((Hey guys, Historia here! Disclaimer—I don't own AoT, any of its characters or gender bends! A Fem!Armin x Male!Christa FanFiction.))

~The Early Days of Armina and Chris!~

~Chapter 1~

Inside the boys' dorm, Chris woke up rubbing his head. Ymir was still out cold next to him.
"What time is it?" He mumbled aloud, getting up to peek out the window. The sky was still pitch black. No sounds could be heard anywhere within the cabin except for Ymir's loud snoring.

The awful feeling of not being able to sleep although you're still exhausted hit Chris.
'That's going to feel great in the morning…' he though sarcastically. He walked out of the dorm, hoping that some fresh cold air will help. He shivered as he stepped out. He forced himself sleepily out the doorway before he was tempted to retreat inside from the piercing cold. His jacket was still on, now wrinkled from sleep. He was thankful that he had that for warmth at least.

He started walking around the grounds. It was about a few minutes until he saw a little bit of light out of the corner of his eye. "The fire is still up? I thought Ymir took care of that…" he wondered, heading in its direction. "Obviously he wasn't paying attention… At least it doesn't smell like its spreading." He turned a corner to the campfire to see another being with blonde hair.

She was hugging her knees for warmth, staring wearily into the flame. "Oh… Hello." The girl greeted, lifting her gaze from the small fire.

Chris nodded in response, returning the greeting. "Hey there, Arlert." He yawned.

"So I guess you also can't sleep." Armina assumed.

"Yeah... It's one of those nights, I guess." Chris replied, walking over to sit down next to Armina and the only source of warmth out in the cold.

Armina chuckled. "Imagine how crappy we're going to feel in the morning."

Chris smiled. "Hehe, that'll be something to look forward to." He said sarcastically.

"I'm too used to it to care… This has become something normal for me; having certain days of the week when I just come out here and read until I'm ready to crash." Armina explained.

Chris then noticed the book open in her lap. "Ah, midnight stories are always the best. It's been awhile since I've done that, though."

"So how are Ymir and Potato Boy?" Armina asked with a chuckle mentioning his potato loving friend.

"Oh, they're good. What about Mikasa and Erin?" Chris asked, returning the chuckle.

Armina leaned back a bit, hands on the ground behind her. She sighed. "They're also pretty good. It's still funny to me how Erin hates being bossed around by Mikasa. He is a bit of the older brother figure to him. Erin is just too rebellious for him, though." She laughed.

Chris laughed as well. "I saw Erin acting like some sort of stubborn kitten when she was being picked up by Mikasa. It was hysterical."

"Not only is he an older brother figure, but he's good at embarrassing her, too." Armin added.

"So, what're you reading?" Chris pointed to the still open book in Armina's lap.

"Ah, it's a storybook about several fairytales that take place in the outside world." She explained.

"The outside world? I didn't know that people still wrote about stories that took place out there!" Chris exclaimed with a smile. His eyes were wide and interested with the contents of the book.

Armina blushed as Chris's face brightened up. She laughed. "It's hard enough to even find books about the outside world!"

"Mind if I steal it when you're done?" Chris asked.

"S-Sure!" Armina answered. "Hey…" She started.

Chris looked up. "What's up?"

"Do you… do you want to do this again sometime?" Armina asked as she blushed, eyes looking toward the ground.

"Yes, of course!" Chris smiled. "That'd be great. I think it's nice to have more friends…" He said happily.

Armina smiled, her embarrassment dissolving. "Same here…"

The two sat and talked for awhile. They laughed, telling one another about the small things in life.

"Maybe we can get everyone out here one day and have a late night campfire." Armina said.

Chris nodded. "That would be great!" He soon let out a yawn.

"I think maybe we should go back to our dorms…" Armina suggested.

Chris nodded again. "I think so as well. It was nice talking to you, Arlert." He stood up to stretch. "Next time I have a hard time sleeping, I should find this place again, then…"

She blushed when he said that.

Chris offered a hand up, and Armina accepted the boost up. "T-thank you…"

The two smiled, looking into each other's eyes. Chris looked away from embarrassment, and rubbed the back of his head, hiding a red face. "W-well, see you, then."

Armina nodded. "See you!"

The two made their way back to their respective dorms. Chris's red face remained. 'Well, this was better than some lonely walk, I'll say…'