Here's chapter four! I'm continuing my writing streak and so here's a new chapter for this and the next story to be updated is Ensnared (in case you care), but that isn't a SnK fic, sooo… Off topic. Anyway! Thank you for continuing to support this story, and it's parallels. Once I get completely caught up on updating I'm going to type up the first chapter of another spin off, the Eren one.

Once I finish eating I stand and brush off my friends as I return to the Captain's office, knocking on the door once I arrive. "Come on in." He calls out, the door muffling him a bit. I do as he says, closing the door again.

"You asked me to come back when I finished eating..?" I ask, sitting when he gestures me to do so, his eyes looking up from the screen of the computer and settling on me. His gaze was intense, but he leans back in his chair, closing the lid of the laptop, looking infinitely more relaxed than I think I had ever seen him.

"How are you doing Armin?" I'm taken aback slightly at his question. His voice and gaze were both soft, his eyes showing a bit of concern. Where had this come from?

"I suppose I'm doing well sir." I say, respectfully answering his question but not understanding the sentiment behind it.

Levi brings a hand up to his chin, rubbing it as though in thought. "You've seemed tired these last few weeks. You need to allow yourself to rest. We're in a shitty situation, sure, but it's not going to get better if you don't sleep." He had stood and made his way around the desk to stand in front of me before sliding himself up to sit on the wooden surface. He reaches out a hand and places it on my cheek.

My face burns brightly as I quickly avert my eyes, looking down as his hand pulls back again. "I'm sorry sir, I'll… I'll go do that now." I can see his smile as I say so and holds out his hand to the door.

"You do that." I get up from the chair, turning to leave the office, but pausing as he speaks again, a bit softer. "Sleep well Armin." The red on my cheeks probably only brightens as I mumble out a thanks and leave the room, shutting the door firmly behind me before heading to my shared room.

I remove my uniform, tugging on the same clothes I had worn the night before, before flopping myself onto my bed with a quiet groan. I situate myself on the bed and wrap blankets around myself as I begin to drift off to sleep.

My dreams were full of soft, gentle touches and sweet kisses, though I couldn't see the face of the person sharing in these intimate moments, I could guess. I woke with a start, gasping. I can hear Marco giggling as Jean tells him one of his stories and I roll over in my bed to look at them.

"How late is it..?" I ask, my voice a bit croaky with sleep as I rub at my eyes. Marco jerks up, looking at me as I speak.

"Sorry, did we wake you up?" When I shake my head, he smiles again. "Good. You missed dinner, you must have been really tired." I nod, keeping up the silent communication as I sit up and stretch. "The captain said to tell you that he wanted you in his office before you went to eat."

"Okay..." I say laying myself back down. I was still ridiculously exhausted.

"Hey Armin..?" Marco asks quietly, hesitantly.

"Yah Marco..?" I crack open an eye to look at the freckled teen again.

"What's going on? You've been meeting with Captain Levi a lot..." I wasn't sure how to explain what was going on. I hadn't been given permission to talk about this new technology or the possible connection between worlds. But I also wasn't told I couldn't talk about it.

"I… I'm sorry Marco, I don't think I can talk about it. I don't even know what's going on." The brunet bites his lip and nods before climbing off of Jean's bed.

"That's alright. Well, we should probably get some sleep Jean." They get ready for bed in relative silence and I manage to slip once more into sleep.

I don't dream that time, just blackness.

I wake up just as the sun is peeking above the horizon and I get up to shower, despite knowing that it was unlikely anyone else was up. I pull on my uniform and even strap on the leather pieces of the 3DMG, though not attaching the swords or anything. When Jean and Marco begin to stir, I leave the room once more, heading to the captain's office again.

So there is that, a bit short, sorry. But I am posting an incredible amount of chapters cranked out so they're all a bit short. After the next chapter this is going to slip into the the after Reactions stuff. So there is that.