"What?!" Disappointment flooded his boyish features as he glanced again at the poster hanging on the wall. Today was the king from the royal Fritz family's birthday, and in that a wide celebration was held all across the walls, like a holiday. Most of the trainee's were taking a trip to the nearby town, celebrating and watching the parades, a day off from training and duties. It was announced that a small few would be left behind to fulfill a minimal amount of duties, although Armin had assumed his chances of being left behind to work was slim as they amount that were staying behind versus the amount leaving to celebrate was a huge difference. There was no way he was going to be selected to stay and work.

Yet there was his name, sitting right next to kitchen duty.

Eren was laughing over his shoulder, reaching his hand over Armin's shoulder to poke at the scribbles that clearly said 'Armin Arlert', "Fuck Armin! You really do have the shittiest luck!"

"That. . . means I have to stay?"

"Looks like it!" Eren smirked, not even attempting to hold back his chuckling. Jackass. While Eren, Mikasa and the others got to go shopping, eat good food and watch the parade Armin was going to be stuck cleaning the kitchen and taking inventory. His baby blue eyes glanced over the page, attempting to find a familiar name, but there was none. He was alone in the kitchen regardless. The worst luck.

"Don't worry Armin! I'll bring you back something delicious!" Eren grinned before patting Armin on the shoulder a little too roughly before walking away with a small wave, Mikasa following close behind him. They were meeting up with the rest of the group before they were to head to the town, leaving Armin behind with the potatoes and oatmeal.

Really. The shittiest of luck.

The main chef's were all too eager to give Armin the list of duties he needed to fulfill for the day, readying themselves to head to the town with the rest of the recruits. They were easy and menial tasks, but Armin still found himself cross as he preformed them. Reorganize the potatoes, tossing the ones that began to rot into the compost to be sent to the fields, washing the floors, scrubbing the pots until they were clean. Armin took a break as he allowed one of the bigger pots to boil water over a large stove, trying to tempt the cooked on oatmeal from separating with the iron.

His nights in the library with Annie hadn't stopped, even after she got frustrated with him. Armin was thankful for that, enjoying the company of the petite blonde. Sometimes even during the day she would come sit with him for lunch before Mikasa and Eren came over. Eren was quick to notice Annie's appearance, asking if they were dating before teasing Armin after his cheeks turned a bright red.

Armin's feelings for the girl weren't questioned until after Eren began teasing him. How did he actually feel about her? Were they just friends? They saw each other a lot. . . and oddly enough Armin found his nights with Annie to be a taboo subject, he never brought them up with anybody, and during the day neither him nor Annie spoke a word about it. Did that make it a little more romantic? He wasn't sure. Then again, even if it was, he wasn't willing to ask Annie her opinion lest she become angry and stop their visitations.

Armin sighed before yanking off his brown jacket and grabbing for a large rag, readying himself to pull the large pot off of the fire. Placing the rag on the handle he could feel the strain in his arms as he yanked the pot off, turning to put the pot down.

That's when he came to face to face with that beautiful face that he adored so much.

"Annie!"

He jolted back; surprised that she was here before feeling a burning on his chest. In his shock he had allowed some of the boiling water to spill from the pot, right onto his chest. He winced before putting the pot down with a large clang, "Gahh! Hot!"

Annie, always quick in reflexes grabbed the rag out of his hand, pressing it against his chest to soak up the water before speaking, "Take off your shirt."

She turned to grab a cold rag while Armin unbuttoned his shirt, wincing upon noticing the red skin, raw with the burning water that was starting to spread along his stomach. He tossed his shirt onto the table nearby as Annie approached, shoving a wet cloth onto his stomach a little top hard. Armin winced again as she shook her head, "Idiot."

Armin blinked a few times, noticing the anger in her voice and her eyes. Unsure as to what he did, Armin's face softened into an apologetic smile before reaching down to hold the cloth against his abdomen, "I'm sorry. I didn't notice you were there."

"Why not? I said your name when I came in."

Armin blinked a few times, letting her words sink in before his cheeks turned bright red. Was he really so lost in thought with the idea of her that he didn't even hear her when she entered?! "I'm sorry."

Annie's hand remained unmoving, still pressing the cloth against his stomach, the cold water soothing to the burn. The anger was still in her eyes, but Armin detected it wasn't towards him. . . it was towards herself. Was she upset that she had allowed him to get hurt? "I'll be fine Annie."

She said nothing, her ice blue eyes focused on her hand, pressing the cloth a bit harder into his stomach.

"Why aren't you out celebrating?"

A dangerous question. Armin knew perfectly well that she wasn't going to be happy, knowing perfectly well that these questions were triggers. Annie didn't like her motives questioned, but Armin couldn't help it. These thoughts, his feeling towards her had been questioned by himself for several weeks now and he needed to know. Why was Annie here? Why did she care so much? Why had their library visits turned into something that Armin had looked forward to?

Armin felt something move against his hand and looked at his stomach. . . when had he placed his hand on top of Annie's? His fingers were laced between her small ones, keeping the cloth pressed against his bare skin. Annie still seemed focused on her own hand, barely breathing, allowing Armin's hand to sit gently on top of hers. He could see it in her blue eyes, those beautiful gems that held all her emotion, all her secrets, all her true feelings.

"Annie. . .?"

It was like drowning, as Annie's lips came crashing into his, shock and joy rushing over his body, the pain from his burn disappearing. Annie had stayed for him, was it for this reason specifically?

He let his eyes flicker close before using his free arm to wrap around Annie's shoulders, pulling her closer to him. She didn't pull away, much to Armin's surprise, Annie was welcoming his touch, his returned kiss. Armin didn't even know how long they stood there, their lips locked in an embrace before Annie pulled away, the look on her face shocking Armin.

Annie's face was a slight pink; her eyes staring up at him with a softness he had never seen from her, her mouth open slightly as in shock of what to say next. Taken aback, Armin just continued to stare at her, their eyes locked in an unwavering gaze.

He had always found her beautiful, but with that face, that expression, one that was filled with embarrassment, adoration and confusion Armin felt like he was seeing her in a complete new light. This, may have been a face that only he had ever seen, if not just him, very few people. Annie was always so stoic and serious, even to Armin before this had happened.

"What do you think of me, Armin?"