Set during the training period of the 104th Trainee Corps. Based on a dream my friend had
It's not a wall that is falling, its a bookworm
Annie Leonhardt settled down on the wooden chair, lazily resting on her back with legs crossed. She casually flipped through the pages of a rather large book on the history within the walls. The blonde was currently in the training academy's massive library, lined up with books in multiple rows of huge wall shelves that touched the ceiling. Although it was a mild exaggeration, one could say there were enough books to last a life time.
The book in her hand, of course, was just a ruse for her to shirk some work. If she could pass herself as a bookworm, chances are that Keith Shadis would forgive her for skipping practice and explain that she was focusing on improving her academics. She wasn't alone in this of course.
Pulling the fringe of her hair covering her right eye behind her ear, she raise her head slightly to find her silent companion. Distinguished by a petite body and a blond hair that was bowl cut, Armin Arlert, was currently struggling balancing himself on the stepladder, attempting to reach the book in the top most shelf.
She had noticed his presence right when she first began to use the facilities, a couple of days ago. At first, she thought he had been escaping the unneeded part of the training sessions, just like she was. It was understandable, considering that his lack of physical strength rivaled Krista's. However, the look of disappointment in his face when he learned that she was mostly there for escaping Shadis told her that he was genuinely interested in reading books. Odd enough, he was given exemption from the training once in a while despite securing excellent grades in academics. The way the system worked always amused her.
She continued to watch as the blond finally got his act together and saved himself from a nasty fall. He sighed, wiping the sweat off his forehead and looked down for once, probably imagining how bad the fall would be. It would be awful, she thought to herself. He was slightly clumsy, she noticed, especially when he was nervous.
Perhaps it was her constant staring or maybe his self-consciousness caused by embarrassment, Armin turned towards the blonde for once. Realizing she was looking at him, he gave a sheepish smile to reassure that he was okay. Instead of responding to his smile, Annie simply shifted her gaze to the book and continued to read the page she was pretending to read, hoping to give a clear message that she wasn't interested in his antics on the ladder. She turned the page around to make her acting more believable.
As soon as she felt that he was back to his struggle, the blonde looked up once again. She couldn't explain why but watching the petite boy struggle amused her. He was already holding two thick books in one hand but he was attempting to pull a third. Somehow, it felt impossible to her. What if he fell down? Maybe she could walk over and help him, she contemplated for a second. Somehow, it wasn't enough to budge her from the seat.
The third book was the farthest, though it was still barely reachable. Armin successfully pulled it closer to him without a problem. However, the real struggle was climbing down with all the three books at once. With two books pressed between his left hand and body and the right holding to the third book and the railing at the same time, Armin slowly descended step by step. She silently sighed in relief. However—
At that moment for some strange reason, Armin suddenly turned towards her once again, catching her staring at him once again. At the very moment, the book held between his right fingers slipped his grip and fell down. In a moment of panic, he missed a step accidentally and hit his ankle against it instead, much harder than he'd wanted to. Letting out a yelp, the blond completely lost balance and proceeded to crash.
Annie stood up in reaction, but the boy had already hit the ground with a loud thud by then. She quickly rushed to the scene and found the boy clutching his ankle and rolling around in pain. He didn't cry out loud but the tiny whimpers and the tear that escaped his eyes made his situation clear to her. "Are you okay?" She asked, pulling her hair behind her ear. She wanted to add something to soothe him but she honestly didn't know what to say.
"Mm," he mumbled, and lied down on the floor for a second. A strange silence remained, making the situation even more awkward to her. For a second she contemplated if she should call someone for help in case he fell unconscious. As she rose up, he moved again.
"Can you move?" She asked. "Did you break something?"
The boy sat up, shaking his head. He gave her a weak smile, "I-I'm okay." He pushed his hand against the floor to stand up but it buckled under his weight before he could even raise himself up. He flinched in pain although he barely made any sound. Had it been someone like Jean Kirschstein or Eren Jaeger, they would have made enough noise to bring the entire squad at the library. She honestly couldn't help but admire his courage. He was physically weak, but at the same time his stubbornness was something else.
She shook her head. There was no way Armin could get up on his feet, given how he sprained himself in a lot of places with the fall. She knew he wouldn't like her to call help and make him the center of the attention. Honestly, she wasn't so keen to see Keith Shadis or the rest of the squad any time soon.
There was only alternative left.
She looked around to make sure that no one was looking. She mentally calculated the distance to the dispensary, and there was no way they would cross Keith Shadis or the rest of the unit. If she could just place Armin near the dispensary, he could just manage the rest of the way to the doctor somehow.
The meek boy watched her with strange curiosity as she expressionlessly scanned him from the top to bottom. A sense of fear could be felt from him, his quick thinking probably working out her possible actions. And then in a flash—
Before the blond could even let out as much as a squeak in surprise, she scooped him into her arms, bridal style. "W-Wait, Annie! What are you doing?" He struggled to escape her arms, pushing her away in vain.
"Don't move," she said, giving him a serious look. "Let's make this easy for you and me, okay?"
Armin's face was red, embarrassed and hurt, but he didn't complain further. He was honestly heavier than she expected but not by much. She could manage to carry him over to the dispensary without a hassle. The boy looked at her from the corner of his eyes but when their gazes met he looked away and grunted. "Okay."
Armin hardly moved as she nimbly walked to the door, he probably didn't want to be more of a burden than he already was.
As she walked out of the room, Annie's steps quickened, hoping that no one would see her on the way to the dispensary. Before long, she could see the green curtains that would lead her into the dispensary. Pushing the curtains apart, she walked into the darker room, hoping to place the blond in the bed before anyone could notice them.
Except she was met with the curious gazes of five pairs of eyes, one of those including Keith Shadis. Reiner lay on the bed, a bandage around his head and an amused look on his face. Eren and Mikasa stood on one side, both looking at them with shock while Bertl looked as if he had encountered a Colossal Titan.
A strange silence filled the room as Annie awkwardly stood at the entrance holding a stunned Armin Arlert in her hands.