. “I was at Annie’s gig last night.”

 

Eren took a sip from his coffee. “You look like Gerard Way.”

 

Armin rubbed his eyes. He had barely gotten changed last night and had been too drunk and run down after drinking in Bertholdt’s dorm to even wipe the makeup off of his face. He was relieved to find that he’d at least managed to take his contacts out before he passed out.

 

“Is that an insult or a compliment?” he asked.

 

Eren thought it over for a moment. “Neither. Since when did you wear makeup, anyway?”

 

“Hitch did it for me,” said Armin.

 

“For Annie’s gig?” asked Eren, and Armin nodded. “Why didn’t you stay over? Not that it matters. You didn’t wake Mikasa up.”

 

When Armin had unlocked the door to his dorm, he had found Mikasa and Eren curled up against each other in Eren’s tiny single bed, both of them sleeping soundly. He hadn’t cared to give them anymore privacy when they were just sleeping and had practically dived right into bed.

 

Armin shrugged. “Hitch was home.”

 

Armin remembered the way Annie had looked at him before her dorm door had closed between them. They had both been drinking, and in Bertholdt’s dorm she had been sat so close to him that he could feel the heat of her body by his side; her hand kept drifting over his, and it did again when they stood by her door to say goodnight. She didn’t kiss him then, but that look she gave him seemed to say so much, yet it was so unreadable. He wondered if Hitch hadn’t been there, would she have asked him in?

 

Eren was still staring at him expectantly.

 

“What?” asked Armin.

 

“Nothing,” said Eren, raising his hands in defence; but his grin betrayed his innocence. “I was just wondering if, you know … you were ever gonna give me details.”

 

Armin’s nose scrunched. “Don’t be such a pervert.”

 

Eren’s eyes narrowed. “Not like that!” Then his face relaxed back into a smile. “But we are friends. If you do want to talk to me about that, I’m here to listen.”

 

Armin groaned and fell back down into his bed.

 

“I just want to know how it’s going!” said Eren, chair squeaking as he leaned forward. “I know you haven’t told Mikasa yet.”

 

Armin’s arm was draped over his eyes. “Mikasa hasn’t asked yet.”

 

“Trust me. She’s desperate to know,” said Eren. “I think she just doesn’t want to piss Annie off. But I’m not scared of Annie.”

 

Armin snorted. “I’m sure you aren’t.”

 

“Come on! Tell me! When did this start?” asked Eren. “At Historia’s?”

 

Armin pulled himself back up to meet Eren’s eyes. “Eren, I’m not giving you details. Annie’s a really private person.”

 

Eren pouted. “But we’re friends.”

 

“And me and Annie haven’t been together that long,” said Armin. “I’m not going to mess things up by gossiping to you about it.”

 

“Okay,” said Eren, clearly disappointed. “But it’s only a matter of time before Mikasa talks to you! And if you don’t croak, she’ll eventually talk to Annie.”

 

“She can talk to Annie,” said Armin. “She doesn’t bite.”

 

A sly smile rose to Eren’s lips. “Does she not?” He took another sip from his coffee. “That explains why you aren’t particularly bruised.”

 

Armin picked up his pillow from behind him and launched it at Eren’s head. He barely dodged it and his coffee nearly splashed out of his mug. It did nothing to stop him from grinning like an idiot.

 

“And Mikasa wants to talk to you about that double date,” said Eren. “She wants to go somewhere fun, though. Like mini golf or the arcades, or even bowling.”

 

Armin was surprised at Eren’s enthusiastic tone. He himself had been hoping that Mikasa would just forget about it, but clearly that was not the case. But maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if Eren actually seemed excited.

 

“You seem awfully chipper about it,” said Armin.

 

“Why wouldn’t I be?” asked Eren, eyes narrowing.

 

Armin merely cocked an eyebrow at him.

 

Eren sighed. “Look, I don’t hate Annie. She’s just …”

 

“Are you going to tell me she’s a bad girl again?” asked Armin.

 

“Well, I guess that’s the nice way of saying it, yeah,” said Eren. “But now that I know you’ve got a thing for that, hey – I’m happy for both of you guys.”

 

Armin decided to just let it go. “Okay. I’ll talk to Annie about it.”

 

Eren grinned. “Great. Mikasa will be really excited.”

 

Armin pulled himself out of bed and got ready to take a shower. “I think I’m gonna go swimming.”

 

“Really?” asked Eren. “Are you not hungover?”

 

Armin admittedly had felt better, and he definitely should have rejected all the shots Reiner kept offering him, but there was still a lot on his mind, and he wanted to try and clear his head. “Not enough.”

 

“Okay,” said Eren, standing up. “Well, I’m hanging out with Connie, so I might not catch you until later.”

 

Armin hummed in agreement, and in about ten minutes, he was ready to head to the pool, so he bid Eren goodbye and pulled the door shut between them.

 

The cool water against his skin was enough to make him feel more alive. He loved everything about it; the way he moved through the water, the sound of splashing, even the smell of the chlorine in his nose – there was something so comforting about it all. He had never swum competitively, but he had always loved it since he was a kid, and his Grandpa encouraged it for years to keep his strength up to keep him out of trouble. Strength didn’t matter, though, when he never really fought back.

 

Now, the water always seemed to clear his head. It didn’t hurt to stay active, either. But today, in the water, he was able to forget about all of his confusion about Annie, if only for a moment. By the time he climbed out of the water an hour later, the water sloshing as he climbed up the ladder, his heart was completely calm.

 

But thoughts of Annie could only be avoided for so long. Once he had towelled off and changed in the locker room, he picked up his phone to find a few messages from her. The sight of the stupid nickname he had given her, ‘ROCKSTAR <3’, made his heart skip. Dammit.

 

ROCKSTAR   <3
Reiner is a liability

 

Armin couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face. Of course; she and Reiner were at his mom’s birthday party. Armin texted her back.

 

ME
How hungover is he?

 

Armin slipped his phone into his pocket and slung his bag over his shoulder. But he had barely taken a few steps out of the building before his phone buzzed again.

 

ROCKSTAR <3
Not at all
It’s like he never stopped drinking
And he’s not stopping now

 

ME
So holding him back is going well?

 

ROCKSTAR <3
I may be encouraging it
But I’m also drunk
He is still worse

 

ME
Since when did you go off the rails like this?

 

ROCKSTAR <3
I’m a bad girl Armin ;)

 

By this point, Armin’s was grinning at his phone. Anyone who saw him would probably think he looked like a complete fool.

 

ME
I hope you have fun :)

 

ROCKSTAR <3
Sorry for all of the drunk texts

 

Armin looked down at his phone for a moment before hesitantly typing out his next message.

 

ME
It’s okay
I like talking to you :)

 

Armin regretted sending that message almost as soon as he pressed send. He shoved his phone back into his pocket as he walked, trying to ignore the way his heart had started racing. What was he doing? Was texting Annie really making him feel this nervous? Why was she having such an effect on him? It couldn’t really be that …

 

Armin was jolted out of his thoughts by the buzzing of his phone.

 

ROCKSTAR <3
Aren’t you just the sweetest <3

 

Warmth spread across his chest at the sight of that tiny, red heart. Before he could even think, more messages began popping up.

 

ROCKSTAR <3
Oh, god
Reiner’s crying
Hugging his little cousin so hard
I’ll text you later

 

Armin let out a breathy laugh and shook his head, before pushing his phone back into his pocket. By the time he arrived back at his dorm, Eren was nowhere to be found, but on his bed lay a plastic box with – were they pastries? There was a yellow note attached to the top which read:

 

Connie brought these. Sasha showed him this cool European bakery in town – can you believe that? A bakery! Here! Anyway, I thought they might help with your hangover.
- Eren

 

Armin smiled. Eren could be kind when he wanted to be. At least he didn’t have to worry about cooking. There were sweet Danish pastries, salty German pretzels, and buttery French croissants which he couldn’t wait to try. He decided with the way he was feeling, and how little time he got to spend alone in his dorm, that he should just take the day off from studying and relax. So he drew the curtains partially shut, set up the next episode of Jujutsu Kaisen on his laptop, and lay in bed with his food.

 

He was a croissant and a pretzel down when his phone buzzed again. He tried to ignore the way it made his heart flutter as he picked it up.

 

ROCKSTAR <3
He’s stopped crying
But I got some pictures

 

His phone pinged again as a photo came through of Reiner clinging desperately to a young girl with dark hair, who looked fairly uncomfortable, as his face was red with tears.

 

ROCKSTAR <3
He wouldn’t stop telling Gabi how much he loved her

 

Armin shook his head and smiled.

 

ME
I love that your instinct was to take photos

 

ROCKSTAR <3
I never claimed to be nice

 

ME
I think you’re nice

 

ROCKSTAR <3
;)

 

That simple message made heat rise to Armin’s face and he dropped his phone on his bed. He tried to calm himself down, ignoring the thoughts racing through his head, and desperately stared at the screen in front of him to try and focus on the action going on in the show. It was just a winky-face emoji. It was nothing. She was drunk, or she was probably just joking. It wasn’t like she was flirting with him. And what Hitch had said yesterday about her crush – surely it was nothing. It was just her being drunk. Of course Annie never actually had a crush on him.

 

And Annie was drunk now. And yesterday, when she had pressed herself against him, she had told him, “Don’t think about this too much, okay?”

 

She wouldn’t have said that if she’d wanted it to be real. That tiny little winking face meant nothing. But he couldn’t stop staring at it. So he started typing a new message so he didn’t have to focus on it anymore.

 

ME
Mikasa and Eren want to go on a double date with us btw
Like bowling or mini golf or something

 

ROCKSTAR <3
Really?

 

ME
It’s Mikasa’s idea

 

ROCKSTAR <3
Shocker

 

When his phone was silent for a few moments, he typed out another text.

 

ME
Is that okay with you?

 

Armin’s phone was silent for a few moments. He stretched forward to put on the next episode of his show, but just as the theme started playing, his phone buzzed again. He couldn’t say he was proud of how quickly he grabbed it.

 

ROCKSTAR <3
Should I wear this?
Or this?

 

It took a moment for the first photo to come through. It was just her in some casual black skater dress, clearly taken in front of the mirror in her room. He was surprised; Annie hadn’t struck him as the kind of person to take mirror selfies, or selfies at all, but then again, she was constantly surprising him. She looked lovely as usual, and it was probably casual enough for whatever Eren and Mikasa wanted to do.

 

His phone buzzed again and then next photo pinged through. But when he caught sight of this one, he nearly dropped his phone.

 

It was Annie, of course. But he wasn’t sure he had ever actually seen that much of Annie before, at least not below her waist. It was a selfie taken in the same long mirror, but instead of an outfit, all she was wearing was a very sheer lace black bra that did nothing to hide the skin underneath, and when his eyes drifted lower, he saw … was she – wearing a thong?

 

It was a similar sheer lace, and from the angle she was kneeling, he could make out the shape of her behind, curvy and fair, and he swore he nearly fainted right then and there. He’d not seen that part of her before.

 

Armin’s heart was thundering in his chest, and he was sure he had started sweating. Had she just sent him a nude? From Reiner’s mom’s birthday party?

 

Well, he guessed it wasn’t necessarily a nude. When he realised how long he’d been staring at the image, he locked his phone and tossed it down on his bed. He dropped his head in his hands, as if that would somehow cool the burning of his face. He hadn’t been expecting to see that much of her over text, unprompted.

 

But as he sat there, trying to unpack what he had just seen, his phone started buzzing so rapidly he thought for a moment that he was receiving a phone call. But when he lifted it to look at the screen, he saw a long list of texts flashing in front of him.

 

ROCKSTAR <3
Oh my god
I really really really didn’t mean to send that
Don’t look at it
I mean you already have
Ignore it
Pretend you didn’t see anything
That was an accident
I meant to send this

 

Another photo pinged through. She was wearing a low-cut T-shirt tucked into a black denim skirt, accompanied by sheer black tights and tall black boots. There was a silver necklace at her neck, and her ears were filled with piercings, and to finish it off, her shoulders were draped in a black leather jacket he’d never seen before.

 

Armin’s hands were trembling when he typed back.

 

ME
Didn’t see anything
I like the second one the most

 

ROCKSTAR <3
The second photo???

 

ME
No!!!
The second outfit!
The one with the skirt!!!

 

ROCKSTAR <3
Oh okay
Yeah
That was my favourite

 

His face was still on fire when the next message pinged through.

 

ROCKSTAR <3
I am really going to regret that tomorrow

 

ME
It’s okay
I didn’t see anything

 

ROCKSTAR <3
Thank you
I expect you to send me an embarrassing photo to make up for it

 

Armin smiled at his phone. He went through his photos to find some awkward photo Mikasa made him take in high school and sent it through to her. It clearly made her relax, and they kept texting casually about her day with Reiner until she was home.

 

But when Armin lay in bed that night, he couldn’t stop thinking about that stupid photo. Something about it made his heart sink. Annie hadn’t struck him as the type of person to take photos like that for herself, and she didn’t have a social media presence; she never even posted photos of herself that weren’t related to the band, and even then, they had their own Instagram and Facebook.

 

With an uneasy feeling in his stomach, Armin thought that perhaps she had taken that photo for someone else. And it wasn’t meant to be him.

 

But of course it wasn’t meant to be for him. She had sent that accidentally, and she’d clearly been very panicked about it. It was something she had taken for someone else, someone she actually liked, not her stupid fake boyfriend. It was fake. They were just friends. But he wasn’t sure why that bothered him so much.

 

Armin still felt uneasy about it the next day when he was back in his classes for the week. He tried to shake the feeling – so what if it had been for someone else? She was his friend. Whatever they were doing was just some casual sort of thing, completely fake anyway. But his heart still skipped when his phone buzzed again.

 

ROCKSTAR <3
Still think I’m cool after my drunk texts?

 

In spite of that sickly feeling he hadn’t been able to quite shake, a smile spread across his face. He ducked his phone under the desk to answer.

 

ME
You were drunk
I think you get a pass

 

His phone buzzed again, and again, and again. Annie had never really messaged him this frequently. She often would send him a few messages throughout the day, just to make plans together mostly, but today his phone was going off every half hour at least, but usually more.

 

For a while, his phone was quiet, so when the next buzz came as he was walking to his next class, it made his heart jump. But when he pulled out his phone, he found the message was just from Mikasa. He was shocked at how disappointed he felt. She was asking if he wanted to have lunch with her and Eren out on the courtyard since Marco was busy. He couldn’t think of a good reason not to, so he sent off another message agreeing to meet.

 

He cut down the empty passageway where he had last been caught with Annie, still distracted by his phone, on his way to his next class, when a voice yanked him out of his thoughts.

 

“Hey, Arlert.”

 

Armin froze, and turned to see none other than Jean Kirstein leaning against the wall behind him. He and Annie were often shoved into the same category, which Armin didn’t think was particularly fair since Jean could often act like a high school bully, which just wasn’t Annie’s style. He supposed their fashion looked pretty similar, though; ripped jeans, plaid, chains, leather, band shirts, and ear piercings. The difference was that Jean didn’t really look comfortable in those things, but more like he was dressing like that because he thought it made him look cool. The mullet that he’d decided to grow recently only added to that impression.

 

Armin took a step back. “Oh, hey, Jean.”

 

Jean stepped away from the wall to move towards him. Armin instinctively raised his hands. “Look, Jean, I really don’t want any trouble.”

 

Jean scoffed and folded his arms over his chest. “I’m not here to beat you up, Armin. Leonhart would probably tear me apart.”

 

Armin dropped his hands and swallowed. “What do you want?”

 

Jean’s hand came up to rub the back of his neck and he dropped his gaze. “I’ve actually been meaning to apologise to you.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Huh?”

 

Jean met his gaze again. “For being such an ass.”

 

Armin opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. He couldn’t be serious. Maybe he really did find Annie that scary, or maybe Marco had made him feel bad enough about it.

 

When Armin remained silent, Jean continued, “I’ve been a real dick to you since we met, and I thought I owed you an apology. And it’s not just because of –” Jean’s voice lowered, “– Marco.” He spoke louder again. “I’m sorry. I’ve been feeling really bad about it, and I won’t do that shit ever again, because it was really messed up.”

 

Messed up? Jean used to throw things at Armin when he passed by and threatened him at any opportunity; he called him names and he pushed him around. Armin had thought he would have avoided childish bullying at college, but when he met Jean, he realised that some people never really grew up after high school.

 

But Armin would rather resolve this through words, anyway, whether Jean was serious or not. So he just said, “Oh, uh … thanks.”

 

Jean nodded, before glancing around to see if anyone was coming. When he saw no one in sight, he leaned forward and said quietly, “I really like Marco. I’m not gonna hurt him. Feel free to unleash Leonhart on me if I do. That’s how serious I am.”

 

Armin let out a nervous laugh as Jean leaned back against the wall. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

Jean cocked his head at him. “So, how did you manage to get a girl like that? Are nerds her fetish or something?”

 

Armin’s face flushed. “I don’t know, Jean. Maybe you could ask her yourself?” He smiled at him. “I’ve got to get to my next class, anyway. I’ll see you around.”

 

He left Jean standing alone in the passageway. He had some nerve saying anyone had a ‘nerd fetish’ considering he was into Marco. Not that Marco wasn’t a nice guy or anything, but he was just as nerdy as him. But again, he had to remind himself, it wasn’t like he was actually dating Annie. He sighed, trying to ignore that stupid ache in his chest as he pulled out his phone to text Annie, to ask if she would be on campus around dinner, and to meet him later.

 

When lunch came, Mikasa was sat under their old usual spot under the big tree in the middle of campus. Eren hadn’t arrived yet, and when she caught sight of him, she waved him over.

 

“You’ll never guess what happened to me today,” she said as he settled down beside her.

 

“What?” asked Armin.

 

“Campus bad boy Jean Kirstein apologised to me for being such a creep last semester,” she said.

 

“Huh,” said Armin, taking a swig from his water. “He apologised to me for basically bullying me.”

 

“Ah,” said Mikasa. “Love has clearly changed him.”

 

“Or he’s that desperate to get into Marco’s pants,” said Armin flatly.

 

Mikasa blinked at him and smiled, before quietly taking another sip of her juice. He knew there was something else in her smile.

 

“What?” asked Armin.

 

“Well …” said Mikasa, gesturing to him. “You’ve started dressing a lot differently since you started dating Annie.”

 

Armin flustered. “I don’t think that’s the same thing.”

 

Mikasa was still grinning at him. Then, she glanced past him and her eyes lit up. “Ah, my Dark Knight is here.”

 

Eren was dressed as casually as ever, in jeans and a hoody, and his long, dark hair was tied back. He smiled when he caught sight of them and gave them a quick wave as he approached.

 

“Hey, Mikasa,” he said, leaning down and placing a soft kiss on her lips.

 

Armin grimaced, and averted his gaze.

 

“Hey, Armin,” said Eren after a few moments.

 

Armin forced a smile. “Hey.”

 

“The campus bad boy has not only apologised to me, it seems,” said Mikasa, passing Eren some food. “He’s been apologising to Armin, too.”

 

“Huh,” said Eren. “Must be serious with Marco, then.”

 

“I’ll still keep my eyes on him, though,” said Mikasa pointedly.

 

Armin looked over at her. “How’d your Ouija board go, anyway?”

 

“Oh, we didn’t get –”

 

“Mikasa,” interrupted Eren, reaching out towards her face. She’d gotten cream on her lips from the éclair she was eating. “Let me get that.”

 

Eren’s finger brushed over her lips, and Mikasa flushed bright red when Eren took his finger and sucked off the cream without breaking eye contact. Even in the quiet that came after, they were still sat staring at each other.

 

Armin tried to look at anything but them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mikasa lean across to kiss Eren on the mouth, and he wished in that moment that he could just dissolve into the ground beneath him. He looked down at his phone, starting to type a message to Annie to ask where she was, when his phone was knocked out of his hands and he was planted on his back.

 

He lost his breath for a heartbeat and groaned at the impact, suddenly becoming aware of the weight on top of him. He blinked, and saw Annie leaning over him, smirking, legs straddling either side of his waist. Her nose ring was in today, and so were all of her ear piercings, and all they did was enhance her already striking face. Before he could speak, she leaned down, and tugged at the front of his T-shirt to bring him into a deep kiss. His heart shuddered and he pressed back against her. When she pulled back mere moments later, he found that he was very relieved to be on the ground already, because his knees felt so weak.

 

Annie reached up with one hand to fix his glasses, which she’d knocked askew somewhere between pouncing on him and pressing her mouth against his. She leaned back and squeezed a box in between them.

 

“Bert drove me to Krispy Kreme,” said Annie. “Want some?”

 

Armin smiled. “Of course.” Then, he added, “Are you sure you can share?”

 

Annie poked him in the chest, before rolling out of his lap. “Maybe.”

 

Annie seemed to notice Eren and Mikasa just then, and turned to look at them. Armin was surprised to find that they were no longer lost in each other, but staring at Annie – well, she certainly did know how to make an entrance.

 

“Hey,” she said.

 

“Hey,” said Mikasa.

 

After a moment’s pause, Eren managed to say, “Hey.”

 

“How is your crystal business going?” asked Annie, cracking open the donut box.

 

“Oh,” said Mikasa. “It’s good.”

 

Annie handed a donut to Armin. “Yeah?”

 

“Yeah. But I’m thinking of doing tarot readings on the side,” said Mikasa.

 

“I’d pay for that,” said Annie.

 

Mikasa beamed. “How was your gig?”

 

“Hmm,” said Annie through a mouthful of donut. She swallowed. “It was good. Hitch managed to not get kicked out, probably thanks to this one.”

 

She nudged Armin.

 

“I stopped her from bringing the signs she made,” he said pointedly.

 

Annie groaned. “The next time you don’t come, she’ll definitely bring them again.”

 

“We’ll have to come to the next one,” said Mikasa, turning to Eren. “Right?”

 

“Oh,” said Eren. “Uh, yeah.”

 

“The more the merrier,” said Annie dryly, and took a bite out of her next donut.

 

“I can give Reiner more crystals for good luck,” offered Mikasa.

 

“I’m sure he’d appreciate that.”

 

Mikasa started saying something, but Armin had caught sight of Annie’s lips, which were dusted in sugar. He usually wouldn’t be so impolite, but he remembered the way Eren had interrupted his and Mikasa’s conversation before, and said, “Annie? You’ve got, uh …” He gestured to his lips.

 

Annie’s hand came up to her face, but then something seemed to flash in her eyes. She said, far too innocently, “What?”

 

There was a challenge in her words. He supposed the two of them hadn’t been so obnoxious yet. So he leaned forward, his hand coming up to her neck, and he pressed his mouth against hers. His lips moved over the sugar, and he took her bottom lip in between his and sucked. Then, he traced his tongue over her lips, kissing her sweetly and taking as much sugar as he could with him.

 

When he pulled away, Annie looked shockingly flustered. Still, all she said was, “You didn’t get it all.”

 

Her eyes still had that challenging look. He said slowly, “I can do it again.”

 

Annie bit into her next donut, not dropping his gaze for a moment. Then, she turned back to Eren and Mikasa, who, much to his glee, looked incredibly uncomfortable. “So what’s this I hear about a double date?”

 

“Oh, uh, yeah,” said Eren, clearing his throat. “Mikasa – I mean we – thought we should all go do something fun, like, the arcades or something.”

 

“Or bowling,” said Mikasa. “I kind of want to go bowling the most.”

 

Annie nodded. “Bowling sounds good. I can drive us.”

 

Mikasa beamed. “Thank you!”

 

“It’s fine,” said Annie. “So, when do you wanna go? Next weekend?”

 

Mikasa nodded, and proceeded to talk about how her Dark Knight was naturally talented in the art of bowling. But Annie’s attention wavered when her eyes flickered back down to the donut box in between them. She frowned.

 

Armin peered in. There were two donuts left, but one of them had clearly not survived the journey to campus, and had somehow exploded. Cream was pouring out of its crevices and it would be almost impossible to eat without making a mess.

 

“I can have that one,” he said.

 

Annie’s eyes lit up. “My hero.”

 

It was somehow much messier than it looked, and definitely difficult to eat, but Annie looked fairly pleased with the chocolate donut she’d been left with, so he decided it was worth the sacrifice. By the time he’d finished, as much as he’d tried to stay clean, there was cream smeared all across his fingers.

 

As Mikasa was explaining how her last contact with the spirits went, Armin was desperately trying to clean his hands, smearing the cream as best he could just onto two of his fingers. His fingers were still uncomfortably sticky, but there was nothing he could do unless he went to the bathroom, and he was just about to lick the cream off of his fingers when Annie spoke up.

 

“Armin,” said Annie. “You’ve made such a mess.”

 

“I didn’t want you to get covered in cream,” said Armin.

 

Annie cocked an eyebrow at him. “Never thought you’d say that to me.”

 

Armin felt heat creep up his neck, but before he could say anything, Annie reached out and grabbed his wrist. He was so confused by what she was doing that he let her move him, and watched as she leaned forward, and met his eye as she put his cream-covered fingers in his mouth and slowly sucked it off. Armin was shocked he didn’t faint right then and there, and by the time he’d calmed down enough to react, Annie’s mouth slipped off of his fingers with a wet pop.

 

Armin swallowed as she placed his hand back down by his side. Then, she leaned forward and brushed her mouth over his. He was frozen when she pulled away, completely mesmerised by her gaze, and for a moment, it felt as if they were the only ones out on the courtyard. But then Mikasa cleared her throat which jolted him back to reality.

 

“I think we’ll get going!” said Mikasa, shoving her things back into her bag.

 

“Yeah, uh, we’ve got to get to class,” said Eren, getting to his feet and helping Mikasa up once she had packed her bag.

 

Armin’s eyebrows drew together. “Classes don’t start for another ten minutes.”

 

“I like to get there early sometimes!” said Eren.

 

“Me too,” said Mikasa, forcing a smile. “We’ll see you later!”

 

Armin smiled. “See you later.”

 

He turned back to Annie before Mikasa and Eren had even begun moving away, and Annie leaned forward to kiss him again.

 

Eren and Mikasa’s footsteps retreated as Annie’s mouth moved against his, and she didn’t pull away until they couldn’t hear their voices anymore. Annie grinned.

 

Armin raised an eyebrow at her. “Maybe that was overkill.”

 

“Well, it got to them,” said Annie. “You said we need to be obnoxious.”

 

Armin knew she was right, but he still said, “I just don’t want them to think we’re doing it on purpose.”

 

Annie shrugged. “So? They won’t think we’re faking it. It’ll still make a point.”

 

“Eren’s really stubborn,” said Armin. “If they figure it out, then they might just get worse.”

 

“Well, I’m more stubborn,” said Annie. “I’ll have sex with you in front of them, if that’s what it takes.”

 

Armin dropped his head into his hands. “I don’t think that’s part of the plan.”

 

He felt her nudge him with her leg. “I’m just kidding.” Then, she added, “Speaking of which – are you up for it tomorrow?”

 

Armin raised his head. “Tomorrow?”

 

Annie nodded.

 

“Oh, uh …” Armin rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I just …”

 

Annie raised an eyebrow. “What?”

 

“I was just going swimming tomorrow,” said Armin. “But I’m usually back before he’s there if he isn’t busy. So we should still have time.”

 

“Oh,” said Annie, leaning back. Then a gleam seemed to appear in her eye. “Can I come with you?”

 

Armin was taken aback for a moment. “You want to come swimming with me?”

 

Annie nodded. “Yeah, I haven’t been in a while. It couldn’t hurt to get some practise back in.”

 

Armin usually went swimming to clear his head, and often he had found that it had helped him from thinking about Annie so much. He imagined that would be difficult if Annie was there with him, in some sort of form-fitting swimsuit that would just …

 

“Unless you don’t want me to,” said Annie, snapping him out of his thoughts.

 

“Oh, no, no, it’s completely fine,” said Armin, forcing a smile. “I usually get there at four, so I can meet you at your dorm a bit before that?”

 

Annie smiled. It lit up her whole face. “That sounds good.”

 

When the next day came, and he found himself standing before Annie’s dorm room door, knuckles hovering over the wood, he couldn’t shake the feeling of nervousness that was buzzing through his veins. It was just swimming. With Annie. He squeezed his eyes shut as he took a deep breath, and then he finally knocked on the door.

 

It opened with a click, and Hitch was standing before him.

 

“Hello, Loverboy,” she said with a smirk. “Are you here to take me out?”

 

Armin smiled, nerves easing. “Sorry, Hitch.”

 

“Oh, yeah,” said Hitch, looking over her shoulder. “My bad. Looks like you’ve already got a hot date.”

 

He looked past her to see Annie in casual leggings and her white hoody, hair pinned in its casual bun. She rolled her eyes and shrugged her rucksack over her shoulder, before squeezing by Hitch and leaning up on her toes to press a kiss to his mouth.

 

“I’ll see you later, Hitch,” said Annie.

 

Annie took his hand in hers, and he swore he felt a spark race up his arm as she started to drag him down the hallway.

 

“Don’t get too handsy in the pool!” Hitch shouted after them. “I don’t want you two getting arrested!”

 

“The risk is part of the fun!” Annie said over her shoulder.

 

The campus swimming pool usually wasn’t very busy at this hour during the week. There were only a few people swimming casual laps, and the lanes weren’t even separated, leaving only the painted blue lines on the pool floor as a guide. Armin usually just swam lengths since he didn’t ever go swimming with other people, but now, at the edge of the pool, waiting for Annie, he felt fairly lost.

 

It wasn’t long before she appeared. The smacking of feet against the wet tiles alerted him to her presence, and his eyes flitted up to see Annie in a black bikini that clung to her shape, and he tried to swallow past the dryness in his throat. She had taken all of her piercings out and her hair was pinned tightly back, but he noticed something strange on her head: a pair of swimming goggles, bright green and sparkly, like they had been picked out of the kids’ section.

 

Annie had clearly noticed his eyes on them, so when she approached, she said, “Don’t say anything.”

 

Wearing swimming goggles was fine, although he’d been under the impression that Annie was a bit more on the indestructible side, so the idea that a bit of chlorine could take her down was a bit of a surprise. But the way they sparkled under the light was not very Annie at all.

 

“I just didn’t think they’d be your sort of style,” said Armin.

 

“They’re Hitch’s,” she said. “Chlorine makes my eyes itch.”

 

Armin nodded, trying to fight the smile from rising to his lips. “That’s really cool of you, Annie.”

 

Annie scowled, and he couldn’t hide his grin anymore. “You’ll regret that. Now move back. You can dive in this pool, right?”

 

Armin swam back up the lane to give her space to dive in. The water splashed as she crashed in, and her hair stuck to her face when she resurfaced. He tried to avoid laughing at the sight of those ridiculous swimming goggles, but he was clearly still smiling stupidly at her, because she swam right over to where he was treading water and, with all the force she could muster, splashed him in the face.

 

He sputtered, but by the time he’d regained awareness of his surroundings, she was already swimming back down to the other side of the pool. He readjusted his goggles and took off after her.

 

Annie couldn’t be called a bad swimmer at all, but she was clearly out of practise, and he was only a few moments behind her when she reached the edge of the pool.

 

Her fingers were clinging to the side of the pool, pale against the cream of the tile. “I told you that you’d regret that,” she said pointedly.

 

Armin couldn’t help but smile. He could feel the movement of the water swishing around him as their feet treaded water, and how close her legs were – if he stretched out, he would graze against her. Not that he should. He gripped the edge of the pool tightly.

 

“Well,” he said. “I suppose you did say that.”

 

Annie reached out with her free hand and poked him in the chest. “Well? Are you going to race me or what?”

 

He raised an eyebrow at her. “You want to race?”

 

Annie nodded. “Unless you’re afraid you’ll lose.”

 

He met her challenging gaze. “Let’s go, then.”

 

He counted them down and then they both took off down the length of the pool. Annie was physically very fit, but ultimately was shorter and out of practise, and he managed to reach the end before she did. But Annie wasn’t really one to give in easily, and she took off again, back to the other end of the pool – but, much to her dismay, it was the same result.

 

“You know,” said Armin. “It’s okay to lose sometimes.”

 

Annie glowered at him. “One more time.”

 

They took off all the same, and he took the lead like he had twice before. But halfway down the lane, something gripped onto his ankle, hard, and yanked back with such force it nearly hurt. He splashed in the water, confused, as Annie overtook him and he tried to regain his rhythm. But Annie reached the end before he did.

 

“You,” he said between breaths, “cheated.”

 

“I don’t play fair,” said Annie.

 

Armin splashed her, and she gasped. He grinned, but his victory was short-lived, because she grabbed him by his shoulders and dunked his head below the water. When he sprang back up for air, she had swum back a metre or so, looking awfully smug. So without another thought, he pounced forward and splashed her in the face again, before taking off towards the other end of the pool.

 

He was too busy trying not to laugh that she managed to catch up with him, so he took a deep breath and dove down to the deep end of the pool. Annie followed him, reaching out for him, clearly to push him around under the water, but Armin engulfed her in his arms before she could cause him any harm. She struggled against his hold, before meeting his eyes with a scowl, so he grinned at her and let her go. But even when he did that, she was still hovering there in the water, so close. His smile faded.

 

Then, she reached forward and ripped his goggles from his face, before kicking off of his thigh to swim towards the surface.

 

When Armin burst out of the water, he could barely stop sputtering. His eyes were still shut, burning from the chlorine, and he squeezed his knuckles against them.

 

“Annie,” he said, wincing. “I can’t see.”

 

Her voice was close to him when she spoke. “Not very cool of you.”

 

Still, she gently grabbed his arm and dragged him closer to the edge of the pool, helping him grip the side while he blinked rapidly, hoping his vision would clear.

 

“Can you even see normally, anyway?” she asked dryly.

 

“I’m near-sighted, Annie,” he said. “So yes, I can.”

 

Annie helped him get his swimming goggles back on. By the time he could see her clearly, she was still looking far too pleased with herself.

 

He frowned at her. “You would have destroyed me if I had done that to you.”

 

“Probably,” said Annie. “I’m sorry.” She reached out, her hand grazing his cheek, soft enough to make his chest flutter. “I’ll make it up to you.”

 

Annie took off again towards the other end of the pool, and his eyes followed after her. He swallowed, and started swimming again, too.

 

Later, they had both taken a shower and gone back to his dorm room to get ready for Eren’s entrance. Annie had just finished drying her hair with Eren’s hairdryer when she spoke again.

 

“So, why do you like swimming so much?”

 

“Huh?” he said, as he finished towel-drying his hair. He’d changed into fresh pants, but left his T-shirt off considering he’d have to strip it off soon, anyway. He tossed his towel over the back of his desk chair. “I don’t know. I always used to go with my parents when I was little, and then my Grandpa just kept taking me after they died.”

 

Annie froze. “Your parents died?”

 

Armin appreciated her directness. Most people tiptoed around the subject. “It was a long time ago. My Grandpa basically raised me. It was just an accident when they were on vacation.”

 

Annie’s face was soft. “Armin, I’m sorry.”

 

He waved her off. “It’s okay. I was like four, anyway. My Grandpa’s been there for me my whole life.”

 

“I can’t believe I bitched about my dad to you when …” she said.

 

Armin smiled. “I think your dad can still be an ass even if my parents are dead, Annie.”

 

“I still must have sounded like an asshole,” she said.

 

He shook his head. “You didn’t.” He watched as she untangled her hair with her brush. “What about your mom?”

 

“Mom?” she asked, pausing. “I don’t have one.”

 

“Oh,” he said. “Is she …?”

 

“No. I’ve just never had one,” said Annie. “My dad adopted me when I was a baby. It’s always just been me and him.”

 

“Oh,” said Armin dumbly.

 

Annie smiled over her shoulder at him. “Not much of a sob story.”

 

Armin knew he shouldn’t have asked, but he couldn’t help himself. “Do you hear from him a lot?”

 

“Yeah, he calls once a week. Sometimes more,” said Annie. Then, after a moment’s pause, she said, “He wants to visit me at some point, too.”

 

“That sounds nice,” said Armin.

 

Her movements slowed. “Yeah. Sorry if he wants to meet you.”

 

She put her hairbrush down. His eyebrows furrowed. “Why would he want to meet me?”

 

“I told him about you,” said Annie. “I – I just told him you were my friend, but he doesn’t really believe me.”

 

Armin looked at her for a moment. “Annie? Does your dad think we’re – actually dating?”

 

Annie couldn’t meet his gaze. “Well, I never told him we were! I just – talk about you a lot. We do hang out a lot, you know. There’s not much else to talk about after my college work.”

 

Armin was trying to fight a smile.

 

Annie whirled on him. “Don’t look at me like that!”

 

“I’m not looking at you any differently than normal!” he said in defence.

 

Her gaze was pointed. “You are.” She sighed and said, “Okay, then. If you love swimming so much, why do you never go swimming at the beach?”

 

“Oh, uh,” he said, rubbing his neck. “I actually came here for the beach. I didn’t grow up anywhere near it, so. My Grandpa used to take us to the coast when he could afford it on vacation. It’s my favourite place to swim, actually. But when I got here, I sort of realised the beach is actually really far away when you can’t drive.”

 

Annie looked at him blankly for a moment. “As smart as you are, sometimes you are absolutely dense.”

 

“Huh?” he said.

 

“Why have you never asked?” she asked. “I could drive us there. I’ve been driving you around for weeks.”

 

“It’s still not a short drive,” said Armin. “I didn’t want to ask. Plus, we’ve been so busy with all of this, I didn’t think about it.”

 

Annie was quiet for a moment, before she said, “Okay. I’m taking you.”

 

“It’s okay, Annie,” he said.

 

“I know. But I want to go with you. So we’re going,” said Annie. Before he could protest further, she turned away from him and said, “Also, I’m getting changed now, so keep your eyes shut.”

 

Changed? But she was already dressed. Armin thought it best not to ask, and closed his eyes like she had asked. He could hear the rustle of fabric as she shimmied out of her leggings.

 

“We can go one weekend after this double date thing. I can even ask Hitch and Marlowe, honestly, if you’d like.”

 

“Are you already planning another double date?” asked Armin. “Are you that excited about the other one?”

 

Armin heard her snort. “Obviously.” Then, she added, “If you want, then, it could just be our date.”

 

His stomach lurched. “Our date?” He swallowed. “Annie?”

 

“Wait!” she said. “Okay, you can open your eyes now, then we’ll talk.”

 

Armin wasn’t sure what he expected to see when he opened his eyes again. She wouldn’t have gotten him to close his eyes if she had just been stripping down for their upcoming performance. But he was still shocked to see her standing before him, her blonde hair down, piercings back in her ears, and all she was wearing was that matching, sheer black lace bra and thong that she’d accidentally sent him a photo of the other day.

 

That photo. The photo she had taken that he had thought was for someone else.

 

He tried to swallow, but his whole mouth was bone dry. He felt as if he should be looking anywhere but at her. The bra was less terrifying – he had seen that part of her, had even touched the soft skin behind it. The lace fit her breasts perfectly and he could make out the pinkness of her nipples through the material. But when his eyes drifted lower, past her stomach, he caught sight of that black thong, and he was shocked he hadn’t just combusted right then and there on the edge of his bed. He could make out her neat, blonde curls through the fabric, and he was relieved that she was standing directly before him so that he couldn’t see the bareness of her ass, because he was fairly certain he’d completely lose the ability to think if he could.

 

“Annie,” he said when he finally managed to speak. “Is – is that – uh … from the – from the … the thing … um?”

 

Armin knew he sounded like his brain had short-circuited, but he still couldn’t manage to finish his sentence.

 

“The photo I sent you the other day?” she asked. “Yeah.”

 

“Did you … um …” He still could barely meet her eye. “Did you – mean to send it?”

 

Annie’s eyes widened, and she blushed. “No, that was an accident.”

 

Armin nodded. Oh, God. Why did he ask that? Of course it had been an accident. She hadn’t meant to send it.

 

“Do you, um … uh … do you … usually take … photos like that?” he asked.

 

Annie’s cheeks were red. “No. But I … I thought … I don’t know. That I could send it to you later.”

 

Armin managed to meet her gaze.

 

“I mean,” she said, sounding just as nervous as he was. She folded her arms tightly around herself, as if she was suddenly feeling insecure. Her eyes squeezed shut. “I bought it for this … thing we’re doing. I thought – I thought it would make it more uncomfortable since it’s so … suggestive. Then you wouldn’t have to take off as many clothes, because I know that makes you nervous, and I …”

 

Is this what he looked like around her? Red and nervous and – how could he be making her feel like this now? Unless –

 

“And I take photos like that for myself sometimes. Just to see how I look,” she said finally. “But I thought that maybe – I don’t know. If I sent you one and your friends saw it, it would make them feel even more uncomfortable. I just hadn’t mentioned it yet, and then I accidentally sent it to you, and I was too drunk to explain, and …”

 

“Annie,” he said quietly. “You look beautiful.”

 

Annie’s face softened as she looked into his eyes. Those pale irises were like ice, or the sky, or the ocean, somewhere. “You really think so?”

 

The vulnerability in her voice took him aback. His voice was soft when he spoke again. “Of course I do.”

 

Annie bit her lip, and slowly let her arms drop back down to her sides, before she took a step towards him. As he looked at her, that weight he had been feeling had left his chest. The photo was for this ruse of theirs. But more importantly – it was for him. It was for him.

 

Armin leaned back on his palms as Annie straddled him, and when he felt her fingers run through the hair at the back of his head, he let out a breath as his eyes fluttered shut. Then, gently, he felt the soft press of her lips against his, so sweet it made his head spin. She smelled sweet and clean, like whatever she’d showered with, but she also smelled like Annie, and it was intoxicating.

 

His hand came up to her cheek and he kissed her just as softly, and she sighed against his lips. It sent a tingle up his spine. When she pulled back, she pressed her forehead against his, and his eyes fluttered open to meet hers, half-lidded and dark with something he didn’t recognise.

 

This was clearly different from their other moments, and he could tell from the way she was looking at him that she felt it, too.

 

He swallowed. “Annie?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“I think …” said Armin. “I think we need to talk.”

 

“What do you want to talk about?” she asked quietly.

 

He could feel her fingers in his hair, the tips massaging tiny circles into his scalp, and it was all he could do not to shudder. “I –”

 

Armin knew what he should say. He should have pulled away and asked her what on earth they were doing. He should have asked her why they were doing this. If she felt those same butterflies, the rushes of heat and tingles … if he made her feel that way. If what Hitch said was true, if this was real, and they were both just ignoring whatever was going on between them, or if all of it really was fake.

 

But in that moment, as she sat looking at him expectantly, he felt just how nice it was to be close to her; to make her smile and laugh, to read her texts and listen to her talk; to feel the press of her skin against his; how nice it was just to be with her. And he hesitated. Because as they sat there, breath mingling, he wasn’t sure he cared if it was real or fake. He just cared that she was here, right now. And selfishly, so selfishly, he didn’t want to risk scaring her off when she was right here with him, if only for a few moments.

 

So he smiled, and said, “Never mind. It can wait.”

 

The tension left Annie’s shoulders. “Okay,” she breathed, and then she leaned forward to take his lips in hers.

 

It was so soft and gentle that it sent shivers down his spine. Warmth spread across his chest, and his hands ran down to her bare thighs and gripped onto them tightly. But then she pressed further into him, so much so that he lost his hold on her and fell back on the bed, and he laughed against her mouth.

 

“Sorry,” she murmured.

 

“It’s okay,” he said.

 

“Okay,” she said quietly, and kissed him again.

 

His hands had moved to her waist to pull her closer, but her lips were so sweet, and she slipped her tongue into his mouth so slowly he had to hold back a groan. She was making him feel lightheaded.

 

They were probably only pressed together for a few moments before the door burst open, but both of them were so sluggish to pull apart that Armin’s eyes weren’t even open before he heard Eren’s voice.

 

“Woah!” he exclaimed. “Sorry! So, so sorry! I’ll just, uh, come back later!”

 

The door slammed shut, and Annie and Armin were left pressed together, alone, in the silence that followed.

 

Annie let out a breathy laugh and sat up, before untangling herself from him. “And here I thought I’d get to wear this longer. It wasn’t exactly cheap.”

 

She stepped back and started pulling her clothes on. He sat up, watching as she moved. He wasn’t sure how he managed to muster the confidence, but he said, “Wear it next time.”

 

Annie’s movements halted, and her eyes slowly rose to meet his. Not for the first time, there was something in her expression he couldn’t quite make sense of, but finally, she said, “Maybe I will.”

Notes:

Okay, so this is literally the fastest I will ever release a new chapter. Honestly, I just finished it shockingly quickly so I kind of wanted to get it out there, and really, I just had so much fun with this one I wanted to share it asap.

Comments and criticisms are always welcome, and I hope you guys enjoy! <3

Chapter 6: a sleepover

“Look, I just don’t think either of them are very good options,” said Marco, looking awfully sweaty in spite of the mild day.

Mikasa was staring daggers into him. “That isn’t what I said. Edward or Jacob?”

Armin barely glanced up from his laptop screen and said, “Edward.”

“See?” said Mikasa, pointing at him. “He knows what he’s talking about.”

The three of them were sat alone together, for the first time in what felt like weeks, beneath the tree in the middle of campus that they always used to hang around when they first arrived at college. It wasn’t hot, but it was warm enough for them to work outside, although Mikasa’s questions made Marco look like he had spent hours under a burning sun.

“I just think both of them are bad,” said Marco carefully.

Mikasa’s eyes widened. Armin was concerned they were filling with tears. “You want to say Jacob, don’t you?”

Marco finally exploded. “I just think she could have had a normal life with him!”

Mikasa looked as if Marco had just punched her in the gut. “She barely even likes him!”

Marco’s eyebrows drew together. “You asked for my opinion!”

“I think she thinks your opinion is wrong,” said Armin, glancing between the two of them.

“I know his opinion is wrong,” said Mikasa, blinking rapidly.

“Mikasa,” said Marco. “Are you okay?”

Her voice wavered when she spoke. “You’ve been Team Jacob for years, and you’ve never told me?”

“Again,” said Marco, “I think they’re both bad!”

Mikasa folded her arms over her chest. “Thinking Edward is worse is just not understandable.”

Marco sighed in exasperation, hand coming up to his head as if he’d gotten a sudden headache. “Look, it would have been better if she had ended up with literally anyone else. Like Alice – or even Jessica.”

His final words made Mikasa’s eyes light up. “You know, actually, there’s this really great fanfic where Bella is the vampire and Jessica finds out what she is.”

Marco’s shoulders relaxed. “Really?”

“Yeah, it’s so good,” said Mikasa, reaching for her phone. “I’ll send it to you. Do you want to read it, Armin?”

Armin had only just made it through the Twilight graphic novel she’d bought him and wasn’t sure he was ready to move onto fanfiction, but he knew he had to make compromises when it came to Mikasa. “If it means that much to you.”

Her eyes gleamed. “It does.”

“Okay,” he said. “Send it to me.”

Armin and Marco’s phones both buzzed at the same time.

In spite of Mikasa starting fights over the Twilight franchise, Armin had to admit, he had missed this. Things were actually becoming less tense with Mikasa and Eren now; they were still fairly handsy, but he’d managed to sleep in his own bed every night this week so far. They didn’t seem as eager to shove their tongues down each other’s throats around him, clearly thanks to Annie, but he had to say, it still wasn’t as comfortable as it could be whenever he had to third-wheel them. But he and Annie were being persistent.

Persistent. Armin’s face flushed, and he ducked his head to pretend he was staring intently at something on his laptop screen. Every time he had seen Annie since that day with the lingerie, the day Eren walked in, he wanted to ask her. He wanted to ask what she was thinking, what she was feeling, what she was actually getting out of this by this point. But every time, he found that the words would lodge in his throat – or were smothered by her mouth, and he’d soon forget all about them.

“Marco,” said Mikasa, jolting Armin out of his thoughts. She pointed at his chest. “Where did you get that shirt?”

Armin didn’t miss the way Marco’s face flushed. His shirt was a simple, oversized white tee, but on it was an intricate illustration of a character Armin didn’t recognise in black and white, and the style itself seemed very professional. He thought it was something from a manga, although, he didn’t think Marco would have read anything that Armin already hadn’t.

Marco looked down, and said, sheepishly, “Jean gave it to me. He made it.”

Mikasa’s eyes widened. “He made it?”

“Yeah,” said Marco, managing to meet her gaze. “He does study art here.”

“Well, yeah, I know that,” said Mikasa. “I didn’t know he could make his own T-shirts!”

Marco nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, he has this Etsy store where he sells prints and shirts and stuff. But this,” Marco gestured to his shirt, “is an original from this web-comic he makes. I told him I really liked the art in it, so he printed this for me.”

“He wrote a web-comic?” said Mikasa, leaning back against the bark of the tree behind her. “Who knew bad boy Jean Kirstein had such depth?”

Armin had been shocked at Mikasa’s enthusiasm to talk about Jean, but he supposed he had also been holding back his distaste for the guy ever since it didn’t seem like Marco would be breaking up with him any time soon. Both of them weren’t oblivious to how happy Marco seemed, and for now, Jean sounded like the perfect boyfriend for him.

Even now, Marco was unable to hide his smile, but he looked away as his face turned red.

Mikasa nudged him with her leg. “Okay, come on. How are the two of you?”

“We’re really good,” said Marco, still smiling from ear to ear. “His mom is visiting soon, and he was talking about me meeting her.”

“So soon?” asked Mikasa, and Marco nodded. “That’s so sweet!”

“Yeah, I think we could get pretty serious,” said Marco. But then his smile faded. “But, uh, he’s not really out as bi, so he’s not ready to go public, so this is just between us three, okay? Well – and Eren and Annie, I guess.”

Armin’s eyes moved from his screen to Marco’s face, eyebrows furrowing. “I haven’t told Annie.”

Marco’s eyebrows raised. “You haven’t?”

“Well, I told you I wouldn’t tell anyone,” said Armin, closing his laptop.

Mikasa raised her hand. “I already told Eren.”

“I kind of assumed you would,” said Marco. But then he turned back to Armin, eyebrows drawn together. “Why haven’t you told her?”

Mikasa nudged Marco. “I wouldn’t take it personally.” A smirk spread across her face. “I don’t think Annie and Armin do a lot of talking when they’re alone together.”

Armin felt heat creep up his neck. At least his and Annie’s efforts weren’t going to waste – but he supposed, at this point, you’d have to be blind to not notice how handsy they were being.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Like you can talk, Mikasa.”

Marco looked between the two quietly as he slurped at his drink.

“My Dark Knight and I have many conversations,” said Mikasa.

Armin raised an eyebrow. “What, as foreplay?”

Marco choked on his drink.

Mikasa’s face burned red. “Dating the campus bad girl is clearly having a bad influence on you.” She turned and nudged Marco. “I hope you don’t become so deviant.”

Marco had just regained his breath. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Armin looked at Marco and smiled. “I can tell Annie about you two, if you want me to. I just didn’t think it was my place.”

“You don’t have to,” said Marco.

But Marco’s tone suggested that he did, in fact, want him to. It was Marco’s first real relationship, he supposed. He was probably just overexcited, and since the news couldn’t spread very far for Jean’s sake, Eren and Annie were the only ones who could know past their little trio.

“I’ll mention it to her,” said Armin.

Marco glanced down at Armin’s shirt. It wasn’t even his shirt. It was Annie’s shirt, her The Cure shirt, the one she had given him from Historia’s party. She had shoved it into his arms the last time she saw him, claiming, “I like the way it looks on you more.”

“How are you and Annie, anyway?” he asked.

“Me and Annie?” he asked, and Marco nodded.

“Come on,” said Mikasa, springing to life. “Are you ever going to tell us? I feel like I know more about Marco and Jean and they’re supposed to be a secret.”

“I think she’s right,” said Marco. “I feel like you forgot to tell me.”

“I told you,” said Armin.

“You told me because I saw you making out with her,” said Marco.

Now that he thought about it, Marco had only officially found out about him and Annie fairly recently. He hadn’t seen a lot of him, and it hadn’t come up. Except the other day, when Marco had text him to meet him in the library and Annie, who had happened to be in the library with Hitch, caught sight of him and pushed him up against a bookshelf in the secluded corner of the building and kissed him senseless.

She knew he only sat in that corner when Marco wanted to meet, and he hadn’t thought twice about it until Marco veered around the corner and literally dropped his coffee cup on the ground at the sight of them. The janitors weren’t impressed, but Annie bought him a new one, which he’d taken from her in his shaking hands.

“Oh, uh, yeah,” said Armin, cheeks reddening. “Sorry about that. I just, uh, didn’t know how to bring it up.”

“I told you they don’t do a lot of talking together!” said Mikasa.

Marco looked at him, genuinely curious. “Are you guys actually dating? Or are you just – you know?”

“Just what?” asked Armin, eyebrows drawn together.

“You know exactly what he means,” said Mikasa, clearly trying to hold in her laughter.

“Are you just hooking up?” asked Marco, finally.

“I think Annie would be pretty stupid to just ‘hook up’ with me, considering … well, you know,” said Armin, dropping their gaze.

They knew he was a virgin – knew Annie was his first girlfriend, or at least, that’s what they thought. He was relieved that they weren’t the type to ask details, although he was shocked Mikasa hadn’t, considering she had unfortunately shared her first escapade with Eren with them.

“I don’t know, Armin,” said Mikasa. “She had the serious hots for you even with your old haircut.”

“She did not think I was hot with my old haircut,” said Armin.

“You’d be surprised,” said Mikasa. “Ask her the next time she’s drunk.”

Annie didn’t really drink a lot, at least not to a stupid level, so he doubted that would come up. His face was still burning, and he wanted to ask more – like, had Annie said something to her about him, before all of this? But Marco spoke before he could ask.

“So, you two are actually dating, then?” asked Marco.

“Yes,” said Armin. “We are.”

“Then what’s with the secrecy?” asked Marco.

“I just didn’t know how to tell you,” said Armin, averting their gaze. “It’s Annie. I doubt you would have believed me if you hadn’t seen it yourself.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” said Marco.

“I don’t know, Marco,” said Mikasa. “Do you think we would have believed you if we both hadn’t caught you making out with Jean?”

Marco paused for a minute. “Okay, maybe that’s true.”

“You haven’t told your Grandpa, yet, either,” said Mikasa pointedly.

Armin narrowed his eyes. “How would you know?”

“Eren eavesdrops on your phone calls,” said Mikasa, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Armin rolled his eyes. “Of course he does.”

“Really?” asked Marco, eyes wide. “Are you sure you two aren’t just hooking up?”

“No!” said Armin. “Look, I just don’t know how to bring it up. I’ve never had a girlfriend. And we’ve barely been dating for very long. I don’t want to tell him just for something to go wrong.”

“I’m still sure he’d like to know,” said Mikasa. “I told my mom about Eren almost immediately.”

“My parents know about Jean,” added Marco.

Armin dropped his head into his hands and sighed. “She’s my first ever girlfriend. He won’t let it go easily. And look – Annie’s dad knows we’re dating. All of her friends know we’re dating.”

“So, you’re the problem?” asked Mikasa.

“Maybe that was to be expected,” said Marco, taking another slurp from his drink. He swallowed. “Well, then, how are you guys? You never answered.”

“We’re …” trailed off Armin.

How were he and Annie? Confusing and complicated, to say the least. Fake dating, actually, but he couldn’t tell him that. But he also couldn’t tell him that he didn’t know if they were actually fake dating anymore, because sometimes it felt like they were actually just dating, or more like they both wanted to be dating. Or maybe that was just a consequence of faking dating one of your friends who you found incredibly attractive, but he supposed she wasn’t just his friend anymore. But he didn’t know what she was thinking, because he hadn’t found the nerve to ask her yet.

So he just said, “We’re great. She makes me really happy.”

“That’s really good,” said Marco. Then, he added, almost hesitantly, “Is she nice?”

Marco had never really had a substantial conversation with Annie, although considering most people tended to stay out her way, that wasn’t particularly surprising. Armin didn’t used to get much conversation out of her until that night on the balcony.

“She’s really nice,” said Armin.

“More than nice,” said Mikasa. “You should have seen what Eren walked in on the other day. He sounded like he was gonna cry on the phone.”

“Mikasa,” said Armin, face turning bright red. “You don’t have to tell him.”

But Mikasa wouldn’t relent. “What was it, Armin? You saw plenty of it, so I’m sure you could let him know.”

Marco looked between the two of them. “Uh, what happened?”

“Mikasa, don’t –” Armin began, but she cut him off.

“It was lingerie! But more importantly, it was –” said Mikasa, but Armin dove towards her, knocking his laptop and her water bottle out of the way as he desperately tried to cover her mouth. Her next words were muffled behind his hand, but she manged to grip onto his palm and yank it back. “– a thong!” He struggled to cover her lips again, but she managed to hold him back for a moment. “Black and –” His fingers came down again, and her words were a murmur against his skin, but she pried his fingers off again, “– lacy!”

“Mikasa!” he said, struggling to cover her mouth again. He was sure her black lipstick would be smeared across his hand, but he didn’t care. He must have looked the same colour as a tomato right now. “Stop it!”

Mikasa was laughing behind his hand.

“Maybe you’re being too harsh, Mikasa,” said Marco, but Armin didn’t miss the way he was trying to muffle his own laughter. “We’re not kids anymore. That’s a normal thing.”

Mikasa pried his hand off of her mouth. “I know it is! I’m just surprised. This isn’t how I raised him. My little Armin is all grown up.”

He knew that her teasing was just retaliation for how much Eren had walked in on. He had told Annie they would start to catch on, one way or another – but this was much more bearable payback, he guessed, than walking in on more of Eren and her.

“After all the things I’ve seen between you and Eren, you have a lot of nerve,” said Armin.

Mikasa blushed.

“Do you want me to tell Marco what I’ve seen?” asked Armin. “Because I think I might have seen you in lingerie more than my actual girlfriend.”

Mikasa’s cheeks were bright red now. “Armin, I wouldn’t start.”

“Why not?” he asked, turning to Marco. “She’s gotten Eren to wear one of her red lace thongs before.”

Mikasa scrambled to get on top of him, but he managed to get some words out before she slammed her hands down over him. She had a thin frame, but worked out at the gym more than once a week and was certainly stronger than him. “She wasn’t even there! It was just –”

Her fingers clamped over his mouth, and the rest of the sentence was smothered by her hands. He struggled against her, before finally managing to push her off, and gasped out, “– during the day, because she clearly thought it was hot!”

“Armin!” she said, struggling to move back on top of him, but he scrambled away from her.

“I only noticed because he didn’t wear a stupid belt,” said Armin, pulling himself to his feet to prepare to run away from Mikasa. “So his pants started falling down, and I had to see that.”

Mikasa was on her feet, already moving towards him. “And you know what else?”

“Armin, don’t you dare!” she said.

He moved back on the grass, circling around the tree. “There was a bite mark at the top of –”

Mikasa pounced on him before he could finish, knocking all of the air out of his lungs as she tackled him to the ground. Her hands still clamped over his mouth while his words were silenced by her palm, and he fought desperately to get them off. Mikasa’s strength was still so shocking to him, and the only reason he had managed to get her to release her grip was by sticking his tongue straight out to make her recoil.

“You better not have anything else to say,” said Mikasa pointedly, wiping her hand on her dress.

He met her challenging gaze. “I would just like to say,” he said, and Mikasa tried to lean in to cover his mouth, but he grabbed her wrists before she could and struggled against her. “That Annie’s ass was probably a –” Armin squirmed as Mikasa tried to put all of her weight towards him “– much nicer sight than Eren’s was.”

Mikasa continued to squirm, but before she could go any further, they both became painfully aware of the shadow that had fallen over them.

“What’s this about my ass?” said a monotone voice.

Armin thought the earth had disappeared beneath him. Mikasa fumbled off of him, and gave Annie a weak smile. When he looked up at her, her face was blank, but she was holding a box in one hand and balancing four coffee cups in a cardboard holder.

“Annie,” he breathed. “Uh, hi?”

Armin sat up awkwardly and turned to face her. She was wearing a plaid skirt with chains and a big band tee underneath her oversized, black denim jacket. Her nose piercing was in today, and so were all of her earrings – he noticed she seemed to be wearing them a lot more than she used to. But now, with her standing above him like that, he couldn’t really appreciate them.

She thrust her arms out. “You texted me that you were on campus when Bert was driving us through Krispy Kreme. So I picked these up. And I got you guys some coffee.”

Armin blinked up at her.

“And what’s this about my ass?” she asked.

“It’s …” Armin swallowed. “Nicer than Eren’s?”

She raised an eyebrow at him, before she scoffed. “Well, that much is obvious.”

Annie moved towards the tree and he followed as she sat down. “Hi, Marco. Mikasa.”

Marco said, almost weakly, “Uh, hi, Annie.”

“Sorry to crash. I thought I’d try to be nice,” she said, placing the coffee and the donut box in front of them. “I just got you the same that I bought for you the other day, if that’s okay, Marco?”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” he said, taking it from her. “Thank you, Annie. That’s really nice of you.”

She turned to Mikasa and handed her a cup. “It’s a white mocha. You still like those, right?”

Mikasa beamed. “Yeah, I love them. Thank you.”

“It’s no problem,” she said, turning to Armin and thrusting out the holder. “Yours is the left one.”

“Thank you,” he said, taking his from her hands, still feeling his ears burning.

“Hey,” she said, tilting his head towards her. She leaned forward and brushed her mouth over his. “Is something wrong?”

Armin’s brain was fuzzy for a moment. “No. I’m okay.”

“He’s embarrassed you heard them fighting,” said Marco.

“Fighting?” asked Annie, taking a sip from her coffee. Armin imagined it basically tasted like pure sugar, but she did like sweet things. “Were you really arguing over who has a nicer ass? Me or Eren?”

“N-no,” said Armin, flushing.

Annie smirked and took another sip. “You aren’t sounding very convincing.”

Armin swallowed and dropped her gaze. Then, he turned back to her and said, “Have I mentioned how beautiful you look today?”

Annie’s cheeks flushed pink, but she still tried to appear nonchalant. “No. You could do with mentioning it more.”

Armin leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek. She didn’t look at him, but her hand moved over to rest on his. His heart skipped.

“So,” said Mikasa, clearing her throat. “When is your next gig, Annie?”

“Oh, in a few weeks,” said Annie. “Reiner’s managed to get us booked in somewhere else, like on the other side of the city. Typical, really.”

“I’m sure it’ll still be great,” said Armin, squeezing her hand.

“I’m just glad Bert has that van,” she said with a sigh. “I don’t know how we’d manage to do all this without it.”

“Well, let me know where it is at some point,” said Mikasa. “Me and Eren will come.” Then she turned to Marco. “What about you?”

“Oh, uh,” said Marco, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah. I can ask Jean, too. It’s his kind of music.”

Annie paused. “Jean? As in, Jean Kirstein?”

Marco opened his mouth, but seemed to fumble with his words.

Armin leaned in and said, “They’re dating. Secretly.”

“Oh,” said Annie finally. “How the hell did that happen?”

Marco’s face turned red. “It just … sort of did.”

“Well,” said Annie. “Whatever makes you happy.” Then she lifted up the lid to the donut box. “Donut?”

When everyone took one, Mikasa broke the silence. “So, Annie … how did this happen?”

Armin tensed.

“This?” asked Annie.

Mikasa gestured between her and Armin.

Annie cocked an eyebrow.

“Like when did this start?” asked Mikasa. “Armin won’t tell me.”

Annie looked over at him – he nearly shrunk under her gaze. “I didn’t know what you wanted anyone to know.”

Annie took a bite out of her donut, swallowed, and said, “Historia’s party. I thought he looked cute, so we made out. Now we’re dating. That’s it.”

“Hey,” said Marco pointedly. “You told me you didn’t make out.”

“Did I?” asked Armin, and Marco nodded. “I lied.”

“Sheesh, Armin,” said Annie. “Are you ashamed of me, or something?”

Armin glanced over at her and caught sight of the smirk on her lips. “Of course not, Annie.”

“You still don’t sound very convincing,” she said with a sigh, but then suddenly her phone started ringing. She checked her phone. “Shit. I’ve got to go.”

“Is everything okay?” asked Armin as she pulled herself up.

“Yeah, I just need to call my dad,” said Annie. “I told him I would by now.” Then she leaned down and kissed him, before pulling away. “The donuts are all yours.”

“Are you sure?” asked Armin.

“I’ll survive,” said Annie. She turned to Marco and Mikasa. “It was nice seeing you guys. I’ll see you all around?”

Marco and Mikasa both agreed, and after one last smile at Armin, she bid them goodbye.

The silence was heavy when she left. Armin could feel Mikasa and Marco’s eyes boring into him, so finally, he said, “What is it?”

“I can’t believe you got together at Historia’s,” said Mikasa, “and didn’t tell us!”

Armin’s hand came up to his face and he sighed. “Do we have to talk about this right now?”

“Well, when else?” asked Mikasa.

“Just leave him alone, Mikasa,” said Marco, smiling sympathetically. “Just ask Annie the next time you see her.”

Mikasa opened her mouth to say something, but changed her mind and leaned back against the tree. Armin picked his laptop up and opened it to read what he’d started before his and Mikasa’s little fight, reaching forward to take a strawberry flavoured donut out of the box Annie had left. He was touched by her gesture, and once again felt that familiar warmth that came with thoughts of Annie. He wondered when he would next see her from now – would it be the double date? He’d have to wait again to push his questioning, at least until after – it wouldn’t be fair to Mikasa to ruin their double date by asking stupid questions.

Armin was jolted out of his thoughts by the buzzing of his phone. When he picked it up, he saw he had a message from – wait, why was Mikasa texting him?

GOTH COSPLAYER
Would you hate me if I asked Marco to come on our double date?

ME
Just Marco?

GOTH COSPLAYER
No I’d ask him and Jean so it’d be a triple date
I just don’t wanna not ask
As much as it pains me to do so

Armin glanced over at her. Mikasa’s face betrayed absolutely nothing. It still looked like she was reading something in her browser tab.

ME
Are you sure it’s a good idea?

GOTH COSPLAYER
No but I don’t wanna leave him out

ME
Annie’s beaten Jean up before
Doubt she’d let him in the car
There’s only 5 seats anyway

GOTH COSPLAYER
Jean has a car

ME
Okay but I don’t think Annie will like it

GOTH COSPLAYER
If it helps I don’t think I’ll like it either
Tell her I’ll pay for her next piercing

ME
I don’t know if she’d even want another

GOTH COSPLAYER
For free? Yes she will!

ME
Okay
You can ask

GOTH COSPLAYER
It will be interesting at least!
He’ll probably say no

“Hey, Marco,” said Mikasa. “Me, Eren, Armin, and Annie were gonna go bowling this weekend if you and Jean want to come? I would have asked sooner but I didn’t think Eren and Annie were meant to know you two were dating.”

“Bowling?” asked Marco.

“Yeah, like a triple date,” said Mikasa. “This Saturday. Jean drives, right?”

“Oh, yeah, he does,” said Marco, rubbing the back of his neck. A smile spread across his face. “Uh, yeah. I’d love to. I’m sure he’d love to come to. I’ll ask him, but it’s probably a yes.”

“Great!” said Mikasa as Armin felt his stomach sink.

He’d been anxious enough about Eren and Annie getting along for one evening, never mind throwing Jean into the mix. Well, at least Marco would be there – maybe that would help keep the tension to a minimum.

His phone buzzed again.

GOTH COSPLAYER
Okay so maybe open up with the piercing thing when you next see her

Armin stole a glance at Mikasa, and to her credit, even after all the teasing she had done earlier, she looked almost apologetic. He gave her a small smile to let her know it was okay – it was pointless getting worked up over it, anyway. They would just have to make the most of it. There might even be a chance it could be fun.

They were all sat there for a little while longer, draining their coffees and picking at the donuts until they were all gone. Eventually, Mikasa sighed and climbed to her feet.

“Where are you off to?” asked Marco.

Mikasa beamed. “I’ve got a date tonight.”

Armin felt his stomach drop. He glanced up at Mikasa with a questioning gaze. “Will you be in my dorm tonight?”

Mikasa smiled at him. “If you and Annie aren’t already there.”

Armin couldn’t ignore the edge in her voice. She was poking fun at him, surely, for the way he and Annie were acting, but he worried for a moment that she was picking up how over the top they were being. Or maybe she was just … frustrated, like he had been with her and Eren.

“Have a nice night!” said Marco after her.

“Thanks!”

He and Marco sat under the tree for a while longer, before Armin decided it was probably about time he called Sasha to ask her what snacks she would want for the night. They packed up their things and parted when they both headed back to their dorms, and Armin dropped down onto his bed and pulled out his phone to dial Sasha.

She picked up on the fifth ring. “Hey, Armin. What’s up?”

“Hey,” he said. “How do you feel about another sleepover?”

“Oh, uh,” said Sasha. “Uh, sorry, I don’t think I can do tonight.”

Armin’s shoulders sank. “Oh.”

“I already promised Connie he could crash here tonight,” said Sasha. “You can stay! But I promised him Mikasa’s bed, so …”

“It’s okay,” he said. “I’ll ask Annie if Hitch is out and I’ll just stay there.”

“Thank God,” said Sasha. “I would feel really, really bad if you had to sleep in the hall.”

“It’s okay.”

“Connie won’t even bring his own snacks, either,” said Sasha. He could practically hear her pout through the phone.

Armin laughed. “I’m sure you’ll survive one night.”

“I’m not so sure!”

When he bid her goodbye, he pulled himself up on his bed and sighed, and tried to ignore the way his heartrate had picked up when he scrolled through his contacts. He found ‘ROCKSTAR <3’, took a deep breath, and clicked the call button.

Annie picked up on the second ring. “Hey.”

Her voice was so soft on the phone. For a moment, Armin forgot why he’d even been calling, and could only muster, “Hi.”

There was a pause before Annie asked, “Is something up?”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” he said, standing up. He suddenly felt the urge to move around his room, as if that would make him feel less nervous. “Do you, uh, mind having an extra guest tonight?”

There was another pause. “You’re still getting kicked out?”

“Well,” said Armin, thinking of what Mikasa said about him and Annie being there first. “It hasn’t happened all week, so it’s progress!”

Annie’s sigh was heavy down the line. He was mortified by the way it sent a shiver down the back of his neck. “Well, better than nothing. But sure.”

His heart skipped. “Sure?”

“Yeah, Hitch is at Marlowe’s. Have you ate yet? We can order food and watch one of those stupid animes you like.”

“I wouldn’t call them stupid, Annie …”

“I know,” she said, laughter in her voice. On the phone, it was like she was whispering it into his ear, and it sent tingles up his spine. “I’m teasing you. Now come over.”

He smiled. “Okay. I’ll see you soon.”

“See you.”

The call ended with a long beep.

When the door to Annie’s door swung open, he found her standing with her hair down, not yet dry from a shower, and pyjamas that were – wait, were they cow print? Her tank top was all white save for the little black and white cow in the middle of it, and her shorts were white and covered in black splotches. It only got worse when his eyes drifted down to her feet – she may as well have been wearing plushies. They were massive and cushy slippers, shaped to look like cartoonish cows, horns and all.

Armin was so shocked at the sight, when his eyes rose back to hers, for a moment he was at a loss for words.

“Don’t say anything,” said Annie pointedly. “Hitch bought me them.”

“They’re … really cool,” said Armin, biting back a grin.

“Careful,” she said. “You’ll end up in the hall if you don’t behave.”

In spite of her threat, she stepped back to let him inside. He dropped his backpack to the floor just as she clicked the door shut behind them.

Her eyes were almost pleading when she looked up at him, something he never really saw on her. “Is it okay if I pick where we eat?”

Armin smiled. Well, she had let him stay over. “Yeah.”

“Great!” she said, handing him her phone.

She already had the restaurant up and had what she wanted in her basket. Of course.

Armin squinted at the menu. “Annie, is this just a dessert place?”

“Maybe,” she said. “What? Do you not like dessert?”

Armin raised an eyebrow at her.

“Have you never ordered from here before?” she asked. “They have waffles that are like full meals.”

Armin shook his head, but he still smiled. “Okay, well, you’re the expert. Help me pick.”

Annie helped his sort through the menu, and in the end he ordered a waffle with white chocolate, bananas and strawberries, even with Annie’s warning of how sweet it would be.

“Can I pay?” he asked.

Annie shook her head. “No.”

“Annie.”

“Armin, technically, my dad is paying.”

“Just this once?”

“Will you stop offering to pay for things if you get this?”

“At least for a while.”

“Okay,” she sighed. “You can pay for it.”

Satisfied, Armin added his card details and checked out their order while Annie set up the first episode of Erased on his laptop. They managed to get through the first episode by the time the food arrived, and he offered to go down and collect it for them.

When he walked back in, food in hand, her eyes lit up. He was shocked she didn’t start drooling when she caught sight of her waffle in the box. He managed to press play on the next episode before she started tearing into it.

“You know,” said Annie through a mouthful of waffle, “I have pyjamas for you.”

Armin’s eyebrows raised. “You do?”

Annie seemed to be holding back a smile. She nodded and swallowed. “Yeah, I saw them when I went shopping with Hitch the other day. They made me think of you.”

Think of you.

His heart fluttered. “Oh. Thank you.”

“I wouldn’t thank me too soon,” she said, moving her waffle off of her lap. “Pause this episode. I don’t want to miss anything, but I need to show you them.”

Annie slid off the bed and strode to her drawers, and after a bit of digging, she managed to pull out what she was looking for. She turned around with a big grin on her face, pyjamas held out for him to see. They looked like a normal pair of pyjamas – light blue shorts and a white shirt, but it didn’t take long for him to notice the design printed on them.

His eyebrows drew together. “Are they –”

“Naruto pyjamas?” said Annie, still smiling from ear to ear. “Absolutely.”

The shirt had a large image of Naruto smiling printed right in the centre, and on the shorts were what seemed like hundreds of little Narutos printed all over the blue of the fabric.

Armin was still dumbfounded. “They made you think of me?”

“Well, you like Naruto, don’t you?” said Annie. “You have a Sasuke figure.”

“You didn’t buy them because you thought I’d like them,” he said pointedly. “You bought them so you could make fun of me.”

“Actually,” she said, “I did it for both reasons.”

Armin held her gaze for a moment, before he let out a breathy laugh. “Thank you, Annie.”

Annie lowered the pyjamas. “If it helps, I think you’ll look very cute in them.”

Armin rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling. “I can already tell how excited you are to make fun of me. Now come on, your waffle will be freezing by now. And I promise you, Erased is about to get really good.”

To her credit, by the time she’d finished her waffle, she was practically glued to the screen. She was even asking him questions about it as it played on, nudging him to put on the next episode because she just had to know what happened. Her eyes practically gleamed in the light of the laptop screen.

They were halfway through the show when her eyelids started drooping. The waffle had seemed to finally do some damage. As he waited for her to open her eyes again, he noticed something gleaming in her ear through the strands of blonde hair covering her face – a tiny, silver stud shaped like a cat, something he wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t been looking so closely. Its little eyes reminded him of something he’d meant to tell her.

“Mikasa said she’d pay for your next piercing,” said Armin.

Annie’s eyes fluttered open. “Why?”

Armin swallowed. “Well … she kind of invited Marco and Jean bowling with us.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Marco and Jean?”

“Yeah,” said Armin, practically holding his breath.

“Huh,” she said.

“Huh?” asked Armin.

“What’s the deal with them, anyway?” she asked. “Are they seriously dating?”

“Yeah,” said Armin. “I was shocked, too. They got together at Historia’s party.” Then, he added, “Sorry I didn’t tell you. Marco told me not to.”

“Huh,” she said again.

Armin added, “You can’t tell anyone. They’re actually secret. Jean isn’t out yet, so …”

“I won’t tell anyone,” said Annie. “But really? He’s really dating him?”

Armin swallowed. “Uh, yeah.”

Annie shook her head. “Does that not … bother you?”

He thought about it for a moment. It wasn’t as if he was thrilled about it, but at the moment, it didn’t bother him as much as he thought it might have if he didn’t have Annie. Not that he had Annie.

“Not really,” he said. “Jean apologised, so, I think it’s fair to give him a second chance.”

Annie was quiet for a moment. Then, she said, “Okay.”

Armin just looked at her. “Okay?”

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll deal with it. As long as you’re okay.”

“So you’re fine with still going bowling?” he asked.

“Well, there’s only five seats in my car, so I still vote we leave Jean behind,” said Annie.

Armin smiled. “Jean has his own car. He’s driving him and Marco.”

Annie groaned. “Typical.”

Before he could think, he reached out and placed his hand over hers. He tried to ignore how warm she felt under his touch. “Are you sure you’re okay with it?”

“Yeah,” said Annie. She moved her hand slowly to interlace their fingers. “As long as you’re okay with it.”

Armin swallowed. “Yeah. It’s okay with me.”

“Okay,” said Annie, squeezing his hand. She poked his chest with her other hand. “But if he’s an ass, I will beat him up. Got it?”

“Only if he’s an ass,” said Armin. “And a really bad one, at that.”

“Deal,” she said, and pulled her hand from his grasp. His skin felt cold without her touch.

Armin sighed and his eyes fluttered shut as he leaned his head back against the wall. Maybe all that food was making him tired, too. “We might still have fun, anyway. We’ll be together.”

“Aren’t you so very smooth,” said Annie, and his eyelids flew open.

He was met with her smirk. Of course; she was teasing him again. Dammit – he really did need to keep his mouth shut sometimes.

Before he could even think to say anything, Annie scoffed, and said, “I can’t believe Mikasa offered to get me a piercing. Does she know how much that costs?”

Armin smiled. Mikasa didn’t have the same piercings as Annie, but he was certain her ears had every piercing available for them. “I think she might have some idea.”

“Well, tell her no,” said Annie. “I’m coming, anyway.”

“Do you not want another piercing?” asked Armin.

“Maybe, eventually,” said Annie. “But I don’t need Mikasa to pay for it.”

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll let her know.”

“Good,” she said.

Armin looked at her for a moment, curious. “What else would you get?”

“Hmm,” she said. “I don’t know. I don’t have all my piercings in my ears, so, probably that, but I’m not desperate for them right now.” She turned away, thoughtful, before adding, “I debated getting a tongue piercing, but I hear they’re a lot more fun for the person you date than for yourself.”

Armin’s eyebrows drew together. “Huh?”

Her face was as bored as ever. “Oh, you know. Like –” Annie turned her hand into a fist and stuck her tongue out in her cheek, pumping both twice in a poor imitation of something much more lewd. “You know. But they can really damage your teeth if you aren’t careful, so, I’ve sort of decided against it.”

Armin’s face was burning, and he was surprised he hadn’t just burst into flames where he sat. Annie still looked so cool and unfazed, no hint of a smirk or a teasing glint in her eyes. But her little performance was enough to send him into a panic. “Annie. I think we need to talk.”

Annie blinked at him. “Okay. What about?”

“I –” Armin rubbed the back of his neck. What were they? What was he to her? Was she flirting with him? Were they just actually dating? Finally, he settled on: “What – what are we doing?”

“What are we doing?” she repeated.

Armin nodded. “Yeah.”

“Hanging … out?” she asked. Her eyes narrowed. “Armin, have you hit your head?”

Armin opened his mouth to speak, but he quickly changed his mind and let it fall shut. Her words sunk in, hard. It was a ridiculous question, especially right now. He promised Mikasa this double – or triple, as it was turning out to be – date, and he couldn’t ruin whatever was going on with Annie before that. It would be excruciating to tell Mikasa that they couldn’t come on the date because she’d dumped him, too.

So, instead, he said, “I think I’m just really tired.”

“Okay,” said Annie slowly, eyebrows still furrowed. “We can go to sleep soon. It’s late enough, anyway.”

Dammit. “Yeah,” said Armin, sinking back against the wall. “We can.”

As Annie left to throw out the boxes from their takeout, Armin changed into the Naruto pyjamas she’d so kindly picked out for him. To her credit, they were shockingly comfortable, but he snorted at the sight of himself in the mirror. They made me think of you. Yeah, he was sure they did.

He was packing his laptop back into his bag when Annie slipped back into the dorm. She whistled. “Looking good, Armin.”

Armin raised an eyebrow at her. “Bold words from a woman in cow pyjamas.”

“You’re getting cocky,” said Annie pointedly.

As Annie brushed out her hair, knotted from the wind outside, he sat perched on the edge of the bed, peaking glances at her. She rarely ever wore her hair down. The strands framed her face perfectly, and he thought for a moment that seeing her like this was awfully private. Annie didn’t just wear her hair down in front of everyone like this.

Armin only realised that he’d long since stopped stealing glances and had fully started staring at her when she turned to look at him.

“Ready for bed?” she asked.

“Oh, uh,” said Armin. “Yeah.”

When he rose to his feet, she cocked an eyebrow at him. “Are you going somewhere?”

Armin rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, to sleep?”

Annie was still confused. “Do you sleep standing up?”

He paused for a moment. “No, not usually.”

She was looking at him expectantly.

“Uh,” he said, looking around almost helplessly. “Should I take Hitch’s bed, then?”

Annie’s eyebrows drew together. “I assumed you’d be sleeping in mine.”

Armin’s face warmed, but he continued. “Are you sleeping in Hitch’s?”

“No one is sleeping in Hitch’s bed,” said Annie, crossing her arms over her chest. “She’ll know if someone slept in it, and I really can’t explain that.”

“So …” said Armin weakly. “Should I take the floor?”

She stared at him for a moment. Then, she finally said, “Is the idea of sleeping next to me really that bad?”

“No! No, of course not!” he said, but he was still desperately searching his mind for a good reason why they shouldn’t sleep next to each other. “I just … I snore.”

“I’d still hear you snoring on the floor,” said Annie. “And I talk in my sleep, so I think I can suffer through you snoring.”

Armin’s eyebrows drew together. “You’ve never mentioned that before.”

“Well, we’ve never slept next to each other, so it hasn’t come up,” she said. Her eyes were hard. “Anyway, what’s the real issue?”

Armin glanced at her small, single bed crammed against the wall, more than enough room for one, but definitely a squeeze for two. “It’s just … really small.”

“So, it’s the being close to me part?” said Annie, tilting her head. “You haven’t seemed to have had a problem with that so far.”

Armin flushed, hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. “I – I know. And I don’t have a problem with … being close to you. It’s just …”

Annie’s eyes softened. “Armin, is something wrong?”

His eyes flickered back to her. Even in cow pyjamas, she was so beautiful. Of course he couldn’t tell her what he was thinking. Because what could he say? He enjoyed being close to her, more than he could admit. But he didn’t want to be close to her now; he didn’t want her to be pressed up against him, huddled together against the chill of the night; he didn’t want to risk her turning around and kissing him, because he was so confused, and alone in her room with just the two of them, he was worried what they could do. He didn’t want to risk ruining anything tonight.

But he couldn’t say any of that. So he just said, “Sorry. I’m just not used to sleeping next to someone. Not so close.”

Annie unfolded her arms. “Okay. Well, I’ll give you as much space as I can. Do you want the wall or would you feel better on the edge?”

He swallowed. “I can go on the edge, if that’s okay.”

“Of course,” she said. “But that means you’re getting the lights.”

“Okay.”

Armin’s heart was racing when he flicked the light switch off. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dimness of the room, illuminated only by the dim glow of the lamps outside the dorms through the thin white blinds. When he approached the bed he saw Annie, curled up, facing the wall, giving him as much space as possible in her position. The bed creaked under his weight, and he carefully slipped underneath the comforter, making sure not to pull too much away from Annie.

Once he had settled down and closed his eyes, her voice came through in the dark. “Goodnight, Armin.”

“Goodnight.”

Her breathing was soft and slow, so soothing he would have thought it would lull him to sleep straight away. But his heart was pounding so hard in his chest that he just couldn’t settle down. He wanted to toss and turn, but he didn’t want to disturb Annie, so for a while, he just lay there, staring at the back of his eyes, hoping he would just drop into unconsciousness. All this achieved was his left arm falling asleep, and it managed to bother him enough that he tried to roll over onto his other side without waking her.

He could make out her shape in the dark now that he was facing her. His heart was still racing, and he could practically hear it pounding in his ears, as he became very aware of her smell; it surrounded him, from the comforter wrapped around him, to the pillows, and then to her hair in front of him, which seemed so close all of a sudden. Her hair smelled like something sweet, probably from what shampoo she’d used earlier, but it was nice enough and somehow so Annie, he could breathe it in all day.

He wondered, then, if she was actually asleep yet – or had she heard him roll over? She seemed just as quiet as someone who was asleep – and she hadn’t fidgeted even a little since they had lay down.

As he lay there, motionless, watching the way Annie’s shoulders moved with her breaths, he was still as awake as before. He squirmed in an attempt to get comfortable, but it was to no avail. Then Annie shuffled beside him, which made him freeze in place – but she settled into what must have been a better position. His shoulders relaxed when he picked up on her slow breathing again, content and quiet. Well, at least she hadn’t started sleep talking. Maybe she had just been joking about it, anyway.

Her breath caught in her throat for a moment, a brief and sudden snore, and a smile rose to his lips. He found himself unable to move his gaze from her, watching the way her hair moved with her breaths, and then he felt an overwhelming urge to reach out and touch it. He knew how soft it was, and he knew it would be just as soft now.

He took a moment to doubt what he was doing. What was he thinking, really? But instead of dwelling on it any more, he reached out and gently ran his fingers through her hair. He’d had his hands tangled in her hair before, in much less innocent moments, but he’d never run his fingers through it like this. He moved all the way down, slowly, as if he was gently brushing out knots in her hair, before rising to her scalp again and slipping down again.

Her neck was warm when his fingertips grazed the flesh hidden behind those blonde strands, and he paused for a moment. It was another part of her that was much softer than he’d expected. He started moving his fingers again, finding his heart beginning to settle at the simple repetitiveness of the task.

Armin wondered what it would be like if she did this for him. His fingers were softer, hers calloused from years of playing guitar, but he liked the hardness of her hands – she could still be gentle with them, when she wanted. She had tangled them in his hair before, often rougher than necessary, but sometimes she did it so delicately, like he was something precious, and it would send tingles down his spine.

“Armin?”

Armin’s hand froze at the sound of Annie’s voice. After a moment’s pause, all he could say was, “Annie?”

“Do you normally touch girls’ hair when they sleep?”

Armin recoiled. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m just teasing you,” she said. There was a moment of quiet. “Could you keep going? It’s nice.”

Armin just stared at the back of her head. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” said Annie. “I liked it.”

“Okay.”

He tried to ignore the way his hand was shaking when he reached out to her again. The trembling slowed when he trailed his fingers down through her hair, as slow as he thought she might like, trying to keep his breathing steady.

After a long quiet, he cleared his throat. “So, have you been awake this whole time?”

“Yeah.”

He swallowed. “Well, this is embarrassing.”

“It’s okay,” she said quietly. “It’s really nice.” Her voice was small when she spoke again. “No one’s ever played with my hair before.”

Armin’s heart warmed. “I can do it more, if you want.”

“I’d like that,” said Annie. Then, after a heartbeat, she added, “Goodnight, Armin.”

His voice was quiet. “Goodnight, Annie.”

His fingers moved through her hair until her breathing slowed, and he didn’t stop until he started to hear what must have been her sleep-talking. It was a string of incomprehensible mumbling for the most part, but, most notably, the occasional “whoosh” under her breath, which surprised him so much he nearly had to cover his mouth to keep his laughter in.

His hand still lay by her head when he finally drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, the dorm room was icy cold with the morning air. Armin’s leg was poking out of the bottom of the comforter, and he couldn’t help but shiver at the chill that seemed to be biting at the back of his neck. He jerked his leg under the comforter, bumping into something in the process, only to realise with a sinking feeling in his stomach that there was a warm form snuggled close to him, tangled around his other leg and safely cuddled in his right arm.

His breath caught.

Annie.

She was cuddling him.

His heart was lodged in his throat. Was she asleep? He tried to shift, to crawl out of bed so he could get dressed, but, what would he do then? Awkwardly get up and leave? He’d have to wake her up, but he had to admit that he’d rather do that outside of the bed rather than tangled up with her in it.

Slowly, he tried to pull away, but as gentle as he was, it was useless. Annie groaned at his movement, and mumbled, “Don’t.”

Definitely awake. That was too comprehensible to be her sleep-talk.

“Don’t go,” she said, gripping the front of his shirt.

His heart ached. “Annie …”

Her voice became less groggy. “Dear God, Armin, it’s so fucking cold, don’t you dare get out of this bed.”

Armin’s shoulders shook with laughter. “I think I’ll survive.”

“Maybe, but I won’t,” said Annie, snuggling closer to him. His heart skipped. “If you couldn’t tell, I’m using you as my personal heat source.”

“Is your room always this cold?”

“Just in the mornings.”

“Maybe you should stay in my room. It’s much warmer.”

“Well, if you didn’t keep getting kicked out, that would be a wonderful option.”

“Oh. Yeah. Sorry.”

Annie shivered against him. He hesitated for a moment before readjusting, and brought his other arm around her to pull her closer to his chest.

“Thank you.”

Her head was just below his chin. “It’s okay.”

Annie’s breath was warm against his chest, even through the fabric of his shirt. He wondered if she could feel how fast his heart was beating.

“Now go back to sleep,” she mumbled. “Your alarm hasn’t gone off yet.”

Armin smiled. “Okay. Goodnight, Annie.”

Her voice was muffled as she nuzzled her face against his chest, clearly in search of more warmth. The little motion sent tingles all the way down to his toes. “Goodnight.”

Notes:

Okay, so this was initially supposed to just be the first half of the date chapter, but after rethinking it I realised this would be far too long, so I made this one chapter. I can say I didn't expect to get to 9,000 words but that seems to be the average now, so I hope you enjoy the long read.

The next chapter should be the date, but it might take a while longer to get out since I've just started my MA, but hopefully I'll be able to balance time enough that there won't be such a massive gap between chapter uploads.

I hope you liked this one! Please let me know what you think, all comments and criticisms are welcome <3

Chapter 7: a triple date

“Okay,” said Eren, perched on the edge of his desk chair, giving Armin a very pointed look. “Mikasa wants to go at six, so make sure you and Annie are ready by then.”

Considering it was nearly six, Armin was sure Annie would be ready by now. Not that she was exactly excited for this date, but she wasn’t really one to be late for things.

“We will be,” said Armin, pulling on his leather jacket.

Eren whistled, and then grinned. “You know, Armin, this whole bad boy look suits you.”

Armin rolled his eyes. “I don’t look like a bad boy.”

“You’re right,” said Eren, leaning back in his seat. “I think you could use some piercings or something.”

He’d had enough of these conversations with Annie in the past that, for a moment, all he could do was sigh in exasperation. “Why don’t you get some?”

“I am!” said Eren, smiling from ear to ear. “Mikasa’s convinced me. I’m getting my ears pierced! And you should, too.”

“I’m not getting my ears pierced.”

“Come on,” said Eren. “You know you’ll look good.”

Armin didn’t have an issue with piercings – Mikasa’s had always looked cool, and he loved Annie’s, but changing his style up had been a big step, never mind getting an actual body piercing. But if Eren was asking him to get his ears pierced, he figured it would only be a matter of time before Mikasa started pestering him, too. He just hoped that the subject wouldn’t come up on the date, because if Annie and those two started nagging him enough about it, he was sure there was a good chance he would just give in.

“Where are you off to?” asked Eren as he approached the door.

“Annie’s,” he said.

“Don’t be late!” said Eren, pointing at him. “No funny business! We’re going in like half an hour.”

“I know,” said Armin, throwing him a smile. “Come to Annie’s dorm when you’re ready. Do you remember where it is?”

Eren nodded. “Sure, yeah.”

“Okay. I’ll see you then.”

Armin’s knuckles hovered over Annie’s door, but he paused before he knocked. He felt less nervous than usual, mostly because they were just going on a triple date where they’d be able to just act like friends. But he was sure something had changed between them since that night he had slept beside her. Of course, he hadn’t said a thing. He still wanted to wait until after today. But he was still unsure of how to approach her. What could he say? Hey, Annie, are we like, not fake dating? Do you actually want to make out with me? Do you have feelings for me, too?

He couldn’t think of a single way to ask her how she felt without sounding so painfully awkward; he was worried that the conversation itself would ruin whatever thing they could possibly have. But he shook his head. There was no point worrying about this now. There would be tomorrow, or the next day, when he could talk to her and they could work this out. Tonight, they were just bowling with some friends, and enjoying each other’s company. That was enough, just for now.

He took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. Annie opened it, dressed in that denim skirt and low-cut T-shirt he’d seen before in the photo she sent him. All of her piercings were in, including her nose ring which always caught his eye the most, and her hair was tied back in its usual bun.

Armin smiled without even thinking about it. “Hey.”

“Hey yourself,” she said, stepping back to let him inside.

“You look nice,” he said. Not that she didn’t always look good, like, literally all of the time. But he didn’t want to add that part.

Annie smiled. “Thanks. So do you.” She grabbed his hands and he felt his pulse pick up. “Now come here.”

She pulled him down to sit beside her on the bed, her hands still warm in his. Her smile had transformed into a grin now, and for a moment he was worried what she had in store.

“Now,” she said. “Close your eyes.”

Armin hesitated for a moment, but he decided to comply. Still, he couldn’t ignore the way his heart skipped when she said those words. Dammit. He was acting like such a damn fool.

He listened as the bed creaked under her weight as she rose to her feet, and he followed the sound of her footsteps as she moved around the room. It was only a few moments before he felt her hand brush over the skin at his wrist, and he felt her sit back down beside him. His fingers twitched when she moved them to leave his palm pointing up, and then he felt something cool touch his skin.

“Okay,” said Annie. “You can look.”

Armin opened his eyes and his gaze flickered down to his hand. It was a necklace, simple and silver, as normal as any necklace could be. But its pendant was a silver seashell, very subtle in design, and when it was turned over, there was a hidden pearl on the inside.

“Annie …” he breathed.

“I know jewellery isn’t really your thing, so I wasn’t going to buy it at first,” she said. “But it made me think of you.”

It made me think of you. It was certainly more touching than the Naruto pyjamas, he had to admit. His heart warmed as his fingers curled around it.

“Thank you,” he said. “I love it.”

Her face softened into a smile. “I know it isn’t quite like the real thing, but we can get seashells and make our own when I drive us to the beach.”

Armin’s smile widened. “That sounds nice.” Then he glanced back down at the necklace in his hand. “Uh, could you help me put this on?”

Annie took the necklace from his hands and kneeled behind him on the bed. He shivered at the graze of her fingers against his skin as she hooked it around his neck. It only took a few moments to click it in place.

“There,” she said. Then she shuffled back to sit beside him. “Okay. Who thinks they can demolish me at bowling tonight?”

“Probably Eren. Not sure about Jean,” said Armin. “Mikasa’s pretty good, too.”

“I don’t care too much about beating Mikasa,” said Annie. “She’s not arrogant enough.”

“Well, then I think Eren’s your main target,” said Armin.

“I’m still going to demolish Jean,” said Annie. “It’s the least he deserves.”

“Annie …”

“Okay, okay,” she said. “I’ll play nice. But if he steps out of line –”

“I know,” said Armin. “That’s fine.”

“I’ll be good tonight,” she said.

Armin snorted. “They all think you’re a bad girl, anyway. Just be yourself.”

“Bad girl?” asked Annie, cocking an eyebrow at him. “You mean they think I’m a bitch?”

Armin wasn’t sure where he found the confidence to say such a thing, but the words had slipped out of his mouth before he gave them too much thought. “Bitches are hot, Annie.”

His eyes widened as she held his gaze for a heartbeat, but then, she burst out laughing. His shoulders relaxed as she curled over as her shoulders shook, and by the time she had regained her breath he was sure she was wiping tears from her eyes.

“God, Armin,” she said. “Never say that again.”

He laughed. “Okay.”

Annie leaned back on the bed, and he lay down next to her. He felt her shuffled as she turned to face him, and he caught a flash of her icy eyes as he tilted his head towards her.

“So,” she said. “Are we making them uncomfortable today, or not?”

His eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t think we’ll have a lot of chances at bowling, Annie.”

“You’d be surprised,” she said, and grinned.

“Only if Eren and Mikasa are being weird,” said Armin.

“Are they not always weird?” she asked.

“They’ve calmed down a bit, recently,” he said.

“Okay, then,” she said with a sigh. Then, she leaned over and poked his chest. “What about when they’re on their way here?”

“We have to open the door for them,” said Armin.

“They might open it themselves if we take long enough,” she said.

Armin wasn’t sure why he said it. It was a stupid thing to say, really, but he’d already spoken before he’d realised how bad his words sounded. “It sounds like you’re looking for excuses to make out with me.”

Annie’s smile faded. There was something in her eyes that looked almost challenging. “And what if I am?”

Armin swallowed, face suddenly hot. “Uh, well, I – um ….”

Annie rolled her eyes and smirked. “I’m kidding. But don’t look too upset about it.”

“I wouldn’t be upset about it!” he said, far too quickly.

Annie raised an eyebrow.

Armin felt his stomach drop. Oh, God. He should learn when to keep his mouth shut. “I – I mean. You’re … a good kisser?”

Annie snorted. “Why, thank you, Armin.”

His hand came up to his face, not able to look at her, or even feel her gaze on him.

He felt her nudge him. “I’m just teasing you.”

“You’re always teasing me.”

“I know. It’s fun. Maybe you should try it, sometime.”

Armin dropped his hand and looked at her. “I don’t think you can be teased. Not in the same way, at least.”

Annie was thoughtful for a moment. “I think so. I just think you haven’t figured it out yet.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Would you like to enlighten me?”

She smiled. “I think you’re smart enough to work it out yourself.”

He opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by a loud knocking at the door.

Annie pulled herself up. “That must be our guests.”

Armin sat up as Annie opened the door. There stood Eren and Mikasa, smiling warmly at them. Eren was just dressed in a casual hoody, shirt and jeans combination, whilst Mikasa was in a black dress that stopped just before her knees and some sort of light grey cardigan. She was wearing black tights, and boots, too, chunky and black, and dotted with silver spikes.

“Are you guys ready?” asked Eren.

“Yeah, we are,” said Armin, rising to his feet.

When they were all out in the hall, Annie clicked her dorm room shut and asked, “So, are the lovebirds just meeting us there?”

“Yes, they are,” said Mikasa.

“Okay,” said Annie. She reached for Armin’s hand as they started walking down the hallway towards the stairs. “As long as they can get there.”

For a moment, their feet smacking against the stairs was the only noise around them. Then, Eren asked, his voice echoing in the stairwell, “So uh, Annie, are you any good at bowling?”

“Great at it,” she said flatly. “I’m quite the pro.”

“Well, we’ll see!” said Eren.

Armin squeezed her hand. “I think he thinks he’s better than you.”

“Hmm,” said Annie. “We’ll see about that.”

To Eren’s credit, he managed to keep a casual conversation going on the drive to the bowling alley. Armin had been worried he and Annie would be taking digs at each other, but Annie was playing nice enough, too, so he supposed maybe all he really had to worry about was Jean. He could feel his stomach tightening with nerves as they pulled up, and it plummeted when Annie cut the engine.

“Are they here yet?” asked Eren.

Armin checked his phone. In the chat he shared with Marco and Mikasa, he saw that Marco had sent a message with a smiley face saying they would be there in about ten minutes only a few moments ago. “Not yet. Soon, though.”

“We can just go in and text them what lane we’re at,” said Mikasa. “We still have to pick out our shoes, anyway.”

“Okay,” said Annie, taking Armin’s hand. His heart fluttered. “Let’s go.”

The bowl shoes were a garish yellow and blue combination, faded from years of wear and tear, and certainly did little to compliment anyone’s outfit. Armin was mostly wearing all black and a large band tee, something Annie had picked out for him again, but he had a feeling the shoes didn’t exactly fit the idea she had in mind for this particular style.

When she’d finished lacing up her own shoes, he nudged her toes with his. “Those look good, Annie.”

“Thanks,” she said, tapping her toes against his shoe. “I think they suit you more, though.”

He smiled. Her gaze lingered on his for a moment, and then she turned away. His face dropped, and he glanced away. He was acting stupid again. Maybe Annie would just think it was for this whole act – he could only hope she wouldn’t read more into it than that.

“Come on,” she said, patting his leg. “Let’s go.”

He followed her and the others to the lane they had picked out. It was more secluded than the others, at the far end of the alley, where the seats and tables were a bit more roughed up, but Armin was grateful for the privacy, considering how bad he was at bowling.

As soon as they sat down, Eren lunged for the menu, a gleam sparkling in his eyes. “Do you guys want food? I’m starving.”

Annie picked up the menu, her nose crinkling.

“I could eat,” said Mikasa.

“I’ll get something,” said Armin. “Annie?”

He leaned forward to peek at the paper menu in her hand.

“There’ll be something,” she said.

“No desserts,” said Armin pointedly.

“I can eat things other than sweets, you know,” she said.

He raised an eyebrow. “You were looking for the desserts, though, weren’t you?”

“Maybe.”

He grinned, and opened his mouth to tease her, but she spoke before he could say anything.

She turned a bit more towards him, her leg pressing against his. “Okay, what do you want?”

“Uh …” He squinted at the menu. “Nachos, I think. Do you want loaded fries to share?”

She nodded, but then her face lit up. “Wait. We should get wings, too.”

“Are you sure?”

Annie nodded.

“I’m getting a burger,” said Eren, practically drooling over the paper in his hand. “Mikasa, look at the size of these things! Do you want one? It’s on me, anyway.”

Mikasa beamed. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

“Oh, also,” said Annie. “You guys can have some of our fries, too, if you want.”

A gleam came into Eren’s eyes. “Thanks! I’d give you some of my burger, but I can’t split it that easy.”

“It’s nothing,” said Annie, leaning back in her seat.

Armin smiled and, before he could think about what he was doing, he leaned over and pressed a kiss to Annie’s cheek. If he didn’t know better, he’d say her cheeks turned red. “Okay, I’ll go get our stuff.”

“I’m paying,” she said.

“I know, that’s fine,” he said, standing up. “Just Venmo me. Do you want a Pepsi, too?”

Annie’s shoulders relaxed. “Yeah, okay.”

Eren sighed and stood up. “Okay, I’ll come with. We just tell them the table number, yeah?”

Eren And Armin placed their orders, Eren leaned on the counter and turned to him with a smile. “Hey, I am absolutely going to destroy you at this.”

“I don’t doubt that,” said Armin. “I’m really bad at bowling.”

“I know,” said Eren, his smile turning into a grin. “Is Annie good at bowling?”

Armin was sure there wasn’t much that Annie wasn’t good at, but he just said,” She says so.”

“Well, I guess she’s the competition I have to look out for,” said Eren.

Armin opened his mouth to speak, but the server came to the counter with Armin and Annie’s drinks. He smiled as he took them from her hands, and turned back to Eren. “Mikasa’s pretty good, too, isn’t she?”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” said Eren. “I guess she isn’t too bad.”

Armin raised an eyebrow. Mikasa spent a lot of time talking up Eren’s skills, but the last time Armin had been bowling had been with Mikasa, and she had absolutely wiped the floor with him. Although, considering how bad he was at bowling, that wasn’t particularly hard. But still, there was no way Eren could be much better than she was.

A voice interrupted his thoughts. “Hey!”

He and Eren turned to see Marco waving at them with a smile, a very sheepish looking Jean Kirstein standing behind him. Marco was dressed in a casual yellow shirt and jeans that somehow matched his ugly bowling shoes shockingly well. Jean, however, was dressed in ripped jeans a big Metallica T-shirt, which Armin thought really went well with his bowling shoes.

Armin smiled. “Hey guys.”

“Hey, Marco! Hey, Jean,” said Eren.

“Hey,” said Jean quietly.

“We just ordered food,” said Armin, raising his drinks. “Are you guys hungry?”

“Oh, yeah,” said Marco. “Jean’s starving.”

“Cool!” said Eren. “I’m still waiting for my drinks, but I can stay with you guys while you order to show you where we’re sitting.”

“Thanks,” said Marco with a smile, before turning to ponder the menu on the board behind the counter.

Marco turned to talk to Jean about what he wanted, and Armin caught sight of Jean holding onto his hand, mostly out of sight.

Armin nudged Eren. “I’m just gonna go sit back down.”

“That’s cool,” said Eren.

When Armin arrived back at the table, he was not entirely surprised at the conversation Mikasa and Annie were engaged in, but he had desperately been hoping to avoid it. He sat beside Annie and handed her drink to her, the warmth of her leg pressing against his as he shifted in his seat.

“Eren’s getting his ears pierced?” asked Annie.

Mikasa nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! He was quite easily convinced.”

Annie nudged him as he sipped from his drink. “Maybe you should take notes.”

Armin put his cup down. “I’m not getting my ears pierced, Annie.”

“Why not?” she asked. “You’d look hot.”

Armin felt his face flush.

“Ear piercings do look great,” said Mikasa. “I think you’d suit them.”

“See?” said Annie. “I can even tell you the best places to go.” Then she turne to Mikasa and added, “Wait, where is Eren going?”

“We haven’t decided yet,” said Mikasa. “I got all my piercings before I came here.”

“Okay, well, I know a good place,” said Annie, taking a sip from her drink. “I’ll find the website later and send it to you.”

Mikasa’s face lit up. “Thank you.” Then she turned to him with a familiar sparkle in her eye. “Armin, we can book you in around the same time as Eren.”

Armin sighed. “I’m not getting a piercing.”

Mikasa frowned. “What would it take to convince you?”

“Yeah, Armin,” said Annie, leaning towards him. It felt like her face was only a few centimetres from his. “What would it take?”

Armin’s eyes flickered down to her lips. He swallowed. “I – uh – I don’t know?”

Annie leaned back. “You don’t know?”

“That sounds like there’s room to negotiate,” said Mikasa.

“N-no! I just –”

“Well, if not the ears,” said Annie, “what about a tongue piercing?”

He blinked. “Why would you think I’d be more willing to get a tongue piercing?”

Annie shrugged, but there was a familiar sparkle in her eyes that made him almost nervous. “Well, I thought maybe you might want to. For me.”

“For you?” he asked, eyebrows furrowing.

“Remember what I was saying the other day about getting one?” she asked. “In my dorm?”

Armin felt heat creep up his neck as he remembered her words. She thought they were only good for the person you date for certain oral activities, that he and Annie should definitely, and would definitely, not engage in.

He swallowed. “Uh … yeah … I remember.”

Annie smirked and wrapped her lips around her straw to take a drink. He was embarrassed by the way he couldn’t move his gaze away until her lips slid off.

“I’m not getting my tongue pierced,” said Armin, his voice sounding higher than normal to his own ears.

Annie was grinning now. “I know, I’m just teasing you.”

“Are you two being gross again?” asked Eren, placing his and Mikasa’s drinks down on the table as he sat down.

Marco and Jean were only a step behind, and Marco slipped down beside Armin with his and Jean’s drinks as Jean settled down beside him.

“I can be grosser, if you want,” said Annie, and Armin’s shoulders tensed. “How’d you like the sight of my ass, anyway, Yeager?”

Marco and Jean both choked on their drinks. Armin’s face burned red, and he couldn’t help the way he gripped her hand and said, “Annie!”

“I would have preferred to see Armin’s, to be honest,” said Eren, and Marco sputtered even more.

“I hope you aren’t flirting with my best friend,” said Mikasa, but there was a small smile on her face.

“I hope you aren’t, too,” said Armin, and Annie snorted.

Eren grinned. “You wish!”

Armin opened his mouth to retort, but just as he did, a server arrived with his and Annie’s food. Annie offered their fries to Marco and Jean, which they both seemed shocked by, but were more than welcome to take a few off of the place while they waited for theirs. By the time everyone’s food arrived, everyone was too hungry to make conversation, but Armin was still shocked at how comfortable it felt, in spite of the fact his ex-bully was just a few seats away.

“Hey,” said Eren, interrupting the silence. “So, how long have you two been going out, Jean?”

Mikasa nudged him. “Eren! That’s private.”

Jean cleared his throat. “Uh, it’s okay.”

Marco smiled. “We started talking a few weeks before Historia’s party, but that’s when we became official.”

If Armin didn’t know better, he would have said that Jean looked like he was blushing. It was like looking at a completely different person.

“Hey,” said Eren, turning to Armin and Annie. “Didn’t you two get together at Historia’s?”

“Yeah,” said Annie. “What about it.”

Eren shrugged. “I think it’s just a cool coincidence.” Then, he added, “I’m glad we all had a nice night!”

Armin scoffed. “I don’t think we were having the same sort of night as you two.”

Eren took a sip from his drink. “Well, I don’t know about that.”

“What were you getting up to at Historia’s, Eren?” asked Jean.

“Nothing!” said Mikasa far too quickly.

“It didn’t look like nothing,” said Armin.

“It didn’t sound like nothing,” added Annie.

Marco’s eyebrows drew together. “I can’t believe you guys were actually doing that at Historia’s.”

We weren’t!” said Mikasa at the same time Eren said, “We were.”

“Eren!” said Mikasa, nudging him.

“I’m sorry!” said Eren. “I was just being honest!”

“Too honest,” said Marco. “I don’t want any details.”

“I’ve been given too many,” said Armin, and Annie snorted.

In spite of himself, Eren grinned. “I keep walking in on Annie and Armin, Armin keeps walking in on me and Mikasa – has anyone walked in on you guys yet?”

Jean turned beet-red, and Marco looked suspiciously sweaty under the dim, yellow lights.

“That’s a yes!” said Eren.

“Eren, don’t tease them,” said Mikasa, but she hiding her grin behind her hand.

“It …” said Jean, averting everyone’s gaze. “It was Connie.”

“Oh, God, yeah,” said Eren. “I forgot you guys are roommates.”

“It took a lot to convince him not to tell Sasha about us,” said Marco.

“He still told her, anyway,” said Jean.

“She told me,” said Mikasa abruptly.

Marco’s eyebrows jumped up to his hairline. “You said only Eren knew!”

“Well, I didn’t want to worry you!” said Mikasa. “I just assumed you had told her.”

Marco opened his mouth to speak, but Jean reached out for his hand. “Hey, it’s okay. Sasha wouldn’t have told anyone.”

Marco relaxed at his words, leaning back in his seat.

“So …” said Eren after they had fallen quiet. “What exactly did Connie see?”

“Don’t be such a pervert, Eren,” said Armin.

“Has he been asking details about our sex lives, too?” asked Annie.

Eren pointed at her. “I don’t need to ask when I see it all with my own eyes.”

“What did you see between them?” asked Jean, clearly relieved the attention was no longer on him. “Any whips and chains?”

Armin felt his face heat up as Eren and Marco burst out laughing. He could see that Mikasa was trying to hide her giggling behind her hand, but her shoulders shook. Armin dipped his head to slurp his drink, desperately avoiding everyone’s gaze.

“Not yet,” said Annie. “Armin’s too shy, but he’s warming up to the idea.”

Armin choked on his drink. “Annie!”

“Okay, okay!” said Eren, holding his hands up as if he could push Annie’s words away. “Too much!”

“Definitely too much,” said Jean, nose scrunching.

“You guys asked,” said Annie with a shrug. “We’ve already tried choking, and he really liked that, so –”

“Annie!” said Armin, grabbing onto her hand as if that would somehow make her stop.

“God, please,” said Eren, practically wincing. “I don’t want to hear any more.”

“Well, you’ll probably see it soon, anyway, Yeager,” said Annie. “Anyway, I didn’t even tell you who was being choked, so –”

“I think we get the picture!” said Eren.

Mikasa placed a hand on his back as she fought a smile. “You kind of asked for it.”

Eren may have, but Armin didn’t think he did. His face was burning and he was sure it would only be a few more moments before he burst into flames where he sat. Annie rested her small hand on his back, and she leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

Her breath tickled his skin when she whispered into his ear, “I’m sorry.”

Annie leaned back and said, “I would have thought all of that stuff would have been more your and Mikasa’s thing, anyway, Eren.”

Eren opened his mouth to speak, but Mikasa beat him there. “I think we have the same problem, Annie.”

Eren’s face burned. “Mikasa!”

“Although,” she said, looking down, “we have used handcuffs, and –”

Annie and Jean both burst out laughing as Eren started begging Mikasa to stop, his face just as red as Armin’s had been a few moments ago. Marco was laughing quietly, muffling the sound with his hand, while Jean and Annie both seemed to be struggling to breathe. There were tears forming at the corner of Annie’s eyes, and her mouth was so wide – he was sure he’d never seen her laugh this much before.

Armin couldn’t hide the smile on his face, even when she opened her eyes and met his gaze. He reached out for her hand and squeezed it.

“Can we just have, like, a normal conversation?” asked Eren.

“Of course,” said Mikasa, looking between Jean and Annie. “Okay. Jean, Annie: Edward or Jacob?”

“Really, Mikasa?” asked Annie.

“Edward, obviously,” said Jean.

They all turned to look at him.

“What?” asked Jean. “He’s the better option!”

Mikasa sipped at her drink. “I think Marco would disagree.”

Jean whirled on Marco. “Wait, do you think Jacob’s better?”

Marco visibly shrank. “I just think she could have had a normal life with him.”

“He’s literally so manipulative!” said Jean. “Am I going to have to watch those movies with you?”

“Mikasa’s probably made him watch them enough,” said Armin.

Mikasa’s eyes widened. “It’s never enough.”

“I think I’ve seen them once,” said Annie.

“Once is more than enough to answer the question,” said Mikasa. “Jacob or Edward?”

“Edward,” said Annie. “But they’re both horrible.” Then she added, “But doesn’t Bella literally have a child that Jacob has a crush on.”

“That’s not quite what it is,” said Mikasa.

“It might as well be,” said Jean.

“Not really,” said Mikasa. “It’s imprinting. It’s not quite romantic.”

Jean folded his arms. “Isn’t Stephenie Meyer writing a series about Jacob and the kid?”

After a moment of silence, Mikasa said, “She may be.”

“Come on,” said Eren. “No more arguing over Twilight! Do you guys not want to actually start bowling?”

Mikasa gave Jean a pointed look. “This isn’t over.”

“Okay,” said Eren, clapping his hands together. “Let’s bowl!”

Eren volunteered to go first, with Mikasa following, then Armin, Annie, Jean, and Marco afterwards. Eren was grinning as he stepped up, but it quickly dissolved into a hard mask of determination as he stood staring at the pins at the end of the lane. To his credit, Eren was fairly good – when he was done with his turn, there were only two pins left standing.

When the ball crashed past the pins, he practically jumped into the air. He whirled around and grinned at them.

“That was great!” said Mikasa with a smile.

“Hey,” said Jean. “Is this like a serious competition or something?”

Mikasa thought it over. “It can be, if everyone wants. What would the winner get, anyway?”

“We could do a winner and a loser sort of thing,” suggested Marco.

“Any ideas, then?” asked Mikassa.

“How about forfeits?” said Eren. “The winner picks the forfeit for the loser. Does that sound good to everyone?”

They all agreed, even though Armin was sure he would end up near the bottom of the scoreboard.

“Great!” said Eren, smile stretching from ear to ear as he turned to look at Armin. “I’ll make sure it isn’t too bad.”

Armin rolled his eyes, but his heart skipped when Annie squeezed his hand and smiled. He could look at her smile all day. Her hand was still in his when Mikasa stood up to bowl.

Eren’s smile disappeared when, without even a bit of strain, Mikasa’s ball clattered against the pins, knocking every single one of them down.

“Woah, Mikasa,” said Marco. “That was really good.”

When she turned back, there was a gleam in her eye that made Armin’s stomach drop. He had a feeling who the winner would be, and unfortunately, he already had a good idea who the loser would be as well.

Eren managed to cover his shock with a smile. “Uh, yeah, that was great!”

Annie squeezed his hand before she rose to her feet for her turn. He watched the way she focused on the pins, before releasing the ball down the lane, and it clattered against the pins, knocking every one of them down the way Mikasa had.

“Looks like I’ve got competition,” said Mikasa.

Eren’s mouth had been hanging open at Annie’s strike, and it turned into a frown as he looked over at his girlfriend. “Hey! I’m competition.”

“That was great!” said Armin, standing up as Annie moved back to her seat. “You’re gonna wipe the floor with me.”

Annie shrugged and smiled. “That’s to be expected.”

Armin turned out to be right about where he would end up in this little competition of theirs, as he rolled the ball down the lane, only managing to knock down one pin. He was glad there was no one else around to see except their tiny group, but that was still bad enough.

“Nice one, Armin,” said Eren with a grin.

“Guess you’re not my competition,” said Annie quietly as Jean stood up to bowl.

Armin rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I’m really bad at bowling.”

Annie shrugged. “It’s just bowling.” Then she added in a whisper, “I’m beating Eren, though.”

Armin smiled. “I know you will. So, what’s my forfeit anyway?”

She raised an eyebrow. In the background, they could hear Jean make some sort of celebratory shout as pins clattered to the ground. “I’m not picking your forfeit. Mikasa’s going to win. And I’ve got a feeling she might want to embarrass you.”

There were only three pins left standing when Jean was finished, and Marco had a big smile for him when he sat back down. When Marco got up to bowl, Armin leaned down and said into Annie’s ear, “You might still want to think of something. You’re pretty good.”

“Oh,” she said as a smirk rose to her lips. “I have an idea.”

He wasn’t proud of the way that mischievous look she had on her face made his heart stutter. “Want to tell me what that idea is?”

The pins clattered again, and Marco had managed to leave three pins standing, just like Jean. When he returned to his seat, his boyfriend had a big grin and a hug for him, and for a moment Armin was shocked by the publicness of the act.

But Annie’s voice drew his attention. “It’s a surprise. Anyway, you might want to do it, even if I don’t win.”

He glanced over at her. There was that sparkle in her eyes again, and for a moment, one that lasted far too long, he was lost in it. How could someone look so radiant in a bowling alley, of all places?

“Fuck yeah!” yelled Eren, shattering whatever trance Armin had been in.

His eyes flickered over, and as it turned out, Eren had nearly rolled a strike, leaving only a single, lonely pin standing. He practically jumped into Mikasa’s arms from excitement, and he didn’t miss Annie’s scoff when Eren started begging about how he was sure to be the victor. But he was awfully quiet when Mikasa took her turn and rolled another strike. Eren looked like he was in physical pain when Annie stood and rolled her second strike of the evening, too.

The night went on like that for a while, easy chatter and casual competition – except on Eren’s part, who seemed to get more and more desperate each time Mikasa and Annie stood up to bowl. Armin had a feeling Mikasa had been letting Eren win whenever they went bowling together, and there was something priceless about seeing that realisation sink in on Eren’s face the more turns Mikasa took.

But Jean was being fairly friendly, albeit a bit quiet, and Eren and Annie were also playing nice. Armin was shocked at how easily Annie was laughing at things Jean and Eren said, although since he was the butt of a lot of the jokes, he shouldn’t be surprised. He didn’t care, if it meant they got along. Anyway, he was losing in an absolutely pitiful landslide – he guessed he deserved to be teased about it.

When their final scores came up on the board, they weren’t much of a surprise. Mikasa had narrowly won, with Annie only a few points behind, then Eren, Jean, and Marco. Then, of course, trailing all the way at the bottom with what he suspected was a world record for lowest bowling score, was Armin.

Mikasa turned away from the board to grin at him, and Armin felt his stomach sink.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked.

“I can’t wait to tell you what your forfeit is,” said Mikasa.

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Please don’t say it’s that bad.”

“Well, tell us, Mikasa,” said Annie.

Mikasa shook her head. “No, I’ll tell you guys later. I want him to do it tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” asked Marco, eyes widening. “Why do you need to wait until tomorrow?”

“It needs more of an audience,” said Mikasa.

“An audience?” asked Armin.

“I’m sure it won’t be that bad,” said Annie, squeezing his hand.

“Oh, it’s bad,” said Mikasa, still smiling from ear to ear. “Probably not bad enough to get arrested, though.”

“Mikasa!”

“Probably!”

He didn’t miss the way the others were trying to hold in their laughter.

“Probably isn’t good enough,” said Armin.

“Hey, hey,” said Eren, standing up. “Worry about it tomorrow.” Then he turned to everyone. “Do you guys want to hang out at our dorm? Maybe have some drinks?”

Armin raised an eyebrow. “I thought we didn’t have anything.”

Eren grinned. “Zeke dropped by earlier. We have so much wine.”

Zeke, Eren’s older half-brother, lived in the area, and had actually been part of Eren’s reason for attending this college in the first place. Zeke had gone here, too, a few years ago, and had even been a part of a fraternity, so he was quite relieved that Eren didn’t really get himself into the same sort of trouble that he did. And he was more than fine with buying Eren alcohol since it was better than him getting in trouble trying to get someone else to buy it, or better than trying something dodgy from some random college student.

It also didn’t help that one of Zeke’s favourite hobbies was making wine, too, so he always had some to offer Eren. And Eren loved to share – and why wouldn’t he, with how much wine he had? But he and Armin didn’t usually drink a lot in the dorm, so it was often just saved up for his and Mikasa’s date nights, and he occasionally brought it to parties.

“Is the wine … free?” asked Jean hesitantly. “For everyone.”

“Oh, I have so much wine,” said Eren. “I have it stashed in my wardrobe and under my bed and everything.”

Marco smiled. “That sounds great.”

Armin turned to Annie. “Is that okay with you?”

“Yeah, of course,” said Annie. “I love wine.”

“Cool!” said Eren.

“Oh, uh,” said Marco. “Is it okay if we go to McDonald’s first? We were gonna get some fries or something.”

Eren’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, sure.” He turned to Annie, eyes pleading. “Can we go?”

She sighed. “Sure. But the nearest one’s drive-thru is out, so you’re going in.”

“That’s fine!” said Eren. “Okay, let’s go.”

By the time Mikasa and Eren started unbuckling their seatbelts in the McDonald’s parking lot, Marco and Jean had already climbed out of their car and had started heading towards the building.

“I just want a strawberry milkshake,” said Annie out of the window to Eren and Mikasa.

“Me too,” said Armin. “Wait, actually – can I have some chicken nuggets, too?”

“Sure thing!” said Eren, giving them a smile and a thumbs up, as he took Mikasa’s hand with his free one.

It was starting to get dark outside, and the parking lot was shockingly quiet, in spite of how far they were into the city. For a moment, he and Annie sat there in silence, the cool air wafting through the window, before Annie pulled out her vape and puffed. The car smelled like oranges when she breathed out.

Armin wasn’t sure why he suddenly felt so fidgety alone in the car with her. It wasn’t a small car, but it felt a bit tight in the quiet – he could reach over and touch her, if he wanted. Not that he would, or should, for that matter.

He cleared his throat. “So, are you, uh, having a nice time?”

She took another puff of her vape. “Shockingly, yes.” She turned to smile at him. “Also, why have you never mentioned that you have a wine collection.”

“Oh,” said Armin. “Well, it’s technically Eren’s. And I didn’t think you drank that much.”

“I drink enough,” said Annie. “But I hate parties, and I can’t go out to bars, so there aren’t a lot of opportunities.”

“Well,” said Armin, rubbing the back of his neck. Why was it so warm with the windows open? “I can come to your dorm with some. Hitch wanted to drink with me, you, and Marlowe, anyway.”

“Glad we’ve already got the next double date planned,” said Annie dryly.

“You were the one who suggested taking them to the beach with us,” said Armin pointedly.

“Yeah, well, maybe we should just go to the beach alone,” she said. “Drinks in my dorm sounds fine. Hitch will be more tame, then.”

“What, when she’s drunk?” asked Armin.

“She’d probably still bring something,” said Annie. “I’d know, I’m her designated driver.”

Armin laughed. “I should have known.”

Annie hummed in agreement, and in that moment seemed to have enough of her vape. She placed it down and looked past him towards the McDonald’s. “Jean and Marco are still in there, aren’t they?”

Armin squinted through the back window at Jean’s car, but it was completely dark, devoid of all signs of life. “Yeah, I think so. Maybe it’s just busier inside.”

“A lot of people just sit in, I think,” said Annie. Then, a smile rose to her lips. “How long do you think Eren and Mikasa will be gone, then?”

Armin shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe five minutes.”

“Five minute?” Annie said slowly.

There was something in her expression that made his heartrate pick up. “Why? What are you thinking of?”

“I don’t know,” she said, and suddenly her fingers were on his chest. Could she feel the way his heart was racing? Her fingers walked slowly up his chest, until the brushed over his lips, and Armin couldn’t help the shiver that ran through him. “I don’t think we’ve been very obnoxious tonight, do you?”

Armin’s mouth was dry. He hadn’t thought they’d needed to be obnoxious tonight, considering Eren and Mikasa had barely shared a kiss in front of them all night. But the way Annie was looking at him was making him feel warm, from his chest to his fingertips, and she looked so beautiful in the dying light of the day. So, he swallowed, and said, “I think we could be more obnoxious.”

Her grin made his heart skip. She shuffled from the driver’s seat and climbed over into the passenger side, her legs coming down to straddle him. As she adjusted, he felt her hips press hard against his, but before any noise could escape his mouth, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

She was warm and demanding, her fingers rising to knot in the back of his hair and gripping tight enough to make him wince, but he didn’t mind so much when she was kissing him like that. She kissed him, hard, and her force was enough that he could feel his glasses being knocked askew, but he was too distracted by how nice her lips felt against his to say anything. His hands came down to grip her thighs, which were pressed oh so tightly around him, and he hated the way heat raced down south when she squeezed her legs against him.

Without warning, Annie’s lips left his, and he tried to regain his breath. But before he could, she tilted his head and pressed her mouth against his neck.

Armin gasped, his nails digging deep into her thighs as she placed a wet, fiery trail of kisses over his skin. What was she doing? He knew maybe he should ask, but his head was awfully fuzzy at the moment when the way her mouth was moving over his skin, and he was shocked his eyes hadn’t just rolled straight into the back of his head. Her lips were relentless, which she dragged from his collarbone, and he was more than embarrassed at the noise that escaped his mouth.

“Annie,” he said breathlessly. “Annie.”

She pulled away from him and smiled. There was smugness in her expression that made him flush, and her mouth was only a few inches from his as she said, “Armin.”

Armin could barely form a thought, but he knew he wanted to wipe that arrogant look off of her face, so he leaned forward and kissed her again. He was surprised by the tiny little noise that she made when he did that, and he nearly smiled against her lips, feeling his whole body warm at the sound. He wondered what else he could do to get her to make more sounds like that.

But Annie didn’t give him much time to think, because then, her hips rolled, grinding down against him, hard. Armin gasped, his lips popping off of hers, his fingers trembling over her skin.

“Sorry,” she said against his mouth, sounding awfully worked up herself.

“I – it’s okay,” he said.

He’d grabbed onto her waist to stop the trembling, and now his grip was so tight he was worried it was hurting, but Annie didn’t seem phased.

“Okay?” she said, pulling back. Her eyes, usually so light, were dark, like the sea during a storm. Her breath tickled his ear when she leaned in to whisper, “How okay?”

Armin’s entire body was buzzing, and he hadn’t missed the slight challenge in her voice. “Very okay.”

Annie hummed breathily against his skin, sending shivers racing over his body, and then she leaned down and pressed her mouth against his neck again. He made a small noise that only seemed to encourage her, and her lips moved to leave a line of kisses all the way up to his lips, and, when they met, she rolled her hips, and the noise he made this time was far too embarrassing and far too loud, but Annie seemed to have gotten the result she wanted.

He could barely form a single thought, and then she did it again, and he was shocked he hadn’t just fainted. But when she moved against him like that, she kept gasping with him, making little, low noises he shamelessly didn’t want to stop hearing, and it took all his self-control to not grab her hips and grind up against her. He moved his hands to cup her cheeks, pulling her ever closer, desperately trying to match her urgency with his own lips, and when she made one of those lovely, little noises against his mouth again, he felt like he had won.

But his feeling of victory was short-lived as what was possibly the loudest sound Armin had ever heard exploded by his ear, and Annie practically flew off of him, but he grabbed her before she could tumble against the glovebox.

He turned to see Eren knocking on the window for only a second, before he grabbed the door and yanked it up.

Eren stood tall over him, and he looked exactly like a disappointed parent, arms folded as he shook his head. “You two are like rabbits.”

Mikasa’s voice was weak behind him. “We got you guys some milkshakes.”

Annie detached herself from Armin in the least awkward way she could manage, and after gesturing for Eren to move, pushed her way out of the car. She smoothed out her skirt then brushed her hair behind her ears. Armin felt his face turn red at how dishevelled she looked – how dishevelled he had made her look. She smiled at both of them, and took the bag out of Mikasa’s hands. “Thank you.”

Eren was still shaking his head while Armin tried to readjust, quietly clicking the door shut and avoiding all of theirs eyes. It was embarrassing enough Annie seeing his pants pitching like this, but Eren and Mikasa in a McDonald’s parking lot was another level of mortifying he was sure he couldn’t take. He desperately hoped they hadn’t noticed, and that whatever he’d managed to work up would calm down on the drive back to the dorms.

But matters only got worse when Annie slid into the driver’s seat and placed his box of chicken nuggets in his lap, a mere inch away from the hardness that was clearly visible through his jeans.

She was holding back a grin.

Armin’s face was on fire. “Don’t laugh at me.”

“I’d never,” she said, but she was clearly trying to suppress any giggling that was trying to bubble past her lips. She passed their milkshakes over to put into the cup holders, and then started the car as Eren and Mikasa buckled in in the back.

“Rabbits,” said Eren as they started driving out of the lot.

“Oh, as if you two aren’t just as bad,” said Annie.

“I’m going to have you sitting on opposite sides of the room,” said Eren pointedly. “In case you end up fucking right in front of us all.”

Annie’s laughter finally exploded. It wasn’t long before Mikasa joined in, and in spite of his embarrassment, even Armin couldn’t hold back a smile. The drive back to campus felt a lot shorter when Eren seemed to keep them laughing the whole way there.

Jean and Marco were already waiting by their dorm when they arrived, McDonald’s bags in hand, and Marco smiled warmly whilst Jean gave a curt nod in their direction. Armin unlocked the door for them, and they all piled inside, Eren still muttering behind them.

“No way!” said Eren when Annie moved towards Armin’s bed.

Annie turned to look at him with a questioning gaze.

“You are not sitting on his bed together,” said Eren.

“Oh my God,” said Annie, clearly exasperated.

Armin squeezed her hand. “It’s fine. Jean and Marco need somewhere to sit, anyway.”

“You two aren’t sitting next to each other.”

Armin rolled his eyes. “We’ll sit on the desk chairs, Eren.” Then, he added, “Is that okay with you, Annie?”

“I guess it’ll have to be,” she said.

Marco’s eyebrows furrowed as Mikasa connected to Eren’s speaker, and her music started humming in the background, a sound that could only be described as ‘party rock’. “Did something happen on the way here?”

“They were fucking in the car!” said Eren.

“Oh, we were not,” said Annie, still managing to throw Armin a smile as he pulled out his desk chair for her to sit on. “He’s being dramatic.”

Before Eren could speak, Jean interrupted. “Well, it is her car. She can do whatever she wants in it.”

Annie’s eyebrows rose. “Thanks, Jean. Glad someone can see my side of it.”

“He’s been complaining about them the whole ride here,” said Mikasa, pulling a bottle of wine out of Eren’s wardrobe. In spite of her complaint, there was still a smile on her face.

“Who does that in a McDonald’s parking lot?” asked Eren, taking a bottle from Mikasa.

“We were just kissing,” said Annie. “Nothing more.”

“It didn’t look like just kissing,” said Eren pointedly.

“What can I say?” said Annie, taking a bottle from Mikasa with a smile. “Bowling just gets me all riled up.”

Jean and Marco both practically choked, and Armin dropped his head into his hands, as if that would somehow wipe away the redness in his face. Annie rolled her chair closer to him and reached out for his hand. Then, he felt something nudge his shoulder, and he looked up to see Mikasa holding out a bottle of wine to him, and he took it with his other hand.

“Then do that it the bowling alley bathroom!” said Eren. “Not where we’re carpooling!”

“Like Jean said, it is my car,” said Annie. “You’re lucky Armin still had his pants on when you came back.”

“Dear God,” said Jean, and Marco and Mikasa were both laughing behind their hands as Armin’s ears burned.

Eren’s shook his head, cocking an eyebrow at Armin. “The campus bad girl really has had a bad influence on you.”

“I think it’s good,” said Annie, but from the way she squeezed his hand, he could tell she was done with her teasing.

Thankfully, Jean changed the subject enough for him to cool down. “Do you guys not have any cups or anything?”

“Well, yeah,” said Eren, taking a swig from his bottle of wine. “But the whole bottle’s for you, so you might as well just drink from that.”

“Classy,” said Jean, raising his bottle. “I like it.”

“Hey, it’s free,” said Eren pointedly.

As Jean started pushing more questions forward about the wine, which Eren seemed absolutely delighted to hear, Mikasa turned to Annie and asked, “Where exactly is your next gig again? What’s the place called?”

“Oh, something cringy, I think. Honestly, I think it’s called Utopia District, or something.”

“Oh,” said Mikasa. “I know that place, actually.”

Annie nodded. “Yeah, it’s kind of sleezy, and is probably gonna be like torture with the creeps that go there, but we can’t always get the best places.”

“I don’t think it’s that bad,” said Mikasa. “There was this really cool goth band that played there called the Warriors.”

Annie snorted, and took a drink from her wine bottle. “Yeah, I know them. I went to high school with them.”

Mikasa’s eyebrows rose. “Really?”

Annie nodded. “Yeah. They actually wanted to be in the same band as us, but we had really different styles, so it never worked out.”

Mikasa’s eyebrows furrowed. “It’s weird that they ended up here, at the same college.”

Annie shrugged. “I guess a lot of musicians head west. This place has a great music course, anyway.”

Mikasa was hesitant. “Are you guys, like … friends?”

Annie shook her head. “No, not really. They get along with Reiner and Bert more, but we don’t have a lot in common anymore.”

“Oh,” said Mikasa, deflating.

Annie smirked. “Hoping for an autograph, were we?”

“Maybe,” said Mikasa.

“Who knows how they’re going to go, anyway,” said Annie, taking another swig. “They’re college kids. And Pieck and Porco are still dating, I think, and Marcel basically third-wheels, so, that probably makes things awkward.”

“That sounds a lot like you, Bert and Reiner, doesn’t it?” said Mikasa.

Annie paused. “Okay, yeah, a little, but Porco and Marcel are brothers, so, I think that makes it a bit more awkward.”

Armin could help the way he snorted at her words.

Annie looked at him pointedly. “What?”

He shrugged. “Well … you and Reiner definitely act like siblings sometimes. You bicker like you’re brother and sister, too.”

Annie frowned. “We do not.”

Armin raised the wine bottle to his mouth. He was starting to feel that familiar tingling sensation as the wine passed his lips. “If you think so.”

She looked at him hard for a moment, but he was evading her gaze, and she finally rolled her eyes. After taking another drink, she turned to Mikasa again and said, “They probably make music that’s more your style, anyway.”

Mikasa shook her head. “I like all rock music.”

Annie said pointedly, “You said our music would be better with a more gothic vibe.”

“Yeah, a vibe!” said Mikasa. “Their music was good, but I think a lot of their songs were quite similar.”

Armin decided to butt in. “The Traitors make great music.”

Annie rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. “You’re a bit biased, Armin.”

“I thought you guys were great,” said Armin honestly, but he was shocked at how easy the words were coming. Maybe that homemade wine was stronger than it looked. “Reiner has a shockingly good voice, Bert is amazing on the drums and you – God, you’re so good at guitar. Mikasa, you have to see. Everyone there loved them.”

“That’s pretty impressive for a college band,” said Mikasa, nodding.

“You really need to come next time,” said Armin. “It was so fun.”

“Oh, we’re coming,” said Mikasa, gripping Eren’s hand. “Right, Eren?”

“Oh, yeah, definitely!” he said, turning away from Jean and Marco. Then he added, “Hey, uh, Annie?”

Annie took another drink from her bottle of wine. Armin glanced over – had she already gone through half of it? “Yeah, Yeager?”

“You wear band shirts, like, all of the time,” he said. “Do you not, have like, your own merch for the band?”

Annie shook her head. “No. We’ve thought about it, but so many distributers are so expensive, for the amount we’d sell it probably wouldn’t be worth it.”

“That’s a shame,” said Mikasa, her shoulders sinking. “I would have loved a Traitors shirt.”

“I would have gotten one, too,” said Eren, almost sheepishly. “That’s why I was asking.”

“Well, thanks, but we don’t have any,” she said. “Maybe if we get famous, I’ll get back to you.”

The music was the only sound that filled the room for a moment while everyone swigged at their wine. As much as Armin had thought Annie was getting through her wine fast, he didn’t seem to be that far behind. Zeke really did know how to make great wine – it was as easy to drink as fruit juice.

Jean cleared his throat, making everyone’s eyes snap towards him. He leaned forward.

“Uh, Annie? If you could afford it, how many shirts would you guys want?”

Annie blinked at him. “I don’t know. Maybe like twenty for now. I don’t think a lot of people would buy them.”

Jean rubbed the back of his neck. “If you want, uh, I could make a design for you guys.”

Annie’s eyebrows furrowed. “Huh?”

“Jean makes T-shirts,” said Marco with a smile, squeezing Jean’s hand. “They’re really cool, too.”

Armin leaned towards Annie. “They’re pretty nice, actually.”

“I could do a few designs for free and if you guys liked them enough, then we could talk prices,” said Jean.

Annie’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah,” said Jean with a nod.

She took another drink from her bottle. “Well, thanks. I’ll talk to the guys, and then I’ll get back to you.”

Jean nodded and smiled.

Armin couldn’t help but smile, squeezing Annie’s hand, relieved that everyone was playing more than nice.

The night continued on just as easily, even when Eren suggested bad drinking games, but by the point that came around anyway, they were all too drunk to be embarrassed by whatever they were playing. The night went completely undisturbed until Armin’s phone started buzzing in his pocket, and he pulled it out to find he had a message from Eren.

FREEDOM FIGHTER
Are you and Annie gonna be staying in here tonight?

Armin frowned at his phone.

ME
I don’t know
We didn’t really talk about it

FREEDOM FIGHTER
Can you stay at Annie’s?
Mikasa wants to stay over
;)

Armin grimaced at his phone.

ME
Okay
I’ll ask Annie
I don’t know if Hitch is in

While Mikasa, Jean, and Marco seemed to be engaged in an argument that didn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon, he leaned close to Annie and said, “Is it okay if I stay over?”

Annie raised an eyebrow. “Want some alone time with me?”

He sighed. “Annie …”

“I’m kidding,” she said. Her eyebrows furrowed. “Is Eren kicking you out after all of this?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Apparently.”

“Okay,” said Annie with a sigh. “I think Hitch is at Marlowe’s, and if not, she’s just going to have to deal with it.”

“I don’t want to kick Hitch out,” said Armin.

“We wouldn’t,” said Annie. “If it made her uncomfortable, I’d just sleep in her bed with her.” Then she added, “Unless that would make you too jealous.”

Armin snorted. “I don’t think so.”

She smiled. “Get more wine from him, though. He owes you that.”

“You want more?” he asked. “Like right now?”

“No,” she said. “We can take a few back to mine and maybe watch something.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

He picked up his phone again.

ME
It’s fine
But can I have two bottles of wine?

FREEDOM FIGHTER
Of course!
As much as you want!
Have fun
;)

Armin rolled his eyes, but Annie had caught sight of the message on his phone.

“What kind of fun do you want to get up to later?” asked Annie.

He knew she was just teasing him, and he knew she was drunk, so was clearly feeling more confident about how far she could push him. But Armin was also drunk enough to take her challenge. “I don’t know. What do you want to do?”

Annie smirked. “Well, I never told you what my forfeit would have been.”

He swallowed. “What was it?”

“Well, I’m not telling you right now,” said Annie. “You don’t have to do it, anyway. You don’t owe me a forfeit.”

Armin was looking at her intently. Her lips were wet from the wine, and he tried to pry his eyes away. “What if I want to?”

Annie snorted. “You won’t. But I’ll tell you later.”

“You know, Jean,” said Mikasa, words slightly slurred from the wine. “There’s this great fanfic about Bella and Jessica where Bella is the vampire. I sent it to Marco if you want to read it.”

Jean’s speech was similar to Mikasa’s when he opened his mouth to speak. “I liked the books, but I’ve never really read the fanfiction.”

Mikasa’s eyes widened. “You’ve read the books? Oh, my God. Which was your favourite?”

“Eclipse,” said Jean. Armin noticed the empty bottle of wine by his feet, and the new one in his hand that Eren must have handed him, already a third of it gone. “But the first Twilight book has an atmosphere that’s just unmatched.”

 

“Oh my God, yes! I like to reread the first one every fall, it’s honestly the highlight of my year,” said Mikasa. Then she turned to Marco, her eyes glimmering. “Marco, where have you been hiding him all this time?”

Marco shook his head, but he was smiling. “Sorry. He’s here now, though.”

“Next triple date,” said Mikasa, raising her bottle, “will be a Twilight marathon!”

“Oh, God,” said Eren.

“Can we bring wine?” asked Annie.

“Of course!” said Mikasa. “Twilight is best enjoyed with a glass of wine!”

Armin was at the end of his bottle, and he noticed that Annie had long since finished hers. His head was all fuzzy, and the taste of red wine lingered in his mouth, as he asked Eren to pass him another. He and Annie shared this one, slowly passing it between each other, but Annie was a little more sober than him, so she held onto it for the rest of the night so he wouldn’t just absentmindedly sip at it.

Jean leaned his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Marco.”

“Jean?” asked Marco, clearly much more sober than his boyfriend, who he was staring down at.

Jean’s hand weakly came up to brush against his face. “You’re so … so beautiful.”

Marco’s face burned.

“Oh, God,” said Eren. “I think he’s maybe had too much to drink.”

“I haven’t!” said Jean, sitting up. “Have you seen him? Look how beautiful he is!”

Marco dropped his head as his face somehow grew redder. “Uh, thank you, Jean.”

“He is a beautiful boy,” said Mikasa with a nod of her head. “You are a very lucky man, Kirstein.”

“I know!” he exclaimed. “I’m such an ass, and he’s so nice! He’s like … like sunshine.”

“Jean …” said Marco, his face still red.

“You are,” said Jean pointedly. “You really are.”

“Maybe you guys need to go to bed,” said Eren helpfully.

Jean frowned. “I don’t need to go to bed.

“We don’t have to,” said Marco, reaching out for his hand. “We can just hang out in my dorm, okay?”

Jean’s eyes gleamed. “I love spending time with you.”

Marco smiled, clearly suppressing laughter this time. “I know. So do I. So let’s get going, yeah?”

“Okay,” said Jean with a nod, and Marco helped him to his feet.

“It was nice hanging out with you all,” said Marco.

“It was great!” said Jean, a big smile on his face.

“Have a nice night, guys,” said Armin with a smile.

Marco smiled, but his brows were drawn together in a way that suggested he might be spending the rest of the night just looking after Jean.

When the door clicked shut after them, Eren sighed. “Well, it is getting late.”

Armin raised an eyebrow. “Are you kicking us out of my dorm?”

“Well, you can stay,” said Eren with a smile. “I don’t think you’ll like what you see, though.”

Annie looked at him hard. “I don’t think you’d like what you’d see if we stayed.”

Eren was quiet, and he stared at her as she gazed back, and Armin was worried that it was now that they were finally going to clash.

“Armin,” said Annie. “Take your shirt off.”

Armin’s eyes widened. “Okay, no,” he said, rising to his feet. “I’m not risking having some sort of orgy because you two have some point to prove.” He looked at Eren. “Okay, four bottles of wine now, for being weird to my girlfriend.”

“She’s the one being weird!” said Eren.

“She’s my girlfriend, so, I don’t mind as much,” said Armin. “The wine, then?”

“Take as much as you want,” said Mikasa. “But I’ll be showing up at Annie’s dorm for the forfeit tomorrow.”

“That’s fine,” said Armin with a sigh.

“And drink some water when you get back!” said Eren. “That wine is strong, and you don’t want to be throwing up everywhere.”

When they stepped out into the hallway, a bottle of wine in each hand, Annie turned to him and smiled. “I think that was a successful trade.”

Armin shook his head, but he was smiling. “You two need to stop pushing each other so much. He’s too stubborn.”

“We’ve been over this,” said Annie. “I’m more stubborn.”

“Well, I’m not stubborn enough to sleep with you in front of them,” said Armin. “Okay?”

Annie was quiet as they walked for a moment.

“I think that was the first time I heard you call me your girlfriend.”

“Huh?” said Armin, slowing down. “Oh. Well, I say it when you aren’t around, so …”

“You do?” she asked.

“Uh, yeah,” he said. “Do you … want me to stop?”

“No,” said Annie with a shake of her head. “It was just a surprise. No one’s ever called me that, before.”

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “You’ve never …?”

“I already told you before, at Historia’s,” said Annie. “I’ve never really dated anyone before. I’ve just had sex with guys, and to be honest, a lot of it wasn’t that good.”

“Oh,” said Armin, heat rising to his face.

“Sorry,” said Annie, eyebrows furrowing. “I know it’s awkward, talking about that stuff.”

“Uh, no,” said Armin. “It’s not that. It’s just still surprising. You said ‘not really’, when we talked at Historia’s. I thought, maybe, there was someone …”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “You’re the first. Kind of. I guess.”

“Well,” he said as they stopped at her door. “You’re mine, too. I guess we’re fair.”

Annie smiled as the door unlocked. She pushed it open to find it completely empty. “Okay. Another bottle, then?”

“Water, first,” said Armin.

Annie sighed. “If you insist.”

In spite of her protest, she happily accepted glass upon glass of water, and Armin was shocked to find how drunk he still felt after time went by. Maybe the rest of the wine would have to be for another day.

Annie’s music hummed quietly in the background as they sat on her floor, just chatting casually about the night, and laughing with each other, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. They fell quiet for a moment, and Armin kept glancing at her while she looked away, but then her gaze flickered back to him.

“If it helps,” she said, “you’re a way better kisser than any guy I’ve been with. So …”

Armin felt heat creep up his neck. Why had that come back to her mind? “Oh, uh. Thank you.”

Annie’s nose scrunched up. “That was a weird thing to say, wasn’t it?” She dropped her head into her hands and groaned. “Uh, sorry. I’m drunk.”

Armin had never seen Annie second guess herself like this, and he found it awfully endearing. But to be fair, he was just as, if not more so, drunk. “I am, too. Don’t worry about it.”

“Well, I’d rather embarrass myself in front of you than everyone else, too,” she said, taking a sip from her cup of water. “Who’d have thought Jean was such a sweetheart, anyway?”

Armin snorted. “I’m just glad he’s sweet when he’s drunk. Maybe all that other stuff was just big talk, anyway.”

“Hopefully,” said Annie. “I’ll still beat him up if he crosses a line.”

“I know,” said Armin. Then, after gazing at her, slowly sipping at her drink, he said, “Annie? What – what was that forfeit?”

“Oh,” said Annie, dropping his gaze. A tiny smile creeped onto her face. “It’s just a forfeit. It’s silly, anyway.”

“Well, I don’t have to do it,” said Armin. “I just want to know.”

“It’s weird,” she said, shaking her head. “I thought it was funny, at the time.”

“What is it?” he asked.

Annie sighed. “Well … I was just – going to get you to put my thong on.”

Armin paused for a moment. “Uh … you wanted me to put on your thong?”

“Not like that!” she said, a faint flush rising to her cheeks. “I thought it would be funny. I wasn’t going to look at anything. I just wanted to see your little face turn red.”

“Oh,” said Armin after a pause. “Well, there’s easier ways to make me blush.”

“Yeah, but they don’t count as forfeits,” she said. “The other guys would have had to find it funny, too.”

Armin looked at her. In the dim glow of her desk lamp, he could still make out the way her cheeks were dusted pink. He wasn’t sure what made him say it – although it was probably the wine buzzing through his system – but he said, “Do you want me to put it on?”

“Huh?” said Annie, her eyes widening.

He shrugged. “Well, I mean, I can try. I don’t think I’ll really … fit.”

She shook her head. “No, it was – just a silly thing.”

But Armin was determined. “I’ll put it on. I think you’d still look a lot better in it than I would, though.”

“Armin,” she said, letting out a laugh. “You don’t want to. It’s stupid.”

“But you wanted me to,” said Armin. “You said I might want to! I remember now. You said that at bowling.”

“Armin,” she said, giggling now. “No. You’re drunk. We’re both very drunk. You’ll be really embarrassed about it in the morning.”

“It isn’t the morning yet,” he said, trying to get to his feet. But even then, he couldn’t keep his balance, and just planted back on the floor.

Annie couldn’t stop laughing at him now. He pulled himself back up. The joy in her voice made his heart warm.

“God, Armin,” she said, setting her cup aside. “Your glasses are almost off your face.”

She moved forward and kneeled before him, reaching out to straighten his glasses on his face.

Her face was close to his. “You’re far too drunk.”

“You’re drunker,” he said.

She laughed. “I think we’re about on the same level.”

She leaned forward and pressed her head into his neck. She smelled so nice this close – her dark perfume filled his senses, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. Her warm breath was so soft against his skin.

In the silence in between songs, something in the air seemed to change with her chest pressed against his. She pulled back slowly and met his gaze. Her eyes were so dark now. Her mouth came down on his tentatively, so unlike her usual motions, and as his stomach fluttered, he brought his hand to her cheek as her lips moved softly over his.

She pulled back, pressing her forehead against his. “We are very drunk.”

“Very drunk,” he said quietly.

She bit her lip. “How drunk?”

“Not too drunk,” he said.

Annie laughed. Before she could finish, he leaned up and kissed her again.

He could taste the wine on her tongue as his mouth moved against hers. The softness burned away as he pressed up against her, and her fingers came up to tangle tightly in his hair. She pulled his head back and pressed harder, rougher, enough to make him gasp. His head was spinning, drunk from the wine and drunk on her, so close and warm. He was sure he could stay like this forever.

But Annie didn’t want forever, clearly, because her hands left his hair and she grabbed onto his shirt and yanked as she started to get to her feet. “Up.”

He stumbled after her, leaning down to capture her lips again, but they were only together for a few moments before she started pulling at his T-shirt. “Off,” she whispered against him.

Armin didn’t need to be told twice. He grabbed the hem and pulled it over his head, before pulling at Annie’s T-shirt the way she had been tugging at his. She struggled with it over her head, and he helped her get out of it, before smashing their lips back together. They stumbled back, Annie shimmying out of her tights and skirt when he pushed her up against her bed, and before he could lie on the bed, her hands shot down to unbutton his jeans. There was too much wine in his system, and he was too intoxicated by her, for him to even feel hesitant about what they were doing.

Before he knew it, they were on her bed, her legs on either side of him as he kissed her, hard. He could barely remember stripping down, and certainly had no idea where he’d left his glasses. He still had his briefs on, and Annie was just in simple, plain black underwear, and a matching bra, but she still looked stunning. Her breath shuddered when he broke away from her, but his blood was pumping, and something about her face (and maybe the wine) gave him the confidence to tilt her head and press his lips against her neck.

Annie whined and fisted a hand into his hair, pulling hard enough to hurt, but he didn’t care. He tried to imitate what she had done to him in the car, tracing a line from her collarbone up to her ear, and she made another delicious noise at his touch. When he pressed down on the soft skin there and sucked, biting down, she whimpered and, without warning, wrapped her legs tightly around his waist and pulled him down.

He gasped at the contact, his mouth popping off her skin. His hands were practically shaking, gripping onto the pillows by her head, when she tried to raise her hips and grind up against him.

“Armin,” she whispered. “Please.”

A more sober him, one who was less foolish and had more control over this stupid little crush of his, might have realised how wrong this was. But now, she was pressed against him, under his body, and she was oh so beautiful, and she desperately wanted him to keep going. Who was he to refuse?

So, tentatively, he pressed his hips down, trying to roll them against her in the same way she was doing to him, and didn’t get it quite right. He could feel the heat in his face, but he paused, before looking down in between them, readjusting, and rolling his hips again. She gasped at the same time he did, and groaned at the contact when he did again, burying his head in her neck.

He was all too aware of her heat through the thin fabric separating them, and the friction was so delicious he felt lightheaded. He moved again and her fingers tightened in his hair – who would have thought hands so small could do so much damage? He moved again, and she practically whimpered, and he swore under his breath.

He nearly moved again, like she had asked, like she had practically begged him to, when suddenly, her legs tightened, and her arms came around him, hard, and his entire world started spinning.

“Ouch,” she said, pulling her legs from under him.

She had flipped them, now looking down on him, her hair starting to fall out of her bun, cascading around her face. She was like a star in the night sky, what felt like the only light in the room.

Annie’s smile then was so sweet, and his heart warmed at the sight – he wanted to see it again, and then again, until he could see no more. Her lips came down on his, softer now, but just as passionate, and she rolled her hips against his, a lot more expertly than he’d managed, and in a more sober circumstance he would have been ashamed of the noise that came out of his mouth. She pulled away from him for a moment, gaze locked on his, as she grinded down on him. They both gasped at the same time.

Her eyes closed and she gripped his shoulders, her eyebrows furrowing as she moved against him again. “Fuck,” she gasped.

“Fuck,” he agreed, and she laughed, clearly breathless.

Annie leaned forward to kiss him again, making a noise against his mouth as she grinded against him, and he clung tightly to her as if he was afraid he’d fall. She kept kissing him, and it was wonderful, and everything he could want under different circumstances, but then, something changed. He felt something begin to bubble in his chest, and his stomach dropped.

“Hmm,” he said against Annie’s lips, but it was too late, and she wasn’t getting that he needed to pull away.

He could feel the air rising so quickly in his chest that he knew there’d be no way to pry himself away before it was too late. Annie moved his lips against his, and then, as much as he tried to stop it, he burped against her mouth.

Annie jerked back, frozen in place for a moment, looking at him as if he could find any words to say to her. Then she burst into a fit of giggles.

She was laughing so much that her head came to rest on his shoulder, still giggling against his warm skin, and it would have been nice if he hadn’t felt absolutely mortified.

“I’m so sorry,” said Armin. “God, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she said, her laughter slowly fizzling out. When she leaned back up, she was smiling at him. She poked his chest. “We are really, really drunk.”

Armin paused for a moment, but something about her silly expression was too much, and he couldn’t stop the laugh that burst out of him. Annie soon followed, leaning her forehead against his, the sound of her giggles drowning out her music – Armin knew which sound he preferred, anyway.

“We are,” he said, still smiling. “We’re really, really drunk.”

Annie sighed. “We should go to sleep.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “We’re too drunk.”

But Annie didn’t budge. “Can – I just kiss you a little bit more? Then we can just forget about it in the morning.”

Armin felt that warmth again, buzzing through his veins, that only Annie was able to get out of him. “Yeah. That’s okay.”

Annie leaned in and softly kissed him. Her tongue was gentle and he didn’t care about the noise he made this time. He felt it all the way down to his toes, even when she pulled away.

She smiled. “I think it’s time for bed now.”

Armin didn’t want to go to bed, and he definitely didn’t want to forget about it in the morning. But there was too much alcohol in his system, and things had long since been far too hazy, and he just nodded and complied.

They fell asleep tangled in each other’s arms, still.

Armin groaned when the sound of knocking woke him up the next morning. He pulled away from Annie, stumbling to his feet, searching the ground for his glasses until he found them underneath his jeans. He opened the door wide to see Eren, Mikasa, Marco and Jean smiling at him, looking far too excited.

“You look rough,” said Eren.

“I feel it,” said Armin, running a hand through his hair.

“Do you guys know how early it is?” said Annie, pulling herself out of bed.

Armin only noticed now that she was wearing nothing but his shirt and her underwear. When had he given her his shirt? Then again, he had answered the door in just his briefs.

“A forfeit’s a forfeit,” said Mikasa, a grin on her face. She raised a red Sharpie.

Armin’s stomach dropped. “Mikasa. What do you want to do with that?”

Eren pushed past him. “Your forfeit. Obviously.”

They all walked in after him. “How bad is it?” asked Armin.

“Bad,” said Jean, patting him on the shoulder.

“I’ll do your back first!” said Mikasa, popping the lid off the pen.

Armin sighed and relented – there wasn’t much of a way he was getting out of this one, anyway. He could feel the cool ink of the marker move across his skin, and felt as she drew a long line down.

“Hey,” said Annie. “I wasn’t supposed to be a part of this forfeit.”

“Wait – what?” asked Armin, spinning around.

The rest of them were clearly doing all they could not to laugh.

“Oh, you love it,” said Eren, grinning. But then his eyes narrowed. “Annie – what’s that on your neck?”

Annie’s hand shot up, her eyebrows furrowing, before realisation settled upon her, and she dropped his gaze as her face flushed.

Eren nudged him, hard, grinning again. “So you’re the biter.”

Armin’s face turned bright red.

“Yeager, shut your mouth,” said Annie, but Eren was laughing.

“I know who the biter is in your relationship,” said Armin pointedly. “So don’t start.”

“Don’t drag me into this!” said Mikasa.

“You didn’t have to admit it!” said Eren.

“He already knows!”

“Not everyone else did!”

“I did,” said Marco.

“Me too,” said Jean.

“I could have made an educated guess,” said Annie.

“See?” said Mikasa. “Okay, Armin, turn around. I’m doing your front.”

“My front?”

“Yes. Now hurry up.”

Armin let her finish her handy work, and when she was done, she popped the lid back on the pen and stepped back with a grin. “Perfect. Now – there’s more.”

“There’s more?” said Armin.

“Yeah,” she said. “You’re gonna walk across campus.”

Armin’s stomach dropped. “You mean – like this? Naked?”

“Not naked enough to be arrested,” said Mikasa.

He turned to Annie. “How bad is it?”

She was looking at his chest, but there was clear laughter bubbling at her mouth. “It, uh – could be better.”

Armin’s eyes were wide, and then he stepped in front of the mirror, in spite of Mikasa’s protests. He took a few moments to make sense of what Mikasa had scrawled across his chest. ANNIE LEONHART WAS HERE was written in bright red ink, with a big, fat arrow below pointing down towards his underwear.

He spun around and did his best to glance over his shoulder, making out the same arrow on his back. She had clearly written the same thing on both sides.

“Mikasa,” he said. “I can’t go out like this.”

When he turned back around, her phone was up, and it clicked as she snapped a photo of him. She was grinning. “A deal’s a deal.”

His eyes were wide with fear. “Where do you want me to walk to?”

“The other side of campus,” she said. “By the art buildings.”

“That far?” he asked.

“If you’re quick, it should only take ten minutes.”

“I’ll get arrested,” said Armin.

“There won’t be that many people around!” said Mikasa. “Not on a Sunday morning.”

Armin was about to say something, maybe to desperately beg her to suggest anything else, but Annie spoke up. “Just to the art buildings?”

 

Mikasa nodded. “Yeah.”

Annie sighed and moved towards her wardrobe, before pulling out some jeans. “There’s a parking lot over there. I’ll pick you up on the other side. Okay?”

Armin wanted nothing more than her to stay in this room, to argue with Mikasa about making him do this, because if anyone could stand up to her, it would be Annie. But he knew deep in his heart that there was no escaping this. “Okay.”

Annie pulled on her shoes and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Good luck.”

The door clicked shut behind her and they all turned to look at him expectantly, grins pulling at all of their lips.

“Fine,” he said, his stomach sinking. “I’ll go.”

Walking through the dorms wasn’t that bad. It was a Sunday morning – who was really up at this time, anyway? But when the cool morning air hit his skin, he knew his day couldn’t possibly get any worse.

He imagined the others wouldn’t be far behind him, desperate to record him embarrassing himself across campus, so he decided to pick up his pace and move as quickly as possible, without drawing too much attention to himself. Of course, when you walk across campus in nothing but your underwear and a huge red arrow scrawled over your chest and pack, it was hard to fly under the radar.

There were still enough people milling across campus to give him funny looks, to outright laugh and snap photos, and he just ducked his head to avoid them as best as he could, but it was to no avail. He wished he could just dissolve into the ground.

He could hear the others laughing behind him – Eren’s guffawing being the most prominent – and he picked up his pace, feeling his ears burning. He was shocked he didn’t just vomit right then and there from how sick he felt.

But he had been wrong when he’d thought it couldn’t get any worse than that, because as he rounded the corner into the passageway by the science buildings, he crashed into a tiny figure.

“Hey!”

Armin stumbled back. Oh, God. It was Levi – Mikasa called him uncle, didn’t she?

“I’m so sorry!” he said.

Levi’s entire face scrunched up. “Why are you naked?” He squinted at his chest. “Some sort of dare, I’m guessing?”

“I – uh – well …”

Levi tutted. “College kids. They’re all so vile.” His gaze was like steel. “Now get out of here. You’re making this place look filthy. And put some clothes on.”

“Yes, Mr. Ackerman. Sorry, Mr. Ackerman.”

Armin pushed past, hearing Mikasa’s laughter, interrupted by a quick, “Hi, uncle Levi!” and his sullen response: “You need to find cleaner friends.”

Armin was practically speed-walking now, and he felt as if he was only a few moments away from crying. There were still more students walking about, but he was sure it couldn’t possibly get worse than running into Levi. As thought crossed his mind, he turned a corner and finally caught sight of it – the parking lot by the art buildings.

His pace quickened. He caught sight of the shine of Annie’s car, and her form in the driver’s seat. He was sure he had never been happier to see her in his life.

He started running, and before he knew it, he had reached her, yanking open the passenger door and diving in, slamming the door shut hard behind him.

“Hey,” she said with a smile.

“Hey,” he said, practically melting into his seat. His head came down into his hands. “Please drive me out of here.”

“Okay,” she said, starting the engine. “Want to catch a movie or something?”

“No,” he said. “But I could really use a hug.”

Annie stopped for a moment and looked over at him. “Armin, are you crying?”

Maybe things could get worse. He was snivelling like something awful had happened, not like he had just waltzed across campus without a shirt on. “A little.”

Annie shut off the engine. “Hey.”

Her hand fell on his shoulder. “Sorry. I’m just embarrassed. I’m not upset.”

“It’s okay,” said Annie. “It was a mean forfeit. We’ll get them back.”

He shook his head. To think things couldn’t get more embarrassing, and now he was practically tearing up in front of Annie of all people, over a stupid forfeit. “It’s fine.”

Annie sighed. “Hey.”

She leaned and planted a kiss on the back of his head. It took away some of the ache in his skull, at least.

“Let’s watch something in my dorm and order take out,” she said. “And I’ll give you a hug when we get there.”

Armin snorted against his hands.

“Sound good?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “That sounds nice.”

“Okay,” she said. She started the engine again, and soon they were pulling out of the parking lot and driving towards the other end of campus.

Annie’s room was still empty when they got back. Armin collapsed onto her bed and groaned into the pillow. He remembered the way his hands had been digging into the same fabric last night, when he was pressed close to Annie, warm and hot, and –

“Hey,” she said, the bed shifting under her weight. Her fingers were soft in his hair, nothing like last night. Did she remember? Or had she drank too much? He was still too mortified to ask about anything.

“Hey,” he said into the pillow.

He heard her kick off her shoes, and then he felt a weight flop on his back, as Annie lay down on top of him.

“Annie?”

Her hands came up under his shoulders. “You wanted a hug.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Am I crushing you?”

“No. It’s nice.”

“Okay.” Then, she added, “Let me know when you feel like moving. We can probably get most of that Sharpie off.”

“Okay.”

“Okay,” said Annie. He felt her head rest against his neck. He wondered if he could ask her if they could stay like this forever.

“Armin?”

“Hmm?”

“If it helps, I still think you looked cute,” said Annie. “Sharpie and all.”

“Thank you.”

She rested her head against him again and sighed, and could feel her weight shift with her breathing from where she lay on top of him. They stayed like that for a long while, until Armin’s heart started to slow down, and he decided it was time to get that stupid Sharpie off of his skin before it stained even more.

Notes:

This chapter is so long. I honestly didn't expect it to get this long, but I really didn't want to cut it up, so I hope you guys enjoyed the long read. Sorry for any errors in this one, it was harder to edit since it's like, 15,000 words lol.

I'd absolutely love to hear your thoughts, so comments are more than welcome! I hope you enjoyed this one <3

Chapter 8: a little vulnerability

Armin was sure that he already had enough to worry about when he felt the eyes of practically every student on campus boring into him as he walked to his first class on Monday morning. He’d told Annie his concerns, but she assured him that not that many people would have seen him walk across campus so early in the morning. So, his little morning stroll across campus would surely be nothing more than a rumour. But when he walked by a group of girls he’d never spoken to before, and they erupted into whispered giggles, he felt his stomach sink.

He ducked his head until he reached his first class, and sat silently in the lecture hall for the full hour, trying to ignore any poorly concealed glances pointed his way. He hoped that he was just being paranoid – no one had said anything to him all morning, so surely it was all just in his head. Not that many people had seen him walking practically naked across campus, as awful as it had felt at the time. Still, he couldn’t shake his concerns, and the worst was only confirmed when he was walking across the main courtyard and felt something soft slap him in the back.

“Hey, Arlert!”

Armin turned around to see none other than Ymir standing a bit away, grinning at him. He couldn’t say he and Ymir were really friends, but she occasionally made conversation with him whenever she was glued to Historia while she was talking to Eren. There had also been that one time at one of Historia’s parties where she had tried to dangle him by his legs as he downed a keg, although the attempt had been mostly unsuccessful.

“Oh, hey, Ymir,” he said. “How are you?”

“Oh, I’m fine,” she said. “Are you?”

“Uh … I guess?” he said, not entirely sure where she was going.

Her grin fell into a smirk. “I’m guessing you haven’t seen it, then.”

His stomach dropped. “Seen what?”

Ymir shook her head. “I don’t know if I should tell you. You’ll find out one way or another.”

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “What is it?”

“Do you not have Twitter?” asked Ymir.

“I do,” said Armin. “But I haven’t been on it in a while.”

“Oh,” said Ymir, face softening. “Maybe you should.”

“What’s on Twitter that I need to see?” he asked.

Ymir sighed, and reached into her back pocket to pull out her phone. It was an older model, the sight of which surprised him – not that people couldn’t have older phones, but he’d always thought Ymir came from wealth, since she was dating the richest girl on campus. She held out her cracked phone screen to him. “There.”

He recognised the name of the account and winced – Floch Forster, a guy he’d had a class with last semester who’d had some very controversial things to say. He’d also tried to make out with Eren at a party once, although Armin hadn’t been there to witness that, and was more than grateful. Although, he’d wished he’d seen Mikasa nearly snap him in half.

@based_Floch_F
Worth every penny of tuition for sights like this

Below those words were two attached photos, far too high resolution for comfort, of Armin, clad in only his briefs, glasses and red Sharpie, with a pained expression on his face that was far too noticeable. It didn’t help that Mikasa had wrote the messages on his skin in such clear handwriting – although, that was probably the point.

“You’re viral,” said Ymir.

Armin’s eyes widened at the stats. Five hundred retweets? Twenty-six thousand likes? How? It wasn’t even funny.

He felt his face burn bright red.

To her credit, Ymir had long since stopped grinning at him. “I’m sorry, kid,” she said. “Want me to talk to Floch?”

He shook his head. Too many people had seen it, anyway. His face was recognisable, but he was sure he hadn’t been tagged in it. If anything, Annie was most at risk of receiving backlash from it, since her name was clearly visible. “It’s fine.”

Ymir stuck her phone back into her pocket, and tilted her head. “So, you’re really dating Leonhart? I’d heard about it, but I didn’t think it was true.”

Armin was too embarrassed to take a conversation like this at the moment. He wanted to dissolve into the earth and never be seen by another person ever again. He also felt like screaming at Mikasa and Eren for this stupid prank. Still, he managed to say, “Yeah, I am.”

“Well, good for you,” said Ymir. “Honestly, I’d thought she was into girls ever since she made out with that girl at Historia’s.”

Armin’s eyebrows pulled together. “What girl?”

Ymir’s eyebrows furrowed, and she rubbed the back of her head. “Oh, I don’t remember. It was a while ago, I guess, long before you guys got together, I’d say. Wasn’t it her roommate?”

For a moment, Armin thought his heart had stopped. “Hitch?”

Ymir clicked her fingers. “Hitch, that’s it!” She tilted her head. “Good for you that she seems to swing both ways.”

As pathetic as it was, he thought he might vomit. Or maybe cry. He blinked rapidly, not entirely sure what had come over him, and said, “Yeah. Well, thanks for telling me. I’ll see you around, Ymir.”

As he turned to walk away, her voice called out to him. “Historia’s having another party soon! You should come!”

“I’ll think about it!” he said, but Armin wanted to do absolutely no thinking about it.

He strode rapidly to the dorms, not entirely sure where he should go. He wanted to sink into the ground and vanish, but that wasn’t a very realistic option. He debated going back to his room, now not feeling amazing about knocking on Annie’s door with what Ymir had just told him – but the last thing he wanted to do was run into Eren, or him and Mikasa at the same time, because he was sure he would rip their heads off.

He shook his head and took a deep breath. So what did it matter about what Ymir said? Regardless of his feelings, he and Annie weren’t really dating – and his friendship with her was more important. Those photos were mortifying for him, but her name was quite literally written all over them, so it wasn’t fair to leave her in the dark if she didn’t know yet.

After a moment of hesitation, he knocked twice on her dorm room door, feeling his heart catch in his throat when he heard the lock turn. Annie stood before him, just in a hoodie and leggings, with her hair pinned back, looking as beautiful as ever. A part of him desperately wanted to reach out and grab her, to lie in her arms like she’d let him yesterday, but he hesitated.

“Hey,” she said. “Is everything okay?”

“Uh,” he said. “No, not really.”

She stepped back. “Come in. Hitch is out.”

The mention of Hitch’s name sent something hot stabbing into his chest, an unfamiliar feeling when it came to Annie’s roommate, but he tried to ignore it as he stepped in.

“I’m guessing you haven’t seen it yet?” he said as he sat down on her bed.

“Seen what?”

Annie settled beside him, closer than necessary, her leg brushing against his own. He did his best to ignore it, but her proximity was already making him feel more at ease, and he wondered for a moment if he really wanted to have this conversation.

But he finally spoke. “Check Floch Forster’s twitter.”

Her eyebrows drew together. “Who’s Floch Forster?”

He ran a hand over his face and sighed. “Some asshole who has a crush on Eren.”

He gave her his username, and she stared intently at her phone for a few moments, before her eyes widened. Armin felt his face flush, and he collapsed back on the bed.

“Oh God,” said Annie. “That’s horrible.”

Armin’s fingers pinched the bridge of his nose, as if he was trying to fight off a headache. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” she said. “Sorry for what?”

“I’m sorry your name is plastered over the internet like that,” said Armin.

“That isn’t your fault,” said Annie, leaning closer to him. “It was one thing the others taking photos, but a guy you barely know taking some and posting them on Twitter for clout is absolutely despicable.”

Armin felt his eyes burn again. God, he was so embarrassed. But at least Annie didn’t seem upset. “It is what it is. I just thought I should let you know.”

“I’m going to kill him,” said Annie. “If I ever see him, I swear to God, I’ll kill him.”

“The damage has already been done, Annie.”

“Well, no damage has been done to him,” she said. “And I could do plenty.” Before he could answer, she added, “Have you heard from Mikasa and Eren yet?”

“No,” said Armin. “But I don’t know if they know about it. It’s not like they posted it.”

“They owe you a fucking apology.”

Armin opened his eyes. Annie’s face had contorted, jaw clenched and eyebrows arched in rage. She was positively fuming.

“It’s okay,” he said, voice softening. “It’s just a prank.”

“I don’t care if it’s just a prank,” said Annie. “It was a shitty prank. Mikasa’s known you since high school – she’d know how bad that would make you feel.”

“Annie, really, it’s fine.”

But she had no intention of stopping. “I know I could do something like that to Reiner, but Bertholdt wouldn’t be able to take it. She fine well knew you wouldn’t, and she still did it. As much as they joke about me having a bad influence on you, Eren’s clearly had a bad influence on her.”

Armin felt his chest ache. She was right, and he knew it. “Even if Eren helped with the idea, they were both just trying to be funny. There’s nothing we can do about it now.”

Annie was quiet for a moment. “I don’t think that’s true at all.”

He looked over at her. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” she said, leaning even closer towards him, “if it’s just a little prank, surely they won’t mind being pranked back?”

Armin sat back up. “Are you sure you want to start something like that? We’re already getting to them with … well, you know.”

“Yeah, which is clearly why their prank was what it was,” said Annie. “But you seem to be forgetting that they started this.”

He thought about it for a moment. He supposed Eren and Mikasa had begun this, although, they clearly weren’t aware of that fact. Pranking them would just make it even, right? But he knew in his heart he didn’t really have it in him to be mean like that for no good reason.

It was like Annie had read his thoughts. “They won’t be mean. Just annoying. I know how to get under people’s skin without making them cry.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Then what are you thinking?”

Annie’s eyes lit up. “I have a few ideas.”

She had more than a few, as it turned out. He’d started to think that she’d been plotting this out from the moment he’d walked out her dorm yesterday morning covered in red Sharpie. He helped her narrow them down, getting rid of the ones he knew for a fact they wouldn’t be able to handle, until they got to a few that he was certain would tick them off just enough to make them reconsider the prank they’d pulled on him.

“So, this is definitely what you want to do?” he asked, looking down at the list they’d made.

Annie nodded.

“Definitely? The clothes thing is a little much …”

“We can take it off,” said Annie. “I just know the football team used to play pranks on each other like that before. Someone’s done it to Reiner. Are you sure Eren can’t take it?”

Armin considered it. Eren could be a pretty sensitive guy, but he imagined something as simple as his clothes disappearing would only mildly put a damper on his day.

“He probably can,” said Armin.

“Great,” said Annie. “I’ll text Reiner.”

Armin opened his mouth to discuss the next prank and how they would go about it, but then the door started to rattle, like someone had expected it to be unlocked. His heart leapt into his throat and, in spite of his better judgement, he grabbed Annie’s face and brought her lips to his.

She made a small noise against him, but she soon relaxed, and returned his enthusiasm, even as the door swung open.

It was only Hitch’s voice that made them separate. “In the middle of the day?”

Annie looked shockingly flustered, her cheeks tinged pink. “You can kiss someone at any time of the day.”

“But was it just kissing?” said Hitch, pushing the door shut.

Armin wasn’t sure what came over him when he opened his mouth to speak. “It might have been more, if you hadn’t opened the door.”

Hitch’s eyebrows rose. “Well, sorry kids. I’ll be here for a while.”

He sighed and turned to Annie. “I should probably get going, anyway.”

“Okay,” she said, and if he didn’t know better he’d say she sounded disappointed. She leaned forward to kiss him again. “I’ll text you.”

“Okay,” he said, and rose to his feet. He gave her one last smile before he stepped out of the door.

He was relieved to find his dorm room empty when he came back. He knew it would only be a matter of time before Eren saw that Tweet, and he really didn’t want to talk about it further.

With a sigh, he collapsed down onto his bed and let his eyes fall shut. He wasn’t sure how long he lay there in the quiet, but it was long enough that he’d started to doze off, and he nearly leapt out of his skin when his phone started buzzing incessantly by his head.

“Hello?” His voice was groggy even to his own ears.

“Hey, son. Sorry, were you sleeping?”

Armin sat up. It was his Grandpa. “Uh, maybe. Didn’t mean to be.”

His grandfather’s warm laugh came down the phone. “Rough day?”

He thought about what had happened, but he didn’t feel like sharing that information. “It was okay. Just busy.”

“As long as you’re still working hard.”

“Yeah, I am.”

There was a pause. “If you’re busy, I can call another time. I just feel as if I haven’t heard your voice in a while.”

Armin felt a pang in his chest. It was true – he’d been so busy he’d barely thought to call his Grandpa. There had been a few, brief calls, but with what he’d been doing with Annie all the time, he hadn’t wanted to call. Because how could that be explained to his grandfather when he couldn’t even explain it to his friends?

“Sorry, Grandpa.”

“Oh, it’s okay. You’re allowed a life without me, you know.”

Armin rubbed a hand down his face. “How are things over there?”

“Oh, you know. Nothing to complain about. Keeping busy,” he said. “How are things there? Making more friends? How are Mikasa and Marco?”

“They’re okay,” said Armin. “Marco’s got a boyfriend.”

“Well, that’s lovely for him,” said his Grandpa. “Hope the boy’s nice enough.”

“He is.”

There was a pause. “What about you, son?”

“Grandpa.”

“Well, I know you’ve been very busy recently,” said his Grandpa. “You were always good at managing your studies, so I thought there might be a reason.”

Armin swallowed. “I’ve just been hanging out with a friend a lot.”

“A friend?”

“Yes. A friend,” said Armin. “Her name’s Annie.”

“Annie,” said his Grandpa. “Is there a reason you’ve never mentioned her before?”

“I just didn’t think it was enough to mention,” said Armin.

There was another pause down the line. “You like the girl, don’t you?”

Armin felt his palms grow sweaty. “I … I guess?”

“Is she your girlfriend?”

“No! She’s just my friend.”

“Does she know how you feel?”

“I don’t think so,” said Armin.

“Does she like you?”

“I …”

“Armin, son. Don’t be awkward about this.”

“It’s an awkward conversation, Grandpa.”

“Well, from the sounds of it, it doesn’t seem like you’ve talked to anyone about this, so I think talking to me about it might be good for you. I was married once, you know.”

His Grandpa’s perceptiveness seemed to be an Arlert trait.

“I don’t know if she likes me,” said Armin finally. “I don’t. She’s really … cool. And I’m just me.”

“Now, don’t say that about yourself. You’re a wonderful young man. She’d be lucky to have you.” Then, he added, “Well, the only way to find out is to tell her how you feel.”

Armin rubbed the back of his neck. “But what if she doesn’t feel that way? She’s still my friend. I don’t want to ruin that because I have a crush on her.”

“Well, if she doesn’t feel the same way, you’ve just got to hope that your friendship is strong enough to take it. But if she does – I think that would be wonderful for you, son.”

Armin stayed quiet for a long time, feeling his face burn.

His Grandpa spoke again. “You’ve got to tell the people you love that you love them before it’s too late. You never know when you’ll be able to say it again.”

Armin’s chest tightened. He knew when his Grandpa got like this he was referring to their family, which had dwindled down to two since his parents’ deaths.

“Grandpa …”

“I mean it, son.”

“I’m not in love with Annie, okay?”

“Not yet,” he said. “That takes time.”

“Grandpa.”

“Sorry, son. Just do yourself a favour and let her know. It’s for the best, regardless of what she feels.”

Armin knew in his heart that his grandfather was right. That didn’t make it any easier, though. “I will. I’ll try.”

“Good. I’ll also have to go soon – Cheers is on.”

Armin managed a smile. His Grandpa loved reruns of those old shows. “Okay. I’ll try and call more often.”

“Thank you, son. I love you very much, and I’ll talk to you later.”

“I love you, too. See you later.”

The call ended with a beep, and Armin collapsed back down onto his bed. His thumb and finger gripped the bridge of his nose. Well, now someone was actually holding him accountable. But then again, he wasn’t sure if he wanted that at all. He rolled over and groaned into his pillow. What a shitty day.

The next day wasn’t so bad, but people were still laughing at him. By Wednesday, when he and Annie planned their first prank, he was feeling quite frankly vengeful. Annie met him at his dorm with a devilish grin on her face that nearly took his breath away. She was holding two cups of coffee.

“Is this involved?” he asked, taking one from her hands.

“No, I just thought I’d be nice,” said Annie. “Is that allowed?”

He smiled. “Of course it is.”

“Okay,” she said, pulling out her phone. “Football practise ends soon, so it shouldn’t be long. Wait, take this a second.”

She handed him her coffee, before shrugging her backpack off of her shoulder, and pulling out an oversized black hoodie. She was already wearing a similar one.

“This is for you,” said Annie.

“A hoodie?”

“Yeah, put it on,” she said. “So he won’t notice us right away.”

Armin thanked her for it, and shrugged it on. It was big on him, so he imagined if she wore it, she’d be practically drowning in it.

“Okay,” she said, pulling the hood over her head. She took her coffee from him and grabbed onto his hand. He felt his heart skip. “Let’s go.”

The walk to the football field didn’t take as long as it should have, although maybe it just felt shorter when Annie was talking to him. She usually wasn’t so animated, but he could tell the idea of vengeance was getting her blood pumping.

“Armin?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re staring.”

He turned his head away and flushed. “I – uh, I’m sorry.”

She squeezed his hand. “I’m just teasing you.”

They were quiet for a few moments more, but by the time either of them opened their mouths to speak, they had already reached the football field. Eren always used the showers in the locker rooms after practise before heading back to the dorm – or, at least according to Reiner, he always did. This little prank sort of entirely relied on him.

It was cruel, Armin thought, but Annie had convinced him that what had been done to him was cruel enough. Of course, it had been a forfeit Mikasa had picked, but Eren had enjoyed watching it just as much. And who’s to say he wouldn’t have picked the same thing if he had won the bowling match?

They leaned against the wall in the hallway by the locker rooms. They’d enter from the other side, straight from the field, instead of walking back through the building. But this way was quicker back to the dorms, so Eren would definitely leave this way. Annie’s phone was gripped in her hand, preparing to capture Eren’s misery live.

He looked at her gaze at something on her phone, and then she rolled her eyes and sighed as it pinged.

“What is it?” asked Armin.

She sighed. “Just Hitch being Hitch. Telling me things I don’t need to know.”

“Like what?”

“Oh, just …”

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. Her cheeks had turned pink, and she seemed to be looking away. He felt his stomach twist – it couldn’t be, could it?

“Telling me about some ungodly thing she tried with Marlowe,” said Annie. “And said that you and me should try it.”

Armin’s face warmed. “You and me?”

“Yeah,” said Annie. “Us.”

“Uh … what is it?”

Annie turned her phone to him, and he read the message. His face burned deeper. “BDSM?”

“Something like that,” said Annie, shoving her phone into her pocket.

“Hitch is … into BDSM?”

“Hitch is into a lot of things, including making me uncomfortable,” said Annie, and then she smirked. “Although, Eren would probably piss his pants if he walked in on you blindfolded and tied to the bed. Especially if I was in lingerie. Maybe heels.”

He hated how quickly the image of her like that formed in his head, and he hated the way it sent a spark down south. He tried to think of something different, the blandest thing in the world, but when nothing came to mind, he decided just to change the conversation with whatever spilled out of his mouth first.

“Annie, are you into girls?”

Annie’s eyebrows rose. “Excuse me?”

Armin nearly banged his head against the wall. Was that really the first thing he could think of? “I … uh, sorry, that was a weird thing to ask.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Did you just ask me if I’m into girls?”

He wanted to disappear. “I’m sorry!”

“What, is that a fantasy of yours, or something?” asked Annie. “I didn’t think a threesome was on the table.”

“It isn’t!” said Armin desperately. “We haven’t even had sex yet!”

Annie cocked an eyebrow at him and smirked. “Yet?”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he groaned. “God, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” she said. “Why’s this come up, anyway?”

Armin looked at her. Her gaze was always so cold. “Someone said something.”

Annie’s eyes narrowed. “Who said what?”

“I …” Armin rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. “Ymir told me about the whole photo thing, and she found out we were dating and she said she saw you kissing Hitch one time, and …”

“Ymir told you I made out with Hitch?” she said, cocking an eyebrow.

He nodded. “Yeah, and she said that … that you’re …”

“What?” she asked. “A lesbian?”

Armin suddenly felt very embarrassed. “Well … yeah.”

Annie suddenly burst out laughing. “Armin, do you think I’m a lesbian?”

“Well … I don’t think so,” he said.

“You don’t think?” she asked, and shook her head. “Armin … you are absolutely dense sometimes. Do you not remember the other night after we came back to my dorm?”

When they had been pressed together, her hips grinding down onto his. He flushed. “Yeah, I do.”

“I thought that would have been enough to convince you I have some sort of attraction to men,” she said, and shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter to me that much, honestly. But I’m definitely into guys, too. I’ve fooled around with them enough to know.”

Not for the first time, Armin wanted to dissolve into the floor beneath him. “But … what about what she said about Hitch?”

“Armin, I think you were at that party,” she said. “But I’m pretty sure you were wasted. You were there with Eren, and he and Ymir were trying to lift you up to drink from that keg.”

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “I didn’t see you there.”

“I don’t think you saw much of anyone,” said Annie. “Someone suggested playing spin the bottle like we were in high school, and I just wanted to make sure Hitch was okay, so I played, too. Everyone thought you were too drunk to play, and Eren said if you were sober you’d be too embarrassed, so he just took you home.”

Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t remember getting home that night. To be honest, he couldn’t remember Eren even being involved in the keg incident.

“So … you were just playing spin the bottle?” asked Armin.

Annie nodded. “Yeah. Honestly, I’m glad it landed on me, because she was too drunk to be sticking her tongue down other people’s throats. She practically passed out after. People said I’d given her the kiss of death for like three weeks.”

All Armin could manage to say was, “Oh.”

Annie shook her head. “Did you think I have a crush on Hitch or something?”

“No! Nothing like that!” he said.

She smirked. “I’m noticing a hint of jealousy.”

“I’m not jealous!” he said, ears burning. “I – I just …”

“Wanted me all to yourself?” asked Annie.

“No! We’re not – we’re not even –”

“We’re not actually dating, I know,” she said with a sigh. Then she added, “If it makes you feel any better, you’re a better kisser. Far, far too much tongue for my tastes. It was like being kissed by a dog.”

“Oh,” was all he could say.

“She’s really into Marlowe, anyway, so don’t worry about her liking me,” said Annie. “She’d have to be, with that haircut of his.”

“I can’t say much about that,” said Armin.

“You have nice hair,” she said. “And it was nice before, too. You look nicer, now, I think – more mature.”

His eyebrows rose. “You liked it before?”

She shrugged. “It was cute.” Before he could answer, she said, “Anyway, if we’re on the subject, are you into guys?”

His face burned. “Uh, no.”

“Really? You’ve been friends with Marco for years. He’s pretty cute.”

“If I was, we probably would have made out by now,” said Armin. “I think Mikasa and Marco have actually made out, once. I didn’t take the invitation.”

Annie snorted. “Of course not.” Then, she added, “Not like you needed the practise, anyway. You’re a really good kisser.”

“Well … thanks,” he said, not meeting her gaze. “I, uh … think you’re pretty good, too.”

“Yeah, well. I’m pretty talented with my tongue,” she said.

“Annie.”

“Well, you won’t find that out,” said Annie, but then she smiled. “Yet.”

“I didn’t mean it, I just misspoke!”

“I know. I’m just teasing,” she said, and placed her coffee cup on the ground against where she stood, before she took a step towards him.

He swallowed. She took another step forward, and then she was right before him, her hand on his chest, her eyes gazing up at his.

“Annie,” he said, but he wasn’t sure what else to say after that. Could she feel his heart pounding beneath her fingers?

“Reiner’s going to be out in a minute,” she said softly.

Armin knew what she was suggesting. “Do you … want me to?”

Annie nodded, and leaned up towards him. He felt a shudder run through him as their lips pressed together.

She tasted like coffee, and incredibly sweet, her tongue gliding over his expertly, enough to make him groan. She gripped his shirt tighter, and he got the message, and pressed harder against her mouth. He took control of the kiss, and she made a noise against his lips that made his heart race. Then, without warning, he flipped them around so her back was flat against the wall. She gasped, and moved her hands up to tangle in his hair, but he caught her wrist before she could, and interlaced their fingers. She gripped his hand back just as hard.

When they separated, their breathing was shaky and their lips swollen.

Annie swallowed. “He’s not out here yet.”

“I know,” said Armin, dropping her hand. Then, he leaned forward and gently brushed his lips over her neck.

Annie gasped and shivered, gripping onto him as if she would fall. He knew this isn’t what he should be doing. Of course, he wasn’t a complete idiot – she was enjoying this. But that didn’t mean it was because it was him. She was the one who told him what she’d done in high school with guys she wasn’t dating, people who she just didn’t have feelings for – just because she liked this didn’t mean she liked him. But he couldn’t help but revel in satisfaction when little noises escaped her lips, when she shuddered and tightened her fingers in his hair at his movements.

He bit down into her flesh, and she nearly moaned, and he sucked at the skin there until he was sure it would leave a mark. Her body pressed back against him, as if she was trying to get even closer, but they were already flush where they stood. She whined when his teeth brushed against her flesh again, and he didn’t miss the quiet “Oh, fuck,” as he repeated what he did before.

He was sure he could stand in this hallway with her forever.

But forever wasn’t very long, because soon enough, the door to the locker room slammed open.

“Woah, that’s kinky,” said Reiner.

Armin pulled away from Annie and turned to see a grinning Reiner, still in his football gear, holding a pile of clothes under his arms.

“I thought you liked PDA,” said Annie.

“Only when it involves me,” said Reiner. “But as long as you’re having fun.” Before Armin or Annie could say anything else, Reiner added, “Now, if you wanna film this, get around that corner. He won’t go that way. Just stay out of sight. I need to get out of here as soon as possible.”

“Thanks, Reiner,” said Annie. “I owe you one.”

“No worries. This is just as fun for me,” he said with a grin. Then, without another word, he took off down the hall.

Before Armin could think, Annie’s hand latched around his wrists and yanked him around the corner. She pulled his hood over his head, and then her own, before pulling out her phone again in wait of Eren.

It wasn’t long before the rest of the football team came pouring out of the locker room, but Eren was nowhere in sight. Armin decided it would be a while before he gave up on calling anyone on the team before he would try to sprint back to campus by himself. Armin knew Mikasa was busy in a class, and he wasn’t going to answer his phone to bring him any clothes – he’d long since put it on silent.

But then, the door slammed open, and there was that familiar voice. “Hey! Whoever did this, I’ll kill you!”

He was stood in the doorway, and it only took a few moments for Armin to realise that Eren hadn’t noticed their hiding place. They could hear him breathing by the door, clearly debating what to do. Then, they heard his feet take off down the corridor.

Annie swung around with her phone and started filming, and Armin had to bite down on his tongue to hold back his laughter. Eren was completely bare, doing his best to cover his private parts as he awkwardly ran away towards his dorm room, muttering curses and promises to kill whoever did this to him.

Only when they couldn’t hear his feet against the cool floor did they finally let themselves explode.

“Oh God,” said Annie, nearly holding her sides from how hard she was laughing. “That was so good.”

Armin was still supressing his laughter when Annie grabbed onto his hand with a grin. His heartrate picked up.

“Come on, let’s clear out,” said Annie. “Phase two’s gonna start soon.”

“Already?” he asked, letting her drag her down the hallway.

“Not yet, but you need to talk to Sasha,” she said. “Wanna go see a movie?”

He smiled. “That sounds great.”

Armin only checked his phone when he slid into the seat next to Annie in her car. As she revved up the engine, he caught sight of the ten missed calls from Eren, and momentarily felt a stab in his chest. It was pretty cruel, he supposed. But then, Eren could take it – he would never dare to do something like that to Mikasa. Plus, Eren had been overjoyed at his suffering the other day, and even now, he hadn’t said anything about what Floch had posted. Maybe he had him blocked – he was a creep, after all – but by now, he was sure he must have seen it. He shook his head.

“What is it?” asked Annie.

“Ten missed calls from Eren,” he said.

She snorted. “Well, maybe he should be nicer to you and then you’d pick up.”

“Yeah,” he said.

After a long pause, she added, “Text him. Tell him your phone was in your bag and you didn’t see it. He’ll be back by your dorm by now.”

“Yeah,” said Armin, and he pulled up Eren’s name and started typing.

ME
Is everything okay?

The text pinged through in a few moments.

FREEDOM FIGHTER
It is now
Don’t worry about it

ME
Are you sure?

FREEDOM FIGHTER
Yeah
The football guys just pranked me
I’ll kill whoever did it though

ME
What did they do?

FREEDOM FIGHTER
Not telling

ME
As long as you’re okay now

Eren sent a thumbs up in response.

He wasn’t surprised that Eren didn’t tell him – he was clearly mortified. Eren was too prideful to let something so embarrassing slip.

“He doesn’t think it was us,” said Armin.

“Well, it technically wasn’t,” said Annie. “But everything else will be.”

Armin glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Her lips still looked so pink from when he’d kissed her before, but he knew it was all just in his head. But he couldn’t help when his eyes drifted to her neck where he had left red marks on her skin, and he flushed.

“What are you staring at?” she asked.

“Oh, sorry,” said Armin. “It’s just … uh …”

“Just what?” she asked.

“Your neck is … sort of …”

“Covered in hickeys?” she asked. “I figured. You weren’t exactly being careful.”

His face heated up even more. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Wasn’t like I was complaining,” said Annie. “Anyway – can you deal with horror movies or will I have to hold your hand?”

As it developed, she didn’t have to hold his hand at first, but she was clearly dealing more with the horror on the screen than he was. At one jump-scare, he nearly launched himself out of his seat, sending some of his popcorn flying. After that, Annie gripped his hand tightly, and she held the popcorn.

That night, he left her at their dorm and came back to his to find Eren curled up in what could only be described as the foetal position.

“Hey,” said Armin. “Are you okay?”

Eren didn’t answer.

“Is Mikasa coming over?” he asked.

“No, she’s having a ‘girl’s night’ with Sasha,” he said from beneath the covers.

“Is something up?” asked Armin.

“Nah,” said Eren, pulling himself into a sitting position. His hair was messy, as if he’d been sleeping. “Just still angry.”

“Oh,” said Armin. “I’m sorry. But those football guys do stuff like that all the time, right?”

“I mean, yeah, but it’s never happened to me!” said Eren.

“What exactly happened?” asked Armin.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” said Eren, dropping his head into his hands. “Just know it’s lucky that I wasn’t arrested.”

“That bad?” he asked, settling down onto his own bed.

“Yeah,” said Eren, dropping his hands. “I mean, we’ve done something like that to Reiner before, but I didn’t expect it to happen to me.” Then his eyes widened. “Oh my God, it was Reiner. It must have been Reiner.”

Armin felt his stomach drop. “Hey, don’t worry about it. It’s just a prank.”

“I’m going to kill him,” said Eren.

“Do it in the morning,” said Armin. “Let’s just watch something and take the edge off. Want some wine?”

This seemed to be enough to distract him. His eyes lit up, and for the rest of the night, Eren didn’t mention killing Reiner once. Although, Armin sent a quick text to Annie to let her know he’d figured it out, just in case Reiner caved and told Eren who gave him the idea.

The next morning, Armin went into town and got what he needed to begin his bribery. He knew Mikasa would be busy, but he wasn’t too sure about Sasha. But when he knocked on the door and was met with her beaming face, his shoulders relaxed.

“Hey,” she said, and not for the first time, he was shocked she wasn’t eating.

“Hey, Sasha,” he said, and held out the bag in his arms. “I got you some sushi.”

Her eyes lit up. It was just to-go stuff in a little plastic box, but it clearly sent Sasha’s heart racing. She yanked the bag from his hands, and gestured for him to come in.

“Oh my God,” she said as she took a bite into a dynamite roll. “That’s so good.”

He smiled. “That’s good.”

“What’s up, anyway?” she said as she chewed. “Is everything okay with you and Annie? Or do you need to start staying over again?”

To say him and Annie were ‘okay’ would be a stretch, but they were still friends, and still dating in everyone else’s eyes. So he said, “No, we’re fine. I just had a different favour to ask.”

She swallowed. “What is it?”

He decided it would be best to be direct. “Would you be able to let me in here when Mikasa is out so I can wrap up her side of your dorm?”

Sasha just stared at him. “What did you say?”

“I’m pranking Mikasa,” said Armin.

“Ooooh,” said Sasha, and then her eyebrows drew together. “And you want to … wrap her room up?”

“With wrapping paper,” he clarified.

“Uh, I don’t know, Armin,” she said. “Is this because she pranked you?”

“Yeah.”

“I saw the photo,” she said, and her face scrunched. “Floch is an asshole.”

Armin felt his stomach twist. Probably everyone he knew on campus had seen that photo, but knowing that and hearing it were two different things entirely. He rubbed the back of his neck. “So will you?”

“Well, I’m not really sure,” she said. “Mikasa’s one of my closest friends. And I don’t really want to get on her bad side.”

“What if I took you out to an all you can eat buffet?” he asked.

Her eyes lit up. “For free?”

“Definitely,” he said. “And Connie can come, too.”

“Like – an actual all you can eat …?”

“Anywhere you want,” said Armin. “Annie has a car, so if you don’t mind, she can take us. There’s a Chinese place, but there’s also somewhere that does ‘flavours of the world’, so it’s basically traditional food from everywhere that you can try.”

“That one,” said Sasha. “Let’s go to that one.”

He was surprised she wasn’t drooling. “But I can get into your dorm?”

She nodded furiously. “She’s on a date with Eren on Friday, so you can wrap up her side. We can go to the buffet tomorrow night.”

He smiled. “Thank you, Sasha.”

“But make sure you don’t go wrapping up any of my stuff!” she said pointedly.

Armin raised his hands. “I won’t! Make sure it’s all on your side so I don’t miss anything.” Then, he added, “Oh, and there’s another thing.”

Sasha’s eyebrows raised. “Another thing?”

“I’m going to paint something on your door,” he said. “But it’ll wash off.”

“How bad is it?” she asked.

“As bad as what Mikasa wrote on me,” he said.

After a moment, Sasha nodded. “Okay. But if she asks, I knew nothing about it. Just say I left the dorm open by accident.”

“Okay,” he said. “Thanks again.”

“It’s fine, I get a free all you can eat buffet,” she said.

He sent Annie a text to let her know the plan once he had left Sasha’s room. She sent him an okay with a little, red heart. He looked at his phone for far too long, before tucking it into his back pocket, warmth spreading across his chest. Dammit. Maybe his Grandpa was right.

He was still thinking about that stupid, little, red heart when he knocked on her dorm the next night. When she opened the door, Annie stood before him in a black skirt with chains, fishnet tights that made his throat tighten, and – was that a Soul Eater shirt?

His eyes narrowed at her chest. It was grey and oversized, and had a manga panel of Maka holding her scythe.

“Since when did you own that?” he asked.

She shrugged. “I sort of bullied you to dress more like me. I thought it wouldn’t hurt to wear things you might like.”

“I’ve never mentioned Soul Eater,” he said.

“Neither have I,” said Annie, stepping out into the hall. “Just figured you would have watched it when you were a teenager.”

“Why?”

She twisted her key in the lock. “The excessive fan service.”

His eyebrows shot to his hairline. “No! I didn’t watch it because of that – I just … I thought it was cool!”

“Sure,” she said, but there was a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “Maka was my favourite, anyway.”

Maka being her favourite wasn’t surprising in the slightest. “I used to like Death the Kid,” he said.

She took his hand in hers. “That makes sense.”

“What does that mean?”

“Wasn’t he like, the fan favourite?”

“I always thought Maka was pretty popular. At least for an MC.”

“I guess, especially for a female one,” she sighed. “Anyway, where are we meeting Sasha and Connie?”

Sasha and Connie were waiting in the parking lot for them. They were both dressed casually, with Connie in his team’s letterman jacket and a goofy grin on his face. Sasha waved them over when she saw them.

“This is your car?” asked Sasha, eyes wide as she looked around in the back.

“Yeah,” said Annie, revving the engine.

“It’s so cool,” said Sasha.

“It’s sick,” agreed Connie.

“Thanks, but it’s just a regular car,” said Annie.

“I don’t have one,” said Connie. “So I think it’s cool.”

“I thought you drove, Connie?” asked Annie.

“He crashed his truck last semester and he hasn’t gotten it fixed,” said Sasha.

“Hey!” said Connie.

“He’s too afraid to tell his parents, so it’s just still sitting in the parking lot,” said Sasha.

“I was wondering who owned that thing,” said Annie. “It looks like it’s been hit by a train.”

“I swerved into a tree to miss a bird,” he mumbled.

“A bird?” asked Armin. “Connie … don’t they – fly out of the way?”

“Well, it didn’t look like it was gonna!” he said.

“It did,” clarified Sasha.

“You’re making me sound like an idiot,” said Connie.

“You’re making yourself sound like an idiot,” said Sasha.

“Speak for yourself!”

“I’m literally not saying anything to make myself sound stupid.”

Their bickering seemed to continue until they reached the buffet, but Armin didn’t mind listening to them since they seemed comfortable enough. Sometimes, it felt like he was actually introducing his girlfriend to his friends, and he could feel himself getting nervous. Annie’s reputation had proceeded her, but at least Sasha and Connie had seemed unfazed. Sasha herself barely even seemed surprised when she found out they were dating. She’d probably be more surprised to find out that they weren’t, in fact, actually dating.

He pushed that thought from his mind as they walked into the buffet. Sasha’s eyes were practically glowing, and he was shocked to find that she wasn’t drooling. When they immediately were shown past the line and taken to a table, she’d practically grown feral.

“Did you reserve a table?” she asked.

“We knew you wouldn’t be able to last in the line,” said Armin with a smile.

There were tears in her eyes. “Thank you.”

Sasha was still the last one to sit back at the table, but her plate was piled high with foods that had probably never been on the same plate together before. She practically inhaled everything on it as soon as she sat down – Armin was shocked she didn’t choke.

“This place is amazing,” said Connie, ripping into the spicy chicken wings he’d gotten from the American stall.

“I don’t know how you didn’t know about it,” said Armin. “Considering, you know … Sasha.”

Sasha made some noise through her mouthful of food, but she was clearly too engrossed in what she was eating to try and fully engage in the conversation.

“I don’t think she’s ever been on this side of town,” said Connie.

“Well, now you know,” said Armin.

“Hey,” said Annie, holding out some sort of sushi roll between chopsticks. “Try this.”

She pushed it towards his mouth, and he did his best to get it from the chopsticks without too much falling from his mouth, but some rice still dribbled out. Annie snorted as he covered his mouth to chew.

“It’s crab,” she said. “Have you ever had it?”

He shook his head and swallowed. “It’s nice.”

“It’s the sauce,” she said. Then, she looked over at the other two. “The desserts are upstairs, by the way. And drinks. They have normal stuff, but they also have fancy cocktails – their hot chocolates are good.”

“Wait, are they alcoholic?” asked Connie.

Annie nodded. “Yeah, they’re Baileys. And they don’t really ID here. I’d send Sasha, though. She looks the oldest.”

“Hey!” said Connie.

Annie’s stare was blank. “She’s also a pretty girl. And that server has been staring at her ever since she went to his station, so I think she’s your best bet.”

“Huh?” asked Sasha through a mouthful of food.

Connie swivelled around in his chair and narrowed his eyes at where Annie was looking, and his face broke out into a grin. “I think you’ve got an admirer, Sasha.”

“Huh?” she said again.

“The blonde over there,” said Connie, not even trying to be subtle.

“Oh my God,” said Sasha, eyes lighting up. “The food he was making was so good.”

Armin squinted over at stall. It was some sort of seafood stall, Mediterranean from the looks of it. And even from here, he could make out the red tint on the guy’s face from being caught throwing glances over at the table.

“Maybe don’t stare too much,” said Armin. “You don’t want to scare him off.”

“He looks old enough to buy you a drink,” said Annie pointedly, taking a bite into another sushi roll.

“Hey, yeah!” said Connie, nudging Sasha. “Go ask him to buy you a drink. Us all a drink.”

“I’m driving,” said Annie. “So I’m getting a mocktail at best.”

“Oh,” said Connie, shoulders sinking. “I can drive if you want to drink.”

“I don’t want you crashing my car,” said Annie. “I’d rather you just have a drink.”

Connie frowned. “Hey!”

“She’s kind of got a point,” said Sasha through her next mouthful.

“You’ve said enough about my truck today!” he said.

“Well, I wouldn’t have anything to say if you hadn’t crashed it,” said Sasha.

Connie folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. “Just go flirt with him and get us some drinks,” he said. “Those hot chocolates sound so good.”

“I’m not flirting with him just to get you drinks!” said Sasha.

“Come on, he’s cute!” said Connie.

Sasha flushed. “If you think he’s so cute, why don’t you flirt with him?”

“He wasn’t looking at me!”

“Do you think he’s cute, Sasha?” Armin cut in.

“Huh?”

“The guy over there,” he said, nodding towards the stall.

Sasha’s blush deepened. “I guess. But I don’t even know his name.” Then she added, “And he does make really good food …”

“See?” said Connie, putting an arm over Sasha’s shoulder. “Just picture it. First date, he invites you over and cooks you the best meal you ever ate. And after that? Imagine a guy who can cook that well every night.”

Sasha was nearly drooling again.

“Okay,” said Armin, rising to his feet. “I want to see how nice his food is.”

“Try the lobster,” said Sasha, eyes glazed over like she was daydreaming about it. “It was beautiful.”

He smiled. “Okay.”

He approached the stall where the blonde man stood behind, working at the oven behind the counter, his back to him. “I’ll just be a minute,” he called back.

Armin waited until he came over with a smile, which faltered slightly when he realised who stood before him. “Uh, what can I get you?”

“Do you have any lobster?” said Armin, and the man nodded.

“Yeah, just a minute,” he said. “Anything else?”

“The mussels, please,” said Armin, and the man nodded, before loading some onto the side of his plate.

When Armin took the plate from him, he said, “Her name’s Sasha, by the way.”

The man’s face flushed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“It’s fine,” said Armin. “She loves your food.”

His eyes widened. “She does?”

Armin nodded and smiled. “Yeah, that’s why I’m here.” Then, he added, lowering his voice, “But just so you know, she likes those Baileys hot chocolates. And she also likes guys who are generous to her friends.”

The man paused for a moment, before he smiled and nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”

“What were you talking about?” asked Sasha, concerned.

“Did you flirt with him?” asked Annie.

Armin shook his head. “I was just talking to him about seafood. Not much.” Then, he picked up a mussel and held it out to her. “Mussel?”

“You know just what to say,” said Annie, taking it from him.

But she’d clearly never encountered one before, because she looked at it for a moment, before confidently sticking her tongue inside and looking over at him. It might have affected him in some way if she’d successfully pulled it out with her tongue, but the realisation that she was doing this entirely wrong soon flashed across her face. Still, she persisted, desperately trying to pull the mussel out, until Armin couldn’t stop the small laugh from bursting out of his mouth.

He picked up his fork and stabbed it into the shell of one on his plate and pulled the meat out, before holding it out to Annie. “Here. Try this one.”

Annie flushed, and pulled away from the shell she’d basically been sucking on, and bit the meat off of his fork. “Thanks,” she muttered.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

She swallowed. “It’s nice.”

“It’s nicer when you aren’t just licking the shell,” he teased.

She nudged him with her elbow. “Don’t push your luck.”

“Can I have one?” asked Sasha, eyes glowing.

“Yeah, me too!” said Connie.

“Go ahead,” said Armin, and they both practically dived onto his plate. He didn’t mind sharing, anyway.

“Did Jean ever get back to you about those designs?” asked Armin.

“Oh, yeah,” said Annie. “Reiner had some big ideas, and Bert had no opinion, as usual, so he’s working on a few of them and he’s just gonna text us when they’re ready.”

“That’s cool,” said Armin.

