Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sound of a door slamming interrupts your conversation, getting the attention of you and your longtime college friend, Sasha. Mikasa storms into the tiny two-bedroom apartment that she and you shared, stomping down the slim hallway to her respected room before slamming another door behind her. You and Sasha share glances between each other, both picking up on the hostility radiating from your roommates' silence.

“Well, I'm guessing she doesn’t want this slice.”

Without hesitation, the auburn haired girl reaches across to snatch up the last slice of pizza in a grease stained box that you had managed to keep this long in hopes Mikasa was hungry. A soft sigh leaves your lips as your eyes focus on the way Sasha eagerly munches on the pizza in her hands.

“Do you think it’s Eren again?”

The question leaves your lips faster than you can comprehend, watching her eyes soften in concern.

“I think they’re okay, from what Connie said at least,” she comforts your worries in between bites, “it’s probably more to do with what Eren has to deal with at home.”

Silently, you dig your phone out from underneath your thigh, unlocking it with a few clicks. To your surprise, a message from the one you were just about to text was waiting for your response.

eren: did she make it back already?

you: yeah .. she seems pissed

eren: makes sense .. i’m sorry

eren: tell her that and i’ll call her tonight

You didn’t bother replying, instead you turned your around to Sasha who was already peering over your shoulder to get a glimpse of your messages.

The two of you shared a sympathetic look for the girl holding herself up in her room, not sure of the specifics of it all, but knew whatever it was, it was bleeding from one hole and into another. Sasha rubbed her hands together, dusting off the crumbs that covered her fingers from the pizza.

“I guess I’ll go home and get ready for our shift, do you know who is working tonight?”

The two of you get up from your spots on your couch, stretching out the bad posture that left your back's aching in the worst spots.

“I think it’s you, me, porco, connie, and pieck.”

And with that, Sasha bids you her goodbye in the form of a see you later, leaving you to go assess the damage eren jaeger created. Trudging down the hallway, you stand in front of her door and listen softly for any signs of life on the other side of the door.

You can faintly hear the same song she plays when she’s feeling particularly under the weather and it gives you the invitation to gently knock on her door. 

After listening for her voice, your fingers grip the handle and slowly push the door open just enough to slip into the opening you’ve created. Mikasa was curled in a crescent shape, back facing the door as you step over the shoes she has scattered out on the floor. Crawling onto the bed, you choose to sit behind her, reaching out to pull the loose hairs on her hair behind her ear. 

“He said he’s sorry,”

She remains silent, but judging from the view you have of her face, you can see she is staring off at the collection of his things in a random corner in her room.

“And that he’ll call you tonight.”

A soft sigh leaves her lips as she brings a sleeve up to wipe away a stray tear.

“Wanna talk about it now?”

This routine of her coming into the apartment, either seething in anger or simply exhausted from pain isn’t something so new, but it hasn’t necessarily been talked through either. She tends to bottle up things until it gets too much and you have lived with her long enough to know that she’ll open when she’s ready.

“He’s just been blowing me off because he’s ‘nursing Armin’s wounds’.”

A frown settles on your lips, pity heavy on your chest for all parties involved. Eren, despite neglecting his girlfriend, is doing his best to bring back the light in his best friend’s eyes. Mikasa tries to be understanding, but she too needs nourishment from Eren for the sake of their relationship.

And then there is Armin, a head to toe blonde who is picking up what is left of himself after leaving his long term relationship with his ex. The worst part of it all possibly stems from them all being childhood friends, making the split of it all turn into a rippling effect on all involved.

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Mikasa doesn’t add in more context by the time you had to leave for your shift at the restaurant. Walking past the two glass doors with gold handles adoring them, you make a swift turn down a walkway and into the back where the servers and bartenders usually linger in dread of the night.

An oversized back hangs on your shoulder, carrying some essentials that get you through the night like chapstick, spare hair ties, your serving tray and lots of pens stashed within your apron. As you pass through the serving station, you spot Sasha talking it up with her longtime boyfriend Niccolo, a sous chef that works at the restaurant. 

Just past her is Jean and Marco at the bar, setting everything up before the door opens. You walk over to the two, setting your bag down on the empty counter and get out some of your opening essentials.

“Hey, do we have any specials to sell tonight?”

The question interrupts whatever the two men were just chatting about, turning their attention over to you.

“I think you’re special, but you’re not on the menu.”

Jean’s poor attempt at flirting with you gets no response with a roll of your eyes. Marco stifles out an awkward laugh as you pull your hair up with a clip in the back, securing it as tightly as you can. 

“We have a dragon fruit cocktail, but it’s fairly new so it’s only made with champagne.”

“I call the first sip after shift tonight.” Connie, a buzzcut-hazel eyed boy calls out from behind you.

“No one was fighting you for it, idiot.” Sasha says from the well, the nickname that was given to the side station where it overlaps into the kitchen. 

You’re tying your apron around your waist while Connie and Sasha go after each other's throat, trying to tuck in the loose straps in the back to prevent it from coming undone mid shift, again . You’re tucking your bag behind the bar, in a hidden slot where chipped glasses used to be stored before they moved it for safety reasons.

With your tray on the bar counter, you’re leaving the commotion as you’re rounding the corner. Through the doors, Pieck and Porco enter, one after the other. “I swear you say the weirdest shit, it’s no wonder you’re single.”

Pieck had a nonchalant look on her face, unfazed with Porco’s comment on her relationship status.“You’re just as lonely as she is, porky.” You add in, earning a scowl from the dirty blonde boy with his hair slicked back. 

“Yeah, well, I wouldn’t have to be if I didn’t spend my whole nights working here with you losers.” he grumbles back, slipping off to set his things down. You and Pieck exchange looks, knowing more than anyone that his relationship status wasn’t failing due to his job, but instead his hot headed-overly arrogant attitude.

He reminds you of Jean, but only blonde and short. Erwin comes out from the direction of his office, clearing his throat to get both of your attentions.

“I’m afraid I have bad news, ladies, Mina called out tonight so that means all servers have to watch the host stand.”

Pieck doesn’t bother adding to his comment, instead she lets a sigh pass her lips before going off to let the other servers know.

“You’ve really got to let her go, Mr. Smith, she isn’t consistent enough for a cushion job like hers.”

Erwin rubs his temples, already knowing that he needs to hire a different host, but he excuses it and continues to push it down his list of priorities. “Just make sure the sections are being rotated equally, please.” 

And with that Erwin turns his back to you, leaving you standing by the host stand with unresolved irritation that would fall on deaf ears even if you tried to push this onto someone else. After you made sure to have the host tablet ready and Levi, the head chef, went over pre-shift, the night officially began and the doors opened. 

For being down one person, everything seemed to be going smoothly for a Thursday evening. Jean was giving you his flirty banter each time you went to the bar to get a drink to which both you and Marcel had to painfully endure, Porco actually participated in seating other sections that weren’t his, for once, and Pieck managed to not mix up her tables in the first few hours.

You weren’t very hopeful for the night’s success as you stood in the well, finishing off your break before going back onto the floor. As you’re washing your hands, Sasha’s voice calling out your name caught your attention, turning your head to see her peeking around the corner. 

“Can you please watch my tables so I can go take a fifteen, pretty please?”

“Yeah, go ahead, but I’m not sitting your section till you’re back.” you replied, turning to dry your hands with the few paper towels the kitchen kept stocked by the sink. 

“Yes! Thank you! Oh, and there’s one at the door, I’ll be back!”

As much as you loved her, she usually tended to run off at the most seemingly inconvenient times, such as not seating someone before she went off the floor. You’re already reaching for your notepad and pulling the pen from behind your ear as you exit the well. 

“Sorry about your wait, how many?”

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Chapter Text

Just as you’re looking up, your breath gets caught in the lump of your throat. Standing before you was Armin Arlert, the boy who had your heart in his hands from the moment you first laid eyes on him. He was taller than you remembered, wearing a white button up, matching yours, with navy blue slacks and a black belt to accompany.

His sleeves were rolled up, resting just above his elbow to give you enough skin to see how much his physique has filled out since your last time seeing each other.

An unfamiliar heat rises in the apple of your cheeks as you lock eyes with him, standing frozen in your place as he does the same. Your name rolling off this tongue did wonders on your heart, feeling it flutter in the cage of your ribs a lot harder than you’d like. 

“I didn’t know you still worked here.” His voice is delicate, a little more mature than you remember and a little sadder than you hoped. His big blue eyes were staring back into yours, waiting for you to say something, or at least breathe.

“I, uh, yeah, I still work here.” A forced laugh follows as you awkwardly shift around him to stand behind the podium. You’re doing your best to go over the seating rotation, ignoring the burning feeling in the back of your throat as you avoid eye contact with the man in front of you.

“Uhm, I’m sorry, how many?”

Armin steps closer, eyes peering over the podium to see what you’re doing out of curiosity.

“Armin?”

Your voice calling out his name seems to snap him out of whatever thoughts had him caught up, leaning back on his heels as he awkwardly rubs the nape of his neck. “Oh, sorry, just one–just me.”

Him showing up alone brings you both a sliver of happiness and a bit of sadness given his recent breakup. Your eyes nearly bulge out your head when you realize not only are you the only server with a two-top left, but it’s also your turn for being sat.

Your hands were trembling slightly as you marked yourself as getting a table before looking up at the expectant boy before you. You couldn’t help, but notice how his golden blonde hair hangs over his forehead, threatening to tangle into his stupidly long lashes. 

“Uhm, just follow me.” And he does, his hands sway slightly beside him as he follows you to the table you seat him at. “Do you drink–I mean, of course you drink, everybody drinks or we’d all get dehydrated.” His gaze is burning through the back of your head, making the air in the restaurant feel thicker than it had earlier.

“Here’s a menu, can I get you a drink, if you drink or not—we don’t judge if you’re not thirsty.” A shaky breath leaves you as Armin takes his seat with a slight smile on his lips.

“What kind of drinks do you offer?” He’s looking up at you, eyes locked on yours as he leans onto the table with his elbows holding him up.

“We have pretty much anything you’d like, we also have drinks from the bar which your server—me, I'm your server because you’re sitting in my section, uhm—oh, we have a new cocktail or you can just look over the menu in case you don’t want a cocktail.” Your words come out rushed and you’re left breathless as you try to hide the heat crawling up your neck. 

Armin seems pleased by your uneasiness and looks down at the menu on the table in front of him, flipping it over and giving it a few glances over before looking back up at you. 

“How about I try the cocktail of the day with a glass of water, please.”

“Aren’t you curious as to what it is?” 

“There was a sign up front.” He points over to the chalk stand that described the specials for the day, all thanks to Pieck and her frilly handwriting. Embarrassment floods through you as you awkwardly take up the unused menu across from him and nod.

“Right—I'll go let your server know, which is me, I'll go get—yeah.”

Pivoting on your heels, you make a b-line for the bar where Marco was cleaning glasses and Jean was rearranging bottles of liquor on a shelf. You throw down the menu you had in hand with a groan, leaning against the counter as you recall the most embarrassing moment you just experienced in your whole time on this forsaken planet.

“Woah, I hate to break it to you, but it’s a little too early into the night to start our therapy session, unless you really miss me that much.” Jean sports a smug smile as he gets down to your eye level, to which you wished you could hit him with the menu and not get fired.

“I hate to break it to you, Jean boy, but I actually miss it when I'm not in your presence.”

Marco lets out a snort, trying to avoid the crossfire as he cleans the glass in his hand.

“I need the special, but switch the champagne with vodka please.”

Jean raises a brow at your request, gathering his strainer and mixers while not missing the distressed look on your face. “I’m guessing someone gave you hell on it being only champagne?”

You shake your head, peering over your shoulder to the table that Armin sat at, scanning over the menu before looking up briefly to meet your eyes. The menu was blocking his mouth, but your face burns as you imagine what kind of expression he must’ve had.

“No, he just doesn’t like champagne.” you mumble back, immediately whipping your head around to avoid his gaze.

“No fucking way, is that Arlert in your section?”  Jean, to your surprise, is a lot louder than you’d hope. Groaning, you snatch the menu off the bar and speed walk into the back to get his water prepared, sneaking a glance over at Armin before he leaves your peripheral.

Once you get his water, you grab your tray and speed past the bar, snatching the drink off the counter before Jean can press you for information. 

“Sorry about the wait, can I get you anything to start off the night?”

You’re doing your damnedest to remain professional, setting both his drinks onto the table before pulling your notepad from your apron. Armin scans your face before letting out a soft hum, looking over his menu once more.

“What would you order if you came here?”

“Honestly, I put my trust in our chef each time I order here, probably due to him knowing my palette already, but also due to the food having never disappointed me.”

He’s looking up at you, his lips pressed in a thin line as he stares into your eyes as if he’s searching for something. Handing over the menu, a smile spreads onto his lips as he holds eye contact with you.

“I guess I’m leaving my fate in your hands tonight then.” 

Biting your inner cheek, you manage to scribble down your favorite dish that is off the menu, making sure to write ‘hand it to Chef Levi personally’ at the bottom of the ticket.

“I promise I won’t disappoint you.” Armin is already taking his first sip of his drink, brows furrowed as you’re about to slip off to the well. He calls you back, sparking panic within your chest.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but I thought that the special was made with champagne, but I taste vodka instead, was there some mistake?”

Your mouth was moving faster than your brain could keep up with, blurting out the words as if it was an obvious thing. “Oh, I asked him to switch it because I know you don’t like champagne.” Armin stared at you silently, lips slightly parted as you slowly retreated from his table and off to the kitchen.

The rest of the night went on as if it would never end. Once Jean’s big mouth opened, everyone was painfully aware that Armin was in your section and had been for hours now. Jean theorized that he might be ordering one thing at a time in hopes to steal your time and as the night got slower with less and less people coming in, the only thing for you to do is clean your section and finish your side work.

Pieck and Sasha made sure to keep the night exciting, sending knowing looks your way each time you rang in a new order for your only two-top table.

Your coworkers were no stranger to your one-sided feelings for the baby blue eyed boy, everyone except Porco who leaned against the bar with crossed arms and stared over at Armin with an unreadable expression.

“I don’t get the hype, what’s even up with this kid anyway?”

Pieck, who was standing beside him as she waited for her last table to leave, chose to feed his curiosity with a brief history lesson as the two, with the accompaniment of their bartenders, watch you awkwardly interact with Armin.

“See, Armin is y/n’s roommate's childhood best friend. We all kinda met towards the end of college, but she knew him before she knew us. She’s been head over heels for him since she met him, but he was dating his ex and in between him and his ex, Annie, breaking up and getting back together, she never had the guts to confess.”

“Not to mention, she still kind of ran into him after college because of her roommate and her boyfriend being his best friends, so she never escaped him. Each time Annie fucked him over, she heard the worst of it and each time he took her back, she heard about him getting dragged through the mud all over again.” Jean added in, wiping down the bar.

Sasha was passing by, leaning in to add on, “Don’t forget how close she and Armin were prior to Annie cheating the first time, after that, Armin kind of withdrew and never explained himself.”

You were too oblivious to your friends giving Porco the full rundown on your history with the boy in front of you, grabbing the abandoned plate on his table. The whole night, you tried to avoid his table and only checked on him as frequently as you could, a soft tint of pink on your face with each visit.

“Anything else you’d like to order before the kitchen closes for the night?” Your words seem to stun him, watching as he looks down at the sparkling silver watch on his wrist.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize how long I’d been here. No, that was perfect, just the check is fine.” Nodding, you’re turning to walk off before his slender fingers wrap around your wrist, halting you in your steps. 

“I, um, this might sound highly inappropriate, but when does your shift end?”

“We close in thirty minutes, but I have to finish my side work before I can leave and do tip outs and–”

“No she doesn’t, I can do your side work so you can leave early.” Connie, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere, smiled at you with a knowing look in his eyes as they flicker between Armin’s hand around your wrist and the climbing blush on your neck and ears. 

“Go ahead and close for the night, oh and hey Armin.”

Armin slowly loosens his hold on your wrist, letting his hand fall as you make a break off to grab your bag from behind the bar. Armin is making small talk with Connie while Pieck smiles, watching you frantically count your tips and do the last few things you need to do before being able to leave.

Once everything had been done and all your tabs were closed, you said goodbye to everyone while Armin waited patiently outside. Your early takeoff was met with a surprised look from Erwin, but judging by his lack of refusal, he must’ve already been informed.

As you push past the glass doors, you are met with a very timid Armin waiting for you, his hands stuffed in the front pockets of his slacks. 

“Did you drive?”

Shaking your head, your head lowers in slight embarrassment. “I usually take the bus or call a cab.” He only nods his head in response, looking down in hopes to meet your eyes. “Mind if I drive you home?” You take in a shaky breath, figuring there wasn’t much harm in accepting his offer.

“Lead the way.”

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Armin drove an all white four seater suv, but with just the two of you in his car, you felt smaller than you were used to. The two of you sat in silence for most of the ride, excluding the time he asked you if you were cold or if you wanted to listen to music, to which he got a no for both.

He didn’t necessarily need directions to where you lived either, having been over more times than he can remember and knew alternative routes to get there depending on traffic, a plus for him. When the two of you pull up in front of your apartment complex, you unbuckle your seatbelt and he does the same. The two of you sit in silence, waiting to see who was going to be the first to break the silence.

“It was good seeing you today, it’s truly been a while.” His voice sounded strained, as if he wasn’t sure to word it in the way he did. 

“If you didn't shut me out, it probably wouldn’t have been so nice, would it?” You didn’t miss the way he flinched slightly from the tone of your voice. You tried to not sound so hurt, trying to conceal the pain his absence truly gave you, but some things are easier said than done. 

“I’m truly so sorry, you have no idea how badly I wish I could've explained it all at the time.”

“No, you’re right, Armin, I have no idea because you forgot to fill me in on that.” His eyes were on his hands that rested in his lap, fidgeting with his fingers as he gave you the space to continue.

“I get that you’re still hurting, I truly hate that I wasn’t there to be someone you thought you could confide in, but I don’t get it...what did I do for you to cut me out like that?”

Truthfully, it’s been over three years since Armin and his now ex girlfriend Annie first began their vicious cycle of being together and breaking up. Their relationship was fine in the beginning, your relationship with him was fine–that was until she cheated on him and slowly after that, Armin stopped calling you to tell you about his new book he found at the library. He stopped texting you, seeing if you wanted to study together or even come over to your apartment with Eren.

At first, you brushed it off as him hurting, at least that’s what everyone kept telling you and you respected that. It wasn’t until they had broken up again later on and Eren accidentally let it slip one night that you had gotten the hint.

Even after you had left him countless messages in attempts to reach out, but you never got a response. Eventually, you moved on, understanding that you no longer mattered to him the way he still does to you. Or that’s what you continuously try to convince yourself.

“There’s so much I want to tell you, that I’ve wanted to tell you for a while and I just–”

You’re staring at him, hanging on his every word. You need an explanation, you deserved one, he knew that, but the words seemed to get lost in his throat.

“Would it be okay if I walk you to your door tonight?”

It surprised you, to say the least, that he wanted to walk you up, but you didn’t fight him. Silently, you gathered your things as he turned his car off and got out his side, walking around to open your door for you. He follows you into the building, not saying anything as the two of you ride the elevator up to your floor. As you’re stepping off, Armin continues to revel in his silence, head down while the two of you near your front door.

You dig into your apron that you should’ve taken off a while ago, fetching your keys before turning around to face Armin. His eyes are already beaming down at your face, the poorly lit hallway giving them just enough light to show the hidden pain behind them. 

You could get lost in his eyes, you want to get lost in his eyes, but they’ve never lingered on you long enough to give you the choice to do so.

“This is me.”

Motioning to your door, an awkward smile plays out on your lips. He mirrors the smile, taking in a deep breath. You can tell by the rise in his chest, he wants to say something and you give him the time to do so, needing to hear him out before the night is over. 

“Do you still have the same number?” 

The shock on your face must’ve been evident, judging by the laugh he let out. 

“I know I have a lot to make up for, more than I can fit in one night, so if you’ll have me, I want to meet you for lunch sometime and we can talk.”

“I uh, yeah, I have the same number.” 

Armin seemed satisfied, giving you a wide tooth grin as he slowly receded down the hallway. Turning to enter your apartment, you’re taking in the shock of the day. Mikasa was in the kitchen when you dropped your bag off by the front door, the sweet smell of bad takeout being heated luring you in.

“Hey, you’re back early.”

Her back is to you as you slip off your shoes, your fingers fiddling with untucking the strings of your apron. “Yeah, I got a ride home.” She simply nods, scooping out portions of food onto a paper plate before repeating onto another.

“Did you guys talk it out?” You knew that she was either going to give you the full rundown of her talk with him, or simply avoid the subject in total. Mikasa wasn’t the best at expressing how she felt with anyone, even her boyfriend, but there are moments when she allowed herself to lean on someone and eventually unload all that she harbors by herself. 

“Yeah, he came over actually and we talked.”

There was a faint blush on her cheeks as she brought over the two plates of food to where you were, sitting on the couch with exhaustion starting to settle in. With one glance at her softened expression, you knew that they fucked while he was here. At least they have the curiosity of doing it while you are at work. 

“I get where he’s coming from, trying to help Armin move on from, uhm, her .” You visibly express your distaste for her name being spoken, another obvious sign that you never liked Armin’s ex. It wasn’t out of selfish reasons for you to have him to yourself, you just never liked her whole ‘ i am too cool for you ’ vibes she upheld anytime she was spoken to. 

“And I told him that if he wants Armin happy that bad, he needs to let him figure it out on his own instead of babying him. Don’t get me wrong, I feel really bad for him too, I just.” Mikasa lets out a defeated sigh, handling her fork in her hand as if it was the most delicate thing she’s ever held–as if it were her relationship with Eren himself.

“Good for you for standing up to him anyway, he’s an idiot for shutting you out. Jaeger better step his game before I take you away from him.” A smile spread across your sleepy face and Mikasa returned it with a laugh.

The two of you spend the rest of your time eating and making small talk, her telling you about the rest of their time together throughout the time you were at work and you filled her in on most of your eventful shift. 

After the two of you finish eating, Mikasa goes back to her room and you take a well deserved shower, letting the water melt off the stress the night brought onto you unexpectedly. By the time you got out of the shower, slipped on something sleep appropriate and got into bed, you saw your phone light up on your pillow.

Picking it up, you see a familiar name on your screen with three missed messages. Your heart begins to beat a little faster as you click on the notifications, having missed seeing his name on your phone.

armin: hey .. i really hope this is the right number

armin: i want to say thank you for letting me give you a ride and goodnight since i forgot to say it earlier

armin: oh wait, before i forget, when are you off again?

Chewing on your bottom lip, you relish in the events of the day. Is this really happening? After all this time, are you and him actually going to talk as if nothing happened? For now, you can’t dwell on what’s to come or what happened before.

The time on your phone reads 1:53am, indicating that you need to sleep now in order to enjoy your day before your next shift starts. You send back a simple reply before turning your phone face down, in hopes to not be tempted to check it every few minutes if you get a reply. 

you: we’re closed sundays through tuesdays so i get three day weekends :)

After hitting end, you immediately cringe at the added emoji. You’re about to turn over when you hear a faint buzz, immediately getting your attention. With a little more speed than you’d be willing to admit, you snatched your phone from beside your bed and tapped the screen to see a message from Armin.

armin: dang .. I work throughout the week, maybe I can steal you for a sunday or lunch on monday?

A smile spread across your face as the thought that you’re actually making plans with him brings back familiar feelings, thoughts and emotions you hadn’t dared to unpack in a long time.

you: don’t you have work in the morning mr. arlert? 

armin: maybe 

armin: what time does the restaurant open?

You hesitate to respond, warmth spreading across your cheeks as you try to read into why he is so interested in your working hours. Sure, he could simply just be curious so that he can find a convenient time for the two of you to meet up, the boy you once knew was articulate like that. He liked to have everything planned out to the best of his abilities so that whatever could be taken in account would already have been factored in. 

you: google it, goodnight armin :)

You stayed up longer than you would have liked after sending that last message, your brain waiting and hoping each little vibration that the random notifications on your phone brought was from him instead. Eventually, you tried to shut out the million thoughts of what you could’ve said differently and overthinking how you interacted with him at the restaurant so that you could finally fall asleep.

By the time you wake up, you immediately check your phone and to much dismay, you had no missed messages from him . Doing your best to not overthink your entire existence in the last twenty-four hours, you decide to get on with your day and spend your time wallowing in your empty apartment before your later shift. 

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Chapter Text

Two days pass and you still had no word back from your estranged friend, almost feeling defeated when you mentally reflect on your last time seeing him. On each shift you worked, you found yourself constantly checking your phone whenever you had a break and even going as far as doing a double take anytime a blonde haired boy passed your view. Jean was the only one to truly pick up on how you looked for him in every person who walked through the doors and he could tell it was eating at you. He decided to keep his concerns to himself, hoping that you’d be back to yourself after your much needed weekend was over. 

You rolled out of bed around noon on Sunday, groaning as the sunlight beamed between the blinds you forgot to close before you fell asleep. Rubbing your tired eyes, you lay towards the window, imagining what it would be like to wake up next to him. Would he be as beautiful in the morning when the sun is still high and he is still wrapped up in the comfort of his sleep? The answer is a no brainer, something you can only imagine, but already feel confident in your answer. 

Your thoughts are cut short, hearing Eren's familiar voice coming from within the apartment. Deciding to get up and see the emerald eyed brunette, you throw on some shorts to accompany the shirt you tossed on before bed. You’re walking down the hallway, peering over the wall and into the kitchen when you see the back of his head. Armin was standing in your kitchen, scooping coffee grounds into the filter mindlessly as you froze in your spot.

“‘Bout time you joined us, thought I was gonna have to blast Mikasa’s playlist she uses to get out of bed.” 

Eren’s playful words caught the attention of the cerulean eyed boy, a soft smile spreading across his lips as he focused his gaze on your unexpected expression.

“I, uh, stayed late last night so I kind of slept in, jaeger.” Your reply was taken with a grumble as he focused his attention back onto Mikasa who was tucked underneath his arm and a sketchbook in her hands. Walking into the kitchen, Armin peers over in your direction as you inspect the box of pastries sitting on the counter. 

“I did in fact, google it.” His voice is low, almost hushed. Your lips threaten to curl in the corners as you pull the top off the box in front of you, eyes growing in surprise to see two fruit tarts perfectly set aside from the rest in the box. He notices, leaning over your shoulder to see what’s caught your attention.

“You don’t prefer the chocolate tarts and I don’t prefer champagne.” He says it so matter-of-factly, as if it was a normal thing to take into consideration, but to you, it felt as if he pulled at the loose strings that tied him to your heart all over again.

The closeness of you two didn’t dawn on you until you turned to face him, feeling the heat radiate from him as his shoulder was slightly pressed against your own. His eyes were staring down into yours, wide in their own natural way and there was something in them that you couldn’t quite understand. The sound of freshly brewing coffee disrupts your staring with one another as he moves slightly away from you.

“If you’re free today, could we have lunch together?”

You swallowed dryly, lips parted slightly as you scan his face. You could see how expectant he was, waiting for you to reject his offer and a wave of guilt washes over when you notice it. 

“I can do lunch, but what are going to do about them?” Gesturing towards the seemingly oblivious couple on the couch with your head, Armin doesn’t follow your motion, having already known who you’re talking about.

“Leave that up to me, I just need to know if you’d come with me.”

Armin always seemed so secure in his words, especially when he was passionate in whatever he was trying to obtain. It was one of those small things you always admired about him, the way he wielded his words as a means to get through to the people who he surrounded himself with. 

“It’s going to take a lot more than some good looking pastries to get me to follow you blindly, arlert.”

The playfulness in your voice brought a smile to his lips, turning his attention back to the coffee that was slowly filling up the pot as it brewed. Creating some distance between the two of you, you moved around the kitchen to grab a paper plate for the tarts that are seemingly calling your name.

Seated at the table with your breakfast, Eren rolls his head around towards Armin who is busy pouring coffee into two mugs. “So, you two got any plans today?”

You’re already halfway through the first tart in your hand, meeting Eren's eyes with a squint. “Why, you trying to drag us to the gym with you again?”

Eren’s laugh rumbles through his chest, bringing a smile to Mikasa's lips. “It wouldn’t hurt you to come to the gym with us once in a while, I mean just look at Armin, man is already more ripped now than he’s ever been.”

Armin, who sets a cup of coffee down in front of you with a faint blush on his cheeks, ignores Eren's comment. “I hope you still take it the same, two sugars and a dash of cream.”

A confirming nod eases his worries, sitting across from you in the next available seat.

“C’mon guys, Mikasa is coming with me too.” Eren was tall, built and somewhat intimidating if you didn’t know him, but to you, he was gentle and playful and sarcastic, but most of all Eren Jaeger was needy. 

“Actually, we were thinking of giving you guys some well deserved alone time today.” Armin’s words were directed to the surprised brunette whose brows shot up. “I think you two need it more than we need a full hangout, plus we can all watch a movie tonight if you’re still wanting us all to spend time together.”

Mikasa lifted her head, turning her attention to you and Armin at the table. You caught her gaze, raising the coffee to your lips with a knowing look. She returned your knowing look with a gentle smile. “I think that’ll be a good idea, gives them time to catch up, don’t you think?”

Eren turns his attention down to her, sighing in defeat as he always does when he doesn’t initially get what he hoped. “Fine, but movie night is non-negotiable so you better bring your asses back and be prepared.”

“No one is scared of you, Jaeger.” 

Your words brought a smirk to Eren’s stoic face, hearing the cockiness come to follow from his lips. “Don’t need to show off now that Armin’s here, he’s all yours.”

Heat blooms in your cheeks, earning an eye roll from you as you try to hide the redness in your face with the coffee in your hands. A huff leaves your lips as you take a deep sip of the hot beverage that is keeping your hands warm. Armin, who is also munching on his own pastry, watches the way you and Eren shoot killer glaces back and forth; blissfully unaware of the underlying meaning of his friend’s words.

After breakfast, you slipped away to get ready for your outing with Armin while he sat with Eren and Mikasa on the couch. After some time had passed, you had gotten dressed, but too immersed in your phone to be bothered to rejoin the group.

Armin, barely paying attention to the conversation any longer, had gotten up and mindlessly made his way towards your room. Your door was cracked so he gave it a gentle knock before slowly peeking his head into your room to spot you sitting on your bed with your phone in hand.

His sudden presence caught your attention, looking up in his direction with slightly wide eyes. “So you’re just walking into a girl’s room now? Wow, never pegged you as that kind of man, Armin.”

Rolling his eyes, Armin rubbed the back of his neck as he fully allowed himself into your room. “Please, don’t group me up with frat boy Eren.”

“I thought we referred to him as pre-mikasa-pussy Eren?”

This gets a laugh from him as he takes in your room, eyes scanning your decor with a slight glaze of nostalgia in his eyes. Moving over to the tiny desk area in a corner, a small strip of polaroid pictures catches his eyes. Your eyes follow his frame, ears burning as you watch his fingertips graze over the pictures of you two during the first few months you started college together.

“Can’t believe you still have these.” His words came out softly, almost as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. The room started to feel heavy and you tried not to think too much into the way he held the photo strip in his hand.

“Yeah, well, someone needs to remember those locks you took from us.” His laugh reaches your ears, bringing a smile to your lips. “Those locks were horrendous, not something worth remembering.”

“I tend to disagree, actually.” Armin, now sitting in the chair that was tucked beneath your desktop, continues to reminisce on the pictures of not only you and him, but of you and Mikasa, Eren and himself. He also notices new pictures with people he vaguely recognized, but it’s you that stands out. The person you were when he wasn’t around, smiling brightly in these newer pictures with friends surrounding you. “And why is that, hm?”

His question seemed so silly to you as the silly videos you were watching slowly get drowned out by his presence. “Because the boy with those locks will always be my favorite Armin.” It’s true that when you first met Armin, his hair was a lot longer than it is now and that’s what brought you up to him—asking him if he could tie his hair back yet or if it wasn’t quite yet to that length.

Sadly for you, he wasn’t necessarily interested in finding out, but the two of you carried out a conversation long enough for the friendship between you two to blossom into what it had become.

“I agree, he was the version of myself I wish I could've kept.”

The weight of his words hung heavy in the room, watching as his fingers grazed the faded rubber bracelet that laid dormant on top of your desktop. It was from the night that you two had gone to your first college party at the frat Eren was a part of, something you kept to remember from the night you first knew you needed Armin Arlert, no matter how you had him, in your life. 

Clearing your throat, you stand up from your bed and walk towards your door. “Ready for lunch?” Armin looks over at you, giving you a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes as he stands up from your seat. “Yeah, any ideas of what you want to eat?”

The two of you walk down the hallway, ignoring Eren and Mikasa who were still layed up on one another on the couch as you grab your wallet and keys from a small dish that was on your island by the front door. 

“And what was so funny while you two were back there, alone .” Eren’s emphasis on the last word made you send him a glare, shoving your belongings into your pockets as his lips curled in the corners.

“Just laughing at how I wiped the floor with your sorry ass the last time we played pool.” Eren’s smirk immediately morphed into a scowl and he threw a finger your way as you and Armin slipped through the front door. 

“Did you really have to go for his ego?” Armin was smiling through the question, reminiscing on the night that you single handedly beat Eren at his own game and continued to hold that victory over his head.

“Eh, he needs to be knocked down a peg every now and then.” The two of you migrated through your apartment complex, riding the elevator down to the front lobby and through the doors to his car that was parked around the building. Armin, in true gentlemen fashion, held your door open for you as you rounded his car. After getting in yourself, he went around and joined you as he fastened his seatbelt in the driver's seat.

“Any idea on what you want for lunch?” 

A soft hum and a soft tap on your chin was all you needed to let him know you weren’t really decisive on the location. “Maybe I'll do better if I were surprised.”

Without another word, he started up the car and the two of you settled on a quiet drive with the windows cracked slightly. You opted to lean against the side of the door, fluttering your eyes closed as the warm rays of sunshine that beamed down kissed your skin. 

