Armin stands in front of his locker, eyes locked down the hallway, thumbs nervously twiddling each other, and heart pulsating a lot quicker than necessary. It's just a lie. One simple, dirty lie. There's nothing wrong with lying to an upperclassman, especially one you respect so greatly.
At least he isn't selling his soul to the Devil.
Though it sure as hell feels like what's he going to do.
It in fact feels like a better option than what he's going to do.
To his dismay, Erwin emerges from the sea of students. Both of them are alone, so it'll be much easier to carry out the tainted conversation.
But probably not.
"Uh, Erwin?" Armin asks once the taller blond is near, getting his attention (which only makes him even more nervous).
"Yes?"
"I have a really embarrassing thing to ask.."
The older boy raises a brow.
"I haven't been doing so hot in Geometry, and I was wondering if you could tutor me?" The lie is huge. Geometry is very dependent on logic, which Armin excels at using. His grades in the course are perfect, as they are in every other class he takes.
Erwin's emotionless blue eyes scan over Armin's face, causing him to grow even more nervous. Hopefully it isn't obvious.
"You want to talk to me about something."
It was obvious.
Armin bites his lower lip and nods, which makes Erwin smile ever-so softly.
"You could have just said so. No need to harm your personal integrity. You can meet me after practice, and we can grab something to eat at the nearest cafe, if that's all right with you."
"It sounds fine, yeah."
Erwin nods, bids Armin a quick goodbye, and continues making his way down the hall.
"Hey, Armin!" Eren's excited voice and the slamming of his tray against the table draws Armin's attention away from his carton of strawberry milk.
"Hey. What's got you all riled up?"
"I'm just excited for the game Friday. Mikasa and I are gonna grab some coffee after practice, wanna join us?"
"Oh, I'd love to, but I have other plans."
Of course, that's when Connie decides to butt in. "Ooh, do you have a date, Armin?"
Armin's face flushes a bright red, and Connie and Eren burst out laughing. Marco bites his lower lip to keep himself from also doing so.
"No, I do not have a date, Connie," Armin's voice is a much higher pitch than it usually is, "I will be meeting with an upperclassman to talk about some club-related things."
"Sooo, like a date?"
"No. It's with Erwin Smith."
Connie instantly loses all interest. "Oh. It isn't actually a date."
"That's what I was trying to tell you, yes."
"Why are you meeting with Erwin Smith?" Marco asks curiously, in place of Eren who now looks more than a little annoyed.
Armin shrugs and says, "Like I said earlier, club things," before picking up and taking a bite of his chicken sandwich.
Somehow, telling that lie was a lot easier.