Shingeki no Kyojin/進撃の巨人 Happy White Day, Aruani

**Day Two. **

**Well here's the latest one, I made. Hope you enjoy it.**

**Also, to answer the question from my first fic: No, I didn't get the inspiration for the hair band from the pixiv you are suggesting. I just thought of how Armin was able to know that Annie was the female Titan and the idea of him seeing Annie's hair done came to mind. Not to mention, the hair band also helped with the theme of Lost and Found so I just incorporated it into it.**

**Also, I am aware of the typos, I typed the story on my phone and the auto-correct is super sensitive. I also failed to type down words that were missing because it was hard typing on my phone. My laptop was getting fixed so forgive me for the lack of resources. **

**Anyway, here is my second story. Enjoy**

**Disclaimer: Shingeki no kyojin belongs to Hajime Isayame and I own nothing. **

[%]

Carla Jaeger was drinking a cup of tea when the doorbell rang. She stood from her chair to see who it was. She looked through the peek hole, and recognized the blond haired boy on the other side. She opened the door and greeted him with a smile.

"Hello Armin." She greeted.

"Good Afternoon, Mrs. Jaeger." Armin bowed to the woman.

Carla giggled. She found Armin's gestures of politeness to be very cute for someone of his personality and appearance. It was one of the many things she liked about the boy. And who knows, maybe her own son can adopt some of his best friend's placid charisma.

"I'm guessing your here for Eren."

Armin nodded.

Carla turned to the staircase and shouted, "Eren! Armin is here!"

Armin could hear the distant shout of Eren's response.

Carla stepped aside to let the boy in.

"Eren didn't really tell me what it was that you two were going to do today. Mind filling me in?" She asked as she closed the door.

"Eren and I are going to the mall." Armin proceeded to take off his shoes, "We're going to buy some chocolate for White Day."

"White Day?" Carla was unfamiliar with the foreign tradition. The two walked into the living room where Armin took one seat while Carla sat beside him.

"It's a tradition that originated in Japan. Essentially, on March the 14th the men would buy chocolate for the girls, whereas on February the 14th, the women would be the ones who make chocolate for the men." Armin explained.

Since she had lived in America for most of her life, the Oriental tradition was incredibly unfamiliar to Carla. She had to admit it was interesting. But the suddenness of their participation was a little strange.

"I've never seen you guys celebrate this holiday before, why now?" Carla asked.

Armin twiddled with his fingers, "It was actually Mikasa's idea. The Student Council wanted ideas for a theme for this month and Mikasa proposed that we celebrate White Day."

Now that made sense. The knowledge of an Oriental tradition most likely came from someone of Oriental background. In this case, said person was Japanese.

Carla knew Mikasa. She was one of the few friends that Eren brought over to his house. All the times she had seen Mikasa with her son, Carla knew that Mikasa had a crush on the boy. She didn't have any problem with that and neither did her husband, Mikasa was a nice girl and actually a good influence on Eren. Anyone that can tame that impulsive, hot-headed boy of hers would automatically earn her respect.

This made her question if the idea was just to get Eren to notice her in a different way. Carla smiled to herself, _'That little sneak.'_

"So you and Eren will be buying chocolates for a girl? Should I be concerned?" she asked playfully.

Armin blushed, "Well, some people are just giving chocolate as an act of friendship. It doesn't have to be out of love."

"Which one are you Armin?" Carla asked curiously.

"Eh?" Armin was confused.

Carla leaned a little closer to him, her teasing smile not leaving her face, "Is there a girl that you have eyes for?"

Armin's face turned 50 shades redder, his mind was battling for an appropriate response. In truth, he did have his eyes on someone. Someone he had feelings towards for a long time.

"I-I..." He couldn't say a proper answer.

But he wouldn't have to, because lady luck came running down the stairs.

"Hey Armin!" Eren exclaimed.

Armin turned his best friend, "Eren!" _Are you a sight for sore eyes._

Carla gave her son a scowling look, "Eren, what have told you? You don't keep guests waiting for so long."

Eren rubbed the back of his head, "Ha ha, sorry. I was trying to go through my closet to get the proper clothes for the day."

Carla just sighed, "I thought I told you to clean your room."

"I did!" Eren shouted, "It's not my fault it turns back into a mess 30 minutes after I cleaned up."

"Eren, no shouting." Carla ordered.

Eren rolled his eyes, "Anyway, come on Armin. We should get going before more people fill the shops."

"R-right." Armin stood up and bowed to Carla, "See you later, Mrs. Jaeger."

Carla waved at him, "See you later, Armin. I wish you the best of luck."

She didn't know if he had heard that last part in her sentence, just as she had said it Armin and Eren had ran out and closed the door.

[%]

It was late in the afternoon of a Sunday. The mall was full of people browsing and buying several products in different stores. Many of those customers were people in their teens, like Armin and Eren.

The trip to the mall took less than twenty minutes from Eren's house. Eren had insisted they walked, jokingly stated that it would do Armin some good. Armin found no reason to argue otherwise.

So here they were now: Two fifteen year old boys preparing to dive into the sea of people and find what they wanted for tomorrow.

"Alright, according to this map, there are three stores that primarily sell sweets and chocolate. We'll head into each one and see what we like." Armin explained.

Eren groaned, "Geez, it's not much of a hassle. Just buy some Hersey Kisses, wrap it up and were done for the day."

