#au eren battle royale | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

ackerfics · 4 years ago

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so this is love — annie leonhart

— annie leonhart x female reader

— request by anon: I kinda have a request. How about royal au? Where 2 kingdoms are at war with each other, and reader is the heir of the throne of one kingdom (but they’re not the spoiled type of heir, more like the solider one?) and then the kingdoms decided a truce. Reader will have to marry the heir of the other kingdom which is Annie. Idk maybe those arranged marriages that they never get along at first? Kinda like they were enemies bc they never get along until some development of feelings happen along the way. Maybe Annie will realize that she has feelings when reader got injured since they’re a soldier

— warnings: mentions of war, slight angst if you squint, just two idiots falling in love with each other :))

— summary: you were sent off to another kingdom as a sign of a truce, promising to yourself that the engagement is close to death at how you got off on the wrong foot with your betrothed. it was hell at first but who knows? maybe, unbeknownst to you, the two of you are a match made by the gods.

— word count: 7.5k

— author’s notes: i am so sorry this came out so long :((( we just finished our exams and we have a case study to write as our midterm for a subject. i hope this will still quench your annie fic cravings. and by the way, i fashioned the kingdom of idylle to mondstadt because genshin impact is my stress reliever right now and a kingdom built upon freedom sounds like a gem. plus, the glass castle of the reader is based off of the castle of cinderella, which is the reason for the title hhhhhh happy reading !!!

so this didn’t appear in the tags so i reposted it :”(((

Corsets were abominations that needed to be burned.

The girl with your features staring at you from the mirror was someone you couldn’t recognize from all the preparations your chambermaid did on your figure. The make-up was appalling and thick that you could see a smear on the back of your hand when you tried rubbing your itching nose. Your hair was done in a half up-do with too many decorative pins sticking out, creating a makeshift crown of silver roses, one of the symbols of your kingdom. The dress your mother expected you in was straight-up ridiculous, you couldn’t move from the tightness of the corset and the heaviness of your skirts was hindering you from moving freely. You couldn’t even deny that it was a lovely gown but its inconvenience was irking you at the slightest turn or stretch.

Dressing up this lavishly was rare for you, the Crown Princess of the kingdom boring flags of silver and lilac. You very much preferred the heaviness of your armor and your title as one of your kingdom’s Commendatore rather than the ladylike image your mother has been forcing you on the past few weeks.

You were livid when your parents renounced from the ten-year war that was purging the continent with just a sign on a piece of paper — one that included your name and your honor. Everything was brutal, carnage dotting every town and village of the two kingdoms throwing spears and fire cannons, and you witnessed it all firsthand when you started being one of your kingdom’s soldiers four years ago — a sixteen-year-old girl throwing orders that gave you an advantage from your enemies wearing the crest of the kingdom that painted your lands a heart-wrenching red. Of all solutions that your parents and the other kingdom could come up with, it involved you in the most unacceptable way possible. Officially entering your twenties this year, your parents thought it necessary to offer you as a bride that signified peace to the warring nation right beyond the border. The idea made your vision red, an outburst coming out of your mouth mere seconds after the proposal was announced in the council meeting.

A soldier, a knight, a commander — that’s what you are.

Not some forsaken young woman ready to be shipped off to your rival nation because it was the only way out of this bloody mess.

You had no choice.

The only way for you to grasp the final moments in your kingdom was relishing the touches of the chambermaid and taking in the décor of your room — the small trinkets scattered on your nightstands, the books you escaped to, the jewelry that boasted the colors of your family, and the stuffed animals your nanny sewed for you when you were a toddler. You closed your eyes and let the feathery fingers of the people around you lull you into a prayer for the gods in their celestial thrones, asking for their blessing in this far travel. In the middle of reciting an ode dedicated to the goddess of divine bravery, you felt a cool pendant carefully slide over your collarbones.

Your mother’s face appeared beside the watery princess of the mirror, a forced smile pulling on the corners of her lips. Your distinctly colored irises flickered down on the necklace your mother placed upon the exposed parts of your body. It was a flower-pressed necklace, the gold plate carefully protecting the flower representing your birth. The golden chain holding the necklace together was so thin that you worried for a moment that the fragile piece of jewelry might break in less than an hour while you meet your partner-to-be. You met your mother’s gaze in the mirror — from a chivalrous princess of armor to a dignified queen ruling within a land of eternal spring.

“You look so beautiful,” your mother breathed your name, holding your arms tightly against her ring-adorned hands. Tears blossomed her eyes, trickling down her cheeks akin to the lavender flowers’ petals of the large white tree in your backyard. “You look like the queen you were supposed to be.”

You tried smiling but your wobbly lips made you falter. You can only purse your lips in a tight, flat smile as you face your mother, face set in a kind expression. “Please don’t cry, Mother,” you murmured, placing your palm on top of hers, squeezing it for reassurance. “They wouldn’t do anything to me.”

They, meaning the kingdom you were at war with, the nation that claimed they needed a bride for their Crown Heir. In your world, there was freedom even in marriage — with the kingdoms pairing their sons with the sons of their enemies all for the sake of a truce, especially if the two of them were firstborns. This is very much your situation at the moment. The kingdom of Idylle was a beautiful haven of songs dedicated to the god of the winds, very contrasting to their military power that could take down a good number of your soldiers. You heard stories from some villages in your nation that Idylle was a hoax, that they were bloodthirsty warmongers hungry for the spilled blood of the people of Glaieul, your kingdom. You couldn’t help but believe their words. That was the only addition to your knowledge of Idylle except for their battle tactics and placement of soldiers on the battlefield.

“We’ll pray to the deities that they will do just that,” your mother laughed a little despite the tears. “Or else your father will wage war if they so much scratched you.”

“He wouldn’t do that, Mother,” you shook your head with a slight smile. “You two have worked so hard for this peace treaty. If I ever scratched myself in Idyllic lands, trust me that it would most likely be my fault. Not theirs.”

Your mother’s laugh twinkled in the room, painting everything in a light that erased the heaviness shrouding in every corner of your chambers. “I suppose so. You and your love for your sword are unrivaled. I can still remember the time when you first got the weapon, you were so thrilled for a six-year-old that one would think you were born in the barracks. I have to admit, you looked adorable swinging your sword until the greeting of the night and its stars.” She wistfully sighed, looking down at the necklace she gave you. “Your father was so proud when you came back for dinner that night.”

“My sword has always been a lifelong companion. I will even bring it to their castle.”

Your mother placed a hand on top of her chest, over her heart. “I hope you don’t unsheathe it in front of their royal family.”

You breathed a laugh. “No promises.”

The two of you talk about all the things that happened in your childhood, your laughs echoing through the hallways. The maids and the butlers bade you goodbye and safe travels as you passed by, never forgetting to nod in their direction in acknowledgment. You will miss their company for they saw you grow up before you decided to partake in the war. Almost all of them fussed over the mess you made while practicing your swordplay, cleaning up the broken vases and the mud on the carpeted floors. Even one of the apprentices of the Keeper of Books residing in the palace, Armin, enthusiastically waved at you, his friends flanking him for a visit in the kitchens. You didn’t miss how Eren directed an incredulous stare towards the blonde man, with Mikasa looking shocked at how easily the apprentice interacted with you in a public setting since your times with them only happened behind prying eyes.

You gave the three of them a huge smile that gave their faces a pretty rose shade.

Upon reaching the foyer, your father stood at the foot of the stairs along with the soldiers you acquainted in your time on the battlefield, sending a wave of warmth through your chest. His silver coat lined with gold details was a beacon and his white breeches were tucked in a pair of knee-length boots. His chest was decorated with his sash full of medallions, the kingdom insignia of lilac gladioluses and silver roses pinned on top of his heart. The king of Glaieul softened his eyes, crinkles appearing at the corners, at the sight of you and your mother descending on the stairs.

“My little flower,” was his greeting to you when you reached him.

“Father,” you breathed, picking up your skirts to settle in the embrace of waiting arms. You buried your figure against him, inhaling his scent of pine and rosewater, creating the last memory you will have of him. The two of you pulled away for a moment, your eyes watering at the sad visage your father sported. You felt the lightest brush of his kiss on your forehead.

“Now I’m becoming reluctant in sending you off,” he told you. “I felt guilty when I saw you fight against this during the council meeting. But it is what they offered and I have no say in the matter.”

“I know.”

“May the eternal spring never waver in your soul.”

You nodded before taking a step back, bowing with your knees on the marble floors. Your crown glinted against the light from the stained-glass windows, your hair forming a curtain around your face as you replied, “I will let it fester among the ballads and idylls they will offer. I will carry the name of Glaieul with faithfulness, honor, and grace.” You raised your head to meet your father’s eyes. “I promise to never deter the eternal spring.”

It would be that way until your last years in that kingdom. And as you rode the carriage with the soldiers you fought with guarding the vehicle with their lives on the line, you could only sigh and offer another round of prayers that this swerves in a more positive direction than what you were expecting. After a hefty journey across the bustling capital (people stopped by and waved your carriage goodbye, offering you flowers that one of the captains of the fleet, Levi, scowled at — you coaxed him that it was alright, though) to the hectares of meadows in the countryside, the sight of flowers mixed with emerald turned into a sea of teal as you entered the outskirts of Idylle, your betrothed’s home. Everything was bathed with the endemic species of grass solely blessed by the god of the winds on Idylle — legends say that it was because He wanted the kingdom that worshipped him to look different than the rest. No matter how much you deny it, it was beautiful.

“How are you faring, princess?”

Your daze was interrupted by a baritone voice, deep enough to alert some of the men around the carriage. His gray eyes provided you support during the war. You couldn’t help but smile at the onyx-haired man riding by your right window. “Hello, Captain Levi.”

“Tch. Drop the title, brat. You and I both know that the war made us friends somewhat.”

You let out a small laugh. “Well, Levi, to answer your question, I’m quite fine even though my parents just sold me to gain peace.”

