Attack on Titan (SnK) One shots Xreader!

3. Armin - Northern light

The night was utterly dark and rather cold for a summer's night. I closed the door behind me and walked over the gravel as softly as I could. One of my comrades that stood watch turned around and shone a lantern in my face. I blinked frantically. "Oi, stop that." I protested. The man lowered his lantern and smiled at me. "Is it that time again?" the smirking face bore a playful frown. "Is it forbidden to talk to friends?" I asked with slight annoyance in my voice. "'Friend', huh? And you visit him to 'talk', right?" He giggled and turned his gaze to the entrance he was guarding again. "Alright, I believe you. Give him a kiss from me."

I rolled my eyes and walked past the guard. He might be an idiot, but he was an idiot that could stay quiet. I allowed him to tease me and he allow me to slip out of the dorms at night without telling my superiors. I left the gravel path and walked over the shadowy and much more silent grass. In the distance, I saw a small flickering light. I hopped happily towards the dancing candle that looked like a twinkling star but stopped a couple of meters before reaching it. One foot at a time, I sneaked closer and then jumped forward. I fell onto the shrieking figure and wrapped my arms around it. The wind I created by falling had extinguished the candle, so I was hugging the scared figure in utter darkness.

"Good evening to you too." I hummed happily as the shrieking had stopped. "For someone who doesn't want to be noticed, you scream rather loud." The fragile moonlight shone onto two big bright blue eyes that looked at me smilingly. "Why must you always startle me like that?" Not knowing how to answer, I just smirked at him. Armin looked at me warmly before relighting the candle. "Why must you always sneak outside to read? Can't you read inside the building?" Armin shook his head. "No, the captain said I should rest at night or risk dying during the day. Lately, he even checks if he sees light coming from my room. I know he's right, but I just..." He looked at the book with a smile on his face.

I still had my arms wrapped around him and pushed him closer to me endearingly. "If the captain is checking your room, why not come to mine to read?" Armin looked away but I could see the red shade in his cheeks. "Well, uh..." he stuttered. "Being here isn't so bad."

"It's cold though," I said and shivered a little. Armin turned to me with sparkling eyes and held a blanket in his hand. "I suspected you might come and prepared a little." I gratefully took the blanket from him and wrapped it around the both of us. This startled him, but he either did not have the courage or will to protest. So instead he let me cuddle up to him and took his book in his hands again.

I held the candle close for him and he read out loud. We read about great bodies of water, huge mountain ranges and waterfalls that span a full mile. Every new subject made Armin's voice grow increasingly excited. He would turn his head often to see if the wonders of nature had the same effect on me as they had on him. I answered his big happy eyes with the brightest smile I could physically get on my lips. It was always whenever I was with Armin, that I realised how wide my smile could be. We were just covering a section about green moving light in the sky when I lay back and stared at the pitch black nightly ceiling. I exclaimed a longing sigh. "Would be nice..."

Armin closed his book and looked at me. "Definitely." I looked back at him and saw such an intense look in his eyes. I knew all about his dream. I knew how badly he wanted to see everything that was out there. I knew this wish of his went so much deeper than he could ever put into words. This wish of his had become mine too. Not only that I wanted to witness countries of sand and endless waters too, but I wanted to see it all with him. I wanted to be present as he explored, as he finally saw what his eyes longed for to see. I wanted to hear his voice as it praised the views. Wanted to be the one he lectured about the phenomena. Wanted to be the one he hugged in child-like excitement. Every step, every blink every breath, I wanted to be there with him. I looked at the moon in the sky. It was so mysteriously silent. Maybe the one who watched all humankind from above knew all answers about the walls and what lay behind them. Maybe that great silver entity would know it all and look down at us pityingly. I focussed on the solemn light. If fate wouldn't allow me to see the world with Armin, then please let him view it all alone. But make his dream come true. At all costs, please, make his dream come true.

Armin said my name softly. He was looking at me. I noticed my lips were silently forming the words of my deep wish. Armin looked at them, and then at my eyes. He looked questioning for a while but then seemed to understand and remained silent for a while. Then he spoke up in such a soft voice, that had my ear not been this close to him I would not have heard it.

"Why are you actually here?"

"To read your book with you."

"I see."

Armin remained quiet after that. Something in me told me he sounded slightly disappointed. "Didn't you say you wanted someone to read your book with?" I asked him and he nodded before flashing a bright smile. "Of course! And I am grateful to have found you." He sounded cheerful, but his eyes still showed hints of sorrow. Instead of opening his book again, it remained closed as he carelessly held it with one hand. He stared at the moon briefly before looking into the dark distance. The darkness seemed to engulf us as the candle in my hand grew weaker. The silence that covered us was absolute and for the first time in forever, I actually felt uncomfortable around Armin. I knew I had saddened him somehow, and the result was devastating for me. There was no person on this Earth who I wished for to be happy as fiercely as I wished for him.

"Armin," I said softly but he did not reply nor look my way. "as much as I love reading your book together, it is not the main reason why I find myself going outside at night to meet you. The thing is... what I meant to say was... well, do you have any idea how precious you are to me? Just seeing you so happy about anything at all is the highlight of my day. I come here for you, and only you. That's the truth."

Still, he did not answer or flex a muscle. I feared he might have fallen asleep and wondered if I would ever be able to say what I just said another time. Just before I wanted to lean closer to check if he was sleeping, he spoke up. "Is that really the truth?" I confirmed it blushingly. "I'm glad," he smiled, turned at me happily and confessed, "I sometimes want to sleep but come here just to see you again."

Grinning, I pulled him closer to me and took the book out of his hands. I lay down and pushed him with me, bringing the majority of the blanket protectively over him. "Let's ignore your book for now then and just focus on each other." Armin looked shocked and managed to stutter a small "oh, sure" as confirmation. We sheepishly looked at each other before I closed my eyes and let out a satisfied sigh. "Good night, Armin."

"What, h-here? You want to sleep here?" I simply hummed a 'yes' without opening my eyes and pushed Armin, who had jumped up, back. With the blanket mostly covering Armin, I had him as a living warmth source that I did not want to give up. "But what if the others wake up earlier and come here? What if they see us?"

I shrugged. "Then they see us." Armin still wasn't convinced and fidgetted his hands. I opened my eyes and looked straight at him with a mischievous smirk on my face. "You are free to go if you want to, but I shall stay here." He hesitated visibly and I decided to go a bit further. "If you're afraid that they see you, you could always cuddle closer to me so they'll only see me."

He looked shocked, then regained his composure and doubted. I smirked and closed my eyes. "Good night." As expected, Armin lay down next to me and carefully came closer. I endearingly wrapped my limbs around him and hummed happily. I imagined we had just seen the ocean and swum in it all day. Now we were laying on the white sand, the salty smell of the water still surrounding him. Lying so close to each other, we could easily share the blanket and so Armin covered me with it. But in my mind it was unnecessary. We were in vast sandy plains with the desert sun warming us. I ran my fingers through his blonde hair to filter grains of sand out of it. And as Armin gathered the courage to lift his head and kiss my forehead, I could swear I could see the green moving light of the North dancing in the sky.

Hello! Lots of love from me!

-Hoshi (MS)