notes: something a little different. i got inspired by this one fic abt armin seeing an old friend after everything happened so here i am. not proofread😭
also takes place in the actual aot world a year after the rumbling.
context: old childhood friend armin x fem reader (reader is implied to be dark skinned)
you used to be part of the Scouts or Survey corps or whatever a few years ago.
When you look around your new home you think back to those days. Once Eren was captured by Bertholt and Reiner you took it upon yourself to just abandon the team. It became too much. You found a way down and off the wall and took off. So much was going on you knew you were crazy for joining in the first place.
And from what you’ve seen and heard it only got worse.
You now reside in what used to be the Stohess district. The new members of the Garrison, plus some of the old ones who survived, was the only current authority around. It’s been a year since the scary events of the rumbling. When the news came back of the aftermath of the rumbling you couldn’t help but have a panic attack. Imagining all those innocent people, children and pets, getting crushed alive? They say 80% of people died.
And yet here you were. One of the lucky 20% of people.
Did you think you deserved it? No. Not after possibly leaving your friends worried sick. They probably thought you fell off the wall and died or got crushed under the armored titans feet during the fight.
You felt bad for not announcing your departure especially during a moment like that. But what else could you have done? Everyone was so caught up on being this brave warrior willing to give up their lives…
That wasn’t you and it never was.
You only joined the Scouts because they provided food and shelter for refugees back when wall maria was breached. You, Armin, Eren and Mikasa were too young at first but then finally you guys were 12 and able to sign up. At first you didnt really want to. It seemed scary. Even the other options like the Military police or the garrison seemed a bit much.
In the end no one forced you to. Aside from the promised food and proper shelter you only joined for one person….
From the day you moved to Shiganshina to when you met Armin you were picked on for looking “different”. You noticed even at a young age you were different and so you were lonely. People were weary of you. But that was until you met Armin. He was sitting under a tree reading a book and you hesitatingly approached him hoping for a new possible friendship.
He was startled at first when you tapped his shoulder but then calmed down. He quietly observed you but you quickly mistakenly took it as him being like everyone else when he was just curious. As you turned to leave he grabbed you hand and told you that you were beautiful. More than anything he’s read about the outside world.
Little did he know that’s exactly where you were from. However you never told him that.
Armin told you about his secret book and everything he saw in it. You knew about most of the stuff already but to see him so excited brought a smile to your face. Especially when he talked about the ocean. He loved the ocean so much when you told your grandma about him you called him “Ocean boy”. It wasn’t just because he loved the ocean though but also because his eyes were as blue and deep as the ocean itself.
You really liked his eyes. Back at home no one had blue eyes.
He was also smart and kind hearted and not like most boys. You didn’t know why you liked being around him so much but you did.
You were happy someone was treating you like you belonged and even more happy his friends were the same. He introduced you after a few weeks of talking and laughing and being children. It was green eyes boy and a black haired girl. Eren,the boy with green eyes, seemed stand off ish at first but he was still nice to you and Mikasa,the girl, was basically your new bestie. When Armin was busy it was you and Mikasa either playing with each others hair or dolls.
Everything was great until that one horrible day.
It was so so scary. Your Grandma brought you inside the walls to be save. There were some eldians back where you lived sneaking in somehow and brought titans with them. You assumed they swam?
Your parents went missing as the town went into a panic at seeing a real titan so your Grandma moved you into Shiganshina to escape.
But she didn’t survive that day.
You lost her and couldn’t find her in the crowds of screaming people but deep down you knew she was gone. You and Mikasa cried over your losses on the boat while Armin comforted you both and Eren declared to kill all the titans.
Yes, Eren was a fighter. And Armin was a dreamer. And Mikasa was a lover and a strong soul. But who were you? What was your purpose other than following then around?
You never wanted to fight those stupid scary things. You never cared about the theories and the secret truth to titans. You just wanted to hide anyway and pray they all just disappeared or leaves you guys alone for once.
Then Eren was a titan too. You felt like life wasn’t real for years.
There was real trauma you developed from this all. When you quit the scouts you wanted to be sure no one found you so you ran to Wall sina and lived in the underground under the Stohess district working at all bar.
You made just enough working there and occasionally stealing and reselling some things do you don’t have to turn to prostitution. You lived in a shitty tiny home with 4 other random people so you guys could split rent and go about your days. Sometimes you snuck out to get fresh air and sunlight.
Days turned into months and months into years. You were now a young woman wondering what was happening on the outside. You got most of your news from word of mouth but also an occidental rare newspaper. That’s how you got updates on the scouts and marley and the rumbling…
You learned after everything was over that Eren and his brother started the whole thing and Armin was the one to finally end Eren. Things slowly went back to as normal as it could be.
