#in Armin we trust to be amazing

[agathas-megacoven]

Sooooo glad Hange lived almost until the very end of the series. We got great content to immortalise Hange our minds and resurrect Hange in our hearts but ALSO I would have stopped watching AOT out of disinterest much sooner. At least now I only have to force myself to watch one more (long) episode. I’m watching to cheerlead (but sadly) as Levi wrecks a monkey and Mikasa hopefully (but also sadly) pummels Eren in the balls. In Ackerman’s we trust.

[seeingivy]

ribbons release

actor eren x f!reader

**part of my method acting series

content: happiness for once. until it is not. ronnie's love for foreshadowing strikes again.

an: not a fan of this chapter, but we digress. read it and do not kill me if you don't like it.

song: not explicitly mentioned, but this chapter reminds me of about you by the 1975. ratty healy, I hate you but you ate on this one thing.

previous part linked here

--

“I ju-just sent my loc-location, Eren.” 

“I got it, Y/N. I just need you to hold on for ten more minutes, okay? Can you do that for me?” 

“Y-yes.” 

Seattle is famous for rain. You understand that all too well now. After what you’ve counted as twenty-seven minutes - from when you went to take the trash out to the mailpost you’re hiding behind now - you’re all but soaked. Drenched. 

Your phone is blowing up with texts, the rain is only getting harder, and the mini black dress and ribbon in your hair do no favors to keep you warm. You slide out of your call with Eren and quickly scan through the messages, buzzing so loud they’re blocking Eren’s voice. 

reiner: so, so proud of you always!!! stop being a big famous pop star and go back to being the little twerp who needs my help killing spiders on set :/ 

levi: I love you too, kid. And on a real listen, we really do love the album. 

armin: ann and i are smelling a triple threat on the horizon. love you to the moon and saturn <3

connie: i was accidentally pooping while i listened to dorothea for the first time and i think the combination of those two things at once gave me like a really visceral reaction. im not ok. u are amazing. 

mikasa: u are givg me aneurysm. pls don’t forgor to call me the scnd ur okay. 

erwin: Call me ASAP. 

erwin: Not urgent. Just feeling emotional about my little Canadian reaching hearts all over the world. 

king of bitches (maybe: ryomen sukuna): Fluff shit indeed. Blow me a kiss when you beat James for Album of the Year. 

danny: where is the album release post? it’s almost been half an hour. 

You have bigger problems at the moment. Like the frozen piece of fabric you’re wearing. You should have named the album sweaters or scarves or something. Then at least you’d be warm. And blend in with the paparazzi. 

Fuck.

“W-wait, Eren. Y-you ca-n’t b-be the one to get me.” you murmur, shivering through your teeth.

“Do you want to stay with someone else? I know nice people here. My neighbor is in her late forties and has like two middle school aged girls that are really nice. They’d take care of you, I promise you can trust them and-” he rambles. 

“N-no. I want to st-stay with you. But pa-papara-zzi. S-send ss-omeone e-else.” 

“Paparazzi? Why are-?” 

“Er-eren.” 

“Would it be that bad if it was me? Like it has to be someone else, Y/N?” 

“Y-yes.” 

“I have someone in mind. She’s leaving right now, okay?” 

Eren’s sound is muffled over the line now, which has you digging your phone into your ear to catch the ends of what he’s saying. 

Blast the heater….butt warmer on before she’s in the car….bring it up and I will kick your freeloading….

“Y/N?” 

“H-here.” 

“Good. I’m sending her. Don't get upset, this is the best I could do, okay? I-I promise she’s actually nice. You can trust her and-and I’d never send someone who would do something bad.”  

“O-okay. I t-trust you. J-just get me ou-out of th-this, please.” you whimper, praying to god the rustling behind you is a rabbit and not the group of them finding you. 

“I’m trying sweetheart, okay? She’s speeding. She’s on Main and Third, three lights and she’s there.” 

That’s when you see it. The flash of the camera. And hear five consecutive clicks right after. You look around the periphery, before you see two of them, two tall guys speed walking closer to where you’re hiding. 

So you do the only thing you can. Stand up and run instead. 

You scramble up off the pavement, hiking your dress down, and keep running down the block. Climb up the gates, knock over trash cans to block the way, anything to stop them. And when you look back, after who knows how long, you realize they’re gone. 

And sit flat on the messy pavement, finally lifting the phone back up. Only to realize Eren’s no longer on the line because your phone is dead. You drop it straight into your lap and dig your hands into your head, covering your ears to stop the pounding sound of the rain from getting any louder. 

God. Just breathe. Whoever is coming to get you is on the way. They’ll come get you and then you’ll be out of this mess. 

You hear three resounding clicks and a flash of a light to look up at two different paps, two girls this time, getting a straight on picture of you. And all you can do is put your head down in your lap and cry. 

They already got the picture. There’s no point in trying to run out of it anymore. 

“Y/N.” 

“Pl-please. I’m b-begging you. You already got your picture and can ss-spin it into whatever you want. I-I’m still a person, please. Just let me go.” you respond, the tears blinding your sight of vision. 

You feel a towel being wrapped around your shoulders and soft hands lifting you up by your arms. And then all of a sudden you’re in a warm car, being sped out of the neighborhood past the groups of paparazzi in between the houses, and not directly across from them having your picture taken. 

You’re in a car. You’re okay. You’re leaving. You’re okay. 

You lean back and breathe hard, phantom sobs still racking out of your chest, trying to register that you’re almost there. Safe behind closed, triple locked doors. 

“D-did you tell Eren?” 

“Yes. He’s not far, we’ll be there soon, okay?” 

“Okay. T-thank you. I’m Y/N.” 

“Lana.” 

You turn your head to actually take in the driver this time, to be met with the Lana you feared. Ricky’s ex-girlfriend, Lana. She has short brown hair - entirely different from her long, beachy waves from the Girlfriend incident - a pointed nose and a very clenched jaw. 

“Th-there are more blankets on the floor. I pumped the heater pretty hard, but I’ll turn all the fans your way. And anything you could possibly need is being rushed to the house for you, so just don’t worry, okay?” 

“I appreciate it. Thank you for coming to get me. I-I” 

“Please don’t thank me. I just-” 

She takes a harsh intake of breath and turns to give you a look, her mouth upturned. 

“He locked you out, didn’t he?” she whispers. 

“Yeah.” you respond. 

“What did you do?”

“I told him I didn’t like him back.” 

She turns her head towards you, a look of confusion on her face. 

“It was a PR thing.” 

She snorts. 

“Your managers must hate you.” 

“I’m starting to think they just might.” 

“Well. Don’t feel bad. Not for a fucking second. Just because he likes you, doesn’t mean he’s entitled to you reciprocating back. You like who you like. And if I were you, I wouldn’t stop liking a guy like Eren for a skeeze like Ricky either.” 

You lean against the glass, hot air blowing in your face, as you take in her expression - so enraged, so exasperated, so furious that it gives you a chill. But when she looks over and gives you a halfhearted smile, you see the pained expression there too. 

That’s when you pinpoint it. Lana reminds you of Historia. 

“I’m sorry.” you respond. 

“For?” 

“You knew he locked me out. He must have done it to you too, no?” you whisper, the tension in the air delicate. 

She swallows hard and clenches her knuckles on the steering wheel, eyes laser focused on the red light shining on her face. And beyond the original striking features - her sharp jaw and nose - you see the softness too. The dimples, the wrinkles near her eyes, the light brown freckles. 

“I wanted to take time off from acting. It-I did a role that was really traumatic and I just needed a break. And he was just about to go on tour and he wanted me to come to support. Like a little cheerleader.” 

“So he locked you out?” 

“For two days. He-he’s just. A lot of the fame stuff got to him when he was really little. And now he’s got this convoluted sense of self-image and it just- I don’t know. He’s got problems.” she responds. 

“I’m sorry. Really, that’s-” 

You stop talking, words failing you. And maybe it’s the way your head was frozen ten minutes ago and it’s being melted now, or that the picture they took is going to leak soon, or that there is no good thing to say to something shitty like this. It only took him three months to turn on you, which you’re guessing is generous now. She must have infinite patience for putting up with it for an entire year. 

“In a weird way, I’m glad it’s me and not Eren. You- this does something for me. Making sure you’re not out there for two days, it-it helps me.” she whispers, looking over to give you a smile. 

“I really appreciate you, Lana. Thank you. And I-I’m not mad at you for the Girlfriend thing. You had every right to do that.” 

“Y/N. I have every right to drag Ricky James’ name through the mud. But not yours. And I- shit. Please don’t tell Eren we talked about this. He’s going to kill me.” 

“Why?” 

“He told me that if I brought it up, he’d kick me out of his house. I kind of stay there because I-I hate living in our townhouse on set because of how toxic it is and he was nice enough to offer. And he made it very clear that I have to pick you and make sure you’re okay, not make you uncomfortable or anything. We’re here to take care of you and-” 

“I brought it up. I’ll deal with him if he gives you a hard time. I used to be really good at that type of thing.” 

“I know for a fact that you could tell him to twirl in the air like a show pony and he’d do it.”

“I’ll test the theory and let you know.” 

She laughs, giving you a smile which you warmly return. Your phone buzzes in your lap, finally revived, and you send a quick message to Mikasa and Jean before shutting it off. 

“I-I didn’t know that it was going to go that far. I knew the song and that we were just going to sing it. Let people speculate it was about you. I-I didn’t know they’d have a girl who looked like you OR bring Eren up on stage. And Eren didn’t know anything about the song or the performance at all - they, they set him up.” 

“Why would they do that? I mean, they got horrible backlash in the entire thing.” 

“They thought people would like it. And they severely underestimated how much people love you. And they did it because, Eren- he. He doesn’t follow rules and-” 

“Follow rules?” 

“I’m saying too much. He-he’s going to get mad. Ju-just rest, okay? You’re okay now, we’re two minutes from the neighborhood..”  

You give her a questioning look, which she returns with a dismissive shake. Stubborn - she’s Historia alright. You lean back in the chair and reach for the music nob, twisting it on. Only to be met with the Teletubbies Theme blasting through the car and a very flustered Lana turning the knob off. 

“Fuck.” 

“Teletubbies?”

“I-I can explain.” 

“Please. I’d love to hear it.” 

She drums her fingers on the steering wheel as the silence hangs in the air. 

“Okay. Maybe I can’t explain.” 

“No need. I appreciate versatile music taste in prospective friends. Especially classics like this.” you respond, cranking the music back on. 

“Friends?” 

“Don’t be silly. Not exaggerating, but I think you quite literally saved my life a few minutes ago. You’re like the La-La to my Dipsy.” 

“Lame. You’re more of a Tinky-Winky. And anytime. We girls stick together, right?” she responds, reaching for your hand and giving it a squeeze. Like Eren. 

Did she learn the hand squeezes from Eren? Is he squeezing her hands? They live together so …are they dating? 

“We’re here.” 

You nod, appreciative of Lana more than maybe any person on god's green Earth, as she pulls into the driveway and helps you out of the car. It’s only after sitting that you’re realizing your legs are so bone dead tired that you’re barely moving on your own. 

You move past the hood of the car as Eren walks into the garage, immediately beelining towards you. His hair is long again - it’s always changing every time you see him - and he’s all wound up with tensions sitting in his shoulders. His hands are warm and cupping your face, yanking the cold towel off and replacing it with a warm one. 

“Hey. You-you nicked your face, Y/N. And you’re freezing, you-” he whispers, brushing his fingers across the skin near your eye that stings on touch. 

Lana holds the door open as he leads you in, arms aggressively moving up and down your shoulders and his face all pinched up in concern. 

“You’re good to go? I put your stuff out by the door.” Eren says, gesturing to Lana. 

“Is she leaving?” you ask, looking up at Eren. 

“Yeah. Don’t worry, it’ll be just us. And I’m sure Mika and Jean will drop everything to fly out for you tomorrow, I can tell them if you need me to and-” 

“Well, don’t make her leave. She shouldn’t stay on that stupid set just because of me.” you respond. 

Eren looks over and glares at Lana, who is now wide eyed and giving Eren a sheepish smile. Fuck. He asked her not to talk about that. 

“Lana.” he says, in a warning tone. 

“Eren. Chill out. I didn’t even-” 

“You’re so full of yourself, you know that? You- she got drenched and the rain and you were talking about set?”

“It’s not like that! It just came up and-” 

“Oh, for sure. You just happened upon it like you were a villager walking in a town square. Ooh Y/N. You just got drenched in the rain and chased by paparazzi, but more importantly, the girls I work with are super bitchy.” he responds, mimicking her voice. 

“You-it wasn’t like that! You’re so aggravat-” 

“Eren. Leave her alone.” you ask, looking up at him. And you’re sure you must look horrible because he immediately stops when he looks at your face again and signals for her to leave, which she’s receptive to. 

“Okay. Lana, text me when you’re there. And check if you were followed on your way out.” Eren says. 

Lana stops and holds both of your arms at your biceps, hands soft on your skin. 

“Do call me if you need anything, okay? Especially Ricky related. Whatever you do, I’ll back you up, Tinky-Winky. ” 

“Thank you, La-La. I’ll take you up on that.” you respond, giving her a warm smile. 

“Oh god. No. No, you don’t get to be friends now. Fuck no, Lana. Please stick to the geriatric grandmas you play Scrabble with.” 

“You’re just mad they beat you at mahjong last week. Because you’re a prissy loser.” 

“And you’re-” 

You jab Eren in the side, signaling him to stop, as they both nod and she slides her way out. From the way he’s arguing, the look on his face is so similar to the one he gives Connie when they argue, you know they could go on for years if they got the chance. 

“Fuck you, Eren.” 

“Eat shit, Lana.” 

She flips him off as the door clicks shut behind her, the lack of her presence making you suddenly aware of your breaths. And of Eren, warm Eren rubbing into your shoulders and concerned green eyes staring into yours. 

“I like her.” you whisper. 

“Me too. Don’t tell her that though, she’s got an ego problem.” he responds.  

You laugh, which has him smiling at you, and suddenly you’re sobbing. And on cue, Eren has his arms around you, his touch warm and his voice oh so soft that it kills you. That you haven’t seen him in two months. And haven’t talked to him for longer. 

“Eren.” 

“Hey, hey. Don’t cry, it-it’ll be okay. I- we’ll fix this, okay? I’ll call Levi and Hange, whoever you want, they’ll all come and-” 

You reach up, tangling your arms around his neck as he keeps nervously talking, trying to hold you closer even though it’s not physically possible. And he’s just so- 

So familiar that he feels like home. 

“You’re breaking my heart here, Y/N. Please stop crying, I-I’ve got you, okay?” he murmurs, straight into your skin as you nod, trying your best to even out the sobs still leaving you. And slowly but surely, the stream slows and your breath evens out enough to get at least a few words out. 

“Okay. Okay, okay. I’m okay.” 

“Y/N?” 

“Hm?” 

“As much as I like holding you, you’re freezing. Take a shower first and we can do this all you want, okay?” 

You pull back, wiping the tears off your cheeks and giving him a nod. He gives you a small smile, before placing his hands on your shoulders and leading you down towards the bathroom. And you don’t miss all the posters and pictures he has on his walls - one from each season of Attack of Titan, a few of him and Armin, and even one of him and Lana flipping off the camera together. 

He pushes you into the bathroom and immediately turns on the shower all the way to the hottest setting, before turning around and putting his hands on his hips. 

“Towels, clothes, shampoo. There’s soap in there already and take as long as you want. Sit in here for three days if you have to just- do-do whatever you have to do and-” 

You pick up the bottle of shampoo, the lavender scented Pantene, the one that you’ve been using since you were fifteen. And you know, you know that Eren’s atrocious ass uses a three in one hair and conditioner so it’s not his. 

“Eren.” 

“Hm?” 

“Did you just happen to have the brand of shampoo that I use?” 

“N-no. Those are Lana’s.” 

“Then why are they unopened?” you ask, giving him a smirk. 

He glares at you, before rolling his eyes and holding your face. And now he’s leaning so close, so close that your lips are only a few feet away from yours, when he talks. 

“You know why you can’t make fun of me for keeping a spare of your shampoos in my house?” he whispers, green eyes burning in yours. 

“Why?” you whisper back, stomach lurching. 

“Because you’re actually here. I knew you’d come back to me.” he responds, giving your cheek a pinch before walking out. 

And when you watch him walk out, giving you one last smile before he shuts the door, you can’t help but roll your eyes. Typical Eren. Funny, irritating, and soft all in one. 

He’s the same as you left him. 

--

You pad out of the shower, Eren’s hoodie and sweatpants ridiculously huge on you, as you follow the sweet smell into the kitchen. Eren is leaned over the counter, sliding vegetables into two bowls of ramen as you walk in. 

“Hey.” 

“Hi. Took a while. Thought you died in there.” Eren responds, pressing his hands to your skin to test how warm they were. 

“I almost wish I did.” you respond, laughing. 

Except Eren doesn’t find it funny and instead he’s dropping the utensils and standing at your side. 

“Y/N.” 

“I was joking!” 

“Nothing about that was funny. Don’t ever joke about that.” he responds, rummaging through the drawers at your side before pulling out a little tube of gel. 

Eren taps the top of the counter, which you jump onto, before he takes his place in between your legs. His hands are focused on reading the instructions, forehead all scrunched up in concentration.

“What’s that?” 

“It’s like this…scar ointment or whatever. Helps things heal better, I want to use it on that cut on your pretty face.” he responds, twisting it open and squirting some on his finger. 

He brings his hands to your face, eyes intently focused on your cheek. You hiss the second his finger makes contact with your skin, the tingling sensation catching you off guard. 

“I’m sorry sweetheart, I know it hurts.” he whispers, smothering the cold gel down the side of your eye. 

“I-I fell on the pavement. My knees are pretty bad too, Eren.” you whisper, which he nods at. 

