i forgot to mention this in the last chapter but thank you for 3k reads!!
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After your surprise confession on the field, you took advantage of Armin's bewildered wide eyes and gaping mouth by speed walking away from the situation.
He called after you several times but your legs moved faster than your brain worked. You could think later, your only goal was to get to your car as quickly as possible.
Now that it was later, and you had to actually deal with your problems, you didn't like your chances.
You're my best friend.
You clutched your pillow to your chest and shut your eyes tightly. Every time his words replayed in your mind you cringed.
What the hell compelled you to say something as life-altering as that at the worst possible time? The bandaid was officially ripped off but you wanted to stick it right back on the moment you saw the baffled look on Armin's face.
You didn't want to go back to ignoring him, but it's not like you actually had a choice to.
In the aftermath of Pieck, the dinner at Eren and Mikasa's house completely slipped your mind. It did explain to you why Eren would put that forged note on your locker. You knew Jean loved to meddle, but Eren was too engrossed in his own issues to notice anyone else's. Chances were, he didn't want any tension tonight, and you just royally messed up his shot at it.
You couldn't just not go. Carla was cooking. You would never miss a meal made by that woman. Plus, the whole avoidance thing only made you more upset. You would settle this tonight.
Walking into the Jaegers' home with Jean was like a breath of fresh air. He walked ahead of you into the kitchen to say hello to everyone while your senses were filled with the familiar smell of Carla's cooking. It was enough to forget your troubles for a minute.
"Y/n." The sound of your name falling from Armin's mouth pulled you from your trance. You turned slowly, swallowing your fear of confrontation.
He was leaning against the doorframe. You hadn't even noticed him open the front door behind you. He cleared his throat after scanning you up and down. "Talk to me. Alone," he said seriously, taking your arm in his and guiding you to the piano room off of the main entrance.
There was something different in the way he looked at you then. Something that made you know something had changed.
And boy, were you right. Armin only gained enough confidence just to say your name. When you faced him, any trace of it was gone. He felt like the wind was knocked out of him. If he didn't have the doorframe to stabilize him, he would have fallen to his knees.
When he saw you, it was like he never had before.
The way the dim light of the entryway accentuated your warm-toned clothing almost made the moment feel real. He couldn't stop his eyes from trailing over your body.
Did you always look like this or did his realization that he felt more for you somehow cause you to look this good? Oh, he felt more. So, so, so much more.
Even with your blank stare, messy hair, and wrinkled clothes, you looked nothing short of perfect. He wished his heart would stop making so much noise inside his chest.
You sat next to him on the piano bench. He retracted his arm quickly and let his fingers brush against the sleek black-painted wood. He opened his mouth and fumbled his words for a second, never once looking up to meet your eyes. He feared that if he did everything he felt would come spluttering out without control.
Your brows furrowed and you cautiously placed a shaking hand on his shoulder. Only then did he look up, brown eyes wide and lips parted. He gently took your hand off of his shoulder and placed it in between his on the bench. You said nothing. The look on your face urged him forward the way words couldn't.
He inhaled deeply. "I feel the same. Honestly, I think I always have. My life was miserable without you and I regret every second I spent pretending that you don't exist. I love you, I have loved you, and I will love you. Please forgive me." His eyes were big and pleading. His words were bolder than yours, incredibly so, but it felt so good to hear them.
A large smile was quick to spread across your face as you threw your arms around his neck and held him close. His arms circled your waist tightly. You felt him turn his head and smile into your neck.
You never wanted this to end. You and Armin, finally the way you were meant to be. No more obstacles, no more doubts, and no more sudden changes. This was perfect.
The two of you walked out of the room and back into the foyer. You were close beside him, fingers brushing against his. Neither of you could fight the smiles on your faces as you made your way through the hallways and into the dining room.
The three of them were already at the table. Jean and Eren were talking avidly about baseball-related things while Mikasa sat next to her brother, occasionally chiming in with her own thoughts.
Eren stopped talking immediately upon seeing you and Armin standing together in the doorway. "I guess you two made up." He sounded pleased but unsuspecting about what actually happened between you and went right on with his conversation.
Jean gave you a small smirk upon seeing the identical idiotic smiles you and Armin wore and glanced at Mikasa, who silently nodded in response.
Carla carried a glass dish of lasagna into the room and set it on the table. "Armin, Y/n, I'm so glad you made it! Please, sit down and help yourselves." She smiled warmly and you didn't hesitate to accept her invitation.
