Author's Note-

Hello all,

It's been years since I wrote this. I think it's held up well, and I'm still pretty proud of it. I'm not involved in the SNK community anymore for a multitude of reasons, but this pair still holds a special place in my heart even after all these years. I've always been a sucker for a good ol' opposites attract romance!

All I really have left to say is, sorry for typing the words "azure orbs". Ugh. The phrase makes me shudder now. I edited it out, I promise. Anyway, enjoy!

-Dorothy

6/11/2019

Armin trudged across the field, his feet dragging on the grass and his eyes trained on the purpling bruises peppering a good portion of his limbs. He ached all over, and his thoughts were overflowing with fantasies about flopping onto his bunk in the boy's barrack. He fantasized about the building's thin walls, thinner mattresses, and chilly drafts with a vigor never previously achieved. He attributed his newfound appreciation for napping to his best friends, who had spent the better part of the morning beating him to a pulp. They had good intentions, of course, but Armin still found it a tad silly that it took a literal kick in the ass to get him to appreciate the little things in life.

For most of his life, Armin valued hard work and just reward. As a child, he spent his days reading about and studying the unknown parts of the world, including geography, cartography, and social studies. The kids that surrounded him thought him crazy, but Armin thought himself educated. He figured that studying hard would get him far, and watched the other children laze about with mild disdain.

Who was he fooling? Armin now realized the value of making time for rest and recreation. Now he was familiar with burnout and exhaustion, and damnit, he was going to take advantage of all the free time he had to be the lazy slob he always hated as a child! The thought of abandoning his legendary work ethic for the rest of the day almost made Armin feel a bit naughty, but the newfound excitement put a small spring in his step.

Come on, Armin. Keep those legs moving!

It had taken the threesome almost two hours to get to the little clearing in the forest where they trained. But considering Armin's current state, the trip back to the Training Corps was bound to take much longer than that. Besides, he had been walking for about an hour, maximum. There was no way he was close.

Even so, Armin was glad he departed from his friends when he did, otherwise he feared he would have been in even worse a state. It was common knowledge that Armin was the physically the weakest in the Corps. Fortunately, Armin's mind was the quickest of the lot. His comrades relied on him above everyone else to develop ironclad plans and strategies. At least he wasn't completely worthless.

Armin's eyes wandered about the field as he walked. The field used to be for cattle, but the cows were long dead from some sort of disease. "The downside of the walls," Shadis had remarked as he walked the squad to the far training grounds, "is that disease hits harder than the Titans inside them." Without the cows to graze, the grass was so tall it reached Armin's waist. He made a mental note to perform a tick check before he hit the showers later on.

The stretch of grass ended at the edge of a dense forest, dark and shady with the weight of its foliage. Forests and cities, Armin thought, are the best places for fighting Titans. Armin highly doubted that the Titans would break through the walls, but the possibility of a victorious battle against the titans gave him a small amount of comfort.

Armin scanned the line of trees, looking for nothing in particular. Armin always caught himself scanning his surroundings for no reason. He always assumed it was because he was "freaky observant," as Erin once pointed out, stating that he tactically observed anything and everything within his eye's reach. On the other hand, Shadis tended to interpret the habit the wrong way, and had assigned Armin laps on more than one occasion as a penalty for "spacing out" during training.

So, it was no surprise when he picked out a shape almost hidden from view, lying in the midst of the tall grass. Her messy blonde bun was barely visible in the waves of gold, but it was her brown vest with sword studded patches that really stood out against the meadow.

Armin wondered why she was lazing about in an open field. She always seemed to be on her toes, ready to kick ass whenever she was even a little bit annoyed. Except during training, that is. In training, she barely even tried, often resting on the sidelines with a don't-talk-to-me-or-you-die type of look. Armin sometimes wondered if she ever worked hard in her life.

The mystery of Annie letting her guard down unfurled like a map in his head, and the thought of learning something new about the 104th's resident ice queen put a bounce in his step as he diverged off the path and made his way towards her. Unlike others who tended to shrink in the face of a challenge, mysteries and unanswered questions didn't frustrate Armin. Instead, they lit him up. He couldn't find it in himself to stop until he found answers.