“Yeah,” said Annie. “Reiner wanted one with just him on and the band name, though. Even Jean thought he was an idiot for that idea.”

Armin laughed. “It must be bad for Jean Kirstein to think it’s wrong.”

“You can say that again,” said Annie.

Connie opened his mouth to say something – probably to ask why Jean was designing merchandise for Annie’s band – but before he could speak, a server approaching their table with four piping hot cups of hot chocolate on a tray.

She smiled. “Four Baileys hot chocolates?”

Armin smiled. “Yeah, those are for us.”

The cups were set in front of them, all of them momentarily confused, before Annie spoke up.

“Sasha, I think this one was meant for you,” said Annie, pushing it across the table.

“Huh?” she asked, eyebrows furrowing, before she noticed the yellow note on the cup.

“Hey, let me get a look at that!” said Connie, taking it from her before she could protest.

“Hey, give me that!” said Sasha.

“To Sasha, I hope you and your friends like these. And,” said Connie, the excitement bubbling in his voice, “if you like my cooking that much, I’d love to cook for just you some time. From Niccolo.” Then Connie added, “And he left his phone number!”

Sasha snatched the note from his hand, but her face was bright red.

Annie poked his arm. “So you did flirt with him.”

“I didn’t flirt with him,” said Armin.

“You flirted with him for Sasha, it seems,” said Annie.

Armin smiled apologetically at Sasha. “Sorry if you didn’t want his number.”

But Sasha was looking over at the stall where Niccolo stood, who caught her eye and gave her a smile and an awkward wave. The wave Sasha sent back was just as awkward.

“Thank you for getting his number,” said Sasha, smiling to herself. Her cheeks were tinged pink.

“Oh,” said Armin, and smiled. “You’re welcome.”

She was stealing glances over at the blonde, and Armin noticed when she saved his number to her phone under the table. She’d stopped inhaling food at an ungodly rate, and was just sipping slowly at her hot chocolate.

Annie nudged him. “Here, have mine, too.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

She nodded. “I don’t really like drinking at all when I drive. Not risking it.”

“Are you trying to get me drunk?” he asked.

“You’re cute when you drink,” she said. “But I was just trying to be nice.”

“Okay,” said Armin.

“Unless you guys want it?” asked Annie, looking between Connie and Sasha.

They shook their heads.

“Not when you guys are paying,” said Connie. “One is enough.”

He had to give her credit, the hot chocolates were absolutely delicious. The first one didn’t do very much to him, but the second one made him feel a bit more light-headed and giddy. He suspected Niccolo had them made extra strong as a treat, but he probably hadn’t expected he’d be drinking two of them.

“I’m just gonna head to the bathroom,” said Sasha abruptly.

Connie nodded, but when she was gone, he turned to the two of them. “So, uh, Annie, what’s with Jean and these shirts? I thought you hated him.”

“Not really,” said Annie. “He offered to make me shirts for the Traitors, so we’ve been going through designs.”

“Huh. That’s shockingly nice of him,” said Connie.

“That’s a nice way to talk about your friend,” said Annie flatly.

“Hey, I love him, but he’s not always been the friendliest,” he said. Then, he added, “He has warmed a bit since he started dating Marco.”

“Clearly, he’s good for him,” said Armin, shovelling more food into his mouth.

“At least someone’s a good influence,” said Annie, and Armin snorted.

Connie’s eyebrows furrowed. “Huh?”

Armin shook his head. “Eren and Mikasa keep joking about how Annie is a bad influence on me.”

“I don’t think Eren’s joking,” said Annie pointedly.

“Oh, well,” said Connie. “Eren’s not really a good influence on anyone, so I wouldn’t take it personally.”

Annie laughed. Connie was clearly surprised he’d gotten such a positive reaction from her, and he beamed.

But then, she nearly jolted out of her seat. She pulled her phone out of her purse. “Oh, it’s my dad. I have to take this.”

Armin nodded, and he and Connie engaged in playful chatter, mostly about the prank played on Eren, until she was done with her call and came back to the table. But he couldn’t help but notice that something seemed different about her demeanour – she was a good liar, but he knew her well enough now to notice the cracks in it.

“Is everything okay?” asked Armin.

She nodded. “Absolutely.” Before he could say more, she said, “Oh my God.” Then, she nodded past Connie. “Look.”

They all turned to see Sasha smiling at Niccolo behind his station, whose cheeks were reddening in spite of the shy smile on his face.

“Well, something good came out of tonight,” said Annie.

“Something else,” said Connie. “I’ve had a good time.” His eyebrows furrowed. “Uh, did you guys not have fun?”

“I did,” said Armin with a smile, and Annie nodded. “We could do it again. But we probably won’t pay.”

“I guess that’s fine,” said Connie with a sigh.

“Let’s get dessert while she’s busy,” said Annie. “Armin, hold the table. You’d know what she’d like, Connie, right?”

He nodded, and Annie promised to bring Armin back something he’d like, and they both disappeared upstairs. Sasha was still talking to Niccolo by the time they returned. She caught Connie waving out of the corner of her eye, and soon she’d finished her conversation, and came back to them.

“Somebody’s smitten,” said Connie.

“I am,” she sighed happily, and began digging into the mochi that Connie had brought down for her.

When they were finished, the car ride back to campus was flooded with chatter. Connie kept trying to push for more information about Niccolo, but Sasha wasn’t eager to share. Annie was even being quite talkative, and at one point her hand drifted across the short space between them to rest on Armin’s leg. It made his heart shudder.

They dropped off Connie and Sasha closer to the dorms, and decided to drive back to the parking lot. But before they got back, Annie said, “Do you want to just drive somewhere with me?”

“Yeah, sure,” he said, but then he paused. She still seemed different. In fact, she’d seemed strange since he got off the phone with her father. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” said Annie. “I’d just like this to last a little bit longer.”

His breath caught in his throat. She didn’t mean time with him, at least not like that – no, of course not, not like that at all. She had had a good night with everyone, not just him. But maybe, maybe now would be a good time to ask what he’d been thinking about for so long.

He opened his mouth, but no words came. Annie reached over to grab her vape, then she rolled down the windows and took a puff. The scent of raspberries wafted through the air.

“That was really nice of you,” said Annie finally.

“What was?” he asked.

“What you did for Sasha and that guy,” she said. “He seems sweet.”

“Oh,” he said. “I guess. I also knew he would buy us those hot chocolates.”

Annie snorted. “Don’t downplay yourself. It was still nice.”

“Well, a man who can cook does seem like Sasha’s dream man,” said Armin.

“You can say that again,” she said.

The drive was short, and they listened to some classic rock station as Annie took them wherever she wanted to go. They didn’t say a word until she cut the engine ten minutes later, up in a parking lot on a hill, overlooking a large park.

“I just like the view up here,” she said, rolling up her window and setting her vape down.

“It’s nice,” said Armin.

There were plenty of trees which he was sure would have looked lovely in the day, but in the dark they were difficult to distinguish. But from here, they could still see the city lights, glistening like the glow of a thousand distant lighthouses in a black sea.

“I still need to take you to the beach,” she said abruptly.

“There’s no rush,” said Armin, but the fact it came to her mind made him smile.

“I know,” she said. “But you want to go, so we’ll go.”

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

Then, she added, “Do you really like that necklace?”

Armin glanced down at the seashell necklace hanging over his shirt. He’d worn it so much recently that he barely noticed he was wearing it at all. “Of course I do. It was really thoughtful.”

“I think there’s been more thoughtful gifts.”

“Maybe,” he said. “But I like it.”

She hummed, and stared out at the view. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, swallowing past the lump in his throat. His palms were sweaty, and the air felt far too hot. Had it been this warm before? This was the time he should ask her, now that they were alone. If he told her in the car, she couldn’t run – if she rejected him, they could work it out in the least awkward way possible. It would be fine.

He cleared his throat, not entirely sure how to start, but certain he needed to say something – but then Annie spoke before he did.

“Thank you for being my friend, Armin,” she said.

He was stunned into silence. Well, this wasn’t how he had imagined this would go.

“I know I make fun of you a lot, but your friendship means the world to me,” she said.

There was a dull ache in his chest. Friend. Friendship. “Yours means the world to me, too,” said Armin.

“Yeah,” she said, but there was something different in her voice. “I just … I need you, right now.”

He looked over at her. In the darkness, he couldn’t make out her face, so he leaned forward and pressed on the tiny orange light above their heads. Her cheeks were streaked with tears.

“Annie?” he said. “Are you crying?”

She scoffed and wiped the tears away with her palms. “No, I’m just pissing out of my eyes.”

“Annie …” he said softly. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s stupid,” she said, shaking her head.

“What is it?” he said. “I’m here, if you need me. We’re friends.”

Annie took a deep breath and stared out towards the city lights. “My dad had a heart attack.”

Armin’s eyes widened. “Oh my God. Is he okay?”

“He’s fine now,” she said. “Which is why this is so – stupid. He’s in hospital, he’s okay – he called me, before.”

“It isn’t stupid,” said Armin.

“I’m just frustrated,” said Annie. “I know he’s an ass, but he’s also my dad. And I can’t just abandon everything here to go see him, because he’ll probably be back home in a few days, anyway. And then my grades will fall, and – God, I don’t know. It’s just really shit.”

“I’m sorry, Annie,” said Armin. “But at least he’s alright now.”

She shook her head. “I’m just worried it’ll happen again, and I won’t be there. It’s a miracle he even got to the hospital – he managed to call an ambulance while he was having a heart attack.”

Considering Annie was his daughter, he wasn’t that shocked that her father had the strength to do such a thing.

After her breathing had evened a bit more, he said, “You can’t be there every second, Annie. Even if you move back home.”

“I know – and I don’t want to,” she said. “I just feel so guilty that I flew so far across the country basically just to get away from him, and now he has a heart attack. I feel like such a horrible person.”

“Hey,” said Armin, leaning forward and grabbing her arm. “You aren’t a horrible person at all. You’re one of the nicest people I know. You just act scary.”

She snorted. “I am scary.”

“Not to me,” he said. “I think you’re wonderful. You’re the best thing in my life right now. Being around you makes me happier than I think I’ve ever been – I don’t think I’d feel that way about a horrible person.”

She turned to look at him. Her eyes were red, but her irises were so blue in the light. “Thank you, Armin. You’re too kind.”

“No, I’m just honest,” he said. “At least with you.”

Annie looked at him for a long time. It was long enough to make him crumble under her gaze. Just as he was about to ask what was going through her mind, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

It was chaste – two small kisses, both shocking enough that he was frozen in place. When she pulled away, all he could say was, “Annie? What …?”

“Can you just kiss me?” she asked. “I could really use a distraction, and you’re a good enough kisser I think it’ll make me stop thinking for ten minutes.”

He swallowed. “Are you sure? I don’t want to take advantage of you.”

“I’m sad, not drunk,” she said dryly.

But still, he hesitated.

“Armin,” she said quietly, leaning forward.

Her fingers came up to his cheek, and he shivered at her touch. Then, lightly, she placed a kiss to his jaw, and then another, moving up his jawline, making him tremble.

“Armin,” she whispered, breath warm against his skin. “Please.”

Well, now certainly was no longer the time to have a discussion about his feelings. So he moved his head back to hers, and met her mouth.

Her lips were salty from the tears, but he still kissed her softly and sweetly, moving his mouth against hers until she sighed contentedly. She made a small sound when he slipped his tongue into her mouth, and she tightened her grip on his shirt.

His hand came up to her face to brush her hair out of her face and cup her cheek, and she leaned harder against him, still slow, but with more force. Who was he to not give her all she wanted?

He pulled back and bit down on her bottom lip and sucked, making her gasp. That was clearly more than she could take, because before he could kiss her again, she pushed him back and crawled out of her seat to his side of the car.

He could feel heat rising to his face. They’d been in this position before, but not like this – not like she’d wanted to be. It had been for practise, or to torment Eren, not because she wanted his mouth on hers, not because she needed him. But before he could overthink it anymore, Annie grabbed his face and crashed her mouth down onto his.

It was wet and shockingly rough, and he could barely catch his breath as she took control of the kiss. Her fingers were tangled in his hair tightly, just where she loved to put them, and her force made him groan into her mouth. She pulled back and bit down on his bottom lip, much harder than he’d done to her, making him gasp loud enough he was sure you’d be able to hear it outside the car. She barely let him breathe before she pushed her tongue into his mouth again.

He was light-headed and warm, and absolutely enamoured by her. He gripped down on her hips, fingers digging into hot flesh, and she whined against him. When they finally broke apart for breath, panting hard, he was practically holding onto her for dear life. But somehow, he regained his breath before she did, and he made a plan to distract her even more, and pressed his mouth against her neck.

Her hand flew from his head to cover her mouth as she groaned into her palm. He licked from her neck to her earlobe, bit down gently on the skin there, around the silver stud that sat there, and she shivered. He moved back down her skin, more familiar with what she liked, sucking, biting and licking, leaving marks that made her whimper and tremble. He wanted to leave those marks beneath her clothes, on the softness of her breasts, over the sensitive skin at her inner thighs, and the thought was enough to make him nearly moan against her neck.

He was so lost in those filthy thoughts he should definitely not be having about her that he barely noticed when she took his hand from her hip. Before he could think, she yanked it roughly and, without a word, pressed his palm between her spread legs to cup the most private part of her.

His mouth popped from her skin, and he looked up at her cloudy blue eyes. “W-wait, Annie, I –”

Her lips were parted and her chest was heaving. He couldn’t even move his hand – he didn’t want to brush against her any more, because that was something they definitely shouldn’t be doing. But – he also didn’t want to move it, either, not when she’d put it there.

“What is it?” she asked.

He swallowed. She was so … warm. If he wasn’t mistaken, he was sure there was dampness down there, her underwear wet with arousal just from kissing him. The thought alone sent heat rushing to his groin. But – he wasn’t supposed to have those thoughts, especially not when she was doing this with him for all of the wrong reasons.

But before he could even think to open his mouth, she shifted, and gently rubbed herself against his hand, and let out a small whimper. He closed his eyes – she was definitely wet, and very, at that. He wanted nothing more than for her to do that again. To press herself against his hand, rubbing herself against him through the thin fabric of her panties, desperate for release, becoming so desperate that she would just take his hand and plunge it into her underwear and press his fingers against where she liked to be touched. He wanted her, and it would be so easy just to give in.

But he couldn’t. So he dropped his hand.

“Annie,” he said, quiet but firm. “Stop.”

She pulled back, and looked him in the eyes.

“You don’t want to do this,” he said.

“I do,” she said, eyebrows furrowed. “I want to just – feel good.”

She was beautiful, and she wanted him. But – she didn’t, really. Not like this. The cut was unavoidable. “I don’t want to touch you if the only reason you want me to is because you’re sad,” he said quietly.

Her breath caught in her throat. His statement clearly stung, but she didn’t argue with him. It felt like a stab to his chest – she was just sad, after all.

“I’m sorry, Annie,” he said. “But you don’t want to do this.”

Silently, she peeled herself off of him, and climbed back into the driver’s seat. She cleared her throat, and started the engine. “Let’s just go back to campus.”

He nodded, and readjusted his pants. He couldn’t look at her. “Okay.”

The drive back to campus was long. The silence was heavy, and Armin could feel it weighing down on his chest. It felt as if the first noise to break the silence was the click of the door opening in the campus parking lot.

When he got out of the car, Annie just sat there.

“Are you not going to your dorm room?” he asked. “I … I can walk you there.”

She shook her head. “It’s okay. I’m honestly going to vape.”

“Oh,” he said. “Do you want me to sit with you?”

Annie wasn’t looking at him. “I just think I need to be alone right now.”

“Oh,” he said, heart sinking. “Okay.” Then, after a long silence, he said, “Well, I’ll see you later, then.”

She nodded.

He started to walk away, but he could feel something burning – as if this was ending, somehow. Crumbling apart. But she said she’d wanted to be alone, hadn’t she? He couldn’t force his company on her. But before he could take a few steps, he turned around.

“Annie?” he said.

Her eyebrows raised. She already had her vape in her hands.

“Could you just text me when you’re back in your dorm?” he asked, rubbing his neck. “It’s just – it’s dark, and … I know you can protect yourself, I do, but … could you?”

She was quiet for a moment. “Okay,” she said finally.

He nodded. “Thank you. Goodnight, Annie.”

“Goodnight,” she said quietly, and he turned away from her and walked back to his dorm in silence.

Eren and Mikasa were there, but they were asleep, curled up against each other under their covers. He thought it was quite early for them, but he supposed he was exhausted too. Too exhausted to ask Sasha if he could stay over – anyway, she’d be confused as to why he wasn’t staying with Annie, and he didn’t want to try and make up some reason why he couldn’t. Eren and Mikasa would just have to deal with a morning guest.

He lay down in bed, but he found he couldn’t fall asleep. He didn’t want to stare at his phone, waiting for a text from Annie he was beginning to think would just never come. So, he did what he used to do when he couldn’t sleep – he looked through his piles of books and manga, looking for something to read. His heart stopped when the first volume of Soul Eater caught his eye. He remembered the Maka shirt Annie had been wearing today, and he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

He reached out for the volume. He’d never finished the series, and he wasn’t sure why. He’d loved the show when he was younger. Maybe more important things got in the way. He owned the first four volumes, a gift from his Grandpa years ago, so maybe it was time to start.

He had just gotten to Death the Kid’s introduction when his phone buzzed beside him. He wasn’t proud of the way he lunged for it.

ROCKSTAR <3
I’m back at my dorm
And I’m sorry
I was an ass
And a creep

His chest tightened. He slowly typed back.

ME
It’s okay
You weren’t a creep
You’re having a hard time
I just didn’t want you to do anything you’d regret

ROCKSTAR <3
Thank you Armin
You’re a good friend
I mean that

He sighed again. Friend. Well, he supposed that was enough, until he could get over this stupid crush. At least she was still talking to him. That mattered to him more than any dream of dating her he had.

ME
So are you
Still want to prank Mikasa tomorrow?

ROCKSTAR <3
100%

In spite of himself, he smiled.

ME
I’ll see you tomorrow
Sweet dreams

ROCKSTAR <3
You too <3

ME
<3

Mikasa and Eren were gone by the time he woke up, but Armin realised it was because he’d forgotten to set his alarm, and he’d slept right through his morning class. Dammit. He’d had one hundred percent attendance. He’d have to email Professor Zoe to ask what he had to catch up on. They were fairly kind, so he hoped his absence would be easy to get away with without having to lie.

When he knocked on Sasha’s bedroom door later, he was shocked that it was Annie who answered the door. She was wearing leggings and a white hoodie, her face bored as usual. He supposed she didn’t have a lot to smile about at the moment.

“Hey,” he said. “How are you?”

“Fine,” she said, stepping back.

“Hey!” said Sasha, waving at him from her bed.

She was working her way through a bag of Doritos, her fingers orange from the dust.

“Hey, Sasha,” he said. “You doing good today?”

“Great,” she said, standing up. “Good you’re here, though. I want to get going in case Mikasa shows up for whatever reason. I’ll be at Connie’s.”

“Okay,” he said with a smile. “Enjoy.”

“I will!” she said, picking up more packs of chips and snacks, until her arms were stuffed.

Armin closed the door behind her, and then he and Annie were just left in the quiet together.

Annie leaned down by Mikasa’s bed, and her hoodie raised, exposing the bare skin at her lower back, and his mouth went dry. It didn’t help that her leggings clung to her round behind, and he found himself staring for a moment, before he pried his eyes away. God, he was acting like such a creep. He needed to stop.

Before he could give it more thought, Annie straightened, and turned back towards him. She was holding a roll of wrapping paper in one hand, and scotch tape in the other. He noticed the piles of wrapping paper on the ground that she’d been hiding in her dorm since they decided on their plan.

“So,” she said. “Want to get started?”

He smiled, and felt as if a weight had been lifted from his chest. “Definitely.”

Their speech wasn’t as animated, but they chattered about unimportant things while they worked. They only fell quiet when they were concentrating on their wrapping. It took hours, but neither of them wanted to take a break, just in case Mikasa did happen to come back. It wouldn’t take long for her to figure out who the culprits were, especially when they were going to write a message on the door, too. But that was a problem for later.

“I’m sorry about yesterday,” said Annie abruptly.

Armin froze, mid-taping wrapping paper around Mikasa’s pillows. He’d already done the mattress and comforter. When he glanced over at Annie, he saw that she was halfway through wrapping up Mikasa’s Ouija board.

“Oh, uh,” said Armin, pressing the tape down onto the paper to finish his work. “Don’t worry about it.”

She was quiet for so long he thought the conversation was over. The only sound that filled the air was the rustle of paper and the peel of sticky plastic from the rolls. “It was wrong of me to do that. You’re my friend. I took advantage of you.”

“It’s okay, Annie,” he said. “You were having a hard time. I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have kissed you.”

“I shouldn’t have basically forced it on you,” she said. “I guilt tripped you into doing it.”

“And I said yes because I wanted to kiss you,” he said finally. He couldn’t meet her eye – he just continued wrapping up Mikasa’s things. “So, if anything, I took advantage of you. I’m sorry.”

He noticed that Annie had stopped her work, but she didn’t turn to look at her. Her gaze burning into his back was enough to make him shudder. He shouldn’t have said it.

“I like kissing you,” she said finally. “So – I’m glad you did. If you liked it, too. I’m just sorry for what I did after that.”

Heat crept up his neck. “Uh, it’s still okay. You’re my friend. I’m not angry at you, or anything.”

“Okay,” she said. “I’m glad.”

“Yeah,” he said awkwardly. He cleared his throat. “Well, let’s just finish this quickly just in case Mikasa comes back for some reason.”

Annie nodded, and she kept wrapping.

It took a while longer, but finally, their luck paid off – it was done. The wrapping paper was a garish array of colours, patterned with Lego bricks squeezed together, and Annie said it looked, “Absolutely perfect,” completely covering Mikasa’s side of the room.

“Just the paint, now,” she said. “Mikasa first, then Eren. Then, we can go watch a movie if you want?”

“Is it gonna be a horror movie?” he asked.

“There isn’t much else out,” she said. “Don’t worry, I’ll hold your hand through the scary parts.”

“I don’t think that makes it any less scary.”

“Well, we could just make out at the back, instead,” she said. “Your choice.”

Annie smirked at him. He cleared his throat. “Maybe just hold my hand.”

“Coward,” she said, but now she was smiling.

Painting the doors was simple, and anyone who walked by them in the halls didn’t question them at all. Before long, Mikasa’s door was done, bright red paint spelling out: MIKASA ACKERMAN LOVES BITING EREN YEAGER. Annie was too proud, but nothing beat the elation on her face when they scrawled EREN YEAGER LOVES BEING BITTEN BY MIKASA ACKERMAN across his dorm room door. Once they were done, he texted Sasha to let her know they’d been successful, and then they hid the paper and paint, and packed themselves up into Annie’s car.

They didn’t make out in the back of the theatre, but luckily this horror wasn’t as scary as the last one she’d taken him to see. She still held their popcorn in case he jumped – and his breath caught in his throat when she held his hand again, too.

They were quiet for some time in the car back, but it was comfortable – nothing like the agonising silence they’d driven home in the day before.

But after a while, he decided to break the silence, with the conversation he didn’t want to have.

“Annie?”

“Yeah?”

She had her window down, and a vape in her hand. It was strawberries again.

“Are we still … faking it?”

“Faking it?” she asked, taking a puff of her vape. “Well, duh.” Then, after a pause, she added, “Is this because of yesterday? Did – did I make you that uncomfortable?”

Armin’s stomach sank. “No, no! That’s not what I meant at all.”

“Are you sure?” she asked. “Because I can’t think of another reason why we’d stop faking it. Unless you think we’ve gotten into Eren’s head.”

“No,” he said. “That’s not it.”

“Then what is it?” she asked.

“I just … what are we doing, Annie?” he asked.

“What are we doing?” she said.

“Yeah,” he said. “What … what are we?”

Armin could make out the redness that flourished across her cheeks, even in the dim glow of the traffic lights. “I … I don’t know –”

They were interrupted by a loud, obnoxious ringtone, like an uninvited guest.

Annie cleared her throat. “Uh, can you answer that for me? It might be my dad.”

“Oh, okay,” he said, and scrambled into her purse at his feet.

He answered. “Uh, hi?”

“Hello?” said a gruff voice on the other end.

“Sorry, this is Annie’s … friend. She’s driving.”

“Annie’s friend?” he asked. “Oh. Is this Armin?”

“Yeah, it is,” he said.

“The boyfriend?”

Annie said abruptly before anyone could say anything more, “Armin, put that on speaker for me.”

“Okay,” said Armin, fiddling with her phone until he managed to select the right button.

“Hey, Dad,” she said. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said. “Don’t worry about me. Well, I know you do. They’re letting me go home tomorrow.”

“Already?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “Don’t worry, though. I’m not going home. Ms. Braun has invited me to stay with her – more like twisted my arm, really. That’s why the doctors agreed to let me go, just so someone can monitor me.”

“You’re moving in with Reiner’s mom?” asked Annie.

“Well, yes. And her brother, and his wife, and little Gabi, of course. Is that a problem?”

“It’s fine,” she said. “You better not get married. I am not having Reiner as a step brother.”

Her father’s laughter came down the line. “We’re just friends, Annie. She wanted to visit Reiner with the family again like she did for her birthday, so I feel awfully bad about it, but she insisted.”

“Well, it’s not exactly your fault you had a heart attack,” she said.

“Well, that may be true, but I don’t love being cared for like an old fool.”

“You are an old fool now, Dad,” said Annie.

He laughed. “Maybe.”

“That’s good, though,” said Annie. “I’m glad someone can look after you.”

“I just thought it’d give you some peace of mind. I don’t want it to get in the way of your life over there. I can work from home, too, so the business is going to be fine. I don’t want you worrying about a thing, you hear?”

“Okay, Dad,” she said. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Me too,” he said. “Anyway, I’ll let you go, but I’ll make sure to check in a bit more so you know I’m okay.”

“Okay,” she said.

“Well, if you won’t be too busy with Armin, that is,” he said.

Armin’s face burned.

 

“Dad,” said Annie.

“Can he still hear me?” asked her father.

“Uh, yes, sir,” said Armin.

“Make sure she doesn’t worry too much about her old man,” said her father. “Just try and keep her happy.”

“Yes, sir,” said Armin. “I, uh, I can do that.”

“But not too happy, all right?” said her father. “If I become a grandfather at this age I might just have another heart attack.”

“Okay, Dad!” said Annie loudly. “I’ll talk to you later!”

Her father chuckled. “Okay, Annie. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Then the call ended with a beep, and they were sat in silence.

“Uh, well … it’s nice he’s okay,” said Armin.

Annie nodded. “Yeah. Never imagined Reiner’s mom would insist on looking after him, but I guess that’s nice.”

“Yeah,” he said.

“Um …” she said, and cleared her throat. “What were we talking about? Sorry, I just get a bit overwhelmed at the minute with all that stuff.”

“Oh, it’s okay,” said Armin.

He considered what he would say now. From the way she’d reacted, she’d understood what he’d meant, hadn’t he? Before that phone started buzzing. If it had rang five minutes later, maybe he’d have gotten his answer. But that was a disgustingly selfish thought. The wellbeing of her father was more important, and it was clearly still circling around her mind from the way she was acting now. It wasn’t fair to put that on her when she had too much to worry about.

It was wishful thinking, anyway. But there would be other, better days to ask again.

“It’s nothing,” he said. “It’s not urgent or anything.”

This seemed to satisfy her – clearly still too distracted by her father for a moment.

They were quiet until they got back to campus. When the engine cut, she turned to him, and asked, “Do you know when Eren will be back?”

“Uh, I don’t know,” said Armin. “I thought he might be at Mikasa’s, since Sasha is out.”

“Not when she has to unwrap her bed,” she said pointedly.

“Well, I’m not sure,” he said. “I can text him?”

“Do,” she said.

He pulled out his phone, and sent Eren a message.

FREEDOM FIGHTER
Maybe in like half an hour?
Or an hour
Why

ME
Just wondering

FREEDOM FIGHTER
I think we’ll be staying at Mikasa’s
If you and Annie wanna stay in our dorm

ME
Okay

“He says like an hour or half an hour,” said Armin.

“Okay,” she said. “Let’s go, then.”

“Let’s go?” he asked.

“Let’s fake it again,” she said.

“Huh?” he asked.

She stepped out of the car, and he was close behind her.

“I think it’ll drive him crazy,” said Annie. “And Mikasa, too.” She added, “I think one more big thing will push them over the edge. Perfect revenge, too, you know?”

“I don’t think this is much revenge,” he said.

“Oh, well, not quite,” said Annie. “But we’re gonna do it on his bed.”

Armin’s eyebrows jumped to his hairline. “Huh?”

“You heard me,” she said, walking ahead.

“Is that not too far?” asked Armin, eyes still wide.

“Personally, I don’t think it’s far enough,” she said. “But you can say no.”

She slowed to a stop in the parking lot, and turned to face him. His heart ached at the sight of her – how was she so ethereal?

He swallowed. “We can do that.” Then, he added, “What do you have in mind?”

She reached out for his hand. Her voice was like a feather against his skin. “I’ll show you.”

His heart was thundering in his ears by the time they reached his dorm room. He hoped she missed the way his fingers trembled as he tried to get the key into the lock. Eventually, he pushed the door open, and they stepped inside.

Annie took no time in kicking off her boots and settling down on Eren’s bed. She was looking up at him expectantly as he stood in the middle of the room, awkward as a statue.

He rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat. “So, uh … what do you want to do?”

She leaned back on her palms. “You can say no.”

“Well, tell me first,” he said, and carefully toed off his shoe.

“Okay,” she said, and averted his gaze. “I want you to take your shirt off. And I want to be naked on the bed. And I want you to put your head between my legs.”

Armin nearly fell over while he was trying to push off his other shoe. “You – you want – you want what?”

“You won’t actually be doing anything,” she said. Her expression softened as she met his eyes. “Or is that too much?”

“I …” he said, looking away. “I don’t know.”

Annie sat up straight. “Okay, that’s fine. We won’t do it.”

“Wait!” he said, and he was embarrassed by the eagerness in his voice.

Her eyes flashed up to his.

He swallowed. “We can do it. I just wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

She tilted her head. “I think you’ll be in the more uncomfortable position.”

Armin doubted it would be that uncomfortable at all, although maybe that was the problem – he wasn’t supposed to be comfortable with having his head between her legs, of being so close to her core that he could reach out with his tongue and taste her. That wasn’t fair on her.

He tried to shove those thoughts aside. He asked, “Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

She nodded. “I don’t mind.” Then, she added, “I can leave my underwear on, if you’d like. I just thought it would look worse if I wasn’t wearing any.”

Armin wondered if Eren would even notice whether she’d be wearing underwear or not, considering the compromising position he’d find them in. But all he said was, “Do you want to keep them on?”

Annie shrugged. “I don’t mind, either way.”

“Then …” he swallowed, and looked away, face on fire now. “You can take them off. But only if you’re comfortable with that.”

“I am,” said Annie. Then, she reached behind her head, and untangled the knot her hair was in, letting it cascade around her shoulders. She leaned forward. “So, are you going to take your shirt off, or not?”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” he said, and he fumbled with it over his head.

He took his glasses off and left them on his bedside table, before stepping towards the other side of the room. Annie reached for the hem of her hoodie and started to pull it over her head. But something wasn’t quite right, and she seemed to be struggling to get out of it.

“Do you need some help?” he asked.

“Uh, yeah,” she said through the fabric.

He moved and sat beside her, laughing as she struggled against the fabric, and he didn’t miss her quiet giggles as he helped pull it over her head. She was still laughing when he saw her face again, and her golden hair fell over her shoulders. Armin was sure his heart just stopped. She was as radiant as a forest fire – she could burn him up from the inside, too.

As their laughter fizzled out, his eyes trailed downwards, only now becoming aware of the exposed skin below her neck. He caught sight of something unexpected – a light pink bra, lacy and soft, holding up her breasts. His entire mouth turned dry.

“Armin?” she said.

“Uh, yeah?” he said, face as pink as the underwear she was in.

“You’ve seen all that before, right?” she said dryly.

He could barely look at her. “I just didn’t think pink was your thing.”

“Do you not like it?” she asked.

“No! I love it!” he said. Oh, God. Why did he say that? He loved it? Oh, hey, Annie, I love your lingerie – but I just like you as a friend!

He was an idiot.

“Hmm,” she hummed. She gently picked up his hands and pressed them to her chest, and leaned to his ear. “It’s a matching set. Do you want to see?”

He wasn’t sure he could breathe. The word’s slipped past his lips before he could stop them. “You’re such a tease.”

She pulled away and grinned. “Guilty.” Then, she added, “I just like making you blush.”

Something ignited in his chest. “Maybe it’s time I make you blush for a change.”

“I’d like to see you try,” she said.

Before she could say anything more, he lunged forward and pressed his mouth against hers. She struggled to keep up with his urgency, especially when his hands came up to tangle in her hair. The noise she made when his tongue met hers made heat spread through his whole body, and he moved against her until he got a similar reaction.

She broke away from him, nearly gasping for air, and she was starting to look the same colour as her underwear, too. He moved to her neck before she could think, and then over her collarbone, placing feather-light kisses on her skin, as she curled her fingers in his hair. She gasped when his mouth came over the soft skin at her breasts, and her fingers desperately scrambled to find his, and pushed them to her back to unclasp her bra.

“Please,” she said, eyes dark. “Take it off.”

He couldn’t say he was proud of the way his body reacted to her request, but he wasn’t going to refuse. He knew that this – whatever they were doing – was far from faking it. He knew they shouldn’t be doing anything like this before they had that conversation. But his blood was pumping, and he just wanted to touch her as much as she’d let him, consequences be damned.

He fiddled with the clasp until it popped out, and he helped her shimmy the bra down her arms. He’d touched her there before – he knew she liked that – but there was something unfamiliar, something incredibly intimate, about being able to run his mouth over the flesh there.

He placed a kiss above her left nipple, and her hands tightened in his hair. It was all the encouragement he needed. His tongue flicked over her hardened nipple, and she gasped. He continued to lap at it, circling it with the tip of his tongue, his other hand coming up to give her other neglected breast equal attention. The noise she made when his fingers joined in made his cock twitch. He moaned against her skin, and her breath caught in her throat.

He moved to the other breast, peppering kisses over the softness, before being a bit more experiemental with his technique, and decided to do to her what she loved on her neck. His mouth circled around the peak of her breast and bit down lightly, sucking hard enough to leave a mark.

She cried out. “Holy, fuck.”

He took that as a good sign, playing with her nipples with his fingers, and leaving hickeys all over her breasts. She was practically trembling by the time he rose to meet her mouth again, and the look in her eyes suggested he’d more than succeeded in making her blush.

“I don’t think,” she said, breathless, “this counts as faking it.”

He watched as her kiss-marked chest heaved, and his eyes drifted back up to hers. “I don’t think so, either.”

She swallowed. “Let’s not think about it too much now,” she said. “Let’s just have fun. We can – think about how wrong this is later.”

He nodded eagerly. He just wanted to kiss her more.

When she spoke, it was like she’d read his mind. “Kiss me again.”

He leaned forward and met her mouth again. Her kisses were sloppier, and he was almost proud of how much he’d affected her. He held her head between his hands, softly moving against her, and his breath caught in his throat when her hand gripped his thigh. He hoped she didn’t noticed.

He parted from her and moved to her neck, before manoeuvring around her and down her chest, placing kisses in between her breasts, and down to her stomach, before stopping above the waistline of her leggings. He was in between her legs now, and her breath was still shaking as he glanced up at her.

Her fingers slid back into his hair, soft this time, not demanding like she so often was, and he sighed against her skin. He pressed the lightest kiss against her stomach, and came to rest his head on her thigh.

“What are we doing, Annie?” he asked finally.

Her fingers continued to move in his hair. “I thought we weren’t going to talk about that right now.”

He fiddled with her waistband. “Then what do you want me to do?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “Will Eren not be back soon?”

And just like that, the moment had fizzled out. They were back to faking it, once again. He supposed it had been nice while it lasted – but he should have known better before he’d leaned in to kiss her.

He glanced up at her. “Do you still want to do what you said before?”

She nodded. “Help me get these off.”

He helped her peel her leggings off of her legs, and then her socks soon followed.

Well, she hadn’t lied about it being a matching set. It was just as pretty as the bra, and he was shocked at how nice pink looked against her flushed skin. It was sheer enough he could make out those carefully trimmed curls, and the sight made his throat tighten.

“Armin?” she asked. “Could you help me get this off?”

“Oh, yeah,” he said, and reached for the fabric at her hips.

She raised herself off the bed as he fumbled with her panties, dragging them down her legs, trying his best to ignore how bare she was before him. Not that that mattered, anymore. It wasn’t real, anymore.

But then she leaned back on her hands, and inadvertently, spread her legs ever so slightly, and his entire face burned red.

It wasn’t as if he didn’t know what things looked like down there. He did biology in school, and bad sex ed, and of course he’d watched porn enough to be familiar with that sight, but knowing all that, and seeing it through a screen, were very different from it being this close to his face. It was pink, pinker than her lingerie, and slick with her wetness – and she was very wet. He supposed he had gotten her very riled up; but then again, he was hard just from hearing her whimper at his touch. His eyes caught sight of her swollen clit, that point on her he was sure could make her scream – if he could make her squirm that much from kissing her neck, he could only imagine what that would do.

“Armin?” asked Annie. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Oh … uh … yeah,” he said, averting his gaze. “Sorry.”

“It’s … it’s fine,” she said, but when his eyes met hers, he saw that her face was bright red.

“Is everything okay?” he said.

“Oh, uh … yeah,” she said, dropping his gaze.

“Am I making you uncomfortable?” he asked.

“No,” she said with a shake of her head. “It’s just … no one’s really … I shouldn’t say that, actually.”

Armin’s hand came to squeeze her leg. “Hey. We’re friends. You can tell me anything.”

She was quiet for a long while, eyebrows furrowed as she stared at some distant point in the room. Finally, she said, “No one’s ever … kissed me down there, so I’m just nervous. I know we’re not actually doing it. No one’s really looked at me down there for that long, so …”

“Oh,” he said, ears burning. So she’d noticed him staring. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, I just … well, you know – I’ve never …”

He couldn’t bring himself to finish, so he just awkwardly cleared his throat. Then, Annie threw her arm over face, as if to shield herself from him.

“Well, you did it,” she said. “Your gamble paid off.”

“What gamble?” he said, tracing a finger absentmindedly down the side of her thigh.

“You’re making me blush like a virgin,” said Annie, face still covered.

“Ouch,” said Armin.

“Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” she said, dropping her arm. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” said Armin with a smile.

“You know,” she said. “Whoever you actually go out with is going to be very lucky to have you.”

“What makes you say that?” he said slowly.

“You make me blush, and we aren’t even dating,” said Annie. “I think you could make any woman melt into a puddle, if you really wanted to.”

He smiled weakly. “Why, thank you, Annie.”

“I’m trying to be nice,” she said flatly.

“I know,” he said, and without thinking, he pressed a kiss to her knee.

Her breath caught in her throat and he froze. Then, he pulled back, and he said, “Uh, sorry, I just … I sort of … forgot …”

“It’s – it’s fine,” said Annie.

“Do you want me to move?” he asked, preparing to get to his feet.

But Annie shook her head. “No. I like you on your knees, anyway.”

It was Armin’s turn to blush. He saw the curve of her smirk light up her face, impressed at how she could still act so confident whilst clearly embarrassed. But two could play at that game.

Without thinking much more of it, Armin held her gaze and leaned forward to press another kiss to her knee. Her breathing shuddered.

He moved further, just past her knee on the inside of her leg, and pressed another kiss there, firmer, ending with a sucking motion that seemed to make her tremble. The teasing was enough, and he moved to pull away, hoping to not make her too uncomfortable – but he was halted by her fingers in his hair.

He looked back up at her, and she was biting her lip, hard, not moving her gaze from his. Then, slightly, she shifted, spreading her legs further apart.

His gaze flickered down and he swallowed, before looking back up to her. Then, he leaned forward and pressed his mouth against her inner thigh, and she whined and gripped his hair, hard. He bit and sucked at her skin until he was sure it would leave a mark, and the motion was enough to make her gasp.

He moved to her other thigh and licked her flesh, biting and sucking at the softness there to get the same result. He loved the way she reacted to his touch – the noises she made were intoxicating. He gripped the outside of her thighs tightly as his tongue explored this new part of her, discovering the sensitive parts that made her whine louder, the sweet spots that made her nearly dig her nails into his scalp, taking all her sounds as encouragement to keep moving. Tentatively, he moved further up, pressing his mouth against her skin, and when he made contact, he couldn’t ignore the way her legs parted even more.

If he’d had any sense, he would have stopped – what were they doing, anyway? Drunk grinding was one thing, but this, sober … what were they doing?

Armin pressed another kiss in the crook where her thigh met her body, and she shivered, tightening her fingers in his hair.

His lips were so close to her folds now, and he was frozen for a moment. It was time to pull away. Kissing like this was one thing; they had kept the line, the sober line at least, at kissing less forbidden parts of each other. They’d never touched each other beneath their underwear – because that wasn’t fake at all, but very, very real. So, he was going to lean back, perhaps press his lips against her knees again, but as he moved away, Annie’s hand stopped him.

He glanced up at her. She was leaning back, and he could make out her icy eyes, dark with something that made his stomach tighten. “Annie?” he said quietly.

Almost like he was asking for permission.

She nodded, and guided him forward, and before he could think too much about what they were doing, his mouth was against her and his tongue slipped in between her folds.

She gasped and shuddered. He really had little to no idea what he was doing, but he knew enough to trail his tongue upwards towards that little, swollen bundle of nerves he’d been distracted by before. Gently, like he was licking ice-cream, he dragged his tongue over it. She whimpered and clenched her fingers in his hair. Then, almost experimentally, he pressed his lips around it and sucked.

She nearly ripped his hair out, and she made a noise so loud he wouldn’t be shocked if someone could hear it outside. Carefully, he poked out his tongue and lapped at her clit, trying to get some sort of rhythm. But even with his fumbling and his inexperience, Annie’s legs were trembling. He wanted to worship her, to hear his name on her lips, for her to shudder as she came, and so many other filthy things that he shouldn’t be thinking, and he would have done all of those things had she wanted.

But just as his name formed on her tongue, as she squeezed her shaking thighs against him, the door slammed open.

“Oh my God!” yelled Eren. “You rabbits better get off of my bed right now.”

Annie’s hands left his hair and he fell away from Annie. He wasn’t sure he’d even felt this embarrassed walking nearly naked across campus. Annie’s hands curled to cover herself in a way she’d never done before – but he supposed this wasn’t like all the other times Eren was meant to walk in on them. He rose to his feet to shield Annie from sight, from Eren and Mikasa’s tired eyes.

“Just give Annie a minute to get dressed – okay?” said Armin.

Mikasa’s face was buried in Eren’s back, and Eren’s own hands were covering his eyes.

Annie’s face was burning when he looked back down at her. He helped collect the clothes she’d left strewn across the room, and she hurriedly shoved her everything on, clearly desperate to be out of the room. Still, once she was dressed, she took a moment to lean up and press her mouth against his briefly. If anything, her blush deepened. Had she tasted herself on his lips?

He was about to shove his shirt on and follow her to her dorm, but she put a hand on his chest and said, “I’ll see you later.”

She barely looked at him as she stepped out of the door. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt his heart sink.

“You better wash my bed,” said Eren finally, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I know you’ve had sex in my bed,” said Armin pointedly. “So don’t start.”

Mikasa flushed, but Eren said, “You should know better.”

Armin sighed. “Just sleep in my bed tonight. It’s clean. I promise. I’ll do your laundry tomorrow.”

Finally, Eren caved. At least, Armin thought as he crawled into Eren’s bed later that night, they hadn’t seemed too upset about the prank. But as he laid in the dark, listening to Mikasa and Eren snoring in his bed on the other side of the room, he couldn’t escape thoughts of Annie as he tried to sleep. He could still taste her on his lips. He wasn’t entirely proud to admit that he wanted to taste her again.

But when she left before, there was something in her eye – something cold and unapproachable. He rolled over and buried his face in the pillow. Surely, he hadn’t ruined this, had he? He sighed into the fabric, still thinking about the softness of her skin beneath his fingertips and his lips, and he hoped desperately that she didn’t hate him for how much he liked thinking about her like that.

Notes:

If you couldn't tell, this chapter was completely unplanned in my plot, which is why it took so long. As I was writing, I just felt there needed to be something in between the last chapter and what follows this, hence why this exists! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. I can't promise on update times since I have deadlines coming up, but even if it takes a while, I'll get the chapters up eventually.

Sorry for any errors! Writing this one absolutely drained me, so I'd love it if you came and yelled absolutely anything about this story in the comments at me <3

Chapter 9: a little too much

Armin hadn’t heard from Annie in two days.

His phone had never been so silent.

When he woke up the next morning after their … escapade to an empty inbox, he assumed that she was just embarrassed. He was, too – he couldn’t look Eren and Mikasa in the eye when they got out of bed. But when it had reached the night again, and he still hadn’t heard from her, worry tightened his gut.

He’d sent one message that had gotten no reply. And then, as he lay in bed, staring at his screen, he’d sent another. And then another. And another. He nearly asked her if her phone was broken; he almost asked if she was ignoring him. His last message before he went to his morning class at the start of the week was a simple: Sorry if I’m bothering you, but just know I’m here if you need me :)

He hadn’t wanted to be swallowed by the ground so desperately as he did now.

Annie wouldn’t stop circulating his mind, not even as he walked across campus, even though he definitely should have been worrying about the reading he was supposed to do for today’s discussion task. But he couldn’t get her out of his head, so he finally just took his phone out to check his inbox again.

He clicked on Annie’s name, and his heart sank. She hadn’t answered his messages. He debated sending another, but stopped himself. He already looked desperate enough.

Armin was so busy staring at the blank space where Annie’s messages should be that he didn’t even see the person right in front of him.

He made a noise of surprise as he bumped into them, his fingers swiping over the keyboard on his screen before he dropped his phone to the ground.

“Maybe those glasses of yours don’t work as well as you think.”

His eyes drifted up from where his phone lay on the ground. “Oh. Hey, Historia.”

Her hair was shining gold, in spite of the gloomy weather – and her eyes were as bright, as always, if just a little bored.

“Sorry,” he continued, reaching down to grab his phone. “I wasn’t looking where I was going. Are you okay?”

Historia nodded. “I’m fine. Are you?”

“Uh, yeah, just a little out of it,” he said, squinting at his phone screen. It was fine, but he’d accidently sent Annie a keyboard smash, which only added to how pitiful he looked. Then, he added, “Tired.”

Historia hummed, already seeming more than finished with the conversation. “Oh, I’ll give you this now, since you bumped into me.” Then she pulled out of a slip of paper out of her handbag. “Here.”

It was a printed invitation on creamy-white paper, with an elegant font and lovely pink lettering that Armin tentatively took from her hand. It read:

Armin Arlert
You are formally invited to the 1st annual celebration of the life of Ymir, the Founder, hosted by Historia Reiss at the Paradis Sorority House
In memory of Ymir, Founder of Eldia University in 1895
Friday 11th
Formal attire required
Beverages available, but first come, first served, so it is recommended to BYOB if possible

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Formal attire?”

Historia waved him off with a sigh. “The college’s president was suspicious with the last party I held, so I thought if it was listed as an official event, he wouldn’t bat an eye at this one. So, formal attire is required, as stated on the invitation.”

Armin doubted this party would be taken to too kindly if it fell into the head’s hands, due to the fact it explicitly said “BYOB”, but he didn’t particularly feel like correcting her with so much on his mind.

“And it’s in memory of the university’s founder …?” he asked slowly.

“Well, not really,” said Historia. “Only on invitations.”

“Uh, right,” he said slowly.

“Ymir’s hoping to see you there,” she said.

Armin didn’t miss the gleam that came into her eyes when she spoke of her girlfriend. And he was touched for a moment that someone was thinking of him.

Until Historia added, “She’s got another keg for you.”

Armin’s shoulders sank. He didn’t think Ymir holding his legs up while he downed a keg was the sort of thing that happened at formal events, but he wasn’t about to argue with her.

“I’ll try to be there,” he said.

“You will be there,” said Historia, and then she smiled. But then, it quickly dropped, and she reached into her bag to pull out another invitation. “Save me an extra journey, will you? We don’t have any classes together.”

Armin’s heart sank to his feet when he read the invitation.

Annie Leonhart
You are formally invited to the 1st annual celebration of the life of Ymir, the Founder, hosted by Historia Reiss at the Paradis Sorority House
In memory of Ymir, Founder of Eldia University in 1895
Friday 11th
Formal attire required
Beverages available, but first come, first served, so it is recommended to BYOB if possible

His eyebrows drew together as he stared down at her name on the paper. “Historia, I don’t think that’s a good –”

“Thanks, Armin!”

His eyes flickered back up to see Historia’s retreating form, a wide smile on her face as she waved goodbye to him.

With a sigh, he carefully slipped the invitations into his backpack, lodged in the back pages of his notebook to keep them safe. Although, a part of him wanted to just rip them to shreds.

He couldn’t focus throughout his class, in spite of the fact he was supposed to be participating in this discussion – which he admittedly was making very little effort to do. That tiny slip of white paper felt heavier than a rock.

As he stared down at his notebook, pretending to scribble notes, he weighed out his options. There was no point texting Annie about it – it wasn’t like she’d answer, anyway. He considered, then, if he should just text Hitch. At least she would answer him. But no, he couldn’t do that, either. Hitch would start asking questions, and neither he nor Annie needed that.

So, what else did that leave? He couldn’t give it to someone else to give it to her. There would be no one on campus who wouldn’t think they were having issues if he did that. All he could do, then, was give it to her directly. The thought made him sweat.

But could he really do that? She clearly didn’t want to hear from him; the sight of him might just upset her even more, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. He certainly didn’t want to show up at her dorm unannounced like some sort of stalker when she’d ignored his texts for days. But there wasn’t anything else he could do.

An idea sparked in his mind. He could go to her dorm and give it to her – just not directly. He could just slide it under her door. Then, it wouldn’t even look like he delivered it.

When class ended, he packed his things away and gripped the straps of his backpack, hard, before starting the walk to Annie’s dorm.

His heart was thundering in his ears by the time he stood before the door to her dorm room. His fingers were so sweaty he was surprised the invitation didn’t just melt in his hands. Taking in a sharp breath, he lowered himself down to his knees and then, very slowly, began pushing the invitation underneath the door.

But then, it stopped. The invitation wouldn’t move any further, only just an inch beneath the door. Armin’s heart stopped. He tried to shove it again, but it barely budged. It must have jammed on the carpet or something like that. Panic was rising in his chest. He pushed again and again, but it was futile. So, without another thought, he leaned down to peer through the gap between the door and the floor to see if there was a different way he could angle the paper to slide the paper to the other side.

But just as his eyes caught sight of the piece of carpet the paper was catching on, the door clicked, and swung open.

Armin froze in place, praying desperately that it was Hitch standing above him.

But it was too quiet to be her.

“Is there a reason you’re down there?”

Armin swallowed, and slowly raised his eyes to meet Annie’s cool gaze.

“Oh,” he said lamely. “Hey … Annie.”

She was silent – she merely raised an eyebrow at him.

He raised his arm, presenting the invitation to her, and she swiped it from his hand before she even had a chance to notice how sweaty his palms were.

Annie snorted and looked back down at him. “What, are you Historia’s messenger now?”

“No!” he said, stumbling to his feet. “I just ran into her this morning, so she just asked me to give you yours. She thought …”

But Armin wasn’t sure how to finish the sentence, so the words hung between them, like cobwebs they couldn’t reach to dust away.

He cleared his throat. “I’ll just get going.”

Her face didn’t show any intention of stopping him. He wondered at what point in the past two days she had put on that face when she thought of him.

He started to turn away, but something stopped him – her hand, small but strong, clamped around his wrist.

“Wait,” she said. “I want to talk to you.”

Her expression had softened – so soft that he wanted to reach out and touch her cheek.

But instead, he just said, “Okay.”

The door clicked shut behind him as he stepped into Annie’s room. Hitch was nowhere to be seen, and he wasn’t sure if that was a relief or not; her side of the room was as pristine as always. Annie’s was messier than usual; sheets coming off the corners and candy wrappers piled on her nightstand, along with coffee-stained mugs that were in desperate need of cleaning.

It was only her voice that drew his attention back to her. “Are you just going to stand there or are you going to sit down?”

She was already sitting by the pillows on her bed.

“Oh, uh, yeah,” he said. “Sorry.”

He sat at the other edge, hands between his knees, fiddling with his thumbs. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes and finally noticed what she was wearing: dark leggings and a white hoodie which didn’t look very white at the moment. He considered asking her if something was wrong – but she spoke before he could even part his lips.

“Are you going to this party?”

His eyebrows raised. He hadn’t thought that she’d want to talk about that, of all things. “Oh … well, probably. Historia said I should.” Then, after a moment of pause, he added, “I think she thought we were going together.”

“Oh,” said Annie after a few heartbeats. “Well, that makes sense.”

And then they were quiet again. He stared down at his feet, focusing on the scuffmarks that had developed on his left boot. He was still staring down at them when he said, “Annie, did you want to talk about what happened the other day?”

When he finally raised his eyes to look at her, he noticed her flushed cheeks, and the way she squeezed her eyes shut as she faced the floor.

Finally, she said, “I’m sorry for ignoring you.”

Armin’s shoulders relaxed. “Oh. It’s okay.”

Annie shook her head. “No, it’s not. I just had … a bad day the next day, and I didn’t feel like talking to anyone. Sorry.”

He just looked at her for a moment, watching the way her hair fell down by her face as she leaned forward, the way her fingers came up to push it behind her ear. Sometimes, he thought, if he was stood in the Louvre, surrounded by masterpieces, all he would want to look at was her.

But he was sure that that was the last thing she wanted to hear, so he said, “I know you didn’t want to talk, but … I just want you to know, if you need someone, I’m always here.”

Her eyes fell shut again, like she was tired, but he wasn’t quite sure what of. “I know.”

His confidence waned, and his eyes fell back on his boots. There was another scuff he hadn’t quite caught before, on the right boot. He hoped Annie didn’t notice.

“Is there …” Armin swallowed. “Is there anything else you want to talk about?”

Annie was quiet for some time, before saying, “I don’t know.”

“Do you not want to … talk about what happened?” Armin finally raised his eyes to face her – but she wasn’t looking at him at all.

Her sigh was heavy enough to crush him. “Armin, there’s nothing to talk about.”

“What do you mean?” he asked slowly.

She raised her eyes to him. They’d never felt so cold. “There’s nothing to talk about,” she repeated.

“But … there is,” said Armin. “What we did – it was –”

“It was a mistake, okay?” she snapped.

His heart froze. “You think it was a mistake?”

There was exasperation on her face when she looked at him – almost, he realised with a sickly feeling, like she was tired of him. “We’re just friends, Armin.”

Time stopped for a heartbeat, or maybe longer, because for an instant, he wasn’t sure if his heart was beating at all.

After the longest few moments of his life, Armin said, “I know that, Annie.”

But she stayed quiet, and buried her head in her hands.

He pushed the ache in his chest down, and asked, “Annie? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said abruptly, raising her head again. But he didn’t miss the gleam of water in her eyes.

“Do you want me to leave?” he asked quietly.

Annie was silent, eyebrows furrowed, arms wrapped around herself tightly as she gave him an ever so slight nod.

He looked away from her and rose to his feet. He’d never felt so heavy. “Just … call me if you need anything.”

But still, she didn’t say anything, and he couldn’t bring himself to turn back to look at her, so the only noise that passed between them was the door clicking shut. It had never sounded so loud.

The trip back to his room was long, and he barely remembered crawling into bed until he found himself staring at the cracked, white ceiling. He did that until his eyelids grew heavy without him noticing, and he didn’t wake up until the door slammed opened.

“Hey, man!”

Armin rubbed his eyes and squinted at Eren, who seemed awfully chipper in spite of all of the pranks that had been pulled a few days ago. But his and Mikasa’s frustration didn’t last all that long, at least, not when they noticed Armin acting differently from normal. So, the paint was washed off, the wrapping paper tossed out, and Annie hadn’t been in their room since. He wasn’t really sure if she’d ever be in it again.

“Hey,” said Armin.

As he slipped his glasses back on, which had fallen off his face, he noticed Mikasa by the doorway, in a long, casual black dress and her usual black lipstick.

“Oh, hey,” he said.

Her eyebrows furrowed. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I’m fine.”

Mikasa glanced over at the back of Eren’s head, and she let the subject drop.

“Are you staying at Annie’s tonight?” asked Eren.

Armin’s heart twisted at the sound of her name. “I can,” he lied. “If that’s what you need.”

Mikasa smiled sympathetically. “Sasha’s letting Connie stay over – Marco’s at Jean’s.”

Armin nodded. “I’ll just text Annie. I’m pretty sure she’s busy right now, but I have work to do anyway, so I’ll just go to the library until she’s home.”

“Thanks, Armin,” said Eren, patting him on the shoulder with a big grin plastered on his face. He’d been a little friendlier since the incident. Armin wasn’t sure if he liked it or not.

He tried to ignore the weight of Mikasa’s gaze as he packed up his bag and slung it over his shoulder, but it made him feel ten times heavier than any of Annie’s words had.

He bid them goodbye, but he only took five steps out into the hallway before someone joined him.

“Hey,” said Mikasa, closing the door behind her.

Armin looked over his shoulder at her. “Huh?”

She folded her arms, her eyebrows furrowing. “If you don’t have anywhere to stay tonight, we can just all watch movies together, you know.”

He forced a smile. “It’s okay. Annie’ll let me stay over.”

But Mikasa still didn’t seem convinced. “Has something happened?”

His eyebrows drew together. “What do you mean?”

“Between you and Annie.”

“Of course not,” he said.

After a pause, she relented. “Okay. You’ve just seemed … off.”

“I’m fine, Mikasa,” he said. “Just have a nice night with Eren. I’ll be okay.”

She hesitated for a moment, before nodding, and before he could turn away, she took a step towards him and wrapped her arms around him.

A moment passed with his arms hanging awkwardly by his sides, but then he came to his senses and brought them around her.

“I’m here for you, you know,” she said quietly.

For a second, he thought about telling her everything. To get it all off his chest and have his best friend comfort him and talk him through it. There wasn’t anything in that moment that he wanted more. But he couldn’t.

So he pulled away, pushed a smile onto his face and said, “I know, Mikasa. I’m here for you, too.”

She smiled and folded her arms. “Don’t study too hard.”

“I won’t,” he said, turning to leave. “I’ll see you later.”

“See you.”

The second floor of the library was completely empty, and he found himself a seat in a secluded corner, hidden away from the world, and pulled out his laptop and notebook. Maybe working would take his mind off of things, anyway.

But he was only halfway through jotting down notes on a journal article about ocean pollution when his stomach rumbled. He realised then that he’d slept for so long, he’d just forgotten to eat.

With a sigh, he rose to his feet and pulled out his wallet to rummage for change, before heading downstairs to the vending machine. There was one on every floor, but there were two on the first floor, and everyone tended to use the one in the centre of the library, so the one by the main entrance was left mostly unused, so it usually had the best stock.

But as he approached the machine, he noticed the coffee machine right next to it, and decided to get himself a latte to drag him through the night. As he was waiting for his cup to fill, he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eyes by the main library doors. His eyebrows furrowed, but before he could examine it further, the coffee stopped pouring. He grabbed a lid and shoved his wallet into his pocket and turned towards the main doors, before stepping outside into the chill of the evening air.

There was someone standing in a long brown coat, messy hair pulled back in a ponytail as they breathed out a cloud of smoke from their cigarette.

Armin’s eyebrows raised. “Professor Zoe?”

They spun around, eyes widening, hand shooting behind their back as if they were trying to hide their cigarette.

“Armin!” they exclaimed. The glow of light from the library’s reception made the lenses of their glasses shine. “I didn’t expect to see you here at this hour. But this must be the key to your success – I’ve always been a bit more nocturnal, too.”

“Uh … what are you doing on campus so late?” he asked.

They sighed and pulled their hand from behind their back and took a puff of their cigarette. “I left some things I needed to plan my next class in my office, but by the time I got here I realised I’d left my office keys at home, so I had to go back home and pick them up. Then when I got what I needed, I went home, but my printer was all out of ink, so I came back again to print some things off, and quite frankly it was all just a bit stressful, so I’m taking a break before driving back home – hopefully for the last time tonight!”

“Oh,” said Armin. “Sorry. Are you alright?”

“Completely fine,” said Professor Zoe. “I shouldn’t really be smoking on campus, anyway – but I was desperate.” They pointed at him with their cigarette. “So this stays between me and you, okay?”

Armin smiled. “You give me my highest marks, Professor, so I don’t think reporting you would be in my best interest.”

“That’s very smart of you,” they said, taking another drag. “Taking a break from studying?”

“I was just getting a coffee,” he said, raising his cup.

“Ah,” said Professor Zoe. “I see we all have our addictions.” Then, their eyes narrowed. “You don’t smoke, do you?”

“No, Professor,” said Armin. “My girlfriend vapes, and I tried that, but I –” He cut himself off, and said, “My ex, I mean. I think. My friend. Ex-friend.”

Their eyebrows furrowed. “Just call me Hange outside of class. I find the term ‘professor’ too formal, anyway.” Then, after a moment of hesitation, they said, “Would you like to stay and talk? It seems like you’ve got something on your mind.”

He shook his head. His face was red with what he’d already let slip. “It’s just stupid college drama. I don’t want to bother you with it.”

Professor Zoe – no, Hange – took another drag of their cigarette, and then said, “Actually, I disagree. I find college students quite fascinating, including their drama. Adults are too tired for it, which is relieving; but it did used to keep things interesting. The things I overhear sometimes make it feel like I’m watching a drama without having to pay for a Netflix subscription.”

Armin didn’t think he enjoyed the idea of his life being compared to a Netflix TV show (especially considering the things he’d heard about Riverdale), but he’d been longing for someone to talk to – and here stood Hange.

Hesitantly, he said, “It’s quite convoluted.”

“Even better!” said Hange. “Come on – let’s take a seat. There’s benches around the corner; although, I’m sure you’re aware of that.”

When they sat down on the cool wood of the bench, Armin’s fingers gripped his hot coffee cup whilst Hange put out their cigarette. Before he spoke, they lit another one, and sighed as they breathed out the smoke.

Hange gestured at him. “Go ahead. But just be aware that I have to tell the higher-ups anything if something is endangering you or other students.”

Armin shook his head. “It’s really nothing like that.”

“That’s a relief,” said Hange. “So what’s bothering you?”

He cleared his throat, focusing on the heat of his cup searing his fingers rather than the heat on his face. Had he really reached the point where the only one he could turn to was his professor? But as pathetic as it was – they were his only option.

So, he said, “A while ago, I was getting really frustrated with my roommate, because I kept walking in on him and his girlfriend … well, you know.”

“Ah, the dorm room life,” said Hange with a nod. “Can’t say I miss it.” Then, they added, “Go on.”

He swallowed, looking down at the plastic white lid of his cup. “I was telling this girl … and she said a good idea would be to get back at them by basically making them go through the same thing. But … I didn’t have a girlfriend, and she was single, so she suggested that we start fake dating just to get on their nerves.”

Hange cocked an eyebrow. “Fake dating?”

Armin nodded. “I know … it was a really bad idea.”

Hange nodded. “There’ve definitely been less reckless plans.”

“Yeah,” he said, and sighed. “Then, after a while … I guess it just didn’t feel like it was fake anymore. And things escalated, and a few days ago we … maybe we went too far …”

Hange just hummed and gave him an encouraging nod.

“So,” he continued, “we were supposed to be faking it – but that was … real, actually real, and my roommate and his girlfriend walked in and she reasonably got really embarrassed, and then I didn’t hear from her for a few days, and I had to give her something today, and then she just told me that we’re just friends.”

Hange didn’t say anything for a while. Then, they took a deep breath, and said, “Break-ups are horrible, especially when you’re young.”

Armin’s cheeks flushed. “But we didn’t break up. We were never together.”

“But it felt like that, didn’t it?” said Hange.

He nodded. “I’d just convinced myself there was more, when there just … wasn’t.”

Hange took another puff from their cigarette. “Well, just because she wants to only be your friend doesn’t necessarily mean she doesn’t share your feelings.”

Armin’s eyes snapped over to them. “Sorry?”

“Well, it’s certainly strange to suggest faking a relationship with someone if there isn’t some other agenda,” they said. “Maybe it was just to help you, but in my experience, people don’t tend to be so kind. Was this girl your friend before all of this?”

“Well … no, not really,” he confessed.

“Then maybe she was hoping for something, too,” said Hange.

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “But then why would she not … want more?”

Hange shrugged. “There could be a lot of reasons. But regardless of them, you can’t exactly give up on your life and hope she just decides she wants that for herself one day, if she does have those feelings. You’re young – there’s still a lot of life for you to live.”

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed, not quite sure what to say.

Fortunately, Hange filled the quiet for him. “That being said; if this girl means so much to you, maybe her friendship is important to keep. It could be something you regret losing in the future over a simple crush.”

Armin turned his cup around in his hands, staring at the whiteness of the lid again. “What would you suggest?”

“Well,” they said with a sigh, “I think you should give her some space. And give yourself space, too. Then, maybe you can work back together.” Then, they added, “But I’m not an expert. I’m just giving you my very unprofessional opinion.”

He nodded. “Thank you, Hange. I really needed to get that off of my chest.”

“No problem!” said Hange, rising to their feet. “And don’t worry: this stays between you and me.”

“Thank you,” said Armin. He smiled weakly. “I should probably get back to studying.”

Hange nodded. “I hope it goes well. But knowing you, it probably will.” Then, they added, “Oh, don’t forget the test this Friday! I nearly did.”

He smiled. “I’ll try not to.”

When he stepped back inside, he meandered around the empty reception as he finished his coffee, and then, he bought another, and picked out a pack of chips and a candy bar as his meal of choice for the night. He settled back in his seat, sighing as it creaked, and got up the first episode of Silver Spoon, and got ready for his long night.

At some point, after making mountains of notes, he’d crashed, face-down on his notebook, ink smearing across his cheek. The only reason he woke up was because someone had knocked a large textbook off of the shelf near him, startling him into consciousness. With the morning light streaming in through the windows, he decided to pack up his things and head back to his actual bed.

Mikasa was nowhere in sight, but Eren had clearly decided to go back to bed, snoring his head off. And, following his suit, Armin collapsed down onto his bed, and passed out.

The days following went by just as quietly. He saw Marco and Mikasa, but only briefly; they were busy, and Mikasa was already starting to catch on so he didn’t want to give anything else away. Between classes and sleeping, he tried to go swimming, but his heart wasn’t really in it. Still – he made himself do it. It was better than wallowing all night in his room.

But things changed after Professor Zoe’s test on Friday. He was walking back to his dorm through campus, narrowly avoiding Ymir and Historia as he squeezed by them making out by the exit from the alley by the science building’s, when something smacked him in the face.

Armin froze, and his eyes drifted to the crumpled ball of paper at his feet.

He leaned down to pick it up, but when he unfurled it, his stomach sank. It was a crudely drawn picture of a woman giving a man a blowjob. Armin grimaced. But then, he caught sight of the writing above the image, scrawled in sickening red ink: Annie Leonhart loves sucking Armin Arlert’s tiny dick.

His face flushed, and then he heard a burst of laughter, and his eyes snapped up.

Floch Forster stood not too far away, his hair the same colour as the ink on the page, grinning so widely Armin was shocked his face didn’t just split in half.

When Armin didn’t react, Floch took a step forward and said, “Oh, come on. Can’t take a little joke, can you?”

“Did you draw this?” asked Armin, holding out the paper towards him.

But Floch didn’t get to finish his sentence, because Armin’s fist connected with his nose.

Floch cried out and stumbled backwards; but before he could even think to react, Armin pounced on him.

He knew he wasn’t strong, but all he could see was red. He barely even noticed the sting of his knuckles against Floch’s face as he punched him again, and again.

“Armin Arlert!”

Armin was panting by the time a strong arm ripped him off of Floch. His vision began to clear, and he saw Floch – his nose was twisted and bloody, and his lip had bust at some point during the scuffle.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Armin looked up to meet the face that had dragged him off of Floch – only to see the president of the college, Erwin Smith.

He was sure that his heart had stopped beating. Maybe that would be a better fate than whatever Mr Smith had in store for him.

“My office,” he said, his blue eyes piercing. “Now.”

The entire campus fell silent as he pulled himself to his feet, and fell into step behind Mr Smith without a single word.

“Yeah, that’s right Arlert!” Floch’s voice called after him. “You’ll pay for –”

But his words were cut short by a grunt of pain, followed by Ymir’s voice: “Just shut it, Forster.”

The only sound that passed between him and Mr Smith on the walk to his office was the crunch of stones beneath their shoes. It was so quiet that Armin nearly jumped out of his skin at the creak of Mr Smith’s door.

His office was everything Armin expected; warm mahogany, glowing lamps with fancy green lampshades, comfy leather chairs, and not a bit of clutter in sight.

Mr Smith settled into his tall seat at his desk, and gestured with his large hands towards the smaller chair opposite him. “Please, sit.”

After a moment of hesitation, Armin stepped forward and lowered himself down into one of the chairs.

Mr Smith leaned forward, placing his hands on his desk. “You realise assaulting a student is enough reason to be expelled – especially on university property.”

Armin opened his mouth to argue, but then, he decided that that could just make things worse, so he just said, “Yes, sir.”

Mr Smith’s eyes were hard. “But I’m no fool. I’m well aware of your record – I have an eye on our most successful students. Professor Zoe sings your praises. You’ll be a wonderful addition to the alumni of this university.”

“Thank you, sir,” said Armin quietly.

“And I know that that boy you were hitting is a troublemaker on campus – Mr Forster has been in this office many times,” said Mr Smith with a sigh. “Unfortunately, I don’t get to sing many praises with this job.” Then, he added, “Please tell me how you got into that situation, and if your argument is sound enough, maybe this won’t be put on your record.”

Armin’s heart sank. “I don’t think I have much of a defence, sir.”

Mr Smith cocked an eyebrow at him. “So, you just assaulted another student? Unprovoked?”

Armin sighed and looked down at his hands. “There was a prank that my friends pulled on me as a forfeit, and it involved writing some unsavoury things about me and my girlfriend ... well, you know. But it was actually on me, and Floch took photos of me and posted them online,” he finished.

“So, it was because he posted those photos without your permission?” asked Mr Smith.

“Well, not exactly,” said Armin. “I was walking back from class, and he threw a piece of paper at my face, and he’d drawn me and my – well, my ex-girlfriend – doing really explicit things, and it was just sort of demeaning to her, and I got really angry. He started asking why I didn’t like the joke, and I just – lost it.”

Mr Smith just stared at him.

“I should have been the bigger person and walked away,” said Armin finally.

“You should have,” said Mr Smith, leaning back.

The silence in the room that followed was so heavy that Armin could feel it weighing down his shoulders. He swallowed, and let his eyes wander away from Mr Smith, to look at anything else rather than his piercing gaze, until his strong voice snapped his attention back to him.

“But,” said Mr Smith finally, “since this is your first wrongdoing, I’ll let it slide.”

Armin perked up. “You will?”

“Well, not entirely,” said Mr Smith. “I’ll be putting you on janitorial duty with Mr Ackerman for the next few weeks.”

Armin’s stomach dropped.

Mr Smith smiled. “It’s still better than being expelled, Mr Arlert.”

Armin nodded. “That’s fine. The way I behaved was very wrong of me.”

Mr Smith nodded and hummed in agreement. “Unfortunately for you, Mr Ackerman is very thorough, and you will likely be left scrubbing the public toilets on campus – up to his standard. It will not be enjoyable.”

“I understand,” said Armin, but he was wondering if perhaps he should have just ask to be expelled. It would be less embarrassing, at least.

“You’ll start tomorrow at noon – it’ll mostly be library duty, since it’s the weekend. I’ll tell Mr Ackerman to meet you at the doors.”

“Okay, sir,” said Armin.

“And I never want to see you in any trouble like this again, do you understand?” asked Mr Smith.

“I understand,” he said.

“Good,” said Mr Smith.

Armin spent the rest of the night hoping that when he arrived at the library doors the next day, Mr Ackerman would just ask him to leave. It wasn’t like Armin was particularly unclean, but he knew enough from Mikasa that Levi was more than thorough when it came to cleaning; Armin would likely just get in his way.

But when he showed up to the library’s main entrance at noon the next day, Levi Ackerman stood with his arms folded, staring at him with a look that could probably kill him, if he tried hard enough.

“Arlert,” said Levi, holding out a bucket of cleaning supplies. “There’s a cleaning in progress sign by the girls’ bathroom on the third floor; that one’s all yours.”

He was relieved to just be getting on with it, but just as he thought they were about to part, Levi began leasing him up the two flights of stairs, telling him the exact order each chemical needed to be used on the toilets, how long it should be left for, what should be used on the sinks, the solution that needed to be formed to mop the floor, etcetera. He’d only finished his list when they stood outside the girls’ bathroom.

“You won’t get it done that quickly, but that doesn’t matter,” said Levi. “Just get it done.”

Levi handed him a mop, and shoved the trolley beside it into the bathroom, and pushed Armin in after it.

Left alone in the silence of the bathroom, Armin let out a deep sigh. Well, at least it was the girls’ bathroom. From what he’d seen of the guys’, it practically looked spotless.

It wasn’t exactly the way he wanted to spend his Saturday, but it was better than being expelled. At least, that’s what he was trying to convince himself.

He started with the worst part – the actual toilet stalls. It wasn’t that bad, but by the time he reached the third stall, he was beginning to think the combination of chemicals that Levi suggested was just wholly unnecessary. He wasn’t about to argue, though, and when he heard the bathroom door slam open, he quickened his pace.

Footsteps came around the stall, and then froze behind him. He was sure it was just Levi admiring what a horrible job he was doing, until he was met with a familiar, snarky voice.

“So,” said Ymir, “did the college expel you just to hire you as a janitor?”

Armin spun around to see her standing with her arms folded, leaning back against the white, tiled wall.

“You can’t be in here during cleaning duty,” said Armin. “And no, I’m just on janitorial duty as punishment for hitting Floch.”

Ymir scoffed. “Hardly seems like something worth punishing anyone for. If I were Erwin Smith, I’d have given you a pat on the back.”

“I’m lucky I didn’t get arrested,” said Armin, scrubbing at the lid of the seat.

“Oh, please,” said Ymir. “They’d never do that. Aren’t you, like, the college’s star student? Their grade average would plummet.”

Armin didn’t really want to debate whether the college really would consider having him arrested for assaulting Floch Forster, so he asked, “What are you doing in the library on a Saturday, anyway?”

“Study date,” she said. “If you’re asking why I’m in here, I needed a piss.”

“You’re supposed to piss in a different bathroom,” said Armin.

“They usually aren’t in here when those signs are up,” said Ymir. “The cleaner usually takes a break. Not Ackerman – one of the other ones. So I assumed it was empty. I didn’t think you’d be here.”

“Well, you might have to go and use a different bathroom,” said Armin with a sigh.

“Can I just use the stall you haven’t cleaned yet?” asked Ymir.

He sighed again. “Fine. Just be quick.”

Just when he thought his life couldn’t get any more depressing, he was assaulted by the sound of Ymir’s piss hitting the bowl in the next stall. He poured bleached into the toilet before him, trying his best to ignore how awful his life seemed to have become in the space of a week. The only relief that came was the sound of a flushing toilet.

“Oh, I meant to say,” said Ymir, slamming the toilet stall open. “You’ve gone viral again.”

He turned around as she thrust out her phone, and he saw the video – posted, not surprisingly at all, to Ymir’s Twitter – with the caption “Floch finally getting what he deserves”. When she clicked play, it was just Armin (thankfully, not very clear in the video) punching Floch while he was down on the ground.

“I’ve got Floch and his little minions blocked,” said Ymir, pushing her phone back into her pocket. “So, they won’t see it.”

“Thanks,” he said with a sigh.

“Didn’t know you had it in you,” said Ymir. “You must really like Leonhart.”

The sound of her name sent a stab into his chest. All he said was, “I do.”

Ymir didn’t have much to say after that, and disappeared, leaving Armin to clean down the stall on his own. It took a while, but finally, after what felt like hours of scrubbing, it was all done. Levi didn’t even put him on another job, and let him go home. He said it would be on him, not Armin, if Mr Smith found out. He thanked him, and headed back to his dorm.

But just as he stepped outside, his phone buzzed.

He froze in place, before reaching into his pocket to read the message.

ROCKSTAR <3
I’m sorry for how I talked to you the other day
I took everything out on you

Armin stared at his screen for a long time, before he pushed his phone back into his pocket. In spite of himself, his heart was pounding. He tried to ignore it the full walk to his room.

Eren was nowhere in sight – probably out on a date with Mikasa; it was Saturday, after all. So, he lay down on his bed, and closed his eyes. His heart was still racing, but he couldn’t bring himself to look at his phone again quite yet. He took a deep breath, and considered whether he should just take a nap. But then his eyes shot open as a loud knock rattled the door.

He sprung out of bed and stumbled towards the door, clicking the lock open and swinging it open.

His breath caught in his throat.

“Annie,” he said.

Her hair was down, cascading over her shoulders, over a grey Ramones T-shirt, which was tucked into a plaid, red skirt. Even all of her piercings were in. They were twinkling like stars under the dingy dorm lights.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey,” he echoed.

Annie’s brow furrowed. “Is it okay if I come in?”

Armin blinked. “Oh, yeah! Of course.”

He stepped aside to let her in, and then carefully shut the door behind them.

When he turned around to face her, Armin didn’t know what to do with his hands. He could feel them hanging by his body, too out of place, so he shoved them into his pockets, but he was sure he still looked ridiculous. The room was too small for him and Annie in a way it had never been before.

“Hey,” he said again dumbly.

Annie raised an eyebrow. “Hey?”

He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Uh … is there something you wanted?” Then, he added, “Not that you can’t just come over. I just … haven’t heard from you …”

Annie’s gaze could turn him to stone. “I’ve been ignoring you.”

His stomach sank. “Yeah,” he said finally.

Finally, she lowered her head, and she took a deep breath. “I wanted space, from everyone. I should have just said that.” Then, she added, “I’m sorry.”

But Armin wasn’t sure what to say. All of his words were stuck in his throat.

She raised her eyes. “I should leave.”

Just as she started turning, Armin came to life – his hand sprung out, grabbing her wrist. He liked the feeling of her skin beneath his fingertips.

“Wait,” he said. “Stay.”

Her eyes trailed down to where he held her in his grasp, and she nodded, before he let his grip drop.

“Thank you,” said Armin. “I wish you’d just said that.”

Annie snorted. “So do I now.”

He smiled weakly. “Do you want to sit down?”

She nodded, and finally settled on his bed, sitting by the perfect pillows. He carefully set himself down at the other end, then, he said, “Do you wanna talk about it?”

“There’s not a lot to talk about,” she said after a long pause. “My dad was sick – nothing major, but it just makes me worry now. And I was really embarrassed about what we did. And I was arguing with Bert and Reiner for days, and ….”

A weight on his chest disappeared. So, she had been embarrassed, like he’d thought. But he knew she didn’t want to talk about that in particular, so he asked, “You guys were arguing?”

“It was just Reiner being a self-centred ass, sometimes,” said Annie with a sigh, collapsing back on his bed. “But even when Bert agrees, he’s too much of a wuss to say a thing, and then it’s like two against one. He was basically starting shit with me for days over one of Jean’s stupid designs – said since he’s the singer, there should be a shirt with just him, yada yada. It was a tiny thing, but when I said he was being an ass, he got so angry, and he was being a dick for days. The only reason he calmed down is because his mom called to tell him to stop being a dick – clearly, my dad can’t keep his mouth shut.”

“Oh …” said Armin dumbly. “I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s fine. You didn’t do anything,” said Annie, sitting back up. Her eyebrows furrowed. “But I’m sorry for the way I’ve been treating you. You don’t deserve it. I’m a shitty friend.”

“I don’t think you’re shitty,” said Armin.

“Because you’re too nice,” said Annie. Her gaze was pointed. “I’ve been an asshole.”

Armin shrugged. “You’re sorry. It’s okay.”

Annie didn’t say anything for a long while. But then, she said, “I saw that video of you.”

He raised his gaze from the floor, back to her face. “Is it the one I think you mean?”

“When you punched Floch,” said Annie.

“Oh,” said Armin, looking down. “That one.”

Annie leaned forward. He could smell her perfume. Light, fruity, and absolutely inebriating. “Was it because of the photos he took of you?”

He dropped her gaze again and shook his head. “No, he just threw this really crude drawing of us at me, and it pissed me off. I don’t even know how I managed to hit him like that – he must be a lot stronger than me …”

“Crude drawing?” asked Annie.

“I don’t really want to explain it,” said Armin. “But he’d written ‘Annie Leonhart loves sucking Armin Arlert’s tiny dick.’”

“Seems awfully interested in what you’re packing,” said Annie dryly. “I thought he had a crush on Eren?”

“Well, I don’t think he has a crush on me,” said Armin. “It wasn’t even that, anyway. I don’t care about him making fun of me. But I didn’t like all that stuff being about you. And the fact he drew you like that really pissed me off, so I just … punched him.”

Annie cocked her head at him. “You know, I appreciate it and all, but I don’t need you to defend my honour.”

“I know you don’t,” said Armin. “But I didn’t do it to defend your honour. I didn’t like what he was saying about you. I hit him because I wanted to.”

Annie was quiet for a long time. “You’re different.”

He looked back over at her. “How so?”

She shrugged. “I just don’t think you used to be the kind of guy who could throw a punch at anyone, never mind Floch.”

He sighed. “I shouldn’t have done it.”

“But you wanted to,” she said flatly. “So you did.”

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Yeah … is there something wrong, Annie?”

She shook her head – but then, she sighed. “Maybe I am a bad influence on you.”

“Don’t say that,” said Armin, stretching his hand further across the bed. “You’re not that at all. You’re my friend.”

“Friend?” she said, and his stomach dropped.

“Are we … not?” he asked weakly.

“I’m just surprised you still think that about me after …” she trailed off.

“You had your reasons,” said Armin. And then, finally, he said, “I missed you.”

Her eyes flickered up to his. Were they always this pale? He felt like he was stood in the arctic, staring down into the freezing waters. His throat was so tight he was surprised he wasn’t drowning, trapped in the ocean of her eyes.

“You did?” asked Annie.

“Yeah,” he said. “You’re my …” Armin swallowed, and said, “You’re one of my closest friends. Right now, I think you are my closest friend.”

Annie snorted. “Aren’t you lucky?”

Armin smiled. “I think so.”

After a long pause, Annie said, “I missed you, too.”

Against his better judgement, his heart fluttered. Not that he had much control over that, anyway – but he couldn’t say he was proud of the feeling.

Then, she added pointedly, with a jab towards him, “But don’t you go telling anyone that.”

“I’d never,” said Armin. “So … friends?”

Annie rolled her eyes, but she said, “Friends.”

All of a sudden, the weight that had been pulling him down for days seemed to lighten. Friends could be enough – more than enough.

“Just don’t go punching people, anymore,” she said. “I don’t think I could deal with you getting kicked out.”

His smile was soft. “I’ll try not to.”

Then, after a few moments of silence, she rose to her feet. “I’ll have to get going. I promised to take Bert to work, so …”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s okay,” said Armin, standing up straight. “I’ll just … see you around.”

But Annie was stood frozen in the doorway. “Do you want to go on a drive tomorrow tonight?”

Armin’s heart started racing, but he tried to smother the feeling. “Uh, yeah, if you want.”

Her eyes seemed so deep – like pools he could dive into. They gleamed in the light. “Do you want to?”

He nodded. “Of course.”

“I’ll call you,” she said. And then, she was out of sight.

Armin’s heart was thundering in his chest when he collapsed onto his bed again. He took a deep breath, but it did nothing to calm him. He could still hear her voice in his ears.

Friends. That was all. And he could be okay with that. He needed to be.

But she still took his breath away when he saw her again the next night. She was in a skirt and an oversized band tee, her hair in her usual lazy bun, her eyes bored as usual. He could stare at her all day, if she’d allow it.

“Ready to go?” she asked.

He tried to speak, but no words came out past the dryness of his mouth. He awkwardly cleared his throat, and nodded, and then he just followed her out of the dorms to her car.

There was a very loud silence between them as she started the ignition. Neither of them spoke, even once they’d driven out of campus. But she turned to radio on, and quiet rock music played out to them.

Armin was staring at the name of the radio station, and blurted, “Do you like classic rock?”

Annie looked over at him and cocked an eyebrow. “What a strange thing to ask all of a sudden.”

Truth be told, Armin was overwhelmed by the silence, so he had blabbered the first thing that came to mind. “You just have more of a pop-punky sort of vibe.”

She shrugged. “My dad likes it. I like some of it; mostly just because they’re classics.” Then she added, “What kind of music do you like, anyway? Anime soundtracks?”

Armin frowned. “Some of them are good.”

“I’m kidding,” she said dryly. “Do you like Radiohead?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I just know Creep,” he admitted.

“Oh my God,” Annie groaned.

“It’s a good song,” he defended weakly.

“And the only one everyone knows.”

“That just implies that a lot of people agree that it’s good,” said Armin.

“If you say so.”

“Are you telling me you don’t like Creep?”

“It’s just …”

“What? Too mainstream?” he teased. “Not cool enough for a bad girl like yourself?”

“Watch yourself,” she warned. “Anyway, not the point – I wanna get a Starbucks first, so I’m driving you there.”

“Okay,” he said. But then, he added, “Doesn’t your car have an aux?”

“Yeah,” said Annie. “I just always want to skip songs, and then I can’t when I’m driving, so I usually just play the radio. The wire’s in the glovebox.”

Armin kept this in mind all the way to Starbucks. It was still in the back of his mind when Annie cursed that the drive-thru was closed, and she was forced to leave him alone in the empty parking lot, her keys left in the ignition with him.

He could see her through the glow of the glass windows. There wasn’t a big line, so she would be out in no time. So, carefully, he reached to open the glovebox to grab the wire for the aux. But when it popped open, a crumbled ball of paper rolled out onto his lap instead.

His eyebrows furrowed. He flattened the paper out, and when he caught sight of the words, he realised they weren’t anything meant for his eyes. But his eyes had taken in the words before he realised just how private they must have been.

They were just scrambled lyrics, clearly things she hadn’t finished working on. It was one complete verse, at most, with a million other lines crossed out. There were faint pencil lines that he couldn’t make out in the darkness, as much as he squinted at the paper.

There isn’t a god I’d worship
But I’d worship you
I’d let you tear me apart
If you’d let me

I don’t believe in any god
But maybe I believe in you
I’d let you ruin me
If you’d let me

I don’t know if you’re a devil
But you make me feel like an angel
Are those red eyes
Or just a glint from your halo?

Come, let me pray to you
Confess to you
I’d do anything for you
If you’d let me

Come, let me worship you
Sin with you
I’d do anything for you
If you’d let me

His eyes burned into the paper for so long that he barely noticed the doors to the Starbucks swinging open. But then, his eyes flickered up, and he saw Annie walking towards the car, coffee cups in hand, and his stomach flipped.

He sprung to life, fumbling with the paper, shoving it deep into his pocket, and grabbed the wire he’d been looking for. He plugged it in, and then connected it to his phone, before reaching over and turning the key in the ignition.

Annie’s car revved to life, and as quickly as he could, he opened his Spotify app, turned the radio up as loud as it could go, and started playing Creep by Radiohead.

He could see the shock on Annie’s face even in the dimness of her car.

He pushed open the car door and stepped out, giving her a little wave as the speakers blasted Radiohead to the empty parking lot.

“What are you doing?” she shouted.

“Do you not like this song?” he asked innocently.

Annie had reached the car, but instead of yelling at him, she simply shook her head. She leaned in and placed their coffees in the cup-holders, but rather than climbing in, she closed the door, and started rounding the car to get to him.

Armin suddenly didn’t feel so confident as he felt his heart freeze in his throat. She was going to kill him, for sure.

“You know, that wastes so much gas for no good reason,” she said pointedly.

“I thought you liked this song,” he said weakly.

Annie’s face was hard. Then, she snorted.

“You know, I said you changed, but you look terrified right now,” she said.

“Well, you are terrifying,” said Armin pointedly.

There was a tiny smile at the corner of her mouth.

“I think we’re gonna get banned from Starbucks if you don’t turn that down,” she said.

“I don’t think it’s that loud,” he said. But still, he leaned in and twisted the volume button, leaving it loud enough for only the two of them to hear.

“You know what else you didn’t mention,” said Annie as she leaned against the car beside him.

His stomach sank. “What?”

“That Historia wants to do ballroom dancing at her party,” she said. “Since when has she ever had that as a thing?”

He was sure he had misheard her. Or maybe it was more like he really hoped he had. “Ballroom dancing?”

“It was on the back of the invitation,” said Annie, and then she frowned. “You know, for being smart, you aren’t always that bright.”

He’d been so busy worrying about getting the invitation to Annie that he’d never even thought of checking the back. “I was distracted,” he said.

He felt her hand brush his. Her skin was cool, and she didn’t move it. His heart started racing.

Just friends. They were just –

“You don’t know how to dance, do you?” asked Annie, snapping him out of his stupor.

His eyebrows drew together. “Do you?”

“My dad made me take lessons,” said Annie, leaning away from the car.

“Ballroom lessons?” he asked.

“Don’t push it,” she said.

“That’s … really cool,” he said.

She nudged his foot with hers. “I bet you were watching Dragonball Z or something at that time, so you have no leg to stand on.”

“Ouch,” he said, but he smiled.

“Do you want me to teach you?” asked Annie abruptly.

“Huh?” he said, smile dropping.

“To dance,” she clarified. “I don’t want you tripping all over my feet at Historia’s.”

After the distance between them, he hadn’t even thought they were going together, let alone be dancing with one another. “I … uh, I don’t know,” he said, face warming.

“Come on,” said Annie, putting a hand out. “I’m a professional, after all.”

He looked down at her hand, and swallowed. When he met her eyes again, they looked like a blue sky veiled by thin clouds. He could stare into them forever.

“Well?” she said.

“Okay,” he said, reaching out for her hand.

He took a step closer, and she said, “Put your hand here.”

Then, before he could think, Annie took his hand and placed it on her hip. He was glad it was at least a little dark so that she couldn’t see the heat rushing to his face.

“Here,” she said quietly, and then she interlaced her fingers.

Her skin was as cool as it was before, but he was warm, too warm, and probably very sweaty – but if Annie noticed, she didn’t say anything.

“Hey,” she said. “Pay attention.”

His ears burned as he met her eyes again. They were stern.

“Take a step forward,” she said. “You have to lead.”

“Oh, okay,” he said, and almost immediately stepped on her toes.

“You’re lucky I’m wearing boots,” she said dryly.

He winced. “Sorry.”

“Here,” she said with a sigh. “I’ll lead. Then you copy.”

He stared down at her feet, following her steps, over and over, until he started figuring it out. And then – she let him lead.

“Not too bad, Armin,” said Annie flatly. “You aren’t breaking any toes.”

He smiled. “Yet.”

His eyes rose from their feet, and as he met her eyes, he froze in place. And for some strange reason, so did she.

He realised then that it clearly wasn’t dark enough to hide his blushing from sight, because he saw her cheeks flush pink.

“Sorry,” he said, dropping his hands.

“It’s okay,” said Annie – was there a hint of awkwardness in her voice, too? “Want to go hang in your dorm or something, then?”

“My dorm?” he asked.

She nodded. “If Eren isn’t there, anyway. Or we can just fake it again if he is, or he’s coming back soon.”

Faking it. Why was that always on her mind? But the words sent a rush of heat as he remembered the way they’d been pressed together last time, the way he’d kissed her soft thighs and everything in between.

“Yeah, that’s fine,” he said finally.

 

In spite of the way their conversation flowed on the way back to the dorms, Armin couldn’t ignore the nerves brewing in his gut. It was just Annie. His friend, Annie. They were just going to hang out together. They’d done that before, right? And they were only friends. That was all she wanted. That was what she needed. And it was probably what he needed, too.

“That coffee is still so hot,” said Armin once they arrived back at his dorm.

“It’s luke-warm, really,” she said, long since having finished her coffee.

“Do you want another? I could make you another.”

She shook her head. “It’s okay. Not as nice.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

Eren was nowhere in sight when he pushed open the door, so Annie collapsed on the bed like it was where she belonged. She hadn’t even bothered taking her boots off.

Without another thought, Armin knelt down in front of her and unzipped her boots, slowly slipping them off of her feet, one at a time. She sighed in relief as her feet were freed, and then he placed them down by the door and kicked off his own shoes.

“Armin,” she said, leaning forward to pick some paper off of the floor. “You dropped –”

But she cut herself off as she unfurled the paper.

Armin’s stomach dropped.

It was those lyrics she’d written, that he’d dumbly shoved into his pocket, and now they sat in her hands, evidence of his crime.

“I’m sorry!” said Armin. “I didn’t mean to take them. They were just in the way of the aux cord, so I –”

“You read this?” she asked, her face red.

“I thought it was really good!” he said. “I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?” she asked, dropping his gaze. “Don’t be sorry. I look like such a creep.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “You’re in a band. You’re allowed to write lyrics.”

“I wrote them when I was really, really drunk,” said Annie, face burning even brighter for some reason. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I wasn’t thinking.”

Armin couldn’t understand how she wouldn’t meet his eyes. Were the lyrics really that bad to her? Not that he understood anything about music, but surely they’d sound good with Reiner’s vocals and all of their instruments …

“Annie, it’s okay,” he said. “It’s just a song. I think it sounds nice.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah,” said Armin. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Annie stared at him. “You aren’t even a little weirded out?”

“No,” he said. “I really like those lyrics. I think you’re talented.”

But Annie’s eyebrows were furrowed in confusion. Maybe it was a different piece of a paper – but he was sure it was just the thing he’d been reading in the car.

So, he asked, “Can I look at them again?”

She dropped her head in her hand to hide the redness of her cheeks. “Is it not embarrassing enough?”

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” he said. “Please?”

Finally, she relented, and handed the paper over to him. Now she was using both of her hands to cover her – but he didn’t miss the way she peaked through her fingers at him.

And he was right – it was the exact same lyrics he’d seen in the car, in the thick pencil lines. But there was something different – he could make out the light lines, the ones she’d clearly tried to erase, to not much avail. He could make out the title now.

His heart caught in his throat.

“Armin,” he read aloud. He lowered the paper, and tried to meet Annie’s eyes. “This … is about me?”

Annie dropped her hands, and now she was the same colour as hellfire. “You didn’t realise before?”

“I couldn’t see … the name in the car,” he said. “It was too dark.”

“Fuck,” she said quietly, and buried her head in her hands again.

“Annie,” he said, kneeling in front of her. “Annie.”

“What?” she asked, words muffled by her palms.

His eyebrows were furrowed. He left enough space between them so she could feel comfortable – if that was even possible in the moment. “Why did you write this?”

“I was drunk,” she said finally.

“Annie,” he said softly.

But she was struggling to look at him. Carefully, he reached out and placed his hand on her knee. She didn’t push him away.

“Please,” he said. “Annie … say something.”

She raised her head and looked at him; his breath caught. She was more radiant than all of the stars in the sky.

“Caring is terrifying,” she said finally. “And I don’t think it’s made for people like me.”

“But you do care,” he said.

“I know,” she said carefully. “And I hate it. I think I care about you too much.”

“I don’t think you can care too much,” said Armin. “Only too little.”

She was too embarrassed to even scoff at his comment. “I hate it.”

“Then why are you here?” he asked softly.

“It doesn’t just go away when you’re not here,” she said flatly. “I missed you. And I shouldn’t have. It’s ridiculous.”

Armin felt his cheeks warm. “I like that you missed me. And I like that you care.”

“I know,” she said finally. “But I don’t think I should let myself.”

“Why?” he asked.

Annie swallowed. “I should have ripped up that stupid song as soon as I wrote it.”

“I wish you’d write another,” he said quietly.

Her cheeks were ablaze, and so were his.

“Armin,” was all she said.

“I think you think too much,” he said quietly.

She snorted. “Really?”

He smiled as some of the tension dissipated. “Yeah, really.”

“It hurts,” said Annie after a pause. “And I’ll hurt you. I already am.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Annie, you could never hurt me.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t lie to me, Armin. All of this … I took all of this too far … it’s never been fair on you.”

“What about this is unfair for me?” he asked. “Annie, I just …”

“Armin,” she said. “I just don’t think I should. I don’t think I … I don’t think I can.”

Armin’s shoulders sank. “Okay. Okay. That’s fine. I’m sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable or anything.”

He went to move away from her, to move his hand, but then, suddenly, her small one covered his, locking him in place.

Slowly, he raised head towards her. She was biting her lip, before saying, “But … I don’t … I don’t know. I feel like all I do is make mistakes.”

His breathing wavered. Her eyes were so light.

“I think I’m a bad person, Armin,” she said.

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re good – at least, you’re good to me.”

Her smile was sad. “I wish I could be,” she said.

But then, she reached out and stroked his cheek. Before he could think, her lips were against his. They’d never felt so soft.

Annie pressed harder against him, her tongue pressing into his mouth, and he gasped against her, hands weaving into her hair. He was so shocked he could barely think. By the time they pulled apart, they were both breathing heavily, and there was something in her eyes that he wanted to see more of.

She pulled him up with her, and then she pushed him down onto the bed and straddled him.

She tugged at his shirt. “Take this off.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. He tore it over his head, and met her mouth again. But she parted from him, and let her lips dance over his neck, enough to make him shiver, only to break away to tug her own shirt over her head. Her bra was plain, black, and he couldn’t help but staring, until she pressed back against him again. He heard it click, and she shuffled it off, but her mouth was working wonders against his and he could barely think.

This wasn’t fake. She was actually kissing him – and because she wanted to kiss him. He was sure he was floating, and he never wanted her to stop. She pulled back, but only to kiss at his neck, the way she liked, and he gasped, feeling heat race south as he gripped onto her hips.

When she came back to his mouth, she knocked his glasses, and he let out a breathy laugh.

“You need to take these off,” she said.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, and she shoved his shoulder as he laughed.

“Don’t push your luck,” she said, carefully pulling his glasses from his face, and leaning to place them down on nightstand.

Her hands dug into his hair when she kissed him again, and he was surprised for a moment that he managed to not faint. He was sure it was a dream with her on him like this; but she was real, and she was warm, and he could kiss her until the world ended.

And then, as her lips moved over his, he felt her hand come down, lower, and lower, before landing over the bulge at his crotch.

He jerked away from her, hand instinctively grabbing her wrist. “Annie? Are you … are you sure …”

“Do you want me to move my hand?” she asked. Her cheeks were red. She sounded maybe even a little embarrassed.

“N-no,” he said. “I was just wondering … uh … what … what are you going to do … with it?”

“I want to show you how much I care,” she said, and dropped his gaze. “I just want to touch you. Is that okay?”

He nodded. “More than okay,” he whispered, ears burning.

Annie leaned forward, her lips by his ear. Her breath made him shiver. “Are you sure?”

He swallowed. “Yes,” he whispered. “I want you to.”

Her mouth came back to his lips, and he moved hard against her, as she clicked open his belt. When she pulled down his zipper he was shocked he didn’t faint. He barely had time to even consider what they were doing before she shuffled off of him and stood before him, gripping onto the waist of his jeans.

“Off,” she said.

He fumbled with his pants, moving to his feet, and she helped him shove them down to his ankles, along with his briefs, and pushed him back down onto the bed. He was completely bare before her, and he was embarrassed under her gaze, not just because of the way she was looking down at him, but also because of how painfully stiff he’d gotten just from making out with her, and she was sorely aware of that now.

Annie’s hand was soft when it came to his neck, tracing up his skin to tilt his chin up as her lips came down over his. It was soft and slow this time, almost intoxicating, and he couldn’t help but bring his hand up to the back of her head to pull her as close as he could. He hadn’t lost track of her hand, which was slowly moving down his flesh, over his chest and down over his stomach, until it grazed over the coarse hair at his naval and he nearly shivered. Annie bit down lightly on his bottom lip as her fingers finally curled around him.

He gasped against her mouth. Her hand slowly moved up and down, almost teasingly, and it was enough to make him shiver. She started pumping him steadily, easily falling into a rhythm that made his lips tremble so much he could barely keep kissing her.

Annie pulled away. “Is this okay?”

Her hand didn’t stop, but Armin managed to let out some sort of strangled sound and a nod. He was sure he must have looked absolutely pathetic, but he could barely form a coherent thought with her hand moving like that. “Y-yeah.”

Annie leaned forward and pressed her lips to his neck. He groaned through gritted teeth. Her hand was relentless, moving faster than before but just as steady, and her tongue traced a line up to his ear that nearly made his toes curl. When her teeth came down on his earlobe, he couldn’t keep back the loud moan that escaped him.

She leaned back, her hand stroking him as if she’d touched him like this a million times before. When he opened his eyes to look at her, and her eyes were dark and cloudy. Her hand suddenly picked up speed and he gasped, but her other hand came up his mouth to muffle the noise. Something about the pressure of her hand against his lips sent shivers down south and he whimpered against her hand.

Annie smiled and moved her hand, maintaining her rhythm on his cock, which was becoming desperate for release. His mouth fell open again and he let out a breathy moan, and her fingers rose to his lips again and, without warning, slipped inside his mouth, hooked over his bottom lip and brushing lightly over his tongue.

“Ah –,” he tried to whine her name, but her fingers were in the way.

She slipped her fingers out slowly, tracing down over his lower lip, before leaning forward again to press her mouth against the skin of his neck. Armin whimpered at her touch, his hand coming up to the back of her head to tangle in her hair as if to hold on for dear life. He could barely even think with how good her hand felt on him and he couldn’t hold back any noises escaping from him, but Annie had given up on trying to keep him quiet anyway.

Tension was steadily building in his core as she pumped him, and it took every ounce of him not to buck up into her and fuck into her hand. He was getting desperate now, past the point of embarrassment and he just want her to make him climax.

“Ah – Annie,” he breathed, fingers gripped onto her hair. “I – I don’t think – I think I’m going to …”

He could barely finish. Her lips were so hot on his skin and her hand moved just as steadily as the heat continued to rise in his core, his cock painfully rigid. He nearly whimpered, unable to stay quiet now, muttering curses under his breath. Then he felt his stomach tighten as something finally shattered, and he shuddered as he came, moaning a little too loudly, and spilling over his stomach and Annie’s hand.

His breathing was still uneven, and he looked down at the mess he made, still managing to feel embarrassed in his bliss. Annie’s hand was still on him as he softened, loosely holding him, as if she didn’t want to make any more of a mess, and he was sure if his face could heat up, it would.

But just as he was about to speak, to fill the silence, to say absolutely anything at all, the door slammed open.

“Hey,” said Eren, before his jaw nearly hit the floor. “Oh my God. Oh my God. I’m sorry. I’ll get out. Oh my God.”

The door quickly shut.

They were quiet.

“I, uh …” said Armin.

Annie finally moved her hand, her face boiling red. “I’ll get you something to clean up.”

She came back with tissues and a clean hand, awkwardly handing him the tissue to clean himself up. When she was still quiet, standing arms folded, desperately looking anywhere but at him, he said, “Annie?”

Her eyes flickered up. “Yeah?”

“That was – nice,” he said finally.

She snorted. “Yeah?”

“Um,” he said, scratching the back of his head. “Did you not … enjoy it?” Then, he added, “I mean, I know I didn’t do anything for … you, and we can! We can do that, I mean, I’d like to, it’s not really fair if –”

“I did like it,” she cut him off.

“Oh,” he said. “Good.” Then, he added, “Do you want me to …?” He cleared his throat. “I’d … like to.”

Annie shook her head. “I’m sure Eren wants to actually come back at some point.”

“Oh,” said Armin, deflating. “Yeah.”

She bit her lip. “I … I should go.”

“You don’t have to,” said Armin.

“I should,” she said firmly.

Armin’s heart sank. He watched quietly as she pulled her T-shirt back over her head and zipped up her boots, gripping the door handle.

“Annie?” he asked. “Is everything okay? Did I –”

“You haven’t done anything,” she said, and then, she dropped his gaze. “I just … need to go.”

Before he could say anything, the door opened and closed again, and then she was gone; the only trace that she’d ever been here in the first place being the plain black bra she’d abandoned in her rush to leave, left strewn across the ugly, thin blue carpet.

Notes:

I'm finally back with a new chapter! This literally took so long to get to, so sorry for the massive delays. I still have a crappy amount of deadlines, so I'm making no promises about the release date of the next chapter (but it will come, I promise).

I hope you enjoyed, and please let me know your thoughts!

Chapter 10: a mistake

Two days had gone by since Armin had last seen or heard from Annie, and he was sure Mikasa hadn’t stopped staring at him since. Every time they sat side by side, he could feel her gaze resting on him, peeking out of the corner of her eye when she thought he wouldn’t notice – but he did. This time, they were sitting out on the grass in the courtyard beneath the big oak tree, having lunch, and her eyes were suffocating him.

“Okay,” said Armin, closing his laptop. “What are you looking at?”

Mikasa frowned. “Your aura’s all wrong.”

He sighed. “I think my aura’s just fine.”

Her face softened. “You look tired.”

This made him falter. He knew she was right; he could feel the dark circles beneath his eyes pulling them down, like anchors to a seafloor. He wasn’t sure how bad they looked, because he hadn’t looked in the mirror in a few days. He’d had trouble sleeping ever since Annie had left him alone, again; staring at his phone, debating typing out a message, after sending too many that she just ignored anyway. By this point, he had decided that it probably wasn’t worth sending another.

Mikasa interrupted his thoughts. “Are you busy later?”

He shook his head. “No.”

Mikasa’s face lit up. “Come into the city with me. I need to pick up a few things.”

“Why not take Eren?” asked Armin.

Mikasa frowned. “Because I want to go with you.”

His heart warmed a little at that. “Okay,” he said, and smiled. “Wanna ask Marco, too?”

Mikasa shook her head. “He’s got plans with Jean.”

Armin was shocked by the stab that sent into his chest. Well, at least Marco had someone who actually answered his messages. He never thought he’d be jealous of someone who was dating Jean Kirstein of all people, but worse things had happened. Not many, but they had.

“Just us is fine,” said Armin, but this time his smile wasn’t genuine.

Later that evening, Armin met Mikasa at the bus stop, clad in black jeans and a plain black hoodie, along with those stupid stomping boots Annie had bought him. He was busy staring at the scuffmarks on them again when the bus pulled up, and Mikasa nudged his arm, snapping him out of his thoughts – and he followed her onto the bus.

He was distracted, like he’d been for days, and he knew Mikasa could tell. But thankfully, she didn’t bring it up the whole way to the city. She spent the entire journey talking about these cool Jujutsu Kaisen tarot cards that she’d seen on Etsy that she was desperate to buy. (It was another anime he’d forced her to watch that she ended up loving, which shouldn’t have been that surprising considering, well, the sorcery and stuff.) He nodded and hummed to everything she said, and he knew if his mood was lighter, he’d be just as thrilled as her about those cards; but his heart wasn’t really in it. His heart hadn’t really been in anything for a few days.

When they reached the city, Mikasa immediately grabbed his arm and dragged him into the closest bookstore to search for books on witchcraft. He was too scared to ask if there was something she was planning, so he simply helped her scour the shelves until she finally laid eyes on two books she thought would be “perfect for the job”. He was hesitant to ask what “the job” was, and decided it was best to leave it, and pray that she would be dragging Eren into it rather than him.

Once they stepped out of the door, Mikasa stopped abruptly and turned to him. “Will you do me a favour and wait right here?”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Right here?”

She nodded. “Yeah, it’s important. I’ll only be ten minutes. But you can’t come with me.”

Armin knew he should ask, but he let it drop. “Okay. I’ll be right here.”

Mikasa beamed. “Great! See you soon!”

After about sixteen minutes, a small part of him started to suspect that he’d been ditched; but then he caught sight of Mikasa rounding the street corner with another shopping bag in her hand and a wide smile on her face.

Before he could ask anything, she said, “Wanna get sushi?”

He smiled. “Sure.”

The nearest sushi place was a little thing with homey orange lighting and cosy booths hidden from prying eyes. They were seated and ordered right away, and as soon as the server disappeared, Mikasa launched into a story about the first time she brought Eren here and she’d watched him struggle to use chopsticks for a solid five minutes.

“It looked like he was fighting for his life,” she said.

A smile was threatening to pull at his lips. “Did you not help him?”

“After I took a video,” she said, and he laughed.

Mikasa’s eyebrows rose at the sound, and she smiled. “I’ll show it to you. I think I still have it saved somewhere.”

The video turned out to be a whole four minutes long, with Eren desperately trying to cling onto his chopsticks to no avail, with long intervals of him begging Mikasa to show him how to hold them. Those intervals were also flooded with Mikasa’s laughter. The video ended right before it looked like Eren was going to burst into tears.

“So dramatic,” said Mikasa with a sigh as she tucked her phone away; but there was something softer in her voice, an adoration she reserved only for Eren.

His heart twisted. Great. Now he was jealous of Eren, of all people. Had things really gotten so desperate?

Before he could think more of it, their food arrived, and it was enough to distract him from those thoughts for now. He was more than aware of Mikasa’s gaze as he picked up his chopsticks, hand poised over her phone to take a video, but Armin didn’t have any trouble. Mikasa’s shoulders sank, but she picked up her own and started eating.

Mikasa finished her food before him, and he was onto his last mouthful when Mikasa abruptly pushed their finished plates to the end of the table.

He covered his mouth, speaking through a mouthful of rice and salmon, “Mikasa, what are you –”

“I got you something!” she exclaimed. But then her face fell. “Look … I never really apologised for that prank we pulled on you. I know you got me back, but none of it was as bad as what I made you do. I know it doesn’t make up for it, but …”

Armin swallowed. “You don’t have to apologise. I’m okay.”

“I do,” she said. “So … I’m sorry. And I know things have been a bit tough, so … I saw this the other day, and I know he’s your favourite character from the show, so – oh, I’ll just let you open it.”

Mikasa lifted the shopping bag she’d returned with earlier and placed it onto the table, before pushing it over to him. He pulled it closer and glanced inside the bag, eyebrows furrowing for a moment before his eyes widened. He pushed the bag down and pulled the box out to make sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him – but no, there it was. A Todoroki figure, one in which he was using his fire and ice quirk all at once.

“Mikasa,” said Armin, turning the box around. “These things are like fifty dollars.”

She dropped his gaze. “I know. But I thought it was the coolest one they had, and I know you like him.” Then, she added, pointedly, “And I hate how they write the female characters –”

Armin winced. “It isn’t great, but some of them are really interesting!”

“– but I thought it might make you smile, at least,” she said. Then, she added, “Do you like it?”

“Like it?” he asked, eyebrows raised. “I love it.”

Mikasa smiled. “Okay, good.” Then she added, tentatively, “No more pranks?”

“No more pranks,” he agreed.

He put the box bag in the bag, a smile rising to his lips. However, it didn’t last long, because as he went to place the bag down in the seat next to him, Mikasa’s words cut through the quiet like a knife. “Will you tell me what’s up with you?”

He froze. “What?”

“You’ve been acting strange again,” she said. “You were weird before, but now you just seem … depressed.” Then, she leaned forward and asked quietly, “I don’t have to refer you to the college counsellor, do I?”

“What?” said Armin. “No, Mikasa, I’m fine.”

“You definitely aren’t fine,” said Mikasa, eyebrows drawing together in concern. “And you haven’t even mentioned Annie once. Or been to see her.”

His shoulders slumped. “Since when did you notice things like that?”

“Since you started acting strange,” said Mikasa, and frowned. “I’m your friend.”

Armin rubbed a hand down his face and sighed. “I don’t know what’s going on.”

So … it isn’t to do with Annie?” she asked.

The look on his face betrayed him immediately. So, he said, “It is. But …”

“Armin,” said Mikasa firmly. “I’m your friend. You can tell me anything.”

Armin’s eyes dropped down to the table. He noticed the tiny pool of soy sauce he’d spilled on the table, frozen in place on the whiteness of the wood. He swallowed, still fixated on the spillage. “It’s too personal.”

“Okay,” said Mikasa, leaning back. “Is it … sexual stuff?”

Armin’s face reddened. “Mikasa, what the hell?”

“Sorry!” she said, flinging her hands up in defence. “I just thought that … I don’t know. You’re a nervous guy, and she’s very … domineering. Maybe she wants you to try something that you’re not comfortable with and you won’t tell her because, well, she’s scary – well scary hot, you know, but –”

“Mikasa,” he said, but she just kept going.

“Your firsts are really nerve-wracking, and again, she’s scary, so if she wanted to do, like, bondage stuff with you, or mistress stuff, like that sounds realistic, but also I get why that would like scare you so much –”

“She gave me a handjob and hasn’t talked to me in two days!” he burst out. He sank back into his seat and his hands came up to cover his red face. “That’s what happened.”

Mikasa paused. “Oh,” she said. “I didn’t think you were actually going to say anything.”

He dropped his hands, eyes wide. “You asked!”

She ignored his flustered state and leaned back in her seat again. “So … you two haven’t … you know …”

“We … haven’t done a lot,” said Armin. “We were … taking it slow.”

It was a complete lie – what was there to take slow when there was no relationship? But he wasn’t about to tell Mikasa any of that right now.

Mikasa frowned. “Did something happen when you guys did that?”

“I … I don’t think so,” said Armin. “She just did that, and it was nice – and she seemed to like it, too, I guess. But then after, she just upped and left. I haven’t heard from her since. And … this happened last time we did something, too. But … that time was worse.” Then he cleared his throat. “It was both times you walked in on us, actually.”

“Oh,” said Mikasa.

“Yeah,” he said.

Then, her eyes narrowed. “Wait … she just walked out and ignored you twice now?”

“Well … yeah,” said Armin.

He could see the fire ignite in Mikasa’s dark eyes. “So, she just did those things with you – for some of your first times – and then just left and ignored you?”

“It’s … it’s not quite … but – I guess?” he said weakly.

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Armin … that’s really fucked up. You know that, right?”

Armin felt his heart freeze in his chest. He knew it wasn’t good, by any stretch of the imagination, but he’d never thought to label it “fucked up”. But … Mikasa didn’t know all of the details, and she couldn’t know. But when he paused to toss it through his head he thought that maybe, even if Mikasa knew all the details, she would still think something was really wrong with what was going on.

That’s not … that’s not all of it, though,” he said, but his defence sounded weak to his own ears.

Mikasa’s face softened. “Just because she’s nice to you other times doesn’t excuse her bad actions. She put you in a vulnerable position and then just ditched you. That isn’t fair.”

He couldn’t meet Mikasa’s eyes. “She’s going through a lot right now.”

“She still doesn’t get to treat you like that,” she said, and then paused for a moment. “Armin? Can I be honest with you?”

He was fairly certain he didn’t want her to be. But still, he nodded and let her speak.

“Maybe her ignoring you is for the best,” she said.

Armin’s head snapped up. “What?”

“Not like that,” she said with a sad frown. “Just … maybe you need some space. Both of you. If she’s really going through things, she needs to work through them on her own, or actively involve you in it. She doesn’t get to toss you to the curb when she feels like it.”

His heart had sunk to his stomach. “What are you saying?”

After a long pause, Mikasa said, “Maybe you should tell her you need space. I think maybe you need it.” Then, she added, “I think both of you might need it.”

A heavy silence fell over them for far too long. Then, Armin cleared his throat, and said, “Thank you for the Todoroki figure.”

Her face softened. “Armin, I’m sorry. I just don’t want her to hurt you. I like her. I really do like her. But …”

“I know, I know,” he said with a sigh. “You just don’t want me to get hurt. I get it.” Then, he added, “I’ll talk to her. Just … please don’t tell Marco. Or Eren.”

Mikasa nodded. “My lips are sealed.”

When Armin returned to his dorm that evening, Eren was in bed watching YouTube videos, headphones blaring, and he gave him a quick nod from where he lay before fixing his eyes back on his phone screen. Carefully, Armin pulled the box out of its bag, and then tentatively removed the figure from the box, before placing it onto his desk. It was really cool, he had to admit. His eyes were fixed on the plastic flames and shards of ice for a while, before he pulled out his phone, and clicked on Annie’s name.

He wasn’t surprised, but his heart still sank. Not a single message.

“Dude!”

Armin jumped out of his skin. He turned to see Eren sitting up in his bed, eyes locked on Armin’s desk. “That figure is sick.”

“Oh,” said Armin, turning to look at the Todoroki figure again. “Yeah, it is.”

“Did you get that today?” asked Eren.

“Mikasa bought it for me,” he said finally.

“Oh,” said Eren with a slight frown. “She never mentioned it.”

Armin shrugged, absentmindedly fiddling with the chain at his neck. “It was a surprise.”

Eren’s eyes narrowed. “What’s around your neck?”

Armin’s hand dropped. “Oh. It’s a necklace.”

“I can see that,” said Eren, and then a grin flashed across his face. “Does this mean you’re getting closer to getting your ears pierced with me?”

Armin raised an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t get your hopes up.” Then, he added, “When are you getting yours done, anyway?”

He spent the rest of the evening talking to Eren about his plans to get his ears pierced, and then Eren talked his ear off about the YouTube video he’d been watching about NFTs (which he tried not to read into too much), before they both crawled into their beds to scroll through their phones for a few more hours.

After Armin had put his phone down, he lay twiddling the pendant of his necklace that Annie had given him, staring at the darkness of the ceiling above him. It was identical to the ceilings in every other room. If he put his headphones in to cover up the sound the Eren’s YouTube video playing, he could almost pretend it was the whiteness of Annie’s ceiling; if he closed his eyes, it would be like she was beside him.

But then the words that slipped past Mikasa’s lips earlier rushed through his mind, over and over again, repeating like a broken record. Armin … that’s really fucked up. You know that, right?

Annie had her own problems – she’d told him as much. And he understood that. He understood her.

Didn’t he?

By the time Eren’s YouTube video had faded away into silence, replaced only by the sound of soft snores, Armin gently propped himself up into a sitting position. His fingers landed on the clasp at the back of his neck, ghosting over the metal, hesitant about what to do. He thought of Annie’s smiles, her laughter, the blush on her face when she was flustered, the darkness that would come into her eyes after, the softness of her lips … but then, he was stabbed with the image of her face, her beautiful face, with that aching look she had each time she left him behind.

He unclasped the necklace.

The metal was cool in his hand, and his skin felt just as cold even after he tucked it away into the drawer beside him. It was hidden beneath the black bra Annie had abandoned, out of Eren’s sight.

Eren was still snoring when Armin pulled himself out of bed the next morning. He reached into his wardrobe to throw on a black shirt – but he stopped himself. His hand drifted away to his old garish green shirt, his favourite shirt, with an emoticon plastered across it. He yanked it from its hanger and pulled it over his head, before grabbing some jeans and shoving on his boots. He pulled his jacket over his shoulders and pushed Annie’s bra inside one of the pockets, hidden from sight, and carefully drew the door shut behind him.

His stomach was churning as he stood before the door to Annie’s dorm. He took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching his fists to try and ground himself. It took every fibre of his body to stay where he stood. He wanted to run away and for a few moments, he thought that he should. Maybe it was a bad idea to have this conversation – maybe it would just make things worse.

But before he could have any more doubts, the door swung open.

“Oh!” said Hitch, jumping back. “Fuck, Armin, you scared the shit out of me!”

“Sorry!” said Armin. “I was just about to knock. Is Annie –”

“I’m right here,” said Annie, her voice sending butterflies racing through his heart.

He peeked behind Hitch to see Annie sitting on her bed. Her hair was down, and she was still in her pyjamas; she must have forgotten to take her nose ring out, too, because it sat snugly in her perfect nose.

“I’m on my way to class,” said Hitch, snapping him back to the present. “So, uh … could you maybe get out of the way?”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” said Armin, stepping aside.

Hitch stopped to point at him. “No funny business.”

His heart sank.

He forced a nervous laugh. “Uh … of course not.”

Once Hitch was out of sight, the silence that settled between him and Annie was so heavy he could feel it weighing down his shoulders.

Annie raised an eyebrow at him from her bed.

He cleared his throat. “Uh, can I come in?”

She paused for a moment before saying, “Sure.”

He stepped in and clicked the door shut behind him. He tried to clear his throat again. “I, uh …” He reached into his pocket and pulled out her bra. “You left this at my dorm.”

“Oh,” said Annie, awkwardly taking it from her hand and placing it on the bed beside her.

When her gaze fixed on him again, he was frozen in place.

“Was that all you wanted?” asked Annie.

“No,” he said. “I just wanted … I wanted to talk.”

Her eyebrows rose. “What about?”

He blinked at her. “Annie …”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “What is it?”

“Really?” he said. “You just … have no idea?”

She averted his eyes. He watched as she twisted the ring that sat on her finger, around and around. “I do. I just … I’m just not sure I can talk about it.”

Armin’s heart sank. Something about those words struck a chord within him, and he felt the words bubble out of his mouth before he could stop them. “Do you not like me at all?”

Annie’s eyes widened. “What?”

His eyebrows pinched. “Sometimes it feels like you don’t even like me.” Before she could interject, he said, “And – I know you have your reasons why you … ignore me like that. And you don’t have to share all of those reasons with me. But … I just want to know.”

Her voice was soft when she spoke, softer than it had ever been. “Of course I like you.”

“Then … why?” he said. “If you don’t want any of this, that’s okay. But you just … disappear and don’t talk to me, and I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what you want me to do.”

Her face was strained. “What do you want me to say?”

He could hear the desperation in his voice when he spoke. “Something. Anything.”

Annie’s head dropped and her gaze fell to her feet. “I don’t know if I have anything to say.”

For an instant, Armin was sure time had frozen. He felt each word smash into his heart, so hard that he was sure it had shattered.

When he spoke, he wasn’t sure the words were even his, but they tumbled out anyway. “Annie, I think we need space.”

Her eyes jerked up to meet his. He could see the hurt reflected in the lightness of her eyes. “What?”

This time, it took every ounce of his strength to push the words out. “We need space. We need a break from each other.” He took a deep breath. “If … if you don’t have anything to say to me, then we need space. We can’t keep doing this, Annie.”

“I don’t know what you’re trying to say,” she said.

Armin paused, staring at the glassiness of her pale eyes. Then, he said, “I think we need some time apart from each other. I need some space.”

“You need space … from me?” asked Annie slowly.

He felt every piece of hurt in her voice.

His eyebrows furrowed. “Annie … I think you need it from me, too.”

“You want a break – from me,” she said plainly.

“Annie, that’s not –”

“That’s what you’re saying,” she said. “No matter how you try to sugar-coat it.”

Armin opened his mouth to speak, but he was at a loss for words.

“Actually, you know what?” said Annie. “I think I agree.”

“Annie,” said Armin.

Her eyes were hard when they met his again. But he couldn’t miss the way they shone as much as she tried to blink away the water pooling in them.

“We need space. I need space from you, too,” she said. “So – can you please leave?”

His heart sank. “I …”

But her gaze was determined. “Please,” she said – and her voice wavered.

His shoulders slumped. “I … I’m sorry. I’ll go.”

Annie didn’t say anything else – and he didn’t ask her to. He turned away and pulled the door open, before stepping into the hall and dragging it shut behind him. He paused, pushing his glasses up to rub his eyes, when the sound of the door locking behind him jolted him – and he decided maybe he should just get going to his next class.

He regretted that decision as soon as he stepped into the lecture hall. He could feel his eyes burning as he listened to his lecturer drone on and on, not taking in any of the words, gripping onto his pen like it was the only thing that was keeping him together. He couldn’t get that look on her face out of his head. She’d never looked so hurt.

As soon as the lecture ended, he rushed to the nearest bathroom to splash cold water over his face, hoping to keep the tears at bay. He dropped his head into his hands and groaned. God, he was so stupid. He shouldn’t have listened to Mikasa. Why did he take her advice? Annie looked so –

But then Annie’s face flashed into his mind again, the look she had when she left him alone again in his dorm, feeling like a fool.

Maybe there had been a reason. But that didn’t make it feel any better.

It took a few more minutes to pull himself together, waiting for the water threatening to spill out of his eyes to dry out, before he splashed his face again, and pushed his glasses up his nose. He gripped the strap of his backpack and took a deep, shuddering breath, before he pushed the bathroom door open, leaving all of those thoughts behind by the bathroom sinks.

He’d planned to do work in the library after his lecture – so that was what he was going to do. He shoved in his earphones and played the first Demon Slayer theme on full volume, leaving it on repeat, before cracking open a textbook to find the article he needed to make notes on. It was easy to keep his mind occupied like this, at least for now. The only time he stopped studying was to have something to eat, and by the time he even started considering leaving, the sky outside had turned dark.

He packed up his things and started the short walk back to his dorm. In spite of how close by it was, the walk had never felt longer; he was exhausted, and he wanted nothing more than to collapse into his bed and just not think. A weight lifted from his chest when the door to his dorm room was in sight, and he reached into his pocket to pull out his keys. But just as he stopped before the door, ready to put the key in the lock, the sound of giggling made him freeze in place.

The laughter belonged to Eren and Mikasa, just beyond the door, talking about … Edward Cullen? His eyebrows furrowed, but then he noticed the sound of a familiar movie playing in the background that he knew all too well; Mikasa had made him watch Twilight enough times to recognise the actual film score by ear.

He stood there, still as a statue, debating if he should just push the door open and join them. They were only watching Twilight. But then Mikasa’s laughter echoed through the door again, followed by Eren’s, and his heart sank. Armin dropped his hand and turned to leave.

Armin’s feet carried him to the only place he thought he could go, his knuckles hovering over the wood for a few seconds, before knocking heavily. He heard some shuffling, and the dull thud of footsteps, before the door swung open and Sasha stood before him. She was wearing sweatpants and an oversized T-shirt that she clearly slept in, with a bag of Swedish fish in one hand.

She frowned. “Armin?”

It was hard to meet her eyes. “Would it be okay if I stayed with you tonight?”

Her eyes were wide. “Huh?”

“I just really need somewhere to crash,” said Armin.

“Oh,” said Sasha, and then she came to life. “Yeah, okay. Do you mind waiting out here for like five minutes while I clean up?”

Armin forced a smile. “Yeah, no problem.”

The door was only shut for five minutes before it swung open again with Sasha looking shockingly out of breath. “Come in!”

The room was still cluttered, but Armin had a suspicion she’d just shoved most of the mess under her bed. Not that it mattered, anyway, considering he’d be sleeping in Mikasa’s. He was just glad he had somewhere to rest. But as his eyes roamed across the room, looking for the best place to drop his bag, he caught sight of a bouquet of – wait, were they chocolates?

Sasha noticed what his eyes were focused on. “They’re so cool, aren’t they? Niccolo gave me them earlier.”

They were clearly meant to replicate a bouquet of roses, except where the rosebuds should be were little chocolates, each with a unique design.

“Yeah,” said Armin dully. “They’re cool.”

Sasha didn’t pick up anything from his tone – she just hummed happily in agreement. But when Armin didn’t say anything for a moment, his eyes still fixed on that sickly bouquet, she spoke up again.

“So … is Annie busy or something?” she asked.

Armin’s heart sank. “I don’t know.”

Sasha’s eyebrows drew together. “Huh?”

He finally dropped his backpack on the floor, resting it against Mikasa’s bed, before dropping down onto it. “I think we might have broken up.”

Sasha’s eyebrows jumped to her hairline. “You broke up?”

He dropped his head into his hands. “I don’t know … maybe we’re just on a break. I’m not really sure right now.”

“You don’t know?” she asked. “Did she not make that clear?”

He raised his head again and met her eyes. “Wait, no … I asked her for a break.”

Sasha’s eyes narrowed. “You broke up with Annie. Annie Leonhart.”

“I only asked for space! But now, I …” Armin thought of Annie’s face again and pinched his eyes shut. “Would it really be that hard to believe?”

“That you broke up with Annie Leonhart?” said Sasha. “That is so impossibly hard to believe.”

“I think it might just be a break,” he said with a sigh. “I … I don’t know. She was pretty angry at me.”

Sasha blinked at him. “So she did break up with you.”

“It’s not quite like that!” he said. “I just asked her for space or a break. But …”

“Annie didn’t like that,” she said. “So she dumped you.”

Armin’s hand came up to his eyes. “No, I … Sasha, I don’t know if I can talk about this right now.”

Sasha was quiet for a moment. “Sorry, Armin.” After a beat, she added, “Wanna order takeout and watch My Hero Academia?”

His eyebrows raised. “Since when did you like My Hero?”

Sasha shrugged. “I’ve never seen it. But Mikasa told me you like it a lot, so we can watch it together if you want. But we’ll have to start from the beginning.”

Armin hesitated. “It’s not that good.”

“Eh, it doesn’t have to be,” said Sasha. “Let’s watch it.”

They waited for their pizza to arrive before they started the show. Armin knew he must have sounded pretty pathetic for Sasha to watch My Hero Academia with him, of all things. But it was a nice distraction, for a while, at least. Sasha made an effort to ask about all of the characters and their quirks, and encouraged him to talk about every little detail. By the time Todoroki had made his appearance, Sasha agreed that he was one of the coolest characters – although it seemed like she was more interested in Deku, not that she’d admit it.

Once they’d reached the end of season one, they both agreed it was time to go to sleep. His heart didn’t feel so heavy after that.

He crept back to his room early the next morning, expecting to find Mikasa and Eren curled up together in bed. But when he gently pushed the door open, he found that both of them were fully dressed and perched on the edge of Eren’s bed, like they’d been waiting for him all of this time.

Mikasa’s eyes were wide. “You broke up with Annie?”

“Huh?” he asked.

Her gaze was determined. “I thought you were just taking a break.”

“You really broke up with Annie Leonhart?” asked Eren, cocking an eyebrow.

Armin’s shoulders sank. “Sasha texted you, didn’t she?”

Mikasa rose to her feet. “As she should have!” She pointed at him. “You should have come straight to me! We were wondering where you were last night until Sasha texted me. We were gonna watch New Moon with you.”

Armin’s heart ached. “Really?”

Mikasa nodded. “I know it’s the worst one, but we wanted to watch it together.”

“We made a drinking game for it,” said Eren. “A lot more fun.”

“Why didn’t you guys text me?” he asked.

“We did,” said Mikasa.

“It doesn’t really do anything when you leave your phone on the bed,” said Eren.

Armin’s eyes glanced over at his made bed when his phone lay abandoned by the pillows. Had he left it there before he went to see Annie? He’d used his laptop to listen to music in the library – his phone must have completely slipped from his mind.

“We were starting to worry you were dead,” said Mikasa, eyebrows drawn together.

Eren shrugged. “I just thought you’d be with Annie.”

Mikasa sighed. “Well, I thought that was a possibility, too, until Sasha texted me.”

Armin raised an eyebrow. “So you didn’t think I was dead.”

“It crossed my mind!” said Mikasa.

“She was considering doing a séance to contact you,” said Eren.

“Can ghosts even make contact when they’ve died so recently?” asked Armin, eyebrows furrowing.

“Well, we were going to find that out,” said Mikasa. Then, her face softened. “What happened?”

Armin sighed, dropping his bag to the floor and collapsing onto his bed. “I said we needed space, and that we should take a break. She … didn’t take it well.”

“What did she say?” asked Mikasa.

He closed his eyes. “She asked me to leave.”

“Wait,” said Eren. “Annie didn’t yell at you? Or anything?”

“No,” said Armin. “She started to get angry and upset. She said “I need space from you, too”. And then she asked me to leave.”

Suddenly, Eren burst out laughing. Armin propped himself up on his elbows to look at him.

“Oh my God,” said Eren. “You’ve really fucked up.”

Armin sat up to look at them. “I have, haven’t I?”

“I think she broke up with you,” said Eren.

His heart sank. “Do you really think so?”

“It definitely sounds like it,” said Eren with a nod.

Mikasa nudged his arm. “Eren, stop it. You’re getting into his head too much.”

Armin turned to Mikasa. “Did she break up with me?”

Mikasa winced. “Well …”

“Oh, fuck,” said Armin, dropping his head into his hands.

“It’s not like you can ask,” said Eren. “You asked for a break. I think they usually last longer than twenty-four hours.”

He groaned.

“Hey,” said Mikasa, and he heard her shuffling before a weight joined him on the bed. Her arm came up to rest on his back when she said, “You’re just on a break. That’s all you both agreed to. I’m sure it’s fine.”

Armin let his hands fall. “You don’t sound convinced.”

“I’m not,” said Eren.

“Eren!” said Mikasa, whipping around to look at him pointedly.

Eren crumbled under her gaze. “Sorry, Armin. I’m sure it’s fine.”

Mikasa turned back around. “It’ll be okay. It’s just a break. There’s nothing you can do about it, so don’t worry about it.”

Not worrying about it was easier said than done – but he knew there was not much else she could offer him, so he eventually just nodded.

“Okay,” said Mikasa, rising to her feet. “I’m calling Marco. We’re all going to the city. Jean can drive us.”

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Mikasa, I’ve got a class later.”

“Skip it,” said Mikasa.

“I can’t skip,” he said.

“You really can,” added Eren.

Mikasa’s face softened. “Armin, I just want you to have a nice day. Yesterday clearly was a very shitty one. Just trust me, okay?”

After a few beats, he said, “Okay, fine.”

She beamed and pulled out her phone, before stepping out into the hallway to call Marco. She was only gone for a few moments, in which Eren tried to comfort him over his “break up” – which Armin specifically tried to insist was not a break-up – but then he was saved by the door opening again and Mikasa stepping through.

 

“Jean and Marco will be ready in half an hour,” said Mikasa. She turned to Eren. “You know how you have Zeke’s credit card?”

Eren blinked. “You’re not supposed to tell people that.”

Mikasa practically batted her eyelashes. “He said you could use it for anything, right?”

“Well, not too much,” said Eren. “Not like a Gucci belt.”

“What about a few shirts that cost thirty dollars or something?” asked Mikasa.

“Well, probably not, no,” said Eren. “Why? What do you want?”

She turned to Armin with a smile. “I’ve got an idea.”

Armin couldn’t say he was exactly thrilled about being dragged into the city when he couldn’t stop thinking about everything Annie had said to him, but he decided it was probably better than wallowing all day. Mikasa was adamant, anyway.

When they caught sight of Marco’s big smile across the parking lot, he gave them a quick wave, before turning to say something to Jean, who was leaning against his car. Just as Armin stepped up to force a smile on his face and greet the both of them, Marco enveloped him in his arms.

“Uh …” said Armin, hands dangling at his sides. “Marco?”

“Sorry you and Annie broke up,” said Marco.

Armin scowled and patted Marco on the back. “Thanks. But we’re just on a break.”

“Right!” said Marco, pulling away. “Still … sorry.”

He shook his head. “It’s okay.”

Marco opened his mouth to say more, but luckily he was interrupted by Jean. “So, what’s the plan, Ackerman?”

“We’re shopping in the city,” said Mikasa. “For Armin.”

Armin whirled around. “Wait, what?”

Mikasa smiled, but her eyebrows were furrowed with concern. “You’re wearing your old shirts again. Maybe you should get something new if you aren’t going to wear … you know …”

He knew. All of the clothes Annie bought him.

“I didn’t throw out my old clothes, you know,” he said.

“I have a really cool idea, trust me,” said Mikasa. “I’m going to take you somewhere you’ll love.”

Armin wasn’t entirely convinced, but he was in no position to argue.

“Fine,” said Armin eventually. “We can go.”

Mikasa beamed.

Jean cleared his throat. “Okay, there’re three seats in the back, but it’ll be a squeeze, so Mikasa you might have to go in the middle. Or Armin, since you’re the shortest.”

Armin frowned, but Mikasa interjected. “I’ll go in the middle, I don’t mind.”

A squeeze was an understatement; they were barely able to put their seatbelts on in the tight space they were in, having to shuffle and fumble just to lodge them in. Soon, they were heading to the city, Marco’s phone plugged into Jean’s aux cord, his indie-pop music playing quietly in the background.

“Can I make a song request?” asked Mikasa.

“Sure,” said Marco. “What is it?”

He could feel Mikasa’s eyes on him. “Straw Doll Technique Resonance.”

“What kind of name is that?” asked Jean as Marco selected the song.

“It’s creative,” said Mikasa.

The song started humming through the car, and Jean frowned. “This is an anime song, isn’t it?”

“Sorry,” said Mikasa with a sigh. “Marco, can you play Hollow Purple?”

Armin caught sight of the little smile playing on Marco’s lips as he put on the next song, but Jean was none the wiser. He seemed more than content with this one, even this one was also from the Jujutsu Kaisen soundtrack. He wasn’t surprised when she requested the Twilight soundtrack after that, and Jean was clearly more than happy to let that waft through the car until they pulled up to park in the city.

When they crawled out of the back of the car, Mikasa immediately grabbed Armin’s arm. “Okay, guys! Follow me! Unless you guys want to go somewhere else.” Then she added, “Except Eren. I need your card.”

Eren frowned and Marco said, “I actually need to pick some stuff up for my computer, so we can just meet you guys after so you don’t have to walk all over the place.”

Mikasa was quick to agree, and they parted ways, Mikasa dragging him by his arm with Eren walking behind them. She wouldn’t stop talking about this ‘place’, and he just nodded along with her, Eren chipping in every now and then. As hectic as it all felt, for some time Annie didn’t even cross his mind at all.

“Okay!” said Mikasa as they stood before a store. “Here!”

She dragged him through the door, and then they were nearly blinded by the bright whiteness of the room they stepped into, shiny and new, so light that Armin had to blink a few times to adjust. As he looked around, he saw a plethora of … well, nerdy things. Figures and posters from movies, books, TV shows and anime; there were vinyl players with movie soundtracks on the shelves beside them, walls lined with bookshelves upon bookshelves of books and manga, and a large red sign pointing to the next room titled FASHION.

“Let’s go!” said Mikasa.

“Wait, are we not here?” asked Armin.

“Next room, you fool,” she said.

When they stepped through, Armin’s eyebrows jumped to his hairline. It was like an entirely new store. It was just clothing and accessories, but everything seemed to be inspired by movies and anime. Of course Mikasa thought he would like it.

“Okay,” said Mikasa. “Go pick out something cool for yourself!”

“By myself?” he asked.

Mikasa nodded. “Yeah, it’s for you!” Her face softened. “It’s just that you haven’t really got your own … style. So I thought this was a good mix between what you used to and what …”

What Annie bought him, he thought. He looked around the store, frowning. “Mikasa, I really don’t know …”

“Don’t overthink it!” she said. “Treat yourself, just this once. If you really hate anything you buy, we can return it. But if you like it, get it!”

Armin hesitated for a minute, before saying, “Okay.” Then, he added, “How much can I buy?”

“As much as you want,” said Eren. “Zeke’s paying.”

“Will he not be angry?” asked Armin.

Eren shook his head. “He’s loaded, Armin. I’ll just tell him we got you some new clothes as a pick me up, he won’t care. He likes you.”

“I thought he didn’t know my name,” said Armin flatly.

“He knows it now!” said Eren. “It took him a while to get Mikasa’s too if it helps.”

“Okay, no more arguing,” said Mikasa. “Go look for some stuff. Anything you like. But I’d go more oversized with the T-shirts! If you get any, I mean.” She grabbed onto Eren’s arm. “Can we go look for the Daylight rings from The Vampire Diaries?”

“Yeah, sure,” said Eren, and he flashed Armin a smile before they disappeared into the maze of clothes.

Armin wasn’t sure where to start. He glanced around at the clothes around him, catching sight of Hunger Games T-shirts and Jaws beanies, a frown forming on his face. But then, something caught his eye in the distance, and his eyebrows furrowed. He moved forward until he reached what he’d had his eyes fixed on, and his heart nearly skipped.

It was a green and black checked cardigan, and he immediately knew what it was supposed to be. It was a copy of the pattern on Tanjiro’s kimono from Demon Slayer. Armin reached out to touch it and felt the softness of the wool against his fingers. He pulled his hand away. No. He wasn’t a cardigan sort of guy, was he?

But then he remembered what Mikasa had said. If he changed his mind, they could just return it, couldn’t they? It wouldn’t be an issue. And when he met Mikasa again, he could just ask her opinion on it. She’d be honest with him. So he picked up the cardigan and folded it over his arm, before starting his walk around the rest of the store.

It wasn’t long before he saw something he knew Mikasa would think was cool – a black and white knitted sweater with Misa Amane on it. He grabbed it off of the hook and put it over his arm. It didn’t take long before he caught sight of other things – a white shirt with a print of Todoroki from the My Hero Academia manga, and a black oversized shirt with the later manga version of Maki Zenin from Jujutsu Kaisen plastered over it.

He was just turning to walk down the next aisle when he bumped into Mikasa, her arms filled with clothes.

“Oh my God,” she said. “That cardigan is so cool.”

“Really?” asked Armin.

She nodded. “We found the rings!” she said, pointing to Eren holding them behind her. “I also saw these which I thought you might like.”

It turned out he liked everything she was holding. First was a Soul Eater sweatshirt, all black with panels of the characters from the anime with that typical orange Soul Eater background; there was a Cowboy Bebop anorak with Spike on the back, a white Tokyo Ghoul hoodie with Kenaki on it, and most notable of all: a white sweatshirt with the Flamel symbol from Full Metal Alchemist over the left breast.

“Thank you guys,” said Armin once they’d checked out. “I really appreciate it.”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Eren, and Mikasa nodded.

Her phone pinged and she looked down at it. “Oh, hey. Marco and Jean are at the park. We’ll just meet them there.” She started to walk and then stopped in place. “Oh, and Armin? Let’s go find a bathroom; I think you should put that Misa sweater on.”

“Oh?” asked Armin. “You think?”

She nodded. “Definitely.”

Armin didn’t feel too confident about how he looked in the sweater in the bathroom mirror, but all of those feelings dissolved when Mikasa set her eyes on him and squealed.

“That looks really good on you!” she said.

“It’s pretty sick,” said Eren.

Armin scratched the back of his head. “Really?”

“Yeah, it’s amazing!” said Mikasa. “Now come on. We don’t want to make Marco and Jean wait too long.”

It wasn’t that far from the park, and it wasn’t long before they caught sight of Marco and Jean sitting on a park bench. Marco waved them over.

“Woah,” said Marco. “Hey, is that Misa?”

“Yeah,” said Armin.

“That’s cool,” said Marco, and Jean nodded.

They started to walk through the park, Mikasa and Armin in the front, on their way to the closest fast food place. Mikasa was chatting away about the plot of The Vampire Diaries, which he’d somehow managed to evade in the years he’d known Mikasa, when she abruptly stopped.

“Hey, Armin?”

“Yeah?” he said.

“Want to go up there?” she said, pointing towards a slight hill where a tree sat on the top.

“Uh, sure, if you want,” he said. “Sure.”

Mikasa turned to the others and nodded, and before he could turn and question what she was doing, she grabbed onto his hand and started pulling.

“Come on!”

“Mikasa!” said Armin, but it was too late – she was already pulling him along towards the hill with a strength he couldn’t match, so he ran alongside her.

“Try being faster!” she said.

“Mikasa,” he complained, and she laughed – and it was all so ridiculous that he could barely stop laughing by the time they reached the top of the hill.

They collapsed underneath the tree, laughing at how stupid that had been when Armin noticed the sound of clicking, and his eyes flew open to see Jean with a camera standing over him.

He shot up. “Uh … what are you doing, Jean?”

He clicked his camera again. “Mikasa wanted to take photos of you.”

His head spun to Mikasa, but then he heard the click of the camera again. “Jean!”

“I wanted to give you more confidence,” she said weakly. “I think you could use it.”

“I take horrible photos,” he said.

“Because you think about the camera too much,” said Mikasa. “Jean’s been taking photos of you we started walking through the park.”

“They’re good,” added Jean, and then he squinted at his camera screen. “Well, some of them. There’s a blur on some of the ones where you’re running.”

Marco and Eren had just reached the top of the hill when it struck Armin that Jean must have run after them to take photos.

“I really don’t think it’s necessary,” said Armin.

“Trust me for once,” said Mikasa.

He turned to look into her dark eyes. She was trying. It had been a long time since it had really felt like she was.

Armin sighed. “Okay. Sorry.”

Mikasa tried to distract him while Jean took photos, and he was sure some of them were awkward, but afterwards Jean insisted they were good. He didn’t feel so tense by the time they started walking down the hill to get some food.

It was easy and light in the Taco Bell, and Eren was telling the story of how he’d used his brother’s credit card to keep ordering monkey-themed gifts to his house ever since he’d overhead Zeke’s mother refer to him, a twenty-eight-year-old, as her “little monkey”. The story was enough to make them burst into laughter, and Armin, for a long while, felt alright.

The drive back was just as full of life. They all hung out in Eren’s dorm until they could barely keep their eyes open, and Marco and Jean left first, before Mikasa pulled Armin into a hug and went back to her dorm for the night. He held her extra tight.

Armin was lying in bed that night, staring at his phone, when he got a notification he hadn’t expected.

MARCO’S MULLET MAN
These are the best quality ones
Marco thinks you should post one of them

 

Jean had sent him the photos he had taken earlier, and Armin was taken aback. He knew Jean was an artist, but Marco had never mentioned photography, but Jean clearly knew a thing or two about that, too. Armin actually looked … good.

Most of them were him and Mikasa, and it brought a smile to his face. His favourite was the one he thought would be awkward when he realised Jean was taking photos of him, but it was a photo of him and Mikasa laughing underneath the tree, and they looked so happy.

Armin’s heart was thundering. Okay. He could post a photo. Everyone did it. Mikasa had an Instagram. Armin had one, too, but he didn’t post anything on it – he got it just to like Mikasa’s posts and send her memes. He didn’t follow anyone else he knew.

With a shuddering breath, he opened the app and went to change his profile picture. He changed it to one of the candid shots Jean had taken, with him smiling widely at something Mikasa was saying – unfortunately, he had to crop her out of that one, but he doubted she would mind. Then, he went through Mikasa’s followers, found all of his college friends, and followed them all, before he selected the photo of him and Mikasa laughing under the tree, and tagged her in it, with the caption: Thank you for being you. Then, he posted it.

He turned his notifications off, and clicked his phone shut, before placing it on his nightstand and closing his eyes. It would be fine. It was nothing. Just a stupid photo. When it finally slipped from his mind, his heart slowed, and he slipped into a deep sleep.

But it didn’t feel like it lasted that long, because he woke up to the world’s loudest banging.

“What …?” said Armin, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

“Maybe it’s the cops,” said Eren groggily. Then the knock came again, even louder this time, hard enough to break through the wood. “Or Annie coming to kill you.”

He flung off his blankets and stumbled out of bed, shoving his new Maki Zenin shirt over his head before swinging open the door.

His eyebrows furrowed. “Hitch?”

“Maybe she’s come to kill you instead,” said Eren into his pillow.

Armin’s stomach flipped when he took in Hitch’s expression. Her face was set in a grimace, eyes fiery and determined; her arms were folded over her chest. She wasn’t a great deal taller than him, but in that moment it felt like she towered over him.

“Hitch,” he said again, giving her a weak smile.

It crossed his mind that there was a very good chance that this would be where he died, and he just really wished he was wearing any other sort of pants than Dragon Ball Z briefs.

Hitch glanced over his shoulder. “Is Annie not here?”

“Annie?” said Armin, his eyebrows furrowing. “No.” Then, he added, “Did she say she was?”

Her face softened. “I haven’t seen her in two days.”

For a moment, Armin thought the floor had disappeared beneath his feet. “What?”

“I haven’t seen her since I left for class the other morning,” said Hitch.

His heart had long since stopped. “Has she not texted you?”

Hitch shook her head. “No. It’s weird. She usually sends me a text to let me know where she is in case I want to have Marlowe over or something. But she won’t answer my calls or anything. I thought she might just be with you.”

“She isn’t,” said Armin, eyebrows furrowing. “Have you not asked Reiner?”

“No,” said Hitch. “Not yet. I thought coming to you first would be a good idea considering you’re her boyfriend.”

Oh, fuck.

“Hitch,” said Armin slowly. “We … we’re not …”

“They broke up,” said Eren loudly.

Hitch’s eyes widened. “You guys broke up?”

Armin opened his mouth to defend himself, but it wasn’t quick enough.

“They did,” said Eren with a tired sigh. “She broke up with him.”

“Huh?!” exclaimed Hitch.

“We’re technically on a break!” said Armin.

“He asked her for a break,” said Eren. “She didn’t like that and broke up with him.”

“You asked for a break?!” she asked. Armin wasn’t sure her eyes could get any wider, but they seemed to. “And she broke up with you?!”

“Please keep your voice down!” whispered Armin harshly, before grabbing her arm and pulling her into their dorm, shutting the door behind her.

“Are you serious?!” said Hitch. “She broke up with you?!”

“It’s … unclear,” said Armin weakly.

“He can’t ask her because he asked her for space,” said Eren.

“Eren, can you just –”

“Why did you ask her for space?” she asked. Then, her eyes narrowed. “Was this the other morning?”

Armin winced. “I really don’t want to talk about this in front of Eren.”

“Ouch,” said Eren, rolling onto his side. “And here I thought we were all friends here.”

“Is all that stuff important right now?” asked Armin, eyebrows furrowed. “Can we call Reiner? He might know where she is.”

Hitch sighed before settling down onto Armin’s bed and pulling her phone out. “Fine. He better know.”

The phone kept ringing as Armin’s heart raced. Annie was gone, had been gone since they’d last talked. Had his words really cut so deep? It didn’t sound like Annie at all – then again, he was starting to suspect he didn’t really know her as well as he thought.

The phone stopped ringing. “Heeeeeeeey Hiiiiiiitch.”

Hitch frowned. “Reiner, are you drunk? It’s seven in the morning.”

“I just haven’t slept yet!” he said.

“Oh my God,” muttered Armin.

“Is Annie with you?” asked Hitch.

“Annie? No. She’s – oh, hey!” said Reiner. “You should come here. We’re at this bar called the Galliards’! You’d love it.”

“Maybe another time,” said Hitch. “Reiner, where is Annie?”

“Not here,” said Reiner, and burped. “Please, join us! You’ll love it.”

“Reiner, this is serious,” said Hitch as sternly as she could manage. “Where’s –”

The call cut out before she could finish her sentence.

Hitch groaned in frustration before she dialled his number again. This time, it just rang out into silence.

“Oh my God,” said Hitch, getting to her feet. “Okay, I’m calling an Uber. Armin, put some pants on.”

Armin looked down and fully appreciated the fact that it had not been an appropriate idea to answer the door in his Dragon Ball Z briefs.

She shook her head. “You asked her for a break? With underwear like that? You’re bold, Arlert.” Before he even had more time to be embarrassed, she said, “Come on, put some pants on!”

Armin sprang to life, picking up his discarded jeans and pulling them up his legs, before shoving on his boots and grabbing his jacket. He quickly said goodbye to Eren, who was more than happy to go back to sleep, before he grabbed his phone and followed Hitch out of the dorms to the parking lot.

When the Uber arrived, Hitch put on her best charming smile and talked away to the driver for a few minutes, before the conversation fizzled out and she asked if they could turn the radio on.

As pop music flooded the speakers, Hitch turned to him with a burning gaze. “You owe me an explanation. So does Annie, but she isn’t here right now – so I’m starting with you.”

Armin gulped. “Is now really the right time?”

“Well, considering she’s currently missing, I’m going to say yeah,” said Hitch. “What happened?”

He sighed. “I just … went to ask her for space. She didn’t take it well and said she needed space from me, and asked me to leave.”

“That’s it?” said Hitch. “You just asked her for space for no good reason?”

Armin’s heart was heavy. “Mikasa said what was going on between me and Annie was really … bad, so … I thought we should take a break from each other.”

Hitch was deathly quiet for a moment. Then, she said, “So, let me get this straight. You took a break from your relationship because Mikasa … told you so?”

“I mean … a little? But not –”

“Are you serious, Armin?” she demanded.

“It’s not exactly like how it sounds,” said Armin weakly.

“Then how is it?” asked Hitch. “Because as far as I’m aware, you’re the last person that talked to her, and now she’s gone.”

“Look,” said Armin. “She didn’t know what she wanted, okay? Sometimes she acted like she didn’t even like me. And it was starting to mess with me.”

Hitch paused before taking a deep breath. “Okay.” Then, she added, “Is that it? Because you guys seemed fine. You seemed really happy. She was really happy with you. This relationship was the best thing that’s happened to her in a while. It’s just … I didn’t think this would happen.”

Armin looked out of the window, seeing the vague reflection of his pinched eyebrows in the glass. “I wish it didn’t.”

Hitch sighed. “Well, you’re the one that asked for a break from your relationship with her. You sort of have to stick to it.”

Armin wasn’t sure what made the words slip past his lips. Maybe it was the weeks of sneaking around and lying piling up onto his shoulders; maybe it was the loneliness of it all. Regardless of the reason, the words spilled out of his mouth nonetheless.

“There was no relationship,” he said rapidly. “We were never together.”

“Excuse me?” asked Hitch.

Armin swallowed. “Me and Annie were never dating.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “You weren’t just friends with benefits, were you? Because that’s a recipe for disaster.”

“No,” said Armin with a sigh. “It was fake – all of it was. We were never dating.”

“Armin,” said Hitch. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“We were only dating for show. We were fake dating,” said Armin, his hand coming up to push up his glass and pinch the bridge of his nose, almost like he had a headache. “I was sick of Eren and Mikasa basically fucking in front of me, and I walked in on them screwing at Historia’s last party, and then I ran into Annie and told her about all of it. So, she suggested that I should show them how annoying it was. She said we could fake a relationship to get on their nerves, so … we did.” He added, “It was always fake.”

Hitch was quiet for a long while, before saying, “Annie suggested you fake date?”

Armin’s shoulders sank. “Is it really that hard to believe?”

Hitch groaned in frustration. “It’s really fucking easy to believe, actually, because she has the biggest fucking crush on you!”

Armin’s eyebrows pinched together. “Hitch, I thought –”

Hitch interrupted him. “She’s an idiot. She’s such an idiot. God, if she isn’t dead right now, I’m going to kill her.”

He leaned back in his seat. “That’s why she wanted to fake date me. Isn’t it?”

“Well, no shit!” said Hitch. “I thought you were smart or something!”

Armin’s face flushed. “I – I thought she was just trying to be nice.”

“Something you may not know,” said Hitch. “Annie doesn’t often try to be nice.” She sighed. “If you hadn’t gotten so wasted at the last party, she probably would have told you.”

“Wait, what?” asked Armin.

“The party where Eren took you home early because you chugged a keg?” said Hitch with a shake of her head. “Yeah, well, it was a forfeit. She’d told me she had a crush on you a few days before – well, kind of; she was drunk, but it still counts – and she was going to like, ask you if you wanted to make out or something. All because she couldn’t pants Reiner. His damn belts are impenetrable.” Then, after a beat, she added, “It wasn’t the most creative idea, but still. She was going to do that, and after you left, she completely chickened out! Stopped drinking at those parties and always offered to be my designated driver.”

“She wanted to kiss me?” asked Armin, cheeks burning.

“Did you even listen?” said Hitch. “Instead of that, anyway, you went home with Eren and I got wasted and Annie kissed me in spin the bottle. And it wasn’t good – that was mostly my fault, I must say, but that isn’t the point!”

“So, it didn’t just start … later?”

“She’s liked you for a long time,” said Hitch. “I thought you were supposed to be smart!”

“I know she does now,” he said. “But … but I still don’t think she wants me.”

“Why?” asked Hitch.

“She keeps ignoring me,” said Armin. “Leaving me after we do stuff, and ignoring me for days without an explanation. I didn’t think it was good for either of us, so … I said we should take a real break. I thought it would help. Clearly not.”

“A break from what? Your fake relationship?” asked Hitch. She sighed. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” said Armin. “And I don’t know. I just thought we needed to be apart, at least for now.”

Hitch was quiet for a moment. “Have you ever had feelings for her, Armin? Because you can’t just keep going along with her feelings like this if not.”

“I did. I do!” said Armin. “I really like her. It’s just …”

“I get it,” said Hitch finally. “She can be a real ass sometimes. She doesn’t know how to deal with friendships, let alone relationships. She’s being an idiot and you shouldn’t have to deal with that.”

Armin wasn’t sure what to say, so he stayed quiet.

“You know,” she went on, “a few weeks into sharing a dorm, I noticed that one of the strings on her guitar was broken. She was really quiet and I wanted to warm up to her, so I got the string replaced. So expensive, by the way. And you know what she said?”

Armin’s eyebrows drew together. “What?”

“‘I don’t need your charity.’” Hitch scoffed, then said, “I still have no idea why she didn’t replace the string herself – but I was just trying to be nice. She apologised, eventually. Loves that stupid guitar, too.” After a moment of pause, she added, “She’s never had people care about her like that. So, when things get too close … she lashes out. She struggles. All that being tossed aside from foster home to foster home really fucked with her head, you know? And even when her dad adopted her, she was old enough to know he was just using her for a while. Even with Bert and Reiner … she can’t even feel that they love her, and they’ve been friends for years. She just … doesn’t know how to feel it. No one’s ever taught her how.” Then, she added, “I was hoping we could. That you could.”

Armin’s heart sank, but all of her words fully sank in. “Wait, go back,” he said. “Foster homes?”

Hitch’s eyebrows furrowed. “I thought you knew she was adopted.”

“Yeah,” said Armin. “She told me her dad adopted her when she was a baby.”

Hitch’s face twisted. “No,” she said slowly. “She was definitely twelve. She keeps a photo of her and her dad the day he brought her home in her desk drawer. Has the year on the back and everything. She’s definitely too old to be a baby.”

Her words sunk in slowly, but they stung all the same. Annie had lied to him – but why? It didn’t take long for him to realise, since it was as simple as it sounded: she just didn’t want him to know.

“None of that’s an excuse, anyway,” said Hitch, snapping him out of his thoughts. “I’m just saying. It’s clearly why she acts the way she acts.” Then, she added, “Psychology is my major, so I’d trust me on that.”

Armin opened his mouth to speak, but then the car stopped, and the music disappeared. They’d arrived.

Hitch thanked the driver for the trip and gave him a five-star review and a tip, before grabbing Armin’s arm and dragging him towards what must be the Galliards’. Armin wasn’t quite sure how Reiner would have managed to get served in a place like this, but no bouncer standing at the door, so he and Hitch just shoved the front doors open and stepped in.

“Shouldn’t this place be closed?” asked Armin.

“Some of these places don’t close until ten,” said Hitch, and crinkled her nose. The air reeked of smoke and booze in all the worst ways.

“Hitch!”

Their heads snapped back to see Reiner waving his arm all over the place, a wide grin plastered across his face.

“Hey, Armin!” he added.

“Oh, God,” muttered Hitch under her breath. Then, she shoved on an award-winning smile, and said, “Hey, Reiner!”

Hitch grabbed onto his arm again and pulled him towards Reiner, where he sat at a booth with Bertholdt and two others, a girl with dark hair, a curved nose, and tired eyes, and a guy with short blonde hair who looked like he would be able to beat Armin up in about a heartbeat.

“This is Pieck and Porco,” said Reiner. “They went to school with me, Bert and Annie.”

Armin’s heart skipped at the mention of Annie’s name.

“Pieck! Porco!” said Reiner. “This is Hitch, Annie’s roommate. And this is Armin, Annie’s boyfriend!”

Armin’s stomach flipped.

“They’re on a break, Reiner,” said Hitch flatly.

“Wait, what?” said Bertholdt, who seemed in a much better state than Reiner.

Armin opened his mouth to speak, but Hitch interjected. “Smart guy over here asked her for some space.”

The blonde guy, Porco, choked on his drink. He put it down on the table, and Pieck patted his back.

His eyes were wide when he looked at him. “You broke up with Annie Leonhart?”

“You broke up with Annie?” asked Pieck.

“That doesn’t sound right, to be honest,” said Reiner.

“I mean, it’s possible,” said Bertholdt. “But not that likely.”

“We were just on a break!” said Armin. “I didn’t break up with her.”

“It’s unclear whether she broke up with him after that,” added Hitch. “He can’t ask, because he asked her for space.”

There was a chorus of “ohs”.

“That sounds more accurate,” said Porco.

“It seems like something Annie would do,” said Pieck. “No offence – Armin, is it?”

“Yeah, no offence, Armin,” said Reiner, taking a sip from his drink.

“Is it really that hard to believe I’d break up with her?” asked Armin.

There was another chorus, a unanimous “yes” across all of them, even Hitch.

“That’s not the point, anyway,” said Hitch with a sigh. “Do you know where she is?”

“Annie?” said Reiner, squinting. “Uh … oh, yeah, she texted us.”

“She’s gone home,” said Bertholdt. “She found a late-night flight like two days ago. Said she missed her dad.”

“Oh, yeah,” said Reiner, then frowned. “Weird. She never misses her dad.” Then, he added, “But she’ll be staying with my mom, too, I guess? So … that’s also really weird.”

“She flew home?” said Hitch.

Bertholdt nodded. “Yeah. She hasn’t answered our texts. But it’s definitely her. She sent us a voice note.”

He held his phone out and clicked play. The sound of Annie’s voice made his heart jump into his throat.

“Hey, guys,” she said. “Just so you know, I found a cheap flight and I don’t have any in-person deadlines, so I’m flying home for a bit. I’m worried about my dad, and I really miss him right now. So, I’m going tonight. I’m fine. But you know what I’m like with texting, so sorry if you don’t hear from me for a while. I’m definitely not dead. Try not to miss me too much, though.”

The note ended, and Bertholdt put his phone on the table.

“God, I wish she’d just sent me a voice note,” said Hitch. “I thought she was dead.”

“She’s not great at communicating,” said Bertholdt with a sympathetic smile.

“Yeah,” said Armin flatly. To say the least, he didn’t add.

“God, she is so dead,” said Hitch.

“Hey,” said Reiner, raising his drink. “Relax! She’s okay. She’s an ass, but that’s okay. We love her for it.” Then, he added, “Well, maybe Armin doesn’t right now.”

Armin frowned. “That’s not –”

“Hey, you two should have a drink!” said Reiner. “It’s clearly been a hard few days.”

“We can’t get served,” said Hitch.

“Sure you can!” said Reiner. “Porco’s parents own the place! Say your Reiner’s friends.”

Pieck smiled. “That could just get you kicked out.”

“Porco doesn’t hate me that much,” said Reiner.

“The fact you have to add ‘that much’ is concerning in itself,” said Pieck, and Porco snorted.

“Here, give me your phone,” said Porco, holding out his hand. “I’ll record a voice note for my brother, he’s working the bar.”

Armin opened the voice recorder on his phone and handed it to Porco. He cleared his throat and said, “Hey, Marcel – Porco here on Armin’s – it’s Armin, right? On Armin’s phone. These two are Hitch, Annie’s roommate, and Armin, her ex. They’re cool, so just don’t ID them.”

He ended the recording and handed the phone back to Armin.

Armin frowned. “I’m not her ex.”

“You were barely her boyfriend,” mumbled Hitch, and he nudged her arm.

“Let’s just get a drink,” he said, before grabbing her arm and pulling her to the bar.

The guy behind the bar – Marcel, he thought – was the spitting image of Porco, with darker hair, and a similar sort of scowl.

“Uh, Porco recorded this for you,” said Armin awkwardly, and played the note.

He listened to it all the way through and cocked an eyebrow. “Annie’s ex? Annie Leonhart?”

Armin opened his mouth to speak, but Hitch said, “He broke up with her.”

Marcel’s eyebrows furrowed. “You aren’t serious, right?”

“We haven’t even broken up,” said Armin tiredly. “We’re on a break.”

“He asked her for it,” added Hitch.

Marcel’s eyebrow was raised. “So you did break up with her?”

“No, that’s not it at all –”

“Please, Marcel, please make us two very, very strong rum and cokes,” said Hitch. “I’m buying.” Then, she added, “And two Jägerbombs. Wait, no. Four. It’s been a rough few days.”

Armin hadn’t imagined he’d been doing Jägerbombs at eight in the morning, but he thought arguing with Hitch was the last thing he should do right now. He followed her lead and drank them at the bar, wincing at the flavour.

Hitch squeezed into the booth next to Porco and Pieck, and Armin slipped in beside Reiner and Bertholdt. Hitch practically downed her drink; but the Jägerbomb on his empty stomach had gone straight to his head, and he sipped at his rum and coke slowly, while the others talked about nothing and nothing, and all he thought about was how Annie should be here, and that he wished she was; and that maybe he’d made a mistake.

“Hey, Armin,” said Hitch, snapping him to attention. “You better finish that drink soon, because the Uber is on its way.”

“So soon?” asked Reiner with a frown.

“Reiner, it is nearly nine am. You need to go to bed,” said Hitch. “If Annie were here, she’d drag your ass home.”

“She’s right,” said Bertholdt.

He sighed. “Fine. We’ll book an Uber soon.” Then, he added, “But you should come back here soon!”

“Sure. I’ll bring Marlowe,” said Hitch, and smiled. “See you around!”

She grabbed Armin’s arm after he’d finished his drink, and pulled him into the light of day outside. The sun was blinding, and he blinked to clear his vision.

“You’re lucky he was too drunk to put two and two together,” said Hitch. “Or he’d kill you.”

Armin was about to ask, but then the realisation hit him. If Reiner had realised Annie had left right after their talk.

“Do you really think it’s because of me?” asked Armin.

Hitch shrugged. “She’s usually not that dramatic. But you heard Reiner. She never misses her dad. So …” She paused and then squinted at the car that had pulled up across the street. “That’s our ride.”

They climbed in and sat in silence for a long time. The driver was playing some music, and as the car moved, Armin stared at his phone screen, as if would expect something to pop on it. Some sign of life. But it was as dead as the grave.

“If she isn’t texting me, she’s not texting you,” said Hitch. “You hurt her feelings. Do you get that?”

“I … I do,” said Armin. “I just thought it was right.”

“And you probably are right,” said Hitch with a sigh. “But that won’t change how she feels. If I didn’t know how to deal with the fact I loved Marlowe and was so scared I couldn’t even talk to him, and then he came up to me and said he needed space? Yeah, I’d be pretty upset. It wouldn’t matter if I was wrong or not. It would still hurt.”

Armin closed his eyes and leaned his head back. “What should I do, Hitch?”

“Honestly, Armin?” she said. “I don’t know.” After a pause, she added, “But she needs to get her shit together. And you asked her for space. So maybe you should give her that.”

Armin bit the inside of his lip to stop himself from saying something stupid, and Hitch had nothing else to say. He stared at his phone the whole way, Annie’s messages up in front of him. He got up the keyboard to type and wrote: I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m really sorry.

But then his thumb hesitated over the send button. You asked her for space. So maybe you should give her that.

He deleted the message.

He was about to turn his phone off and tuck it into his pocket, but a notification flashed at the top of his screen, and his eyebrows furrowed. He clicked on his Instagram app, realising he’d not given the notifications a second thought. There weren’t many, but he couldn’t say he’d expected many, and he nearly clicked off of the app. But something unfamiliar caught his eye – an account he didn’t follow, one that he didn’t even know existed, sitting there in his notifications as if it belonged there.

His heart lodged in his throat.

_annieleonhart_ had liked his post.

Notes:

Hey everyone! I hope you guys liked this one. After some consideration, I've decided to change this story ever so slightly from the way I'd initially intended to go. I hope you all enjoy the direction it takes! For everyone enjoying the story, just know it means there'll be more chapters than I had intended initially, so that's good for you guys :)

Hope you enjoyed! Let me know your thoughts! I enjoy seeing what you all think <3

Chapter 11: a party and a bad picture

“Don’t message her,” said Mikasa firmly.

“But –”

“Don’t even think about it!”

Mikasa’s lips were set in a tight frown, her eyebrows pinched together – an expression that seemed to be fixed on her face for the last half hour. But if Armin was honest with himself, he hadn’t expected any other sort of reaction to the news that Annie had liked his first post on Instagram.

Now, he had an expression that matched hers. “But she liked my photo! Surely that means something, doesn’t it?”

Mikasa sighed. “Armin, that means she liked your photo.”

“Or it means she wants to meet up and do the dirty,” Eren chirped up from where he lay on his bed, his main focus still the faint glow of his phone screen.

Mikasa whirred on him. “Eren!”

Eren’s expression sank. “Sorry!”

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “It – it doesn’t mean that, does it?”

Mikasa sighed again, fingers coming up to her forehead as if there was a headache she was trying to keep at bay. “It’s just a like, Armin. A lot of people like photos. That’s how Instagram works.”

Armin’s eyes fell back on his phone screen. Other people had liked his photo, and he knew how Instagram worked. But the people who liked his photo were people he’d already followed; he didn’t follow Annie. He didn’t even think she’d had an account until then – she hadn’t come up in his recommended follows or anything. And she hadn’t posted a single photo yet. He couldn’t get it out of his head, as much as he tried.

“I know,” said Armin. “But it’s just weird. Why would she –”

“Armin,” interrupted Mikasa. “She’s angry at you – but she doesn’t hate you.”

“Probably, anyway,” added Eren.

This time, Mikasa ignored the comment. “But still – you definitely shouldn’t message her. You’re supposed to be giving her space.”

Armin’s eyebrows drew together. “Isn’t she supposed to be giving me space?”

Mikasa shrugged. “She liked your photo. She isn’t exactly talking to you.”

“Yeah,” but she knows I’ll know she liked my photo,” he said. “That doesn’t feel like as much space as she could give me.”

“Well, then …” said Mikasa. “Block her account.”

Armin’s eyes widened. “What?”

“Well, she has to give you space if she can’t contact you,” said Mikasa. “Maybe block her number, too. And her Messenger, and Whatsapp, and –”

“I don’t want to,” he said hurriedly.

Mikasa sighed once more; he was sure she was as sick of making that sound as he was of hearing it. “In that case, I’m not sure her giving you space is the issue.”

His eyes trailed down to his phone screen again. He’d unlocked it, where he’d left the tab open on Annie’s Instagram account. No posted photos, just her profile picture in the top corner, something candid that looked like it had been taken at one of her gigs. It was probably in between one of the many she had plastered on her dorm room wall above her bed.

His eyes flickered back up to Mikasa’s, and he pushed his glasses back up his nose. “Can I follow her back?”

Just as Mikasa said, “No,” Eren said, “Yes.”

Both of them turned to look at each other, Mikasa’s gaze hard, whilst Eren’s was soft and confused.

“What?” asked Eren. “It’s just a follow. As long as he doesn’t talk to her, I think it’s fine. She hasn’t got anything posted, anyway.”

Mikasa dropped her head into her hands, defeated. “Fine. Follow her.” Her head flew up nearly as fast as she’d dropped it, her eyes ablaze. “But do not text her! Do you understand?”

Armin nodded hurriedly.

“Good,” said Mikasa, relaxing in the desk chair where she sat. Then, she swivelled around to face Eren again, finger pointed at him. “Do not let him text her! Okay?”

“I’ll try, but I can only do so much,” said Eren, scratching his head. “Do you just want to take his phone?”

“Wait, no,” said Armin.

But Mikasa looked thoughtful. “I considered it. But he could just talk to her using his laptop.”

“Well, we could take that, too,” said Eren.

“You won’t,” said Armin.

“He needs it for his assignments,” said Mikasa. “And anyway, he could just log on to the library computers to message her.”

“I could cut the power,” suggested Eren.

Mikasa’s eyes narrowed. “For how long?”

Eren shrugged. “At least a day.”

She frowned. “That isn’t long enough at all.”

“Look, I promise I won’t message her!” said Armin, shoving his phone into his back pocket. “Please don’t take my stuff, or cut the power. I won’t do it.”

Mikasa didn’t look entirely convinced. “There’ll be consequences if you don’t.”

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Uh, what?”

“I’m tempted to put some sort of rune on you,” said Mikasa thoughtfully. “Something to discourage you. But I’m still not very familiar with them and I don’t want to end up killing you.”

“Uh … please don’t do that?” said Armin.

Mikasa sighed. “Don’t worry, I won’t. My power isn’t great enough yet.”

Armin was concerned by the “yet”, but before he could dwell on it too long, Eren spoke.

“Just don’t overthink it,” said Eren. “You’ve got to move on with your life, you know? There’s more to it than her.”

He wasn’t an idiot – of course there was more to his life than Annie. But he doubted Eren would have been acting very rationally if Mikasa had just flown across the country after something he said, and then did all of the things Annie had been doing. He knew for a fact that Eren would have gone mad by now.

But there was no point in bringing that up. Instead, Armin just nodded weakly and rose to his feet. “Okay … I’ll just leave it. I think I’m gonna go get a coffee and do some work.”

“Have fun!” said Eren chirpily; Mikasa gave him no such encouragement, but her face remained in that sickly concerned scowl that he wished she’d stop giving him.

Once the door was shut between them and him, his backpack slung over his shoulder, he let out a breath. At least that was over. Then, instead of heading down towards the exit that was closest to the library or the campus coffee shop, he quietly turned in the direction of the adjacent dorms.

The journey to Annie’s dorm was less nerve-racking than it usually was, knowing that she wouldn’t be waiting behind the door. But that didn’t mean facing Hitch to ask about Annie instead of that wasn’t particularly unnerving. He took a deep breath before he raised his hand and brought his knuckles down on the wood.

There was a pause followed by a muffled shuffling, before a few moments later, the door swung open. Hitch was taller than his, so he hadn’t expected to be looking down on anyone – but he certainly hadn’t been expecting to have to crane his neck to meet Marlowe’s eye. He looked like he always did, with what Annie had referred to as his “questionable bowl-cut” (although, who was Armin to judge?), in his colourless clothes, and his expression as plain as always. The only thing that was starkly different was the fact he was holding a tiny succulent in his large hands.

“Uh, hey, Marlowe,” said Armin.

Marlowe cocked an eyebrow. “Annie isn’t here, you know.”

“I know,” said Armin, his hand coming up awkwardly to rub the back of his neck. “I was just coming to talk to Hitch. Is she …?”

Marlowe shook his head. “She’s with Annie.”

Armin’s eyes widened. “Huh?”

“She’s flying over,” said Marlowe. Then, he raised the succulent in his hands. “She bought some plants a few days ago, and wanted me to look after them while she was gone.”

“Oh,” said Armin, shoulders sinking. “I didn’t think she would fly out.”

Marlowe sighed. “Well, Hitch is always picking up after Annie, so I sort of saw it coming.”

“Oh … okay,” said Armin. “So you know when she’ll be back.”

Marlowe shrugged. “Not sure. Probably when she’s managed to drag Annie back, kicking and screaming.” Then, he added, “Who knows how long that’ll take?”

“Oh,” said Armin dumbly. “Well … I guess I’ll just see you around, then, Marlowe.”

Marlowe nodded and closed the door between them.

With nowhere to go, and nothing really to do, he ended up going to the library like he’d told Mikasa and Eren he would. But his assignments were the last thing he could focus on. Hitch had flown out to see Annie, to drag her back to college. Should … should he have done that?

Armin slammed open a textbook and shook his head to shake the thought away. No, that would be one of the last things Annie would want. It wasn’t like she was playing hard to get – that stuff only happened in the bad romantic comedies Mikasa had made him watch over the years, and unfortunately, this was real life. Something was going on with Annie – but he’d put himself in this position, and he had to just deal with it.

Still, he couldn’t help himself from staring down at his phone screen again, nestled in the pages of the textbook, looking at a blankness where messages should be again; except this time, it was Hitch’s Instagram inbox, since he didn’t have her phone number. He looked at the emptiness, debating what he should say, if he should say anything at all.

He practically heard Mikasa’s voice screaming in his head: “Nothing! Say nothing! Put your phone away or I’ll hex you!”

But hadn’t he gone to see Hitch to ask about Annie, anyway? How bad could a message be? It wasn’t like he could turn to Reiner and Bertholdt. They knew the most so far – at least if Hitch was still on a flight to Annie’s now. But if there were “sides”, Bertholdt and Reiner definitely wouldn’t be on his. Hitch was the only person who knew the truth about what was going on between him and Annie; she was the only person he could talk to about it all. And now, just like Annie, she’d disappeared.

His mind ran through all of the possibilities, all of the paths he could take, but all of his options were suddenly overrun by a new, much more terrifying thought: would Hitch tell Annie what he had told her about their fake relationship? Why wouldn’t she? They were friends – and Hitch was clearly angry about the whole arrangement. She would probably berate Annie for all of it, and then she was be even more furious with him than she already was. Of course she would be – they’d never discussed the possibility of either of them spilling the truth, they never drew that line, and there he went, just confessing it to the first person who would listen to him. God, he was such an idiot; when it came to other people, to emotions, and especially to her, he –

“You look like you’re about to shit yourself.”

Armin nearly jumped out his skin at the sound of Ymir’s voice. She was stood beside him with her arms folded, now looking incredibly proud of herself.

She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Do you ever leave this place?”

He frowned. “I literally keep running into you here.”

Ymir sighed, before settling down in the chair across from him. “Study date again. Except I hate the studying part, but Historia doesn’t want me to flunk this year.” Then, she added, pointedly, “Right now, I’m taking a break.”

“You’re procrastinating,” he pointed out.

Ymir groaned, waving her hand at him. “No big words, Arlert. I’ve heard enough today already.”

“Sorry,” he said, before slipping his phone away and returning to the actual textbook before him.

“Anyway,” said Ymir, pulling his attention away again, “I wanted to remind you that the party is this weekend.”

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “What party?”

Ymir stared at him blankly “Are you shitting me, Arlert? You have a formal invitation.”

The realisation washed over him. “Oh, yeah! Historia’s party. Yeah, how could I forget?” Then, he shifted in his seat, before adding quietly, “Uh, I’m not actually sure if I can make it.”

“What?!” asked Ymir, leaning forward. “You were given weeks of notice!”

“Yeah, but my date isn’t here right now,” said Armin, dodging Ymir’s gaze. “Annie’s flown home to see her dad.”

“Wait, so now Leonhart isn’t coming, either?” asked Ymir.

He still couldn’t meet her eye. “Uh, probably not. She isn’t sure if she’ll be back in time.”

Ymir didn’t question his lie, even though he thought it was glaringly obvious. “You don’t need a date to come. You can skip the formal dancing.”

“Yeah, but practically everyone else is gonna have a date,” said Armin. “It’s gonna be pretty embarrassing to be one of the only people without one.”

Ymir scoffed. “Okay, Arlert. I think you’re being a little dramatic.”

“It’s easy for you to say,” said Armin. “You’re dating the host of the party.”

Ymir waved him off. “Can you not just go with Mikasa and Eren? I’m willing to tell everyone you guys are a throuple. But I guess I’d have to explain something with Leonhart – maybe you’re a foursome and she’s sick? I could be quite convincing.”

Armin scowled. “Please, please don’t do that.”

“What?” said Ymir. “I thought you said being on your own would be embarrassing. This way, you’ll seem like you have three people interested in you.”

“I think you telling everyone at the party I’m dating Eren and Mikasa at the same time would be even more embarrassing than going alone,” he said.

She scoffed again. “Please yourself.” Then, she added pointedly, “But you better show your face. Those invitations were expensive.”

Armin decided to leave out the fact that he doubted Hitch would be back to attend the party, either, and just nodded with a sigh. “Okay, I’ll show up for maybe an hour. I can’t promise more than that.”

“Not good enough, Arlert,” said Ymir; but then, she sighed. “But I think it’s about time I end my break, so I’ll have to talk to you about it later.”

Ymir spent every one of her little ‘breaks’ harassing him over the amount of time he would be staying at the party. She was mostly unsuccessful because the most he would agree to was an hour and a half. By the time she and Historia were done with their session, she was still convinced she’d be able to get more time out of him, and he made a note when he left that night to make sure he avoided Ymir like the plague until Friday night.

The days after were just as boring as the ones before, although not as hard as the days following Annie’s disappearance. It wasn’t exactly easy to keep her out of his mind, but he managed to get on with things. He even managed to avoid Ymir and was grateful she hadn’t reached the point of coming to knock on his dorm door to try and convince him that really, she could tell everyone Mikasa was his date and not Eren’s and that he totally wouldn’t look like a loser with “such a babe” with him.

However, it wasn’t just Ymir he had to avoid. One of his classes during the week started late, and instead of having the pleasure of waking up naturally as he’d hoped, he woke up from the smack of something hitting his face. He jolted up, dragging the fabric from his face, the material soon dropping into his lap as he squinted around the room.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes, making out the darkly dressed form before him. “Mikasa?”

Armin reached out for his glasses and fumbled them onto his face, and soon made out Mikasa’s beaming face stood by the edge of his bed, with Eren behind her, a softer smile on his face.

“We got you something!” said Mikasa.

“Courtesy of Zeke’s bank account,” added Eren.

Armin’s eyes fell on the fabric in his lap. Clothes …? He lifted the material, the first part, and noticed that they were a pair of black formal pants. There was a match suit jacket, a white button-up shirt, and a black bowtie that he was sure would make him look awfully like a waiter. But on closer inspection, he noticed some golden decals around the edges of the jacket and the trousers, which he thought looked awfully tacky – not that he knew a single thing about fine dress wear.

“Uh, why?” he asked slowly.

“It’s for Historia’s!” said Mikasa. “Eren’s is matching.”

“Ymir has the same suit, too, I’m pretty sure,” said Eren.

Mikasa waved him off. “These suits are all really similar, anyway.”

Armin glanced down at the suit jacket again, his eyebrows furrowing as his fingers ran over the material. “Thanks, guys, but … I’m not even sure I’m going.”

Mikasa’s smile fell. “You are going. We bought you a suit.”

His eyes flickered to her disappointed gaze. “I’m grateful! I just … I don’t have a date.”

Mikasa’s frown was firm. “We’re your dates.”

Armin’s eyebrows drew together. “Please don’t say you want to tell everyone we’re a throuple, too.”

Mikasa’s eyebrows furrowed. “What? No, of course not.” Then, she added, “Wait, who told you that we should go as a throuple?”

Eren leaned over Mikasa’s shoulder, eyebrows pinching together. “We aren’t a throuple?”

Mikasa ducked to let Armin’s pillow hit its intended target of Eren’s head.

“Hey!” said Eren, catching the pillow in its fall from his face.

Mikasa sighed. “We’re definitely not a throuple with that attitude.” Then, she added seriously, “We’re going as friends, obviously.”

“There’s literally a formal dance section,” said Armin pointedly. “Clearly intended for couples.”

“We’ll take turns!” said Mikasa. “And you know what? Let people think we’re a throuple! What’s so bad about that?”

Armin winced. “I mean this in the nicest way, I really do,” he said. “But I really, really don’t want anyone to think I’m dating Eren.”

“Hey!” said Eren, face twisting in hurt.

Mikasa nodded. “As I thought – I’m not the issue.” Then, she added, “Okay, well, no dancing with Eren, then – you can both just dance with me! We’ll switch between songs.”

Eren folded his arms over his chest. “I don’t think I’m willing to compromise with him anymore since he’s so embarrassed by me.”

Armin ran a hand over his face. “Look, I’m sorry, but do you want people to think we’re dating?”

“I wouldn’t mind!” said Eren. “You’re a handsome guy! I thought I was, too – but now I’m not so sure.”

“You’re gorgeous,” said Mikasa, patting him on the arm. “You and Armin are just incompatible. It’s probably your star signs.” Then, she added, in an effort to comfort him, “Ours are compatible, though.”

It still didn’t seem to satisfy Eren, but Armin wanted to end this discussion as soon as possible. “I’m really grateful, Mikasa, I really am,” he said. “But I just don’t think I can do it.”

Her eyes were shining, almost as if she was about to cry. “Just an hour?”

“Mikasa.”

“A full hour of my undivided attention!” said Mikasa. “And Eren’s undivided attention.”

“An hour where everyone wonders where my date is is still pretty embarrassing,” said Armin.

“Come on, Armin, it’ll be fun!” said Mikasa. “Will you at least think about it? You’ve still got a few days.”

The glimmer in her eyes was enough to make him relent. “Okay. Fine. I’ll think about it. But I’m not promising anything.”

Mikasa beamed. “It’ll be great!”

“No promises, Mikasa.”

This didn’t stop Mikasa from bringing it up at every juncture possible. He shouldn’t have been surprised but her sheer excitement at least took his mind off things, even if the party was one of the last things he could think about. As the days went by, he found himself going to his messages less and less, not waiting around so much for something that he knew wouldn’t come. But the night before the party, when Eren and Mikasa had decided to try this new French place that had popped up in town, he found himself staring at his phone.

He knew he shouldn’t do it. He shouldn’t. But he went on Instagram to stare at Annie’s blank Instagram page, refreshing it as if something would come up, as if there would be some sign of life. But there was nothing.

With a sigh, he went to click off of the page, but in a whim clicked on the tagged in section, not expecting a single thing – but then an image flashed up, and his heart caught in his throat.

It was on Hitch’s account, and it was only posted a few minutes ago. Hitch and Annie stood before what must have been Annie’s home bedroom mirror, Hitch’s phone in hand to take the picture, donned in a long emerald green dress – and then there was Annie beside her, and his breath caught in his throat. What she was wearing wasn’t very Annie at all – light blue and low cut, with a slit up the side to reveal the skin of her leg. She was wearing heels, black and tall – he hadn’t even known she could walk in them – and she looked oh so gorgeous.

He liked the photo without thinking. But as soon as his finger left the screen, he felt the sinking weight of regret on his chest. He can undo it – but Hitch would know, she would still get the notification, wouldn’t she? He closed down the app abruptly, and then, without another thought, he turned his phone off.

Oh, that was really stupid. Hitch would know and would realise what an embarrassing fool he was being. She’d tell Annie, too. Had she already told Annie what he’d told her? He didn’t want to think about it. He really, really didn’t want to think about it.

Armin slipped off his glasses and pressed his hands to his face with a groan. What an idiot. He only removed his hands when he managed to calm down, and then, he found himself staring up at the blackness of his ceiling until his body finally gave in, and he dropped into sleep.

No alarm would wake him, since he’d turned his phone off. But he got a free one, anyway, with the sound of Eren violently retching from his bed.

Armin jolted upright, shoving his glasses on to catch sight of Mikasa perched on the edge of Eren’s bed next to her boyfriend, her fingers rubbing into the sweaty skin of his back, as he sat with his head over the bucket in his hands.

Armin’s eyes were wide. “Is he okay?”

Mikasa winced as Eren’s whole body shook as he spewed even more into the bucket in his hands. “Uh, no.”

Eren wiped his mouth and gasped for air, leaning back to sit up, sweat sticking to his forehead, pale as a ghost. “I think I ate some bad mussels.”

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “You look like death.”

Mikasa’s fingers had stopped moving. “He feels like it.”

Eren closed his eyes and tried to swallow. “Mika … I don’t wanna say it, but I don’t think I can –” But his words caught in his throat, and he leaned forward to retch into the bucket again.

Armin climbed out of bed, moving towards them. “Should we call an ambulance?”

“Too expensive,” said Mikasa. “Wait – let me call Zeke.”

“No,” said Eren, trying to sit back up from his position. “He won’t let me go to the party if he sees me like this.”

“I really don’t think you should be hurling at Historia’s,” said Mikasa.

“But then I can’t go,” said Eren weakly.

Armin grimaced. “You probably shouldn’t.”

“But I –” Eren made a noise like he was holding vomit back, and leaned forward before he could finish his sentence.

“Okay, I’m calling Zeke,” said Mikasa, rising to his feet. “Armin, make sure he’s okay while I’m gone.”

Armin moved to take her place beside Eren as she stepped out into the hall, awkwardly patting his back as if that would somehow fix the situation. Eren was silent, staring silently into the bucket of vomit he’d created. Armin was trying his best to ignore the fishy smell wafting from the bucket and had to give credit to Mikasa for managing to sit beside him for so long.

Thankfully, Mikasa opened the door again before he knew it. “He’s on his way. He wants to take you to the ER to make sure everything’s okay.”

If Eren could grow any paler, Armin was sure he would have. “The ER?”

“He’s just worried,” said Mikasa, eyebrows furrowing. “He says it takes a lot to get food poisoning from mussels. It means you ate a closed one which you really, really shouldn’t do.”

Armin’s eyes widened as he whirred on Eren. “You ate a closed mussel? Why did you do that?”

Eren’s eyebrows furrowed. “You aren’t supposed to?”

“No, you aren’t!” said Armin. “They’re really bad for you.”

Eren lowered his head in shame. “I ate all of the closed ones.”

“I didn’t even know he’d ate any closed ones,” said Mikasa. “He finished his mussels when I was at the bathroom – I didn’t even notice.”

“It’s not your fault, Mikasa,” said Armin.

“I don’t want to die,” said Eren helplessly. “I want to be here with everyone.”

“You aren’t going to die,” said Armin. “Zeke’s taking you to the hospital; you’ll be fine.”

“You’ll be fine,” said Mikasa, coming over to rest a hand on his other shoulder. “If worst comes to worst, I’ll hold a nightly séance to reach out to you.”

Eren groaned and leaned over his bucket again.

When Zeke arrived, Eren was in a very similar state, although he’d stopped vomiting for the most part – likely because there was nothing left in him to chuck up. Still, Armin helped Zeke in walking Eren to the car, with Mikasa propping open doors for them on the way. Zeke had very kindly given his brother a plastic bag in case he was sick on the car ride to the hospital, and with a wide smile, he waved to Mikasa and Armin, who stood together with eyebrows furrowed in the campus parking lot, and drove away.

“That’s the last time I try to take him anywhere sort of fancy,” said Mikasa with a sigh. “He isn’t going to die, is he?”

“Doubt it,” said Armin. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

Mikasa didn’t look entirely convinced. “Well,” she said. “This sucks.”

“Yeah,” said Armin, reaching for the back of his neck to rub it.

But halfway there, Mikasa spun around, a determined look glowing in her eyes, and pointed at his chest. “Then that settles it! You have a date for the party.”

Armin’s stomach sank. “I have a date?”

“Me!” said Mikasa.

His eyebrows furrowed. “Do you still really want to go? Are you not worried about Eren?”

“Of course I’m worried about Eren,” said Mikasa with a frown. “But I’ll feel worse if I just sit around thinking about it.” Then, she added pointedly, “And you promised me you’d consider it, and you said you were just embarrassed about not having a date. Well, now you have a date! And we won’t even look like a throuple.”

“Well, yeah, but … then, I’ll be your date,” said Armin awkwardly.

Her eyebrows furrowed. “How’s that a problem?”

He dropped her gaze. “It – it’s nothing.”

Mikasa reached out for his arm, and his eyes rose to hers once more. Her face was soft.

“I am proud to call you my date, Armin Arlert. Even if it is platonic.”

Armin was fairly certain the reminder that it was platonic was entirely unnecessary, but he let it slide.

Her hands came up to his shoulders as a smile burst onto her face.

. “It’ll be fun! I promise. We’ll just hang out.” Her eyes glimmered. “Like we used to.”

Like they used to. In high school, with her and Marco, arguing over bad movie endings in sticky movie theatres, drinking wine from Mikasa’s parents' cellar when they were away on vacation until Marco spewed a full bottle back up, reading in the park together on a sunny summer day … Armin’s heart panged at the memories long gone, times they’d never get back, and a tiny part of him wished things could be so simple again.

“Like we used to,” said Armin. He smiled – he supposed he had been a bit melodramatic about the whole situation. It was just a party, and they’d been to a million together. “Yeah, okay. I promise I won’t be a killjoy. Sorry, Mikasa.”

“It’s okay,” she said softly. “I know it’s tough right now.” Then, she leaned in and whispered, “Would keying Annie’s car make you feel better? It’s just right over there, and –”

“Mikasa, we are not doing that at all,” said Armin.

“It was just a suggestion!” she said. “Okay, how about this – come over to my dorm at like seven, and we can hang out for an hour and then head to Historia’s. Sound good? We can take Eren’s stock of wine.”

Armin smiled, genuinely. “Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll be there.”

Despite finally convincing himself to agree, he was still nervous for the entire day. He was nearly relieved when he checked his phone later to see that he had no messages from Annie or Hitch – maybe they hadn’t noticed that he’d liked Hitch’s photo within about three seconds of her posting it. They didn’t need to think he was any more desperate than, well, than he actually was.

He tried to distract himself from his nerves when he changed into his suit later that night by blasting anime themes, and it worked for a little bit, but when he stood in front of his mirror as the minutes ticked by, he felt his heart start pounding in his chest. He took a deep breath and turned his music off, before collecting the wine from Eren’s wardrobe that Mikasa had asked for and shoved it into a more inconspicuous bag. Then, he turned towards the door and made the short journey to Mikasa’s dorm.

Before he even opened the door, he could hear Siouxsie and the Banshees vibrating through the walls, and it brought a small smile to his face. Someone was excited.

He knocked, expecting to see Mikasa’s bright face, but instead was met with Sasha’s.

“Hey, Armin!”

“Oh, hey Sasha,” he said, and she stepped aside to let him in. “You look nice.”

“Thanks,” she said. She was wearing a fairly formal red dress, with her hair tied back in a neat bun instead of in a messy ponytail. “Your suit looks good.”

“I picked it out,” said Mikasa from her desk, where she sat doing her makeup. Once she was satisfied with the wing of her eyeliner, she turned to face him. “Woah, Armin. You clean up good!”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Thanks … you look really great, too.”

She did, but Mikasa always did. She’d opted for a dress in a similar style to Sasha’s, but it was a deep black and stopped right at the knee. She was wearing quite tall heels, but he was used to Mikasa being taller than him, so the extra inches couldn’t really do much more damage.

“Thank you!” she said. “Do you have the wine?”

“Wine?” Sasha perked up.

“Yeah,” said Armin, and he lifted out a bottle from his heavy bag.

Mikasa clapped her hands together. “Sasha, can you find the wine glasses?”

From the looks of it, Sasha had put a bit more effort into keeping her corner of the room clean, and she managed to find three glasses in no time, leaving a fourth out on her desk.

Armin couldn’t help but stare at the fourth lonely glass as Mikasa poured out their drinks. “Is Niccolo coming, Sasha?”

“Oh, no,” said Sasha with a shake of her head as she settled herself down onto the floor. “He’s working – and anyway, Connie’s usually my date to college parties.”

Mikasa nudged him. “She doesn’t have to worry about drinking too much and embarrassing herself in front of Connie.”

“I don’t embarrass myself!” said Sasha as Armin awkwardly lowered himself down onto the ground to join her.

“The last party you went to you and Connie tried to karaoke American Boy and it was …”

Sasha covered her ears. “I don’t want to hear it!”

“Yeah, neither did I,” said Mikasa, and then she handed Armin his glass.

Sasha reluctantly dropped her hands from her ears to take her glass, but she promptly drained the glass before Armin and Mikasa could even consider taking a sip of theirs.

“Will you sing tonight, Sasha?” asked Armin tentatively.

“Don’t join in with her,” said Sasha as Mikasa handed him her glass to lower herself to the ground beside him. But then, Sasha seemed to seriously consider his question. “I was thinking of doing something from Les Mis since it’s so formal.”

Armin blinked at her. “You think Les Mis is formal?”

“Connie agreed,” said Sasha.

“Connie does know a lot about formality,” said Mikasa, taking a sip from her glass.

Armin nearly choked on his drink, but before Sasha could open her mouth to say anything, a knock came on the door.

Connie didn’t even wait for anyone to answer before he flung the door open. He was dressed in a black suit with a red bowtie – but Armin thought it was his rainbow-coloured Sketchers that completed the look.

“Hey guys!” he said, pushing the door shut behind him.

Armin’s eyes were still focused on his shoes. “Uh, Connie? Do you think Historia will let you in with those shoes?”

“Of course she will!” said Connie. “Ymir told me she’d love them, so I had to wear them tonight.”

Armin and Mikasa shared a glance before they both took a quiet sip of their wine.

“Get yourself a drink, Connie,” said Sasha, waving towards the desk behind her.

Connie poured himself a glass, draining the rest of the bottle, before sitting before them and starting to sip. He winced.

“This stuff is strong,” said Connie.

“It’s basically moonshine,” said Mikasa with a sigh.

“Huh?” said Connie, eyebrows furrowing at the liquid. Then, he raised his eyes to look around at them all. “Oh, wait, where’s Eren?”

 

“In hospital right now,” said Mikasa, frowning. “He ate a closed mussel yesterday. Had no idea that was dangerous.”

“That’s dangerous?” asked Connie. “How?”

“It’s because they’ve been dead for a while before cooking, so, it’s basically like eating something rotten,” said Armin.

“Oh, okay,” said Connie, before slapping him on the shoulder. “Thanks, man. You might have just saved my life.”

“I nearly ate one when Niccolo cooked for me,” said Sasha, with a shake of her head. “They’re silent killers, closed mussels.”

“I don’t think they could kill you,” said Mikasa. “She ate soap by accident last week.”

“How do you do it by accident?” asked Armin.

Sasha’s shoulders slumped. “I thought it was fancy chocolate.”

Mikasa nudged her. “And that’s why you don’t go through my groceries.”

“She’ll probably do it again,” said Connie.

“It’s not as bad as it sounds!” said Sasha when she caught sight of Armin’s shocked expression. “I’m not just stealing – she usually picks up snacks for me, and I just assumed that’s what it was.”

“No, I was out of soap,” said Mikasa with a shake of her head.

“Do they serve stuff that can kill you where Niccolo works?” asked Connie. Then, he turned to Mikasa before Sasha could answer. “Oh! Have you been? It’s that all you can eat buffet place – it’s really good. Me and Sasha went with Armin and Annie, and –”

Connie cut himself off as his eyes flickered over to Armin – who then proceeded to drain his own glass of wine.

“Oh, uh, sorry, Armin,” said Connie, eyebrows pinched together. “And I’m sorry about – you and Annie, you know …”

Armin waved him off. “It’s okay.” Then, he paused, eyebrows pinching together, and he said, “Wait – how do you know …”

His eyes drifted to Sasha who seemed to be doing everything in her power to not meet his gaze.

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “I told you not to tell anyone!”

“Sorry!” said Sasha, wincing. “I didn’t realise it didn’t include Connie.”
Armin raised an eyebrow. “Or Mikasa?”

She shrank. “Or … my dad.”

Armin’s eyebrows narrowed. “You told your dad?”

“Well, I was just talking to him on the phone the day after you stayed over, and it came up!”

“How does that come up?” asked Armin. “I’ve never met your dad.”

“I didn’t have anything else to talk about!” said Sasha.

“Look, it’s fine,” said Mikasa pointedly. “Armin’s got a date right now, anyway: me!”

Connie’s eyebrows furrowed. “Wait – are you guys dating?”

Just as Armin said, “No”, Mikasa said, “Yes”.

“While Eren’s in hospital?” asked Connie, eyes wide. “Really?”

Armin’s eyes were just as wide. “I’m not dating Mikasa!”

“We’re a throuple,” said Mikasa with a determined nod of her head.

“We are not,” said Armin, turning towards her.

“Okay, that part was a joke,” said Mikasa with a sigh. Then, she pointed her glass towards Connie and Sasha. “But we are dating.”

Sasha’s eyebrows pinched together. “Wait, you guys aren’t really dating, are you?”

“Of course we’re n–”

“We definitely are!” said Mikasa, reaching out for Armin’s hand and squeezing it. “Anyway, love of my life – are you ready to go to Historia’s?”

Armin opened his mouth to argue with her – to correct her again. But after looking at her expression, he realised this wasn’t a battle he could win. So he forced a smile onto his face, and said, through gritted teeth, “Yeah, sure.”

Mikasa clapped her hands together. “Okay, guys, let’s go.”

In spite of their confusion, Connie and Sasha promptly got themselves to their feet to collect their things, giving Armin and Mikasa side glances, as if they were still trying to figure out which one of them was lying. Armin did his best to ignore the burn of their eyes, and picked up the heavy bag with the rest of the wine bottles in it, before following the others out of the dorms.

The chill of the evening air made the walk to Historia’s feel much longer than it was. Sasha and Connie seemed to race ahead, laughing at how Sasha was hurriedly hobbling in her heels, and arguing over which of them got to wear his Sketchers into the party. Mikasa walked slowly beside him, quietly talking about something to do with the crystals she was selling, but the more she spoke, the more he felt frustration bubble in his chest.

“Why did you say that?” asked abruptly.

Mikasa stopped. “Say what? That I was debating selling crystals at the party?”

“No,” said Armin with a shake of his head. “I mean earlier.” He lowered his voice and slowed down. “When you were trying to tell Sasha and Connie that we’re dating.”

Mikasa shrugged. “Well, you wanted a date for tonight.”

Armin’s heart panged, and he clenched his fists in an attempt to ignore it. “No, I don’t. I want –”

He cut himself off before he could finish, but the word left unspoken hung in the air between them, so heavy he could practically feel it.

Annie.

He wanted Annie.

Mikasa sighed and put her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, Armin. I won’t say it again. I just thought … I don’t know what I was thinking.” Then, she added, “Actually, I knew exactly what I was thinking, but it wasn’t exactly a good idea.”

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “What were you thinking?”

Connie and Sasha’s laughter grew distant as her eyebrows drew together. “I thought if I said it enough, Sasha might actually believe it and tell people, and word would get to Annie, and maybe she’d talk to you again. It would be because she was jealous, but I thought … I don’t know.”

He sighed. “Mikasa …”

“Look, I know it’s stupid,” said Mikasa, looking away.

Armin’s eyebrows pinched together. “You’re the one that told me to give her space.”

Mikasa’s eyes rose to his again. “You would be giving her space. But doesn’t this end when she decides she wants you to stop giving her space? I thought a little lie could speed up the process.”

But Armin’s face was still set in the same sad expression. “It’s a lie she’s too smart to believe.”

“I never expected her to believe it,” said Mikasa. “I expected her to get a little jealous. That’s all. Logic and feelings don’t really mix well.”

Didn’t Armin know it. But he wasn’t about to start another web of lies again like this – and he especially wasn’t going to do it with his best friend. “We can’t fake date, Mikasa.”

“I wasn’t suggesting that!” said Mikasa. “Look, I’ll stop telling people, even as a joke. Alright?”

He nodded. “Yeah.” Then, he added, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get all worked up about it.”

Mikasa shook her head. “It’s okay. I should be saying sorry, anyway.” Then, she added, “I don’t know why you wouldn’t want anyone to think I was dating you, you know, but that’s not even the point.”

Armin scoffed, but he smiled. “Let’s just try and have a nice night.”

“Will you guys hurry up?” shouted Connie.

They glanced ahead to see Connie far ahead, looking like he was in severe physical pain, with Sasha clinging onto his back like a sloth, her heels in her hands and her feet bare.

“Sasha isn’t exactly light!” he said.

Sasha thumped his back with her fist and he grunted. “You’re heavier!”

“Come on!” said Connie, ignoring the girl on his back.

Armin and Mikasa picked up their pace to keep up with Connie, and due to his sense of urgency, they seemed to arrive at Historia’s doorstep in no time. Connie groaned when he set Sasha down on the porch, stretching to crack his back, and wincing at the feeling.

“I’m not that heavy,” said Sasha as Mikasa knocked on the front door.

“You can carry me back,” said Connie.

Sasha perked up. “Only if I get to wear your Sketchers.”

“Deal,” said Connie.

The front door flung open, and there stood Ymir in a suit, the top buttons of her shirt undone and no tie in sight. She grinned.

“Welcome to the event!” she said, stepping aside for them to come in.

Armin was struck immediately by the sound of violins. What the – Oh, well, he assumed it was supposed to be formal. He hadn’t imagined that Historia would actually be so serious about it, though. He was relieved when his eyes panned around the main room that there didn’t seem to be any sign of a small band she hired, and she’d opted just on an Apple Music playlist.

“Hey, those shoes are really nice, Connie!” said Ymir.

Connie beamed. “Thanks!”

“Unfortunately, they go against the dress code,” she said and smirked.

Connie’s face dropped. “But – you said –”

“But!” she said, wrapping her arm around his shoulder. “Since we’re such good friends, I’ll let it slide!”

Connie’s shoulders relaxed. “Thanks … Ymir …”

“No problem! Just don’t let Historia see them, or she might kick you out!” she said, letting him go. Before Connie could open his mouth, she continued. “Okay, so thinks are a bit more formal than normal, but …” she leaned forward and said quietly, “I’ll be getting the kegs out later, so don’t worry too much.”

Mikasa nudged Armin, but he tactically ignored her.

“Oh, and lucky for you, Sasha,” said Ymir. “There’s even a snack bar. Only fancy stuff, though. I’m sure that doesn’t matter to you.”

Sasha’s eyes glowed. “Is it free?”

“Obviously,” said Ymir.

Before anyone could say anything more, Sasha grabbed Connie by the wrist, throwing a quick “see you later!” and disappearing into the crowd in search of the snack bar.

“Huh,” said Ymir, looking between him and Mikasa in the silence that followed. “You match.”

The suit and the dress had the same golden decals as each other – and Ymir, in fact, did not have the same suit on at all. His suit was supposed to match Eren’s, but Ymir was unaware of that.

“Well, dates have to match, don’t they?” said Mikasa.

“Dates?” asked Ymir, leaning back. “What about Yeager?”

Mikasa shook her head. “Don’t worry about him.” She grabbed Armin’s arm. “I’ve got a gentleman with me tonight.”

Ymir looked between them and guffawed. “Okay. Enjoy your night, lovebirds.”

When Ymir disappeared, Armin turned on Mikasa again. “Mikasa! What did I say?”

“I didn’t say we were dating!” she said.

“You made it sound like you broke up with Eren to date me, actually!” said Armin.

“Yeah, well, we know it’s not true,” said Mikasa, waving him off.

“Other people don’t know that,” said Armin quietly.

“Oh, Ymir wouldn’t believe that,” said Mikasa. “She knows I’m joking.”

Armin wasn’t so sure about that, especially when he caught sight of Ymir whispering something into Historia’s ear across the room. He swallowed.

“You are my date tonight,” said Mikasa pointedly.

Armin sighed. “Don’t make me fake-break-up with you, Mikasa.”

“So, we are fake dating,” she said.

“No, we’re not!”

“Hey!”

Their bickering was interrupted as their heads snapped towards Marco, who was approaching them from the small crowd with a wide smile on his face, with a very well-dressed Jean Kirstein in tow. Their suits seemed to be matching – wait, were they here together? Publically?

“You look very handsome,” said Mikasa as he reached them.

Marco brought her into a hug. “Thanks! You look beautiful, as always.”

 

Mikasa beamed as Marco turned to face Armin. “You look great, too, Armin!”

Armin smiled. “Thanks, Marco. Nice suits.”

“Yeah, Jean’s mom picked them out,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck with an awkward smile. “She wants us to take a lot of photos, so …”

“It’s a shame the only decent photographer will be in the photo,” said Mikasa with a smile and a nod towards Jean.

