Warning: This story has some spoilers from the manga, but I myself have not read them yet. This does not take place during the "second season", but I have gathered some knowledge from a friend who has read the mangas, and I plan to incorporate those spoilers into here. I have watched the anime, so it is based mostly on that.
Armin shook his head, hands placed on his temples as he did so. It was just an accident. Armin couldn't process the fact that his entire military career he had strived for might soon topple to the ground. Eren and himself had always fantasized over leaving the ominous cage. They still had yet to do so, but Armin never would be able to. He always wanted to go see the world with Eren and Mikasa, but now, he'd always have to stay inside the safety of the wall. It was all because he had been violated all those months ago.
/
Armin was never able to forget a single detail of the occurrence. For what reason Reiner had to do this, he didn't know. The two had simply been leaving their classes when Reiner had asked him for a favor. Armin, being the considerate person he was, accepted.
This was one of the biggest mistakes of his life.
Reiner led him to a broom closet, in a hallway away from where the other students were. Armin had followed wearily, unaware of this infamous "favor" his classmate was asking from him. He walked very close behind, tension growing with every silent moment the two walked.
When they arrived at their location, Reiner opened the closet without any explanation of what might be inside. He held his arm out, gesturing for Armin to go inside. He hesitated at first, but finally walked inside of the small space. The moment he did so, Reiner shut both himself and Armin inside, locking the door behind him.
Reiner instantly forced Armin against a wall, covering his mouth so he couldn't yell. Armin had fear radiating out of his eyes, beginning to put the pieces together. He hit Reiner's arms, attempting to escape his tight hold, but failed due to lack of physical strength. Reiner unzipped both his and Armin's pants, a tear's gathering in Armin's tear ducts as he continued to struggle. Armin stayed completely conscious the entire time. He gave up trying to get loose after awhile, and just cried silently as it happened.
After about a half hour, Reiner finally stopped, leaving Armin as quickly as possible. He rushed out of the broom closet, turning back for just a moment to face Armin.
"Tell no one," he said.
Armin stood in the corner Reiner had left him in, shaking with fear, completely nude. He looked down at his pile of clothes, covered in evidence this had happened to him. Armin let out a sob, falling down the wall of the closet, knees against his face and arms wrapped around his shins. He let the tears come, he let them stream down his face. Armin stayed there for a long while, longer than he bothered to count. Eventually, he looked back at his clothing.
Armin unwrapped his arms and legs and picked up the heap of clothing Reiner had thrown on the ground. When he touched them, he was barely able to hold them, entire body shaking viscously. It was like touching something he wasn't meant to. He felt guilty even holding it. It reeked of sex, something he didn't want there. Armin yelled and threw the clothes at the opposite side of the wall as hard as he could. The motion had caused him to fall over to his side, only his left arm blocking him from the cold ground. Armin let the arm come to side, making him fall to the floor, lying on his stomach. He brought the left arm over and grabbed his right hand, bring it close to his chest. Armin was now in a curled up position on his side, sobbing, unsure of what to do next.
/
Eren and Mikasa walked to their next class, wondering where Armin was. He hadn't been in history, which was a class he tended to be quite interested in. Eren still had been a part of the Survey Corps, but decided that he'd rather stay with his friends and take a few months for a breather before going after his father's basement.
"Where do you think Armin is? He would never skip a class, especially history. He's risking expulsion," Eren asked Mikasa.
She shrugged and replied quietly, "I'm not sure. I'm sure he's fine."
Eren had a bad feeling, but decided to shrug it off like Mikasa, who was normally right on point. Armin would be back by the next class. The truth was, Mikasa actually wasn't sure. She had the same panicked feeling as Eren, but chose to keep it hidden so Eren wouldn't worry. It turned out, he wasn't at the next class.
He began to feel a ton of anxiety over where his best friend was. There was no reason he could think of that Armin had to skip class. Maybe he had gotten into trouble, like he had back on the day of the fall of Shiganshina. Eren was getting quite worried, wanting to abandon Mikasa and the class to go find him. Unfortunately, he knew Mikasa would never let him do that, and Eren always had eyes on him. Skipping a class could be very damaging.
When they left the academy that day to go to the cabins, Eren and Mikasa searched everywhere for their best friend. They assumed he had been called by a headmaster, and expected him to be there soon. He never showed up
/
A bird began to chirp, the sun started to rise. An instructor came by every cabin to wake everyone up. When he reached Eren's cabin, woke with a start, suddenly remembering the thing (or person, rather) he had fallen asleep thinking about: Armin. After the instructor left, Eren stood and got down from his bunk bed and looked under. The cot was empty. He ran out of the cabin where the other sleepy scouts were adjusting to the fact that they had to face another day of classes that were meaningless to them.
