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“Armin, come to my office.” Pixis catches the sleeve of Armin’s green cloak, and Armin turns around to stare at Pixis’ soft gray moustache.
“I’m sorry. I can’t do this anymore,” Armin says. “I’m going to die because I’m weak. These may be the last moments that I will spend within these walls. I think it’s better if we left our goodbyes at--”
Pixis suddenly clamps a leathery hand over Armin’s small and soft mouth. “Shh… Don’t speak...”
A single tear slides down Pixi’s wrinkled cheek and Armin’s pupils dilate wildly from his touch. His little heart begins to pound.
“Commander..”
“No. Please... Just call me... Dot.”
Armin pauses for a moment, blushing. He cannot look into the pleading eyes of his Commander so his gaze falls to the floor “O-oh. Well, then, um, D-Dot!”
Pixis suddenly felt his entire face redden and he shivered pleasurably. Let it be known that it is not because of the alcohol this time. He feels a certain satisfaction bloom within his chest and this warm feeling began to rise in his bosom like hot air before all too suddenly dispersing into sprinkles of happiness that trickle down to his old toes like sweet lemonade.
“Come.” commands Pixis, as he eagerly guides his young and golden pet away by the small of his back.
But Armin pulls away and turns from his commander to hide his unshed tears that threaten to fall any moment at the sound of Pixis’- no Dot’s -voice. He immediately runs off before Pixis can lead him to his office. He knows that once he’s in there, there is no coming out. The last he sees of Pixis is of the elderly man reaching out before him, the last syllables of Armin’s name leaving his pruny lips, the top of his smooth bald head shining under the moonlight, reflecting the brilliance of their unspoken love.
He doesn’t turn back, because if he does, he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to leave.
“Dot,” he whispers into the chilly night air, letting those tears fall down his cheeks now that the commander is out of sight, “I will miss you. Don’t you forget that.”
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Armin lies on the cold hard ground with blood gushing from his chest. In the distance, he can hear Jean frantically calling for him but Armin is fading too fast to respond. He is now beginning his journey into the afterlife, an afterlife where he can watch Dot Pixis’ every action from the soft clouds above as his guardian angel. If only he could’ve seen Dot one last time...
Swirling memories of his beloved commander’s glistening scalp and warm, wrinkly smiles, linger in his mind and blurring vision. How could he forget them, especially at the last moments of his life? No. He’d never let them slip away. For they are the stars that have always guided him, even through his darkest moments.
Armin silently gazes up at the strangely clear and starry sky. Despite the pain from his wound and the knowledge of his imminent end, Armin is unable to keep himself from smiling when he notices that it’s a full moon tonight,. Full moons have always reminded him of Dot, the white, luminescent surface a perfect representation of that glassy, glistening scalp. At his final breath, he reaches for the moon - no, for Dot - and as his eyes close for the last time, he sees Dot smiling back at him.
~ Fin ~