“Mom doesn’t mind,” said Jean with an unexpectedly shy smile. “She doesn’t understand composition or anything, anyway. It could be blurry and she’d love it.”

Mikasa nudged Armin. “You should get some photos to show your Grandpa. I’m sure he’d love to see you all dressed up.”

Armin smiled, but he raised an eyebrow at her. “Yeah, I’m sure he’d love seeing me dressed up for a sorority party.”

She waved him off. “Well, he doesn’t need to know that part.”

Marco perked up. “Jean can take your photo now if you want. You just have to take ours.”

“I don’t –”

“That’s great!” said Mikasa, grabbing onto Armin’s arm before he could protest any more. “But you should get in it, too.”

“I’ll get in a few,” said Marco with a smile. “But you guys are matching – I’m sure Jean could make that look good.”

“I don’t have my camera, so it won’t be as good on my phone, but the quality is pretty good,” said Jean, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

Mikasa dropped his am and stepped away from him. “Come on, Marco, get in the middle of this one!”

Marco rushed in between them, throwing his arms over Armin’s and Mikasa’s shoulders, and Jean counted them down, before taking a few photos of them together. Then, Marco left and told Jean to keep snapping photos, and Mikasa put her arm around his waist and pretended to kiss his cheek while he smiled at the camera. They moved into goofier poses, grinning, and when Jean was done, Armin felt a little more at ease.

“They’re good!” said Marco with a thumbs up.

Jean held his phone out to Armin and smiled. “Could you take some for us?”

As good as Jean was behind a camera, he was a little awkward in front of it – but the stiffness Jean exuded was not as noticeable as Marco’s brightness. He doubted the photos were as good as any of the ones Jean had taken, but they weren’t blurry, at least.

Jean and Marco stared at his phone screen once he was done, and both, shockingly, seemed thoroughly pleased with the results.

“Oh, hey,” said Marco, turning to Mikasa. “Did you bring some wine?”

Mikasa smiled and gestured to the bag Armin had left by the door. “Say no more.”

The four of them made themselves comfortable, Armin shaking off his nerves the more wine he drank, and even after some time of sitting together, he was laughing. Maybe it wasn’t so bad without a date. Well, an actual date. A girlfriend – a person everyone thought was his girlfriend? He tried not to think about her too much, and it got easy the more wine he had.

“Hey!” said Sasha through a mouthful of food.

“Have you been at the snack bar for half an hour?” asked Mikasa.

Connie looked physically exhausted as he sank into the couch next to Jean. “Yeah.”

“You guys, it’s not a bar,” said Sasha, eyes glowing. “It’s the full kitchen! There’s food everywhere.”

“There was,” said Connie, taking a cup of wine offered to him. “I think she ate half of it.”

“Historia won’t notice,” said Sasha with a shake of her head.

“Yeah, because you’re the last person she’d suspect,” said Jean with a roll of his eyes.

Sasha opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, Mikasa pushed a cup of wine into her hands, and it soon quietened her down.

They sat there together, smiling and laughing and drinking, as people milled around, and Armin almost forgot the fact he was supposed to be here with someone else, too. The wine certainly made that a lot easier – and probably the fact that the only ones with a date were Jean and Marco, and they weren’t one for PDA, at least not yet. Armin was shocked that Jean was doing something like this so publically, considering last he had heard, Jean wasn’t fully out yet. It was easier to be happy for Marco with so much wine in his system.

Armin was thinking of asking Mikasa to pour him another glass when the music abruptly halted, replaced only by Historia’s light voice, announcing that the first formal dance of the night would be starting.

“Did you hear that?!” yelled Ymir, grabbing onto Historia’s hand. “It’s fancy dancing time!”

The music started up again, changing to another classical song Armin of course didn’t notice, and Mikasa grabbed his hand to drag him into the next room, clearly very eager for him to step all over her toes.

“Okay!” said Historia loudly. “This one’s a simple waltz! You can dance however you want for the rest of them, but do only go on the dance floor if you can attempt this one!”

Marco frowned. “I don’t know the waltz.”

Jean rubbed the back of his neck. “Me neither.”

“What is a waltz?” asked Sasha quietly.

Armin watched as a few people who had reached the dancefloor first left nearly as soon as they came, leaving only him and Mikasa and a few others hovering by the outskirts of the dancefloor.

“You know how to waltz, don’t you?” asked Mikasa, looking down at him.

His eyes were wide with panic as they flickered around the room to see how lonely it was out there on the dancefloor. “Barely.”

“Good enough for me!” said Mikasa, grabbing onto his arm and pulling him onto the floor.

No amount of wine in the world would make him feel fine doing a dance he was not very confident at in the middle of a room of far too many college students, but he was grateful he’d at least had a few glasses before coming out here. He could feel his heart pounding in his throat, and he almost wished he was the one recovering in the hospital for eating bad mussels.

Mikasa gave him a reassuring smile. “It’s okay,” she whispered.

A tiny weight lifted from his shoulders. “Okay,” he whispered back.

Mikasa looked at him for a long moment. “You know you’re leading, right?”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” he said, and he started to guide their steps.

It was a bit uncertain and tentative, but when he stepped on her toes, and she stepped on his, they managed to just laugh it off. Bumping into Historia’s back was probably the worst thing they did, but they tried to contain their laughter while she threw them a glare over Ymir’s shoulder (who also seemed to be doing quite a lot to stop from bursting out laughing).

When the song ended, Mikasa tied to spin him around, but he nearly tripped over his own feet, so when he spun back around he crashed into her, and they couldn’t keep their laughter in anymore. Historia wasn’t that phased about their behaviour now, as everyone else joined the dancefloor to spin their partners around and around.

Marco and Jean came onto the floor, as did Connie and Sasha, all of who seemed to have little idea of what they were doing and kept glancing over at Armin and Mikasa for some sort of guidance. Armin wasn’t sure they were the best guides, but he had to admit they were faring better than the others.

But just as they were spinning, something snapped, and Mikasa seemed to half-come down to his height, and she grabbed onto his shoulders for support. His eyebrows furrowed.

“Mikasa, is everything okay?” he asked.

He glanced down at her feet, and she groaned. “My heel’s just snapped.”

Well, that explained her angle, at least. His eyebrows furrowed. “What do you want to do?”

“I’ve got to take it off,” she said. “Wait.”

Mikasa leaned against him and took the broken one-off, before slipping the other from her foot. The broken heel in question looked like it had been through some sort of violent accident, but Armin was more focused on the frustration on Mikasa’s face.

“Great,” she said.

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “We can get an Uber back to the dorms.”

Mikasa frowned. “But I don’t want to go yet.”

Armin looked around desperately before he finally spotted Historia in the crowd. “Just wait right here a minute.”

He left Mikasa alone and pushed through the crowd towards Historia, who was talking to some guy Armin was sure he’d never seen before. He tapped on her shoulder and when she turned around, her face was unapproachable as ever.

“Uh, hey,” he said awkwardly. “Sorry to bother you, but, uh … you don’t happen to have any socks Mikasa could borrow, do you? Her heel just broke, and she has nothing else.”

Historia peered past him, making out Mikasa standing barefoot in the crowd. She faced Armin again and nodded. “My room’s the first door on the left. They’re in my bedside table.”

He smiled. “Thank you, so much.”

He returned to Mikasa, and tentatively took hold of her arm. “Are you gonna be able to make it to the stairs?”

“Do I have much of a choice?” she asked.

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Piggyback?”

Mikasa sighed. “I don’t think you’re strong enough.”

He frowned. “Wow, Mikasa.”

She nudged him. “I’m not making you carry me. I’ll just be careful.”

Mikasa managed to make her way off of the dancefloor without anyone treading on her toes, but she looked more than relieved to reach the foot of shining wooden stairs. He followed her up and directed her to the closest door, which she pushed open.

“God, that’s so much better,” said Mikasa as her toes landed on the thick fluffy beige carpet.

Armin looked around the room, finding it pristine and lightly coloured, looking nothing like any of the dorm rooms. He’d caught a peek of the rooms in the sorority house before, but he’d never really spent a great deal of time in any of them. To be honest, he was never really sober enough to take in his surroundings in this building.

“Do you think I should take my shoes off?” asked Armin, still standing on the shiny floor of the hallway by the doorframe.

“Of course you should!” said Mikasa, and wordlessly, he slipped his shoes off, and stepped into the room.

Mikasa collapsed onto the bed with a sigh. Armin pushed the door shut behind him, before stepping forward to settle down on the bed beside her. He opened the top drawer of Historia’s bedside table and rummaged through it until he found the fluffiest pair of socks he could find, and then he tossed them over to Mikasa.

“Thanks,” she said, pulling herself up to sit beside him. Then, after a long pause, she added, “Thanks for coming, Armin.”

He smiled softly. “It’s no problem. It’s been nice, so far.”

She slipped a sock over her toes. “I’m glad. The dancing wasn’t even that bad, either, was it?”

“I don’t think Historia was impressed,” he said, and Mikasa snorted.

“Ymir’s wooed her enough with her dancing tonight that I think she’ll have forgotten all about us,” she said as she slid the other sock onto her foot. She sighed. “I don’t think I can do much more dancing tonight.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Are you sure you don’t just want to go back to the dorms?”

Mikasa paused. “In an hour, maybe? Maybe we can just hang out and have some more drinks?”

He smiled. “Okay.”

It only took him a minute to go downstairs and find them some cups and bring up a bottle of wine. When he stepped into the room again, he pushed the door until it was ajar behind him, leaving a sliver of space to let the music from downstairs slip inside. Mikasa beamed at the sight of the wine, and she eagerly poured them each a very large cup of wine, before handing his over to him.

It was easier, and a lot less stressful than it had been downstairs in the crowds. They just sat together and talked about old times, laughing about the way they used to act in high school and the stupid antics she’d gotten him and Marco into. And when they got a message from Eren and another from Zeke confirming that Eren was completely fine and would be back tomorrow, they talked about how foolish he was and they made a list of foods they should tell him he shouldn’t eat.

The wine was getting to them, but they were both enjoying themselves too much to slow down.

As Mikasa poured his final glass, she asked, “So, when do you think Ymir is gonna get you to down a keg?”

Armin groaned. “Hopefully, never.”

“I’m sure Sasha and Connie would help hold you up,” said Mikasa, and he scoffed.

“They’ll drop me on my head,” said Armin, and Mikasa laughed.

“We can ask Jean to do it since he’s the tallest,” said Mikasa, turning towards him.

Armin frowned. “He’ll dangle me like I’m a ragdoll.”

The joke wasn’t funny, but the image clearly struck a chord with Mikasa – and the wine probably helped – and she burst out laughing, as she almost passed Armin’s fresh cup to him. Armin’s fingers had just nearly reached it, but she was laughing so much that she fumbled with it before he could get a proper grip, and it tumbled down onto his shirt and the top of his trousers.

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry,” said Mikasa, quickly picking up the now empty cup from the ground.

Armin’s shirt was soaked; the only perk was that, while his pants were wet, they weren’t as wet as his shirt – and, at least, it was white wine and not red. “It’s okay,” he said, smiling weakly. “It’s better on me than on the carpet.”

But Mikasa’s eyebrows were pinched together. “Do you mind taking that off? I’ll wash it in the bathroom sink and dry it off with a hairdryer – just so it doesn’t stink and you don’t have to sit … well, soaked in wine.”

“I mean, okay, but it’s on my pants, too,” said Armin, starting to undo his tie.

Mikasa nodded. “It’s fine. Just stay in here, I shouldn’t be too long.”

He’d known Mikasa long enough not to be embarrassed in front of her in just his boxers, but he would be mortified if anyone were to find out he was just sitting up in Historia’s room, practically naked. Better to get it over with as quickly as he could, just in case, he decided. He started with his trousers, hurriedly undoing his belt and pushing them down his legs, before kicking them across the floor, and then undid enough buttons to get his soaked shirt over his head.

“Maybe this is more embarrassing than coming without a date,” said Armin with a weak smile.

Mikasa winced. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he said – but that didn’t stop him from feeling a little bit panicked being so exposed in someone else’s bedroom.

Mikasa reached out for both of his cheeks in a comforting gesture. “I’m gonna buy you, like, the sickest Gojo Satoru body pillow to make up for this.”

Armin was about to open his mouth to tell her how much he did not want a body pillow of any sort, but he was interrupted by the sound of far too familiar laughter.

Both of their heads snapped towards the door to see Floch Forster standing in the doorway, phone in hand, a large grin spread across his face. Armin’s heart sank to his stomach.

“Now, this is something else,” he said.

“Floch, get the fuck out of here now,” said Mikasa, face twisted in rage.

Armin felt all the blood drain from his face. “Floch – I don’t know what you think this looks like, but Mikasa just spilled wine on my clothes. She’s just –”

Floch’s laughter twisted his gut. “Yeah, okay. Have a nice fuck, guys.”

Then the door shut between them.

Armin jumped to his feet, ready to chase after Floch and get him to delete any photos he took, but a hand clamped down on his wrist. He turned to meet Mikasa’s dark eyes, and she silently shook her head at him.

“But –”

“Going out there with no clothes isn’t gonna make anything better,” she said, eyebrows pinching together in concern.

Armin turned around to look at the door. He felt like the floor had been ripped from beneath his feet. He took a photo. A photo! He could do anything with that photo. He’d probably post it again – and god, what if Eren saw? He would probably think –

But Mikasa read his mind. “I’ll text Eren, so he knows before he sees it. Don’t worry. We’ll go home. I’ll call an Uber.”

Armin picked up his soaking clothes and slipped them back on, no longer caring about the wetness of them, and he could do little more than stare at the floor, waiting for the car to come and take them back to the dorms. By the time it arrived, Armin didn’t care about the bag or the wine he was leaving behind, and they silently slipped out of the front door, unnoticed.

Mikasa gripped his hand for a few moments in the Uber, before letting go. She was just trying to help – but what could she do about it, anyway? Maybe he should just tell Ymir to beat Floch up. It would probably make him feel better. But even then, he might have already done something with the photo before that. What would it matter if many others saw?

They sat in silence the full ride back to campus. When they stepped out of the Uber in the silent parking lot, Armin turned to Mikasa and forced a weak smile onto his face. “I’ll give you a piggyback to your room.”

Her eyes lit up. She was standing in just Historia’s fluffy socks. “Really?”

He nodded and turned around to let her jump onto his back. He adjusted as she shuffled, but Mikasa wasn’t so heavy, and anyway, the walk to the dorms was fairly short. She was fine with walking back to her room once they reached the inside of the dorms with its thin carpeted floor, and he helped him slip off.

They were mostly quiet as they stood outside her doorway, about to bid each other goodnight. Mikasa’s eyebrows furrowed, and she said, “I’m sorry, Armin.”

He shook his head. “You didn’t do anything.”

“I spilled wine all over you,” she said.

Armin smiled weakly. “I’ll take a shower. It’s okay.”

Mikasa hesitated for a moment, before leaning forward to pull him into a hug. “Thank you for coming with me, even if it was as bad as you thought it would be.”

He patted her back. “It wasn’t all bad.”

She smiled, and bid him goodnight, and then he was stood in the silent hallway, alone. He sighed, before turning around to make the short walk back to his room.

When Armin stepped into his room, he found that, for once, it was far too quiet without Eren there. He stripped down to his underwear, and tossed his wet clothes into his laundry basket, before collapsing down onto his bed. Then, alone in the silent darkness, it was hard to ignore the ever-growing ache in his chest, and even harder to keep the tears at bay.

It was a stupid idea going to that party, after all. He wasn’t meant for things like that. He wasn’t effortless, he wasn’t suave, he wasn’t cool. He was embarrassing, and he’d embarrassed himself again. He felt sorry for Mikasa, for having to even explain that photo in the first place. He must have made her feel so embarrassed. He was an embarrassment. No wonder Annie ran away from him.

A tiny, more rational part of him knew that the wine was making him feel so bad, so overtly emotional, but he couldn’t avoid how real the pain felt. He pushed up his glasses to wipe his eyes and cleared his throat. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down before he reached to unlock his phone to log onto Twitter to confirm the worst.

He knew what he would see, but a part of him had hoped it wouldn’t be there. He had practically prayed it wouldn’t be there – but his stomach still twisted at the sight of the photo in Floch’s latest tweet.

The caption read: cheating isn’t a good look on you guys.

It certainly looked like they’d been caught in the middle of something if you didn’t know better. He was there in his boxers with Mikasa’s hands on his cheeks, their eyes staring intently at one another.

Armin could have thrown up.

There was no more thinking then. There was no point in being rational anymore, anyway. He clicked off of Twitter and opened his contacts, scrolling until he found Annie’s name, and called her number.

He listened to it ring on and on, not expecting an answer, and not being surprised when it reached the answering machine. But when he heard her soft voice speak her own name, he felt his heart flutter. It distracted him so much he barely heard the beep signalling him to leave his message.

“Oh, uh … hey, Annie,” he said. “It’s Armin. I just … I know I said I wanted space. And I think – still think it’s good for us. But I – I just wanted to say, if you see that photo of me and Mikasa on Floch’s Twitter, it’s not what it looks like. Mikasa spilled wine all over me, so she was gonna rinse it off and dry it, but he walked in at exactly the wrong time, and …”

Armin swallowed, and he couldn’t ignore the crack of his own voice when I said, “I just really hope you don’t hate me.”

Another pause, as if he was expecting her voice on the other end. Of course, there was nothing.

“I – I shouldn’t be saying this, anyway,” said Armin. “I’m sorry. And – I’m sorry again for hurting you. You deserve so, so much better than that. You do. And – I miss you. I hope … I hope you’re okay over there.”

After a long beat of silence, he said, “Also, I don’t know what Hitch did to wrestle you into that dress on her Instagram, but you looked gorgeous. But you always do. Always.”

Then, he hung up and dropped the phone down onto his bed with a groan. He stared up into the lonely darkness again, before he let his eyes fall shut, and the drunken silence lull him to sleep.

His head was pounding when he woke up to the faint sound of something vibrating somewhere in his room. He groaned, rolling over to try and get back to sleep before his eyes flew open when he realised what the sound would be. His phone.

It was hidden somewhere in his sheets and he scrambled for it, searching the bed until he managed to pull it out on the final ring.

He pressed to his ear and said quietly, “Hey?”

“Hey.”

Annie’s voice sent shivers down his spine. He wanted to hear her say that little “hey” over and over again until it was the only word he knew anymore.

“Annie,” he said. “Hey.”

“I see you had fun last night,” she said.

His eyes widened. “No, no, that – that photo really isn’t what it looks like.”

“I know,” said Annie, and that was enough to make his shoulders relax. “I’m not an idiot. Eren might be, but I figured out that it wasn’t what it looked like as soon as I saw it. Your message helped a little, too.”

“Okay,” he said quietly. “That’s – I’m glad.”

There was a pause. “Are you hungover?”

“Uh, no,” said Armin, wincing at the pounding in his head.

He could practically feel her smile through the phone. “Liar.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Are you okay, Annie? You just … disappeared.”

There was another pause, before she sighed, and said, “I’m sorry for worrying you. Talking isn’t my strong suit. I just … I wanted to be at home, just to figure things out. Didn’t really go to plan when Hitch flew out here.”

He let out a small laugh. “I guess not.”

Annie paused again. “So, where’s your grand gesture of flying out here to come check on me?”

Armin’s heart sank. “I thought you’d be angry if I did that. And – I really don’t know your address.”

Annie snorted. “Both very fair points. I’m just teasing you, anyway.” Then, after a beat, she said, “Look, I’m sorry for how I’ve been acting. I was angry when you said what you said, but after thinking it over and talking to Hitch, you were probably right. I’m not ready for the things I want right now.”

Armin swallowed. “What do you want?”

Annie’s sigh was heavy. “Are you really gonna make me say it?”

He was glad she couldn’t see his face because he felt his cheeks warm. “Well – no, you don’t have to.”

She sighed. “You. Okay? God, that was embarrassing. Hitch thinks it’s a good idea to start talking about stuff like this. This is really embarrassing, though. I really want to hang up.”

“Please don’t,” he said hurriedly. “Is that … really what you want? Me?”

“Don’t you dare make me say it again,” she said. “I’m really embarrassed right now.”

But he didn’t care how embarrassed she was. He could imagine her covering her face with her free hand in her room, trying to hide her burning cheeks as she spoke like they were still just kids who didn’t know how to deal with a crush.

“Come back,” he said abruptly. “If that’s – if that’s what you want, I can be that. I can be good for you. I want to be.”

Her sigh weighed on his shoulders. “Armin …”

“I miss you,” he said quietly. “I miss talking to you every day and seeing you all the time. I want to see you again.”

“Armin,” she said. “I miss you, too. But –”

“But,” he repeated, dropping his head into his hand. “Does there really have to be a ‘but’?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Because I’m hurting you, Armin. I’m acting like a big kid, and it’s hurting you. Even this – I should have told you I was going immediately, but I didn’t. I just disappeared because I was angry. This shouldn’t have been the first time you heard from me.”

“But I understand that,” said Armin. “I understand that you might do that, but I still …” He closed his eyes and swallowed. “I still want you, Annie.”

Another heartbeat of pause came before she spoke. “I don’t want anything real with you if I can’t treat you right,” said Annie. “I need to figure that out first.”

Armin could feel the burn in his eyes, but he blinked to keep the tears away. “This sort of feels like a break-up.”

“You started it,” she said softly.

His heart panged because she was right. He was the one who’d asked for space.

What an idiot he was.

“But you were right,” said Annie. “Don’t beat yourself up. Honestly, you should be really proud of yourself for having the balls to say that to me.”

“I don’t feel very proud right now,” he said.

She snorted. “I’m sorry. We need space – at least in that way. We can’t have a relationship right now.”

Armin perked up. “So … we can still be friends?”

“Well, I think this call would be going differently if I didn’t even want to be your friend,” she said. Then, she sighed. “I do have feelings for you. I’m sorry I’ve been so bad at showing it – and I’m sorry I’m doing this. It’s just … I need to just be me, and figure that out. And I don’t expect you to wait around for me, and I won’t be angry if you don’t.”

“Will you be angry if I do?” he asked.

“Depends how whiny you are about it,” said Annie.

Armin laughed. He could hear her little laugh through the phone, tickling his ear.

“I’m serious, though, Armin,” said Annie. “Maybe we should just focus on being friends. I think we could both just use a good friend. I think that I could use some practice with that, anyway.”

“Friends,” he said, but he couldn’t ignore the slight ache in his chest. He cleared his throat. “I missed having someone to drive me around, anyway.”

Annie snorted. “Always the charmer, aren’t you?” Then, she added, “For the record – Hitch bought me that dress. Blue’s not really my thing.”

“It suits you,” he said. “It matches your eyes.”

Annie paused. “I’ll keep that in mind, then.” Then, she added, “Jean posted some photos of you and Mikasa on his Instagram story. You look very handsome in a suit.”

He felt heat rise to his cheeks. “Uh, thank you. I can, um, wear it again and show you when you get back.”

“Friends, Armin.”

“Friends can show each other their suits,” he said.

“I think it’s a weird thing to do unprompted, regardless.”

“It wouldn’t be that unprompted.”

Annie snorted. “Fine, you can show me the suit. But anyway – I’m sorry, again. I’ll try and at least be a better friend than I was a fake girlfriend. And you can hold me accountable for that. Deal?”

He nodded even though she couldn’t see him. “Deal.”

“Okay,” she sighed. “I’ll be back in a few days, I think. So I guess I’ll just see you then?”

“Yeah,” he breathed. “I’ll see you then.”

The phone call ended with a beep, and then Armin was sat alone in his room, once again.

Notes:

Hi everyone! Finally managed to get this one all out! Sorry for any delays, uni is hard :,)

Just wanted to say thank you for all the kind feedback on the last chapter! Sorry I'm still taking time to respond to all of you, I'm going to try and answer everyone tomorrow :)

I really hope you guys enjoy this one! Profuse apology for any errors in this chapter - I hope this doesn't take away anyone's enjoyment of the chapter.

I have an assignment due in two weeks, so again, there will be delays with the next chapters, but I'm hoping after that I'll be able to go back to a more regular schedule, as I'm really excited about the direction this story is going.

I hope you are all doing well and keeping safe! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please, let me know your thoughts in the comments <3

Chapter 12: a not-so-glow-in-the-dark jigsaw puzzle

Armin’s mood had changed over the days that followed his and Annie’s phone call. She sent him a few messages, updating him on what she and Hitch were doing, but the conversations weren’t as deep as they used to be – but it was enough, for now. It had to be enough. Yet as the days went by, he grew even more restless; Annie was going to be back, walking around campus, driving around in her car, almost like she’d never left in the first place. Things would slowly slide back to normal and he couldn’t wait to see her.

But that didn’t stop him from taking drastic measures to avoid her when he first caught sight of her on campus; including diving behind the nearest bush.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Armin scrambled to a crouching position, making sure he was still mostly out of Annie’s sight. She was probably just walking to class – she’d texted him when she’d hit the ground on this side of her flight yesterday and he knew she would be too busy getting resettled to make much effort with him. They were also supposed to be making less effort overall – friends, right?

Armin squinted at the other person sitting on the ground beside him; their leg crossed over the other very casually as if hidden behind a bush was a normal place to be sitting on campus.

“Historia?” he asked.

She put her phone down and sighed, cocking an eyebrow at him. “I’m assuming you caught sight of Annie, right? And I’m guessing she’s on the murder path considering you cheated on her.” Then, she added, sternly, “In my bedroom.”

Armin’s eyebrows drew together. Just because Annie and Eren knew the photo was fake didn’t mean everyone else who had seen it was just as easily convinced. “I didn’t cheat on Annie. Really.”

“Then why are you hiding from her?” asked Historia.

Armin peeked around the bush but Annie was no longer in sight. He leaned back around to face Historia. “We’re on a break. Sort of.”

“So you did cheat on her?” she asked.

“No!”

“Why else would you be on a break?” asked Historia.

“We were on a break before your party,” said Armin. “And Mikasa spilled wine all over me! That’s why –”

“You were practically naked in my bed?” asked Historia. “You’re lucky Ymir likes you so much otherwise she probably would have taken your head off of your shoulders.”

Armin opened his mouth to say something but then he frowned. “What are you doing hiding down here, anyway?”

Historia groaned. “There’s some agriculture student that’s got a crush on me. I don’t even know his name, but I keep seeing him around campus. I think someone told him I thought he was cute and he keeps trying to come up to me when he sees me. I can’t be bothered to reject him.”

“Doesn’t he know you’re with Ymir?” asked Armin.

She shrugged. “God knows. I thought it was very public knowledge. Maybe he thinks he can win me over. He won’t be able to.”

“Why don’t you ask Ymir to tell him to back off?” he asked.

“Because she’ll probably threaten him,” said Historia, far too dreamily. “Or hit him. Either way, I don’t want her getting suspended.”

“Oh,” said Armin, settling down to sit more comfortably on the ground. “That makes sense.”

“Anyway, then,” said Historia. “Why are you and Annie on a break?”

“Uh …”

Armin had no intention of explaining the whole convoluted situation to Historia and he was reluctant to go even further than just saying that. But Historia had a way of getting information out of everyone – and spreading it – so he decided to just tell her the bare bones of it all before she started nagging him.

“We’re still friends,” he said. “We just have our own personal stuff to work out.”

“Like what?” she asked.

“I’m not saying anything else,” said Armin.

Historia’s shoulders slumped. “Really?”

“Everyone already thinks I’ve cheated on her, anyway,” said Armin with a sigh. Then, he added pointedly, “Which I didn’t!”

Historia took a different approach, clearly not satisfied with where this conversation seemed to be going. “If you’re friends, why are you avoiding her?”

Armin opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, a far too familiar voice spoke for him. “What are you two doing down there?”

His blood chilled. He slowly turned his head to see Annie standing over him, wearing a baggy Rolling Stones shirt and matching straight-legged black jeans, cuffs rolled up above her chunky black boots. Her hair was up and she wore no makeup – the only thing on her face was her piercings, and her strong, chilling gaze.

“Annie!” he said with a frail smile. “Uh … hey! I didn’t know you were on campus yet.”

She shrugged her backpack on her shoulder. “Sorry. I was gonna text you after classes.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” said Armin.

The quiet between them was so heavy he was sure it had frozen him in place. He felt a physical weight leave his shoulders when Historia spoke up.

“How was home, Annie?” she asked.

Annie paused for a minute. “It was fine. Nice to be back, I guess.”

“I’m sure,” said Historia before returning to look at her phone, clearly already bored with the situation.

Then they were all quiet again.

“Well, I’m actually on my way to class,” said Annie after a pause. “So I guess I’ll see you around?”

Armin nodded furiously. “Yeah! Definitely, yeah. I’ll see you around.”

Annie nodded and departed without another word. He and Historia sat in complete silence until Annie was entirely out of sight.

Historia sighed loudly. “She totally knows you’re avoiding her.”

Armin’s head snapped towards her. “Huh? How does she know that?”

“That was so awkward,” said Historia. “It made me uncomfortable. I can only imagine how you two felt.”

“Well, I’m sorry if I didn’t feel like having a heart to heart with my ex in front of you,” said Armin with a frown.

Historia shrugged. “Well, you better tell her that before she never talks to you again. God, that was really embarrassing for you.”

Armin ignored Historia’s harsh words and fumbled his phone out of his pocket. He brought up Annie’s name where he saw the last message that was sent was by him, a simple smiley face after she told him she’d landed.

ME
Hey, I’m sorry about that
I felt awkward in front of Historia
I’m sorry

His phone buzzed only a moment later.

ROCKSTAR <3
It’s fine
We’re still friends
Don’t worry too much

Armin’s shoulders relaxed. Friends. That was nice – that was good enough.

“She isn’t going to kill me,” he said.

“Look at you,” said Historia. “Now, can you check if that agriculture student is gone? I really need to pee.”

“I didn’t even know we did agriculture at this college,” said Armin.

“They shouldn’t,” she said.

After Historia provided a detailed description of the student’s appearance, Armin confirmed that he was in fact out of sight and Historia was able to rush to the nearest bathroom before disaster struck. Once Historia’s retreating form disappeared out of sight, Armin sighed and rose to his feet – but just as he did, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket.

ROCKSTAR <3
Want to do a jigsaw puzzle later?
Hitch and Marlowe want to do one with me
I don’t want to third wheel

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed.

ME
Since when were jigsaw puzzles your thing?

ROCKSTAR <3
They really aren’t
Hitch thinks I should get some relaxing hobbies
Will you come?

Armin stared at his screen for a moment before bringing up his keyboard on the screen again.

ME
What time?

ROCKSTAR <3
7?

ME
Sure :)

Eren was working at his desk with his ugly green headphones on when Armin pushed open the door. There were cans of empty Monster Energy drinks piled high beside him – he clearly had some sort of deadline. It must have been dire if he was drinking those things so early in the day.

“Hey,” said Eren without turning around.

“Hey,” said Armin, dropping down onto his bed. After a long pause, he said, “I ran into Annie.”

Eren ripped his headphones off of his head and spun around. “She’s back?”

“Yeah,” said Armin.

“You talked?” asked Eren.

Armin wasn’t sure why he’d thought it was a good idea to get this off his chest to Eren, but he’d already started. It wasn’t like he would tell anyone except Mikasa, anyway.

“Yeah,” said Armin, running a hand down his face. “It was … awkward.”

Eren winced. “Sorry about that, man.”

Then, he said, “I’m going to do a jigsaw puzzle with her later.”

Eren’s eyebrows rose. “You’re going to do a jigsaw puzzle with her?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Do you think that’s a bad idea?”

“I mean, it might be a little awkward,” said Eren. “Also, what is she, eighty? Who does jigsaw puzzles in college?”

“Hitch and Marlowe are gonna be there,” said Armin. “Also, I think jigsaw puzzles are fun.”

“Of course you do,” said Eren. Then, the full weight of what Armin had said seemed to hit him. “Wait, Hitch are Marlowe are gonna be there?”

“Yeah.”

Eren’s eyebrows furrowed. “So, you’re going on a double date to do a jigsaw puzzle? That’s even more awkward.”

“We’re just friends, Eren,” said Armin. “It’s not a double date.”

“Hitch and Marlowe are a couple,” Eren pointed out. “And you and Annie are …”

“Not together,” said Armin flatly.

“Complicated!” said Eren.

Armin sighed. “We’re only friends. She made that clear.”

“Well, sure, man,” said Eren. “I won’t bother you more about it.”

Eren placed his headphones back on and turned back to his desk to focus on what he was working on. He wasn’t sure what kind of talk he and Mikasa had had after Armin told Mikasa about his and Annie’s phone call, but clearly, it was something advising Eren not to push him too far. That or he was just so invested in what he was doing that he didn’t feel like pushing it very hard right now.

“What are you working on?” asked Armin, pulling himself into a sitting position. “Have you got a deadline soon?”

“Deadline? Oh, no,” said Eren, lowering his headphones once more. “I talked to the College President about distributing these information pamphlets around campus for student safety.”

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Since when did you care about student safety?”

“Since something traumatic happened to me quite recently,” said Eren. “I don’t think I’ve done too bad a job, either.”

Armin rose to his feet and went to Eren’s desk to peer over his shoulder and get a good look at Eren’s laptop screen. On it, he could see a very colourful, and very poorly designed, pamphlet titled, “The Hidden Dangers of Mussels.”

Eren was beaming. “What do you think?”

Armin’s eyebrows pinched together. “I think … you’ve got a lot of ways to tell people they shouldn’t eat closed mussels.”

“Yeah, well, telling someone not to eat closed mussels is one thing,” said Eren. “But you’ve got to make sure they understand the reason – the full dangers!”

“And the College President approved this …?” asked Armin tentatively.

“Oh, yeah,” said Eren. “He thought it was a very good project for me to be involved in!”

“Right …” said Armin, leaning back. “I mean, it’s very informative. You’ll get the points across. But, uh … you’ve got a typo there … and there … oh, and there’s one there –”

“I’ll email it to you to proofread!” said Eren.

Armin tried to hide his disappointment and forced a smile. “Yeah, sure. I’ll do it after my swim.”

“Thanks!” said Eren. “You going now?”

“Yeah,” said Armin. He thought that maybe it might help him calm down a bit. It usually did.

The pool was a bit busier this time of day, but Armin didn’t really mind. He immediately felt better when the cool water touched his skin and he sighed with relief. Each lap made his breathing easy and distracted him from all the things he didn’t want to think about. He stayed in for as long as he felt he could get away with, before eventually deciding to pull himself out and get on with the day. He had a jigsaw puzzle night to prepare for, after all. His stomach twisted just at the thought of it.

He dried himself off in the locker rooms and changed into his clean clothes before heading out of the door. He was debating what would be appropriate to wear to a jigsaw puzzle double date that wasn’t a double date at all when he was met with a familiar face just outside of the locker rooms.

“Hey!” said Mikasa.

Armin slowed to a stop. “Oh, hey. What are you doing here?”

Mikasa was leaning against the wall opposite the locker rooms clearly waiting for the moment he would exit. She was wearing a long grey skirt and a long-sleeved lacy black shirt, along with her usual jewellery.

“I wanted to ask if you wanted to go get milkshakes in town?” she asked.

“Uh …” Armin checked the time on his phone, and then smiled at her. “Yeah, sure. I’ve got time.”

Mikasa beamed. “Great! There’s that new milkshake place I passed when I went out for food with Eren. Speaking of which, have you seen his pamphlet?”

“Oh, yeah,” he said, falling into step beside her. “It’s … really something.”

Mikasa was rattling off all of the reasons as to why she was so proud of Eren for creating the pamphlet, but she also tentatively admitted that she wasn’t sure how to break it to him that it was quite poorly designed and was worried the College President would reject it. Armin had to agree that he wasn’t quite sure how to approach the issue and by the time they reached the centre of town, Armin had firmly convinced her that it was for the best that she should just refrain from telling him.

When they arrived at the milkshake bar, Armin settled for a regular strawberry milkshake whilst Mikasa got chocolate, and they both sat in one of the brightly coloured booths happily slurping away. Some retro-styled music was humming on in the background like they were in an old diner and it was nice enough to listen to while they drank.

“So,” said Mikasa, taking a breath. “My Dark Knight tells me you have a date tonight.”

Armin’s eyebrows pinched together. “It’s really not. I’m doing a jigsaw puzzle. There’ll be two other people there.”

Mikasa sighed. “I don’t know. I think they can be quite romantic.”

He frowned. “I don’t know what jigsaw puzzles you’ve been making, but I feel as if we’ve had different experiences.”

“Sometimes the scenery just does it, you know?” said Mikasa.

“No,” said Armin, his eyebrows furrowing. “I really don’t.”

She sighed again and sipped at her milkshake. “Anyway, I’m just bringing it up to tell you to be careful. Because it really sounds like you’re going on a date.”

“It looks more like we’re on a date right now than that will,” he pointed out.

“Yeah, but …” said Mikasa, gesturing between the two of them, “there’s no romantic tension between us.”

Armin scoffed awkwardly and said, “There’s no tension between me and Annie. We’re fine.”

Mikasa cocked an eyebrow at him. “What did you do when you saw her?”

“We just talked,” he said. “It was a little awkward but I haven’t seen her in a while.”

She wasn’t convinced. “Armin, I talked to Historia earlier.”

“Okay, so maybe I jumped into a bush to avoid her,” said Armin, throwing his hands up. “But that has nothing to do with any romantic tension you might think is between us.”

“Well, there’s also the fact you both have feelings for each other,” said Mikasa.

“My feelings for her will just … wear off,” he said weakly.

“You both have feelings for each other,” she repeated. Then, she added, “Do you think her feelings for you are just going to ‘wear off’, too?”

“Yes!” he said but his heart wasn’t in it. “We’re friends now. That’s all.”

“Hmm,” said Mikasa, leaning forward to sip at her milkshake again. “I’m sure.”

His eyebrows drew together. “Do you think the whole jigsaw puzzle thing is a bad idea?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe you’re rushing things a bit? I mean, she did just get back.” Then, with a sigh, she added, “But I guess you have had a bit of space …”

“I think we’ve had significant space,” said Armin, nodding.

“Then I guess it’s fine,” she said. “Just be careful. You don’t really think very well when it comes to Annie.” Her eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t want you getting hurt again.”

His face softened. “I won’t. I’ll be careful.”

Mikasa looked at him for a moment and said, “Okay. That’s good.” Then she added, “Just … try and behave yourself, okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” asked Armin.

“It’s like I said,” said Mikasa, pointing his straw at him. “You don’t really think when it comes to Annie. Maybe second guess your choices.”

Armin didn’t need any more encouragement to second guess any of his choices, but he decided to keep it in mind.

Mikasa dropped the topic after that, which he was more than grateful for, and started talking about how she was thinking of ways to try and boost the sales of her crystals. Armin suggested joining some spirituality Facebook groups and advertising there or even trying to set up some sort of Etsy store and she perked up. He promised he would help her with the store if it was something she wanted to do when he had more time and her eyes gleamed.

When they returned to campus and went their separate ways, Armin felt his phone buzz in his pocket again.

ROCKSTAR <3
Hitch is having drinks tonight if you want some

ME
Are you drinking?

ROCKSTAR <3
Yeah just a little
If you want to drink Hitch has stuff here for you

ME
Okay yeah that sounds good :)

Armin sighed as he pushed his phone back into his pocket. He hoped he wouldn’t run into Mikasa again before he went over to Hitch and Annie’s dorm room because he was sure she’d lose it if she found out alcohol was involved. It wasn’t as if anything could happen between them with Hitch and Marlowe there, anyway. The worst that would probably happen with alcohol involved was Hitch getting a bit handsy and he had a feeling he would be the last person on her list to cosy up to.

But an idea sparked in Armin’s mind as he stared into his wardrobe later and he sent Annie another text.

ME
Is there a specific dress code for tonight?

ROCKSTAR <3
Why would there be a dress code?

ME
I thought I should ask in case

ROCKSTAR <3
Well there’s not
Wear whatever you want

Armin felt a smile rise to his lips as he read that message. Wear whatever you want.

He could imagine Mikasa’s voice in his head like a little angel on his shoulder telling him not to do whatever he was considering doing. The alcohol was already a bad enough idea but this? This was probably the dumbest thing he could do. But Armin ignored that nagging voice in the back of his head and pulled out his outfit of choice.

He admittedly felt a little bit more nervous about the whole situation once he knocked on Annie’s dorm room door. He was clenching the gift bag he’d brought with a single bottle of wine – Eren’s wine – as a gift for the both of them. He hadn’t seen Hitch since their wild goose chase when they were trying to figure out where Annie could be and he wasn’t entirely sure how pleased she’d be feeling with him now. Clearly not angry enough to do a jigsaw puzzle with him, but still, he had to admit bringing a peace offering like this made him feel a bit more at ease.

Armin’s heart lodged in his throat when the door clicked open and Annie stood before him. He wasn’t sure if he was glad she was the one who answered; at least he could have his most embarrassing moment with her mostly alone in this weird limbo between the hallway and her dorm room. She was wearing a casual white hoodie, her hair pinned back messily as usual with her millions of piercings in her ears and a shiny little stud on her nose that he was transfixed by. He was also trying to ignore that she was wearing leggings and he was eternally grateful for their height difference because it was much easier to keep his gaze from drifting down to her thighs when he already had to look down at her.

Her eyebrows furrowed. “What the hell are you wearing?”

He was wearing the same suit he’d worn to Historia’s party – the one she’d told him he looked nice in. He thought she would find it funnier than she clearly did and he felt heat rise to his face. Maybe he should have listened to that little Mikasa conscience in his head and not acted like such a damned idiot.

“Well, I said I’d show you it,” he said weakly.

His shoulders started to relax when she let out a sharp breath of laughter and rolled her eyes at him. “God, you’re an idiot.”

Armin smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, yeah. Just a little bit.” He thrust his hand out. “I brought this for you and Hitch.”

She took the gift bag from his hands and peered inside. “I told you that you could just drink Hitch’s stuff.”

“It’s not for me, though,” he said. “This is for you and Hitch. Marlowe can try some, too.”

Her eyes flickered back up to his. “Thank you,” she said coolly.

He smiled. “No problem.”

“Are you guys gonna come in or what?” asked Hitch from beyond the door.

Annie rolled her eyes as Armin felt his face flush. She stepped back into the room to let him move inside and clicked the door shut behind him.

“Woah,” said Hitch from where she sat on her bed in beige sweats with a drink already in her hand. “I hadn’t realised this was a formal event.”

“I think he was just trying to be funny,” said Annie flatly.

“It’s funny alright,” said Hitch before she frowned. She turned to Marlowe who was sitting on the floor at her feet. “Should I put something formal on?”

“I don’t think the situation really requires it,” said Marlowe.

Her frown only deepened. “But I kind of want to now.”

“Then do it,” he said coolly. “But we’re just doing a jigsaw puzzle.”

“That’s it!” said Hitch, rising to her feet. “I’m changing.”

Annie gave Armin a look and he gave her a weak smile in return.

“I hope you don’t want me to change,” said Annie as Hitch buzzed across the room.

Armin thought about Annie putting on a dress like she’d been wearing in that photo on Hitch’s Instagram and he immediately regretted showing up in a suit.

Fortunately, Hitch waved her off before she opened the doors to her wardrobe. “Nah, don’t sweat it! Marlowe has nothing fancy to wear here, anyway, so it’ll just be me and Armin.”

Armin stood awkwardly until Hitch found something to put on before disappearing into the bathroom to change. A mildly uncomfortable silence settled across the room before Annie turned to him and said, “You can sit down, you know.”

“Oh, right,” he said, glancing around. “Uh … where should I sit?”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Wherever you want.” Then, she added, “Just sit on my bed for now. We’re all gonna have to get on the floor to do the jigsaw puzzle so you might as well be comfortable for five minutes.”

“Okay,” he said before moving over to her bed to settle down.

She was only a heartbeat after him but there was a significant gap between them that didn’t go unnoticed. Armin was particularly starting to regret not having a glass of wine before he came to this jigsaw puzzle night.

It felt like hours had passed by the time Hitch emerged from the bathroom but in reality, it had only been about five minutes. She was wearing some fancy green gown that matched her eyes and Armin had to admit he was a little relieved about not being the only one looking like a complete fool for putting together a jigsaw puzzle.

“Okay, party people!” she said. “I’m putting my music on so if you have any song requests you should speak soon.”

No one had any suggestions or any objections and Hitch started her playlist of soft pop music before offering everyone a drink. Armin was relieved when he had a rum and coke in his hand but he probably drank it far too fast – his nerves were far too frayed this evening, but still, when Hitch noticed his cup was empty she gladly filled it up again.

“So what puzzle are we doing?” asked Armin.

“Oh, it’s good,” said Hitch, leaning under her bed to pull out a box and present it to him. “It’s glow in the dark and everything.”

It was a thousand-piece puzzle of a winter scene with two wolves lazing by a small stream in an opening, the whole thing surrounded by trees and a small glimpse of mountains in the background. Its sky was orange and yellow like the sun was rising and its glow could be seen in the gleam of the stream. It was a pretty puzzle, he had to admit, but he wasn’t sure how easy it was going to be.

“Is everyone ready to go?” said Hitch excitedly.

“As ready as ever,” said Annie flatly and Armin felt a smile tug at the corner of his lips. He had missed her dryness – he had missed everything about her.

“Well then, let’s get on with it!” said Hitch. “Down on the ground, people!”

They all awkwardly manoeuvred to sit on the floor, Hitch making sure the rum and a bottle of coke were within reaching distance so she didn’t have to get back up again. She tossed the lid aside and pulled out the plastic bag holding the pieces before tipping it open onto the floor.

“Okay,” she said. “Corners and edges first, guys.” Then she pointed at Armin and Annie. “Your side is gonna be the right side of the image and ours the left, got it?”

Armin and Annie didn’t quite get it because she’d discarded the lid so the image was very much out of sight. Hitch sighed and reached for the lid, before carefully tapping on the image to make clear what she meant. Then she propped it up against her bottle of rum so they could all see it clearly while they searched for the pieces.

Finding the edges was pretty easy but the larger challenge ended up being trying to fit them all together. Armin’s eyes caught sight of a piece he thought would fit onto the side he’d started building from the top right corner and he quickly reached out for it. But Annie had seen the same thing and her fingers moved towards it at the same time his did and they knocked into one another. Both of them flinched away like they’d been burned.

“Sorry,” said Armin, feeling his face warm. “I didn’t mean to …”

She waved him off. “It’s fine.” But there was a tiny pink flush on her face that suggested otherwise.

They both sat there for a moment looking at that lonely piece. Armin was relieved that Hitch had had enough drinks already to be occupied with bickering with Marlowe over how sure she was that this one piece matched up with the edge they were building together while Marlowe insisted it was clearly not meant to go there. The piece both Annie and Armin had been so eager to grab was still waiting for attention.

“Well?” asked Annie, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Are you gonna put it in or what?”

Armin’s face flushed deeper, not only from how stupid he must have looked waiting for her to grab that piece but also by her unexpected choice of words which caused his tipsy mind to conjure up certain images that he should definitely not be thinking of while they were trying to build a jigsaw puzzle together. He reached for the piece and pressed it into place without a word.

“Guys,” said Marlowe tiredly. “Can you tell Hitch that this piece doesn’t fit here?”

Armin and Annie both peered forward to look at a piece that, although was similar in colouring to the one beside it, certainly did not fit where Hitch was trying to place it. There was a tiny gap where the pieces should have been flush together – not to mention the images themselves didn’t actually match up.

“Hitch, are you blind?” asked Annie.

“That really doesn’t go there,” said Armin tentatively.

Hitch huffed but she finally relented. On the bright side, there were fewer arguments over building the edges, but Armin’s fingers still brushed Annie’s more times than they really should have. These times, at least, they didn’t both stop and stare at the piece they were both reaching out for and one of them would usually just be quicker at snatching it away.

“This is gonna take longer than I expected it to,” said Hitch once they’d finally filled in the outline.

“We’ve got time,” said Annie before her eyes flickered to Armin’s. “You’re not in a rush to go anywhere, are you?”

“Uh, no,” said Armin. “These were my only plans for the night.”

“Good,” said Annie before looking over at Hitch. “Well, we better get started on the rest of it, then.”

It was more desperate than before. On the bright side, due to the sheer amount of pieces on the inside Armin didn’t really knock into Annie that much. The room was quiet for a while, save for the quiet hum of Hitch’s music, all of them far too focused on finding the right pieces to match up. But then, Annie’s voice startled him.

“Is Eren any better?” she asked. “After his mussel incident.”

“Oh,” said Armin. “Yeah. He’s, uh … started making health pamphlets now, though.”

Marlowe’s eyebrows pinched together. “Health pamphlets?”

“What, is he telling people about the dangers of mussels?” asked Hitch jokingly.

“Yeah,” said Armin, almost defeated. “That’s exactly what he’s doing. It’s literally called ‘The Hidden Dangers of Mussels’.”

“Dear God,” muttered Annie.

“Well, he’s trying to help others, I guess,” said Armin softly, but he couldn’t fight the smile from his lips that Annie’s reaction had pushed towards him.

“It doesn’t take a genius to realise you can’t crack open mussels and eat them,” she said.

“Hey,” said Hitch. “He could be saving lives. You never know.”

“I know you’re smart enough to not eat closed mussels,” said Annie. “I know everyone in this room is, actually.”

“Not everyone knows outside of this room,” said Armin quietly. “Uh, Connie and Sasha didn’t know.”

Annie sighed. “Of course they didn’t. Poor bastards.”

“He should make a pamphlet on the hidden dangers of rum,” said Marlowe, raising his eyebrow at Hitch as she refilled her cup.

She waved him off. “It’s fine. The real danger is tequila. Speaking of which, I actually have some!”

“This isn’t really getting the jigsaw puzzle done,” said Annie as Hitch rose to her feet to pick up a bottle from her desk along with a handful of shot glasses.

“I think it makes it more fun!” said Hitch.

“I think it makes it less likely that we’ll get the jigsaw puzzle done,” said Marlowe as Hitch settled back down beside him.

She pressed a kiss to his cheek. “No one’s in a rush to leave, now, are they?”

Hitch poured out four shots and Annie frowned. “I hate tequila, Hitch. I’m not drinking that.”

Hitch frowned. “You drank tequila at your dad’s.”

“Yeah, and I threw up, remember?” she said with a grimace. “I’m not drinking that.”

“More for me,” Hitch said with a sigh.

Armin noticed the panic flash in Marlowe’s eyes and said, “I’ll have two this time.”

“Two?” she said, eyebrows raising. “Well, if you insist.”

Annie’s eyes were wide as she turned towards him. “Two tequila shots? Really?”

Armin shrugged and smiled as Hitch passed him his two shots. “I’ve never drank tequila before.”

“You’re supposed to have the whole salt and lime thing,” said Hitch raising her glass in the air. “But this will have to do! Cheers!”

Armin swallowed both shots as quickly as he could, wincing only a little at the burn of the alcohol.

Annie raised an eyebrow at him. “Thoughts?”

“Not that bad,” he said.

“It’s not bad until you throw up when you’re drinking,” said Marlowe, still wincing. “It’s not really the same after that.”

“Another?” asked Hitch, her eyes wide.

“Just one,” said Armin before his eyebrows furrowed. “Actually, I’ll have two.”

“Am I gonna have to carry you back to your dorm?” asked Annie.

“Maybe more like drag me,” he said with a slight smile. “But I’ll be fine.”

He was fine for a while but when they all turned their attention back to the puzzle it didn’t take him long to figure out that those shots had gone straight to his head. He knew he should slow down and be sensible – he never really ended up in bad states when he was drinking – but his heart was still hammering in his chest with Annie sat so close to him and the idea of not asking Hitch to pass him a fresh rum and coke whenever his cup emptied was an absolutely terrifying one. So, even though he was already buzzed, he kept on drinking.

At least they seemed to be making a decent amount of progress with the puzzle or maybe it just seemed like it now that he was tipsy. Either way, piece after piece seemed to fall into place and Hitch seemed to be very enthusiastic about it. He was getting quite excited about it, too, but he knew it was just the alcohol in his system. After some time, it had become enough to ease his nerves around Annie, but when she came too close to him he was still surprised that he didn’t have a heart attack.

Annie reached across him to try and fit a piece in place and she ended up passing by so closely he could smell her perfume from where she’d sprayed it on her neck. He felt an overwhelming urge to move forward and bury his head there and kiss that soft skin, breathing in her scent like it was all he needed to live – but the thought fled once she slipped back down to where she was sitting and he felt his face burn. He reached for his drink again and finished it before asking Hitch for a refill.

“You really like your rum and cokes,” said Annie as Hitch passed him another drink.

His face flushed. “I’m gonna slow down after this.” Then, he added, “Are you not drinking?”

She raised her cup. “I am, just clearly not as much as you are.”

“Annie’s just not as hard-core as us, Armin,” said Hitch with a sigh.

Annie scoffed and rolled her eyes.

Hitch raised an eyebrow. “Well, you’re not! If you were, you’d be keeping up.”

Annie’s eyes narrowed. “Hitch. Get the Sambuca.”

Armin’s eyes furrowed as Hitch returned with a bottle of clear alcohol. “How do you have all of this stuff?”

“Hitch doesn’t get ID’d,” said Annie flatly.

Hitch winked. “You’re goddamn right I don’t. And how lucky you all are for it!”

Marlowe winced. “I’m not doing shots of Sambuca, Hitch.”

She sighed. “More for Annie, then. Armin?”

“I’ll have one,” he said.

Annie nudged him and he was surprised at how much his body reacted to it. He could practically feel a tingling sensation spreading through him from where her elbow had knocked into him. “Are you sure you can take it?”

“Why wouldn’t I be able to?” he asked.

She smirked and turned to Hitch. “Seems you and Armin are pretty hard-core.”

“We are!” said Hitch before passing him his shot. “Cheers!”

Annie took it down like it was nothing but as the shot passed down Armin’s throat he was fairly certain his life flashed before his eyes. He nearly choked and started coughing, face flushing, and the blush broke into a full blaze when Annie’s hand came down onto his back.

“I’m fine!” he said but he was fairly certain he looked the same colour as a tomato.

“You don’t look fine,” said Annie.

Her hand was still on his back. He could practically feel it burning through each layer of fabric, searing into his skin. Why was her hand still there?

“I’m okay,” he said weakly.

“Maybe Sambuca isn’t for you,” she said and finally dropped her hand.

“Maybe not,” said Armin.

“I personally think it’s fine,” said Hitch who had already poured another shot. Armin felt his stomach drop.

“No more for him, Hitch,” she said.

Hitch pouted. “But I already poured out three shots.”

“I’ll do two of them,” she said. “And then maybe let’s finish the jigsaw puzzle?”

Hitch was happy to agree to those terms after she and Annie did their shots. Armin was shocked by how easy Annie took the shots down and he flushed when he caught himself looking at the expanse of skin across her neck for far too long as she tilted her head back.

A lot of the work ended up being carried by Annie and Marlowe who were both in a much more sensible state than he and Hitch were. Hitch looked like she was only a drink away from either passing out or throwing up right where she sat, but she still seemed happy to slowly sip away at her current rum and coke. Armin could now fully confirm that he was in fact very drunk and he knew that slowing down would be his best option, but he was sitting in the same position as Hitch, slowly sipping away at the drink in his hand.

“Oh my God,” said Hitch, coming to life when there were only a few pieces left. “It’s nearly done.”

“I hope it actually glows,” said Marlowe, glancing up at Annie. “I don’t think she’ll be able to take it if it doesn’t.”

Armin squinted at the box lid beside Hitch. “Well, it says it on the box. Would be weird if it didn’t.”

Annie snorted. “Thanks for letting us know, genius.”

His face flushed. “I was just saying.”

She turned to him with a small smile that made his heart skip a beat. What business did she have being so pretty, anyway? “I know. I’m just teasing you.”

“Come on, guys!” said Hitch, snapping him out of his stupor. “We’re nearly done!”

Hitch downed the rest of her drink in spite of how much Marlowe advised her against it, and her eyes fell upon the puzzle with an intensity Armin had never seen from her before. He even managed to get a few pieces in but when his vision was making him think a piece fit into a place it really didn’t, Annie grabbed hold of his hand and guided it into the correct place. He was grateful for the excessive amount of alcohol in his system because if it wasn’t there he was fairly certain he might have fainted at her touch.

“Oh my God,” said Hitch, her speech awfully slurred. “I’m putting in the last piece.”

“Go ahead,” said Marlowe, gesturing toward the final piece before them.

Hitch’s hands were practically trembling when she put the piece into place. She nearly squealed with excitement as it went down.

“Okay,” said Annie before rising to her feet. “I’ll get the lights so we can see what it looks like.”

Annie stepped towards the switch and knocked the lights off, leaving only a faint glow from the streetlights past the blinds outside. It actually did glow in the dark and it was just as pretty to look at now as it had been under the warm yellow lights.

But they only managed to get a good look at it for a small moment because a gagging noise echoed through the air, followed by a groan and the loudest splatting sound that Armin had ever heard.

“Oh God,” said Annie. “Hitch, you better not have –”

The light flickered on and the image they’d created was gone, replaced only by the quite frankly repulsive sight of Hitch’s vomit on top of it.

“At least you didn’t get it on the carpet,” said Annie but then Hitch started to gag again.

“Hitch!” said Marlowe, reaching out for her and attempting to get her onto her feet. She was clutching her hand over her mouth as he helped tumble her to the bathroom.

The sound of Hitch vomiting again was the only thing that they could hear over the quiet hum of music and Armin turned white.

“God, I need to clean this up,” said Annie. Then, her eyebrows furrowed. “Armin, are you okay?”

The smell of Hitch’s vomit was making his stomach churn. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh, no you’re not.”

She stepped over to him in a few quick strides and helped get him to his feet. Before he could think, she dragged him out of the dorm room and held onto his hand tightly as she moved him down the hall.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“To your bathroom,” she said. “I can’t have you vomiting on that carpet, now, can I?”

“It’s okay,” he said, swallowing down whatever was trying to come up. Had he really drank that much? “I feel better now that I can’t smell Hitch’s vomit.”

Annie slowed down but she still hadn’t dropped his hand. She sighed. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he said. “I still had fun. And I wasn’t exactly helping things.”

Her eyebrows furrowed but she nodded. “I’ll get you back to your dorm room.”

Armin didn’t really want to leave her side yet but even in his state he knew that that would be a really stupid thing to say. So he just nodded and let her lead him down the hallway to his dorm.

“Sambuca really sucks,” he said after a long while.

Annie laughed. “Yeah, it’s not great.”

“Do you like it?” he asked. “You were drinking them fine.”

“Reiner likes Sambuca,” she said after a pause. “I’ve got a lot of practice with it. I hate tequila, though.”

“Would you do a shot of it with me?” he asked.

Her eyebrows furrowed. “What a weird request.”

“Sorry,” he said. “It sounded normal in my head.”

“I can imagine,” she said flatly. Then, she added, “I’ll try it the real way with you, but only once.”

“What’s the real way?”

“You don’t know?” she asked. “You lick some salt off of your hand, do the shot and have the lime.” Then, she added, “Some couples lick the salt off of each other.”

His face flushed. “You don’t have to lick it off of me.”

She snorted. “We’re not a couple.”

Just as the sting of her statement was starting to burn through the haze of alcohol, she stopped before his dorm room door. “Okay, I’m gonna force you to drink so much water and then you’re getting into bed. Got it?”

He nodded. “Okay.”

She pushed open the door to drag him in but she closed it just as quickly. Eren and Mikasa were bent into very interesting positions and were very naked – and both of them were far too busy to even notice them step inside.

“For fuck’s sake,” Annie grumbled as they were left standing in the hallway.

“It’s fine,” said Armin. “I can just sleep in the hall or something.”

“You absolutely can’t,” said Annie before sighing. “Okay. Let’s go back to my place for now while I work stuff out.”

The walk back seemed much shorter than the walk there. Fortunately, by the time they came back into the room, Hitch’s vomit had vanished along with the jigsaw puzzle she’d been so excited about before. Hitch was lying in bed, completely unconscious, a large pot on the ground next to her and Marlowe perched beside her, stroking her hair out of her face.

“Did you clean that up all by yourself?” asked Annie.

“Yeah,” said Marlowe. “It’s fine.” Then his eyebrows pinched together. “Where did you go, anyway?”

“I was trying to take Armin back to his dorm,” said Annie. “But Eren and Mikasa are busy fucking so here we are.”

“Oh,” said Marlowe slowly. “Well, that’s unfortunate.”

The room still smelled a little like Hitch’s vomit and Armin felt awfully light-headed. Annie clearly noticed some sort of look on his face and reached out for his hand to squeeze it in a comforting way. He didn’t want her to let go of him.

“Are you going to stay here with Hitch?” she asked.

“Yeah,” said Marlowe. “I was going to put her in the recovery position when I go to sleep.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “You won’t be able to sleep in that bed with her if you do that. It’s not big enough.”

He shrugged. “The floor’s fine.”

Annie paused for a long moment before she sighed. “Marlowe, take my bed.”

His eyebrows raised. “Where are you gonna sleep?”

“Well, I wasn’t going to sleep in that bed, anyway,” said Annie. “I was gonna let Armin sleep in it and I’d sleep on the floor. I’ll book us a hotel for the night or something.”

“Are you sure?” asked Marlowe.

But Annie had already grabbed a backpack to start throwing in some essentials. “Positive.”

Armin had to step out into the hallway to get away from the smell the room hadn’t quite shaken off yet, leaning back against the wall as his world started spinning. It wasn’t long before Annie stepped out into the hallway with that backpack strapped over her shoulder, reaching out for his hand again.

“An Uber’s gonna be here soon,” she said, tugging on his arm. “Let’s go.”

He had never felt so relieved when he felt the fresh air hit his face as they stepped outside. But his relief was short-lived, because soon enough they were climbing into the stuffy Uber where the air felt far too warm and the motions of the car made his stomach churn. Annie was gripping onto his hand so hard it was like a warning not to be sick in this Uber and he didn’t know if his body was just so naturally terrified of her, but he managed to keep it all in the entire ride to the hotel.

He was fine in the hotel lobby and he was fine in the elevator up to the floor, but he wasn’t fine when they reached their room. As soon as the door flung open, he raced to the bathroom and fell to his knees before flinging the toilet lid up and throwing up into the bowl.

He felt a gentle hand on the skin of his clammy neck. “You’ll hate tequila after this.”

Armin spat into the toilet and groaned. “I think I hate it now.”

She snorted and he sighed when her fingers moved up to graze over the short hair of his undercut. “What about Sambuca?”

He winced. “I already didn’t like it.”

She hummed. “You’ll probably hate rum as well.”

He gagged and made a choking noise before he threw up again. Annie’s hand came down to his back, rubbing soothing circles, and after a few moments of silence had passed filled only by his strained breathing, he concluded that the worst was over.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and flushed the toilet before collapsing back against the bath, his eyes falling shut.

“Do you think I can get you to drink some water?” she asked.

He winced. “That sounds horrible.”

“Well,” she said, standing up straight. “I guess you have to face the consequences of your actions.”

The water was horrible, but as horrific as it felt going down he didn’t think he was going to throw up again any time soon. She managed to get two glasses of water into him before he desperately needed a break, taking deep breaths like he was a fish out of water.

“Since when could you not handle your drinks?” she said, pushing the damp hair off of his forehead.

“I was nervous,” he admitted weakly.

“I could tell,” she said flatly. “You aren’t subtle.”

He winced. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she said. “I was nervous, too. But I want to get past that part.”

He nodded. “I do, too.”

“I don’t think getting black-out drunk is the way to do it.”

“Yeah,” he said weakly. “Probably not.”

Annie sighed before settling down next to him. He felt her head fall to rest on his shoulder. “I know you told Hitch we were faking it.”

If he’d felt less bad he probably would have jolted up in fear. Instead, he just groaned. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” she said. “I thought I’d tell you because I knew you’d be worrying about it. I’m not upset about it.” Then, she added, “I lied when I texted you earlier, too. This whole night was her idea. She thought it would make things less awkward – and then both of you ended up throwing your guts up, so it didn’t exactly go as planned.”

“I’m sorry,” he said again.

“It’s fine,” she said.

His eyebrows drew together. “Can we just skip the awkward part?”

“We’ve already done some of it, so I don’t think we can really skip it,” she said dryly.

“Speed-run it, then?” he asked.

She snorted. “We can try.”

He took a deep breath. “Want to go see a movie with me?”

“You and me alone in a dark movie theatre? Yeah, sounds like a good idea,” she said flatly.

Armin frowned. “I think you want this to be awkward.”

Her voice took on an unexpected softness. “Of course I don’t.” Then, she added, “Do your friends know?”

“Know what?”

“That we were faking it?”

“No,” he said. “Just Hitch.”

“What do they think?” she asked.

“They just think that we broke up,” he said.

“Why don’t we do something with them, then?”

His eyebrows drew together. “But they think we broke up.”

“Do they not like me anymore?” asked Annie. Even in his state, he felt the genuine concern in the statement.

“Of course they still like you,” he said. “I like you.”

“Well then, can’t we just hang out with them as friends instead of Hitch?” said Annie. “I think she felt uncomfortable, too.”

“I guess we can,” said Armin before his eyebrows furrowed again. “We can hang out with each other alone, you know.”

“I know,” she said. Then, she added, “Fuck it. Let’s just go mini-golfing.”

“Mini-golfing?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said. “Friends go mini-golfing.”

“That’s true,” he agreed. Then, a smile came onto his lips. “Let’s go mini-golfing.”

“Okay,” she said with a sigh before lifting her head off of his shoulder. “Do you think you can drink some more water for me?”

His smile plummeted.

“Well, you’re gonna try, anyway,” she said.

Armin did try but it was just as horrible as it was earlier if not so much worse. He wasn’t sure if he would have just preferred vomiting some more although Annie insisted that that wouldn’t really solve the problem at all. He knew that, too, but he was desperate for a less uncomfortable solution.

She asked him if he wanted to take a shower and considering how sweaty he’d become he decided it would be a good idea. Annie made him leave the bathroom door open so she could hear if he slipped but he managed to wash himself just fine without a single accident, although admittedly he was a bit wobbly on his feet. When he stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist, his eyes caught sight of something left on the side of the bath and he felt his heart ache.

His Naruto pyjamas.

He’d completely forgotten about them. How long ago had he left those at Annie’s, anyway? And she’d shoved them in that bag for the night so he would actually have something comfortable to sleep in. His heart warmed at her thoughtfulness but he tried to ignore that feeling as he dried off and shoved them on.

Annie was already in her pyjamas in bed when he stepped into the bedroom. There was a glass of water on both nightstands either side of the double bed, hers already half-empty.

“Looking good,” she said when she saw his Naruto pyjamas.

He flushed. “Thanks.”

She handed him his glass of water as he sat down on the edge of the bed and he made a show of draining the whole thing in front of her. She finished hers and he offered to refill it and he was quickly back beside her, passing her glass over and climbing under the covers.

She clicked off her lamp and they lay together in the darkness, backs facing each other with a safe enough distance between them. After a few moments had passed, Armin said, “Thanks for looking after me, Annie. And sorry for being such a mess tonight.”

“It’s fine,” she said. “It’s refreshing that it isn’t me messing things up for once.”

“You don’t mess things up,” he said quietly.

“I do,” said Annie, shuffling to turn over. “And so do you.”

“Ouch,” he said and he felt a movement in the mattress as her shoulders shook with silent laughter.

“Just don’t drink so much next time,” said Annie. “And never take drinks from Hitch. She never learned what a shot measurement was, probably because she never wanted to.”

He snorted. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

He felt her hand touch his back and it took everything him in his not to shiver. “Now try and get some sleep. You’ve got a lot of recovering to do tomorrow.”

When her hand left him again, he was immediately disappointed. He wondered how inappropriate it would be to ask her to bring it back, to press her palm flat against him and let her warmth soak into him. In the end, he didn’t have the nerve, and said instead, “Yeah, you’re right.”

Her voice was soft. “Goodnight, Armin.”

She may as well have whispered those words in his ear for how it made his heart flutter. He sighed and said, “Goodnight, Annie.”

Notes:

Hello y'all. Finally back. So when I was finishing AA week yesterday my cold was really bad, but fortunately today I've been well enough to function, but still not well enough to go into uni - so basically I had the day off in bed to recover and not have to prepare for uni tomorrow, so I finally managed to get this out!

Sorry upload schedules are so rough. My time management skills are absolute trash lol. That being said, I'm on Easter break in a few weeks so hopefully I should have more time to work on things in spite of my assignments (emphasis on hopefully!) I'm also still meaning to reply to comments so my most sincere apologies when you get a notification for a reply to a comment you may have posted a month ago.

Anyway, I really do hope you enjoyed this chapter! I had a lot of fun working with these guys again. If you have any thoughts, please let me know and I'll see you next chapter!

Chapter 13: a friend date

Armin’s head was pounding when he woke up. He groaned as he sat up and stretched, feeling awfully icky from whatever his body was doing. He blinked against the awful light streaming in through the paper-thin white curtains, shuffling back beneath the covers to hide away from its burn. It didn’t seem to make much difference – it felt like the comforter was as thin as the curtains, even though he was sure they couldn’t be.

 

His whole body was humming in the worst of ways, almost as if the alcohol was still buzzing through his system. Maybe it was. He’d hoped throwing up the night before would have kept this feeling at bay, but when his stomach flipped again, he knew things weren’t going his way, and he groaned into the sheets.

 

Annie’s voice came from somewhere beyond the covers. “I told you to drink more water.”

 

Armin yanked the covers down and scrambled upright. Annie was stood putting her piercings back in, all of which she must have removed the night before and left on the nightstand. She was already fully dressed in her hoodie and leggings and was looking down on him from his side of the bed in a way that made him feel very small.

 

He rubbed his face and groaned again. “I really hadn’t wanted to.”

 

“I could tell,” she said before putting her hand out. “Pass me your glass.”

 

He tentatively leaned over to pick up his empty glass on the nightstand and handed it over to her. She disappeared into the bathroom for a moment and while she was gone, Armin tried to take in his surroundings. The night before came flooding back to him – both him and Hitch drinking far too much, Hitch vomiting, Mikasa and Eren doing unholy things in his dorm room, Annie dragging him to this hotel and him chucking his guts up in that very white bathroom. It hadn’t been what he’d had in mind for a jigsaw puzzle night and he had a feeling Annie hadn’t really expected it, either.

 

Annie stepped back into the room and handed him his glass. The water was even worse this time. He could still taste a faint flavour of alcohol – nothing specific, but the same sort of burning flavour that wouldn’t leave him as he drank. Annie was watching him expectantly, so he did his best to drain his glass, but he grimaced when he was finished and placed it down onto the nightstand beside him.

 

“Horrible, isn’t it?” said Annie flatly.

 

“It’s awful,” said Armin, still frowning.

 

“Let this be a lesson,” she said before sitting down on the edge of the bed. If he pushed his feet further down he could nearly touch her. “And I hate to make things worse, but we have to check out in about half an hour.”

 

Armin winced. “I’ll get ready.”

 

He was relieved that he’d managed to refrain from throwing up on his suit last night, but he didn’t look particularly fresh as he pulled it on. He was very fortunate that Annie had shoved deodorant into her bag and was kind enough to let him use it, otherwise he would have felt incredibly unpleasant the entire ride back to campus. She took his jacket and tie from him so he looked less like he’d had “a one night stand” (her exact words) and she kept a close eye on him as they stepped out of the hotel.

 

“Do you think you’re going to throw up soon?” she asked.

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t think so.”

 

“Can I take you out for breakfast, then?” she asked. “There’s this café in town that serves English breakfasts – greasy and beige and all that. I think it’s good hangover food.”

 

Armin had to say that the idea of eating anything sounded awful, but maybe having something to soak up what was left in his system before getting into an Uber might be a much better idea than just hoping he could last the journey. “Yeah, sure.”

 

He was far too preoccupied with the ache pounding in his head to even be fazed when Annie took hold of his hand to make sure she didn’t lose him in the crowds. She was worried that he would vomit in the street, really, and he couldn’t exactly blame her, so he was more than happy to just let her drag him towards whatever café they were heading to.

 

The café in question was cosy and dim, and Armin was immediately assaulted by the smell of coffee as soon as they stepped through the door. He was relieved that the scent didn’t seem to disagree with his stomach at all and made a mental note to order one once they were seated at a table.

 

Annie dragged them into a little booth in the corner, hidden away from any prying eyes. They were definitely the youngest people in here, everyone else likely over the age of fifty – at a minimum. He was a little grateful for it considering his current state of dress; the chances of running into someone he knew at this place were slim to none. He knew how rough he must have looked and he wanted as few people to see that as possible.

 

“I’m getting a large English breakfast,” said Annie, handing him the menu. “What do you think?”

 

Armin’s eyes squinted at the menu. Everything except the coffee sounded terrible. “I’ll have the same. And a coffee.”

 

“Cool,” she said. “What kind?”

 

“A cappuccino if that’s okay?” he asked.

 

“Why wouldn’t it be?” she said flatly. She reached into her backpack to pull out her purse before checking for the table number and disappearing to the counter.

 

Armin leaned his elbows on the table and sighed into his hands. Mikasa was going to lose it when she found out about this.

 

He smiled when Annie came back to the table and they had a little conversation about Hitch’s current state – Marlowe texted her to let her know that Hitch was alive, but was still in a very rough way – and Annie offered this up as a way to make him feel less embarrassed. Well, at least he hadn’t thrown up on the glow-in-the-dark jigsaw puzzle. He doubted he would have been able to look Annie in the eye after that.

 

Her eyes lit up in that pretty way they did when she was quietly excited about something when the food arrived. The coffee was hot enough to burn his tongue, but it was a welcome flavour change. And Annie was really correct about the food – beige and greasy was the best way to describe it. Sausage, bacon, baked beans, fried mushrooms, tomatoes and a sunny-side-up fried egg. It was far from the nicest food he’d ever had, but he was shocked how easy it went down on his troubled stomach.

 

“Do you like it?” she asked.

 

He nodded. “I thought it would make me hurl, but it’s fine.”

 

“It’s great hangover food,” said Annie. “When Reiner and Bert get stupid at gigs I usually bring them here the day after; it’s the only thing they can eat.”

 

Armin swallowed and reached for his coffee. “What about you?”

 

“What about me?” she asked.

 

“When you get stupid after gigs,” he said, taking a sip from his coffee.

 

“I don’t get stupid after gigs,” she said pointedly.

 

“Never?” he asked.

 

After a pause, she said, “Once or twice.”

 

He felt a smile rise to his lips and she scowled.

 

“It’s rare,” she said. “I’m usually someone’s designated driver so I tend to lay off it. I wish I’d laid off it last night so we didn’t have to get an Uber into town.”

 

Armin winced. “Sorry. I can give you the money for that. And the hotel.”

 

“I don’t need the money,” she said. “I just prefer driving. It was my fault for drinking.”

 

“You didn’t really expect to have to drive somewhere in the middle of the night,” he said, eyebrows furrowing. “So I’m sorry.”

 

Annie sighed. “You’re literally the last person to blame for that. If Hitch didn’t have to be put into the recovery position, we’d have stayed in my dorm. Or you would have been in yours if Mikasa and Eren weren’t fucking without a sock on the door again.” Her eyebrows pinched together. “Didn’t they know you were coming back? Did they think you were staying over?”

 

Armin lowered his head. “I don’t know. They probably didn’t expect me to be back yet. And I usually just stay with Sasha, anyway.”

 

But this didn’t seem to satisfy her. “Not even a text, though? Was everything we did just for nothing?”

 

He was grateful that his body didn’t seem to have enough energy in it for him to blush. “I don’t think it was for nothing.” Then, he added, “It’s fine. I’ll talk to Mikasa about it – I probably should have just done that in the first place.”

 

Annie leaned back in her seat. She looked like she had a lot of things she wanted to say, but in the end all she said was, “Okay.”

 

They fell into silence as they finished off their breakfasts. Annie ordered him another coffee without asking and he smiled slightly at her when she pushed it across the table towards him.

 

He was nearly at the bottom of his second cup when he asked, “Do you not want any coffee?”

 

“Not a full cup,” she said. “I only like the sweet stuff.” Then, after a pause, she added, “Actually, can I have a sip?”

 

Armin’s eyebrows raised but he nodded and passed the cup over to her. Her fingers brushed over his. “You can have the rest.”

 

“Thanks,” she said. She used both of her hands to raise the mug to her lips.

 

He smiled. “Don’t thank me. You paid, remember?”

 

She snorted into mug, making the last of the coffee splash upwards. When she pulled it away from her mouth, her lips were wet from the cappuccino.

 

Annie reached for her paper napkin to wipe the coffee away. “Don’t make me laugh when I’m drinking.” Then, she added, “Technically, my dad paid, anyway.”

 

Armin smiled. She dropped her paper napkin down on her plate folded her arms on the table. His eyebrows furrowed – she’d somehow missed a bit of coffee, a tiny dot still hanging to the corner of her mouth.

 

“Annie,” he said, pointing to his face when the mark was. “You still have coffee on your face.”

 

Her eyebrows drew together and she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand but she still managed to miss the mark.

 

“Wait a minute,” he said, reaching for his own napkin. He leaned across the table and brushed the napkin over the spot with his thumb and let his hand fall when it was gone. “There.”

 

Annie was still looking at him strangely when he settled back down.

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Is everything okay?”

 

She blinked and dropped her gaze. “Oh, yeah, fine.” Then, she added, “Do you think you’ll be able to survive an Uber drive?”

 

He was certainly able to survive it, but it certainly couldn’t be called the most enjoyable drive of his life. He was never taking a drink from Hitch again – for a moment, he debated never drinking again, but he knew the odds of that were pretty low. When the Uber pulled up into the campus parking lot, he nearly scrambled out of it just to get into the fresh, breathable air of the outside. He was sweating – a car had never felt so suffocating before and he took a few deep breaths in the hopes it would calm his stomach down.

 

Annie stepped out and closed the door behind her before the Uber made its way out of the parking lot. “Do you need help getting back to your dorm?”

 

He winced for a minute as he thought it over. “I think I’ll be fine.”

 

“If you say so,” she said. Then, she turned away and started walking towards her car.

 

“Hey,” he said softly and she stopped in her tracks. “Are you not going to bed?”

 

She shook her head. “I’m gonna pick up something for Hitch. Probably a Taco Bell or something. That usually makes her feel better.”

 

“A Taco Bell?” he said, eyebrows furrowing.

 

“That’s her favourite hangover food,” said Annie with a shrug. Then, she added, “Wanna come with?”

 

His eyebrows raised. “To Taco Bell?”

 

“Well, that’s where I’m going,” she said flatly. “Unless you want to take the wheel?”

 

He dropped her gaze and considered it. Maybe it was because of how tired he was or maybe it was even because of the conversation they’d had last night in the bathroom, but things already felt much less awkward than they had yesterday. It could also be because of how much he’d embarrassed himself, but he supposed it didn’t really matter what got them there.  Either way, the idea of spending time alone with Annie wasn’t so daunting; he wanted to say yes. But he’d barely survived the Uber ride home – he wasn’t going to last five more minutes in a car.

 

“I don’t want to throw up in your car,” he said weakly. “I don’t think you’ll forgive me for that.”

 

She snorted. “Probably not.” Then, she added, “I’ll just see you later.”

 

“Yeah,” he said with a nod. “And I’ll text you about mini-golf.”

 

Her short laugh made his heart warm. “I look forward to it.”

 

He smiled and waved to her as she climbed into her car and pulled the door shut. Then he turned and started making the short walk back to his dorm room.

 

The walk wasn’t as bad as the drive had been, but he was still just as relieved to step into his room as he had been to tumble out of the car in the parking lot. He was less relieved to see Eren and Mikasa still in the room, curled up in Eren’s bed watching some old horror movie on his phone.

 

“Oh, hey!” said Eren and Mikasa sat up.

 

She was wearing shorts and one of Eren’s plain T-shirts, but there was also a worried look plastered over her face. “Where have you been all night?”

 

“Not here,” he said before collapsing down on the bed.

 

“You and Annie didn’t do anything, did you?” she asked.

 

Armin sighed and closed his eyes. “No. We did not.”

 

“Where were you all night?” asked Eren. “I was gonna open a bottle of wine when you got back, but you never showed.”

 

Armin sat up and sighed again, before looking at them both pointedly. “Hitch was throwing up everywhere so Annie gave Marlowe her bed, and then she tried to bring me back here so I could sleep in my own bed but you two were too busy screwing to even notice that she opened the door. So … we slept in a hotel.”

 

“Oh,” said Eren, looking suddenly uncomfortable. “Sorry, man.”

 

Armin dropped back down and groaned. “I don’t care if you want to have your alone time. You’re a couple. I get it. But a little heads up would be nice. Even a sock on the door! Anything is better than … this.”

 

He lay there with his eyes closed for a few moments before he felt the bed shift under someone else’s weight.

 

Mikasa’s voice was soft when she spoke. “Sorry, Armin.”

 

He sighed and looked over to her. Much to her credit, she did look like she felt bad. “Just a text or something? Like send me an emoji or something so I don’t have to walk in on you guys. I walked in on you guys screwing with my ex – you’re lucky I was so drunk because that would have been really awkward.”

 

Mikasa’s eyebrows drew together. “You were drinking?”

 

Oh crap. He shouldn’t have said that. “Yeah. Hitch was, too. She threw up all over the jigsaw puzzle.”

 

Eren made a gagging noise. “Oh, that is nasty.”

 

“It was awful,” agreed Armin.

 

“Armin,” said Mikasa carefully. “Are you wearing your suit?”

 

“Well … part of it.” He’d forgotten to get his jacket and tie out of Annie’s bag – he’d have to text her about it later.

 

“Why were you wearing a suit to do a jigsaw puzzle?” she asked.

 

“I thought it would be funny,” said Armin. “Annie said she’d wanted to see my suit and I thought it might … ease the tension a little bit.”

 

“You said there was no tension,” said Mikasa pointedly.

 

“Well, I lied,” said Armin. “It’s been less tense this morning so I guess it helped.”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “You seriously didn’t do anything in that hotel room? Not even kissing?”

 

“Or cuddling?” asked Eren.

 

“No,” said Armin. “I threw up in the toilet and she rubbed my back, but I don’t really think that counts as crossing a line.”

 

Mikasa was quiet for a long time. “I’m sorry for worrying so much. I know you can look out for yourself, it’s just …”

 

“You don’t want me getting hurt, yeah, I know,” said Armin with a sigh.

 

“I’ll stop asking about it,” said Mikasa, and she flashed him a small smile. “Did you at least finish the puzzle?”

 

“Yeah,” said Armin. “It glowed in the dark.” He frowned, recalling the way Hitch’s vomit had blacked out the effect. “Not for very long, though.”

 

“Sounds like a mess,” said Eren.

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Yeah. Oh well.” Then, he added, “How is your pamphlet?”

 

“Oh, it’s great!” said Eren. “The College President approved it.”

 

It wasn’t hard to remember the absolute eyesore Eren had created on his laptop, and Armin sat up. “He approved it?”

 

“Oh yeah,” said Eren, a proud look spreading across his face. “He said it was very eye-catching, which is ‘perfect’ for this generation.”

 

Armin suspected that maybe Mr Smith didn’t particularly understand what was appealing for this generation, but he didn’t argue. “Well … that’s really good!”

 

“Yeah it is!” he said. “I’m getting them printed in the morning and handing them out!”

 

“He’s very excited about it,” said Mikasa with a sigh. “I’m very proud.”

 

“Mr Smith said if it’s well received I can make more,” said Eren. “He’ll even give me an official letter to add to my resume to talk about my work for the student community. How sick is that?”

 

Armin was hesitant to say that he wasn’t sure it would be well-received by the student community, but he forced a smile onto his face and said, “That’s really good, Eren.”

 

“I guess something good did come from the mussels incident!” he said.

 

“Maybe you can make some more about other dangerous foods,” suggested Armin tentatively. “Considering Mr Smith liked it so much.”

 

“I’m really thinking about it!” said Eren.

 

Mikasa butted in. “Armin, do you want to watch a movie with us? We’re watching The Hills Have Eyes.”

 

“I think I might just head to bed,” he said. “If that isn’t gonna interrupt your plans too much.”

 

“Of course not,” said Mikasa, turning to Eren. “We’ll just use my headphones, right?”

 

“Yeah, that’s fine,” said Eren, waving his hand. “You had one hell of a night, so you should sleep it off.” Then, he added, “Especially considering I’m going to get you to help me hand out pamphlets tomorrow.”

 

Armin groaned internally, but said aloud, “Yeah, that’s fine.”

 

He ended up sleeping most of the day away but his body was more than grateful for it. He didn’t need to throw up anymore, at least, which was an absolute win in his book and by the time the next day rolled around, he was back to his full health.

 

He kept his promise to Eren and handed out pamphlets, even if it was a little bit painful to smile at everyone passing by and try and place them in their hands. He was standing in the courtyard now in his free period under the warmth of the springtime sun when a voice nearly made him jump out of his skin.

 

“What the hell are you giving out?”

 

Armin spun around and met Hitch’s eyes. She certainly looked much better now than she had the last time he saw her. She was wearing a brown skirt with a short lime-green cardigan top, along with a very confused look on her face.

 

“Uh … these are Eren’s pamphlets,” he said and thrust his hand out towards her.

 

She took one from his hand and squinted at it. “This is so poorly designed.”

 

“Don’t say that to him,” he said weakly. “The President approved them.”

 

Her eyes widened. “Why?”

 

“I don’t know,” said Armin. “Apparently he said they’re very eye-catching.”

 

Hitch looked at the pamphlet thoughtfully. “Well, I guess that is kind of true.”

 

“Yeah,” he said with a weak laugh. Then, he added, “Are you feeling better?”

 

“Much better,” said Hitch with a sigh. “I’m pretty bummed about the puzzle, though.” Then, she added, “Annie tells me you shared a hotel room?”

 

Armin felt his face flush. “We didn’t really have anywhere else to go.”

 

“Sorry about that,” said Hitch. “Marlowe always says I don’t know my limits sometimes and I have to say that he’s right. But I didn’t expect you to get so carried away.”

 

“You were far too encouraging,” he said pointedly.

 

“Of course I was – I was drunk!” she said. Then, a smile rose to her lips. “Did you at least snuggle up in that hotel room?”

 

“Hitch,” he said. “We’re just friends.”

 

“Right,” she said slowly.

 

“Really,” he said. Then, his eyebrows furrowed. “I wouldn’t have thought you’d want that for her now, anyway.”

 

Hitch shrugged. “I want her to be happy. If she decides she can do it with you, I don’t care. She just clearly couldn’t before she left. I think she’s trying to change now, even if it’s only little by little.”

 

“Well, we’re just trying to be friends,” said Armin. He wanted to say ‘right now’, but he doubted he’d forget he had said that to Hitch if ‘right now’ ended up being ‘forever’.

 

“Trying,” she repeated. “What does that mean?”

 

“It means … we’re trying to be friends?” he said weakly.

 

Hitch folded her arms over her chest, crumpling Eren’s pamphlet in the process. “See, I want to believe you. It’s just after the whole faking it thing was hidden from me for so long, I really have no idea what’s going on between you two.”

 

“I’m really not lying,” said Armin.

 

Hitch was still looking at him for a while. “Okay,” she said finally. Then, she sighed. “Well, since I ruined your chances of having a romantic night in a hotel with Annie by getting you wasted, hand some of those pamphlets over here. I’ll hand them out to some guys in my law classes.”

 

Armin perked up. “Really?”

 

“Yeah,” she said, and then her eyebrows pinched together. “Look, I know everything between you two is … weird, but honestly, I’m really rooting for you.”

 

His face reddened. “We’re just friends.”

 

“For now,” she said.

 

Armin cleared his throat. For now. Why did she have to say that? He held out his hands so she could take the pamphlets from his hands. “Thanks a lot, Hitch.”

 

“No problem!” she said.

 

Armin’s worked ended up being over earlier than he’d thought it was when Mikasa texted him to ask him if he wanted to go into town with her and Marco – she’d ran out of eyeliner and wanted some company as well. He texted her back to tell her he’d meet her at her dorm in ten minutes and started making his way over.

 

“Hey!” said Mikasa when she opened the door to him. “How’d handing out pamphlets go?”

 

“Hitch took the rest of them to hand out on her course,” he said, stepping into the room and smiling when he caught sight of Marco on her bed. “I think she felt bad about vomiting all over the place.”

 

Mikasa hummed. “I, too, would feel pretty bad.”

 

“Did you at least get a photo of the finished thing?” asked Marco.

 

“She threw up too quickly,” said Armin.

 

“Oh,” he said, frowning. “That’s not good.”

 

Armin shrugged. “No big deal.” Then, he added, “How’s Jean doing?”

 

“Oh,” said Marco, brightening. “He’s great. His mom’s visiting in a week.”

 

“Oh, cool,” said Armin. “Are you looking forward to it?”

 

“Definitely,” said Marco with a soft smile. “He keeps saying she’s really excited to meet me. I hope I make a good impression.”

 

“Don’t be foolish,” said Mikasa. “She’ll love you.”

 

Armin nodded with a smile. “You always make a good impression. Don’t worry about it.”

 

Marco’s shoulders relaxed and Mikasa clapped her hands together. “Okay,” she said. “Are you guys all good to go?”

 

They were, so they all made their way to the closest bus stop, and by the time they reached it, the next bus was due to arrive in only a few minutes. When it rolled up, they all piled on and squeezed onto the back seats, Mikasa chatting endlessly about the type of makeup she wanted them all to hunt for. Armin didn’t think it would be particularly difficult – he’d been shopping with Mikasa when she went to get her own makeup – but she was acting like it was some sort of challenging mission. At least, when she mentioned her desire to ‘hunt down’ some red eyeliner and mascara, that’s how she certainly made it sound.

 

“Oh, guys,” said Mikasa suddenly. “Will you come to my place tonight?”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Sure. Are you not hanging out with Eren?”

 

“I wanna hang out with you guys,” she said. “I thought we could watch Parasyte.”

 

Marco’s eyebrows pinched together. “What’s that?”

 

“It’s a horror anime,” said Armin, and then smiled. “I’m up for that.”

 

“I also want to try something on you,” she said. “But don’t panic.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows drew together. “When you say it like that, it makes me want to panic.”

 

“As long as it’s not a Ouija board,” said Marco, “I’m fine with anything.”

 

“That’s great!” she said. “Armin, don’t worry about it.”

 

Armin was worried about it, but soon the bus pulled up into town and Mikasa didn’t really give him any extra time to worry about it. She knew exactly where she was going and dragged them into a very large makeup store where her eyes lit up like stair. She beelined to the eyeliner and immediately found what she wanted – even though she’d made it out like it was going to take hours – but she stared thoughtfully for a long time before picking up different types and different colours (ones he doubted she would ever wear outside of the comfort of her own room). In the end, she collected eyeliner, different eyeshadows, lipsticks and an excessive amount of biodegradable makeup wipes.

 

“I like to buy them in bulk,” she said.

 

“Yeah,” said Armin, holding at least eight packs in his arms. Marco had more. “I can see that.”

 

They were practically in and out of the makeup store in ten minutes, and as soon as they left, they started making their way towards a restaurant to grab something to eat. But as they walked down the street, something caught Armin’s eye in a passing store window. He hadn’t even been looking for it, and he certainly hadn’t imagined he would even pass anywhere in town that would sell something like that – but there it was. It was a bookstore, but it also seemed to sell knickknacks and board games, and more importantly, it sold jigsaw puzzles.

 

He grabbed onto Mikasa and Marco and dragged them into the store. He barely spoke to them as he tried to hunt down what he was looking for. It took a long time, his eyes rapidly scanning the shelves where all the fancy puzzles stood – some were classic famous paintings, others were more modern and childish in style. But then, finally, his eyes fell upon what he was looking for: a six-hundred-piece glow in the dark jigsaw puzzle.

 

It was a wintery northern lights scene – he imagined the lights would be the part that glowed, and he decided that it was perfect. It wasn’t as big as he would have liked, but since it was the only thing there, it was going to have to do.

 

“Has your jigsaw puzzle night inspired a passion?” asked Mikasa once they left the store.

 

“I just thought it’d be nice to buy Hitch a new one,” said Armin with a slight smile. “She was really upset about the other one.”

 

Marco and Mikasa exchanged a look, but they said nothing.

 

His eyebrows drew together. “What is it?”

 

Marco smiled. “You’re just nice, Armin. That’s all.”

 

“A sweetheart,” agreed Mikasa. “Now, can we go get something to eat? I’m starving.”

 

They went to some burger place and spent about an hour there. The food was nice and the conversation was easy. He’d missed Marco’s company more than he thought and he was grateful that it was just the three of them again, even if only for a little while.

 

The sun was low in the sky by the time they got back to campus. Sasha was nowhere to be seen when they pushed open Mikasa’s door and she suggested that she might be at Niccolo’s restaurant.

 

“On her own?” asked Armin.

 

“Maybe,” said Mikasa. “Sometimes she goes with Connie. He works a lot so she likes to drop in when she can. Connie says his whole face lights up when he sees her.”

 

“That’s sweet,” said Marco, but Armin couldn’t help the little pang he felt in his chest.

 

“It is,” said Mikasa with a sweet sigh. Then, she added, “Okay, there’s something I want to try first before we watch Parasyte.”

 

They all settled down onto the floor, Marco and Armin cross-legged whilst Mikasa kneeled and pulled out her phone.

 

“So, I made that Etsy account,” she said. “I haven’t tried to work out how to sell things yet … so, I was just scrolling and I found these!”

 

She tilted the screen towards them and Armin took in the image on the screen. They were Tanjiro’s earrings from Demon Slayer.

 

His eyebrows pinched together. “I didn’t think you watched Demon Slayer.”

 

“I don’t,” she said. “I thought you would like them.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “My ears aren’t pierced.”

 

“I know!” she said.

 

 She shuffled over to her bed and reached underneath to pull out a lilac box. She flung open the lid and pulled something small out of it before returning before them.

 

“I saw these the other day and I thought you could try them,” she said. “If you hate them, I’ll just give them to Eren.”

 

Armin looked closer. They were those edgy sort of earrings he’d seen, but he had no idea what they were called. It was the type where there was a thick clip-on hoop that wrapped around near the top of the ear, connected to another thick clip, one that must have been meant to go on his earlobe, by a thin chain.

 

“I know this is more like your … older style,” she said. “But I still think it looks cool with a lot of your anime shirts.”

 

He took it from her hand. He hadn’t really wanted to get his ears pierced, but it was mostly because he didn’t want to go through any of that pain just to not like how it looked at all.

 

He held it out to her in his hand. “Can you put it on for me?”

 

Mikasa beamed and set to work. It didn’t take her very long considering she was quite the professional when it came to earrings, and she practically squealed when she pulled away.

 

“Marco, get a look at this!” she said, waving her hand towards herself erratically.

 

Marco moved over and his eyes widened. “That’s pretty cool. It actually suits you a lot, Armin.”

 

“Really?” he said.

 

“Yeah!” said Mikasa, pulling out her phone. “Let me take a photo from the side and you can have a look in the mirror.”

 

She snapped the photo and then led him to hers and Sasha’s bathroom to get a good look in the mirror. His eyebrows raised – it certainly wasn’t something that was massively his style, but as he angled his head slightly to get a better look, he had to say that it wasn’t as bad as he expected. He even thought that maybe, with a more styled look, it would even look good.

 

“Look!” she said, showing him the photo. “Cool, isn’t it?”

 

The longer he looked, the less he cared about having a styled look to go along with it, and he nearly agreed with her. “Do you really think so?”

 

“Oh, yeah,” she said. “Like I said, I know it’s not really your style, but I was just curious how it looked in case you did like it.”

 

His fingers trailed up to his ear. It pinched a bit too hard but it wasn’t quite like getting a needle shot through his earlobe. “It’s nice. I don’t think I’d wear it all the time, but –”

 

“You don’t have to,” said Mikasa quickly. “I just thought it still worked with the sort of things you wear now.”

 

Well, he supposed it was true. His fashion sense had drifted into casual anime shirts, but he still wore the jeans and boots Annie had bought for him.

 

He smiled slightly. “Thanks, Mikasa.”

 

She beamed, but then Marco said, “No earrings for me, then?”

 

She swerved. “You have expressed your lack of desire for earrings to me on multiple occasions.”

 

“So has Armin,” said Marco pointedly.

 

Mikasa sighed. “Fine. Let’s try it on you.”

 

After Marco put the earring on and decided almost immediately that he hated how it looked, they all settled down in front of Mikasa’s laptop to start the first episode of Parasyte. It was oddly well received by Marco, who hated things more inclined towards horror, and the night went just as well after that. They got a few more episodes in before Armin’s eyes were starting to drift close and he decided it would be best to bid them goodnight.

 

Eren was sat at his desk with his headphones on working on something that looked suspiciously like another pamphlet when he pushed open their dorm room door, and Armin decided it would be best to not ask. He climbed into bed and lay fiddling with the earring Mikasa had given him, rubbing it between his thumb and finger, doing his best not to think about the weight of the piece of jewellery that sat in his nightstand beside him.

 

Would it be strange to start wearing that necklace again? Annie would surely notice. But it was a gift she had given him as a friend. It wouldn’t be a weird thing to start wearing it again. It was a nice necklace, too.

 

He reached into the drawer of his nightstand and pulled out the shell necklace before placing it down on top so he wouldn’t forget to put it on in the morning. He doubted he would have forgotten it, anyway.

 

The walk to Hitch and Annie’s dorm the next morning was as short as it always was, but his heart pounded the entirety of the way there. He wasn’t even sure if either of them would be there, but when he lightly tapped his knuckles against their door it was only a few moments before it opened.

 

He tried to ignore the way his breath caught in his throat at the sight of Annie. She was just in a tank top and some gym shorts, but why did it all have to cling to her form like that?

 

“Hey,” she said and cocked an eyebrow at him.

 

“Hey!” he said, snapping out of his stupor. “Uh, is Hitch here?”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “No, she’s got a class. What do you need Hitch for?”

 

“Uh, well …” he said, presenting the bag to her. “I went into town with Mikasa and Marco yesterday and I saw this in one of the stores and thought she might like it.”

 

Annie took the bag from his hands and peeked inside. She snorted when she caught sight of the puzzle and shook her head at him. “You’re too nice sometimes, you know that?”

 

His cheeks warmed. “I’m not that nice.” Then, he added, “She just seemed pretty upset about the last one.”

 

“She kind of brought that on herself,” said Annie.

 

“I mean, yeah,” he said with a slight laugh. “Still, I thought she might like it.”

 

Annie looked at the puzzle for a little while longer. “Thanks. She’ll love it.”

 

He nodded and smiled slightly. “So, uh … have you settled back in properly by now?”

 

She sighed. “Oh, yeah. Reiner’s already trying to book us in somewhere. Not to mention, he wants us to go to someone’s gig in a few weeks.”

 

“Oh,” said Armin, his eyebrows furrowing. “Whose gig?”

 

“No one big,” she said with a shrug. “You know a while back when I was talking about those guys from my old school who came here? The Warriors? Yeah, he really wants to go see them.”

 

Armin’s heart sank slightly as he remembered meeting the members of The Warriors with Hitch after Annie had disappeared. “Oh. Well, I’m sure that’ll be nice.”

 

Annie hummed. “Yeah, I’m sure it’ll be a blast.” Then, she added, “Do you want to come?”

 

His eyebrows rose. “To that gig?”

 

“Well, I thought you could bring Mikasa,” she said. “Didn’t she say that she liked them? Actually, bring as many people as you want. God knows it would make Reiner happy.”

 

He didn’t quite want to acknowledge the disappointment he felt when he realised he wasn’t the only one invited, but he pushed a smile onto his face. “Yeah, sure, that sounds like a good idea.”

 

Annie nodded and tilted her head slightly at him. “So, have you had any more thoughts on mini-golfing?”

 

“Oh … not really,” said Armin. “I meant to ask you when you wanted to go.”

 

She shrugged. “We can go this weekend if you want. If you aren’t busy.”

 

This weekend. Armin felt his heart warm and he smiled. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

 

“Cool. I know a place,” she said. “Unless you have any mini-golfing preferences?”

 

“I can’t say I do,” he said.

 

“Good,” she said. Then, she added, “I’ve got to get dressed for class soon.”

 

“Oh, okay,” he said, stepping away from the door. “I’ll see you this weekend?”

 

She gave him one of her rare, slight smiles and it made his chest ache. “Yeah, this weekend.”

 

The days following were as dull as they usually were, mixing together in a forgotten blur that were just a block in the way of the weekend. He tried to ignore his excitement but it was just too difficult to smother. Maybe it would be awkward, but after everything that had happened between them on the jigsaw puzzle night, Armin couldn’t help but look forward to it. Maybe, just maybe, it would help bring them back to normal.

 

He wore a plain black shirt with his Tanjiro cardigan matched with black jeans and the boots Annie had bought for him. He decided to slip on the earring Mikasa had bought him just to look a bit more dressed up. It would make him look a bit more like he was meant to be out with Annie. He made sure to wear the necklace Annie had bought for him, too – it was difficult to forget now that he’d started wearing it day after day.

 

He took a deep breath before he knocked on the door of her dorm room. He was glad to see her answer rather than Hitch, but it was difficult to try and disguise the way his breath caught at the sight of her. She was as beautiful as always. She was wearing a loose black T-shirt with some silver necklace, all of her piercings in her ears and nose, the shirt tucked into a short plaid pink and black skirt. She had a black hoodie tied around her waist and when he glanced further down he caught sight of the fishnet tights she was wearing that showed enough skin to make his face warm – and of course, there were her big, black boots that gave her an extra inch, but still not enough to bring her up to most people’s heights.

 

“Hey,” he said with a smile.

 

“Hey,” she said. “You look nice.”

 

“Thank you,” said Armin. “So do you.”

 

She looked at him for a moment longer than maybe she should have before dropping her gaze. “Just let me grab my handbag and we can head out.”

 

“Okay,” he said lightly.

 

He waited only a moment for her to dip back into her dorm and grab her handbag before she appeared again. Their conversation was casual all the way to her car, mostly talking about Hitch and how happy she was over her new jigsaw puzzle, and somehow things were just as comfortable once they slid into the small space of her car. She started the engine up and turned her music on and some quiet rock song he didn’t recognise started flowing through the air, and Annie pulled them out of the parking lot and towards the main road leading to town.

 

Armin was looking at her phone on its stand connected to the radio, her Spotify playlist switching from song to song, and it made a thought pop into his head.

 

“Do you guys ever think about recording an album?” he asked.

 

Annie snorted. “Who’d buy that?”

 

“I would,” he said honestly.

 

“You, Hitch and my dad, maybe,” she said. “It’s just a hobby, anyway. We aren’t in a rush to give up on our degrees to go and tour an album no one cares about.”

 

“Me, Hitch and your dad would care about it,” said Armin.

 

She glanced over to see his friendly smile and she scoffed. “Don’t mention that around Reiner. He doesn’t need any more bad ideas put in his head.”

 

“Has he not thought about it already?” asked Armin.

 

“You give him too much credit,” she said. “I’m surprised he even knows how to work a microphone sometimes.”

 

He snorted far too similarly to the way she usually did and even without her gaze, he knew that she had noticed even before she spoke.

 

“What was that?” she asked.

 

“I laughed,” he said innocently.

 

“You snorted,” she said pointedly.

 

“I do that sometimes,” he said.

 

“Not very often,” she said.

 

“Often enough,” he corrected.

 

“Rarely,” she said.

 

“It isn’t rare,” he said.

 

Annie relented. “If you say so.”

 

They drove the rest of the way in a comfortable silence, nothing passing between them save for the hum of music through the air. It wasn’t long before they got to their destination and as Annie slowed to a halt in the parking lot, Armin squinted at the sign above the doors.

 

“Space … golf?” he asked.

 

“Yeah,” she said and glanced over at him. “What? Do you not like space? Every nerd likes space.”

 

He frowned. “I’m not a nerd.”

 

She unclicked her seatbelt. “Now I don’t even think you believe that.”

 

Armin was fairly surprised to find that it wasn’t dark beyond the main doors of the mini-golf place, although he shouldn’t have expected the lobby to be pitch-black. A smiling server stood behind the reception desk and Annie organised everything for them; she even made sure he had a bright blue golf ball while hers was a lovely shade of neon pink.

 

“Pink?” he asked as he followed after her to the first room.

 

“All the other colours were awful,” she said. “Neon green? Really?”

 

“The orange was nice,” he said.

 

“Orange is an awful colour,” she said.

 

“Not all the time,” he said pointedly.

 

Annie opened her mouth to say something, but she stopped when they stepped into the first room.

 

This room was mostly dark, illuminated by faint purple glow so that the course was more than visible. There were about three little holes in this room out of the whole course, the first being a fairly straight-forward flat course, the only obstacles a very tacky recreation of a NASA launch system.

 

“Okay,” said Annie. “You wanna go first?”

 

“Oh,” said Armin. “Yeah, sure.”

 

He dropped his golf ball down and got into position, lining up his club with the ball before inspecting the hole. It seemed pretty difficult to get a hole-in-one around the miniature launch system – not impossible, but definitely not something he could do – but it shouldn’t have been too difficult to at least get near the hole.

 

Armin took a breath and swung his club. It took only a heartbeat to realise he’d hit it with too much force and he watched as his bright blue golf ball bounced out of the bounds.

 

He stared dumbly at it for a few moments before he was interrupted by the sound of Annie’s choked laughter.

 

“Holy shit,” she said. “You’re shit at this.”

 

He looked over at her as his face flushed, but he was met with a genuine smile on her face. It did something to his heart that he tried to ignore as her laughter fizzled out.

 

“It’s only the first hole,” he said weakly.

 

Annie shook her head and dropped her club before slipping past him to retrieve his golf ball. As she bent down to pick it up from where it lodged against the fake moon rock barrier, she said, “Yeah, it only gets harder from here.”

 

“Well, I won’t be much competition, then,” he said with a frail smile. “I guess you expected that, though.”

 

She held her hand out to him, clutching the ball in a closed fist so she could drop it in his hand. “I knew I’d win, anyway. Not because you’re not good competition – I’m just good at mini-golf.”

 

He opened his hand and she placed it in his palm. He tried to ignore that tingly feeling that ran through him afterwards. “Thanks.”

 

“You’ll be fun competition,” she offered flatly.

 

“Well, I guess that’s something,” he said weakly.

 

“It’s a lot,” she said, turning away from him to take her turn.

 

He watched as she took her form and focused, practicing her force and angle, before she hit the ball down the turf. It bounced off the little sidewall, narrowly avoiding the asteroids scattered in the middle of it, and it drifted casually into the hole.

 

Annie straightened. “Ready to take your turn again?”

 

Armin couldn’t exactly say he was ready, but he couldn’t avoid the challenging look in her eyes. This time, he at least didn’t hit it out of bounds. Still, it took him three hits to get it into the whole. Annie told him he didn’t have to write it down as four hits, but he decided to be fair and mark their scores down properly. She’d win even if he skewed his score, anyway.

 

Annie turned out to be right about the other holes in the course – they were harder. The next one seemed to be inspired by the moon landing, with a tiny fake American flag jutting out of uneven rock obstacles, a tiny astronaut stood right beside it.

 

“You first,” said Annie, clearly fighting a smirk.

 

Armin dropped his ball to the ground and prepared his angle. It was just strategy, wasn’t it? He played a million strategy videogames before. Mini-golf didn’t really require a lot of physical skill, surely. He took a breath and lined his club up before knocking the ball with too much force once again.

 

He had messed up the angle in his actual swing and the ball rolled straight into the first rock and bounced right off it, spinning back down towards his feet.

 

“You can try again before my turn,” offered Annie, and he didn’t have to turn around to realise she was doing her best to hold back her laughter.

 

“It’s your turn,” he said and picked up his ball.

 

Just as he turned toward her, her hand reached out and took hold of his arm. The pressure was light, but it still made his breath catch in his throat all the same.

 

“You’re very good, you know,” she said as seriously as she could manage.

 

Armin couldn’t help it; the way he could see the corners of her lips fighting to spread into a smile was too contagious, and he laughed.

 

“Yeah, you can say that,” he said with a smile.

 

She dropped her hand and pushed past him, but the warmth of her touch still lingered on his skin in the nicest of ways, just like he’d thought it would.

 

This time, she at least didn’t get the ball in in one go. It still took only two, but it made Armin feel a bit better about his pitiful performance. He learned from his earlier mistake and changed his angle, avoiding the rocks as best as he could; but it still took him about four hits to get the ball into the hole.

 

By the time they moved to the third hole, a poor imitation of an asteroid field, Armin was feeling more confident about his turn. It must have been harder – they seemed to be getting more difficult as they moved forward – but this one seemed like one he could work out.

 

As he was lining up his shot, Annie spoke up. “I like your earring.”

 

He froze, heat rushing to his face, and he was very glad she couldn’t see his cheeks from this angle. “Uh, thanks. It’s just a clip-on.”

 

Annie didn’t answer and Armin took the opportunity to line up his shot again. He was confident he wasn’t going to mess it up this time – he’d learned from his mistakes – but as he was in mid-swing, Annie’s voice cut through his focus.

 

“It’s hot,” she said.

 

Armin’s entire swing failed as he exclaimed, “What?”

 

He hit the ball too hard this time, far too hard, and the ball landed practically at the other end of the room.

 

“Wow,” she said flatly. “I didn’t think you could get any worse.”

 

Armin’s face was burning hot. He couldn’t even speak. Had she really just said that? Why on earth would she say that?

 

“Armin?” she asked. “Is everything okay?”

 

“I’m fine!” he said, dropping his club to the ground. “Uh, I need to go and get my ball.”

 

He didn’t wait for her response and awkwardly manoeuvred himself over the small barriers between the holes and managed to find his ball. He tried to give Annie a reassuring smile but it felt weak even to him – he could only imagine how bad it looked to her.

 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” asked Annie. “Your face is red.”

 

“Is it?” he asked. “Uh, must just be the heat.”

 

Annie’s eyebrows furrowed. “You’re warm? It’s really cold in here.”

 

Armin’s stomach dropped. “Uh, yeah,” he said. “Just a bit.”

 

Annie dropped her club and moved towards him. He felt an overwhelming urge to just run away to avoid embarrassing himself even more than he already had, but he forced himself to stay in place.

 

She grabbed onto the front of his cardigan and without a word, she unfastened the top button. His whole mouth turned dry and he thought, for a moment, that he was going to die right then and there.

 

Annie showed no reaction to their proximity and just continued undoing the buttons on his cardigan.

 

“You need to get this off,” she said once she undid the last button.

 

She tried to push it over his shoulders but Armin was still frozen in place. After the cardigan got caught halfway down his arms, the brush of her fingers over his skin sending tingles through his whole body, he dropped his golf ball again and helped shimmy it off of his shoulders.

 

“Sorry,” he said, face burning even more than before.

 

“It’s fine,” she said. “Do you want me to carry it?”

 

“No, it’s okay,” he said, wrapping it around his waist. “I’ll be fine like this.”

 

Annie looked at him for a moment. “I’m gonna go get you some water.”

 

“You don’t have to,” he said weakly.

 

“I want to,” she said. “I’ll only be two minutes.”

 

Armin didn’t have it in him to protest and, he thought, maybe in the time she was gone his face would cool down. He was sure it looked even worse now than it had before and he doubted she hadn’t noticed.

 

His heart was still racing ever so slightly when she came back with some water. He smiled and took it from her before draining the glass.

 

“Guess you really were hot,” she said.

 

“Uh, yeah,” he said, pushing a smile onto his face. “Sorry if I worried you.”

 

She shrugged. “I don’t worry that much.”

 

“You made me take my cardigan off and got me a glass of water,” he said, smiling. “I think you were a little worried.”

 

“A tiny bit,” she said pointedly. “Okay, now take your turn again so we can get on with it.”

 

He didn’t argue – he didn’t want to push her toward doing something else that would set his heart racing. It was probably his best shot this round; it only took two hits and Annie seemed genuinely impressed when he turned to face her again. It took her about as many, and she even suggested that maybe he could be good competition if he really put his all into it. He didn’t want to say that he was putting his all into it, so he didn’t say anything more.

 

When Armin messed up his next turn, Annie’s laughter was enough to make him want to do it again. She teased him incessantly and she was still laughing so much so that when she took her turn, she messed it up herself.

 

“This one is actually hard,” said Annie after she watched her ball missed the tunnel it was supposed to whir through.

 

“You can say that now that you aren’t doing very well?” said Armin with a smile.

 

“Obviously,” she said. “The others were easy.”

 

Armin had to admit it was clearly more difficult than others. This hole was designed to look like the moon’s surface, with a few moon rocks scattered around, but with two very challenging tunnels decorated the same way. Neither of them had managed to get their balls through the first time around.

 

“Maybe you just aren’t as skilled as you think,” he offered tentatively.

 

“Oh, shut up,” she said. “Take your turn so I can beat you already.”

 

Armin missed the tunnel again, but Annie managed to get through the first one this time without much effort. He failed again and she moved through the second one, her ball teetering so close to the edge of the hole that she audibly groaned in frustration.

 

He missed again, and she got hers in the hole.

 

Then he missed again. And again. And again.

 

“Have you tried hitting it over the tunnel?” Annie suggested.

 

He frowned. “You know I can’t do that.”

 

“Sure you can,” she said, still fighting that beautiful smile of hers off of her face.

 

Armin looked at her for a moment longer, his eyebrows furrowing, before he set his eyes back down on the task at hand. He lined up his golf ball and considered how to get the trajectory. He wasn’t sure he could even get enough lift with this sort of putter, but Annie was watching expectantly and the last thing he wanted to do was disappointed. So he angled his club and hit the ball with all of his might.

 

It flew off past the bounds once again.

 

Annie’s laugher was so loud it nearly made him jump.

 

“That was a great try,” she said, trying to smother her laughter.

 

“You just asked me to do the impossible,” he said, but he was smiling.

 

“I’m sure it’s possible,” she said.

 

“Well, then,” he said, holding out his club out to her. “You try.”

 

She grabbed it from his hand. “Well, get your ball then.”

 

Armin retrieved his ball and placed it in Annie’s open hand. She dropped it at her feet and lined up the shot, before swinging – and the ball jumped over the first small tunnel to the other side.

 

Annie turned around and cocked an eyebrow. “See?”

 

He sighed. “I’m forfeiting this one.”

 

She smiled. It made his heart skip in a way he knew it shouldn’t. “You’ll do better on the next one.”

 

The following holes weren’t as hard as that one – the next one was inspired by the inside of a space station, the one after had obstacles of crashed spaceships, and the one after that was simply surrounded by little green aliens (which Armin did have a lot of difficulty avoiding, but it wasn’t so bad this time that Annie had to take the club from his hands).

 

The eighth hole brought some problems, and Armin really thought it should have been the last one. It was an intricate design of some Mars-inspired valley where, if your aim was off, your ball could fall into the dip at each side where holes lay to shoot the ball back around to the beginning of the hole.

 

Needless to say, this happened to Armin five times.

 

“You’ve just got to take it straight,” said Annie.

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed and he prepared to strike the ball before he felt Annie’s hands cover his.

 

“You’re too tense,” she said. “Here.”

 

He let her take the club from his hand as she positioned herself, demonstrating the strength he should be putting into the swing to get it to the other side of the valley. “You need to go fast, but not too hard otherwise it’ll bounce out.”

 

Armin nodded, but truth be told, he was too busy thinking about how nice Annie’s hands had felt on top of his.

 

“Try it again,” she said, holding out the club again for him to take.

 

He tried to think over what she had just said to him, but there was clearly something about her explanation that he didn’t get, because the ball went spinning into the crevice and down into one of the holes that soon shot it back to the beginning.

 

“I suck at this,” he said with a frown.

 

“Yeah,” she said. “But you’re getting it in there.”

 

Annie reached for the ball and set it in front of him, and before he could even start considering how he should swing this stupid club this time, her arms came around him from behind.

 

“Annie?” he squeaked.

 

“I’m helping you,” she said from behind him, her hands resting over his wrists, which was as far as she could reach. “You’re holding this so wrong.”

 

She advised him on how he should be holding the club and he followed her instructions. He was far too aware of the pressure of her body against his back, her calloused fingers resting atop of his arms. He felt an overwhelming urge to drop the club and move his hands back to interlace their fingers, but he fought against it and stayed completely silent until her boot gently pushed against his shoe.

 

“Spread your legs a little more,” she said. “You really are tense.”

 

“Okay,” he breathed before adjusting his position.

 

If he’d been tense before, he wasn’t sure what he was right now. She was too short to see over his shoulder, even in her boots, so she kept peeking around his arm to check his form and the whole act made her body brush against him in a way that made his knees quiver.

 

Her head moved to his back again, her grip over his arms tight and firm. “If I guide your arms, will you follow my swing?”

 

Armin was surprised he could even speak. “Y-yeah, I can ... I can try.”

 

“Good,” she said, and she gently guided his arms back.

 

He managed to follow her as she tried to demonstrate how much force he should put in, and Armin tried his best not to literally faint in her arms, and after a few experimental strokes, she was happy with him.

 

“Okay,” she said. “We’ll try and hit it this time, okay?”

 

“Yeah,” he said weakly.

 

She guided his arms again and he followed through, and this time he hit the ball with just the right force to get it over to the other side of the valley, where the ground was a flat circle with the hole in the centre.

 

Annie stepped back and Armin did his best to keep his visible relief quiet. “See?” she said. “I said you would do it.”

 

“Yeah,” he said and managed a smile again.

 

Her eyebrows furrowed again. “Do you need more water? You’re red again.”

 

“I’m fine!” he said, dropping her gaze and turning toward his ball. “Very fine!”

 

That confused look was still on her face. “Uh … okay.”

 

Armin moved to take his final shot, trying to ignore the burning of his face. He managed to get it in this time with no more issues, and then they moved onto what was the last hole. It was just a basic hole against the wall at the top of a small, steep slope, and the wall had a glowing image of the moon on it with the hole in the middle.

 

“We’ve got to hit the moon?” he asked.

 

“Well, that part,” said Annie, gesturing to the hole. “Game’s over after that.”

 

Something about the game nearly being over made his heart ache just a little. He wouldn’t have to risk his face bursting into flames at any of Annie’s unexpected touches, but he’d rather deal with that than leave her side so soon. He hadn’t realised the time would go by so quickly.

 

“Can you do this one on your own?” she asked.

 

“I can try,” he said.

 

Armin lined up his shot, knowing he definitely wasn’t going to get it in the hole. This one would take forever – at least, then, he’d be able to spend a little bit more time with Annie. He took a deep breath and glanced up over at the moon and took his shot.

 

It went straight in the hole.

 

“Holy shit,” said Annie. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

 

Armin was standing staring at the hole his ball had disappeared into. “Yeah,” he said. “I didn’t know, either.”

 

“My turn, then?” she said, pressing her hand on his shoulder.

 

He pushed a smile onto his face. “Go ahead.”

 

Annie lined herself up and took her shot. It was no surprise when it rolled up the slope effortlessly and into the hole.

 

She turned around to face him, looking far too triumphant, and this time his smile was genuine. “You did amazing, Annie.”

 

“Don’t flatter me,” she said. “It’ll go to my head.”

 

His smile was still just as soft. “Maybe it should.”

 

She scoffed and if Armin didn’t know better, he would say her cheeks had flushed pink at his words. “Let’s head back to campus, then.”

 

As they made their way back to the reception, he asked, “Can I do something for you?”

 

She paused, her eyebrows pinching together. “Like what?”

 

“As in, getting you a prize,” he said. “For winning.”

 

“You don’t have to get me a prize,” she said. “We didn’t have those terms.”

 

“I want to,” he said. Then, he added, “I could buy you dinner sometime – maybe take you to Krispy Kreme?”

 

She scoffed again. “I’ll think about it.”

 

Armin beamed and he didn’t push her any further. A promise to do something again was more than enough – even though he knew it shouldn’t be exciting him as much as it did.

 

The car was quiet except for some soft rock Annie left on in the background to hum between them, and Armin stared out of his window, watching the town whizz by. The sky had faded to orange now, bright enough that Annie had to opt for her shades which he thought looked far too good on her.

 

“I meant to ask,” she said. “You never told me why orange isn’t all bad.”

 

“What?” he asked.

 

“We were talking about the golf ball colours,” she said. “What type of orange is nice?”

 

“Oh,” he said. Why was she still thinking about that? He glanced around at the fading light of the day, and said, “The sunset. That’s a nice orange.”

 

“You think so?” she asked.

“Do you not?” he asked.

 

“I guess,” she said.

 

Armin smiled. The sunset was making her face glow. “You don’t sound so convinced.”

 

“You try driving with a bright orange glow in your eyes,” she said.

 

“I’ll do it if you let me take the wheel,” he offered.

 

“Fuck no,” she said. “Do you even have your license?”

 

“Of course I do,” he said. “I just can’t afford a car.”

 

She paused for a moment. “I’d only let you drive my car around an empty parking lot. No offence. She’s precious to me.”

 

“She?” asked Armin.

 

“Yeah,” said Annie. “She.”

 

“Does ‘she’ have a name?” he asked.

 

Annie was quiet for a long time. “Maybe.”

 

“What is it?” he asked.

 

She paused again. “Stevie.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Stevie?”

 

“Yeah,” said Annie. “Stevie. Is that fine with you?”

 

“Stevie,” he repeated.

 

“Yeah,” she said. “Stevie.”

 

“Annie?”

 

“What?”

 

“Is your car named after Stevie Nicks?” he asked, his lips curling into a smile.

 

“How the fuck do you know who Stevie Nicks is?” she asked.

 

“Everyone knows who Stevie Nicks is,” he said.

 

“They do not,” she said.

 

“Well,” he said. “At least Fleetwood Mac.” Then, he added, “Since when do you like Stevie Nicks?”

 

“She’s iconic,” said Annie. “She was a real rock star, you know.”

 

“I thought Fleetwood Mac did folk rock?” he asked.

 

“It’s still rock!” said Annie. “Stevie Nicks is in the rock and roll hall of fame. Stevie is a completely reasonable name to give your car.”

 

“I never said it wasn’t,” said Armin, still smiling.

 

She glanced over at him. “You’re laughing at me.”

 

“No, I’m not,” he said, but her whole accusation was enough to bubble laughter from his chest.

 

“You are!” she said.

 

“I think Stevie is a nice name for a car!” he said. “I just didn’t expect Fleetwood Mac to be your thing.”

 

“Consider them my guilty pleasure,” she said. “But don’t tell anyone else that.”

 

Armin smiled. “I’ll take it to the grave.”

 

“You better,” she said. Then, after a long pause, she added, “Also, I’m sorry if I’ve been touchy-feely. I’m … trying something.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Trying what?”

 

“I’ve got a therapist now,” she said.

 

There was a slight pause, a tense silence hanging between them, before he spoke again. “A therapist?”

 

“I’m fine,” she said, waving him off. “It’s not for serious stuff, don’t worry. He gave me some advice I’ve been trying to work through.”

 

He was quiet for a long time. “Can I ask what?”

 

Annie sighed. “I have … intimacy issues.”

 

Oh. Right.

 

Armin knew he should say something, but in that moment he couldn’t force a single sound past his lips. His words always failed him when it came to Annie.

 

“Basically, he advised trying to get more comfortable with non-sexual and non-romantic forms of touch,” she said. “So, I’ve been trying to do that. It’s horrible and I hate it, but … I can hug Hitch now and not want to scream.”

 

“Oh,” he said dumbly. “Well, that’s good.”

 

“I only just started seeing him,” she said. “We’ve done two really long sessions.”

 

“Do you think it’s helping?” he asked.

 

She nodded. “Yeah. I hate that it is, but it is.” Then, after a long pause, she said, “I should have told you first. About the touching thing.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “No, you didn’t. You don’t have to tell me anything like that if you aren’t comfortable.” Then, he added, “And it really wasn’t weird. I was just a bit surprised.”

 

Well, maybe wrapping the arms around him to help him swing his golf club was a little bit out of the ordinary, but he wasn’t about to tell her that when she was being so openly vulnerable with him.

 

“Well, thanks,” she said with a sigh. “And I’m literally dying on the inside telling you this, but Dr Magath thinks it’s important to be vulnerable with the people we care about. And not run away.”

 

“If you want to run away now, you might have to push me out of the car,” said Armin in a weak attempt to lighten the mood.

 

She snorted. “Don’t tempt me.” Then, she added, “I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything.”

 

“You didn’t. And you aren’t,” said Armin. “I’m your friend. Don’t feel bad about those things with me.”

 

Annie nodded and didn’t say anything more for a long while. Finally, after a good minute of soft rock wafting through the air between them, she said, “I think you’re right. The orange of the sunset is nice.”

 

His chest warmed at the softness in her voice. He could listen to her speak for a lifetime. “Just not when it’s in your eyes?”

 

“Yeah,” she agreed. “Not when it’s in my eyes.”

 

They drove in quiet once more. The next song faded in and faded out and before he knew it, they were back at campus. Annie pulled into a parking space and cut the engine, but just as he was about to unclick his seatbelt, she spoke again.

 

“I’ve decided on my reward,” she said.

 

“Yeah?” he said, leaning back into his seat. “What is it?”

 

“Well,” said Annie, taking off her sunglasses. Her eyes looked extra blue after being hidden for so long. “I want you to take me somewhere you really like. Or you’d really like to go – for a good reason. Like a friend date.”

 

“Oh. Okay,” he said. “What do you have in mind?”

 

“It matters what you have in mind, idiot,” she said. “It can be anything. A store you really like or a café or something. Just somewhere you like – something that means something to you. I’m fine with driving, but you have to pick a place. It can even be a museum or something. I don’t care.”

 

“You really want to do that?” he asked.

 

“Yeah,” said Annie. She sighed. “Look: we’re trying to be friends, right? I want to get to know you better. I feel like we don’t – at least not like how normal friends do.”

 

He had to admit that she was right. They were friends – and had been friends even when everything was going on between them. But still, their friendship had been an accident; a symptom of trying to get under Eren and Mikasa’s skins. They had never been friends just for the sake of it – so in that sense, he knew Annie was right.

 

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll think of somewhere.” Then, he added, “Try not to hate it too much.”

 

“You could take me anywhere,” she said. “I don’t care.”

 

He nodded. “Okay.”

 

“Take some time to think about it,” she said, unclicking her seatbelt. “Text me when you’ve made up your mind.”

 

He unclicked his and followed her in getting out of the car. “Okay. I’ll do that.”

 

“Try not to take too long,” she said. “I’d like to hang out with you again soon. This was fun – and no one vomited.”

 

He laughed. “Uh, yeah. I guess it’s definitely been better than last time.”

 

“Definitely,” she said, pulling out her vape from her handbag. “So, I’ll see you around?”

 

Armin nodded and gave her a soft smile. “I’ll see you around.”

 

He turned away from her and began the walk back to his dorm room, not daring to look back at her in case she found the same dumb smile still on his face. It had only just faded by the time he reached his dorm.

Notes:

Yes, it's back! I would have been back sooner with this chapter since most of it was written like a week ago, but I had an assignment I needed to hand it. Tragic, I know.

Additionally, my partner wanted me to give them credit for helping me figure out what the holes on the mini-golf course should be, so this is my shout out :)

Anyhow, I really hope you enjoyed this fic! Thank you for reading! If you have any thoughts, please let me know! I hope you enjoy the next one whenever I manage to get it posted <3

Chapter 14: a little too sentimental

The week following Armin and Annie’s little mini-golfing trip was about as uneventful as he’d expected it to be. He attended his lectures, he talked to Eren in the evenings, and on the one night he was lucky enough to see the sock on the door, he went to Sasha’s dorm and they watched a few episodes of Yakitate Japan. The most thrilling moment of the days leading up to the weekend was his eureka moment when he realised where he should take Annie.

 

He pulled his phone out immediately and sent her a message.

 

ME

Are you free this Saturday?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Yeah, why?

 

ME

I figured where I want to take you :)

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Cool

Come to mine whenever

 

ME

Is 11 okay?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

In the morning?

 

ME

Yeah

Is that okay?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Yeah, that’s fine

I’ll be awake

 

ME

I’ll see you then :)

 

So now he sat on the edge of his bed on Saturday morning, slipping on his boots as Eren and Mikasa sat discussing the ins and outs of surfing for a reason Armin wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

 

“Hey, guys?” he said, breaking their focus. “Annie asked me if you guys wanted to come to a gig.”

 

Eren’s eyebrows drew together. “Annie asked?”

 

Mikasa looked equally as confused. “Are you sure she didn’t just ask you, Armin?”

 

“Well, she asked about you specifically, Mikasa,” he said.

 

Eren frowned. “So I’m not invited?”

 

“It was a general invite,” said Armin, rising to his feet. “It’s The Warriors. She knows you like them. Her and Reiner and Bert are all going, so she wanted some more company.”

 

Mikasa looked thoughtful. “Well, I do like them.”

 

“It’s next weekend,” he said. “Sorry, I forgot to ask earlier. I’ll text Marco soon to see if he and Jean want to come.”

 

Mikasa shook her head and pulled out her phone. “I’ll do it right now so you don’t forget. But I’m in.”

 

Armin felt his phone buzz in his pocket as she messaged their group chat, and he smiled, “Thanks, Mikasa.”

 

“I guess I’ll come too,” said Eren. “It’ll be fun.”

 

“Cool,” said Armin. “I’ll let her know.”

 

Eren leaned back in his bed. “Where are you off to today, then?”

 

“Oh …” he said, reaching for the back of his neck nervously. “I’m going to the aquarium with Annie.”

 

“The aquarium?” asked Eren.

 

“Yeah,” he said.

 

“Well, you do like those places,” said Mikasa.

 

Eren raised an eyebrow. “So … is it a date?”

 

“It is not a date,” said Armin. “We’re just hanging out. We’re friends.”

 

Mikasa didn’t say a word, which Armin was more than grateful for. It was nice that she was starting to rein it in a bit with her concern, as thoughtful as it was.

 

“Well … I hope you enjoy, then!” said Eren with a big smile.

 

“Thanks,” said Armin, smiling back. “What are you guys doing today, anyway?”

 

Mikasa beamed. “We’re going to a haunted house tonight!”

 

His eyebrows pinched together. “Really?”

 

She nodded. “Yes. It’s just outside of town. I’ve wanted to go for ages, and Eren’s finally agreed.”

 

“That’s … good,” said Armin finally.

 

He glanced over at Eren. He knew Mikasa could take a haunted house; she’d loved creepy stuff ever since they were kids. And he knew that Eren loved that Mikasa loved those things – but Armin wasn’t sure how long Eren would last in a haunted house without crying.

 

“We’re working through my pamphlet together before anything else, though,” said Eren.

 

Armin felt his stomach sink. “Pamphlet?”

 

Eren beamed. “Yeah! The college President thought the last one was so well-received, he said if I came up with any other useful ideas, then I should definitely draft another and run it by him.”

 

“This one’s on the dangers of surfing,” said Mikasa.

 

Armin was only more confused. “The dangers of … surfing?”

 

Eren nodded. “Yeah!”

 

“I didn’t even know anyone here really surfed,” said Armin, his eyebrows still furrowed.

 

“We have a whole surfing club!” said Eren, his eyes widening in excitement. “There’s this big issue in the club where beginners try and join even though it specifically states that beginners shouldn’t join the club, and then someone ends up getting hurt. It’s an important issue.”

 

Armin was nearly sold on this when Mikasa added, “There’s a whole page on sharks thinking people on surfboards look like seals and try to eat them.”

 

“Right …” said Armin, forcing a smile onto his face. “Well, that sounds great! I hope that goes well!”

 

Eren nodded. “Oh, don’t worry, he’ll love it.”

 

Armin’s fell on the doorknob. “Well, I guess I’ll see you guys later?”

 

Mikasa nodded. “Have a nice time.”

 

“You too,” he said, and disappeared into the hallway.

 

The walk to Annie’s was often a tense journey, but today, Armin was very at ease. The only thing that was tickling his nerves was the idea that Annie might hate this whole outing. He didn’t know how she felt about things like this. But, he supposed, she was the one who had asked – he was just doing what she’d asked of him, and worst case, if she hated it, it was only a few hours; and he’d learn to never take her to an aquarium again.

 

The door opened nearly as soon as he knocked on it, almost as if she was waiting on the other side. Her outfit was as casual as always; black ripped jeans and an oversized white shirt – a Fleetwood Mac shirt, he realised with a smile – and her regular stomping boots. Her hair was down, but it was tucked enough behind her ears for him to catch sight of all the silver piercings in there – and of course, the ring in her nose.

 

“Hey,” he said.

 

“Hey,” she said and then gestured to herself. “Is this outfit fine for whatever you have planned?”

 

Considering he was wearing a very similar outfit – ripped jeans, boots, his jewellery, and his favourite Maki Zenin shirt – he knew she didn’t really need much of an answer.

 

He smiled. “Yeah, it’s more than fine.”

 

“Cool,” she said. “You can tell me where we’re going on the way to the car. Just let me grab my bag.”

 

“Okay,” he said.

 

He waited in the hallway only a moment before she was back in front of him, shrugging her handbag over her shoulder.

 

As they made their way down the hallway, she asked, “So, will you enlighten me now?”

 

Armin shook his head and smiled. “Not until we get there.”

 

Annie turned to him and raised an eyebrow. “You don’t think you’re the one driving there, do you?”

 

“No,” he said. “I’ll just give you directions. It’s a surprise.”

 

She sighed. “If you insist.”

 

Following directions went better than expected, although there was a point where Annie had to turn around after Armin accidently sent her down the wrong turn-off. She was unfazed by it and aside from that, they got there nearly without a hitch, pulling up into the car park that he directed her to, and she cut the engine.

 

Her eyebrows furrowed as she peered through the window towards the sign on the building before her. “‘Aqua’s Aquarium’?”

 

“Yeah,” he said, his own eyebrows drawing together. “Uh … are you disappointed?”

 

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I just hadn’t expected this.”

 

“Oh,” he said, not quite sure what say. “Do you want to head in, then?”

 

She nodded, moving to unclick her seatbelt. “I wouldn’t just want to drive all the way here just to not go inside.”

 

He smiled. “Yeah, fair point.”

 

Armin climbed out of the car and led the way into the aquarium, Annie only a step behind him. She seemed nearly just as confused when they stepped through the door, her eyes trailing over to the gift shop near the exit.

 

“This place has a gift shop?” she asked.

 

“Yeah,” he said with a smile. “There’s some cool stuff in there.”

 

Annie didn’t seem to agree, but she stayed quiet, her eyes trailing over to the part of the aquarium that was visible from the entrance – the section with all of the terrapins, and he watched as her face softened with curiosity. It made some of the tension in his chest soften, too; she had that effect on him far too often.

 

He went to the main desk to show their tickets as she eyed up the tank and then he led her towards them.

 

The enclosure they were in was huge, and some were swimming about while others were resting on the rocky shores that had been built for them.

 

“Diamondback terrapins?” asked Annie, reading the sign. “Are they not just turtles?”

 

“Well, sort of,” said Armin. “They’re semi-aquatic, so they go in and out of the water.”

 

Annie hummed in answer and just watched them swim about their enclosure for a minute. He couldn’t help but steal glances out of the side of his eye at her as she did it. There was a genuine curiosity in her gaze that made him want to just keep talking about those little creatures behind the glass, and before he knew it, words were spilling out of his mouth.

 

“They prefer to stay in brackish water and salt marshes,” he said. “They’re in a lot of coastal areas around the coast, actually, so I guess seeing them here might not exactly be your first time.”

 

Annie shrugged. “They’re still nice.”

 

Her words were enough to keep him going. “Well, they’re really cool. You can see where they get their names from the pattern on their backs.”

 

Armin pointed at the glass where one of their shells was most clear, and she hummed. “Yeah, that’s pretty clear.”

 

He smiled and nodded, before he kept going. “They live for around twenty-five to forty years and they’re pretty sociable; they live in groups with their siblings or even their kids.” He swallowed, and added, “There’s also still a lot we don’t know. They are a species of turtle, and they don’t have vocal chords, so they communicate through physical cues; but they occasionally make tiny sounds, but it hasn’t really been decided whether they’re communicating like that.”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “They don’t have vocal chords?” Then, she added, “I guess that makes sense. I’ve never heard a turtle talk.”

 

He smiled. “Uh, yeah. They’re pretty interesting. They’re also really good swimmers, even though they don’t have flippers.” He pointed at the back feet of one of the terrapins swimming around in its water. “They have webbed feet on their hind legs, which are really strong, so they’re pretty good swimmers.” Then, he added, “A lot of people also think they’re herbivores like tortoises, but they’re actually omnivores. Because of where their habitats are, they eat a lot of small fish and crustaceans.”

 

She raised an eyebrow at him. “How do you know all of this stuff?”

 

His smile faltered and he dropped her gaze. “Uh, well, they’re my favourite animal. I think they’re cool.”

 

Annie’s smile was so slight that, if he hadn’t been looking so closely, he wouldn’t have noticed. “It’s still kind of cute that you know so much about them.”

 

Armin’s cheeks burned pink. Cute? Did she just call him cute?

 

He averted his gaze and turned his face away from hers, hoping desperately that she hadn’t noticed the redness of his face. “Thanks.” Then, he reached out for her wrist and cleared his throat, “Let’s go to the next one.”

 

“Uh … sure,” she said, letting him drag her towards the next enclosure.

 

Armin’s face was still red when they stepped in front of the next create. It was a tank built into the wall with what he knew immediately to be red-bellied piranhas. He would have said something, anything about them if he still didn’t feel so embarrassed.

 

Luckily, Annie spoke. “Holy shit, are they piranhas?”

 

Armin nodded. “Oh, yeah, they are.”

 

When he managed to steal a glance at her, he saw that her eyes were wide, fascinated just by the sight of them. She stepped even closer to the glass to make out more of their tiny features, and if he hadn’t still been shaking off his embarrassment, he would have felt elated that she was so interested.

 

“I had no idea they kept these things in aquariums,” she said.

 

“Yeah, not very many,” said Armin.

 

“How the hell do they even get these things out of the water?” asked Annie. “Can’t they eat a cow in like, three minutes?”

 

Armin felt his stomach twist a little. He’d seen videos of piranhas and enough B-rated horror movies with Mikasa about them to be a tiny bit freaked out by them. He found them interesting – they really were – but any soft spot he’d had had hardened up after seeing them eat in those videos (and even when it was fake in those poor movies).

 

“Yeah,” said Armin with a frown. “I doubt they’re that hard to catch, actually, since –”

 

“Wait,” said Annie, hand coming down to his arm. “Look?”

 

He glanced back up to the tank to see a raw chicken wing being lowered down on strings into the water.

 

“Oh,” said Armin, nose shrivelling. “Guess it’s feeding time.”

 

He reached out for Annie’s arm, but when he looked back over at her, he found that she was just as glued to the tank as she had been before. Her eyes were wide and focused, so he stopped his arm in its motion; if she was enjoying it, for whatever reason, he didn’t want to really ruin it. Even if he didn’t really want to see it.

 

None of them made a move to go for it for some time, all turning to stare at it. That was, until, one of the piranhas took a bite out of the raw chicken wing – and then the frenzy began. It was only a few seconds before it was bare of its meat and then it was replaced by another.

 

The piranhas were clearly getting full this time, because they didn’t move with the same freaky speed as they had before, and by the time they were done, there was clearly still meat on the bone.

 

Annie was absolutely engrossed; Armin wished he’d had the sense to look away.

 

It wasn’t so bad, but he wasn’t about to move Annie, even when they pulled the unfinished wing out of the water. He let Annie watch them swim around in her fascination, until something at the top caught his eye and he blanched.

 

The feeder behind the wall stuck their hand straight into the water down to the wrist and wiggled their fingers.

 

Armin’s stomach flipped but Annie’s laughter was enough to bring him back to reality; the feeder pulled their fingers out, unharmed. It was just a stupid party trick.

 

“You didn’t tell me they did that,” she said, turning to him with a smile. It dropped when she saw his expression. “Armin, are you okay?”

 

He could practically feel how pale he felt. He swallowed and nodded. “Yeah. I’ve never actually seen them do that.”

 

“You don’t look too well,” she said, eyebrows pinching together.

 

“I’m fine,” he said, pushing a weak smile onto his face. “I was just genuinely surprised.”

 

A slight smirk spread over her mouth. “Did you think they were gonna lose their fingers?”

 

“I thought they were going to lose their whole hand,” he said and Annie laughed.

 

She shook her head and reached out for his hand to give it a comforting squeeze. It quietened the racing of his heart in his chest.

 

“It’s fine,” she said. “They kept all their fingers.”

 

“Yeah,” he said, letting out a breathy laugh. “Sorry. I was just really shocked.”

 

“Not a fan of piranhas, then?” she asked, pulling him away from the tank to the next part of the aquarium.

 

“They’re really interesting,” he said. “But I feel like I’ve seen too many bad piranha movies with Mikasa to not get freaked out around them when someone puts their hand in a tank with them.”

 

“They seem harmless when they aren’t hungry,” she said, squeezing his hand.

 

“Maybe,” he said. “But I wouldn’t put my hand in that tank.”

 

She smirked. “I might go to the front desk and ask if I can.”

 

“I think I’d have a heart attack,” he said weakly, and she laughed.

 

“Let’s go and look for the less scary fish, then,” she said in that flat way she had; her subtle way of teasing him.

 

He smiled. “I’m not scared of them.”

 

“Ask to put your fingers in the tank, then.”

 

“Okay, I’ll rephrase that,” he said. “I’m not scared of them when I’m not in the tank with them.”

 

“Coward,” she said, and gently pulled him along into the next room.

 

It was a massive space filled with open-top tanks with a variety of sea life. The terrapins and piranhas had clearly peaked her interest and there was a lightness in her eyes as she looked around at the tanks. The first tank was filled catfish and sea urchins, which was something else that drew Annie’s attention. The tank with the spiny dogfish and stingrays, however, was the one she practically dragged him to when she caught sight of it, hovering her hand over the water when no one was looking in the hopes a stingray would brush beneath her fingertips.

 

A stingray never did, but there was something about the glow in her eyes, the quiet fascination in her that Armin couldn’t quite look away from. He spent more time stealing glances at her than he did looking at the tank in front of him.

 

Annie could eventually be led away to the next tank, filled with a variety of saltwater fish and lobsters and crabs. Annie was interested in watching the lobsters move since she’d actually never seen it before, so he talked to her about them until that glow of focus was in her eye again and she seemed just as thrilled to move onto the next room.

 

He could tell she was momentarily disappointed when they walked into the next huge room. At first, it seemed as if the tanks were all just closed over the top, transparent, but the water was unable to be touched. She still took each tank with time, bit by bit, staring at the seahorses in one tank and sea anemones in the next; she was drawn in by the tank which held starfish and sea urchins, and she spent a lot of time staring at the horseshoe crabs in one of the last tanks.

 

“They’re like four hundred and fifty million years old, you know,” said Armin as she leaned over the tank.

 

Her eyebrows drew together as she looked at them. “They’re older than the dinosaurs?”

 

“Yeah,” said Armin. “They’re basically like living fossils.”

 

She glanced over at him and cocked an eyebrow. “So? Any more fun facts about them?”

 

His cheeks warmed a little, and he glanced towards the water. “They’ve barely ever really evolved, just because they’re so well-adapted to survive. And they’re really interesting from a medical perspective, because they don’t have white blood cells like us, so they have these things called amebocytes that fight off pathogens and trap them in this wall of goo. So that was extracted to test if vaccines could pierce it to check whether they’d be effective on our white blood cells, because if it could get through that, it could affect out white blood cells.”

 

Annie just looked at him for a moment.

 

“What?” he asked. “Did I say something weird?”

 

She shook her head. “No, it was interesting. You just know so much shit about all of this stuff.”

 

“I haven’t told you about everything in here, at least,” he said weakly.

 

“You can,” she said. “I don’t mind. I like it, actually.”

 

Against his better judgement, something in his heart fluttered. He glanced away from her in the hopes that she wouldn’t notice the small smile he couldn’t contain spreading across his lips.

 

“I’m glad,” he said quietly before clearing his throat. “Uhm, there’s some really cool tanks just in the next room if you want to head through.”

 

She nodded and he led them into the next room.

 

It wasn’t as big as the last, but only because there were only two massive tanks, the tops closed as before. But this time, there were dents shaped into the glass, almost like fishbowls in the side of the tanks where you could stick your head to see the creatures swimming by. Or in the case of the axolotl tank, not doing very much.

 

“Holy shit,” said Annie as she poked her head inside.

 

Armin couldn’t help but smile at her. Her hands were pressed on the side of the glass as she poked her head into the bubble, and it was possibly one of the least refined ways he’d seen her.

 

“Cool?” he asked.

 

“Yeah,” she said, still not moving from the bubble. “Any axolotl fun facts?”

 

“Uh, well,” he said, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. “They’re aquatic salamanders and you can only find them in the wild in one place – it’s Lake Xochimilco in Mexico City. But unfortunately, they’re critically endangered.”

 

“Huh,” said Annie. “Guess it’s good there’s some in this aquarium, then.”

 

Armin perked up. “Well, aquariums are actually great for conservation. A lot of them work together globally to help conversation efforts through their breeding programs and research programs – just like zoos.”

 

Annie pulled her head out of the bubble and he caught sight of the slight smirk on her face. “It sounds like you’re advertising.”

 

Armin flushed. “I just think they’re good,” he said weakly.

 

“I know,” she said. “I’m teasing you. Now, do you want to stick your head in the bubble or not?”

 

Armin did, in fact, want to stick his head in the bubble, so Annie stood by quietly as he admired the axolotls in the tank until he decided he was ready to go to the other one. Not that he was being biased or anything, but he did think the other one was better.

 

“More stingrays?” asked Annie.

 

“Polka-dot stingrays,” said Armin. “Their patterns are cooler.”

 

Annie leaned forward and stuck her head in the bubble to watch the polka-dot stingrays swim by, and he could tell by her quiet that she was more fascinated by these ones than she had been by the axolotls. Nothing against axolotls, but Armin knew stingrays were much cooler.

 

“It’s venomous,” said Armin.

 

“Oh, cool,” said Annie, and he smiled. Of course she would think that was cool. “Guessing the dots are for camouflage or something?”

 

“Yeah,” he said. “Allegedly, it’s supposed to resemble sunrays hitting the bottom of the river so they can hide from predators.” Then, he added, “Oh, they’re native to the Xingu river in Brazil – they’re sometimes just called Xingu river ray.”

 

Annie was quiet for a minute. “Reckon you can fit your head in here with me? I’d prefer your commentary up close.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “That’s really not big enough for two heads.”

 

“Shame,” said Annie, and removed her head. “Stick your head in, then. You deserve some fun, too.”

 

He nearly told her he was having fun just being with her, but he bit his tongue. He didn’t want to sound like too much of a creep – friends were friends, and he didn’t want her to think he was hitting on her. So he just took her invitation and pushed his head into the bubble and watched the stingrays slip by. They were definitely more interesting to watch than the axolotl.

 

“Okay,” said Armin once he’d pulled his head out. “There’s just one part left.”

 

“Just one?” she asked.

 

He didn’t miss the hint of disappointment in her voice. “It’s really cool, though,” he said. “I promise.”

 

She didn’t say anything, but she clearly trusted him, which was more than enough. She immediately realised what he meant as she caught sight of the tunnel before they stepped into it, her eyes lighting up again with that curiosity he loved to see.

 

He always thought she was interesting to look at; there was no way to lie about that. But he was fascinated in how engaged she seemed to be even if she wouldn’t necessarily outright say it. Annie was always reserved; nothing ever seemed to really faze her. But here, with him, she seemed genuinely interested in something, and he felt as if he’d spent more time looking at her than anything around them.

 

“Holy shit,” she said quietly as they stepped into the tunnel.

 

He smiled. “Cool, right?”

 

Her eyes were fixed on the water all around them, filled with an array of fish, blacktip sharks, stingrays, lion fish and Morey eels, a blue glow floating around them.

 

Annie just nodded, her eyes focusing on everything around them.

 

They took the tunnel slowly, even with other people milling about. Annie was pointing at creatures above and around them, asking Armin the most obscure questions she could think of and he always gave her an answer, even if he sometimes had to guess – although he had the courtesy to let her know it might not be true.

 

The other people walking faster than them had long since overtaken them, leaving the two of them practically alone in the tunnel, save for a few others who were further behind them and more than happy to take their time. Annie had stopped to stare at the sharks swimming by them, focused on their movements whilst Armin was more interested in her. He tried to keep his glances at her to a minimum, but she seemed too distracted to focus on any look he may have sent her way.

 

Her voice startled him when she spoke, and for a moment he thought he’d been caught. But instead of scolding him, she said, “Thank you for bringing me here.”

 

He looked over at her again. Her eyes were fixed on the fish and he thought, for a moment, that she might have been too embarrassed to look at him. She did say she was having issues with intimacy – but her words were sweet enough to warm his chest, and he smiled.

 

“You’re welcome,” he said.

 

They stayed there for a little while longer, before Annie was ready to go. They took it slow back to the exit, which was fine with Armin, and soon they were near back where they started, with the gift shop before them and the exit right there. There was a crowd of people in front of the gift shop and the bathrooms, practically blocking them both from view.

 

“I’m going to the bathroom,” said Annie.

 

“Oh, cool,” he said. “Think I’ll head there, too.”

 

Armin walked towards the men’s until he saw Annie disappear into the women’s, and once she was out of sight, he quickly turned around and headed straight to the gift shop.

 

It was a stupid idea and there was a very big chance that she would also think it was stupid, but he couldn’t help but think of how she’d been so enthralled when she’d seen those terrifying little fish, and Armin wanted to get her something to remember it by. He was more than lucky that piranha plush toys didn’t seem to be as popular as the other ones – for reasons that were more than obvious to him – and soon he was stood waiting with a bag by the bathrooms for Annie to come out.

 

When she emerged from the bathroom, her eyebrows furrowed at the bag in his hands.

 

“What’s that?” she asked.

 

He held the bag out to her and smiled, only a little nervously. “I thought you might like it. Sorry if it’s stupid.”

 

Her face was just as confused until she took the bag from his hands and peeked inside. Then, her face softened, and she reached inside to pull out a huge, plush replica of a red-bellied piranha. This version, Armin had to say, was a lot cuter.

 

“This is so stupid,” she said softly. “Thank you.”

 

His heart softened. “You like it?”

 

“Of course I do,” she said, carefully slipping it back into the bag. “I wouldn’t have said thank you if I didn’t.”

 

“You also said it was stupid,” he said pointedly.

 

Annie hesitated and still didn’t look him in the eye. “It’s still hard for me to … be nice.”

 

His heart softened. “Oh, yeah,” said Armin, eyebrows pinching together. “Sorry.”

 

She shook her head and smiled a tiny bit. “It is stupid. But it’s thoughtful. So thanks.” Then, she winced. “Do you know how painful it was to say that?”

 

He smiled. “Thank you for trying.”

 

She shook her head. “Okay, enough touchy-feely shit. Want to go get some food? My treat.”

 

He wasn’t about to say no to spending more time with her, so they sit in a comfortable quiet in her car, a Fleetwood Mac song he couldn’t quite identify humming on in the background, as she drove them to wherever she wanted to go.

 

It turned out to be a quaint little Italian place in town where they both just had light and simple pasta dishes, which was enough to keep them content. They drank cool orange juice afterwards and sat talking about Eren’s newest pamphlet idea for a while – which Annie thought, even though it was “unnecessary” and “so stupid” (her exact choice of words), was definitely better than “whatever the hell the mussels one was” (also her words).

 

But once that had stopped, Annie turned to him and said, “Can we play a game?”

 

His heart jumped a little, but he tried to ignore it. “What kind of game?”

 

“Twenty-one questions or something,” she said, her face softening. “I want to get to know you better.”

 

He raised an eyebrow. “I thought that was what this day out was for?”

 

She nodded. “Yeah, but I’m also speed-running the getting to know each other part. Might be fun.”

 

Armin didn’t think he was all that interesting, but he decided to give it a shot. “Okay, yeah. Do you want to start?”

 

“Give me a minute,” she said, looking thoughtful. Then, she asked, “What’s your biggest irrational fear?”

 

“Oh,” he said, looking away. “Uh … I’m pretty scared of piranhas – mostly the being eaten by them part.”

 

Annie snorted. “I figured that.” Then, she added, “You’re being serious, aren’t you?”

 

“They’re freaky,” he said, eyebrows pinching together.

 

“But you love aquariums,” she said pointedly.

 

“Yeah. I love most of the other stuff they have. I don’t love piranhas,” he said. “I think they’re interesting, but they’re pretty scary.”

 

She looked at him for a moment. “I don’t think there’ll be a time in your life where you’ll encounter a piranha in the wild.”

 

“Well, I could go to Brazil,” he said pointedly. “And you asked for my biggest irrational fear.”

 

She paused. “Fair point.” Then, she took a sip of her orange juice, and added, “Do you have a question for me, then?”

 

He thought about it for a long while and tried to play it safe. “What’s your favourite movie?”

 

She hesitated for a moment, before saying, “The Godfather.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Your favourite movie’s The Godfather?”

 

“It’s a good movie, okay?” she said. “Me and my dad used to watch them all when I was younger all the time. It was like the only thing we could agree on.”

 

He was still smiling.

 

“What?” she asked, eyebrows drawing together. “It’s not that bad. It’s a classic movie.”

 

“I’m not saying anything,” he said.

 

“Okay, then,” she said, folding her arms over her chest. “What’s your favourite movie?”

 

“Uh …” he said, glancing away. “It’s probably Ponyo, if I’m being honest.”

 

“Ponyo,” she repeated.

 

“Yeah,” he said weakly.

 

“You’re judging me for my favourite movie being The Godfather and your favourite movie is Ponyo,” she said.

 

“Well …” he said. “Have you seen Ponyo?”

 

“No,” she admitted.

 

“Then I don’t think you can make a fair assessment,” he said.

 

She scoffed. “Really?”

 

“I’d argue it’s better than The Godfather,” he said.

 

She stared at him blankly. “You’re joking.”

 

“I’m not.”

 

“Have you ever seen The Godfather?” she asked.

 

After a pause, he said, “No.”

 

“Well, then you can’t make a fair assessment,” said Annie, leaning back in her seat.

 

“I know enough about it that I can say that Ponyo is better,” he said.

 

“Isn’t it a kid’s movie?” she asked.

 

“More like a family movie,” he said. “And that doesn’t necessarily make it bad.”

 

“No,” she agreed with a nod of her head. “It just has the chance to be less interesting.”

 

“Fine, then,” he said. “I’ll watch The Godfather and I’ll let you know which one is better. I can tell you already that it’s Ponyo.”

 

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “You could lie to me, then. I need to see your reactions. We’ll watch it together.”

 

“Fine,” he said. Then, he added, “In that case, we’re watching Ponyo, too.”

 

“I never agreed to that,” she said.

 

“Those are my terms,” said Armin, crossing his arms over his chest. “We can watch The Godfather together if you watch Ponyo with me, too.”

 

After a pause, Annie sighed and said, “Fine.”

 

He dropped his arms and couldn’t stop his face spreading into a smile. “I know you’ll love it,” he said.

 

She rolled her eyes, but he could see the tiny smirk she was fighting. “Just ask another question.”

 

“Okay,” he said. “Favourite song?”

 

“That’s pretty tough,” said Annie, eyebrows raised.

 

“Okay, then. Just tell me one of your favourites,” he said.

 

She paused for a minute before she said, “Edge of Seventeen.”

 

He tried to fight the smile rising on his face again. “Stevie Nicks?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “Did you expect something else?”

 

He shrugged. “I didn’t expect anything.” Then, he added, “Maybe I should have guessed.”

 

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Do you have a favourite song?”

 

“Oh,” he said, eyebrows pinching together. “I don’t really know.”

 

“It can be an anime theme,” she offered.

 

He frowned. “I like other music, you know.”

 

“Okay, then. No favourite song,” she said. “Just a song you like. Right off the top of your head.”

 

He paused and said, “Sleep on the Floor.”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Who’s that by?”

 

After he hesitated, he said, “The Lumineers.”

 

Her eyebrows raised. “You do not like The Lumineers.”

 

“Just some of their songs,” he said weakly.

 

“Is that the stuff you like?” she asked. “Apart from anime themes?”

 

“I like some pop and rock, too” he said. “I don’t really listen to a lot of music.”

 

“I just hadn’t thought you’d like folk music,” she said.

 

“They’re not really folk,” he said.

 

“They really are,” said Annie. Then, she added, “What’s it about?”

 

“What?” he asked, eyebrows furrowing.

 

“The song,” she said. “What’s it about?”

 

“Oh,” he said dumbly.

 

For some reason, he hadn’t been expecting that. But of course Annie would ask that – she loved music. She was a musician, after all. He took a moment to think about it before he spoke again.

 

“I guess part of it’s about just … running away,” he said. “Starting new somewhere; going to a big city and living a big dream. It feels like a road trip song – a sort of hopeful thing.” Then, he added, “I don’t really know, that’s sort of just how I interpreted it.”

 

But Annie nodded. “I’ll have to listen to it.”

 

After a moment of pause, he added, “They have other nice songs.”

 

She raised an eyebrow and a smirk came to her lips. “Oh, do they?”

 

He felt his cheeks warm. “You’re making fun of me.”

 

“I’m not,” she said with a shake of her head. “Let me know what they are. I’ll put them on in the car.”

 

He saw a genuineness in her light eyes, and he decided to be honest with her. “I like Cleopatra,” he admitted. “And Ophelia.”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “How many of their songs are named after women?”

 

He let out a breath of laughter. “A few of them.”

 

Annie shook her head, but she took her phone out of her pocket to note them down before she raised an eyebrow at him again. “Any more questions?”

 

“Uh …” he said as he thought, eyebrows pinching together. Then, his face softened, and he asked, “Do you have a favourite book?”

 

She paused for a while, before she said, “I’ll tell you if you promise not to laugh.”

 

“Why would I laugh?” he asked.

 

“I don’t know,” she said. “Just promise me.”

 

“Okay,” he said with a tiny smile. “I promise.”

 

She paused for a moment before she said, “It’s The Grapes of Wrath.”

 

His eyebrows raised. “Really?”

 

“Yeah, really,” she said, her eyebrows furrowed. “Is it that unbelievable?”

 

“I just didn’t know you liked John Steinbeck,” he said with a shrug. “Or classics.”

 

Annie shrugged. “I don’t read a lot, but I haven’t really found a book I liked more.”

 

He smiled. “It’s a good book. I prefer East of Eden, though.”

 

“Because it’s less depressing?” she asked flatly.

 

“That’s probably why,” he said, still smiling.

 

He felt her boot nudge his foot underneath the table.

 

“What’s your favourite book, then?” she asked.

 

He glanced away for a moment and reached up to rub the back of his neck. “Well, I mean … I like a lot of books.”

 

She raised an eyebrow at him. “You look like you thought of one and just don’t want to say it.”

 

His smile was frail. “Okay, maybe. Just don’t laugh.”

 

“I won’t,” she promised.

 

He paused and finally admitted, “The Notebook.”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “The Notebook?”

 

“I like it,” he said weakly.

 

“But The Grapes of Wrath is too depressing,” she said, a small smirk on her mouth.

 

“The Grapes of Wrath is much sadder than The Notebook,” he said.

 

“I think they’re about on par,” she said.

 

“I disagree,” said Armin.

 

“We’re agreeing to disagree,” she said. Then, she said, “Can I ask you something?”

 

Armin’s heart stuttered. “Yeah, of course.”

 

“Would you be willing to go somewhere with me?” she asked.

 

His eyebrows raised. “Right now?”

 

Annie nodded. “Yeah. It’s a surprise, though.”

 

His heart softened. “You’ve got a surprise for me?”

 

“Well, kind of,” she said. “I know it was your turn to pick somewhere, but if you aren’t busy for the rest of the day, I had something else in mind. If you want to go, that is.”

 

The words slipped past his lips before he even thought to stop them. “I’d go anywhere with you.”

 

Armin was frozen at his own statement as her eyebrows raised. Why had he said that? He could have said anything in the world, and for some reason he decided to say that?

 

But his nerves settled when she scoffed. “That would be a really stupid thing to do.”

 

He smiled weakly. “Maybe.”

 

When they were both finished with their drinks, they headed back over to her car. The weather was warmer than usual, and Annie had the window rolled down as she drove them on their way. She’d added those songs he liked to the queue, and the softness of the guitar in them were enough to nearly lull Armin to sleep where he sat in the passenger side.

 

He must have dozed in and out because it was the car engine cutting out that shocked him back into consciousness.

 

“I hope you’re not that tired,” said Annie, puffing out her vape of the open window.

 

Armin rubbed his eyes and readjusted his glasses. “I’m not.”

 

But as he stretched, something not entirely familiar reached his ears – a sloshing sort of sound surrounded by the echoes of bird calls. In the next heartbeat, his nose picked up a smell; salty air that he hadn’t smelled in almost years. His gaze focused past the windscreen and there it was, far away from where they’d parked, just down a dusty, green hill.

 

The beach.

 

His eyes turned back to Annie.

 

“Surprise,” she said.

 

Armin was at a loss for words. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected when she said she had a surprise for him before she started driving, but this had been the last thing he’d expected.

 

“I promised I’d take you a while ago,” said Annie. “So, I thought, since we have time, why not today?”

 

His eyes were soft on hers. “Annie,” he said softly. “Thank you.”

 

She shrugged. “It’s no problem. I wanted to come here with you, anyway. It wasn’t like it was a completely selfless thing.”

 

“Still,” he said. “Thank you.”

 

She elbowed him lightly. “Don’t get too sentimental. It might make me run away.”

 

He smiled. “Well, this would be a good opportunity to just push me out and drive.”

 

She shook her head. “I think I’d regret it.” Then, she added, “So? Wanna go swimming?”

 

Armin looked down at himself. It was a nice outfit, at least in his opinion, but it definitely wasn’t something that he could go swimming in. “I don’t have anything to wear.”

 

“I bought you some swimming trunks,” she said, gesturing behind her. “They’re in the trunk with a few towels.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “When did you buy those?”

 

She glanced away from him. “I bought them when I first promised to take you.”

 

His heart softened. “That long ago?”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed, but she still wasn’t looking at him; and if he didn’t know any better, he would have said she was blushing. “I was going to take you eventually, so I thought I’d be prepared.”

 

“Thank you,” he said softly.

 

“Again – don’t be so touchy-feely!” she said. “Don’t think too much about it.”

 

He smiled. “I’ll try not to.”

 

Annie sighed and a tiny smile rose to her lips. She nudged him again and said, “Okay. Let’s go change and go swimming.”

 

They took turns getting changed in the car, the other keeping watch to make sure no one was walking by, Armin changing first into the blue trunks she’d picked out for him with matching flip-flops, leaving his glasses folded up in the glovebox, before climbing out of the car so she could change. He stood waiting only a few moments before she emerged from the back of her car in a black swimsuit, a big bag in hand holding some towels, and even flip-flops on her feet. All of her piercings had been discarded and her hair was pinned back into a loose bun.

 

“Okay,” she said, locking the car and slipping her keys into her bag. “Let’s hope this doesn’t get stolen.”

 

He followed her down the hill until they were on the sand, standing beside her as she lay down their towels and placed her bag somewhere where she would be able to see it from the water. Then, she kicked off her flip-flops and he did the same, and they slowly started making their way towards the shore.

 

There were quite a few people on the beach – it wasn’t that late and the weather was mild, but Armin had a feeling the water wouldn’t be as warm as it looked. But he couldn’t find it in himself to care; the seagulls were cawing above them, the salty ocean breeze was sifting through his hair, the sand sticking between his toes. It was something he’d wanted for so long and he hadn’t imagined it would be here so soon.

 

Both of them dipped their toes into the water only to find it lukewarm at best and quite frankly cold at worst.

 

She turned to him and raised an eyebrow, a gleam coming into her eye. “Well? Are we going in or not?”

 

He smiled at her and watched as her lips spread into a smile, too, and for a moment, everything felt perfect.

 

He started moving into the water whilst Annie was still standing on the shore. “Well?” he said, looking back over his shoulder at her. “Are you coming in or not?”

 

Annie wasn’t one to resist a challenge like this, so she came plunging in after them. They kept plodding into the water until it reached Annie’s shoulders and then they both paused before she decided to dive beneath the water and start swimming.

 

She appeared ahead of him, head soaking, a grin on her mouth. “Are you gonna swim at any point or did I drive all the way out here for nothing?”

 

He smiled back at her and moved into the deeper water until he had to tread it, and only then did he start swimming through the water. It was colder than the water at the college’s swimming pool, but it was even more refreshing, and the movements of the waves, pushing him around gently made him feel more alive than he ever did in the pool.

 

He turned onto his back and swam a bit further in backstroke before he felt something grab onto his leg and pull. He sputtered and splashed and just beyond all the noise he was making, he could hear Annie laughing so hard she seemed to be losing her breath. He managed to regain his balance and returned to treading water, only to see her still grinning, treaded the water not too far away from him.

 

Oh. So that was the game she was playing.

 

Without another thought, Armin dove under the water and started swimming towards her. She started swimming away just a few seconds too late, because she couldn’t manage to put any more distance between them, and his hand wrapped around her ankle and dragged her down beneath the water.

 

It only took her a moment to shake him off before they both rose to the surface, taking deep breaths and trying to rub the saltwater from their eyes.

 

But before he could completely regain his senses again, water splashed into his face and he found himself sputtering again, and the sounds of Annie’s laughter was enough to let him know that she was the one behind it.

 

By the time his vision cleared, he saw her padding back to a shallower depth and he took off behind her, determined to get payback. She slowed down when she got to the point she could stand up, but Armin stayed paddling for a little longer to gain more momentum, and stood up before her, thrusting his arms out to catch her in a big splash of water.

 

“Refreshing, isn’t it?” asked Armin as Annie wiped her face.

 

He was smiling down at her once she opened her eyes again. “Someone’s getting too confident.”

 

His smile moved into a grin, but it soon disappeared as she splashed him again. This time, it just made him laugh and he splashed her back before disappearing beneath the water so she couldn’t get him again.

 

When he popped up in front of her again, he hadn’t been prepared for her to be ready for him – it should have been evident from the smirk on her mouth. Before he knew it, something powerful hit his legs and he splashed into the water onto his back. When he regained his senses, he could hear Annie laughing again, and it was such a nice sound that he couldn’t even be upset with a dirty trick like that.

 

“Truce?” he asked as he stood back up.

 

The water was up to her shoulders, but he still saw as she crossed her arms and said, “For a little while, maybe.”

 

“Maybe?” he asked with a smile.

 

“Yeah,” she said, her mouth splitting into a smile. “Maybe.”

 

He scoffed, but he was still smiling. “Okay.”

 

He moved to lie on his back, gently moving his legs and hands to stay afloat, and he sighed as he let his eyes fall shut. There really weren’t many things in life, at least for him, that were much better than this.

 

“Hey,” said Annie softly, and his eyes opened.

 

He hadn’t noticed how close she was still standing next to his floating form. He couldn’t help but smile at her again like a stupid fool.

 

“Hey,” he said, just as gently.

 

“So is this everything like you imagined?” she asked.

 

He was smiling so much in nearly hurt. “It’s perfect.”

 

Annie let out a tiny breathy laugh. “I’m sure there’s nicer seas to go swimming in.”

 

“I like this one,” he said. “And you brought me here, so … it’s better than any others I could be at right now.”

 

Annie scoffed. “I don’t know. Maybe a warmer one.”

 

“I like that we’re here together,” he said.

 

Annie’s voice was soft. “Yeah?”

 

“Yeah,” he said, honestly.

 

Annie was quiet for a moment. “So do I.” Before he could respond, she added, “But I’d prefer to be with you at a warmer beach.”

 

“It’ll be warm in the summer,” he offered.

 

“We won’t be here in the summer,” she pointed out.

 

“A road trip, then?” he asked.

 

“We don’t live near each other,” she said.

 

“I’ll get a flight to you,” he said. “And then we can road trip it.”

 

Annie smiled ever so slightly and shook her head. “That’s such a waste of money.”

 

He said it without thinking, even though he knew that maybe he shouldn’t. “I’d waste it all for you.”

 

She scoffed and glanced away. “You’re being too sentimental again.”

 

He smiled. “Sorry. I wouldn’t spend a penny for you.”

 

She looked back at him. “That’s better.”

 

He laughed and straightened himself up in the water, stepping backwards into the deeper section. The waves were picking up a bit now and becoming rougher by the minute, so he didn’t want to go much further out. Annie moved towards him and started treading water, and soon enough she was only a few steps away from him.

 

“Can I tell you something?” she said.

 

“Of course you can,” he said with a smile.

 

There was a smirk curling the corners of her lips. “The truce is over.”

 

His smile faltered and suddenly he felt Annie’s entire weight crash into him as she yanked the both of them beneath the water. She let go of him and he splashed rapidly in the water until he was on his feet again, wiping the water from his eyes, only to see Annie emerge from the water in the shallower part, her expression soft as she gazed at him.

 

“You play dirty,” he said, his eyebrows pinched together.

 

She shrugged, but there was something so soft in her smile that, for a moment, he couldn’t stop looking at her. She’d always been beautiful, but here in the sea, with that look on her face, she looked more than divine. He was certain, in that moment, that there had never been a person to live to look as radiant as she did.

 

“I never claimed to play fair,” she said softly.

 

He let out a short breath of laughter. “Yeah, I suppose that’s true.”

 

He made his way towards her in the water, no particularly dirty tricks in mind like he was sure she was thinking of, but he was considering if she’d start laughing the way she’d been earlier if he started their silly splashing all over again. But as he moved in front of her, Annie didn’t make any moves, so neither did he.

 

Then, before he knew it, her arms were around him, her head resting against his shoulder.

 

“Annie?” he asked, his arms tentatively coming around her back.

 

“Thank you for sticking around,” she said quietly. “Even though I haven’t made any of this easy.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed and he said lightly, “I thought you hated being touchy-feely.”

 

Annie scoffed against his skin. “I do. I just felt like you deserved to hear it.”

 

“Oh,” he said. “Well … you’re welcome. But it hasn’t been hard. It’s really easy to be around you.” He swallowed and let out a nervous, breathy laugh. “More easy than it should be, I think.” Then, his eyebrows furrowed and he corrected himself. “More easy than I think ... we need it to be.”

 

Annie’s face moved away from his shoulder and she looked up at him. Her eyes matched the colour of the sea they were standing in, but they were ten times as gorgeous.

 

“Do you think?” she asked quietly.

 

He swallowed again. “Well …”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “What do we need right now?”

 

“Well,” he said hopelessly. “I don’t know.”

 

He couldn’t move his gaze off of hers, even as the waves around them started getting even harsher than before. The weather was clearly taking a darker turn, but neither of them would budge from where they stood.

 

“How much difference is there between what you need and what you want?” she asked.

 

If he didn’t know any better, he would have thought that her half-lidded eyes had flickered down to his lips. But he did know better – he must have imagined it.

 

“I guess it depends,” he said. “How bad is the thing you want?”

 

Annie looked at him in a way that was making his heart race in the most exciting of ways.

 

“I don’t think it’s bad at all,” she said quietly. “Not now.”

 

His eyebrows raised. “Not now?”

 

She shook her head slightly and smiled. “Not anymore.”

 

He nodded. “Not anymore,” he said.

 

She laughed lightly and it made his whole chest warm. She was still looking at him, and he was looking at her, too – but he supposed that wasn’t anything special, considering he felt as if he was always looking at her when she was around. He swore her eyes moved down to his lips again, and he couldn’t help the way his drifted down to hers. Soft and small and pink; he hadn’t forgotten how nice they used to feel pressed against his skin and he would have traded anything in that moment to feel them against his.

 

Just as he opened his mouth to say something, to check he understood what she was implying, to ask her if this was okay – the hard water crashed into them, up over both of their heads, and when it fell again, both of them had pulled apart and were sputtering, hard.

 

Annie coughed and smiled only a tiny bit. “Maybe we should get out before we get swept away.”

 

Armin wiped his face clean. “Yeah,” he said, offering her a slight smile. “Probably a good idea.”

 

Annie moved out of the water and he was only a few steps behind her, following her up to where she’d left her bag and they both dried themselves off on the towels, before heading back up to the car. They wiped the sand off of their feet and took turns changing again, before the piled back into her car.

 

“We should come here again soon,” she said as she started the engine.

 

He smiled over at her. “I’d like that.”

 

Her smile was as sweet as it always was and the sight of it made his heart ache. “Good.”

 

Before they pulled away, Annie started up a playlist before beginning to pull out of the parking lot. Both of the windows rolled down for a moment, and his eyebrows furrowed, but as they pulled onto the bigger road, Annie quickly twisted the volume up, and suddenly, Sleep on the Floor started playing out of the speakers.

 

He smiled to himself, knowing Annie would be smiling too, and knowing that that was more than enough for now, and maybe forever.

 

 

Notes:

Hey all! I managed to get this out sooner since I've been on a break from uni. I'm hoping I can stay more consistent with the following chapters, but I have so many assignments due soon, so we'll just have to see! Just know it will be coming :)

This one was really fun to write. Just in case anyone is interested, I listened to Cornelia Street while writing most of the first part and then I was listening to Halley's Comet while writing the beach scene, which gave me such heartache for these two little idiots :,) I'm really excited for where this story is going and I hope you guys enjoy it, too.

Giving my shout out here for my partner helping me figure out the whole layout of this aquarium as I've never been to one but they have lol. And of course, thanks to everyone reading and following this story! It means the absolute world to me <3

As always, comments are more than welcome! I love reading your thoughts, they really make my day :) <3

Thanks again for reading, and I'll see you all in the next one! <3

Chapter 15: a new secret

Armin managed to smother his smile once he at Annie parted ways back at the dorms, but once she was more than out of sight, he couldn’t stop his mouth from grinning so much, or his heart from humming the way it was.

 

Had that really happened out there in the sea? It really looked like she was thinking about kissing him. Almost like …

 

He shook his head, but he was still smiling. It might have just been a slip-up. But Annie seemed to be getting better; or at least, she was making a physical effort to be better. She was being more open and genuine, she was trying to get more comfortable with physical touch; she was trying, that much was clear. So maybe what had happened in the sea was not something to really dwell too much on, but like an idiot, he couldn’t stop smiling.

 

His mood was only slightly soured by the appearance of the sock on the handle of his dorm room door.

 

Well, he thought. At least there’s a sock.

 

He turned around and headed to Sasha’s room, hoping she would be in but at the same time, so happy that he wasn’t sure he’d be that disappointed if she wasn’t. He managed to contain his smile by the time he reached the door, but his heart was still soaring in that strange way it had been since they’d been standing in the sea; Sasha, at least, wouldn’t be able to see that.

 

When the door opened, she was wearing a hoodie and sweatpants, a box of fancy chocolates in her hands and one clearly in her mouth.

 

“Hey,” she said, swallowing the chocolate. “Need somewhere to stay?”

 

He nodded. “Is that okay?”

 

“Sure,” she said, stepping aside. “Mikasa’s side isn’t really messy, so it should be fine.”

 

Mikasa’s side was cluttered at worst whereas Sasha’s side of the room looked a bit more like a dumping ground, although she did make a tiny bit of an effort to tidy up as he settled himself down onto Mikasa’s bed.

 

As he watched her hurriedly throw empty chip packets into the small trash can at the end of her desk, something came into his mind.

 

“Sasha?” he asked.

 

“Yeah?” she said, not even turning around.

 

“Are you busy this Saturday?” he asked.

 

“What, like today?” she asked.

 

“No, the Saturday coming up,” he said.

 

“Uh …” she said, pausing. “I think I’m going to a restaurant with Niccolo. Why?”

 

“Oh,” he said. “I was just going to this thing with Mikasa and everyone and I thought you might be interested.”

 

“What is it?” she asked, shoving the last piece of trash on her desk into the trash can.

 

“Just a gig,” he said.

 

Sasha stopped and turned around. “Annie’s gig?”

 

Even the sound of her name made his heart stutter.

 

“Uh, no,” he said, glancing away from her for a moment. “It’s another band. Annie’s coming, too, though.”

 

She tilted her head. “You’re smiling.”

 

“Huh?” he asked, reaching up to his face.

 

Against his will, he’d started smiling again like an absolute fool. What was wrong with him? Even the thought of her was making him far too giddy.

 

“Didn’t you guys break up?” she asked.

 

“We’re still friends,” he said. “I was just hanging out with her.”

 

Her eyebrows raised. “You were?”

 

“Yeah,” he said, eyebrows pinching together. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

 

A smirk was threatening to pull across Sasha’s lips. “You just seem like – what would my Dad call it? – “smitten” for her.”

 

His cheeks warmed. “I’m not smitten for her. We’re just friends.”

 

“You weren’t,” she said. “And now you’ve been with her alone? And you’re smiling – a lot.”

 

His face fell into a frown. “I’m not smiling.”

 

“You really were,” she said. “What were you guys doing, then?”

 

Armin averted her gaze. “Uh … we went to the aquarium and got food and then we went to the beach.”

 

Sasha didn’t say anything for so long that Armin looked at her again. She had the look on her face again as if she was trying to contain laughter, but Armin didn’t quite get what was funny about anything he’d said.

 

“So … you went on a date,” said Sasha.

 

“No!” he said. “It wasn’t a date! Can two people not just hang out platonically?”

 

“They can,” said Sasha with a nod. “Can you and Annie?”

 

Armin remembered the way she’d looked at him when the waves were crashing all around them and he felt the blush on his face deepen.

 

“Of course we can,” he said. “We just did, all day.”

 

“Okay,” said Sasha, but she was still pulling that stupid face, her lips upturned into a struggling smirk. “I believe you.”

 

Armin sighed. “Do you just want to watch Yakitate Japan?”

 

“Are you just trying to change the subject?” she asked.

 

“A little,” he admitted. “But you want to watch it too, right?”

 

In the end, Sasha did want to watch more of Yakitate Japan, and when the next episode started rolling, she was clearly too distracted to try and tease him more about Annie. He still couldn’t quite relax until the first episode they were watching was over and the next one came to life on the screen right after. After that, Sasha really did seem to let it go, and he let himself enjoy the show and stop thinking about it.

 

When he lay in Mikasa’s bed later that night, listening to Sasha’s soft snores as he stared up at the whiteness of the ceiling, he couldn’t help but think about the fact that he might have jumped the gun. He’d been happy – was still very happy – but did he really have any reason to be? The last thing he wanted to do was push Annie; put her in a place she wasn’t ready to be in, even if he wanted her to be. And maybe he was too overt at the beach; maybe he’d took it a step too far.

 

He sighed and rolled over. He’d been thinking with his heart a little bit too much and ignoring logic. Mikasa had been right about that – he didn’t act very logically when it came to Annie, and it was showing right now. Maybe he needed to be more careful.

 

When he walked to his room the next morning, Eren and Mikasa were still there, curled up beneath the covers of Eren’s small bed again, so Armin quietly slipped into his own and closed his eyes in an attempt to get a little bit more sleep?, even if it was only for an hour or so. When he woke up again, Mikasa was nowhere to be seen, but Eren was sitting at his desk, seemingly making edits to his next pamphlet in progress.

 

“Good morning,” chirped Eren.

 

“Morning,” said Armin. “Good night last night?”

 

Armin regretted asking when Eren turned to him with a grin. “A very good night.”

 

Armin’s nose shrivelled. “Good to hear. I think.”

 

“What about you?” asked Eren.

 

“Doubt that I was having as much fun as you were,” said Armin, dropping back down against his pillow. “Me and Sasha watched Yakitate Japan.”

 

“So, you didn’t end up staying with Annie,” said Eren.

 

Armin ran a hand over his face and sighed. “We’re just friends. You know that.”

 

“Okay, okay,” said Eren. “I just thought I would ask.”

 

“Mikasa would probably kill me if something happened,” said Armin. Then, he sat back up, his eyebrows furrowing. “Are you asking for Mikasa?”

 

“Oh, no,” said Eren, waving him off. “I just wanted to know. Mikasa’s sort of let the whole you and Annie thing go.” Then, he added, “She does have a life outside of you, you know.”

 

Armin frowned. “I’m aware.”

 

“However, I’m pretty interested still, so I wanted to know,” said Eren. “Did you at least have a fun day?”

 

“Yeah,” said Armin, trying his best not to smile at the memory of it. “It was really nice, actually.”

 

“Good to hear,” said Eren. Then, his face changed. “Can I ask you a favour?”

 

Armin’s stomach dropped. “It depends what it is,” he said slowly.

 

“Nothing big, I promise,” said Eren. “I’ve got a meeting with the College President tomorrow about this new pamphlet, so I was wondering, if he approves it – which he probably will – if you could help me hand them out on Tuesday?”

 

Well, at least it wasn’t a bad favour. He’d done it before, anyway – it wasn’t that hard and only a little bit mortifying.

 

“Yeah, sure,” said Armin, flashing him a slight smile.

 

“Thanks!” said Eren, beaming. “I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow night.”

 

Armin was lying in bed reading the latest chapter of Jujutsu Kaisen on his phone when Eren burst in with the biggest smile on his face, and he knew in that moment that the College President had loved it. Armin had no idea why he’d taken to it so much; then again, the graphics on it were just bad enough that Mr Smith might have thought it was suitable for this generation since, apparently, he barely understood how to navigate Facebook.

 

Eren was so excited about it that Armin didn’t have the heart to tell him it was probably getting approved because Mr Smith likely thought it was similar in design to a meme, so he just smiled and nodded along with everything he had to say about it.

 

At least this pamphlet was more informative. He felt less embarrassed about standing in the middle of campus, smiling at passing students and trying to hand them out. Although he imagined Eren was having the time of his life wherever he was on campus handing those things out.

 

His stomach nearly dropped when he caught sight of Ymir walking towards him. He liked Ymir, but he knew in his heart that she would absolutely tear apart this pamphlet, and for a moment, he was glad Eren wasn’t around to see it.

 

“Hey, Arlert,” she said, holding her hand out. “What are you giving out there?”

 

“Eren’s pamphlets,” he said, handing one to her.

 

She squinted at it. “This is vile to even look at. The dangers of surfing?”

 

“Apparently, a lot of people here go surfing,” said Armin. “There’s a club for it.”

 

“A club?” asked Ymir, her nose shrivelling. “Never heard of it.”

 

“Honestly, I hadn’t until Eren mentioned it,” he said.

 

“What does it matter, anyway,” said Ymir, folding up the pamphlet before shoving it into the back pocket of her jeans. “Anyway, that wasn’t what I was here for. I wanted to mention that Historia’s got another party coming up. No official invitations, yet, though.”

 

“Oh, okay,” said Armin, trying his best to ignore the way his stomach was sinking at the mere mention of it.

 

The last party had ended up going so atrociously he’d practically cried down the phone to Annie’s voicemail. It was a good thing he’d been as drunk as he was otherwise he doubted he would have ever been able to live that down. Although, maybe if he hadn’t drank at all, he wouldn’t have even thought to call her in the first place – at least not in the way he did.

 

“I’m telling you early, anyway, to make sure you have whatever’s going on in your love life sorted before then,” said Ymir.

 

“Huh?” he asked.

 

A rush of panic flooded him and for a moment he was convinced that she knew all of the things that had been going on in his life. But there was no way she could know that. Only he, Annie and Hitch really knew any of the smaller details, and he sincerely doubted either of them would have told anyone. Well – maybe Hitch would have told Marlowe, but who would he have gone and told? He doubted Marlowe would really care about any of that.

 

“I mean, Historia’s inviting Annie and Mikasa, too, so she doesn’t want any drama,” said Ymir.

 

Oh. Because of last time.

 

Armin’s face flushed. “Me and Annie are fine. We’re friends. And nothing ever happened between me and Mikasa.”

 

“Really?” said Ymir, crossing her arms over her chest. “That photo was pretty telling, I’ve got to say. Floch’s disgusting for peeping on you guys, and I’ll definitely hit him for that if you want me to, but you weren’t in a very forgivable position, either.”

 

“Nothing happened,” he insisted. “She spilled wine on my clothes so she was going to rinse it out before it stained, and –”

 

“I’m just yanking your chain,” said Ymir, waving him off. “I nearly believed it for one second, and to be honest, I was impressed. Screwing the scariest girl on campus was one thing, but then the local goth on top of that? I’m almost disappointed it wasn’t true.”

 

“Well, sorry to disappoint you,” said Armin with a frown.

 

“Well, I’m glad we cleared it up!” said Ymir, slapping him on the shoulder. “That’ll make things less awkward, then. Floch will probably be there, though, so if you get into any compromising positions with either of them, just try and be more discrete.”

 

“I won’t be getting into any ‘compromising positions’ with anyone,” said Armin, face still twisted in a scowl.

 

“Only time will tell!” she said. “Here, give me a few of those pamphlets. I’ll give them to Historia and her sorority.”

 

“Sure,” he said.

 

He held his hand out for her to take as many as she liked from his hands, and then she was gone, and Armin let out a sigh of relief. He knew Ymir didn’t believe that dumb rumour, but other people clearly did. It shouldn’t have bothered him; he knew it wasn’t true, so did Mikasa, obviously – and Eren and Annie knew it wasn’t true, which was the most important part. Still, it really got under his skin when he realised other people still thought that.

 

He sighed once he was out of sight and when he heard footsteps approaching over the grass from behind him, he put on his best smile for the next person, but it faltered slightly when he met Annie’s eyes.

 

All of her piercings were in, shining silver, and her hair was tied back in that usual messy way it always was. She was wearing ripped jeans and a large, oversized shirt of a band he didn’t know.

“Oh,” he said dumbly, and smiled again, this time genuinely. “Hey, Annie.”

 

“Hey,” she said, her eyes flickering down to his hands. “Those pamphlets are ugly as hell.”

 

“Yeah,” he said, letting out a breath of laughter. “The college President liked them, though, so.”

 

“God only knows why,” she said. Then, she said, “So, I guess everyone still thinks you hooked up with Mikasa, then?”

 

Armin’s stomach dropped and his entire smile disappeared. “Uh … so you heard that.”

 

“Most of it,” she said with a nod. “I was literally just stood over by the trees. Ymir could see me.”

 

“Oh …” he said. “I didn’t realise.” Then, he added, “You know it isn’t true, right?”

 

“Of course I do,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “And Ymir clearly gets it, too. She just wanted to get a rise out of you when I was right there.”

 

“Oh,” he said again, looking down at the pamphlets in his hands. “Sounds like Ymir.”

 

Annie scoffed. “Yeah.” Then, she added, “If you want, I’m sure me and Mikasa could start some fake drama.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows pinched together. “I really don’t want that.”

 

She shrugged. “Thought I’d offer.”

 

“Well, thanks,” he said, pushing a weak smile onto his lips. “Oh, by the way, Mikasa, Eren, Marco and Jean are all coming on Saturday. And me, but you already knew that.”

 

She nodded. “Cool. Reiner’ll be excited. God knows he wants to make a big thing of it all.”

 

“Well, there you go,” he said. “I asked Sasha, but she’s busy, and I doubt it’s Connie’s thing, either.”

 

“No,” said Annie, shaking her head. “He already asked him at practice.”

 

“Oh, okay,” he said. “Well, I’m looking forward to it.”

 

“It shouldn’t be too bad,” she said. “I’m hoping Reiner and Bert don’t want to do afters with them, though. No offence, but I wouldn’t really want to. I’ll be drunk and God only knows what I’d end up saying to them.”

 

He smiled. “Would it really be that bad?”

 

She groaned. “Yeah, I don’t really want to invite them out to dinner or anything. Things could have ended better between us – acquaintances is fine. I think Reiner’s also doing this to try and get them to promote us a little, but that isn’t gonna work at all.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Why does he think that?”

 

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I think he thinks if we show up with a lot of people, then they’ll come to our gigs with a lot of people. Then if their friends like it, they’ll bring more of their other friends and so on. You get the picture.”

 

“I mean, I guess it’s an okay idea,” he said.

 

“Yeah. An okay idea,” she said. “It’s definitely not gonna work. We didn’t want to make the exact same music. We’re more pop-punk and alternative, and they lean towards gothic. We started as pop-punk all together, but they wanted to go down that road.”

 

“Oh,” said Armin. “You really think they wouldn’t give it a chance?”

 

“They’ll probably come to one, just to make a point,” she said. “But otherwise, probably not.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Don’t they come to this college, too?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “Don’t remind me. They don’t live in the dorms, though, so that’s probably why you’ve never seen them.”

 

Armin had seen them when he and Hitch had went in search of her, but he wasn’t about to bring that up right now. He had a feeling that that was a bit of a sore subject for Annie considering she was trying to work through all of the things that got her to up and leave in the first place.

 

“Maybe they’ll come to Historia’s party this time,” he said.

 

She scowled. “I hope not. Reiner and Bert will either be making out or spending time with them, and God knows what Hitch will be getting up to.”

 

“You could hang out with me and everyone else,” said Armin. “I’ll probably be fifth-wheeling, so …”

 

“I might have to take you up on that offer,” she said with a sigh.

 

Armin smile and tried to ignore the way his heart was beating in his chest. He could look at her for a whole lifetime and he’d never tire of it – the curl of her eyelashes, the pools of her eyes, her curved nose and soft, pink lips … sometimes he was sure he was looking at a work of art rather than a person.

 

“Armin?” she said.

 

“Huh?” he said, snapping out of his thoughts.

 

She scowled. “There’s an asshole heading our way.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows pinched together and then he glanced over his shoulder to see none other than Floch Forster walking towards them.

 

His stomach flipped. What the hell does he want?

 

“Well, if it isn’t the two lovebirds,” said Floch with a smirk on his face, folding his arms over his chest.

 

Armin sighed. “What do you want?”

 

“I heard you were giving out Eren’s pamphlets, so I wanted to get a look at them,” he said, holding his hand out.

 

Armin paused for a minute before holding one out to him.

 

“Don’t know why you want it,” said Annie flatly. “I doubt they smell anything like Eren by now, so it’s probably not the quality jerk-off content you’re looking for.”

 

Floch’s sly expression turned into a deep scowl. “If I wanted that, I would have gotten one from Eren himself, thanks.” He gestured to the pamphlet in her hands and said, “But I’m guessing Armin’s hands have been sweating on these long enough for you to give it a good whiff while you go for it.”

 

“Why would I need the pamphlet when he’s right here?” she said, making Armin’s face flush.

 

Floch paused for a second. “You know, Annie. I guess it’s really big of you that you haven’t tried to cave his skull in yet, considering he fucked Mikasa as soon as you were gone for a few weeks.”

 

“Why would I need to cave his skull in?” asked Annie, tilting her head.

 

Floch’s eyebrows pinched together as he laughed. “Are you not even a little embarrassed that you’re still hanging onto him after he cheated on you?”

 

“Cheated on me?” she asked, eyebrows still pinched together. “He didn’t cheat on me. He fucked Mikasa. Those are different things.”

 

Armin’s racing heart suddenly slowed. Huh? What on earth was she talking about?

 

Even Floch seemed confused, his eyebrows drawing together as he clearly tried to work out what she had just said to him. “Are you dumb? Those are exactly the same thing.”

 

“Not even a little,” said Annie. “Can he not fuck be fucking both of us? Or is that beyond your comprehension?”

 

Floch laughed awkwardly. “There’s no way this guy’s screwing you and Ackerman.”

 

Annie shrugged. “Sorry you’re so undesirable that you can’t even fathom the idea that two girls might be fine with sharing the same guy.” Then, she smirked. “I think you’d get it if you knew how good he is with his tongue.”

 

Armin’s entire face burst into flames as Floch seemed at a loss for words.

 

“I’m sure I can get Mikasa in with the two of us at the next party,” she said, face softening. “I’d let you know what room we’ll be in so you can take some good pictures, but I’m sure you’ll be able to figure it out when you hear me and Mikasa … well. You know.”

 

Floch just stared at her for a moment before he shook his head and turned around. Armin caught a muttered, “Fuck  off, Leonhart,” and soon enough, he was out of hearing distance.

 

Annie’s eyebrows pinched together as she looked up at him. “Sorry about that.”

 

“Uh … it’s fine,” said Armin weakly.

 

His face was bright red and he doubted Annie missed that.

 

“I just wanted to make him uncomfortable,” she said. “Sorry if it made you uncomfortable.”

 

“It’s okay,” he said, pushing a smile onto his face. “I figured out what you were going for.”

 

Suggesting he and Mikasa were actually doing anything made him slightly uncomfortable – but suggesting that he was doing stuff like that with her was enough to make him want to dissolve into the ground. No, that didn’t make him uncomfortable; if anything, he was too comfortable with those ideas and right now, he really shouldn’t have been. He especially didn’t want those thoughts to be in his head while he was just talking to her in public; although, he doubted she really even considered that it would have that sort of effect on him.

 

Of course she didn’t. They were just trying to be friends. She probably didn’t realise just how strong his feelings were for her. She must have still known he had a crush – they’d told each other about their feelings, after all, and they didn’t just randomly disappear. But there was no way she could really know the full extent of it unless he just out right stated it.

 

“Well,” she said. “Hopefully he doesn’t really feel like bothering us about that. He won’t have anything to take photos of at the party, anyway.”

 

“Yeah,” he said, glancing away from her.

 

“I’ll try not to spill any wine on you this time,” she said.

 

He glanced back down at her to see her soft smile. It made his heart shudder, and he couldn’t help but smile right back at her.

 

“I’m honestly a little tempted to bring a change of clothes,” he said.

 

She let out a short breath of laughter. “It honestly wouldn’t be the worst idea.” Then, she added, “Hey … is it okay if I do something right now?”

 

His face softened, eyebrows raising. “Do what?”

 

“Hug you,” she said.

 

His heartrate picked up. “Oh.”

 

“It’s killing me to ask,” she said. “Trying to push my limits with this stuff, you know?”

 

He nodded and forced a smile to his mouth. “Yeah. No, yeah, that’s completely okay.”

 

She nodded and then without much warning, her arms came around him. It was only a few moments before he wrapped his arms around her, her head resting against his shoulder, and he prayed she wasn’t so observant that she could make out just how fast his heart was racing.

 

He was just relieved he wasn’t blushing when he pulled away.

 

“Was that so bad?” he asked.

 

“No,” she admitted. “But God, it’s so awkward.” Then, she added, “Not with you. With everyone. My dad’s gonna visit and I’m gonna have to hug him. Do you know how awkward that’s going to be? We’re not that kind of family.”

 

He smiled. “I’m sure you’ll be okay.” Then, he added, “Wait, your dad’s visiting?”

 

“Just in a few weeks,” she said. She opened her mouth to say something, but she cut herself off with a frown. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, which was now ringing in her hand. “Oh, that’s him. He must have known I was talking about him.”

 

Armin smiled again. “It’s okay. I’ll just text you later. And I’ll see you on Saturday?”

 

She nodded. “See you then. We’re meeting at The Galliards’, remember?”

 

He nodded back at her. “I won’t forget.”

 

“Good,” she said, before flashing him a smile and turning away from him to answer her phone. He caught her quick, “Hey, dad,” before the rest of their conversation faded into the quiet as she drifted away from him. His eyes didn’t leave her until she was out of sight, and he thought it was incredibly lucky for him that she didn’t look over her shoulder at him once.

 

The rest of the week went by about as uneventfully as he expected it to. He got on with his school work, he went swimming a few times, and he hung out with Eren and Mikasa in his dorm room, until finally, Saturday arrived.

 

He grabbed food with Mikasa and Eren during the day and then as the evening approached, they all began getting ready for the night ahead.

 

The plan was that they would get dressed and Jean and Marco would join them, then they would hang out for a little while, have a few drinks and then finally hop in a taxi to The Galliards’.

 

It was a fine plan, and Armin thought he’d completed the first part of it when he was already dressed in his ripped, cuffed jeans, boots, and black shirt, with his earring in and the necklace Annie bought him all those days ago around his neck. But when he caught sight of Mikasa, dressed more than appropriately for the situation with a short black dress and boots that came up to her knees, and he flashed her a smile, she frowned back at him.

 

“Is that what you’re wearing?” she asked.

 

“Yeah,” he said, glancing down at himself. “Is it that bad?”

 

“The outfit’s fine,” she said. “Can I do your eyeliner?”

 

“Eyeliner?” he said.

 

“I promise I won’t poke your eye out,” she said. “I do Eren’s all the time.”

 

“It’s true!” said Eren from the bathroom.

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Are you doing Eren’s?”

 

“It’s already done,” said Mikasa. “What did you think we were doing in the bathroom?”

 

Armin hadn’t the slightest idea what they’d been doing in the bathroom while he got dressed, and to be honest, he tried to not give it much thought.

 

“Please?” she asked, flashing him big, puppy-dog eyes.

 

He sighed. “Fine.”

 

When she beamed, he added, “But you’re doing Marco and Jean’s, too.”

 

She nodded. “That’s fine. I’ll convince them. It goes with Jean’s style, anyway.”

 

He couldn’t say it that it would really go with Marco’s style, but he was sure Jean had probably put him in one of his own outfits for the night, anyway, so a little bit of eyeliner probably wouldn’t make much difference.

 

Armin couldn’t help but smile when Mikasa shuffled one of her random playlists and Edge of Seventeen came on. He tried to hide it when Mikasa turned back towards him, but she caught sight of it on his lips as much as he tried to cover it up.

 

“What are you grinning about?” she said as she reached into her makeup bag.

 

“Nothing,” he said, sitting down on his bed. “I just like this song.”

 

Her eyebrows pinched together. “Since when?”

 

“It’s not exactly unpopular, you know,” he said as she sat beside him.

 

“True, but I just thought it wasn’t to your taste,” she said, pulling the lid off of her pen-eyeliner.

 

“It’s a nice song,” he said.

 

He wasn’t about to let Mikasa know that it reminded him of Annie. He hadn’t listened to it since she’d told him it was her favourite song, but hearing it play in the background made his chest warm in a way he wasn’t sure any song had ever done before.

 

Mikasa let it go. “Fine. I think German death metal is next in the queue, so I’d enjoy this while you can.”

 

Armin frowned. “Is that –”

 

“We Butter the Bread with Butter? Absolutely,” said Mikasa. “Now, keep your eyes closed if you don’t want to go blind. And don’t flinch!”

 

Armin closed both of his eyes as Mikasa’s hands moved towards his face. He made sure to stay frozen while she worked on him; the last thing he wanted was for her to have to start all over again and he doubted she wanted that, either, considering she had two more people’s eyeliners to do after him (if they agreed to it, that is). Fortunately, there was only one little slip-up that she managed to fix fairly quickly, and before he knew it, she was done.

 

“There you go,” she said, clicking the lid back onto the eyeliner pen. “Go look in the mirror.”

 

Armin got up and moved before the mirror to admire her handiwork. It wasn’t as masculine as the eyeshadow look Hitch had done on him for Annie’s gig all those days ago, but she’d done wings that arched downwards that he thought, for a moment, suited him quiet well.

 

“Well?” asked Mikasa, coming up behind him. “What do you think?”

 

He smiled. “I think it’s good. Thank you.”

 

She beamed. “No problem. Hopefully, Marco won’t complain too much when I ask if I can do his.”

 

He let out a short breath of laughter. “Let’s hope.”

 

Eren emerged from the bathroom, his hair still tied up in its usual loose bun. “Hey. Woah, Armin! You look good! And we match!”

 

Not only were they dressed pretty similarly, but Mikasa had done the same sort of style of eyeliner on both of them. He had to give her credit – it looked near perfect on both of them, and even better on herself; to say they looked the part would be an understatement.

 

Mikasa squeezed his shoulders. “You two look great.”

 

“You look greater,” said Eren, coming up behind her to press a kiss to her cheek.

 

Armin moved out of the way. “Do you know when Marco and Jean are getting here?”

 

“They should only be five minutes,” she said, glancing down at her phone.

 

“So,” said Eren with a grin. “Is it time for the wine?”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t want you to be black-out.”

 

“I won’t be!” said Eren, already turning to pull more wine out of his wardrobe. “You worry too much.”

 

Mikasa leaned into him. “Don’t worry; I’ll keep him in check.”

 

In spite of his worry, when Eren offered him a glass of wine, he couldn’t say no. He was excited but that couldn’t help him from being a bit nervous about this sort of setting. He’d only been to a gig once, and it had been Annie’s with Hitch, and back then things had been so … different. Now that he was counting down the minutes until they would be on the way to the venue, he couldn’t help but worry about how he should even act never mind how the entire night was going to go.

 

He was halfway through his glass of wine when a knock came at the door. Mikasa jumped up and there were Marco and Jean, all smiling faces.

 

Marco was wearing a black T-shirt and straight, cuffed black pants and trainers, while Jean was a bit more dressed up. He had all of his ear piercings in, an over-sized back T-shirt with cuffed, faded black jeans, ripped at the knees, with a chain hanging from the belt loops. He also was wearing some pretty hefty black boots, but most importantly, he’d clearly already done his own eyeliner.

 

“Jean!” said Mikasa, eyes widening. “Your eyeliner is so good.”

 

“Thanks,” he said, a slight smile coming to his mouth. “I don’t get to do it that often, so …”

 

Marco smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. “He was really excited about doing it tonight.”

 

“Well, good!” said Mikasa. “That makes my life so much easier.”

 

Marco’s smile slipped. “Why?”

 

“Well,” she said. “Because now I only have to do your eyeliner.”

 

Any trace of a smile that was on his face completely vanished. “I just don’t really think that it would suit me.”

 

“Look!” said Mikasa, gesturing towards Armin, who smiled weakly. “Even Armin has eyeliner on! You’re going to look like you don’t belong with us.”

 

“The difference is, Armin looks good with the eyeliner on,” said Marco with a frown. “I don’t think it would suit me.”

 

“Of course it would,” said Jean. “There’s enough different shapes; it’s nice on everyone.”

 

“Please, Marco?” asked Mikasa. “I’ll never ask again. Just tonight.”

 

Marco paused for a long while before he sighed. “Fine. But I can’t guarantee I’ll keep it on all night.”

 

Mikasa practically squealed. “You won’t regret it! You’ll look great.”

 

Marco clearly didn’t look all that convinced, but when he glanced over at Jean, he gave him a comforting smile and this seemed to relax him. Mikasa picked up her makeup bag and dragged him over to Eren’s bed, and Eren turned to Jean to ask him if he’d like a glass of wine.

 

By the time Armin had finished his first glass, which was about the same time that Jean started his first, he started to feel a lot more at ease with the night ahead.

 

“So, how are your classes going?” asked Eren.

 

“Oh, they’re fine,” said Jean. “They’re offering some still life drawing classes on the side, though, which I’ve been debating going to, but they still need more models.”

 

“Still life?” asked Eren. “Isn’t that the boring fruit things?”

 

“No,” said Jean, shaking his head. “A lot of them are the nude ones to practice anatomy.”

 

Eren perked up. “You’re still waiting for more models?”

 

“Yeah, apparently,” said Jean. “They don’t want the classes to really cost anything, so they don’t want to find an expensive model. They’re voluntary, so it’s hard to find anyone willing to strip off for a bunch of college kids to draw.”

 

“I might have done it for money,” said Eren, shoulders sinking.

 

“I don’t think I really want to draw you nude, man,” said Jean. “No offence.”

 

Eren frowned. “What’s wrong with me?”

 

“I just know you too well,” said Jean with a shrug. “It’d be awkward just seeing you naked in front of me.”

 

“What?” said Eren. “Are you scared you’ll get a crush on me or something?”

 

Jean scoffed. “You wish.”

 

Eren nudged Armin’s foot. “Hey, maybe you should apply. It’d be great for your confidence. And it’s a cool story.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “I’m not posing nude for an art class.”

 

“I don’t really want to see you naked either,” said Jean, taking a sip from his glass of wine.

 

Armin frowned. “The feeling’s mutual.”

 

“Oh, come on,” said Eren. “That’s so cool!”

 

“Then you do it,” said Armin.

 

“I’ll do it if you do it,” said Eren pointedly.

 

“Well, then you aren’t doing it, because I don’t want to,” said Armin, eyebrows drawn together.

 

“When you meant together, did you mean like … literally together?” asked Jean, nose shrivelled.

 

“Of course not,” said Eren.

 

Jean raised an eyebrow at him and smirked. “You don’t sound very certain.”

 

“I’m more than certain that I don’t want to pose with Armin naked,” he said.

 

“Are you sure?” asked Jean, taking another sip from his wine. “You don’t sound so sure to me.”

 

“I’m sure!” said Eren.

 

“Boys,” said Mikasa, drawing their attention over. “I just finished Marco’s eyeliner if you want to appreciate my raw talent.”

 

Eren and Jean stopped bickering and they all turned to face Mikasa and Marco, the latter who was smiling a little awkwardly. She’d done the downward style of wings she’d done on him and Eren, and it certainly was an unconventional look for Marco, but Armin actually thought he suited it quite well.

 

“That looks really good, Marco,” said Armin with a smile.

 

“See?” said Mikasa, turning on him. “I told you!”

 

“You look amazing, Marco,” said Jean with a smile that was far too sweet.

 

Marco’s smile was just as sweet in return. “Thank you. And thanks, Mikasa.”

 

“Well, don’t just thank me!” she said. “Go and look in the mirror. And Eren, can you get him a glass of wine so he can catch up with the rest of us?”

 

Eren scrambled over to his wardrobe as Marco stepped before the mirror to get a good look at his eyeliner.

 

“It is pretty nice,” said Marco.

 

“I told you,” said Mikasa pointedly.

 

He turned to her and smiled. “Sorry for doubting you.”

 

“It’s the worst thing you could do,” she said, moving to settle down on Eren’s bed.

 

When Eren walked over to hand Marco a glass of wine, Armin shifted off of his bed so he could settle down next to Marco. Armin pulled up his desk chair to sit in the gap between the two beds and he smiled in thanks when Eren passed him his second full glass of wine.

 

Their conversation was light and easy and as the minutes ticked by, Armin could feel himself becoming more and more tipsy as the time went by, but it was in the nicest of ways. It was always nice to have time with his friends, especially with how rocky things had been in the past few months with everything going on. It was nice to just be able to enjoy the music, the drink and the company for a few moments without any other worries in the world.

 

Armin was laughing at something stupid Eren had said when he was brought out of stupor by his phone buzzing in his pocket. When he pulled it out, his heart fluttered – it was a text from Annie.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

When are you guys showing up?

Me Reiner and Bert are already here

Hitch and Marlowe are on their way now

 

ME

I think we’re coming in half an hour

Why are you so early?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

To enjoy the pleasure of each other’s company

Will I get to enjoy the pleasure of yours?

 

Armin felt his heart stutter. She didn’t mean anything by that – of course she didn’t mean anything by that. She was being sarcastic or just dry, like she always was.

 

ME

We’ll call a cab soon :)

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Good

It’s $2 at the door btw

 

ME

No problem :)

 

ROCKSTAR <3

<3

 

Armin raised his head to the conversation and said, “Hey, do you guys want to head soon? The others are all already there.”

