I woke up to the sweet morning sounds of birds singing and wind brushing up against the cabin's exterior walls. Initially, I didn't remember the night before, so I was feeling a bit confused and out of place. I looked down to see an arm wrapped gently around my stomach. I then turned my head to peek at who was laying with me. It was Armin, obviously. His eyelids were slightly red and swollen, lips slightly parted. He looked beautiful. My memories of the night before were a bit blurry but I was beginning to remember. Armin was crying, I was leaving, an emotional disaster. It was all because of me. I could not believe that I had put Armin through such emotional distress. And, for what? I knew that I was a horrible person and I felt bad about it. All of a sudden, the bell rang. I was not quite sure which one, though. First or second; who knows? I just wanted to stay in his comforting embrace forever. I remembered that he said he loved me and that was all I wanted. I wished that I could freeze time and stay exactly where I was. If time were to go on, I would somehow ruin what we had, so I thought. I heard Armin groan and begin to squirm around.

"Y/N, are you awake?" he croaked. I turned my head around to look at him. "You're awake? I thought you were asleep," I told him. "I was. The bell just woke me," he explained softly. "Oh, okay," I whispered in an understanding tone. I turned myself over, facing him. I held onto his shoulders and rest my forehead on his bare chest. He smelled so good. He smelled a bit like a rose and vanilla. The aroma was enchanting. I closed my eyes and basked in the smell of him. "Y/N," he called out quietly, "you did mean everything you said last night, right?" I opened my eyes and inched myself closer to him. We met eye to eye. "Of course," I assured him, "why wouldn't I? Did you mean what you said?" Armin's face lit up with excitement. 

"Yes, absolutely! I've been meaning to say it for a long time, I just didn't know how you'd react."

"Oh, well, I'm happy you told me how you feel."

"Can we still be normal together- uh, no. Can we just not be awkward around each other?" he asked bashfully. "This doesn't change anything, I promise," I reassured him. "Good. I couldn't bear losing you," he told me. I snuggled up to his chest. "Hey, Armin, when's your birthday?" I asked.

"November 3rd, why?" 

I looked up at him with excitement. 

"Isn't that soon?" 

"Yeah, I guess it is."

"We should celebrate!" 

"Why? There's no need to."

"No need to? Turning 18 is huge where I'm from! We have to celebrate. We've got to do something fun!" I explained.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"When's your birthday?" he asked. "Y/B*, it's already passed," I told him. His expression saddened. "Oh," he sighed. "Yeah, but that's fine. Let's just focus on your birthday right now," I told him. I wiggled out of his embrace and sat up in the cold morning atmosphere. He moved, laying his head on my lap. Placing my right hand on his shoulder, I ran my left hand through his hair. Suddenly, another bell rang. I was not sure if it was the second wake-up bell or the breakfast bell. I tried to grab the wristwatch from under my bed but a pair of gentle hands stopped me, grabbing my wrist. "Don't stop. Just one more minute, please," Armin demanded. I smiled. 

"Fine." 

I ran my hands through his hair and listened to his calmly paced breath. This was something I had always dreamed of doing. Not specifically playing with Armin's hair but spending quality time with someone I cared deeply about. I finally had something I could call a relationship. We may not have put an official name on it but it was existent. 

Breakfast was the usual nastiness but today it tasted a bit sweeter, having a special someone to have it with. I sat beside Armin, interlocking my arm with his. Nothing else in the world could penetrate my happiness. Even classes weren't that bad that day. I kept a good tempo while writing notes, and every so often I would glance over at the blond beauty beside me. He always looked so interested in what the commander was saying. I couldn't blame him for wanting to learn, it was a good habit of his. Lunch was gross. I was beginning to despise eating in 850 because everything made me feel sick, but Armin seemed pretty content with his food. I began to think, I should take him to a restaurant in my time, just so that he could taste some good food. "Y/N, can I take you somewhere for free-period?" Armin asked, startling me out of my zone. "Where?" I interrogated. "It's a surprise," he giggled. I rolled my eyes and hissed, "fine, be like that, then."

"If we wanna get there in good time, we should go early. It takes a while to get there, assuming what I've mapped out is correct," he stated. I raised my brows and cooed, "oh, mapped out? That sounds adventurous." I slammed my hands on the table and stood up. 

