In Twenty Years Time ~ An Armin Arlert FanFic

4 - A Caring Soul

"Ahh, there you two are," Dr. Connie Springer stated at the sight of Armin wheeling Josephine back into her room, smiles plastered on both of their faces, deep in conversation. Springer smiled at the sight, seeing his childhood friend happy. The couple looked like newlyweds. "How was the outside? Rumor has it there was a nice sunset."

"Dr. Springer, we had no sunset like that twenty years ago," Jo turned her head, flustered, and continued, "as weird as that sounds." It's true. Whenever there was the slightest chance of having a nice sunset, clouds would fill the sky, blocking the view. And it's not like it was every now and then. Jo couldn't remember the last time she had seen a sunset as magnificent as the one she had just laid her eyes upon with a guy who cared for her more than any. While talking, Jo had trouble concentrating on speaking with Armin's hand on her shoulder, rubbing small circles with his thumb into the blade. Jo reached her hand up to his, and wrapped her hand around his, forcing his palm to accept her fingers.

Between Armin and Jo, there was already an unspoken bond between the two. Armin had watched over her for the past two years with everything he had, while in the midst of running an Army. Something about that time spent together meant more to Jo than anything did. As soon as she had found out about that, she had this immediate attachment, almost like love at first sight, and soon forgot about the troubles that had existed in the past. These thoughts brewed in Jo's head like a pot about to overflow when on the highest heat setting.

"Alright- you're going to have quite a few visitors before the night is over and starting tomorrow. And when I mean quite a few, I mean doctors from all over the country and maybe some soldiers," Dr. Springer started, as Armin helped Jo back into bed. Jo nodded at this, shifting so her knees wouldn't creak like they would when they were bent. A few? How many was "a few"? Two? Three? Six? Twenty? And soldiers? Armin's soldiers? Hopefully just them..., Jo thought, anxious at the newfound news of people going to be entering and exiting at free will. Jo was never a people person. Any chance she got, she would be cuddled up at home with a book or with Eri or helping her grandmother with the cooking for her tens of cousins, whom she was used to. Never would you find Josephine Sandoval out at a party or with too many people. Jo shivered at the thought, being mistaken for being cold.

"Are you cold? Here- let me get some more blankets," Armin insisted, lifting himself from his seat after he had just sat down. Jo reached out and grabbed his wrist, stopping him. Armin turned around at the sudden gesture, slowly sitting down again in the chair next to the bed. Jo shook her head, implying she wasn't cold, bringing his hand up to her forehead for extra reassurance. Armin had a worried look plastered on his face, showing ultimate concern for the female, despite the reassurance she gave him. At another attempt, she pointed to one of the machines she was hooked up to. It read her heartbeat, what percent of oxygen she was receiving, and her temperature in Celsius. A visible wave of relief washed over the blonde young man as he leaned back in his chair, head hanging off the back, sighing. Jo chuckled at the sight, giving the much larger hand a small squeeze of reassurance. Armin lifted his head up, and Jo took notice of him now than she did before; all of his features were more distinct. Just before she could analyze, memorize, and appreciate, Dr. Springer jumped in.

"Oi, lovebirds, I'm going to run just one more vitals check then I'll be out of your hair," he stated, quickly learning he was interrupting something but didn't want to do it too late to where it should not have been done. Jo turned her attention towards Dr. Springer, but never let go of Armin's hand. Jo followed his commands, following the light, taking deep breaths, looking at the wall behind him, the 'can-you-feel-this?', 'don't-let-me-push-down-your-shoulders', the tight squeezing of the blood pressure cup, being told to hold still, and the check concluded with the snapping in each ear, which Jo flinched at. Dr. Springer backed away, taking off his gloves and tossing them in the trash.

