Dandelion Wine

Two.

(Content warning: PTSD fllashbacks, Anxiety attack, lots of mentions of death.)

As his eyes fluttered open, Armin felt a jolt of pain in his head. The white light burned his eyes as he tried to look around. He winced at sudden cacophony that met his ears. The loud, steady beeping. The sound of a movie from the tv above. The occasional alert like sound that seemed to be from a whole other machine.

Everything hurt.

His entire body felt as if it'd been set alight. White hot pain, burning and aching as he remembered how to feel. A soft whine escaped his throat as he squeezed his eyes shut again. "Armin?" A voice grabbed his attention, though he couldn't turn to look. Historia sat upright, her hand immediately finding her brother's. "Armin," There was this relief in her tone. The sound of pure joy. "Bubba, it's so good to see you," she softly said, giving his hand a squeeze as she grabbed the little remote that was attached to the bed and pressed the call button.

Before Armin could even think to reply, a doctor had entered the room and began gently speaking to him. "Hello there, Armin." She smiled the kindest, gentlest smile the blonde had ever seen. Sweet and small. Genuine. As he tried to respond though, her smile turned to concern as she quickly shushed him. "No, no, no, don't try to talk." The doctor was already hard at work, gentle hands landing on the teen's arm. "You've been asleep for quite some time, sweetie. We've kept you on a ventilator, it's been helping you breathe." She explained, still hard at work. Before then, he'd barely even noticed how sore his throat was. It had simply blended with the rest of the pain he'd been feeling. "Since your awake though, we can get that big old machine off." She softly continued, almost immediately getting started on removing the ventilator.

The removal process felt less than comfortable. The soreness only grew more and more noticeable as she worked. Even after he was breathing air on his own again, no assistance other than the oxygen tube she'd placed under his nose, he felt that scratchy discomfort intensify. "I'm sure you're thirsty. We just have to make sure you are able to breathe and swallow alright on your own, okay?" The doctor quietly said, that smile quickly returning to her face.

Historia remained silent, eyes darting between her brother and the doctor caring for him. It had only been about two weeks since the accident. But it felt as if she'd been watching her twin lay there lifeless for years. He'd been so still. So silent. The relief she felt now, seeing his blue eyes finally able to stare back at her, even if they held nothing but confusion an fear, was immense. Armin had awoken. And that was the most amazing, beautiful thing she'd experienced in so long. "Dad should be here really soon." She softly said, moving herself a bit closer to him as she gently brushed his hair back out of his eyes. He gave the smallest of nods, blinking slowly as he fought off what remained of his drowsiness. "Where's papa?" He asked, voice breaking as he spoke. He hated the sound of himself. All rough and shaking and Weak. The only thing worse than the sound of his own voice was the look Historia wore as she stared at him, clearly hesitating to respond.

The sadness in her eyes sent a wave of panic over the blonde. There was an audible spike on the heart monitor. The beeping hurt his ears, but there were more pressing matters to attend to. "Hisu?" He watched her as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her own blue eyes welling up with tears as she averted her gaze. Still, she said nothing. Armin's confusion only grew. That beeping continued to pick up speed and only made him feel worse and worse. "He's okay, right?" He asked, attempting to sit upright.

As he moved though, a sharp pain shot up through his torso, earning a small yelp as he fell back against the pillow he'd been lying on. Historia, though still silent, was on her feet in seconds, gently assisting him in sitting up a bit as the doctor adjusted the angle of the bed. "Armin, be careful." Historia warned, once again taking a moment to brush his bangs back out of his eyes. His hair had grown entirely too long, easily falling in his eyes with each movement he made. She'd have to remember to help him fix that later when the doctor wasn't checking his vitals and ensuring he was alright.