Free Will: An Armin/Reader Story

Chapter 2: Spy

Chapter 2: Spy

'What's he doing down there?'  You puzzled when a familiar flicker of golden hair bounced down the dimly lit staircase. 'Is he going to talk to Eren? ...That can't be it. Hange's away this week making plans for the railway. There's no way Zackley would let the two titans conspire in a room together, even if they have been friends since childhood.'  You plunked your back against the brick and sighed. 'Maybe he's drinking.'  Since the port had been opened, Marleyan wine had flooded the district. Pixis swore by it, calling it nectar from the heavens, and you'd rarely seen him in his leisure time since without a bottle on-hand. 'No. Armin's not the type. Dulling his sharp intellect would likely make him feel uncomfortable, out of control.'  But then you remembered Sasha. 'Unless he's more broken up about her death than he wants to let on... I should just mind my own business,'  you thought, turning away. 'He'll talk to me when he's ready.'  Your feet refused to take another step. 'What else is down there though? ...The supply room, I think? That has to be it. Armin is reorganizing.'  That would definitely explain his lengthy disappearance time. 'I should've known. It was silly of me to be suspicious in the first place.'

"Are you sure there's no problem with me coming here?" The sudden proximity of Armin's voice in your ears jolted you into motion. One look and he would know you followed him down here. He could read your eyes like he reads a book: with intense speed and accuracy. You managed to high tail it behind a nearby door before he and whomever he was speaking to ascended the apex of the staircase.

"No, no. It's nice someone else visits her besides me."

'Her?'  You wondered, pressing your back to the door and holding your breath till they passed. 'Who is Hitch talking about?'

"What are you doing?"

"BUWAH!" A yelp escaped your throat when you realized you weren't alone in the room. Dark eyes peered up at you from behind a desk. "Oh. Yelena. I was just..." You blinked and realized you had not thought of any way to end that sentence.

"Something on your mind?" She leaned forward with an overzealous expression.

"Uhm. Well..."

"How's the history book coming along? Have you... uncovered something?"

'What a weird follow-up question.'  You wrinkled your nose slightly.

"...No. Sorry. I'm only about halfway through." If you were being honest it was a rather disheartening read. You were nearly always in favor of Armin's diplomatic ways, striving for peace and compromise over unnecessary slaughter. However, the world history book she gave you was focused on repetition of the same thing: war. How was the Azumabito enslavement abolished? War. How were the original Marleyan territories divided? War. Yes, there had been treaties signed, but nearly all were broken at some point by future tyrants, only to have the hierarchy restored by, you guessed it, war. If you didn't know any better you'd think Yelena was trying to send a message.

"Then what's troubling you?" Her posture relaxed back into the chair.

"Well..." You figured you might as well tell her. She had no reason to go around and blab about things you said. She was a quirky woman to say the least, but gossip seemed beneath her. "It's just that... Armin has become distant since... he inherited his titan." You frowned. There was more to it than that but you didn't want to give away any compromising Scout information. "I don't know if it's the pressure of living up to something or the fear of leaving this world with unfinished business... Maybe it's something else entirely, but... I don't want to bring it up to him because-"

"You don't want to create more stress for him."

"Exactly." You felt like a weight was lifted from your shoulders when she understood your predicament.