Alright so, Because I've come to realize this part is going to be extremely long, I've decided to upload in chapters. This will be the last part to my Zombie AU series.

Also, I've decided what is going to happen and how it is going to end. And I've come to decide that this will not end up Eremin. Even if this chapter... Seems to lead in that direction. I can promise you and assure you that this story will be Jearmin and remain that way. How you ask? Just wait and read.

Warnings: A few. Blood and gore. Male/Male. There will be some sexual content. Language as well cause Eren has a naughty mouth sometimes. That's all I can think of right now. If there's more, I'll add them with each chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own them. But I own this story and the universe I've created.

BE SURE TO READ "TAKE MY HAND", "THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY" AND "SAFE AND SOUND" BEFORE READING THIS. OTHERWISE IT MAY NOT MAKE ANY SENSE.

Thank you. Enjoy!


My breath was caught in my throat until the pressure in my chest made me gasp for air. Those dark eyes that glistened at me with tears made a sob catch in my throat as I wasted no time in reached out a hand to her. Mikasa took my offered hand before she pressed into my side, wrapping one arm around my back while the other went around Eren. I could feel Eren shaking in our grasps so I tightened my arms around the both of them. They were real. They were solid. It was impossible. Completely impossible. But there they were. Alive, healthy and in my arms. I... I never thought it possible.

"Armin." Eren breathed softly, pulling back at the same time Mikasa did. Though she took a step backwards so Eren could meet my eyes, her hand grasped mine, entangling our fingers like she was afraid to let me go. But then all I saw was green. "I can't believe it's really you." His voice was cracked slightly as he brought his rough palms to grasp either side of my face. "We thought... Well we assumed..."

"I..." My voice caught in my throat and I coughed a few times, blinking away tears as I searched his eyes. They were different. Deeper, stronger, but they were swirling with so many different emotions that it made my head spin. Eren was different. He was tanner, sharper, his black hair was longer. He'd seen hell. They both had though it looked like Mikasa had handled it a little better. I swallowed hard and focused on the green. "I thought so about you two as well..."

Eren's lips twitched up into a soft smile, his calloused thumbs rubbing over my cheeks as he searched my eyes. "I'm glad we were all wrong."

"Yes, well, I'm glad you all found each other too." A voice I didn't recognize spoke and I glanced over to see three other soldiers standing around in my office. "But you see Doc, I believe I'm in some need of stitches here." The brunette removed the bloodied gauze on his arm to show the rather deep cut on his forearm. "So, you know, I don't want to interrupt cause that's cute as hell, but I kinda need you."

I let out a soft gasp and pulled away from the two of them. "Of course, My apologies." He swallowed hard and offered Eren and Mikasa a soft smile. "Wait for a bit?"

"Yea. We're in line after all." Eren's jabbed a thumb in Mikasa's direction. "She twisted her ankle." He gasped and suddenly turned to his beautiful sister and pushed her back to sit down on one of the beds in the room. "You're supposed to keep off this."

Mikasa just rolled her eyes and settled on the bed easily enough. "It's not that bad really." Her dark eyes shifted to me as she returned my soft smile. "You have patients, Doctor. I can wait." Eren nodded in agreement and sat down beside her.

I flashed the two of them a smile before hurrying over to tend to the brunette solider.


"Okay Mikasa." I smiled softly as I stood at the end of the bed where I had made her sit, taking my time in removing her unlaced boot. "What happened exactly?"

"As lame and pathetic as it sounds, I fell in a hole." She mumbled softly, watching me with glistening dark eyes.

I snorted softly. "I've done that plenty." I placed her boot on the floor as I cradled her foot in one hand gently while pressing into the flesh of her ankle softly. I glanced at her face, gauging for pain but she showed no signs of any. That didn't surprise me really. It was Mikasa after all. I felt around her bare foot and then her ankle once before before setting it down on the bed gingerly. "It's a little swollen. Nothing serious." I turned away to grab some bandages from a cabinet before returning to her. "Just be easy on it for the next few days." I instructed as I started to wrap her ankle to keep it from moving too much.