After he finishes, he’s carefully sliding the ends of your pants off and carefully placing the ointment on each of the jagged marks on your legs. And you eye the bowls of ramen at your side - knowing instantly that the one without mushrooms is yours - and reach for the food. The broth is so warm it soothes the aching feeling in your throat, still seasoned to perfection the way Eren always makes it. 

“Eren.” 

“Hm?” 

“Can I ask you a weird question?” 

“Sure.” 

“Are you and Lana dating?” 

He looks up from your leg and gives you a devilish smirk. And then starts laughing. Like full on, crouched over, tears from his eyes laughing.  

“Okay. It wasn’t that funny.” you murmur, rubbing your hands against the warm bowl and frowning. 

“Oh god, Y/N. Jesus-” 

“It’s a normal question! She lives with you, you trusted her to come get me, and you guys have a picture together in the hallway.” 

“Are you jealous?” he asks, standing up and leaning straight into your space. 

“Absolutely not.” 

“Are too.” 

“Am not.” 

“You don’t need to get all embarrassed. Watching you kiss Ricky James made me want to break something, preferably his neck.” 

You swallow hard at the mention of Ricky again, the thought of him and what happened was so far away because you were with Eren. In his space, in your shared bubble, after so long. And he catches on too fast because he’s already profusely apologizing. 

“Hey. I didn’t mean to bring him up, I-I’m not trying to push you into telling me what happened it’s just-” 

“No. No, Eren. It’s okay. I know. I-” 

You breathe in hard and put the bowl of ramen down and reach for his hands instead. You keep your eyes focused on them - on the little mole on his left hand, the feeling of his knuckles underneath your fingers, and on him squeezing your hands three times before you start talking.  

“Ricky and I were faking the relationship for PR. Since London Boy and all that, it was Danny and Sareen’s idea. That-that’s why I stopped talking to you, I-I felt bad. And I was ashamed that I was even doing it, I-I don’t know. The Little Women press and all that, it would just get people to stream and talk. Make me a triple threat. And then today, I- He told me he liked me. And I said I couldn’t do that right now. That I don’t like him back. I went to take out the trash because it was so awkward and then I was going to go home but he- he locked me out. And when I asked to come back in, he repeated the same words to me. That he couldn’t do that right now.” 

Eren lifts your hands, still locked with his, and presses a kiss to the top of your knuckles, as you continue. His lips burn your skin, still. 

“I was out there and it-it was cold. And then I heard the cars and I saw seven paparazzi trucks, right on the porch. Ricky, his address isn’t leaked. No-no one knew I was there or that he was but they all showed up, right when I was out there and-” 

“He called them, didn’t he?” Eren asks, his tone so harsh, so unyielding that it almost doesn’t sound like him. 

“Yeah. And I ran, for so long. I- they got a picture. A few, I know they did and I was just so, so scared that I was going to be out there forever, that I was all alone and they were just going to-” 

Eren reaches forward, wrapping you in his arms for what feels like the fiftieth time tonight, but you welcome it. Focus on his heart beating under your ear, running your fingers over his fish tattoo on his bicep, and on his soft, steady breaths. 

“Eren.” 

“Hm.” 

“You didn’t say anything. What are you thinking about?” 

“What I’m thinking isn’t productive for you to know right now.” 

You look up at him, giving him a questioning look. 

“Drop it, Y/N.” 

“No. Tell me. I’m sure you’re mad and all but-” 

“Mad? I’m fucking furious, I’m livid. That he fucking locked you out and left you in the cold. You-you could have been seriously hurt. You are hurt. And not only that, the fucking paparazzi. You-you ran in the cold, you fell, you can’t stop crying and-and- I’m going to kill this asshole when I see him next because it’s his fault you’re feeling like this.” 

“Eren.” 

“No. Shut up, Y/N. I’m being serious. I-I don’t like seeing you like this and don’t tell me not to. He hurt you. It’s that simple.” 

You deflate, knowing Eren too well to know that he won’t drop this. Especially when he’s overly passionate, deep in the feeling right now. 

“Okay. But can you just be here for me right now? I need you here and not all….tense and mad. B-Be soft. And warm.” 

He stops, the frustration in his forehead dissolving as he takes a breath and smiles at you. Not fully, but it does the job. 

“Okay. I can do that. Let’s watch Fruits Basket. And then go to bed.” 

“You hate Fruits Basket.” 

“But I love you. Enough to watch your weird bestiality adjacent show and pretend to like it.” 

You smile and he reaches forward to pinch your cheeks. 

“Look at that smile. There she is. There’s my sweet girl.” he whispers, voice all tangled in his throat. 

--

You wake up to an empty bed, Eren’s side cold. And you pull his hoodie on before padding downstairs to find Eren’s phone pressed to his ear. He gives you a wave and points to the plate - a mix of eggs, french toast, and fruits - perfectly placed to perfection. 

You give him a smile and he walks off, taking the phone with him. You frown as you watch him disappear, jabbing your fork through the cantaloupe. 

What is he talking about that’s so important he doesn’t want you to hear? 

You jump off of the stool and quietly pad towards the direction he walked, hiding in the hallway. He’s leaning against the wall, staring at the picture right across - one of Levi and Hange kissing your cheeks at the vow renewal - and angle yourself to hear his words. 

“Is he okay?” 

“I’m glad. You tell me if you need anything else, okay?” 

“Okay, Coco. I missed you too, yeah?” 

Who the fuck is Coco?

He hangs up and you immediately scramble back to the kitchen, trying your best to stay inconspicuous as he comes back and gives you a smile. It doesn’t reach his eyes, the expression on his face almost tired. 

“Hey sleepyhead. You okay?” 

“Mhm. Food is really good, Eren.” 

He gives you a smile as he sits at your side, eyes focused on you as you eat your food. He places both of your phones in front of you, and you spot yours with nearly a hundred notifications. But when you reach for it, Eren grabs your hand in the air and locks it on his own instead. 

“Just-wait. Eat first.” he says, his tone hollow.

You turn your head to the side and take in Eren’s expression, downtrodden and uncharacteristically unexpressive. The complete opposite of Eren yesterday - moony eyes and soft smiles. 

“Eren.” 

“Y/N. If I ask you to do this for me, can you trust me and listen?” 

“No. You-what’s wrong? You’re being weird.” you ask, reaching for his hand. 

He looks over, the look indiscernible, as he leans forward and presses a kiss to your cheek. 

“You-I took care of most of it, okay? Levi and Hange are coming. Just, don’t panic. You-it’s okay.” 

“Eren. You’re scaring me. Just tell me.” 

He takes a deep breath, cracking the knuckles in your hand as he nervously talks. 

“You-your pictures leaked. The ones of you running last night. And-and people started speculating really fast - wondering why you were running and crying on the night your album released instead of celebrating it. And-and then Ricky, he tweeted a bunch of things.” 

You pale. And reach for your phone, which Eren stops again. 

“They’re lies. Obviously. You don’t need to read them, not yet. And Lana told me she’s ready to back you up, whatever you want, when you need it. But, that’s not-” 

“What, Eren? Just spit it out.” you respond, frantically. 

“They- Ricky’s fans are mad at you. They’re sending you death threats.” 

“Oh.” 

You deflate, staring at the cold mess of breakfast on your plate. Death threats. Hate, you’re no stranger too. Of people commenting on your looks, how bad your singing is, how lame you are. But wishing you were dead? Full on, unbothered and cursing your existence? 

“And not just you, but your family too.” he whispers, watching your face fall. 

Your family. Your parents, Colt, Falco-

“Excuse me. What did you just say? 

Eren doesn’t respond and the tears fall immediately from your eyes, hot and angry as he reaches forward, immediately swiping them away. His expression's pained, he knows this all too well.

“I sent your family a security detail. Don’t worry. Colt was only minorly injured and-” 

You stand up and grab Eren’s shirt, bundling the fabric into a fist in your hands, as you glare at him. 

“Injured? What the fuck do you mean injured, Eren?” 

He sighs, lifting his hands to move yours, and hold them. You’re still clenching hard, so hard you’re sure you’re drawing blood, but he’s doing his best to uncurl your hands as he talks. 

“They threw a brick through the window. And the glass, Colt was sitting right there. I was just on the phone with Falco, he said he’s doing better. The security detailing has medical so you don’t have to worry about that again and they’re both okay and-” 

“No part of this is okay, Eren! Quit saying it’s okay when it’s not! They almost killed my brothers.” 

“Y/N.” 

“No. No, this is horrible, Eren. They-they don’t do any of this stuff. Falco’s barely thirteen. And Colt - he’s going to college. He’s not a celebrity, he’s not a singer, he’s just a student. How is he supposed to go out after this? Why- how is it supposed to be normal? And now, they’re going to be like us. They’re going to feel like they’re trapped in this fucking suffocating ass fish bowl and everyone’s watching and laughing at them and they just-” 

“Y/N. Stop. It’s not going to-” 

“Falco’s too soft for this. He’s just a kid, Eren. I can’t- no. This isn’t fair. Eren, they didn’t even do anything. They’re literally just related to me, they just love me and they’re getting hurt because of it. You- you’re probably getting dragged in the mud too. Everyone who helps me gets subjected to this, loving me comes with this big thing behind me and I can’t even keep people who get it with me. I let you go when you were the only person who understood and I messed it all up and got myself involved with Ricky James of all people and-” 

“Y/N. Stop. Please."

You sit flat on Eren’s floor, head in your hands, and cry, teardrops falling straight onto the floor. And Eren’s sitting there with you, with your big mess of jumbled feelings and mistakes, and trying his best to help you with it. 

That’s how Levi and Hange find you two, after pocketing the spare key Eren told them about. After he insistently called them and payed for a private jet, going on and on about how Y/N needed them. And here you two are, despite their original conceived notions that you two were fighting, on the floor, in each other’s arms. 

“Some things never change, huh?” Hange whispers. 

“Yeah. They keep fucking crying every time we see them.” he whispers back. 

--

Between Levi and Hange - Jean, Mikasa, and Connie who make it out that night - and Eren and Lana, they fix things. Most things. 

Ricky’s narrative about you is clear cut - half-true and half-fake. Your team forced him to date you and defend you for PR purposes, after the Girlfriend incident. There was an agreement that you two would write certain songs, make certain appearances, and support each other. 

But then Ricky turns the gate. Says that you’ve deeply, severely hurt him. That you led him on, that you used him to boost your own ego, and that you were dangerously obsessed with fame and not him. That you were all things - heartless, fake, that he doubted if you were even a real person. A glorious pop-star, empty and hollow on the inside.

And people jump on it fast. Citing the fact that you would throw away your friendship with Historia to be famous, that you stopped dating Eren when he stopped being successful, that you can go to tours but not to Mikasa or Jean’s birthday parties. 

The worst part? Ricky lied, but the things they pointed out were true. Every mistake you make is on display and that people make it a point to draw attention o it. That you really were in too deep, too deep into pleasing Sareen and Danny, and being a triple threat that you forgot that they were all there too. 

Eren, especially. Sweet, sweet Eren who saved you, who held you when you needed him. 

You look over at him and Lana, the two of them very aggressively debating how to use their last turn of their daily Wordle, and feel your heart deflate. 

You dropped the ball. You’ll never make it up to him. 

Lana, in her infinite kindness, has chosen to share her own story, as a corroboration for yours. That Ricky taunted, mocked, and harassed her the entire time they were dating. That you're anything but the things he says. Because she’s had enough and she’ll do it to help out her Tinky-Winky. (Much to Eren’s dismay, he hates that you’re both becoming closer as time goes on.) 

And to complement the announcement, Lana asked for one thing. To go out in style. You wrote a song with her and promised her that she was going to be the lead actress in the music video. A girl rage moment, like The Man. Danny and Sareen approve the move, making no comments or concerns about anything else that happened, and ask to be involved when the time comes. 

You sit on it for a few days. Till you’re ready. But where you are now - with these people - needs to stay for a little longer. Before you brace everything again. 

“Yo.” 

You smile, opening up space for Connie on the couch for you. 

“Hi Con.” 

“Deep in your thoughts there, princess. Thinking about how your album is about to go Multi-Platinum?” 

“No. Just the entire thing.” you respond, frowning. 

Connie rolls his eyes, reaching forward to squish your cheeks way too hard. 

“Ricky, when I catch you, Ricky-” Connie says under his breath, 

You snort, reaching forward to push Connie off. You focus back on Eren and Lana, who are now pulling each other's hair and a nice string of insults, as Mikasa and Levi brew their tea, entirely unbothered in the back. 

And when the screen in front of you flashes, when your third album goes Multi-Platinum after a week of being released, they’re all climbing on you. Jean and Mikasa are hollering in the back, Connie and Lana are jostling you in the air and pressing kisses to your cheek, and Eren, Levi, and Hange smile at you, the three of them enveloped in their own hug, across the way.

You split your separate ways at the end of the week, when you’re ready. Connie, Jean, and Mikasa return to set, Lana and Eren are gone with the wind, and Levi and Hange disappear again. 

When you sit on your plane back home, it sits in. How lonely this entire thing is. How a week full of your friends who love you only happened because of this sickening thing. That it's not a given, that they're presence is only in the bad times and almost never the good.

Your phone buzzes in your lap and you pick up your phone to read the notification. 

eren: don’t be a stranger. fish like to swim in schools, not alone. 

It’s something that rings in your mind, time and time again. When everyone else wins the war, when you keep performing and letting them take and take, for the sake of the work. For the art, for your dream.

And when you give up acting, singing, and dancing at the end of it all and make zero intentions to ever do any of this again, the question still bothers you.

If fish like to swim in schools, why did Eren push you so far away? Why was he so intent on swimming alone? Where you couldn't follow?

eren: I'm not saying that for you. and I know that this is selfish but...

eren: I need you just as much as you need me.

.

.

.

Fucking liar.

--

next part linked here

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[mcllover]

How do you think the characters from my candy life are in bed? If you're comfortable talking about this, of. Please don't feel pressured to answer/ talk about this. ❤️

I want to hear your opinion, but here is mine:

FOR NATH: I saw different illustrations with Nath where he is under candy and she has "control" and I think he might be prone to be... a bottom? Like not all the time, but most of the time. The only thing is that he would've been/is like this only with her. In the past during his many one nights stand and meaningless sex, he would've always be dominant and in control. Never giving the reins to the other girls, always showing that he was in control of the situation. But with Candy, he feels safe 🥺, he feels like he can relax, be taken care of 💕, but he gradually gave her control on top, maybe not at first, not because he didn't trust her, it could've been a little difficult for him, that's all.

If he is on top, I think he'll be a gentle Dom and wouldn't want to hurt Candy in any other way. He definitely wouldn't be into pain or into putting his partner in pain. Due to trauma and bad choices, I feel like he likes praise and reassurance. In the game , in non sexual context, we see him blushing when she is giving him compliments or praising him. I don't know word by word, but saying things like he is an amazing person and he's also working on himself (during the honeymoon trip while talking a little that he's taking therapy). We also see him liking to be called inspector by her. Of course, he wants make her enjoy it !

He definitely wonders at some moments how he managed to win her when he was still in dangerous illegal activities. He loves her so much and she would be the only person in the world that could make him feel those things and want to be a better person for. 😭 He would do anything for her.

FOR CASTIEL: I think he might be a switch. We've seen him at one point initiate, but Candy wanted to take the lead and he was completely on board with it. He just wants to give her pleasure and make it enjoyable. He would be mesmerized by her! He would only be a switch with her tho. Like the one night stands that he had with her when he tried to "forget her" after doing it. He was with the other one night stands in the past like that, being a dom.

I think he only had meaningful sex and made love with her. 🥺❤️ I also feel like he would be a gentle Dom. Like Nath, he would do anything for Candy and he would feel understood by her. Candy's presence is the only he craves and loves to infinity!

FOR RAYAN: I think he is an ass man and is more in charge. But I am not exactly sure about him about this topic.

FOR HYUN and PRYA: No idea, I did not play their routes.

What about you? What do you think about the little cinnamon rolls? 🥰 And what is your opinion about my headcanons?

-Selenophile 🌙🌌✨

Oof, it took me a long time to write this and I just saw how long it was. 😭

🔞⚠ MDNI ⚠🔞

Well, I think you're totally right, I see Nath as the type of loving making love to the person he loves, many kisses exchanged and soft words and praises. I also think you're right about letting Candy takes charge but he'll like to be the one to tell her what to do from time to time.

I think you're right for Casteil but when he's dom he likes it rougher than Nath

For Rayan, most of his NSFW illu his doing it from the back so i guess he likes it from the back but he worships Candy so much his hands would be all over her, not a part of her body isn't loved by him.

Armin is a hard dom no question asked, he likes tie her hands and probably loves leaving marks

For Priya she's a switch depending on how her and Candy feels, she love holding Candy tight and love the intimacy too

For the other i never did their routes so i dont know

[broshot]

head.

you give him head!! gender neutral reader, all characters are of age

contains MANY characters (some are mentioned multiple times) so most likely got the one you're looking for, if not let me know and I'll add

nsfw under the cut

he would moan and whimper when getting head. would absolutely lose it when you first wrap your lips around the tip of his dick, almost cums then and there. whimpering nonstop from the moment you first touch his dick to the moment he cums. and even after that. like, I'm sorry but he's so touch deprived and since that area is so sensitive he'd just lose it :( poor boy, please give him lots of head!

levi, kazutora, reki, kageyama, scaramouche, aki, angry (souya), chifuyu, megumi, sugawara, armin, shinichiro, mikey, tsukishima,

would love receiving head so much he'd beg for it daily LMAOOO you're just too good at it. he'd place his hand on the back of your head and help you take all of him, will get to set the speed to his liking aswell. won't cum in your mouth unless you want to, loves releasing on your face and chest. remember to close your eyes when he's about to cum!!

ran haitani, kuroo, scaramouche, gojo, hanma, baji, jean, joe, oikawa, bokuto, atsumu,

likes giving head more than receiving it but he'd still love when you give him head. is a bit shy when getting (and giving) head. will moan for sure and probably thrust his hips upwards. you'll know when he's about to cum when his moans get louder and more breathy, will also tell you that he's about to cum. wants to give you head after this.

albedo, yuuji, langa, yamaguchi, asahi azumane, inumaki,

he loves receiving head just as much as giving it. will leak so much precum that it'll drip down your chin, moans and will definetely praise you too. he'd let out soft laugh and a breathy moan before saying something along these lines: "you're doing so good" "your mouth feels amazing" "you look so good like this". would also ask if he can give you head after you finish giving him head.