Levi rose an eyebrow at the remark. “I am not one to have the capabilities to comfort someone but think of this as a way for you to help the kingdom without sacrificing your life for once. A nation without its heir is just like losing its king. I’ve seen you train when you’re starting as a squire and to the point when you got the position you deserve. This would be like a small walk in the gardens of your mother.” He fixated his stare on you, eyes dull yet determined to get his point across. “You have a role in every part of your life and this time, this is what the gods crafted for you. Do not fret, princess, you have more chances of being on the battlefield again.”

The words Levi spoke settled in you until you reached the capital of Idylle, a small island in the middle of a clear azure lake with walls resembling a huge castle. The bridge leading to the gates was lined with guards bearing the kingdom’s crest, all of them standing under the flapping flags bearing the symbol and colors of the royal family they serve — a harp surrounded by the colors of gold and blue. Their eyes warily followed the series of carriages, postures becoming stiff in the realization that the entourage holds the visitor their rivaling country sent. That was still the scenario when the series of carriages and horses passed by the marketplace, the vicinity on the lowest part of the walled capital, as if the wind even ceased to let the people gawk at the brightly-colored entourage making its way to the highest tier depicting mansions and the main plaza where their patron god stood tall and proud in front of the palace’s gates.

Everything looked magnificent.

It was a breath of fresh air from the glass castle you grew up in. Whereas your kingdom built a white, blinding home that withstood for hundreds of years, Idylle’s palace blended with the brick walls with its leveled mansard roofs and turrets. The gates were made of gold, welcoming you into a huge square of maze-like hedges, a fountain sitting in the middle of the labyrinth. Some gardeners stopped their daily chores to greet the carriages with a wave of their hat, seeing as you were going to be an addition to the royal family after the wedding in a few months. The steps leading to the main doors loomed in front of you with only a few servants waiting for you to step out of the carriage.

You took in a deep breath, nodding at Levi to open the door. When it swung open, you placed your hand on top of Levi’s as he guided you down the propped steps on the side of the carriage.

“Well,” Levi hummed from behind you, making you glance at him with a curious eye. “May the eternal spring never waver in your soul, Your Highness.” He bowed in front of you, only a dip of his head, a firm hand on his heart, and yet that was enough for you to reciprocate it with a kind smile.

“Safe travels back, Captain Levi. May the gods protect you.”

The servant boys standing on top of the stairs jumped an inch in the air, going down in fleeting steps to get your luggage when they realized they were staring too long at you. You smiled at them in gratitude before stepping inside the palace as the guards opened the huge, gilded double doors in front of you.

The inside was just elegant as the exterior appearance of the entire capital. Everything was bathed in gold that seemed to rival the Sun and it made you look away for a moment. The grand hall followed the kingdom’s colors, from the turquoise carpets leading towards two winding staircases to the golden ceilings decorated with paintings of cherubs and the story of how their god of the winds came to be. One of the servant boys slightly cleared his throat, snapping you out of your curiosity of the myths laid on the ceiling. You turned to him with raised eyebrows, spurring him to whisper a faint, “Follow us, Your Highness.” They led you through hallways hung with tapestries and paintings, drawing rooms where the queen hosted her tea parties (Levi would have loved it), and ballrooms that have the same aesthetic as the foyer. Finally, you stopped in front of one of the apartments in the palace, the servant boy who told you to follow them brightened at the guard stationed there.

“Reiner!”

You waited patiently and let your eyes roam across the hallway.

“Hello, Falco, Udo.” The man, Reiner, smiled at the young boys before turning to you. He placed a hand on his heart and bowed. “Welcome to Gale, the capital of Idylle, Your Highness.”

“Thank you for the welcome,” you replied, motioning for him that it was quite alright to straighten his posture. “The palace looks lovely.”

“Indeed, it is.” Reiner opened the doors of your room and once again bowed with an outstretched hand towards the room. “Here are your chambers and I will be your guard for the entirety of your stay here in the palace, Your Highness.” You muttered a faint ‘thank you’ as you entered a drawing room with a door to the private chambers on the left and the bathrooms to the right. There was a table fit for two people, armchairs, and drawers with vases on top. A huge floor-to-ceiling window illuminated the room, your feet carrying you there to open them, and letting the wind caress the curtains as they danced in the breeze. “If you ever need anything, you can call for my name and I will be here in an instant. Your chambermaid will be up here in a moment to help you prepare for the family dinner. For now, rest well, Your Highness.”

“Thank you, Reiner, Falco, Udo,” you smiled, retreating towards the private chambers.

You let out a sigh and stared at nothing for a few moments. It came down to this. To think that you were in enemy lands and was treated so well without any degradation came as a shock to you. The people so far that radiated negativity at your arrival were the guards stationed at the bridge and some of the townsfolk and nobles parading in the streets. As you think about the servant boys and Reiner’s calmness in receiving you in the palace, you immediately thought that it would be better than you expected.

You took off your heels under your dress, mind racing that this wouldn’t be so bad, and plopped on top of your canopied bed, its baby blue curtains protecting you from unknown disturbances and drowning you in a rapid of dreams.

The dinner didn’t go so well as you expected.

You donned a more suitable dress for indoor use, something that doesn’t include forcing your figure in a tight corset and yet presentable enough to be shown in the family dinner. You even placed a circlet of silver flowers on your head to compensate for the dull dress you chose, the description fitting after one of the chambermaids expressed their perplexity at how simple regarding design your dress has. Your light blue skirts fanned out around you as you made your way to one of the grand dining rooms reserved for family use. The choice of the color of the dress should be enough to express that you are willing to be on good terms with the family of the person you will marry.

But your first meeting with Annie Leonhart was interestingly disappointing.

Before departing from your kingdom, you learned the royal family and even Idylle’s customs. You learned how they always valued freedom and expression above all else, compared to your home that valued their ties with the gods more than the idea of getting rid of the shackles placed by your deities. You learned how they have this festival dedicated to celebrating the love they share with their patron god and how it spanned for half a month.

Finally, you learned about the indifferent Crown Heir of Idylle, the young woman with the piercing blue oceanic eyes sitting in front of you at the dinner table. She was known for building up walls that discouraged some of her engagements with other royalties across the continent. She was so closed off that she didn’t even glance in your direction for one second. Her hair was done in an elaborate bun wrapping around her head in a braid, her small, thin diadem resting against her golden hair. Annie kept her gaze on her plate, even playing with her food mindlessly for a couple of minutes before sighing and taking a bite of the chicken the maids served. No conversation was exchanged and the dinner ultimately became one of the most awkward meals you had. The king even tried to engage his daughter for casual talk but Annie dismissed them with a hum.

The queen had to apologize to you several times after the dinner, with Annie huffing at the back and eager to get out of the room. Despite how much she was against this engagement, you still bowed at her before you retreated to your room.

Now dressed in your nightgown, you stared at the canopy of your bed, already missing your home the more you fixed your attention on the bundled-up curtains. You badly needed to hit a straw dummy with your sword to let out your frustrations. Of all the royalties present in your continent, why did it have to be you that was shipped to this measly forced marriage? There were still so many solutions that could lead to a peace treaty but why was this the only one the kings and queens could present to their courts? A sigh escaped your chest once again at the thought of actually getting to know Annie. You laid on your side, curling your legs towards your chest and prayed that the god of dreams will visit you sooner than expected.

A knock reverberated through your chambers, the sound making you sit up.

You went to the receiving room and opened the door. You kept the small hitch of your breath in your chest at the sight of Annie and her half-lidded eyes. There was no one in the hallways. You figured that she sent Reiner away for some privacy, meeting the blue irises you likened to brilliant sapphires.

“What brings you here, Your Highness?” you asked, opening the door wider.

“Annie.” She saw how your eyebrows raised in surprise. “Call me Annie, we’re betrothed after all.”

“Of course.” You smiled. “Annie,” you tested her name softly, missing the way she inhaled too sharply at your voice.

Annie reciprocated the gesture by saying your name. The two of you stared at each other and it felt like an eternity before she looked away to focus on the receiving room behind you. She noticed how your eyes held kindness underneath the star-like shine even though she showed hostility during your first dinner with her family. Your hair was disheveled and it didn’t take her a minute to realize she might have woken you up from a good night’s rest. The journey from Glaieul to Idylle was a long one. You deserve all the rest you can get, “I apologize if I woke you up but I feel like I should do this before dragging it out.” You once again raised an eyebrow so she took out a leather box, opening it to reveal a ring with a holographic gem showing teal and pink in the middle. The Leonhart family ring. “Here.”

“Oh.”

You were gawking at the beautiful piece of jewelry, with Annie taking the matter in her own hands. She took the ring out of the box and pocketed the container. Her hand reached out to hold your palm against hers, sliding the ring in your ring finger. Your hand still hovered in front of you after Annie retracted hers to find their place by her side. She continued to eye your mesmerized visage with a half-lidded gaze, clearing her throat to catch your attention. You turned to her with a small apology for spacing out.

“It’s fine,” Annie waved off. “It’s yours starting today.” She turned away from you and went down the hallways but not before saying a “Good night, [Name].”

The entire week of your stay in Idylle was uneventful, to say the least.

Annie kept her distance from you after that night she gave you their family ring. It left you thinking that you should also gift her the [Last Name] ring your family treasured for centuries. The ring was placed in a small cushioned jewelry box that you opened and propped on one of your night tables. Your conscience was telling you to give it to her but there wasn’t exactly any moment alone with her let alone just passing by her in the hallways. The blonde princess made it her mission to never let your fates meet the more time you spent in the capital. You then decided that she probably didn’t want this engagement to happen.

But she gave you the ring. Wasn’t that a strong signal that Annie accepted you as her betrothed, unlike the others before you?

You shook that thought as you focused on giving consecutive hits on the dummy in front of you. Two days before, you proposed to the king to let you have a moment alone in the training grounds for about two hours or so to keep you in shape. He reluctantly agreed, but not without a side stare at the queen. They heard of your glorious feats during the war, how you managed to become one of the Commanders of a battalion of soldiers tasked with being in the frontlines and how you won constant ambushes against Idylle’s numbers. Two hours of training became three until here you are, still not stopping as you finished every single dummy in the private training grounds. With your day spent outside, you thought it would be nice to have a nice dip in the bathtub before dinner.

In your walk towards your chambers, you spotted Annie in one of the drawing rooms, sitting in the window seats with a book of war tactics in hand. You recognized the author as one of the revolutionaries mentioned to you by your tutor.

