"L/N. You ranked top of the year this time. Well done, brat." Mr Ackerman gives you a respectful nod.
                          
You gape. Oh my goodness. Wait till your parents hear this! You'll have to tell Armin, too!
                          
"W-What?!" Eren and Jean cry.
                          
"She beat you by 5 points, Jean." Mr Ackerman says flatly. 
Eren looks bummed, but is happy for you.
Jean looks pissed, but congratulates you all the same. 
                          
It feels good. All that studying really did pay off! Hell yeah!
                          
~
                          
Closing time already! You're up in the library. You don't really have any reason to be up here again until the semester starts up.
After picking out a book, your attention is caught by the view from the window. Its snowing- and heavily at that. It's like a blizzard! The street lamps are on, making the snow even more visible in their glowing light. 
It's beautiful- but crossing the wilderness to get to your house in a blizzard? You'd be risking your life. You text your dad to come pick you up when possible.
                          
"...you're still here?"
                          
"Armin!" 
You smile, glad for the company. Theres a book tucked under his arm, same as always.
You do wonder about what happened last time- but if he wants to talk, then he'll talk to you. For now, you wont bring it up.
                          
"I was about to go home...but.."
                          
"The snow?" He finishes for you.
"Mhmm. I've texted my dad to come pick me up. Probably wont be here anytime soon though- just look at it."
                          
He makes a noise of agreement and sits down next to you on the window seat. He's been a little distant lately, but you think he's warming up to you in his own way.
You fog up the window with your breath, doodling a happy face. It drips down, looking slightly horrifying. You rub it off and write 'Armin and Y/N were here' instead. He chuckles, and then returns his gaze to his book.
                          
"So what are you reading?" You ask quietly.
                          
"Dickens. 'A Christmas Carol'." 
                          
"Oh, nice. It's Christmas eve today, isn't it? Damn, i almost forgot." You say, playing with the long end of your scarf.
                          
"Please keep quiet in the library."
He replies, giving you a mischievous little smile.
You giggle. "Sorry."
                          
You look out the window again, the blizzard persisting. If it keeps up like this, it's definitely going to be a white Christmas. More like a whiteout Christmas, if you ask me! 
                          
"Looks like you're almost finished?" 
                          
He nods. "Yup. I just got to the part where Tiny Tim dies and Scrooge sees his own grave."
                          
You frown. 
"That sounds like a...depressing story."
                          
He seems a little surprised at this.
"You haven't read it? Even though you work here?"
                          
"No, can't say i have. I don't usually read Christmassy stuff. Uh, should i have?"
                          
"No. I'm just a little surprised- it's kind of a classic." He explains.
"Tim is a boy born weak, who dies young. The protagonist, Scrooge, sees that that will happen and tries to prevent it." 
                          
"Time travel? I thought it was a classic..it sounds kinda science 
ficton-y." 
                          
"Yeah, i can see what you mean- but it's not really the focus of the book, though."
                          
"Hmm. I'd like to see the future... it'd be nice being able to avoid getting into trouble." You muse.
                          
He looks at you strangely, like you're a puzzle he's trying to figure out. You don't mind. You like it when he looks at you like that. You like it when he looks at you, period. It reminds you he's getting braver.
                          
"...I wouldn't like it." He confesses.
                          
"No? Why's that?" You ask.
                          
"The future is what it is. It is what it is, and thats all there is to it."
                          
You stare at him for a moment, and he looks right back, blue eyes on yours.
Sometimes he's so hard to figure out. Other times you can read him like a book.
                          
"Armin?"
                          
"..yes?"
                          
"I like you."
                          
Theres silence. Have you mucked everything up? Probably.
But you don't regret saying it.
You close your eyes, sighing, resting your head on the window pane.
                          
"I...I like you too." He says quietly- almost a whisper.
You open them. He's looking at you, those big doe like eyes wide. His book is shut, sat on his lap.
                          
The space between you grows smaller, till you can feel each-others cold breath.
In the dark light of the room, lit only by the street lamps outside, you share a kiss. Like his hands, his lips are slightly cold, but soft and gentle. They're everything you thought they'd feel like, but more. He doesn't really know what he's doing, but he likes the way your lips fit together.
                          
And so we enjoyed the 'present' point in time along which we flowed.
                          
This is a nice way to spend Christmas eve, you think.
                          
~