"Armin?"
A call of his name brought his attention from the book to the caller. "Oh, you're awake," he smiled brightly.
"Wh-What happened-" Her words were cut off by a series of coughs that escaped her throat.
Erika's head was buzzing loudly, her eyes troubled by the brightness from the window as if she wasn't adjusted to it. She tried to sit up, realizing her lying position but her body felt sore, causing her to let out a slight groan.
"You were kinda caught in the crossfire during the Raid on Stohess," he explained, looking down with guilt. "You got hurt in the process."
"Oh," she uttered.
Again, she tried to sit upwards but was pulled back down by her weak body.
"You shouldn't move, Erika," Armin quickly went by her side to assist her as she returned to her previous position.
Slowly, the memories of the attack returned to Erika's mind. She glanced her head to the side of her body, specifically her arm. The long scar across her arm appeared visible to her eyes. It was the effect of Annie's attempt to dispose of her but she was pushed away. Erika let out a loud sigh, using her left finger to trace her scar.
"It hurts," she whispered, barely caught by Armin.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled lowly, eyes gazing at the ground apologetically.
"Why?"
"I wasn't there to protect you," he breathed out, fists forming by his sides as he fought his urges to cry.
To his surprise, Erika let out a slight chuckle. "It's not your job to protect me, Armin," she smiled. "Thank you for saving me-"
"Oh, you're up!" Suddenly a familiar voice entered the room.
Armin and Erika brought their heads to the direction of the door, vision met by Jean and some of their friends who had a bouquet of flowers in their arms.
"Just did," Erika weakly let out, her lips tingling in a smile.
"These are for you," Jean gestured to the flowers, placing them nearby. "How are you?"
"Tired," she giggled slightly. "Thank you so much, guys."
The day passed by easily as it started. Erika was still stuck on bedrest despite her objections. Matters turned worse when the doctor informed her that she was not to join any upcoming battles for quite some time until her hand properly heals due to the internal damage. When the girl displayed further objection, Hange only laughed at her side.
"Don't worry Erika. You have some company," they giggled, gently nudging Erika's side. Upon seeing the young girl's puzzled look, Hange added, "Levi's injured, too. There's not much he can do for now."
Erika's cheeks flushed, blood rushing to her complexion. "I don't know what you mean," she mumbled silently.
"Sure," the older soldier giggled.
Erwin and Hange soon left the room, having an important meeting with the higher-ups. Erika's gaze from the door shifted to the boy who sat by her side. It was safe to say that surprise overtook her when she saw the look on Armin's usually calm face. He looked somewhat... Annoyed...
He himself wasn't aware of what the girl was viewing. He was too busy trying to sort out his thoughts as well as his feelings. Specifically, that nauseating gut feeling inside of him. It was foreign, absolutely alien.
This feeling resurfaced at the moment as he saw the blushed look on Erika's complexion at the mention of Captain Levi. He didn't understand why. But he didn't seem to like it, it seems...
It wasn't the first time he's felt this way. Despite that, he was still unsure what this emotion was. He wished he could get rid of it though that was impossible without understanding. This icky feeling made him feel slightly angry, reluctant to keep his usual personality alive. His train of thought was broken when he heard Erika call him.
Lacking control over his own body, Armin felt himself stand up, his right fist hitting the girl's bedsheet. "What's going on with you and Captain Levi?" Erika's eyes widened, her body filled with shock at the sudden outburst. It was so uncharacteristically Armin. Hearing the harsh tone lacing his words, Armin's lips let out a slight gasp, surprised by himself. "I-I'm so sorry. I didn't know what came over me," he apologized, repeating his words until the girl tried to calm him down.
"It's fine, Min. You don't have to apologize," she assured sweetly. "Are you okay?"
"I'm sorry, Erika," he let out a deep sigh. "I think I should go," he muttered, collecting his things before leaving the room, his actions were haste, leaving Erika no opportunity to stop him.
Erika was left in her bed, dumbfounded at the interaction that just occurred. She let out a sharp exhale, letting herself relax against her bed. She was baffled, to say the least.
Her mind was filled with questions, wondering exactly what would drive Armin to question such an odd thing. Not to mention, the unusual tone he used.