“That’s a nice book,” you couldn’t help but mention. Annie turned to you unfazed by your interruption though there was a glint of interest in her eyes. “The book mostly describes battle formations but I think the author likened it to every situation on the battlefield. For instance, the phalanx was native to the empire of Great Findara and it was great for preventing casualties until it was overpowered by the infantry tactic of the city nation of Khisfire where every man has a role and a weapon depending on their group. The latter was more on the long-range yet melee way of taking back the territory.”

Annie hummed. “Do royal tutors of Glaieul teach this to their students?”

“Oh, no. I learned it while taking on the role of a squire.”

She once again hummed. “It completely slipped my mind that you are one of the Commanders in your military. You were ruthless as the folks in the noble plaza say, blood tainting your hands from doing raids in the border villages of Idylle.” Her tone was like a jab to your side, like an arrow tearing through your skin. “I know it was a time of war and desperate times call for desperate measures but our people didn’t deserve to experience the massacres.”

“They were far from being massacres,” you gritted your teeth.

Annie scoffed. “Then what were they? Because that’s what it looks like to me. I can still remember the story two years ago of a young girl wearing her lilac cape in the bloodbath, eyes so dull that you can see your reflection on it. What’s to say that this engagement is a hoax plotted by your parents to assassinate my family for you to win a territory you greatly needed because of the resources?” She closed her book with too much force, bitterly spitting out the next words, “The apple doesn’t fall from the tree as the saying goes.”

“If you question my being here then why did you give me your family ring, Annie?” you asked, your body now facing the tense young woman by the window. You cursed at how the light made her look angelic like the girl the god of the winds sacrificed his life to before he ascended to the heavens. “This peace treaty is everything my family wanted even though hundreds of our soldiers died in vain for not meeting the ends of what they fought for. If you’re saying that my parents placed me in an undercover predicament to add to the weight of deaths on my shoulders, I suggest you tell your father to put a stop to our betrothal. Because I don’t even want to be here, Your Highness, and it would do me such a huge honor. I would rather spend my time out with my fellow soldiers than pretending I’m some dainty princess my family sheltered when in fact, I was anything but that.

“Have a good day and I hope you enjoy the rest of the book. Chapter ten was a personal favorite of mine,” you dismissed, turning towards the direction of the apartments.

Once you reached your door, Reiner straightened his posture, faltering for a second when he noticed the cross look on your face. He chose not to say anything as he opened the door for you. You took off your boots right beside one of the armchairs of the receiving room and immediately went inside your private chambers. The glint of the ring on your night table mocked you. You stomped over the furniture and forcefully closed the small jewelry box, throwing the container inside one of the drawers.

Maybe sleep will be much kinder to you, the sheets enveloping you in an embrace you wish your mother can only give in this time of need.

You were radiant under the harsh heat of the Sun.

Annie was scheduled to have a free slot in her timetable after being included in one of the court meetings regarding the resiliency plan of some of the villages in the borders that managed to survive the Glaieulian raids. She suggested that the villages should be moved to one of the more remote villages nearer the capital, where the terrain is suitable for growing crops and starting small farms. There wouldn’t be an issue with overpopulation because the recommended village was home to the elderly and children. The newly situated families will also aid the old people as they go about their mundane activities. It was a sound suggestion and her father was also considering it. Annie hoped that would be the case as she scribbled a small note on a piece of paper. After the meeting, she stopped by one of the windows overlooking the training grounds, and there you are.

Your small argument that happened a few days before stirred some guilt in Annie’s stomach.

You weren’t even part of the raids she was talking about. They were led by a commander by the name of Erwin Smith. The stories about you that she heard were from Idyllic soldiers that suffered a lot during the war, not from the people of the villages Erwin raided. Annie couldn’t deny it but she did step out of the line by accusing you of being an assassin. That was too far-fetched. She was just stuck in her suspicions when she was supposed to be getting to know you.

All she knew about you was that you were adept with a sword and can name any tactic written in books about wars.

Annie saw a maid cleaning one of the vases in the hallway. “Miranda.”

The maid turned around, curtsying in a haste before patting her uniform. “What can I do for you, Your Highness?”

“Can you prepare a tray of iced apple juice and some cakes?”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

Annie nodded. “And can you place this note on the tray and deliver it to [Name]’s room?”

The maid was taken aback. “Well, it would be my pleasure, Princess.”

“Thank you.” With that, Annie walked away without a glance back.

Curious eyes followed the princess’ form, the maid finding herself looking at your figure sparring with Reiner and a smile instantly greeted her face. This could be a turning point in the betrothal because she could’ve sworn Annie had a small blush on her cheeks at the mention of the other princess.

After your training, a tray of sweets and a pitcher with glasses of apple juice awaited you in your receiving room. You wanted to ask Reiner if he asked some of the chambermaids to prepare the afternoon snack but a folded note caught your eye. With one hand gripping the towel around your shoulders, you read the note, your face warming up at the short yet endearing sentence.

Indulge in these, they taste better after a good training session.

Maybe this wasn’t so bad after all, you thought as you munched on a sprinkled cookie.

Her eyes kept following a trail of gold tulle, silks, and laces, never looking away the moment her blue eyes laid themselves upon a beauty that rivaled the goddess of oneiric realms, the most ethereal goddess of the heavens. You were dressed in an off-shoulder gown with loose sleeves reaching your elbow, the bodice carefully wrapping around your torso in the most flattering way possible, and skirts adorned with silver gems. In a sea of aristocrats with fabulous dresses, you were a sight to behold in this ball dedicated to commemorate the truce between Glaieul and Idylle as well as announce the engagement between the two countries. You were starlight personified, shining in Annie’s eyes under the lights of tens of chandeliers in the ballroom.

You were on the other side of the ballroom, laughing with your friends from your home kingdom. There was a tall brunette that seemed to be star-struck because of you just like Annie, a black-haired young woman who was smiling slightly, and a blonde who was engaged in an animated conversation with you. Your smiles were refreshing, to say the least, Annie seeing it for the first time since you came to their palace. Your laughs are genuine and it came out of you so easily when in the company of your friends.

Annie visibly stiffened when you turned around and smiled at her, gesturing for her to come to join the small huddle. Your three friends tensed noticeably at her half-lidded stare, with you reassuring them that she’s not that indifferent all the time.

As if sensing Annie’s hesitance, Reiner chuckled behind her. “You know, it wouldn’t hurt to introduce yourself to them, Your Highness.”

“I’m getting to that, Reiner.”

A laugh came from the blonde man. “She’s good for you. That much I can tell. The kindest soul I’ve ever met in my life.”

Again, guilt pooled in Annie’s chest. Those words are the opposite of what she spewed out to you the last time you talked. She called you a power-hungry monster who ravaged the war with no care on your shoulders. She didn’t even apologize yet. Annie sighed, “I know.” Then, she pulled up her skirts, navigated the ballroom, and stopped directly beside you. Her blue eyes scrutinized the three people you grew up with, with the brunette and black-haired woman stepping a small step forward to assert their dominance while the blonde pinched their backs to warn them not to step out of line in another kingdom. “Hello.” She transferred her eyes on you afterward, placing a gentle hand on the small of your back and rubbing it in a comforting motion. “I hope you enjoyed the ball so far.” Those words were directed to you.

You only nodded with a smile. “Annie, this is Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. They’re my friends when I was growing up in the glass castle.” Annie nodded. “Everyone, this is Annie, my fiancé.”

“We know,” Eren, the long-haired man in a low ponytail murmured with his arms crossed over his broad chest.

“Eren,” Armin reprimanded. He smiled at a stone-faced Annie. “Thank you for making [Name] happy! I can sense that she has a different air around her while we talked. It must be because of you.”

Annie stayed quiet, her hand coming into a still on the small of your back. It was a good thing her left hand was hidden away because they would immediately think that you didn’t accept the engagement. She glanced at the ring nestling in your finger, a perfect match against the golden train of your dress. Realizing that she created an awkward stretch of silence, Annie could only nod wordlessly before shifting her attention to you again. It seems like you’re the only one who can calm her nerves down inside the vast ballroom. She never took her gaze on you even as you continued the conversation between your friends.

Her mind was fogged with thoughts of only you throughout the ball.

The two of you excused yourself from the trio when Annie’s father called for everyone’s attention from the front of the huge chambers. “Everyone, kind souls and pure-hearted people of the continent, since tonight is all for enjoyment, the waltz of the ball will now commence.” His blue eyes went to his daughter, standing at the side of his throne. “The moment everyone is waiting for — the first waltz.”

She rehearsed this too many times for when a proper betrothal comes into play but why is her hand shaking when she outstretched it in front of you? You must have felt it because you flashed a comforting smile her way. The two of you went to the middle of the ballroom, the guests staring expectantly at the birth of a romance. They were wrong because you hate her and she hates you. Right? Her hatred for you will never waver for killing her people even though you look like a descended goddess with the lights of the chandeliers raining on you. Hatred must be fueling her heart to beat faster than ever, why she seemed to trip over her skirts and how her words stumbled in her tongue. That must be it.

The dance slowly made its way to the part where she struggled, dipping you as gracefully as she can. Before it happened, you whispered to her, “Please don’t make me fall.”

Annie’s voice was soft, for your ears only. “I promise, my princess.”

It truly was a birth of a romance, the two of you unaware of it all.

“Come on, Reiner!” You shouted at him from across the training field. “Come at me with all you’ve got.”

The blonde man hesitantly shifted into position as he eyed you. “Are you sure, princess? I wouldn’t want to hurt you.” He remembered the threatening look he received from Annie before this training session and he would like all of his limbs intact, thank you very much. “I just don’t want your chambermaid to nag me again after last time.” He managed a cut on your arm your previous session and you had to wear a long-sleeved dress in such stifling weather.

You scoffed lightheartedly. “I can handle it, Reiner. You don’t have to worry about it. Plus, I can dress my wounds perfectly.”

Reiner didn’t believe that. Your skills in covering up your wounds were lacking despite being a soldier. The most you could do was apply some salve on your bruises, that was it. He had no choice because the past month he spent his days with you, you were like a persistent little child that reminded him of his younger cousin. He hoped that you two wouldn’t meet. “Alright, here I go, Your Highness.”