You weren’t aware, but Armin was casually sneaking glances your way, a familiar warmth blooming in the apple of his cheeks as he occasionally straightened out his posture and gripped the steering wheel a little tighter each time he feared he was begging to stare. 

By the time the drive had come to a halt, your eyes opened and an unfamiliar small sandwich stall along the side of a woodsy area just outside of the city. The two of you got out of the car and walked a few steps to join the line of people that were awaiting their order. “This is new, what’s good here?”

“Pretty much anything, I’ve never had anything bad here before.” Armin replied slightly beside you, but trying to stay close enough to move along the line with you. With his hands stuffed in his front pockets, you hum to try and think over something to talk about.

“I know you probably have a lot of questions.”

“No, really? I can’t imagine why.” Your sarcasm was evident and yet, all it earned was a small smile from the blonde beside you.

“It’ll have to wait till we get our food, right now I want to talk about Eren and Mikasa.” The mention of the couple wasn’t something that you were necessarily expecting, but you’re more intrigued as to why they were the focus of his worries. “Has Mikasa said—I don’t even know how to bring this up.”

“She’s—how do I put this, she’s been a little down lately?”

Armin’s head lowered, a gloomy expression spreading on his face. “That was my concern, Eren has been a bit unconventional as of late as well and I could only assume they weren’t doing so well which is partly why I wanted to get away from them today for a little.”

“Oh? So you didn’t ask me to lunch to see me, but to force them two to be alone?” With both brows raised, Armin met your eyes in a panic as he tried to think of a way to express his concerns. “No, no, not at all actually—well, partially, but there’s more to it and I didn’t mean it like that.”

Gently, you held his arm as a soft laugh escaped your lips. “I’m kidding Armin, breathe please.” You could feel him physically tense underneath your touch before slowly beginning to relax. Awkwardly, you let your hand from his arm and the warmth lingered on your fingertips more than you were comfortable with. Armin, whose eyes shifted to where your hand had previously held him, cleared his throat as he felt the tips of his ears begin to burn.

“So, I was thinking that maybe we can devise a plan to get them two back on better terms. I’m only saying this because I know what he’s doing—I know he’s trying to help me in his own weirdly obsessive way.”

“I think that’s a good idea, respectfully of course. Mikasa has really been down lately with Eren’s efforts and I think they just need to reconnect right now.” 

The two of you were now next in line, not leaving you much time to skim over the large print on the side of the food stall that was the menu. Armin walked slightly in front of you, ordering something you had no idea what it was and on a whim, you ordered something you’d planned on splitting with him if it wasn’t your favorite.

Almost immediately after you ordered, the two of you had gotten your food and walked down a little further to sit at a small table that had just been freed up. 

“Hope you know that means you’re going to have to either run away from home or spend more time with your friends if you want to escape the grasp of Eren Jaeger.” 

Armin unwraps his food, pulling it in half with a swift motion and sets it on your plate. A smile slowly spread across your lips as you did the same, accidentally brushing your fingers against his in the process. “Why can’t I just hang out with you instead?”

“I didn’t say you couldn’t—I just want to be certain you’re not going to run away from me again.”

Armin freezes in his spot, the somber expression reappearing onto his face. You almost want to reach out and console him, feeling a pang of guilt for the harshness of your tone, but his wide eyes look up to meet yours and he steals all the air in your lungs. “I didn’t—I can’t tell you how sorry I am for treating you like that.” 

“I don’t want another apology Armin, everyone did that enough on your behalf, I just want to hear why you did it and most importantly, if you’re okay.”

A soft sigh left his lips as he neglected the food in front of him, his head dropping slightly and you lost sight of his eyes that are now shielded by his bangs that hang down in contrast to his dark lashes that kiss his cheeks.

“When Annie and I first got together, the most important thing to me was that she got to know you guys, that she accepted all of you because you—all of you are the most important people I have left.”

Your breath gets caught in your chest as he starts talking, an uncomfortable bubble settling in the depths of your stomach. “At first, that was fine and we were fine, but somehow something switched and she...she cheated on me. Her excuses were, well, you.”

Hearing that you were the reason she used to be unfaithful to him sparked unwanted goosebumps across your whole being. Your chest began to tighten, guilt washing over you in waves you’re unable to find breaths in.

“And I wasn’t sure why it had anything to do with you, but that’s what she kept repeating each time and I was young and naive and I begged her like a fucking idiot to stay—I asked her what she wanted from me and she—”

“Oh, Armin..” Reaching out, you hesitantly took his hand into yours. He seemed just as surprised as you were, not looking up to meet your gaze, but focusing in on the warmth of your hand holding his. “I know I sound pathetic, begging someone who clearly didn’t want me if she proceeded to do it two more times , but I think I was just scared.

I so desperately wanted to be loved by someone that I let her tear me away from the same people I wanted her to accept...the people I held closest to me and I hate myself everyday for abandoning you like that.”

A singular tear slid down your cheek, blissfully unaware that you had begun to cry till his head raised and you saw the watery look in his eyes. Your chest felt heavy, as if someone put as many weights onto it to keep you from breathing—from feeling anything other than the crushing weight of guilt. Armin brought his free hand up to your cheek, his thumb grazing away the tear that rolled down your face. “Please, don’t cry, I hate to see you cry.”

A soft sniffle was followed by a weak laugh as you turned your head, trying to blink away the tears so that you’d stop yourself from fully sobbing in public. “I’m so sorry, Armin.” It was all you could muster up to say, swallowing down the itchy burning feeling in the back of your throat. The feeling of his hand giving yours a gentle squeeze brought your attention back to the one across from you, a soft and somber smile on his lips.

“No more of these apologies, let’s just enjoy the day and more importantly, our food before it gets cold.” He was the first to remove his hand from yours, leaving you to try and ignore the tingling feeling that buzzed through your palm as the two of you ate your meals in a comfortable silence.

Once you had both finished, you had brought up the idea of you two walking around the area to kill time. That’s part of the reason you two were hanging out after all—at least that’s what you keep having to remind yourself of.

Passing stores on your walk, neither of you felt the need to go inside and browse any so you kept walking till you stumbled into a nearby park. “Should we sit on the bench and think out this whole ‘get Eren off your back so he can spend more time obsessing with his girlfriend again’ plan?”

“Yeah, I’d be okay with doing that, but we might need to shorten the name of it a bit if we’re going to go global with this.” Your lips curled a little in the corners as he followed your lead to a wooden bench overlooking the woodsy park area. “So what exactly do you have in mind to carry this out?”

Armin was clearly thinking it over as he stared off into the distance, giving you a perfect view of his breathtaking side profile. His jaw wasn’t exactly cutting through paper, but instead it was sharp in a delicate way.

His nose was turned up in just a slight way that made you want to press your lips against it, only imagining how cute he might look if caught off guard. You hadn’t realized how long you might’ve been looking at him till he turned his head towards you, locking eyes with yours in concern.

“Is there something on my face?”

Armin truly never knew how handsome he truly was, despite how many tried to pursue him when you first met. In his eyes, he wasn’t pulling girls to different rooms on a weekend like your mutual friend used to and that made him feel as if he was less than attractive, but to you?

There was nothing more alluring than when the two of you would be the last ones in the campus library as he tried to explain to you what questions you got wrong and how to avoid the same mistake or when he would let you sleep in his bed when his study sessions went on far too long as you both crammed for an upcoming exam and opted to sleep in his desk chair. 

Yeah, maybe your not-so-little crush on him never truly left you, but if you didn’t tear your eyes from him, it might not be such a secret anymore. Not to him , at least.

“Hello? Are you even listening to me at this point?”  There was a slightly mischievous smile forming on his lips as you stared at him in awe, lips parted slightly as your mind wandered further off into a world where maybe you’d have the courage to lean in and capture his pink plush lips into a kiss.

The sound of your name leaving those same pink lips you were just daydreaming about pulled you back into reality, blinking at him slowly as you cleared your throat.

“Are you okay? You seemed in deep thought just now.” Your face was most definitely a few shades brighter than you’re proud of, whipping your head around to focus on the wind that was rustling the branches of the trees in the distance. “Yeah, sorry, just got caught in thought.”

“So, um, I was thinking that we’d probably have to either get Mikasa over to your place so that Eren can, you know, do his thing or we can plan outings together so that Eren can get the idea that you’re okay being from under his wing and maybe he’ll learn naturally and all will be well.”

“We can also invite more people to hang out with us, so that we’re not having to go out together alone each time.” 

Armin was studying the side of your head, brows furrowed together as he silently tried not to overthink as to why you chose to bring up others into this. Did you not want to spend time with him? Maybe he is pushing you and you’re not comfortable being alone with him right now. His mind is moving faster than he can handle and he can feel a headache starting to form.

“I don’t see why not, but who exactly can we invite to make it more of a group outing?”

“Well, you saw who I work with, any of those guys would be glad to see you and Eren and Mikasa again.” Armin was thinking back to the night he unexpectedly dined at your work, trying to remember all who he saw other than Connie. You could clearly see him struggling to recall anyone that was working that night.

“Y’know, Jean and Marco as well as Sasha and Connie? Plus there’s Pieck and you haven’t met him yet, but Porco is a pretty chill guy and Sasha will probably bring her boyfriend Niccolo.”

Armin was clearly stunned, unaware of how many people he hadn’t seen in a while all working together. It explains why back in your room, he recognized so many faces in the pictures you had up. It also explains why there were a few he couldn’t recognize, but that only brought up further questions he didn’t deem appropriate to ask at the moment.

“We’ll see about a fuller outing with the others, we should probably get our schedules figured out first.”

The two of you sat on the bench for a lot longer than you had realized, talking about your work places and simply catching up on missed milestones in the years you two haven’t exactly kept contact. He told you about the job he was currently working at, a somewhat known finance building in the heart of the city that paid him decent money despite his shitty hours.

You answered any question he had about you still working at the restaurant, explaining to him that it wasn’t a glamorous job, but you got tipped pretty well and it paid your bills. Plus the people you work with actually made it more tolerable, despite them being the first to know if something was wrong.

You didn’t want him to feel left out on shitty ex stories so you told him about your ex Reiner. The two of you dated briefly one summer and it bled into the fall, but right before the holidays rolled around, he dumped you in a shitty burrito line because he was, and i quote, “scared of commitment”.

Armin didn’t say much as you rambled on about how big of a douche your ex was for being a coward and running from you instead of talking to you, but you hadn’t really realized how it might’ve come across till you had already finished your ramble. 

‘Wow, he sounds charming.” A frustrated laugh escapes your throat as you cross your legs in your seat. “Yeah, well, he was when he wasn’t trying to apologize for being the worlds hottest loser, I mean who takes you out for shit food and ends it all? Pretty fucking low if you ask me.” Armin was simply listening, something he always did when you’d go on and on and he’d never interrupt you.

Add it to the endless list as to why he was the sweetest man you’d have ever come to know and why you always yearned for what it was to be loved by him. With Armin, you always felt understood and heard—you felt see through as if the walls you kept up for everyone else were glass to him. 

“We should probably be getting back soon, we can stop and get some snacks if you’d like?” 

Looking down at his watch, you could tell it was getting late. “Sure, but I’m paying for it this time.” The two of you got up from the bench, walking back towards where you had left his car earlier. You weren’t sure if you heard him right, but you could’ve sworn you heard a good luck underneath his breath to your decree of paying for the snacks.

The two of you got in the car, stopping at a local convenience store near your apartment. On the drive, you had sent Mikasa a text asking what she wanted and to give you an idea as to what to get Eren as well—judging by the amount of time it took her to respond, you could get the idea that she was preoccupied. 

Armin held the door open for you as the two of you entered the store, browsing the aisles with a little basket in your hand to hold all the goodies you were about to purchase. Armin trailed off, glancing at the drink options as you started to grab different snacks based off of what movie you think the busy couple would want to watch.

The sound of your name being called out halted your snack hunt, turning your head to see Porco walking towards you with his elder brother Marcel. The two had warm smiles as they walked up beside you, eyeing the amount of items in your basket. 

“Are you preparing for the end of the world?” Porco’s words earned an eyeroll from you as you withheld the urge to hit him in the side of his head with the basket.

“Dunno, porky , do you think you have the brain cells to survive till then?”

Porco had a smirk on his lips up until Marcel gave him a firm pat on his back, sending the ash blonde stumbling a little in his stance. “Sorry, he behaves a lot better at home, it’s nice to see you again.” Marcel was the sweeter out of the two galliard brothers, having worked at the same restaurant that you and Porco work at now until he got a job paying better money in some engineering building in the city. “We miss you down at Levi’s, Marcel, why did you have to leave us with him ?”

Marcel laughs as Porco scowls at you, earning a shit eating grin from yourself. The two slowly got quiet as you felt Armin’s presence coming from behind you. Porco’s eyes narrowed, staring at Armin as the boy behind you stood closely by your side with various drinks in his arms. “I’m sorry to interrupt, I didn’t know you had company.”

Marcel’s eyes shifted between yours and Armin’s who was silently looking down at you then back at the two. “No need for apologies, we’re just getting snacks for our friends. I’m Armin, it’s nice to meet you.” Armin settled the drinks in the basket as your eyes locked with Porco’s who was glaring obviously at Armin. Marcel stretched his arm out, shaking Armin’s hand with a warm smile. 

“Marcel Galliard and this is my brother Porco, it’s nice to meet you too.”

“So you’re the guy from the restaurant right? The old friend of our sweet little y/n’s, right?” If you had any less self control than you had in the moment, you might’ve actually strangled Porco on the spot. Armin, who seemed unaware of the hostility that was underlying in the others words, retracted his hand that Porco was clearly ignoring to shake. “I was unaware I was well known, but I guess you can say that; she and I have a history of being close friends.”

Porco mumbled something along the lines of ‘that’s not what I heard’ which earned him a shove from Marcel who was trying to remain lighthearted between the two. Armin seemed to be either ignoring the hostility or simply not caring as he smiled slightly, his lips pressed in a tight line as you silently wished the roof would cave in onto you in that moment. “This is, uh, one of the people I told you about earlier and Marcel used to work with us, but he’s got a big boy job now.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s a big boy job, but it definitely is a different scene than Levi’s, but that isn’t always a good thing.” Marcel was smiling your way, occasionally glancing over at Armin who was focused on your clearly uncomfortable expression as you tried ignoring the stone expression on Porco’s face. “Well, we’re not going to hold you two up, just wanted to say hey to y/n since it’s been a while.” 

You stepped forward, wrapping one arm around Marcel who returned the action and pulled you into a gentle hug. “I’ll come have lunch down there one day, don’t worry.” A warm smile found its way onto your lips as you withdrew from the hug. “Better request my section or else I'm taking that as a direct offense.”

Porco immediately pulled his hands that had been stuffed in his pockets since he walked in, wrapping them around your frame. The action stunned you, trying to hold your balance as you stumbled slightly into his attempt of giving you a hug. “What? Just gonna leave me hanging?” Pushing yourself from his tight grip around you, you looked up to meet the playful look in his eyes. 

“If you wanted to touch a girl that badly, you could’ve just asked. I can see that your body pillow isn’t enough for you right now.”

Armin and Porco share a look as you step back to his side, clearing your throat as you bid your farewell with the brothers and head toward the register. Armin remained silent as you greeted the cashier, placing the basket onto the counter and watched them all berung up. Before you got the chance, Armin had already pulled out some cash and paid for the snacks, handling the bags as you waved off to the two brothers who were now lingering in the candy aisle.

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Chapter Text

The ride back to your apartment was filled with silence and was over quicker than you had expected. The two of you entered the building without saying anything and it remained that way as you walked into the apartment you and Mikasa shared. Eren, who has now ditched the man-bun he usually tied his hair back into, was walking around in the kitchen with boxed pizza’s in hand. “‘Bout time you two came back, started to think you were trying to ditch movie night.”

“As if you’d let us get far before you’d tear the city apart looking for us.”

Eren seemed pleased as you rounded the island, meeting him in the kitchen to get a glance at the pizza’s the two ordered. “How was it?” You didn’t meet his eyes, already knowing that he wants to know how Armin was during your time out.

“Pretty good, probably said more than I should’ve, but that’s just one of my fatal flaws coming out to mix things up.” Eren hums, seeming satisfied as he opens three boxes of seemingly assorted pizza’s. “Anything interesting I need to know about?” 

“Maybe our fun little chat with the Gilmore brothers at the store.” Armin chimed in as he set down the bags of snacks the two of you had picked up. A soft snicker left your lips as he slipped out the kitchen, moving to the living room and settled on sitting on the couch.

“Who the hell are the Gilmore brothers? I thought that was some show you and Mikasa watched with Sasha.” As you’re pulling the various items from the bags, you’re withholding a laugh at the badly mispronunciation of their last name.

“We saw Porco and Marcel and Porco was being, well, himself.”

Armin, who was scrolling on his phone, scoffed as if he was trying to seem unbothered. “Ahh, must’ve been fun I guess. At least for Porco, man has had eyes for you for years and even I picked up on that after we met once.”

Just as you’re about to intervene, denying the circulating chatter that Porco had something for you, Mikasa exited her room and joined Armin on the couch. “Don’t you think it would be weird if Porco liked you seeing as he was the one who set you and him up together?”

An unpleasant shiver found its way down your spine at the brief and unnamed mention of your ex Reiner. “I don’t want to think of either of them, they’re far too cocky to deserve being a topic of conversation.”

Eren grabbed some napkins and the pizza boxes, bringing them out to the coffee table adjacent from the couch that Armin and Mikasa were sitting at. You followed, bringing just a few snacks and the drinks you and Armin had picked out. The four of you settled around your living room, Armin was sitting with Mikasa and Eren on the couch and you sat in the loveseat off to the side a little from the couch.

You and Mikasa chose a horror film to start off with, to which Eren protested due to ‘it being unrealistic’ and ‘not good for his insomnia’. Armin’s vote to remain neutral overruled his protesting and the first film was over before realized. Before the end of the first film was finished, Eren had already proclaimed his want to pick over the second film, to which you argued over because this was your apartment, he had better be ready for a fight in choosing what you all watched. 

After a progressively competitive few rounds of rock-paper-scissors, Eren claimed his victory and chose the next film. During the second film, you looked over to see that Armin had been sleepy staring at the tv, barely awake to realize what was actually going on in the film itself. Mikasa had fully fallen asleep against Eren’s shoulder who was intently staring at the tv himself.

“Hey, don’t you have work in the morning?”

Armin’s head rolled over to face your concerned expression, rubbing his tired eyes as he straightened his posture. “I am fine, you don’t have to worry.” Eren looked over at you two, silently assessing the conversation.  “Are you sure, you look really tired, I won’t mind if you—”

“I said I'm fine, I don’t need you lecturing me.”

His tone came off harsher than you know he intended, but you couldn’t hide the disappointment in your eyes as you simply turned your attention back to the film playing. Armin let out a louder sigh than he would’ve liked, hating how tense you looked in the seat by yourself—hating how aggressive he sounded towards you.

As the film was nearing its end, you silently got up from the loveseat and made your leave to your room. Eren’s eyes followed your frame, watching as you shrunk down the hall and slipped behind your door without another word. Armin and Eren exchange words, nothing you were actually able to pick up on, but you heard their hushed conversation as you gathered clothes for a shower. 

After your shower, you climbed into bed and eventually fell asleep, forcing your brain not to overanalyze the recent events that just occurred in the living room. Sometime in the night, you woke up with a restless feeling washing over you, rolling over in your bed to grab your phone. The time on the screen read 4:37am—meaning you must’ve gotten just a few hours of sleep. You could’ve just rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, but the dryness in your throat was calling for water more than your brain was asking for rest.

Tossing the blankets aside, you sleepily got up from your bed and quietly treaded down the hallway. As you entered the kitchen, a faint sound coming from the hallway bathroom gave away that someone else must’ve been up. You’re reaching for a mug from the cabinet, trying to stay as quiet as possible when Armin rounded the corner, standing in the entryway of the kitchen. 

“Did I wake you?”

His soft voice startled you, jumping a little as you grip the counter for support. Turning to see the tired blonde just a few feet away, your hand comes up to rest against your chest as if to calm the rapid beating of your heart. 

“No, but you definitely just took some years off my life.”

Armin mumbled an apology as you returned to pouring water in the mug, taking a swift gulp from the cup to quench your thirst. You could feel Armin's presence lingering, looking up from your cup as you both awkwardly avoided each other’s gaze. “I, um, slept on the couch last night. I hope that’s okay with you?”

“Actually it isn’t, I want one year's salary from you for such deviant behavior.”

It was still fairly dark in the apartment, not very suitable for trying to see one another in the barely lit room, but Armin’s smile was bright enough to be seen from space and that is something you will never not believe in.

“I normally would agree to such demanding terms, but I actually need to head off before I have no job to be able to repay you and your kindness.”

It was quick, something you weren’t exactly prepared for when he crossed the kitchen in a few swift movements. You felt his arms wrap around your frame, sending a jolt throughout your body as he pulled you against himself and buried his head into the crook of your neck. Your breathing halted as you stood frozen, unsure of if you should move—afraid that it was a dream and if so, you weren’t ready to wake up just yet. 

“Thank you, y/n.”

The tenderness in the way he said your name melted away the tension in your limbs, loosely wrapping your arms around him as you let out the breath you weren’t aware you were holding in. “For what?”

“Letting me have another chance at fixing our friendship, I promise you I won’t mess it up this time.”

Armin pulled back from the hug slowly, smiling down at your stunned expression. If it weren’t for your poor eyesight and the horrible lighting, you could’ve talked yourself into believing that there was a faint blush that bloomed across his cheeks.

“If you do, I'm doubling my compensation this time—two year’s worth of salary.”

An awkward left your lips as your grip on the mug you seemingly forgot that was in your hand tightened. “I won’t let you down.”

His words felt real, concrete and solid, but you couldn’t help but feel a little bitterness in the back of your throat as he slipped out from your apartment.

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Ever since Armin came over, the two of you casually text and try to plan around each other’s schedules to hang out again either as a group or alone together. Eren has suspiciously been asking you underlying questions involving your sudden rekindling with his roommate to which you either answer with honesty or avoid altogether. The morning Armin left your apartment, Eren dragged you out on a run with him after Mikasa went to work and grilled you on the previous night's events and the faint conversation he was eavesdropping on that morning. 

You inevitably told him to eat shit while a burning sensation set your lungs ablaze, feeling the end nearing as he kept adding on another half mile with the promise of making something editable for lunch that afternoon. Spoiler alert: he did in fact not make anything editable for lunch and nearly set your apartment on fire. 

You’re getting ready for work when Armin’s name flashes across your screen, a smile spreading across your lips as you pick up the device from your pillow. Bringing it to your ear, you sit on your bed and lean forward to tie your shoe laces. “You’re really taking this whole making up for lost time thing seriously.” On the other line, Armin laughs softly followed by a faint typing sound in the background.

“I’m trying not to give you two years worth of pay all at once, can you blame me?”

It was now your turn to laugh, finishing up on tying your shoes. “So, what exactly prompted this call from the one and only Armin Arlert?”

“I was curious to see what you’re doing right now.”

Getting up from your bed, you looked around your room for your apron. “Actually, I'm about to leave to catch the bus to work.”

“Wait, don’t leave just yet.”

The urgency in his voice alarmed you as you’re crouched down to look beneath your bed. “I can’t, if I don’t leave now, I might miss my luxurious ride and I don’t want Erwin’s wrath for being late to pre-shift—let alone Chef Levi's.”

There was a faint shuffling from his side, the sound of something being shut and haste footsteps. “And if I offered to drive you to work, would you let me take you?”

Pulling your phone from your ear, you looked at the time and realized you’d actually have more time if you accepted his offer. There was a faint feeling blooming in your chest and invading your thoughts, a feeling you were all too familiar with when it came to Armin. Armin, who seemingly wasn’t waiting for your response as he quietly bid his goodbyes and mentioned that he was going to lunch to his coworkers around him. 

“What’s in it for you if you spend most of your lunch just driving across town to take me to work?”

There is a small moment of silence as you hear footsteps on the other end of the phone, the kind of silence that makes you want to scream all the things you’ve stopped yourself from saying in fear he’d lose the light he has in those eyes of his, the light he has when he looks at you.

“Spending my spare time with you is a luxury I plan on taking advantage of whenever the opportunity presents itself.”

Heat spreads across your face as your body falls back, staring up at the ceiling with a stirring feeling in your chest. There was a sea of emotions causing an uproar in your stomach, the waves of everything you’ve ever felt for him coming up and crashing against the shore that will forever house the unshakable yearn you have for Armin Arlert.

“Fine, but if you get hangry, don’t blame me for it.”

Armin was smiling, you could hear it as he told you how long he estimated it would be before he would arrive. You replied simply, staring up as if the tiny specks of ceiling popcorn were the stars he hung in the sky for only the two of you to see. The phone call ended long before you heard a faint knock on your bedroom door, rolling your head towards the entrance of your room to see your roommate in her usual gym attire, a large bag hanging loosely over her shoulder as her eyes take in your state. 

“I thought you would’ve been on your way to work by now, what’re you doing smiling crazily like that?”

A small smile falters on your lips as you think of how to answer her question: be truthful and tell her briefly about the way your mutual shared friend gives you every time he crosses your mind or say you’re simply catching a ride from a friend and be discrete about the little world you and Armin have created underneath her nose.

“I’m getting a ride today.”

Mikasa did not seem satisfied, leaning against the frame of your door as her eyes squinted slightly. Her lips part, as if she was about to follow up with more questioning, but the sound of Armin’s voice as the front door opened distracted her from saying anything more. Adrenaline shot throughout your body, sitting up almost immediately to briskly pass your roommate.

You’re speedily walking down the hallway to meet the very shocked blonde at the front door, grabbing onto Armin’s arm and tugging him out the door with you in the lead before Mikasa could get anything out other than a confused mumble of Armin’s name.

Thankfully for you, Armin was quick to pull the door closed behind him and the two of you scurried off to the elevator. “Did I miss something?” He said between small pants, clearly taken by surprise with your swift exit from your apartment. Shaking your hand up at him, you try to catch your own breath once the two of you step onto the elevator.

“I’m usually not home by now and she was starting to ask questions and then you walked in and I didn’t know how to explain it so I hauled ass.”

Armin’s gaze focused on the spot where your hand still held onto arm, gripping him in such a gentle manner until he shifted it to your face that was still slightly flushed. “Are we hiding this?”

The question sounded innocent, but it felt heavy, like there was more to it than you knew and more than he could handle. “I don’t know…I don’t know what this is exactly. I thought we were just hanging out secretly?”

Armin pulls his arm from your grasp, the realization that you still had been holding onto him finally settling in as you then felt the warmth of his fingertips slipping between your own. “Maybe we should hide it, just for now, till it’s no longer ours to keep hidden.”

The ding of the elevator doors opening stopped your brain from forming any response in time, following his lead as he pulled you silently from the building and down to his car that was parked out in front. The two of you drove silently on the way, the low volume of music filling in the space that you wanted to fill with laughs or at least conversation, but all the words you had were scrambling in your brain.

Armin, who had only let your hand go briefly to open your door, immediately reconnected your hand with his as soon as the two of you were in the car, tracing his thumb across your knuckle. You could only imagine how bright your face was as the feeling of his fingers leaving a burning trail on your skin as you stare out the window, trying to drown out the million thoughts swirling around in your brain.

You’re a little disappointed as the view of the restaurant comes into view, straightening your posture in the seat as you mentally prepare to part your hand from his warmth. Armin pulls off to park in front of the doors, putting the car into park as your journey comes to a halt.

“Are you okay?”

Turning your head towards his, you swallow dryly as your eyes connect with his. “Y-Yeah, why?"

He hums, shifting his weight in his seat as he props up the elbow that was stretched across the center console. “You’ve been strangely quiet and I wasn’t sure if I was making you uncomfortable.” 

A smile curls in the corners of your lips as a soft laugh escapes you. “I wasn’t sure what to say exactly, just thought being quiet would be easier.”

“You’re always quiet when you’re thinking, you get this distinct look on your face that tells me that your pretty brain is turning over more thoughts than you’re sharing.”

Armin leans forward on his arm, eyes slowly trailing from yours and further down your face as if he’s looking at you for the first time, like he’s looking for something. “And if I was thinking about something, what is it to you?”

“I want to know what occupies your thoughts, who occupies your thoughts specifically.”

His hand slowly untangles itself from yours, gently rubbing his knuckles against your wrist as it trails up your arm against the exposed skin. “I don’t think you want to know who it is.” Your words come out breathless as your gaze is focused on the movements of his slender fingers coming up to meet the folded up sleeve of your shirt. Reaching across the car, he guides your head to meet his eyes with his free hand, grazing his thumb against the roundness of your cheek.

“You’ve always done that, you know? Putting yourself second when it comes to something you want and never taking the initiative to act on how you feel.”

“Maybe it’s because what I want has always been out of reach.” Armin’s lips curl softly in the corners, his eyes trailing around your face slowly, fixating on the shape of your cupid's bow that defined your top lip. “I can understand how that might be deterring, but I’m a firm believer that some things are worth risking it all for.”

“You? A risk taker? That’s new.” 

Armin took in a deep breath, moving his eyes back into yours as his body slowly closed in the distance between the two of you. He was so close, close enough to overwhelm you with the scent of his cologne—smelling like sweet vanilla with a hint of fruity undertones. Armin’s hand cupped the side of your face, his breath fanning your lips as your eyes fluttered closed. Your body feels tense, frozen as you blissfully wait for the softness of his lips to meet yours, waiting to get a taste of the man you’ve literally been pining over for years. 

Just as you feel his lips brush against yours, a loud bang from behind startles you both, causing you to jerk your body backwards and hit the crown of your head on the window as Armin jolted in his semi-frozen state. Connie’s very distinct voice was the source of the culprit as he laughed loudly from outside the car. Sasha is laughing at his ignorance, watching the way you’re rubbing the back of your head with a face brighter than a summer tomato. 

“I, um, guess that’s my que to clock in.” A breathy and awkward laugh leaves your lips as you avoid his gaze, eyes darting around his car as he leans back into his seat.

“That it seems to be, although I think you’re going to suffer a headache or two with the looks of it.”

You're shifting in the seat, undoing the buckle of your seat belt as you’re about to exit his car. “The real headache is working with baldass and horseface.” Once you’ve successfully gotten out of his car, you look up to meet Armin’s shy gaze. His cheeks were the softest shade of pink, the complete opposite to the vibrant red that colored the tips of his ears. 

“I hope they don’t cause you too much trouble, let me know if they do.” A smile spreads across your face, imagining the two of your coworkers getting chewed out by someone as soft spoken as Armin. That is something you’d actually pay to see in person—good money at that. 

“Yes sir, but I think you should get back to work soon before someone reports you missing.” 

Armin swiftly looked down at his watch, a slightly concerned expression adorned on his face. “I’ll text you later, if that’s okay?”

Nodding, you slowly backed away once you closed his passenger door. Through the glass, you could see Armin leaning over the center console, waving at you as his engine cranked. Biting on your bottom lip, you waved back before turning towards the doors of your workplace and slipping inside with one thing on your mind. You’re about to beat the shit out of Connie Springer.

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Chapter Text

Erwin was standing at the host stand, talking with Mina about the special’s added to the menu for the night in both the back of the house and the bar when you walk through the doors. Both of their attentions briefly turn to you as you walk into the building, a tight smile etched onto your lips as you pass by them on your way towards the back. As you’re rounding the corner into the well, your steps come to a halt as you collide into someone. Before you’re able to lose balance, the mysterious figure grabs onto your elbow and steadies your balance. 

“Might want to watch where you’re going.”

Looking up at the man who was firmly holding you from falling flat on your ass, you’re somewhat pleased to see Porco who had his usual shit eating grin on his face.

“Maybe if you didn’t cut the corner so close to the wall, I wouldn’t have nearly busted my ass.”

Porco laughed, letting go of you as he crossed his arms across his chest with his tray in hand. Your eyes flicker down to the black tray, glossing over all the names that had been etched permanently onto it that surrounded his name in the center. It was a tradition that began before you started, one that every server must oblige to if they wanted to not get shit on by the others. Sounds a bit like a shit move, but for the most part it was harmless.

Yours was nearly identical to his, as was everyone else's who had served in the restaurant. You write your name on the base of your tray and everyone else working signs their name somewhere around yours in remembrance of who fought the nights beside you. No one has ever denied their signature and yours was beginning to lose spots for newcomers.

“You should consider yourself lucky to have me here, seeing how your options aren’t exactly favorable when it comes to eye candy.”

Rolling your eyes, you push past Porco, making sure to brush your shoulder against him as you leave him to marinate in his arrogance. As you walk into the well in search of your tray, you see Sasha talking to Niccolo near where the chef’s do their prep for the day. Her eyes flicker towards you when she sees you come into view, a wide grin spreading across her face.

“There’s my little lover girl, you have a lot of balls bringing some mystery man here and not filling me in beforehand.”

She leaves her boyfriend’s side, crossing the kitchen as you’re reaching above the section to grab the edge of your tray on the tips of your toes. “You’re one to talk, if Niccolo didn’t work here and the two of you didn’t get caught in the walk-in, you would’ve waited till you two moved in together to tell me.”

She throws her arm around your shoulder after you manage to prevent the tray from  coming down and hitting you in the head immediately, walking beside you as you walk towards the bar.

“That’s not fair, I was going to tell you, but I couldn’t get my lips off of him. If you got a taste of him, you’d know what I'm talking about.”

Your nose scrunches up in discomfort as you roll your head away from her rosy cheeks as she recalls the early days of their relationship. “No thanks, I think I can live a peaceful life not knowing what you’re talking about.” She shrugs, her arm falling from your shoulders as Connie turns his attention from his conversation towards you and Sasha. 

“And just who do you think you are, young lady?”

Connie, who was leaning against the bar right beside where you were now crouching down as you stuff your bag in its designated hiding hole, peered down at you with a goofy grin on his face.

“Someone with more hair than you, so I'm already having a better day.”

An eruption of laughter comes from Jean and Pieck who were organizing the bar and cleaning glasses on the opposite end. Sasha dubbles over, holding her stomach as she laughs a lot louder than you were expecting as Connie huffs with his chest out.

