[Armin’s not on the couch and Eren’s not there. He’s on a swingset, and it’s sunny outside. There’s a faint echo of kids laughing; if he looks around, he’ll see a whole playground. Boys he won’t recognize, Kel and Basil, are digging up worms and sifting through flowers; Mari talks with Hero (Kel’s older brother; the family resemblance is clear, even as shadows) at a bench, technically watching the younger crowd, but mostly engrossed in their conversation.
[There are two swings. On the other, Aubrey is still across from him; about 12 now, maybe younger. He’s seen her.]
You know, don’t tell Kel this, but… Before I met you guys, I didn’t really fit in anywhere. Even Basil… well, he won’t let me talk for hours and hours like you do.
[She rocks the swing a little. Not enough to go anywhere, just an idle, uncertain movement.] Do you think we’ll be friends forever?
Edited (title number + slight rephrase) 2023-12-03 22:05 (UTC)
[Armin has seen memories, scenery changes, etc. before. He's even seen a facsimile of Aubrey at around this age, but...he's never actually gotten the opportunity to talk to this younger version. It's more than a little jarring, but her question - her confession - is so earnest, that he forces his face to soften out of shock.]
Of course we will. [How could he do anything but reassure her right now?] I promise.
Really? [Her face (which she does have, by the way, in full) brightens.] Thanks. You’re a really good friend.
[A muffled “whoa!” from the shadow boys; seems they dug up something really interesting. Kel jumps to his feet and hurries to the older two, Basil chasing helplessly.]
[Aubrey’s brow pinches, watching them run off.] You’re not just saying that, right? I won’t get too upset if you are… I know everyone leaves eventually.
[Oof. It's not an unfamiliar sentiment, sure; Armin knows well enough the temporary nature of people that he loves. Still, in a context such as this - someone choosing to leave instead of being taken--
[Well. He knows that pain pretty well too.]
I did say it was a promise, remember?
I'd like to be your friend forever, Aubrey. Even if we have to be apart sometimes. I'd never forget you.
[Considering Armin's been literally shot in the face before, the pinky feeling as though it's been torn off certainly isn't the worst thing he's ever felt (Eren leaving was worse, for example). Still, it definitely hurts, and it's certainly shocking. Once they're both back in the living room, and Aubrey is back to normal, Armin can't wipe the shock off of his face.
[He flexes his pinky a couple of times, one hand gripping the other.]
[Swingset. Consuming blackness. A promise.... Aubrey’s expression tenses with recognition. The finger part, less so, but she has a guess....]
You know… I used to talk with my friend Sunny on a swingset. [How’s he doing, she wonders… it’s anyone’s guess, even with those last three days. For all Aubrey liked to think otherwise, he might’ve been closer to Basil in the end than anyone.]
He’s a good listener… [He is. She can’t bring herself to use past tense.] I talked to him about things I never told anyone else.
[Before the world can force it:] That question, about whether I’m clingy— yeah. I think I always have been.
[Her eyes wander down to her hands. A pinky promise… she’d always been afraid to ask.] I’ve always needed people more than they needed me.
[Aubrey falls apart. She throws an arm around him, the other still tight and shaking around Eren, and leans into Armin as she sobs.
[Her heart aches. This outpouring of love… god, for all she’s been told otherwise, she still feels like she doesn’t deserve it. But she takes it, clings to it like a lifeline, drowns herself in it. What else is she supposed to do? She cares for them terribly—Eren Jaeger, Armin Arlert; everyone else she’s searched for here; and everyone this world has made her leave behind. And there’s so many…
[Fuck! She misses them! She misses her new friends who she never let in, promised she’d see tomorrow. She misses Sunny’s soft stare, how he swung as she talked to the point where she wasn’t sure if he was listening or not anymore, but it was okay, because he was outside and she could talk to him again. She misses Hero’s cheery optimism, the way his young adult dorkishness always shone through no matter how much he grew up, the stupid winks and assurances that said he had it all figured out when none of them really did. She misses Kel’s jokes and gags and teases, fumbling over himself to make a point, forgetting what’s important sometimes but always bouncing back; how he was so, so sure they’d be together, this time. She misses Mari’s song. She misses Basil. Basil, Basil, Basil, Basil, Basil.]
I’m sorry. [They’re in his house, and it’s empty.] I’m sorry....
