Thankfully, Mikasa didn't look out and had gone to sleep. They tiptoed to the room in the back upstairs, a single room provided to a titan shifter. At first, he wasn't fond of the arrangement where he was isolated from Jean and Connie, but now he was glad. A part of him knew his friends wouldn't be so accepting of Annie, not after what she had done. He gulped, beckoning her to come inside.

Annie circulated the room and checked every corner. He didn't understand the need but knew she was likely looking out for traps. But, the more pressing matters were getting her new clothes and food. And where was she going to sleep?

"Annie?" He whispered.

She looked up from where she was checking the single window. Finding it to be sturdy and a path for escaping in case needed.

"I don't have women's clothing, so uh―" he scratched the side of his face. "You'll have to borrow mine unless you want me to steal from Sasha, but that might be . . . "

She had no qualms against the idea, it was the safest option. "Okay, I'll take anything. But if you have something blue and a hoodie I'd prefer that."

Armin went through his sparse closet, finding one hoodie but white. He rarely wore different colours. He directed Annie to where the bathroom was and went downstairs to find food. There were still remains of leftovers and pie back where they celebrated. They were more inclined to drinking than actually eating anything. Unsure of how much Annie wanted, he gathered everything and carried it back.

Upon his arrival, she was standing in the middle of his room. Wet hair and his clothes baggy on her, looking a little less tired. She acknowledged the food first then him, not wasting more time she delved in. It had been four years, Armin couldn't blame her appetite. He smiled to himself, finding the sight of her eating to be adorable. She looked up and offered some to him, which he declined with a nervous laugh. The last thing he wanted to do was separate her from food.

They were sitting on the bed, Armin near the middle while Annie sat on the edge eating the pie. Now the only matter left was how will they sleep? He could sleep on the floor, he considered.

"Annie, I'll sleep on the floor," he offered.

She stopped eating and considered, feeling the floor with her toes. "It's cold, though. You'll get sick, colossal titan or not." There was a slight tinge of sadness when she verbalized what he was now.

"But, there's only one bed and um―" how could he explain this? A bit of fluster was beginning to develop.

"One is good enough, it looks sturdy," she felt the mattress. "I've slept in a lot worst place, this looks like a blessing." There was a coldness in her voice, she remembered memories of pain and suffering.

Armin wanted to reassure her, but at the same time, the bed wasn't the issue. Them both in it at the same time was. Was it? They were just comrades, he'd have done it with any fellow so why was he getting so worked up?

"I'll sleep on this side then and you can there," he pointed in the directions. Annie nodded.

"You can have the pillow," he tossed it to her side. She opened her mouth to object but he continued. "I've slept on a pillow for four years, I think I can manage one night."

Having things decided, Annie kept the dishes away and Armin locked the door. They laid down in directions as decided. Despite the bed being moderately large, their bodies were pretty close. Annie didn't move an inch, nor did he; afraid he'd be touching her feet accidentally.

They couldn't fall asleep, as Armin's redness grew.

"What did it feel like being in that crystal?" he absent-mindedly asked, hoping this would make this less awkward.

"It was like I could hear, but there wasn't anything else. Complete darkness, timeless darkness," Annie, to his surprise, revealed. Sadness evident in every word she spoke. She turned her face in the pillow, getting a particular scent which she imagined Armin's hair smelled like. It was a nice scent.

"So, you heard everything I said?" He nervously poked another question. He had said many things, a great many things and now it was embarrassing. How mortified he'd feel if she heard every single word.

"Every single word."

Oh god. Armin turned to his side and clutched his face, as the redness took over.

"Thank you for talking to me, at least I had someone. . . " Annie's voice was faint, but he caught it.

She was thankful that Armin was the one who came down today. What could she have done? Although, she had no doubt in her skills and knew she would have sneaked out contrary to what he believed. Perhaps just the thought of a familiar face along with her was comforting? She wasn't sure, but a part of her liked that Armin was here. The same Armin who outed her.

She glanced to her side and saw his back, moonlight illuminating him. He had changed. There was no naive optimism, but optimism that accepted how cruel the world could be. Even how he looked changed, shorter hair and his shoulders broadened. He had quite the muscular back, a lean body underneath the sheer white. . .

Her face went crimson and she turned to her side. What was she doing?

Then it finally dawned on her why Armin brought up about a single bed. Her face got further crimson, as she comprehended how she was sleeping next to a boy. Especially the fact that she insisted they sleep on it. She was sleeping on his bed, wearing his clothes, smelling his pillow, checking his body out. Oh god. She lived the life of a child soldier, there was no such shame between comrades. There was no shame between pain and blood. But this was different in every way, this was palpating her heart.

Sleep did overtake the two eventually, not quick enough to subdue the inherent emotions their position brought out.

Armin woke up, he rubbed his face and tried to remember why he was squeezed against the wall. His eyes shot open; Annie. He didn't move, but could her knee resting on his stomach. Other than that they had stayed in their places, although he could glace down and see a bit of her navel visible. He quickly looked away, finding his peering to be wrong. Gently, he moved her knee and got up. He pulled the cover over her and for a moment was caught in the sight of her face. She looked peaceful.

Before Armin could further adore the sight, there was a knock on his door. No. He grabbed his head, realizing how careless his decision was. The knock continued to be fierce, compelling Armin to unlock and step out. He closed the door and stood in front, making sure Jean didn't come inside.

"You locked your door, huh?" Jean noticed with a smirk.

Armin blushed, but not daring to move aside. He couldn't come up with a lie on spot, something he should've thought about earlier.

Jean leaned in. "Locked door, flustered face, I know exactly what's up."

Armin let out a shrill sound, unable to contradict anything.

"Don't worry, man. This is completely natural," Jean placed a hand on his shoulders. "Just make sure to wash your hands and not be too noisy."

He wasn't sure what Jean was referring to, then it hit him. His face was beet-root red as he fumbled to explain. "No, that's not it!" He whined.

Jean patted his shoulders with a slight smirk. "It's okay. Look it's none of my business, but don't worry it just means you're finally entering manhood."

"No. . ." Armin's voice went high-pitched, but there was nothing he could say to change Jean's mind. Yet it was better than Jean finding Annie sleeping in his room. . . he clutches his head, realizing how deep he had fallen in a possible innuendo.

"Just make sure to come and eat breakfast. Before Sasha eats everything, of course." Jean gave him a thumbs up and went on his way.

Author's note: Hehe, any clue what Jean thought was going on. Armin so luck it wasn't Connie who showed up xD