Infinite Lovers

During the day, he worked at a small coffee shop. While he worked at the coffee shop, he had the opportunity to enjoy the sweet aroma of different types of coffee and he got to work with his best friend Eren. The coffee shop owner was a short man with an equally short temper. Levi Ackerman did not tolerate rude employees or customers.

All was well and life was peaceful, that was until she walked in.

It was a day like any other. Armin hummed a tune as he stocked the front counter, making sure everything was clean and in its rightful place. The door opened and the familiar chime of the bell sounded out through the nearly empty shop. He turned a pleasant smile on his face to greet the customer.

"Hi, welcome to Acker-" his sentence dropped instantly as he looked at the woman who entered the cafe. Her hair was a midnight black that flowed over her shoulders and her eyes were a chocolate brown that captivated his very being. She was a goddess walking among mortal men.

She approached the counter and smiled at him. A smile that made his knees go weak. He gripped the counter with his hand to keep himself steady. "H-how may I help you?" he stammered out, visibly shaking. She either didn't notice or just didn't say anything. Whichever it was, he was thankful.

She studied the menu above his head, her eyes scanning each item. "Hmm, what's your Caramel Macchiato?" her eyes left them menu to pierce into his blue ones.

He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I-It's steamed m-milk topped with foam, topped w-with espresso to create a luscious, caramel layered drink."

She puffed out her cheeks as she processed it. "Hmm, I prefer something sweet... What do you recommend?"

"M-me?" she nodded her head. "U-um, personally, the Caffe Vanilla Frappuccino, w-which is frappuccino roasted coffee and vanilla bean powder, combined with milk and ice and then top it off with whipped cream."

"The Caffe Vanilla Frappuccino it is then, please!" She beamed at him. His face burned as he punched in her order with shaky hands.

"C-can I have your name?" he asked her, shyly glancing at her through his blonde bangs. "And will this b-be for here or to go?"

"Kagome Higurashi and to go." he nodded and wrote her name on her ticket and proceeded with preparing her beverage he delicately wrote her name on the side of the cup and served it to her. She handed him the money, their fingers brushing against each other. His face burned once more. "Her hands are so soft..."

"H-here you go and have a nice day." she waved goodbye as she left the building. Armin finally sunk to the floor, his face flushed. "Kagome Higurashi..." he whispered, testing her name on his lips for the first time. A smile graced his features as he shakily stood on his feet.

"Arlert!" A loud and, seemingly, a rough voice yelled as the door slammed open to reveal the owner of the shop.

Armin jumped as the sound echoed throughout the store and it happened so suddenly. "Y-y-y-yes, sir?" he squeaked out.

"Go home," he said more calmly. Armin wasn't sure why he did things like that, and he didn't dare ask. And Armin went home and collapsed on his couch, sleep claiming him seconds later. Though work hadn't been too busy, the woman who caught his attention had literally drained his entire being. Her beauty caught him off guard and the smile she gave him nearly took his breath away.

After that day, she came in every morning, around the same time as clockwork. She ordered the same thing day after day, sometimes adding a muffin to her order. Seeing her always made his day a little bit better and he often found himself spacing off at work. Eren began to notice his odd behaviors and decided to get to the bottom of it.

It had taken the green eyes boy nearly a week before he had finally figured it out. "Armin you make drinks today, I'll do register. It's been a while." Eren gave Armin a light slap on the back. He reluctantly agreed.

Kagome walked into the small coffee shop she had grown to love. She had yet to find another to rival their drinks. It was odd to see a different boy working the counter rather than the blonde that usually did, but she dismissed it and ordered her regular drink. Before Eren could even finish punching it in, the drink was already sitting in front of her.

"Y-your order." Armin gave her a shy smile as Kagome returned. The blush on his cheeks told Eren everything he needed to know. After she paid and left, Eren turned towards Armin who was staring at the door.

He gave Armin a knowing smirk. "W-what?"

"You have a crush on her don't you?" he snickered as the blush found its way back onto his cheeks.

"I-I do not!" he argued.

"Your actions and the blush on your face say otherwise!" Eren teased. Armin never heard the end of it.

A few days passed without Kagome showing up. A few days turned into a few weeks until finally, a month had passed. Armin leaned against the counter, staring blankly at the empty lobby. The chime of the door grabbed his attention and rushed to greet the customer.

"Hello!" he exclaimed happily. The smile on his face faltered a little when he saw the beautiful woman he had grown to miss. However, she was not how he remembered. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun and dark bags rested below her chocolate brown eyes that used to be full of life. Now they were lifeless.

"K-Kagome?" Armin noticed she wasn't wearing the usual businesswoman outfit she usually wore. Instead, she walked in her pajamas and a pair of bunny slippers.

