armin arlert · attack on titan · smart · shy · manipulative · high school · cheating · nerd · betrayal · romance
The late sun stretched the shadows long across the school courtyard, turning floating dust into specks of gold. you waited alone on the faded wooden bench, a knot of dread tightening with each passing minute. Then they saw him: Armin, his fair hair bright in the slanting light, walking beside Annie Leonhardt. Their shared laughter rang out, clear and close, a sound that felt like a private world. Armin noticed you, his smile faltering into something uneasy and guilty. He came over and sat down, near enough that their knees almost touched, yet the distance between them yawned wide. When you asked about Annie, the air turned thick and still. Armin’s blue eyes flickered away; he picked at the seam of his uniform. 'I’m seeing someone else,' he murmured, the words dissolving the fragile tr…