𝓸𝓷𝓵𝔂 𝓽𝓮𝓶𝓹𝓸𝓻𝓪𝓻𝔂 | 𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒏 | ✔️

​𝓽𝔀𝓸 | ...𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓷𝓸𝔀

Armin and Eren smiled fondly at the two, with Eren carefully pulling out the empty chair next to him to allow Mikasa to sit down.

"Hey, guys!" Mikasa said. She pulled at her salmon-colored sundress, fixing the small, similarly colored flower that decorated her short, jet-black hair.

Annie trailed behind her, wearing a modest, long-sleeved black romper and her dirty blonde hair in a tight ponytail.

"Sorry we're so late!" Mikasa said, falling into the chair. She tugged at the faded, crimson scarf around her neck. "There was a lot more traffic than we expected."

She looked apologetically at Armin, then to Eren, who she smiled affectionately at upon meeting Eren's adoring eyes.

"Hey, Mikasa," he said softly. He gave her a small kiss on the cheek before grabbing her hand, intertwining their fingers.

Armin's hand twitched in his lap, remembering the feeling of Eren's hand in his very own from the dream.

It made his smile falter for a second, and he felt his stomach churning.

Annie pulled out the chair next to Armin loudly and plopped down into it, giving him a wave and a sweet smile.

"Hi," she said kindly.

"Hi," Armin replied awkwardly, returning the smile.

Eren groaned while Mikasa laughed good-naturedly.

"Can one of you just ask the other out already?" Eren grumbled. "This weird tension you two have is sickening."

"And that love exchange you had with Mika just now was fucking disgusting," Annie spat. "But not me nor Armin are crying about that, are we?" Annie turned to look at Armin, asking for confirmation.

Armin slapped the back of his neck and forced a giggle. "Nope, not at all?"

Mikasa shook her head, her hand wrapping around Eren's bicep. "Annie, you wouldn't be thinking that way if you had a boyfriend, and you know it."

"Wrong," Annie replied, jabbing her finger at Mikasa. "I wouldn't do that cutesy stuff, period. I can't wait for you two to go off to Germany at the end of this week. A whole year without seeing this-"

She waved her index finger like a wand at Eren and Mikasa. "-Is a good year in my book."

As Eren and Mikasa cooed at her mockingly, Annie stood up from the table and faced Armin.
"Hey, my friend told me about this book here that I wanna check out. Come with?"

Armin gulped and nodded, standing up from his chair.

Ignoring the ooh-ing of Eren and Mikasa, Armin followed Annie, who had already begun to walk away.

"Your outfit's really cute, by the way," Annie said matter-of-factly as she walked.

Armin looked down at his knitted white sweater and his khakis that were slightly wrinkled from his sleeping position earlier.

"Thanks."

Does Annie actually like me? There's no way, I don't even think she knows what a crush is. Why do Eren and Mikasa keep trying to-

Armin all but bumped into Annie as she stopped abruptly in front of a bookshelf. She began shuffling through the row of books at her eye level.

"You're not interested in me," she said to Armin.

It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

When Armin didn't reply, she continued.

"Armin, you're a pretty spectacular guy. Kind-hearted, considerate, do what people ask of you - I think I could fall for you."