She rubbed the back of her head, forcing a smile on her face. "Ah, I took a leave of absence from work for a while." She said.

"W-would you like the usual?" he questioned. She nodded her head and reached into her pocket to grab the money she would owe to him. "It's on me today," he said softly. Kagome snapped her head up, but his back was already turned and making her drink.

The door slammed open with, yet another, chime as another female walked in. Armin could feel her wrath. "Kagome!" She yelled as she caught sight of her. Kagome visibly stiffened and turned around, growing pale as she did so.

"S-Sango." She took a step back as she stepped forward until Kagome's back hit the counter. Sango closed the gap, trapping her. Kagome proceeded to lean back as Sango leaned in. Armin could practically smell her shampoo. Eren and Jean came into view to see what was going on and stopped when they saw the two women.

"You haven't been to work in a month. I don't get so much as a call or text telling me you're okay!" she snapped. "No one's seen you in the last month. Miroku and I are worried sick about you, ya know?"

"I-I'm sorry," Kagome said softly. "I didn't want to... see them."

Sango back away and cracked her knuckles. "I'll skin him alive! I'll shave that silver hair of his off and punch him in his smug face!" her aura flared around her once more. "He had no right doing that to you! You honestly deserve someone better than that pighead Inuyasha."

Kagome said nothing as she straightened herself.

"I mean why would he do that to his girlfriend? He acted like he was head over heels in love with you, but when she came around, it was just insult after insult, and THEN he turns around and gets engaged to her, without ever telling you." Sango tapped her foot angrily, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Sango, you're making a scene..." Kagome grumbled as she motioned to the three boys who were listening.

"Oh..." She smiled at the three, "Sorry about that!" she turned back to Kagome. "Did you grab your things and leave?"

"What I could grab, yes." she nodded her head.

"Let's go. Grab your drink, you're staying the night with me." Kagome nodded and grabbed her drink.

"Thank you, Armin. I owe you one." She threw a smile. As she walked towards the exit of her favorite coffee shop, she glanced down at her cup. 'You're beautiful' was written in place of her name. She glanced back and their eyes met. Of course, his face had turned a beet red, but he held her gaze. A pretty pink spread across her cheeks as she quickly looked away, hiding the small smile on her face.

Days passed and she returned to her normal routine. One day, after collecting her drink and making small talk with Armin, a couple had walked in and not just any couple. Armin knew it was her ex as soon as he walked in. The silver hair and the smug look as the woman Sango described, and the look on Kagome's face when he walked in. Eren and Jean noticed too and the three exchanged a nod.

Inuyasha caught sight of Kagome and snickered. He opened his mouth to say something to her just as Armin stepped out from behind the counter and approached the couple. He smiled politely at them, "I apologize, but I have to ask that the two of you leave."

"We just got here!" Inuyasha exclaimed throwing his hands in the air.

"Why should we have to leave?" Kikyo sneered.

Jean and Eren stepped in at this point, stepping in front of Armin, both wearing a glare of their own. "We don't serve customers who cheat," Jean growled out.

Eren nodded in agreement. He grabbed Kagome's wrist and pulled her to his side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, followed by Jean who wrapped an arm around her waist. "Kagome is our valued customer!"

"And we'll be damned if we see her upset over someone like you." Jean finished.

"You're not welcome here," Armin spoke, standing in front of the trio, arms crossover over his chest. "Leave."

Kagome felt tears stream down her face. Even though she hardly knew these boys, they stood up for her. A total stranger. Inuyasha and Kikyo stormed out of the shop, their tails between their legs. Armin turned to Kagome and his eyes softened as he stepped closer to her. He used his sleeve to wipe the tears from her face. "You don't have to worry. You're safe here."

"Yeah, as long as we're around, we won't let anyone bother you!" Eren grinned down at the raven-haired woman.

"Tonight, we'll treat you to dinner, it'll be on the three of us!" Jean announced. The other two exchanged a glance but agreed nonetheless.

"O-Oh no you don't have to do such a thing!" Kagome tried to talk the three out of it, but they were persistent. She sighed as she stepped outside the building. They were stubborn, that was for sure. Her once sour mood dissipated as she made her way back to Sango's house to get ready for dinner tonight.

Inside the cafe, Jean and Eren whispered to one another, leaving Armin completely out of the loop. Now and then they'd glance his way, sending a shiver running down his spine.

"Alright, let's close up and head home!"

(Later that evening)

Armin stood in front of the restaurant the three of them were to meet at. He was the first one there, of course. Jean and Eren would most likely show up at the last minute. To say he was nervous would be an understatement. The woman he had grown to have feelings for, reluctantly, agreed to have dinner with them. This would be the first time he'd see her outside the coffee shop. Outside of a work environment.

