The air is filled with dense, acrid smoke and Armin feels like he can't breathe. Eren and Mikasa stare at him, waiting for him to speak, putting their fates into his hands. It is too tense and he is under too much pressure; he can't think like this.

He looks at their expectant expressions and thinks I'll just have to think while I talk, then. He cannot let them down. That isn't an option.

"I could explain logically why you aren't a threat, Eren," he begins slowly. "In fact your existence would give the military a tactical advantage. The problem is that these people aren't thinking rationally. They're too overwhelmed with fear to make the logical decision."

Eren nods slowly, his eyes fixed on Armin's. "I understand. I'll have to leave then." His tone isn't disappointed, only resigned. Armin doesn't have to look to know the expression Mikasa will have, the stubborn set to her jaw, the hurt lurking in her eyes.

"But," Armin continues, "you can't leave us here, either."

"What? You have to stay, it won't be safe for you where I'm going!"

"Leave us behind if we can't keep up, but we're coming," Mikasa snaps.

Eren opens his mouth to argue back but Armin forces his voice to be heard over them both. "You can't leave us behind because it's not safe for us here." As he says the words, he knows they're true. Eren looks dumbfounded, like the possibility had never occurred to him, and Armin nods vehemently, knowing he's struck the one argument that can make him change his mind. Eren will not let his friends get hurt, especially not on his behalf.

"What do you mean?" Eren asks.

"If you escape and leave us behind, the military will just capture Mikasa and I," he explains. "They've already seen us with you, they've seen us trying to protect you. If you leave, they'll try to get information from us by any means they have available. Not even Mikasa can take down the hundreds of soldiers they'll send at us. Besides, you'll become a wanted criminal. How will you get the supplies you need if you can't get inside the walls? At the very least, you'll need gas to operate your manoeuvre gear. Outside the wall is Titan territory."

"But how would we escape?" he asks, frustrated. "I could turn into a Titan again, but it would make you two instant targets."

"Your nose is bleeding, Eren," Mikasa says. Eren looks at her in confusion and scrubs at his face with the hem of his shirt. It comes back smeared red with his blood. He hadn't even noticed. Armin looks at his ragged face, his sunken eyes, and the paleness of his complexion.

"I don't think you could transform again right now, even if you wanted to," Armin says. "It's taking a toll on your body. You need time to recover."

"So what are we supposed to do, then?" Eren demands. "It's the only way!"

The smoke is dissipating. Any minute it will be clear enough for the soldiers to aim. They need to leave, and they need to leave now. Armin talks low and fast. "We'll use the smoke to escape before it disappears completely. They're going to expect us to go over the wall. Instead, we'll follow the wall and circle around them. The time it takes for them to realize what we did will give us the time we need to get to one of the underground passages, which will lead us quickly to a different part of the wall."

"Where do we go from there?" Mikasa asks.

"There's no time to worry about that for now, so just follow me!"

Eren and Mikasa nod their understanding. The smoke is clearing and visibility is returning. Armin sees the captain raise his hand in signal. The soldiers ready themselves and, as his hand falls, there is the bang-bang-bang of rapid canon fire and the scent of gunpowder is in the air.

They are ready for it and dash away, to the side. As Armin had predicted, the majority of the fire had been directed at the evaporating Titan body and up the walls. It is easy to evade the rest. There is a moment of reprieve as the soldiers reload, and it is enough for them to get away.

Mikasa and Eren stick close behind him as they rush away, trusting him to lead them to safety. They enter the streets of the village, quiet and morose and still in mourning. No one was prepared for the sudden breach into Trost and the survivors are still in shock. The loud snick of their gear deploying and rewinding and the whoosh of spraying gas draws attention from civilians. They point and even from his vantage in the air, Armin can see their fear. Behind Wall Rose, many people have never seen soldiers at work before, but everyone knows it is illegal to use the gear in the city unless the Titans are attacking. He can't stop to reassure them, though, not with the military finally having recovered its bearings and pursuing them.