 

“Will I get to meet the band?” asked Mikasa.

 

“Well, maybe,” said Armin. “I’ve met them before.”

 

Her eyes widened. “You’ve already met them.”

 

“Well, they do come to this college, Mikasa,” he said.

 

“When did you meet them?” she asked.

 

“I’ve been at that bar with Hitch before,” said Armin weakly. “I’ll tell you about it some other time. Can we just call a cab?”

 

“I’ll call it,” said Eren, getting to his feet. “Oh, we’ll get one of those cool minibuses, too.”

 

Eren slipped out into the hallway to make the phone call while the rest of them continued chatting about nothing important for a few moments before he stepped back inside. Everyone made sure to drain their glasses of wine and then all that was left to do was for Mikasa to grab her purse and Eren and Armin to grab their wallets and their keys, and then they were off to wait for the cab in the parking lot.

 

It wasn’t long before it showed up and Armin sat quietly in the car, looking out of the window as they drove into town. The others were laughing about something that he occasionally tuned into, but he could feel his heartbeat get quicker and quicker with each roll of the tires. He knew he shouldn’t be so nervous, or even excited, but it was almost as if there was something in the air – the others seemed to share some of his giddiness. Mikasa, at least, had an excuse; this was going to be a night with her kind of music. Armin just hoped it was half as good as The Traitors’ music and then he might just enjoy listening to them perform all night.

 

When the cab pulled up near The Galliards’, Armin couldn’t quite decide whether he was more terrified or more excited. He didn’t have a lot of time to think about it, though, because soon they were piling onto the street and thanking the cab driver and making quick steps towards The Galliards’.

 

“Is this really the place?” asked Jean as they approached The Galliards’. “Is this not a regular bar?”

 

“It’s a lot bigger on the inside,” said Armin. “They have a dancefloor and a stage, so – it’s enough for a small band. Plus, I’m pretty sure some of the members’ parents own the place.”

 

“Huh,” said Jean. “Makes sense.”

 

There wasn’t a queue at the door, but it was slow getting inside when they had to pay at the door. Although it was lucky no one got ID’d – he wasn’t quite sure they’d make it with someone on the door, but they all managed to slip inside without an issue.

 

They caught sight of the others pretty quickly, not at one of the smaller booths, but huddled around a square table where they’d already pulled up extra tables and chairs for them to sit right next to them. Even in the dimness, he couldn’t quite miss the sight of Annie looking as perfect as ever, her nose scrunching at something Reiner had said.

 

Hitch was the one who caught sight of them first, raising her arm up high and waving to them rapidly. She jumped from her chair when they grew closer.

 

“Hey, guys,” said Hitch. “Armin, I kept your seat warm for you.”

 

He smiled slightly but then it faltered only a little bit when he realised the seat she’d been ‘warming’ was right next to Annie. And from the look on Hitch’s face, she knew exactly what she was doing.

 

“Thanks, Hitch,” he said, pushing a smile onto his face and ignoring the way Mikasa must have been looking at the back of his head.

 

Annie pushed something towards him, a glass of something murky. “I got something for you.”

 

He picked it up and tried to inspect it. “What is it?”

 

“Banana rum and coke,” said Annie.

 

His nose shrivelled

 

“It’s good, I promise,” she said.

 

Armin couldn’t say no to that and he took a sip. He was almost disappointed that she was right – it was delicious.

 

“If you guys want any drinks, we’ll go to the bar for you,” said Reiner.

 

“The Galliards don’t ID the three of us,” said Bertholdt with a soft smile.

 

“Or Hitch,” said Annie flatly.

 

Hitch waved her off from where she now sat next to Marlowe. “I never get ID’d! It’s a talent of mine.”

 

“I wonder why,” said Annie.

 

“I wonder, too,” said Hitch, gesturing to her low-cut black dress.

 

Annie snorted.

 

“You, too, could be blessed if you flaunted your gifts more often, sweetie,” said Hitch pointedly.

 

“I don’t get ID’d in here, anyway,” said Annie, eyebrows pinched together.

 

“But you wouldn’t get ID’d anywhere,” said Hitch.

 

“I don’t have much to flaunt,” said Annie.

 

“As one of the two people here who’ve seen you topless, I’d disagree,” said Hitch.

 

“Two people?” asked Reiner. “What do you mean, two? Me and Bert have seen her topless.”

 

“Can we go back to where you’ve seen Annie topless?” asked Eren, eyes wide.

 

“Like you’ve never seen Armin in the nude,” said Hitch, rolling her eyes. “You’re roommates.”

 

“Not on purpose,” said Eren.

 

“Are you sure?” asked Jean, a slight smirk on his mouth.

 

“Jean, I swear to God –”

 

“Okay, so what is it?” asked Hitch. “Four people who’ve seen her topless at these tables? I’m sure the general consensus is that you have something worth flaunting.”

 

Annie sighed. “I wish you got ID’d here. I really do.”

 

Hitch took a sip from her drink. “Sometimes, Annie, I really think you need to loosen up.”

 

Reiner’s hand came down on Annie’s back. “If Annie doesn’t want to flaunt her goods, then she doesn’t have to.”

 

Annie scowled. “Thanks, Reiner.”

 

“Still, me and Bert don’t really have a good opinion on what she can flaunt,” said Reiner with a slight smirk. Armin was halfway through his drink when he said, “Armin? What do you think?”

 

He choked on his drink. “What?”

 

“Reiner, I swear, I can snap you in half and I will,” said Annie.

 

“It’s just a question!” he said. “Well, Armin?”

 

“I’m a little curious in the answer,” said Hitch, leaning forward on the table.

 

Armin swallowed, his face burning. “Annie can flaunt whatever she wants of herself,” he said after a pause. “That’s up to her.”

 

“Nice answer, but not an answer to the question,” said Reiner.

 

Armin sighed and pinched his eyes shut. “Of course she can. She’s beautiful. That’s such a stupid question to ask.”

 

The others were quiet for a minute before Annie said, “See how nice that was? You guys are just assholes.”

 

Hitch and Reiner said, “Guilty,” at the same time, and then proceeded to grin at each other and clink their glasses together in celebration.

 

“How about a round of shots?” said Bertholdt, rising to his feet. “It’s on me.”

 

“Two for me,” said Annie.

 

“Me too,” said Armin.

 

“Well, I’ll have two, too,” said Eren with a frown.

 

“Does everyone just want two?” asked Bertholdt. “They’re just vodka shots.”

 

There was unanimous “yeah” across the tables.

 

“Okay, cool,” said Bertholdt with a smile.

 

Before he could walk away, Annie said, “Are you sure Reiner and Hitch should drink more?”

 

“Hey!” said Hitch with a frown.

 

“Maybe she has a point,” said Reiner. “I’ll still have two vodka shots, though.”

 

“I’ll keep her in check,” said Marlowe, reaching out his hand to cover Hitch’s.

 

“Will you keep an eye on me?” asked Reiner sweetly to Bertholdt.

 

Bertholdt rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. “Of course I will. I’ll be a minute.”

 

Bertholdt disappeared and the rest of them chattered amongst themselves, but there wasn’t enough alcohol in Armin’s system to muffle the embarrassment of what had just happened. He really hoped Annie didn’t think he was a creep. They hadn’t discussed any of that stuff that had happened between them in so long and he’d never expected to be asked about it, especially in front of her.

 

Just as he was lost in his head, still worrying about it, Annie said, “Your eyeliner’s nice.”

 

“Oh,” said Armin. “Thanks. So is yours.”

 

“Thanks,” said Annie flatly. “I did it myself.”

 

Armin laughed slightly. “Yeah, I thought as much.”

 

“Did Mikasa do yours?” she asked.

 

He nodded. “She did Marco’s and Eren’s, too.”

 

“It’s pretty good,” she said with a nod. “I like the downwards wings.”

 

“Thank you,” he said with a smile.

 

Her eyes flickered down. “I like your necklace, too.”

 

“Oh,” he said, feeling his heart warm again. The necklace she’d given him. “Sorry, I just wear it all the time now.”

 

“I’ve noticed,” she said.

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “You don’t think it’s weird, do you?”

 

“Of course not,” she said with a shake of her head. “It was a gift. I want you to wear it.”

 

His chest warmed. “Okay. I will.” Then, he added, “You look nice.”

 

Her hair was down, framing her pretty face, her ears shining silver with piercings and the same with her nose. She was just wearing a casual oversized black T-shirt and ripped jeans, and of course, her boots. Even in such simple attire, it took her no effort to take his breath away.

 

“Thank you,” she said. “So do you. I don’t get to see you dressed like this that often now.”

 

“My style’s not that different now,” he said.

 

“Your style is just a rotation of anime shirts,” said Annie.

 

“Is that so bad?” he asked.

 

“No,” said Annie. “It’s good. It’s very you.”

 

Armin opened his mouth to say something again, but just as he did, Bertholdt arrived back at the table with a tray loaded with shots, and there wasn’t much time to even think.

 

The shots didn’t exactly go down smoothly and Armin winced at the burn. Eren seemed to handle them the worst, practically coughing once he was done and looking pretty rough. Mikasa rubbed his back until he could breathe again and when he regained his composure, Jean and Reiner’s teasing was relentless, to the point his face was nearly red.

 

He couldn’t help himself from stealing glances at her when she was sat so close to him. It was probably the alcohol – and it must have been for both of them, because there was moment where he glanced over at her and found her own eyes on him. His face reddened and he took another sip of his drink, but it wasn’t enough to distract him from how nice her eyes felt on him.

 

But he nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the loud sound a bass guitar being strummed behind the curtain on the main stage.

 

“They’ll be starting soon,” said Reiner, rising to his feet. “One more shot and then we’ll get out there?”

 

“That is a horrible idea,” said Annie flatly.

 

“I, for one, think it’s a great idea,” said Hitch.

 

“Cool,” said Reiner with a grin. “This one’s on me.”

 

He rose from the table and seemed to be gone only a few moments before he returned with another tray of shots. Annie helped him pass the shots down the tables to the others, and just before he could tilt his head back to do take his shot, her hand reached out to stop him.

 

“It’s rude not to cheers,” she said, but there was a tiny smirk pulling at her lips.

 

“Oh, sorry,” he said, holding his shot glass out for her.

 

She picked hers up and knocked it against his, and he wasn’t sure if it was just the alcohol in his system but he swore her eyes lingered on him much longer than they should have. But then she tilted her head back and drank her shot in one go and he quickly followed after, wincing a lot more at the burn while she seemed completely unfazed.

 

Reiner clapped his hands together. “Okay, I think that’ll do it! Let’s go on the floor so we can get a good spot.”

 

The main floor was shockingly crowded for a college band, but then again, this venue was owned by their parents – who knew who they could get in here because of that. Armin was sardined between Annie and Eren, practically arm to arm, but Eren kept nudging him more so he was leaning into Annie even as much as he tried not to.

 

“Sorry,” he said.

 

“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “It’s rough at the front. But it’s better than not being able to see.”

 

He smiled. “I can lift you up, if you want.”

 

She snorted. “Like you’re much taller.”

 

“I’m not tall,” he said. “But I’m taller than you.”

 

Annie opened her mouth to say something, but she was interrupted by the loud sound of an electric guitar strumming behind the curtain, before it suddenly rolled up.

 

Everyone in the crowd started clapping and wooing, so Armin followed suit, although he was a bit more reluctant to start yelling at the band from the stage.

 

The girl, Pieck, was in front on the microphone with an electric guitar, Marcel was in the back on the drums and Porco was on the bass. Their outfits, to Armin, could only really be described as dark and flowy – if he saw them out in the woods doing a séance, for example, he wouldn’t exactly be surprised.

 

“Hey, everyone!” said Pieck. “You having fun tonight?”

 

There was a chorus of woos, the loudest from Reiner.

 

“Well, you’re about to have a lot more fun,” she said, and then Porco started strumming a rhythm on his base guitar. “This one’s called ‘Cursed’, and I hope you like it as much as we do.”

 

Pieck’s guitar kicked in not long after, followed by a gentle beat on the drums from Marcel in the back, and then her vocals came in. He realised immediately why Mikasa liked them – they were exactly the sort of music she loved. And the longer he stood there in the crowd listening to them perform, the more he appreciated just how good they were. It even felt clear that they had their roots with The Traitors – their style was different, but to him it almost felt like they had a similar dynamic that worked just right.

 

It wasn’t long before the first song was over and they were all clapping again. The next song started soon after and was much softer and forlorn, but Armin didn’t mind standing there and swaying along to the beat they were making. But when he glanced down to Annie, she didn’t seem to be enjoying it as much as everyone else was.

 

Well, he guessed she wasn’t really joking when she said Reiner was forcing her to come.

 

He nudged her and leaned down to her ear, lips nearly against it, and asked, “Is everything okay?”

 

When he pulled away, she nodded and grabbed onto the front of his shirt to keep him bent down, and said against his ear, “I don’t think I drank enough to enjoy their music, to be honest.”

 

Armin couldn’t help the way he chortled. At least she was honest.

 

But then, he stepped back and held up his index finger to her to let her know he’d only be a moment, and then he squeezed by her and Reiner to reach Bertholdt at the edge of their group and nudged him.

 

Bertholdt leaned down so Armin could speak in his ear. “Could you go to the bar for me and Annie?”

 

He nodded and smiled, before leaning down to Armin’s ear. “What do you want?”

 

“Something strong,” he said. “Triple vodkas?”

 

Bertholdt nodded and he was already at the bar when Armin realised he hadn’t even told him what he wanted with the vodka.

 

When he reached Annie’s side again, her face was twisted in confusion, but Armin just shook his head at her and smiled. That seemed to be enough for her and she let it go.

 

By the time Bertholdt was back, they’d started their next song, but he handed Annie and Armin a drink with a smile on his face.

 

He raised it to his nose to give it a sniff but all he could smell was the vodka and his nose shrivelled.

 

Annie took a sip and scowled. She leaned up to talk into his ear so he could hear her, and the warmth of her breath nearly sent a shiver down his spine. “It’s cranberry juice.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. He raised the cup to his lips and took a sip and found himself wincing at the flavour. This didn’t seem to be the sort of drink to be enjoyed casually.

 

Annie knocked her cup against his and shouted, “Bottoms up!”

 

Before he could say anything, Annie started downing the drink and his eyes widened. But then, even in his tipsy haze, he realised that that’s exactly what she wanted him to do, too, so he braced himself before tipping the cup into his mouth.

 

He managed to ignore the flavour for the first few gulps, but after that it was purely awful; still, Annie had already finished and she was looking at him expectantly, so there was no way he could let her down now. The last few mouthfuls ended up being the hardest, but eventually they were gone, and Annie’s hand came around to pat him on the back when he was done.

 

His eyes met hers again, seeing that tiny smile on her mouth light up her eyes, and then for a heartbeat, the world was frozen. The music seemed to disappear and so did everyone else, and there was just him and Annie alone on the dancefloor. He could live a thousand more lifetimes and see her smile every day of those lives and he knew even then that wouldn’t be enough.

 

Then, the moment seemed to end, and Annie’s eyes flickered back up to the stage, and before he knew it, a different song was playing. Then came another song, and Annie seemed to be swaying and enjoying herself a bit more, and she only seemed more comfortable as each song came and went. Armin was happy to sway beside her and just stay in that moment, even if it was only for a few hours.

 

The applause at the end of their next song was so loud Armin was surprised he could still hear once it was finished.

 

Pieck smiled and leaned towards the mic. “We’re just going to take a short break now if you guys want to get some drinks and relax! We’ll see you all again in ten minutes!”

 

There was a bit of a rush towards the bar, even with the rest of his friends, leaving Annie and Armin standing practically alone on the dancefloor.

 

“Do you think they’ll get ID’d?” he asked, watching Jean and Eren clearly bickering at the bar.

 

She shook her head. “Probably not now. It’s too busy.”

 

Armin nodded.

 

Annie nudged him. Her eyes were still so pretty in the dimness of the dancefloor. “Will you come outside with me? I just want to vape for five minutes.”

 

He nodded and smiled. “Sure.”

 

Armin followed her out of the bar and onto the street, ducking around down the alleyway beside the bar for a bit more privacy. It was chilly but Armin had had enough to drink that it didn’t bite probably as much as it should have.

 

When Annie breathed out a cloud of smoke, it smelled like strawberries.

“Thank you for coming,” she said. “This would have sucked without you.”

 

“I think you’d have been fine,” he said with a smile.

 

“Fine, yeah,” she said with a shrug. “But I’m happier with you here. Even when we’re not talking.”

 

“Oh,” he said, his heart warming. “I’m glad I can help.”

 

Annie scoffed. “Sometimes, you’re just as bad with the touchy-feely crap as I am, you know.”

 

“Uh, yeah,” he said, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. “Sorry about that.”

 

“It’s okay,” she said. “It’s nice, sometimes, to know that it’s not just me.” Then, she added, “You’re still a lot better at it than me.”

 

“You’re getting better at it,” said Armin.

 

“Yeah,” she said, taking another puff. “It’s an uphill battle, really. I guess I’m making progress.”

 

It was the alcohol that gave him the confidence to say it. “You seem better,” he offered.

 

“Do I?” she asked.

 

“Yeah,” he said, but then his eyebrows furrowed. “Do you not think so?”

 

“I think so,” she said with a nod. “I think it’s just … hard. But most things worth having are hard to get, I think.”

 

Armin moved and leaned against the wall next to her. “I don’t agree.”

 

“Do you not?” asked Annie.

 

He shook his head. “I don’t.”

 

He could hear the smile in her voice. “Enlighten me, then.”

 

“Some things shouldn’t be hard,” he said. “Some things are worth fighting for, but other things you shouldn’t have to fight for.”

 

Annie nodded. “How very articulate of you.”

 

Armin let out a short breath of laughter. “Sorry, I’m not making much sense again, am I?”

 

“I think you make sense,” she said. “You always do.”

 

“Oh. Thanks,” he said.

 

She scoffed. “You’re welcome.” Then, she said, “I’m sorry about earlier with Hitch and Reiner. I know they probably made you uncomfortable with that question.”

 

Oh. That question.

 

“It’s fine,” he said, waving her off. “They just thought they were being funny.”

 

“I know,” said Annie. “But they aren’t.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed and he turned to look at her. “It made you uncomfortable, didn’t it?”

 

“I don’t care about that stuff,” she said as she moved to face him. “I’m not insecure about my body. I don’t need anyone to tell me anything good about it. But …”

 

“But what?” he asked quietly.

 

She swallowed. “But I hated how much I cared about what you said, then. I hated that I even gave a shit what your answer was. And I really hated how much I liked it when you called me beautiful.”

 

Armin thought the world had frozen again – or maybe it was just his heart stopping in his chest.

 

Annie sighed. “I hate it.”

 

Armin swallowed and reached out to gently place his hand on the coolness of her arm. Her eyes flicked up to meet his again.

 

“But you are beautiful,” he said.

 

She squeezed her eyes shut. “I hate that I like how you say that. I really do.”

 

He dropped his arm. “I’ll stop saying things like that, if you want me to.”

 

“I don’t want you to,” said Annie. “I hate that, too.”

 

“Do you hate me?” he asked quietly.

 

“Of course I don’t,” she said, shoving her vape out of sight.

 

Armin couldn’t help the smile that was threatening to spread across his lips. “Do you hate that you don’t?”

 

Annie snorted. “No. I don’t think I could ever do that.”

 

Armin swallowed. “I hated that stupid wave that hit us last weekend.”

 

She smiled again and dropped her gaze. Then, she said, quietly, “I hated that I was thinking about kissing you before that.”

 

His heart was racing.

 

“I didn’t hate that,” said Armin quietly. “But I wish I’d just kissed you anyway.”

 

Annie’s gaze was like a caress and he was surprised that his knees just didn’t buckle beneath it.

 

Then, after a pause, she said, softly, “We’re both drunk.”

 

He nodded. “Yeah.”

 

She nodded as well, before she swallowed and said, “Then it wouldn’t really matter if you kissed me right now.”

 

His heart skipped.

 

“Maybe it wouldn’t,” he agreed softly.

 

“Maybe it wouldn’t,” she repeated just as quietly.

 

Armin’s heart felt like it was hammering in his chest. But he was here, and so was she, and she was so beautiful. So before he could think too much about it, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers.

 

They were just as soft as he remembered, and the slight press of them against his made his whole body hum, just like they used to. It only lasted a heartbeat and then he pulled away from her, resting his forehead against hers.

 

He swallowed, eyebrows furrowing. “I … I’m sorry. Maybe that was – that wasn’t something I should have done.”

 

Her fingers came up to his cheek. “Don’t apologise. Do it again.”

 

His voice was barely above a whisper when he spoke again. “Are you sure?”

 

She nodded. “We’re drunk and we can forget about it tomorrow. But I don’t care if it’s stupid now – right now, I just want you to kiss me again.”

 

“Okay,” he said quietly, and he leaned forward to capture her lips in his.

 

She was livelier this time, pressing her mouth more forcefully against his as she pushed his tongue into his mouth. He made a small noise against her and let his hand move down to rest on her hip, before he moved her so her back was against the wall and he was pressed against her, mouth moving in a rhythm she set, which was more than fine with him.

 

Her fingers moved to wind in his hair and he gasped, pressed his mouth harder against hers, deepening their kiss enough to elicit a small sound from her throat. It only seemed to make her hold onto him tighter and that’s what he wanted; he never wanted her to let go – if he could have stayed in that moment forever, that’s what he would have done. Her lips were so sweet and soft, even when she was rougher with him, that he was surprised he managed to stay balanced.

 

She pulled away from him to catch her breath and when she met his mouth again, her movements were gentler, like a caress that sent a shudder through his whole body. He practically whimpered into her mouth and she answered him with a sound so sweet that it just made him want to run his hands all over her warm skin, beneath her clothes and give her everything she could possibly want. His fingers gripped onto her hips through her shirt but it wasn’t quite enough, so he moved his hands beneath the fabric as he kissed her and the gasp that left her lips when he met the warmth of the skin at her hips was enough to keep them there.

 

Annie took charge of the kiss and moved faster, almost desperately, as if this wasn’t quite enough. Armin broke apart from her and before she had a chance to complain, he peppered little kisses down from her jaw to her neck and she gasped so loud this time that he thought there was a chance someone on the street might have heard. But he couldn’t really find it in him to care as he trailed his tongue over the warm skin at her neck, all the way up to her earlobe, and she let out a tiny moan. When his mouth lightly sucked her soft skin there, too lightly to leave a mark, she nearly trembled, clinging onto him in a way he wasn’t quite sure she had ever done before.

 

“Armin,” she whispered, raising her leg against his hip. “Please – pick me up.”

 

He didn’t question her and he pushed his hands beneath her behind and in one quick motion, lifted her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist and her hands gripped behind the back of his neck, and he leaned forward to kiss her again, fiery and desperate, like he couldn’t get enough of her. The way she kissed him back, making soft, gasping noises into his lips was enough to tell him that she felt the same.

 

Her kisses slowed down until they were soft enough to make his chest ache, but he followed her motions all the same, kissing her back as sweetly as she wanted to be kissed. She was making him light-headed and dizzy and he was sure that she could make him feel drunk without a sip of alcohol with how intoxicating she was.

 

Her lips moved to suck on his bottom lip gently and his breath shuddered before he reclaimed her lips again, slipping his tongue gently against hers until she made another small noise against his mouth that made his heart race. He wanted to stand there all night and kiss her so softly she made even more of those sweet sounds because he knew they were nicer than any song he could ever hear.

 

But his plan was ruined with the sound of a far too familiar voice echoing down the alleyway, so loud and demanding that it was enough to make the two of them freeze in place.

 

“Holy fuck, Armin! What the fuck are you doing?”

 

Armin pulled his lips away from Annie’s, and both of them turned to see Eren standing at the end of the alleyway, looking almost as if he’d witnessed a murder.

 

Armin’s voice sounded weak even to his own ears when he spoke, but he knew he had to say it before Eren disappeared from sight. “Please don’t tell Mikasa.”

Notes:

Hey y'all!!! Hope you guys liked this one! Thanks to my bf for beta reading as always, and thanks for reading!! Next chapter should only be in twoish weeks!! Strap yourselves in, things only get less painful from here <3

Chapter 16: a favour

To say lowering Annie back down to her feet from where her legs were hanging over Armin’s waist with Eren watching wide-eyed from the end of the alleyway was awkward would have been a colossal understatement.

 

No one even seemed to make a single sound until both of them had their feet back on the ground, straightening out their clothes in a desperate attempt to look like they hadn’t just been making out against the wall down an alleyway.

 

They were still quiet for a few beats longer, before Eren said, “Mikasa asked me to come look for you guys. She was worried that …”

 

Eren didn’t finish his sentence, and neither Armin nor Annie tried to finish it for him.

 

After another pause that lasted so long Armin’s skin began to crawl, Annie cleared her throat. “Don’t tell Mikasa about this. Or anyone.”

 

Eren’s eyebrows furrowed. “I can’t not tell Mikasa. She’s my –”

 

“If you like keeping your tongue,” said Annie lowly, “consider keeping your mouth shut.”

 

Eren didn’t say anything; his mouth just hung open like he was a fish out of water. Annie didn’t wait for him to say anything in response; she just lowered her head and left Armin standing alone in the alleyway, before pushing past Eren and disappearing from sight.

 

Once she was gone, Armin and Eren stood there for far too long, in complete silence, in what could only be described as a stalemate, before Armin managed to regain his ability to speak.

 

“Please don’t tell Mikasa,” he said. “I’d really like it if she didn’t find out about this.”

 

Eren’s eyebrows rose. “I can’t keep this from Mikasa! Are you serious?”

 

Armin’s eyebrows drew together. “It was an accident!”

 

“An accident?” asked Eren, eyes wide. “What, did you slip, trip and shove your tongue down Annie’s throat?”

 

“We’re drunk,” he said weakly. “Please don’t tell Mikasa. She’ll freak out.”

 

“She’ll freak out?” he asked. “I’m freaking out.”

 

Armin took a step forward, eyebrows still pinched together. “It’s really not a big deal! It was a slip-up. We’re really just friends.”

 

Eren’s eyes were still wide and confused when he said, “Most people don’t pin their friends against walls and make out with them!”

 

“Yeah, but ... I’m drunk,” said Armin. “She’s also drunk. I promise you that it’s nothing.” Then, he added, “And I really, really need you to keep this from Mikasa.”

 

“Armin,” said Eren, exasperated.

 

“Eren, please,” said Armin. “Just – not yet. Okay? Not tonight.”

 

Eren looked at him for a long time before he sighed. “Fine. But she’ll kill me when she realises I’ve kept this from her.”

 

Armin was hoping that, with any luck, Mikasa wouldn’t have to find out about the situation at all, but that was something that Eren certainly did not need to know.

 

So he just nodded and said, “I know. But I’d really appreciate it.”

 

“I will,” said Eren, gaze pointed. “For now.”

 

Armin’s shoulders relaxed. “Thank you.”

 

Eren sighed. “Let’s just get back inside, okay?”

 

Armin nodded and then a moment later, he was only a step behind Eren, following him back inside The Galliards’.

 

He and Annie had been outside so long that The Warriors had started playing again. He tried to ignore how nice she had felt beneath his touch – how right it had felt, even if it wasn’t meant to be right at all.

 

He met her gaze from where she was standing, leaning over to say something to Bertholdt, her eyes so light even in the darkness of the bar. She didn’t look away from him, but kept her eyes fixed on his for a few heartbeats too long. And in that moment, he realised there was nowhere else that he would rather not be than at this stupid concert, where she was standing not too far from him as beautiful as she always was, and he couldn’t even just reach out to her.

 

But then, she started to move, and he flickered his gaze away. The alcohol had made him feel a bit too much, and he nearly jumped out of his skin when a hand fell on his arm.

 

Annie was there, standing right next to him. She gestured for him to lean down and he felt her warm breath on her ear.

 

“Is everything okay?”

 

He pulled back and nodded. “Just tired,” he said loudly.

 

She nodded. “Me too.” Then, she leaned up to his ear and asked, “Do you just want to leave?”

 

“Maybe,” he said. “But I’d feel bad going alone.”

 

“I meant with me, idiot,” she said. “We can share a cab.”

 

His heart fluttered, even though he knew it really shouldn’t. She was just suggesting they share a ride back to campus – no big deal, right? But it felt like a big deal when mere moments ago they had been pressed up against one another, breath mingling and lips moving, kissing like they needed each other more than air.

 

He nodded. “Yeah. I’ll tell Mikasa.”

 

She nodded back at him, and he turned around to take a few steps past Eren – who was giving him a very pointed look – to reach Mikasa, who, at least, seemed to be having the time of her life.

 

He tapped on her shoulder and her eyebrows raised, and he leaned into her ear.

 

“I think I’m gonna head back to campus,” he said.

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Alone?”

 

He shook his head. “Me and Annie are gonna share a cab. Is that okay?”

 

He saw that look flash across her face – a concern she’d promised him she wouldn’t express – before it softened and she nodded. Then, without another word, she pulled him into her arms and hugged him tightly.

 

“Text me when you’re back,” she said loudly.

 

He smiled. “Will do.”

 

He turned back to Annie, who was saying her goodbyes to Hitch and Reiner, before she turned back around to meet his gaze.

 

Armin followed her quietly out of the bar and stood just as quietly as she called them both a cab to head back home. And when she hung up the phone, both of them were silent for far too long.

 

Just as he was thinking about trying to come up with any sort of conversation, anything to make the agony of this newfound silence end, Annie spoke up.

 

“I’m sorry,” she said.

 

His eyebrows raised. “Sorry?”

 

“Yeah. I shouldn’t have egged you on like that,” she said, still not looking him in the eye.

 

“Oh,” he said. “It’s okay. I shouldn’t have …”

 

He trailed off, not quite sure where he was going.

 

“We’re both drunk,” she said. “And I – I hate taking about this stuff sober. But …”

 

His eyebrows raised again. “But?”

 

Annie groaned. “Can you turn around? This is hard to say.”

 

His brow furrowed. “You want me to turn around?”

 

“I do,” she said.

 

After a moment of pause, Armin quietly complied, spinning himself around so that she was facing his back.

 

“Okay,” she said, clearing her throat. “Thanks.”

 

“You’re welcome,” he said, a little too awkwardly.

 

She was still quiet for a while, to the point where Armin was trying to figure out whether this was just some kind of prank she was pulling on him. But then, she said, “I just need time.”

 

He wasn’t quite sure what to say, so he stayed quiet.

 

But Annie filled the silence, anyway.

 

“I know I’ve said that before,” she said. “And I think I’m getting better, but …”

 

“You need time,” he managed.

 

“Yeah,” she said. “I do.”

 

He nodded. “That’s okay.”

 

“Okay,” she said softly.

 

Another moment went by, and then, he asked, “Can I turn back around now?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “Sorry about that.”

 

“It’s okay,” he said, and turned back to face her.

 

But just as he did, her body slammed into his, her arms circling him to pull him towards her into a very tight hug.

 

“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice muffled in his shoulder.

 

His hand came up to stroke her back. “You don’t have to apologise for anything.”

 

Annie was quiet.

 

They stayed like that until the cab pulled up, and then they were quiet for the entire ride back to campus. Still, when they passed by her dorm room first, Annie took him into another tight hug, before she disappeared out of sight.

 

Once he crashed down onto his own bed, sleep came surprisingly easy for him, although that was probably due to the alcohol still in his system. He slept so soundly that he didn’t even hear Mikasa and Eren come in, and he didn’t hear Mikasa leave the next morning. When he woke up, all he found was Eren sitting at his desk working on something new that Armin desperately hoped wasn’t another information pamphlet.

 

“Morning, sunshine,” said Eren without turning around. “Sleep well?”

 

Armin groaned as he sat up. He hadn’t drank enough water before he went to sleep, and his head was aching just a little bit too much.

 

“The sleep was good,” said Armin. “The waking up is less good.”

 

“I bet,” said Eren.

 

“How was the rest of the concert?” asked Armin.

 

Eren shrugged. “Mikasa liked it, so I’d say it was great.” Then, Eren turned around in his seat and looked at Armin pointedly. “How was it for you?”

 

Armin flushed as he remembered the night before. “It was fine,” he said finally.

 

Eren looked at him for a moment longer before he turned to face his computer again. “You’re gonna have to tell Mikasa, you know.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “I really don’t think I have to tell Mikasa at all.”

 

“Armin,” said Eren, turning back to him. “I can’t lie to my girlfriend. I gave you yesterday –”

 

“Just a few more days!” said Armin. “I just really don’t want to deal with it right now.”

 

Eren sighed. “You know, she’s just worried about you.”

 

“I know,” said Armin, pinching the bridge of his nose. “But she doesn’t have to worry. I’m allowed to make dumb decisions every now and then.”

 

“You are,” said Eren, nodding his head. “And she’s allowed to be worried, even if you don’t agree with it.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Do you agree with her?”

 

Eren shrugged. “Well, I don’t exactly want you getting your feelings hurt. You really like her – it’s really clear. But I think it would hurt Mikasa more to see you get hurt.”

 

Armin fell back down against his bed. “I won’t get hurt. Just … tell Mikasa later.”

 

“Okay,” said Eren. “But you’re dealing with the consequences if she’s angry at me.”

 

“That’s fine by me,” said Armin, rolling over in his bed.

 

Eren didn’t really disturb Armin for the rest of the day, except when he asked him if he wanted to go and grab something to eat (which he did), and fortunately, he didn’t bring up the Annie situation anymore. Armin didn’t really want to think about it, especially not when he was still recovering from a hangover.

 

He’d made a stupid mistake – no, both of them had made a stupid mistake. If she wasn’t ready, she wasn’t ready, and he shouldn’t have let his drunken mind convince him otherwise.

 

Still, when she texted him the next day, he couldn’t help the way his spirits immediately lifted. She wasn’t talking about anything important – just mentioning the state Hitch was in when Marlowe had practically carried her in through the door after the concert – but even seeing her little words on the screen brought him a comfort like no other. It somehow even managed to push his worries over their little predicament at bay, even if only a little bit.

 

And everything went by as normally as it usually did. He went to classes, he read, he hung out with Mikasa and Marco (and sometimes Eren), and his life was falling back into its normal pattern. He thought, mistakenly, on Monday night, that maybe the rest of his week would be just as normal, too.

 

But when he returned to his dorm room on Tuesday and saw Annie standing by the door, he felt his stomach flip and had the strange suspicion that that would not be the case at all.

 

“Hey,” he said.

 

“Hey,” she said, moving from where she leaned against the wall.

 

She was wearing a big black hoodie again, and matching black jeans and boots, her hair tied up loosely behind her head in that messy bun of hers that he liked so much.

 

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

 

“I needed to talk to you,” she said. “But it was hard to explain over text. Sorry, I texted you that I was coming over.”

 

“Oh,” he said, reaching for his phone in his pocket.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Do you finish classes soon?

I need to ask you a favour

 

“Sorry,” he said, shoving his phone back into his pocket. “I didn’t see it.”

 

“Clearly,” she said flatly.

 

After a moment of silence, he asked, “Do you want to go inside?”

 

“More than I want to stand out in the hall,” she said.

 

“Okay,” he said, reaching for his keys.

 

Eren was nowhere to be seen, which was a relief – Armin could only imagine his reaction if he saw him walking into his room with Annie. She made herself at home immediately, kicking off her boots and sitting down on the edge of his bed, her face as serious as it usually was.

 

“Is everything okay?” he asked, kicking off his own shoes before joining her on the bed.

 

“Yeah,” she said.

 

Armin furrowed his eyebrows. There was something in her form that made him think otherwise; her shoulders were tense and she seemed to be struggling to look over at him. Was it over everything that had happened the other night?

 

“I need to ask you something,” she said finally.

 

“Okay,” he said tentatively. “Ask away.”

 

She sighed and looked over at him. “My dad’s visiting this weekend.”

 

His eyebrows raised. “Really?”

 

She nodded. “Yeah.”

 

He smiled slightly. “Well, that’s great. I know you’ll be glad to see him.”

 

“Yeah. Kind of,” she said, glancing away from him. “So … do you think you’d like to come to dinner with us?”

 

His smile fell. “Huh?”

 

“Me and my dad,” she said. “Would you want to come to dinner with us?”

 

He paused. “Would that not be …”

 

“Awkward?” she asked. “Yeah. Definitely.”

 

His face flushed. “I wasn’t going to say that.” Then, his eyebrows furrowed. “Why are you inviting me to dinner with your dad?”

 

Annie didn’t say anything, her eyes focused on her feet on the floor, eyebrows pinched with a slight flush across her cheeks.

 

In the silence that settled between them, Armin felt his stomach sink as the realisation hit him harder than a punch.

 

“Annie,” he said slowly. “Your dad doesn’t still think we’re dating, does he?”

 

She was quiet for a while. Then, after far too long, she said, “I really just didn’t know how to tell him.”

 

His eyes widened. “Annie!”

 

“I’m sorry!” she said as she turned to face him. “I never said we were dating in the first place, and he just put two and two together in his head. And you never denied it to him when he called that time, and I didn’t, either, so …”

 

“Your dad thinks we’re dating,” he said in disbelief.

 

“I’m sorry,” she said weakly.

 

“You have to tell him we aren’t dating,” said Armin, eyebrows furrowed. “I can’t go to dinner with your dad while he thinks I’m your boyfriend when I’m not.”

 

“I can’t tell him we’re not dating,” said Annie. “You have no idea how happy he is about it. I’m worried he’ll have a heart attack if I tell him the truth.”

 

Armin dropped his head into his hands and sighed. “Annie …”

 

“I’m sorry,” she said again. “I know I’ve caused you enough trouble as it is. I’d just … I’d really owe you one if you could do this for me.”

 

He raised his head again and looked over at her. His heart softened at that look in her eyes; a genuine brittleness that he wanted to hug away – but instead, he stayed where he sat.

 

“Just dinner?” he asked eventually.

 

She nodded. “Yeah. Just to some restaurant in town on Friday night. That’s it.”

 

After a long pause, he nodded. “Okay.”

 

She perked up. “Okay?”

 

“Yeah,” he said. “Okay.”

 

Before he could even think, Annie had pounced on him. Her arms wrapped around him tightly, and they were even more comforting than they had been on the cold street the other night, and he let his arms come up around her with a sigh.

 

“Thank you,” she said into his shoulder.

 

“It’s fine,” said Armin. “Do you really think meeting me is the best way to stop him from having a heart attack?”

 

Annie snorted. “He’ll love you. I think I’ll be more likely to give him a heart attack.”

 

In spite of himself, he smiled.

 

She pulled away, but her face was still close to his. “You might have to dress up a bit. It’s a fancier restaurant.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Doesn’t sound like your kind of place.”

 

She raised an eyebrow. “Do I not come across as the type of woman that can attend upmarket restaurants?”

 

“Of course you can,” he said, frowning slightly. “That’s not what I meant.”

 

She smiled a tiny bit. “I’m just screwing with you.”

 

“Yeah,” he said, and couldn’t help but smile back at her. “I got that.”

 

Her eyebrows drew together. “Do you have any dress clothes?”

 

He glanced away. “Not apart from that fancy suit I wore to Historia’s last party. And when we did the jigsaw.”

 

“Okay,” she said. “Are you free on Thursday morning?”

 

“Uh … yeah, I don’t have classes then,” he said.

 

“Cool,” she said. “I’ll drive you into town. We’ll just get you something less casual – just a shirt and a suit jacket. Maybe a tie.”

 

“Is it really going to be that formal?” asked Armin, eyebrows drawing together.

 

“My dad likes fancy places sometimes,” she said with a shrug.

 

His face still looked as confused as before. “What does your dad actually do?”

 

“Oh,” she said. “He owns a chain of gyms.”

 

His eyes widened. “He owns gyms?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “Only a little chain – most of them are in the same state. He’s been running them since before he adopted me – he used to be a gym rat when he was younger.”

 

Armin’s eyes were still wide. No wonder he’d raised a daughter as intimidating as Annie.

 

“I’m guessing he’s not like that anymore, then?” he asked – mostly hoping that Annie’s dad wasn’t some jacked guy who could kill him with his bare hands.

 

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s bad for his heart now, and he stopped caring about that as much when he adopted me. He mostly just runs the business now. But he likes it.”

 

No wonder Annie was able to throw away his money like it was nothing. It was clear that her father didn’t mind that at all – but still, Armin couldn’t help but be amazed and, in spite of himself, a little intimidated.

 

“Are you sure he’ll like me?” asked Armin.

 

“Of course,” she said. “He’s already impressed that you swim. Especially when I told him you’re better than me.”

 

His eyebrows drew together again. “You told him I swim?”

 

“Well … yeah,” she said. “Why not?”

 

He couldn’t help the slight smile that was fighting its way onto his lips. “How often do you talk about me to your dad?”

 

Something about the way her face flushed made his heart skip. “Not often,” she said. “He asks. He thinks we’re dating.”

 

“So, you never bring me up yourself?” he asked.

 

After a long pause, she said, “You come up every now and then.”

 

He grinned at her.

 

“Armin,” she said pointedly. “You’re on thin ice.”

 

“I didn’t say anything,” he said defensively.

“You didn’t have to,” she said. “You’re thinking it – I can see it on your face.”

 

“I’m not thinking anything!” he said with a laugh.

 

“You are,” she said. “Or you wouldn’t be smiling like that.”

 

“I smile for a lot of reasons,” he said.

 

“Sure,” she said. “I know what you’re thinking about and this isn’t the time to have any sort of discussion about that.”

 

His face softened. “About what?” he asked innocently.

 

Her face burned as she threw her hands up to cover her face. She groaned. “Armin.”

 

“I’m sorry,” he said, but he couldn’t help that swell of pride from growing in his chest.

 

“I’m sure you are,” she mumbled through her hands.

 

He reached up to grab her wrist to pry it away from her face, and she followed his motions and dropped them to her side. She was so pretty, even now, with her cheeks burning red as she only just managed to meet his gaze. A part of him wanted to deepen that blush on her face, but he could only get away with teasing her for so long – he was being too bold now, anyway.

 

“I am,” he said. “But it’s fine – I’ll try and be the perfect boyfriend in front of your dad. It’s not like we haven’t tried to fake it before, right?”

 

She raised an eyebrow at him. “And that went so well.”

 

He offered her a slight smile. “This should go better.”

 

Annie scoffed and said nothing – but even then, she didn’t move away from him. Her face wasn’t that far from his and he could make out all the different tiny flecks of colour in her pale eyes. He wondered if she’d ever looked close enough to notice how beautiful her eyes were. He could have looked at them all day.

 

But he didn’t even get a chance to do that because, before they could even snap away from each other, the door rattled open and Eren stepped inside.

“Oh, fuck,” said Eren, face twisting. “Don’t say –”

 

“We were just talking,” said Armin hurriedly as he and Annie scrambled away from each other.

 

“Just talking?” said Eren, folding his arms over his chest.

 

“Just talking,” said Annie flatly, pressing past him to reach her boots. It only took her a few moments to slip into them before she turned to Armin and said, “I’ll see you later.”

 

“Yeah,” he said with a slight smile. “I’ll see you.”

 

Then she gave Eren a slight nod. “I guess I’ll see you at some point again, Eren.”

 

“More often than you’d expect,” said Eren.

 

Annie scoffed and without another word, she was out of sight – the only thing left to even suggest she’d been here in the first place was her echoing footsteps down the hallway.

 

Eren finally closed the door. “So,” he said. “Were you actually just talking?”

 

“Yes,” said Armin with a sigh. “You’re starting to sound worse than Mikasa.”

 

Eren shrugged. “It’s fun.” Then, he added, “She could have stayed if you were just talking.”

 

“She just wanted to ask a favour,” said Armin.

 

Eren raised an eyebrow. “About what?”

 

“Nothing interesting,” said Armin, waving him off. “I don’t want to bore you with the details.”

 

Such a statement would have gotten Mikasa’s entire face to scrunch up in curiosity, but it was enough to satisfy Eren.

 

“Okay,” said Eren. “If you say so.”

 

Eren managed to stay quiet about the whole thing with Mikasa for the next few days, much to Armin’s surprise, but he knew in his heart that it was only a matter of time before he slipped up. There was nothing he could really do about that – he just hoped, prayed, even, that Mikasa wouldn’t completely flip out. Although as much as he hoped that wasn’t true, he couldn’t quite convince himself that that wouldn’t be the case.

 

When Thursday morning came around, Eren was still asleep, so Armin managed to sneak around the room and get ready for his trip into town with Annie. His snores didn’t even stop when Armin creaked open the door to the hallway and slipped out to meet Annie at her dorm.

 

Annie was as pretty as ever when she opened the door, dressed as casually as she usually was; hair pinned back, ripped black jeans and silver piercings in with an oversized white hoodie trailing down to the middle of her thighs.

 

“Morning,” she said flatly.

 

He couldn’t hold back his smile. “Hey.”

 

“Let me grab my bag,” she said before turning back into the room.

 

Armin caught a glimpse of that piranha plushie that he had bought for her at the aquarium, tucked next to the pillows on her bed when she slept. His heart warmed in his chest at the idea that she’d started falling asleep snuggling up to that stupid toy he’d gotten for her.

 

Annie stepping into the hall snapped him out of his thoughts. “Okay, let’s go.”

 

Armin fell into step beside her. “Is there anywhere in particular we’re going?”

 

Annie shrugged. “I know a few places. Nothing too over the top, just dressy enough. Maybe just a regular black suit, white shirt sort of combo. I might even let you pick the tie.”

 

He smiled. “Lucky me.”

 

She lightly jabbed him with her elbow. “Okay, it doesn’t have to be black – it just has to be smart. You don’t even have to wear the blazer in the restaurant.”

 

“I’ll just get whatever you think looks best,” he said. “I don’t know exactly what your dad thinks is an acceptable outfit.”

 

“You and me both,” she said underneath her breath. “I’ll have to pick up something, anyway, so it’s all on me. You don’t have to stay with me for that part – it’ll just be dress shopping. I’m probably just going to get a regular black dress or something.”

 

He wanted to snap at himself for the way his mind instantly flitted to the idea of watching her slip in and out of dresses. He remembered seeing that dress she’d been wearing on Hitch’s Instagram, all those days ago, and his mouth practically went dry.

 

“Armin?” she asked. “Is that a no?”

 

He blinked. “Sorry?”

 

“You can come with me for that, or you can head back to campus,” said Annie. “I don’t mind.”

 

“Oh,” he said, internally berating himself. “Yeah, I’ll come with you.”

 

Annie nodded. “Cool. I could use some company – and maybe an opinion or two.”

 

“I can give an opinion,” he said. “Or two.”

 

She snorted. “I’m sure.”

 

He smiled at her, but she didn’t glance over at him – a part of him wondered if she did that so that she wouldn’t start smiling, too, because there was a slight pull at the edge of her lips that he couldn’t ignore.

 

There was only a little bit of traffic on their way into town and most of the drive was spent with Annie humming along to random soft rock songs that he’d never heard before – but the hum of her voice was so sweet that he didn’t dare speak until they pulled up in a parking lot in town.

 

When she stepped out of the car, she said, “Okay, it’s just down this way. We might only have to go to one place for you.” Then, she added, “And hopefully me.”

 

He followed her down the direction she said until they reached a small store, slightly out of the way, and she pulled him inside. It was about as extraordinary on the inside as it was on the outside; suits were hung all over the place but at the end of the day, how interesting could suits really be? The air was stuffy and when he made eye contact with the only salesperson in sight, he wished for nothing more than for them to pretend he and Annie didn’t exist.

 

“What are your opinions?” asked Annie.

 

He glanced over at her to see her eyebrow arched, her hands crossed over her chest.

 

“Oh,” said Armin, lips slipping into a small frown. “I’m not really sure what I’m looking for. I guess nothing too showy?”

 

Annie nodded. “Okay. So dark colours, then.”

 

“Yeah,” he said.

 

“Well,” she said, dropping her arms. “I wanted to check this place out first because they sell the suits with shirts and ties in a set.” Then, she added, “Oh, and I guess we’ll have to get you some shoes, too, but that shouldn’t be that hard.”

 

Armin’s eyes scanned along the rails, eyes drifting over a blur of greys and blacks and blues with nothing really catching his eye.

 

“What about this?” asked Annie, raising a black suit in front of him.

 

He frowned. The tie was a deep red. “I don’t really like the tie.”

 

“Okay,” she said. “What about this?”

 

They went through several suits hanging on the rails, but none of them were really calling out to him. Annie was patient throughout it all, but he was starting to feel bad that he was being so picky. It wasn’t as if he knew the first thing about fashion, anyway, and he especially didn’t know anything about semi-formalwear. Mikasa and Eren had gotten his suit for the party, and even then, it had been a party; now he was trying to find something suitable to meet Annie’s dad even though, really, as someone who was certainly not Annie’s boyfriend, he should not be doing.

 

“We don’t have to do black or blue, you know,” said Annie after he’d said no to her ninth suggestion.

 

“I know,” said Armin. “I just don’t really know if anything else would work.”

 

“How about this,” said Annie. “I’ll stop asking and you can just have a look around. No pressure then. Just something you like the look of. Okay?”

 

He wasn’t sure how well his search would go without Annie helping him, but he just nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

 

“Cool,” she said. “I’ll just be waiting by the changing rooms if you need anything.”

 

“Okay,” he said, and she nodded back at him, before turning around and heading towards the seats by the changing rooms.

 

He turned to face the rest of the store ahead of him. There were a lot of different colours, but a lot of them were far too bright for what he was going for. They were made for people who could confidently pull off those colours, and Armin knew in his heart that, at least at this stage in his life, that was not the kind of person he was.

 

The dark green suits caught his eye for a long time, but even then, he couldn’t quite settle on a certain one. None of them felt right for him, and he didn’t think they would really work for a dinner with Annie’s dad. So his search kept on going for a few minutes more, until his hand fell over a patch of brown suits in the corner of the store.

 

His fingers stopped and drifted over the fabric of one of the suit-jackets. This was definitely the sort of thing that his grandfather would wear if he ever had to go to anything that was a little formal; it wasn’t exactly a college kid’s sort of style. Then again, maybe that would look good in front of Annie’s dad; maybe he would come across as mature, rather than some dumb kid dating his daughter. Well, not that he was dating his daughter, but he didn’t know that.

 

The suit he picked out had brown trousers and a matching jacket, along with a white button-up shirt and a deep green tie. His eyebrows furrowed. Maybe Annie would hate it – there was always that chance, especially considering she had spent so much time looking for clothes for him in the black-coloured section. But when he looked at this one, he could really see himself in it.

 

So he picked it off the rail and headed over to Annie, who was reading something on her phone by the changing rooms. Her gaze flickered up when he approached her.

 

“Found one?” she said.

 

He nodded and raised it up. “I sort of like it. But if you don’t, that’s okay.”

 

Annie rose to her feet and stepped closer to get a better look. Her fingers trailed over the fabric of the suit and her eyebrow furrowed. “This looks like an old man’s suit, Armin.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Is it that bad?”

 

“I never said that was a bad thing,” she said, dropping her hand. “Try it on. I want to see it on you.”

 

“Okay,” he said, and without another word, he disappeared into the changing room.

 

It only took him a few minutes to change, but he spent more time redoing his tie more than anything else. He didn’t know why it was so stressful – maybe it was the pressure of Annie waiting outside excepting something that was making it so difficult to tie this stupid tie. He knew how to tie a tie; why did it just not look right now?

 

“Armin?”

 

He froze at the sound of Annie’s voice from beyond the curtain. “Yeah?”

 

“Are you decent?” she asked.

 

“Uh, yeah,” he said. “I’m just –”

 

Before he could finish, the curtain was flung open and Annie was in front of him. Her eyes glanced over his suit and her eyebrows rose.

 

“Wait,” she said, her hands reaching out for his tie. “God, Armin, what have you done with this thing?”

 

“I … I really don’t know,” he said weakly.

 

Annie shook her head a tiny bit and undid the knot he’d made at his neck. Her movements were gentle as she adjusted it around his collar, the brush of the fabric enough to make his eyes flutter shut. But it was over almost as soon as it started and his eyes snapped open when he felt her hands pulling at his jacket to button it up.

 

“Have you never tied a tie before?” she asked, her hands going to his arms.

 

“Yeah,” he said, glancing away. “I was just …”

 

He wasn’t quite sure how to finish the sentence even though Annie was still looking at him expectantly.

 

Eventually, she sighed and dropped her arms, before stepping away. “I like it.”

 

His eyebrows raised. “You do?”

 

She nodded. “Yeah. I’m still right about it being an old man’s suit, but that sort of thing clearly suits you.” Then, she added, “You look smart. And handsome.”

 

His cheeks warmed, only a little. “Thanks.”

 

“What do you think?” she asked.

 

“Well …” he said, looking down at himself. He turned to face the mirror. He supposed it really did suit him, more than he imagined anything else in here really would. So, he said, “Yeah, I really like it.”

 

“Okay,” said Annie, and he turned to face her.

 

His eyebrows nearly jumped to his hairline when her fingers moved back to the buttons on his jacket to undo them, before reaching to run her thumb over the fabric of his tie.

 

“I think it’s a nice colour. And the tie,” she said. “We’ll have to look for a dress this colour.”

 

“We will?” he asked.

 

She shrugged. “Well, I can find any colour, really, but maybe brown or green would look better. I’m thinking a dark green like this.”

 

He nodded, trying to swallow past the lump that had formed in his throat. Why was her hand still there on his chest? “Green would be nice.”

 

“Nice?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Well, I mean, any colour would be nice on you,” he said hurriedly. “But I think that shade would … that green would really … look nice … on you.”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed at him before she snorted and dropped his tie. “Okay,” she said. “Well, then, at least you’ve got an opinion on that, so you can help me decide on what type.”

 

He nodded. “Okay.”

 

“You should get changed,” she said. “Don’t worry about the suit; it’s completely on me.”

 

His eyebrows drew together. “Are you sure?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “It’s for a dinner with my dad, anyway.” Then, she added, with a smirk, “If you take me out to dinner with your Grandpa, maybe I’ll let you buy my dress.”

 

His face flushed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

She scoffed and turned around, pulling the curtain shut so he could get changed again in privacy. He took a few moments to calm down from her teasing and then he pulled his casual clothes back on and headed out to meet her with his new suit.

 

He tried not to feel too bad about the price as it went through and he followed her out of the store as she explained the direction they had to head in to reach the first dress shop she was thinking of.

 

The first store turned out to be a bust, anyhow. There was not a single dark green dress in sight; the closest thing to it was one lime-green knee-length dress that made Annie’s face twist. He had no problem with following her to the next one, which didn’t seem to have something either, until they reached a much bigger store further into town.

 

It was huge on the inside, and he spent some time following around the store and letting her pile up on the dresses they both agreed on into his arms (although, he agreed with nearly every one she handed to him). He tried to sit down outside of the changing room, but she grabbed onto his arm and dragged him in.

 

“I don’t want to walk all the way out in a dress,” she said. “They’ll think I’m robbing them.”

 

“I can’t just hover in a women’s changing room,” said Armin, eyebrows raised. “They’ll think I’m a pervert.”

 

Annie sighed. “Just come into this cubicle with me.”

 

His face flushed. “What? Wait a minute –”

 

But before he could say more, she’d dragged him in the cubicle and pulled the curtain shut behind them.

 

It was bigger, at least, than the ones he had to change in, although he was more than aware of their proximity when Annie turned her back to him and pulled her hoodie over her head.

 

She paused. “Are you gonna turn around?”

 

“Oh,” he said, twisting to face the curtain. “Sorry, I really didn’t mean –”

 

“I know,” she said.

 

Her voice was followed by the ruffling of clothing and the soft sound of it dropping to the floor. Each slight noise made his throat constrict. She was right behind him, stripping down to her underwear. They certainly shouldn’t be this close, and yet –

 

“Armin?” she asked. “Could you hand me one of those dresses?”

 

“Oh, yeah,” he said, twisting around. He opened his mouth to say “Here”, but he froze halfway there.

 

She was in her underwear. It was just plain black, nothing frilly or fancy, but for a moment, he couldn’t even think. He could see her curves, the thickness of her thighs, the pale curve of her breasts, her stomach –

 

“Armin?” she said. “You’re staring at me.”

 

He blinked, his entire face bursting into flames. He closed his eyes immediately and thrust out his hand. “Sorry!”

 

He felt her take the dress from his hand. “Thanks.”

 

He turned back around and kept his eyes closed, even though there was nothing more to see from this angle save for the blue of the curtain.

 

Her voice came past the rustling of fabric. “I don’t know why you act like that. It’s not like you haven’t seen it all before.”

 

“Sorry,” he said quietly.

 

“It’s fine,” she said.

 

Armin didn’t think before he spoke. “You’re just very beautiful.”

 

Annie didn’t say anything.

 

“Not that that’s an excuse,” he said hurriedly. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

 

“It’s okay,” she said softly. “Do I look beautiful in this?”

 

Armin opened his eyes and turned to face her, but any words he had were caught in his throat at the sight of her. The dress was a deep green, the same colour as his tie, with thin straps and a slight dip down her chest, clinging to her top half snuggly. It was made of satin and the fabric cinched at the side of her waist, the fabric loosely hanging off from her hips and trailing down past her knees.

 

“Well?” she said.

 

He closed his mouth and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, you do.”

 

“Good,” she said. “Good enough for a dinner?”

 

He nodded. “More than good enough.”

 

She snorted and folded her arms over her chest. “Is it too much?”

 

“No,” he said, shaking his head.

 

“Really,” she said, arching an eyebrow. “For a dinner?”

 

“I think it’s nice,” he said. “We’ll match.”

 

A small smirk curled at the edge of her mouth. “I think if you didn’t look so young, people would mistake us for sugar daddy and sugar baby.”

 

“Well, if anything, really, it’s the other way around,” he said, and then his face fell as he realised what a stupid, stupid joke that was to make.

 

Annie paused for a moment before she let out her laughter and shook her head. “So, if you’re the sugar baby,” she said, “that means –”

 

His face warmed. “Please don’t say that.”

 

She grinned at him and shook her head. “Who knew you had a sense of humour like that?”

 

Her expression was enough to make a smile spread across his own lips, ignoring the redness in his own cheeks. “You know I have a sense of humour. Actually, I think you find me quite funny.”

 

“Definitely not,” she said, turning around to look at her dress in the mirror.

 

“Definitely,” he corrected.

 

He caught her smile in the mirror. “You know what? I think I’ll just get this one. If it’s as nice as you say so.”

 

“It’s really nice,” he said with a nod.

 

“Good,” she said, and then added quietly, “I feel pretty, too, so …”

 

His heart softened. Her gaze in the mirror was delicate as she adjusted the straps, twisting from side to side to check how it fit her form.

 

She sighed. “Yeah. This’ll do. Now we just need to pick up some shoes.” She glanced at him over her shoulder. “Think you could help me pull this over my head? I don’t want to rip it before I’ve even paid for it.”

 

His eyebrows drew together. “Are you sure?”

 

“Positive,” she said. “It pulls over – no zip or anything.”

 

“Okay,” he said awkwardly before gently dropping the rest of the dresses down onto the ground and stepping past them to avoid damaging them.

 

Annie was quiet as he stood behind her, crouching to reach down to grab onto the loose fabric at the bottom of the skirt, bunching it in his fingers before he began pulling it up her body. She raised her arms and he couldn’t help but notice the flash of skin as the dress fell away, doing his best to ignore the dryness of his mouth and the softness of her flesh. There was only a little bit of struggle to get over her head, but then it was done and she turned to face him.

 

“Thank you,” she said.

 

“It’s no problem,” he said with a smile.

 

Annie didn’t look away for a moment. Armin knew he should step away – now was definitely not the time to be standing so close to her, but he was finding it difficult to convince his feet to move.

 

“You looked very handsome in your suit,” she said finally.

 

His voice was quiet when he spoke. “Thank you.”

 

She looked at him for a moment longer before she cleared her throat. “I think I should probably get changed now.”

 

He nodded and stepped back. “Yeah. Yeah, no problem.”

 

It wasn’t long before she changed again, and Armin quietly followed her to the checkout so that she could pay for her dress. It only took a few moments, and soon they went out in search of shoes for the pair of them, which didn’t end up taking that long – they both just got pairs of black shoes, but hers were heels that Armin was genuinely impressed that she could walk in. And then, that was the morning over, and they found themselves back in Annie’s car, driving back to campus.

 

He spoke up eventually. “Annie?”

 

“Hmm?” she said.

 

It was a stupid question, but he’d wanted to ask it since he’d noticed it on her bed before they left.

 

“Have you named that piranha yet?” he asked.

 

She paused for a moment. “Yeah. Her name’s Patti.”

 

“Patti,” he said.

 

She nodded. “Yeah. Patti.”

 

He tried to keep a straight face. “You mean like Patti Smith? The famous rock star?”

 

“And so what if it is?” she asked. “She’s a rock star, for fuck’s sakes.”

 

Armin grinned. “It’s a nice name.”

 

Annie paused for a moment. “Something in your tone is making me think that’s not actually what you think at all.”

 

“It is a nice name,” he said. Then, after a moment of pause, he added, “It’s almost as nice as Stevie.”

 

She was quiet for some time. “You’re lucky I don’t have the heart to shove you out of this car.”

 

He smiled at her. “I’m very lucky.”

 

Her eyes flickered over to his for only an instant, but for a few heartbeats, he was sure time froze. He took in the softness in her eyes, the curves of her lips and her arched nose, the way her hair fell around her face – she was more beautiful than any sunrise he had ever seen, and twice as radiant.

 

Annie snorted and rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to the road. “Yeah. Very.”

 

They stayed quiet for the rest of the drive back to campus and then they parted way at her dorm room. He headed back to his own room to put his suit away and grab his backpack, before heading out to one of his afternoon classes.

 

He managed to keep his mind focused by making notes on the lecture going on in front of him, which was nothing more than Dr Hange explaining that next semester would be mostly practical rather than theoretical, so, “Don’t expect to be on campus too much next year!” Panicking about how next year would go definitely distracted him from any worries he had about going to dinner with Annie’s dad tomorrow night, but when class ended, he had nothing else to think about but that.

 

He was so lost in thought as he headed back to his dorm that he barely saw Historia when she stepped out in front of him.

 

“Hey!” said Historia, snapping him out of his thoughts. “One metre away, at least.”

 

“Oh, sorry!” said Armin. “I didn’t see you.”

 

Historia frowned. “Maybe you need a better prescription.”

 

His frown matched hers, but before he could say anything in response, she thrust out her arm towards him.

 

“Here,” said Historia. “It’s your invitation to my next party.”

 

Armin took it from her hands and squinted at it. It was a soft pink colour and near identical in design to the one she had given him for the last party.

 

Armin Arlert

You are formally invited to the Pretty in Pink event, hosted by Historia Reiss at the Paradis Sorority House

Friday 19^th

Must wear pink otherwise entrance will not be permitted

Beverages available, but first come, first served, so it is recommended to BYOB if possible

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Pretty in pink?”

 

Historia nodded. “It’s to celebrate femininity.”

 

“Oh,” he said, not quite sure how a colour could be feminine. “Right. Yeah.”

 

“Just make sure you and your girlfriends are wearing something pink,” she said with a sigh. “Otherwise, you won’t get in.”

 

“Wait, what?” he asked. “My girlfriends?”

 

“Well, I heard the news through the grapevine,” she said. “Aren’t you in some weird throuple with Mikasa Ackerman and Annie Leonhart?”

 

His stomach flipped. Of course Floch would take what Annie had said to get under his skin and spread it around like it was a dirty little secret.

 

He certainly wasn’t in the mood to stand around and try and convince Historia that that wasn’t true and all, and trying to disguise his exasperation, he said, “Can we not talk about that right now?”

 

“Oh,” she said. “So it is true.” Then, she added, “No offence, but I would have thought they’d be better off just dating each other.”

 

He scowled. “None taken.”

 

She sighed and shuffled through her invitations, before holding out two more pieces of paper to him. “Here. Do me a favour and give these to your girlfriends for me, will you?”

 

“No problem,” he said, forcing a smile onto his face and taking them from her hand.

 

His frustration had fizzled out by the time he reached his dorm and he was relieved to see Eren lying down on his bed, earphones plugged in as he stared at something on his phone. He took one out of his ear when he noticed Armin stepping through the door.

 

“Hey,” he said.

 

“Hey,” said Armin. “No pamphlets to work on today?”

 

“No,” said Eren with a deep sigh. “I’m out of ideas.”

 

“I’m sure something will come to you,” said Armin with a smile. “Oh, are you seeing Mikasa tomorrow?”

 

Eren nodded. “Yeah, why?”

 

“Here,” said Armin, stepping towards the bed and handing him an invitation.

 

Eren squinted at it. “I’m confused. Do you want me to give this to Annie?”

 

Armin’s eyebrows raised as he looked down at his hands to realise he’d handed him the wrong invitation. He quickly swiped Annie’s invitation from Eren’s hands and switched it with Mikasa’s.

 

“Historia gave me them,” said Armin. “If you could give that to Mikasa.”

 

“Yeah, sure,” said Eren – but then he frowned. “I haven’t even gotten mine yet.”

 

Armin sighed. “If I see her again, I’ll ask.”

 

Eren’s eyebrows furrowed. “Is everything okay?”

 

“Yeah,” said Armin, moving over to his bed to drop down onto it. “Just tired.”

 

“Long day?” asked Eren.

 

“Maybe,” said Armin.

 

“Take a nap, then,” said Eren. “I’ll be quiet. But I was gonna watch The Wolf of Wall Street later if you wanna join.”

 

Armin agreed, and after his nap, he and Eren ordered food and watched The Wolf of Wall Street on Eren’s computer. By the time it was over, both of them were tired enough to crawl into their beds and pass out; Armin even managed to keep all thoughts of the dinner the next day out of his mind until he woke up the next morning to texts from Annie.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Meet me and my dad at Sina’s tonight

At 6

I’d Uber it with you to the restaurant, but me and my dad are staying at a hotel this weekend

 

ME

That’s fine

Sorry if I get lost

 

ROCKSTAR <3

I’d be impressed if you did considering you won’t be the one driving you there

See you then

 

ME

See you :)

 

Armin got on with his day in the only way he knew how – he went swimming. The chill of the water against his skin calmed him down and the steady rhythm of his strokes up and down the lanes kept his mind clear and focused on nothing more than his motions. He only got out the water when his stomach started rumbling, but thankfully his heart didn’t start racing as soon as his feet were back on solid ground.

 

In fact, his heart beat fairly normally for the rest of the day, until the moment came where he had to get ready for the dinner while Mikasa and Eren were still in his dorm. He tried to be as discrete as possible as he reached into his wardrobe to pull out his suit and he was relieved when they didn’t ask anything, both of them too engrossed in the movie they were watching on Eren’s computer. But their startled gazes couldn’t be avoided when he stepped out of the bathroom, fully dressed in his suit.

 

“What’s with the suit?” asked Mikasa.

 

“Are you moving into an old folk’s home or something?” asked Eren and Mikasa nudged him.

 

Armin frowned. “I didn’t think it was that bad.”

 

“Ignore him,” said Mikasa, reaching forward to pause their movie. “Why are you in a suit?”

 

“I’m going out to dinner,” said Armin carefully.

 

“With who?” asked Mikasa.

 

He knew he should lie. He knew it. He could be a very good liar when he needed to be. But who on earth would he possibly be going to dinner with? Mikasa wouldn’t believe that he’d charmed some random person into dinner.

 

So, he said, weakly, “Annie and her dad.”

 

Mikasa’s eyes raised. “Annie and her dad?”

 

“What the hell?” asked Eren. “You’re meeting her dad?”

 

“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” said Armin.

 

“It sounds really bad,” said Eren.

 

Mikasa’s face softened. “Armin,” she said tentatively. “Are you and Annie dating again?”

 

“What?” he asked, eyes widening.

 

She looked at him blankly. “You’re going out to dinner with her and her dad in a suit.”

 

He shook his head. “We aren’t dating. I’m doing her a favour.”

 

“What sort of favour is going to dinner with her and her dad?” asked Eren.

 

Armin sighed, running a hand through his hair. “He still thinks we’re dating, okay? And Annie didn’t know how to tell him and we’re not on bad terms or anything, so it’s just one night of pretending until she can figure out how to break the news to him.”

 

Mikasa and Eren were quiet for a long while, before Eren finally said, “Woah. That is really bad.”

 

Armin winced. “Don’t say that. I’m worried enough.”

 

Mikasa’s eyebrows drew together. “I don’t mean to make anything worse, but … do you really think it’s a good idea to go out to dinner with Annie and her dad? You know, the girl you still clearly have feelings for –”

 

Armin waved her off. “What? I don’t have feelings for Annie, that’s –”

 

“And her likely very scary dad,” said Mikasa pointedly.

 

“I already said I would do it,” he said weakly. “And she paid for this suit and everything. I can’t back out now. I have to leave in about ten minutes.”

 

Mikasa and Eren were both quiet.

 

Armin’s eyebrows drew together. “Oh, fuck, this was a horrible idea, wasn’t it?”

 

“Just a little,” said Mikasa.

 

“It’s definitely one of your worst,” said Eren.

 

Armin settled down onto his bed, dropping his head into his hands and letting out a groan. “Oh, man, this is bad. He’s going to hate me.”

 

“It’s fine,” said Mikasa. “It’s only one night, right? What does it matter if you make a bad impression?”

 

Armin raised his head. “Do you think I’ll make a bad impression?”

 

“Well, I’ve never met Annie’s dad, so I can’t really say,” said Mikasa.

 

He dropped his head back into his hands.

 

“Why does it matter so much, anyway?” said Eren. “You’re not actually dating.”

 

Armin raised his head. “I know … but I’d feel bad for Annie if I messed things up.”

 

“Hey,” said Mikasa softly. “You’re doing her a big favour. I’m sure she’ll be grateful either way.”

 

Armin paused for a moment before letting out a breath. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.”

 

“Of course I am,” said Mikasa.

 

“Okay,” said Armin, rising to his feet. “I’ll go call an Uber. I’ll see you guys later.”

 

“Good luck!” said Eren.

 

Armin’s heart was racing when he climbed into the back of the Uber. He spent most of the ride staring down at his phone, sending messages back and forth to Annie about how far away he was. When the car pulled up beside the restaurant, he was surprised he could even breathe.

 

When he stepped onto the street, he nearly regained his breath again, taking a moment to take a deep breath to prepare himself, when a far too familiar voice caught his attention.

 

“You seem very relaxed.”

 

He turned his head to see Annie and he any ability to breathe he’d regained completely vanished. She was just as stunning in her dress as she had been before, but something about the way she was standing with her hair down and a slight smirk threatening to curve her lips was enough to make him struggle to even think.

 

“Hey,” he managed eventually. “Uh, yeah, I guess I’m a little nervous.”

 

“Don’t be,” said Annie, moving towards him.

 

His breath caught in his throat when she stepped close enough to touch and then he was surprised his knees didn’t just give out beneath him when she wrapped her arms around him. His own hands circled around her and he let out a deep sigh, breathing in the scent of her sweet perfume.

 

Annie pulled away. “You clean up nice. My dad will be impressed.”

 

“You think so?” he asked.

 

She nodded. “Definitely.”

 

Armin cleared his throat. “You look beautiful, Annie.”

 

“Thank you,” she said softly.

 

Her eyes lingered on his a moment too long.

 

Then, she said, “Let’s go inside. My dad’s waiting at our table.”

 

He nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

 

She reached for his hand and he ignored the warmth that spread through him as she pulled him through the doors of the restaurant.

 

The only thing that was keeping him from completely freaking out was Annie’s firm grip on his hand. He was sure his palm was sweaty, but Annie didn’t let go of him for a moment, at least not until they were standing in front of a table where the man who must have been Annie’s father was sitting.

 

“Dad?” said Annie, and the man glanced up.

 

Armin wasn’t sure why, but for a moment he found himself genuinely shocked that Annie’s father looked nothing like her. Of course they wouldn’t look alike – she was adopted. Annie was fair, where her father was dark; his hair was dark where hers was light, and the same was the case for his eyes.

 

“This is Armin,” said Annie, putting a comforting hand on his back.

 

Her father’s gaze was hard when it met him, but Armin thrust his hand out before he could think. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Mr Leonhart.”

 

He looked at his hand for a moment long before he pulled himself to his feet and took Armin’s hand in his to shake it. “Armin, is it?”

 

Armin nodded. “Yes, sir.”

 

Mr Leonhart dropped his hand. “Do you have a last name?”

 

“Arlert,” said Armin.

 

“Arlert,” repeated Mr Leonhart. Then, he smiled. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, too. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

 

Had he? Armin wanted to glance over at Annie and try and decipher whatever expression she had on her face, but before he could even consider stealing a glance, Mr Leonhart reached forward and patted his shoulder.

 

“Let’s sit then, so we can order soon,” he said.

 

Armin obliged and slid down onto the seat besides Annie, who gave his hand a reassuring squeeze beneath the table. Or maybe it was an apologetic squeeze – he didn’t have time to think about it, however, because the waiter arrived at the table to take their orders.

 

“So,” said Mr Leonhart after he took a sip from his glass of water. “Tell me about yourself.”

 

Armin’s heartrate picked up. “What would you like to know?”

 

“Well, Annie tells me you’re a swimmer,” he said.

 

“Uh, yeah,” said Armin, swallowing past the lump that had formed in his throat. “Just casually, though. I’ve been swimming since I was a kid. I’ve just always liked it.”

 

Mr Leonhart cocked an eyebrow at him. “So not competitive swimming, then?”

 

“Dad,” said Annie pointedly.

 

“I’m just asking,” said Mr Leonhart, raising his hands in defence.

 

“It’s fine,” said Armin with a smile, giving Annie’s hand a squeeze beneath the table. “I did some races when I was a kid, but nothing major. I have to say I didn’t win any of them.”

 

Annie nudged him. “I’d still have to say he’s better than me, though.”

 

“Swimming was never really your thing, anyhow,” said Mr Leonhart. “Not after your little incident.”

 

“Dad,” Annie warned, eyes widening.

 

“It’s a funny story, Annie,” said Mr Leonhart. “Have you never told Armin? I thought you went swimming with him before.”

 

Annie scowled. “Well, I can assure you, there were no more incidents.”

 

“It happened when she was about twelve,” said Mr Leonhart, a small smile forming on his face. “She was really athletic as a kid – mostly my fault, I can admit now – but I wanted to make sure she was a decent swimmer because that’s an important skill. So, I took her for lessons – she did them for a while, covered all of the basic strokes and everything. But in one of her lessons, she was doing a group activity thing – one of those ridiculous challenge things they do with kids, I don’t know why.”

 

Annie had buried her face in her hands at this point. “Dad, you really don’t need to keep going.”

 

Her dad waved her off. “It’s fine, honey. Anyway, she’d happened to drink too much before, and she needed the bathroom. So she asks the instructor if she can go to the toilet because she’s desperate. Now, he doesn’t let her, and tells her to get on with the activity. She starts arguing with him, and then she just goes quiet. And she looks at him, dead in the eye, and says, “I’ve just pissed myself, sir. Can I go to the bathroom now?””

 

“Dad,” said Annie, dropping her hands to reveal her red face.

 

Her father was laughing and Armin was struggling to fight the tiny smile that was pulling at his lips.

 

“I couldn’t believe it, at the time,” said Mr Leonhart. “We were banned from going swimming there.”

 

Armin couldn’t hold back the tiny chortle that slipped past his lips, and he felt Annie nudge him with her elbow.

 

“I’m assuming there hasn’t been a repeat of this incident when she’s been swimming with you, then, son?” asked Mr Leonhart.

 

“Ah,” said Armin, still desperately trying to fight a grin, knowing that if he turned to face Annie right now, her face would be the exact same shade as a strawberry. “No, sir, I can’t say there has been.”

 

“Well, be careful,” he said. “It’s only a matter of time before –”

 

“Can we talk about anything else expect me pissing myself?” asked Annie. “This is a fancy restaurant.”

 

“We’re not fancy people, Annie,” said Mr Leonhart.

 

“Even people who aren’t fancy don’t talk about piss at the dinner table,” she hissed.

 

Her father shrugged. “The food hasn’t arrived yet.”

 

Almost as if on que, the waiter appeared before them with Annie and her father’s plates before quickly returned with Armin’s. It was some fancy pasta dish – Armin had just picked out whatever Annie ordered – but he hadn’t had much of an appetite all afternoon in his nervous state.

 

“Okay,” said Mr Leonhart. “I’ll stop talking about it now.”

 

Annie scoffed. “Thanks.”

 

They were only a few moments into their dinner before Annie’s father spoke to him again. “So, what are you majoring in, then, Armin?”

 

Armin swallowed down his mouthful of pasta and cleared his throat. “Marine biology, sir.”

 

Mr Leonhart cocked an eyebrow. “Marine biology? Interested in being a marine biologist, then?”

 

“Well, if it’s possible, yes,” said Armin carefully. “I also just really enjoy the subject, but I have another few years to figure it out. I’ve actually considered becoming a professor myself.”

 

Mr Leonhart hummed. “College professor isn’t the worst plan in the world, either, if the other one doesn’t work out.” Then, he added, “How are you doing in your classes, anyway?”

 

“Well,” said Armin, digging his fork into his pasta. “I think I’m doing pretty okay.”

 

“He’s being modest,” said Annie. “He gets the highest grades in all of his classes.”

 

Mr Leonhart’s eyebrows raised. “Really?”

 

Armin dropped his gaze to his plate. “Well, uh … yeah, actually.”

 

“Don’t sell yourself short,” said Mr Leonhart. Then, he added, “Are your parents biologists, too, then?”

 

Armin felt Annie tense besides him, but before she could say anything, he said, “They were engineers, sir. They passed away when I was a child.”

 

“Oh,” said Mr Leonhart, eyebrows furrowing. “I’m sorry to hear that.” Then, he added, “I didn’t mean to cause any offence or anything.”

 

“It’s alright,” said Armin, pushing a polite smile onto his face. “My Grandpa raised me. He was a mechanic, but now he just works in the offices to keep himself busy; but I think that’s where my dad started thinking about engineering.”

 

Mr Leonhart nodded. “Do you know anything about that sort of stuff? Mechanics and all of that?”

 

“Well, like fixing cars?” asked Armin. “Yeah. I work where he does in the summer.” Then, he added, “Although, I guess I’m not really supposed to, but no one’s really asked.”

 

Mr Leonhart chortled, but before he could say anything, Annie’s elbow poked into his side, hard, and he turned to face her.

 

Her eyes were wide. “You’re a fucking mechanic?”

 

“I’m not a mechanic,” he said.

 

“Oh, yeah, just in the summer,” said Annie. Her eyebrows drew together. “Why have you never mentioned this before?”

 

He shrugged. “It didn’t seem that interesting to mention. I can’t do it at college, so …”

 

“That’s a really useful skill to have,” said Mr Leonhart pointedly.

 

“Yeah,” said Annie with a snort. “It’ll be even more useful when you actually get a car.”

 

Mr Leonhart’s eyebrows furrowed. “Do you not drive?”

 

“I can drive,” said Armin. “I, uh … I just can’t really afford a car right now. On top of college and everything, it’s just too expensive.”

 

Mr Leonhart hummed. “I keep reminding Annie how spoiled she is. She just ignores me, though.”

 

Armin smiled when Annie said, “Dad.”

 

“You better be taking care of your sweet boyfriend here,” said her father pointedly.

 

“Annie’s very generous, actually,” said Armin with a smile, glancing over at her. “She takes me out to dinner all the time. I try to pay, but she’s adamant.”

 

“I’m glad to say I’ve raised her right, then,” said Mr Leonhart.

 

Annie snorted. “Apart from trying to get me to become an MMA fighter.”

 

“I’m glad I’ve taught you how to treat others well, then,” said Mr Leonhart. Then, he added, “And at least now you can defend yourself. It wasn’t all for nothing.”

 

“Yeah, I guess,” said Annie. “It backfired when you realised I’d be able to kick your ass, though.”

 

Mr Leonhart laughed. “True, true. I bet half the kids on campus are scared of you. I’m surprised this one isn’t.”

 

Armin’s eyes flashed back up from his plate. “Sorry?”

 

“He thinks you’re scared of me,” said Annie flatly.

 

“Oh,” said Armin, eyebrows furrowing. “What’s there to be scared of?”

 

Mr Leonhart’s face twisted and he turned to Annie. “He’s not wise, is he?”

 

Annie scoffed. “I haven’t tried to flip him over his head yet, so he doesn’t have a reason to be scared.”

 

“Yet,” said Mr Leonhart pointedly.

 

Annie reached beneath the table and squeezed his leg. “I’d never do that.”

 

He smiled. “It’s okay.” Then, he turned to Mr Leonhart. “Everyone on campus knows Annie’s tough. But Annie’s always been very soft with me, so …”

 

Mr Leonhart nearly joked on his drink. “Soft?” he asked.

 

“I’m not soft,” said Annie.

 

He glanced over at her to see her face twisted in a scowl that was sweet enough to make him smile. “With me, you are.”

 

Mr Leonhart raised his hands and waved at them. “Hey, you two. None of that lovebird stuff when I’m sat at the table.”

 

Armin’s face turned red. “Sorry, sir.”

 

“It’s bad enough from Annie on the phone,” said Mr Leonhart with a sigh. “Oh, dad, Armin’s so sweet and so kind; I’ve never met anyone like him. Sometimes I think she forgets that I’m her old man.”

 

“I do not sound like that at all,” said Annie, her cheeks flushing pink.

 

“You gush over him,” said Mr Leonhart. “It’s sweet and I’m happy for you, truly, but Lord … sometimes it’s a bit much, you know?”

 

“Dad,” she said.

 

“Okay, honey, I’ll stop,” he said, tucking back into his dinner.

 

Armin glanced over at Annie and asked, quietly, “Do you really talk about me that much?”

 

“Armin,” she said sternly. Her cheeks were red. “Not now.”

 

He smiled and her father guffawed. “Alright,” he said before turning back to his food.

 

Once their main course was over, they moved onto their desserts which were just fancy little cheesecakes, and for the most part, the conversation just seemed to grow easier. Mr Leonhart wasn’t so intimidating up so close and considering he spent most of the dinner teasing Annie, Armin managed to avoid his scrutiny.

 

But just as he was smiling at another embarrassing story from Annie’s childhood, her father abruptly turned to him and asked, “Armin, what exactly are your intentions with my daughter?”

 

Armin’s mouth fell open and he awkwardly squeaked, “Sorry?”

 

“Dad,” said Annie pointedly. “Don’t ask him that.”

 

“What?” asked Mr Leonhart. “Can I not want to know?”

 

Armin glanced down at the white tablecloth in front of him for a moment, before he cleared his throat and raised his gaze to meet Mr Leonhart’s.

 

“Well, if I can be completely honest, sir,” said Armin. “Annie and I haven’t been together very long, but still – in terms of my intentions, well … all I want is for Annie to be able to be herself and be happy. As long as she’ll have me – I’d like to make her as happy as I can.”

 

Mr Leonhart paused for a moment before he pointed his small fork at Annie. “You’ve gotten yourself quite the charmer here.”

 

When Armin glanced over at Annie, he found her gaze resting on him again. Her eyes were soft, so soft in fact that it made his chest ache. He wanted to just take her in his arms and squeeze onto her tight.

 

But then, her father spoke, “I don’t mean to ruin the party, but I think I’ll have to head back to the hotel after this.” Then, he added, “You can stay in town with Armin, Annie.”

 

Annie’s eyes flicked over to her father’s. “Don’t be ridiculous – you’re only here for a few days. I’ll come back with you.” Then, she turned to Armin, “I can book you an Uber?”

 

“I’ll do it, it’s okay,” said Armin with a smile, before reaching into his pocket to take out his phone.

 

Soon enough, his Uber was booked and he was standing up, shaking Annie’s father’s hand.

 

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr Leonhart,” said Armin.

 

“Yours as well, Armin,” said Mr Leonhart. “Don’t be a stranger. I know the summer break isn’t too far away now and I just want to say that you’re more than welcome to visit our home whenever. In fact, I insist.”

 

“You mean Reiner’s home,” said Annie flatly.

 

Mr Leonhart waved her off. “I’ll be at home more when you’re around.”

 

Armin smiled. “I’ll make sure to sort something out with Annie.”

 

“Good,” he said.

 

Annie rose to her feet. “I’ll just go wait with Armin until his Uber shows up.”

 

Her father nodded and give them both a quick wave goodbye before Annie slipped her hand into his and led him out of the restaurant.

 

The air was much cooler now and Annie’s hand felt so warm in his. The cold bit into his skin when she let go.

 

“Thank you for coming to this,” she said. “I know it was a lot to ask.”

 

Armin shook his head and smiled. “It’s fine. I had a nice night. Your dad is nice.”

 

She snorted. “Nice-ish is probably a better label.”

 

Armin laughed. “Maybe.” Then, he added, “So am I going to have to fake visit you this summer?”

 

Annie rolled her eyes and nudged him. “You can just visit me, you know. We’re friends.” Then, she added, “I might visit you, Mr Mechanic.”

 

He let out a slight huff of laughter. “It’s really not that big of a deal.”

 

“You’re a mechanic,” she said.

 

“Not officially,” he said. “It’s a summer job. They don’t trust me with big jobs.”

 

“But I bet you know how to do them,” she said pointedly.

 

“A little,” he admitted.

 

“God, what don’t you know?” she said, and poked him in the chest. “Next time my check engine light is on, I’m calling you first.”

 

“Yeah, if you break down, I’ll just Uber it over,” said Armin, and she laughed.

 

“Sounds like a plan,” she said. Then, her eyebrows furrowed as she glanced past him. “Armin, wasn’t your Uber a Nissan?”

 

Armin peeped over his shoulder and saw the model that was listed on his Uber app pull up. “Oh, yeah. I guess that’s my ride.”

 

When he turned around to face her, he was enveloped in her arms. She was warm and all-encompassing and the feeling of her pressed against him was enough to make him forget how to think.

 

“Thanks again for doing this,” she said into his shoulder. “You have no idea how much I appreciate it.”

 

Armin let his eyes close for a moment as his arms came around her. “It’s no problem.”

 

They stayed like that for a few moments more, longer than maybe they should have, before Annie pulled away from him and said, “Text me when you’re back in your dorm safe.”

 

He missed her warmth immediately. “Yeah, no problem.”

 

Then, she did something unexpected – but he supposed Annie was always surprising him. She leaned forward, her fingers pulling him forward by his tie so she could lean up to press a kiss on his cheek.

 

Her whispered words were warm against his ear. “Goodnight, fake boyfriend.”

 

She pulled away and he swallowed. “Oh,” he said dumbly.

 

She smiled at him as he stood there like an idiot, not quite sure what to do. He wondered for a moment if she was just teasing him after all the embarrassment she had to endure tonight from her dad exposing her secrets to him.

 

But then he decided to play her game, and he tentatively stepped forward and leaned down to press a soft kiss against her cheek.

 

“Goodnight, fake girlfriend,” said Armin quietly before pulling away from her.

 

Annie stood staring at him for a long moment, her mouth slightly agape – clearly shocked that she’d been beaten at her own game. Then, she dropped his gaze and cleared her throat.

 

“Just get home safe, you idiot,” she said.

 

He grinned – if it had been lighter, he was sure he would have caught her blushing.

 

“I will,” he said. “Have a good night.”

 

She nodded at him one last time and turned back towards the restaurant, disappearing through its doors once again. Armin only stared after her a heartbeat too long before he turned around to face the Nissan parked behind him and climbed inside. His body was still tingling from the softness of the kiss she’d pressed on his cheek when the car pulled back up to campus.

Notes:

Hello all, I hope you guys liked this one!! This one is honestly one of my favourites so far (my bf beta reader is pretty excited about the next one ngl, but you'll see why in two weeks!!)

 

Thank you all for reading!!! I hope you guys enjoyed it <3 If you have any thoughts, I'd love to hear them - seeing your comments really makes my day <3

See you in the next one!!!

Chapter 17: a confession

Armin had text Annie as soon as he was home.

 

ME

I’m back in my dorm now :)

I had a nice night

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Nice? When my dad was there? Impressive

 

He smiled at the glow of his screen in the dark.

 

ME

He wasn’t so bad

 

ROCKSTAR <3

I guess

I’m glad you’re home safe

I’ll text you in the morning

<3

 

He spent a few moments staring at that little, red heart on his screen. He knew it didn’t mean much. But for just a little while, he let himself believe that it did – that it meant everything.

 

ME

Okay :)

<3

 

He slept easier that night with that little red heart sitting in his messages, and he ended up waking up in just as good spirits. That was, at least, until he sat up in his bed and caught sight of Eren, perched on the edge of his bed, fingers intertwined with a hard look on his face, like he was preparing to give someone an intervention.

 

“Morning,” said Armin.

 

Eren raised an eyebrow. “Good night last night?”

 

Armin made sure to look anywhere in the room except at Eren. “As good as pretending to be your ex’s boyfriend in front of her dad can be.”

 

Eren didn’t say anything for a moment. But then, his face softened in a defeated sort of way, and he said, “Look man, I can’t do it anymore.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “You can’t do what?”

 

Eren’s eyes looked like a sad puppy’s. “I can’t keep what happened from Mikasa. I just can’t wait any longer. It’s putting me on edge.”

 

Armin’s expression changed to match his. “I told you, it was just a slip up. She doesn’t have to know.”

 

“You told me I just couldn’t tell her right away,” said Eren, eyebrows drawn together. “Has it not been long enough?”

 

“I don’t feel like it has,” said Armin weakly.

 

Eren dropped his head in his hands and groaned. “The pressure is just too much.”

 

“Hey,” said Armin, eyes wide. “It’s fine. Really. It’s not that big of a deal.”

 

But Eren didn’t seem to hear him, and raised his head, expression twisted into a mask of panic. “It was one thing when it was just you guys drunk making out, but now you’ve met her dad? Are you sure you aren’t dating? Mikasa asked me if I thought there was something going on with you guys when you left yesterday and I just had to lie!”

 

“Nothing is going on between me and Annie,” insisted Armin.

 

“And now I don’t know if you’re lying to me,” said Eren desperately. “I just … I can’t do it. I can’t keep it from her.”

 

“Eren,” said Armin. “Just give me a little while longer.”

 

Eren’s eyebrows drew together. “You’re just going to keep asking for a little while longer all the time! How long do you need? Until the year is over? Until college is over?”

 

“Not that long,” said Armin, his own eyebrows pinched together. “Just – I don’t know … until after the party?”

 

“That’s too long!” said Eren.

 

“That’s next weekend,” said Armin hurriedly. “You can last until then.”

 

“I can’t,” said Eren, shaking his head.

 

“You can. I know you can,” said Armin.

 

“I’m just warning you, man. I can’t keep it in any longer,” said Eren. “And Mikasa’s going to be here any minute.”

 

Armin’s stomach dropped. “Mikasa’s coming over?”

 

Eren nodded. “She’s probably going to walk through the door any second now, and I just –”

 

Armin sprung to life. “You really, really don’t have to tell her. Just a week. One more week! You can tell her I made you promise not to say anything, and she can be angry at me.”

 

“I can’t do it anymore,” said Eren, eyebrows drawn together. “I was keeping it all in and pretending to be big and angry with you – you know, like Mikasa is – but the anticipation is killing me. It’s too much.”

 

“Eren, please,” said Armin. “Just a little more –”

 

Then the door handle started to rattle and Armin’s eyes widened. Eren stared at him for a moment before the door opened and Mikasa stepped in, offering them both a sweet smile.

 

“Good morning,” she said. “How are you guys?”

 

“Fine,” said Armin, forcing a smile onto his face.

 

Mikasa turned to Eren and frowned. “Are you okay?”

 

Eren had never looked more tense in his life. Armin thought, for a moment, that if he shoved his glasses on and got a better look at him, he might have been able to make out sweat beading across his forehead.

 

Eren nodded.

 

Mikasa’s eyebrows drew together. “Are you sure?” Then, she glanced between them. “Did I interrupt something?”

 

“No,” said Armin with a shake of his head.

 

“No,” agreed Eren weakly.

 

Mikasa was clearly unconvinced, but she let it go. “Well, okay. Eren, are you gonna be ready to go soon?”

 

Eren didn’t answer for a moment. Then, after a while, he said, “Armin kissed Annie at the gig we went to.”

 

Armin’s eyes widened. “Eren! What the fuck –”

 

“He made me promise not to tell you,” said Eren, eyebrows drawn together as he looked up at Mikasa. “It’s been eating me inside.”

 

Mikasa’s eyes glided over to him and Armin wanted to shrink beneath the covers on his bed and disappear. There was nothing in her gaze he could read and for a long moment, he was far too afraid to speak.

 

“You kissed Annie at the gig?” asked Mikasa finally.

 

“We were drunk!” he said. “It – it was just a slip-up. We’re trying to be friends! I told Eren not to say anything because I didn’t want to worry you.”

 

“It worried me,” said Eren, still looking awfully pale.

 

Armin ignored him. “We aren’t together and it won’t happen again. I promise.”

 

They all seemed to be suspended in silence for a long time before Mikasa said, “Oh.”

 

Armin swallowed. “It was … it was nothing. Really, there’s nothing to be worried about.”

 

“Okay,” she said finally. “I’m not worried at all.”

 

His eyebrows drew together. “You’re … not?”

 

“No,” she said with a shake of her head. Her eyebrows furrowed. “Were you really that worried about me finding out?”

 

Armin’s shoulders sank. “Well … yeah, a little. I know you weren’t exactly happy about everything going on, and …”

 

Mikasa sighed. “Look, I know I was really overbearing about the whole situation. But that gig was like, what? A week ago? And she’s still talking to you, right?”

 

He paused for a moment before he said, “Yeah, she is.”

 

“Well, then,” said Mikasa, moving over to plop down on Eren’s bed beside him. “There you go.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows raised. “There you go?”

 

Mikasa’s eyebrows drew together. “Look, I never wanted to make you worry about my opinion this much. I feel really bad that you felt like you couldn’t tell me. But Annie hasn’t run away from you this time. Even if it was just a slip-up, it doesn’t matter. As long as she isn’t being an ass to you, I don’t care.”

 

“Really?” he asked.

 

“Of course,” she said. “I don’t want you to hide that from me! This is the sort of stuff we’re supposed to gossip about together, you know?”

 

Armin averted his eyes. “I don’t know if it really needs to be gossiped about …”

 

“How was it?” asked Mikasa.

 

“Huh?” he asked. “How was what?”

 

“The kiss?” she asked, a tiny smirk on her mouth.

 

Armin’s face flushed. He couldn’t decide if this was better than her being angry. “It was … nice.”

 

“Nice?” she asked. “Just nice?”

 

“She had her legs around his waist and everything when I found them,” said Eren.

 

Mikasa turned to him. “You actually saw it?”

 

Eren shrank. “Yeah. Sorry.”

 

She waved him off. “It’s fine, sweetie.” Then, she turned back to Armin. “You had her up against a wall? Where?”

 

Before Armin could even think about trying to convince her to drop this topic, Eren said, “It was up against a wall in the alley beside that bar.”

 

Armin’s face flushed and Mikasa’s eyes widened. “Armin! You can’t just do that in public.”

 

“It was just a kiss!” he said hurriedly. “Anyway, it was … an accident.”

 

Her eyebrows drew together. “How the hell do you do that by accident?”

 

“That’s what I was saying,” said Eren with a sigh.

 

“Look,” said Armin, his face still burning. “It was really nothing. We’ve both agreed to just look past it, okay?”

 

After a pause, Mikasa said, “Okay.” Then, she added, “If that changes, feel free to let me know.”

 

“Mikasa,” said Armin pointedly.

 

“Or don’t!” she said, raising her hands up.

 

“Nothing is going to happen,” said Armin, dropping back down onto his bed.

 

“Okay,” she said. Then, she added, “If it does … I’m not going to be mean or anything. Don’t worry about my opinion if you want to talk to someone about it.”

 

Armin sighed. “Thanks.”

 

It wasn’t long after that that Mikasa and Eren disappeared from his room, saving him from any further questions about what the hell was going on with Annie. He didn’t want to think about it, at least not in the way where he would have to talk to them about it. It was nice, sometimes, to enjoy the idea of Annie – that all came crashing down when he spoke it into reality. He didn’t need Eren and Mikasa to be realistic about what was going on, because a realistic answer would only suggest that whatever was going on was going to end badly. It was a reality that he just wasn’t quite ready to face.

 

On the bright side, neither Eren nor Mikasa brought it up again. He could keep Annie just in his mind for a few days – at least until she texted him while he was working in the library and she then seemed to materialise in front of him.

 

“Hey,” she said, pulling out the chair opposite him.

 

“Hey,” he said, not able to keep that smile off of his face at the sight of her. He was just glad that she didn’t say anything about it. “How was the weekend with your dad?”

 

“It was fine,” she said. “Nice to be sleeping in my own room again. Hitch is more annoying, though.”

 

Armin laughed. “Yeah, I can imagine.”

 

Annie leaned forward, placing her chin on her hand. “Have you gotten anything to wear for the party yet?”

 

“Oh. No,” he said. “I honestly hadn’t thought much about it.”

 

“Historia won’t let you in if you don’t have anything pink,” said Annie pointedly. “And I’m not drinking, so I’d enjoy your company.”

 

His eyebrow raised. “You aren’t?”

 

She shook her head. “Designated driver. Hitch can’t always be trusted to walk back and I’m sure Marlowe gets sick of trying to carry her.”

 

Armin snorted. “Right.”

 

“I’d take you shopping with me, but Hitch is already dragging me out dress shopping,” she said.

 

He raised an eyebrow at her. “Really?”

 

“Yeah,” she said with a scowl on her face that he knew he found just a bit too charming. “She thinks I can’t be trusted to pick out a nice pink dress. I don’t think it’s that hard.”

 

Armin tried to sound nonchalant as he said, “You’re wearing a dress?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. Then, she raised an eyebrow. “Why? Does that excite you?”

 

Armin nearly choked on the air he was breathing, his face bursting into flames. Why would she say that to him, in the college library of all places?

 

“No,” he said pointedly. “I just – I didn’t expect it since there’s not really a formal dress code.”

 

Annie shrugged. “It’ll be a party dress. Not formal.”

 

He nodded, his cheeks still bright red. “Okay.  Makes sense.”

 

She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Were you just going to buy a boring pink shirt?”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. He really hadn’t thought about it. And he hadn’t really cared about looking particularly well-dressed – but Annie would be showing up in a pretty pink dress. His face warmed as he remembered how nice she looked in pink and he shifted awkwardly in his seat.

 

“I – I don’t know,” said Armin. “I might ask Mikasa to help me pick something out.”

 

“Might be in your best interests,” said Annie flatly, but there was a devilish glint in her eye – she was teasing him and she was enjoying it.

 

He decided he could play at her game. “It’s probably in your best interests that Hitch is helping you.”

 

She frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

He smiled slightly at her. “Pink just isn’t really your thing, is it?”

 

She frowned. “I have pink skirts.”

 

“Yeah,” he said. “With black in them.”

 

“I have other pink clothing apart from that,” she said pointedly. “And I actually recall that you seemed to think I looked really nice in it the last time you saw it.”

 

Armin’s smile faltered and his face turned as pink as the dress code for Historia’s party. He had thought – had hoped, really – that she had forgotten about that. It had been so long since he had seen her in that lacy pink underwear and it was definitely not the sort of thing they should be talking about in the library.

 

He couldn’t even look her in the eye. “I mean with – actual clothes.”

 

“Lingerie is clothing,” she said, far too innocently.

 

He managed to find the strength to look back at up at her. Why was she bringing all of this up? He supposed she enjoyed flustering him. But that – that was something else entirely.

 

“I doubt you need Hitch’s help,” he said, eyes flickering back down to his laptop screen. “You have good taste.”

 

“I think you do, too,” she said. When he looked up at her again, there was a faint smile on her lips. “In your own way.”

 

He raised his eyebrows. “My own way?”

 

“Maybe not in the way Historia wants,” she said. “So Mikasa is your best bet.”

 

“Yeah, maybe,” he said with a nod, before reaching for his phone to send Mikasa a message. The sooner he asked, the better.

 

ME

Can you help me pick out something to wear for the party?

I don’t own anything pink

 

GOTH COSPLAYER

Sure

We’ll go to town tomorrow

I need a dress

 

ME

Thanks!!

 

GOTH COSPLAYER

Is there someone you’re trying to impress?

 

Armin’s flushed and he dropped his phone down onto the desk. Annie was absentmindedly scrolling through her own phone and her eyes flickered up when she heard his phone hit the hard surface.

 

“Any luck?” she asked.

 

“Yeah,” said Armin. “I’ll pick something out tomorrow. Hopefully.”

 

“Cool,” she said, and then she reached into her bag to pull out her own laptop.

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “What are you doing?”

 

She raised an eyebrow at him. “What does it look like? Studying.”

 

“You’re studying?” he asked.

 

She frowned. “Yeah, I do that sometimes.”

 

“No, that’s not what I meant!” he said. “It’s just …”

 

Annie raised an eyebrow.

 

“We’ve never studied together,” he said finally.

 

“Will that be an issue?” she asked.

 

Armin wasn’t sure how much he would be able to concentrate with Annie sitting across the table from him, but he wasn’t about to say that to her.

 

So instead, he just nodded, smiled and said, “Of course not.”

 

Annie didn’t say anything else and reached to pull out her charger. Armin turned his attention back to his laptop screen, but just like he expected it, he couldn’t quite focus when he could just see her, eyes focused on her own laptop screen, blue and beautiful like they always were. His heart was racing so hard it felt like it was thumping in his head and before he knew it, his hands were all clammy and his mouth had gone dry.

 

Where had this come from? He had spent plenty of time with Annie in the past. And she had made him nervous before – but not just from sitting and doing her work for her classes.

 

“Armin?” she asked, and his eyes flickered up.

 

Her eyebrow was raised. “Are you okay? You look sort of like the lights are all on but no one’s home.”

 

He shook his head. “Sorry. I was just thinking about something.”

 

“Was it interesting?” she asked.

 

“Uh, not really,” he said, eyes moving back to his screen.

 

“Shame,” she said and turned her head back to her work.

 

For the rest of the time they spent in the library together, Armin could barely focus on anything he was doing. He made sure to at least look like he was focused – Annie was far too perceptive and he didn’t really want her to catch him lost in thought again, especially when the thoughts had mostly been about her.

 

His heart had only just about slowed to a normal rate when she slammed her laptop lid shut a few hours later. “I think that’s me done. Do you wanna grab a coffee or something? Or are you still busy?”

 

Armin was still busy, but he decided it could wait. Coffee was probably the worst possible thing he could put into his system right now, but he couldn’t help the way his heart leapt at the opportunity to spend even a little bit more time with her – at least in a situation that was far from whatever this had been.

 

Annie shrivelled her nose at him when he ordered a hot chocolate in the campus coffee shop, but he told her coffee didn’t always agree with his nerves, and he was more than relieved when she didn’t ask more about what he was nervous about.

 

They found a little table wedged by the window, but it still somehow felt secluded. He was relieved to find there weren’t any very familiar faces milling around because it was a lot easier to stay relaxed when there wasn’t anyone around to give him knowing eyes and questioning looks.

 

“So,” he said, clearing his throat. “What sort of thing are you going for when you go shopping with Hitch?”

 

“A dress, preferably,” she said flatly.

 

He frowned. “Well, I know that.”

 

A smile curved her lips. “I’m not going in something super bright, even if Hitch begs me to. Dark pinks just make me look even paler than I am.”

 

He raised an eyebrow. “So, light pink?”

 

“Yeah,” she said, and then she raised her own eyebrow. “Why? Are you trying to match me?”

 

“I think we looked pretty good when we were matching,” he admitted sheepishly.

 

Annie smirked a little bit. “Most of everyone will be matching. The dress code is pink.”

 

“Yeah,” he said, eyes drifting down to his hot chocolate.

 

She was quiet for a moment while he sipped at his hot chocolate. Then, she said, “But I was planning on wearing black shoes. Maybe heels or something.”

 

He put his cup back down. “So, light pink and black?”

 

“That’s the plan,” she said.

 

He nodded. “Okay.”

 

“Try not to pick an ugly pink shirt,” she said. “Half the guys there will be wearing ugly pink shirts.”

 

He frowned. “There’s less options. And I don’t think I have the figure for a dress.”

 

Annie snorted. “Don’t knock it ’til you try it.”

 

Armin smiled. “I think I’ll stick to pants for the party.”

 

“If you insist,” she said. Then, she added, “Oh, by the way. My dad gave me something to give to you.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Really?”

 

“Yeah,” she said with a nod before leaning down to reach into her bag.

 

When she came back up, she placed a rectangular box in front of him. It was wrapped in brown paper and tied together with a little string, a neat bow sitting in the middle of the paper. There was a tag attached, upside down so that he couldn’t see the message.

 

“Do you have any idea what it is?” he asked.

 

She shook her head. “No. He went out and got it all when I was asleep. Made me promise not to peek. I haven’t even read what’s on it.”

 

He lifted the box and found that it was incredibly light; far too light to hold something breakable, he imagined. He flipped the tag over and found Mr Leonhart’s handwriting.

 

Armin,

Money’s tight in college, but it’d be even tighter if you don’t wrap it up. Stay safe.

 

He was just as confused as he was when Annie had first presented it to him. He reached forward and undid the string and pushed it aside, before moving to the top to tear at the paper. He was met with the sight of a red box, still wrapped in plastic.

 

Without another thought, Armin reached his hand into the paper and pulled the box out to look at what it was. Then, his face turned the same shade as the box as he realised just what he had been given.

 

“Armin?” asked Annie. “What’s that?”

 

“Nothing!” he said, but her hand had already reached over and taken the box from his hands.

 

Armin had wanted to dissolve into the ground many times before, but he couldn’t think of a time he would have preferred to do that more than now as Annie’s eyebrows furrowed at the box of condoms in her hand.

 

Her eyes met his and her hand came up to cover her mouth to muffle the laughter that burst from her lips. It only made his ears burn even more.

 

“You can take them,” he said quietly. 

 

“No, no,” she said, shaking her head. “They’re a gift for you.”

 

“Annie,” he said, almost desperately.

 

“Okay, okay,” she said, letting out a deep breath as her lips burst into a grin. “I’m sorry. I bet he was just trying to get under your skin.”

 

“Well, it worked,” he said.

 

“Hey, come on,” she said softly and then her hand came across the table to rest on his hand. “I’m sorry. It’s not funny.”

 

He raised an eyebrow at her. “It really looks like you find it funny.”

 

“I’m just shocked,” she said. Then, she added, “I told you – he’s not that nice.”

 

Armin removed his hand from her grip and leaned forward, his face burning in his folded arms on the table.

 

Annie’s fingers appeared in his hair in a comforting way; in a way he knew he shouldn’t want, but it still made his shoulders relax.

 

“I’m sorry,” she said.

 

“It’s okay,” he said into his arms. “I’m just … mortified.”

 

“I can tell,” she said, that hint of humour still in her voice. “I can just give them to Hitch, you know.”

 

“Yeah,” he said.

 

“I definitely don’t want to have sex with you with condoms my dad bought,” she said. “No offence.”

 

“None taken,” he said into his arms.

 

They were quiet for a moment, before Annie’s voice, much softer than normal, came through the air. “Hey.”

 

It was the gentleness in her voice that eventually made him raise his head. His face nearly hurt from how much his cheeks were burning, but Annie’s smile was as pretty as it always was.

 

“I’m sorry,” she said.

 

“It’s not your fault,” he said. “I shouldn’t get so flustered.”

 

Annie paused for a moment, before saying, “You’re cute when you’re flustered.”

 

If Armin’s face could have gotten any redder, he was sure it would have. There wasn’t even an inkling of embarrassment on her face; she’d said it as a matter-of-fact, as if it was common knowledge – as if it wasn’t something that would make his heart flutter when she said it.

 

Before he could he even think of a response, she smirked and said, “If you keep blushing like that, you won’t even have to buy an outfit for the party.”

 

Armin groaned and dropped his head back down into his arms.

 

“Kidding,” she said. “Here, let me move those.”

 

When she managed to coax him back up, the condoms were gone from the table, probably stuffed into the bottom of her bag, well out of sight – and Armin was more than grateful for it.

 

“If it helps,” she said. “He’s done that to Reiner before.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “He has?”

 

Annie nodded, swallowing down a mouthful of coffee. “Yeah. He got it into his head that we were dating in high school – which was weird considering Reiner was dating Bert even then, but still. Didn’t even notice. Reiner was really confused.”

 

Armin managed a tiny laugh. “I can imagine.”

 

After a small pause, she said, “I know you probably won’t, but don’t show me what you’re wearing until we’re at the party. Okay? I want you to surprise me.”

 

His eyebrows raised. “What if my outfit’s awful?”

 

“I have faith in Mikasa,” she said. “And I’ll still be surprised if it’s terrible.”

 

Armin let out a short breath of laughter. “Not in the way you’d like to be, I’d guess.”

 

“It’s a surprise either way,” she said. Then, her eyebrows furrowed. “How much are you planning on drinking at this party, anyway?”

 

“Maybe not as much as last time,” he said with a weak smile. “Not enough to drunk call you.”

 

“You’d have to be wasted to do that,” she said. “Considering I’ll be at the party.”

 

Armin smiled. “I’ll just do it from a different room.”

 

Annie snorted. “I was just asking, anyway. I think I’ll be the only one not drinking a lot and it’d be nice to have a normal conversation with someone.”

 

He raised an eyebrow. “Do you think Hitch will be that bad?”

 

“Definitely,” she said with a nod. “I’ll probably be hiding out on the balcony all night.”

 

He smiled. “I’ll join you, then.”

 

“Cool,” she said. “It’s a date.”

 

Armin knew that it most certainly wasn’t a date, but the way that word slipped off of her tongue made his heart skip.

 

“Cool,” he agreed.

 

Annie let a small smile slip onto her face and the sight of it made his entire chest warm. “I better go and get your gift to Hitch. Sorry about that, by the way. I had no idea.”

 

He shook his head. “It’s fine.” Then, he added, “Your dad can be pretty mean when he wants to be.”

 

Annie snorted. “Yeah. You can say that again.” Then, she slipped off of her chair and picked up her backpack, before slinging it over her shoulder. “I guess I’ll see you at the party, then?”

 

Armin nodded and gave her a small smile. “Yeah. I’ll see you then.”

 

Annie nodded and before he knew it, she had turned around and disappeared out of the doors of the coffee shop.

 

Armin felt like he had only sat there a few seconds before he felt his phone ringing in his pocket. He answered it without checking the name.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Hey!” said Mikasa. “You never answered my question?”

 

“Your question?” asked Armin.

 

“Who are you trying to impress?” she asked.

 

Armin sighed. “Mikasa, don’t make me hang up on you.”

 

“It’s just a question!”

 

“I’m not trying to impress anyone!” he said. Then, he lowered his voice, “If I was, anyway, you know exactly who that would be, so you’re just pushing my buttons.”

 

“What are friends for?” said Mikasa. “Anyway, do you wanna head through at like two-ish?”

 

“Yeah,” he said, shoulders sinking. “That works for me.”

 

“Great!” said Mikasa. “I’ll make sure you have something pretty enough to impress.”

 

“I’m not trying to impress anyone,” he said pointedly.

 

Mikasa sighed. “There’s no shame in it, my friend. Anyway, I’ll come to your dorm before two, so be ready!”

 

The line clicked off before he could say anything in response, and he sighed, his finger and thumb raising to pinch the bridge of his nose. Mikasa being overbearing had been anxiety-inducing, but he couldn’t decide if her teasing him over his very obvious feelings for Annie was even worse. He wasn’t even entirely sure what could have pushed her to switch like this in the first place. Had she really felt so bad for making him scared to talk to her about it all?

 

He sighed again and reached for his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder before making his way out of the coffee shop. As long as she didn’t do it in front of Annie, it at least couldn’t get much worse.

 

Mikasa kept her teasing to a minimum when she showed up at his dorm room and he was fine to chat to her about the kind of thing she had in mind for the party.

 

“The dress code isn’t actually casual,” she said as they walked towards the bus stop. “It’s just pink. So I think I can go as far as I want.”

 

“How far do you want to go?” asked Armin, raising an eyebrow.

 

She waved him off. “Gothic, but pink.”

 

“Does it count as gothic if it’s pink?” he asked.

 

She sighed. “Probably not. But I’m going for something a bit loose and airy.” Then, she added, “What are you going for?”

 

“Uh …” he said, rubbing the back of his head. “Well, I think I’m going to wear light pink and black all together.”

 

Mikasa raised an eyebrow. “Is there a specific reason for that?”

 

He ignored the implication in her tone and said, “No. I just think it’ll look nice.”

 

Mikasa didn’t push the issue any further. “Okay. I’m sure we can make something work.”

 

They didn’t have to wait very long for the bus into town, and it wasn’t long before Armin was following Mikasa to a clothes store in the middle of town. He didn’t even check the name before they walked in, knowing in his heart that Mikasa knew more about what they were doing than he ever could, and his eyebrows raised at the sheer size of the place.

 

“Okay,” said Mikasa. “Three floors are for women, but the men’s is on the top floor and it’s huge. How do you want to start?”

 

Armin glanced around. He wasn’t even sure where to walk to first – the only thing he could think of was drifting towards any sign of pink in sight.

 

“Uh … let’s just look for your dress first,” he said. “You know what you’re going for, so it might be easier.”

 

It wasn’t difficult to convince Mikasa and soon he was trailing behind her to clothes that looked more fit for a party. Or, in Mikasa’s case, towards things that looked like they were made for a widow.

 

It turned out to be more difficult than expected when Mikasa’s gaze kept drifting towards black fabrics instead of pink. There was a dress she was so fixated on she tried to convince Armin that she was sure Historia would let her in if she just wore a pink headband with it, but he managed to drag her away from it. It wasn’t so easy with the next black dress, or the next one, or the next one, and eventually, they were standing in front of a black dress with a deep plunge and flowing sleeves that went past the elbows, and to Armin it looked like something someone dressing up as a vampire for Halloween would be caught wearing.

 

“It’s just so …” Mikasa trailed off, a large frown coming to her lips.

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed as he stepped away and moved to the other side of the clothing rail. He thought finding something for himself would be challenging, but this …

 

He stopped in place as his eyes caught sight of a rosy fabric nestled in between the array of black. There were only a few dresses, but he tore one off of the rail and ran back around to face Mikasa.

 

He held it out to her. “This?”

 

Her eyes widened. It was the same dress she was so fixated on, but instead it was a soft pink colour. She stepped forward and rubbed the fabric between her finger and thumb.

 

“It’s not as good as the black,” she said thoughtfully. “But it’ll do.”

 

Armin’s shoulders sank with relief. At least Mikasa’s part of this shopping venture was over. His was probably going to be even harder.

 

On the bright side, Mikasa’s spirits had increased as they took the escalators up to the top floor. She’d clearly been in here with Eren before and he was more than willing to follow her around the entire top floor rather than try and sort something out entirely on his own. They sifted through what felt like a million pink shirts, but Armin couldn’t ignore that little voice in his head reminding them how boring they looked – that little voice being Annie’s, even though he had desperately been trying to convince himself, and Mikasa, that he wasn’t trying to impress her at all.

 

“This isn’t working,” said Mikasa with a sigh when they seemed to reach the end of the pink shirts. “We’re trying a new approach.”

 

Before he could even question what she meant, she grabbed onto his arm and dragged him towards the pants. He doubted that they would have much luck there, but he didn’t want to argue with her.

 

He was shocked when she pulled out something after only a couple minutes of searching and presented them to him. “Okay, hear me out. I have a vision.”

 

Armin frowned. “Mikasa, there is no way I can pull those off.”

 

“Just hear me out!” she said. “There’s a million sheer, black flowy shirts. With this and a pair of Chelsea boots? You’ll impress, alright.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. The pants were a very nice, subtle shade of pink; but they were made of satin and flared out at the bottom. He thought it would be lucky if he was tall enough that the flares would even have much of an effect.

 

“I really don’t know,” he said.

 

“Trust me,” she said. “Try it on. Once I get you a shirt.”

 

His eyebrows were still pinched together. “Wouldn’t you be able to see my chest if the shirt is sheer?”

 

“Yeah, but it’s party wear!” she said. “You’ll look good.” Then, she added, “I bet Annie will think you look good.”

 

His cheeks warmed, matching the colour of the pants before him. “I’m not trying to impress Annie.”

 

Mikasa shrugged. “She clearly liked how you looked at the gig. A shirt like that would definitely catch her attention.”

 

His face was now darker than the pants. “I’m not trying to get anything like that to happen again.”

 

Mikasa raised an eyebrow. “And would you be upset if it did?”

 

Armin didn’t say anything for a long while. Then, he grabbed the pants out of her hand and said, “Let’s just find a shirt.”

 

Mikasa smirked but she didn’t say anything, which was more than a relief to him, and he followed her back around the top floor until they found a relaxed, sheer black shirt with long sleeves. Mikasa was more than happy with it but Armin couldn’t help but feel a little nervous looking at it. It definitely wasn’t his style; but he supposed he hadn’t come here to get something that was his style, otherwise Mikasa’s opinion wouldn’t have been necessary. He guessed he did just have to trust in her.

 

She followed him into the changing room and waited patiently for him to get changed, but she barely gave him a second to look at himself in the mirror before she demanded to look.

 

“Oh, yeah,” she said. “That’s it.”

 

Armin turned to face the mirror. He supposed that the shirt was nice – although he had to say he would have preferred a little bit more coverage, but if Mikasa thought it was good, then it must have been good. As it turned out, the pants fit perfectly – they weren’t so long that they trailed past his feet, but were in just the right place.

 

“I think you just need a belt,” she said. “And the boots, obviously.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Are you sure?”

 

Mikasa sighed and placed her hands on his shoulders. “Armin, if Eren wore that, I don’t think I could control myself.”

 

Armin winced. “I really didn’t need to know that.”

 

“I was just trying to emphasise my point,” she said before dropping her hands. “It’s gonna be great. I promise.”

 

Armin didn’t want to disagree with her. It wasn’t like he knew a single thing about fashion; at least this would get him into Historia’s party.

 

Mikasa made sure he had an appropriate, thin black belt and a new pair of black Chelsea boots – which he didn’t think he needed but Mikasa was adamant that they ‘made the look’, and soon enough, Armin found himself back in his dorm room, collapsing down onto his bed, Eren nowhere in sight. He sighed – at least there was some peace and quiet.

 

When he finally moved, he decided to just hop in the shower and watch a few episodes of Haikyuu, and he got only about four episodes in when his phone buzzed.

 

His heart skipped.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Did you find an outfit?

 

ME

Yeah :)

 

ROCKSTAR <3

So did I

I actually managed to find a dress I didn’t hate

Don’t tell Hitch

 

Armin snorted as a small smile spread across his mouth.

 

ME

I wouldn’t dare

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Did Mikasa pick your outfit out?

 

ME

Yeah

The shirt isn’t boring :)

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Good

I’ll give you my full review at the party

 

ME

I can’t wait to hear it

 

Annie didn’t reply but still, Armin’s smile stretched across his entire face. He was being a fool; he always was when it came to Annie. But in the quietness of his room, he could let himself enjoy this, even if it would seem like nothing at all to anyone else. It wasn’t nothing to him, not as he sat in the seclusion of his room – it was everything.

 

He managed to ignore his nerves as the next few days went by, but as the morning of the party arrived, Armin couldn’t stop his heart from pounding. He was standing in front of the mirror in his room, looking at his outfit, waiting for Eren to emerge from the bathroom. He frowned at himself. He really wasn’t cool enough to pull this off, was he?

 

He was snapped out of his thoughts by Eren’s hands coming down on his shoulders. “Looking good, man! Very Harry Styles.”

 

Armin turned around and frowned. Eren’s pink shirt was less boring than he imagined all the other guys’ would be; it was a dark, vibrant pink and he’d deliberately undone one too many buttons, and the bottom was tucked into his black trousers. And when it came to their shoes, they were practically identical.

 

“I don’t think I look like Harry Styles at all,” said Armin.

 

“You look better!” said Mikasa from the bed.

 

“Is it a no glasses kind of night?” asked Eren.

 

Armin turned back to the mirror and frowned. He’d put his contacts in because he hadn’t liked how even more uncool his glasses had made him look.

 

“I’m not drinking a lot, so I’ll remember to take them out,” said Armin. “I just didn’t think my glasses worked.”

 

“If you want to put your glasses on, you’ll look fine,” Mikasa reassured him.

 

He shook his head. “It’s fine. What time are Jean and Marco coming over?”

 

“Oh, they’re meeting us there,” said Mikasa, waving him off. “They might be showing up late – something about getting food in town and getting held up.”

 

He nodded. At least that made less people to look worried in front of – that also meant less of a distraction. If they had no one to wait for, and they were all ready, then it wouldn’t be long before they were going. The thought made his heart pound in his chest.

 

“Can I have a glass of wine?” asked Armin.

 

Eren grinned. “Of course you can!”

 

As Eren turned to retrieve a bottle of his brother’s famous wine, Mikasa frowned at him from where she sat.

 

“I thought you weren’t drinking a lot,” she said.

 

“I’m not,” he said. “I just want one glass.”

 

Mikasa looked like there was something she wanted to say just dancing on the tip of her tongue, but she stayed silent. He was more than relieved – he wasn’t sure he would be able to take her teasing right now, especially with Eren here to join in. As on-edge as he had been about her finding out, he thought that maybe things had been less complicated when Mikasa didn’t know about what had happened between him and Annie at The Warriors’ gig.

 

He smiled in thanks when Eren handed him a glass and he drained it before the other two had even gotten halfway through theirs. He at least had the sense to reject Eren’s offer when he asked him to top it off. He’d told Annie he wouldn’t drink a lot; the last thing he needed to do tonight was to make a fool of himself, especially before he’d even seen her.

 

“No eyeliner?” asked Mikasa.

 

He glanced over at her. He was having trouble getting used to seeing her in such a soft colour when her usual wardrobe consisted of a blur of dark greens, browns, greys and blacks. Not that she didn’t look nice – it was just something that still surprised him with each glance.

 

He shook his head. “No. Not tonight.”

 

“Are you sure?” she asked. “It’ll look good.”

 

Even after his glass of wine, he was still nervous about the entire outfit – maybe if he had been wearing something a bit more comfortable, like the black attires that Annie used to dress him in, then the eyeliner would have been fine. But he shook his head.

 

“Just me, then,” said Mikasa with a sigh. “I’ll just finish my makeup and then we can go.”

 

Her words made his heart sink a little bit, but he pushed on a smile and nodded. He sat down with Eren and let him chat to him about how much Mr Smith had enjoyed his pamphlet on surfing, and Armin nodded along as he spit out a million different ideas about what the next one could be about. Needless to say, he was nearly relieved when Mikasa announced that she was done with her makeup and that it was time to go.

 

“Already?” he asked, eyebrows drawn together.

 

Her own face was a mask of confusion. “Armin, we’re already half an hour late.”

 

His eyebrows raised. He hadn’t looked at his phone once since he’d started getting ready. “We are?”

 

She waved him off. “We’re fashionably late. Jean and Marco will be late late.”

 

Armin finally reached for his phone, which he’d left abandoned on his bed as soon as Mikasa had stepped through the door, and his stomach flipped when he saw an array of messages from Annie, from only a few minutes ago.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

You’re late

You have no idea the chaos Hitch has already caused

Ymir’s already had her on the keg

 

In spite of his nerves, he couldn’t help but scoff at his phone as Eren and Mikasa bickered about something useless in the background.

 

ME

I’m glad it’s at least not me

 

Her message came through just as they were stepping out of the dorm.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

You better not go on the keg

Me and Marlowe are watching her play a game of Twister

The alcohol has somehow made her better

 

ME

Who offers Twister at a sorority party?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

No one

Connie brought it, apparently

I think it’s only a matter of time before she gets kicked out

And Connie

He’s wearing a really ugly pink shirt and Historia doesn’t look impressed

 

Armin couldn’t help but smile at his phone as he felt his nerves ebb, if only a little bit. At least he wasn’t the one making the fool of himself.

 

ME

We’re on our way now

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Hurry

It’s a train wreck

 

It took the usual time to reach Historia’s and luckily, no one was waiting at the door to check if their outfits were good enough to get in, so they slipped in easily. While there were still people milling around and drinking and talking like normal, something seemed a little bit different than normal, and as soon as Eren and Mikasa started making eyes at each other – which was far too quickly – Armin slipped from view and pushed his way into the next room where he had been dancing with Mikasa all those days ago.

 

“Oh, come on!”

 

Connie’s voice came through the crowd and Armin kept moving through until he could get a good sight of what was going on. Just like Annie said, there was the Twister mat laid out across the floor, and Ymir was crouched by the edge spinning the wheel. Connie was wearing an incredibly ugly shirt - light pink and buttoned up, covered in a splatter of flamingos made out of blinding pink sequins - and the same ugly Sketchers he had been wearing to the last party; his was red from effort as he lay spread across the Twister mat, barely keeping himself up.

 

His frustration clearly came from Hitch, who had somehow bent backwards in an arch like position over the arm that Connie had placed down, not seeming to even be struggling at all. Armin was amazed that she’d even managed to get into that position in the first place.

 

“You’re not looking so hot, Springer,” said Ymir with a smirk.

 

Connie winced. “She’s cheating.”

 

“You can’t cheat at Twister,” said Hitch.

 

“Yeah, you can!”

 

“Well, I’m not!”

 

Armin’s face twisted into a smile at the sight before him, but then something washed over him; it felt, for a moment, like someone’s eyes were lingering on him.

 

He glanced up and his heart caught in his throat as he met Annie’s eyes across the room. Her usually pinned back hair was hanging down around her face and he could barely keep his breath when he caught sight of her dress. It was possibly the most un-Annie thing he had ever seen her in. It was a pale pink cute thing that came down to her knees, puffy and frilly in all the sweetest places, the neckline dipping slightly down to her chest to reveal the sensitive skin there.

 

Armin changed his mind – for a moment, he couldn’t breathe at all, and the tiny smile she gave him only made matters worse.

 

After a few heartbeats, only interrupted by Connie and Hitch’s bickering, he managed to return her smile and give her the smallest of waves across the circle.

 

It was only Ymir’s stern voice cutting into Connie and Hitch’s bickering that made his gaze flicker away.

 

“Okay, guys, stop,” said Ymir. “Springer, it’s your turn.”

 

Connie fell silent and swallowed. “Just give me the news.”

 

Ymir spun the little spinner and smirked. “Left foot, red.”

 

Fear flashed across Connie’s face. It was a feat that was nearly impossible – but Armin knew that it was something that Connie was still going to attempt.

 

Armin watched as Connie strained, doing his best to keep himself up as he tried to cross his leg beneath the other one – and somehow, he had just managed to do it.

 

“Thank fuck!” he said.

 

“I wouldn’t get too excited yet,” said Ymir. “Dreyse is destroying you at your own game.”

 

“She is not.”

 

“I totally am,” said Hitch.

 

They burst into bickering once again and Armin stood watching them for a moment before he let his gaze drift up again to the other side of the room. But his face fell as he realised Annie was nowhere to be seen.

 

He jumped when he felt a hand land on his arm.

 

His head snapped around and his heart caught in his throat has he saw Annie in front of him. She even had sweet pink clips in her hair with tiny butterflies on them which he was more than sure that Hitch had forced on her.

 

“Hey,” she said. “Took you long enough.”

 

He smiled. “Sorry,” he said quietly.

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Did Eren and Mikasa not come with you?”

 

“Uh … yeah,” he said, reaching up to rub the back of his neck.

 

“Oh,” she said, realising what in fact Eren and Mikasa had probably already disappeared to do. “Already? Didn’t you just get here?”

 

Armin sighed. “I wouldn’t question it.”

 

Annie paused for a moment before she said, “Wanna come up to the balcony with me?”

 

His heart caught in his throat again. He wanted to berate his body for reacting the way it did, but even now, even with them trying to be friends, it was so hard to just stop it.

 

He cleared his throat. “Do you not want to see who wins?”

 

Annie scoffed. “Hitch is gonna wipe the floor with him. Plus, she’s Marlowe’s problem right now.”

 

He glanced over his shoulder to see Marlowe standing in a very boring pink shirt near where Annie had been standing, face set in a scowl and his arms folded over his chest.

 

He let out a sharp breath of laughter before he turned back to face her. “Yeah. Okay.”

 

She nodded and turned around, and without another word, he followed her out of the crowd and up the stairs.

 

His heart was thundering by the time they reached the hallway upstairs and the cool air outside on the balcony only offered him a tiny bit of relief. He gently pushed the door shut behind them and paused as he watched her lean against the rail of the balcony, staring into the darkness.

 

He swallowed the lump in his throat and moved to stand beside her, leaving only a little bit of space between them. Annie didn’t move to close the distance, but he was sure he could still feel her warmth radiating into his.

 

Then, she suddenly turned and raised the handbag that she had over her shoulder – something he hadn’t quite noticed when he had been looking at her before. He had been too focused on the dress.

 

“Like the bag?” she asked flatly. “Hitch lent me it.”

 

Armin squinted at the bag and he nearly laughed – it was a dark pink thing shaped like a big butterfly.

 

She dropped it. “I can barely fit my purse in it. At least I can get my keys in.”

 

“It matches your hairclips, at least,” he said with a smile.

 

Annie snorted and turned her gaze back to the dimness beyond the balcony. “Yeah. She was adamant about them as well. Historia even complimented my outfit when we showed up, so you know it’s bad.”

 

“You look nice,” he offered. “What did Hitch have to say to get you in that dress?”

 

Annie scoffed and he smiled again. “Nothing. I said I’d give it a chance for once.”

 

“I guess it isn’t very you,” he said. “But it looks nice. Really.”

 

She glanced over at him. “Thank you.” Then, she added, “I’m glad you didn’t wear a boring shirt.”

 

He let out a huff of laughter. “Yeah, well, Mikasa was pretty helpful.”

 

“I’m glad,” she said. “You look really nice.”

 

His heart skipped. “Thank you.”

 

“No problem,” she said.

 

They fell quiet again and Armin found himself worried for a moment that she would be able to hear just how hard his heart was beating. Of course she couldn’t – but maybe she would be perceptive enough to figure it out just by giving him a side glance.

 

“Isn’t it weird?” she asked. “Being back here?”

 

Armin took a moment to consider what she was saying before her words sunk in. Not back at Historia’s sorority house, but back here on the balcony, where she’d first suggested that they ‘fake it’ to get back  at Eren and Mikasa.

 

“Oh,” he said dumbly. “Yeah.”

 

Months had passed since then, and it wasn’t going to be much longer until they broke up for the summer. Was he even the same person he had been back then?

 

“Do you regret it?”

 

Armin’s head snapped to face hers. The moonlight illuminated her face in the prettiest of ways and she looked so soft. He wanted to reach out and caress her cheek until her eyelids fluttered shut – but he couldn’t do that, because she wouldn’t want that and she’d probably just push his hand away, anyway.

 

“Faking it,” she clarified.

 

Armin wasn’t sure he could keep his gaze on hers so he turned to face the dimness past the edge of the balcony.

 

“No,” he said finally. “If we hadn’t done all of that, as … dumb as we were for doing it, you wouldn’t be in my life like you are now.”

 

Annie didn’t say anything for a long time. All that passed through the them was the hum of the evening air and the distant music in the background.

 

“Good answer,” she said finally.

 

Armin smiled and glanced over at her. “What about you?”

 

Annie’s eyes were fixed past the balcony and he was glad that it wasn’t just him who could barely keep eye contact when talking about this sort of thing.

 

“I don’t regret a thing,” she said. “Except the way I treated you.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “We’re past that now, Annie.”

 

She nodded. “Still … I’m sorry.”

 

He smiled and raised an eyebrow at her. “Why are you being so touchy-feely?”

 

He feigned hurt when her elbow knocked into him. “Stop it. You know how tough this is for me to admit.”

 

“Sorry,” he said, but he was still smiling. “Thank you for saying that.”

 

“It’s not enough,” she said. “I shouldn’t have done any of that messed up stuff in the first place.”

 

“There’s a lot of stuff I shouldn’t have done, either,” he said. “We’re both a little guilty in the matter.”

 

She snorted. “I was way worse.”

 

“I don’t care about that,” he said. “Because you’re not running away now.”

 

She glanced over at him. She was quiet but there was something in the depth of her eyes that made him think she had something to say – but no words left her mouth.

 

“Could you really imagine having this conversation with me right now, even just a month ago?” he asked.

 

She looked at him for a moment longer, before she said, “No.” Then, she turned back to face the night beyond the balcony. “I probably would have thrown up.”

 

He let out a huff of laughter and he noticed the slight curl of a smirk on her lips, but she didn’t look back over at him. They stood in a comfortable quiet for long enough that that smile that had crested on her mouth faded and Armin had turned his own gaze out towards the night – he could stare at her for a lifetime, but there was only so much he could get away with now.

 

Her voice made his heart flutter when she spoke again.

 

“I’d wanted to talk to you tonight,” she said, fiddling with her own fingers. “About something. That’s why I didn’t want you to be drunk.”

 

He raised his eyebrows. “What was it about?”

 

She swallowed. “I’m not sure I have the nerve now.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Annie Leonhart doesn’t have the nerve to do something?”

 

She nudged him again. “Shut up.”

 

He smiled, but it was only brief, because her own eyebrows were drawn together as she thought over what she wanted to say.

 

“I’m trying to get better with intimacy,” she said, but then she winced. “God, even saying that makes my skin crawl.”

 

Armin let out a huff of laughter, but he didn’t interrupt her.

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Remember after the gig? When I said I needed more time?”

 

Any trace of a smile that had been on his lips vanished. His heart started racing in his chest and he opened his mouth to say something, anything, but no words came to his lips.

 

Annie still wasn’t looking over at him. Her eyes were fixed on some unknown point in the distance and now, Armin found himself a little bit grateful for it. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to stay standing underneath her gaze.

 

She swallowed. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot since then.”

 

“You have?” he managed.

 

She nodded. “Yeah. And … I know we were drunk, but … what you said really stuck in my mind. You know, that thing about how some things are worth fighting for but you shouldn’t have to fight for them?”

 

His eyebrows drew together. “I was really drunk, then, Annie.”

 

She sighed, her eyes fluttering shut for a brief moment. “I know. But it just had me thinking. I think … this whole thing … my head’s been making it harder than it is. It’s worth a lot. It …” She swallowed. “You mean a lot to me. And it shouldn’t be hard – and it never was. I’ve always just been scared.”

 

Armin couldn’t find anything to say. He wasn’t sure he wanted to even risk saying anything stupid now. He didn’t want to make her feel like she needed to hide, like she needed to run. So he stayed quiet and hoped, desperately, that she didn’t quite catch onto to how hard his heart was hammering in his chest.

 

“Being around you …” Annie swallowed. “Fuck, it’s easier than breathing. And that’s what was so scary.”

 

Armin’s heart skipped but he still stayed silent.

 

She closed her eyes and let out a groan of frustration. “This is killing me.” Her hands dug into the railing for a minute, almost as if the pressure was helping her stay rooted. Then, she added, “It shouldn’t be scary. It’s ridiculous. And now – I don’t think it’s scary. Well, no – it’s terrifying. But … it’s a nice terrifying.”

 

He was quiet for a long while before he managed to swallow past the lump in his throat, and say, “Do you mean ‘exciting’?”

 

Annie snorted. “Was now the time to be pedantic?”

 

Armin’s face flushed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that at all. I just –”

 

“Maybe that is it,” she said, turning to look at him.

 

He was surprised he didn’t faint. She was as stunning as she always was; cold and beautiful. But there was an extra softness to her now, a vulnerability she was reluctant to show and it made it almost impossible to tear his gaze from her.

 

“Can exciting things be scary?” she asked.

 

He swallowed and nodded. “I think so.”

 

Annie looked at him for a moment, long enough to make him dissolve, before turning her gaze away again. “You know, when you were pretending to be my boyfriend again in front of my dad … it just felt normal. Right, almost. When you went home, a part of me was upset I didn’t take up my dad’s offer and stay out in town with you for a little longer. I wanted to pretend with you … just a little bit longer.” Her eyebrows furrowed. “It really sucked when I realised I couldn’t just … be with you like that.”

 

Armin’s breath caught in his throat – he was sure the smallest gust of wind would be enough to knock him over now. Maybe he needed to cling onto the railing to stay upright.

 

She sighed, her eyes squeezing shut. “What I’m … I’m trying to say is … I needed time, but … I … I don’t think I need it anymore. I think …”

 

Her words trailed off into the quiet between them, hanging in the air like fireflies circling a flame.

 

Armin swallowed and cleared his throat. “You … don’t need … more time?”

 

She turned to look at him again. “Am I making sense?”

 

He nodded and swallowed again – he couldn’t quite seem to get past that lump that had formed in his throat. “Yeah. You’re making complete sense.”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “I’m being an idiot, aren’t I? You’re not – this isn’t going the way I expected.” Her eyes squeezed shut again. “Fuck, yeah – this was stupid. Of course you don’t want it now. I’ve … I’ve fucked with your head enough, and –”

 

“Annie,” he said firmly, reaching out to place his hand over hers.

 

Her words stopped, her mouth still half-open.

 

His heart was racing. “Don’t … don’t say those things. You’re not an idiot. I …”

 

Annie was staring at him expectantly.

 

His eyes closed and he sighed. “This is really hard to talk about, isn’t it?”

 

He could hear the slight huff of laughter she released before he opened his eyes again. “You’re telling me.”

 

When he met her gaze again, he smiled weakly. “Annie … you don’t know how much I wanted to hear you say that.”

 

She looked momentarily at a loss for words before her eyebrows drew together and she swallowed. “But … why?”

 

His face softened. “Why?”

 

“Why do you want to hear it from me?” she asked. “I don’t … I don’t get what you see in me. I’m not even nice.”

 

“I think you’re nice,” he said softly. “And as for what I see in you … well …” He swallowed. “You’re Annie. That’s why I like you so much – and that’ll always be enough for me.”

 

Annie looked at him for a long moment, her eyebrows pulled together in a way that made his heart thunder in his ears.

 

All of his words had escaped him and there was nothing between them save for the quiet evening air.

 

But then her hands came up to cup his face and before he knew it, she was pulling him down towards her to press her mouth against his.

 

Her kiss was soft and short, but Armin was surprised he wasn’t seeing stars when she pulled away from him. Her thumbs drew circles on his skin and it took every fibre of himself to not just push her up against the balcony door and kiss her senseless.

 

“Annie,” he breathed, raising his hands up to brush a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

 

Annie took a deep breath and swallowed, her eyes lidded as she looked up at him. “I even liked you with that stupid haircut you used to have, you know? And it really wasn’t flattering then.”

 

Armin grinned, his heart warming in his chest. “It wasn’t my best choice,” he admitted.

 

“It really wasn’t,” she said and he let out a slight laugh. “But you were still cute.”

 

His heart fluttered. “Do you still think I’m cute?”

 

“Of course I do,” she said. “But I mostly think you’re hot.”

 

His face flushed and he cleared his throat. “Uh … well … I think the same about … you.”

 

Annie smiled. “I’d gathered that from how much you were gawking at me half-naked in the changing rooms last week.”

 

He was glad for the dimness outside because he was sure he was the same shade as a strawberry. “Sorry. I didn’t mean …”

 

“I liked it,” she said softly.

 

Armin’s heart was caught in his throat. But this time, he was determined to get past it, so he swallowed and said, “Can I kiss you again?”

 

Annie’s nod was slight but Armin didn’t miss it, and he leaned forward and pressed his mouth against hers.

 

He knew there were no fireworks – but for a moment, it felt like it, at least inside his heart. His fingers came down to rest on her hips as he kissed her softly, his lips moving against hers until he gently pushed his tongue into her mouth. She let out a soft sigh against his lips as he deepened their kiss which just made his heart hum even more.

 

It stayed gentle and sweet, even when her grip tightened on his shirt, twisting the fabric in her fingers as she pressed ever closer to him. He could have stood on that balcony all night with her kisses against his lips; the sunrise itself couldn’t have pried him from her, if that was what she wanted. She was the closest thing to paradise he would ever know and in his heart he knew that was more than enough.

 

Annie pulled away from him, her breath slightly heavy in a way that made his heart stutter. She pressed another small, lingering kiss his against his lips that made him tingle all the way down to his toes and he could barely think of anything but the softness of her sweet mouth when she moved back again.

 

Annie’s hand trailed down to his wrist and tugged. “Come with me.”

 

His heart skipped a little and he nodded. Armin didn’t even think to ask her where they were going, even when she dragged him back through the balcony doors and into the house. The thought only occurred to him when she seemed to slow down at the first bedroom door she came across that had been left slightly ajar.

 

“Where are we going?” he asked.

 

Annie’s voice was quiet as she tentatively pushed open the door and peeked into the room. “Somewhere more private.”

 

His heart was lodged in his throat again as she pulled him into the bedroom. Armin barely took note of his surroundings – it could be Historia’s room, for all he knew, and she would definitely kill him if she found out he was in here again. Although in that moment, with Annie’s hand on his, he couldn’t bring himself to care.

 

Annie pushed the bedroom door shut behind them and led him to the bed, gently nudging his chest until he followed her silent orders and settled down onto the bed. All he could do was sit and watch as she moved away from him to check if the door was firmly closed before he turned back to him again.

 

“Sorry,” she said, stepping towards the bed. “I’m not really in the mood to end up on Floch’s Twitter.”

 

Armin swallowed and nodded. His heart was racing harder than ever in his chest. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

 

Annie kicked her heels off and moved further forward and soon enough, she was standing right before him, her legs pressed against his. In spite of his nerves, he couldn’t help himself – he reached forward and let his hands settle gently on her hips, running soft circles on them through the ruffled fabric of her dress.

 

Annie sighed and her hands came down to rest on his shoulders. “Armin.”

 

He met her eyes fully again and his heart nearly stopped beating. She was breath-taking – quite literally. He was sure he almost forgot how to breathe for a moment when he met her gaze.

 

Still, she looked slightly unsure. He wanted to bring her closer to him and do what he could to make that expression vanish.

 

“I don’t want to … do anything,” she said. “I just want to kiss you more.”

 

Armin felt his face warm. “I didn’t think …” He swallowed. “Kissing sounds great.”

 

Annie scoffed but a slight smile rose to her lips that made his heart warm. “Lean back a little, then, will you?”

 

Armin moved as she asked, dropping his hands from her waist as she climbed on top of him. His heart was pounding as he felt her knees settle on either side of him, her body so close to him in the rightest of ways.

 

“Is this okay?” she asked quietly.

 

He nodded. “More than okay.” He swallowed and added, “Can I kiss you now?”

 

Annie didn’t answer – she just leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his again.

 

His hands came up to her sides as she pressed towards him, gripping onto her gently as her mouth moved over his. His breath caught when her tongue slipped over his and he only held onto her tighter, careful not to put too much pressure on her. He made a small noise against her when she pressed her mouth against his a little bit harder, but her kiss was still so sweet he was surprised he hadn’t gone completely light-headed.

 

She pulled back a little to softly suck on his bottom lip and she smiled at the tiny “ah” that left his mouth.

 

“I’ve missed this,” she admitted quietly, pressing her mouth against his again.

 

Maybe his head was spinning because he could barely think as she kissed him, her soft lips moving over his in the way he’d wanted them to for so long.

 

She pulled back again and he took the chance to move his lips over her jaw, and his chest welled with pride when she gasped.  His lips drifted further down her skin until they met the sensitive flesh at her neck, and he started leaving wet kisses all over, sucking and licking until she curled her fingers into his hair and let out a whispered, “Fuck,” that only made him want to kiss her all over.

 

His lips reached her ear and he nipped at her earlobe which pulled a very un-Annie whine from her mouth, and her grip on his hair only tightened when he sucked at the soft skin there.

 

He pulled away for a moment and pressed a soft kiss against her neck again.

 

“I’ve miss this, too,” he whispered. “I’ve missed you.”

 

He could hear the faint shuddering of her breath as she moved her head to press her mouth to his again. It was only short but it was as sweet as all her other kisses had been, and it was hard to stop himself from leaning forward to capture her lips again.

 

Annie swallowed and scoffed, turning her head away from his. It looked like her face was red – was she really blushing at a time like this?

 

“I could do this all night,” she said quietly.

 

“Then let’s do it,” he said, far too enthusiastically.

 

She smiled. “You’re a bit eager, aren’t you?”

 

His face flushed, but he managed to hold her gaze. “And you’re not?”

 

Annie smiled. “Fair point.” But then, she sighed. “I think we’ll have to get back to the party, eventually.”

 

Armin frowned. “Do we?”

 

She raised her eyebrows. “Someone will notice we’re gone.”

 

“I doubt it,” he said in the most convincing way he could.

 

But Annie saw through him like she always did. “Someone will.” Then, her smile faded, and she added, “I just … don’t want anyone to know about this yet.”

 

His eyebrows raised. “About … this?”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Words are hard, Armin.”

 

“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “Would it help if I turned around?”

 

She raised an eyebrow. “What, so I’m straddling your ass?”

 

His cheeks burned even more. “That’s not what I meant.” Then, after a pause, he added, “But if you want to do that –”

 

“Armin,” she said, but her lips had spread into an even bigger smile.

 

He matched hers. “Sorry, Annie.”

 

She shook her head. Then, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “I want to be with you.”

 

Armin’s heart shuddered. “You do?”

 

Her eyes were still closed. “Of course I do. Is it not obvious?”

 

“You’ve been giving mixed signals,” he said.

 

She frowned. “I haven’t tonight.”

 

His thumbs rubbed circles over her hips. “Fair point.”

 

Annie took a deep breath again, her eyes still closed – clearly unable to meet his eye. “I just want whatever this is to be ours. I’ve never … I’ve never had a real relationship before. I don’t want anyone else getting involved. It’s hard to …”

 

She opened her eyes and frowned. “This is really hard to say. It’s making me sick.”

 

He smiled. “I think you’re doing a pretty good job.”

 

She scoffed. “Of course you do. You’d say anything if it meant I’d kiss you again.”

 

He let out a breath of laughter. Then, he said, softly, “I get it. I know this stuff is hard for you. I don’t want anyone else to make it harder.”

 

She nodded. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

 

“Don’t thank me,” he said with a slight smile. “I should be thanking you. You’re the one straddling me.”

 

She raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re getting awfully confident.”

 

He grinned. “You like it.”

 

Annie scoffed again, her eyes drifting away from his for a moment. Then, she turned back towards him and pressed her mouth against his again.

 

He sighed as he moved his mouth against hers, relishing in the little noise that slipped past her lips as she pressed ever closer to him. Her fingers gripped his shirt and he couldn’t help the little grunt in the back of his throat as she pulled tightly against the fabric.

 

When she pulled away, it was too soon.

 

“Can we … take this all … slow?” she asked.

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “I thought we were just kissing.”

 

“I didn’t mean now,” she said. “I mean … with this … relationship.” She frowned. “God, what an awful word. It makes my skin crawl.”

 

He smiled. “What would you prefer to call it? A super close friendship?”

 

She nudged him. “Stop teasing me.” Then, her eyebrows drew together again. “I meant … I know we’ve done things before, but … I don’t want to do them soon.”

 

“Oh,” he said dumbly, feeling his own cheeks warm. “That’s okay.”

 

Her eyebrows were pinched together. “I’m sorry. I know you’re still a virgin and all, but … I just don’t want to rush into it this time around.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Annie … if you just wanted to hold my hand, that would be enough for me.”

 

Her eyebrows raised. “Really?”

 

“Yeah. Really,” he said. Then, he smiled. “I don’t want to be with you just so I can lose my virginity.”

 

Her cheeks flushed. It was so sweet it made his heart skip. “I didn’t think that.”

 

“It sounded like it a little bit,” he teased.

 

She frowned. “Oh, shut up.”

 

Before he could say anything else, she leaned forward and met his lips with hers again.

 

They didn’t leave the bedroom as soon as they probably should have, but Armin was more than fine with spending a few moments longer in Annie’s embrace. Her kisses were everything, and so was she, so he didn’t mind the extra risk of discovery just to hold her as tight as he could for a few more heartbeats. 

Notes:

Aaaaaand we are finally here!!!

This chapter is my pride and joy honestly. I rewrote the ending of this chapter until I was absolutely happy with it, so I hope you guys enjoyed it, too! And don't worry - there's still more to come in the future chapters of these two :) (rn, I have 18 and 19 drafted, so we aren't stopping soon!)

 

And of course, thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you in the next one <3

Chapter 18: a new beginning

Armin wasn’t sure what it was, but it felt as if Annie was looking at him differently. Maybe it was because he couldn’t stop smiling at her, like the damned idiot he was. But there was a glimmer in her eyes, like glitter under sunlight, and he was sure he could have spent the entire night just looking at her. The tiny, nearly imperceptible smile that curved her lips made his heart feel like it could burst – and he wasn’t sure he would have minded if it did, not with her looking at him like that.

 

Her smile only vanished when the sound of Hitch retching echoed through the room, following by Connie’s cry of anguish that signalled the demise of his Twister mat.

 

Annie frowned deeply. She didn’t say anything, but she reached forward and gave his hand a gentle squeeze, and dropped it just as Marlowe pushed through the crowd with Hitch in his arms.

 

“She’s an idiot,” said Annie under her breath.

 

Marlowe grimaced. “We need to leave before Historia kills her.”

 

Annie opened her mouth to say something, but Historia’s vague screaming cut her off. She frowned and turned back to Armin. “I’ll see you around.”

 

He smiled. Her touch was still lingering on his skin, warm and comforting. “I’ll see you.”

 

And then, she was gone.

 

Armin only loitered a little bit longer to hang out with Marco and Jean, but when Mikasa and Eren didn’t make another appearance, he decided to call it a night himself. Under different circumstances, he would have been frustrated, maybe even furious at them. But now, with the memory of Annie’s soft kisses on his lips, it was hard to feel anything apart from that warm giddiness in his chest. It was hard to stop smiling even as he walked back to the dorms alone.

 

He must have looked like such an idiot, but he found that he didn’t care in the slightest.

 

When he stepped into the darkness of his room, his phone buzzed. His heart skipped when he saw her message on the screen.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Come on a drive with me tomorrow morning?

<3

 

That tiny, red heart on the screen made his whole heart warm.

 

ME

Yeah :)

<3

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Cool

I’ll call you

<3

 

ME

Okay :)

<3

 

Sleep came easier than ever that night, but he slept so deeply that he wasn’t even stirred by Mikasa and Eren stumbling in during the night. He only became aware of their presence, curled up and snoring in Eren’s bed, when he woke up to soft buzzing of his phone beside his head.

 

He picked it up, still groggy. “Hello?”

 

“Good morning, sunshine.”

 

Armin scrambled into a sitting position a little too quickly. “Morning.”

 

“I woke you, didn’t I?” asked Annie.

 

“Uh, yeah,” he said. “That’s okay. I forgot to set an alarm.”

 

Annie paused for a moment. “Are you alone?”

 

Armin glanced back over to Eren and Mikasa. Both of their mouths were hanging open in a way that suggested they were very much unconscious.

 

“No,” he said. “But Eren and Mikasa are asleep, so kind of.”

 

Annie snorted. “Hitch was barely alive when I got up this morning.”

 

Armin smiled. “I can imagine.”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “Wanna get ready and meet me at my car? It’s just in the parking lot.”

 

His heart skipped. “Yeah. Yeah, I’ll be as quick as I can.”

 

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll see you soon.”

 

Armin was smiling like a damned fool. “I’ll see you.”

 

He quietly tiptoed around the room and picked out his outfit for the day. He pulled on his white Todoroki shirt and black jeans and boots, and he grabbed his white Full Metal Alchemist sweatshirt, just in case it got colder later. He made sure the necklace she had given him all those days ago was firmly clipped around his neck before he started making the short journey to the campus parking lot.

 

Her little car soon came into view, and then so did Annie. Armin’s heart jumped at the sight of her, like it so often did. She was wearing a simple black and red striped sweater with a black leather skirt and ripped tights which made his throat tighten just a little bit. Of course, she was wearing her usual stomping boots along with all of her silver piercings glittering on her perfect face. Her hair was down, too, and she was busy pushing the loose strands behind her ear when she noticed him across the parking lot.

 

“Hey,” she said when he got in range.

 

“Hey,” he said with a soft smile.

 

She opened her own car door and raised her eyebrows. “Do you wanna get in?”

 

His smile faltered. Had he just been staring at her like an idiot?

 

“Oh,” he said. “Yeah.”

 

His heart was beating just a little too hard in his chest as they pulled out of the parking lot. Soft rock music that he didn’t recognise was humming from the speakers, but he was glad that it was playing, all the same. There was a lot he wanted to say, but he wasn’t quite sure what.

 

He was starting to understand her issues with intimacy because now, when she was so close to him in the small space of her car, he could barely think.

 

But thankfully, Annie spoke before he was forced to stutter out something stupid.

 

“Did you have a nice time last night?” she asked.

 

“Oh. Uh, yeah,” he said. “When I was with you.”

 

“I meant after I left,” she said flatly. “Considering your tongue was down my throat, though, that part doesn’t surprise me.”

 

Armin’s cheeks tinged pink but he could see the smirk on her face, just curling at the corner of her lips when he glanced over at her. For a moment, he drew a blank. Annie was never one to avoid teasing – but this was a little bit more unfamiliar and a few heartbeats passed by before he could even consider what to say.

 

He cleared his throat. “Well … I thought you enjoyed that part, too.”

 

Annie let out a slight huff of laughter and his shoulders relaxed. “I did. But what was it like after I was gone?”

 

“It was fine,” he said. “I didn’t stay that long.”

 

“No?” she asked. “Guess I really am the life of the party, then.”

 

Armin smiled slightly. “Eren and Mikasa never showed again, so I just hung out with Marco and Jean for a while before I went back to my dorm.”

 

“I would have offered you a ride if I thought you were gonna leave so soon,” she said.

 

“It’s okay,” he said. “You’re giving me a ride now.”

 

Annie snorted. “You don’t need one now.”

 

“Well, I’m still happy to be getting one,” he said with a smile.

 

She scoffed. “I’m glad.”

 

He was still smiling at her, maybe for a little too long. He couldn’t help it. He felt so damn giddy around her that he wasn’t sure what to do about it.

 

His staring didn’t go unnoticed.

 

“You know, some people consider it rude to stare,” she said dryly.

 

His smile faltered and he fixed his eyes forward, his cheeks warming. “Sorry.”

 

“I said some people,” she said. “I never said I was one of them.”

 

He glanced back over at her. She was so gorgeous in the golden light of the morning. A part of him wanted to reach over and run his fingers over the soft skin of her cheeks, but it wasn’t something he could get away with while she was driving, so he turned his gaze back to the road ahead.

 

“I’ll try to at least be less weird about it, then,” he said.

 

“You’re always weird,” she said. “I like that about you, though.”

 

Armin let out a small breath of laughter. “Thanks. I think.” Then, he added, “Where are we driving?”

 

“Just up to the park,” she said. “I just wanted to talk somewhere private.”

 

His heart froze. “About what?”

 

“Last night,” she said. Then, she added, “Nothing bad. Don’t worry. I can already feel you worrying from here.”

 

“I’m not worrying,” he said, but his heartrate had picked up.

 

Annie smiled slightly, which eased the racing of his heart, if only a little bit. “I’m sure.”

 

They were quiet for the rest of the ride to the park. The last time he had been there with Annie was so long ago – she had crawled onto his lap in the car and kissed him, and, well … Armin’s face flushed at the memory. He doubted she would be planning on trying anything like that again.

 

His heart shuddered when she cut the engine. They were at a more secluded area, all the other cars that were there parked at the other side of the lot. It was about as private as they could get.

 

She turned to him and his pulse quickened. She was too pretty for her own good, he thought. He found himself just wanting to reach forward and run his hands all over her – innocently, of course.

 

He swallowed when she didn’t say anything. “So … what did you want to talk about, exactly?”

 

Annie took a deep breath. “I just … I want to set some ground rules going forward.”

 

His eyebrows raised. “Going forward?”

 

“Yeah.” Her eyebrows furrowed. “Did we not get together last night?”

 

“Oh, yeah! Yeah,” he said. “Sorry, I just … I was worried you were …”

 

“Breaking up with you?” she asked.

 

His silence was answer enough.

 

“You really do worry too much,” she said, but there was a slight smirk on her mouth. “No, I’m not breaking up with you. I’m doing very much the opposite. I’m making us official.”

 

His heart skipped. “Yeah?”

 

“Yeah,” she said softly. Then, her own eyebrows furrowed. “Is that not what you want?”

 

“Of course it is!” he said, far too quickly. “Sorry. I’m acting weird.”

 

“You are, a little,” she admitted.

 

“Sorry,” he said, eyebrows drawing together. “I just … I’ve never done this. I’m not really sure how to act.”

 

“Oh, no,” she said pointedly. “You don’t get to be the one not having a clue. I have no idea what I’m doing. You’re supposed to be the rock in this re – God, I can’t even say it.”

 

“Relationship?” he offered.

 

She scowled. “Yes. That’s such a horrible word, by the way.”

 

His nerves eased slightly and he smiled. “I don’t think it’s that bad.”

 

“It is,” she said with a sigh. “Anyway. You’re not the only one who has no idea what they’re doing, remember?”

 

He supposed she was right. She’d had physical relationships, at least, from what she’d told him. Real relationships were about as familiar to her as they were to him. He couldn’t decide if it was comforting or not that they were both just a little bit out of their depth.

 

He swallowed. “What do we do about … that?”

 

Her eyebrows raised. “You’re asking me?”

 

“Who else would I ask?” he asked, eyebrows pinched together.

 

She paused for a long moment, before she said, “Good point.”

 

He swallowed and looked over at her. Her face really did look so soft. He found that most interesting about her. She could be such a force to be reckoned with, so rough on the surface, but her body was soft to the touch in all of the right places. He thought about just reaching out towards her, letting himself enjoy the feeling of her skin underneath his fingertips. She might flinch from the gentleness of it – but then, she would lean into his touch, her eyelids fluttering shut, and –

 

“Armin?” she said. “You’re staring at me.”

 

He blinked, cheeks warming. “Sorry.”

 

She raised an eyebrow. “Would you like to tell me what exactly you were thinking about?”

 

If anything, his face warmed even more.

 

Her eyes narrowed. “Really? We’re in public.”

 

He was beet-red now. “No!” he said, shaking his head. “I wasn’t thinking of anything like that! I was just …”

 

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Just …?”

 

He swallowed. “I was just thinking of … touching you.”

 

“Touching me,” she said.

 

“Innocently,” he added weakly.

 

“Innocently?” she asked.

 

He nodded.

 

Annie paused for a moment before she said, “Okay. Do it, then.”

 

His eyebrows raised. “Do it?”

 

“Yeah,” she said, turning to face him as best as she could in the driver’s seat. “You can touch me.”

 

He opened his mouth to say something, but no words slipped past.

 

Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything.

 

But Annie was looking at him expectantly and she had invited him to do exactly what he’d wanted. So he tried to ignore the way his heart was racing and reached his hand out to cup her cheek.

 

Her skin was as soft as it had been last night. He drew his thumb over the skin of her cheek and his heart leapt when her eyelids fluttered shut, just like he’d imagined they would. He felt her lean slightly into his touch and let out a contented sigh.

“I think we’re overthinking this too much,” she said quietly.

 

Armin swallowed, but he didn’t stop his motions – she hadn’t even opened her eyes yet. “Yeah, maybe.”

 

Her eyes opened then, and she brought her hand to cover his, stopping his thumb from moving. Then, she pulled it down to rest on her thigh where she drew comforting patterns over the back of his hand with the edge of her thumb.

 

“Can I kiss you?” she asked without looking up from his hand.

 

His heart caught in his throat, but he nodded and managed to say, “Yeah.”

 

Annie looked back up at him, her blue eyes meeting his own. If her eyes were oceans, he thought, he would swim in them all day.

 

She moved her hand from his, but he left his on her thigh as she leaned towards him. Armin moved forward, too, but in the end, she reached him first, her soft mouth pressing gently against his lips. It made his stomach flutter and he let his hand move to grip around her knee.

 

This only made her press against him with more force, slight but noticeable, her tongue pressing into his mouth to caress his tongue. She made a tiny, almost imperceptible noise against his lips which made his heart skip, and he kept up with her soft rhythm until she pulled away from him.

 

But it was only a small moment, for she leaned forward again to press a small, lingering kiss against his lips before resting her forehead against his.

 

“Sorry,” she said, swallowing. “Kissing you is easier than … talking.”

 

“That’s okay,” he said quietly.

 

He had the urge to close the distance between them again, but before he could do it, she sighed and pulled away from him. When her lips parted to speak, he removed his hand from her leg, resting it in his lap.

 

“I want a …” Annie winced and closed her eyes. “I want a relationship with you. Fuck – it’s really not getting a lot easier to say.”

 

Armin smiled slightly. “Thank you for trying.”

 

Her eyes opened again and she frowned in a way that he found far too endearing. “I want that. But it’s just like what I was saying yesterday. I want it to just be us.”

 

“Yeah,” he said with a nod. “So … we’re secretly dating, then?”

 

She nodded. “If that’s okay with you.”

 

“Yeah,” he said, and smiled slightly. “It’s a little exciting.”

 

Annie scoffed. “It really isn’t.”

 

Armin’s smile widened. He wasn’t sure where his confidence came from, but he said, teasingly, “Does this make you my dirty little secret?”

 

He didn’t miss the way her cheeks tinged pink. “Never say that again.”

 

“I won’t make any promises,” he said with a smile.

 

Annie rolled her eyes at him. Then, she said, “Look. We don’t have to be a secret forever. Just while I’m working all of the emotional stuff out. I just … someone talking to me about our relationship will make me die on the inside.”

 

Armin nodded. “Okay. It’s our secret. I won’t tell anyone until you’re ready.”

 

Annie sighed. “Thank you.” Then, she added, “And we’ll just … go slow.”

 

His face warmed. “Yeah. You said that, too.”

 

“I know,” she said. “I just … I want to explain myself a bit more.”

 

“You don’t have to,” he said gently.

 

“I know. But I want to,” said Annie. “Is that okay?”

 

After a moment, Armin nodded.

 

Annie sighed and dropped his gaze. “I’m good at sexual intimacy. It doesn’t bother me that much. But afterwards … I’m horrible with the emotional side of it. Which you know.” Her eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t want to act like I did before. I don’t think I’m ready for that stuff emotionally yet.”

 

When she fell silent, Armin nodded. “Okay. That’s fine.”

 

“Definitely?” she asked.

 

“I meant what I said,” he said. “If you only wanted to hold my hand, then that would be all we did. I don’t want anything you’re uncomfortable with.”

 

“Okay,” she said after a moment. “Thank you.”

 

He smiled slightly. “Does this mean you’re my girlfriend now?”

 

She visibly cringed at the word. “I hate that word. I really do.”

 

“But you are,” he said pointedly.

 

“Yes,” she said with a sigh. “I am.”

 

He smiled and reached out to caress her cheek. “You’ll have to get more used to it, you know. I won’t stop saying it.”

 

“What happened to nothing I’m not comfortable with?” she asked, but there was a slight smile on her mouth.

 

“This is the one exception,” he said, moving his fingers over the softness of her cheek. “If it’s okay with you.”

 

She sighed. “Okay. You can call me your … girlfriend.” Then, she added, “But it’s just between us.”

 

“Obviously,” he said lightly.

 

Annie was quiet for a moment before she said, “And we’ll go on dates. Real dates.”

 

His heart lightened. “Yeah?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “We can go and see movies together and make out in the back of my car. Secretly.”

 

Armin smiled. “Very romantic.”

 

She nudged him and his smile grew larger. “You said secretly dating was exciting a minute ago.”

 

“It is exciting,” he said. Then, he added, “Can we make out in the back of the movie theatre?”

 

“If the movie’s boring enough,” she said.

 

He let out a huff of laughter. “Okay.” Then, he added, “When do you want to go on a date?”

 

She thought it over. “How about next weekend? Friday night or something?”

 

Armin smiled. “Okay.” Then, he added, “A boring movie and dinner, then?”

 

Annie’s lips curled in a way that made his heart skip. “You know, we don’t have to go and see a bad movie on purpose just so we can make out. We could go and see a movie we’d actually enjoy and just make out after.”

 

“Yeah, but it feels a lot more illicit in the back of a movie theatre,” he said.

 

Annie rolled her eyes. “I’ll deliberately get us seats right at the front if you keep going.”

 

He grinned. “Sorry.”

 

“And stop teasing me so much,” she said. “Your smile is killing me.”

 

His smile fell slightly.

 

“In a good way,” she added, reaching forward to run her hand over his cheek.

 

He reached up to cover her hand with his. His heart felt so warm. Was this how all of this could have felt all along if they’d both been smarter, in better places? He wanted to shake his head to get those thoughts out of his mind – that didn’t matter now. Not when she was sitting in front of him and looking at him like that; not when she was prying open her heart to him even though she found it so hard.

 

He pulled her hand from his face and she was surprised when she followed him and he pressed his lips to her knuckles.

 

Annie scoffed and glanced away, but she didn’t move her hand. He felt elated at the slight flush of rose that appeared over her cheeks.

 

“Sappy,” she said.

 

Armin smiled and let her hand go – but she just held back onto him and lowered their hands down together to rest between them, still intertwined.

 

“You pick the movie,” he offered.

 

She raised an eyebrow. “So you can’t pick something boring on purpose?”

 

“Yeah,” he admitted.

 

She snorted. “Fine. But you pick where we’re eating after.”

 

“Okay,” he said with a smile. Then he added, “Is there anything else you want to talk about?”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “No. We’ll just work things out over message and we can do most of our … relationship stuff out of campus.”

 

Armin smiled. “You’re getting better at saying it.”

 

She frowned. “No teasing, otherwise I’ll pick a movie that’s ridiculously engaging.”

 

His smile softened. “You get to pick whatever you want. I’ll just kiss you after, anyway.”

 

“Will you, now?” she asked, eyebrow arched.

 

Armin’s heart stuttered. She was teasing him. She was a lot better at it than he was, anyhow. And for once, he was allowed to enjoy it; he didn’t have to second guess what she meant. She was flirting and he was allowed to flirt back.

 

Not that he had any idea what he was doing, but it was nice that he had the opportunity to try.

 

“If you want,” he said carefully.

 

Annie looked at him for a long time before she said, “Move over.”

 

His eyebrows raised. “Move over?”

 

“More like lean back,” she said. “We’re making out. Now.”

 

“O-oh, okay,” he said, trying to lean back in his chair the way she wanted.

 

Then, Annie pushed her seat back – it was very far forward, but he supposed it needed to be to accommodate her height – and then she climbed over to his side of the car, settling her legs on either side of him.

 

He desperately hoped his face wasn’t as red as the heat of his cheeks suggested. He didn’t think this sort of thing would make him so flustered, but with the fit of her leather skirt around her hips, it had nearly entirely rode up. He couldn’t see, but he knew there was only two thin layers of fabric between her and his jeans down there and as her hands came up to his face, he did his best not to think about it.

 

But that didn’t really work.

 

“You look a bit flustered,” said Annie pointedly.

 

If anything, this just made him feel even more embarrassed.

 

“No,” he said as clearly as he could – but Annie was too sharp and saw through him immediately.

 

She smiled slightly. “Is this okay? I was just going to kiss you – I promise.”

 

He nodded and swallowed. “Yeah. Of course.”

 

“Okay,” she said, and she dropped her hands from his face. “Brace yourself.”

 

He was confused for a moment and stayed frozen as she leaned to her left to grab onto something on by the side of the seat, but then suddenly the world started moving in a way he really wasn’t expecting. When the initial shock was over, he realised she’d put the seat down and he was nearly flat on his back, save for the slight incline caused by the backseats, Annie leaning forward on top of him.

 

“Sorry,” she said. “I thought it made this a little more private.”

 

He swallowed. Her weight was against him now. He couldn’t say he didn’t enjoy it, and it certainly drew his focus away from the thin fabric that had been pressed against his crotch, but his heart had started racing just a bit too fast in his chest.

 

“It’s fine,” he said, slightly strained.

 

“Are you sure?” she asked, her hand coming up to his face.

 

He nodded and reached forward, pressing his hands on each side of her face. He loved how her hair looked down like this, but at this angle it was just getting in the way. Annie adjusted her own hands, bringing them down between their bodies to rest on his chest. Could she feel how much his heart was racing?

 

“Yeah,” he said quietly. He swallowed. “Can I kiss you now?”

 

Annie smiled slightly. It was such a small movement that he would have missed it if he hadn’t been looking at her mouth so closely. She didn’t speak, but she didn’t need to. Instead, she leaned forward and pressed her mouth against his again.

 

He sighed against her mouth.

 

Her lips were so soft.

 

Kissing her made his whole body tingle in the sweetest of ways. This kiss was gentle and slow, his tongue pressing into her mouth to drag small satisfied noises from her that made his chest swell with pride.

 

But Annie soon decided that softness wasn’t enough and pressed against him harder and he made a small noise of surprise against her lips. She moved slightly only to suck on his bottom lip until he gasped before returning to press more feverish kisses against his mouth.

 

Annie had managed to knock his glasses askew slightly and she pulled back to readjust them, but he stopped her.

 

“Wait,” he said, moving his hands from her face.

 

Her entire hair fell down in front of her face like a curtain and she scoffed, trying to push it back out of her face. “I should have brought a hair-tie or something.”

 

Armin smiled and pulled his glasses off of his face, stretching back to place them down on the back seat adjacent to him.

 

“It’s okay,” he said, reaching forward to cup her cheeks, pushing her hair out of the way in the process. “I’ve got it.”

 

Annie didn’t say anything, but she was looking at him with such a soft expression his heart nearly ached. She was being vulnerable and she was letting him see it. He didn’t want to risk ruining it by saying something stupid, so he leaned up and kissed her as gently as he could.

 

She made another sweet noise against him which made his heart flutter, but she only kept up with his gentleness for a few heart beats before she pressed her mouth against his with more force again. And who was he to deny her? So he followed her fervour and kissed her harder, as hard as she liked, until she gasped against his mouth.

 

He took the moment to latch onto her lip the way she had done to him, sucking and biting in a way that pulled a very un-Annie sound from her mouth, almost like a strained whimper. But as soon as he pulled away, she brought him in again, kissing him harder, her fingers curling in the front of his shirt. She would definitely be able to feel the thunder of his heart now, but if she did, she didn’t say anything. She was a bit too occupied with her mouth at that moment to say anything, anyway.

 

She let him take control, caressing her tongue with his, still managing to match the force she wanted. For a moment, with her mouth pressed against his, he was sure he was drunk on her; on her lips, her small hands against him, her gasps and hurried breaths between frantic kisses. He was surrounded by the wonder of her and there was nothing else he wanted more.

 

When she pulled away for a little longer to take a deeper breath, he took the opportunity to push her hair fully over her left shoulder, reaching to hold onto it from the other side of her neck to keep it in place. Before she could figure out his movements in her daze, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against the soft skin of her neck.

 

Annie gasped and his entire body flooded with heat. He pressed a trail of light kisses all the way up to her earlobe, although he couldn’t do much there – she had her silver studs in. Still, he lightly flicked the bottom of the lobe with his tongue and she whimpered. He wished he could do more there, but he didn’t want to stop her to ask her to take her earrings out, so after a moment, he moved back down to her neck.

 

Her breath caught again when his tongue traced a pattern over her sensitive skin. Each light kiss against her flesh got a reaction – she would gasp, tighten her fingers in his shirt or make a tiny, muffled noise (of which, he had to admit, excited him just a bit too much, although he was hoping Annie hadn’t noticed that yet). But then, his lips pressed harder against her skin, moving to suck at the flesh there in the way he knew she liked, when her fingers pressed hard into his chest, a little too hard, and he paused.

 

“No hickeys,” she said – and he took a little bit of pride in how much she seemed to have to stop her voice from quivering.

 

Oh, right. No marks – it would be pretty hard to convince others that Annie wasn’t in a relationship if she was walking around with hickeys on her neck. He pulled away from her neck, squinting at her skin. He didn’t think he left a mark.

 

“Sorry,” he said.

 

“It’s fine,” she said. “You know I like them, anyway. Just don’t do them where they’re visible.”

 

He hated the way heat seemed to pool in his core then, and he shifted a little awkwardly beneath her weight. There weren’t many places on her that were sensitive enough to be enjoyable beneath her clothes that weren’t entirely off-limits, at least for now. Well – she’d said no sex. That included a wide range of clothes-less activities, especially kissing. Maybe –

 

“Armin?” she asked, bringing him back to reality. “Are you hard?”

 

His face set aflame. So she had noticed.

 

“I’m sorry,” he squeaked. “I – I didn’t mean to –”

 

“Relax,” she said. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.” Then, she added, a tiny smile curling her mouth, “I do like making you blush, though.”

 

He was a little relieved that his face was already a burning red otherwise he was sure her words might have caused another flush to bloom on his cheeks.

 

“Sorry,” he said again.

 

“It’s fine,” she said, but then she bit her lip in a way that almost suggested to him that it wasn’t fine at all. “Are you okay with me sitting on you like this?”

 

“Y-yeah,” he said. “I’m not making you uncomfortable, am I?”

 

“Of course not,” she said. “We’re making out – I like that you’re enjoying it that much. I just …” She sighed and added, “I just feel bad about riling you up and not doing anything about it.”

 

Armin’s heart lodged in his throat.

 

He tried to swallow past it.

 

“Don’t worry about that,” he said. “I don’t want to do anything you don’t feel comfortable with. Remember?”

 

Her brow was furrowed. “I’d still feel bad about giving you blue balls, though.”

 

Armin wanted to groan in frustrated. Were they really having this conversation? He wanted to melt into the seat behind him.

 

“It’s – it’s fine. You aren’t,” he said, face still burning. “I don’t want you to do anything about it.”

 

“You don’t?” she asked.

 

“No,” he said, swallowing. “We’re kissing in your car in public. I’d really rather you not do anything about it.”

 

She paused for a minute before nodding. “Okay.” Then, she added, “Are you fine to keep going? I don’t want to … frustrate you.”

 

Melting into the seat behind him wasn’t enough – he wanted to melt through the car and into the ground and completely disappear from sight.

 

“I’m not frustrated,” he said weakly. “I’m sorry. Can we just … ignore it?”

 

“I would,” she said, and he felt his stomach drop as he saw a smirk pull at the corner of her lips. “But it’s quite a big obstacle.”

 

Armin groaned, removing his hands from her face to cover his own, letting her hair fall like a curtain around them. “Annie.”

 

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “Sorry I ruined the mood by bringing it up.” Then, she added, “In more ways than one.”

 

“Annie,” he said.

 

“Okay, okay,” she said, the lightness of humour fluffing up her voice. “I’ll stop. Can we keep making out or are you gonna stay with your hands like that forever?”

 

It took a few more heartbeats before he found the nerve to remove his hands from his cheeks. That tiny smile of hers was still so pretty – it made his heart stop pounding in his chest so hard, even if it was just for a brief moment.

 

“There you are,” she said quietly. “Can you push my hair back for me?”

 

She’d clearly attempted to brush it behind her ears, but from the angle they were at, it was destined to fall in between them again. So gently, he pushed it back, aiming to kiss her the way he had before. But Annie manoeuvred around his hands and leaned forward, pressing her lips against his neck.

 

His breath caught in his throat. Well, it was nice to see, at least, she didn’t actually seem to care all that much about riling him up. Her lips were soft and light against his skin, and she was too good at whatever she was doing to him. It was teasing and gentle, not as rough as she’d liked kissing him, but he supposed she couldn’t really risk leaving any marks on his neck, either.

 

Unfortunately, he wasn’t wearing his earring. Her tongue trailed all the way from the base of his neck, sending shiver after shiver down his spine, until she reached his ear and lightly bit down on his lobe.

 

He made some sort of strangled noise against her, but she didn’t pull away. He was sure he was going light-headed. It just got worse when she sucked the sensitive skin there, flicking her tongue out to tease him a little bit more, and he couldn’t stop from gasping at her ministrations. She had him under her thumb and it was exactly where he wanted to be.

 

She eventually relented and moved back to his neck, pressing feather-light kisses to his skin, soft enough to nearly tickle, before she moved back to his mouth. He could barely think to get his lips to move against hers for a few moments, but eventually, he managed to catch up. There was a sweetness in her mouth, something he couldn’t quite describe, but her soft kisses were becoming enough to make his head spin.

 

He wasn’t sure how long they lay there pressed against each other, soft lips exchanging sweet kisses, but when Annie pulled away from him, it was far too soon.

 

She didn’t say anything for a moment and he took a minute to look at her. She was as stunning as she always was and he knew that he could spend a lifetime looking at her and he would never tire of it. He gently brushed her hair behind her ears and leaned forward to press a light kiss to her mouth, fleeting and sweet, and his chest warmed at the contented sigh that slipped past her lips, her forehead resting against his.

 

“You’re a very good kisser,” she said quietly.

 

The compliment swelled his chest with pride. He managed to find the boldness to say, “Keep kissing me, then.”

 

Annie let out a soft breath of laughter that tickled his face and made his heart flutter. “I’ve actually got plans, unfortunately. Sorry. I promised to meet Bert and Reiner for band practice later.”

 

Armin felt his heart sink only slightly. He could have stayed in that car with her all day and kissed her as sweetly or as roughly as she wanted.

 

But he smiled, anyway, and said, “Ah, I forgot I was dating a rock star.”

 

Annie snorted and poked his chest. “Funny. You’ll regret that when I’m famous.”

 

His smile stretched wider. “I’ll be front row at all your shows.”

 

“You’d be back stage,” she said. “That’s where the groupies end up.”

 

Armin laughed. “What an honour.”

 

Annie smiled in a way that made his heart ache. He wondered if he could convince her to skip band practice or maybe just even show up a little later. She didn’t even say what time she had to be there for – surely she had a couple more minutes to spare.

 

But just as Armin started formulating what to say, she spoke again.

 

“You can’t come with me today,” she said, “but we’re meeting again on Wednesday night to work through some new stuff. An audience member might be helpful.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Are you sure? I don’t know anything about music.” He swallowed. “And wouldn’t they get suspicious?”

 

Annie shrugged. “They aren’t always that bad about us.”

 

His eyebrows were still drawn together. “Do they know already?”

 

“Of course not,” she said. “And I’m not going to tell them. They think I have a crush on you but they won’t say anything about it if I tell them not to. Bert definitely won’t say anything, and Reiner won’t if I tell him how much it bothers me.”

 

Armin paused for a minute. “Are you sure you’ll be comfortable with having to do all of that?”

 

“It’s fine,” she said. “I’m not telling them we’re together. And we won’t do anything in front of them. They’ll just think I’m pining after you.” Then, she added, “And you just need to stop looking at me like that so much.”

 

Armin frowned. “Like what?”

 

“Like … that,” she said. “You’ve got such puppy-dog eyes when you look at me. It is a dead giveaway.”

 

He frowned, although he suspected it looked more like a pout. “I don’t have puppy-dog eyes.”

 

“You do,” said Annie. “You look at me like I’m the only star in the sky sometimes. It’s sickening.”

 

Armin flushed. “Sorry.”

 

She nudged him. “Hey. I like it.”

 

“I didn’t realise I was doing it before this,” he admitted. “I’m sorry if –”

 

Her fingers moved to cover his mouth. “No apologising. And you’re never that bad around other people, anyway. But you’re still looking at me like that now. And Reiner won’t catch on, but Bertholdt totally will. So try and rein it in a little, okay?”

 

Armin sighed. “Fine.” Then, he smiled. “Should I just try and do your blank stare, instead?”

 

Armin’s face tried to mimic Annie’s resting face, her heavy eyelids and angry mouth. Annie nudged him again and his face broke out into a grin.

 

“You’re making fun of me,” she said pointedly.

 

He laughed a little. “I’m not.”

 

“Yes, you are,” she said and jabbed his chest with her finger. “And anyway, you’re the idiot that likes my blank stare. So you’re in no position to tease me like that.”

 

He was still smiling. “I’m not teasing you.”

 

“You know you are,” she said pointedly.

 

“Well,” he said. “Maybe a little.”

 

Annie sighed and his smile widened. He debated saying something else to tease her just a little bit more, but before he could, she leaned forward and pressed her mouth against his for a few head-spinning moments. When she pulled back, he found that he didn’t have much left to say.

 

“Come on,” she said softly. “I’ve got band practice, remember?”

 

Armin nodded. “Okay, rock star.”

 

Annie groaned in frustration and pulled herself up while he grinned up at her. “Come on. I need you to get out with me so I can put the seat right.”

 

After a few more seconds of teasing, Armin eventually relented and followed her out of the car so she could put the seat back into its original position. Then it was only a few more moments that went by before they were back in their seats again, Annie starting the engine and pulling the car out of the lot, far too soon for Armin’s liking. But it probably would have been too soon no matter how long they stayed there – forever would have been too short.

 

A part of him wanted to kiss her goodbye when they pulled up into the lot at campus, but he knew they couldn’t risk that, just in case anyone happened to see them. So he squeezed her hand and she told him she’d text him, and then he was stepping out of the car and bidding her goodbye with a smile that made her face soften.

 

He was still smiling a little by the time he got back to his dorm again. Mikasa and Eren were both still there, but they were clearly awake now, watching a movie of some sort on Eren’s computer, the screen tilted towards where they lay in his bed.

 

“Hey,” he said, shutting the door behind him.

 

Eren’s eyebrows furrowed. “Where’ve you been so early?”

 

Armin nearly blanked. But then, he said, “I was just out for a walk. I didn’t want to make a lot of noise while you were still sleeping.”

 

This seemed to satisfy Eren, but Mikasa said, “Seems like it was a long walk.”

 

Armin shrugged a little and dropped down onto his bed. “I didn’t expect you guys to be awake yet.”

 

“Mikasa needed to pee,” said Eren with a slight frown. “Then we couldn’t get back to sleep.”

 

“Makes sense,” said Armin with a slight smile.

 

“Why did you leave so early last night, anyway?” asked Mikasa.

 

“Oh,” said Armin. He tried not to flush as he remembered the push of Annie against him – and then just now, less than an hour ago. He cleared his throat, and added, “Uh, I couldn’t find you guys and I didn’t want to third-wheel Marco and Jean all night, so …”

 

“Was Annie not there?” asked Mikasa pointedly.

 

He tried to ignore the insinuation in her question. “Yeah, but she left when Hitch threw up on Connie’s Twister mat which was surprisingly early on.”

 

“Oh yeah,” said Eren, nose wrinkling. “I heard about that.”

 

“That girl doesn’t know how to hold her alcohol,” said Mikasa with a sigh. Then, she added, “Did Annie like your outfit?”

 

Armin’s cheeks flushed. Annie did like his outfit – very much. “She said it was nice.”

 

“Did she say anything else?” she asked.

 

She said a lot of things, and she did a lot of things with her mouth that he thoroughly enjoyed last night. But Armin didn’t care if Mikasa’s curiosity came from a place of friendship – or more like friendly intrigue. Annie didn’t want anyone to know, and she’d made that clear.

 

“No,” said Armin pointedly. “We just hung out for a while. And then, the Twister incident.”

 

Mikasa sighed. “Okay. I was just wondering.”

 

“We’re just friends,” said Armin gently. “You know that.”

 

“Yeah,” said Mikasa. “Even though you both have very obvious crushes on each other.”

 

“It is a little weird that you’re still friends,” said Eren. “And you know – not dating again.”

 

Armin sighed. “Guys, can you drop it? I really don’t want to talk about it.”

 

There was a slight pause and then Mikasa said, “Okay. Sorry.”

 

“Sorry, Armin,” said Eren.

 

“It’s okay,” said Armin. “Did you guys have a nice time last night?”

 

“Oh, yeah,” said Eren. “Probably drank too much.”

 

“Ymir tried to get him on the keg,” said Mikasa with a sigh. “He nearly agreed.”

 

“You didn’t, did you?” asked Armin, eyebrows furrowing.

 

“Ymir couldn’t lift me up,” said Eren. “Reiner offered to help, but he was wasted, so it just didn’t work.”

 

“That’s a shame,” said Armin. “But maybe for the best.”

 

“Definitely for the best,” said Mikasa.

 

“Oh!” said Eren suddenly, fully sitting up in the bed. “While I remember, anyway – you know we need to start looking for places to live next semester, right?”

 

Armin hadn’t really wanted to think about it. But he raised an eyebrow and asked, “Are you two not moving in together?”

 

“Not yet,” said Mikasa.

 

“We thought it was too soon,” said Eren. “Plus she wants to live with Sasha for a little while longer and I wanna live with you.”

 

Armin was oddly touched by the sentiment. “Really?”

 

“Yeah,” said Eren with a nod. “You’re a great roommate.”

 

He smiled. “Thanks.” Then, he added, “I mean, we can start searching soon. But places for only two people might be out of our range.”

 

“Got that covered,” said Eren. “We were talking to Jean and Marco after you left last night, and Jean said him and Connie were having the same problem. So, I thought we could share!”

 

Armin couldn’t help the way his stomach dropped a little bit. He didn’t have a problem with Jean now – he had apologised to him, after all. But he was slightly hesitant on moving in with the guy who had practically bullied him just last semester.

 

“Are you sure about that?” he asked tentatively.

 

“I mean, yeah,” said Eren. “Connie’s great – Jean and me butt heads, but I don’t think it’s the worst idea in the world.”

 

Armin paused for a minute. “Can I have a day or two to think about it?”

 

“Of course you can,” said Eren.

 

Then, Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “What’s Marco doing, then? He and his roommate aren’t that close.”

 

“That’s the thing,” said Eren. “Tell him, Mikasa.”

 

Armin’s eyes moved over to Mikasa and he raised an eyebrow at her.

 

Mikasa sighed. “We thought Marco could room with me and Sasha. He’d probably be pretty easy to live with.”

 

“Oh,” said Armin. He was starting to think maybe he shouldn’t have left so early last night. But then again, he probably would have been really tired for when he met up with Annie this morning and that was something he was more than happy that he’d been wide awake for. “Well, that makes sense.”

 

“I suggested asking you to move in with us,” said Mikasa pointedly. “But Eren got jealous.”

 

Armin cocked an eyebrow. “You were jealous?”

 

“Well, of course I was,” said Eren, a slight frown settling on his mouth. “I get Mikasa and Marco are your best friends, but you’re my roommate. I call dibs.”

 

“You call … dibs?” said Armin. “On me?”

 

“In a friendly way,” said Eren. “A roommate way.”

 

“Right,” said Armin slowly.

 

Eren’s eyebrows furrowed and a sadness unlike any Armin had seen before flitted across his eyes. “You do still want to live with me, don’t you?”

 

Armin smiled just a tiny bit. “Of course I do.”

 

Eren’s shoulders visibly relaxed. “Thank God. I’d have been really hurt if you’d said no.”

 

Apart from constantly walking in on him screwing his best friend, Eren was a perfectly fine roommate. On the bright side, living in an actual house or apartment with him would get rid of that factor completely.

 

“We can figure it on some time during the week,” he offered.

 

Eren beamed. “Sounds good.” Then, he added, “Do you want to watch the rest of this movie with us?”

 

“What are you watching?” asked Armin.

 

“Aliens,” said Mikasa.

 

Armin beamed. “Yeah. That one’s my favourite.”

 

“Eren’s is Resurrection,” said Mikasa. “Very controversially.”

 

Armin frowned. “That’s not true, right?”

 

“Look,” said Eren, raising his hands. “I just enjoy it, okay? I didn’t like the third one at all.”

 

“He’s never seen the third one,” said Mikasa pointedly. “He can’t get past the beginning with the dog.”

 

“I just don’t like it, okay?” said Eren. “Come on. We’re only ten minutes in.”

 

Armin decided to not push the issue any further – there was plenty of time later to argue with Eren over his questionable movie preferences. Instead, he pulled up his chair and sat beside where they lay in Eren’s bed as Eren started playing the movie again.

 

Once the movie ended, they managed to convince Eren to watch the third one and they just skipped past the beginning. He ended up enjoying it, after all. Armin debated asking Annie if she had ever seen the movies before and thought that he should maybe suggest watching them as date night. Maybe they could do it one night if Hitch was staying with Marlowe. Or maybe he could download them on his phone and they could watch them in the dimness of her car, snuggled up together beneath a blanket in the back seats. The idea made his chest warm and he felt a smile try to tug at his lips – but he shut it down before Eren and Mikasa could notice.

 

Armin didn’t see Annie again until Wednesday night, but they sent messages back and forth as the days went by. Every time his phone buzzed his heart would stutter. Sometimes it was difficult to stop himself from smiling down at the screen like an idiot; if he couldn’t be discreet about it, he would end up blowing his cover already before he and Annie went on their first real date.

 

But when Wednesday evening finally rolled around, and his phone buzzed with a message from Annie telling him to meet him by her car in the lot, he was relieved to see that Eren was nowhere in sight. Then, at least, he wouldn’t have to explain himself to him about where he was going.

 

The air was a bit cooler than usual for the time of year as he made his way over to the parking lot. He was glad he’d shoved on his Misa Amane sweater; he was even wearing that earring Mikasa had bought him and, of course, that little shell necklace Annie had given him. He rarely ever took it off now.

 

He couldn’t help the slight smile that spread across his lips when he caught sight of Annie leaning against her car. Her hair was pinned back in that loose bun of hers, and she was dressed in black cargo pants and a black tank top that dipped dangerously low, making his mouth turn dry. The only thing that managed to take his mind off of things was the sight of the oversized black and pink flannel shirt thrown over her shoulders.

 

“Hey,” he said.

 

“Hey,” she said. “Cool sweater.”

 

“Thanks,” he said with a slight smile. Then, he added, “Is pink your thing now?”

 

If he hadn’t been looking close enough, he would have missed the way she practically pouted. “I was shopping with Hitch yesterday and I thought it looked nice. Is it not?”

 

“Of course it looks nice,” he said. “You always look nice.”

 

She looked at him for a moment. “Flattery won’t get you anywhere, you know.”

 

He smiled. “I think it’s gotten me far enough.”

 

Annie scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Just get in the car.”

 

Armin’s smile didn’t fade until they were in the car. He clicked his seatbelt in and turned to tease her, but just as he did, he found himself met with her lips.

 

It was a brief kiss – barely a brush, but it was enough to leave him just a little bit dazed.

 

Annie turned back and started the engine. “If we weren’t still on campus, I’d have kissed you more than that.”

 

Armin took a few moments to register what had happened before he nodded. “Uh, yeah. That’s fine.”

 

Annie snorted. “Thanks for letting me know.”

 

Armin swallowed. “You’re welcome.” Then, he added, “Where exactly are we going, anyway?”

 

“Just a place we rent to practice,” she said. “We can’t really get away with it on campus, so. It’s more like this garage in the middle of nowhere, but we keep a lot of our instruments there when we’re not at gigs. That or in Reiner’s truck, I guess.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “You rent somewhere?”

 

“Well, if we’re being pedantic, I rent somewhere,” she said. “And if we’re being even more pedantic, my dad does.”

 

Armin paused for a moment. “I never expected to be dating a rich girl.”

 

“It’s luxurious, isn’t it?” she said flatly.

 

He smiled. “You could say that.”

 

Annie snorted. “Would you mind putting one of my playlists on? I like music while I drive.”

 

Annie’s phone was connected to the nifty stand she had on the dashboard, already plugged in to the aux. Armin swiped open her phone after she gave him her password and opened her Spotify app. He was going to click play on the first rock playlist he saw, but he paused when he saw something he really hadn’t expected to.

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Annie?”

 

“Yeah?” she asked.

 

“Why do you have a playlist named after me?” he asked.

 

“Oh, fuck,” she said. “Do not open that. Please, dear God do not open that.”

 

“It really can’t be that bad,” he said.

 

“Please,” she said. “Don’t.”

 

A part of him wanted to tease her further and see if she would let him look at it. But the last thing he wanted to do was upset her, so he settled for clicking on the playlist beneath and clicking shuffle, before leaning back into his seat to smile over at her.

 

“How long ago did you make that playlist?” he asked innocently.

 

Annie was quiet for a moment. “It wasn’t recently.”

 

He grinned at her.

 

“Stop smiling at me like that,” she said. “God, I’m mortified. I might have to crash the car.”

 

His grin softened into a slight smile. “You don’t have to do that.”

 

“I’m not so sure about that,” she said.

 

He didn’t say anything more, just in case she actually considered crashing the car, but his smile didn’t leave his lips right away. It wasn’t like she was looking over at him, anyway – he could allow himself that small moment, at least.

 

The rest of their drive was quiet but comfortable, Armin watching buildings and trees whizz by as Annie drove them further towards their destination, the air filled with the sound of quiet rock music thumping through the speakers. The drive actually might have been too comfortable because when Annie started to turn into the make-shift drive in of their rented garage, Armin wasn’t quite ready to get out of the car.

 

Annie was out quicker than he was, diving into the back to pull out her guitar case which he’d barely even noticed.

 

When he closed the car door behind him, he offered her a soft smile, but she frowned back.

 

“No puppy-dog eyes,” she said pointedly.

 

“Oh,” he said, his smile falling. “Sorry.” Then, he tried to mimic her angry resting face, and asked, “Better?”

 

She came around the car and nudged him with her elbow and he grinned at her.

 

“Behave yourself,” she said.

 

He managed to hide his smile when they stood before the door, Annie fiddling with her keys as she unlocked the door before pushing it open, Armin only a step behind her.

 

Even though he knew exactly the sort of thing he’d be walking into, he couldn’t help but be a little shocked. Their instruments were set up in the middle of the room and there were a few worn beanbags, red and black and blue, along with an old looking couch that was as green as dull grass. There was also a little desk, rammed into the far corner, besides a small fridge, where a laptop was propped open with some sound editing program open.

 

Reiner was actually hunched over at the desk, his eyebrows furrowing, but his expression settled into a warm smile when he caught sight of them. “Hey, guys.”

 

“Hey,” said Bertholdt from where he sat on one of the old beanbag chairs, sending them a soft smile.

 

“Hey,” said Annie, stepping forward.

 

Armin was still marvelling at the room around them. Reiner noticed.

 

“Sick, right?” said Reiner. “It pays when you have a spoiled rich girl in your band.”

 

Annie scoffed. “I’m not spoiled.”

 

“All the furniture is second hand,” offered Bertholdt to Armin with that same slight smile of his. “If it helps.”

 

“No, it’s really cool,” said Armin. “I wasn’t judging, I promise.”

 

“Of course he wasn’t, Bert,” said Reiner pointedly. “He gains from Annie being loaded, too.”

 

Armin glanced around. “When did you get this place?”

 

“Not that long after we moved here for college,” said Annie. “You can’t really get away with playing instruments in the dorms, so …”

 

“Especially not the drums,” said Reiner pointedly. “So, it is what it is.” Then, he added, “Anyway, that doesn’t matter. Armin, will you come look at these lyrics?”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed, but before he could say anything, Annie sighed and interjected. “Reiner, you are not getting him to tell you those lyrics are good, okay?”

 

“I’m not making him tell me,” said Reiner, turning back to the desk to flick open his notebook. “I’m asking his general opinion.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Sorry, what am I doing?”

 

“Reiner wrote some lyrics a few days ago,” explained Bertholdt. “Annie hates them. Reiner thinks they’re great.”

 

“Yeah, and Bert refused to give an opinion because he didn’t want to cause any arguments,” said Annie.

 

“What if I don’t want to cause any arguments?” asked Armin.

 

Reiner rose to his feet and shook his head. “Don’t worry about that! Me and Annie don’t argue that often.”

 

“They just physically fight instead,” said Bertholdt.

 

“That was only one time,” said Reiner, waving him off.

 

“It was not,” said Bertholdt. “And the last time you fought was like two weeks ago.”

 

Reiner didn’t answer him and stepped towards Armin and held out the notebook towards him. “Here. Just give them a read, will you?”

 

“I don’t know anything about lyrics,” said Armin, but he still tentatively took the notebook from his hands.

 

“I know,” said Reiner. “Annie tells me you’re a Lumineers fan. It’s a damn shame.”

 

“Reiner,” Annie said with a sigh. “There’s nothing fucking wrong with The Lumineers, okay?”

 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were their number one fan, too,” said Reiner.

 

“They aren’t bad,” said Annie. “They’re not my type of music, but –”

 

“And it better stay that way,” said Reiner. “We are not switching to folk rock. My heart wouldn’t be able to take it.”

 

Armin’s eyes were glazing over the lyrics as Annie and Reiner bickered back and form and he felt his eyebrows pinch together. He read them over again, biting slightly on the inside of his lip in concentration until he felt a hand fall down onto his shoulder and his gaze shot up.

 

“Well?” asked Reiner. “What’s the verdict?”

 

“The verdict?” asked Armin before glancing back down at the paper. “Well, uh …”

 

It was titled “Angel” and Armin was really struggling to decide how he felt about it.

 

You’re oh so divine dear

A fallen angel between my thighs

I want you to make love to me all day and night

For a glimpse at the kingdom in the sky

 

And I say

Angel, my Angel

My dearest of dears

Taste my skin forever

And we can sin right here

 

I’m a devil, it’s true

But I would get down on my knees and repent for you

My head between your thighs, that light in your eyes

I promise to take you to Hell tonight

 

And you say

Devil, my Devil

My dearest of dears

Taste my skin forever

And we can sin right here

 

“I mean …” Armin began weakly. “The imagery is … interesting.”

 

“Interesting?” asked Reiner.

 

Armin couldn’t miss Annie’s very uncharacteristic cackle from across the room where she now sat with Bertholdt.

 

“He thinks your song about fucking your boyfriend is shit,” she said between breaths.

 

“I didn’t say that,” said Armin hurriedly. “I just … I feel like I’d have to hear it all together with the instruments to really get a feel for it.”

 

Reiner’s face softened. “You can be honest, you know, man? Don’t be afraid.”

 

“Look, I just … I wouldn’t know,” said Armin, holding the notebook out. “I’m a Lumineers fan, you know?”

 

Reiner paused for a minute before he nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s true.”

 

“If you can get some sort of instruments to go along with it, I can give you a better opinion,” offered Armin.

 

“Yeah,” said Reiner with a nod. “I’ll work that out.”

 

Armin caught Annie’s smirk from across the room which just made his lips spread into a smile, so he dropped her gaze before he could give her those so-called ‘puppy-dog’ eyes of his. When Reiner walked away from him, Armin finally found the chance to settle near the rest of them, perching himself on the edge of their old couch.

 

“It doesn’t help that it doesn’t feel entirely finished,” offered Bertholdt tentatively.

 

“Yeah, I know,” said Reiner, settling down at his desk again.

 

“Hey,” said Annie. “Did we drive all the way out here to listen to you mope about your lyrics or are we actually going to practice stuff?”

 

“You can talk about moping over lyrics,” said Reiner pointedly.

 

“What do you mean?” asked Annie with a frown. “If anything, you’re moping about my lyrics. You’re just upset Bertholdt actually liked my song ideas.”

 

“Oh, yeah. Your ballads,” said Reiner, spinning around in his seat to face Armin. “She’s been writing love songs recently, you know.”

 

“They are not love songs,” she said.

 

“Pining songs, then,” said Reiner. “Who are they even about, any – ow!”

 

Annie had thrown her boot at him, knocking into his shoulder – clearly deliberately – and narrowly avoiding his head.

 

Reiner grimaced. “What was that for?”

 

Annie’s face was flushed pink. “What do you think it was about?”

 

Reiner started to bicker with her again and Bertholdt caught his eye and gave him a sympathetic smile. “Sorry. They fight all of the time.”

 

Armin gave him the same smile back. “I can see that.”

 

It didn’t take very long for their bickering to fizzle out and he was shocked to see Annie and Reiner both apologise to one another – although, admittedly, Reiner had to apologise first, but he was still a little impressed that it happened at all.

 

“Sorry about that, Armin,” said Reiner. “You came here for a show, right?”

 

Armin actually had no idea why he’d been brought here. Not that he minded – he usually considered any time with any good time, and Reiner and Bertholdt’s company wasn’t exactly a bad thing, either.

 

“They actually want your opinion,” explained Annie softly.

 

“He’s a fan!” said Reiner. “Of course I want his opinion.” Then, he smirked and added, “Although, I think he might have a favourite member, if I’m –”

 

Annie cut him off. “We have these new songs we’re putting together. They want another opinion that isn’t just one of ours.”

 

Armin nodded and smiled. “Yeah. That sounds good.”

 

“Some of them are heavier,” said Reiner, moving towards where the instruments were all set up. “And some of them are lighter. Well, really, only two of them are fully developed, but we don’t really know where to go from there.”

 

“We had to talk Reiner down from doing screamo on the heavier one,” said Annie flatly.

 

“Hey!” said Reiner, spinning on her. “I’m good at screamo.”

 

“Yeah, but we’re not a screamo band,” said Annie pointedly.

 

“It was just going to be two lines!”

 

“Two lines too many,” she said.

 

“Guys,” said Bertholdt softly. He was already sitting at his drum kit. “Which song first?”

 

Reiner considered it for a moment and as he did, Armin couldn’t help the way his eyes naturally drifted over to Annie. She was hoisting the strap of her guitar over her shoulder, that absent look of focus on her face that he could look at for hours. She met his gaze only for a brief, fleeting moment and gave him the tiniest of smirks, before cocking an eyebrow at him.

 

He glanced away. Right. No ‘puppy-dog’ eyes.

 

“High Tide,” said Reiner and Bertholdt nodded. Then, he added, “Count us in?”

 

Bertholdt nodded again and started counting them in, and then the music burst into a cacophony of sound. For it being something new, Armin was surprised, somehow, with how easily they all flowed together. He assumed that must have been what they practising so much on Sunday – but he couldn’t help but be amazed by it.

 

The song was definitely heavier than a lot of their other stuff, but it wasn’t in a bad way. The lyrics were probably best described by what Reiner had said before – pining. It was the tiniest bit sad, but it was only noticeable when paying close attention to the words. Even though it was heavy, it sounded upbeat. By the time the song ended, he liked it so much he almost asked them to do it again.

 

“So?” asked Reiner, bright eyed.

 

Armin nodded. “I really liked it. Really. Everything about it was great.”

 

Reiner paused for a minute. “Armin, you might be our first groupie.”

 

“Reiner,” said Annie pointedly. “I don’t think you know what that word means.”

 

“I know exactly what that word means,” said Reiner. “I recall using it before, actually.”

 

“Great,” said Annie flatly. Then, she turned to Armin, her face softening. It made his heart stutter, just a little bit. “Did you really like it?”

 

He nodded. “Yeah. It’s definitely heavier than your other stuff, but I really liked it. It might be one of my favourites.”

 

“Well, great!” said Reiner. “You’ll love the other one.” He smirked and added, “It’s Annie’s favourite. So –”

 

“Reiner,” said Annie with a sigh. “Can you stop wasting your voice on saying dumb shit when you could be singing the song?”

 

“Fine, fine,” said Reiner, waving her off. “This one’s called Creaks in the Floor.” Then, he added, “Can you count us in, Bert?”

 

Bertholdt counted them in and then the song started seamlessly. It was pretty to the ear – definitely much softer than a lot of their regular stuff. The lyrics were much clearer now with less focus on the instruments, and the words that left Reiner’s lips were longing enough to make his chest ache. Had Annie really written something so sad?

 

The song fizzled out slowly and before he knew it, they were all waiting in silence. Armin barely noticed the way Reiner was looking at him expectantly until he cleared his throat.

 

“So?” he asked. “Thoughts?”

 

“Oh,” said Armin, before nodding. “I really liked it. I think that was my favourite.” Then, he added, rapidly, “But the other one was really good, too! I think they’re both winners for your gigs.”

 

Reiner nodded and looked between Annie and Bertholdt. “Good reception, I see. Not surprised since Annie wrote them, but still.”

 

Annie scoffed and rolled her eyes, but luckily no argument burst out between the two of them again. Reiner and Annie wanted to practice certain songs so for the rest of the evening Armin sat on the couch, listening to The Traitors play live. It was like his own personal concert and if he was being honest, he loved it. The only downside to being the only one there was that he couldn’t let his eyes drift to Annie as much he wanted them to; but he supposed he could just look at her some other time, anyway.

 

When they had finally finished songs they wanted to practice, Reiner and Bertholdt pulled up their bean bags and squeezed them next to each other, Reiner’s legs draped over Bert’s as Annie came and joined Armin on the sofa, handing him a can of Pepsi. Annie kicked off her boots and tucked up her toes just slightly under his thighs and he had an overwhelming urge to reach over and run his hands up her legs in massage-like motions, but he couldn’t get away with it with Bertholdt and Reiner right there. They were probably being a bit too daring with her cold toes beneath him, but Armin wouldn’t push her away; he didn’t particularly want to.

 

“Have you never played an instrument, Armin?” asked Reiner abruptly.

 

“Me?” he asked. “Oh, no. I’ve never really had a lot of talent with that sort of stuff.”

 

“It’s not talent,” said Annie pointedly, poking his leg with her toe. “It’s practice.”

 

“Ah, well,” said Armin, flashing her a small smile. “I just haven’t gotten enough practice. My Grandpa tried to teach me guitar when I was little, but it didn’t really work. I wasn’t all that interested.”

 

“Annie could teach you,” said Reiner, and Armin didn’t miss the smirk that slipped onto his mouth. “She’s a great teacher.”

 

Annie scoffed. “Yeah, that’s the last thing I am.”

 

“Don’t be shy,” said Reiner, removing his legs from Bertholdt’s and standing up. “I think you’re great.”

 

“I haven’t taught you shit,” said Annie with a frown as Reiner disappeared to pick up her acoustic guitar. “What did I tell you about touching my stuff?”

 

“Like you couldn’t afford to replace it, anyway,” said Reiner before he moved to stand between them. He held the guitar out to Annie. “Just show him an easy chord progression. Or just some basic chords.”

 

Annie took the guitar and glanced over at Armin. Just one look from her made his heart flutter. “Do you want me to show you?”

 

He smiled. “If you want to show me.”

 

“Here,” she said, moving her fingers over the frets. “How about this?”

 

She strummed a few times, moving her fingers up and down the frets in a way he knew he could absolutely not replicate.

 

“So?” she asked. “How about it?”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “I’m not sure I can do that.”

 

“Of course you can,” she said in that soft tone she sometimes used with him and his heart stuttered again – and he thought that maybe he might just be able to.

 

“Okay,” he said.

 

She gently handed her guitar over him and he readjusted so he could hold it a bit more comfortable.

 

His eyebrows were still pinched together. “Uh … what now?”

 

“Frets,” said Annie. “Here. Let me move your fingers.”

 

Annie’s fingers glided over his and he let her guide his fingers into the right place. He was having a little bit of difficultly with holding his fingers down at the right angle, but Annie was patient with him even when he winced a little at the discomfort.

 

“Okay,” said Annie, finally satisfied. “Hold it down and strum it for me?”

