Athenus •armin ✗ reader •

Apollo

The new year was here and school was back in session. After days of rotting in my room, it was good to experience the fresh cool breeze hit my cheeks during my morning run. Honestly it had been longer than it should have since my last proper run, I think we're all guilty of the holiday slack, but it felt so good to finally be doing this again.

When I run my mind goes clear, it's as if I'm thinking of nothing at all, everything just disappears, which is exactly what I needed. Especially after new years. It's all I have thought about this year, just a constant loop playing in my mind.

None of that matters now. I'm just going to wipe it out of my mind, forget it like it never even happened. what thing? I don't remember anything happening on new years eve. New year, new me, that's my new philosophy and no, I haven't lost it...yet.

There's just so much happening in the next few months, from exams to races to university applications, but also my birthday. The excitement of everything coming up in the next few months before high school finished was almost enough to distract me from he who shall not be named, who was annoyingly heading right towards me.

"yo what's good my favourite tutee" Armin announced as he put his arm around me.

"first, and immediately, get your arm of me before I break every bone in it, secondly, I am your only tutee unless your cheating on me and thirdly, why are you in such a-" before I could finish my sentence I suddenly remembered THAT. What if that's why he was in such a good mood, what if that was why he was putting his arm around me and being so nice? Oh crap what if he thinks I like him like that and is teasing me.

"Ha, chill out. I'm just in a good mood because I managed to bag a college girl last night, so nothing to do with you luckily. And can't I be happy for a whole new term of teaching some sonic loser for the big exams that I haven't seen since, what? before Christmas?"

"Please, you being so cheerful is low-key freaking me out, and actually it was new years so." And with that I walked off, feeling crushed.

I didn't want him to remember, so why was I so pissed? And besides only he would be excited about torturing me for the next few months. And why do guys brag about stuff like that? If I bragged about doing some college guy I'd be called all sorts of slut-shaming names. And now my mood was ruined.

After a long few lessons of welcome backs and the homework already piling up all while being stuck in that stupid thought spiral I headed to the sportshall to meet up with the rest of the group and unfortunately since Ymir and Historia had started dating our friend groups had began to merge together which annoyingly meant I was seeing Armin a lot more.

Before I even had a chance to sit down I already heard Reiner say

"Hey soon-to-be-birthday girl."

"Omg is it your birthday soon?" Historia chimed in after overhearing

"My birthday isn't until Friday." I reminded Reiner. Though i hate to admit Reiner was good at anything, he's pretty great with birthdays, as i wasn't usually all that big a fan of celebrating them, probably due to the fact my mother died a week before my thirteenth birthday.

That's the funny thing about grief though, it never really leaves you, like that one bad haircut you had in middle school, haunting you. It's like they say really. I'd been thinking about my mother a lot recently, especially since it was my 18th. My mother never got to see me become a teenager, and now i was becoming an adult without her.

After Reiners remark, everyone spent the next half of lunch talking about how great my 18th was gonna be, where the party would be held, who would bring the booze and so on.

I on the other hand, i just kind of sat there. You know that moment where all the noise tunes out and you look at your friends talking and laughing, the sun beaming through making the moment seemingly more magical and you wish you could just stay in this moment of time forever, feeling as peaceful and happy as in this exact moment everytime you relive it.

At some point during this i found myself looking at Armin. The sun was shining perfectly through his streaks of blonde hair, his eyes a glistening blue as he laughed with Eren. And at some point Armin found himself staring at me too, his eyes fixed onto mine, his cheeks slowly becoming a dusty pink as he gave me the kindest smile before turning back to Eren.

I felt so calm in that moment, however that was shortly ruined by Armins approach. He was heading towards me, every step he took my heart thumped faster and faster, each breath harder to take than the last, the sun suddenly feeling warmer and warmer.

"Hey, you ok?" He asked me as he sat next to me

"Mhm! I was just thinking about how nice moments like these are is all."

"huh, I guess they are. So... you excited for your 18th? sounds like your party's gonna be pretty cool, i might even have to make an appearance." He said in a smug tone of voice as he smirked at me

"Who said you were invited?" I giggled as i playfully shoved him

"Please you couldn't have this party without me, otherwise you'd spend the whole thing wishing I was there" He replied as he got up, and just as he began to walk away "Plus the last party we were at together got pretty interesting, if you know what I mean."

I froze. Did he just say what I thought he did. How? How did he remember? Before I had a chance to snap out of my shock, the end-of-lunch bell rang throughout the halls, and i was forced to watch in horror and embarrassment as Armin and Eren had already left.

Holy. Shit.

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A/N: Hey guys! sorry this chapter took so long to upload. I was thinking of doing a couple backstory chapters on some of the main characters in this story (like Armin and Reiner) in the future if people would enjoy that?

Also since ive been getting back into fanfics recently please leave some good Armin fanfic recommendations here 🤗
(Is that weird to ask in your own Armin fanfic?)