"Thanks, Armin." She said with a soft smile.

"You're really good at this doctor thing, huh?" Eren stated as he leaned on the edge of the bed beside Mikasa.

I shrugged slightly. "I'm learning as I go." I tapped Mikasa's foot softly when I finished and turned to return the left over bandages to the cabinet.

"Are you the only scouting legion doctor?" Mikasa asked softly as she shifted to tug her boot back on.

"Well, there's Krista. Though, she is considered just a nurse. She doesn't have any training like I do. Just instinct and care." I answered as I started to clean up the office from the few patients I had. "She learns fast. She handled it really well when we had to sear that Springer boys arm."

I gasped in soft surprise when my arm was grabbed and I was spun around to meet Eren's eyes. His lips were curled in a frown and his emerald eyes were a swirl of pain and... regret? "You healed Connie? Is he okay?"

I let out a soft breath and nodded, searching those intense eyes. This close and no longer in shock, I noticed the darkness under his eyes. "I was worried at first. I'd never done anything like that. But I pulled on what I knew and what I hoped would work and he's just fine. He lost a lot of blood though so he'll be in recovery for awhile. At the moment, only Sasha and Krista are allowed with him."

Eren visibly relaxed and before I knew it, his forehead pressed to my shoulder. I noticed then that he was indeed a good few inches taller than me. But he was hunched over most of the time so it was hard to notice. I raised my hand to grip his toned biceps softly and glanced over at Mikasa who just had a soft smile on her. "So, he'll live? He'll be okay?"

"Yes, Eren. Connie will be fine."

"Good." He breathed out a soft sigh, his hands shifting to grip my waist. "It was my fault." He mumbled softly.

A rock settled in the pit of my stomach. He was upset. Of course he was upset. I... understood that feeling all too well. I bit my lip and shifted one hand to rub his back gently. Approximately three years and he was still my best friend. I instinctively knew how to handle him. And that gave me a little hope. But also struck me with a little fear. "Why don't the two of you come back to my place. We can catch up."

Eren gave my neck a nuzzle before pulling away, giving my hips a squeeze as he searched my eyes, a faint smile on his lips. "Yea, that's a good idea."

I returned his soft smile and pulled out of his grasp politely. "I want to stop by Connie for a moment, to check up and then we can head home." I removed my white coat and hung it up in the small closet before closing the door and turned back to my friends. Mikasa was standing now, keeping her weight off her injured foot. Eren was at her side, worrying over her and it made me smile. "She'll be fine Eren." I pointed out, gaining his attention. A faint blush was on his tanned cheeks as he smiled sheepishly at me.

And that smile warmed my heart. It was the most familiar smile Eren had given me since we met again. That smile gave me hope. Just a bit, but enough. Because even though he had seen hell, he could still smile like everything was okay. And that meant more to me than I could ever express. It wasn't until that exact moment that I realized how much I missed them. I didn't need then to survive but having them near me was nice. I couldn't help but wonder if things would have ended differently if I had spent this hell with Eren and Mikasa.

"Armin?" Eren spoke my name softly, his head tilted and his expression worried as he grasped my shoulders gently. "You alright? You look upset."

I blinked a few times, realizing there were tears there before shaking my head and forcing them down. "Ah, I'm fine." I forced a smile. "Just being sentimental is all."

Eren narrowed his eyes slightly, giving my shoulders a rub before he released me. "If you say so." He glanced to Mikasa who was now at his side, standing perfectly fine though she was keeping her weight off her injured foot.

I nodded, giving them both a soft smile before moving toward the door, motioning for them to follow. "Why don't you two go wait outside? So Mikasa doesn't have to walk any farther than she needs to." I pointed out as we left my office.

They glanced between each other before Mikasa smiled and reached forward to rub my arm. "You and Eren go. I'll wait outside." And with that she spun on her heel and walked down the hallway, limping slightly.

I watched her for a moment before glancing at Eren whose vibrantly green orbs were on me. "I, shouldn't you go with her?"

