The Presence of a Memory (Armin x Reader) [1/6]

The mission should have been like any other basic training procedure. The Survey Corps was more than capable of taking care of themselves outside the walls, but no one could have prepared for the impending massacre that morning.

All signs pointed to a boring day as the Corps marched forward past the gates. The plan was simple: review and revise old maps while collecting a few plant samples for some of Squad Leader Hanji’s experiments. Well, the experiments in question weren’t entirely hers. Armin Arlert of the 104th was the one who spearheaded the initiative; he’d discovered the medicinal properties of many plants outside of the walls nearly a decade ago, in his first years in the Corps.

Everyone knew that Armin was bright, but his recent discoveries were absolutely groundbreaking. He’d discovered species that could quickly heal, disinfect, and numb the pain of bad scrapes and wounds. His discoveries, along with the improving technology of weaponry and 3D maneuvering gear, had cut down on casualties by nearly 30% in all branches of the military.

With knowledge like that on their side, it was difficult for the survey corps not to be at least a little optimistic about their current position. After decades of useless battling, it finally seemed as though human kind stood a chance against the titans.

With these positive thoughts in mind, (f/n) (l/n) rode forward into the countryside. They didn’t pass much on the way to the forest, a few trees and circling hawks, perhaps, but nothing more than that. She was Armin’s assistant, a luxury that had been granted to him in order to help him further his research. The need for help became apparent after his first year in the survey corps. The boy was so wrapped up in his study that Eren, Mikasa, and his comrades often found him skipping out on sleep and missing mealtimes. His instability had the potential to hurt everyone on missions, and it was clear that something had to be done. Around that time, (f/n) appeared in the corps, one of the only products of the 105th who’d chosen the survey corps branch.

Upon learning of Armin’s research, the girl was impressed. Before the attack years before, her parents had owned a popular flower shop in Shiganshina. Although it had been reduced to rubble and her parents’ lives had been taken in the conflict, she had retained her knowledge of plants and flowers. Armin’s research rekindled her curiosity, previously pushed down after the death of her family. This new exploration into plant life proved that the knowledge she’d acquired from years helping in her parents’ shop was worth something; she was a valuable asset to the survey corps.

For these reasons, (f/n) was assigned to be the boy’s assistant. But it was never a chore, as the two became close friends and partners. She grounded him, always making sure that he took breaks after hours of uninterrupted experimentation. After years of working together, Armin and (f/n) seemed to know what was best for the other. They traded stories back and forth and took care of each other; their minds seemed to work on the same mental frequency. And fortunately, (f/n)’s mind was as sharp as Armin’s, allowing her to assist in his scientific exploration.

“Hey, Armin, you’re looking a little tired. Get enough sleep last night?” the girl asked cheekily. She knew that the answer was no, since they’d both been up late going over field guides and notes from past expeditions.

The boy frowned, yawning, “Hey, don’t rub it in. You’re just as tired as me.”

She had to smile at that. She turned her head back to the horizon, “I suppose you’re right. Maybe I’ll take a nap on our way to the forest.”

If only it were that easy. Obviously the girl couldn’t abandon her watch. Their fatality rate might have been slowly declining, but titans were still out there, waiting to attack.

On cue, a signal flare was shot to the East. The two pressed on in the formation. So far they hadn’t spotted a single titan, but one could never be too sure. They were approaching the forest fast though, giving them the upper hand with their 3D maneuvering gear. They entered the trees, escaping from the peril of the open air.




“(F/n), check this one out!” The boy called from across the clearing. He was crouching over something, his face lit up in awe.

“If it’s another giant beetle I don’t want to see it,” (f/n) mumbled, cautiously walking toward Armin.

“That was one time!” The two laughed as they  remembered the memory.

As she approached she could tell that the boy wasn’t looking at a bug at all, but rather, an elegant, long stemmed flower. Its delicate petals commanded attention. It was a yellow beacon in the dark forest.

“Is that…?”

Armin smiled, “yep, it’s the Zantedeschia oplethica.”

They both stood over the flower in awe. If (f/n)’s hypotheses were correct, this flower had the potential to stop deadly infections in their tracks. Discoveries like this were a huge step forward for the Corps.

A branch snapped behind the two, and Armin drew his swords as they both spun around. In (f/n)’s excitement, she had failed to notice a massive titan approaching from the rear. Its massive arms were stretched toward her, like a twisted child begging for candy. Their smiles never failed to put the girl on edge.

