Complexity- Armin x Reader

Chapter 23: Competitive

"Just set her straight, then. Tell her the truth." Eren said casually. "But let her down easy, 'cause if you piss her off, she'll probably spread a rumor about you," Eren cautioned. "Like a rumor about you having a third nipple or something." Eren chuckled at the thought and Armin made a face.

"Where do you come up with this crap!" The blonde glared. He held a hand up to his face and sighed. "But I guess you're right about me telling her the truth. I hope I don't make a fool out of myself, or worst of all, hurt her..."

Armin sighed as Hitch came over to him once again and became a bit clingy.

The real trouble began when they all entered the diner.

He usually sat next to Y/n at outings. It was habitual at that point, but just as the girl was about to slide into the booth to sit next to Armin, Hitch called to her.

"Hey, Becky?"

Y/n froze and turned to Hitch. She heard Reiner snicker and ask who the hell 'Becky' was.

"I was going to sit next to Armin," Hitch informed the girl plainly.

Y/n went wide eyed and quietly stepped aside for the girl, keeping a neutral expression on her face even though she now felt the many eyes of her friends on her.

The girl didn't dare to sit next to Hitch, so she allowed the others to slide into the booth before her. Y/n sat last on the edge and quietly contemplated what to get (and also contemplated murder).

Armin felt bad about the exchange, but stayed silent as he peered over at his friend from across the round booth. He knew that she was trying her best now to stay quiet and not draw any more attention to herself.

The food came, and everyone dug in, with no one asking just why in the hell Hitch Dreyse out of all people was there.

Reiner observed the girl and how close she sat to Armin. He saw the way she would steal fries off of the boy's plate, and he came to the astute conclusion that Hitch had a thing for the blonde.

"Well, well, well," started Reiner, gaining the attention of everyone. "Looks like Becky's got competition." He grinned at Y/n teasingly, and the girl glared and huffed, not wanting confrontation once again.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Reiner."

Hitch halted in what she was doing and frowned. She leaned away from Armin and crossed her arms, laying them to rest on top of the table.

In a very lax tone, she launched an attack on her so-called competition.

"Hmm, that's strange. What competition?" She turned to all and asked as they stayed silent in anticipation of what else she had to say. "Because last I heard, Armin had told me that he would never go out with Becky," she admitted in an innocent tone, assuredly making eye contact with Y/n.

Armin's blue eyes went wide, and his lips parted slightly as he turned to look at Hitch. He was stunned by the girl's vicious nature.

He glanced over at Y/n and was surprised to see the girl nodding subtly. Her lips were drawn together into a tight smile, and then she answered Hitch as calmly as she could.

"And you're absolutely right, Hitch."

Y/n breathed in shallowly as her heart raced out of control in her rib cage. She wanted to disappear and vanish from view, without a single eye looking at her.

She was slightly annoyed that Armin didn't say anything, but who was she to be annoyed? It wasn't as if the two were dating, or ever going to.

"Armin would never date me," Y/n said firmly and evenly, causing Hitch to raise a brow at the girl's tone. "Because we're strictly friends," she finished.

The girl's voice nearly broke at the statement, but she carried on and drank her glass of water.

All remained silent for a while, and the subject was abandoned. They all resumed their eating, and Armin lost his appetite.

He looked blankly at his food, even after Hitch left for the night. The girl had gone off to one of Boris Feulner's parties, even inviting Armin, but the boy refused.

As the crowd split up after the diner, Armin walked with Mikasa and Eren towards where Carla Jaeger was waiting inside the van. Y/n gratefully accepted an offer from Eren for a ride home and walked silently behind the three, processing the events of that strange night. 

She felt that she should be more devastated about the way things played out, but she morbidly brushed it off, rationalizing it as being her own way of moving on from Armin. She was pessimistic, and let herself be shown up by Hitch Dreyse. It hurt now, but she began to accept the possibility of never having a chance with Armin. Her thinking was greatly flawed.

She was foolish.

~♢~

"Do you wanna sleep over?" Armin asked Y/n as they stepped out of the van and thanked Carla Jaeger for the lift. They waved goodbye to Mikasa and Eren and lingered outside of Armin's house.

Y/n puffed her cheeks and thought about the proposition for a moment.

"I dunno." she mused. "Maybe not tonight. Next week, if you're down."

"Yeah, sure," Armin smiled. "Let's get you home."

Y/n kept her distance from Armin, with the boy noticing that they were never this far apart. They usually joked around together, bumping shoulders. But Y/n was unnaturally quiet.

Armin sighed and figured it was from earlier.

"Hey, I'm sorry about what happened at the diner," he spoke up, wanting to diffuse the tension. "I'm sorry about Hitch bringing up Valentine's Day. It honestly took me by surprise, I didn't know she was that...what's the word?"

"Bitchy?" Y/n finished.

Armin raised his brows at the girl and gaped.

Y/n turned to him, staring at him firmly before breaking out a small smile.

"I'm just kidding," she said breezily.

Not really.

"I just don't understand why that had to happen. It's really frustrating!" Y/n flung her hands in the air and vented. "Like why do all of these mean things keep happening! And to me!" she lamented. She took a breath and calmed herself.

Armin heard her out and nodded in agreement.

Y/n sighed and put her point to rest.

"I'm just tired of all the things that keep being mentioned about us and assumed. I swear, it's always Reiner starting shit." Y/n glared at the ground, and Armin couldn't argue with her on that.

The blonde meant to pat the girl on the back, but he ended up bringing her into a one-armed hug, which Y/n did not pass up.

Now standing in front of her door, Y/n turned to Armin. Her lips curled and she met Armin's eyes.

"Thanks for hearing me out, Min."

"No problem," he smiled back. "I promise I'll fix things with Hitch."

Y/n frowned and waved the boy off.

"Eh, don't worry about that. It'll be alright."

The two parted on an awkward note, and Armin took the scenic route home.

The gears in his mind turned, and he began to plan out his week.

First, he would deal with Hitch.

He would text the girl and make plans to see her the following day, hoping to set things right.

After that, he would play things by ear and build up the nerve to tell Y/n everything.

From his feelings, down to his hopes. Hopes of them having a future together, and a high school life without constant teasing.