"Mikasa's completely capable of taking care of herself. Besides," A sly grin came to his full lips, "I just got you back. Don't think I'm going to let you out of my sight any time soon."

My heart thumped at his words and I glanced away, turning to walk down the hallway to hide my face from him. "It's not like I'm going anywhere, Eren."

"I know that." He stepped up beside me, flashing that grin I knew all too well. "But I'm pretty sentimental right now too, okay? I mean, I missed you Armin." He pressed against my side, slipping an arm around my shoulders to hug me as we walked. It was a normal embrace for us. Even if it had been three years, Eren acted as if those years were not spent apart and our friendship was still one hundred percent intact. Well of course he acted they way. Why wouldn't he?

"I missed you as well." I admitted while letting my hand curl around his back, my fingers grasping at green fabric by his side.

"You better have." He nuzzled into my hair for a moment as we rounded the corner but then he came to a stop, forcing me to do as as well.

I glanced up at Eren in concern for a moment before noticing how he was glaring forward. I followed his gaze to see Erwin, Levi and Hanji standing outside of Connie's room talking about something. Levi had noticed us right away, as he always did, and the way his lips deepened into his scowl made my stomach drop. I wasn't sure who Eren was glaring at but with the way Levi was returning his glare, it was safe to assume the two had some type of tiff.

I pulled away from Eren when crystal blue eyes landed on us and I moved forward, knowing the raven haired male would follow behind. Erwin gave a quick glance between Eren and I before his eyes landed on mine. "Is something wrong?" I asked, glancing between the three high ups.

"Nothing at all!" Hanji said with a grin, gaining my attention. "I was just trying to convince Erwin to let me have Springer. He does need to be fitted for his prosthetic after all."

"He has a lot of time left to heal before he can even think of doing that." I pointed out, narrowing my eyes at the woman slightly. "He shouldn't even move out of bed for at least a week."

"Well, yes of course, But if Erwin-"

"Hanji." The deep voice snapped, catching me off guard along with the way Eren's warm hand pressed to my lower back. I glanced at the male but his eyes were on Erwin. I felt like there was something important I was missing between the four of them. "Springer is Arlert's patient."

"Well fine then." She turned to me with a soft smile that made my throat dry. "Doctor Arlert, I would like to take your patient to the science wing."

"And why is that?"

The smile on her face curled up slightly. "There are a few shots I would like to give him. He's in the perfect condition now."

"He's not even awake."

"He can't make that decision for himself." Eren broke in, his eyes narrowed. "Don't do that without his permission."

I blinked at my best friend before shifting my eyes to Hanji, then Levi, then Erwin. "What is going on here? What don't I know?"

"That does not matter right now." Erwin cut in, his eyes cold and firm on Hanji. "Yeager is right. Springer is in no condition to approve of your enhancements. Wait until Arlert is sure Springer is able to make this decision for himself."

"Oh fine." Hanji let out a soft sigh, her smile gone though her eyes were still lit with amusement. "Give me a call when that happens Armin." She flashed me a smile before turning on her heel. "And if you're ever really interested in what we're talking about, stop by my office sometime. I'll give you a full tour." And with that she left down the hallway, disappearing around a corner.

My mind clicked, twisted and turned but I could think of nothing off the top of my head that they could be talking about. Whatever it was, Eren knew and it apparently made him uncomfortable. The way his warm fingers curled against my back were proof enough. I fully intended on taking Hanji up on her offer however.

"You'll have to excuse Hanji. She gets over excited easily." Erwin said with a faint sigh turning toward me before his eyes focused on Yeager and the way his arm was curled around me. I glanced at Eren who seemed to finally relax. The muscles in his face relaxed and his glare dissipated though his arm pulled me a little closer to his side. "I take the two of you know each other?"

"Eren and I are childhood friends." I stated, glancing up at Erwin with a soft smile. "I'm honestly shocked that I found him here."

"You were separated?" Erwin asked, seemingly interested.

