alright uhh,, it took me a lot of blood, sweat, tears and half an eternity buuuuut i finished the next chapter and finally found time to post it! 

Pairing: Armin Arlert/Hanji Zoe

Word count: 1.2k

Warnings: no warnings

Summary: Armin goes to drop off some papers in Hanji’s office and accidentally lets his secret slip after seeing she was working on something.. special.

Notes: This is just a real quick thing I wrote to give myself some diversity from the bigger fic I’m working on and from homework I should’ve gotten done instead. Just needed a bit of a clear head to focus better ^^;

——————————

On a late Friday morning, there was a light knock on the door. Upon not getting an answer after a while, the knock repeated a little louder.

“It’s open!” The brunette finally called out, sitting at her desk where she worked on something. The door opened and the person stepped inside with a small “good morning”.

Hanji didn’t really answer that until she noticed who it was and perked up almost immediately.

“Commander Erwin sent me here to drop off these papers.” The young boy shuffled a little on his spot, tensing up when Hanji looked up at him so suddenly.

“That’s really kind of you. Just put them here.” She patted a random spot on her desk where the boy soon placed the papers on before standing straight again. He cleared his throats quietly, “Is there anything else I can-“ Accidentally, he caught a glimpse of what Hanji was working on on her desk, causing his eyes to widen, his cheeks to heat up, his voice to die down.

Truth be told, Armin had a little crush on his superior- how could he not?! Hanji was the smartest woman he ever met, she knew things he never heard of and amazed him from day to day. Not only was she smart, she also was a gorgeous woman. Some might not think so because Hanji wasn’t exactly feminine and wasn’t taking care of herself like other women did, but Armin didn’t care about these things. In his eyes, Hanji was a astonishing and simply amazing woman. She was smart, she was pretty, and she knew what she wanted.

On the other hand, he wasn’t sure how Hanji saw him, if it even made sense to hope for something more than a crush or not. He was younger than her and didn’t know if it bothered her, not to mention that they were in the military. Maybe she didn’t even want a relationship or anything of that sort to begin with.

But now, standing in her office and staring down at what Hanji created on her desk amazed Armin in a way it never did before. He never saw something like that; it made him feel a bit embarrassed but also surprised and, admittingly, a little confused. “U-uh.. Section C-Commander..?” He was somewhat scared to speak and took a moment longer to gather himself, staring up at the brunette.

"...Did you make a clay figure of me?” He asked, swallowing the lump in his throats, “Should I be.. scared that it's so... accurate and detailed?" There was no hint of a doubt that Hanji was forming the clay to look like Armin: long hair, bangs, his button nose, big eyes, a big smile. Every stand of hair was worked out evenly, even his lashes. It was as if he was looking into the mirror, that’s how accurate it was.

The brunette let out a small hum and shook her head as she stepped one step closer to Armin and looked down at the clay with him. “I see no reason to be scared, actually. Unless you think I’m weird now.” When Armin began shaking his head frantically, Hanji let out a chuckle and ruffled his hair.

“I just.. don’t understand.” The blond admitted, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly, “I-I mean it’s not like I don’t like it— I-I’m flustered- it looks great! You really have talent!— I just don’t understand why you would choose me out of all people, that’s all...” He felt so stupid now for talking with such a speed and feared Hanji couldn’t understand a word he said. Maybe she was the one weirded out now.

Though, Hanji just smiled at him and, once he stopped talking, fell into soft laughter. “Armin. One reason why I chose you is obvious; you’re a handsome, young man. You really have awesome facial features. Simple but beautiful. The other reason... I won’t tell you yet!” She playfully held her index finger against her lips and shushed softly.

The blond’s blush only darkened at that and reached the tips of his ears. He had never been called handsome before- there was the occasional sweet or cute, but never handsome. And hearing it from Hanji now made him really happy.

“God, I love you...” He blabbed subconsciously, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear while he smiled down at the ground. The way she always was so playful and happy almost hypnotized him, made him do unplanned things. He said this sentence with so much emotion and noticed it only after it already escaped his lips and it was too late to change anything.

“I-I mean—“ Armin stuttered immediately after, having no idea what to say anymore. Hanji didn’t say anything either and the youth was too scared to face her, hiding behind his bangs instead. “...I’m sorry.” Even if he wasn’t sure why he apologized, he still did it. Was it because he made her uncomfortable? Or because he was awkward? Maybe both. Probably even more.

The room filled with silence for a good minute, nothing could be heard and it was so hard with how tense Armin was feeling. He chewed on his lower lip nervously before abruptly turning and making a run for the door. But before he could reach it, there was something clutching his arm and he turned to see Hanji doing just that. Though, the look on her face wasn’t at all what he expected to see- she didn’t look mad, rather content. She was even smiling. Something told him that it wasn’t as bad as he thought it was.

“H-Hanji, I can explain-!” He uttered fearfully.

“I’m sure you can.” The brunet’s voice was calm, soothing, and in the next moment, she pulled Armin closer and wrapped her arms around him for a hug. “But you don’t need to explain, I knew it.”

Armin’s poor heart skipped several beats at that while he stared up with eyes wide as saucers. “H-huh..?” How did she know? Was it that obvious? But he hid it pretty well! The only person who knew about his feelings was—

“Eren told me. After we came from the last mission. But even before that, you were pretty often on my mind.” She giggled and ran her fingers through Armin’s smooth hair, playing a bit with the ends. “I thought a lot about you, Armin, and I have to say I’m happy about it.”

The boy’s heart was hammering in his chest so hard, he was sure Hanji could feel it from the way they were hugging. “Wh-what do you m-mean..?” He questioned carefully, leaning ever so lightly into her touch.

The brunette only laughed and leaned down to press a soft and tender peck onto his lips, grinning as she faced him again. “That’s what I mean.”

Blushing like crazy, Armin couldn’t but smile and slowly rested his head against her shoulder, his arms finally coming up to hug Hanji by her waist. He didn’t say anything but it seemed as if that wasn’t even necessary, the silence was still comfortable.