Parry after parry could be heard in the private training field. You were doing fine in deflecting Reiner’s sword but your ankle immediately ached after shifting your body, leaning back to avoid the sharp edge of the knight’s weapon. You let out a huff as you dropped on the ground, jolting when Reiner called for you to stay alert. Seeing the glint of his sword, you rolled away and the pain on your ankle flared, even more, traveling through your calf. It also didn’t help that you received a cut on the side of your bandaged arm. You picked yourself up despite the throbbing pain on your ankle and arm, now being on the defensive as Reiner continuously struck you with his sword. He then circled his weapon around yours, throwing your sword on the side and pushing you to the ground with the tip of his weapon. That was the time where your ankle finally twisted into a sprain.

“Ah!”

“Princess?” Reiner’s tone became alarmed, dropping to your level and taking off your boots in an instant. His hands ghosted around your swollen ankle, not knowing what to do. “Gods, Annie’s going to kill me!”

“Annie?” You asked between pants. “What does this have to do with her?”

He only shook his head, carrying you in his arms and into the palace. His steps were hurried and the maids gasped at the sight of your red ankle. “Please prepare a bucket of ice and bring it to Princess [Name]’s private chambers.” He turned to you. “Hang on for a moment, Your Highness, we’re nearing your room. Just a little bit more.” Reiner entered your room and gently placed you on your bed. “I’m going to be taking off your other shoe, Your Highness.”

“Reiner, I think I’ll take it from here.”

Reiner stiffened, slowly turning his head to the entrance of your private chambers. Annie was impatiently standing with a bucket of ice in both hands, eyes glacially set on the blonde man kneeling on the floor in front of your confused form. She didn’t care if Reiner trembled in front of her. She vividly remembered telling the knight to never hurt you (she didn’t see the cut you had last training session because Annie was in another court meeting involving the incoming tax collection of various villages). Annie glanced at your ankle, barely grimacing at the state of it before gesturing for Reiner to get out of the room. The large blonde man took his leave, bowing at the two of your hastily and closing the doors with finality.

Annie mimicked Reiner’s position, kneeling in one knee to place your injured foot on her thigh. She didn’t wear any dresses for the day and it made her look dashing. The image implanted itself in your brain. Her hands are gentle against your skin, your cheeks flaring at the contact. Her features were contorted in a downturned one that showed how bothered she was.

“How did this happen?”

Your eyes settled on the top drawer of your nightstand. “I dodged Reiner’s blow and I twisted my ankle in the process.”

“You should be more careful.”

“I’m always careful.”

Annie scoffed. “That’s clearly obvious.” She said nothing more while dipping your foot in the ice bath. She lifted her head too fast when you winced at the coldness of the water. “Deal with it. We wouldn’t want this to be worse than it already is.”

“Thanks for the concern,” you dryly mentioned.

“What makes you think that my being worried is all fake?” You’re silent, Annie choosing the moment to continue the words she didn’t have any control over. “When the maids prepared this bucket of ice in the kitchens, I was out of the council meeting. When I saw then bringing this up to your chambers, I was alarmed and my mind was a mess of thoughts concerning what happened to you.” At each word, her face held a multitude of emotions that you never saw on her. Her lips became pursed whilst you wordlessly stared at her. “I am not pretending to care for you. How could I pretend when I’m already feeling foreign emotions when it comes to you? It’s my first time feeling this way so I don’t know if I can categorize this as falling in love. But it feels like it. So, for the love of the gods, can’t you see that I’m rambling because of you?”

You didn’t reply, instead, you reached out to the drawer where you kept that ring.

“What are you doing? You should be still right now.”

You pulled out the jewelry box and flipped it open, showing the blonde the ring fashioned in a vine, the centerpiece being a group of small gladiolus flowers with diamonds in their centers.

Annie’s cheeks reddened, flustered at the pretty jewelry. “What?”

Words never came out of you as you took Annie’s left hand. The ring looked pretty on her, the two of you admiring it after you slid the engagement jewelry in her ring finger.

“I now accept you as my fiancé, my future lover, and holder of my heart. Annie Leonhart, may our eternal spring bloom for centuries, and may your god of the winds bless us with his idyllic ballads.” Annie’s eyes were wide and you can see your reflection on them, along with constellations that lit up her irises. You placed your forehead against hers, looking straight into her flushed face. “They were right, this is the birth of a romance.”

And as you two kissed for the first time, the gods were rejoicing in their thrones, each of your prayers answered — your love finally etched in a whimsical melody.

#annie #annie leonhart x reader #attack on titan #attack on titan x reader #aot x reader #princess!reader #shingeki no kyoujin x reader #shingeki no kyojin #snk #snk x reader #annie leonhart x you

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strscrossed · 2 months ago

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Eren monster au vs Eren royalty au

monster eren is only 3 m tall with no army or formal training, he might be able to put up a good fight, but ultimately king eren might be taking the title.

#answered #au eren battle royale

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koulakoukoula2003 · 4 years ago

Text

Honours (Levi x Reader)

Pairings: Levi x You / Levi x y/n / Levi x OC, Moblit x Hange

Trigger Warnings: mention of violence, swearing

Genre: Fluffy fluffffffff

Summary: (AU where nobody died in the Battle of Shiganshina) All the people behind the Walls celebrate the reclamation of Wall Maria, and the heroes of the Survey Corps are given honorary medals by their Queen. You and Levi are married and celebrate this together with a dance.

POV: 3rd Person's

A/N: This scene is part of my fanfic on ao3, you can read it here.

When Historia reached Eren, almost everybody noticed that Eren held onto her hand just a little bit more. (Y/n) had a feeling he must have seen something. A memory perhaps. The boy carried the Founder and Historia was of Royal Blood. Bringing those two in contact could be catastrophic. (Y/n) mentally noted to herself to talk to Eren and Erwin about this later.

But for now, a huge celebration was in order, and after all medals were handed to all heroes, the people rushed outside at the royal yard where the celebrations would take place. The people behind the walls were celebrating today. Wall Maria was finally their own. There was still lots of work to be done, but they had earned some rest.

The day was bright. The sky was clear. The chatter of people and the clacking sound of glasses and cutlery filled the air. Sasha, Connie and Jean were attacking the buffet, and Eren, Mikasa, and Armin were talking with Historia. (Y/n) couldn’t tell where Hange and Moblit were, but she had seen them kissing in some corridor of the Palace and she just knew that they wouldn’t be coming out any time soon. Erwin was chatting with Nile. Commander Pyxis soon joined them.

A hand slithered around (Y/n)’s waist and she turned only to see her beloved husband. He didn’t say anything at first. He just leaned in and pecked those pink lips of hers that he had so much missed. (Y/n) accepted that peck wholeheartedly. Her hand found his cheek, cupping his face.

“Levi,” She smiled. He was perfect. The green medallion rested on both around their necks. His white shirt could be seen from beneath his green Survey Corps trench coat. His raven hair fell messily on his forehead and those eyes made of steel looked so tenderly down to his beloved wife.

Levi caught her hand in his own. Rough, warm fingers wrapped around her own and he brought her hand to his lips, placing kisses at the back of her knuckles. “Dr. (Y/n) Ackerman,” He mumbled, proudly, her newly earned title. His breath brushed warm against her fingers and she giggled. “My wife,”

He pulled her tightly against him. (Y/n) buried her face in his neck and she shut her eyes. A smile spread on his lips as she pressed her cheek on his shirt. His (Y/n) had achieved so much. She was so brilliant, she had figured out unimaginable things. And now here she was, a Doctor. A title that she should have earned so many years ago. He had watched her grow into this ever since they were children. How bright her (e/c) eyes would shine in excitement as she’d spur out biological bullshit, all day, every day. Sometimes even getting on his nerves and he knew she was doing it on purpose. His (Y/n). So brilliant she was. So perfect.

She could tell he didn’t care whether there were any people around. She couldn’t care less about it either. She breathed him in. His hand continued holding onto her own. He guided her hand on his chest on top of his trench coat and his other arm was still tight around her.

(Y/n) sighed blissfully. She could feel the weight of his cheek pressing down on her temple and his breath travelled down her cheekbone, her neck. She pressed another kiss, and another, leaving a trail of soft kisses all the way up to his chin.

He looked at her, and caught her eyes in his own. Her lips were parted, pink and soft. He looked down at the wonderful plush skin that he hadn’t bitten two days now. His (Y/n)’s eyes rested on his lips and he instantly knew what she wanted. And he gave it to her. He’d give it all so long as she wanted it.

Levi leaned in and he kissed her soft and slow. He wasn’t planning to indulge her with anything more than a gentle press of his lips against her own. But he couldn’t help it. Her tongue met his lips and he could do nothing but part them and allow entrance to the sweetest taste that he had ever tasted. His hands both slipped around her. One found her back, pressing her closer and he only deepened the kiss and his (Y/n) let out that soft whimper that made him numb every time.

His fingers clutched on her clothes. He loved his (Y/n). Way too much.

But for the sake of being in public, he restrained himself and forced himself to pull back. He cupped her cheek and met those mesmerised, (e/c) eyes. She looked so lost and hazed and -oh, how wonderful she looked- she was lost and lovestruck for him. That wonderful woman was his and sometimes it sounded unbelievable.

His (Y/n) buried her face back in his neck and he held her tightly against him. A smile spread on his lips but he hid it in her wonderful hair and finally, their attention could fall somewhere else other than themselves. The sweet melodies of the orchestra reached their ears and he noticed how she turned and looked at the couples that danced in an open area in the royal yard.

The grass was soft and a lively green beneath their feet. The royal garden was indeed something marvellous to look at. (Y/n) realised she hadn’t looked at it up close no matter how many times she had passed through. But her gaze was still focused on the couples and he knew what she wanted.

“Do you want to dance, (Y/n)?” He asked. He could never forget the first night he danced with her.

He was a twenty-three-year-old young man the first time he learned how to dance for the sake of a job. His twenty-two-year-old (Y/n) -back then- had taught him, in that dirty little yard in the Underground. Isabel had yet to join their group. Seven years ago.