The next few moments are crucial to escaping successfully. They have a good lead on their pursuers, but they cannot be seen going underground or they will be surrounded when they emerge. Armin has never been the best at operating the manoeuvre gear, but he grits his teeth and knows that if he messes up, all three of them are done for. He pulls a tight turn around a corner and then goes right again immediately after, so that he is going the way he just came from, but on a different street. He lets the gear recoil and drops to the ground, curling his body to land in a roll.

He hears two thuds right behind him, and for a moment he is elated; all three of them made it here and landed safely. Still, he can't stop quite yet. He gives Mikasa and Eren a terse nod and then runs into the underground passage. The soldiers typically use these passages to quickly transport supplies to the walls. No one is here now, though. Everyone is at home with their families, or dead.

Their steps echo as they walk down the dank, dark corridor. They're too cautious to speak, but it is quiet and there are no signs that they were followed here. Armin's plan, so far, has worked.

They're lucky enough to come across a set of supplies, the condensed packages intended for trainees going on overnight camping trips. Armin, Mikasa, and Eren are familiar with them, having graduated not too long ago. It's a stroke of fortune; these things have gas canisters, food, tents – it'll be enough to support them for a while outside of the wall. They won't have to venture back inside for some time, enough time that the search for them will have died down.

There is no telling how much time has passed underground, but Armin is willing to bet that it's less than it feels like it has been. Mikasa edges out into the sunlight and Eren and Armin meet eyes while they wait. She's back soon, telling them that there are no soldiers in sight. The three of them leave the underground passage and are up and over the wall before anyone stops or questions them. This part of the wall is fairly far away from Trost; far enough that there are no Titans in sight, but not so far that they cannot hear the sound of canons firing. Trost is lost, but thus far, the Armored Titan hasn't shown up and the Inhabitants of Wall Rose are safe.

"We'll go to Tekkai, another outlying village like Trost was," Armin explains as he adjusts their course.

"Why there?" Eren asks.

"There's nothing special about it," he answers. "There's no reason for them to look for us there and we'll be safe behind the walls. Even if the Armored Titan shows up, if they continue to follow the pattern, they'll attack Wall Rose instead of another bait village. It'll take a few days to get there, though, so in the meantime we need to avoid being captured."

"Or eaten," Eren adds.

"Or eaten," Armin amends.

To get to Tekkai, they are forced to pass through a forest. It's as good as place as any; any one searching for them will have a hard time finding them in the foliage. If any Titans come after them, they'll have plenty of surfaces to use for manoeurvring. Armin, as the only one who knows where they're going, takes the lead. He calls them to a stop quickly, though, claiming exhaustion. Eren isn't fooled, though. He's seen the looks Mikasa and Armin have been sending to each other, and he knows they are stopping for his sake. He is reluctantly grateful for it. He'd never say anything about it, but he is very fatigued.

They stop and set up a miniature camp. Armin goes to collect some wood while they set up so that he can start a fire. "Should we take watches?" Mikasa asks.

Armin, ever sensible, shakes his head no. "We'd wake up from their footsteps long before they arrive anyway."

It isn't quite night yet, but it has been a long day. They've faced down Titans as soldiers for the first time today and they have each seen and faced death. They have watched their comrades die. Without much talk, the three of them mutually agree to head to sleep. They split into two tents, one for Armin and Eren and the other for Mikasa. The separation is for space constraints rather than for modesty, because Mikasa has none where they are concerned. These are her brothers whom she's known since the beginning of this new life. She's already taken off her jacket and is unbuckling the harnesses as she enters her tent.

Eren allows Armin to precede him into their shared tent. It's impossible to sleep comfortably in the leather harnesses. They're not necessarily difficult to put on or take off – it's a matter of arranging them properly and cinching the buckles at their waist, hips, thighs, knees, and ankles – but most people have discovered that it is certainly easier with someone else's help. Armin and Eren have gotten in the habit of helping each other in and out of it. Armin's sitting on the grassy floor, squirming as he tries to unbuckle the latches.

