Title: Morning Drizzle

Rating: Rated K.

Pairings: None.

Genre: General.

Summary: Armin enjoyed the small pleasure of warm coffee, a textbook, and the sound of rain. AU.

Regarding Q&A: Any questions regarding the story can be asked via PM or review.

Beta: N/A - Help wanted.

Warnings: None.

Category: Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan).

Uploaded: November 20th, 2013

(Section Break)

It was raining again, the small pitter-patters of droplets falling upon the roof resounding throughout the studio apartment. The blond college student within, a boy of just eighteen, looked up from the biology text within his hands. Setting it down on the warm maroon blanket next to him that lie crumpled up on his bed alongside his long list of notes, he pulled himself to the edge of the soft mattress and slid off.

Sighing contently, although glancing at the clock on the silver watch on his thin wrist wearily, he stood straight and moved to his left over to the sink. It was turning colder, the chill of the morning seeping in through the cracks of his door as early commuters held the entrance to the building open for one another and let the breeze in.

He wriggled his toes against the cherry hardwood under him before reaching towards the drying rack at the right of the faucet. Withdrawing the clear pot from the metal stand, he turned to his left where the side counter was and set it beneath the spout of the coffee maker. Going to the dwindling container full of instant roast - he really needed to refill it - he grabbed a single portion and put it into the machine, turning back to his right to fill up a measuring glass with water. He nearly dropped it as it got heavier, his hands numb from flipping pages and jotting notes, but managed to stabilised himself in time.

He quickly poured in the lukewarm liquid before adjusting the settings of the maker, clicking and clacking with the buttons until a final beep was heard and he was able to relax as the contraption began to hum. He shifted and rested the back of his hips against the cabinets, and looked fondly out the single window in the room. Gazing beyond the cluttered desk and spinning chair he owned next to the counter and past the small bathroom to the right of the transparent slab of heated sand, he smiled softly to himself as he observed the cloudy sky.

Tucking part of his hair behind his ear, he ignored the messy half-ponytail he had adorned since the beginning of the school year, and sighed breathlessly as his eyes attempted to flutter closed and his legs wobbled from exhaustion. He had only one class that day, late in the afternoon, so be figured staying up throughout the night would be alright. It was his ideal time for studying, when everyone else was asleep; the world seemed so quiet and peaceful, the haunting everyday experiences pushed aside for just a moment. The plink of rain assisted his concentration further, and for the first time in a while he didn't feel lonely after coming to the UK for college, the complex workings of the human brain being the only thing on his mind instead of how his two best friends were back in his home country.

Soon the strong smell of coffee wafted throughout the tiny home, infecting everything and everyone within. One time someone had even told him he smelled like coffee, although he hadn't had it in nearly three days, oddly enough. He supposed, though, that the stench of the beloved drink favoured by students everywhere wasn't so bad. He didn't mind the nature-esque smell of tea that originated from his part-time job, either, although he had never become as fond of the leaf water as he had of the bitter fluid that made even the most exhausted of people stay up another hour.

The roasted bean-laden air became heavier with the smell, and he faced the sink once more as he prepared himself for his drink. The mugs he owned were on the lowest shelf in the overhead cupboards, perhaps due to their common usage, and he withdrew a beige and white-striped one and set it on the pale countertop. The machine to his left theb alarmed itself loudly, sounds of the last of the fluid being deposited within the pot reverberating against the muted-colour walls.

He lifted the container and poured some within his mug, filling it up three-fourths of the way before moving his hand towards the jar of sugar cubes pressed against the back of the tiled surface. He took one out, holding its crumbly mass in his fingers, before plopping it inside of his steaming energy boost. He crouched down afterwards, opening the mini-fridge that he used for everything except frozen foods and took out the cream. He stood once more, filled the rest of the cup, and put down the blue carton before taking a small sip. The pungent taste of coffee shivered him awake, and the sweet taste afterward of sugar and cream left him yearning for more. Just how he liked it.

He put the cream back within the refrigerator, taking the piping hot liquid with him back to his bed. He set the cup down on his makeshift nightstand - a suitcase and an old book suited his needs just fine - and clambered back onto the chilled sheets, moving his textbook onto the top of his pillow and grabbing the soft blanket he owned. He draped it over himself, onto his lap, and then re-stationed the educational text onto the divot his legs created and grabbed his notepad and pencil.

After, he reached for his drink and grasped it, taking another taste, then scanned the page for where he had left off. He found where, and was soon pulled in to his readings, fascination calming the freeze of the rain's wind alongside the steamy cup of joe in his palms. It was peaceful once more, and the only sounds in the apartment during that frigid morning were the turning of crisp pages, the writing on of thin paper, small gulps, and the pitter-pattering of raindrops impacting with the building's roof.

(Section Break)

It was raining today. It's currently midnight and I have my window open, listening to the rain. I love rain a lot, and I love books, and together with my choice of drink (tea), they make for a splendid afternoon, since I can't get up early enough to see morning rain. It's really rather pretty, though, when I do somehow manage, hehe.

Well, if you review, virtual cookies. If not, that's fine too. As long as you like the story, everything's all good!

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