ITTO, tanaka, nishinoya, hinata, eren, denji, bokuto, rindou, kazuha,

"are you feeling okay? is it too much? we can take a break if you need to. tell me if it gets too much to handle, I know I'm pretty big." he repeats these sentences SO MUCH. just wants to make sure you're okay and it's not too much :( he's a big dick guy, obviously, and he knows it. he knows it can be hard to handle so he wants to make sure you can handle it. will caress your cheek when you suck him. he loves seeing you with his dick in your mouth btw!

nanami, draken, daichi, erwin, aki, geto, mitsuya, osamu, zhongli, xiao, cherry (sk8), kuroo,

he's in control the whole time. will degrade you, in a way that's not sexy at all. forces you to take it all in your mouth, will have his hand on the back of your head so he can push you down whenever he wants to. and trust me, he WILL cum into your mouth. has a big dick so good luck to you. your jaw will hurt after this. probs little to no aftercare. personally, I would never suck these guys off but you do you! (maybe I'm just a hater)

sukuna, toji, taiju, mahito,

softer version of the above. will give good aftercare, won't cum in your mouth if you don't want him to. will most likely degrade you but also praise you. lets you set the speed unless you want him to, he'll be glad to do so. will moan.

sanzu, happy (nahoya), hanma, atsumu (?), tartaglia/childe,

spoiler alert, I don't play genshin LMAO Idk if they're accurate, Idk if any of these are accurate but I hope you enjoyed reading these anyway

MASTERLIST

[djarinova]

nail colours they like on you

characters - jean, levi, eren, connie, armin, erwin

a/n - I was thinking about what colours would make jean drop to his knees and then suddenly I was thinking about everyone else too....

jean - RED !!! He loves red nails on you so much, any dark shade of red will literally have him on his knees, he thinks it's so so hot. I have no idea why but I'm so obsessed with the idea of Jean asking you to get red nails the next time you get them done. And he does it weeks before your appointment too. He doesn't even wait for you to ask him what he thinks you should get, he tells you, completely unprompted, when the two of you are lying together on the couch, huddled up watching a movie. He has been completely checked out of the movie, too focused on trying to find the words to bring up your nail appointment and he just whispers in your ear out of the blue.

“babeeee, I know you're getting your nails done soon…I was just thinking that you'd look extra hot with red nails, maybe a maroon shade? or something similar to that? a dark shade, what do you think?”

levi - black. I'm sorry if you feel like this is a basic answer but I can't see levi caring too much about any particular colours, he will always compliment your nails no matter the colour, of course, but if you straight up ask him what he thinks you should get he will always say black. No matter if he's said in the past that a different colour looks amazing on you, or that a different colour suits you the best. He will say black. He thinks it's sexy, and it looks sleek and doesn't stand out too much and I think it's very him.

“tch—you know you don't need to spend your money on that shit. But if you insist on getting them done then at least let me pay��What colour do I think you should get? Black, obviously.”

eren - multi coloured. Eren loves when you get multiple different colours on your nails. His favourite is when you get a different colour on every finger, and he loves when your two hands match each other—the same coloured nails mirrored on each hand. He's never too bothered by the actual specific colours you choose, sometimes he'll suggest a particular colour palette or a specific colour and you'll get 5 different shades of one colour, but generally I think he just likes the variety.

“Yeah, baby? You're getting your nails done soon? Hmm… How about different shades of blue this time? Yk how much I love blue. You could start with a lighter shade on your pinky and then work towards a darker shade like midnight blue, or sapphire on your thumb?”

connie - yellow/gold. This one just makes sense to me and I have no idea why. I think that Connie latched onto this colour after you mentioned one night that you could match your nails to his eye colour, and he just hasn't let go ever since. It made him feel so cutesy and shy when you suggested that, and whenever he sees you in any shade of yellow/gold it makes him blush like crazy. Even though his eyes are more of a hazel colour, he's definitely been told his eyes are quite yellowy/gold before, and it used to make him feel embarrassed but ever since the first time you mentioned wanting to match your nails to his eyes he's been so happy and proud about the colour.

“baby you already know what I'm gonna sayyyy, just look right into my eyes and you'll see the perfect colour for your nails, trust me. And you know I think you look so sexy with your nails done, so if we matched I think I would just about die every time I looked at ya.”

armin - baby blue. It just screams Armin and I can't even explain why. He thinks it's the cutest thing ever, and he remembers when it was a trend online to ask your boyfriend what colour you should get your nails done and he remembers that the “correct” answer was baby blue. You asked him this when it was trending and he couldn't give you a straight answer, just saying that all colours looked pretty on you. He remembers when you teased him and explained that baby blue meant that you were taken/in a relationship and so that has always been his answer ever since. And it doesn't hurt that the colour looks so good on you as well…

“you're getting your nails done again soon, bubba? hmm… I think you'd look amazing with the baby blue nails—the ones you had on our anniversary this year, they were so cute!”

erwin - pink. Again, I have no explanation for this one, I just know it's true. He doesn't mind what shade of pink you choose, although his favourite is one of the brighter pinks—think Barbie or hot pink—he loves these types of shades during summer, or when you're getting your nails done for a party. But he'll never complain about any shade you choose, he just likes to point you towards pink as a general colour, he'll always let you choose the specific shade.

“How about pink, sweetheart? Would you like a more muted shade this time? I think that'd be lovely. A pastel, or maybe even a salmon shade, would look beautiful on you."

[shiorihyuga]

Tides of Fate

When the Scouts of Paradis meet a mysterious pod of powerful sirens, their world is turned upside down. Mating with these beautiful yet dangerous creatures gives them enhanced abilities, but the bonds are deeper—and far more complex—than anyone expected. Eren, Levi, and the rest of the top brass find themselves falling for their siren mates in ways that challenge their loyalties, while Mikasa struggles with jealousy and resentment. The lines between duty, desire, and power blur as tensions rise both inside and outside the walls.

Chapter 17: Waves of Resistance 

Levi stood at the edge of the camp, the weight of the night settling heavily on his shoulders. The soft rustle of the ocean waves filled the silence, and the flickering campfire cast long, wavering shadows across the sand. The air was cool, but Levi barely noticed it. His mind was elsewhere—on the scouts who had left, swallowed by the sea and the bonds they had forged with their siren mates.

Floch, Eren, Reiner, Bertholdt, Connie, Jean, Armin. All of them were gone. Each had disappeared into their respective siren honeymoons, leaving Levi behind with only Hange, Sasha, and the ever-pressing presence of Aria, who had slipped into the ocean for a swim earlier. Mikasa had gone back to HQ, unable tolerate waiting around at the shore for Eren to return from his siren honeymoon with Luna.

Levi’s frustration was still simmering beneath the surface. He was used to being in control, used to guiding his team through impossible odds. But this? There was no strategy, no battlefield tactics to deploy. The sirens had undone everything he thought he could rely on. And now, here he was, surrounded by the sound of the sea and the absence of his men.

Hange sat nearby, leaning against a log, her eyes gleaming with that familiar fascination as she watched the night sky. She was always curious, always drawn to the unknown, and the sirens had been no exception. In fact, Levi could tell that Hange found the entire situation exhilarating in her own strange way. She didn’t seem worried about the scouts being gone; if anything, she saw it as an exciting development.

"Levi," Hange said suddenly, her voice light but thoughtful. "Isn’t it amazing? A whole species of creatures we never even knew about, and now they’re part of our lives. I mean, it’s not exactly what I expected, but… it’s fascinating, isn’t it?"

Levi shot her a sharp look, but he didn’t respond right away. His mind was too focused on the current state of affairs. He couldn’t share in Hange’s enthusiasm, not with everything at stake. Not when his men were being pulled away by these creatures, leaving Paradis vulnerable. What if Marley launched a surprise attack while the top brass are gone? 

Sasha sat beside Hange, staring into the fire, her usual energy dimmed by the weight of everything that had happened. She had been the one to express more concern, though it was tempered by her trust in the scouts. "I just hope they’re okay," she said quietly, her voice soft. "I mean, I know the sirens don’t want to hurt them, but… it’s still weird, right?"

Levi’s eyes flickered toward Sasha. She was right—it was weird. It wasn’t just that his men had gone willingly, it was that they had gone so easily. They had fought, bled, and suffered to survive, and yet the sirens had managed to break through their defenses with nothing more than their beauty and their presence.

"It’s more than weird," Levi muttered, his voice low. "It’s dangerous."

Hange’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she tilted her head. "Dangerous? Oh, come on, Levi. The sirens aren’t our enemies. If they were, they’d have done more than just whisk the scouts away. Besides, it’s not like the scouts are in danger. They’re… bonding, or whatever."

Levi’s jaw clenched. "They’re out of our control. That’s the danger."

Hange shrugged, clearly unbothered by Levi’s concerns. "Maybe. But they’re not exactly prisoners either. You saw the way they left—they wanted to go. And as much as it annoys you, we can’t force them to come back."

Sasha glanced up, her brow furrowed. "But what if something happens while they’re gone? We can’t protect Paradis without Eren or the rest of the titan shifters."

Levi didn’t answer right away. That was the real problem, wasn’t it? They were the last line of defense, and now, with only him, Hange, and Sasha left, they were vulnerable. His men were the best soldiers humanity had, and now they were gone, tied up in something they hadn’t fully understood. Levi could only hope and pray Marley didn’t decide to attack within these weeks the scouts would be gone.

The silence stretched between them, the crackling fire the only sound besides the steady rhythm of the waves. Levi’s eyes shifted toward the ocean, where Aria had disappeared for her swim. He knew she wasn’t far. Even when she wasn’t right beside him, her presence still lingered, a constant reminder of the influence the sirens had over everything.

Levi’s thoughts were interrupted by the soft sound of footsteps in the sand. Aria was returning, her lavender hair wet and clinging to her back as she strolled up from the water. Her usual smirk was in place, though there was something softer in her expression now, as if the night had cooled her teasing edge. She walked closer, her eyes locking onto Levi’s with that same unwavering confidence she always carried.

"Miss me, Captain?" Aria asked, her voice light, but Levi could hear the underlying challenge in her words.

Levi’s expression didn’t change. He was tired of this game, tired of her pushing his buttons. He wasn’t like the others. He wouldn’t fall for her, no matter how persistent she was.

Aria’s smirk deepened, clearly amused by his silence. "You know, Levi," she continued, "you’re the only one left. Everyone else is off with their mates, enjoying their siren honeymoons. And here you are, still fighting it."

Levi shot her a sharp glare. "I’m not interested."

Aria chuckled, her eyes gleaming. "That’s what you keep saying."

Levi’s fists clenched at his sides, his patience wearing thin. He was a man of discipline, a soldier who had survived more than anyone else could imagine, and yet this siren—the one standing before him with her smug smile and relentless attitude—was getting under his skin in a way nothing else had.

"Why are you still here?" Levi muttered, his voice low but edged with frustration. "Go back to the ocean with the rest of them."

Aria’s smile softened, but her eyes remained locked on his. "Because I haven’t given up on you, Captain. And I don’t think you’ve given up on me either."

Levi’s glare deepened, but Aria didn’t back down. She stepped closer, her gaze unwavering, as if daring him to push her away.

"I’m not like the others," Levi said, his voice tight with frustration.

Aria’s smile widened. "I know. That’s why I’m still here."

Levi turned away from her, his jaw clenched as he stared out at the dark ocean. He was tired of the games, tired of the sirens, tired of everything being out of his control. But as Aria stood there beside him, her presence refusing to fade, Levi couldn’t help but feel that this was only the beginning of something he wasn’t ready to face.

For now, though, he had no choice but to wait—alone with his discipline, his frustration, and the one siren who refused to leave his side.

…

The night stretched long, the air cool and still as Levi sat by the campfire, watching the flames flicker and dance in the dim light. Sasha and Hange had gone off to sleep, leaving him alone with his thoughts, the soft lull of the ocean the only sound accompanying him. Or so he thought.

A gentle rustle of sand caught his attention, and Levi’s eyes flickered up to see Aria walking toward him, her usual playful smirk absent. Instead, her expression was softer, more reflective, her lavender eyes catching the faint glow of the firelight. She sat down a few feet away from him, her posture relaxed but her eyes heavy with something unspoken.

Levi wasn’t in the mood for more games. “What now?” he muttered, his tone flat, tired.

Aria didn’t respond right away. Instead, she stared into the fire for a long moment, as if gathering her thoughts. Her usual confidence, her smug demeanor, seemed to fade as the seconds ticked by. 

“You know, Levi,” she began quietly, her voice softer than usual, “there’s something I haven’t told you.”

Levi glanced at her, skeptical. He’d gotten used to her teasing and relentless flirting, but this? This felt different. “What?” he asked, his voice edged with curiosity despite himself.

Aria sighed, brushing her lavender hair over her shoulder as she gazed into the flames. “I wasn’t always this confident. This… sure of myself,” she admitted. “In fact, for most of my life, I’ve been hunted. Chased. Because of how I look.”

Levi’s brow furrowed, his curiosity deepening as Aria continued. She had never opened up to him before—not like this. “Hunted?” he asked, his tone skeptical but not dismissive.

Aria nodded, her eyes still fixed on the fire. “Yeah. Ever since I was a kid.” She paused, a faint, almost bitter smile playing on her lips. “I’m one of the most beautiful sirens in history, Levi. And that’s not just some title I throw around to sound important. It’s a curse, too.”

Levi stayed silent, letting her speak. He could see the weight in her words, the seriousness behind them that she usually hid behind her playful exterior.

“My parents were killed when I was little,” Aria continued, her voice quieter now. “Siren hunters found us. We were living peacefully, out in the open ocean, but…” She trailed off, her eyes darkening. “They didn’t make it. And I was left alone.”

Levi shifted slightly, his posture still guarded, but his attention fully on her now. He hadn’t expected this—hadn’t expected her to have a past so marred by tragedy.

Aria pulled out a small shell. It was white and had a thin strap and a clasp in the front. She gently opened it and inside was a torn and weathered photograph. Aria picked it up and handed it to Levi who was a bit stunned for a few seconds, but he eventually tentatively reached out to grab the photograph.

The image surprised him. A woman who bore a striking resemblance to Aria stood in the center of the photograph, her hair and eyes a soft, shimmering pink instead of Aria's lavender. She was laughing, her smile radiant as an older man with white hair, a wooden leg, and a worn soldier's uniform hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek. Despite his blindness, the man's face was filled with warmth and affection.

Levi felt a tightness in his chest as he stared at the photo. The woman’s beauty was undeniable, as if she carried the same ethereal glow that Aria did. But it wasn’t just her appearance that caught his attention; it was the way the man held her, as if she was his entire world.

A voice broke his reverie.

"That’s my parents," Aria said softly. Her usual flirtatious demeanor was replaced with something more somber, more vulnerable.

Levi didn’t say anything at first. He just looked up at her, then back down at the photograph in his hand.

"Your mother…" Levi began, trying to find the right words. "She looks just like you."

Aria smiled sadly, walking over to sit beside him. She took the photo from his hand, her fingers tracing the outline of the two people who had meant everything to her. "Yeah. Everyone always said I looked just like her. She was beautiful, wasn’t she?"

Levi nodded, still looking at the picture. “Is this your father next to her?"

Aria’s eyes softened as she stared down at her father’s face. "That’s my dad. Mark. He… he wasn’t like other people who met my mom. He didn’t see her the way they did—literally. He was blind."

Levi looked at her, his curiosity piqued. Aria had never spoken much about her past, but now, as she opened up, he could feel the weight of her memories.

"My mom, Alana," Aria continued, her voice quiet, "was one of the most beautiful sirens anyone had ever seen. Just like me, her beauty was a curse. People always wanted her… for all the wrong reasons. But she never cared about their attention. Then one day, she met my dad. He was an older soldier, tough as nails, but gentle at the same time. He had been injured in battle, lost his leg, and his sight. But when he heard her voice, he didn’t know what she was. He didn’t care about her beauty because he couldn’t see it. He just… fell in love with her because of who she was."

Levi listened in silence, his gaze unwavering as Aria continued to speak.

"They fell in love, and for the first time in her life, my mom felt safe. She knew that with him, she wasn’t just some beautiful object to be admired or used. She was Alana. And he loved her for that." Aria paused, her eyes misting over with memories. "They were happy together. I was born after their first year of being mated. And for a while, everything was perfect."

Levi watched as Aria’s expression shifted, the weight of her next words clearly heavy in her heart. He knew where this was going, but he waited patiently, giving her the space to share the rest of her story.

"But…" Aria’s voice wavered, "being mated to a siren has its risks. Siren hunters eventually found us. They wanted my mother, just like they want me. My dad… he tried to protect her. He fought as hard as he could, even with his injuries. His enhanced abilities weren’t enough, though. The hunters were too strong. They killed him in front of us."

Levi’s grip on the edge of his seat tightened. He knew loss all too well, but hearing it from Aria’s perspective—about her parents, who clearly meant everything to her—stirred something deep in his chest.

