"Leave me alone, Eren! Shouldn't you be with Mikasa right now?" Armin asked.
Eren clenched his fists. "Well, I would've been able to ask her out if it weren't for you!"
The fact that Eren was planning to ask his adopted sister out surprised Armin. Oh god. This is such a horrible dream. He was going to ask her out?!
What about us?
What about seeing the outside world, the world beyond the walled city, together? What happened to the ice-cold lakes, scorching deserts, and exotic lands that they were supposed to visit together? Did none of them mean anything to Eren?
It was the first time Armin's heart broke- but it certainly wasn't the last time.
So the rumors were true…
"Armin? Hey, Armin! Explain yourself right now. What did you do to Mikasa?" Eren asked. His eyes bore no compassion or mercy- just pure hatred for the blonde-haired boy who has known him for more than half of his life. Well, Eren had every right to be mad at him, after all the trouble he's caused them, after being a burden to him and Mikasa.
Armin tore his eyes away from his best friend as he clutched the potato that Annie gave him. "I...got mad at Mikasa for thinking that I was not a burden to her. I…got really frustrated because she was physically better than me and…"
"Armin"
Armin looked up and saw his best friend looking at him sadly. The evening bells started to toll. It was the beginning of curfew.
"Oh god, Armin. I am so, so sorry," Eren shook his head.
"Why are you apologizing? You're not really one for apologies"
Eren walked towards Armin until their faces were five inches away from each other. Armin's heartbeat started pounding against his chest. Damn, is he going to kiss me? Armin tried not to turn red, even though he felt his cheeks flushing with heat already.
"Of course not"
Armin pursed his lips. Did he just…read my mind?!
"Of course I don't apologize when I don't need to, silly. You're the one who keeps apologizing for things beyond your control"
Armin almost dropped the potato he was holding. He couldn't feign his surprise.
"Wh-What do you mean?"
Eren grinned. The way his right cheek rose along with his lopsided smile made him even cuter. It was only then Armin noticed that Eren had dimples.
"I think this revolves around you apologizing for being a burden to us"
Armin's fantasies abruptly stopped. "Wh-who told you that?" he stammered. His heart started beating fast again, but this time, it was because of fear- fear that Eren, with some kind of supernatural power, was able to tap into his brain and read all his thoughts. He immediately blushed.
Eren shrugged. The waning moonlight illuminated a part of his face. Was it that late already?
"I figured. You know, you aren't a burden to us. At least not to me"
That made Armin smile. "Really? So, you don't consider me as a nuisance, or…are you just saying that to make me feel better?"
Eren put his hands on Armin's shoulders. They were very warm, just like Armin's cheeks. He tried to recoil from Eren's touch but his feet remained planted on the ground as he basked in Eren's comforting touch.
"Armin, without you, we wouldn't have gotten this far. Your vast knowledge and thirst for learning- you inspired me to want to explore the world. If you continue your scholarly pursuit, heck, we might even find an end to these Titans!"
Armin couldn't contain his disbelief. Him? Inspiring Eren to explore the world? Playing a big part in defeating the Titans? So, brute force isn't all that there is to fighting the Titans.
"Eren, answer this question as truthfully as you can"
"Ask and you shall receive," Eren said nonchalantly as Armin blankly stared at him. "Quoted from some holy book my parents used to keep. Ancient stuff, really. Something to do with religion," he added, trying to fill in the awkward silence. Eren released Armin's shoulders and placed them inside the pockets of his cargo pants.
Armin's eyes lit up. "Umm…it's called a Bible. Anyway, why do you believe so much in me, when all I've done is doubt in myself?"
"You and Mikasa are all I have. We've seen what the Titans could do. We've seen our parents killed before our eyes, and yet we survived. That means something, Armin. The fact that we're still here, alive, training to annihilate all of them, means that there is hope for humanity. All of us, orphaned in the Survey Corps, know what it's like to lose someone we love and I guess that feeling will never go away as we watch our comrades die one by one. Neverthless, you and I are still alive, living for one purpose- the annihilation of the Titans. With brute force and military intelligence- one of which you have, we will be able to annihilate the Titans once and for all!"
Armin just stared at Eren. God, that was an uplifting speech. He could inspire crowds to join him in battle.
"Wow Eren. You're really passionate about this"
"Well, it's what drives me to continue breaking my back even though it seems everyone is against me"
"Eren, Mikasa and I will always be here for you," Armin said, placing his hand on Eren's shoulder.
Eren smiled. His teal green eyes lit up as the cicadas started singing their evening song.
It was way past curfew, but Eren knew an alternate route that volunteer night watchers didn't pass through.
"How will we get home, Eren?" Armin asked, shoving the potato into his pocket.
"Through the bamboo forest"
Armin's legs turned to jelly.
