Unwanted Power: An Armin Arlert Love Story

4. Graduation

After two more years, Lexie could graduate with the rest of the 104th Training Corps. Not only did she graduate, she was also on the top 10 cadets, which meant she could joing the Military Police if she chose to. Too bad it wasn't her choice to make.

Chief Keith Shadis made the evaluation of the corps on their last day of training.

Reiner Braun — "Stalwart in both mind and body, and well-respected by his comrades."

Armin Arlelt — "Although lacking in physical strength, his aptitude in the classroom is extraordinary."

Annie Leonhart — "Her slice attacks are absolutely flawless, but her reclusive tendencies make her a poor fit for coordinated efforts."

Bertholdt Hoover — "He possesses remarkable potential, but lacks aggressiveness."

Jean Kirschtein — "Top-class omni-directional mobility. But his volatile personality tends to cause friction with others."

Conny Springer — "He excels at executing quick turns, but is also a bit dim-witted."

Sasha Braus — "She has unconventionally good intuition, but also demonstrates poor teamwork as a result."

Mikasa Ackermann — "Completely proficient in every area. It's apt to say she's an unmatched, unprecedented genius."

Eren Jaeger — "He has no real specialties, but he's improved his grades with his unparalleled effort. And he possesses twice the sense of purpose than anyone else."

Lexie Reiss — "Fast learner. She knows when to listen and when to act, which has made her proficient in every area. Her charisma and smarts make her an exceptional leader."

While the officers were wrapping up the paperwork, they had the cadets train more hand-to-hand combat. They had had those kinds of trainings before. Lexie looked around as she noticed Armin and walked to him

"Hi Armin, want to pair up?" Lexie greeted, Armin smiled and nodded. As they practiced, it was clear she was holding back. Armin had seen her fight Annie, Eren, Jean and even Reiner, she had been able to pin them all to the ground at least once, and he was no comparable in size or technique with either of those.

"You don't have to hold back for me." Armin said a bit annoyed, not at her, but at himself for not being as strong as he'd like to be.

"I am not... Okay, sorry." Lexie got in position again. Armin attacked her and she easily dodged his attack, grabbed his arm kicked his ankle and made him fall on his back, knocking the air out of him. Armin looked defeated and felt humiliated. "Are you ok?" Lexie offered her hand for him to take.

"I can stand on my own." Armin said, not taking her hand. Lexie grimaced, maybe she had gone in too strong. She looked to the wide with worry, she didn't mean to hurt Armin, or make him feel bad.

Through these two years, Lexie and Armin had grown close. They would usually pair up or try to be on the same groups when training. Armin would sometimes join her when she played her pan flute, he would take a book with him from the library, or Lexie would let him borrow her books. She'd play while he read. She then also taught him to play and they'd switch, he'd play as she read. They'll talk about the books each read and gave their opinions to the other. Lexie would also always sit with Mikasa on breakfast, which meant she'd sit with Armin and Eren too.

"I wasn't holding back because I though less of you, I was just... Well, no officers are around and I thought I could just... spend some time with you, maybe talk a bit. I just always enjoy being around you." Lexie admitted and avoided eye contact. Armin looked surprised at this, especially at the slight blush in her face. Armin blushed too and was at a loss of words.