Armin had always been a sweet boy, his words gentle, his tone soft... It was something Erika deeply adored. Her feelings hadn't shifted or anything, she was just curious... What did he mean?
Erika's gaze moved to the window, the bright light from the evening sky had faded into darkness, an indication of the night taking over. How long had she been lying down, overwhelmed by her thoughts? How long had it been since Armin's sudden outburst?
She didn't know.
In truth, she hadn't realized the time passing by. But she knew it was longer than it should have been. The day was still aging when it happened yet now, the sky shone a different color. Suddenly, the door of her room swung open, causing the girl's heart to leap a beat. Maybe she was expecting the very boy who clouded her senses but instead, it was Jean who entered the room with a tray of food.
She greeted him with a smile to mask her actual disappointment, earning the same expression from the boy. He walked over to place the tray of food nearby before taking a seat on the chair next to her bed.
She started eating her food, feeling the hunger at the slight taste of the meal. In the meantime, Jean walked around the room to ensure it was in a good condition for his friend. Once she was finished, Jean brought the tray to the table before retaking his seat beside her.
"Oh, by the way, where's Armin?" He asked, leaning back against the chair.
"Huh? I don't know? He left earlier today," she shrugged, carefully sipping on her drink.
"He hasn't been back since?" He questioned, earning a denial from the girl which caused his brows to knit together. "That's weird," he mumbled.
"Why?"
"Huh? You seriously don't know?" He asked, once more earning a denial from the girl. "When you were still unconscious, he was here the whole time," Jean explained. "He wouldn't leave your side at all. He would literally sleep sitting up across the room than have to leave. We tried to make him leave but he refused."
Erika's heart fluttered wildly, touched by the words she was hearing. "Really?" Her demeanor softened.
"Yeah," he nodded. "It's weird how you didn't know that."
"Uh, maybe because I was unconscious?"
"That's a good point," he clicked his tongue, nodding slightly.
"I'm kinda worried about him now," she mumbled, but her words were clear enough for Jean to hear.
"Why?"
"Well, something weird happened before he left," she pursed her lips, the corners tugging downwards in a slight frown.
"What happened?"
"Well, the doctor came in to tell me that I'm on bedrest and all. And he said I shouldn't be involving myself in anything for the time being because my internal damage takes longer to heal. Obviously, I wasn't a fan of that. And Hange said something about me not being alone because Captain Levi is injured, too. And after Hange and Erwin left, Armin was kinda annoyed? He looked annoyed, kinda angry or something, I don't know but it's not how he usually looks like. And he suddenly got up and like asked me what was going on with me and the Captain. And his tone was upset, too," she explained. "But I don't really get his question, though."
"You're kidding, right?" Jean scoffed.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
His eyes turned to her, seeing the seriousness behind her orbs. "Erika, are you dumb?"
"The fuck?" She let out an offended gasp. "You shouldn't be saying that to someone who's healing from an injury," she rolled her eyes.
"No seriously, are you dumb?" He frowned at her.
"What is your problem?" She rolled her eyes once more. "I'm genuinely asking."
"Erika, we all know how you have a crush on the Captain," he spat out plainly.
"Wh-What?! No, I don't!" She defended, pulling her gaze away as her cheeks were flooded with a wine-colored hue. "Why would you even think that?"
"Because we're not all as stupid as you?" He sarcastically replied.
Erika's lips parted to let out a retort but her words dissipated at the tip of her tongue, quite literally proving Jean's point. "Fine, even if it's true, why would Armin get angry about that?"
Hearing her words, Jean's eyes widened as his lips parted even further in shock. "Are you serious right now?"
"What?" She harmlessly asked.
"Oh my God, I thought you were supposed to be a genius or something," he sassed. "You figured out all that shit about Eren and Annie but you can't figure this out? Oh my God," he breathily chuckled, lacking any humor behind it.
"What are you talking about, Jean?"
"You know what? I'm not even gonna- Nope- Goodbye!" He raised his hands in defeat, pushing himself off the chair to walk away, making sure to bring her an empty tray of food on his way out.
"Oi, Jean!! Come back!!"