Attack on Titan One Shots

The Pain Is Our Burden (Depressed! Armin x Reader)

Evenin' Bluenotes,

I hope you enjoy this long overdue one-shot...

TRIGGER WARNING:
Contains DEPRESSION and SELF-HARM. You have been warned...

Dedicated to PeriThottt

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"Are you out of your goddamn mind? What the fyck were you even thinking?" She screamed out as tears streamed down her cheeks. He couldn't even bear to look at her because of how horrible and ashamed he felt. He never intended to hurt her in any way, and didn't expect to be so vulnerable and exposed. His lack of response caused her to grow more frustrated.

"Answer me! Why would you do this?"

~Earlier~

The Survey Corps had only been out of the walls for half an hour- at best, and they had already lost half of their squad. Armin wondered how much the commander was actually going to make them endure before deciding to call it a day and order a retreat. The whole expedition thing honestly baffled him because they kept doing it despite the fact that they got the same results every single time: several people dead and the Titans no less extinct then when the Survey Corps first started fighting them. The whole thing was fruitless and the definition of insanity. Armin scolded himself for being so pessimistic, but his thirst for knowledge was bound to grow dull after facing defeat so many times.

Suddenly he heard a loud thumping sound as the ground shook beneath his horse's hooves. His eyes widened in alarm as he whipped around to confirm his worst fears. A huge, slightly deformed Titan was gaining on him, fast. Its beady eyes locked right on him making a lump catch in his throat. Armin quickly turned back around and cracked the reins. His horse immediately galloped faster, but not fast enough his paranoia whispered. They had been told not to engage unless necessary, and it was definitely necessary for this situation.

The 3DMG was cold to the touch as if it were completely new; however, it's dull and short blades gave away how worn out it really was. The pathetic part was that someone else had been the reason for its usage. Armin had only truly used it during practice sessions with his teammates, but he tried to think of this moment as no different. He carefully lifted one leg and pressed his foot firmly against his horse's back. His hand squeezed the handles of his swords as he slowly stood straight. He wanted to smile in triumph due to this small feat, yet he tried to remain as calm as he could. As calm as an emotionally charged person could be of course.

The thumping noises were deafening at this point and Armin was suddenly plucked off his horse who neighed in alarm. The Titan's thick fingers tightened around the blonde-haired boy's body, crushing his rib cage. The unbearable pain tore through him. He scolded himself once more for being so weak.

"Armin!" He looked up through his bangs to see a blurry figure charge towards him. They swung around the Titan and slashed its nape triggering its grip to loosen on his limp body. Blood sizzled around him while he slipped free. If not for the person who swooped in and saved him, he would've shattered once he hit the ground. A thank you formed in his mind, but never made it past his lips as he lost consciousness.

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An EKG monitor beeped every once in a while to signify that he was still alive during his prolonged coma. The doctor could only estimate when Armin would wake up, which was around 2-3 weeks at the least. The surgery had gone well although it took hours to remove all of the bone fragments and realign what they could. Bruises and scars from the incisions were the only things left as a reminder of what befell him.