Armin x Reader Oneshots

Run

Run.

You bolt around the corner just before he spots you. Your breath is heavy, your legs numb from running. Had it really been worth it? You had finally given him a taste of his own medicine, but the consequences for it would be dire if you were to get caught.

You continue to run along the long corridor, realising only now that you have no idea where you are heading. This part of the Survey Corps base is unfamiliar to you, given that the cadets scarcely need to come down this way but for when they are summoned to the office of a superior. You suppose that perhaps you should have given this more thought. Maybe you could have scoped the area out prior to your little prank, or you could have asked Eren which route was the most direct to get back to the dorms from Levi's office – since the titan shifter is forever walking back and forth through these corridors to get to Hanji's lab.

You round another corner, throwing yourself against the wall and gasping for air. It burns as the oxygen enters your lungs, but you continue to inhale and exhale heavily as you try to regain some semblance of a regular breathing pattern. Sweat begins to bead upon your skin, rolling down your forehead slowly. You wipe it away on the sleeve of your jacket. You didn't run that far, but the panic had taken over when you heard Levi returning to his office, and adrenaline had kicked in when you heard Levi curse loudly upon opening the door.

You chuckle to yourself. Okay, it had been worth it... If only you could have seen the look on his face!

In your frenzied state you had failed to check the corridor you had sought refuge in prior to stopping, so when a gentle and confused voice speaks your name in questioning, you bolt upright from your doubled over position and stare at the blonde like a deer caught in headlights.

"A-Armin!" you exclaim, not having noticed his presence. The blonde gazes back at you with ocean blue eyes as wide as saucers.

"Wh-what's going on? Are you alright?" he asks, dropping his books in alarm and stepping toward you quickly, "You look terrified!" You wave him off exhaustedly.

"Its fine, don't worry," you pant, closing your eyes as you lean your palms against your knees once more, "I-I just... wanted to make sure the Corporal didn't catch me." You smile slightly to yourself, inhaling once more and finding your breathing is coming much more easily now.

"Your face is all red," Armin frowns, "How long have you been running for? ...And what did you do?" At his question, you emit a soft chuckle, looking back up at the still confused boy. The glint in your eye seems to be all he needs to understand that you did something that you really ought not have done. You can't bring yourself to care – Levi deserved it.

"Right," Armin sighs, "You know, he will find out it was you. I don't understand why you would go out of your way to antagonise him like that."

How could he not know? Doesn't he remember?

"Its because of you, Armin," you straighten yourself up once more. Armin's eyes seem to widen even more, if it were possible.

"M-me?"

"Yes," you nod, "and Connie, Sasha, Eren... even for myself. Levi has been in some kind of a mood lately, and I'm sure you've noticed. The fact that he would abuse his power to try and bring the rest of us down along with him is not okay. After what he said to you the other day..."

You trail off as Armin's gaze averts toward the floor. Of course he couldn't forget that. Levi has a knack for being able to read a person's weaknesses, both physical and mental. In training it might not be altogether a bad thing, but in a social situation those kinds of things are not something one should zero in on without the intent to hurt someone. Anger had bubbled up within you when Levi had spoken those cruel, thoughtless words to Armin, who had immediately turned and left the room without another word. You might have been able to let it go if it weren't for the silver glint of the tears that had shone in Armin's eyes as he had passed you.