Everyone had to move about ground to try and rebuild life. For now rent and food was free so you were trying to enjoy that but you couldn’t shake the depression from knowing 80% of the world was now flat and dead. Why were you here? You’re a coward, a loser.
Armin saved the world from extinction and always had these big crazy dreams and was highly intelligent. What would he think of you now?
As the town attempted to rebuild for another day and clean up a Garrison member announces that a member of the Scouts is coming by the speak to a couple residents and that everyone needs to get inside immediately and be quiet. Simple protocol for when one of the special group people like that stop by.
You go into your new tiny home where you live alone. The town was quiet as everyone was indoors. You just sit drinking tea in your kitchen waiting for the day to pass but then you hear. .. a knock?
But you were being quiet! You leave the kitchen preparing to deal with a Garison member. You collect yourself as you open the door…
When the door is opened you did not expect to see what you saw in front of you…
Oddly enough, you feel more fear than surprise.
In front of you was a boy who slightly towered you. No, a man who slightly towards you. A blonde, blue eyed, softer but stern looking man. He wore a white button down and brown pants. Clothes only higher ups could afford now.
Like he’s holding his breath, like he’s re living something crazy and couldn’t believe his eyes. And then finally,
You wondered why he was here. How he was here. This..was the Scout coming to town?
“How..what..?” Is all you can say. You then notice your appearance isn’t too clean.
You wear a plain green dress that’s probably a couple decades old and your hair hasn’t been brushed properly in weeks.
“………May..i come in?” The man softly asked snapping you out of your embarrassment. Of course you move out the way as he slowly steps inside.
“Armin….” You begin to say. But then realize, what CAN you say? Why you left? Did you miss him?
He looks around like he’s studying the place.
The house was obviously abandoned during the height of everything. You assumed it belonged to an older couple just by how it was decorated. Over the past year you add bits of your own touch but it still looked like a grandparents home.
You watched as your childhood crush friend roamed your dining room and living room and made his was into your kitchen. You started to wonder why he was really here.
He stops in front of your unfinished tea cup.
“This is the same tea captain Levi drinks..” He says softly.
“Oh, yeah well it’s all they have now.”
He stares into the cup a bit longer. Almost like he was deeply thinking of something.
“Do you want to sit somewhere?” You asked but he doesn’t move except his eyes into yours.
They’re still small pools of the ocean or the endless sky. The same ocean and skies you found yourself lost in often as children.
Armin sighed and looked away.
“It’s been years. Years since you…i don’t even know anymore? Everyone thought you….”
“Died?” You finished. “I’m sorry. I can explain everything if that’s why you’re here…”
He doesn’t say anything so you take that as a yes.
“I just……couldn’t do it anymore. I was never a Scout or a solider or any of that. I just didn’t want you guys to leave me. I had no one left, not even my grandmother. Everything was getting to me and everyday was a nightmare so I had to leave.”
You said all that as Armin leaned against the counter on the opposite side and crossed his arms looking at ground and listened.
“What else was i going to do? I didn’t have a dream like you or the drive like Eren… I just wasn’t cut out for it. But i’ve been here the whole time, Min. Living among the last bit of survivors.”
“We missed you. Mikasa was a mess.” Armin says coldly.
You felt horrible. Tears well up in your eyes as you imagine Mikasa depressed over your disappearance.
“And Eren was only just then getting worse. We had a search party for you after we got Eren back. But you were no where to found. We even had a makeshift funeral…Do you think no one else was scared?!”
Armin is looking at you now staring you down making you feel small.
“I was the weakest on the team. Intelligence can only take you so fucking far, y/n! Do you know i died? I got burnt alive and Levi chose me over Erwin to be revived! Why?? Everyday i have to live with that. Everyone was going through a hell of their own so what makes yours so special?!”
He was looking into your eyes now and turning an angry shade of red.
You had nothing to say. You felt like a failure already for years and this only confirms it.
“What do you have to say, y/n? Why did you leave us, why did you leave…me?”
“I’m sorry. I just couldn’t anymore.”
“Why didnt you tell us how you felt? Why did you just leave?”
“I thought you guys would call me a coward.”
He slowly walks towards you and puts his hands on your shoulders. It’s been so long since anyone has touched you let alone your old friend.
“I don’t think you’re a coward.”
“I think you were like anyone else and was scared. And we’ve all done things to be ashamed of and that, was probably the least worse thing out of all of us. You just left. Eren caused the rumbling. Killed innocents. We all have. I have.”
You look into his eyes with horror as you hear him say he’s killed people. When this whole thing started he was the sweetest boy who couldn’t even hurt a fly. Eren you can imagine maybe but Armin?
“I’ve killed so many people. And i have to live with that also the rest of my life. Everyone does. All you did was leave.”
“My god…” You were in shock. What really went down all those years of you being gone?
