"Sasha, please, pay attention!" Armin cried out, clutching at the buttery yellow strands of hair on his hand in frustration. He was literally going to tear his hair out. Having Sasha as a lab partner would successfully drive him to the brink, where the death of his parents, the destruction of his hometown by Titans, and endless brutal 15 mile marches assigned by Shadis, had all failed.

Sasha tipped her chair back, head lolling over the back of it, boots firmly on the desk in front of her. From that position, she could peer at the frantic little cadet sitting on her bed, no less than eight books spread out around him as well as what looked like a cake pan full of dirt.

"How can I pay attention to that? It's completely boring." Sasha said. "Why do we need to understand photo-whatsits, anyway?"

"There's a theory that Titans absorb energy the same way plants do." Armin said. "The light independant reactions have striking similarities--"

Sasha tuned him out without consciously thinking about it. She had an auto filter that protected her from boring things. Right now her mind was on the delicious fried potato slices she was flipping into her mouth, and on appreciating the sight of the blonde cutie on her bed.

"Sasha! Are you listening to me?" Armin asked. He groaned. Uncovering his eyes, he tried another tactic. "You like those potatoes so much—wouldn't you like to know how to grow them?" his big blue eyes stared up at her with utter desperation. Sasha was unmoved.

"I don't need to know how to grow 'em to eat them." Sasha said.

"Sasha!" Armin said.

"What?"

"This project is 25% of our grade!"

"So if we do well on everything else, we'll get a C." Sasha said.

"You haven't done well on everything else!" Armin said.

"But you have, right? So why are you stressing out?" Sasha asked, genuinely puzzled.

"A 'C' is not good enough! This is an important project. Isn't there anything I can do to make you care about this?" Armin asked.

"No—well, hm." Sasha said. Her instinct had been to reject it—how could anything get her interested in something as boring as farming? But seeing those big blue eyes, wet with unshed tears and brow knitted in stress, gave her an idea. Armin was so cute when he was uncomfortable. She bet he'd be even cuter with his face all red with embarrassment, those innocent looking eyes unable to meet hers, filled with shame and discomfort.

"There might be *one* thing you could do for me..." Sasha said.

"Anything, Sasha!" Armin said.

"Alright, alright, since you talked me into it..." Sasha said, her amber eyes were alight with an unholy glee that had Armin gulping, wondering if he'd agreed too soon.

"I'll let you read a few sentences of what we're supposed to be studying...and I'll give it my full attention...if you just take off one piece of clothing for each paragraph. You can even drill me--" haha, boy could he, Sasha thought, "to make sure I understand, before going on to the next bit."

"You want me to take off my clothes?" Armin squeaked.

"Not all at once! And I'll even let you pick which piece you take off." Sasha said magnanimously.

"But...why?" Armin asked.

"Why what?" Sasha asked, scratching her head. "Why am I wanting to see you naked? What girl doesn't enjoy seeing a yummy piece of man meat?"

"No, why me?"

Sasha burst out laughing. "You're the cutest boy in our year, Armin. Can't you see that?"

Armin shook his head, sure she was making fun at his expense. He was skinny, slight, with bushy brows and an unfortunate haircut. He was sometimes even mistaken for a girl! There was no way Sasha—or any of the girls in their year—was lusting to see him naked.

But he would let Sasha get her kicks at his expense, if meant she would really pay attention.

"Okay then." he said, his voice full of trepidation but overlayed with determination. "Let's get started." He picked up the textbook nearest to him.

"The broad cotyledons of Mirabilis, with the slender caulicle almost encircle and enclose the floury albumen, instead of being enclosed in it. Evidently here the germinating embryo is principally fed by one of the leaf-like cotyledons, the other being out of contact with the supply."

Sasha stared at him blankly for a moment, her face completely devoid of life. Then, as suddenly as it had died, it regained its usual lively animation.

"Holy crap that was boring. Time for you to take something off!"

"I haven't tested you for comprehension yet!" Armin protested.