“I’ll have you know, I get plenty of bitches with this fresh fade of mine.”

“Maybe you should’ve gotten your money back if that’s what you consider having a fade looks like.” Jean adds in, shaking his head slightly while he continues doing his pre-opening duties.

“Man fuck you, at least I don’t spend two hours combing my mangy mane to get someone to notice it.” Connie crosses his arms across his chest, looking annoyed in Jean’s direction as you straighten out your stance. A laugh leaves your lips while Jean props one elbow up onto the bartop.

“At least he has the hair to spend that time on, idiot.” Sasha adds in, giving Connie a soft punch to the center of his chest. Annoyed, Connie steps away from the bar and walks off, mumbling something about not being appreciated as he rubs the top of his head. Sasha follows him on his way out, continuing to harass him which causes the two to toss back insults at one another as if they had nothing else to do. 

“So, who was he?”

Pieck’s question caught you off guard, turning to her petite frame as she held a glass in her hand with a rag in the opposite, wiping the inside of the glass till it was to her liking. She was watching your reaction through her thick lashes, her soft and tired eyes staring intently into every move you made. “Who was what?”

“Don’t give me that shit, Connie came in bragging about you and some mystery man who dropped you off. He made it sound like something seriously worth witnessing.”

Heat blooms in the apples of your cheeks as you clear your throat, fiddling with the tray in your hand as your eyes lock with hers. “Just a friend, no biggie.” Porco comes up behind you, brushing past you with enough force to push you out of his path. You’re about to throw your tray at him when he comes around and stands on the opposite side of you. “Ten bucks that it was that blonde boy you were at the store with a few nights ago.”

“ Blonde boy? Could it be the same one who graced us with his presence last week?”

All three pairs of eyes were on you, Porco was staring intently as he awaited your response with an unreadable look in his eyes which was a contrast to the excitement Pieck had in hers as she too waited for your confirmation or denial. Jean was silent, staring at you with a knowing look that was mixed with a bit of sympathy. Just as you’re about to blurt out some bullshit excuse to avoid the conversation, Chef Levi comes up to the bar with a clearly agitated look on his face. 

“I don’t give a shit if it was Davy Jones himself, you servers better get your ass over here for pre-shift before I make your night hell.”

With the perfect escape, you turn around and pass Levi who was scowling at you and Porco. Pieck stayed back, carrying out the bar duties with Jean as Marco always had the first night off of the week. As you and Porco join Sasha and Connie who were standing around the entrance of the well with the rest of the kitchen staff, Mina comes around to lean against the wall with her tablet in hand. Erwin clears his throat as everyone finally closes in together.

Erwin goes over his usual pre-shift spew, going on about how we’re all valued and he appreciates all the hard work we put into taking care of our guests and everything a manager would say to keep you from ultimately wanting to quit once the night is over. Once he went on and on about his appreciation to our dedication, he then told the servers which section’s they’d be working for the night and just to your luck, you got the shittiest section of the night.

As everyone dissipates to their specific areas throughout the restaurant, you’re walking past the bar towards when you feel two pairs of eyes burning holes into the side of your head. Whipping your head to the side, your eyes squint over at Jean and Pieck who quickly look away as if they weren’t just staring you down. “What? Do I have something that you want?”

“I can think of a few things that you have that I want, but I’m— fuck .”

“No angel, go on.” Pieck, who seemingly stomped on the man who was nearly twice her height, waved at you dismissively with a soft smile on her lips. You throw them an unconvincing look as you toss your tray onto one of the tables in your section and start working on reorganizing the caddies on your tables. 

Porco’s section was right next to yours, exchanging glances as the two of you passed each other. He’s at a table setting down their plates as you’re passing him when you feel his eyes follow your frame as you’re going off the side to enter an order for one of your recently sat tables. As you’re about to head to the back to get their drinks, Porco corners you in the already small area where the computer was set up.

“Can I help you?” Not looking up to meet his eyes, you double check over the ticket where you scribbled down the order to ensure the substitutions are correct.  “I think you owe me ten bucks, don’t forget it before the end of the night.”

With furrowed brows, you finally look up to see the smug look on his face as he leaned against the wall with his forearm keeping him propped up. “I don’t owe you shit, I think you’re confusing me with someone who actually cared to enable this idea of yours that you’re always right.”

You did your best to whisper-yell your words in courtesy for the tables nearby to not listen in on your conversation. Pushing past Porco, you made your way to the back and grabbed two cups. Unfortunately for you, Porco follows you, sighing as you scoop ice into your cups. 

“Why are you so interested in him anyway? From what I’ve heard, he’s a dick anyway.”

Irritation surges through your veins as you slam both cups onto the counter, breathing through your nose as your body twists to face him. “You know what’s interesting is why do you even care? You meet him once and suddenly you have this excellent judgement of character? If he’s a dick, I can’t imagine what you think people say about you Porco.”

“You’re so touchy over a man you haven’t even told your best friend about, what does that say about you more than it does me and my sense of knowing when someone isn’t a good person for you.”

Biting the inner part of your cheek, you’re pushing the cups under their designated spout for what the couple at the table ordered. As you’re about to flip your lid on Porco, Jean rounds the corner and puts his hand on the shorter man’s shoulder. 

“Your tables are asking for you, shouldn’t you be on the floor right now?”

Porco doesn’t flinch when Jean sizes him up, his eyes burning into the side of your clearly irritated face before he mumbles beneath his breath and walks out the side station. Jean, who was staring at you, leans against the wall and awaits for you to make the first move. 

“He’s such a fucking prick, an arrogant and self centered prick who thinks his balls are bigger than his head.” Jean snickers to himself as you let out a deep breath, grabbing the two drinks that you had finished preparing. “Sorry, I just needed to get that off my chest.”

He throws his hands up in defense, raising his brows with slightly widened eyes. “Don’t apologize to me, or him as a matter of fact. Guys like him have a tendency to get territorial when they know they’re losing and Porco hates to lose.”

A soft smile spreads onto your face, melting away the irritation that Porco previously stirred within you. “Walk with me?”

Jean nods, following you out onto the floor as you’re making your rounds throughout your section. The two of you briefly talk as you grab plates and offer refills to the few people you had to wait on. 

“So, is it safe to assume that the talk of the town is a certain brainiac who may be a blast from the past?”

The two of you are in the well, scraping plates and dumping them off to the side for the kitchen staff to grab and run through the dishwasher. Your nose scrunches up at the way he describes Armin, as if he was finding a way around saying his name. “Why’d you say it like that? You make it sound dirty.”

Jean shrugs, walking over to the sink to wash his hands after getting them messy in his attempts to help you. “Dunno, wasn’t sure if he’s back to a first name basis right now.”

Once he has his hands washed, you nudge him off to the side with your hip as you take over the sink and begin to wash your own. “Even so, that was just weird.”

“ You’re the weird one for making it a big deal.”

Your smile falters as you’re drying your hands, not meeting Jean’s gaze as you’re tossing the disposable towels into the bin. “I think you’re right, but is it not a big deal?”

Jean is silent, staring down at the way you’re anxiously chewing on your bottom lip. Looking up, you’re shocked to see a saddened look in his eyes, something Jean rarely allows to seep through. It doesn’t surprise you though, when Armin started being distant towards you, the group of friends inevitably split. Eren and Mikasa ultimately had a hard time trying to comfort both you with his absence and Armin when you weren’t around.

Sasha, Connie and Jean ultimately choose your ‘side’, only remaining polite to Armin and the others when they ran into each other, but as the years went on, the three never really went out their way to keep contact. 

Jean, out of everyone, made sure to keep a close eye on you. He introduced you to Pieck who introduced you to Marcel and Porco and eventually you met Reiner. Jean was overly protective of you, always making sure to call you if he hadn’t seen you that day or made plans with you if you skipped one of Eren’s parties within his fraternity. 

He was a pillar of your life when you and Reiner started going out and even more so when the two of you broke up. Essentially, Jean was your backbone. The Connie to your Sasha is what Eren liked to refer to him as whenever he’d pick a fight with you just to keep you from looking sad and depressed. Jean is the light that got you through the darkness and despite his never ending flirtatious endeavors, you owe everything to him and he knows it without words. 

“Just promise me one thing.”

There was something unreadable in his eyes, a softened and somewhat edged look to them as the two of you stood in the side station alone with only the faint sounds of the kitchen staff conversing in the background. 

“Don’t let him hurt you this time, I can’t bring myself to see you go through something like that again.”

His words struck right through your chest, a heavy feeling flooding in the empty spaces of your ribs as you feel the stinging of your eyes start to overwhelm you. You’re about to reach out and take Jean in for a hug when Connie rounds the corner and interrupts the tender moment the two of you were sharing.

“There’s my two favorite people! What’s—wait, did I miss something?”

With a sniffle and a quick wipe of your eyes, you shake your head and flash Connie a smile. “No, it’s just slow tonight and I was just asking Jean if he’s going home early.”

Jean looks down at his watch, playing into your narrative as he stifles a yawn. “Yeah, figured Erwin will be cutting people soon, so I should go help Pieck get the bar stocked before it gets too late.”

The three of you separate and as the night goes on, each rotation feels longer and longer between—especially when the later in the night, the less people come in. You’re sweeping around your tables when Erwin’s solid frame made its way to where you were cleaning.

“Looks like you’re having a fun time over here.” 

Flicking your head to the side in attempts to shoo away stray strands of hair, you look up briefly at your manager with an exhausted smile. “Oh yeah, having the time of my life right now.” 

Erwin only hums, walking around your tables with keen eyes as you continue to ensure your space was decent as closing time was creeping closer and closer. “I’m sending a few people home since it’s slow, I was wondering if you’d like to go on home for the night once your side work was finished.” 

Picking your head up immediately, you look at him for a full minute to see if he was playing some sort of devious prank on you or if he was actually offering you an early out for the night. After Erwin clears his throat, straightening his posture with an expectant answer, you stand up more clearly and put your sweeping to a halt. “I would literally want nothing more than to go home.”

“Then it’s settled, finish your side work and do your tip outs and you’re free.”

A smile spreads across your lips as you hastily start to finish sweeping around your section. Once all of your tables are cleared and underneath are swept, you start gathering all your caddies onto your tray to take to the back to restock before tomorrow. As you’re going to the side station, you pass Porco who was leaning on the bar counter, talking to Pieck who was watching your figure despite carrying out a conversation. Your eyes meet hers for a brief moment, but you’re then distracted by Sasha who is calling your name.

“Hey, I’m getting to e/o, do you want a ride home?”

Smiling, the two of you walk into the side station together and set your trays onto the counter top. “I’d love that actually, maybe we can stop and get something to eat on the way?”

Sasha, the biggest foodie you’ve ever met in your life, smiles widely as she grabs some of the caddies on your tray and starts to refill them alongside you. “Mmm, should we get taco bell?” 

“That depends, are we rolling before?”

Her lips curl even more in the corner as she gives you a knowing look. You simply nod in return and fill the rest of the caddies. “Oh, should we ask Jean if he wants to come? He’s still here I think, or at least he was when I came to find you.”

As if on cue, Jean walks into the side station with his brows raised and his sleeves rolled up. “Ask me what?”

“Are you down to come to Taco Bell with us?”

Jean looks at you, then at Sasha, knowing all too well that if he comes out to eat with you two, he should expect to get high during some point of the night. “Fuck it, might as well. Not like I have anyone waiting on me at home.”

Sasha squeals as she jumps a little, setting your filled caddies on your tray. “I’m gonna let Niccolo know I don’t need the keys anymore.” Off she went, passing through the side station and into the well to find Niccolo who won’t be off for another few hours. Jean, who looked dumbstruck, watched her disappear before turning back to you who was barely containing your laughter. 

“I can’t believe she only asked me to come so that she doesn’t have to drive.”

“Your fault, you should’ve known she was spoiled since she and Nic started dating.”

Jean sighed, grabbing your tray from underneath you and left without you, going onto the floor to place them on your tables. You took the free time to finish the rest of your side work and do all of your tip outs. Once you had finished, you grabbed your bag from behind the bar and met up with Sasha and Jean near the front doors.

“Be safe getting home you three and don’t cause any trouble.” Levi, who was relieving Mina for the night and taking over the host stand, waved you, Sasha and Jean off as you all left Levi’s for the night. Jean led you and Sasha to his all black sports car, unlocking the doors with a click of a button from his key fob that he pulled from his backseat.

“Dibs on sitting shotgun!” Sasha turned to you with a goofy smile, claiming her victory as the two of you approached the passenger side. “Ew, I don’t wanna sit in the back, what if he actually pulled a bitch and got his ball sweat on the backseats.”

Sasha hollered in laughter as she pulled her seat forward, making room for you to climb into the back. Jean, who was already buckling his seatbelt, looked back at you with annoyance on his face. “For your information, I do not get my ‘ball sweat’ on the precious interior of my car and I bring my ladies to my bed, not to fuck in the back like we’re in high school or something.”

“Wow Jean, you must be really popular with the ladies.” Sasha’s sarcasm was thick, irritating Jean who started his car in an attempt to tune her out. “Just get to rolling, it’s in the glove department all the way in the back.” Sasha rummages through the papers stuffed in his car, leaning forward to try and get a better view. ”Don’t you always preroll for this specific reason?”

Jean, who was too focused on the road, shrugged as he didn’t bother looking over to help Sasha in her efforts to find his stash. “Should’ve been two rolled already, but I usually do it high so who fucking knows what’s down there.”

As the two go back and forth, you pull out your phone from your bag and tap the screen to see a few missed notifications. As you’re scrolling through them, you see a text from Armin.

[2:49pm] armin: i’m sorry if i overstepped earlier

[2:51pm] armin: i think we were just caught up in the moment, i hope this doesn’t jeopardize our friendship :) 

[6:38pm] armin: i can see you’re busy, text me when you’re off :)   

Friendship. Right. An unsettling heaviness settles on your chest as you slowly sink into the leather interior of Jean’s back seats. Sasha, during your moment of self revelation, found the two joints that Jean had hidden in the back of his glove department as she triumphantly brought one to her lips and sent a picture of herself to the group chat she had with you, Jean and Connie. 

Jean, who had seemingly pulled up into the Taco Bell parking lot by now, looked at you through the rear mirror while you silently sulked at your phone.  “Hey Sash, wanna go get the food from inside while we get shit set in here?”

Sasha’s smile fell as she shifted her weight in the seat, turning to face both you and Jean. “Why me? I wanna do the drive thru line so that I can get my high started before the food gets cold.”

“I’ll pay for it if you go inside and get it.” Jean offered over his credit card, holding it tightly as he tried to entice Sasha to be the one to get the food for the three of you. Sasha gripped the card, tugging it from his grasp as she stared at him with squinted eyes. “And I can get anything I want?”

With a heavy sigh, Jean relinquished his card to her grasp, giving in to her request as he mentally mourned his bank account. “Fine, but do not go over eighty dollars this time or else I’ll make your ass walk home. Got it?”

While Sasha happily gets out of the car, Jean takes the joint she previously handled and brings it to his lips, followed by his neon yellow lighter to get it lit. 

you: no worries :) friendship still intact

You were hoping your reply to Armin didn’t raise any suspicion on his side, locking your phone in your hand after the message had been sent. Jean is turning more towards you, passing over the joint in his hands to yours. “So, do we talk about Armin dropping you off today or do we pretend that didn’t happen.”

A weak smile spreads on your lips, parting them just enough to slip the end between them and taking in a breath. The burning sensation tickled the back of your throat as you exhaled the smoke, holding the joint between your fingers as your eyes found their way to Jean’s.

“That depends.”

After taking another hit, you passed it along to Jean who happily took it from between your fingers.

“On?”

A buzz in your hand steals your attention, your eyes falling down to the notification from Armin that popped up onto your screen.

armin: you’re off so soon? did you get home safely?

you: i’m not home yet but i did e/o 

armin: oh? well, where are you silly?

 you: actually i’m in a taco bell parking lot smoking w jean and sash 

armin: i see…tell them i said hello and text me when you’re home :)

Jean’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts, looking up at his soft eyes as he tried to bring the joint to your lips. “Here, just take a hit so that we don’t have to keep passing it back and forth.” You lean forward, parting your lips as he brings the joint to your lips. Your eyes tried not to focus on how close his face was to yours, looking around his car for something to focus on as you inhaled, letting the smoke marinate in your lungs. The burn brought an odd sense of relief, your body slowly falling back against his seat as you locked your phone in your hand with a click.

“We almost kissed today.” 

Jean stares at you, the joint getting smaller and smaller the harder he inhales on the end of it. His eyes go wide at your words, coughing out a bit of the smoke he just took in as you lazily look in his direction. 

“Fucking warn someone next time, jesus.”

You mumble out an apology, gripping your phone as your mind goes back to the texts between you and Armin.

“So what happened just now? I mean, he dropped you off at work and almost kissed you? Why do you look like a kicked puppy right now?”

A soft laugh passes your lips as you avoid his gaze, rolling your head on your shoulder to look out the foggy glass windows of Jean’s car. “He said it was a mistake, not directly because Armin would never admit any of his mistakes were actually his, but that he didn’t want to ruin our friendship.”

Jean shifts in his seat, no longer facing you as Sasha comes out of the building with two big bags of food and three drinks in a carrier. She’s happily walking to the car, setting the drinks on top to open the passenger door. “Aww man, fuck you guys for starting without me, I hope they messed up your food.” An endless flow of smoke seeps through the open car door as she hands off the bags of food to Jean, not forgetting to grab the drinks from on top of the car before she gets back into the passenger seat.

“Damn, what did I miss? Why is everyone so tense all of the sudden?”

Maybe it’s the high that turns off the sensible part of your brain or the lack of fresh oxygen in the car. Maybe it’s even that you haven’t told anyone about the reappearance of Armin in your life and Jean is the only one who knows what briefly happened just yesterday. Whatever it was, it didn’t stop you from telling the two of them everything, from the night he drove you home to him showing up the next morning and everything in between leading up to his previous texts.

Both Jean and Sasha had remained quiet as you filled them in, sitting in the front seats with apologetic eyes. Sasha was the first to break the silence once you had them caught up to date with events.

“Who needs him anyway, there’s plenty of hot guys out there who would kill to make out with you.”

“Yeah, fuck him for toying with you. If anything, that should've been me.”

Sasha hit Jean, bringing a smile to your lips as you straightened out your back in the seat. “Just letting her know her options, didn’t have to hit me so fucking hard for it.”

“Thank you two for listening, I’m sorry that I kind of trauma dumped my Armin bullshit on you two, again .”

Sasha reaches to the back, rubbing your knee as she smiles at you. “That’s what best friends are for.”

“Yeah yeah, just give me my food and stop being so sappy, we have a second joint to go through and I am fucking starving.”

The three of you tear through both bags of food Sasha ordered when she was inside and Jean nearly busted a vein when he saw the receipt from the order. Afterwards, you all rotated the second joint and once you were full and higher than you should’ve been, Jean dropped Sasha off at her apartment. You climbed to the front seat once she had left, riding in the front with Jean as he drove you to your apartment. 

“So what now?”

With a soft hum, you turned to look at Jean as he slowed down the vehicle when coming to a red light. “What do you mean?”

“Are you still going to hang out with him for the sake of two idiots that can’t resolve their own relationship issues?” Jean briefly glanced your way, irritation clearly settling on his face with furrowed brows. “I will, not only for those two, but for selfish reasons too.”

“What could you possibly get from Armin that is worth getting hurt over?”

The corners of your lips curl as you rest your head against the window, rolling your eyes to look out at the familiar street lamps as Jean turns onto your street. “Closeness. It might sound silly, but I just need him near me, even if he isn’t mine to have.”

Jean slows his car, stopping in front of your building before putting it into park. You’re undoing your seatbelt as you reach for your bag that you had previously placed by your feet, raising your head to give Jean a final smile for the night.

“See you tomorrow?”

He nods, choosing to remain silent as you get out of his car followed by shutting his door and walking into your apartment building. You’re getting onto the elevator when you feel a faint buzz in your pocket. As you pull it out, the elevator dings, signaling you had reached your floor. With your phone in hand, you walk down till you reach your apartment door. After you fiddle with your keys, you manage to unlock the front door and slip into the dark living room area. You take your keys and wallet out from your bag, placing them into the dish on the island as you’re trying to slip off your shoes in the meantime. Just as you’re walking down the hall, Eren peaks his head out of Mikasa’s room, his nose scrunching up at the wave of smoke that clung to your exhausted frame.

“You smell familiar, are you smoking with Jean or something?”

You accidentally snort as you pass him, fiddling with the strings of your apron on your way to your room. “I knew that strand tasted familiar, you still deal with Jean?”

Eren scoffs, stepping out of your roommates room and standing outside of yours. “Zeke does sometimes, when he asks at least, but judging by how you’re smelling I can guess I was right.”

Ignoring Eren, you plop down onto your bed and lazily pull your phone out from your pocket. “Mikasa said that she saw Armin today.” Your body tensed, shifting a little as you roll onto your side and flick your lamp on. Looking over at Eren, you couldn’t quite read his expression, but you’re blaming the fact that his hair falls into his face for that.

“Said that he gave you a ride to work today.”

You nod, shifting on your bed once more to sit up against your pillows, the weight of the day finally settling down on you. “Yep, that’s what friends are for.” Eren simply hums, crossing his arms across his chest as he stares at you, narrowing his eyes as he takes in a breath.  “Friends, huh?”

You reply with a simple nod, pressing your lips together as you shift your gaze to the pictures of you and him above your desk. “At least that’s what he said.” You’re not sure what demon possessed you to add in the last bit, praying Eren doesn’t read more into it than he should’ve, but judging by his heavy sigh, you can assume that your prayers were hopeless.

Eren turned on his heels, silently going back into Mikasa’s room. Despite your body feeling heavier than it should’ve, you got out of bed and swapped your work clothes for something more comfortable before climbing back into bed. The warmth of your blanket was coaxing you into falling asleep a lot sooner than you’d like and to make matters worse, Armin was your last thought before your high induced sleep took over.

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Chapter Text

The sun peeking through your blinds warms your lids, interrupting the blissful sleep the mary-jane from the previous night was giving you. Stirring against the sheets, you turn away from your window with a groan and sleepily reach out for your phone. Of course to your luck, and probably more to do with the fact that you refused to open your eyes just yet, your phone hit the ground with a thud. With a groan, you push up on the bed, shimming yourself closer to the edge as your lids pry themselves open. 

Peering over your bed, you spot your phone, reaching down off the edge to grab it from the floor. Once you have successfully held onto it long enough for it to not slip through your sleep-ridden fingers, you roll onto your back and tap the screen. To much disappointment, you had no missed messages from Armin, but you weren’t exactly shocked seeing as you forgot to text him when you got home. Your fingers linger over his contact, a war going on in your head over if you should text him and just await his reply, or should you call him and test your luck with him answering while he’s at work. 

Not wanting to get your feelings hurt if he didn’t answer your call, you opt in to text him instead. The plan was to send a simple little text and immediately hop into the shower to avoid staring at your phone waiting around for a reply. 

you: good morning! sorry for not texting you last night i kind of crashed when i got home haha

Armin replied instantly, not giving you any time to throw your phone aside. You’d be lying if you said that didn’t bring the stupidest smile to your lips.

armin: no worries, i had eren text me if you were home or not :) 

armin: glad you made it back safely and good morning :)

you: you got eren spying on me now?? thats suspicious

armin: no, i’m not like that…i just knew he was there and he would’ve been up since you weren’t home yet

you: just admit you’re obsessed with me arlert

armin: haha maybe one day, i can’t let you know all my secrets just yet 

armin: before i forget, do you want me to take you to work today?

Yesterday flooded your mind like a wave, the memories of what happened in his car right before you went into work bringing a warmth to your cheeks. The following messages from him interrupt the blissful thoughts of any hope of recreating it, replacing the flush of your cheeks with a simmering feeling in the pit of your stomach. You’re just friends, nothing more, nothing less. To avoid getting your feelings hurt, avoiding Armin for the rest of the week sounded like the best option for you at the moment.

you: no thanks, i’m going to take the bus today but i appreciate it :)

armin: may i ask why you denied the ride? is it because of what happened yesterday?

you: not at all! I just need to go in early and talk w my boss about some things 

armin: okay :) text me later if you’re not busy?

you: sir yes sir :)

You hated lying to Armin, for one you were never good at it and if you had said that to his face, he’d see right through you. It also left an unsettling taste on your tongue to lie to him, but it was better to lie and pretend everything was fine than to slip up and confess the years of emotions you’ve been keeping from him.

Some things were better left unsaid and Armin was too good of a person to feel responsible for what would happen to the two of you if he ever found out about your true thoughts about him. With a heavy sigh, you toss the blankets aside and lazily climb out of the comfort of your mattress, going to the bathroom to take a well needed shower. 

After your shower, you spent the last few hours lounging around on your bed and watched Connie blow up the group chat that he was a part of with you, Jean and Sasha. He was going on and on about the betrayal he felt from the three of you smoking without him and even took it as far as getting Taco Bell, his ‘favorite food’, as the final nail in the coffin. Sasha was defending herself until she started describing how each bite tasted and you and Jean remained quiet as the meltdown continued. 

By the time Connie stopped sending random crying memes in the chat, you had to leave for work before you missed your bus. Both Eren and Mikasa were either still sleeping or gone when you had left for work, so you slipped out of your apartment and walked down to the bus stop to await your bus. 

The bus ride wasn’t long, partially due to the book you brought along with you, to which you’re grateful for. Once you got to your stop, you walked a few blocks until you got to Levi’s, pushing past the doors with your book in hand. Erwin wasn’t in the front, meaning he must’ve been in his office going over the rotation for sections tonight. Connie comes walking in behind you, his voice giving himself away before you actually get a chance to see him.

“Well well well, if it isn’t one of the three traitors. You’ve got some balls showing your face here so bravely.”

You continued to walk throughout the back, a scoff leaving your lips as you slipped through the side station and into the well. “If I’ve got balls then, I bet they’re bigger than yours.”

Connie gasps, tugging the beanie he was wearing off his head and throws it at you, rolling his eyes when it flies above your shoulder and hits the floor. “Fucking loser, can’t even let me hit you with my cap or let me smoke with you guys.”

You’re already bending down to put your bag away, placing your book on top of it as you glance up at Connie who was pouting with his arms crossed over his chest. “Look, it was a last minute thing and I promise we’ll smoke together soon. I’m sorry we hurt your feelings con.”

Connie meets your apologetic eyes as you rise back to your feet, letting out a dramatic huff as he drops his arms. “Fine, I’ll accept your apology, but only if I can tell Jean that I’m the favorite.” There was a smirk on his lips as you rolled your eyes, looking over his shoulder to see Porco rounding the corner with his hair slicked back in a different style. The new look immediately caught your eyes, straightening out your posture a little as he approached the two of you. 

Porco was good looking, he knew that, you knew that, even Erwin knew that. It was no secret that Porco could be with many of the girls that come in and flirt with him as he takes their orders or simply checks up on their tables, but since he’s started working at Levi’s, he’s been single. Come to think of it, he’s been single since he introduced you to your ex Reiner. 

“You can tell Jean you’re my favorite, but don’t get your feelings hurt when he laughs in your face.” Connie walks away triumphantly once he hears Jean’s voice enter the building, walking past Porco who was walking directly toward you. You’re about to walk away from the bar as he approaches, not wanting to get into it with him since the two of you avoided each other for the rest of yesterday’s night. 

Just as you’re passing him, you feel a hand grip around your forearm, halting you in your tracks. Porco gently tugged your arm, getting your attention as you twist your torso to face him. “Hey, um, do you have a minute?”

Porco was staring down at you, his eyes pleading with you to give into him just this once. It was an unfamiliar look, something you’d never think you’d see on Porco. It felt so real, raw almost. Biting your inner cheek, you give him a silent nod to which he visibly relaxes and leads you around the bar to an unused supply closet where not many people usually enter. 

You’re about to question him as to why he brought you here instead of going somewhere else, but your thoughts are cut short when he practically shoves you inside and follows behind as he shuts the two of you in. 

“The hell? Why are we here? You don’t plan to do anything weird, do you?”

A soft smile spreads across his lips as he walks towards you, his height towering over your fame causing you to take a few steps back till your back hits the wall. “I wanted to apologize for being a dick last night, I was out of line and I didn’t mean to piss you off.”

You scoff in return, crossing your arms over your chest as you avoid his piercing gaze, looking off to the side to try and not focus on how close he was to you. “Yeah, well, with an ego that big, I am surprised you even thought to apologize.” Porco gently brought one hand up, tugging on your arm to undo them from your chest. “But, I appreciate you apologizing anyway.” You let him untangle your arms, trying your best not to focus on how warm his hand felt on your skin. Your eyes not-so-subtly flickered over to where his skin touched yours, watching as he trailed his long and slender fingers down the side of your arm.

“I couldn’t sleep last night, thinking of what you thought of me, thinking that maybe I finally fucked up my chances before I actually got to tell you about how I feel.”

Your breath gets caught in your throat while your eyes continue to follow his movements, staring intently as he brushes his fingertips against the palm of your hand. “I thought that when you and Reiner finally called it quits, I’d be man enough to make my move. Sounds fucked up, like I’m breaking bro code or something, but he knew I wanted you before he got to you.”

Heat flooded your cheeks and bloomed across your whole face as you shakily let out a breath, the sensuality of his touch making the air in the room feel dense in your lungs. “You’ve always been so out of touch and it fucking sucked, it sucked watching him parade you around, watching him complain after you two ended things. It was finally looking like I might’ve had a shot, like this was my move, until he showed up.”

Porco brought up his free hand to your chin, raising your head till your eyes finally locked onto his. His lips curled into a grin as his thumb caressed the skin along your jaw. “I hated seeing how happy you were when he was at your table, even more than I did when I saw him with you at the store that night. I hated that he still occupied your pretty thoughts in that pretty head of yours.”

He was leaning in, fingers intertwined with yours as his other hand cups the side of your jaw. “If you don’t want this, tell me before I make a fool of myself.”

Your breaths were uneven and your mind was foggy, watching as his eyes trailed over every inch of your face till they inevitably got to your lips. You blame the lack of oxygen flowing to your brain, but you swore you saw his pupils dilate once they locked onto your lips. This felt like a dangerous situation to be in, being this close to smashing lips with your coworker— friend , at that. But it also felt thrilling, as if this line you were walking on was a game and you were scared, but determined to find out what prize awaits in the end. 

“And if I want you to kiss me? Are you going to actually do it this time or wait for someone to beat you to it.”

Porco didn’t hesitate, closing in the distance between the two of you as his lips crashed onto yours. They were soft, molding to your mouth as the two of you kissed each other slowly, as if you’d never get the opportunity to do it again. His fingers squeezed yours, freeing the butterflies you were keeping caged that were nestled in between your ribs. The action caused your lips to part, to which Porco didn’t waste any time to take advantage of. His tongue darted out, swiping along your bottom lip as if he was asking for permission for more room to explore your mouth—to explore you.

You gave in, opening your mouth wider, allowing his tongue to slip past your lips. Shamelessly, you moaned out in response as his tongue battled yours, receiving a groan from him as your bodies pressed against one another. You hadn’t been touched, let alone kissed, like this in so long that you didn’t know how to react. Your brain was screaming for you to come up for air and to inevitability put an end to your impromptu make-out session with Porco because you're at work of all places. But the warmth that was blooming in your lower stomach and ultimately sinking further down between your thighs was begging for more, for anything more. 

Porco must’ve felt something similar, moving his hand from your jaw down to your chest, grabbing a handful of your breast. You detach your lips from his, tilting your head to the side which allows him the perfect angle to latch his mouth to your neck. A soft moan escapes your lips once more, the slick between your legs starting to make you feel hot all over and there wasn’t enough airflow in the closet to continue what the two of you were doing. Just as you’re about to try and reason with him to continue this maybe after work, the door of the closet is pulled wide open and a shriek of horror separates the two of you. 

Scrambling, you try your best to separate yourself from Porco, untangling your fingers from his and pressing both of your hands to his chest. Porco laughs against your skin, detaching his lips from your neck as he takes small movements to create distance between the two of you.

“ Fuck —my bad, continue on, didn’t mean to interrupt!” Pieck, who was the unexpected guest in your last minute make-out session with Porco, left as soon as she came, not wanting to disrupt what might’ve been going on. 

“Fucking Pieck, she’s a damn cockblock for someone so small.” He mumbled underneath his breath as his hands fell to your hips, holding onto you as your head turned away from his. Clearing your throat, you tried to compose yourself as you straightened out the front of your shirt.

“I, um, think we should get out there before anyone else comes back here.”

Porco removes one hand from your waist, directing your head to meet his piercing gaze. “You sure you don’t want to continue this on the bar? I doubt anyone would complain about the show.” Porco was grinning from ear to ear, the type of grin where you could see how delicious he looked when he smiled showing off his teeth. You hit his chest firmly enough that it got a laugh from him, pressing your fist against the firmness of his body as you attempted to walk around him. 

“You know, something tells me that I don’t think Erwin would appreciate that. I’ll head out first and talk to Pieck, you should probably wait a minute or two before you come out after me.”

Porco follows your movements, turning as you pass him with his eyes locked onto yours. “And what are you going to do if I walked out with you right now, what are you going to do about it?”

There was a soft smile on your lips as you continued holding his gaze, slowly backing up to the door, the handle grazing your fingertips. “If you want a chance at this again, don’t test me right now Porco.”

Porco, not porky, not pork, but his full first name. It felt strange, leaving a taste on your tongue you were unfamiliar with, but it wasn’t unpleasant—no, it was strangely nice. Since the two of you had met, rarely did you use his actual name due to the fieriness of your friendship, but this wasn’t just a friendship anymore—this was something different, something new. Porco must’ve seen the realization in your eyes as you grab the knob, twisting it before he could comment on the shift going on in your head. 

Leaving the closet, the first person you see is Jean who is just around the corner talking it up with Pieck. Thankfully for you, she is on the opposite side of the bar and when she catches a glimpse of you, she drags Jean away from the bar. Silently, you make a mental reminder to thank her later in the night as you turn around the back of the bar with the intention to act as nonchalantly as possible. 

