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total-dxmure · 1 year

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✦ MARLEY AND ME →【ELLIE WILLIAMS】→ CHAPTER ONE

pairing: modern!ellie williams x single mom!reader

summary: you’re a single mom just doing the best that she can to make ends meet. ellie can’t help but think that you're the kindest, most beautiful girl that she’s ever met. compared to taking care a little girl that's in her terrible twos, coming to terms with the fact that you’re a lesbian is a walk in the park. awkward first encounters, ellie’s broken gay-dar, and her overwhelming urge to take care of the care-giver. . . the road to domesticity is a long one, but it’s well worth the pining that it takes to get there.

warnings: hella SMUT! in future chapters, eventual substance use, no use of y/n (you have nicknames/petnames), the reader is marley’s biological mother, talk of coming to terms with ones sexuality, mention of a shitty baby daddy ( though there is no co-parenting between them), ellie is a total girl mom, lots and lots of fluff, ellie is an anxious dork in this fic, reader is broke but happy, ellie takes pride in being a provider, this is going to be a multi-part fic, ellie is an absolute simp for the reader since chapter one and will remain her #1 fan.

⬶ previous chapter | next chapter ⤅

Ellie counts the tiny bite sized pieces that you cut the pancakes into. You’re meticulous about it, taking your time despite the impatient look on the little girl’s face. She also notices the fact that all the woman has ordered for herself is a cup of coffee. No cream, just sugar and caffeine.

The auburn haired girl, from across the restaurant, is trying not to be too obvious about her staring. She’s trying to find any wrinkles on your face that might clue her in about your age, but she finds none. Ellie decides that you couldn’t be too much older than she is, and if you are, it was only by a few years.

She walks back up to your table, noting that you still haven’t called her back over to order any food for yourself. Every once in a while she’ll watch as you bring your fingers up to your plush lips to lick off syrup. She watches your mouth intently as you speak, noticing the endearing way your lips pull up at the corners. You smile when you talk, no matter what Ellie says to you. The waitress decides that she likes that. She likes that a lot.

“Are you sure you don’t want anything? The food here is really great, I promise.” Ellie offers, already reaching down into her black apron so that she can scribble something down.

Your smile falters, the slight switch of emotion not going unnoticed. The baby across the seat tries to say something, but the young waitress can’t make any sense of it. It just sounds like babble to her. You, however, understand what the little girl is saying right away. You must be able to speak the ancient language of “toddler”.

“Those aren’t flowers, baby. They’re ferns. Can you say ‘fern’?” Your tone shifts ever so slightly, your eyes dazzling with pride.

It’s the way that you look at the little girl sitting in the highchair that makes Ellie weak in the knees. She’s never been the biggest fan of kids, but the tiny butterfly clips that were fastened in her hair and her great, big eyes nearly has Ellie falling to her knees. In fact- she does. She crouches down and holds out her right arm, assuming that the baby was trying to point out something about her tattoo.

Warm, sticky little hands reach out and brush against her skin. Ellie’s lips are twitching up into a wide smile before she can school her features back into neutrality. You’re too busy admiring Ellie now that she’s practically in your lap to notice your daughter getting all grabby. You try to tell yourself that you feel for the woman since she’s showing your daughter affection, but her green eyes and freckled nose has your heart pounding harder than you deem as healthy.

Your daughter tries to sound out the word, and as quickly as your gaze had been snagged by the gorgeous girl in front of you, it was on your daughter just as fast. Your eyes widen, chest swelling with pride.

“That’s it, Marley! Say it again, baby.”

Ellie looks up at you from where she’s crouching, and suddenly her fitted black shirt feels a little too tight. She feels as though she might just burst right out of it, her chest expanding to make room for her swelling heart. This entire time she had thought that the little girl had to be your baby sister, what with your young looking face and the wrinkled band t-shirt you were sporting, but now she understood that the girl was your daughter.

Quickly the woman searched your finger for a ring, not wanting to be drooling over a married woman, but didn’t see one. Whatever guilt had just struck was gone in the blink of an eye, like a flash of lightning. Ellie was often teased by her friends and co-workers about her bad luck with women. Any girl that she’d ever had a crush on in the past was either straight, disinterested, or already seeing someone.

She’d be lying if she said that she had ever been in a proper relationship. Most of it was just short lived pining, immediately followed by devastating disappointment.

Ellie can’t help but wonder how it might feel to be on the receiving end of those beautiful, pride filled eyes of yours. They were beaming with admiration, so much so that Ellie could feel the warmth of it from where she stood. You were like the sun, and the pull towards you was gravitational.

The restaurant was dead, aside from you and a few regulars that she saw on a weekly basis. She didn’t feel as guilty as she should have for neglecting the other customers.

“How old is she?” You watched as the woman stood up, stretching her athletically built body from side to side, her muscles tired from a long day spent on her feet. She noted the way you watched her, filing it away somewhere in her brain so that she could go home and properly go through the “gay checklist” before she made a fool of herself by hitting on you.

“Two,” You replied with a smile. You completely melted as far as your daughter was concerned. “It’s almost like I blinked and all of a sudden she was up walking and talking. Right now we’re learning our colors and shapes.” You shrugged, picking the fork back up so that you could feed her another piece of pancake.

The little girl, that Ellie now knows is named Marley, eagerly opened her mouth.

Your daughter was the kind of little girl that could easily be plastered all over magazines. She looked like a doll. Really, if you were standing far enough away, you could mistake her for one. Babies were usually drooly faces and loud screams, but not Marley. No, she was a perfectly mannered and happy baby. With big doe eyes that matched yours and a wide, tiny toothed smile.

“Well you and your boyfriend must be proud. She’s gorgeous.” She knew it was normal, polite even, for people to gush over babies. She wasn’t lying for the sake of being nice though. Marley really was perfect.

Ellie instantly shut her mouth, so hard that her teeth audibly clacked together when she noticed the way that you winced.

She felt like shit about it, but a small stab of hope pierced clean through her heart. She was in college, and pining after a woman with a kid probably wasn’t something that she should busy herself with, but she couldn’t pull herself away from you. A simple “ready for the bill” would have sufficed as far as conversations went, but she wanted to know about you.

Because really, you were hands down the most beautiful girl that Ellie had ever seen. Your perfection didn’t stop there though. You were nice, and not just in a conversational sense. You were radiant in the way that you spoke to others. The second that you had sat down, you’d cracked a joke with the elderly man two tables down. You probably felt bad about him sitting all by himself. She’d seen you smile at every single one of her coworkers that had walked past you. You even seemed upset to bother her and ask Ellie if she could put your daughter’s juice in a cup with a lid. And here you were, talking to the waitress like you had known her for years.

No one, not even Joel, could fault Ellie for being dangerously attracted to you. Maybe it was the fact that you had such a nurturing aura about you, but Ellie couldn’t help but wonder how it would feel to take care of you. She could tell by the light bags under your eyes, which you had skillfully tried to cover up with makeup, that you were a hard worker. Here you were, at a restaurant with a wide selection to choose from, only ordering food for your daughter. You were what Joel would call “a keeper”.

The inevitable moment of parting was coming though. Marley had devoured most of her flapjack, save for a few small bites that you were currently feeding her. That and your coffee mug was nearly empty. Ellie silently cursed herself for not filling it back up a few minutes ago. Maybe, if she had, you would have felt obligated to stay for a second longer. She reached into her pocket, placing the bill onto the table and taking a small step back.

“Here’s this, for whenever you’re ready. No rush.” Ellie held her hands up, taking another step back.

Much to her embarrassment, her hip banged against the side of the table that had been directly behind her. The wooden chair that had been underneath it scrapped loudly against the checkerboard tile, causing a few heads to turn and look at her. And of course, knowing her luck, you had seen and heard it all.

‘Smooth, Ellie.’ She thought wryly to herself, the taste in her mouth going sour.

She could feel heat reaching all the way up to her ears, and right when she was about to turn on her converse-clad heel and hide somewhere in the storage room, you pointed past her.

“I think that table needs a beating. How rude of it to trip you up like that.” You said, your brows playfully knit together in faux anger.

She audibly let out a breath of relief, unable to keep her face from sporting a smile. “Oh, I’m definitely taking it outside the second you leave. Wouldn’t want to beat it senseless in front of a child.”

Ellie thought that she had died and gone to heaven when you laughed at her miserable joke. Your eyes squinted at the corners, head thrown back slightly as your shoulders shook. Everything about you was hideously adorable. It should be illegal, actually.

“How courteous of you.” You teased, propping an elbow on the table so that you could rest your cheek against your hand. The look in your eyes screamed “play with me more”, and it took everything inside of Ellie not to back up into the table a second time.

Were you flirting with her? No. . . no way. You had a baby, which meant that a man had been involved at some point. Sure, lesbian couples had children all the time, but in most cases it was a long and arduous process. That and it was usually horrifically expensive. She couldn’t see you coughing up tens of thousands of dollars to conceive a child. Not when you were practically a child yourself.

“Well, you aren’t the first person to call me that.” Ellie decided to keep the teasing light hearted.

Ellie wasn’t exactly. . . subtle about the fact that she was gay. If the forearm tattoo of ferns and a moth wasn’t enough to clue people in, then her way of dress, posture, and demeanor surely tipped them in the right direction. You couldn’t think that you were play-flirting with a straight girl, that was for sure.

“Courteous? You? Who the hell told you that?” Her friend teased as he breezed past the both of you, a drink in either hand for the table in the far back.

Ellie clenched her teeth, turning her head so that she could give him a look. Jesse loved to publicly embarrass her it would seem. Not that she exactly needed someone to do that for her, not when she did it on the regular herself.

“Joel.” She snapped back, listing off the first person that came to mind. She instantly regretted it though, because Jesse only snickered as his reply. Did he really have to poke fun at her while she was talking to a girl? Knowing him and his antics he was probably doing it on purpose.

Ellie was left to fiddle her fingers, hoping that she could somehow recover for a second time within the span of a minute. God, she was totally blowing. . . whatever was happening between the two of you.

“Is Joel your boyfriend. . . ?” You asked, raising an eyebrow.

You didn’t look all that disappointed when you asked. It just seemed like you were trying to keep the conversation going for a little longer. Still, Ellie’s freckled nose wrinkled in disgust.

“Ew.” She said simply, her mouth moving before she had the time to really think about how to properly answer. She wasn’t exactly a people person, and she quickly paled as she realized that she might have come off as rude. She fumbled, holding both of her hands up, a stuttering mess as she wracked her brain for the right words to say.

Once again though, she didn’t seem to need saving. You were laughing at her instantaneous reaction, finding humor in her awkwardness.

You found her endearing. Genuine people were few and far in between, and Ellie seemed to be one in a million. You could tell that she was the type of person that didn’t sugar coat things; she called em’ as she saw em’.

“Okay, okay,” You said through giggles, shaking your head. “So he isn’t your boyfriend.”

“Not at all. Joel is. . . well- he’s Joel. I was in foster care for a while, but he adopted me when I was fourteen.” This conversation was always a mood killer. Once the ‘O’ bomb was dropped, people often treated her differently. They danced around like they were standing on eggshells and looked at her like she was something to be pitied. Yeah, she had been an orphan, but she hadn’t had the opportunity to meet either of her parents. There was no one to miss. She had Joel, and she felt like that was all she ever really needed.

It was just her and Joel. That was her normal, and it was more than enough for her. Though. . . she’d probably die if she admitted that out loud to him. His brain would probably explode if she got all sappy around him, anyway.

“Well he sounds great then. Fourteen is a tough age- I bet you were super angsty.”

Ellie should have known that you’d be different. There was no “I’m sorry’s” or the awkward “dead parent” conversation.

“Oh, I was the worst.” Ellie agreed, a smile lighting up her features when she made you laugh for a third time. God, she must be on a roll.

“Well, here’s this,” You placed a twenty dollar bill on top of the ten dollar check. “You can keep the rest. I’ve been chatting your head off. I feel kinda bad.” You admitted, grabbing your purse and the small backpack that seemed to be packed to the brim with a child’s necessities.

Ellie could feel her palms beginning to sweat, so she nervously wiped them on the thighs of her black, well worn jeans. Should she ask for your number? Or would you see that as her shamelessly hitting on you and act weird?

Being gay, especially in a place like Jackson, was tough. Every female that she tried to make friends with got weird after she asked for their contact information, and men often saw her as some sort of accessory. As if hanging around her would make them look more non judgemental. That and the fact that males automatically assumed that she held all of the unshared, age-old mysteries of girlhood, and that she would divulge all of them.

“Hey-” Before she could even ask though, you had already opened your mouth.

“Do you mind if I asked for your phone number? Or if you feel more comfortable, I can get your instagra-”

“Phone number is great.” She breathed quickly, pulling out a piece of paper and a pen from her apron so that she could hand them over to you.

She would have just given you her number, but she was scared that she might never hear from you again. This way, she could be the person that built up the courage to call first. And she would. . . after a glass of whiskey. . . or a few hits from her bong.

You smiled warmly up at her, scribbling down your number as well as your name before folding it up into a square so that she could shove it into her back pocket.

“Have a good day. Don’t forget to text me, alright?” You shot her one last smile before picking your daughter up out of her highchair and placing her down on the ground. The little girl’s tiny shoes slapped against the floor as she walked quickly beside you, your hand already reaching down to grab a tight hold of her small palm.

You were almost out the door, the bell chiming as it swung open, when Ellie shuffled awkwardly.

“Drive safe!” She called out while she knew that you could still hear her.

You shot her one more megawatt smile before disappearing from view.

“Drive safe.” Jesse imitated her voice from behind her, his arms crossed over his chest as he smirked down at the petite female.

“Do me a favor? Shut the fuck up.” Ellie gave his arm a light punch before walking back into the kitchen, praying that none of the cooks would give her a hard time about her very obviously flushed face.

why not to buy tlou2 remastered (please read).

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altsvu · 4 months

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Congrats on 200 bunny!!!! You deserve it 🌸

Can I ask for a Hotch request pls? You can literally write anything you want, any prompt, but pls do the classic ‘we’re barely friends and oops there’s only one bed in this hotel room’ bc it’s my fave trope ever!!

“there’s a first for everything”, they say

pairing: aaron hotchner x bau!black!fem!reader

prompts used: 40) “I love the way you look with my fingers inside you.” 58) “Do you know how beautiful you are? It’s truly distracting.” 93) “It’s okay, honey, you can pull my hair as hard as you want while I’m between your legs.” from the 100 smut prompts!

summary: hotch invites you and the rest of the BAU on a vacation to the Bahamas, but his demeanor changes when he sees you and interacts with you outside of the professional setting for the first time.

wc: 1855

tw: pining (mentions of it), teasing, dirty talk, oral sex, p in v sex, mentions of sex, smut in general

a/n: i literally could not find a good gif for this so this will do! also this is a combination of another fic idea that i had so i kinda put a bit of a twist on this, i still hope you enjoy marley!! ❤️ @angelhotchner

criminal minds masterlist! ✯ taglist!

✯✯✯✯

The BAU had finally gotten vacation time, and all you wanted was to go home and sleep for 24 hours. But when Hotch invited you and the rest of the BAU to the Bahamas, it was hard for you to say no.

You wondered how it would go since you never really interacted with Hotch outside of cases, but maybe he might actually talk to you on a different level.

Then again, you were barely friends with him, acquaintance at most.

When the time finally came to pack for the trip, it was much harder than expected. After about 3 hours, you finally had your suitcases and your carry-on packed and ready to go.

Finally, you and the rest of the team were on the plane. To your luck, you and Hotch were sitting next to each other, with you at the window seat.

“Hey.” he smiled after settling down. You turned and smiled back at him and said hey back.

You couldn’t help but notice how good he looked. Like really good. His polo was doing him justice showing off his buff arms and chest, and his hair was fluffed to perfection. God, even his hands caught your eyes. His hands were big and veiny and you had recurring thoughts of him putting those hands to work.

On you.

Stop it, you told yourself.

You and Hotch were quiet the beginning of the flight, but you soon engaged in intriguing conversation with him. From expressing feelings about taking a break from all the gore that was part of working at the BAU, to sharing favorite scenes of movies that the both of you watched, that was the first non-work related conversation you’ve had with him.

And it felt amazingly natural, despite the bits of awkwardness in between.

The flight had a 55 minute layover in Miami, which you didn’t know about until you heard on the intercom, which woke you up from your rather comfortable nap.

That was when you noticed you had been napping with your head resting against Hotch’s arm. You quickly sat up and made sure he didn’t notice.

So much for barely friends.

During the layover, you curled up in a chair doing some digital art pieces on your iPad while eating lunch. You made it clear that you didn’t want to be bothered by anyone by putting in your headphones.

Hotch included.

You felt too embarrassed to talk to him after finding out you slept on him.

And didn’t even do anything about it.

He probably felt some type of way.

Or not.

You didn’t even bother figuring out his feelings, instead you spent the rest of the flight making mental notes of what you would do when you finally arrived.

✯✯✯✯

Bikinis were Hotch’s weakness. Well bikinis on you.

How did you know that?

You noticed that he couldn’t help but stare at you from the moment you took off your coverup, and when you walked past him at the beach, when you were resting on your beach chair talking with Penelope and Spencer, or alone reading a book, when you were playing beach volleyball with him, Morgan and JJ, and even when you were sipping on martinis with Rossi and Emily. Other people were checking you out too, but it seemed like Hotch was checking you out the most, admiring how beautiful the baby pink bikini looked against your golden chocolate skin.

So much for barely friends right?

The beach outing with the whole team was fun and you enjoyed your time there but you left the beach earlier than expected, spending some time alone shopping in nearby areas around the hotel. There was no reason in particular, you just liked spending time with yourself any chance you could.

You got back to the hotel room you were sharing with Hotch due to availability reasons, and quickly rid yourself of your clothes besides your bra and underwear and prepared to shower.

Until you realized that you forgot to bring your robe. bonnet and shower cap with you in the bathroom.

Hotch just so happened to walk in just as you were looking for it.

“Y/N, are you sleeping in that?”

“Oh shit!” you yelped, scrambling to cover your body. He came over to you after dropping his stuff on the ground. “Sorry,” you said sheepishly.

“Hey.” he whispered. “It’s just me.”

You felt yourself calm down instantly, but it just increased the level of awkwardness between you and him. After your shower, you got dressed for the night, which consisted of an oversized shirt and a pair of boy shorts, and relaxed in bed reading a book.

Hotch laid down next to you about 30 minutes later and you fell asleep moments after.

✯✯✯✯

Waking up in the middle of the night, you felt a warm body lean against you. You turned and gasped in fear until you realized it was Hotch.

"Y/N? Are you okay?" Hotch asked, turning around and placing his hand on your shoulder.

"Yeah sorry, I forgot I was sharing a bed with you for a moment." you breathed.

"I'm sorry I scared you out of your sleep."

You shook your head and turned back around. "It's not your fault."

It was silent between the two of you for a bit, and then Hotch reached over to massage your shoulders. It felt nice, you haven't had a massage in a while, if not ever. It was as if Hotch knew what you needed, what you were thinking about. A slight moan escaped your lips from how good it felt.

"Is that turning you on Y/N?" Hotch chuckled.

"No, it just feels really good."

Liar. It’s turning you on.

"I can make you feel good in other places, if you want."

“Oh, so that’s what we’re doing now?” you said, turning to face him with a smile on your face.

Hotch didn’t reply, instead he pulled you a bit closer to him and caressed your cheek.

“Do you know how beautiful you are? It’s truly distracting.”

“I do, but please remind me.”

He went into specifics about how he’d been admiring you from a distance and how he was scared to become close friends with you and screw it up.

“Y/N, you truly faze me.” he said at the end.