"Come on, Eren. This isn't something that we can just spend under five dollars for, if we want to impress the girls we have to show that we are devoted to this holiday and buy unique brands of chocolate for them." Armin spoke passionately.

"Hey, I thought I was the passionate one." Eren argued.

"Please Eren. Trust me. This is your chance to show Mikasa how you feel for her." Armin pleaded.

Eren blushed, "What the hell are you talking about? She's like a sister to me."

Armin gave him a deadpanned look, "Eren, I know you long enough to know when you are lying to me. Mikasa is like a sister to _me_. You on the other hand, have had a crush on her since she helped you beat up those bullies that knocked you down in fifth grade."

Eren mumbled something incoherent for Armin to understand. Then a smirk formed on his lips.

"Oh, and I suppose this trouble of finding decent chocolate isn't to impress Annie is it?" Eren teased.

It was Armin's turn to have his face redden, "Huh? Annie?" Armin let out a very forced laugh, "What makes you think I would like Annie?"

"Now I know when you are lying, _my _friend" Eren put a lot of emphasis on the 'my' part, "I don't know when you started liking her. But I've seen you looking at her like some love-struck fool."

Armin wanted interject, but Eren wouldn't let him, "Let's not forget the times when you would go out of your trouble to say 'hello' or 'how are you' to her every day. Or the times you attended everyone of her track and field practices. And that time when you tried to help her carry her things, only to become the laughingstock of the school after you fell down. Or when you –"

"Ok! Ok! Would you stop!" Armin's face was close to explosion and that was something you would find rare in such a calm boy such as him, "I- I might have a crush on her."

"A crush? Armin, for crying out loud, you are practically in love with the short blonde." Eren nearly yelled.

"That's not a nice thing to say Eren." Armin looked at the time, while they had enough time to browse, he didn't want to waste anymore of it. Unknown to Eren, Armin had other plans for tomorrow.

"Come on, we should start looking." Armin started walking.

Eren snorted, "Whatever you say lover-boy." He ran to catch up with his friend.

[%]

One hour later, the two were sitting at a table on second floor food court. The two had gone through the different chocolate shops in the mall. Some offered rather delicious and exotic samples but were rather pricey. Of course money wasn't really a huge problem for either of the boys. Eren's father was a doctor, so it was uncommon that Eren would get more than the average amount in allowances. Plus, he also had a part-time job at a well-known restaurant. Armin's family wasn't as rich as the Jaegers, but Armin had done his fair share of part-time jobs and managed to save up his money for any rainy day.

Eren had ordered a burger and French fries while Armin, who wasn't all that hungry, ordered a croissant and cup of hot chocolate from a coffee shop. Eren was shoving the food down his windpipe. At least the boy had the decency to not eat like a slob. Armin had finished his croissant, without making an animal of himself, and was sipping his warm beverage.

"So, what do you think your going to get?" Armin asked.

Eren washed down the food with a bottle of his cola, "I'm probably going to buy some Godiva chocolate. They are from Japan, and Mikasa is Japanese. Well technically half-Asian, but she is an oriental nonetheless."

"Makes sense." Armin complimented.

"What about you?" Eren bit down on his fries.

Armin looked down at his half empty cup, "Well, the thing is. I—"

"Eren, Armin! What a surprise!"

Both the boys recognized the deep sound that had interrupted their conversation. They looked to the direction of where the star football player of their high school stood, Reiner Braun. His muscularity was visible from the tight t-shirt he wore today. Beside him was his childhood friend, the tall and darker skinned boy Bertholdt Fubar.

Eren stood up to face them, "Reiner, Bertholdt. It's nice to see you." He said.

Reiner smirked, "Likewise, Jaeger." Eren smirked back.

Reiner offered his hand to Eren, who returned the gesture with a strong handshake.

Bertholdt merely smiled and nodded to Armin, "Hey Armin."

Armin nodded back, "Bertholdt."

Reiner released his hand, "So, what are the two infamous duo of Shiganshina Street doing today?"

Eren sat back down, "Armin and I are planning what chocolate we are going to buy for tomorrow."

Reiner nodded, "Ah, White Day. Your girlfriend offered quite the interesting idea for this month's theme, Eren."

Eren felt a vein pop in his head, "She's not my girlfriend, Reiner."

"Oh, I'm sorry. That's not the correct word." His voice sounded apologetic, but then that smirk came back to his face. "Quite the interesting idea, your _wife_, offered Jaeger."

And. He lost it.

"That's it! You are going to get your ass beat tomorrow at football practice." Eren exclaimed.

"Think you got the muscles for it?" He taunted.

"You bet." Eren barked back.

Armin had enough of their childish scuffle and tried to change the subject.

"So, have you guys gotten your chocolates yet?" he asked.

Reiner looked at Armin and puffed out his chest, "We did. I think Christa would love the brand I bought for her."

"Well that wasn't a no-brainer." Eren mumbled. Christa Lenz was the 'goddess' of the entire school, almost everyone wanted for her to be theirs.

Armin was quick to voice over Eren's remark, "What about you Bertholdt?"

"Uh... well." The taller boy was always a timid one. He may be a good student, both athletically and academically, but the lack of self-confidence was something that he needed to work on.

Reiner patted his friend's shoulder, "He's going to give his to Leonhardt."

"Reiner!" Bertholdt had hoped his best friend would've been a bit more discreet.

Unknown to the two, and known to Eren, Armin's face suddenly turned downcast.

