Character: Armin Arlert

Universe/AU: Modern AU

Age: Reader and Armin are in their 20s

Warnings: Straight fluff, one swear word, Armin being a cutie, this is super cheesy sorry, a mild instance of a depressive mood? (I'll explain this in the note)

Word Count: 2330

Request: No

Note: Hey guys I'm back, school starts in a couple days so I really wanted to get something out, I actually have three of these one-shots planned, all with the same kind of theme. So the other day I woke up and I felt super disconnected from everything, everything felt super heavy and slow and I just felt kinda down, like not sad just down. Now on top of feeling this way I was also feeling super clingy, so I decided to channel that energy into a one-shot.

So I'm guessing I had a mood low, I wouldn't call it depression but it might come across like that in the one-shot that's why I put the warning. I'm feeling much better now and it only really seems to happen when I have a withdrawal of human-to-human interaction.

Please be kind to me as this is my first one-shot with Armin, I tried hard to keep him in character as best as possible. Enjoy :)

---

When you'd woken up this morning there was an overwhelming feeling in your stomach, a feeling you knew well.

Longing.

You and Armin had been living together as boyfriend and girlfriend for around three years and there wasn't a moment in the day where you didn't have some form of contact, until recently.

Now both you and Armin work, really hard, but sometimes things get a little hectic in your professions. Case and point, work had been getting you up early and home at a normal time while Armin's work had been getting him up at a normal time and home super late.

You both understood that this needed to happen but you won't lie that you let out a sigh of relief when work was done for the week and you and Armin would both be able to get back on regular working schedules.

Now here's the thing about Armin when he's overworking and stressed, he doesn't want to be touched. For most the week he'd shy away from your touch and at night when he'd get home and into bed, with you, he'd always make sure that you couldn't hold him whether it be because he chose to be the big spoon or he slept with his back to you.

Of course, you didn't voice how this made you feel, you decided you could suck it up for a week.

So with that familiar touch starved feeling in your stomach, you reached out to Armin's side of the bed only to find him not there, you turned your head to him and see him sitting up rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He must of only just woken up, you were sure you could keep him in bed a little longer.

You reached for the back of his sleep shirt, tugging on the material gently,

"Huh?" Armin turned to face you, he'd grown up considerably in the past three years.

His hair was still long, a little past chin length now. His bangs were still there, you think he'd look weird without them because you'd only ever known him with that style of hair, his eyes were still as big and as blue as the ocean although the face they sat in was leaner now, Armin had really grown into his body and become a young man. You loved it, you love him,

"Where are you going?" You ask, your voice crackling from the lack of use,

"I'm going to make breakfast, you want anything special?" The blond asked in response, his voice also deep and raspy from sleep,

"Stay," You mumbled, shifting from your side to your front and burying one side of your face in your pillow,

"Well, unfortunately, I don't know how to make that," Armin chuckled at you as you muffled a groan into your pillow,

"Please get back into bed, just for a little longer," You pulled your best kicked puppy expression and watched as Armin jokingly sighed and got back under the sheets with you, your grin widened as the blond man turned to face you.

Armin brushed a lock of hair from your face and rested the back of his hand on your cheek,

"No fever, are you feeling okay?" The blond's face contorted into genuine concern and you gave him a small smile and shook your head,

"I'm fine, I just want to be here with you, like this, for a little longer." You placed your hand on top of the hand on your cheek, "I don't want to get up just yet," You sighed, Armin let a grin fly onto his features and pulled you closer against him,

"Okay, we can do that if you want." His blue eyes darted around your facial features as he intertwined your fingers together,

The two of stayed like that for a while, just you and him, blissfully unaware of the world around you. Armin lay feather light kisses on your forehead and you cuddled in closer if that were even possible,

"I love you," The words he uttered were below a whisper, but you caught them. Clear as day you heard them and they were still able to make your heart skip a beat.

Armin continued to lay kisses on your forehead and face, an "I love you" whispered after every kiss. You sighed in content at the feelings this brought you, the longing, clingy feeling dissipating from your stomach as he continued his barrage of kisses on your face,

"Can I kiss you?" Armin questioned, he knew the answer and he really didn't have to ask but he always does, you thought it was sweet of him so with a nod of your head you let him know that it was fine.

He connects your lips in a loving, sweet and slow kiss, a kiss both of you have been waiting all week to share,

"I've been waiting all week for that," You whispered, threading your hand through his blond locks, "Do it again," You demanded sweetly, Armin laughed quietly and did as you said.

Kiss after kiss, you just couldn't get enough of him. The feeling of being pressed against him, holding his hand and just being with him was enough to put any fear to rest, and after staying in bed, tangled with sheets and with each other for an hour or so you thought it couldn't get any better,

"Sweetheart," Armin whispered, you were on edge of falling back asleep,

"Hmm? I'm awake, I'm awake." You bolted up slightly only for Armin to place a gentle hand on your shoulder,

"It's okay babe, I just need you to untangle your legs from mine. I've got to use the bathroom," Armin explained, you nodded and untangled your legs from his,

"Will you come back afterwards?" You asked hopeful that he'd just waste the day away with you in bed,

"Well, I'm sort of hungry and it's around lunchtime now, I was thinking I'd make us some food," Armin offered with a smile, you nodded and let him go. You were going to have to get up at some point.

---

When Armin had started cooking lunch you made an effort to get out of bed but you just couldn't seem to force the sheets off of you, everything felt heavy and exhausting and you just didn't have the willpower to get up.

