Accident

As Lara fondly remembered the day Hange found out she was pregnant, she got startled at seeing Armin spasm.

"He must've been having a bad dream..." she thought. For a millisecond, her fingers brushed his short blond hair, but as soon as she touched it, she quickly pulled them back. Lara still didn't have the guts to do that. In fact, she didn't want to do it without his permission.

"What a situation we got ourselves into, huh?" Lara looked at him, giving a sad smile. Then she looked out of the window again, remembering what had happened, just about three hours ago.

Lara was at training class with her Squad, as they did most afternoons. The person who was normally in charge of training classes was her father, but he wasn't there today. Levi and Hange had gone to the port two days ago, to prepare the airship that would take the Survey Corps to the city of Liberio, with Onyankopon. The reason for going to this city of the nation of Marley, was because three months ago, Eren had gone there on a diplomatic mission to make deals with the "Association to Protect the Subjects of Ymir", and who knows, make some peace treaty.

However, Eren simply stopped giving news about his situation, which made everyone extremely worried. Then, about almost two weeks ago, he sent letters asking for them to rescue him in Liberio. What left them most perplexed was knowing that Eren wanted them to also rescue Zeke together, none other than the Beast Titan himself. In the course of the new alliances that the Eldians made with the Marleyans, they ended up discovering that Eren and Zeke were actually brothers of the same father. And apparently, while Eren was in Liberio, he got in touch with his brother without notifying anyone from the Survey Corps. And now, they had to go there to rescue him in the middle of enemy territory.

That was why Lara was so worried about her mother and mad at such boldness Eren was showing, because, in the last few days, Hange had been complaining of some pain in her belly region, leaving Lara pretty distressed, and especially Levi. Hange was about five months pregnant now, which was a critical stage for some potential complications, since according to what the doctors had said, it would be a high-risk pregnancy.

So, in Levi's absence as the instructor, another one took his place, Captain Rufus. However, this instructor didn't like Levi at all, out of sheer envy or rivalry.

Rufus was much older than Levi, and he had the physique of someone who just couldn't stop lifting weights for a minute and who lived based on eggs, chicken, and sweet potatoes. But, he displayed such childish behavior, that most people felt repulsed by him. And, because he didn't like Levi, consequently, Rufus didn't like Lara at all, always giving her the most difficult exercises that demanded the most physical effort.

Lara hated having training classes with him. Not only her, but most of the other soldiers as well, except for just a select group of delinquent followers that Rufus had always behind him and who would agree with his nitpicking.

Since Eren's rescue mission would be in three days, they decided to practice hand-to-hand combat, because they would probably fight more people than Titans in Liberio. So Rufus began to make pairs with the soldiers, to practice with each other.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, sounding more like a dog bark, "Mini Ackerman! Come here and pair up with Arlert."

Even though Lara was now just two centimeters shorter than her father, Rufus insisted on calling her "Mini Ackerman", a nickname which he gave her when he found out Lara had been adopted by his rival. Actually, Rufus couldn't even be considered a rival of Levi, for he was so insignificant, that he used his ODM gear swords in a very poor way, and still he thought he was the best.

When Rufus paired up Lara with Armin, practically everyone around stopped to look at them. They wouldn't miss that fight for the world.

It was no secret to anyone else in the Headquarters that Lara and Armin loved each other, but they weren't together because of his "Titan Curse". For the past three years, after Hange and Lara ended their research for a cure, their relationship remained pretty much the same: one being as kind to the other as possible, speaking to one another only when necessary, what in fact was not rare, because as Officer and Lara's right-hand man, they both had to stay in each other's company for many times.

In general, they had a good relationship and got along well, although the great sadness of not being together still hurt deeply in their hearts, and that was very clear to anyone at the Headquarters.

What made it easier was that they both had very similar personalities, with only the difference that Lara was an extroverted person, and Armin was an introvert. But, their way of thinking and their values were pretty similar, and they had a great feeling of empathy, which helped a lot in these three years, for one tried to understand the other's side, and so, living and working together was much less painful.

In addition, as they loved one another, they always tried to show a behavior that would make the other suffer as little as possible. Apart from the fact that, despite all the sorrow they felt, Lara and Armin wanted to continue maintaining a relationship of harmony and peace, avoiding any worsening.

