After hearing what Armin had to say, I told him to use the rest of the free-period to catch up on his sleep. He willingly obeyed and lay down in my bed, passing out fast. I wasn't surprised, after all, if I been waking up every night I'd be exhausted too. I sat down on the couch and indulged myself in a book. The books from 850 deeply intrigued me. The people from 850 had a significantly different view on life, compared to the modern author that you'd find in present-day society. For the next hour or so, I lost myself in the world of the book I was reading. At its designated time, the dinner-bell rang loud and proud. I didn't leave early because ditching Armin for dinner and just leaving him in my cabin would be rude, especially after what he had just told me. If he woke up and I was gone, he'd feel heartbroken that I had left him alone, especially after I had promised not to. If he woke up in a panic all alone I wouldn't be able to forgive myself.

I marked my spot in the book with a scrap piece of paper and placed it beside me on the couch. I quietly made my way over towards the bed where Armin was sleeping. I sat down beside him and brushed his hair out of his eyes, caressing his cheek. His eyes fluttered open and he looked at me wearily. "Hey," he whispered.

"It's dinner."

He turned over and buried his head into my pillow. "I don't feel like going," he groaned, the sound of his voice muffled by the pillow. "Well, you have to," I informed him.

"But I don't want to. I want to sleep forever."

"Why?"

He sat up and looked at me tiredly. "I feel depressed, okay? I don't feel like seeing Eren because he'll know something's up and I'll have to tell him," he elaborated.

"You don't want to tell him?"

"No. I know he cares about me but I just can't bring myself to be that vulnerable with him. I've already been so much of a burden on him and I don't want to add to that by telling him about my sob-story of a life. I don't want him to look at me differently like I'm even weaker than he'd thought."

"Armin, he's your best friend of several years so I'm certain he wouldn't see you any different. I understand why you wouldn't want to tell him though. Who you tell is ultimately up to you. But anyway, you need food. You can sit with me if you'd like."

"Fine," he muttered in annoyance. He sat up, hair messily falling onto his face, and used his lower lip to help blow it out of the way.

"You have to at least tell Eren or Mikasa that you're sitting with me," I quickly added. "What why?" he exclaimed angrily.

"Because otherwise, they'll probably be really concerned if you just don't show up to dinner. They care about you so you should at least give them some notice, you know."

He fell backward onto the bed and threw the blankets over his head. "Please don't make me go," he cried. "How about I at least tell them. Okay?" I suggested, not getting a direct answer. "Huh?" I hummed, pulling the covers off of his head. He looked at me and shrugged, lower lip pouted, half-lidded. I looked at him in a concerning way and he sighed. He slipped through the covers and stood on the creaky wooden floorboards, then proceeding to grab his shoes from beneath the window. I did the same. I then opened the door and we walked out. Halfway to the mess-hall, Armin grabbed onto my arm, linking it with his. I bent my forearm and gently placed my hand on his shoulder. Once both of us entered the mess-hall, I toured him over to my usual table and sat him down. "I can get our food. There's no point in the both of us going when one person can get it all," I told him. He slumped his head in his arms and closed his eyes, not answering me.

I ignored the rude response and walked to the tray stack. Armin seemed depressed. I was beginning to regret letting him talk to me about his home life. It was all my fault. It wasn't fair that he had such a hard time. I didn't understand why that burden couldn't have been passed onto someone else. He absolutely didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve to be affected by it either. I piled some plates of food onto my tray and began making my way back to my table. I wished I could have done so much more for him, but in reality, I couldn't. All I could really do was offer my endless support.

Once I got to the table, I sat down, placing Armin's plate in from of him and mine before myself. "I'm going to go tell Eren that you're here with me," I informed him. "Thank you," he replied quietly. I analyzed the room and spotted Eren at the tray counter. I ran over to him and tried to make the encounter as casual as possible.

"Um, hey," I started. "Y/N," Eren said as he grabbed a tray. I followed him to the 'food line'. "I just wanted to let you know that Armin's gonna sit with me at my table," I announced, bracing for impact. "Okay, have fun," he said blandly. He didn't care. I felt kind of offended by his answer. It was as if he didn't care about Armin whatsoever. Sometimes I felt like he was just so rude to talk to. I walked away, rolling my eyes. The way his tone and words were put together just made me want to punch a wall.

Once I got back to my table, I sat down beside Armin. "You could have started eating," I stated. "Oh, okay," he murmured, raising his head tiredly. I dug into the poorly made mashed potatoes and dirt coveted carrots. Armin ate at a sluggish pace. By the time I and everyone else was finished, almost all of Armin's food still remained on his plate. "Why aren't you eating?" I asked him, taking the situation he was in too lightly. "I-I'm not that hungry. I just wanna go to sleep. Please," he pled, laying his head in his arms again. I put my hand on his back.

"Well, we should go then."

I agreed with him, even though I knew that I should have tried harder to get him to eat. He was already so thin. I stood up and so did he. The walk back to the cabin was pretty quiet. I could hear the crunching of the leaves being crushed beneath the soles of our shoes. The sky was a lighter shade of navy, casting the forest's shadows onto the ground. "Y/N. Can I-," Armin began, cutting himself off. He went completely silent, leaving me curious. "Y/N, would you let me stay another night?" he asked me. "What do you mean?" I questioned, looking over at him. "Can I stay in your cabin tonight? I don't think I can face my roommates like this. I don't want to be questioned about why I'm like this because I just can't tell them," he further explained.

"Sure, you can sleep in my cabin whenever you want. You don't need a reason because you're always welcome. No need to ask."

"T-Thanks."

We approached my cabin and walked up the stairs. I grabbed the doorknob and all of a sudden I was being tightly embraced from behind. I let go of the knob and placed my hands on Armin's. His voice began to break and I could tell he was starting to cry. I could feel his tears begin to drop onto my shoulders. "I don't feel good," he wept.

"I know, sweet boy. Let's go inside and you can sleep."

Armin loosened his grip around my torso, making his arms feel ribbon-like. I let us into the cabin and closed the door. I pulled up the covers on my bed and crawled underneath them, snuggling up to the wall to make some space for Armin. He slowly followed after me and immediately closed his eyes, relaxing.

I placed my hand on his cheek and felt the soft surface of it with my thumb. He opened his eyes, looking straight at me, and I gave him a pitiful smile. Then, closing his eyes, he moved closer to me, pulling himself close to my chest. I embraced him, wrapping my left arm around his back. It was relaxing listening to the sound of him breathing beside me. He was so soft and warm. His warmth was so comforting to me. During that moment, there was nothing else I enjoyed more than being there with him. Both of us fell asleep swiftly, in each other's embrace.