|𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠e𝐥𝐲 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞| ᵃʳᵐⁱⁿ ᵃˡᵉʳᵗ

|11| It's Okay To Not Be Okay

*Warnings: Violence, Language*

-PARADIS, TROST-

Y/n urgently searched through the busy crowds of HQ for one person, Armin. What if he got caught in the crossfire? He could've been on the ground. Oh god, I hope he wasn't anywhere near that. I'll kill Bertholdt if he killed him. Y/n's panic had ceased as she saw his blonde bob from a distance. He was crouched, fiddling nervously with two gas tanks.

"Armin!" she shouted as she sprinted over to him, crouching beside him and putting a gloved hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay? Did anything happen to you?"

Armin shot her a nervous glance as his whole body was shaking. "Am I okay? You were face to face with The Colossal, I should be asking you that question!"

"Armin, what is wrong?" Eren asked him as he caught up.

"I- don't worry, I'm fine just give me a second for my nerves to settle," he stated as he shook profusely. Not only was he physically shaken, but he seemed extremely bothered by something. "This is bad, isn't it? There's a hole in the wall, eight meters wide, and we don't even remotely have the ingenuity to know how to plug it. That huge bolder near the front gate was out best bet, but we couldn't figure out how to hoist it in place. Unless we seal the breach, the entire city's as good as dead! How long do you think before they take Wall Rose!? Seriously! How long!? Think about it, they could wipe out the human race in an afternoon!"

Armin was so panicked he was almost in tears, Y/n could feel herself on the brink of bawling also. To know I had part in this... Look at his face, so bothered and panicked. I can't live with myself seeing him this way. I gotta do something, but I'm not on their side, or I'm not supposed to be anyway. God! Seeing Armin like this kills me on the inside.

"Armin!" Eren grabbed his wrist tight. "Listen to me! You're focussed on the past! Look ahead! We wont be the victims anymore!" Everyone paused, waiting for Armin to answer.

"I'm sorry- I- I'm okay," he answered softly and shakily. Eren and Mikasa left him alone for a little bit to collect his thoughts, Y/n stayed to help.

"Oh Armin," she said softly. She didn't know what else to say, there were too many things going on in her head. She watched as clear liquid ran down his face, she couldn't tell whether it was sweat or tears. "Are you sweating or crying?"

"A little bit of both," he answered quietly, sniffing a little bit as his hands still shook so much to the point he could barely do what he was trying to do. Y/n gently put her gloved hands on his, getting him to put down the tanks for a moment. She held both of his hands in hers as he looked up to meet her eyes. His eyes were watery, his face was a little sweaty. Y/n frowned.

"I hate seeing you like this," she told him as he quickly pulled her in for a hug. He had his head tucked into the crook of her neck, her hand placed firmly on the back of his head, her finger tangled in his hair. She could feel his whole body shaking like he was in the middle of a snowy desert with no jacket. Like it was muscle memory, she started to slowly rock side to side, not a lot, but just enough for him to feel it. A few moments later she started humming her usual tune and they stayed like that for a minute or two. She only stopped when Armin stopped shaking.

As she pulled away, she saw his face was a lot less sweaty and shaken. "All better now?" she asked him softly.

He looked at her stunned, like she had just performed witchcraft on him. "You're amazing," he uttered out in a breathy voice.

"Yeah save that for when we're not in a rush to save humanity," she smirked as she handed the tanks back to him, letting him finish his job.

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