The Month Of May

Chapter 31

THE REST OF THE DAY WAS DEDICATED TO HELPING THE WOUNDED AND SAVING AS MANY LIVES AS WE COULD.

As ours was one of the few houses that remained standing, we offered to take in any of the people who needed it and couldn't fit in the barracks. We ended up housing Eren, Mikasa, and their parents along with a guy named Connie and his mom. Our house...wasn't quite big enough to support all of us, but we'd have to make it work.

"Armin, why don't the boys sleep with you? Annie and Mikasa can share a room," Mom said. Immediately, my breath hitched in my throat. Annie and Mikasa together could only spell chaos.

"Mom, I don't think that's a good idea. Remember I told you that they hate each other?"

"Oh, right. Well, how else should we split this?" Mom pondered. "...You and Annie can go together, and the others can share Annie's room. Alright, perfect."

Uh...yeah. I could already feel my cheeks blushing a bright red just at the thought of her. We'd shared a room before, but that was...well, when I hadn't even known her. Not that I wanted to do anything with her, no!! But just us being in the same proximity was flustering. Now we were going to be together all the time...?

Well, it wasn't like we had a choice. So I nodded.

"Yeah, that's great."

We finished cleaning and moving our new family in, and eventually everyone settled in. It was night, and Annie and I were in my room. I had given her my bed, while I was on the floor.

We were silent.

Neither of us knew what to say. Just the thought of her made my cheeks glow red. I wondered when I started feeling like this. I certainly hadn't planned to kiss her, it just had happened. So when had I decided that was an appropriate response? Just what was running through my mind? Idiocy?

Must have been.

I glanced at the calendar as I crawled in bed. The thirtieth day of April. Tomorrow was the start of May. I had honestly forgotten all about it considering the stress of the world was so prominent. Dread filled my entire being. I couldn't help but feel fear. I'd seen what the previous world and the other countries looked like without Erwin's presence: chaos. I didn't want to deal with that thought...

"Hey, um...do you think they'll postpone tomorrow?" I asked. She shrugged.

"What's tomorrow?"

I suppose that the chaos of everything that had happened today was enough to make anyone forget what was happening tomorrow. I certainly couldn't blame her for that. I pointed toward my calendar. "It starts tomorrow. May."

"What? As-As in the Month of May?" Annie suddenly snapped out of her frozen state, her icy blue eyes growing wide. Yes, everything made sense now. She had just completely forgotten about tomorrow, just like I had previously. I kinda felt bad for reminding her, but better to remember it now then to have it sprung out of nowhere.

"Yeah...I'm not really looking forward to it at all. I mean...I just really hate seeing what happened. I know those countries are all underwater now, but they used to be real..."

"...I hate May. I hate it," Annie rolled over in bed so that she was no longer facing me. Sometimes I forgot that even a girl like her could get frightened. With the tough demeanor she presented during battle, it was hard to remember that I had found her in a traumatized and fearful state. Sometimes I forgot that I really knew her not just as a fantastic soldier, but as a real person. That was something only I had really seen...and I was proud to know her true self.

"Me too. But it'll go quickly, I'm sure..I hope. It's awful. I hate seeing everything there..."

"...Is it really that bad?" Annie asked. I couldn't see her face, just hear her tone. I was a little surprised at this question; after all, everyone saw it for themselves first hand just how terrible the events were. There was a reason everyone dreaded May so much. She quickly backpedaled. "I know it is, it's just...been awhile. So much has happened, I've just kinda...forgotten."

"It's awful," I really didn't want to get into it. "I hope they reschedule it."

"...Me too."

But we both knew that the Month of May would begin tomorrow no matter what.