I shook my head. "We were in different states when the world went to hell."

"Then I take you know Ackerman as well?"

"I do."

Blue eyes softened slightly and the faintest of smiles came to Erwin's lips. "Well, I'm glad you've found friends Armin." He turned to Levi and gave the man a nod. "We'll be off now." And with that the two of them left down the way Hanji had.

I blinked in slight surprise and glanced at Eren. Something was different. Eren didn't act toward Erwin the way that Bert and Reiner did. Then again, Eren was always rebellious against authority figures. Which brought up more questions. Why was he in the army? I pushed those questions to the back of my mind for the moment and pulled away from Eren to carefully open the door to Connie's room.

I slipped inside with Eren right behind me to see Connie was still fast asleep along with his girlfriend who was curled up on his uninjured side. The sight brought a soft smile to my face. I saved him. He could have died from the blood loss but I saved him. I actually did something worth living. My life had purpose now and that meant everything to me. I hoped Jean was proud of me.

"Is something wrong, Armin?" The soft gentle voice of Krista knocked me from my thoughts and I glanced to the side to see her smiling softly at me.

"I just wanted to check on him before I left for the day. Are you alright staying here?"

She nodded. "Of course. I'm sure Sasha isn't going to go anywhere either. We can handle him. You've had a hard day." She reached up and patted my cheek gently. "Get some rest, doctor." Again that word... I still didn't believe it but I was not going to correct those who choose to call me it.

"Make sure you rest as well. Call me if you need me."

"Of course." She smiled, glancing at Eren for a moment before pushing me toward the door. "Now shoo."

I laughed softly, nodding at her as I grabbed Eren's arm. "Alright, alright. See you tomorrow, Krista."

"Have a good night!" She called softly as she closed the door behind us.

That girl always managed to put a smile on my face. I shook my head, slipping my hand down Eren's arm before releasing him. I paused when I realized he wasn't following me and turned to glance at him. He was still outside Connie's door, his head lowered so I couldn't see his eyes and his fists shaking at his sides.

"Eren?" I ventured softly, closing the distance between us. My hands went to his wrists, rubbing them softly before slipping down to his tightly clenched fists. It was habit really. What I had always done when Eren was upset. "He's fine. He really is. I know he doesn't look it, but I promise you that he is. He lost a lot of blood is all so he looks close to death. But he will be fine." I gave his hands a squeeze to emphasize my words.

Eren knocked out foreheads together, his eyes vibrant from behind dark bangs as he met mine. "God I missed you."

My heart warmed at his words and I smiled softly. "I still know you as well as I ever have."

His lips curled into a soft smile. "Yeah, you do." His hands twisted around to grab mine, squeezing my fingers gently. "I don't know how I survived without you."

I snorted softly and pulled back from him, letting one of his hands still hold mine as I lead him down the hallway. "Don't flatter me you fruit."

Eren laughed softly, shaking his head as he followed along beside me. "I'm being honest. I don't think I've smiled this much since before."

I hummed faintly, thinking on his words. I use to smile plenty when Jean was around. In fact, almost every day spent with the male was a blessing. I didn't know how much of a blessing it was back then... Not at all. My heart sank at the direction of my thoughts so I forced them down, my hand coming up to pull out the necklace tucked under my shirt. My fingers immediately went to toying with the ring and the cool metal calmed my aching heart.

We remained quiet as we exited the building. Eren's hand was warm and comforting in mine and the last time I had even touched someone that much was with Jean. The two were completely different things but the comfort it gave me was the same.

"Jeager." The amused voice of Reiner caught my attention and I glanced up to see the tall blonde standing with Mikasa and Bert just outside the building. "So you do know Armin."

Eren snorted, squeezing my hand as he pulled me over to them. "Sure do."

"Mikasa was telling us how the three of you are childhood friends." Bert said with a soft smile, his eyes lingering on the way Eren's hand was clamped around mine.

"Small world, huh?" Reiner let out a deep laugh as his hand clamped onto Mikasa's shoulder in a friendly manner. So the four were friends? That was good to know.