She arrived shortly after he did. She wore a simple, elegant black dress, like the color of a raven's feather with a snug waist. The skirt flared out from the hips and fell just below the knee.

"Hello!" she greeted him with her award-winning smile that always seemed to make his knees tremble. "I thought I'd be the first one here, but I suppose not."

"Y-yeah. Jean and Eren should be here any minute." As if on cue, his phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and answered it. "Eren?"

"Jean and I won't be able to make it." He let out a disappointed sigh from his end of the line. "Horseface decided to try and pick with Reiner and had to drag me into it."

"You're not coming?" Armin felt himself grow more nervous, knowing exactly what this was. He knew Eren was lying, he wasn't stupid. Eren did know about his crush on the beautiful female standing in front of him. "So, this was your plan all along."

"Yeah, sorry. But's it's already been paid for ahead of time. Just go in and give them your last name. Enjoy your date," he snickered and ended the line. Armin pocketed his phone and let out a sigh. "Eren and Jean won't be able to come. They got into a fight apparently."

"I see..." she was slightly disappointed, she enjoyed conversing with the two.

Armin forced the nervous feeling down and offered her an arm. "Shall we go, milady?" he smiled at her.

"Of course. Can't waste a wonderful opportunity like this one." She accepted the gesture and the two of them went inside.

"Do you have a reservation?" the waiter asked.

"Yes. Arlert is the name." The waiter nodded after checking his list and led them to a table.

"Odd how it's a table for two, rather than four." She pointed out. Armin felt his face turn red as they sat down. "They set us up!" he nodded.

"Yeah... I didn't know until he called me earlier. I guess this was his plan the whole time."

Kagome shrugged. "Oh well, let's enjoy our date then," she winked at him.

"Y-you're considering this a d-d-date?" he stuttered out, wide blue eyes stared at her with shock.

"Why not? I haven't been on a date for a long time. It's not like Inuyasha took me on any," she grumbled. "And when he did they were small fast food places. So, this is nice. A nice memory with a handsome young man."

"T-thanks..." He looked away from her, embarrassed. His face was on fire. Kagome giggled, he was too easy to embarrass. It was... cute.

"I could fall in love with him." Kagome thought as she watched him scan the menu. "I mean, after all, he's gorgeous and caring, and not to mention a total sweetheart." "Armin, have you never been on a date with another woman before? Have you ever had a girlfriend?"

"A-ah, no." He scratched his cheek sheepishly.

"Eh? Why not? I don't know if you realize this or not, but you're very attractive. Any woman would be lucky enough to be your girlfriend!" she praised.

He didn't say anything. Not yet anyway. They ordered and they ate, making light conversation as they did. Afterward, they left. Armin offered to walk her home which she gladly accepted.

"Kagome," he spoke after a little while.

"What's up?" She stopped and turned to face him.

"I..." he swallowed the lump that began forming in his throat. "I can't say it," he muttered and let out a sigh.

"Say what?" she felt butterflies flutter around in the pit of her stomach.

"B-but... I can show you," he whispered as he grabbed her by the hand and tugged her forward. He stared into her chocolate brown eyes with his beautiful ocean blue ones before he closed his eyes and swooped in for a kiss.

She wasn't entirely sure how to react. Sure she and Inuyasha had kissed plenty of times, but it was nothing compared to this. She grabbed the fabric of his shirt, her knees buckling beneath her. His arm wrapped around her waist to keep her balanced.

When he pulled away he smiled at her. "In the past few months that you've been in the shop, I've grown rather fond of you." his eyes softened as he continued. "When I first saw you, I swore you were a goddess walking among us and I couldn't look away. After that, seeing you come in every day was the highlight of my day. I grew a crush which grew even more. After you disappeared for a while, I was worried that something had happened and contemplated many times if I should go find you and see if you were okay, and then you walked in looking like a mess. I still thought you were beautiful. When that woman Sango blurted everything out about that Inuyasha guy, I grew angry. How could someone do something so horrible to a wonderful woman like you? Any man would be lucky to have you."

He let out a laugh. "I guess, what I'm trying to say is that I've fallen in love with you." Kagome's hands covered her face as it turned a bright red. She was speechless. He took a deep breath as he gently pried her hands from her face so she could look at him. His eyes shone with determination. "I won't let anyone else, have you. I'll fight for you even if I'm physically weak."

"I... don't know what to say," she whispered. "No one's ever said anything like that to me before."

"Kagome Higurashi," he laced his fingers with hers, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

"I... Yes."

"R-really!?"

"Now, you were doing so well. Not once during your confession did you stutter." she laughed as he felt his face burn. "But yes, really. I would love to be your girlfriend."

She leaned up and gave him a peck on his cheek before taking his hand and heading home. Their fingers laced together and a content smile on both of their faces.

"I am the luckiest man in the universe."