Overview: Armin only agreed to throwing a massive party so that he could impress you, but when you’re found hanging out with another guy, he begins to accept the fact that he’s never had a chance.
The buzz of music can be heard from where it booms inside, blending with the shouting voices of a rather large gathering of drunken college students which shakes the house walls. It’s a bit surprising that no one’s moved the party outside yet, but perhaps that’s a blessing since doing so would no doubt run their luck dry of not having the police show up for a noise complaint.
Honestly, if Armin could leave, he would, however, seeing that it's his roommates who decided to throw ‘the best party this state has ever seen’ in their shared home, he’ll likely remain stuck wallowing in his own self-pity and annoyance until at least 2:00 am judging on how (surprisingly) long Eren can chug beer before blacking out.
Looking back at it now, he supposes he can’t be too angry considering he’s the one who eventually gave into his best friend’s begging. Armin had been strictly against the idea of a massive party from the moment his roommates first proposed it, managing to firmly hold his ground against them, that was, until a particular proposal was made. It’s funny how only a few words can crumble someone’s entire willpower like that, turning them into a stumbling mess who’s desperate enough to succumb to even the stupidest of Eren’s plans.
While his roommates wanted to appear popular by outshining the competition, Armin had agreed to the party solely because he- get ready for it- wanted to impress someone. More importantly, he wanted to impress you; his sweet classmate whose smile never fails to light a fire within his heart and occupy every section of his mind regardless of whether you’re actually present in the room. The boy is truly whipped for you which is, unfortunately, no secret to his friends. Needless to say, they’ve gotten pretty tired of suffering the whole 'will-they, won’t-they’ trope that’s been going on all semester.
Jean not only claimed to have gone to the same high school as you, but swore to Armin that the party would be the perfect opportunity for him to gain your attention. All he had to do was invite you then once you show up, maybe make some joke about cheap alcohol, sneak in a few flirty remarks, and boom! Arlert returns from spring break with a new significant other! ‘Easy’ said Eren and Jean, two heart breakers with a line of admirers.
Armin had little faith in the plan at first. When he first approached you in between classes, he couldn’t get a single word right regardless of his week-long rehearsals meaning Eren had to hang over his shoulder to translate the poor boy’s stumbling for you. To Armin’s utter shock, you chuckled and asked for the address. Not only that, but on Friday you waved to him after class, telling him you’d see him at the party. Was the universe finally on his side for once? Did he actually stand a chance with you? Of course not!
Everyone had agreed- no promised- that they’d only invite close friends in order to keep the party minimal. Nothing too crazy, just something big enough to become 'the cool kids’, but as the minutes ticked on, the number of party goers continued to increase, growing from friends to random students Armin’s never even seen before.
At first, he tried to ignore the amount of people while searching for you. He scanned every face and listened in on each conversation, hoping that he’d find you alone somewhere so that he could carry on with the plan. All he had to do was walk up to you and start talking which was already a difficult feat to accomplish in such an imitating presences because, let’s be honest, you’re imitating with those sparkling eyes of yours and your contagious joy and-…and to say Armin’s heart cracked once finally hearing your unmistakable laughter is an understatement.
Normally, he doesn’t get involve in stupid college riviaries, but tonight, he’s found himself cursing those damned Marley students with as much vigor as his friend’s known for, especially that damned Galliard guy who had his arm leaned against the wall above your head, telling you some joke that was probally really lame yet you were laughing more than Armin’s ever seen you laugh before.
After that, Armin had been quick to find his friends who were carelessly taking part in another round of some drinking contest. When he complained about the sight to them, his heart shattered when Jean rubbed the back of his head, only just then remembering that he ‘guesses’ you and that Gilliard kid were close in high school so it makes since you’d be ‘hangin’ out now. When some red-headed kid Armin didn’t recognize voiced his own frustrations with why Marley students were even at the party, Eren calmly stated he told his brother about it, so ‘word must’ve gotten out’. Great.
Armin knows now that he should’ve never agreed to this stupid party so despite his friends’ attempts at cheering him up (which came in the form of offering mixes of alcoholic flavors that should be illegal), he decided to go outside and get some air by himself.
