𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐘𝐨𝐮 || 𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐈𝐍 𝐀.

~.* Chapter Fifty-One: Back Home *.~

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     I spent hours aiding people with placing up their temporary tents. The fort had hundreds of sleeping bags and tents stored for any case scenario. Some people hesitated to trust me and the other eldians, or sometimes, the eldians would struggle to trust the island devils. Thankfully, they finally trusted us with their families. 

     After one of the most tiring and longest days of my entire life, I crept into the two-person tent I had set up, presuming that a certain someone would join me.

     Everything was finally over. I still couldn't believe it. But... half of me was gone.

     Lying on the inexpensive sheets, I brought a nearby cushion under my head. It frankly wasn't the most suitable, but it was better than waking up with neck discomfort. My body began to feel hot, so I unbuttoned one or two buttons to let the air brush against my skin.

     Now I can finally rest.

     Just as I closed my eyes, I heard the zip of the tent behind me which made me turn my head over. I spotted a head of blond enter the tent before zipping it back up, stopping the dusty air from getting in.

     "Is everybody settled for the most part?" I asked as he unbuttoned his shirt to his abs. He was put to work out there while assisting people. "No lingering people outside, right?"

     He nodded, taking off the steel belts on his legs since there was no use for it anymore. "Still some lingering people, but not a lot. Most want some air from being in the tents. But... for now, let's forget about that."

     I heard him scramble against the tent as he sat close to my back, a hand on my arm that urged me to look at him. His hand tugged me to turn my body up, forcing me to look up at him. In his hand was a miniature circular container with some sort of ointment. "What's that in your hand?"

     "Itching cream. You've been touching your eye a lot and it made your eyes look red," he explained, sinking a finger into the ointment, and scooping up a small bead. "How are you doing so far?"

     Feeling the frigid ointment touch the area surrounding my blind eye, I feel myself wince. It wasn't painful, but the sudden coldness caught me off guard. "Not good, not bad. As usual," I reply as I unwind to his warm fingers warming the cream as he rubs it around. "Commander Muller sure took a lot of time chatting with you, didn't he?"

     "Yeah, he did," he giggled. "The topics varied between becoming ambassadors for Paradis and helping refugees around the world."

     I hummed in response as he started on my non-blind eye, which was my left. He started to rub in the substance again, making me even more tired than I was before. Despite that, I still wanted to talk with Armin until I couldn't.