Annie woke to the sound a beating drum. Her eyes opened quietly, like the rest of her, and the stillness in her muscles caused her to move slowly at first and then build up strength. When she realized where she was, she laid very still.

She laid on her side with her face in Armin's chest, her hands still between their chests and one leg in between his. Her eyes widened as she quickly removed herself from the position and sat up in the bed, watching Armin shift and sniffle, eyes fluttering open under the fan of his hair.

He yawned and the foggy look in his eyes quickly sharpened when he caught site of her tired face. His face burned red and he stretched, trying to hide his embarrassment. He reached and grabbed her hand, and she tried to refrain from smiling when he sat up and rubbed his face.

She stood and stretched, watching him checking his phone over her shoulder, and then stepping through the apartment quietly, noticing how cold it was under her toes.

"Hey, Annie, I think we should go down to the field." he said through the walls. She nodded without a word and turned to see him leaning in the doorway.

"Okay." she whispered, jamming her hands in her sweater pocket and blinking away any last traces of sleep. "Can I shower first?" she asked quietly and he nodded. She made her way into the bathroom, finding everything she needed and trying not to laugh at his soaps and colognes and shaving cream that had obviously not been used in some time, maybe even not at all.

She gave him a gentle smile before closing the door and walking into the bathroom, undressing and undoing her hair, running her fingers through it and looking into the mirror. She saw fading scars and fading bruises that had gone brown from age and little nail marks from the hugs she received and when she looked down she saw the swollen ankle and she realized how much the pain had dulled.

With a deep breath she turned on the water and stepped inside, using his shampoo and using a washcloth to make every inch of her body fresh again. She thought it would be nice to smell like him.

And after fifteen minutes she was feeling better than she ever had, and she dressed again, taking in all the smells of the bathroom, and put a comb through her hair, his comb, before stepping out of the bathroom and finding a fully dressed Armin in the kitchen, stuffing bread in his mouth before he looked over to her. He shrugged and offered her some but she smiled and declined, waiting patiently on the couch, her body itching to go as the thoughts of betterment running through her mind.

He led her outside the door after a few minutes and then opened the car door for her. She slid inside, familiar with the interior and buckled up, glancing herself over in the rearview before watching him get inside.

"Who's going to be at the field?"

Armin shrugged, a half smile on his lips. "Someone who wants to see you."

Annie sat back and closed her eyes. It wouldn't be her father, it wouldn't be the people from last night, it wouldn't be…

She drifted in and out of sleep while they were on their way, and when they arrived she'd already figured out exactly who would be there.

She stepped out of the car on her own and limped onto the grass, seeing Mikasa Ackerman and Eren Jaeger standing there, both wearing hoodies and jeans, but this time Mikasa didn't wear a scowl of anger, she had a smile of relief. When Annie came close enough Mikasa hobbled closer and folded her arms around the blonde tightly, holding her tightly.

Annie was stunned for a moment, but after prompting from Armin she returned the hug with gently hands, and Mikasa pulled away, taking Annie's hand.

"I'm sorry, Annie," she said softly, her eyes serious, "I shouldn't have said those things… I didn't know if the rumors were true, and I was so, so angry that day… I shouldn't have taken it out on you—"

"No." Annie interrupted her softly. Mikasa's eyes grew wide and confused.

"What?"

"No, Ackerman," she said in a dull tone, seeing both boys' eyes go wide and panicked, "it's not your fault. It's mine."

They all stood for a moment, and then Mikasa let Annie's hand fall. Annie nodded and looked to Armin, satisfied with the accomplishment, and he took this as a queue to leave. Annie turned to walk away after Armin said a few soft words to the other two, hugged them, and then ran after her.

"Annie!" The blonde turned to see Eren calling her name. He looked nervous but he spoke anyways, "Take care of my brother," he said, a smirk then crossing over him, "and I'll see you on the field in a few weeks, alright?"

She nodded, hope in her eyes and her chest feeling lighter than before.

"And if you need a wrestling partner," he called, "I've gotten a hell of a lot better."

She almost laughed, and instead nodded, taking Armin's hand and pulling him away.

When she reached the car she sat in silence, then turning to him.

"There's one more place we have to go."

He nodded, understanding, and began to drive.

When they arrived she began to shiver. He held onto her knee until she calmed down and looked at him with heavy eyes.

"You're going to be okay."

"I know."

"I promise."

"Walk with me, please." she whispered. He nodded, determined, and took her hand when they got out of the car.

The entered the building and went to the front desk, asking the man behind the papers to speak to an officer about domestic abuse, and with a seemingly calm look he introduced the two of them to a young woman in a uniform. She smiled quietly and Armin let go of Annie's hand. She panicked as she was led into a small office, and once inside she shot Armin a distressed look. He nodded, trying to send her strength, and she settled into the chair and began to talk.

It was all a blur, every line and every word. She just repeated what she'd told Armin, what she'd rehearsed in her head for years. She showed the woman the scars on her arms and legs and told her if she went to the house now where each piece of furniture would lie and where the gun was and the last time her father saw her and what happened at the party and everything she could possible confess she got off her chest, and the woman didn't quiet understand it all but she wrote what she could, and promised an investigation.

The woman asked Annie how old she was, and told her to find a new place to stay for a few weeks until they could make an arrest. Annie nodded but didn't return the smile, thanking the woman and returning to Armin's arms as quickly as she'd let go.

They left and as soon as Annie stepped into the parking lot, she began to cry.

When they got to his house, her new home, they made out the couch, put her things in the kitchen, and counted the days until they could leave.

She promised to return to school the next week, or maybe the next week after, and promised to stay there as long as she could. She promised to tell the truth from now on, and promised to study her math and science and literature and everything. And she promised to love him until the day they parted, the day she'd hopefully leave the small town for good.

He sat next to her on the couch, crossing his legs and sighing, letting her place her head on his shoulder and wrap her arms around his middle.

"Armin."

"Yes?"

"Don't leave me."

"I won't."

"Promise me you won't hurt me."

"I promise."

"Do you love me?"

He looked down on her with eyes of sea foam and adoration for nothing but her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"I'm so proud of you," he whispered in her ear, and she could smell the tears rolling down his face, "and I promise that I will love you until the day I die."

She huffed in laughter into his shoulder and squeezed him tightly.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he responded, hand in the hair at the back of her neck, kissing her cheek and releasing her, "you shouldn't be." he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I forgive you, I forgive you for anything you've ever done or did and will do and no matter what I'm here."

His fingers brushed the left side of her chest, causing her to shiver. "You're a good person, Annie."

She smiled, "I'm glad I could be a good person for you."

"I'd do anything for you," he breathed, kissing her once and pulling away with soggy eyes, "anything."

"Just don't be late next time," she said through a smirk, "okay?"

He laughed and hugged her again, as if he'd never let go, as if they'd be locked together through the perpetual cycle of pain and love, and when he finally let go she could feel their hearts beating together, racing until the smile on her face settled into a calm reflection in Armin's eyes.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

A/N: Hello readers! Thank you so much for your continued support and interest in this fic. I know it was rushed in the end, but I was set on completing this quickly, and I'm sorry if it didn't end as well as you wanted or if it was too fast, but I will not be re-writing or editing at this point.

Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, following, etc. Expect more Aruani and fanfictions from me this winter and summer. I'll be back!

Again, thanks so much, this was a blast, have a wonderful day! :)