The first strike
Armin wasn't really sure how he felt about the fact that Eren could do that kind of harm to another human being. He really only saw the nice and playful side of him while they always together doing something or even the helpful side but never the white hot rage he didn't even know that Eren could be like that. Eren kind of scared him, or at least that part of him did, but he also had a good reason for doing what he did. To save Mikasa that was his goal and he accomplished it, not in the most ethnical way but he did it.
Armin had been wrestling with this for quite a while now. Eren was his best friend but he was also apparently violent although Armin knew Eren would never hurt him he was still slightly scared of him.
After careful sweep of the house to make sure everything was clean and tidy Armin headed out so he could get some fish for dinner tonight. He enjoyed the quite walk down and was quite peaceful with being alone for once. Or at least he was until Dameion showed up and threw him against a wall shouting he was a heretic again.
"Come on Armine, fight back!" He demanded. Purposefully making Armins name into a girls name.
"If I do that than I'm no better than the beasts like you. " Armin retorted.
"Don't you believe in the weak standing up for themselves or are you too scared to do even that? Maybe you shouldn't havce left without your bodyguard, huh?" Dameions response to Armin was weak, calling him weak Armin knew he was weak physically but mentally hge knew that's where his strength lied. His grandfather told him so.
"Actually I do. I'd rather take a few hits than sink to your level. You're only resorting to physical abuse because you can't wrap your tiny minds around the fact that there is a better place than what theses walls could ever give us. You are too scared to want to see more, you're content with living as cattle. Herded and fattened up for whenever these walls break and the titans consume you. Everyone walks around in a hazy stupor because they all believe that these walls will hold forever."
Armin could see the rage in Dameions face build be it from Armin talking back or Armin saying words thst he'll never understand, he didn't know. What he did know is he needed to escape. Before he could even move a muscle he was thrown against the wall again.
"You won't be so smart if we bash your head into this wall hard enough." Dameion threatened.
"Hey look who came to join in this, Eren." Harold spoke up.
"Save him for me!" Dameion called out.
"Oh sh-, Mikasa is with him, run!" Harold said as he turned around and started sprinting home. Once Armin was let go he fell to his knees and felt himself shaking.
"Ha one look at me and they were running away with their tails tucked between them they were scared of me, Yea!" Eren said to no one in particular.
"Well one of you is scary."
"Hey Armin are you all right? Where did they hurt you? Here let me help you." Eren reached his hand out to help Amrin up but he just ignored it entirley and stood up on his own.
"Yeah, I'm good"
The three walked to the river running through town and sat around. Mikasa was sitting on the stairs and Eren sat on the ridge talking with Armin in hushed tones;
"They just can't accept that these walls won't keep us safe forever one day /they/ will get through.
The ground shook so hard they were thrown up into the air. Next thing they all knew, there were titans and rocks were being thrown everywhere. Armin stood and saw Eren running towards his house and Armin wanted to help but he was too scared...
Next thing Armin knew his grandfather grabbed his hand and ran with him towards the boats. After what seemed like forever Armin saw Eren and Mikasa being pushed on to the boats with the look of pure hatred and sadness. Once they were all on the boats and set off Armin went and sat with them, his grandfather followed suit.
Eren made a big spwel about killing off them because he lost his mother which Armin thought was brave but he also saw it as pointless the titans out-ranked humankind on the food chain. Armin didn't lose anyone physically but he had lost his dream of the outisde world. HE never thought a titan would be like that. He always thought of them as mindless beasts not ruthless killing machines...
The next day they had arrived inside Wall Rose and were thrown into a old storage facility. Armin woke up and saw his grandfather walking towards them with three small bread roles for them.
"Here Armin, these are for you and your friends."
"What about you grandpa, did you already eat something?"
"Don't worry about me Armin, you guys need to eat something more than I do. I'll eventually be titan fodder with all these refugees coming in."
"Grandpa don't be like that, they don't want to see and old man hurt." Armin said as he flashed a smile to him and went off to his friends.
/I don't know who to tell him that yes they will hurt an old man.../
I am really fed up with Eren's anger at this point, Armin had given them the bread and somehow Eren had gotten into a fight with yet another person and at that a soldier. Armin had talked down the soldier so that Eren wouldn't get worse than the punch to the face. Even after all that Eren called him a /parasite/. Armin knew he was really angry and upset but still he shouldn't have taken it out on him.
Over the next few days Armin saw the number of refugees being diminished and after three days his grandfather had come up to him and told him that the king is making him go out and fight...