(Y/n) was so flustered the entire time, but he couldn’t blame her. He knew for a fact that (Y/n) hadn’t been that close to a man before. If she had been, he would have chopped that man’s hands off and he would have slit his throat. He never really knew why he was like this. So overprotective of her. Alas, he would’ve been nowhere near to where he was if it wasn’t for her smart plans. Her brilliant strategy that always led the jobs that they ran to success.

“S- So, according to the book I stole yesterday…” (Y/n) squinted her eyes as she fumbled through the wrinkled pages of the black leathered book. “…you’re supposed to put one hand on your partner’s waist, and you would hold her one hand in your own with the other,”

Levi nodded at the instructions. He hated this. It was an easy job. They had to abduct the eighteen-year-old bratty daughter of a nobleman. But he hated it because to abduct that blonde, honey-eyed brat -according to Furlan’s research on the matter- (Y/n) had the stupidest idea of having Levi using his charms to lure her into a trap. A ball was to come in that nobleman’s house and Furlan had managed to get Levi an invitation.

And all that Levi had to do was learn how to waltz. It was, honestly, something he never thought he had to do. But it was still a job and a promising one. Furlan was sitting by the steps of the house that they currently resided in in the Underground. (Y/n) was in a dark grey skirt and a white shirt. Her hair messily fell on her shoulders and she let down that book on the cold, stone floor of their yard.

“Alright, so…” (Y/n) approached him and she couldn’t understand why she had that comfortable uneasiness in her stomach the closer she got to Levi.

Trembling, nervous fingers caught his arm and settled it on her waist. Her other hand reached for his own and her fingers sunk in his. His arm tightened firmly around her waist and his fingers were so warm around her own. Now they were so close. So damn close, she could feel his breath landing warm on her lips. Those silver eyes met her own and the heat on her cheeks was almost unbearable.

(Y/n) was more than aware that she must’ve been redder than a tomato. Her hand was far too shaky and uneasy on his shoulder. She could feel the scar of a wound that she had stitched up for him a few days back. She could feel the texture of the muscles beneath his white, buttoned shirt.

“Is this correct?” He asked and finally snapped her out of that storm of thoughts and that embarrassment that just wouldn’t go away.

“Y- Yeah! P- Perfect!” (Y/n) stuttered and she cursed herself mentally.

Her bright red cheeks, her cold, trembling, uneasy hands and her tongue that stumbled on her words. It was far too obvious she wanted this. And something in his eyes told her that he wanted it too. But then she scolded herself mentally. She wasn’t some rich daughter of a nobleman, blonde with bright honey eyes. She didn’t have perfect creamy skin nor a perfect plush body with all the right curves. She was an imperfect woman with far too many flaws and far too little experience on the subject.

But Levi… Levi was an experienced man. He had seen and dealt with far more perfect women. Women so much beautiful, (Y/n) could never stand a chance against them. She couldn’t be something more for Levi, and she knew it.

Oh, darling- Now, she had become his all. His precious little (Y/n) that he’d take all the bullets for her. He couldn’t deny it. Ever since that day, it lingered in the back of his mind. Could she ever love me? And there she was now, clutching onto him like a needy, touch-starved little kitten, that craved for his love and his affection and his attention. His touch, his kisses. She had it all. She had always had it all.

(Y/n) lifted her head off his shoulder and she giggled. That same bright blush appeared on her face, just like back then. If only he knew back then that his little (Y/n) had always had eyes for him and him alone. She drew on her lower lip with her upper teeth cutely.

“You’re not afraid I’ll step on your toes?” She asked playfully.

His hand reached for that strand of hair that had been falling on her forehead, and he tucked it behind her ear. “You taught me how to dance, my sweet,” He reminded her and she giggled as her mind went back to that day. It had been seven years, and so many things had happened during that time. Now they were married. Now they wanted their own little house and little brats of their own.

“Alright then. Waltz with me, Mr. Ackerman,” She said with a bright smile that spread across those delicious pink lips.

He brought her hand to his lips and he pressed a tender kiss on her knuckles. “As you wish, Mrs. Ackerman,”

A/N: Hope you liked it!!! Feel free to reblog and comment below to lemme know what you think!!! Thanks for reading!! 🥰

#attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #snk #aot #levi ackerman #leviackerman #fluff #levi x oc #levi x reader #levi x y/n #levi x you

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braunyreiss · 5 years ago

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How many Parallels/hints/panels has isayama done for EH over the arcs+timeskips because I seen the way on how isayama puts theses two character's together very closely and that shows us something. What do you think about their relationship.

Hello anon! im sorry for the late answer, i was so busy and didn’t have time enough to take a look at tumblr.Parallels between those two. The ones not that important and more random like attitudes or random datas. Most of the parallel images im going to use, i took them from twitter long ago.Before start, i apologize for my english, but i hope you understand my point.Lets start:

1-Killing their first titan, the emotion, the pose and the movement

2-Worried about their close friend

3-Never needed to happend.

4-The way they cry laughing

5-Their parents trying to inject them

6- Mothers killed in front of them

7-Killing their fathers

8-Overprotective friends, hitting them with their head lol

9-Worried about each other and saving each other

10-Half-siblings with royal blood

11-Destroying the world

12-the pose lol

13- having their fathers memories

14-Boring and routine childhood

15- being interested in something for the first time by reading a book

16- Fake previews, AU, where they both feel so bored about their lifes (And she is the one who understands him).Historia was a kid who received no love and being despised bullied and ignored. While time passed, she didn’t understand what did she do wrong. she felt depressed, insecure, feeling that her existence was unnecesar, that everyone would be happier if she wasnt alive. She blamed herself for everything. She had no goals, only wanting to commit suicide so people will love her for doing sth heroic, and also making other happ with her death. Then, Ymir appeard, she finally felt what life was, she wanted to live, Ymir made her to love herself, she was the one who inspirated her but then she left her saving the warriors, making Historia feeling lost again, the only person who she cared left her, and was alone again. But then Eren appears. She opened to someone else than Ymir, cause he saw through her mask and knew there was sth wrong with her. Then, he said what she needed to be told since the very begining. All she wanted is to be a normal person. She still was kind of lost and depressed (totally normal) and they even wanted her to make her the queen. With all her insecurities and fear because of rejection (something she experience along her entire life) of the whole people in the walls. She had the pressure but she accepted fearfull. Then, she met her father, he said sorry for everything, but he needed to do that in order to protect her, and now is the one who gonna save everyone being the new goddes by having the founding titan. What this meant for her, is that everything was a lie, she was loved, she was special, and finally she had a duty protecting hmanity from titans. But for this she had to kill Eren, and she was going to do it, she blinded herself because how nice everything sounds, and how everything that made her suffer was a lie. She was prepared to sacrifice Eren but not for humanity, for herself, beleiving she was special, her father loved her, a new goal.Eren on the other hand, he was totally different from Historia, a confident kid, with forcefulness goals, killing titans, those who destroyed his life. While he was growing, he kind of thought that he was someone special because of his titan power. And also, there was a big pressure on him with big expectations from soldiers and humanity. He had the title of being the hope of humanity. He kept confident until the Rod Reiss speech. This young boy who was so confident, now was broken for those words, wanting to die in order to, at least, make something good for humanity with his death. Everything about being special was a lie. He never needed to happened. That’s what he said. And Historia heard him. She totally felt that, she knew those feelings. here is the most importan parallelism that made their relationship that strong. Historia opened her eyes, her father was using him, she saved Eren, who still wanted to die and she hits him, being on his side, telling him that humanity is the one who must be destroyed, that she is the enemy of humanity. The enemy of humanity because she didn’t accept her duty, she wanted to live by herself, didn’t accept to be a goddes, a special person for humanity. And because she saved Eren, the “guilty” of everything. Doing this, means that she is on his side (and bc of this, enemy of humanity) so he is not alone. Now she was the one who was trying to make Eren gain some self esteem. Also she wanted to make sure that it wasn’t true that he was no needed. Some chapters later, watching Historia’s development, he understood he was not special, that feeling actually made him weak. But even if he is not special, he must help because he CAN, even without being different of the rest. He needed to chose his path, took decisions, as Historia, who finally decided her path but she wanted to do something in order to become more confident and to overcome herself. She chose to not be a goddes, but a normal person that fight and do what she can do for humanity, and that’s what Eren did, she inspired him, (if im not wrong, isayama said that he was inspired watching Historia in a guidebook). There is no need to be special, just do what you can, broke the chains. Both Eren and Historia were chained by their respective fathers. Historia got rid of this, and then also Eren. He respects her so much since all this situation. She was so important to Eren’s development. Seems that they become close.

Here you can see when he starts talking about the blondie. He understands her. (Also he ignores Jean trying to bother him with provocations)

Here you see them having a serious talk

Then changing the topic, finally Eren changing his countenance, and then just kidding like close friends. Also Historia

Also, you see how Historia takes a box and kept walking but then she decided to wait and walk with Eren but not with the other ones. You she how she is closer to him than with the rest and feel confortable with him.This relationship is based on empathy, muttual support and inspiration. Both of them were for each other when both weren’t psychologically in a good way or needed help, even if they weren’t that close in the beginning. He was the only one besides Ymir that saw the real her, and supported her. She was the only one who could understand, support, and inspire him in his worst situation. And you see how much Eren is concern about her and protects her. How he smiles when she is arround and sees her happy. You will never imagine that he would smile again after shiganshina’s battle with that traumatic experience, but he still smiled because of her. For me, all of this is beautiful. How positive they are for each other, how they helped each other when they were down in their worst situation. I appreciate that so much and i love it!I don’t think this relationship was built for nothing (not necessary in a romantic way).

#erehisu #eren jaeger #historia reiss #annon #Possitive EreHisu #Sorry for the long answer #aot #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #snk #eren x historia

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makiema · 5 years ago

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Hello! What makes you ship Levi and Eren? (always curious about how people get into ereri)

Hi there, anon! I wish I could’ve answered this briefly but you’ve asked me something that I could honestly ramble on about forever. I’d try to be precise but I’m afraid it’d still be quite long because I don’t have the time to summarise, so bear withe me please >.

