catalyst ⋆˙⟡ nerd!armin arlert x reader

chapter 3

Room 235 was at the end of the hallway on the Southernmost part of the building, following a wall of doors and very few windows, along with the occasional bench. The door was propped open, and the sound of anxious rumblings flowed through the hallway, echoing as you and Jean grew closer.

You wondered if a guardian angel was looking down on you, intervening with this miserable class and sending Jean as collateral. You wouldn't have to worry about finding someone to sit by, and seeing as he already knew your only two friends at Paradis, he seemed like the perfect choice.

Tragedy struck, however, when the two of you walked in, and there were no spots left next to each other at any of the lab tables.

"Ah shit," Jean muttered, looking back at you. The lab room was big, with vast windows on the wall right across from the entrance, drawn to let in the sunlight. Rows of tables with black countertops were on either wall, lining the room. Wooden cabinets touched the ceiling, likely holding lab equipment and the other horrors that lay in your future.

Jean motioned for you to follow him as he walked through the room, a few people nodding and smiling at him as he walked through. "Do these people just know everyone?" You thought as you lagged behind him.

He pointed to a stool closest to the window. "Sit there, I'll sit in front of you, at least we'll be closeish."

You nodded and scooted behind the guy who was already sitting at the lab table, hunched over his phone playing what looked like chess on a website. He had a few rings on his slender fingers, fidgeting with one as he worked on the game with the other hand.

A grey hoodie was pulled over his head, along with a pair of black track pants, which made a crinkling sound when he adjusted slightly, sitting forward as you passed him.

He leaned over his phone, not acknowledging as you slid into the seat next to him. You couldn't help but watch as his jaw moved, tensed as he chewed gum in his mouth, his middle finger sliding the black framed glasses that had slid down his face up to the bridge of his nose.

Though his hoodie was covering it, he had a head of golden blonde hair, cut messily above his ears, as if he hadn't gone to a barber, and he had just trimmed it himself.

Jean turned around to face you. "Are you any good at bio?"

You shook your head, tearing your gaze away from the guy sitting next to you, who was still zoned in on the game of chess happening on his phone. "Just terrible, I'm kind of worried actually."

"I'm god awful too, don't worry." He reassured, but this only made you feel worse, seeing as you'd been counting on him being decent enough to carry you through this semester. "But I've heard good things about the Professor–"

He was cut off by a jangle of keys, and ragged breath, as a woman with dark hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, and thin square-framed glasses rushed in, setting the armfuls of stuff she was carrying onto the desk at the front of the room, nearly knocking over the plotted plant on the edge of the wooden table.

"Whoops," She said loudly, running the flyaways from her ponytail back, and planting her hands on her hips as she looked around the room. She gave us a toothy smile, before rummaging through her stuff and grabbing a folder, and taking out a stack of papers.

"I'm Professor Zöe," She explained, smoothing out her black button up with one hand, before licking her finger and grabbing a paper from the top of the stack she was holding, and making her way down the aisle of tables, stopping at the front, and handing two to the people nearest the center of the room. "But feel free to call me Professor Hange, I prefer it, Zöe feels too formal."