Valedictorian | Armin Arlert

thanks

You woke up with a gasp.

Armin fucking Arlert

You slowly shifted your eyes over to the corner of your empty sofa. Armin's keys, bag, laptop and even a contact case were still in the same position as last light, but Armin, himself, was nowhere to be found.

God, it was Thanksgiving morning, too. Armin was somewhere in your house. The thought of that spooked you for a few self-explanatory reasons. You didn't remember much from last night, besides the conversation between you and Armin.

A pang of guilt measured through your spine as you remembered that he was telling you about something. You pressed him to open up and you fell asleep the second he complied. What a heartless mistake. Then again, you are your father's daughter.

Armin's keys sat tauntingly upon his coat as you got up from your spot and rubbed your eyes. The tip of your nose felt stiff and smooth and your hands tingled, feeling no ounce of moisture on your palms. It then came to your attention how cold it was.

The house was freezing. You couldn't help but wonder how it became so cold. You shuffled towards the thermostat on the other side of the house, near the entrance to your garage.

62°F (16°C)

You cursed, kneading one hand in between your leg as you brought your other hand up to the buttons. The friction warmed one hand and you began rubbing them together to try and keep warm.

Back in the living room, you checked the computer, examining the work the two of you got done last night. Thankfully, from what you could see, the entire project was finished. So, the question lies, where the hell was Armin? After checking the closet by the door, you could see he was still here, if the sign of his keys wasn't enough.

Wait. Why was Armin still here? Even if the both of you accidentally fell asleep, he should've known to leave... it's just etiquette.

Your house was pretty vast in all honesty. Despite it being quite modest for a surgeon's home, it was sizable and the constant absence didn't make it feel any smaller. One might get away with hiding in your house for a day or two. Only, Armin wasn't the type for childish behavior like that. You opened the curtains of the towering window that framed the living room and realized why Armin was still here.

Snow, as far as the eye could see. It never stopped from the morning before, and if it did it was only a brief intermission before the final and thickest layer. It blanketed the streets and draped the trees. Knowing how deep it was would be difficult to determine. You painfully blocked your eyes from the light that reflected off of it. To spare any more pain, you yanked the curtain close.

"I've never seen dust accumulate on plates before."

You let out a yelp as the voice of Armin registered behind you. He was scrolling through his phone nonchalantly, standing as it seemed he had just appeared in the room. He was no longer wearing his glasses, explaining the contact lenses case.

"Armin?" You wheezed.

He awkwardly smiled, his cheeks appearing especially pronounced in the morning light that was echoing onto his skin.

"I thought if we're gonna be stuck here, I should probably should make myself useful," he scratched his head. As if being hit with divine wisdom, his smile faded into a concerned expression. He rubbed his arm as held up one hand, "B... but if you have relatives coming over I-"

"No," you cut him off, "I don't. I'm not expecting anyone."

He nodded, the apprehension he held was gradually dissolving, his face becoming less tense, "That makes two of us, I guess," He flipped his phone so the screen was visible on your end, "Looks like the roads are all closed and plows won't come until noon."