[Armin doesn't have a strong understanding of who Basil is, but he does know who grief is. They've been walking hand in hand for years now.
[He holds her, pulling her head down against his chest with a hand to the back of it. He takes care not to disturb her bow. It reminds him a bit of Mikasa's scarf, the way Aubrey is always wearing it...]
I know...I know. [It's a soft whisper, soothing.]
It's alright, Aubrey. Just let it out...It's alright.
[In moments like this, breath jagged and heaving, nothing feels alright; like nothing will ever be alright again. And yet—Armin’s soft whispers, Eren pressing close to her as much as she can, her head on his chest. She wants it to be alright. She wants it more than anything.
[Armin’s care with her bow is noticed, too. He’s always been so good with her, even when she snapped at him; she remembers holding him at the beach, before he and Eren reunited… if that brought him just a drop of the comfort he’s giving her now....
[It’s a while before Aubrey can pull herself together enough to talk; even when she does, it’s choked.] Y-you know… what you said to me, when we met.
[She pulls back just enough to speak; but keeps Armin held close. She doesn’t want him to let go.] Dreams. Stories. Laughter. [It echoes, too, for Eren.]
[She's in so much pain - such terrible, terrible pain. Armin wills himself not to cry. This isn't about him. For once, they're focused on Aubrey. It's what she deserves.
[He doesn't let go of her when she pulls away. He won't until she tells him to.]
Yeah...? [It's a somewhat surprising revelation, but...he's glad.]
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2/2
[Armin’s not on the couch and Eren’s not there. He’s on a swingset, and it’s sunny outside. There’s a faint echo of kids laughing; if he looks around, he’ll see a whole playground. Boys he won’t recognize, Kel and Basil, are digging up worms and sifting through flowers; Mari talks with Hero (Kel’s older brother; the family resemblance is clear, even as shadows) at a bench, technically watching the younger crowd, but mostly engrossed in their conversation.
[There are two swings. On the other, Aubrey is still across from him; about 12 now, maybe younger. He’s seen her.]
You know, don’t tell Kel this, but… Before I met you guys, I didn’t really fit in anywhere. Even Basil… well, he won’t let me talk for hours and hours like you do.
[She rocks the swing a little. Not enough to go anywhere, just an idle, uncertain movement.] Do you think we’ll be friends forever?
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- is so earnest, that he forces his face to soften out of shock.]
Of course we will. [How could he do anything but reassure her right now?] I promise.
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Really? [Her face (which she does have, by the way, in full) brightens.] Thanks. You’re a really good friend.
[A muffled “whoa!” from the shadow boys; seems they dug up something really interesting. Kel jumps to his feet and hurries to the older two, Basil chasing helplessly.]
[Aubrey’s brow pinches, watching them run off.] You’re not just saying that, right? I won’t get too upset if you are… I know everyone leaves eventually.
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[Well. He knows that pain pretty well too.]
I did say it was a promise, remember?
I'd like to be your friend forever, Aubrey. Even if we have to be apart sometimes. I'd never forget you.
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Wow! Never? [The smile returns—and stays, this time.] Never ever? Never never never, ever~? [It’s extremely childish.]
[She holds out a pinky.] Then I hope we’ll always stay together, no matter what!
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Me too, Aubrey.
Do you know what Eren always said about pinky promises?
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[Her hook is stronger, tighter than a kid’s has any right to be. Unclear if that’s a trick of the universe or not; she looks perfectly relaxed.]
What?
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[And he leans in, lightly biting his own.]
1/2
[She giggles. Thumb bite in three, two—]
2/3 I lied
[—one. The girl explodes into a swarming mess of pitch black scribbles, consuming the scene.]
[Armin will feel as though his pinky’s being ripped off.]
3/3
[They’re back on the couch.]
…Yeah. Ah guesh ah’m [“I guess I’m”]—
[She spits out her thumb, confused.]
Are you okay?
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(Eren leaving was worse, for example). Still, it definitely hurts, and it's certainly shocking. Once they're both back in the living room, and Aubrey is back to normal, Armin can't wipe the shock off of his face.[He flexes his pinky a couple of times, one hand gripping the other.]
Am I-- Are you okay?
What...was that?
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I was just…
[Okay. Clearly something happened; Aubrey doesn’t remember hooking their fingers like that, or her thumb in her teeth. Is this how Eren felt…?]
