Attack on Titan || One-shots

Lost and Found ➳ａｒｍｉｎ

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↣ａｒｍｉｎ ａｒｌｅｒｔ

It was raining - no, storming - during training. Jogging around the forest with heavy carriers was part of the legion's training regimen to get the cadets used to the 3D Maneuver Gear.

You had been doing this with your teammates for weeks but nothing could get you used to it.

You were far too weak to begin with, compared to your other classmates.

Everyone was way past you and you couldn't catch up with them. Soon, they were out of your sight. You could hear Shadis screaming at you to hurry up on his horse.

In the end, Reiner always had to drag your weight along. Men were naturally stronger than women but you wished you had something like Mikasa's strength or Sasha's instincts. Unfortunately, you were stuck with one incapable body that was dragged around sorely by the will to fight.

You refused Reiner's offer today and assured him that you could manage. Now you regretted it.

You were too thin for your own good and you had no muscles at all. Lifting weights never worked nor did those endless push-ups. You couldn't manage any of them.

You let the tears flowing down the corner of your eyes be washed away by the rain. You thought no one would notice, until someone's blurry figure entered your sight.

"(F/n)!" Armin ran back, the bags around his shoulders lolling around. "Hurry! The instructor's going to be mad!"

Your lip quivered as you forced yourself not to cry. "I'm sorry. I always keep dragging you down."

When you saw him, the words you never would have told anyone just flowed out.

"I never should have been here in the first place... I knew I wouldn't make it. I'm just... just dead weight!"

Armin stopped in front of you and squeezed your shoulders.

"(F/n), there's no such thing as dead weight." He stared at you until he was almost glaring, his blue eyes filled with hope. "I used to think that way too. I called myself weak, but I realized it was wrong. There's a reason we all keep running forward. After everything that's happened, we got this far. You can't give up now."

"But I-"

He leaned forward as you hung your head down and raised his eyes to meet yours.

"You're not dead weight. We're all here with a purpose."

Still not convinced, you rubbed your arm tensely. Armin stayed there with you, and it was strange that no one was coming back for you, not even the instructor who should have been mad.

Perhaps Shadis realized how much you needed to have this talk. The usual fire in your eyes had died when titans swarmed all over the Trost District where your home had been.

Remembering everything, you cried. "I'm too weak. I won't make it!"

"You were the one who chose this, and it was your own strength that got you here, wasn't it?" He said. "Strength doesn't only rely on physical ability. You are strong enough on your own, (F/n)."

You watched as he ran after the others, and let his words sink in the back of your mind.

Armin wasn't like the others. He understood you the most. He was the nicest person you knew. Though he wasn't the strongest, he was the smartest back in class. Unlike you, he had something that could contribute to mankind. All you had was your guts. That wasn't enough.