𝐸𝑟𝑒𝑛, 𝑁𝑜! - AOT Oneshots ( ╹▽╹ )

Eremin - A Night Like This ♡

Roaring 20s AU where Armin is a newsie - also he and Eren love trolleys hehe :)

The evening sun's shadow set on the pavement. It was a miraculous day for blowing work and ditching the stash of papers Armin held, especially after a mediocre day of school. But it was a horrible idea to abandon his last sale. Finding nearby traffic would do him justice if he could just sell a few more papers before sundown. This job was the biggest responsibility he couldn't neglect.

He ran and ran down the road, looking for a congested street or a line of unwinding cars. Then, with a hopeful glimmer in his eyes, Armin dashed to a stoplight. "Hey, have you heard the news! New bans on black markets!" he waved a gazette, trying to attract a crowd. Some men and women by the curb moved past but didn't bother to acknowledge the young male.

Armin held up a smile around all the townspeople that crossed him. It was like he was in a completely different dimension apart from the folks around him, but at the same time present in social ignorance.

"I'll take one." a tall snow blond male dropped Armin a couple cents. "This should keep me occupied at Christa's wingding."

"Evening, Reiner." Armin tipped his cap, handing him the newspaper. "You're gonna like today's read."

"Ah, the daily grind." Reiner smiled assuringly. "Shouldn't you be getting home by now?"

Armin chuckled nervously, rubbing the crook of his neck. "No, not quite yet." he pointed to the stack of papers beside him. "Christa's party is today?"

"Yeah. Her folks are out of town earlier this year, so she organized a little intimate party. Most of us are going. Jean, Marco, Annie, Sasha and Connie — you know, especially those two. I don't suppose you and Eren wanna go?" Reiner offered.

"I doubt I'll be able to make it. Eren's just getting out of work right now too, I bet." Armin gave a guilty
smile. "Another time would be just as fun, huh?"

"Yeah, that's true." Reiner nodded, patting Armin's shoulder understandingly. He gave his big brother smile. "You'll finish with a day's hard work, Armin. We'll run into each other soon, I hope." the snow blond waved.

Armin waved back. "Say hi to Christa!"

"Will do!"

With Reiner's blessing, Armin had sold the majority of his newspapers and gladly began resting on the bench in the city square. He was down to his very last paper at the final minute.

The blond tapped his foot anxiously, restraining himself from saying anything to the public. Armin gave a low sigh, humming to a familiar swing tune playing from a distant radio and finding some joy and peace in the melody. He knew the day was practically over, and time was far out of his reach, so he let go of his worries.

Armin adjusted his cap, tilting it down on his forehead so it covered an inch of his face. A gush of wind flushed through the street, carrying leaves with it and picking up Armin's cap along the way. When he felt the weight off his head, he shot up and reached out his hand in an attempt to capture his hat, barely scraping the tip. That was one strong pull of wind.

"Some wind, huh?" a gentle, throaty laugh came from behind the bench where Armin's eyes spun to look for his cap. He found it in the latter male's hand, falling into a sigh of relief. "Did you drop this?"

"Eren..."

Eren hooked his thumbs in his pockets, grinning. "Hey, darling."

"You're here." Armin's eyes softened, his feet pointing towards Eren.

"Still working? Tough day?" Eren cocked a brow, eyeing down at Armin's last paper. "I'll buy that last one from you. Will you let me?"

Armin stifled a laugh. "You don't have to—"