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Armin stretched his arms high, waking up to prepare for another night patrol duty. Usually, cadets are required to report at least thirty minutes before to their post to go through pending tasks from their co-trainees. Night patrol is a relatively simple job compared to those cadets assigned to work during the day. Most of the time, night patrols simply involve roaming around the town, dealing with occasional incidents like drunk people fighting on the streets, or standing at the guard house to monitor any unusual activities throughout the night.
However, Armin never got used to this reversed routine. He had to get up at four in the afternoon, take a shower, put on his uniform, zip up his knee-high leather boots, and walk down to the canteen to have his first meal of the day. The food wasn't as good as it was when freshly cooked during lunch and dinner. Having meals between these hours meant they would be served leftover portions from lunch, as the cook would only start preparing an hour before dinner, by which time Armin had to report to his post. After being served a plate of mashed potatoes, buttered corn, steamed broccoli, and a small bowl of cabbage soup, now lukewarm, he picked up an apple before carrying his tray with both hands to the table where he had to eat alone.
Eren and Mikasa, being among the best at combat practice, were assigned morning duty for the week. It was heard that the Premier, the supreme commander of the military, would visit their training ground in the Southern Division soon. The Training Corps instructors assigned their best trainees to work during the day in case they had to interact with the Premier. For Armin, it meant he had to get through this week without his best friends.
By the time Armin arrived at his post at the guard house, it was already half an hour before seven. Franz had finished handing over his tasks to the blond before rushing down to meet with Hannah. Armin shrugged his shoulders, letting the taller boy know that he was fine being left alone in the guard house. Normally, there should be two cadets stationed at each post, but Armin forgot to ask around about who he would be working with tonight. He put his rifle down as he leaned against the wooden rails to watch the earth transition to nighttime.
The sun was about to set, and being perched up in the guard house was one of the perks of night duty. Armin watched in awe as the sky unveiled a breathtaking tangerine-colored celestial horizon, as the sun fought its remaining lights against the darkness threatening to hover over the vast space above the land. Weak rays of light illuminated the clouds in warm hues. A chilling autumn breeze hit his face, parting his fringe to the side, revealing his forehead. His golden locks must have been disheveled by now from the sudden gust of wind, but he couldn't care more.
The sight reminded him of the time when the three of them started to run towards the tree on the hill. He smiled at the thought of how time passed by unnoticed. Golden leaves that had fallen on the bed of green grass rustled as the last of the three reached the summit of the hill, his small frame lying down next to his best friends whom he loved the most. Laughing as Eren matched the tempo of his panting while his peripheral vision pictured Mikasa smiling next to them. A cold breeze whistled softly into their ears as the children watched the sky turn from orange to pink, then lilac to blue before the darkness enveloped the small space of land they lived in within the walls. It felt like only yesterday when he turned ten years old—still innocent, away from the bloodshed, the cruel world that was waiting to destroy their temporary home. Everything changed in just a blink of an eye. A short dream that turned into a nightmare.
Just like that, a few years had gone by.
He almost forgot that today he is turning—
A loud creak from the stairs snapped Armin out of his reverie. Feeling the wetness around his cheeks, he used his palms to wipe his face dry before glancing at someone climbing up the guard house. His eyes landed on her platinum blonde hair tied in a bun; her stern face displayed agitation, but the blond boy couldn't point out the cause. Her fist gripped tightly on the holster of her rifle, so tight that her knuckles had turned white. The rifle on her back appeared to be excessively bulky over her petite stature, but she carried the firearm as if it were a lightweight truncheon.
He was surprised but managed to smile weakly at the newcomer to acknowledge her presence. “Hi, Annie,” the young boy greeted, which made the agitated blonde soften her expression.
Although he knew Annie was capable of helping herself, Armin decided to walk towards her and held out his hand to help her climb up the last three steps of the narrow stairs.
She seemed a bit hesitant at first, probably debating inside her head whether to take his hand or shove his hands away. If it were other boys, she would surely do the latter without question. But it was the nice boy from Shiganshina, so she accepted his help.
Armin let out a sigh of relief when her cold hands met his warm one. He somehow wished his palms weren't clammy. Something inside his gut fluttered at the thought of touching her hand. He observed her fingers; although Annie was infamous for her strong physical combat skills, her fingers seemed delicate and dainty, adorned with slender nail folds that had turned slightly pinkish in low temperatures.
“Annie, why are you working at night? I thought the best-performing students are assigned to work in the morning this week,” he inquired shyly, watching Annie place down her rifle next to his.
Without turning to face him, she retorted, “I couldn’t sleep last night, so I failed to turn up on my duty this morning. Shadis asked me to come at night to put my nocturnal ass into use.” She snorted before leaning on the table to write down her name on a piece of paper pinned on a corkboard. She wrote the date, and he noticed she paused halfway before completing the letters.
...vember 849.