Indefinitely - Armin X Reader

Chapter 29 | Until Curfew

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Talking amongst each other in the Scouts HQ

We were standing in a large room with a stone floor, waiting for our next instructions. Most of us were unsure of what we were supposed to do; in the Training Corps, every minute of our day was scheduled and dedicated to a task, so now we didn't know if we were still supposed to spend our time meaningfully, or if we could relax. So for now, we just stood around waiting. Eren had joined us, wanting to catch up on what he had missed. He was considerably upset, learning of all the deaths. While we had the privilege of learning of the events as they happened, and coping in turn, Eren had the awful truth forced upon him all at once with nowhere to hide. He was subtly blinking back tears, although not many were keeping particular notice.

Everyone was finally together again. Connie was sitting on a storage crate, bored out of his mind. Sasha sat beside him, every so often knocking her feet against his. Jean, Ymir and Reiner were keeping a close eye on Eren from their respective positions, spread around the room. Christa was standing near Ymir, and Bertolt stood near Reiner. It was almost amusing how everyone had now seemed to split in to their respective pairs, and once again I felt bad for Jean; he'd lost his person.

Sasha gave a groan, stretching back. "I'm not looking forward to the upcoming mission." She whined, looking at me. "I feel like I could sleep forever."

I laughed. "Same." I hummed. "I'll be glad when this is all over."

"So then..." Eren started hesitantly. "You guys are really..."

"Yes." Mikasa confirmed. "We'll be in the upcoming operation as well."

Eren winced, and I understood how he felt. As eager as he was to prove himself, he was less eager to expose the rest of us to the dangers of the mission. He was practically invincible, whereas we were fragile as glass in comparison. I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from giggling at the fact that I had referred to Mikasa as fragile. I met his eyes and attempted to give him a reassuring look, however I was unsure if it helped.

"Eren." Jean questioned suddenly. The seriousness in his voice showed that he'd obviously been stewing over whatever he was about to say for a while. "I heard that while you were in your titan form, you intentionally tried to crush Y/n and Mikasa. Would you mind telling us what that was about?"

I gave a sigh before Eren could answer in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Why does everyone keep bringing this up?" I joked at Armin, but he could only manage a weak smile. He was concerned as well. If I had reacted even a second later, I probably would've died. It made me shudder to think that my own brother might've killed me, but I knew that at that moment that it wasn't him in control. 

"You're wrong!" Mikasa insisted, stepping forward. "He just thought he was swatting a fly, nothing more!"

"I wasn't asking you." The brunette interrupted. I was surprised to hear him talk to her with so little regard; I recall from our very first meeting that he had instantly become smitten with her, and as far as I was concerned, you don't talk to the people you love like that. "Oh, by the way - that cut on your cheek looks pretty deep. Just how did you get that again?"

Mikasa ducked her head, covering the healing mark on her face. He was right; it was deep, and would definitely scar - a permanent reminder of that awful day. It helped me understand his feelings a little more though. He had noticed her injury and determined how it occurred and that it must've hurt, and that discovery kickstarted his anger. He didn't mean to be short with Mikasa, he was just upset that she'd defend the person who hurt her. I myself had injuries from that day, but as far as I was aware none of them were caused by Eren. I was torn.