Pairing: AruAni
Setting: Modern Day
Rating: T, for some language
Summary: Armin Arlert was stupidly kind. And it only made Annie fall him faster.
Notes: I'm so excited to finally have this story out for you guys to read. I randomly came up with this idea one day when I was at work and decided to just go with it. This AU mostly explains itself, but if you have any questions feel free to message me.
Living Like We're Renegades
January, Annie decided, was a very bad month to run away.
It was cold as fuck and the weather was unpredictable, being mild one day then freezing the next. There was still snow that fell and then there was the freezing rain. And she honestly wasn't sure which was worse.
It had been three days since she'd finished the loaf of bread that she'd managed to steal fom her father's house before she'd left, and she'd finished the last of her water yesterday. Her hoodie was too thin for this winter and she'd given her blanket to a kid she'd seen shivering on the street the other day. She hadn't thought to grab an umbrella and she was regretting it now. Damn it, it was just too cold...
She couldn't even feel the freezing rain that was pouring down now, in fact she hadn't been able to feel her fingers for the past hour. She was resting on the side of the road now, her knees to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. Cars drove by without stopping and people would quickly walk by her, but it wasn't anything she wasn't used to by now. This wasn't the first time she'd run away, after all.
But this was the fist time she'd decided to run away in the dead of winter and boy did she regret it.
Maybe I'll die out here, she thought to herself, blinking to try to keep the cold precipitation out of her eyes. Maybe my hands will fall off from frostbite and I'll die of shock. Wouldn't that be something, papa? Would you even give a shit?
She closed her eyes, ready to just give up for the day and try to sleep. She was so tired...
Then suddenly she couldn't feel the rain anymore, and she blinked. She slowly lifted her head, staring up.
A pair of gentle blue eyes looked back at her, a soft smile directed at her. An umbrella was being held above her, which was why she could no longer feel the rain. A hand was held out to her, attached to a sweet-looking boy.
"Hey." He tilted his head towards her, still smiling even when she didn't respond. Not that she could, her jaw was clenched so tight that it hurt. But he kept his hand out for her. "It's pretty cold out. Are you lost? Do you need a ride home?" She'd been offered rides before but she never took them up on their offer, because they had all been perverts. But this boy...something inside of her told her that he wouldn't hurt her. That he could be trusted.
It was odd...she'd never felt like this before.
"Miss? Can you speak?" He slowly knelt down beside her, being sure to keep the umbrella held over her even though he was getting wet. "Do you need help?"
She wanted to answer him, but she was freezing and she couldn't feel her legs or her hands and she was so tired. She tried to open her mouth to reply to him, but her teeth were chattering too hard and her chest was hurting so bad...before she knew it she was starting to fall over.
"Whoa!" He dropped the umbrella and wrapped his arms around her, keeping her from hitting the concrete. "Easy, there. I've got you." He kept one arm around her shoulders as the other looped under her knees. He grabbed his umbrella before standing up, holding her close to his chest. "You're freezing...let's get you out of this weather, okay?"
All she could do was nod and lean her head against his chest as her eyes fluttered shut. He was so warm and his arms around her were so gentle and she was just so, so tired...it didn't take even two seconds before she was passed out.
The next thing she knew she was being carried into a house which was much, much warmer than it was outside. The heat hit her but despite it she was still shivering.
"Eren! I need some help here!" The boy from earlier was still carrying her, his arms a little tighter than before. She glanced up and caught him looking down at her, his blue eyes full of concern. "Don't worry, we'll help you."
"Dude, finally! Did you pick up anything to eat, I'm starving-" Another boy with brown hair came down a hall, but he stopped when he saw her. A deep frown darkened his face. "Again? Seriously, Armin?"
"I...found her?" She felt the blond boy shrug, but she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. It was so warm now, and she just felt so sleepy...
"You're going to get arrested again-"
"I'm not going to get arrested!"
"Armin, Hannes warned you that if you did this again-"
"I couldn't just leave her shivering on the street, Eren! Now will you please help me out, I think she has hypothermia."
