Complexity- Armin x Reader

Chapter 16: Below Zero

Y/n moved from the hallway and wordlessly asked Jean to follow her. She trudged to her room and shut the door softly behind the both of them before tossing herself onto her bed out of exhaustion.

Jean looked around the room awkwardly and sat himself down on the chair by Y/n's cluttered desk. He noticed a picture frame had been placed downward, with the stand poking upward and the glass frame placed against the smooth desk.

He looked over cautiously to see Y/n lying facedown on her bed, and he quietly lifted the frame upwards.

It was a picture of Y/n and Armin smiling together at what looked like the beach. On top of the glass near the bottom of the frame was a yellow sticky note with a sketch of a stock of broccoli, accompanied by small writing.

Lifting the frame up and now holding it in his hands, he frowned over at Y/n.

"So, is this the broccoli that he gave you?" He waved the picture at the girl and she moved her head to get a view of what he was referring to.

A dead expression was plastered on Y/n's face, and she looked at Jean with lifeless eyes.

"Yes."

The boy sighed at his friend and lowered his hand with the picture in it.

"Y/n, what happened?"

Jean stood up from the chair and placed the frame back onto the desk, facedown once again. He walked over towards the bed and sat on the edge, placing a comforting hand on Y/n's unmoving shoulder. The girl laid motionless, with nothing but the movement of tears traversing across her face.

She squeezed her eyes shut and took in a shallow, shuddering breath. Jean felt the girl tremble and then she parted her lips.

"Everything was going so great. Until it wasn't."

Y/n wiped her face with the sleeves of her sweater and slowly got up from her bed. She felt a sharp pain in her head and she groaned at the emptiness of her stomach. Now sitting with her legs crossed and her hands folded on her lap, she slumped in her posture and didn't fully look up to meet Jean's eyes.

"Ms. Ral wanted us to help her with making a poster for your fourth period German class since apparently you guys are behind."

Jean rolled his eyes and grumbled.

"Eren."

"No comment." There was the slightest upturn to the girl's lips, but it quickly faded. "But anyways, we went after school to work on it in the classroom while she and Mr. Ackerman went to go get some textbooks or something. It was just Armin and I working on it until I stepped out to get us snacks and,"

Y/n's voice started to break apart, and the girl unraveled right in front of Jean.

"I came back to overhear him talking to Hitch Dreyse about me. And he said that he would never 'willingly date' me."

Jean deeply frowned at the girl in disbelief. He was beyond confused at Armin's conversation.

"That makes no fucking sense."

"He said one more thing, but I don't want to talk about it."

Y/n looked away from Jean out of embarrassment. It suddenly dawned on her that she probably looked horrible at the moment. A sniveling mess who was falling apart right in front of the person who'd been pushing her for the past few weeks to toughen up.

"I'm sorry I'm crying so much. You told me to be strong and I just can't right now."

Jean softened his gaze on the girl and moved to sit on the bed next to her. He put his arm around the girl's shoulder and pulled her in for a one-armed hug. He rested his head atop of hers and Y/n sobbed.