"Oh." It wasn't actually that surprising. Annie has hung out with Reiner and Bertholdt the most. The idea that either one of them would be attracted to her was likely. But confirmation of said emotions was still shocking for Armin.

Eren knew when he had to be supportive, and right now was the course of action to deter the subject, "Well, that's nice. I hope you two get some results for your troubles."

Reiner looked back to Jaeger, "The same to you Jaeger."

Bertholdt turned to Armin, "What about you Armin? Who are you giving your chocolate to?"

Armin didn't know how to answer, how could he? Despite his timid nature Bertholdt was a very nice guy. He didn't want any bad-blood to happen between them over the girl they were both crushing for.

"Well..." Armin didn't know what to say.

Fortunately, Eren was quick to support him.

"It's a surprise!" He proclaimed.

Reiner and Bertholdt raised their eyebrows, "Oh?"

"Yeah, he wants to surprise the girl and he would rather like it if neither of you two knew so that the surprise wouldn't be spoiled." That was probably not the most elegant or the wisest answer Eren should have said. But it was the spur of the moment kind of thing.

Reiner smiled, "I see. Well Armin, I'm looking forward to this surprise for the lucky girl. Good luck to you both."

Bertholdt merely smiled.

"Well we need to get going, so we'll see you tomorrow." Reiner said.

"Right, we need to get our shopping down as well." Eren stood up, "See you tomorrow, Reiner, Bertholdt."

"See you tomorrow, Eren. You too Armin." Bertholdt said softly.

Armin just kept his head down as he nodded to them.

When Reiner and Bertholdt left, Eren looked to his best friend with concern.

"You okay, Armin?"

Armin still had his head down, "Bertholdt likes Annie."

Eren emitted a troubled hiss through his teeth, "Don't give up. I'm sure it's one-sided. I've barely seen Annie talk to Bertholdt that much compared to Reiner. You might still have a chance."

"But Bertholdt–"

"Armin, come on. If you really like Annie, you should show it to her regardless of how Bertholdt feels." Eren interjected, "All your life you've been a boy who offered kindness to people without asking for anything in return. For once in your life, fight for something that you want for yourself. I know it sounds greedy, but you need to be greedy for this occasion."

Armin was touched by Eren's speech. True that he has given kindness to others while seeking nothing in return. And even though he would hurt himself and Bertholdt, he must fight for Annie. Because she was his first crush. And he knew that there was nobody else at their school that he would find more interesting and attracted to then her.

... Well, Christa was always an option.

But that was not the point! He knows what he must do now.

"Yeah. Your right, Eren." With a new determination, Armin gulped the rest of his hot chocolate.

He slammed the cup down and stood up, "I know what I must do."

Eren smiled proudly at Armin, "That's the spirit! So how much chocolate are you going to give her?"

Armin looked at the ground for a moment, his original plans discarded and replaced with a more powerful one.

"I'm not going to buy her chocolate." Armin said.

Eren looked surprised, "What?"

Armin turned his head up, "I'm going to make her a cake."

That statement just made him more bewildered. And he was pretty sure his mouth had dropped even lower.

"Your not serious... are you?"

[%]

Eren had assumed that Armin was not really going to make a cake for Annie. The idea of it was incredibly extreme, even for Armin. Not to mention how inaccurate it was, the tradition of White Day was to buy chocolate for the girl, and Armin's plan was completely off and downright insane.

His mother seemed to think differently.

"Now to you add the pieces of chocolate into the icing and then mix them together." Armin had told Carla of his plans, without revealing too much information concerning the circumstances of his proposal. And when he asked her for help in cooking it, she was quick to accept it.

So here they were, back from the mall an hour ago and Eren was watching his mother instructing his best friend on how to make a White Chocolate Cake for Annie.

Eren had bought the Godiva chocolate for Mikasa. Armin had bought some white chocolate, not the cheap kind too. The stuff he bought was of high quality. He also bought cake mix and a single white rose from a grocery store and flower shop. Eren was shocked into silence during the whole course of the events that have happened.

"You sure you don't want me to help you, dear?" Carla asked.

Armin wiped the sweat of his head with the back of his hand, "Thank you, but I want to do this myself."

"You must really like this girl to go through this much trouble Armin." Carla said.

Armin just continued stirring without a reply, but his thoughts took a trip down memory lane. Recalling the time when he first met Annie.

[%]

_It was when he was eleven years old. Back then, he was often picked on by bullies who did not like his different views on things or the fact that he was a complete teacher's pet. Some of them were even jealous of his gifted mind, and called him a nerd because of it._

_And when it came to girls, Armin often had trouble talking to them. He had only talked to Mikasa and she was one of the few people who liked the way he thought of things. Some girls thought he was weird for several reasons: They say his hair was too girlish, they would ask why he wasn't as strong as the other boys, and they thought his opinions were very weird. So, aside from Mikasa, Armin did not have any good experience to talking with girls. _

_He was a bit of an introvert when he was younger, only Mikasa and Eren were his friends at that time. _

_One day, it was Valentine's Day and kids got Valentine's from a lot of people. Armin only got ones from Eren and Mikasa. Always has._

_But you can't really blame those kids. Kids can be cruel because they were immature and do not know better. Armin was mature for his age, which was probably another reason why he was picked on._

_When class had ended and he walked out of the school, he was confronted by three boys. These three were the usual ones who would bully Armin the most. Armin steeled himself as the leader of the three pushed him against the wall. _