It’s been twenty minutes since he first sat down at the pool, staring down at the glowing blue water as it licks his bar legs. He plays with the idea of grabbing a blanket from inside and just sleeping on one of the lawn chairs which might actually end up being his only option tonight with the party still thriving inside. Maybe he’ll just ask Mikasa to wake him up when the party’s over since she’s sworn off drinking tonight to ensure she can keep Eren from cracking his head open while attempting another backflip off the kitchen counter.
“Damn, if someone would’ve told me you guys have a pool here, I would’ve brought my swimsuit.”
Armin nearly drops his solo cup into the water when hearing your voice behind him. You’ve somehow managed to sneak up on him, standing a few feet away which is a distance that shrinks further when you decide to walk towards the pool’s edge beside him. There’s a soft look in your eyes, one Armin could fall in love with all over again if not for the fact that you have a Warriors’ Letterman jacket lazily draped over your shoulders…Galliard’s, of course.
“How do five broke college students get this nice of a house anyways?”
“We, um…it belongs to Dr. Jager actually. He lets us stay here for cheap rent. All we gotta do is get good grades and stay out of trouble,” after a pause, Armin decides to add,“ I think it’s mostly a way to trick Eren into behaving. He gets to be independent like he wanted while doing well in school like his parents want.”
Despite his stiff delivery, you laugh,“ smart. My parents have always just expected me to get good grades so that I don’t live with them forever.”
He gives a dry chuckle that shakes the liquor in his cup which he’s clenching with a grip strong enough to crinkle the plastic. Luckily, you don’t seem to hear it, but you don’t leave either. Instead, you remain where you stand, only moving to lift your own cup to your lips to catch a sip. Meanwhile, Armin curses himself. He’s been desperate for your attention all night- hell, all semester- yet now that he finally has it, he can’t think of anything to say.
“You know, you’re missing the dance off inside.”
“…Dance off?”
“Yep,” you pop the 'p’ with a smirk, barely removing the cup from your lips,“ Reiner vs Eren. I’m surprised either of them are still moving with all the alcohol they’ve had. At this rate, they’re all going to be hungover until next weekend.
”…Honestly I don’t know how they can do it. I’ve been nursing this one cup all night and it only has a shot in it,“ kicking off your sandals, you gently use Armin’s shoulder as support to lower yourself down on the pool’s edge next to him which causes the poor boy to tensen. Unfortunately, you notice, pausing your movements,” oh, sorry. I should’ve asked if you even want company. You’re out here alone after all. I can go back-“
”-No!“ Armin cuts you off without thought, his cheeks turning bright red when he looks over to your shocked expression. Biting his lip, he’s quick to look back at the shimmering water while failing to swallow his nerves,”…no, you’re fine. I-I like your company- as in I would like company! Not just yours, specifically, but like…company…yeah…“
He’s miserable which is obvious, but you decide not to torture him further by mentioning it,” awesome. I was actually hoping to steal some of your time tonight. When I couldn’t find you inside, I got worried that I might’ve missed my chance.“
"You were looking for me?” Armin blinks, cautiously sneaking a glance at you.
Your smile is bashful as you tuck a strand of hair behind your ear,“ well, yeah, I mean…you’re the one who invited me. It would be rude to get invited to a fun party and not get to thank the host. So, thank you.”
“Oh, y-you’re welcome, but…well, I didn’t really do much to be honest. The others arranged it all. Eren heard about the parties they throw at Marley and wanted to outshine them, which explains all the alcohol and people.”
“I figured. You don’t really seem like much of a party person, so I was surprised when you invited me…You know, most guys would just take the credit anyways.”
“I’m not like most guys,” Armin tries to joke with a chuckle, although it sounds a bit pathetic to him.
“Considering the fact that most of the guys in there can’t think past their egos, I’d say that’s a good thing.”
Armin feels his heart warm at your simple words, the grip on his cup finally loosening as he stares down at it. You’re sitting close enough to have your arm brush against his when you finally finish the rest of your own drink. Setting the empty cup aside, you break the silence again,“ can I ask you something that might be personal?”
“…Sure,” he worries about what 'personal’ might entail.
To his surprise, you seem hesitant with your teeth nibbling at your lip to bite back a strangely insecure smile. Perhaps if he were in a clearer state of mind, he’d notice there’s a redness to your cheeks that contrasts against the blue pool’s glow, too.