You’re lingering around where your bag is stuffed underneath the counter, waiting for Porco to come out when Sasha comes up to you and makes conversation with you about Connie bitching. Porco then rounds the corner, silently walking between the two of you, but you don’t miss the way his eyes travel up and down your frame as he did so. The action caused the tips of your ears to burn as you’re shifting against the wall, your focus shifting from Sasha’s voice to the broadness of his shoulders as he walked off. 

Sasha watched your head turn, following your point of focus before gasping and ultimately slapping your arm. Wincing, your hand flies up to soothe the spot where she had hit. “What the hell, what did I do to you?”

“You just eye fucked him, stupid , don’t tell me you’re finally fucking that man!” She was doing her best as she whisper-yelled, staring at you in complete shock. “I did not eye fuck him , I simply glanced his way, you’re delusional sash.”

She doesn’t buy it for a second, grinning at you as you scoff, leaning off the wall and walking over to where everyone was gathering for pre-shift. The rest of the night goes how every middle of the week night goes, business was steady enough for every section to stay open and luckily for you, you were working between Connie’s section and the bar where Marco and Jean were, keeping you entertained throughout the night.

Porco kept sneaking glances your way throughout the night, a slight smirk on his lips each time your face turned a soft shade of pink when your eyes met his. Pieck, who was watching your interactions with Porco like it was her favorite show, kept her silence on what she walked in on, but her grin said it all. Sasha was no better, trying to pry information from you any chance she got and unfortunately for her, you weren’t giving in. 

The restaurant is closing and most of the servers are almost gone, Porco included, leaving you and Sasha being the last two to close out for the night. She offered to drive you home, wanting to pry information out of you, but you denied her offer and told her you’d call her when you got home. Once you had finished up, you bid everyone who was left a goodnight and called a cab home. On the drive, you had been casually texting Armin, asking about how Eren has been and filling him in on the brief times you’ve seen Mikasa. You’re in the middle of replying to Armin when a notification from Porco appears at the top of your screen. A smile spreads across your lips as you finish your message to Armin before clicking on Porco’s text.

porky galliard: hey ;)

you: wink? If this is how you get bitches, try again

porky galliard: you didn’t seem to mind me earlier when you were kissing me

you: don’t live in the past you’ll get wrinkles :) 

porky galliard: you’ve got such a smart mouth

porky galliard: it’d be a shame if you put it to good use

you: never thought of doing that? any ideas porky :)

porky galliard: go on a date with me

Oh. He wasn’t joking when he said he wanted you earlier, as in he is seriously interested in you. The thought terrified you, but it oddly excited you at the same time. You hadn’t been on a date in so long, you weren’t exactly sure what to say. Do you say yes? Even if you did, what do you wear? Getting too ahead of yourself, your mind ponders on the thought. You did enjoy whatever happened in the closet, maybe a little too much for it to be considered inappropriate for work, but you’d definitely do it again. Deciding to take the leap of faith, you reply to his message with a few found excitement coursing throughout your body. 

you: when?

porky galliard: sunday night? If you’re not busy ;)

you: hmm i’ll consider it 

porky galliard: be safe getting home pretty girl ;)

Pretty girl, the borderline cringe, but slightly romantic nickname had you smiling from the time you left the cab in front of your apartment till you got inside your apartment. That night, you’d continued texting Armin till he no longer replied, going to sleep yourself after a shower and some late night snacks. When your head hit your pillow that night, your cheeks were hurting from how hard you’d been smiling and for once, you didn’t feel the heaviness of your one sided feelings for Armin, instead you felt the tenderness of Porco’s lips against yours.

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Days pass and your off days roll back around. Porco had been sneakily touching you at work throughout the weekend and not so subtly staring at you, raising suspicion in everyone who witnessed the tension thicken between the two of you. There were even a few times when he tried to sneak you off to the supply closet before shift started to get another taste of your lips, his words, not yours. Each time he tried, you denied him the pleasure of doing so in order to not get caught by anyone other than Pieck who, to her defense, has been keeping her lips sealed about her findings that day.

In this time, you also filled both Mikasa and Sasha in on what exactly happened in the closet and about the date he asked you out on. Sasha agreed to bring over some dresses of hers since she and you were closer to each other’s size than Mikasa was. Mikasa offered to be emotional support during the outfit selection, skipping the gym for the day.

Sunday crept up on you, a lot faster than you think you were prepared for. Your day started as it usually did, rolling out of bed with a bit more excitement than usual as you go into the kitchen and start a pot of coffee despite it being nearly noon. Mikasa must’ve caught the smell of coffee from her room, slowly shuffling down the hall with her hair messily sticking in different directions. She groans as she rounds into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes with her hands as you yawn while turning towards her.

“Good morning, beautiful, tough shift last night?”

She hums, sleepily plopping down at the table before she crosses her arms in front of her and laid her head down on them. You’re grabbing both of your favorite mugs from the cabinet, hers being an all black mug that had different sex positions on it in coordinating colors of blue and pink to represent male and female roles in each position. It was a gift Eren had gotten her for christmas one year for dirty santa and she’s never used another mug since. Yours was a baby blue with three dimensional clouds on the outside, a gift from Armin one year for your birthday before his relationship with Annie got rocky.

“I’ll take it black today, I’m training for a marathon soon and want to watch what I intake.”

You don’t reply, setting both mugs onto the counter as you grab the sugar cubes in the cookie jar the two of you have on the counter and plop them into your mug. The pot was almost full when you put a dash of cream over the two cubes you had at the bottom of your mug, putting it away before filling both cups with the piping hot coffee to the brim.

“As long as you’re eating enough to keep you energized, mika.”

She raises her head, looking up at you as you stir your coffee with a small spoon you pulled from a drawer. A soft smile spreads onto her lips, shifting in her chair as she straightens her posture. “This is nice.”

You’re walking over to her with both mugs in hand, trying to be careful with your movements to prevent the scalding liquid from spilling onto your hands. “What is?”

“Seeing you happy, it’s been a while since you and Reiner split and I’m happy you’re putting yourself out there.”

Warmth spreads across your cheeks as you sit beside her, care to set both mugs down without spilling the continents inside either. Maybe you haven't realized it from her perspective, or at all to be quite frank. Tonight will be the first date you’ve been on in over a year and the thought of it being with Porco excites you. Part of you can’t deny, your heart still has room for another blonde boy in your life, but you remind yourself that he simply is a friend and no amount of wishful thinking and silently hoping that he’d ever feel an ounce about you how you feel about him will stop you from wanting more—even if that means wanting it with someone else. The two of you sit silently at the table, sipping your coffees in the blissful peace before Sasha arrives. Unlike Sasha, who is loud and energetic and has a certain spunk to her, Mikasa is more reserved and quiet and calm.

The two of you enjoy each other’s silence when you both have time alone together and more often than not, you’d either join her at the gym where she pushes you to work harder while you remind her to take breaks, or she’d lounge with you on the couch as she sketch in her notebook while you read whatever book you had closest to you in the moment. 

The two of you had finished your coffee long before Sasha knocked on your apartment door, setting the book you had down onto the coffee table across from where you had been reading beside Mikasa who was scrolling online. Pulling the door open, you had already had a smile on your face when your eyes spotted Sasha holding a brown bag that was slightly oily on the bottom. Your smile lasted only a second before you noticed Armin standing just behind her alongside Eren who was holding what you assumed were the clothes from Sasha’s apartment. 

“Look who I found on my way up! And Niccolo made us tacos so it makes it a win win!”

Awkwardly, you step aside, pulling the door with you as the three step into the apartment. Mikasa, who has now abandoned her phone, craned her neck with a mirroring confused expression to yours. “I didn’t know you guys were coming over today?”

“Armin thought it’d be good for us all to chill since this is our only day off where we all can see each other.” Eren, who was already moving around furniture to settle on the couch beside Mikasa, placed the clothes onto the arm of the couch before leaning over and giving his girlfriend a swift peck on her lips.

“I hope that’s alright with you.” Armin was standing beside you once you had closed the door, eyes searching yours as he smiled sheepishly. You nodded in return, embarrassment flooding your face as you awkwardly covered your chest with your arms in order to not draw attention to the lack of a bra you were wearing.

“Of course, the more the merrier.”

“Let’s eat some fucking tacos and get you ready for your hot date tonight.”

Sasha, who without surprise, was in the kitchen looking for the plastic plates you and Mikasa had stashed around the cabinets. Neither of you liked doing dishes and since your dishwasher was shit, you both decided plastic—sometimes paper as well—plates were the way to go. You shuffle into the kitchen, avoiding the two male gazes that followed your fame with confusion on their faces. 

“A date? Holy shit, who bagged your crazy ass?” Eren, who was seemingly more interested now, sits forward in his spot as he looks around the island as you turn your back to him.

“Oh, you know, the hot and single blonde at work. The one who is friends with Pieck.” Sasha, who was seemingly talking up Porco as if she was the one going out with him, smirked over her shoulder to the emerald eyed brunette.

“Parker? The guy from the convenience store?” Armin, who was still confused, settled to sit at the table as you avoided his gaze.

“It’s Porco , but yeah, him.” You corrected him as Sasha portioned the tacos equally, or as equally as she could onto several plates for everyone. You grabbed two plates, walking over to sit beside Armin whose eyes followed your every move. You couldn’t look directly at him, your heart wouldn’t let you because you know if you did, you’d fold.

“I didn’t know you were that interested in him. From what I saw, it seemed one sided.” His tone was soft, but his voice sounded almost fringed. Like he was holding back, as if he was carefully choosing his words to mask something. You brushed it off, sliding a plate in front of him with a shrug. “Things change, he asked me out and I agreed.”

“Don’t forget how he tongued you down behind the bar.”

“Sasha.” Mikasa, who was now laying her head on Eren’s lap, looked up at the auburn haired girl who brought over their plates for the two on the couch. Sasha, who was obvious to reading the fucking room, looked around innocently as she handed them their plates. Eren only snickered at her words, eyes shifting over to the redness of your face as you tried to ignore her airing out the details of your kiss with Porco.

“What? I didn’t know it was a secret?”

Armin, who you could’ve sworn tensed in his seat, seemingly remained quiet as he ate the tacos in front of him. 

“It wasn’t a secret, but not every aspect of my love life needs to be shouted on the rooftops, Sash.”

Sasha sighed, pouting as she sat across from you with her taco plate in hand. “My bad babe, but on the bright side, at least you’ll look hot tonight! I brought over some clothes that could be successful for easy access—if you catch my drift.”

“Where is the lucky man taking you tonight?” Armin, who ignored Sasha’s comment, shifted his gaze onto you who looked like you could honestly crawl into a hole and stay there for the remainder of your time on earth. 

“I don’t know actually, he just told me to dress formally and because I don’t have a lot of nice dresses, big mouth over here offered to bring me some options.”

Armin hums, nodding his head as he stares at you. His gaze felt intense, like he was hoping you’d read his mind so that he wouldn’t have to say whatever he was thinking. You stared back, a soft smile forming in the corner of your lips as your eyes zoned in on his. The other three occupants in the room watched the two of you, silently aware of the brewing tension between you two. 

“Well, I think anything you wear is beautiful, so don’t stress over a perfect outfit.” Armin’s hand came from underneath the table, resting on top of the hand you had laying against it. Your smile only spreads, feeling your heart start to race in your chest. Just like that, he’s tugging at the tethered ends of your heart that had his name written all over them.

“Besides, any man should consider themselves lucky enough to have an evening alone with you, you’re an amazing woman, y/n.” Your fingers tangled with his, giving them a gentle squeeze as his smile mirrors your own.

“Um, are we interrupting some— ouch .” Eren winces as he gets elbowed by Mikasa, who was now sitting upright while eating her final taco.

“Are you, um, going to eat that?” Breaking eye contact with Armin, you look across at Sasha whose lips are parted as she stares intensely down at your plate, staring more specifically at the abandoned tacos you had left. With your free hand, you push your plate towards her as she happily takes them between her hands. 

“So, since you’re not free tonight, do you think you’d like to go do something with me tomorrow night?” Armin, who was still staring at you, still holding your hand, waited for your response.

“I thought you were going to stream with me tomorrow?” A now pouty Eren interjects, rubbing his fingers together to dust off the crumbs of the shell onto his plate. Armin turns to him with a sympathetic smile, shrugging his shoulders as he does so.

“No offense Eren, but we live together and you stream pretty much every night that you’re not here. Plus I haven’t hung out with y/n in a while.”

“A week is not a while.” Eren spits back, clearly upset that Armin is trying to make plans with you. Sasha intervenes, twisting her torso in the seat to face him. “Niccolo could come over and stream with you, or you could invite Connie or Jean.”

Mikasa, who looks over at Eren, nods in agreement. “That’s not a bad idea, you could get to see some friends you haven’t seen in a while.” Eren huffs, talking over the plans with Mikasa and Sasha when you squeeze Armin’s hand. Immediately, he turns his attention to you with a gentle smile.

“What did you have in mind? I know you’re working tomorrow, so be considerate of yourself if you plan something for us to do.”

Your confirmation was enough to widen his smile, a soft shade of pink filling in his cheeks. “Leave it to me, I already have somewhere planned.”

The rest of the time you had before you had to start getting ready was just everyone catching up. It helped that pretty much everyone you worked with, you also went to college with, but work was usually busy and that didn’t leave much room for you all to actually talk as freely as you are now. You checked the time on the stove as you’re throwing away bags of snacks Sasha and the rest tore through, trying to save your appetite for your dinner in the following hours. Sasha had already placed the outfits she brought over for you on your bed, laying them out so that you’d know what went with what.

There was a floor length dress that had a square cut neckline, but with your slight height difference with Sasha, it cut a tad lower on your cleavage than it did hers. The dress was sleek and simple, a singular slit on the side to spark just the right thoughts lingering in one’s mind if you looked long enough. Beside the dress was an off the shoulders top paired with an just above knee length skirt, small slits coming up on the sides. The final option was a spaghetti strapped dress that cut just above the knees, but was completely backless. Out of all the options, you chose to try on the off the shoulder shirt with the corresponding skirt.

Everyone gathered around the living room as you changed into the choices, waiting for you to walk out in each one. “Okay, I think this one is cute, but I don’t think it’s formal appropriate.”

You walked out from your room, down the hall till you rounded the corner to show off the completed fit. Mikasa slightly scrunched her face, looking intently as you straightened out the fabric of the sleeves on your arms.

“I think you look hot, but your ass is too big for the skirt.” Sasha, who was a size smaller than you in the waste, leaned forward as she sat in the loveseat with her elbows placed on her thighs. Armin, who was sitting beside Mikasa, was quiet as he stared at you intently. You felt as if he were undressing you with his eyes, the simple action making the room suddenly feel a lot warmer than it previously felt.

“Maybe not this one, I agree that it looks nice, but it doesn’t feel very formal. Maybe casual?” Agreeing with Eren, you scurry off back to your room, trying on the backless dress. Thankfully for you, the zipper doesn’t go up far so you didn’t need help putting it on. Walking out back to where everyone sat expectantly, you felt extremely confident in this dress.

The moment you stepped around the corner, Armin’s face hardened.

“No.” His voice was firm, not a hint of hesitation lingered in his tone. You were stunned, staring at him with a bit of shock and a small pang of hurt as your hands nervously rubbed at the fabric around your hips.

“Don’t listen to him, do a little spin for me.” Mikasa spoke up, eyes a little wide in surprise of how tight the dress was on your frame.

“Armin? The hell was that?” Sasha gently patted his shoulder, but you could tell she was confused at his disagreement of the dress choice. Without taking his eyes off you, especially when you turned to show the back of the dress, he answered her.

“It’s too tight on her, she won’t be comfortable sitting in that thing if her back is exposed either.”

He had a point, despite it being mostly believable, but the quickness of his responses made you doubt if going on this date was actually worth this much trouble in choosing an outfit.

“Go try on the last one before we make any hasty decisions, but this one looks better than the last.”

Eren, who noticed the shift in your expression, was trying his best to console you as he looked to Armin who had gotten up and excused himself to the bathroom. A sigh left your lips as you went back to your room, stripping out of the dress and putting on the last option. This one felt like the right choice, not being too tight and still being modest enough for a formal setting. The only problem you were having was the zipper in the back. With one hand pressing the front against your chest in hopes not to flash anyone, you peek your head out from your bedroom, looking for anyone who is near. Just in your luck, Armin was walking out the bathroom just as you opened your door.

“Psst, Armin.” Whispering to not gain unnecessary attention, you called out to him and thankfully for you, he heard you. “Could you get one of the girls to help me zip up the back really quick?”

Armin stood in the hallway, shifting on each foot as he looked at you. “Or if you want, I can help you since I’m here.”

Your voice got caught in your throat, blinking at him mindlessly before giving him a single nod. He takes the invitation, walking towards you with a soft pink shade on his cheeks. “Do I need to cover my eyes before I enter?”

A laugh leaves your lips, shaking your head as you clutch your chest even more as he slips between the entrance of your door and you. “No, I got them covered, don’t worry.” Silently, he waited by the door till you closed it behind him, moving to the center of your room between your bed and closet. “Here, I'll hold it together if you can zip it up.”

Armin takes a few steps towards you, his eyes focusing in on the exposed skin of your back as your hands drop from your chest and come to your back, gripping the sides of the dress in attempts to bring them closer. Silently, he reaches out for the zipper, his cold fingertips brushing against yours. Your body involuntarily shivers when his touch grazes you, earning a grin from the man behind you. 

“Sorry, I just washed my hands.”

His voice was hushed, soft and gentle as his eyes focused on the rise and fall of your back as you took each breath. He grabs the zipper between two fingers, slowly dragging it up the track to close the back of the dress while his knuckles gently brush against the dip of your back. Your breath is shaky, the proximity of him making your head foggy. 

“You look so fucking beautiful in this dress, I hate that I’m helping you put it on just for another man to take it off.” Armin closes in the distance between the two of you, pressing himself against your backside as his hands abandon the zipper once it had been brought all the way up. You couldn’t move, or maybe you didn’t want to, not with the way his touch lingered on your skin. It felt suffocating in your room, turning your head to try and face him as his palms grip the roundness of your hips, giving them a firm squeeze.

“What I would do to see you wear this for me, to see you take it back off only for me.” Leaning forward, his lips ghost the shell of your ear as he breathily whispered to you. One of his hands traveled down your side, leaving a fiery trail in its path as he dipped his fingers into the slit on your thigh, scrunching up the fabric to allow access. Your head shamelessly falls back against his shoulder, exposing your neck as your legs felt weak under his touch.

“Look at you, all dolled up for someone who probably can’t make you feel this good.” Your eyes were shut, but you could feel the grin on his lips when he pressed them against the side of your neck. With your chest rising harder, grasping onto any ounce of air you could get, your nimble fingers find their way to his forearm, gripping onto him for stability.

“Are you wet for me, angel?”

This wasn’t supposed to be happening, and despite how quickly it escalated to this moment, it felt so good to be touched by him like this. Endless nights you spent dreaming of this moment, his lips on yours, his skin against yours. You’d been waiting for this day for longer than you could imagine and here it is, serving itself to you on a silver platter. Except, he’s not your date tonight. He’s not the one who is supposed to be making your panties stick to you as your slick coats them from just his touch alone. It should’ve felt wrong, you should’ve put a stop to it by now—but you didn’t.

“Find out for yourself.” Your voice was weak, barely audible as you tried to keep yourself from falling with the way he was touching you. Armin, who was pleased with your response, parted his lips onto your neck while his hand snaked its way underneath your dress, gripping your thigh as if he was asking you to part your legs for him. You shakily twist your foot, giving him better access to the heat that was awaiting for his touch between your legs. His fingers skim across your inner thighs, slowly trailing further and further up to where you needed him most while he gently tongued at the soft skin between your neck and collar.

“Armin.” His name came out strained, sounding more like a plea than it was a moan, earning a groan from him in response.

“Yes, angel? You want me to touch you, hm?”

Nodding against his shoulder, you gripped his forearm between your fingers in hopes he’d speed up the process before someone comes to interrupt your moment. He takes his hand from your hip, bringing it up to your neck as he wrapped his slender fingers around you, just below your jaw. His other hand was busy taunting you, ghosting against the side of the lace you had chosen to slip on for the night. 

“What if I touched you here?”

With his index finger, he presses against your neglected clit, earning a shaky moan from you that was louder than it should’ve been. Armin was quick to move his hand from around your throat up to cover your mouth as his finger rubs against your lace, collecting the slick that seeped through the fabric with his finger. He then takes his hand from between your legs, releasing your mouth as he takes a singular step back from you.

“Look at me angel, I want you to watch me get my first taste of you.”

Turning around to face him with a flushed look across your face, your eyes focus in on the glistening slick on his finger as he parts his lips, placing it onto his tongue before closing his lips around the finger. His eyes rolled shut, groaning as he licked it clean in front of you. Your thighs trembled as you watched the almost pornographic scene in front of you, leaving your throat dry and your chest feeling heavy with need.

“Finish getting ready, I’ll go let them know you’re almost done.”

Chapter Text

Armin walked out your bedroom without another word, leaving you standing in the middle of the room with a sticky feeling on your skin as your thighs rub together to try and relieve the ache he neglected to tend to. You weren’t sure how to exactly process what actually just happened. He didn’t even kiss you and yet you were left a mess from just his hands. 

As your breathing patterns come back down from the high you just experienced from his touch, you adjusted your dress and grabbed the only pair of heels you owned from your closet before walking out of your bedroom. You hear a faint chatter between your friends as you round the corner, smiling sheepishly with the heels dangling from your hand.

“There you are! I was starting to get worried, but Armin said you needed some help with your dress.” Sasha, who was getting up from the loveseat, smiled at you as you did a small twirl in the dress. “Damn girl, you look fucking hot.” You can feel the heat creeping its way back onto your face when she maneuvers around the furniture before gripping your hips to shake your torso in her hands. 

“I agree, this looks really good on you.” Mikasa nods approvingly, as well as Eren who was glancing over from you to Armin who was intensely staring at your frame.

“What do you think Armin? You like it?” Eren was grinning when Armin didn’t take his eyes off you before you shyly avoided his gaze. “I think she looks beautiful, but she should know that without hearing it from me.”

His gaze was piercing, trailing shamelessly over your body as if he wasn’t just touching you in places you never thought he’d ever get to—places you could only have dreamed he’d touch. Clearing your throat, you’re shifting on your feet under the praise everyone is giving you. You felt almost out of your element, being gawked at in such positive regard. Determined to make the most of the night and maybe relieve some of the sexual tension that lingered in the pit of your stomach, you wrap one arm around Sasha who is giggling at you in awe. 

“Yeah yeah, enough starring, wanna come help me do my hair?”

Sasha, who had already planned on helping you do any minimalistic makeup you’d want for the night, didn’t hesitate to drag you out of the living room. “Duh! Let’s get you ready to get some girl!”

Mikasa, who was eyeing the man that was gently holding her close to him, got up from the couch herself. “I’m going to see if they need any help, are you going to stay tonight?”

Eren gives her a quick kiss against her lips before turning his attention back to the very tense blonde who was now seated on the loveseat Sasha had abandoned. “Depends, you staying the night with us or going home?”

Armin was too focused on the way you were being dragged around the corner, his mind clearly elsewhere. “Armin?”

Mikasa’s voice took Armin from his thoughts, the blonde snapping his head over to the pair who were awaiting his response. “I’m sorry, I guess I got lost in thought. What’d you ask me?”

“Are you staying the night?” Eren was suspicious, a singular brow raised as he locked eyes with his friend. Armin knew what Eren was looking for, he knew what Eren was catching onto. “Yeah, might as well since she and I have plans set for tomorrow.”

Mikasa simply nodded before leaving the two on the couch to join you and Sasha in your room where Sasha was already plugging in a curling iron. Mikasa takes the initiative to go through your jewelry box on your desktop, rummaging around through the few dainty pieces you have. She pulled out a medium length chain that had a small pearl in the center.

“This will be beautiful.” You didn’t catch what she was holding till she brought it closer to you, your eyes focusing on the necklace in her hand. “Is this one okay?”

You simply nodded, a wave of emotions coming down over you almost too fast for you to comprehend. 

“Oh I remember that necklace, it’s the one Armin got you back in college right?”

Sasha, who had already begun curling the loose ends of your hair, caught Mikasa's eyes. You simply hummed, mumbling that there might be a matching set of earrings in the box to go along with them. They came as separate gifts, the necklace being for your christmas and the earrings being for your birthday that followed. The memories flood your mind, unable to suppress the smile on your lips. 

“Remember when you said the necklace would go well with a pair of pretty earrings?”

Nodding, your hands instinctively raise to fiddle with the tiny pearl that is adorned on your chest. 

“Well, I actually got some as a set that matched your necklace.”

Your eyes widened, staring at Armin in disbelief as he fiddled with his pocket on his slightly baggy cargo shorts. “I knew you wouldn’t accept all of it if I had tried to give them to you for christmas, so I’ve been holding onto the earrings ever since.”

Tears swelled in your as Armin dug a box out from his pocket, reaching out to grab your hand. Turning it palm side up, he placed the box into your hand with a tender smile, your eyes following his movements until you’re staring down at the little black box. You were silent, the amount of gratitude you were feeling could simply not be put into words.

The back of your throat tingled with a slight burn, trying to compose yourself from fully breaking down in front of him and everyone else. “C’mon, open it.”

You weren’t sure if that was his voice or one of the many voices surrounding you. It was your first birthday during your first year in college and your roommate, Sasha, had everyone come over to your tiny dorm to celebrate. Mikasa and Eren had gotten you a gift card to the bookstore just a few blocks from campus so that you could indulge into whatever books you could find. Jean painted your favorite flower on a canvas that you were already planning on hanging on your dorm walls. Connie rolled you a bouquet of joints and said he’d do it again each year if it meant you’d never change from being you. 

But Armin’s gift felt too real, your emotions were too raw and he was too close.  “I don’t, Armin I can’t accept this–”

“You can and you will, you deserve this. Trust me.”

And you did. You trusted him when he said he’d never leave your side, that your friendship with him was valued more than life itself. Your trust in him never faltered, not when he abruptly stopped answering your calls or texts, not when he stopped sitting with you during lunch or showing up to hangouts with everyone else. Not even when he deserved it most, not even now. 

The sound of Mikasa calling out your name snapped you out of your thoughts, turning to meet her melancholy eyes. “Are you okay?” Sasha, who had already set the curling iron down, staring at you with a small saddened smile. “More importantly, are you sure you should be going out with Porco tonight?”

“Sasha’s right, I’ve seen the way Armin looks at you, maybe this could be something mor–”

“No.”

Mikasa and Sasha watch the way your gaze falls to your hands that fiddle with the fabric of your dress. You didn’t want to hear it, you couldn’t bear to hear the possibility of you and him being more than something you barely were already. A singular tear rolled down your cheek as you swallowed the emotions you had kept buried for so long, ensuring they would remain that way. 

Mikasa was quick to wipe away the stray tear, leaning in to press her lips against your temple. “C’mon, let’s get you dolled up.”

“Yeah, fuck him anyway! If there’s going to be tears shed tonight, may they only be in ecstasy!” You couldn’t contain the laugh that erupted from Sasha’s boldness, Mikasa softly laughing along as the three of you prepared yourself for your date. You kept the makeup to a limit, allowing Mikasa to apply a thin layer of mascara as well as a soft blush and a complementing gloss over your lips while Sasha continued to loosely curl your hair. Sasha, despite being hesitant, helped you put the pearl necklace on from the back as you secured the tiny pearl drop earrings in your ears. 

Once the two girls were satisfied with their work, you slipped on your heels and they went ahead of you to announce you out as you exited your room. “You’re going to be drooling tits when you see her.” Sasha, who was on a facetime call with no other than Jean and Connie, had the back camera turned to face the hallway. 

“How does one drool tits? I mean, I’ve drooled on some, but never had any actually come out of my mouth spontaneously.” Connie, who was fighting Jean to be seen on the screen, asked the question as if it was a major topic of discussion.

“Wow, looks like you’re putting that dictionary I got you to use.” Jean’s response earned a laugh from you as you step into the hallway, feeling suddenly very aware that the people closest to you were watching you once again. Connie was the first to react, leaning forward to block Jean from getting a good look at you as you stepped further into the light as you rounded the corner.

“Damn mama, you look fucking hot.” Rolling your eyes, your hand comes up to fiddle with the necklace around your neck. 

“Move your fat ass head Connie, I want to see too.” Sasha, who was grinning at you as if you were her own personal work of art—which at this point, you kind of were—walked around you with the phone in hand, giving Jean a full three-sixty view of you. “Fuck, y/n, you look absolutely stunning.”

“Thank you guys, but tell that to Sash and Mika, they got me all pretty for the night.”

Eren claps his fingers against his palm, nodding his head in approval while Mikasa sits underneath his arm with a satisfied smile. You were chatting with the two on the phone with Sasha when you felt the phone in your hand buzz. Looking at the screen, you saw that Porco had texted to let you know he was downstairs. “Sorry guys, he’s here so I’m going to go on down.”

Armin, the only one who had been silent, caught the sight of your jewelry, swallowing dryly as he rose to his feet. “I’ll walk you down, if you don’t mind of course.”

You stopped in your tracks, already by the island with your purse in hand when he met you at your side with a gentle smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes. You give him a nod, shoving your phone into your pockets as well as your keys and wallet before the two of you leave your apartment. Before you left, you blew a kiss to Connie and Jean, followed by a laugh before saying bye to Sasha who was inevitably not going to be there when, or if , you returned. 

Armin followed behind you without a word, pressing the button to the elevator as the two of you waited for it to come up. He was the first to break his silence, his eyes flickering over to the necklace that rested beautifully below your collarbone and the earrings that matched. “I didn’t think you kept those after, you know, everything that happened.”

Your head turned to his, confused as to what he was referring to. When you felt where his eyes had fallen to, your fingertips itched to graze the pearl to which you fought the urge. “Oh, um, yeah, I've had them this whole time.”

As if on cue, the elevator doors open with a ding, allowing the two of you to enter on without waiting. “I only took them off after maybe the first year that passed, Mikasa thought it was time.”

“Hypocritical, don’t you think?” A snort escaped you before you could stop it, laughing at the parallels between your situation and hers she had with Eren prior to them finally getting together. “Takes one to know one, don’t you think?”

Your words were pointed, more than they should have been as the laugh in your throat had died. Armin didn’t say anything in return, simply shoving his hands in his pockets. He knew he was in the wrong, to speak on anyone else when the two of you had yet to actually unpack what happened between the two of you then or even in your room moments ago. 

Armin’s lips part, as if he had something to say, as if he was running out of time. Just as you hear him take in a breath, the elevator dings to which you step off. Armin lets out a sigh of defeat when the two of you round the corner, a smile instantly spreading across your lips when your eyes catch a glimpse of Porco. 

He was standing in tailored pants with a sleek buttoned up shirt that had been tucked in, leaving a few buttons near his neckline undone that had your imagination running wild. In one hand, he held a bouquet of flowers of various colors as he fiddled with the petals of a few that were longer than some. You were about to walk out when you remembered Armin was behind you, staring intently out at Porco who was still obvious to the two of you. With a hand on the door, you turn to the blonde who stood by the elevators with his hands in his pockets.

“Have fun tonight and don’t hesitate to call me if you need me.” Him. He wants you to call him if you need to, not Eren or Mikasa or even Sasha, but him. His words felt heavy, as if they held some deeper meaning you were supposed to unravel and understand. You simply nod, giving him a tight smile before pushing forward the door to which caught your date’s attention. His eyes raked up and down your curves, whistling lowly as his cheeks turned a soft shade of pink. 

“Wow, you look so fucking gorgeous.” Stepping down, you stride over to him as he hands over the bouquet of flowers he had gotten you. “Why thank you, you don’t look so bad yourself.” He tried to play it cool, but you could see the tips of his ears turning red and it broadened your smile. “Enough about me, we should probably leave soon to make our reservation.”

You followed Porco to his car, thanking him when he held your door open for you before he got in on the opposite side himself. The two of you drove with music on, you got control of the aux and played the only playlist you usually listened to.

“It’s kind of weird to know this is the type of music you like.”

“Hey, a girl can venture out in music,” you scoffed, softly punching his arm to which you got a grin in return, “plus, this isn’t my playlist exactly, it's more of a mix between me and a friend.” Your voice died down toward the end, realizing that Armin was truly everywhere in your life. He was like a familiar scent, something that always felt like a warm call back home and Porco had been the only person to question what the notes of the scent were. 

“Oh yeah? Lemme guess, Jean?” Shaking your head, your lips curl in hopes to keep the lighthearted moment alive. “Connie?” You shook your head once more, feeling a sinking feeling settle onto your chest.

“It’s not anyone we work with, I wouldn’t bother trying to crack the code if I were you.”

Porco didn’t fight you on it, staying silent as his knuckles gripped the steering wheel more intensely. It was if he knew who you were talking about, the particular friend you had mentioned. “So, if you’re shocked about my taste in music, what are you into?”

His smile returned, yet only this time, it wasn’t as bright. Naming off some random artist you had no interest in, you proceeded to grill him over his taste in music and the two of you had back and forth banter over what was considered ‘good music’ nowadays.

It wasn’t long before the two of you had arrived at the restaurant, pulling up to the front as Porco got out of the car. “Aren’t we going to park?”

Confused, you unbuckle your seatbelt as Porco got out of his seat and walked around to open your door. Just as you take his hand and step out, a man in a suit approaches the two of you and Porco hands him over the keys. “Oh? You do valet?”

Porco snickers as he gently caresses your hand in his, leading you to the front where another man in a suit opens the door for the two of you. “You’ve never done valet before?”

“I don’t even have a car idiot, what makes you think I’ve had valet parking before.”

As the two of you enter, a woman by the front greets you behind a podium with a very orchestrated smile on her face. “Hello, may I have the name?”

“Galliard, Porco Galliard.”

The woman doesn’t reply, instead she looks down at what you assume is a tablet like the one at Levi’s before nodding and directing you two towards a server who was standing right before you walk onto the dining floor. The two of you follow the server who seats you by a window that overlooks the ocean, a tender smile forming on your lips.