For the next few moments no one moved and neither (f/n) nor Armin dared to take a breath. Suddenly the beast swung its arms in a swift, horizontal motion, attempting to sweep the partners from their feet. But they were too fast, too experienced. They both shot into the trees, temporarily evading its deadly grasp. Armin blasted through the trees behind (f/n). They had been so close to their goal, if only they’d been able to get the flowe—

Before Armin could comprehend the girl’s actions, she was turning around and heading back toward the clearing, yelling over her shoulder, “we need that flower!”

The boy huffed in frustration, quickly changing directions, “your life is more important than the flower!”

But it was too late, and (f/n) was already slowing her pace, preparing to touch down, coming to a full stop.

The flower was just within her grasp, and it appeared as though the titan had gone as quickly as it had come. As (f/n) bent down to take a better look at the flower, thankfully still intact after that close call, she heard a voice cry out from several yards away.

“(F/n)!”

Armin was screaming her name, but before she could comprehend, the girl felt strong, possessive hands close around her midsection.

She tense, realizing her huge mistake. The girl desperately tried to wriggle herself free from its grasp, but her strength was no match for that of the creature several times her size. She tried to call out to Armin, warning him to abandon her, this was all her fault after all, but no words escaped her lungs. And it wasn’t as though the boy would leave his friend for dead in the clutches of a titan. He’d lost too many people close to him already, and he wasn’t ready to add your name to that list.

The boy reeled straight into the titan, first going for the eyes to buy him a few seconds. The creature let out an unnatural screech, but showed no signs of relinquishing the girl from its grasp. With these precious seconds of distraction, Armin fired off his flare gun, praying that someone would answer his calls of distress.

He turned back toward the titan, searching for a way to save the girl from its grasp. He had no backup and no special maneuvers up his sleeve, but losing (f/n) wasn’t an option. At this point she was one of the closest things he had to family, besides Eren and Mikasa, of course. He flew around the titan at its eye level, feverishly searching for a way to break through its defenses single handedly.

“Yahooo!”

Hanji zoomed through the trees and to the boy’s aid, but upon her arrival at the scene her mood quickly became more serious. (F/n) continued to struggle in the titan’s clutches, but there was no way to get to her swords, and breaking out with her bare fists seemed nearly impossible.

“How did this happen?” Hanji called out to Armin from across the clearing.

“We were after that flower,” the boy motioned to the point where the rare plant grew on the ground, “when the titan showed up. It snuck up on us, I’d say it has some reasoning abilities.”

Hanji sized up the situation (and the titan) before leaping into action. Although Armin’s attempts hadn’t been bad, his attacks weren’t nearly as powerful as the damage inflicted by the squad leader. Unfortunately, the beast was backed up against a tree, making it nearly impossible to slice the back of its neck, but the two didn’t give up as they continued to attack mercilessly.

The titan let out an unhuman scream with each attack, but its grip on (f/n)’s ribcage never faltered. Its tight grasp was making it surprisingly hard to breath, and she noticed the lack of oxygen as she gasped for more air to enter her tired lungs. With some impressive maneuvering and a bit of luck, Hanji had managed to get close enough to slice off the titan’s fingers, hopefully freeing the girl trapped inside. Only a few more seconds and (f/n) should be—

But Armin had been right; the titan was abnormally smart, and had noticed Hanji’s rapid approach from (what should have been) its blind side. In surprise the monster turned around in a swift motion, ready to flee the scene.

But not before discarding (f/n)’s body against the tall, heavy trees of the forest.

She hit the tree with a god-awful crunch. The sound of bones breaking and metal gear scratching against the natural surroundings; a sound that Armin knew all too well.

“(f/n)!” Her name was ripped from his throat as her limp body came to rest at the base of a tree stump.

Hanji went after the fleeing titan as the boy flew to her side in record time. He couldn’t lose her, they were friends, partners in crime. If she died over something as stupid as a flower he would never forgive himself. The boy fell to his knees at the sight of her. She looked awful, but at least she wasn’t dead. Her eyes fluttered shut, only to open again, examining Armin and taking a labored breath.

“Arm.. Armin I..”

“Shhh, just focus on your breath, you’re okay now.”

The shaky words came out with counterfeit sincerity. It looked like her left arm, along with several ribs, were broken. There’s no knowing what kind of internal damage she suffered, but judging from her state, it wasn’t looking good. The boy grabbed onto her hand tightly, and she did her best to grip back. In his muddled mind, it seemed as though simply holding onto her shaking hand could keep her tired soul from leaving her beaten body.

“I…I’m…”

But before she could finish, her eyes wavered shut once again, and everything went black.