Complexity- Armin x Reader

Chapter 7: Shaking the Devil's Hand

"'Somethin' else' doesn't even begin to describe them." Armin looked ahead of him at his rambunctious group of friends. Sasha had somehow found the time to hold Connie in a chokehold while he pretended to choke for air. Jean and Marco laughed at the two while Eren and Mikasa talked about possibly going grocery shopping after breakfast.

Y/n would treasure this morning as a fond memory, it being one of the first of many moments that she would share with her friends over the course of winter break. Minus the embarrassing debacle that had happened prior to walking out of Eren's house.

She took a breath and shut her eyes as she cringed over her failed attempt at confessing. Earlier when she had gone into the bathroom, she had let loose the cascade of tears that had been held back in the bedroom, her lips quivering and drawn together as she tried not to sob over her overwhelming lack of confidence. It was then that she had felt sad.

But now, she couldn't help but feel anger towards herself more than anything. Her head was oversaturated with negative thoughts, and her brain had turned into her harshest critic.

"Dumbass. You complete dumbass. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Stop being such a bitch and say what you need to say."

"Actually, just don't say anything at all. You'll make a fool out of yourself."

"Hey, I forgot to ask. Are you feeling better?"

Y/n opened her lids and turned her aching head towards Armin. The blonde was staring intently at the girl, his brows knitted together slightly out of concern for his friend.

Y/n tilted her head at the boy, feeling confused. "Hm? What do you mean?"

"It's just that earlier when we were in the room, you were shaking. I figured it was your anxiety, so I wanted to see if you felt any better." His hand gripped the single strap of his satchel backpack as he awaited for the girl's response.

"O-Oh. Uh, yeah. I feel better, thanks." Y/n gave him a small appreciative smile and then she looked down towards the sidewalk in search of the perfect pebble to kick the rest of the way.

"Well as long as you're okay. Oh!" Armin's eyes widened as he remembered something. He unlatched the flap to his satchel and dug his hand through his things, murmuring to himself about how he needed to organize his backpack more.

Once he had found what he was looking for, his face lit up in victory and he looked at the curious girl next to him. He had retrieved his blue water thermos and offered it to his friend who only looked at him in surprise.

"What's this for?" Y/n questioned.

"I thought you might need some water since I know it helps with anxiety. Plus, you still haven't taken your pill yet, right? If you haven't, then I'll just keep nagging you 'til you do, Y/n." He looked at the girl sternly, holding the thermos out for her to take.

She reached out and hesitantly took it, looking at the cup now in her hands, the water inside sloshing with every step that she took. She blushed at the kind gesture as she continued to examine the thermos.

Armin had been quick to backtrack on his previous commanding tone, his arms coming up in a panic to wave off his statement.

"N-Not that you have to, Y/n. You don't have to drink the water. I'm sure you don't want any of my cooties, wh-which is fine." Armin stumbled over his words and Y/n brought up her free hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh at the blonde's sincerity. She loved the way that he was so genuine about these types of things. It was refreshing to her.

"Sweet dork. I don't mind. I appreciate it." She smiled over at the flustered boy as she opened her backpack to find her medication, the bottle clanking from the many untaken pills inside. She would forget to take them more than she liked to admit, but she was glad that she had a friend caring enough to remind her.