(canon verse, at some point in the future, where everyone made it, they\them pronouns for Hanji)
Armin and Hanji walked side by side, each carrying half of the food. Hanji had the blanket, and had draped it over their head to ward off the blistering sun. They both walked in silence, but it was not awkward or tense. It was the kind of comfortable, easy silence between two people who understand the need for silence sometimes, and who are at ease around each other.
The Survey Corps had reached the coast a few days earlier. None of them knew how, but they had done so with minimum casualties. They'd arrived at around midday, and would have thought that they'd reached a desert had it not been for the saltiness and humidity in the air, and the eventual crashing of the waves. For a good hour, the whole group was confused, never having seen, heard or smelt the coast before in their lives. But soon enough, a group of the 104th, Armin included, had chanced upon the beach. The humid air had rung with elated cries and laughter. They had raced each other to the sea, stopping short right where the sea licked the sand. There they teetered, until Jean, ever the embodiment of poise and level-headedness, had pushed Eren into the waves.
After that, everyone had quickly removed their boots and gear and jumped in. The rest of the day was spent splashing around or lying in the sun. In the afternoon, they'd split into groups to look for food. At night, they'd set up a huge bonfire and toasted to their fallen comrades. After that, and for a large chunk of the next day, a sombre mood had descended upon the Survey Corps.
But now, all morbidities were forgotten and done with and everyone was feeling a lot lighter. Amid some stutters, blushing, and encouragements from Levi and Erwin, Hanji had invited Armin out for a picnic. And so, they found themselves walking in the sweltering heat of midday.
After a while, and at an acceptable distance from the rest of the group, they stopped walking. Hanji set down the blanket and Armin set about setting out all the food.
Soon enough, they were eating. Hanji had managed to sneak some of the meat brought by the higher ups, and Armin had gotten Sasha to hand over the extra bread she'd sneaked into her rucksack. All in all, it was a pretty impressive spread of food.
Though they started out at a proper and respectful distance away from each other, they starting inching closer together as time and conversation wore on. They talked about everything: titans, books, their comrades, the sea... Soon enough, the midday sun had lowered itself into mid-afternoon and the two soldiers no longer had to squint so hard. By the time the afternoon wind started to cool the golden sand, Armin and Hanji were lying down, exhausted despite not having actually done anything, with the Armin's head on the Squad Leader's stomach. There they remained for some hours still, looking at the clouds and pointing out any interesting shapes among them.
Armin found himself smiling constantly. He'd never known that his superior and him were so alike. Maybe this was because, whenever they'd talked in the past, it had been about pressing matters: titan walls, Eren's titan shifting, Eren's rescue mission. The past months had been unbelievably stressful, and Armin was glad and thankful that Hanji was such good company. When they'd first started walking he'd been slightly stiff and apprehensive, but soon after they started talking he'd let his guard down completely, savouring the company of a similar mind to his. When the time came and he found himself lying on Hanji's stomach, he'd somehow failed to even question it.
They must have dozed off at some point, because the next thing Armin knew, the Sun was almost touching the horizon and the wind had grown considerably colder. This did not discourage Hanji, however, who just draped the blanket over themselves and the blond. They sat there, snuggled close and cozy, until dusk turned the clouds blue and purple and the horizon was a fiery orange. Suddenly, Hanji stood up, pulling Armin up with them. They strode over to the shoreline until both their feet touched the waves lapping up at the sand. The water was cold, and Armin's toes curled up when the wind blew past them.
But this was soon forgotten, because Hanji took his hand. They interlaced their fingers with his, and he felt his heart flutter, his head grow lighter, and all the blood in his body rush to his face. He couldn't hold back a smile. They both looked out at the sinking sun, relishing the feeling of the cold water coating their feet, and the warmth of each other's hand.