Armin's Prom Project Chapter 1

Reiner and Bertholdt entered the building first, leaving you and Jean to continue talking outside the front doors. You leaned against the cold brick wall, your hands folded neatly against your legs. You honestly weren’t looking forward to going in the gym. You didn’t feel like dancing now, even though that was your main purpose in coming here.

“So um…did you have an idea as to who you wanted to dance with?” Jean asked.

You shook your head, “I’m not sure. There aren’t many people who would want to dance with me.”

He shrugged his shoulders and smiled sadly, “I can at least dance with you a little bit. It won’t be that bad since we’re friends already.”

Your heart pounded slightly at the request, but you kept in mind that they were just feelings of excitement. You’ve been looking forward to dancing with somebody. It wasn’t because you had feelings for him. You two were best friends, so what reason did you have for not being able to last one song with him? Besides, it’s Jean. He doesn’t like you like that. He has a huge crush on Mikasa, and seemed to be a bit interested in some other guy too…but you definitely were NOT on his list. He would have told you by now.

“Sure, that’d be nice.”

He held the door for you as you entered, glaring at the brunette boy who sat on the stairs. You waved at him and smiled, wondering why Mikasa wasn’t with him. “Eren are you okay?” you asked.

Eren Jaeger, the boy who sits next to you in Mr. Smith’s English class. He didn’t talk to you much on the first few days, but you thought he was a good guy, and after berating yourself, you decided to say hi. Since then, you two had talked about rather deep subjects and funny things you found on the internet. He liked the same music as you, and he was a really nice guy who tried to save you from the bullies who were in your class. He didn’t win most of the time, but you tried to help fight back with him. You weren’t good with words either, so whenever it was mental bullying they usually one, but it was the thought that counted.

“Mikasa’s hanging out with Armin for a little while. He’s been down for a couple days, and I’m worried about him. It seemed he was angry at me over something though, so I can’t talk to him,” he sighed. You barely knew Armin, but you did chat with him every now and then. He seemed like a nice and polite guy, and you sympathized with him because he was also a bully target. He’s in your honors civics class and health, but he takes all honors classes, so you only see him then. You did notice he was quieter than usual. Usually he would answer most of the questions, and he would at least say hi to the teacher in the beginning of class, but these past few days he’s been ducking over his books and holding them close. You were worried, but you didn’t know him well enough, so you didn’t really get involved.

“Did you say anything to him?” you asked, “I’m not accusing you of doing such but…well…I’m just wondering.”

He smiled sadly, “So you do worry over him?”

“I barely know him but…yeah I do worry.”

It’s a weird sensation in the back of your throat. You can tell easily if somebody isn’t feeling okay, and you usually have this weird feeling in your stomach to go and help them out. Whenever Jean feels upset, he usually is really quiet and says he’s truly okay. Nobody usually admits they’re not okay, so that’s the first sign of sad behavior.

“Say…(f/n)…” he mumbled, “I think you should go talk to him.”

You raised an eyebrow, “Why so? He barely knows me.”

“But you’re worried about him, and very few people do. Go talk to him (f/n), please?”

You sighed, glancing back at Jean to see if he was okay with it. “You still want to dance later?”

“It’s up to you,” he said, “I’ll be fine without you. Take care of Armin.”

You nodded and ventured up the stairs, searching for the blonde bowl cut boy. The gym doors greeted you with cheesy decorations and tacky homecoming posters. The students were either in the bathrooms or just idly chatting with each other against the walls. You still couldn’t find Armin, but you found Mikasa. She was standing near the snack bar, nibbling on a piece of chocolate cake. You walked over to her, making sure you were presentable to the attractive girl, and tapped on her shoulder. She turned to you and raised an eyebrow.

“Have you seen Armin?” you asked, “Eren told me he hasn’t been feeling like himself and that I should talk to him.”

The fork slipped from her lips and was placed back on her plate. “Ah, so you’re (f/n)?”

You nodded.

“Armin just ran to the bathroom, but he should be back soon.”

“Ah thanks.”

