In Which Araminta Goes To Jail!
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Flightless Bird ∕ Chapter Six

WHEN ARAMINTA FIRST BIT INTO HER THUMB, AND HER VISION BECAME FLOODED WITH A GLOW, she wasn't sure what she should be expecting.

She'd asked Armin before, what was it like to turn into a Titan? Eren probably would have been a better person to ask, considering he had loads more experience in that department, but by the time she knew she would become a Titan herself, he was gone already.

So, she turned to Armin, and asked him. He had only transformed a few times, so coming up with an answer for her seemed to trouble him, but he finally decided on, it's like your Titan is a great big machine, and you're the one controlling it. It didn't really help her to understand, but no matter how hard he tried, he wasn't really able to put it into words.

Now that she'd finally transformed, for the first time since she first stole the Titan in Liberio, she understood him. There really wasn't a way to explain it. It was just like it was the most normal thing in the world.

She would take a step, just the same as she would if she was in her own body. When she practiced her hardening technique, and focused her energy on materializing a spear in her hand, it just... Happened. It was like her body and the Titan's body were one, like she was just the brain of the thing.

Her Titan was especially weird, though, since she didn't reside in the nape of the neck like all the other shifters. She was controlling it remotely, but as far as her vision was concerned, she was the Titan. It didn't feel like she was in her crystal shell hundreds of feet away, and controlling it from there.

After running a few of the exercises she'd planned on doing, she finally found herself running low on stamina, and had to emerge from the crystal. The transition from her Titan body to her human body was the weirdest part of all. Once the crystal material melted around her, and her eyes flickered open, it took her a moment to register everything that had happened.

Mikasa had been there, keeping watch over her body while some other Scouts in the research department observed her Titan form in another part of the forest. When Araminta awoke and immediately started coughing, Mikasa was by her side, helping her to sit upright.

"That was kind of creepy." Mikasa told her, while she gently rubbed Aramunta's back through her wet shirt. "Your eyes were wide open the whole time, staring right at me."

"Really?" Araminta finally caught her breath, and looked over at her friend. "I don't remember even seeing you. I just saw what my Titan saw." She explained to Mikasa, laughing softly.

After the mess that transpired with Jean the night before, Araminta finally decided it was time to stop being afraid and transform. Armin was busy helping Hange with something, Connie was still mad at her, and things were still awkward with Jean, so she'd asked Mikasa to accompany her.

She knew Mikasa must have been feeling pretty lonely these days, too. Eren was one of her best friends, as was Sasha, and like Araminta, she couldn't see either of them now.

"I saw it, when you first transformed." Mikasa told her, and helped her stand up.

"Was it ugly?" Araminta quickly asked. Her boots splashed against the liquidized remains of her crystal.

Mikasa shook her head. "No. It was cool."

Araminta smiled. She couldn't wait to see the sketches of it. None of her research assistants were as good at drawing as she was, but she supposed they would be good enough. What she would really like was a camera, like one she and Eren had taken a picture with in Marley, but they didn't have those yet.

The two of them started heading in the direction the others would be waiting for them, as Araminta slowly regained strength in her limbs.

"You know..." Mikasa started, averting her gaze from Araminta. Immediately, she had a feeling where this conversation was going. "When I saw Hange this morning, they told me Eren had been asking for you."

Fucking Eren.

Araminta still didn't know if she wanted to see him. She was feeling guilty after the kiss she shared with Jean, but she wasn't sure if the guilt made her want to talk to Eren more or less. On the one hand, if she saw him, she could remind herself of why she chose him, and why she wanted to be with him. On the other, it might be easier on her conscience to avoid him forever.

After what felt like an eternity of walking beside Mikasa in silence with her mouth hung open like a fish out of water, she finally managed to put together a response. "Well, it doesn't really matter if he wants to see me or not, the Military Police aren't going to let me go anywhere near him." She laughed.

Mikasa shrugged. "If you really wanted to, Armin and I could distract the soldiers guarding his cell so you could sneak in." She offered. "Or, since you're the research department head, you could just tell them you're there to do research."

"I doubt they'd believe that." Araminta rolled her eyes. "They probably all have pictures of my face with 'DON'T LET HER IN' written with big words."

A rare smile graced Mikasa's lips. "Yeah, probably. But like I said, we would find a way to get you down there to talk to him. And I..." The ravenette slowed to a stop, and Araminta looked back over her shoulder at her. "I think you should talk to him."

"Why?"

