Characters own to Isaka Hajime, picture not owned
All factual and grammatical errors are mine :)
"Aren't you asleep?" the old man turned his head toward the small figure who appeared in his sight. "It's almost midnight – you will not grow tall if you don't sleep well."
Footsteps of little feet resounded on wooden floor as the figure came closer to sitting man. "I can't fall asleep, grandpa. I didn't want to wake up Eren and Mikasa."
The old man stroked blond hair of his grandson and put the boy on his lap covering him with thin blanket. The little one nestled to greybeard's chest and looked up with his big sapphire eyes. He felt more comfortable as he met familiar warm smile and wrinkles around eyes which was colored with tone between grey and blue.
The silence filled the air when it was cut by gentle child's voice. "Grandpa, do you have to go?"
"Yes, I do… or rather I more want to go than have to." replied calmly.
"We are too noisy, is that because?" the quiet voice trembled. "I know we aren't especially helpful but only when we…"
"Armin!" marry laugh sounded in boy's ears. "You get it wrong. I don't go because I want to abandon you – your cheerful bunch is all joy of my life! Eren and Mikasa also are like my grandchildren, I love your trio very much. And that's why I go. I want to go because of you; because I want you to have a good life without fear, pain and injustice, without being locked and restricted by the Walls..." the old man took breath. It seemed to Armin that his eyes watered for a while. "But this future is not possible while Titans are all around. And that's why I must leave you for a while, because I want to fight for better tomorrow."
"I see…" the boy looked down.
Grandfather embraced Armin and started to sway the boy gently in his arms. The blonde lidded his eyes and relied his head on grandpa's shoulder. He felt in that way as he hadn't been feeling for a long time. It was warm and soothing emotion full of cheer memories which laid in boy's mind. This feeling was probably the 'safety '– something what nobody can afford nowadays, nowadays full of fear, angst and dreadful desire of survive.
Armin awakened as he felt his head falling down.
"You should go to sleep." the old man pat his grandson once again.
"No, not yet." said Armin rubbing his eyes. "Grandpa, but… mom and dad also wanted better future for us?"
"Of course they did, sweetheart." The graybeard was quite surprised – Armin didn't mention his parents for a long time.
"But why? If they stayed here they would… be alive." Armin felt lump in his throat. "I know that now there are problems with food and most of people have no roof above their heads and we must fight for renting for accommodation every single evening and… But did sacrifice like that pay off?"
"Staying alive is not always the best what you can do for the ones you love." the man wiped his grandson's tears. "And sacrifice yourself is the biggest proof of love which people can do. Your parents loved you very much so they decided to find any safe place beyond the Walls to settle down and then take you there. Their plan failed but their love survived. Their love to the outside world. I see it in your eyes, Armin as I see my lovely daughter each time when I look at you."
The small boy tired not to cry in order not to awake his friends sleeping behind the cardboard wall of the flat. He sniffed few times and calmed down. His grandfather cuddled him and started to sway him again.
"Don't worry too much, Armin. You guys are resourceful you'll handle it. And remember – your friends needs you. You're very smart boy, like your father, so use your knowledge and intuition, trust yourself. Hah, you will not anyway, right? When I get back I'll work with you on your self-confidence."
"But if you don't back?" he pouted.
"Don't worry – I'll back. And now, I also need to go to bed. I need to be rested – tomorrow the troops are leaving."
"Uhm." nodded the little boy. "But just one more while…"
They were sitting like that some minutes more. Armin heard his grandfather's heartbeats and felt warmth of his body. The man was swaying his only blood-related relative in his arms whole this time. The blond didn't notice as he fell asleep and woke up the other day when the soldiers were leaving.
Grandpa hugged tightly all his grandchildren, put brown hat on his head and left with smile.
Armin stared at the hat a moment trying to end up this (un)pleasant memory. He sighed and then hid his little treasure on bottom of the wardrobe covering it by stack of his clothes. The boy swallowed salty tears with lump in his gullet and cleared his throat to be able to make a sound.
"I'm coming, Eren!" cried and rushed out of his room to Scout's morning check in.