Indefinitely - Armin X Reader

Chapter 18 | Are You Willing?

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Armin stood up and I felt my heart swell with pride in my chest. "I will persuade them to trust me. You three just act as non aggressively as you can. Agreed?"

We all nodded. 

"If they fire, don't blame me if I pull you away." I added, half teasing, half serious. He looked at me and nodded, and I smiled. "I know you can do this." I urged.

Armin gave me a small, appreciative smile, and turned and paced to the front of the fog. His hands fiddled with his gear, and I heard a clang as he dropped his ODM gear and blades to the ground.

Through the fog I could just make out Armin standing with his hands up, and I moved forward on my knees to get a better look.

"Y/n! Get back here!" Mikasa hissed. "He said to act non aggressively!"

"Fuck off!" I whispered back, keeping my eyes on the blond. "They can't see me, I'm just making sure he's okay!"

"Is this supposed to be your true form, monster!" The captain yelled. "I don't buy it!"

"Eren is not the foe of humanity!" Armin yelled back, his voice strained. "He is willing to cooperate with military command and share everything we've learnt about his powers!"

"Your cries fall on deaf ears! He revealed his true form and because of that he cannot leave here alive. If you insist he's not an enemy of ours show me proof, or otherwise we'll blast him back to whatever nightmare he crawled out off!"

"You don't need any proof! The fact of the matter is that it doesn't matter what we perceive him to be!" Armin's cries were imploring and desperate, and it hurt my heart to hear him so, yet I felt so unbelievably proud of him.

"What?"

"The reports say that hundreds of soldiers saw him. And those soldiers say that they saw him fighting the other titans. And that means that they saw him get swarmed by the other titans as well! To put it plainly, the titans saw him as they see every other human being; as their prey! And it doesn't matter how else you may look at it; that is an irrefutable fact!"

Most people in the stands had lowered their weapons.

He's almost done it...

"Prepare to attack!" The captain screamed. "Don't let yourself be deceived by his cunning lies!" I gasped and I heard Armin gasp too. I put my hand on the handle of my blade, preparing to take action.

"The titan's behaviour has always been beyond our comprehension! I wouldn't put it past him to assume human form! He's speaking our language at an attempt to deceive us! I refuse to let this behaviour go past me unchecked!"

In terror, I heard guns being loaded and swords scrapping against sword.

"Come on Armin!" I whispered. "Pull this back to our favour!" Armin looked behind him in panic, the look on his face distraught and guilty. He must have assumed us to be horrified, and angry at his failing to convince the army in front of us, but when he met our eyes, he only saw trust, and love. We all looked back at him, confident and solemn. I nodded.

Armin turned sharply around and pounded his hand to his chest in a salute, the fire in his eyes once more.

"I am a soldier!" He screamed passionately. "I have dedicated my heart to the restoration of humanity, sir! Nothing could make me prouder than dying for such a noble cause! If we were to use his titan ability and combine it with the man power we have left, I believe we could do it! We could retake this city! For humanities glory and in what little time I have left to live, I will advocate his strategic value!"