"My mom…" Aria’s voice broke, but she steadied herself. "She sacrificed herself so I could escape. She fought off the hunters and gave me time to get away, but in the end, they took her too. I’ve been on the run ever since that day."

Levi’s expression remained stoic, but beneath that calm facade, his heart ached for her. The weight of her past, the loneliness she had endured, the fear of being hunted—it explained so much about why Aria was the way she was. She had been alone for so long, constantly in fear, until she found her sisters.

Aria wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and gave Levi a small, sad smile. "I never told anyone this before besides my sisters. It just… it hurts to remember them. But I feel like I can tell you."

Aria sighed, running her fingers through her hair. “Ever since then, I’ve been on my own. My beauty made me a target. Siren hunters would go to any length to capture me. Some wanted to sell me, others… well, let’s just say they had worse intentions.” Her voice wavered slightly, but she quickly composed herself. “I had to learn to survive on my own. For years, I didn’t have anyone. No one to watch my back, no one to protect me.”

Levi felt a flicker of something in his chest—empathy, maybe. He knew what it was like to lose everything, to be forced to fend for yourself when no one else would. He glanced at Aria, the firelight reflecting in her lavender eyes, and for the first time, he saw something different. She wasn’t just the cocky, smart-mouthed siren who had been trying to seduce him. She was someone who had survived, just like him.

“It wasn’t until I met my sisters—my pod—that I finally felt safe again,” Aria continued, her voice softening. “They’ve been my family for years now, and I love them. But as much as I care about them, there’s still something missing.”

Levi raised an eyebrow, though he didn’t interrupt.

Aria turned to face him fully, her eyes locking onto his with a seriousness he hadn’t seen from her before. “I want to feel safe, Levi. Really safe. The kind of safety I’ve never had in my life since my parents were killed.” She paused, her voice trembling slightly, as if the next words were hard for her to say. “And I believe you’re the one who can give me that.”

Levi blinked, caught off guard by her honesty. “Me?” he muttered, his tone flat but laced with disbelief.

Aria nodded, her eyes steady. “I’ve watched you, Levi. The way you are with the scouts. How protective you are, how you care about them even if you don’t show it. You fight for them, you put your life on the line for them. And I…” She trailed off, swallowing hard. “I want that. I want someone who would fight for me like that.”

Levi stayed quiet, his mind racing. He hadn’t expected this. He had always assumed Aria’s pursuit of him was based on her teasing nature, her need to push his buttons. But now, he realized it was something deeper.

“I chose you, Levi,” Aria said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. “Not just because you’re strong or disciplined. I chose you because I believe you can give me something I’ve always been searching for—protection. Real protection. I’m tired of feeling like a target, like I’m constantly being hunted. I want to feel safe. And I think… I think you can give me that.”

Levi’s eyes flickered with something he rarely showed—vulnerability. He didn’t know how to respond to this. He had spent his entire life protecting people, fighting for others. But this? This was different.

“Aria,” he muttered, his voice quieter now. “I’m not—”

“I know you don’t want this,” Aria interrupted, her voice firm but gentle. “I know you’ve been fighting it since we met. But I’m not asking for you to fall in love with me right now. I’m just… I’m just asking you to understand. To see why I’ve been trying so hard.”

Levi fell silent, staring into the fire as Aria’s words sank in. He hadn’t asked for any of this. He hadn’t wanted to be caught up in the sirens’ world. But as he sat there, listening to Aria’s story, he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of understanding. She wasn’t just some cocky siren trying to win him over. She was someone who had been fighting her whole life, just like him. 

After a long pause, Levi finally spoke, his voice low but steady. “I get it,” he muttered, his eyes still fixed on the flames. “You’ve been through a lot. More than I realized.”

Aria didn’t respond immediately, but her expression softened, her eyes filled with something that looked like relief.

“I’m not promising anything,” Levi added quickly, his tone firm. “But I understand why you’ve been pushing so hard.”

Aria smiled, though it was softer than her usual teasing grin. “That’s all I wanted, Levi. For you to understand.”

And in that moment, as he looked at her—truly looked at her—Levi couldn’t deny it any longer. She was beautiful. But more than that, she was someone worth protecting.

The silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable this time. It was a quiet, shared understanding. Levi wasn’t sure where things would go from here, but for the first time since Aria had entered his life, he didn’t feel the need to push her away.

…..

The next morning came with a stillness that Levi had grown accustomed to over the past day. The soft rustle of the ocean waves was the only sound, accompanied by the occasional chirping of distant birds. The scouts were still gone, off with their respective sirens on their honeymoons. Floch had been gone the longest, and now, with Eren and the others gone as well, the camp felt deserted. It was just Levi, Hange, Sasha, and Aria.

Levi sat by the fire, poking at the dying embers with a stick, his mind preoccupied with everything that had happened. He had spent most of the night replaying Aria’s words from the previous evening in his mind. Her vulnerability, her story—he hadn’t expected it. It had changed the way he saw her, even if only slightly.

But this morning, Aria seemed to have shed the seriousness of their conversation like it had never happened. She strolled up to him, her lavender hair bouncing lightly with each step, and Levi immediately noticed she was wearing something new—a short white halter dress that seemed entirely out of place in the camp but somehow suited her effortlessly.

“Good morning, Captain,” Aria said with a bright, teasing smile. Her tone was back to its usual flirtatious self, any traces of vulnerability from last night seemingly gone. She spun around playfully, showing off the dress. “Do you like it? Hange gave me some materials, and I thought I’d make something a little more… me.”

Levi glanced up from the fire, his expression as unreadable as ever. The dress was simple but eye-catching. It fit her perfectly, the white fabric contrasting against her lavender hair and sun-kissed skin. He wasn’t about to feed into her vanity, though.

“It’s fine,” he muttered, keeping his voice as flat as possible.

Aria pouted, leaning in a little closer to him, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Fine? Come on, Levi. It’s more than just fine, don’t you think?” She playfully tugged at the hem of the dress, drawing attention to its length. “It took some work, you know. Thought I’d try something a bit… shorter.”

Levi rolled his eyes and shifted his gaze back to the fire, refusing to give her the reaction she clearly wanted. “It’s just a dress,” he muttered.

Aria’s pout deepened, though it was clearly for show. She crossed her arms and tilted her head, her lavender eyes gleaming with amusement. “You’re impossible, you know that?” she said, her voice still laced with teasing. “I think you like it. You just don’t want to admit it.”

Levi’s patience was wearing thin, as it always did when Aria decided to push his buttons. “I don’t care about your dress,” he replied, his voice flat but edged with frustration. “It doesn’t matter what you wear.”

Aria smirked, leaning closer to him, her voice dropping to a more playful tone. “Well, you care enough to comment on it,” she pointed out. “And that’s progress.”

Levi shot her a sharp look, but she didn’t flinch. Instead, she took a seat beside him, close enough that he could feel her presence but not so close that it felt invasive. She was always dancing on the edge of his boundaries, testing how far she could go before he snapped.

“What do you even want, Aria?” Levi asked, his tone tired. “Why are you still here?”

Aria’s smile softened, but the teasing glint in her eyes remained. “I like being around you, Levi,” she said simply. “You’re not like anyone I’ve met before. You’re disciplined, strong, and you don’t fall for my charms like the others. It makes you… interesting.”

Levi frowned, clearly unimpressed with her reasoning. “You think this is some kind of game?” he muttered.

Aria shook her head, her expression growing more thoughtful. “No, it’s not a game. Not anymore.” She glanced out at the ocean, her gaze distant for a moment before returning to him. “I’ve been hunted my whole life because of how I look. I’ve spent years running, hiding, always on edge. But you? You’re the first person I’ve met who doesn’t care about that. You see through it. And that’s… refreshing.”

Levi didn’t respond right away, his eyes flicking back to the fire as he processed her words. He wasn’t used to being praised like this, especially not by someone like Aria, who had spent most of their time together trying to get under his skin.

“I don’t care about your looks,” Levi said finally, his voice low but firm. “It’s who you are that matters. You said it yourself last night—you’re looking for safety. I’m not the kind of man who falls for distractions.”

Aria’s smile returned, though it was softer this time. “And that’s exactly why I like you, Captain.”

Levi let out a quiet sigh, his shoulders tensing as he realized this conversation was going nowhere. Aria wasn’t going to stop, and as much as he hated to admit it, there was a part of him—buried deep down—that understood her. She wasn’t just some vain, beautiful siren. She was someone who had survived, someone who had been fighting her whole life.

And for the first time, Levi wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to that.

Aria tilted her head, studying him with a curious expression. “You’re thinking about something,” she said softly. “I can see it.”

Levi shot her a glance but didn’t respond. He wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of knowing she had gotten under his skin, even if it was just a little.

Aria chuckled softly, standing up and brushing the sand off her dress. “Well, I won’t bother you for now, Captain,” she said with a wink. “But don’t think I’m done with you. Not by a long shot.”

Levi watched her walk away, her lavender hair swaying lightly in the breeze, the white dress she had made flowing around her as she strolled back toward the water. He shook his head, annoyed with himself for letting her get to him—again.

As the morning stretched on, Levi found himself alone once more, his mind lingering on Aria’s words. He hated how she pushed him, how she seemed to always know what buttons to press. But deep down, he also knew there was more to her than just her beauty, her flirtation.

For now, though, he wouldn’t let himself dwell on it. He had more important things to worry about—like the fact that his entire squad was still missing, wrapped up in their siren honeymoons, while he was left to pick up the pieces.

But no matter how hard he tried to focus on the bigger picture, Aria’s presence—her laughter, her teasing—lingered in the back of his mind.

And Levi hated that most of all.

He had barely settled back into his usual silent contemplation when a group of civilian men appeared, wandering down the beach, clearly not from the immediate area. They seemed to be traders, judging by their worn clothes and the way they looked around with curiosity. Levi’s eyes narrowed as he observed them, his instinctive suspicion flaring up. It wasn’t often that civilians ventured this far out to the coast. 

But the moment they spotted Aria, everything changed.

Aria, standing at the water’s edge in her new white halter dress, her lavender hair glinting in the sunlight, was an ethereal sight against the backdrop of the ocean. To these men—who had likely never seen anything like her before—it was as if they had stumbled upon a goddess. 

The traders stopped dead in their tracks, their eyes widening as they took in Aria’s otherworldly appearance. Levi watched, his expression hard, as one by one, the men fell to their knees, completely dumbstruck. 

“W-What…?” one of them stammered, his voice shaky as he tried to process what he was seeing. “Is she…?”

“Is she real?” another man whispered, his eyes wide with awe.

Aria, for her part, hadn’t noticed them at first, too busy enjoying the cool water lapping at her feet. But when she heard the hushed murmurs, she turned, her lavender eyes locking onto the group of men who had practically collapsed at the sight of her. Her expression shifted from mild surprise to amusement as she recognized the effect she was having on them.

“Ah, of course,” Aria muttered under her breath, her lips curving into a playful smile. She had grown used to this reaction over the years. Even here, in Paradis, where the people were tough and war-hardened, her beauty still had the power to bring men to their knees.

Levi, however, was less amused. He stood up, his hand instinctively resting near the hilt of one of his blades, though he doubted he’d need it. The civilians weren’t a threat—they were just idiots. But the way they were looking at Aria, the way they seemed utterly captivated by her, set him on edge.

The men, still on their knees, scrambled to approach her, their eyes wide with a mix of reverence and disbelief.

“Are you… are you an angel?” one of the men asked breathlessly, his voice filled with awe as he looked up at Aria, his hands trembling slightly. “Your hair, your eyes… I’ve never seen anything like it. Are you—?”

Aria laughed softly, cutting him off. “An angel?” she echoed, clearly entertained by the idea. “No, I’m not an angel.” She tilted her head, her lavender hair falling over her shoulder as she gave them a knowing smile. “But I suppose I can understand why you’d think that.”

Another man reached out hesitantly, his hand shaking as if he wanted to touch her, but stopped himself just short of doing so. “You’re… the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he whispered, his voice filled with reverence. “Who… who are you?”

Aria’s smile widened, her eyes gleaming with amusement. She clearly enjoyed the attention, though there was something playful in the way she handled it. “I’m just passing through,” she said, her tone light and teasing. “But I’m flattered by your compliments.”

Levi’s patience was already wearing thin. He could see how quickly this situation could spiral out of control, especially with these men so obviously under Aria’s spell. They were innocent enough, sure, but it didn’t take much for things to get complicated when people like Aria were involved. And the fact that they had no idea she was a siren made it worse.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Levi said sharply, stepping forward and placing himself between Aria and the civilians. His cold, commanding tone broke the spell for a moment, the men flinching at the sight of him.

The men blinked, startled by Levi’s sudden appearance. They exchanged nervous glances, their awe of Aria momentarily eclipsed by the intensity of the man standing in front of them.

“Captain Levi… Ackerman?” one of them stammered, his voice filled with uncertainty.

Levi crossed his arms, his expression hard. “Yeah. And unless you want trouble, I suggest you move along.”

The men hesitated, still stealing glances at Aria, but they clearly understood that Levi wasn’t someone to be trifled with. Slowly, they began to back away, though their eyes lingered on Aria as if they couldn’t help themselves.

One of them, bolder than the rest, turned to Aria and spoke up, his voice shaky but filled with admiration. “We… we’ve never seen anyone like you before. Are you from here? What’s your name?”

Aria’s eyes gleamed with mischief as she stepped forward, ignoring Levi’s silent warning look. “My name is Aria,” she said smoothly, her voice like honey. “But you don’t need to worry about where I’m from.”

Levi scowled, his frustration growing as he saw Aria feeding into their fascination. “Enough,” he snapped, his voice cold. “She’s with me. And you’re done here.”

The men glanced at each other, clearly intimidated by Levi’s presence. They nodded hastily, murmuring apologies as they quickly turned and shuffled back the way they had come, casting one last glance at Aria before they disappeared down the beach.

Once they were gone, Aria let out a soft, amused laugh, turning to Levi with a smirk. “You’re so serious, Captain,” she teased, her voice light. “I was just having a bit of fun.”

Levi shot her a hard look, clearly unimpressed. “You call that fun?” he muttered, his voice flat. “They didn’t know what you are. They could’ve caused trouble.”

Aria shrugged, unfazed by his irritation. “They were harmless,” she said, waving a hand dismissively. “Just a bunch of men overwhelmed by beauty. Happens all the time.”

Levi clenched his jaw, still not satisfied. “You can’t just—”

“Oh, relax, Captain,” Aria interrupted, her smirk widening. “You scared them off just fine. Besides, it’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

Levi’s glare deepened, but he didn’t respond. He knew arguing with Aria was pointless. She wasn’t going to change her ways just because he was annoyed. And despite everything, Levi couldn’t shake the feeling that this wouldn’t be the last time her presence caused chaos.

But for now, all he could do was keep his guard up.

Aria, for her part, seemed completely at ease. She spun around, her lavender hair catching the breeze as she walked back toward the water, her white dress flowing around her. “You’ll have to get used to it, you know,” she called back over her shoulder, her tone light and teasing. “Men falling at my feet. It’s part of the package.”

Levi sighed, his patience already wearing thin. “Great,” he muttered under his breath, watching her disappear toward the shore. 

This was far from over.

…

Levi sat at the camp, quietly sipping his tea as the morning sun began to warm the beach. The ocean's rhythmic hum was a steady background noise, but Levi found a moment of peace in his simple routine. The tea—dark, bitter, with no sugar or cream—was just how he liked it. He took a small sip, savoring the warmth and the familiar taste that reminded him of home, of the barracks, of a life that made sense to him.

Of course, it wasn’t long before his peace was interrupted.

Aria, who had been lounging by the water earlier, made her way back to where Levi sat, her curiosity piqued as she watched him drink. Her lavender eyes sparkled with mischief as she approached, clearly in one of her playful moods.

“What’s that you’re drinking?” Aria asked, leaning in slightly and peering into the cup. She wrinkled her nose at the dark liquid, but her curiosity wasn’t deterred. “Tea?”

Levi gave her a sidelong glance, already sensing where this was going. “Yeah. It’s tea.”

Aria tilted her head, studying the cup for a moment before a playful smirk crossed her lips. “Let me try some,” she said, reaching out before Levi had a chance to protest.

Levi’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t stop her. He didn’t bother warning her either. If she wanted to try it, she’d find out soon enough. He simply handed over the cup, his expression unreadable.

Aria took the cup, bringing it to her lips with an air of curiosity. She took a small sip, and within seconds, her face twisted into a grimace. She immediately pulled the cup away, sticking out her tongue as if she could rid herself of the taste. “Ugh!” she exclaimed, her voice filled with disbelief. “That’s terrible!”

Levi didn’t even try to hide his smirk as he took the cup back from her. “You wanted to try it.”

Aria shook her head, still grimacing as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “What do you have against flavor, Levi? There’s nothing in there—no sugar, no cream, nothing!” She looked genuinely offended by the experience.

Levi, clearly amused by her reaction, took another sip, completely unfazed. “That’s how tea is supposed to taste.”

Aria made a face, folding her arms as she stared at him, her lavender eyes filled with mock horror. “You seriously drink this every day? How do you even enjoy it? It’s just… bitter.”

Levi shrugged, completely unaffected by her critique. “You get used to it. It’s better than dumping a bunch of sugar into it and pretending you’re drinking tea.”

Aria rolled her eyes dramatically, though her teasing tone didn’t falter. “I don’t know how you do it, Captain. You live in this world of discipline and… bitterness.” She grinned, leaning in slightly as if she was about to share a secret. “You should try enjoying things once in a while. Not everything has to be so serious.”

Levi met her gaze, his expression flat. “I enjoy things just fine. I just don’t need sugar to do it.”

Aria chuckled, clearly entertained by the entire exchange. “Well, more power to you, then,” she said, leaning back with a sigh. “But I’ll stick to something with flavor. Life’s too short to drink… whatever that was.” She waved dismissively at the tea cup.