You felt your cheeks burning up at Hotch practically confessing his love to you. Without notice, he pressed a kiss on your lips. You went back in for more, and next thing you knew, you were on your back with Hotch’s hand lifting up your shirt. You helped him take it off, and there you were, almost naked again in front of him.

“Suddenly you don’t seem so shy to be naked in front of me.” he smiled.

“That’s because before, I was pretending that I didn’t like you.”

“Oh, so you like me.” Hotch murmured in between kisses to your clavicle.

You wanted to respond, but Hotch’s fingers were inching to your boy shorts and you felt yourself clenching up by his touch, so a smile was the best you could have done in the moment.

And next thing you know, they’re off.

You helped Hotch out of his clothes and the two of you were both naked.

In a hotel bedroom.

In the middle of the night.

You never thought you’d ended up this far with Hotch, let alone just being friends, or almost friends, with him. This was going through your mind as he was on top of you, kissing all over your body.

His hand was slowly trailing up your leg, then to your folds. He reached your clit and rubbed soft circles on it, all while pushing his pointer and middle fingers inside you.

With your past experience being intimate with other men, none of them ever made you feel this good with just their fingers. In fact, it was much different than you’ve ever experienced before.

“I love the way you look with my fingers inside you,” Hotch whispered, looking up at you.

You shuddered in pleasure when he said that, it felt reassuring.

He continued doing this through your first three orgasms. It got even more intense when he pulled his fingers out, devoured your juices and smashed his tongue on your opening. At this point you wanted to just grab fistfuls of his hair and moan at the top of your lungs.

Hotch being the profiler he is, knew exactly what you were yearning for.

“It’s okay, honey, you can pull my hair as hard as you want while I’m between your legs.” he said, looking up at you again with a quirky grin on his face.

Your hands were now full of his soft black hair, reaching the climax of your fourth orgasm.

Before you could reach another one, Hotch stopped what he was doing, laid down on the bed and pulled you onto his lap. You shuddered at the feeling of his hands on your waist.

“I want to feel you,” he whispered. “Can I do that?”

“Yes, please.” you pleaded.

He adjusted himself to your opening, and to say you were in shock would be an understatement. The initial thrust almost had you crying out for mercy the way it felt so good. A throaty groan escaped Hotch’s lips.

“You must be enjoying this,” you said.

“I am. You’re so good to me.”

That made you blush as you loved words of affirmation.

It was like Hotch knew everything about you. He knew all the right things to say, and all the right places to touch you. In a way, his job as a profiler never ended.

He switched positions so that he was on top of you, passionately looking into your eyes while doing so. He was the one with the mastery in eye contact.

At this point, you already knew the bonnet was off and the knotless braids you had in would get a bit frizzy at the top. But you didn’t care. Hotch was making you feel better than ever, filling that certain void in your life.

He had your legs up and thrusted into you with everything in him, and it made you moan in a way you never imagined you could do.

Another climax was approaching and you could feel it. You came faster than expected with Hotch in your ear whispering for you to do it for him. Short moments later, he was right there with you with his high.

“So much for not even being friends.” You laughed softly.

Hotch pulled you into his arms and kissed you. “So much, huh?”

“What do you think the others are gonna say when they find out? I know one of them heard us.”

“I’m glad they heard. Maybe they’ll talk about how loud you got for me.”

That made you giggle.

“Anyways, my special agent, we have to sleep soon. Or there might be more rounds.”

And surely enough, the two of you slept in each other’s arms after cleaning up, and you slept way better than you did before being woken up.

✯✯✯✯

taglist: @averyhotchner @storiesofsvu @ssaic-jareau @blackbeautifulqueen @mstrinnyb @will-on-the-internet @mrshadeelharingtonmadden

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levitiquee · 8 months

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The loss of light. (Levi x blind!reader)

Summary: In the battle held against Eren, reader loses their eyes. And as they finally starts getting used to a life without sight, someone unexpected reaches out. Levi Ackerman asks them to move into Marley with him.

Cw: uh since reader goes blind forever here, it might be kind of uncomfortable to read?

"...nothing we can do..."

"...did our best but..."

"... never see again..."

"...sight is gone..."

Gone, gone, gone….

It echoed in your head.

Soft murmurs reached your ears. You quietly listened, laying on your side, curled into a ball. You wrapped yourself tighter and tighter with every word, seeking comfort and shelter from you don't know what. Your eyelids fluttered as you tried to open them.

Were you in a dark room?

You blinked a couple times, squeezing your eyes shut harder with every press, but it felt strange. There was no difference. The darkness only felt more heavy, more suffocating. But there was no escape. Not a single ray of light.

Ah.

You really have gone blind, haven't you?

It had been a week since the war had ended. You had returned home along with everyone else, to Paradis.

And this past week, all you've known about the world is from hushed whispers.

You have only heard about how strange Paradis looked without the walls. About the ruins. About a lot of things. You hadn't seen any of it though.

You haven't seen a single thing this seven days. Not Paradis. Not the hospital room you were kept in. Not the doctors or nurses. Not any of your friends. Not even yourself.

You haven't seen a single ray of light. You haven't seen the sky, the sun, the moon, the stars–nothing.

And you were never going to see it ever again.

Darkness is your home now.

You cried the first day, as the nurse helped you to the bathroom. You cried when you stumbled against your own leg and almost fell down. You cried when they took off the bandage of your eyes, dabbing medicine but you could feel nothing. Absolutely nothing.

You cried the second day when you accidentally asked the nurse why she kept the lights turned off and she held your shoulder and gently explained to you as if you're a little kid. You hated it when she wiped your tears and didn't let you wipe it yourself in case you damage the eyes even more as if it's not damaged beyond repair already.

You cried the third day when you woke up and was unsure if you've actually opened your eyes because there was no fucking difference. You cried when you tried rubbing your eyes and instead felt the starchy bandage.

You didn't cry the fourth day. Nor the fifth day. Or the sixth.

You stopped crying.

It was a strange week. You woke up, a nurse would help you eat food, take you to the bathroom when necessary, give you meds, then you went back to sleep. Day and night made no difference to you.

Armin and a few others came to see you somewhere between day 2 or 3. Armin held your hand and told you to not feel bad. That you had done enough. That your role would not be forgotten. But now it was time for you to rest.

You had laughed, blinking back the tears. You will not cry in front of the kids, you told yourself. Then you congratulated him and blessed him, told him to do his best. That you were so proud of him.

And you couldn't see faces but you could have sworn it was Connie who sniffled and it was Jean who rubbed your back.

And then, nothing.

No one really told you anything anymore. The first few days, you'd ask whoever you can find about what's happening and the latest news. But then you started noticing the annoyed tones and you stopped.

Now you know nothing.

And no one bothered to tell you. Why should they, you were no longer a captain were you?

You were nothing.

It was 2 more weeks later, when you were almost well enough to be discharged and you were used to this new dark world of yours to do basic things by yourself. You were standing by a window, trying to make up for the lack of sight from the warmth of the sunlight on your hands and the fresh air on your face. And you didn't know how you knew but when you heard the click and whirr of something mechanical enter the room, you turned around and smiled.

"Captain."

"Kid."

And after 3 weeks of not crying, you thought you might just cry then. But you swallowed it down.

"You're still gonna call me that?"

"You're one to talk. You still call me captain." He grumbled.

You laughed. It had been years ago when Levi used to be your commanding officer. And then you became a captain yourself. But that never stopped you from calling him by the title, for no other reason than to see him irritated.

"Lost a leg I heard? That why you on a wheelchair?"

"Appears so." Levi had replied in his usual dry tone. Then it had turned softer. "Those ever going to be okay again?"

Wasn't it strange? You thought. How you saw nothing but darkness and yet you can feel his gaze on you. You can picture the exact expression that must be on his face right now, bored, half-lidded, eyes fixed on you, his mouth a straight line. A flat, emotionless face because oh he'd never show you that he cares. But his eyes would be warm and they'd tell you all that you'd ever needed to know.

"Nah." You replied airily. Did he know how bad you wanted to run away from the room right now? You might've attempted it, had it not been for the fact that you can't see shit and you would most definitely stumble and trip over.

You wondered how unpleasant you looked right now. You knew your hair was a mess, you hadn't bothered really taking care of it. And you bet the scars on your face weren't pretty either.

"...forever?" He asked quietly.

"Forever." You confirmed.

And fuck the sun and the moon and the sky.

But you were never going to see Levi and his scowl ever again.

It had been one month and you were finally released from the hospital. A nurse followed you for two days, helping you to get familiar with the routes so you could move by yourself. Then you were left alone.

But you were a quick learner. You always were. You figured out soon enough how to live without the existence of light in your world.

And you wondered.

Where do you go from here?

You stiffened as you reached the hallway leading up to your room, your hands on the wall. Losing your eyesight had only heightened your other senses. And said senses told you somebody was there, at the end of the hallway, right in front of your room.

"Hey."

You relaxed, a smile quirking up. That voice. You knew that voice. You'd always know that voice. That always bored, tired and monotonous tone of his.

"Pleasant surprise, captain."

He sighed. "For the walls sake, please stop calling me that." He said, almost exasperated.

"Oh, why so?" You slowly shuffled your feet, using the walls to draw a mental map and reached the door of your room. You leaned on the wall beside the door where you guessed Levi was right in front of. "It's meant as a term of respect, captain. Maybe if you just stopped taking it personally?"

"Shut up." He grumbled. "We both know exactly why you call me that. Additionally, you are anything but respectful."

"Now that's just offensive. I only mean the best."

"Fuck off. We're the same rank." Levi paused. "Or at least was." He added bitterly.

"Resigned too, have you?" You asked quietly.

"Not much of a choice, was it? I can't do shit in this state. Plus I'm too old and too tired. Arlert did hope for me to be an advisor but I rejected it."

"Figured. You would've done well though."

"Like I said, I've done my part. What happens rest is up to the brats "

"Mhm." You nodded. "Smart brats though, they'll work it out." You reached for the doorknob, twisting it open. Then you guestured him to come in. "Ah, can you move the chair on your own, or do you need help?"

You heard Levi quietly exhale.

You waited a few seconds. Then sighed.

"You need to learn how to ask for help, you know. I know your hand still hasn't healed. So you could just ask." You told him as you walked over, using your intuition and hands to understand his position. Your hands brushed past his hands before it found the metal handles. You walked behind it to push him in.

"I know." Levi said quietly.

"Just your ego or did you feel guilty cause I'm blind now?" You asked casually. "Also tell me if I'm doing it right, might push you against a chair or something."

"That's fine. Leave it here." Levi replied. You reached behind to shut the door, then plopped on the bed.

"Your rooms a fucking stable, what the fuck." Levi muttered, a hint of disgust in his tone. You chuckled. It shouldn't be too messy, you knew, probably just a few clothes out of place. Leave it to Levi to be dramatic.

"Blind kid here remember? Show some sympathy." You said in mock offense.

You could almost hear Levi's eye roll.

"When are you moving out?" He asked.

"Fuck if I know." You sighed. You knew you couldn't stay much longer in the military quarters. Not when you're no longer a soldier. But you had zero fucking idea where you go next. "I mean, I heard someone saying queen Historia was going to arrange like apartments for the war veterans? Maybe I'll ask for one. Pathetically, like a begger." You muttered the last bit under your breath.

You heard Levi shift in his chair. "You're not pathetic." He said calmly.

"Yeah well." You groaned, dragging a arm over your face."What about you?"

Seconds passed. Levi gave no response.

Another thing losing your sight did was make you overthink every little thing that you couldn't see. "Levi?" You called out warily. "You there?"

You heard the whirl of the chair beside you. "..yeah. I'm here."

"God." You slumped back down. "Don't go fucking silent out of nowhere. I don't like it. Specially not when I can't see shit." It was the helplessness really.

"No. Sorry. I didn't mean to worry you." Levi said quietly.

You shifted. The years you spent with Levi had taught you to read Levi like no other. Levi never showed it on his face but..you could always tell when his tone would change.

"What's bothering you?"

Levi shuffled in his seat. Oh something was bothering him alright.

"What's wrong? Seriously." You felt the anxiety rise. You sat up straight. "Please, please don't be quiet like that. It freaks me out now. Was it me? Did I do something wrong? Ask something wrong?–"

"No." You heard some clicking sounds, almost as if he was fidgeting. "No. It's not you."

"Spit it out then, please." You spoke quietly and slowly, carefully choosing the words. There was a strange tension in the room, it made you feel suffocated. And you hated it. As if the darkness wasn't suffocating enough. "What did you want to say Levi?"

Another few seconds passed.

"Come with me."

You froze.

Somewhere in the room, a clock ticked away, synchronized with your heartbeat.

"...to where?" You asked softly after a pause.

"Marley. Come with me to Marley."

Heavy, heavy breaths. The pounding in your heart almost ached.

"...I don't understand."

"I.." Levi let out an exasperated breath. "Onyankapon offered me to go to Marley with him. Start new. And I thought.. since there's nothing left for you here either..so you might want to.."

And for a second you forgot to breathe. You could tell the exact moment your heart collapsed and your lungs stopped working. And you felt the exact moment time stopped around you.

"..you want me to go to Marley with you?" You asked in a quiet voice. So quiet you wondered if he could hear it. Perhaps you hoped he wouldn't hear it. He wouldn't hear the crack in your voice.

"..yes."

You felt your fingers clench the bedsheets. Just something to hold on to, anything. Because God damnit.

"Thought you didn't like having me around?"

"I don't."

"Yeah?" You laughed, a little breathless. "Have you considered the fact that now that I'm blind I'd be ten times worse to have around? Since I basically can't do shit."

"That's your concern?" He asked frustratedly.

"A valid concern. I will not be a burden Levi. I refuse to be."

"Shit, no." Levi huffed. "You're not a burden. And you're not pathetic. And before you even go there, no I'm not showing pity on you. So shut up."

You smiled. "No?" No, you knew. Levi was never the type to do things out of pity. And if that's the case.. "And what are we going to be there in Marley, Levi?"

"What?" He asked in a confused voice.

"We're going to live together as in what? Old comrades?" You swallowed, heart hammering against your chest. "Friends?"

Levi stayed quiet.

And you almost choked then, as the realization hit you. The silence gave you your answer. The last answer you thought it'd be. And there was pain, pain, pain. Everywhere. In your head and your heart.

You wanted it. So bad.

But he deserved better than you, didn't he? Someone who could take care of him, not someone who needed to be taken care of.

But he wants me.

The thought sent a fresh wave of pain along your chest. He wants me.

How could someone like him, want me?

But maybe, just maybe…

Just this once. You'll let yourself be greedy.

"I'll go."

"What?" Levi's voice was breathless. There was disbelief in it.

"I'll come with you to Marley, captain."

And for the first time since then, you let yourself cry. You let tears roll down your face and you let the sobs take you. And this time, when your fingers clenched around the bedsheet, his fingers slowly, tentatively wrapped around yours. And it told you everything he never got to say. All the things he didn't dare say.

And when he gently tugged on you, you didn't resist. You let him pull you to him as you wrapped your hands around him, curling up on his lap. And you cried, hands pressed to your face as your shoulders shook, and you cried because it's the first time you felt safe since you woke up in the dark.

It's okay. It was him, wasn't it? How could you not feel safe with him?

He'd die for you.

Levi and you. Levi and you. Isn't that how it always were?

In the battlefields, in trainings, in expeditions..

When have you ever looked over your shoulder and not found him scowling at you?

Levi's hands ever so gently wrapped around your shoulder, another hand smoothing the stray strands of hair out of your face when you felt his lips press to the top of your head. And it was the lightest whisper but you heard it.

"Thank you." He whispered.

And you nodded. Again. And again.

It's okay. You'll be okay.

He'll always be there.

"Levi?" You stood by the kitchen doorway, hands planted on the door. Your fingers flexed instinctively, braced for anything unexpected.

"Right here." He called out, and you immediately relaxed at the confirmation of his presence. You reached out your hand, searching for him. He took it, gently tugging you forwards towards him. You grinned when his arms wrapped around your waist, holding you close.

"Hi."

"Good morning to you too."

"I thought I told you to wake me up before you leave the bed?" You pout.

"Sorry. You looked peaceful."

You laughed hearing his answer. But you tipped up to plant a peck on his lips. Missed halfway though, you could never get the kiss right. "Seriously though. I freak out, you know that."

He let you go, ruffling your hair. "Yeah I know, you paranoid little shit. What, did you think I got abducted by aliens or something?"

"One can never know." You say airily. And though it was meant as a joke, you didn't tell him the real answer. It's everyday you're scared that one day, you'll wake up and he won't be there anymore.

"Go sit down, breakfast is almost ready."

"I think I'd stay around here a little while." You listened keenly to the sounds of his steps, the splatter of oil and something being pieced on the cutting board. Your nose perked up.

"Eggs and bacon?" You guessed as you walked over towards the kitchen counter. You used your hands to feel out an empty spot, then heaved yourself to sit there so your legs dangled.

"I'm feeling generous today, so I made pancakes too. Whatever you're in the mood for." He replied, the sound coming just beside you.

"No wonder why I love you." You beamed brightly.

"Because I feed you?" He scoffed.

"Indeed." You winced slightly when he flicked your forehead. "Hey!"

"Brat." He murmered.

You grinned, rubbing your forehead.

"What's the day like Levi?"

It had become an everyday routine of yours to ask the question. And Levi was never very good at making aesthetic descriptions but he tried. For you.

A lot of things had changed in Levi Ackerman's life. One of them was perhaps this.

He never really cared about the appearance of things. Colors were just colors to him, the sky was blue, the trees were green. That's it. It was you who loved it, you'd nitpick every little detail.

"It's not blue, it's like a pastel indigo you know? With a hint of green? Like, like turquoise I don't know-" You'd ramble and he'd scoff.

You loved everything and anything. All of it memerized you. You swooned everytime you saw a rainbow, got giddy everytime it snowed. And it used to be everyday, you forced Levi to look at the sky "cause it's so fucking pretty today!"

Colors didn't matter to Levi much until he met you.

He didn't care about colors but he cared when they were on you.

He liked the color of your eyes, how it'd change shades in the sun and how it went perfect with the color of your skin. He liked the color of your hair, of your lips, of every outfit you ever wore. He liked how the green of Scouts would look on you.

But it was always you who thought colors are the most wonderful thing in the universe.

Sometimes you'd lean uncomfortably close, squinting in concentration as you observed his face.

"What?" He'd cringe.

"You have pretty eyes." You'd mumble.

"It's fucking gray."

"Not quite. It's like silver but with a tinge of blue. Stormy clouds and moonlight."

He found it cruel that the world took away your only source of joy.

So there he was, every morning, trying to explain the exact shades of color that was on the sky today. One time he accidentally called the sunlight yellow and you were mad offended. "It's golden!"

Levi didn't mind though, not really.

Not when he gets to see the way your face brighten up with every little detail.

"Can I help?" You asked after a while.

"Yeah no. You'll burn my kitchen down."

"Please? I'll be careful, promise." You whined, jumping down from the counter. You brought your hands in a pleading gesture.

"Fine." He muttered. "Do the eggs then."

"Oh but I always end up breaking the yolk."

"Well don't break the yolk. Be careful."

He watched you as you cracked an egg in the bowl. You stiffened up immediately.

"Broke the yolk didn't I?"

"Yes" he snorted. "You're eating that one."

"Sorry. I'm such a mess." You mumbled.

Levi sighed. You got insecure when you couldn't help.

"If you want to help you can go wash the dishes."

That cheered you right up.

His eyes followed you as you practically bounced towards the sink.

That was another thing Levi had to get used to. Your energy.

Levi has always been a kept-low person. He's calm and quiet. Never talked unless he had to. Then you came and you were this big ball of pure chaos and he never knew how to quite keep up with you.

He loved it though, he loved how you expressed emotions so freely, how you rambled on about the smallest things so easily. He loved it all and he loved you.

The loss of light in your world had never changed a thing about you.