"_What are you doing, boy?" he asked._

"_Let me go. I have a bus to catch."Armin struggled. _

"_Your going to have to miss it." He threw a punch at his stomach._

_Armin winced, but he would not fall. He grabbed the boy's arm to try and pull his grasp away._

"_Why are you doing this?" Armin asked._

_The boy sneered, "Because you deserve it. Why is it that someone as weak as you be so much better at school then the rest of us? The teachers love you, you get straight A's, and you won a lot of awards. You constantly make us look like fools."_

_Armin looked at him with fury in his own eyes, "That's it? You beat me up because I am smarter than you. Better at something that you guys aren't good at."_

"_Shut Up!"_

"_You are beating me up just so prove that you are superior to me." Armin continued, "That just makes you guys weak for not being able to accept the reality."_

"_I said Shut Up!" He raised his fist and was about to launch it to Armin's head._

"_Let him go." _

_And that was when he saw her for the first time. _

_A little girl with blonde hair tied in a messy bun. Her cobalt eyes glaring at the three bullies. He remembered what she had worn: a small hoodie and track pants. Armin had seen her in his classes and at recess. But she was always a secluded and quiet girl._

"_This is none of your business little girl, get lost."_

_The girl put herself into a fighting pose, "You will let him go, or I will do the beating myself."_

_One of the boys suddenly backed up in terror, "I-I recognize you. You— You are that Leonhardt girl."_

_All three boys widened their eyes in terror. _

"_That's right. You know who I am, and if you are wise, you would run." She threatened._

_The leader dropped Armin to the ground and pushed the other two aside._

"_Out of my way, I'm outta here."_

"_Hey, don't leave us with her!"_

_And the other two ran off as well. Armin kneeled with his hands supporting his body. The effects of the punch still lingered in his stomach. The girl walked over to him and offered him her hand._

"_You alright?" _

_Armin looked at her. The threatening look in her eyes was gone, replaced with concern. _

_Armin refused the hand and stood up on his own, "I'm fine."_

_The girl looked at his battered form before speaking, "Is that how you say thank you to your saviours?"_

"_You didn't have to save me." Armin said._

_The girl rolled her eyes, "Yeah, because you totally had it under control."_

_Armin glared at her. The last thing he wanted was her mocking him. "I don't need to take this."_

_He began to walk away when she started speaking again, "Don't let them get to you. Your better than those idiots."_

_Armin spun around, "Don't start talking like you know me."_

"_Well you couldn't be more wrong, I know you Armin Arlert. You are the boy who has the highest grades for 5 years in this school. Your the boy who hangs out with Mikasa and that hot-headed, suicidal German boy. You also talk a lot and have some very interesting stories to tell." The girl said._

_Armin wasn't impressed, "So you know what I am, but that doesn't mean you know me completely. We're not even friends."_

"_No, not with that attitude." The girl dug through her backpack. She pulled something out and tapped Armin's shoulder._

_Armin turned around, and was shocked at what he saw. In her hands was a rectangular object wrapped in red wrapping s and tied with golden tape. And she was offering it to him. _

"_What is this for?" Armin asked._

"_For you." The girl simply stated, "You didn't get any Valentine gifts from anybody else aside from your friends." _

_Armin was touched. This girl, who he barely knew, is giving him a Valentine's gift. To him, of all people. "Why?"_

"_It's what people do on Valentine's Day, we give out chocolate to the people we care about." She said._

_Armin took the gift from her, his eyes on it and then to her. He wanted to cry, but he held it, he won't show any weakness to her. Someone besides Eren and Mikasa and some teachers in this building actually cared for him. "Thank you."_

_The girl smiled, "Don't change who you are. That's one of the things I like about you." _

_A car pulled up close to where they stood, the passenger seat window opened and man called out, "Annie!"_

_The girl looked at the man and shouted back, "Coming daddy!"_

_It was then that he remembered who she was. Her name was Annie. Annie Leonhardt. _

"_See you later Armin. Happy Valentine's Day." She ran off to the car, pulling the door open and going inside._

_Armin watched the car leave, the gift still in his hands and his eyes following the car._

"_Happy Valentine's Day... Annie." He said quietly._

[%]

From then on, the two would talk on some occasions. He learned that she was friends with Reiner and Bertholdt, who were also in his school. When they went to Rose High School together, they had split into their own groups. But the two still talked with one another.

Armin knew from the moment they met, that he developed strong feelings for her. She accepted him for who he was and even gave him a gift when no one else had, aside from Eren and Mikasa of course.

The two would exchange Valentine's gift to one another yearly. It wasn't until they entered High School that the Valentine gifts became a thing strictly to those who had feelings for another.

Annie had stopped giving him gifts after entering high school and he did the same. They stopped mostly because of Annie's stoic and hardened personality that made her one of the toughest girls in Rose High. But they still remained friendly towards one another.

Armin didn't know if she had any feelings for him like he for her. But he knows right now that if he doesn't tell her, he will regret it for the rest of his life.

His thoughts were extinguished when the timer went off.

"It's done." He got up and ran to the oven.

"Hey, hey where are you going? I need you to watch my back!" Eren shouted at him.

The two of them were playing the newest popular video game: "Advancing Giants." It was the award-winning, best-selling video game of their generation. It had a solid campaign storyline, excellent gameplay, and amazing online multiplayer matches.