Levi took another sip, the warmth of the tea settling him back into his familiar routine. He wasn’t surprised by Aria’s reaction—he had expected it. But there was a small part of him, hidden deep beneath his stoic exterior, that found her playful disgust amusing. 

Aria, noticing the faintest flicker of amusement in Levi’s eyes, smiled. “You’re smiling,” she teased, her voice light and melodic. “See? I knew I could get to you.”

Levi’s expression immediately returned to its usual neutral state. “I’m not smiling.”

Aria grinned, undeterred. “You were. Just a little. Admit it.”

Levi sighed, setting the cup down and giving her a look that clearly said he wasn’t going to humor her. “You’re seeing things.”

Aria laughed, her light, carefree energy in stark contrast to Levi’s steady seriousness. “Maybe I am,” she said with a shrug. “But one day, Captain, I’ll get you to loosen up. Just watch.”

Levi didn’t respond, but he couldn’t help the small sense of amusement that lingered in the air between them. Aria may have hated his tea, but she wasn’t backing down. She never did.

And somehow, Levi was starting to get used to that.

As Aria leaned back, still shaking her head in disbelief at the bitterness of Levi’s tea, he picked up his cup once more, taking another sip with quiet satisfaction. For all her teasing and playful nature, she was the only siren left in the camp with him. And in some strange way, Levi had grown used to her presence.

But he’d never admit it. Not to her, anyway.

Aria continued to sit beside Levi, staring out at the ocean, her mind clearly elsewhere. The sound of the waves and the soft rustling of the breeze filled the air between them, but it wasn’t enough to quiet the thoughts in her head.

“I wonder how my sisters’ siren honeymoons are coming along,” Aria mused aloud, her voice thoughtful but still laced with that ever-present playful edge. “Floch must be halfway gone by now. And Eren? Luna’s probably making him hers even as we speak.”

Levi, who is still quietly sipping his bitter tea, gave her a flat look. “You all seem to be doing fine, turning every one of my men into mindless love-struck fools.”

Aria raised an eyebrow, clearly entertained by Levi’s sarcastic response. “Oh, come on, Captain,” she said with a teasing smile. “You make it sound like we’re doing something terrible to them.”

Levi’s eyes narrowed slightly, his voice dripping with dry sarcasm. “Taking them off to your magical moonpools for two weeks and turning them into super soldiers who are hopelessly in love with you? Yeah, nothing odd about that.”

Aria laughed softly, leaning in just a little closer. “Well, when you put it that way, it does sound a bit dramatic. But they don’t seem to be complaining, do they?”

Levi didn’t respond immediately, but his silence spoke volumes. Aria’s sisters had clearly ensnared the scouts, and despite his frustration, Levi knew they had gone willingly. But that didn’t mean he had to like it.

Aria tilted her head, her lavender eyes gleaming as she watched Levi carefully. “You know,” she said, her voice soft but teasing, “you’re the only one left, Captain. Everyone else has already gone off with their chosen siren. It’s just you now.”

Levi shot her a glance, unimpressed. “I’m not like them.”

Aria’s smirk widened as she leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a low, seductive tone. “Oh, I know. That’s why I’m so looking forward to it.”

Levi’s jaw tightened slightly, his patience wearing thin. “Looking forward to what?”

Aria’s eyes sparkled with mischief as she slowly ran her fingers through her lavender hair, letting the strands fall over her shoulder. “Watching you unravel,” she whispered, her voice filled with a dangerous mixture of teasing and sincerity. “Underneath me. In my moonpool.”

Levi’s grip on his teacup tightened, his usual calm exterior faltering for just a moment as Aria’s words sank in. She was as relentless as ever, always pushing, always testing his limits. And the way she said it—her voice, low and sultry—made it clear she wasn’t just teasing this time. There was something real behind her words.

Aria leaned in closer, her face just inches from his, her lavender eyes locking onto his with an intensity that made even Levi—who had seen more than his fair share of horrors—feel unsettled. “You think you can keep resisting me, Levi,” she murmured, her voice soft but filled with quiet confidence. “But you’re wrong. I’ve watched you fight for so long, and I know how strong you are. But I also know that strength has its limits.”

Levi’s glare deepened, but he didn’t pull away. “I’m not falling for your tricks, Aria.”

Aria chuckled softly, her breath warm against his skin as she spoke. “Who said anything about tricks?” She leaned back slightly, giving him just a little more space, though her eyes never left his. “I’m patient. I can wait. But when the time comes, Captain, you won’t be able to stop it. You’ll give in.”

Levi’s jaw tightened, his mind racing as he tried to regain control of the situation. He wasn’t like the others. He wasn’t going to be swept away by her beauty, by her words. But there was something in the way she looked at him, in the way her voice seemed to slip into his mind like a melody, that made him feel more vulnerable than he wanted to admit.

Aria stood up slowly, her movements graceful as she turned toward the ocean. She gave Levi one last glance over her shoulder, a soft smile playing on her lips. “I’ll be waiting, Captain,” she said softly. “And when you’re ready… I’ll be right here.”

With that, she walked back toward the water, her lavender hair shimmering in the sunlight as she disappeared toward the shore.

Levi watched her go, his grip still tight on his cup, his mind filled with frustration. Aria was relentless, always pushing, always testing him. And despite everything, despite his determination to resist her, Levi couldn’t shake the feeling that, eventually, she might just get what she wanted.

But for now, he would keep his guard up.

Because that was all he had left.

~

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Under The Stars

Attack on Titan

Armin Arlert x Reader

Synopsis: Armin invites you on a picnic under the stars

Warnings: suicide mention (brief), mentions of war

This is one of my first times writing angst so it might be kinda weird and clunky idk. Lmk if you like it!!

The war against Marley had been taking its toll on everyone. Tensions were high and you all would do pretty much anything for a break. Armin was the person closest to you. The person you told everything to, the person you bore it all to, the person you trusted the most. He was your best friend. It was the same for him. He has noticed you getting quieter and more reserved lately. He couldn't blame you. The things you all had to endure, it was enough to make you want to end it all sometimes. He knew there were times bad enough you'd actually considered it. He feared now might be one of those times. So, since there was actually some downtime between planning strategies and fighting, Armin arranged a date of sorts. He invited you to have dinner with him at the beach. If it had been anyone else to ask, you would say no. But you could never say no to Armin.

You arrive at the beach and help Armin set up the picnic blanket so it wouldn't blow away. After you both took a seat, he started removing the contents of a basket he had brought along. He had asked Nicolo to prepare some sandwiches and sides. Little did Armin know, he had a wingman in the chef. Under the expected foods, there were two beautiful desserts, a fancy bottle of wine, and two glasses. He'd have to thank Nicolo later.

"Let's dig in!" You both let out borderline lustful moans at how good the food was. You had gotten so used to the soldier slop you were forced to eat that even a rock would taste 10 times better right now. As you made your way through some lighthearted conversation, your dinner, and about three quarters through the wine, the sun had completely set. The sky was clear tonight. You were able to see every star. You lost yourself looking at each and every light. "They're beautiful, aren't they?" The blond pulled you out of your thoughts. "They really are. It's crazy to think about how much is out there." He chuckled and you took a sip of your wine. Armin started moving the picnic supplies off the blanket. You stared at him confused. "Lay down with me." He laid down and patted the spot next to him. You flopped down, your sides pressing into him, feeling his warmth.

"I read a book a while ago talking about the stars and how some of them are parts of these things called constellations and some stars are actually other planets." He pointed up towards the sky. "Do you see those stars bunched up together over there?" You followed in the direction his finger pointed and nodded. "That is a constellation called Orion's Belt. It's made up of the stars Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. It's actually a small part of the even bigger constellation Orion!" He pointed to outline the rest of the constellation. You were amazed! You asked him to show you more. He pointed out the Big and Little Dipper, and Cassiopeia. As he went on you got lost in his eyes. His interest in learning more about the world and his desire to expand his knowledge was one of your favorite things about him.

He finished up his explanation and it fell quiet. With courage from the wine, you spoke up. "With how vast it all is out there, it really makes a lot of the things we do feel so small. So…  insignificant." Armin turned to give you full attention. His gaze was piercing but you carried on. "I mean, considering all there is out there to explore, is a war even worth it? What if we're just missing out on some many incredible opportunities because we're so focused on stupid things. I'm sick of it! There's so much more I want to do with my life!" Armin took your hand in his. You turned to look at him. "What would you want right now if we weren't fighting?" He asked a simple question, but for you it was loaded. But out of all the things that you had so desperately longed for during all these years, everything else you could've had if this wasn't the state of your lives, only one thing stood above the rest.Closing your eyes and taking a deep breath, you reopen your eyes and lock in on him. "I'd want a future with you. I've always wanted that but this damn war... It's too risky to get involved." You looked back up at the sky. A single tear rolled down your face. Suddenly, you felt a finger wiping it away. You wanted to look at him but just couldn't bring yourself to. He took this silence to respond. "I would want the same. I'd want us to have a house near the water for use to grow old in. Maybe even a family." You finally turned to look at him again. You both knew you had feelings for each other. Hell, everyone in the regiment knew. But neither of you ever admitted it until now, afraid of getting too attached before one of you got taken out on the battlefield. Right now though, neither of you cared. You were in a bubble where the war wasn't happening, titans didn't exist, and no one could hurt you. You both turned your bodies to face each other, and Armin pulled you into him and he spoke again. "Maybe... in another life, we can be that old happy couple." You nodded against his chest. Silently, tears rolled down both of your faces, knowing that neither of you could ever truly have the life you wanted, and only in extremely rare moments like this, would you ever be able to embrace your feelings for each other. You spent the rest of the night curled into each other's hold, talking more about the future you longed for, savoring this moment for as long as you could before you had to return to the cruel reality that faced you outside of the beach.

[eueuphoriaz]

Cold War between Levi and Hange Part 2: Walltop

But first, I want to share my favouritest screengrab of Hange and her eyes.

I was literally stunned when I saw someone share this because it skipped my attention when I watched the show the first time. And it turns out this is an anime-only scene but I just love love how her round eyes watch in shock(?) or amazement(?) at the flare Levi shot, indicating Armin is awake and (guessing) able to control his titan ability. She just look so good with or without her specs that I want to pinch her cheeks here.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

So after that, the family had a meeting while Floch stood a distance away. In the blog that I read about the cold war between Levi and Hange, they mentioned about the dialogue on how Hange is also angry at Eren and Mikasa on their insubordination. Basically, I can organise them as follow:-

1) Armin's recount of what happened

Armin repeated what he heard from Eren, took stock of what he missed and the whole conflict between him and Erwin surfaced again. He took a water break and questioned Levi's decision.

Now, this is back to the whole Levi vs Mikasa scene again, only this time Levi's decision sided with Eren/ Mikasa. So he conveniently dragged the 2 kids down and pushing the "blame" on them.

Eren then followed up (after a reminder kick from Levi to take the rap) and said he is willing to accept punishment and this is when Hange spoke, not towards Levi, but to Eren.

Remember how old married couples will drag kids in to be the intermediary when they are having quarrels? Hange is upset with Levi but she said it via her speech to Eren.

Just because your dad eventually listened to you, it doesnt mean you can do whatever you want.

2) Levi's trying to appease Hange

Eren got embroiled in their conflict again and answered "No".

Now, Levi got what Hange is hinting at, and then took the "blame" up and said that it was his choice and decision. Note that all along, he was facing Hange and looking at her.

Now, it becomes even more frustrating for Hange now because Levi is admitting that there are reasons why he does not revive Erwin. And if I go by what he said to Floch and Hange at the rooftop, it seems like a "selfish" decision to just let him rest and not bring him to Hell again. This is because no one except Levi knew the struggle Erwin has been in. Unless Levi told them that or his assessment that Erwin's eyes were already tired and may not be the best option for Humanity. But I dont think Levi is that type of person to say those even if these thoughts pass his mind and influenced his decision eventually. Therefore, from Hange's perspective, she definitely is feeling angry and betrayed by Levi.

Just had to add Armin because this also appeared just after Erwin thanked Levi for a split second. And it is interesting how Armin's eyes here are mentioned again in his last monologue in Chapt 136.

3) Armin takes over Eren as the intermediary of their cold war

Now, our blonde child Armin decides to get involved in their quarrel and continued to question Levi's decision. This time he even brought up the fate of the Survey Corp.

Hange found a chance to attack Levi again and stated her stand. She, too, agree that it should be Erwin, if she were to be completely honest.

Now this line is only in the anime but not in the manga: "It's a shame we were put in that position"

Notice here that Levi turned and look at her full on. I am not sure if the translation meant that it is a shame there have no commander/ leader, or it is a shame that Levi had to made such a decision but this line of Hange shows the helpless situation that she is in. Her next line further shows how she expressed her feelings of helplessness, that whatever she had done or said, there is nothing else to change the situation because Erwin trusted Levi and Levi chose him. And that, to me, feels like Hange telling Levi:" I am angry and upset, but I cant do anything else about it".

4) She then encouraged Armin without putting pressure or expectations on him (anime reduced that part). Why would she do that? Likely this is her response to Levi's defense that he was the one who made the decision to let Erwin go. It is also possible that she empathised with the guilt Armin may be feeling after Levi announced that it is his decision to let Erwin die. I think she is also trying to spite Levi because only Levi and her has been talking to Armin, and when she told Armin "no matter what anyone says...".

Dont care about what Levi says because he is an a-hole

She has nothing else to say regarding Armin's question of why not Erwin. Levi is also not saying why, just that he wanted Erwin to rest. I can imagine both Armin and Hange are as confused and frustrated as before. But angry as she still is, she is slowly accepting it and also guided Armin to accept the reality.

Now, I am also guessing that Levi's turning and looking at her likely indicate that he is just realising the impact on Hange because of his choice - she has to shoulder the responsibility now....

5) Levi tries his pep talk skills again because Hange gave up and does not want to engage anymore

However, Armin did not stop doubting and questioning, and Levi knew he had to say something because he knows that Hange had conceded defeat and has nothing else to add on. So, in his awkward attempt to encourage Armin, he tried to build on what Hange said about the titan power and Erwin's life on Armin, and tried to validate Armin's strength---> he is trying to tell Armin that his choice is also based on a unique strength that only Armin has. (Indirectly encouraging Hange?)

And he goes on about regrets and mission. And this brings me back to earlier when he tried to give Eren a pep talk when he started to doubt himself after the failed experiment.

Only this time round, he is bitching about their shitty situation and there is no Hange to interpret for him, because she does not have anything else to say and she does not want to have any interaction with Levi.

The cold war is at the coldest, like everyone can sense the tension but no one can say anything to break the ice, unti Sasha came.

6) Sasha's "shut up"

Now, I just want to point out how Hange always use laughter or humour to get herself out of a situation where she is at a loss. Like her failing to get Erwin's permission to capture titan, risking her Oluo's life or failing to get Nick to talk. So, Sasha gave her the opportunity to "vent" her anger at Levi and escape from the tensed situation between the parents, but that did not mean that her upsetness with Levi has grown lesser.

Why do I say that she is still upset at Levi?

She turned and walked away from him

I mean it is so cruel, she just turned and walked away, not even looking at him or anything. Now, Armin, Mikasa and Eren are on the side of the wall nearer to Shiganshina, so she could have turned towards them and Levi while announcing the basement investigation but no. I think she is still feeling angry and upset at Levi here, even though Sasha helped to thaw and defuse the tense situation.

I guess with more children now, this pair of parent need to find a way to sort out their disagreements.

---------

Levihan's Cold War [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3.1] [Part 3.2]

[anqelically-archived]

moment 3 · ͟͟͞͞➳❥ armin arlert x gn!reader

word count: 0.7k

content: no manga spoilers, fluff (but seems like light angst at the start), modern!au

navigation | event masterlist

your cold fingers lightly pressed against the warm cup in your hands, and your eyes traveled to the window by your side. with one intake through your nose, you registered the familiar scent of coffee. it calmed your body, yet your mind remained a worrying mess.

today was the day of love; valentine’s day was a day you weren’t too fond of. to love and be loved in public was never your style, considering how hard it was to come by for you.

it was difficult to search for, but you found your feelings lying in the hands of one person. blond and blue-eyed, armin arlert became someone you could trust your life with. it amazed you that despite how long it took you to find someone to love, he was perfect for you.

it was as if all the puzzle pieces had come together when you realized your feelings for the book-loving man. and the bliss the two of you were in when everything was out in the open… oh you loved him so much.

you almost miss him as much as you love him. armin was taking extra classes in college for an extra two years, leaving the two of you with conflicting schedules. it was hard to see him, which pained the both of you.

today, valentine’s day, the two of you were supposed to meet up. you’ve sat long enough at the cafe that you’ve already drank a whole cup of hot coffee and you’re second cup was only slightly warm, not piping hot like it was at first.

doubt ran throughout your mind and you could only express it through your shrunken figure. you thought that maybe armin had forgot, that he got lost in all of his work and it slipped his mind.

you would’ve rather spent the day in your bedroom, alone, than outside near other couples, still alone. you were ready to leave, clad in your coat, when someone sat across from where you were. they slid a small envelope with a heart sticker to you, the handwriting so familiar that you didn’t even have to look up to know who it was

“armin…” you trailed off, looking up at the blond himself.

his cheeks were slightly flushed, from what you guessed to be the cold. he was dressed in a dark blue turtleneck, and on his wrist was the watch he always wore— the watch you gave him on his birthday.

“i’m so sorry,” he apologized, finding himself slowly able to look you straight in the eye. “i’ve gotten so busy with school, so we’ve barely talked, let alone seen each other. and i know we made plans for today, b-but i got scared… i know you’ll tell me i shouldn’t have been, but i was scared that maybe things would be a bit awkward considering how long it’s been. i don’t know what’s gotten into me…”

armin held his drink, tracing the rim of the cup as if it would calm his nerves. he really was scared, in all honesty. drowning in his schoolwork, which was more than you thought it’d be, tried him out. without having the time to talk to you much, armin feared that things would be rocky.