"I'm literally about to die from boredom. I need something to keep me alive during your questions." Sasha said.

"Fine, but on the next one we are sticking to this order – reading, quiz, THEN the, er, stripping." Armin said.

"Sure thing. Now—WOOOOOOOO! TAKE! IT! OFF!" Sasha hooted.

Before Armin could so much as wiggle a foot out of his sock, there was a loud thud against the wall closest to Sasha, and an extremely stressed sounding Franz yelled "Shut the hell up Sasha! Some of us are trying to study!"

Sasha shrugged. "I guess finals get him all in a twist just like they do you."

Armin face-palmed. He did that a lot around Sasha. Finally, he looked up at the cute brown-haired girl bouncing in anticipation across from him. Completely dispassionately, he shrugged off the brown jacket that was standard for cadets.

Sasha groaned in disappointment. "But—but you're not blushing or anything! What a waste! I want to see you being all shy and cute!"

"It's just a jacket, Sasha. I go around without one all the time...?" Armin said.

"Fine fine. Continue on with the boring stuff so we can get to the good stuff."

And so Armin read on from the botany book, quizzing Sasha on each bit. Sometimes he had to explain several vocabulary terms and basic processes before he was satisfied with her comprehension. He shed his most mundane articles of clothing first—his boots, his socks, his 3D maneuver straps. Finally though, they got down to what Sasha called "the good stuff".

Armin tried to keep a cool demeanor, as if unbuttoning his shirt and going bare-chested meant nothing to him, but his hands trembled slightly as they fumbled at the buttons. Sasha eagerly drank in the sight of this nervousness, oohing as the white cotton shirt parted to reveal a slim, pale chest. Small nipples the color of dusky rose peeked out at her before Armin crossed his arms nervously over his now naked chest. Sasha licked her lips, hanging over the edge of the chair. Armin blushed up to the roots of his hair, looking anywhere but at her.

If he was like this now...Sasha nearly clapped her hands in anticipation of what he'd be like once she got his pants off...she wondered what kind of underwear he wore. She bet he wouldn't have the nerve to take those off...but even getting to see Armin in his undies would be pretty sweet.

Armin cleared his throat, still not looking at her. He knew his chest was still so scrawny, even after all the exercises they were made to do...his torso was childish, girlish, and seeing Sasha mock him by faking lust just made his own lack of attractiveness hurt even more.

"Let's continue on." he said, his voice low.

"Okay!" Sasha said.

It was a struggle to keep her mind on the deadly dull boring stuff Armin was reading, especially since she knew what was coming up so shortly, but somehow she managed, though an exasperated Armin had to go over it several times.

"Pay up!" Sasha crowed.

With considerably less nervousness (to Sasha's disappointment), Armin stood and undid his fly, shimmying out of the tight white pants of the cadet's uniform. He immediately sat back down on the bed, returning to the textbook.

Sasha squeed in delight. Armin was so cute, sitting there in a pair of plain white linen undershorts. (She wasn't sure what kind of undies he'd have—boxers? briefs? ladies' panties? maybe a thong, perfect for getting an invisible pantyline. She knew he couldn't be going commando with all the swinging around they did in their 3D Maneuver Gear—ouch.) Plain, standard-issue undershorts were kind of a disappointment but she couldn't find it in herself to feel the slightest bit let down.

She could see the indentation of his spine in his slender back as he bent over the heavy textbook, the elegant curve of a skinny leg tucked under him as he concentrated on the words. What an absolutely beautiful guy! She beamed at him.

It was with real dread that Armin began reading through the rest of the page. He choked up several times.

He could not believe he was going to get naked in front of a girl, and Sasha no less! Eren was the only one who had ever seen him naked, since they usually showered near each other and were roommates as well. He had always felt comfortable changing in front of Eren, since he knew the other boy was too kind to ever mock him for his physical appearance. Sasha...not so much.