 

Armin made sure he was putting the right amount of pressure on the strings before he tentatively strummed downwards and looked up at Annie, far too self-consciously.

 

“Was that okay?” he asked.

 

“Yeah,” she said. “That was a C chord. You can even strum up, too.” Then, she added, “Try up and down for me.”

 

Armin was a little bit more confident this time and he managed to play the chord exactly how she’d asked him to.

 

“That was really good,” she said with a nod.

 

Armin’s eyebrows raised. “Really?”

 

“Yeah, especially for your first time,” she said.

 

“Yeah,” said Reiner with that familiar smirk of his. “You’ll be an honorary band member in no time.”

 

Armin let out a huff of laughter. “I don’t think I’d ever be that good.”

 

“You can get better,” offered Annie, her gaze soft on him. “I can show you more in a bit, if you’d like?”

 

“Maybe in a bit,” said Armin with an apologetic smile. “Uh … my fingers hurt a little.”

 

Reiner let out a bark of laughter as Annie took the guitar from his hands and balanced it against the side of the couch.

 

“It’s rough on your fingers at first,” said Reiner. “It’s been so long since it bothered me now – does it really hurt?”

 

Armin stretched out his fingers and his eyebrows furrowed. There were little dents where he’d been pressing just a little bit too hard on the strings above the frets. “It’s just a little uncomfortable.”

 

“It’s because you don’t have any callouses,” said Annie and then much to his surprise, she took his hand in hers.

 

Well, it wasn’t really a hand-hold; but she’d pulled his hand towards her to examine the damage, gently brushing her thumb over the supple flesh of his fingers.

 

“Your hands are too soft,” she said pointedly.

 

Armin’s eyes could have fallen shut from how relaxing her motions were. But he found his face warming now that she was doing this with Bertholdt and Reiner right there, and for a very long moment, he really had no idea what to say.

 

He cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. I can’t say I do anything really rough with them.”

 

“Nicer than mine,” she said pointedly. “Mine are all rough from years of guitar.”

 

“I like your hands,” he said gently.

 

Annie’s eyes flickered up to his for a moment and his breath nearly caught. Oh, damn it. How was she still making it difficult to breathe, even in circumstances as innocent as this?

 

“Not in a … weird way,” he clarified awkwardly.

 

A tiny smile was pulling at the corner of her lips, but it didn’t quite have the chance to spread because Reiner abruptly rose to his feet.

 

“Uh, well guys!” he said loudly, snapping their attention to him. “I think me and Bert will head back to campus now!”

 

Annie’s eyebrows furrowed. “Uh … okay.”

 

Reiner nodded and turned to Bert who was slowing rising from the bean bag chair. “Do you just want to grab the keys and head?”

 

Bertholdt nodded and Reiner turned back to them. “Well, it’s been great! Armin, you should come along more often.”

 

Armin smiled slightly and nodded. “Yeah, I’d love to.”

 

“Yeah,” said Reiner, and then he smirked. “I’m sure Annie would love it, too.”

 

Annie opened her mouth to interject, but Reiner didn’t even give her another second because Bertholdt was already back with their keys. “I guess I’ll see you around!”

 

“See you,” said Armin politely, and before he knew it, Bertholdt and Reiner had stepped out of the door and he could hear the sound of Bertholdt’s truck roaring to life.

 

Then, silence.

 

His hand was still in Annie’s.

 

She sighed. “He thinks I’m flirting with you.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows raised. “Are you?”

 

Annie smirked. “Well, I can if you want to.”

 

His face warmed. She was so good at teasing him and he was just sitting there, dumbfounded, with no clue in the world what to say in response.

 

But in the end, Annie didn’t leave him enough time to think of a response, because she was already reaching for her guitar again.

 

“I’m glad they’re gone, anyway,” she said. “I wanted to show you something.”

 

His eyebrows pinched together, but he scooted back on the sofa to make proper room for her and she sighed as she settled into position.

 

“I haven’t practiced a lot,” she warned. “So, I don’t know how good it’s going to be. But I thought …” Annie sighed. “Fuck, words are really hard.”

 

Armin smiled gently. “That’s okay. You don’t have to say anything, if you don’t want to.”

 

Annie nodded and then she looked at him, so, so softly. He could have melted into a puddle beneath her gaze. “Just listen,” she said softly.

 

Armin nodded. “Okay,” he said quietly.

 

He sat there in silence as she took a deep breath.

 

Then, her fingers began to move over the strings.

 

He knew Annie was really good at guitar; she was in a band, had seen her perform. But even now, he found himself taken aback by how easily her fingers glided over the strings, playing such a sweet melody.

 

It was a lovely sound and for a few heartbeats, as her expert fingers created music beneath her touch, he couldn’t quite place it. It was familiar, far too familiar – like a song he had heard a million times.

 

But then, the realisation hit him and his heart nearly burst then and there.

 

It was Sleep on the Floor by The Lumineers. The song he’d said may as well have been his favourite.

 

She’d remembered. And she’d learned how to play it.

 

Just for him.

 

Armin’s mouth was the slightest bit open as he watched her play. He was entranced by her and her movements; the way her fingers danced over the frets and the strings, and of course, by her beautiful face, her thin eyebrows slightly pinched in concentration. She was quite the sight to behold.

 

If she made any mistakes, he didn’t pick up on them – but he was certain she didn’t make a single error for the entire song. Her playing was perfect and in that moment he was sure that song, at least this version, was one of the most beautiful things he had ever heard, only second to the sound of her voice.

 

When she reached the end of the song and her fingers stopped, the strings hummed for a split second before her hands covered them and silenced the vibrations, leaving them alone together in the quiet.

 

Armin was still looking at her in pure amazement, not particularly able to speak.

 

Annie cleared her throat and glanced away from him, placing her guitar back down by the side of the couch. “Uh, yeah. It’s not perfect or anything. I just thought that –”

 

But she was cut off just as she turned to face him because he had moved forward to wrap his arms around her. He was holding her just a little bit too tightly, his head buried in his neck, breathing in the lovely scent of her, sweet and dizzying. It took her a few moments to move her arms to come around him, but eventually her hands were gentle against his back, her fingertips moving up and down in the tiniest, comforting strokes.

 

“Armin?” she asked. “Did you think it was that bad?”

 

Armin let out a bark of laughter into her neck and sniffed. “No. It was perfect.”

 

“Wait, Armin,” she said, gently pulling away. “Are you crying?”

 

When she pulled away to face him, he was the tiniest bit mortified. It wasn’t like he was sobbing or anything – but he had to say that his eyes had started watering, and there were two tiny trails of tears coming down from his eyes.

 

He pushed his glasses up and wiped them away with his fingers. “Uh, shit, sorry. I was just – really surprised.” He let out a slight, awkward laugh. “I think that’s the nicest thing anyone’s done for me.”

 

Her voice was surprisingly soft. “Armin.”

 

“I’m sorry,” he said, eyebrows furrowing. “I know – emotions are hard for you. Sorry. I’m making things harder.”

 

“Hey,” she said, her hands coming up to his cheeks. “Don’t say that. Don’t say you’re making things harder for me when you’re crying.”

 

Armin sniffed again and moved his head slightly in a nod in her hands. “Okay,” he said quietly.

 

Annie’s touch was so gentle against his cheeks, his thumbs running comforting circles over his skin. He sighed, his eyes closing for a moment.

 

“You’re so soft,” she said quietly. “Heart-wise, I mean. Not like, your face.” Then, she added, “Although, that’s also pretty soft.”

 

Armin’s eyes opened again and he laughed a tiny bit. “Yeah … I just wasn’t expecting that. It was really sweet.”

 

Annie winced. “I’m not sweet.”

 

He smiled back at her. “Okay. It was very much not sweet at all.”

 

Annie smiled ever so slightly. “Good.”

 

“But I really liked it,” he said quietly, his hand coming up to cover one of hers. “Thank you.”

 

“You’re welcome,” she said. “It didn’t take that long to learn, anyway.”

 

“You’re really good at guitar,” he said pointedly.

 

“Well, I’d hope so,” she said. “I’d have wasted a lot of time if I wasn’t.”

 

He snorted and she smiled at him.

 

Then, she said, “Lean back, will you?”

 

His eyebrows raised but he nodded and followed her orders. She moved so that her knees were on either side of him, leaning her weight on his legs. Then, her arms snaked up under his arms behind his shoulders and she leaned in forward to bury her head in his neck.

 

After a moment of pause, he let his arms come around her back.

 

“You’re too sweet for your own good,” she said finally.

 

He hesitated for a moment, taking pride in the relaxed sigh she let out when his fingers started running in small circles over her back. “I hope that’s not an issue.”

 

Annie scoffed – her warm breath sent a tingle over his neck. “Of course not. I actually quite like it about you.”

 

“I’m glad, then,” he said quietly.

 

Annie pulled away from him then and he let his hands relax on her hips. She leaned forward and pressed her mouth against hers in a gentle kiss that only lasted a few fleeting moments. It sent a rush of electricity through him – but it was dull and sweet and it just made him want to hold her for a little bit longer.

 

But then Annie pulled back, leaning her forehead against his for a moment. “And those stupid songs were about you, too.”

 

Armin smiled and rubbed small circles over her hips with his thumbs. “I figured.”

 

Annie pulled away from him and frowned. “What happened to all your self-doubt?”

 

His smile widened. “I’m struggling to doubt your feelings for me as much when we’re here like this, to be honest.”

 

Annie just hummed and reached forward, letting her fingers rest over the material of his sweater on his chest.

 

“Well, at least I don’t have to talk about them as much, then,” she said flatly and he let out a small laugh.

 

He looked at her for a moment and then said, “You’re so beautiful, Annie.”

 

Her eyes flitted away slightly and cheeks tinged pink. “Thank you.” Then, her eyes came back to him again, and she said, “Can I kiss you?”

 

Armin nodded and Annie leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his again. Her kiss was slow and soft but only a few moments passed before she deepened it and he made a tiny noise against her mouth. Her mouth was so warm and soft and sometimes kissing her made his head nearly spin.

 

She pulled back again and pressed a few more slight kisses against his mouth which he responded to with maybe a little bit too much enthusiasm, causing a slight smile to spread across her mouth.

 

He swallowed and said, “Can I ask you something?”

 

“It depends,” she said carefully. “Does it have anything to do with my emotions?”

 

Armin smiled slightly. “No.”

 

“Then ask away,” she said.

 

He let his eyes trail down to where his hands rested on her hips for a moment. She had such a nice figure – she had such nice hips. Then again, maybe everything about Annie was nice.

 

He cleared his throat. “Why don’t we just come here when you want more … privacy?”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “More privacy?”

 

“I mean …” Armin swallowed again. “We’re a secret, right? Well, it’s sort of hard to not give that away if we’re in each other’s dorm all the time. And this might be a little more comfortable than a car.” Then, he added, “At least when Bert and Reiner aren’t here.”

 

Annie considered it. “So, you want me to seduce you in this dusty garage rather than the back of my car?”

 

Armin flushed. “Annie. No. I just –”

 

“I get it,” she said, leaning forward and running her hands up and around to rest at the nape of his neck, fiddling with the ends of his hair there. “We can come here sometimes, yeah. I’ll just check when Bert and Reiner aren’t here, and then it’s all ours.”

 

Armin smiled slightly, his heart warming a little.

 

Annie cocked an eyebrow at him. “Happy?”

 

He nodded. “Very.” Then, he added, “Can I kiss you again?”

 

Annie smirked. “You’re eager.”

 

He felt his face warm. “We don’t have to,” he said tentatively.

 

“I want to,” she said, and he felt his heart skip. “But then we should probably head back to campus. It’s getting late.”

 

Armin could have sat with her in that dusty old garage until the sun rose over the horizon – but he had the sense to realise that that probably wasn’t the best idea, anyway. Another day, maybe. For now, it was enough to just lean into her touch and press his lips against hers, enjoying the softness of her kisses and the sweet sounds she made against his mouth. He was starting to think that maybe even a lifetime wasn’t enough time to enjoy her as much as he wanted to – but then, he thought, maybe forever wouldn’t even be enough.

 

He sighed into her mouth as she caressed his tongue with hers, gripping her hips slightly tighter in his hands.

 

If forever wasn’t possible, this would have to do. And he decided he was more than fine with that.

Notes:

Now, onto phase 2: faking not dating :)

I know how the story is going to go from here, but it's harder to estimate the amount of chapters with the plot than it is for FTBITL (I literally have no idea how long a scene is going to be in the fic before I start writing it, like I swear this chapter was supposed to be a part of the next one but then I realised that that really was NOT going to work). Basically, I'm going to try and figure that out asap so I can give you a better idea of when this story will end, but to do it the justice it deserves, I wanted to have more chapters after they got together to work through their own things together.

Thank you all for reading!! I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you in the next one <3

Chapter 19: a first date

In the end, Armin and Annie managed to compromise.

 

Annie picked a horror movie for their date, some indie thing he could barely remember the title of, and Armin had picked the restaurant for afterwards. It was just a place that served desserts only, but he had a feeling it was somewhere Annie would enjoy quite a lot.

 

The plan was simple, and so was the date. But still, Armin was practically shaking with excitement as the minutes drew closer to when he had to meet Annie in the parking lot by her car. He had never been on a real date before. This was his first date – and his first official date with Annie. His heart was shuddering so much he was worried that it might actually burst out of his chest.

 

As he dressed, he found himself very relieved that Eren and Mikasa were nowhere to be seen. It wasn’t like it was out of the ordinary for him to hang out with Annie. But both of them were painfully aware of his feelings for her and not very aware of the fact they’d actually started dating – which was something he wanted to keep quiet, for Annie’s sake. If Mikasa was around, she probably would have caught onto how differently he was acting; after all, what would he really have to be so excited for? He could be a good liar, but when it came to anything to do with Annie, he always seemed to falter.

 

He pulled on a plain white T-shirt and his ripped black jeans, before shoving on the boots that Annie had bought him all those days ago and shrugging on his Tanjiro cardigan. He fiddled with the earring Mikasa had given him until it was solidly in place and then clipped his necklace around his neck – that tiny silver seashell that he still wore, every day.

 

Once he was satisfied, he took a deep breath and shoved his glasses up his nose, before getting a good look at himself in the mirror. Well – Annie had said it would just be casual. And it made him look less conspicuous as he walked through campus to her car. But still, he spent a few moments debating if he should change – was this casual enough? Was it too casual? He wore this cardigan all the time – would she be expecting something different?

 

Armin shook his head. No, it didn’t matter. She liked his style – she’d said as much before. And it helped that he didn’t have enough time to dawdle since he had to meet Annie at her car in the next few minutes. So he just grabbed his wallet, phone and keys and made his way out of the dorms and towards the parking lot.

 

When Armin finally caught sight of Annie in the parking lot, leaning against her car, perfect as ever, she made his heart stutter. Her hair was down, her nose and ears sparkling with silver piercings, and it looked as if her eyes were adorned with just a tiny bit of subtle black eyeliner. She was wearing her usual stomping boots and a big black My Chemical Romance T-shirt, oversized and tied at her waist. And worst of all, she was wearing a short black skirt, adorned with a big belt and a silver chain, and fishnet stockings which made his mouth turn dry for just a moment.

 

“Hey,” she said with a slight smile.

 

Armin swallowed and cleared his throat, pushing a smile onto his face. “H-hey.”

 

She raised an eyebrow and leaned away from her car. “Are you ready to go?”

 

He nodded, maybe a little too rapidly. “Yeah.”

 

“Cool,” she said, and only a few moments later, they were both seated in her car.

 

Annie turned the key to start the engine and Armin nearly let out a sigh in an attempt to relax his nerves a little bit for his first real date. But as it turned out, he wasn’t given the chance because the car wouldn’t start at all.

 

“Fuck,” said Annie.

 

He glanced over at her. “Is everything fine?”

 

“Fuck,” she said again, attempting to start the engine.

 

It sputtered once more, but then there was nothing.

 

Annie groaned and dropped her head down onto the wheel. “Fuck.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Annie?”

 

She made a weak groan against the steering wheel. “I’m so fucking stupid.”

 

His face softened as realisation hit him. “Have you killed the battery?”

 

She leaned back and sighed. “I must have forgotten to turn the lights off last night.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Your car doesn’t turn them off automatically?”

 

“No,” she said with a shake of her head. “Worst design feature in the world, right?”

 

Armin couldn’t help it – he smiled just a tiny bit.

 

Annie frowned in a way that just made him want to smile more. “What? Why are you smiling at me like that?”

 

“Does this count as our date yet?” he asked.

 

She groaned and dropped her head against the seat. “Well, it’s off to a great start, if it does.”

 

He smiled again. “How’d you leave your lights on, anyway? It doesn’t seem like something you’d forget.”

 

She sighed again. “Well, honestly, I went to pick up a Krispy Kreme in the middle of the night last night. Bert was on shift and he usually slips me an extra doughnut – so, uh … that’s why I was there. But when I got back, I was getting out of the car and my dad called – I sort of forgot about the lights and wanted to get back to my room to talk to him, so … yeah.”

 

He was still smiling at her.

 

“Stop looking at me like that,” she said. “I feel dumb enough.”

 

His face softened. “You know you aren’t dumb. Just forgetful, apparently.”

 

Annie snorted. “Yeah, I guess.”

 

“And don’t worry,” he said. “We just need to jump-start it. Do you have jumper cables?”

 

She nodded. “Yeah. But I’ve never done it before. This only happened once before and I was at home with my dad.”

 

He smiled. “That’s okay. I’ve done it plenty.”

 

Annie snorted again. “Oh, yeah, right. I almost forgot I was dating a mechanic.”

 

Armin opened the car door. “Not a mechanic. It’s a summer job.”

 

Annie’s hand grabbed onto his arm before he could go any further. He glanced back over at her and paused.

 

“Wait,” she said, eyebrows pinching together. “Don’t you need another car to jump-start it?”

 

“Yeah,” he said, eyebrows drawing together. “I thought you could call Bert.”

 

Annie somehow looked even more distressed. “Bert and Reiner aren’t here. They’re on a weekend trip. They left just this morning.”

 

“Oh,” he said, and then the look on her face started to make much more sense. “So … what are our options?”

 

Annie sighed. “I’m all for abandoning the car.”

 

Armin frowned slightly. “We can’t just leave the car. If the battery’s dead, it’s better to deal with it now so we can drive around and charge it up.”

 

Her eyebrows were furrowed again. “Can I not just buy a new car?”

 

“I’d really advise against it,” said Armin. “Considering there’s nothing wrong with your car – well, nothing that isn’t an easy fix.”

 

Annie paused for a long time before she said, “Fine. But that means our options are Jean or Hitch.”

 

Armin’s stomach flipped. “Jean or Hitch?”

 

“Yeah,” said Annie with a nod. “Well, we can’t just ask any random person on campus to jumpstart my car, can we?”

 

He swallowed. “Jean or Hitch,” he said. “Who’d you prefer?”

 

She shrugged. “That depends. Who do you think is going to make my life worse considering no one knows we’re hanging out like this?”

 

Armin considered it. The initial first answer would be Hitch. She wasn’t exactly dumb and was very skilled at getting under Annie’s skin. Hitch knew they hung out but she also knew their feelings for one another – and it was that exact teasing that Annie wanted to avoid.

 

That being said, the other option was Jean. Whilst Jean wouldn’t say anything to them about it, he would definitely let it drop to Marco, who would tell Mikasa – who would then wonder why Armin had never brought up the fact that he was hanging out with Annie this weekend and would definitely find that suspicious. And her suspicions would go to Eren and Sasha, and then they would just spread further and further, and he doubted she would stop questioning him about it until she weeded it out of him.

 

So, with a heavy heart, he said, “Hitch. You should call Hitch.”

 

Annie let out a pained groan. “Fine,” she said, pulling out her phone. “If you insist.”

 

The wide smile that was on Hitch’s face as she hopped out of her car, which she’d pulled up close next to Annie’s, was enough to make his stomach sink.

 

“Well, hello there,” she said, folding her arms over her chest. Marlowe was only a moment behind her, still climbing out of the passenger side. “Fancy seeing you here.”

 

“Hey, Hitch,” he said with a slight smile. “Thanks for helping us out.”

 

“Oh, it’s my pleasure,” she said with a slight smirk. Then, it dropped and she said, “Just give me a minute to pop my hood.”

 

He nodded and took off his cardigan, very much regretting wearing a white shirt now, and popped the hood on Annie’s car. Annie came round to pass him the jumper cables and he gave her a slight smile as their hands brushed. But much to his shock, he saw her cheeks turn red in a very un-Annie fashion and she dropped his gaze.

 

His eyebrows furrowed but she had already turned away – and then Hitch was there, out of nowhere, nearly making him jump out of his skin.

 

“All done, sir,” she said, nudging his arm. She grinned when he turned to look at him. “So, where’s she taking you, then?”

 

His cheeks warmed. “We’re just hanging out, Hitch.”

 

“Uh-huh,” said Hitch with a nod. “Is that why Annie’s wearing ‘fuck-me’ fishnets?”

 

Armin’s face turned bright red, but Annie’s voice was harsh from where she now stood on the other side of the car. “I heard that, you know!”

 

“Why do you think I said it?” asked Hitch, still grinning.

 

Armin cleared his throat. “Uh – I’ll just do this, okay, Hitch?”

 

“Go ahead,” she said. Then, she lowered her voice and leaned in close. “Annie has a thing for guys who are good with their hands, you know.”

 

“What?” he nearly squealed, pulling back from the car.

 

Hitch waved him off. “Oh, I meant handy! Like – whatever you’re doing now.” Then, she frowned and added, “But you should probably show Annie how to jumpstart a car. That’s a pretty basic skill.”

 

He swallowed and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll explain it all later.”

 

Hitch patted him on the back. “Good! I’m off to torment Annie some more.”

 

“Don’t push her too far,” he said weakly.

 

“I would never!” said Hitch.

 

Jumpstarting a car was a pretty easy thing to do, but Armin was having a little bit more difficulty focusing with Annie and Hitch bickering in the background. He tried his best to not listen – he imagined Hitch was saying far worse things to Annie than she had said near him and he wasn’t sure he could blush any more than he was right now.

 

“Come on, Hitch,” said Marlowe. “Cut it out.”

 

“Cut what out?” asked Hitch.

 

“You’re yanking her chain a little too much,” he said.

 

Hitch sighed, but Armin had just finished placing the jumper cables in the right place, so he said, “Annie? Would you mind starting the car?”

 

“Yeah,” she said, and he heard the sound of her small footsteps before she slipped back into the car. She’d clearly gotten distracted by Hitch’s teasing, too – and much more than him.

 

But it was only a few moments more before the car came to life. Armin smiled and removed the cables, before pulling the bonnet down and giving Annie a thumbs-up. She managed a quick one back, but that was about it – although, she was probably feeling quite mortified because of Hitch’s teasing. He hoped the drive to the movie theatre would be enough time to help put her at ease.

 

“Thanks, Hitch,” he said.

 

She waved him off. “No problem.” Then, she smirked. “Okay, but seriously – where is she taking you?”

 

He looked away. “We’re just going to catch a movie. Something scary.”

 

Hitch looked like she was about to say something that would make him turn bright red, but at that same moment, Marlowe’s arm came around her waist and she seemed to bite her tongue.

 

“Well, I hope you guys have fun,” she said.

 

“Thanks,” he said with a slight smile. Then, he added, “Are you guys doing anything fun?”

 

“Hitch thinks so,” said Marlowe.

 

Hitch nodded. “We’re doing that jigsaw puzzle you bought me – finally.”

 

Armin smiled again and nodded. “That sounds really nice.”

 

Hitch nodded. “Uh-huh.” Then, she added, “Well, you two just stay safe. I’m too young to be a wine aunt yet.”

 

Armin’s smile faltered.

 

“Hitch,” said Marlowe.

 

“Fine, fine!” she said, stepping back. “Have fun!”

 

“Thanks,” said Armin weakly, before turning back to Annie’s car to climb into the passenger seat.

 

Annie pressed her phone and Edge of Seventeen started blasting through the speakers of her car.

 

“I wish I could kill her,” said Annie through gritted teeth as they pulled away from the parking lot.

 

Armin smiled over at her. He hadn’t heard everything Hitch had said to her, but her cheeks still had a lingering pinkness to them.

 

“You don’t want to do that,” he said lightly.

 

She sighed. “No,” she agreed. “Well – I might not want to in five minutes, at least.”

 

His smile softened. “I doubt she’s figured it out, you know.”

 

“I know,” she said. “I’m just … so bad at this stuff. I hate getting so … flustered. And she knows I hate it.”

 

He paused for a minute before he said, “I think it’s cute.”

 

Annie groaned. “Armin,” she said. “You’re flustering me.”

 

He laughed slightly. “I like you flustered.”

 

“Oh, really?” she asked. “Did you enjoy everything Hitch was saying? What was it – that I’m wearing ‘fuck-me’ fishnets?”

 

Armin’s face warmed. “I don’t think you’re wearing … ‘fuck-me’ fishnets.” He cleared his throat and added, “But you look nice … in them.”

 

Annie groaned again. “Armin.”

 

His face heated up even more.

 

“Not like that!” he said. “I just meant – it’s cute!”

 

“Cute,” she repeated. “Just cute?”

 

“I –” Armin cut himself off and dropped his head into his hands. “I don’t want to say anything that crosses a line.”

 

“Really?” she asked. “Was what you were thinking that explicit?”

 

“No!” he said, raising his head ugain. “They’re just … you … you look hot, okay?”

 

Annie was quiet for a moment too long. Armin couldn’t look over at her – he found that he was very relieved that Stevie Nicks was still playing from her car’s speakers.

 

“I do look hot,” she said finally.

 

When Armin looked over at her, her eyes were still set on the road ahead, but there was a slight smirk curling her lips.

 

He pouted slightly. “You’re teasing me.”

 

“Well,” she said. “If you can have fun with me being flustered, you can’t exactly expect it to not go the other way, now can you?”

 

He leaned back in his seat. “Probably not.”

 

Annie snorted. After a moment of silence, she managed to say, “You make a hot mechanic, you know that?”

 

He glanced over at her and raised his eyebrows. “Really?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. Then, she cleared her throat. “Okay, I’m getting flustered again. Put on The Lumineers or something.”

 

He let out a huff of laughter. “What, does folk music calm you down?”

 

“I like listening to your music, sometimes, you know,” she said.

 

“Be careful,” he said with a slight smile. “Reiner doesn’t want you to start writing folk-rock songs.”

 

She scoffed. “That’s not going to happen. Anyway, I just like listening to it – it makes me think of you.”

 

He paused as his heart warmed. “It does?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “But don’t say anything more about it. I think we’re getting closer than my feelings can take.”

 

He nodded. “Okay.”

 

He didn’t say anything else, but he picked up her phone just like she asked and searched for whatever Lumineers song he could find first. It wasn’t long before Ophelia started humming from the speakers and he leaned back in his seat.

 

After a pause, he said, “You know, I like other music.”

 

Annie hummed. “I know. You just never really told me, remember?”

 

Armin supposed that was true. But if he was being honest, he was very well aware of the fact that Annie loved music. It was a topic he didn’t feel like bringing up, not for fear of judgement, but more so because he didn’t expect her to like a lot of the stuff he did.

 

Then, Annie added, “Okay, tell me, then. What else?”

 

He thought for a minute. “Do you know Bright Eyes?”

 

“Do I know Bright Eyes?” she asked. “First Day of My Life Bright Eyes?”

 

“Yeah,” he said. “I like them a lot.”

 

She shook her head, but there was a smile on her lips. “I shouldn’t really be surprised.” Then, after a moment of pause, she said, “Can you do me a favour, then?”

 

His eyebrows raised. “Uh, yeah. What kind of favour?”

 

“Make me a playlist,” she said.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Of some of the songs you like,” she explained. “It can be as short or as long as you like. Just … I can listen to it in the car.” Then, she added, “Obviously, not right now. Just … whenever.”

 

He was quiet for a moment, before he said, “Are you sure you won’t get sick of it?”

 

“No,” she said. “From what you’ve told me, I doubt I’d hate it that much.”

 

Armin smiled. “That much.”

 

“Okay, that was a poor choice of words,” she said with a sigh. “Just … you don’t have to, but …”

 

“I’ll do it,” he said. “But I don’t know anything about making playlists.”

 

“I mean, it doesn’t have to be this thing I have to listen to in a certain order or anything,” she said. “Literally just the songs you like. I’d like to hear more of them.”

 

He paused for a moment before he nodded. “Okay. I’ll do it when I get back.”

 

Annie was silent for a while before she said, quietly, “Thank you.”

 

Armin glanced over at her again. Her expression was soft, even if she wasn’t looking at him. He felt that urge again – to reach out a run his hand over the soft skin of her cheek, but the whole driving part was making things difficult. He almost wished they hadn’t planned on going directly to the movie theatre; although he didn’t want Annie to think he had less innocent intentions.

 

Away from the prying eyes of campus and out of the car in the movie theatre parking lot, Annie grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the main entrance. She’d already booked the tickets and he listened to her explain the main premise of the movie – something supernatural and allegedly deeply haunting – as they walked towards their screen.

 

But as Annie held his hand all the way to the back seats, and he saw very few other people around – and absolutely none near where they were seated – Armin realised something.

 

She’d booked the very back seats.

 

He tried not to read into it too much as they sat down. She’d wanted to actually watch a movie, hadn’t she? And he knew she liked horror movies. But hadn’t she said, jokingly, that she would have booked the seats at the front so they couldn’t kiss? So, maybe she’d booked the seats at the back so –

 

“Armin?” she said.

 

His head spun to meet her. The lights were still up and the dim glow illuminated her full face.

 

“Don’t throw me over the seats if you get too scared, okay?” she said.

 

He frowned. “I don’t jump that badly.”

 

She smirked. “If you say so.”

 

Still, Annie held onto his hand throughout the full thing. As it turned out, she had picked a really engaging movie – not that he was complaining, anyway. It was what she’d wanted, after all. Although he was worried he was holding Annie’s hand a little too tightly, she didn’t complain at all.

 

By the time the credits started rolling, Armin was well and truly horrified. His heart was still pounding – but, he supposed, that was the whole point of horror movies, anyway.

 

The lights didn’t come up right away and Annie squeezed his hand to get his attention.

 

“Hey,” she said softly, and when he turned, he met her lips.

 

It took him a few moments to catch up with her motions and he let his eyes flutter shut as he reached his hand up to rest on her cheek. The music from the credits was blaring and he guessed everyone else must be filtering out, but he wasn’t about to pull away from her to check. Her tongue was gentle against his and he knew that this was probably not the place they should be doing this at all, but he wanted to pull her closer, kiss her deeper, be a bit more shameless with her.

 

But their lips moved against each other’s gently until the lights came up and she pulled away from him.

 

She gave him a slight smile. “Did you like it?”

 

He blinked. “Did I like what?”

 

She grinned. “The movie.”

 

His eyebrows raised. “Oh, right. The movie. Uh …” Armin cleared his throat. “Yeah. Yeah, it was really good.”

 

“Good,” she said, and then she suddenly rose to her feet. “Food, then?”

 

He nodded and stood up too, his brain still lagging a few seconds behind from her soft kisses. “Yeah. If you’re hungry.”

 

“I’m starving, honestly,” she said. “Got everything?”

 

He made sure nothing had fallen out of his pockets and then he followed Annie down the steps and soon out to the parking lot. The sky had dimmed quite a bit, but it wasn’t quite dark yet – not enough that he thought he could convince Annie to kiss him a bit more in her car. The movie theatre parking lot probably wasn’t the most romantic destination, but his lips were still tingling from the way she’d kissed him earlier and he really, really wanted to do it again.

 

But when Annie closed the car door behind her, he decided against it. He could wait until later. He wanted to enjoy this time with Annie a bit more, anyway. There would be plenty of time for that stuff later.

 

When they made it to the dessert place, Annie’s eyes lit up like Christmas lights and Armin realised he’d made a very good choice. She had a lot of difficulty deciding on what she wanted, but she eventually ordered a waffle draped in chocolate sauce and chunks of chocolate bars and he got a version with white chocolate sauce and strawberries.

 

Annie ordered them both hot chocolates, hers white and his regular, and Armin was shocked at how sweet they really were. He knew Annie had a high tolerance for sweet things and she seemed very happy working her way through her hot chocolate – which he assumed would be much sweeter – and her chocolatey waffle. His waffle was nice, but he thought if there had been no fruit or ice cream with it, he wouldn’t be able to get through it so easily.

 

When she was done, Annie dropped her knife and fork on her plate and sighed. “Holy shit.”

 

He smiled. “Good?”

 

She nodded. “Great.” Then, she added, “How was yours?”

 

“I liked it,” he said.

 

Annie paused for a long time before she said, “You’re too kind, you know.”

 

His smile faltered. “Huh?”

 

It was the slight smile on her mouth that made his heart settle. “You picked this place because you knew I would like it.”

 

“Oh,” he said. “Well … yeah.”

 

Her smile widened and she shook her head. “It’s okay, anyway. I have something else planned that I’m hoping you’ll like.”

 

His eyes raised. “Do you?”

 

She nodded.

 

“That wasn’t part of the plan,” he said.

 

She smirked. “I know. But I assumed you’d pull something like this, so – I decided to up my game.”

 

His face softened. “You don’t have to, Annie. You already try and pay for everything for me.”

 

“Yeah, because my dad’s loaded,” she said.

 

“But you don’t have to,” he said. “Most of my bills are paid by the inheritance I got from my parents.”

 

She leaned back in her seat. “Does it bother you that I offer to pay so much?”

 

Armin felt his heart sink. No. This was not the direction he wanted this to go in. He was not about to upset her on their first real date.

 

“No,” he said and sighed. “It’s just … I feel like I could do more for you.”

 

She was quiet for a moment. “I think you do a lot,” she said. “I haven’t exactly been easy to put up with.”

 

His face softened. “Annie …”

 

“It’s true,” she said pointedly. “And anyway – there’s other things you can do than pay for the things we do if you want to do more for me.”

 

And just like that, his worries evaporated. It was really quite obvious. How had he not thought about that? To Annie, money didn’t mean much, so it was best to take a different approach. He didn’t want to be a boyfriend giving her the bare minimum – there were a million things he could do, and he knew he should start thinking about them.

 

“Hey,” said Annie, reaching across the table to place her hand in his.

 

He glanced up.

 

Her face made his heart ache. She was so beautiful.

 

“Stop worrying about it,” she said. “It’s our first date, remember?”

 

He smiled slightly and gave her hand a squeeze. “Yeah. You’re right. Sorry, Annie.”

 

“Don’t apologise,” she said. Then, she smirked in a way that made his pulse pick up. “Anyway, I’ve got an idea of how you can make it up to me later.”

 

“You do?” he asked.

 

Annie snorted. “Don’t get too excited.”

 

His cheeks warmed. “I wasn’t thinking –”

 

“About my ‘fuck-me’ fishnets?” she interrupted.

 

His face was bright red now and he could barely look her in the eye. He was surprised he was even managing to keep hold of her hand.

 

“I wasn’t thinking about … those,” he managed.

 

“I’d hope not,” she said. “We’re in public.”

 

Armin groaned and pushed his plate aside before dropping his head down to the table. He felt Annie’s small fingers weed their way into his hair and he sighed.

 

“Sorry,” she said. “Wanna get going soon? I promise you’ll like what I have planned.”

 

Armin paused for a moment before he nodded his head against the table.

 

Annie’s hand left his hair. She squeezed the hand of his that she was holding. “Let’s get going, then.”

 

By the time they were back in her car, it actually was dark outside. The air had started to cool, too, but it wasn’t cold yet – summer was on its way, after all. It wouldn’t have mattered if it was freezing, anyway, at least not to Armin. Annie’s hand in his kept him warmer than any fire could.

 

Armin didn’t push her to ask where she was taking him and it was a little too dark outside for him to try and work it out. He just sat there quietly as they drove, enjoying the quiet they shared, with her soft rock music slipping out of the speakers for the entire journey. And in that slight quiet, he found himself wishing that every day could be as lovely as this – with Annie by his side, as much as she could be.

 

There was practically no light outside by the time Annie’s car came to a halt. The only thing that showed any sign of life were the headlights on her car, which she made sure to turn off when they stopped.

 

Annie grabbed her phone to turn the torch on and smiled at him under the bright glow.

 

“Are you kidnapping me?” he asked.

 

She grinned. “Like you’d complain if I did.”

 

He smiled slightly back at her. “That depends on where you’d take me.”

 

“Well,” said Annie, pushing open her car door. “I promise you’ll like where I’ve taken you now. You coming?”

 

Armin followed her out of the car and walked towards the glow of her torchlight and took her hand. But as his eyes fell down on where the light shone, his eyebrows furrowed. It looked like there were hints of sand in the parking lot.

 

It was only then that he realised that noise, the sound he first mistook for the distant rush of wind, was the sea.

 

“You don’t get to come out here a lot,” said Annie, giving his hand a warm squeeze. “So I figured we could just go on a walk?”

 

His heart softened. “I’d like that.” Then, his eyebrows furrowed. “Uh … I don’t want to get more sand in your car.”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “I’ll clean it tomorrow.” Then, she added, more gruffly, “Or I’ll get Hitch to do it.”

 

He smiled. “Sounds like a good plan.”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “Do you have your phone? If you want more light, anyway. There won’t be anyone down there right now.”

 

He squinted at the beach. It was pitch-black. Clearly, they were the only ones who wanted to go on a night-time stroll on the sand which shouldn’t have been surprising at all. Although, for a night on the weekend like this, Armin would have thought there would at least be some teenagers trying to make a campfire on the sand; although, the night was probably just a bit too windy for the flames to stay going. So that left just him, Annie and the sea.

 

Armin pulled his phone out of his pocket and clicked on the torch. It was about as powerful as Annie’s, but it covered a little more distance, so it would at least stop them from tripping over stray seaweed and rocks that had been dragged to shore.

 

It wasn’t long until they made it down onto the sand, closer to the sharp sea breeze, when he felt Annie jerk, just the smallest bit.

 

“Are you okay?” he asked.

 

“Yeah,” she said. “I should have brought a coat or something.”

 

He was silent for a few moments as their footsteps quietly crunched the sand beneath them.

 

“Do you want my cardigan?” he offered.

 

“Then you’ll get cold,” she said.

 

Armin shook his head. “I don’t mind the cold. Really.”

 

“I’m fine,” she said.

 

Armin could feel a slight smile curl his lips. He thought, perhaps, that he should be growing frustrated with her – but even now, her stubbornness was a little bit charming.

 

“If you say so,” he said lightly.

 

It only took them a few more steps for Annie to sigh loudly and stop walking.

 

“Fine,” she said, dropping his hand. “I’ll put it on.”

 

He smiled even though it was probably just a little bit too dark for her to really make it out. It only took a few moments to shrug it off of his shoulders and pass it to her, and he gently held her phone while she shrugged it over her shoulders.

 

He took just a quick moment to angle the light towards her so he could get a good look at her. Armin had never thought of himself as someone who had particularly broad shoulders – probably because he didn’t – but Annie looked awfully small in his cardigan. It was definitely too big for her, but he thought she suited it, all the same.

 

“You look nice,” he said.

 

His smile widened when she pouted. “I’m practically drowning in it.”

 

“It’s really not that big,” he said, handing her phone back to her. “It’s cute.”

 

Annie grumbled something incoherent and he was about to ask her to repeat herself when she took his hand in hers again and said, “You better tell me if you get cold, okay?”

 

He smiled again. It wasn’t exactly warm, but he knew he’d be able to deal with the cool temperature better than she could. Still, he said, “Okay.”

 

This satisfied her and they started walking again, surrounded by nothing but the sea breeze and the crash of the waves not too far away. At first, before he had met her at her car, he’d been so nervous about all of this. But now, as they walked over the quiet of the sand, her hand in his, he couldn’t imagine his heart being more at peace than it was at that moment.  He had worried for nothing, like he always did.

 

Annie’s voice pulled him out of his head. “It’s nice out here, but I wish we could see more of the stars.”

 

Armin glanced above their heads. Some stars were visible but not as many as there would be if it wasn’t for the distant glow of the city.

 

“Yeah,” he said.

 

“Reiner wants to go on a road trip this summer,” she said. “Did I tell you?”

 

Armin shook his head. “No.”

 

She sighed. “It’s a horrible idea. He wants to drive through the desert so we can see the stars. Apparently, it’s amazing out there in the middle of nowhere.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “How’s it a horrible idea, then?”

 

“It’s the middle of nowhere,” she said. “Do you think either of those two know a thing about that truck of theirs?”

 

Armin smiled. “I thought they might know something.”

 

“No,” she said. “And there’s no way the three of us would be able to sleep in my tiny car. Plus, considering what I just did last night, I don’t think it would be the best idea.”

 

Armin let out a slight huff of laughter. “Maybe not.”

 

But Annie hadn’t finished. “And third-wheeling them for that long would be agonising. That’s why I like hanging out with them with you or Hitch.”

 

He smiled slightly. “And here I thought that you just enjoyed my company.”

 

Annie nudged him with her elbow. “That, too.”

 

He was still smiling, even though her face wasn’t as clear as it could have been in the dimness of their walk. “It’s a shame I’m not pocket-sized, or you could smuggle me with you.”

 

Armin had expected some sort of scoff or her usual snort of laughter, but instead, he was met with a heartbeat of silence. Then, she said, “Why don’t you come?”

 

His face faltered. “On your road trip?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “Why not? I mean, Reiner’s annoying and it’ll be scorchingly hot, but otherwise – have you ever been out there?”

 

“No,” he admitted.

 

She was quiet for a second. “You don’t have to come. And I know you’re basically a mechanic during summers, anyway.”

 

He smiled again. “I’m not a mechanic. Part-time job, remember?”

 

“Okay … you’re a part-time mechanic,” she said. Then, after a beat, she added, “Well … the offer’s there, if you want to come.”

 

He was quiet for a long moment. Then, he said, “Are you not worried Bertholdt and Reiner will figure something out about us if you invite me?”

 

“I’m hoping I might have told them about us by then,” she said softly.

 

Armin’s pulse quickened. “You think?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “I don’t want to be a secret forever. And Reiner and Bertholdt … I’d probably be able to deal with them the best, anyway.”

 

It made sense – they were her closest and oldest friends, after all.

 

“But I wouldn’t want to tell them about us a long time before anyone else finds out. Especially your friends,” she said. “It’s not really fair for me to tell my friends but not let you do it.”

 

Armin was quiet for a moment. Then, he said, softly, “I don’t mind waiting. I just want you to be comfortable.”

 

A few more heartbeats of quiet passed before Annie spoke again. “You’re being too kind, you know.”

 

“Huh?” he asked.

 

“You’re allowed to want to tell your friends when I tell mine,” she said pointedly.

 

“Oh,” he said. “Well … telling Marco would be fine. But Mikasa and Eren are the main issue.” His eyebrows furrowed. “And to be honest, Annie … I think I like it more like this, too.”

 

“You do?” she asked.

 

“Yeah,” he said. “It’s nice not having any pressure. I mean … this is my first relationship. I don’t know what I’m doing at all. I just want us to figure this out on our own, if we can.” Then, he added, “So, telling Bert and Reiner first wouldn’t bother me because they wouldn’t exactly pressure me about any of this. Does that make sense?”

 

Annie hummed and nodded. “Yeah. It does.”

 

Then, he added, hurriedly, “Not that we can’t tell everyone when you’re comfortable, though.”

 

“Armin,” she said. “We’re not telling anyone until we’re both comfortable.”

 

He swallowed. “But – it still bothers you more, so –”

 

“Hey,” she said gently, abruptly stopping and turning towards him. “How you feel is pretty important, too, you know.”

 

He could make out her face in the glow of the torchlight reflecting from the sand. She was always so divine.

 

He nodded. “Yeah. Sorry.”

 

“Don’t apologise,” she said and then her hands were soft on his face. “Anyway … I like it just being us right now, too.”

 

His eyebrows raised. “Yeah?”

 

Her slight smile made his heart skip. “Yeah.” She dropped his gaze. “You know, I’ve got no idea about what I’m doing either, right?”

 

He nodded. “Yeah. I know.”

 

“We’re figuring it out together,” she said, glancing up at him again. “That’s what you just said.”

 

“Yeah,” he said and swallowed. “I … I like it like this. Sorry for … I don’t know.”

 

“Worrying?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

He swallowed again and nodded. “Yeah. Sorry. I’ve had a really nice time. Sometimes I think I just … don’t think.”

 

Annie snorted. “Maybe not. But that’s okay.”

 

He looked at her for a slight moment longer before he dipped his head towards her mouth. Her lips were soft and his kiss was tentative, and she responded with just as much gentleness as he gave. His hand rose to her hip for a moment as their lips moved together and then another moment passed and she pulled back, letting out a slight shuddering breath.

 

She quickly regained her composure and smirked. “Better now?”

 

He let out a breath of laughter. “Yeah. All better.”

 

“Thought so,” she said, stepping back and taking his hand in hers again.

 

“Annie?” he asked before she could pull them further ahead.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Can I take a photo of you?”

 

It was fairly dark, but he could make out the way her eyebrows rose. “You want to take a photo of me?”

 

“Yeah,” he said, slightly more sheepishly now. “Is that … weird?”

 

“No,” she said. “I thought you might have asked to take one together.”

 

“Oh,” he said dumbly.

 

She smirked. “Didn’t think of that one?”

 

Honestly, he hadn’t thought of that at all. In the moment, he had been so taken aback by how lovely Annie looked, especially snuggled up in his cardigan, that he just wanted a photograph to be able to remember her as perfectly as possible. Cameras could be deceiving, but it was the best attempt he could make in trying to capture her beauty. Him being in any of the photos he wanted to take hadn’t even crossed his mind at all.

 

“Can we do both?” he asked.

 

After a moment of pause, she nodded. “Sure. You’re taller, though, so you should probably take the one of us.”

 

He nodded and started fumbling with his phone. He flicked off the torch so he could open his camera app, but for some reason he still nearly jumped when Annie snuggled up beside him.

 

“Wanna put your arm around me?” she asked.

 

“Oh, yeah,” he said, putting his arm over her shoulders.

 

“Armin?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I meant on my waist.”

 

“Oh,” he said, feeling his cheeks warm. “Sorry.”

 

Annie laughed a little. It made his heart race. “It’s fine.”

 

He adjusted to put his hand on her hip and was very glad for the thickness of the cardigan. She might have just missed the way his fingers were shaking.

 

He cleared his throat and made sure the flash was on. “Ready?”

 

“Yeah,” she said.

 

Then, Armin did his best not to wince as the camera flashed.

 

“I think I closed my eyes,” said Annie as he opened his camera roll.

 

Armin tried to smother a smile as he looked at the photograph. Annie had closed her eyes. Although, it wasn’t the most unnatural looking thing in the world. But when she looked at it, she frowned.

 

“I think it’s nice,” he offered.

 

“Let’s take another,” she said.

 

“Try not to blink this time.”

 

“Your flash is bright.”

 

“All flashes are bright, Annie. It might be why they call it –”

 

“A flash,” she interrupted. “Yeah, I get it. Let’s do it on my phone this time, okay?”

 

Armin wasn’t about to argue. His smile was less posed this time from trying to suppress his laughter at the sweetness of her frustration. And on the bright side, neither of them closed their eyes this time and Annie was more than satisfied with the photograph.

 

“Okay,” she said, stepping back. “You wanted to take some pictures of me, didn’t you?”

 

“Oh,” he said, fumbling with his phone again. “Yeah, I did.”

 

She raised an eyebrow at him. She was stood a few metres away now and the wind was blowing her hair, but not strongly enough to get in her way. “Any poses you would like?”

 

Armin smiled slightly at the dryness in her voice. “Just whatever you want. Just … be you.”

 

“I’ll try,” she said.

 

Annie didn’t really move at all; she just made sure her hair was tucked behind her ears so the wind couldn’t interfere in the photograph and stood as naturally as she always did. Then, she pushed a smile on her face.

 

Armin’s lips curled again. “You don’t have to smile, you know.”

 

Annie frowned. “You smile in photographs.”

 

His smile widened. “Yeah, but this isn’t for anyone but me.”

 

“Oh, okay,” she said. “Are you into my – what did you call it? My ‘blank stare’?”

 

Armin laughed. “Yeah, actually. It’s scary.”

 

Annie arched an eyebrow. “You like that because it’s scary?”

 

“I like it because it’s you,” he said.

 

“That wasn’t how you made it sound,” she said. Then, she added, “Is this your way of telling me you’re into dominant women?”

 

Armin’s face burned red, but now, he couldn’t help but laugh. “No, Annie, that’s not what I’m saying.”

 

“Are you sure?” she asked.

 

He shook his head, but he was still smiling. “Can you just let me take the photo?”

 

Her face settled into its usual expression and he quickly clicked a photo.

 

Then, she spoke. “It’s gonna look like a mugshot.”

 

Armin couldn’t help but laugh. “Annie.”

 

“What?” she asked, and laughter bubbled out of her mouth. “Oh, it definitely does. I can tell by the way you’re smiling.”

 

But Armin wasn’t looking at the photograph he’d taken of her. He was looking at her through the dimness of his phone screen, laughing as she talked to him. Her smile was natural then, and he made sure to capture a few of them to keep with him, always.

 

He shook his head. “I was looking at you.”

 

Her face softened. “Did you take more pictures?”

 

He nodded. “Yeah.” Then, with a smile, he added, “And these ones don’t look like mugshots.”

 

After a heartbeat passed, Annie started moving towards him. “Let me see.”

 

Armin opened his camera roll and let her look through them. She was adamant that the first one he took looked like a mugshot, but she didn’t seem too unhappy with the other ones.

 

“Maybe you should make the mugshot your Facebook profile picture,” he suggested.

 

Annie snorted. “With any luck, it’d convince people to click off my page.”

 

He smiled and she nudged him.

 

“Hey,” she said, waggling her phone in front of him. “It’s your turn. But I’ll let you know, I’m a shit photographer.”

 

His smile softened. “You want to take pictures of me?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “You can do it, so why can’t I?”

 

He knew what he wanted to say. He hadn’t even considered that she would want any of just him because why would she? But he couldn’t say that – she would catch onto his self-deprecation immediately and he didn’t want to sour the mood like that.

 

So, instead, he said, “Of course you can.”

 

Armin traded places with her so that she could get a better shot of him. Annie didn’t say anything when he smiled but he supposed he probably did that more often than she did, anyway. But after a few moments, her face split into a smile that looked like she was trying to contain laughter.

 

He frowned. “What?”

 

“Nothing,” she said – but she was still smiling. “You’re just … such a dork.”

 

Armin raised his eyebrows. “Did you just call me a dork?”

 

Annie smirked. “Yeah, I did.”

 

He laughed. “A nerd, maybe, but really? A dork?”

 

“Yeah,” she said, still smirking.

 

“I didn’t think anyone still used that word anymore,” he said.

 

“Well, it applies,” she said.

 

He smiled. “Does it, now?”

 

She smiled back. “Yeah, it does.”

 

He started moving towards her. “Do you have a thing for dorks, then?”

 

“Maybe about as much as you do for dominant women,” she said pointedly.

 

He laughed. “Annie, I don’t have a thing for dominant women.”

 

“Really?” she asked. “I thought you had a thing for me.”

 

His eyebrows raised. “Do you class yourself as a dominant woman?”

 

“Well, I mean – Armin!”

 

He cut her off by quite literally sweeping her off her feet. He shoved his arms beneath her legs and back, forcing her to wrap her arms around his neck for more support.

 

“Hey!” she said. “What are you doing?”

 

“Nothing,” he said with a smile. “I just wanted to pick you up.”

 

“Put me down,” she said, gently swatting at the back of his head. “I’m heavy.”

 

“Not really,” he said.

 

She pouted. “Since when did you get so strong?”

 

He laughed. “Annie, you’re really not that heavy.”

 

“Oh, it’s all your swimming,” she said. “Sometimes I forget. You’re so lean – and I don’t see you with your shirt off all that often.”

 

His face warmed. “Is that your way of asking me to take my shirt off?”

 

“Out here?” she asked. “God, no. You’ll freeze.”

 

Armin tried to ignore the fact she said out here and not no completely. He doubted, anyway, that freezing would be much of an issue. The blush on his face was keeping him warm enough.

 

Of course, he’d been shirtless in front of her before, even in more innocent settings – like the time they’d actually gone swimming in the sea. He’d also been shirtless in front of her in less innocent situations – although, they weren’t really rushing towards any of that stuff, so even the suggestion of taking his shirt off made him turn red.

 

Not that she was suggesting it. No. Obviously not.

 

“Armin?” she said.

 

He blinked. “Huh?”

 

“You totally zoned out,” she said, poking his nose.

 

Had he really just stood there like an idiot for a few moments, not saying anything?

 

“Oh, sorry,” he said.

 

“No, no,” she said, smiling. “What were you thinking about?”

 

“Nothing,” he said, rather weakly.

 

“Nothing?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “It’s something.”

 

“It’s …” Armin swallowed. “Something I’m too nervous to talk about right now.”

 

He thought that she still might push him a little further – but this stopped her teasing entirely. He should have known saying something like that would put an end to it.

 

“Okay,” she said. “So, are you gonna put me down or what?”

 

Armin smiled. “I can put you down.”

 

Annie frowned. “I don’t like the look on your face.”

 

His smile stretched into a grin. “Why?”

 

“You’re thinking something,” she said pointedly.

 

“I think a lot of things,” he said.

 

Before she could bicker with him, he started lowering her down to the ground. But he didn’t just move to set her down on her feet – in fact, he managed to quickly kneel and put her down on the sand on her behind, fast enough that she didn’t have time to argue.

 

“Armin,” she groaned. “I’m wearing a skirt. Sand’s gonna stick to my thighs.”

 

“I’ll help you get it off later,” he promised before leaning over her.

 

Her words caught in her throat for a moment. Had he really managed to make her pause like that?

 

She huffed. “Fine.”

 

He smiled and he felt her grip the front of his shirt.

 

“Well?” she asked. “Are you gonna kiss me or are you just gonna gawk at me?”

 

His smile widened. “When you say it like that, it just makes me want to gawk at you more.”

 

She groaned. “Fine.”

 

Then, before he could say anything more, she leaned up and pulled him down towards her until his lips met hers.

 

For a moment, he forgot how to think. But then, her lips were moving gently over his and he eventually caught up and kissed her back. Her lips sent tingles through him, so he pressed against her mouth with a little more force and he was elated when a tiny contented noise slipped out of her.

 

He adjusted to get more balance over her, placing both of his hands on either side of her head in the sand, keeping up with her kisses and caressing her tongue with his. A tingle ran through him when he felt her fingers come up into his hair and he made a small sound against her lips and kissed her harder.

 

But it was only a few moments before she pulled back. “Armin,” she whispered. “Your glasses are falling off.”

 

They really were – it was lucky they were even still on his face.

 

“Gravity’s pretty strong here, you know,” she said with a slight smirk.

 

“Sorry,” he said, leaning back and being careful to stop them falling off of his face.

 

Annie sat up with him and pressed her mouth against his. He imagined she was probably fairly pleased with the surprised noise he made against her, but it didn’t take much for him to give into her motions. And there he was, kneeling in the sand, Annie on her backside with her hands pressed firmly on either side of his face as she kissed him so sweetly he thought his head would spin.

 

When she pulled away, his breath was shuddering.

 

“Wanna go make-out in my car?” she asked.

 

Armin swallowed. “Romantic.”

 

Annie nudged him and groaned. “Do you want to or not?”

 

He let out a breath of laughter and smiled. “Yeah. I really do.”

 

“Come on, then,” she said. “Help me up. You put me down here.”

 

Armin helped her up to her feet and even helped her wipe the sand off of her thighs, which turned out to be harder than expected since grains of sand got caught beneath the thin fabric of the fishnets. He did apologise but she just told him he could find some other way to make it up to her, some other day.

 

And maybe they walked just a little too quickly back to the car, and maybe he was getting far too excited over just kissing, but when they were as free of sand as they could be and back in her car, he didn’t waste any time and captured her lips in his.

 

Annie made no complaints, though, and quickly dropped her phone out of sight and kissed him back with just as much eagerness. Her fingers quickly rose to tangle in the front of his shirt, pulling him ever closer and who was he to not give her everything she wanted? So he pressed further forward, kissing her with more vigour, until she gasped against his mouth.

 

His heart was racing, and it only got worse when she pulled away from his strong kisses to bite down on his bottom lip. He gasped and she sucked on it just a tiny bit before kissing him again.

 

So that was how she wanted it.

 

He made a noise against her lips that she seemed to relish in, tightening her fingers in his shirt as she kissed him. He gave her the same treatment and pulled back to bite on her lip, and she gasped in a way that made heat race through him and he sucked on her bottom lip until she whined. Sometimes he forgot that Annie was even capable of making such sweet sounds until she was right beneath his touch like this.

 

Her kisses were relentless and his whole body was warm underneath her assault. They only pulled away for air every now and then, but most of the time they spent with mouths pressed against each other’s, kissing softly and roughly all at the same time, enough to make his head spin.

 

Their slight pants filled the air when they parted again. So much for taking things slowly. It wasn’t like they were doing anything. But when they kissed like this, he thought she was only a few more kisses away from asking him to take his pants off. Not that he was complaining about that, of course.

 

“Armin,” she said gently.

 

“Hmm?” he said.

 

She swallowed. Her voice was barely above a whisper. “Can you kiss my neck?”

 

He wasn’t proud of the feeling that settled in his abdomen and shifted slightly in his seat. He cleared his throat and said, “Is that what you want?”

 

She leaned back a little and nodded her head. “Yeah. Just –”

 

“No hickeys,” he said with a tiny smile. “I know.”

 

She frowned. “Don’t look so smug.”

 

He let out a huff of laughter. “I’m not smug.”

 

Annie hummed. “If you say so.”

 

Armin didn’t bother saying anything back and leaned forward. In a quick movement, he flicked her hair over her shoulder and pressed his lips against her jaw.

 

His heart fluttered at the slight sigh she released and he slowly made his way towards her neck. He peppered kisses over her skin which made her grip onto the hair at the nape of his neck in a way that made a thrill rush through his whole body. When he reached the base of her neck, he pressed the tip of his tongue against her sensitive skin and dragged it up towards her ear.

 

Her fingers tightened in his hair, almost enough to hurt, and she gasped.

 

“Fuck,” she managed.

 

Pride swelled his chest. He kissed back down her neck and he felt her shudder beneath him, quiet gasps slipping past her lips as she writhed under his touch. When he pressed against her skin with more pressure, she practically cried out – a small, whining sound that nearly made his fingers shake.

 

He made sure to leave no marks on her skin, but his mouth still managed to make her keen. His blood was pumping fast and he was enjoying her reactions maybe just a little bit too much. But she was soft under his lips and he couldn’t quite get enough of her – so he made his way back to her mouth and kissed her again.

 

She made a noise against his mouth that he found far too exciting and tried to ignore that feeling and kiss her the way she wanted to be kiss. Her grip loosened in his hair and one of her hands came to rest just above his knee and he desperately tried to ignore that, too. But when she bit on his bottom lip again, it was becoming just a little bit too much, so he kissed her with more force until she was gasping against him.

 

By the time they pulled apart again, his heart was racing and their lips were swollen, breaths coming out in short pants. For a long time, it was all that filled the air between them.

 

Then, Annie said, finally, “Fuck.”

 

He let out a breathy laugh. “Fuck,” he agreed.

 

She laughed a little bit with him, before she swallowed, and said, “We – we should stop.”

 

His face softened. “Is everything okay?”

 

Annie swallowed and nodded. “Yeah. I’m just getting … too excited.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Excited?”

 

Then, the realisation hit him.

 

Oh.

 

Excited.

 

Right.

 

That was definitely an easier thing to say than, “Sorry, Armin. I’m too turned on right now and I’m not ready for much more, so we should stop now!”

 

His face warmed and he cleared his throat. “Oh-okay. That’s fine.”

 

When he leaned away, she said, “Sorry.”

 

He shook his head. “Don’t apologise.” He swallowed. “I was probably getting a little too worked up as well.”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “I know.”

 

His face flushed and he shifted awkwardly. “I didn’t make you uncomfortable, did I?”

 

“No,” she said. Then, after a pause, “I like that you feel like that about me. I just …”

 

He nodded. “Not right not.”

 

“Not – like that,” she said. “Just … I don’t think I’m ready for that just yet.”

 

He nodded again. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s fine.”

 

Another moment of silence passed.

 

“I don’t mind you thinking about me like that,” she said finally.

 

He glanced over at her, face still warm. “You don’t?”

 

“No,” she said. “It’s … nice.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Do you not think it’s … pervy?”

 

“What, that my boyfriend thinks about me in a sexual way?” she asked. “Of course I don’t.”

 

He cleared his throat. “Right. Yeah.”

 

Her hand came down on his leg then and his heartrate picked up.

 

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I feel like I’m making you uncomfortable now.”

 

He shook his head. “No. You’re not. I just …” He laughed a tiny bit. “I guess I’m just bad at … knowing about this stuff.”

 

“Sorry,” she said. “I forget sometimes that you’ve only done this stuff with me.” Then, she added, “That’s a compliment on how good you are at it.”

 

His cheeks warmed even more. “Thanks. Uh … I’m glad.”

 

“Hey.”

 

He glanced over at her again and was met with her slight smile. It made his heart tremble.

 

“Can I kiss you?” she asked. “More innocently.”

 

He managed a slight, genuine smile. “Yeah.”

 

Her gentle kiss was enough to wash away all of his worries, anyway.

 

When she pulled back, she said, “Wanna head back now?”

 

Armin didn’t want to head back. He wanted to spend all night with her, if he could. But, he supposed, that was where the issue lay – he couldn’t.

 

So, he nodded, and said, “Yeah. That sounds good.”

 

“Okay,” she said, and then the engine roared to life and they were making their slow way back to campus.

 

She put on some more soft rock music, like she usually did, and they didn’t say much more on the ride back. But it was more than comfortable. Armin almost hoped there was some traffic so he could spend just a little more time with her, but of course, the roads were completely empty. It was that time of night, anyway.

 

When they pulled up into her usual space back at campus, and she cut the engine, she turned to him with that breath-taking smile of hers and said, “So? How was your first date, then?”

 

His eyebrows raised and then he smiled. “Annie, are you asking me for a review?”

 

“Maybe,” she admitted.

 

He smiled. “It was great. I had a great time with you.”

 

She nodded. “Good.”

 

He raised an eyebrow at her. “Can I have a review?”

 

“Of the date?” she asked, raising her eyebrows. “Or of you?”

 

“Both,” he said.

 

Annie smirked. “They were both wonderful.”

 

His heart softened and he smiled. “I’m glad to hear it.”

 

He thought she was going to lean in again then. He wondered if he could ask her if Hitch would be at Marlowe’s tonight – not that he wanted anything to happen, but more so that he could spend more time with her. It was a thought that circled through his mind when her eyes flickered down to his mouth again, but it was a thought that stayed there, because they were interrupted by a dull, incessant buzzing.

 

Annie’s eyebrows furrowed and she reached for her phone. “It’s like he knows I’m in the car.”

 

He smiled. “Your dad?”

 

“Yeah,” she said, and looked at him with an apologetic look. “Sorry.”

 

“It’s okay,” he said. “I guess I’ll just see you soon?”

 

Annie nodded and his chest warmed. “I’ll text you.”

 

“Okay,” he said with a smile. “Make sure to turn your lights off tonight.”

 

Annie scoffed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

Armin opened the car door, but before he could get very far, Annie’s hand grabbed onto his shirt and pulled him pack towards her. It was only a few more moments before his mouth fell against hers.

 

It was short, but the phone had stopped ringing by the time she pulled away.

 

“I’ll just call him back,” she said, pressing another gentle kiss to his mouth.

 

Armin mumbled an “Okay” against her lips.

 

She only pressed a few more kisses against his mouth, but he was more than happy to sit there and kiss her for as long as she wanted.

 

When she pulled back, she smiled at him. “Okay. I’ll let you go now.”

 

He swallowed and nodded. “Okay.”

 

She smirked. “I’ll text you, okay?”

 

“Okay,” he said with a smile. “I’ll see you soon.”

 

“See you,” she said, and then soon enough, he was out of the car.

 

He’d only taken a few steps away when he realised she still had his cardigan, but when he glanced back, it looked like she was already on the phone to her father. It wasn’t worth interrupting her – but he took a few moments to look at her, a lingering glance, and he couldn’t help the smile that rose to his lips. He’d gotten far too lucky with Annie.

 

He turned back and started making his way back to his dorm room. He felt a little bit like an idiot. Why couldn’t he stop smiling? He was practically tingling from happiness. It was a good thing it was so late, otherwise he was sure someone would think he looked crazy. At least he wouldn’t run into –

 

“Hey!”

 

Armin snapped out of it once he realised he’d basically walked right into Historia. And not for the first time.

 

“Sorry!” he said.

 

She was dressed in all pink and looked awfully bubbly for this time of night. He wondered, for a split second, what on earth she was doing on campus this late, when he finally took note of Ymir right next to her with her hand in hers.

 

“Watch your step, Arlert,” she said with a smirk.

 

“Sorry,” he said. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

 

“Clearly,” said Ymir, still smirking. “You were smiling to yourself like an idiot. Did you just get back from a date with one of your girlfriends?”

 

Armin’s face warmed. “Ymir, it’s not –”

 

“Who was it?” asked Historia.

 

His eyes flickered over to her. “Huh?”

 

Her expression was genuinely curious, her eyebrows pinched together. “Who was it this time? Mikasa or Annie?”

 

Armin’s stomach dropped when he realised there was not a single hint of sarcasm in her voice. Did she honestly still think he was dating Annie and Mikasa?

 

Ymir suddenly slapped her arm around his shoulder. “Hey, don’t sell him short! He might have been wining and dining both of them at the same time!”

 

Armin frowned and shrugged her arm off. “No, Ymir. I was hanging out with a friend.”

 

“You sure?” asked Ymir. “Your lips look a little …”

 

His face flushed. “I need to go to bed.”

 

He ducked his head, but Ymir’s chortling followed after him.

 

Unfortunately, he wasn’t far enough away by the time it fizzled out to miss Historia’s question. “So, do you think it was both of them?”

 

Armin made sure he walked fast enough to get just far enough out of range to miss Ymir’s answer – but even then, his face didn’t stop burning all the way back to his dorm room.

Notes:

There was their first official date y'all :) my ass literally nearly tearing up while editing this??? I was listening to Cornelia Street and This Love (Taylor's Version) so this likely did not help my case lmfao.

 

Thank you all for reading!!! I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you in the next one <3

Chapter 20: a close call

Sneaking around, at first, didn’t turn out to be as difficult as Armin had expected. Although Annie seemed mildly intent on making it as challenging as possible. Not that Armin particularly minded that.

 

As the days went by, she became more confident about their secret not being revealed. Most of their meetings started at her car and their dates were still off of campus, but she became a bit more daring about kissing him on campus. Sometimes she would steal a kiss whenever he dropped by her dorm room or vice versa, only when Hitch and Eren were nowhere to be seen, although it rarely went much further than anything short and sweet.

 

For some reason, though, Annie had gotten into the habit of crashing his solo study sessions in the library to drag him up to the back corner of the top floor which was famous among students for things that shouldn’t be carried out on campus.

 

The logical response would be to stop studying at the library or to tell Annie that it was a little too risky to make-out so publically, or even to be caught slipping away from behind those infamous shelves together. But if he was being entirely honest with himself, he didn’t particularly mind.

 

He half-expected it now when he arrived at the library on his own without Marco’s company, excitement tingling through his veins as he found a seat on the top floor. And yes, maybe he started going to the library a little more frequently than he needed to now. Well, he needed to go more often now anyway to make up for the time he lost from kissing Annie behind the bookshelves.

 

When Annie showed up this time, early in the morning before Armin had a viewing with the guys, Armin didn’t even bother to put his books or his laptop away. He abandoned them on the table and, after watching her disappear far out of sight towards that hidden corner of the library, he discretely slinked after her.

 

There was an unspoken code in the library that he’d only recently learned about. He knew that people got frisky in that section and tended to just stick to another floor – for the poor freshmen who didn’t know, well, unfortunately that was their problem. Apparently, though, according to Annie, the protocol was to pull the copy of Lady Chatterly’s Lover out of its usual spot and stand it in front of the other books on the shelf so that other students would know that spot was occupied.

 

Annie did him something extra and pulled out the first book slightly from the edge of the shelf so that it was poking out like a broken bone so that Armin would know that the space was occupied by her.

 

Well, it turned out to be easier than driving out of campus to meet up in her band’s practice garage to make-out. And, he supposed, it was a little exciting.

 

Armin had only just rounded the last bookshelf when Annie’s hand was on the front of his sweater, dragging him hard towards her.

 

“Hey,” she said quietly.

 

“Hey,” he whispered, opening his mouth to say something else.

 

But Annie didn’t seem to be in much of a mood for talking and pulled his face down towards hers and guiding him to press her against the bookshelf.

 

He made a tiny noise of surprise against her but followed her motions, letting his hand settle on her hips. Thanks to her slightly high-rise straight-legged jeans, grabbing her hips like this feel less illicit, but the fact she was wearing one of those tight, black shirts that dipped at her cleavage and didn’t come close to meeting her jeans meant that his fingers were a little close to brushing over the bare skin of her waist. Not that he had a problem with that but what he had a problem with was the fact he never knew where Annie wanted him to put his hands.

 

He probably thought about it a little too much.

 

Annie sighed against his mouth when he caressed her tongue with his and he gripped her hips slightly tighter. Her lips were as sweet as they always were and they’d started doing this a little too often now that he was maybe too comfortable making out with her in the corner of the library, but he supposed it was fine. It was hard to see much sense, anyway, when her lips were hot and demanding against his.

 

His breathing was slightly heavy when they pulled away, but Annie wasted to time and started scattering kisses across his jaw. His breath caught for a moment before the kisses became sweeter and spattered over his cheek.

 

He let out a huff of laughter and smiled.

 

She was getting better with these tiny acts of intimacy. It didn’t involve talking and they were very easy to push in during more intense moments. Armin hadn’t mentioned it – the last thing he wanted to do was scare her off.

 

“I don’t have a lot of time today,” he said quietly.

 

Annie’s mouth came back to his for a short kiss; but it was slow and endearing, and it made him want to lean in for another when she pulled back.

 

“Maybe you should stop coming to the library, then,” she said.

 

He let out a breath of laughter that was cut off by a soft sigh as her mouth moved back to his jaw, less innocent this time and tracing a path down to his neck.

 

“I come to study,” he said pointedly.

 

She popped her lips off of his skin and leaned up to his ear. “I don’t know if you’re taking some classes I don’t know about it, but I really don’t think this counts as studying.”

 

Armin opened his mouth to retort something but then her lips fell on the soft skin of his neck and he found that he didn’t particularly want to bicker with her right now. Instead, he let his eyes fall shut and bit down on the inside of his bottom lip to stay quiet. He only let shuddering sighs slip past his lips – he’d started to catch onto the fact that Annie liked hearing those, anyway.

 

Her mouth met his again and it moved softly over his, although there was a slight, hidden heat beneath it. Annie’s hands moved as they kissed, down to rest over his on her hips and pulled them up to her waist before returning to his face.

 

Well, at least he didn’t have to think about where she wanted his hands now.

 

He gripped the soft skin there and a tiny sound left her mouth, vibrating against his lips. Encouraged, he kissed her with a little more force, gently squeezing her sides and running his thumbs in little motions over her skin, and he was reward with another, small noise that sent warmth spreading through him.

 

This time, when they fell apart, both of them were breathing a little heavier, their breaths mingling together in the cool air between them.

 

Armin’s heart panged. Her eyelids were half-lidded, her lips were a little swollen and parted slightly to let her tiny pants pass by her lips. He wanted to lean in and kiss her again or push his arms around her back to pull her into a tight hug, squeezing her tightly against him in a way that still wouldn’t bring her close enough.

 

In the end, he did neither of those things. Instead, he said, dumbly, “You’re really good at that.”

 

Annie’s face was blank for a moment. Then, she said, “Thanks.”

 

His face warmed. Wow. That was a really dumb thing to say.

 

He cleared his throat. “Uh … you’re welcome?”

 

Fortunately, Annie’s face broke out into a slight smile. “You’re not too bad yourself.”

 

“Uh …” he said, a little too awkwardly. “Thanks.”

 

Annie pressed another kiss to his lips, short and sweet, before pulling back to smile at him.

 

“Anyway,” she said, poking him in the chest. “I have something I wanna give you. If you’re ready to act … normal.”

 

His heart softened. “You do?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “Also that cardigan of yours that I never gave back.”

 

“You can keep it,” he said, maybe a little too quickly.

 

Annie snorted. “Yeah, sure. Like your friends wouldn’t think anything about that. Hitch still keeps bringing it up; asking me if it’ll go in my ‘Armin shrine’ or some shit.”

 

Armin released a huff of laughter. “You have an Armin shrine?”

 

Annie poked him in the chest. “I do not. I have a cardigan that I plan on giving you back later.” Then, she added, “When I give you your gift, anyway.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “You didn’t have to get me a gift or anything.”

 

“I know I didn’t have to,” she said, leaning forward slightly. “I wanted to.”

 

His face softened. “Well … thank you, Annie.”

 

“Don’t thank me yet,” she said. “You haven’t seen it yet.”

 

He smiled a little. “I’m sure I’d love anything you got me.”

 

Annie rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her mouth. “Okay, okay. When is your viewing over?”

 

Armin shrugged. “It might be over by two, maybe? If we end up putting money down on the place.”

 

“Okay,” she said. “Come to my dorm after?”

 

His eyebrows raised. “Will Hitch be there?”

 

Annie shook her head. “She has afternoon classes today. So she won’t be there to make any comments.”

 

He smiled a little bit. “Okay. I’ll come over as soon as it’s done.”

 

“Good,” she said and then she poked him in the chest. “And don’t let them pressure you into a shitty room.”

 

“Jean and Connie wouldn’t do that,” said Armin.

 

“No, probably not,” she agreed. “But I notice you didn’t say Eren wouldn’t.”

 

Armin pouted and Annie poked his bottom lip, making him reel backwards as she snorted a laugh.

 

He ran his thumbs over her hips and smiled. “Okay. I won’t let him if he tries. But all of the rooms look pretty much the same from the pictures.”

 

“Okay,” she said. “Still, if you take pics – and you should – send them over to me?”

 

His eyebrows raised. “You want to see some bad quality pics of a place I might live next semester?”

 

“I don’t find it that boring,” she said. “I’ll probably be there a lot.”

 

Armin’s heart skipped. “Your place is much nicer.”

 

Annie hummed and didn’t say anything else.

 

Annie’s place was much nicer, but considering her father was covering most of the cost, that made a lot of sense. She told him that Hitch’s arguing had crumbled very quickly over the issue of rent when she told her that her dad would barely notice the money come out of his account.

 

Armin had laughed when she told him what Hitch had said: “It really pays to be friends with the rich girl.”

 

But their apartment was bound to be nicer, anyway, since it was only a two-bedroom place. It was small, but not in a suffocating way, and cosy, with white walls and cool LED lights that could change colours which apparently Hitch was thrilled about using for parties. Annie was praying that parties would be kept to a minimum but Armin promised they could just hide in her room together; Hitch couldn’t get mad about it considering they’d technically be attending the party.

 

“I still want to know,” she said. “Especially whatever room you pick.”

 

He smiled a little. “We might not get the place.”

 

“But you might,” she reminded him. “Anyway, enough talking. We can do that later.”

 

His smile widened. “Enough talking? What, did you actually plan on studying?”

 

“Yeah, after you’re gone,” she said, pressing further forward. “I have something else much more fun in mind right now.”

 

In the end, he had to agree that kissing her against the bookshelf was a lot more enjoyable that whatever studying they could be doing. Unfortunately, he lost track of time slightly and was just a little late for meeting Eren at their dorm – but only for a few moments because he decided to sprint there. Annie was completely fine with putting Lady Chatterly’s Lover back in its correct place by herself.

 

When he pushed open the door to his dorm and stumbled inside, Eren’s eyebrows were furrowed.

 

“What the hell were you doing?” asked Eren. “I was about to call you.”

 

Armin’s chest was heaving.

 

“Sorry,” he said between breaths. “I lost track of time in the library.”

 

Eren’s eyebrows pinched together somehow even further. “Didn’t realise studying could be that distracting.”

 

Studying wasn’t that distracting, but Annie definitely was.

 

Armin cleared his throat, his breath starting to even out. “Yeah, well, uh … I was listening to music and stuff and started a reading and when I finished, I was just … late.”

 

Eren paused for a moment but then he nodded. “It’s fine, man. Let’s just head out to the parking lot. Jean and Connie are probably already waiting by his car.”

 

Armin nodded and dropped his bag before following Eren out of their dorm room and towards the parking lot.

 

Eren turned out to be right – Jean and Connie were already waiting for them at Jean’s car. Armin was relieved that the sight of Jean had long since stopped coming with that tense fear in his chest. It would certainly make living with him much easier.

 

At first, Armin had been nervous about it – Jean had been an asshole, after all. But after talking to Eren more about it in the time since it had first come up and even discussing the living arrangements with Jean and Connie, a weight had practically been lifted off of his shoulders. Connie had mentioned that in spite of their past that Jean was a fairly good roommate – and Armin was more than willing to give him a chance.

 

Anyway, after rooming with Eren for a year, he had to say that he couldn’t imagine that things could really get worse than that.

 

“Sorry for being a little late,” said Eren. “Armin here was studying hard in the library.”

 

Jean’s eyebrows furrowed. “This early?”

 

Armin shrugged. “Yeah.”

 

“Dude,” said Connie. “You need to relax a little.”

 

“I’m relaxed enough,” said Armin, opening the back door of Jean’s car and climbing in.

 

“Yeah, sure,” said Eren as he slipped into the back seat beside him. “You’re at the library nearly every day now. Seems really relaxed.”

 

Armin nearly visibly shrank. “It’s exam season.”

 

“I don’t know if  I’ve even stepped foot in the library,” said Connie.

 

Jean started the engine. “Yeah, and that’s why you’re lucky you’re passing any of your classes.”

 

“Hey!” said Connie. “I’m passing them, at least! And I have to study, at least, Mr Artist Man.”

 

“I still study,” said Jean.

 

“You paint.”

 

“I write essays, too.”

 

“Not as many as me!”

 

“Mine are still better.”

 

“Well, duh. They’re art essays.”

 

“It isn’t that easy, Connie. You couldn’t do it.”

 

“Sure I could!”

 

Jean didn’t say anything else on the topic, but Armin didn’t miss the way Jean shook his head and sighed.

 

“Anyway, Armin,” he said.

 

Armin straightened in his seat. “Uh, yeah?”

 

“I thought you would have asked Marco to study with you,” he said. “Isn’t he like your study buddy or something?”

 

Armin didn’t miss the hidden meaning in his words. He was asking about what reason he would have to go without Marco. He studied politics, after all; it was about as heavy, if not heavier, on the written workload.

 

“Well …” said Armin with a slight sigh. “I ask him sometimes. But I figure he has more interesting things to do than to go to the library with me.”

 

Jean paused for a second before Eren interrupted.

 

“Aren’t you supposed to be the more interesting thing he’s doing, Jean?” he asked with a grin. “Maybe you should thank Armin for not asking so much.”

 

“Shut up, Yeager,” said Jean. “I’m surprised you don’t go to the library with Armin, considering it must be hard for you to part from him for that long.”

 

“Hey! It’s not hard at all!”

 

“I’m surprised you aren’t trying to hold his hand back there,” said Jean, humour in his voice. “Hey, Armin – if he gives you any trouble, let me know. We can leave him by the side of the road.”

 

Connie choked out a laugh and Armin smiled. “Uh, sure, Jean.”

 

Eren frowned. “You guys are not leaving me by the side of the road. Do you know how expensive Ubers are?”

 

“Unfortunately,” said Connie. “My truck is rotting in the parking lot.”

 

“I said I’d give you rides whenever you want,” said Jean.

 

“Yeah, but sometimes you’re busy.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Didn’t you total that thing, Connie?”

 

Connie sighed. “Don’t remind me. I think I should just sell her for scraps but I don’t really know how to do that. Especially not from a campus parking lot.”

 

An idea sparked in Armin’s mind. “I mean … if you call a shop, they’ll just pick it up and tow it for you. But if you want to sell the parts separately yourself, I mean … I think I know a place where you could keep it. And I’d probably be able to help you sell the parts.”

 

“You can?”

 

“Well, I can definitely help sell the parts,” said Armin. “But, uh, the place … I’d have to talk to someone. But … it might not be worth it to pay for it to get towed there.”

 

“I mean, it’s not completely totalled,” said Connie. “It isn’t safe. But she might have one last trip in her.”

 

Eren nudged him. “Where the hell can you keep a truck?”

 

Armin shrugged. “Uh … I just might … know a place.”

 

Eren’s eyebrows furrowed. “Where?”

 

“I don’t know if they’ll agree,” he said. “But Reiner, Bert and Annie rent this place for practice. It’s pretty out of the way and there’s a whole lot of parking space around it.” Then, he added, “I don’t know if they’ll say yes, though.”

 

“Reiner owns it?” asked Connie. “Oh, no problem. Reiner loves me.”

 

“Well … Annie technically owns it,” he said.

 

“Annie owns it?” asked Eren.

 

“Well …” he said weakly. “Maybe her dad does? I think it’s in her name, though.”

 

“Oh,” said Eren, his face settling into a smirk. “Well, if Annie owns it, I think you’ll be just fine, Connie. As long as Armin asks her.”

 

Armin felt his face heat up, but he managed a frown. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

“Nothing,” said Eren, leaning back in his seat. “Nothing at all.”

 

Armin looked at him for a moment before turning back. “I’ll ask her later, Connie. But I don’t see why she’d say no.”

 

“Thanks, man,” said Connie.

 

Armin smiled. “No problem.”

 

It was Jean’s voice that shocked him.

 

“Annie’s nicer than she seems, anyway,” said Jean. “I doubt she’ll have a problem.”

 

Connie nodded. “Hey, Jean. That’s something you and Annie have in common.”

 

Armin could practically hear the frown in Jean’s voice. “What the hell do you mean by that?”

 

“You’re nicer than you seem.”

 

“Oh, thanks, Connie.”

 

“Hey,” interrupted Eren. “I disagree. Jean is so much worse than he seems.”

 

Connie’s laughter burst out deep from his chest, loud and contagious, and as Eren and Jean started bickering with one another, a smile rose to Armin’s lips.

 

Living with those three wouldn’t be so bad.

 

The only downside about the entire car ride was that Armin had hoped to work more on the playlist Annie had asked him to make for her. He’d been adding songs every day, and removing some he’d added days prior, and he found that he just wasn’t quite happy with how it was turning out. It was starting to get too long, but he thought that maybe she might like that – it was for her to listen to casually while she was driving, so she could just shuffle the playlist each time she got into the car and end up with a different handful of songs. If she even liked any of them – Armin wasn’t sure she would and he was worrying about it far too much.

 

So maybe it was for the best that he couldn’t work on it in the car. He knew he should just be cooler about it all, but cool wasn’t exactly something he did. He was relieved that Annie hadn’t asked about it since but the more time that went by, the better he wanted it to be. He supposed to would just have to sit down one evening when Eren wasn’t around and finally finish it.

 

All thoughts of that playlist slipped out of his head when Jean’s car came to a halt at the apartment complex they had a viewing at – Eren turned to him with a grin and slapped him on the shoulder. Armin rolled his eyes and smiled, before unclicking his seatbelt and following the others out of the car.

 

Jean had organised the viewing, so he did most of the talking which left the three of them to look around the place. Armin was careful, maybe more than he should have been, but he wanted to be as certain as he could that there wasn’t any clear major problems. Although, he’d walked past Jean with a list of questions in his hand so he was relieved to see that he wasn’t the only one that had considered that.

 

After Armin came up with no clear major issues, he let his shoulders sink in relief. The bedrooms were basically all the same size, although there was one slightly larger one and one slightly smaller one. He could see Jean and Eren arguing over the largest one and he could very much see himself getting the smallest.

 

But the more Armin lingered in the small room, taking pictures to send to Annie, he couldn’t help but hope that he would get this room. It was furthest away from the kitchen and living room and like all of the other rooms, the furniture was fitted. But for some reason, this room looked the cosiest – the bed was snuggly fit in the corner and was certainly big enough for two. It faced the large fitted unit which led into the desk fitted next to it – he could probably get a cheap second hand TV to connect to his laptop so he and Annie could have movie nights in here. Maybe he could get some cool coloured lights and even some plants to make it more his own. Annie would probably like that.

 

His phone dinged at that exact moment.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Guessing you got the smallest room?

 

Armin snorted.

 

ME

I want the smallest room

Furthest away from the living room

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Definitely take that one

 

ME

I will :)

I think you’ll like it

You can come over whenever

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Duh

 

Armin smiled at his phone. But then, it slipped slightly when a new message buzzed through.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

We’d probably get more privacy at my place though

 

More privacy.

 

At her place.

 

More.

 

Privacy.

 

Okay, so she probably just meant they wouldn’t be disturbed that much. It made more sense that they would end up being alone more at her place considering she’d be living with one other person instead of three, even though Hitch’s energy could really rival that of three people. But that would made his face flush.

 

He was worrying about it too much. He’d started worrying about it more recently and he wasn’t quite sure why.

 

It wasn’t like he and Annie were doing anything. But he’d be a damned idiot if he couldn’t see the way she was growing more comfortable with intimacy with him. It wasn’t particularly physical stuff; they kissed the same way they always did and he had no complaints about that. He loved kissing her. He’d come to love their rushed kisses on the top floor of the library and he adored their make-outs in the back of her car. That had all stayed the same, for the most part – no, it was much sweeter things.

 

She would reach to hold his hand first or sometimes she would absentmindedly talk to him about their relationship. Or like earlier when she peppered kisses on his cheek when that was such a sweet thing that he doubted she would have been able to do so comfortably not even that long ago. What had really started the worrying had been when she had called him her boyfriend two days ago.

 

He was relieved she was making those strides. Even if it had nothing to do with him, he’d have been happy for her. But now that she was growing more comfortable with that, other thoughts had bloomed in his mind. Was she comfortable enough for those things? Would she ask him? He would like to do those things with her; of course he would. The things they had done when they were friends were still fun, regardless of how those things had ended at the time. But it was uncharted territory and Annie was an expert compared to him – and he was starting to worry about disappointing her.

 

It was an absent thought, usually clouded by a little bit of excitement when was gasping a little harder than usual when they were kissing, but it was there, all the same. He knew it was something that could be solved by just talking to her, but he didn’t want to bring it up right now in case it wasn’t something she had considered so much yet. The last thing he wanted to do was make her any more uncomfortable than her own worries could.

 

“You okay, dude?”

 

Armin nearly jumped out of his skin.

 

Eren was leaning in the doorway, one eyebrow raised. “You’re acting weird.”

 

“Oh, sorry, I just sort of zoned out,” said Armin, pushing a small smile onto his face. “I really like this place.”

 

Eren paused for a moment before he smiled back. It was always a relief to find that he was never as persistent as Mikasa.

 

“It’s great, isn’t it?” said Eren. “Jean’s still talking stuff through with the guy, but it sounds promising.” Then, he added, “Have you called dibs on this room?”

 

Armin glanced away to look over the room again. “Yeah. I think I like it. I could really see myself in here.”

 

Eren grinned. “Yeah, you really could. You could make it like one of those artsy-nerdy rooms. Chicks dig that.”

 

Armin frowned. “I’m not sure if it’s true.”

 

He shrugged, but he was still grinning. “We can have a huge housewarming when we move in next semester, invite anyone we want! Then,” he added suggestively, “You could show Annie your room.”

 

Ah.

 

Of course.

 

Armin sighed. “Eren.”

 

“She seems like the kind of chick who would dig your room,” he said. “Like a chick-magnet sort of room, but, you know – just for that chick specifically.”

 

Armin’s frown somehow deepened. “Eren. I really doubt this room will do anything for her.” Then, he added, “And we’re just friends.”

 

“For now,” he said. “But if you set the mood right …”

 

Under different circumstances, his face might have burned red. But the embarrassment didn’t hit him like it used to – not now that he was dating Annie.

 

Not that Eren knew that, anyway.

 

Armin sighed. “Eren.”

 

Eren threw his hands up. “Fine, fine. But just warning you – I am not sharing a wall with you. Just in case. I never want to hear Annie making those –”

 

Now his face erupted into flames. “Holy shit, Eren – don’t.”

 

“Sorry!” said Eren, backing out of the room.

 

“I won’t – I …” Armin sighed, running a hand over his face. “Annie will not be making those noises in here because we’re just friends!”

 

“Okay!” said Eren. “I’m sorry! It’s just – seeing you two like that was bad enough, and –”

 

“Friends, Eren. It’s not happening again,” said Armin. Then, he added, “And I’m not sharing a wall with you, either. Not after what you and Mikasa have done.”

 

Instead of getting embarrassed, Eren grinned.

 

“Oh my God,” groaned Armin. “Get out. Let’s see what Jean’s talking about.”

 

Eren finally relented and Armin followed him out of the room. When they met up with Jean talking to the landlord, Connie was standing beside him, nodding along, although Armin suspected he was understanding a lot less about the conversation than he was letting on. Fortunately, Jean clearly understood he and Eren quickly caught up.

 

After Jean had finally finished all of his questioning and Armin asked his own questions, Connie and Eren’s feelings on the place, the matter was settled – they had found somewhere to live.

 

Although, that didn’t stop Eren and Jean bickering about who would get the biggest room.

 

But Armin managed to tune them out on the ride back to campus, opening up his phone to see that message from Annie he hadn’t answered. He decided to just skip past it.

 

ME

Sorry for taking a while to answer

Everyone’s happy with the place

 

Her message buzzed through only a second later.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Cool

Are you getting the room you wanted?

 

ME

It looks like it :)

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Good <3

Tell me all about it when you get here

Hurry up <3

 

Armin smiled at his phone.

 

ME

I’ll tell Jean to drive faster <3

 

By the time they’d gotten back to campus, their minds had been made up – Eren would be getting the bigger room, but only because Jean “couldn’t be bothered with his whining.” Eren wasn’t that offended but probably only because he’d gotten the biggest room out of it.

 

It was a relief that Connie’s car problem had come up in conversation since that gave him a good excuse to tell Eren that he was heading over to Annie’s dorm to ask her about it. Eren had clearly run out of funny comments to try and tease him with and simply waved him off with a smile.

 

When Annie opened her dorm room door, she was in the same outfit she had been earlier, but she’d taken her earrings out, leaving only her nose piercing in. Her hair was pinned back behind her head and her feet were shoeless, but she was wearing white socks with pink hearts on them.

 

His eyes drifted down to her feet. “When did you get those?”

 

She stepped aside. “When I got your gift in town.”

 

His eyes raised to hers after she clicked the door shut behind them. “Is pink your favourite colour or something?”

 

Annie folded her arms. “I like a lot of colours.”

 

“Really?” he asked. “Because you mostly just wear black.”

 

“Key word there,” she said. “Mostly.”

 

He smiled a little. “Okay.”

 

Annie sighed and pushed past him, settling down on her bed. Armin was only a few steps behind her.

 

“From your texts, I’m guessing the viewing went well?” she asked.

 

“Yeah,” he said. “But Eren and Jean were arguing over who got the biggest room all the way back to campus.”

 

Annie snorted. “Of course they were. Guessing Eren won?”

 

“Yeah,” he said with a little smile. “Easily.”

 

She scoffed. “Figured.”

 

His hand reached over then to cup her cheek. Her eyebrows raised as she looked at him but he didn’t give her a chance to ask a question – he just leaned in and pressed his mouth to hers.

 

It was just a brief thing but she responded softly. He smiled at her when he pulled away and she pouted, maybe a little too comically.

 

“What was that for?” she asked.

 

“I just wanted to,” he said. Then, he added, “Oh, I have a favour to ask, by the way.”

 

Annie smirked. “Was the kiss payment?”

 

He frowned. “No.”

 

Her smirk widened and she gently grasped his wrist to pull his hand away from her face. As soon as it was resting on the bed, she interlaced their fingers and his frown softened into a smile.

 

“Go on,” she said with a little sigh. “What’s the favour?”

 

He ran his thumb over the side of her finger. “Remember how Connie’s car is basically totalled?”

 

“It’s hard to forget,” she said. “Considering it’s taking up space in the parking lot.”

 

“Well, he doesn’t think it’s completely totalled,” he said. “So I offered to help him sell it for parts but, well …”

 

“You can’t do that from the parking lot,” she finished for him.

 

“Yeah,” he said. “Exactly.”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “What are you trying to ask me?”

 

Armin glanced down to their hands between them, still continuing his slight, soothing motions. “I was wondering if … well, if it was okay with you and Bert and Reiner … if he could just keep it at your place? Like, where you practice.” Then, he added, hurriedly, “I wouldn’t interfere with your practice or anything. I’d work on it when you aren’t around.”

 

“Armin,” she said gently. “It’s fine.”

 

His shoulders sank in relief. “Thank you.”

 

“It’s fine.” But then, her eyebrows pinched together. “Armin, do you even have the equipment to take a car apart?”

 

“Oh,” he said dumbly. “Actually … well …”

 

Annie snorted. “Aren’t you lucky you date me? That place used to be an actual garage, you know. They left a shit ton of equipment in the back part.”

 

His eyebrows drew together. “There’s a back part.”

 

Annie let out a huff of laughter. “You’re very observant.”

 

He pouted. “I had other things on my mind.”

 

“Did you?” she asked.

 

He didn’t miss the suggestion in her tone. She shouldn’t tease him so much – it still made his cheeks turn pink.

 

“I was thinking,” he said deliberately, “about your band practice.”

 

Annie hummed like she didn’t quite believe him.

 

“I was,” he insisted.

 

“Whatever you say,” she said, but then she squeezed his hand. “And it’s fine – Connie can keep it there. Reiner and Bert won’t care. It’s just our cars that are parked there, anyway.”

 

“Thank you,” he said lightly.

 

Annie shrugged. “That’s fine. I’ll message him later.” Then, she added, “I’ve got something more important than that, anyway.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows raised and he hummed. “Yeah?”

 

Annie nodded. “Keep your eyes closed, though.”

 

He smiled a little before he relented. “Okay. My eyes are very much closed.”

 

“Good,” she said.

 

Armin listened to the shift of the mattress as she rose to her feet, ignoring the way his heart was starting to race just from hearing her pull open a drawer. He was far too attentive to the sound of her footsteps as they approached him and then, she cleared her throat.

 

“Okay,” said Annie. “You can open them now.”

 

Armin let his eyes flutter open.

 

His vision was immediately assaulted by an array of colour and there was a split second of confusion before his mind caught up with what she was holding. It was a cardigan, similar in shape to the one she’d borrowed, but instead of green and black, half of it was a deep, almost burgundy-red, while the other half had a green and yellow geometric pattern, like an assortment of cubes piled on top of one another.

 

It was a cardigan design to look like Giyu Tomioka’s kimono from Demon Slayer.

 

“I know your other one is a little cooler,” she admitted. “But I saw this and I just thought … well, I don’t know. It would be cool for you to have.”

 

Armin’s mouth was hanging open, a little bit like a fish out of water.

 

She lowered her arms. “Uh … I know the pattern is a little all over the place, but … I recognised it from that show you like, and I just thought … I don’t know …”

 

Armin jumped to his feet, making Annie take a slight step backwards.

 

“Annie,” he managed. “This thing is amazing.”

 

Her eyebrows raised. “You really think so?”

 

“Yeah,” he said, reaching forward to run his hands over the fabric. It was just as soft as the other one. “This is so cool. Thank you.”

 

Her face softened. “Will you try it on?”

 

His eyebrows raised. “You want to see it?”

 

“Well, I did buy it for you to wear,” she said. Then, she added, more playfully, “I might even consider giving you your other cardigan back if you do.”

 

A smile rose to his lips. “Are you holding it hostage now?”

 

“A little bit,” she admitted with a tiny smile. “Here. Put it on.”

 

He was just wearing his black Maki Zenin shirt, but Armin thought it looked fine enough together. The cardigan was soft on his skin and maybe he was just a little bit more excited about it than he should have been.

 

Annie stepped back. “Yeah. That’s really cool.”

 

“It’s so cool, right?” he said.

 

Annie smiled. “You really like it that much?”

 

He nodded. “Yeah, this is awesome. Thank you so much.”

 

Annie shrugged. “It wasn’t like it was an entirely selfless gift, anyway.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

 

Annie smiled a little bit and stepped back towards the door. She’d left her key in the lock and she twisted it – she mustn’t have locked it earlier. His heart skipped a little at the slight clicking sound it made.

 

“I think you look cute in cardigans,” she admitted.

 

“Oh,” he said. “Uh … you do?”

 

Annie nodded and stepped towards him. His pulse quickened.

 

“Yeah,” she said. “Very much so.”

 

“Uh …” Armin cleared his throat. “That’s … I … like that.”

 

Annie’s lips spread into a smile as she reached him. “You do?”

 

He nodded and swallowed, his throat suddenly gone a little dry. “I do.”

 

Her hands settled on his chest over the buttons of his cardigan. He was a little relieved for the extra layer – maybe it would have softened the racing of his heartbeat beneath her fingertips.

 

“More than cute,” she said gently. “Hot, really. If we’re being honest.”

 

Armin swallowed. “What, do you have a thing for nerds in cardigans?”

 

Annie smirked. “I think I might.”

 

Her hand pressed against him with more force and he followed her guidance, settling himself down onto the bed, still keep her eye. Annie didn’t waste any time and climbed into his lap, placing a knee on either side of him and cupping his cheeks.

 

When he glanced up at her, he had that urge to say something – something that was difficult to put into words. She was a wonder. Lovelier than any flower he would ever see and more of a force than a hurricane. His heart could burst just thinking about her. How could he put that into words? How could he put the way she thrilled him, the way she made his heart warm and feel more at peace than it had ever felt?

 

It hit him, then, what it really was. It was painfully obvious.

 

He was falling in love with her, if he hadn’t already completely fallen. He suspected he might have but he didn’t have much of a chance to think about it, because then her mouth was against his.

 

Her kiss was soft at first, but just as intoxicating as she always was when they were close like this. He moved one of his hands to cup her hip, following her lips as she leaned further into him. Annie dropped one of her hands over his as she kissed him and gently guided it upwards, pushing beneath the side of her shirt to rest on her ribs, his thumb a little too close to the bottom of her breast.

 

When Annie was content with the positioning of his hand, she moved her hand back to his face and kissed him with a little more fervour while Armin did his best to keep up with where exactly she had put his hand.

 

Okay. Okay. It wasn’t a big deal. They’d done worse. They’d done so, so much worse.

 

But she’d never put his hand so high before, not since they’d officially started dating, at least. And the way she’d placed it – did she want him to move his hand higher himself? Or did she only want to make a show of it – move his hand a little higher than normal to show him she was getting more comfortable? Maybe she didn’t really mean to push his hand so high that his thumb was against the thin fabric of what he was starting to suspect was just pure lace with no padding (which only made things worse), but he was too worried to move his hand in case it hadn’t been a complete misjudgement.

 

He considered asking her, but Annie didn’t seem in any rush to end their make-out session to have a conversation. Well, it wasn’t like he was really in a rush, either – maybe a quick five second break to ask her what she wanted would be a good idea and then just to get straight back to it, but he wasn’t sure how well that would go.

 

Armin gasped when she sucked on his bottom lip and he practically felt her smirk against his lips before she started kissing him again.

 

Okay. Okay. This must have been on purpose.

 

Armin pulled away from her, his breathing a little more strained. She was in a similar state.

 

“Annie,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “What – is this … um …”

 

Annie was looking at him expectantly.

 

He sighed. “You know like – where you put my hand, right?”

 

Her eyebrows drew together, less confused but more sad, and he felt his heart sink.

 

“Should I not have put it there?” she asked. “Is it too high?”

 

“I – no, I mean, well, it’s just …” Armin sighed. “Do you want it higher or lower?”

 

Annie blinked. “I want it there.”

 

His face flushed. “Right there?”

 

“Yeah,” she said plainly. “That’s why I put it there.”

 

Oh, he was really making a fool of himself now. But for some reason, he couldn’t stop talking.

 

“You know that I’m …” Armin cleared his throat. “Well, you know … my thumb is … sort of …”

 

“On one of my breasts?” she asked.

 

“Yeah,” he managed weakly.

 

“Yeah,” she said. “Uh … it’s barely touching, though.”

 

“I-I know,” he said. “I didn’t really you … realised …”

 

“I did,” she said. Her eyebrows pinched together again, and she added, “Is it making you uncomfortable?”

 

“N-no,” he said, shaking his head. “I just … I didn’t know if you … knew.”

 

Somehow, her brow furrowed even further. “Armin? You’re being a little awkward. Are you sure you’re okay?”

 

He nodded. “Yeah. I was just … I was worried. I didn’t want to … cross a line.”

 

Annie arched an eyebrow at him. “It’s not crossing a line when I put your hand there.”

 

“I know,” he said. “I just …”

 

“You just …?”

 

She was looking at him expectantly again and he had to swallow past the dryness in his mouth. Maybe he should have brought up his worries then and there. It would be an easy way to get into the topic especially considering he wasn’t sure that it could get any more awkward than how awkward he had just made it right then and there.

 

But Armin wasn’t sure he could stand to make it any worse and really, really just wanted to keep kissing her.

 

“It’s nothing,” he said. “Uh, sorry. I’ll stop being so … awkward.”

 

Annie let out a huff of laughter and smiled. “It’s okay. You’re awkward a lot. It’s a little endearing.”

 

His heart softened. “That’s … good.”

 

She snorted. “Can we keep kissing? I don’t know how long we’re going to have in here before Hitch comes back and I’d really like to make the most of it.”

 

He nodded a little too enthusiastically. “Yeah. That’s good.”

 

Annie hummed and leaned forward, capturing his lips in hers again.

 

Okay. Yeah. He was worrying too much.

 

Annie moved to caress his tongue with hers and he made a small noise against her mouth. He kissed her back with as much sweetness as he thought she wanted, keeping his hand firmly in place where she’d placed it. He allowed himself to tighten his grip, only with his fingers on her side, and she made a tiny contented noise against his mouth. That made him feel better about keeping his hand there and his worries slowly faded the longer she kissed him.

 

Her mouth was so lovely and when she seemed to kiss him faster, with a tiny bit more intensity, he kissed her back in the same way. The way her lips moved over his now was making heat race through his body but he was getting a little bit too lost in her to really care. And Annie seemed more than fine with what was going on – she was making little noises against him as he took a little more control of the kiss, massaging her tongue with his, and those sounds were making his head spin.

 

She pulled back only a little bit then, their warm breath mingling in the tiny space between them. Her eyes seemed dark in a way that made him tense in the nicest of ways.

 

“Annie?” he said quietly.

 

She hummed, her voice full of a questioning lilt.

 

His voice was barely above a whisper. “What are you thinking?”

 

A small smirk spread over her lips and his heart skipped. “Nothing too bad. Just …”

 

She trailed off and Armin didn’t try to fill the silence for her. Instead, she leaned forward and kissed him again, the first one very soft, and then the next one erupted in intensity.

 

He made a noise against her, but he soon caught up. Her lips were hot now and had a desperation she hadn’t shown today and for a moment, as their hot kisses grew more rough and eager, he debated if he should just grab her hips and flip them over, holding her down on the bed as he kissed her. The thought excited him too much and he let out a noise against her lips that he wasn’t entirely proud of but Annie seemed pleased with it because she hummed against his mouth.

 

No, no. He couldn’t do that. He didn’t want to surprise her like that and ruin the moment. This, her kissing him like this on his lap, was more than enough, anyway.

 

She leaned back suddenly, pushing his hands off of her, before her own hands trailed to  the hem of her shirt.

 

His heart stuttered and she froze, eyebrows drawing together.

 

“Is this okay?” she asked.

 

He opened his mouth to speak but nothing seemed to leave his lips save for a tiny, choked, “Uh.”

 

Armin’s face warmed and he cleared his throat. “Yeah, yeah, that’s okay.” Then, he added, “Are you … comfortable with that?”

 

She nodded. Her face softened. “Just no real … touching.”

 

He nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

 

“But …” Annie sighed, clenching her eyes shut. “It’s … hard to say.”

 

“I know,” he said gently. “But you can say anything to me, Annie.”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed but she still didn’t open her eyes. She sighed again, dropping her hands and bringing them up to cover her face.

 

“I’m embarrassed,” she mumbled into her hands.

 

He couldn’t help it – he smiled a little bit. Annie often took him by surprise, but usually not like this. He’d long since realised that she’d feigned confidence and let herself be led by urges when they were faking things, but now that she was trying to open herself up to him, she was showing him that more insecure side. He didn’t like her being insecure but he liked that she was opening up.

 

“Hey,” he said softly. “It’s okay, Annie.”

 

She made a muffled noise before she sighed once more and dropped her hands. This time, she managed to open her eyes and the sight of them made his heart stumble. They were so pretty – he’d never tire of looking at them.

 

“I like the feeling of your hands on …” Annie cleared her throat and dropped his gaze. “On my back and uh … just … on my skin. Not in a … sexual way, but just … on my waist and my sides and …”

 

There were a million things he should have said then, but for some reason, all that spilled out was, “Oh.”

 

Her eyebrows raised. Her cheeks were pink in such a sweet way that it nearly made his heart ache.

 

“Oh?” she asked.

 

He blinked and cleared his throat. “No, I mean … I mean, that’s fine. You don’t have to be embarrassed about that.”

 

But he could see the hesitation on her face.

 

“Annie,” he said gently. “It’s fine with me. I … I like doing that, too.”

 

Her face softened. “Okay,” she said quietly.

 

Her hands reached down to the hem of her shirt again and this time she pulled it off in one swift movement, tossing it to the ground behind her.

 

Armin’s breath caught in his throat. Oh.

 

Oh.

 

He wasn’t quite sure what kind of bra she was wearing. Was it a bralette? Well, he supposed the details didn’t matter. What mattered was that the fabric was a thin lilac, dotted with pretty blue and purple butterflies, and it was so cute that he was a little surprised it was something Annie would pick out for herself. But mostly what he was focused on was the fact that the material was sheer, and save for the small butterflies, he could see all of her breasts – especially her nipples, pert and hard, and the sight made his entire mouth turn dry.

 

His face must have been red but he moved his gaze back up to hers. She was insecure about what she’d asked – staring wouldn’t make things better.

 

His voice was low and measured, and he hoped she didn’t notice anything else in his tone. “You’re beautiful.”

 

The corners of her lips tilted upwards slightly. “Thanks. Will you kiss me now?”

 

His smile was warm. There she was.

 

Armin leaned forward and pressed his mouth against hers again, leaning forward and letting both of his hands trail up her bare sides. It seemed to be exactly what Annie wanted – she let out a contented sigh against his mouth and pressed against him with a little more force, enough to send a thrill of excitement through him. He was relieved that Annie had stopped teasing him so much for that obvious excitement that usually ended up pressed against her thigh; it made moments like this much easier to get lost in.

 

Annie’s own hands moved around to tangle in his hair and he made a soft noise against her lips. Her skin was soft beneath his touch, almost as soft as her lips, and he enjoyed running his fingers over her about as much as she did. He let his hands journey around to her waist, making sure to keep enough pressure to stop from making her jerk (she’d admitted to him that she was a tiny bit ticklish, which he hadn’t wanted to risk pushing).

 

When she pressed against him even more, he tighten his grip on her, letting his arms move to the bare skin of her back, pulling another one of those contented noises from her lips. She pulled away from his lips by a millimetre then but only to bite down gently on his bottom lip, which never failed to make him gasp. When the pleased smirk spread across her mouth, he leaned forward and kissed her hard, hard enough to illicit a small noise of surprise from her.

 

He kissed her maybe with more passion that he should have, but he wanted to. He wanted to kiss her in a way that made her chest heave, in a way that made small noises of pleasure leave her mouth, and that’s exactly what he did. After a while, her grip in his hair was maybe a little too tight, and maybe his hands were pressing against her skin a bit too hard to disguise the way they were trembling, and they were definitely breathing too heavy, too excitedly, but Armin couldn’t say he was in a rush to stop.

 

But they broke apart instantly when they heard the door handle rattle loudly followed by a harsh, frustrated groan afterwards.

 

“Annie!” yelled Hitch from behind the door. “Please, please take your stupid key out of the lock! I really, really need to pee!”

 

Annie looked at him, terrified, and he was sure he looked back at her in the same way. Then, she said, hurriedly and hushed, “Get under my bed.”

 

His eyes widened. “Under your bed?” he hissed.

 

“Just – for now,” she said, pulling off of him and grabbing her shirt from the ground.

 

Hitch groaned from behind the door. “I swear if you have your headphones in I will kill you!”

 

“Just a minute!” called Annie, straightening her shirt.

 

She turned to Armin and looked at him with such a pleading expression that it made his heart ache. How could he say no to that?

 

So, quickly, he dropped to the ground and, probably in the lowest moment of his life, he crawled beneath her bed and tucked himself into the corner.

 

He heard Annie’s hurried footsteps and the turning of the lock, followed by the very loud sound of Hitch’s sigh of relief.

 

“Thank God,” said Hitch, dropping her bag to the floor and scurrying past her. “I was really worried I was going to piss myself.”

 

He heard the bathroom door slam shut and in that second, he decided to make his escape. Annie had realised it, too, because when he very elegantly crawled out from under the bed, she was there to help him to his feet.

 

“Sorry,” she whispered. “Just one more thing.”

 

She ran to her set of drawers and reached into the top before pulling out a green and black cardigan.

 

Oh, right. His cardigan she promised to give him.

 

His heart softened and he smiled. “Thank you,” he whispered.

 

Annie leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his, short and sweet – it was far more innocent than their kisses had been leading up to this.

 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’ll make it up to you.”

 

“It’s okay,” he said quietly.

 

They were interrupted by the sound of the toilet flushing, loud and intruding, and Armin decided it would be best to hurry out of the room as fast as possible. He managed to steal a quick peck on her mouth again before he disappeared through the door.

 

He only let himself let out a breath when he realised there was no one around in the hallway to be seen.

 

Well. Maybe the secret section of the library was fine for making out but, at least for now, their dorms seemed to be very much off limits. At least if he didn’t want to hide under Annie’s bed again – he wasn’t sure his pride would be able to take a second time.

 

He tucked his cardigan close to his chest and made his way back to his room. It took him a few more tense moments to find the humour in the situation and he let himself smile at the ridiculousness of it all. A part of him wondered if Annie would be smiling to herself about it too.

 

But then his phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his back pocket.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

I’m so sorry about that

I really really didn’t know what to do

 

Armin smiled.

 

ME

It’s okay  :)

Maybe we should save kissing for the library?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Yeah

Or my garage

 

His smile widened.

 

ME

Are you going to serenade me there?

 

Armin felt his chest warm when he glanced down at the message that came through to him only a few moments later.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

You’d be so lucky

Notes:

Hello all :) I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, even if it wasn't as hectic as the usual ones. I promise chapter 21 will have some events you'll be very happy with.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you next time <3

Chapter 21: a real first

A big problem that arose from secretly dating Annie was that most of their plans to spend time together were made over text. Not only that, but they texted each other a lot – it had never exactly been abnormal for Armin to be spotted on his phone, so his friends stayed none the wiser. However, he spent even more time on his phone now, especially when he was walking from building to building across campus.

 

So, with his head tucked down as he typed out a message to Annie, he didn’t catch sight of Sasha at all until he had already walked into her.

 

Maybe it wouldn’t have been so mortifying if Sasha had actually been walking towards him, too. Or maybe if she hadn’t had his back to him so she could have put some sort of fight against the sudden weight of his body knocking into hers. Unfortunately, none of those things happened – the only relief was that when Armin took Sasha down in the middle of her conversation with Connie, they at least landed on a pile on the grass rather than the hard concrete not too far away from them.

 

“Dude, did you just tackle me?” she groaned.

 

Armin scrambled off of her and held a hand out. “I’m sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

 

Sasha took his hand. “You can say that again.”

 

“You shouldn’t look at your phone so much when you’re walking,” said Connie seriously. “My cousin did that and accidently got hit by a kid on heelies going at full speed. He ended up in the ER.”

 

“Connie’s missing the part where he tells you that he was actually the kid on heelies,” said Sasha.

 

Connie frowned. “Hey! Of course I didn’t mention it. I’m still pretty shaken up about it.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Uh … how long ago did that happened?”

 

Connie sighed. “Last summer.”

 

Armin wished he was surprised by the fact that Connie owned a pair of heelies at his age, but he couldn’t say he was. His only hope was that there wouldn’t be any heelie-related accidents when they lived together next semester.

 

“He was fine,” said Sasha. “You should stop wearing heelies.”

 

“I don’t use them as often now,” said Connie. “Brings back bad memories, you know?”

 

Armin’s eyebrows drew together. “Yeah … I understand.”

 

“He’s fine,” said Sasha, waving him off. “I actually wanted to talk to you, so it’s a good thing you took me out.”

 

His pulse quickened. “About what?”

 

“Niccolo’s opening a restaurant!” she said.

 

His eyebrows rose. “Really? I thought he worked at that buffet place.”

 

“He did,” said Sasha. “But he had a lot of money set aside and he’s been working on this thing for years and he’s finally got a place!”

 

Armin smiled. “That’s really good to hear. It’s great he’s doing so well.”

 

“That’s not the point, anyway,” she said. “He asked me to invite my friends to opening night which is in a few weeks. So, I’m asking you.”

 

His heart softened. “Really?”

 

Sasha nodded. “Yeah. So – will you come?”

 

Armin smiled gently. “Yeah, sure. It sounds great.”

 

“Good,” she said. Then, she added pointedly, “Invite Annie.”

 

Armin’s smile faltered. “Invite Annie?”

 

“Yeah,” said Sasha with a slight frown. “Aren’t you guys friends again?”

 

“Oh – yeah,” he said a little too awkwardly. “I just didn’t think …”

 

Sasha shrugged. “I like Annie. So does Connie. Right?”

 

Connie nodded. “She’s sort of scary, but she’s funny.”

 

“See?” said Sasha. “Invite her! It’ll be a nice night.”

 

After a tiny pause, Armin said, “Okay. I’ll talk to her. I don’t know why she’d say no, though, so just let me know the dates and times and stuff later?”

 

Sasha beamed. “Great.”

 

“Oh,” interrupted Connie. “By the way, uh … when can I take my truck to Annie’s place-thing?”

 

“Oh,” said Armin. “Uh … well, I can take it for you, if you’d like.”

 

Connie’s eyebrows rose. “You sure, man?”

 

“Well, I am gonna try and take it apart for you,” he said. “So, yeah, I don’t mind.”

 

“Thanks, man,” said Connie, reaching into his pocket.

 

He held out his keys to him and Armin wondered for a moment why Connie was still carrying those things around even though he wasn’t driving his truck anymore. But he didn’t question it – he just smiled and took them from his hand.

 

“I’ll take it over soon and get started,” he promised. “But I’ve got to head off now. I was on my way to the library, so …”

 

“Try not to walk into anyone else, okay?” said Sasha.

 

His face warmed. “I’ll try my best.”

 

Armin was successful in avoiding crashing into anyone else on his way to the library, but he wished he could take a chance to send a text back to Annie to let him know he was on his way. He supposed it didn’t matter too much since he was almost there, but he didn’t want to risk tackling anyone else on campus if he could manage it.

 

He managed to slip by any prying eyes up to the fourth floor and towards the back of the library, finding the usual signs that suggested that Annie was the one behind the back shelf. His whole face lit up when his eyes landed on her as he rounded the corner.

 

Annie was wearing her hair tied up, her nose and ears sparkling with her usual piercings. She was wearing a plaid yellow and black skirt that stopped about mid-thigh, with sheer black tights that had darker splotches of black stars across the fabric. To top it off, she had her usual boots and a large black T-shirt with an array of faded black and yellow flowers strewn across it.

 

“Hey,” he said gently.

 

She smiled and it made his heart hum. “Hey.”

 

Armin leaned in to kiss her as soon as he reached her. Her mouth was soft and her chapstick tasted of strawberries. She hummed against him as his hands moved to gently grip her hips, pulling her closer to him as he deepened their kiss.

 

Her fingers rose to tangle in his hair and he made a tiny noise in his throat, pushing her with a little more force against the bookshelf. He could tell she was pleased with herself because their kiss stopped for a heartbeat as a smile broke out across her mouth, but she managed to regain her composure and kiss him back with as much sweetness as he wanted.

 

Armin let his mouth trail to place soft kisses over her jaw and he was elated with the contented sigh that slipped past her mouth.

 

Her voice was a whisper when she spoke. “I didn’t expect you so soon. You didn’t text me.”

 

She shivered when he placed a kiss just below her jaw on her neck. “I was about to. I sort of … crashed into Sasha when I was texting you.”

 

Annie snorted. “Coordination doesn’t seem to be your strong suit.”

 

He smiled against her skin. “I never claimed it was.”

 

She hummed, but she didn’t argue any further. It was all the encouragement he needed to keep planting light kisses over her skin, leaving a small path down her neck that drew more soft sighs out of her lips. He lingered at the base, just next to where the neckline of her shirt appeared, before he pulled away from her.

 

“I have a request,” he said.

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Is it weird?”

 

“No,” he said. “I just picked up Connie’s keys for his truck. I said I’d drive it over to the garage for him, and I don’t know the way.”

 

“You want me to direct you?” she asked.

 

“I want to follow your car there,” he said. “Just so we can, you know … get back.”

 

She smiled a tiny bit. “Makes sense. Could we do it on Thursday night?”

 

His face twisted into a mask of confusion. “Why Thursday?”

 

She shrugged. “Bertholdt and Reiner aren’t gonna be there, that’s for sure. We can’t go over on Friday since we’re practicing for Saturday. And I thought we could hang out there … have some privacy without Hitch needing to pee.”

 

Ah. That made sense.

 

“Oh,” he said. “Yeah, sure.” Then he added, “Uh … what do you mean by … privacy?”

 

Annie raised an eyebrow at him. “Armin.”

 

“Sorry,” he squeaked. “Uh, I just … I mean …”

 

“It’s okay,” she said, letting a tiny smile rise to her mouth. “You’re usually not the type to ask so directly.”

 

“I wasn’t really thinking,” he admitted weakly.

 

She smiled and sighed, bringing her hands down to rest on his chest. “I thought we could watch a movie on my laptop and make-out. We can get food first or something. Sound good to you?”

 

He nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, that sounds great.”

 

Annie smirked at him, all hints of embarrassment gone. “Really? It seemed like you had other things on your mind.”

 

His cheeks warmed. “No! No, I just … it was the word … privacy …”

 

She was still smirking. “Head out of the gutter, Armin.”

 

His face was red now. “It wasn’t in it.”

 

“It sounded like it was,” she said, her smirk softening into a smile. “But that’s okay.”

 

She leaned forward and captured his mouth with hers and he relented, kissing her back with just as much softness. As easy as it could be to get lost in kissing Annie, he noticed the way she didn’t add anything else like she used to. There was no suggestion of the fact that she wasn’t ready yet – although that didn’t mean she was, either. They hadn’t really discussed it past her telling him what she wasn’t ready for. But Annie was better with actions, which was probably why she’d just taken her shirt off in her room last time rather than discussing it further beforehand.

 

Armin figured that she just hated talking about it all which he couldn’t blame her for. It wasn’t an easy conversation when he was new to the whole thing and she was new to the emotionally intimate side of all of it.

 

She pulled away from him suddenly.

 

“You okay?” he asked.

 

“Have you asked your friends about our gig this weekend?” she asked.

 

Oh. That.

 

“Uh … it slipped my mind,” he said.

 

Annie rolled her eyes. “Well, consider doing that soon, maybe? Mikasa likes the music, doesn’t she?”

 

“Yeah, but …” Armin sighed. “She’s still being weirdly … suspicious.”

 

Annie raised an eyebrow. “And we can’t be discreet for one night? I’ll be on the stage, not right next to you.”

 

Armin considered it a fair point. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll ask them all later. Sorry, I just had other things on my mind.”

 

“That’s fine,” she said.

 

Then, Armin remembered something else that had slipped his mind.

 

“Oh,” he said. “By the way, uh … Sasha’s invited us to a, um … a restaurant opening.”

 

Her eyes narrowed. “A restaurant opening?”

 

“Yeah,” said Armin. “You know her boyfriend? Well, apparently he’s opening a new restaurant. She wants us to come.”

 

Annie only looked more confused. “Us or you?”

 

“She asked me to invite you specifically,” he said.

 

“Huh,” said Annie. “Well, I guess. When is it?”

 

“Just in a few weeks,” he said. “I asked her to text me more about it another time so I guess I’ll just let you know.”

 

“Well,” she said with a slight smile. “I’m glad you could remember to tell me that, at least.”

 

Armin sighed, but he was still smiling. “Look, I’ll ask them soon, okay?”

 

“You’ll ask them today,” she said.

 

“I will,” he added. Then, his eyebrows furrowed and he added, “Is Hitch coming?”

 

“Of course. She never gets ID’d – you think she’d miss an opportunity to drink?” she said.

 

Armin snorted. “Maybe she should.”

 

“Oh, definitely, but she won’t,” said Annie. Then, her face softened. “Why’d you ask?”

 

His eyebrows pinched together again. “It’s just …”

 

Armin’s words trailed into nothing. He wasn’t quite sure how to express it in a way that wasn’t entirely stupid. They’d already talked a little bit about it before now and bringing it up again would just make him sound like a paranoid fool.

 

But he was paranoid. After Hitch nearly caught them, he was starting to worry she knew. Especially with how much she’d teased them about their date – even though she hadn’t quite known it was a date, but it felt like she’d genuinely suspected it even if she had just been joking at the time. And no, Hitch hadn’t seen him – but Annie had very helpfully messaged him afterwards to let him know that Hitch had noticed that she was ‘flushed’ and had asked if there was a reason she’d left her key in the door.

 

Hitch had been hinting that she’d been getting herself off and wanted some privacy – it was something Annie had clearly told him to keep him from worrying and even make him laugh, but all it did was worry him even more. They’d been too bold then so now here they were again, pressed against the bookshelves in this hidden corner of the library.

 

But Annie had read his thoughts. “She doesn’t know about us, Armin. And you aren’t going to let it slip.”

 

He sighed. “Yeah, I know. It’s just …”

 

“It’s just that you don’t know,” she said with a soft smile.

 

“I’m sorry,” he said with a wince. “I’m worrying about it too much.”

 

“It’s okay,” she said. Then, she sighed, and added, “Look, we shouldn’t have done that stuff in my room and we know that now. I’m not quite ready for Hitch to know yet considering she doesn’t stop yanking my chain now and we’re not even together. But she isn’t going to find out, okay?”

 

He nodded. “Okay.”

 

Annie’s hands snaked up his chest to cup his face.

 

She smiled. “Is there anything I can do to get rid of that stupid, worried look on your face?”

 

He let out a huff of laughter. “That depends,” he said softly. “What do you have in mind?”

 

“Oh, I think you know,” she said.

 

Then, she leaned forward and pressed her mouth against his again. In the end, he had to admit that it did stop his thoughts from racing so much on the matter.

 

They stayed like that for a while, pressed against the bookshelf in each other’s embrace, before they finally parted. Annie slipped off first, taking a more awkward route away from the back shelf, whilst Armin went to place Lady Chatterly’s Lover back into its correct place. He pushed the book back in that Annie often pulled out – the one at the far left of the same shelf. Today, it was Tropic of Cancer. Armin had read the book before and hated the thing, but now, the sight of it almost made him smile.

 

With a sigh, he stepped away and made his way back around the bookshelf to head to his dorms. But he had barely taken a few steps before he knocked into his second person of the day.

 

“Oh, sorry!” he said. Then, his eyebrows furrowed. “Oh, hey, Historia.”

 

Her nose shrivelled. “You really need to learn how to watch where you’re going.”

 

“Yeah,” he said. “Uh, sorry about that.”

 

The frustration had fled her face and now she was looking at him in a way that made him feel like fidgeting beneath her gaze. It was a kind of scrutiny that she had never looked at him with before and he hoped she wouldn’t do it again in future.

 

“Uh … is there something you need?” he asked.

 

Her face softened and she shrugged the handbag hanging from her shoulder. It was bright blue and just as garish as the rest of her outfit – she was wearing a short, blue skirt and a matching blue T-shirt with darker, scribble-style flowers strewn across it. Her sneakers were just as blue, too, and were on surprisingly thick foam platforms.

 

“Have you ever read Lady Chatterly’s Lover?” she asked.

 

His eyebrows pinched together. “Uh … no, I haven’t.”

 

“Really? I thought you might have,” she said. Then, she added, “Has Mikasa?”

 

His face grew even more confused. “Uh … I don’t know. Why do you ask?”

 

“No reason,” she said. “I was just debating getting it out. I heard it was good.”

 

“Oh,” he said. “Well, uh … most of the ones people get out just a few shelves down, over there. I mean, there’s a copy back there, too, but no one takes it out.”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Why does no one take it out?”

 

“Uh …” he trailed off.

 

Armin wasn’t quite sure if she was being serious. What happened behind those shelves was legendary; surely Historia had been around campus long enough to have heard about what goes on back there.

 

He decided to let out a huff of awkward laughter and said, “Don’t people make-out back there?”

 

“Do they?” she said. “What were you doing back there?”

 

Armin’s stomach dropped.

 

Had she seen him with Annie?

 

No, no. She would have said. Historia wasn’t the kind of girl to beat around the bush especially not when it came to those sort of things. She was clearly getting at something but it wasn’t anything to do with Annie.

 

So Armin kept a straight face and said, “I don’t know. What are you doing back here?”

 

Historia looked at him for a long time. Then, she said, “Lady Chatterly’s Lover is back here, isn’t it?”

 

“Yeah,” he said. “But you had to walk past the five copies down there to get here.”

 

She didn’t say anything for a while. They stood there at the back of the library like they were in some sort of stalemate, neither of them willing to be the one to make the next move. But finally, Historia sighed and said, “I didn’t see them.”

 

Armin didn’t quite believe her at all but he was looking forward to this conversation being over, so he just nodded.

 

“Okay,” he said. “Well, uh … they’re just a few shelves down.”

 

“Thanks,” she said and sighed again. She folded her arms over her chest and added, “Oh and by the way, I’m having an end of year party. Ymir wanted me to tell you early – she wants to get you on the keg.”

 

Armin winced. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

 

“Neither do I,” said Historia. “But it would make Ymir smile, so …”

 

His wince turned into a more permanent grimace. “I’ll consider it.”

 

“I’d think so,” she said. “Oh, and I’ll get the official invitations out soon, but just so you can prepare properly – the theme will be Heaven and Hell.”

 

He raised an eyebrow. “Heaven and Hell?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “Expect to see a lot of sexy angels and devils. The guys’ outfits will probably be terrible. I think some of the girls will be dressed like Victoria’s Secret Angels, though, so … I can’t complain there.” Before he could even think of anything to say, she added, “You’re more than welcome to dress like one, too, though. As long as you fit the theme, you can show up in a thong and a pair of Halloween wings.”

 

Armin’s face warmed. “I think I’ll pass on wearing a thong to your sorority house. But thanks.”

 

She sighed. “Suit yourself.”

 

They stood there for a moment longer in an agonising silence. Armin wasn’t quite sure what Historia was waiting for him to say; she was the type to often dismiss a conversation as soon as possible, but now she was acting beyond strange.

 

So, finally, he cleared his throat and said, “Uh, well … I better get going. I’ve got somewhere I need to be.”

 

Historia opened her mouth but she closed it nearly as soon as she did. It was strange to watch, he thought, but before he could dawdle more on her peculiar behaviour, she said, “Fine. I’ll see you around.”

 

He pushed a slight smile onto his face. “See you.”

 

Then, without another word, he stepped around her and quickly made his way out of the library.

 

Armin tried not to think about his strange interaction with Historia all the way back to the dorm. But as it turned out, it was easier than expected because other things were on his mind.

 

That stupid playlist.

 

He’d gotten to the point where he was starting to get happier with it all. He was confident on a lot of the songs, but he was debating still narrowing it down. But one thing was for certain – he would give it to her on Thursday night, no matter what. And ever since she’d bought him that cardigan, he’d been thinking of other things he could do for her. So, when Eren was out on his date with Mikasa that night, he would try and figure out some gifts to get her.

 

She was still not entirely confident with touchy-feely stuff, but Annie had said he could do things like give her presents. Still, he was doubtful with some of his choice of songs for the playlist – would she think some were too touchy-feely? Should he remove them?

 

These thoughts were swirling around his head when he pushed open his dorm room door to see Eren and Mikasa perched on the edge of his bed, Eren with his eyes closed as Mikasa seemed to be doing his eyeliner. From the looks of it, she was doing a really good job.

 

“Hey,” said Armin, closing the door behind him. “Are you guys heading out or something?”

 

“It’s a surprise,” said Mikasa.

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “A surprise?”

 

Eren sighed, very dramatically. “Can I just tell him?”

 

“But it’s a surprise!” said Mikasa. “Also, don’t talk. It’s hard to do a straight line like this.”

 

“It’s not a surprise for him,” argued Eren.

 

“Well, he might still be surprised,” said Mikasa.

 

“He could be surprised now if I told him,” said Eren.

 

“Eren,” said Mikasa gently. “Stay still.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed even more. “Uh … what’s going on?”

 

“Just a minute,” said Mikasa. “Sorry, I really don’t want to slip up. He can’t take the pain of my tea tree makeup wipes.”

 

“The pain?” asked Armin.

 

“I think he’s allergic,” she said. “Now, Eren, stop fidgeting.”

 

Eren let out a huff of frustration, but he said nothing else. Armin quietly settled down on his bed and watched from afar as Mikasa finished her work. He did have to give it to her – she was fairly good at doing others’ makeup which was something he suspected he didn’t quite have the precision for.

 

After a few more quiet moments, Mikasa pulled away from Eren and said, “There! It’s all done.”

 

Eren leaned back and blinked. “It’s definitely even, right?”

 

“Of course it is,” said Mikasa, waving him off. “Do you not trust my skills?”

 

“Of course I do,” said Eren with a pout. Then, his face softened and he added, “Can I just tell him now?”

 

Mikasa sighed. “Fine.”

 

Eren leaned around Mikasa and beamed. “I’m getting my ears pierced today!”

 

Armin’s eyebrows rose. “Really?”

 

Eren nodded enthusiastically. “Hell yeah. I got booked in a few weeks ago, but Mikasa didn’t want me to tell you.”

 

Mikasa sighed. “I wanted it to be a surprise and you agreed.”

 

“Well, I changed my mind,” said Eren with a grin. “We’re heading out in about ten minutes, actually.”

 

“Oh, well, cool,” he said. “I hope it goes okay.”

 

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” said Mikasa, waving him off. Then, she added pointedly, “If it’s a good place, we can get you booked in after.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows pinched together. “Look … I don’t know …”

 

“Does Annie not like piercings?” asked Eren, trying to look as casual as possible – but it was clear from the tiny tilt at the corners of his lips that he was trying to fight that he had a lot to imply with his words.

 

Armin frowned. “I wouldn’t know.”

 

“I might ask,” said Mikasa with a soft smile. “You might want to know.”

 

Armin had to say that he wasn’t so fazed about getting his ears pierced now and he did have to admit that it partly had to do with Annie. She’d called the clip on one that he had hot all those days ago at mini-golf – that hadn’t slipped his mind. It was something he would definitely consider more now but he wasn’t about to let Mikasa know that.

 

“I don’t,” he said lightly. Then, he added, “Anyway, speaking of Annie – her and the guys are performing this Saturday at a college bar. Maria’s or something like that. She wants you guys to come, if you’d like to.”

 

Mikasa’s eyebrows rose. “I’m guessing you’re going?”

 

“Well … yeah,” he said weakly.

 

Mikasa smiled in a way that suggested she was thinking something very entertaining, but whatever it was, she didn’t share it with him. Instead, she said, “Yeah, sure. Me and Eren aren’t busy, not at the night time, anyway. I’m assuming it’s at night?”

 

“Yeah,” said Armin with a nod.

 

“We can be there,” said Mikasa. “Eren’s ears should be okay by then.”

 

Eren’s eyebrows pinched together. “‘Should be’?”

 

Mikasa waved him off. “Wrong words. They will be fine. They’ll definitely be fine.” Then, she added, “Have you asked Marco and Jean yet?”

 

“No,” said Armin with a gentle shake of his head. “I was about to, though.”

 

“Good,” said Mikasa with a slight smile. Then, she turned to Eren and nudged him. “Okay, my Dark Knight. It’s time to go.”

 

Eren looked a little less excited than he did prior and just a tad bit paler, but he still followed after Mikasa. Armin hoped that it wouldn’t go badly and get infection – firstly, because he didn’t want his friend to be in pain, but secondly, because he knew if it did, Eren would probably make another pamphlet about the experience and he wasn’t sure how much more he could take.

 

Armin spent the time they were away studying, but when it became apparent later in the evening that they wouldn’t be coming back to the dorm that evening, he decided to open up his laptop and finally figure out those gifts he wanted to get for Annie.

 

He basically decided on what he wanted to get her but he’d been nervous about putting them through while Eren was around because they were very clearly gifts for Annie. But now, with Eren gone, he was a lot more confident in his choices. If he ordered them tonight, they would arrive on Wednesday which was perfect – he’d be able to give them to Annie on Thursday.

 

So, he ticked them both off as gifts on his order and soon enough, they were on their way. He hoped Annie didn’t think it was too much – he hoped it didn’t cross any line, especially considering how far she’d come with intimacy of late. He didn’t want to be too inconsiderate about it all – which was why he was so worried about the playlist.

 

With a sigh, he opened his Spotify app on his laptop and opened that private playlist up again. He’d make it public when he gave it to her, but for now, it was staying private. With any luck, he’d be able to confidently make it public on Thursday.

 

Who was he kidding – he couldn’t do something like that confidently. He’d be nervous about it up until the very moment that Annie finally told him what she thought about it.

 

He scrolled through the playlist again, trying his best to discern what he should do with it. Should he remove the touchy-feely songs? Maybe that would be for the best. Most of the songs didn’t have anything to do with his feelings for Annie – they were just some songs he liked that he thought she might not be that familiar with, just like she’d asked for. But some of them, even if it hadn’t been intentional, reminded him of Annie. And she would be too smart to not make that connection. At the same time, a part of him, and maybe a selfish part, wanted her to hear those songs and know that they made him think of her. He wanted to try and express how he felt about her in a way that he thought she would really understand, better than through words alone – music was certainly a way to do that.

 

But as he looked at his playlist, a thought slipped into his mind: he could make two playlists.

 

It was obvious and always had been, but there he was worrying about it. He could just move the love songs into a different playlist and if he didn’t think she would like it, if he suspected it would overwhelm her, he just wouldn’t give her it. Or he could even tell her that there was a more heartfelt playlist, without being too on the nose about it – and then he could leave the decision up to her.

 

So, that was what he did. He separated the playlists into two, leaving one incredibly long, sixty-nine song long playlist of songs she could listen to on her drives, and a much smaller one with only seventeen songs. For the first time since he’d started worrying over this playlist, he felt relief.

 

He made more of an effort organising the smaller playlist. The bigger one had too many songs in to really create an order, and too differing feelings – well, at least he thought so. He thought Annie might be able to order a playlist like this, but he wasn’t sure he could do it justice. Still, he tried a little, but this time, he made sure he didn’t worry about it too much. And finally, hours later, he was satisfied.

 

Almost as if on cue, his phone buzzed next to him and he found he had a message from Annie.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

So?

Did you ask?

 

ME

Mikasa and Eren will come

I’ll ask Marco and Jean now :)

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Don’t forget <3

 

Armin smiled.

 

ME

I won’t <3

 

With a sigh, he shut down his laptop and sent a message off to Marco. He wasn’t active so he decided to just check his inbox the next morning. Until then, he curled up in bed and put on an episode of Nana to help unwind. It wasn’t long until his eyelids started to grow heavy and he passed out halfway through episode eight.

 

He didn’t wake up until he heard the door open early the next morning.

 

“Good morning, sunshine!”

 

Armin winced and sat up. Eren was standing by the door with a grin plastered over his face, his hands resting on his hips.

 

“Morning,” said Armin, reaching for his glasses on the nightstand.

 

“So,” said Eren. “What do you think?”

 

Armin pushed his glasses up his nose and squinted. It took him a few moments to realise that there was something different about Eren – his ears were pierced.

 

His ears were a little red, but he seemed completely fine. His earlobes now held small silver studs which Armin assumed were the ones he got when he had his ears pierced. But as it turned out, they did actually suit him.

 

“They looked good,” said Armin.

 

Eren beamed. “You think so?”

 

Armin nodded. “Yeah. They match your style.”

 

“I know, right?” he said. Then, he grinned again, and added, “Is this gonna convince you to get your ears pierced?”

 

Armin sighed. He did have to admit that they looked good on Eren. But the two of them looked vastly different – although Armin had developed a bit more of a sense of style thanks to Annie and Mikasa, he still wasn’t as sure of himself around all of that as he was sure Eren must be. Eren’s style hadn’t seemed to change very much since meeting Mikasa – her only influence, really, seemed to jewellery and makeup.

 

But still … now he was thinking about what Annie had said about his earring again. He knew he shouldn’t be so easily influenced by her compliments, but …

 

“I’ll consider it,” said Armin finally.

 

“You will?” said Eren. “Oh, hell yeah! The place we went was really good. It was really quick. It hurt a little, but it’s nothing.”

 

Eren spent some more time explaining the process and also mentioned the movie he and Mikasa had watched at her dorm last night, and after that, he lay down in his own bed with a sigh. He was relieved as the days went by that he hadn’t seemed to mention their conversation about piercings to Mikasa – not that he minded her knowing but if he was honest, he wanted to know Annie’s opinion on it first.

 

He decided he would ask her in person, but he didn’t manage to catch her until Thursday evening and he didn’t want to ask over message. Luckily, in the days leading up to seeing her again, he got his confirmation from Marco and Jean that they could come to Annie’s gig, which he immediately messaged her about – and then, the gifts he ordered for her arrived as expected on Wednesday. He was thrilled by the sight of them but he was careful to keep them out of Eren’s eyesight – he hid them in a black tote bag he had lingering at the bottom of his wardrobe and Eren ended up being none the wiser. He was relieved when Thursday evening came and Eren was also nowhere in sight.

 

He dressed in his usual boots and straight-legged jeans, throwing on a plain white T-shirt and pulling his new cardigan over his shoulders. He hadn’t worn it in front of Mikasa and fortunately, Eren hadn’t asked where he’d gotten it from. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight of it when he saw it in the mirror – it was hard to not think of Annie when he looked at it, and he felt his heart hum in excitement at the idea of seeing her again. It wasn’t much, but maybe it was sort of like their second real date – even if part of it involved driving Connie’s truck to her band’s practice garage.

 

Armin met her in the parking lot by her car and gave her a warm smile when he saw her. She was wearing short black jean shorts with fishnets underneath, below a big black Paramore T-shirt tied at her waist. On top of that, she wore an oversized jacket that made her look smaller than she already was in the cutest of ways – although Armin wasn’t about to tell her that. She was also wearing her using black stomping boots, but he’d expected nothing different.

 

“Hey,” he said.

 

“Hey,” she said. She nodded her head towards the other side of the parking lot where Connie’s old truck was. “I was thinking we could drop it off at the garage and then head out for food?”

 

He nodded and smiled. “Okay.”

 

Armin was relieved when the truck started without a hitch, although it was pretty beaten up – it definitely looked like it had been crashed into a tree, but it was safe enough to drive, at least to where Annie’s garage was. Although, admittedly, he wouldn’t have risked driving it any further; if he hadn’t already offered to get it to the garage for Connie’s sake, he might not have done at all. But they got there in the end, and once it was parked where he wanted it, he locked it and joined Annie in her own car, before they took off towards whatever restaurant she’d had in mind.

 

“What’s in the bag?” she asked almost immediately.

 

The black tote bag with her gifts in it rested at his feet.

 

“Oh,” he said. “It’s a surprise.”

 

“A surprise?” she asked.

 

He smiled. “Yeah. I’ll show you later.”

 

“When we get food?” she asked.

 

He shook his head. “No, back at the garage.”

 

Annie paused for a minute before she said, “Is it important that we do it in the garage?”

 

“Not really,” he said. “But I want to give you it there. If we’re still going there after?”

 

“Yeah, we are,” she said. Then, she sighed. “Okay. I’ll be patient. I was just curious.”

 

He smiled. “It’s not that long a wait, you know.”

 

“Yeah, but it feels longer now that I know about it,” she said.

 

“Sorry,” he said. “I sort of had to bring the bag.”

 

“It’s okay,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I’m sure I’ll survive.”

 

Armin let out a slight huff of laughter and glanced over at her in the passenger side. She’d tossed her jacket into the back of the car and her hair was tied back in that loose bun she often wore it in. He suspected he would never tire of looking at her like this, in these quiet moments where he could just enjoy the sight of her, relaxed and content, humming along slightly to the songs that were playing through the speakers.

 

But finally, he decided to break the quiet himself. “Did I mention that Eren got his ears pierced?”

 

“Oh, yeah, briefly,” she said. “Has he got an infection? Because I really don’t want to read a pamphlet about the hidden dangers of ear piercings.”

 

Armin laughed. “No, not yet, at least. They actually suit him, though.”

 

Annie hummed. “Makes sense. It was only a matter of time before he did it, considering how much Mikasa wanted him to do it.”

 

“Yeah,” he said, glancing down at his hands in his lap. “Do you like it?”

 

“Eren’s piercings? I haven’t seen them yet,” she said.

 

“No,” he said. “I mean … piercings in general.”

 

“Uh, I mean … yeah?” she said. “Can you not see all the ones on my face?”

 

“I mean on … other people,” he clarified.

 

Annie was quiet for a while. Then, she said, “Armin … are you asking what I think you’re asking?”

 

Armin glanced over at her. There was a slight smile on her mouth, almost like a smirk, but her eyes were still fixed on the road ahead.

 

His stomach sank. “I … don’t know what you mean.”

 

“Are you asking if I think piercings are hot?” she asked.

 

His face warmed. “Well … I mean, not …” He cleared his throat. “I’m asking if you think they’d look good on me.”

 

“Of course I do,” she said. “I like that little clip-on thing you’ve got. That’s hot. So real ones would look good on you, too.”

 

He nodded. “Okay.”

 

“Any reason for asking?” she asked.

 

Armin shrugged. “I don’t know. I was just thinking about getting them.”

 

“Really?” she asked. “You used to be so against the idea.”

 

“Well …” he said. “My opinion’s changed, I think.”

 

Annie was quiet for a moment. Then, she said, “Okay. But just give it some thought, alright? They do close up if you don’t keep earrings in at the start, so it’s not that big of an issue if you change your mind, but it’s a total waste of money if you do.”

 

He nodded. “I’ll think about it.”

 

Annie let out a huff of laughter. “Armin, this isn’t because I think they’re hot, right?”

 

He glanced over at her. “I mean … would it be so bad if it was?”

 

She snorted. “I find you attractive anyway. You don’t need to pierce your ears.” Then, she added, “If you want to do it for yourself, though, that’s okay.”

 

“I would do it for myself,” he said. “I just … I wouldn’t really want to get them if you didn’t think they looked good on me.”

 

“Well,” said Annie, turning for a heartbeat to give him a warm smile. “I do think they’d look good on you. But just give it a little more thought, okay?”

 

He smiled a little bit. He couldn’t help it – that tiny smile on her face made his heart warm so much that he couldn’t stop his lips from curling upwards.

 

“Okay,” he said gently.

 

The drive to the restaurant was comfortably quiet for the most part, which was more than fine with Armin. He didn’t mind enjoying her quiet company, but he did try to steal as few glances at her as possible. He didn’t want her to catch him staring, even if all she would do was tease him a little. He wanted to try and act a bit cooler, just in case she felt slightly vulnerable about the gifts later – the last thing he wanted was to overwhelm her.

 

The thought slipped from his mind when they pulled up outside Annie’s restaurant of choice. It turned out to be a little Italian place, which made him worry for a moment that he might be a little underdressed – but when they stepped inside, it seemed to be quite quaint and casual, and everyone else there was dressed similarly, so his worries soon faded.

 

They managed to snag a little table in the corner, out of sight from all the other restaurant goers, and almost as soon as they sat down, Annie reached out for his hand.

 

He smiled and gave it a slight squeeze.

 

“Just as some advice,” she said. “I’d advise not getting anything with garlic on it.”

 

Armin’s smile faded and he nearly asked why, but then it settled on him. Right. She wouldn’t exactly want to kiss him after this if his breath reeked of garlic.

 

“Okay,” he said. “Uh … I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

She gave him a sympathetic smile. “Sorry. I don’t want to sound controlling or anything.”

 

“No, it’s okay,” he said. “I’d rather kiss you than eat garlic, to be honest.”

 

Annie snorted. “Good to hear.”

 

He smiled at her as her head dipped to look at the menu. He allowed himself just a few seconds to enjoy the sight of her, before he looked at his own menu.

 

In the end, they both ended ordering something light – they both got simple vegetable penne dishes which would rest easy on their stomachs. He knew from how long Annie spent staring at the desserts section that they were bound to get something from that part, later. And when the waiter came over to ask for dessert orders once they’d cleaned their plates, they both ended up getting sweet gelatos, and Armin was adamant about paying for that part.

 

“Careful,” she said once the waiter had disappeared. “If you keep spending money on me, I can’t be your sugar mommy anymore.”

 

Armin groaned as Annie erupted into choked laughter. “Ugh, did you have to say that?”

 

“I did,” she said with a laugh.

 

“You’re not my sugar mommy,” he said pointedly.

 

“Not yet,” she said.

 

His eyebrows rose to his hairline and when a smirk spread across her mouth, his face burned red.

 

“Not ever,” he said deliberately.

 

She grinned. “If you say so.”

 

The arrival of their gelato quietened her teasing for a little while, and he managed to change the topic quickly before she could start again.

 

“So, what songs are you guys practising tomorrow?” he asked.

 

Annie shrugged. “We’re doing some of the new stuff, some of the old. Reiner is difficult, so the set list could literally change tomorrow, so me and Bert usually insist on going through most of our stuff. Reiner has literally changed his mind on what he wanted to perform before we walked on stage before.”

 

His eyebrows rose. “You’re kidding.”

 

“I wish,” she said. “I mean, it keeps me and Bert on our toes, but god. Once I just interrupted him with a guitar solo so he couldn’t just start singing a new song.”

 

Armin let out a huff of laughter. “Of course you did.”

 

“Well, it was a good solo,” she said pointedly.

 

He smiled. “Will I be lucky enough to hear it on Saturday?”

 

“If Reiner pisses me off enough, maybe,” she said.

 

He laughed and shook his head. “Well, I hope he doesn’t – but I’ll be happy to hear it if not.”

 

She looked at him for a long time. “I’ll do one for you, anyway, at some point. I’ve never shown you anything solo on my electric guitar.”

 

“I’ve seen you at practice,” he said.

 

“Yeah, but that wasn’t a solo show,” she said.

 

He smiled. “No, but it was still good.”

 

Annie rolled her eyes. “I could just strum the strings with my toes, no chords, and you would say it was good.”

 

“I would not,” he said. “Also, you aren’t playing guitar with your toes, are you?”

 

“You would,” she said pointedly. “And of course not – I can’t do the chords with my toes, can I?”

 

He smiled a little. “Have you tried?”

 

“No,” she said. “Why? Do you want to see that?”

 

His smile faltered. She grinned.

 

“Annie,” he said.

 

She laughed. “Okay, okay. I’ll stop. Now, finish your gelato. I want to see what’s in that bag.”

 

Armin didn’t argue. The more relaxed he’d grown, the less worried he’d gotten about showing Annie the gifts he’d bought for her. He was still slightly concerned about the playlists, but he was starting to convince himself that they wouldn’t be that badly received, even if she didn’t care for them.

 

Soon enough, they were back in her car and heading towards that old garage. Annie filled the quiet between them by recounting the time her, Reiner and Bertholdt had entered a battle of the bands in high school and narrowly lost because Reiner got too confident and decided they could play an original song that they’d barely practiced about five minutes before they went on stage. Apparently, when it all fell apart, Annie had taken her shoe off and thrown it at him, and then it had bounced off his head and hit one of the symbols on Bert’s drum kit. The story nearly made his stomach hurt with laughter and even when they arrived at the garage, he couldn’t stop smiling. He was happy to see a similar, more muted smile on Annie’s mouth, too.

 

When they stepped into the garage, Annie wasted no time in getting the sound system in the corner set up so that some casual rock music could hum away in the background. Armin thought they’d be watching a movie on her laptop, which was tucked in the backpack she’d brought inside with her, but he supposed she’d be eager to see what he’d brought in his bag.

 

He turned out to be right about that because he’d barely taken a seat on the couch before she turned to him and asked, “Okay. What’s the surprise?”

 

He smiled a little, but it was mostly to hide his nerves. “Well, come sit down and I’ll show you.”

 

She made her way over to him and sat beside him, their knees pressed together on the couch.

 

She leaned back. “Can I see now?”

 

His expression turned hesitant. “Sure, but … uh … they’re things I got for you.”

 

Her face softened. “For me?”

 

“Yeah,” he said, turning towards the bag at his feet. “I got you some gifts. They’re not much, but …”

 

“You got me some gifts?” she asked.

 

He turned to look at her. Her expression was soft and oddly vulnerable, and in that moment the sight of it made his heart ache.

 

“Yeah,” he said gently. “I wanted to do something nice for you.”

 

“Armin,” she said softly. “You didn’t have to.”

 

“I know,” he said with a slight smile. “I wanted to.” Then, he added, more unsurely, “Is that okay?”

 

“Is it okay?” she asked. “Of course it is.”

 

He smiled. “Do you want to see them, then?”

 

Her face changed, then. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips, barely noticeable – but Armin was looking so closely at her it would have been difficult to miss.

 

“Yeah,” she said softly.

 

“Okay,” he said, clearing his throat.

 

He leaned forward and reached into the bag, pulling out the smallest box. “Okay, this is just a little thing … I know it’s dumb, but I thought they were cute.”

 

Annie’s eyebrows pinched together, but she didn’t say anything as she started opening the small box. Her face softened when she caught sight of what was inside – four heart-shaped guitar picks, in varying shades of pink.

 

“I don’t know anything about picks. Or guitars,” he admitted. “But I thought … I don’t know.”

 

She smiled slightly and met his eye. Her gaze made his heart skip.

 

“I do like them,” she said. “I’ll test them out at practice tomorrow.”

 

He smiled back. Then, he said, more confidently, “And I know how much you like pink, so …”

 

She sighed and rolled her eyes, which just made him grin. “It’s a nice colour, okay?”

 

His grin softened into a smile. “Do you want to see the other gift?”

 

Her face softened. “You got me something else?”

 

“Yeah,” he said, reaching forward into his bag. “This one’s bigger. I don’t know how you’ll feel about it, but … well, here.”

 

Armin handed Annie a larger box and she gently set her guitar picks aside. Her eyebrows pinched together in that cute way they had earlier as she gently opened the box, and then her expression relaxed when she saw what was inside. Her fingers wrapped around the metal and pulled it out and when her eyes caught sight of the inscription on it, her eyebrows pulled together in a sweeter way – like she couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing.

 

“Armin,” she said softly.

 

His heart warmed in a way it never had before then – it was an almost overwhelming feeling. She’d never said his name quite like that before. There was nothing in her voice except pure appreciation, disbelief and affection.

 

He knew she already had a capo for her guitar, but he’d thought she might like something like this one. It was a simple silver thing, but he’d found a website where he could get them engraved – on it, he had inscribed ‘rock star’ with a little heart next to it.

 

“Armin,” she said again, just as gently.

 

“Do you like it?” he managed.

 

“Do I like it?” she asked, glancing over at him. “This is …”

 

She didn’t finish and he didn’t push her to. Instead, when no more words came, he said, “I didn’t want to put anything that was a big give-away about us in case Reiner and Bert saw it, so … I thought you’d like that. Then, it’s just something the two of us know.”

 

Annie looked at the capo for a minute more. Then, quietly, she returned it to its box, along with the picks, before carefully placing them on the floor by her feet.

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Annie? Is everything okay?”

 

“Of course it is,” she said, shuffling closer.

 

Then, without another word, she grabbed him by his T-shirt and pulled him towards her.

 

He made a small noise of surprise against her mouth, but then he fell into her motions as she kissed him softly. She moved her lips over his with a gentleness that made his heart flutter, and in a few more moments, she pulled back.

 

“You’re too nice,” she said quietly.

 

He blinked. “I think you’re pretty nice, too, you know.”

 

She snorted. “I know.”

 

He smiled slightly as she loosened her grip on his shirt. “So – you really like them?”

 

“Yeah, I do,” she said. “I didn’t kiss you because I hated them.”

 

“Maybe you were trying to distract me from how much you hated them,” he offered.

 

She scoffed. “Oh, yeah, definitely.”

 

He smiled slightly. Then, it faded as he said, “Uh … I also finally made that playlist for you. You know the one you asked for?”

 

Her eyebrows rose. “You did?”

 

“Yeah,” he said, reaching for his phone. “I’ll send you the link. Uh … I don’t know if you’ll like it, though.”

 

Annie was quiet until the message pinged through on her phone and opened up the Spotify link that he sent her. The playlist was simply titled “for your drives :)” and a slight smile rose to her lips as she looked at it.

 

Her eyes flickered to his. “Is there a specific reason there’s sixty-nine songs on here?”

 

His cheeks warmed and he frowned. “That was an accident.”

 

“Uh-huh,” she said, still smiling. It softened as she looked at the songs. “The Lumineers, Bright Eyes, Hozier …” Her eyebrows furrowed. “Phoebe Bridgers?”

 

“Some of her songs are nice,” he said.

 

She smiled. “Well, thank you. I’ll put it on the next time I’m driving.”

 

He flashed her a smile, but then it settled into a more unsure expression. “Also … there’s a second playlist.”

 

Annie’s eyebrows furrowed. “A second one? Why’d you make a second one?”

 

He glanced away from her. “Well … it’s kind of … songs that make me think of you.” He cleared his throat. “Uh … they’re like … love songs, I guess. But … I didn’t know how uncomfortable that would make you, so … if you don’t want that one, I won’t show you it.”

 

“Show me,” she said.

 

He turned to look at her. “Are you sure?”

 

She nodded.

 

Armin turned to his phone. “Okay.”

 

He was starting to feel uncomfortably warm, and it only got worse when the message pinged through on her phone with the link to the playlist.

 

Her face softened in a way he couldn’t quite read when she opened the playlist. It only had seventeen songs, starting with Sleep on the Floor by The Lumineers and ending with Annie’s Song by John Denver, all with songs just as sappy in between.

 

She didn’t say anything as she scrolled through the list, her face unchanging. He nearly asked her what she was thinking, but then she clicked shuffle, and First Day of My Life started playing, covering up the sound of the soft rock music playing in the background.

 

She smiled slightly. “I thought I recognised the title.”

 

His eyebrows rose. “You know it?”

 

“Yeah,” she said gently. “I love that song.”

 

Armin didn’t say anything. He just watched her as she gazed at her phone, afraid to say anything in case he pushed her too far.

 

Then, her eyes flickered up to his and his heart shuddered.

 

“You’re too good for me,” she said softly.

 

His eyebrows drew together. “Annie … that’s not true.”

 

She sighed. “No, I mean … you’re just … so sweet. I …” She swallowed. “Thank you. I …” She sighed again. “Words are hard right now.”

 

His expression hadn’t changed. “Are you okay? I haven’t … I haven’t pushed your boundaries too far, have I?”

 

“No,” she said with a shake of her head. “This is … really thoughtful. Thank you. Really, thank you.” Then, she sighed again, and added, “I can’t describe how I’m feeling … my heart’s happy.”

 

His heart softened. “Yeah?”

 

She nodded. “Yeah.” Then, she added, “Sorry. I don’t want to worry you … I really love all of this. I’m just …”

 

“Words are hard,” he offered.

 

She smiled slightly. “Yeah.”

 

He smiled back. “That’s okay. As long as you’re okay.”

 

“I’m okay,” she said quietly. “I’m more than okay, really.”

 

“Okay,” he said gently.

 

Annie finally stopped the music from playing on her phone and then it was just the two of them with the hum of rock music in the background. She set it down on the floor by her boxes of gifts and Armin felt his pulse quicken as she turned to face him again.

 

“I really didn’t expect you to do … any of this,” she said.

 

“Well …” said Armin, pushing a smile onto his face. “I guess I’m full of surprises.”

 

Annie let out a huff of laughter and shook her head. “Yeah, I guess you are.”

 

His smile was soft now. “Do you like being surprised?”

 

Her smile was just as soft and twice as sweet. “Yeah. But only by you.”

 

His heart warmed. “Okay,” he said gently. “I’m glad.”

 

She smiled again before it softened. “I really want to make-out with you,” she said. “Is that okay?”

 

His eyebrows rose. “Uh … yeah, of course it is.”

 

“Cool,” she said. “Lean back.”

 

Armin didn’t hesitate. He leaned back in his seat and let her climb into his lap and before he could even think, she pressed her mouth against his.

 

He let his hands drift up to her hips as hers rose to cup his face. Her kisses were soft but there was a certain intensity to them that was making it difficult to think. She made a slight noise against his mouth, soft and content, and it sent a shudder through him that he hoped she didn’t quite notice. But she pressed against him with more pressure until he made a similar noise and it seemed to be exactly what she’d wanted.

 

She broke away only a moment before she moved forward to nibble on his bottom lip and he gasped. She gently sucked on his bottom lip until he couldn’t stop the tiny noise that slipped out of his throat, and after he felt the ghost of a slight smile press against his lips, she leaned forward again and recaptured his mouth.

 

She kissed him like this for a few minutes longer before she pulled away, her hands coming down to rest on his chest.

 

Her lips were a little swollen and he imagined his weren’t much better – but hers was a sight to behold and he swore he could look at her for lifetime.

 

“You’re perfect,” she said quietly.

 

His heart fluttered. “Annie …”

 

“You are,” she said, more firmly this time. “You really are.”

 

Armin opened his mouth to say something, although he wasn’t quite sure what. It was something along the lines of offering her a similar sentiment because, if he was being honest, he thought she was the perfect one here. But all thoughts left him then because she leaned forward to kiss him again and all he could do was catch up. It wasn’t exactly like he was upset about it, anyway.

 

Her kisses were hotter than they had been before, pressing against his lips with a delicious force that was making him warm and excited; his blood was buzzing in his veins and he was close to thinking that he was completely high off her. Her lips were so soft – he was surprised he wasn’t trembling beneath her touch.

 

When he moved, shifting to pull away from her mouth just so he could lean forward and capture her bottom lip between his teeth, she whined and pressed her hips closer to his in a way that nearly made him groan. He made a small grunt against her mouth before he sucked on her bottom lip, just like she did to him before, pulling more soft noises from her mouth until it clearly became too much because she pressed her mouth hard against his to take full control of the kiss.

 

Now, her kisses really started growing in intensity – they were fiery and intoxicating,  and it wasn’t long before they were both gasping against each other’s lips. His fingers tightened on her hips, a slight movement that pulled a soft sound from her throat and he wished for another opportunity to drag more noises like that out of her mouth. But Annie didn’t particularly give him a lot of time to consider how to do that, not when she was kissing him like that. Her lips were euphoria and he swore he was growing drunk at their sweetness of their touch – he could stay in that moment with her forever and ever and never want for more.

 

But eventually, they pulled away from each other, chests heaving as quiet breaths slipped out of their mouths, eyes locked on each other’s.

 

There was something in her eyes that was both familiar and unfamiliar, but in that moment, he couldn’t quite put a finger on what it was. But it was something he didn’t want to shy away from so he held her gaze until she made the next move.

 

She leaned back and swallowed, letting her fingers trail over the fabric of his cardigan. “I need to ask you something.”

 

His eyebrows rose. “What is it?”

 

She dropped his gaze, but it was only for a moment. Then, her eyes trailed back up to his again, eyebrows drawn together, a slight crease at the bridge of her nose, and that small expression made his heart ache. She was worried about something, about this conversation, and her expression was so vulnerable – yet she was letting him see it all.

 

“Annie,” he said gently. “You can talk to me about anything.”

 

She nodded and sighed, letting her eyes fall shut. “It’s … embarrassing to say. I’m a lot better with my actions in this department.”

 

His eyebrows drew together. “Well … could you use your actions?”

 

Her lips curled a tiny bit at the corners before they settled back again. “No. I sort of need to ask first.”

 

His brow was still furrowed for a moment, but the way she was worrying her bottom lip in her teeth made his face soften.

 

“Okay,” he said gently.

 

Annie swallowed and lifted her gaze to his again. “I want to … try something. With you.”

 

Armin’s pulse quickened. “Okay. What … what do you want to try?”

 

If Armin didn’t know better, he would have said that Annie was blushing. He thought it was strange – Annie got flustered sometimes but he was the one who usually turned red in the face. Her cheeks were a lovely pink, soft and sweet, and the sight of them made him want to pull her closer and console her, convince her there was nothing to be embarrassed about in front of him.

 

She sighed again, a lighter, less tense sound, and swallowed. Her voice was so soft when she spoke again. “Can I blow you?”

 

For a moment, Armin wasn’t sure he had heard her quite right. But then, another second went by, and then another, and Annie was still looking at him, worried and expectant, and his stomach flipped as he realised that he hadn’t misheard her at all.

 

In an instant, Armin’s face went from its usual healthy colour to the same shade as a tomato. His mouth fell open and he tried desperately to say something, but it seemed as if all he could manage to push past his lips were a string of stuttered sounds that made Annie’s worried look transform into one of confusion.

 

Finally, after a few more mortifying seconds of that, he paused, cleared his throat, and managed to speak. “You … uh … you want to … do that?”

 

Her face softened. “I shouldn’t have asked, should I? I’m making things weird.”

 

“N-no,” he said hurriedly, shaking his head from side to side. “No, you’re not. I just …” He swallowed again. “I didn’t think you were … ready for that sort of thing.”

 

She dropped his gaze. “Well, for a while, I wasn’t. But lately I’ve been thinking … I don’t know. I think … I think I’m ready for more.”

 

Armin’s heart was thundering in his chest. “You are?”

 

She nodded. “Just … you, though.”

 

His eyebrows drew together. “Just me?”

 

She sighed. “I … want to do more. A lot, really. I want you to touch me, but … that makes me feel really, really vulnerable. And not in a way I think I can deal with yet. But when I think of doing things for you … it doesn’t feel like that. It feels good.”

 

His voice was quiet. “It does?”

 

She nodded. “Yeah. It does.” Then, she added, “I can handle it.”

 

Armin didn’t say anything for a long moment. He wasn’t quite sure what to say – a part of him, a more primal part, was thrilled. He wanted to feel her touch against him, however she wanted to touch him; he wanted her to make his toes curl and his body shudder with pleasure. But another part of him was far more nervous about the suggestion.

 

“Armin?” she said. “Are you okay?”

 

He blinked. “Yeah! Yeah, I’m … fine. I was just … thinking.”

 

Her eyebrows pinched together. “If you’re not ready, just say no. I know we’ve done stuff in the past, but … things are different now. And we’ve never done … that.”

 

He nodded. “I know. I …” He swallowed, and added, “Can I ask you something?”

 

Her face softened. “Sure.”

 

His brow furrowed and his eyes flickered down to where his hand rested on her hips. “Why … why do you want to … do that … for me?”

 

Her eyebrows drew together. “What, blow you?”

 

Somehow, his face warmed even more. “Y-yeah.”

 

Annie sighed. “Because I care about you. I want to make you feel good.” Then, she added, softly, “I’ve been thinking about it.”

 

It was almost as if his brain short-circuited then. Something about the idea of Annie thinking about doing that to him was both nerve-inducing and far too exciting. It wasn’t like he didn’t ever think about her like that … of course he did. But even though she had basically given him the okay to do that, he couldn’t help the edge of guilt that came with it. She wasn’t ready for those sort of things – how was it fair to think about her like that?

 

But here she was in front of him admitting to thinking about doing that to him. He wondered, briefly, how she thought about that. Was it a curiosity that came with wanting to know how it would be like with him? Was it a need of hers to know how he would react to the press of her warm mouth on him? Or was it something else – a deep desire to feel him like that, a burning excitement between her legs that she couldn’t quite satisfy with her fingers alone anymore?

 

The thought made his pants feel awfully tight and he shifted awkwardly beneath her, which just made his arousal even more obvious to her.

 

He tried to speak to distract her, but all he managed was, “You’ve been … thinking about it.”

 

She nodded. “Does that bother you?”

 

His mouth was a little dry.

 

“No,” he said quietly. “I think … I like it.”

 

Her voice was gentle. “Do you want to try it, then?”

 

His breath shuddered. “Right now?”

 

She hummed. It seemed as if her nerves had waned. He assumed it was likely because the vulnerable part of the conversation was over – she knew he wanted it and now he was the one nervous and embarrassed. It was exciting to see her relax like this, genuine and confident, not like she had been all that time ago in their rushed encounters.

 

“We don’t have to do it right now, if you’re not ready,” she said. “But if you are …”

 

She let her unspoken words hang between them and Armin was surprised he didn’t just choke on them. It was hard to think clearly on the situation when it had already stirred some excitement down south, but he tried to consider what he really wanted.

 

He considered for a brief second if she was just doing this because she felt like she should. But no – no, that wasn’t right. Annie had been very clear on what she could and couldn’t do since they’d began their relationship. When she couldn’t talk about something, she just wouldn’t. If she didn’t want to do this for him, she wouldn’t just say that.

 

But then he stopped to wonder if he was actually ready. They had fooled around before in brief, hurried moments and it had always ended badly. He couldn’t sit there and say that hadn’t affected him. But Annie had changed … she was working to be better, and she was being better. And her telling that she wanted to make him feel good … it was as heart-warming as it was exhilarating.

 

He swallowed. “Are you sure you’re really … ready for that?”

 

Her eyebrows rose for a moment and then her face softened. “I’m not going anywhere, Armin. Not this time.”

 

He swallowed and nodded.

 

“Hey,” she said quietly, leaning forward. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

 

His face softened. Then, he said, “Okay.”

 

Her eyebrows rose. “Okay?”

 

“Okay,” he said again. “We can try that. I … want to do that.”

 

“Are you sure?” she whispered.

 

The softness of her hushed voice sent a shiver down his spine.

 

“I’m sure,” he said quietly.

 

She looked at him for a moment before a nearly imperceptible smile rose to her mouth. The sight of it made his heart shudder.

 

“Okay,” she said, before leaning forward to capture his mouth with hers.

 

He sighed against her lips. Her kisses didn’t have the same urgency as earlier, but they were longing and deep, and it would be a lie for him to say they weren’t thrilling. He let his hands move higher on her hips until the pressed beneath her T-shirt, his thumbs ghosting over the soft skin just above her jeans. It made it a little easier to think, touching her skin like this – easier to stay grounded as her kisses made him feel light-headed.

 

Armin’s heart rate picked up when he noticed her hand drifting southward on his chest as she kissed him. He made a small noise against her lips, a tiny groan, a sound that made his face warm even more. That wasn’t supposed to come out, but if Annie noticed, she didn’t say anything about it. Instead, she continued kissing him, her soft tongue massaging his as her hand started to slow in its motions.

 

Annie slipped off of his lips abruptly, moving her mouth down to his jaw and his breath shuddered when she moved down to his neck. He gripped her hips tight, biting down on the inside of his lip to stay quiet. She could very easily drive him insane if she kept this up.

 

But then her mouth left his skin, her breath warm against his flesh as she said, “Armin?”

 

His voice was strained. “Yeah?”

 

His breath caught when he noticed her hand moving again, stopping only to rest above the waistline of his jeans.

 

“Can I touch you?” she whispered.

 

Armin swallowed and nodded. “Yeah.”

 

He sighed when her mouth met his neck again, gentle and teasing, but he relaxed beneath her touch. But it was only a few heartbeats before her hand had moved even lower and then there she was, rubbing his hardness through his jeans.

 

The sensation was so unexpected he basically yelped and it wasn’t something that was lost on Annie. Her lips slipped off of his neck as she continued to rub him through his pants, slow and aching, and his face reddened when he felt the breath of her laughter against his skin.

 

He groaned. “Don’t laugh at me.”

 

“Sorry,” she said, moving her head to face him. “It was cute.”

 

He opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off by the slight moan he made as she moved her hand over him in the fabric.

 

“Don’t call me cute,” he managed, “ah – at a time like this.”

 

Annie smiled and leaned forward to press her mouth against his in a brief kiss. Her lips were only centimetres from his when she said, “But you are cute.”

 

He groaned. “Annie.”

 

“Fine, fine,” she said, leaning forward to kiss him again. When she pulled back, she said, “The way you squealed was hot.”

 

The grin on her face was so ridiculously he couldn’t help it – a huff of laughter slipped past his mouth.

 

“Oh, you’re mean,” he said lightly.

 

Her grin didn’t leave her face. “You like it. I think it’s your thing.”

 

He laughed again, but it simmered into a low moan as her hand pressed hard against his cock in his pants.

 

“Annie, stop making me laugh,” he nearly whined.

 

She laughed, then, light and heart-stopping. “Stop finding me so funny, then.”

 

He groaned, tilting his head back, and she followed him, pressing her mouth against his jaw in a line of light kisses. He gasped and bit down on his lip, hard, but it did nothing to keep his whimpers in as she continued her ministrations.

 

Her soft voice came to him through the haze of aching teasing. “Can I take your pants off?”

 

He hummed and nodded. “Yeah.”

 

His breath caught when the pressure of her hand suddenly vanished and then her entire weight was gone. He raised his head to find her standing before him but just as quickly did she drop to her knees before him, reaching forward to undo his belt.

 

He spread his legs slightly for her and let her undo his belt and unzip his pants, but he pushed them down his legs along with his briefs, letting them rest around his ankles.

 

Armin didn’t have time to feel nervous about being in this state in front of her because she’d already reached forward to grab his cock. He groaned, biting his lips together and letting his head fall back as she began pumping him. The pressure of her hand was delicious and he could already feel himself tensing beneath her touch.

 

“You look cute like this, too,” she said.

 

He leaned his head forward again to glance down at her. She was smiling again, teasing and far too pretty. It took him a few moments to fully register what she’d said, but when it did, his eyes were following the movement of her hand up and down his cock and he groaned.

 

He raised his arm up to cover his face, ears burning red. “Annie. Stop – ah – teasing me.”

 

“I’ll stop soon,” she said. “But only because my mouth will be full.”

 

He dropped his arm. “Annie!”

 

She laughed a little. “What? I’m right.”

 

He groaned. Well, he supposed – she was right. And the way she was touching him felt far too good to complain. Not to mention even thinking about her wrapping her warm, wet mouth around his cock was making him twitch in her hand.

 

“Annie …” he said with a sigh. “You’re … fuck.”

 

He was glad she didn’t tease him for his loss for words. Her expert hand rubbing his length was making it particularly difficult to think.

 

Her voice was gentle when she spoke. “Can I say one more thing?”

 

A small noise slipped past his lips. Her touch was everything – it took him a few moments more to even process what she’d said.

 

“Go – oh … go ahead,” he managed.

 

“I think you’ll look even cuter with your cock in my mouth,” she said gently.

 

He wasn’t proud of the way his cock twitched in her hand then. He moaned, raising his hands to hide his face from her. Oh, she was enjoying this. He couldn’t say he was upset about that, but the way she was teasing him … he was surprised there was even enough blood at this end of his body to make his cheeks burn so badly.

 

“Annie,” he whined. “You’re evil.”

 

Her laugh made his heart warm. “Oh, really? Well, I think you like that about me.”

 

He dropped his hands to meet her gaze and he was surprised he didn’t just whimper. She was having a ridiculous effect on him now but he was too aroused to feel all that bad about it.

 

A soft smile rose to her lips then and suddenly her motions on his cock slowed to a halt. He made a noise in his throat at the lack of friction but he stayed quiet. Annie’s smile faded and she held his gaze then as she leaned forward and ran her tongue up his cock in one quick motion.

 

“Oh, shit,” he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut and tilting his head back. “Shit, shit, shit.”

 

“Armin,” said Annie, voice gentle. “Look at me.”

 

He bit his lips together to stop whatever noise his body was trying to make from escaping, but he still made that tiny, muffled moan anyway. He tilted his head forward to face her again and there she was again, still on her knees, hand clutching his cock at his base, staring up at him with those lovely eyes of hers.

 

He had an overwhelming urge to say something then. Maybe to tell her wonderful she was or how much she meant to him. But Annie didn’t give him a lot of time to think because before he knew it, she was leaning forward again, but this time it was to wrap her hot lips around him and dip her head down to where her hand was fisted around him at his base.

 

He really cried out this time – a sound he was sure was mortifying but Annie was a little too preoccupied with her mouth to say anything about it.

 

He’d imagined this before – a hot wet mouth moving up and down his cock just like he’d wondered about how all sex was like. But imagining it and actually feeling it were very different things, and feeling Annie bob her head in rhythm with her fist pumping up and down him was beyond divine. It had been hard to think before but now, she hollowed her cheeks, sucking him as she moved up his length and suddenly he wasn’t thinking at all.

 

He made no effort to stop any noise from spilling from his mouth, letting a string of gasps, moans and curses leave his lips with little care of how he sounded. His fingers gripped hard into the soft cushions of the couch beneath him, so hard he would normally worry that he would rip them, but he found it difficult to care when Annie’s mouth was on him like this. She was warm and wet and everything; each motion of her lips was sending pleasure rippling through him and it was so, so hard to think.

 

He could feel her tongue flatten beneath his cock as she bobbed her head, pressing hard up against his length and he groaned. She kept up her motions for a few more moments before the grip on him left, her hand moving quickly to rest over his which was tensed into the cushions of the couch. It softened beneath her touch and after a few seconds of fumbling, he realised what she wanted: she was trying to hold his hand.

 

It was such a soft gesture when she was doing something for him where she didn’t need to be soft at all, yet here she was, intertwining her fingers with his, just because. Holding her hand made dealing with this newfound pleasure easier – he was careful not to grip too hard, but she squeezed his trembling hand with a comforting pressure that could have made his heart ache.

 

He felt it then, clear through the haze of pleasure, that sweet warmth in his chest that only seemed to exist when he thought of her. His lips nearly parted then to let those words tumble out of his mouth: I love you, I love you, I love you. It certainly wasn’t the best time, not when she was on her knees with his cock in her mouth, but he wanted to tell her so much in that moment that he nearly abandoned all sense and let the words slip past his lips.

 

But then, as he tried to think about the best way to tell her, she languidly dipped her head down, pushing her tight, wet mouth down to the very base of his cock, and the words died in his throat.

 

He moaned and his head fell back, doing his best not to squeeze her hand too hard. She repeated the movement again, slightly faster, and on the third bob of her head she moaned against his cock.

 

He made a sound somewhere between a gasp and a moan, a noise that melted into a desperate groan of her name. She answered him with a soft noise against his cock and Armin was surprised he wasn’t seeing stars. Her mouth was so delicious on him and for a moment he thought this could be the closest thing to paradise there was.

 

There was another pressure on his free hand clutching the couch – her other hand. He thought for a moment that she might want to hold both of his hands, although he wasn’t sure how practical that would be for her. But instead, she guided his hand to the back of her head and he thoughtlessly wove it through her hair. He was a little confused but it seemed to be exactly what she wanted because she started moving her lovely mouth up and down his cock again.

 

Only when she moved did he realise how nice it was to hold the back of her head like this. If he was honest with himself, it was hot – he could feel how much she was moving to pleasure him and the thought made him tighten his fingers in her hair, his cock throbbing in her mouth.

 

She made another noise against him again and he could feel the heat searing in his abdomen – a building tension that was making him dizzy. He kept his eyes open to watch her move her head down his length but that made it so much harder to stay in control of that tightness. He swore under his breath as she moved, letting her name leave his lips like a prayer, and he enjoyed the intoxicating heat and the wet sound of her mouth taking him in.

 

“Annie,” he said, almost like a gasp. “Oh, Annie. Annie. Oh, fuck, Annie …”

 

She hummed against him and he gasped again. It took all of his power not to buck up into her mouth – no, he wouldn’t live that down at all. But that little hum had made that tension grow, tightening in his abdomen more and more. He swore his thighs were nearly shaking – oh, fuck, her touch was everything. She was everything.

 

Then, he felt something – her fingers tentatively moving from his leg to his balls. She squeezed one so gently and it did something – he cried out in pleasure and she hummed against him, clearly pleased, and with the light pressure kept squeezing him.

 

He whined and he moaned, turning into a mess beneath her touch. Her gentle caresses, the pressure of her mouth – it was purely divine. That tension in his abdomen had reached new heights and her name tumbled past his lips again, desperate and longing, and she didn’t halt her movements.

 

That rising pleasure was interrupted by a slight sinking of his stomach. Oh, no – he couldn’t finish in her mouth. They had never talked about that before; he didn’t know if she wanted that.

 

“Annie,” he managed. “Wait – I’m going to cum soon. I need to –”

 

She only slowed for a moment and hummed against him, maybe to acknowledge that she’d heard him. But then her mouth plunged back down on him, faster now, and it sent such an intense surge of pleasure through him that he gasped.

 

He whimpered then, unable to do anything except let her bring him to orgasm with her hand and mouth, trembling under her touch. She clearly didn’t care if he finished in her mouth or she wanted him to. The thought made him twitch in her mouth and he swore, gripping her hair a little tighter, although making sure it wasn’t so tight it hurt.

 

“Annie,” he moaned. “Annie.”

 

That tension had nearly reached its peak and he was sure she could tell – maybe it was the way he was basically whimpering or the way he was trembling, or maybe it was even how desperately he’d said her name then. But she bobbed her head again and moaned, sending sparks of pleasure through him, and with one more movement, he came undone.

 

His hips bucked up into her mouth as he came, shuddering against her lips as that tightness fully snapped. His body was tingling with pleasure, rippling through him in a way it never had before – this was paradise. Annie kept her mouth on him until he finished spilling in her mouth, and she held his hand the whole time. She only moved when he began to soften, and he dropped his hand as she slipped off of him with a wet pop, leaving him lingering in the aftermath of his orgasm, chest rising heavily as he leaned back on the couch.

 

His attention came back to her only a second later when he felt her hand leave his grasp. He glanced down and watched as she swallowed; then, she reached up and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

 

Now that the intense pleasure had faded, Armin was forced to welcome that familiar feeling: mortification.

 

“You … you didn’t have to … swallow it,” he said.

 

“I know,” she said. “I wanted to.”

 

His mouth fell open. He expected some words to follow, but nothing came except, “Oh.”

 

A slight smile appeared on her mouth. “Oh? What a way with words you have, Armin.”

 

His face warmed. “Sorry.”

 

“Don’t apologise,” she said, rising to her feet.

 

She leaned forward then, pressing her mouth to his in a short and sweet kiss. But he could taste the remnants of himself on her – a saltiness on her tongue that nearly made him groan into her mouth. That would be a bit too embarrassing, though, so he restrained himself until she pulled away, giving him another little smile.

 

“How was that?” she asked quietly.

 

His eyebrows rose. “How was it?”

 

Annie nodded and hummed.

 

“Oh,” he said. “It was amazing.”

 

Her smile widened. “I’m glad.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “How are you feeling? Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah,” she said, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his cheek. “I’m wonderful.”

 

He let out a breath. “I’m glad.”

 

Annie snorted. “That’s good.”

 

He pouted. “Don’t tease me.”

 

She smiled. It was so sweet it made his heart ache. “I think I’ve earned the right to tease you for a little bit after how much fun you just had.”

 

His cheeks reddened. “Okay, fine.”

 

She grinned for a moment before it softened. “Do you want to cuddle?”

 

His eyebrows rose. “On the couch?”

 

“Well, yeah,” she said, reaching for the buttons on her jeans. “It’s better than the bean bag chairs.”

 

“Oh, yeah,” he said, dropping his gaze as she shrugged off her pants.

 

It wasn’t as if she would have minded him looking but the last thing he wanted was for her to catch him staring at her after all of that. But as he pulled his briefs up and kicked off his jeans, he caught a glimpse of her underwear – they were pink and flowery, and the sight of them nearly caused a smile to light up his face. He managed to smother it before she caught sight of it and found his place on the couch with her tucked up against him.

 

His arm came around her, intertwining their fingers together and he was delighted with the way she sighed with content. He let his eyes flutter shut as he breathed in the smell of her hair, soft and floral, giving her hand a light squeeze. They lay there together in the quiet for a long time, the only sound passing between them being the rise and fall of their chests, his heart humming happily in his chest.

 

Then, Annie spoke. “Thank you.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “What for?”

 

“For being patient with me,” she said. “I can’t imagine it’s very easy.”

 

He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the back of her head. “Annie … it is easy. I’d wait forever for you.”

 

She was quiet for a moment. Then, she said, “That was really cheesy.”

 

He laughed and he felt her shoulders shake slightly, too.

 

“It was sweet, too,” she added.

 

He smiled. “Oh, yeah?”

 

“Yeah,” she said with a slight sigh.

 

Then, she nudged him, making him relinquish his hold on her hand and he pressed back against the couch as she rolled over to face him. It was a tight squeeze but they managed to face one another, their faces mere inches apart.

 

He smiled at her and raised his hand to trace the side of her jaw. She sighed and let her eyes fall shut and he took a moment to admire how pretty she was. His heart could ache from looking at her like this – how could a person be so beautiful?

 

“What are you thinking about?” she asked softly.

 

He smiled again. “I was thinking about how pretty you are.”

 

She snorted. “Of course you were. You’re too sweet.”

 

“Sorry,” he said lightly. Then, he added, gently, “What are you thinking about?”

 

Her eyebrows pinched together as her eyes opened. She sighed.

 

“I was thinking about how sorry I am,” she said. “For all those times I ran.”

 

His eyebrows drew together. “That’s in the past, Annie. I know you won’t do it again.”

 

“I know, but …” Annie sighed again. “I just … I need to tell you again.”

 

He paused for a moment before he relented. “Okay.”

 

“Okay,” she whispered. She swallowed. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

 

He smiled slightly. “Thank you.” Then, he added, “For the record, neither am I.”

 

Annie snorted. “I figured. You’re not the asshole here.”

 

“You’re not an asshole,” he said, letting his arm wrap around her waist. “You’re Annie.”

 

“Some would argue those things are interchangeable,” she said pointedly.

 

He smiled. “Not me.”

 

Annie hummed but she didn’t argue with him this time. Instead, she raised her leg to rest over his, bringing her closer to him. He pushed his leg forward and tucked his arms higher around her back, leaning forward to press his head into her neck. She sighed and he felt her own arms come around his back.

 

“I know you don’t think so,” he said quietly. “And … I know it’s hard to hear. But I think you’re wonderful.”

 

Annie was quiet for a very long time. In fact, it was so long that he was tempted to apologise for what he had said.

 

But then, her words came through – barely above a whisper.

 

“Thank you,” she said.

 

He smiled and pulled her tighter, breathing in her scent – she was sweet and warm, almost like summer rain. It made him want to never let go.

 

He would be able to tell her how much she meant to him, in time – but for now, he could wait a little while longer, just until she was ready to hear it. He would wait forever for her, anyway.

 

So, he said, softly, “You’re welcome.”

 

Notes:

for all of you absolutely GAGGING for some action ... here you go. finally, you are freed from the shackles of your blueballs.

seriously though, it was just the right time for them. more to come.

when? good question! I usually post every other week, but I have to hand in a full first draft of my 15,000 word dissertation by September 5th or something, so right now I'm pretty busy. Basically, the next chapter is definitely not going to be here in two weeks, but more like 3-4, depending on how well my work goes.

but I do have a few things lined up for aa week next week, if you wanna check them out when they come out :)

anyhow, here's the links to Armin's playlists - they're available on Spotify, and so are some of my writing playlists for my other fics :)

the long one:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ZxICbMSzY2QT8jc5B0Oxi?si=606e57924f4e40bf

the short and sweet one:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7Ix1QNFdVsZuHWnpnZkrTv?si=d1fe098d2eef46c8

mostly, thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed this one, and I'll see you in the next one <3

Chapter 22: an interruption

Annie being on his mind wasn’t exactly out of the ordinary. She would cross his mind in some of the most mundane of moments, with the tiniest of things bringing her face to the forefront of his thoughts. So, when Armin found himself alone in his dorm room on Friday night, Eren out somewhere on a date with Mikasa, to find his head filled with thoughts of Annie wasn’t exactly unexpected. The issue, if it could even be called that, was that every single thought about her happened to be filthy.

 

He sighed at the bright light of his phone screen, scrunching his eyes shut as the video essay on Nana continued to play in the background. It was interesting, and he wanted to be interested, but it was really difficult to be interested at all when all that he could think about was Annie.

 

It wasn’t as if he hadn’t thought about her like that before. That would have been ridiculous. Of course he had thought about her like that. Before they’d really fooled around, the thoughts had been fleeting, and he’d usually tried to quell in an instant from sheer embarrassment and just a little bit too much guilt. But once he’d learned what her touch was like, what she felt like to touch, those thoughts had become a little more frequent, although that harsh ache of guilt had still been making it difficult to deal with. And now – now that they were official, now that she had stayed cuddled up to him after she had made him cum, now that she wasn’t going anywhere, now that it was real, now, there was little guilt at all, and she filled his head like a flood.

 

The night before had changed everything. It didn’t mean that they would be rushing forward with anything else, but this was still new and exciting and – well, maybe too exciting.

 

As Armin lay in his bed, he found that everything was far too warm. He’d long since discarded his shirt in an attempt to cool down, but it didn’t seem to be doing very much at all. His face was hot, too, although that wasn’t why he had missed nearly every word in that video for the past few minutes – it was the semi that had formed in his pyjama pants.

 

Little guilt didn’t mean no guilt. He certainly felt less guilty about thinking about her like that, but something about touching himself while he had those thoughts … it just felt like he was crossing a line.

 

He knew he wasn’t. He knew that Annie probably wouldn’t care at all. Hadn’t she said as much? But at the same time, she’d been comfortable with what they’d done so far, and Armin wasn’t just thinking about that. He was thinking about much, much more than that, and it was making him feel just the tiniest bit terrible.

 

A sharp buzzing snapped him out of his thoughts as a message rushed through from Annie on his phone.

 

He was almost nervous to open it. It was like she’d known he’d been thinking about her, and she would tease him relentlessly for it. But when he opened her text, he realised it had little to do with any of his thoughts.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Reiner is trying to convince us to write a new song to perform for TOMORROW

You might just see one of my guitar solos

 

Armin breathed out a laugh and shook his head.

 

ME

Are you allowed to hit him with the guitar?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Yes, but I wouldn’t want to damage my guitar

His smile widened.

 

ME

You’re right, it’s just not worth it

Also, I thought you’d be too busy practising to text?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

We aren’t practising right now

Bert is trying to tell Reiner that this is a shit idea

To very limited success

 

ME

I can imagine

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Yeah

Fun as usual

What are you up to, anyway?

 

ME

Not a lot

Watching Youtube in bed

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Nerd videos?

 

ME

It’s about Nana

 

ROCKSTAR <3

OK.

Nerd video.

 

Armin rolled his eyes.

 

ME

It’s a good story

 

ROCKSTAR <3

I’m sure it is

I’m not sure you’ll convince me over text though

 

She was right about that, although he wasn’t going to try and start and convince her then and there. He was thinking about everything else that he should say, or more like everything else that he wanted to say. There was a big difference between would he should say and what he wanted to say.

 

He squeezed his eyes shut again and sighed. After a few moments of silence, he opened them, and started typing.

 

ME

I miss you

 

Armin’s heart started hammering as soon as the message went through. He was tempted to bury his phone beneath his pillow, or even get up and bury it beneath Eren’s, so he didn’t have to force himself to wait anxiously staring at his phone screen.

 

But only another moment went by before Annie replied.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Is there a reason you’re saying that?

 

ME

I just miss you

Is that not allowed?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Ofc it is

I miss you too

You’re more fun than these two

 

ME

I’m not that fun

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Yeah you are

You were really fun last night, too

;)

 

Armin’s lips parted and some small choking noise burst from his throat as he stared at the screen. He blinked, again and again, almost like he wasn’t quite certain that he’d actually read the message she’d sent him. But after a few moments went by, he was sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him. Annie had definitely just said that him.

 

He swallowed past the sudden dryness on his tongue, and shakily typed out a response.

 

ME

You think so?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Of course I do

 

His eyebrows furrowed and he gently bit down on the inside of his bottom lip as he thought about what to say.

 

What should he say?

 

Flirting wasn’t out of the question for them at all. Annie could make suggestive jokes, but she usually didn’t push actual flirting to this point. And it certainly didn’t help that what she’d said was bringing very, very vivid images from the night prior back to his mind, and that semi in his pants really wasn’t just a semi anymore.

 

He let out a long breath through his lips before he managed to start typing out a message.

 

ME

How uncomfortable are you with this stuff?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

With what stuff?

 

ME

With talking about it

With me

 

ROCKSTAR <3

It’s fine

I brought it up

Are you uncomfortable?

 

ME

No

I just wasn’t expecting that

But it’s nice

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Yeah?

 

Armin bit down on his lip again, his eyebrows pulling together. Then, he sighed, and started typing.

 

ME

Yeah

I keep thinking about last night

 

The buzz of his phone made his heart jump into his throat.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Do you now?

 

ME

Yeah

That doesn’t make you uncomfortable, does it?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

No

It’s nice

I like it

 

ME

You do?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Yeah

Think about me all you want

As filthy as you want

 

ME

Are you really sure?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Ofc Armin

 

But he still found himself staring at the screen, uncertain.

 

ME

Really, really sure?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

You’re lucky you so cute

Yes, I’m sure

I think about you like that you know

 

Armin’s heart skipped.

 

ME

You do?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Well duh

I told you yesterday

 

He knew that; he remembered her saying it. But still, he liked the reassurance all the same.

 

ME

I know you do

 

Armin paused for a second, his face warming. Then, he sent another message.

 

I just like hearing it

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Oh, do you now?

 

ME

Yeah

I do

 

ROCKSTAR <3

How much?

 

If he was warm before, now he was boiling hot. His heart was beating just a little too quickly in his chest and he was finding it difficult to think all that clearly. That, at least, made texting like this so much easier.

 

ME

A lot

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Well, do you want to know a secret?

 

ME

Yes

 

ROCKSTAR <3

I’ve been thinking about last night, too

 

ME

You have?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Yeah

Do you want another secret?

 

ME

Yes please

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Was that a pretty please?

 

ME

:(

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Okay, okay

I’ll tell you

I got off earlier thinking about it

 

Armin was sure for a moment, then, that his brain had completely shut down. It took him far too long to regain his senses, but when he did, his fingers practically scrambled across the screen to type out a response.

 

ME

You did?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Yeah

Is that okay?

 

ME

Yeah

Yeah that’s really okay

I really like that

I think it’s really hot

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Yeah?

 

ME

Sorry

Was that weird to say?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

No

I liked it

 

ME

Okay

Good

 

Armin swallowed again, before he made his decision on what to say. Fuck it – it wasn’t worth overthinking about. Annie would tell him if he crossed a line.

 

ME

It’s so, so fucking hot

You’re so hot

I don’t even know what I’m saying

You’re so hot it’s hard to think sometimes

 

ROCKSTAR <3

You seem a bit riled up there :)

 

ME

Yeah

You rile me up

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Sorry

I can’t bring you any relief rn

How about tomorrow night though?

 

ME

Tomorrow night? Isn’t that the gig?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

After

We’ll go to the garage

I wanna blow you again

Sound good to you?

 

ME

I’d really like that

As long as you’re comfortable

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Ofc I am

I wouldn’t have said

I have a question about that, anyway

 

ME

Yeah?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

If you miss me so much, do you want to see a pic?

 

Armin’s mouth parted. Did … did she mean …?

 

No. She couldn’t mean that. She was with Bertholdt and Reiner right now, for God’s sake. Surely, she wouldn’t …

 

ME

Yeah :)

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Okay

Enjoy <3

 

It took a few moments for the image to load, but when it finally did, his breath caught in his throat.

 

It was one of those mirror pictures, deliberately posed to bring out her curves, which just made it even harder to think. She had her hair down, which he liked; she was beautiful with it pinned back, but he liked the way it framed her face – and to be honest, he also liked the fact that she didn’t wear it down very often, that he got to see it more often than others. It was a nice touch, but it wasn’t really what he noticed most about the picture, since she was completely fucking naked.

 

He thought she might send him maybe a picture of her in lingerie, like she had by accident back when they were faking it. He hadn’t imagined that he would be able to see all of her, bare and rosy right in front of his face.

 

A few moments went by in the silence of his dorm where Armin could barely form a single thought. He was too busy staring at her bare skin, at the way her waist dipped, at the slight pink lines of stretch marks on her thighs he’d seen before, where the muscle had grown too large too quickly, at the sweep of blonde, curly hairs, neatly trimmed above her –

 

Armin clicked his phone off, his face, and most of everywhere, now on fire.

 

His heart had started pounding in his chest and, without another thought, he rolled back over and pressed his face into the softness of his pillow. After a few minutes of trying to clear his head, he found himself unsuccessful – all he could do was let out a deep groan into the fabric of the pillow.

 

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to look at the pic. He really, really did. But for some stupid reason, he really hadn’t been expecting her to be completely naked. And now he really didn’t know what to do with himself.

 

Did she … did she want –

 

His phone buzzed loudly beside his head and he nearly jumped. He raised his head and reached out for it, wincing at the bright light of the screen as a new message flashed up on the screen.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Is everything okay?

Was that weird?

 

ME

No!

Sorry, I just was surprised

You look really beautiful

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Thanks

But that’s an awfully sweet thing to say about a nude

 

ME

Did you want me to say something mean?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Maybe

More like disrespectful, but in a sexy way

I’m kidding, before you overthink that

 

Armin couldn’t stop the slight smile that rose to his mouth.

 

ME

I can do better

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Do better then

 

ME

You look really hot

 

ROCKSTAR <3

I think you can do better than that ;)

 

He could practically hear the words in her voice then, see the way her lips would curl ever so slightly at the corners as she said something so teasing. It nearly made him choke on his breath.

 

ME

What’s gotten you in such a flirty mood?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Does it bother you?

 

ME

No, no

I really like it

I just don’t want to cross a line

 

ROCKSTAR <3

You won’t

Sorry

This is easier over text

I can handle it

 

ME

That’s okay :)

I just don’t want to do anything you’re not comfortable with

 

ROCKSTAR <3

I’m comfortable with it

 

ME

I’m glad :)

 

ROCKSTAR <3

God

I can’t believe I just sent you a fucking nude and you’re still being so goddamn sweet

 

ME

Should I not be?

Do you want me to be disrespectful? In a ‘sexy’ way?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Oh now you’re being bold

 

ME

It’s easier over text :)

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Oh, yeah

REALLY bold

 

Armin’s smile grew wide.

 

ME

You really look so pretty in that pic

So, so pretty

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Yeah?

What do you wanna do about it?

 

Armin wanted to do a lot of things about it, and none of them he was feeling particularly confident to say in that moment. She was comfortable with it – she’d said she could handle it. But maybe that wasn’t it, anyway – Armin was the one out of his depth.

 

His heart was racing a little too fast as he stared at her message. What did he want to do about it? He swallowed, and with shaky fingers, started typing again.

 

ME

I wanna kiss you

So badly

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Anything else?

 

ME

Everywhere

I want to kiss you all over

If that’s okay?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

:)

 

ME

That is okay, right

I mean

To think about

Not do

Sorry

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Don’t say sorry

It’s fine

As filthy as you want, remember?

<3

 

Armin swallowed. Had last night really sparked so much of these feelings in her, too? He couldn’t be certain, but that was what it seemed like. And he wanted to talk to her about it, but now, over text, in the middle of all of this certainly wasn’t the time. And if he was being entirely honest with himself, he didn’t want it to stop – not when she’d made it clear she was comfortable with this, not when she had made it clear that she liked it.

 

A sharp buzz from his phone pulled his attention back to his screen.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Also

You don’t have to

But you can have as much fun with that pic I sent as you want

I don’t want you to feel bad about that

 

ME

What do you mean by fun?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Take a guess

 

Armin bit down hard on his lip. When he started forming a response, he tried to ignore the way his thumbs seemed to be jittering.

 

ME

You want me to jerk off to it?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

You don’t have to

It’s only if you want to

 

ME

Okay

Thank you

For sending it, I mean

If that’s not a weird thing to say

Sorry

But you look so pretty

You always do but

You look so hot

 

ROCKSTAR <3

:)

I won’t be able to text for a while btw

Bert’s broke and is trying to convince me to learn to play this stupid song tonight

I’ll text you later?

 

ME

Yeah okay :)

Have fun

 

ROCKSTAR <3

You too ;)

 

Armin stared at that small, winking emoji for a long time. When no message followed after it, he groaned and dropped his head back down into the pillow.

 

He could almost feel how foggy his head was with want, and he was more than aware of it in other places – his cock was hard against the thin material of his pants, pressed to the mattress, and it was aching to be touched. She had such a hold on him it was near-insane, although, Armin didn’t think he really minded that at all.

 

A few more moments passed before he raised his head and sighed. Then, he rolled onto his back and after another heartbeat or so, he tentatively raised his phone again.

 

As the screen lit up, he felt his heart jump into his throat. He swallowed and slowly scrolled up through their messages, before he landed on that picture of her again and stopped.

 

She was stunning. He knew that, of course, but he hadn’t ever really had an opportunity to stare at her so shamelessly like this. When they had fooled around before, they’d had other things on their mind much more pressing than staring, like the rushed press of kisses to hot flesh, or the trail of fingers over sensitive skin. Staring was allowed, but not important. Although, Armin didn’t want to stare, at least not in the moment. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, and he didn’t particularly want to ruin the moment by overstepping her boundaries. But now, she wanted him to stare. And now, he really, really wanted to.

 

His eyes trailed down from her face down to the bareness of her breasts. They were on the smaller side, and pretty and round, and he could remember just how soft they felt beneath his fingers. Her nipples were hard, too, and the mere sight of them made him nearly twitch in his pants.

 

Letting his eyes fall down to her stomach didn’t make matters any better, either. The skin there was smooth and toned, and he found himself imagining what it would be like to trail his mouth over that part of her. Would she shiver, or arch her back, maybe? Would she sigh with pleasure, or maybe even reach down to tangle her fingers in his hair? She definitely would when he would move further down, pressing light kisses over the trimmed, blonde curls above her wet heat.

 

Armin’s hand was resting on the waistband of his pants, and it had been there for a few moments. He hesitated in pushing his hand any lower.

 

But then, he remembered what she had texted him: you can have as much fun with that pic I sent you as you want.

 

After he’d dropped his phone down, it only took him a few moments to shuffle his pyjama pants off and kick them onto the ground. As he settled himself back down into a comfortable position, he reached over and grabbed his phone, only to pull up that picture of her again. Then, after he’d let out a small breath, he wrapped his hand around his cock and started stroking himself.

 

Armin let out a sigh of relief. It didn’t take very long for his motions to start sending small jitters and pleasure through him, easing the tension that had been building up all evening. He bit down hard on the inside of his bottom lip, almost like he was trying to keep small sounds of pleasure from leaving his mouth, and let his eyes trail all over her naked form as he let his thoughts go wild.

 

In his mind, he kissed her all over. He started at her lips, soft and needy, until their kisses grew so sloppy that she seemed desperate. Then, he moved to press kisses over her jaw, before slowly trailing his mouth down to her neck. She liked being kissed there, a lot; it made her sigh and squirm in the sweetest of ways, and sometimes, if he was lucky enough, his kisses there would pull out small moans and whimpers that would send his whole body tingling.

 

Armin could practically hear those sounds now as he started pumping his cock faster. He liked that such a simple thing as kissing her neck could get such vivid reactions from her. He had to bite his lips together, hard, to stop any embarrassing sounds from tumbling out of his mouth. That was easier said than done when Annie was being very vocal in his thoughts.

 

In his head, he finally moved, trailing kisses down her neck and over the slight peak of her collarbone, before delving ever deeper, down and down until he reached one of her hardened nipples. She gasped as he swirled his tongue around the nub, and she made the same sweet sound again when his hand found her other breast and teasing the nipple in between his thumb and forefinger. As he continued his ministrations, she was squirming and whimpering, each sound sending a spark of pleasure to his groin. Then, he replaced his mouth with his other hand, before he moved even further down, pressing kisses all the way down her stomach, then over the blonde curls below, before his mouth was only a few inches from her wet heat.

 

Armin let out a shuddered breath, biting his bottom lip hard beneath his teeth as he kept stroking himself. His abdomen was tense with want, and it only seemed to get even more tense as he thought more about what he wanted to do to her.

 

In his mind, she was wet wet; she was dripping and oh so needy, and her clit was swollen and desperate for attention. He kept a firm grip on her thighs, on her wonderful, strong thighs, as he leaned forward to give her the attention she craved, the worship she deserved, and pressed his tongue in between her wet lips. She cried out and tightened her thighs around his head, which was more than fine, because her thighs were so fucking divine, anyway. He’d gladly let her crush him with those things if it meant he could die with his head between her legs.

 

“Fuck,” he breathed, tilting his head back into the pillow.

 

That pressure inside of him was only building. Each stroke of his cock was becoming more and more desperate, and his thighs were tense as his shudders of pleasure shot to his abdomen with each movement.

 

He thought about how nice she tasted on his tongue back when they were faking it, when he really shouldn’t have had his head between her legs like that; how each swirl of it around her clit made her shudder, how she was moaning so, so loudly. He wanted her like this, loud and unabashed; it didn’t matter how loud she got, how much of a noise disturbance she could be, because she sounded so fucking good. She tangled her fingers in his hair so tight it nearly hurt, but it only made it all the more thrilling, especially as she seemed to be trying to push her own hips up to meet his mouth – almost like she was trying to fuck his face. And he let her, then; he basked in the way she cried out as she rolled her hips against his mouth and found the delicious friction she wanted, and let her do it again and again, drinking in her whimpers whenever she found more of what she wanted.

 

But then, finally, he gripped her thighs, her perfect, beautiful thighs, and stopped her motions so he could wrap his lips around her clit and suck. The fingers that were twisted in his hair started to tremble, and a string of shuddering gasps and whines left her lips and nothing else, almost like she’d lost the ability to speak completely, as he kissed her cunt. He kept sucking and licking at that pretty bud until she couldn’t stop shuddering, until she eventually managed to find the ability to speak again – but only to call out his name, only to beg him not to stop; only to tell him that she was going to cum, only to tell him that he was going to make her cum. And then, and only then, her thighs tightened around him and she cried out his name like a prayer so loud in her enchanting voice as she came, and –

 

Armin groaned, his hand near-trembling as he stroked his length, his head flooded with images of Annie, flushed, beautiful and coming. And after a few more desperate pumps of his cock, he came hard – waves of pleasure rocked through him as he spilled over his hand and stomach, and he could do nothing but let it rush through him, warm and explosive, save for letting a small, choked, “fuck” slip past his lips.

 

When it was over, his breathing was heavy, and he swallowed as he looked down at the mess he’d made on himself.

 

He loosened his grip on himself and groaned.

 

“Fuck,” he said.

 

Armin could barely look at his phone as he locked it – he didn’t want to faced with Annie then, even though it wasn’t really her; it wasn’t like photograph could say anything. Yet Armin found himself already embarrassed from how she could tease him; his face was burning so hot that it could rival a forest fire. He tried to push the feeling away as he awkwardly manoeuvred himself off of the bed and managed to rise to his feet, before hurriedly making his way to the bathroom to hop in the shower.

 

The cool water of the shower helped wash away his embarrassment, although he logically knew he didn’t have to feel embarrassed. Annie was his girlfriend, after all, and she’d given him more than a go-ahead to do something like that. Even if she hadn’t, thoughts were just thoughts – although, admittedly, he’d have felt terrible if she’d ever said it made her uncomfortable. But this embarrassment was definitely uncalled for. He stood beneath the cold water for far too long, trying to figure out exactly where it was all coming from.

 

After some time, he came to a conclusion that he wasn’t very happy with – he was inexperienced, and severely anxious about the fact that he was.

 

He’d never made Annie orgasm, not outside of his head, anyway – but then again, they hadn’t ever had the opportunity to get that far in the past. But could he have gotten her that far, if he was better? It was hard to say. All of those encounters had been rushed, and were now such a blur in his head. He’d probably only had his head between her legs for two minutes, max. Maybe if …

 

Armin sighed and turned the shower off. He needed to stop thinking about that. Annie knew he was inexperienced, and it didn’t bother her. That was what he kept telling himself those harsh thoughts still swirled through his head as he dried off and changed back into his pyjamas.

 

He reached out to place his phone on his nightstand, but then his eyebrows furrowed at the slow flash of a tiny light that signalled a new message. He unlocked his phone, no longer faced with that photograph of Annie, but a new message that had loaded through more recently.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

It’s getting late, and we’re still arguing about it, so I’ll just say goodnight now in case you go to bed soon

I hope you sleep well

I can’t wait to see you tomorrow

<3

 

Armin’s heart softened, and he felt the smallest of smiles pull at the corners of his lips.

 

ME

Try not to argue too much :)

Also text me when you’re back on campus

I can’t wait to see you too :)

Goodnight <3

 

He locked his phone again and placed it down on the nightstand, before letting out a sigh and crawling into bed. It was easier to ignore those dumb worries of his when Annie was more open with him like this – he was being ridiculous, anyway. He should just … talk to her about it. Not that that didn’t sound absolutely mortifying, but still.

 

It wasn’t long before his eyelids grew heavy and he sighed again, and before he was even aware of it, he’d fallen fast asleep.

 

The next morning, it wasn’t the shrill buzzing of his alarm that usually pestered him awake, but something else.

 

“Good morning!”

 

“It’s the afternoon now, Eren.”

 

“Well, good afternoon seems like a weird thing to say to wake someone up.”

 

Armin groaned and opened his eyes, only to make out two familiar, but rather blurry, figures by the door. He shuffled into a sitting position and swiped his glasses off of his nightstand, before pushing them up his nose.

 

“It’s not like you to sleep in so late,” said Eren.

 

“Is everything okay?” asked Mikasa.

 

Mikasa’s eyebrows were pinched together with worry; Eren’s expression, on the other hand, was just confused.

 

“Yeah,” he said, eyebrows furrowing. “It’s the afternoon?”

 

“Just about,” said Eren. “Nearly 1, actually.”

 

Armin reached up to rub his face, pushing up his glasses in the process. “My alarm didn’t go off.”

 

“I thought you’d be basically buzzing around the place,” said Mikasa as she settled herself down on Eren’s bed.