“it’s okay to feel that way, you know. that’s why you can come to me whenever, armin. you know i’ll always be having your back, right?” you reached your hand across the table to grab his. you rubbed your thumb against his as you asked, “however, i definitely want to have a talk with whoever is making you do this much schoolwork. i’ve missed you so much…”

“then talk with me,” armin spoke. “i managed to have my classes crammed into this year only. so next school year… i’m free. i’ll be free with you.”

you looked at him with wide eyes, “huh!? you did that?”

“i did, yeah. i wanted to surprise you when i graduated, but here we are. it didn’t work out, huh?” he nervously scratched his cheek.

with a light-hearted sigh, you began to rest your chin on your hand, “you really had me worried for a sec, you know?”

“sorry, again. i love you, (y/n),” he smiled.

you smiled back, “and i love you, armin.”

note: tumblr has become the perfect place to write out things that have been troubling me. who would’ve known…

please reblog for more!

[onigiri-dorkk]

Hi I'm new to the fandom and not gonna lie for a long time I was confused about why would anyone ship Rivamika because it always seemed like Levi was barely aware of Mikasa and Mikasa hated Levi or disliked him. I started reading the manga last week and I'm honestly surprised by how little changes made a huge different. WIT always made it seem like Mikasa didn't care about anyone other than Ereh and I believe they are the reason why everyone makes fun of Mikasa for being obsessed. I genuinely thought "I love her but she's very ungrateful and rude sometimes, their strongest soldier hurt his ankle when they needed him the most because of her and all she cared about is Ereh" but it's not like that in the manga. She actually feels guilty and responsible which is a great panel to show how character development. A 3 seconds scene would do so much good to Mikasa's character but WIT somehow didn't want to include that scene. Even in S3 it seemed like they would like to keep them apart and don't let them interact even though there was a huge reveal about them. And I think it's not only WIT. Even Isayama himself is almost afraid to let them interact and I'm not talking about shipping here. Imagine finding out that someone experienced the same things as you did, have this weird mysterious power thing going on and that person is your Captain whom you made it clear that you trust and respect now. It's crazy to me that they don't even talk and compare their experiences etc???? Again, it's not even about shipping, it pisse me off because it feels like Mikasa isn't allowed to have anything of her own, the reason why Mikasa ships aren't popular isn't because she's not loved, it's because Isayama, WIT and even Mappa didn't let her have many meaningful interactions. Hell, even with Armin (they are supposed to be a trio) it sometimes feel like they were just hanging out for Eren. Ughhh they could at least let Mikasa have Ackermans for her own. She could interact more with Levi and even with Kenny for a sec. So disappointing :(

Wow!! Anon, welcome to the fandom and thanks for sending this! I never get asks and it’s always exciting 😂 We’re glad you’re here!

The “I didn’t get how people shipped rivamika” thing is common tbh, don’t worry! I was on that train too until I stopped to think about everything implied between the lines—most of it being in the manga, as you said. I know people say things like we ‘grasp at straws’ but there is realistically fantastic depth we can assume from their closeness as comrades alone. The magic of Rivamika as a ship is it takes more deep knowledge of the characters to understand why it WORKS so well. And when you get it, gosh, it’s amazing!

We definitely agree too, that WIT cut such crucial scenes to Mikasa’s character. I will never understand their choices… And I’ll forever grieve it 😭 That scene of self-reflection and guilt over Levi’s injury/absence is important because it’s the first time she finally thought outside of her tunnel vision of Eren. Ultimately, she learns to care about what happens to others as a result of her actions, which quite literally starts with Levi.

I also agree, it seems like Yams started the Ackerman reveal + arc but decided midway not to commit to it or develop it. It explained their strength, but that was it. It’s strange that even in the anime they chose not to explain that Ackerman’s are Titan DNA hybrids. That seems like a crucial piece but I wonder why they didn’t think it was important. Because then the whole “Ackerman’s are immune to x and x” has no narrative proof at all.

I like to think Ackertalk happened behind the scenes. I like reading everyone’s versions of it—but always a shame we never got that in canon. It’s even strange because they both lost their entire families, so finding out you’re from the same people should at least create a sense of bonding or they’d take on a slightly familial role, or SOMETHING. (Though I’m glad it didn’t go that route because people would REALLY think they’re cOuSiNs lol) But it’s just strange Yams introduced these things that ended up really having not much purpose, or none at all. (Don’t get me started on the Azumabito shit)

I still hope and manifest for some sort of Ackerman spin off that explores this. Can you imagine? Levi and Mikasa (the cash cows of AOT, we say!) venturing off post-war to discover more about the Ackerman’s? Or to retrace and find surviving Ackerman’s outside the world?

[cvsmixnaya]

jab we met

pairings: armin x desi!reader

pronouns: she/her

summary: y/n forces makes armin watch a movie called ‘jab we met’ which is a huge part of her childhood.

cw: none!!! just pure fluff

a/n: ik the summary sounds pretty shit but bare with me here. guys i beg you all to watch this movie. it played such a huge role in my childhood like i used to watch it all the time😭. trust me, give it a go. lsn to this song which is from the movie. it’s amazing anyways ENJOY!!!

“I still can’t BELIEVE that you haven’t seen this movie yet!” Y/n walks into the living room while bringing snacks for her and Armin.

Armin just rubs his neck with his hand while looking down slightly embarrassed. “I mean- I never grew up with all of this so i guess that’s why i never saw it.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter now cause we are watching it right now.” Y/n says as she sits on the couch and looks for the movie on netflix.

Armin decided to ask, “What’s so special about this movie anyways? I-i’m not trying to offend you! I just wanna know why you love this movie so much that you’re making me watch it”

Y/n looks at him with a small smile. “Armin, this movie right here, was a huge part of my childhood. I’m not even exaggerating when I say I used watch this movie 4 times a day when I was a kid. Not just that, I would enact all my favourite scenes with the action and everything. Dude, Kareena Kapoor had such an iconic character and Shahid Kapoor oh my GOD HE WAS SUCH A CUTIE!” Y/n explains while fangirling like crazy.

Armin laughs softly at his girlfriend’s behaviour. He might as well give it a shot. The movie started and Y/n was so focused even though she already knows what happens she felt so nostalgic as if she was child again.

He loved seeing her like this but he knew he couldn’t stare too long cause he had to watch the movie or his girlfriend will kill him.

During the movie, Y/n would enact her favourite scenes by saying the dialogues with the action and the couple would just laugh at themselves.

After sometime, Y/n’s favourite song from the movie ‘tum se hi’ starts playing and she gets so excited. She starts yelling the lyrics happily and Armin just looks at her with heart eyes.

The scene came up where the character lifts the love interests while they’re in the rain (my favourite scene🥹)

Armin decides to let Y/n have this moment by lifting her and spining her the same way the scene does and she felt so happy.

He put her down and looked at her full of love. He realised at that very moment this is why he loves her so much.

He loved how happy she looked at small things like this. How she would talk about her culture and made sure he didn’t feel left out. The way made him try things and got so happy when he liked it. it was the small things that made him fall in love.

They lovers stared at each other until Y/n leaned in and kissed him. it wasn’t lust or hunger. it was full of love, adoration and passion.

They pulled away slowly. Movie still playing in the background. He kissed her nose slowly and gently while whispering “I love you”

Y/n gasps softly and a smile crawls onto her face.

“I love you too. Thanks for making this so special. You liked it right?” She asks him.

“I did. I loved it so much. I see why you love it so much. Obviously I’ll never feel the way you did when you were younger but I’m so glad I got to know how you feel.”

Both of them sat on the couch to finish watching the movie. cuddling under the blankets and they both fell asleep after the movie ended. None of them bothered to get up but it’s ok. They created a night that they couldn’t forget.

[melishade]

Z-King: Hey in the human kids Trio AU do you think Eren would be jealous around Jack after hearing some the things Jack did including being trusted with the Key to Vector Sigma and heard from Miko and Ralf that Ratchet said Jack was a lot like Optimus?

TFP Kids Part 1

TFP Kids Part 2

Hm...I think it would be a mixed reaction. Because Eren was already aware of Jack, Miko, and Raf before they arrived to the AOP world in this timeline. Optimus told Eren about Earth and them in one of the Oneshot chapters on Ao3. Megatron alludes to them during the coup when he and Eren are having that fight. Megatron calls them a threat, and he believes it. Hell, Jack had the chance to kill him in the mine but chose not to.

But I think that Eren would be jealous of all three kids for different reasons. Not because Jack got entrusted the key to Vector Sigma, Miko killing an Insecticon by herself, or Raf giving Decepticon tech experts the run around.

No, he'd be jealous of them, because they are living the freest lives possible! Jack, Miko, and Raf are from a world where titans don't exist. There's no Marley or Eldia. They live in a place where food is not only in abundance, but even in excess. Miko wasn't even born in the US. She's from another continent. On top of that, they get to know someone as amazing as Optimus and even help end a war. But he gets to know them and he thinks they're amazing. It's just hard to be jealous of someone like them, but compared to the island, he thinks that they live in a paradise.

As the 104th and the kids are bonding, Eren kind of does bring it up as a pass in thought, saying that they must be living a life so grand and amazing. And then, to Eren's surprise, they all start busting out laughing.

"Look, buddy, we love our home!" Miko cackled, "But it's not all it's cracked up to be!"

"But there are no titans, no one threatening to destroy you because of who you are-,"

"Even when there is no massive threats to our home like titans, or even Megatron, humanity is it's own worst enemy," Jack explained, "Racism, sexism, climate change, nuclear warfare."

"Defunding of the arts, censorship in media, right-wing ass hats-!"

"Miko, take a breath," Jack interrupted her, earning a scowl from the human Wrecker.

"The displacement of thousand upon thousands of people due to the overall greed of capitalism," Rafael continued, "People are either forced out of their homes or have no choice but to flee, and a select few people have billions of dollars that they don't need."

"After my dad left us, me and my mom were living paycheck to paycheck for a time," Jack explained, "I had to learn to grow up and be responsible so she didn't have to worry about me. I even got a job because I didn't want to ask her for stuff and bother her with things when she already has enough to deal with."

"It's shit like this that kinda makes you think to just let the Decepticons destroy us," Miko proclaimed as she took a sip of her wine, "It's not like humans were making Earth better anyway!"

"We...we had no idea," Armin spoke.

"It's fine," Jack said, "We all just have our own set of problems. Just because one place has more, doesn't mean that they have it all together. Hell, we thought the Autobots were amazing when we first met them, but we met them when they were at war. An advanced civilization like them was at war. No one place is perfect. We're always fighting about something."

Eren has to privately re-examine his own assumptions about them and about Earth after that.

[madraleen]

Attack on Titan - Season 3 A predictably long commentary and an unnecessarily long pre-analysis of s4.

(*full manga spoilers. so many spoilers. ending spoilers. all the spoilers.)

-hmmm the op is on point and also very melancholy

-he iS SO EXTRA, eren is, even when his duty is cleaning he's all RAWR CLEANING ARGH KYAAA

-i love how aot is sometimes "we interrupt your regular slaughter and depression for a levi-loves-cleaning infomercial"

-i understand it's a 2019 production and therefore by default improved, but everything looks so much richer and detailed and i just HOW DO I SOAK IT ALL IN

-what i'm getting from the levi vs kenny sequences is that someone on the animation team really REALLY loves levi. as they should ofc

-i love the moment in the op when child eren bumps into teen eren, i love it. and i love all the eren-mikasa-armin moments.

-i suppose it'll never not hurt seeing eren in chains

-completely unrelated, but i want everyone to remember that paradis went from thinking they were the last of humanity to having to deal with an entire world of nations that are 100% set on exterminating them. and they have four years to adjust to this shocking change of mindset, and to history and politics that's been known to everyone else for hundreds of years, and deal with it accordingly. they are not equipped for this. they don't have the knowledge, experience or background to know how to handle this.

-in the manga i started squabbling with eren at this point, during his 'i should just die' arc, but the VA is so good that i just can't get irritated

-the worst girl in the world <3

-also the way the VA acts eren's "EAT ME!" breakdown in the cave reminds me so so much of ch.139 eren that it makes me smile. like, ah yes. i see it. i understand. my crybaby baby.

-HAHAHA, Historia "Sure, I'll be the queen," haaaa. took a step back from having levi terrorize her, did you now.

-keith shadis to eren: "the fire you lit in your heart will no doubt burn you to ashes outside the walls." what a fine day to cry over aot again.

-YOU CAN SEE SPECKS OF DUST FLOATING IN THE SUNLIGHT IN THE BACKGROUND WHAT! WHAT!!

-i enjoy eren and jean's bickering so much omg.

-i think i'll always have a soft spot for the night before shiganshina chapter bc of the manga. it was such a relief to read it at that point.

-MIKASA AND ARMIN SMILING IN THE BACKGROUND AS EREN AND JEAN BEAT EACH OTHER UP STOP I LOVE THEM

-eren to armin and mikasa: "but would it kill you guys to look out for me better?" i love that. i love that he just says that, that their bond is so deep that looking out for each other is their baseline.

-technically eren did see the world with armin... technically :')

-susume :') :'( . dude, the s3 animation is so well-made though

-ARMIN AND HIS BOOK MADE EREN REALIZE HE WASN'T FREE, ARMIN IS EREN'S VILLAIN ORIGIN STORY PART 2! (/joke)

-it's kinda amazing how mikasa and armin are both the people who know eren the best, AND how they are completely blindsided because of it. which makes sense - yes, they didn't question eren's depression, but they also didn't have eren's facts; they assumed he was in a state similar to theirs. they did live together day in day out after all, why would they assume eren was experiencing something entirely different than what they were, especially when he's never hidden things from them before?

-IT'S SO DAMN SATISFYING SEEING THEM FLY!

-ERWIN KILLS IT IN SHIGANSHINA ASFJDF

-i'm pumping my fist again with this op

-i randomly heard hiroshi kamiya's actual voice, and my genuine reaction was "???". how... how does he do levi's voice, h...

-i am once again flabbergasted that armin didn't put eren in his place through facts and logic on their time-skip fight. armin is literally like STOP THE PRESSES, WE'RE NEGOTIATING WITH BERTOLT FIRST in shiganshina, this isn't a post-colossus thing, it's just armin, and eren knows this full well. and yet once again it comes down to how blindsided armin and mikasa were. it’s almost like they trust eren so much that his words give them actual pause, like “is he right?”

-i know technically mikasa is beyblade number too, but i think the parallel is armin=erwin and jean=levi rn. bc jean tells armin, "i'm all right at reading situations, but i don't have the faintest idea how we can get out of this. we're still ultimately relying on you for a plan" and i think that's a very levi thing. only, levi would add piss and shit remarks for good measure.

-i can see why people call the shiganshina part of the anime peak and i haven't even reached the injection part yet.

-"GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAM AND DIE"

-daisuke ono kills it this season. he's magnificent.

-floch: "why am i alive?" me: to torture us post-time skip.

-dude this is so good, the animation and the VAs are killing it. also armin just sacrificed everything for eren, and legit post-time skip eren said 'hold my beer. you'll sacrifice your life for me? i'll give my life AND everyone else's too to save you, specifically (and a few other people)."

-aaah, eren knew armin first, then got to know mikasa, he's wearing The Scarf(TM), okay.

-levi's distress hits hard. dude THE VAs ARE KILLING IT.

-floch's right on the money though. the thing that defeats the titans *is* a demon of sorts, and he did survive to help do just that

-i love being reminded of eren's breakdowns and his expression during the breakdowns and i love how yuki kaji acts them out, they are exactly ch.139 eren (and this means a lot to me)

-double date in the basement~~~ (i'm sorry, idk what i'm saying, i'm sorry)

-yeah, basically, it’s all about the fact that nothing can stop violence. king fritz tried to stop violence through enforced/fake peace - didn’t work. talking it out wouldn’t work, deterrents wouldn’t work. eren tried to stop violence through violence - didn’t work (he secured his own goals for a time, but violence didn’t stop).

-why is aot so good? :')

-eren is such a good friend to armin, ffs (yes, yes, s4. i don't believe his friendship or the depth of it changed at all though, i don’t think anyone questions that.)

-eren is lifting armin up by telling him how there are infinite possibilities and freedom outside the walls, only to flashback to faye and such and realize there's no freedom to give to armin or to anyone outside the walls, there's only the world that wants their demise. armin is eren's villain origin story part 3. this has become a pattern, and third time's the charm.