And they lost this match as Eren and Armin's avatars got eaten by a Colossal Titan, costing them the game as well as for thirty others that had died earlier.

Eren threw the controller to the ground in frustration and ran into the kitchen.

"Armin! We had the Colossal Titan and then you just bailed on us!" Eren yelled.

Armin placed the cake on the table. "Sorry Eren."

"Sorry isn't enough to remedy this atrocity that you have done." Eren huffed and turned his head.

"You can lick what's left of the icing when I'm done." Armin offered.

Eren opened one of his closed eyes. It didn't even take a minute before he answered back,

"All is forgiven."

Armin laughed. As he coated the white icing over the cake, he smiled to himself.

"_Well Annie, get ready for the most interesting White Day."_

[%]

March 14th. The day was upon them. Rose High School was filled with excited chatter and giggling from girls. Several boys had handed out their gifts to girls and most were met with positive feedback. Armin had seen most of his friends give out their chocolate to the girls they liked.

Connie Springer had given his to Sasha Blause. The girl was quick to devour the entire content, including the wrappings. Sasha had thanked Connie and he was earned with a kiss on his cheek.

Reiner had bought Cadbury chocolate for Christa. The girl was happy to accept it, but her friend Ymir eyed Reiner with a look that promised death.

As for Mikasa, it turns out that Eren wasn't the only one who had the Japanese girl in mind. Jean Kirschtein, Eren's rival in many things, had pushed Eren aside to give Mikasa his chocolate. The result was the two fighting with one another, yet again.

There were others that he had witnessed. Franz and Hannah, Mina Carolina and Thomas Wagner, he even saw their Student Councillor, Petra Ral, get a present from the school janitor, Levi.

Armin hadn't given his yet, and he could tell that Bertholdt hadn't either. Armin had to act quick, it was second period and lunch was next. Annie was not in his first two classes. He had her in fourth period History class today, but he also knew that Bertholdt and Annie shared third period French together. So Armin had to make his move by lunchtime.

The bell rang, signalling the end of second period. Armin packed his things, carried textbooks that couldn't fit in his backpack and walked alongside Eren. When they stopped at the stairs, Eren gave his friend a supporting grin.

"Well this is it. We'll see how things turn out, right Armin?"

Armin nodded, "I'm a little nervous, but I'm not going to back out now."

"Good luck Armin." Eren gave him a thumbs up.

"Thank you, Eren."

Eren walked up the stairs to his locker on the third floor. Armin turned and proceeded to his.

All he had to do was make a turn down the hall and he would be at his locker. The students down here had dispersed, making the hallway look like a ghost town. He was pretty sure he was alone, until he heard voices speaking.

He was just at the corner of where he needed to turn when he heard familiar voices talking.

"Hey Annie."

Armin froze. That was Bertholdt's voice. And he was addressing to... oh no.

'_No. No! How can this happen?'_ He thought he had more time. He thought Bertholdt won't make his move until third period.

Armin stood frozen to his spot. All he can do was listen to the conversation that was going on right now.

"Bertholdt, what is it?"

"W-Well, I'm just asking how you are. You know, after all that has happened to you."

Annie sighed, "It's alright, things happen. And I have to accept them. I'm fine, really I am."

"I know you are." Bertholdt stated, "You've always been strong. You still are."

Armin didn't know what it was the two were discussing about, but it must've been something personal for Annie to not tell anyone else. Yet, Bertholdt knew.

He tried to reassure himself, believing that because he's her childhood friend, he obviously would know whatever was happening to her.

"I bought this for you. You seem to be the only girl who hasn't gotten any chocolate today. Well, except for Ymir. B-But you deserve one." Bertholdt must've given her his chocolate.

The sounds of sheet tearing apart can be heard, until it stopped.

"My favourite brand." Annie said.

Armin's heart sank. He had no clue what Annie's favourite brand of chocolate was.

"You know, I care about you Annie. I'll be here for you, no matter what."

There was a pregnant pause. Armin's eyes started to lose the light in them. He was mentally pleading, asking for a chance. He knew it was selfish. But he was listening to the desire of his heart, and he could feel it slowly break.

There was a sound of shifting. Armin deduced that one of them might've made a small movement. He didn't know which, all he wanted to do was walk away, to pretend this conversation never happened and that he still had a chance.

"Thank you, Bertholdt. Thank you for being there for me. Your good man, and I care about you too. I'm grateful to have known you."

Armin couldn't stand it anymore. He has to know what was happening. He took a risk, he leaned his head forward to peek around the corner of the wall. His heart sank even deeper at the sight.

Annie and Bertholdt hugging one another.

Armin stifled a gasp and quickly turned the other way. He would circle around the school and then go to his locker. By then they would be gone and he could... he could...

What would he do?

From the sight he had witnessed, it was obvious that Annie and Bertholdt were intimate with one another. Was he still going to give her something and proclaim his attraction to her when she chose another?

Armin refused to let himself cry. But the overwhelming emotions running through him was killing his entire being.

He didn't look back to see Annie and Bertholdt beginning to walk to the cafeteria. He didn't know that Annie could've sworn she heard the sound of someone running.

[%]

Eren was starting to grow worried of his friend. Lunch was halfway done and Armin has yet to appear. He could see the others grouped into one table while he and Mikasa sat by themselves as usual. Annie was there, with Bertholdt and Reiner beside her.

"Where is Armin? He should've been here by now." Eren wondered.