He often wondered what it must be like, living in the dark like that. At first, it was strange for him, how you'd always seem to notice his presence before he even entered the room. You'd turn around and give the brightest smile. It was strange how your silver orbs looked straight in his eyes yet he was aware you saw nothing. How you'd hear the smallest sounds, notice the barest shifts in the air.

You loved the rain, and you loved the snow. You said it was nice to at least feel the world every once in a while.

But there were things that always broke his heart as well. How you were always so tense, the way you'd start panicking the moment you reach out and can't find him beside you. Sometimes, you'd be so dazed in doing something or perhaps sleeping, and he'd touch you and you'd flinch or jump on your feet. Then on, he learned gently knocking before entering any room you were in so to not startle you.

You were always the careful one. The on your toes one. You never let your guard down. Back in the scouts, your instincts never failed to impress him. So he often wondered what it must be like you for now, now that you lost one of your biggest advantages. When so much of your life you passed relying on your vision. After losing your eyes, you have only become more tense. One little unusual sound and you'd go rigid. He absolutely hated the helpless look that'd take place on your features when you'd struggle with something.

He hated how you never asked for help.

And he hated how sometimes you'd have nightmares in the middle of the night and you'd wake up, overwhelmed when you saw nothing but darkness. You'd forget the loss of your vision and you'd panic when no matter how much you screamed, you can't seem to wake yourself up. And he had to hold you, he had to calm you down, he had to remind you. And he hated, absolutely hated the look that'd take place after the daze passes and you realize there's no escaping the darkness.

Sometimes, you'd ask about your scars. You'd ask if they were hideous. And Levi would press a kiss on your temple, and that'd be an answer in itself. But yet, sometimes he found you going over the torn tissues of your face, expression scrunching with every feel of the ragged surface around your eyes. He'd always take your hand and press it to his own face, as a reminder.

Then you'd trace his ones. You'd go over the scars that ran from his eye to his chin gently. You remember those, you still had your sight when Hange had stiched them up. But it helps you ground yourself.

A reminder that you weren't the only one.

Sometimes you'd go out, you and him. And before Levi had gotten the prosthetic leg, you used to push him around. It was perfect really, Levi were your eyes and so you helped him move.

And then it was Levi's hands entertwined with yours as he'd guide you around the streets. You liked parks, for the feel of bare grass underneath your feet.

Sometimes Gabi and Falco would join. During then, it'd be Gabi who'd enthusiastically tell you little details of the world around you. And she was definitely better than Levi so he'd stay quiet. "A black cat just passed by and it exactly looked like Mr. Levi, like, like with the scowl and everything-"

Sometimes, Reiner, Pieck and Onyankapon would come visit. And those days, nothing could wipe the grin off your face. You liked it when there were people in the house. You liked it when it was loud.

Levi didn't like loud. But he liked that it made you happy. It made you feel safe in that dark world of yours. It reminded you that you weren't stuck in your own head, you were here, with everyone else.

A lot of things had changed in Levi's life, but he didn't mind.

Not really.

He liked how easily you'd reach out to hold him when you'd lose balance or you needed to know where he was. He liked how your kisses were so sloppy and almost always missed and the way you'd get so embarrassed. He liked how your tense shoulders would relax once you realized it was him before you.

How you trusted him with your life.

A lot of things had changed in Levi Ackermans life.

You had brought love into it.

And he doesn't think he'll ever be able to let you go.

875 notes · View notes

daisynik7 · 11 months

Text

Give You Blue

Chapter 3: Umbrella

🎶 I can't stop the rain, but I will keep you dry 🎶

Pairing: Eren x f!reader, Reiner x f!reader (past relationship)

Rating: Explicit (this chapter does not contain any explicit material, but the series as a whole will remain Explicit)

cw: switching POVs (reader is in 2nd person, Eren is in 3rd), angst, a little bit of fluff

Word Count: ~2.9k

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Give You Blue Masterlist | ao3 | Give You Blue Taglist

Summary: With your classes as a distraction, you manage to survive a month into your breakup. However, you hit a snag when you run into your ex for the first time since the start of the semester. And, as if it couldn't get any worse, you forget to bring an umbrella on a day with heavy rainfall. Luckily, someone comes to your aid. Author’s Notes: Introducing Eren’s point of view! Hope you enjoy this one! Likes, comments, and/or reblogs are ALWAYS appreciated. Thank you so much for the support! If you want to be tagged in any future chapters, please let me know in the comments or interact with the Give You Blue Taglist post. Appreciate y’all! Divider created by @/mikeykuns.

Eren hates his major.

It’s not that he dislikes biology. In fact, he adores it. He has fond childhood memories of Armin sneaking encyclopedias from his grandpa’s library so that the two of them can flip through each page, eyes wide open in awe at the information displayed. Eren has always been particularly fascinated with science.

No, it’s not biology; he hates being pre-med. He’s only doing it because his father, the renowned Dr. Grisha Jaeger, gave him an ultimatum. It was either pre-med or no tuition, without any room for compromise. Eren’s fate is to become a physician, whether he likes it or not, all because it’s what the Jaeger patriarch wants. To be fair, he’s never stood up for himself. Zeke, his older brother, is in med school at Marley. He can’t be the sole disappointing son; he just can’t.

So, instead, he suffers. One month into the semester, and he’s already struggling with organic chemistry. Freshman year, he aced biology, no problem. But chemistry? It’s a totally different language that he can’t comprehend.

Inside the lecture hall, he stares at his graded quiz, a big 53% scribbled in bold red ink. He glances at the other students, sneaking a peek at what they got. His concerns lessen slightly, spotting a few other 50s. Luckily, because the exam was so difficult, the professor informs them that it will be weighted. Still, this isn’t good enough. He’ll have a hard time explaining this one to the doctor.

When class is dismissed, Eren remains in his seat, head in his hands, re-evaluating his life choices. Is it going to be this way the rest of the semester? The remainder of the schoolyear? For the next decade? He’s only a sophomore; it’s only going to get harder from here. There’s so much pressure to do well right off the bat. After all, a high GPA is required for him to get into the prestigious Marley School of Medicine, the same university Zeke is currently attending. The standard has already been set high, and Eren needs to reach it if he doesn’t want to be considered a failure.

There’s a heavy burden weighing him down, sometimes he finds it difficult to breath. The first semester of freshman year was a breeze; he had a good handle on his classes, snuck into a few frat parties with Mikasa and Armin, made fond memories with his friends. It was fun. Now, it’s anything but. He signed up to be an RA to have his own personal space so he could study. Basically coop himself in his room without having to resort to the library across campus. He tries to see his friends, but rarely goes out to a party. Armin, of all people, joined a frat last semester and has invited Eren out several times, always resulting in him declining.

College is no longer enjoyable. And maybe for him, it was never meant to be. Is this what his life is going to be in the future? All work, no play? Is he destined to become like his workaholic father, who is hardly home? His brother, who’s aged twenty years despite being under thirty? He’s constantly debating in his mind if this is the route he wants to take. It keeps him awake at night, stressing about it.

Eventually, he gets up out of his seat, slinging his backpack across his shoulders, his other hand grasping a large umbrella. The forecast predicted rain all afternoon. Fitting for how he’s feeling at the moment.

Walking out of the lecture hall and towards the exit, he notices someone standing near the door, leaning against the wall, face buried in their hands. He approaches closer, realizing it’s one of his residents. And she’s crying.

~~~

It’s been a month since Reiner broke up with you. Your classes have been a well-needed distraction, keeping yourself focused on assignments rather than memories of your past relationship. Still, when you’re in bed every night, desperate to fall asleep, the flashbacks play on a continuous loop, keeping you awake. It’s been difficult to get a proper amount of sleep because of this. It’s a vicious cycle, one you haven’t quite figured out how to get out of. But like Annie said, baby steps.

With your midday class over, you walk to the nearest vending machine, purchasing a canned coffee beverage to fuel your perpetual exhaustion. Caffeine has been one of your saving graces during this trying time, aside from the support from your friends. It also helps that you haven’t seen Reiner since the drastic breakup. You’ve been actively avoiding all of the usual spots you used to frequent with him, going out to the cafeteria, library, or the mini mart at odd times of the day. He hasn’t reached out to you, most likely giving you space until you decide to initiate. What do you even say? You’re trying to move on, and keeping in contact with him would only make it harder. But there’s no denying it; you miss him.

As you step towards the exit, you notice all the other students clad in their waterproof coats or holding umbrellas. It’s pouring now, and you’re not prepared at all. Annie’s reminder last night resurfaces in your brain a little too late. She mentioned how it was supposed to rain today, and you probably brushed it off. Or maybe in your rush to get to class this morning, running on only two hours of sleep, it slipped your mind.

Directly across is the next building. Thinking quickly, you hunch underneath your backpack, making some sort of makeshift shelter, and hurry over, doing your best to avoid getting soaked. There’s a large crowd of students leaving one of the lecture halls. You push past them, pausing near the exit, trying to decide what your next move should be. And that’s when you her him.

“Coco?”

Your heart drops when you hear his voice, uttering that all too familiar nickname. Slowly, you turn around, seeing Reiner standing before you with a pretty, blonde woman beside him.

“Oh. Hi.” You do your best to sound nonchalant, actually stunned by his presence.

He swallows hard, clearly nervous. “I didn’t know you had a class in here.”

“No, I don’t. I was just passing through. I, uh, forgot my umbrella, so I’m trying my best to avoid the rain.” You glance down at your shirt, spotted with droplets. “Obviously, it’s not working,” you add, with a small chuckle. You’re surprised that you can laugh when there’s dread suffocating your lungs. Seeing him in the flesh, after weeks of miraculously avoiding him, is hitting you harder than you imagined.

Reiner stares at you, concern in his eyes. The same expression he’s given you throughout your life whenever he was worried about you. “It’s pouring the rest of the day. You’re going to get soaked.” It’s genuine the way he says it; like he still cares about you. It makes you regret coming here in the first place.

“We can walk you to your dorm, if you want.” Her voice startles you for a second, forgetting she’s here as you fixate on your ex. She gives you a small smile when she continues. “I’m Christa, by the way. Nice to meet you.”

You shake her hand, introducing yourself. Glancing at her sweatshirt, two deltas stitched across with a floral pattern, you comment, “I like your letters. They’re very cute.”

Her smile widens. “Thank you! My big gave it to me last semester. Are you also in a sorority?”

“No, I’m not,” you reply, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

She wiggles her finger at you and Reiner. “How do you two know each other, then?”

“We’ve known each other since we were kids. We grew up together,” Reiner answers, a hint of pride in his voice. “We’re best friends.” He glances at you, checking your reaction. You look down at your sneakers, wet at the soles, trying not to show the emotions rattling inside.

“That is so sweet! Well, if you’re ever interested in joining a sorority, we do informal recruitment in the fall, formal recruitment in the spring. You should stop by the house some time for dinner, maybe during the nights Reiner is hashing.”

“Hashing…?”

“Sorry! So used to speaking in sorority language! Reiner is one of our hashers. He helps serve food and wash dishes, in exchange for a paycheck, of course. His shifts are usually at dinner.”

You finally meet his eyes. “Oh. I didn’t know.”

He opens his mouth, wanting to respond. Then Christa nudges him with her elbow, giggling. “How can you not tell your best friend that you have a job?!”

He avoids your gaze, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess I forgot.” The truth is more complicated to explain; you don’t blame him for that. Still, it hurts. You’re so used to knowing everything about each other. Now, he’s practically a stranger.

Christa, blissfully unaware, repeats her earlier offer. “We can walk you to your dorm! And we can talk more about Delta Delta if you’d like.” Her offer is kind, even with the ulterior motive, trying to recruit you. It’s not the sales-pitch that’s deterring you, though. It’s the idea of sharing an umbrella with them, forcing yourself to act like it’s all fine and dandy. That he didn’t break your heart a few weeks ago so that he can hang out with sorority girls like Christa, gorgeous, sweet, and sociable. It’s not her that bothers you, not at all. She has no idea the pain you’re going through. Reiner does, and it makes you angry knowing he wants to play pretend for the sake of his image.

“It’s okay, I can walk on my own from here. Greek Row is on the opposite side of campus, it doesn’t make sense for you to walk me.” You’re not going to accept the offer, no matter what. It’s better this way. You’d rather get drenched than subject yourself to this.

“C’mon, Coco. We really don’t mind,” Reiner urges.

We. It’s a simple word, no significant meaning behind it. To you, it’s devastating. It used to be you and him. Now, it’s him with somebody else. You’re the third party here. And sure, they’re probably just friends, but the insecure part of you is going insane, wondering if he’s already moved on.

More adamant, you say, “I’ll be fine. Seriously.” You give Reiner a stern look, one he recognizes instantly. He’s seen it many times before, and he knows that he should just drop it. Christa’s eyes dart between you two, picking up on the tension. “Okay, well, I hope you take up my offer for dinner. I’ll let Reiner contact you to schedule a time.” She smiles at you, waving. “It was really nice to meet you, Coco.”

Reiner makes a strangled noise in his throat, caught off guard by his special nickname for you being used by somebody other than him. You’re surprised at yourself when you let out a genuine chuckle, grinning. “It was nice meeting you too.” You’re not annoyed at her for calling you that. In fact, you’re relieved. In a way, you feel liberated from it. It no longer belongs to him.

You’re overwhelmed with emotions as soon as they leave side-by-side under his umbrella. You wait until they’re out of sight, leaning against the wall, hiding your face as the tears stream down your cheeks. Suddenly, and at the worst timing, you hear a familiar voice call out to you. Peering up, you see Eren, your RA, standing in front of you.

You meet him in passing every now and then, walking out or into his room while you’re going the opposite direction, exchanging a friendly wave or pleasant greeting. There’s always a pleasant smile on his face, as if life Is great and everything is going to be fine. This is the second time he’s witnessed you crying, two times too many at this point. You’re hot with embarrassment, being caught a blubbery mess once again.

“Hi,” you sniffle, drying your cheek with your sleeve.

“Are you okay?” He’s concerned, of course. Similar to the first time you burst into tears upon meeting him.

You take a deep, shaky breath before responding, “Yeah. I’m fine. I just…I didn’t know it was going to rain.”

It’s silent between you for a moment, Eren processing the situation before speaking. “If you’re heading back to the dorms, we can walk together.” He holds the curved handle in up, smiling. You’re grateful he doesn’t question it further, understanding there’s more behind your outburst than just a little bit of unforeseen weather.

Once outside, he opens the umbrella, revealing a blue-sky pattern over your heads. You laugh at the irony of it.

“Pretty cool, right?” he beams, holding the handle between you. “I always like to carry a bit of blue with me whenever it’s a gloomy day.”

“I love it,” you reply, returning his bright smile. “Almost makes it feel like it isn’t raining at all.” You huddle next to him, trying your best not to bump your shoulder against his. “Thank you. I would have been stranded if you didn’t come along.”

“No problem at all. Just consider this one of my responsibilities, as your RA.”

“To show off your super cool umbrella to your residents?” you joke, smirking.

He turns his head to face you, gazing at you kindly. “No. To keep you safe and protect you.”

You focus your attention on the ground, avoiding any puddles and ignoring the slight flutter in your belly. “You might be the best RA ever with that kind of mindset.”

He chuckles. “Well, I haven’t forgiven myself for making you cry the first night I met you. So I’m doing my best to make up for it.”

You cover you face with your hand, remembering that humiliating moment. “Oh god, don’t remind me. It really wasn’t you. I was in a fragile state and apparently, red velvet cupcakes were triggering at the time.”

The rain lets up a bit, reduced to a drizzle now. Eren stares in front of him, relaxing the grip on the handle. “Are you feeling better now?”

You choose your words carefully before replying, “Yeah. I think so.” It’s not a confident answer, though it’s the best you can do, without going into detail about it.

“Good. I’m glad to hear that.”

The two of you walk in silence for the next few minutes, listening to the soft trickle of raindrops against the pavement. There’s something peaceful about the rain when you’re not getting absolutely drowned by it. You look up, admiring the blue-sky pattern, feeling the tiniest boost of serotonin on an otherwise dreary situation. “You’re doing a great job, by the way.”

“Huh?”

A little louder, you repeat, “I said you’re doing a great job. Being an RA and everything.” You’re unsure yourself what you mean by “everything”. He’s basically a stranger to you. However, for some reason, you’re comfortable around him.

“Oh. Thanks.” You can tell he’s surprised by your comment, which makes you smile to yourself.

Another moment of silence passes as you approach the dorms. “I’ll have to find a way to thank you for this,” you say.

“You really don’t have to.”

“If it weren’t for you, I’d either be stuck there, crying. Or back at the dorms, drenched from head to toe.” You remove the keycard from your pocket, swiping your ID at the door.

He holds it open for you, beckoning you to enter first, folding and tying his umbrella closed. “Well, if you must know, I love Pocky.”

“Pocky?” You raise your brow at him, amused.

“You know, those little stick treats, covered in chocolate.”

“Yeah, I’m familiar. I’m just surprised by your answer,” you grin, stopping in front of his room.

“Hey, I told you I have a sweet tooth, right? Just get me a box of that, and we’ll call this even.”

“Okay,” you reply. “I can do that.”

He watches you walk the rest of the way down the hall to your room. You face him, giving him one last wave before you enter, retreating inside. You set your bag down and sit at the edge of your bed, surprised at how okay you’re doing, despite running into Reiner. Maybe you really are doing better.

Soon after, your phone vibrates, notifying you of a text. When you check it, you find yourself staring at the screen, frozen in place.

Reiner: Hope you made it back to your dorm okay.

~~~

You’re doing a great job. On a shitty day like today, those five simple words give Eren the validation he needs. If he can’t be great at chemistry, it’s nice knowing he is succeeding in another way. It makes him feel good, as if he’s finally doing something right. Being appreciated for it isn’t expected, but it sure is nice.

He doesn’t see or hear from her until a few days later, when he comes back from one of his classes. Outside his room, he spots a plastic bag hanging on the doorknob, a note attached to the outside of it:

Eren, thank you for keeping me dry from the rain the other day. Consider us even now.

He smiles reading her name signed at the end of it. Peeking into the bag, he sees at least a dozen Pocky boxes scattered inside.

Taglist: @batafuraikisu @bloompompom @monirei @filunara @katestrophes @ichinosejager13 @hoperenae @zellskz @e-ayyy @liliorsstuff-blog @maliakealoha @holdmeclosebutdontloveme @chrollohearttags @sailorputa @squickkk @dnyllmh @hellomeow12 @s-cream-ing @potofstewie @conniesbbymama @erzascarlett28 @lem-hhn @roronoazorosbxtchh @ichigostrawberry15 @rhaelrence @lilshades @bigmoodyjoody @icansmellsouls @aangsupremacy @ashsauroras @bakuhoes-bxtch @mrs-wolfwood @si-kamo @jmtherula @imaddicted-b @monkemanjeager @neesiewrote @large-juice @chiinni @belovedackerman

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luvbugs-blog · 1 year

Text

one bed? - featuring the aot boys

today, we have: jean, bertholdt, and reiner

in which: there's only one bed? lmao have fun! note that in reiner's part, you are a warrior that escaped back to marley with reiner after the shiganshina arc.

warnings: none. i have extreme paranoia when it comes to me writing smut, so you will not see some from me until i get better (i am literally touch-starved, so i feel like anything i write will be cringe)!

author's note: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know what to write next. i'm literally out of ideas. either in the comments, or in my messages. i will appreciate ANYTHING.

jean

"alright everyone," hange says, "go to your respective rooms. we'll meet back up in the morning and explore some more!" she turns to leave with onyankopon and levi who were staying in a nearby hotel as to not draw too much attention.

you look around for jean, sasha, and connie who were also staying in this hotel with you. as soon as you went to grab sasha to room with, connie swooped in, and the two were so excited that they were going to have a "sleepover". you heave a small sigh.

