Coming for your heart

Chapter 90

"Kasa...what the fuck happened? And- hey, why am I injured? The hell, Mikasa?"

"I'm sorry.", she said, not really feeling the sentiment behind her words and shrugged the irritated gaze of her brother off. He shook his head, then looked over to Sasha and Connie who were doing their best not to shiver at the intensity in his now dim eyes.

"What's wrong?" He turned his head, as if he wanted to take a look at his back. "I didn't grow wings this time, did I now?"

"What do you remember?", Mikasa asked quietly, not sure how much Eren had really processed of what had happened in the last minutes. He chewed on his lip, pondering over her words and cast his eyes down.

"Grandma was there.", he muttered. "That's all." He avoided the hard mask on her face and both of them knew that he was lying to her. She swallowed down her anger and the stinging feeling of utter helplessness.

Why couldn't he trust her? Why was he so convinced that he had to go through all of this alone?

"Let's get you to bed.", she said and he nodded, his movements a bit sluggish and he sent her a thankful smile when she helped him stay on his feet. "It's late. You need rest."

Connie yawned on point and Sasha snickered nervously, letting go of her arrow in the process. The noise was loud enough to fill the room and the staircase behind but Eren didn't even flinch. His forehead was furrowed, his steps small and disoriented.

They brought him back down to his small room and after Mikasa thanked Connie and Sasha, the pair disappeared in the hallway and left the siblings alone.

Mikasa brushed her fingers through her brother's hair, sitting beside him on his bed.

"It will be hard to send out any messages through Raes, won't it?", she mumbled softly and watched Eren's eyelids flutter.

"Yeah. Wouldn't wanna risk his life."

"Then what about your urgent message?"

"I have yet to win over my father's army. Only then will I send the message." Eren's voice was groggy and he pulled the thin material that one could barely call a blanket over his waist. "This little surprise will throw my father from his feet. And I want nothing more but to stand there and watch as he realizes just how damn wrong he was about me..."

- - -

Erwin POV

They fought their way through the storm and even when hope was about to leave their hearts, the small hand in his was enough to pull him out of any miserable thoughts. And the tightening of those cold fingers was enough to distract him from the rumbling in his stomach or the stiffness in his limbs.

Erwin had known that he would do a lot for Armin.

But only in the middle of this battlefield did he realize that he would give him everything. He would offer him his body, his heart and everything beyond if that's what kept the smaller blond going and smiling just like that.

"He has to be somewhere!", Armin screamed against the waves of snow and pressed his body against Erwin's to somehow escape the deadly wind that cut through their cheeks and bit at their noses.

It was hard to make out the trees by now.

The storm was getting thicker and thicker and Erwin coughed, the motion painful in his dry throat.

"Lio!", he yelled but the longer they searched, the more the name seemed to lose its meaning.

That's when they suddenly heard something.

Armin's steps stopped at once.

The both of them listened intently, trying to make out anything but the swishing and roaring of the storm.

There.

"Help!"

Could it really be?

Armin's eyes were glowing when he trained his eyes on Erwin and let go of his hand. Erwin tried to catch it again but the blond was already sprinting away, following the pained shout. Erwin cursed and followed him. The snow was an opponent much harder and persistent than any foe he had ever fought.

It slowed him down, cost him strength.

Strength he didn't have in the first place.

"Help!"

"Lio!"

Two voices. Two reasons to go on.

"Help!"

The voice sounded so close. That's when he saw Armin. He knelt beside a small figure, covered in white snow and eyes big with hope and fear.

"Help...", the small boy cried. He was lying on the ground with a small, broken trunk of a tree on his legs, hindering his movements.

"It's fine, everything's fine.", Armin cooed, one hand grasping Lio's tightly. "We'll get you out, won't we?"

The boy cried and Armin looked over his shoulder, begging Erwin silently to do something. Erwin inhaled deeply, gathering the last remnants of strength that he had left. He put his hands underneath the trunk and pulled.

Armin dragged the boy out as soon as the trunk got lifted high enough by him to get the child's feet out. The blond exhaled shakily and Lio threw his arms around him as soon as he was free.

Erwin let go of the tree with a groan, pain shooting through his body.

"We have to find a safe place!", Armin shouted, gathering Lio in his arms while he tried to protect him from the noise and chaos surrounding them like a hurricane. Erwin nodded and put an arm around Armin, urging them on to go faster, further – until they would hopefully find a hideout.

"I'm sorry.", Lio whimpered but Armin shushed him gently, stroking over his head while he blinked away the snow.

"It's okay. We're here. We'll get out of here, I promise it."

Erwin knew it was safe to promise the child as much.

Because none of them would know if he didn't hold his promise. 

(Sry for the late update. There's been too much work to master but this chapter shall keep you patient once more. Hopefully I'll get the chance to continue soon again.

Lio's back, Eren's trying to find out more about his powers and he has a new surprise for Grisha. Well, he ought to be surprised when he finds out who his son is working with in the end.)