The Library (Armin Arlert x Reader)

Chapter 29

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Monday. Arguably the worst day of the week, Sunday being the follow up. Today was incredibly dull. My two classes I had before my lunch hour felt like hours, and my lunch wasn't going by fast either.

Fucking torture.

"Why the fuck is it Monday?" I groaned during our lunch break, resting my head on the table. "The day is so long and boring. Interesting things always happen to me. They just do, but all of a sudden, they've stopped! And for what?"

Marco rubbed my upper shoulders as I slumped over the top of the table.

"Well, (Y/N)," Marco said softly, "just try and power through it! If it's really bothing you, we can all go out to get some desserts after dinner!"

I smiled, sitting back up, indirectly causing Marco to stop. "I'm not made out of money like you guys."

"I got you covered, girlie." Jean smiled at me.

"I know." I flicked the tip of his nose, and he playfully rolled his eyes at me.

"Hey, (Y/N)?"

I groaned upon recognizing who's voice it was. I decided to ignore Floch.

"(Y/N)..." He sighed dissapointedly.

"Maybe you should go see what he wants, at the very least?" Marco suggested.

"If you don't like what he has to say, I'll punch him!" Connie exclaimed, making a fist and shaking it.

Sounds like a deal...

"I'll take you up on that offer, Connie."

I giggled and pushed myself up from the table, reluctantly making my way over to Floch.

"Sorry, um..." Floch couldn't even look me in the eyes. "Mr. Smith wanted to speak with you, about the...past." He nervously rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, yknow, that one pose all the anime guys do.

I nodded again, not really wanting to respond to him. I turned and waved bye to my friends, who knows if I'll be back before lunch ends. It was silent on the way there, that is, until Floch decided to speak up. He cleared his voice, and took a moment to seemingly decide on the words.

"...Armin and I were best friends." That caught my interest, and I tilted my head slightly, motioning for him to carry on with the wave of my hand. "Thank you. The whole four years of highschool, we were playing pranks on one another, it was sort-of our thing. I went way too far with the final prank, I know. I felt so bad that I never could never bring myself to talk to him- until you talked some sense into me."

The red head sighed, shaking his head. "I was a selfish jerk who couldn't admit I was in the wrong, and you knocked some sense into me. I forgot how nice Armin can be. He forgave me almost instantly like the good guy he is." At this point, we stopped walking, standing in the middle of the hall now.

"Where are you going with this?" I raised a brow and said a bit impatiently. He flinched.

"Okay, okay. I just wanted to apologize to you. When I said to 'stop acting like a woman' as if it were a bad thing." He seemed to be fighting the urge to look away, but stayed making eye contact with me. "You were just angry cause I hurt Armin, and I get that. I used to beat myself up over it too. Everyone shunned me, and I became the outcast despite that school had ended a week prior. I just wanted to say sorry because the moment I laid eyes on you, I..." He glanced to the wall beside me brief, before looking back to me.

'please don't be a love confession.' If it were, I knew damn well I'd laugh in his face.

"I just thought you were the most beautiful woman in the world- and you are, rightfully so, and when you shook my hand...You showed me a past life I didn't know I had. It scared me, and I didn't know how to act around you. Part of me wanted to impress you, the other part of me wanted to push you away. I wanted Armin to die instead of Erwin...so he could be with you."

'Literally what?'

"I know you're with Armin now, and I'm not gonna try to 'take you' from him, or any bullshit like that." He explained as he looked me dead in the eye. "I owed you an apology. A sincere one."

I was quiet, speechless. I didn't expect to hear his side of things, nor did I expect to have stayed long enough to hear a sorry. He always seemed so stubborn and self assured, like he could never admit he was in the wrong.

He impressed me, changed my view on on him. Even if it was just a little. He seemed so sincere, he just has that look in his eyes, I know he isn't bullshitting me. I was shocked.

"You don't have to respond, you don't owe me anyth-"

"I forgive you." I cut him off. His eyes widened, he seemed shocked. "Only under one condition. You have to be my slave for the week!"

'this should spice up my week. Errand boy.'

Floch chuckled, "A small price to pay for salvation. Sure, I'll do it. How hard can it really be?"

We walked the rest of the way to Mr. Smith's class in silence, but instead of the tense silence from before, it felt more...peaceful. Natural, almost.

When I walked in, Hange, Levi, and sat at the students desks.

"Sit down, (L/N). We've got a lot to catch you up on in regards to our past lives." Mr. Smith waved me over, gesturing me to sit at one of the desks. Hange and Levi smiled at me, and when I turned to ask Floch what this was about, he was already halfway down the hall.

There was this feeling of dread I got after hearing that. I mostly knew of out past lives, cause there's no way so many of us could have similar dreams without having met one another. I seemed to be the one who sparked the memories in most of these people, though. Was I royal, like Historia?

'...wait-' I gave myself more questions than I needed, and I already had so many.