-is it too bad that whenever i see birds i think of them as little erens

-yuki kaji. in the ocean scene. Perfection.

~~~

-Okay, so, to contextualize. Eren’s goals: 1) to exterminate all the Titans, 2) to be free, 3) a long life and happiness for his friends, even at the cost of his life. So at this point, in the sea sequence, Eren has seen glimpses of future events and knows that he will do the Rumbling. He does not know the concept of Mikasa’s Choice yet, just a few events out of context that will lead to the end of the Titans, which will lead to freedom. He hasn’t decided to do it, doesn’t know how he’s led to do it. He keeps this a secret. He tries to find alternatives, and low-key wants an out by letting Mikasa choose for him when he asks her what she is to him. But in the end there’s no alternative. It’s unclear when he realizes that he’ll be stopped on his 80%, but either way he means to or expects to be stopped at some point, because he wants to make his friends heroes from the get-go. He would go through with the 100% if left to his own devices because he wants to do it on a personal level, but he also knows it’s wrong and feels regret for the individual people that he considered enemies but now has gotten to know as people, despite the fact that it’ll give him what he wants (seen even post-Marley, when he tells his depressed self in the mirror to fight, seen in his reaction to Hange which I never saw as anything but despair- although screw you, Eren, don’t treat them like that); and the fact that he wants to make his friends heroes takes precedence.

From hereon, he presumably continues to receive memories, and his head gets progressively messed up because he’s lived parts of the past and future while living in the present.

Noteworthy is that Eren did not push away his friends pre-Marley. Before that, he was with them, albeit depressed, subdued and withdrawn; he lived and worked and traveled with them and made sure to make explicit how much he cares for them. His sudden leave must have blindsided them, but they still think that Eren is fully aligned with them. The major shift occurs after he comes back from Marley, where the world has specifically singled out him, Eren Yeager, as the biggest threat to humanity - not Paradis, Eren himself. Thus, Eren must become a completely separate entity from his ~precious friends, 1) to prevent them from becoming accomplices, prevent them from being dragged into his messes like they’ve done his whole life, bc they're supposed to be the heroes in all this, 2) to prevent them from stopping him too soon, 3) to convince them to fight him.

Another interesting thing is, Eren only fights with Armin and Mikasa once. When reading, I constantly perceived his stance as a personal offense on behalf of Armin and Mikasa, but technically, their personal fight only occurs once - after that, they’re just on opposing sides, it’s not personal. Considering he didn’t want to fight them and that he was very aware he was lying through his teeth, he purposely didn’t engage with them any more than he could bear, because I assume it wasn’t easy to fight them. But we’ll see how that plays out in s4, ‘cause my manga panels memories are hazy bc those arcs destroyed me.

So. In order for Eren to somewhat keep his sanity amidst overlapping timelines, a massacre that he dearly wants and deeply regrets, pushing away his closest people, wanting to make them heroes but not knowing if they’ll survive in the first place, becoming a mass murderer and the villain of the entire world, he regresses into a child form, where things are simpler. 

And the reason I’m basically summarizing s4 here is to remind myself what to actually look out for before I get wrapped up in the tragedy of it all all over again :’D

[dragonmasterkaylz]

Attack on Titan 2- Character Sheet

Name: Kayleigh Gregson

Age: 15

Birth Date: March 25th, 835

Place of Birth: Wall Maria, Shinganshina

Height: 5’7 / 170cm

Regiment: Scouts

Squad: Special Operations Squad (Levi Squad)

Best Friends: Sasha Braus, Mikasa Ackerman, Jean Kirstein and Petra Ral.

Mentor: Levi Ackerman.

Enemy: Reiner Braun (Until Part 2 of Season 4)

Eventual Spouse: Reiner Braun.

Headcannon ENG VA: Anne Yatco.

Headcannon JP VA: Miyuki Sawashiro.

Personality:

You will have never met someone as sweet, kind and as understanding as Kayleigh. She can be a little shy when it comes to meeting new people, especially people as eccentric as Hanji. She also finds hard to adjust to new places and at times, her nerves can get the better of her. However, on the battlefield, that all changes. She becomes a true team leader, especially when no one else is willing to stand up and take that position. She may not be as intelligent as Armin, but she isn’t stupid either. She’s able to make decisions based on the situation, even if it’s not easy to do so. She’s far from reckless as well and will never go head to head against a Titan without some kind of plan. And, she isn’t above disciplining and lecturing one of her fellow comrades if she needs to. This is always to help them see that they have to continue fighting on, even if the end result isn’t so pleasant.

Scores:

Fighting Ability- 7/10

ODM Gear Skills- 9/10

Leadership- 8/10

Relationships with her Comrades- 10/10

Trust- 10/10

Cleaning Ability- 8/10

Intellect- 6/10 (Depends)

Fear of the Titans- 2/10

Titan Slaying Skills- 8/10

Opinions of Her:

Eren Jaeger: She’s a really sweet girl, even helped me out while I was in the Special Operations Squad. But, if I’m being completely honest… she scares me sometimes! Her skills are amazing! I don’t really want to get on her bad side!

Mikasa Ackerman: She’s a true leader. I’m honestly surprised that her main goal is to keep her fellow comrades and friends alive. I wish we had met her when we were kids. We did all live in Shinganshina after all~.

Armin Arlert: Kayleigh’s a very kind person, always looking out for us. But she doesn’t give off that Goddess-vibe, like Christa. Of course, she cares for us, but it’s more like she sees us as her family.

Levi Ackerman: There’s a reason why I chose her to be apart of the Special Operations Squad. She really impressed me in our mission to wipe out the Titans in Trost, even saving the lives of my fellow comrades. She was going to see the mission through to the end and she wasn’t concerned about her kill count or anything as trivial as that. She’s a natural-born leader and that’s all there is to it. Also… her cleaning skills put the others to shame and she makes good tea.

Sasha Braus: She’s my best friend!!! Has been since the first day of Cadet Corps. She ever volunteered to run with me after Shadis gave me that punishment… hehe. She even gave me some of her leftovers after she had dinner… since I wasn’t allowed to eat for an entire week. Ohhh… that was the worst punishment!

Jean Kirstein: Honestly, when I first met her, I did think her ODM skills could do with some work… and after some training with me, she was suddenly a lot better than I was! I didn’t think it was possible at the time, but she’s very much aware of how much fuel she has left, as well as how many blades. She pays attention to things like that! I couldn’t ask for a better comrade if I’m being completely honest!

Petra Ral: When the Captain told us that we were getting a new comrade, who had just come out of the 104th Cadet Corps, I was honestly surprised. But after seeing her in action, I know why he chose her! She’s not only skilled in combat, but she cares for all of us! Sometimes I think that she and Oruo have a rivalry that even she doesn’t know about yet. Also… I think Levi treats her like his own daughter~! Hehe~!

Hanji Zoë: Kayleigh is by far the most capable and kindest girl I’ve ever met. She even helps me catch Titans, without me asking her to! Unlike the rest of the Levi Squad, she wants to help me further my studies! Yahooo! I adore her so much!!!

Erwin Smith: I’ve never met such a kind Scout in my life. Usually, after a few missions, some of them turn sour but not her. She does have a bad habit of thinking about her comrades lives more than her own. But other than that, she’s a model soldier and I wish a lot of the other Scouts would follow her example.

Fun Facts:

She always wears a pink silk scarf that her Father bought for her when she was younger. Taking it off isn’t an option for her. The only time she will is when she’s going to sleep.

She always wears her green cloak, even out of battle, and people often wonder why. The only three people who know are Mikasa, Sasha and Petra. And they won’t tell people why she always wears it. It’s strictly confidential!

Levi tends to dote on her more than the other Cadets, not even realising that he does so. Usually, Hanji will point out that he’s like a Father to her and he will deny it with ever fibre of his being. But if she ever gets hurt… God help the Titan or person who did hurt her.

She carries a journal with her that is absolutely top secret. She likes to put in her thoughts about other people and also about what she’s learned from the higher ups, especially from Commander Erwin. Only Hannes has ever seen what’s inside and he was very impressed with her attention to detail. She has said made it very clear though, that if she ever dies, she wants it to go straight to the higher up of the Scout Regiment, as she believes it will be very useful to their cause.

She holds her blades a certain way so she can perform her own special technique, which wasn’t taught. She learnt it all on her own and is very proud of it. Most people believe that her special technique is a lot like Levi’s, but it couldn’t be any further from it. This technique does allow her to go a lot faster, however she can go from Titan to Titan without taking a scratch with this technique. The first time she ever used it was in Trost to save Jean.

She had a huge crush on Reiner, until it was soon revealed that he was the enemy and she was heartbroken for days after that. Mikasa and Sasha tried to cheer her up, but nothing worked. She felt betrayed and she hated the feeling.

Her Past:

As a young girl, she was a delight to be around and she had admired the Scouts from day one. Exactly a year before Wall Maria was destroyed, she talked her Mother into seeing the Scouts off to their mission and told her that she had a present for ‘Humanities Strongest Soldier’. Helen agreed to watch them and Kayleigh walked up to Levi, giving him a silk cravat that her Father had brought back from Wall Sina. He was surprised, but he took it from her, patting her head as he did so. “Thanks”. “You’re welcome, sir!”

‘I sure hope a sweet girl like her doesn’t intent to join the Scouts’.

A year later, tragedy struck and she watched as the Armoured Titan broke down the inner gate of Wall Maria. A large boulder crushed both of her parents right in front of her and she was carried onto a boat by a Garrison Soldier. Once there, she heard Eren’s speech about destroying the Titans and vowed to do the same to avenge her parents. After many years had passed, she joined the Cadet Corps and vowed to become a Scout. She didn’t get into the top ten, but she wanted to become a Scout nonetheless.

That’s when her actual story starts….

Other Characters She’s Like:

Rias Gremory- Highschool DxD

Strict but fair when it comes to Leadership. She will put her comrades in difficult situations, but she will never let them die.

Asuka- Senran Kagura

Especially kind and sweet, but serious when it comes to her training. Will follow her friends to the very end. She’s also hardworking, but can be clumsy at times.

Dean Winchester- Supernatural

She’s a good fighter and won’t ever give up, but she’s willing to die for her friends. But you don’t want to make her angry. That adorable and sweet look can go the second she’s been betrayed or hurt. And if you ever ask her if she’s okay, she’ll lie to you… because she’s not. She just doesn’t want to talk about it. She hates worrying people, especially Captain Levi, so she won’t say anything until she explodes one day.

Harley Quinn- Suicide Squad

Once again, she’s a good fighter… but once she’s backed into a corner, she won’t hesitate to kill people in order to survive. She’s also incredibly athletic and flexible, as well as strong. She’s loyal to her friends, no matter what and will help them… even if she had to get her hands dirty and go a little crazy.

In Conclusion…

She’s the most adorable and sweet girl in the Scout Regiment, but she’s also very determined and will fight for her friends until the bitter end. She follows orders, no matter how much she might disagree with them. And everyone believes that she’s the only one who can defeat the Armoured Titan, because of her strong will to avenge her parents. Everyone who has ever met her, likes her and believes that she’s what they all need to keep them all motivated. Sure, she didn’t give a speech like Eren did, but it’s not like she had to. She’s a leader, which is why she was excepted by her comrades in the Special Operations Tactical Squad. They all believe that she has a strength within that no one else can claim. Something stronger than revenge. Something stronger than being Humanities Strongest Soldier. All she has in her fragile heart is love. That is what humanity needs to survive. Love.

Thanks for Reading~!!!

[darkkakyuu]

I got dressed into some sweats and a new tanktop, vaguely listening to Coach’s lecture before we were dismissed. I walked out with Armin, who was alway around since he was the team manager. He was the only one I had told about us but he was my best friend, I knew he would be the last one to tell my business.

I waited for you outside the gym, waving innocently at all the other cheerleaders and nodding at all the other players as they walked out, till I saw you. It was just you me and Armin around so I leaned down and kissed your lips chastely. I felt you tense up and I put my hands on your hips to relax you a bit. “Relax, baby, he knows, I hope that’s okay, just couldn’t keep it from my best friend.”

"Oh, okay then." I say as I relax under his touch. Even though Sasha was my best friend, I could trust her to not keep her mouth shut. She'd get too excited and would accidentally blab about it to the whole team. And from what I had noticed, at least half of the girls there had a crush on Eren. Not that I could blame them. He was very good looking and was such an amazing boyfriend.

Boyfriend?

Did I really consider Eren as my boyfriend? I gaze up at him as he laughs at something Armin said and a smile nestles on my lips. Yeah, it felt right calling him my boyfriend. At least in my head until he was comfy with people knowing about us. "Eren, you want to help me make us something to eat when we make it back to the dorm?"

[cloudywithachanceofmuchmellows]

As AO3’s server is currently down for an indefinite amount of time, this means I’ve gotten more time in my hands to add more to my previous Aruani fic rec list as I’ve saved hundreds of them on my e-Book since March (that’s when the last part of AOT drops so Aruani has altered my brain chemistry again). For those who have been unlucky to download their favourite Aruani fics before, hopefully this list will help save your hassles from threading through the haystack the next time. I also took my sweet time to credit the authors properly (using their Tumblr / Twitter url) so if there’s anyone that I’ve missed, appreciate someone adding or tagging them as I’m still new to Tumblr. This post has a limit of 100 links so I’m not able to put out more fics so will continue again soon!

Since I’m reblogging @moonspirit’s post (other amazing and talented Aruani authors @distortedclouds, @annawayne, @nightofthend, @dudewhy3, @lady-shudragon, @popgreens, @brittlebluebell, @mimiwrites2000, @diam-etrical, @novaae, @goneadrift, @marshmallow-rainbow139, @Decoii, @mipisleepy, @niwaaakame, @astralcrow, @Flailingkittylover, @honeyriot and Anonymous are already on her recommendations so check out her list above!), it’s only fair that I’m recommending her Aruani fics first and foremost!

AruAni in Fort Salta Series by @moonspirit

A compilation of Aruani fics post-Rumbling which tells the tale of love, hope, trust and friendships. A lot of fluff moments between not just Annie and Armin, but between others too ; Jean, Connie, Pieck and Reiner. Multi-chapter. (Ongoing)

For An Island Devil by @chososeyebags

Canon-compliant. Cadet Armin x Annie. A little peek into Annie's thoughts on Armin during training days. She would rather be ripped from her titan’s nape than admit it, but Armin Arlert was pretty cute, for an island devil. One-shot.

(As We’d Like To Think) by orphan_account

Canon-compliant. Cadet Armin x Annie. Sparring and training expeditions. Four times Armin attempts to get closer to Annie but to no avail. However that one time, it works perfectly. A lot of fluffs. One-shot.

Don’t Wake Annie by @ghostori

Canon-compliant. While walking back to his cabin, Armin stumbles upon a sleeping Annie. An odd occurrence indeed, especially for someone who’s always on her guard. He's surprised to see her looking so vulnerable … Until she wakes up, that is. One-shot.

Can You Feel My Heart? by @we-will-kill-you

Canon-compliant. Cadet Armin x Annie. It is Christmas time in Shiganshina so the Scouts are given some time off of their mission for the holiday. Armin is encouraged by Eren and others to talk to Annie. One-shot.

Put Up Your Walls by @sodas

Canon-compliant. Cadet Armin x Annie. As the cadet have chosen which regiment to go to, Armin tells Annie he will come visit her at Military Police’s. “Maybe sometime... If we do well, the Scouting Legion might come in to report at Wall Sina. Maybe we'll get to check in with you, Annie. Fluffs. One-shot.

Beautiful Monster @venusianroses

Canon-compliant. Armin’s POV. As Annie transforms, the waves of heat from her explosive Titan washes through his skin but the only thought that Armin could comprehend is the pertaining thought that he has fallen in love with a monster. Angsts. One-shot.

A Test of Endurance, Ambush & Memories of Her by @SerphenySlayer

Story 1 : Canon-compliant. Cadet Armin x Annie.

Story 2 : Canon-compliant. Cadet Armin x Annie. Armin had been tired after working and he would have been back to the barracks by now if a certain female blonde titan shifter hadn't chosen at this moment to ambush him in the hallway. Smut. One-shot.

Story 3 : Canon-compliant. Scout Armin x crystallised Armin. After Armin acquires Bertholdt’s memories, thoughts of Annie are constantly felt to the point to where he begins to feel her differently than before. One-shot.

In Your Wondering by @dancingmagicmyths

Canon-compliant. Armin’s POV where Armin reads and talks to Annie in her crystal. He wonders, not for the first time, what’s he doing here. One-shot.

Untouched / Untouching by @meltokio

Canon-compliant. Armin talks to crystallised Annie. How can he explain to others that he has fallen in love with a statue? One-shot.

One-Sided Reflection by @adoremark / @markbffs

Canon-compliant. Armin’s POV. More often than not, he finds himself talking to the girl in the crystal despite knowing she can't answer him. One-shot.

Crystalized Emotions by

Come Closer, I Need You by Anonymous

Canon-compliant. Armin goes to meet crystallised Annie after the attack on Liberio. Angsts. One-shot.

Like A Girl by @ly0nstea

Set in chapter 131. Armin and Annie talk as they sit on a boat ride to Odiha. One-shot.

I’d Say Okay by @zuzusexytiems

Canon-compliant. Written before chapter 137 (when it’s not known if Ymir’s curse will be gone). In the aftermath of the war, Armin and Annie find themselves yearning for something neither of them can have. "If things were different," Armin whispers, caressing Annie’s cheek, "I'd ask you to marry me." One-shot.

As the World Burns by @ladyleonhart / @ladyleonhart

Canon-compliant. Set in chapter 131. Everyone is planning to stop Eren and the Rumbling but all Annie could think of is what if this is their last moment, what if this confession is the last conversation she and Armin are ever going to have, what if she never gets to see him again? Boat sex. One-shot.

One Moment by @Angelhart