Without really thinking about it, Eren sits and draws him closer. He bats his hands away and replaces them with his own, experience allowing him to deftly find and undo the buckles quickly. Armin is obligingly still through the process except when he moves to give Eren access to the next latch.

When he's done, Armin shrugs out of the harness and sets it to the side. Then he turns to Eren to return the favor, climbing astride his legs for the best access. Armin pulls off Eren's jacket and goes to the first buckle, at his chest. Eren sighs, lies back and lets Armin manipulate his body. Now that he's finally had a moment of rest, he can recognize how truly tired he is, a bone deep weariness from the excitement of the day and the shock of transforming.

Armin works swiftly, his movements diligent and certain. His hands remain steady throughout. Eren has always liked his hands, their swiftness and their accuracy. He writes like a scholar or a professional; his handwriting is much more sightly than Eren's chicken scratch. His hands are confident, dexterous, nimble. They are soothing whenever they fall on Eren's body.

Armin helps him to shuck off the gear, but he doesn't stop there. His hands return and begin to unbutton Eren's shirt. Eren allows it; it's not the first time it's happened and frankly, Eren feels so tired he doesn't know if he'd have the will to do it himself. He takes off the shirt and Eren lounges comfortably under his friend's gaze. Again, it is not the first time Armin has seen this.

Armin shifts on his lap. His hands goes to his pants, undoes the belt and then the buckle. Eren realizes absent-mindedly that he's hard, but he can't be bothered to get embarrassed about it. He's a teenager, he gets boners at inopportune times and he's ignored them before. Armin either doesn't notice or doesn't care, but he doesn't mention it. If Armin's hand brushes against the bulge while he pulls down the pants, neither of them say anything about it.

"Get some rest," Armin tells him and it is a testament to how tired he is that he goes to lay down instead of resisting the order. He spares a look at his gear – it's supposed to be re-oiled after each usage. Armin catches his look. "It can wait until morning." Eren nods in agreement, more relieved than anything.

The packs they stole contain only blankets. The insulating sleeping bags are reserved for members of the Recon Corps, who are often away for weeks and months at a time. They need it more that trainees going on overnight trips, so they are left with ratty blankets that don't do much to keep out chills. Luckily, it's not too cold yet and it's even better once Armin divests himself of his clothes and adds his blanket to the pile.

Armin comes under the blankets when Eren's already halfway gone, drifting pleasantly on an ocean of exhausted bliss. He frowns sleepily. "You're cold," he murmurs. He draws Armin to his body, nestles his chest against Armin's back, wraps his arms around Armin's front, shifts until their legs are intricately intertwined.

"You have a fever," Armin corrects. Still, he does not make to escape Eren's grasp and they are still like that when they fall asleep.

They are still like that when they wake up the next morning, too, all wrapped within each other. Eren can tell from the way Armin is breathing that he's already awake and has been for quite some time. It says a lot that Eren slept in for so long; ever since his mother's death and his father's subsequent abandonment, Eren has been an incredibly light sleeper.

Eren remains still for a beat longer, inhaling deeply where his head is pressed into Armin's neck. It's meant to brace him for getting up, but instead he catches a long whiff of Armin's scent. He smells sweaty, but under that is the familiar scent of ink and nutmeg, the new woodsy scent that came from spending a night on the mossy ground.

Armin notices and laughs. "Good morning," he says fondly.

"Morning," Eren mumbles into his throat and presses an impulsive kiss into the skin there.

Armin pats the hand wrapped around his waist. "I always liked you best half-asleep." He pulls himself up, ignoring Eren's half-heartened groan of protest. "Come on," he says. He offers Eren a palm and drags him out of the tent. Armin waits a beat too long before letting go and Eren suddenly realizes this is the same arm that he lost saving Armin's life.

Mikasa is lounging on a felled log, in just an undershirt and panties to match the boys in their underwear. She nods to greet them without really looking in their direction, poking listlessly at the embers of last night's fire.