She nodded and continued taking small, graceful bites. You awkwardly stood beside her, thinking about how you could help Armin. Eren said you’d be the best person, but how would you of all people be helpful? Eren and Armin are best friends, and Mikasa’s always there for both of them. If they couldn’t do anything, then how would you be able to do anything?

“He really looks up to you,” she said suddenly, placing her plate on the table, “He talks about you a lot.”

“Really?”

She nodded, taking a cup of punch and taking a delicate sip.

You didn’t even know he liked you at all. He didn’t really speak to you very much unless you were doing group work together. You didn’t mind him, if anything you always looked up to him. He was so smart, the teachers loved him, he has a nice group of friends, and he never does anything wrong. You wished you were like him, always being able to be kind and social no matter what. You’re human and you make mistakes. You don’t get extravagant grades, not too many people really enjoy talking to you, and you’re EXTREMELY awkward.

“He always said you were able to hold your own much easier than most people. You could live without having to rely on others, and you could still go to school and have a smile on your face.”

You smiled sadly, “That’s strange. Why would he look up to me for something like that?”

She shook her head, “Probably because he can’t do it himself.”

Your (e/c) eyes widened at her words. He needs somebody to be with him, and he can’t cope without it. You understood how he felt, and you wished you could be there for him. You sympathized with him, and you wished you could protect him.

“(f-f/n)?”

You turned to the quiet voice beside you, your heart pounding when your eyes rested on the small figure. It was Armin, the guy you were waiting on. His eyes were red, and his cheeks were flushed. He seemed to be worn down, maybe even tired. Had he been crying?

“Are you okay Armin? You don’t seem like yourself,” you said.

His blue, glossy eyes stared down at his black shoes, his hands fumbling with the cuffs around his wrists. It seemed like he was suffering at this dance just as much as you were. He didn’t want to be here just as much as you, yet here he was.

“I’ll be okay,” he mumbled, attempting to smile at you, “You don’t have to worry about me.”

You frowned and stared at him a bit longer. You knew he didn’t mean it. You knew he wasn’t okay, and right now you wanted nothing more than to make him feel better, but how could you do it?

“What’s wrong Armin?” you asked suddenly, “Everybody knows you don’t feel good if you’re just okay.”

His eyes widened and stared at you. Mikasa smiled and patted your shoulder and walked out of the gym, probably going out to see Eren. You took Armin’s hands and sat him next to you on a plastic chair. You stared into his eyes, rubbing your thumbs against his hands to try to calm him. You didn’t know how to truly take care of people, but whenever Reiner was upset this seemed to calm him.

“Armin, would you like to talk about it?”

His breathing was ragged and his face was red. He seemed to be very upset, yet he wasn’t crying. His hands were shaking, and he seemed to be pondering over what to say. He was a very troubled boy, and that made you want to help him even more. Something was on his mind, and it seemed like he really wanted to tell you.

“(f/n)…I-I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a while…a-and I’ve been upset because I could never tell you but…w-would you like to dance with me tonight? You never have to speak to me ever again, and you don’t have to say yes.”

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He never showed any signs that he liked you as far as you were aware of. You didn’t even know anybody liked you in the first place. The feelings of joy reached your chest and stomach, a light blush hueing your cheeks. You willed yourself to continue holding his hands, and you willed yourself to stare back into his eyes. The strong feelings of excitement and relief filled your soul.

“I’d love to.”

The words dripped off your lips like honey, sweet and thick, yet the hint of fear was also mixed through. Armin was just as surprised as you, and he was speechless as you stood up and pulled him towards the dancefloor. One of the slow songs started to play, one you didn’t mind very much, and you allowed him to lead. He took both of your hands, intertwining them with his. You wouldn’t have minded if he placed his hand at your waist, considering it took him this long to ask you, but it seemed like he was nervous already just by touching your hands. The song drifted your feet into a soft rhythm that eased you into a trance. There was something about Armin that relaxed you. He made you feel safe in some odd way. You could trust him.

“Thank you for this,” he mumbled, “You didn’t have to do this for me you know.”

You smiled, “But I wanted to. You’re a nice guy, and you were hurt.”

What brightened up your night was his smile.

It brightened up the room and filled your soul with unknown feelings.

And that night was when it all started.