"don't sound too disappointed." jean says, giving you a small smile. "sad you're stuck with me tonight?"

"never." you say, bumping your shoulder with his. "it will just be much harder to keep an eye on those two." jean's smile slowly slides off his face.

"oh yeah." not much you can do about it now. you grab jean's hand and pull him to go find your room.

"this is actually so interesting, being in marley. i can't believe they have actual cars!" you say excitedly, smiling while looking out the window. you couldn't believe how advanced this place is.

"you sound like hange now! keep it down before your dumbass gets us caught." you give jean a little smack.

"oh shut up." the two of you finally reach the room, and as jean opens the door, he stops halfway into the room.

"hey! get out of my way, horse-face!" jean turns to look at you, his face a little red.

"i think they gave us the wrong room." confused, you look around jean to see there is only one bed in the entire room.

"oh." the thought of spending the night with your best friend in the same bed also made you a little pink. much to your relief, jean didn't see because he was too busy hurrying to use the bathroom. in reality, he was trying to calm himself down, but you didn't know that.

your stomach was swirling as jean finally came out of the bathroom, his face wet, like he had washed it. you had to look away. of course you were nervous. you've had a crush on the man for quite a while now. but you'd rather die than admit that.

an awkward, uncomfortable silence blanketed the room. until jean spoke up. "I honestly think we should just share it. it's pretty big. and we've grown up together. it won't be awkward."

that's a relief. "yeah. as long as your big horse feet won't kick me in the middle of the night."

"hey! my feet are normal shaped!" you giggle, the previous tension gone. "yeah yeah."

the two of you chat a little bit before calling it a night. you tuck yourself under the covers, turning your back to jean. "i hope you don't snore."

"guess you'll find out tonight." the two of you try sleeping, and for a few hours, it was successful. until the room got incredibly cold. you shuffle closer to jean, but it wasn't helping all that much. you turn around, facing jean, who looked fast asleep.

"hey." silence. "hey!" nothing. so you start poking his face, and he flinches. "what?" now you're embarrassed.

"nevermind."

"oh no. you didn’t wake me up for nothing." he pokes your face. "what do you want?"

"can you hold me?"

"what?!"

"i'm cold!"

"oh. alright then, come here."

"really?"

"yes, y/n. now hurry up." so you weasel your way into his arms, sinking into his chest. he is so warm.

and in the morning, when he wakes up before you, he'll let you sleep, with your leg around his waist and his arms around you. maybe he will finally work up the courage to ask you out.

bertholdt

you were shaken. of course you were, you were kidnapped. the last thing you remember is walking away with armin on the wall, and you could faintly hear hange talking to moblit about titans that could dig. but you wake up on a tree, in the forest which was surrounded by titans. you see ymir awake, scowling at two men up on higher trees. is that eren over there? you have to blink because it's so bright, but when it finally comes into focus, you realize it's reiner and bertholdt. oh yeah. the traitors. you start breathing heavily, thinking about how it's your lover up there. ymir tries to calm you down, her eyes wide, but it doesn't work. how could he do this to you. was everything fake? were your friends still alive. why were you here? you start feeling faint, and feel hot tears pooling at your eyes. you faintly hear the screeching of odm gear coming closer, and you hear bertholdt talking to ymir, but it's too late, and you pass out once again.

when you awaken a second time, it's night. you have to adjust your eyes to try to figure out where you are. but all you see are stars. you're on the wall. you feel a hand on your shoulder.

"y/n?" you turn your head without moving your body and see him. bertholdt, who's eyes are red and swollen. you reach your hand up to hold his face but then think better of it. you let your hand fall.

"i'm so sorry. y/n, i'm so sor-"

"bertholdt!" you recognize reiner's voice and lift your body up, with his hand on your back. you shove his hand away, ignoring the hurt look on his face. you see reiner and ymir coming your way. while bertholdt and reiner whisper to each other, ymir comes to check on you.

"are you alright?" you shrug. which earns a sad smirk from ymir. shortly after, bertholdt returns to kneeling next to you, but not saying anything. after a while, you find your voice.

you turn your head to bertholdt and ask, "how did i get here?" he flinches at your strained tone, but softly explains what happened while reiner and ymir set up sleeping bags they found in the district below. you also find out the truth about bertholdt's background. about him being from marley, his mission, why he decided to become a warrior. he explained about his sick father and the oppression he received just because he was eldian.

and suddenly, your heart was conflicted. there was life outside of the walls. but they weren't free. they had the same blood you did, and they were being tortured for it. but they killed so many innocent people from inside the walls. those people didn't know what they were dying for. they didn't deserve to die. you wanted to yell and scream at him, but you also wanted to comfort him. so you cried. you cried and cried and fell into him because you were weak, and despite hating him for all he had done, you loved him. and he held you as you cried, and eventually he started crying with you. so the two of you cried until there were no tears left. in the silence left behind, you whispered to him, "take me with you. take me home with you." too weak to argue, he agreed. he placed a soft kiss on your forehead and wiped away your tears.

"ok."

what felt like hours later, reiner came to drop off the sleeping bag.

"i'm sorry, but we could only find three." while bertholdt starting insisting you take it, you just stand up and take the sleeping back from reiner, giving the man a hug, which surprised him.

"thank you. one is enough. we can share." and so you did.

you held onto his long ass body and just held each other, oozing comfort the both of you needed.

reiner

while porco and pieck were mocking him from behind, you were at his side, giggling at his little pout. you intertwined your arm with his and put your head on his shoulder, causing the two goons to laugh and mock even more. but the two of you didn't care. you guys were considered pretty close before, but after returning from paradise, the two of you were inseparable. the two of you walked along the festival, reiner occasionally having to stop to pay for gabi and the others, but never separating from you.

"oh, reiner!" pieck says, "don't forget about the meeting we have tomorrow." the both of you sigh.

"we haven't forgotten pieck," he replies. you detach yourself from reiner when you see porco beckoning to you. while reiner and pieck chatted, you were able to talk a bit with porco. the two of you wandered for a bit before reiner came to pull you away, looking a bit jealous, which porco wouldn't let him live down.

the two of you follow the children around until they get too tired and full from all the festival food. while reiner is dragging gabi around, the two of you talk about the trek you will have to make for the meeting.

"we should rent a hotel room. that way we won't have to get up too early tomorrow to travel."

"good idea!" so after dropping off the children at their respective homes, the two of you hitch a ride to the hotel nearest to HQ where the meeting was taking place. when the two of you check in, you only ask for one room, but two separate beds.

however, when the two of you went to go to sleep, there was only one bed. although, it didn't bother you two that much, as the two of you often slept over together.

so when it was time for bed, the two of you crawled in together, immediately cuddling together. you lay your head on his chest and he holds you. this was how you often found comfort when the two of you first got back from the island, often crying about bertholdt, annie, and the comrades you considered friends. and the two of you haven't stopped this little routine, even years later.

but this time felt a little different. reiner was holding you more tightly than usual. but you couldn't bring yourself to ask why because you were too tired. as you were falling asleep, you hear him whisper, "I love you." not that you would know this, but he had been telling you this for a long time when you were sleeping. so it quite surprise to him when you opened your eyes and smiled.

"I love you too." you slowly press a kiss to his lips and he graciously returns it.

author's note (again): will there be a part two? idk yet. let me know if y'all want one in the comments section. (and i know you saw my author's note up top. *suspicious side eye* you better tell me what to write next)

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ambassadorarlert · 2 years

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

0.1 BEHIND THE CURTAIN ( main menu | spotify ) 18+ MDNI NSFW ↳ summary: this is what happened when Armin lifted the curtain... ↳ warnings: explicit sexual content, alcohol consumption, swearing, semi-public sex ↳ genre: smut (NSFW 18+ MDNI), comedy ↳ word count: 7k (lmfao)

This was an extremely unwise idea. You all were supposed to be on a mission, going undercover and disguised as Marleyean civilians. The plan had already gone askew when Eren had wandered off. Just your guys' luck, he had wound up in a refugee camp, survivors of war in other countries Marley had "conquered". Everyone was scrambling around trying to find this fool, and here he was drinking and having the time of his life as if he didn't have a giant bullseye on his back.

Once Mikasa had tracked down Eren like a lovesick bloodhound, the idea was to drag his ass back to HQ. From there, Captain Levi and Commander Hange could chew him out for separating himself from the group again. However, a short and stout older gentleman approached with a charcuterie board and a humble smile. He spoke in a dialect no one understood or recognized, but it was clear that he was inviting you all to join him and his family for drinks and snacks. It was hard to say no to a sweet old man like that.

Fuck it. What's one drink going to do?

One drink turned into consuming an entire bottle of wine. After the first bottle, all of the refugees began to reveal their backstories, speaking the common language as best as they could. They told you their stories about how their homes were destroyed, how they were taken as war prisoners, how some of their families didn't make the journey to Marley or died in the camps due to lack of nutrition or infection. Their stories weren't too far different from the rest of yours, and it definitely pulled at some heartstrings.

On bottle two, you really began to feel the music. You had never seen some of these instruments before. They were funky looking. Some had many strings while others had buttons. You were quite intrigued with a curved gadget that was made of brass and had keys all over it. The man operating called it a saxophone, and offered to let you play a note which you eagerly accepted. Everyone watched as you purse your lips the way he told you to. He held down the keys for you as you gave the saxophone a little toot, which everyone got a kick out of.

Armin had just finished taking the last swig of his second bottle of wine. He wiped the corner of his mouth with the cuff of his suit and sat his now empty bottle on the plush blanket under him. He sat in between Mikasa and an older woman who would not stop pinching his cheek and saying, "Eres tan lindo! El es tan lindo!"

He had a hard time keeping up with the conversations around him. His body felt like he had no bones, a warm tingling feeling radiating through his muscles and joints. His eyes couldn’t focus on anyone else but one person from across the tent, the others in the background were just that -- A background.

You were sitting in a circle with Sasha, Connie, and a few other people. Smiling, laughing, and nodding amongst yourselves. Armin bore witness to Sasha pulling you to your feet to dance. You both held up your skirts so as to not trip and make bigger fools of yourselves, and twirled around each other. Sasha clumsily knocked into you. Before you could fall, you caught yourself and Sasha by her elbows, making you both laugh harder. This behavior wasn't too far off from how you and Sasha interact with each other on a regular day. However, there was a different kind of sway to your hips and curve in your smile. You were genuinely enjoying yourself. Armin hadn't seen you be this relaxed and carefree in a few days. There was an unusual glow in your skin that Armin felt like only he could have noticed.

So pretty, was his simple thought.

Armin broke his concentration on you to take a look around him. Jean was knocking elbows with a few ladies, as well was Connie. Eren was gathered with a group of older gentlemen and was suddenly taken off guard by a small boy playfully jumping on his back. Mikasa was peacefully swaying to the live music. Seeing his friends be intoxicated and unbothered by the grueling reality they all face every day, made Armin extremely happy. On a normal day, everyone tried to find happiness in the simplest places. Since they were in a new country with possible new beginnings, he took another bottle of wine and popped the cork in hopes of starting a new way of life, a way where they could be like this all of the time. Mikasa held her cup out, giving it a little shake. Armin poured a decent amount of wine into her canned good cup.

Underneath the music, the dancing, the food and drinks, and the laughter, you couldn't shake the underlying intuition that all of this was wrong. Everyone should be back at HQ by now, in bed, ready to face the next day. Captain Levi gave direct orders to find Eren and come back, and you all had clearly not followed those orders. What if he and Hange came looking for you all? What would they say? All of your tell-signs of a panic attack were starting to come on; stomach cramps, tunnel vision, increased heart rate.

You didn't want to ruin the good time, so you slipped into the background to find somewhere to recollect yourself.

Armin had only looked away for one second, and you were gone. Vanished into thin air. His drunken eyes scanned his environment for a glimpse of you. He caught you dipping underneath a curtain far away from everyone else, a concerning look on your face.

"I'll be right back." Armin said to Mikasa. “HUH!?” Mikasa cupped her ear. Armin had to repeat himself, as Mikasa was too inebriated to understand Armin's words the first or second time. He excused himself, standing up and teetering on his feet like a toddler just learning to walk. Armin took a few careful steps, cautious not to step on anyone's hands and fingers. Suddenly, a heavy hand clapped onto his shoulder, which almost brought him to the ground. Jean was grinning ear to ear.

"Haven't seen you all night, Armin! Where are you going?" Jean asked.

He wrapped his arm around Armin's neck, both of their cheeks touching. Jean and Armin were close, but not touchy-feely close. Jean liked his personal space.

"Well, I saw Y/N leave, and they looked upset, so I thought I'd ask if they were alright." Armin explained. Jean immediately showed concern.

"Leave? Which way did they go?" He pressed. Jean looked out of the small exit of the tent, peeking to see if maybe you had just stepped outside for fresh air. Armin shook his head.

"They went back there." Armin pointed at the curtain that hung towards the back. Jean gave a short laugh.

"Nice. Good for them!" He cheered. Armin scoffed.

"No, they were alone. I'm going to go see if everything is okay." Armin explained, again. Jeans demeanor changed. He gave Armin a sinister smile.

"Oh," Jean sang. "Good for you then!" Jean's grip on Armin's neck tightened as Armin tried to wiggle free. He knew what Jean was insinuating.

Jean was an avid believer that what Armin really needed was a woman. Or man. Or whoever he was into. They didn't really talk about their romantic preferences, but Jean's advice stated that the reason why Armin was so wound up with stress all the time was because Armin "doesn't get his dick wet enough,” in Jean’s exact words. This seemed like the route Jean was about to go down.

"Don't be disgusting." Is what Armin meant to say. Before he could complete his sentence, Jean held onto Armin tightly and put a bottle to his lips. The liquid raced to the neck of the bottle, and down Armin's throat.

"You're gonna need a bit more of this then!" Jean laughed.

Armin chugged about a quarter of a bottle before he managed to pull away with a heavy breath. His throat burned from the alcohol. With such rapid consumption, Armin's head began to swirl. Jean grabbed Armin by his shoulder and brought him closer. Incredibly close.

"Seriously though, you know where to put-." Jean mumbled under his breath, trying his best to look Armin in the eye, but he was sure Jean was starting to see double.

"Okay, Jean, thank you! Thanks so much! You're the best!" Armin played into Jean's bit, grinning and sarcastically praising him. Jean was so sloshed, it was easy for Armin to manhandle him away with a turn and a push.

Armin readjusted himself the best he could. He slapped his cheeks enough to leave a light sting, an attempt to sober up and bring some of his senses together. He gently pushed the tapestry back and peeked under. You were just sitting on the floor, apparently not doing anything. There was a small table off to the side with a lantern dimly lit, and a few pillows and blankets thrown about.

"Hello." You grinned up at Armin. He smiled back, looking around the hidden corner you had occupied.

"Hi. You're... back here by yourself?" He asked, authentically confused.

You shrugged at Armin's question, not wanting to tell the truth.

"Well, can I sit with you?" He wanted to know.

Slowly, you turned around to your left and then to your right, looking for other people around you. Though you knew you were alone, you still searched for the other person Armin could be talking to. He huffed a laugh through his nose.

"Who, me!?" You gasped.

"Yes you!" Armin agreed. He let the tapestry fall closed behind him as he took a seat on the ground next to you.

The texture of the floor was different. He could feel little pricks of hay peeking through the blankets and linen on top. The ground was significantly warmer, which brought a comfortable sigh from Armin's lungs. He crossed his legs and rested back on his hands.

"Are you okay?" Armin quizzed.

"Yeah, I'm alright. There's a lot going on out there..." You lightly explained. Armin understood, introvert to introvert.

"Yeah. It is a bit... overwhelming. Am I bothering you? I can leave if you want to be alone!" Armin declared. He was already getting up. However, you stopped him.

"No, please! I don't mind your company." You insisted. Armin slowly sat back down.

You couldn't put a finger to it, but there was something about Armin that you liked more than the other guys. Perhaps it was the way he listened, how he was always polite, and always had something genuinely interesting to say. He had a lot of knowledge, everyone knew Armin was extraordinarily smart. You appreciated that he was intellectual.

Whenever you and Sasha had your one-on-one pow-wows about boys, not once did you fail to bring up Armin. You gave him credit where it was due. He was cute. Whenever you threw a ball in Armin's court, whether it be about his looks or personality, Sasha poked and teased about you having a little crush on him -- Which you did not outwardly deny.

You felt those emotions spark back up at the site of Armin in front of you. It was clear that Armin had been enjoying himself. Earlier this morning his hair was neatly combed back. Now his significantly shorter blond locks were fluffed back to his natural hair pattern. At some point in the night, he had loosened his tie and his brown hat that matched his suit was long gone.

Armin realized he had a bottle of wine in his hands. He stared at it for a moment, as if he didn’t understand where it had come from. He shrugged to himself and took a very small sip, pacing himself since he was already quite tipsy. He offered you the bottle and you accepted.

"I see you're having fun." You poked, handing the bottle back to Armin after taking a sip.

"Honestly, I don't think anyone has had this much fun since we went to the beach. That was quite a while ago..." Armin registered.

"Yeah, that was a while ago. We should do that again!" You agreed.

You remembered how refreshing it was to wade in the water up to your ankles, picking up sand by the handful and letting it fall between your fingers, finding cool rocks and shells. A beat of silence passed. There was a quiet acknowledgement that that was a time where ignorance was truly bliss, before you all actually grasped the reality that life existed beyond the walls. Armin took a swig from the bottle.

"Look how far we've come though." He commented. He flashed a quirky smile as he handed you the bottle next.

"Cheers!" You grinned.

You shared the single bottle until it ran empty. Armin excused himself once to retrieve another. You wondered where all the refugees had access to all this alcohol, but didn't question it too much, as everyone was having fun. When he returned, Armin had two bottles and handed you one. You thanked him, popped the cork, and began to drink.

The topic of conversation was all over the place, neither of you being able to pinpoint a single subject to focus on. Armin began to chuckle, which then turned into uncontrollable laughing. He let his hysterics take over his body, letting himself roll onto his back and giggling up at the fabric ceiling. You couldn't help but to snicker along with him as well, though you had no idea what for.

He was practically split in two with the giggles. For the first time in what might as well be forever, he looked so wild and bright. You wanted to guard and protect that handful of happiness he had.

"Why are you sitting so far away?" Armin asked between chuckles.

"You were sitting right here, and then you rolled over there." You told him.

"Then I'll roll back." He put it simply. Armin rolled back the way he came, knocking into your side in the process.

When Armin sat up, you were both shoulder to shoulder, but facing the opposite direction. Armin was not sitting this close before. There was a split second moment where you were directly in each other's faces. He couldn't ignore how being close to you made him feel on the inside. The alcohol subsided the emotional acknowledgement of anxiety, but amplified the throbbing feeling in his throat. He looked away, clearing his throat softly.

Maybe Jean was on to something. Maybe Jean had actually granted Armin luck. His chest swelled with confidence, determined to lay his feelings out on the line. Logically, this would be the best time to do it. You were both in a different country, the possibility of starting fresh with the world was a brand new idea planted in everyone's mind. It gave Armin a glimmer of hope; Hope for something better. Hope that he wanted to share with you.

On top of that, the atmosphere was textbook romantic. You were both alone in a secluded area, warm blankets and soft pillows tossed about, dim lighting, you were both cradling bottles of alcohol. Armin felt like he could take on anything. All of his anxiety, insecurities, and self doubt have flown the coop, drowned out by wine.

"What's so funny?" Armin questioned. He noticed that you were still giggling.

"You." You responded. The wine was starting to affect you too after taking a break. Armin's giggle bug had transferred and bit onto you.

"Me!?" He gasped, mocking you from earlier in the night.

"Yes, you. I think you're funny."