Even trying to live with Armin in the best way she could, Lara still didn't agree with his decision, and every day, she felt anguish tightening in her chest for that. On days when she was feeling a little more emotional, Lara would end up letting that sadness be more evident, which Armin would notice and that would break his heart.

Every night, Lara slept cuddling Armin's seashell, and to her happiness, a few months ago she discovered that Armin also slept cuddling with her drawing, at one time she went to have lunch at the refectory and sat with her back to Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and Floch. Since they didn't see her there, Eren said to Armin that it was about time for him to throw the drawing away, for it was very crumpled and dirty from the tears his friend had shed over it. Armin firmly replied he wouldn't do that, and even Mikasa defended him. Then, in a very mean tone, Floch suggested that Armin should order another drawing, for Lara seemed way too presumptuous to assume he would want to have something of hers to remember. To Lara's surprise, Armin threatened Floch fiercely, striding out of the refectory, practically glaring at him. She couldn't hold back a few giggles and, to teach Floch a lesson, Lara stood up from the bench and slowly turned to him, making him gaze at her with a look of complete astonishment.

However, despite it being evident that they both still loved each other, Armin had a habit that made Lara a little uneasy. During those three years, Armin continually visited Annie, who was still asleep inside her crystal. Lara didn't understand why he visited her that much. As far as she could remember, Armin and Annie were just friends who studied at the Military Academy together. Besides, it was because of Armin that they managed to arrest Annie. So why was he showing so much interest in her now?

Lara thought that if she ever had the opportunity to talk to Armin a little more freely, she would like to ask him why he visited Annie so frequently.

It was because of this behavior of Armin that, sometimes, Lara had some doubts if he really still had feelings for her, or if he thought it was better to love someone who couldn't even love him back, for being asleep inside that crystal.

However, when Lara barely would think this possibility through, Armin would show that he still loved her, through a look, or a slightly gentler action than usual, or even, in some rare cases, a smile at her when watching her from afar. Lara wasn't entirely sure, but there were moments when Armin gave some hints that maybe his decision wasn't the wisest and she noticed how this internal conflict caused him extreme bitterness.

So, obviously, when Armin and Lara realized that they would have to fight each other to practice, they felt very uncomfortable, because Rufus usually enjoyed violent combats, and he always demanded that at least someone had to finish the training classes going straight to the infirmary.

"Come on, Arlert!" exclaimed Rufus, circling Armin like a menacing lion. "Are you afraid of hurting your little girlfriend?" he looked at Lara, "What about you, Mini Ackerman? Are you gonna tell Daddy I made you fight the Cursed One here?!"

She took a deep breath, trying to cool down the blood that was already boiling inside her body. Then, Lara and Armin stood still, facing each other, in a very half-baked fighting position. They looked at one another for a few seconds.

They were no longer skinny, weak teenagers.

Lara, now seventeen years old, already had a beautifully formed body, with its proper curves and she was no longer that little girl (they grow up so fast, don't you think?!). And, despite being a playful young lady, at the right moments, she would show all her maturity and authority.

To her father's utter dismay, some of the cadets heaved sighs as they watched Lara pass by. Levi threatened everyone with his eyes, because, since he understood the painful situation that Armin was going through, he felt such compassion for the boy, that he now defended him vigorously, becoming very fond of him and allowing only Armin to like his daughter, but Levi avoided letting it show to him. Hange and Lara were extremely surprised and also proud to see Levi's new protective behavior towards Armin.

Lara's blue eyes were the attribute that would draw attention the most, for they were big and expressive. In contrast to her light skin, Lara got some freckles and had dark and striking eyebrows, which greatly highlighted her eyes. Her brown hair fell to her shoulders, with bangs very similar to the ones Levi had, which gave her a little charm when she moved, and at times, they seemed to have a life of their own.

Armin wasn't that skinny boy anymore either. Nineteen years old now, he had an excellent physique, even being a little muscular. He had grown up and was about ten centimeters taller than Lara. He wasn't as tall as his other classmates, like Jean for example, who was now almost two-meter tall.

However, now Armin looked much more mature, precisely because he did something that changed his physical appearance: he cut his hair, making his blue eyes more evident. The day he showed up at Lara's lab to ask authorization for some matter, with his hair cut short, she thought she was going to have a heart attack right there, because he was looking very handsome in her opinion.