"Well, I don't know about you but I'm done."

"Then let's go."

He grasped my hand firmly and yanked straight out of my seat and forward into a run for the door. Running outside, he brought me towards the stables. The horses there were used for training only, so I was confused at what he was getting at. Just how far were we going, I wondered. Armin entered the stables and began to tack up a horse. He threw a saddle onto its back. "Can you throw me the second girth over there?" he asked me in a hurry. I grabbed the girth and tossed it to him. He set the sides and moved onto the bridle. "Could you put the bit in its mouth? I can never seem to do it right," he asked shyly. "Of course," I replied. Once the horse was completely tacked, Armin stood before me. "Okay, let's go," he said. "You don't actually mean we're gonna ride the horse, do you?" I questioned. "Yes, we are. Now, come on," he demanded. He put a foot into the right stirrup and hoisted himself up and onto the horse. "But these are for expedition practices only," I reminded him. "Just come. I have it all sorted out, don't worry," he assured me. I grabbed his hand and he pulled me up and onto the horse's back. The both of us could fit on the saddle because of our petit frames. He kicked the horse's stomach, making it go into a full out gallop. "Woah!" I yelled in a panic, wrapping my arms around him. I did not realize that we were in that much of a rush.

Armin guided us through the depths of Wall Rose, into a forest. We came to a halt once we reached pure rock... A wall? "Is this... it?" I asked. I was beginning to worry about Armin's intentions. "No, of course not," he replied confidently. He hopped off the horse, then giving me a hand. I really appreciated his chivalry, it calmed my racing mind. I accepted his gesture, grabbing his hand then sliding down off of the horse. He tied the reigns to a thin tree and grabbed my hand, leading me along the side of the wall. "Here," he stated. I looked down at a tunnel that went underneath the wall. "Are you insane? Wall Maria's invaded with titans," I stated. "Not this area. It's fine, I promise. I wouldn't make you do something that would end up hurting you. Besides, do I really seem like the kind of guy to do that?" I looked at him, concerned. He climbed inside the hole first, lending me a hand to help me down into it. It was pitch black but I continued to follow him, regardless of what I really wanted to do– leave. Light pierced my eyes as we eventually reached the end of the tunnel. He pulled himself up, using a root, and helped me get up too. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"This is a secret district that most people in Wall Maria didn't know about. Eren and I used to sneak in here," he explained. Bluish-purple flowers lined the tall grass, which swayed in the breeze. There was a large grass hill that the sun glared down on. Armin started running up the hill. He turned around and laughed at me. "Come on, you've got to see this!" he yelled will excitement. I smiled, running after him. It was quite the hike but I eventually made it up the hill. There was a single willow tree at the top. "If you sit on that branch right there, you'll have the best view!" he practically yelled. He grabbed my waist and I squealed, wiggling his hands off of me. "Sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I just want to help you up," he apologized. "It's okay, you just caught me off guard. Let's try again."

On the count of three, I jumped and he used all his might to push me up to the branch. I grabbed it, pulling myself up. I looked down and he waved at me. I smiled back at him. "Look to your left!" he instructed. I did so and I was amazed. I could practically see the whole world from that one tree. "Look, you can see the world outside the wall!" Armin yelled. 

"Wow..."

Thousands of trees everywhere. They were bright and blooming, even though it was cold. Almost like outside the wall was a totally different environment than it was inside. There were plenty of animals from what I could see, and, surprisingly, no titans. 

"That's where I wanna go one day. Out there! Can you see it?"

"Yes! It's beautiful."

"I'm so glad you like it!"

I sat there, admiring the nature for quite some time. I looked down to see Armin sitting at the bottom of the tree.

"I'm coming down!"

I jumped off and landed on a knee. I lay down beside Armin who was resting his head in his crossed arms. I lay my head on his lap closed my eyes.

"Let's run away."

"What?"

"To that place you showed me just now. We could live there without having to fight. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"Yes, it would. I really wish we could but I think I would miss everyone."

"Then how about we stay here for now? This can be our own little world where nobody else can interrupt us. Here, we're free."

"That sounds nice, I can do with that."

I lay comfortably on his lap. This was the perfect place and time. I guess God's really on my side. I love this. This is serenity.

________________

* Your Birthday