Armin lay on the ground after yet another beating from the town's bullies. It wasn't surprising to the small boy, to be laying there yet again with a bloody face and tears in his eyes. That didn't mean that it didn't hurt. Sighing to himself, the boy tried to stand before falling back to the ground again, realizing he wasn't going anywhere unless he got help. He was just about to lay back down again when he heard a sound far off in the distance. Was... Was that his name being called?
"Armin? Armin! Armin, where are you?"
The boy in question sighed in relief to hear the voice of his best friend, Eren, echoing through the still air. It made him want to cry again.
"Over here! Eren, I'm here."
The tall brunette boy by the name of Eren came rushing over, a look of relief reflecting in his features. Following him was his adopted sister, Mikasa, someone whom Armin had begun to trust just as much as his closest friend.
"Gosh, Armin, what happened?"
Armin hesitated before answering. He knew better than anyone else that the answer he had to give would make Eren angry. Extremely angry.
"Please Armin. Just tell me!" the tall boy asked, kneeling beside his best, and sometimes only, friend.
"It's nothing. Really. The guys just beat me up again..."
Just as Armin had predicted, the look on Eren's face went from understanding to complete fury in a matter of seconds. His green eyes filled with the rage Armin knew all too well. This scared the small blonde. He was never one for conflict.
"I'll kill 'em! They won't be able to walk for months when I'm done with 'em." The tall boy stood again, fists clenched, ready to stalk off onto the street to find the boys that had hurt his friend. Mikasa, sensing the boys anger, grabbed Eren's wrist.
"Stop it, Eren. Just look at Eren. Do you think he really wants you to go off and fight? You're upsetting him."
Eren looked at the boy in question, instantly softening. Armin sat on the ground, arms wrapped around his knees in an attempt to hide his face. However clever, the position did nothing to hide his shaking form as he cried, for the second time that day. Armin looked up at Eren, blue eyes filled with tears. He opened his mouth to say something, then snapped it shut again without saying a word.
This got to Eren. It always had, and probably always would. Armin was his first friend. The one who had sat with him for hours, reading to him about the outside world and everything in it, from oceans to mountains and everything in between. It killed Eren to not damage the bullies as much as they had damaged Armin, but he knew that he would never be able to forgive himself if he did.
Smiling at Armin, Eren offered the boy his hand.
"Do you need a hand, buddy?"
Armin looked up at Eren in relief. It looked like Eren was going to stay by his side. Grabbing his friends hand, Armin was surprised by the sudden pull from Eren. He was even more surprised when Eren placed his arm around the brunette's shoulder, placing most of Armin's weight on the taller boy.
"It looks like you hurt your leg pretty bad. We'll walk home like this, okay?"
The blonde could only smile at his friend. It was moments like these that reminded Armin of why he had become such good friends with the hot-headed brunette.
"Of course Eren. When we get to my house, I'll read to you some more! How about a book about the mountains... Oh, or the ocean! Grandpa just got it for me! It has all these pretty pictures and..."
The small boy continued to ramble on about the new book his grandfather had given him. Eren smiled, knowing that everything was going to be okay. No matter how many times the bullies picked on Armin, Eren knew he would always get up. He would always find something new to discuss, a new book to read, a new place to visit... and a home to come back to after it was all done.