Since Lara was now paying more attention to her hormones during her cycle, she noticed that on certain days of the month, her sense of smell was much higher. So, to contribute to her collapse, Lara began to sense Armin's scent when he was around, and came to the conclusion that he smelled like a baby, having a certain occasion when these days, they had done talking in the lab and, as soon as Armin left, Lara locked the door and balled up her green cloak in her hands. Covering and burying her face in the cloak, she screamed at the top of her lungs:

"GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZ!!! WHY YOU'RE SO HANDSOME AND SMELL SO FREAKING GOOD, YOU SON OF A GUN?!?!?!"

Now, standing there facing each other in combat pose, both Armin and Lara had anxious expressions. The other soldiers had already gathered around them, eager to see the fight. Rufus' gang was already dropping a few nasty phrases here and there, hoping it would turn into a bloody fight.

By now, all the Survey Corps soldiers had been given a new all-black uniform, as well as heavy black boots, as Lara had suggested to Hange. All the female soldiers were simply delighted with the news. For being a very neutral color, it was possible to use with both the old and new uniforms, according to the soldier's personal taste. However, in training classes, to avoid dirtying the white pants so much, it was settled that everyone would wear black pants and boots, and a shirt of their choice.

Lara's theory that when two people loved each other, they could communicate just with their eyes (just like Levi and Hange did) proved to be true. Every now and then, on a daily basis, Lara and Armin would communicate this way, when they needed to talk and were far from each other. This time, it was no different.

"What now?!" asked Lara, distressed.

"I don't know!" replied Armin. "I don't wanna hit you!"

"Least of all me! What if we just pretend we're fighting?"

"Rufus will notice... Knock me out and let's get this over with!"

"No way I'm gonna knock you out, are you crazy?! It's you who must do this to me!"

"I would never lay a finger on you. Please come here and take me down at once!"

"Wait, what if then one of us attacks and the other blocks?"

Armin nodded.

The Eye Communication Technique is good, but not always effective. In the end, Lara understood that she was the one who should deliver the first attack, and Armin should block it. However, he understood completely the opposite.

So when Rufus gave a huge "BEGIN!" shout, which startled everyone around, Lara and Armin also ended up getting so startled, that at the same time, they both delivered a really, really hard High Kick.

CRACK!

Rufus and his gang laughed out loud at the sight ahead of them, while other soldiers covered their mouths in bewilderment. Lying on the ground, Lara agonized at seeing her right foot slightly out of place. Armin's expression was one of complete despair.

"Weren't you Ackerman's daughter?!" exclaimed Rufus, who turned red, so much he laughed. "I thought you were a little bit stronger! As far as I knew, you were one of humanity's strongest soldiers. What a disappointment!"

Armin slowly glared at Rufus. His eyes were bloodshot, such fury arose inside him. Armin was that typical quiet and shy person, but when got angry, would leave everyone cringed and with chills.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Armin quickly walked over to Rufus, who didn't even have time to think, for he was too distracted, laughing. Armin grabbed the instructor's wrist - in a technique he probably learned from Mikasa - and with a single movement, dislocated it, making Rufus let out a scream of pain.

The soldiers, who were already perplexed to witness Lara's little accident, were even more astonished to see Rufus now practically crying in pain, like a baby. A few began to giggle here and there, feeling deep inside, very proud of Armin that someone had finally taught the dumbhead a lesson. Even Lara, in great agony, widened her eyes at that sight as she held her injured foot.

As if he did that every day, Armin strode over to Lara and carried her toward the infirmary, leaving Rufus whimpering behind.

"Forgive me, Lara!" he exclaimed, as they got closer to the infirmary. "I'm an idiot! I thought I should attack first and you block it, but I got it wrong."

"Don't worry," she replied, with tears coming out of her eyes from feeling so much pain, "I also got it wrong..."

To Lara's total surprise, Armin kissed her forehead, asking for forgiveness once more. She felt her heart race in such a way that Lara was even relieved to see that they were entering the infirmary, because, if she had a heart attack, at least she would be at the most suitable place that could give her a chance to survive.

"Please!" exclaimed Armin, walking through the corridors. "I need a doctor here!"

From one of the rooms, a doctor named Wilson went out, who was one of the nicest and charismatic elderly men that the soldiers of the Headquarters had ever met. He had been one of the doctors who had personally tended to Lara's injuries, by the time she had broken her rib and foot when she was just a child.

"Arlert?!" exclaimed Dr. Wilson. "What are you doing here? Is that Lara with you?"

