AOT Short Stories & One Shots

The Library (Armin x OC)

Karma peeked behind one of the library's dusty smelling shelves. She could see the target of her affections, reading a thick book with tiny text. Alone. Today was the day. She was determined to talk to him. Maybe tell him how she felt.

Karma cleared her throat. At first, he didn't notice the warm body that had taken the seat beside him, but when she tossed her hair and plopped down a novel, Armin looked up.

"Oh, hi Karma," he said, blinking.

"What are you reading?" she said, feigning nonchalance. Her heart was thrumming like she'd pounded a pot of coffee.

"Oh, um—" he glanced swiftly at the book as if he'd forgotten. "Chess strategies."

Karma knew Armin was fascinated by the sea and learning all he could about the real world, and she had practiced a conversation in her mind around these topics, so this caught her off guard. She had no idea how to hold a conversation about chess.

"Well, personally I prefer mystery and romance novels." She showed him the book she'd brought—The Tides of Love.

Armin closed his complicated looking book, pushing it aside. "I've never tried fiction before. I'll try anything you recommend."

"Oh, you will?" Karma swallowed a lump of nerves. His eyes were crystal blue and piercing through her. She felt like a specimen under a magnifying glass.

"Of course. I value your opinion." Armin looked away, cheeks brightening. "I, um, think you're smart."

"Thank you." Karma looked away too, feeling herself reddening. "No one has ever said that about me before. In fact," she chuckled, "you sort of sound like a guy out of a romance novel right now."

Armin perked at this, as if she'd tossed him a lifeline. "And what would you have me say—if I was trying to win your heart?"

Karma smiled. "I can't make it too easy for you, but you're doing a pretty good job as it is. I don't think you need my help."

Armin's cheeks rose in a mirroring smile. He held her gaze with adoring delicacy. "You're such a treasure, Karma. I've always thought so."

It was the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to her. Karma's chest blossomed with warmth and giddiness. This hushed conversation in the middle of the library was a precious gemstone. Karma tucked it away into the chambers of her heart, finding therein the bravery to take his hand. "I want to show you something."

Abandoning their books, she pulled Armin behind the nonfiction shelves, the most private area of the library. Armin's eyes flickered around the dusty tomes.

"What book did you want to show me?"

"Not a book." Karma squeezed her toes as if digging into her shoes for another dose of bravery. She stepped closer to Armin, who froze in place at her advancement. Slowly, tenderly, she tiptoed and landed her lips on his.

For a moment, Armin didn't move. His body was stiff but his lips were blissfully soft. Karma worried she had been too assertive, misreading his compliments as romantic affection. Then, all at once, Armin jolted and buried his lips deeper into hers. He secured her against the shelf, his hands clamped around her arms, pulling her closer while pressing her deeper into the wood panels.

Karma gasped when his strong hands found her waist, warm fingers pressing into the cotton of her shirt. Her fingers tangled into his short blond hair as his tongue rolled between her teeth. He smelled like lemon soap and tasted like the apple cider from the mess hall.

Then his hips joined in, grinding against the waistband of her slacks. Something hard jutted from his pants and rubbed against her abdomen. Heat pulsed between her legs at the sensation of his lips and body tangling into her senses.

But all at once, their heated kiss ended like a closing faucet.

"—hell are you two doing, soldiers?" The voice of Captain Levi straightened Karma's spine like a ruler.

"Nothing, sir." Karma spotted a dark splotch on Armin's pants and angled her body to shield the evidence from their captain, whose narrowed eyes were like heat seeking daggers.

Sighing, Levi waved his hand dismissively. Karma and Armin watched him disappear around the shelves. No sooner had their captain left that Karma felt her lips and body tingle, their unfinished kiss like a humming magnet between them.

"Um, there's a supply closet nearby," she said, hoping he'd get the hint. Armin, astute as ever, flushed red in the cheeks but confidently took her hand. He pressed a kiss into her palm and nodded.

"Let's go."