Armin blinked. This was something new he hadn't heard before. He had grown accustomed to people around him thinking and telling him that he's so smart, such a genius, would make such a good leader, blah blah blah. No one has ever told him that he's funny, that was more of Connie's forte. Connie was the one who made people laugh in the face of darkness, who said and did things purely for shock value. A meek smile crept on Armin's lips.

"You think I'm funny?" Armin just wanted to make sure he was hearing things correctly. Perhaps the wine impaired his hearing.

"Yeah, you're funny. You make me laugh." You reassured. You took a few gulps of wine.

"I try sometimes. I, uh, I like hearing your laugh." Armin said, being completely honest. You sensed his sincerity.

Rip your hair out, the intrusive thought crossed your mind. You shook it out quickly. Armin was so cute, sometimes it did make you want to pull your hair right out of the root. You smiled, looking elsewhere for a second to contain your emotions.

"I like hearing you laugh too. It makes me happy." You decided to be truthful as well.

You'd never be outspoken enough to tell Armin that on a normal, sober day. The wine had a slick coat on your brain, seeping into the part of your mind that allowed you to be upfront and honest. A single brick was lifted from the weight on your shoulders.

Armin's face fell slightly. He tilted his head to the side, a habit he had when he was feeling inquisitive. His lips formed into a concentrated line.

"What do you mean?" He wanted to know. Armin leaned in a fraction.

You looked at him. Armin sat with his legs folded, hands placed perfectly in his lap. His face was dusted pink, across his cheeks and even the tip of his nose was red. Although Armin was relaxed and comfortable, he still sat at full attention -- interested in what you had to say.

You gulped.

"I know it's not easy carrying the weight that you do. I see what it does to you. You're so lovely, thoughtful of everyone around you, and even people you don't know. I like seeing you laugh and smile, because it's what you deserve."

There was something different in the air that you couldn't put a name to, but you could definitely taste it. Armin's eyes were wide as you put a fraction of your feelings out on the table for him to read. They were glossed over, shining under the low light of the lantern in the corner. His facial expression was hard to read. You weren't sure if he appreciated your words, or if they were bouncing off of the walls he had put around him.

Armin's mind was buffering. No sweeter words have ever been said to him. This simultaneously surprised him, but also not at all. You were always softer towards him, he picked up on that easily. He was good at reading people, but you stumped him as to why you were so tender to him in particular. Armin did not know if it was out of pity, or if you genuinely liked him the way he was. He figured the first option, but he prayed for the other.

His throat began to swell again. There was a stinging feeling in the back of his skull. He fluttered his eyelids rapidly, trying not to let those tears that were threatening to fall win. What a way to ruin the mood by crying, He thought to himself. He physically felt like he might explode. Armin’s fingers were buzzed, as if he had been sitting on his hands and had lost all feeling.

"Do you mean that?" Armin desperately wanted to know.

He decreased the space between you by another inch. You returned the action. He hoped you couldn't hear how loud his heart was pounding in his chest.

"I do." You confirm.

Before his body could catch up with his brain, Armin's lips crashed onto yours in a simple, yet meaningful kiss. You were aware of the heat that he packed behind it. Something in that frame of time clicked, like adding the last piece to a puzzle. Your mind sent a command to your hand to reach out and touch him, but before you could do that Armin pulled back.

"I'm sorry," he breathlessly apologized. "I should have asked before doing that. I-I might've had too much to drink. I'm so sorry!"

Even though he was sitting before you apologizing as if he had broken something valuable, he did not move away. Your foreheads were centimeters from resting on one another, noses bumping together. Armin had the most endearing button nose.

It was starting to get a little toasty. There was a thin layer of warmth on your skin, radiating off of Armin.

"I like you a lot, so it's okay." You spilled. You refrained from making a face at yourself for your sudden bluntness.

Drunk off your ass was not how you wanted to let Armin know that you liked him. You never really pictured telling him in the first place, but here you were completely out of your comfort zone. Whatever the Marleyean's put in their wine made your tongue loose.

And it must have been making Armin hear things. If he could remove his ears, dust them off, and ask you to repeat what you just said, he would. Surely you'd say something that wasn't what he thought you did. Even if he was imagining things, hearing it come from the lips he just kissed made his heart grow three sizes.

"I like you a lot too." Armin responded.

Not much else needed to be said. It was your turn to close the little remaining space between you and him, your lips meeting in the middle. Now, you could take in the feeling of his lips on yours. They always looked so soft and plush, and they were indeed supple. They sewed in and between each other ever so gently. Armin released the smallest moan you have ever heard. He took the hand that you weren't using to support yourself in his, lacing his fingers in between yours. Right then, he had gained a new sense of belonging.

There was no middle ground for wanting him. You took his plump bottom lip in between your teeth and pulled gently, sending a non-verbal message to push your buttons further. Armin read your message loud and clear.

He released your hand and brought both of his to the sides of your jaw, cradling your face. Armin's tongue swiped across yours while he let out another little moan. His chest was against yours, you felt the mild thump of his pulse -- though it didn't feel mild sitting in his chest. Armin's aura seemed to be the most empowering. He lightly leaned some of his weight onto you, his general presence consuming your personal space. Armin's head lulled over, dropping kisses onto your neck.

You knew you'd have a necklace of marks and bruises come morning. You allowed Armin to do this. You didn't have the restraint to tell him no, and you were sure it could be easily hidden under your uniform. That nervous stomach cramp began to twist in your gut, along with a fluttering sensation further down in your abdomen. You were almost blinded with arousal.

Armin knew that was medically impossible for the heart to pump right out of one's chest, but with his luck he might be a phenomenon. His hands shook while he went to place them on your hips. While he was dipped to your neck, he took this moment to steady his breathing. Armin was holding his breath as if one exhale from him would blow you away. He tasted a faint aftertaste of salt on your skin, becoming addicted to it in that particular moment. He took one bite. His ear perked up at the change of your breathing, getting caught in your esophagus. Armin kissed, sucked and nipped at your neck around to the other side. Your name fell from his lips in a shaky whisper.

"Do you want me as much as I want you?" Armin panted.

Two thoughts appeared in your head. One, yes absolutely. Two, has he done this before? It did not necessarily matter, as long as you got to have Armin in his entirety, you didn't mind showing him which buttons of yours to push. You smiled as he buried his face in the center of your chest, kissing along the lift of your breasts. You realized he had sneakily undone two buttons on your shirt.

You had liked Armin since back in the days of being a cadet. If only that version of you could see yourself now.

"Oh, I do." You affirm. You and Armin paused, smiling at each other.

There was no going back.

Armin helped himself to finish unbuttoning the rest of your shirt. You reached for his suit jacket, pushing it off of shoulders and Armin tossed it to the side. His hands pawed at your shirt, peeling it off of your skin. The more layers you took off, the steamer it got. You could feel how red your cheeks were just by the feverish burn under the muscle. Armin leaned in to attack your chest, sucking at more of your exposed breast now that your shirt was off and your bra still on.

"Armin," you spoke out loud. He hummed in response, not detaching himself from your skin.

"Have you...?" You trailed off, trying to find the right way to ask about his experience without being rude. He chuckled.

"I've had sex before. H-Have you?" Armin filled in your question.

He rested the side of his face on one breast, moving one strap down your opposite shoulder. He looked up at you, blue eyes blinking with false innocence. You reached behind your back and unclasped your bra for him, letting it fall into your lap. You discarded it next to your shirt, keeping all of your clothes together.

"Yeah." You nod.

In one quick motion, Armin planted sloppy and wet kisses to each one of your nipples, and then moved up to kiss your lips.

If there was a way Armin could jump in your skin he would, anything to be as close to you as possible. His kiss this time was greedy. He took your bottom lip in between his teeth and pulled, hands coming up into your hair, lips moving against yours with no instruction or guide. His pants had gotten significantly tighter, restraining against the fastened button and zipper. His arousal was making him shake as if he were chilly. There wasn't a breeze anywhere, just your breaths fanning across each other's faces.

"Lay down." Armin instructed. He didn't have to tell you twice.

While Armin worked his shirt off, you grabbed a few of the dozen pillows that were thrown about, and compiled a little mountain to rest on. You began to work your skirt off, lifting your legs and wiggling your way out of your bottoms. Armin began to remove his pants as well.

There was a sudden loud sound of glass breaking, which made both of you jump. For a moment, you both had forgotten that you were in a semi-public space. Anyone, literally anyone, could pull back the tapestry and walk in on the two of you. The people on the other side of the curtains hooted with laughter and applause. Neither of you were missed.

In the blink of an eye Armin was on top of you, securing his spot in between your legs. You could feel his dick against your inner thigh. Armin moved so quickly, you didn't even get to have a glimpse of what it looked like.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You can stop me anytime, I-I won't be mad." He reassured with his forehead on yours. You curled your fingers around his hair

"Yes, I’m sure." you purred, tightening your grip. Armin's eyelids fluttered shut.

The amount of word vomit you let spew through the night was borderline embarrassing, but you were too intoxicated to actually care.

“Do you?” You checked.

"So much. I've always wanted you." Armin revealed.

You noticed the pattern that Armin's kisses flip-flopped. One moment he was soft and delicate, and the next he was eager and venal. He leaned in for another peck, making this one thoughtful. He reached in between both of your bodies, one hand moving his wrist around his cock in two short bursts. He let the tip kiss the very outskirts of your center.

Armin slipped himself in, but not completely making himself comfortable. Upon impact, you clamped your eyes shut taking in the feeling of him stretching you with a nice burn. Your jaw fell open and a lewd squeak cracked from your throat. Armin unsteadily sighed.

"Okay?" He muttered, browsing for a sign to continue.

"Yes."

Armin swallowed. He took a deep inhale, getting a hint of your smell as he did so. You still smelled of the perfume you applied earlier in the day, along with the aroma of wine and bonfire. The fragrance was tagged in Armin's memory as a scent that brought him immense comfort.

He let the feeling absorb in his chest as he bottomed out, taking in everything about you; How he had hit that spongy wall, letting him know he had reached the limit. How you fit around him so perfectly as if your bodies were crafted for each other. How sweet you sounded when he began to move his hips.

"Fuck," he murmured, eyes rolling to the back of his head. You had never heard him say fuck before.

He tucked his face down to your neck, kissing and sucking on a tender spot behind your ear that you didn't know you had. Tiny moans escaped from his lips.

Your senses were turned up to one thousand. The sound of the people around you faded out, while Armin faded in. His energy wrapped around yours like a security blanket, feeling so safe and protected. Armin filled you completely. Every time he moved upward into you, you could feel him deep in your abdomen. If he was a hair bigger, your body might give way.

He was moving just a little too slow for your liking. If you were going to have Armin, you wanted to have him as much as you could. You lacked the tolerance for sensual love making.

"Can you... go a little faster?" You meekly insisted.

No questions asked. A low, lustful moan came from deep within Armin's chest. You didn't think such a noise could be made from him. Armin gathered what he could of your hair and held on, wanting to have the feeling of your hair around and in between his fingers. Your hands dug into his shoulders. He emphasized his thrusts up one point, giving you exactly what you had needed.

"Just like that, yes..." You gasped.

Armin's lips were on yours again. They drew to each other like magnets, tongues touching.

How was it possible that Armin wanted more of you? The way you felt wrapped around his dick was indescribable. You were warm, inviting, tempting. Armin was hypnotized, drunk off of something else other than the wine.

"Tell m-me," he wheezed. "Tell me how good it f-feels. I want to hear you."

"So fucking good. Harder, please." You puffed, practically begging. Armin smiled against your cheek.

You noticed he was skipping and sputtering over himself. His speech may have faltered a few times, but his hips and thrusts certainly did not.

"You’re so fuckin’ tight." He shamelessly mewled in your ear, sending chills through your body. His words alone almost sent you overboard.

Armin adjusted himself to balance on his hands. He helped himself up with one while the other pushed one of your legs back, your ankle resting on his shoulder. He hardened his thrusts into you while simultaneously keeping the same fast paced rhythm you had asked him to do before. There wasn't a single thought in your head that wasn't about how mind-blowing Armin's cock was.

"Oh, shit, I-" He suddenly gasped like a fish out of water.

Armin sprung back, quickly pulling himself out from you and leaving an empty feeling so sad you genuinely felt disappointed. His tip slid up against you and rested on your pubic bone. Three white ropes painted themselves onto your stomach, and even between your breasts. His hands rested on your knee as he haphazardly released himself, sputtering strained whimpers.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" He choked, a hand coming to cover his mouth in horror. Armin began to spiral, frantically looking for something to clean you up with.

"It's okay." Was all you could manage to say.

You were out of breath, dizzy and drunk off of sex. You sat up on your elbows, needing a new position to take in bigger breaths to recollect yourself.

He sighed, cheeks and lips flushed a violent cherry red. He awkwardly reached around behind him for his suit jacket and took out a handkerchief that was folded in the pocket. He lightly ran it across your skin, wiping away his embarrassing mess.

"I can hold myself together better than this. I just... lost control, I guess." He stiffly chuckled.

His hand still rested on your knee as he cleaned you up. You placed your hand over his, taking his fingers and squeezing them. Armin glanced at your hands together, and then back at you. He gave a sheepish grin and a small shrug of his shoulders. His thumb rubbed the skin it rested over.

"Are you alright?" He asked while you tried to still your beating heart.

"Y-Yeah. Honestly I'm a little fucked out." You laughed, Armin joining in on you too. He was embarrassed, but not so much anymore.

Armin didn't try to hide that he was staring at you, eyes scanning you like one of his books. If this was anyone else, you'd be dressed and on your way out. Your mind was stuck. His eyes moved from your legs, thinking of how he wanted to live right in the middle, up to your collarbone where he graced you with deep red and purple love bruises and bites. Armin placed his hands on your other knee. His touch was suddenly heavier.

"You haven't come, right?" He assumed.

With every passing beat of silence, Armin leaned into your space. His hands gingerly slid down to the middle of your thighs.

"No." You admitted.

Without breaking eye contact, Armin repositioned himself to lay on his stomach. You let him kindly part your legs, his mouth hovering over where you were craving him the most. He swallowed the saliva that all of a sudden started to pool under his tongue.

"Can I?" Armin asked while lightly tracing the outside of your labia with one finger, spreading around the slick that you created.

You could hear in his tone that he was desperately wanting you to give him the go ahead. You paused for dramatic effect, staring him down as well. He looked up at you through his eyelashes, blue eyes batting at you, begging.

"Yes." You huffed, wanting nothing more.

Armin broke eye contact to dive his face right in between your legs. He licked one clean stripe through your pussy, making your lungs stop working mid-breath. Without pause, he pushed a single finger into you. You wiggled and whined under his mouth latching onto your clit.

Armin looked back up. Those blue eyes that were always so bright had deepened to indistinguishable lust. He added another finger, slowly pumping them in and out of you while he kitten licked your clit. His tongue felt warm, soothing the ache like ice to a fever.

He had fallen into a rhythm that he was comfortable with. He noticed you responded better when he curled his fingers upwards, sighs and whines pushing past your moans and heavy breathing. A shiver went down Armin’s spine when you gently placed your hands through his hair, tugging at his blonde roots. He hummed, sending vibrations through your lower body as if he had struck a gong.

Armin kept his pace. His working fingers made your walls clench tighter and tighter with every flick of his tongue and pump of his wrist. You knew he could feel it. He knew that you knew that he could feel your peak rising higher and higher, closer and closer. Armin popped off your clit for a brief moment to speak, his lips smacked together.

“Say my name.” He instructed, not looking up. His blue eyes had closed, engulfed in his procedure.

“Armin…” You breathlessly whisper.

Armin buzzed. The sound of his name coming off of your lips activated an obsessive instinct. He had to have you finish. Armin had half of a mind to withdraw his fingers from you, take a hold of your thighs and absolutely drown in licking you until you had succumbed to his touch. However, he needed to feel you unwind around his hand. Armin quickened his fingers. From the way you were shaking underneath him, grasping onto his hair to keep him his place, your erotic and lewed moaning and whimpering, you were on the brink of completion.

“Say my name again. I like the way it sounds when you say it.” Armin spoke barely above a whisper.

“Armin, please. I-I’m gonna come.” You mouthed to him.

“Give it to me, love. I want it.”

With those words, all of the tension built up within your walls had come undone. You clamped a hand over your mouth in an attempt to hush yourself. You throbbed around Armin’s fingers, slick running down the back of his hand. He kept licking at your clit, showing no signs of stopping any time soon. You didn’t want him to. He didn’t want to. You wanted him to keep going, but you had reached your breaking point. You tapped out, touching his shoulder.

Your head was pounding, the back of your calves trembling, heart rate reached a dangerous speed that would probably warrant you to seek medical attention had you not been coming down from an orgasm. You put a hand on your chest, trying to catch your breath as you laid back on the pillows. For a brief moment, you zoned out.

Armin removed himself, sitting up on his knees, but only after he blessed the inside of your thighs with little kisses, not wanting to come up for air. He sheepishly wiped away the slick that clung around the corners of his mouth with the back of his opposite hand. Armin crawled his way up your body, kissing your stomach and chest on the way to your face. He hovered over you for a moment.

“You okay?” He asked. Forming words seemed to be too difficult of a task at the moment, so you nodded.

“Are you sure? Do you need anything?” Armin pressed. His tone of voice was quiet.

Right before your eyes, Armin had changed. His eyes softened, a timid gloss coated his irises. Armin’s aura was different, no longer emitting lust. Instead, he was apprehensive and hesitant, searching and waiting.

You were significantly more sober. The realization had finally struck that it was Armin who lay on top of you completely undressed and exposed in a new light. You had seen Armin cry, be sick and injured, at some of his lowest points — and he had seen you on some of your darkest days as well. This was intimacy at its height of vulnerability.

You smiled at him, face split with genuine happiness. You gently raised your hands to take a hold of Armin’s jaw, something you always wanted to do unironically. He leaned into your touch.

“I am fantastic.” You giggled.

Armin clung to your laugh like a plant that needed water, chuckling along with you. He lowered himself to meet his lips to yours. The kiss was quick but still shaded with passion. You could taste the hint of yourself on him. Armin then got off of you, rolling to the side and sitting up.

For a brief moment, he wished he hadn’t. As soon as he rose, his head began to swirl and his mouth became very dry all of a sudden. All that was near was wine. It wouldn’t help the headache, but it would aid the sore-itch he felt in his throat. Armin took a swig, and offered you the bottle.

“Are you thirsty?” Armin asked.

You replied slower than you should have, which caused Armin to turn around to face you. His movement broke you from the fixation of staring at the pink claw marks you had accidentally given him around his shoulder blades. That thought then led you to see how toned Armin’s entire back actually was. Then, that thought led back to how you had scored a night with someone you cared about deeply.

You snapped yourself back to reality, digging your longest fingernail into a cuticle deep enough to bring a sting in case you were actually dreaming.

“I’m alright on wine.” You declined. You stretched, spreading your arms up over your head.

“Understandable.” Armin shrugged, sensing the humor in your tone. Perhaps that was enough wine.

Armin put the bottle to the side, deciding to leave it there as it is for the night. He noticed the way you made yourself smaller, clenching your muscles from the mind breeze blowing through the fabrics of the tent. The lantern in the corner provided some relief, but not for long as Armin would have to put it out soon. He didn’t want this private moment to be captured by shadows.

Armin spied a loosely folded pile of blankets off to his left, and grabbed one. Armin draped it over you. He pulled it all the way up to your shoulder, and then tucked himself in next to you and hooked his arm around your waist. You accepted Armin’s quiet embrace.

Armin was the happiest he probably has ever been, but there was a heaviness in his chest. Physically, you and him were as close as you could get, but a bigger presence seemed to take over and pull you both apart. Armin wondered if you could also feel the way the space had changed. This was all he had wanted, and Armin had it right in the palm of his hand. In the midst of his silent victory lingered a question he didn’t know how to ask.

