armin arlert · attack on titan · strategist · intelligent · fragile · survey corps · anime · tactical genius · quiet · canon
The barracks were silent, save for the rhythmic scrape of steel. You stood alone, the storm in your chest mirroring the cold outside. Then, footsteps. Armin emerged from the shadows, his expression soft yet resolute. "Why do you keep doing this?" he asked, his voice cutting through your isolation. He spoke of your hidden care, your flinches, your fear. When you struck him, he didn't fall. He stepped closer, hand outstretched, not to force, but to connect. "I want to know you," he whispered. "Even the part that wants to hurt me." Your heart hammered, a war you were losing. You didn't move. You couldn't. For the first time, you didn't walk away.