Canon-compliant. During chapter 131 Armin confesses his feelings for Annie. This story takes place on the boat right after that, where Armin and Annie yearn and long for peace within each other. Boat sex. One-shot.

Snow by @LeeSophia

Post-Canon. Ambassador Armin x Annie. When Annie finds out that she’ll be taking a break one afternoon when it starts snowing, she’s thrilled. Because it’s time for a snow fight! A lot of fluffs. One-shot.

Heiße Schokolade by @norikos_binoculars

Post-Canon. Armin tries to make a traditional Marleyan beverage ; a hot chocolate drink while Annie decides to make a tradition of her own. Recipe for the hot chocolate included! Fluffs. One-shot.

I Have to Go by @zuzusexytiems

Post-Canon. Ambassador Armin x Annie. Annie refuses to let Armin go after he gets called for meetings. Fluffs. One-shot.

Clean by @erenyeagerbomb

Post-Canon. Ambassador Armin x Annie. Armin has no filter when he has been sleep deprived from all these travellings he has done for the past 2 years. When Armin asks for a rest day, Annie decides to stay with him. Eventual smut. Two-part fic (Ongoing)

Paper Doves, Hollow Wings & Reminiscence by @highvalyrian

Post-Canon. Ambassadors AU.

Story 1 : In the aftermath of the Rumbling, the survivors of the Alliance work together to bring forth their own visions of peace, all the while basking in newfound love: romantic, platonic, familial. The path to peace was never an easy one, but it is one that is possible to journey on together. Told from different POVs. Multi-chapter (Completed)

Story 2 : Armin and Pieck rarely get to talk amongst themselves, but when he comes to her asking if she could cut his hair, the two manage to bond over their childhood experiences with one Annie Leonhart. One-shot

If We Hold On Together, A River, An Ocean & Tomorrow and Forever by @yourmaejesty

Fics from Their Hearts Are Connected series. Post-rumbling and post-canon AU.

Story 1 : After enduring countless losses without enough time to breathe and grieve, Armin finally reaches his breaking point. But he eventully finds solace in Annie who has remained by his side through the tears. One-shot

Story 2 : "The river is my reminder that there's an ocean. That there's hope." Simply, Annie is the river while the ocean is Armin’s hope. One-shot

Story 3 : Armin and Annie will finally set foot in Marley after years of voyaging to negotiate for world peace among the Allied Nations. Story of hope. One-shot

No Heroes by @EmeraldPhoenix1221 (who also writes To You in Galaxy Far, Far Away listed below on the list of crossovers)

Post-Rumbling. Shortly after a confrontation with Eren, Annie goes looking for Armin who is grieving over the loss of his bestfriend. Angsts and fluffs. One-shot

Tenerife Sea by @leonhearthe

Post-Rumbling. In the aftermath of the rumbling, Armin and Annie contemplate on their relationship and future together. A lot of fluffs. One-shot

Separation Anxiety by @Willowshade (orphan_account)

Post-Rumbling. The night after the rumbling, Annie escapes from the Alliance and the refugees to sit down and contemplate her life. Armin goes looking for ger and join in on her solitude to have a talk about their future together. Contains slightly smutty makeout scenes. One-shot

We Fill the Gaps ; You and Me Make Three by @delightfuls

Post-Canon. Armin couldn’t count the number of nights, of Annie being crystallised, that he’s dreamt of her. Now that Annie has always visited his room almost every night, he squeezes and touches her flesh between his hands, as a reminder of sorts that she’s alive, she’s here, and she’s real. Fluffs. One-shot.

A Light Peered from the Smoke & Symbiosis by @ArshavinMakesIt4

Story 1 : Post-Rumbling / Post-Canon. Ambassador Armin x Annie. For the sake of world peace, negotiations between the representatives of Allied Nations don’t go well for Armin as he gets jumped by an unruly attacker from the audience. Annie quickly jumps in to save him though he refuses her help in butting in each time he becomes a target. Their argument causes a rift between the two so Falco and Gabi decide to confront Armin about his behaviour towards Annie. Funny interactions between Armin and Falbi. One-shot.

Story 2 : Set 3 years after the Rumbling. Levi and Annie have a cold heart to heart during their visit to a museum. Armin investigates the mystery of the titans. And Gabi and Falco...act like Gabi and Falco. One-shot.

Walking After You by @thefife01

Post-Canon. Annie doesn’t regret what she has done to get to where she is now. But she doesn’t understand why Armin still loves her anyway. One-shot.

Domestic by @konekowrites

Years after the Rumbling. Married Armin x Annie. They wake up on a lazy morning but unfortunately, they won’t get to enjoy their domestic bliss for long. One-shot.

Canon-divergence AUs :

Wait By The Ocean by @cookietonwrites

Every day Annie goes to the same place, the beach where Mikasa had said was the place where they saw the sea for the first time. Of course, the surrounding area must look completely different, with the craters of where many colossal titans once walked and where the grass and soil are slowly learning to heal. Not unlike the people surrounding her and who walks behind her to ask how she is doing. It almost feels like she’s the only one who’s not. Maybe she can’t. Not yet. Because Armin Arlert isn’t back yet. Angsts. Multi-chapter. (Completed)

Forever By Your Side & The Moon Has Blue Eyes by @liv_leonhart

Story 1 : Written before chapter 138. Annie’s unplanned pregnancy before the end of Ymir’s 13-year curse. Mikasa visits Armin and Annie. Angsts. One-shot.

Story 2 : Armin in Liberio AU. Little Annie was alone. Her future had been set before her. The road ahead would be filled with blood and war. And that's all she ever knew. Armin didn't know about his future. But what he had was a vision. A vision of wonders, hopes and dreams so big that they could hardly ever be reality. Multi-chapter. (Ongoing)

Legends by @mimiwrites2000

A legend that was unveiled by a miracle.These miracles sometimes are better forgotten, left in the past where no one can go back. But Armin engraved his name into the folds of her mind, tear a piece of him and gave it to her, following her everywhere. Annie ran away, to the edge of earth, but when she closed her eyes, she saw his blue eyes. They danced around a legend that made them encounter each other over and over again, a time in crimson blood, a time in a cold night under the stars, and a time in an embrace.

More modern AU Aruani fics :

Someone Who’s Good For You by @norikos_binoculars

Modern AU. College setting. Tucked away beyond the shores of sand and stone stands Paradis University; a crumbling haven for misfits, meddlers, and students with nowhere else to go. The town is in shambles, the faculty are just as disastrous as their students, but as her family's last hope for salvation after her father's fall from grace Annie Leonhart has no other option. With only four years to make it count, she's determined to make sure that nothing and nobody stands in her way in her strife for deliverance. She's cautious, cynical, and has everything under control. Everyone on campus knows not to mess with her. Well, except for Armin Arlert. Contains mature themes. Multi-chapter. (Ongoing)

Claimed By the Waves and By the Wind , Looked Even More Golden by @ayselspacito

Story 1 : College setting. Armin and Annie are brought by their friends to a marriage booth to fake marry and exchange fake wedding vows together. Angsty. One-shot.

Story 2 : Office setting. Graphic designer Armin x coworker Annie. Annie is thinking about mysterious notes she’d gotten used to receiving since three weeks ago, wondering who might have been sending them. One-Shot.

Post-Its by @ladyleonhart

Library / Coffee shop AU. Annie keeps getting books with Post-It notes left on her pile whenever she’s not looking. Whoever this stranger is, Annie secretly hopes that she would get more book suggestions from this mystery person. One-shot.

Soy un Prededor by @annieleonhardt

Coffee shop AU. The story of barista Armin leaving messages on Annie’s coffee cups. Fluffs. One-shot.

Liquid Courage by @RosaTonta

College AU. Being a double-major didn’t allow Armin much time to socialize on campus. But he had enough time to figure out that his feelings for Annie were a little stronger than he wanted them to be. One-shot.

Fix You by @aruani

Modern AU. High school. High School AU where Annie is the new girl who has just transferred. She’s hiding her troubled life from the world and is misunderstood by the other pupils. The only person who seems to want to befriend her is a sweet boy named Armin Arlert. A lot of angsts. Multi-chapter. (Completed)

Pick Five by @Samara88

University AU. University student Armin Arlert did go a long way from his high school days, yet love relationships are sort of a minefield through which he must learn to go, with some assistance. With Mikasa’s tarot readings. Contains smut. Multi-chapter. (Ongoing)

I Will Never Blame Rain Again by @ili-akkaman

Modern AU in high school. Armin and Annie get stuck at school because of rain. He musters the courage to invite her to prom. One-shot.

Suits, Apocalypse, Playing God by @leonhearthe

Story 1 : Corporate office life setting. CEO Armin x employee Annie. Sometimes it isn't easy to get what you want. But Annie will shake heaven and earth to get what she wants. And so will Armin. Contains sexual scenes. One-shot.

Story 2 : Night club setting. One night stand. Black Academia TA / masters student Armin x graduate student / part timer Annie. Annie Leonhart finds herself in an arrangement she cannot resist with hot blondie, Armin Arlert. Contains sexual scenes. One-shot.

Story 3 : Hotel setting. Tinder one night stand. In order to nurse Armin’s hurt over his recent breakup, Annie pretends to be his ex for one night. Contains heavy sexual scenes. One-shot.

But Do You Love The Sound? By @daddymothman

Modern AU. One night stand. Annie gets dumped. Hitch is a roommate with a plan to go to the club. Hitch always tells Annie that she thinks booze and a good hookup can heal any wound. The club sucks, until a handsome stranger buys Annie a drink. One-shot.

I’ve Got My Eye On You by @ladyleonhart

Modern AU. Doctor Armin x gym trainer Annie. Annie’s eye gets scratched by her cat, Titan. She asks for Hitch’s help to get her to Sina Hospital to get herself checked. Little does she know, she’ll be lying down next to the hottest doctor she has ever seen. One-shot.

“Studying” by @anniekasa

Modern AU. College. Annie decides to take a break from studying and asks Armin to try ‘something’ in the library. Smut. One-shot

Silhouettes, PO Box 104, The Marriage of True Minds, Let Me Have an Audience & Better than an Opera by @jelzorz

Story 1 : Modern AU. College. Armin keeps dreaming about a girl named Annie Leonhart whose name he first learns from a book. But he has no recollection of who she is. He becomes a different person in each dream he has about her. A painter, a writer, an archaeologist. It’s almost as if he’s reliving his past lives. Like he’s been searching for Annie over lifetimes. One-shot

Story 2 : Modern AU. Student / part time mail boy Armin. German exchange student Annie. Armin catches sight of Annie checking her PO box for letters and packages from Germany almost every morning. Their weekly routine has struck up an unexpected friendship between them. In the spirit of Christmas, Armin thought it’d be nice to leave things in her PO box starting from 1st of December to make an advent calendar sort of gift. A lot of fluffs. One-shot

Story 3 : Harry Potter x Hogwarts AU. Annie goes to Hogwarts and be sorted into Slytherin like the rest of her family. She is expected to excel magnificently in all her classes and she will gain a seat in Ministry of Magic. She will marry a Braun or a Hoover to keep her bloodline pure and her children will rinse and repeat. But everything changes upon meeting a Muggle boy named Armin Arlert. Contains sexual scenes in the last chapter. Multi-chapter. (Completed)

Story 4 : Sequel to The Marriage of True Minds after the kids graduating from the Hogwarts. Mr. Leonhart organises a coming-of-age ball for Annie so she can make her debut into the Upper Class Wizarding Society.

Story 5: Modern AU. Les Miserables theatre class. Historia breaks her ankle after a minor accident on stage while doing her Les Miserables rehearsal. Armin, who plays as Marius, persuades Annie to resume Historia’s role as Cosette. She has no choice but to accept it. An unexpected romance has blossomed between them throughout their rehearsal. Multi-chapter. (Completed)

Miss Jackson by @seles

Annie Leonhardt hadn’t expected such a reaction from the blond in front of her. Armin Arlert was, as once noted by her, a generally gentle-mannered person. Presently, he had her pushed tight against the wall with an uncharacteristic heavy scowl across his face.“Did you really think that if you left town, no one would miss you?” Armin asked her.” One-shot

More AOT crossovers AU :

Sunshine and Rainbows by Anonymous

College AU set in the year 1999. Although the primary focus is on Eremika, Aruani segment is relatively huge also. A story of love, heartbreak, sex, and friendship while attending college in the late 90's. Contains heavy sexual scenes. Multi-chapter. (Completed)

Erasing You, Armin and Pochita & Annie’s War by @m4y-b3ll

Story 1 : Inspired by Eternal Sunshine of Spotless Minds. What if the only way to move on is to literally forget? What if memory erasure is the best solution for heartbreaks and fallouts? That was why Annie Leonhart erased Armin Arlert. And Armin decided to do the same. A long of angsts. Multi-chapter. (Completed)

Story 2 : Chainsaw Man AU. A grieving young boy found comfort in an unexpected companion, even if it was a dog-like creature with a chainsaw on its head. One-shot.

Story 3 : Chainsaw Man AU. Annie Leonhart hated devils. Devils born from human fears. Devils destroy everything they touch. Devils took Annie’s parents away, leaving her orphaned and homeless, only to be adopted by a man who did nothing but fueled her hatred. Annie Leonhart had always hated devils. So why the fuck were they expecting her to befriend one? One-shot.

Let The Sun In by @bloomuse

Modern AU with slight fantasy elements. Seeking for a change, Annie Leonhardt moves to Paradis City, a place known for its people and lore. What was once a suggestion from a friend shines a light on newfound hope. It's about time she lets the sun in. However, what she wasn't expecting was to be finding the truth behind a peculiar curse that's plagued for generations to come. Contains mature themes. Multi-chapter. (Ongoing)

For The Blood Is Life by @brittlebluebell

Twilight AU. Vampire Annie x student Armin. When Armin Arlert moves to the rainy town of Forks to live with his grandfather for the rest of his high school career, he doesn’t really think much will come of it. But when he catches sight of the beautiful but oddly terrifying Annie Leonhart, he finds himself drawn to her in ways he’d never expected. However, Annie is mysterious and unreadable, yet this only makes Armin want to know more about her, consequences be damned – even if it puts his own life in danger. Contains mature themes. Multi-chapter. (Ongoing)

These City Lights by @annieleonhardt

1920’s Hollywood AU. Director Armin x actress Annie. At a time where scandals in Hollywood were new yet frequent, aspiring director Armin Arlert's rather violent script, along with his growing relationship with his leading lady Annie Leonhart may not be in his best interest. Not that it's stopping him in any way. Multi-chapter. Contains sexual scenes. (Ongoing)

Wir Werden Uns Wiedersehen by @aruani

WWII AU. Soldier Armin x Nazi Germany officer Annie. Childhood sweethearts Armin Arlert & Annie Leonhart are separated after Armin’s family are forced to flee from Nazi Germany to England. Before Armin departs, both swear that they will one day be reunited. By 1944, Armin is left with nothing but his best friend, Eren, and the two make a trip across war-torn Europe to find Annie. Plenty of Eremika and Yumikuri moments too. Contains mature themes and sexual scenes. Multi-chapter. (Completed)

To You, In A Galaxy Far Far Away by @EmeraldPhoenix1221

Star Wars AU. As mentioned on the list on the top. 20 years after the Battle of Yavin, aboard the aging Liberator-class carrier "Surveyor," Armin Arlert and some of his friends among the graduates of the 104th New Republic Navy Cadet Corps take part in the campaign to snuff out Zero Command, a mysterious Imperial holdout in the Deep Core. As the Battle Group they're a part of inches closer to the planet Byss, however, things start becoming less clear - especially regarding a certain Remnant defector that Armin just can't help but be enthralled by. Contains mature themes. Multi-chapter. (Ongoing)

Quiver by @erenyeagerbomb

Werewolves AU. Werewolf Armin. Annie knows it’s there the night she has been attacked by her father. She could feel it staring at her through the darkness of the woods. Always watching and waiting for her. Annie Leonhart is hardly afraid of anything, but its cold blue eyes makes her quiver. Mature themes. Multi-chapter. (Ongoing)

Cyberpunk : Titan Smashers by @DMtotheAAfans

Cyberpunk 2077 x Cyberpunk Edgerunners AU. When an experimental emergency teleport sends a recently beaten Adam Smasher to the Attack on Titan universe, the murderous cyborg finds himself reluctantly assisting the human meat bags against the uglier more disgusting meat bags trying to eat him.

Ymir willing, he’ll be changing the course of Paradis, and perhaps the world, before he knows it. Settle in for a ride chooms! Mature themes. Multi-chapter. (Ongoing)

It's time for the fic recommendations update! I need more ARUANI in my veins!!!!

So I made a comprehensive list of all the AruAni fics I've read thus far (which isn't much really, considering how many there are)... some are repeated from my prev recs. you'll notice that a lot of them are smut fics and usually canon or post-canon. I haven't read a lot of AU (which I must do bec I know there are some AMAZING ones out there!). In no particular order:

Since when did you start looking at me that way? (full collection) by @distortedclouds

Neverland of (our) desires , Bury me in the shadows of spring , Golden hour of our forever by @annawayne

At Night Within the Walls , Good For You by Anonymous

Sea of Lovers , Moments , Call Me Maybe , Out to Sea by apollogirl7 @lady-shudragon

Children of War by SeaTempest

Specks of Yellow, Start Off Small , That Good of a Person by @popgreens

In the Peace and Quiet , Warmth , Good Behaviour , Intertwined , Stay Soft , Other Things , Vanilla and Saltwater , Many More to Come , To Be Human , No Other Shade of Blue by @brittlebluebell (honestly just go read everything)

Injured Hearts , Whispers in the cabins , What we did in my Fantasies Donuts with a side of warm milk by mipisleepy

Tinsel and Gold , A Petition for Mercy , Foxholes , Coveted , Always, Annie , Waves by honeyriot (again, just go read everything)

Peaceful Days , Letters , Playful Nights , Warriors , Paranoid , Teamwork , Family of Three , Inception , Perfect , Soldier , Lost , Pieces , Regret , Try by Flailingkittylover (go read everything)

God complex , Leverage , All the way down , P.D.A. , Bullshit jobs , On freer seas by astralcrow

Only You , Hollow , In This Life , When Love Had a Name by niwakaame

Twisting the Knife by TaoAndThen

fated to be telling lies by @goneadrift

A glimpse of us. , Sweet Morning , Oasis , Stay. , A Different Tomorrow , Bread and Circuses , For the Sake of Tomorrow , For the Sake of Today by Decoii

sehnsucht , the wind that sounds and smells like death , laid out my love like a map , to think the world's all ours , pom-poms on the toes by @novaae

Who painted the sky? , A Perfect Love , Nothing Sweeter Than You by @dudewhy3 (go read everything honestly)

What If I Kiss You? , all the things that could have been by @mimiwrites2000 (haven't gotten around to reading all of their fics yet, but please check them all out!)

People with great AU recs, feel free to add them in reblogs if you'd like!