catalyst ⋆˙⟡ nerd!armin arlert x reader

chapter 40 - a ˚. ᵎᵎˎˊ˗

When you turned back over, you gave him a once-over, and he felt like he might pass out on the spot despite being in the best shape he's been in in days. Your gaze is penetrating, and unfair considering he knows you want nothing to do with him, and he wants everything to do with you.

"I'm supposed to go back to Sash's today." You mumble, curling into a ball again.

Armin gives you a long look before smiling softly. "I know you are. Do you still want to? I can call Jean, and he can come pick you up and take you home, take care of you there. I'm sure Connie would love to play doctor."

The truth was, Armin didn't want you to go back to Sasha's at all. He did not doubt that they would take excellent, attentive care of you, but that was his job.

He was supposed to be the one making you soup and bringing you water, washing your back as you hung your head between your knees in the bath, too exhausted to do anything. He was the one who was supposed to be taking care of you, not them, and especially not Jean.

You close your eyes for a while before rolling onto your back, bringing your elbow over your eyes. "Do I have to?"

"I mean, no," Armin answers, slightly taken off guard, he assumed you'd jump at the opportunity to go back. "You can stay here if you'd prefer."

"And you'd take care of me? Not Jean or Connie?" You ask, voice quiet.

"Yeah," Armin says. "Of course I'd take care of you."

You move your elbow out of your line of sight and side-eye Armin. You're quiet for a second before answering. "Then I want to stay here."

Armin blinked at you, trying not to sound overly eager as his heart caught in his chest. "Okay."

"You owe me, anyway, since I took care of you." You say quickly, as if to justify your choice, but Armin barely heard you.

All he heard was that you wanted to stay.

After a minute of silence, you reach your hand out, touching a piece of his hair and twirling it in your fingers. "Your hair's gotten long."

"It has," Armin says quietly, trying not to drown under your touch. "Do you think I should cut it?"

You hesitate, blinking slowly, and he almost thinks you've fallen back asleep, but you retract your hand and shake your head. "No, I like it like this."

Within a second, you're back asleep, the opposite of what Armin want's seeing as he needs you to take some ibuprofen, and for the first time in what feels like months, you just served him a compliment.

Armin takes a beat, trying to figure out his best course of action, before he picks up his phone and walks out of the room, standing in the hall, leaving the door open just enough so he can see you.

He opens his contacts, dialing Jean's number. He answers on the first ring.

"Armin," Jean's voice carries over the line, his tone drained of any compassion. "What's wrong? Where's Y/N?"

"Hey," Armin says quickly, glancing into the room. "She's asleep right now, but-"

"What?" Jean's voice picks up, and shuffling follows. "It's like, 10 am, why is she still asleep?"