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It was quiet. Peaceful. And cold. Armin knew that much. His skin stung, like when the cold water of the shower used to hit his sunburnt skin after a long training lesson in the trainee corps. And his shoulders felt heavy, a pair of wings sprouting from his shoulder blades. The feathers rustled, the dark blue and pure white melting into one another.
“You wear the real wings of freedom now.” a shadow of white had graced him with a pair of these wings, speaking the words in a whisper before disappearing and leaving Armin to sit on a stool of brilliant white.
It had been a few minutes now. The crisp shirt he wore was a faded white and almost black in some places; and the once white pants he wore were now a light grey.
Usually, Armin enjoyed the peace. Often he would sit with a small book or a sketch pad to draw the flowers he discovered, and pass the time in all but a few beautiful moments. But he had no book nor pad to draw on; so he sat on his own, hands in his lap, head bowed, and time crawled on in a slow fashion, drawing out the livelihood of the once lively boy. His once crystal blue eyes were now dulled and half lidded, his once pink lips now a ghostly pale colour. He was not himself for sure. That’s what happens when you leave though. Everything changes. Nothing stays the same.
Footsteps. Footsteps that were heavy, headed in Armin’s direction, caused him to lift his head a little to identify who they belonged to. An elderly man slowly stepped towards the stool Armin was on and stopped just 2 feet from him.
Armin stared. The greying facial hair and skin of the man looked familiar, but it was difficult to put his finger on how. There were a pair of wings, which seemed to match the mans hair and were moulting a few feathers. The man mumbled to himself, sounding dismayed at seeing the blonde boy before him and briefly closing his eyes to let out soft sigh of grief.
“You’ve come too early, my boy.” he spoke, softly, but loud enough so Armin could hear. That voice. Smooth yet gravelly. It was so familiar and Armin’s dull eyes widened in shock, his eye brows rising as he rose from the stool.
“Gr-Grandfather?” Armin almost couldn’t get the word out as his breath got caught easily in his throat. The man gave a light nod, closing his eyes again as Armin closed the gap between them and embraced his Grandfather in a tight and welcoming hug. His eyes welled. This couldn’t be real right? There wasn’t any possible way it could be. Grandfather Arlert returned the hug and looked over his grandson’s shoulder, noticing the two figures approaching. He sighed, nodding as they both looked upon the boy, the back of his long blond locks facing them.
Armin finally pulled away from his Grandfather and smiled lightly, attempting to keep himself from crying like a baby. He swallowed hard, though it was painful to, he did so anyway and nodded, his wing feathers rustling as he looked at his Grandfathers familiar face.
“Armin?” a woman’s voice called out eventually, after a few moments of Armin staring. That made the boy tense. Armin’s eyes teared up again and this time just the voice alone was enough to make him shed those tears he willingly held back. He remembered that voice; so soft, yet so musical and the most beautiful sound he could never forget since the last time he heard it.
Armin turned, tears streaming down his face as he stared out at the two figures. A man and a woman, stood side by side, each staring wide eyed back at Armin. Armin gave a wide smile, trying to hide them as tears of joy, the saltiness of them reaching his mouth as he strode hard across the gap between him and the couple.
“Mum! Dad!” Armin cried, sobbing as he made contact with his parents once again, for the first time in 7 years. To be held in their arms, to feel their warmth embracing him, made him feel loved and in good hands as the three of them fell to the floor in a heap of cries and laughter; how a family reunion usually should be.
“Look at how handsome you’ve grown.” Mrs. Arlert said, a hand placed gently on Armin’s face. Armin’s eyes shut for a moment as he felt the soft skin on his own and remembered how it felt before she disappeared for good. “My little buttercup.” Armin laughed at the old nickname he’d once forgotten and wiped his eyes; though it wasn’t much use due to the consistent stream of tears that fell down his face.
“You joined the military, huh?” Mr. Arlert asked, stroking the wing feathers of Armin’s left wing. Armin lowered his head and nodded, trying to sniff away his tears.
“I wanted to help make a difference. Even if I may have been a little useless.” Armin swallowed again, and wiped his eyes. His Mother stroked his hair and shook her head.
“You weren’t useless sweetie, you were brave. And we are so proud of you. You’ve grown so much and that makes all the difference.” Mrs. Arlert smiled brightly, making Armin smile also.
“You did well, Armin.” Mr. Arlert nodded. “Don’t put yourself down for it, because you should be proud of yourself too.” Armin felt his Fathers firm grip on his shoulder and looked up at him. “Don’t lose your confidence.”
Armin nodded and collied with his parents once again in a tight hug, tears streaming down his now flushed cheeks again.
“Hey, where’s my hug?” Armin shoot back from his parents and looked up, in the direction the sudden question came from. It couldn’t be. This was happening so suddenly. There was no way it could be–
The figure stood across from him, a wide smile across his face and the freckles scattered like stars across the bridge of his nose and over the still slightly tanned skin under his eyes. The dark hair was messy and his chocolate eyes were still as friendly as Armin had remembered them. The wings on his back were a light brown colour, speckled with tiny black spots; much like the freckles across his own skin. “Hey, Armin. Long time no see, huh?”
“Marco.” Armin’s lip quivered again. So it was really true huh? He really was dead.
Armin lowered his head and gave a sad smile, and suddenly there was blue, engulfing his feet. He stared down with confusion and looked up. He stared out across a spread of sparkling water and felt himself sink down on to a bed of sand and shingle. His eyes were wide with fascination and there was a calming sound, that reminded Armin of the rivers in the Walls. It wasn’t long until he felt everyone gather round him; his parents, his Grandfather and Marco, all of them staring in the same direction and with a soft smile on their faces. The tears fell again and he nodded.
I’ve accepted it. I’m no longer in the land of the living, now and now, I’m reunited with those I love and those who love me. I might not be there with you physically, but I’m with you at heart; and I believe that you can fulfil your duties and hopefully fulfil your dreams too.
“Don’t worry Eren,” Armin said in a light whisper, the colour returning to his eyes, “I got to see the ocean.”