Coming for your heart

Chapter 93

Eren POV

"This is taking too long."

"Give them some time."

"I've given them more time than should be necessary." Eren regretted his sharp words as soon as he had said them out loud and Mikasa sighed, refraining from answering to her agitated brother. Both of them were pacing back and forth in front of Erwin's chambers, waiting for an answer of the doctors that had taken care of Erwin, Armin and the small child they had brought with them.

Eren faintly remembered having seen it back in the cave and couldn't wait for his friend to wake up and explain to him just what the hell was going on.

"Stop shitting your pants."

Levi was coming their way, Izzy closely by his side and wagging her tail excitedly when she saw them. Eren pressed his lips together and huffed. Mikasa put a hand on his arm, not saying a word for words wouldn't do any good in their current situation.

The doors opened up and were closed by a pale Erwin, who faced them with dark shadows under his eyes.

"He'll make it. As will Lio."

"What was he doing with you?", Eren asked and crossed his arms with a skeptical expression on his face. "Where did he come from?"

"I would like to know so myself.", was all Erwin had to say before turning his gaze over to Levi who only raised an eyebrow at his superior.

"Took you fucking long enough, Eyebrows. Shitty Four-Glasses got all worried about you."

Erwin smiled faintly but it did nothing to get the trouble gnawing on his mimic off of his face.

"Blame the storm. But we'll talk about this later." He gestured Levi to follow him and after a last look at Eren, who pointedly averted his eyes, he did as instructed. Mikasa waited for the both of them to disappear before asking: "What was that all about?"

"Don't know what you mean. And we've got more important things to talk about anyway."

He knocked on the door, impatiently tapping his foot on the floor. Eren was well aware of Mikasa's concerned eyes on him. Levi wasn't the only one who had noticed the marks on his skin and even though Mikasa knew where they came from, she wasn't any less worried.

Worried.

Huh.

Had Levi really been...worried? About him? Why?

"Eren." He winced when Mikasa put a hand on his shoulder and he noticed that someone had already opened the door. Eren followed her, swallowing down any distracting thoughts he might have had regarding the man's part in his plan.

- - -

Armin was still asleep, his eyelids fluttering and his face pale and cold to touch when Eren reached for his cheek, cupping it with his warm fingers.

"I never should have let you go alone.", he rasped and clenched his fist, sinking down to his knees next to his friend. "I shouldn't have."

"Eren, I might...I might have made a mistake."

He should have listened back then. Why hadn't he taken a simple moment to concentrate on his friend's needs first? What if Armin hadn't made it out of the storm? What if they never would have talked about what Armin had wanted to tell him so badly?

Eren cursed under his breath and grasped Armin's hand tightly.

Mikasa was somewhere behind him, surely watching the small form on a makeshift bed next to them. The boy had fallen asleep almost instantly after rousing slightly once they stepped in. Bruises and burns from the cold littered his body and he was covered in dozens of blankets, which did nothing to hide his small shivers.