|𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠e𝐥𝐲 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞| ᵃʳᵐⁱⁿ ᵃˡᵉʳᵗ

|8| Proud Mother Bird

*Warnings: Violence, Language*

-PARADIS, 104th SOUTHERN CADET CORPS TRAINING CAMP-

The day was dark as the grey clouds covered the sky and thunder roared with heavy rain. "Pick up the pace, you lead-heeled laggers!" Shadis shouted from his horse as he road through the crowd of cadets jogging with heavy backpacks on. "Your boots waterlogged, Arlert?!" he shouted back to the blonde boy who was struggling to keep up with the rest of the group. "Lets see some hustle! Bag too heavy for you son!? Drop it! Hell- leave it in the mud! Those titans will have an easier time digesting you without all that excess baggage!" He rode off to the rest of the group ahead, leaving Armin in his dust.

Y/n turned to Reiner who was jogging beside her after hearing Shadis's remarks, "I'm going back to Armin so I can help, come if you want." Once Shadis had passed her, she slowed down and matched Armin's pace. "We're getting graded on this you know?"

Armin sighed, "I know..." His dismay didn't last long until a burly figure hoisted the bag off his back and slung it over his own.

"Focus on staying upright," Reiner told him with a hint of cockiness in his voice.

"Won't they demerit you for helping?" Armin asked, trying to keep the rain out of his eyes.

"Yeah, if they find out," Reiner scoffed.

"Just make the cut and you'll pass," Y/n added with an assuring tone. He gave her a smile which she returned subconsciously. They jogged for a while longer until Armin piped up.

"I got it from here Reiner, thanks," Armin took the pack back as Reiner sped off ahead again, but Y/n stayed. Armin sent her a confused look.

"Someone's gotta stay here and make sure you don't fall too far behind," Y/n told him and he nodded. "And even if you fail, you won't fail alone."

"I don't wanna hold you back," Armin protested, but Y/n stopped him.

"Don't start talking down about yourself, you're not holding me back," she told him as she put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm putting myself here willingly." Armin nodded as they kept going.

"Hey, random question, but what's with the gloves?" he asked and she scrambled around in her brain for an excuse. Though, the couple moments of silence made him panic. "Wait- you don't have to answer that if you don't want to, I'm sorry that was rude, I-"

"Armin!" she shouted as he stopped rambling. "Stop talking about the things you do like there's something wrong with you, because there isn't." They kept jogging, but Armin's eyes never left Y/n. "I wear the gloves because I- have really bad sensory issues with my hands..." That was all she could come up with, then again, it was better than the truth.

"Oh, that's interesting," Armin answered, averting his gaze from her face as she turned to him.

"I guess, but I'm sure you're plenty more interesting than I am," Y/n suggested and he shook his head.

"Not really, I'm just some scrawny guy with scrawnier dreams," he answered as Y/n chuckled. She didn't answered, she didn't really know how, so she put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. This seemed to work as Armin sent her one back.

Eventually, they finished the course and passed together. Shadis sent her a look, he knew what she had done, but he wasn't going to demerit her for it. They both passed, Armin had his own bag on, Y/n had hers on, so he didn't see the issue.

-The Next Day-

Hand-to-hand combat was the training of the day, and Y/n knew it all too well, but at least this time there weren't any rifles for Bertholdt to break. "Y/n, wanna partner up?" Armin asked her, making an effort to beat everyone else too it.