Go Down Together~A.Arlert

Skin and Bones

"my salvation won't be sacrificed"

'We did it, we're actually Scouts!' Armin thought to himself as he hurried behind his friends. Armins head was swimming with thoughts about the day. He was relieved that Eren would live to see another day, he was proud he had actually made it through to the Scouts. 

He would never admit it to anyone, but one thought stood above the rest of them.

Was Callida going to be okay?

As much as Armin tried to, he couldn't lie to himself. He felt something for the hot headed blonde. He had been whipped into a frenzy with Eren's new found power, sealing the breach, and almost dying to canon fire. But even as him and his best friends faced death Armin thought about Callida.

"Hey do you guys think Erwin actually went to see Cal?" Conny spoke up from the rear of the pack. 

"Of course he did. He was gone for a good long while before we were finally dismissed," Jean huffed not bothering to look back as he spoke, "We did practically beg him to talk with her."

The hospital came into view and the group paused at the doors. Reiner and Bertholdt waved goodbye, leaving to have one last night with Annie who joined the MPs. Jean took a long deep breath and focused his eyes on Armin. 

Armin didn't  realize his vision was scanning every window he could find, trying to guess which one belonged to Callida. Jean watched him and thought back to the comment Conny had made this morning about Armin's puppy love for his adopted sister.

'Could be worse, at least it's not Eren' Jean thought. He shuddered at the thought. Eren he would kill, Armin was alright.

"Hey Armin! Mikasa! Do you guys wanna go see Cal first? You're the only ones who haven't gotten to see her." Sasha spoke up. Armin's ears perked up at the sound of Callida's name. Mikasa looked at Jean.

"Would that be alright Jean? She is your sister so it is your decision." Jean's face went red and he scrambled to look anywhere but at the raven haired girl he had come to love.

"Uh-bu- y-ya sure! Cal's p-probably tired of seeing my face anyway," Jean looked at Armin out of the corner of his eye, "She was pretty worried about where you were when she woke up." 

Jean told them what room she was in and Armin and Mikasa took off into the hospital. When they had disappeared from his sight he sighed and plopped down on the cobble stone and released a deep breath. Sasha started giggling.

"You see it now too right?"

"See what Sash?" Conny sat down next to Jean and pretend to cozy up to him.

"Sweet wittle Armin is in wuv with Jean-Boy's sister." Jean shoved Conny off him with an airy laugh.

"If I accept it will you promise to never talk like that again?"

Callida was tired of being in bed. Thanks to some special tea a nurse had brought her, the pounding in her head had subsided and her chest only slightly ached. She swung her legs over the side of her cot and tried to stand up. Her knees wobbled and she fell back onto the bed. Callida huffed.

"Come on stupid legs. Work God damnit!" Callida muttered under her breath. She tried to stand again, using a chair as a crutch. Her joints creaked under the pressure but held. As she went to take her first step the hospital room door slammed into the wall, flying open. The bang startled Callida and she lost her grip on her makeshift chair-crutch. 

Callida braced herself for the impact of the ground but it never came. Instead she found herself wrapped in a warm embrace. Callida looked up, dark blue eyes meeting sky blue ones.