Armin was sleeping, he knew for some time he was. Or maybe he was dead. Maybe this was what death felt like. He always thought it would feel more lonely and empty. This honestly wasn't so bad. He was warm, he was content. If he was dead he thought, maybe this isn't so bad.
And then he dream (relive?) memories with Eren and Mikasa. He'd remember them sitting in the dark with a single candle while he read to his two best friends. He'd remember Eren saving him from a titan, the first time they kissed, made love, and he found himself feeling utterly destroyed because if he was dead then he couldn't have that again.
And then he'd dream of the ocean, the pictures in his books would move and sway and it was almost like he was there. He was happy. He'd reach out and touch the water and it would be cold and alive.
Sometimes though, they turned to nightmares. The water would grab him as soon as he touched it. It would hold him tight as it pulled him beneath the surface, holding him there until his lung starved for breath. It was then when he was pulled into another dream.
It happened often, all the time, to the point where Armin knew exactly what to expect.
This time though, it was different. He was still drowning yes, he could still feel his lungs burning, but Eren was there, and he was holding his hand. It was so warm in contrast to the cold water, and it held onto him tight. Eren was pulling him up. He was dragging them both to the surface, fighting the current and the waves and the water that tried so desperately to tangle their legs and keep them under.
They broke the surface then. Armin gasped for breath and opened his eyes….
….And he was looking up into Eren's. His face was creased with worry and his eyes were tired and droopy. Eren, who was usually all smiles and determination, looked like he was dying.
"Oh god, Armin," Eren breathed, his face relaxed with relief, "You're awake."
"I'm not dead?" It hurt to talk. His voice was cracked and rough and his throat felt like it was on fire. Eren immediately reached for the bedside table and handed him a glass of water. Armin took it thankfully, gulping it down and grimacing at the stale taste. How long had it been sitting here?
His head pounded and he closed his eyes, willing the headache to dwindle. His limbs were heavy as he lifted his hand to press the palm to his head. Eren's own hand tightened against his.
"I wasn't sure you were ever going to wake up," Eren admitted softly.
"What," Armin paused to cough, "What happened?"
"You got swatted out of the air. The titan just came out of nowhere, we didn't see it. You fell and hit your head, but Hanji stitched the gash in it. There was… there was a lot of blood. You've been asleep for almost two weeks. But, Armin, I did it. I just… I'm not sure what exactly I did. But I got angry, and I just… I shouted at it to die, and it just dropped to the ground and disintegrated. They all did. There's no more titan's anymore, Armin! I did it, we won."
Armin's eyes widened.
"And you won't believe it," Eren continued on excitedly, "We were so close to the ocean. It wasn't that far away. We're by it right now. Erwin had the scouting legion build a house for us, right next to it. He said it was to thank us for our service. We can see it from your window."
"We defeated the titans?" That couldn't be, after hundreds of years of trying to fight them and dying and losing everything, they were finally gone?
Eren rolled his eyes, "Didn't I just say that?" He grinned and sat up, helping Armin into a sitting position and putting an arm underneath his shoulders, "Do you want to see it? The ocean I mean."
"Yes," he practically breathed it.
Eren pulled him up, not a hard feat as Armin had lost a lot of weight in the two weeks he'd been unconscious, taking a moment to pull a few tubs out of his arms before leading him to the window. Armin leaned heavily against him, relishing the feel of his arm around him and his warmth against his skin.
And then he was looking out the window, seeing so much water and looking at it practically disappeared into the horizon.
"Where does it stop?" It has to stop, somewhere, but it looked like it was part of the sky. Where the ocean and the horizon met was nonexistent. He couldn't see it. He never thought it would look like this, and it was better than anything he'd ever imagined.
"That's just it," Eren said excitedly, "We don't know! But Armin, when you get better, we're going to go traveling. We're going to see everything. I swear it."
"That sounds perfect."