"How do you know Armin?" Eren asked, eyeing the blonde rather suspiciously though there was an amused glint in his eyes.

"We picked him up." Reiner stated with a shrug.

"You could have told us." Eren hissed softly.

"Hey, it's not like we knew you knew him. He didn't mention you and you two never mentioned him." The tall blonde shrugged.

"How long have you been here, Armin?" Mikasa cut in, tilting her head at me.

"About a week."

Eren stiffened at my side and Mikasa's dark eyes widened a bit. "What?"

"Yea, We found him wandering along the side of the road in the outskirts of the wall about a week ago." Reiner answered for me. "I had to check him myself. The commander was really interested in him." He shrugged, removing his hand from Mikasa's tense shoulder to cross his arms over his broad chest. "Good thing too. We really needed a doctor. The commander worked hard to keep Armin for the scouts."

"You were alone?" Eren gasped, those wide green eyes turning on me.

I just blinked at him, confused as to why he seemed so... shocked? Surprised? Concerned? I couldn't tell exactly. "I'd been alone for a while. I handled things better that way."

"How long were you alone?" He asked, his fingers tight around mine and the swirling emotion in his eyes making me clamp down on the ring around my neck.

"I don't really know." Though the cool air told me it had to have been about a year. Possibly. I wasn't sure.

"We should head to Armin's now." Mikasa interrupted the strange tenseness suddenly surrounding Eren and I. "My ankle is starting to ache."

Eren snapped out of whatever strange inner turmoil he was having and nodded, shifting his gaze to her. Now that those eyes weren't on me, I relaxed a bit but my heart was still pounding. That was odd. Very odd. But I swallowed hard, bid my farewells to Bert and Reiner and lead Eren and Mikasa to my apartment.


"Whoa they really have you set up, don't they?" Eren commented as we entered my apartment.

"Bert told me it was important for me to be near the base but not actually on it. Considering I'm not officially a solider." I said with a shrug, dropping my key in the bowl by the door and welcomed them in with a wave of my hand. "Mi casa es su casa."

Mikasa giggled softly at my words, patting my arm as she limped past. "It is rather nice."

"Much nicer than the solider barracks." Eren shut the door behind him, following Mikasa to the couch where she sat down elegantly. Once he was sure she was fine, he moved around the apartment taking it in.

I followed him into the open kitchen and watched with slight amusement as he started going through the cabinets. "Would you two like some tea?" I asked with a smile.

"Tea would be lovely." Mikasa said from the couch where she was propping up her now boot free ankle onto a pillow.

"Yea, sounds good. You seriously need to go shopping." Eren said, grabbing a pack of crackers.

I smiled, shaking my head at him as I set up the kettle on the stove. "It's just me here, Eren. And I spend more time at my office then I do here."

"Are you eating properly?" Mikasa asked while Eren stuffed his face with crackers. Really, nothing had changed between us and I was happy about that.

"I eat when I'm hungry." I answered with a shrug, shifting around my best friend who had propped himself up on the counter to grab three mugs and some tea bags. "I'm still functioning on the one meal a day plan. My body has yet to understand that it no longer needs to starve."

"Yea, I can't believe you've been out there this whole time." Eren mumbled around a mouth full of crackers.

"Well where was I supposed to be?" I responded with a shrug, dropping a tea bag in each cup, glancing at the male sitting on the counter beside me. "I was not aware of this place until I saw the walls in the distance maybe a month or so ago."

"What's it like out there?" Eren asked, his hands dropping in his lap as he struck me with an intensely serious stare.

I just blinked at him, tilting my head to the side. "You're part of the scouting legion, are you not? You should know."

"I only know what I see. We've never been out there to survive. We go outside the walls to gauge the world and take down what we can." He bit his lower lip, his intensely green eyes softening. "You've seen a completely different world than we have."

He was right about that. "Have you two been here the whole time?" I asked, something dawning on me.