Well, he told himself, he could accept being the butt of jokes and laughter from her and the rest of his classmates...he knew Eren and Mikasa would never mock him, and that would be enough. Still, his hands shook as he removed his underwear and sat down. His face wasn't red from embarrassment, but rather an icy white from pure fear and discomfort.

"Totally adorable...way nicer than the ugly ones most of the guys have." Sasha said, gazing at his crotch admiringly.

Armin grabbed a pillow and covered his lap with it.

"You can quit the charade, Sasha. I have nothing left to take off."

"Charade? I told you, I think you're cute." Sasha said.

He was cute, clutching that pillow. But he seemed genuinely uncomfortable and unhappy.

"Hey, if you want, I can start taking off MY clothes for each paragraph? How about that?" Sasha volunteered.

Armin just glared at her. Was this some further attempt to humiliate him? To show him how much more muscular and fit Sasha was everywhere, from her thighs to her biceps, to her toned abs? She was skinny like so many members of the military, but with a sturdiness and toughness to her slim limbs that made her the perfect physical embodiment of the female soldier.

"I'm not Mikasa but I don't think I'm bad looking." Sasha said.

"Sasha, I really appreciate that you kept your end of the bargain. That you DID study some for our final." Armin said, grabbing his shirt and sliding his arms into the sleeves.

"What? I'm not done studying!" Sasha said. "There's loads more fun we can have!" Sasha said.

"This isn't my idea of fun." Armin said.

"Well, studying wasn't my idea of fun either, but you sure changed my mind about it!" Sasha joked.

Armin just pulled his undershorts on.

"C'mon, we can totally study some more. I'll let you read a whole page to me if you take me to see the archery contest in Ehrmich on our next leave day...See, I didn't even pick a food place. So you'll know I'm not just angling for a free meal." Sasha said.

"It's really not funny."

"I'm not joking! I really want to spend more time with you Armin. I like you a lot. I'd read half that book to get to go on a date with you, if that's what it took."

Armin made a noise of negation and began cinching his 3DMG straps on.

"Ask Eren. Ask Mikasa. You are an adorable, genius, egghead guy that any girl would be lucky to date!" she said.

"I mean, look at me--I'm not so great. I mean, I'm great looking" Sasha chuckled, but broke off when she saw the anger on Armin's face. "Seriously though. I'm not smart like you Armin. I'm not fearless like Mikasa, or crazy determined like Eren. I'm not much of anything at all." She said, looking down at the ground.

"That's not true!" Armin said.

"Really? What is so great about me, then? That you think I'm out of your league?" Sasha said.

Armin scoffed. "You're funny, you're always making everyone laugh...you way, way outscore me on stamina, dexterity, combat skills..."

"Those don't mean anything. They just make a good foot soldier...and someone who can get along well with others. I'm never going to do anything that'll really change things. I feel like if I was smart like you I could make a difference..."

"That isn't true, Sasha! Any of us can make a difference!" Armin said, looking at her again for the first time since he'd fully stripped.

"Maybe I've got it all wrong. Maybe you think I'm not good enough for *you*..." Sasha said, her voice glum.

Armin pondered for a moment the possibility that she was having him on, but he could see the sincerity behind her thoughts. Sasha had her knees pulled up to her chest, twiddling her boot straps sadly as she internally weighed herself against Armin.

"Well..." Armin started, his voice tentative. "It sounds like you think very highly of me...and I think very highly of you. Maybe we should go on a date?" Armin asked, his voice dropping low and squeaky from nervousness.

"I suggested that like five minutes ago! Aren't *you* supposed to be the genius?" Sasha asked.

"Is that a yes or a no?" Armin asked.

"That's a big freakin' YESSSS!!! you dummy!" Sasha yelled.

"Then let's get started on the rest of this botany text."

"What?" Sasha asked.

"You said half the book." Armin reminded.

"Me and my big mouth..." Sasha groaned.

But Sasha happily endured the torture that was the botany textbook, because she could picture them, arm in arm, at the archery festival next week. She was totally going to win him a big stuffed bunny, she knew it.

THE END