“Okay, so like, this is totally stupid and I would by no means have the guts to even ask this if it weren’t for the cheap liquor, but you’re a nice guy and I’m going to trust you won’t laugh at me for this it’s just…” opposite to your once laid back dementor, you now fumble with your words, your fingers fiddling with the leather of the jacket you 'stole’ from Galliard.
After a deep breath, you finally find the right words,“ alright so, when I was looking for you earlier, Jean said you were outside because you were upset and when I asked why, he said it was because you wanted to impress someone at the party tonight. I guess I was just wondering if it’s true and who it was you were trying to impress.”
Armin’s blood runs cold and his body freezes like stone. There’s about a million thoughts running through his head, taking up so much of his storage space that he’s unable to process your other words. He’s too busy running through different excuses he could make. Would it be too suspicious to write Jean’s statements as him just being drunk? You’d believe that right? Jean says lots of stupid things sober so of course he’ll spew nonsense drunk-!
“-Armin? You okay?”
He can feel your eyes now staring into him yet he absolutely refuses to even risk catching a glance at you, fearing that one look will shatter his self control. Whether he’ll confess his feelings or break down crying could be up for debate; it would probably be both at the same time.
You move to touch his shoulder yet stop yourself mere centimeters away. Retracting your hand, you give a sad sounding chuckle while moving to sit on your knees,“ sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. It’s your personal business after all and we’re not super close so of course you don’t have to tell me about your crush. I guess I was just too stupidly curious and jealous for my own good, ya’ know? Heh heh…”
“…What do you mean by 'jealous’?” The word catches Armin’s attention more than anything else you had said, much to your dismay.
“I, um…well,” your voice noticeably squeaks as you try to form a sentence. You can feel your heart picking up speed and hands becoming clammy which is made no better by Armin’s unwavering stare even as you try to ignore it by staring at the water instead. You knew you shouldn’t have said anything. Damn Gilliard for hyping you up earlier!
“I don’t see why you’re so scared. You’re a total catch. That Paradis Devil would be lucky to have you.”
“You know I go to the same school as him, right? Does that make me a Devil, too?”
Gilliard had become flustered at your joke which slightly helped with your conflicted mood,“ what? No! You’re an exception that just made a stupid choice in a school! Just- Pay attention! Just rip off that band-aid with that Arlert kid already, will ya’? I’m sure he’ll like you and if he doesn’t, I’ll beat him up for you.”
“Don’t do that-”
“-Then tell him to never make you cry or else he’ll have the whole Warriors football team after his scrawny ass. Now take your liquid confidence and go find your boyfriend.”
With that, Gilliard had sent you off into the sea of party goers which eventually led you to your current predicament. Sighing, you decide to go against your better judgment and finally take his advice.
“You know…The only reason I agreed to come here tonight was because you were the one to ask. I hate parties, especially crazy drunk ones like this, but I just couldn’t believe you of all people were asking me and I guess…I guess I managed to convince myself that it was because you were actually wanting to hang out with me, but when I got here, I couldn’t find you anywhere. Then I heard that as many people as possible were invited to compete with Marley which made me realize you must’ve only invited me to add to that population and that hurt…
"Gilliard told me I was overreacting, but when I asked Jean and he said you were wanting to impress someone here I…I felt sad and angry and…and jealous because I was really hoping that you invited me here tonight because you like me just as much as I like you…” You curse yourself for crying. The tears prick in your eyes, threatening to fall if not for the quick sleeve that you use to brush them away.
Since you refuse to look at Armin, you miss the way his mouth gaps open at your confession, unable to believe he heard correctly. Just as much as I like you…JUST AS MUCH AS I LIKE YOU!
“I’m really sorry. You were already upset and I probably just made it a hundred times worse, huh? I should get going. It’s l-late and I should get home before-” You go to stand as quickly as you can, hoping to return home to your cozy bed covers so you can get an early start to crying yourself to sleep.
“WAIT-!” In an instant, Armin is sitting up to grab your arm, his panic of you leaving clouding his judgment. He pulls too roughly, causing you to lose balance and fall forward. Without thinking, he tries to wrap his arms around you to save you from a watery fate, however, it’s too late. Not only are you already plunging into the pool, but he doesn’t let go, instead being dragged in himself, too.
There’s a splash of water that disrupts the once glassy texture with a series of ripples. Armin is the first to surface, followed by you seconds later as you both gasp for air. Pushing your hair away from your eyes, you meet an extremely red Armin who’s already stuttering too many apologies for you to understand.