“I missed you dearly. It ate me up alive when we thought you were gone. I had so much i wanted to tell you.”
He looked away. Then he looks back at you and hold your face with both hands, hands now nearly the size of your face.
Your entire heart dropped to your stomach. Maybe even your fucking ass. Did the boy you had a crush on since you were 9 really just say he loved you? Did he “love” you or did he love you? Your eyes just widened but you said nothing.
“You were so kind to me. By my side even when Mikasa and Eren wasn’t. I love your heart. Your mind. You. I loved you and i wanted to tell you but there was never a good time it seemed. And then you…. disappeared.”
“Shhh.” He interrupted. “And when i heard you were one of the remaining residents here i just had to come. No way she’s still alive right? No way this is the one and only y/n i was head over heels for right?”
You lift your hands to gently hold Armjns wrists as you looked into his tired eyes. God you missed his eyes.
After a small moment he slowly leans in and kisses you. His lips were dry but passionate. Like you were gone his last kiss ever. You sighed into the kiss as you wrapped your arms around his neck and he lowered his hands to your sides.
The kiss was half a minute long but felt like eternity for you. When he pulled away he hugged you tightly. You still didn’t know what was happening but you were happy. Somehow happy. Even after all this.
“I’m so glad you’re alive. You’re all i have left next to Mikasa.” Armin says into your shoulder.
“I guess the ocean isn’t on that list anymore?”
You knew a bit of history from when you went to primary school. You knew Eldia was an island isolated from everyone else and they were supposedly “devils” but you suspected otherwise. You knew marley and eldia had issues and when you moved to eldia and heard this boy speak about the “outside world” and the ocean you knew it was only a matter of time before he learned the truth. Before they all did, at least the naive innocent ones like him.
“I want you to tell me everything. The truth. I want to know where you are from, what you’ve been doing here…”
You led Armin to a chair by your small dining table and motioned for him to sit. Once sat you started.
“As you probably know know the titans specifically go after you guys. Eldians. So some Eldians were somehow sneaking to where i lived, across the ocean, and somehow titans followed. Confusing but people in my town started to panic. I lost my parents and my grandma was all i had left. She had this crazy idea to move inside the wall where we’d truly be safe. So after a couple week long boat ride and lots of carriage rides we ended up in Shiganshina.” You sighed.
“I lived in the outside world.”
“I didn’t say anything because i already stood out so much. At least here i did. Back where i lived everyone looked like me. Dark. And hearing you so interested in the world outside the walls i didn’t want to disappoint you. There isn’t much other than enemies for you guys.”
“I don’t know how to feel honestly. Just a question, what did you guys have to be afraid of if the titans just wanted to eat us?”
“I don’t know that one honestly. I never saw one eat anyone until we got over here. But living so close to those things was scary enough…I’ve always hated titans.”
“But i hear the curse is over now?”
“Well, yes. Ymir’s curse has been lifted so…the titans are finally gone. But at what cost?”
Armin looks worn and empty. Completely different from what you’ve seen in the past.
“And i also heard you’re..a commander? What’s that about?”
“Hange sacrificed her self. I was handed down the responsibility of being her replacement.”
“Oh no…I loved her…” You were truly heartbroken at this. Oddly enough she loved titans. Found them fascinating.
“We all did..” Armin sighed. “I’ve been trying to make peace with everyone around us. Especially since we no longer pose a threat.”
“Well, i’m proud of you. You’ve always tried to search for the best answer to things around you.”
“Yes, and what about you? What have you been doing the whole time?”
You looked away, thinking back on the past few years.
“Well, i’ve been living in the underground working at a bar. I shared a place with a couple of people to pay the rent and after all this rumbling drama they moved us up here to rebuild and i’ve been here. Uneventful really.”
“Yeah, nothing special. Wasn’t too fun but i’d rather that than facing titans and the threat of being eaten everyday.”
“I see..” Armin crossed his arms. “So now that we’re all caught up, where do go from here?”
You walked to the window by the front door and looked out at the deserted street in front of you. You thought a moment about your answer.
There’s something you always wanted to do with him…
“You wanna…go see the ocean with me?”
You looked back at him who stayed seated at the table. He looked ahead with his arms resting on the table now and with a tear running down the side of his face.
On the way there Armin joked about how going to see the ocean is what seemed to have caused this mess to begin with.
Once there, you two took your shoes and socks off and roll up your pants and go to sit by the shore. Armin sits and you followed. It’s evening now. The sun was setting. It was truly beautiful.
All you two could do we stare into the distance in silence. Sharing this bittersweet moment. Neither of you knew what the future held or if a future was even possible but now you guys had each other and that’s all that mattered.
- Sooo i wrote this over the past 2 days… i might make a second part but tbh school is starting up again soon so i don’t know where we go from here. If this does well i might even make it a series.
