Corruption (Yandere Various x Reader)

Yandere! Armin Alert x Reader -Artwork-

A/N: Back again with another one-shot after what has been ages. I toyed a bit around with time, putting the characters in another setting other than canon material. Warning for period-typical sexism. Requested by @ShipIt571

Splashing cold water in his face Armin once again attempted to clear his thoughts. It didn't help; the notion was still there in form of bittersweet poison that coursed his veins and delirious fog that clouded his mind. A barrier- a wretched barrier- that left him without clear thought, like how smog hovered over the city, blocking out the warm rays of the sun.

Trembling hands gripped the washbasin so hard that his knuckles stood out white and his heart pounded in his ears. Slowly and with shallow breaths he lifted his head to encounter his reflection staring back at him out of an ornate mirror framed in gold. He managed to hold back a string of curses that threaten to fly from his lips as he inspected his own pitiful visage.

His features were soft for his age, boyish but not in a charming way and the water that dripped off his face only emphasized the fear that bubbled to the surface. Fair skin was supposed to be a statement of beauty but in Armin's opinion his parlour made him look like a corpse and the blonde hair that his mother had once said looked like gold seemed faded to his eye.

Maybe once it had been his anxious expression that had ruined his appearance, it still did. The fear of failure, of not being enough was all too present and for good reason to considering the past. Looking back at him was a boy, scared and naïve and not the suave man his grandfather yearned for. However there was something else, a new thing that contrasted so deeply with his nature, a corner stone for madness that wasn't there before.

Taking deep breaths he dried off his face and composed himself. There was no use making an unnecessary fuss about it all, he rationalized as he straightened his tailcoat and headed downstairs to the ball room. But logic is for nought when the heart is at work.

Quietly he slipped back through the side door through which he had departed a few minutes ago. Absence from such events was frowned upon but he had just needed to escape the claustrophobic conditions for just a few moments.

The scene that lay before him was the exact same he had fled from before. A dozen figures swirled in tact to a slow waltz, the women with their elaborate dresses and the men in elegant suits. Those that didn't dance graced the side-lines, sipping from over-priced champagne and chatting.

He spotted his guardian somewhat to his left, engaged in a discussed with Erwin Smith. As usual he was thankful for the blond officer to keep the Lord occupied, even though the reason was different than it had once been. When he had been a little boy, Armin had viewed the frequent meetings between his caretaker and the military man as a boon from heaven since it meant a few hours away from scrutiny. At present he saw it as time to let his plans unfold.

Letting his gaze wonder, his eyes were magnetically drawn to the figure in the middle of the room. Naturally you would be at the centre of attention with your dazzling smile and radiant laughter. Arlert felt his insides clench. Not that you were the issue, far from it, he could study you all night; it was your dance partner that made him grit his teeth.

Eren Jäger. While you turned his whole world upside-down in such a funny manner that it was ridiculous and caused his heart to beat faster letting emotions break out of their confines Eren was the wellspring of something sinister. Trust turned to loathing and friendship polluted with envy, Armin despised his once best friend. With the way his hand lay on your waist and how he grinned happily at you he wanted to scream in anguish.

From the start he should have known, the signs had always been there. Of course the renown factory owner Lord (l/n) would enlope his child to the son of the successful Dr. Jäger. The whole affair was part of the fundamental order of this world where everything was pre-determined and followed rigid guidelines, every choice carefully weighed on gold scales before it was carried out. Once he had loved how society bowed to a set of rules the way Mother Nature did, now he cursed it.