[She frowns, concerned.] You got pulled away from here, didn’t you?
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[She doesn't remember?
[Was she there at all?]
I think...It was almost like a memory, but...
You were there. You were younger. We were on some sort of swing, promising to stay friends...
[Does he tell her about the next part? How everything went black? The pain?]
Something strange happened...
We were...consumed, almost, by this blackness. We had our pinkies hooked, but in that moment, it almost felt like mine was being torn off.
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[Swingset. Consuming blackness. A promise.... Aubrey’s expression tenses with recognition. The finger part, less so, but she has a guess....]
You know… I used to talk with my friend Sunny on a swingset. [How’s he doing, she wonders… it’s anyone’s guess, even with those last three days. For all Aubrey liked to think otherwise, he might’ve been closer to Basil in the end than anyone.]
He’s a good listener… [He is. She can’t bring herself to use past tense.] I talked to him about things I never told anyone else.
[Before the world can force it:] That question, about whether I’m clingy— yeah. I think I always have been.
[Her eyes wander down to her hands. A pinky promise… she’d always been afraid to ask.] I’ve always needed people more than they needed me.
[And it tears them apart.]
1/2
Eren and I.
We couldn't imagine life without you now. I know Eren agrees.
2/2
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[She tears up immediately.]
I… I love you, too. [A reach for their hands, one in each.] Both of you. [And a squeeze.]
[I need you. I trust you. I love you.] So much....
[And I miss them.]
1/3
[They don't have to be dating for that to be true.]
2/3
"Behold my vow."
3/3
I'm sorry, Aubrey. It's hard. [He leans over to wrap his arms around her if she'll let him.]
It's so hard...
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[She allows it.
[Aubrey falls apart. She throws an arm around him, the other still tight and shaking around Eren, and leans into Armin as she sobs.
[Her heart aches. This outpouring of love… god, for all she’s been told otherwise, she still feels like she doesn’t deserve it. But she takes it, clings to it like a lifeline, drowns herself in it. What else is she supposed to do? She cares for them terribly—Eren Jaeger, Armin Arlert; everyone else she’s searched for here; and everyone this world has made her leave behind. And there’s so many…
[Fuck! She misses them! She misses her new friends who she never let in, promised she’d see tomorrow. She misses Sunny’s soft stare, how he swung as she talked to the point where she wasn’t sure if he was listening or not anymore, but it was okay, because he was outside and she could talk to him again. She misses Hero’s cheery optimism, the way his young adult dorkishness always shone through no matter how much he grew up, the stupid winks and assurances that said he had it all figured out when none of them really did. She misses Kel’s jokes and gags and teases, fumbling over himself to make a point, forgetting what’s important sometimes but always bouncing back; how he was so, so sure they’d be together, this time. She misses Mari’s song. She misses Basil. Basil, Basil, Basil, Basil, Basil.]
I’m sorry. [They’re in his house, and it’s empty.] I’m sorry....
[She lost him long before he died.]
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[He holds her, pulling her head down against his chest with a hand to the back of it. He takes care not to disturb her bow. It reminds him a bit of Mikasa's scarf, the way Aubrey is always wearing it...]
I know...I know. [It's a soft whisper, soothing.]
It's alright, Aubrey. Just let it out...It's alright.
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[In moments like this, breath jagged and heaving, nothing feels alright; like nothing will ever be alright again. And yet—Armin’s soft whispers, Eren pressing close to her as much as she can, her head on his chest. She wants it to be alright. She wants it more than anything.
[Armin’s care with her bow is noticed, too. He’s always been so good with her, even when she snapped at him; she remembers holding him at the beach, before he and Eren reunited… if that brought him just a drop of the comfort he’s giving her now....
[What if she’d talked about it, back then?]
[It’s a while before Aubrey can pull herself together enough to talk; even when she does, it’s choked.] Y-you know… what you said to me, when we met.
[She pulls back just enough to speak; but keeps Armin held close. She doesn’t want him to let go.] Dreams. Stories. Laughter. [It echoes, too, for Eren.]
I… remember that a lot.
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[He doesn't let go of her when she pulls away. He won't until she tells him to.]
Yeah...? [It's a somewhat surprising revelation, but...he's glad.]
It really is true. There's always something...
And it matters. It matters a lot.
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