You open your mouth to speak, but you don’t get the chance when he suddenly blurs rather loudly,“ YOU’RE THE ONE I WANTED TO IMPRESS!”
“…Me?”
He looks down in embarrassment, watching his legs kick to keep himself above water,“ I thought that…if I invited you, you’d be impressed with how cool the party is and maybe be impressed with me, too. Then I saw you with that Warrior guy and I didn’t think I stood a chance with him, so I just kinda… gave up…”
The loud music of the party is no longer of concern as he waits for you to shout at him for his not so smooth move, yet to his surprise and amazement, you’re smiling brightly despite the chilled temperature and heavy jacket trying to weigh you down.
“Armin, you’ve already impressed me long before the party. You’re a sweet guy who’s smart and actually has his shit together which is more than most the people in that house can say. As for Gilliard, he’s just a close friend who also doesn’t have his shit together, I mean, have you seen how many times him and Reiner go at it? I love him as a pain in my ass, but I love you in a different way. Like the ‘I’m going to go to a stupid sweaty party just for the chance that he might look at me for a second’ type of love.”
"Really?” He allows himself to chuckle in attempts at melting away his nerves.
“I really hate parties,” the words are breathless as you look into his eyes,“ but I really like you.”
“I really like you, too,” it feels strange to say out loud, but so right at the same time; as if a giant weight has been lifted off his shoulders and transformed into a warmth of joy in his heart. This feeling is fed when your lips meet, molding together for just a few seconds that manages to feel like an eternity before both pulling away.
You can feel his breath against your lips with how close the two of you remain, a feeling that is almost addicting enough to pull you back in, although you refrain yourself with the promise that you’ll have plenty of time for that later,“ I think we should probably get out. Gilliard’s going to be pissed when he finds out his jacket’s soaked.”
“We have a dryer inside.”
“Perfect. We’ll still just keep this a secret between us, though. He already doesn’t like you that much.“
“O-Oh…”
~~~
"Nngg…” Eren blinks his eyes open, pained by the amount of light that’s shining in his face. Sitting up as slowly as he can, he’s too hungover to be concerned over his location on the dining table, however, he does notice the floor littered with cups, trash, and mysterious stains,“…my dad’s going to kill me.”
It takes him some time to remember last night’s events, bits and pieces returning to him as he surveys the room for context clues. Connie’s passed out under the coffee table somehow, Jean might be dead on the couch with a lamp shade over his head, and Mikasa’s sitting in the kitchen with a mug of coffee as the only member of the household who didn’t drink into regret last night.
“Where’s 'min…?” Eren finally asks, rubbing his head.
“He went to spend the night at (Y/n)’s. 'said to have you call him when you’re awake and the house is clean. He emphasized the last part,” Mikasa explains while taking another sip of her coffee.
Jean’s chuckle can be heard from under the lamp shade,“ dude went and got laid…”
Here you will find all things Armin Arlert Every oneshot, request, and multi-chapter fic I write about our favorite blonde mastermind will be right here for you to see!
Hi everyone! I just wanted to let you know, in case you didn’t see, that my requests/ask box is open! You can request anything from the fandoms that I write for (haikyuu!, My Hero Academia, Attack On Titan, and Criminal minds) but here are a few ground rules:
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3. I try my best to make my ‘x reader’ fics gender neutral, but sometimes they might stray towards a more feminine side since I am a girl. If you want the fic to be a specific gender (male, female, non-binary, gender neutral, etc.) just let me know!
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Hello everyone! I just thought I would reblog this to let everyone know that my requests are OPEN and that here are my request guidelines! Feel free to ask for as many situations, fics, one-shots, etc. as you would like! Also, if you want a place to chat or talk, I’m totally cool with that as well! Talk to me about the upcoming seasons for both MHA and AOT - I am so hyped for both - and if you want to talk about anything you’re watching now! For me, I’m rewatching Fruits Basket (it’s one of my favs!) and keeping up with SpyxFamily - it’s so good! I hope you all are safe happy and healthy!
It was the first time Armin ever saw a woman’s bare back, bare chest. Exposed. And he had not expected to see it in this sort of situation. It was the first time Mikasa found herself this much exposed in front of him. And the last thing she felt was any form of discomfort, but still, she wished that he didn’t have to witness something so unsightly.