Porco follows your gaze, a grin threatening in his corners as he straightens his posture proudly. “I take it you like the beach?”

You turn your attention to his, nodding as you slip your purse from your shoulder to pull your phone out from inside. “Love it so much that it’s actually my lock screen.” Setting the device onto the table in front of yum, he looks down at the screen amused before looking back up at you. “Where even is that? I haven’t been to that beach before, I don’t think.”

“It’s somewhere back near my hometown, me and my friends used to go there often back when I was in college during breaks.” Porco leans forward, propping himself up on his elbows as he watches your eyes grow wide with a spark he had never seen before. “We used to spend days out there, renting this super tiny little house right on the water and swimming all day till we couldn’t take it anymore, or at least two of us would. One of us wasn’t too fond of swimming and her now boyfriend would alternate messing around with us or relaxing with her.”

“These sound like fun people, are you still friends with them?”

Just as you hesitate to answer, the waiter comes over with two menus in hand as well as silverware and fresh bread for the table. You politely thank them, opening your menu in your hands as you ask for a simple glass of water. Porco, who asks for the same, shoots you a questioning look when you deny the house wine offered by the waiter. 

“You could’ve gotten wine if you wanted some, you know, I am here to spoil you tonight.” His hand reaches across the table, grazing your own as you try and focus on the menu in front of you. “I know, I just don’t want to drink on our first date, I want to be sober when you kiss me goodnight.” Porco’s brows rise as you meet his gaze, turning one of your hands over to take him into yours. His palms were heavy and warm, slightly calloused from how he carried his tray at work.

“I see, well then, continue telling me about your friends, am I going to meet these beach buddies of yours one day?”

Your body tenses, settling the menu down onto the table as your free hand instinctively comes up to fiddle with your necklace. “Um, you already have actually. Do you remember Mikasa, my roommate and her boyfriend Eren?”

Porco, who was taking a sip of his water, nods as he sets the glass down onto the table. “Yeah, I think so. Eren is the mechanic who streams online right? And his girl has the black short hair?” Nodding, you continue to fiddle with the pearl in between your fingers as you’re trying to focus on what you should order for the night. Porco notices your silence, scanning your face as you actively avoid his gaze.

“So I’m guessing they’re the two out of three, so who is the other person? Sasha?"

“No, but it’s not that important, let’s just focus on the meal right now.” Porco doesn’t fight back when you beat around the obvious, just staring at you as you’re clearly avoiding talking about it as if it were a taboo topic. “So, are you hungry?”

You smile, letting the pearl roll through your fingers before gently letting it go as you point out which dish you thought might be the best option. Porco chose something completely different from yours, saying that he wanted to taste a little bit of both sides of their cooking and it reminded you of the times you and Armin would get lunch in college.

“I got you a sub sandwich and instead, I got some salad they had packed up, it wasn’t anything I recognized, but I figured since we split everything anyway, it wasn’t a bad risk to take.”  

Smiling up at him, you set aside your laptop that had two separate browsers open, one filled with notes you managed to type during your last lecture and another with the power point from the same class. 

“Thank you, you’re my hero.”

Armin, who sets the bag of food he got from your severely underfunded cafeteria, takes his rightful seat beside you as the two of you sit under a large tree that provides plenty of shade in the back side of campus.

“Far from it, I think I’d get bulldozed if I didn’t ensure you were properly taken care of.” He scooted in, pressing his shoulder against yours as the two of you lean on one another for support that the tree couldn’t provide. “By who, because they should know that whenever I’m with you, I’ll always be taken care of.”

You couldn’t see it, but Armin smiled at you as you shuffled through the bag, setting the styrofoam containers on your bag to prevent them from getting dirty in the grass. Your brows were furrowed and your hair was messily tied in a bun on the top of your head in a stress fueled motion, but to him, you looked like everything he had ever asked for and then some.

When you did notice him, your hunger fueled confusion made his smile spread, bringing warmth to his cheeks as he idly fixed his glasses that were perched up on his face. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” He shook his head, mumbling some nonexistent reason to keep you from questioning him further, but you leaned back instead and laid your head on his shoulder in defeat. 

“I’m so stressed, I don’t even want to eat anymore.”

“But you have to, you have a lecture in a few hours and we still need to go over your notes.” You never did get to your notes that day, instead the two of you split your food like you did every time you two ate together, whether it be alone or with everyone else and you took a brief nap on his shoulder under the tree. 

“Hello? Earth to y/n?” Blinking slowly, you look up at Porco who was leaning a bit forward on the table in concern. “Are you alright, you completely clocked out just now.”

Straightening out your posture, you give his hand a squeeze. “Yeah, sorry, seems like I just got caught up in thought.”

“It’s alright, I don’t mind, but are you sure you’re okay? I mean, we don’t have to be here, we can go–”

“No, I want to be here, I promise.” Guilt was eating at you as if you were served on a silver platter to it directly. This had been the second time tonight that memories of you and Armin flooded your mind, disrupting your enjoyment that you’re supposed to be relishing in on your date with Porco. Not to mention his teasing stunt he pulled when helping you zip up your dress earlier, what a fucking prick. You take in a deep breath, trying to block out any thoughts of the cerulean eyed boy and be more present on the man across from you. 

“So, Porco, can I ask you something?”

Porco nods, his thumb grazing over our knuckles as his hazel eyes fall onto yours. “Anything you want, pretty girl, except for my social; then I might just have to rethink this date.”

The poorly executed joke makes you laugh, a soft and warm laugh that felt good to experience with him. “So you said that day that you liked me before thou-who-shall-not-be-named asked me out and we broke up ages ago, why did you wait to ask me out now?”

Porco’s smile falters, his grip loosening in your hand as his lighthearted expression turns a bit more serious and firm. “I didn’t think you’d ever say yes, not with everything that happened between the two of you when you split. I mean, I heard bits and pieces of your side through Jean and Connie, but Reiner?”

You visibly wince at the mention of his name, the negative taste of your relationship with the man coating your tongue. Porco didn’t seem to notice as he continued, his eyes falling down to the table. “He told me about what he said broke you two up and I just, I never thought you’d even think to look my way and I guess seeing you with that one guy really made me rethink if I could live knowing I never even tried.”

“Seeing me with who?”

Porco slipped his hand from yours, looking up into your eyes with silence following. Suddenly, you knew he was talking about Armin and it made your stomach churn in the depths of your core. Of course it was Armin, he was the scapegoat that Reiner used when the two of ended things and even though you hated to admit that a lot of your issues in that relationship seemed to revolve around him , it made you almost nauseous that Porco didn’t approach you for that reason. 

Before you could say anything else, the waiter had come back around and the two of you ordered your meals before handing off the menus. There was a silence that followed, a lingering and unsaid thickness floating between the two of you as you awkwardly reached over to grab a piece of the bread that was brought out earlier.

“So, that’s a pretty necklace you’re wearing. I’ve never seen you wear it before, is it new?”

You’re already chewing on the food when he asks, the question startling you into almost choking as you slightly beat on your chest to help it further travel down. Porco, who was shocked to see your reaction over a simple question, grabs your water and places it in your hand to which you give him a raspy thank you in return. After a few sips, you set the glass onto the table with embarrassment flooding your cheeks. “No, um, one of my friends actually gave it to me as a gift for christmas some years back, the beach friend gave it to me since we loved going down to the water together.”

Porco nods, his eyes trailing along your collarbones as he takes in the exposed skin beneath the necklace. “It’s really beautiful, she must have good taste to get something that goes well with your earrings too.”

You swallow dryly, picking at the bread in your hands while trying to not give away too much of the gift giver in particular. “He, actually, and well these are actually the birthday present following christmas.”

Porco’s eyes trailed along your cleavage, darting his tongue out to wet his bottom lip as you rambled on about the matching set. “Guess it wasn’t Reiner, because you guys broke up before your birthday.” Porco tried to play off his comment, but for some reason it left an unsettling feeling in your stomach.

“Yeah, nope, not him, but enough about me, let's talk about you?”

And so you did, the two of you talked about his childhood and his relationship with Marcel. You learned that Porco had an unspoken issue with living in Marcel’s shadow in the eyes of their parents and you sympathized with him over it. He told you about his friends back in his hometown and his grandparents. He’d occasionally throw in comments about taking you to meet his parents next time you two had a chance to spend time together, but you brushed them off awkwardly and changed the subject each time.

After dinner was over, the two of you went back to his car and talked in the parking lot with his hand on your thigh, the warmth radiating from his palm was making it hard for you to focus on what words needed to be formed.

“You know, I wouldn’t mind taking this back to your place if you want to continue this conversation, maybe on your bed.”

You’re smiling as you watch his hand slowly push up the fabric of your dress, taking advantage of the slit that exposed your skin. “I’d love to talk more with you, on my bed of course, but Mikasa is probably home with Eren, maybe we can go back to yours?”

“Can’t, Marcel is home and I don’t need him exactly hearing what amount of talking we might or might not do.”

You’re stuck in a tough position, either risk bringing him back to your apartment and finally get a taste of Porco or throw it all away and let him simply drop you off. “It’s not a big deal, y/n, we can just wait if need be.”

But you can’t, not after you were teased in a way you’ve never been left so high and–not so–dry before, you needed to get your fill of him and you were willing to risk it all if it meant your cup won’t be empty tonight. “Fuck it, we’ll go up to my place, but we’re not sticking around for any stupid tricks Eren will pull to keep him company.”

Porco simply laughs, driving off from the restaurant and pulling up to your apartment. In a rush to get laid, you didn’t wait for him to get to your door before you were grabbing both the bouquet of flowers as well as your purse before getting out of his car. Amused, Porco walked around and met you halfway, taking the bouquet from your hands as he followed you into the building. “Someone is eager.”

“Oh shut up and kiss me in the elevator before I lose my mind.” You snap back, entering into the hall as you tap your foot impatiently while waiting for the elevator to come down. Porco, who had some up behind you, leaned down till his lips ghosted the shell of your ear. “Just for that, I won’t because I intend to make you beg for it when I get you alone.”

You’re biting your bottom lip as your thighs press together, a shaky breath escaping your lips as the two of you step onto the elevator. The two of you ride up in silence, but you don’t miss the way he was sneakily peeking over at the cleavage that spilled out from the neckline of the dress. Catching him in the act was making your mind foggy, but watching as he smirked when you locked eyes with him afterwards had your thighs rubbing together involuntarily. Thankfully for you, the elevator stopped on your floor just in time before you were tempted to toss your dignity aside and pull his stupid lips against yours. 

“Lead the way, pretty girl.”

With a bit more pep in your step than you should’ve had, you step off the elevator and lead him down the hall to your front door. You could hear a faint sound of the television that was in the living room, but you were silently hoping Eren had just forgotten to turn it off before he and Mikasa went to her room for the night. To your horror, when you pushed open the door, your living room was full of familiar faces.

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Chapter Text

Around the room, you saw Connie and Jean sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table with Sasha, Niccolo and Armin seated across from them on the couch. Eren was lounging on the loveseat with Mikasa sitting over his lap, everyone turning their heads to look at you and Porco who were now holding hands in the entryway of your apartment.

“What the fuck did I miss?” 

Your voice was laced with irritation, forcing a smile across your lips. Eren, who was snickering to himself the moment you walked through the door, abandoned the cards he was holding in his hand to his chest.

“Now, c’mon y/n, you actually thought it was safe to bring him back here?” Jean, who set his own cards face down, stared at you in disbelief before giving the man behind you a brief moment of acknowledgement. “Oh, my bad , I forgot I lived here.”

“Hand it over, Jaeger.” Connie held out his hand toward Eren who shook his head, throwing up his middle finger instead.

“Eat shit, Springer, they didn’t actually fuck because you two got high and drove over to get high again.”

“Don’t blame us, Niccolo came over too!” Connie tried to defend himself, a look of shock on his face as he threw up his own middle finger.

“I actually only stayed for Sash to smoke with you guys, it was Eren’s idea to play cards.” Niccolo held one hand up in defense, the other being securely wrapped around Sasha. 

“Well, this is awkward.” Porco, who was slightly amused as the people crowded in your apartment, turned his attention to you. His thumb rubbing the outer side of your hand soothed the embarrassment and anger that bubbled in the pit of your stomach, replacing any need you previously had moments before.

“C’mon, let’s put these in the kitchen.” You mumble, leading him around the island and into the kitchen where you kept a small vase for the flowers Eren would randomly get for Mikasa.

Porco followed you obediently, his attention focused solely on you as you guided him with his hand in yours. Settling the bouquet on the counter, you reach up to open a cabinet that holds the slightly dusty vase. With heels, you could almost reach it, but Porco could see that you couldn’t quite get a good grasp on it. Taking the initiative, he comes behind you, reaching above your head and grabs the vase to set it onto the counter.

“It’s about time you put that height of yours to good use.”

A grin spreads across his lips as he untangles his hand from yours, a frown spreading across your lips at the lack of warmth your hand now felt. Porco leans down to your ear, pressing his lips to the exposed skin on your shoulder before bringing his lips to your ear.

“Should we still, you know, make the most of the night?” His breath felt warm against the outer curve of your ear, your smile returning as you crane your neck to meet his eyes. 

“I have everyone in my house right now, I don’t think we’ll be able to tonight.”

He hums in response, kissing just beneath your lobe. “I don’t mind giving them a show, it seems like we already have an audience.”

His arms snake around your waist, holding you firmly in his arms while you withhold the laugh you felt bubbling in your throat. Turning your attention to the flowers on the counter, you unwrap the string around the base of the stems and begin to pick away at any extra leaves. “Porco Galliard, are you perhaps hinting at some sort of jealousy?”

Porco scoffs, bringing his lips to the outer trace of your jaw. “Mm, possibly, I did see your golden retriever over there and he’s been staring at us since we walked in. Can’t possibly imagine why.”

“Can you hand me the scissors in that draw over there?” Motioning with your elbow, Porco briefly untangles his arms from around you, walking across the kitchen to grab the scissors that were laying on the counter. He walks back over to where you were laying each flower out on the counter, your fingertips tracing over the petals as you admire each one. Leaning against the counter itself, he faced the opposite direction of you to get a better view of your face as you concentrated on carefully snipping each end of each stem once you had taken the scissors from his hands. 

Looking across the island, his eyes briefly settled on Armin’s who was very obviously staring at the back of your head before he shifted his gaze to Porco, an unreadable, but definitely not pleasant look swirling around in the depths of his irises. Armin didn’t break contact first, but the tense look he was holding was enough to make Porco scoff before turning his attention back to you. “Is there something going on between you two that I should be aware of before we get too far into this?”

A soft sigh leaves your lips as you start setting each stem into the vase beside you, moving around certain flowers to try and recreate how they looked when he first gave you the bouquet. “We just have a lot of history, a lot of unspoken things and even more that we need to talk about, but he’s still my best friend at the end of the day.”

“So, should I take that as a yes?”

After setting down the flower in your hand, you turn to face Porco who was doing his best to mask the concerned look on his face as he met your gaze. “I chose to go on a date with you , no one else, is that something you can accept?” Porco, who was somewhat soothed at your words leaned into your space, his lips curling in the corners.

“Are you saying there’s more guys trying to take you from me?” Your shoulders shrug as your fingertips come up to grip the collar of his shirt, pulling him in closer to you as your gaze falls to his lips. “Maybe Jean or Connie, although you might be able to talk Connie off. Jean on the other hand, now, he’s the one you might have to convince to back down, he can be a real dog.”

Porco smiles as he closes in the gap between you two, pressing his lips onto yours as his hand reaches out to gently grab onto your waist. You return the smile, leaning a little onto the front of your heels to get even more of him onto you. The world around you started to blur as he tenderly kissed you, dragging your body towards him as if he needed to feel you against him. Your lips part slightly, giving him just enough space to trace your bottom lip with his tongue. 

“Are you two going to fuck in the kitchen or are you joining in on this next hand?” Connie, who was clearly not amused to have been sitting out of the game, decided to briefly look over the island at you and Porco swapping saliva as if breathing wasn’t necessary.

Laughing, the two of you slowly separate, Porco turning to face Connie who was grumpily staring at you two. “Why so somber? You want in next time or something?”

Porco leaves your side, going to sit beside Connie who immediately starts giving Porco a lecture about how you should be treated and subtly threatening him if he were to ever ‘hurt his little princess’. Jean intervenes, not agreeing with the nickname Connie gave you as you smile quietly, fixing the flowers in the vase to your liking before filling the bottom with water. Once you were satisfied, you silently went off to your room, setting the vase down on your desktop with a smile. 

You were about to walk out when Jean stepped into your room, startling you at his unexpected appearance. “Jesus christ Jean, a knock would’ve been good too.”

He doesn’t say anything back, just grinning as he looks around your room in silence. His eyes linger a little too long on the painting he gifted you years ago when the two of you were still too young to understand how important you were to each other, how you two were more like family than the families you’d ever have. “Why should I warn you, your date told me you called me a fucking dog.”

Laughter fills the room as you turn to face him sitting on the edge of your bed with a slight grimace look on his face. “I said you could be a real dog, he was feeling a little territorial so I fed into it, you boys and your need to claim what’s yours.”

Jean rolled his eyes, following your movements as you joined him on your bed, sitting beside him as the two of you shifted your bodies to face one another. “Whatever, that’s not what I came back here for.”

“So why did you come back here? I was about to go back out and entertain Eren’s obsessive need for bonding time over dumb game.”

“I wanted to ask you, are you sure about this?” Jean’s previously relaxed face grew firm in seriousness with his tone, scanning your face for any hint that you might be hiding something or trying to cover one thing with another. “Not you too, I mean, I get it from the girls because they’re worried, but you?”

He simply sighs, rubbing his face with both of his palms followed by a groan. “Look, I’m not saying that Porco is a bad guy, he’s got a good head on his shoulders and I believe he’ll be a good change for you.”

There was a moment of silence that followed, a moment that filled the room with millions of small and insignificant questions that you may never get an answer for and that one moment can create a gaping hole of doubt. “But, I know you, y/n, and I know that you’re still in love with Armin and I don’t want you chasing some idea of him in someone else, again.”

His words hung over you as if he meant them in a way he didn’t realize, as if they were stars that had fallen and hit you all at once. Is that how they saw this? That you were using Porco just to fill some void that Armin never once tried to do himself? It was a painful reality you were stuck trying to decipher, overthinking the path you had already chosen to walk down.

“Look, I’m not here to bust your balls over it. If you really like Porco, date him and we’ll all support you for it and be happy, but you need to figure out what the hell is going on with you and Armin before you do.”

Jean shifts on your bed, scooting in closer to where you were sitting only to throw his arm around your shoulders. You lean into his embrace, closing your eyes with a soft sigh as he gently kisses the crown of your head. “I love you, you know that, right?”

Nodding, you crane your neck upward to catch the faintest smile on his lips. “I love you too, Jean boy.”

A wicked smile spread onto your lips as he dropped his arm from around you, giving you a slight shove on your shoulder before getting up from your bed. “Fucking idiot, just had to ruin the moment, now did ya?” You laugh, following Jean out of your room as the two of you rejoin the group. When the two of you round the corner, Sasha and Niccolo are standing up from the couch, passing through the room to stop and give everyone a hug.

“Leaving already?”

Sasha skips over Connie, who takes it personally as he rises to his feet, making her way over to wrap her arms around you and pull you into a firm hug. “Sorry babe, but I’m sleepy and wanna go home.” Your arms cling around her form, holding her in the hug as she lays her tired head onto your shoulder. “Don’t forget to call me tomorrow with details.”

“I won’t, I promise, text me when you get home.”

Niccolo gives you a brief side hug, smiling before he peels Sasha’s arms from around you. “We will, you guys get some well needed sleep, don’t let them keep you up all night long.”

“I’m assuming you’re spending the night?” Turning to Jean, who gave Sasha a small hug before she and Niccolo walked out the apartment. “Yeah, Connie is too high to drive and I don’t can’t see well enough to get us back home around this time.” 

Armin, who was still silently sitting on the couch in the midst of talking to Connie, briefly glances your way before turning his attention back to the man in front of him. Porco joins your side, leaning down to capture your lips in a brief kiss as his hand rests on the small of your back. “I should probably go too, it’s getting pretty late.”

“Lemme walk you down to your car?”

Porco shakes his head, pressing on your back to turn you more towards him as he rubbed small circles against you with his thumb. “It’s okay, I don’t want you to get cold if we went outside, plus I can’t guarantee we’d be brief with our goodbyes.” Heat rises up your neck as you hear Jean verbally cringe beside you, shuffling off to go join Armin on the couch.

“What’s the probability of me sneaking you over tomorrow while Marcel is at work?” Pursing your lips together, you look off to the side as if you needed to honestly think about it. Porco grinned, licking his bottom lip as his eyes trailed down from your eyes to your lips, continuing to trail down your neck and even further to the neckline of your dress. “Don’t tease me.” His words were more of a whisper than a warning, but you took it as an invitation.

“Or what?”

“Let me pick you up tomorrow and find out for yourself.” Raising a brow, you cock your head to the side as he simply shrugged, an amused grin adorned on his face. “I’ll let you know later.” He simply hums, leaning in to capture your lips into a brief kiss, pressing his chest to yours.

“Pick you up around three o'clock?” Shaking your head, you politely decline. “I can’t do three, Armin and I are going somewhere tomorrow night and I want to be back before it’s too late since we haven’t ironed out the details yet.”

Porco raises a brow, leaning back enough to eye you with the slightest test of suspicion. You simply wrap your arms around his shoulders, pulling him back into your space as he stares down at you. “Is noon okay?”

With a defeated huff, he nods before leaning in to kiss you once more before reluctantly separating himself from you. “Noon is fine with me, pretty girl, but I’m going to go ahead and head home so I can sleep so I can see you sooner.”

Biting your bottom lip to try and cover the smile that was spreading on your lips, you silently walked him to the door of your apartment as he waved his goodbyes to the remaining people in the room. Eren watched the two of you intently, a pleasant smile on his lips before looking over at Armin who was clearly ignoring the two of you. 

“We should probably get sleeping arrangements ready since Mikasa has an early shift in the morning.” Eren, who was casually stroking Mikasa’s arm as she laid her tired head on his shoulder, focused his attention towards the boys who were chit-chatting amongst themselves.

“I’ll take the couch since I’m taller than everyone else.” Jean leaned back onto the couch, slouching into the cushion as he threw an arm over the back. “I can sleep on the floor, it’s not a big deal to me.” Armin, who briefly glanced over at you as you shut the door behind Porco, shrugged tiredly as he turned his attention back to Connie.

“You sure man? I don’t mind making a spot on the floor, it’s no biggie to me.”

Slipping off your heels, a sigh of relief leaves you as you step onto the soft carpet beneath your feet. ”Armin can sleep in my room, if you’re comfortable with that.” Looking over at the golden haired boy who was seemingly surprised by your offer, you give him a soft smile followed by a shrug. 

“Damn, what did he do to get an invitation and not me?” 

“For one, my combover king, you’d be sly and try some weird shit while I sleep and I’m too tired to try and hide things from you.” 

Connie, who was greatly offended, tossed his body back in a dramatic motion with his hand spread across his chest. “You wound me, lil mama, wound me severely.”

“You’ll live, plus I’ve crashed at his dorm plenty of times back in school, so it was the better option of the three.”

Eren, clearly amused, sits up to which he awakens your roommate. “I don’t care who sleeps where, just keep it down, will ya?”

“Since when did Jaeger start bossing us around in an apartment that’s not even his?” Jean scoffed, rolling his eyes as he mumbled underneath his breath. “Since he got a taste of Mikasa.” You replied back, the four of you watching as he scooped her up effortlessly and carried her calmly to her bedroom. 

“I’m going to go get changed, but Jean, you can go ahead and get the spare blankets from the hall closet for you and Connie if you’d like.” 

Jean let out a subtle groan, stretching once he was on his feet before the two of you disappeared into the hallway. You’re just about to slip off into your room when you hear him mumbling beneath his breath, just loud enough to hear him. “Talk to him, emphasis on talk .”

Rolling your eyes, you could feel his gaze on your frame before you disappeared behind your door and stripped down from your dress. It was challenging to get a grip of the zipper, having to use a hanger to push it down at an awkward angle to even get it to move, but it was better than calling one of the guys in to help, again . 

Once you have successfully gotten the dress off, you slip on an oversized shirt with a pair of sweatpants to follow just as you hear a soft knock on your door. You call out to whoever was behind it that they were free to come in, the door opening slowly as Armin peaked his head around the frame. “Are you dressed?”

“No, I'm bare ass naked, but please, come on in.”

Armin doesn’t laugh, despite picking up on the sarcasm in your voice. Instead, he sheepishly slips through the crack of your door in different clothes than he was previously wearing. You recognize the shirt he was wearing, it was one of the shirts your roommate frequently wore that belonged to Eren. It was safe to assume that the shorts he had underneath the shirt also belonged to Eren, the style was clearly not one Armin would usually wear himself.

“Do you want me to make a spot on your floor?” Closing the door behind him, he walked a little further into the room, not wanting to get too close to you. “No, you can just sleep on one side of the bed, it’s not a big deal, plus, I think we should maybe talk some things out?”

Armin didn’t argue back, just quietly walking around your bed before he stared down awkwardly at the blanket that covered the side he was soon to be filling. You, on the other hand, were already climbing into your bed as you eye him on the opposite side. Leaning over, you peel back the duvet from his, meeting his eyes with a gentle smile. “C’mon, I don’t bite, you know.”

“It’s not you I’m worried about.” There was a playful hint in his voice, but your mind was fighting to take it elsewhere than what it was actually intended for. Soon after, you felt the dip of your mattress beside you, rolling onto your side to face him as he tiredly rubbed his eyes. “Do you still wear contacts?”

Armin, who was slightly taken aback by your sudden question, shifts to face you as his eyes adjust to the proximity between you and him. “Yeah, I took them out when I was changing.” 

“What ever happened to your glasses?’”

Armin shrugs, chewing on the inside of his cheek as his cheeks heat up ever so slightly. “I still have them, I just don’t wear them as often.”

“But they’re cute.” You’re smiling, even if he can’t see it, reminiscing on the times when he would get so flustered that the bottom of his lenses would fog up as he averted his attention away from you when you’d play with his hair or praise him on his nearly always perfect grades. He was cute, the glasses were just an add on bonus to his boyish charm.

“I don’t think they look good on me anymore, plus they’re not exactly a ladies magnet.”

You simply hum, your eyes tracing over his face as you take in everything now that he’s so close. The color of his lashes, full and thick as they kiss his cheeks so effortlessly, the shape of his nose and how it curves upward to round out the tip, making it so kissable and cute. Armin was stupidly handsome, more than he gave himself credit for, and if it wasn’t for the iron grip his ex had on him, he’d probably been pursued by more girls during college than the few bold ones who actually approached him. 

But he wasn’t ever interested in anyone, until Annie. He didn’t date around, he never explicitly told you he was messing around either and if he had been, he was very discreet about it. He was simply a boy, a boy who loved spending his days with you down at the beach or underneath the tree on campus you two could always be found at. At the library, his dorm, your dorm, hiding out at Eren’s fraternity during parties—anywhere you could sneak off to just be alone together to enjoy each other's silence, that’s where you’d be found with him beside you. 

“You’re staring.” His voice was delicate, calculated almost, but you smiled instead of fighting back because you were, not to gawk at him—which wouldn’t hurt the eyes either—but to search for someone you used to know in him. 

“You must’ve been looking too if you noticed it.” His lips threaten to curl in the corners, you catch it and it only broadens your own smile. “This wasn’t about me.”

“But it was— is actually.” 

He doesn’t play dumb, already having a feeling where the trajectory of the conversation started to go towards. “What was that earlier today, Armin?”

Armin didn’t take a breath, his body tensing as he awaited this moment. He just stared at you, silent and confused himself, but he knew the answer, he knew why he acted out of line when you were about to go off and see someone else. He knew, but instead, he lied.

“I didn’t mean to upset you, I was just.” His voice trailed off, his eyes scanning your features in the darkness of the room. His shadow towered over your form, making it harder for him to focus on your features.

“I think I was jealous, I tried to kiss you and then you suddenly got a date and I felt a bit taken aback because I know that if I hadn’t been such a jerk to you before, maybe that could’ve been me taking you out instead of him.” 

You didn’t say anything, just silently digesting his words as he fidgeted with his hands beneath the blanket. 

“Do you, and you don’t have to tell me if you do, I'm just curious—but do you possibly have feelings for me?”

He couldn’t face that guilt that settled in the cavern of his chest, he couldn’t simply live with himself if he were to ever break your heart the same way his had been broken before, so he bit back the truth and lied through his teeth. To protect you, is what he told himself, to protect you from being hurt by him . 

“Not romantically, at least on a deeper level. I do think you’re beautiful and dating would almost feel like we’re getting to know each other as adults, but it had been so long since anyone had been so close to me and I think I mistook your kindness as interest.”

Your smile faltered, adding a small fracture to the already cracked heart that ached within your chest. There was an overwhelming feeling that washed over you, an ache that needed to be released in the form of endless sobbing or simply screaming as loud as you possibly could to shake the feeling of it truly being one sided. Instead, you roll onto your back, staring up at the ceiling quietly as you stifle back the tears that swell in your eyes.

“Well, that’s good that we’ve talked about it, just two friends treading the lines of boundaries that have now been set.”

Your voice is strained, almost as if you’re trying to convince yourself more than you are him. Armin stares at you in silence, maneuvering his hand underneath the blanket in search of your own. When his pinky brushes against your hand, you don’t fight the smile that curls in the corners of your lips, taking in a shallow breath as you turn your palm upwards for him to intangible his fingers through yours.

Armin turns onto his back as well, your shoulders brushing ever so slightly against one another's as you lay side by side, trying to focus more on the way he soothes your unspoken hurt with his fingers brushing along the backside of your hand. It reminds you of all the times you found yourself laying beside him, back when you didn’t understand the magnitude of what you truly felt for him, back when the butterflies were still soft and their wings still wet. 

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By the next morning, Armin was already gone. You had turned in your sleep at some point, facing the place where his body previously filled with his warmth. You’d be lying to yourself if you didn’t admit your chest didn’t ache as your fingers reach out, brushing against the fabric of your bedsheets that now have his scent soaked into them. There was so much more that should’ve been said, things you still have yet to get off your chest, but the moment has passed and you had to remind yourself that this vicious cycle of one sided yearning needed to be pushed aside if you had any chance of making something work with Porco. 

You’re about to get out of bed when you hear a knock on your door, urging you to sit up on your elbows as your door opens with a slight creak, Jean’s big ass head peeking around the corner.

“Well good morning princess.”

Rolling your eyes, you push yourself up and sit against your pillows as Jean pushes your door open further, revealing a very obviously sleepy Connie trailing behind him. Connie pushes past Jean, earning an annoyed groan from the taller one, as he climbs onto your bed and settles between your thighs. His head plops into your lap as he rolls onto his stomach, propping himself up against your lower stomach. 

“That’s the closest he’ll get to pussy his whole life, how sad.” Jean is grinning as he climbs underneath your duvet, slipping into the warmth of your bed as your hands find their way onto Connie’s head, rubbing your palms against it in slow motions.

“Man, fuck you, I get hella bitches, but they never treat me right like this mama does.” Connie mumbles against your abdomen, earning a laugh from you as you continue to palm at his head. “Who needs a man when I have you two?”

“I’ve been trying to tell you that for years, princess, we could make you our lil trophy wife and you could stay home and read all day while he rolls your joints and I make the bread to support us all.”

Your grin spreads, glancing over at Jean whose eyes were already closed once more. The playful tone of his voice was one you were used to, but you know there was some truth behind it. For years, Jean has made sly comments about you marrying him and running away and living somewhere remote until Connie finds you two and the three of you open the marriage amongst each other.

Your ex wasn’t very fond of the commentary and Armin was always the first to interject, saying that you were worth more than that ideal life Jean and Connie made up in their heads, but the thought always made you smile. It was a special kind of bond you had with these two, the love you share amongst yourselves and Sasha included was a type of love no one could ever take from any of you.

“Sounds tempting, but unfortunately for you two, I have another date today.”

Connie groans, turning his head with a huff towards Jean as his arms lay spread out, draped across your upper thighs. “Speaking of, how was your date with ole porky boy?”

You’re silent for a second too long and they both realize it, clearing your throat as you try to find the words to bring together to describe the night. “It was alright, we went to a very nice restaurant and talked and he drove me home and the rest you guys already know.”

“So, it was bad.” Connie nodded his head in agreement with Jean, earning a huff from you as you slap the back of Connie’s head. “Ouch, don’t hit me! I wasn’t the one who took you on a bad date.”

“It wasn’t bad , it just wasn’t—”

“No, it was bad and it’s probably to do with the fact that Porco isn’t him .” Connie once again nods his head, turning it back to how he was originally laying when you start to gently scratch against his scalp with the tips of your fingers. “Not everything is about Armin, Jean.”

“That’s fucking bullshit and you know it, hell—we all know it except Armin himself. Which is surprising because he’s the smartest of us all and yet, he is oblivious to your lovesick eyes every time he walks into the room.”

“Do you think he knows?” You slightly tense underneath Connie’s weight, to which he picks up on and looks up at you with one eye. “I, for one, think he does and if it’s not your feelings he knows about, it’s his own.”

Shaking your head, your mind relives the last conversation you had with Armin. He didn’t feel the same, he didn’t see you that way and you needed to accept that and move on. And so, you tell them both about that talk you had with him, to which they had more questions you hadn’t provided answers for.

You backtrack all the way to the night when he walked in, Jean was a bit more up to date than Connie was, but neither said anything to stop you from talking, just adding in questions to keep you going till you were done. 

“What kind of sick twisted love triangle shit you got going on? And where can I get some?” Jean snickers at Connie’s words, to which you do the same. All the laughter and talking the three were doing must’ve been enough to wake Eren, who grumbled beneath his breath as he slipped quietly out of Mikasa’s room and just stood in your doorway, staring at the three of you on your bed.