"There's a river this way," Armin says, gesturing. Eren has never been more grateful for his bookish friend. There aren't many books on geography to be found, but Armin has devoured every one he could possibly get his hands on and remembered it all. It has come in handy; Eren isn't sure how he ever thought he could survive on his own, without the two people closest to him. "We should probably all go at once. After, we can eat and head for Tekkai again."

Eren and Mikasa nod their approval of this plan. They return to their tents momentarily for clothes and then they follow Armin to the river. They strip out of their undergarments and enter the water. Eren remembers Jean's reaction to Mikasa, and her various suitors over the years. He doesn't see anything that interesting about her himself; objectively he can see that she has an attractive body, a cinched waist and nicely-shaped tits, but he doesn't see the attraction. All he sees when he looks at her is a sister and is a little weirded out by thinking of her as a sexual person.

Armin gets naked just as efficiently. He knows Armin's body, too; they've been friends too long to never have seen each other. There were communal baths at the military training, after all, and it would be a lie to say they never compared dick sizes. He's aware that he doesn't think of Armin the same way he thinks of Mikasa. It would be false to say he's not attracted to him, but it's okay. He's never acted on it and he's kept his hands to himself, and their relationship has never suffered for it. He's a teenager. He's a little attracted to anything and anyone.

Armin turns to him and lays a hand on his forehead. Eren feels a tug somewhere deep in his gut. He frowns and, for a moment, Eren thinks it's in response to his less than appropriate thoughts before he speaks. "You're still a bit feverish," he says.

Eren makes a noncommittal humming noise and turns away, heading into the water. In his haste, he trips on a stone worn slippery smooth from years of water running over its surface and lands face first in the river. It's freezing cold. It does wonders to wipe away any improper thoughts he may have been harboring and if his fever doesn't break after a bath in this, he's sure nothing will get his temperature down. Armin makes a noise that's half amusement and half concern and helps him up.

After they all bathe and clothe themselves, they return to their makeshift camp. Eren and Armin bring out their gear and begin the maintenance they'd skipped the night before: oiling the leathers, polishing the hinges, sharpening their dulled blades, and checking over the gear for imperfections. Mikasa, having done it the night before, slips away. She returns quickly with a couple of rabbits. She skins them and removes the entrails and when she's done, Armin sets it on the fire. It's a much nicer breakfast than military provisions would have been.

After they eat, the next hour is dedicated to deconstructing camp and erasing any trace that they had stopped there, just in case they are being tracked. Then they collect some water for the trip. There's a brief discussion over whether they should proceed by foot or with their gear. The manoeuvre gear will shave at least a day off of the trip, but they ultimately decide that they should preserve the gas in case they come across Titans. Furthermore, the sound might attract others, possible pursuers and Titans alike.

So they continue on foot, albeit wearing their harnesses so they can respond quickly to an emergency. They leave early in the morning (although it is late to them, having become accustomed to a military schedule) and continue walking until it's late in the evening. They forget to stop for food. It's not because they're not hungry, but when with everyone so hungry, they have learned to keep strict schedules where food is concerned so as to not over consume. However, it is hard to discern how much time has gone by. The canopy of leaves above their head is so dense that it blocks out nearly all light from the sun above. Everything is green, green, vibrant green. The plants, the bugs, even the few feeble rays of light that manages to get through appear green. It throws shadows onto their surroundings, makes them see things that aren't really there and puts them unnecessarily on edge.

It also, Eren quickly realizes, paints the people green. Mikasa, with her dark hair and dark eyes, gets away with only a little bit of color in her face, but it does wonders on Armin. His blonde hair is shadowed by green and his eyes are turned a darker, murkier shade of blue.

They finally stop when Eren confesses that he's needed to piss for the past several hours and everyone realizes just how late it's gotten. There is no game to be found tonight, so they eat the tasteless field rations and choke it down with water. They undo their3-D manoeuvre gear and begin their maintenance in each other's company, playing a silly word game to pass the time.