"Eren... He loves me and Armin. But you guys have always had a special connection, even before you started seeing each other romantically." Mikasa explained with a sigh. "I think if he's going to tell anyone what he's up to, or if anyone is going to be able to talk him into staying by our side, it's you."

Araminta swallowed hard. It was a lot of pressure. If even Armin and Mikasa didn't think he would talk to them, then she wasn't sure she would be able to get anything out of him.

He had been asking for her, though.

And, she had to take into consideration more than just her own personal feelings. If there was a chance that talking to him might help Paradis know what to expect from his plan with Zeke, then she should take that chance, right? Regardless of how angry she was at him, or how guilty she was about Jean Kirstein, shouldn't she at least try to talk to him?

Mikasa must have noticed the mental turmoil she was in, as she quickly cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, Araminta. You don't have to talk to him if you don't want to. I understand that he's done some things to hurt you."

"No, you're right, Mikasa." Araminta replied with a sigh. "I should try and go see him. It can't possibly do more harm than it can good, right?"

Mikasa nodded. "And if anything goes wrong — not that I think it will — Armin and I will be close by." She smiled and put a hand on Aramunta's shoulder.

The shorter girl smiled. "Thanks, Mikasa." She sighed, and put her head on Mikasa's shoulder as they walked. "I'll consider it — really consider it. I promise."

One thing Araminta had come to learn was that no matter how hard she might try to push the people who care about her away, there will always be people who stay. And she was thankful that she had found those people.

Now, she just had to figure out of the person she cared most about in this world was one of those people, too.

SHE WAS GOING TO DO IT. AFTER GIVING IT lots of contemplation, Araminta had finally decided she would do it. For the betterment of Paradis, and maybe (read: definitely), partly for her own selfish reasons, she was going to visit Eren.

The only problem was what she had brought up to Mikasa a few days earlier — there was absolutely no way the Military Police were just going to let her in to see him. Which meant she was going to have to sneak her way down to his cell. If she got caught, she would probably be thrown in along with him, and be eaten as soon as they could find someone else to take her Titan.

No big deal, right?

It was a risky plan, but if it meant she could get any sort of information out of him to give Paradis an idea of what to expect, it was more than worth the risk.

And deep down, Araminta knew she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't try to talk to him now.

She stood in the stairwell, hidden from the view of the soldiers guarding the entrance to the jail cells, while she waited for the signal to go. Her lucky pearl was tucked between her index finger and her thumb, and she rolled it around in an attempt to soothe herself.

Honestly, she wasn't even worried about the possibility of the Military Police soldiers catching her. It was like Jean had once told her, she could be an extremely persuasive person, so she was sure she'd be able to talk her way out of it.

What scared her a lot more was actually talking to Eren for the first time in months. Not writing letters to each other, not exchanging short words regarding the death of her best friend, actually talking to him. That was the terrifying part.

She could hear Armin's voice from below, echoing throughout the halls of the underground jail as he conversed with the soldiers. He was currently putting on a show of begging them to let him go talk to Eren, and they were trying to explain to him why there was no way that was happening.

But, she heard the sound of gunfire coming from the other end of the corridor, meaning Mikasa had done her part. There was a commotion, and the soldiers along with Armin were running out to check on the source of the sound. Araminta waited for just a minute to confirm that that the coast was clear, then descended down the staircase.

There wasn't a lot of time before the soldiers realized what was going on and came back down, so she'd have to make her visit quick.

Below, there was only one cell that was lit, so she immediately jogged straight to that one. Her heart hammered against her chest, the sound of her own blood pumping flooding her ears, and she wasn't sure if it was because of the physical activity or if it was out of anticipation to see him again.

Once her eyes fell on his figure, sitting on the cheap looking bed that was pressed against the wall with his gaze a million miles away, the first thought that came to her mind was that he was still beautiful.

It looked like he had shaved off his incoming beard at some point, the singular light in the cell illuminating his smooth, clean-shaven face. His hair was still long, but he had it pulled up out of his face into a half up-half down style. He had definitely bulked up a bit since she last saw him, which was easy to pick up on when he was completely shirtless like this.

All of a sudden, she remembered why she was still so weak for him.

Upon noticing a new figure in the hallway, he lazily turned his head to the side to give her a bored stare. The second she lowered her hood, though, he immediately recognized her and practically leapt to his feet.

"Araminta. You came." He breathed out, staring m at her like he couldn't fully believe she was standing in front of him. And to be fair, she wasn't sure if she could fully believe he was standing in front of her, either.