“Are you guys finally a throuple?” His voice was raspier than usual, giving away that he had literally just woken up. You shrug while you continue to trail your nails across Connie’s scalp, to which Eren waves a dismissive hand at you and walks off. Jean is softly snoring as Eren leaves the three of you, Connie’s steady rise and fall of his back signaling that he too has fallen back asleep, so you join them as your eyes close and you fall back into sleep with them both wrapping you up in their company in the form of a nap.

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Time passes faster than you’d like, missing the warmth of Jean and Connie’s weight in your bed when you had to get up and shower before Porco picked you up. The two who kept you company that morning left before Porco arrived, going off to their shared apartment to sleep off the rest of their high from the night before.

Porco arrived shortly after you had gotten dressed, you met him downstairs at his car where he patiently waited for you. He rolled his window down as you approached his car, whistling low as he dragged the sunglasses perched up on his face down. His hazel eyes rake over your body, taking in your attire for the day while you walk around his car. You chose a floor length skirt that flared out all the way down since you had plans later on and didn’t want to change into something comfortable for whatever Armin had planned, accompanied with a sleeveless top and a simple cardigan to cover your arms if you were to get cold. Despite it being the near end of summer, you still had to prepare for whatever conditioning the weather might permit.

You open your door, hopping into the passenger seat with a soft thud before closing the door behind you. You were barely able to buckle yourself into the seat when Porco was leaning across the center console, his hand reaching out to guide your chin towards him as he captured your lips into a kiss. 

You’re smiling against his lips, relishing in the awe of the tenderness of his lips before he pulls away from yours. “Hi, pretty girl.”

“Hello to you too, handsome.” Porco drops his hand from your chin, resting it comfortably on your thigh as he shifts the car into a different gear and the two of you drive off from your apartment building. “Did you sleep good last night? Maybe have any dirty dreams about me?”

Snickering, you shake your head as he wiggles his brows despite looking ahead at the road. “No, I didn’t have any weird dreams about you, but I did sleep pretty well and even took an extra nap this morning.”

Porco gently grips your thigh over your skirt, a soft smile on his lips as he listens to you. “Sounds like the start to a good day, could’ve been better if you had dreamt of me.”

You hum, feeling the warmth of the sun shining through the window and it coats your side as you look out at the buildings the two of you pass. “Mm, I never said I didn't dream about you, I just said I didn’t have those dreams about you.” Porco chuckles to himself as you simply smile. “Oh, before I forget, Pieck wants to have a not so little gathering for her birthday and she wants me to invite you.”

“Why couldn’t she invite me herself?”

Porco doesn’t answer and you see the way his focus shifts as you turn your attention over to him. “I’m just following orders, but she also said to spread the word and ask anyone else you used to hang with back in school. I think she means Eren and his people.”

Your eyes stare at the side of his head, hoping he’d turn to you, give you an answer as to when exactly she told him this and why she didn’t tell you instead. More importantly, why was he acting so off about it and avoiding your gaze. He pulls up to a small house in a common neighborhood, parking in the driveway behind a car you recognize as Marcel’s.

“Thought you said he was working today?” There was a slight grin on your lips as you undo your seat buckle before opening the side door and hopping out of his car with only your phone and wallet in hand.

“He took the bike today, he’s trying to impress some girl he works with.”

Nodding in approval, you silently hope he does get the girl, Marcel is the kind of guy who truly deserves the happy ending. The two of you walked up to the front door, Porco was already holding his keys in his hand as he pushed the key into the knob, turning it swiftly before turning it back around and pulling the key out. With a turn of the knob, he opens the front door and steps inside, you follow behind him as your head turns to look around the interior of his living room.

“C’mon, I promise to give you a proper tour once we’re done, but right now?”

Once you were inside, you shut the door behind you, barely able to take your shoes off before Porco was walking you back, his hands reaching out to grip your waist as you stumbled over your steps with his eagerness.

“Jesus, you sure know how not to waste time.” You mutter, barely able to get the words out before he’s leaning in to take your lips into a messy kiss. His tongue darts out from his mouth, swiping along the entrance of your own to get more access to your mouth.

You don’t deny him either, letting your lips part as he closes in the distance between the two of you, his grip on your hips tightening as your tongues massage against one another's. Your hands come up, wrapping them around his neck in an attempt to have more of him, a familiar pool of need forming in your lower abdomen. You wanted him to explore you, every inch of your body and leave you feeling the bliss of what he has been waiting so patiently to do to you and those thoughts alone were driving you mad. You choose to make a risky move as your fingers graze the hairs that grow just above his nape, earning a shiver from him while his hands start to explore further down your hips. His large palms find their way around to your back, sliding down further until they rest on the curve of your backside. 

Leaning into the kiss, you take his bottom lip in between your teeth, nipping at his lip before releasing it with a successful smile on your face. Porco retaliates, dipping down as his palms slide down your ass till he has a firm grip on the underside of your thighs before hoisting you up. You yelp as your legs instinctively wrap around his waist, thankful you chose a loose skirt instead of something more constricting. Porco, who was grinning against your lips, gives you a brief peck before moving his attention to your neck that had been neglected from his attention. 

Rolling your head to the side, you give him more access to press open mouthed kisses along the side of your neck while your fingers tangle in the loose ends of his slicked back hair. Once he had found a soft spot on your skin, a shaky moan escaped your lips, earning a groan from him as his grip tightened on your thighs. 

“Fuck, you’re going to be the death of me.” 

Your cheeks were flushed, pressing yourself against him with need boiling through your veins as you relished in the way his teeth grazed your skin. “Porco, I need more and I need it now.”

He hums, darting his tongue out to lap at the base of your neck, barely grazing your collarbone. “Tell me what you want, pretty girl, and I’ll think about whether you deserve it or not.”

This was a game, a game he was sure he was going to win and you were more than happy to play along. Chewing on your bottom lip, you were trying to form the sentences in your head, but the feeling of his mouth was too much for your brain to comprehend and your senses were in overdrive. 

“I want you to fuck me, please.”

Your heart was beating like a drum in your chest when he lifted his head, meeting your gaze with blown pupils as his chest was rising rapidly. “Fucking hell.” 

Pulling you against him for steadiness, he walks with you in his arms as your own tighten around his neck for security, not wanting to bust your ass before he’s had a chance to get at it first. Porco leads you throughout the house, making a swift turn into what you assume was his room. You half expect for him to toss you onto his bed in a rush to get your clothes off, but you’re pleasantly surprised when he walks over to his bed and gently lays you near the edge before he steps back from you. 

He’s swift with his movements, peeling his shirt up from his torso before tossing it over his shoulder. You’re staring at him, shamelessly, letting your eyes rake up and down his torso in awe at his physique. To no surprise, he was definitely fit and it was doing wonders to the imagination you had of what he could’ve been hiding underneath his black button ups all these years.

“I’m assuming you like what you see?” He knew you did, he was relishing the way you were staring at him as if he was a meal and you had an insatiable hunger that needed to be fed. 

“More than you’d ever know.” Your words barely made it out in a cohesive sentence, rubbing your thighs together as your eyes fell to where his fingers were busy undoing the button of his jeans.

Porco was grinning, watching the way you gawk at him as he pushes his jeans down in a swift movement, leaving him standing in only his briefs as he steps out of the material that pooled at his ankles. God was he delicious to look at, the outline of his cock prominent and solid. Your tongue darts out, wetting your lips in a fluid swipe as you look up briefly to catch his gaze. 

“Lay back for me.” You lean back onto his bed, your breaths becoming more irregular in anticipation as Porco hovered over you. His hands delicately slip beneath the hem of your shirt, pushing the fabric up as his hands travel against your skin. His fingers grazed your ribs before they slipped over the cups of your breast with ease. You were squirming underneath his touch, silently begging he’d make haste with his movements and bring you closer to your sweet release. 

“God, you’re so fucking beautiful like this, laid out in front of me to be devoured.”

“If I look as good as you say, you’d think you’d move a little faster in doing so to get a taste.”

Porco’s lips formed a smirk as he continued to push your shirt up past your cleavage, slipping it up and above your head when you lean forward enough to pull your arms from within the top. He turns his focus to your skirt, dipping his fingers beneath the waistband of the material as he drags it down your hips. His eyes were following his movements, relishing in every inch of your skin as he exposed it. You raise your hips from his bed, aiding him as he continues to pull the skirt down till it effortlessly falls down your legs and hits the floor. 

Porco leans in, closing in the gap between your bodies as he takes your lips into a kiss, his hands migrating to cup each of your breasts within his palms as the two of you messily tongue at each other’s mouths. With desperation taking over, you pull back from the kiss, pressing your palm to his chest as he blinks down at you, slightly confused, but eager. “Can I taste you?”

Cursing beneath his breath, Porco stands up as you follow, coming up from his bed. Your fingers immediately grab onto the band of his briefs, hooking your fingers underneath as you watch carefully. You take your time pulling the material down, lips parted in anticipation as you reveal his needy member from underneath his briefs. He was thicker than you imagined, a very prominent vein on the underside of his shaft that had you salivating as if you’d never seen something so delectable before. 

Porco was feeling shy underneath your intense gaze, breathing heavily as you pushed the briefs down till they pooled at his ankles. Your hands were working faster than you had a moment to think, wrapping your fingers around his base while leaning forward. Laying your tongue out, you bring his tip to your lips and graze it against your tongue, savoring the slightly salty taste of his precum. 

Porco visibly shivered, his hands coming up to your head, smoothing out the stray hairs from your face as you then wrap your lips around his tip. You allow your saliva to coat his tip, spreading it around with your tongue as you slowly inch him further into your mouth. A soft moan left his lips as he watched with trained eyes as he disappeared into your mouth, earning a moan from yourself while you shamelessly rub your thighs together. 

You could feel your slick soaking through your panties as your mouth worked on his member in your mouth, rocking your hips forward slightly in hopes he’d not notice in order to relieve some tension between your legs. Porco’s breaths were getting heavier and more frequent as you bobbed your head up and down him, working your hand around his base as you pulled back. You could tell he was close, his fingers that were once pushing hair away from your face were now gripping at strands as he refused to let his eyes close for any longer than a second.

Porco pulled out of your mouth with a swift motion, breathing shakily as he stared down at your round eyes. “Fuck, your mouth is fucking heaven. I almost came.”

Your lips curled in the corners as you brought your hands behind your back, unhooking the clips of your bra till it slid effortlessly down your shoulders. “Really? That might’ve just been the point.”

Stepping out of his briefs, Porco steps closer to you and guides you to stand up, his patience leaving him as he grabs the sides of your panties and yanks them down. A soft laugh leaves your lips when he does so, pulling your feet from the lingering fabric around your ankles. “Get on the bed, all fours.”

Your face heats up immediately, unfamiliar with the assertiveness coming from him all of the sudden, but you comply and turn to crawl onto his bed. Porco is palming his cock in his hand as he goes over to his dresser, pulling out a wrapper and tearing it with his teeth. You’re peering over your shoulder, taking in the view of his back as he works the latex over himself with ease. His back was broad, toned even, and his ass looked just as good as the rest of him. 

“You like me or something?”

The question throws you off, your smile faltering as he simply laughs, climbing up behind you with the same shit eating grin you were used to. “You’ve been staring at me quite a lot, must mean you want me.”

“What I want is to see if you’re all bark and no bite, guess I was right.”

Porco took it personal, hovering behind you as he grabbed onto your shoulder, pulling you back till you were pressed against his chest as he wrapped one hand around your throat. “Watch your fucking mouth, pretty girl, before I make you regret talking so smartly to me.” His thick cock was just beneath, rubbing between your neglected folds. You didn’t respond, no words formed in your brain as you rocked your hips along his length. A soft moan left your lips when his tip brushed against your clit, sending a jolt throughout your body. 

His lips graze your shoulder as he pulls his hips back, using his other hand to align himself with your entrance. You feel him press right against where you were aching for him, trying to rock your hips back onto him, but fail as he moves his own. “Not so fast, pretty girl, I want you to feel me as I fuck you open. I want you to remember this moment.”

You shamelessly moaned out, your whole body burning under his touch as you felt his tip slip into your entrance. He felt even thicker now that he was actually inside you, a groan rumbling from within his chest as he slowly continued to push himself into you. His hand tightening around your throat with each inch, going at an excruciatingly slow pace.

“Porco, please.” Your voice was hoarse, laced with ecstasy and need, need for him to finally fill you up and give you what you’d been dying to get a taste of—him fucking you open on his bed.

“I’m sorry, pretty, I can’t hear you.” 

His hand relinquished itself from your throat, coming to press your back forward as you caught yourself on your hands. His fingers rake up your back, grabbing a fist full of your loose strands near the roots. Pulling your head back, Porco bottoms out inside you, earning a loud moan of his name as your eyes screw shut. It was a mix of pain and more pleasure than you had felt in a while, the thrill of him being nestled inside you sending a jolt of need throughout your body.

“Now, what was it you were saying?” His hips rock back, sliding out of your warmth before he eases back into, hissing lowly as you unintentionally clench around him. Porco’s hand grips your hip as he pulls back enough to slam into your hips with a bit more force, jolting your body forward just enough to knock your breath out from your lips. 

“ Fuck , fuck you’re so deep.”

Any other words die in your throat as Porco started fucking into you with a pace, setting a rhythm to which his hips met yours with such intensity that your eyes rolled back. His hand didn’t let up on his grip, holding you close to him as he continuously pounded into you from behind.

You were lost in ecstasy, moaning his name as if it was the only thing your mind could manage to form coherently. The tip of his cock brushed past the soft, gummy spot inside you with each thrust, making your toes curl. Porco was relentless, eventually letting go of your hair as his hand trailed down your side till he grabbed the flesh of your ass, gripping it between his fingers with a moan.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, spread out on my cock like the pretty girl you are.” You could feel him getting close, his once set pace began to fumble the tighter you got around him, chasing your own high that was coiling in your lower stomach as you try fucking yourself against him. Porco notices the way you push your hips back each time he thrusts in you, moaning out as he feels his cock twitch within your soft and soaking walls, the action alone making his head foggy.

“Fuck, I need you to come with me, pretty girl, think you, fuck, think you can do that?”

Nodding feverishly, your mind was too far gone to answer with a verbal reply, leaning your weight forward as your arms were feeling spent as you tried your best to hold yourself upward. Porco takes advantage of the slight change in position, leaning back on his heels as he grips your hips with such force, you were definitely going to have marks afterwards. He uses your hips to his advantage, slamming them down onto his throbbing cock as he moans out for you to come undone, and you do so. Your orgasm washes over you almost violently, leaving your body shaking around him as you come. Porco’s high wasn’t far behind, his hips stilling against yours as he pumped his load into the tip of the condom, a guttural moan of your name leaving his lips.

The two of you still in your movements, your bodies covered in a thin layer of sweat and a tingling feeling of bliss flows throughout your bodies. Porco waits till he softens to pull out from your warmth, hearing a whine from the loss of contact and from suddenly feeling empty. He smiles as you limply fall onto his bed, sprawled out in exhaustion.

“You look so fucking beautiful.” He meant to whisper it, but you heard it and it brought such a rush to your cheeks that you turned your head in the opposite direction. Porco pulls the latex rubber off of him, going to the bathroom to discard it when his phone rings. You sit up on your elbows, watching as he returns to the room a minute later with a wet rag in hand as he moves over to pull his phone from his pants. His expression shifts from confusion to panic once he sees the caller id, swiping across the screen quickly before bringing the phone to his ear. 

You roll onto your back, trying to maneuver yourself to throw your shaky legs over the edge of the bed as you silently attempt to get his attention to grab the rag from his hands.

“Hello?” 

Walking towards you, you pick up a faint sound of a woman’s voice and for some reason, you feel no jealousy. He hands off the rag and you begin to clean yourself up when he makes brief eye contact with you. With a heavy sigh, he ends the call with an, “Alright, see you soon.” 

You raise a brow as he ends his call, mumbling a string of curse words beneath his breath as he hastily starts to redress himself. You stare at him confused while holding onto the rag you had just used. “Um, so, unexpected change of plans. My parents are coming over, like, right now.”

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Chapter Text

“Your parent’s ?” Panic coursed throughout your body as you shakily stand up from his bed, collecting your clothes from his floor in a haste to get yourself redressed.

“ Yes .” His replies are quick, tugging his pants up his thighs with a groan as he jumps slightly to aid his action. 

“Like right now?” Tossing your clothes onto his bed, you immediately grab your bra, sliding the straps up your arms before you’re fiddling with the clasp in the middle of your back. Your shaky fingers make it hard to secure your bra in the right row, the discomfort from it not being aligned rubbing against your skin was feeding your sudden shot of anxiety. You’re clumsily slipping your underwear up your thighs, letting the elastic band snap against your hips once you have them high enough. 

“Judging by my moms, ‘ we’re coming by today pocky, see you in five! ’, yeah, I think they mean right now.”

You curse beneath your breath, fumbling with the opening in your skirt as you’re dipping your feet through it, trying not to lose your balance. Porco leaves you alone in his room, disappearing into the rest of the tiny house as you finish getting dressed, slipping your shirt over your head in a singular motion before you flatten out your hair from when he was previously tugging at your roots.

He comes back in, watching as you start to collect your phone and for a brief moment, you halt your movements and meet his eyes. “I’m sorry, I really didn’t think they’d just drop by today of all days.

You offer him an awkward smile, shrugging as you go back to looking for where  you tossed your wallet when the two of you made your way into the room. “It’s no biggie, I’ll just call a cab and make it seem like I was on my way out when they arrive.”

Porco walks over to you, gently grabbing your wrist as you turn to him with a soft smile on your lips. “Or, hypothetically, you could just stay.”

He wanted you to stay? He wanted you to stay and meet his parents. Porco wanted you to stay and meet his parents ? Your breath leaves your lungs, as if his words were a bat and you were the ball, knocking the wind from within your ribs and sending your mind spiraling into an out of bounds field of panic.

You stood silently, staring at him as if he just asked you if you wanted to get hitched and move in by the end of the week. An unusual sinking feeling began to form in the pit of your stomach, twisting your face as you tried to think of the politest way to get out of this situation. Porco was staring back with expectant eyes, flickering his gaze between your eyes as he held your wrist delicately, as if you were the only hope he had left to hold onto.

“It doesn't have to be weird, we can just tell them it’s new if they ask anything.”

Somehow, his words weren’t reassuring at all. This was all going too fast, you weren’t even sure what this was and he wanted to say it was new? What was new? What was this? A more important question you needed to reflect inward was what did you want from this?

“I, um, I don’t—can we talk about this later?” Motioning between the two of you, you watched slowly as the expectancy, or hope, dimmed in his eyes. You wanted to apologize, but you didn’t know what for. Your lips part, trying to find the words to say as a knock on his front door snaps you both out of the tension that was thickening in the silence of his room. 

Porco’s hand dropped from your wrist, his expression emotionless as he walked out of his room and down the hall to the front door. Unsure of what to do or where to go, you silently follow behind him as he opens the door, revealing two older people who very much resemble Porco. Of course they do, they’re his parents—idiot. His mom reminds you more of Marcel in the face, but Porco has her eyes. She is the first one you see, beaming as she steps into the house and wraps her arms around him. Porco mumbles a quick hello as he returns the hug, their height difference making you smile in admiration.

His father follows behind his mother, taller and you can tell Porco is nearly his spitting image as he gives Porco a simple pat on the back before offering a simple side hug as his wife separated from their youngest. His mom’s smile is slightly stiff as she turns to you, who was awkwardly lingering just behind Porco.

“Oh hello, where are my manners? I'm Minnie Galliard, it’s nice to meet you.”

You extend a hand, to which she takes, as you say your name with a tinge of pink across your cheeks. His father then notices you, extending his own hand as he introduces himself as Herman Galliard, a welcoming smile on his face.

“So, mom, dad, what possessed you two to stop by so abruptly?” Porco, who was ushering his parents over to the living room where they sat on the couch. Porco motioned for you to sit on the small sectional adjacent from his parents, plopping down beside you before leaning back against the cushions with his arm extended behind you.

“Can we not stop by to see our baby? Besides, we already had lunch with Marcel and he told us you were off today so we thought we’d spend time with you till Marcel is home for dinner.”

You felt stiff, leaning back against the couch but not daring to lean too far into Porco’s side as you fidgeted with your hands in your lap. “If we had known you had company, we would’ve stopped at some shops before coming over.” His father offered, gesturing to you with his eyes. You shrunk inwards, your shoulders pushing forward as you tried to silently wish the world would open up and swallow you whole where you sat.

“Maybe calling before you’re on the street of the house would be enough heads up.”

Porco, who was clearly annoyed, gave a tight-lipped smile to his parents who simply laughed off his irritation. “Don’t be like that pocky, we’re already here and you have this beautiful young lady beside you. Are you going to introduce her to us or act as if she doesn’t exist?”

Porco shifts in his seat, clearing his throat as turns his focus down to you as you avoid his parent’s questioning gaze. Feeling his eyes on you, you turn to him with an awkward smile on your lips that slowly spreads the longer he scans your face. Porco’s lips threaten to curl in the corners before he turns his focus back to his parents.

“She and I work together down at Levi’s, she actually trained me when I first started and we’re good friends.” 

Heat crawls up your neck as you turn to see his mother’s questioning gaze while his father simply nods in approval. You nod along as he tells his parents about how you knew Marcel before you met Porco at Levi’s, had been trained under Marcel when you first started and that the two of you had been good friends for the last few years.

“So, I assume that she’s your girlfriend?”

His father was bold, but firm in his choice of words, staring more at you than he did Porco when he asked his question. You were stammering, looking up at Porco with nervous eyes as Porco straightened his posture in his seat.

“Yes.”

“No—”

There was a beat of silence, a moment in which you and Porco turned your heads to each other as your mouth hung open slightly in shock. He called you his girlfriend? His girlfriend ?

“Um, we just started to see each other, so it’s all too new to be labeled just yet.” Damage control, you were trying to clean up the mess you were making for not only yourself, but for a very uncomfortable Porco beside you.

“So, I take it you’ve stopped seeing that Finger girl? It’s about damn time.”

Porco’s mother’s words were laced with displeasement as he stared at her, his jaw tightening as you turned to look at her in disbelief. Finger, as in Pieck Finger? You had questions, they were piling up as each second passed that Porco refused to say anything, offering no explanation to her question. 

“Now, Minnie, she’s a nice girl.”

“I wouldn’t use the term nice , Herman, but nevermind that, I’m just glad my baby has moved on and found someone more suitable for himself. Now dear, tell me about your parents.”

“Actually, she was just heading out, she’s got plans soon and can’t stay and chat.”

Your name rolling off Porco’s tongue sent a shock to your system, earning a dry cough from you as your hands fumble with the phone you had slipped into the convenient pocket of your skirt. You sent a quick text to Armin, letting him know you were going home before texting Eren to see if he was in the neighborhood.

you: hey um are you at work rn?

eren: yeah why? you okay?

you: physically yes haha if you get a sec can i get a ride home?

eren: omw just send me the address

Porco, who managed to sneak a glance over at your screen, gave you a sympathetic look as the two of you stood up in unison from his sectional. 

“But we just got here, I hate to see you go dear. Will you be joining us for dinner?” His mother was quick, reaching out to take your hands into her own with a welcoming look in her eyes, as if she could see you walking down the aisle already. 

“Actually, my friend and I are spending the rest of the evening together, so I fear I won’t  make dinner, but it was so nice meeting you Mr. and Mrs. Galliard.”

It didn’t take Eren long to pull up to Porco’s house he shared with Marcel, sitting in the car as you bid your goodbyes to Porco’s parents awkwardly. Porco, who tried to sneak in a kiss as you were walking out the door while handing you over your wallet, still hadn’t offered any explanation as to what his parents meant about him and Pieck and it left a weird taste in your mouth.

You blocked his chance at trying to kiss you, mumbling a false excuse that Eren had left work and he needed to hurry back as you pulled yourself from his embrace and scurried off to Eren’s car. You pulled the handle of Eren’s door, slipping into his passenger seat with a heavy sigh escaping your lips.

Eren just chuckled at your very tense expression, waiting for you to buckle yourself in before speeding off from the side of Porco’s house. Reaching out to turn down the music he had been playing from his radio, you stare forward with your mind going over the entirety of your time when you were with Porco.

“Looks like you had fun.”

You scoff, sinking in the seat with a groan as your hands flatten out the fabric of your skirt on your thighs. “It was something, alright.”

Eren simply nods, waiting for you to continue. Eren had always been a shoulder for you to cry on whenever anything felt too heavy, when you felt like no one might understand what it felt like. He was the one person out of the group who reflected you, silently observing everything anyone had done and made sure that when you needed an escape, to be that escape for you. 

At first, the two of you didn’t get along, he was hot headed with a smart mouth and a bad view on everyone around him except for Mikasa and Armin. You hated how he talked down about every little thing, as if it wasn’t important—as if nothing had any worth. It wasn’t till you blew up on him one night at his fraternity parties that your relationship changed.

“You’re such a bitch.” Hearing your name leave Eren’s lips was your final straw. Who was he to call you a bitch?

“Excuse me?” Turning to face him, you met Eren toe to toe; staring slightly up at him with a fire burning in your chest. He simply scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest as Armin called out his name, not as a plea, but as a warning.

“You heard me, you walk around here each weekend acting all high and mighty. No one owes you shit, so stop pretending to be everyone’s friend and stop pulling Armin around as if he’s a lost puppy.”

You were pissed, pissed at the fact that he knew nothing about you, nothing that came from your mouth other than your name and probably your major. All he knew was what he wanted to know—what he assumed he knew and he had the nerve to talk to you as if you did something wrong?

“You know what Eren, you’re just a self-censored, arrogant prick who needs to get your head out of your ass before you lose who you have left.” Tears were burning in your eyes, your hands shaking as you stormed off into the sea of people who gathered around where you two were just tossing insults back and forth. You didn’t know where to go, simply walking out from the front doors of the frat till you found somewhere safe to stop. You could go back to your dorm, but Armin or even your dorm-mate, Sasha, could go there first and in the moment, you just wanted to be alone.

So you went where you always go, to the tree that you and Armin had unofficially claimed as yours. Plopping down at the base, you brought your knees to your chest and silently cried, letting yourself feel it all. The weight of the first year of college, the weight of grief, the weight of being a young adult who should’ve had it figured out by now, but didn’t. You cried till your chest felt like it was going to crumble inwards, till your lungs burned and your body shook. You cried till you heard footsteps, your body going stiff as you blink away the tears and see a familiar figure approaching you.

Eren didn’t say anything, just sitting down beside you in silence. You wanted to ask him why he was there or even contemplating on telling him to fuck off, but then you heard it. A silent sob left his lips, then another and then another. Eren slumped forward, bringing his hands to his face as he sobbed into them, crying as if he too was lost, as if he too were buried underneath the layers and layers of grief.

The two of you fell into a rhythm, sobbing beside each other till you both eventually had nothing left in you to cry any longer. He apologized for what he said, both to your face and behind your back. He explained why he was acting the way he was towards you, a fear that you’d take his best friend from him and he couldn’t bear the thought of losing anyone else.

The two of you bonded over your griefs, both having lost your mothers due to the neglect and carelessness of your fathers. It felt like you had finally had someone who saw the world you were living in, someone who saw your pain.

Eventually, Armin and Mikasa found the two of you lying underneath that tree with swollen eyes and puffy cheeks that were stained with tears. Your head was killing you, so was Eren’s, but he still draped his arm around you for you to lean against him as the four of you walked silently back to your dorm where a very worried Sasha had been waiting.

The next time you had seen Eren, he took you into a hug and held you as if you were going to disappear if he let go. You let him hold you, hugging him just as hard as he was to you and since then, he’s always been the one to visit your mom’s burial site with you when it was too heavy to go on your own. Armin was always there too, of course, but it made the difference that Eren went out of his way to go with you as you would with him and Mikasa. 

“His parents came over.”

Eren laughed, too quickly for your taste, his saliva spraying his front window as he briefly looked your way to see your unamused expression. “Fucking christ, he made you meet his parents? I thought you were going for a quick fuck?”

“I thought so too! And he didn’t make me, exactly, they just kind of showed up at the last minute and started questioning him and then me .”

Eren, who was clearly amused, turned into the parking lot of his and his older brother’s car shop, putting the gear into park before killing the engine so that you two could sit in the air conditioning of his car. “What kind of questions did they ask? I bet you’re a real charmer for parents.”

“They asked us if we were dating, to which I said no , but apparently, that was the wrong answer.” Groaning, you bring your hands up to rub your face in a moment of frustration. You continued to tell him about what his parents said about Pieck, Eren shot you a raised brow when you did so, but remained quiet as you continued to ramble on about how awkward it was and how uncomfortable you felt leaving the way you did.

“Although he did sort of save me from explaining my sob story about my dead mom and inmate dad, he also literally announced I was leaving when he was the one who picked me up and that’s when I texted you.”

Eren simply hummed, leaning forward to wipe off the spit that landed on his window from his previous laugh. Using the edge of his jumpsuit sleeve, he managed to get it clean before letting out a sigh as he leaned back into his seat. “So, are you going to see him again?”

“I have to, like, four days a week, dumbass.”

“Not at work, idiot , I mean for dates and hookups and shit. Are you going to casually date him or just fuck around? Cus it seems to me, he wants to be serious with you.”

You’re silent and so is he. You’re thinking over if you actually want something serious with Porco, if you two are meant to work it out into something serious. The thoughts were heavy and haunting, looming over you as if it were a dark cloud and you couldn’t escape the shadow it casted down on you. 

“What’s that saying? Silence is loudest when uncertainty is present?”

Your face twists as you turn to the boy beside you, watching as he meets your gaze with a raised brow, but knowing eyes.

“That’s not a common phrase, or a phrase at all I think.”

Eren softly laughs as you cross your arms across your chest, watching as he holds your gaze. The two of you sit in silence for another moment, the music filling up the space in the car while you simply think. No talking, no asking questions, just your thoughts and music and the smell of his car. 

Eren breaks eye contact, turning to see his older brother maneuvering around in the car shop with a customer following along. “Do you ever think your mom would be proud of who you are today?”

You’ve heard this question too often from him, it is always being aimed inwards more than it is outwards. Your gaze shifts to Zeke, watching him talk to the unknown man with Eren, thinking about the last time he asked you that. You don’t know the answer, you don’t want to know it either. The weight of that truth would be too much to bear, so instead, you answer as if you had an answer for him instead.

“Yeah, she would be proud of you, both of your mom’s would.”

Eren doesn’t physically react, just continuing to watch Zeke in silence before he turns his head towards you with a playful smile on his lips. “You think our dad’s are cellmates?”

A laugh leaves you, the kind of laugh that masks the pain of the reality of it all. You don’t turn to see his eyes, simply nodding as your arms undo themselves and fall to your sides. “Yeah, I think they are and for whatever their worth is reduced to, they deserve each other.”

You feel a faint buzzing in your pocket, pulling your phone out from within it and flipping it over to see the notifications you’d miss from Armin. You don’t fight the smile that spreads onto your lips when you see his name on the screen and Eren surely doesn’t miss it either. He doesn’t get a glimpse of who you’re texting, simply humming along to the music as you tap on your phone.

armin: okay, everything alright? i thought you were with peter today?

you: his name is porco 

you: and i was but ended up leaving, will fill you in when i see you tonight :p 

armin: whatever his name is, i was close

armin: are you home? i can leave early since you’re free now if you want

you: bro get your work done and dw i’m with eren

armin: at least i know you’re safe

armin: at the shop?

you: yeah we’re talking rn

armin: about …?

you: you :p 

armin: really?

you: no 

armin: that was rude :( 

you: how so? you want me to talk about you behind your back??

armin: no, not unless they’re all good things

you: do you talk about me to eren?

armin: all the time, actually

you: oh

armin: don’t worry, they’re only good things :) see you soon angel

“Tell him I said hi.”

You raise your head, narrowing your eyes as Eren grins underneath your questioning gaze. “No, he’s already distracted, he needs to focus on work.” Eren simply rolls his eyes, turning his car fully off before opening his door once his seatbelt was unbuckled. You did the same, opening your door and the two of you got out of his car and walked around to the service bay where there were two cars parked beside each other. 

“How’d you even know it was him, what if I was texting a woman instead.” 

Eren, who was rolling up his sleeves, pulled a ticket off the hood of a car that had scribbled words onto it and sighed before scrounging the area to collect the thing’s he’d need. “When was the last time Sasha made you react like that to a few simple texts.”

You don’t answer immediately, watching him with your lips pressed together tightly before you mumble something about her buying dinner on her way over. It was a lame excuse and he knew it, but he didn’t press further and you were grateful for it. 

Eren gets a creeper, sliding it up to the car you were lingering by before he kneeled down and laid flat on his back onto it, sliding himself beneath the car. “So, what does he say about me?”

You can’t see him, but you surely hear the grin he has on his lips followed by the sounds of metal clinking against each other. “Who? Armin?”

You sigh, walking backwards till your back meets the wall, leaning against it as you fiddle with your fingers. “Yes, Armin .”

Eren hums, coming from underneath the car as he switches tools, turning his head towards you with a nonchalant expression. “Dunno if I should tell you, that’s breaking bro code.”

“Fuck you and your bro code.”

Zeke comes from within the building, wearing the same navy blue jumper as Eren was except his was a cuff sleeve and not a full one. His glasses cast a glare as he rounds the corner with a pleased smile on his lips. “Now, you may be grown, but I still don’t tolerate potty mouths from my favorite little sister.”

“She’s not even related to you, dipshit.” Eren chimes in from underneath the car.

“I see where she gets it from, must run in the family I guess.” Amused, Zeke pulls a carton of cigarettes from his pocket accompanied by a lighter you bought him one year for a gag birthday present. It has a monkey on one side, bending down with a cigarette in its mouth and on the other side is the monkey’s ass on full display. You smile each time you see he still has it, not sure how he keeps it working. 

“My favorite Jaeger, how I see some things never change.”

Eren, who clearly takes offense, comes up from underneath the car with a scowl directed towards you as he interchanges tools.

