"Attention everyone!" Hanji shouted. All the soldiers turned their heads to her. She had a huge, toothy grin plastered on her face. What was new? She was always like that, but it was somehow different, in such a way that the look she gave told everyone that something was up.
"The Survey Corps needs a rest, don't you agree?" Many shouted, "Yeah!" Hanji continued, "Commander Erwin allowed that we would have the day off tomorrow. He says you all deserve it. Besides, how can we function well when we're not in good shape? Enjoy the rest of the evening!" With that, she left.
Then everyone started partying and celebrating. 'It's too loud', (f/n) thought. She decided to go outside, and get some peace. A certain boy, who wanted so much to explore the outside world (and even had a book about it), started making his way out of the cabin. He looked to see if anyone was there. He noticed a (h/c) girl sitting all alone on the ground. He was hesitant, but approached her anyway.
"H-Hello, what's your name?" The girl didn't take a second to look at him. She didn't need to. "(f/n, l/n)." She responded. "I assume that you are Armin Arlert, friend of the titan shifter, Eren Jaeger?" She looked up at the dark sky with wonder. "Yes, I am." Armin wasn't so surprised she knew him, after all, Eren was now well-known for his ability to transform into a titan.
He sat down beside her. "What are you doing out here?" This time, (f/n) looked at him. "I should be asking you that, but I don't like everyone being so loud while celebrating." She thought like him, too? "I was thinking the same thing. Do you...do you want to learn about the outside world? Or...are you not interested because it's considered taboo?" He asked. "Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to know what it was like to roam around outside the walls. I want to learn new things. I'm always...curious." She said.
He smiled, knowing he could tell her at least a little about the outside world. "Do you mind me telling you a bit about it?" She quickly turned her attention to him. "The outside world? Tell me!" Such eagerness. "Well, there's this body of water called the 'sea' and an even bigger body of water called the 'ocean'." He said, his smile growing bigger. "Really? That's so cool! I wonder if it will ever run out..." She mused. "I doubt it would, as long as we'd take care of it." She nodded in agreement. "I picked this flower this morning, do you want it?" He said, holding out the gorgeous object. "A-Armin, you picked it out, i-it's not mine to keep." She looked away quickly. "But I know what I want to do with it. Here, take it." He placed it on the palm of her hand. She looked at it, taking in it's fine details. "Th-Thank you..." She whispered, fiddling it with her fingers. "Let's get back to the outside world. The sea isn't just a body of water, though. It's actually made of salt water!" (f/n)'s eyes widened.
"Wait a minute, how do you know so much about it if you haven't even seen it yourself?" She questioned. "Or..." She gasped, "No way! You've seen it?" He shook his head. "Don't tell anyone, okay?" A second passed before she said in a soft voice, "Okay, I won't." Armin took a deep breath. "I have a book about it." She almost screamed, but he hushed her, covering her mouth with his hand. "Be quiet!" He hissed. She nodded again, now controlling herself from shouting or whatsoever. "That's...really amazing and unbelievable at the same time." She said. He chuckled, saying, "I know, right?" He gazed up at the stars. "They're really pretty, aren't they?" He pointed out. "Yeah..."
"But you know what?" He leaned back, his hands against the ground. "What?" He looked at her. "You're prettier." Her heart skipped a beat. "You...you mean that?" She asked in disbelief. "Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I?" He tilted his head. "It's because...I don't get compliments very often. Usually the person would just be kidding around, so...I always ask if a compliment that's given to me is a joke or not." His heart sank. He knew what it was like to be treated like a joke. "I used to be made fun of, too." She looked at him, a surprised look on her face. "Really? Why?" He sighed quietly, gripping his left wrist with his right hand. "Because...people think I'm weird for wondering what's out there, since it's taboo..." Her eyebrows met.
"It's not your fault! I mean, who wouldn't be interested in the outside world? Only boring people, perhaps. But really wanting to learn, explore and discover isn't weird. It's always a good thing because you get to know something new. It's lame if we just keep learning about things we already know! Armin, what people think about you doesn't matter. What matters is that you're happy with what you do. We all die at one point in our life, we may live shorter than others, considering that we're part of the Survey Corps," He shivered at that. "But that's the exact reason why we should always wonder, just like Squad Leader Hanji!"
Suddenly, he felt at ease. Something about (f/n) made him feel like he wasn't an outsider. "Thank you, (f/n). The things you just said...they're all true. I can't argue with that. You have a strong spirit, I like that." (F/n)'s face soon had different shades of scarlet. "N-No problem, Armin! I-I just wanted to say it, I...I don't want you to ever feel bad about yourself." The corners of his lips went upwards. "(F/n)?" He stood up. "Yeah?" He held out his hand, and she took it. "I assure you that no matter what, we'll learn about what's on the other side someday." For a moment, they forgot about the world. "You...you promise?" He held both of her hands, squeezing them a bit. He then intertwined his pinky with hers. "Pinky promise."
