Chapter Five: The Boy with Sunshine Hair and Ocean Eyes

She didn't wake up until noon the next day. Or rather, she didn't get up from her place on her chair until noon the next day.

Annie couldn't see the point in preparing for the day anymore. It wasn't like she was going anywhere, had things to do, people to see. However, once Reiner, Ymir, and Berthold had awoken and begun roaming around, she almost wished she did have plans that didn't involve these three.

She left Three Walls around two thirty, not really keeping track of where she was going. Within moments, the girl felt and heard her stomach grumble in hunger. Her brain then told her that she never had breakfast that morning; in fact, the last thing she had consumed was that half empty bag of salt and vinegar chips Ymir had given her last night and, of course, that hadn't filled her up at all.

Her eyes scanned the perimeter and tried to catch anything that resembled food. There was a supermarket on the left that was swarming with people which was automatically labeled as a "danger zone" in her mind. It was too much of a risk for her to go steal some snacks while surrounded by prying eyes. A small restaurant sat across the street and Annie immediately dismissed that business as well—she almost laughed at the thought of her having any money. She glanced further down the road and observed the quiet Rose University, an occasional student or professor crossing buildings. Annie wasn't so sure about the college. Even on weekends, the school's security was on high alert, making sure that everybody who wasn't a part of Rose University got shooed away back into the cold.

Just then, a student with a bad bowl-shaped haircut passed by the school on the sidewalk. He was fumbling with all the textbooks and sheets of notes in his hands when an energy drink fell out of his open backpack. Annie's gaze stayed on the rolling can as the student continued walking, unaware that he was leaving something behind.

She quickly skimmed the area before making her way over to the school. Her steps were swift and careful, dodging every person who got in her way. (Well, almost everyone.)

As if fate were trying to screw with her, her shoulder bumped against someone's chest, causing her to stumble a bit while the person she hit nearly fell to the ground, catching their footing at the last second. She peeked behind her momentarily—that was the intention anyway. Her eyes remained on a familiar blond with a thin body and only remembered who they were when the person looked up at her, smiled, and stated her name.

Annie raised an eyebrow and the boy nodded his head, understanding her confusion. "I'm Armin," he explained. "We met momentarily yesterday."

She blinked. "Oh yeah," came her dull response. She stole a glance behind her, taking a look at the energy drink still on the sidewalk.

Armin straightened up from his almost-fall, to which Annie noticed that he was only about four inches taller than her (at least he isn't as big as Berthold, she found herself thinking). His smile never faded as he gazed at her. "Are you doing alright?"

She hesitated. "I'm fine."

His smile broadened. "Good! So, uh, are you doing anything today?"

She didn't think about the question properly because, without really knowing what she was doing, she mumbled "No" under her breath.

She hadn't realized what she'd done until the boy, Armin, beamed with hope and then asked her, "Would you like to go get something to eat?"

For a second, the energy drink left Annie's mind completely. Something to eat? Even the word "eat" caused her mouth to fill up with saliva. She almost accepted the offer whole-heartedly…almost.

Instead, she stared at this Armin with narrowed eyes. He barely knew her and yet he was inviting her out on an event of some sort. Did he plan this, search for her in the city and then ask her this question, in hopes that she would say yes? What a creep.

"No, thanks," she answered dully, preparing to turn around when an image crossed the boy's face, forcing her to stop in her tracks. He looked sad with his slightly upturned eyebrows and parted lips. "But…why not?" he whimpered, looking and sounding like a lost puppy.

"Because you don't even know me."

He shrugged. "Well, it's good to get to know each other that way. And you get to eat a proper meal." He blushed to himself as the bitter November air nipped at his cheeks. "That's another good thing."

She still wasn't convinced. "Don't you have something better to do than to eat with a weak and pathetic girl like me?" She sniffed distastefully through her Rudolph red nose to prove her point.

Armin blinked, surprised. "You're not weak or pathetic."

That caught her attention, but she tried not to let it show. Whenever she insulted herself (out loud, that is) silence usually followed. Sometimes Reiner or Ymir or her father would agree with her, daring to even push the subject further (Berthold never said anything, of course). But no one, until now, had objected to her self-harm.

Her gaze fell on the passing cars in front of her while Armin's glided down to Annie's battered sneakers. "Please?" he added pleadingly. "It would be my pleasure to treat you to lunch."

Slowly, her stone cold eyes moved over to his bashful face. Why was he being nice to her? She's done nothing to deserve this—in fact, quite the opposite. This whole scenario was completely foreign to her and she had no idea how to appropriately respond to it. But still she tried.

"What exactly did you have in mind?"