Okay so first of all, I used to be more into Eremika than Ereri in the beginning and the precious Eremika moment from Chapter 50 owned my heart. Back then the 13 y/o me didn’t get shit about Levi and Eren’s platonic canon relationship. But the popularity of Ereri was overwhelming and even though they were far from being my OTP I still shipped them in AU settings mainly because the fanfics were excellent. Also, at that point of time, I was more invested in the Naruto fandom and SS was my only OTP. In fact, I didn’t even know about the Visual Novel until late 2015 or early 2016 (I don’t remember exactly) which made me really get into Ereri. Reading the VN actually changed my whole perspective on Ereri and made me realise the depth of their canon relationship. When I re-read the manga again after that none of their subtle moments were lost on me and that’s how the ship started growing on me. Since then I even began picking up on a lot of parallels, symbolisms, etc. associated with them and all of that collectively went into becoming the reason why Ereri is my OTP.

I probably cannot think up of everything that makes me ship them at one go. Also I have my internals next week and Im losing my mind. Anyway here are some of the reasons that immediately came to mind when I saw your ask:

• Levi equating Eren to “The Tyger” : The VN concluded with the first two stanzas of Blake’s poem “The Tyger”. The poem is taken from The Songs of Innocence and Experience and the entire volume focuses on two things : the transition from childhood into adulthood and the existence of both beneficial and malevolent forces in human beings. So in the novel, Levi’s understanding, acceptance and even admiration of both the humane and the monstrous potential in Eren is commendable : “A monster with perfect, fearsome beauty; that inspires awe” Also, Levi acknowledges Eren’s will that “cannot be made to surrender” and his drive for freedom that “people living like birds in cages won’t get”. This shows us how Levi realizes that Eren’s mental maturity is not that of a normal 15 yo; that his “experiences” have made him into someone much more gritty, resilient and strong-willed for his age. “The Tyger” here is the agent of free-will and the poem further emphasises on free spirit by incorporating references to mythological figures who’re deemed as humanity’s heroes, for instance, “seize the fire” refers to Prometheus who is mankind’s hero because he stole fire from Zeus. It is said that because of him mankind could gain knowledge ; that mankind could step out of the bounds of ignorance ( See the parallel with Eren who said how ignorance is the biggest obstacle to freedom in Chapter 112 ). Another hero alluded to in the poem is Icarus who grew his wings of freedom and attempted to reach the farthest point (dangerously close to the sun) even though he was burned in the attempt (parallels with Eren’s whole attitude of ‘no matter what kind of hell awaits me I’ll keep moving forward’ ). Yeah so, that’s how deep Levi’s understanding of Eren runs.( Can you imagine the entire arc of Eren’s character was foreshadowed in Levi’s thoughts about him?) To me understanding is the most important factor when it comes to a ship so, I think Levi’s pov in the VN is the biggest contributor to their development.

• The way Eren looks at Levi : Idk how cliched this sounds but yes, the way he looks at Levi honestly gives me life. Be it in the Forest of the Giant Trees, or in the Reiss Chapel or in the Marley Arc, his eyes say it all. Add to this his signature shaky way of saing “Captain?”, idk if it’s only me but that just carries so much feeling, so much angst, so many unspoken emotions right there. If Levi’s thoughts on Eren made me fall in love with Ereri in the first place then Eren’s body language when it comes to Levi made me fuckin smitten over them (i kid u not honestly this ship is one of the very few things that actually give me the will to live)

• Hope and Strength : Honestly, I love Levi and Eren’s roles as humanity’s strength and humanity’s hope because this actually speaks volumes about their relationship. If Erwin gave Levi’s strength a dimension then Eren gave his strength meaning. Their roles in canon show their inter-dependence. After all, what is strength without hope? I don’t remember who first pointed this out, but someone said that this is the very concept the Survey Corps logo alludes to. The Wings of Freedom are shown as blue and white because royal blue represents strength and white represents hope. So the Wings are symbolical of what Levi and Eren individually stand for as well as signifies their dependence on each other.

• Levi’s role as Eren’s guardian : I love him both as Eren’s protector and his mentor. (oh also let’s not forget Eren had a little crush on him,,how adorable 🥺)

We’ve seen Levi giving it his all to protect Eren multiple times. And when he couldn’t protect him during the Battle of Trost because of his injury we see him clenching his fists in frustration. Again, in RTS we see Levi quite baffled when Erwin orders him to protect the horses and not protect Eren. Also in the RTS when Eren got flung on top of the wall, Levi was visibly concerned and then when Erwin couldnt come up with a plan that’d guarantee their survival, he quickly suggested that BOTH Erwin and Eren flit from there. This goes on to show how Levi thinks Erwin and Eren are EQUALLY important for ensuring humanity’s survival. It is evident from here that his liege and his mentee both belong on the same pedestal and he’d do anything to save them. Levi similarly comes up with an abrupt suggestion again in Ch 112 to save Eren when the Soldiers informed him that the higher authorities plan on having Eren eaten. Even though he clearly disapproved of Eren’s actions in Liberio, even though Levi himself always adhered to rules and discipline, he still had faith in Eren and he’d never accept such a ridiculous order, even if it came from Pixis. (plus he remembers the first time he met Eren which sort of makes us realize that Levi still sees himself as Eren’s protector🥺)

Next comes Levi’s role as a mentor in Eren’s life. I think his words of advice to Eren is an important factor that made him the man he is today. Levi encouraged him to believe in himself, he acknowledged his willpower, appreciated his relentless drive for freedom and even goaded him on to make important choices by himself. The recent happenings in the manga made a lot of people say that Eren follows the principle of “the end justifies the means” but originally, to quote Levi: “nobody can dictate you on what is the right path or what is the wrong one till you arrive at a certain outcome resulting from your choice”. I think one of the major reasons why Levi kicked Eren in the Marley arc again was because the outcome that Eren caused (at least according to Levi and the SC) was making Paradis the enemy of the whole enemy of the world and also a mountain of civilian deaths. This is just head canon but I think Levi was mainly disappointed because Eren didn’t seek his approval (unlike in the Reiss Chapel incident where he urged Levi to have faith in him before jumping into action of his own volition). Him comparing Eren with the underground thugs also makes me assume that he was genuinely hurt because he thought Eren has become complacent to the point where he doesn’t see Levi as a mentor anymore. But, right after his voice trails with the “you too..”, we see Eren looking up at him with the same beaming eyes. Curious why he’d do that at that instant. Also, during Serum Bowl, Eren used his height as the trump card to tower upon Levi. It was the only time he actually defied Levi and he did manage to look 100 percent domineering. But, post time skip Eren grew in leaps and bounds and he could easily repeat that but HE DID NOT. In fact, he utters his usual “Captain..?” and his eyes also have the same look. So maybe he still sees Levi as his inspiration but he cannot express that because he’s in a bind and has to act distant and cold with everyone. After all in Chapter 121, in the memory panel, we did see him recalling that very moment when Levi first advised him on making independent choices. His role as the mentor in Eren’s life is therefore once again reinforced by Isayama and I think that adds substantially to their wonderful platonic dynamic. ____________xxx___________

I probably couldn’t fit them all and even this is a terrible briefing. It is all so disarrayed and incoherent. I didn’t even get the time to attach pictures. Ugh, I’m so sorry anon ;-; I wish Uni would spare me some time to rant properly about my precious babies >.

#snk #ereri #riren #levieren #asks #thank you for the ask!#this is so shitty but i hope you'll accept this anon #i'll write a proper appreciation next time #also let me know why you ship them!#and have a nice day #<3

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freckledskittles · 6 years ago

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104th SSBU Mains

In the midst of playing Super Smash Bros Ultimate and the trailer for the second half of SNK’s third season, this heap of crap came out of nowhere and now it’s the only thing I can think about

I don’t know a lot about some of these series so please excuse me for any mistakes or inaccuracies!

x-x-x

Eren: Roy. He got into Fire Emblem when he first played SSB:Melee, and he fell in love with that red-haired boy. When he plays Ultimate, Eren is less likely to stick to one character (his argument is that “everyone is good and I love all of them DON’T MAKE ME CHOOSE”), but when he has to, he knows his boy Roy is there for him. Alternatives are Ryu, Mega Man, and Zelda, which, in his mind, if you’re going to play anyone, they’re the best options.

Fun fact: half of the reason he plays Ryu is to bug Armin to be Ken since “they’re best friends and we’re best friends and you look like Ken.” Same for Simon and Richter.

Mikasa: Young Link. LOZ is her favorite video game series by far (Majora’s Mask is her favorite hmu about Mikasa headcanons I love her) and when she heard he was coming back to Smash, she was sold on him before the game was out. She likes any Link, but Young Link has a charm and holds a lot of nostalgia for her. And she likes how he's the only one of the Link trio to have fire arrows. Alternatives are Yoshi (somewhat for the IRS meme but mostly for her fave green dinosaur), Mewtwo for the Pokemon representation, and Samus. Nothing beats an “I’m strong” catchphrase than the first female video game protag.

Armin: Mega Man. Of the video game series he’s gotten into, Legend of Zelda and Mega Man are the ones he’s most loyal too. For Ultimate, he’s more into the mini easter eggs that Mega Man’s moves give to other characters in the franchise than winning the game, and will probably play the single player modes the most, but he doesn’t mind fighting his friends. Alternatives include Pit, Pikachu and Falco; he doesn’t know much about Falco or Pit, except what he’s heard from everyone else, but it’s better than giving into Eren’s whim to play as Simon or Ken.

Jean: Ike. He grew up on that good old GameCube system, so of course he’d go to Ike, whose first game was for GC. He won’t admit it out loud, because he’s a Cool Guy™, but RPGs are near and dear to this boy’s heart. And what better way to share that love than with a blue-haired boy with a big ass sword? Also, he’s pretty good at Smash? So whatever smack talk he has is actually backed by some type of skill and experience. Alternative mains are Zelda, Young Link, and Pichu, all which took a very deep study of each character to develop. It was a serious decision.