Mikasa was also beginning to worry about Armin. He's not one to run off and not tell anyone. She had asked Eren what he was doing, but all Eren said was that Armin had to go to his locket. And that was 35 minutes ago.

"Maybe something happened to him." Mikasa suggested.

Eren stood up, "I'm going to find him."

Mikasa was about to offer her assistance as well until the two saw Armin entering with a white box, carrying it by the red tape.

Eren waved to him, but the smile on his face turned upside down when he looked closer at Armin's expression. The blond boy looked like he just witnessed something traumatic and whatever spirit he had was not present.

Armin sat beside Eren, placing his gift on the table. Then, silence. Neither one of them said anything to other. Mikasa looked at Armin with a worried look.

"Armin, what's wrong?" she asked.

Armin didn't answer. He was too preoccupied with his thoughts. Eren glanced at Mikasa and gave her a gesture with his head. Mikasa knew what that meant.

"I'm going to get some milk." She got up and left Eren and Armin to themselves.

"What happened?" Eren asked.

Armin continued staring at the package in front of him. The two of them sat there in silence. Armin inhaled a breath and finally talked.

"She likes him." He just said.

Eren's eyes widened. So that was the problem, heartbreak, something that was way out of Eren's field of expertise.

"I'm sorry to hear that Armin." What else could he say? There was more fish in the sea? Hell, the boy poured his heart out to make Annie a friggin cake. What did that say to him?

"It's not like I didn't expect it." Armin's voice sounded low and incredibly depressed, "They are close friends since childhood. It was possible that the two would develop feelings beyond friendship."

"Come on, Armin don't do this to yourself." Eren really didn't know what to do in this situation, "What about the cake?"

Armin fingered the white rose that he tied to the top of the box, "You want to just eat it with me."

Eat an entire cake with a depressed boy? That was not at all inviting.

"That's kind of a waste, don't you think?" Eren said.

"Yo, Armin!" Reiner's voice entered, "About damn time you showed, we've been waiting to see who this big surprise."

Eren panicked, this was not going good for Armin today. Reiner was oblivious to Armin's depressed state. When Armin wasn't going to speak, Eren knew it was all up to him to defuse the situation.

"Hey, Reiner. I don't think –"

"Come on, everyone wants to see who the special girl is." Reiner pulled Armin to his feet.

Eren's eyes popped, "You told everyone!" Of course Reiner would do something as crazy as that. Armin would end up embarrassing himself in front of not just Annie, but to all their friends as well.

"Well of course, might as well get it out there since it's such a big surprise." Reiner patted Armin, "Where is this lucky girl anyway, Armin?"

Armin gazed at the present on the table and his eyes darted to the girl of his dreams, who sat there sipping a coke while watching Jean and Connie getting into another argument. He came this far. What did he have to lose?

"She's at your table." Armin said.

Eren looked at Armin like he lost a head, "Armin..."

"Really? Then that saves us a lot of trouble, let's go now." Reiner pulled Armin with him. Armin grabbed the cake off the table and let Reiner pull him closer to his doom.

Eren was transfixed on the spot. Why is Armin doing this to himself? Did he want the pain to grow?

Mikasa came back with a large carton of milk. She noticed Armin missing and an anxious Eren.

"Eren, where's Armin?" she sat down.

Eren could only stare in terror, his mind telling him to stop Armin from what he was doing, but his feet won't move. Mikasa followed his gaze and saw Armin being pulled by Reiner to the table where their other friends were.

"What is he doing?" Mikasa asked.

"God, I can't watch this." Eren folded his hands on the table and put his head down.

Mikasa just looked even more confused.

[%]

Armin could feel his heart pound heavier each step he took. He didn't know what is driving him to go through with this, maybe a part of him foolishly believed that he had a chance despite all the evidence saying otherwise. Either way, he had sealed his fate the moment he and Reiner stopped at the table.

All their friends were crowded there, Connie and Sasha sitting together holding hands while Connie was arguing at Jean with a nervous Marco trying to calm down Jean. Ymir had her arm wrapped around Christa, eying anyone who looked at her. The blonde girl had received a large abundance of gifts from various students, Ymir instantly felt protective. Bertholdt was beside Annie, eating his sandwich while Annie had her head lying on her knuckles. She was the first to notice Armin's presence first.

"Armin? What are you doing here?" she asked.

Armin gulped. Looking into her eyes was not helping him. His feelings were still so strong for the girl, and that only made his heart crumble faster. Everybody else had noticed the arrival of their class genius and turned their attention to him.

Reiner smirked, "Our little Einstein is going has a surprise for a special girl."

Everyone at the table looked excited, everything they were doing before was now turned to full attention on Armin. Christa looked the most happy.

"Really? Who's the lucky girl Armin?" she asked.

Annie remained in her stoic composure, but her eyes had curiosity in them. And something else that Armin couldn't decipher.

Everyone at the table eyed him, waiting for an answer.

Armin took whatever pride and courage he had left and put it all in his brain to move before he passes out.

"Annie, do you remember that day? When you saved me from some bullies in Elementary school?"

All eyes were now on Annie, she was a little surprised that Armin would bring that up right now during his confession.

"I remember it." Annie said, "I even gave you a Valentine's gift."

"Yes." Armin smiled at the memory, "You were the first person besides Eren and Mikasa who cared about me. And I'm very grateful that I got the chance to know you."