Rough, warm hands cupped her face, pressing against her pulse and her forehead. She opened her eyes and glared at the boy, Eren, as he checked over her. "She's pretty cold...and her face and hands are really red." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before gesturing at the boy who was carrying her-Armin, he'd been called. "Come on. We need to get her clothes off."
Uh, no! Annie growled deep in her throat and tried to struggle away from Armin, determined to keep that from happening. But she was too weak to do much and her hands felt like they were frozen.
"Whoa, easy." Armin shifted her in his arms to keep from dropping her. "We don't mean any harm. Eren is a doctor, he knows what to do when people have hypothermia. Don't worry, we're not going to do anything inappropriate." He gave her a gentle smile. "I promise."
For some reason his voice soothed her, and for some reason she couldn't explain she believed him. She stopped struggling and went limp in his arms, honestly too tired to try to escape.
Armin brought her into a room and set her down on a bed. Eren handed the other boy a blanket. "Wrap this around her as soon as you get her clothes off. Try to warm her torso first, it could send her into shock if you try to warm her hands first. I'll go get a hot water bottle ready." Then he left the room.
Annie heard the blond boy take in a breath before he started to take her hoodie off. "I'm just going to take your outer layers off, okay?" He placed the hoodie on a chair then did the same with her shirt. She shivered and pressed her arms against her upper half, watching as he carefully removed her pants, leaving her in just her bra and underwear. He immediately wrapped her in the big fluffy blanket, sitting down next to her as he pulled her to him.
"My name is Armin, by the way." She felt his hands rubbing her sides and back through the blanket. "I probably should have introduced myself earlier. Sorry about that."
After about ten minutes of this feeling started to come back to Annie's body. It felt like there were pins and needles in her hands and feet, but she could feel her face again. She carefully flexed her fingers, just feeling glad that they were still there. She leaned back into the boy, closing her eyes as she was finally able to relax for the first time in three days. She felt like she should thank him for saving her from hypothermia, or worse frost bite.
She felt like she should say something...
"Annie."
"Huh?" His hands on her back stilled, and she felt him lean forward. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"Annie." She turned her head to look at him. "My name. It's Annie."
The smile that came onto his lips nearly left her breathless, and the way his hands were so gentle on her person brought a warmth into her heart that she hadn't felt in years. "It's nice to meet you, Annie."
There was a knock on the door and a throat was cleared. Annie glanced towards the door to find Eren standing there, a hot water bottle and a towel in his hands. "Sorry to interrupt, but we still have to make sure she warms up." He walked towards them, wrapping the towel around the bottle and handing it to Armin.
He took it and handed it to Annie, who held it to her chest and closed her eyes, relishing in how nice it felt. She leaned back into Armin's chest once more, feeling her limps start to feel heavy. She was so sleepy...and when she felt gently fingers run through her short hair she was sure she would fall asleep.
But the talking was keeping her from doing that.
"She can't stay here, Armin."
"We can't just send her back outside, Eren, look at her!"
"You can't keep doing this-"
"I didn't kidnap her, and I didn't kidnap the last one either-"
"That's not going to stop people from pressing charges! Damn it, man, we barely kept you from going to jail last time! If you get arrested again-"
"I'm not going to get arrested! Geez, I'm not doing anything wrong by wanting to help people who need it! She's homeless, and she was freezing, and I couldn't just walk away from her!"
"Why not? Plenty of people do it every day!"
"I'm not like them." The fingers in her hair stilled, and arms were wrapped protectively around her. "We both know that there are terrible people out there who ignore those in need, and I refuse to be one of those people." She felt herself being laid down, and the blanket was tucked in firmly around her. "I'll put in some calls to the local shelters tomorrow, see if there's any room for her. But if they say no, I'm not letting her go back on the street." Gentle fingers brushed the hair away from her face, and it made her feel so safe.
She heard Eren sigh and the shuffling of feet. "Alright. But if you get arrested again Mikasa is going to kill both of us."
Annie swore she heard Armin laugh just as she finally drifted off.
Armin Arlert was stupidly kind, Annie learned.