After, they retreat back to their tent, Armin and Eren get undressed. Eren doesn't have the excuse of tiredness or fever to have Armin in his arms, and he fights down the surge of longing he feels. It's okay, though, because when Armin joins him under the sheets, he presses himself against Eren without comment. They're face to face, chest to chest. Their breath mingles together and their bare skin presses against each other in too many places. There's no way Armin can miss his erection this time, because each time he shifts, he is brought into contact with it. He's not made uncomfortable though, and he doesn't leave. Armin puts his arms around Eren's back; Eren dares to let his hands go to Armin's tailbone, just above the swell of his butt.

Eren watches Armin's eyes shut, concealing his brilliant gaze, and feels his breath even out. He stares at the top of Armin's head for a while. He cannot remember when he falls asleep.

The next morning, after their bath, Armin continues debating the pros and cons of using their gear. His blonde hair is still wet, sending droplets of water cascading down his face whenever he moves. It is drying messily. For a moment, Eren forgets himself and he leans forward to brush Armin's damp bangs behind his ears. He freezes mid-word and turns to look at him; Eren can't fathom the thoughts reflected in eyes. He carefully avoids looking at Mikasa, who has a way of showing disapproval without saying much.

"I think we should take the chance," he says to cover himself. "We'll reach Tekkai in a few hours if we use the manoeuvre gear and it'll take us another day and a half by foot. The choice is clear."

"It's been two days and we haven't seen anyone following us," Armin says slowly.

"And who cares if a Titan comes?" Eren says. He grins, the slightly feral, slightly mad look he gets whenever he thinks about Titans. "Let them come! I'll kill every last one of them!"

Armin looks reluctantly convinced and looks to Mikasa. "If we can't handle it, then we'll just die," she says reasonably and that, against all odds, does seem to reassure him some.

There is a saying about famous last words, Eren reflects. He ought to have learned by know that opening his mouth never leads to good things.

Just as Armin had speculated it would, the sound of the gear catches the attention of the Titans in the vicinity. Soon after heading off, they hear the pounding thuds of Titan footsteps following. Their gear is faster than they are, so they attempt to keep ahead. If they can make it to Tekkai, they will be safe behind the walls unless the Colossal Titan shows up.

But some of the Titans pursuing them are Abnormalities, one that runs faster than the others and one with explosive jumps that propel him several meters at a time. These two catch up to them first and it is either fight or be eaten; really, there is no choice. Between the three of them, these two are quickly taken care of, but the pause has allowed the rest to catch up.

And this is what they failed to consider. It isn't one or two Titans after them; it isn't a group of them, like in Shiganshina or Trost; it is a swarm of them. This is Titan territory. They are far outnumbered. Mikasa is an excellent fighter and Armin comes up with brilliant tactics to hold them at bay, but they will be overwhelmed. Sooner or later, they will run out of gas or their blades will dull too much to be of any use and there will be still more Titans after them.

A 15-meter class tugs at Mikasa's wire, immobilizing her in midair. A 7-meter class plucks her out of the air. Eren can see her eyes widen with momentary fear before she collects herself and hacks at the Titan's hand, allowing her to drop to the ground. Eren slices away the nape of the 15-meter while Armin takes down the 7-meter, giving her time to catch her breath and launch back into the air.

That had been too close. They can't afford another close call like that. He puts his hand to his mouth and bites down hard, no hesitation. Thick, coppery blood flows into his lips and over his tongue, a taste that he despises but is beginning to be very familiar with. He waits a beat, two beats, but nothing happens.

Armin, up on a tree branch goes still. He is surrounded – a 7-meter on either side, a 15-meter behind him and Mikasa fighting another 15-meter in front of him. On the ground, two 4-meter class Titans wait, pawing at the trees and preventing him from escaping downward. Eren barely notices the Titan behind him, breathing down his throat and jaw opening wide. All he sees is Armin, frozen on the battlefield. He isn't shaking, the way he was the last time, but his eyes flicker to each side desperately. Eren knows that he sees no way out of this.

