empty spaces ~ armin x reader

chapter five // vulnerable

Mikasa stepped forward to protect Eren, but Armin immediately stopped her.

"Welcome back, little shit. You have no idea the hell you caused while you were away on your little vacation," Levi stated, staring down at a very ragged Eren Yeager.

"Hey," was all Eren supplied.

Hell, if I wasn't injured I would've taken a hit at him too.

The mental reminder of my condition brought on a pounding headache I'd managed to ignore until then. I swayed on my feet from the blood loss. My eyes began to close...

Arms wrapped around my waist, holding me firmly in place. I blinked and saw Armin examining me.

"Fuck," he whispered.

He half-carried me out of the room as I did my best to keep from going under. Once in the hallway, he knelt down and looped an arm under my knee. He lifted me gently so that I was no longer touching the floor. He took extra care with my body as he weaved through the passageways. My face was pressed against his chest. I barely picked up on the scent of sweat, smoke, and sand. The beach felt decades ago.

He kicked the engine room door open and brought us both inside. The door closed behind us as he softly lowered me to the ground. I laid on the ground watching lights bounce and blend in my hazy vision. I listened to the sound of Armin messily removing his gear and tossing it to the ground. He unzipped his jacket and pulled it over his head, leaving him in a thin undershirt. His muscles were visible through the undershirt, which stuck to him like tree sap. He went back to kneeling beside me and took care of my neck as he cushioned my head with his jacket.

"Where does it hurt?" he asked.

If this is one of those situations where you tend to my injuries and take care of me then I'm going to need my pussy tended to first, I almost said.

Shit, I must've hit my head really hard.

"Uh, mainly my arms and my forehead," I replied, embarrassed with myself.

He nodded and went to grab something. I stared at the ceiling feeling every nerve in my body go on high alert. He returned quickly, barely taking a minute to find what he was after. He used a clean rag to wipe my forehead clean of blood. It was difficult because by then the blood had mostly dried and clumps of it were stuck in my hair. Armin was incredibly patient though. He took special care to remove the small shards of glass that remained mangled in my wound. Eventually, he took the bandages he had used earlier to wrap his fist and wrapped them around my forehead.

"I'm so sorry..." I blurted out, not knowing how to fill the choking silence.

My mind was reeling right then, refusing to give me a break. I felt appalled by the fact I had just flung myself on him earlier. I was supposed to be his support friend, and I had broken down in front of him. I had pushed myself onto him as a way of coping with my panic and I hated myself even more for it.

"Oh, I don't really care that much," he shrugged.

I did a double-take, blinking multiple times. "Wait- so you didn't mind the kiss?"

I felt like an idiot for bringing it back up, but my feelings were already out in the open so I might as well hear what he had to say in response.

"Um..." he began, "I actually quite liked the kiss." Armin blushed, barely whispering the last part.

Armin's embarrassed expression turned my thoughts in different directions. I was flustered for no reason at all. My brain had caused me to overthink something simple. If only I hadn't been so scared of rejection, I should've told him much sooner. Where would I have been right then if I had?

Before, I'd kissed him with a need for understanding, but now it was driven by desire and other lustful variables. I took too much pleasure in seeing Armin tense up, so I pushed forward seeing if I could break him.

I pulled away quickly. "Is that okay?"

"Yes." He didn't even hesitate.

He closed the gap between our lips, drawing me towards him. I let my preliminary shock drop, and I parted my lips. My tongue lined the folds of his lips, waiting for an invitation. He tilted his head back and slowly opened his mouth.

Adrenaline kicked in again, mixing with my panic. I let my confidence shove it all away as I kissed him harder. He picked up his hands and brought them towards my neck. His fingers were stained with my blood and I felt the stickiness as the soft tips of his fingers smeared it into my skin. Then he leaned back, grabbing my chin with two thumbs. My lips thrummed with more energy than I could've expected. His face had smears of red across his cheeks. The moment felt horrifically romantic.

I used my hands to push him against a pipe, and since we were both sitting down, I positioned myself comfortably. I hooked my legs around his waist, bringing my body against his. He moved in again, moving from my chin to my hair as his lips wrapped around mine. I gripped the collar of his undershirt. I could feel how hard his heart was beating as his teeth closed against my bottom lip. I released a tiny moan. I pushed my hips a bit further against him, feeling what was next on the agenda.

Shouting was the last thing I wanted to hear while I was making out with Armin Arlert. We both pulled away at the same time and stared at each other, bewildered. The shouting got louder and I heard cries.

My body moved with haste as my mind jumped to worst-case scenarios. I scrambled out of Armin's lap and made my way towards the exit. He followed behind me, picking up his wrinkled jacket as he haphazardly threw it over his head. We ran through the passageways to locate the destination of the commotion.

I opened a sliding door and froze.

My shoes were drenched and it only took me a second to realize that it was blood.

"Sasha."