 

His eyebrows drew together again. “Why?”

 

“It’s the concert tonight,” said Mikasa with a small smile.

 

“Annie’s concert,” said Eren pointedly.

 

Annie. He hadn’t text her at all yet.

 

Armin cleared his throat and tried to reach for his phone as casually as possible. “Uh, I know. But I’ve been before.”

 

Mikasa’s eyebrows furrowed. “Are you not excited?”

 

“Well, a little,” he said.

 

“Not enough to lose sleep over, apparently,” said Eren.

 

Armin sighed and unlocked his phone. “It’s just a concert. I don’t know what you guys expect to happen.”

 

“You two got pretty handsy at the last one,” said Eren.

 

Armin flushed, but he didn’t look up from his phone. No messages from Annie yet. She must have been up really late.

 

“That wasn’t her concert,” said Armin. “I’m probably not gonna see a lot of her.”

 

“You’ll see her after, though,” said Mikasa.

 

He raised his eyes to hers. “Yeah, but with all of you guys. And anyway – we’re just friends right now.”

 

“Right now?” asked Mikasa innocently.

 

Armin sighed. “Mikasa.”

 

“What?” she asked.

 

“It’s a dumb crush,” he said. “I’ll get over it.”

 

“Why should you have to get over it?” she asked.

 

Armin didn’t answer. He wasn’t a bad liar, but it felt weird keeping up this narrative so ardently when he was, in fact, dating Annie. He was fine with keeping them private for now, especially when they were both pretty far out of their depths. Prying eyes didn’t exactly make him feel good when he didn’t particularly have a clue of what he was doing.

 

When he said nothing, Mikasa’s voice grew softer. “Maybe tonight will change things.”

 

Armin pushed a smile onto his face. “It’s fine, Mikasa. Really. I’m fine with the situation.” Then, he added, quickly, “Where did you two go last night, anyway?”

 

“Just the movies,” said Eren. “We stayed at Mikasa’s since Sasha was out.”

 

“She was with Niccolo,” added Mikasa. Then, after a slight pause, she added, “Did you invite Annie to that restaurant thing?”

 

Armin frowned slightly. “I did. Why?”

 

She shrugged. “Sasha wanted her there.”

 

Armin’s eyes narrowed. “Mikasa?”

 

“What?” she asked.

 

“Did you tell Sasha to invite Annie?” she asked.

 

Mikasa scoffed, but it wasn’t very convincing. “Why would I do that?”

 

Armin sighed. “I think you know why. But that’s fine.”

 

“Don’t worry about it, man,” said Eren, waving him off. “Look, even if nothing happens tonight, it’ll still be a good time.”

 

“Yeah, I know,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it.”

 

Eren grinned. “Any particular reason why?”

 

Armin frowned, but before he could say anything in response, Mikasa spoke up.

 

“We were gonna get some takeout later for before the gig if you wanna chip in,” said Mikasa.

 

“What kind?” he asked.

 

“Thai food,” she said. “We were just gonna order in.”

 

He smiled. “Uh, yeah, that sounds good. So, a lot later, then? Just because I might go for a swim soon.”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “It won’t be for a few hours yet.”

 

“Okay,” said Armin. “That’s fine. Will you guys just be hanging around here all day?”

 

“Probably,” said Eren. “Mikasa wants to watch The Addams Family again.”

 

Mikasa frowned. “You say again like it’s a bad thing.”

 

“Okay,” said Armin before Eren could risk saying anything bad about The Addams Family. Doing that in front of Mikasa was the same as asking to be yelled at. “I’ll just join you guys later.”

 

Mikasa lit up. “Wanna watch the second one with us?”

Armin smiled. “If there’s enough time, sure.”

 

Mikasa waved him off. “Oh, we have so much time.”

 

“Do we?” asked Eren weakly.

 

Mikasa turned to him with a frown. “What would be wrong with that?”

 

“Well …” he began.

 

“Well?” said Mikasa.

 

Eren had opened his mouth too quickly – Armin had no chance to defend him. So, as Eren desperately tried to back-pedal, Armin slipped out of his bed and scurried towards his wardrobe, before dipping into the bathroom to change as Mikasa started explaining exactly why The Addams Family and Addams Family Values were cinematic masterpieces that needed to be appreciated. By the time Armin was ready to leave, he found that she was still talking.

 

“I’ll see you guys later!” he called as he stepped out of the door.

 

Mikasa stopped briefly, to say, “See you later!” Then, she was right back into her explanation. Armin found himself wondering if she would be done by the time he was back.

 

Free from Eren and Mikasa’s watchful gaze, he pulled out his phone and found that he finally had a text from Annie. He also found that he hadn’t actually sent one to her yet.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Are you alive?

 

ME

Yeah, sorry

I overslept

Forgot to turn on my alarm :/

 

Armin went to slip his phone back into his pocket, but it was only in there a moment before it buzzed again.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Not like you to sleep later than me

 

ME

I’m usually not up later

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Were you up later?

 

ME

Probably not

I must have been pretty tired

Anyway, how did last night go?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

NOT good

We’re playing the damn song

It’s going to go so badly

 

ME

I doubt that

Can you not do one of your guitar solos? :)

 

ROCKSTAR <3

I’ll have to otherwise nowhere in the city will let us perform again

 

ME

I’m sure it won’t be that bad

 

ROCKSTAR <3

This is not enough time to learn and perform a song

We’ve barely practised

 

ME

There’s no shame in going solo

 

ROCKSTAR <3

I’d consider it if I could sing

 

ME

Can you not?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Of course not

I’d have gone solo by now

 

Armin let out a huff of laughter and shook his head.

 

ME

I think you’d miss them too much

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Probably

It’s like fucking Stockholm Syndrome

 

ME

They’re not that bad

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Your opinion might change when this song turns the performance to shit

 

ME

I’m sure you guys will do great

I’m at least sure you’ll do great

And I for one would love to hear a guitar solo

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Well, the chance of that is near 100% by now

 

ME

Well, I like watching you play, so that’s fine with me :)

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Sap

 

Armin smiled.

 

ME

Too much?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

No

I liked it

 

ME

Cool :)

 

When Armin placed his phone in his pocket, it didn’t buzz again. It turned out to be for the best because he found that he was nearly at the campus’s gym, and he knew he would just waste even more time texting Annie if he had the chance to.

 

It only took him a minute or so to strip down into his swimming drunks and dive into the pool.

 

The cool water shook off his grogginess quickly, and it felt refreshing against his warm skin. It helped that it kept his mind quiet, if only for a few moments. Although, it only lasted for about as long as he was in the chlorine-filled water – as soon as he was stood under the warmer rushes of the shower in the locker room again, his heart suddenly felt tense.

 

It was those stupid thoughts again that had been on his mind last night before he’d gone to bed.

 

He wondered if his inexperience really bothered her. Would she even say if it did? Anyway, that wasn’t quite right. He doubted his inexperience would necessarily bother her, but if he wasn’t very good at any of it, then that definitely would. Of course it would. But would she say anything about it then?

 

Armin wasn’t sure. The thoughts followed him all the way back to his dorm room, and only left him for a moment when he was met with Mikasa’s beaming face.

 

“You’re just in time for Addams Family Values,” she said.

 

He pushed a smile onto his face. “That sounds good.”

 

Eren had a frown on his face, but he didn’t say anything. Clearly, he hadn’t enjoyed the first movie enough to be all that excited about the idea of watching the sequel, although Armin thought it was smart of him to stay quiet this time. He wondered just how long Mikasa had lectured him about the franchise while he was gone. Armin was just glad he hadn’t stuck around to listen to it.

 

On the bright side, listening to Mikasa talk about the movie while watching it was pretty distracting. By the time the credits started rolling, most of those insecure thoughts had fled – although when he glanced at a message from Annie afterwards, he couldn’t help but feel a slight pang in his chest.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

How’s the fit?

 

A photo buzzed through a moment later, and there she was. In the picture, Annie was wearing a black tank top which dipped at the cleavage, black shorts that barely reached the middle of her thighs, and fishnet tights that left him a little thoughtless for a few moments. He could make out all of her piercings, too, silver and sparkling, and they always made her face even more eye-catching.

 

“Armin? Is that Annie in that picture?”

 

Armin yanked his phone away as he turned to meet Mikasa’s curious gaze.

 

His face flushed. “What?”

 

She grinned. “It was, wasn’t it?”

 

“Are you staring at pictures of her now?” asked Eren.

 

“I’m not,” he said firmly.

 

“It really looked like you were,” said Mikasa, still smiling. “Well? Will you let me see?”

 

“No,” he said.

 

She pouted. “Why not?”

 

“It’s … it’s just …” Armin sighed. “She was just showing me what she was wearing, okay?”

 

“What?” said Eren, eyebrows drawing together. “Like a sext?”

 

“No!” said Armin. “Just … fine, just look.”

 

Armin unlocked his screen and held it out for both of them to see.

 

“See?” he said.

 

Eren leaned back, but his eyebrows were still furrowed. “No offence, Armin, but … why is Annie coming to you for an opinion on fashion?”

 

Mikasa nudged him. “It’s obvious.”

 

Armin’s heart jumped into his throat. “Is it?”

 

“You’re being naive again,” said Mikasa. “She’s totally trying to flirt with you.”

 

Armin’s heart slowed as his shoulders relaxed. “Oh. I don’t think she is.”

 

“Of course she is,” said Mikasa. “Why else would she want your opinion on what she’s wearing?”

 

“I don’t think –”

 

“She’s definitely planning something for tonight,” said Mikasa.

 

Armin felt his cheeks warm. Annie definitely was, but it was something they’d already discussed. Not that he could just go and tell Eren and Mikasa that.

 

“Your face is bright red,” said Mikasa pointedly.

 

“Because you’re embarrassing me,” he said.

 

“You want something to happen,” said Mikasa.

 

Armin sighed, trying his best to ignore the way his face was aflame. “Nothing is gonna happen, okay? You’re reading into it too much. You sometimes ask what I think of what you’re wearing.”

 

“Yeah, but I don’t have a crush on you,” said Mikasa.

 

“Annie doesn’t have a crush on me,” he said.

 

“It doesn’t really look like that,” said Eren.

 

Armin sighed again. “Look – can we just drop it? It’s not … I don’t really want to think about it.”

 

The brightness in Mikasa’s expression faded.

 

“Sorry, Armin,” she said gently. “I didn’t mean –”

 

“I know,” he said.

 

“I’m sorry, too, man,” said Eren. “Can I make it up to you by paying for your takeout?”

 

“You don’t have to do that,” said Armin with a shake of his head.

 

“I know,” said Eren with a smile. “But I want to.”

 

“It’s just the three of us, by the way,” said Mikasa. “For food. Jean and Marco are gonna join after.”

 

Armin smiled slightly. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

 

It was only when the conversation veered off slightly that Armin managed to pick up his phone again to send off another message to Annie.

 

ME

You look really beautiful :)

 

By the time Jean and Marco arrived at their dorm, Armin was unnaturally nervous. He knew that there wasn’t really much to be nervous about. It was just one of Annie’s gigs. He’d been to one before. But last time, they hadn’t been together; last time, they hadn’t been hiding the fact that they were together, either. Not to mention, he was feeling a certain way about what he and Annie had planned for after the gig. It was an ugly mix of excitement and nerves swirling around his stomach, and he wasn’t quite sure what to do about it.

 

One thing was for certain, though – he really, really shouldn’t drink.

 

So when Eren offered him a glass of wine, he shook his head, and said, “No, I’m fine.”

 

Eren frowned. “You’re fine? Why aren’t you drinking?”

 

“He’ll just be nervous,” said Mikasa.

 

“If you wanna drink, now might be your best bet,” said Jean. “You’ll probably get ID’d at the bar there.”

 

“I’m sure Hitch can get him a drink, if he really wants,” said Eren.

 

Armin’s stomach dropped. Hitch.

 

If Mikasa and Eren were bad with getting under his skin about Annie, then Hitch was in an entirely different league. He hoped she would be too drunk to even think about teasing him tonight.

 

“I just have an upset stomach,” said Armin, waving them off. “It’s fine.”

 

Marco’s eyebrows pulled together. “Are you sure you want to go to this thing, then?”

 

“Yeah,” said Jean. “The last thing you want is to throw up on the floor.”

 

“You’ll probably get kicked out,” said Eren. “I doubt Annie would be that happy about that.”

 

Jean snorted. “He isn’t still trying to impress her, is he?”

 

Armin’s face tinged pink. “I’m not trying to impress anyone.”

 

“She’s flirting with him,” said Mikasa.

 

Armin’s head snapped towards her. “Mikasa!”

 

“Well,” said Mikasa. “Isn’t she?”

 

He frowned. “I thought you’d drop it.”

 

“She’s flirting with you?” asked Jean.

 

Armin sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “She’s not. We’re just … friends.”

 

“Friends who … flirt?” asked Eren.

 

“Some friends flirt with each other,” said Marco lightly.

 

Jean pouted. “Are you flirting with your friends?”

 

Marco smiled. “No. Just you.”

 

“Then … do friends really flirt with each other?” asked Eren.

 

Jean smirked. “Are you jealous that Armin isn’t flirting with you, Yeager?”

 

Eren scowled. “Fuck off, Jean.”

 

“That didn’t really answer the question,” said Jean.

 

Before Eren could open his mouth, Mikasa said, “Some friends flirt with each other. But most of my friends aren’t flirting with their friends, I have to say.” Then, she added, with a slight smile, “Maybe just Annie and Armin.”

 

Armin groaned and dropped his head into his hands. “Can I have a shot?”

 

“Really?” asked Eren.

 

He nodded into his hands. “Please.”

 

In the end, he had three shots of vodka, from a bottle Jean brought that his mother had apparently bought for him when she visited. The effect was instantaneous – he could feel it tingle all the way through him, from his stomach all the way to his fingertips. He wasn’t particularly tipsy or anything, but it did give him a well-needed buzz to feel less like he was going to have a heart attack.

 

It helped him stay calm as the minutes ticked towards when they would all have to leave, and kept him shockingly steady as he put his contacts in and then as Mikasa did his eyeliner. In the end, he was adoring that, as well as the earring he often wore now, plus a tight, plain black T-shirt and matching black jeans, along with his favourite pair of boots – the ones that Annie had bought him all those weeks ago.

 

“Ready to head out?” asked Eren.

 

He managed a small smile and nodded.

 

He was surprised on their way to Maria’s, squeezed into a sort of minibus-taxi, when his phone buzzed in his pocket.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

I hope you aren’t looking forward to this too much

I think it’s gonna be a trainwreck

 

Armin smiled.

 

ME

I think it’ll be fine :)

You’ll be good, even if Reiner isn’t

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Well, that’s a given

I wish I could drink

This is gonna be mortifying

 

ME

Can you play guitar drunk?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Pretty well

I’ll show you sometime

But not tonight

 

ME

If you want to drink, you can you know

 

ROCKSTAR <3

I don’t want to be drunk

Also, I’m still driving us to the garage after, remember?

 

Armin’s heart skipped.

 

ME

Yeah :)

 

ROCKSTAR <3

If you still wanna go?

 

ME

I wanna go

I want to spend time with you

 

ROCKSTAR <3

<3

I’ll meet you at the bar after or something

Just don’t leave, okay?

 

ME

I won’t :)

 

Armin locked his phone again with a click and slipped it back into his pocket, before letting out a sigh. He glanced down at his boots for only a moment, but when he looked back up, the taxi was slowing to a halt, and they were outside of Maria’s.

 

It looked the same outside as all the college bars in the city looked; discrete and just the tiniest bit dingy. This was was a bit more noticeable, though, with a a dim, glowing red sign spelling out Maria’s right above the door, but even then, its brightness was so little that it couldn’t particularly be called eye-catching.

 

The inside was a little similar, although there didn’t seem to be any tables and chairs around. After his eyes adjusted to the dimness, Armin could make them out, all of them wedged at the back of the room, barely enough room to even sit down, while the floor near the tiny stage was clear; except, save for the people flooding it.

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Are we late?”

 

“About right on time,” said Mikasa with a smile.

 

“Armin!”

 

His head swivelled just as someone practically jumped into his arms. They smelled like sweet perfume and alcohol, but it still took until the person pulled away to realise who had just jumped at him.

 

“Hitch,” he said, and smiled. “Uh, hey.”

 

“Hey yourself,” she said, speech slurred. “We’ve been waiting for you. You’re late.”

 

“They’re on time,” said a slight exasperated voice, and Armin glanced over to see Marlowe pushing through the crowd to get towards them.

 

“We were on time,” said Hitch.

 

“We were early,” said Marlowe.

 

“Hey,” said Eren, wincing as someone jostled into them. “No offence, but, uh … since when were The Traitors this popular?”

 

“Because their music is good,” said Hitch.

 

“Maybe these are just Reiner’s groupies,” said Jean, glancing around the room.

 

“Hey,” said Hitch, hooking her arm over Armin’s shoulder. “The only groupies here are me and Armin.”

 

Armin’s face burned. “Hitch. We’re not groupies.”

 

“Yes, we are,” she said adamantly. “I’m their number one fan. Look.”

 

Hitch loosened her grip on him and pulled out the hem of her T-shirt to present it to them.

 

It was difficult to see in the dim light, but after enough time squinting at it, the image became more than clear. Thick, black ink, like that of a Sharpie, spelled out ‘The Traitors’ in Hitch’s awkward handwriting, with three poorly drawn stick-figures, all of varying heights, holding what Armin thought must be some kind of instrument each. It was clear which one was supposed to be Annie – the tiniest one on the left, and the only one frowning.

 

“Uh … that’s cool, Hitch,” said Armin weakly.

 

“It’s shit,” she said. “You know why? Because Jean-boy here won’t pull his finger out and design their official merch!”

 

“Hey, hey,” said Jean with a frown. “I haven’t it done it yet because they keep bickering over designs.”

 

“So?” she said. “Make the decision for them!”

 

“I can’t do that,” said Jean.

 

“I think Hitch’s design is pretty good,” said Eren. “Maybe you should go with that.”

 

“You should not,” said Mikasa firmly.

 

Eren frowned. “Why not? It’s minimalist, right?”

 

“That is not minimalist,” said Jean.

 

“It’s shit,” said Hitch. “But it’s currently better than what you’ve got.”

 

Marlowe grabbed onto her shoulders. “She doesn’t mean that. She’s just drunk.”

 

“Oh, but I do,” said Hitch.

 

“Okay, okay,” said Marlowe, reaching down to grab her hand. “We’ll be at the front if you need us.”

 

“Join us later!” said Hitch as Marlowe started dragging her away. “Especially you, Armin! Groupies stay at the front.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “I’ll think about it.”

 

And then, she disappeared through the crowd.

 

For a moment, they were all silent, save for the blur of noise from the others in the bar bustling around.

 

But then, finally, Marco spoke. “You know, Jean … if they won’t make up their minds, maybe you should just use Hitch’s design.”

 

There was a long, tense pause, before Jean sighed, and said, “I’ll think about it.”

 

Before another word could pass through anyone’s lips, they were interrupted by the rushed sound of applause.

 

Armin’s eyes flickered up to the stage to see a staff member appear on stage, waving off the crowd, before stepping towards the microphone and tapping it.

 

“We have a very special guest tonight at Maria’s,” he said with a slight smile. “I hope you all enjoy tonight’s performance: The Traitors.”

 

There was a cacophony of applause and wooing, some of which came from their own little group, and then the staff member disappeared behind the curtain off stage. And then, only a moment later, everything grew much louder as The Traitors stepped out onto stage.

 

Reiner emerged first, making a beeline towards the microphone, his bass in hand, as Bertholdt followed and quickly settled down at his drum kit. And then, only a second later, the world seemed to fall quiet as Annie stepped on stage.

 

Armin’s nerves seemed to ease in an instant, replaced by something much warmer in his chest as he watched Annie get into place. She was always so beautiful, but underneath the stage lights, she was something else entirely. She was nearly angelic in appearance, but even that word wouldn’t do her justice. Armin doubted any word in the English language could.

 

He only managed to glance away when Reiner started speaking into the mic.

 

“How are y’all doing tonight?” he asked.

 

There was a loud chorus of woos in response, and Reiner grinned.

 

“We’re here to make your night even better!” he said. “We’re The Traitors, and we hope you have a great night.”

 

Armin thought Reiner had toned down the arrogance a bit since he’d last seen him perform in person, but he still couldn’t miss the way that Annie rolled her eyes. He wouldn’t have noticed at all if his eyes hadn’t naturally drifted back to her.

 

Then, Bertholdt started counting them in, and Annie’s guitar started this song, and then the drums and bass, before Reiner started singing into the mic.

 

The bar seemed livelier than their last gig. The room was basically packed, and it crossed Armin’s mind again on how much Annie talked down their band like it was nothing more than a couple of friends who played for no one in a little garage. Most of everyone was dancing already, although from how many people who looked their age and younger were holding cups as he swayed, he imagined that the alcohol played a part for some. Even so, Armin still found himself swaying around with his friends as the songs went on and on.

 

His heart practically burst when the songs that the three of them had practised in front of him in their garage a few weeks ago were played in rapid succession: Creaks in the Floor and High Tide. Armin could even remember the words and was mouthing along with them, although he did it quietly enough that Mikasa wouldn’t notice. He was sure that would just convince her more that there was something going on with him and Annie which, of course was true, but he didn’t want her to know that.

 

As the night moved forward, the crowd grew even more lively. Reiner was clearly riding the high of the positive response, which was to be expected, but from what he could tell, it seemed like Annie was really having fun. He was trying to be discrete about it, obviously, but most of his attention was on her. He was fascinated by the way her fingers moved over the strings, how they fell into the right places to play the correct chords so effortlessly, and the absolute ease with which she managed to make such beautiful sounds. He knew it was just years of practice, but that didn’t make it any less impressive.

 

An elbow was sharp in his side and drew his attention away.

 

It was Mikasa, giving him a genuine, warm smile.

 

“They’re really good!” she said over the music.

 

Armin gave her a smile back. “Yeah, they are!”

 

“Tell them to make up their minds about those stupid shirts!” she yelled. “I wanna buy one!”

 

He laughed. “I’ll let them know!”

 

Mikasa’s lips parted to say something else, but then the song ended in an abrupt quiet, leaving the crowd clapping and yelling as Reiner grabbed onto the mic again.

 

“We’ve got something very special we wanna try out with you guys tonight,” he said.

 

Armin watched as Annie’s face fell into a harsh scowl, and he knew before Reiner even spoke again exactly what he was planning on doing.

 

“We’ve got a very fresh song for you,” he said. “So fresh we only finished it last night!”

 

Armin bit his bottom lip to stop the curve of his smile as Annie’s scowl somehow deepened. He wondered just how far things would have to go for her to really consider hitting Reiner with her guitar.

 

“This is called Sink and Drown,” he said, and then Bertholdt started counting them in.

 

 

Somehow, even though Annie had claimed it was going to be a disaster, it started so smoothly. Their instruments and the melodies all bled together in a concoction of pretty sounds which had everyone dancing as much as the previous songs had. And if Armin hadn’t known how rushed an affair it had been, he wouldn’t have noticed the difference at all, because it still sounded as cool as the rest of their songs.

 

The song seemed to grow more and more intense as it neared its end, building and building until Reiner sang the last words of the song and stepped back from the mic. There was a brief stint of applause before it was clear that the song was not over: Bertholdt was still drumming and Annie’s fingers were still dancing over her guitar strings, yet Reiner was pulling the strap of his bass over his head to gently place it down on the stage.

 

His eyebrows furrowed as his gaze moved to Annie’s face again, only to see her glance over at Reiner with the deepest grimace he thought he’d ever seen on her face. But when Reiner turned again to face the audience, there was a massive grin plastered over his mouth, so large in fact that it almost seemed to split his face in half.

 

Even without the mic, his loud yell as he fisted his hands into the air was more than clear.

 

“Woo!” he screamed, before dropping his hands back down to his side, and moving forward.

 

Except he wasn’t just moving. He was running.

 

Armin’s stomach dropped as he realised what exactly Reiner had planned, but by the time it had fully registered, there was nothing he could do about it, because Reiner had already dove off of the stage and into the crowd.

 

There was a rush of confusion and hurried footsteps, and then, a very clear, harsh thump as Reiner’s body smacked into the hard ground.

 

Annie and Bertholdt stopped abruptly, and then nothing could be heard for a long time save for the mumble of concerned and confused voices. But then, after a pause, there was a slight groan and fumbling – but then, Armin caught sight of Reiner’s head bobbing above the crowd in front of him as he rose to his feet.

 

He punched a hand into the air, and yelled, “Woo!”

 

The response was instant – a rush of woos and applause came shuddering through as Armin’s eyebrows drew together at the sight before him. But his attention was drawn away immediately by the sound of a familiar guitar, and his eyes flickered back to Annie on the stage.

 

She was playing a guitar solo.

 

He was not entirely proud of the way his breath caught at the sight of her. It wasn’t like he hadn’t heard her play guitar before, and it certainly wasn’t like he hadn’t heard her play a song for only him. He knew that maybe he shouldn’t be so taken aback by a guitar solo, yet here he stood in the crowd, gawking at her like a fool.

 

All eyes were fixed on her as her fingers flew across the strings with expert precision, her face a mask of focus as she was completely lost in the music, and for a moment, Armin really thought she looked like a rock star. He had never heard her play like this before – it was almost like there was no one in the room, save for Annie and her guitar. By the time the solo had neared its end, Armin’s mouth was nearly hanging on the floor.

 

The crowd burst into the loudest applause the place had seen all evening, and Armin was definitely making a good portion of the noise. He was wooing as stupidly as Reiner had and clapping his hands with such fervour that they nearly stung by the time he stopped, but he didn’t regret it one bit.

 

Reiner had made his way back on stage again and was smiling a little less like an idiot now, casually clutching his elbow as he approached the microphone. Armin’s eyebrows drew together. Had he hurt himself when he jumped?

 

“Thank you guys so, so much for tonight,” he said into the mic. “We’ve been The Traitors! Follow us on Instagram to keep updated on where we’ll be next.”

 

More clapping and wooing followed as the three of them disappeared out of sight backstage, but it eventually fizzled into muffled conversion, humming quietly throughout the bar.

 

The first to speak in the newfound quiet was Jean.

 

“Did that idiot just break his arm stage-diving?” he asked.

 

Armin winced. “Uh … there’s a chance it’s just sprained.”

 

“He didn’t really stage-dive,” said Eren.

 

“What do you mean?” said Jean. “Didn’t you see him jump off of the stage?”

 

Eren frowned. “But no one caught him.”

 

“It’s still stage diving if no one catches you,” said Jean. “He still dived off of the stage.”

 

Eren’s face twisted. “Well … I guess that’s true.” Then, he added, “Stage-diving is really dangerous, then, huh.”

 

Armin’s stomach sank as he saw the cogs start to turn in Eren’s head. He was relieved when he felt his phone start buzzing loudly in his pocket before he had to watch Eren decide on what pamphlet he would be designing next.

 

“Hey,” he said, covering one of his ears to cover up the noise of the crowd.

 

“Hey,” said Annie, her voice slightly tense.

 

“Hey,” he said dumbly again.

 

He heard her snort echo down the line, and it made his heart flutter in the silliest way.

 

“Can you come backstage?” she asked. “I need to talk to you.”

 

His stomach sank. “About what?”

“Just Reiner, don’t worry. You can bring everyone else, too, if you want. Hitch has already broken in and is really getting close to getting thrown out.”

 

Armin tried his best not to smile. “Uh, yeah, sure. Where is it?”

 

“By the left of the stage. I’ll meet you by the door.”

 

The call beeped as she hung up, and Armin shoved his phone back into his pocket and met Mikasa’s questioning gaze.

 

“Uh, something’s up with Reiner,” he said. “Wanna come backstage?”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “All of us?”

 

“Are we all groupies now?” asked Jean.

 

“Well, groupie number one is already backstage,” said Armin with a slight smile. “Wanna go?”

 

There were no sounds of disagreement, so Armin took hold of Mikasa’s wrist so as not to lose her in the crowd, and hoped the others would do the same.

 

It was clear they had by the time they reached the backstage entrance, because Jean was grumbling something about how sweaty Eren’s hands were while Eren was adamant that his hands were not sweaty in the slightest.

 

But the grumbling was only for a moment, because the backstage door flung open and there was Annie.

 

Armin’s heart nearly caught in his throat. He wanted to reach out touch her, to brush the loose strands of hair that had fallen out of place behind her ear, but he was far too aware of his friends presence behind him.

 

“Hey,” he said, not being able to stop the smile from spreading across his mouth. “Annie, you were amazing.”

 

Annie let out a huff of laughter, but there was a tiny, genuine smile on her lips. “Thank you.”

 

“Yeah, you were amazing,” said Eren. “I didn’t know you were that good at guitar.”

 

“Well, we don’t get gigs booked by me being shit at guitar,” said Annie flatly.

 

Mikasa’s eyebrows furrowed. “Does Reiner usually stage-dive?”

 

Annie’s eyelids pressed shut and she sighed. “No. No, he doesn’t. Let’s just head backstage and you can hear from the idiot himself.”

 

Annie held the door out for him, and he grabbed onto it to keep it open for Mikasa as he followed Annie backstage.

 

He had to watch his step since there seemed to be such a great deal of stray equipment just lying all over the place, but Annie didn’t even seem to glance down once to make sure she wouldn’t trip. She’d clearly been backstage at enough venues just like this that she was more than used to it.

 

It was only a few more moments before Reiner and Bertholdt came into view. Reiner was sitting on a large amp while Bertholdt’s eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as he examined Reiner’s arm, but from the look on his face, it clearly looked like he knew nothing about what he was doing. Hitch was there, leaning almost lifelessly against Marlowe’s shoulder, looking like she was one more drink away from spewing on the ground, but when they all stepped clearly into view, her face still managed to light up.

 

“Did you guys enjoy the show?” she asked.

 

“It was great,” said Armin with a smile and a slight nod.

 

“The music was great,” said Jean. “Reiner’s stage-diving killed the vibe.”

 

“You’re right it did,” said Annie.

 

“Look,” said Reiner, wincing as he accidentally moved his arm. “I’ve always wanted to stage dive.”

 

“You don’t stage dive at a college bar with no warning,” said Annie pointedly. “You could have killed someone.”

 

Reiner frowned. “I’m not that heavy.”

 

“You’re six fucking one,” said Annie. “Yes, you are.”

 

Reiner sighed. “Well, I didn’t kill anyone. I just … I just fucked up my arm.”

 

“Is it broken?” asked Mikasa.

 

“Doesn’t look like it,” said Bertholdt, eyebrows pinched together. “But, uh … I can’t really tell.”

 

“Can I take a look?” asked Marco. “I broke my arm a few years ago. I know what it looks like.”

 

Jean’s eyebrows furrowed. “You never told me that.”

 

Mikasa’s expression matched his. “You never told him about our Soul Eater Halloween night?”

 

Marco’s cheeks tinged pink as he made his way over to Reiner. “No. I didn’t.”

 

“Soul Eater Halloween night?” asked Jean. “What the hell is that?”

 

Armin’s stomach dropped as the memory rushed back. “Uh … hey … let’s not talk about that right now.”

 

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” said Mikasa, waving him off.

 

“Don’t you like Soul Eater?” asked Annie.

 

His face warmed. “Yeah, but uh, Mikasa used to like it a lot more when we were kids.”

 

“What the hell is Soul Eater?” asked Jean. “And how’d it end up with Marco breaking his arm?”

 

“It’s an anime. He was wearing, like, cowboy boots with heels,” said Mikasa. “Just tripped in them going down the stairs. Armin was much better in them.”

 

Armin’s face burst into flames. “Mikasa. Let’s not –”

 

“Mikasa,” said Annie levelly. “What characters were you dressed up as?”

 

Mikasa beamed. “Well, I was obsessed with Death the Kid, so I was him.”

 

“Naturally,” said Annie flatly.

 

“Marco was Liz and Armin was Patty,” she said.

 

“Liz,” said Jean. “What does that character look like?”

 

“And Patty,” asked Annie, and Armin felt like sinking into the ground. “What does Patty look like?”

 

“I have pictures from that night that my mom took,” said Mikasa, pulling out her phone. “Pre-arm breaking incident.”

 

“Look …” said Marco, face the same colour as a ripe strawberry. “You really don’t want to see that. They’re really unflattering pictures.”

 

“Yeah,” said Armin. “We only did it because Mikasa was so excited about it … and –”

 

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” said Mikasa. “You guys really fit the part.”

 

“Uh, Reiner,” said Marco, clearing his throat loudly. “Your arm isn’t broken.”

 

Reiner’s nose shrivelled. “Really? Why the hell does it hurt so badly?”

 

“You’ve probably sprained something,” said Marco, glancing over anxiously to where Mikasa was scrolling through her phone. “Where does it hurt specifically?”

 

“Here!” said Mikasa.

 

Armin’s stomach dropped when Mikasa turned her phone out towards the others, and all he could do was watch as Jean and Annie’s faces were illuminated with the bright glow of her phone screen.

 

“It was a really, really long time ago,” said Marco weakly. “Uh … Reiner?”

 

“Oh, uh, sorry,” said Reiner, clearing my throat. “I think it’s mostly my elbow.”

 

“Oh my God,” muttered Annie.

 

Armin was sure his face had never been so red before in his life. He couldn’t take watching Annie see probably one of the most embarrassing pictures of him that existed, so he buried his head in his hands, and said, weakly, “We were like, sixteen.”

 

“Armin was pretty androgynous when we were teenagers, so it really worked,” said Mikasa, almost proudly.

 

“Uh …” said Jean, the uncertainty clear in his voice. “Marco’s wig isn’t exactly –”

 

“It was just a Halloween costume,” said Marco. “It wasn’t supposed to be perfect.”

 

“Well, I get that,” said Jean. “But … Armin doesn’t even look like Armin. Like, the booty shorts and everything just sort of –”

 

“Patty wears shorts,” said Armin through his hands.

 

“I mean, I thought that was the case,” said Jean. “You don’t exactly rock them.”

 

“You could definitely pull them off,” said Annie.

 

“Is Armin wearing booty shorts now?” asked Hitch, her voice still very slurred. “Has he considered fuck-me fishnets?”

 

“What the hell are fuck-me fishnets?” asked Eren.

 

“What Annie’s wearing,” she said.

 

Annie sighed. “They’re just fishnets. Anyway, Armin?”

 

“Yeah?” he said.

 

“Hey,” she said, much gentler this time.

 

He felt the light pressure of her hands on his wrists and immediately relented, letting her pull them down to his sides. His face was still incredibly warm, but he was distracted for just a moment by how nice she looked; by how lovely her soft touch was against his skin.

 

“It was a pretty convincing Halloween costume,” she said lightly.

 

Any heat that had left his face came rushing straight back into his skin.

 

“You don’t know what Patty even looks like,” he said.

 

“Well, that’s how you know it’s good,” said Annie.

 

“It is good!” said Mikasa. “Really, my Death the Kid could have been better.”

 

Eren frowned. “I don’t think that’s fair. Your power-suit looks pretty cool.”

 

Mikasa beamed. “Thank you.”

 

“It’s not that embarrassing,” said Annie. “It’s a little cute.”

 

Annie’s hands were still on his wrists. If they drifted a little lower, they could grip onto his hands, gentle but constant. He debated if he should just move them himself – her touch was comfort, and he thought if he could hold her hand rather than her weakly holding his wrists like this, maybe more of the embarrassment would ebb away.

 

“It’s not cute,” said Armin.

 

Annie smiled. “It is a little.”

 

He shook his head. “No. It isn’t.”

 

“I think it is,” said Annie. “Isn’t that –”

 

“Hey, Annie,” interrupted Reiner. “Can you stop flirting and ask him what you were gonna ask?”

 

Annie’s face grew dark in an instant. Her grip dropped on his wrists and Armin felt cold – if he had been braver, he might have reached out to subtly grip one of her fingers in his.

 

She turned around to face Reiner. “Fuck you.”

 

Reiner raised his good arm in defence, but there was a grin stuck on his face. “Sorry.”

 

Annie sighed and turned back towards Armin. “Reiner was gonna unload the truck, but now he’s fucked his arm, so he can’t. So I was gonna give them my car to head back to campus, and I was wondering if you’d help me unload the truck?”

 

Armin’s eyebrows rose. “You want me to unload the truck?”

 

“I’d make Bertholdt do it,” said Annie, her scowl deepening again. “But I can’t separate him from his poor, injured boyfriend, now, can I?”

 

“You can’t,” said Reiner cheerfully.

 

“Shouldn’t you go to the ER?” asked Marco, his eyebrows drawn together.

 

“We’ll go in the morning,” said Bertholdt. “It’s probably a sprain, but if it doesn’t feel better by then, at least we’ll know for sure.”

 

“Me and Bert can load most of it up,” said Annie. “It’ll just take me all night if I do it alone.”

 

Armin glanced past Annie and immediately regretted it. He was met with Mikasa’s smirk and Eren’s incredibly obvious thumbs-up, which just made his face drop down into a frown.

 

It wasn’t lost on Annie. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she moved to turn, but his hands shot out to grab onto her arms to keep her attention on his.

 

“Uh, that’s fine!” he said with a slight smile. “I can help.”

 

Her shoulders relaxed. “Thanks.”

 

He dropped his grip on her arms. “It’s no problem.”

 

Bertholdt sighed. “We should probably start loading, then.”

 

Annie groaned. “Fine.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows rose. “Do you need help now?”

 

She shook her head. “No.” Then, she smiled, and said, “Save your stamina for later.”

 

His cheeks tinged red and he cleared his throat. “Uh … yeah, okay.”

 

When Bertholdt and Annie disappeared onto the stage, even Jean and Marco were looking at him differently – Jean had arched an eyebrow and Marco was smiling a soft, knowing smile. He was relieved Hitch had basically fallen asleep on Marlowe’s arm because he was sure she would have had something to say about that whole interaction.

 

Armin frowned. “What?”

 

“Nothing,” said Marco.

 

Eren grinned. “I hope you guys have fun … unloading the truck.”

 

His face warmed. “Shut up.”

 

Once the truck was all loaded up, they finally parted ways. Hitch woke up a little to give him a confused hug, before Marlowe started pulling her away to climb into the back of Annie’s car; Reiner even patted him on the back with his good arm. Mikasa gave him a tight hug and bid him goodbye, and everyone else called out a quick, ‘bye,’ before he climbed into the passenger-side seat of Bertholdt’s truck.

 

Annie turned the key in the ignition. “Sorry about all of that.”

 

“It’s okay,” he said, offering her a small smile. “I’m guessing you only asked because –”

 

“I was going to say you were coming with to help, anyway,” she said as they started pulling away from the bar. “But this time, I actually needed your help.” Then, she added, “Bertholdt would have helped, but I figured this way we wouldn’t have to try and make any weird excuses to stay.”

 

Armin nodded and relaxed back into his seat. “Yeah, that makes sense.” He glanced over at her and smiled. “I guess Reiner stage-diving was for the best, then.”

 

Annie snorted. “That was mortifying. You know the owner came to talk to us to explain that stage-diving was off-limits after? We’re never getting booked here again.”

 

His expression slipped. “Sorry.”

 

“It’s fine,” she said with a slight sigh. “You didn’t stage-dive.”

 

Armin let out a huff of air. “I guess not.” Then, he added with a smile, “I mean, I’m glad I got to hear a guitar solo.”

 

The corners of Annie’s lips curled upwards. “I was practising all day for that. I knew he would do something dumb.”

 

“Maybe he’s learned his lesson,” he offered.

 

She snorted. “I really, really doubt that.”

 

He smiled. “In that case, I’m really looking forward to your next guitar solo.”

 

Annie let out a short burst of laughter. The softness of the sound tickled his heart.

 

“Thanks,” she said. “I’m really glad to hear it.”

 

For the rest of the drive, they fell into a comfortable quiet. Armin was fine was just enjoying it as the sights of the city rolled by as the evening air swept in through the small crack of the rolled-down window. At some point, Annie had shoved the radio on, back onto some classic rock station that she used to default to if her phone wasn’t connected, and Armin could feel it sooth his nerves, even only for a few moments.

 

They were there before he knew it, and then, they were unpacked before he knew it. There wasn’t actually a lot to take out – the main issue were the amps and Bertholdt’s drum kit, but everything else was fairly easy to manoeuvre into the garage. Still, Armin was relieved to collapse onto the couch when it was all done as Annie stuck on some quiet rock music in the background.

 

“Did all that heavy lifting tire you out?” asked Annie as she sat down beside him.

 

He smiled slightly and turned his head towards her. “I’m not that out of shape, you know.”

 

“Good,” she said. Then, she added, “That eyeliner looks good on you.”

 

“Oh,” he said dumbly. “Uh … thanks.”

 

“I kind of like being able to really see your eyes, too,” she said.

 

His eyebrows rose. “You do?”

 

“Who’d have thought,” she said flatly.

 

He pouted. “It was a genuine question.”

 

Annie snorted and shook her head. “Yes, Armin. It’s nice to see your eyes.”

 

“Should I start wearing contacts more?” he asked.

 

“Your glasses are cute, too,” she said.

 

Armin let out a slight sigh. “Okay, good. I sort of hate contacts.”

 

Her eyebrows pinched together. “Are they uncomfortable?”

 

“Not really,” he said. “I’m not used to them, but they’re fine. I just hate putting them in. Plus, I’m always worried I’ll forget they’re in there, and then they dry up and get stuck to your eyes, and –”

 

“So, you only wear them when you drink,” she said with a nod. “You know, when you definitely won’t increase your chances of forgetting to take them out.”

 

“See,” said Armin. “I know you’re right. But then Mikasa couldn’t do my eyeliner.”

 

“She could still do your eyeliner,” she said.

 

“Yeah, but you wouldn’t be able to see it so well,” he said. “So what would be the point?”

 

Annie shook her head, but there was a soft smile on her face. “Have it your way, then.”

 

Armin smiled and said, “I will.”

 

They were smiling at each other a little longer than they needed to, but then, both of their smiles slipped. Annie’s face changed, and then, Armin felt a slight pressure on his jaw – her hand against his skin, gently pushing him towards her, so slight that it nearly made him shiver.

 

He swallowed and glanced down at her lips. They were pink and so soft-looking; he knew that they were even softer against his. His eyes drifted back up to hers, but he caught her looking at his mouth, too. He felt his pulse quicken.

 

They leaned towards each other at the same time, gentle but sure, and when their lips met, Annie made a tiny, contented noise against him.

 

The kiss was tentative and slow, and he was lost in the sweetness of it for a few moments. But then, Annie’s hand shifted as they kissed. It trailed down from his jaw, to his chest, where he was sure she would be able to feel how fast his heart was beating, all moved slowly, all the way down to his thigh. And maybe it rested just a little too much towards the sensitive skin at his inner thigh.

 

He made a tiny sound against her mouth, accidental, slipping out like a wrong foot on black ice, and she squeezed his thigh.

 

It had an instant affect in two senses. It sent a spark of pleasure straight to his groin – but his face warmed and his heart took on an unpleasant rush that made his lips pop off of hers.

 

They were a few inches apart now, and Armin’s mouth was hanging open, almost like he was planning to say something, but no words came.

 

Annie’s eyebrows drew together. “Is everything okay?”

 

Armin swallowed. “I … um …”

 

Annie’s gaze didn’t waver.

 

He let out a sigh, and then, his eyebrows furrowed. “Can we … talk?”

 

Her eyebrows rose. “Talk?”

 

“Nothing … bad,” he said.

 

She visibly relaxed. Her hand retracted from his leg and she leaned back a little.

 

“Okay,” she said. “What’s up?”

 

He dropped her gaze and squeezed his eyes shut for a second. “Well … it’s just …”

 

He let his eyes flicker back up to hers again. That was worse. The softness in her expression was making it difficult to say anything – it almost made him want to reach out and comfort her.

 

He swallowed. “Do you … do you want to move things … forward?”

 

Her eyebrows pinched together. “What do you mean?”

 

“I mean … like …” Armin sighed again and ran a hand nervously through his hair. “Just with the whole … sexting thing.”

 

Annie’s face softened. “Oh. Right.”

 

His eyebrows drew together again. “I’m sorry, I just … I wanted to ask.”

 

Annie shook her head. Just then, he noticed it – there was a slight flush of pink on her cheeks. He rarely saw Annie as the type to be flustered, so when it happened, he found himself almost starstruck.

 

“After Thursday, I just thought …” Annie let out a breath. “I thought I could take more than just what we did.”

 

Armin nodded. Then, after a pause, he asked, “Can you?”

 

“I think,” she said. “I could definitely take what we did then.” Then, she added, “Were you okay with it?”

 

“Yeah,” he said gently. Then, he cleared his throat, and said, “I’m just a bit … uh …”

 

“A bit … ?” she said.

 

His face warmed. “I don’t know what I’m doing,” he admitted. “With … all of this. I’ve … I’ve never done it before.”

 

Annie’s eyebrows drew together. “Do you need to slow down?”

 

“I …” Armin swallowed. “I don’t … I don’t think so.”

 

Annie’s voice was soft. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, Armin.”

 

“It’s not that,” he said. “I’m not … uncomfortable. It’s just …”

 

Annie didn’t say anything. He could feel the gentleness of her gaze on his skin, and he almost wanted to close his eyes and hide away from it.

 

Instead, he sighed, and said, “I really don’t want to be bad for you. At all. And if we keep going forward, it’s just gonna happen because I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.”

 

Annie was quiet, so quiet in fact Armin was sure he could feel it. It made the air feel heavy, like it was a weight pushing down on his shoulders.

 

He sighed again, and said, “I just … I don’t want to –”

 

“Armin,” said Annie firmly. “Stop.”

 

His eyes met hers again. There was a look on her face that he couldn’t quite pinpoint, but it made his pulse quicken all the same.

 

“You’re being ridiculous,” she said. “And you’re getting into your head too much.”

 

He opened his mouth to say something, but Annie didn’t give him the chance.

 

“Do you really, honestly think I care that you’re inexperienced?” asked Annie.

 

Armin swallowed. “I … I don’t know.”

 

“Well, I don’t,” she said. “I don’t want to do anything with you just because I want you to make me feel good. I want to make you feel good, too. Do you not get that?”

 

His face warmed. “I do. It’s … I guess I just …” He sighed. “I know you don’t care. But I still want to make you feel good, too. And I just … I’m worried that I won’t be able to.”

 

“You will,” she said. “I’ll show you what I like, and where to touch me. Don’t worry about that.”

 

Armin nodded, but he didn’t say anything.

 

“It seems like you’re still worried,” said Annie.

 

“Sorry,” he said. “It’s just been on my mind.”

 

“That’s fine,” she said. “I just don’t want you to see those things as … scary things that’ll go wrong. They won’t. And even if they did, it wouldn’t matter. We’d figure it out together.”

 

He nodded.

 

“And …” she said gently. “When we actually, you know … fuck fuck, you won’t be doing anything, anyway.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed and he glanced over at her. “What do you mean?”

 

Annie smiled slightly. “You’re not the only one thinking about this stuff, you know.” Her smile softened, and she said, “It would be your first time. I don’t want you to be worrying about being any good, or lasting a long time, or whatever. I want you to enjoy it. So, no. I’m not even gonna let you go on top.”

 

His face reddened. “But … would you not …”

 

“Armin,” she said firmly. “I can really have a good time fucking you, okay? I plan on having you just sit there and take it – unless you have any objections to that?”

 

Armin cleared his throat and shook his head. “No.”

 

“Good,” she said. Then, her face softened, and she said, “Do you still want to do something tonight?”

 

“Well … yeah,” he said. “I just … it’s just been making me nervous.”

 

“Well …” she said gently, and there her hand was, back on his inner thigh, and his throat tightened. “Do you think I could help you relax?”

 

He swallowed. “Maybe.”

 

She smiled so sweetly it made his heart skip. “Can I ask you something first?”

 

He nodded.

 

Her fingers started rubbing firm circles on his skin and he clenched his hand into the soft material of the sofa beneath him.

 

“Was it just my texts that made you think about all this stuff?” she asked.

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “A little, but … not really.” Then, he added, “I liked the texts. I really did. I don’t want you to think I didn’t.”

 

“Then what else?” she asked.

 

He swallowed, his face now on fire. “I was just … I was thinking about it.”

 

“About having sex with me?” she asked.

 

“I …” Armin squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and sighed. “I was thinking about …” He lowered his voice. “Eating you out.”

 

Annie’s hand paused on his thigh. “Were you?”

 

“Yeah,” he said, eyebrows drawing together. “I didn’t want to bring that up because I … I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, and –”

 

Annie’s hand started moving again and he let out a breath.

 

“It doesn’t make me uncomfortable,” she said firmly. “I’ll tell you that a million times if I have to. Thoughts aren’t actions.”

 

He swallowed again. “I know, I just … when I was thinking about it, it was nice. But when it was over, I just … I just couldn’t stop worrying about it.”

 

Annie was quiet for a moment, but her hand was still rubbing those little circles into his sensitive skin.

 

“When were you thinking about that?” she asked gently.

 

Armin bit down on the inside of his lip for a moment, before he said, “Last night.”

 

“Last night?” she asked. “You mean when we were …”

 

“After,” he said quietly.

 

“Was it the picture I sent you?” she asked.

 

His eyebrows drew together, but he didn’t say anything.

 

“Armin,” she said, her voice gentle but firm. “Can I ask you something?”

 

He hummed and nodded.

 

“Did you touch yourself when you were thinking about that?” she asked.

 

He was nearly light-headed from how much blood had flooded his face.

 

“Would that bother you?” he asked carefully.

 

“No,” she said. “Not at all.”

 

Armin swallowed, and said, “I was.”

 

Annie was quiet for a moment, and if it wasn’t for her hand still moving in that steady rhythm on his thigh that he would have immediately asked if she was okay, if he had made her too uncomfortable.

 

But her voice was gentle and low when she spoke. “Oh, Armin.”

 

He fully turned his head to meet her gaze now, and his chest flooded with warmth.

 

“You know you’re the only person I’ve done that with, right?” she said.

 

He nodded. “I know, but … you didn’t …”

 

“We were kind of interrupted,” she said. “You really didn’t have a lot of time.” Then, she added, “Do you know how nice it is that you got off to that?”

 

His face burned. “Is that not … normal?”

 

“Maybe,” she said. “But no one’s ever … no one’s ever gotten off to the idea of making me come before.”

 

His breath hitched. “You like that?”

 

Annie hummed and nodded. “Of course I like that.” Then, she added, gently, “Can I touch you?”

 

He swallowed. “Like …?”

 

“I want to make you come,” she said plainly. “Is that okay with you?”

 

He nodded, a little too enthusiastically. “That’s … that’s very okay with me.”

 

Annie smiled, a small, soft smile that made the tension in his body begin to ebb away.

 

This time, when she kissed him, the anxiety that had been circling through him seemed to drain away. It helped that she was more distracting than earlier – her kisses demanded more attention, deep and insistent, and Armin wasn’t going to refuse her. When her kisses turned gentle abruptly, he nearly groaned into her mouth. His breath caught when she lightly trailed the tip of her tongue over his bottom lip, sending tingles and pleasure down from his mouth.

 

Her hand seemed to appear from nowhere, pushing up beneath the fabric of his shirt. Annie captured his lips again as her hand grazed up to the skin of his chest, slow and teasing, and his lips trembled a little against her mouth.

 

When her thumb reached one of his nipples, rubbing firm circles over the peak, he let out a gasped, “Ah” against her lips.

 

She pulled away and smiled, but her thumb was still doing that little motion. “Do you like this?”

 

Armin’s face was red, but the movement of her thumb was soft and teasing enough that it was pushing ripples of pleasure southwards.

 

“It feels nice,” he said quietly. “But … didn’t you want to –”

 

“Are you complaining?” she asked.

 

“No,” he said firmly, and nearly yelped when she pinched his nipple. He wasn’t particularly proud to admit that he liked the sensation.

 

“Are you sure?” she asked.

 

He shook his head. “Definitely not. I just wanted to know what you were doing.”

 

“Taking my time with you,” she said. Then, she leaned in close to his ear, and whispered, “Do you not think you deserve that?”

 

His cock twitched and he bit his lips together for a second. “Annie,” he finally managed. “You’re teasing me.”

 

“Yeah,” she said, leaning away. “I think you like it, though.”

 

Armin didn’t say anything, but he admittedly became a little more vocal when she moved to his other nipple, especially when she pressed her lips against his neck.

 

His head fell backwards against the couch with a slight groan and he squeezed his eyes shut. She was moving so slow – she was very good at making him lose the ability to think, but this was in a very different way. She hadn’t even moved her hand southwards yet, and he was already nearly writhing underneath her touch.

 

When her mouth moved up to trace his ear with her tongue, he gasped.

 

“Oh, God,” he groaned.

 

“That’s not my name,” said Annie. “But if that’s how you want to refer to me, it’s more than welcome.”

 

Armin let out a huff of laughter. “No. I can’t feed your ego any more.”

 

“That’s a shame,” she said, stopping her assault on his nipple. Then, slowly, almost languidly, she dragged her hand down, over the curve of his stomach until it was resting over his hard cock in his jeans. “I like it when you feed my ego.”

 

His breath shuddered into a mix of gasps and unfinished “fucks” as she traced the outline of him through his pants.

 

Annie sighed contentedly. “I was right. You really are fun.”

 

He wanted to say something in response – maybe something witty that would get her to smile or even laugh, or maybe even just tease him more. But he didn’t get the chance to even try, because she moved her hand to fully grip him through his pants, rubbing his length with the firmness of her palm, and he really, really couldn’t think.

 

Her lips grazed his neck as she teased him, and he let out a small moan that made her smile against his skin.

 

“You’re so riled up,” she said.

 

He grunted. “Are you surprised?”

 

“Not really,” she said.

 

She pulled her hand away from him abruptly, and he nearly whimpered.

 

“I’m really enjoying how responsive you are, though,” she said.

 

His face couldn’t get any hotter. “I think what you really enjoy is teasing me.”

 

“Well, I enjoy that as well,” she said, offering him a slight smile. “Do me a favour and take your pants off, won’t you?”

 

Armin only paused for a moment, before he moved to unbuckle his belt. He really wanted her to touch him, and then, when he was being fogged by a haze of want, he really would have done anything she asked. Who’d have thought his insecurities would have fled after only a few minutes of her feeling him up?

 

He awkwardly manoeuvred to push his pants and briefs down past his knees, leaving him completely bare from knee to hip. Annie’s hand was on him before he could think – or, more accurately, the top of her palm, gently gliding up his length, making his cock twitch hard against her touch.

 

“Ah,” he gasped. “Fuck.”

 

Annie moved her hand away from him and this time, he really did whimper.

 

She let out a slight huff of laughter.

 

Armin groaned and raised his head. “Don’t laugh at me, Annie.”

 

“I’m not laughing.”

 

“It really sounds like you are.”

 

“Okay,” she admitted. “Maybe. It’s just … I’m enjoying myself.”

 

“It feels like you’re making fun of me,” he said.

 

“Making fun of you?”

 

Annie’s hand was pressed against his cock again, this time wrapping around him and letting her thumb brush over his tip, pulling a sharp gasp from his mouth.

 

“I’d never,” she said softly, and then she began to pump his cock.

 

Armin’s head fell back again and he let out a small moan. She was moving so slowly again, but her pressure was firm and he knew everything she was doing was more than deliberate. Something about that fact made it all the more arousing, and each move of her perfect hand was delicious.

 

But then, suddenly, it vanished, leaving him cold and desperate.

 

“Annie,” he whined. “Please don’t –”

 

“Don’t stop?” she asked. “Really? I have something else in mind that you’ll enjoy much more.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed, but Annie didn’t say anything else. Instead, she let out a sigh and shifted, rising to her feet, only to move in front of him. Then, she fell to her knees.

 

Oh.

 

Annie’s hands reached for his pants and briefs, which were still clinging on just below his knees.

 

“You didn’t try very hard to take these off,” she said, pushing them down towards his ankles.

 

“Sorry,” he said. “I was … distracted.”

 

Annie reached out for his cock and smiled devilishly when he practically cried out. “I can tell.”

 

Armin didn’t lean away this time. Instead, he looked down at her, and watched, maybe a little too intently, as she pressed her tongue flat again his cock and dragged it all the way up to the tip in one languid motion.

 

“Holy fuck,” he managed.

 

Annie made a small noise in her throat, one that sounded almost like she was amused, but she didn’t leave him much time to think of something to say, because then, he watched with a shiver of pleasure as she spit on him. It was clearly for lubrication, but the sight alone drove him almost mad – and then, before he could even deal with that, she wrapped her lips around his tip.

 

When she paused for a moment, it took everything in him to not buck up into her warm, wet mouth. He didn’t want to – well, no, he did, or more like, his body did, because he was needy and desperate for her, for all of her, but Armin didn’t want to hurt her. Face-fucking hadn’t exactly been discussed, and anyway, he didn’t think she particularly wanted to choke on him like that, at least not so much. He had to drop his head back down and bite his lips together to stay quiet – but his teeth were biting down so hard from the effort to not just thrust into her mouth that it was near painful.

 

But then, Annie moved. She moved slow, but she descended all the same, and she kept moving, further down than he thought she could – and to his utter shock, he felt his tip reach something even tighter and hotter, and she really did choke on him. The sensation tingled his body with pleasure, and even that sound made his whole body erupt into flames.

 

His head rose to look down at her, just as she slowly pulled off of his cock.

 

He squeezed his eyes shut for a second. “Fuck.”

 

“You okay there?” asked Annie.

 

“I … oh, fuck.”

 

Annie hadn’t waited for a response. She was doing that thing again with her tongue, pressed flat against his cock and dragged all the way up to his tip. He whimpered when she kissed his head and let her tongue graze over it, gentle but firm, until she retracted again, and started moving her hand up and down him.

 

“You didn’t answer,” she said.

 

Armin swallowed and glanced down at her. She had that look on her face again, like she was far too proud of herself, which he probably had to give her credit for. He was already a panting mess beneath her touch.

 

“I’m really good,” he said. “Are you – are you okay?”

 

“Of course I am,” she said, and smirked up at him. “I just wanted to make sure my favourite boy is having fun.”

 

His cock twitched in her hand and he bit down on his bottom lip to keep any embarrassing noises at bay. It didn’t work – a small whimper still croaked out of his throat, and none of this was lost on Annie.

 

“I didn’t think you were into that sort of stuff,” she said.

 

Armin raised a hand to cover his face and groaned. “It’s not … like that.”

 

“Is it not?” she asked. “Will you tell me what it’s like?”

 

“No.”

 

“No?”

 

“No,” he managed, dropping his hand. “Because you’re teasing me.”

 

“You seem to like being teased.”

 

“That’s not the point. It’s – ah.”

 

She stopped moving her hand and changed to trailing sloppy, wet kisses up his cock, before placing a final kiss at his head.

 

“What’s the point then, Armin?” she asked gently.

 

“It’s just –”

 

“Just …?”

 

“It’s you.”

 

He expected another retort, but none came.

 

He sighed. “I’m not into that stuff, I don’t think. I’m into you.” He swallowed, and added, “You could probably say anything to me right now, and I’d like it, just because you said it.”

 

Silence followed his words.

 

“Annie?” he asked, leaning forward to try and make what he could from her expression.

 

Much to his surprise, her cheeks were red. Had this whole thing gotten her embarrassed? No – she hadn’t looked so flustered before. Had what he said really had such an effect on her?

 

“Annie?” he said again. “Is everything –”

 

“Be quiet,” she said firmly.

 

His lips clammed shut.

 

Annie sighed and shook her head. “You’re annoyingly perfect, you know that?”

 

Before he could say anything, her tongue ran up his length again and he shivered.

 

“What – what does that mean?” he managed.

 

“It’s frustrating,” she said, moving her hand up and down his cock. “You’re so perfect. It hurts sometimes – I can literally feel it, like some sort of heart-ache.” She winced. “Fuck. Can you hear how sappy I am right now?”

 

Armin let out a slight breath of laughter, but it was weak what with the pressure she was maintaining on his cock. “I like it when you’re sappy.”

 

“I hate being sappy.”

 

“I like you when you aren’t, too.”

 

“Ugh,” she said. “Stop being so perfect.”

 

“But Annie, you like –”

 

His words ended abruptly as he watched her pause her movements to spit on him, not just once, but twice, making his cock drip with her saliva in a way that made him lose all ability to think.

 

“You were saying?” she asked.

 

“Nothing,” he said hurriedly.

 

Annie snorted, but there was a tiny smile on her mouth. “Okay, then.”

 

Then, she leaned forward, and took him in her mouth again.

 

A small sound slipped past his mouth, but she just hummed against him, before dipping her head slowly, lower and lower, until he could feel the tightness at the back of her throat again – he gripped down hard onto the couch, nails nearly piercing the fabric – and she made that choking noise again, before slowly dragging her mouth back up his length.

 

“Fuck,” he breathed, letting his head fall backwards once more.

 

Annie repeated the motion, slightly faster this time, and then again, and he really moaned. Each time she seemed to be trying to push herself even deeper, and something about the fact that she was trying so much set a fire in his abdomen.

 

His chest was heaving now, even as he glanced down at her. He met her eyes just as she rose to the tip, and saw something in them – they were watery and he felt his stomach drop.

 

“Annie,” he said. “Are you okay?”

 

She pulled off of him then, her breathing slightly uneven. “I’m fine,” she said. “Does it not feel good?”

 

“No, no, it feels amazing,” he said hurriedly. “It’s just … your eyes are watering, and –”

 

Annie scoffed. “You try having a cock nearly in your throat and see if your eyes water or not. I wasn’t exactly blessed with not having a gag reflex, you know.”

 

“That’s not – I just … I don’t want to hurt you.”

 

Annie gave a slight shake of her head. “You’re not hurting me.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Are you sure? It’s just –”

 

His words were cut off by a short gasp leaving him as Annie gripped his cock again.

 

“Stop worrying,” she said firmly. “It’s very sweet and all, but I’m fine. I don’t know about you, but I’m enjoying myself. So I’m going to keep going until you come, as long as that’s okay with you.”

 

“That’s – that’s fine,” he managed.

 

“Good,” she said, and then her warm, wet lips were around him again.

 

Armin let his head fall back again as she descended down his cock. She was fine, more than fine, so he could let himself enjoy that pressure at the tip of his cock as she took him in as far as she could, and the sound she made when she took him in so deep. He shivered when she pulled up and moaned against his head, before repeating the motion, again and again, until he was panting and moaning like a mess beneath her mouth.

 

She pulled away from him, her breathing heavy, but she didn’t stop her assault. She pressed her thumb against one of his balls and trailed it over him and he yelped – everything down there felt tight, as tight as the pressure in his abdomen, and he was surprised his didn’t just come when she licked the length of his cock again in that way that made him feel light-headed.

 

She moved her hand back to his cock and pumped him, just as her mouth descended on his balls. He cried out as she sucked on one, still caressing his desperate cock, his thighs tensing hard as she worshipped him. He wondered, briefly, what the hell he had done to deserve this woman, but the thought lasted a split-second, because it was very hard to think when she was still pumping his cock and pressing the tip of her tongue against his ballsack like that.

 

“Oh, holy shit,” he breathed. “Annie, you’re amazing.”

 

He could hear her breath of laughter against his cock when she pulled away. “Am I, now?”

 

He ignored the teasing. He liked it, he really did, but now it was hard enough to form a coherent thought as it was – he couldn’t form any witty retorts, not against someone as bright as her.

 

“Yeah,” he let out. “You’re just … so good.”

 

Annie laughed, short and sweet, and it made his heart warm in his chest. “I’m glad you think so.”

 

Armin hummed in answer, but it devolved into a moan as she covered him with her lips again.

 

She pressed her mouth low and he moaned again, and she repeated the motion a few more times, enough for him to become painfully aware of how that tightness was building in his abdomen. She felt so good, so good it was hard to even think, hard to even notice anything except the sweet wetness of her mouth and the delicious squeeze of the back of her throat.

 

He would definitely ask her if she wanted him to try and do anything for her after this. Fuck it – it didn’t matter if he fucked up or embarrassed himself at first; he needed to figure out how to make her feel this good, too. He wanted to hear her moan and writhe beneath his touch. She deserved this feeling tenfold, and he would do everything he could to make her feel like that.

 

Thinking about pleasuring her just made the pressure worse. He was getting so close from each deep, slow plunge of her mouth.

 

“Annie,” he said, his voice uneven. “Please don’t – don’t stop. I’m gonna come soon.”

 

She made a small noise against him, which just made him groan and twitch in her mouth, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she changed her approach – she didn’t move as deep, but she moved faster, and he really couldn’t keep quiet now. Not that he had done any good job at staying quiet earlier.

 

“Annie,” he breathed. “Holy fuck, Annie. You’re fucking perfect.”

 

She made another one of those small, rushed moans against him, and he let out a sound somewhere between a gasp and a moan. His fingers tightened into the couch so hard he was surprised the fabric didn’t just tear beneath his fingers, but he didn’t particularly care. She really was everything – her touch was everything and he was oh, so close to his end.

 

She dipped her head again and again, and he could feel it – he was about to tip over the edge.

 

“Fuck, Annie,” he said. “Ah – I’m gonna come.”

 

His breath hitched when he felt her fingers dig into the side of his thigh, and he was shocked at how much he liked the pressure. But it was a distant thought, because he could feel his orgasm building with each dip of Annie’s perfect, perfect mouth around him. Everything was oh so warm and wet and tight, and he couldn’t think about anything except her now – he certainly didn’t notice that sound in the background, like the rumbling of a car engine. No, everything was just her and her small, warm mouth around him, and after a few more deep thrusts of her head, everything came undone.

 

Armin shuddered hard into Annie’s mouth, gripping down on the fabric to keep himself in place, a trembling moan leaving his lips as he came. She stayed in place until he stopped twitching, until he had spilled everything into her mouth. He had one moment of peace before she moved when he basked in the aftermath of his orgasm – his breathing was still slightly heavy, but his body still tingled with pleasure.

 

Finally, she pulled away from him, and he made a small noise in his throat as she did, but then, he watched as she swallowed. She’d done it last time, so maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise, but even in the haze of his post-orgasm, all he could think then was about how hot she was. Whatever she had done to him had clearly taken it out of him, but that didn’t matter – he wanted to make her come, too, if that’s something she was interested in. She deserved to be worshipped, and he wanted to figure out how to do that as soon as possible.

 

So, groggily he raised his head and opened his mouth to ask if she wanted him to do something for her, but he barely made a sound before he was interrupted.

 

His stomach dropped, because the voice was far too familiar, but it wasn’t Annie’s at all.

 

“This really doesn’t look like unloading the truck to me.”

 

Armin’s head snapped to the door, which looked like it had only just been opened – and there stood Reiner, who looked awfully happy for someone who was clutching their potentially sprained elbow, and Bertholdt, who was right behind him, and seemed to be doing everything in his power to look anywhere but at them.

 

Reiner didn’t have the same sort of decency.

 

His grin made Armin’s stomach sink straight into the ground beneath his feet. “I fucking knew it.”

Notes:

hello, I'm back :)

I hope you enjoyed this one! Sorry for the delay, my dissertation was kicking my ass. It is gonna continue to kick my ass until October 3rd, so I can't guarantee regular uploads right now, but the next chapter will be coming at some point.

Thank you all for reading! I'll see you all in the next one <3

Chapter 23: a little bit of blue-balling

“Will you stop staring like a fucking pervert?” snapped Annie.

 

Reiner deliberately raised his good hand to cover his eyes. “I’m not looking! You can see my not looking.”

 

Annie turned back to Armin, whose entire face was on fire from embarrassment. He wanted nothing more than to dissolve into the couch beneath him, into the ground and down, down, down, far into the earth. He wasn’t even sure if the redness on Annie’s cheeks made him feel any better.

 

He decided it didn’t, especially not when she awkwardly helped him tug up his pants, all the while Bertholdt and Reiner were still standing with the door wide open, clearly with little intention of leaving.

 

“Is he decent?” asked Reiner.

 

Annie sighed heavily. “Yes, Reiner. Now what the fuck do you want?”

 

“Jeez,” he said, lowering his hand. “I left my dorm keys in my truck, okay? Sorry – I hadn’t expected you and Armin to be going at it on the couch.”

 

“Fuck off,” said Annie through gritted teeth.

 

“I can’t without my keys,” said Reiner.

 

Annie finally stood and moved towards where she had abandoned the keys, somewhere on the desk in the corner. As she did, Armin was too aware of Reiner’s gaze on him, and he made the mistake of glancing over at him.

 

Bertholdt, at least, had the decency to at least look like he felt bad. Reiner, on the other hand, had a shit-eating grin that practically spread from ear to ear. The sight of it nearly pissed him off, so he could only imagine the rage bubbling in Annie at that moment.

 

“So,” said Reiner loudly. “What’s been going on with you two?”

 

Annie swiped the keys off of the desk and turned on him. “What does it look like?”

 

“Well, I saw what you were getting up to then,” he said. “But are you two …”

 

Annie stepped closer to him, only to toss the keys across the rest of the distance between them. Reiner managed to catch them in his good hand.

 

“We’re dating, you jackass,” she said.

 

Reiner grinned. “For how long?”

 

“That’s none of your business,” she said. “And you two better stay quiet about it.”

 

Reiner raised his good arm. “Our lips are sealed. Right, Bert?”

 

“Right,” agreed Bertholdt with a nod.

 

Annie sighed. “Great. Thanks.”

 

“No problem,” said Reiner. “What are friends for?” Then, he added, “Friends usually don’t fuck on their friends’ couch, but …”

 

Annie scoffed. “Oh, like you two haven’t fucked on that couch already.”

 

Reiner raised his eyebrows. “You knew that and you still got him off on it?”

 

“Where else would I do it?” she snapped.

 

“There are perfectly good beanbag chairs,” said Reiner. “Well, actually – we’ve used them too.”

 

Annie groaned. “Please stop talking.”

 

Reiner raised his good arm again. “Okay, okay. We’ll get going.” Then, his gaze flickered over to Armin, and he grinned. “I don’t want to make anything weird, but I’m impressed. You’re packing a lot more than I expected a guy like you to –”

 

Reiner grunted as Annie’s boot slammed into his stomach, hard, but it didn’t stop the way Armin’s face grew even hotter.

 

“Get out,” she said.

 

He groaned and straightened. “At least let me give you the keys to your car first.”

 

Reiner reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys to Annie’s car. He winced slightly as he tossed them, but Annie caught them in both of her hands.

 

“Thanks,” she said, but she didn’t sound all that thankful to Armin.

 

“No problem,” said Reiner. “I’ll see you later. You guys be safe and all of that.”

 

“Dear God,” said Annie. “Please be quiet.”

 

“I’m just giving you some good advice,” said Reiner, flashing them a grin. “Okay. We’ll see you later.”

 

Annie didn’t say anything. Instead, she stayed quiet until the two of them had disappeared through the door, it clicking shut loudly behind them. A few more tense moments passed before they heard the truck rev to life outside, and then Annie let out a sigh of relief.

 

“Are you okay?” he asked.

 

“I’m fine,” she said firmly. “Why are you asking me?”

 

“Well … I just thought … I don’t know,” he said. “I was concerned.”

 

“I’d really rather they found out a different way,” she admitted. Then, she added, “Are you okay? You’re the one that was half-naked.”

 

Armin’s face warmed again. “Yeah. Embarrassed, but I’ll get over it.”

 

“Sorry,” she said. “I really didn’t think they’d just show up. I thought the idiot would have his keys.”

 

“It’s okay,” he said gently. “It isn’t your fault.”

 

Annie paused for a moment before she sighed. Then, she said, “Is it okay if we get out of here?”

 

His eyebrows rose. “Yeah, sure.”

 

She let out another breath. “Thanks.”

 

Armin awkwardly pulled himself to his feet while Annie shut off the music that had been playing in the background. Then, he made his way outside, and waited a few steps away as Annie locked up. As they walked to her car, the only sound that passed between them was the crunch of gravel beneath their feet.

 

He was almost glad to be in her car, although he wasn’t quite calm yet. The embarrassment was waning slightly, although probably just because they were getting further and further away from the situation with each passing second. Still, it didn’t help how tense he felt at Annie’s quiet as she started the car and pulled them onto the road.

 

She turned on the radio and let smooth rock music weave through the air between them. He wanted to offer to connect her phone to the Bluetooth, but he didn’t want to interrupt her thoughts. Then again, a part of him really did want to interrupt her thoughts. He wasn’t sure how much what had happened had really bothered her. She could say she was fine, but then, as they drove to God knows where, he couldn’t confidently say she was. Hell, he wasn’t exactly fine, and Annie was the one who had wanted to keep their relationship on the down-low.

 

But Annie spoke before he could think of a way to ask her again.

 

“Are you tired?” she asked.

 

Armin shook his head. “No, not really.”

 

“Okay,” she said. “Wanna drive to the park?”

 

His eyebrows rose for a moment. Then, his expression softened, and he said, “Yeah. That sounds good to me.”

 

Annie nodded, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she just quietly changed their route in the direction of the park rather than campus.

 

The park’s parking lot was about as empty as Armin expected it to be at this time of night. It was deserted, save for a random shopping cart that someone had managed to abandon all the way up here. Armin wasn’t even sure where the nearest grocery store was – whoever had wanted it there must have really wanted it there. Or, more likely, they were drunk or high but hadn’t cared enough to bring it back with them.

 

Silence crept into the air when Annie cut the engine. Armin felt his heart rate quicken.

 

“Hey,” said Annie gently.

 

Armin turned his head to face her. Annie had clicked on the little overhead light and he could make out the way her brow was furrowed in the warm, orange glow.

 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked.

 

He nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure. I’m not that embarrassed now.” He winced. “Actually, now I’m thinking about it again, I’m mortified.”

 

“Sorry,” she said.

 

He shook his head. “It really isn’t your fault.” His eyebrows drew together. “Are you okay?”

 

Annie let out a breath. “Yeah. I’m angry. I’d really love to tear Reiner’s head off right now.”

 

He couldn’t help but smile. “I think you’d regret that.”

 

Annie snorted. “I’m not so sure.”

 

Armin paused for a moment, his eyes flickering down to where her hand rested beside her. He wanted to reach out and take it in his, but he wasn’t sure if now was the right time.

 

He cleared his throat. “Are you okay?”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “You already asked that.”

 

“Uh, yeah,” he said. “I meant … I meant about them knowing.”

 

Her face softened. “I don’t know.”

 

Armin’s heart sank and he stayed quiet. He watched the way she sighed and turned her head to gaze forward at the trees right in front of them.

 

Then, finally, she said, “I think I’m relieved.”

 

His eyebrows rose. “You are?”

 

She nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know. It’s … it’s annoying. They’re definitely going to make fun of me relentlessly for sneaking around … but … I guess it’s nice.”

 

“Yeah?” he said.

 

She hummed. “Yeah. I mean, right now it’s not nice. I’m pretty angry, but just with Reiner being an ass.”

 

“That’s understandable,” he said lightly.

 

Her lips curled. “That’s always understandable.” Then, she sighed, and turned to face him again. “I guess it’s just sort of nice that we don’t need to sneak around. If I wanna hang out with you there, I don’t have to tiptoe around them anymore. I can just tell them to fuck off and say we’re hanging out.”

 

“Yeah,” he said, offering her a slight smile. “I guess you can.”

 

“Although,” she added. “If I murdered Reiner, that would be one less person to tell to fuck off.”

 

Armin laughed. “I mean, you’re right, but I don’t think Bert would really like that very much.”

 

Annie scoffed. “Probably not.”

 

He didn’t say anything for a long moment. His heart felt less tense – somehow, some way, Annie seemed fine. It wasn’t like she was hiding anything underneath that, either. She just really was okay with it.

 

So, he said, “Annie?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Can I hold your hand?”

 

She glanced over at him, a tiny smile pulling at the corners of her lips. She reached over to grab his hand and said, “You know, you don’t have to ask.”

 

Her touch was a comfort, and he loved the way their fingers interlaced. “I thought I should.”

 

“I really am okay, you know,” she said lightly.

 

He nodded. “I know.”

 

She scoffed. “You don’t sound very convinced.”

 

“Sorry,” he said. “I guess I’m just …” He swallowed. “I’m not feeling very confident right now.”

 

“Embarrassed?”

 

“Not as much,” he said. “But still a little.” He frowned. “Did Reiner try to tell me I had a big dick?”

 

Annie groaned. “I think so. Sorry about that.”

 

“I mean,” he said. “I guess there’s much worse things to say about someone’s dick, so I’ll take it.”

 

Annie let out a huff of laughter. “I’m glad you can take something positive from the situation.”

 

Armin smiled. “Sorry.”

 

She shook her head. “Don’t be. I’m glad you can joke about it. You don’t really do that when you aren’t okay, so … say all the stupid things you want.”

 

He scoffed. “Stupid things?”

 

“Well,” she said, “it wasn’t exactly your most intellectual statement.”

 

“What, do I need to add in some academic sources?” he asked.

 

“Well, it would make it more reliable,” she said.

 

He laughed and shook his head. “Okay, well. I’ll just leave it being unreliable then.”

 

Annie hummed. “You can do that.”

 

His lips curled and he glanced down at their hands between them. Gently, he began rubbing his thumb over her skin, and he just caught her slight sigh as she seemed to relax more into her seat. He glanced up at her face and saw that her eyes had fluttered shut – was she tired already?

 

Well, then again, she had been performing all night. Not to mention right after she’d been putting in all the work for him.

 

His face flushed and immediately he felt blood rush south at the memory. He let his eyes trace over her face, down over her nose and to the soft plumpness of her pink lips.

 

He swallowed and cleared his throat. “Annie?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Do you … do you want to do you?”

 

Her eyes opened slowly, but then she turned her head to look at him. “Do me?”

 

He dropped her gaze. “I mean, back there … we didn’t have the chance to do anything for you. And I want to, if you want to.”

 

Her eyebrows rose. “You wanna do that here? In the car?”

 

His face was warm, but he managed, “Yeah. If you do.”

 

The light was dim, but for a split-second, he was sure her face reddened as she dropped his gaze.

 

She cleared her throat and said, “I’m not sure the angle would be very good for what you’d have in mind.”

 

Oh. Right. Armin knew people had sex in cars, but he really couldn’t wrap his head around how to do it in a way that wasn’t just Annie on top of him in the passenger seat. Not in this car, anyway – it wasn’t exactly huge. Not to mention, that wasn’t what he’d wanted to do. He’d wanted to put his head between her legs and try and make her tremble under his kisses, emphasis on try – but she was right. There really wasn’t room for them to do that in here.

 

His mouth was dry, but he managed to swallow and say, “Uh, yeah. Right. Sorry for bringing that up.”

 

She shook her head and squeezed his hand. “Don’t be. I’m glad you asked.” She paused for a second, before she added, “We can try that another time. I want to try it.”

 

His eyebrows rose. “You do?”

 

She nodded. “Maybe not … next time, but … I really like the idea of trying it. For real this time.”

 

He nodded a little too enthusiastically. “Yeah. Yeah that sounds great.”

 

Annie let out a huff of laughter. “Does it, now?”

 

He nodded again. “Yeah. Really good.”

 

Annie’s smile made him think she was going to tease him further, but he watched as it softened and her eyes trailed down to his mouth. Her hand loosened from his, and soon both of her hands were on his face, and they were leaning towards each other until their lips met.

 

Her mouth was as lovely as it had been earlier and he sighed into her kiss. He loved the way she rested her hands on his face when they kissed like this, slow and sweet. And when his tongue caressed hers and she let out a small, contented sound from the back of his throat, he felt as if he could just keep kissing her like this forever and ever in the front of her car.

 

But Armin didn’t get forever, because they were interrupted by the harsh buzzing of both of them phones at the same time.

 

They pulled away, and Armin was sure they looked ridiculous – Annie was still cupping his face as her eyebrows furrowed, and Armin was looking back at her the exact same way.

 

“Was that your phone?” she asked.

 

“I think it was both of them,” he said.

 

Annie muttered, “What the hell” as she pulled away, reaching over to the shelf above the glovebox where she often shoved her phone. Armin awkwardly fumbled to take his out of his pocket, and his nose crinkled when he saw the notifications on his screen. From the way Annie groaned, he could tell that she had seen the same thing.

 

Reiner had added them to a groupchat titled DOUBLE DATES FOR DICKHEADS and it consisted of Reiner, Annie, Armin and Bertholdt. The groupchat photo was a picture Reiner and Bertholdt, Bertholdt holding Reiner in his arms bridal-style. Armin wondered if Annie had taken that photo.

 

Armin opened the chat and nearly laughed audibly at what he saw.

 

REINER

Hi guys :)

Hope this isn’t interrupting anything

 

ANNIE

Go fuck yourself

 

ANNIE LEONHART HAS LEFT THE CHAT

 

“Did you really just leave it?” asked Armin.

 

“It’s what he deserves,” said Annie.

 

Armin shook his head, but he was still smiling.

 

REINER

:(

 

ARMIN

Sorry Reiner :)

 

ARMIN ARLERT HAS LEFT THE CHAT

 

“I just left,” said Armin.

 

Annie scoffed. “Good. The double date wouldn’t exactly go well if it was just, you know – one couple and you.”

 

“Probably not,” he agreed.

 

“Don’t worry,” she said. “He’s probably gonna make the same groupchat tomorrow.”

 

Armin laughed. “Seriously?”

 

She sighed. “He’s not much of a quitter. Un –”

 

Her words were interrupted by a yawn. “Unfortunately,” she finished.

 

Armin’s face softened. “Do you wanna head back to campus now?”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “I was enjoying spending time with you.”

 

He smiled. “Aren’t you sweet?”

 

She frowned. “Don’t tease me. It’s hard for me to say nice things.”

 

His smile widened. “Sorry.” But then, he added, “If you’re tired, we should head back. I don’t want you to be driving when you’re really tired. We can hang out another time.”

 

She sighed. “Yeah. I guess.”

 

“We can stay if you really want to,” he said.

 

She shook her head and sighed again. “No, you’re right.”

 

He smiled again. “You really sound like you hate me being right?”

 

“Not all the time,” she said, pulling her hand away from his to start the car. “But this time, I really do.”

 

The quiet was a lot more comfortable on the drive back to campus. The roads were pretty silent at this time, and Armin liked watching the rush of dimness race by the window as they made their way home.

 

He was nearly disappointed when they reached campus again, but at least Annie let him walk her to her dorm room. He noticed she didn’t stop to vape or anything and debated asking – she seemed to be doing it a lot less now – but he decided to just shrug it off. He didn’t want to bring up something so trivial when she was holding his hand in public like this. It was late and that was why, but he wanted to enjoy it.

 

When there was no one to be seen in the hall by her dorm room, he leaned forward and kissed her gently, and she responded in kind. When she tangled her fingers in his hair, he really didn’t want to pull away. If she wanted, he would have gladly stood there all night, kissing her as softly as she wanted to be kissed. But in the end, their kiss ended up being broken up by another one of Annie’s yawns, which was far too endearing to be mad about. It made her cheeks tinge pink and if they had been somewhere more private, he might have teased her about it. Instead, he settled for stealing one last chaste kiss before letting her disappear into her room, promising to text her the next morning.

 

Eren and Mikasa were both out cold when Armin creaked the bedroom door open. So, he quietly undressed and removed his contacts, before carefully climbing into his bed. It was only then did the exhaustion rock through his body. No wonder Annie was so tired. It didn’t take him long to drift off, lulled to unconsciousness by the rhythmic hum of Eren’s snores – with the last thing in his mind before he slipped off completely the memory of Annie’s soft touch against his skin, warm and comforting.

 

He woke up the next morning to the sound of thunderous clicking. Only when he managed to open his eyes and squint towards the source did he realise that it was Eren typing at his keyboard with a passion Armin didn’t know he had.

 

He groaned as he stretched, pulling himself into a sitting position.

 

“Morning, sunshine,” said Eren without looking away from his computer. “Sleep well?”

 

“Apparently,” he said. “Is Mikasa gone?”

 

Eren nodded. “She’s doing something with Sasha.”

 

Armin reached onto his nightstand and grabbed his glasses, before pushing them up his nose. “What are you working on so early?”

 

“Well,” said Eren, spinning around in his chair. “Last night, I was struck with inspiration.”

 

Armin’s stomach sank. “Eren … you’re not making a pamphlet on –”

 

“The hidden dangers of stage-diving?” asked Eren. “Yes. I am. And I am firm on this.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “I just … I’m not sure it’s a very common issue.”

 

“Which is why it’s so important to write about,” said Eren. “College students are dumb, Armin. Take Reiner for example. Who stage dives at a college bar?”

 

“Reiner,” said Armin.

 

“Idiots,” corrected Eren. “And Reiner is included in that demographic.” Eren sighed. “Someone has to do it, Armin. If I don’t spread the word, who will?”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Google? Common sense?”

 

Eren waved him off and turned back to his computer. “Those didn’t help Reiner, and I’m sure they won’t help a lot of other people, either.”

 

Armin’s brow was still creased. “Do you think the president is really gonna approve that?”

 

“Oh, yeah,” he said.

 

“Really?”

 

“Definitely,” said Eren. “Why wouldn’t he?”

 

“Just … wouldn’t it make sense to do something, like …” Armin shrugged. “The dangers of underage drinking or something?”

 

“Huh?” said Eren, turning to face him with furrowed eyebrows. “What’s dangerous about that?”

 

Armin looked at him for a long moment before he shook his head. “Nothing,” he said. “Nothing at all.”

 

This seemed to satisfy Eren for a moment, and he turned back to his computer. He started typing furiously again maybe for a full sixty seconds before he swivelled back around in his seat.

 

“Oh, by the way,” said Eren. “Mikasa told me to remind you that that restaurant opening is coming up next weekend.”

 

Armin nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

 

“Have you asked Annie?” he asked.

 

Armin nodded again. “Yeah. She said she’d come.”

 

“Do you have something to wear yet?” he asked.

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “To wear?”

 

“It’s a fancy place,” said Eren. “Do you have a dressy suit?”

 

He stopped for a moment. He figured he probably could just wear that suit that he’d worn to meet Annie’s dad – maybe then, that would make things easier for Annie, because then they could match. But wait – would she really want to match? Would that just give them away too much?

 

“Armin?”

 

Armin blinked. “Uh, yeah. I’ve got a nice suit. It’s brown. You’ve seen it.”

 

Eren’s eyebrows furrowed for a moment before his face softened. “Oh, yeah. I remember. That’s fine.”

 

“Is the restaurant really that fancy?” asked Armin.

 

“Apparently,” said Eren.

 

“That guy managed to figure it out really quick,” said Armin. “He was working at that all-you-can-eat buffet only a few months ago.”

 

Eren sighed and shook his head. “The grind never really stops, Armin.”

 

With that, Eren turned back to his computer and continued working on his pamphlet. Armin just hoped, when it inevitably got approved, which he had a very bad feeling that it definitely would, that Eren wouldn’t ask him to stand in the middle of campus handing them out again. There were a million better ways to spend an afternoon – although he knew if Eren asked, he definitely wouldn’t say no, as much as he would want to.

 

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the buzzing of his phone on his nightstand. He reached over, almost expecting to have been added to another double date groupchat with another dumb name, but he was relieved to see that it was just a message from Annie.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Are you working on Connie’s truck today?

 

ME

Maybe

I hadn’t thought about it yet

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Think about it

I can give you a ride there

 

ME

Will you be staying?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Ofc I will

 

ME

Then sure :)

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Okay

Just meet me at my dorm whenever you’re ready

 

ME

Okay

 

Armin sighed loudly. “I’m gonna head out and work on Connie’s truck today.”

 

“Are you not hungover?” asked Eren.

 

Armin shook his head. “No, I didn’t really drink. I didn’t drink anything after I left.”

 

Eren turned to face him with a grin. “How was unloading the truck with Annie last night?”

 

Armin felt his face flush, but he kept his voice level. “It was fine. You know. Probably as boring as you’d expect the emptying of a truck to be.”

 

Eren held his gaze for a moment too long, almost as if he thought Armin would break if he looked at him any longer. At least it was confirmation that Reiner hadn’t spread the news of Annie and Armin’s relationship to anyone in the past twenty-four hours.

 

Finally, Eren broke away and sighed. “Okay. Have fun … breaking engines or whatever it is you do.”

 

Armin climbed out of bed. “The engine’s fine, so I really shouldn’t break it.”

 

Eren waved him off. “Sure thing, racer boy.”

 

He dressed quickly into an older pair of jeans and an old green shirt he didn’t mind ruining, and shoved on his usual boots. He would have preferred to be wearing something a little nicer to meet up with Annie, but he didn’t want to risk ruining his nice clothes.

 

Of course, when he met up with Annie, she was stunning as always. She was wearing a large black Paramore T-shirt tied at her waist along with a black leather skirt. Her hair was pinned back casually like normal, and she was wearing her usual black boots – and she was wearing fishnets, which she always looked far too good in.

 

He smiled. “Hey.”

 

“Hey yourself,” she said, clicking the door shut behind her.

 

Then, she reached up and pecked him on the lips quickly, before settling back down.

 

He blinked, his eyebrows close to his hairline. “Oh.”

 

She rolled her eyes. “No one’s around, idiot. Hitch is out, too.”

 

His eyebrows worried. “Is she really moving at this time?”

 

She shook her head. “Still recovering at Marlowe’s.”

 

He let out a huff of laughter. “She really doesn’t know her limits.”

 

Annie sighed. “No. No, she does not.”

 

Armin filled Annie in on the news of Eren’s newest pamphlet on the way to her car. She scoffed and rolled her eyes, but she told him that it was exactly what Reiner deserved, which just brought a smile to his face. They were still talking about that stupid pamphlet by the time they reached her car, but it died out when they slipped inside.

 

Annie took the time to connect her phone to her car’s Bluetooth and put on the long playlist he’d made for her. It made his heart warm in the silliest of ways just watching her put it on.

 

It was only when they pulled off of campus that Armin remembered what he had to tell her.

 

“Oh,” he said. “By the way – that dinner thing is next weekend.”

 

“Dinner thing?”

 

“Restaurant opening,” he corrected.

 

Her lips curled. “‘Dinner thing’ and ‘restaurant opening’ are two very different things.”

 

“I know,” said Armin. “Uh … honestly, I forgot what it was called for a second.”

 

Annie paused for a long moment before she laughed and shook her head. “Armin. You’re one of the smartest people I know, and you forgot the words restaurant opening?”

 

“I’m tired,” he said sheepishly.

 

“Are you sure you should be working on that truck if you’re tired?” she asked.

 

“Yeah,” he said. “It’s okay. I could probably do it with my eyes closed.”

 

“Okay, show-off.”

 

Armin rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. “Bold words from a rock star like you.”

 

Annie scoffed. “Oh, yeah. I’m sure.”

 

“Anyway,” said Armin deliberately. “Are you definitely free to come?”

 

“Yeah,” she said with a nod.

 

“Okay,” said Armin. “I’m wearing that brown suit I’ve got. You know, just … if you want to …”

 

“Do you want to go matching?” she asked.

 

He paused for a second, before he said, “If you want to.”

 

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “We can go matching. It’s a nice dress, anyway.”

 

“It’s a really nice dress,” he said.

 

“You sound really enthusiastic about that.”

 

His face warmed. “I didn’t mean it like that. I meant –”

 

“I know,” she said. “I’m teasing you.” Then, she added, “I wouldn’t mind if you’d meant it like that, anyway.”

 

He was quiet for a second before he said, “You look really good in that dress.”

 

Annie let out a huff of laughter. “I’ll wear it, then.” Then, her eyebrows furrowed, and she said, “I don’t know why they’re so intent on inviting me.”

 

His eyebrows rose. “What do you mean?”

 

“I don’t know,” she said. “I like your friends, but … they don’t know we’re together. I just don’t know why they’d invite me to something like that.”

 

He shrugged. “I mean, they do like you.”

 

Annie hummed, but she didn’t sound convinced.

 

“It could also be a pair thing,” said Armin. “Sasha and Connie will probably be fighting like siblings all night, then there’s obviously Jean and Marco, and Eren and Mikasa … they probably thought it was a good idea to invite you since we’re so close.”

 

“Since we’re so close?” she said. “Oh, yeah. We’re like BFFs.”

 

Armin frowned. “I meant that they think we’re close friends.”

 

“You said that wrong.”

 

“I say a lot of wrong things around you,” said Armin. “You cloud my judgement.”

 

Annie laughed. “You make it sound like I’m a bad influence.”

 

“You’re a very good influence,” said Armin. “I love your influence. Please keep influencing me.”

 

“Even if it’s clouding your judgement?” asked Annie.

 

“Especially then,” he said. “You keep me on my toes.”

 

“I’m glad,” said Annie. “You do a pretty good job of keeping me on my toes, too.”

 

Armin opened his mouth to disagree. Annie seemed very much grounded most of the time, or at least she was very good at acting like it. But just as he did, he felt his phone start buzzing rapidly in his pocket.

 

He pulled his phone out and saw that it was his Grandpa.

 

“Is it okay if I turn the music down?” he said.

 

She nodded and twisted the dial for him before he held the phone up to his ear.

 

“Hey, Grandpa.”

 

“Hey, son.”

 

“Is everything okay?”

 

“Everything’s fine. I just thought I would call to check in. Are you busy?”

“I’m heading out to work on Connie’s truck.”

 

“On your own?”

 

“No. Annie’s here with me.”

 

“Ah, makes sense. You did say it was pretty out of the way.”

 

“Yeah, it is. I guess it’s just good there’s somewhere I can take it apart.” He smiled at Annie. “Thanks to Annie, anyway.”

 

“She’s a really nice girl. Have you asked her to dinner yet?”

 

Armin’s face warmed. “Grandpa. That’s not what it’s like.”

 

His Grandpa sighed. “Okay, okay son. But you can’t wait forever.”

 

“Can we not talk about this? Annie is right next to me.”

 

“Surely she can’t hear.”

 

“She really can.”

 

“Oh.” Then, his Grandpa said, “Hi, Annie!”

 

Annie loudly called back, “Hi!”

 

“Oh,” said his Grandpa. “She really can hear.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“In that case, I’ll let you go. But I’ll try and catch you sometime later in the week if you don’t catch me first. Is that okay?”

 

“That’s fine.”

 

“Okay. Love you, son.”

 

“Love you too.”

 

The call ended with a beep and Armin sighed, before he reached forward and turned the radio back on.

 

“Sorry about that,” he said.

 

“It’s okay,” said Annie.

 

Armin expected her to say something else; she was a relentless teaser, and yet she’d overheard his Grandpa encouraging him to ask her out and somehow seemed to have nothing to say.

 

“You okay?” he asked.

 

She nodded and hummed. Then, after a pause, she sighed, and asked, “Does your Grandpa … not know we’re dating?”

 

His eyebrows rose. “Oh. No. I thought you didn’t want anyone to know.”

 

Annie bit her lip and nodded her head. “I know.”

 

His face softened. “Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. She shook her head. “It’s stupid.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “What is it?”

 

She bit her lip for a long moment, before she said, “Well, my dad knows we’re dating.”

 

His brow was still creased. “Your dad thought we were dating when we weren’t.”

 

“I know,” she said. Then, she shook her head. “It’s silly.”

 

“Hey,” he said gently. “No, it’s not silly.” Then, he added, “I really just didn’t think you wanted anyone to know.”

 

She nodded. Then, she sighed. “I know. I’m just … I’m fine with your Grandpa knowing, you know? I realise I should have said that.”

 

He shook his head. “It’s okay. I just didn’t get it.” Then, he smiled, and added, “And you didn’t get that you needed to tell me that.”

 

Annie scoffed. “Yeah, I didn’t.” Then, she added, gently, “It would just … it would just mean a lot to me. That’s all.”

 

His heart softened. “Okay. I’ll tell him the next time we talk. Is that okay?”

 

She nodded.

 

He smiled. “I’ll tell him just how cool my girlfriend is. I’ll rant and rave and everything.”

 

She scoffed and shook her head. “You’re ridiculous.”

 

“Maybe,” he said, still smiling. “But secretly, I think you’d love to be ranted and raved over.”

 

“Uh-huh. Sure.”

 

His smile only widened – she was smiling, too.

 

“Well, someone has to know I’m your biggest fan,” he said.

 

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t say that too loudly. Hitch might hear.”

 

He laughed. “A shiver might have just run down her spine.”

 

Annie laughed. “Oh, God. Like someone walking over her grave.”

 

“It probably felt worse for her,” he said, and she laughed again. The sound warmed his heart – he could hear it all day for a lifetime and never tire of it.

 

After they’d picked up something to eat and pulled up in front of the garage, Annie was back in good spirits. Armin took a few moments to kiss her on the forehead and sit and eat with her before he started working on the car for the rest of the afternoon.

 

Annie was writing songs while he did it. He could hear her strumming her guitar and humming to herself, and he nearly wanted to stop doing what he was doing so that he could listen to her. She was still inside, but the door was propped open, but she couldn’t compete with the loud sounds of metal against metal right in front of him as he took the car apart. He found himself pausing more often than he should have, and in the end he came close to asking Annie to come and sit outside with him, even though the request was ridiculous.

 

But as it turned out, he didn’t have to ask. At some point, Annie dragged one of the beanbag chairs out to sit a few metres away from him with her guitar and her notebook and pen, claiming that she wanted to watch him work. Armin wasn’t going to argue – he was just glad he could actually hear what she was working on now.

 

“Are you writing new stuff?” he asked at one point.

 

She nodded. “Nothing amazing. Just some rough ideas.”

 

He smiled. “It sounds good, whatever it is.”

 

Annie rolled her eyes. “Flattery won’t get you anywhere, you know.”

 

He laughed. “It’s gotten me this far, hasn’t it?”

 

“No,” she said. “Your nice personality’s gotten you here.”

 

He smiled. “Flattery was sort of part of that.”

 

She shook her head and returned to her notebook. “Stop saying dumb things and go back to looking pretty.”

 

He let out a huff of laughter and turned back to the car. The way she’d called him pretty had made his heart tingle in an unexpected way – he was smiling a little too long afterwards, so maybe it was a good thing he was back to working on the car.

 

By the time he decided to call it a day, he’d made a lot of progress, but of course, he couldn’t say it was quite done. He was going to have to talk to Connie to get his opinion on things, but if he was honest, he wasn’t sure how much Connie knew. Still, he took a picture of the state the truck was in and sent it to Connie, before pushing his phone into his back pocket and turning to face Annie.

 

“I think that’s me done for the day,” he said.

 

She closed her notebook. “Wanna clean up a little and chill inside?”

 

He nodded. “Yeah, if you’re all done.”

 

She rose to her feet and grabbed her guitar. “I’d say so. Can you grab the beanbag chair for me?”

 

When he emerged from the bathroom after freshening up, he stepped into a room filled with music. It must have been Annie’s phone connected to a speaker somewhere because the songs were familiar – was it that sappy playlist he’d made for her?

 

“Hey,” she said, drawing his attention.

 

She was just lying on the couch with her phone in her hand, which she promptly set down beside her on the ground.

 

He smiled and approached her. “Hey.”

 

When he settled down on the couch beside her, she immediately placed her legs over his. He let his hands move to rest over her legs – her skin seemed cold through the fabric of her fishnets.

 

“Are you cold?” he asked.

 

She shook her head. “Not really. I think I have poor circulation.”

 

Armin gently rubbed his hand over the skin above her knees and she sighed.

 

“Will this help warm you up?” he asked.

 

“Probably,” she said. “It feels nice, anyway.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

She hummed.

 

“I’ll keep going, then.”

 

Armin continued to rub his hand gently over her legs, and eventually, she did seem to warm up. Annie lay completely content with her eyes closed for a long time, looking so peaceful that she may as well have been asleep. But eventually, she opened her eyes again.

 

She frowned when she immediately met his gaze. “Are you staring at me?”

 

He smiled. “Maybe.”

 

Her lips curled, but she scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Sap.”

 

“You can talk,” he said. “Isn’t this the playlist I made for you?”

 

“Yeah,” she said, retracting her legs and moving into a sitting position. “But you’re the one that made it. Doesn’t that make you the even bigger sap?”

 

He laughed. “You’re still listening to it.”

 

“Yes,” she said. “But you’re the sap that made it.”

 

“And you’re the sap listening to it.”

 

Annie rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine. From one sap to another –”

 

She leaned forward and reached out to press his chin towards her, and soon, her face was only an inch away from his.

 

“Kiss me, won’t you?” she said quietly.

 

Armin didn’t need to be told twice. He leaned forward and pressed his mouth to hers, letting his hands come up to cup her face.

 

She met him with a fervour he didn’t quite expect. Her fingers tangled in his shirt for some time as they kissed like that, feverous yet longing, until they pulled apart, their breathing heaving.

 

For a long moment, they were both quiet. They did nothing else but look at each other, only their harder breaths passing in the air between them. But then, finally, Armin swallowed, and said, “Do you have any idea how pretty you are?”

 

Annie let out a huff of air. “No. Do you want to show me?”

 

His eyebrows rose for a second. Then, tentatively he reached out for her hips and nudged her towards him. Annie understand immediately and moved to straddle him, and when her thighs were on either side of him, he wasted no time and recaptured her mouth.

 

She gasped against him as he kissed her, although maybe it was because of the pressure he was keeping on her hips. It was a little harder to hold onto her than he would have liked thanks to the thick leather of her skirt, but it was enough keep her in place and they kissed. Not that Annie needed to be kept in place – she was just fine on her knees, her hands now on either side of his face as he lost himself in the warmth of her mouth.

 

But even with how nice her lips were on his, he wanted to do a little more for her. So, he popped away from her mouth and scattered kisses along her jaw that made her shiver, until he reached her earlobe and bit down. She gasped and moved her hands to his hair, twisting her fingers tightly in the strands, and he took it as encouragement to suck the sensitive flesh there which just made her whimper.

 

The sound sent heat racing south. She was very expressive, even just from lighter things like this, and she already had him near dizzy with excitement.

 

He let his tongue trail up over the edge of her ear and she whimpered again, and he let out a small gasp when she moved her hips, pressing her core against his hardening cock.

 

“Sorry,” she said, her voice a little breathless.

 

“Don’t apologise,” he said, his voice slightly strained.

 

He kissed her earlobe lightly before she notice anything. Then, he moved further down to her neck and pressed warm kisses over her skin.

 

Annie practically trembled. He wanted to make a mark on her skin because God she really used to like that but he couldn’t risk anyone seeing something like that. But when she rolled her hips against him again and he cried out, he really found that it was very difficult to resist that urge.

 

He moved back to her lips and kissed her again, and as he did, he felt her fingers drift out of his and awkwardly wedge between them.

 

He pulled away, eyebrows drawing together. “Is everything okay?”

 

“Yeah,” she said, her voice a little breathy. “I just want to take this off.”

 

Armin noticed that her hands had moved to undo the tie of her T-shirt to grab hold of the hem. She let her fingers rest there, almost as if she was silently asking for permission. So, he nudged her hands upwards, revealing a sliver of pale skin, and Annie didn’t need to be told anything else.

 

The shirt was discarded behind her, leaving her in a plain black bra. Armin only had a few moments to look at it before she reached behind herself to undo the clasp, and then that was lost to the floor, too.

 

When Annie leaned forward again to kiss him, Armin let his hands wander further up, resting on the bare skin of her waist for a few moments. He kept them there even when she ground down on him again, pulling desperate sounds from both of them, and only dared to move them when he felt her own hands cover his to guide them upwards.

 

That was all he needed. He let his hands gently fondle her breasts, brushing his thumbs over her nipples in a way that made her whine against his mouth. The sound was intoxicating, so he did it again, and she made one of those lovely sounds, somewhere in between a gasp and a moan, and it sent a twinge of pleasure to his cock.

 

He pulled away from her mouth then and trailed his hands down to the back of her thighs, and she straightened her back slightly. Then, Armin leaned forward and flicked his tongue over her nipple.

 

Annie gasped, letting her hands find his hair again, pushing his head closer to her skin, and he obliged her. He was trying to replicate the same sort of motions he’d been doing with his fingers, but he’d by lying if this was entirely for her. He relished in the way she reacted to every touch and caress, grew drunk on each and every sound that slipped out of her beautiful lips. He was practically addicted to her and he was more than fine with it staying that way.

 

He moved his mouth away from her nipple, letting his other hand give her other breast some well-deserved attention, and moved up to the pale, tender flesh of the rest of her breast.

 

He glanced up at her. Her lips were open and short breaths were slipping out. Her face was flushed a pretty pink and her eyes were closed, brows furrowed with pleasure. She was so beautiful. He wanted to show her just how beautiful he really thought she was, if she would let him.

 

He pressed his lips down on her sensitive flesh, letting his teeth graze her skin, and he sucked. Annie cried out, tightening her fingers in his hair and he sucked and licked at her flesh until he pulled away and admired his work. There was a red welt on her breast, soon to be a bruise – a hickey hidden from sight.

 

“Proud of yourself?” she asked.

 

Armin looked up at her and smiled. “Very.”

 

She swallowed. “Where’s this confidence come from?”

 

His smile faltered. “Is it bad?”

 

She shook her head. “No.”

 

He dropped her gaze. “Can I be honest?”

 

“Of course,” she said.

 

“I’m too turned on to be nervous right now.”

 

Annie let out a breath of laughter. “Well, I guess whatever works.” Then, she added, tentatively, “Will you do that again?”

 

His eyebrows rose. “The hickey?”

 

She nodded, and said, quietly, “It feels really nice. Like … really nice.”

 

Armin glanced back down at her breasts only for a second. Then, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against her unmarked breast, pulling a sigh straight out of Annie’s lips. When he bit down slightly and sucked, she made one of those pretty noises again that sent pleasure quivering through him. The sound was so intoxicating that he wanted to leave even more marks just to hear it all again.

 

So, he did. He moved down, trailing his tongue languidly over her nipple before he finally pressed his lips to the soft flesh beneath. This time, she ground against him as she cried out, and he couldn’t help the way he moaned into her flesh. When he gave her another mark on her other breast, she did it again, and Armin wondered for a slight moment if she was trying to make him insane. Although, if she was, he found that he didn’t really mind all that much.

 

He leaned back and moved up to her mouth to kiss her, hard. Annie moulded to him without question, almost like putty, and he found it oddly exhilarating. Armin rarely felt like he was the one who had control in their escapades, but she was bending to his will in the sweetest of ways, receptive to every kiss and touch, and there was a certain rush to being able to do that to her.

 

His fingers caressed her breasts again as they kissed, and Annie seemed to grow more reckless in her desperation. Armin didn’t think she particularly planned on having either of them take their pants off, but that didn’t stop her from grinding against him like there were no clothes between them. For a second, Armin found himself wishing there wasn’t, although he knew, rationally, if that was the case, he’d be far too nervous to really do much about it. Still, that didn’t stop him from thinking about it. If her mouth had felt so nice, he could only imagine how divine she would feel wrapped around him, warm, tight and wet.

 

He made a small noise against her mouth which seemed to pull a whimper from her own. He moved his hands and rolled her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers, and her lips popped off of his with a delicious gasp. It was only a moment before he recaptured her lips and let his fingers brush over the bruises that had formed on her breasts, making her release the smallest whimper he thought he’d ever heard her make.

 

That was when he decided that he wanted to leave so many more of those marks all over her. He wanted to pepper them over her breasts, over her thighs, and even on her ass if she would let him. He was not thinking very clearly – in fact, he was thinking entirely with his aching erection, so he didn’t even feel nervous when he tentatively pushed his the tips of his fingers up beneath Annie’s skirt.

 

He pulled away, his breathing slightly heavy.

 

Annie was about the same. She swallowed, and asked, “Why did you stop?”

 

Armin brushed his fingers over her thighs. “Can I take your skirt off?”

 

Her eyebrows rose. “Oh. I … I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

 

Armin’s heart sank.

 

“Oh,” he said dumbly, pulling his hands back. “Oh. Sorry.”

 

“No,” she said, reaching down to stop his hands. “Don’t feel bad.”

 

“I don’t,” he said, but his words were weak even to his own ears.

 

“I can see the guilt in your eyes already,” she said pointedly.

 

His eyebrows drew together. “Sorry. I was getting carried away.”

 

“No,” she said with a shake of her head. She sighed, and said, “It’s not … it’s not like I don’t want to do more. I do. It’s just …”

 

Armin paused, watching as her brows furrowed and she dropped his gaze. Finally, she sighed, and said, “I just started my period today.”

 

“Oh,” he said. Then, he said, “I don’t mind.”

 

Her eyebrows pinched together. “You don’t?”

 

He shook his head. “Why would I?”

 

“It bothers a lot of people,” said Annie.

 

“Not me.”

 

She swallowed. “Okay. I …” She sighed. “I just … I don’t really want to do anything real with you for the first time when I’m on my period.”

 

His face softened. “Is that all?” Then, he added, “It’s … it’s okay if you just don’t want to do it. Sorry. I just … I got lost in the moment and I thought you were enjoying me acting …” He let out a sad laugh. “Like I actually know what I’m doing.”

 

“Armin,” she said softly, moving to cup his face. “Hey.”

 

He glanced up at her.

 

“This time, I really would,” said Annie. “But I know I’d spend the whole time worrying about my period and really not enjoying myself if we did anything.” She sighed. “It’s hard to explain, because you don’t get periods, but … just not the first time. Any other time, maybe, but … not the first.”

 

His face softened. Then, he said, “Okay.”

 

“Okay,” she said. Then, she sighed, and said, “I’m really sorry for basically dry-humping you. I shouldn’t have done that when I wasn’t going to do anything about it.”

 

Armin shook his head. “It’s fine. I like it.”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “But now I’ve just blue-balled you.”

 

He smiled slightly. “I think we’ve blue-balled each other.”

 

Annie let out a huff of laughter. “Maybe.”

 

His heart rate started to calm as they sat there. After a moment, Annie sighed and leaned forward, burying her head in his neck. Without a thought, he raised his hands to her back and let his eyes full shut for a second.

 

“I’m really excited for those things with you,” she whispered. Then, she added, louder, “If you couldn’t tell.”

 

He managed a small smile. “I know.”

 

After another moment, Annie pulled back and pressed her lips to his. All of the rushed heat had left then – there was nothing left but sweetness, at least in their kiss. Admittedly, Armin was still waiting on his hard-on to die down, although right then and there the odds were against him.

 

When she pulled away, she pressed her forehead to his and sighed. “Do you want to cuddle?”

 

He smiled. “Of course I do.”

 

They readjusted so that they were both lying down on the couch, her back to his chest with his arm around her. Too much of her hair was getting in his face, but he couldn’t find it in himself to mind. It was enough just to be close to her like this – he could suffer through a cloud of hair.

 

Annie’s voice broke the quiet. “You know, for when we do something for me …”

 

“Hmm?” he said.

 

“You could always … get me something.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Like what?”

 

“I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe like … a pretty underwear set.”

 

His eyebrow raised. “Do you want me to buy you lingerie?”

 

“Or just pick it out,” she said. “I just thought … I don’t know. Maybe that would be nice. Picking out something you think I’d look pretty in.”

 

“You’d look pretty in a trash bag,” he said.

 

Annie snorted. “Then sexy.”

 

“Same thing. You’d look sexy in a trash bag.”

 

She nudged him half-heartedly. “You know what I mean.”

 

He smiled. “I can look for something.”

 

“You don’t have to,” she added hastily. “Not if you don’t want to.”

 

Armin wasn’t about to turn down the opportunity to see her in more lingerie. So, he said, gently, “I do want to.”

 

After a pause, she said, quietly, “Okay.”

 

“Okay,” he said. Then, he swallowed and added, “What are your sizes?”

 

Annie snorted again, but she quickly told him. He made a note of them in his head so he wouldn’t forget. He’d write them down in the notes app on his phone later, but for now, he just wanted to enjoy the moment. If it slipped his mind later, he would just have to ask her about it again.

 

They lay there for a long time, curled up against each other. Their conversation turned to a comfortable quiet, and Armin even found his eyelids growing heavy the longer they lay together. He imagined it would be easy to fall asleep anywhere if he could be curled up against Annie like this.

 

But he was stirred to life by the harsh buzzing of both his and Annie’s phone.

 

Annie groaned. “That better not be what I think it is.”

 

Armin gently pushed himself up about the same time Annie did. She rose to her feet and swiped her shirt off of the floor, before hastily shoving it over her head. Armin reached down to pick up his phone and frowned at the screen.

 

“I think it might be exactly what you think it is,” he said.

 

Annie reached for her phone on the desk and groaned again when she saw the notifications.

 

Reiner had added them to a new groupchat called DOUBLE DATES FOR DOUCHEBAGS. The photo this time was a Halloween costume of Bertholdt dressed as Batman and Reiner as Catwoman in a very ill-fitting latex suit.

 

REINER

Hello again fellow lovers :)

Wanna have drinks at Bert’s dorm this Thursday?

 

Annie sighed loudly, and Armin looked up to meet her eye. Her eyebrows were pinched together, and she looked almost like she desperately wanted to tell Reiner to go fuck himself. But, instead, after a pause, she said, “Fine. Let’s go.”

 

His eyebrows rose. “Are you sure?”

 

She nodded. “Yeah. Unfortunately.”

 

Armin turned his attention to the screen, but it seemed that Annie had beat him to it.

 

ANNIE

Fine

But don’t be an asshole

 

REINER

I’m never an asshole

 

ANNIE

I disagree

 

ARMIN

Drinks sound fun :)

 

REINER

Great!

Me and Bert will see you then! :)

 

Armin glanced up at Annie to see her frowning more deeply than he thought he had ever seen her frown before.

 

He smiled. “It’ll be fine.”

 

She sighed again. “It better be.”

 

“It will be,” he said.

 

Annie didn’t say anything, but instead quietly made her way over to him. She climbed into his lap again, burying her face into his neck. The movement sent tingles racing over his skin.

 

She sighed. “Can I kill him if he’s an ass?”

 

He let out a huff of laughter. “I’d rather you didn’t.”

 

She groaned. “Ugh, fine.”

 

“Hey,” he said gently.

 

Annie pulled away and looked at him with a question in her expression.

 

“You’re wonderful,” he said quietly.

 

Her eyebrows rose for a second, but her gaze then dropped, almost like she was embarrassed. “Where’s this come from?”

 

He smiled. “I just thought you deserved to hear it. I should say it more.”

 

Annie was quiet for a second. Then, her eyes came up to his again and she leaned forward to gently press her lips to his.

 

The kiss only lasted a few moments before she leaned away again. “You’re wonderful,” she said. “I should tell you more.”

 

His smile widened, and he raised his hand to brush his thumb lightly over her jaw. “Maybe we should both start saying it more.”

 

Annie let out a tiny laugh and smiled. It made his heart warm.

 

“Maybe we should,” she said quietly.

Notes:

hello all. I have finally returned to this fic :)

I hope you guys enjoyed this one. I'm sure some of you have noticed, but yes, it's official: there will be 31 chapters of Faking It. I knew what was going to happen for a while, but I finally got around to organising it so I have a more specific chapter-by-chapter plan, and that's how we've got 31 chapters. I'm hoping to be more consistent again - I was really possessed by something when I wrote this chapter and I would very much like to have the same fire that I experienced then again - but if not, just know there is an end in sight and I will be finishing this story. Even if I am a little inconsistent :)

anyway, again, I hope you all enjoyed :) I love hearing your thoughts in the comments if you have any, and I'll see you all next time <3

Chapter 24: a little advice

Armin couldn’t say that he was a particularly confident person. Often, he tended to lean towards nervousness, although he was usually okay at trying to cover it up. He knew that those feelings were often completely uncalled for. Still, that didn’t really stop him from feeling nervous, and he certainly felt that as he stood waiting for the bus to go into town to go to Victoria’s Secret.

 

That really wasn’t something to be nervous about. It was just an underwear store. It wasn’t like it was a sex shop. If that had been the case, Armin was sure he would have died from embarrassment. Then again, he thought, how many underwear options did sex shops offer? If he was going into one of those for Annie, he’d be buying her a sex toy, which he was sure would be much less happily received.

 

He shook his head. No, it was nothing like that. It was just underwear. At most, it was just pretty, lacy underwear. And he was a grown adult buying a nice underwear set for his girlfriend. That was a completely normal thing to do, wasn’t it? Eren had probably done it for Mikasa – he’d seen those bags before in his dorm, although he really hadn’t wanted to ask about something private like that. This was a totally normal thing for a couple to do.

 

Still, that didn’t stop Armin’s stomach from dropping when he saw the bus approaching in the distance.

 

Maybe he should have just ordered the damn thing online.

 

When he settled down on his seat, he reached into his pocket to pull out his earphones, only to be disturbed by the ringing of his phone. He wrangled it out of his pocket and furrowed his brow at the screen.

 

He answered a little too late. “Hey, Mikasa.”

 

“Hey,” she said.

 

“What’s up?” he asked.

 

“Are you busy?” she asked.

 

He was slow to answer. “Why?”

 

“Me and Eren are doing another seance,” she said. “I thought you might want to join.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Where are you doing that?”

 

“The basement under the science complex,” said Mikasa. “Old spirits hate science.”

 

Armin let out a huff of laughter. “Figures.”

 

“So?” she asked. “Where are you, anyway?” Then, she added, “Are you just hanging out with Annie?”

 

It was a reasonable question, but it made his heart rate quicken. It was a Wednesday afternoon – if he wasn’t studying, swimming, or just generally existing in his dorm, he tended to be with Annie. Hanging out with Annie, in this case, would have been a really good excuse, and for a moment, he debated just agreeing with her. But no – he knew Annie was back at campus. It was unlikely, but if Mikasa happened to run into her, she would definitely question why he had claimed to be with her.

 

“Uh, no,” he said, shifting awkwardly. “I needed to pick something up from town.”

 

“Oh. Shopping?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Alone?”

 

“Uh … yeah.”

 

“You never go shopping alone,” said Mikasa.

 

“That isn’t true.”

 

“Is it not?” she asked.

 

“I go and buy food in town all the time,” he said.

 

“Are you buying food this time?” she asked.

 

“No,” he said.

 

“What are you getting?” she asked.

 

“Just … clothes.”

 

“Do you not have enough clothes?”

 

Armin sighed heavily. “Mikasa. I need to buy more underwear, okay? Was that really what you want to hear?”

 

There was a pause. “I could’ve come with you for that.”

 

“Do you really want to go brief shopping with me?”

 

“I mean, I don’t really desire it, but I would’ve come with.” Then, she added, “Since when were you a brief boy?”

 

His face flushed. “I’ve always worn briefs.”

 

“What, like Calvin Kleins?”

 

“I mean, some, but I don’t really wear designer underwear.”

 

“I thought you were more of a boxers kinda guy. You used to be, didn’t you?”

 

“I wore boxers when I was like twelve. Also, how the hell do you know that?”

 

“We’ve been friends since we were kids, Armin. I’ve seen your underwear.”

 

“Right,” he said. “I hadn’t thought it was something you’d remember.”

 

Mikasa sighed. “Well, it’s not like I was trying to remember, okay? Anyway, that’s not important. Does this mean we have the all clear to do the seance without you?”

 

“Of course you do,” he said. “Ghosts aren’t really my thing, anyway.”

 

“True,” she said, and then she sighed again. “It might be dangerous to bring a man of science into that equation, anyway.”

 

“Uh, maybe.”

 

“Okay,” said Mikasa. “I’ll give you updates on the situation some other time. Have fun … brief shopping.”

 

“Uh … I’ll try to.”

 

“Good. See you later.”

 

“See you.”

 

The call ended with a beep and Armin let out a sigh. He really hoped that Eren and Mikasa weren’t in his dorm when he got back because he especially didn’t want to walk in with a bag that clearly was filled with underwear that wasn’t for him. For a moment, he considered the logistics of just telling them it was for him – it would probably be a conversation ender, but if it wasn’t, there was a good chance Mikasa would be willing to check the sizes and quickly figure out that he was a little too wide for something like that. Telling them he’d picked it up as a friend probably wouldn’t go down well, either, although if he had to, maybe that was the argument he should start with.

 

When the bus pulled to a stop, he contemplated going ahead and buying more briefs, anyway. Then, at least, he’d have a different bag to deter Mikasa’s curiosity. Plus, there was no harm in having other, more mature briefs. He hadn’t forgotten Hitch’s comment about his Dragon Ball Z briefs, so it was probably about time for a little more maturity. (That being said, he wasn’t going to part with them – he just definitely wasn’t going to wear them around Annie.)

 

In the end, he decided to go and do that first. He thought that the ease of the activity might take his mind off of things, if only for some time, and it did – but barely. Still, when he started making his way to Victoria’s Secret with a pack of briefs in the bag in his hand, he felt a lot less like he wanted to just run back to the bus station.

 

He knew he would have felt better if he’d just ordered online, but he hadn’t really wanted to do that. It had been something Annie had suggested, but he worried that if he took too long, she might have just went and bought something for herself. Not that she couldn’t do that – but he didn’t want her to think that he hadn’t listened, that he wouldn’t do something so simple for her. It was very simple – although there was something really mortifying about stepping foot into a Victoria’s Secret for the first time in his life at the ripe old age of nineteen.

 

To make matters worse, there didn’t seem to be a single guy in sight – not even a girl pulling around her boyfriend. It made sense, really, because it was just a Wednesday, but Armin would have felt a little more at ease if there was clearly another guy in the store. Then again, that guy would probably look a hell of a lot less awkward than he did right now. He was doing his best to make his way to a less populated part of the store, which involved keeping his head low and avoiding eye-contact in the most pathetic type of way.

 

The only positive was that it actually took him to a part of the store where he wanted to be with a lot of matching sets, and ones that were prettier, lacier, and less generic than other ones in the store. His eyes scanned over the ones closest to him, all varying styles in black.

 

Armin bit the inside of his lip. Annie liked black, obviously, but as a result, he knew she owned quite a few pieces of lingerie that were black. It wasn’t something he could risk – it’d be a bit of a waste if he just bought her the same thing she already owned. Anyway, she’d once told him she liked posing in lingerie and taking pretty pictures for herself – she deserved to get something brand new she could feel pretty in.

 

So, his eyes trailed further. Pink was also off the table – the shades here were darker, but he knew she owned a set like that. He also didn’t want to tease her too much about it. And red … no. The red lingerie was nice, but the ones they had in stock were weirdly bright in colour. He wasn’t sure how well that colour would hold, and if it did, he just thought Annie might think it was a little overwhelming. He could be wrong about that, but he didn’t want to risk it.

 

He let out a breath and moved a little, further towards the darker colours. There was a dark green that was lovely, but when he inspected the bra closer, he found that it was padded. He didn’t know how she felt about bras like that, but he assumed it was more of a no-go – he’d certainly never noticed any extra padding in her bras, and he suspected he would seem like an A-grade douchebag if he bought his girlfriend a padded bra. It sucked, though – it was pretty.

 

But then, his eyes moved further and he found something else. Cobalt-blue and lacy, sheer enough to see soft skin through, with a pretty thong to match.

 

Armin found himself crouching awkwardly to find Annie’s size, before he straightened and pulled it out. Would Annie like that? He didn’t think she owned anything that looked quite like this, and she liked lace. Actually, lace seemed to be all he ever saw her in – and she certainly looked good in it. Then again, she really did look good in anything, but clearly she seemed to feel good in lace.

 

After that, it took him little time to make up his mind. Out of all that he could see, it was what he was most confident that Annie would actually be happy with, and that was more than enough.

 

When he approached the check-out counter and waited while the customer in front of him was being served, his chest felt awfully light. It really hadn’t been as mortifying as he had thought it would be, in fact, it was easy. It was certainly something he would do again if Annie wanted him to. Or maybe just as a surprise sort of gift for her. Then again, would she appreciate something like that out of the blue, or would that be weird?

 

The thoughts fled from his mind as the customer in front of him scooted away from the counter with a bag in hand. He raised his head to offer the cashier a friendly smile before he moved closer – but just as he tilted his head up, the corners of his lips curling, he felt his stomach drop as he was met with a familiar grin.

 

“Hey, Arlert,” said Ymir. “Do you need a bag?”

 

For a moment too long, Armin felt like his feet were glued to the ground. Or maybe it was more like they were heavy weights that he really didn’t want to lift. Either way, he was stuck there like an idiot, his mouth nearly hanging open as his lips tried to form a response, but his brain was just far too awkward, too slow to do anything about it.

 

“So?” she asked. “Do you?”

 

Her second question finally brought him to life. He cleared his throat and dropped her gaze, before moving towards the counter to push the lingerie set towards her.

 

“Uh,” he said, clearing his throat again. “Yeah, please.”

 

Ymir was quiet for a moment as she scanned the tag. Then, before she even asked him to pay, she said, “Before I charge you, I just wanna say that I think this size might be a little small for you.”

 

His face lit up in flames as he raised his gaze to hers. “It’s not for me.”

 

She grinned. “I figured.”

 

Ymir didn’t give him any time to respond, because then she turned around to grab a bag to push the underwear set into. He was very well aware of how slow she was moving – and he also had a very strong suspicion that she didn’t usually work so slowly, and was simply doing it just to drive him insane.

 

“If it isn’t for you,” she said, a smirk on her mouth, “who is it for? Mikasa? Or Annie?”

 

He sighed, his face beyond crimson now. “Ymir, that’s not –”

 

“Maybe I shouldn’t have asked,” said Ymir, pushing the bag towards him. “We definitely don’t stock Mikasa’s sizes.”

 

Armin didn’t say anything – he couldn’t say anything. He wanted to stand there and deny it because it was clear Ymir had figured it out, yet somehow, not a single sound came to his lips.

 

“Anyway,” she said, breaking the silence between them. “That’s seventy dollars. Do you want your receipt?”

 

“Yeah, please,” he said.

 

He paid with his card and then a few moments later, the receipt buzzed out of the machine and she pushed it into his bag before she tilted it towards him. Armin was close to swiping it off of the counter and getting away as fast as humanly possible.

 

But Ymir seemed to have other plans because just as he reached out for it, she yanked it back at a moment’s notice.

 

“How’d you get into the city, anyway?” she asked. “You don’t have a car.”

 

“I got the bus,” he said, reaching out for the bag again.

 

Ymir pulled it closer to herself. “Want a ride?”

 

His eyebrows rose. “Aren’t you working?”

 

“Not really,” she said. “Looks like you’re my last customer. I clock out in five.”

 

Armin really wanted to say no. He didn’t want to have to deal with a whole car ride that was guaranteed to be awkward considering this whole interaction. It would probably go forward with him begging Ymir not to tell anyone about him and Annie, which he’d hoped he could have saved for a short message he’d put together on the bus ride home.

 

But apart from that, there was no reason to say no, and Ymir clearly wanted him to say yes.

 

So, finally, he said, “Sure. If that’s fine with you.”

 

“I wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t,” she said. “Just wait right outside. I’ll meet you soon.”

 

“Okay,” he said, a little too awkwardly, before turning away and making his way outside of the store.

 

At least when he was no longer under Ymir’s gaze, he felt less like he was going to melt from embarrassment. But he couldn’t particularly say he felt good while he waited for her to clock out. For a few moments, he really did debate if he should just go – if he should just leave without any notice and head to the bus station to stop himself from embarrassing himself any further. It took a great deal of effort to convince himself to stay in place. He didn’t really want to be a douchebag.

 

Still, if he’d had any idea that Ymir worked at Victoria’s Secret, he never would have dreamed of setting foot in that store.

 

“Hey,” said Ymir. “Ready to head?”

 

“Uh, yeah,” said Armin, straightening. “Thanks again.”

 

She smirked. “No problem. I wanted to talk to you, anyway.”

 

In spite of her claim, the whole walk to her car was silent. Armin found it a little uncomfortable, although he suspected it was all just in his head because whenever he glanced at Ymir out of the corner of his eye, she seemed completely content. Then again, Ymir was never the kind of person to be on edge. Armin kind of wished he could be more like her, in that regard.

 

Still, he was relieved when they finally reached her car. It was a silver 2006 Toyota Corolla and it definitely looked well-loved. He debated asking a little more about it, but he debated if that would sound weird  – he’d seen her get out of it on campus before, so maybe it would be strange to bring up something like that now. But then again, he didn’t have anything to talk about.

 

“Just stick your bags in the trunk,” she said. “I might have a smoke on the ride back.”

 

He didn’t argue. He slipped his bags into the trunk, which he saw was blocked off with an in-built plastic screen.

 

“It’s not practical,” said Ymir. “But it stops clothes smelling like smoke. Historia insisted on it.”

 

That made sense. Although, in his head, he’d thought that Historia had a car of her own. Clearly, he’d been wrong about that.

 

He was worried about the quiet returning as he slipped into her car. So, as soon as he clicked his seatbelt on, he cleared his throat and said, “I like your car.”

 

“Thanks,” said Ymir. “It’s a piece of crap, but it gets me around.”

 

“How long have you had it?” asked Armin.

 

“Just a few years,” she said. “But it’s the best thing I’ve ever bought with my own money.”

 

Armin nodded. He probably could get a car himself, but he didn’t like the idea of getting one when he didn’t have a permanent job to keep it. He didn’t really count his summer job as stable income. He did have his inheritance, but he didn’t really want to waste it on a car he didn’t really need right now. He drove his Grandpa’s car around when he was back home, anyway, so that was just an issue for after college – and he still had plenty of time before then.

 

“So,” said Ymir as they left the parking lot. “I’m guessing that pretty little underwear set isn’t for you at all, right?”

 

In an instant, Armin’s face warmed up again.

 

“I don’t mean to pry,” she added. “Well, I guess I do, so you don’t have to tell me anything, but I just thought I’d ask.”

 

He turned his head away to look out of the passenger side window. “I didn’t know you worked at Victoria’s Secret.”

 

Ymir laughed. “You know, I figured. I don’t really go around telling people about it. But I’ve got to make money somehow.”

 

Armin nodded. “I get that. I just didn’t think you …”

 

“What?” she said. “That I’m poor?”

 

He shook his head. “No, I just thought … since you’re with Historia …”

 

She snorted. “You of all people should know that just because my girlfriend is loaded doesn’t mean I am.” Then, she added abruptly, “Hey, do you mind if I smoke?”

 

He shook his head. “That’s fine.”

 

He wasn’t wearing anything particularly fancy – he hadn’t opted for either of his cardigans today, so he didn’t particularly mind if they smelled like smoke.

 

It took her a moment to wind down the window and light up a cigarette, inhaling deeply before letting the air fill with smoke when she released her breath.

 

“Can I ask you something, Armin?” she asked.

 

“I guess it depends on what you ask,” he said.

 

She snorted. “Smart guy.” Then, she added, “Are you actually dating Annie again? Or have you actually wrangled someone else?”

 

“I don’t know if I can say,” he admitted.

 

“You don’t know if you can say?” she asked. “What the hell’s with all the secrecy?”

 

He sighed. “It’s just … it’s hard to explain.”

 

“Okay,” she said. “What if I promise not to tell?”

 

He snorted. “Yeah, like you wouldn’t tell Historia.”

 

“Well, it isn’t that important, you know. You’re not like a celebrity,” she said. “Anyway – I wouldn’t tell Historia. She’s figuring out your love life on her own. I’m not getting involved there.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean she’s figuring out my love life?”

 

“It’s not important,” she said, taking another huff of her cigarette. “Anyway, I mean that. I have no interest in telling people your secret.”

 

“But why do you want to know?” he asked.

 

“Honestly?” she said. “Because I feel bad for you.”

 

He frowned. “Ouch.”

 

“Not like that,” she said. “But you walked into Victoria’s Secret looking like a lost puppy. I could see you as soon as you walked through the door. You looked seriously out of your depth.”

 

“Great,” he said weakly. “That’s reassuring.”

 

“I don’t mean to step over a line,” she said. “If I’m wrong, tell me I’m wrong. I’ll shut the fuck up and we can drive back in silence. Or like, I don’t know. Talk about normal shit.”

 

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He shouldn’t tell her. He really, really shouldn’t. But – she knew already, didn’t she? What was the point in staying quiet about it now?

 

“Yeah,” he said with another sigh. “I’m dating Annie.”

 

“Congrats, kid,” said Ymir. “Now will you tell me why you seem to be making this such a big secret?”

 

His eyebrows pinched together. “It’s sort of embarrassing. I don’t really want to air Annie’s business like that.”

 

“I don’t mean to be an ass,” she said, “but I already figured you were dating or fucking or whatever. And as soon as I saw you buying underwear that you definitely wouldn’t fit into, I clocked it completely. But you weren’t exactly slick before.”

 

“No one else knows we’re dating,” he said, then frowned. “Well – not really.”

 

“Your besties probably haven’t completely figured it out because you keep telling them you aren’t dating,” she said. “Am I wrong?”

 

Armin paused for a moment, before he said, “No.”

 

“Didn’t think so,” she said. Then, she sighed, and added, “Why are you trying to hide it, then?”

 

He paused for a long moment. Then, finally, he said, “Me and Annie just wanted it to be … our thing.”

 

When he glanced over at her, he was surprised to see her nodding.

 

“Your thing,” she said. “Okay. I get that.” Then, she added, “You know the issue with that?”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

 

“When you don’t know what you’re doing, and you don’t want to ask your partner about it,” she said, “you literally have no one to talk to.”

 

His face softened. “I mean … I guess.”

 

“Don’t get me wrong,” said Ymir. “I’m not saying Annie’s toxic or whatever. She might be an asshole at most, but so am I. All I’m saying is it’s nice to have an outside perspective – because I’m sure there’s some things you just won’t ask her. Or is that wrong?”

 

He frowned. “I feel like I’m being interrogated.”

 

“Sorry,” said Ymir. “You just seemed a little lost.”

 

His face warmed again. “Do you know how mortifying that is to hear?”

 

“Sorry,” she said again. “But are you? A little lost?”

 

“In general?” he asked. “No.”

 

“With Annie,” she said.

 

“Overall?” he asked. “I don’t think so.”

 

“Is it sex?” she asked.

 

And just like that, his face burned crimson.

 

She didn’t look over at him, but his silence gave her a good enough answer.

 

“What is it?” she asked. “Is Annie too much in the sack for you?”

 

He debated if he should just undo his seatbelt and tuck and roll out of the car. He was sure hitting the tarmac would be less painful than this conversation.

 

“No,” he said firmly. Then, he added, “I mean …”

 

“So, yeah,” she said.

 

“It’s not like that,” he said weakly.

 

“What is it like?” she asked.

 

Armin sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re really gonna make me say it, aren’t you?”

 

“Absolutely,” she said.

 

He bit down on the inside of his lip for a second, hard, glancing down at the handle of the door. No, he really shouldn’t jump out.

 

He sighed. “I’m a virgin, okay? If that wasn’t obvious.”

 

“How would that be obvious?” she asked.

 

“I mean – is it not?” he asked.

 

“No,” she said. “Nerds get laid too, you know.” Then, she added, “I mean I thought you might have gotten laid by Annie already, but … everyone goes at their own pace.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “She wanted to go … slow. And I’ve never … obviously … so I didn’t really mind. Now, we’re doing stuff, really doing stuff, and I just … I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.”

 

Ymir hummed. “So, did you think the lingerie was a good start for that?”

 

“No,” he said. “Not like that. Annie wanted me to buy it. For when I …” He sighed. “For when I do something for her. Which I really wanna do, it’s just …”

 

“You think you don’t know what you’re doing,” she finished.

 

“I know I don’t know what I’m doing,” he corrected.

 

“You don’t know that,” she said, glancing over at him. “You’ve never really done it before.”

 

“Yeah, but I don’t –”

 

“You know what a clitoris is, right, Armin?” she interrupted.

 

“Of course I know what a clitoris is.”

 

“Well,” said Ymir, taking a huff of her cigarette. “You’re already ahead of a good proportion of the straight male population. Or female-attracted male population. Can you find it?”

 

His ears burned. “I mean, yeah, I can find it.”

 

“Great,” she said. “Then you’re gonna be just fine. Too many guys really rely on penetration, which is really not where you should focus your efforts. That little pleasure button is your best friend.” Then, she added, “But don’t treat it like an actual button. I once a saw a Tiktok of this guy trying to be sexy by sort of, absolutely abusing an Xbox controller joystick? Clearly like it was supposed to be a clit – dear fucking God, I hope he doesn’t get near a girl because he might just damn sand her clit off. So don’t do something like that, unless she’s got a pain kink – and that isn’t something you just do. That’s something you ask.”

 

His eyebrows drew together. “This feels like Sex ed, Ymir.”

 

“Good,” she said, taking another huff of her cigarette. “I’m definitely more informative than anyone else teaching in the school system on the subject. I’m gonna keep going – any objections?”

 

Armin had many objections about her continuing her impromptu sex education class in her 2006 Toyota Corrola, but he wasn’t really sure he could object. Anyway, a tiny part of him, deep, deep down, wanted her to continue; as mortifying as it was, he might actually learn something.

 

So, he sighed, and said, “No, I guess not.”

 

“Great,” she said. “Anyway – you know that women can have multiple orgasms, right?”

 

He made an effort to stare directly out of the side window. “Yeah.”

 

“Well, it’s always good to aim for that,” she said. “But the clit can get overstimulated. For some girls, it’s better to take a little break – leave that little thing alone for a bit and tease less sensitive places. Tongue, fingers, it doesn’t matter. Even if she doesn’t want a second round, you at least need to make it damn clear that you would go again. You need to set the bar above other college douchebags. Not that you’re a douchebag, but you get what I’m saying.” Then, she added, “Is Annie a virgin?”

 

“I don’t think I’m really supposed to say that,” he said.

 

“So, she is?”

 

“No,” he said. “She isn’t.” Then, he added, quickly, “But she hasn’t done … you know. Some of the more … I don’t know.”

 

“Kinky stuff?” she asked.

 

“Not what I was getting at,” he said. “I mean, like …” Armin sighed. “No one’s ever done … oral for her before. I mean, I … I kind of started, a long time ago, but … we were interrupted.”

 

She snorted. “Fucking college dorms. Don’t know who the fuck thought roommates were a good idea. You know other countries don’t do that at all? A much better system – and you get in less debt.” She sighed. “But I couldn’t afford the flight, and I hate the English.”

 

His eyebrows drew together. “I really don’t think that’s the only place that does that.”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “But I’m not bilingual. Was I supposed to just go to Germany, no Deutsch under my belt?” She sighed. “Anyway, that’s not important – there’s pros and cons to both scenarios. If Annie had done that before, she could give you pointers. Obviously, cons: if you were somehow bad, which I doubt you would be, you’d feel shit because you’d know she had better.”

 

Armin frowned. “Uh … yeah, I guess.”

 

“But,” she added, “if she hasn’t done that … great. That gives you wriggle room to practice.”

 

His face softened. “Practice?”

 

“Yeah, practice,” said Ymir. “No one is great at sex right off the bat. You can be okay at it, but you’re not gonna be as good as you would be after you’ve done it more. And that means you can figure it out together. No one person is the same. She’s gonna like it in a way someone else won’t – there’s some basics, sure but otherwise, that’s sort of a couple thing. It’s sweet when you think about it.”

 

His brow creased. It was sweet, in a way. Still, it was sort of hard to fully acknowledge those words when everything about what Ymir was saying still sort of made him want to jump right out of the car.

 

“Also,” she said. “You know what there’s a good chance of if the only person who’s ever given her mouth-to-pussy resuscitation is you?”

 

Armin choked. “Mouth to what?”

 

Ymir ignored him, and continued, “The good thing there is that the feeling might just be really overwhelming. The fact you’re doing it is gonna be hot to her, even if you’re not quite working at full performance. You understand?”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Is that really true?”

 

“Think about it,” she said. “No offence, but you’re an insecure guy. Are you really telling me the idea of a girl even trying to make you cum isn’t hot?”

 

His face warmed, but he nodded. “Yeah, I guess so.”

 

“There you go,” said Ymir, and finally tossed her cigarette out of the window. Armin was surprised it had lasted so long.

 

The car felt awfully quiet as the windows wound up – but Ymir left a slight crack to let the smell of smoke waft outside.

 

“Look,” she said. “You’re dating. It’s not like it’s a one-night stand. It’s romantic and shit. Don’t get into your head too much.” Then, she added, “I know that’s easier said than done, but still – you’re gonna be just fine. You care too much to be shit at it.”

 

Armin was quiet for a minute, before he said, “Thanks, Ymir.”

 

She waved him off. “Don’t worry about it.” Then, she added, “Do you want some more tips and tricks? Or is that enough for today?”

 

“I really think that’s more than enough for today,” he said quickly.

 

She grinned. “I thought you might say that.”

 

They fell quiet for a moment. Armin had been fiddling with his fingers throughout the whole conversation, but he hadn’t spent a lot of time looking down at them. He caught sight of the tips of his fingernails and frowned. They weren’t long, but they really needed to be trimmed a little before he tried to do anything for Annie like that.

 

“Hey,” said Ymir softly.

 

His head raised. Her eyes were fixed on the road, but her expression was soft, almost comforting.

 

“If you need to talk to someone about all of this, just text me,” she said. “There’s no point getting in your own head about it. And I’m not gonna tell a soul. I don’t gossip, and if I did, no offence, your relationship status isn’t really that interesting. I’m happy for you and all, since you’re a nice kid, but you know – it isn’t really exciting shit.”

 

For a second, Armin wasn’t sure if he should be offended, but in the end, he decided to just focus on the positive. “Uh … thanks, Ymir. I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

Ymir nodded. “Good.”

 

The rest of the drive back to campus was quiet, but there was little discomfort now. Armin was starting to think there had never been any discomfort on Ymir’s side of things, anyway, and it had all just been in his head. A lot of anxieties probably were – although that didn’t make them feel any less real.

 

But somehow, Ymir’s words had calmed him down, if only a little bit. They were swirling through his head for the rest of the ride back, and they only lost his attention when he arrived in front of his dorm room door, alone, hovering to see if Eren and Mikasa were on the other side. He heard no sign of life and pushed the door open – clearly, they still must have been doing that seance thing. At least it gave him some time to hide the underwear set.

 

Ymir’s makeshift smoke screen really did make the difference. He could smell the smoke on his clothes and in his hair, but the bags were smoke-free. Still, since no one was around, he stripped quickly and hopped into the shower with a tired sigh. Soon enough, the smell of smoke was gone and was replaced with his and Eren’s coconut shampoo and mango shower gel.

 

By the time he emerged with a towel around his waist, Eren and Mikasa were still nowhere to be seen, but he could see his phone flashing from a notification.

 

He unlocked his phone and smiled.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Do you like Jack Daniels?

Reiner wants to know for tomorrow

 

ME

Yeah, it’s okay

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Ew

 

ME

Ew?

Did you really just ew me?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

I’d never ew you

Unlike Jack Daniels, I think you’re delicious

Jack Daniels deserves an ew

 

ME

Did you just call me delicious??

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Maybe I did

And?

 

ME

Nothing :)

I’m excited to see you

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Sap

But me too <3

 

His smile widened and he put his phone down with a contented sigh. He doubted tomorrow would be that bad, but he at least hoped it was okay for Annie. She and Reiner were just a little too at each other’s throats sometimes – he couldn’t decide if the alcohol in that situation would make things better or worse.

 

Eren and Mikasa didn’t come back to the dorm that night, but luckily Eren sent him a message to verify that they hadn’t been murdered by vengeful spirits, but had gotten a talking to from Mikasa’s uncle while he was on cleaning duty for “making the basement look dirty”. Eren made it sound so bad that for a moment, Armin wondered if Eren would have preferred to have been attacked by a vengeful spirit. On the bright side, his sleep was undisturbed, and he could quietly get on with the rest of his day – he only had one class, and then he just had to take some time to prepare for his exams, which seemed to be approaching faster than he thought. The year seemed to be ending faster than he’d expected.

 

Armin didn’t start thinking too much about drinks with the others until later that night after he’d returned to his dorm room after a swim when he found Eren perched on his own bed, who seemed to be very interested in why the hell he was getting dressed at this time of night.

 

“Where are you off to?” he asked.

 

“I’m just hanging out with Annie and Reiner and Bert,” he said.

 

Eren’s eyes narrowed. “You are?”

 

Armin nodded. “Yeah. Is that weird?”

 

“No,” said Eren. “Is that hang-out attire?”

 

Armin frowned. He was just wearing a casual outfit. He had simple black jeans on and his Giyu cardigan, with a plain white T-shirt underneath. He was wearing his boots, too, but he’d probably end up taking them off when he got to Bert’s dorm.

 

“Is this not normal?” he asked.

 

“For hanging out with a band? I don’t know,” said Eren.

 

“I don’t think there’s a dress code,” muttered Armin, but he found himself inspecting his appearance in the mirror again anyway.

 

After a moment of pause, Eren asked, “Are you joining the band or something?”

Armin let out a huff of laughter. “I can’t even play an instrument.”

 

Eren paused for a moment, before he said, “Fair point. Are you just acting as a groupie?”

 

“We’re just hanging out,” said Armin. “Drinking and stuff.”

 

“On a Thursday?” asked Eren.

 

Armin shrugged. “I don’t have classes on Friday.” Then, he added, “What are you getting up to?”

 

“Me and Mikasa are gonna see a movie,” said Eren, and then frowned. “I don’t remember the name. Some indie gothic thing.”

 

He smiled. “Sounds just like Mikasa.”

 

Eren let out a huff of laughter. “Yeah.” Then, he added, “Do you want any wine?”

 

Armin’s eyebrows rose. “Are you sure?”

 

“Yeah, sure,” said Eren, rising from his bed. “I still have a lot to use before we head home this semester, and there’s not a lot of point in taking it all home. Here.”

 

Eren passed him a bottle of wine, and Armin offered him a smile. “Thanks.”

 

He shrugged. “No problem.” Then, he added, “Don’t do anything irresponsible, okay? No mixing substances.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows drew together. “I really don’t think I’m doing drugs tonight, Eren. I don’t do drugs – like, at all.”

 

Eren raised his arms. “I’m just saying! You’re hanging out with rock stars – you have to keep an eye on those things.” Then, Eren frowned, and he asked, “Would you say rock stars are dangerous?”

 

“No,” said Armin quickly before Eren could get any ideas. “I think they’re so safe, actually.”

 

Eren’s face relaxed and he sighed. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”

 

Armin offered him a smile as he reached to tuck his phone back into his pocket. “I guess I’ll see you later.”

 

“Have fun,” said Eren. “Stay safe.”

 

Armin swiped a tote bag off of the ground by the door to shove his bottle of wine into. “Will do.”

 

It didn’t take too long to get to Annie’s dorm, but he was walking a little quicker than he might normally have. He was strangely giddy – weird, really, since he hadn’t had anything to drink yet. Could he really have missed Annie so much? He hadn’t really seen her since the weekend, but he felt almost like a kid on Christmas day. He could barely stop himself from smiling when her dorm room door swung open, and there she stood.

 

She was dressed casually in a pair of ripped jeans and a black tank top, along with a big black denim jacket hung over her shoulders. She was wearing her boots, too, but he imagined she would take that off when they got to Bert’s dorm.

 

“Hey,” he said.

 

“Hey,” she said.

 

“You kids be safe!”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Was that Hitch?”

 

Annie stepped out of the door, pulling the door shut behind her – but not before Hitch could shout, “No funny business!”

 

The door slammed into its frame and Annie sighed.

 

Armin offered her a slight smile. “How many hours has she been doing that for?”

 

“Too many,” she said as they started to make their way down the hall. “But she does it every time you come up in conversation.”

 

He was quiet for a moment. Then, since no one was around, he reached forward to grasp her hand. He squeezed it a little when she didn’t pull away.

 

“How much do I come up in conversation?” he asked teasingly.

 

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, shut up.”

 

He grinned and gave her hand another squeeze before he let her go. At least when they were in the privacy of Bertholdt’s dorm, he wouldn’t have to think twice about holding her hand.

 

They could hear the music coming out of Bertholdt’s dorm room before his door was even in sight. Armin wondered how on earth they got away with that – he thought they probably wouldn’t get away with it for very long. Then again, the staff weren’t exactly vigilant. In fact, security was shit at best; there was probably a good chance they’d be left undisturbed all night.

 

Annie knocked hard on the door, and the music quietened in an instant. It was still there, but now, it was so quiet that they could make out the sound of footsteps as someone walked towards the door. And then, a second later it flew open, revealing Reiner with his familiar stupid grin.

 

“Hello lovebirds,” he said.

 

Annie sighed and rolled her eyes. “Hey, douchebag.”

 

Reiner’s grin settled into a smug smile. “You don’t have to be so formal with me, Annie.”

 

She scoffed and nudged him. “Are you gonna let us in or what?”

 

Finally, Reiner stepped aside. He gave Armin a nod as they stepped in – he returned it with a slight smile, and then the door was clicked shut behind them.

 

“Hey,” said Bertholdt from his bed, offering a tiny smile.

 

Both Armin and Annie gave him a quick “hey”, and right after, Reiner appeared beside them.

 

“So,” he said, resting a hand on both of their shoulders. “Want some shots?”

 

“Already?” asked Annie. “I figured you’d wanna do drinking games.”

 

“After,” he said, stepping away. “You two look like you could loosen up.”

 

“What are you drinking?” asked Bert. “We’ve got a lot.”

 

“I bet,” mumbled Annie.

 

Armin offered him a smile. “Eren gave me a bottle of wine if anyone wants any. I know it’s not great for drinking games, but …”

 

“Oh, wine is fucking awesome for drinking games,” said Reiner, turning back towards them with a shot of vodka each. “It goes straight to my head.”

 

“It makes you vomit,” said Bert.

 

“Not right away,” said Reiner, and he grinned at them again before he handed them each their shots.

 

Armin glanced at Annie, who had that slightly angered expression on her face which he was sure was the result of Reiner’s behaviour. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight of it.

 

He raised his shot glass to her. “Cheers?”

 

She hesitated for a moment before her face softened and she dramatically rolled her eyes. It only made his smile widen.

 

“Cheers,” she said, knocking her glass against his.

 

Their shots were down in an instant and Reiner cheered for them like they’d just finished running a marathon. After that, he handed Armin a very strong Jack and coke and Annie a vodka and lemonade before grabbing his phone to find some drinking games for them all to play.

 

Armin settled on the floor cross-legged next to Annie, their knees brushing against each other. A part of him wanted to reach out and take her hand in his, but he wasn’t sure if she was still a little uncomfortable with that in front of Reiner and Bertholdt. So, he gently pushed his knee against hers, to which she responded to until they were nudging each other like idiots on the floor. He could see the way her lips were curling at the edges and it took all he had to suppress his own smile.

 

“Okay,” said Reiner, finally settling down on the floor. Bert was only a second behind him, swiping his glass off of his nightstand before sliding down. “You guys ready?”

 

Armin was relieved that it was just a normal online drinking game with pretty average prompts – he was glad when categories came into play with the category of car brands, because there was no chance he’d lose there, and he didn’t; Bertholdt was the first one to blank right after his turn, and Annie nudged him and gave him a pointed look. It just made him roll his eyes at her, but he was smiling all the same.

 

His smile slipped a little when the prompt for his turn was to chug his drink, but Reiner very helpfully refilled his glass, making it even stronger than it was before.

 

And it went on like that for a little while longer, all of them casually getting tipsier and tipsier as each prompt went by. He kept glancing at Annie and offering her smiles, which she returned in kind, but she still wasn’t any closer to him than they had been when they sat down. Selfishly, he wanted to pull her closer, lean into her, or even just hold her hand. If they couldn’t do it in public yet, wasn’t this a good point for them to just be a little more open?

 

His thoughts were interrupted by Reiner reading the next prompt, right after he’d finished chugging his own drink.

 

“Annie,” he said. “Kiss every player.”

 

Armin’s stomach dropped.

 

He glanced at Annie out of the corner of his eye and noticed a deep frown on her mouth.

 

“You don’t have to make out with every player,” said Reiner. “Just a light kiss.”

 

Annie paused for a long moment before she sighed and shifted. “Just a kiss on the cheek.”

 

“You really spoil us,” said Reiner, but he turned his face to the side so she could plant a small kiss on his skin.

 

Armin wasn’t sure why, but he suddenly felt very out of place. He dropped his gaze to the ground, his eyebrows furrowing. He would have thought she’d come to him first, but she hadn’t even glanced at him. It shouldn’t have been a big deal, because it really wasn’t a big deal, but for a second, his chest was tight with embarrassment.

 

“Hey.”

 

He let his eyes lift up and he met Annie’s gaze. She towered over him like this.

 

“Hey,” he managed.

 

Without another word, she dropped to her knees so that they were more level. He went to turn his face so that she could place a kiss on his cheek – if she wasn’t ready for hand-holding in front of her friends, then anything more than this was probably pushing it. But then, she took hold of his face and turned it towards her before pressing her mouth firmly against his.

 

He was momentarily shocked, and Reiner’s wooing in the background didn’t help anything, but he was very well aware of the fact she was trying to really kiss him, tongue and all. He obliged and let his eyes squeeze shut for a second, kissing her back with the same sweetness she was offering him. She tasted sweet like lemonade, with that slight bite of vodka on her tongue that nearly made him tingle; he could have gotten lost in her kisses right then and there.

 

Reality only hit him when she pulled away, her lips plump and her eyelids low.

 

“Hey,” said Reiner. “No tongue for me?”

 

Annie hadn’t taken her boots off when they’d walked into Bert’s dorm, but she did then, unlacing it at a speed Armin had never seen before she launched it right at Reiner’s chest. It thudded at impact and Reiner groaned in pain.

 

“Never for you,” said Annie firmly.

 

This time, when she moved to settle down again, she firmly rested against him. He felt his heart warm instantly at her touch – she was leaning her head against him, her arm circling around his. She felt warm.

 

“Armin,” said Reiner. “You’ve got to finish your drink again.”

 

His eyebrows rose. “Again?”

 

Reiner turned his phone to face him. Sure enough, he really did have to finish his drink again.

 

So, with a sigh, he raised it to his lips and started chugging his drink.

 

He was nearly at the bottom when he became very aware of the fact that Annie was beside him. She was watching him intently now, and it almost seemed like she was leaning towards him. His eyebrows furrowed, but he was nearly done – there was no point stopping now. She was probably just waiting to say something after he finished.

 

But apparently, that wasn’t what Annie wanted. She shifted again, and he felt the brush of her breath against his ear and he nearly tingled. And then came her voice in a soft whisper, only loud enough for him to hear.

 

“That’s a good boy,” she whispered.

 

In an instant, Armin choked on his drink, his face turning bright red. He started coughing with only a tiny bit left in his glass, but he nearly dropped the damn thing anyway as he tried to clear his airway.

 

“Are you alright?” asked Bert.

 

“What the hell did you say to him?” asked Reiner.

 

Annie’s hand was on his back as his breathing started to even. “I just wanted to make him laugh, not choke.”

 

“Really?” said Reiner, a grin spreading over his lips. “You always struck me as the kind of gal who likes making people choke.”

 

“Reiner,” warned Annie. “Careful. I have another boot.”

 

“I’m fine,” croaked Armin.

 

Reiner raised his glass. “He’s alive!”

 

“You okay?” asked Annie, her eyebrows furrowing.

 

He managed to nod and offered her a slight reassuring smile. “Yeah, just about.”

 

“Very relieved,” said Reiner. “I really can’t afford an ambulance.”

 

Annie pressed a kiss to his forehead and he felt his stomach flutter. He wondered, briefly, how she could switch from teasing to oh-so-sweet that quickly.

 

“Sorry,” she whispered.

 

He managed a smile. “It’s fine. Really.”

 

Things from then on got easier. There was no more distance between them and there was certainly no more choking, although any time his mind dragged him back to what she’d said, his face would heat up all over again. He did his best to ignore it, though, and with the buzz of alcohol in his system, the air filled with music and laughter, and Annie pressed against him, things had never felt so perfect.

 

“I’m so glad you guys said yes to this,” said Reiner, his words slurring slightly now. “The last double date we went on was so awkward.”

 

“It wasn’t that awkward,” said Bertholdt. “Not until … well, you know.”

 

“Oh, god,” said Annie. “What the hell did he do this time?”

 

“It was just an innocent question,” said Reiner.

 

“It was with Porco and Pieck,” said Bertholdt.

 

“Concerning already,” said Annie flatly.

 

“Right,” said Bertholdt. “But anyway – what did you say again, Reiner?”

 

Reiner sighed. “Come one. Do I have to?”

 

“I think you do,” said Bertholdt.

 

Reiner sighed again. “I just said, isn’t it weird that you’re dating Porco now when you were fucking his brother in high school?”

 

“Holy fuck, Reiner,” said Annie.

 

Even Armin winced. “That’s … that’s really bad.”

 

“I was drunk!” he said. “I did apologise. It sounded funny in my head.”

 

“Not to them,” said Bertholdt. “They’re never gonna promote us again, I’ll say that.”

 

Reiner snorted. “I doubt they ever were, anyway.”

 

Annie piped up. “Does this mean we don’t have to go to any of their concerts anymore?”

 

“Probably not,” said Reiner. “I don’t think they’d really want me there.”

 

“Thank God,” said Annie. “I can’t stand Porco.”

 

“You can barely stand me,” said Reiner.

 

“I tolerate you,” said Annie. “In a loving way.”

 

Reiner’s face softened. “Wow, Annie. That might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

 

“You’re welcome,” she said, and it sounded like she really meant it.

 

“We’re just gonna stay a tiny, shitty college band that never amounts to anything,” said Bertholdt with a sigh. “Which is fine by me. I never liked Marcel, anyway. It’s not worth buttering them up for.”

 

Reiner raised his glass. “To being shit!”

 

Bertholdt and Annie raised their glasses, and after a pause and a slight nudge from Annie, Armin raised his glass, too. They all awkwardly moved to clink them together, and then wordlessly, they drained their glasses before dropping them on the floor.

 

Afterwards, the drinking games were abandoned. There was a little more conversation, but it mostly went over Armin’s head. He was drunk, very, very drunk. Not quite ready to vomit drunk, but definitely out of it. That was okay, though. Annie was holding his hand now and was in a very similar state to him. He liked it. He hadn’t seen her drunk drunk very often, and he’d forgotten just how handsy she was, even just for being pressed against him so innocently.

 

Their night ended when Reiner burped so hard he was worried he was about to vomit, and quickly proceeded to stumble to the bathroom. His spewing shattered any sense of peace that had settled in the room, and if he was honest, it made Armin’s stomach churn, too.

 

“I’ll go take care of him,” said Bertholdt, rising to his feet.

 

“Want us to stay?” asked Annie.

 

He shook his head. “Nah. He’ll probably pass out right after. You know what he’s like.”

 

Annie snorted. “Yeah, you’re right.”

 

She rose to her feet and quickly give Bertholdt a hug, before dipping to grab her other boot. As she did, Bertholdt ducked to give him the same sort of hug, short and loose. The man was like a tree, so it was a little awkward, but he supposed he was very used to crouching down to Annie’s height.

 

“See you guys around,” he said when he pulled away.

 

“We’ll see you,” said Annie.

 

“It was nice hanging out,” said Armin, offering a smile. “We should do it again.”

 

Bertholdt smiled. “That’d be nice.”

 

Annie’s hand slipped into his then, and he only dipped to pick up his tote bag – he briefly wondered where the wine went because he couldn’t really remember drinking it. Then again, maybe that was part of the reason as to why Reiner was hunched over the toilet.

 

The door clicked shut and the music disappeared, and then it was just him and Annie in the quiet hallway. How late was it, anyway? He’d long since lost track of time and hadn’t really cared to check.

 

Annie squeezed his hand. “Thank you.”

 

He glanced over at her. “What for?”

 

She shrugged. “For doing this with me. I know we’re not public, really, so … thank you.”

 

His face softened. “It’s fine. I really had fun.”

 

She nodded, but she didn’t seem entirely convinced.

 

“I like your friends,” he said. Then, he added with a smile, “I actually think I might like Reiner more than you do.”

 

Annie snorted. “Well, that isn’t hard.”

 

He was still smiling at her, and their steps seemed to slow. She was looking at him just as gently, and Armin sort of felt it then. It was almost like fireworks, hazy and distant with the alcohol, but it burned just as brightly.

 

He wasn’t sure who leaned in first, but he supposed that part didn’t matter. What mattered was how nice her mouth was on his, how soft the skin of her waist was beneath her tank top as he pressed her up against the chipped yellow wall. What mattered was the way her fingers tangled in his hair, the way she seemed to be trying to hook a leg over his hip even though it was to little avail.

 

They kissed there for maybe a little too long, their firey kisses slowly down into softer, longing ones that made his whole body tingle. Kissing her like that made his heart ache. He wanted to be even closer to her in those moments, maybe in a way that wasn’t even possible – maybe this was all he could do, kissing her like it was all he knew, soft and slow and wanting, until they finally parted for air.

 

For a few moments, not a sound passed between them save for the quiet pants of their breaths.

 

Then, finally, Annie swallowed, and said, quietly, “It felt really nice not to hide for once.”

 

His face softened. His voice was barely above a whisper when he said, “Really?”

 

She nodded slightly. “Maybe it would be fine if … if more people knew.”

 

Then, it hit him like a ton of bricks.

 

“Uh … about that,” he said.

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

 

“Ymir … sort of knows.”

 

Somehow, her eyebrows furrowed further. “How the hell does Ymir know?”

 

“Well …” he said awkwardly, glancing away from her. “Turns out, she works at Victoria’s Secret. And, uh … I went to buy that thing for you yesterday, and … well, she basically worked it all out then.”

 

Annie was quiet for a long moment. Then, she did something that surprised him: she laughed.

 

His eyebrows raised as she shook her head.

 

“You went to Victoria’s Secret on your own?” she asked.

 

“Of course I did,” he said.

 

Her hands came up to rest on his face as she smiled, and said quietly, “Aren’t you just the bravest boy?”

 

His face flushed. “You’re teasing me.”

 

“Sorry,” she said. “It’s hard not to. You’re easy to tease.”

 

He let out a breath of laughter. “Oh, so you’re doing it because it’s easy? That’s really big of you.”

 

“I never claimed to be a good person,” she said. “Quite the opposite, actually.”

 

Armin shook his head. “You’re perfect.”

 

She scoffed. “I’m not.”

 

He leaned forward and pressed his mouth against hers. It was brief, but surprise lingered on her expression when he pulled away.

 

“You are to me,” he said gently.

 

Annie paused for a long moment. Then, she said, “Armin, I think I …”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. He didn’t say anything, but he waited to see where she was going.

 

But then, she shook her head. “I think you’re full of shit.”

 

Armin laughed. “Oh, really? That’s what I get for complimenting you?”

 

“You’re flattering me. And you’re laying it on thick, too.”

 

“I’m not,” he said, still smiling. “I think you’re perfect.”

 

“Bullshit,” she said.

 

He smiled and pressed his hands into hers. “Do you want me to show you?”

 

“Show me?” she asked.

 

He hummed. The alcohol was keeping him confident, but Annie was clearly tipsy, too, so she hadn’t quite noticed that it was making him feel that way.

 

“Do you want me to show you,” he said quietly, “just how perfect I think you are?”

 

Annie paused for a second, before she said, firmly, “Maybe I do.”

 

He couldn’t contain the smile that spread across his lips. He was giddy, so much so that it seemed contagious. Only a second later, the corners of Annie’s lips seemed to twitch. 

 

“Later, though,” she said. “Not now. I’m really drunk.”

 

Armin snorted. “Yeah. I think I might be, too.”

 

“Really?” she said. “I couldn’t tell.”

 

Okay, maybe Annie was aware of how drunk he was – clearly, he was not entirely aware of just how drunk he was.

 

He rolled his eyes, but he still gave her a warm smile as he leaned away. “Do you want me to walk you to your dorm?”

 

She offered him a smile and he felt his heart warm. “Of course I do.”

 

They walked hand in hand to her dorm room. It was a slow walk, casual and undisturbed, and Armin took pleasure in the way she didn’t pull her hand away from his once the whole way.

 

“Hey,” she said quietly when they reached the door. “So, that thing with Ymir. You really went and bought that for me?”

 

His face softened. “Of course I did. You asked.”

 

“I know I did,” she said. “Still, I wasn’t sure you’d do it. So … thank you.”

 

He smiled slightly. “It’s no problem.”

 

Her gaze dipped for a moment before she raised her eyes back to his. “Do you want me to try it on for you?”

 

His smile slipped. “Right now?”

 

She shook her head. “No. Maybe Saturday? After that restaurant thing.”

 

He swallowed. “We can do that.”

 

Her eyes met his again. “Do you want to do that?”

 

He nodded. “I’d very much like to do that.”

 

“Okay,” she whispered.

 

This time, she pressed forward towards him. Her lips were so soft, and he could have stood there for a lifetime with her mouth on his like that – but only a second passed and she was gone again, leaving him yearning to pull her back to him again.

 

“You should get some sleep,” she said quietly. “You’re gonna be hungover tomorrow.”

 

“You too,” he said.

 

“I don’t get hangovers,” she said.

 

“When you drink a lot of water you don’t,” he said. “Which you really didn’t do.”

 

Annie groaned. “Fair point.” Then, she added, “Take care of me?”

 

He let out a slight, breathy laugh. “I can’t take care of you when I’m hungover, too.”

 

She let out a huff, but she said, “Fair point.”

 

He smiled and pressed a slight kiss to her cheek. “Try and get some sleep then.”

 

She nodded. “You too. And text me when you’re back in your room.”

 

He pulled away and offered her another small smile. “I will.”

 

She smiled again. “Goodnight.”

 

“Goodnight,” he said gently.

 

Then, finally, he managed to turn around, although to say it was easy would have been a lie. He wanted to kiss her, to say screw it all and ask if they could just cuddle all night in her bed, Hitch be damned, or even ask if she wanted to get an Uber into the city for a hotel room so they could be alone with one another. But he didn’t do any of that.

 

Instead, he thought of Saturday, and the evening after. He could wait to see her again. He just had to be patient. Anyway, he thought – Annie was more than worth the wait.

Notes:

hello yes it's only been a week but I've decided to ditch any sense of a schedule and just post when I'm good with it. so here it is :)

hope you guys enjoyed this one! (also happy midnights release day for those celebrating, mastermind is my current fav but I haven't gotten to the deluxe tracks yet).

I'll see you in the next one, whenever that may be :)

Chapter 25: a four-course meal

The first moment that Armin had alone happened to come on Saturday morning when Eren went out with Mikasa on a breakfast date. Well, that wasn’t entirely true – he’d had some alone time the day before, but he clearly sounded hungover, and he didn’t really want to call his Grandpa in that state. So, when Eren and Mikasa disappeared out of the door, he swiped his phone off of his nightstand and immediately called his Grandpa.

 

His Grandpa answered on the third ring. “Hey, son. Is everything okay?”

 

“Everything’s fine,” said Armin. “I just wanted to check in while I was free.”

 

“Ah, okay,” he said. “Well, I’m fine, son. There’s not much to tell. I’m going fishing tomorrow morning, though.”

 

“With Rich?”

 

“Uh-huh. He thinks it’ll be a big one. I think we’ll come back with nothing.”

 

Armin let out a huff of laughter. “I hope you have fun, anyway.”

 

“Thanks, son. What about you? Are you getting up to much this weekend?”

 

“Yeah, actually,” he said. “You know I mentioned Sasha before?”

 

“Yeah, Mikasa’s roommate, right?”

 

“Yeah,” he said. “Well, her boyfriend’s opening a restaurant, so we’re all going tonight.”

 

“Oh, well that sounds nice,” he said. “Do I know of everyone going?”

 

“Yeah,” he said. “It’s Sasha, Connie, Jean, Marco, Eren, Mikasa, Annie and me.”

 

“Quite a crowd, I see.”

 

Armin let out a slight laugh. “Maybe a little.”

 

“Did you say that Annie girl was going?” he asked.

 

Armin felt a lump form in his throat. He swallowed, and said, “Uh, yeah, she is.”

 

His Grandpa sighed. “I know you don’t like having this conversation, son, but … I think that maybe you should –”

 

“I have to tell you something,” he interrupted.

 

There was a pause. “Oh? What is it?”

 

Armin cleared his throat and awkwardly reached up to run his hand through his hair. “So, the thing about Annie, well …”

 

“What is it?”

 

He could feel his face warming. He felt like a teenager. Then again, he’d never really had to have this conversation with his Grandpa before. It probably would have been mortifying at any age.

 

“Uh …” Armin swallowed. “She’s … kind of … my girlfriend.”

 

His Grandpa was quiet for a moment. Then, finally, he said, “Well, thank God.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“You’ve been pining long enough,” he said.

 

Armin flushed. “I haven’t been pining.”

 

“It certainly sounds it from the outside,” said his Grandpa. He sighed. “I’m happy for you, son.”

 

“Thank you,” said Armin.

 

“But you know,” said his Grandpa pointedly. “You really didn’t have to keep that thing from me.”

 

Armin sighed. “I know. I just – I didn’t know how to tell you, and it hasn’t really been that long or anything, so …”

 

“I understand, son,” said his Grandpa. Then, he added, “Will I get to meet her at any point?”

 

Armin couldn’t help the way his lips twitched at the thought. Less about the two of them meeting, but more of what that implied – Annie actually visiting him. They’d talked about it before, and he would really like it to be a reality.

 

“Hopefully,” said Armin. “She might visit in the summer if she can.”

 

“Well, that’s wonderful, son,” he said. “I hope she likes good bread.”

 

He let out a breath of laughter. His Grandpa enjoyed making all types of bread, and if Armin was honest, he was pretty good at it. He made a mean sourdough.

 

“I’m sure she’ll like it,” he said.

 

“It’s heavy on the system when you eat with those fancy meats and cheeses,” said his Grandpa. “It might be heavy on yours now since you aren’t used to it.”

 

Armin smiled. “I think I’ll be fine.”

 

“We’ll see. It seemed challenging for you at Christmas.”

 

“I think that was the lebkuchen and mulled wine. Not the bread.”

 

“Uh-huh. If you say so.” Then, his Grandpa sighed again, and added, “Okay, son. I’ll let you go. I hope you have a nice time with your friends … and your girlfriend tonight.”

 

Armin frowned. “You didn’t have to say it like that.”

 

“What? I do hope you have fun.”

 

He shook his head and sighed. “Thanks. I’m sure it’ll be great.”

 

“Okay, good. I’ll talk to you later, son. I love you.”

 

“Love you, too.”

 

The call ended with a beep and Armin dropped his phone down onto the bed, before letting out another breath. He was almost surprised that his Grandpa hadn’t tried to tease him about it. Maybe Armin had been anxious about it for nothing – then again, of course he had been.  If it was new, if it had to do with his love life, he was often nervous about it. But now, Armin’s chest felt awfully light. It felt nice to tell another person, and it felt especially nice that he didn’t have to hide it from his Grandpa.

 

He leaned over and grabbed his phone to send Annie a text.

 

ME

I just told my Grandpa we’re dating

 

He switched to Twitter a second later, not expecting her to answer very hastily. But then, his phone buzzed as a new text whizzed through.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

I’m glad <3

 

Armin smiled.

 

ME

That was okay with you, right?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Of course it is

I already told you that

 

ME

Sorry

I just wanted to be sure

 

ROCKSTAR <3

That’s okay

I’m really glad you did

We can talk about telling everyone else later?

 

Armin’s stomach sank.

 

ME

Like tell everyone tonight?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

No

I mean we can talk about it

Me and you

Alone

When we get the chance

 

ME

Okay :)

 

ROCKSTAR <3

I could feel the panic in your text

 

ME

:(

Sorry

I’m not scared of telling everyone

I just didn’t think we’d do it tonight

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Then aren’t you lucky we aren’t doing it tonight?

 

ME

Very :)

I’m excited to see you later

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Sap

But I’m excited to see you too

I’m just meeting you guys at your dorm, right?

 

ME

Yeah :)

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Cool

I’ll see you later <3

 

ME

See you :) <3

 

After that, Armin took it easy for the rest of the day. He had lunch, went for a short swim, and then only started to consider the details of that evening when he returned, only to find Eren and Mikasa watching Youtube videos in Eren’s bed.

 

“Hey,” he said, clicking the door shut.

 

“Hey,” said Eren and Mikasa.

 

“Were you out swimming?” asked Eren.

 

Armin’s hair was still wet. He’d have to take a shower before he got ready. “Yeah.”

 

“Have fun?”

 

“Yeah, it was good,” he said, reaching down to undo his shoes. “How was your breakfast date?”

 

“I guess it ended up being more like brunch,” said Mikasa.

 

“It was great, though!” said Eren. “I don’t think I’ve eaten so many pancakes in my life.”

 

Armin’s lips twitched. “Sounds good.”

 

“Oh, by the way,” said Mikasa, sitting up. “When are you and Annie heading to the restaurant later?”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean? I thought we were all going together.”

 

“Well, me and Eren are getting a cab,” she said. “But I think everyone else is heading over on their own. Connie and Sasha are going early, and Jean was driving him and Marco over.”

 

“Oh,” said Armin. “I didn’t realise.”

 

“So are you getting a cab?” she asked.

 

“Uh … I thought so, but now I don’t know,” he said. “I mean, I guess it’s up to Annie. We won’t really be able to drink, so I guess I’ll just ask.”

 

“I was just wondering,” she said, “because when you get there, you’ll have to ask for a table under your name.”

 

His brow creased. “The table’s under my name?”

 

Mikasa shook her head and waved him off. “Sasha booked the whole thing weirdly. There’s some tables squished together that aren’t meant to be, so they were all booked individually. One’s booked under Jean, another under me, one under Sasha and then the one under you.”

 

“Oh,” he said. “That’s weird.”

 

“It is weird,” she said with a sigh. “But it’s fine. I’d get there for eight, though. I think that’s when the tables are actually booked.”

 

Armin nodded. “Yeah, okay. I’ll text Annie.”

 

“Hey,” said Eren. “What are you wearing, anyway?”

 

“Oh, well …” Armin ducked his head. “I still have that suit I wore to dinner with Annie and her dad, so just that.”

 

Both Eren and Mikasa glanced at each other, almost as if they knew something he didn’t, and turned to him with slight smiles pulling at their lips.

 

His eyebrows drew together. “What?”

 

Mikasa shook her head. “Nothing.”

 

“No,” said Eren, shaking his head. “I didn’t realise you were wearing the meet-the-father suit.”

 

He frowned. “What’s wrong with the suit? I know it’s old-fashioned, but it’s not that bad, is it?”

 

“Oh, no,” said Mikasa. “It’s a nice suit.”

 

“Perfect meet-the-father sort of suit,” added Eren.

 

“Definitely a bring-this-guy-home-to-meet-the-family sort of suit,” said Mikasa. “A suit for a date, if you will.”

 

Armin frowned. So, it was this whole song and dance. Again.

 

If he and Annie hadn’t dug themselves such a deep, convoluted hole, he might have just told them the truth, then and there. Reiner and Bert knew – it made sense for his friends to find out. Especially considering now that someone else knew – he imagined that Mikasa might not be very pleased to find out that Ymir knew more about his relationship status than she did.

 

But he couldn’t tell them now, not when Annie hadn’t necessarily agreed to it. They hadn’t discussed it all sober yet.

 

So, he sighed and said, “We’re literally having dinner with all of you guys. It’s not a date.”

 

“Right,” said Mikasa. “Not a date at all. Definitely not.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “You’re acting strange.”

 

She shrugged. “I’m acting as strange as I usually do.”

 

His gaze lingered on hers for a while longer. Eventually, he broke away and shook his head. “Fine. I’m heading in the shower.”

 

“Okay,” said Mikasa. “We might not be here by the time you’re out.”

 

“Where are you heading?” he asked.

 

“Sasha wanted some opinions on what she was wearing,” said Mikasa with a wave of her hand. “So I guess I’ll just see you and your date at the restaurant?”

 

Armin frowned. “Annie’s not –” He sighed. “I’ll see you at the restaurant.”

 

His shower wasn’t that long, but he took extra care with his hair to make sure it would be presentable. He didn’t mind the smell of chlorine while he was swimming, but he hated how dry his hair felt afterwards. But by the time he got out, Mikasa and Eren were nowhere to be seen.

 

His eyebrows pinched together. They always seemed to be around whenever he didn’t want them to be – like when he wanted to just sleep and they were fucking – but now that it didn’t matter, they were out of sight. Then again, he hadn’t walked in on them in a while. It was something that had slipped his mind, focused on other things. He was glad that it was a minimal thing now.

 

He sent a text to Annie to tell her that he’d meet her at her dorm instead, and vaguely explained the whole situation – a feat that wasn’t that easy over text. Annie seemed suspicious of something, and he couldn’t really blame her. Mikasa was definitely acting weirder than normal. It was typical of her to tease him over anything Annie-related, but now, it didn’t seem quite right. They weren’t going on a date – they were at least only going to be a small table distance away from the others, which didn’t exactly offer privacy for a date.

 

He shook his head. It didn’t matter. He was sure it’d be nice, anyway, even if he did have to endure some mild teasing.

 

So, when he knocked on Annie’s door later in the evening, he didn’t feel nervous at all for the night to come. And when the door opened and Annie was standing before him, he couldn’t help but smile.

 

He knew she was wearing that green dress, the one that matched his tie, but it was still nice to see her in it again. Somehow, it brought out her eyes, cool and scary in the hottest of ways.

 

“You’re grinning like an idiot,” she pointed out.

 

His smile barely faded. “You look beautiful.”

 

“Hmm.” Annie turned and pulled the door shut. From the lack of hollering, Armin assumed that Hitch was not in. “You look handsome, too.”

 

He smiled again and, after checking the hall was clear, reached forward and briefly squeezed her hand. Annie quickly squeezed back, the pressure slight and precious, before he drew away.

 

“Ready to go?” he asked.

 

“I’d hope so,” she said, “considering I just locked the door.”

 

Annie elected to drive on the reason they’d planned to hang out after – the plan being her trying on what he’d bought for her. They’d discussed it when they were drunk, so he wasn’t quite sure how much she’d remembered but clearly, she had remembered all of it. The thought of it made his mouth turn embarrassingly dry, which wasn’t exactly ideal when they were heading to a meal with their friends.

 

“Are you okay?” she asked, glancing over at him briefly as they drove. The road was quieter than he expected for a Saturday night.

 

“Yeah,” he said and offered her a smile. “I’m fine.” Then, he added, “Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “I mean, we’ve only gone out to fancy dinner with my dad, so … this’ll be nice. Your friends are nice, too. If they don’t hate me.”

 

“They really don’t hate you,” said Armin. “Mikasa is trying to set us up.”

 

Annie barked out a laugh. “Are you shitting me?”

 

He shook his head. “Er, no. She is very encouraging of our relationship. You know, the one she thinks doesn’t exist.”

 

“I mean, that’s a relief,” she said. Then, she added, “Do you want to talk about what we’re gonna tell them?”

 

His stomach sank. “I thought we weren’t doing it tonight?”

 

“We aren’t,” she said. “I mean … well … when do you want to tell them?”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. Armin didn’t know. They had made such an effort to avoid their friends finding out that he hadn’t actually considered when they would actually tell them.

 

So, he said, “To be honest, I haven’t really thought about it that much.”

 

Her face softened. “Sorry. I know it’s sort of hard since I made us stay a secret.”

 

“No,” he said with a shake of his head. “I was always fine with that. You know that.”

 

After a slight pause, she said, “Are you fine with them knowing?”

 

He thought it over. He had enjoyed being able to hang out with Reiner and Bertholdt and just be. They never got to just be. He couldn’t even hold her hand without glancing around them to make sure no one who knew them was around.

 

“I’m fine with them knowing,” he said. “I just don’t really know how to go about telling them now. I think, either way, Mikasa at least is gonna be hurt that I kept this from her.”

 

Annie let out a slight breath. “I understand that.”

 

His eyebrows drew together as he focused on his lap. Most likely, he’d just have to come out and say it. But Mikasa wouldn’t exactly be impressed. Well, no – she wouldn’t be unimpressed. But she was his best friend. If he was in her position, he’d at least feel bad, but more so because he wouldn’t ever want anyone to feel like they had to hide their relationship from him.

 

Finally, he said, “Should we just do it after Historia’s party?”

 

“Yeah?” she said.

 

“Or is that too soon?” he asked.

 

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “That’s fine.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

The corners of her lips twitched. “Yeah. I’m fine with that. I guess it’s about time.” Then, she groaned. “Oh, Hitch is going to be so annoying now.”

 

He smiled. “Isn’t she already?”

 

Annie sighed. “Yeah. I guess she is.”

 

When they reached the restaurant, Armin felt a lot more at ease about the whole situation. Although, as much as he didn’t want to tell his friends tonight, he would have liked to be able to act like a couple with Annie in front of his friends. But the party wasn’t that long away now. After that, they would figure out a way to tell everyone in a way that would upset them the least. Or more like he would try and figure out a way to let Mikasa know in a way that would hurt her feelings the least.

 

The restaurant, as it turned out, was fancy. It was a plethora of rich colours, warm browns and and greens and golds, and for an embarrassing moment, Armin was worried he blended in with the walls just a little too much. But it slipped his mind when he was asked for his name, and he gladly offered it – and soon, he and Annie were off towards their table.

 

It didn’t take long for his eyes to find everyone else. He smiled when he first saw Mikasa, but then his brow creased.

 

The layout was not what Mikasa had told him. There were smaller individual tables around the restaurant made for two, but that was not what the others were sitting at. He’d expected a set of four tables closely crammed together, but the others were sitting at a fancy, circular booth around a round table. One table, not an individual table.

 

If they were all sitting at a singular table, why on earth did they arrive separately? And why would they book under Armin’s name?

 

It occurred to him right before the server stopped and gestured to a small table for two, slightly out of the way, and certainly very far from his friends.

 

“Here’s your table,” she said with a smile. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

 

“Just water, please,” said Annie.

 

He smiled. “Uh, yeah. Just water.”

 

He debated for a second offering to pull out Annie’s chair for her in that romantic way, but the server was still hovering and he didn’t particularly want to ask in front of another person in case she said no. So, he awkwardly shifted into his seat as Annie very casually settled in hers, and smiled when he was offered a menu.

 

He and Annie were both quiet for a long moment. They were looking intently at their menus, but Armin personally wasn’t really looking at anything they had to offer.

 

Finally, Annie said, “They’ve set us up, haven’t they?”

 

Armin barely glanced up from the menu. “Looks like it.”

 

Annie dropped the menu and met his gaze, prompting him to gently lower his menu to the table.

 

“Not so far they can’t see us,” she said, “but far enough away that they can’t hear.”

 

He glanced over at the table with his friends. They were a decent way across the restaurant, but he could see them all shooting glances over at his table.

 

“Yeah,” he said. Then, his eyebrows drew together. “Mikasa was making jokes about me going on a date with you.”

 

Annie raised her eyebrows. “And you didn’t see this coming?”

 

“I saw something coming,” he said. “I hadn’t actually thought they’d just do this.”

 

He almost wanted to berate himself. It was so painfully apparent that this had been their plan. They had barely tried to hide it, and he had almost deliberately ignored the signs.

 

After a slight sigh, he offered Annie a smile. “So … I guess this is a date?”

 

Annie snorted, but he saw her lips twitch. “I guess it is.”

 

There was a silly smile on his face that only faltered when the server came back with a full pitcher of water for them and two individual glasses. She asked about starters, but neither of them had taken any time to really look at the menu, so she disappeared for a few more moments until they were ready.

 

“This is ridiculous,” said Annie lowly once their starters arrived.

 

His eyebrows drew together. “The food?”

 

She snorted. “No. The fact your friends are trying to set us up. I can practically feel them giggling.”

 

He smiled. “They’re probably all really proud of themselves.”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “For putting a couple on a date.”

 

His smile widened. “Well, I mean … we might as well make the most of it.”

 

“We should,” said Annie, taking a bite out of a canapé. She covered her mouth and added, “This is delicious, by the way.”

 

Annie had ordered a small appetiser of smoked salmon canapés and Armin had to say that they did look nice. He’d decided on a small plate of vol-au-vent since he’d had some when he was younger once and wanted to try them again, although now that he was looking at Annie’s starter, he wondered if he should have just ordered the same thing.

 

Annie swallowed and held the rest of it out to him. “Want to try?”

 

His eyebrows raised. “Are you sure?”

 

She nodded. “I don’t mind sharing.”

 

He smiled. “Okay.”

 

Annie leaned forward, and so did he, and carefully she pressed the canapé to his mouth for him to take a bite. It ended up being a messy affair with the base crumbling a little, which made him have to reach out to catch everything as Annie practically giggled.

 

“Just have the rest of it,” she said. “I’ll take one of your things.”

 

He awkwardly pushed the rest of it into his mouth, trying not to smile at the way she was smiling. But that was easier said than done; Annie’s smile, at least to him, was absolutely contagious.

 

After he swallowed, he picked up one of his vol-au-vent and held it out. “Want a bite?”

 

Her eyebrows rose. “Oh, you want to feed it to me?”

 

“Why not?” he asked.

 

“That’s definitely gonna make a mess,” she said. “It’s a puff pastry, isn’t it?”

 

“Well, it’s just us,” he said. “I’ve already made a mess.”

 

Annie paused for a second before she sighed and rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine. Come a little closer.”

 

Armin did as he was told and quickly found that the vol-au-vent was definitely not something that could easily be taken a bite out of. He tried to suppress his smile as Annie took a bite, but it was difficult. Crumbs were getting stuck around her lips and she looked far too cute. In the end, Annie just awkwardly took it from his hands while he looked over at her with a smile.

 

She swallowed her first bite, the rest of it still in her hands. “You’re not even saying anything and I can feel you making fun of me.”

 

Armin laughed. “I’m not making fun of you.”

 

“You’re smiling like an idiot,” she pointed out.

 

“Yeah,” he said. “Because I’m happy.”

 

She snorted. “That’s bullshit.”

 

He shook his head. “You look cute. That’s why I’m smiling.”

 

He wasn’t sure why such little compliments could get to Annie; she often took them in her stride. But this one for some reason made her cheeks tinge pink.

 

“I look messy,” she said, taking another bite.

 

“No, you don’t,” he said. “Well, there are some crumbs on your face, but they’re cute.”

 

She groaned. “Oh God, really? Where?”

 

“Just finish it,” he said, still smiling. “I’ll help you get rid of them after.”

 

Annie relented, and after her full vol-au-vent was gone, Armin helped wipe away the crumbs around her lips.

 

After, she dabbed her lips with her napkin and sighed. “Thanks.”

 

He smiled. “It’s no problem.”

 

Annie was resting her hand on the table, and Armin glanced down at it. He wondered if she’d left it there on purpose. It was a little out of sight, so the others wouldn’t quite notice. So, tentatively, he reached forward and interlaced their fingers.

 

She paused and glanced down at their hands before she let out a breath and smiled.

 

“Have I mentioned how pretty you look?” he said.

 

“You have,” she said. “But I don’t mind hearing it again.”

 

He smiled. “You look stunning.”

 

The corners of her lips tilted and she reached out for her glass of water. “How stunning?”

 

“Very stunning,” he said.

 

“Oh, just very?” she asked, taking a sip from her glass. She let out a breath and placed it back on the table. “I thought you were a man who was good with his words.”

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever claimed that,” he said. “Not to you.”

 

She hummed, but she was still smiling. “I just think you can do better than that.”

 

A smile spread over his mouth. “Well, you look heavenly.”

 

“Heavenly,” she said and hummed. “I didn’t think you believed in God.”

 

“I don’t,” he admitted. Then, tentatively, he added, “A lot of people worship a god, but to be honest, Annie … I’d much rather worship you.”

 

Her face flushed bright red. She dropped his gaze and awkwardly cleared her throat, and he felt his heart swell with pride. It was rare that he managed to really fluster her.

 

“Okay,” she said. “That was … better.”

 

He smiled. “Oh, yeah?”

 

“Don’t look so smug,” she said pointedly.

 

His smile widened. “Sorry.”

 

“Oh, you don’t seem very sorry,” she said.

 

His face softened. “I meant it, though.”

 

She hummed. Her cheeks were still pink and they didn’t seem to show any signs of paling. Armin liked the way the flush looked on her skin.

 

Annie cleared her throat and said, quietly, “Is that underwear set still at your dorm?”

 

He paused for a moment. She still wasn’t quite looking at him, but after a second or so, he nodded and said quietly, “Yeah, it is.”

 

“Okay,” she said quietly, raising her gaze back to his. “I guess we can go and pick it up and head to the garage?”

 

His pulse quickened. He nodded again and said, “Yeah, that sounds good to me.”

 

“Good,” she breathed, squeezing his hand. Armin squeezed right back.

 

They only parted to finish their appetisers and order their mains, but then they sat with their fingers intertwined again, just out of sight of their friends’ gaze. If he and Annie hadn’t been together, he definitely would have been a little upset about the strings they were pulling. They probably suspected he was frustrated, but they wouldn’t be able to make any of that out on his face. He didn’t want to bother even trying to act any differently. What did it matter when they couldn’t hear anything, anyway?

 

Still, he could feel everyone’s eyes on him, and he felt very watched when he excused himself before their mains arrived to use the bathroom.

 

He wasn’t surprised to find that even the bathroom looked expensive, and it was probably the nicest public bathroom he’d been in – although there wasn’t really much competition there.

 

He made quick work of things and was very relieved to find hand soap fully stocked like it often wasn’t in a lot of the less classy public bathrooms he’d been in, before he turned to the hand drying. It was loud, so loud that he missed the sound of the bathroom door swinging open and nearly jumped out of his skin when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

 

He spun around to meet Eren’s grinning face, and then just behind him was Connie, who had the same look on his face. Jean was a little further back, but even he was smirking.

 

“Hey,” he said. His eyebrows furrowed. “Uh … why are you looking at me like that?”

 

“So,” said Eren. “How’s your date going?”

 

Armin frowned.

 

When he didn’t answer immediately, Connie said, still grinning, “It looked like it was going really well, if you ask me.”

 

“Were you feeding her?” asked Jean. “You’re down so bad.”

 

His frown turned into a scowl and he looked pointedly at Eren. “Did Mikasa set this up?”

 

“No,” he said.

 

“Mikasa and Sasha,” said Connie.

 

Eren turned on him. “You weren’t supposed to tell him!”

 

“It was really obvious, anyway,” said Armin. Then, he added, “If you weren’t gonna tell me that, is there some other reason you cornered me in the bathroom?”

 

“Well, it wasn’t to show you a good time,” said Jean.

 

“Clearly,” said Armin.

 

“We just wanted to know how it was going!” said Eren. “You two just seemed … very comfortable.”

 

“Yeah,” said Armin. “Do your friends make you uncomfortable?”

 

“My friends don’t really feed me by hand,” said Eren.

 

Armin smiled. “Maybe that’s something our friendship’s missing.”

 

“Has she said anything?” asked Connie. “Like – romantic?”

 

“Or uh …” Eren’s eyebrows drew together. “Shit. I forgot the word. It begins with an S. Sort of like sexy, but not really.”

 

“Suggestive?” asked Jean.

 

“Yes!” said Eren. “Suggestive!”

 

Armin sighed. “Eren. I’m not answering that.”

 

Eren’s eyes narrowed. “Why wouldn’t you answer that?”

 

“Hey, maybe she really did say something like that,” said Connie.

 

“Guys,” said Armin with a sigh. “Really. We’re just eating dinner.”

 

“Sure,” said Eren, a smile on his face. He dropped his hand on his shoulder. “Are you staying for the after-party?”

 

His eyebrows drew together. “There’s an after-party?”

 

“Yeah,” said Eren. “No IDs necessary, either. Niccolo has that covered.”

 

“Oh,” he said. “Uh … probably not. Annie and me drove here, so it wouldn’t really be fair.” Then, he added, “I mean, I can ask.”

 

“You don’t have to,” said Eren. “I’m just saying: I won’t be back until really, really late if you leave after dessert. So, you know – if this date went well and you wanted some … privacy … don’t worry about me barging in.”

 

Armin’s face flushed. “Really, Eren?”

 

His hands flew up. “I’m not suggesting anything!” But then, he added, “But you know, if you need any condoms or anything, I keep a box in my nightstand.”

 

His face flushed.

 

“I’ve got one in my wallet if you want that,” said Jean, who, much to his horror, started reaching into his pocket.

 

“I’m fine!” said Armin. “Thanks for the offer, but I really won’t need it.”

 

Jean dropped his hand. “Suit yourself.”

 

“Jean’s extra small ones probably wouldn’t fit you, anyway,” said Eren, waving him off.

 

“Bold from a guy who radiates tiny dick energy,” said Jean.

 

Eren scowled. “My dick is not tiny.”

 

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that.”

 

“Do you want proof?”

 

“I don’t need proof to know your dick is small.”

 

“Oh, I swear to God Jean, I don’t want to show you my dick, but –”

 

“Okay!” said Armin loudly. “I’m gonna head back to my date. I’ll see you guys later.”

 

“Enjoy yourself!” said Connie.

 

Jean and Eren were still arguing over Eren’s dick size so they didn’t pay much attention, which was almost a relief. Armin was just happy to leave the bathroom without getting flashed by Eren to adamantly insist he didn’t have a tiny dick. Armin had, not deliberately, seen Eren naked on one of the many occasions he’d walked in on him and Mikasa – he could very happily go the rest of his life without seeing him like that again.

 

He gave Annie a warm smile when he slid back into his seat. “Hey.”

 

“Hey,” she said. “You okay? You look a little …”

 

He sighed. “Eren, Jean and Connie just cornered me in the bathroom.”

 

“Oh,” she said. “Did you at least get a happy ending?”

 

His face fell as she flashed him a grin.

 

“No,” he said.

 

“Sorry,” she said. “What happened?”

 

“They were asking how our date was going,” he said.

 

“What did you say?” she asked.

 

“That it wasn’t a date,” he said.

 

“Ouch,” she said, but she was smiling. “Are you embarrassed by me or something?”

 

His lips twitched. “I could never be embarrassed by you. You’re way out of my league.”

 

She snorted. “Oh, come on. That’s not true.”

 

“You’re so much cooler than me,” he said pointedly.

 

“Armin,” she said. “I’m in a shit college band and I vape. I couldn’t possibly be any less cool.”

 

“Well, the college band thing is cool,” he said. Then, his face softened and he added, “You don’t vape as much as you used to.”

 

She shrugged. “Yeah, I know. I was thinking of stopping, actually.”

 

His eyebrows rose. “Really?”

 

The corners of her lips turned upwards. “You sound almost upset about it.”

 

He shook his head. “I’m not. It’s just, I sort of never thought about you stopping.”

 

“Ah,” she said. “Me vaping is a constant in your life, huh?”

 

He rolled his eyes. “It’s not like that and you know it.”

 

Her smile was soft. She reached forward and left her hand on the table, palm up so that he could rest his on top. He did.

 

“Do you want to hear something insane?” she asked quietly.

 

“From you?” he asked. “Always.”

 

Her smile faded. “Don’t judge me. It really does sound insane.”

 

He shook his head. “I’d never judge you.”

 

She sighed. “Okay.” Her gaze turned down to his hand, far away from his line of sight. He could just peer at the slight blue of her irises beneath her heavy eyelids. “I’ve wanted to stop for a while, but … something keeps stopping me. I just …”

 

When she fell quiet, Armin squeezed her hand, a silent encouragement.

 

She let out another breath. “If I hadn’t been vaping that night on the balcony, then … we probably wouldn’t be here now.”

 

His heart warmed. “Really?”

 

Her brow creased. “That was really dumb. I’m sentimental about vaping. That’s really fucking weird.”

 

“I don’t think it is,” he said gently. “That’s really sweet, actually.”

 

Her cheeks turned pink again. “Don’t say that.”

 

He smiled. “Don’t say what?”

 

“It’s not sweet,” she said.

 

“I think it is,” he said. “It’s just … it’s nice to hear. You’re not really open about things like that.”

 

“Because it’s embarrassing.”

 

He offered her a soft smile. “You don’t have to be embarrassed about anything in front of me, Annie.”

 

“Ugh,” she said, adjusting to cover her face with her hand. “Stop it. I’m literally blushing. Fuck. This is embarrassing.”

 

“It’s cute,” he offered.

 

“It’s not,” she said.

 

“You’re really cute,” he said. He smiled again. “Do you not like hearing that?”

 

She dropped her hand. Her face was still flushed. “It’s not that I don’t like hearing it. I don’t like blushing.”

 

“Sorry,” he said, but he couldn’t help but smile.

 

Annie’s blush started to fade when their mains arrived, although maybe that was because he was too busy eating to say anything that could cause her face to redden.

 

He’d ordered a Blanquette de Veau, and Annie had opted for Coq au Vin, but they did spend the meal sharing most of what they were eating, anyway. They ended up agreeing to order different desserts so they could share those, too.

 

“Oh,” he said, right as he was scraping his plate. “I forgot to mention. There’s an after-party if you want to go to it.”

 

Her eyebrows drew together. “An after-party?”

 

He nodded. “Yeah. Eren mentioned. I figured you wouldn’t want to go and, to be honest, I don’t really want to. But if you want to stay, we can.”

 

She shook her head. “No, I’m fine with that.” Then she added, “Are your friends going?”

 

“Yeah,” he said. “Eren said they’d be out late, so I didn’t have to wait up.”

 

“Eren and Mikasa?” she asked.

 

He nodded.

 

“So …” she said lowly. “Your dorm will be empty.”

 

He didn’t miss the suggestion in her voice.

 

“For a while, at least,” he said slowly. “Maybe most of the night.”

 

Annie paused and bit her lip. Then, she added, quietly, “Do you want me to just try on what you bought in your room?”

 

Armin’s mouth turned dry. He cleared his throat and managed to nod. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s fine with me.”

 

 He didn’t miss the slight, tiny smile pulled at her lips. “Good.”

 

How easily she turned the tables between them. He was getting better, more confident, but Annie had at least always been very good at seeming more confident. He didn’t mind all that much, but his heart was fluttering in his chest whenever thoughts of what might happen later popped into his head. Not that he wasn’t looking forward to that. What Ymir had said to him the other day had eased his nerves on the subject, and if he was honest, he really wanted to try and be good for her. Worry still nagged at him, but it wasn’t going to stop him from trying to do something that would make her feel good.

 

When they shared their desserts, his canelés and Annie’s small selection of macarons, it wasn’t hard to feel more at ease. Annie was nudging his foot under the table, which made a smile spread across his face as they finished up. It only slipped slightly when he glanced over to the round table where his friends sat and caught Eren’s grin across the room.

 

He frowned.

 

“What is it?” asked Annie, reaching for her glass of water.

 

“Eren,” said Armin. “He’s grinning at me.”

 

Annie rolled her eyes. “Well, at least they approve of our relationship.”

 

“Yeah,” said Armin, brow creased. “Maybe a little too much.”

 

She nudged his foot under the table. “Want to head soon?”

 

His eyebrows rose for a second before his face settled into a smile. “Yeah, sure. Uh, I’ll just let the others know.”

 

She nodded. “I’ll get the bill.”

 

“You don’t have to pay,” he said. “This place is expensive.”

 

She sighed. “Fine. We can split it.”

 

He smiled. “I didn’t think you’d give in that easy.”

 

“Well,” she said with a sigh, “I’m trying to be a little less … overbearing.”

 

His face softened. “I don’t think you’re overbearing.”

 

Annie rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay. Go say bye to your friends. I’ll get the bill now and you can cash-app me.”

 

He smiled. “Okay.”

 

Annie was calling a server over just as he rose to his feet to head over to his friends.

 

They were chatting about something amongst themselves, but they all turned their attention to him when he approached their booth.

 

“Hey,” said Mikasa, offering him a kind smile. “You all good?”

 

“Yeah,” he said. “I just wanted to say bye since me and Annie are heading off soon.”

 

He didn’t miss the way all of them seemed to grin at his words.

 

He frowned. “What?”

 

“Nothing,” said Sasha before any of the rest of them could speak. “Did you like the food?”

 

“It was amazing,” he said, smiling. “Thank you for inviting us.”

 

Sasha waved him off. “It’s no problem.”

 

“Have a nice night,” said Mikasa. “We’ll probably see you tomorrow.”

 

His eyebrows rose. “Tomorrow? How late are you staying out?”

 

“Sasha’s crashing with Niccolo,” said Mikasa. “So, me and Eren thought we’d stay in my dorm tonight.”

 

“Oh,” he said and smiled. “Okay. Cool. I … uh … I hope you guys have a good night.”

 

“We’ll tell you all about it tomorrow,” said Mikasa.

 

“Can we hear all about your night tomorrow?” asked Eren.

 

His face flushed as Connie and Jean chortled.

 

Armin scowled. “Yeah, but it’ll be boring. Me and Annie are watching a movie.”

 

“Fifty Shades?” asked Jean.

 

“365 Days?” asked Sasha.

 

“The Handmaiden?” asked Mikasa.

 

“What?” asked Jean, his eyebrows furrowed. “Isn’t that that Korean lesbian movie?”

 

“Yeah. And?” she asked. “It’s good.”

 

“I don’t think that would get them – well, you know.”

 

“Annie’s bi, though, right?” asked Mikasa.

 

“Armin’s not a girl.”

 

“I am very aware of that, thank you Jean,” said Mikasa.

 

“Just have a nice night,” said Marco hurriedly, offering him a genuine smile.

 

He sighed and managed a small smile back. “Thanks. I’ll see you later.”

 

There was a chorus of byes and see yous, and soon Armin’s back was turned to them and he met Annie back at the table.

 

“I got the bill,” she said, shrugging her handbag over her shoulder. “Just cash-app me in the car.”

 

“Okay,” he said, giving her a smile. “Have you got everything?”

 

“Pretty sure,” she said. “Come on. Let’s go.”

 

When they stepped out into the cool evening air, Armin reached out for her hand. She was warm, her skin soft, and when she gave his hand a light squeeze, he felt a tingle rush through his chest. It was so simple, really, but he thought for a moment that if he could hold her hand for a lifetime, it would be more than enough.

 

When they got in the car, the air filled with the slight hum of the playlist he’d made for her and he couldn’t help but smile. This time, he decided to keep the teasing to himself and just enjoy the moment, watching as buildings and roads rushed by them as they made their way back to campus.

 

Things were so quiet when they arrived that he dared to reach for her hand again. Annie rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of a smile on her mouth, and she gave his hand another one of those soft squeezes. It made his heart feel as warm as it did earlier.

 

He managed to get away with holding her hand all the way back to his dorm room and only let it go when he had to fumble with his keys on the door. He flicked on the light and let Annie step through before he locked the door behind him, leaving the key in place just in case Eren did come back earlier than expected.

 

He turned to Annie just after she dropped her bag on the floor and was trying to toe off her shoes, and cleared his throat. “Uh … just so you know … Eren and Mikasa are staying in her dorm tonight.”

 

“Really?” she said.

 

“Yeah,” he said. “So … well, you can stay as late as you want.” Then, tentatively, he added, “If you want, you can even stay over. Not that you have to, but … the offer’s there.”

 

Her face softened. Her voice turned quiet. “I might just take you up on that offer.”

 

He nodded and gave her a tiny smile. “Okay. Yeah, I’d like that.”

 

Annie let out a quiet huff of laughter and shook her head. “I’m gonna head to the bathroom. Could you find that underwear set for me?”

 

“Oh, uh, yeah,” he said. “No problem.”

 

As soon as the bathroom door clicked shut behind her, Armin raced to find the Victoria’s Secret bag. It was wedged beneath his bed out of sight where Eren wouldn’t be able to see it, so it took a little digging to pull out. He let out a sigh once he’d retrieved it before he placed it down on the bed and settled down beside it. He paused for only a moment before he reached for his phone – he didn’t have a speaker or anything, but maybe some background noise would be nice. He found a random soft rock playlist and put it on shuffle before he settled his phone on his nightstand.

 

Annie emerged only a few moments later, her eyes immediately focusing on the bag, and his heart skipped.

 

“Is that it?” she asked gently.

 

He nodded. “Yeah.”

 

Annie immediately made her way to the bag and panic gripped him.

 

“Uh … if you don’t like it, you can tell me,” he said. “I can return it. It’s not a big deal, really, but …”

 

His words trailed into silence as she pulled the set from the bag.

 

“Oh,” she said, her voice so, so soft. “Armin.”

 

His brow creased. “Is it – is it okay?”

 

“Armin,” she said again, her fingers rubbing over the lace. “It’s beautiful.”

 

His face softened. “Really?”

 

She nodded. “Yeah.” Then, she added, “Can you help me take the tags off?”

 

He moved in an instant and helped her get rid of them. That was a clear sign, at least, that she liked it.

 

“Is it okay if you close your eyes?” she asked.

 

His eyebrows rose. “Huh?”

 

“I just thought I’d get changed in here,” she said quietly.

 

“Oh,” he said and swallowed. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s fine. Just …”

 

Armin sighed and closed his eyes. There was a slight moment of quiet, filled only by the music in the background, before he heard the soft shuffle of fabric.

 

His heart jumped each time he heard a piece of clothing thump to the floor, but he stayed where he was, his fingers gripping a little tighter into his bed sheets than they maybe should. When the light sounds of movement finally stopped, it felt as if his heart stopped with them. It seemed to start up again when Annie’s voice reached his ears.

 

“Armin?” she said, her voice softer than he’d ever heard it. “You can open your eyes.”

 

He paused for a second, taking a deep breath before he opened his eyes.

 

His lips parted as soon as he saw her, but no words came. He wasn’t trying to speak – no, he knew that would be a useless endeavour, not when she was standing only a metre away from him, her soft skin on show save for a pattern of beautiful lace covering her intimate parts.

 

Blue, as it turned out, looked beautiful on Annie. His eyes trailed over the fabric cupping her breasts, just sheer enough that he could make out her pert nipples. And then, further down, even more lace, just hiding trimmed, blonde curls, and that oh-so-sensitive part of her that even glancing at made his body rush with want.

 

“You’re staring,” she said.

 

His eyes flickered up to hers, his face warm. “Can I not stare?”

 

Annie’s face was pink. “You can.”

 

His face softened. Oh. She was nervous.

 

He swallowed and tentatively rose to his feet. Annie took a step back, and he stepped with her – but this time, she didn’t move.

 

“You look beautiful,” he said quietly.

 

She hummed and dropped his gaze, before crossing her arms over her chest.

 

No – that wouldn’t do.

 

With one more step, he was right before her, reaching to press his palms against her bare arms to guide them gently back down to her sides. She didn’t protest. But her eyes rose up to his, looking at him curiously, almost as if she was fascinated by what he would do next.

 

“Don’t hide,” he whispered. “You’re too pretty for that.”

 

Her cheeks turned red. “Don’t tease me.”

 

He smiled. “I’m not teasing you. You’re stunning.”

 

Annie bit her lip. “Yeah?”

 

“Yeah,” he said. “I’m sure you already know that.”

 

She snorted and dropped his gaze again. “It’s nice to hear.” Then, she added, quietly, “Especially from you.”

 

His pulse quickened. He pushed his hands under her jaw to cup her face, and he practically felt the way her breathing shuddered.

 

It usually wasn’t like this. He was always the one out of his depth, and maybe he should have been. But now that Annie was here before him, almost shy, he wanted to do all he could to push that feeling away.