"Let me help you, mom," Eren said and stood from his chair to help bring out the rest of the food. Besides the mouth-watering lasagna, there was salad and a sliced baguette for bread.
When Eren sat back down and Carla went into the living room with Grisha, the five of you dug in almost immediately, but not without thanking the chef first.
The food was so good, none of you said anything and just ate. Jean kept humming obnoxiously beside you. His eyes were closed and he was really savoring it. "My god, your mother's a genius in the kitchen," Jean muttered.
"Thank you," Mikasa said contentedly.
You glanced up from your food to look at the blond boy across from you. Blushing furiously when he met your gaze, you smiled widely nonetheless. The corners of his mouth upturned as well and he pointed a slim finger right next to his mouth.
You quickly realized what he meant and grabbed the napkin from beside you to rapidly wipe off the sauce. Looking back at him, you mouthed, "Is it gone?"
He nodded with a thumbs up and beamed at you. You could probably spend your whole life doing this, staring into his eyes from across a dining room table.
You were too preoccupied to notice Eren whisper a certain word to Jean, so when his hand collided with the table right next to you, both you and Armin jumped in your seats.
You swatted at his arm, hoping he knew he ruined your romantic moment. "Ow, Y/n! You're so violent."
"You interrupted my meal."
"I don't know if that's what I was interrupting," he said smugly, sipping on his glass of water. You punched his arm and he spat the water back into the glass and onto his plate. Eren let out a bpisterous laugh and even Mikasa snorted. "Aw, shit, Y/n. You got my lasagna wet."
"All you." You grinned and started giggling. Soon enough, all of you were laughing and it was like nothing had ever changed in the first place.
After a night of laughing your asses off on the living room couch, watching bad movies, and Eren stealing beers from Zeke's mini-fridge in his old room, it was time to go.
You and Jean walked out to his car after saying goodbye to Eren and Mikasa. On the way out the door, you watched Eren shove Armin out before he closed it, snickering to himself as his sister walked out to her car. At this point, you thought Armin might never get his license.
Just before you opened the car door, Armin stopped you with a tap on the shoulder. "You know, Eren told me there was a dance coming up at the school. I don't really like that sort of thing but I know you do. If I asked, would you go with me?" he said, all while averting his eyes.
"I would," you said softly.
"Great," he said, raising his eyes to yours as a small smile danced on his lips.
The two of you stood there for a little bit. You hugged your coat closer as the winter breeze bristled through your hair. The only lighting came from the bulb on the front porch and Jean and Mikasa's headlights. The only sound was the gentle rumbling of the car beside you.
You didn't pay any mind to the fact that Jean was probably getting impatient with you. In that moment, you couldn't stop staring at the boy in front of you.
He looked older. Suddenly, he seemed so much more mature as he placed his glasses on top of his head, pushing his bangs away from his pale face. Was it possible he'd even grown taller?
This moment felt as though it was passing very slowly, like tree sap making its way down a branch. You wanted to be preserved in its amber forever.
He leaned down, cautiously pushing your wind-caught hair behind your ears. He pressed a hand on either side of your face and kissed you slowly. You stood where you were, and kissed him back with every unspoken passion in your heart.
It was the best feeling in the world. When you pulled away, you were both smiling and giggling quietly with cherry red faces. He quickly pecked your lips before walking to Mikasa's car, but not without stopping to look back at you.
"Do you know how hard I was fighting the urge to honk at you guys?" Jean said as soon as you entered the car.
"Shut up." You rolled your eyes.
"So I'm guessing you and Pieck aren't a thing anymore."
"Nope. The other night, she took me on a drive and told me she knew I wasn't ready to commit to her. She knew it wasn't her, but somebody else. It made me realize who I actually wanted to be with."
Jean's mouth hung open at the information. "Are you kidding me? I have told you this for I don't even know how long, and all it took was some Marleyan nobody to get you to finally use your brain? Unbelievable."
"Jean!"
"What? Have I not been telling you the exact same thing this whole time? Whatever, you totally didn't need to make out in front of me like that. It's unnatural." He shuddered for effect.
"Oh my god, just shut up and drive," you groaned, hiding your secret smile behind the sleeve of your coat.
You were happy knowing the hard part was over. Armin was yours. It felt easy, almost normal. A new kind of normal, one where everything changes.
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word count: 2k
WOOOOOO
next chapter is the last one y'all...
but i LOVED writing this chapter. as sappy as it was, it was still cute. as always i hope y'all enjoyed this!!