"You seem like you're doing pretty well. Pulse Ox is up, temperature is regulated, breathing is steady, no abnormalities with your heart, hearing, eyes, or muscle system; yes Josephine, I believe you can be identified as a medical miracle," Dr. Springer concluded, walking around the small ICU room as he was talking. Jo felt Armin squeeze her hand out of happiness and excitement. Her eyes shifted over to the pale, blonde boy. I can't imagine how he must be feeling. Has he been wanting to hear this for two years? How many times has he been told that it's not possible? And how many times has he had to tell himself that it is possible, and it would happen? Jo thought, tears almost spilling from her eyes. Armin met Jo's eyes; those icy blue eyes, they looked like they held so much pain, but so much hope at the same time. Poor boy.. Who hurt you??, Jo thought, silently studying the nooks and crannies of his eyes. "I'll leave you two be," Dr. Springer said, taking his leave. Armin quickly looked towards the door, breaking eye contact with Jo.

"Thank you, Connie," Armin got up from his seat, meeting the shaved-headed doctor at the door. The two stood, staring at each other, with no sounds other than the heart monitor, and the slight bustle outside the door. Armin suddenly pulled the shorter one into a hug, "Thank you so much, Connie, thank you for not giving up," Armin concluded. The taller one pulled away, and the doctor laid a hand on the shoulder of Armin, bowing his head in respect. Dr. Springer finally left the room, silently closing the door.

All of the sudden, the tension lifted, and Jo took a heavy sigh, relaxing into her bed. Armin turned around, looking at the tan girl in all-white, including the sheets and the gown. He gave a small smile, indicating how grateful he was that she was alive. Jo turned her head and Armin sat down in the same chair again. Jo furrowed her eyebrows at this and subconsciously moved over to one side of the bed. Realizing what she had done, she sat up, and looked away, turning a few shades redder. She heard Armin chuckle, clothes rustling, and then felt the weight shift on the bed. Jo looked towards where Armin previously was but was taken aback by how close his face was to hers, sitting on the bed. She gasped, quickly backing away, not knowing how to handle a situation she's never been in before.

"You're a tad red," Armin mentioned. Jo blushed even more, embarrassed at the fact of how noticeable it was, even with her darker complexion. Armin was now sitting on the side of Jo's bed with Jo sitting up in the bed. Determined to not be undermined, Jo looked up, meeting those same icy blue eyes she met not too long ago. Immediately, she got lost in them.

The blue of his eyes sang with his skin, creating a perfect combination. The only thing not perfect, was the slightly darker under-eyes right above those scar-like marks, exposing his exhaustion, but even those were perfect and didn't affect how he looked at all. His blonde eyebrows matched his hair perfectly in color. Though unkempt, he was able to smooth them down in one direction. Jo's eyes wandered all over the boy's face, completely mesmerized by the young man's simple, yet astonishing beauty. She didn't even notice Armin was doing the same thing to her. Jo subconsciously reached a hand up, running her fingers across the small scars under his eyes, almost outlining the dark circles he had. The texture was rougher than she expected but as warm as she thought.

Before she knew it, Armin was leaning into her touch, almost like a magnet leaning towards their opposite pole. Jo ended up cupping his face with her hand entirely, gently gazing upon the tired man, silently wishing she could take some of the exhaustion and pain away that she saw within him. She ran her thumb under his eyes, along his cheek, attempting to give a small portion of comfort. This small amount of skin-to-skin contact was enough to let Jo confirm that the blonde male was going to be someone special in her life. He reached a hand up, clasping hers with such a force, the bones in her hand almost shifted. His tired eyes slowly closed with this as he shifted his head, and placed a soft kiss on Jo's palm. The kiss was small, gentle, contrasting with the boy's chapped lips. Jo felt herself turn redder, accidentally overanalyzing, which she didn't think was possible. Ahh, so that's how to describe you. Hard exterior, soft interior, Jo brewed. She had never felt like this around anyone; not even her former boyfriend she had twenty years ago. Jo continued the small strokes of her thumb on his cheek, and unexpectedly, his eyes fluttered back open to look up at her, a look that, though Jo didn't know at the time, she would never forget. No matter how hard she tried.