They glanced at each other and I turned, leaning my back against the counter so I could see both of their faces clearly. "My father brought us here not long after the outbreak. Maybe a week or so afterwards." Eren started, his eyes lowering to the floor and his hands clenching together. "The walls were already up. Like, Trost was prepared for whatever happened. This place has been a safe heaven since the beginning. Most of the people inside of these walls have never even seen a zombie. They don't realize the danger they're in."

I tusked softly, narrowing my eyes as I turned back to the kettle. That was a problem by itself and still something that bothered me greatly. I knew what could happen with a false sense of security. The walls were tall and they were thick. But it only took one. One zombie, one bite, and it would be chaos. I swallowed hard, my hand finding the ring again. "They understand nothing." I hissed softly.

"There was an uprising not long ago." Mikasa continued. "The people thought the military was lying to them, keeping them inside these walls for no reason."

"What happened?" I asked softly.

"The people who wanted to leave left. We didn't do anything to stop them. If they wanted to endanger themselves and leave the safety of the walls, that was their problem." Eren answered. "Course, no one actually left for good. They took one look outside the walls and decided to stay."

"And yet they still have the gull to look at us like they're better than us." I mumbled, flinching when the kettle whistled. I took it off the heat, turning off the burner before moving to pour the water in our mugs.

"They look at you like that too?" Eren questioned. "Hell, you're not even a solider. I'm used to it at this point."

"Though you did almost punch a few people at first." Mikasa added with a sly smile.

Eren shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "It just pisses me off, you know? These people wonder around, living their lives like nothing as happened and have the nerve to look at me like I'm some piece of shit on their shoe because I actually have the balls to go outside of the walls. LIke, they don't even realize what their lives would be like without us."

"They honestly don't." I added, filling the last cup with steaming water. "They have no idea the hell it is outside of these walls."

"But you do." Eren slipped off the counter and took the offered mug of tea I handed him. Our eyes met and the sadness I found there made my blood run cold.

"What choice did I have?" I grabbed the two mugs from the counter and made my way over to Mikasa with Eren trailing behind. I handed her a warm mug that she took with a soft smile before I settled down on the couch beside her. Eren took his place at my other side and pressed his shoulder to mine as he leaned back against the soft cushions to sip his tea. Mikasa shifted and pressed her shoulder to mine as well, the two of them settling against me and I had no objection to it.

"Tell us about it." Eren mumbled softly, watching me with those sad eyes again.

I let out a soft sigh, bringing my mug to my lips with both of my hands wrapped around it. "Not much to tell. I was on campus when the breakout reached us. I made it home, called my grandfather and we met up." I felt the two of them tense beside me. "He had that." I motioned to the crossbow rested against the wall beside the door. I kept it there in case I ever needed it. I had stopped carrying it with me after the second day. "Things weren't so bad at first. But, the more time that past the more it went to hell. Grandpa... He was old, you know? He didn't last long. After that, I was on my own. It wasn't easy but I managed. I preferred ot be alone then have to deal with other people. It got to the point that I couldn't trust others. I was better on my own. I survived and I didn't have to worry about anyone else but myself. It made the whole experience easier."

"So you really spent the last three years alone? Wondering around?" Eren asked, his voice soft and his eyes still on me.

I bit my lower lip, one hand uncurling from the mug to grasp the ring around my neck. "Not all of it." I noticed the way the both of them glanced at my hand. "I spent a good amount of time with someone..."

A warm hand was on mine and I glanced up as Eren squeezed the hand around the ring. His eyes were swirling with emotion and it wasn't until then that I realized there were tears in my eyes. "Tell us about them." His words were soft and more of a question than a demand but I nodded and swallowed hard.

"Jean saved my life." I admitted softly, lowering my eyes to my hand. The ring was warm in my palm but Eren's hand was warmer. "I fucked up and almost got myself killed but he took the time to save me. I never planned on staying with him but we worked well together. We made a good team. It was... nice to have someone to trust. Someone who had my back but could also handle himself." My throat tightened and I raised my eyes to the ceiling, pushing back the tears that threatened to fall. It'd been a year and I was still heartbroken...