“Likewise, I see you’re still just as delightful as always.” He put the end of the cigarette between his lips, rolling his thumb on the lighter a few times till he got a steady flame, burning the tobacco till it filled his lungs with a deep inhale. He holds in the smoke for a second before releasing it, blowing it out between his lips in a fluid exhale.

“So, tell me, how was your date?”

You’re quick to scowl down where Eren is grinning, slipping back beneath the car before you have the chance to reach down and pop his head right off his shoulders. “It was fine.”

Zeke simply nods, flicking the ash from the tip of his cigarette onto the ground before taking another puff from the end. You three let a beat of silence pass before Zeke speaks up. “And how is Armin? I assume you two are friends again?”

“Eren!” Your voice was laced with embarrassment, looking away from Zeke who was clearly amused as you avoided his gleeful gaze.

“Hey, don’t get pissy with me, I didn’t tell him shit about you and Armin.”

“It’s true, he didn’t. You just have this glow in your eyes, like the meaning to your life is back.” Zeke takes in a long draw of his cigarette, letting it exhale through his nose before putting out the bud on the wall and tossing the remains onto the floor.

“He’s right, you know, which is a rare sighting.”

Eren slid up from underneath the car, rolling off of the creeper before getting up from the ground and dusting himself off. His hair was still down, strands sticking to the side of his neck with the help of his sweat for adhesion. He had some dark brown marks on his upper cheek and smaller specks of black sprayed across his forehead. He looked older, older than he was and maybe that had to do with the amount of overthinking he was constantly doing, but that was just Eren. 

His eyes looked tired, his cheeks slightly defined from all the manual labor he did during his days at the shop. Despite all of it, he still reminded you of the Eren who laid with you underneath that tree, the boyish smile always being the last thing left of younger Eren. 

“Well, you could’ve asked him instead of me, seeing how they live together, y’know?” You were deflecting, trying to get their attention away from your relationship with Armin. You couldn’t handle it, not with him being hours away from picking you up and spending the rest of your night with him.

The two Jaeger brothers proceed to tease you on your not so important relationship regarding the blonde as you ignore their attempts to rile you up. You’re waiting around inside once it had gotten too hot outside, glancing at your phone when Porco’s name comes across your phone. Your fingers hesitate over the text notification, not sure if you should answer immediately or wait it out to gather your thoughts on what he might say.

Deciding to respond before you’re caught up with whatever Armin had planned, you click on the messages.

porky galliard: i’m sorry about my parents and them acting so weird

porky galliard: i didn’t know they’d bring all that stuff up

you: yeah it's alright, it's not like we can read minds or whatever haha

porky galliard: are we okay?

you: idk what we even are porco? why’d you say we were dating to your parents?

porky galliard: are we not?

porky galliard: i thought we were …we went on a date and i brought you to my house to have sex with you 

porky galliard: sounds like dating to me

you: no porco, you have to ask me to be your girlfriend to consider it dating idiot

porky galliard: so this is just casual?

Was it casual? If it was, that was a whole lot easier than trying to label him as your boyfriend, especially after one date. But that leaves room for more questions you didn’t have the energy to ask, but deep down, you know you needed the answers.

 you: ig? i mean it was one date and good sex so why not?

You see three little dots appear, he’s typing. They immediately vanish and a wave of anxiety washes over you. Was casual not the way to go? 

porky galliard: okay, casual :)

you: so .. what's going on with you and pieck?

Again, three little dots. They appear, then disappear and it repeats two more times before they’re gone for good. You’re chewing on the inside of your cheek, staring at your screen while you’re leaning against the front Zeke was typing away on the opposite side of you. Eren, who was watching a video on his phone while simultaneously texting, leaned against the wall beside Zeke. You were caught up in your phone when the bell that sat above the door was set off, catching the attention of the two brothers. 

You could hear footsteps approaching, capturing your attention as you lifted your head. Low and behold, Armin was beside you with a toothy smile as he came to your side. Your lips immediately mirror his smile, your fingers locking your phone with a click as you shift your body towards his.

Armin doesn’t waste time, slipping his arms beneath yours as he pulls you into his embrace and captures you into a hug. Your body reacts on instinct, wrapping your arms around him as he nestles his head into the crook of your neck, taking in a deep breath through his nose before gently exhaling.

“Did you wait long for me?”

Your cheeks flush as he mumbled against your skin, igniting a wave of goosebumps across your body that cause the hairs on your neck to flare. Shaking your head, your hands gently rub his back as he hums out satisfactorily. Armin holds you for a minute longer, a minute that has you almost forgetting about the awkward time at Porco’s house with his parent’s unexpected arrival. A minute too long, that had you wondering what was going on in his head, that made you question how long you could tap dance on the line of just friends or something else.

Zeke clears his throat, loudly, catching the attention of both you and Armin who were seemingly lost in your own world for a brief moment. Armin raises his head from your shoulder, his arms loosening around your frame as he turns his attention to Zeke and Eren who were very obviously staring at the two of you. 

“Hey Zeke, sorry for not saying hello when I first walked in.” Armin rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly at the older blonde who just grinned at him. 

“No need to apologize, good to see you Armin.” Eren snickered amusingly, nodding at Armin as Armin returned the nod. Armin’s attention fell back onto you immediately afterwards, a soft blush on his cheeks as he steps back slightly to create some distance between the two of you.

“Are you ready?”

You hum, tapping your foot as you glance off at the clock on the wall opposite of where you were standing. Armin raises a brow, smiling at you softly as you pretend to be in deeper thought than you were. “That depends.”

“On?” He counters, resting against the counter with his elbow propping him up, patiently awaiting your response. You meet his gaze, staring into his beautifully blue orbs. Your breath catches ever so slightly, amazed that a man such as him can be so entrancing and yet so clueless to the gift that he is. 

“Where are we going?”

Armin hums, mimicking you as he taps his foot against the tiles beneath you. Your lips threaten to curl in the corners, rolling your eyes as you wait for him expectantly. 

“That’s a secret, seems like you’ll just have to trust me.”

You want to tell him you do, more than anyone dead or alive—more than the oxygen that fills your lungs. But you don’t, you simply take his outstretched hand into yours, locking your fingers between his and let him guide you out of the shop after the two of you bid your goodbyes to both Eren and Zeke. You trust him with your entire being—heart, body and soul and maybe it’s because you know you’ll never love anyone the way you love him or maybe it’s because you know you’ll never feel love like his love for you.

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Chapter Text

The two of you get to his car, slipping into the seats as you connect your phone to his speaker system. You’re scrolling through your music before ultimately deciding on putting on the playlist you two created, glancing over his way as one of his favorite songs starts the shuffle queue. Armin, who is trying to contain his smile, picks up the pair of glasses on his dashboard you didn’t realize had been there.

You watch as he unfolds them in his hands before slipping them onto his face, turning to you after he had adjusted them with a slight push from his finger. You’re too busy staring at him in awe, having not seen him in glasses since the two of you inescapably stopped talking years ago. 

“I lost my contacts and my doctor said they won’t be in for a few weeks, so I have to wear these until then.” 

Your mouth is hung slightly, lips parted and your throat starting to feel dry as you continue to stare at him. Armin shifts awkwardly under your gaze, fiddling with the hairs that fall down over his eyes, his slender fingers carefully adjusting strands to not block his view as he awaits your response.

“So you mean to tell me that you walked inside the shop not being able to see anything?”

His eyes fall to his lap, nodding sheepishly as he avoids your intense gaze. “Yeah, I didn’t feel like dealing with Eren teasing me for wearing my glasses again, he has a habit of thinking that my actions are done for ulterior motives.” He falls silent, tracing his fingers over the fabric of his slacks as the tips of his ears start to darken. “I hate them though, I should’ve been more responsible and bought extra contacts when I first got them.”

“I think you look good—they look good on you I mean.” 

Stammering, you can feel the blood rush to your cheeks as Armin raises his head, peering over at you through the lenses of his glasses with a tender smile. He doesn’t say anything, just smiling at you as you avoid his gaze, looking everywhere in the front of his car, but directly at him.

“Then I’ll wear them more, when you’re around at least.”

Armin cranks his car, his hand moving over to rest casually over the gearshift as the music fills the car. Your eyes fall to his hand, your fingertips itching to take it into your own as you gather all the restraint you have within you, not wanting to overstep any boundaries the two of you continue to clearly ignore. Armin doesn’t look your way as he speaks up, pulling away from the car shop and onto the main road.

“So, what happened on your date with Parker?”

“Porco.” You corrected, glancing over to see him rolling his eyes as he made a turn, earning a soft laugh from you.

“Whatever his name is, how was it and why’d you leave so soon?” 

Shifting in your seat, you ignore all rhyme and reason as your hand reaches over, resting carefully on top of his while staring out the front window. Your phone buzzes in your pocket, stealing your attention as Armin awaits your response. You’re unlocking your phone, scanning over the messages from the group chat you have with your coworkers as people start replying to Pieck’s text letting everyone know about the party she is planning for her birthday.

“It wasn’t really a date, more like just two people hanging out and then his parents came over and from then on, it got weirder and more awkward than it should have.”

Armin turns his palm upwards, slipping his fingers between yours as he holds your hand in his. He brings your conjoined hands over to his thigh, resting them carefully on his leg as he continues his drive. “How so? And why did his parents show up exactly?”

“They kind of just showed up unannounced until the last minute then he agreed when they asked me if I was his girlfriend, then—”

“Are you?” His grip tightened on your hand, something that was a habit of his since you had met him—a sign he was either nervous or anxious.

“No , god no. We’ve been on one date and Porco is a nice guy, very charming and very equipped in bed, but I don’t even know if I want to date him seriously just yet.”

Armin hums, straightening out his posture in his shoulders as you continue on. You tell him about how uncomfortable you had felt, texting Eren to come pick you up once Porco had announced you were leaving and about the brief mention of Pieck from Porco’s parents. 

“Pieck Finger? That name sounds familiar, she works with you at Levi’s right?”

You nod, locking your phone in your lap before you turn your neck to admire the side profile of his face. “Yeah, she’s shorter than the rest of us with medium to long black hair.”

“Ahh, she’s one of Annie’s hometown friends, I think they shared a dorm at one point, but I can’t be certain. What I am certain of is I’d seen your date there a lot when I would go spend time with Annie so I assumed they had been dating.”

Pieces of the puzzle were starting to connect in your mind from why Porco knew before the rest of your coworkers had known about her special birthday party as well as to why Porco’s parents mentioned her to Porco. It felt strange to imagine the two of them together, but it also felt natural. They were always coming off as close friends during shifts and there were once rumors that the two may have had some secret relationship going on, but Porco denied it and Pieck never actually mentioned it herself.

When you checked your phone, you noticed how he still hadn’t replied to your message from earlier about what might be going on between the two, but it didn’t seem to bother you as badly as you expected it to. “Well, she’s having a birthday party and told Porco to tell me to invite you, Eren and Mikasa.”

Armin scrunches his nose, an unpleasant look forming on his face, but you were too distracted by the way his glasses were raised as they sat perched up on the apples of his cheeks. “I think it would be weird if I went, especially if she invites Annie.”

“I get that, I think I’ll end up going just because she’s my friend and we work together, but I will miss you while I am there.”

You were clearly baiting Armin and he knew it, sneaking a side glance at you as you dip your head down enough to look up at him with soft eyes. You were trying to get him to come with you as your plus one and he was falling for it, even if he didn’t want to take the chance of seeing his ex again. Armin sighs, pulling into a car park of a large building you don’t quite recognize.

“I’ll think about it, but there’s no guarantee I’ll go.” He pulls the keys from the ignition, slipping them into his front pocket before opening his door. 

“Thank you.” You smile, pulling your hand from his as you unbuckle your seatbelt while he does the same. “Where are we?”

Armin was already outside the car before he could answer, opening his door and hopping out to walk around the car and open your door for you, to which you mumble another thank you. He reconnects his hand to yours after he closed your door behind you, using his free hand to pull his phone from his back pocket while the two of you walk towards a tall, slightly abstract building with no indication in the front what it could possibly house inside.

He holds the door open for you once you two walk up the two small rows of steps, allowing you to step inside with awe in your eyes as you admire the interior of the building. “The museum is fairly new, not many people even know it’s here, but I overheard some people talking about it at the office a few weeks back and you were the first person that came to mind.”

Armin guides the two of you to a lady who stood behind a tall desk, a scanner in her hand beside a printer and a small tablet that lit up the underside of her face in the dimly lit building. She holds out the scanner, giving Armin the opportunity to scan the code on his phone as a beep confirms your tickets. You’re watching the fairly silent exchange happen before a tiny piece of paper begins printing, drawing in your attention as you watch it curl over till it comes to a halt. The woman rips the receipt from the printer, handing it over to Armin before wishing you both a good time throughout the museum. 

Armin thanked her softly, walking beside you as the two of you pass by her and into the main area where art hung on the walls, small lights placed underneath each piece to light it up enough to still be seen as the day passes into night.

“It’s an all women’s art museum, some of the most beautiful portraits of women and lovers are displayed here.” 

Armin says in a hushed tone, leaning into your side as the two of you stop at the first piece just past where you entered. On the canvas, there was a woman who was standing upward, looking off to the right as a man was kneeling down in front of her, holding her hand in his while solely focusing on the woman. 

“I wonder where she was going.”

You were thinking more out loud than you should’ve been, your eyes studying the delicate strokes that the artist executed as he put extreme detail into the painting.

“My guess is that she was in love with another, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

Armin, who was standing closer to you than you had realized, looked from the canvas then down to you, his eyes studying the way you were mesmerized by the artwork.

“Sometimes it does more harm to hold onto someone who may never love you the way you love them than it does good.” Turning your head to hold his gaze, you want to smile and hide the fact that part of you feels sorry for that man who was painted, wondering what he must’ve been feeling seeing his love being with another, but you can’t bring yourself to do so.

“You sound like you speak from experience.”

Armin, whose eyes were searching yours, raises a brow in your silence. Instead of adding more to it, you gently walked around him and guided him with you to the next painting. On this canvas was a woman’s chest painted as she leaned over a desk of some sort, a piece of paper with scribbled writing painted across it with a feather quill pin in her hand and the calamus further back on the desk.

“What do you see here?”

Armin hums, bringing his hand to his chin as he looks at the painting with a bit more playfulness than seriousness. You purposely bump into him, brushing your shoulder with his, earning a soft chuckle from him as he drops his hand from his face. Armin’s posture straightens out slightly as he focuses in on the canvas before you, his eyes softening while gathering his thoughts.

“I think she’s probably writing love letters to her forbidden-fruit lover, trying to be discreet in a society that frowns upon what her heart truly wants.”

You silently nod, pursing your lips as you remember the note pinned above your desktop. Armin used to write you notes when you two had gotten close, usually leaving them in discrete places where only you’d check when you shared a dorm room with Sasha. 

‘ Hi, I’m writing this in my biology class right now :) professor hange is a very peculiar person, but she lets me work ahead when we’re doing labs so I have a lot more free time on my hands than the rest of the class. Today professor hange opened the class with a joke and no one seemed to get it so I had to forcefully laugh in order for it to not be awkward. She said to never trust atoms because they make up everything. At least she appreciated my laughter, right? I hope you find light in her humor and enjoy this little note. – Armin :)’

Sasha, who was clearly reading over your shoulder, was internally cringing from the little note you held so delicately in your hands. 

“What kind of romance novel are the two of you living in?” She had her arm propped up on your shoulder as you grinned down at the paper, rereading the note from the start one more time.

“We’re not living in a romance novel, he’s just being thoughtful and leaving me little notes to find. Trying to get a word in when Eren is around isn’t the easiest, especially since he hates me.”

Scoffing, Sasha walks away from your bed where you sat with your bag beside you. He had left the note tucked away in a book you had stashed in your bag when the two of you spent your usual break underneath the tree on campus. Plopping onto her stomach, Sasha watched as you continued to stare at the paper, a smile on her lips as she sneakily took her phone out and snapped a picture of you. 

“Eren doesn’t hate just you, he hates everyone. I wouldn’t take it personal, but as for Armin? That boy is clearly head over heels for you.”

You roll your eyes, pushing yourself off your bed as you move over to the desk you had right beside your bed, pulling out a drawer and carefully placing the note down on top of others. “No, he’s not.”

Sasha props herself up on her elbows, resting her head in the palm of her hand as her eyes follow you. “And what makes you say that? You’re a total hottie and if I swung that way, I’d date you myself.”

Laughing, you close the drawer before walking across the room to her bed. Sasha scooted over, making room for you as you climb on, laying on your back with your head facing her. “Because Eren keeps teasing him about some transfer student named Annie and each time he does, Armin gets super shy and flustered.”

Rolling her eyes, Sasha groans as you shrug, shifting her weight slightly onto her other arm. “Until they start dating or you hear it from his mouth, not cry baby Eren’s, then I say you still have a shot.”

“I hope that whoever got her letters kept every single one of them.” Your words seem to spark something in the blonde beside you, his head turning to your direction as you purposely avoid his piercing gaze. His lips part, a soft exhale passing from his lips as his hand gently gripped yours a little tighter.

“Did you?” The question felt heavy, like there was more beneath it that all relied on your one simple answer. This time, you turn to look eyes with him, a slight curl in the corners of your lips as you simply nod.

“Yes, every single one of them.” Your words were breathy, rubbing your thumb over his in a circular motion as the two of you stood in front of the canvas without another word. The two of you eventually continued down the wall that was lined with canvases, stopping before each one to briefly talk about what the two of you thought each artist was trying to convey in their work and what they might’ve been feeling during the duration of creating each panting. 

“Since we’re doing better now than we have in a while, is it safe to ask what happened between you and Annie?”

You didn’t miss the way Armin’s body tensed as the two of you stopped in front of a painting of a woman who was laying across an elongated chair, her hair draped over her crossed arms as she seemingly buried her head. She was depicted to be lying down, her head and arms resting on the arm of the furniture and her beautifully detailed dress draped downwards from the skirt as her legs were stretched out.

“I suppose it is safe, although I don’t know what you want to know exactly.” Armin, who was turned towards you with your hands still interlocked, tore his eyes from the canvas and focused them onto you. 

“Anything, honestly, I was kind of left out of the loop during that time and we’ve briefly talked about it, but it still feels like I have no idea what happened in your life during that time.”

Armin smiles, it was a somber smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. You were starting to regret asking him as you watched something unfamiliar swirl in the depths of his eyes, igniting a spark of guilt that washed over you in waves.

“Well, I guess you didn’t miss much. Annie and I started dating and we were doing great until she let her jealousy start to control our relationship. Instead of talking to me, she turned to someone else and for a brief period of time, we were broken up until she asked me for another chance.” 

You simply nodded along, tugging his hand as the two of you migrated onto the next canvas. You couldn’t shake the pressing feeling that weighed in on your chest, chewing on your inner cheek as he continued.

“It wasn’t anything exciting, definitely nothing I am proud of at least. I took her back when I should’ve just been fine being on my own instead of depending on a relationship that was never going to work and letting her walk on me for years.”

“What made you finally leave her for good?”

The two of you were now passing the final painting, walking back through the path you had first entered from as you two bid the same woman who scanned his phone earlier a goodnight. Armin walked before you, pulling the door open for you as the two of you stepped out from the building, looking up at the sky that was once bright and blue that has now transitioned to a blue that faded into a soft orange. 

With the sun beginning to set, you were truly amazed at how long the two of you spent inside the museum, admiring art and talking about little things that held both tremendous amounts of significance and none at all.

“It was a talk that I had with Eren when we were deciding if we were going to renew our lease at our apartment. He told me he’d stay because you and Mikasa were living together and Mikasa wasn’t ready to leave you with the apartment on your own and it dawned on me that it was the first time in years I had heard your name.

“I didn’t even know you and Mikasa had lived together, let alone that you stayed in the area after graduation, and when I brought it up to Annie that I had wanted to reach out to you, she accused me of being unfaithful to her and it caused a big argument and I knew in that moment that I was tired of letting her choose who I could love in my life.”

‘Who he could love in his life.’ What was that supposed to mean in correlation to you? The two of you were now standing by his car, your back facing your door as he stood in front of you, reaching out to take your other hand into his. The two of you stood in silence, just holding hands as a blush crept up on your cheeks when you finally tore your eyes from his.

“You’re staring.”

Your voice was playful as your foot rocked a rock that you had spotted in the space between you two on the gravel beneath you. Armin simply shrugs, looking down at what you were doing with the tip of your shoe before he stepped back, untangling his fingers from your hands. Your hands react to the loss of contact, embarrassingly stretching your fingers out as if his were still within the limits of reconnecting to your own. Instead, Armin reaches behind you, pulling the handle of your door open while one of his hands pressed flat against the small of your back to pull you out from in front of it.

“C’mon, let’s go get something to eat.”

Turning on your heels, you don’t object as you climb into your seat, buckling yourself in as he shuts your door before getting in on his own side and securing his own seat belt. Your phone reconnects to his car shortly after he cranked the engine, magnets by niki started to play as Armin pulled out of the car park.

“Tell me about your life during that time.”

You were a little taken aback, glancing over at him as he drove, his eyes focused and calculated on the road ahead while you shifted slightly to face him more. “What do you want to know?”

Armin hums before shrugging, a gentle smile forming in the corner of his lips as he briefly glances your way to not only see your eyes on him, but to check if he had the right of way in traffic. “Anything, everything, boyfriends you had or bones you broke. I just want to know what your life was like and what I missed out on.”

“Well, in the beginning, I didn’t do much, just spent time with Sasha till she met Niccolo. Then I spent most of my time with Mikasa until Eren would come around or with Jean and Connie. Eventually I worked as a teachers assistant for Professor Pyxis until graduation and I got a job at Levi’s sometime between all of that. 

“I met Reiner through Porco, we dated and broke up all in the same year and I’ve been living with Mikasa since our third year. No broken bones, although I did fracture my wrist once when I trusted Connie to carry me home after we smoked one night.”

Armin, who was clearly amused at you putting your blind trust in Connie, laughed a little beneath as your fingers gently massage the wrist in question. “And what events lead to you fracturing your wrist?”

You proceeded to explain to him how you and Connie had been smoking one night behind his dorm and how it had snowed right as the two of you finished up. You were wearing shoes that were not equipped to keep out the snow and to prevent yourself from losing all of your toes due to hypothermia, Connie agreed to carry you back to your dorm.

Sometime between the walk up a few flights of stairs and your dorm door, Connie had tripped with you on his back and you lost your grip on his body, falling down a few steps, but unfortunately landed directly on your wrist. The night ended with a very interesting hospital visit, a very pissed off Jean and a very anxious Mikasa who slept in your hospital chair—seeing how it had been in the middle of the night—till they cleared you to go home.

“I had to wear a cast for six whole weeks followed by a brace for two more weeks and two additional weeks of at home physical therapy.” 

Armin winces at the thought of your pain, his face twisting in phantom discomfort as you simply laugh at the memories. Connie treated you like you were a newborn for nearly half a year after the incident, guilt ate at him as if he was a never ending piece of cheese and guilt was a mouse. 

“I can’t believe I never heard that from Eren, I mean, he told me about Mikasa going to visit at the hospital for a friend, but he made it seem so insignificant.”

You simply hummed at his words, reminiscing on how weird it was to have such a major thing happen to you—in your adult life at least—and Armin not being there during the process. You imagined how worried he would’ve been if the two of you were on talking terms, how he might’ve been the one to sleep beside you while you awaited for your scans to be taken or if he’d sleep at all. 

“I think they tried to keep your name away from being brought up so it didn’t feel weird, for my sake at least.”

It felt weird to admit out loud, like it was a confession you had never planned on letting slip from the depths of your subconscious. Armin didn’t look your way, his grip tightening on the steering wheel as you watched the hurt settle in his eyes.

“I think so too. Eren would refuse to answer any question I asked about you and Mikasa would just look at me like I was an abandoned puppy she found soaked on the streets. As far as the others, well, we just kind of never spoke when we saw each other—simply existing as if we had never known each other before.”

Tension was heavy in the car as Armin pulled into the parking lot of a small takeout restaurant the two of you would visit during trips on your way towards your hometown during the weekend. It was walking distance from the beach, making it a very popular place during the summer months. The sun is starting to set along the horizon and it suddenly hit you, he brought you all this way to the place the two of you loved being the most.

“You asked about me?” In attempts to lighten the mood, you undid your seatbelt with a click as blush spread across Armin’s cheeks. He simply nods, getting out from his car once he killed the engine and took his keys from the ignition,

“Often actually, but no one ever actually fed into my curiosity and I didn’t want to be one of those guys who stalked your socials, so I just settled on the memories of you.”

The two of you got out of his car, walked into the tiny restaurant and ordered your food before going outside to wait for your order to be completed. It wasn’t long before your food was ready, carefully packed in styrofoam boxes and then placed in a white plastic bag. Armin refused to let you pay, despite your protests, asking you kindly to carry the drink the two of you planned on sharing.

On your walk across the street to the beach, the two of you fell into a simple pace, matching each other's steps as you walked side by side. Neither of you spoke, letting the few cars that drove pass and the sound of the birds that flew above fill in the silence for you. Armin suggested the two of you sit on the concrete side where the sand met, to which you agreed and plopped down beside him.

Pulling the two boxes from within the bag, you laid them both out, open with your drink in the middle before the two of you started to eat your food. Armin, was picking at what he ordered, looking up at you through thick lashes before he took a piece of yours instead. Your mouth hung in shock, watching as he simply smiled while savoring the flavors on his tongue.

“What? Sharing is caring, I believe you’ve said that to me once or twice before.”

In retaliation, you swiped a piece of his from the plate, popping it into your mouth with a triumphant smile spread across your face. Armin simply shook his head, smiling down at your plates before looking out at the skyline as the colors now faded from pink to orange the further the sun began to lower. Armin’s smile soon falters, turning his attention back to you with the same somber look in his eyes earlier, except for the slightest difference when you meet his apologetic gaze.

“I know I’ve apologized for it before, but I don’t think I can ever truly express how sorry I am for how I treated you back then.” 

Your breath catches in your throat, settling down the plastic utensil in your hand as you hold his gaze. Your bottom lip is caught between your teeth, your chest feeling the weight of his apology settling in. You believed he was sorry, you truly did, but it still aches in your bones when you find yourself lying awake some nights fearful he’ll leave again and never tell you why. 

“I know you are, Armin.”

You do your best to reassure him, smiling softly as your fingers graze him as you go to pick your utensil back up. The action sent chills up your arm, your heart fluttering a little harder in your chest as you fought the urge to smile any harder than you already were. The two of you fell into silence once more, occasionally looking out at the water while eating till you had gotten full.

Armin took whatever the two of you couldn’t finish and put it in the back of his car before meeting back up with you by the sand. “C’mon, take off your fancy office shoes, Arlert.”

Armin, whose nose scrunched up with a smile on his lips at your use of his last name, slipped his shoes off and stuffed the socks into the shoe as you slipped off your own. The two of you carried your shoes in your hands, walking down the sand till the shore was just in sight.

“Do you think it’s cold?”

Armin was rolling his pants up, tucking in the rolls neatly till they were half way up his calves. You had simply rolled the waistline of your skirt till it could no longer roll comfortably, scrunching up some fabric in your hand to prevent the bottom from getting wet.

“I want to say yes, but it is still warm for it being late summer weather, so there’s a fifty-fifty chance.”

Armin laughs, the two of you walking further in towards the shore as your shoes sit neatly beside each other in the drier parts of the sand.

“There was a fifty-fifty chance either way, you’re supposed to agree or disagree, angel.”

Your cheeks warm as the nickname reaches your ears, ignoring his words as the two of you watch the water recede, offering you two the perfect opportunity to step forward before another wave crashes against your feet. The water wasn’t as cold as you were expecting, washing over your feet till it covered your ankles before receding and repeating with each new wave.

“It’s actually pleasant, I was expecting it to be colder as the sun started to set.”

You nodded, leaning down to cup some of the water into your hand before tossing it towards a very unsuspecting Armin. He gasps in surprise, laughing as he reaches down and splashes water towards you. You jump back slightly, laughter erupting from your chest as you raise your hand that holds up the fabric of your skirt while you start to rub through the water towards him.

Armin surprisingly doesn’t budge, instead he holds his arms out as you run into his chest, wrapping his arms over your own as he traps you into his embrace. You’re still laughing as your head tilts back, smiling up at him as the sun’s glow kisses his skin in a way that has your heart doing laps within your ribcage.

“You’re so beautiful.” Your name falls off his lips as if it was a secret he was trying to keep, as if you were only meant to be his in his little world he’d create with you. You let out a deep breath through your lips, your eyes locking on his as he stares down at you through his lenses that have the tiniest splashes of water on them.

“So are you, in every way that is possible.” 

The tips of his ears burn a deep red, matching the color blooming along his round cheeks as you slip your free hand into the front of his pocket, searching for warmth as the sun is now nearly fully set and a breeze kisses your exposed skin. Armin notices the goosebumps that rise across your arms, loosening his grip around you till his hands fall to your hips. He guided your body to turn around, pressing his chest to your back before he leaned into your frame, draping his arms over yours.

“I don’t have a jacket, so let me keep you warm like this till we want to leave.”

You didn’t verbally reply, simply nodding as his touch ignited a fire within the pit of your stomach, making you feel warm all over. The two of you fall into a rhythm, swaying in the water as the sand passes beneath your feet, causing the two of you to slowly sink over time, but none of that mattered to either of you. 

You stayed standing in the water, letting him hold you close till the sun was no longer visible and the sky was littered with stars. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore accompanied by the soft breeze that blew strands of your hair felt comforting—more familiar than anything else had ever felt before. You lean your head back, craning your neck till you looked up at Armin who was oblivious of your gaze till he looked down.

He looked so kissable, his plush pink lips pressed together so perfectly that you desperately wanted to kiss him till they were bruised and bitten by you and only you. You’re started to realize that the more you spend with him, the less everything that the two of you started hanging out for felt like the only reason you wanted, no, needed to see him. There was a look in his eye, a look you’d seen people share many times before in both your inner and outer circle. A look of pure admiration and love, the look that was making it harder for you to be okay with staying just friends.

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Chapter Text

A week had passed since you and Armin stood in the water, basking in the moonlight that shone down onto his ocean eyes while he held you as if you would wash away if he didn’t—a week since you questioned how long you were going to keep up this game of charades. You were laying on Sasha’s couch, spending your off day with her and Mikasa for one of your monthly sleepovers. It started after Sasha moved in with Niccolo, having roomed with you since the two of you started college.

You two used to share your current room with the exception that she shared part of her closet with Mikasa as well as yours. Mikasa had an only room because logically, she was the only one getting any action, so when Sasha and Niccolo got more serious, naturally they moved her into his apartment. Mikasa was sitting on the floor, Sasha’s head in her lap as the three of you finished some documentary on the television.

“I wonder if the boys are torturing Niccolo by now.” Mikasa spoke up as the credits began to roll, looking down at a very amused Sasha who simply shrugged.

Jean and Connie felt left out that the three of you still hadn’t invited them to your monthly sleepovers, but tonight they decided to steal Niccolo and loop both Eren and Armin in as well. They called it their ‘sausage party’, trying to rub it in your faces that they were going to have a better night than the three of you.

“I fear no one is safe tonight out of that bunch, they’re probably all standing in a circle touching tips because only two of them can actually get laid.” Your words pull laughter from the other two as you snicker yourself, rolling on your side as you prop yourself up on your elbow. 

“I think he’ll be fine, plus if anything, they’re all probably high off their asses right now.” Sasha added in before she sat up, grabbing a slice of pizza from one of the many boxes you all ordered. She took the slice between her teeth, chewing before she reclaimed her spot in the other's lap as she turned her attention over to you. “So, what’s going on with you and lover boy?”

You turn your attention over to her after you put something else on, randomly clicking the next documentary with the remote. “Who? Armin?”

Sasha gasped loudly, nearly choking on her pizza as she flung herself forward, coughing as you stare at her in amazement while Mikasa pats her back with enough force that Sasha looks more pained from the assistance than the lodged food in her throat.

“Armin? Since when was Armin your lover boy?” Her brows were raised as you rolled onto your back, your cheeks flushed while you avoided her gaze. Mikasa leaned back to rest herself on her palms, smiling slightly in the corners of her mouth.

“I don’t know , you’re the one asking vague ass questions, be more specific next time.” Crossing your arms, you focus your attention on the television as the narrator starts going over whatever they were talking about, none of you paying it much attention.

Sasha simply hums, amused as she takes another bite before pointing the pizza in your direction before she continues. “I was referring to the younger Galliard, but now you’ve piqued my interest so I need to know what is going on between you and Armin.”

Shrugging, you shift on the couch as you think over your current situation. Were you two dating? Was this just a casual hookup between two coworkers and one decent date? You didn’t get much time to think before Mikasa spoke up.

“I think Porco is a nice guy, he seems to make you smile and there seems to be some chemistry between you two.”

Sasha nodded in agreement, both girls looking at you with expectant eyes while Sasha continued to chew through her pizza. “I agree with Mika, I think you and him are cute together, but what’s up with his behavior lately?”

You let out a loud groan as you shift on the couch, swinging your legs off the side as you sit up against the cushions, tucking your feet beneath your thighs in a crossed position. “I don’t really know, we’ve been kind of texting dry ever since the whole ‘his parents showing up’ thing and he still hasn’t explained what happened between him and Pieck.”

Sasha, who rolls herself out of Mikasa’s lap, pulls herself from the ground and claims the spot beside you on the couch as Mikasa herself rolls her shoulders forward. Leaning more with her elbows on her knees, she cranes her neck slightly while staying a part of the conversation.

“Is that something you expressed to him that you’d want to know?” The raven haired girl asked, her eyes softening as the realization washes over you that you haven’t brought it up since.

“I mean, I did ask once, but I also have let him just avoid the question since.”

“But the more important question is, do you need to know it before you two make it more serious?” Sasha added in between chews, leaning her body against yours as her head rested against your arm. Your face twisted slightly, a reflex that happened before you could control it. 

“Uh oh, don’t make that face if he brings it up instead of us.”

Mikasa exhales through her nose, bringing one hand up to pinch the bridge as you look between the two of them.

“It’s just that I don’t know if I want something serious with him, I mean, yeah, he is a great guy, but it’s Porco.”