Of course none of the local homeless shelters had any room for her, and true to his word Armin had refused to let her go back on the street no matter how many times she insisted she could take care of herself. The room she had been sleeping in was his, and he refused to take it back no matter how many times she tried to tell him that she wouldn't mind sleeping on the couch.
Once she was feeling better he invited her to run some errands with him, and she had agreed quite quickly. She was feeling antsy from just sitting around all day. Their first stop had been to a bank where he took out nearly fifty dollars, all in ones. When she had questioned him about it, he just smiled at her.
Running errands with Armin turned into doing many little acts of charity. He gave out money to every homeless person he passed, he helped little old ladies and children across the street, and he carried things for people who were struggling with heavy loads. Annie helped out when she was able, but for the most part he insisted that he could handle it.
As she watched him help all of these people, Annie suddenly understood why he had stopped and helped her that day. Armin seemed almost unable to keep himself from helping someone in need, and it was a quality that made her heart swell. He was a good person, a genuinely all-around good person.
And she quickly found herself falling for him.
"How did you end up homeless?" Armin asked her one evening as they sat on his couch. Eren had gone over to Mikasa's and they were left home alone for the night, and he had decided to take advantage of it with a game of cards.
Annie bit her lip, trying to decide the best way to tell him. She couldn't lie, that just wouldn't be fair to him. "I actually ran away."
"Really?" He tilted his his, his eyes wide with interest. "How come?"
She shrugged, shuffling the cards in her hands. "I wanted to get away from my father. Prove to him that I could live without his money." She snorted. "I did a great job, huh? Ended up on the streets, starving and freezing."
"But you didn't go home," he pointed out, laying down a card. "So you kind of succeeded."
"I would have died on that street corner if you hadn't shown up." She laid her cards down and leaned back against the couch, closing her eyes. "I expected to die."
She heard his sharp intake of breath, and she opened her eyes when she felt his hand on her face. His blue eyes were intense, almost angry. "Don't talk like that."
"But it's true," she breathed, unable to look away from him. He had the most gorgeous eyes... "If you hadn't shown up who knows what would have happened."
His gaze softened, and a warm smile split his lips. "I'm glad I was there, then." He started to lean forward, and Annie was sure that he was going to kiss her.
And she was going to let him.
But they were interrupted by a knock on the door, and she had to bite back the moan of disappoint swelling in her throat when he pulled away. Armin stood up and went over to the door, opening it. She could hear the surprise in his voice as he greeted the person at the door.
"Officer Hannes, this is a surprise. How can I help you?"
"I'm sorry Armin, I need you to step outside."
Annie stood up, going over to the door. She saw Armin's eyebrows raise in show, saw his lips part as a huff left his mouth. "Why? I didn't do anything."
The police officer at the door was shuffling around uncomfortably. "Don't make this any harder than it already is, Armin. I have to put you under arrest."
"For what?!" He was angry now, and Annie could feel her own temper rising.
"The kidnapping of Annie Leonhardt."
"Annie Leonhardt...you mean the daughter of Dietrich Leonhardt? The famous politician?" Armin's head turned to stare at her, and she had never hated herself as much as she did in that moment.
"He didn't kidnap me." Annie stepped forward, gently pushing Armin away from the door. "I came here on my own terms. I'll go with you and talk to him myself, but I'm not letting you arrest Armin, officer." She crossed her arms over her chest and fixed the man with an ice-cold glare that quickly convinced him.
"R-right, of course, Miss Leonhardt! I'll wait in the car for you." Hannes practically jumped down the stairs and ran back to his car.
"You're that Annie?" She turned around to face the boy she had been living with. It hurt her to see the shocked and pained look in his eyes. "The girl that's been all over the news, the one they've been looking for...that's you?"
She nodded and turned her head, unable to look him in the eye.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Why, indeed. The knowledge wouldn't have changed how he viewed her, she knew that. He was too kind for that sort of thing. Still..."I didn't want you to think less of me."
