The Gift of Memory (Armin Arlert x Reader|Modern AU)

15•Don't Tell Me the Author Used the 'Share a Bed' Cliché

Keys sounded the noise of metal hitting metal before being turned to unlock the house. "It's probably a lot smaller than you're used to." Armin smiled unconfidently as he opened the door to his house, shoving his keys back into his bag.

As they walked through the entranceway, Y/N replied with, "It's fine. When I was younger, I used to sleep in the playground a lot to get away from Celine."

The blonde placed down his previously mentioned bookbag on a chair in the nearby living room. "You really don't like her." He pointed out as he did the same thing with his shoes, only placing them on the floor.

"Don't get me wrong. We have this unspoken respect for each other, but she's too much of a suck up and a perfection-child." She admitted to her friend as they walked to his room.

"Wait, how old is she?"

"Nineteen, I think. She's pretty young."

Armin chuckled at that. "You're pretty young too." He said as he opened the bedroom door. "And sorry for the mess."

"Only my body is young. My mind and soul are at least 2,000 years old." She glanced around at everything. It was mostly neat and put away, the only thing messy about it was that his bed sheets weren't made and there were papers scattered alongside books on the desk.

'Another perfectionist...'

"Ah... is she not in any of your... memories?" The blonde tilted his head as he sat on his mattress. Noticing his careful choice of words when referring to her past lives, she only thought, 'Jeez. No need to walk in ice cubes. Or, whatever that saying is.'

"No, she's new. I think." Y/N awkwardly stood. "Every time I kill myself-" She was interrupted by his voice.

"Don't say that so loudly! Please." He whispered.

Y/N mentally rolled her eyes, figuring he didn't like the term used for suicide being spoken of in such a carefree tone.

"Every time I am reborn," emphasis on that word, "something always changes, excluding the exceptional lives, of course. First it started out small, like, someone's eye color would slightly change from blue to green. But then I noticed larger changes. My brother never went off to the military, like he originally did. Instead, he got engaged. That brought someone new into our family who didn't exist before."

Armin just stared, making Y/N eventually clear her throat. He looked away, cheeks reddening and mumbling a 'sorry'.

"It's just... you've been a lot more talkative lately." He spoke so quietly, his friend could barely hear him.

"Would you rather me not answer your questions?"

"No! Uh, no, but-uhm," he began to grow flustered, "my words..." he whispered mostly to himself.

She let out a half-giggle. She's been rather tired lately. She hasn't been getting much sleep since she told Armin about the rebirth. She lied in bed, thinking. Thinking about whether he believed her or thought she was insane, or he would tell someone. That would most likely end up in therapy sessions, then to another suicide.

Of course, if things did get out of hand, she would respect him for notifying her legal guardians or an adult of what is happening.

"You're kind of adorable when you're flustered." She absentmindedly commented. Usually, she would be careful of what she called people. Especially Armin. She never wanted to upset him.

It didn't appear she was being cautious at the moment, however.

His face was becoming more and more pink by the second, and his stuttering and mumbling, incoherent. Eventually. He made an, 'I'm not cute' through his stuttered words.

"You don't know how to take a compliment, do you?" Y/N tilted her head. His face flushed back to a normal color.

"Oh, no it's not that," he denied, "I just don't like being called cute."

Although she already knew that, Y/N just nodded along as if it was new information. She needed to play the part to make it her natural mindset. 'Fake that until you can make that', she believed the saying was.

Her friend noticed that she was standing rather awkwardly near the wall and changed the subject, "You can sit down if you want." He awkwardly gestured to his bed.

The whole scene was awkward. And Y/N had somehow become just comfortable enough to let it show in her body language. Sometimes, when she did this, she felt as if she was letting her guard down too much, but she just wanted to relax and be honest for once...

She nodded and sat next to him, taking off her shoes and leaving on her socks. She set them neatly on the floor near the bed.

"I'm sorry, I've never been in boy's house alone before." The (tall/short/average) girl apologized.

It was the truth. 2,000 years passed, the closest thing to being in another boy's house alone was when she went to the boy's cabin back in their SC days. And it wasn't only his room, it was just a place where they would be bunked until their inevitable death or resign-ment.

"Ah-no, no! Don't apologize! This is the first time I've had a girl... in... my.. room......" He slowed down as he said those last few words. It had to be the fifth time his face turned red just that day!

She noticed and smirked, preparing to tease him, "You're blushing again." She reached out and poked his cheek.

This nearly killed the poor boy. He was practically dead from all the blood rushing instantly from his heart, and the rest of his body, to his face.

"Armin?" She questioned.

He hopped off the bed, nearly falling down in the process. "W-we should probably set up a-a mattress or something for you to sleep on!" He quickly said, running out of the room. Y/N just stood up, quietly chuckling to herself. How she loved teasing him and seeing his reactions.

'How adorable.'