#ereminweek2021

“I,” Armin thinks to himself with full confidence and smile. “Am completely lost.”

If Armin was a first year at uni, this would be completely fine, but with the renovations done on half of the campus, even a third year like Armin had to struggle a bit.

First week of uni is the most chaotic. People milling all around, running, fighting, playing, enjoying the experience while blissfully ignoring the fact that in a blink of an eye it’ll be exam season.

Armin stopped and looked around to try and get his bearings. Eyes searching for signs to the room he was meant to be in 10 minutes ago. Thankfully it was just a lecture with a professor he had last semester. Professor Smith was kind and understanding, but he wouldn’t allow tardiness longer than 15 minutes.

He scrambled through his bag, trying and find the campus map people had handed out when he walked in. Bunches of loose leaf paper and unorganised pens, some he didn’t even know would work, reminded him he’d become a true uni student.

Just when he thought he’d found what he was looking for, someone bumped into him. Hard.

Armin staggered slightly, some papers flying out of his bag as he tried to catch his balance.

“I am so sorry!”

The blonde looked up and saw the guy who bumped into him, sweating slightly and panting. Despite this, he had a playful smile on his face.

Armin watched as the guy took a second to catch his breath, and look over his shoulder. “It’s fine,” Armin replied, stuffing the loose leaf papers back in his bag, leaving them crumpled and poking out. “Are you okay?”

The man waved his hand and shrugged. “I’m fine. Sorry again.” And he started walking away.

Armin looked at the floor quickly to check there were no stray papers littered around. He took one more glance to the guy, and that’s when it happened.

A swirling feeling settled just below his ribcage, and uneasiness mixed with curiosity bubbling as it grew. It felt like he forgot something while remembering it at the same time. The man walking away, brown hair tied back, backpack hanging off one shoulder, was someone he knew... He thinks.

Must’ve met each other in some sort of dream his subconscious hid from him until this moment, or maybe they’ve come across each other before. It wouldn’t be surprising, but this familiarity felt foreign. Different.

Before he knew it, Armin’s feet guided him right back to him. He grabbed onto the guy, maybe a little firmer than he intended, but he didn’t let go.

“We’ve met before,” Armin starts, eyes searching for an answer. “Haven’t we?”

The man just stares back, mouth open in surprise, but he doesn’t fight back. They stay there for a bit, in the middle of the walking space, staring at each other.

Then the brunette laughs softly, and smirks. “I didn’t think you’d be the kind to use those kinds of pick-up lines.”

The feeling of deja vu immediately leaves Armin’s body, replaced by embarrassment as he feels his ears and the back of his neck heat up. His blue eyes look at anywhere else but the guy’s face.

“That’s-!” Armin squeaks, his voice cracking. “That’s not what- I was just-”

The guy puts his hand over Armin’s, gently tugging on it for him to let go of his arm. Once Armin realises, he quickly retracts his hand and holds it to his chest. “I’m so sorry,” He mutters.

Armin was able to take once step backwards before the guy reached over and plucked a piece of paper from his bag. The brunette scribbles something on it, and then tucks it back.

“I’m Eren, by the way,” The man says with a pen cap still in his mouth.

“Armin.”

“Nice to meet you, Armin.” Eren puts out a hand, and Armin tentatively shakes it.

Armin finally looks up to meet his face, and is swept by the soft careful smile Eren gives. It’s like a secret.

“OI EREN, YOU PIECE OF SHIT, COME BACK HERE!” Another voice rings through the space, and suddenly Armin remembers it isn’t just the two of them here. Through the sides of his vision, he sees other students look up to the noise.

“Gotta go,” Eren says as he looks behind Armin, face slightly paling.

The blonde watches as Eren breaks into a sprint, weaving and working his way through the crowd as two people, a guy with blonde hair and an undercut and a girl with holding a sandwich in both hands, follow him.

It takes a few seconds after they disappear from both his hearing and eyesight before he checks the time again. 14 minutes after he was meant to be in class.

With fervor, he quickly gets out the campus map, settled at the top of his bag. As he opens it, he sees a number and a smiley face next to it.

Armin smiles to himself, and looks up thanking whatever gods there were up there. Then his eyes narrow as he focuses on the sign with the room number he was looking for this whole time.

Swiftly, he turns his head to the door next to him, and sighs in exasperation.

The room was right there this whole time.