 

So, when her eyes rose to his, he swallowed and said, “I think I could live a million lifetimes and never see anything as beautiful as you.”

 

He half-expected her to snort or roll her eyes in that very Annie way of hers that he loved so much, but much to his surprise, nothing like that came. Instead, she was quiet for a long time, before finally, she leaned up and pressed her lips to his.

 

The kiss was tentative and slow, but there was a neediness in it that sent a rush through him all the same. She made a small noise in the back of her throat that was so delicious it nearly made him ache; all he could do was kiss her with a little more force, a little more longing, and guide her back towards his bed.

 

He wasn’t quite sure how she ended up on top of him like that, or at what point he’d started peppering kisses down her neck, but that didn’t matter. Her breathing was coming out in quiet pants and she writhed with pleasure; her hips brushed down, over his hard-on, and he groaned against her neck. It was more involuntary than anything, but he wanted her to do it again – but he tried to keep his cool. This was about her, not him. There would be other times to lose himself in the rush of her, but right now, he needed to make her feel as good as he could.

 

“Oh, God,” she breathed when his lips pressed beneath her jaw. “Fuck.”

 

He hummed before trailing his lips up to her ear and flicking her earlobe with his tongue. She whimpered and gripped him harder, and he wrapped his lips around the soft flesh and nibbled, pulling another one of those pretty sounds from her lips.

 

“Armin,” she breathed. “That feels so good.”

 

He paused, his heart skipping before he pulled back. “Do you want to keep going?”

 

She nodded. “Can you …” Annie swallowed. “Can you do what … what we were talking about?”

 

Her suggestion made him twitch in his pants. He really hoped she didn’t notice that.

 

“I’d love to,” he said.

 

“Are you sure?” she asked. “If you aren’t –”

 

“I want to,” he said gently. Then, he smiled. “You just might have to help me out a little. I don’t really know what I’m doing.”

 

She let out a huff. “And you think I do?”

 

“More than me,” he said. “It’s your body.” Then, he added, softly, “Just let me know what feels nice. Okay?”

 

She paused for a second before she nodded. “Okay.”

 

“Thank you,” he breathed.

 

“Take your jacket off,” she said abruptly. “And roll up your sleeves.”

 

He smiled. “Okay.”

 

He quickly moved to discard his suit jacket over his desk chair and placed his glasses down on his desk, before he undid the buttons at his wrists and slowly rolled his sleeves up his arms. He didn’t miss the way Annie’s eyes lingered on his movements. Maybe he should have felt more nervous, or even self-conscious, but he liked the way she was looking at him, full of warmth and want. When he was done, he offered her a slight smile and made his way back over to her.

 

She was sitting on the edge of the bed, her legs ever so slightly spread, like she was getting ready for him to nudge them apart. He swallowed, letting his eyes trail all over her shamelessly – at least until Annie spoke.

 

“You’re staring again,” she said.

 

His gaze flickered up to hers. “Are you complaining?”

 

She held his gaze, almost like it was a challenge. “Maybe I am. What are you gonna do about it?”

 

He couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his lips. “I have some ideas.”

 

Armin closed the distance between them completely and leaned down to capture her lips. She made a noise against his mouth, but it was one of want, and it was all the encouragement he needed to kiss her harder. He let his fingers drift lower, down over the fabric of her bra, and he gently cupped her breasts.

 

She sighed contently against him, so he pressed his hands a little harder, carefully fondling her through the lace of her bra. She let out a quiet moan and now she was the one to take control of the kiss – she kissed him more forcefully and with a very clear desperation, and it didn’t take him long to get the point. He kept up his caresses, gentle yet firm, and she practically turned to putty in his hands. He knew she liked being touched there, but she seemed beyond thrilled at this gentle fondling, especially with a layer of fabric between her soft flesh and his hands – was she really so excited for him?

 

Annie pulled away, her breath leaving her lips in quiet pants. Armin wasn’t in a much better state.

 

She swallowed and reached behind herself, and with a slight click, the lace at her breasts slackened and she shimmied the straps of her bra down her arms. She tossed it aside and leaned back on her hands, her chest still rising a little too heavily, and dear God what a sight she was. He would have gladly stood there staring at her for hours, or he would have if he wasn’t so desperate to keep touching her.

 

“Well?” she asked. “Are you gonna keep going or what?”

 

He scoffed and smiled. “Oh, now you’re just being demanding.”

 

“You like it,” she said firmly.

 

Annie didn’t sound so confident when he pressed his knees between her legs and leaned over her, his hands gripping onto her wrists to hold them above her head. But she let him do it, and he was very grateful for it – he wasn’t quite sure what it was, but there was something exciting about having Annie beneath him like this. She was completely at his mercy, but it was because she wanted to be. It was enough to make him dizzy with desire.

 

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered before he pressed his lips against her neck.

 

She cried out when he sucked at her flesh, just gently, not enough to leave a mark, but certainly enough to make her squirm. She arched against him, almost involuntarily, and he pressed a fiery trail of kisses down and down until his lips were pressed over her left breast.

 

This he knew. He flicked his tongue over her hard nipple and she whimpered, still trying to press up against him. He circled her nipple with the tip of his tongue and relinquished his grip on her arm to toy with her other breast, and she let out a moan so delicious that it sent a rush of pleasure straight to his cock.

 

He made a small sound against her skin before he locked his lips around her nipple and gently bit down, before sucking. She cried out, very loudly, and he popped off of her to give her other breast more attention. She keened, almost shivering beneath his kisses, but he was drunk on each little reaction she gave him. Any trace of nervousness had long since vanished, and it was just him and her soft skin and those pretty noises slipping out of her, and that was all he needed.

 

He finally pulled away from her skin, but he didn’t give her much of a chance to collect herself, because he shifted off of the bed, in between her legs. Then, he pulled her closer, yanking a small sound of surprise from her mouth, before he pressed his lips against her stomach. Her breathing shivered, and he moved lower and lower before he pressed a long, gentle kiss right above the lace covering her core.

 

He let his fingers move to hook over the fabric at her hips and glanced up at her. “Do you want me to take these off?”

 

Annie swallowed. “Do you want to take them off?”

 

“I really do,” he said. “But only if you want me to.”

 

She nodded. “Please.”

 

Please. It wasn’t a word he often heard from Annie, but he found then that it was one he very much liked the sound of on her lips.

 

He didn’t wait a second longer. Annie lifted her hips and helped him shimmy the fabric down her thighs, and soon it was discarded with the rest of her clothes on the floor.

 

His throat tightened. Her legs were spread just enough for him to see her, and dear God, she was so wet. He could see it gleaming in the light over her lips, so wet that it had spread further than maybe it should have, and the sight of it alone could have driven him mad.

 

“You’re staring,” she said quietly. “Again.”

 

He glanced up at her. “You’d stare, too, if you saw yourself the way I see you.”

 

Annie scoffed, but there was no confidence in it. His heart nearly ached at the sound.

 

“Hey,” he said gently, his fingers brushing over the sides of her thighs. “Do you want to keep going?”

 

She bit her lip for a moment before she nodded. “I do.”

 

“Are you sure?” he asked.

 

“Yeah,” she said, tilting her head back. “I need you.”

 

Armin didn’t need to hear anymore. Without another word, he adjusted and dipped his head so that he could press his lips to the soft skin of her inner thigh. She made a tiny sound, small and delicious, so he sucked at her flesh, all gentleness gone as he marked her skin, and she gasped and reached to tangle her fingers in his hair. He did it again, further up, and then to her other thigh, and soon enough she was a trembling mess. Her fingers were so tight in his hair it nearly hurt, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care, not when she was so desperate for his touch, not when she needed him.

 

Still, he paused before he moved any closer to her centre, his face a few inches away as he debated his plan of attack. He wondered for a moment if she’d enjoy being teased – patience wasn’t exactly her virtue, but maybe it would be worth trying now.

 

So, tentatively, he dipped his head forward, his breath tickling her sensitive flesh, and just as she let out a tiny, nearly imperceptible whine, he pressed his tongue forward and dragged it up over the edge of her labia.

 

A gasp slipped past her lips as her hips seemed to jerk forward on their own. He moved his hands then to grip her hips to try and keep her in place. Then, he continued the motion of his tongue, teasing and gentle over her wet lips.

 

Annie wasn’t saying anything, but her initial surprise simmered into tiny whimpers, and her fingers almost seemed to tremble in his hair. They’d done this before, but it had been rushed and maybe he hadn’t been able to appreciate just how fucking nice it was. He could taste her already, a slight sweetness on his tongue from where her wetness had spilt over her lips.

 

His tongue finally slowed to a halt as he came to rest just below her swollen clit. He could hear the way Annie’s breathing shuddered, and he was very aware of how fast his heart was pounding in his chest. But that didn’t matter. All that mattered was Annie bare before him, aroused and oh so responsive; he would do anything to bring her to her climax, even if it ended up with a little bit of embarrassment on his part.

 

So, gently, he dragged the flat of his tongue over her clit in one languid motion, and Annie cried out.

 

“Oh God,” she groaned, releasing her grip on his head and fully dropping her back against the bed.

 

That groan really did something to him. His cock twitched in his pants and he became painfully aware of just how achingly hard he was – but that was less of a thought and more of an intense feeling because he wasn’t particularly worried about his own release. She sounded so good, and he wanted to hear it again and again. So, he pressed his tongue forward and gently, as gently as he could, started circling her clit.

 

Annie’s thighs tensed around him as she let out a fumbled, breathy, “F-fuck.”

 

Okay, that was doing something. Each swirl of her clit seemed to pull a small sound out of her, each one more delicious than the last, but selfishly, he wanted her louder, unabashed and desperate. He moved his tongue faster and pressed a little firmer against her and she really cried out. The noise sent sparks of pleasure straight to his groin and he swore he was nearly drunk on her.

 

He considered what else he could do to pull those noises from her, and abruptly retracted his tongue. Her whine wasn’t lost on him. If he hadn’t been so distracted, he might have even laughed at how needy she sounded. But now, here, that sound just made him want to do more for her. He couldn’t leave her waiting too long – no, she deserved so much more than that.

 

So before the absence of his mouth could frustrate her, he leaned forward and gently wrapped his lips around her needy clit and sucked.

 

“Ah!” she cried, her fingers gripping hard into the bedsheets.

 

He couldn’t help it – he let out a small moan against her, and for a heartbeat, he was so mortified that he nearly pulled away from her to apologise. But Annie’s hips seemed to buck at the sound, almost like she was trying to get even closer to him, and suddenly he didn’t feel all that embarrassed about it.

 

Caressing her clit with his tongue became rhythm, practised; he would gladly have sat there all night on sore knees and worshipped her like this. The more he pushed her, the more desperate she became; she was getting louder, maybe a little too loud, but that was more than fine with him. He could deal with the consequences of that another time because right then he wouldn’t have cared if she was screaming with pleasure, as long as she felt good.

 

But a devilish thought came to his mind, and maybe he was getting a little too confident or high from arousal, but he tentatively changed his approach. It was only for a few seconds, but he traced a pattern over her clit, which he imagined might have been a little torturous for her considering the way her hips seemed to be twitching. He was just about to go back to his other rhythm when Annie’s voice pulled him away.

 

“Why,” she asked, voice breathy, “are you spelling my name out on my clit?”

 

He pulled away and glanced up at her. God, she was divine. She’d propped herself up on her elbows to meet his eye, and her whole body was flushed, her hair a little dishevelled from all of her squirming, and her lips were parted as deep breaths slipped out.

 

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and said, “I wasn’t sure you’d notice.”

 

She scoffed. “You did it so I would notice.”

 

He smiled. “Maybe.”

 

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t you have something better to be doing with your mouth right now?”

 

“Yeah,” he said, but an idea sparked in his mind and he moved one of his hands from her hip to her inner thigh. “Can I try something?”

 

Her eyebrows pinched together. “What?”

 

Tentatively, he moved the tip of his index finger to rest against her entrance, almost like a question.

 

Annie didn’t say anything, her lips still parted – but then, after a pause, she nodded.

 

He didn’t need much more than that.

 

Gently, he pressed his finger into her, slow and careful, and immediately he was assaulted by the pressure of her walls. They were soft and wet and holy, holy fuck – this was what it was like? He knew in theory, but he had never felt it, not wrapped deliciously tight around his finger like this. And it was just one finger. He could only imagine how nice she would feel around his cock – and suddenly he found that he really, really wasn’t all that worried about his first time with her.

 

The sensation made had him pause, almost like an idiot, as his head swirled with thoughts of Annie wrapped around him and moaning, and the only thing that snapped him out of his stupid fantasy was her voice.

 

“Armin,” she said. “You can keep moving.”

 

His face flushed. “Uh, right. Sorry.”

 

He dragged his finger back and she sighed contentedly before he pushed it back in. She let out a quiet noise as he fell into a rhythm, although he admittedly wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing – but soon, he pushed in a second finger and the movement made her gasp.

 

He glanced up at her face as he moved his fingers inside her. She was so fucking gorgeous. Her eyes were closed and he could clearly see the way she was biting the inside of her lip – was she trying to stay quiet? Or did it just feel good, too?

 

He swallowed, and said, “Annie?”

 

Her eyes opened. “Yeah?”

 

“I …” He swallowed again. “What … what do you like? Like with … this?”

 

Her face softened. “Oh. Just …” She sighed and closed her eyes. “Just angle your fingers a little bit … upwards and – ah, yeah, just like … like that …”

 

It took a little more trial and error, but soon, he had found a rhythm that made her moan oh so deliciously, and only then did he return to her clit with his mouth.

 

“Oh my God,” she gasped. “Oh my God.”

 

Armin took that as a sign of encouragement. He managed to keep a steady rhythm with his fingers as his tongue caressed her clit, swirling over and over to push her closer and closer to her climax.

 

“Armin,” she moaned. “F-fuck. That feels – ah …”

 

Her words dissolved into small, needy noises, sounds so delicious they made him ache. She was so, so perfect – everything about this, with his head between her thighs and fingers inside of her, was perfect. How had he been so worried about this?

 

“Oh my God,” she said, her voice a breathy moan. “Armin. Oh, fuck.”

 

He groaned against her, making her hips jut up as she gasped. His name on her lips like that, needy with want, was so, so much, almost too much. If he touched himself now, it would probably only take a few strokes to push him over the edge. There was no doubt in his mind that he was probably leaking in his pants; that was fine, although if he came from this alone, when he wasn’t even being touched, he was certain Annie would never let him live it down.

 

She groaned his name again and then he felt her shift, and suddenly her fingers were back in his hair, holding him firmly against her clit. Not that he had any plans of going anywhere – but the pressure felt good, so he wasn’t about to say anything about it.

 

“Armin,” she whimpered. “Please. Please.”

 

Those words were dangerous from her lips. They sent ripples of pleasure straight to his groin and he let out a small groan against her wet heat. She made another one of those tiny desperate noises again and holy fuck – he really was just going to finish then and there if she kept making sounds like that.

 

“Armin,” she managed again. “Don’t stop. Please, please don’t stop.”

 

He wanted to tell her that he had no intention of stopping, but that wasn’t really possible with his mouth on her like this. So, instead, he increased the pace of his thrusts ever so slightly and Annie gasped, her fingers tightening in his hair even more. It hurt, just a little, but he liked it. Then and there, he’d probably have let her tear it out if she’d wanted.

 

She seemed to tremble more and more with each swirl of his tongue, and he didn’t let up. He was relentless with his mouth and she was a mess, and what a fucking divine mess she was. Oh, God, she was everything – she was stars in night skies and summer sunrises and sandy seashores and everything beautiful that he’d ever seen, and so much more.

 

It only took a few more careful thrusts, another couple of caresses with his tongue and Annie came undone. Her moans were breathy and quiet, but he heard his own name somewhere in there amongst the chaos, whispered like a prayer, as her orgasm rocked through her. He didn’t stop until she started to relax, and then, he slowed – but her hips still twitched with each caress.

 

Annie swatted at his head gently and he paused, glancing up at her. Her chest was heaving and she was flushed and sweaty – but Armin was sure she’d never looked so beautiful.

 

“I’m … done,” she said, slightly breathless.

 

Tentatively, he pulled his mouth away and gently drew his fingers out of her, causing a slight whimper to slip past her lips.

 

Annie collapsed on the bed, her breathing still heavy, and Armin couldn’t help but smile. He pressed his fingers into his mouth and quickly sucked off what was left of her wetness, before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and then dragging it against the fabric of his comforter to remove any excess. Only then did he move and climb up next to Annie on his bed, propping himself up on one elbow to look at her.

 

Her eyes were closed and her breathing seemed like it was evening out. He had never seen her look so worn down, not in a way that was anything like this. He found that he particularly liked it.

 

“Hey,” he said gently. “Is everything okay?”

 

Annie hummed and finally tilted her head towards him, her eyes meeting his. He smiled.

 

“Did you like it?” he asked.

 

She scoffed. “Oh, like you don’t already know the answer to that question.”

 

His smile widened. “I’d like to hear it.”

 

She rolled her eyes. “Yes. It was fucking great.”

 

He couldn’t stop smiling – he was far too proud of himself.

 

“That’s a really high compliment,” he said.

 

She snorted, but a slight smile came to her lips. “Oh, the highest.”

 

A huff of air puffed through his nose at her comment, but he was still smiling. It softened only slightly as he reached forward to press his palm to her cheek. She sighed when he started drawing light patterns over her skin with his thumb.

 

But then, only a minute later, her hand came up to cover his, stopping his motions in an instant.

 

“Do you want me to do you?” she asked.

 

He gently shook his head. Then, quietly, he asked, “How soon do you think you can go again?”

 

Her eyebrows rose. “Again?”

 

His confidence waned and his eyebrows pinched together. “Do you not want to? I thought … I thought you really liked that.”

 

“No, it’s not –” Annie sighed. “It was wonderful. But you don’t have to do it again.”

 

His face softened. “I know I don’t have to. I want to.”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Are you sure?”

 

“Of course I am,” he said quietly. “I really want to.”

 

Annie was quiet for a long moment. Then, finally, she swallowed and said, “You’re perfect.”

 

His heart warmed. He wasn’t sure that was true, but from her, the words did something – now, in the wake of her climax, they meant more than maybe they ever had.

 

He shuffled forward and pressed his lips to hers. She was warm and inviting, and sighed against his mouth. It was only a moment, but when he pulled away, his heart was nearly singing.

 

He let out a breath, and asked, his voice barely above a whisper, “What do you want me to do to you?”

 

If Annie hadn’t already been so flushed, he was sure his question would have made her blush. When she spoke, she sounded almost sheepish, almost like she thought she was asking for too much.

 

“You could use your fingers again,” she said. “If that’s okay.”

 

“Of course it is,” he whispered.

 

She nodded. “Just – I’m still a little sensitive, so maybe not so much attention on my clit yet.”

 

“Okay,” he said, and then he began to move back to where he’d been on the floor before, right in between her legs.

 

He glanced up at her. “Annie?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

He nearly said it then. The words came to him so naturally that when he parted his lips, they nearly tumbled out, one word chasing after another. I love you. It would have been so easy, too.

 

But he stopped himself right before they did. What they had was perfect the way it was, at least for now – she didn’t need to hear that right now.

 

So, instead, he said, “I think you might be the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

 

Her face softened for a second, but then she snorted. “You think?”

 

He smiled. “I was lying. I know you are.”

 

She hummed and leaned back. “That’s better.”

 

He let out a huff and trailed his hand up her inner thigh. She shivered.

 

“Can I show you?” he asked.

 

“Show me what?” she asked.

 

Armin’s fingertips brushed over her lips and she nearly trembled.

 

“Can I show you,” he said quietly, “just how pretty I think you are?”

 

Her breath seemed to catch in her throat. She didn’t say anything – it seemed for a moment that maybe she just couldn’t. But then, finally, she nodded, and when she spoke, it was with a longing he’d never quite heard from her before.

 

“Please,” she breathed.

 

He smiled slightly, and then oh so gently, he pushed his fingers inside of her once more.

Notes:

hello :) I am back.

okay, quick thing: I have up to chapter 28 completed written, so those updates will be regular for the time being; I will be posting on every other Friday :)

Thank you all for following this story thus far. I could try and put it into words how much it means to me, but I'm not sure there are enough words in existence to be able to convey that the way I want to. So, simply, thank you.

Big thanks to morb for beta reading, as always. They are @Mx_Bluebell24 on Twitter, and I am @BrittleBluebell if you wanna follow me over there, too :) Additionally, I also made a Tumblr that I would like to be more active on if you wanna follow me there, too. I'm brittlebluebell over there :)

I hope you guys enjoyed this one, and I'll see you all in the next one!

Chapter 26: a little closer

Armin woke up slowly in a cloud of softness and warmth and was only confused for a single second as to why Annie was in his bed. But then, a heartbeat later, the warm memories of the night before seeped back in and he nuzzled his nose into her shoulder, letting his arm tighten around her waist. Annie fidgeted a little and let out a quiet groan, one that signalled she was still half-asleep and he smiled. He placed a kiss on the skin of her neck and she sighed contentedly, before squirming a little more to get more comfortable, and then she was still again.

 

He gently pulled his hand away from her waist to rest on her hip. She’d borrowed one of his shirts to sleep in, but it wasn’t long enough. She must have woken up in the night and pulled it from his closet because when she’d gone to sleep, she’d had nothing but the comforter to cover her skin. And now, it had ridden up in her sleep, so it was easy to rest his hand on the bare skin of her hip. Before last night, doing something so innocent would have caused a million questions to race through his head, but now, tracing slight circles over her skin with his thumb felt so natural, so comfortable that he didn’t understand how it had felt so terrifying before.

 

She let out another one of those sighs and he smiled again. He liked her like this. Well, he liked all forms of Annie, but this – hair dishevelled, skin a little salty from sleep, and so relaxed beside him – this might have just been his favourite.

 

Carefully, he propped himself up on one elbow and moved his hand again. He dragged his fingers lightly over her hip and upwards, underneath her shirt to follow a gentle path over her side. She was warm and soft in all of the right ways. He loved the way her skin felt beneath his touch.

 

Annie twitched when his fingers drifted over her bare side too gently, and her breath caught.

 

“I’m ticklish there,” she said firmly.

 

“Oh. Sorry,” he said, quickly pulling his hand away. “I didn’t think you were ticklish.”

 

Annie sighed and started rolling over to face him. “You usually don’t touch me so gently. I’m not delicate, you know.”

 

He smiled when he met her eyes. He couldn’t help it – she looked very well-rested.

 

Annie frowned. “You’re thinking something.”

 

His smile didn’t falter. “Did you sleep well?”

 

She held his gaze for a second before she scoffed. “Yeah, actually. I did.”

 

He bit the inside of his lip to stop his smile from spreading even wider.

 

Her frown deepened. “You look proud of yourself.”

 

Armin couldn’t contain his grin then. “You just seemed really tired by the end of it.”

 

Annie rolled her eyes, but he didn’t miss the way her cheeks flushed. “It was late.”

 

“Uh-huh,” he said. “Midnight, right?”

 

She nudged him. “Shut up.”

 

He made no effort to fight his grin now. Maybe he shouldn’t be so smug, but Annie was right – he was very proud of himself. If he’d had any idea of how well last night was going to go, he wouldn’t have worried about it at all. He wasn’t sure he’d ever heard his name or the word please so much in such a short space of time. Armin was already very eager to beat that new record with Annie again.

 

Maybe he had gotten a bit carried away. He brought her to another climax with his fingers and he’d been so happy about that he wanted to go again – although he let Annie have a slight break before he put his mouth back between her thighs. She’d wanted to do him, but he got quite lost in the moment and suggested just touching himself while he got her off again. At first, he’d worried that it had been an inappropriate thing to suggest – he’d been blinded by his arousal and there was a chance Annie could have taken offence. But actually, it had brought another breath of life into her and she was very excited to go again.

 

Annie had been a panting mess once he’d pulled his head away from between her legs, and he hadn’t been much better – he had thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing, but he was a little embarrassed about how quickly he finished and only hoped that hadn’t fazed Annie. So, he excused himself to go and clean himself up in the bathroom, and when he came back a moment later, Annie was lying on her front, head tilted towards him and mouth slightly open as she let out a steady flow of quiet snores.

 

Everything about it had been perfect.

 

“Can I say one more thing?” he asked.

 

“Is it mean?” she said.

 

He laughed. “I’m never mean.”

 

“There’s a first for everything.”

 

His face softened, but he was still smiling. “It’s just a question.”

 

Annie paused for a moment before she sighed. “Fine. Go ahead.”

 

He reached forward to brush her hair behind her ear. There were only a few loose strands, but Armin liked the whole motion of it all. It felt close, intimate; there was a time when Annie might not have been able to handle such a little thing. Now, she seemed to relax underneath his touch.

 

“Was it all good for you?” he asked quietly. “Last night, I mean.”

 

Her eyebrows drew together. “You’re joking, right?”

 

“No,” he said. “I just wanted to check.”

 

“Oh, you can’t be all smug and then suddenly be insecure about it,” she said.

 

“So …” Armin bit his lip. “It was good, then?”

 

Annie scoffed. “Yes. It was great. I liked all of it. I’ve … I’ve honestly not came so much before.” Then, she added, “Well – no one else has made me … you know.”

 

His eyebrows rose. “Seriously?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “Really, I had no idea you’d be so … determined.”

 

His face warmed. “Is that a bad thing?”

 

She shook her head. “Definitely not.”

 

Her hand came up to his jaw and he relaxed beneath her touch. He let his eyelids flutter shut for a second as her thumb trailed over his skin. He wished every morning could be like this.

 

Finally, he opened his eyes again and offered her a small smile.

 

“So,” he said quietly, moving his hand to rest on her hip. “What’s your personal record?”

 

Her eyebrows pinched together. “You mean for orgasms? In one sitting?”

 

Tentatively, he nodded.

 

She snorted and glanced away. “Seven.”

 

His eyebrows rose. “Seven?”

 

“It isn’t that bad,” she said.

 

“I know it’s not,” he said, rubbing his thumb over her hip. “I just thought you said you can get a little … sensitive.”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “But I was on my period and I can get pretty … I mean, you know. I hadn’t expected to get that far. The new vibrator helped.”

 

His face flushed at the thought. He’d already had a slight case of morning wood that he’d been quite blissfully ignoring, but the word vibrator had conjured up an array of images of Annie getting herself off that was certainly not helping the situation. It didn’t exactly help that his briefs didn’t leave much to the imagination.

 

He cleared his throat and adjusted a little in the hopes Annie wouldn’t become too aware of his current state. “I didn’t know you had a vibrator.”

 

“Of course I do,” she said. “I haven’t fucked anyone since high school for a good reason.”

 

“Oh. Yeah,” he said, a slight laugh slipping out of him. He swallowed. “Do you think we can make it eight?”

 

Her eyebrows rose. “You want to make it eight?”

 

“I’m very willing to try,” he said.

 

Annie let out a breath. “Eight, though? That’s a lot.”

 

“I can do it,” he said. Then, he said, trying to sound confident, “Can you take eight, though?”

 

She scoffed, but her face turned pink. He loved the way the colour looked on her skin.

 

“I’m sure I’d be just fine,” she said.

 

He smiled. “Really? Three seemed to knock you right out.”

 

“I was unprepared,” she said. “I’m sure if I knew that many were coming, I’d have been just fine.”

 

Armin let out a breathy laugh. “Oh, so you have to prepare for multiple orgasms?”

 

“Yes,” she said firmly. “I just … you caught me off guard.”

 

He hummed and smiled. “Can I catch you off guard again?”

 

Her eyebrows rose. “Right now?”

 

His heart rate picked up. “If you want.”

 

She held his gaze for a moment. “I’m not sure we really have time.”

 

“Are you sure?” he asked gently.

 

Annie bit her bottom lip. “I don’t know.” She sighed, and added, “I really wouldn’t want Eren to interrupt anything.”

 

“Is that all?” he asked softly.

 

“Stop asking like that,” she said. “Or I might have to take you to the top floor of the library.”

 

He smiled. “Sorry.”

 

She sighed. “It’s okay. We can do more some other time.”

 

He couldn’t ignore the slight twinge of disappointment, but he made sure not to let it show on his face.

 

“Okay,” he said gently.

 

Then, tentatively, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. It was just chaste, but Annie’s lips were always so soft that the slightest of brushes made his whole body tingle.

 

She pulled away first and sighed, a soft tickle against his chin.

 

“I should go,” she said finally.

 

But she didn’t move.

 

“Maybe,” he said, but Armin wasn’t exactly in a rush to get her out of his bed, either.

 

She sighed again and snuggled closer to his chest. He smiled.

 

“Can I say something touchy-feely?” he asked.

 

She groaned. “How sickly-sweet is it?”

 

He let out a huff of laughter through his nose. “I don’t think it’s that bad.”

 

She paused. “Okay. Go ahead.”

 

He let his fingers drift over her hair in one slow, soft sweep.

 

“I wish you could sleep next to me every night,” he said quietly.

 

Annie hummed, but it wasn’t dismissive like he’d feared. It was a simple sound, but there was a genuine agreement – that small noise said more, maybe, than any words could.

 

After another long quiet, Annie spoke again.

 

“Me and the idiots are practising this week,” she said. “If you wanna come over. Work on Connie’s truck a little more.”

 

“Ah,” he said and smiled. “For a minute I thought you wanted to hang out with me. I see you’re really just putting me to work.”

 

Annie snorted. “Oh, be quiet. You know you can hang out with us. I thought you’d want to finish that stupid truck.”

 

Armin did want to finish that stupid truck. Unfortunately, there wasn’t really any rushing on his part. Connie didn’t know a single thing about the damn thing – in fact, he knew so little about how a regular car even worked that Armin was surprised he’d ever managed to get one moving. The fact it had taken him so long to total his truck the way he had was almost impressive.

 

“Yeah,” he said with a sigh. “I guess I do.”

 

“You shouldn’t have offered,” she said pointedly.

 

He shrugged slightly. “I wanted to be nice.”

 

“You’re too nice,” she said.

 

He smiled. “You like it.”

 

She scoffed. “I like that you’re nice? Wow. What a shocker. Here I thought that I liked that you were an asshole.”

 

He grinned. “Oh yeah. Like, the biggest douchebag.”

 

She snorted and poked his chest. “A real bastard.”

 

He smiled and she smiled, and then it devolved as all things seemed to now, into rushed kisses and gentle touches. Annie seemed a little more convinced about getting up to something that morning, but in the end, she pulled herself away, insisting Eren would catch them any minute now. He knew she was right, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t disappointed about it.

 

He hopped in the shower when she was gone, quickly dealing with his morning wood issue, before he let the warm water rush over his body with a heavy sigh.

 

Last night really was perfect. He’d been such an idiot.

 

When he pushed open the bathroom door again, he planned on making his way straight to his phone to send Annie a quick text. He wasn’t quite sure what; something sweet or reassuring, but nothing too over the top. But the thought slipped from his mind when he was met with Eren’s large grin.

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Hey?”

 

“Hey,” said Eren. He folded his arms over his chest. “Sleep well?”

 

“I slept just fine,” said Armin. “Do you have a hangover?”

 

“Oh, no, I’m fine,” said Eren. His smile was so ridiculously large that Armin was almost surprised his face hadn’t just split in half. “I hear you had a guest last night?”

 

Armin’s stomach dropped. “What?”

 

“I just passed Hitch,” said Eren. “Apparently Annie didn’t come home last night.”

 

Armin shook his head and moved to his wardrobe. “Eren. She just … fell asleep.”

 

“Did you cuddle?” asked Eren.

 

“Eren.”

 

“Snuggle? Kiss? Fondle, even?”

 

Armin sighed deliberately as he reached into his wardrobe for a shirt and a pair of jeans. “She passed out when we were watching a movie. I slept in your bed.”

 

When he glanced back at Eren after he closed his wardrobe door, he nearly felt bad at the way his smile had crumbled.

 

“So no snuggling?”

 

“No.”

 

“No kissing? Or fondling? No canoodling?”

 

“No,” lied Armin. “Not one bit.”

 

Eren’s shoulders sank. “Jesus, man. I had a bet with Jean!”

 

Armin’s eyebrows pinched together. “You had a what?”

 

Eren sighed. “I bet that you would get up to something last night! Jean bet that you wouldn’t have the nerve. I was really, really rooting for you, man!”

 

Armin opened his mouth to say something, but instantly changed his mind. He had to say that it hurt his pride a little bit that Jean would say something like that (then again, of course Jean would say something like that), but that wasn’t worth just dropping the details of his and Annie’s relationship just like that. Especially not when it was something that had been bet on.

 

“What the hell did you bet?” asked Armin.

 

“Just money,” said Eren. “But it was like fifty dollars.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows rose. “Eren, what the hell?”

 

“I had faith in you!” said Eren. He shook his head. “Pubis.”

 

Armin’s brow furrowed. “Pubis? What … what do you mean by that?”

 

“It’s that tragedy thing!” said Eren. “Mikasa made me watch Macbeth. You know, she said it’s like pride or something.”

 

Armin’s face softened. “Eren … I think you mean hubris.”

 

Eren waved him off. “Oh, same difference.”

 

“They are really very different words.”

 

But Eren didn’t care. “I’m not getting that fifty dollars back.”

 

“No,” said Armin, folding his arms over his chest. “Maybe you should think twice about betting on my relationship status.”

 

Eren sighed and raised his head, his eyes gleaming like a puppy’s. “Look, man. I know you think it’s bad, but I really only did it because I was, like, ninety-nine percent sure something would happen. I was gonna be so happy for you.”

 

“Well,” said Armin, turning away. “Be sad for me, then.”

 

Eren moped for the rest of the day until he reluctantly departed to give Jean fifty dollars. He felt almost bad lying to him about it – fifty dollars wasn’t a small amount of cash for them. Then again, Eren shouldn’t have been so naive to make such a dumb bet in the first place.

 

When Armin saw Annie again a few days later, dressed in casual jeans and a cool, oversized white sweater, that stupid bet was the first thing he told her about. He waited until they were in her car, but as soon as the words slipped out of his lips, she practically cackled.

 

“Fifty fucking dollars?” said Annie. “Holy shit. What an idiot.”

 

“It’s Jean,” said Armin with a sigh. “He gets under Eren’s skin so easily and Eren doesn’t even notice. I bet if someone else had asked, he wouldn’t have caved so easily.”

 

Annie shook her head. “Still. He’s a special kind of dumb.”

 

Armin snorted, but he was still smiling. “Yeah. I guess I still sort of feel bad about lying.”

 

“God, don’t,” said Annie. “I’ll make Jean give him it back after we tell everyone. Play the waiting game. By that point, Jean’s really gonna feel the loss of those fifty dollars.”

 

He let out a breath of laughter. “Yeah, I guess you have a point there.”

 

They had just pulled out of the parking lot when Annie said, “I guess I can’t be too mean, though. Jean’s finally doing something with those stupid shirts.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows raised. “Really?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “Reiner’s finally stopped whining. I haven’t seen the final design yet, but Bert said it isn’t just Reiner, so …”

 

He laughed. “Well, I mean, that’s good.”

 

“Personally, I think we should take him out of the design completely,” she said flatly.

 

He choked out a laugh. “Oh, come on.”

 

“I’m making a good point,” she said.

 

“Annie,” he said, shaking his head. “He’s the lead singer.”

 

“God, I know,” she said. “If we ever got anywhere, people would love him. No one gives a shit about anyone else.”

 

“Not true,” he said. “I’m sure if there were just designs for you, they’d sell out.”

 

She snorted and shook her head. “Yeah, because you and Hitch would buy them all.”

 

He smiled. “Well, we are your groupies, after all.”

 

She groaned and he laughed. “You’re feeling bold today.”

 

His smile didn’t waver. “You make me feel bold.”

 

“Careful,” she said. “Flattery gets you everywhere with me.”

 

“Oh, does it now?” he said teasingly.

 

“Absolutely,” she said. “So quiet down. I don’t have time to pull over anywhere and have my way with you.”

 

His face flushed and he fixed his gaze on the road ahead. “Yes, ma’am.”

 

“Oh, shut up.”

 

Armin did shut up, but only because he was very eager to stay in Annie’s good books right now. Not that he wasn’t always – but now, something had shifted. He knew it was ridiculous, but now he didn’t feel all that out of his depth with her. They weren’t quite on par in terms of experience, but what did that matter? When they’d been together, she’d clearly enjoyed herself. That was the only part that really mattered.

 

When they showed up, Armin gave Reiner and Bertholdt a quick greeting before he quickly went to work on Connie’s truck.

 

He could hear Annie and Reiner bickering from outside, and Bertholdt’s hesitant voice trying to stop them, and Armin couldn’t help but smile. They really did bicker like siblings. If Annie randomly told him one day that they actually were related, he wouldn’t have even been surprised.

 

Eventually, their voices were replaced by the sound of instruments and Reiner’s much gentler singing voice, which was a lot easier to work to than arguing, he had to admit. In fact, he got so lost in it that time seemed to fly by. When the music fell silent, he was shocked at how much progress he’d actually made.

 

“Hey!”

 

He swivelled around and saw Reiner’s grinning face peaking out of the doorway.

 

“I see why Annie likes you so much,” he said. “She likes guys who are good with their hands.”

 

His face flushed. He opened his mouth to say something, but then Reiner jutted forward and winced, and then there was a solid thud as Annie’s boot hit the ground.

 

“Ouch!” he yelled.

 

“Don’t be such an asshole,” said Annie firmly.

 

“Jeez,” said Reiner, rubbing the back of his neck. “You could kill someone with one of those.”

 

“What do you think I’m trying to do?” she said.

 

Armin tried to fight his smile, but it was futile. He could barely manage it when Reiner turned to him again, his face twisted in a frown.

 

“Sorry,” he said. “You wanna come inside? We were all just gonna hang out for a bit.”

 

He couldn’t really refuse, so he quickly returned his tools to where they were stored around the back. Reiner kindly helped, and even offered to help shift some of the more major parts whenever someone came to collect them, which wasn’t really an offer he could refuse. He wasn’t so used to this much heavy lifting, which was something he should have considered before offering to help Connie – Annie’s band practice garage didn’t exactly have the extensive equipment he had access to back at his Grandpa’s garage. Figures.

 

He hurried to the bathroom to freshen up, and when he came back, he found Bertholdt and Reiner snuggled up together on one of the larger bean bag chairs, and Annie was cosied up on the couch, a can of Pepsi in her hand.

 

“Hey,” she said. She gestured to the ground by the couch, where there was another can. “I got you one in case you were thirsty.”

 

“Thanks,” he said.

 

Armin swiped it from the ground and sunk into the couch, before cracking it open. He took a sip and sighed.

 

“We’ve got beer, too,” said Reiner. “But no one else is drinking.”

 

He shook his head. “This is fine, thanks.”

 

Reiner nodded. “So … you seem to really know a lot about cars.”

 

“Uh … yeah, I guess so,” said Armin.

 

Reiner’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why are you not studying to be an engineer?”

 

Armin shrugged. “I don’t know. I was interested in marine biology, so … I wanted to do that.”

 

“Ah,” said Reiner. “A passion project. Like Annie’s sports physiotherapy.”

 

Annie snorted. “Passion is a strong word.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “I thought you liked your major.”

 

“I like it,” she said. “But I took it because it’s useful. I’m probably gonna end up working in a gym. It’s at least relevant.”

 

“You don’t have to do that, though,” said Bertholdt. “You could be a martial arts instructor. You love that stuff.”

 

She shrugged. “I don’t do it anymore. Not really.”

 

“You still liked it, though,” he said.

 

“Yeah,” she said. “We’ve got another few years to figure that all out, though.”

 

“I’m not figuring anything out,” said Reiner. “I’m hoping we’ll be famous by the time we finish college.”

 

“Like fuck will we be,” said Annie. “Especially not if you keep getting us banned from college bars.”

 

“You say it like I’m doing it on purpose.”

 

“Reiner, you stage-dived.”

 

“And I paid the price!”

 

“And I doubt you learned your lesson.”

 

“Guys,” said Bertholdt. “Stop fighting in front of the guest.”

 

Armin tried to fight a smile as Annie rolled her eyes. “Sorry, Armin.”

 

“It’s okay,” he said lightly.

 

“Anyway, I was gonna say,” said Reiner. “Armin would probably be a great addition to our desert trip.”

 

“I already asked him,” said Annie. “I forgot to mention.”

 

“Well?” asked Reiner. “What was his answer?”

Annie turned to him. “You’re coming, right?”

“Oh,” he said. “You mean on your drive through the desert?”

 

She nodded.

 

He smiled. “Uh, yeah. As long as I’m still welcome.”

 

“Of course you are,” she said.

 

“The more, the merrier!” said Reiner. “Especially when you know how to fix a car.”

 

“We won’t break down,” said Bertholdt.

 

“If Reiner’s driving,” said Annie flatly, “anything’s possible.”

 

Bertholdt frowned. “I didn’t think he was driving.” He turned to Reiner. “You said you weren’t driving.”

 

Reiner waved him off. “We’ll work out the details closer to the time.”

 

As the night went by, Annie leaned in closer to him; she kicked off her boots and curled towards him, tucking her legs under herself and fulling resting against him. When she very casually interlaced her fingers with his, he could have jumped for joy. He wondered if she had any idea how much those little things meant to him. Then again, maybe she did – but it wasn’t just for her. But that was fine by him.

 

They were the first two to leave, but the sky was darkening when they stepped outside. Annie held his hand the short distance to the car, and Armin missed her touch the second she let go.

 

“Do you have any other plans tonight?” she asked.

 

He shook his head. “No, I’m free.”

 

“Good,” she said and started the engine. “I want to take you somewhere.”

 

His heart leapt in his chest, but he just nodded. If he was being quite honest with himself, he’d let Annie take him anywhere.

 

It was their usual spot in the empty parking lot. He was starting to wonder if it closed at a certain time because it always seemed to be nearly barren. Then again, the city wasn’t exactly that easy to drive through – the traffic was murder – and it probably wasn’t worth driving up here any time that wasn’t during the day.

 

But Annie did something she didn’t usually do – she unclicked her seatbelt.

 

“Walk with me?” she said.

 

“In the woods?”

 

She nodded. “Do you not like a little adventure, Armin?”

 

He smiled. “With you? Always.”

 

“Careful,” she said as she got out of the car. “Don’t flatter me too much. I already warned you.”

 

Armin just shook his head as he got out of the car. She’d threatened to pull over the car and have her way with him. He wasn’t going to point out the fact that they were very clearly parked, and very clearly out of sight.

 

Annie took hold of his hand and pulled him into the trees. He opened his mouth to ask where she was leading him – they’d parked on this hill a million times before, or so it felt like, anyway, but she’d never pulled him into the woods like this. He wanted to ask why she had planned. But for some reason, he couldn’t make his lips form the words. He was certain that Annie wouldn’t tell him, anyway.

 

So, he stayed quiet and let her drag him deeper into the woods. Fallen leaves crunched beneath their feet, the sounds of insects and evening birds flooding the air in a way Armin hadn’t really expected from a wood in the middle of a city. He wondered why he’d never come in here. Maybe because he didn’t actually drive, and he’d always been far more interested in Annie whenever they came up here rather than anything beyond the tree line.

 

Annie stopped abruptly, nearly making him tumble forward. “Here.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Here?”

 

“Here,” she said again and dropped his hand. Then, without another word, she started climbing the tree in front of them.

 

“Annie?” he asked.

 

“Are you coming?” she asked.

 

Was he? The tree was bent but very sturdy looking. From the looks of it, there were clear footholds, and thick branches that could be climbed easily without a worry of them snapping beneath your weight. That didn’t stop Armin from worrying about it, though.

 

“Will it support my weight?” he asked, letting his hand rest on the rough bark of the nearest branch.

 

“Of course it will,” she said. “Me and Bert and Reiner used to climb up here all the time. You’re definitely lighter than both of them.”

 

She had a point. He glanced back down and looked at the branches in front of him, the sharp ledges on the trunk where he could easily place his foot. Then, with a sigh, he carefully began climbing.

 

It wasn’t easy work. He hadn’t climbed any trees since he was a kid and he would be a liar to say he hadn’t gotten any less daring since then. Annie had long since been settled on a very thick branch that didn’t even seem to flinch under her weight, and when his hand finally reached the roughness of it, she shuffled along. The branch barely wavered. That was a good sign, at least.

 

Annie kept her hand rested on his arm as he adjusted, almost like she was worried he would fall. It probably should have made him even more nervous, but Annie’s touch was always soothing, so he didn’t even worry about falling while he got settled as comfortably as he could beside her on the branch.

 

He let out a sigh. “I didn’t know you were so daring.”

 

She snorted. “Me? I’m impressed you even considered climbing up the tree.”

 

“Of course I did,” he said. “I’d follow you anywhere.”

 

“Okay, sap,” she said, and he smiled.

 

“Sorry.”

 

“Don’t be,” she said. “I know you would. It might be your biggest failing.”

 

“Really?” he said. “I thought my biggest failing was my irresistible charm.”

 

Annie barked out a laugh. “Oh, yeah. It’s really holding you back.”

 

He frowned. “You laughed too quickly at that.”

 

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t take it to heart.”

 

“I learned a long time ago not to take the things you say to heart,” he said with a smile.

 

She scoffed. “Ouch. I’m not that mean.”

 

He smiled. “Only a little. In a hot way.”

 

She laughed. “Oh, shut up.”

 

He did, and the quiet was fine. Annie’s breathing was only just perceptible over the sound of the birds and insects, and the distant sounds of the city. Each breath made his heart ease – such a simple sound, yet so powerful. There was no more comforting rhythm in the world.

 

She reached out for his hand, her touch gentle. Her hands were a little on the cold side and he debated asking if she wanted his cardigan. It wasn’t that chilly at all. It was nearly summer, but it was starting to get dark and they’d long since disappeared out of the remaining sunlight.

 

Annie spoke before he could offer. “I wanted to tell you something.”

 

His eyebrows drew together. “What is it?”

 

She was quiet. “It’s really nothing big. I just … I wanted to bring you here.”

 

His eyebrows rose. “To … the woods?”

 

She nudged him. “Stop it. You’re making it sound like I lured you out here to kill you.”

 

“That’s still up in the air.”

 

She snorted. “It’s not. Keep going and it’ll happen for definite.”

 

He smiled. “You’d miss me too much.”

 

She sighed. “Yeah. You’re right.” Then, after a pause, she said, “I know we’ve been here before, but I never told you why I liked coming here. I used to come here with Bert and Reiner when things were tougher, and we used to climb all of these stupid trees. I know this one’s sturdy because Reiner used to break half of the branches on the other ones.”

 

A huff of laughter left his nose. “The guy loves getting hurt, doesn’t he?”

 

She scoffed. “You’d think.” Then, she added, “I don’t know how to say it in a way that isn’t weird, but … you know how you love the beach?”

 

Gently, he nodded. “Yeah.”

 

She let out a huff of air. “I love forests. And woods. Trees, basically. It’s … stupid, but … it’s why I liked driving up here. I come here a lot. I’ve never really told you that. I … I don’t know why. It just felt … stupid.”

 

His eyebrows drew together. “It’s not stupid at all.”

 

She nodded. “It isn’t. But it’s always felt that way. I just … I’m trying to … share all of me.” She winced. “Ew.”

 

He smiled. “I appreciate you trying.”

 

She sighed. “I’m glad, because sometimes it still makes me really fucking cringe.”

 

His smile widened. “I can tell.”

 

She nudged him. “I need to tell you something else.”

 

His face softened. “What is it?”

 

She swallowed. “I told you my dad adopted me as a baby, right?”

 

He nodded.

 

“Well … that isn’t true,” she said. “I was adopted when I was twelve.”

 

Oh. That.

 

He paused for a moment before he let out a breath and said, “I know.”

 

She turned to him, her eyebrows furrowed. “You know?”

 

“Yeah,” he said. “Hitch told me. By accident – she thought I knew. It was when you flew home.”

 

“Oh,” she said. Then, after a pause, she said, “Why did you never ask?”

 

Armin shrugged. “I don’t know. I just … assumed there was a good reason you hadn’t told me. I wasn’t going to force it out of you.”

 

Her eyebrows drew together. “So, you just … got on with us? Even though you knew I lied about that?”

 

Tentatively, he nodded.

 

“Armin,” she said. “That’s literally such a red flag.”

 

He smiled. “I love your red flags, though.”

 

She scoffed. “The fact you said flags plural says it all, really.”

 

He squeezed her hand. “Can I ask something now? You can say no.”

 

“It depends on what you ask,” she said.

 

He paused for a second. “What was your reason? Why’d you lie about it?”

 

Annie turned away from him and sighed. Her pretty eyes were focused ahead, just beyond the trees in front of them.

 

“Honestly?” she said. “People can be so weird about adoption, anyway. And if you tell people the truth – the fact you bounced from foster home to foster home because no one wanted you – Jesus, you should see the looks on people’s faces.”

 

Armin paused. “I understand.”

 

She glanced at him. “You do?”

 

He offered her a sympathetic smile. “My parents are dead, Annie. You literally apologised to me once for complaining about your dad in front of me.”

 

“Oh. Yeah,” she said. “Sorry about that.”

 

He shook his head. “It’s okay. They’re really different circumstances. I just meant … I get people looking at you like you’re broken. People don’t do it a lot anymore, but in school … someone would mention their parents in front of me and then look at me like they’d stabbed me. Marco and Mikasa were never like that.”

 

She squeezed his hand. “They’re good friends.”

 

He smiled. “Yeah. I know.” Then, he squeezed her hand, and said, “I’d never look at you differently for that.”

 

“I know that now,” she said quietly. “But at the time … I really didn’t want you to start looking at me like that. I didn’t want you to think I was some traumatised girl that needed to be fixed.” Then, she added, “Well, I guess it would have been true, but that’s my therapist’s job, not yours.”

 

He let out a huff of laughter. “I don’t want to fix you. I like every version of you.”

 

“Even the fucked up mean version?” she said.

 

“Obviously,” he said, offering her a smile. “That’s the hottest version.”

 

“Oh my God,” she said, and he laughed. “I’ll literally push you from this tree.”

 

“God, that’d be really mean,” he said. “And really hot.”

 

“Armin,” she groaned, nudging him hard in the side, and he laughed.

 

“Sorry,” he said, but he was still smiling at her.

 

“You’re an idiot,” she said with a shake of her head. Then, she sighed, and said, “I just thought I should tell you. I guess it isn’t a big deal, but … I wanted to bring it up.”

 

His face softened. He squeezed her hand. “Thank you for telling me. I appreciate it.”

 

She let out a breath. “No problem. I still hate being vulnerable sometimes.”

 

He smiled and said, a little teasingly, “You’re doing a great job.”

 

“Stop it,” she said, nudging him with her elbow again, but he just laughed.

 

They fell quiet again for a few moments, but they never let go of each other’s hands. All fear of falling had long since left, although he suspected it might come back when he started to climb back down the tree again. That was okay, though. For now, he could just enjoy the time he spent with Annie – nothing else really mattered apart from that, anyway.

 

Annie’s voice ended the silence. It was gentle and quiet, almost like she was insecure about what she was saying.

 

“The other thing,” she said. “When my dad … when he first adopted me, well … he knew nothing about kids, really. He knew he wanted one and that was it. So, he adopted me. We didn’t really have a lot in common. So, a few months in, he decided we were going on a camping trip. A real father-daughter bonding trip.” Her lips curled at the corners. “My dad had never been camping before. And he took us wild camping. Like border-line survival. Not a vacation in the slightest.”

 

He smiled. “I guess it went well?”

 

She snorted. “God, it was awful. It was freezing and raining – by the second night we were so miserable we just didn’t stop arguing. But then …”

 

She swallowed. “Then, on the third morning … I stormed off. I hated it. I hated my life. I didn’t think he gave a shit and he just wanted a kid because, well, that’s a thing you do, isn’t it? Everyone has kids. Most people don’t want them, but you have them. So, I was tired. I was just going to leave. But my dad was right behind me and I was on this ledge in front of this river. I hadn’t noticed, and I just … fell. I nearly drowned. If he hadn’t been there, I’d probably have died. I had no idea how to swim.”

 

His eyebrows rose. “Holy shit, Annie.”

 

She scoffed. “Yeah, I know. It’s insane. He dove in right after me, no hesitation, clothes and all. I’m surprised we didn’t freeze to death. But when he got me out … God, he was crying. Like sobbing. I’d never heard crying like that before. He apologised over and over and told me how much he loved me and how he couldn’t lose me. It clicked, then, I think – that random guy who picked me up from my shitty foster family really was my dad.” She cleared her throat. “So, ever since then … well, we’ve gone on bad camping trips every year. The conditions are always miserable, and it’s usually freezing – I still don’t know why he doesn’t think of going anywhere warmer, or any time that’s warmer, but that’s not the point. It’s just … it’s our thing now. And since then … I don’t know. The woods, the trees … they just feel sort of … safe. And that’s why I like it up here so much. It’s … safe.”

 

Annie let her words fade into the quiet for a long moment. Armin didn’t say anything, just in case she had more she needed to say. And she did.

 

“I brought you up here a few times,” she said. “But … I just … I never brought you here. I don’t know. It’s stupid, but it was … hard. I was talking to my therapist about it, honestly, and he thought that this is something I should do when I’m ready. And I guess I am. So … here.”

 

He turned his head fully so that he was facing her. Even in the ever-growing dimness, he could see the way her eyebrows were furrowed as she stared down at the ground beneath them.

 

“That was … stupid,” she said. “This is stupid. I’m –”

 

“It’s not stupid,” he said gently. “Thank you for telling me. I know it must have been hard.”

 

She scoffed. “It shouldn’t be hard. It’s not hard for everyone else.”

 

“You’re not everyone else,” he said pointedly. “But that’s why I care about you so much.”

 

She let out a huff of air. “Cheesy.”

 

He smiled and squeezed her hand. “Thank you for bringing me here. I get why you like it so much. It’s nice.”

 

She nodded. “It’s just … it’s like another world. Everything just sort of stops in places like this.” She scoffed. “That was so dumb.”

 

“It’s not dumb,” he said. “It really isn’t. I’m glad you brought me here.”

 

She sighed and looked down. “Yeah.”

 

Armin didn’t like the look on her face. It was a big thing for her, but she was struggling to see how amazing it was that she’d been able to share something like that. He didn’t want to make it worse. He wasn’t her therapist – he didn’t want to sit there and commend her on how far she’d come. He loved her before all of her progress, cracks and bruises and all. But he didn’t want her thoughts to keep lingering where they were, on how stupid this all was; or, more like how stupid she thought it was. No, he didn’t want that to linger in her mind.

 

So, he decided to say something stupid instead. It was probably about time, anyway.

 

So, he swallowed and ignored the way his heartbeat had quickened, and said, “Annie?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“I’m in love with you.”

 

She was quiet.

 

He turned to her. “Is … is that okay with you?”

 

Annie let out a soft laugh. “Is it okay?”

 

“Yeah.” Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “I just … I know vulnerability is tough, and I wanted to tell you that, but … okay, I’m dumb. I don’t want to scare you off.”

“You aren’t scaring me off,” she said with a shake of her head.

 

His face softened. “I’m not?”

 

“No,” she said gently. “I … I don’t know why you feel like that for me, but … I’m really happy you do.”

 

His eyebrows drew together. “How could I not love you?”

 

She barked out a laugh. “Armin … I’m a mess.”

 

“You aren’t,” he said. “And if you were, I’d still love you.”

 

“Why?” she asked.

 

He paused for a moment. “I don’t know.”

 

Her eyebrows rose. “You don’t know?”

 

“Well … I guess I do. I just … I’ve never thought of it as something like that,” he said. “Love doesn’t operate on logic. I could list a million reasons why I love you, but … I still don’t think it’s enough. I just love you because you’re you and that’s enough.”

 

Annie didn’t say anything for a moment.

 

“I’m not … I’m not waiting for you to say it back,” he said. “Don’t feel like – like that’s why I said it. I just thought –”

 

Annie’s lips cut him off. Her mouth was warm and holy God her lips were always so soft, and by the time she pulled away from him, he’d basically forgotten everything he’d been saying.

 

He blinked. “Uh … what … I don’t know what I was saying.”

 

She let out a huff of laughter. “I hate talking sometimes.”

 

He swallowed and nodded. “Okay.”

 

“I really, really fucking hate talking about my feelings,” she said. “It’s agonising.”

 

He nodded. “Yeah.”

 

“I’m really starting to prefer actions,” she said.

 

His breath caught in his throat when he felt her hand press over the fabric of his jeans at his crotch.

 

She leaned forward, her breath tickling his ear as she asked, quietly, “Can I blow you in my car?”

 

Armin took a few seconds to respond. She’d started gently rubbing her hand over him and it was very distracting.

 

“Y-yeah,” he said, and let out a breathy laugh. “To be honest, Annie, I’d let you do anything to me.”

 

Her hand disappeared and he bit the inside of his lip to hold back any noises that would slip out from the lack of contact. “I know. I like that about you.”

 

He was a little worried about doing something like this so publicly, but oh fuck it. It was starting to get dark, anyway, and the parking lot was basically abandoned at this time of night. Annie didn’t need to do anything in response to what he’d said. He felt like an idiot as soon as he said it; he felt like he’d driven her into a corner where she felt like she had to say it. He didn’t need her to say it, at least not yet. She cared about him and that was more than enough.

 

When her mouth was on him in the back seat of her car, though, well – he definitely wasn’t disappointed that this was the way she’d decided to express her feelings. Her mouth was warm and wet and she brought him to such a dizzying climax that for a second after, he swore he forgot his own name. Annie laughed at his dazed state, but he’d soon recollected himself and Annie stopped laughing and started moaning as his fingers worked between her legs.

 

She was panting in his lap, his fingers shoved down the front of her underwear and unbuttoned jeans, circling her swollen clit seemingly just right. Annie didn’t really seem to care about how public everything was because she certainly wasn’t quiet. Not that he was going to complain about that.

 

He was nearly hard again when she started grinding herself against his fingers. He stopped his motions and let her do it, and her fingers gripped hard into his shoulders as she pressed herself against him. Her breathing was heavy and she was so gorgeous; if this was what she wanted, he would give her it, over and over again. He wondered if she really could get off like this – in theory, he supposed. And he would be a dirty fucking liar if he said that he wasn’t enjoying watching her like this, basically fucking his fingers for release.

 

But he wasn’t about to find out, because Annie whimpered, and said, her voice small, “Armin, please.”

 

He could never say no to her. So, he moved back into his rhythm, but faster this time and Annie started shuddering in the most exciting way possible. Now, she was holding onto him for dear life, making perfect, pretty noises, her breaths coming out in pants like she was desperate. And maybe she was desperate, but that was fine with him; he liked her like that, anyway.

 

With a few more careful caresses of her clit, she came hard, trembling against his fingers with a sound somewhere between a moan and a gasp. He didn’t stop his motions until she’d stopped shaking until her movements dwindled into gentle twitches – something he was beginning to realise was when she was starting to feel just a little overstimulated.

 

Her breathing was still a little heavy when he pulled his fingers out of her underwear. She dropped her head onto his shoulder as her breathing evened out, and he tried, in the least awkward way possible, to wipe what was left of her wetness on his fingers on the leg of his jeans. Then, slowly, he wrapped his arms around her back and held her as she leaned into him.

 

He wasn’t sure how long they sat there, just wrapped up in each other. Her embrace was warm and he very easily could have fallen asleep just like that in the back of her car. In fact, he nearly did. It was only when she spoke again, low and soft, that he even noticed that his eyelids had grown heavy.

 

“Armin?” she said gently.

 

His eyes opened. Her face was still in his neck; he liked the way her breath brushed against his skin, over and over.

 

She swallowed. “Just because it’s … it’s hard for me to say … doesn’t mean that’s not how I feel.”

 

Just then, he felt his heart ache in a way it never quite had before. For a second, he didn’t really know what to say, completely overwhelmed by the implication of her words.

 

She felt the same way.

 

She felt the same way.

 

“Yeah?” he breathed.

 

“Yeah,” she said quietly. “Words are just …”

 

“Hard,” he said, and even though he couldn’t see her face, he couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, I know.”

 

They stayed like that for a long while, so long that they didn’t notice when both of their eyelids had grown heavy. Armin had been vaguely aware of how Annie’s breathing had slowed, but it was a distant thought in his mind. She was warm and her touch was comforting and she fucking loved him; he didn’t think twice about moving from her arms. He’d only do it when she asked.

 

He woke up, hours and hours later, to Annie’s loud groan as she tried to stretch in the small space. He opened his eyes, his glasses hanging off of his nose, and took in his surroundings.

 

It was light outside, but only just. The sun was rising.

 

“Shit,” said Annie, trying to pull herself up. At some point, they’d leaned over on the seat at maybe the most uncomfortable angle possible, and Annie was only a short distance from tumbling down to the floor.

 

“Need any help?” he asked.

 

“I’m fine,” she said, but then she really did tumble to the ground with a harsh grunt.

 

He tried to suppress his smile. “Are you sure?”

 

“Oh, shut it,” she said. Then, after a moment, she added, “Okay, some help would be useful.”

 

With a little manoeuvring, they were both back in the front of the car and Annie wasted little time pulling out of the parking lot.

 

“Hitch is never letting me live this one down,” she said.

 

He glanced over at her. “Are you telling her?”

 

“She’s gonna ask where I was,” she said. She sighed. “I might as well be honest.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “How honest?”

 

“Okay, not that honest,” she said. “I’ll just say we were talking and it was late, and we just fell asleep. Wait – text Reiner. We’ll say we fell asleep in the garage. That’s not so bad. We can just say we were watching a movie.”

 

Armin did as he was asked, and Reiner was quick enough to respond.

 

#1 ASSWIPE

Were you fucking in your car lmfao?

Your secret’s safe with me ;)

 

Armin’s face flushed. “Uh … I don’t know what to say to that one.”

 

After he read it out, and Annie advised him to type back a quick ‘FUCK OFF’ in all caps, he returned her phone to its stand and relaxed into his seat.

 

Annie let out a sigh. “How the fuck did we manage to sleep in this thing? Dear God.”

 

“I think you fell asleep before me,” he said. “Sorry. I didn’t really wanna move.”

 

She sighed again. “That’s okay. I don’t know how I managed to sleep like that. I usually sleep shitty in positions like that.” Then, she added, “Have you considered going into sleep therapy?”

 

He laughed. “What, do you think I put you to sleep?”

 

“Not on purpose,” she said. “I don’t think I could have just fallen asleep like that around anyone else, though.”

 

His lips curled. “I think that’s just a you thing, Annie. I don’t think I can make a business out of this.”

 

She sighed. “Shame. You’d make millions from caffeine addicts.”

 

When they finally arrived back at campus, they wasted no time in rushing back to their dorm rooms. Armin would have rather stayed with Annie just a little bit longer, but he knew he had to get back to his dorm as quickly as possible. If Eren had slept in their dorm last night, then he definitely would have noticed his absence – and he certainly would have some things to say about it, too.

 

So, he wasn’t surprised when he pushed open the door to his dorm only to immediately find Eren grinning up at him, almost like he’d been waiting there all morning.

 

Armin frowned and pushed the door shut. “Isn’t it too early for you to be up?”

 

Eren ignored him. “Is this your walk of shame?”

 

His frown deepened. “No. Me and Annie were watching a movie at the garage and we both passed out.”

 

“Is that all?” asked Eren.

 

No, it wasn’t, but he wasn’t about to tell Eren any of that. Not now, anyway. He could get the truth and his fifty dollars back in a couple of weeks.

 

“Yes,” said Armin, collapsing down onto his bed. “That’s all.”

 

“Don’t sit down so soon,” said Eren.

 

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Armin became far too aware of the sound of shiny paper crumbling as Eren stood up.

 

Oh, God no.

 

“I need your help handing out some pamphlets!”

 

Armin tilted his head up and saw Eren standing there with a large smile on his face and an even larger stack of pamphlets in his hands. Even from where he was leaning on his bed, he could still make out the awful, WordArt-like title spelling out THE HIDDEN DANGERS OF STAGE-DIVING.

 

“Can I just take a nap?” asked Armin weakly.

 

“There’s no time to waste,” said Eren. “Now get up.”

 

Eren barely gave him time to brush his teeth and change before he was shoving him towards the middle of campus with a stack of pamphlets in hand. If he was being honest, he really wasn’t sure if there was a worse way to spend his morning. At least the summer was approaching; if Eren somehow dragged him into giving out pamphlets then, well, then he really had no spine at all.

 

It was less mortifying than usual, at least, but only because he was a little tired from having slept in Annie’s car. It hadn’t exactly been comfortable, although clearly comfortable enough that both of them had just dropped. It was probably just Annie’s proximity – chances were, he could have fallen asleep that easily anywhere as long as she was beside him.

 

He was lost in thought for a moment, thinking about how nice the night before had been, so much so that he barely noticed when Ymir seemed to appear in front of him.

 

It was her snatching a pamphlet from his hands that brought him to attention. She practically cackled.

 

“There’s no way these things are actually getting approved, are they?” she said.

 

He sighed. “Yeah. They are.”

 

Historia seemed to appear from right behind Ymir, almost out of thin air. She swiped a pamphlet from his hands and her nose crinkled.

 

“Since when were the dangers of stage diving hidden?” she asked.

 

“There’s apparently a lot,” said Ymir, who was flicking through the pamphlet with a grin on her mouth. “There’s a list of all the bones you could break, too.”

 

“It’s … thorough,” said Historia, her face still twisted. “I guess.”

 

“Oh, by the way, Armin,” said Ymir, looking up at him with a grin. “Did my advice help you with your problem?”

 

His face warmed. That advice.

 

“Uh, yeah,” he said, awkwardly clearing his throat. “It was … it was really helpful. Thanks.”

 

Historia’s eyes rose and her eyebrows furrowed. “What did you need help with?”

 

Ymir waved her off and then draped her arm over her shoulder. “Don’t worry. Armin just needed my help with his woman problem.” Then, she added, “His women problem, I mean.”

 

Historia sighed. “I just don’t get it. One was enough, but – two hot chicks? It’s just … it’s hard to fathom.”

 

Armin frowned and opened his mouth to clarify that he was not dating Annie and Mikasa at the same time, but Ymir got there first.

 

“You’ll figure it out eventually,” said Ymir, giving Armin a wink. “I’ll see you around, heart-breaker.”

 

“Wait –” he said, but it was too late. Ymir was already dragging Historia out of sight.

 

He sighed and dropped his head, glancing down at the pamphlets in his hand. He only had a few left. Surely Eren would be satisfied with that. Then again, there were only two – maybe he could quickly find someone to shove them in the hands of.

 

But then he raised his head, ready to beg the next person to take them when he caught sight of Floch Forster across the courtyard and grimaced.

 

No, that was enough pamphlet-handing-out today, thanks.

 

He was elated when he pushed his dorm room door open and was met with the sight of his perfect bed and no sign of life. Either Eren was still giving out pamphlets or he’d gotten distracted along the way, but whatever it was, Armin was grateful for the peace.

 

But just as he settled down, his phone buzzed on his nightstand.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

I think I’ve found what we can do for the party

 

ME

You have?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Yeah

Something like this

 

A photo pinged through of a couple’s matching Halloween costume. The guy was in all white, and it was a startling bright white, with fancy white angel wings and a halo headband. The girl was in a pretty short white dress and white heels, with the same wings and halo.

 

Armin smiled.

 

ME

It’s cute :)

Are you sure you want to go matching, though?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Yeah, it’s fine

We’ll tell everyone after, anyways

 

ME

Okay :)

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Unless you had any better costume ideas?

 

ME

I definitely didn’t

Those are perfect

 

ROCKSTAR <3

That’s what I thought

 

Armin let a huff of laughter out through his nose and shook his head. Matching costumes. God, he was sure Eren and Mikasa would have a lot to say about that. Then again, he supposed it didn’t matter that much. They’d be telling them the truth not long after, one way or another.

 

And with any luck, he’d be drunk enough that their teasing wouldn’t bother him all that much, anyway.

 

Notes:

hope you all enjoyed :)

Chapter 27: an overdue 'I love you'

“You aren’t seriously going matching, are you?”

 

“It’s just a costume party, Eren,” said Armin. “It’s not like there’s a lot of options.”

 

“Yeah,” said Eren, his eyes wide. “But you didn’t have to actively go and match.”

 

Armin sighed. He’d made the mistake of letting it slip that he and Annie had matching costumes for Historia’s Heaven and Hell party, and for the past five minutes Eren had not shut up about it.

 

“It’s just a costume,” said Armin. “We’re friends. Me and Mikasa used to do matching costumes all the time.”

 

“Yeah, but …”

 

“But what?” asked Armin.

 

Eren groaned. “Will you just ask her out already? This is painful to watch.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows drew together. “What?”

 

“I’m just watching you do all of this stuff with her and like … why aren’t you together?” he asked. “Why? It doesn’t make any fucking sense.”

 

His lips parted for a second. Well, he guessed their behaviour was maybe a little less publicly friendly and more relationship-y. That had everything to do with the fact that they were in a relationship and not actually just weirdly flirty friends. He wasn’t sure how much his friends suspected about what was going on between him and Annie, but one thing was clear: they didn’t think him and Annie were dating purely because that’s what he was saying.

 

He’d be a liar if he said he wasn’t starting to feel bad about it.

 

But he wasn’t feeling so guilty that he was about to tell Eren the truth.

 

“I don’t know,” he said quietly.

 

“You don’t know?” he asked.

 

“It’s just … it’s not something that works,” he said. “It didn’t. If it’s what she wanted, we’d have it, you know?”

Eren was quiet for a moment. “Dude. Ask her out.”

 

“We literally broke up,” he said. “It doesn’t work.”

 

“Well, things seem to be working pretty well now!” said Eren. “Just ask her again!”

 

Armin sighed. “I’ll think about it.”

 

“You better,” said Eren. “Today, maybe?”

He turned on him. “I’m not asking her today. She just wanted to show me the designs Jean made. That’s it.”

 

Eren sighed heavily. “Fine. Have it your way.”

 

Armin offered him a slight smile. “Are you still worked up about the fifty bucks?”

 

“Well, yeah!” he said. “I lost to Jean. Do you know how bad that is for my pride?”

“I have an idea,” said Armin. He swiped his keys and his phone off of his nightstand and shoved them into his pockets. “I’ll be back in a few hours, okay?”

 

Eren waved him off. “Yeah, yeah. Sure. Have fun.”

 

When the door closed between them, Armin let out a breath. Eren was going to be really mad when he found out him and Annie had been dating this whole time. Well, maybe not mad mad, but he definitely wasn’t going to be happy about the whole thing. Mikasa definitely wouldn’t, either. Then again, he guessed no one really liked being lied to.

 

He sighed. At least Marco was bound to be nice about the whole thing.

 

When he knocked on the door to Annie’s dorm room, it swung open only a second later, almost as if someone had been waiting by the door for him this whole time. He was met with Hitch’s beaming face.

 

“Hello, loverboy,” she said.

 

“Hey, Hitch,” he said, offering a slight smile. “Uh – is Annie in?”

 

“Here,” came Annie’s voice, just out of sight.

 

Hitch stepped aside. “Come on in. We’ve got matching merch!”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “What do you –”

 

The words stopped in his throat when he caught sight of the small pile of shirts spread out across Annie’s bed. He heard Hitch click the door shut and his eyes rose to Annie’s, who gave him a tiny smile.

 

“Hey,” she said.

 

He couldn’t stop himself from smiling back. “Hey.”

 

Maybe another second passed before Hitch loudly cleared her throat. “Okay, kids. Can you stop eye-fucking in front of me? It’s unchristian.”

 

Annie’s cheeks tinged pink and she broke away, but Armin was still looking at her like an idiot. He thought she looked so goddamn pretty when she blushed like that.

 

“Shut up,” said Annie.

 

“Excuse me? It was just a request,” said Hitch, waving her off. “Anyway, Armin, you really need to take a good look at these.”

 

Hitch grabbed his arm and yanked him towards the bed. He wasn’t quite sure why she really bothered because in the end she just swiped one of the T-shirts from the bed and held it up so he could clearly see the full thing.

 

Armin’s eyebrows rose. “Jean made these?”

 

“Yeah,” said Annie with a sigh. “It’s pretty great, to be honest, although it pains me to say it.”

 

This design was arguably the most interesting. It held illustrations of the three of their faces, Annie’s on the left, Bertholdt’s on the right, and Reiner’s in the middle. The design captured their likenesses very well, but there was something that was deliberately off. On Annie’s and Bertholdt’s, muscle and bone was deliberately on show in a fascinating way that was almost slightly unsettling. Reiner’s was the most unique, with eyes with no pupils and a hard, bone-like face. Underneath the design was THE TRAITORS in a bold font that Armin didn’t quite recognise, but it was certainly eye-catching.

 

“Cool, huh?” said Hitch.

 

He was surprised to find that it really was cool. Then again, he supposed he wasn’t the best judge of that, but still – it looked like an official band T-shirt, like something you’d get from a big name band at a concert.

 

“Yeah,” he said, reaching out to hold his thumb and forefinger between the material. It seemed good quality. “This is insane.”

 

“I know,” said Annie. “We’re gonna have to pay him a commission for this. Reiner wants a few more for gigs, though I didn’t think we’d sell any.”

 

“I’d buy one,” said Armin.

 

“Oh, don’t you worry,” said Hitch, tossing the shirt onto the bed. “We have our own merchandise.

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

 

Annie rolled her eyes. “Jean thought he was being funny, I think. Down side is that Hitch actually likes them.”

 

“I love them,” she said, pulling out two shirts from beneath the small pile on Annie’s bed. “I literally don’t think he could have made a better design.”

 

Hitch turned to lay them flat on top of the other shirts and Armin stayed back, his eyebrows still drawn together. He flashed Annie a questioning look, but she just shook her head.

 

“There!” said Hitch, stepping back. “The one on the right is yours, the left one’s mine!”

 

Armin moved forward to get a good look at the T-shirts and his face fell. They were similar in layout, although the text was slightly different. There was a small illustration of Annie’s face, not like the other one’s, but one that looked just like her in a more simplistic, cutesy style (which wasn’t exactly what Armin would have expected from Jean). Then, on the shirt that Hitch claimed was hers, underneath the illustration were the words ANNIE LEONHART’S #1 GROUPIE in a large, pretty font. The one Hitch claimed was his only differed in that it said ANNIE LEONHART’S #2 GROUPIE.

 

“You don’t look impressed,” said Annie, her lips curling.

 

“Oh, no,” he said. “I mean … they’re just … great.”

 

Annie snorted as Hitch said, “What do you mean? Of course he’s impressed! They’re amazing!”

 

“Well, you won’t get to wear it all that often,” said Annie. “We don’t have anything booked before the end of the semester.”

 

“That won’t stop me from wearing it,” said Hitch. “Armin, put yours on. I want to take a pic for my Instagram.”

 

His eyebrows rose. “What?”

Annie looked like she was fighting a grin. “You heard the lady, Armin. Put the shirt on.”

 

“But –”

 

“No buts!” said Hitch. “Put it on!”

 

Hitch didn’t even give him time to disappear into the bathroom to change, insisting he could just face the corner like she would to put his #2 Groupie shirt on. He could practically feel the way Annie was suppressing her laughter, even with his back to her. By the time he turned back to them, Hitch already had her shirt on and was showing Annie how to access the camera on her phone. By this point, his face was as red as a rose, but Hitch didn’t seem to care.

 

“Get here!” she said, gesturing in front of her bed. “The lighting’s better.”

 

Armin had no idea how to pose, and it was clear from the way Annie was biting her lips together to stop herself from smiling as she took a few photos that he was posing badly. Still, he managed to force a few smiles and really prayed Hitch would be able to edit out the redness that was glowing on his cheeks.

 

“I think some of these are cute,” said Annie, handing Hitch’s phone back to her. “I’m not much of a photographer, though.”

 

“Oh, these are so cute!” said Hitch. Then, her eyebrows furrowed. “Armin, why’s your face so red?”

 

This just made his face even redder. “Is it?” he said weakly.

 

She shook her head. “It’s okay. I can tone it down a little.”

 

While Hitch was busy editing the photo, he excused himself and headed to the bathroom to splash his face with cold water. The time away gave his face some time to cool down, but looking at the shirt nearly just made it heat up all over again. Well, at least it was a nice shirt. Eren was going to go absolutely insane, though, if he saw Hitch’s Instagram post before he came back to the dorm later.

 

When he opened the door again, Hitch was chatting away to Annie about the Heaven and Hell party and Annie was just absent-mindedly nodding along as she scrolled through her phone.

 

“I’m gonna get drunk like never before,” said Hitch. “I promise you, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

 

Armin clicked the bathroom door shut. “Are we gonna have to carry you home?”

 

She waved him off. “No, it’s okay. Marlowe’s already prepared for that.”

 

“Thank God,” said Annie under her breath.

 

“Hey!” said Hitch. “I’m not that bad.”

 

“You vomit all over the place,” said Annie. “You threw up on Connie’s Twister mat last time.”

 

Hitch grumbled. “The sore loser had it coming.”

 

“And on that jigsaw puzzle,” said Annie pointedly.

 

Hitch waved her off. “It’s fine. Lovely Armin here replaced it, no problem! And I haven’t done that since.”

 

Annie sighed and glanced back over at Armin. “You ready to head out?”

 

“Sure,” he said with a smile.

 

“Where are you two off to?” asked Hitch.

 

“We’re watching a movie,” said Annie.

 

“Delicious,” said Hitch. “Remember to be safe.”

 

Annie sighed. “Shut up.”

 

“Uh, wait,” said Armin. “Have you seen my T-shirt? The one I was wearing earlier?”

Annie turned and glanced around. “Huh. Not sure.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed as he glanced around the room. There was no way that they could just lose his shirt like that in a room like this. It wasn’t even messy.

 

He raised an eyebrow at Annie. “Are you sure you don’t know where it is?”

 

“No,” she said, far too innocently. “I have no idea.”

 

“Yeah,” he said, unconvinced. “I’m sure.”

 

“We’ll find it later,” she said, and he noticed the way the corners of her lips twitched. Oh, she wasn’t even trying to hide it. “That shirt looks cute on you, anyway.”

 

“Annie!” said Hitch. “Keep it Christian!”

 

“Sorry, Father,” said Annie, rolling her eyes.

 

“Don’t call me that,” said Hitch. “You might awaken something in me.”

 

“That’s our cue to go,” said Annie, offering him a slight smile. “We’ll see you later, Hitch.”

 

“See you! Again, be safe! Save room for Jesus and all that!”

 

Annie closed the door behind her and sighed. Then, when she was certain the coast was clear, she reached out for his hand and pulled him down the hallway.

 

“What’s with all the Christian comments?” asked Armin. “Is she converting or something?”

“No,” said Annie. “She just finished Midnight Mass. She was raised Catholic and it’s seriously got into her head.”

 

“Midnight Mass?” he asked. “Haven’t heard of it.”

 

“It’s good,” she said. “But I’m not watching it with you if you start making bad jokes like that.”

 

He smiled. “I’d never. I don’t think my jokes could get any worse. It wouldn’t be worth the risk.”

 

Annie scoffed. “No, probably not.”

 

She let go of his hand once they reached the foyer and he instantly missed its warmth. At least once they told everyone he’d be able to hold her hand whenever he wanted to. Any annoyance on his friends’ parts was more than worth it just to be able to do that.

 

When they got into the car, Annie wasted no time in setting up her playlists before they pulled out of the parking lot. It was a warm evening, so Annie rolled down the windows to let the cool air wash through the car.

 

“Eren was losing his mind earlier,” he said.

 

She snorted. “What was it now? Did someone give him a bad review of his pamphlet?”

 

He smiled and shook his head. “No, I just told him we were sort of matching for the party tomorrow.”

 

She scoffed. “That made him lose it?”

 

“Yeah,” he said. “Couldn’t wrap his head around how we’re not together.”

 

She let out a huff of laughter. “Well, isn’t he going to be pleasantly surprised when he gets the news?”

 

“I think he’s gonna be pissed he lost that fifty dollars,” he said.

 

She shook her head. “Jean will give him it back, don’t worry. Then again, I’m gonna have to pay for these shirts, so maybe we’ll just cut out the middle man and I’ll give Eren the money.”

 

“He shouldn’t have been betting on us, anyway,” said Armin.

 

“Definitely not,” she said. “But I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same, so …”

 

He raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “Honestly, I’ve been thinking recently about how ridiculous this all looks from an outside perspective. We’re obviously dating, but we keep telling people we aren’t. And your friends trust that because what reason would you have to lie?”

 

He let out a breath. “Yeah. I guess it does look a little strange when you say it like that.”

 

“It’s fine, anyway,” she said. “No one will really care that much.” Then, after a slight pause, she added, “Still, I’m glad … I’m glad we did it like this. I feel like we’ve been able to just … I don’t know. To just be.”

 

He smiled. “Yeah, I get that.” Then, he added, “For the record, I’ve really enjoyed just being.”

 

She snorted. “Yeah, I bet you have.” Then, she said, “Okay, where do you want to go for food? Because I’m fucking starving right now.”

 

Armin decided on their local dessert restaurant, which made the corners of Annie’s lips twitch, but she didn’t say anything about it. They decided to just order and take it back to the garage, which was easier said than done. Fortunately, the boxes held in the heat of their waffles, and the ice-cream that they’d ordered with them managed to hold out enough that it wasn’t just liquid by the time they reached the garage.

 

“So,” she said, settling down on the couch. “Do you wanna watch Midnight Mass?”

 

His lips curled. “Are you sure? I thought you didn’t want to run the risk of me making bad jokes.”

 

“It’s worth the risk,” she said. “It might spook you enough you might have to hold my hand.”

 

He smiled. “You know I don’t have to be scared for that.”

 

It probably wasn’t the best show to watch while eating something like a waffle, especially out basically in the middle of nowhere, but it was more so unsettling than terrifying. By the time they reached the second episode, though, he was holding her hand, although more so because he wanted to than because he was scared. Then again, the touch of her hand did make it a little easier to stomach. He probably wouldn’t have watched it on his own.

 

They lay their on the couch, curled up against each other, the dim glow of Annie’s laptop playing episode after episode, until they reached the end of the fourth, which nearly made Armin jump out of his skin.

 

She snorted when the credits started rolling. “It wasn’t that bad.”

 

Armin swallowed and glanced over at her in the dim glow. “I just hadn’t expected that so early.” Then, he added, “Does he just stay a –”

 

“Not saying,” she said. “You’ll have to wait and see.”

 

He let out a huff of laughter through his nose. “Okay, I’ll be patient.”

 

“You better.” She gave his hand a squeeze and asked, “Wanna take a break?”

 

He nodded. “Yeah. Honestly, watching stuff like this out here is a little … spooky.”

 

She scoffed. “Spooky?”

 

“Yeah,” he said. “We’re way out here.”

 

“It’s not that far from the city,” she pointed out. “It’s like, ten minutes.”

 

“Well, it doesn’t feel like it right now,” he said.

 

She smiled. “Don’t worry,” she said, reaching out for his jaw to tilt his head towards her. “I’ll protect you.”

 

“Will you?” he asked, trying not to smile.

 

“Of course I will,” she said quietly. Then, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.

 

He sighed against her mouth. She tasted sweet, maybe from the ice-cream or the chocolate, or maybe it was just her; whatever it was, it brought him in closer, gently pressing her lips open with his own and meeting her tongue with his.

 

He wanted to kiss her a little more, with just a little more force, but in the background he caught the sound of the next Midnight Mass episode beginning to play.

 

Annie pulled away. “Wait, just let me get that.”

 

She leaned over and slammed the space bar on her laptop down hard, before she quickly turned back to him, nudging his shoulders back.

 

“Lean back,” she said quietly.

 

His pulse quickened. He didn’t argue and leaned back to make room for her, and then in a swift motion, she was settled in his lap, kissing him slowly. His hands rose to her back and she seemed to move even further into him, which he certainly wasn’t going to complain about. She was in control now which he was more than fine with; the way she was kissing him could have made him light-headed, but he kissed her back just as sweetly until she pulled away.

 

How long had they been kissing for? Her lips seemed a little swollen, but they were so pretty. He nearly leaned right back in to recapture her mouth, but Annie seemed to have something else in mind.

 

“Hey,” she said quietly.

 

He let out a huff of laughter. “Hey.” His face softened. “Is … is everything okay?”

 

She nodded and sighed. “Yeah. Perfect.”

 

He opened his mouth to ask if she was really sure because it looked as if there was something on her mind. But she didn’t give him time to form any words because she leaned back in again, her hands now on his jaw, as she kissed him.

 

He made a small sound against her mouth. Oh. Her tongue was caressing his and he was starting to feel really warm in the nicest of ways. Her lips were soft and demanding and he was more than willing to oblige her. By the time she pulled away, he was a little lost for breath, but Annie recovered much quicker. In an instant, she’d moved down to his neck and he practically gasped. Her hot lips trailed up from the crook, slow and teasing, before she reached his ear and traced the edge with the tip of her tongue.

 

His breath caught in his throat and he found himself gripping onto the back of her shirt. He lost all sense when she started sucking and nibbling on his earlobe, flicking her tongue over the sensitive tongue enough to make his fingers tremble. How could she affect him so easily?

 

“Annie,” he breathed. “God, you’re so …”

 

She pulled away, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “I’m so what?”

 

He groaned. “I don’t know. Enchanting?”

 

She scoffed. “Oh, God. That’s really laying it on thick.”

 

He let out a huff of laughter. “I meant it.”

 

Her hands were on his chest as she leaned back. “Can you not just say I turn you on in a more normal way?”

 

His face warmed. “No,” he said finally.

 

She smiled slightly. “I shouldn’t have expected anything else, really.”

 

He let out a sharp huff of air through his nose. “Sorry.”

 

“It’s fine,” she said, shaking her head. She paused and bit her lip, before she said, “How are you feeling?”

 

His eyebrows rose. “How am I feeling?”

 

She nodded.

 

“I’m good,” he said with a smile. “I’m with you.”

 

She snorted. “You don’t have to flatter me so much, you know.”

 

“It’s not flattery if I mean it,” he said pointedly.

 

She shook her head. “It has the same effect.”

 

He smiled. “Does it?”

 

She hummed, but she didn’t say anything else. She was fiddling with his T-shirt, although there wasn’t much to fiddle with. It was clear she was lost in thought.

 

His eyebrows drew together. “Annie?”

“Yeah?”

 

“Are you sure everything’s okay?”

 

She nodded and raised her eyes to his. “Yeah, it’s just … fuck. I was just … thinking of trying something.”

 

His heart skipped. “Trying what?”

She bit her lip. “You can say no. I haven’t … we haven’t really … talked about it.”

 

“You hate talking,” he said lightly.

 

She snorted. “Yeah. Sometimes I really do.”

 

He waited for her to continue, but the words never came. Gently, he moved his hands so they were settled on her hips, gripping them with a light pressure.

 

“Is it something we need to talk about?” he asked.

 

She nodded. “I’d say so.”

 

“Okay,” he said quietly. His heart was racing now. “What is it?”

 

She bit her lip again. “Do you want to have sex with me?”

 

Armin’s lips parted but no words came out. Instead, he made maybe the world’s most embarrassing choking noise, and that really was not an appropriate answer to what she’d asked of him. Luckily, it was just a few seconds and then he managed to swallow past it as his face warmed.

 

He cleared his throat. “You want to … have sex? Like … right now?”

 

“We don’t have to,” she said. “I just … it just felt like the right time.”

 

“Ah,” he said dumbly.

 

She sighed. “I’m guessing it’s not.”

 

Annie shifted to move off of him, but he quickly tightened his grip on her hips.

 

“No!” he said quickly. “It’s not that. I just hadn’t expected you to ask right now.” He swallowed. “Yes.”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Yes?”

 

“Yes,” he said. “We can have sex. Like right now.”

 

Her face softened. “Are you sure?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I mean … you know I don’t really … know what I’m … doing, so I just … need some … help.”

 

His voice sounded small even to his own ears. Great. Annie really must have thought he was so fuckable right now.

 

“Hey,” she said, moving her hands to rest on his jaw. “That’s fine. I wanted to do most of the work, anyway.”

 

His eyebrows drew together. “Are you sure? I just –”

 

“That’s what I want,” she said. “It’s your first time. Don’t worry about it. I just want to fuck you.”

 

His face warmed. He probably looked the same shade as a tomato right now.

 

“Yeah,” he said, awkwardly clearing his throat. “Yeah, okay. I’d really, really like that.”

 

“Are you sure?” she asked gently.

 

“Yeah,” he said. “I really would. I mean, I’ve … I’ve wanted to do that with you for a while. I’m just …” He let out a weak laugh. “I’m just nervous. That’s … all.”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” she whispered, leaning forward to press a kiss beneath his ear. “You just need practice.”

 

Blood rushed south and he bit down on his bottom lip. Oh, God.

 

He became aware of her hand drifting downwards then, and he let his eyelids flutter shut. He bit his lips together to hold back any embarrassing noises when her hand rested on his hardness in his jeans, rubbing teasingly over him. He short-circuited when her mouth pressed against his neck, gently kissing the sensitive flesh there so sweetly it made his whole body tingle.

 

“Fuck,” he whispered.

 

The pressure left him and Annie moved her other hand down, and then he felt her shift the buttons and zipper on his jeans so she could press her hand down the front of his briefs. He gasped when she gripped him, slowly moving her hand up and down him so deliciously it was hard to think. She had barely done anything yet and he already felt so under her thumb. Well, he supposed, that didn’t really matter, anyway. He liked being there.

 

She lightly drew her thumb over his tip and he let out a tiny moan, but the motion sparked something in him, and his eyes flew open.

 

“Wait, Annie,” he said, swallowed. “I don’t – I don’t have any condoms.”

 

She leaned away from him. “Don’t worry. I’ve got some.”

 

He let out a breath. “Oh-okay.”

 

“I wasn’t just gonna ride you raw, you know,” she said.

 

His face burned and, even worse, his cock twitched in her hand.

 

Annie noticed and her lips curled. “Oh, would you like that?”

He groaned. “Annie. Please don’t –”

 

“Don’t what?” she asked. “Tease you? You seem to like being teased.”

 

Her lips came down to the other side of his neck and his eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head. Her lips were hot and she was sucking and licking his skin, not so hard it left a mark but with just enough pressure it made his head spin.

 

She popped off of his skin. “Am I wrong?”

 

“N-no,” he managed. “Probably not.”

 

She let out a huff of laughter. “That was the right answer.” Then, she added, “Can we take your shirt off?”

 

Armin went straight for the hem of his shirt, almost glad that she’d asked him to take it off. Annie probably really would have found the idea of having sex with him while he was wearing his Groupie T-shirt far too funny, so he was very glad she was being generous. Then again, he couldn’t say too much about it, really, since he wouldn’t have protested all that much if that’s what she’d wanted.

 

His glasses ended up getting in the way and Annie laughed, a soft, sweet sound, and his heart ached. She helped take them off and moved them out of the way, and then soon his shirt followed.

 

Her hands were immediately on his chest and he sighed.

 

“I haven’t seen you shirtless in a while,” she said.

 

“No?” he asked.

 

She hummed. “No. I like your chest.”

 

He let out a huff. “Thank you.”

 

She smiled. She leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his, kissing him with a softness that made him ache for her, and he made a small contented noise against her mouth. He was aware of her hands moving, but he tried to focus on her lips – but when her thumbs brushed over his nipples, he couldn’t help but gasp, his face turning crimson.

 

“Is this okay?” she whispered.

 

“Yeah,” he breathed. “Sorry, I didn’t …oh, God.”

 

Annie took his nipples between her thumb and finger and rolled them, sending a spark of pleasure straight to his groin. He bit down on the inside of his lip to stay quiet, completely overwhelmed by sensation.

 

She leaned forward again and kissed him and he nearly whimpered against her lips. His face was still red and that flush had probably spread down his chest, but he really didn’t want to think about that right now. He just wanted to think about her, right here in his lap, and the way she was making him feel.

 

Annie pulled away abruptly, moving her hands to the hem of her T-shirt in an instant and yanking it over her head, leaving her in a pretty lace bra. It was the blue one he’d bought for her.

 

She reached back to readjust her hair since some of it had fallen loose when she’d pulled off her T-shirt. He let his hands wander up to her sides, a little too lightly, and she flinched.

 

“Ticklish,” she said.

 

He moved his hands. “Sorry. I forgot.”

 

“No, put them back,” she said, finishing tying her hair. She dropped her hands onto his wrists and moved his hands back to rest on her sides, pressing more firmly this time.

 

He gently moved his hands up and down and she sighed.

 

“Is this okay?” he asked.

 

She nodded. “Very.” Then, she added, “Wait.”

 

Then, she reached behind herself and unclicked her bra. Only a few moments later, it was discarded behind her on the ground.

 

“You can move your hands a bit higher,” she suggested.

 

Armin didn’t need to be told twice. Her breasts fit nicely in his hands, her skin soft and nipples pert, and Annie sighed contentedly at his touch. Her eyes fluttered shut when his thumbs brushed over her nipples, and when he circled them, slow and deliciously torturous, she whimpered.

 

“Shit,” she breathed, biting down on her bottom lip.

 

“Are you okay?” he asked gently.

 

She nodded. “It feels nice.”

 

“Yeah?” he asked.

 

“Yeah,” she whispered.

 

He gently pinched her nipples between his fingers and she gasped. He couldn’t help but smile. She looked so perfect just like this. Then again, she always looked perfect.

 

Armin leaned forward and replaced his left hand with his mouth and Annie let out one of those pretty sounds she liked to make, somewhere between a gasp and a moan, and he had to stop himself from trying to buck up against her. His tongue ran over her nipple in a slow circle and she whimpered again, but soon her small sounds devolved into something more exciting. Soft pants left her lips the longer he kept teasing her breasts and he suspected, ever so slightly, that she was getting a little desperate.

 

“Armin,” she breathed. “Wait.”

 

He paused and popped off of her breast, giving her a questioning look.

 

“I’m taking your pants off,” she said.

 

He nodded. “Can I take yours off?”

 

He expected her to tease him, but it seemed as if she had long since gotten past the point where she could be bothered with that.

 

Instead, she just said a rushed, “Yes,” and rose off of him.

 

Armin was only a step behind her, quickly fiddling with the buttons on her jeans while she shoved his down his legs. It would have been much easier if they had just done their own pants, he knew, but neither of them were particularly thinking clearly. Soon, they were stumbling back onto the couch, Annie’s lips against his and her falling right back on top of him, her gorgeous thighs on either side of him.

 

Her kisses were desperate and bruising, but each one was more intoxicating than the last. He let his hands drift over her hips where the thin fabric of her thong clung to her, before moving down to cup her ass. Experimentally, he squeezed the soft flesh of her behind and only a second later, Annie’s mouth popped off of his.

 

“What do you think you’re doing back there?” she said, her voice breathless.

 

His face flushed. “Sorry,” he said, pulling his hand away.

 

She stopped his arm. “I’m kidding. It feels nice.”

 

“Does it?” he asked.

 

She nodded. “I like it.” Then, she added, “Didn’t realise you were such an ass man, though.”

 

His face burned. “That’s not … you …”

 

“What?” she said, a smile pulling at the corners of her lips.

 

He frowned. She was enjoying this.

 

“It’s … just nice,” he said. “You’re pretty everywhere.”

 

Annie rolled her eyes. “You can just say you like my ass, you know.”

 

“I do,” he said. “But I’m a big fan of other parts of you, too.”

 

She snorted. “Oh, yeah? Like what?”

 

“Your face,” he said.

 

She smiled. “Uh-huh. Anything else?”

 

“Just … all of you,” he managed.

 

“Could you be more specific?” she asked innocently.

 

He swallowed. “You’re teasing me.”

 

“We’ve been over this. You’re into it.”

 

He was into it, but that didn’t mean it didn’t make him a little embarrassed. Although, he wasn’t really willing to address what that meant for his sexual preferences.

 

“Every part of you,” he said quietly. “I love every part of you.”

 

Annie’s face softened. “Stop being so sweet.”

 

He let out a huff of laughter. “Do you want me to be mean?”

 

“No,” she said firmly.

 

He smiled and said, teasingly, “Is that what you’re into?”

 

“No, and it’s for the best,” she said, jabbing him in the chest. “I doubt you could handle that.”

 

He blew out a breath. “Oh, I definitely could handle that.”

 

“Oh, yeah?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Okay,” she said. “Do your worst.”

 

His eyebrows rose. “Huh?”

 

“You heard me,” she said, her lips curling. “Say something mean. In a hot way.”

 

“I …” Armin cleared his throat. “You’re …”

 

“Uh-huh,” she said.

 

“You’re a …” He swallowed. “A bad, bad girl.”

 

Annie let out a huff of laughter. “Is that the meanest thing you could say?”

 

“In a sexy way?” he said. “I mean, what else … what else could you say?”

Her face softened. “Oh, Armin.”

 

His face warmed. “What?”

 

She shook her head. “You’re just so …”

 

His eyebrows drew together. “So what?”

 

“Sweet,” she finished. Then, she smiled. “Don’t worry. I love that.”

 

His face was still warm. “I know you can say worse, I just … I don’t want to disrespect you.”

 

“I know,” she said quietly. “It’s sweet.” Then, she added, “Do you mind if I get back to trying to fuck you?”

 

He swallowed. “I am really fine with doing that.”

 

Her lips twitched, but she didn’t say anything more. Instead, she leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his again.

 

He kissed her back, a little softer and slower than before, but something was a little different. It was probably the little clothes that were between them now. They’d been like this before, nearly naked and pressed against one another, but it hadn’t been leading to anything like this. Annie was warm all over and perfect as always, and she wanted to have sex with him. It was exhilarating and nerve-wracking, but in that moment, he didn’t really want anything more than to be close to her like that.

 

Annie lowered her hips in an instant and ground down against his hardness and he gasped. She recaptured his lips again, and he gripped hard on her hips now, maybe a little too firmly, but Annie didn’t protest. Instead, she rolled her hips against him again and their lips parted, light pants passing between them, before they came back together again.

 

His hands kept her in place but Annie seemed more than fine to be right there, rolling her hips against his. She moaned against his mouth when she ground down on him again and she gasped when he rolled his hips upwards. He’d almost forgotten how nice this friction felt.

 

“Oh my God,” she said, a little breathless.

 

“Fuck,” he breathed. “Annie, you’re perfect.”

 

She laughed breathily. “You’re saying that because you’re hard.”

 

“No,” he said, but then she ground down on him again and he gasped. “Fuck. No, I’m saying it because it’s true.”

 

“Uh-huh?” she said. “It doesn’t have anything to do with this?”

 

She rolled her hips again and he groaned.

 

“You’re perfect anyway,” he said. “Ah. But – this is … this is nice, too.”

 

She laughed one of those pretty, breathy laughs again, the ones that made his heart tingle. “Yeah? I like it, too.”

 

Annie leaned forward and kissed him again, and in an instant he was lost in it. He could feel her warmth pressed against his throbbing cock, but he managed to focus on her mouth against his. Their kisses were sloppy and needy, and Annie’s fingers found the back of his hair. The little motion of them sent a shudder down his spine and, thoughtlessly, he pushed his thumbs under the fabric of her thong at each hip.

 

She pulled away. “A little eager, aren’t we?”

 

His face warmed again. “I didn’t mean –”

 

“Oh, don’t,” she said. “I’m really eager, too, you know.”

 

His heart skipped. “Oh.”

 

She laughed and shook her head. “I’m gonna take your briefs off, okay?”

 

He nodded quickly. “Okay.”

 

Annie moved off of him and pushed his knees apart. He was about to raise his hips to shuffle his briefs down his legs – truthfully, he wasn’t quite sure why Annie had to do it – but then, she settled down onto her knees in front of him.

 

His mouth turned dry. What the fuck did he do to deserve her?

 

“Lift your hips for me,” she said quietly.

 

Armin didn’t waste any time. He raised his hips so Annie could grip the waistband of his briefs from each side, and soon they were discarded somewhere behind her with the rest of their clothes.

 

He glanced down at her and swallowed. “Do you still … want to …”

 

“Have sex?” she asked.

 

He nodded. “Yeah.”

 

“Yeah,” she said, her lips curling. “Can you not take a little warm-up?”

 

That wasn’t the warm-up?

 

He swallowed again. “I just … I don’t know how long I’ll … last if –”

 

His words were cut out by a gasp as she took his aching cock in her hand.

 

“Yeah?” she said. “I don’t care if you only last a few seconds, Armin. I just really want you to enjoy those seconds.”

 

His face flushed. “I can last more than a few – seconds.”

 

“Then you don’t have anything to worry about,” she said.

 

He opened his mouth to retort something, but Annie had wrapped her lips around him and he realised he really didn’t have anything important to say.

 

“Fuck,” he breathed, tilting his head back.

 

Annie was slow and teasing, and he knew it was very deliberate. She dipped her head lower and lower until she was practically at his base and he could not form a single coherent thought. She was so wet and warm and heavenly; he could feel her tongue, flat against his cock as she dragged her mouth upwards in one languid motion.

 

He couldn’t help himself – he let his hands find their way into her hair, tangling through the strands as she dipped her head again.

 

He groaned, his toes curling at the pleasure. Her mouth always felt so amazing, but now … now it was something else entirely. She was moving so slow and it was driving him insane, but maybe that was exactly what she wanted.

 

She pulled off of him, her hand gripping him by the base as he ran her tongue over his head. He gasped loudly when he brushed over his tip.

 

“Annie,” he panted. “I … I can’t …”

 

She pulled away, still holding his aching cock in her hand. “You can’t what?”

 

“I can’t take … much more,” he managed.

 

She hummed and slowly started pumping his cock, pulling a whimper from his throat. “Are you sure?”

 

“I’m sure,” he said. “Please.”

 

Her hand stopped. “Well, since you asked so nicely.”

 

And then, she let go of him and he let out a breath. He expected her to come closer, but instead she turned and stepped away towards her backpack. She reached into the front and fished something out, and it took him maybe a second to realise she was holding a condom.

 

His heart was hammering in his chest. He swallowed, trying to ignore the feeling. He didn’t want his nerves to get in the way right now. He wanted her now more than he thought he’d ever wanted anything in his life. Like hell was he going to let a little bit of nervousness stop him being with her like this.

 

Annie noticed his nervousness immediately. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

 

He nodded. “Yeah. I really want to. I just … I’ve never …”

 

“I know,” she said gently. “I’ll help you. I’ll make you feel good.”

 

His abdomen fluttered as she moved closer, placing the condom down on the couch right beside him. Then, she took his face in her hands and kissed him gently, before pulling away.

 

“Is it okay if I put some music on?” she asked.

 

He nodded and cleared his throat. “Yeah, that’s – that’s fine.”

 

“Okay,” she said quietly, before turning around and grabbing her phone.

 

She connected to a speaker somewhere in the room and on came her playlist, the short one he’d made for her. Like Real People Do started humming through the room and she dropped her phone down on the small table by the couch, before turning back to him.

 

His breath caught as she hooked her thumbs over the fabric of her thong on her hips, before she shimmied them down her legs. He noticed the string of wetness from her that followed just a little and then it was hard to think of anything else. She was wet, so wet it clung to her underwear.

 

“Armin?” she said. “You okay?”

 

His eyes flickered up to her face. “Yeah, yeah. Sorry.”

 

Her lips curled. “You were staring.”

 

“Sorry,” he said. “I just –”

 

“Don’t apologise,” she said. “Wanna put the condom on?”

 

“Y-yeah,” he said, reaching for the square of foil beside him.

 

He tore it open and fished it out with no problem, but he was very aware of how much his fingers were shaking. He just hoped Annie didn’t notice.

 

Armin swallowed and moved the condom over the tip of his cock, but then he paused. He knew what he was doing, but he’d never actually put one on before, and for some reason the idea of doing it right now for the first time with Annie watching him like that was horrifying.

 

“You okay?” she asked.

 

His eyebrows drew together. He wanted to glance up at her but he felt so embarrassed that he knew he just couldn’t.

 

He cleared his throat. “Do you … do you think you could … help?”

 

There was a pause, so he glanced up at her face. He’d expected more teasing, but her face was soft.

 

“Yeah,” she said, moving forward. “Here.”

 

The couch shifted under her weight as she knelt down beside him and she took the condom from his fingers.

 

She paused for a moment, her lips twitching.

 

“I can put it on with my mouth, if you want,” she offered.

 

His face turned crimson in an instant, and her words made him practically choke.

 

He coughed, ears burning. “That’s – that’s okay, you don’t have to do that.”

 

“Suit yourself,” she said.

 

Her hands settled on his cock and his breath caught. He watched, maybe a little like an idiot, as she rolled the condom over him, pinching the tip to stop any air bubbles from forming, and soon she was satisfied.

 

Annie nudged his shoulder. “Lean back.”

 

“Okay,” he said, and a second later he was back, and Annie was climbing into his lap.

 

He gasped when she took his cock in her hand. He thought she was just going to position himself at her entrance, but she didn’t do that at all. Instead, she moved closer and pressed his cock between her lips and rolled her hips forward.

 

He cried out. “Fuck, Annie.”

 

“Sorry,” she said, her voice a little breathy. “I sort of forgot to buy lube. I’m just …”

 

“That’s – fine,” he managed. “It – it feels good.”

 

“Yeah,” she breathed. She held him in place and moved her hips again, grinding her wetness against him.

 

He felt like he was going to explode.

 

She rolled her hips once, twice more, before she let out a shuddered breath and said, “Okay. I think we’re good.”

 

Her mouth was open, her breathing a little heavy, and maybe it was just the haze of arousal, but Annie looked beyond breath-taking. Well, she had taken his breath away because already his chest was rising and falling maybe just a little too quickly.

 

“Are you okay?” she asked again.

 

He nodded. “Yeah. I’m – I’m great.”

 

“Okay,” she breathed. “Ready?”

 

He nodded. “Yeah.”

 

Annie let out a breath. He bit his lips together when she grabbed him again, manoeuvring a little to line his tip up with her entrance. He could already feel her heat from her wet lips and that alone was dizzying.

 

“Are you – okay?” he breathed.

 

“Yeah,” she whispered. “I’m perfect.”

 

Then, gently, she lowered herself down onto him.

 

She didn’t go all the way down to his base, resting just past his head, but immediately Armin was aware of how tight she was. His fingers were near-shaking at her hips and he was biting down hard on his bottom lip to stop himself from letting out a very long string of curses.

 

Annie dropped her hand and shifted slightly lower, and the both of them gasped, but she didn’t move any further.

 

“Annie,” he managed. “Are you okay?”

 

She hummed and nodded. “Sorry. You’re a little bigger than I think I was ready for.”

 

His face warmed. “I’m sorry. I could have warmed you up. I didn’t –”

 

“It’s fine,” she said, letting out a breath. “It just takes a second.” She let out a breathy laugh. “I’m not exactly an expert at this stuff, you know.”

 

It certainly felt like she was, but he wasn’t about to go and say something stupid like that right now. He watched her face soften a few moments later and then she moved again, sinking down even further, and soon she was at his base, pressed flushed against him.

 

“Fuck,” he breathed, squeezing his eyes shut.

 

She was hot and squeezing around him and fuck – how could he even think when she was on him like this?

 

“You okay?” she asked gently.

 

He nodded. “Yeah. So, so okay.”

 

She let out a breathy laugh. “Good.”

 

“Are you?” he asked gently.

 

She hummed. “Perfect.”

 

Then, she raised her hips up, dragging herself up his length, before she dropped back down.

 

He gasped. “Oh my God.”

 

“Yeah,” she breathed, and she repeated the motion.

 

His fingers gripped down on her hips, maybe a little too hard, but her fingers weren’t exactly being forgiving on his shoulders. Although he really didn’t care about that – she could draw blood before he gave a single fucking shit about any of that. He was much more interested in the way her walls were pulsing around him, how nice it felt each time she moved up and down him, and how fucking beautiful she looked on top of him like this.

 

Annie changed her motions then, almost grinding down on him, and his mouth fell open in a silent gasp. Her breath shuddered and she bit down on her lip, and when she did the motion again, she whimpered, the sound muffled by the way she was now biting her lips together.

 

“Annie,” he breathed. “Fuck me.”

 

She laughed. “Am I not doing that?”

 

He let out a breathy laugh. “Yeah, you are. I just … oh, fuck. This is … this feels really good.”

 

“Yeah,” she breathed, and bit down on her lip again. His cock practically throbbed with the way her face twisted with pleasure. “Fuck. You feel good.”

 

His abdomen fluttered. “Yeah?”

 

Annie let out a tiny, breathy moan. “So good.”

 

Armin swallowed and tilted his head back as Annie rode him. “You feel fucking amazing.”

 

She made a tiny noise and his eyes fluttered open again. Each roll of her hips was dizzying. His whole body felt tense with pleasure, but it was beyond divine – Annie was beyond divine.

 

He managed to pull his hands away from her hips and move higher, up towards her face. It took her a few moments, but she got what he wanted and she leaned down and pressed her mouth to his.

 

The kiss was sweet, but Annie’s motions slowed, becoming deliciously torturous, even to make him moan into her mouth. Then again, Annie wasn’t in a much better state – for some reason, he hadn’t expected her to be so overwhelmed by pleasure when she was doing most of the work, but he couldn’t exactly say he was upset about it. If he was honest, it made him want to take control and fuck her, to drag even more of those sounds out of her. But there would be more time for that another day. For now, her riding him like this was heaven.

 

Annie pulled away first, her breathing heavy, and she pressed her hands against the top of the couch behind his head. She slowed slightly before she raised her hips and dropped right back down in one swift motion.

 

“Oh my God,” he gasped. “Annie. Annie. Oh, fuck.”

 

She made a small noise of pleasure in response, but to be fair, she was a little distracted. She was moving much faster than before and her breathing was coming out in hot pants as she rode him. He pressed his hands back on her hips making sure to be light so he didn’t slow her rhythm, and he seemed to do it just right because her rhythm didn’t waver.

 

“Fucking hell,” she breathed, letting out a slight laugh. “We should have done this a while ago.”

 

He laughed breathily. “You think so?”

 

“Definitely,” she breathed. Her breathing shuddered into a moan and her rhythm slowed down to a languid grind that made him gasp. She tiled her head back. “Holy fuck.”

 

Fuck, oh holy fuck. She was everywhere and everything; squeezing and pulsing and perfect. He didn’t know how he hadn’t came yet, not when she was fucking him like this. Not that he was complaining – he’d happily let her ride him like this forever.

 

She slipped down him with an unexpected force and they both cried out. His thighs were nearly shaking; his fingers definitely were, trembling at her hips where they dug in for dear life. He hoped he wasn’t hurting her, but if he was, Annie wasn’t complaining.

 

Her whole face was flushed and her lips were parted, letting soft pants and quiet moans slip out as she moved. The flush extended further down over her chest and, okay, he might have been enjoying the way her breasts bounced as she fucked him. They were as pretty as the rest of her.

 

He reached up and pressed his hands over them, brushing his thumbs over her pert nipples as she moved, and Annie let out a whine, delicious and needy. So, he fondled her a little more, rolling her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers, and she gasped harshly, the sound dissolving into a short string of tiny moans that made him ache.

 

“Armin,” she gasped. “Oh my God.”

 

“Yeah,” he breathed. “You’re perfect, Annie.”

 

Her eyes fluttered open, soft and questioning. “Yeah?”

 

He let his hands drift from her breasts down to her hips again, more gentle now but still gripping with a firm pressure.

 

“Yeah,” he said. “You’re so perfect. You’re so pretty and funny and smart and – oh, fuck – and you’re just … oh my God. You’re so fucking perfect.”

 

Annie let out a harsh pant and closed her eyes, and moaned, quietly, “Oh my God.”

 

She dropped her head into his shoulder and ground on him, slow and unforgiving, and he gasped. He wrapped his arms around her and held onto her as she rode him.

 

“Armin?” she gasped.

 

“Yeah?” he breathed.

 

“Can you – say that again?”

 

He swallowed and gripped onto her a little tighter, and whispered, “You’re perfect.”

 

She let out a small noise, a soft, breathy moan, and it made him want to say it again and again. He would say it over and over, all night, if that’s what she needed to here. No, fuck it, it’s what she deserved to hear because she was.

 

“You’re so, so perfect,” he said quietly. “You’re fucking divine.”

 

“Oh, fuck,” she breathed. “Armin.”

 

He was close to asking if she wanted him to fuck her. This was wonderful and amazing and everything he could have dreamt of, but he wanted to fucking worship her. Maybe she would let him do that afterwards, with his fingers or his mouth. Maybe she’d beg him to.

 

“Oh my God,” he groaned, tilting his head back. She really was divine – she definitely felt divine. “Oh, Annie. You’re just … oh, God. You’re so, so good. So good.”

 

Her breathy moans and pants were sending ripples of pleasure racing through him, and all of her movements against his cock were so intoxicating, he felt nearly drunk on her. She really was perfect.

 

“Armin?” she breathed.

 

“Yeah?” he said quietly.

 

Her voice was quiet and breathy. “I think … I think I might be in love with you.”

 

His breath caught. In his chest, for a moment, he thought that his heart might have burst.

 

“Annie,” he breathed. “I …”

 

“Fuck,” she groaned. “I … I love you.”

 

That was it. His heart was warm and racing in his chest and it had never felt so full.

 

“Annie,” he said. “I love you.”

 

“I … know,” she panted. “I love you.”

 

He let out a breathy laugh. “You really do?”

 

She groaned. “I wouldn’t just lie.”

 

“Annie,” he said, a little breathless. “Wait … look at me.”

 

She slowed down and gently pulled her head out of his shoulder. She was even more dishevelled now, all pink and sweaty, hair all over the place, but dear God she had never looked more beautiful.

 

“I love you,” he said. “So, so much.”

 

“Yeah,” she breathed. “I … I love you, too.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “Do you know how hard that is to say?”

 

He laughed, his face settling into a smile so wide it nearly hurt, but he couldn’t help it.

 

“I know,” he said lightly. “Thank you for saying it.”

 

“Any time,” she panted, and he laughed again.

 

He moved his hands again to bring her face down to his and she kissed him, hard. Their lips were hot and their kisses were sloppy, but to Armin, nothing had ever been so perfect.

 

He moaned against her mouth as she rolled her hips, and he noticed a spark of that feeling in his core, familiar and burning, the ache of an oncoming orgasm.

 

He pulled away from her mouth. “Annie. Oh my fuck. I’m gonna come.”

 

“Yeah?” she said, rolling her hips.

 

He squeezed his eyes shut and nodded. “Yeah. Oh my God.”

 

His abdomen felt tight and he was aching from pleasure; he didn’t know why his thighs weren’t trembling now, but he was oh so close.

 

“Armin,” said Annie, her voice breathy but firm. “Open your eyes. I want to see you when you come.”

 

Her words dragged a moan from him, which was mortifying enough but he was far too close to care. He swallowed and forced his eyes open, his breathing coming out in pants.

 

Fuck, she was so beautiful. He glanced down between them where their bodies met and nearly groaned. His eyes trailed up over the pretty, trimmed hairs above her core, over the softness of her stomach and to her round breasts, and then up to her angelic face. If angels were real, he thought, than there was no way they could be as beautiful as Annie. Or if they were, Annie was certainly one of them.

 

“You’re so pretty,” he breathed. “I love you.”

 

Her face softened. “I love you, too.”

 

His lips twitched up in a smile and he let out a breath of laughter. Annie smiled, too, just for a moment, a little laugh slipping out of her mouth – maybe the prettiest one he’d ever heard.

 

His smile only faltered when he felt the pressure reach new heights and he moaned, but he kept his eyes open and trained on hers, just like she’d asked. It was aching inside of him and he was oh so close to reaching his finish. Each movement was driving him mad with pleasure.

 

“Armin,” she breathed.

 

“Huh?” he managed.

 

“I love you,” she said again. “So much.”

 

Just then, something shifted. He felt it inside of him, everything burning and tight, and then –

 

“Annie,” he moaned. “Oh, fuck, Annie, ah –”

 

He cried out, gripping down on Annie’s hips hard as his orgasm rocked through him. It raced through his body in ripples of pleasure and for a few moments it was almost blindingly intoxicating, and then, finally, it started to ease. The pleasure slowed into a soft fizzle, his breathing still heavy, as Annie’s motions slowed to a complete stop.

 

His eyes fell shut, chest still heaving, as he leaned his head back against the couch. “Oh my God.”

 

He felt Annie lean forward and press a light kiss against his jaw. “You okay?”

 

“Yeah,” he said weakly. “I’m perfect.”

 

“Good,” she said. “Do you mind helping me? I need to sort of … get off.”

 

His eyes flew open and he leaned forward. “Sorry.”

 

“It’s fine,” she said. “Just … yeah, hold there.”

 

He held the base of his flaccid cock to keep the condom in place as Annie slipped off of him. He let out a breath and she settled down beside him, leaning into him. His whole body still felt like it was tingling.

 

“Oh my God,” he said.

 

She snorted. “Sounds like you had fun.”

 

“Fun,” he said. “Yeah. That’s an understatement.”

 

Annie shifted, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “I’m happy to hear that.” Then, she added, “You wanna take that off or is it just a new fashion accessory of yours?”

His face flushed. “Don’t tease me. I’m vulnerable right now.”

 

Annie let out a soft laugh. “Sorry.”

 

He rolled the condom off of his cock and reached for the empty packet before carefully tucking it back in. Then, he rose to his feet, which were honestly a little shaky, and tossed it in the nearest trash can.

 

When he turned back to the couch, Annie was spread across the full thing, flat on her back. He smiled. She was so gorgeous.

 

“You’re staring again,” she said pointedly.

 

His smile widened and his eyes rose to hers. “Is that not allowed?”

 

She paused for a moment before she said, “It’s allowed.”

 

He made the few small steps back to the edge of the couch before settling on his knees beside her head. He reached out and pushed his fingers into her hair and she let out a contented sigh.

 

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “What for?”

 

“Just … everything,” he said. “For being you. For … making that so … good.”

 

She snorted. “Are you thanking me for being a good fuck?”

 

“No,” he said firmly. “I mean … I was really nervous and you really … you really helped. So, thank you.”

 

Annie hummed. “I’m not evil, you know.”

 

He smiled. “I know.” Then, he added, quietly, “And thank you for what you said. I know … I know stuff like that is hard for you.”

 

There was a slight pause. Then, Annie said, “It shouldn’t be hard. I … feel like that. You deserve to hear it.”

 

“Still,” he said gently. “Thank you.”

 

Her eyes opened and she turned to him. She reached out with her hand, just brushing his jaw, and he leaned forward to meet her lips. It was a small, soft kiss, but it left him tingling all the same when he pulled away.

 

Annie swallowed. “I love you.”

 

He smiled. “I love you, too.”

 

Annie grimaced. “I wish I could just show you.”

 

He grinned. “It’s okay. You don’t ever have to say it again. I’m just glad you said it now.”

 

She shook her head. “I will say it again. You deserve to hear it again. I just need to suck it up.” She sighed. “It’ll get easier eventually. The shitty vulnerability stuff.”

 

He nodded. “I think you’re much better already.” Then, his eyebrows furrowed and he said, “I mean, not to … I’m not –”

 

“No,” she said. “It’s true. It’s all getting easier.” Then, she let out a breath and said, quietly, “I love you.”

 

He smiled. “I love you, too.”

 

Her lips curled. “You make it easier, too.”

 

His face softened. “I do?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “You’re easy to love. That helps.”

 

He smiled. “Since when did you get all sweet?”

 

“Oh, shut up,” she said and he grinned. “I’m pouring my heart out here.”

 

“Sorry,” he said, still smiling. “I appreciate it.” Then, he added, “For the record, I think you’re easy to love, too.”

 

She snorted. “I think you’re full of shit.”

 

He laughed. “I’m being honest.”

 

She shook her head. “You’re too sweet.”

 

“I thought you liked that,” he said softly.

 

She let out a quiet huff of air through her nose. “I do. I really do.”

 

He reached forward again and traced the edge of her jaw with his thumb. She sighed, her eyelids fluttering shut. He smiled.

 

“Annie?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Do you want me to do you?”

 

Her eyelids opened. “I thought we were just doing you.”

 

“But you didn’t come,” he said.

 

“Observant,” she said.

 

His eyebrows drew together. “Can I ask a dumb question?”

 

“Sure.”

 

“Can you … actually … come from … that?”

 

She shrugged. “Penetration? No. I mean, some people can. I never have. I’m pretty sure I can’t. I’ve tried enough.” Then, she added, “I mean, with a vibrator. Can’t exactly trust a guy to be reliable there.”

 

He let out a huff through his nose. “Yeah.”

 

She nudged him. “I didn’t mean you, by the way. I think you’re pretty good.”

 

He rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling. “Now you’re flattering me. I barely did anything.”

 

“Don’t worry,” she said, turning to him with a slight smile. “I’m sure you’ll get plenty of practice.” Then, she added, “Anyway, you’re definitely good with your mouth and your hands. You don’t need to worry about a thing.”

 

He let out a huff, but he smiled. “Anyway,” he said. “You didn’t really answer.”

 

“Answer what?” she asked.

 

“Can I make you come?”

 

She glanced over at him. “That’s a very different question.”

 

“Well,” he said, still smiling. “You can answer either one.”

 

She paused for a moment. “You don’t have to do me.” Then, she added, “But if you want to, I’d love an orgasm right now.”

 

“Of course I want to,” he said gently. “What would you prefer? Hands or mouth?”

 

Annie bit her lip for a moment. Another smile nearly spread across his mouth. She was so pretty.

 

“Mouth,” she said gently. “If that’s okay.”

 

“That’s more than fine,” he said. “Are your knees okay on the carpet?”

 

“Yeah.” Then, her eyebrows furrowed. “Why?”

 

He smiled. “I wanted to try something.”

 

She still looked as confused. “But I thought –”

 

“Can you sit on my face?” he asked.

 

Her face softened and he watched in delight as her cheeks flushed pink.

 

“Are you sure you want that?” she asked gently. “I sort of don’t want to suffocate you.”

 

“You won’t,” he said with a shake of his head.

 

“How do you know?” she said.

 

He smiled. “Well, maybe only if you’re trying to.”

 

She paused for a moment, biting down on her bottom lip, before she finally nodded.

 

“Okay,” she said quietly. She poked him. “Get on your back.”

 

He didn’t need to be told twice. He grabbed onto a cushion and dropped down, placing it beneath his head and getting comfortable. Annie was only a moment behind, and soon she was kneeling by his head, looking just a little unsure of herself.

 

“Are you sure?” she said.

 

“Yeah,” he said. “Do you not want to?”

 

Her face was even redder. “I really do.”

 

“Okay,” he said. “Then please sit on my face.”

 

She scoffed, but there was a slight smile tugging at her mouth. “I’m glad you asked so nicely.”

 

He smiled. “Of course I did.”

 

Annie paused only a moment more before she moved. It took her a little while to get comfortable with her knees on each side of his head, but eventually she was settled, leaning most of her weight against his chest.

 

He let his hands come up to rest on her thighs and her breathing shuddered.

 

“You’ll regret this if I smother you,” she warned.

 

He laughed. “Annie, I really don’t think I will.”

 

She snorted, but she didn’t say anything else.

 

He glanced down at her folds, still wet from earlier. She was even pretty there and he felt his throat tighten at the sight of her. He swallowed.

 

“Annie?” he said.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I love you,” he said softly. “So much.”

 

She was quiet for a moment, but she glanced down at him with a softness in her eyes that he’d never quite seen before.

 

Then, after a pause, she said, so gently, “I love you, too.”

 

He smiled. He could hear her say that over and over again and he doubted he’d ever get sick of hearing it; he could go through a million lifetimes of hearing her say it and he’d still beg for another.

 

He almost wanted to say it again, to let her know how wonderful she was. But sometimes words weren’t enough and now she was right in front of him, aroused and wanting, and he’d be damned if he didn’t show her as good a time that she showed him.

 

So, he didn’t say anything more. Instead, he gripped onto her thighs, leaned forward and pressed his mouth to her cunt, starting a gentle caress of her swollen clit. Annie gasped and leaned further forward, tangling her fingers in his hair like they were the only thing that were keeping her upright. He nearly smiled against her, but he didn’t want to risk ruining her fun, so he did his best to suppress it and keep kissing her clit, just how she liked.

 

Words were fine, great, even; but Annie much preferred actions, and she was a big fan of actions like these. So, he fell into an easy rhythm and Annie gasped again, and he decided that this was also a perfect way to show Annie just how much he loved her.

Notes:

I do hope you enjoyed this one. If you didn't, I suppose it sucks to suck :)

Ty for reading <3

Chapter 28: a little hell

Notes:

Trigger warning for this chapter: there's a scene of sexual harassment in this chapter (SPOILER: filming of a sexual act that was not consented to), so if that isn't something you feel you are able to read about, I wouldn't recommend this chapter. Stay safe y'all.

“Jesus Christ, Eren,” said Armin, averting his gaze. “You’re wearing that?”

 

“What?” said Eren. “Mikasa picked it out.”

 

What Eren was wearing was interesting, to say the least. He was all red leather and devil horns, but he was basically shirtless. Armin supposed the leather straps crossing over his chest could be considered as some sort of T-shirt, but that would be a bit of a stretch to say. Armin supposed it wouldn’t have looked so painful to the eye if he hadn’t been wearing bright red nipple pasties shaped like devil-face emojis.

 

He thanked God he was at least wearing pants, but even those were too tight and made of the same shiny leather.

 

“It’s … something,” said Armin finally. “I see why Mikasa picked it out.”

 

Eren beamed. “Thank you.”

 

Armin wasn’t going to clarify that it wasn’t necessarily a compliment, so he just forced a smile and said, “You’re welcome.”

 

“There was a tail,” said Eren. “But uh … it was hard to find any that were … safe for work.”

 

Armin grimaced. “I’m really glad you decided not to do that, then.”

 

“They looked good,” said Eren.

 

“I really don’t need to hear more,” said Armin. “And you really don’t need to get charged with public indecency.”

 

Eren sighed, almost like the thought that he could get arrested from walking around with a devil tail sticking out of his ass hadn’t crossed his mind. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

 

“Yeah,” said Armin, his voice a little tired. “I know.”

 

Eren raised his eyebrows. “Are you wearing a shirt?”

 

Armin’s eyebrows drew together. “Of course I am. Just a white T-shirt.”

 

“You’re not gonna be shirtless?” asked Eren.

 

“I didn’t even know that was allowed,” said Armin. “But no. Annie picked out the costumes.”

 

“I know,” said Eren, flashing him a grin. “That’s why I thought yours wouldn’t include a shirt.”

 

Armin rolled his eyes. “Well, clearly she couldn’t find any slutty angel costumes for men, okay?”

 

“She really wasn’t looking hard enough,” said Eren. “I could have asked Mikasa to look around for you.”

 

“It’s really fine,” said Armin. “I don’t want to be shirtless all night.”

 

Eren sighed. “Suit yourself.”

 

Armin wasn’t all that sure whether Ymir would even let Eren through the door with those horrible nipple pasties, but he decided it wasn’t worth telling him that; he wouldn’t listen unless he heard it from Ymir himself. Then again, there was also a good chance that Ymir would let him in just so he could get an ear-full from Historia about wearing emoji nipple pasties to her end of year party.

 

“Are you not getting dressed soon?” asked Eren.

 

“Isn’t it not for like another hour?” asked Armin.

 

“Dude,” said Eren, eyebrows raising. “It’s in like ten minutes.”

 

Armin’s eyes widened. “What?”

 

“Yeah, man,” said Eren. “It starts at seven. We’ll already be fashionably late by the time we get there.”

 

“Why isn’t Mikasa here yet?” asked Armin, reaching into his wardrobe to yank out his clothes.

 

“She’ll be here in like a min –”

 

Eren was interrupted by a heavy knock on the door.

 

“That’ll probably be her,” said Eren, making his way to the door.

 

Armin didn’t answer. He was too busy stripping down into his boxers to pull over his shockingly bright white outfit. It was simple: just a plain white T-shirt and matching white pants, along with some shiny new white sneakers Annie had gotten him. He’d told her he’d wear something a little less comfortable considering she’d be in heels, but she’d been adamant it was fine – she hadn’t wanted him to be uncomfortable all night and, anyway, she was more than okay walking in heels.

 

“Hey,” said Eren, and back came Mikasa’s gentle, “Hey.”

 

“You look hot as hell,” said Eren.

 

“So do you,” she said, and there was the wet smack of lips on lips as Armin slid into his pants.

 

The door clicked shut and Armin heard Mikasa ask, “Armin? Are you not ready yet?”

 

“He thought it was in an hour,” said Eren.

 

He turned around as he zipped his pants up. Mikasa was wearing a tight, shiny red leather dress that stopped mid-thigh, along with high red heels that made her tower over him. She had a matching red handbag thrown over her shoulder, and in her other hand she held a plastic pitchfork. She also had the same devil horn headband on her head that Eren did.

 

“You look good,” said Armin, reaching out for his T-shirt.

 

“Thanks,” said Mikasa. “You don’t look dressed at all.”

 

He sighed. “Yeah, I know.”

 

“Weren’t you supposed to be meeting Annie?” she asked.

 

“Oh, shit,” he said.

 

“Hey, it’s okay,” said Eren. “He’s nearly dressed.”

 

Armin grabbed a pair of white socks and fumbled them over his feet before he quickly stepped into his sneakers. He ran for his phone, which was charging on his nightstand, and opened his messages with Annie.

 

ME

Running late

Thought the party was in an hour

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Idiot

It’s fine

Meet you there?

 

ME

If that’s okay :)

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Try and hurry

Hitch is already drunk

 

ME

Already???

She’s not even there yet

 

ROCKSTAR <3

God, I know

So hurry

Or you’ll never see me in this costume

 

That wasn’t exactly something he wanted to miss out on. Marlowe would probably just take Hitch home, but Annie wouldn’t want to linger on her own for very long. Reiner and Bertholdt would be there, of course, but God only knew what they would end up getting up to at this party. Then again, it was the end of year party – he imagined a lot of couples would be up to a lot of things. It was sort of a given at this point.

 

“Armin,” said Mikasa, and he turned to glance at her.

 

She was holding out his wings and halo.

 

“Oh, thank you,” he said, placing his phone back down.

 

She helped him shimmy into the wings and then it was only a matter of putting on his halo headband. It looked fine, but he had a strong feeling Annie would look a lot more ethereal in her angel costume than he did in his.

 

“Want a glass of wine?” asked Eren. “I’ve got rosé!”

 

“Rosé?” asked Armin, his eyebrows drawing together.

 

Eren had already poured him a glass and was handing it to him. “It’s strong. Like, really, really strong. So be careful. You’ve ate, right?”

 

Armin nodded. “Yeah.”

 

“Good. You’d be on the floor if not.”

 

The first sip told Armin all he needed to know. It was almost difficult to not wince at its strength – could this even be classed as wine anymore? It certainly didn’t quite taste like it. Then again, most of the wine he’d be drinking was Eren’s brother’s home-made stuff which really shouldn’t have been considered a standard.

 

Eren had already finished his glass and had placed it back on his desk.

 

“We don’t have a lot of time,” he said with a sigh.

 

Armin’s eyes widened. He was about three painful gulps in. “You literally just gave me this.”

 

“You just have to be quick,” said Mikasa, who was refilling herself a second glass.

 

Armin sighed heavily, his eyebrows furrowing at the glass. Oh, fuck it. He really wanted to see Annie in that costume, anyway.

 

It wasn’t easy to down that drink, but he managed to do it, although afterwards it left him wincing and grimacing. Eren practically cheered, and then only a second passed before Mikasa had reached the end of her glass – and they were ready to go.

 

“Okay, hurry up,” said Eren as they stepped outside of their dorm room. “It isn’t a short walk and I might get cold.”

 

“It’s basically summer,” said Mikasa, waving him off. “You’ll be okay.”

 

“We’re walking?” asked Armin.

 

“Well, did you book an Uber?” asked Eren.

 

He frowned. “No, I didn’t. I just didn’t know we’d be walking.”

Mikasa sighed. “I don’t know if Eren’s costume is Uber-appropriate.”

 

Armin sighed. “Okay, okay. Walking it is.”

 

“What’s wrong?” asked Mikasa. “I thought you were fine with walking. We’ve done it before.”

 

“I am, it’s just …”

 

Armin let his words trail off. He wasn’t about to say it to them: he was eager to see Annie. They’d never gone to one of these parties as a couple and he was pretty excited to be there with her, even if they couldn’t completely act like a couple. He wanted to see how pretty she looked in her little angel costume and he wanted to kiss her on the balcony.

 

But he didn’t need to say any of those things, anyway, because Eren’s face exploded into a grin.

 

“Oh, I get it,” he said. “He just wants to see Annie in her sexy angel costume.”

 

His face flushed. “It’s not like that.”

 

“Is it sexy?” asked Mikasa. “I thought Annie might have gone for a sexy devil, but I guess sexy angel could work, too.”

 

“It’s just a cute costume,” said Armin weakly.

 

“Cute?” said Eren. “You think she looks cute in it?”

 

“I haven’t seen her in it,” he said.

 

“Oh, okay,” said Eren. “So you’re eager to see her in it, then?”

 

His face grew crimson. “Let’s just go, okay?”

 

Armin could practically feel Eren’s grin burning into his back as he quickly walked ahead.

 

As they walked, they quickly fell into step with each other, although Armin was determined to walk ahead if Eren’s teasing got any worse. He was glad that Mikasa wasn’t really joining in with the teasing like she often eagerly did. Maybe she knew he wasn’t particularly in the mood to take it.

 

It wasn’t that he was in a bad mood. At most, he was nervous, but he was excited to spend the evening with Annie. Apart from the party that Eren hadn’t been able to attend, he usually got ditched at these parties. It would be nice to have her to be with and, if he was honest, it would be nice to be the one doing the ditching for once. Not that they’d be ditching for the same reason, or at least, he didn’t expect to. They’d only just had sex a few days ago – he doubted Annie would be comfortable enough to get up to something here.

 

He shook his head. He needed to get his head out of the gutter. He was getting as bad as his friends were. Although now, with Annie, he was starting to understand why they’d been so thoughtless before.

 

When the sorority house came into view, Armin’s shoulders relaxed. They’d all been walking a little quicker, even with Mikasa in her heels – he really did have to give her credit for that because they looked lethal.

 

He caught sight of Ymir on the porch dressed in some sort of Lucifer-esque suit, with fake red devil horns which were shockingly un-tacky.

 

“Hey, Arlert. No lace today?”

 

His face fell and Ymir grinned.

 

He cleared his throat. “No.”

 

“Armin?” said Eren. “What’s she talking about?”

 

Ymir waved him off. “Just an inside joke, Yeager. Don’t worry about it.” But she grinned again. “I’m glad you’re here, though.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why?”

 

She stepped back and pushed open the door, letting the pounding sound of pop music roll through the door.

 

“There’s a keg in there with your name on it,” she said.

 

“Oh, no,” he said, shaking his head. “I can’t do a keg. No one can lift –”

 

“Oh, don’t worry!” she said. “Reiner’s already agreed to do it.”

 

Armin’s stomach dropped. “Seriously?”

 

“Yeah!” she said.

 

“Hey, didn’t you get black-out drunk the last time you were on a keg?” asked Eren.

 

He frowned. “Yeah. That’s why –”

 

“Armin!” came Reiner’s voice from inside the building.

 

“Oh, God,” he murmured.

 

“You can run,” offered Mikasa. “I’ll distract him.”

 

But it was too late because Reiner’s grinning face appeared in the doorway.

 

“Glad you’re finally here!” he said. “Annie’s been moping.”

 

Ymir nudged him inside. “Get in there. We’ve literally been fighting Hitch off of the keg for the past half hour.”

 

“Yeah,” said Reiner. “At this point, you’d be doing her a favour by drinking it. She’s already hammered.”

 

“Come on,” said Eren, pushing at his back. “The sooner you start the keg, the sooner it’s over.”

 

The party was crowded and when Eren shoved him inside with Mikasa only a few steps behind them, he managed to get a full glimpse of what Reiner was wearing. It was an incredibly tight-fitting red latex body suit, with tacky devil horns and an even tackier pitchfork. When he glanced around, it seemed like a lot of people had decided to go with devil costumes. At least that might make Annie easier to find.

 

But as it turned out, Annie wasn’t difficult to find at all. There was a small clearing where the keg was set up, and he didn’t quite see her at first amongst the crowd, but when he stumbled towards the keg, Reiner right behind him, that’s when he saw her.

 

She had her hand on Hitch’s arm, trying to reason with her about something – from the sound’s of it, it was something to do with not drinking the keg –  and she didn’t quite see him at first, not as soon as he saw her. And when he saw her – God, she really was an angel.

 

The costume helped that whole effect. It had looked cute in the pictures, but he’d never seen it on her. She had the same halo headband and strapped wings that he had, but that’s where the similarities ended. She was wearing white heels which gave her an extra inch in height, but she was still tiny. And then, there was the dress she was wearing –  white and just a little too short, ending in some fluffy material that was so cute-sy he suspected that Hitch might have helped her pick it out.

 

Her hair was down and it looked like she’d styled it a little, because it was wavier than normal, but it was cute all the same. Her lips were pink and her eyes shimmered from pale eyeshadow, and then, finally, there was the white eyeliner she was wearing. He’d never seen her wear that before. Had she bought it just for this? He wasn’t sure, but it brought out her eyes in a way he wouldn’t have expected.

 

Her gaze flickered over to him and her face softened. His mouth moved to form a slight smile, but it had only been a few seconds – and his face didn’t even have time to do it because Reiner’s palms slammed down hard on his shoulders.

 

“Alright!” said Reiner. “I’m gonna grab your ankles, okay?”

 

Armin grimaced. “Sure.”

 

“Bert!” called Reiner. “Can I get some help here?”

 

Armin’s eyes caught Bert push through the crowd, wearing a white version of Reiner’s costume.

 

He frowned and glanced at Reiner. “Does he want to do this?”

 

“Definitely!” called Reiner. “Okay, Armin –  you’re gonna have to help us out here.”

 

Armin sighed heavily. “Fine.”

 

At least he didn’t have to look at Annie while he did this. She’d seen him drunk before, embarrassingly so, but she hadn’t seen him on a keg. Well, no –  that wasn’t necessarily true. He couldn’t remember when she saw him on a keg because he’d been so hammered, but they definitely hadn’t been together then. Armin didn’t think him being on a keg was exactly a charming sight.

 

Everything turned into a blur as he chugged and chugged, and when he was finally done and Bert and Reiner lowered his legs back down to the ground, it felt like the entire world was spinning. He coughed and rolled over, supporting himself with his hands as he sat on the ground and tried to adjust to his surroundings.

 

But still, he heard the short round of cheers as everything started to right itself. Then, he noticed Reiner and Bertholdt holding out their hands to help him to his feet. Well, he wasn’t about to reject that offer.

 

He stumbled a little as they pulled him up, but Reiner gripped onto his shoulders to make sure he didn’t fall over.

 

“Thanks,” said Armin.

 

Reiner grinned. “No problem.”

 

“Hey.”

 

Armin glanced to his side and his heart skipped as he met Annie’s eye.

 

He smiled. “Hey.”

 

Her face barely changed. “You’re wearing contacts again.”

 

“Oh, yeah,” he said, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. “I thought it would look nicer with eyeliner.”

 

“You aren’t wearing eyeliner,” she said.

 

“Yeah, but uh … if I’d gotten to your dorm on time, I would be,” he said.

 

She looked at him for a moment before she rolled her eyes and reached out for his arm. “Okay. Come with me.”

 

His heart jumped again. “Where?”

“I’ll do your eyeliner,” she said as she pulled him away.

 

Armin glanced over his shoulder at Eren and Mikasa and gave them a quick wave, but he regretted looking back almost as soon as he did. Both of them had ridiculous smirks on their faces that made his face warm in an instant, and he turned his head away.

 

Annie took him to the nearest bathroom upstairs, which was fortunately unoccupied, and locked the door behind them. It was white, maybe a little too white, but Armin decided it being ridiculously clean-looking was much better than the alternative.

 

“Here,” she said, nudging at his shoulders. “Sit down.”

 

Armin did what he was told and perched himself on the edge of the bathtub. He watched as she reached into her white handbag, which was in the shape of a heart – he wondered if that was Hitch’s, too – and pulled out what must have been the white eyeliner.

 

“Okay,” she said as she turned towards him. “Close your eyes.”

 

“Okay,” he said quietly, and let his eyes fall shut.

 

He nearly shivered when Annie’s hands rested on his face, but he did his best to stay still as she got to work. That didn’t mean he couldn’t speak, though.

 

“You look beautiful,” he said.

 

Annie snorted. “How much can you see with your eyes closed?”

 

His lips curled. “I saw you before I closed my eyes.”

 

“Uh-huh.”

 

Annie was quiet, but he felt the cool brush of the eyeliner pen’s tip move over his eyelid. In contrast, her fingers were warm – he wondered how much she’d drank yet. She seemed sober, but then again, Annie never really got embarrassingly drunk.

 

“You look good, too,” she said. “You looked great on that keg.”

 

He groaned. “Oh, I was really hoping you weren’t gonna mention that.”

 

Annie scoffed. “Why wouldn’t I? It was impressive.”

 

But everything from Annie’s tone suggested that it wasn’t at all.

 

“You’re making fun of me,” he said. “And I can’t even defend myself. That’s low.”

 

She laughed. “What do you mean, you can’t defend yourself?”

 

“I’m in a very vulnerable position right now.”

 

Annie let out a huff of laughter. “Because I’m doing your eyeliner?”

 

“Yes. I’m basically at your mercy.”

 

She snorted. “Okay. I’ll stop being so cruel.”

 

“Thank you,” he said, his lips curved in a smile.

 

“I can be much nicer,” she said. “If you’d like.”

 

“Can you?”

 

Annie hummed and withdrew, a slight click sounding as she placed the lid back on the pen before dropping it in her handbag. “I think so.”

 

“In that case,” he began, “I’d really –”

 

But he was cut off by the press of Annie’s lips against his and he quickly decided that what he had to say hadn’t been that important at all.

 

Her lips were soft and warm, and she tasted like vanilla – maybe it was her lipstick. That didn’t really matter, though. Armin let his hands rise to her face and she sighed against him, so softly it made his heart flutter in his chest.

 

When she pulled away from him a few moments later, his lips tingling, she rested her forehead against his and hummed.

 

“Was that nice?” she asked.

 

“Yeah,” he said. “It was heavenly.”

 

Annie snorted and pulled back, but Armin’s hands immediately moved down to reach for her hands. She stayed where she was after that, but Armin noticed the way her lips were threatening to turn upwards.

 

“What?” he asked gently.

 

“Nothing,” she said with a slight shake of her head. “You have lipstick on your mouth.”

 

He let out a huff of laughter. “Well, you kind of put it there.”

 

“True,” she said. Then, she added, “I can put some more there, if you’d like.”

 

He swallowed. “I’d really like that, actually.”

 

Annie’s lips curled and she leaned forward again. This time, she moved her hands to thread through the hair at the back of his head, and it sent a tingle down the back of his neck. He made a small sound against her lips and let his hands find her face again, cupping her gently as they kissed.

 

The kiss was gentle and sweet, at least until Annie tightened her grip on his hair and bit down on his bottom lip, maybe harder than she ever had.

 

He gasped loudly, and Annie’s lips curled against his.

 

“Not,” he said between her kisses, “fair.”

 

“Since when am I ever fair?” she whispered.

 

He nearly shivered. “Touche.”

 

She let out a laugh and recaptured his mouth, and now her kisses were a little more demanding, but Armin was more than happy to oblige.

 

He tried to kiss her back with the same amount of fervour and he was delighted when she made a small noise of please against his lips. This only encouraged him more, and he had a very devilish thought – maybe Annie could take as much as she gave out.

 

So, when the opportunity arrived and he had more control of their kiss, he leaned forward and bit down on her bottom lip almost as hard as she had, and she gasped even louder than he did.

 

Armin pressed his lips over hers gently, but she made a tiny noise of complaint against him, and he pulled back.

 

“Not fair,” she said.

 

His face was soft only for a moment, but then it was almost impossible to fight the smile curling at his lips.

 

Her face was crimson. Maybe it was just because of how much white she was wearing, but he wasn’t quite sure he’d ever seen her blush so much.

 

“If you don’t play fair,” he said, “why should I?”

“Because you’re supposed to be nicer than me.”

 

He smiled. “I like to think we’re as bad as each other.”

 

She scoffed and folded her arms, but her face was still pink as she looked away.

 

Gently, Armin rose from the edge of the bath and tilted her head towards him.

 

He smiled. “You’re so beautiful.”

 

She huffed. “Flattery won’t get you anywhere right now.”

 

“I’m not trying to get anywhere,” he said.

 

“No?” she said.

 

“No,” he said gently.

 

Annie hummed, but she didn’t say much else. So, tentatively, Armin leaned down and pressed his lips to hers again.

 

It was soft and chaste, but Annie didn’t hesitate to respond. Their kiss must have only lasted a few moments, but Armin was almost completely lost in it. In fact, he was so lost in the sweetness of her mouth that the harsh knock at the door nearly made him jump.

 

“Are you almost done in there? I need to change my tampon.”

 

“Just a minute!” called Annie, glancing up at him.

 

Armin reached up and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, eyebrows furrowing.

 

“Do I still have lipstick on my mouth?” he whispered.

 

Annie nodded. “Here. I’ll get it.”

 

She was quick to reach into her bag and pull out a tiny pack of make-up wipes. The flavour wasn’t exactly desirable – he wasn’t the biggest fan of aloe vera – but it did the job quick enough. Annie quickly removed what remained of hers before slinging her handbag over her shoulder.

 

She gave him a nod, and he gave one back before he let out a breath and reached forward to unlock the door.

 

“Oh, thank God,” said Historia as the door swung open. “I’m nearly leaking here.”

 

She stepped forward to push past them, but then she seemed to freeze in place as her eyes flicked between them.

 

He could see the cogs turning in her head as she looked at them and his stomach sank.

 

He reached up to rub the back of his neck and said, “Uh … Annie was just doing my eyeliner for me.”

 

She looked at him for a moment longer than felt natural, but she eventually looked away. “Great. Can I get in there now?”

 

“Oh, right,” he said, stepping aside at the same time Annie did. “Sorry.”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” she sighed, and then the door slammed shut behind her.

 

Armin and Annie both paused for a moment outside of the door, maybe a little too awkwardly, and he threw her a glance her way. Her lipstick was all but gone now, but he could almost still see the way it had smudged from her kissing him.

 

Finally, she said, “Come on. Your friends will be wondering where you are.”

 

Armin nodded, but he almost felt his heart sink. He would have much preferred to spend time alone up here in some random bedroom or closet with Annie than go back down for the rest of the party. It wasn’t like he wouldn’t have fun – but he knew he’d have much more fun with her.

 

As they made their way down the staircase, Armin became aware of how drowned out the music was by chanting. He nearly shook his head. There must have been some other poor idiot on some keg.

 

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” said Annie as they rounded the corner.

 

“What?” he said. “Is everything –”

 

He didn’t bother finishing his sentence because he caught sight of Reiner and Bertholdt holding up Hitch’s legs as she had her own go at a keg.

 

“Oh my God,” he said.

 

“Hey!” called Eren, and Armin glanced up over to him. “She’s doing better than you.”

 

Annie scoffed and said, under her breath, “That’s not hard.”

 

It wasn’t hard, but that was entirely because of Hitch’s drinking prowess and less about his ability to drink from a keg. Not that he would have been offended if that was what she’d meant.

 

When Hitch finished, the whole space burst out into cheering, even though she practically fell to the floor. Reiner and Bertholdt moved to help her back up to her feet, and when she was upright, she thrusted her arms into the air and yelled, “Woo!”

 

“Oh God,” muttered Annie, dropping her head into her hands.

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed . “Where’s Marlowe? He usually would stop this –”

 

“I locked him in the bathroom,” said Ymir from beside him.

 

He nearly jumped. “You what?”

 

She waved him off. “Look, she kept asking and asking to go on the keg, and he thought it was a bad idea. So, he’s locked in the bathroom.”

 

“Uh … do you not think you should let him out?” he asked.

 

Ymir paused. “In a minute.”

Annie sighed. “Which one is he in? I’ll go unlock it.”

 

“Last one down the hall upstairs,” she said. “It has an outside lock. Don’t ask.”

 

“I really won’t,” she said. Then, she turned to Armin and added, “Please keep an eye on Hitch for me.”

 

“Yeah,” he said, offering her a smile. “Sure.”

 

“Okay,” she sighed, before turning around and moving to make her way up the stairs again.

 

Armin went to move forward to where Hitch was standing between Reiner and Bertholdt, chatting about God only knew what, but he was stopped by a strong grip on his wrist.

 

“Wait a minute,” said Ymir, pulling him back.

 

His eyebrows furrowed . “What?”

 

She smirked. “So, how are things going?”

 

His eyebrows rose. “How are things …?”

 

“You know,” she said, gesturing towards the stairs. “With your little angel up there.”

 

“Oh,” he said, face warming. “They’re … they’re going great.”

 

She grinned in a way that made his stomach sink. “Has she rocked your little world yet?”

 

His eyes widened. “What?”

 

“You know,” she said. “Popped your cherry? Stamped your V-card?”

 

“Oh. Uh, I –”

 

“Have you parked your pink Porsche in her garage?” she said.

 

Armin’s face burned. “Are you really asking me that?”

 

“Yeah,” she said, shoving his shoulder. “But you don’t have to answer. I’m yanking your chain.”

 

“Yeah,” he said with a nervous laugh. “I could tell.” Then, he swallowed and said, quietly, “But … yeah.”

 

“Yeah?” she said.

 

“Yeah,” he said. “We’ve … yeah.”

 

“Well, congrats man!” she said. “You’re one step closer to walking into Victoria’s Secret and not looking so terrified.”

 

He smiled. “Yeah. But .. uh … I still think it’ll be a little while for that.”

 

She laughed. “You’ll get used to it.”

 

“Thanks,” he said. Then, his face fell. “Oh. I should probably go and check on Hitch. I’ll –”

 

Someone’s hands came down on his shoulders so hard that he nearly felt his heart jump out of his body.

 

“Hey, Lover Boy!” came a familiar voice, slurred from far too much alcohol.

 

“Hey,” he said, and he caught sight of Ymir’s grin. “Hey, Hitch.”

 

“Hey!” she said again, far too loudly in his ear.

 

He pried her fingers off of his shoulders and twisted around to face her. “You okay?”

 

“Oh, I’m great,” she said. “Did you see me on the keg?”

 

“Yeah,” he said.

 

“I was so much better than you,” she said.

 

“Uh, yeah,” he said, letting out a small laugh. “Well, that’s not really hard.”

 

“What were you guys whispering about, anyway?” she asked.

 

“Oh, nothing, really,” he said quickly.

 

“Nothing important,” said Ymir. “Parking cars in garages and stuff.”

 

Armin’s face warmed, and he opened his mouth to protest, but Hitch spoke first.

 

“Oh,” she said, eyebrows furrowing. “I didn’t think you had a car.”

 

“I don’t,” said Armin, at around the same time Ymir said, “It’s a pretty speedy model.”

 

Fortunately, Hitch wasn’t actually all that interested, because when she saw a flash of colour against the back wall, her attention immediately disappeared.

 

“Is that like a movie screen?” she asked.

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed as he glanced over to where Hitch’s attention was focused. On the plain wall was a flurry of projected movement, and it took Armin only a few seconds to realise it was probably the music video for the song that was playing.

 

“It’s just a projector,” said Ymir. “I think that’s my phone connected to it still.”

 

“Holy shit,” said Hitch. “You have a projector?”

 

“I don’t,” said Ymir. “I don’t live here.”

 

“Oh. Right,” said Hitch. “I forgot.”

 

Armin thought the whole thing was a little excessive, and he thought Ymir might have thought so, too, from the way she was looking at it. Still, that didn’t stop her from having the whole set up connected to her phone.

 

“You can connect, if you want,” said Ymir. “But the sound’s turned off – it’s just for the video.”

 

Hitch frowned. “That’s no fun.”

 

“You can put the sound on,” she said. “You just need to turn off the speaker first.” Then, she added, “If you can find it.”

 

Hitch sighed. “Too much effort.”

 

“Hitch!”

 

They all glanced towards the stairs to see a very concerned-looking Marlowe scurrying down the steps, Annie only a little bit behind him.

 

“Marlowe!” called Hitch, a smile on her face. “You were at the bathroom a long time.”

 

He cast Ymir a dirty look. “Someone locked me in.”

 

Ymir rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t worry about it, big guy. Maybe use a less vulnerable bathroom from now on.”

 

“You took me to that one,” he said pointedly.

 

“Well, now you know not to use that one,” she said.

 

“Who has a lock on the outside of a bathroom?” he asked.

 

“Yeah,” said Annie, her voice as flat as ever as she appeared beside him. “It makes you think what they were doing with this place before it became a sorority.”

 

“Historia says it’s haunted,” said Ymir with a shake of her head. “So God knows what people used to do in this place before hand.”

 

“It’s haunted?!”

 

Armin’s head turned to see Mikasa only a few metres away, her eyes wide with excitement.

 

“Apparently,” said Ymir. “I don’t believe in that shit.”

 

“Ymir,” she said, stepping towards her with a determination Armin hadn’t quite seen before. “Please let me hold a seance in your house.”

 

“This isn’t my house.”

 

“It’s Historia’s. Close enough.”

 

Ymir sighed. “I’ll ask her when she comes downstairs.”

 

“She’s upstairs?” asked Mikasa, her eyes wide.

 

“She was changing her tampon.”

 

“I’m not!” came Historia’s voice from the stairs.

 

They all turned to see her walking down the stairway, her face a mask of boredom.

 

“I was,” she said. “But I was just retouching my make-up in my room.” Then, her face twisted. “I wouldn’t go near that bathroom, though, if I were you.”

 

Ymir’s lips twitched. “What did you do in there?”

 

“Not me,” she said. “I tried to go back in because I wanted my hairbrush, but … well, the boys in there didn’t lock the door and I saw a lot more than I wanted to.”

 

Eren’s eyebrows drew together. “Who?”

 

“Jean Kirstein, from the looks of it,” said Historia, grimacing. “Bent over the bathtub. I didn’t see the guy, but I saw too much.”

 

Eren laughed and nudged Mikasa. “That’s where Marco is, then.”

 

Historia sighed. “I know everyone fucks at these parties, but at least lock the door.”

 

“Noted,” said Hitch, and Marlowe’s face turned pink.

 

Ymir wrapped her arm around Historia’s shoulder. “Need me to give them a talking to, babe?”

 

Historia shook her head. “No, don’t. I don’t need you to go and see what I just saw.” Then, she added, “What I really need is a drink.”

 

Ymir placed a kiss on her cheek. “On it.”

 

When Ymir pushed past, Marlowe was still glowering at her back in a way that was almost comical. If Armin had been in his position, he imagined that he’d be pretty pissed, too, but from an outside perspective, he was finding it had to suppress a smile.

 

His face softened and he glanced at Hitch with a concerned expression. “How much did you drink?”

 

She smiled. “Like a whole keg.”

 

His eyebrows jumped. “A whole keg?”

 

“I think she’s exaggerating,” said Mikasa. “Anway, more importantly – Historia?”

 

“Yeah?” she said.

 

“Ymir says this place is haunted,” she said, excitement coming into her voice. “Is that true?”

 

“Pretty sure,” said Historia. “It’s really freaky at night. I usually get Ymir to stay over as much as possible.”

 

“Historia,” said Mikasa, stepping forward to take her hands. “Please let me contact the spirits in your house.”

 

“Excuse me?” she asked.

 

“Can I do a seance?” she asked.

 

“What, like that thing with a ouija board?” she asked.

 

“Not quite,” said Mikasa. “But basically.”

 

Historia sighed. “Fine. But not tonight. I don’t need any real devils at my party.”

 

Mikasa beamed. “Oh, thank you so much!”

 

“No problem,” she said, awkwardly dropping Mikasa’s hands.

 

In the distance, there was a distant round of cheering – clearly, another victim on another keg, and their heads all turned to the source.

 

Armin couldn’t quite see through the crowd, but Eren clearly could because his face soured when he turned around.

 

“Floch’s on the keg,” said Eren.

 

Annie scowled. “That douchebag’s here?”

 

Historia shrugged. “I invite everyone on campus. It’s just a thing.” Then, she added, “But if anyone wants to spill your drink on him, you’re more than welcome.”

 

“I might take you up on that offer,” said Annie lowly.

 

“Babe,” said Ymir, pushing through them with two cups. “Here.”

 

“Oh, thank God,” she said, and she immediately downed her drink. She let out a breath when she was done before dropping the empty paper cup to the ground. “Can I get another?”

 

Ymir put offered her the other cup. “Already ahead of you.”

 

“Marlowe?” asked Hitch, her voice sweet but still a little slurred. “Can you get me a drink?”

 

“No,” he said flatly. “I’m not taking you to the emergency room.”

 

She pouted. “But why?”

 

“Why am I not taking you to the emergency room?” he asked.

 

“No,” said Hitch, “I mean …”

 

Marlowe and Hitch’s conversation devolved into a small bickering, in which Hitch was insisting she was more than fine to have another drink, whereas Marlowe was absolutely adamant that she should not. They ended up drifting slightly from the circle to argue a little more hushedly, and Armin turned to Annie, his eyebrows furrowed.

 

“Do you think we should help him?” he asked.

 

“Nah,” she said with a sigh. “Poor guy’s more than used to this by now.”

 

He let out a huff. “I can imagine.”

 

His attention was pulled away by the sudden grip of strong fingers on his shoulders and his head snapped forward to meet Mikasa’s firm gaze.

 

“Armin,” she said firmly. “You are my most trusted ally in matters of the occult. Will you help me peruse the ground floor for cold spots?”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Like right now?”

 

“Yes,” she said. “Eren will be helping, too.”

 

“I will be?” asked Eren.

 

“Oh … I don’t know,” said Armin. “I’m not really sure if –”

 

“Too late,” said Annie, reaching forward for his arm. “I already asked him to help me with something.”

 

Mikasa’s eyebrows furrowed. “With what?”

 

“I hate my eyeliner,” she said. “I’m doing redoing it black, but I need a second pair of eyes.”

 

“Oh, yeah,” said Armin, offering Mikasa a sympathetic smile. “Sorry.”

 

Mikasa sighed. “Fine. Eren – let’s get started in the kitchen.”

 

Eren cast a glance his way, his eyebrows pinched together, but Mikasa was already dragging him away so he had no choice but to turn away.

 

Annie gently pulled at his arm. “You coming or what?”

 

“Oh,” he said, offering her a smile. “Uh, yeah.”

 

When they reached the privacy of the hallway upstairs, Armin considered asking where Annie was taking him. For a second, he suspected it was the balcony – it was usually devoid of all life and would definitely offer them some much needed privacy. But that wasn’t where she guided him. Instead, she pushed open the only door that was left ajar – Historia’s bedroom.

 

She gently nudged it shut as they stepped inside, and she let out a breath.

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Is everything okay?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “I think I hate parties now.”

 

Armin smiled. “What makes you say that?”

 

“Well,” she said. “Maybe parties where Hitch is wasted.”

 

He let out a huff. “So, every party?”

 

She scoffed. “Yeah. I guess.”

 

“We can leave whenever you want, you know,” he offered.

 

She shook her head. “No. We’ve barely been here that long. It’ll get better once Marlowe reigns her in.”

 

“Okay,” he said tentatively. “But just … let me know if you aren’t having fun.”

 

“I think it’s fine,” she said. “I have more fun alone with you, anyway.”

 

He smiled. “Is this flattery you’re using?”

 

She scoffed and folded her arms over her chest. “Oh, you wish.”

 

His smile was still soft, but he shook his head. Then, he moved over to Historia’s perfectly made bed and lowered himself down, letting out a sigh as he did.

 

But Annie was still standing, her eyebrows furrowed as her eyes were fixed on something. It took him a second to realise that she was looking intently at something on Historia’s desk.

 

“Annie?” he asked. “Is everything okay?”

 

“Yeah,” she said, lowering her arms as she approached the desk.

 

His eyebrows pinched together as she reached the desk, but he stayed quiet. She picked up the open notebook on the desk, covered in beautiful blue swirls, and her face only seemed to grow even more confused as she looked closer.

 

“What is it?” he asked.

 

Annie flicked back through the pages. “I’m not sure. But …”

 

She flicked again and stayed quiet as her eyes scanned the page. Then, she flipped forward again, reading each word Historia had scrawled on the lined paper, before she eventually barked out a laugh.

 

“What?” he asked gently.

 

Annie shook her head and held the notebook out for him. “The ramblings of a madwoman.”

 

His eyebrows were still furrowed as he took the notebook from her hand and started reading everything Historia had written.

 

Armin and Annie were already dating, so it would make sense if they were dating again.

 

At the same time, it would make sense if he rebounded with Mikasa since they’re basically best friends.

 

Him and Mikasa were half-naked in MY room that one time. Why? There’s only one reason why.

 

But him and Annie are still weirdly close.

 

He was acting strange in the library the other day. He was definitely making out with someone. I think Mikasa had class at that time, so it must have been Annie.

 

Armin stopped before he could finish, his eyebrows furrowed as he lifted his head to meet Annie’s face.

 

“This is …”

 

“So fucking funny,” she said, her lips curling. She scoffed. “She’s been tracking you.”

 

He glanced back down at the pages. “Does this mean I have a stalker?”

 

“Maybe,” she said. “But she’s not interested in you. She’s just interested in who you’re dating.” Then, she added, “Which is still insane, but at least it’s not scary.”

 

Armin’s lips curled and he shook his head. “This is insane.”

 

Annie laughed, one of those slight, warm sounds that tickled his heart. “What do you think she’ll do when she finds out?”

 

“Who knows?” he said. He scoffed. “Ymir was saying something weird the other day. About how Historia was figuring things out about my relationship status.”

 

Annie let out a laugh. “Yeah, she’s definitely trying to figure something out. But from the looks of it, she’s not really getting any closer.”

He laughed. “Yeah, it doesn’t look like it.”

 

Annie sighed and took the notebook from his hands before placing it back down in the exact position she’d found it in on Historia’s desk. Then, she stepped forward and gently dropped down on the bed, before shuffling closer to him, so close their thighs were touching.

 

She dropped her head against his shoulder and he smiled.

 

“You already worn out?” he asked gently.

 

She snorted. “Emotionally, maybe.”

 

He let out a huff. “How long do you think until Hitch vomits on something?”

 

“Maybe half an hour,” she said flatly.

 

He laughed. “That’s ambitious. I was going to say ten minutes.”

 

She let out a breath of laughter. “She could do it twice.”

 

He smiled. “That’s very possible.”

 

Annie hummed, but she didn’t say anything else for a moment. Instead, they just sat there in the quiet, with the distant sound of the music downstairs thumbing through the floor.

 

“I meant to say,” she said quietly. “You look hot.”

 

His eyebrows raised. “I do?”

“Yeah,” she said, lifting her head. “You do.”

 

Their eyes met and Armin felt his heart ache with warmth.

 

He smiled again. “You look very hot, too.”

 

Her lips twitched. “Yeah?”

 

“Oh, yeah,” he said. “Like … dangerously hot. Like you need a temperature warning or something.”

 

Annie laughed and his smile widened.

 

“You’re ridiculous,” she said with a shake of her head.

 

“You like it,” he said lightly.

 

“Too much, maybe,” she said, but she was smiling.

 

“Maybe,” he offered.

 

Annie hummed, but he noticed the way her eyes had drifted down to his lips, and his smile softened. She glanced back up at him again and his heart skipped.

 

“You look so pretty,” he whispered.

 

She smiled again. “Yeah?”

 

He nodded. “Yeah. You’re gorgeous.”

 

“So are you,” she said quietly.

 

Then, her hand was on his cheek and he was leaning forward, and before he knew it, their lips were pressed together.

 

The kiss was soft and short, but it sent a thrill straight through him, and he couldn’t help but sigh against her mouth.

 

When she pulled back only a few moments later, all he wanted was to lean forward again and recapture her lips, but something stopped him.

 

Her lips had twitched up in one of those sly smiles and it distracted him for a second.

 

“What?” he asked.

 

Her smile softened. “Do you know this song?”

 

He shook his head. “No.”

 

Annie threaded her fingers through his. “It’s called This Hell.”

 

He let out a huff of laughter through his nose. “Nice to see Historia’s staying on theme.”

 

She scoffed. “It’s not really like Historia to go little, you know?”

 

“Doesn’t seem like it,” he said, rubbing his thumb over her hand.

 

Her eyes met his again, and just like that, everything felt different. His heart seemed to start beating even faster in his chest, and he was lost in her gaze. The white of her eyeliner made her eyes even more startling; it was nearly enchanting.

 

“I love you,” she said gently.

 

His heart warmed in an instant. Those three little words from her lips worked wonders on him in a way no others could.

 

“I love you, too,” he said softly. Then, he smiled. “What’s got you saying this now?”

 

Annie shrugged. “Maybe I’m feeling sentimental.”

 

His smile was still warm. “Maybe you’re getting soft.”

 

She jabbed him in the chest. “I am not.”

 

He laughed. “Okay, okay. You’re not.”

 

Annie glanced down and shrugged again. “I don’t know. It’s … isn’t it weird that we just aren’t going to be back here for months?”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Are you gonna miss this sorority house?”

 

She scoffed. “Maybe not the parties, or Hitch getting black out drunk.” But then, after a pause, she said, “I think I’ve gotten attached to it.”

 

His face softened. “Really?”

 

She snorted. “It’s dumb. I think it’s like the whole vaping thing. It’s just …”

 

“It’s okay,” he said gently. “You don’t have to explain yourself. I get it.”

 

Her eyes rose to his. “You do?”

 

He smiled. “Yeah. It makes a lot of sense.” Then, he added, “I think it’s just more evidence of you getting soft, though.”

 

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Oh, you’ll regret that.”

He grinned. “Will I?”

 

“Uh-huh,” she said, and then Annie started moving.

 

He was about to scramble up the bed to get away, but Annie was quicker than him – soon, he was pinned down by her legs as she straddled him, holding his arms down just above his head as he lay flat on the bed.

 

He smiled again. “Is this how I’m being made to regret my actions?”

 

“Maybe,” she said.

 

She shifted then, gently dragging her hands down his arms to his chest. She glanced down at him, almost curiously, before she bit her lip in a way that made it seem like there was something on her mind.

 

His eyebrows drew together. “Is everything okay?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. Then, she reached for the strap over her shoulder and said, “Wait.”

 

She pulled her handbag off and tossed it behind them somewhere on the bed.

 

She replaced her hands back down on his chest so lightly it nearly made him tingle all over. Then, she said, “Your heart’s beating really fast.”

 

Just like that, his heart skipped. He wondered if she felt that beneath her fingertips.

 

He swallowed, now a little nervous. “Is it?”

 

She nodded again. “Are you nervous?”

 

He let out a light laugh. “About what?”

 

Her lips twitched. “Am I making you nervous?”

 

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “You don’t make me nervous.”

 

Her voice was gentle. “Is it something else, then?”

 

He parted his lips, but his words were cut off by a gasp when Annie very deliberately rolled her hips in his lap.

 

“Annie,” he said, fingers gripping harder into her hips. “That’s – you –”

 

“Sorry,” she said, pulling her hands back. “I just … I thought …”

 

“No,” he said, sitting up to meet her. “No. No, it’s not … I just wasn’t expecting that.”

 

“I got that,” she said, wincing. “I read the room wrong.”

 

He let out a light laugh. “You didn’t.”

 

He cupped her face and leaned forward, gently pressing his lips to hers. It was soft and sweet, and over only a few moments later – but still, he could barely contain a smile when he saw her face again.

 

It settled quickly, though, because he asked, “Do you want to … do something here?”

 

Her cheeks were pink. “I shouldn’t have done that. That was just –”

 

His eyebrows rose. “Just what?”

 

She sighed heavily and closed her eyes, her eyebrows pinching. “I’m just … horny, okay? God, I hate that word.”

 

“Oh,” he said. Then, he added, “Do you want to do something about it?”

 

She bit her lip. “Yes. But we probably shouldn’t.”

 

“Why not?” he asked.

 

She let out a breath. “We’re … here.”

 

He smiled. “True. But … that’s sort of what everyone does here.”

 

Annie didn’t say anything. In fact, she wasn’t even looking him in the eye. The quiet went on for so long that he opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong, but she didn’t give him any time to. Her fingers gripped into his shoulders and she rolled her hips again, enough to make him gasp.

 

“Oh,” he said.

 

“Oh?” she breathed.

 

He let out a breathy laugh. “Yeah. Oh.” He swallowed. “What do you want to do? I can –”

 

“Fuck you,” she said. “I want to fuck you.”

 

Heat rushed south in an instant, but Armin tried to stay a little more composed than his body wanted him to.

 

He cleared his throat. “Um … do you not want me to do you?”

“Later,” she said, and then she was leaning back so that she could reach the front of his pants and, to be honest, Armin wasn’t in any rush to complain.

 

Her hand was on him in an instant. He wasn’t rock-solid yet, but Annie seemed eager to change that; she started rubbing his length through his pants and he couldn’t contain the contented sigh that left his lips.

 

“Oh my God,” he breathed. “Annie, I love you.”

 

She let out a breath of laughter. “Do you tell everyone that touches your dick that?”

 

He let out a breathy laugh. “I – just say that to you.”

 

Annie hummed. “I love you, too.”

 

Then, she leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his.

 

Their kiss was deep but still heated; Annie kissed him with an excitement that made his heart race. He supposed it was all very exciting, doing this somewhere they definitely weren’t supposed to, but the thought was barely registering. All that was on his mind was how warm Annie’s mouth was against his, and how nice her teasing hand was on his hardness.

 

She pulled away for air, and her lips were extra rosy from all of their kissing. Her eyes didn’t stay on his for more than half a second, though, because her fingers were making quick work of the buttons on his jeans.

 

“Can you get me a scrunchie?” she asked. “It’s in my bag.”

 

Armin glanced behind him where Annie had dropped her handbag and he quickly leaned back to grab it. But his motion was slightly interrupted when Annie pulled his cock out of his briefs and started stroking him.

 

“Fuck,” he groaned. “Oh – I …”

 

“Armin,” she said, quiet but firm. “Scrunchie.”

 

“Oh, sorry,” he said.

 

She smiled devilishly. “It’s fine.”

 

Annie didn’t stop while he rummaged around in her handbag for a scrunchie, but eventually, he found one; it was white like the rest of her outfit and not too big.

 

His breath caught when she let go of him and she grabbed the scrunchie from his hand.

 

Her lips twitched as she slowly pulled her hair back. “You okay there?”

 

“Yeah,” he said, letting his hands rest on the bed by his sides.

 

She hummed. “Are you sure? You look a little lonely down there.”

 

His face warmed. “Then come back.”

 

“No,” she said. “I think you should keep yourself company for a bit.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

 

Annie didn’t say anything. Instead, she finished tying her hair back silently before she dropped her hand on his. Then, gently, she picked it up and guided it towards his cock.

 

His face burned. “Oh. Do you mean …”

 

She smiled, and God, she looked evil. But in a really, really hot way.

 

“Touch yourself for me,” she said quietly.

 

His breath caught. “Are you … are you sure?”

 

She nodded. “I like it when you do it.”

 

Armin swallowed. “You do?”

 

“Yeah,” she said gently. “Can you do that for me?”

 

Armin wasn’t sure he could, but more so because he wasn’t all that sure he could even think in that moment.

 

But then, after another second, he came to life and nodded.

 

“Yeah,” he said.

 

Slowly, he started stroking his cock, trying to ignore the way his face was burning underneath Annie’s gaze. He squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip as he rubbed himself, his body tingling with pleasure with each stroke.

 

He felt Annie’s lips press against his neck and he let out a small, muffled noise, which only made her smile against his skin.

 

But then, her weight was gone completely. He opened his eyes, his hand halting on his cock, only to see Annie now standing in front of him.

 

“Who said you could stop?” she asked as she climbed onto the bed beside him.

 

His ears burned. “Oh, sorry.”

 

He fell back into his rhythm and he didn’t ask anymore as Annie climbed up the bed. But then, he realised, she was snatching her handbag from where he’d dropped it earlier when she’d asked him to grab a scrunchie.

 

She slipped off of the bed in an instant before she reached into her bag and pulled out a small foil square. Her bag fell to the ground with a thud and then she was before him, falling down to her knees.

 

His cock twitched in his hand. “Annie? What are you –”

 

“Relax,” she said gently. “I’m just helping you out.”

 

Annie’s hand replaced his and he groaned. She fell into a regular rhythm easily and it was all Armin could do to stay quiet. He doubted her touch would ever lose its thrill.

 

But then, it vanished, and he couldn’t help but let out an oh so embarrassing whimper.

 

Annie smiled up at him. “You sound really desperate.”

 

His cheeks were red and he raised an arm to shield himself from her view.

 

“Don’t say that,” he said weakly.

 

“Sorry,” she said gently. “You sound good.”

 

Armin huffed and dropped his hand, only to watch Annie tear open the condom wrapper with her teeth. Dear God.

 

She wasted little time in pulling the condom over his cock and he did his best to bite his bottom lip to keep anymore mortifying noises at bay. He knew she liked it, but it gave her the opportunity to tease him even more, and he wasn’t about to let that happen.

 

Annie rose to her feet and kicked off her shoes, before quickly discarding her underwear. He didn’t see much of it, but it was white lace and he made a mental note to ask to see it again later.

 

She gently nudged at his chest so that he leaned back, allowing her more room to straddle him, and she pushed the bottom of her dress up.

 

When she grabbed onto his shoulders, his eyebrows furrowed. “Do you not … need … you know …”

 

“What?” she asked.

 

He dropped her gaze. “Like … a warm-up.”

 

“Oh,” she said, and let out a breath. “No, I’m … I’m really turned on right now. I think we’ll be fine.”

 

“Oh,” he said quietly. “Okay.”

 

She bit her lip. “Could you help me out here?”

 

His eyebrows rose. “Yeah.” Then, after a pause, he added, “How?”

 

She let out a huff of laughter. “I just need you to help … guide yourself in.”

 

“Oh. Right,” he said, clearing his throat. “Okay.”

 

He moved his hand between them to grip onto his cock as Annie lowered herself slightly. He bit his bottom lip as he felt the heat of her lips surround him as he adjusted to line up with her entrance.

 

It took a few seconds, maybe longer than it should have, but then they were lined up.

 

Annie let out a breath. “Okay.” Then, she added, “I love you.”

 

His heart softened. “I love you, too.”

 

“I’m sorry I don’t say it enough,” she said quietly.

 

“That’s okay,” he said. “You don’t –”

 

His words were stopped by a gasp as Annie lowered herself down onto his cock. She didn’t slip down to his base, or as far as she could, which gave him a little more time to remove his hand from in between them and rest it on the side of her thigh.

 

“You okay?” she breathed.

 

“Yeah,” he squeaked.

 

Annie laughed. “Are you sure?”

 

“Yeah,” he said. “Are you?”

 

She hummed. “Yeah. Just …”

 

She didn’t finish. Instead, her fingers gripped tighter on his shoulders as she lowered herself down in one slow movement, all the way down to his base.

 

Armin groaned and dropped his head against her. “God.”

 

“Not quite,” she said. “But close.”

 

He let out a breathy laugh, but it was lost in a moan as Annie raised her hips and dropped down on him again.

 

“Fuck,” she breathed, her eyes fluttering shut.

 

“Yeah,” he said breathlessly. “You feel really good.”

 

“Yeah?” she asked.

 

He hummed, but it was quickly followed by a moan as she repeated the motion. Annie made a sweet sound that was muffled by the way she was biting her lips together, but it was so nice it made his abdomen flutter.

 

Annie’s fingers moved from his shoulders up to his face when she adjusted her rhythm, instead opting to grind on him, which he certainly wasn’t about to complain about. The angle must have been better for her, because the noise that slipped out of her was purely divine.

 

“Oh my God,” he breathed.

 

“Hmm.” Annie let out a breath. “Can I kiss you?”

 

Armin let out a laugh. “We’re past that by now, right?”

 

Annie barked out a laugh, but she didn’t say anything more. Instead, she leaned forward and pressed her mouth against his, and just like that, Armin completely lost himself in her.

 

Their kisses grew sloppier the long they moved together, but something about it all was so perfect that neither of them seemed in any rush to stop. Their moans and gasps were lost in each other’s mouths, which turned out to be a saving grace, as neither one of them were making any attempt to be quiet. It was like they’d both forgotten how public this all was, but then and there, it didn’t really matter.

 

It didn’t matter that they were supposed to be downstairs with everyone, and it didn’t matter that they were fucking on someone else’s bed at a sorority party – none of it mattered, at least not to Armin. All that mattered was Annie, her lips on his, and the feeling of her all around him.

 

Annie broke away from the kiss eventually, but only because she needed more air. He was delighted in the way her breathing had grown heavy from all of this, and he adored the way her lips were swollen from their kisses.

 

“Fuck, you’re so perfect,” he breathed.

 

Annie let out a huff. “Really?”

“Really,” he said, and swallowed. “I can’t wait to make you cum after this.”

 

Just then, something happened. Annie’s breath caught in her throat and her walls tightened around him, enough to pull a sharp moan from his lips.

 

“Oh my God,” she said, her voice higher pitched than usual.

 

“Ah-Annie,” he managed. “Is – is everything okay?”

 

She hummed, her eyelids squeezed shut. “Y-yeah. That just …” She groaned, almost in embarrassment. “That just felt really nice when you said that.”

 

“Oh,” he said.

 

“Don’t tease me,” she warned.

 

“I won’t,” he promised. Then, tentatively, he added, “I meant it, though.”

 

Annie let out a breath. “I know.”

 

But she stayed in place.

 

Armin swallowed, pushing his hands forward to tighten around her hips. Then, gently, he rolled his hips up into her.

 

Annie gasped, so loudly that her hands moved to cover her mouth.

 

“You okay?” he asked breathlessly.

 

Annie hummed and nodded. Then, she said, “Can we move up the bed a little? I want …”

 

He nodded. “Yeah.”

 

Adjusting wasn’t easy – in the end, she had to slip off of him, which he wasn’t exactly thrilled about. But then, they were in the position Annie wanted exactly – him on his back, his head propped up by a pillow, and Annie right on top of him.

 

She fell back down on him so easily, it was like they were meant to fit together like this.

 

But she didn’t move, not right away, at least. He could see from her expression, from the way her brow was furrowed, that something was worrying her. It was on her face maybe a split-second, but it didn’t go unnoticed.

 

“Annie?” he asked gently. “Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. Then, after a pause, she added, “Do you think you could … fuck me?”

 

His eyebrows rose. “Like this?”

 

She nodded.

 

“Oh,” he said. “Uh … yeah. Just …”

 

Armin let his words trail off as he adjusted, moving his legs so that he could get a better angle to thrust into her. He was aware of the way she was looking at him, but he mustn’t have been completely wrong in his positioning, because once he settled, she didn’t say a thing. Instead, she placed her hands firmly on either side of his head, her face beautifully flushed, and let out a contented sound.

 

It was sweet enough that it nearly made him twitch inside of her. Luckily, it distracted him from his nerves, and he gripped her hips more tightly, before quickly thrusting up into her.

 

Annie gasped, her fingers tightening in the sheets beside his head. “Oh.”

 

That was enough to encourage him. Tentatively, he fell into a rhythm, one that started softer, but eventually picked up speed. As it turned out, Annie really seemed to like that – her breaths were coming out in pants and she started to moan a lot. But it was in that sort of way that it seemed like she couldn’t stop herself, like her body hadn’t quite expected to feel like this; like it wasn’t prepared.

 

His insides burned with want as he fucked her.

 

“Oh my God,” gasped Annie. “Holy shit.”

 

“Is – is this – okay?” he said between breaths.

 

“Yeah,” she breathed. “Oh my God.” She bit her lips together hard, muffling another delicious moan, before she added, “Can you go harder?”

 

“Harder?” he asked.

 

“Yes,” she said. “Please.”

 

Armin didn’t need to be told twice. His next thrust was rough and deep, so much so that it made both of them gasp. But Annie made no complaints, so he gripped even harder onto her hips and continued thrusting into her with the same force, over and over.

 

The effect was divine. Annie was loud, deliciously so, and for a long time, he was lost in the feel of her around him and the pretty noises she couldn’t seem to stop making.

 

He could feel his orgasm growing closer with each thrust and he couldn’t help the way he whimpered beneath her. He was very glad she was so lost in the feel of it all, because normally, she would not have let him get away with that sort of sound.

 

But Annie was a mess on top of him, in the nicest of ways. She seemed to be barely holding herself upright, and her face was flushed with pleasure and fuck, she really was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen.

 

He groaned. His balls were tight and he was so, so close.

 

“Annie …” he managed. “I think I’m gonna cum.”

 

She let out a small sound that sent stabs of pleasure straight to his cock. “Oh, fuck, Armin.”

 

The sound of her moaning his name like that was too much, far too much, and it was the thing that finally pushed him over the edge. He moaned as he shuddered into her, gripping down so tightly on her hips that he was a little worried it might hurt, but Annie didn’t complain. She waited as he rode out his orgasm, until he’d finished spilling inside of her, before he fully collapsed against the bed.

 

“Uhh,” he said. “Fuck.”

 

“You okay down there?”

 

He nodded weakly. “Perfect.” He opened his eyes again. “Can I make you cum now?”

 

She snorted. “Eager.”

 

“And you’re not?” he asked.

 

“I am,” she said. “It’s just –”

 

But Annie cut herself off, her face twisting into a mask of confusion.

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Is something wrong?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “The music’s stopped.”

 

Armin paused to listen. The music had stopped. The floor was no longer rumbling with the harsh bass playing from downstairs, but he was still distantly aware of voices, although they were a lot less muffled than they’d seemed before.

 

But then, Armin’s stomach dropped as he noticed the sound that had replaced the music. It was loud and echoey, like voices playing through a speaker in a large room.

 

“You okay?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Yeah. Are you?”

 

“Yeah. Just …”

 

Then came a familiar groan. “God.”

 

“Not quite. But close.”

 

There was a familiar laugh that turned into a moan, and when his gaze flicked back to Annie’s, he could tell that she’d realised what exactly they were listening to about the same time he did.

 

“Fuck.”

 

“Yeah. You feel really good.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

It was their voices from mere moments ago.

 

“What the fuck,” said Annie, before quickly pulling off of him.

 

The voices continued in the background, mixed in with moans and gasps that were far too loud, and for a moment, Armin wondered if this was just some sort of nightmare. But as he discarded the condom and redressed, and the noises didn’t end, he realised that this wasn’t a nightmare at all.

 

When they stepped out into the hallway, he could tell that someone had been locked in the bathroom down the hall. Whoever was on the other side was banging against it with a great deal of force, but if someone didn’t let them out, Armin would have to deal with it later. No, his main concern was stopping wherever the fuck that sound was coming from.

 

As they started descending the stairs, Armin’s worst fears were confirmed.

 

Because there they were, the two of them, fucking on Historia’s bed in their stupid angel costumes – projected onto the wall where music videos had been playing earlier.

 

The room was nearly stunned to silence, and he couldn’t particularly blame them. His eyes followed the light of the projector back to its source, back where Ymir’s phone should have been connected. But Ymir was nowhere in sight. Instead, stood by the projector was someone else entirely, a smug, shit-eating smile on his face.

 

Floch noticed them on the stairs about the same time fury burst in Armin’s chest.

 

“Oh, hey!” he said, loud enough that everyone could hear. “It’s the stars of the show!”

 

Too many heads turned in their direction, and worst of all, among them was Mikasa and Eren, and Jean and Marco, stunned into silence. Maybe he should have felt embarrassed, and he probably would have if it had just been a video of him jacking off. But no, embarrassment was the last thing he felt. Because there Annie was, clearly visible on wall, and Armin’s chest was filled with fire.

 

He stepped past her easily and strode down the stairs. The crowd of people seemed to clear out of the way as he made his way towards Floch, whose smile only faltered for a second. But then, in an instant, he was right in front of him, and this time, Armin really saw his smile fall.

 

When he swung for him, he swung hard. It was enough to make Floch stumble and lose his footing, before he completely hit the ground.

 

Armin felt the urge to hit him again, and he was about to – but the video was still playing.

 

He quickly turned and disconnected Floch’s phone from the projector, and the video disappeared from the wall in an instant and the room fell completely silent.

 

Floch managed to pull himself up, but his nose was clearly gushing of blood. Armin was glad he’d aimed for his nose.

 

“What the fuck is your problem?” he said.

 

Floch laughed. “Me? I’m not the one fucking in Historia’s bed.”

 

“No,” said Armin. “But you were the pervert filming.”

 

Floch laughed again and shook his head, before slowing rising to his feet again.

 

“You really don’t get it, do you?” he said.

 

Armin clenched his fists. “Get what?”

 

Floch shook his head again. “You can’t even see what she’s doing with you.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed.

 

Floch scoffed. “Aren’t you supposed to be smart or something? She’s clearly just fucking you because she feels sorry for you.”

 

It shouldn’t have, but his words cut.

 

“Fuck. You,” said Armin firmly.

 

Floch laughed. “From the way you two were talking, it seems like this has been going on for a while, behind everyone’s back.”

 

Armin didn’t say anything.

 

Floch smiled. “She’s that ashamed of you that she’s been keeping you her dirty little secret.”

 

“Oh, shut up.”

 

Annie’s voice carried across the room.

 

“Excuse me?” said Floch.

 

“Holy shit,” said Annie as she approached them. “You’re still fucking talking? Don’t you ever get tired of the sound of your own voice?”

 

“Don’t you?” said Floch. “I’m not the egotistical one here.”

 

Annie scoffed. “Bullshit. You’ve been nothing but an ass to Armin at any opportunity, and now you do this shit? Really? Is this not too low for you?”

 

Floch laughed. “Low? You can talk about low. Pity fucking the campus outcast won’t fill whatever hole you’re missing inside of your heart, you know.”

 

“Oh, go fuck yourself,” she said. “I knew you were pathetic before this, but really? You’re just embarrassing yourself.”

 

“Bold talk from someone whose fake moans were just playing on the speaker five minutes ago,” he said.

 

Annie laughed. “Fake? Really? Oh, honey. That’s revealing.”

 

“Revealing?” said Floch.

 

Her voice was sweet. “If you’ve never made someone cum before, you can just say.”

 

Floch barked out a laugh. “Oh, come on. Have you seen the guy you’re fucking?” He turned to Armin with a smile. “How many orgasms do you think she’s faked? I bet it’s a lot of them.”

 

Armin felt like the floor had been ripped away from beneath his feet. He wanted to speak, but for some reason, he just couldn’t push the words out.

 

“It’s none,” said Annie firmly. “I wouldn’t lie about that.”

 

“Wouldn’t you?” he asked, before turning his gaze back to Armin. “Look. I know you’ve got some mommy issues, but … even you can do better than her.”

 

His heart sank hard, and for a long moment, it felt like the world froze. Was he even breathing anymore? He must have been, but it didn’t feel like it. He was stuck where he was, unable to move, feeling sick to his stomach as Floch did nothing more but smile at him.

 

Or at least, that’s what he did before time seemed to start moving again. Then, only a second later, Annie stepped forward and swung her fist into Floch’s jaw, as hard as she could.

 

He cried out and toppled over immediately, and Armin could tell that her punch was a lot more precise that his was.

 

“Fuck,” said Floch, clutching at his face.

 

“Don’t you fucking dare talk to Armin like that again,” she said lowly. “The next time that happens, I promise, your balls will be on the receiving end of that.”

 

Floch groaned, but he was interrupted by the loud sound of stumbling in the background, and Armin turned, only to see a figure topple down the stairs.

 

“Hitch!” came Marlowe’s voice from the staircase.

 

“I’m fine!” she called, but she groaned as she sat up. “God. Who’d have thought stairs could hurt that much?”

 

“Where the fuck is that asshole?”

 

Ymir and Historia were only a few steps behind Marlowe on the stairs, who bent down to help Hitch to her feet. The two of them carefully pushed their way through, and when Armin caught sight of Ymir’s face, he was almost scared – her expression burned with a fury he’d never quite seen on it before.

 

“Floch Forster!” she said. “I’m going to fucking murder you.”

 

“Oh, thank God,” said Annie beneath her breath.

 

Ymir pushed through the crowd. “The fucker locked us in the bathroom. Wait – holy fuck. Is he bleeding?”

 

“Armin punched him,” said Annie. “Then I punched him.”

 

“Fucking hell,” said Ymir. “Well, someone had to.”

 

Floch finally managed to pull himself to his feet, but he looked beyond roughed-up. Armin couldn’t say that he felt sorry for him one bit.

 

“Done yet?” asked Annie.

 

Floch didn’t say anything. Instead, he stepped forward and raised his fist, almost like he was going to swing for her.

 

Armin didn’t hesitate to put himself between Floch and Annie. Although, Floch didn’t even have a chance to swing.

 

“Woah, woah there!” slurred Hitch, hooking herself around Floch’s arm. “What do you think you’re doing there?”

 

He grunted. “Get off me.”

 

“Nuh-uh,” she said. “God. You really are such an unlikable asshole, aren’t you? And not even in a fun way.”

 

“Oh, fuck off,” he growled.

 

“I don’t think I will!” she said. “You’re just such a dickhead. Like, on a huge scale. It’s insane. I don’t think I’ve ever met such a big dickhead before.” Then, she added, her voice still slurred, “And I don’t mean, like, your dick is actually big, because I’m assuming that’s small and you’re insecure about it, but … like, you’re just a fucking douchebag.”

 

“Hey,” said Floch firmly, “don’t you even –”

 

But Floch was cut off as Hitch gagged.

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “What the fuck are you doing?”

 

It took Floch a few more moments longer than anyone else to realise that Hitch wasn’t just gagging on purpose. No – her gagging devolved into a slight retching sound, almost like she was holding back vomit, and by the time that registered, it was far too late.

 

Hitch’s vomit spilled out of her mouth like a fucking waterfall, and each and every drop seemed to land on Floch’s ugly, red shirt.

 

“Ew!” he yelled. “Get the fuck off of me!”

 

By this point, Hitch seemed to be holding onto him just to stay upright as her vomit dripped down his front.

 

Ymir laughed. “Holy fuck, dude. That’s disgusting.”

 

Her words broke the silence in the room, and slowly, others started laughing along with her too. Floch turned red in the face, but there was nothing he could do but stand there as Hitch held onto his arm and take the abuse.

 

Armin stepped forward and placed his hands on Hitch’s shoulders. “Hitch, come on. We need to get you out of here.”

 

She sighed and released Floch’s arm. “Fine.”

 

It was easy to guide her towards Marlowe, who was only a few steps away, and had wisely stepped out of the splash zone.

 

“Hey, Floch,” said Annie. “I hope that’s warm.”

 

“It looks warm,” said Ymir. “Floch, please fucking clean yourself up and get out of here.”

 

“Yeah,” said Historia. “You’re no longer welcome here. This is really disgusting.”

 

Armin didn’t want to linger to see Floch pathetically show himself out. Instead, he turned his gaze to Annie, whose expression had lost all confidence. His heart sank.

 

“Do you want to leave?” he asked quietly.

 

She nodded. “Yeah. I don’t think I want to be here anymore.”

 

Armin nodded and reached out for her hand. Annie didn’t hesitate to take it.

 

He pushed his way through the crowd, Annie only a step behind him, and he tried to ignore the looks on people’s faces as he passed by. He was nearly successful, but just when he the door was in sight, just when he thought he was free, there was Mikasa right in front of him.

 

He hated the way she was looking at him. She’d never looked at him like that before. It was pity. Maybe he deserved it, after all, but he didn’t want to see it.

 

“Armin,” she said gently. “I’m so sorry. We … we tried to turn it off, but we didn’t know how it was all connected, and –”

 

“It’s fine,” he said firmly. “Me and Annie are just gonna go now.”

 

She nodded. “Okay.”

 

He sighed. “I’ll see you later.”

 

Armin ducked his head as he pushed towards the door. He didn’t want to see Jean, or Eren, or Marco. No, he couldn’t deal with them looking at him like that, either. So he kept his head low, and soon enough, he and Annie were out in the cool air.

 

For most of the walk back to the dorms, they were quiet. Armin knew Annie was upset, but he didn’t want to pressure her to talk about it and there wasn’t much he could do for her while they were still walking, anyway. Words weren’t always the best comfort and now, Armin wasn’t sure there was a single thing that could be said to make this right.

 

Of course there wasn’t. They’d basically made an involuntary sex tape, one that most of their campus had seen. Even thinking about it made him feel ill.

 

The only saving grace was that Annie didn’t let go of his hand the whole time. He thought she might pull away, but it seemed to be the opposite. Her grip on his hand was firm, almost like she was worried that he would be the one pulling away. But he squeezed her hand every now and then to make it clear that he wasn’t going anywhere.

 

When Annie’s dorm room door was finally in sight, Armin felt his heart sink all over again.

 

“Okay,” he said as they reached the door. “Do you just want to go to bed?”

 

“Maybe,” she said.

 

He nodded. “Okay. I can call you tomorrow, if you want.”

 

“Wait,” she said. “Can you stay?”

 

His eyebrows rose. “Stay? In your dorm?”

 

She nodded. “Yeah.”

 

“Oh,” he said, a little too dumbly. “Are you sure?”

 

She snorted. “Yeah. What does it matter, anyway? Everyone knows now.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Annie … I’m sorry.”

 

“Don’t,” she said firmly. “Don’t apologise. You didn’t do anything wrong. This situation is shitty for both of us.”

 

He nodded. “Okay.”

 

As soon as they were inside, they started getting ready for bed. Annie reckoned there would be a good chance Hitch would be staying with Marlowe tonight, so they would hopefully be left undisturbed. As much as he liked Hitch, he really wanted some privacy with Annie after everything that had happened tonight.

 

It wasn’t long before they were curled up in bed facing one another, Armin’s fingers gently playing with the strands of hair that kept falling into her face. In the dark, they were quiet, at least for a long time – at least, until Annie finally spoke up.

 

“Well,” she said. “That’s the worst party I’ve ever been to.”

 

Armin let out a huff. “I feel the same way.”

 

She scoffed. “We made a sex tape and we didn’t even have time to make me cum. That sucks.”

 

He knew she was joking, but something about her words made his heart sink.

 

When he didn’t say anything, she said, “I’m sorry.”

 

He gently shook his head. “It’s okay.”

 

There was another pause. Then, she said, “You know none of what he was saying was true.”

 

He nodded. “I know.”

 

“You don’t sound too convinced.”

 

Armin was quiet.

 

Annie sighed. “Armin … I’ve never faked anything with you.” Then, she said, “Well, apart from our relationship the first time, but you were pretty involved in that.”

 

He let out a breath of laughter. “Yeah, I was.”

 

“I mean that,” she said. “Everything is real. I’m not fake moaning, and I’m certainly not faking orgasms. I’m really not the type of person to fake that.”

 

He nodded. “Yeah. Okay.” Then, he added, “I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s okay,” she said. “It’d get in my head, too.”

 

Armin was quiet for a moment. Then, he said, “Are you okay?”

 

She sighed. “Not really. But I can’t really do anything about that.” Then, after a pause, she said, “Thank you for staying with me.”

 

“It’s no problem,” he said quietly.

 

He wanted to say more. He wanted to say that he would stay with her every night, if that was what she desired. But the words died in his throat. The last thing he wanted to do now was scare her off with another grand sentiment. He suspected she was scared enough.

 

“We’ll figure this out,” said Armin gently. “He can’t get away with that.”

 

“I know,” she said. She sighed. “Just, right now … it really sucks. It might be better tomorrow, but now …”

 

“Now, everything sucks,” he said.

 

“Yeah,” she said quietly. “Everything sucks.”

 

They were silent for another moment. The room was still, save for the sounds of their gentle breathing. Then, finally, Annie spoke again.

 

“I really love you,” she said quietly. “I don’t … I don’t want you to think this changes anything.” She swallowed. “I don’t regret what we did. If I could do things over, I’d do it again.” Then, after a pause, she added, “Maybe in a room where we could lock the door.”

 

Armin laughed. “Yeah. We should have been smarter about that.”

 

Annie sighed. “Yeah, well … I don’t think I’m very smart when it comes to you.”

 

Armin smiled. “I think I’m the same with you.”

 

“Yeah,” she breathed. “I think so, too.”

 

Armin pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear and she sighed.

 

“I love you,” he said gently. “So much.”

 

“I love you, too,” she whispered. Then, she added, “Armin?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Do you think you could play with my hair some more?” she asked. “Just until I fall asleep.”

 

“Of course,” he said. He moved his fingers to push gently through more of her hair and she sighed. “Is this okay?”

 

“It’s perfect,” she said quietly. “Thank you.”

 

He smiled. “No problem.”

 

Annie didn’t say anything more, and neither did he. All he did was gently push his fingers through her hair, over and over, until her contented sighs softened into slow breaths as she was lulled to sleep.

 

He didn’t move for a few more moments to make sure she was deep in sleep, before he carefully shuffled to settle down fully into the bed. He could just make out her face in the dimness, thanks to the glow of the street lamp outside shining through the useless blinds. She looked peaceful. She deserved to feel like that, after such a terrible night.

 

He sighed and let his eyes fall shut. Tonight really did suck, just like Annie had said. But all he could hope for was that tomorrow would be better. And he knew that, at least, waking up beside Annie in the morning would make everything feel alright, if only for a few moments.

 

With that thought in his mind, his breathing slowed and he felt his body grow heavy. The last thing he heard before he fell asleep was the soft, comforting sound of Annie’s gentle breathing.

Notes:

So, here it is - the party.

Rougher than maybe everyone had expected, I know. But from here on out, things will start wrapping up, and hopefully very neatly.

That being said, I would like to add that there will no longer be consistency with the uploads for the rest of this chapter. I have a full time job now, and the commute is almost two hours there and back every day, so you can imagine I don't have a lot of free time to write. Basically, the chapters will be coming, but it could be a long wait.

I hate to leave you guys on this one, but I wanted to post everything I had as I thought that was fairer.

Still, I do hope you guys enjoyed - I look forward to seeing you guys in the next one, whenever that may be :)

Chapter 29: a consequence

Mr Smith’s office wasn’t exactly unfamiliar, but Armin felt out of place in it. This wasn’t somewhere he was supposed to be – once was one thing, but twice in the same semester should have been impossible. Yet here he was, fingers interlinked in his lap as he made sure his gaze didn’t meet Mr Smith’s as he silently considered the two people opposite him. And even as Armin looked away, his gaze focused on the coffee-stained mug in front of him, he could still feel the weight of Mr Smith’s eyes on him.

 

The air was bittered by the scent of that coffee, although from the looks of it, it seemed like it hadn’t been hot for a long time. He wondered when Mr Smith forgot about it, exactly. Maybe it was when he’d heard the news of the incident. He imagined it wasn’t long after that that he’d invited him and Annie here.

 

Annie was in the chair beside him, quiet as ever, but her face didn’t betray her discomfort. But Armin knew it was there – she’d been tense in the two days that had passed, and he couldn’t blame her. He didn’t exactly feel comfortable knowing the whole campus had seen their sextape – especially considering it was one they hadn’t even consented to making.

 

The desk creaked as Mr Smith leaned slightly forward, and Armin’s eyes immediately snapped up to look at him.

 

His face was as serious as usual – he hadn’t missed seeing that from their last meeting.

 

“I assume you both know why you’re here,” said Mr Smith.

 

They were both silent.

 

Mr Smith didn’t say anything for a moment. Then, finally, he said, “I’ve been informed of the incident that occurred over the weekend at one of the sorority houses.”

 

Armin felt his stomach churn even at the mention of it. He didn’t have anything to say to that.

 

But Annie’s voice cut through the quiet.

 

“Are we getting suspended?” she said, her voice flat as always.

 

Mr Smith’s voice was calm. “What makes you think that?”

Annie shrugged. “I don’t necessarily think that. But if that’s why we’re here, I’d prefer to cut to the chase so I can start packing my things.”

 

Mr Smith leaned back. “Miss Leonhart – neither you nor Mr Arlert are getting suspended.” He paused for a moment, before he added, “On the contrary – I wanted to inform you two, privately, that Floch Forester has been suspended.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows raised. “He has?”

 

Mr Smith’s face was still as unforgiving as stone. “Floch Forester committed a criminal offence, while on this university’s premises. That’s not something I can take lightly, especially not considering that other students were harmed because of his actions.”

 

A crease formed in Armin’s brow, and he dropped Mr Smith’s gaze again, focusing on his hands in his lap. He stayed quiet, and this time, Annie had nothing to say, either.

 

Mr Smith’s chair creaked as he rose to his feet, before he took a few careful steps to peer out of the window of his office. Armin glanced over at the movement, and from the angle he was standing, he could just make out his expression. Before, it had been hard, unshakable. Now, it seemed softer – it was something akin to pity, and Armin quickly found that he didn’t like that one bit.

 

Without turning back to them, Mr Smith said, “There’s more than just the suspension to be discussed. What also needs to be discussed is how the two of you want to address this situation.”

 

Neither of them answered right away. His words had sent a sickly feeling through Armin’s stomach that nearly made him wince. Address the situation? In all honesty, he was tired of addressing the situation already, and this may have been the first real conversation he’d had with anyone about it since the incident. He hadn’t talked to Marco, to Mikasa – he hadn’t even talked to Eren. He’d barely been at his dorm – last night, him and Annie had gone to the warehouse to try and forget about it all, and they both passed out on the couch. It was an accident, almost, but Armin hadn’t tried to wake her when he noticed her dozing off. He’d have rather slept in there every single night until the end of term before he had an actual conversation about the subject.

 

 Mr Smith finally turned around, that softer expression completely gone, replaced by the old, stoic mask. Armin found it a little easier to look at now, considering there was nothing but pity underneath it. He didn’t want to cower away from his gaze – he didn’t want to be as pitiful as Mr Smith might have thought.

 

“No offence, sir,” said Annie firmly. “But I’d prefer to not address the situation at all. If I could, I’d forget about it.”

 

Mr Smith’s expression didn’t waver. “I understand. But in the end, a crime has been committed against you – and charges can be pressed.”

 

“I don’t want to press charges,” said Annie.

 

“With all due respect, Miss Leonhart,” said Mr Smith levelly. “You aren’t the only one who gets a say in this.”

 

Annie’s gaze drifted over to him. There was no sense of anger or frustration in her expression, but the way she looked at him nearly made his heart snap in two. She looked scared.

 

“I don’t expect you to make the decision just yet,” said Mr Smith. “But I just wanted to make you both aware of your options.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed, but he didn’t say anything, at least not right away. Instead, he let his gaze move to that coffee cup again. Not because he couldn’t look anyone in the eye – no, he just needed a moment to think clearly.

 

A part of Armin wouldn’t have particularly minded Floch facing the real-life consequences of his actions. No, that wasn’t right. Every part of Armin, then and there, would have loved to see Floch face those consequences. And that was how things were supposed to go, right? When a bad guy did a bad thing, they got punished for it. And here was that opportunity.

 

But as idyllic, as just as that may seem, he knew that there was no guarantee that that punishment, that those consequences, would ever have to be faced. Even with solid evidence, anything could happen in a courtroom to prove Floch’s innocence. Or even if he was found guilty, what punishment would he be given? Would it be enough? Would any ever be enough?

 

If he knew for certain that there would be some sort of justice won out of the situation, something that would help rectify this all, then he might have tried to convince Annie. But Annie knew just as well as he did that they would probably get nowhere. To do all of that, just for it to come to nothing … having to relive that moment over again when they saw themselves fucking on a big screen at Historia’s party ...

 

“I’m not interested in pressing charges,” said Armin.

 

Mr Smith’s face barely changed, save for the most imperceptible movement of his eyebrows.

 

“Again, Mr Arlert – the two of you have time to decide whether this is actually what you want to do,” said Mr Smith. Then, he sighed. “We as a university have a responsibility to make sure Mr Forster faces consequences. But I won’t force this on you.”

 

“Thank you,” said Armin. “But I’m not interested.”

 

Another long stretch of silence dragged on between them. Then, finally, Mr Smith sighed again, before making his way back to his seat.

 

“Very well,” he said, almost reluctantly, as he slipped back into his chair. “If that’s your decision … then fine. But,” he said, his gaze piercing, “if you mind changes, at any time  – please come to me.”

 

Armin nodded, and he could see Annie do the same out of the corner of his eye.

 

“Can we go now?” she asked.

 

“Of course,” said Mr Smith. “If I don’t see either of you again before the end of term, then, I hope you have a wonderful summer break.”

 

“Thank you,” said Armin, rising to his feet – but Annie was already standing and halfway to the door. In fact, she was out of it before he could even step around the chair.

 

He half-expected her to be gone when he stepped into the hallway, but to her credit, she was still there, leaning against the wall, looking as carefree as she could, given the circumstances.

 

Armin shoved his hands into his pockets. “Would asking you if you’re okay be a stupid question?”

 

Annie snorted. “Probably.” Then, she added, “But I appreciate that you want to ask that.”

 

He nodded.

 

Her face softened as she turned more towards him. “Are you okay?”

 

After a moment, he shrugged. “Not really.”

 

Her eyebrows pinched together, but she didn’t say anything.

 

He took the opportunity to force a small smile and say, “But I appreciate you asking.”

 

She snorted and rolled her eyes. “Great. I’m really glad.”

 

His smile became more genuine, then, in a way that only she could really notice. For a second, he thought she was about to smile back.

 

But then, she parted her lips parted to speak – and she was cut off by a harsh buzzing, her phone ringing. His eyebrows furrowed as he felt a familiar vibration in his pocket, and he reached down for his own phone.

 

The ringing stopped before either of them could reach for their respective phones, which just made Armin even more perplexed. Even when he looked at the missed call, he only became more confused. The call was from Mikasa, which wasn’t exactly out of the ordinary. What was, however, was that the missed call was from a new group chat titled “Urgent Meeting with Mikasa Ackerman”.

 

“Armin?”

 

His eyes flickered up to Annie, who was holding her phone screen towards him – and there it was, the exact same missed notification that was on his phone.

 

“Why the fuck are we in a group chat with Mikasa?” she asked.

 

He sighed. “I’m not sure I really want to know.” Then, he added, “But she seems to think it’s ‘urgent’.”

 

Annie turned her phone back towards herself and Armin opened the chat on his own phone. It really was just a group chat with the three of them in it, and it hadn’t been made that long ago, either. There were only two messages in the chat – and of course, since neither of them had known it existed, they were both from Mikasa.

 

MIKASA

Meet me in the old Rose building in 30 minutes

It’s urgent!!!

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “What’s the old Rose building?”

 

Annie sighed as she shoved her phone back into her pocket. “It’s what used to be the library before they built the new building. It’s just not on the main campus – it’s further down the road. Sort of on the way to Historia’s place.”

