The Month Of May

Chapter 5

I WALKED OUT OF MY ROOM, CLOSING THE DOOR BEHIND ME.

I couldn't afford for my parents to find Annie. Honestly? I don't know why I was so overtaken by her. While we definitely didn't live in a rural area, I'd learned the golden rule long ago- don't trust a stranger, and more importantly, don't let one into your house.

So why had I done both so easily?

Maybe it was because of my sense of naivety, but I couldn't let this girl go off in the streets alone. She definitely wasn't from another district, and disowning was definitely against the law, so I could report her parents. But this girl didn't seem to want me to do that.

Going to a military school was hard, but it was also good for me. I was tactical, strategical, while Eren and Mikasa carried out my orders. Since Annie wanted to join, she'd find housing with the soldiers who didn't want to stay with their family. Perhaps I'd visit her there-

Why was I so attached to her? I'd practically known Eren and Mikasa my whole life, but had never felt like this before. It was as if the girl had taken ahold of me with such ease, as if she had grabbed me by my shoulders and told me to follow her without question, and I'd just said yes. Although, it was my fault, technically. I had invited her in- but I didn't regret it.

"Armin," My mother greeted me, her blonde hair falling into her eyes and she pushed it away quickly. "How was school?"

"Good," I shrugged, taking my seat. I began eating- it was the usual potatoes and various other vegetables. On holidays we ate meat- I looked forward to those days. "Eren and Mikasa stayed after school like normal. I'm pretty sure Eren's starting to learn how to wrestle, although I'm not sure what he'll do with that later in life, and Mikasa refuses to leave school without him, so..."

"I see," My father nodded, digging into his food readily. "And how are you coming along?"

"Er, fine, why do you ask?" I replied, confused.

"Armin, I mean physically," My father said awkwardly, and I felt ashamed. Despite my success in academics, when we'd done training, I was subpar. Eren and Mikasa were better than I was by ten dozens. I could barely hold myself up with the three dimensional gear made to help us soar through the skies. "How is that?"

"It's getting.. better," I sighed. I didn't want to lie, it was getting better, but not by much. I'd practically made no growth. "I'm doing my best."

"Well, that's good son," My mother cooed, after shooting a glare towards my father. I hurriedly finished my food, eager to get back up to the girl. "Done so soon?"

"Yeah," I replied, putting my dish in the sink. "Got a lot of homework. Thanks for the meal."

I deftly walked back upstairs, knocking before opening my door cautiously. She was sitting on my blue comforter, staring at my sky decorated walls. Her blonde hair no longer hung in her face, she had pulled it back. Yet, she was still dirty.

"Hi," I said awkwardly, closing the door behind me and startling her slightly. "So I need to buy clothes for you so that you fit in, okay? Um... I'll see about the military after that, how does that sound?"

"Great," She said quietly, averting those icy blue eyes she possessed. "Thank you so much."

"No problem."

It was silent between us for a moment, but it was a comfortable silence. She didn't have many words to speak, and that was okay with me. I didn't need her to say much. I did want to make sure she was comfortable, however.

"Do you want to take a shower?" I offered, rubbing the back of my neck instinctively.

"Your parents might hear," Annie reminded me softly, glancing at the door. Her crystal blue eyes seemed to pierce everything they touched, and complimented her blonde hair, despite her dirty clothes. "So that's probably not smart..."

Right. I'd totally forgotten about that. I cursed in my head for my own foolishness, allowing my hands to run through my short blonde hair. It was only then that I noticed how her eyes darted around the room constantly, as if searching for any potential thoughts. I immediately began to feel bad; I had found her on the streets, after all. This was probably overwhelming for her. "Sorry. Um, you can take a shower tomorrow when they leave... But here, you can sleep in my bed. I'll sleep on the floor."

"A-are you sure?" She questioned, her gaze finally falling back onto me and I shivered all of a sudden.

"Y-yeah, it's fine."

Really, I think I should have been more cautious, but it was too late to change my mind now.

hey everyone! hope you're enjoying the book.

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