Marco: Link. Like Armin, he has limited experience in videogame knowledge, and he’s just here to play with some characters and sass his friends. Link is the one he knows best, and the BOTW design is really pleasing to him. He’s really not here to win or show off how good he is cough cough Erejean. He just wants to have fun! And will do so in ways that make everyone regret handing him the controller, but he doesn’t know that. (Ridley just came out how the hell has he already mastered him?) Alternatives are Ness for the baseball references, Kirby for the deceit, and Marth for a cute blue-haired boy.

Fun fact: it’s a running joke among the 104th nerds that Ness’s design was inspired by Marco, and just to play into the joke, Marco has learned how to imitate Ness’s voice perfectly. For shits and giggles, he’ll spam the “okay” taunt if he’s doing better.

Sasha: Kirby. A classic, in her opinion, and the most versatile character since he can get the move of any player he inhales. There’s nothing more terrifying than a smiling pink glob hitting you with a hammer and nothing will change her mind. She put in so many hours to Kirby’s GBA and DS games when she was a kid that she can’t not play as him. Alternatives are Toon Link and Luigi for the GameCube nods, and Daisy. She makes up for losses by whispering “hi I’m Daisy” under her breath. It has a 95% chance of making them laugh.

Fun fact: the 104th buds have enforced a ban on Sasha’s Luigi when they’re playing together. He is too strong for mortal minds to comprehend.

Connie: Diddy Kong. The peanut gun really sold it for him, and he loves that Donkey Kong being the big goof that he is has a tiny sidekick like Diddy. He’s not here to win or compete seriously—he just wants to have fun. And that fun requires shooting peanuts and slapping opponents with his tail, but he’s not keeping track. Alternatives are Snake for laughs, Villager for the Look Of Death from that one skin (you know which one), and Peach. If he and Sasha are on a team, it’s a nightmare of hip bumps and golf clubs. If they’re facing off, No One Is Safe.

Reiner: Samus. As a kid, his mom wanted him to get into video games that were “safe for the kids” and so there was a bit of a limit to what he could play. But Metroid was something she okayed, and the series now has a special place in his heart. Samus is amazing to him? A bounty hunter in space who fights a giant dinosaur and is also a woman? He’s proud of that. Alternatives include Donkey Kong (more to play with Connie than anything else, really), Mario, and Olimar. Pikmin was another series he was able to play; if he had to choose, the white Pikmin are his favorite.

Bertholdt: Olimar. Sorta like Reiner, his video game knowledge is limited, but more by choice than anything. His knowledge stems from friends and his brothers playing DS games. (Their favorite is Spirit Tracks hmu about Bert headcanons I love him.) He chose Olimar, who he recognizes thanks to Reiner, but also because he looks like he is waaay out of his element. Which is how Bert feels 98% of the time. Alternatives are Marth, Shulk, and Pit; he didn’t choose them until he played at least some of their main games. (Which he did end up doing and enjoyed them all.)

Annie: Incineroar. She’s a Pokemon girl when no one’s watching, and that asshole cat pulling a clothesline on stage is exactly why she’s playing the game. She didn’t choose Litten when she played Sun/Moon (Rowlet is her dear round boy), but by god if she’s not going to take her chance. She was skeptical of Incineroar at his release but once she played him, she was a fan. The stone-like facade she wears playing him doesn’t help either—it’s win or death. Alternatives are King K. Rool, Zelda, and Ridley. She makes heavy characters look easy and the 104th does not appreciate it.

Ymir: Little Mac. A 5′7″ boxer from the Bronx is squaring up to fight a fire-breathing dragon, an anthropomorphic hedgehog, and a pink blob that wants to put her to sleep. It doesn’t matter—he’s here to beat everyone up and he won’t stop until he wins. She may be biased (modern au headcanon that she’s from the Bronx what up) which some will allege is her reason for picking Little Mac, but that’s just slander to her. Alternatives include Mega Man (after so many years of not having that iconic blue boy), Chrom (“that’s an ugly ass tattoo put some sleeves on”), and Sheik.

Fun fact: it takes every bit of her lesbian heart to not choose the girls because the 104th knows her attraction to long blonde hair and is waiting for her to do it. And sometimes, you need Peach to shut them up.

Historia: Marth. He’s a royal blue boy! Look at how pretty! Soft headcanon that Historia likes fighting games and RPGs because hello punching bad guys and using sword to battle evil? Yes please she wants that. She’ll distract everyone with praises of her character and “how beautiful” they are while attacking the 104th with every chance she gets. She’s here to win, and when she will, she just smiles and says “don’t worry we’re all winners.” But everyone knows who the One True Winner is. Alternatives are Ryu, Zero Suit Samus, and Pichu. When she chooses Pichu, the 104th buds know the game is over.

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hanges-logbook · 6 years ago

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SNK + Hogwarts Houses

You know what there’s a surprising lack of in the SNK fandom lately? Harry Potter AUs. So in the wake of chapter 112, I thought I’d sort the characters into Hogwarts houses. As a fun little coping mechanism haha please don’t get too upset with me over these

Let’s start with some general notes:

--as a general rule, the Survey Corps is comprised mainly of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws

--likewise, the Garrison is primarily Hufflepuff, and the Military Police is dominated by Slytherins. There are exceptions of course, but generally speaking

—due to these general trends, the different branches even focus their recruiting on certain houses - the Survey Corps mainly recruits from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, for example

--Gryffindor and Slytherin, in any given generation, usually have the most titans

--anyone with royal blood is traditionally assigned to Slytherin, even if they aren’t “true” Slytherins

--Ackerbonds overwhelmingly form between a Hufflepuff and a Slytherin, since they are the ‘loyalty’ houses (Slytherin values loyalty to one’s own kind, and Hufflepuff values loyalty to friends and loyalty in general)

HUFFLEPUFF

Levi -- self-sacrificial, inclined to heroism not for personal gain but to save others, hates needless death more than anything, values the lives of his comrades more than anything, and as an Ackerman is inclined by tradition toward Hufflepuff, I even see his cleanliness as a very Hufflepuff thing - keeping things clean keeps everyone around him healthy. And his Ackerbond is with Erwin, a Slytherin

Mikasa -- foremost goal in life is to protect her friends (Eren AND Armin), prioritizes their needs before hers, as an Ackerman is inclined by tradition toward Hufflepuff (but also hates it bc she loathes being in the same house as Levi) Though she bonded with Eren, a Gryffindor, it still upholds the usual Ackerbond logic because Eren actually belongs in Slytherin

Bertholt/Colossal Titan -- good-natured, polite and sweet, avoids conflict at all costs, seeks diplomatic resolutions, perceptive of his friends’ mental and emotional states (especially Reiner, his emotionally illiterate Gryffindor boyfriend)

Uri -- seeks to build a utopia in which everyone can live happily and peacefully. I almost see him as the op Hufflepuff in a way tbh - or at least a Hufflepuff taken to their logical conclusion

Sasha -- expected the hat to put her in Slytherin and was very surprised when it said Hufflepuff... but didn’t complain once she found out how close Hufflepuff’s common room was to the kitchens... in all seriousness though, she’s self-sacrificial, kind-hearted, and deeply committed to making sure everyone around her is provided for

Marco -- the ultimate Hufflepuff summer child NO one can fight me on this. And his best friend is a Slytherin with a good heart ;)

Falco -- emotionally perceptive, wise beyond his years (in more of an ethics way, not necessarily in a Ravenclaw way), prioritizes others’ needs before his own. It seems like every Hufflepuff has that one dumbass friend in another house who depends on them

Marcel/Jaws Titan -- repeatedly sacrificed himself to save others that’s basically his entire character from what we know - first by becoming a titan in place of his brother and then by saving Reiner from Ymir

GRYFFINDOR

Eren/Attack, Founding and Warhammer Titans -- belongs in Slytherin, and not in a Harry way: Eren actually belongs in Slytherin. The sorting hat really tried to talk him out of Gryffindor. As a result, Eren hasn’t really found peace in Gryffindor, and butts heads with a lot of house members, like Reiner. He also has a strong resentment for Slytherins, especially Jean, because he secretly knows he belongs there. However, he’s good friends with Annie, who’s also a Slytherin but actually belongs in Gryffindor. Eren wants desperately to be a Gryffindor bc he wants to be brave and heroic and strong, but doesn’t realize that overwhelming ambition is what actually makes him a Slytherin

Reiner/Armored Titan -- like Eren, he wants to be brave and strong, but in his case he actually is brave and strong. The difference is slight and difficult to explain, but I think it’s mainly he doesn’t have the same will as Eren - and bc he’s lacking will, that means his bravery is more the real deal, and not just a will to be brave. And then there were his “soldier” moments when he risked his life for Connie and Historia, etc. That was true bravery. And in this au, Eren hates him for it.

Historia -- as someone with royal blood, she is inclined by tradition to be in Slytherin, but rebelled against her family by joining Gryffindor. There is great courage in living for yourself, first and foremost. She’s also in love with a Slytherin (Ymir)

Mike -- since we know little about him, I’m basing most of this decision on his death scene, which struck me as incredibly brave and dignified, considering the circumstances, as well as his high rank in the Survey Corps, which statistically (based on my reasoning) makes him most likely a Gryffindor or a Ravenclaw I could actually see Ravenclaw now that I think about it

Marlow -- he’s a dumbass in the most Gryffindor of ways

Gabi -- for better or worse, I think Gabi is brave (that doesn’t mean I have to like her for it though...)

Frieda/Founding Titan -- like Historia, she rebelled against the family tradition by joining Gryffindor, and ultimately provided the inspiration for her younger sister, who took it a few steps further

SLYTHERIN

Annie/Female Titan -- like Eren, she’s in the wrong house. The sorting hat tried to convince her otherwise, but she insisted on joining Slytherin. She felt it would be easier to fulfill her purpose that way (and be less conspicuous). But she’s that rare Slytherin that doesn’t give a damn about house loyalty, and usually hangs out by herself, or with Eren

Zeke/Beast Titan -- manipulative, ambitious, self-serving, the ultimate troll... even other Slytherins aren’t sure how they feel about him

Yelena -- only joined Slytherin to better serve be closer to Zeke

Ymir -- values living for herself above all else, even more than her girlfriend, Historia. She’s the one who convinced Historia to join Gryffindor, even after Historia learned she was in Slytherin and wanted to follow her

Kenny -- the rare Slytherin Ackerman (though the Ackerbond still worked, since he bonded with a Hufflepuff). All he ever seems to talk about is his dream, Uri’s dream, which he selfishly pursued at the cost of everything else. There’s no way I wasn’t putting him in Slytherin

Erwin -- the rare Slytherin Survey Corps member, another man who’s all about his personal dream. He prioritizes that dream even above the lives of his own men. In that way he’s Levi’s antithesis

Jean -- there’s never been a doubt in his mind that he’s a Slytherin, and he is entirely at peace with it, much to the annoyance of a certain Gryffindor. His Hufflepuff friend keeps telling him he has a good heart, but he doesn’t really believe him...