"I wouldn't have! Annie, I'm-"
"Don't." She held out a hand to stop him. "It doesn't matter anymore." She let her hand fall back to her side, finally chancing a look in his direction. She instantly regretted it, seeing the look on his face. She had done this. And she had to make it right. "Thank you for saving me. Now let me save you." Then she turned and walked out to the car.
Her father didn't let her out of the house for a month, shutting off her phone and monitering what she did on the internet. He was all smiles and affection when the cameras were on them, but as soon as they were alone he scolded and lectured her about how irresponsible she had been and how it looked for a policitian's daughter to run away. She didn't a fuck what he thought or what anyone else thought, though, and she ignored him when he spoke.
Things went back to normal after that month, though, and the first thing she did was try to find Armin. She cursed herself for not getting his number or even his address. She tried looking in all of the places she knew he went, but she always seemed to just miss him. She even went to the hospital to talk to Eren, but the brunet had just yelled at her, accusing her of almost ruining Armin's life. And really, he was right. She had almost gotten him arrested, and in her mind that made her as terrible as the people Armin had spoken of the first night at his house.
After awhile she just gave up and went back to her every day life before Armin. Except...now everything she did felt pointless, empty...selfish.
So she threw herself into charity work.
Annie donated as much money and food and clothing to every organization that needed. She hosted events that needed a spokes person, and she even adopted a cat from a local rescue group. She gave out money to the homeless people she passed on the street, and she helped school children get across the street. She did everything she could to make herself feel as close to Armin as possible.
But it wasn't enough. And she knew that it never would be.
One night Annie gave her driver the night off and just walked the streets, noting how many people were rushing around, ignoring those in need around them. She remembered how disgusted Armin had been by those kind of people, and she felt her own revulsion rising up in her.
The world is a shitty place. She glanced up at the moon and felt a small smile split her lips. But with people like you in it, Armin, maybe it stands a chance.
She lowered her gaze and noticed a little boy standing with his family on the side of the road. They were all dressed very poorly, with holes and tears in their clothes, and the mother was trying to soothe a whining baby. The boy had his arms crossed over his chest, shivering hard.
Annie knelt down in front of the child, taking her coat off and wrapping it around him. "Here you go. This should keep you warm."
He blinked up at her and didn't say a word, only gripped the coat and drew it tightly around himself.
"How can we ever thank you?" the mother asked her, eyes teary from the kindness shown to her son.
"Get your family to the nearest soup kitchen and have a good meal." Annie nodded at the woman and continued on down the street, stuffing her hands in her hoodie.
"That was rather kind of you, Miss Annie."
She stopped, feeling her heart skip a beat. It can't be... She slowly turned around, and nearly cried when she saw him.
Armin stood just a few feet away from her, hands stuffed in his coat and his usual smile on his lips. "I saw what you did back there. And I've been hearing about what you've been doing around the city. Miss Annie Leonhardt is making a name for herself."
"I looked for you," she blinked, trying her best to not burst into tears right then and there. That would have been so embarrassing. "I even tried to talk to Eren, though he wasn't very happy to see me."
"He's always been protective," the blond shrugged, taking a step towards her. "I went on a mission trip to Trost to help out with the homeless shelter there. That's why I haven't been around. I'm sorry if I had you worried, I could kick myself for not giving you my number."
"So you weren't avoiding me?" She couldn't stop the tear that were making their way down her cheeks, and she didn't bother trying to wipe them away. It would have been a moot effort.
"No, God, no." He reached up to cup her face, and she willingly leaned into his touch. His blue eyes were warm as he gazed down at her. "I told you I didn't think less of you. I was never mad at you, Annie. I just wished you would have told me."
"I'm sorry," she hiccuped, her own hands reaching up to grip the front of his coat.
"It's okay, I promise." His thumbs wiped at the tears on her cheek as he leaned down to press his lips to her forehead. Then his lips were on her nose, and her cheeks, and she couldn't help the soft moan that left her. "I'm so proud of you, Annie. But you never needed to prove yourself." He kissed her jaw. "I've always known how kind you are."
She couldn't take it any long, and she leaned up on her tip-toes to press her mouth to his. And just like everything he did, his kiss was filled with kindness.