"He was strong, smart and dependable. He took care of me and I took care of him. He was someone to talk to, someone to keep me sane. Someone I..." My voice broke off and I felt both of them shift. Eren's hand moved from mine as he rolled toward me and slipped his arm around my waist in a rather awkward hug. But it was warm and comforting. Mikasa had done the almost the same by hooking her arm around mine that was clutching the necklace and let her head rest on my shoulder. I wasn't alone. I wasn't. I had Eren and Mikasa now. Two people I never thought I'd have again.

"You loved him." Eren stated softly, nuzzling into my neck.

I bit my lower lip, closing my eyes tightly as my face turned toward the ceiling. I felt warm tears slip from my eyes and roll down my rounded flushed cheeks. "I do."

Eren stiffened against me before raising his hand to grasp mine. He shifted, sitting up a bit as he pried my fingers apart. I watched through blurry eyes as he pulled the ring from my hand and twirled it between his tanned fingers, looking it over. "He gave this to you?" I could only nod.

"It's beautiful." Mikasa commented softly, using the opportunity to take my hand in hers now that it was free. Her fingers were cool as they linked with mine but the feeling was comforting enough.

"Why do you wear it around your neck?" Eren grabbed my free hand, which happened to be my left hand and slipped the ring on my finger. "It fits rather perfectly."

I swallowed hard around the lump in my throat. "I didn't want to lose it."

He was silent for a moment as he stared at the ring on my finger before removing it. He placed the ring against my chest gently, letting it hang from the string before his arm returned to my waist and his face pressed into my neck. "What happened?" His words were soft and strained, like he didn't want to ask but also wanted to know. "You don't have to tell us if you'd rather not." He added quickly.

I took a deep breath, feeling it stutter in my chest as I slipped my eyes shut. I rested my cheek against Eren's hair and with the warmth and comfort the two provided me, it was a little easier to tell them. "It's okay. I can talk about it with you." My voice was strained but it was there. "He... I was sick. Really sick. And he was worried... So we ventured out in hopes of finding me something to bring down my fever. It was... We found what I needed but the hospital was overrun... We barely escaped alive..." Sadness bubbled up from my chest and I didn't even bother to hold back the tears that slipped down my cheeks. "He gave me the ring when we got back. We had gotten separated in the hospital... He got bit. I don't know how. But he had and I..." I crumbled over slightly, my knees coming up as I buried my face in Eren's raven hair. I couldn't move other than that with the way Mikasa hugged my arm and Eren wrapped himself around my side.

"Shh." Eren mumbled softly against my neck, his fingers tight against my hip. "You don't have to tell us any more."

A sob bubbled up my throat, the pain coming back in full force. "I-I didn't know I could save him." The words were harsh on my own lips as my body shook slightly. "I didn't know I could have just cut off his arm and saved his life. I didn't know!"

"Shh shh." Eren's voice was soft in my ear as he slipped is other arm around my back, linking his fingers together at my side and pulled me closer. It couldn't have been comfortable for him but he didn't seem to care. Mikasa was rubbing her hand over my arm and doing her best to comfort me as well. But there wasn't much to comfort really. I'd cried enough over Jean and I was convinced I always would. But it was different from crying alone. With Eren and Mikasa at my sides, it felt better. I felt less pathetic and alone.

"It's not your fault Armin." Eren voice was soft and soothing. "You did the only thing you could do then." I choked back a sob and clung to the two people I never thought I would see again. The pain of losing Jean was still there, as fresh as the day I lost him, but I had Eren and Mikasa. And that made everything just a bit better.


Armin has some issues to work out. Some pain to deal with. It breaks my heart to do this to him. It really does. Jean was his everything and still is. Though having Eren and Mikasa around helps now. Did I mention I love this trio? I do, I really do.

Welp, I don't know when I'll update this but I will try for once a week. Having two multichapters going as once smells disaster for me. but I will finish this. I promise. It means too much to me not to.

Please let me know what you thought! Thanks for reading!

~Addy~