Armin approached the doctor, looking extremely worried. Lara tried to give Dr. Wilson a smile, but failed.

"She had an accident in training class, and it's my fault. Please help her. Where can I place her?"

The doctor directed them to an empty room and Armin sat her on the bed.

"Let's see what we have here, darling," said Dr. Wilson, inspecting Lara's foot, who was wearing black boots. "Hmmm, this is not very good. What exactly happened?"

Before Lara could explain, Armin began:

"It was my imbecility, sir! We were training and I ended up kicking her foot very hard."

"Well, Armin!" replied Dr. Wilson, his hands on his hips. "We know our little Lara here is one of our best assets, but still, you're a man and your strength, whether you like it or not, is bigger than hers. I thought you both liked each other. Why did you want to kick her?"

"I didn't want to kick her, for God's sake!" exclaimed Armin, practically begging for mercy. "It was Captain Rufus who forced us into combat and we unintentionally attacked at the same time, and I believe I hurt her."

"Yeah..." replied Dr. Wilson, analyzing her crooked foot carefully, "You're right, it's not looking good at all."

Then, they heard a cry coming from the corridor. When the three of them looked at the opened door, they saw Rufus passing by, holding his dislocated wrist, accompanied by some colleagues and nurses (who seemed quite bored). Dr. Wilson looked meaningfully at Armin.

"You did that?"

Armin turned a little pale, fearing a scolding.

"Y-Yes..." he replied, almost in a whisper. To his surprise, the doctor held out his hand for Armin to shake.

"Congratulations!" he exclaimed, smiling. "I've been wanting to do this for a long time. It was a beautiful proof of love."

Awkwardly, Armin answered the handshake and glanced at Lara, completely red. She also blushed and looked back at her foot. The doctor then squeezed Lara's arm affectionately, who until now, was only making grunts of agony and pain.

"Darling, I need to take off your boot," he blinked slowly, with a sad smile. "It's gonna hurt, okay?"

Slowly, Dr. Wilson took off Lara's boot, who was biting her fingers and letting tears come out of her eyes. Armin was breaking out in a cold sweat, running his hand over his face. When she was finally barefoot, the doctor began to inspect it better.

"Hmmm," he muttered, his hand on his chin, "it looks like it's not broken. It's just a little out of place and has probably suffered a luxation. We need to put it in place right now, so it won't calcify like this, okay?"

Lara's eyes widened and, without meaning to, she sought Armin's eyes, who seemed to be suffering more than she was. Lara remembered way too well the pain she had felt when Hange had to put her broken foot back in place when she was a child, and now she was about to feel the same pain again.

"Ready?" asked Dr. Wilson, positioning himself to do it.

Instinctively, Lara grabbed Armin's shirt. Then, in a gesture that seemed to make her heart skip a beat, Armin took her hand and intertwined their fingers, just like she had done with him on the beach three years ago. Armin pressed them against his chest, stroking Lara's hand.

With his eyes, he told her, "You can squeeze it as much as you want!"

Lara didn't know whether to laugh or cry, whether to feel sad or happy, but she nodded. Despite all of Dr. Wilson's medical experience, she couldn't deny the fact that the procedure was going to hurt. Just one second before it, Lara grabbed a pillow that was behind her on the bed and covered her mouth, as she squeezed Armin's hand tightly. In a sudden move, Dr. Wilson put Lara's foot back in place. It was quick, but she couldn't help but squeal into her pillow, making Armin literally shed a tear down his cheek, such pain he felt in his heart as he watched Lara go through that agony.

Seeing that tears were also streaming down Lara's face, Dr. Wilson tried to chat with her as he began to bandage her foot.

"But tell me, darling..." he said, with a smile, "How's Hange's pregnancy going? I'm very glad that your family is getting bigger. You've always wanted a little sibling, didn't you?"

"She's been having some severe pain lately. But yes, we've waited for that for a long time..." replied Lara, still holding hands with Armin, clenching her teeth, "Actually, I wanted it to be quintuplets, but my mother thinks it's better to be just one baby, for now..."

Armin stared at her, astonished.

"Quintuplets?!" he repeated. "That's a lot of mouths to feed, don't you think?"

"That's what my father said," shrugged Lara. "But, I would also accept twins. As long as my mother gets pregnant again later on."

Armin was staring at her with some perplexity. Dr. Wilson laughed out loud as he rolled up the bandages.