What happens now?

There was silence between you both, but beyond the world you had encased yourselves in the festivities continued. They seem to have gotten louder. The music that had stopped for a rest kicked back up again, people raised their voices to be heard over one another. Everyone outside carried on as if you and Armin hadn’t disappeared together.

You wondered if anyone noticed that.

Behind Armin’s eyes, his mind was at work. You could practically visualize the gears in his head working overtime. Curiosity gnawed at your mind, what was he thinking about? You wondered if he was thinking of the same thing you were: What does all of this mean, and how are you both moving forward? You knew what you wanted, Armin as a whole. There was no question about it. How would you ask him what he wanted?

The space around you both began to get smaller, just as it had in the heat of the moment. Armin began to feel anxious as he had earlier, except there was no more wine in his system to drown out the dread in his chest. He has fantasized about eleven different scenarios on how he could confess his feelings for you. None of them were similar to the way it was happening now and he definitely wasn’t as prepared as he thought. Armin was at a loss for words. There was so much he wanted to say, but the words did not leave his lips. He carefully grasped your hand, your fingers overlapping his. If only he could share his thoughts through touch, then he wouldn’t need to explain how glad he was that this had happened.

That stomach cramp had come back. You were about to say something, it was on the very tip of your tongue. You opened your mouth to speak, then silenced yourself immediately. Your hesitation had caught Armin’s attention. He looked at you, ready to listen. He could feel his own heartbeat in his ears.

“That was fun.” You stated.

How strange, the words you spoke out loud weren’t the ones you were thinking to yourself. Armin sat up abruptly.

“Do you mean it? I’m sorry I came so soon, I promise I have more self control.” Armin’s apology was laced with a hint of negotiation. The pink on his cheeks grew a hue darker.

“Of course I mean it! I meant everything I said.” You practically placed your hint under Armin’s nose. Whether it was going to be picked up or not depended on him. You could hear your blood rushing through your veins.

Armin turned to face you. He took a quick breath in and out, relief swimming around in his chest. A comforting smile grew on his lips. He took your hand again, grasping it tighter than he had all night.

“I also meant everything I said.” Armin agreed. Your hint was received.

As if this couldn’t be a more perfect moment, the cramp in your stomach tightened and twisted. Loudly. You cringed from the small pinch it gave you, and also from the embarrassment of your hunger being so loud.

“Why didn’t you say you were hungry?” Armin asked.

“I wasn’t hungry then.” You shrugged.

“We can go back out there if you want. Unless you want to stay here? I can bring you something.” Armin offered.

Before you had even given him an answer, he was already dressing himself. That was when you realized you were still nude. You began to search for your clothes.

“I think we’ve hid back here long enough.” You teased.

You and Armin both stood up, dressing and adjusting your clothes to fit back onto your bodies. Armin had dressed before you, waiting patiently by the tapestry you both had come through. He had his jacket draped over his arm. He took a quick peek out into the crowd. He first spotted Eren, still sitting with the same group of men. Mikasa hadn’t moved, but Sasha had joined her side. Jean and Connie were chatting up the same group of women. It seemed that hardly any time had passed at all.

“How do I look? Do I look put together?” You asked as you adjusted your skirt around your hips.

Armin admired your outfit. You were dressed in Marleyean’s fashion to blend in more with the crowd. It was a different change of pace from your usual wardrobe. Still, you made it work for you in ways you didn’t apparently see.

“I think you look very pretty, as per usual.” Armin said casually. His complement soaked through you, seeping in more of your cracks Armin didn’t occupy until after this night.

“Here, put this on.” He handed you his jacket.

You paused.

“It’s a little cooler out now.” Armin insisted.

You took his jacket and placed it loosely around your shoulders, it smelled just like him. Armin pulled the curtain back, motioning for you to walk ahead of him. You tucked your head, thanking him quietly.

“You can sit with Mikasa and I if you’d like.” Armin kindly offered.

It took a moment for your eyes to adjust to the change of lighting. You glanced around the room to find Mikasa. She and Sasha were leaning against each other talking.

“That sounds good to me.”

reblogs and feedback are appreciated!

#this took every last brain cell i had #holy SHIT.#lmk if i should turn this into a whole fic or not #my writing #armin arlert #armin x fem reader #armin x y/n #armin x you #armin x reader #armin x black reader #armin fluff #armin smut #armin imagine #arimin fic #armin one shot #heat waves

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humanitys-strongest-bamf · 8 months

Text

The Usual | Levi Week Day 1 - Teashop

tagging @leviweek2023 💕

✧ word count ➼ ~1k ✧ notes ➼ post-war canonverse, marleyan reader ✧ comments: listen, i know i'm late for levi week because i'm dumb and didn't realize that day 1 started yesterday kdjfkdsjf hope my submission still counts 🥹

The first few weeks after the war was hard. While Levi couldn't say that it got easy, it was certainly better than sitting around pretending to live happily in a peaceful world that was the complete opposite of what he had grown accustomed to.

Now that he didn't have to be a soldier, Levi was forced to find other things to take up his time. Naturally, he gravitated towards his love for making tea.

Marley was oddly devoid of quality teashops, so Levi found his own booming in popularity pretty soon after he opened it for business. It was mindless work that helped him relax, even when it was fast-paced due to a lunch hour rush.

Most people ordered the same thing. He still enjoyed it since making tea always helped him calm his mind without fail, but it did get bland having to repeatedly make matcha or chai tea lattes repeatedly for 8-10 hours straight.

Levi's eyes flashed up as he heard the bell attached onto the front door ring. It was only 11am, so it was still a little early for the 1-hour lunch rush.

His eyes immediately came into contact with yours as you gave him a shy smile and a wave. He didn't return the gesture, but his body posture did seem to relax after seeing that it was you.

You were one of his strangest customers.

He was shocked and honestly thought it was a distasteful joke when you had come into the shop one day and ordered one of his more obscure blends with an annoyingly complicated name that you horrifically mispronounced with confidence. You had looked so proud of the way that you said it that Levi didn't have the heart to correct you.

It was a bitter and tangy blend, unlike a lot of the other more standard teas. It was harder to brew and used more sophisticated leaves that Levi was rarely able to find within the Walls. Even in Marley, which had active trading routes, the leaves were hard to get ahold of, so he was more than surprised when you unironically ordered it. Jumping to that blend from your daily order of a chai tea latte was something that he never expected. Now it was all that you ever ordered.

"They give you a day off?"

You weren't usually here around this time otherwise he'd already have your drink ready for you. That was how predictable your schedule was and how often you found yourself in this specific tea shop.

"Lunch break," you responded with a shrug. "Figured I'd visit a certain grumpy barista."

"Baristas specialize in coffee," Levi immediately corrected. "Just Levi's fine."

You shot Levi a small smile. You didn't regret that one day in which you waltzed in and decided to be adventurous and order the one thing on the menu that no one else seemed to ever pay attention to. You didn't miss the way that Levi's eyes flashed up and how he seemed to prioritize your brew. He enjoyed making it.

You weren't a huge fan of the taste, however. It certainly wouldn't be your first choice in terms of teas.

However, after a few regular visits into his teashop, you noticed how his grumpy demeanor would fade whenever you put in an order for that obscure blend that made you tempted to scrunch your nose when you first sipped at it. You picked up that he liked making it significantly more than the other blends, so you just began ordering it. You eventually grew to like it.

"The usual?"

You nodded, looking directly into his normally intense gaze that always seemed to be a bit softer around you. Your eyes lingered on each other for a bit without any words being exchanged.

Levi eventually cleared his throat awkwardly and broke eye contact with you to walk off to make your brew, unsure how to address what was happening.

You followed suit and took a seat at your usual spot on the counter, watching him as he began working on your drink. You noticed his slight limp that resulted from his injured leg that had mostly healed, although it could still get painful to walk on. You also noticed that he was missing nearly half his fingers on his right hand, but still moved more elegantly than you've ever seen anyone move before, even for something as simple as brewing tea.

You knew that he was a veteran in the recent war, but barely knew anything else about him. You made it your personal goal to get to know him better one day.

Your eyes fell on his again as he brought your drink over to you. You saw that his right eye was clouded, indicating that it had been physically damaged and your eyes lingered on his scars. Even from just a glance, you could tell that Levi had more history behind him than all the people you knew combined. He was certainly more interesting than your mundane coworkers that had nothing to complain about other than minor inconveniences in their lives.

The corner of Levi's lips twitched up ever so slightly as he saw the curious look you were giving him. He wasn't the biggest fan of how he felt around you: you made blood rush to his head, and made his heart pound as fast as it did whenever he was actively fighting a Titan. He didn't like it, but he couldn't keep himself from seeing or being by you when he could, even when all he knew was your name and your favorite drink.

You noticed the small smile that he had sent you, but weren't able to say anything before he turned around to begin addressing the other customers that had wandered in as the lunch rush started.

You were so mesmerized and lost in his movements and presence that you didn't even have a chance to notice that he never charged you for your drink.

#leviweek2023 #levi x reader #levi ackerman x reader #levi ackermann x reader #levi heichou x reader #captain levi x reader #levi #levi ackerman #levi ackermann #levi heichou #captain levi #attack on titan #aot #shingeki no kyojin #shingeki no kyoujin #snk

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xhoneygirlxx · 8 months

Text

i just know that eddie would ruin so many jokes/memes because of how often he'd say them. it would be so bad that you'd have to stop yourself from ripping your hair out with how much annoyance it caused you.

you're lying on your back, the comfort of his mattress pressing into you. eddie is hovering over you, wedged between your legs, as the two of you makeout.

little gasps and moans fill the room, he's grinding into, making you pant even harder. against your wishes, he moves away from your mouth, trailing small kisses down the side of your neck and up to your ear.

removing his mouth from your skin, his mouth is right next to your ear and you can hear and feel him breathing heavily.

"baby," his voice is husky and dripping with desire. after you answer with a small hmm, he goes to talk again. "do you want to know what i think?"

pulling his face back, he's now looking down at you. a millisecond of silence goes by and he's grinning down at you playfully.

"i think," before you know it, he's shouting "LIFE IS ROBLOX."

making the both of you fall into fits of giggles.

it goes on like that for weeks, him saying random dj khalid quotes every time you try to have a conversation. at first it's funny, always making you burst into laughter. but after so many times it genuinely starts becoming blood boiling.

the two of you are in the middle of target, you're crouched down reading the labels between two different face cleansers. your first mistake was leaving your guard down, the second mistake was taking your boyfriend to the store with you. before you know it, Eddie is shouting at the top of his lungs.

"LETS GO SHOPPIN. LETS GO SHOPPIN."

the minute it leaves his lips you drop both bottles and scurry out of the aisle with your basket. when he finally catches up to you at the self checkout, he's laughing so hard he's crying. you're not though, you can feel the burning sensation of embarrassment all through your body as other shoppers stare at the man who caused a disturbance.

it doesn't stop there though, oh no.

you're out at dinner, it's a fancier restaurant, with the rest of the gang. everything is going well, a bottle of wine has been ordered for the table, fancy little appetizers being shared between all of you, when the waiter comes over to take everyone's orders.

you should've known what was coming, really you should've but when you realized what was about to happen it was too late.

the middle age man wearing a white button down shirt and black slacks, stands next to eddie asking him what he would like. it seems like your boyfriend just couldn't help himself because he's shouting out,

"TELL THEM TO BRING OUT THE WHOLE OCEAN!"

immediately you cringe, hiding your face behind your hand as you sink lower into your seat. although you and other patrons don't particularly find it funny, some of the group can't help but find it amusing.

all you want to do is cry when you see the poor waiter's face, scrunched up in confusion, trying to understand whatever joke it is that eddie just said. finally after the most awkward ten seconds of your life, the boy next to you finally has the common sense to order what he really wants at a normal volume.

it's all the time that he does these things. you ask him what he wants to do for the day and he's responding with,

"LETS GO GOLFING."

you're sitting on the couch on a zoom call since it had been a work from home day. while you're trying to talk to everyone in the meeting, eddie walks out of your spare bedroom with his acoustic guitar. he starts playing atrociously like dj khalid did after receiving Bob Marley's guitar. to make matters worse, he can be seen in the background with the way you're sitting. he knows this since he placed the guitar down and starts dancing the same way the celebrity did in multiple videos.

it's exhausting and honestly it's starting to piss you off to no end.

you're in the car with him when you finally break, yelling at him that it's not funny anymore. he's quiet, letting you rip him a new asshole. when you're finally done, all the pent up rage leaving your body, all that can be heard is your hard breathing.

finally, finally you had some peace and silence in the car. you couldn't get too used to it though because before you know it, he's saying something else.

"LETS GO TO THE BEACH! LETS GO SWIMMIN' !"

after that day he seems to quit with all the stupid quotes, giving you a sigh of relief. what you don't realize is that you defeated one beast and woke up another.

one morning you ask him if he can take a look at your car, see what's causing it to make that weird noise. you can't help but feel your heart sink when he answers you.

"i would love to babe, but i'm just ken."

for the next month that's how he's answering all your questions and every shopping trip is stopped short the minute he breaks out into song and dance, singing the popular song from the movie at the top of his lungs.

idk i was just thinkin thoughts

#eddie munson fluff #eddie munson blurb #eddie munson fic #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson angst #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson smut #eddie would be such a menace #he's just in a silly goofy mood :)

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pontevoix · 2 months

Text

@chaoslulled : [ REAL ]: after believing the receiver to be dead, the sender reunites with them, reaching out in disbelief, then touching their foreheads together to make sure that they’re real, and not a figment of their grief-stricken imagination. * reiner & bertolt.... :)

at others’ misfortune, bertolt is a lottery ticket winner. he survives shiganshina because someone needs a guinea pig. after he expires, wiser decisions will be made. he survives shiganshina because there is a lot of information that he possesses that they do not, because secrets uncovered in a basement are not quite as good as lived proof, because the best members of the survey corps should be used sparingly.

he is a living hostage, kept briefly underground. a lot happens in between. there are tests of bertolt's healing, tests of what truths he’s willing to give. first, he keeps his mouth shut — sometimes for the idea of pride, sometimes because he doesn’t have the energy to talk. sometimes he keeps his mouth shut because sometimes it feels like the best way to stay alive.

sometimes it feels like the worst way to stay alive.

& it shouldn’t be a terrible thing to want to live. bertolt wants to live, & he wants to live the life that’s worth living. which is easy to say, easy to want. it’s harder to believe because 1 ) he always feels something sick pooling at the pit of his stomach, 2 ) because he always overheats & turns clammy.

regardless : when bertolt shifts from one form to something colossal, then he feels the way his pulse changes — the way that blood redistributes itself, the way that life can adapt to anything. his life can adapt to anything because he wants to live so that he doesn’t die.

existence: it’s simple. it’s fearful.

he keeps his mouth shut for as long as it makes sense, for as long as it seems that he has a chance for home.

& then the math starts changing. he keeps getting older ( day by day ). age is a lucky thing to earn, & it only comes because he is certain that he has become a sunk cost to marley —

the math starts changing because each breath that he is allowed : it feels like a lot of me verses them. it’s a familiar feeling, except previously it had been us against the world.

for a long time now, bertolt has grown familiar to the feeling of sick pooling at the pit of his stomach. the sick was there before shiganishina. the sick gets worse after shiganishina

fun fact : heat isn’t the only thing that melts ice. there’s friction & there’s pressure & there’s pressure & there’s pressure : they all melt ice.

when bertolt starts talking, he doesn’t become a changed man. he doesn’t become ice. bertolt has never been ice.

fun fact: bertolt is given a name, but he feels like he’s referred to as a number.

friction & pressure melt ice, & they make a survivor. they make bertolt hateful.

friction & pressure melt ice, so what does they do to the living ?

bertolt returns to liberio, & he doesn’t feel indifferent. he’s angry for life, too hurt for death; he’s tired. he’s too visible; he’s too invisible.

me against the world doesn’t feel like much.

but it feels a lot to be seen.

the return to liberio isn’t a homecoming, his hair is long; he is his height; he is bland.

but it feels a lot to be seen.

bertolt finds it easy to shut down nostalgia. he chooses the math, remembers that he is a number. sunk costs dictate everything he is.

. . . but then there is reiner. for the first time in years, he’s there.

reiner is still stronger than nostalgia & sunk costs. reiner is the strength to push through boundaries, to claim the familiarity that was once there. reiner touches his brow to bertolt’s, & bertolt remembers that he always feels sick.

bertolt is : scarecrow ragdoll scarecrow ragdoll.

bertolt is : living living living.

bertolt is : the lines at his brow, the way his expression ages him even while his features are as young as his body will allow him.

bertolt is : devastated. because the touch of familiarity means every hatefulthought with which he has indulged himself is just hate. he doesn’t let it go, but reiner is still himself.

reiner is still himself, so he can’t be blamed.

bertolt can’t blame him anyway.

bertolt is scarecrow ragdoll, & he can’t understand why it is so terrible that he wants to live.

reiner is still himself, so bertolt doesn’t know what to do with himself.

bertolt’s stance is steady, but he wilts.

it’s a shaky feeling, so bertolt presses back harder. it's a little painful. ‘ what do you mean ? ‘ he asks because it’s not a good question; it’s not a solvable one.

but he just

doesn’t know what to do

with reiner there.

because reiner is still himself, & bertolt is still himself.

in the worst way.

bertolt chases him, fists his hands in a middle land &

hates everything. it's a relief.

#100. c. hoover #bertolt w some acid reflux apparently #chaoslulled #1. question

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arminsumi · 9 months

Note

Hey! I was wondering if you could do armin x Violet Evergarden!reader (where reader is some kind of weapon used by Survey Corps or Marleyan Army)

Drink lot of water and take care :)

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱ protector

Armin x fem!reader ♪

Overview; Levi entrusts you with the task of protecting Armin during a mission.

Wordcount; about 1k

Contents; fluff (sparing), angst, war/battles

Warnings; mentions the reader enduring battle and hardships, reader having a breakdown when she reunites with Armin

Note; oooh it's been a while since i watched Violet Evergarden 👀i hope you like how this turned out hehe!! 💕 ALSO I FOUND OUT THAT VIOLET AND MIKASA SHARE THE SAME VOICE ACTOR OMG

Roughened up by a battle, you trudge upstairs to your bedroom in the Scout's headquarters. On the way you encounter a kind smile from Armin. You look at him blankly and greet him quietly in reply.

"Good morning, Armin." you say monotonously.

"Y/n, you're hurt." he comments caringly, looking over your wounds.

"It's no matter; we were victorious and drove the soldiers away. The headquarters is safe, and I fulfilled my duty." you say.

Armin upturns his brows at you. Not a soul lurks in the corridor, so he takes your hand in his. "Let's get you patched up. Then you need to rest."

"But I'm fine." you assure. But Armin insists. "You look tired. Let me care for you. C'mon, I promise I'm excellent with bandaging." he says earnestly.

He's always treated you gently, and more importantly, he's always treated you like a human. Your distantness and expressionlessness deterred many Scouts, and some treated you as just a weapon. Sometimes even you saw yourself as just a weapon; showering was just polishing the weapon, eating was just reloading the weapon.

But when Armin carefully wraps bandages around your arm, you begin to feel things. Pleasant things. But you can't quite put your finger on what these feelings are.

"My heart is panging." you comment. Armin looks at you concernedly and asks: "Are you alright?" to which you bluntly reply, "I don't know, it started panging when I saw you, and when you're this close it pangs harder. I don't know what it means."

Armin goes pink in the face, and his heart pangs. "Oh, I see..."

Days passed, and old battles became meaningless as newer, more arduous ones emerged. Erwin sent for you one day.

"We're heading into the heart of Marley tomorrow, and I want you to oversee the safety of Armin. He is your priority."