The group had no clue what this conversation was going towards. Annie was curious as to the purpose of Armin talking about a distant memory when he was going to confess his feelings for someone else. Reiner and Bertholdt remained just as clueless. Christa, however, seemed to know what was happening.

"I... I wanted to show you how I felt, what had developed from the time we spent together since that day." Armin grasped the tape tightly.

Annie's face changed, the stoic expression turned into one of surprise.

'_No. He can't mean...'_

Armin finally decided to go for broke. Annie was sitting at the edge of the bench which meant she was the closest to Armin. This made it easier for Armin to place the gift in front of her.

"Happy White Day, Annie."

Everyone gasped at the rather unusual gift in front of Annie. None of them would have thought that Armin's mystery girl would the stone-cold Annie Leonhardt. Bertholdt and Reiner had equally shocked faces, clearly they weren't expecting this as well.

"I... I made it myself. I thought this was the best way to express how I felt for you." Armin watched Annie for any reaction, but Annie remained silent, she was too shocked at everything that had just transpired just now.

Armin can't hold on to the fantasy that she would reciprocate. He already knew how this would end, but he didn't regret his decision. He told her, and if she decides to be with Bertholdt instead of him, then he will let her go.

Armin felt tears beginning to build up. This was so hard. He had to finish this quickly without making a fool of himself in front of everyone.

"You— You don't have to say anything. I know how you feel." Armin spoke so softly.

Annie looked at Armin with wide eyes, _he knows?_

Armin gave her a sad smile, "I—I know that you don't feel the same way. I know that you and Bertholdt have feelings for one another."

Everyone turned their gaze at Bertholdt, the tallest boy had sweats forming all over his face. He looked completely lost as the rest of them.

"Armin, what?"

"Bertholdt, I'm sorry. I know that you have feelings for Annie as much as I do. And that she chose you. I didn't mean to make anything bad between us, I just wanted Annie to know. Please, can we still be friends?" Armin pleaded.

Everyone at the table was caught in a whirlwind of confusion. Eyes darting from Bertholdt to Armin to Annie and back to Bertholdt again. Bertholdt looked like he had something to say, but with everyone looking at him was making it very hard for the shy boy to say anything.

Annie just stared at Armin. Clearly she was at a loss of words as well.

The atmosphere around them was too much, Armin had to leave. If he stayed any longer, he'd drop to his knees and cry. He turned away and ran. A bunch of students who weren't paying attention to their table had curious looks as the boy ran out of the cafeteria. Soon after, Eren and Mikasa followed.

Annie just stared at the direction Armin ran to, everything that had just happened was too much to handle all at once.

Reiner and Bertholdt looked at each other and both felt ashamed. They had no clue Armin had feelings for Annie, they had seen the two of them talk and hangout before. But they had assumed Armin was just being nice to her like he was to everyone else.

All was left was the table that was left in the aftermath of the shocking confession. It was a good two minutes before someone decided to say something.

"So... what's in the box? And if it's food, can I have some?"

Ymir slapped Sasha at the back of her head.

Annie turned to everybody. They all looked at her with the same question in their minds. Reiner had sat down in front of Annie, also curious for an answer. She looked to the gift Armin left for her. She reached forward and plucked the white rose out. She admired it shortly before she placed it on the table gently. She unwrapped the red tape and took a small breath before opening the box. Everybody at the table instantly got up and crowded her. What they saw shocked them all. It was a cake, covered in white icing and shaped in a heart.

Annie felt her heart swollen at the sight. Armin poured his entire heart to make this for her. She felt happy, and then sad.

Reiner, who had been silent during the whole transaction, finally spoke.

"You should go tell him."

Annie knew he was right, she had to talk to him. She had to see him.

Annie closed the cover of the box and stood up. She grabbed all her things, the gift in her hands. She watched Bertholdt and Reiner follow her movements and they were out of the cafeteria as well.

The group had, once again, been silent during the whole process. And, once again, Sasha spoke.

"I'm guessing I can't have any then." She said sadly.

Ymir facepalmed, "Can you stop thinking of food for even a moment?"

[&amp;]

"Come on, Armin. Your being too hard on yourself."

For the past couple of minutes, Mikasa and Eren had been trying to cheer up a very depressed Armin. The three were out in the fields. The weather was a little chilly so there weren't a lot of people outside to begin with. They sat at the bleachers with Armin drinking the entire carton of milk that Mikasa offered him.

"There are plenty of other girls out there. I can put out a good word for you to Christa." Eren offered.

Mikasa gave him a stern look, Eren knew that was probably one of the few things he should've said in this situation.

Armin swallowed the last drops of the cold beverage. It helped, the coldness was able to settle some of the pain. But it could only do so little.

"I don't know if I can move on." Armin said.

"It will take time." Mikasa stated, "But we'll be here all the way to help you."

They've always stood up for one another, that's what friends do. A person can survive in this world without a family or a loved one, but what they need the most out of it all is the friendship of others. Armin was thankful to have friends like them: Eren, Mikasa, Marco, Reiner, Bertholdt... Annie. Would the two of them even want to still be his friends after everything?

Eren and Mikasa looked at one another with troubled looks. This was going to be tough.

The two heard the sounds of footsteps approaching them. They turned and were surprised to see Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie standing before them. Armin was too preoccupied to notice, Eren and Mikasa immediately stood up and readied themselves.

"If you are here to talk with Armin, your going to have to do it some other time." Eren warned.

