Set during the training arc. Content warning for vomit. Enjoy!
"Are you feeling any better?" Eren asks as he comes back into the barracks, a glass of fresh water in his hand. Upon seeing Armin curled over the bucket in his lap, he has his answer. "I guess not," he says, plopping down next to the sick boy and rubbing his shoulder in an attempt at comfort.
Armin just groans in response, his hands clutching at the edges of the bucket so hard that his knuckles are white. Each heave intensifies his headache, sending a shock of pain through his skull. He spits out one last mouthful of bile, which joins the other contents with a loud splash, and sinks back into the pillows.
Upon hearing how congested Armin sounded, Eren had stolen every pillow he could and given them to Armin. "It'll help you breathe," he explained.
Taking a moment to try to catch his breath and settle his angry stomach, Armin finally regains his voice. "You should be out training with the others," he whispers. His throat is too sore to talk any louder than that.
"What?" Eren sounds genuinely shocked. "Don't be silly, you're too sick to be left alone right now. Plus, I'm the doctor's son, so I know what I'm doing."
"I don't think that's how it works," Armin points out. He's so stuffed up that it's difficult to make out what he's saying.
Fortunately, Eren is an expert at speaking Armin. "Whatever. Go ahead and drink the water that I bought you. You need to stay hydrated."
At the mention of drinking anything, Armin's stomach gives an angry gurgle. "It's not going to stay down," he protests feebly, swallowing hard against the rising nausea.
"C'mon, just a couple sips and I'll leave you alone," Eren wheedles. Armin grumbles but gives in; he's never been good at saying no to Eren.
By some miracle, he's able to drink some of the water without it immediately coming back up. He sighs in relief. Even the small effort of drinking is enough to wear him out, and his eyes slip shut against his will. They shoot open again when he feels a hand on his forehead.
"You're really warm," Eren says, frowning as he withdraws his hand. "Maybe I should go get a medic."
Armin rolls his head from side to side. "I'll be okay," he murmurs. "I just need to sleep." Sleeping sounds absolutely heavenly right now.
"That sounds like an excellent idea," Eren agrees. "Get some rest. I'll be right here." He runs a hand through Armin's bangs soothingly, and Armin finds himself drifting off to the sound of Eren's voice. "On the other side of the wall, there are mountains, and oceans, and huge stretches of sand that go on so far that you can't see where they end."
Armin dreams of reaching the ocean, and him and Eren playing in the water. Someday they'll get there.
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