You have your hands neatly tucked behind your back and your shoulders taught like a real soldier.

But what is this pang that you feel in your chest when you hear Erwin's command? Your whole being seems to light up at the mention of Armin's name.

He looks at you with his remarkably intense gaze. "Can I entrust this task to you?" he asks seriously.

"Yes, sir." you reply confidently.

Erwin looks at you contemplatively for a moment before nodding and dismissing you.

When you leave his office and lead down the corridors, you hear passing comments about yourself. Some people call you emotionless, some cruelly question "what's wrong with her?"

But not Armin; he always talks to you like a friend, and comes to your defense when someone says anything hurtful. Even though in reality you deflect their harmful words as if your conscious is made of armor.

As soon as you find Armin, and discuss the recently issued command from Erwin, you treat him with such formality that he stiffens up and blushes. You notice he's stuttering and playing nervously with the hem of his uniform's coat.

"I'm at your service, sir." you tell him.

"Don't say that. We're in this together. I'll protect you, and you'll protect me, okay?" he gives you a little smile.

"...okay."

"Is she there?" a Marleyan soldier asks nervously, looking around in the night.

"I don't know. I can't see."

"There!"

But not a moment after they catch a glimpse of you, they're thudding lifelessly to the floor. To you, it's all swift and agile motions; effortless.

You return to the point where Levi and his squad reside.

"Is that all of them?" he asks.

"Yes, sir." you answer. Armin looks at you as if he's just witnessed Mikasa or Levi in action for the first time again.

"Good work, Y/n." Levi commends you.

Armin comes close to you when Levi goes to communicate the situation with Erwin. "Are you hurt? I have bandages and medicine, if you need..." Armin asks you.

"No. I don't need medical attention. But I am grateful for your concern."

Armin feels soothed knowing you're unscathed, but at the same time, he childishly wishes he could repay your efforts by patching you up. He's really good with bandages, as he said so himself.

Levi returns with a serious face. "We're heading into the heart of the city now. Everyone be attentive and sharp out there. Eren and Mikasa, you're with the Commander, and Y/n and Armin, you're with me."

He bears a heavy gaze at you for a moment, before speaking to his squad. "Don't get separated."

You alone emerge from rubble, pain searing across your body. Through the chaos of explosions and collapsing buildings, it's a miracle that you have survived.

Everything seems fuzzy and distant, but slowly reality comes back into focus; and you realize you aren't at Armin's side.

Wherever Armin is, you're not there to protect him like you had promised Erwin you would. But that's not the only reason you panic. The idea that he's hurt or dead frightens you, it's an all-consuming fear in your chest right now.

You trek over the deserted battlefield, amongst destroyed buildings and fallen soldiers. Searching for someone through tea-blurred vision is hard. Calling out their name is impossible with a strangled voice.

But you finally find him, blond hair dirtied and ruffled, his stature weakened by tiredness and his wounds.

When he sees you, he suddenly reanimates, and comes running to you, but not faster than you, who cries out his name in a scream. "Armin! Armin!"

"Are you hurt?" Armin asks worriedly, but your reply is to collapse into his chest and sob.

You burst out crying for the first time in a very, very long time. And he had never heard you cry before, the sound hurt him more than anything, so he immediately held you.

"I couldn't protect you, I'm sorry!" you keep saying, and his brows furrow more each time you say that.

"It's alright, the chaos separated us."

That only makes you cry harder, so armin looks around in panic for better words. You grip onto his scuffed uniform, crawling up to his chest for comfort, and he let you, embracing your trembling body.

"I'm sorry I failed to protect you." you sob, lips pressing against the the lining of his uniform's coat. "I'm sorry!"

Armin looks at you and tears up a bit when you say that.

"It wasn't your fault, and you didn't fail to protect me, alright? I'm glad you're here with me... I was worried about you." he mumbles against your forehead, lips grazing a small wound.

You continue to weep in his arms while he soothes you. The battle was somehow won come the next dawn, and if it hadn't been for Armin to piece you back together, then victory would have been impossible.

Armin smiles to himself as he encounters you down the same corridor where you two first met. His eyes recognize the new pendant fastened to your collar; a mark of your valiant effort in the war.

"How are you?" he asks in a soft voice.

"I'm tired..." you answer, smiling sheepishly. "I just want to lay down in the grass and watch the clouds pass."

"Why don't we?" he suggests.

You raise your brows at him. "Huh? You mean, right now?"

"Sure. Why not. I'd love to laze in grass with you. Just, uh, maybe don't tell the Commander that I was being lazy when I had errands to run..."

"Of course, sir." you beam. Armin's heart melts when he sees your true smile.

"Please, call me Armin."

#🐬ocean prince #armin #armin arlert #aot #snk #oneshot #angst with a happy ending #angst #violet evergarden #au #armin x reader #armin x fem!reader #fem reader #armin x f reader #armin x y/n #armin x fem reader #attack on titan #shingeki no kyoujin armin

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bitchinbarzal · 10 months

Note

I know you asked for Jamie and mama d Marley angst but I was thinking of a Trevor and mama Zegras scenario…

so can I request a thing where before Mila is born and while the twins are still really little a girl that Trevor used to hook up with somewhat regularly comes back around and makes mama kind of jealous because the other girl is making it clear she wants Trevor again and while she’s married to him she knows he used to be a bit of a fuck boy so she can’t help but worry a little?

“If you stare any harder, I think your vein is going to pop” Jamie’s girlfriend jokes, playing with Sasha on the worktop while you prep the salad.

Your gaze was stuck securely on Trevor outside, speaking to her

You turn and glare “Can you blame me? They used to hook up, she moved to Montreal to work with the habs now she’s back?”

Sasha makes a noise of concern at the height of your voice and you pout “I’m sorry baby, I didn’t mean to scare you” and take him from her before she says

“He’s the father of your babies, your husband and he’s not such a bad guy y/n give him the benefit of the doubt”

Before you can say much else, Trevor comes into the kitchen with Tristan “Someone was missing mom” he states, you take Tris with your one free arm and smile at the boy contently

“Were you missing mommy?”

Trevor frowns “I was talking about me?”

You roll your eyes at him and pass over Sasha “Please take out the Salad, I think Jamie is almost done cooking”

Trevor doesn’t miss the way you avoid his joke or how you dismiss him. He shrugs it off and continues outside to the barbecue.

Once you’d sorted everything out, you ventured outside to find your seat taken by her, Lydia. She had Sasha on her lap while she laughed along to whatever Trevor was saying.

The pang in your chest knocked you back as you watched the scene infront of you.

Jamie shouted on you, giving up his seat so you could sit down and eat. You absentmindedly sat down to eat from the plate when Sasha yells out from Lydia’s lap for you

“Mama! Mamamama!” He babbles and thrashes around in her arms until you stand up to get him.

It feels horrible to do, but you snatch him out of her hands, taking Tristan from Trevor too before headed back inside under the guise of “feeding them”

Inside the twins were in their play pen when you sat down and burst into tears, your emotions now bubbled to the top.

You never ended up going back out there, telling everyone that the boys were getting cranky and you were putting them down to sleep.

Trevor couldn’t ignore the stares he was getting from Jamie and his girlfriend all night but didn’t question it at the time.

Once all your dinner guests had left Trevor ventured along the hallway to the twins room to find you swaying on the rocking chair holding one of them in each arm.

“Hey, they ok?” He mumbles as to not wake them.

You just grunted “everyone gone?”

“Yeah, Lydia just left”

You roll your eyes and snap “Shut the door? They’re almost asleep”

He scowls a little “Babe what-“

“Trevor just leave, please I’ve just gotten them to sleep”

“What is your problem?”

You sigh before putting the boys down in their cribs and stepping out the room to a disgruntled husband

“You! You’re my problem and Lydia! You have been with her all night, in our house! With our sons! She stole my seat at dinner Trevor and she was feeding my son like she was playing happy families!”

His eyes go wide “That’s what you’re so upset about?!”

“Yes, you two were sex buddies when she worked for the ducks! Do you blame me, your wife for being upset that she’s around again? Why was she even in our house-“

“Because we are co-workers and she is my friend-“

You cut him off by scoffing “I’m done here”

Taking off down the hallway he calls out “Where are you going?”

“I’m done with this conversation Trevor, I’m done being second to literally everyone else, I’m done being your pretty little wife”

“y/n come back here we aren’t-“

The twins began crying then interrupting him, he sighed and walked into their room as you took off downstairs.

While we was soothing them back to sleep you could hear the baby monitor on the kitchen counter and heard him say

“When Will i ever get it right with your mama, eh Tris?”

#Trevor and mama

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hikami-sakura · 11 months

Text

Marley’s Captive

(Reiner x Reader x Bertholdt x Eren)

Rating: Mature

Summary: after getting abducted by two traitors, a soldier is held captive by an enemy country.

———————————————————————————

Chapter 1

- Y/N’s perspective -

I open my eyes, seeing myself on my knees, wearing a magenta dress. My eyes focus onto the white cement floor, making me learn I am no longer at the cabin.

What is this? Where am I?

“Y/N.” A voice I’ve known since my childhood speaks.

As I recall that voice, warmth gathers in my chest and tears gather in my eyes.

It couldn’t be. I stated within my mind. You’ve been alone for so long you’re starting to hallucinate.

“Y/N.” The voice speaks more sternly. “Look at me.”

I finally look up, tears cascading down my cheeks as I see who it is.

“Eren,” I say, my voice more fragile than glass.

His green eyes connect with mine, his hair in a ponytail.

How come his hair grew that long? I was gone for days. There is no way his hair could have grown that long while I was gone. . . Something’s not right.

Four brick walls surround us. As Eren’s eyes lock on mine, I realize my hands are tied up. Darkness begins to swallow the light that was beginning to rise within my heart.

But the darkness shouldn’t. I’m with Eren now. He’s my best friend. We grew up together. We fought titans together. I should feel safe. I shouldn’t feel scared.

But then why am I tied up?

“Y/N,” Eren says, pinching my chin. “You have to obey me.”

“Eren,” I say, chills beginning to sprint down my spine. “What are . . .”

“Shut up,” Eren orders, still pinching my chin. “You have to do exactly what I say.”

Above us, a pendant light dangles and flickers. I swim in Eren’s eyes, trying to find warmth, but I find none.

“You have to do what I say,” Eren repeats himself, pinching my chin harder. “Do you understand?”

“Eren,” in a lower voice, I speak, my heart beginning to splinter. “You’re scaring me.”

“Good.” Eren says, his eyes still locked on mine. “You deserve to be scared.”

“Y/N,” another voice speaks.

I open my eyes, finding myself in a room in a ship.

It was a dream, I whisper to my beating heart. It was just a dream.

“Get ready. We are about to reach Marley.” Zeke says.

I stare out the round window, mesmerized by the sea.

I didn’t think I’d ever see it, even after I learned the truth about the world, about how everyone is alive, about how everyone is our enemy. For so long, I’d thought that the world was dead, but everyone was alive, their hearts beating with rage and fear at us for what my ancestors had done.

I stand up as the sea beckons me to come closer to the window.

Long ago, a woman named Ymir Fritz obtained the power of the titans, becoming the first titan. Thirteen years later, she passed away, but her powers were inheritable by her people, the Eldians. Nine of them obtained the powers and used them to conquer other countries make Marley yield. Nonetheless, Marley fought back and obtained seven of the nine titan shifters, coercing the Eldians to escape to Paradis Island. On that island, the Eldians constructed three enormous walls and found refuge behind them. After the walls were built, the Eldians forgot the history of the world.

But not all of the Eldians were able to make it to Paradis Island. Throughout the world, they suffer poverty and oppression. They especially suffer in Marley. Marley turned some of them into Mindless Titans and used the others to destroy Eldians, to destroy my people. Marley would send Mindless Titans to harm us. As a result, my people thought the world was destroyed by titans and that we were the only humans left.

I did not know the truth before I was abducted by two soldiers in our army. Their names were Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover. They were warriors who vowed to serve Marley. They brought about a massacre on my people when they were just children. Following that day, they infiltrated the army. They murdered a fellow soldier who overheard their conversation. When I overheard the truth while walking through the woods one night, they took me and held me captive in a cabin.

I tried to escape multiple times, but my efforts were futile. As I spent time with them, we began to fall in love with each other. And then Bertholdt told me the truth. After that, I tried formulating a plan to help them out, but then Annie Leonhart, a woman who serves Marley and infiltrated the army with Reiner and Bertholdt, attempted to kill me.

Pain consumes me as I feel a knife cut my throat. I clutch my bleeding throat and kneel, tears running down my cheeks. I begin to panic, realizing I am going to die. But the panic begins to fade as I realize the cut across my neck is gone.

I look at my hands, seeing the blood staining them, my eyes wide.

“Do I always have to clean your messes?”

A man with glasses stands in the doorway. He pushes Reiner aside and marches toward me. I back away, noticing he looks like Eren’s father.

“Zeke,” Reiner addresses the man wearing glasses. “Don’t . . . “

but Zeke reaches me and injects my neck with a syringe.

Then everything became blurry. Then everything turned dark.

. . .

I wake up, finding a folded pile of clothes next to me. And then I turn to the round window, seeing the sea as it shimmers and sways, realizing I’m on a ship.

I bang on the door, screaming to be let out. I did it again and again.

But my efforts result in nothing. All it results in is the knowledge that I am once again a captive.

I did not know who my captor was until Zeke woke me up.

I look through the window and see a city.

It’s Marley.

I slide my fingers over my neck, remembering what Annie did, wondering how I survived what she did.

Could I be. . . a Titan shifter?

The door opens, making me turn around. I see Zeke enter, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Good. You changed your clothes.” Zeke runs his eyes over me.

“I’m not going anywhere with you.” I state, locking my eyes on Zeke’s.

“Y/N, you don’t have a choice.”

“No. I’ve had it. I’ve been held captive . . .”

I fall silent, seeing Zeke pull a syringe halfway from his pocket. As I connect my gaze with it, I realize it’s the same syringe he pricked me with in the cabin.

“Follow me.” Zeke orders.

Against my wishes, I do as he says, leaving the room with him.

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ackerfiction · 11 months

Note

Hello, should I request a new canon! Levi x Wife-Princess! Reader - where reader finds a death treath of plans to assassinate her, and she confide her fears to Levi who was shocked, angry and at the same time protective over her, while comforting her that's everything is going to be okay.

You can do what you want, and thank you so much <33

Y/N ruffled through the papers, having bumped into a MP and dropping them all over the floor, she was keen to ensure she had all of her and Levi’s letters. She rifled through, eventually stopping at an envelope with the seal of Marley Officials. She slid the papers out of the envelope, unfolding it carefully. Why was it open? Her eyes widened as she read the words on the page, a gasp escaping her lips.

Jackson,

As you know, Ackerman is our biggest threat. As discussed, the best way to get him out of the field is Y/N. It has been decided that we no longer intend to hold her hostage, but to exterminate her.

Given her position in the Royal Family, we believe it was also significantly weaken Paradisian forces. Meet with our agent tonight, draw the Princess out as discussed. We will have her and bring down the Devils.

-K

“Are you okay?” Levi looked up from his cup, the steam curling in the air. Y/N’s face was pale, hands shaking. He stood, taking the letter from her hands.

His face darkened.

“Levi, what do I…” She swallowed, the lump in her throat too painful to continue.

“You go tonight. You play along.” The look on his face was one of legend, the look of a man enraged by the loss of those he loved. Only seen a handful of times before. It was the look of a man out for blood.

Y/N took a breath, she’d noticed one of the MP’s staring at her all day, shadowing her every move. She kept her hands in her pockets, palms sweaty.

“Hey.” Levi had taken her head in her hands, pressing a small kiss to her lips, “I won’t let anything happen to you. Trust me.” She nodded and his softness melted, “I can’t promise the same to those shits though.”

She played his words over and over in her head, as the MP approached her, a smile and a letter in hand.

“Your Highness.” He bowed, extending his hand with the letter, “I am sorry, I believe I have accidentally picked up one of your envelopes in this mornings mix up.” She steeled herself, Levi was trained for this, and while she wasn’t, he would protect her. He never failed her and he wouldn’t now.

She reached for the letter. The MP grabbed her wrist, pulling her into him. Y/N became alarmingly aware of how empty the hall was. “To the roof.” She felt his breath on her neck, the point of a knife on her back. “Scream and you die. Take one step away and you die.”

She obeyed. Her heart raced, pounding harder with every step. Tears threatening to spill with every person they passed. She forced a smile, nodding politely.

They reached the roof, the MP closing and barring the door behind them. He pushed her towards the edge. She whipped around, where was Levi? He should be here and yet- it hit her. She really was alone. The wind whipped her hair in her face, her legs weak. She prayed he would kill her quickly, was falling or bleeding faster? No. A cut to the neck was. She knew that much. Trust me. She fought to trust Levi, but where was he?

“You.” The MP stepped forward, “You are a catch, I can see why Levi likes you.” He chuckled, “Shame such a pretty body has to go to waste. Such a shame that the Princess would rather jump from the roof than be with her husband.”

“Think again, Dipshit.” A blast of gas, wires reeling in. Before either of them could move, Levi appeared in the air, Y/N felt relief flood her. He landed between the pair, scouts landing either side of the MP. Horror flashed across his features as Levi stepped forward. “Did you really think you would be able to hurt her under my watch?” He asked, “Pathetic.” He glanced back at Y/N, “I think we should send something back in the post, don’t you? A finger maybe.” The MP began to scream as he was dragged off of the roof and down the stairs. Levi turned to Y/N, she ran into his arms, tears of relief flowing.

“I told you.” He pushed her hair out of her face, eyes softening, “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“What’s going to happen to him?” She asked, Levi let out a breath.

“Don’t you worry about it. Just know that I will never leave you in danger, I will go to the ends of the earth for you. Nobody will ever hurt you.” He held her for a moment longer. “I promise.”

#levi #aot #levi ackerman #levi ackerman x reader #levi ackerman fanfiction #levi aot #levi x reader #snk #snk levi #snk fanfiction

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roseofdarknessblog · 1 year

Text

Love Treatment (Reiner Braun x Reader)

Word count: 4 840

Disclaimer: english is not my first language, I apologize in advance for any mistakes

Summary: Every Titan Shifter has a unique ability to heal different kinds of injuries. That can be considered a pretty useful skill, mainly directly on the battlefield. But amidst the chaos of the Marley Mid-East War, Reiner Braun finds himself injured without being able to handle the situation himself. Fortunately, there is someone very special in Liberio′s Military Hospital, who could help him heal in more than one way.

Love Treatment

„May I come in?“ you asked, before entering one of the hospital rooms. Almost all of them were full, but you were used to it by now. War was a horrible thing, many casualties happened every single day for almost four years now.

Injured soldiers straight from the battlefield were coming to the hospital daily. And today was no different. You were pretty busy since early morning when your shift started just a short while after sunrise. Even earlier than other days, because the workload was just too much for your colleagues. And it seemed that the rest of the day is going to be just as hectic.

„Sure,“ said the young Warrior on the other side of the door. When you walked in, Reiner Braun, the inheritor of the Armored Titan was sitting on the edge of the bed, his golden eyes fixed on the door.

„How are you feeling?“

„Fine.“ He shrugged with an almost deathly tired look on his face. His white uniform was soaked in blood, mainly from the gunshot wound he suffered before shifting into his Titan form. At least that’s what you’ve been told. „I wasn’t expecting you, exactly.“

A shy smile made its way to your lips. „So you’re disappointed?“

„No, I wouldn’t put it like that.“ With a small chrome tray in your hands, you walked closer and put it down on the bed. „Do you know what happened?“

„You’ve been shot and the wound is not healing for some reason. Even though your titan powers should’ve taken care of the injury a long time ago.“

This was the first time you witnessed something like this. Surely, you’ve heard about similar situations during your time in medical school, but never actually came in contact with such a case.