She tried not to think about how good it felt to hear her name come out of his mouth after all this time. "Hange said you wanted to talk to me." She told him, trying her hardest to maintain a steady tone. It was proving to be difficult.

He slowly walked over to the cell bars, and the closer he got, the more he seemed to tower over her. She tried not to think about the fact that he was shed of his shirt, and his bare chest and abdomen were directly in front of her right now.

"I didn't think you'd come." Was all he said back to her, and wrapped one hand around one of the bars. With his other hand, he hesitantly reached out to barely brush his fingertips against her cheek. His touch caused goosebumps to spread across her skin like wildfire. "Your scars are gone."

Instinctively, she touched her fingertips to where his had been. "Yeah. I guess turning into a Titan will do that to you." She replied with a soft laugh.

"And you cut your hair." He observed, pinching a few strands of her hair between his fingers. But then his face fell. "Is it because of what I told you?" He asked her in a quiet voice, but based on his reaction, he already knew the answer.

"No." She lied, and took a step back. "It was too long for my gear."

He nodded slowly. Araminta knew that he knew she was lying, he knew her all too well, but he didn't push it. Instead he cleared his throat, and directed his gaze down to the floor. "I'm really sorry, Ara."

Araminta sucked in a breath. All she wanted to do was grab his hand through the bars, and press her lips to his knuckles and tell him it was okay. All she wanted to do was comfort him, and take away his pain.

But it wasn't okay. None of this was okay.

"What are you sorry for?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. It wasn't a question, it was more like a challenge. For him to properly address what he had put her through over the course of the last few months.

He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against one of the steel bars. "Everything. I'm sorry about everything. I'm sorry I didn't write back to you. And I'm sorry about the War Hammer, and I'm sorry about Sasha... I'm so sorry..."

And there it was. The elephant in the room. He was probably well aware of what she thought about him now — of what everyone thought about him. After he had erupted into laughter after she told him Sasha died.

She wasn't sure what she was supposed to say now. All she could do was stare at him with her lips parted, desperately searching for the right words. She couldn't tell him it was okay, she couldn't. But, she also couldn't stand here and pretend to hate him for what he did.

Finally, she settled on reaching out and delicately resting her hand atop his. The warmth that immediately flooded her palm had her heart careening, aching for more of him. And based on the way she felt him relax under her touch, he was experiencing the same thing.

"You're such an idiot, Eren." She whispered to him.

He opened up his eyes, showing off his beautiful teal irises that seemed to glow in the dim lighting. "I know. I'm sorry."

For a few minutes, they remained like that. Separated by the steel bars, with her hand on his and his gaze on hers. Most of the time, silence made Araminta uneasy, but not with Eren.

And for those few minutes, the rest of the world seemed to melt away. It was just Eren and Araminta, and nothing else mattered. The war on the horizon didn't matter. The multitude of crimes he committed didn't matter. Jean Kirstein didn't matter.

All that mattered was the two of them.

Unfortunately, though, they both knew that feeling couldn't last forever.

When she heard a scuffle somewhere in the distance, Araminta flinched and retracted her hand from Eren's. She looked in the direction it had come from and was relieved to see there was nothing. It did remind her that she was running out of time, though, and needed to wrap this up quickly.

So, she cleared her throat. "Why did you ask for me?"

She avoided his gaze now, worried that she would get swept up in it again if she wasn't careful.

"I just... I needed to see you..." He told her in a quiet voice. "The last time I saw you was in the airship... I didn't want to leave things like that..."

Her heart stopped.

"What do you mean?"

"I just mean... We're about to go enter a war with Marley, and we don't know what's going to happen after that. I just don't want to go into it all without you knowing that I'm sorry." He seemed to dance around the real answer, beginning to rub his thumb against the steel bar anxiously.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "But you do know. You know what's going to happen, don't you? You and Zeke?"

He didn't respond. Instead he continued rubbing the bar, his stare once again drifting a thousand miles away.

"So, what? You drag me down here to give yourself peace of mind, but you're not even going to tell me what you're planning? That's what's happening?" She felt herself start to grow irritated by his lack of response.

"No. It's not like that." He immediately snapped at her.

"Are you sure? Because that's what it feels like."

"I want to tell you everything, Ara, you know I do. But I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because this is bigger than just us. This is about all of Eldia — about humanity."

Araminta could feel the corners of her eyes start to sting as she stared at him, and she clenched so hard she thought she might shatter her own teeth. "What the hell do you mean it's 'bigger than just us'? Really? Why did you even ask for me if I'm not important enough to you to know your ridiculous plans?"