On auto-pilot, Eren wheels around the Titan on his trail, gets behind him and slices its neck open. Its blood arcs into the air, shimmers on his clothes and evaporates into so much smoke. Eren roars. He has to protect Armin.

He doesn't notice that he no longer has a human body. He doesn't notice anything at all. He has to get to Armin and everything else is a nuisance sent to distract him. He will get rid of all annoyances so he can get to Armin. He kicks aside the 3-meter clawing at his feet and advances, his eyes locked on the tree where Armin is.

It happens in a split second. One moment he is several meters away. He sees the 15-meter open its mouth, exhale putrid breath, and reach for Armin. The next, he is at the tree, the Titan's head is sailing through the trees, and his arm is smoking.

He turns to Armin and roars. Armin clings to the tree for balance, his blond hair whipping around him in the wind, droplets of spittle landing on his clothes. Then, cautiously, he steps off the branch. For a moment, he drops, but he lands safely in Eren's cupped palm. He scrabbles up Eren's good arm, the other still regenerating, and comes to a rest on one broad shoulder.

"Mikasa," Armin yells. His voice fades in and out. Eren can't quite make sense of the words. There is something he needs to remember. What is it? "Eren will get us out of here, come on!"

Another human lands in his line of sight. He screams at her. This is not Armin.

He feels Armin move from his shoulder and climb around to his face, hanging off his head so they could stare eye to eye. His presence is irritating, but he cannot bat this one away. He has to protect Armin, not hurt him.

"That's Mikasa!" Armin yells at him. "She's family! She's your family."

Eren tries to focus, tries to listen to Armin's words, but it is like tuning into a bad radio station; all he gets is static and confusion. "Mikasa?" he tries.

"That's right, Mikasa," Armin repeats firmly. "Family. She's your family, just like me. The three of us, we're a family. We've got no one else. Do you remember?"

"Family," Eren repeats. "Family."

"You love her, just like I love you," Armin tells him. Eren tries to focus on his words, certain they're important. "I love you. Do you remember that?"

Eren stares at him and then shifts his gaze to the girl. He kneels, lets his hand fall palm up and waits for her to hop on. Then he raises himself back up, sets her down on his shoulder. There's something he needs to remember. He needs to do something. He turns and looks back into the fray. There are Titans, just like him, all around. He needs to do something. He opens his mouth and howls at them, a roar that can be heard miles away and cows the smaller ones into submission.

"That way!" Mikasa yells in his ear, pointing. That's right, Eren remembers. He needs to escape. But there are Titans in the way.

As if they sense him hesitate, he hears a series of thunks in his back as they secure themselves to his body with their manoeuvre gear. Satisfied, he turns in the direction Mikasa indicated. There's a Titan in his way, but it's slow, stupid. He kicks it in the shin and it goes falling like an anchor in water, overcome by gravity. He stomps on its neck; its head separates with a sickening squelch, but Eren can't pay any attention to that right now. There is another in its place already.

So he kicks and he punches and he fights like he's never fought before. At some point, he goes crashing to the ground but he struggles back to his feet and continues ahead. They've reached the edge of the forest. This is good, Eren thinks vaguely. He's pretty sure this is a good thing.

"They've stopped!" Armin shouts. Eren supposes it's true, or Armin would not have said it. He takes a moment to look behind him. The Titans have indeed stopped – not a single one takes a step out of the forest. They cover their eyes, making moaning sounds, groaning like they're in pain, but they stay in the forest.

Eren turns back around and continues walking, taking step after trudging step away from the forest and the Titans and the danger. He's got to escape. He's got to keep walking. He falls to his knees. He struggles to get up again, but he cannot. His vision is blinking away, going black at the edges.

"We've got to cut him out," he hears, but the voice is muddled, like his head is stuck under several gallons of water. And then he's gone.