"You better get your pockets ready, Armin," he said, winking at him. "This young lady here will want to have about five children with you when you guys get married."

With her hand still pressed against Armin's chest, Lara felt his heart start to speed up considerably and he turned redder than a tomato. They both ended up releasing their hands, very embarrassed and Lara tried to hide behind the pillow.

"Oh! Come on, Armin!" exclaimed Dr. Wilson, now putting on the splint on her foot. "Are you still with that nonsense 'Titan Curse' in your head?! Stop wasting your life! Everyone dies one day! Look at this amazing woman you have right here!" he winked at Lara, who didn't have any more pillows to bury her face in.

Armin pressed his lips together and clenched his fists at his sides nervously. He felt a tightness in his chest. The doctor then clapped his hands.

"There you go! Now, I'm gonna prepare some medication for you to take from time to time. One of the nurses will come here to give them to you, okay?"

"Doc," said Lara, "I need to get better before our mission to Liberio. Do you think I'll be able to go?"

"Look..." he replied, thoughtfully, "It's not what I would recommend, but as I know you quite well and know that you cannot stay still for a minute, I can increase your medication dosage a little. You'll need to use crutches to help you walk, and you will definitely not be able to fight at all. You'll just watch. I can discharge you to go to the mission just before you guys go. You leave here straight to the airship."

Grumpy, Lara looked at Armin, who shrugged in a sign of resignation. Gradually, she nodded in agreement. Then, Dr. Wilson began to sniffle.

"Am I... Smelling some kind of smoke?"

He and Lara started to look around and then found the source of the said smoke: Armin's foot. They both looked up at him, who was a little embarrassed.

"Oh!" exclaimed the doctor. "That's right! I had forgotten about this regeneration attribute of yours." He crouched down to get a better look, "It's so interesting..."

Armin looked from Wilson to Lara, nervous and shy. Lara gazed at his foot, mouth open. It looked like magic. She thought about how Hange would enjoy seeing that.

"Very well then!" exclaimed the doctor, getting ready to leave. "Lara, make yourself comfortable, I'll let you have this room all to yourself. Welcome to your new home for the next three days!"

Lara thanked him with a disappointed pout and Dr. Wilson walked out of the room. Then, from somewhere down the corridor, they heard Rufus scream.

"I think someone put their wrist back in place," said Lara, raising her eyebrows.

"I'm so in trouble..." Armin grasped his hair, sitting on a chair next to the bed. "My God, What did I do? First I almost break your foot and then I attack the instructor… What deplorable behavior… Your father is gonna kill me, Lara..."

"My father?" she repeated, feeling a twinge of pain. "It if were up to him, he might ask my mother to fire Rufus and put you in his place as the instructor."

Armin looked at her suspiciously.

"Your father?"

"Yes, Captain Levi," chuckled Lara. "He likes you."

Armin's eyes widened.

"He likes me?!"

"Is there another Armin Arlert in this room?" Lara opened her arms.

He stared at her, frowning. She noticed that Armin seemed to be doing some sort of math calculation in his head. After a long period in silence, he exclaimed, confused:

"Why?! What did I do?!"

"Oh!" Lara clicked her tongue thoughtfully. "He says you're stubborn and pigheaded just like him."

"Stubborn? Pigheaded?" Armin straightened his back. "Why?"

Lara just gave him a meaningful look, with a pout of impatience, which Armin understood right away. An awkward silence fell over them. Lara glanced at him, who was very blushed. She cleared her throat.

"You can go, Armin... You're dismissed. You may continue your tasks. Thanks for bringing me here."

Because of that situation, he had forgotten that Lara was his boss. In a jump, he went to her, making an indignant face.

"No way! I'll stay here. This is all my fault and I wanna help you! I just need to talk to my Squad Leader, to check if she releases me from my tasks."

Then, with her mouth slightly open, Lara watched Armin walk around the bed, only to come to her again on the other side.

"Excuse me, Lara…" he said, with the typical voice tone he always used when he talked to her, "I caused an accident to my Squad Leader and I want your permission to stay with her in the infirmary."

Lara started to laugh so much that both her stomach and foot hurt. It was the first time she had seen Armin show a little more of his playful side. She was very surprised to see him get looser, despite the circumstances.

"Officer Arlert," she replied, wiping a tear away, "I'm sure you have much more important things to do than staying here with me."

"Lara..." he gazed deeply at her, "You'll always be my priority."