Armin had always seen himself as the weakest link in the chain. Not as strong as Reiner, not as fearless as Eren, and certainly not as headstrong as Jean. He was the boy who cried too easily, who trembled when others stood tall. The one who needed protecting, ever since those early days behind the walls of Shiganshina.

If he had anything worth admiring, it was his mind—sharp, strategic, quietly brilliant. But even that felt like a consolation prize. Intelligence didn’t win battles. It didn’t make you brave. And it certainly didn’t make you worthy of someone like you.

You, who moved with purpose. Who trained with fire in your eyes and strength in every motion. You were everything Armin wasn’t—confident, capable, radiant. And yet, despite the chasm he felt between you, he couldn’t stop watching. From a distance, always from a distance.

How could someone like him—fragile, uncertain, small—dare to fall in love with someone like you?

And still, as you sparred beneath the fading light, Armin lingered in the shadows, heart quietly aching. Hoping. Wishing. That maybe, just maybe, you’d turn your head and see him there.