He looked up at her. "Is that a yes?"

"It's a question, dumbass."

"Oh…well, I actually have some food packed in my bag, so we can go inside somewhere…"

"No."

"Pardon?"

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

Annie knew she was making him uncomfortable, but he smirked, chuckled, and said, "Am I already embarrassing you?"

She rolled her eyes. "Like I said, you don't know me."

"Are you saying that for my sake or yours?"

Annie's frown deepened. Who does this guy think he is, questioning everything that came out her mouth? She should just take his messenger bag and leave. No, she can't do that. She didn't know why but she had a feeling that she would be seeing this boy often…dammit. So instead, she muttered "Whatever" under her breath, walked a few steps, and then sat down on a nearby bench that overlooked the city.

She clutched her frozen hands together and blew into them as she felt Armin's eyes follow her every movement. Her equally frozen orbs glared up at him. "Are you gonna sit with me or are you gonna continue to stand there and stare at me like an idiot?"

At hearing Annie's words, Armin snapped back to reality as his face flushed a bright cherry red. He quickly stumbled over to her and placed himself next to her on the plastic bench. His gaze fluttered around the scenery before settling back on her. "Are you sure you don't want to go somewhere indoors? I'm sure you're plenty cold."

"I'm fine," she replied, annoyed.

His eyes lingered on her a moment longer before they turned to his bag. Fucking finally, Annie thought to herself; she did not appreciate him staring at her. It only added to the idea of him being a perverted stalker.

She watched him pull out a small plastic container and a tall dark green thermos from his mushroom colored bag. He unscrewed the top off the thermos and poured whatever was in the bottle into the cap. He handed it to her with, of course, a smile. "It's chicken noodle soup," he clarified. "Everyone's going to need some of this sometime in the winter."

The homeless girl hesitantly took the tiny cup from him and enveloped her hands around it tightly as the warmth sunk into her palms and fingers. For a minute, she just let the soup's warm smell and heated touch consume her frostbitten skin. And once she sipped the yellow soup, she could feel that same warmth flow within her. She then noticed Armin holding out the plastic container towards her.

"I also brought this. It's something I like to eat whenever it's cold outside." He pried open the lid and plucked a white fork from its contents. Annie swallowed what was left in the thermos cap and set it aside so she could take the meal from Armin's hands. Inside was a mixture of brown rice, steamed veggies, and a slice of banana nut bread on the side. She was glad to learn that these foods held warmth as well.

Annie ate the hot and delicious (although she'd never admit it to him) lunch Armin made for her, but tried her best to not devour it rapidly like a wild animal. Armin mainly watched her and made sure she ate everything, but he also talked—a lot. She didn't catch all of it—she wasn't trying to pay attention in the first place—but she recalled him discussing the weather, his school exams, and something about his friend Eren.

About fifteen to twenty minutes later, when Annie had finished her food, she handed back the now empty container and thermos to Armin. She nodded her head to him, said "Thanks" and started to walk away.

"Uh, w-wait!" Armin struggled to quickly stuff his things into his bag and jog over to her side. "W-Where are you going?"

She shrugged. "Not sure. Somewhere warm, maybe."

"Maybe?"

"Sometimes warm places aren't what they're cut out to be."

The taller blond knitted his thick eyebrows together in misunderstanding. He was probably trying to figure out what she had meant with her last statement. She didn't expect him to. Not many people understood her anyway.

She observed him shake out of his thoughts and present his kind and very real smile. "Mind if I join you?"

Annie bit the inside of her cheek. He was still determined to talk with her? But she hardly said anything to him (nicely, anyway). What confused her even more was that he visibly flinched or shrunk into himself like tissue paper whenever her icy glare pierced through him…and he still asked her questions like these. How could this little weakling be both frightened and interested in her?

She shifted her weight onto one foot, studying Armin while studied her through smiling lips and wide eyes. If innocence could completely embody a person, it would be him. His golden blond hair shone brightly like the sunrays on a late spring afternoon. His deep blue eyes overflowed with interest like the crashing waves on a pleasant and beautiful beach. And that smile of his could make anyone feel good about themselves. It wasn't plastered on his face, but seemed to fit just right, much like a puzzle piece. He was lucky enough to possess such a smile; it made you want to confess everything to him, gaining trust instantly.

That's why she didn't like him. The most dangerous people were the ones that were easy to talk to, the ones that were considered "trustworthy" and "responsible". She believed Armin was just that and that's why she didn't want to get close to him. Who knows what could come spilling out of her mouth in his oh-so-friendly presence?

But she failed to understand why she patiently waited for him to catch up to her so they could walk side by side through the bustling city.