"That is not what I said." Eren heaved a frustrated sigh.

Out of an act of desperation to get him to talk, Araminta reached through the steel bars, and cupped his cheeks. She forced him to meet her eyes, which were now starting to become glossy. "Please, 'Ren. Just talk to me. Please."

All that she longed for was prove everyone wrong. She desperately longed for him to confide in her, and show her that he was still on their side. All he had to do was talk to her — just like how he used to, when he'd trusted her with everything.

"Please."

She didn't understand when she had lost his trust.

He stared at her for a moment, which just jaw hung open like he was searching for the right words to say next. His hands found themselves on top of her own, his palms enveloping her fingers in warmth.

His emerald eyes flickered back and forth between hers, and somehow they were able to tell her everything she needed to know.

And suddenly they were back in Marley, the night before he left her. The night they held each other like this under the glow of the stars above. The difference now, though, was Eren was the one who couldn't say the words she wanted to hear.

I'm sorry, Eren.

"I'm sorry, Araminta." He whispered, then slowly her hands away from his cheeks. He brought her fingertips to his lips, and planted a gentle kiss against them.

He held onto her hands just a little while longer, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. All the while, Araminta blinked away the tears that were now completely flooding her vision, causing the view of their intertwined hands to become blurry.

"Do you remember what you told us that day?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, and at first she wasn't sure he had even been able to hear her. But he slowly lifted his gaze to meet hers, and raised an eyebrow as if telling her to go on. "That we're important to you... More than anything else in the world."

As soon as she brought it up, she felt guilty. Clearly, he was dealing with some kind of internal struggle, trying to figure out a way to save the world while also trying to save his friends. It was mean to throw those words back in his face, and weigh even harder on his decision.

The immediate impact her reminder had on him was evident in his reaction. A scoff escaped from low in his throat, and he quickly looked away from her again. Beneath the soft glow of the singular light that illuminated the cell, she was able to make out the glossy film engulfing his eyes.

Great, now they were both crying.

"Fuck the world," she whispered to him, "and fuck the rest of humanity. Just come back to us, and we can figure something out — "

The sound of voices coming from the stairwell cut off her pleading. This was her cue to get out of there, her cue to leave before she got caught, and was probably sentenced to death by the Military Police. And as much as they weren't ready to be split up again just yet, she and Eren both knew it.

"You have to go." He said to her, his voice strained like he was trying to choke something else down.

She nodded, keeping her lips pressed together in a tight line. "I know."

But she didn't move. She stood for a second longer, trying to burn every inch of his hands that she could feel to her memory. She had no idea when she'd get the chance to hold him like this again, and she didn't want to forget how it felt. Not like the last time.

He was the first to finally let go once the voices started to get closer. "Go. I'll see you again, I promise."

I promise.

Those two words meant absolutely nothing to her anymore — or at least, they shouldn't. He'd broken multiple promises he made to her, and she had a feeling this time wouldn't be any different. But, even though she knew they were just empty words, they still helped her feel a bit more at ease about leaving him.

Because if she believed they would see each other again soon, that meant they didn't have to say goodbye yet.

Without looking back over her shoulder, she pulled her hood back on and ascended the staircase. If she took a second to fully digest the conversation they just had — if you could even really call that a conversation — she would surely break down right then and there. So, like she'd been doing since she was a little girl, she had to push it all into a little box in her mind that she'd have to wait until later to open.

Just as she reached the top step of the staircase, though, she was suddenly stopped. A sharp, stabbing pain shot its way through her skull, and the suddenness caused her to collapse to her knees. The feeling of the stone stairs against her knees was not a pleasant feeling, but the feeling of her skull being split open was far worse.

Araminta'd had headaches before — who hadn't? But this was something else, something infinitely more painful. And just as she was able to force her eyes open to see the boots of what she assumed to be Military Police officers standing in front of her, the pain became too unbearable.

The realization that she had probably just been caught dawned on her too late for her to do anything about it, as she slipped into unconciousness.

ahahahahaha... hey guys...... 😅😅😅 sorry tjis update took a million years and im not even sure it was worth the wait but oh well!! here u go!! sorry it's kind of short and ended on a (rushed) cliff hanger but rly the conversation w eren was kind of all i wanted this chapter to be 🥰👍

just got a rush of inspo so hopefully next chapter won't take as long as this one did!! guys we are so close to the rumbling i can almost taste it...so excited.........

anyways "i'll see you again" yeah eren u will 😅😂 at a table 🤣🤣