What made it even harder, was your long-lasting crush on Reiner.

The two of you got to know each other shortly after he returned from Paradis. It was here in the hospital when he brought in his cousin Gabi, who managed to sprain her ankle during military training. The girl wasn’t even nine years old at that time, she was too young to be a soldier. At least in your opinion.

You were one of the very few Eldians who got to work here in the military hospital. Being the best and more successful student in your year, you dared to apply as a surgery resident in a prominent hospital under the head of the military. And thanks to some miracle happening, you got positive feedback in a couple of days. You spent the last four years working your absolute hardest, studying day and night, to become the best Eldian surgeon in the whole of Liberio.

All of your hard work started to truly pay off a couple of months ago when you saved the life of one of the highest-ranking generals in the Marleyan Navy. Your surgical preceptor and all of the other doctors were too busy saving the lives of another high-ranking military personnel. The general was in a critical state, basically on the brink of death. Maybe that’s why your colleagues rushed to help people, who had more chance to survive.

You were supposed to be helping your preceptor, just like every other time, but decided to act against his orders. With the help of two nurses, it was you who saved the general’s life. Getting three bullets out of his body, suturing the wounds, and tending to some other injuries, you worked in total concentration and didn’t let anything or anyone disturb you. It took you almost five hours until you were finished and his condition wasn′t critical anymore.

The general lived, and it was only thanks to you. Your determination to save every patient, who was under your care. Even if people like him hated people like you.

A couple of days later, when he was feeling a bit better, the man called you into his hospital room for a talk. You were beyond surprised when he wholeheartedly thanked you for saving his life and said, that you should expect a very interesting reward. After he was released from the hospital, you received an important message. Marley decided to grant you an unimaginable gift – the status of an honorary Marleyan. And not just you, but your parents and two younger sisters as well.

Since that moment, you were walking around the hospital and your hometown with a red armband, which now seemed to catch Reiner’s eye as well.

„How did you get the armband?“ he asked a little shocked, while you sat down next to him. It seemed that a little chat would do some good for both of you. After all, you needed a quick break after all the work you’ve already done today.

„I saved the life of a high-ranking navy general. All my colleagues were busy with other patients, so I did it by myself with the help of two nurses,“ you explained, studying Reiner′s face.

When was the last time you saw him? How many months ago? Five or six, maybe even more. Some days it was hard to keep track of time. But that didn’t change anything about the fact, that you used to think about him almost too often. Daily, mainly when you couldn’t sleep at night and wondered what was happening on the battlefield.

„I didn’t know he would reward me like this. It was a pleasant surprise.“

„Oh wow, that’s great. Your whole family got the honorary Marleyan status, right?“

„Yeah, my parents and sisters wear them too.“ Would you accept it if it was meant only for you and not for your closest family? No, of course not. If it wasn’t for their undying love and support, you would never make it this far. „My mom wants to move out from the internment zone, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea. You know all too well that these armbands don’t change how Marleyans see us.“

Reiner nodded quietly, probably reminiscing over his own experiences he never told you about. At least not yet. But you were sure, that his life wasn’t that much better just because of the red armband. Not after what you’ve heard about Paradis, where he spent almost five years of his life.

„So...“ you said after a while. The silence was starting to be uncomfortable, so it was better to get back to work. „Can I take a look at that wound?“

„Yeah, sure,“ he said immediately, turning his head away from your face.

You watched him carefully unbutton his uniform, baring the area under his left collarbone, which was covered in a big piece of gauze. Whoever was shooting, was probably aiming for the heart and missed. Even with his Titan powers, you weren’t sure he would survive something like that.

An uneasy feeling washed over you. Even thinking about something like that happening to Reiner...

„How did you get shot? When did it happen?“ you asked, reaching for the small chrome tray with all the necessary supplies you’d brought and pulling it closer. You had to push all the bad thoughts aside and concentrate.

„I had to leave the Titan’s body behind in a pretty dire situation, and before I transformed again, somebody shot me. I don’t even know from where that bullet came, it simply hit me.“ The area around the wound was cleaned from any remains of dried blood, but visibly reddened and swollen a bit. It surely hurt, if he didn’t take any analgetics before coming here. „I thought it would heal, but it was still pretty painful and bleeding after the battle.“

„Did you see a doctor there?“

„No, they had plenty of work with other wounded soldiers. I still hoped it would heal on its own. And Pieck helped to patch me up a little, so it was okay.“

„So the bullet is still inside?“

Reiner shook his head. „No, it went completely through me.“

You worriedly furrowed your brows, placing one of your hands on his forehead and cheek to check his temperature. Fever was sometimes the first sign of an ongoing infection, which was pretty common with gunshot wounds. Mostly, when they weren’t treated right or soon enough.

„Okay, strip from the waist up,“ you commanded him.

What surprised you the most, was how subconsciously and innocently Reiner leaned into your touch. For a moment, you felt bad about pulling your hand away in panic. You could feel the embarrassment pooling on your face, while he was taking off the top part of his uniform, almost too visibly avoiding eye contact with you.

When you heard that the inheritor of the Armored Titan was here and needed medical attention, you took the case without thinking. After all, seeing Reiner for at least a couple of minutes was what you longed for the last few months. But now, sitting there in front of him, with all sorts of thoughts going through your head... Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea. Perhaps you should’ve let someone else look after him and have a word later.

„Are you in any pain right now?“ you asked while looking at his back. There was an exit wound near his shoulder blade under another piece of gauze, which you really carefully took off. The angle of the bullet seemed pretty unfortunate, but the important thing was, that it wasn′t stuck there anymore. And if he was in a pretty decent shape, there couldn′t be any serious internal bleeding happening.

„Just a little.“

„Do you want anything to help with it?“ He shook his head even without thinking, again tearing his gaze away from you in a hurry. It seemed much safer for him to look at his armband, which he was now holding in his right hand. „Are you sure? The suturing is going to hurt.“

„No, I′m fine. You can start.“

You waited for a bit, but eventually got to work, putting on a pair of sterile gloves, before you did anything else. Cleaning the area with saline was the next step. Reiner watched you do your job without any words.

„Tell me, if it gets too painful, okay? I′ll give you some medication, there is no need to suffer in order to play a tough guy.“

The tiny smile on his lips was a bit of a surprise. But it somehow gave you the confidence you needed at that moment. Operating on other people and treating their wounds felt completely different. You usually weren′t nervous. But now... your hands were slightly shaking.

„Believe me, many soldiers try to convince me, that they don′t any local anesthetic or other pain meds, then end up whining and crying the whole time. I truly hate that. It′s no fun when I can't talk with them during the procedure because they are too busy wailing.“

„So I have to talk to you as well?“ he teased, while you got hold of the necessary instruments. A needle, forceps, and medical scissors. You were taught that using the curve of the needle was the best method to pass the suture through the skin. „What would you like to hear about?“

You shrugged, carefully avoiding pulling the suture through the skin in a straight line while using the forceps to avoid touching the wound directly. Reiner winced a little, but that was it. No other movement or other demonstration of pain.

„Maybe you should start with the reason you′re here. I′m sure you haven′t told me everything yet.“

Closing a wound was an easy procedure. It was repetitive work, the hardest part was starting. At least in your opinion. Everything that came after, became purely automatic to you.

„So?“ you asked, when Reiner stayed quiet, averting his gaze once again. But it surely wasn′t because he didn't bare to look at a bloody wound. „Wouldn't you feel better if you talked to someone?“

You never truly viewed him as a talkative person. And that was okay, there was no need for him to share every little detail of his life with you. But right now it seemed a good idea to make him open up a little. It was pretty obvious, that something was very wrong.

„If everything was fine, you wouldn′t be sitting here getting sewed back together. Your mental state is important for using your titan powers. Healing abilities including.“

„Aren't you a little too smart?“

You smiled. „Well, if I wasn't, I surely wouldn′t be here today.“

Closing the wound under his collarbone took you very little time. Before you knew it, you instructed Reiner to turn his back to you, so you could do the same thing with the other half of the wound.

„Why did they send you home? This could have been done right there on the battlefield by any medic. No need for a hospital visit and a flight to Liberio and back.“ You were determined to get him talking. He wasn't leaving this room until he told you what really happened.

He could be stubborn, you already knew that. But you could be a million times worse when you set your mind to it. After all, you weren′t doing this out of boredom, but to help him.

„I won′t let you leave until you talk to me.“

„It seems that the war will be ending soon. We only have one more battle to fight, if everything goes well at Fort Slava. Everybody is busy with planning right now, we are set to attack next week,“ Reiner finally said, after letting you work in silence for several long minutes. He winced occasionally but didn't show any other signs of being in pain. But he was far from being relaxed either, the precisely defined muscles on his back and shoulders were visibly tensed. „They need me in the best shape possible, that′s why Commander Magath sent me here.“

„And are we supposed to find out why your wound wasn't healing or just properly stitch you up and send you back?“ you joked to ease the dense atmosphere, slowly finishing with the suturing. „I personally would try to find the main reason for your problem. So you don't end up like this again. Even though it could have been worse... much worse. It seems that the shooter was aiming for your heart, but missed.“

„Unfortunately,“ he sighed quietly.

„Stop that!“ you scolded him immediately, finishing your work almost at the exact same moment. It still surprised you how well Reiner took the pain. Almost as if he didn′t feel anything the whole time. „Did you see your family before coming here?“ you asked, trying to change the subject.

Reiner shook his head, while you started to carefully dress his wounds. For some reason, it was becoming harder to focus on your work with every passing second. All you could think about was him. You desperately wanted to help the Warrior sitting beside you, but it seemed he had no interest in letting you do that.

He probably didn't even know you liked him and cared for him much deeper, than for your other patients. After all, you were at work, you had to act professionally. Personal feelings and emotions had nothing to do at the hospital ward.

„Okay, all done. You can dress up,“ you said after a couple of minutes, looking Reiner over one more time really carefully. He seemed much different from the time you saw him last. But not in a good way. „So... are you going home now?“

„No, I think I′ll stay at the HQ for a couple of days.“ You raised your eyebrows in surprise, while you tidied up your medical instruments, desperately trying to occupy your hands and therefore your mind as well. „Why do you ask?“

„Just wanted to know. I bet they miss you, especially Gabi.“ You knew almost nothing about his relatives. Only that he grew up without his father and that his little cousin wanted to inherit his Titan one day. „Seeing them for a couple of hours could do you good, maybe help you relax a bit.“

With one eye still on his back, you watched as he slowly put his uniform back on. But other than that, it didn′t seem he was in a hurry to leave this place. And you didn′t want to be the one to chase him away. So even though you had tons of other work to do and patients to see, you stayed there with him. Just sitting in complete silence, while Reiner was looking to the ground, fingers playing with the edge of the red armband still in his hands.

There was something about that particular moment. About seeing him without that damned piece of fabric on his left arm. Something, that made your heart ache for the young blond Warrior. You knew what he had to undergo, how hard he had to train since being a little kid.

And right there, in that moment, for maybe just a second it seemed, that he was just as scared, tired, and defeated, as a little kid forced to complete such harsh military training.

„You can stay here if you want,“ you said suddenly, not even thinking about the words which came out of your mouth. Only after they′ve been said out loud, and got Reiner′s attention. „I mean... I′m working the night as well. So if you′re not going home, you can stay here. With me,“ you added a little quieter, already regretting your stupid habit of talking before thinking.

„I don′t think it′s a good idea,“ he said, putting the armband back in its place. Without even looking at you, he suddenly stood up and tried making his way to the door.

But only until you got to your feet as well and reached for his hand. Your still trembling fingers wrapped around his wrist, as you urgently pulled him towards you. „Stay,“ you said firmly. „Please, stay.“

The whole world around you felt like it was on fire when he finally turned his head and looked at you in pure shock. You could feel your heart breaking into million little pieces when you once again saw the sadness and despair in his beautiful light brown eyes.

If only you knew how to help him and ease his suffering.

Reiner carefully pulled his wrist from your grasp, but almost immediately reached for your hand again, gently interlocking your fingers. You ran your thumb along his knuckles, pulling him even closer until his body collided with your own, and you wrapped your arms around him as tight as possible.

Only then you truly understood how much you yearned for this. To feel him this close and know, that he was okay. Alive and with you. At least at that moment.

„You don′t have to tell me anything, just... stay here,“ you whispered into his chest, gently resting your head against his right shoulder. You′ve dreamed about this moment many times – simply being in his arms, safe and sound from all the horrors of the world around.

„I wanted...“ he started but got quiet almost immediately. However, when you didn′t start talking, he took a couple of deep breaths, before speaking again. „I needed to come home for a couple of days,“ he said, running his fingers through your hair softly and lovingly. „I needed to see you and hear your voice.“ You smiled into his chest, wrapping your arms around his body even tighter. If it was only possible for this moment to never end. „I needed to remind myself for who I need to keep fighting for.“ His voice almost broke, as he got those words out.

With another tiny smile, you caressed his chest and tilted your head slightly back, to look into his face. Reiner was already looking at you, his eyes waiting to meet yours and tell you so much more, without even using actual words.

„I missed you so much,“ you said, fighting many different emotions all at once. There was so much you wanted to say to him. But was it the right moment? Or would it be better to leave everything for later? For after the war, when you finally can be together? „And prayed every night, that you′ll come home unharmed.“ You could feel his whole body relax against yours.

„Trust me, that bullet was so worth it.“ A shiver run down your back when he laughed quietly and pressed a kiss to your forehead. „By now it′s probably healed.“

„So much for my hard work,“ you teased him, while your eyes involuntarily wandered to his lips. How many times did you dream about kissing them? Probably too many. „Just try not to get injured again. We can see each other under much more pleasant circumstances.“

The height difference between you and Reiner was almost too perfect. Standing on your tiptoes, while he slightly bent down was enough to close the distance between the two of you. But before your lips finally brushed against each other, a loud knock on the door startled you.

„Just a moment!“ you shouted, suppressing your laughter. „We′re almost done.“

Reiner closed his eyes with a smile as well, cradling you in his arms just a moment longer, before he let go. As he sat back onto the hospital bed, you slowly opened the door, only to find your supervisor standing there. He needed your assistance with a complicated surgery immediately.

With an apologetic look toward Reiner, you left the room and hurried after your supervisor, debating the case while you were getting ready. It was truly a complicated surgery, which lasted almost six hours. You were dead tired when you finally walked out of the operating theatre and headed to the dressing room to change into a fresh pair of hospital uniform.

You wanted to find Reiner again, but more work got in your way and didn′t let you relax until late at night. The only thing you were able to do, was to fill out an official paper about Reiner′s medical condition and your decision to keep him here overnight for observation. Almost everything you wrote down was simply made-up nonsense, but it did the trick. Nobody questioned your decision, not even your supervisor. Quiet the opposite – he complimented your dedication to your work and thus to Marley itself, by taking such excellent care of somebody so important for the military.

It was almost midnight when you finally had time to get off your feet and eat something. Your head and back hurt as if someone beat you up, while your feet could barely carry you anymore. The morning was still far away, anything could happen until the first rays of sunshine appear on the horizon and your 24-hour shift will be finally over.

After hesitating a little, you made your way to the room, where Reiner was staying. It was late and quiet almost everywhere around you, so you didn′t want to knock and disturb someone. You just very carefully peered from behind the door, finding Reiner laying in bed. Thankfully, he wasn't sleeping.

„I was starting to think you forgot about me,“ he said quietly, sitting up without any sign of being in pain. Only a small lamp on the nightstand was switched on, but it gave out enough light for you to see the content, but somehow still sad look on his face. „Too much work?“

You nodded tiredly and closed the door, making your way to the bed. Sitting down felt more than nice after such a long day. „How are you feeling?“ With that question, you reached for his hand. It was surprisingly warm compared to your always cold ones. „Did the wound truly heal up already?“

„Yeah, it′s completely gone. I′m okay.“ You shook your head with a smile, slipping into Reiner′s arms almost immediately. „But only thanks to you,“ he added gratefully, running his hand up and down your aching back. If you closed your eyes, you could very easily fall asleep right there. „I really mean it.“

„And I meant what I said earlier. We can see each other under more pleasant circumstances and outside the hospital.“ You let the tips of your fingers slide along his jaw, gently grabbing his chin and tilting his head more toward you. Everything about him seemed so perfect. Every little detail of his face, even his disheveled hair. „Next time, please, don't get butchered just because you want to see me.“

„What if there won′t be any next time?“

„What do you mean?“ The light you thought you saw in his eyes was gone once more. His smile vanished, while his gaze lingered over the contours of your face. He was truly looking at you as if he never saw you before. Or as if he′ll never get the chance to do it again. „It will all be over soon, Reiner,“ you reassured him, resting your right hand against his chest, right over his steadily beating heart. „And after that... well, I don′t know what is going happen to Marley or to us, but...“

You were glad, that he shut you up with a tender kiss. His lips finally, after so many months of thinking about it, collided with yours, and for a glimpse of a moment helped you forget about reality. About the tiring work here in the hospital, and about the war itself.

Right there, it was only you and Reiner.

„Just say if I′m crossing any lines,“ he said a little hesitantly, his soft lips brushing against yours once more. You didn′t even dare to open your eyes. What if he disappeared? What if this all turned out to be just a dream?

„You have no idea how long I was dreaming about this moment,“ you whispered, cupped his cheeks, and kissed him again. A million times more urgently, as if he was the only thing keeping you from death′s reach.

Seconds turned into minutes and if it wasn't for your need to breathe, you would stay like that probably forever. As you tried to catch your breath again, Reiner leaned against you, burying his face into your hair. It didn′t take long until you hear a quiet sob escape his mouth, while his arm pulled you even closer to him.

You knew this was coming. From the moment you saw him earlier, you could tell he′s going to break and let all his anger, disappointment, exhaustion, and sadness out. And it was more than okay. To be honest, it made you feel so much at ease, that he let his guard down like that in your presence. That he trusted you this much. That he wasn′t afraid to show you, just how much these last few years affected him.

„Cry it all out, it′s okay. I′m here,“ you whispered reassuringly, running your fingers through his hair in a calming motion, while simultaneously pressing tiny kisses to the top of his head. „You′re safe with me, I promise.“

Hearing him cry for many long minutes was truly one of the most painful things you′ve ever witnessed, but there was very little you could actually do to help him. Besides holding him tight and making sure he knows, that you will always be there for him. Always. In any kind of situation.

„I′m sorry... I just...“ you shook your head before he could continue, planting a kiss on his temple. As he slowly pulled away to look you in the eyes, you couldn't help but smile, while wiping away the remains of his tears. „I′m sorry,“ he said again.

„Nothing to be sorry about, Reiner,“ you assured him, leaned closer for a quick kiss, and made yourself comfortable on the hospital bed. Reiner watched you with teary eyes until you opened your arms and pulled him into another hug. „Try to get some sleep, I′ll stay here.“ His head came to rest on your chest very carefully, while his arms tightly wrapped around your waist securing you in place. He truly wanted to make sure you′ll stay there and won′t leave him. „Everything will be fine. Maybe not tomorrow or in a week, but eventually.“

„As long as you′re with me,“ Reiner whispered, his lips pressing against your neck.

A content smile made its way to your lips, as you felt Reiner relax in your arms. Everything about that moment felt so right. The weight of his body on yours, his arms holding you close to him, and the mere reality of the two of you being together like this.

School and work always came first to you, there simply wasn't time for silly little romances. Not when you were determined to fulfill your dream. But looking at the brave and handsome Warrior, who was holding onto you for dear life while slowly falling asleep on your chest, made you reconsider everything.

Maybe making room for love in your life wouldn't be so bad.

#reiner braun #reiner braun x reader #reiner braun x you #aot x reader #aot x you #attack on titan #snk #shingeki no kyojin

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