The Devil is Watching You

•21•

You wake up gasping for air, feeling like a weight is pressing down on your chest. You desperately want to believe everything that happened yesterday was a dream. But that would be too easy.

"You're awake...?" Armin lifts his head from where it was laying on your bed as he sits in a chair beside you.

You don't speak...your throat feels like someone has just spent their spare time scratching the inside of it.

"Water," you croak out.

"Of course!" He jumps up from his chair and rushes out the bedroom door and down the hall.

You sit up, rubbing your temples in the process, feeling the headache pounding inside your skull. This is the after effects of crying your eyes out for over an hour.

After you had passed out, you awoke to Armin putting you in your bed and the sobbing continued while Armin rubbed circles on your back.

That lasted longer than you wanted, but Armin didn't pressure you to talk. He just sat there, being a warm body to comfort you. Soon that comfort was all you could feel and your sleep took over.

"Here," Armin hands over a cup of water.

You bring it to your dry lips, feeling the refreshing sting of liquid flowing down your sore throat. It's instantly healed up, the pain subsiding.

"It's already morning?" You look outside, seeing the sun rising.

"Well, no... It's been two days."

"I've been asleep for two days?!" You whip your head back to Armin, eyes wide and surprised.

"Yeah," he nods. "But you needed the rest."

"Well is there any sign of Gabi and Falco yet?" You scratch the side of your nose.

"Not yet," he shakes his head sadly.

"You don't think I'm still going to wait around here while they're out there, right? I know my attacker was you, but that doesn't change the fact that there are still people out there that wouldn't hesitate to kill someone from Marley," you try to swing your legs out of bed, but Armin grabs onto your shoulders.

"Stop, y/n. You can't!"

"Why not?" You laugh coldly.

"Because if you go against our orders, you'll be locked away and there won't be a chance for you to go home. Or if there is, it won't be for a long time. If you just cooperate with us, it'll make things easier."

"Armin," you lift your eyes to his, feeling all the energy drain out of you. "I did cooperate with you and you lied to me. I wasn't trying to hurt any of you, I was doing everything you asked. Yet you decided to take it upon yourself to trick me into thinking someone was trying to kill me. How is that okay? How can you ever ask me to trust you again after that?"

"It was wrong, I see that..." Armin drops his hands from your shoulders and holds onto his knees as he hunches over in his chair. "I know I can't ask for your forgiveness."

"No. You can't..."

"But I want to work with you..." he sighs.

"You almost killed me," you stare at him in shock.

"It was controlled," he mutters in shame. "I wouldn't have let anything happen to you. Which is why I'm trying to help you here. If you just let my people find the kids and you finish up your week here, everything will be okay and you won't have to be locked away."

"Maybe I should be..." you clench your first, seeing the image in your head of you murdering that man.

"That wasn't your fault. He was going to kill you and you defended yourself," Armin tries to comfort you.