Hi, everyone! I finally decided to take on the 30 kisses challenge, which I've been wanting to do for more than a decade at this point. I'm terrible at interpreting prompts in a straightforward way, so I'll be playing a little fast and loose with things. Let me know if you have any requests (e.g., modern AU, fics based on certain scenes from the series, etc.).
This chapter is based on chapter 132 of the manga.
I should have kissed her.
Armin shook his head. It was an inappropriate thought, not because there was anything wrong with wanting to kiss Annie, but here? Now? While the world burned and millions bled and the fate of humanity was in his hands?
No. He couldn't have kissed her. Maybe later, when it was all over (if it would ever be over), but not now.
Still, as he lifted his hand to say goodbye, he couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to hold her in his arms and know she was safe. He would run one hand through her soft hair, brush the nape of her neck with his fingertips, and tuck her head against his chest. Her body would be warm against his. He would close his eyes, listening to the sound of her breathing, feeling her steady pulse, treasuring these precious signs of life. She would be all right, and he would stay with her, never to let another terrible war force them onto opposite sides of a battlefield.
He should have kissed her.
Instead, he could only look at her as she turned and walked away.