𝑾𝑨𝑹𝑯𝑨𝑴𝑴𝑬𝑹 | a. arlert

006 | the scouts

you continued staring at the boy, dazing out due to lack of sleep and also from shock at the close proximity he was from your face. blinking, you edged back slightly, head hitting the rough brick wall.

"sorry." he finally said, voice no higher than a whisper. "i was just checking if you were alright, it looked like you were asleep."

"it's no problem." you responded, flashing him a small smile in hopes of dispelling the awkwardness that had settled between the two of you.

you gradually stood up, gripping the wall in order to prevent yourself from collapsing to the ground, though you ended up just falling against it, feeling the rough material graze the side of your body through your shirt.

a pair of gentle arms pulled you away from the surface, repositioning your weight as the blonde sling your left arm over his shoulder, hoisting you up.

you could feel your cheeks heating up, overpowered by the embarrassment of not even being able to walk on your own. what a pathetic state you were in; how would the other warriors react to seeing you like this? surely they would be laughing at you right now.

the journey down the dark hallways was silent, filled only with the sound of your slumping footsteps and the occasional grunt from the boy at your side when you lost your balance, sending the two of you on the verge of falling until he steadied you again.

eventually, you reached a room that you assumed was a makeshift infirmary; littered with several worn hospital beds and cabinets filled with a variety of medical supplies. the boy helped you onto one of the beds and you sat, back resting against a limp pillow, trying to adjust yourself to a more comfortable position on the lumpy mattress.

you weren't sure why you felt so uncomfortable; the sleeping quarters in marley were far worse - tiny, dirty rooms which you were all piled into, filled with rickety beds and vermin which kept you up at night scuttling around. maybe it was because you were in a foreign land? everything here was so unusual, from the scenery to the way you were treated by others. you were constantly on edge, feeling as if a squad of marlean soldiers would suddenly appear, coming to drag you back to your homeland.

a cold palm rested against your forehead, snapping you back to reality. your vision focused and you saw the blonde boy was perched awkwardly at your side, a concerned look on his face as he seemingly checked your temperature.

"you're awfully hot." he commented. "i'll go and get you a cold cloth."

before you could reply, telling him that there was no need, he had already stood up, walking over to the sink at the other side of the room. you watched intently as he ran the water and grabbed a scrap of cloth from one of the cabinets, letting the water drench it before he carefully wrung it out.

he was back at your side in no time, handing you the cloth which you began to dab at your forehead, instantly feeling some relief.

"thank you." you said after a moment. "i'm y/n by the way, sorry for not introducing myself sooner."

the blonde smiled, shaking his head slightly. "there's no need to apologise, my name's armin, armin arlert."

"well it's nice to meet you armin." you said between breaths as you used the piece of fabric to wipe your face, sure that it was absolutely filthy after sleeping on the ground.

armin sat staring at his boots and your gaze shifted to the emblem on the back of his cropped jacket; what appeared to be a pair of wings.

you so desperately wanted to ask him about annie or reiner, but didn't want to come across as suspicious. you weren't even sure if they were here, for all you knew they could be within the innermost wall.