Lucky | Reader x Armin

Chapter 2.

After several hours, approximately two of them spent asleep, morning came. You heard Armin leave his room and start moving around the house. You pulled the throw blanket up closer to your face and contemplated staying in bed forever. It wasn't until the pleasant smell of coffee and pancakes wafted in that you decided it might be worth it to face him again.

Thinking about him was very frustrating. If you had met this man in Marley, you probably wouldn't have nearly as much anxiety being around him. In fact, you probably would have quickly developed a crush on him. He was very handsome, taller than you, and as far as you could tell he had nothing to offer you but kindness.

After getting up you decided to quietly go across the hall to the bathroom for a quick shower before changing into your spare set of clothes. Your ankle was feeling almost totally back to normal so you decided to forego the crutches and take it easy. You leaned them on the wall next to the door to your room before you followed the increasingly enticing breakfast smells.

Once you shyly entered the kitchen Armin greeted you with a wide smile. "Perfect timing! Are you hungry?" You nodded and attempted to return his smile, managing a small one. "Sit down, I'll bring you a plate. Do you want coffee too?"

"Yes, please." You said, and sat down at the little breakfast table that he pointed you towards. You had a few minutes to gaze out of the window while Armin finished cooking breakfast. You could swear you felt his eyes on you several times, but you didn't turn to look at him until he was approaching you with a plate of pancakes and a mug full of coffee.

Your eyes widened. It looked absolutely delicious. "Thank you," you said, offering him a genuine smile.

"No problem," he said grinning as he turned back to grab his own plate. Again, he was clearly pleased to have gotten a reaction from you. "I actually really like cooking." He took his place in front of you and began cutting up his pancakes. "How about you?" He asked.

"Not so much." You said, a bit embarrassed.

"We'll you'll never have to cook while you're here."

You blushed and decided to avoid having to respond, now would be a good time to try your food. "It's good." You said quietly but kindly.

Admin's face lit up again, you couldn't help but smile a bit at the sight. "I'm glad you think so, Y/N."

Crap, he was really cute.

Breakfast was mostly quiet after that. You were relieved that he didn't start asking you questions about Marley just yet. You weren't sure if you were ready to engage him with details and long stories and it seemed like he was waiting until you were. When you were both finished he took your plates and mugs to the sink. There was something very comforting about watching a handsome man cook and do dishes. You turned your eyes away from him feeling a bit embarrassed. Is this what Stockholm Syndrome is? You thought, feeling a bit worried.

"I'd like to give you a tour of the house now if that's okay." He said kindly. You simply nodded and stood up from your chair to follow him, careful to favor your good ankle. First, he took you outside to see the garden, which had obviously been meticulously cared for, and the small stable for his horse. Of course, you had seen plenty of horses in Marley, but you had rarely gotten this close to one and had little experience with them overall. Instinctively you let the horse sniff your hand and tentatively patted him on the head after he seemed to approve. Armin watched the entire exchange carefully, smiling at you when you looked toward him. After that, he showed you the rest of the interior of the house. The place was much bigger than it seemed. There were two more bedrooms, a sitting room with a fireplace, a dining room, two studies, and most importantly, a library.

The moment you laid eyes on it, it was easily your favorite room in the house. Tall windows ran the length of one wall, allowing a flood of sunlight to pour in and bathe the room in warm, golden light. The light reflected off the polished wood of the bookshelves and cast a soft glow on everything it touched, illuminating the spines of books and casting long shadows on the floor.

The air was filled with the scent of old paper and leather bindings, a smell that was both comforting and nostalgic.

"I thought you might like to spend the rest of the day in here. I don't want to pressure you too much right away." He said a bit awkwardly. "Eventually I'd like us to research together, but for now I'll leave you alone. I set aside some books about Eldia and our history if you're interested in that." He said, gesturing to a pile of books on a nearby desk. "But you're welcome to anything in here."

You walked over to the desk and ran your fingers over the leather covers of the books.

You were very interested in Eldia's history, or at least, what Eldians on Paradis thought of it. "Thank you." You said turning back to him.

"Of course," He smiled, a slow, enigmatic smile that sent shivers down your spine "Like I said I don't want to pressure you too much, but that being said, do you think that in the next few days, you'll feel ready to tell me about Marley?"

You nodded, "I think so."

Armin smiled widely again, as he seemed to do every time you spoke. "Great!" he said, "Well, I'll leave you to it. I'll be back to check on you later and I'll bring lunch." You nodded again, blushing slightly. He was doing so much for you, you were starting to feel useless.

Maybe he really wasn't planning to hurt or kill you. Maybe the only reason you were held here was because the Eldians thought that if they let you go, you might terrorize their home. You sighed. If only they knew you couldn't care less about any of that. You always knew that the island devils were just people trying to live their lives and that outlook made it impossible to connect with anyone in Marley. You weren't allowed to speak to Eldians, and most Marleyans were repulsive to you on the basis of their hatred towards Eldians.

You didn't want to admit it, but Armin's house might be the closest thing to a home you've ever experienced. And that's why you'd comply with whatever they asked of you. You didn't care. All they wanted was information about Marley. They can have that.