Indefinitely - Armin X Reader

Chapter 33 | Scream

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Waiting in the trees

The air was thick with dread as we waited for further instruction. More and more titans were drawn to the bases of the the trees around us, clawing and tearing away at the bark at an attempt to get to us. Some had even started to try and climb the broad trunks, however they weren't making it very far. The wind was beginning to pick up, slightly shaking the branches we were sitting on. As the time had passed, I had lied down and rested my head an Armin's lap, trying to get some rest. My head was throbbing from the gash near my eye, and the ache near my ribs had started spreading to my chest. The sound of footprints were increasing, making me worry more and more about what the plan was. Every breath I took seemed to get stuck in my throat, and I had to focus on Armin's soft hand holding my own to make sure I didn't lose myself to my panic. I tried to ignore the noises on the titans below, instead focusing on the rustling of the leaves around me. It was almost peaceful.

When are we gonna do something? Or is Erwin content to have us sitting around doing nothing all day?

I glanced up at Armin to see him staring deeply at the branch we were seated on. I took some comfort in his presence. He seemed deep in thought, his brows softly furrowed in an adorable manner. I wanted nothing more than to smooth the furrow of his brow and help him relax, but doing something such as that at a time like this would be inappropriate.

Why the fuck am I thinking about things like that now? I could literally die soon.

I turned my head to look deeper into the forest, and I wondered if Eren was in there somewhere. Throughout my life, sometimes it felt as though I could feel what Eren was feeling, and right now, fear was flooding through my body so strongly that I knew it couldn't be just my own.

Please stay safe, Eren.

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A thunderous explosion came from inside the forest, followed by several loud shots. It sounded as though a thousand cannons were being fired almost at once. Every soldier in the trees turned to stare inside in wonder. My heart ached for Eren.

"Shit! What the fuck was that?" I hissed, sitting up hurriedly as my head gave a painful throb at the sudden movement.

"What do you say we get out of the way." Jean muttered, glancing at a titan who was awkwardly edging itself up between two tree trunks near us. Jean used his gear to travel to a branch further up on a tree not reachable from where the titan was, and Armin and I quickly followed. I didn't fancy sitting there and waiting to get eaten.

"That bastard's really getting the hang of it, at this rate he's gonna try his hand at building a damn treehouse." Jean remarked as we landed. I glared at the titan who at this point was looking like some kind of feral sloth.

"The alarming thing is that this shows that they can learn; an unpleasant thought." Armin said grimly. "Of course, they probably have developed rather different brains."

"Hey." Jean said suddenly. "They want us keeping these titans out of the forest, right? I think I just figured out why - we're here to lure that Female titan into a trap. What else could it be?"

Armin gave a start, and I inhaled sharply,

"Fuck, that's it." I whispered.