Reiner crossed his arms, "Don't give me that Jaeger, we aren't trying to do anything bad. Scout's honour."

Annie had her attention focused on Armin, the boy wouldn't turn to look at her.

"I just want to talk to him." She said.

Eren walked in front of the short blonde, "If you break his heart any further –"

"You'll what? Get your ass kicked again, Eren?" Annie rolled her eyes.

Mikasa was quick to his defence, "If you are going to fight Eren, you'll have to go through me as well."

Reiner stood between them, "You are going to have to wait on that. Because Eren promised me that I get my ass kicked first."

Eren looked at Reiner in confusion, Reiner smiled down at him and gestured his head to the fields. He was sending Eren the signal that everything was going to be alright. Eren hesitated, but he backed down.

"Come on, Eren. Let's settle our little scuffle from yesterday." Reiner forcefully pulled Eren with him.

Eren shouted in retaliation, telling Reiner to stop pulling him like a rag doll. Mikasa followed after them. Bertholdt remained behind, just to say one thing only.

"Armin." He called out.

Armin looked from the empty carton that he was crushing. Bertholdt gave him a smile.

"You have nothing to worry about." That was all he said, and he left in the direction that Reiner walked off to.

Armin was confused, how can there be nothing wrong? After all that had just happened.

He looked at Annie, who was still standing a few feet away from him. He stared back at the carton in his hands.

Annie walked to him, and sat down beside him with the gift he gave her, carefully placing it on her lap.

There was a brief silence between the two before Annie began to speak.

"You try very hard, you know." she said, "Whether it was sports or homework, you always did your hardest. I found that to be one of your most impressive charms."

She played with the rose in her hands, "You also did it to me. You took the time to say hello to me every day, you cheered me on during my practices, and you even helped me with my homework whenever I was stuck. You went out of your way to make me feel wanted. And I am very happy that you would do all that for me."

Armin looked at her from the corner of his eyes, listening to all she was saying to him.

"I'd never expected that you would have feelings for me. I always thought that your kindness was applied to everybody, not just me. So I had no reason to think you might've liked me more than a friend." She stated, "But today, you proved me wrong."

Armin let go of the empty carton, "You don't have to feel sorry for me. I understand."

Annie glared at him, "You understand nothing, Armin."

Armin's eyes widened at her reaction, why was she angry?

"What made you think that Bertholdt and I are even a couple to begin with?" Annie asked.

Armin looked down in shame, "I heard you two talking in the hall. You two talked about something that happened to you. He gave you his chocolate that he bought and you two hugged one another. He already told me that he was going to give his chocolate to you, so I thought he liked you and that..."

"That I would like him back." Annie concluded for him.

Armin nodded.

Annie was a little hurt that Armin had eavesdropped on them, but decided that she won't be angry at him for that. Not today at least.

"My mother died two weeks ago." She said.

Armin turned to her in shock. Annie lost her mother at such a young age, and he was feeling sorry for himself.

"I'm sorry, I should've comforted you."

Annie shook her head, "You don't have to be sorry, you didn't know."

"I was very sad that my mom died in that car accident, I kept my face the same as it always was, hardened. I didn't want anyone to think I was weak." She explained.

"Your only human, Annie." Armin said, "Its ok to grieve for those you lost."

Annie ignored Armin's comment, "Reiner and Bertholdt found out what had happened, and they immediately came to my comfort. They've always been there for me. Bertholdt was always there to help me. He was always there. Ever since we were kids, I treasure his friendship. That's how it always been. He gave me the chocolate in hopes to see make me happy."

"Oh." So that's what it all was. Armin was quick to assume that the two of them were an item when it was merely a deep friendship between the two of them. He felt foolish.

"So you and Bertholdt..."

"Just friends." Annie reassured him.

Armin felt stupid, "I'm sor—"

"If you are going to say sorry, I'm going to kick your ass." Annie threatened. But there was a playful tone in her voice, making it a wonder if she would actually do it.

"Noted." Armin smiled, then turned back into a frown, "Then, what about us?" He scared to ask.

Annie looked at the box in her lap. She opened it and swiped her finger against some icing against the cardboard. She brought it to her lips and licked it. Armin watched her, confused at what she was trying to do. She tasted the substance in her mouth before a soft smile played on her lips.

"White Swiss." She said.

"Huh?" Armin was still clueless to what was going on.

"My favourite brand." She added.

Armin understood, _so that was her favourite brand._

"It's a lovely gift Armin. Thank you."

Armin smiled at her, "Your welcome."

"But it's quite a lot for me to eat at once." She said, she turned to him, "I'll accept this gift. If you come over to my place and help me eat it."

Armin was dumbfounded, "C-come over?"

"Of course."

Armin felt his face redden again, he was certain that Annie had just...

Annie sighed, "It's written over your face, your still uncertain."

She placed the cake aside and scooted closer to Armin, "Let's fix that shall we?"

Armin didn't react fast enough when Annie's lips came in contact with his. His heart was beating too fast. His mind was melting. This had to be a dream. But it felt so real.

Armin finally reacted. He closed his eyes and brought his hand to her cheek as they deepened the kiss.

He made a mental note to thank Mikasa for the idea of White Day.

Because this turned out to be one of his best and most memorable of all days.

**I keep making these things longer than I wanted to. I'll try to make them shorter for those of you who don't like long reads.**


End file.

Shingeki no Kyojin/進撃の巨人, Drama, Romance