Chapter Three: Awake

Armin sat at Eren's bedside with his head in his hands. "This feels a little like déjà vu," he said aloud. He smirked to himself and moved his gaze to his friend. "Can you even hear me?" He sighed and absentmindedly rubbed his jaw. The prickle of stubble reminded him he should shave; it had been three days since Eren was brought to the hospital.

A knock at the door jarred Armin from his thoughts. He turned to see Annie standing in the doorway and gave her a tired smile.

Annie returned the smile and crossed the room to stand at his side. "I stopped by your apartment," she said quietly. "I figured you were here since you weren't home." She pulled a letter from her pocket and handed it to him. "This came for you."

As Armin took the letter, his heart sank, recognizing Mikasa's handwriting immediately. "I'll look at this later," he said, placing the letter in his breast pocket. He didn't have the energy to hear from Paradis now, considering the circumstances.

Annie knit her brows together in concern. She noticed the bags under Armin's eyes and the stubble slowly growing on his normally clean-shaven face. "You don't look well, Armin," she said softly. "Are you sleeping enough? When was the last time you ate?"

Armin shrugged, still staring at Eren's comatose body, deep in thought about what would happen once he awoke. There had been no change in his condition since he was brought to them, but the doctors would periodically check his vitals. Armin found it a little odd no one (save for the Heroes of Humanity) fully recognized the young man in the bed, but he brushed aside those thoughts, choosing to worry about what would happen when he regained consciousness.

"I'm sure he'll wake up soon," Annie said trying to comfort Armin. She, too, stared at Eren, mindlessly placing a hand on Armin's shoulder. Suddenly, she felt two arms wrap around her legs as Armin leaned his head against her abdomen. She let out a small gasp as the seated hug took her off guard but didn't push him away. She held the back of his head with her right hand and her face softened to a smile. She was happy to finally have body contact with the same person who'd kept her company for three years.

Armin suddenly pulled away, stood, and backed several steps from Annie. His face was red with embarrassment. "I – I'm so sorry," he stammered.

Annie's face turned slightly pink in response, but she smiled at him. "It's fine; I'm sure you're just tired and hungry," she said, trying to ease his embarrassment. She then reached out a hand to grab his. "Let's go have dinner." She began to pull him toward the door. "Come on, my treat. I still need to officially thank you for-" she stopped, noticing Armin still staring at Eren. "Armin. . ."

"I know," he replied, almost at a whisper. "I'm just worried." He sighed and turned to look Annie in the eyes. "What happens when he wakes up?"

She gave him a toothy grin in response. "He'll wake up very upset that his best friend died of starvation."

Armin laughed and the tension in his shoulders released. The pair left the room, still hand in hand.

Wet sand.

Every inch of his body cried out in pain. He dug his fingers into the earth beneath him. Warm, wet sand. He was so cold.

His eyes tried to adjust to the darkness around him. A dim light shone above but there were no stars in the sky.

From what he could see, a young girl leaned over him. Her mouth moved in a language he couldn't understand. Was she speaking? He couldn't hear anything over the sound of his own heartbeat. Was it his heartbeat? The ground shook rhythmically.

He tried to reach out to the girl, but the muscles in his arm refused. He opened his mouth to cry out, but the taste of copper overwhelmed him. Blood poured from his lips and he coughed and gasped as the girl suddenly disappeared and the dim light above finally went out.

Darkness. Emptiness.

Two weeks. Levi stood at the window to his hospital room, leaning on the sill to ease some of the weight on his leg. It had been two long, miserable weeks he'd been stuck inside the dingy hospital room. The tea they brought him was terrible. Maybe now he'd be able to get a decent cup.

He stared out across the city, glancing at various passersby, shopkeepers opening their doors for the day. He unfocused his gaze from the outside and caught his reflection in the window. Putting a hand through his hair, he wondered when he'd gotten so old. He let out a small sigh, shifting his weight onto the cane he now found himself needing.

"Are you ready?" Armin asked appearing in the doorway.

Levi turned slowly, still adjusting to the cane and the sharp sudden pains he felt all over. The doctors had mentioned the pain would be lasting, but nothing unbearable, certainly not for someone like him. He nodded in response.

"Gabi and Falco are coming to help you get settled in to your –"

"I don't need their help," he interrupted.

Armin didn't waver but shook his head. "You do, and I'm not letting you leave here without them."

Levi closed his eyes for a bit and smirked. "Do you remember when you asked me why I chose you?" he asked suddenly.

Without answering, Armin stared at the former Captain quizzically. He caught just a glimpse of sadness in Levi's eyes when he opened them again.

"I couldn't tell you why I made the decision back then," he said shifting his weight again on the cane. "But every day that passes I know I made the right choice." Levi paused for a bit. "I see a lot of Erwin in you, and I think he saw the same thing. He placed you in charge back then, at Wall Maria after all."

Armin was taken aback. He wasn't used to Levi sharing any information, let alone something so endearing. "Thank you, Captain," he said out of habit.

Levi smirked again. "Of course, Commander," the honorific rolling off his tongue with a bit of sass. "And yes, I'm ready whenever those brats get here."

"They stopped off at Eren's room for a moment, they should be here any-" But Armin was cut off by a bit of commotion from the hallway. He peered out the room to see Falco in a full sprint down the hospital hallway dodging various people and machinery in the path.

"He's awake! Mr. Armin! Mr. Levi! He's awake!" Falco shouted with excitement when he noticed Armin. When he reached the older blonde, Falco gripped his hand and pulled him back toward Eren's room.

Armin's mind raced faster than his feet. His heart pounded in his chest. His ears rang as reached the threshold to the room. He first noticed Gabi, staring wide-eyed at Eren, her mouth slightly agape. She seemed completely entranced, but there was also a bit of horror in her gaze.

Armin looked back at the bed. A doctor and nurse flanked Eren, taking more vitals, checking his reflexes, asking him a few questions. Armin could barely hear anything over his own heartbeat and the ringing in his ears. As his blue eyes met Eren's, they filled with tears. He smiled warmly, and when Eren met the smile with one of his own, the tears streamed down his cheeks. He no longer seemed like the husk of his former self. He looked whole again. He looked like Eren.