Armin approached the girl cautiously, suddenly reminded of her bored, chilly demeanor. If he could help it, he didn't want to piss her off. He didn't particularly like the idea of gaining any more bruises, either.

"Annie?" He inquired softly. No reply. Armin twisted a piece of lint in his pocket before mustering up the courage to carefully inch forward in hopes of getting a clearer view of her face.

Armin found that she was not just gazing at clouds. She was, in fact, fast asleep.

Armin recoiled in surprise, but not from the knowledge that she was snoozing. It was, perhaps, her expression that startled him. Most people fall asleep with a peaceful, content expression on their faces. But Annie's expression was quite the opposite. the corners of her lips were turned down into a frighteningly unpleasant scowl, and her eyebrows were scrunched together as though she was downright furious.

There was no doubt about it. This was the famous Annie death glare. Eren had described it with an enormous amount of detail after he had (accidentally) gotten himself into a spar with her. Eren had been covered in terrific bruises when he told the tale to his bunk mate, and now the whole 104th was wary of it's ferocity.

Armin breathed heavily for a moment, silently willing himself to calm down. He peeked at her face again, and once he confirmed a second time that she was indeed asleep, he began his standard observations.

What thoughts are you hiding in that chilly and mysterious mind of yours?

Annie Leonhart stirred, awaking from her nap with a stifled yawn and a quick swipe of her lips with her tongue. When her eyes flickered open, she was greeted with a pair of extremely wide blue eyes.

Annie cursed loudly and sat bolt upright, slamming her forehead into Armin's.

"OW!" Armin yelped, recoiling immediately. His hand flew up to touch his newly bruised skull. One more bruise to add to the tally, he thought idly.

Annie regained her composure almost immediately, the result of years of training with her father. Annie wiped the surprise off her face and melted back into her usual icy expression, glaring menacingly at the boy who was now rubbing his scalp nervously.

"What the hell were you doing?" She snapped, eyes narrowing further. Armin stuttered and gestured wildly with his arms, mouth opening and closing uselessly for a few seconds before he found his voice. "I-I was just walking b-back to camp after a training session with Eren and Mikasa, and I saw you l-lying here, so I came over to check on you and see if you were okay…"

Armin's words trailed off, and he desperately hoped that she wouldn't decide to just punch his face in and be done with it. But Annie just stood up briskly and dusted off her trousers. "I don't need you watch over me. I can take care of myself just fine." And with that, Annie strode away.

Though Annie appeared annoyed to Armin, her thoughts were sprinting circles through her mind unrelentingly. Even Annie had to be completely honest with herself: Armin Arlert scared her to death. Not physically, of course. It was common knowledge that Armin was weak. In fact, Annie could probably beat him to a grease spot with a flick of her pinkie finger. No, it was his mind that truly terrified her.

It was also common knowledge that Armin Arlert had a brain of pure gold. He aced every classroom test and could almost always be found reading or studying his unbelievably detailed notes with his unbelievably legible handwriting. He was the 104th's resident master of observation, and was unanimously voted the team strategist.

Annie was afraid his lightning quick mind would see right through her masquerade. He looked at her like her mind was some sort of package marked "fragile," and he needed to open her up and sort through her thoughts and feelings without breaking them.

It freaked Annie out that someone thought of her like some sort of present.

Armin was definitely afraid of her, that's for sure. The diameter of his pupils were proof enough of that, but it was only a small comfort. He never looked at her like he would completely back away. His expression had curiosity written all over it, even when he was afraid for what unbruised skin he had left. He was always seeking answers to some unknown question.

Annie was afraid that next question was her.

Annie quickened her pace.

No matter what happened, she would not let him in. If he figures out her secret, it's all over. Everything she worked for would go down the drain. Annie's hand flexed uncomfortably under the little black ring that adorned her finger.

Armin gazed after her as she walked away, the telltale flush of unbridled curiosity slipping a small smile on his face. There was no way he was letting this question go unanswered. She was a mystery waiting to be solved, and Armin was ready to grab a pipe and begin some detective work.

He pulled himself to his feet and trotted after Annie's receding figure.

"Hey! Wait up!"

Hey, thanks for reading this little drabble of mine! It's short and old, but it's honest work.

Favorites and reviews are much appreciated! Have a good one!

-Dorothy