Equilibrium | Nerd! Armin x Popular! OC

The next morning, Reina was still asleep when Armin left.

He didn't want to—not really. But the sun had begun to crawl up the sky, and he didn't want her to wake up to see him still there and feel embarrassed.

He left a small note by her sketchpad, folded neatly.

"You snored. A little. Don't deny it.
You owe me a meal when you're better.
— Armin"

That morning, in a near-empty hallway outside their shared elective, Armin found himself cornered.

Literally.

Hitch, Sasha, and Ymir flanked him like a silent jury. Connie stood awkwardly off to the side like he didn't want to get involved, but was clearly part of the plan.

"...Can I help you?" Armin asked as he adjusted his glasses, hugging his notebook a little tighter.

"Depends," Sasha said, arms crossed. "Are you gonna break Reina's heart again?"

"What?" His brows drew together. "I never—"

"You ghosted her," Ymir cut in bluntly. "Then played the 'I'm-not-good-enough' card like some 抖阴社区 sad boy."

"I didn't mean to," Armin said quickly. "I—"

"She waited, you know?" Hitch's voice was quieter. "You were the one person who made her feel safe. And when you pulled away... she didn't say it, but it hurt."

Armin looked down. "I didn't know she told you guys."

"She didn't have to," Hitch said, softer now. "We know her."

Armin swallowed, guilt pressing against his ribs. "I was scared. I thought she deserved better."

"Then be better," Ymir snapped. "Don't just show up when it's convenient. You stay."

Armin looked at them all—really looked—and then nodded. "I will."

The girls exchanged glances.

"You better," Sasha said, but there was a small smile on her face now.

Later that afternoon, Armin returned to the library where he and Reina had been working. Reina was already there, headphones on, staring at her laptop screen. Nearby, Jean sat with a coffee in hand, looking far too pleased with himself.

Armin's chest tightened—Jean again. He approached cautiously.

Jean looked up. "Hey, Armin. Mind if I join?"

Reina pulled off one headphone. "We're working."

"Right," Jean said, sliding into the chair next to hers. "Just thought I'd say hi."

Armin sat across from them, opening his laptop. He kept glancing at Reina—she was quieter than usual, cheeks faintly pink as she returned some of Jean's teasing grins.

Jean leaned forward. "So, you two doing the big presentation on Thursday, right?"

Reina shoved a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah."

Jean's gaze flicked to Armin. "Must be nice, party girl working with the campus genius."

Armin's fingers froze over the keys. "I—"

Reina cut in, voice steady but cool: "Armin's helping with the formatting while I do the research."

Jean smirked. "Teamwork. Cute."

Armin closed his laptop with a soft click. "Actually, I've got to look over the notes—"

"Already?" Jean feigned disappointment. "I thought we could all brainstorm together."

Hitch and Sasha—who'd been quietly at a nearby table—stood and approached. Hitch's expression was polite but firm.

"Jean," she said, "this table's taken."

Jean looked at Sasha, saw her crossing her arms. He shrugged and stood. "Alright, I'll catch you guys later."

Before he walked off, he gave Reina a sideways look—something like curiosity, maybe a trace of regret—and then left.

Reina exhaled, sinking back into her chair.
Hitch sat next to her. Sasha settled behind Armin, giving him a reassuring nod.

Armin exhaled. "That could've gone worse."

Reina met his eyes. For the first time since the morning, her smile was genuine, if a little shy.

"Thank god you're here," she said softly, a quiet giggle escaping her lips.

He reached across, brushing his hand over her notebook's doodled margin—a tiny sun shining above two figures, side by side.

"Anytime," he replied.

And though the library was full of students, in that quiet corner it felt like they were the only two people in the world—finally moving forward together, one page at a time.

🤓🖊️

They call it bullying, I call it women in male dominated fields ☺️