 

He raised an eyebrow. “Sort of?”

 

“Yeah,” she said, and sighed again. “I guess I’ll show you right now.”

 

He felt his stomach sink. “You want to go?”

 

“Well, she is your friend,” she said. Then, after a slight pause, she added, “To be honest, whatever she has to say or wants to do … I’d rather do that than think about any of that shit anymore.”

 

His heart softened, but he didn’t let that feeling show on his face. Instead, he quickly nodded, and said, “Okay. Let’s go, then.”

 

The walk didn’t take as long as he expected, although it definitely wasn’t as close to Historia’s as he’d thought it would be. Then again, that made sense, because he’d been to a enough of Historia’s parties in the time since he’d come to college and he’d still never come across this place. He knew the current library building was a fairly recent thing, but he hadn’t really been aware of the fact that the old one was still so nearby, and entirely in disuse. It seemed like an absolute waste.

 

And it looked like an absolute waste when their eyes fell on the thing. The grounds around the building were overgrown, and it clearly looked derelict. If well-cared for, he imagined it probably looked really nice. But now, it had the sense that it was only a few more decades away from falling apart.

 

“How do you know about this place, anyway?” he asked as Annie walked ahead.

 

She shrugged. “Didn’t you know? This is where all the cool kids hang out.”

 

She flashed him a smirk over her shoulder and he rolled his eyes.

 

“Seriously,” he said.

 

“Reiner and Bert used to smoke pot here,” she said plainly.

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Here? What about your place?”

 

“They’re banned,” she said, her nose shrivelling. “I don’t want the smell lingering there. It’s fine when you’re smoking it, but I fucking hate the smell sober.”

 

His face eased. “Do … you …?”

 

She shook her head. “Not really. Bert and Reiner don’t even do it anymore. Reiner had a bad trip and they sort of stopped a while ago. It was last semester.”

 

“Oh,” he said. “Have you done it since?”

 

“No. I’d have told you,” she said.

 

He nodded. “Okay.” Then, when there was nothing but quiet between them, he added, “Not that you can’t do it. I’m not saying that. It’s just –”

 

“I get it,” she said. “But no. I haven’t done it since before … well, us.” Then, she added with another smirk, “But if you want to try it, I’ll do it with you.”

 

He wasn’t sure why, but he could feel heat creeping up his neck at the suggestion.

 

“Um …” he said.

 

“I’m kidding,” she said. But then, she added, “You better hope that’s not why Mikasa wanted us to come here.”

 

He smiled slightly. Then, he shook his head, and said, “From the looks of this place, I’ve got an idea.”

 

“Really?” she said. “Care to share?”

His smile widened. “I think it’s better as a surprise.”

 

The old doors opened easily, but they creaked so loudly that Armin nearly winced. Old wooden floors and abandoned furniture were coated in a thin layer of dust and dirt, and it was clear wildlife had taken up some semblance of residence. The walls, once carefully decorated in detailed wallpaper, were now smothered in bad graffiti, and he wondered how much of this was done by students on campus, or if most of it was just by teenagers from the local city.

 

However, everything, apart from the windows, still seemed shockingly intact. The stairs, although dirty, were still sturdy, and the bannisters circling around the upper floor barely looked like they had a scratch on them.

 

Armin lowered his gaze to the ground floor, looking for any sign of recent life. A vague scent of smoke hung in the air, but he suspected that was just burned into the walls from countless makeshift fires and a million cigarettes being lit since it had closed.

 

“Think we got here first?” he asked, glancing over at Annie, who looked as lost as he did.

 

“You did not.”

 

Both he and Annie turned, at the exact same time, towards the stairs leading up to the second floor. The way Mikasa had seemingly just appeared at the very top of the stairs, dead in the centre of the old bannisters on either side, was almost laughable. And maybe he would have laughed, or Annie would have – or she’d have snorted, in that little way of hers. But now, neither of them even let out a huff of air. They hadn’t really been in a laughing sort of mood recently.

 

“Oh, hey, Mikasa.” His eyebrows drew together. “What are you doing up there?”

 

“A dramatic entrance,” she said smoothly, before she began descending the stairs.

 

This time, Annie did snort – Armin just glanced at her quickly enough to catch the last second of her eye-roll. Luckily, it didn’t quite seem like Mikasa had noticed.

 

“So,” said Annie, folding her arms. “What’s this emergency meeting about?” She glanced around, clearly unimpressed. “I’m assuming it’s not good, considering we’re here.”

 

Something about Annie’s words made his stomach flip. Really, he hadn’t expected anything good, but he hadn’t really expected most of anything when they’d decided to make their way here. His head had been so lost in the details of the earlier meeting that he’d not even worried about this meeting one bit. But now, now that they were here, he supposed Annie made a good point. They hadn’t spoken since the party, not even via text. And now this?

 

It was only when Mikasa reached the bottom of the stairs, and he could see the hardness in her eyes, did he realise that maybe this was something worth worrying about after all.

 

“If this is because I hid all of this from you,” he said. “I just – I want to say sorry for that. It’s not …”

 

“It’s not Armin’s fault,” said Annie, her voice as steady as always. “If we’re all here so you can place blame, then it should be on me, not him. I wanted things to be a secret.”

 

Mikasa shook her head. “No, it’s not – God, you’re both so … dramatic.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows rose. “Uh … sorry?”

 

Mikasa sighed. “I didn’t ask you two to come here so I could scold you for … what? Having a relationship?”

 

“Then why are we here?” asked Annie. Her nose scrunched. “Could we not have met at the coffee shop or something?”

 

“No,” said Mikasa. “This is my place of business.”

 

Neither he nor Annie had anything to say to that, at least not right away. For a second, he thought Mikasa might be joking – that any minute now, the corners of her lips were going to tilt, and she was going to tell them that she was just yanking their chain. But after a few seconds, Mikasa’s face didn’t change – it was as serious as it was when she first stood before them at the top of the stairs.

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Uh … you don’t … you don’t … sell … do you?”

 

Mikasa grew confused. “Well – yes. I run my business here.”

 

His eyes widened. “On university campus?”

 

“Well, technically this isn’t part of the campus anymore,” she said. “It’s just an abandoned building.”

 

“There’s worse office spaces,” said Annie dryly.

 

Armin’s eyes were still wide. “How long have you been doing this for?”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean? You know I’ve been doing this.”

 

His eyebrows rose. “I really did not.”

 

“You do,” she said.

 

“Armin,” sighed Annie. “She’s not – she’s not talking about that.”

 

He glanced over at her. “She just said she sold –”

 

“Crystals,” said Annie. “Her crystal business.”

 

His face softened. “Oh.” Then his eyebrows furrowed as he glanced back over at Mikasa. “Why are you selling crystals in here? Can you not just do it from your dorm room?”

 

She sighed. “The university found out about my little business and, for some reason, didn’t really approve of it.” She leaned forward and whispered, “I think they think I’m a conspiracy theorist or something.”

 

Annie’s eyebrows drew together. “Is someone else here?”

 

Mikasa straightened and shrugged. “You never know.”

 

“Right,” said Annie. “So, let me get this straight – did you call us here so that you could try and sell us some of your crystals? Because – no offence – they’re just not really my thing.”

 

“None taken. You don’t have to believe they work – I know they do, so …” She shrugged again. “But no – I would never force someone to buy a crystal from me. I can force you to take some for free, though.”

 

Mikasa reached into her black handbag, which was surprisingly large, and pulled something out, hidden in her clenched fist.

 

He knew Mikasa sold crystals, although if he was being honest, he didn’t know a great deal of the details. He was surprised she could fit the crystal in her hand like that – for some reason, he’d always imagined that she would sell much larger ones.

 

Mikasa unfurled her hand, reaching into her palm with her fingers, before finally holding up not one, but two clear crystals, both of them finely shaped into a pendant, each hanging from a silver chain.

 

“It’s clear quartz,” she said. “It attracts positivity, and is supposed to reject negativity.” Mikasa sighed. “I guess it’s too late for that, but … I’m hoping it might help some good fortune come your guys’ way.” Then, after a short pause, she added, her voice soft, “You deserve it.”

 

The sickly feeling in Armin’s stomach seemed to vanish in an instant. Only a second or so went by, but he felt almost as if he was stunned into silence. He was struggling to grasp the kindness of it all – he wasn’t quite sure what he expected, but it certainly wasn’t this.

 

“Oh,” he finally managed. “Well … thank you.”

 

“It’s fine,” she said gently. “For the record, I don’t think you really need to wear it. Keeping it in your pocket is probably enough, but  –”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Annie cut her off. “I’ll wear it.”

 

Armin glanced over at Annie. He was certain she didn’t particularly believe in anything like this, but he could tell with just one look that she meant every word.

 

She carefully reached forward and took the necklace from Mikasa’s hand, and Armin followed quickly suit. Annie wasted no time in putting hers on, but Armin hesitated. He was still wearing the necklace Annie had given him all those days ago and he didn’t want to just replace it in front of her like it was nothing. Plus, he’d gotten used to putting necklaces on now, but he couldn’t say he was very good at it. His fingernails were particularly short and the clasp on this chain was tiny, so he wasn’t sure he’d be able to put it on all that easily – especially not without embarrassing himself.

 

“Is everything okay?”

 

Annie’s voice drew his attention immediately. One of her eyebrows was raised, and he could tell immediately that she was confused why he was just holding onto the necklace like that. Maybe she’d expected him to just shove it into his pocket or something – or, maybe, she actually did expect him to put the new one on. Maybe she wouldn’t mind if he took his other one off at all.

 

“I don’t know if I can get it on myself,” he admitted.

 

Annie’s lips twitched slightly, but she managed to hold back her teasing. “Really?”

 

“The clasps are a nightmare,” said Mikasa with a sigh. “Here –  I’ll put it on for you.”

 

Armin didn’t have time to answer before she took the necklace from his hand and moved behind him. He went to quickly undo the clasp of his current necklace, but he didn’t do it fast enough for her to miss his struggle. In the end, Mikasa made quick work of it, and when he took it from her hand and shoved it in his pocket, she’d moved on to putting the new one around his neck.

 

“There,” she said, stepping back. “That should do some good.”

 

He reached up to touch the pendant. “Thank you.”

 

“It’s no problem,” she said, moving back around to face them. Then, after a slight beat of quiet, she said, “I’m … sorry.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “What for?”

 

Mikasa dropped his gaze – it only raised for a moment to meet Annie’s eyes, but she couldn’t even hold hers.

 

“I’m sorry that I ever put you in the position to think … that you couldn’t tell me about this,” she said. “About how you … got back together.”

 

Armin felt his heart pull.

 

Annie’s gaze met his in an instant. Over time, he’d managed to understand her little mannerisms, her tiniest of gestures and what they meant. And even in her gaze now, he could see it. She was tired. And if he was being entirely honest, he was, too.

 

So, Armin turned to Mikasa, and said, firmly, “We didn’t get back together.”

 

Mikasa met his eyes. “What?”

 

“We were never together in the first place,” he said. “We … got together.”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

 

He swallowed. “Well … I just …”

 

“I can explain everything,” interrupted Annie. Then, she sighed. “It was my fault the whole thing went on the way it did, anyway.”

 

His heart softened. “Annie,” he said gently. “It’s not like that.”

 

She shrugged. “It’s going to make us sound like assholes. I just hope you don’t think badly of Armin after this.”

 

“Wait, what?” said Mikasa, her brow now looking permanently creased. “I really don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

 

Annie sighed again. “A few months ago, at Historia’s party … I met Armin on the balcony. He seemed frustrated – and he confided in me that he was getting tired of walking into his dorm and walking in on you and Eren fucking.”

 

Mikasa’s face turned red. “Oh. Um. Right.”

 

“Water under the bridge,” said Annie flatly. “So –  I suggested we do it. But – fakely. It was to try and make you guys understand what it felt like. It was more to do with Eren, since that was the main issue.” Then, she added, “It was my suggestion. Armin didn’t go along with it, at first. But then … he walked in on you again. So –  he changed his mind.”

 

Mikasa didn’t say anything for a long moment. Armin hated the quiet that existed between them – it felt like a solid weight in the air, heavy enough to drag him down.

 

But finally, Mikasa relieved him of that weight, and said, “So … were you never together?”

 

“We are now,” he said. He reached up to rub the back of his neck – the cool metal of the necklace grazed his skin. “Just … since we’ve actually been dating, we haven’t told anyone. Well –”

 

“Except Reiner and Bertholdt,” said Annie. “But – that was an accident. We had no intention of telling them. They just … well, you can guess what they walked in on.”

 

Armin felt his face flush and he cleared his throat. “Yeah. So …” He met Mikasa’s eye. “You – you don’t have to apologise. It’s on me for doing things the way I did.” He swallowed. “You’re my best friend. I shouldn’t have lied to you.”

 

Mikasa was quiet. In that second, he was worried that that was it for them. He wouldn’t have particularly liked being lied to so much – and he knew Mikasa well enough to know that she wouldn’t particularly appreciate it, either. And right then and there, in that moment, he really wouldn’t have blamed her if she’d wanted to call a quits after all of this.

 

But finally, Mikasa met his eyes. “You shouldn’t have lied.”

 

He nodded. “I know. I’m sorry.”

 

She sighed. “But me and Eren should have been more considerate back then.” Then, she added, “And you can say I don’t have to be sorry … but I still made you guys feel like you had to keep this a secret from me.”

 

“It isn’t like that,” said Armin quickly.

 

“It’s okay,” said Mikasa. “I … I get it.” Then, she added, “It’d be a lie to say it didn’t hurt, but I’ll get over it.”

 

“No, he’s right,” said Annie. “I know it seems personal, but since we’ve actually been together … we wanted it to be a secret from everyone. Because we don’t know what the fuck we’re doing.”

 

Mikasa’s eyebrows drew together. “What do you mean?”

 

Annie sighed. “I’ve never dated anyone before. Neither has Armin. We aren’t … I’m not good at this stuff. I didn’t want anyone involved to make me think I was doing something wrong, or we were doing something wrong. I just wanted it to be us, just for a little while.”

 

“And so did I,” said Armin. He cleared his throat. “I wanted to keep it private just because I didn’t want to overthink everything. I get … embarrassed, or I did, because … I didn’t know what I was doing. I just … I wanted to figure it out … just with Annie.” Then, he added, “But … I know I wouldn’t have liked being lied to. So, I am sorry. I really am.”

 

Mikasa let out a breath. “Armin … it’s okay. I’m sorry, too.”

 

The weight that seemed to be pulling him down melted away.

 

“Thank you,” he said gently.

 

Mikasa nodded. “It’s no worries.” Then, she added, “If it means a lot to you guys … I won’t tell anyone about the whole faking it thing. Not even Eren.”

 

Armin shook his head. “Don’t … don’t tell him. But I will.”

 

Her face softened. “Are you sure?”

 

“Yeah.” Then, he glanced over at Annie. “If you’re okay with it, anyway.”

 

Annie nodded. “It’s awkward, but … he probably deserves to know.” She scoffed. “It’s not like we have a reason to be so secretive anymore, considering the whole campus was seen us have sex.”

 

Armin winced. “Too soon.”

 

“Sorry,” said Annie, gently reaching out to rest her hand on his arm.

 

The slight, brief pressure of her touch was enough to make his heart calm. It was almost magical, the way that worked. And even when she let go, her warmth still lingered.

 

“I’ll go talk to Eren now,” said Armin.

 

“Do you want me to come?” asked Annie. “Or do you need to do it alone?”

 

He shook his head. “I should probably do it alone. But –”

 

“It’s not personal,” said Annie. “I get it.” Then, she added, “You can come to my dorm later, though.”

 

He nodded and smiled slightly. “I’d … I’d really like that.”

 

The corners of her lips lifted, but only a little bit – maybe only enough that just he would notice.

 

Mikasa cleared her throat, drawing both of their attentions. “Well … thanks for attending this emergency meeting.”

 

“No problem,” said Annie dryly. “I can’t imagine anyone I’d rather have an emergency meeting with.”

 

Mikasa nodded sincerely. “You’re too kind sometimes.” Then, her face lit up. “You know what this means though, right?”

 

Armin’s eyebrows drew together. “What?”

 

Mikasa beamed. “We can have another triple date!” Then, her eyebrows drew together. “Well, is it another if you weren’t really together the first time?”

 

“You can call it another,” said Annie.

 

“Cool,” said Mikasa, smiling. “So, you two are booked in. I promise it won’t be awkward at all.”

 

“Yeah,” said Armin, pushing a smile onto his face. “If Eren doesn’t want to kill me later.”

 

Mikasa waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. He won’t take it badly – well, he might at first, but that’s just his pride.”

 

“Right,” said Armin. His eyebrows drew together. “So should I expect it to go badly?”

 

Mikasa hesitated. “I’d be prepared.” But then, she added quickly, “But he loves you, almost as much as I do. He’s just shit at showing it. He’ll come around.” She smiled. “I’ll knock some sense into him.”

 

He managed a tiny smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Thanks.”

 

“It’s no problem.” Then, she sighed, and said, “Well, I hate to kick you out, but I do think I have another client coming soon.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows rose. “Already? I didn’t realise you had such high demand.”

 

She nodded. “Well, I have become a bit of a business mogul. Also, Historia has a secret collection that she doesn’t tell anyone about.” Then, after a pause, “I suppose it’s no longer secret since I just told you, but – maybe just keep that information quiet, okay?”

 

Annie reached out for Armin’s hand. “Our lips are sealed.”

Mikasa’s shoulders relaxed. “Okay. Thank you.” Then, she smiled, and said, “I’ll see you guys around soon, then.”

 

Armin smiled. “Yeah. We’ll see you soon.”

 

After their goodbyes were fully said, and Mikasa had returned to her position at the top of the stairs, Annie and Armin stepped out of the old library and into the familiar quiet of the day. For a minute or so, neither of them said anything, but the stillness wasn’t uncomfortable or awkward. Armin hadn’t known how comfortable silence could be with another person until he got to enjoy it with Annie, but he felt it then again in that moment, his heart content and skin warm from the quiet grip of her hand.

 

Annie was the first to speak after that. “That was unexpected.”

 

His lips curled. “Uh … yeah. You could definitely say that.”

 

Annie squeezed his hand and offered him a tiny smile. “At least there’s one less thing to worry about.”

 

“Yeah, I guess.” His eyebrows pinched. “I’m not exactly looking forward to telling Eren about all of it, though.”

 

“I get that. But have some pity,” she said, nudging him. “I’m going to have to talk to Hitch about all of this.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Have you not seen her since the party?”

 

“I have,” she said. “But she only started to act alive today. Needless to say, she wasn’t really in the room enough for that sort of conversation. She’s eating solids now, though.”

 

He breathed out a laugh. “Oh, okay. My thoughts and prayers are with you, then.”

 

“Good. God knows I’ll need them,” she said.

 

He smiled a little, but then, another thought took hold, and it soon slipped away.

 

“Are you okay with me wearing this?” he asked.

 

“What?” she said. “The necklace?”

 

He nodded. “Yeah.”

 

“Why wouldn’t I be?” she said.

 

“I just …” Armin sighed. “Well, I wouldn’t be wearing the one you got me.”

 

“Armin,” she said. “You don’t have to wear that one all the time, you know. I never expected you to.”

 

“I know … I just …”

 

“You’re overthinking,” she said gently.

 

He let out a huff. “Uh, yeah. I guess.”

 

“There’s no guessing about it,” she said, giving him a nudge. “It’s nice that it means a lot to you, but you don’t have to worry about it.” Then, she sighed, and said, “I gave you that at a really different time. If you want this new one to mean something …” She managed a smile. “Think of it as a fresh start.”

 

“A fresh start,” he said. Then, he smiled. “Yeah. I like that.”

 

“Good,” she said.

 

His smile widened and he nudged her. “It’s not like you to be so optimistic.”

 

Annie rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. I’m not all doom and gloom.”

 

“I know,” he said lightly. “I like the doom and gloom, anyway.”

 

Annie scoffed. “Thanks.”

 

He smiled again. “No problem.”

 

They were mostly quiet after that, and the walk felt quicker than it should have, at least to Armin. Although, that was probably because he didn’t really want it to be over so soon. He could walk miles upon miles without evening thinking about it, as long as Annie was right there to hold his hand.

 

But it ended, as time has the habit of making all things end. They kissed goodbye at her dorm, and Annie didn’t seem so cautious about other people seeing them – something Armin wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about. It was unlikely that any part of their relationship was a secret now. Neither of them were happy about the way it came out, of course, and it would be a long time before they could leave that all behind them. But now, they didn’t have to hide. That, at least, made some things a little easier – even if being so public wasn’t exactly a walk in the park itself.

 

Armin had managed to keep his composure until the door to his dorm room came into sight. There was a chance that Eren wouldn’t be there, but as he grew closer, staring at that thin, wooden door, he grew more and more convinced that that wasn’t the case. The door was identical to every other door in this hallway, save for the familiar silver number stuck to it, the only distinguishable factor about it. When he stopped to pull out his key, he could hear the vague sound of music – some sort of rap artist he wasn’t really familiar with – and there was Eren’s voice, humming slightly along. Well, at least he wasn’t actually rapping. He’d hate to interrupt him to have such an awkward conversation during that.

 

He let out a long breath before, finally, he pushed the door open.

 

It was the smell that made his chest tense. It was normal – or at least, what was normal for them. It smelled like aftershave and floral deodorant – neither of them particularly liked the musky stuff, although Eren had been secretive about it for some time. That was in Eren’s nature, though.

 

His eyes landed on him at his computer, like he often was, working on something that looked like another pamphlet. His eyebrows drew together. Another pamphlet already? Then again, he wasn’t sure why he was all that surprised.

 

Eren was too engrossed in what he was doing to turn around right away, and to be fair, his music was quite loud. But he finally turned when he heard the door click shut, and his eyes met Armin’s in seconds.

 

“Oh. Hey, man,” he said. “You okay?”

 

“Uh … I guess you could say that,” said Armin, reaching up to rub the back of his neck.

 

Eren sighed. “Yeah. Guess that’s the best you can be right now.”

 

Eren didn’t linger to make much more small talk. Instead, he turned back around to face his computer and continued his work. It wasn’t rude or ignorant – in fact, Eren didn’t seem fazed at all. But that in itself was strange. When he’d found him and Annie kissing outside of that gig, he’d barely been able to contain his anxiety. Now, now that things that certainly should have been private were out in the open, Eren was silent.

 

It didn’t seem like him.

 

Armin cleared his throat. “Are you working on another pamphlet?”

 

“Yeah,” he said. “Mr Smith won’t approve this one, but … I don’t really care.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows drew together and he stepped closer to look at what Eren was designing. “Why wouldn’t he like it?”

 

“I think this one counts as bullying,” said Eren. “Even if the guy is a huge dick.”

 

It had the same colourful, poor design as the rest of Eren’s pamphlets, although this version was omitting the usual stock photos and clip art, and instead had a very bad attempt at drawing a man with an awful haircut. He assumed that Eren had done the illustration himself. But as creative as it was compared to the regular images, it wasn’t really what kept Armin looking at the screen.

 

No, what kept his attention was the title, in its usual, ugly WordArt, this time a bright orange colour that was revolting to the eye, that read: THE HIDDEN DANGERS OF BEING A JACKASS.

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Uh … yeah, I don’t know if Mr Smith will like that at all.”

 

Eren sighed. “Yeah. But Floch would hate it even more, so … I think I might get it printed.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows rose. “Wait – this is about Floch?”

 

“Well, yeah,” said Eren, turning around and pointing at the poor illustration on the screen. “Isn’t it obvious?”

 

“Uh … yeah,” said Armin. Then, his eyebrows drew together again. “But … why?”

 

“Because he’s a jackass, Armin,” said Eren. “I don’t give a shit if Mr Smith thinks it’s bullying. What he did to you was literally a crime – or at least, it really fucking should be.”

 

He wasn’t sure why he was surprised at the anger in Eren’s voice. It wasn’t as if he’d expected him to be upset over his and Annie’s secret relationship, but for some reason he just hadn’t thought that Eren would go to these lengths just to get back at Floch.

 

He loves you, almost as much as I do.

 

Armin cleared his throat. “He’s been suspended, you know. He won’t see it.”

 

“Has he?” asked Eren. “Oh, thank fuck.”

 

Armin nodded. “Yeah. So … you don’t need to do that.”

 

“Oh, but I do,” said Eren. “If he hasn’t already made everyone think he’s an asshole already, I’m gonna make sure that anyone who doesn’t know knows. The last thing I want is for that douchebag to feel peace. Not ever, man.”

 

Armin didn’t say anything. In fact, he was silent for so long that Eren eventually turned around to look at him again, his face soft – and maybe more concerned than Armin had ever seen it.

 

“Unless you don’t want this going out,” said Eren. “Or Annie doesn’t. I wouldn’t want to make anything worse.”

 

Armin’s heart panged. “Thanks, Eren. I wouldn’t mind reading it before you get it printed.”

 

Eren nodded. “Okay. We can do that.”

 

Another moment of quiet passed between them. Armin was looking at the poor drawing of Floch, as if it was actually him – and the memory of everything he had felt in that moment when he’d seen himself, seen Annie, up on that screen, came flooding back.

 

His expression must have betrayed him, because Eren’s voice cut through the quiet, with a clear edge of concern. “Hey, man. You sure you okay?”

 

Armin cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah …” Then, he paused, and said, “Well, no, actually.”

 

Eren’s face softened. “Look, man. I know this shit must have hit you really hard. I can’t get what you’re feeling, but … if there’s anything I can do, just let me know.”

 

Armin wished he had just spat it out, then and there. Eren’s words, although intended to comfort, had the opposite effect. Something sickly twisted in his chest, that familiar, dizzying guilt, and it took everything in him just to meet Eren’s eye.

 

Armin let out a breath. “I need to tell you something.”

 

Eren’s eyebrows furrowed. “You do?”

 

“Yeah,” he said, finally shifting to sit down in his own desk chair. “You’re just … you’re not going to like it, I don’t think.”

 

Eren’s expression grew more confused. “Are you, like … breaking up with me?”

 

“What?” said Armin. “No, that’s not –”

 

“I mean, like a friendship break-up,” he said. “I know we’re not dating – I’m not that stupid.” Then, he cleared his throat, and said, “But that would make things really awkward living together next year.”

 

“Eren, no, it’s nothing like that at all,” he said.

 

Eren’s face softened. “Really?”

 

“No,” said Armin with a shake of his head. “Why would it be?”

 

Eren dropped his gaze and shrugged. “I … I don’t know, man. Just … after all that happened the other night …” He let out a breath. “I feel like I could have been a better friend.”

 

Armin’s face softened. “Eren … you’re not a bad friend.”

 

“I don’t really feel like a good one, either,” he said. “But – that’s not on you, man. That’s completely on me.” He let out another heavy breath. “That … I should have been able to look out for you better, so that couldn’t happen.”

 

Armin’s brow creased. “Eren … what happened wasn’t your fault at all. Not even close.”

 

“I know, but …” He sighed again. “I should have been able to do something for you. I should have paid more attention. I could have been –”

 

“I’m the bad friend,” Armin cut him off.

 

Eren’s eyebrows rose. “What? No, man. You’re a great –”

 

“I lied to you,” said Armin. “A while ago. When me and Annie first started dating – we weren’t dating.”

 

Now, Eren’s soft expression faded, replaced by a mask of confusion. “What?”

 

Armin dropped his gaze and swallowed. “To be honest … I was getting sick of not being able to come into my own dorm without walking in on you and Mikasa … it was driving me insane. I told Annie about it – she suggested we pretend we were together, act like we were doing stuff, and … then maybe you’d be as pissed off as I was and … stop.”

 

He didn’t look up right away. He didn’t need to – Eren was quiet, maybe more quiet than he’d ever been. The only thing that filled the air was the harsh sound of some Soundcloud rapper playing from Eren’s phone.

 

“So …” he said slowly. “You were just friends with benefits?”

 

Armin’s eyes flicked up. “No – we weren’t anything.”

 

Eren shook his head. “Oh, come on. That’s bullshit.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows drew together. “It’s really not. We weren’t –”

 

“Some of the things I saw …” He shook his head again. “They’re almost unspeakable.”

 

Armin’s face flushed. “I … I didn’t think it was that –”

 

“You guys were definitely doing shit,” said Eren, leaning back, looking almost triumphant.

 

Armin’s face grew warmer. “Well … sometimes it … led into something … more.”

 

“So you guys were friends with benefits.”

 

“No,” he said. “It was just … an accident.”

 

Eren’s eyebrows furrowed. “So, what? Did you just trip, slip and end up with your dick in her hand?”

 

Armin’s face was now on fire. “Well, no. But … we weren’t … we weren’t doing anything. We were just … we were getting carried away.”

 

Eren didn’t say anything for a long moment. Armin couldn’t even look at him. His face was so warm he thought he was only a few seconds from his eyebrows singing off.

 

But then, a moment later, Eren’s laughter shattered the quiet.

 

“Dude,” he said, voice full of laughter. “How do you fake a relationship so badly that you just end up in one?”

 

The humour in Eren’s voice came as a not unwelcome surprise, but it did little to cure his embarrassment.

 

“I … I don’t know,” he said, cheeks still pink.

 

“Wait, sorry,” he said, shaking his head. “Are you guys actually together now? Or are you just screwing?”

 

Armin cleared his throat. “We’re dating now. Just … not back then.”

 

Eren laughed again. “I can’t believe you did that shit. This isn’t like you at all.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows drew together. “Are you not pissed off?”

 

“Pissed off?” said Eren. “Why would I be?”

 

“Well … I lied to you,” he said.

 

Eren shrugged. “I mean, it wasn’t a huge lie.” Then, he added, “Well, it wasn’t small, but … I wasn’t exactly being really fair back then.” Another second went by before he said, “No, actually, I was being a huge jackass. There’s no way around that.”

 

“The way I reacted probably wasn’t the best, though,” said Armin. “So … I’m sorry.”

 

Eren waved him off. “Don’t apologise. Aren’t you and Annie actually dating now?”

 

Armin glanced down and nodded. “Yeah. We are.”

 

“Then it doesn’t matter,” he said. “It got you here. What does it matter that you lied to teach me a lesson?” Then, he added, “For the record – I guess it worked. It was so awkward walking in on that shit.”

 

Armin’s face flushed crimson again, and he coughed, awkwardly. “Uh, yeah. Sorry.”

 

“It’s fine. God knows I made you deal with much worse,” said Eren.

 

He wasn’t going to start contrasting and comparing his and Eren’s experiences, but he would admit that he walked in on Eren and Mikasa many more times than Eren ever walked in on him and Annie.

 

“So, we’re fine,” said Eren. Then, after a slight paused, he said, “As long as you’re happy with Annie – I couldn’t give less of a shit about all that crap.” Another beat passed, and he asked, “Are you happy?”

 

Armin nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I really am.”

 

Eren smiled. “Then we’re definitely fine.”

 

It took a little more time, and a little more reassurance, for Armin to really believe that it was fine. But after the tour of Eren’s newest pamphlet, which Armin was sure would not get past Mr Smith in any way, shape or form, it was fairly clear that Eren held no resentment over the situation.

 

Still, Armin didn’t particularly feel good about the whole thing, but that wasn’t Eren’s problem, anyway. He’d work through that – and, he thought, he’d try and work on being a better friend, even if Eren didn’t think he needed to be.

 

He didn’t check his phone until later, when the conversation had fizzled out naturally, and Eren had moved to his own bed to watch videos on his phone. His heart warmed when he noticed the text from Annie.

 

ROCKSTAR<3

Everything go okay?

 

ME

Yeah, it was fine

He wasn’t mad

 

ROCKSTAR<3

Well, that’s good

Come over?

 

His heart skipped.

 

ME

Yeah, I’ll come over now :)

 

ROCKSTAR<3

Hitch is here

She’s been badgering me since I got in

 

He smiled.

 

ME

Not surprised in the slightest

 

When Annie opened the door to her dorm room, Armin was immediately struck by how … relaxed she looked. He supposed this was just her and Hitch’s space – no judgemental eyes, no words of concern, but only a place where she could just be.

 

It was something he was relieved to see, although he wouldn’t ever say that to her. She’d scoff at him or roll her eyes – at best.

 

“Hey,” she said, stepping aside. “You okay?”

 

He smiled. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.”

 

He had barely put one foot through the door before he heard Hitch’s loud voice call, “Finally!”

 

His eyebrows furrowed, and Annie quickly hurried to shut the door behind him.

 

“Uh … hey, Hitch,” he said, a little too awkwardly.

 

Hitch was sitting on her bed, cross-legged, with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders like a cape. It wasn’t exactly burning-hot outside, but it was definitely warm, and certainly not cold enough to be wrapped in a blanket.

 

“She’s still feeling rough,” said Annie. “She’s still hungover from Historia’s.”

 

“Rude,” said Hitch firmly.

 

Armin’s eyes narrowed. “How are you still hungover?”

 

Hitch sighed. “I drank a lot, okay? I think all that saved me from alcohol poisoning was throwing up all over Floch. Which you’re very welcome for, by the way.”

 

“She also had no nutrients yesterday,” said Annie. “So, she’s just sick now.”

 

“I’m fine,” said Hitch. “Just a little rough – that’s all. I’m giving up drinking, anyway.”

 

Annie scoffed. “Seriously?”

 

“I’m serious!” said Hitch. “My days of partying are over. My body is a temple and all that.”

 

“All I’ve seen you eat today is half a bag of takis,” said Annie.

 

Hitch waved her off. “That’s all you’ve seen. I’ll have you know I had a very questionable banana while you were out.”

 

Annie’s nose shrivelled. “Thanks. I really wanted to know that.”

 

“You’re very welcome,” she said. Then, out of nowhere, she sneezed, and in an instant she looked drained and pale. “Ugh. This is awful.”

 

Armin’s face softened. “Do you not think you should eat something with actual nutritional value?”

 

“Well, probably,” said Hitch. “Here’s the thing – do you see anything of nutritional value in this room, loverboy?”

 

Somehow, the old nickname made him flush. He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Can’t say I do.”

 

His sudden nervousness wasn’t lost on Hitch. Her lips twitched. “Also,” she said pointedly. “I think it’s time you and me had a conversation.”

 

Annie groaned as his eyebrows drew together. “What about?”

 

“I want to know,” she said slowly, “what exactly are your intentions with my best friend?”

 

“God, Hitch,” said Annie. “You’re worse than my fucking dad.”

 

“And I’m sure he’d be very happy to know that there’s someone here looking out for you!” said Hitch. Then, she turned her gaze back to Armin. “So?”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Uh … so what?”

 

“What are your intentions with Annie?” said Hitch.

 

“With Annie?” he said. “Like … in our … relationship?”

 

Hitch nodded. “Exactly.”

 

Armin paused for a long moment. “You’re – serious, right?”

 

“Very serious,” said Hitch.

 

And from her expression, he could tell she meant every word.

 

“Uh,” he said, glancing over at Annie. “Well …”

 

“Go on,” said Hitch encouragingly.

 

He swallowed and met her eyes again. “I just … I want Annie to be happy. That’s all.”

 

“That’s all?” asked Hitch.

 

“I mean … she makes me happy. And I’d like to be the one to keep her happy,” he said. “That’s all I want.”

 

Hitch looked at him for a long moment before finally nodding. “Okay, good. I was completely yanking your chain, by the way – but it’s nice to see you’ve still really got heart.”

 

Armin flushed. “Uh, thanks.”

 

“You’re welcome,” said Hitch. Then, she sighed, and added, “Also, I can’t believe you two did all this stupid fucking tip-toeing around all semester, and haven’t given me a single chance to arrange a double date with you.”

 

Annie scoffed. “Sorry. I guess you’ll have to wait until next semester.”

 

“It really pains me to have to,” said Hitch, before sneezing harshly, even more so than before. “Ugh. This is terrible.”

 

“It looks terrible,” said Annie flatly.

 

“Rude,” said Hitch. “I’m sure I still look great.”

 

“You look sick,” said Annie.

 

“Again,” said Hitch pointedly. “Rude.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Can we go and pick some stuff up for you? Food, medicine –”

 

“Anything to make you look less like a ghost,” said Annie.

 

Hitch groaned. “You don’t have to be mean about it.” Then, after a slight pause, she said, “Okay. I’d really appreciate … anything. Just make me feel better.”

 

“No problem,” said Annie. “Will you be okay on your own for an hour or something?”

 

Hitch nodded. Then, after a heartbeat, she said, “Could you get me a glass of water?”

 

“Sure,” said Annie. “Armin? Do you mind …? I just need to pick some stuff up.”

 

“Yeah, no problem,” he said.

 

He retrieved Hitch’s glass from her nightstand and filled it up with cool water that he hoped would be finished by the time they returned. As he stepped back into the room, he saw Annie shoving some things into her handbag, but he only glimpsed it for a second – then, she was zipping up her bag and lifting her eyes to his.

 

“You okay to go?” she said.

 

He smiled. “Yeah.”

 

After safely delivering the glass of water to Hitch’s nightstand, they quickly said their goodbyes and started making their way to the parking lot. Neither of them said much of anything for the full walk to the car, but Annie held his hand the full way there.

 

She only let go as the parking lot came into sight, and she stopped suddenly, making him pause right there with her.

 

“Everything okay?” he asked.

 

She nodded, but she wasn’t looking at him. She’d started unzipping her handbag. “I’m fine.”

 

Then, she awkwardly reached in with both hands, and pulled out more vapes than he had seen all at once, at least outside of a store. Finished and disused, he assumed, but he didn’t quite realise what she was doing until he took note of the trash can she had stopped them by.

 

“Are those old ones?” he asked.

 

“Now they are,” she said, tossing them into the trash.

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Annie?”

“Yeah?”

 

“Are they all … I don’t know – empty?” he said. “Uh … broken?”

 

Her lips twitched. “You don’t know anything about vaping, do you?”

 

“I never claimed to,” he said pointedly.

 

She smiled slightly, but only for a second. Still, the sight of it made his heart warm.

 

“They’re not all done for,” she said. “But I’m done.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “You’re – done?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “I’m quitting. For real this time.”

 

His face softened. “Are you sure? Quitting … it’s –”

 

“I know it’s hard,” she said. “And I’ll probably be a bit moody for a while, but … I’m done. I’ve made up my mind. I’d cut down a lot already, anyway.”

 

Armin didn’t say anything for a moment. He was quietly observing her, taking in every bit of her expression, studying it almost like he’d never seen it before. And not for the first time, he found himself in awe of her – of her strength, her determination, and most importantly, her heart. He wasn’t sure what he had done before all of this for the universe to think that he deserved her, but he would never take his fortune for granted.

 

“Is it that big of a deal?” said Annie. “You’re staring at me.”

 

“I love you,” he said.

 

Her face softened. “I love you, too.” Then, she added, jokingly, “Are you saying that because I said I’d quit vaping?”

 

Armin let out a slight laugh. “Of course not.”

 

“Really?” she said dryly, stepping forward. “You seemed pretty happy about it.”

 

He shook his head and smiled. “Annie, even if you smoked forty a day, even if your fingers discoloured from the tar, even if I couldn’t kiss you without tasting cigarettes – I’d still love you more than anything.”

 

Annie’s teasing expression faded and it was replaced almost instantly by a slight rosiness on her cheeks. “Sap,” she said.

 

He grinned. “Are you blushing?”

 

“No,” she said pointedly. “I don’t blush.”

 

He stepped closer to her. “Is that so?”

 

“Absolutely,” she said firmly. “It’s not possible.”

 

He smiled and shook his head. “I really mean it.”

 

“Hmm?” she said.

 

“I love you,” he said gently. “More than anything.”

 

This time, Annie didn’t call him a sap. Instead, she managed to meet his gaze – and for that small moment, it was like they were the only two people in the entire world. He could have stayed in that instant forever.

 

“I love you, too,” she said.

 

His heart warmed, and he couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his lips again.

 

“Even if you’re a sap,” she added.

 

He laughed. “Oh, come on. You like it.”

 

“I never said I didn’t,” she said gently. Then, she reached out for his hand – her skin was colder than his, but her touch made him feel warm all over. “Come on. Hitch will be shivering soon if we don’t hurry.”

 

“Okay,” he said, but he was still smiling.

 

Armin let her drag him to the car, much like how he’d let her drag him anywhere. And when they were inside, she reached into the compartment on the left-side door, and pulled out her last vape, before handing it to him.

 

“Here,” she said. “Toss it out for me when we get there – just so I don’t forget.”

 

His eyebrows rose. “Are you sure?”

 

“Yeah. You deserve the honour,” she said flatly.

 

He let out a huff of laughter and shoved it into his pocket. “Okay. I won’t forget.”

 

“You better not,” she said. Then, after a pause, she said, “Armin?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“We’re going to be okay.”

 

He turned to look over at her, his expression soft. She, however, wasn’t looking at him – she was looking out towards campus, her thoughts somewhere else.

 

“Yeah,” he said gently, reaching out for her hand. “We are.”

 

She nodded and turned her gaze back to his. He wasn’t sure who moved first – maybe, just maybe, they both leaned in at the same time, drifting forward until their lips met. The kiss was short and soft, but it was enough, at least for now.

 

When they parted, Annie’s hand lingered on his cheek just a second longer than it needed to. Then, almost reluctantly, she pulled it away and cleared her throat.

 

“Okay,” she said. “It’s really time to get going.”

 

He smiled, just a little bit. “Yeah. I’d say so.”

 

Then, without another word – not that one was needed – Annie started the engine, and within a few moments, they were making their way out of the campus parking lot and towards town. It took Annie some time to put on the radio, but that was more than fine – Armin had never especially disliked the quiet, but he found that he quite liked it when Annie was there with him.

Notes:

Hello all. So uh first chapter in literal months, I know. Greatest apologies from me.

I've been really busy, and still am, so I won't sit here and promise a quick release for the next chapter, either. But I would like to think the wait should be a lot shorter!

Thank you for being patient with me. I hope you all enjoyed this one, too :)

Chapter 30: a little hurt

Armin’s heart seemed to be beating faster than usual, although he couldn’t quite pinpoint why.

 

Well, no. That wasn’t entirely accurate. He suspected why. Now, as he stood in front of Mikasa and Sasha’s dorm room door, holding a comically large wicker basket filled with a variety of sweet treats, he had the impression that he looked a little ridiculous. But it was a nice gesture – even Annie had said that.

 

Still, that didn’t stop him from feeling nervous as he awkwardly adjusted to knock as loudly as he could on the door, which, as it turned out, wasn’t that loud when he was balancing this shockingly weighty basket in his arms.

 

Just when he thought that Sasha might not actually be home and this trip had been a meaningless strain on his tense fingers – seriously, he’d majorly overdone this whole thing – the door flew open.

 

Sasha was wearing oversized sweats and looked a little like she’d just rolled out of bed. Not that that was exactly out of the ordinary, but she looked tired, and there was a smell, sweet and pungent, wafting from the room that reminded Armin of finals season – Red Bull, he realised. He could only imagine how many open cans were strewn across her desk.

 

“Hey,” he said.

 

“Hey,” she said, eyes widening at the sight of the basket. “What’s that?”

 

“Uh …,” he began awkwardly. “A gift.” Then, before she could say more, he quickly added, “Is everything okay? You look tired.”

 

She waved him off. “Just have a shit ton of projects due. You know. And I feel like I’ve been packing for eight years now.”

 

Armin nodded. Even he had been losing more sleep than he would have liked to. He only had one more project to hand in, though, and he was basically done. He just needed to spruce up a few details, proofread it, and triple-check his references. It would only take one evening. Still, he was putting it off.

 

“Is that for Mikasa?” asked Sasha. “She isn’t here right now.”

 

Armin shook his head. “No.” In fact, he had made sure that Mikasa wasn’t in at all – he’d text her to see what she was up to, and she was working on an essay in the library. He hadn’t want an audience for this. “No, it’s for you.”

 

Her eyebrows rose again. “For me?”

 

He nodded. “Yeah.”

 

Then, her eyes gained a familiar gleam as they flickered down to survey the full extent of the basket. It could probably feed a family of four for a few weeks if anything in the basket had any nutritional value. Stuffed in the basket were packets of Oreo Cookies, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, M&Ms, Hershey’s Kisses, Skittles, Twizzlers, Hot Tamales, Swedish Fish, Milk Duds, Tootsie Rolls, Sour Patch Kids, Jolly Ranchers, and Snickers. On top of that, there was also a range of sweet drinks: a bottle of Mucho Mango Arizona Iced Tea, a can of Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper, a Key Lime La Croix, a Yoo-hoo, and an A&W Cream Soda.

 

“Oh my God,” she whispered. “You’re not serious, are you?”

 

“Uh … yeah, I am,” he said. “This is all yours.”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed as she managed to tear her gaze from the basket to meet his eyes. “But why?”

 

“Just …” Armin shrugged. “When Mikasa and Eren were making it impossible to … you know … sleep in my own bed … you always let me crash when you could. I just wanted to say thank you in a better way.”

 

“This is … so much,” she said after a moment. “I’m definitely going to accept it, though. I’m not being humble here.”

 

He smiled. “I’m glad.”

 

“But it really wasn’t that big of a deal, Armin,” she said. “We’re friends, you know.”

 

“I know,” he said. “And I just wanted to thank my friend. Is that fine?”

 

“Oh, more than fine,” she said, reaching for the basket. “Holy shit. This thing is heavy.”

 

“Yeah,” he said lightly. “I might have gotten carried away.”

 

“You won’t catch me complaining,” she said. “My snack stock was running dangerously low. I could really use the sugar right now.”

 

“Well, I’m glad it can help,” he said. Then, he added, “How much more do you have left? Projects, assignments – do you have any exams?”

She groaned. “Oh, thank God, no. I literally think I’d die. I’m so tired until about 1 a.m., and then I just get possessed and finally manage to work on stuff. I’ve got three essays due this week, but I’m working on them.” She sighed. “Just.” Then, she added, “And then I’m leaving on the weekend, and my daddy is driving here to take me home … there’s just so much to do.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Well, if you need anything, let me know. I can pick some stuff up for you or help you pack.”

 

She beamed. “Oh, don’t worry. This should be more than enough for now. Anyway, these essays are the last one, and then I’m free.”

 

He smiled. “Yeah. Guessing you’re looking forward to the summer?”

 

“God, yes,” she said. “But you know – home is pretty … remote. So, it’ll be great at first, but I might miss the company. Connie will visit when he can, and Niccolo said he’d drop by or even pay for my flight to stay with him. Depends on how my daddy feels about it.”

 

Armin smiled. “I’m sure he won’t mind.”

 

Sasha sighed dramatically. “Yeah. He means well, but he’s so …” Sasha’s voice dropped into a Southern drawl stronger than her own, “… what are your intentions with my daughter.”

 

He laughed. “Okay, yeah. I get how that would be annoying.”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “Anyway – I’ll deal with it.” Then, she cheerfully added, “Do you have any summer plans?”

 

“Oh, not really,” he said, but the question caused his stomach to sink. “I’ll probably just recharge, save some money. You know.”

 

“The usual,” she said. “Well, don’t forget to have fun. What’s summer break for, anyway?”

 

“Yeah,” he said with a smile. “Guess you’re right.”

 

“I am,” she said firmly. “Anyway, I’d love to stay here and chat, but I have three essays to write and many sweet treats to enjoy.”

 

With a few quick goodbyes, it was over. It was strange – he probably wouldn’t see Sasha until next semester. But that’s what it was like those days. He’d been lucky in that this hadn’t happened with high school; he and his closest friends had all ended up going to the same college, so, as much of a jump as it was, there was no one really to miss. He couldn’t help but wonder what this would be like in a few years once it was all over. Where would he go? Where would Mikasa and Marco go? Even Annie?

 

Annie could have left for the summer now – Reiner and Bert were already heading back to their small town. Their goodbye was just as hasty; Reiner had brought him into a bear hug and told him to take care of Annie, which prompted a boot to be tossed in his direction (luckily, Annie waited until Armin had stepped back before aiming). Bertholdt had been as curt as ever, patting him on the back and telling him to have fun.

 

They’d offered Annie a ride before that. She was all finished. Annie wasn’t going to leave her car behind for several months, so she would drive home alone. When she’d quickly caught on to Armin’s look of concern, she said, “I’m driving you back, too, you know.”

 

So, that was that settled. It would be a squeeze, but it gave them more time together. How could he argue with that?

 

Still, it felt too soon. How could a year disappear just like that?

 

This was still on his mind when he reached Annie’s dorm. He wasted no time in knocking, and after a few moments, the door dragged open.

 

His eyebrows rose. “Oh, hey, Marlowe.”

 

Marlowe’s face offered little, as it often did, but he did offer him a nod. “Armin. How’re you doing?”

 

“I’m fine,” he said. “Is –”

 

“Annie’s here,” he said. “She’s just helping –”

 

A pair of hands came down on Marlowe’s shoulders, and Hitch’s voice followed only half a second later. “Armin!”

 

Hitch easily squeezed by Marlowe’s frame, even though he was holding a squashed cardboard box underneath one arm, and threw her arms around him.

 

“I see you’re here to help me move,” she said as she pulled away.

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Oh … uh … actually, I –”

 

“Turns out you don’t really get a choice,” came Annie’s voice from their dorm room.

 

Hitch patted his shoulder. “Come on. If you can lift cars, you can lift a few boxes.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “I can’t lift cars.”

 

“Hitch has a unique idea of what a mechanic does,” said Marlowe, stepping past them to place the box in the hallway.

 

“I know what mechanics do,” said Hitch with an eye roll.

 

“I’m technically not a mechanic,” he said, but his words were disregarded as he followed Hitch into her dorm.

 

The side that belonged to Hitch was ghostly, leaving only a few things even to suggest that anyone had lived there, namely the mattress and bedframe, with new scratches and marks that he was sure Annie would try and scrub off before she left. And, of course, there were the bags and boxes containing Hitch’s whole life here, taking up more space than he would have thought possible, given how organised it had seemed.

 

Annie was in the middle of taping up the last box, and just as she was smoothing it down, she raised her eyes to his. She was only wearing black sweats, with her hair pinned back like usual, but the sight of her nearly made his heart skip. He wondered when that feeling would stop or if it ever would.

 

“Hey,” she said.

 

He smiled. “Hey. Need a hand?”

 

She scoffed and, in one swift movement, scooped the box up and stood straight. “I don’t need one.” Then she added, “But an extra pair of hands would make this much quicker.”

 

Armin wasted no time picking up the largest box he could reach, which, in hindsight, might not have been the most logical choice considering both Hitch and Marlowe were taller than him, but he committed. He saw Annie’s lips curl when he struggled to squeeze through a tight doorframe or when another freshman was manoeuvring a box out and didn’t see him either, and they bumped into each other. Still, after what felt like a lifetime, they made it to the car, and when they returned to grab more boxes, Armin picked a less ridiculously sized one this time.

 

“I didn’t realise Hitch was moving out today,” he said to Annie as they fell into step a few metres behind Marlowe and Hitch.

 

“I thought it was tomorrow,” she said, “but I got the days wrong.”

 

A small silence settled on them before Armin spoke again. “So … you’re staying here … longer?”

 

She scoffed. “You know I am. I’m taking you home.”

 

“You might change your mind,” he said.

 

“I think that’d be pretty rude,” she said, “considering I’ve promised you a ride.”

 

“Well … maybe a little,” he admitted.

 

Annie rolled her eyes. “We can leave whenever you want. You’ve still got one assignment, right?”

 

“Right,” he said, offering a smile even though his stomach sank. “I’m working on that.”

 

The loading didn’t take much longer, and before he knew it, the car was full of both Marlowe’s and Hitch’s stuff, and they were ready to leave for the summer.

 

Hitch wrapped her arms around him. “Don’t get up to too much trouble while I’m gone.”

 

His face warmed. “I don’t get up to any trouble.”

 

“Uh-huh,” said Hitch as she pulled away. “That’s what I thought you’d say.”

 

She moved to Annie and pulled her tightly into her arms.

 

“I won’t promise anything,” said Annie.

 

Hitch sighed. “It wouldn’t be you if you did.”

 

Marlowe gave them both an awkward handshake and wished them a good summer until next semester, and before either of them knew it, he and Hitch were rolling out of the parking lot and into the distance.

 

“Are they really driving all the way to Hitch’s?” he asked.

 

“Yeah,” she said. “They’re stopping at Marlowe’s for a while first, though, so at least that’ll be a break for her.”

 

He glanced over at her. “You gonna be okay?”

 

Annie rolled her eyes. “Jesus, Armin, she isn’t dead.”

 

He flushed. “I know, it’s just …”

 

“I get it,” she said. “But I’ll be fine.” Annie reached out for his hand. It was warm; he felt the warmth sneak up his arm, almost like he’d slid into a pool baking beneath the summer sun. “Wanna go get a milkshake? It’s too hot today.”

 

Armin smiled. “Sure.” Then, he added, “I don’t think the hoodie will be helping.”

 

“Fine,” she said, and in a swift motion, she pulled it over her head, revealing a simple black tank top underneath. “Happy?”

 

“As long as you’re more comfortable,” he said, taking the hoodie from her hands before following her the short distance to her car.

 

Hot was an understatement. Annie’s car had been roasting in the sun all day and was as suffocating as an oven and maybe twice as hot. At least they’d missed the midday heat, but the car felt like it hadn’t realised they were long past midday now. Armin made sure his window was down as far as it went when Annie started the car, but he tried his best to hide his discomfort when she told him to close it so she could put the aircon on.

 

“It’ll cool down quickly,” she said.

 

“Yeah,” he said lightly. “How quickly, exactly?”

 

She let out a short laugh. “Quick enough.”

 

Annie offered him a bottle of water, which was thankfully tucked out of sight in the glove box. It wasn’t ice cold, but it was cool enough that it helped with the heat while the aircon started to have an effect.

 

The radio whirred to life, echoing a traffic report nowhere near them before a classic rock song started playing. Armin closed his eyes as he felt the chill air finally wash over him. Now, this was much better.

 

“You okay?”

 

His eyes cracked open.

 

“You look pretty wiped out,” said Annie. “Was it all that heavy lifting?”

 

Armin didn’t miss the teasing note in her voice. “No.”

 

“Then what’s up?”

 

He sighed. “I can’t believe the year is over already. How did we even get here?”

 

Annie shrugged. “How does anyone get anywhere? They just do.”

 

Armin huffed. “I get that … it just feels like it’s been so fast.”

 

She sighed. “I know.” Then, she added, “Best to make the most of it. Before you know it, we’ll be working until we die.” She smiled wryly. “Something to look forward to.”

 

Armin smiled. “Always the optimist.”

 

“I’m being realistic. Anyway,” she said, glancing over at him. “Let’s just enjoy the time we’ve got right now. Sound good?”

 

He looked at her and the way the sunlight framed her profile. His heart warmed.

 

“Yeah,” he said gently. “Okay.”

 

“Okay,” she said. “Are you free?”

 

“I can be,” he said.

 

She raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you have that last essay?”

 

He did, but the last thing he wanted to do was open up his Word document and face it again.

 

“Yeah,” he said. “But I’m basically done. It’s not due for a few more days, anyway.”

 

“Armin Arlert,” she said, faux stern. “Since when did you leave your essays so late?”

 

“It’s not unheard of,” he said.

 

“Well, I haven’t heard it.”

 

“Well, I already said,” he said cooly. “It’s basically done.”

 

“If it’s basically done,” said Annie, “then there’s no harm in handing it in, is there?”

 

He hesitated. “Well … there’s a few things I need to do.”

 

Annie hummed, the corners of her lips tilting. “Then maybe you should get that finished?”

 

Armin frowned. “But –”

 

“No, no, no,” she said. “No excuses.”

 

He let out a breath of laughter. “Since when did you care so much about my academic career, anyway?”

“I’ve always cared.”

 

“You’ve never made this much of a point about handing an essay in,” he pointed out.

 

“You’ve never put it off before,” she said. “You’ve never so callously disregarded your academic success.”

 

 “I’m not putting it off.”

 

“Is that what you think?”

 

“It’s what I know.”

 

Annie hummed. “You know a lot of things, don’t you?”

 

He smiled. “At least a few.”

 

Annie dropped the issue, which he was particularly glad for. He knew it was almost a little childish; why should he really put it off? It didn’t mean everything he’d built here would just … disappear. No, it didn’t mean that at all. But, for some reason, it certainly felt like it.

 

“Well,” said Annie, snapping him back to reality. “You gonna move or what?”

 

Armin blinked. They’d pulled up in a parking lot, and Annie had just shut off the engine.

 

“Oh,” he said, unclicking his seatbelt. “Uh, yeah. Sorry.”

 

“It’s okay,” she said, expression soft. “You sure you’re okay?”

 

He smiled reassuringly. “Yeah. Just a bit distracted.”

 

“About what?” she said, opening her car door.

 

He quickly climbed out, and Annie locked the car behind them.

 

“Same stuff,” he said. “Just … feel like I’ve lived a lifetime in just a few months.”

 

She scoffed. “You’re telling me.” She reached for his hand. “Come on. Maybe a good milkshake will bring you back down to Earth.”

 

Armin was relieved when Annie pulled him into a quiet diner and found that the air conditioner was on full blast. He liked many things about summer, but feeling like his face was melting was undoubtedly not one of them.

 

Annie, at least, had a point about the milkshakes. She went for an extra sweet caramel and vanilla milkshake, and he went with a simple strawberry, which was sweet enough for him, and the added strawberries weren’t something he would complain about. They shared, although he didn’t share too much of hers, because when he took a sip, he nearly winced at the amount of sugar. Annie laughed, and his wince turned into a laugh when Annie did her best impression of his expression: twisting her face in a way that made her seem like she’d smelled the worst thing in the world.

 

“That might have to change, by the way,” she said.

 

“What?”

 

“Your lack of a sweet tooth,” she said. “It’s going to make it difficult.”

 

He smiled. “I like sweet things.”

 

“Not enough,” she said pointedly.

 

He laughed. “I hope it’s not a deal-breaker.”

 

“Not quite,” she said.

 

He shook his head, but he was still smiling. “I think you’re looking at this from the wrong perspective.”

 

She leaned forward. “I think you’re wrong, but I’ll let you make your case.”

 

He leaned forward, too. “If you love really sweet things, and I don’t … well, doesn’t that just mean that there’s more for you?”

 

“In a sense, yes,” she said. “But it eliminates the thrill of sharing.”

 

He managed to hold back his laughter. “I think there’s a certain thrill in getting more than you bargained for. Say we ordered a dessert to share, and it was sweeter than I could take – well, then you would have most of it. We’d still be sharing, but you would get the larger portion. Everyone leaves happy.”

 

Annie hummed before reaching for the plump strawberry sitting in his milkshake. “I’m willing to consider the scenario, but it’s not definitive.”

 

“Is anything?” he said.

 

“No,” she said softly before taking the strawberry into her mouth.

 

She bit down slowly, keeping her gaze fixed on his. The juice shone on her lips as she pulled it away, presenting the other half to him.

 

“Want a bite?” she said.

 

He swallowed, doing his best to stay unaffected. “Well, it is mine.”

 

She let out a slight hum, a little laugh in her throat, and her lips curled. “It doesn’t seem like you really enjoy the thrill of sharing.”

 

He laughed, leaned forward, and practically bit the strawberry out of her hand. She still held the green stem as he swallowed his share of the strawberry.

 

“Maybe not,” he confessed.

 

Annie dropped the rest of the strawberry and closed the gap between them. He could taste the sugar in her mouth, but the sweetness was not overwhelming when her lips were involved.

 

It was brief, but when they separated, his lips were tingling.

 

He must have looked as dazed as he felt because Annie rolled her eyes.

 

“What?” he said.

 

She shrugged. “Nothing.”

 

He raised an eyebrow. “It didn’t look like nothing.”

 

She shook her head. “It’s stupid.”

 

“Try me.”

 

Annie seemed intent on looking everywhere except at him. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I was just wondering when that would stop.”

 

His face softened. “When what would stop?”

 

“When I’ll stop having that effect on you,” she said.

 

Naturally, he wanted to tease her – she certainly would not have given him a moment of peace if he had said something like that to her. But that sound in her voice stopped him. It wasn’t some casual reflection – it was too heavy for that.

 

And just like that, the atmosphere changed.

 

Since … the incident, he’d noticed changes in Annie’s behaviour. He hadn’t brought it up – he occasionally asked how she was, in the most subtle way he could without outright asking – but it was clear it was still bothering her. It was still bothering him, too, so he wasn’t particularly sure how to broach the subject. Most importantly, he didn’t really want to.

 

When he thought about it for too long, he started to feel like he might throw up. It only got worse when he thought about how it must affect Annie. She played it cool, as usual, but sometimes it was apparent that something wasn’t quite right. Now was one of those times.

 

“I don’t think it’ll stop,” he said.

 

Annie hummed, but it was clear she didn’t believe him.

 

Armin wasn’t ready to let this devolve into a weighty silence. So, he said, “It won’t stop. It’ll just change.”

 

Annie’s eyes flicked up to his. They were such a unique shade of blue. He’d looked into her eyes a million times, but sometimes, he still found himself taken aback by that shade. Like everything Annie-related, it stopped him dead in his tracks.

 

“How?” she said eventually.

 

“The way everything does,” he said, offering her a smile.

 

She dropped his gaze, clearly trying to hide her eye roll, but he’d have had to be completely blind not to notice that.

 

Still, this time, he didn’t tease her further. He let the quiet fall over them, enjoying the sunshine, the cool milkshake, and, of course, Annie’s company. It was easy, like this, to just be. It always was with her. Not for the first time, he felt that ache as the summer break crossed his mind. Having a break from all his work was a relief, but he couldn’t help but wonder how this would affect them. It was silly, ridiculous, even, but Armin wasn’t very good at keeping those sorts of thoughts at bay.

 

“What are your opinions on Monopoly?”

 

Armin blinked. “Monopoly?”

 

“You know,” said Annie slowly. “The board game?”

 

“I know what Monopoly is.”

 

Annie shrugged. “You seemed surprised.”

 

“I just wasn’t expecting you to bring it up just then.”

 

Annie’s voice was flat when she said, “Do you often expect someone to bring Monopoly up?”

 

“I can’t say I do,” he said slowly.

 

She jabbed a finger at him. “So?”

 

“So …”

 

“Monopoly,” she clarified. “Do you like it?”

 

“Yeah, I guess,” he said. “Why?”

 

She shrugged. “I thought we could play it.”

 

His eyebrows rose. “You wanna play Monopoly?”

 

“Well, maybe not specifically Monopoly,” she said, dropping his gaze. “I was just thinking about … I don’t know.”

 

His face softened. “I’d like to play Monopoly with you,” he said. “Is that what you want to do tonight?”

 

She nodded. “Something … casual.” She shook her head. “I don’t know. It sounds … stupid now that I’ve said it.”

 

“It isn’t,” he said. Then, he smiled. “Will you get angry when I win?”

 

Annie scoffed. “Like you’d win.”

 

“Oh, really?” he said. “I think you’re underestimating me.”

 

“I think you’re underestimating me,” she said pointedly. “You’ve never played it against me.”

 

“No,” he agreed with a smile. “But I’ve got a feeling.”

 

Annie hummed and said, “Okay, that’s it. Finish your milkshake. We’re getting it.”

 

Armin had assumed that she would have already owned it, but that wasn’t the case. Not that it was challenging to find a store with the classic board game in it – it wasn’t long before they were back in Annie’s car. Annie made another slight stop to buy them bubble tea, which he offered to pay for, but Annie was adamant, so he let her take this one. Hers was as sweet as he’d expected, and after she’d had a sip of what he’d gotten, she commented that it was nice, but it could do with being a bit sweeter.

 

It wasn’t long before they were back in her dorm room. It was weirdly empty without Hitch’s things, but he supposed it was nice that he and Annie could have time alone. Annie immediately got settled on the floor, cross-legged, and unpacked the box, and Armin wasted little time settling down next to her. As nice as it had been to get out of the dorms, he was relieved to be back – the heat of the day was beginning to wane, but he was still glad for the shade of the thick stone walls.

 

The heat had left a faint flush on Annie’s fair skin. That was one thing she couldn’t get around. It gave her face a warm glow that he found himself getting distracted by. The golden light filtering through her blinds illuminated her perfectly, lighting up her long eyelashes and making them look like they were glittering with stardust. There was something statuesque in Annie’s profile in the evening sunlight. If he could draw, he’d want her to be the muse. It was sappy and ridiculous, and Annie would ridicule him to no end if he said it aloud, but it was true. He was often jealous of her proficiency with music or her passion for it. Art was the only way to encapsulate her, yet his talents in that area paled compared to hers.

 

“Hey,” she said, snapping her fingers. “You’re staring.”

 

Armin blinked, face flushing. He was sure his skin’s redness looked much less flattering than hers. “Sorry.”

 

A smirk curved her lips. “Don’t worry.” Then, she added, “You’re lucky I’m nice.”

 

He smiled and said softly, “I’m very lucky.”

 

Annie rolled her eyes, but the pinkness of her cheeks darkened, betraying her coolness. The sight made his heart skip.

 

Very lucky indeed.

 

“Look,” she said, ripping the plastic bag containing the houses. “I’m assuming you know the rules, right?”

“Yeah,” he said, reaching for the instructions anyway. “I might have only played with cheaters, though.”

 

“I hope you’re not implying I cheat.”

 

“I’d never,” he said, but he didn’t attempt to hide his smile.

 

“Hmm,” she said. “Well, study the rules thoroughly because I don’t cheat.”

 

“I know you don’t,” he said, and he meant it, but he was still smiling.

 

Soon, they were away with the game. He could see that, despite being just a lighthearted game, Annie had every intention to win and win hard. Armin’s strategy had been to start pretty low on the board, but Annie hoped she would luck out and acquire the most expensive properties with houses and even hotels placed on them, and she just hoped that he would stumble onto it. After a few unfortunate trips to jail (in which he’d narrowed his eyes at Annie, who claimed she’d shuffled the cards), his luck ran out, and he landed on Mayfair – the most expensive property on the board.

 

They were both silent as the realisation struck.

 

“So,” Annie said, not keeping the smug edge out of her voice. “Bankruptcy or grovelling?”

 

His eyes moved from the board to hers, where he was met with her proud smirk.

 

He rolled his eyes. “I think I’ll go with bankruptcy.”

 

“Thought so,” she said, but she couldn’t stop herself from rubbing it in. She took all his money and properties, each as slowly as the next, presenting them to him as if he’d won a prize on a game show.

 

He did his best to fight it, but by the end of her charade, he couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it. That also set Annie off, who was doing her best to contain her laughter, but to little avail. It was almost like they were tipsy, with the way they were giggling, but it didn’t stop for a long while, not until a while after Annie had finished her dramatic display.

 

“Annie,” he managed once their laughter had fizzled out.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I …” Armin felt another fit of laughter bubble into his chest. He met her eyes as she fought a smile. “I just … I didn’t realise Monopoly … meant that much to you.”

 

Annie held his gaze for a solid few seconds before laughing again. This, of course, set him off again – he knew it was ridiculous, and he was that Annie did, too, but her laughter was contagious, and by the time they’d managed to meet each other’s gaze without giggling, his stomach had started to hurt.

 

“Fuck,” Annie managed, letting out a slight laugh. “Wanna order food now? I’m starving.”

 

“You don’t have to ask me twice,” said Armin.

 

They decided on pizza, a comically large spicy vegetable one to share, and then they started bickering over what movies they should watch. This discussion only turned to bickering because, after Annie’s rigorous questioning, he’d let slip the number of so-called “classic” movies he hadn’t seen. It wasn’t like she was a film snob – at least, that’s what she claimed – but she said that she thought there was a lot of cultural significance in seeing those so-called classic movies.

 

“I haven’t really cared about the cultural significance of watching classic movies,” said Armin. “Aren’t some of them …”

 

“Terrible? Absolutely. But that’s the point.”

 

Armin shook his head. “I think that’s the point as to why we shouldn’t watch them.”

 

“Wrong,” she said. “Anyway, unless you make a sound argument, I’ll have to pick the greatest movie of all time.”

 

He raised an eyebrow at her.

 

“The Godfather.”

 

He let out a laugh. “Annie, I don’t think it’s the –”

 

“You haven’t seen it,” she said. “You wouldn’t know.”

 

Well, she had a point there. So, holding her gaze, he said, “That’s true.”

 

“Okay,” she said, turning to her laptop. “Then, that’s what we’ll watch.”

 

“I’ll watch The Godfather,” he continued, “if we watch Ponyo, too.”

 

She turned to look at him. “Those are very different movies.”

 

“I can imagine,” he said. “But you said you’d watch it with me, and I said I’d watch The Godfather with you – why not watch both now?”

 

Annie’s lips parted, but she didn’t say anything. Ultimately, she didn’t have a sound argument about why they couldn’t. They played a game of rock, paper, and scissors to decide what they would watch first. To continue his losing streak, she countered his paper with scissors so it would be The Godfather first. But Annie didn’t want to put it on until their pizza arrived, and she decided that the atmosphere wasn’t quite right.

 

He’d wanted to tease her for such a statement, but a part of him felt that she was right. The room was awfully echoey with all of Hitch’s things missing.

 

So, he suggested, mostly jokingly, “Should we make a fort?”

 

The look in Annie’s eye told him it was no joking matter.

 

So, before he knew it, they were there peeling the blankets and the sheets from Annie’s bed and what was left of the dorm-supplied bedding on Hitch’s side of the room. Building a fort was a lost, more serious labour than it had been when he was a kid, and that was for sure. In the end, they pulled Hitch’s and Annie’s mattresses to the floor and used the head of the frame of Hitch’s bed as the top peak to tie the sheets to. It didn’t give them much room, and Armin’s head brushed the sheet more than it should, but they had a fairly successful fort before they knew it.

 

Annie’s laptop ended up in the fort with them – at least, it would. Annie demoed what it would be like, but she had it charging outside the fort as the two of them shimmied in, lying their heads down where they had shoved the pillows.

 

“I’m glad you suggested this,” said Annie.

 

“It wasn’t much of a suggestion,” he said with a smile. Then, he added, “But it is kind of fun.”

 

Annie hummed. “I’m not looking forward to taking it down.”

 

“We don’t have to do it tonight,” he said.

 

“True,” she said and rolled over to face him. “So … that assignment.”

 

Armin groaned. “I’ll submit it. It’s just not … finished.”

 

Annie hummed. “Sure.”

 

“I can’t exactly submit it now,” he pointed out. “We’re in a fort.”

 

Annie snorted. “And it is impenetrable.”

 

He laughed. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

 

“How did you mean it?”

 

“I’d just …” He shrugged. “I’d prefer to be in this fort with you than submitting an assignment in my dorm.”

 

“Well,” said Annie dryly. “Aren’t you just a sweetheart?”

 

His cheeks warmed, but he smiled anyway. “I think you think so.”

 

Annie held his gaze. “Maybe.”

 

His smile widened. “Maybe?”

 

She glanced away. “Oh, don’t say it like that.”

 

“Like what?”

 

“All … flirtatiously.”

 

His eyebrows raised. “Flirtatiously?”

 

She nodded, but she still wasn’t looking at him. “You do that thing … you … flirt.”

 

His face was warm. “Should I not do that?”

 

“You can,” she said, raising her head. Even in the dim light of the fort, he could still make out the faint redness of her face. “It just … fuck, it catches me off guard sometimes.”

 

“Oh,” he said rather dumbly. “Well, I’ll … try not to … catch you off guard.”

 

She let out a huff of air. “No, that’s not …”

 

Annie trailed off, but to her credit, she held his gaze. This sort of thing still surprised him. It was clear to both of them how she could still fluster him so easily, but when it was him flustering her … well, he couldn’t really fathom how he could make Annie feel that way. Yet, here she was, blushing like he was her first crush.

 

Still, Annie was the one who was better with actions. Her lips found his gently, like the sea to the shore, and he let himself relax into her. It was soft and sweet, and when she pulled away, it was too soon.

 

“Food,” she said, and only then did he realise that her phone had been buzzing.

 

Annie wasted no time leaving the fort, and she told him she’d be okay to get it herself before letting the door shut behind her. Well, there wasn’t much to get – but she’d left so suddenly that he could still feel the ghost of her lips on his.

 

She returned quicker than she would have had they both gone and when she lowered herself to the ground, he managed to hear her stomach grumble and realised exactly why she’d moved so quickly.

 

“Okay,” she said, opening up the pizza box. Armin felt his own stomach groan at the sight of it. “Can you press play? I don’t want to get my laptop oily.”

 

Before long, they were sat at the edge of the fort, the pizza box balanced on a cushion between them, enjoying their food and, surprisingly enough – at least for Armin – the movie that was playing before them. He knew it was a classic, but he hadn’t really thought he’d enjoy it too much. He tried not to give too much away because he could see Annie stealing glances at him, but for the most part, she was as engaged with the film as he imagined she must have been the first time she saw it.

 

When the pizza was gone and the credits appeared on the screen, she turned to him and said, “Well?”

 

“Well,” he said and smiled. “It was really good.”

 

“I know,” she said. “I told you.”

 

His smile widened. “I don’t know if I’d call it the greatest movie of all time.”

 

Annie scoffed. “Of course you wouldn’t.”

 

“It was still good.”

 

“But not great.”

 

“Not the greatest,” he emphasised. “I’d definitely call it great.”

 

She shook her head. “Okay, film connoisseur. Wash your hands, and I’ll take this pizza box down – then, we can watch Ponyo.”

 

Armin offered to take the box down – it was only fair, anyway, since she’d gone to collect the pizza in the first place – and Annie didn’t bother arguing with him. It was a short walk and quiet, as it always was those days, and before he knew it, he was back in Annie’s dorm.

 

When Armin returned, Annie was in an oversized Foo Fighters shirt, pyjama shorts, and a toothbrush sticking out of her mouth.

“Pizza,” she explained, words muffled by the toothpaste.

 

He smiled. “I’ll freshen up, too.”

 

Annie tried to speak, but the toothpaste made her entirely incomprehensible this time. After a few “Huhs” on Armin’s end, she eventually gave up trying to explain what she was trying to say. It didn’t help that Armin wasn’t doing a fantastic job of not smiling when toothpaste started to bubble out of her mouth when she tried even harder to get across what she wanted to say.

 

When Annie spat out her toothpaste, it was forceful.

 

“What did you say?” Armin asked gently.

 

She scowled. “I said,” she said, pointing her toothbrush at him, “Don’t get your hopes up.”

 

Despite himself, his face flushed. He tried to disguise his lack of cool by saying, “I thought we were just watching Ponyo.”

 

His words sounded weak, which was evident from how Annie’s lips curled.

 

She shook her head. “We are.” She pointed a finger at him. “Hurry and brush your teeth. I know you’re eager to watch Ponyo.”

 

Armin wasted little time, grabbing the toothbrush he’d brought over, and soon, he was minty fresh, and they were huddled in the fort together with Ponyo playing.

 

He did his best not to analyse her reactions, even though he’d caught her doing it to him. It was just a movie, after all. And he knew it wasn’t exactly something everyone loved – there was a certain simplicity in it. It certainly wasn’t something he liked to hype up too much – that would guarantee disappointment. But there’s something special about showing someone something you love so much. It’s like exposing a part of yourself and saying, “Look right here.” It’s strangely vulnerable, and Armin wasn’t sure he’d felt quite like this before. That always seemed to be how it was when it came to Annie. She was always making him feel something new.

 

It took him some time, but he eventually relaxed as the movie moved forward. Annie was mostly quiet, and he did his best not to read too much into it – though that was much easier said than done. He stayed just as quiet, and before he knew it, the film swept him away as it usually did.

 

As the movie reached its climax, Armin decided to steal a glance over at Annie. It was dim in the fort, only illuminated by the bright glow of the laptop screen, reflecting hues of blue, green and orange over her face. But there, in that kaleidoscope, he noticed the slight shine of tears streaming quietly down her face.

 

He couldn’t stop himself. “Are you okay?”

 

Her head darted towards him, and she blinked, quickly wiping her eyes. “I’m fine,” she said, clearing her throat.

 

He raised his eyebrows, but he didn’t push her.

 

Her eyes were fixed on the screen again, and eventually, she said, “It’s a nice movie.”

 

He smiled. “You think so?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. She cleared her throat again. “As long as the ending isn’t shit.”

He laughed and leaned over, gently pressing a kiss to her cheek. “I don’t think it is.”

 

They fell quiet again, but Annie was leaning into him more, and they were more than cosy for the end of the movie; he was propped up by the pillows they’d balanced behind them, and her head was mostly on his chest so that he could easily press his lips against her forehead.

 

It wasn’t long before the credits appeared before them, and the music played out. Annie let out a gentle sigh.

 

“So,” he said, pressing another kiss to her head. “What did you think?”

 

“It was good,” she said. Then, after a pause, she added, “It’s not quite The Godfather.”

 

He let out a laugh. “Well, that would change the vibe entirely.”

 

“Someone could probably write it.”

 

“You come into my house, Ponyo,” Armin said, doing his best Don Corleone impression, “on the day of this big storm, and you ask me –”

 

He was interrupted by Annie’s short burst of laughter.

 

“Oh my God,” she said, “That’s terrible.”

 

Armin tried to keep his face straight. “– and you ask me to – well, you don’t ask me anything –”

 

“Stop,” she said, but it was gasped somewhere in her laughter.

 

“You,” Armin started, but he quickly found that he couldn’t continue and burst out laughing with her.

 

It was enough to make his stomach ache, and each time they caught each other’s eye, they would set the other one off again. A few minutes of this must have passed before they finally managed to catch their breaths, their laughter fading into the quiet.

 

“That was so bad,” she said, her chest rising heavily.

 

He let out a breathy laugh. “It wasn’t that bad.”

 

“God, it was awful,” she said.

 

“I guess I shouldn’t try and find a career in impressions, then.”

 

“Oh, God,” she said. “Please don’t. That’d be painful.”

 

He laughed. “You really know how to flatter me, you know that?”

“Better than anyone.”

 

He smiled, and he shook his head. “I’ll try not to take your criticism too personally.”

 

She rolled her eyes, leaned forward, and pressed her lips to his; it was short and sweet. “I’m sure you’ll get over it.”

 

“I might,” he said.

 

Annie sighed. “You will.”

 

His smile softened. Annie’s eyes flitted down to his lips again, and this time, they lingered in a way that sent heat rushing through him.

 

For a moment, it wasn’t easy to think. She was so beautiful, always so beautiful,  and she was right here with him, looking at him like that. Not for the first time, and certainly not the last, he wondered what he’d done to deserve her.

 

But she didn’t give him much time to dwell on that because soon, she closed the gap between them.

 

His eyes fluttered shut. Her lips were soft, and she tasted of mint, and he couldn’t help the contented noise he let out against her lips. She could kiss him like this a billion times, and each time would feel as warm and as exciting as the first.

 

He moved his hands to cup her face as she deepened the kiss. She let out a soft moan as his tongue caressed hers, and it was enough to send his heart racing. It changed, then, as their kisses turned needier, and suddenly, it seemed to Armin that there was far too much between them – the particles in the air themselves were creating too much distance. He wanted her ever closer, and from the way she pressed himself against him, he sensed that she wanted the same thing.

 

Annie was entirely on top of him now, and Armin pushed them up quickly, making her gasp. He let his fingers grip her hips, fingertips drifting gently under her T-shirt to meet the warm flesh beneath. Her hands had tangled in his hair at some point, and the slight tugging made his skin tingle. When she made a soft sound against his mouth, she tightened her grip, and it was enough to make him gasp.

 

She adjusted against him, accidentally brushing against his crotch, and he couldn’t help but moan – small and desperate – against her lips.

 

Annie froze.

 

Armin pulled away from her slowly and met her eyes. Gone was that dark look, that wanting, and something else was there that made his heart sink.

 

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly.

 

She nodded, but she dropped his gaze.

 

“Are you sure?” he asked.

 

“Can we stop?”

 

He moved his hands away from her hips. “Yeah, of course we can.”

 

Annie quickly climbed off of him, and Armin couldn’t help the flair of embarrassment that rushed through him. What had he done to ruin the moment? It had seemed so perfect up until … well …

 

It was a relief that their kissing had made him naturally flushed because now his blush was as deep as red wine. She just wanted to make out, but his dick had clearly been suggesting other plans.

 

“I’m sorry,” he said, readjusting his glasses, which were askew from their kissing.

 

“Sorry?” she repeated.

 

He wasn’t even able to look her in the eye. He wanted to sink into the mattress and disappear forever.

 

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” he clarified. “I’m sorry.”

 

“Don’t be,” she said.

 

“But –”

 

“No buts,” she said, and then she let out a long sigh. “I’m sorry.”

 

Armin finally managed to look at her directly. She’d tucked her knees up to her chin, her arms wrapped around her legs, and now she looked awfully … small.

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “You don’t have to be sorry. It’s me that –”

 

“I can’t have sex right now.”

 

His face softened. “That’s fine.”

 

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I mean … I don’t know … when I can.”

 

He wanted to tell her that that was fine. His lips started forming the words before the look on her face made him stop.

 

Her brow was furrowed like she was lost in thought. He wanted to rub the worry out with his hands; he wanted to stroke her back, play with her hair, or do anything to make her okay. But in that moment, there was nothing he could do.

 

Annie let out another deep sigh. “It’s hard to talk about.”

 

“Okay,” he said gently. “We don’t have to talk about it.”

 

“I need to,” she said.

 

Armin didn’t say anything. He let the quiet settle between them, not wanting to push the words out of her or hold them back by saying something wrong. How had things changed so quickly, in just a matter of moments? The silence stretched on for some time until Annie eventually spoke.

 

“It’s … I’ve felt … anxious … ever since the party … about things like … that.”

 

His face softened. “Oh.”

 

Annie snorted. “Fuck, can you hear me right now? “Things like that.” Sex. I mean sex. It never used to be hard to say that.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Annie …”

 

She shook her head. “It’s stupid. It’s really fucking stupid.”

 

“It’s not,” he said gently.

 

“It is,” she insisted. “This isn’t me at all. Fuck. I hate feeling so …”

 

She met his eyes, and he saw the light sheen in the reflection of the laptop screen. Their gaze stayed locked for a moment longer before she finally broke away.

 

“I feel like … my body isn’t mine,” she said. “Not the way it used to, anyway.”

 

Armin stayed quiet. He wanted to say something, to offer her some comfort – but what could he say? He couldn’t take back what had happened as much as he wanted to. Nothing he could say would fix how she felt. Still, he desperately searched for the right words to make everything okay. Unsurprisingly, those words never came.

 

“It sounds stupid,” she said finally. “I know.”

 

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “It doesn’t. It really doesn’t.”

 

“But you haven’t been feeling like this,” she said. “You didn’t stop this.”

 

His eyebrows drew together. “It’s not that what happened doesn’t bother me.”

 

“I didn’t mean it like that,” she sighed. “I meant … this … this shouldn’t be happening. I shouldn’t … be so …”

 

She didn’t finish, and Armin didn’t push her.

 

“Annie,” he said gently. “I understand.” He let out a breath. “It does affect me; sometimes I think about it, and I feel like I could throw up. I know I haven’t said anything, I just …”

 

Annie sighed. “Fuck. Now I’m talking about it, which is hurting you.”

 

“No, no,” said Armin quickly. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just trying to say that I get it. It really fucking sucks.” He swallowed. “I want to fix this. I don’t know what to do to fix this.”

 

“There’s nothing you can fix,” she said.

 

“I know,” he said. “But I wish I could.”

 

She met his gaze again, and they lingered, staring at each other in an almost unfamiliar way.

 

“I haven’t talked to my therapist about it yet,” she admitted.

 

His eyebrows rose. “You haven’t?”

 

“I mentioned something happened,” she said. “But I haven’t said anything else. It’s …”

 

“Hard to talk about,” he finished softly.

 

She nodded. “Hard. I feel like an asshole talking to you about it. Sorry, we can’t fuck because I’m not over some stupid prank.”

 

“It wasn’t just a prank, Annie,” he said.

 

“Wasn’t it?” she said. “I feel like I’m overreacting. I’m so embarrassed.”

 

“Why?” he asked.

 

She laughed. “Why? Look at me. I’m fucking scared. Of what? Of someone whipping out their hidden camera? It’s just us. I know it’s just us. But I feel so fucking exposed.” She shook her head. “I sound like such a kid.”

 

“Hey,” said Armin. “You don’t.”

 

“I do,” she said, but her voice sounded smaller than he’d ever heard. “I do.”

 

They fell quiet again. He wanted to reach out and take her into his arms, but he knew that would probably make things worse. She’d closed her eyes tightly, and he couldn’t avoid the hurt in her expression.

 

After some time, he asked, “Do I scare you?”

 

Her eyes opened. “No.”

 

He nodded. “Okay.” Then, he asked, “Do you need me to leave?”

 

“No,” she said. “No. I want you to stay.”

 

“Okay,” he said. “I just want to make you feel more comfortable.”

 

“I know,” she said. “Thank you.” Then, after a moment, she said, “I wish I could explain it better.”

 

“I understand,” he said. “I really do. I just … I want to make you feel better. And right now, I’m being pretty useless.”

 

“You aren’t,” she said. “You’re still here.”

 

“I think it might have been a little rude to just leave.”

 

For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, Annie’s lips twitched. “Just a little.”

 

He smiled, but it soon faded. He glanced down at the blanket beneath his hands, feeling the softness of it; a part of him wished they could lie down right now on that softness and just be together, side by side. They wouldn’t have to touch. No, if that were too much, he’d be more than fine just being beside her. Fuck, that would be more than fine forever, as long as she was with him.

 

His eyebrows furrowed. Had he never made that clear to her?

 

“Hey,” he said softly. “I don’t want you to think I expect that from you, you know.”

 

Annie’s eyebrows furrowed, but she didn’t say anything.

 

“I don’t take … sex as a given,” he said and suddenly understood what Annie meant when she said that she sounded like a kid. It was hard to get the words out. “I never expect anything. It’s not like it’s why I’m with you. I’m with you because I love you. The rest of it is irrelevant.”

 

Annie’s eyebrows furrowed. “So, you’d be fine, then? If we just never had sex again?”

 

“I like being close to you like that, Annie,” he said. “But if you couldn’t … then yeah, I would.”

 

Annie groaned. “Can you stop being so …”

 

His eyebrows rose.

 

“Perfect.”

 

He let out a huff. “Would you prefer I just be an ass about it?”

 

“No,” she said. Then, after a second, “Sometimes, you seem too good to be true.”

 

His heart warmed, and he found himself at a loss for words. It took Annie a few moments to realise the depth of what she’d said, and she winced.

 

“Oh, fuck. That was disgustingly sweet. Sorry.”

 

He smiled. “Don’t apologise.”

 

“I should. That was far too sappy.”

 

He laughed. “For you, maybe. It was still nice to hear.”

 

Annie shook her head and sighed. “I’m sorry about all of this.”

 

“Don’t be,” he said.

 

“No,” she said. “I should have said something a bit … sooner.”

 

“We hadn’t done anything since,” he said. “I get it.”

 

“No,” she said. “It’s all made me feel so crappy. I’d debated just not coming back next year.”

 

Armin’s heart leapt to his throat. “What?”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Just … walking around this place and seeing everyone who knows what happened … I wasn’t sure I could do it. Sometimes, I’m still not sure if I can now.”

 

“Oh,” he said.

 

“I’m not going anywhere now,” she said quietly. “I just thought about it. I think that might have been a cowardly thing to do, though.”

 

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “That’s not cowardly.”

 

“I wouldn’t call it particularly brave,” she said. She sighed. “But … I’m staying. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I’d been thinking about it. I should have said something.”

 

“It’s okay,” he said.

 

“No, it’s not,” she said. “I should have told you.”

 

“You’ve told me now,” he said. His eyebrows drew together. “I don’t want to make you feel like you can’t talk to me.”

 

“You don’t,” she said. “It’s a me problem.”

 

Armin was quiet for a long time. Then, finally, he said, “Your problems are my problems. They’re … us problems.”

 

She let out a huff. “Is that what we’re calling them now?”

 

He smiled. “If you want to.”

 

“I’ll pass,” she said. Then, after a moment, she said, “Thank you.”

 

“What for?” he said.

 

“Being you,” she said.

 

“Oh,” he said. “You’re welcome.”

 

She let out a small laugh. The sound delighted him so much he couldn’t stop himself from smiling.

 

“So,” he said. “Don’t we have two more Godfather movies to watch?”

 

“You’re joking,” she said. “The first one didn’t exactly blow you away.”

 

“I’m ready to be blown away by the last two parts.”

 

She shook her head, but he noticed the slight smile on her lips. “If that’s what you want to do.”

 

“Would you like to?” he asked.

 

Her gaze was soft. “I’d love to.”

 

“Okay,” he said with a smile. “Then we can watch the next two.”

 

“Armin?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“I love you.”

 

There was that feeling again: warmth spreading through his chest, easing every worry he’d ever had. It was home, he realised.

 

“I love you, too.”

 

Armin was the one who ended up setting the movie up. He wanted Annie to get comfortable on her own again, and then he would go wherever she felt okay with him being. It might have been overkill, but he didn’t want to cross a line or make things harder for her than they already were. Maybe he couldn’t fix how she’d been feeling, but he could do everything he could to try and make her feel better.

 

So, he found the second instalment and gently settled down next to her. He didn’t turn into her, but he didn’t actively turn away, either. He left himself open as the movie played out, his hand lying between them, the only thing that could intrude into her space – though he’d inch back if that were what she needed.

 

But eventually, he felt the light pressure of her hand against his – her soft fingers, save for the callouses from years of playing guitar, threading through his.

 

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and after a moment or two, she did it back.

 

“The first one is my favourite,” she said quietly.

 

He smiled. “I know.”

 

They didn’t say anything else for a while, but they didn’t have to. The quiet, once agonising, was comfortable again, like it had forgotten the pain breathed into it mere minutes ago. He knew they’d have to discuss it again, but that was fine. They would cross that bridge when they came to it. At least they’d be crossing it together.

 

They made it through the second part, and Annie was eager to start the third and final instalment, so they did. Once Annie had set the movie up, she moved closer to him, resting her head against his shoulder, arm twisted under his to reach for his hand. The angle was a little awkward, and she couldn’t quite reach, so she settled for keeping her arm wrapped around his.

 

He managed to turn his head and press his lips to her head, and she sighed.

 

“Is this okay?” he asked quietly.

 

“Yeah,” she said. “It’s okay.”

 

After a moment, Armin pressed his lips to her head again before they both turned their attention back to the movie.

 

He wasn’t sure how far they were into the movie – maybe it was only about a third of the way, he wasn’t quite sure – when he noticed that Annie was fast asleep on his shoulder. Her head had lulled back, so it was more supported by the pillows, but it seemed to be his shoulder that she found the most comfort in. He couldn’t help but smile at that.

 

He was tempted to wake her – Annie wanted to watch the movie, after all. But just hearing her soft breathing, so peaceful … he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

 

So, he returned his attention to the film.

 

In the end, there was little point in doing so. Maybe he was more tired than he thought, or maybe it was the influence of Annie sleeping on his shoulder, but his eyelids started to grow heavy, and as much as he fought it, he couldn’t stop the pull.

 

When Armin woke, he couldn’t remember what he’d been dreaming about. All that he was aware of was a weight pressed against him and then a slight nudging.

 

“Are you awake?” asked Annie.

 

He squeezed his eyes shut before opening them again. “Yeah.”

 

“Here.”

 

Annie reached forward and placed his glasses on his face.

 

“Guessing they fell off when you fell asleep,” said Annie.

 

“I guess,” he said. “Thanks.”

 

“No problem,” she said. “You need to be careful with those.”

 

He smiled. “I guess it’s a bit too late for that.”

 

Annie let out a huff of laughter. “Yeah.” Then, she added, “Your phone has been buzzing like crazy.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Has it?”

 

“Yeah, you left it on the desk.”

 

“Isn’t it the middle of the night?” he asked, crawling out of the fort.

 

“Two, I think.”

 

Armin finally reached for his phone and winced at the brightness of the screen. It took his eyes a few moments to adjust, and he unlocked his phone to see the cause of the noise.

 

It was some group chat, but he wasn’t familiar with it. It wasn’t like he was in a lot, but this one seemed to be brand new.

 

The name was written in all caps: THROUPLE X2.

 

It took him a moment to realise that what the group chat was for was not, in fact, some strange orgy but rather one final triple date with Mikasa and Eren and Jean and Marco. Annie was actually in the group chat – she must not have noticed her phone buzzing from wherever it was.

 

“What is it?” asked Annie.

 

Armin shook his head. “Would you be thrilled to hear we’ve been invited to another triple date?”

 

After a pause, Annie deadpanned, “I’m ecstatic.”

 

Armin laughed. He quickly put his phone on silent and crawled back into the fort. He settled down and said, “We can just deal with that tomorrow.”

 

“Fine by me,” said Annie, and it wasn’t long before she settled down beside him, snuggling in close.

 

Tentatively, he wrapped his arms around her, and she moved closer, shifting to get more comfortable. She let out a breath, and he felt his heart warm. This, he thought, was more than enough for now.

 

“Goodnight,” she mumbled.

 

Armin pressed his lips against her forehead one last time. “Goodnight.”  

Notes:

Remember when I said I hoped the gap between uploads would be shorter than the last between chapters? Well, that clearly was not the case!

So ... it's been over a year ... oops! I have no excuse. It was hard to write for a while with my old job (I had no free time), and I lost a lot of passion, especially with other personal family stuff ... I realise it seems like a lame excuse with everything else getting updated, but all of those were either entirely pre-written or partially written. So ... let's hope it's less than a year before the next update? We can hope!

Thank you for reading and sticking with this story for so long. I realise at this point this may not have met expectations, but I promised I'd finish it, and as hard as it has been writing this, I'm really glad I was finally able to get this chapter done. I hope, in spite of the wait, you have enjoyed this chapter nonetheless.

See you in the next one, whenever that will be <3

(P.S. The mention of Red Bull is in no way an endorsement of the Formula 1 team; I hate Christian Horner (free my boy Yuki from the Red Bull pipeline))

Chapter 31: a little time

It wasn’t easy to leave Annie’s room the next morning.

 

Truthfully, it hadn’t been very easy to even leave the fort that they’d fallen asleep in. No, not when it had been so cosy with Annie curled up against him, groaning every time he tried to peel himself away. It hadn’t been easy when the last thing he wanted to do was move. He could have stayed in that stupid fort all day, sleeping the hours away, Annie snoring quietly in his arms. Or, he could have stayed up, listening to her murmuring nonsense in her sleep. Sometimes, he caught his own name amongst the noise, and he couldn’t help the way it made his heart sore. He never asked about it; he only hoped she was having good dreams.

 

Eventually, Annie managed to find the strength to get up, but only because she needed the bathroom. It had been less fun to take the fort apart and put the beds back in place. They debated just leaving it, but Annie was adamant, in the end, that the fort would be a lot less fun when it was just her in there. So, they put it back together and made plans to see each other soon, and then they parted ways.

 

When he pushed open the door to his dorm, Eren was working on something. He was surprised to see what looked like an assignment instead of another pamphlet, or the one about Floch he’d been working on.

 

“Hey,” he said, loud enough that Eren would hear him over his headphones.

 

Eren slipped them off his ears. He could hear some rap still blaring from them. “Hey. You good?”

 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said, settling down on his bed. “You okay?”

 

Eren nodded and turned to him. “Yeah.” Then, he added, pointedly, “I noticed you didn’t reply to the group chat.”

 

Armin frowned. “It was like two in the morning. What were you doing up?”

 

Eren shrugged. “Me and Mikasa were helping Sasha pack, and we lost track of time. That’s not important, anyway.” Then, he added, “Will you still be here?”

 

“When?”

 

“Next weekend,” said Eren.

 

Armin thought he might be, but he couldn’t stop that pang in his chest. What reason would he have to keep Annie here until then? His assignment was due in the next few days and, honestly, he only had bits and pieces to polish off. He told himself he would go and sort it out, but he was feeling less enthusiastic about it than he had before he’d left Annie’s dorm. Not that he’d felt too enthusiastic about it then, either.

 

“Um … maybe,” he said. “I don’t know.”

 

“You have to stay,” said Eren firmly. “We have huge plans.”

 

Armin raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by huge? The last triple date we went on …”

 

Eren waved him off. “We won’t be mean this time.”

 

The little prank they’d played on him all those days ago … thinking about it made him wince, but it didn’t come with the same sort of ache of embarrassment that it used to. No, after the party, it seemed tiny in comparison. That didn’t mean that he wanted to walk through campus half-naked again, though.

 

“What’s the big plan?” he asked.

 

“The beach!” said Eren, a smile spreading across his mouth.

 

Armin’s face softened. “The beach?”

 

Eren nodded. “Yeah. Mikasa said you love the beach, so, we thought it was a nice idea.” Then, he added, “Unless Annie hates the beach, in which case we might have to come up with something else.”

 

His heart softened. Had Mikasa suggested that for him?

 

He shook his head. “No, Annie likes the beach.”

 

“Well, we thought it would be nice,” he said. “It’s warm, so the beach will be pretty crowded, but we thought it’d be nice to do something you guys might enjoy.”

 

Armin wasn’t sure why the thought touched him so much. He supposed it was because of how he’d been feeling recently. He wasn’t doing … terrible, but to say he felt vulnerable would have been an understatement.

 

“That’d be really nice, actually,” he said.

 

Eren shrugged. “Mikasa said you’d not actually been together all year. Have you been?”

 

Armin nodded. “Yeah. Me and Annie have.”

 

Eren nodded as well. “Good. We’ll be swimming, so I was going to tell you to get some trunks.” Then, he grinned, and said, “Well, maybe I still need to if you went skinny dipping.”

 

Armin rolled his eyes. “No, Eren. We didn’t go skinny dipping. We won’t ever go skinny dipping.”

 

Eren raised his hands. “Hey, don’t knock it until you try it. It’s like taking a bath. A really cold bath.”

 

Armin frowned. “I really don’t want any more details.”

 

“I’m not being graphic!” he said. “It’s not like we’d be able to do that on a public beach, anyway. Unfortunately.”

 

Armin thought it was really fortunate that they wouldn’t be able to get naked, actually. If Jean was there, given what had happened in the bathroom at the restaurant opening – which he was glad he missed the end of – he was sure that Eren could easily be convinced to do something stupid. Hopefully, his ego wouldn’t start anything, but Armin wasn’t willing to place a bet on it.

 

The thought sparked something, and then, he said, “Did you ever get your money back from Jean?”

 

“Huh?” Then, Eren’s face fell. “Shit! That asshole owes me money!”

 

Armin couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah. You might want to ask him about that.”

 

Eren shook his head. “I can’t believe he’s not given me that. I totally forgot. How could I forget about that?”

 

“I guess there were other things on your mind,” suggested Armin.

 

“Maybe,” he said. “But that’s fifty bucks! That’s a lot of money!”

 

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t have bet on my relationship in the first place?” said Armin.

 

Eren waved him off. “Look, I’m not saying it’s a nice thing to do. But fifty dollars is fifty dollars at the end of the day.”

 

Armin rolled his eyes. “Yeah. You’re right.”

 

Eren narrowed his eyes at him. “You do that thing a lot now.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

 

“Your eye-rolls,” he pointed out. “You didn’t used to.” He shook his head. “Annie’s influenced you.”

 

He started rolling his eyes again but stopped himself. Eren noticed, anyway.

 

“See!” said Eren, pointing at him. “You did again.” He frowned. “They somehow feel more cutting from you.”

 

“Sorry,” said Armin, trying to hide his smile. “I don’t mean to.”

 

“Yeah,” said Eren. “I doubt she does, either.” Then, he added, “Anyway, you have to stick around for the beach trip. You aren’t in a rush to head home, right? Or Annie? I thought she was finished for the year, anyway.”

 

Annie was finished for the year, but she was sticking around to give him a ride home. That was Annie’s reason for staying; his was just to hand in his stupid assignment, which he just couldn’t bring himself to do. But Annie hadn’t mentioned that she was in any rush to head home; they didn’t really talk about the summer, but if she had plans, she hadn’t mentioned them. Except for that road trip, but that seemed to be closer to the end of the summer break rather than the start.

 

So, he shook his head. “I’m not in a rush. I don’t really know about Annie.”

 

“I’m sure she’d stay for the date,” said Eren. “It’s totally worth it.”

 

Armin wasn’t sure she would think it was worth it, but he did really hope that she could be convinced. So, he smiled and said, “I’ll ask her.”

 

Eren’s shoulders seemed to relax. “Good.” Then, he added, “When are you heading home, anyway? Mikasa and Marco have flights booked.”

 

“Uh … I don’t know,” he admitted. “Whenever Annie wants to take me?”

 

“Oh,” said Eren, smiling. “You have a chauffeur.”

 

Armin’s face warmed. “She offered. She has to pass me, anyway.”

 

“Is she staying over?” asked Eren.

 

This caught him short. Was Annie staying over? She’d never mentioned anything about it. He’d thought that she was just dropping him off so he wouldn’t have to pay for a flight. He could have gotten a bus, but that wasn’t exactly practical. It was a lot easier to go with Annie. Plus, it meant that she wasn’t entirely on her own for a lot of the journey. He was sure that many hours of driving would be boring. Was she staying over?

 

“I’m not sure,” he said, but he made a mental note to extend the invitation. He didn’t want to force her hand, but his Grandpa had wanted to meet her. Maybe it would be nice.

 

“Why wouldn’t she?” he asked.

 

Armin shrugged. “I don’t know. It depends on what she’s up to.” Then, he asked, “What about you?”

 

“Oh, well,” he said. “Zeke’s picking me up the day after they fly out, I think. So, just box up anything you can’t take, okay? We can just keep it all at my place for next semester.”

 

Armin smiled. “Okay. Thanks.”

 

Eren waved him off. “No problem.” Then, he added, more concerned, “But, uh … if you want any more wine … please drink it. There’s still so much wine. Zeke might be pissed.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows drew together. “Why?”

 

Eren shook his head, looking more pale. “I begged for that wine. He brought so much wine. I grovelled. He’ll kill me if he sees how much is left.”

 

“Eren,” he said slowly. “How much is left?”

 

Eren sighed and rose to his feet before pulling open his closet. There were at least five boxes at the bottom.

 

He pointed at them. “There’s like … thirty bottles.”

 

Armin’s eyes widened. “Thirty? Eren, what the fuck?”

 

Eren held his hands up like he was at gunpoint. “I thought I’d be at more parties!”

 

“Even if you were,” he said, “how did you think you could drink that much wine?”

 

“I used to be good at drinking,” he said firmly, almost like he was talking about his past youth. “I’m not the man I used to be, Armin.”

 

Armin’s face softened. “Uh … I see that.”

 

Eren closed the closet and sighed. “So, if you and Annie want any wine … please. Take it.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “You really should have mentioned before Hitch left. She could have easily cleared that out.”

 

Eren dropped his head into his hands. “Oh my God, I’m an idiot. That alcoholic could have demolished this.”

 

Armin placed a hand on Eren’s shoulder. “Hey, look. I can take a few, but … thirty is a lot.”

 

“Don’t I know it,” he said. Then, he dropped his hands, his face lighting up. “Want a drink?”

 

Armin’s eyebrows rose. “Like, right now?”

 

“Sure,” said Eren. “Why not?”

 

“Uh, I can’t,” he said. “It’s like … eleven in the morning.”

 

Eren looked at him pointedly. “It is five o’clock somewhere.”

 

“Well, it’s not here,” said Armin, offering him a smile. “That makes a difference to me.” Then, he added, “Aren’t you working right now, anyway?”

 

Eren groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

 

Armin glanced over at the screen. “Last one?”

 

Eren nodded and moved back to sit down. “Yeah. It’s killing me, though.”

 

“When’s it due?” he asked.

 

“In two days,” said Eren.

 

“Oh,” said Armin. “So’s mine.”

 

Eren’s eyebrows furrowed. “And you haven’t finished it yet?”

 

Armin frowned. “Uh … no?”

 

Eren’s face grew concerned. “Is everything okay?”

 

“Yeah?” said Armin. “I just have a few things left to do.” His eyebrows furrowed. “Is that … weird?”

 

“For you,” said Eren pointedly. “You always finish really early.”

 

“Well,” said Armin, forcing a smile on his face. “I guess there’s a first for everything.” Before Eren could respond, he said, “I was going to go and work on that today, anyway. That’s why I can’t drink at eleven in the morning.”

 

Eren hummed, turning back to his computer. “Honestly, I think it would make the process a lot easier.”

 

Armin smiled. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that.”

 

“Only one way to find out,” said Eren, rising to his feet.

 

After he’d stopped Eren from cracking open a bottle of wine, he quickly showered, checked again that Eren hadn’t opened any wine, changed, and headed with his laptop to the library.

 

He suspected it was a fruitless endeavour before he started. He did manage to make the edits he wanted and spruce up his references, and by the time he’d been in the library for a few hours, he could easily say that it was done. But he read it over and over again, trying to look for any excuse to deem it unfinished. When he couldn’t, he closed his laptop with a sigh, dropping his head into his hands.

 

“You going through it there, Arlert?”

 

When Armin raised his head, he saw Ymir smirking down at him.

 

“It’s not trouble in paradise, is it?” she asked, pulling the chair out.

 

“I hope not,” said Historia, materialising in the seat beside her. “I only just figured you out.”

 

Armin frowned. “Me and Annie are fine.”

 

“Good,” said Ymir, nudging Historia. “It took you a little too long to figure it out, babe.”

 

Historia sighed. “I just wanted to make sure I’d covered all bases.”

 

He remembered the notepad he found in Historia’s room on that night. His stomach sank a little just thinking about it, but he was relieved that he didn’t feel as ill about it as he had before.

 

“What is it, then?” asked Ymir.

 

Armin shook his head. “Nothing, just this assignment. I was about to head out, anyway.”

 

“You don’t have to rush off,” said Historia. “How are you and Annie?”

 

He’d never known Historia to show a genuine concern for him – well, apart from investigating his love life – so the question stopped him in his tracks for a second.

 

“Um … we’re fine,” he said.

 

But when he caught Ymir’s expression, he knew she didn’t seem convinced.

 

He sighed. “Well … we’re getting by. Things are … weird.”

 

“Between you?” asked Ymir.

 

He shook his head. “No. Just … with what happened … well, neither of us have been feeling great.”

 

“That’s understandable,” said Historia lightly. “I’m getting a lock fitted on the door next semester. In case you ever need to use it.”

 

Armin’s face flushed. “Um … no. I don’t think we will.”

 

Historia frowned. “What? I don’t mind you screwing in my room.”

 

His blush deepened. “Thanks? I think?”

 

Ymir smirked and kicked him under the table. “It’s not like a fetish or anything. She’s trying to be nice.” Then, she added, “She’s usually not that nice to people who have sex in her bed.”

 

“Uh, right,” said Armin, making an effort to look into Historia’s eyes. “Thanks, Historia. But I’m thinking we might try and … not do that in your room again.” He cleared his throat. “Sorry about doing it in the first place.”

 

She shrugged. “I don’t care. As long as I know to change the sheets.”

 

“Yeah, Arlert,” said Ymir, practically grinning. “Let us know next time.”

 

Armin rose to his feet and moved to pack up his laptop. “Uh, yeah. Sure. You’ll be the first to know. I’ve got to go, okay?”

 

He didn’t have to go anywhere, really, but once he’d gone and dropped his stuff back at his dorm, and found Eren gone, he decided to go for a swim. He didn’t have a lot more time to get good use out of the pool, anyway, so he figured he might as well take advantage of it while he could.

 

The water helped, but it usually did. It was nice, for an hour or so, to glide through the water, the cool water against his skin. It was nearly empty, too; everyone who hadn’t needed to be around anymore had left. Except Annie, he supposed.

 

He was thinking about her again when he lay in bed that night. Eren was snoring loudly in the corner, and his headphones did all they could to cover it up, but it was to little avail.

 

So, he decided to text Annie.

 

ME

Are you up?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Yeah

What’s up

 

Armin bit his lip.

 

ME

Do you want to hang out?

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Are you not going to bed?

 

ME

Yeah

 

Armin didn’t know what to say. Annie wouldn’t be foreign to sleeping alone, but with the way she had asked him to stay the night before …

 

His phone buzzed.

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Are you asking me for a sleepover?

 

ME

I think so :)

 

ROCKSTAR <3

You really could have just said, you know?

 

ME

Words are hard sometimes

 

ROCKSTAR <3

Fair point

Hurry up

I’m about to put some really sexy pyjamas on

 

Once he’d collected some clothes to change into the next morning and quickly shoved a pair of sneakers on, he made his way to Annie’s dorm.

 

When the door opened, he got a good look at her sexy pyjamas and smiled. He’d seen them before; they were her cow-print pyjamas. Her hair was tied back, but she’d removed all of her piercings for bed.

 

She was listening to music and the big light was still on.

 

“Hey,” she said. “Nice pyjamas.”

 

They were the Naruto pyjamas she’d bought him.

 

He smiled. “I could say the same to you.”

 

She rolled her eyes and stepped aside. “Come on, then.”

 

Armin put his bag down and surveyed the room. It was still strange seeing Hitch’s side of the room empty. He was sure he wouldn’t get used to it during their last few days here.

 

“Is this a booty call or …”

 

Armin rolled his eyes at her. “I just wanted to see you.”

 

She nudged him. “Figured. Am I that irresistible?”

 

He smiled. “Obviously.” Then, his face softened. “I thought you might like the company.”

 

Annie scoffed. “Yeah. It’s weird when Hitch isn’t here to watch dumb videos on her phone until one in the morning.”

 

He laughed. “If you want, I can do that.”

 

She shook her head. “I’d rather we just cuddle.”

 

It wasn’t long until Annie turned her music off, along with the big light, and they crawled into bed beside each other. She gently pressed her lips to his, and it made him smile.

 

“You’re grinning at me like an idiot.”

 

He felt his cheeks warm, but it didn’t stop him from smiling. “Sorry. You just have that effect on me.”

 

She scoffed. “You’re ridiculous.”

 

He felt her hands come up to gently run through his hair. He let out a breath.

 

“I ran into my stalker in the library.”

 

Annie snorted. “Historia?”

 

He smiled. “Yeah.”

 

“Has she finally figured out we’re together?” she asked.

 

“I’d be impressed if she hadn’t by now,” he said.

 

Annie hummed. “What did she have to say?”

 

He hesitated. “I don’t know if I should say.”

 

“Was she mean?” Then, after a pause, she said, “I can talk about what happened, you know.”

 

“It wasn’t that,” he said. “She let me know she’s getting a lock on her bedroom. In case I need to have sex in there again.”

 

There was a slight pause before Annie laughed. His lips twitched.

 

“You’re kidding,” she said.

 

“No,” he said. “I, uh … really wish I was.”

 

Annie shook her head. “I don’t get how you have that effect on people.”

 

His face softened. “What effect?”

 

“Everyone loves you,” she said. “If someone had fucked in my bed, I’d be pissed. Historia’s rolling the red carpet out for you.”

 

He let out a breath of laughter. “If it helps, I think it’s for you as well.”

 

“I’m not sure it does.”

 

He smiled, but then they trailed off into the quiet. So, he said, gently, “Annie?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“How are you?”

 

“I’m fine,” she said. Then, there was a pause. “I’m …”

 

Her quiet dragged out, so he said, “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

 

“No, I do,” she said, her voice gentle. “It’s just … I don’t know. I felt okay today, but … I don’t know if I will tomorrow.”

 

Her hand moved to rest on his face and he sighed.

 

“I get that,” he said quietly.

 

He felt her hand move, pushing his hair behind his ear. It tingled but in a warm way. He didn’t want her to stop.

 

“How are you, then?” she asked.

 

“I’m okay,” he said, offering a smile. “About the same, I think.”

 

She hummed again, but she didn’t say anything further about the matter. Instead, she continued trailing her fingers through his hair, making any aches that were in his body evaporate in an instant.

 

“Armin?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Can I kiss you?”

 

His heart warmed. “Of course you can.”

 

Annie’s hands trailed lower, down to his jaw, and she leaned forward to kiss him. It was sweet and gentle, and he let her take control of it. When she caressed his tongue with hers, he let out a small content sound, and she kissed him more deeply.

 

When she finally pulled away, both of them were breathing a little heavier than normal, but he still wanted more of her. He didn’t want to ask, though, not now.

 

But then, Annie said, “Can you get on top of me?”

 

His eyebrows rose. “Huh?”

 

“Not like that,” she said. “I mean … just to kiss.”

 

“Oh,” he said. “Yeah, okay.”

 

They adjusted in the bed, albeit a little awkwardly, for Armin to settle in between her legs. Then, gently he pressed his mouth to hers.

 

Annie instantly made a sweet sound against his mouth, but he didn’t want to push her too much. His kisses were soft and tentative until it was clear she wanted a little bit more. Her lips were so soft; each press of her mouth to his made his blood tingle. Slowly, he kissed her more deeply, and she framed his face with her hands, before hooking a leg over his hip.

 

He made a small noise against her, ignoring the way the little movement sent heat racing southward. He gently pulled away from her lips, turning to her jaw to pepper light kisses over her skin, and she shivered. He smiled, pleased with her reaction.

 

When he settled his mouth against her neck, kissing her sensitive skin sweetly, she let out a quiet moan, a breathy, delicious sound, and he revelled in it.

 

After a few more seconds of languid kisses, Annie started to squirm.

 

“That’s getting ticklish,” she said, and he laughed against her skin.

 

“I thought you liked it,” he said, returning to her mouth.

 

“I do,” she said in between kisses. “You were being too gentle.”

 

He pulled away. “I didn’t want to be rough with you.”

 

She poked his chest. “That wasn’t what I meant.”

 

He smiled. “Was it not?”

 

“No,” she said and recaptured his mouth.

 

They kissed like that for a while, him on top of her, pressed in between her thighs. At one point, both of her legs were around him, but he knew there was nothing in it. It was nice to be wrapped up in her like this, even if they were just kissing; though, he was hoping that Annie would ignore that he was poking her through his pyjamas.

 

When they parted, their breathing was heavy, but Armin didn’t want to stop. He could have kissed her like that forever.

 

But Annie gently nudged him off of her and he easily relented.

 

“I hope I didn’t rile you up too much.”

 

His face warmed. So, she clearly had noticed. “Uh, no. You didn’t. I was just …”

 

“Getting hard?”

 

Armin frowned as she smiled at him.

 

He nudged her. “I was going to say “having a nice time,” but if that’s how you want to phrase it, sure.”

 

“It wouldn’t be entirely inaccurate.”

 

He groaned and buried his head in her shoulder. “Sorry.”

 

He nearly shivered when he felt her hand press against his neck. “It’s okay. I’m teasing you.”

 

“I know.”

 

She didn’t say anything for a moment, but she’d started playing with the short strands of his undercut. Involuntarily, he sighed, letting his eyelids grow heavy.

 

“Armin?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Can I ask you something?”

 

“Yeah,” he said, leaning away from her. He missed her touch instantly. “What is it?”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed. Then, she shook her head. “Nothing, actually.”

 

He pushed her hair behind her ear, letting his hand cup her chin. “Are you sure?”

 

Annie hesitated.

 

“You can talk to me,” he said gently.

 

She nodded. “I know. But it was a stupid thing to say.”

 

Armin smiled. “I say plenty of stupid things to you.”

 

She laughed. “That might be true.” After a slight pause, she said, “It’s about sex.”

 

“Oh,” he said. “What is it?”

 

She bit her lip and the quiet seemed to stretch for a while.

 

It was only last night that they’d talked about sex. She’d been honest with him and he’d appreciated it. Had something really changed in the time since then? He couldn’t imagine what would have happened.

 

“The next time …” She swallowed. “I think you should go on top.”

 

Armin’s face warmed. “Oh. Okay.” Then, he cleared his throat, and said, “Was … was that it?”

 

She scoffed. “You’re making me feel really good about saying that now.”

 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean –” He cut himself off and sighed. “I thought something was worrying you.” Then, he added, after a pause, “Was that worrying you?”

 

She bit her lip. “It’s hard to explain.”

 

“Okay,” he said quietly. “That’s fine.”

 

She let out another breath. “I can … try.”

 

“You don’t have to,” he said gently.

 

She shook her head. “I want to.” After another long pause, she said, “I think I just … might feel less … vulnerable.”

 

His heart sank. “Oh. Okay.” Then, he added, rather dumbly, “Are you okay?”

 

She scoffed. “As okay as either of us, I reckon.”

 

He managed a weak smile. “Okay. Fair point.”

 

She sighed. “I’m sorry. I was just thinking about it. I know … I don’t know when …”

 

He shook his head. “Annie, it’s okay. I’m not in a rush.” His face softened. “I hope you didn’t think I actually came over to make moves on you or something.”

 

“Well, when you say it like that …”

 

He rolled his eyes. “Annie.”

 

“What? You have a bit of a reputation.”

 

He let out a huff of laughter. “I’m sure I do.”

 

Annie let her hand come up to rest on his on her face. Gently, they interlaced their fingers and settled their hands in between them. She was warm.

 

“I love you,” she said gently.

 

Those little words spread warmth through his chest. Other things might have been hard again, but that was okay. He knew it took a lot just for her to say that. It was more than enough.

 

“I love you too,” he said.

 

It wasn’t long before they both drifted off. He woke up at one point when Annie was rolling over, and he adjusted, curling into her, delighted by the contented sigh she let out as he wrapped his arms around her.

 

They were still lying like that when they woke up that morning to Armin’s phone puzzling. Annie groaned in complaint, and Armin fumbled around, reaching for his phone. He didn’t even check the number before he answered.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Hey, dude! You busy?”

 

“Uh, hey, Connie,” he said, pulling himself up. “I just woke up.”

 

“Yeah, you sound like it. I just wanted to check out the truck.” There was a pause. “You wanted me to look at it before the end of the semester.”

 

This woke Armin up. “Oh, shit, yeah. Uh … well, when do you want to look at it?”

 

Connie laughed. “Well, I fly home tomorrow.”

 

His eyes widened. “Tomorrow? Why didn’t you tell me?”

 

“I’ll be honest. I forgot about the truck.”

 

Armin frowned. He’d only taken it apart – and even then, there was only so much he could do with the tools he had – they hadn’t even listed them yet.

 

“How do you forget about your own truck?”

 

Connie sighed heavily down the phone. “I forgot to cherish her, man.”

 

Armin shook his head. “We can list everything, but I don’t know how quick everything will sell.”

 

“That’s okay.”

 

Armin frowned. “Um, no, Connie. We aren’t going to be here.”

 

“Oh. You aren’t?”

 

“I don’t live here.”

 

“Oh, that’s true,” he said. “Well, this is a bit awkward.”

 

Armin rubbed his face. “I’ll talk to Eren. Just … give me a second, okay?”

 

“No problem!”

 

Armin ended the call with a beep and before he could worry too much, he called Eren.

 

“Hey, man! Where the hell are you?”

 

“Annie’s,” he said. “Can I ask you something?”

 

“Sure.”

 

“Do you and Zeke know how eBay works?”

 

There was a pause. “I’m sure Zeke does.”

 

He let out a sigh. “Me and Connie might need a favour.”

 

Annie wasn’t happy about having to get up. She’d really enjoyed lying in bed since the semester ended, and he couldn’t really blame her. He really would have liked to stay beside her, and if he could have let her sleep the day away, he’d have let her. Unfortunately, she was his ride to the warehouse, but he tried to be as sweet as possible to her as she pulled some sweats on.

 

“Some smiling at me,” she grumbled. “It won’t get you anywhere.”

 

His face softened. “You’re so beautiful. You know that, right?”

 

She rolled her eyes at him. “Flattery doesn’t work, either.”

 

She still placed a kiss on his mouth, though, and grabbed her keys, so he decided that both smiling and flattery got him very far with Annie.

 

When they reached her car, Eren and Connie were already there, throwing quips back and forth at each other to the point they barely noticed their arrival.

 

Eren actually jumped when he saw them. “Oh, hey! You guys all good?”

 

Armin smiled. “Annie isn’t happy to be out of bed.”

 

He frowned. “It’s eleven a.m.”

 

“It’s my summer break,” she grumbled, unlocking the car.

 

Eren dropped a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe you should get a car, Armin. You can’t be her passenger princess forever.”

 

His face warmed, and he shrugged Eren off before opening the passenger side door. “Yeah, let me just find my spare grand.”

 

“Don’t be rude, Eren,” said Connie, climbing into the back seats. “He makes a good princess. Right, Annie?”

 

“It’s too early for you to be calling my boyfriend a princess,” she said as he and Eren climbed into the car. “Only I get to call him that.”

 

Both Connie and Eren oohed and Armin tried to ignore how flushed he was.

 

“She doesn’t,” he said firmly.

 

“Like you’d complain,” she said and started the engine.

 

“It’s not a bad word, Armin,” said Eren as they left the parking lot. “Sometimes Mikasa calls me her princess. It’s a compliment.”

 

Armin frowned. “I didn’t need to know that.”

 

“Well, now you’re being a prude.”

 

“What do you mean, Mikasa calls you princess?” asked Connie.

 

“What? It’s just a word!”

 

He and Connie bickered about whether or not it was appropriate for Mikasa to refer to Eren as a princess for what felt like the entire ride, but they eventually settled down at some point. Armin wasn’t really listening; Annie had tuned into some rock station and it was distracting enough that he could ignore what was happening in the back of the car.

 

When they got there, they immediately got to work. Well, the three of them did. Annie disappeared into the warehouse, where he heard her playing her guitar, almost absentmindedly. He didn’t want to distract her and, anyway, she’d already driven them out here. So, Eren, Armin, and Connie spent the afternoon taking photographs of all the sellable parts they could. They were stored safely in the back end, and with Annie generously lending Eren a key, he was sure that, if needed, he and Zeke would be able to sell the parts. They’d get a cut, at least, which made Armin feel better for leaving Eren to deal with all of it.

 

“It’s fine, man,” he said. “I blame Connie, anyway.”

 

“Hey! What’d I do?”

 

This started the bickering again, but they did manage to get all of the photos taken. When they were done, they walked back into the garage and found Annie sitting on the couch, playing a familiar tune on her acoustic guitar.

 

Eren let out a low whistle. “Holy shit. Is this where you practise?”

 

“Yeah,” said Annie with a shrug. “It isn’t much.”

 

“Isn’t much?” said Connie. “This place is huge. You could live here.”

 

Annie’s lips twitched. “Don’t tempt me. I’m still living with Hitch next semester.”

 

Armin smiled. “She isn’t that bad.”

 

“Oh, she told me about some housewarming party you’re having,” said Connie. “She gave me an invite.”

 

Annie scowled. “She did?”

 

“Yeah.” Then, he frowned. “It was on a crumpled piece of paper, but it was definitely an invite.” Then, he added, tentatively, “Were you not invited?”

 

“I’ll be living there,” she said pointedly. “I don’t need an invitation.”

 

“Oh, yeah,” he said. “That makes sense.”

 

Annie sighed and grumbled, “I’m gonna kill her,” before putting her guitar down and standing up. “Are you all done then?”

 

They were, and it didn’t take too long for them to pile back into the car. Connie spent the rest of the ride talking about Hitch’s in-depth descriptions of the housewarming party she said she’d host at their new place, and Armin tried his best not to laugh at the visible irritation on her face. It was a good thing Hitch had left early, though he was sure Annie could make a text sound pretty cutting too.

 

When they got back to campus, he gave Connie a hug goodbye and told him to have a nice summer, and he told him the same. He bickered with Eren on the way back to the dorms, and then he felt Annie’s hand on his.

 

He turned to her with a smile. “Hey.”

 

“Hey,” she said.

 

“Wide awake now?” he teased.

 

She rolled her eyes. “I was about to offer to take you out for lunch, but I might have to take it back.”

 

He pouted. “I’ll be nice.”

 

She smiled. “You better.”

 

Since they hadn’t really eaten, they decided to go to a cafe in the city, somewhere that served hearty sandwiches and fresh juice. Annie still got a coffee with a boatload of sugar, and he tried not to smile when she stirred it in.

 

After a sip, she said, “Will you come on a walk with me?”

 

“Sure,” he said. “Where do you wanna go?”

 

“The park,” she said. 

 

His heart softened. The park; the woods. Annie said she loved the trees like he loved the ocean; he couldn’t help but wonder what was going through her head then, but he decided it’d be best to not ask.

 

“Okay,” he said. “That sounds good to me.”

 

So, once they’d finished eating, they climbed into Annie’s car and made their way there.

 

It was busy in the city; the weather was nice and it seemed to bring everyone out, and Annie told him they did it just to cause traffic. He’d smiled, but he hadn’t dismissed her. She didn’t mind driving, liked it even, but the congestion drove her insane sometimes. He wondered if she’d like to be driven around, maybe around his hometown. He was insured on his Grandpa’s old Volvo; if she visited, he could drive her around wherever she wanted.

 

He snapped out of his thoughts when Annie cut the engine.

 

She opened her door. “You coming?”

 

It took him a few extra seconds to stumble out of the car, but soon, his hand was in hers, and they were heading into the woods together.

 

The roads had been busy, and maybe the rest of the park was at this time, but in the cover of the trees, it was quiet. Armin wondered how something so in the middle of it all could be so peaceful. That was part of why Annie liked it so much, he was sure.

 

She led them to that tree, the one they’d climbed last time they were there, and this time, Armin was less worried about the branches breaking. It was easy to follow her up but then again, it was easy to follow Annie anywhere.

 

When he settled down beside her, he watched her swing her feet; she was wearing her stomping boots.

 

“Hey,” he said gently, turning his head toward her. “Can I ask if you’re okay?”

 

Annie was staring down at the ground, at her boots swinging back and forth.

 

Her lips twitched and she smiled. “You can. Do I have to answer?”

 

“No,” he said. “But I’d like it if you would.”

 

Annie let out a breath. “I had an appointment with my therapist yesterday. In the afternoon.”

 

“Oh. You did?”

 

She bit the inside of her lip. “I told him what happened.”

 

His face softened. “Yeah?”

 

She nodded. “Yeah.” She swallowed. “I still really hate talking about it.”

 

His heart ached when he looked at her. “I know,” he said gently.

 

She closed her eyes and sighed heavily. “He said some things … some of it helped. He also offered me some affirmations, which I told him to shove up his ass.”

 

Armin couldn’t stop the laugh that burst out of him. “Annie. You didn’t say that to him.”

 

Her lips twitched. “I did.” Then, she added, “He dishes it out just as well. Don’t worry.”

 

He watched the way her hair slipped forward, out of her bun; it was never very good at holding her hair back. She reached and brushed the loose strand behind her ear.

 

“It helped, though,” she said. “And I did the stupid affirmations last night before you came over. I felt ridiculous. But I didn’t feel so … exposed. I don’t know.” She paused for a second. “I don’t know if it was just a one-time thing. I just …”

 

“Hey,” he said gently, reaching out to place his hand on hers. “It’s okay.”

 

“I know,” she said. Then, she added, quietly, “I just need a little time, I think.”

 

He nodded. “I get that.”

 

They were quiet for some time then, both of them just staring down at the forest floor. There were birds tweeting and fluttering through the trees, and the warm sun peaking through the canopy of leaves above their heads. It’d be a nice place to rest, he thought, at the bottom of this tree.

 

“Have you submitted your assignment yet?”

 

And just like that, the peaceful moment shattered.

 

“Um … no,” he said, doing his best to avoid her gaze.

 

“Is it finished?”

 

“… Sort of.”

 

“Armin,” she said firmly, and it brought his attention to her face. “What’s wrong?”

 

His heart softened. Her eyebrows were furrowed in worry; he hated how he’d made her look at him like that.

 

“Nothing,” he said, offering her a smile.

 

Her eyes narrowed. “Why are you lying?”

 

“I’m not,” he said. “Nothing’s wrong.”

 

“Then why are you putting it off?” she asked.

 

“I …” he trailed off, but he wasn’t sure what else he could say when she was looking at him like that.

 

Her voice was gentle. “What is it?”

 

He swallowed and looked back down at the forest floor. There was nothing there save for grass and dirt, but it was hard to look at her when he told her the truth.

 

He let out a breath. “It’s the only thing keeping you here.”

 

“What?”

 

He glanced over at her and met her confused gaze.

 

He reached up to rub his neck. “You don’t have anything to stay for, except for me submitting this stupid assignment. And then … I just don’t see you for months.”

 

Annie looked at him for a long time, so long he thought he might wither beneath her gaze, before she scoffed and nudged him.

 

“You know, for being so smart, you can really be an idiot sometimes,” she said.

 

His face warmed. “Ouch?”

 

She shook her head. “We’re not just going to not see each other for months. I have a car, you know.”

 

“It’s a long drive,” he said.

 

“Not for you,” she said. “Even then, I could catch a flight.”

 

He frowned. “That’s expensive.”

 

“Not for you,” she said again, so firmly it made his heart stutter.

 

“Annie,” he said gently.

 

“Unless you don’t want me to visit,” she said. “But I was getting the impression that wasn’t the case.”

 

“Of course I want you to visit,” he said quickly.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

He nodded. “I want to see you every day.”

 

She smiled. “Now, that might be difficult.”

 

“I know,” he said.

 

She shook his head. “We aren’t leaving right away. Don’t we have a triple date or whatever?”

 

He scoffed. “I didn’t think that would be a good enough reason for you to stay.”

 

“Absolutely not,” she said. “But you’ll be there.” Then, she added, “I’ll call you every day if that’s what you want. Even though I’ll have nothing to talk about.”

 

He managed a smile. “I’m sure I’ll find things to say.”

 

She snorted. “I know you will.” She shook her head. “You overthink too much.”

 

His face softened. “Yeah. Maybe.”

 

“You need to submit that assignment,” she said firmly.

 

He nodded. “Yeah. I know.” Then, after a long pause, he said, “Annie?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Do you want to stay over?”

 

“At your dorm? Is Eren out?”

 

“No, I mean … at my house. When we leave here,” he said. “You could stay over … maybe for a week or something. I’d have to check with my Grandpa, but …”

 

He looked over at Annie, who was quiet, but she met his gaze all the same.

 

He swallowed. “Only if you want to, obviously. You don’t have –”

 

She leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his. It took him a few moments to react, but when he did, it was bliss.

 

When she pulled away, he felt dazed; his lips were tingling and she looked so, so beautiful.

 

“You’re an idiot,” she murmured.

 

He let out a puff of air. “Maybe.”

 

“Of course I’ll stay over,” she said. “And I’ll visit again, too. Until you’re sick of me.”

 

“I’d never get sick of you,” he said.

 

“Correct answer,” she said, and he smiled. She nudged him. “Come on. You need to submit that assignment.” Then, she added, “And call your Grandpa about me coming over.”

 

He smiled. “I really don’t think he’ll mind.”

 

“Maybe, but I’d rather not just show up unannounced. He’s never met me.”

 

“He loves you already.”

 

She hummed. “Are you telling him nice things?”

 

He smiled. “Only the nicest.”

 

“Good,” she said, and his smile widened. “Okay. Let’s go and get this over with.”

 

It didn’t take them long to get back to the car. The city was still heaving, but as they drove back to campus, it took his mind off things, off that stupid assignment, if only for a few moments. He could enjoy Annie next to him, soft music on the radio, even as she swore at other drivers when they cut her off. If he was honest, that was one of the parts he enjoyed most.

 

When they reached campus, Annie grabbed his hand and dragged him along to his dorm room. He didn’t complain; she could drag him anywhere.

 

When they pushed open the door, they could hear A Thousand Years playing, and when he heard Mikasa sniffling, he knew immediately what they were doing.

 

“Did you guys just finish Breaking Dawn Part 2?”

 

Mikasa nodded, tears streaming down her face. “It’s just so beautiful.”

 

Eren looked significantly less moved. “I still don’t get what’s going on between Jacob and Renaissance.”

 

“Renesmé,” Mikasa corrected.

 

Eren frowned. “Resumé?”

 

“No! Renes –”

 

“Sorry to interrupt,” said Annie firmly. “But Armin needs to submit his last assignment.”

 

Eren’s eyebrows furrowed. “Have you not done that yet?”

 

Armin’s face fell. “No.”

 

“He’s been putting it off,” said Annie, pulling out his desk chair. She patted the seat. “Get to work.”

 

So, he did. He told her he actually just wanted to double-check it, and while she rolled her eyes, she didn’t interfere. Still, she was peering over his shoulder, which didn’t make it any easier. Dealing with just Annie though turned out to be a lot easier than all three of them watching.

 

“Is there nothing else you guys can look at right now?” he asked Eren and Mikasa.

 

“No,” said Eren honestly.

 

“There’s not another movie in the saga,” said Mikasa with a slight shake of her head. “You know that.”

 

He sighed and tried to focus on the screen in front of him. Then, he felt Annie’s hand on his shoulder, gentle and present, and he relaxed.

 

He saved his essay, ran it through a plagiarism checker, and when he was happy, he went to the assignment page on the university’s online portal. He uploaded the file, checked it was named correctly, and then, after a slight pause, clicked Submit.

 

The page loaded and then a large Submitted Successfully! message appeared onscreen.

 

Annie, Eren, and Mikasa all cheered, making him jump in his chair.

 

“You made it through your first year!” said Eren, ruffling his hair.

 

When he looked over at Annie, she smiled and pressed her lips to his cheek. His face flushed, but he let himself smile all the same.

 

“I guess I did,” he admitted as she pulled away.

 

“This is cause for celebration,” said Eren, moving away to his closet.

 

His face fell. “Eren, it’s only like four. We can’t drink a bottle of wine.”

 

“You’re right! We can drink four,” he said, turning back to him with a grin, two bottles in hand.

 

“You deserve to celebrate,” said Mikasa, taking a bottle of wine from Eren.

 

Annie squeezed his shoulder before pulling away. “Come on.”

 

He turned around in his chair and watched Annie take the other bottle from Eren’s hand before he went back to his closet. She made quick work of the lid before she stepped towards him.

 

He went to take the bottle from her hands, but she stopped him with a tiny smile. She angled the bottle, and he got what she wanted.

 

“Congratulations,” she said and she tilted the bottle against his lips into his mouth.

 

He managed a few mouthfuls, but the way she was looking at him made him smile and sputter, and wine splattered on his shirt and jeans as she pulled away.

 

She smiled apologetically and patted his back. “Sorry.”

 

He coughed and managed a smile. “It’s fine. It’s just white, anyway.”

 

“Annie,” said Eren, handing her the other bottle.

 

She put the open bottle in Armin’s hand before making quick work of cracking open her own.

 

Annie clinked her bottle against his. “Cheers!”

 

“Cheers,” he said, lifting the bottle to his lips.

 

“Hey!” said Eren, and then Mikasa and Eren were beside them, an open bottle in each hand. “We need to do a proper toast.”

 

“We do?” asked Armin.

 

“Yeah!” said Eren, raising his bottle. “To Armin submitting his assignment and not failing his first year of college.” Then, he added, “It’s not like you needed this assignment to pass, anyway.”

 

Armin went to speak, but Annie clinked her bottle against his again as well as the others’. “Cheers to that.”

 

“Cheers!” said Eren and Mikasa, and then they all tipped their bottles into their mouths. Armin was only a second or so behind.

 

When they lowered their bottles, Mikasa winced. “I forgot how strong that is.”

 

“Don’t chicken out,” said Eren, but he was wincing too. “There’s twenty-six bottles left.”

 

“Wine doesn’t expire that quickly,” said Annie flatly. “Keep them for next semester.”

 

“I can’t,” said Eren. “My brother will kill me.”

 

She stared at him blankly. “Just put them in the warehouse. I gave you a spare key.”

 

Eren stared back. “I don’t have a car.”

 

After a long pause, Annie sighed. “Fine. I’ll take them over.”

 

Eren beamed. “Thanks, Annie. You’re a real sweetheart sometimes.”

 

“Don’t get used to it,” she deadpanned before taking another swig from her bottle.

 

Eren was about to respond, but Mikasa interrupted him, holding something teal and plastic in her hands. “Want to play Battle Shots?”

 

Armin winced. “With wine?”

 

Mikasa shrugged. “It’s a quick way to get through it.”

 

“What the fuck is Battle Shots?” asked Annie.

 

“Think Battleships,” said Eren. “But with shots. The board is nowhere near as big.”

 

“It’s two player,” said Mikasa, settling down on the floor. “But we can just do teams.”

 

“What’s the split?” said Eren.

 

Mikasa smiled up at them. “Eren’s terrible at Battle Shots.”

 

Just as Eren yelled “Hey!”, Annie said, “I’ll be on your side, Mikasa.”

 

Armin’s stomach sank as Annie settled down on Mikasa’s side, and she flashed him a slight smile.

 

“What?” she said. “We’re celebrating you. You should be drinking the most.”

 

“Hey!” said Eren again. “I’m not that bad at Battle Shots.”

 

As it developed, Eren was terrible at Battle Shots. Armin wasn’t too bad, but since they were taking turns, he couldn’t really make up for how bad Eren was. He managed to get one of their shots a round, max, while Eren didn’t guess a single one. In the end, they had to switch teams, though Mikasa immediately called dibs on him, which left Annie visibly disappointed.

 

“Don’t throw up in the shots,” said Annie firmly.

 

“I’m fine,” said Eren, already sounding supremely not fine.

 

Armin could admit that he wasn’t faring much better, but he did take some satisfaction in watching Annie suffer in the same way she’d made him. As the rounds progressed, she started to look more and more out of it. Meanwhile, Eren was on another planet completely.

 

After Annie did another round and another shot of white wine, she groaned and said, “Can we switch, Mikasa?”

 

“Why?” said Mikasa. “I feel really good.”

 

Annie stared at her. “That’s exactly why.”

 

Mikasa did relent in the end. Annie leaned against him when it wasn’t her turn, but they didn’t end up drinking too much. Eren had drunk the most out of all of them, and when they finished another round, in which Eren looked particularly green, Mikasa suggested they order takeout.

 

When the pizzas arrived, Armin went out to collect them, trying his best to stay balanced. The wine was strong; he could only imagine how Eren was feeling.

 

The food revived all of them, though only just. Eren couldn’t drink anymore, in spite of the fact he was adamant that he could; Mikasa made sure he drank a lot of water and to his credit, he didn’t object.

 

Halfway through a mouthful of pizza, Eren seemed to remember something and clamoured to his feet. “Oh, Annie! I needed to run something by you and Armin.”

 

“What is it?” she asked.

 

He’d already sat at his desk, turning his computer on. “It’s this pamphlet.”

 

Armin felt his stomach drop as Annie rose to her feet.

 

“Glad you care about my opinion on this pamphlet,” said Annie, “after all the other ones.”

 

“This one’s important,” he said, clicking around the screen. “Here!”

 

Armin felt his stomach flip as he watched Annie inspect the screen. He should have warned her. He’d never imagined Eren would just show her that pamphlet about Floch himself.

 

He pushed himself up, stepping towards them, letting his hand reach out, almost as if he could guide her away.

 

But then, just as his hand pressed against her lower back, she did something.

 

She laughed.

 

“Holy shit,” she said. “You made this?”

 

Eren beamed. “Yeah, I did.”

 

She laughed again. “That’s really good.” Then, she added, “You aren’t ever getting that approved.”

 

Eren shrugged. “I don’t care. I’ll give them out anyway.”

 

“Don’t do that,” said Annie. “It’s not worth getting expelled over.” Then, after a slight pause, she added, “But if you want to print a couple of copies for me, I won’t say no.”

 

Eren grinned. “I can do that.”

 

Annie turned to him with a smile. Her face was flushed from the wine; she looked so pretty. “Have you seen this?”

 

In spite of himself, he smiled. “Yeah, I have.”

 

Annie seemed to delight in each little tidbit in the pamphlet, and it helped that Eren was so enthusiastic to show her all of it. Mikasa had seen it before, too, but she came around and they all marvelled at Eren’s handy work for a little while.

 

Afterwards, once the high of the pamphlet wore off, Armin could feel tiredness start to creep its way in. It was still early, but he found himself yawning, which only set the rest of them off.

 

Annie grabbed him by the wrist and started pulling him away. “I think it’s time for bed.”

 

“It’s only like ten,” said Eren, but then he immediately yawned. “Okay, maybe you’re right.”

 

“Goodnight,” said Annie, and Armin threw them a wave before they disappeared out of the door, Eren and Mikasa calling “goodnight” after them.

 

Annie interlaced her fingers with his as they walked; it sent a thrill through him.

 

He glanced over at her and smiled. She was so beautiful.

 

“You’re staring,” she said.

 

His smile widened. “I know.”

 

She rolled her eyes. “You used to try and be subtle. Or apologise.”

 

“You like me staring,” he said.

 

He was sure if she hadn’t already been flushed, her cheeks would have flared then. He delighted in the way she seemed at a slight loss for words.

 

“Sometimes,” she said finally.

 

He let out a short laugh. “Sometimes?”

 

“Yeah,” she said, glancing over at him. She was holding back a smile. “Sometimes.”

 

They’d reached her dorm by that point and he smiled at her. She unlocked the door, but then she turned around, and she was looking up at him; his heart skipped.

 

“Is now not one of those times?” he said gently.

 

“No,” she said, but she was still looking up at him.

 

“I can look away,” he said and deliberately covered his eyes.

 

Annie laughed and reached for his hands, pulling them down. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

 

“I’m not,” he said, but he was laughing too.

 

“You are,” she said, and her laughter made his heart sore.

 

They were still a little tipsy, and when she looked at him like that, he just wanted to hold her close. So, when their laughter fizzled out, slowly, he leaned forward and pressed his mouth to hers, pushing her back against the door to her dorm.

 

It was gentle, and Annie’s hands came up to frame his face. Her lips were soft and the kiss made him tingle from head to toe, but as he caressed her tongue with his, Annie started giggling.

 

His lips spread into a smile, and he tried to suppress his own laughter. “What?”

 

She kissed him again, but her laughter still cut through. “You taste like pizza.”

 

He felt his face warm, but he laughed all the same. He pressed his lips to hers again and said, “So do you.”

 

She pressed her lips to his and then, suddenly, they were moving. Annie opened the door behind her and pulled him inside, and he still kissed her, even in the dimness of her room, even as they awkwardly shut the door behind them, even though she really did taste like pizza.

 

She pulled away and nudged his chest. “We can brush our teeth and then make out. Okay?”

 

He nodded, but then his face fell. “I need my toothbrush. It’s in my –”

 

“There’s one here,” she said.

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “There is?”

 

“Yeah,” she said, and she seemed to make a large effort to avoid his gaze. “I bought it the other day. For when you stay over at my new place.”

 

Armin’s heart softened.

 

“You know,” she said. “You can’t just walk down a few hallways anymore. So, I thought …”

 

He leaned forward and kissed her again, and it took Annie a few startled moments before she responded.

 

When they separated a few moments later, Annie said, quietly, “You still taste like pizza.”

 

He laughed and her lips twitched. “I’ll brush my teeth.”

 

“It’s under the sink,” she said. “It’s bamboo.”

 

He smiled. “Thanks.”

 

“Don’t misplace it,” she said. “I can take it home for when you visit in the summer.” Then, she added, “I’ll hopefully bring it back.”

 

For when he would visit in the summer. For a moment, he thought his heart might burst for her. “I can get another.”

 

She shook her head. “If I forget, I’ll get you another.” She stepped forward. “Come on.”

 

They brushed their teeth at the sink together, even though it was a squeeze. It didn’t help that Annie basically stared him down in the mirror until he laughed, choking on toothpaste. She patted his back then, and at least apologised, but he went a little red in the face. He deliberately turned away from the mirror to finish brushing his teeth, which only made her laugh.

 

When they were done, she let him guide her to the bed, lips pressed against each other. They were both a little too minty fresh – it made her tongue cold and tingly, but he didn’t care. He toed off his shoes, and Annie tried to do the same, but she didn’t get very far with hers. In the end, Armin nudged her to sit down on the bed and undid them for her, tossing them behind him, before coming up to kiss her again.

 

She pulled him down then so that he was on top of her on the bed, their kisses soft and sweet, and he sighed when she tangled her fingers in his hair.

 

He pulled back slightly for a moment. “Annie?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“I love you.”

 

“I love you, too.”

 

He smiled and pressed another kiss against her lips, but he was still smiling like an idiot, which made it very hard to kiss her. His attempts just made her laugh until it completely devolved and they were both planting poor sloppy kisses against each other’s mouths.

 

“Hey,” she said, her voice gentle in her giggles. “Come here.”

 

Her words, a caress, made his giddiness settle. They could always laugh about something ridiculous later.

 

Her lips were soft and he kissed her sloppily, but she didn’t seem to mind. They were both still buzzing from the wine, so it didn’t matter if it was messy or imprecise. It only mattered that it was them; all the other details were irrelevant.

Notes:

IT'S BACK!

No one is as surprised as me. So like ... I was unemployed for a month and rediscovered my joy for life? So I went back through all of Faking It to make sure I didn't miss anything and then wrote this :) I am employed again (who knows for how long!) but I literally wrote part of this on the commute on my phone before I edited it in the evenings, so I'm trying to stay optimistic about still writing.

I am planning on participating in aruani week, which will obviously affect how much I work on anything else, but I really enjoyed being back writing about these guys :)

The amount of chapters has extended; honestly, I have no idea how many more there'll be, but I figured there needs to be at least 35 to wrap things up, but who knows!

Anyway, sorry for the months of wait. I hope you enjoyed reading this and I'll see you all in the next one :)

Chapter 32: a little wet

The weather was nicer than expected – the sky was a rich blue and the sun was shining so brightly that it had woken both of them up that morning, streaming through the thin dorm room blinds – but Armin still imagined the sea wouldn’t be particularly warm.

 

“That’s good, though,” said Annie when he’d voiced his concern. “We won’t sweat to death.”

 

He couldn’t help but smile at that. Annie had suggested just wearing their swimsuits beneath their clothes since it was bound to be busy, which had been fine with him; he was just wearing a simple T-shirt along with the swimming trunks she’d bought him, since they were heading straight to the beach. The only downside, really, was that the T-shirt in question was his Annie Leonhart’s #2 Groupie shirt (as requested by Annie, with a sweet expression and fluttered eyelashes), which he expected to get a lot of questions on.

 

Annie, on the other hand, wasn’t exactly dressed lightly for the weather. She was wearing a short red and black pleated skirt, which was fair enough, but she’d paired it with a lacey black T-shirt, which dipped at the cleavage, and her black leather stomping boots.

 

She frowned when she noticed him smiling. “What?”

 

He shook his head. “You might be cooler if you weren’t wearing boots in early summer.” Then, he added, “Or black.”

 

“The boots weren’t negotiable,” she said pointedly. “And my swimsuit is black, so I had to wear black over it.”

 

He smiled again. “So you’d match?”

 

She rolled her eyes, which just made his smile widen. “So, you can’t see it through my shirt.”

 

“I doubt anyone would notice,” he said.

 

“I’d notice,” she said. “Anyway, I thought I looked nice.”

 

His heart softened. “You look beautiful. And hot.” Then, he added, “In more ways than one.”

 

She scoffed when he smiled. “Proud of that one, aren’t you?”

 

“A little,” he admitted.

 

She rolled her eyes, but she reached out for his hand, anyway. In spite of the heat, he was still overjoyed when she interlaced her fingers with his. “Come on. I need to sit in the parking lot with all the doors open before Eren and Mikasa show up. That thing’ll be an oven.”

 

“Oven” turned out to be an understatement. Annie didn’t really want to sit in the car, but she seemed to prefer the idea of any shade over standing in the direct sunlight. It was better if one of them was in the car, anyway, considering the key was in the ignition – and it was probably better that it was her, given the fact that it was actually her car.

 

Still, he joined her in the passenger seat as they waited. Thankfully, there was a slight breeze, and with both the doors wide open, it wafted some of the stuffy air out. He could tell Annie was dying to put the air con on, but with the doors wide open, there was no point. Still, she was clearly too warm; so, he pulled out the large water bottle he’d packed in his backpack and forced it into her hands as they waited. She rolled her eyes at him, but she took it without any other protest.

 

When she handed it back, he quickly tucked it away again before letting himself look over at her again. Her cheeks were flushed from the heat, turning her fair skin a rosy pink. It might have been sweet if the temperature wasn’t making her so miserable.

 

He looked at her for a little while longer, eyes closed and head resting against the back of her chair, before his eyebrows furrowed.

 

“Annie?” he asked. “Are you wearing sunscreen?”

 

She was quiet for a moment. “No.”

 

He frowned. “Annie.”

 

“You aren’t,” she said pointedly.

 

“I’m not fair-skinned,” he said. “I was going to put some on when we got to the beach, anyway.”

 

“Well, I’ll put some on when we get to the beach,” she said.

 

His eyebrows drew together again. “I don’t want you to burn.”

 

“You’ve not seen me burn yet,” she said.

 

“We don’t actually spend a lot of time outdoors together,” he said.

 

“I’ll be fine,” she said. “I’ll put some on as soon as we get there. Okay?”

 

His eyebrows were still furrowed. “Promise?”

 

“I promise,” she said. “I’ll even let you lather me up if that would make you happy.”

 

His face warmed. “I can help if you need me to do your back.”

 

“Just my back?” she asked, lips twitching. “Didn’t expect you to turn down an offer to touch my bare skin, but okay.”

 

He rolled his eyes, but his face was still flushed. “I’ll do it if you want me to.”

 

“I can do you,” she offered. Then, after a moment, she added, “Don’t get too excited when I do your chest, though.”

 

He gave her a slightly pointed look. “Annie.”

 

“I’m just teasing,” she said. Then, after a moment, she added, “Thank God. Eren and Mikasa are over there. I can’t wait to put this fucking air con on.” But then, her eyebrows furrowed. “What the fuck is Eren wearing?”

 

Armin couldn’t quite see anything in the rearview mirror from the passenger side, but it didn’t matter; Annie was already climbing out of the car, so he decided to do the same.

 

When he stepped out into the parking lot, Mikasa and Eren were nearly upon them, Eren with a large smile on his face. Armin returned the smile, but only briefly, before his eyes focused on the shirt he was wearing. It was a simple black T-shirt, though the shirt itself wasn’t the issue; rather, it was the white text plastered across it that read MY GIRLFRIEND PEGGED ME AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS STUPID T-SHIRT.

 

Armin hadn’t quite managed to get the surprise off his face by the time they reached Annie’s car.

 

“Hey!” said Eren. Then, he pointed at Armin’s shirt. “That’s a great shirt, by the way.” He frowned. “Who’s number one?”

 

“Hitch,” said Armin, still frowning at Eren’s shirt.

 

“Oh,” he said slowly. “Makes sense.”

 

“What the fuck are you wearing?” asked Annie.

 

Eren beamed. “Mikasa got it for me.” After a moment, he added, “Cute, right?”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Um … I don’t really know about that.”

 

“Cute is certainly a strong word,” said Annie.

 

Eren frowned. “What? It’s sweet! She picked me, and everything.”

 

Somehow, Armin’s eyebrows furrowed even further. “What?”

 

Eren’s frown deepened. “She did! That’s why we’re dating.”

 

“Eren,” started Armin hesitantly. “I don’t think that’s …”

 

“Do you know what pegged means?” asked Annie dryly.

 

“Yeah,” said Eren. “It just means picked.” When everyone there was silent, he added, “Right?”

 

“No,” said Armin.

 

“Not even a little bit,” said Annie.

 

Eren turned to Mikasa with a frown. “Is that not what it means?”

 

She gave him a gentle look. “I thought you knew what it meant.”

 

“So did I!” he said. He turned back to Armin and Annie. “What does it mean?”

 

“Well,” said Annie slowly. “When a man and a dominant woman love each other very, very much –”

 

“Annie,” said Armin, pinching the bridge of his nose and wincing. He could feel his face flush, though he wasn’t quite sure why, which only made it feel even worse.

 

“Fine,” she said. Then, she pointed at Mikasa and then back to Eren. “If Mikasa fucked you with a strap-on, then that would be pegging.”

 

“Oh,” said Eren. Then, after a moment, he added, “Well, we’ve done that, so it’s not inaccurate.”

 

Armin covered his face with one hand. “Why would you tell us that?”

 

“What?” said Eren. “It’s completely normal!”

 

“Wow,” said Annie, clearly suppressing her laughter. “Good for you, Mikasa.”

 

“Thanks,” said Mikasa, and Armin didn’t miss the genuine enthusiasm in the word, as much as he wanted to.

 

He felt a hand pull at his arm, and he was met with Eren’s frown as it was yanked away from his face.

 

“Stop looking like that!” said Eren.

 

Armin frowned right back at him. “Like what?”

 

“Like that,” he said.

 

“I’m not looking at you in any way!” said Armin.

 

“You are,” said Eren. “You’re judging.”

 

“I’m not,” said Armin.

 

“You are,” said Eren.

 

“He’s not,” said Annie, reaching out for his hand. “He’s just embarrassed.”

 

“I’m not,” he said, but at this point, his ears had started burning, too. “I just don’t need to know that. I already know – and have seen – far too much.”

 

Eren’s expression softened. “Have you not done that yet?” Before Armin could stutter out a response, he turned to Annie and asked, “I thought that sort of thing would have been right up your alley.”

 

Armin wanted to melt into the floor, even as Annie said, “I’m too much of a pillow princess.”

 

“Well, you don’t really have to do too much work,” said Eren, entirely missing Annie’s dry tone. “You can just strap that thing on and let him cowgirl you, and –”

 

“She’s not a pillow princess,” Armin said quickly.

 

Eren frowned, turning back to Annie. “Why’d you say that?”

 

Annie shrugged. “I wanted to see your reaction. I hadn’t expected legitimate advice.”

 

“I’m trying to be a supportive friend!” he said. Then, he pointed at Annie and added, “This is serious stuff. You shouldn’t let a guy go on top for his first time.”

 

“I didn’t suggest it,” said Annie. “You did.”

 

“Because you said you’re a pillow princess.”

 

“Guys,” interrupted Mikasa. “Shouldn’t we get to the beach soon? I think Jean and Marco are already there.”

 

“Yeah,” said Armin quickly – he’d never been more relieved to hear Mikasa speak in his life. He squeezed Annie’s hand and just hoped she didn’t notice how badly he was sweating. “We don’t want to leave them waiting too long.”

 

Annie, of course, saw right through him, but she didn’t comment on it. The way she smiled at him told him all he needed to know.

 

“Okay,” she said, turning back to Mikasa and Eren. “Brace yourselves. It’s a fucking furnace in there.”

 

Despite the warning, Eren still groaned when the doors were closed. Luckily, complaining was short-lived because soon the engine was on, and the air con roared to life, and they all let out a collective sigh of relief as the air started cooling.

 

Annie let him put whatever music he wanted on the aux, so he just stuck on the long playlist he’d made for her drives. Eren and Mikasa talked back and forth about something in the back, but he wasn’t paying too much attention – he was listening to the music and enjoying the feel of the air con cooling the air around him, and most importantly, Annie right beside him. It was simple, but he wanted to enjoy it; he wouldn’t be able to do this every day for a while.

 

The drive wasn’t short by any means, but they seemed to arrive before he expected to. Sunshine and blue skies free of thick clouds meant the beach was busy, but after a bit of hunting, they managed to find somewhere to park.

 

“Do you just want to leave your glasses in here?” asked Annie.

 

His eyebrows rose. “Oh. I can. I hadn’t really thought –”

 

“You never use a case,” she said pointedly. “I don’t want anyone trampling on them when we go swimming.”

 

He smiled. “Fair point.”

 

He should have worn contacts, really, but he didn’t really want to dip in the sea with those on, either. It wasn’t the first time he’d gone anywhere without his glasses, anyway, and once they were outside, after Annie handed him a clunky pair of sunglasses not too dissimilar from her own pair she’d dug out of her glove box, she grabbed his hand to pull him along.

 

“There they are!” said Eren. But then, his face twisted into a frown. “Wait – what the Hell is Jean wearing?”

 

“Did you guys coordinate perverted T-shirts today?” asked Annie.

 

“Mine was an accident.”

 

Armin’s eyebrows furrowed. He was aware of the vague shapes in the distance that were Jean and Marco, standing beside what must have been the beachside ice cream parlour, but they were too far away from them for him to make out what Jean was wearing from this distance.

 

“What is it?” he asked Annie as Eren waved at them.

 

Annie turned to him and smiled. “Maybe not wearing your glasses was a good idea.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed.

 

She squeezed his hand. “Don’t worry about it.”

 

When they got closer, he managed to make out a rainbow of pink, purple, and dark blue on the shirt Jean had picked out to go with his black swimming trunks, but he couldn’t make out the white text until Jean was only a metre away.

 

“Hey,” said Marco with a slightly awkward smile.

 

What Marco was wearing was much more agreeable – just a summery button-up covering in pink lollipops and pink swimming trunks. Jean’s T-shirt, however, was much more egregious – it was clearly a little rainbow meant to match the bisexual pride flag colours, but below that, it read A HOLE IS A HOLE.

 

“What the fuck are you wearing?” asked Eren.

 

Jean scowled. “What am I wearing? What are you wearing?”

 

“He thought pegged meant picked,” said Armin.

 

“He also felt the need to clarify that Mikasa actually does peg the lights out of him,” said Annie.

 

“I didn’t say that,” said Eren. “I just said we’d done it.”

 

“Can anyone get pegged casually?” asked Annie.

 

Eren frowned. “I’d argue it can be done romantically.”

 

“Speaking from experience?” asked Jean.

 

His frown turned into a scowl. “You can talk, Mr Bottom.”

 

“Mr Bottom?” asked Jean. “What the fuck do you mean by that?”

 

“You know exactly what I mean by that,” said Eren pointedly.

 

Jean turned to Marco and said, hushedly, “What did you say to Mikasa?”

 

Marco’s eyes widened. “I didn’t say anything to Mikasa.”

 

“I made an educated guess,” said Mikasa.

 

“It’s practically written across your forehead,” said Annie.

 

Jean scowled. “Surprised you haven’t gotten budding dominatrix tattooed across yours.”

 

“She wouldn’t,” said Eren. “She’s a pillow princess.”

 

“Bullshit,” said Jean. Then, he frowned. “Wait, how do you –”

 

“Do you guys want ice cream?” interrupted Marco, with what looked like a very apologetic smile on his face. “It’s on me.”

 

No one argued. They decided to sit inside, mostly because every seat outside the ice cream parlour had been taken up, an unfortunate symptom of the nice weather. But the air con was whirring inside, making everything cool and light, and they didn’t have to deal with any insects trying to nose-dive into their ice cream.

 

The booths weren’t very large, so Armin ended up next to Eren and opposite Annie, who’d indulged in a helping of salted caramel, cookie dough, and fudge brownie ice cream. Armin, on the other hand, went a little more traditional, with vanilla, strawberry, and mint chocolate chip – he wasn’t the biggest fan of chocolate ice cream, and even though she raised an eyebrow at him getting mint, he let her lean over and take a tiny shovel of it with her small ice cream spoon. In fact, he pushed his little bowl closer between them so that she could reach it; he hadn’t forgotten that she enjoyed sharing.

 

She did the same for him, though, and they enjoyed their ice cream mostly peacefully, as much as they could when Eren and Jean were still bickering beside them.

 

“I got it at a thrift store,” said Jean firmly. “It wasn’t like it was custom-made.”

 

“This wasn’t custom-made,” said Eren pointedly. “Mikasa just ordered it online.” Then, he nudged Armin and said, “That was custom-made.”

 

“I know,” said Jean. “I made it.”

 

Eren shook his head. “Tasteless.”

 

“Tasteless?” said Jean. “What do you mean, taste –”

 

“You should try the bubblegum,” interrupted Marco, holding out his small spoon to Jean. “It’s really nice.”

 

That immediately stopped their bickering in its tracks, which was a relief for Armin. He knew Annie loved seeing him in this ridiculous shirt, but he wouldn’t be able to defend it to Eren if he kept calling it tasteless.

 

Annie pulled his attention away from his thoughts as she scooped a large helping of the salted caramel ice cream on her tiny spoon and held it across the table towards his mouth. “Try it.”

 

She didn’t give him much room to argue, so he leaned forward and gently sucked the ice cream off the spoon. It was salty and sweet all at once, and absolutely delicious, though he couldn’t imagine eating a full scoop of the thing.

 

“Good?” she asked.

 

“Really good,” he said. Then, after a moment, he asked, “Do you want some vanilla?”

 

She let out a small laugh that made his heart warm. “Sure.”

 

“It’s really nice vanilla,” he said as he managed to get a scoop of it on his small spoon.

 

Annie waited as he moved to offer it to her, and just as it was close enough, she leaned forward and wrapped her lips around the little spoon. But she lingered a little, meeting his gaze with soft eyes and a slightly furrowed brow, an expression he’d seen in very, very different circumstances, and it made his face flush in an instant.

 

But he couldn’t look away, not when she was looking at him like that, giving him surprising fuck-me eyes, and as she slowly dragged her mouth away from the little spoon, she made a small, contented sound, far too close to a moan, before slipping off it completely.

 

“You’re right,” she said finally. “That’s nice vanilla.”

 

Armin could barely think, though he imagined that was deliberate, given the way she was smiling at him. He hadn’t expected something like that – Annie loved to flirt with him, and he’d be a liar if he said he didn’t enjoy it, but with her recent discomfort with sex, he hadn’t thought she’d feel comfortable teasing him in that way.

 

“How nice?” asked Eren.

 

“Did you just moan?” asked Jean.

 

Armin’s face flushed even further, especially given the fact that Annie, somehow, didn’t even seem flustered at all.

 

“No,” said Annie, reaching for another scoop of her ice cream. “Why would I moan over ice cream?”

 

“Armin?” asked Mikasa, eyebrows furrowed. “Are you okay? You’re all red.”

 

“I’m fine,” he managed, turning his attention to his own ice cream, desperately trying to ignore the disgusting thoughts flitting through his head, all of them centred on the way Annie was looking at him. “Just warm.”

 

“It’s freezing in here,” said Eren. “Are you sick or something?”

 

“I’m really fine,” he said. “I’m probably just … dehydrated or something.”

 

“I’ll go and ask for a pitcher of water,” said Marco.

 

“It’s fine,” said Armin. “You really don’t –”

 

But Marco was already on his way to ask a member of staff if they could get some water for the table, and Armin was maybe about five seconds from wishing to melt into the floor.

 

He nearly jumped when he felt a light pressure against his ankle – Annie’s boot, gently grazing up his calf.

 

“Are you okay?” she asked gently.

 

His lips parted, but her boot was still moving up his calf, slowly but steadily. Eventually, she lowered it, grazing down his skin in a way that made his pulse quicken.

 

He swallowed and just about managed to smile. “I’m okay.”

 

“Are you sure?” she asked.

 

After a moment, she smiled, and it made him nearly forget how inappropriate she was being, just because it was so painfully sweet that it made his heart nearly turn to mush in his chest.

 

“Yeah,” he said, really smiling this time. “I’m great.”

 

Her gaze lingered for a moment before she shovelled another scoop of ice cream on her tiny spoon and held it out to him. “This one’s fudge brownie.”

 

It tasted exactly like a fudge brownie, and by the time he’d swallowed that down, Marco returned, along with a member of staff carrying a large pitcher of water and six empty glasses. They all said thank you, and Marco made sure to pour Armin a glass first, which he accepted more than gratefully. Once he’d finished it, he did start to cool down, and he became significantly less concerned about the semi he’d developed during Annie’s teasing. It helped that she’d stopped moving her boot up his leg, too.

 

By the time they left, he’d calmed down completely, and they all started making their way down to the beach. It was just as busy down on the sand as it had been in the parking lot, so they decided on a space far up from the sea, not quite private, but away from most of the other people crowding the shore. It wasn’t too much of a walk from the water, anyway, and they could still see their belongings from there.

 

Everyone else had lathered themselves in sunscreen before leaving, apparently, and after stripping down to just their trunks, and Mikasa her bikini, only took a few more moments to slap a little more on their skin before they all practically ran towards the sea. Armin had only just gotten his shirt off at this point, along with the sunglasses he’d had propped up on his head that Annie gave him, and retrieved the sunscreen from her bag.

 

“They’re eager,” commented Annie.

 

He turned to face her, sunscreen in hand. She had stripped down to her swimsuit – a cute, black thing that dipped at the cleavage and fit her snugly. He tried to ignore the way it hugged her behind, revealing the edges of her cheeks.

 

“It’s impolite to stare like that, you know,” she said.

 

Armin flushed, eyes rising to hers again. Okay, so he hadn’t managed to ignore it at all – he’d practically been leaning to get a closer look at her ass.

 

“Sorry,” he said, dropping his gaze and unclicking the bottle of sunscreen. “Um … do you want me to …?”

 

Annie scoffed, and when he looked at her, he found her smiling. “Of course I do.”

 

He squirted a blob of lotion onto his hand before briefly shoving the bottle into the pocket of his trunks and reaching for her back, just above the fabric of her swimsuit. She sighed, and the sound made his heart relax.

 

“Sorry,” he said again. “You look really pretty.”

 

She let out a huff through her nose. “Thank you.” Then, after a moment, she added, “I’m sorry.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “What for?”

 

He reached for the bottle again as she paused, dropping another blob into his hands to deal with her shoulders and under her arms.

 

“Earlier,” she said finally, as he started rubbing the lotion into her shoulders. “With the ice cream.”

 

“Oh,” he said. “That’s fine.”

 

Annie was quiet for a moment. “I shouldn’t tease you like that.”

 

He smiled slightly. “You always tease me like that.”

 

“Not for a while,” she said. “Not when I’m not …”

 

Annie didn’t finish, and Armin didn’t fill the silence. He suspected what she was getting at, but he didn’t want to push her, nor did he want to speak and assume.

 

He pulled out the bottle again for another helping before shoving it away and stepping slightly around her so that he could coat her arm. When he did, he caught a glimpse of her face, eyebrows slightly furrowed as she looked out towards the sea. It made his expression soften, but he didn’t say anything and focused on her arm until she spoke.

 

“It’s not fair to rile you up when I’m not going to do anything about it,” she said finally. Then, she added, “Not that … I wouldn’t want to do anything about it. I’m just … still …”

 

“I know,” he said gently. “Annie, it’s fine. Really.”

 

“I know,” she said. “But if I’m not going to help, I shouldn’t really –”

 

“I have a very capable right hand,” he interrupted. “I think I’ll be fine.”

 

Annie glanced over at him, and when their eyes met, he realised just how stupid what he’d said sounded.

 

His face flushed, and it only got worse when she smiled and said, “Very capable?”

 

He let his gaze fall to her arm as he rubbed the sunscreen into her skin. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

 

“How else could you mean it?” she asked.

 

He closed his eyes, eyebrows furrowing. “Okay. That was exactly how I meant it. But I didn’t expect it to sound so awful when I said it out loud.”

 

“It was fine,” she said. Still, after a moment, she added, “Sorry.”

 

As he reached for the sunscreen again and made his way around her so that he could do her other arm, he said, “Don’t apologise.”

 

It was only a few more moments of quiet before he started massaging sunscreen into her other arm. Annie didn’t say anything, but he could tell she still felt bad for teasing him – it was written all over her furrowed brow.

 

So, eventually, he said, “I like it when you flirt with me, you know. Even if it isn’t going anywhere.”

 

She glanced over at him. “You do?”

 

“Yeah,” he said. “It’s … nice.” He cleared his throat and added, “And it’s nice you feel comfortable doing that.”

 

She let out a breath. “I guess.”

 

He paused and looked at her face. “How are you feeling?”

 

“Better today, I think,” she said. “But, well … you know.” Before he could respond, she added, “What about you?”

 

“I’m okay today,” he said. Then, he smiled. “I’m perfect with you here.”

 

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Sap.”

 

He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “You like it.”

 

She let out a huff, but she said, “Maybe.”

 

He smiled widely. “Want me to do your legs?”

 

Annie was more than capable of doing her legs herself, and they both knew that, but still, he was happy when she said, “Please.”

 

He let her deal with her face herself, just so he didn’t get any in her eyes, but he did leave a small blob on her nose to work with, which just made her pout. Afterwards, Annie did him, on every patch of visible skin, save for his face, and he really tried to focus on everything other than how nice her hands felt on him, especially when she accidentally grazed his nipples as she lathered his chest. She muttered a small “sorry,” and Armin bit down on the inside of his lip to try and contain the feeling that light motion was stirring inside him. Thank God for his very capable right hand.

 

They eventually reached the water, and when they did, Eren was in the middle of splashing Jean, who was sputtering.

 

Eren beamed when he caught sight of them, immediately stopping what he was doing. “Took you guys long enough!”

 

“Sorry,” said Armin as they waded in. “We hadn’t put on sunscreen yet.”

 

“You hadn’t?” asked Eren. Then, after a moment, he added, “There’s some serious hidden dangers to not wearing sunscreen.”

 

“Dear God,” groaned Annie under her breath.

 

Eren opened his mouth to respond, but he yelped when Jean splashed him.

 

“Don’t even think about writing another pamphlet,” said Jean. “The school year is nearly over.”

 

“I wasn’t thinking of anything!” said Eren. Then, after a moment, he added, “But I don’t know if a pamphlet about the hidden dangers of not wearing sunscreen would really be as popular in the fall.”

 

“What do you mean, as popular?” asked Jean. “You give them out for free.”

 

“Oh. Right,” said Eren. “I’ll do it in September, then.”

 

“The summer gives you time to think up even more pamphlets, too,” suggested Mikasa.

 

Eren beamed. “That’s a good point. Thanks, Mikasa.”

 

“You’re welcome,” she said, beaming right back at him.

 

Eren’s lips parted to say something, but before he could speak, a large splash of water crashed into him, and he started sputtering.

 

Once he regained his composure, he turned to Jean with a frown. “Hey! What was that for?”

 

“Nothing,” said Jean. “I just wanted to.”

 

Eren scowled and then, clearly with all the force he could muster, he splashed Jean with seawater, forcefully enough that it made him stumble – but Marco was right there to keep him upright.

 

“You asshole!” said Jean, but there was laughter in his voice.

 

Eren grinned. “Not nice, is it? That’s what I –”

 

He was cut off by another splash, though Armin felt the spray of this one, because Annie was the one who splashed him.

 

“Hey!” said Eren, frowning. “You can’t team up on me!”

 

“I’m not on Jean’s team,” said Annie. “You just need to get better at guarding yourself.”

 

Eren frowned. “Oh, don’t even –”

 

But Jean splashed him again, making the words die in his throat.

 

“That’s it!” said Eren.

 

Then, before Armin even had time to react, Eren strode towards him, ducked down to scoop up as much water as he could, and splashed him in the face.

 

Armin sputtered and stumbled, but fortunately, Annie easily managed to stop him from falling. It took him a few moments to regain his breath, but when he did, Annie was looking at him with a furrowed brow.

 

“You okay?” she asked.

 

“Yeah,” he said. “Just surprised.” He turned to Eren with a frown. “What was that for?”

 

Eren shrugged. “Well, I knew you’d be on Annie’s team.”

 

“I’m not even –” Armin started, but Eren interrupted him by splashing him in the face again.

 

Armin wiped the water off his face, as best as he could, before he said, “Fine,” and bent down to scoop up enough water to splash Eren in the face.

 

Eren’s proactive approach quickly backfired, because it took Annie no time to join in, and then Jean was only a few moments behind. It very soon devolved into all of them, Mikasa included, splashing Eren as he desperately tried to splash them all back.

 

“Fine!” he shouted in between the splashing of water. “You win!”

 

They all stopped, at least for a moment, until Jean splashed him just once more, making Eren scowl at him.

 

“What happened to the truce?” said Eren.

 

“You never mentioned a truce,” said Jean.

 

Eren’s hair was soaked, and it had come loose from its bun in the commotion. He threaded his fingers through it to redo it before saying, “Well, yeah, but I thought it was implied.”

 

Mikasa stepped forward to rest her hand on his shoulder. “We can have a truce.”

 

He frowned. “You joined their team!”

 

“We would have never won four against two,” she said.

 

“I wasn’t winning five against one,” he said.

 

Mikasa leaned forward and kissed him, briefly but sweetly, and Eren seemed to instantly forget his bad mood. It would have been ridiculous, really, if it didn’t remind Armin of how he acted with Annie.

 

“Sorry,” she said. “Would tossing the beach ball around make you feel better?”

 

Eren paused for a moment. “Yes. Yes, it would.”

 

So, Mikasa went back up to their things and collected the inflatable beach ball she’d kept hidden in her bag. It only took her a few moments to blow it up, and she tossed it straight to Eren, who seemed elated to have it in his hands.

 

“Thanks, Mikasa,” he said, before bouncing it in Annie’s direction.

 

They just passed the ball in between themselves for some time, though Armin’s coordination was bad with his glasses, never mind without them; he mostly managed to bat it to the nearest person, but sometimes it fell pathetically in the water beside him. Not that anyone really minded; he’d just pick it straight back up and toss it along, even though it sometimes made heat creep up his neck.

 

He knew Annie noticed, because the second time it happened, when he’d interrupted Eren’s rhythm, his face flushed, and he’d muttered an apology before passing it along. But then, his eyes went wide slightly, but only because he felt Annie’s hand underneath the water on his bare lower back. It spread a nice tingle through him, and the flush on his face changed to something much more pleasant, though he had to ignore the thoughts even such a simple touch was threatening to rock through him. Admittedly, he was probably still a little on edge from the ice cream parlour.

 

They only stopped passing the ball around when Jean accidentally belted it into Eren’s face, who reasonably responded by tackling him into the water. It didn’t take much to pry them apart, Jean sputtering as he rose out of the water, but they decided it was best to go back onto the sand.

 

Mikasa reached for Eren’s hand as they left the water. “We can bury you, if you want?”

 

Eren’s ears perked up. “Really?”

 

Annie’s eyebrows furrowed, and she said to Armin, quietly, “Is he getting excited about being buried in the sand?”

 

“Uh …” he said, his eyebrows drawing together. “Seems like it.”

 

Mikasa turned around and beamed at them. “Do you guys want to help bury Eren?”

 

Not one of them said no. Jean had brought a couple of buckets and spades, stacked as best as he could in his backpack, so they all set to work digging a hole. Eren was adamant about digging down and didn’t listen when Armin told him it was particularly impractical, so they all relented, though it didn’t exactly make the process a quick one. By the time they’d dug a hole deep enough, they all needed a break.

 

So, they all sat down and had some water before Eren jumped into the hole. They’d estimated correctly; once he was in, the sand was about up to his neck. So, soon enough, they started refilling the hole again.

 

It didn’t take too long to actually fill up, and by the time it was done, Eren was clearly elated.

 

“Can you guys take a photo?” he asked. “I want a new profile picture.”

 

“I’ll do it,” said Mikasa, reaching for her phone. “Smile!”

 

Eren beamed as Mikasa captured the moment, and then his face relaxed again as he rested in the hole.

 

“So,” said Jean. “How long do you usually stay in that hole?”

 

It looked like Eren wanted to shrug, but he couldn’t because of the sand. “Until I get bored.”

 

“It might take a while,” said Mikasa.

 

“In that case,” said Jean, rising to his feet, “I’m building a moat system around him, then.”

 

“Make sure you don’t flood me!” said Eren, but Jean had already started digging a circle around him.

 

While Jean started outlining his moat system, the rest of them set out to using the buckets to build their own castles around it. Mikasa and Marco tried to put a lot of detail into theirs, and they started to look very intricate, but Annie’s and Armin’s were a little more lacklustre. Annie was particularly bad at packing the sand in, and kept making dilapidated castles that Armin told her were “charming,” even when she rolled her eyes at him.

 

“So, what’s with this party you’re having next semester?” asked Mikasa as she finished off another sandcastle.

 

Annie sighed. “Did Hitch give you an invite, too?”

 

“She texted me,” said Mikasa.

 

“Me, too,” said Marco.

 

“Yeah, me as well,” said Jean.

 

“Me, too!” called Eren from his hole.

 

Annie scoffed. “How big does she think that apartment is?”

 

“I didn’t get invited,” said Armin.

 

“Of course you’re invited,” said Annie. “We’ll be hiding in my bedroom behind a very lockable door.”

 

He smiled. “That sounds fun.”

 

“You’ve got to join in on your first home party,” said Mikasa.

 

“Do I?” asked Annie.

 

“It’ll probably be a lot more fun than you think,” offered Marco.

 

Annie sighed. “Yeah. Sure.”

 

Armin reached out and pressed his hand to her back before smiling. “Very lockable door, remember?”

 

Annie let out a huff, but she smiled all the same. “Yeah. Very lockable.”

 

“I can come and hang out with you guys behind that door,” said Mikasa. “Unless you’re locking it for more animalistic reasons.”

 

Armin’s face flushed. “Probably not at a party.”

 

“I guess it hasn’t stopped us before,” said Annie.

 

He glanced over at her, his face softening. The statement should have made his stomach sink, really, but she said it so casually. Was she really feeling okay enough to start joking about it?

 

“It doesn’t really stop anyone,” said Marco.

 

“It might be better when we aren’t sharing rooms with anyone,” said Mikasa.

 

Annie let out a huff. “Maybe.”

 

“Hey!” called Jean, grabbing their attention. “How’s this looking?”

 

Jean had finished his moat system, and it was elaborate. It seemed to stretch unnecessarily long, and in places, he’d even managed to craft little sand bridges, though Armin wasn’t entirely sure how he’d made them stable enough for them to stay in place like that. The water he’d filled the tiny moats with was flowing through it well without sinking entirely into the sand.

 

“That’s pretty good, actually,” said Annie.

 

“It’s the artist in you,” said Marco with a smile.

 

Jean rolled his eyes, but his face seemed to flush, all the same.

 

“I think I’m starting to get bored in this hole,” admitted Eren.

 

“Well, you can’t get out,” said Jean. “I just finished this system.”

 

Eren pouted. “But I’m bored.”

 

“I don’t care.”

 

“I care.”

 

“Tough shit.”

 

“Mikasa?” said Eren, a little helplessly. “Can you help me out?”

 

“Okay,” she said, rising to her feet. “I want a picture of this full thing first, though, so everyone move out of the way.”

 

Mikasa took a photograph, and then they all moved to help Eren get out of the hole. The movement ended up damaging Jean’s handiwork, though Marco did try to comfort him over it; however, the words were too quiet for Armin to make out. He’d stopped listening, anyway, because Annie grabbed him by the hand, pulling his attention to her face.

 

“Come in the water with me?” she asked.

 

He smiled. “Sure.” Then, he turned to the others and said, “We’re just going back in the water for a bit, okay?”

 

Once he’d received a chorus of okays sures, they started making their way back to the sea.

 

Armin was glad to be in the water again and free of sand, though he didn’t go too deep. Annie wanted to push her hands over his shoulders to interlace them at the back of his neck, and he didn’t want her to have to tread water to do so. He let his hands find her hips in the water, and when she sighed at the feeling, he couldn’t help but smile.

 

“Is there something you wanted?” he asked. “Or did you just want to be alone?”

 

“Both,” she said.

 

His expression softened. “We’ll probably be heading back soon. Burying Eren must have tired everyone out.”

 

Annie snorted. “He’s an idiot sometimes, isn’t he?”

 

He smiled. “Yeah. He means well, though.”

 

“I know,” she said. Then, after a moment, she asked, “Armin?”

 

“Yeah?” he said.

 

She looked up at him in a way that made his heart skip. “How would you feel about showering with me tonight?”

 

He blinked, unsure whether he’d heard her correctly. “Huh?”

 

He quickly realised he’d heard her exactly right when her eyebrows furrowed and she dropped his gaze. “Sorry. Is that too much? I thought –”

 

“No, no,” he said, a little too quickly. “That’s not … I mean, are you – are you comfortable with that?”

 

She met his gaze again. “You’ve seen me naked plenty.”

 

“I didn’t mean like that,” he said. “I just meant …”

 

Armin didn’t finish, though that was fine – she got what he meant.

 

Eventually, she said, “I can try and explain.”

 

“You don’t have to,” he said.

 

“I do,” she said. “And I want to, anyway.”

 

So, Armin just stood there, patiently waiting for her to speak.

 

Eventually, she sighed and said, “My body doesn’t feel … weird when I’m showering. It doesn’t feel as weird as it did, mostly, anyway, but … I’ve never felt that when I’m showering. It feels like mine still.” After a moment, she added, “Does that make any sense?”

 

Armin nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I get that.”

 

She looked up at him again. “It’s not … it’s not to have sex. It’s just … to be … close.”

 

Armin’s face flushed. “I didn’t assume that.”

 

“I thought I’d clarify,” she said. Then, after a moment, she added, “Is that okay with you?”

 

“Yeah,” he said. “It sounds nice, actually.” Then, he cleared his throat and glanced away from her. “As long as … well … I might … get … um … excited. I don’t … want you to … well, you know –”

 

“Excited?” she repeated, lips twitching into a smile. “Is that how you’re telling me you might get a hard-on?”

 

Somehow, his face grew warmer. “Um … yeah. Should I have said something else?”

 

She scoffed, but she smiled at him, all the same. “No. That’s more than fine.”

 

Before he could say anything to make himself sound less like an idiot as well as a pervert, Annie leaned up and pressed her lips against his. It was just a soft, brief thing, but it made his heartbeat slow in the nicest ways. It made him want to pull her closer, but they couldn’t really get away with making out in the sea like that on such a busy day. But there was always later, maybe in the shower, if she wanted.

 

When she pulled away, it was only by an inch, a smile tugging at her mouth. She was so pretty, for a moment, he nearly forgot how to think.

 

But then, she said, quietly, “You might want to calm down a little before you get out of the water. Seems like you’re a little excited already.”

 

His face flushed. “That’s not … it’s just …”

 

She pulled back. “A semi? Yeah, I know. I have seen it before, you know.”

 

Somehow, his blush deepened, and he moved to bury his face in her shoulder, groaning into the damp skin there. “Annie.”

 

“I’m sorry,” she said, her hands coming up to thread through his wet hair.

 

He shook his head slightly, but he couldn’t really get a lot of movement when he was resting against her neck like this. “You aren’t.”

 

“No,” she said. “Not really.” After a moment, she added, “You’re cute when you’re flustered.”

 

He let out a breath. “This is a little more than flustered.”

 

“A little,” she said. “That’s okay. We can just stand here a little longer. Think about my feet or something.”

 

He made a small noise into her skin. “You have cute feet.”

 

“I hope you didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

 

He was glad she couldn’t see his face when he was tucked into her neck like this. He must be as red as a tomato right now.

 

“Of course not,” he said.

 

“Just wanted to clarify.”

 

They stood there for a few moments longer as he started to cool down, making sure to focus his mind on incredibly mundane, unsexy, and un-Annie-related things. Eventually, he said, “I’m calm now.”

 

She let out a huff of laughter. “Yeah?”

 

“Yeah,” he said. “Sorry.”

 

“That’s okay.” After a moment, she added, “Do you want to stop hiding now?”

 

Tentatively, he pulled back and was met with her small smile. She was so pretty when she smiled at him like that that it almost just made him want to melt into the waves.

 

“Hey,” she said.

 

“Hey,” he said.

 

“Can I take you home now?” she asked.

 

His heart skipped, but he managed to nod. “I’d like that.”

 

The others wanted to pick up burgers on the way back to campus, but Annie and Armin weren’t too interested and instead opted to pick up something light from one of the cafes lining the beach after they’d dried off as best they could and redressed to look more presentable. Mikasa and Eren said they’d hop in with Jean and Marco so Annie didn’t have to drive out of her way, and they decided to go their separate ways there.

 

Mikasa pulled him into a hug, and he said, “Make sure you let me know before you leave, so we can say goodbye.”

 

“Obviously,” she said. When they pulled back, she gave him a pointed look and added, “If you’re bringing Annie home, you'd better come hang out with me and Marco. We can show her all the cool spots.”

 

“Cool spots?” asked Annie.

 

“Not cool at all,” said Armin.

 

“All the places we used to read manga together,” said Marco with a smile, before pulling Armin into a hug.

 

“Oh, really cool,” said Annie.

 

“We did other things!” said Mikasa as Marco pulled away from him.

 

“All of them just as nerdy,” said Marco.

 

“Really, really nerdy,” said Armin. “It’s not interesting.”

 

“I’m interested, anyway,” said Annie. “You should show me.”

 

“Don’t worry,” said Mikasa. “We will.”

 

Armin didn’t realise how tired he was until after they’d eaten, just a light pasta salad thing each, and when he was in Annie’s passenger seat, he practically drifted off. When they arrived back at campus, he’d barely noticed they’d stopped, at least until Annie shook him.

 

“Hey,” she said. “You okay?”

 

“Yeah,” he said, offering her a smile. “I guess burying Eren really was tiring.”

 

He let out a breath of laughter. “You’re telling me. We can have an early night.”

 

Armin thought of her offer to shower together, and he said, maybe a little too quickly, “How early?”

 

Annie rolled her eyes and clicked off her seat belt. “Don’t worry. You still get to see me all naked and soapy.”

 

His face flushed. “That wasn’t … what I … meant.”

 

She smiled. “I could tell it was what you were thinking about, though.”

 

His lips parted, but he couldn’t really argue when she was right. So, after a moment, he said, “Sorry.”

 

“It’s okay,” she said, before opening the car door. “Come on. I have some shampoo that’ll make your hair smell great.”

 

He let out a breath. “Does it smell bad now?”

 

“No, but you’ll like it,” she said.

 

As much as Armin liked Hitch, he admitted he liked the privacy in being able to come back to Annie’s dorm room and it just be the two of them. But it was starting to look even more bare – Annie had packed most of everything away already, though she was leaving things that weren’t essential in the warehouse. She’d given Eren a spare key so he and his brother could go and check on it; she’d already hidden his wine there, tucked out of sight, so his brother wouldn’t notice it whenever they dropped by.

 

“Do you want to freshen up?” she said.

 

He nodded. “Yeah, just a bit.” Then, after a moment, he added, “Do you want to get in first after, or …?”

 

“I’ll probably freshen up a little after, too,” she said. “So just come back out.”

 

He nodded and smiled. “Okay.”

 

It didn’t take him too long to freshen up, though all he really did was brush his teeth, since he just smelled like saltwater, sand, and a hint of sunscreen. When he emerged, he offered Annie a small smile, and she leaned up and pressed her lips to his cheek; it sent a nice tingle through him that lingered long after she’d gone.

 

He just waited on the bed until he heard the shower start running. Then, trying to ignore the way his heart was racing, he started undressing. What was he so nervous about, anyway? Annie had seen him naked plenty of times, though it’d be a little while since they’d done something new. And new was exactly what this was.

 

Once he was ready, he let out a breath before moving to the door. Gently, he knocked on it and said, “Do you want me to come in now?”

 

Annie opened the door, and he was immediately hit by a thin veil of steam. She had a towel wrapped around herself, but that was all she had on.

 

“You can just come in, you know,” she said, stepping aside.

 

His face warmed, but he stepped in all the same. “I didn’t know if you were ready.”

 

Annie closed the door and turned the lock before pulling the handle to make sure it was really locked. That probably made her feel a lot more comfortable in here, too.

 

“Okay,” she said, moving to hang the towel over the rail. “It’s not very big, so …”

 

He knew that – Annie’s shower was identical to the one in his dorm. Still, he wasn’t really thinking about that at all. He was too busy staring at her naked form, and if he was honest, there was not a single thought in his head. The blood rushing south was making sure of that.

 

She opened the shower door and stepped inside before turning to face him. He didn’t miss the way her eyes drifted downwards – he’d already gotten a semi, for fuck’s sake – before she met his gaze again with a slight smile.

 

“Are you coming, or …?” she said.

 

Armin blinked. “Yeah. Yeah, I am.”

 

Annie stepped back, leaving him enough room to step inside together. She quickly reached out for the shampoo, something light and vanilla-scented, just as she dipped her hair under the stream.

 

“Do you want me to wash your hair?” he asked.

 

“Do you want to?” she asked.

 

“Um … yeah,” he said. “Only if you want to, though.”

 

She paused for a moment before she offered him the bottle.

 

“Don’t be too rough,” she said as he took the bottle from her hands. “The saltwater’s made everything really knotted.”

 

Armin didn’t plan on it. Once she was satisfied with how wet her hair was, she stepped out of the stream, letting him press a large dollop of shampoo into her hair. Once he’d put the bottle in the little rack she’d retrieved it from, he quickly started lathering the shampoo until it formed a white foam on her hair. Then, gently, he started massaging it in, and she sighed.

 

“Is this nice?” he asked.

 

“Yeah,” she said. “It’s really nice.”

 

His heart softened at the tenderness in her voice. “Yeah?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. After a moment, she added, “I can do you, too, but you’ll have to crouch.”

 

He let out a breath of laughter. “I think I’ll survive a little crouching.”

 

“Good,” she said.

 

He massaged the shampoo into her hair a little longer than was necessary, but Annie was clearly enjoying herself, so he didn’t want to cut it too short. Eventually, though, there wasn’t really a way to justify it, and there was still the conditioner to do. So, he let his hands slip aside, and she stepped back into the stream of water and quickly rinsed it out.

 

When she was out of the water, she bumped him to go under.

 

“You now,” she said.

 

He obliged, quickly wetting his hair under the water before stepping out. Annie already had the shampoo ready, and she nudged him to turn before guiding him down a little by his shoulder. He bit his lips together to stop from smiling – times like this just reminded him of how short she really was.

 

Still, it was nice to feel her fingers in his hair like that, in spite of the position. He eased into it easily, sighing at the sensation.

 

“Good?” she asked.

 

“Yeah,” he said. “Thank you.”

 

“Don’t thank me,” she said. “This is completely selfish.”

 

He smiled briefly. “Well, I guess it’s pretty selfish for me, too.”

 

Annie didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to. She just gently continued caressing his scalp until she reached the point he had, where it was completely overkill to keep going. Still, he missed her touch when she let go.

 

Once he’d rinsed his hair, they did the same routine with the conditioner, though it didn’t go on for as long. When they were both free of conditioner, Annie reached for her loofah, a pink little thing that she smothered with shower gel before reaching out and pressing it against his chest.

 

“Is this okay?” she asked as she gently rubbed it in circles over his skin.

 

“Yeah,” he said, letting his eyes shut for a second. “This is fine.”

 

It would have been quicker if he’d done it himself, but he much preferred it this way. When she asked him to turn, he did it without question, sighing as she trailed the loofah over his back. His face warmed when she very deliberately lingered at his ass, circling his cheeks a little too firmly.

 

“Just being thorough,” she said, making him roll his eyes.

 

He opened his mouth to retort, but she’d moved down to the backs of his thighs, brushing a little too close to his inner thighs, and his breath caught.

 

She paused. “Is this okay?”

 

His face turned hot. “Yeah. Sorry. That’s just … sensitive.”

 

She didn’t say anything, but she continued the motion. After a moment, she crouched down to do his calves, twisting her hands around to the fronts, making him sigh. Then, she nudged him, encouraging him to turn, and he did as he was told – but she was still down there, looking up at him.

 

At least, she was, until she noticed his raging hard-on.

 

His ears were burning now, and he raised his hand to cover his face. How had he gotten so turned on from her washing his back and his fucking legs? He’d had a semi, sure, but this was just ridiculous.

 

“Sorry,” he said, far too awkwardly. “Ignore that.”

 

He didn’t like the way she was quiet, but he didn’t want to say anything else. After a moment, even through the drill of the water hitting the shower floor, he heard her shift, and his eyes opened when she reached up to pull his hand away from his face.

 

“Do you want to do me?” she asked.

 

He blinked. “What?”

 

Her lips twitched, and she held up the loofah. “Do you want to wash me?”

 

“Oh,” he said, awkwardly clearing his throat. “Yeah. Sure.”

 

Armin took the loofah from her, and his eyes fell to her chest instantly. He decided that was incredibly dangerous territory, though, and nudged her so he could start with her back. Not that that was really any better when he was immediately met with the pretty curve of her ass.

 

He bit his lip and reached out, gently massaging her back with the loofah, and she sighed. Okay, that was fine. That was what she wanted. Gently, he covered her shoulders and her arms, slipping down her sides firmly and quickly so he didn’t tickle her too badly, before reaching her ass. He tried not to linger there too much, though he really wanted to. Even under the loofah, she was soft yet firm, and every ounce of him was telling him to press himself closer to her.

 

Things weren’t much better when he crouched down to do her thighs, just as firm and soft as her ass. He remembered how they’d felt by his head the last time he’d kissed her cunt – how long ago had that been? He missed the feeling, but now was certainly not the time. Annie was taking a big step here, and the last thing he needed to be was so perverted.

 

He shoved the thought away. He had a very capable right hand. What was his problem?

 

He was soon up, turning her around so he could wash her chest. He started trailing the loofah over her before he could overthink it, and she sighed. That was fine, at least. There wasn’t anything inherently sexual about this; it was intimate, and it was nice, and he should just be a normal, good boyfriend, and enjoy the moment for what it was.

 

After a moment, Annie asked, “Armin?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“You don’t need to use the loofah.”

 

He paused, his eyes flicking up to meet hers. “Are you sure?”

 

Her eyes were soft, but there was something dark in them, familiar and needy. It made his heart rate pick up. “Very sure.”

 

After a moment, he reached past her and shoved the loofah onto the rack where she’d retrieved it. Then, gently, he let his hands move to her breasts before gently rubbing the soft flesh there.

 

She tilted her head back, her eyelids fluttering shut. “Fuck.”

 

His body flushed. “Is this fine?”

 

“So fine,” she breathed. “Shit.”

 

After a moment, he moved so he could gently trail his thumbs over her hardened nipples, and her lips parted, a light, high-pitched moan slipping out that nearly made his cock twitch.

 

“Fuck me,” he breathed.

 

She let out a breath. “You wish.”

 

He couldn’t help but laugh. “Can you tell?”

 

“You’ve basically been hard since we got in here,” she said. “Of course I can.”

 

He was surprised there was enough blood at the top of his body to blush, but he managed all the same.

 

“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean –”

 

“Armin,” she said, guiding his hands away. “Just fucking kiss me.”

 

He didn’t really need to be told twice. Just as he let his hands come down to her hips, he leaned down to press his mouth to hers.

 

Annie quickly threaded her hands behind his head, tangling in his hair, and pulling him briefly under the spray until she was pressed against the cool tile on the wall. She was the one guiding the kiss, which was more than fine with him – she was being needy and desperate, and he wanted nothing more than to give her everything she wanted. He wasn’t exactly thinking clearly, either, not with her kissing him like that, not when she was wet and soapy underneath his touch.

 

They only pulled apart for air, both of their chests heaving as they looked at each other for a few silent heartbeats.

 

“Oh my God,” she breathed.

 

“Yeah,” he said, his voice breathy. “Shit.”

 

Annie leaned up and kissed him, but it wasn’t as desperate as the last one. It was firm and open-mouthed, but it seemed like she’d composed herself a little. Not that he could be considered the best judge of who was composed then and there, given that he couldn’t think of much past how nice she felt under his touch.

 

“I missed you so fucking much,” she said against his mouth.

 

He let out a breath, pressing a kiss to her lips. “I’ve not been anywhere.”

 

“No,” she said, kissing him again. “Like this.”

 

“Like this?” he asked.

 

“Yeah,” she said, pressing a kiss against his mouth. “Just like this.”

 

“Fuck,” he breathed, kissing her again. It was a lingering thing, before he pulled back, and added, “What – what do you want?”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. “I … I don’t …”

 

His heart softened. “We don’t … we don’t have to do anything. I just thought that was what …”

 

She glanced up at him. “How capable is your right hand?”

 

After a moment, he said, “Very.”

 

She held his gaze for a moment. Then, he watched as her hand trailed down between her thighs, and she sighed at her own touch. His lips parted like an idiot as she started touching herself, but for a long moment, he could barely even think, let alone speak.

 

Just as he’d started to regain coherence, she said, “Slight problem.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “What is it?”

 

“I don’t think I can come standing up,” she said.

 

He let out a breath of laughter. “No?”

 

“No,” she said. “Not when I’m …”

 

He glanced down at her, lightly touching herself as they spoke. Fuck. How could she even think right now, let alone speak? He barely could, and he was just looking at her.

 

He swallowed. “Do you want me to do you?”

 

She shook her head. “No. I want you to touch yourself.”

 

He was not proud of the way her words sent a rush straight to his groin.

 

He swallowed and said, “Yeah?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “I just want to … touch ourselves. Together.” Before he could respond, she added, “Unless that’s strange. I don’t mean to –”

 

Armin leaned forward and kissed her. It was only brief, but it was enough to stop her words in her throat. When he pulled back, she looked deliciously flushed.

 

“Let’s do that,” he said. “How do you want to be?”

 

She paused for a moment. “Would your knees be okay on the floor?”

 

It wasn’t exactly comfortable on the shower floor, but he was not about to fumble the opportunity to be close with her like this. A part of him knew they should maybe talk about it, but Annie hated talking – he figured it was fair to let her have way with something like this, at least once.

 

Annie had settled in the corner, her legs spread wide as she circled her clit. He was between her thighs on his knees, his hand pumping his cock as he kissed her. The spray just hit his lower back, running down and keeping her mostly dry, stopping the water from washing away her wetness as she touched herself. Somehow, in spite of how unconventional it was, it was the perfect position.

 

He wished he’d thought to suggest this sooner.

 

“Fuck,” she breathed against his mouth. “Armin.”

 

The way she said his name sent a thrill through him. “Oh my God.”

 

She let out a breath of laughter that made his heart warm. “Good?”

 

“So, so good,” he said.

 

She kissed him again before she said, “Didn’t know you liked touching yourself so much.”

 

He made a small sound against her lips when she kissed him again. “That’s not it, and you know it.”

 

“I know,” she breathed. “Let’s do this tomorrow, too.”

 

He let out a breath of laughter. “Yeah?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “I missed being close like this.”

 

“Me, too,” he said. “We could just do this later, too.”

 

She laughed, but the sound caught in her throat at the pleasure of her own touch. “Is that what you want?”

 

“Only if you want to,” he said, pressing his mouth to her lips. “Water bill’s included, anyway.”

 

She laughed against his mouth, lightly and sweetly, and it just made him laugh, too. It soon dissolved into smiles and poor kisses, before their expressions finally softened and they could kiss each other properly again.

 

By that point, he was already getting close, and from how quickly Annie was circling her clit, he imagined she wasn’t much further off. So, he popped off her lips and moved to press his mouth to her neck, making her gasp. Her free hand quickly found his head, fingers tangling in his hair as he kissed the sensitive skin there.

 

“Harder,” she whimpered. “Please.”

 

He wasn’t going to argue with her. He started sucking at her skin, almost a little roughly, making her cry out. The hickeys didn’t really matter now, anyway, not at the end of term like this, and not when she wanted it so badly.

 

Somehow, her fingers tightened in his hair, and her breathing was coming out in short pants that made him ache. Distantly, he was aware of the fact that her thighs seemed to be trembling, but he was focused on leaving a trail of hickeys over her skin, sucking harshly in a way that made her whimper.

 

“Armin,” she breathed. “Holy shit.”

 

The sound his name sent a rush of pleasure to his cock, and he moaned against her skin. His mouth popped off her for a moment, and he groaned, “Annie.”

 

“Ah,” she gasped. “Don’t stop. Please.”

 

He went back to kissing her skin, and she said his name again, in that delicious, needy way that nearly pushed him over the edge. He forced it out of his mind and focused on her, trying to hold back until she finished. So, he bit down on her neck where he’d left a dark mark, not too hard, but enough that she felt it, nipping her skin, and she really moaned.

 

“Fuck,” she managed. “Please don’t stop.”

 

He got the message and pressed his teeth harder into her skin, and she let out one of the prettiest, breathiest sounds he’d ever heard. It was a miracle, really, that he didn’t just come then and there.

 

But then, it was only a few more swirls of her clit before her breath caught and she tensed, groaning as her orgasm hit her on the shower floor. The sound of her coming beneath him was too much, and he groaned, pumping himself ever quicker, desperate to reach his end now, even though he’d been so close already.

 

Just as she regained her senses, she nudged his head away. Even in his haze, he was confused, but she grabbed his chin and pulled him towards her mouth, kissing him as deeply as she could manage. He could barely kiss her back, but she didn’t complain – it was clearly for him, anyway, and he moaned into her mouth as he grew ever closer.

 

She bit down on his bottom lip just as he came, and he groaned against her lips as he finished over her stomach and her inner thigh. She kept kissing him as he went through it, until he went soft, letting out a contented sound against her mouth.

 

When she pulled back, he was practically dazed. After a long pause, he managed to say, “Shit.”

 

She let out a breath of laughter. “Yeah?”

 

“Oh my God,” he said.

 

When she laughed, it just made him laugh, too. She leaned forward and kissed him again, briefly but softly, and it only broke apart because they both couldn’t stop smiling.

 

“Can we just live in this thing?” he asked.

 

She laughed. “The shower?”

 

“Yeah,” he said. “Don’t you like it in here?”

 

She let out a huff, but she still smiled. “I really like it in here.” Then, she added, “I take it you had fun?”

 

He let out a breath of laughter. “That’s an understatement. I didn’t think touching myself could be so fun.”

 

She laughed, and the sound made his heart skip. “I’m glad you were entertained.”

 

He let out a breath, his expression softening. “Was it good for you?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “We should definitely do that again.”

 

“Yeah?” he asked.

 

“Yeah,” she said.

 

Then, before he could say anything in response, she leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his, just briefly.

 

“I missed you,” she said.

 

He let out a breath, his lips curving into a smile. “I missed you, too.”

 

“Sorry for being difficult,” she said.

 

“You aren’t being difficult,” he said.

 

“I am,” she said.

 

“You aren’t,” he said. “This isn’t an easy thing. I didn’t think you’d want to even do something like this so soon.”

 

After a moment, she said, “It just felt right.”

 

His heart softened. “Yeah?”

 

She nodded.

 

He paused for a few seconds before he asked, “Does it still feel right?”

 

Her lips twitched. “Is that you asking for a second round already?”

 

He let out a breath, his cheeks flushing. “No. I meant … do you still feel comfortable?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “I feel really good, actually.” Before he could answer, she added, “That was a pretty good orgasm.”

 

He laughed. “Yeah?”

 

“Yeah,” she said.

 

He smiled. “Well, I guess you are the expert.”

 

“It wasn’t that,” she said. “You really bit me.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean –”

 

“It felt really good,” she interrupted. “You should probably bite me again.”

 

His eyebrows rose. “Oh,” he said, rather dumbly. “You really liked that?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. “You can do it next time.” After a moment, she added, “If you want.”

 

“I – I can do that,” he said. “Just … say when.”

 

Annie looked at him for a long moment before she started laughing.

 

His face flushed. “What?”

 

“Say when,” she repeated teasingly. “It’s not like grating fucking parmesan, Armin.”

 

“I didn’t think it was like that,” he said. “I thought –”

 

But Annie leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, cutting his sentence in half.

 

When she pulled back, she smiled and said, “I love you.”

 

His heart softened. “I love you, too.”

 

She nudged him. “You need to get up now. I kind of need to clean the mess you made on me.”

 

His face flushed, his eyes flicking down – had they really just been talking while she still had his come on her?

 

“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t think –”

 

“I like it when you don’t think,” she interrupted. Before he could respond, she added, “Can you stand? Or are your knees a little too sore?”

 

He hadn’t noticed how sore his knees actually were until he tried to stand up. It wasn’t pleasant, but he just about managed it before he moved to help Annie up, but she was already making her way to her feet.

 

“I’m okay,” she said when she was standing. She leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his lips, even though they were both now under the spray. “Get ready for bed. I’ll just be a few minutes.”

 

Armin wasn’t going to argue. He quickly slipped out of the shower and dried off before making his way back into her bedroom. He still had pyjamas here, so he slipped into those and crawled into bed, lying there with his eyes closed as he waited for her.

 

Tiredness started niggling at him, so he barely heard when she came back into the room. He didn’t disturb her, though; he listened to the quiet pull of drawers as she found her some pyjamas, and soon enough, he felt her nudge him.

 

“Move over,” she said.

 

She’d knocked off the lights, and he’d barely noticed, not that it mattered now. He quickly shuffled over, and she slid in beside him, pressing herself up against him. He quickly wrapped his arm around her and pressed his mouth to the back of her head.

 

“Sorry about the wet hair,” she said quietly. “I can’t be bothered to dry it.”

 

He smiled. “It’s fine. I’m sure I’ll live.”

 

He pressed his lips to her shoulder, and even though it was through her T-shirt, she sighed.

 

“Are you looking forward to moving all our shit to the warehouse tomorrow?”

 

His eyebrows rose. “Tomorrow?”

 

“Well, if you want to get off with me in the shower tomorrow, I think you need to at least work for it,” she said. “Don’t you?”

 

Her words made his face flush, and he buried his face in her wet her and groaned. His embarrassment was only short-lived, though, because his reaction made her laugh.

 

“I’m kidding,” she said.

 

“I know,” he said as he pulled away. He let out a breath. “I’m very willing to work for it.”

 

“Don’t I know it,” she said, which just made his face warm even more.

 

“Annie.”

 

“What?” she asked.

 

“You’re teasing me,” he said pointedly.

 

“Like you don’t like it.”

 

“That’s not the point,” he said. “Don’t tease me like that.”

 

“Or what?” she said. “What will you do?”

 

She was inviting the teasing. He might’ve been frustrated if it didn’t make him so relieved; she was comfortable enough for this sort of teasing now, even after everything.

 

“Bite you,” he said, as confidently as he could manage. “Since you liked that so much.”

 

She was quiet for a moment, and he thought he might have taken it too far. But then, just as he was considering apologising, she started laughing, so sweetly he couldn’t help but smile.

 

“Okay,” she said as her laughter fizzled out. “No more teasing.”

 

“Thank you,” he said, leaning forward to kiss the crown of her head.

 

She let out a breath, and he could practically hear the smile in it. “You’re welcome.”

 

They lay there quietly in the dark for a long time, their breathing going steady. His body was tired, and he was only a few moments from sleep. But still – he didn’t miss her soft, quiet voice.

 

“Armin?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I love you.”

 

“I love you, too.”

 

She let out a contented sigh and sank further against him. His grip around her tightened, and she let out another one of those sweet sounds, relaxed and at ease, which just made his heart soften. For a long, lovely moment, his heart felt so full of her. The feeling was so nice that he wanted to feel it forever.

 

It was the last thing he could feel before he fell asleep, snuggly pressed up against her in the dark of her room.

Notes:

Hi!!! I am back sooner than I expected to be :) Turns out it is so possible to open the word document and just bash this thing out (do NOT expect the next chapter soon I cannot be trusted!!!).

I hope you all enjoyed this one!!! They are making progress :)

Also, I just realised, I'll say this here since I was mentioning it in some replies of the previous chapter - this is currently marked as 35 chapters in total, but honestly, we'll see if that's the case; it could easily go over that, so if you see the chapter total number change, that's why! It could also be 35, but there are some things I want to write about that I initially considered just writing as passing statements, but could be nice scenes, so we'll see how it goes when I next open the word document!!

Thank you for reading!!! I hope you like the next one!