Work Text:
After successfully stopping The Rumbling and saving what was left of humanity, Armin Arlert and Annie Leonhart officially got together, especially once they found out they didn't have to worry about their lives being cut short. The two moved into a small cottage together that they built during the reconstruction of Marley. In this cosy little cottage, the two were looking forward to spending the rest of their lives together in absolute peace.
Armin has taken up gardening as a hobby. The back garden of their little cottage has become a whole paradise of colours and vegetables. Seeing her boyfriend's handiwork is always very therapeutic for Annie, just as the act of gardening is a form of therapy for Armin. Annie meanwhile has taken to writing in order to vent her troubles and stress. Over the passed few months, she's written half a full novel, which she's planning on releasing eventually.
When they aren't doing those hobbies, they're expected to attend meetings with the other world leaders to discuss matters regarding the Islanders on Paradis. Despite the fact that they were accepted by the rest of the world as the heroes who stopped Eren, most of the people on Paradis see them as traitors, which is why they have to live in Marley. Mikasa, Connie, Jean and Levi were able to return after months of convincing, but since Armin was the one who killed Eren, he isn't so lucky. The rest chose to stay and help with the reconstruction of the world.
Despite that, both Armin and Annie are perfectly content and happy with their lives. However, the events that led to this still haunt them. While during the day they're able to move on and be content with their new lives, at night is a different story. At night they're plagued by nightmares and night terrors that always surround the battle against Eren. Luckily for them they never seem to have nightmares on the same night. They always seem to alternate who's the one with the nightmare and who's the one doing the comforting.
Both the bad dreams themselves and how they react differs between the two. Annie always had the same 2 dreams. She either dreams that they weren't quick enough and she watched her father die along with the rest of humanity, or she watched Armin die in the process of stopping Eren.
She hates the latter more, because it isn't the same way every time, but she's always just too slow to save him. Sometimes he lets off all of his steam as the Colossal Titan, which would drain him to the point that it kills him. Other times he manages to slice Eren out of the Attack Titan, but getting crushed in the process. And once, she even dreamt of him getting torn apart by the Wall Titans after he killed Eren.
Each time she has these nightmares, Annie wakes up in uncontrollable sobs. When Armin awakes to comfort her, she proceeds to cling onto him for dear life as he rocks her gently, stroking her hair affectionately and repeating over and over, "It's just a dream, I'm still here." She'd cling on as though she fears that if she let go, what she dreamt would be a reality. However, Armin's comforting always soothes her enough to go back to sleep.
However, despite how bad these nightmares get and how scared they make her, she's used to them, since she suffered them all the time in her crystal cocoon. Because of that, she'd choose having them every night for the rest of her life if it means that Armin never suffered them again.
Armin suffers them more frequently than Annie, and they always affect him more, especially since he isn't as used to them as she is. Also unlike her, he suffers the same dream over and over every time. He always dreams that he fails to stop Eren, and has to watch everyone die because of it. Everytime it's the same. He isn't able to kill Eren and as a result, Eren reaches the base with the last of humanity and flattens them all. All of Armin's friends triy to stop him, but Eren simply kills them all, one by one. By the end of the dream, Armin's always alone. Alone and afraid.
Everytime he awakens, it's with loud sobs. Annie always wakes up quickly and moves to comfort her boyfriend. When she does, he buries his face in her shoulder and sobs for a long while, sometimes for hours, while Annie cradles him in her arms, whispering softly, "shhh, shhh. It's ok. It was just a dream. I'mnot going anywhere. I'mnot leaving you. I promise." Despite the fact that it's only a dream, he still clings onto Annie even tighter than she does to him, in case she suddenly vanishes and what he dreamt was the real life.
To see Armin go from upbeat gardener and calculated strategist and negotiator to this sobbing, clinging and terrified mess is unbearable to Annie. She swears that she'd bring Eren back and kill him herself if it means Armin would never suffer another of these nightmares that upsets him so much.
Thankfully, there are plenty of nights where neither of them are plagued by these night terrors. As the two continue to live and sleep together, they've developed a few strategies to help them chase those bad dreams away. Most of those involve a lot of snuggling and a few kisses here and there. They don't work all of the time, but as The Rumbling grows further and further behind them in the past, these strategies become more and more effective. They hope that those dreams will stop eventually, but for now, they're perfectly happy to be the other's nightlight that chases the dark memories away.