Mikasa reaches across the coffee table, grabbing a piece of pizza from a now empty box and takes a bite, shaking her head at you disappointingly. Your jaw drops, staring at her in disbelief as you feel her silent judgement radiate from her.

“So you mean to tell me that he’s taken you out on two dates now?” Sasha, who was now sitting back up, her torso turned more towards you while she brushes her fingers together to rid of any crumbs that may have been left behind.

“Yes.” Porco, despite his awkward behavior during your shifts, did take you out to a late night dinner date after shift one day this last week. It was sweet, not the most romantic, but you appreciated the effort he was taking to make things less weird—on his end at least.

“And you only hooked up that one time.” She continues on, one brow raised as you nod to her words, fiddling with your fingers in your lap as she stares intently at you—as if she’s trying to figure something out for you both.

“And throughout this whole short period of time, you still don’t know if you want to see him more seriously?”

Frustrated, you reach across to snag the little coffee cup that Sasha had filled with cheap wine from the drug store down the street. Your lips reach the cup, taking a sip before holding the mug in your hands as your head lowers, staring down into the rich maroon liquid with too many thoughts swirling around in your head.

“Am I supposed to know this soon, I mean, it took Eren and Mika years to finally get together and they both loved each other while still pursuing other people.”

Mikasa had gotten up from her spot on the floor, taking the empty box to the kitchen and folded it as small as she could to shove into the bin when she responded. “That’s because we were unsure that we could handle the weight of a potential break-up if things went south, let alone if the other person felt the same as we did. Eren and I are different, we grew up together, we have history a lot deeper than you and Porco do.”

“She’s right, you can’t expect to have what they have with Porco, but you also can’t keep pretending that your hesitancy doesn’t have to do with a certain blue-eyed, blonde haired boy either.”

Sasha’s words ring in your mind as you continue to stare down at your wine, occasionally shifting to watch the wine swirl around the cup as you settle your thoughts. You already know it is all to do with how you feel about Armin, but that didn’t stop you from enjoying what you had with Porco.

“C’mon, tell me what is going on between you and Armin, I am actually dying to know since I don’t get all the action like Mika and Eren and I need you to start from day one.”

Mikasa comes back to where you and Sasha had been sitting, tapping the auburn girl’s shoulder to signal for her to shift just enough for herself to squeeze in behind her. You untuck your feet from beneath you, letting them fall comfortably over the edge of the couch so that Sasha can lean in further towards you while Mikasa gets comfortable in her own spot.

“You mean like, from the day we first met or from when he came to Levi’s?” Your cheeks rush with warmth as you grip the mug in your hands before bringing it to your lips to take a slight sip.

“The whole shabang, I want the full on love story from the start so I can tell your future kids that I am making up in my head while I listen.” Sasha was the loudest between you three, the more outgoing and eccentric one. She brightened up your days, added music and sound when you weren’t able to do so yourself. She kept you on your toes, but Mikasa was the complete opposite. 

Mikasa was reserved, fierce, but poised in everything she did. She never made a move that wasn’t calculated and it can come off as intimidating, but she is gentler than she seems. She loves silently, like a candle that burns at its own pace, sitting in the silence with you when you need it the most. You were the perfect medium between the two, having the ultimate balance between the two that made the three of you mesh together as if you had always belonged together. The two of them were watching you, making note of how your eyes sparkled as you recall the day you met Armin.

It had been raining particularly hard when you left your English literature class, trying to weigh out your options as to where you could hide out so that your bag wouldn’t get completely soaked. It contained a laptop you couldn’t afford to replace and even more expensive textbooks that you were not going to risk ruining. Looking through the slightly foggy glass doors, you see the library is just a short sprint across the field and you could actually get work done there while you waited for the rain to fizzle out, so you took your chances.

Thankfully for you, you managed to get into the comfort of the library before anything had gotten majorly wet in your bag, just a few damp edges of pages that you would dry properly once you got back to your dorm. The beauty of the campus library was that it was enormous and you knew there were specific places that you could sneak off to in order to feel more secluded, so you did just that. You followed the route you had been taking for the past few months, making your way to the back corner of the building where few students ever lingered.

Just as you’re turning the corner, you spot a boy sitting at the exact table you were searching for, sitting in the seat specifically that you had hoped to claim for yourself. You stood there, clutching your bag over your shoulder as you stared at him, bouncing between thoughts of asking to join him or simply find another table. Before you can choose the latter, he raises his head to meet your uneasy gaze, blinking at you before speaking up.

“Do you need something?”

His voice was delicate, like he was talking to a flower he had seen growing from the crack between concrete. You swallow awkwardly, shifting on your feet before you finally respond.

“Um, do you mind if I sit with you?”

He doesn’t visibly react, instead he just stares at you without moving so much as a muscle before countering your offer.

“Is there any particular reason you want to sit here and not any of the other hundreds of tables?”

You laugh dryly, your grip tightening further around your strap as your eyes scan over his current layout. He had two books out, a text book of some sort that was open and another book that could’ve been for personal reading. He also had a laptop out with his phone beside it, screen upwards. There was a pencil in his hand with a pen sitting on top of the notebook that had clearly been organized with careful notes engraved onto the pages. He had a system and it felt like you were interrupting it, but he was interrupting your peace.

“I don’t mean to sound like a spoiled child, but I’ve been sitting at this table since the semester started and it’s the only little cubby where I get cell service while I can peacefully get my work done—so in theory, I could choose another table, but I don’t want another table, I want to sit at this one, with you.”

Armin’s eyes widen in surprise at your words, staring at you for a beat longer as you try to get a good look at him through his square thin frames. Silently, he pulls back his things from the center of the table, hoping you’d take his silent invitation to join him at the table. You do so, pulling your bag from your arm and setting it on the back of the chair before pulling out your seat and sitting across from him. 

That day, the two of you silently worked on your separate assignments before you broke the ice with what you deemed the most important question, ‘did he prefer sweets or savory snacks’. The two of you fell into a soft conversation as the rain continued to come down without any signs of showing it’ll lighten anytime soon. Eventually, it had gotten dark and your Sasha had called you to make sure you were fine. You gave Armin your number, to which he accepted with the faintest shade of pink on his cheeks and once the rain was reduced to a mere sprinkle, you took your first opportunity to run back to your dorm.

Over the following weeks, it felt like everywhere you turned, Armin was somewhere in the background and you had started to feel as if maybe you just hadn't noticed him earlier. It took a month of awkward glances and shy smiles before you actually started to approach one another when you’d share a run in on campus, leading him to introduce you to Mikasa and Eren. He met Sasha during the many nights he would spend cooped up with you on your shared couch in your dorm as the two of you would study and share cup noodles or cheap and slightly stale snacks.

You had noticed you were falling for him when you found yourself standing in the entryway of a campus cafe, watching the rain downpour with intensity. You had forgotten your umbrella in your dorm, hating that the shy refused to show any signs of bad weather when you initially left. Armin, who was somehow the master of perfect timing, noticed you as he approached the cafe, calling out your name as he stood underneath a navy blue umbrella. After a brief chat, he tried to offer you his umbrella to walk back to your dorm, to which you denied profusely. Armin wasn’t pleased and he kept insisting he’d walk you back himself instead, but you denied him that too.

Eventually, he placed his umbrella on the ground, stripping the hoodie he was wearing and putting it in your unsuspecting hands. “If you won’t let me walk you home, at least wear this so you’ll reduce your chances of a cold. I can’t come to study with you if I have to take care of you instead.”

Your heartbeat was suddenly louder, ringing in your ears as he watched your frozen stance questionably before taking matters into his own hands, slipping the fabric over your head as your body filled in the sleeves on their own. When you got back to your dorm, Sasha grilled you over whose hoodie you were wearing, to which you ignored her and went to your room to hang it in your closet to dry. It smelled like him, the scent filling your closet and seeped into everything you owned that was around it. Eventually, you tried to give it back to him, but Armin refused and insisted you keep it in case you needed it again. What he didn’t know was that small gesture was the water that soaked the soil of your friendship, letting a flower that grew and fed on every small interaction you two shared be a reminder of how much you loved him. 

“And you two already know the rest, blah blah blah.” You were trying to play it off as nonchalant as Sasha, who was now leaning against Mikasa’s chest with tears in her eyes, covered her mouth.

“That was the most beautiful story I’ve ever heard since I heard how someone invented mac and cheese.” 

You and Mikasa share a laugh while Sasha wipes her tears away, getting up from where she was sitting before opening another box of pizza that was sitting atop of another. “I can’t believe you waited all these years to finally tell me that, I mean, that is gold.”

Your shoulders shrug as you feel your phone vibrating from beneath your leg, pulling it out as you see Porco’s name flash across your phone. “You also never asked, you were too busy convincing yourself we’d be dating by the end of each week and going through a whole month of denial when he started dating Annie.”

Mikasa, who was casually eyeing your phone, shifted the topic while nudging you with her foot. “You gonna answer that?”

Hesitantly, your finger swiped across the screen, accepting his call while bringing it to your ear. “Hello?”

“It’s about time you picked up, I almost thought you were starting to ghost me which wouldn’t be very good seeing how we work together.” He laughs on the other line, bringing a soft smile to your lips.

“Can’t outrun you, can I Galliard?”

“Nope.” The p pops as he replies, a slight shuffling in the background along with faint footsteps. “So, what are you up to on this unsuspecting evening?”

You hum into the phone, glancing over at a very intrigued Mikasa as she stretches her legs out on the couch and leans into the cushions. “Just spending time with friends, you know how that goes—or wait, do you? I don’t think Marcel counts as a friend if he’s your brother.”

Porco, who is clearly amused, snickers on the other line. “I guess not, although, I don’t consider him a friend anyway.”

You replied with a simple mhm, listening in on the faint sounds that fill in the emptiness of his background.

“But anyways, I was calling if you wanted to come over tonight? We could get dinner and maybe something to drink on the way back to my place and you could stay this time—I promise no one will show up randomly.” He laughs as he awaits your response, your fingers fiddling with a loose strand of thread that had been pulled from the seam of your pajama pants.

“Sorry, lover boy , I can’t tonight.” You could practically hear Sasha withholding her scream as she jumped in her spot, looking up to see a raised brow from Mikasa.

“Still sticking by those plans of yours, huh?”

“Mhm, it’s strictly a girls night and that means no pesky boys like you can interfere with it—even if we’re fucking around.”

Porco sighs heavily into the phone, shuffling around once more on the other end before a long pause follows. You listen to his breathing, awaiting his response while Sasha brings a slice to your face, offering it to you. You parted your lips, taking the slice between your teeth and enjoyed the mysterious flavor combo she was feeding you. 

“Can I manage to steal your time tomorrow, by chance?” He sounded desperate, in a way that had you thinking he might’ve been doing something else while on the phone with you.

“I wish, but I already promised the boys I’d spend time with them. Y’know how Connie and Jean can get, they’re needy little things.” Your chest felt heavy as you left out a particular person who was also going to be there, unsure if you should’ve mentioned that Armin was joining you three once he had gotten off work.

“Damn, it seems like everyone gets your time, but me.” His laugh was breathy, as if he was trying to hide the slight disappointment in his voice. You simply hum back, thinking over the next time you’d be able to see him outside of work. After coming up with not many solutions, you were about to speak before he cut you off.

“Oh, by the way, did you ever get a count of who is coming to Pieck’s for her birthday? I forgot to ask that first when I called.”

“Sorta, you gonna tell me what you two are yet?” You laughed as Sasha’s eyes widened, fully intending for your tone to be as playful as you could, but Porco didn’t seem to get the same impression. He went silent on the phone, waiting what felt like a solid minute before he let out a shaky breath.

“Just some history that is dead and gone, nothing to worry your pretty little head about.” By now, Sasha had walked around, hovering over your shoulder with her head right beside yours, trying to catch as much as he was saying as she possibly could. The two of you turn to face each other, your expressions mirroring one another as your brows furrowed in confusion as he seemingly avoided the question.

“Well, I should probably get going, girls night isn’t girls night if I’m talking to you all night.” You were trying to sound polite, doing your best to rush the call to an ending and Porco didn’t seem to mind. He let out a breath on the other end followed by a gentle laugh before bidding you goodbye. The call ended with quick goodbyes and questionable stares from the other two girls around you. 

“Okay, what the hell was that? He totally blew off that last bit and I'm no detective, but something feels weird there.” Sasha, who stood by you, leaned against the arm of the couch slightly while you simply shrug off her assumption.

“You definitely aren’t a detective, Sash, plus I think it’s not fair for us to grill him when she clearly has unresolved things with Armin as well.”

It was now your turn to gasp, staring at Mikasa with your mouth hung open. “I didn’t grill him, it was big mouth over here that wanted answers. I simply asked to see how he’d react.” Huffing, you pulled yourself up from the couch and walked towards the kitchen, still holding your phone in your hand. You could hear Mikasa telling Sasha to be less nosy to which the auburn haired girl laughed. After you begin to tune them out, you’re rummaging through Sasha’s freezer for any frozen snack that will satisfy your sweet tooth when you spot it—the freshly churned ice cream Niccolo made for this specific night.

After you managed to pop the lid off the container, you found a spoon as well as a bowl and began to scoop some off the top, dropping it into your bowl with a satisfied grin. Once you had portioned off what you wanted, you putting the container back into the freezer when your screen lights up as your phone was neglected onto the counter. Walking over to retrieve it with your bowl in the other hand, you grab it from the countertop and unlock it to see a message from Armin. 

armin: hey :) 

you: hey you! how is the sausage partying going?

armin: please don’t call it that haha connie has done it enough for everyone by now

you: haha that is very connie coded,, you guys do anything weird yet?

armin: weird? no, not yet haha but they did manage to get niccolo high 

you: that’s funny!! not you?

armin: i think i have contact high since they smoked in the kitchen :p 

you: oh? hate that I'm missing contact high armin haha

armin: i hate that i miss you, angel :)

You were mid-bite, sitting at the small table the couple had in their apartment, when you felt the rush of warmth flood your cheeks. Sasha, who had been eyeing you as you were cheekily smiling down at your phone, leaned forward onto her knees as she wiggled her brows at you. 

“Oo, who's making you all hot and bothered over there? Is it a particular server we just so happen to work with?”

Your eyes roll, ignoring her as Mikasa gets up from the couch, announcing she was going to go shower before it got too late. Your lip was caught between your teeth, your fingers hesitant on typing out what your heart wanted to say that your brain advised against. 

you: miss me? you just saw me the other day

armin: it’s not enough…i need to see you everyday

you: oh? sounds like someone is obsessed with me

armin: that’s not the word I would use haha

Your heart was beating against your chest, your throat feeling dry as you stare down at your phone, your ice cream long forgotten when Sasha takes in your current state and practically sprints across the apartment. “Omg, who are you texting that has you so red in the fa—OH!”

you: is that so? what word would you use then?

armin: wouldn’t you like to know …

you: duh, that’s why I am asking

armin: say please first

Sasha, who was practically screaming at this point, began hitting your arm as she freaked out externally over the undeniable tone in Armin’s texts. You were doing your best to contain yourself, gnawing at your lip while you felt a slight sting in your cheeks from how hard you were smiling.

you: yeah, you’re definitely high right now haha

armin: don’t change the subject now, angel haha

armin: say please and I’ll tell you :) 

you: and if I don’t?

armin: I’ll just have to hold it in longer then haha

“Oh my god, woman! You have him pussy whipped and he hasn’t even gotten a taste yet.” Sasha settled in a chair that she pulled up next to yours, staring at you when your eyes widened, seemingly trying to shrink into your skin under her gaze. “Right?”

“Sure.” Liar . And she heard it, in the way your voice rose as you avoided her gaze, resulting in her hitting your now sore arm once more as she gasped in her seat. 

“Oh my fucking god, did you two fuck!”

You proceeded to fill her in on the little moment you and Armin shared right before you left for your first date with Porco, feeling every hit she delivered to your arm and thigh that she could access as she proceeded to freak out furthermore. The shock that Armin was that bold behind doors was the tip of the iceberg, the two of you talking about the possibilities of what exactly he might mean and everything circled back to Sasha’s theory—according to her, it was factual, not theoretical—that he was in love with you.

You debunked her theory with every possible excuse you had, but when Mikasa got out of her shower, she took Sasha’s side over yours. With being so caught up in the moment, you forgot to reply to the particular blonde boy who haunted your every thought, sending back a quick reply once the three of you decided to call it a night after Sasha brought out board games and you forced Mikasa to participate in karaoke. 

you: fine! you win haha

you: pretty please armin?

You were halfway asleep when you saw your phone screen light up in the darkness, but you were being confined to Sasha’s bed and she was too comfortable beside you for you to be bothered to check your phone—instead you scooted further into Sasha’s limbs spread out across the bed and drifted off to sleep, wondering if Armin had replied yet. 

armin: haha thank you for complying 

armin: i um haha i love you :)

⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆

Chapter Text

When your eyes flutter open, the warmth beside you is familiar, comfortable, distinct. For a half second, you’re expecting to see Sasha sprawled out beside you, but to your surprise, Armin is laid comfortably next to you with his arm tucked securely around your waist as he laid facing you.

You almost don’t move, not wanting to disrupt his sleep. Especially when he looks this good so early in the morning. But your second to admire his sleeping form is cut short when the blonde beside you stirs as he was slowly coming to. His light blonde lashes that kiss his cheek so sweetly flutter open as you watch his sleepy hazed gaze focus on his current surroundings. And then, so subtly, so softly, his eyes focus on your freshly woken up face and the smile that spreads across his lips was more beautiful than any description of what the heavens above was to be described as in books or movies. You don’t speak first, you’re too dazed to even form a coherent thought. So, thankfully for you, Armin decides to break the comfortable silence between you two so early in the morning. 

“Good morning, angel.” 

Angel, the way the nickname, both endearing and incredibly attractive, rolls off his tongue so effortlessly that it causes your heartrate to spike higher than usual. A soft pink dusts across your cheeks, your hair messily spread out across the bedsheet as you stare up at him in a prolonged moment of silence as you try to gain some footing to finally reply to his raspy voiced greeting–a gift to your ears with him just having woken up.

“Morning, Armin.” 

The blonde beside you hums as he shifts just the slightest, his arm slipping further around your waist as his hand brushes against your back. His palm slides down your back, resting in the dip of your spine over your clothed skin, but even with the barrier, you can feel his warmth seeping through the cotton. 

“I have options before I have to go into work.” Armin mumbles, rolling further onto his side which forces your back to meet the mattress beneath you.

“Options?” Your words were a mere murmur, staring up at him as he was now almost hovering over your laid out form.

Armin nods, a lazy and sleepy grin spreading across his perfectly pink lips that were begging to be kissed until you both ran out of breath.

“Options.” He repeats, shifting furthermore to slot his leg between your own. You barely have time to react when his thigh parts your thighs and the feeling of his surrounding warmth has your breath hitching in your throat.

“Aren’t you the least bit curious?” Armin continues, his other hand comes to rest beside your head, caging you beneath him and it is a sight to behold. 

His eyes were slightly hooded, a particular look in those ocean blue eyes of his was something fiery, something that was burning with a need that might not be satisfied with something as simple as breakfast in bed. You barely have time to question what the options might be when he leans down, his body pressing against your own. A familiar, unsatisfied need burns hot in your veins when you feel his weight against your own. Your arms finally decide to move, slipping up from being limp beside you to wrap around his neck so tenderly.

“Humor me, Arlert. What are these options that you’re being so generous to grace me with?”

Armin chuckles, soft and deeper than usual–again, all thanks to him just waking up. He leans in further, burying his face into the crook of your neck where you can feel his warm breaths fanning against your warm skin each time he exhales.

“Well,” Damn him for sounding so attractive so early in the morning. “Since you asked so nicely, I guess I can fill you in on what I can offer you.”

You’re about to laugh when his lips graze the dip of your collarbone, earning a soft gasp from your recently parted lips. Armin begins slowly peppering kisses against the base of your neck–kisses so soft, it almost feels like he’s toying with you on purpose.

“The first option is the safest. We can leave this bed, go down to the kitchen and make breakfast before I have to suffer the reality of getting ready for work and leaving your side for a minimum of eight to nine hours.”

You simply hum, not out of a mere acceptance to his first offer, but because your head involuntarily tips back against the bed to make room for his own. Armin is quick to take advantage of this moment, trailing his sweet subtle kisses further up your neck. His lips part right against your pulse point, the subtle graze of his teeth against your skin ignites a different kind of desiring fire in the pit of your stomach. He picks up on your reaction, his palm that was still pressed so firmly against the dip of your back presses you further against his body, bringing your back to arch up off the mattress just enough to have you yearning for something more, something different.

“Or,” Armin’s words were muffling against your skin as he took the moment to nip at the pulse that drummed beneath your hot-to-the-touch skin.

“You can lay here and let me enjoy my breakfast right beneath me.” 

Oh, that line alone has a rush of warmth blooming between your parted thighs. You nod before you can even register that you’re agreeing to something you’ve only dreamt of so many times before. But a nod doesn’t suffice, not in his book. No, he needs to hear it, he wants to hear it. He wants to hear you.

“Words, angel. I need to hear you pick what you want.”

Your fingers, a tad shaky on the delivery, find purchase in the messy golden locks of his morning hair. Armin seems to physically react to your touch, a breathy groan passing through his lips as your nails scratch against his roots. 

“I want the latter, Armin. I want you.”

That breathy, almost desperate declaration that left your lips was all he needed. Armin’s head pulled back from your neck, his eyes searching your own as he sits up just enough to focus on your face. Your cheeks, flushed with a dusty pink that bloomed in the apples of your cheeks, and the hazy, blown out look to your eyes ignites a frenzy within the man who usually had more composure over himself. His hand against your back trails down your back even further till his fingers grazed against the exposed skin that was just above your waistline. A subtle, soft noise ripples from his throat when his fingers dip beneath the fabric of your shirt. His hand focuses on sliding the fabric up your side, stripping your skin of coverage. 

You shift subtly beneath him, urging his knee to press against the warm center of your thin sleeping shorts. The almost unexpected gasp that leaves your lips wasn’t because you didn’t enjoy the feeling of him pressed so subtly against where you needed him most, no, that wasn’t it. It was the way his knee was pressed directly against your aching bud that was beginning to develop a heartbeat of its own–and Armin seemed to pick up on that.

He pressed his knee firmer against your aching clothed core, earning an almost breathless whimper from your impatient lips. An almost satisfied grin spreads across his lips, hands already peeling your shirt clean off your frame with the help of you as you lifted your head to free yourself from the restraints of clothes. And luckily for Armin, you opted on most occasions to sleep braless–because realistically, wearing a bra any other time felt like a crime within itself, why wear one to bed too?

“Fuck,” Armin practically growls, his hands coming up to cup both of your mounds, one in each hand. 

His hands are hot against your skin, the flush of cool air hitting your exposed flesh and your nipples pebble in reaction. His eyes seem to zero in on the subtle change your body makes, one of his hands comes up to fully grope your soft breast while his head leans down to tend to the other. You watch in batted breaths, eyes following his movements to observe his lips parting and something in you tightens as his tongue darts out to roll over your pebbled nipple. A subtle, soft whine leaves your lips when his lips wrap around your sensitive skin, your head falling back against the mattress. Armin is an attentive man, his tongue toying and rolling over your nipple within his mouth as his other hand rubs the opposite bud between his index and middle finger. 

Your body feels hot, wordlessly screaming for something more, begging for more.

“Armin, please.” Your words sounded desperate, partly because you were, partly because your hips jerked up against his knee and against his thigh when he rolled your nipple subtly between his teeth.

Armin hums against your skin, urging you to continue as he does the same. He was willing to take the risk and make you say what you wanted while focusing on pleasing you enough to keep you on an edge you were begging to deep dive off of. 

“Please, I need something more.” You pleaded, fingers still tangled in his locks gently tug at his roots. His mouth, although sinful within itself, was not going to put out this fire that was desperately burning brighter and brighter as he toyed with you like time was in your favor. And for some reason you’ll thank the sky for later on, Armin gives in without much fight back. His lips release your sensitive bud with a soft pop as he leans back, glancing up at your face enough to take in the fucked out look on your face.

“Tch, you’re lucky I have work today.” 

You almost want to ask him to reconsider this whole work bullshit that was keeping you from furthering your exploration with the great man above you, but you had no time to even voice your thoughts when he sat up with one leg over yours and the other still firmly pressed between your own. Armin wastes little to no time to strip the shirt from his chest, exposing his bare physique that has you sitting up on the prop of your elbows. Your mouth goes dry as you drink in his exposed skin, the way he is lean, toned and the subtle outline of his abdominal muscles has you wanting to reach out and feel every inch of body available–but your thoughts are momentarily drawn away when you notice something else.

Something more appealing to your current throbbing need between your aching legs.

Armin was hard, painfully so it seemed. His erection was throbbing against the restraints of his basketball shorts, and from the outline alone, you knew you were going to be barely holding onto the faint grasp you had on reality already. He noticed the way you were eyeing his very obvious reaction to his need and attraction to you, a small and almost bashful grin ghosting in the corners of his lips.

“Don’t stare at me like that,” He murmured, reaching out to place his warm hands against your bare thighs. You can feel the warmth burning hotter beneath the skin of your cheeks, tearing your eyes away from his large tent to meet his painfully beautiful eyes.

“Can a girl not admire what god given gift you have in store for me?” 

Your response earned a soft chuckle from him in return, his fingertips dipping beneath the hem of your shorts and in their trail, heat burns against your skin. Armin’s fingers reach the edge of your panties, to which he hooks his fingers under and in a slow, painfully drawn out tug, he’s freeing your skin from the confines of clothes and coverage. You manage to raise your hips enough to make it easier for him, the fabric sliding down your thighs and eventually down past your knees until he tugged them completely off your legs and discarded them off the bed. 

Armin pauses for a second, his eyes are focused specifically on your slick coated lips as your thighs are partly parted. You feel exposed beneath his gaze, not in a simply naked and bare way, but in a way that made you feel like you were made of glass and he wasn’t simply looking at you, but through you.

In some compulsive, quick motion, he’s kicking his own sweatpants down and off, giving you the first decent view of what you had been only imagining so many times before–and like the rest of him, it was stupidly perfect. Armin wasn’t exactly huge, but he had enough length that had your mouth salivating at the sight. His tip was the prettiest pink, the rest of him was curved slightly upward and you knew he was going to use that to his advantage.

“You’re staring.” Armin rasped, already shifting on the bed to find his way between your parted legs. With his own, he spreads your thighs further to make room for him as his hands find their way to rest against your hips. Your teeth sink into your bottom lip, your heart racing out of both anticipation and excitement. 

“Do you expect me to look at the ceiling instead?”

Your mutter earns a half-hearted glare from the blonde, his body shifting even further as he leans down. His member pokes at your lower stomach as he leans in for a kiss, but the subtle and very annoying memory that you hadn’t brushed your teeth yet plagues your mind, so you make the stupid last minute decision to turn your head with a guilty, sullen glaze to your eyes.

And Armin is quick to speak his instant concern at your decline to meet his lips against your own.

“Did I do something wrong?”

Your eyes widen for a split second, your head turning back to meet his hesitant, concerned gaze.

“No–no, you didn’t do anything wrong.” You were quick to reassure him, hoping that you didn’t ruin the mood. “It’s just, I didn’t brush my teeth yet and-”

Your words were cut off when Armin clashes his lips against your own, the kiss was heated and frenzied and so long overdue. Your arms grip his biceps, holding onto him as you move your lips against his, too lost in the feeling of him against you to care about your silly little morning breath concerns any longer. And Armin doesn’t seem to care at all, his hands gliding down from your hips as they explore the outer sides of your thighs. He shifts above you, it's subtle, but it's noticeable when his hands find their way on the underside of your knees. He uses this opportunity to raise your legs, urging your thighs to wrap around his waist, to which you oblige. The new found position, along with a draw back of his hips, brings his aching cock down to nudge your neglected and throbbing clit.

A moan is pulled from your throat, muffled against his lips as your hips jerk up in search for more friction. This earns a groan from Armin, the kind of sound that made your body slick up even more with a need that you were beginning to lose your last bits of sanity to satisfy. With much resistance from you, he pulled his lips away from your own to prop himself up more comfortably as he drank in the sight of you beneath him, ready and eager for what he was about to give you.

“God, you’re so fucking beautiful.”

Armin’s words were only adding to your impatience, tugging him closer as your legs tighten around his waist. The tip of his cock slips down, thanks to the aid of your incredibly and almost pathetically wet lower lips, nudging against your fluttering hole.

“Armin, please. I’m two seconds away from begging at this point.” 

Your words, more like a plea than a statement, were breathy and full of an unspoken desire to be finally filled by him and him only. Armin took the hint, shifting his gaze down to glance at where your bodies were meeting in the most sensual and sensitive way.

“Any other time, I might just take you up on that offer to beg for me,” Armin gruffs out, wrapping one hand around himself. He drags his thick head up and down your folds, spreading your slick against his tip and the underside to prepare you and him both.

You take in a deep, sharp breath when you feel his tip poke at your entrance, your body tense and anticipating for the heavily awaited push that you both were desperate for. And with one slow roll of his hips, the tip of his cock stretches you out from within, your nails digging into the soft backside of his biceps as he takes his time pushing more of himself inch by devastatingly slow inch into your wet heat.

“Ngh–Armin.” Your call of his name halts his hips, but you don’t have a second to question it when his hands find their way back to your hips. 

Armin’s restraint is tested as his hips jerk forward, pushing more of his deliciously perfect thickness into you. You bite your lip, legs tightening around his hips as he lets out a shaky breath in response.

“You’re so fucking tight–christ.”

His words, combined with the way his curved cock brushes right against that gummy spot, pulls a shaky moan from your lips. And then, with the push of his thighs against your own, he pushes a little further till he bottoms out and you can feel him so deep,  it makes your head spin. You’re about to try and choke a compliment for the man whose name is shamelessly written all over your heart, but before you can even formulate a thought, his grip on your hips tighten. 

With a swift, effortless tug, Armin raises your hips and holds them a few inches up from the mattress, giving him a new angle that has your toes curling behind his back. You gasp out a moan when he pulls his hips back before grunting as he snapped them back forward, sinking his cock back into the warmth of your tight walls. 

“God damnit, you’re tight,” Armin groans between heavy breaths, each roll of his hips getting harder and his grip on your hips growing firmer. “How am I supposed to mold your cunt to my cock if you’re gripping me this tightly?”

His words were filthy, the way he was hoarsely groaning the words only made your walls tighten around him even more. Your nails sunk further into his arms, a string of breathless gasps and curses leaving your lips when he finds a rhythm. His cock bruises that sweet spot within, hitting it with purpose each time he slammed his hips into yours.

“Armin–mmph, please, don’t stop.” You cried out, head digging into the mattress as his hips seem to only snap harder into your own at your desperate pleas. Your eyes meet his for a fleeting second, the blown out and mildly feral look in his eyes sets your entire soul on fire.

Armin was focused, his mind focusing on simply driving you right off a cliff of ecstasy, his pace relentless and pointed as breathless, soft moans left hips with each clench of your walls around his aching cock. He wasn’t too far behind you as you were chasing your high, your thighs trembling as the nudge of his tip pushing and toying with that spot had your vision spotting in a way that tingled from your core down to your toes and throughout the rest of your body.

“You’re close, aren’t you?”

Armin leaned down, his chest pressed against your own. He pulled your legs up and over his shoulder, giving him an even more deliciously direct angle that had you dancing on the edge of creaming his cock right then and there. You nod, words or even a coherent thought all dying in your mind and throat when you tried to formulate a response. 

Armin grunts, pushing further down against your chest till your knees were pressed against your mounds. His hips, unforgiving and deliberately working on molding your insides perfectly for his cock, were pounding into yours while one of his hands snake around your hip to press two fingers against your clit.

“Come for me, angel. Come all over my cock.” 

And that was all it took for you to let go, a loud, borderline scream, moan of his name left your lips as you came around him. Your walls clamped around him in a vise-like grip, pulling his own release right out of his throbbing cock and Armin stood no chance against how your walls milked his cock. His hips stuttered against yours before he buried his face into the side of your neck, panting and moaning out whimpers of your name against your skin. Your body felt a wave of pleasure washing down in a wave, the hot thick ropes of his seed filling you from within and the warmth was sensually comforting. 

You’re in between breaths when he lifts his head enough to meet your eyes, a tenderness to his gaze that makes all the air leave your lungs in a matter of seconds. And then, as if he was reading the words straight from your mind, his lips part to utter the one thing you dreamt of hearing for so long. 

“I love you, angel.”

The words, the way he said it, the way his eyes looked, the warmth of his sweat slicked skin against your own, all of it was seared into your mind. And you savor it, cherish it, hold onto it for as long humanly possible.

Then the cruel reality of life comes down on you like a bucket of cold ice water. Sasha’s voice echo’s in the depths of your subconscious and it gets louder and louder until your eyes actually flutter open this time. And you don’t see the beautiful blonde you were just dreaming about, no. You see a auburned brunette staring at you with bacon hanging out of her mouth as she looms over your freshly awoken form sprawled out on her bed.

“Hey babe, you looked like you were having a good dream, so I didn’t wake you, but Mikasa made breakfast.”

Yeah, you were having a good dream alright. And if you didn’t love Sasha to death, you could strangle her with that same piece of bacon hanging from her lips.

“Mmh, I’ll be down in a sec,” You murmur, a convincing enough reply for her to leave you in the room as she went down to rejoin Mikasa in the kitchen–and possibly snag another piece of bacon before Mikasa even had a chance to finish breakfast.

You groan, rolling onto your side to grab your phone from the side table next to Sasha’s bed. After the brightness on your screen nearly blinded you this early in the morning, you adjusted it to something less harmful to your fresh out of sleep eyes and saw you had two messages from Armin from the night before.

But when you click on the notifications, the last message had been deleted, leaving you puzzled to what he could’ve sent that was worth being deleted before you even could read it, but you don’t stress it and simply click your phone shut before dragging yourself out of Sasha’s bed and down the stairs to meet her and Mikasa both in the kitchen.

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