Armin came in a couple of times to see how you were going and sighed at the sight of you either sprawled in an uncomfortable looking position or sitting up and just looking around sluggishly,

"Are you sure you don't feel unwell?" Armin's concerned voice broke you from your little trance and you looked up at him as he held the back of his hand against your forehead, checking for a fever,

"I'm fine, I'm just tired. Work must've taken more out of me than I thought," You mumbled holding Armin's wrist in your grasp lightly, "You should get back to cooking though, I'd hate to be the reason why the food is burnt."

With that Armin left to attend to the food, you listened out as you heard pots and pans clanking together and the smell of food wafted into the bedroom, with a heavy feeling pushing on your shoulders you shifted the duvet off of your legs and wandered into the kitchen.

You stopped for a second and watched the blond as he cooked before walking over and wrapping your arms around his middle, he placed a free hand on one of your own,

"You're really clingy today huh?" He noted quietly, the sound of the sizzling pan and his voice mixing together,

"Mhmm..." You hummed, burying your head into his back,

"Well, I'm here all day." He turned the stove off and then twisted around in your arms to give you a proper hug, "And it's just you and me, we can do whatever you want sweetheart. What do you want to do?"

"I want to eat and then I want to go back to bed and cuddle,"

"That can definitely be arranged." Armin smiled and ran his hands up and down the length of your arms, he leant down to peck your lips and then turned back around to dish up the food.

You took a seat at the table and waited for Armin to come over with the food, he placed the plate down with a kiss on your temple before taking the seat across from you, small talk was made in between the consumption of the yummy late lunch and a small smile graced your features the whole time,

"Is there a reason you're feeling so clingy today?" Armin asked after a beat of silence, you thought for a second the smile not leaving your features,

"I don't actually know," You answered honestly, "I think it's a combination of things, you and I have been really busy all week and I've just kind of missed you, that and I feel kind of heavy at the moment. It's not a depressed heavy, just like a weight on my shoulders heavy."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" He asked, holding your hand which was resting on the table,

"I just want to go back to bed and be held really, I know this feeling will go away I just need to take a day out and let myself feel like this and then do something productive tomorrow, I really don't want to do anything productive now," You explained, as you pushed your finished plate of food away.

And with your wants out in the open, Armin got up and pulled you up as well. He guided you into the bedroom and then got you to sit on the bed,

"I'm just gonna put the dishes in the sink and then I'll come right back." Armin backed out of the room keeping his eyes on you, he bumped into the doorframe which made you laugh.

While Armin went back out to clear up you lay back, thinking over all the possible traits or things you do which might equate to why you deserved to have him, after a good two minutes of this you stopped deciding that thinking this way wasn't going to do you any good especially with your current state of mind.

You sat back up your eyes landing on your shared dresser, you got up and pulled the second drawer open seeing all of Armin's shirts neatly folded away. You pulled out an all too familiar blue shirt and switched your black one for it, Armin wore this shirt so often that his scent was almost all that the shirt smelt of, the exception being the smell of the laundry powder you both used.

The shirt slipped off of your shoulder slightly, you and Armin were almost the same shirt size, Armin just has broader shoulders and a longer torso. So you really the only size in the shirt you both matched was the width.

You lay back down in your bed, leaning your back against the headboard and pulling the sheets over your lap, Armin had now made his way back into the room a bar of chocolate in between his teeth and two mugs of tea in each hand, with his mouth agape the unopened chocolate fell to the ground and you laughed at the sight,

"A-are you wearing my shirt?" The blond stuttered, placing his mug down and passing yours to you, he turned around to pick up the chocolate he'd dropped,

"Yes, I like wearing it," You laughed,

"It looks good on you." Armin blushed and placed his mug down, climbing under the sheets with you.

He opened up the chocolate bar and offered you a row, you grinned at him gratefully before taking a bite of the confectionary,

"When did you get chocolate?" You asked amused, Armin was good at hiding things from you especially sweets,

"Last week? But that doesn't matter." The blond put the chocolate on his bedside cabinet and then turned back to you.

Armin opened his arms and you took the invitation immediately, snuggling into him and being encompassed by his warmth, his fingers dove into your hair moving slowly through your (H/C) tresses. You relished in the feeling of his fingertips against your scalp and his lips on your forehead, humming in bliss at just the feeling of being pressed against the blond.

His fingers moved from your hair to your arm, drawing lazy shapes on the exposed skin, you placed a hand on his cheek gently and then pressed your lips against his. Armin broke from the kiss and proceeded to press quick kisses all over your face, you laughed at him.

He took your hand in his and played with your fingers softly, moving them around with his own. You let him play around with them smiling at your dork of a boyfriend,

"It's always fascinated me just how dainty to your hands are," He drawled, eyes focused on dancing with your fingers. You shook your head chuckling before you entwined your fingers with his,

"I think you forget that you have quite dainty hands as well Arlert," You giggled,

"They're not dainty," Armin pouted, he rubbed his thumb against your own slowly,

"Well they're definitely soft," You mused, and you weren't lying. Armin had incredibly soft hands and you loved that about him.

To be completely honest, the list of tiny details that you love about this man is endless. You loved the way he spoke, the way he held you, the way his eyes lit up when he got excited, you seriously loved everything.

"I love you," You said softly,

"I love you too," Armin responded with a sleepy smile,

"No seriously, I love you so so much. You have no fucking idea just how in love I am with you." You sat up on your knees, placing your hands on his shoulders. Armin held your forearms to keep you steady as you leant your forehead against his.

Armin grinned before leaning forward,

"Can I kiss you?" Again came that question, you didn't hesitate to smash your lips to his in a passionate kiss. You broke apart both heaving a breath, foreheads still pressed together and hands on each other's cheeks. You grinned at the young man, taking in every feature on his face before whispering,

"Always."

27/04/18