Against The Tide

Chapter Seven: Unforeseen Attack

Mikasa felt comforted by Armin's words, laying back against the pillows as she allowed her tired body to relax, despite the new tension in the cabin. Unknown to anyone in the cabin at this point, Mikasa was gradually going into labor. She likely had another day or two yet, but her body was definitely preparing itself. And she was already worn out by the persistent pains that were gradually transitioning more into real contractions. As her eyes shut, she drifted off almost instantly, keeping her hand on her swollen middle.

"Thank you, Armin..." she seemed exhausted, already starting to drift off to sleep. Armin watched her gently, placing a hand very softly on her round belly and feeling it.

He wasn't an expert and didn't have as much knowledge as Hange did, but even he could tell something felt different. Mikasa's stomach had become extremely tight and tense, and it's been noticeably lower. Armin was hoping she still had a few more days, to give time for the tensions in the house to somehow die down a bit. But his gut was telling him that this baby was finally coming soon...and despite his worries, it needed to. Mikasa was exhausted, especially with being so overdue.

He gently observed her as she went to sleep, feeling a sense of relief fall over him as he leaned back slightly in his seat, allowing himself a moment of clarity. He knew this would be short-lived, and knew that he would have to address her persistent pain once she had woken up. However, he knew well not to push himself or Mikasa at such a crucial moment in the pregnancy... one wrong move could shift the course of things, tilting the balance deeper toward the worrisome path her pregnancy had already been on. Carefully, Armin leaned forward to plant a gentle kiss on Mikasa's swollen middle, whispering a gentle encouraging message to her abdomen, knowing that the baby would be able to hear him.

As if sensing the coast was clear inside the cabin, Eren walked back in, glaring darkly and keeping his eyes trained on the bedroom door, which was opened. He could see Armin's back, as he continued to sit at Mikasa's bedside. Eren walked over to the doorway, clenching his fist as Hange watched him cautiously, ready to step in and protect Mikasa and Armin if it came to that. Eren ignored her, and stopped at the bedroom doorway, glaring down at Armin. Mikasa appeared to be asleep at this point and Eren took that as his window.

"Armin. Outside." He suddenly demanded, his tone much darker than before.

Eren's voice chimed into Armin's thoughts, causing him to jump to his feet. He shot the man a glare, his hands pulling into a tight fist as he nodded silently in his response. He didn't speak a word until the two of them had exited the cabin fully, Armin shutting the door behind him before turning his head to face Eren again. This time, he was left with no weapon, and entirely exposed to Eren's anger. Although alarming, Armin remained strong in his posture and hardened expression, stepping further away from the cabin as he kept his glance locked on him.

"I should be focusing on Mikasa. What do you want now? Going to try and sympathize with me too? Or manipulate me when you run out of options? I'm not as easily charmed or tricked." Armin responded a bit cockily, scoffing a bit.

Eren's eye slightly twitched, and in a sudden flash of rage, his fist slammed into Armin's face, knocking him to the wet ground. Before Armin could even react to the sudden assault, Eren pinned him to the ground and proceeded to beat him violently, swinging his fists down and slamming them into Armin's face.

Before Armin was able to process anything that had happened, he felt his body slam against the mud, with the heavy weight of Eren pinning him down. He felt nothing but immense pain shooting through his face, as he felt his features give into the man's strong knuckles. His hands reached out to grasp onto Eren's chest, attempting to pull him away as he felt his chest heave painfully. The metallic taste of blood flooded into his mouth, and his eyes quickly began to swell shut. Any blood that had escaped from his broken nose and busted mouth had splattered all through his face with the blunt of Eren's blows. When he finally pulled away, Armin's shaking body remained limp on the ground, his hands still held out as if preparing for another hard blow.