When Our Stars Align (Snk/Aot/Eremin)

2) The Things One Can Buy From Levi

**Warnings: triggers

Armin

If there was one thing Armin Arlert would never admit, it was that...

On second thought, there were a lot of things.

1) He swallowed a penny the night before his seventh birthday and had to go to the ER. Worst. Birthday. Ever.

2) He'd never admit that the upperclassmen officer, Levi Ackerman, terrified him. Because not only Levi would take that much more pleasure in insulting him, but it would give the guy some sort of upper hand in their silent battle to be teacher's pet. It probably didn't help that Levi would periodically fuck the teacher though.

3) He kept a diary and hid it every night beneath a stack of literary magazines in his room. Each entry was dedicated to a deceased relative or pet, and he'd write about his day as though it was a letter to them.

5) If someone asked this, he might mumble a response or excuse to go to the bathroom with a bright red blush across his face. The matters of his virginity, singleness, and addiction to gay porn (which he bought from Levi in moments of weakness; it did not help their rivalry) were not the kinds of things that would earn him social points to say the least.

4) He was constantly weighed down, and always felt utterly, devastatingly lonely. The sort of loneliness where one isolates themselves from people, avoids parties, speaks to no one, because you know that as soon as you try, you'll remember that you have no one. There are no people to talk to, no friends to dance with, no one to make crappy jokes with.

It's better to avoid people and pretend that the problem is them, than to give making friends your all and discover that the issue is really-

Me.

He had to remind himself of this several times while thinking about his new pupil. If he doesn't like me, then it's probably better, because then it will be harder to want to be friends.

He had to force himself to replace "crush" with "friends" each time his mind cycled through the ritual.

The lunch bell rang just as Armin was finishing the shading on the eyes. Students rose up all around him, the studious St. Maria's variety scooping up piles of books and papers, discussing morning classes as they exited to right. Although lunches were mixed, Armin could draw a line in the air between the two halves of the larger school with his pencil. St. Rose's students flooded the left, a wave of dark evergreen argyle sweaters and mischievous smirks. A few of them glanced his way. Armin stiffened and bowed his head closer to the table.

Pass me pass me pass me pass me pass me pass me oh shiiiit pass me no stop walking this way just turn around just look over there-

Someone smacked their hands down onto his table, their fingers over the top of his drawing. "Hey Arlert."

His stomach twisted, and the tabletop began to spin. He gripped the sides of his chair, nails digging into the plastic. The nausea only built inside of him, threatening to send him careening off the chair, or reeling to the bathroom, or maybe even both. The uncontrollable urge to vomit paraded up inside of his head, dueling it out with whatever rationality he had left.

Fight! The last of his courage boomed.

Flight! The little renegade soldier-of-puke countered.

Stay still and maybe they'll leave! The rest of him shrieked.

Good thing he had skipped lunch today too. Washing chunks of mystery meat off of your uniform is never fun.

The first guy, Anthony, snatched up the drawing before Armin could make a decision. "Who's this?" He sneered at it, letting the top crumble under his grip. "Your boyfriend?"