Eren rushed into the cabin Mikasa was sleeping in, but the cabin was already wide-awake… and getting dressed. Every female screamed when Eren ran in. Mikasa was already fully clothed, so Eren didn't feel overly embarrassed.
"Mikasa," he said, still catching his breath. "Armin is still missing."
She studied his face for a moment before nodding slightly. She walked behind him to go locate the instructor about their predicament, but it was too late. It was time for everyone to leave their cabin and report to a roll-call.
Maybe they'll take notice when they realize Armin is missing, Eren thought. He was sure Mikasa was thinking the same thing.
The camp gathered in front of a podium, where and instructor was listing names, and yelling back, "プレゼント！(Present!)" After three or four names were called, "Arlert Armin?" was projected through the small crowd. Silence was the only reply. "Is Arlert Armin present?" the woman calling names asked one last time. She made eye contact with Eren and Mikasa, who both shook their heads at her. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked to a man who looked official. He gathered a few men and took Eren and Mikasa aside while the rest of role-call took place.
They asked them a few questions, like "When was the last time you saw him?" Of course they answered, "At the academy." The man turned to his group and prepared to go to the school. Mikasa caught wind of what was happening and grabbed the man's arm.
"We're coming with you." She looked him right in the eye and he could tell she wasn't kidding. He hesitated for a moment, but let them come.
/
Armin had fallen asleep in that position, deciding Eren and Mikasa would come for him sooner or later. When his frail body wouldn't let him move, even after the last bell had rung, he just fell asleep.
/
All morning classes had been cancelled. The group of men, followed by Eren and Mikasa, began their search through the school. Classrooms were turned upside down, other rooms ripped apart. With other students, they may not have made such a big deal, but Armin was a definite asset of the team. Eren and Mikasa were beginning to lose hope of finding their best friend in the school when a man yelled something indistinct to a fellow searcher. The two ran with the rest of the group to this man's location.
When they managed to fight to the front of the tiny crowd, Eren covered his mouth in surprise of what he saw. Mikasa only stood still. There was Armin, laying naked in a fetal position on the floor. There was evidence on his face of previous crying, as his eyes were red and puffy. There was some scattered clothing on the ground, covered in something Eren didn't want to think about. The entire group gasped and Mikasa and Eren moved into the closet, frantically trying to lift Armin out. Armin woke almost immediately, and began bawling again at the memory of what had occurred.
The entire situation was chaos. Mikasa and Eren struggled to carry Armin somewhere where he wouldn't attract to much attention from the other students. The very last thing they wanted to do was embarrass him more than he already had been. All the while, Armin began to only sob quietly, tears still streaming, shaking violently.
/
Armin awoke in a cot in a sunny open tent. There were more cots around him, all empty. When Armin looked to his right, Mikasa and Eren were sitting at chairs talking quietly, not paying too much attention to the fact that he was moving. All of a sudden, the memories came back, causing his eyes to widen. He looked down at his body, relieved to discover that he was wearing a new uniform. He shifted slightly, quickly discovering there was still pain left over.
Armin whimpered, causing Eren and Mikasa to notice his consciousness. They both quickly hurried to the edge of his bed and Armin got to the edge of tears once again.
"How long has it been?" he asked.
Eren smiled a little and replied, "It's only been a few hours since we found you. It's about 13:15."
Armin looked him into the eyes without smiling back and nodded.
"Are you okay? We heard you were-" Eren wouldn't say it out loud. "Who did this to you?" He asked in a very serious tone.
Armin's eyes were beginning to fill once again. "I can't say," he answered, voice breaking.
Eren looked him straight in the eyes. "Tell me who so I can kill that low-life!" he exclaimed.
Mikasa placed a hand on Eren's shoulder. "Eren, don't."
Eren turned around at her with an angered glare, and Mikasa didn't change her expression at all. Armin held his breath for a moment before he began to weep. It wasn't loud, it wasn't full of tears. It was just some quiet sounds and a few tears at a time. Armin covered his face. Eren and Mikasa turned back to their mutual friend and exchanged soulful glances. Eren grabbed Armin's hands away from his face and they looked directly in each other's eyes.
"It'll be okay," Eren said, face inches away from Armin's. Armin nodded shakily, using one hand to wipe tears from his face. Eren smiled, causing Armin to do the same. Their foreheads touched for a long moment. Eren was the one person Armin knew he could fully trust.