Hitch -- 100% open and honest about the fact she wants to join the Military Police after graduation, and if Slytherin’s the quickest route, she’ll gladly take it

Porco/Jaws Titan -- irreverent of his wishy-washy Hufflepuff brother’s sacrifice, what he wants more than anything is to be a hero for Marley

FLOCHH OH MY GOD I’m not even going to talk about him

RAVENCLAW

I don’t even know if I have to explain these guys

Armin -- inquisitive since he was a child, values knowledge more than anything, is also incredibly brave, but he draws his very courage from the prospect of knowledge (“every time I think of the outside world... I feel courage well up inside me”), a brilliant strategist, even more so than Erwin

Hange -- incredibly and even frighteningly creative in her approach to fighting titans, willing to go to such lengths as even love them... aka she’s eccentric af and there’s no other house that can handle that like Ravenclaw

Pieck/Cart Titan -- literally what Hange would be if she was a titan shifter

Nanaba -- adept at reading the situation in battle, as well as figuring out solutions to complex, life-threatening problems. A solid strategist, based on what we’ve seen of her (I really wish we could have seen more of her), and a talented fighter

and Connie’s a Squib

#attack on titan #snk #shingeki no kyojin #aot #snk spoilers #snk meta #?? i guess ??#I have a friend who irrationally hates Connie so I did that for her

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ressarioth · 7 years ago

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@nakamatoo requested:

how about a modern Au of ereannie where annie's the delinquent badgirl and Eren is the normal classmate that is drawn to her and gradually gets close to her?

This completely got away from me and I ended up with more ideas for it than I could fit in. As such there's a lot left to be explored, but I needed to stop somewhere because at about 8.8k words this exceeded the maximum of anything I had in mind when opening requests. I'll leave certain things up for everyone's imagination/interpretation for now. I hope you enjoy it.

If Annie got one buck for every time someone looks at her with contempt she'd probably be able to ditch her part-time job and still help her father pay for their expenses. To everyone at school she's the girl that broke a senior's arm last year and that pretty much got her branded as the school's "bad girl". It doesn't matter that she was only defending herself — he was the popular student and excelled at playing the victim so she was the one that got suspended for a week. On top of that two of her teachers deliberately had her fail their classes so she's forced to repeat the grade. One additional year stuck in this hellhole.

Annie always had a feeling that growing up in a small town was the worst that could happen to someone who doesn't fit the social expectations of the people living there. But she learned early on that getting her father to move to a big city is an impossible task — he's a stubborn man who turned into more of a recluse as she grew older and now he won't even head to the grocery store anymore. So she has resigned herself to her fate of living in this place until she graduates. She likes to dream of moving away for university sometimes — though if she's being realistic she doesn't know if she can leave her father to his own devices in his condition.

Her only solace is the small record store in a back alley leading away from the main street where she works after school. It's a hub for all the outsiders who don't fall in line with the town's mentality — not that Annie would associate with them, she prefers to keep to herself. But there she doesn't have to bear anyone's scrutiny, if anything she sticks out for how plain she looks in her jeans and hoodie that aren't made to convey some kind of statement.

At first Annie earned some skeptical looks from the denizen's for how ordinary she looks compared to her co-workers. After a couple of weeks however she got accepted as the quiet girl who stands behind the counter during the afternoon and serves everyone without a smile. Nobody bothers her with small talk or asking if a specific LP is in stock and that serves her just right.

Well, usually nobody bothers her.

There are always exceptions to the rule and those exceptions tend to come in the form of one-time customers who get lost on their quest to buy new music. That's at least Annie's conclusions and she wouldn't mind these stray people if they didn't have a tendency to approach her with any questions they have just because she's sitting behind the register.

"Hey, I'm looking for a CD."

Without taking her eyes off the book she's reading, Annie notes: "CDs are right behind you. Vinyls and tapes are along the left wall — actually, it's the right wall for you."

"Okay, but I was thinking of something specific," the person insists — most likely a guy, judging by the voice, but she is learning not to assume these things.

Annie sighs at the persistence. "Then start looking or ask my boss who actually knows about stuff like this."

"And why can't you help me with this, since you're right here in front of me? Too busy reading your book?"

Giving up on trying to read the same two sentences a third time, Annie puts down her reading material and meets the pestering customer with a glare — only to be given pause from attempting to murder whoever is standing in front of her with her eyes. The face she finds herself looking at is familiar. The brown hair and the green eyes which are prominent compared to his tan skin belong to nobody else but her classmate: Eren Jaeger.

Annie's surprise seems nothing compared to his. She could have sworn he took a step back when recognising her and there's unease in his eyes. Whatever attitude he displayed before has drained out of him now. He comes off positively shy when he adds: "I mean, erm, could you help me please?"

This has got to be the worst situation Annie finds herself in since having to listen to the principal preach about how morally reprehensible it is to hurt another student. As if it wasn't bad enough that she has to bear with her new classmates during lessons, now one of them has to show up in this small store which has become her only refuge aside from her room.

Maintaining eye contact Annie explains: "Even if I were inclined to help you — which I'm not — I couldn't because I know jack shit about any of the music we sell here."

As she reaches for her book, she catches Eren giving her a puzzled look. "Then why do you work at a record store?"

"Because it pays money." Annie doesn't feel like having this conversation, but she still indulges him with an answer while she's flipping through the pages to find where she left off.

Eren leans in and lowers his voice to ask. "And what are they paying you to do here exactly?"

"To take your money from you, because these records aren't for free," Annie tells him, staring him down over the edge of her book. He backs away again.

"Oh," Eren notes, ever the intelligent remark on his lips. "I guess I'll come back once I found my CD."

Finally he gets it. Pleased, Annie returns her attention to her pastime and she was never as happy as she is now to read about someone getting stabbed.

When Eren returns to the counter he puts down a CD with a blonde woman wearing a crown and holding a bouquet on the cover. Annie only gives it a brief look as she picks it up to check the price. She doesn't bother reading the label as it wouldn't mean anything to her anyway.

"It's a present," Eren feels compelled to share.

"I didn't ask." Annie types the price into the register and announces: "5.50."

"Right…" Eren hands her the money and she goes through the motions of checking the value and giving out the change. Without any particular interest she watches as he slips the CD into his bag. Once he's done he looks at Annie again and it's like he's waiting for something. She stares back without a word until he averts his eyes and mumbles: "See you at school tomorrow."

Annie doesn't respond. She doesn't like how this is turning out. She doesn't want her school life and her work life to intersect, yet Eren acted friendly with her towards the end as if they somehow became buddies through this one encounter. He better not expect her to acknowledge him in school from now on or this could turn unpleasant for her. Trying to rid herself from this terrible thought she dives back into the horror and tragedy of her book.

As if to fulfil her fears, Eren approaches Annie during break the next day by dragging a free chair over to her table and slumping into it.

"So, Battle Royale," he says and looks at her expectantly as if she should know what he's talking about.

Annie blinks in her initial surprise and then glares at him like he's an unwanted alien. In a way he is, considering he's invading her personal space and trying to strike up a conversation when she has come to a silent agreement with everyone since joining the class that they will leave her the fuck alone. But not Eren, not anymore. She wonders if he's the kind of guy who would mistake a polite smile from a girl as an indicator of her having to be in love with him — which isn't the reason Annie doesn't walk around smiling at people but hopefully beneficial side-effect of it.

Still, the statement catches her off guard enough that she reflexively questions: "What?"

"The book you were reading yesterday," Eren explains. "I didn't catch a good look at the title so it took me a bit to figure it out. I thought about reading it as well, I've only seen the film so far."

The fact that he spent time thinking about anything remotely related to their encounter yesterday is concerning and Annie would rather not dwell on it. She shouldn't encourage the idea in his head that they're somehow on talking terms now. But maybe words are the necessary means it takes to convey how thoroughly unimpressed she is by him since he's proving himself resistant to any nonverbal cue to leave her be. "Oh, so you're one of the edgy kids who watches R rated movies even though you're not allowed to yet."

Eren gives an amused huff. "You're one to talk, the book can hardly be any better. I'd even wager it's more explicit. Or—" he leans in and lowers his voice as if he's sharing a secret and she wonders if that's a habit of his— "are you trying to say that visual depictions of violence are worse than any verbal description of it?"

Though Annie could argue the point she doesn't feel like it's worth it. At least he has the decency to retreat out of her personal space without having to be prompted, but she doesn't like the way he's grinning. To test his boundaries (and ideally unsettle him enough to leave her be) she notes: "It's stress relief, to keep me from doing the real thing."

Having a reputation as a delinquent has its benefits sometimes. There is a hint of unease crossing Eren's face — enough to make Annie almost rejoice in having succeeded. However he regains his composure faster than yesterday when she first met his gaze. Unfortunate.

"I never see you reading it at school though, don't bring it with you?" he comments as if she hadn't just revealed a willingness to commit murder. Maybe it was too much of a bluff even for her well known record. She decides not to dwell on it.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Annie almost snorts. "You think I'd let any of the teachers catch me with that? They'd probably kick me out for real."

The moment Annie closes her mouth she knows that she said too much. That's not the kind of information she wanted to share with a classmate whom she's trying to get rid off. She's going to regret this.

"Huh…" Eren seems thoughtful and she braces herself. "I didn't think you cared."

Oh, Annie cares. If she wants to get a good enough job to support herself and her father, she's going to have to graduate from high school at the very least. But that's personal information, nothing meant for Eren's ears. She already told him more than she wanted to.

"What would I do with my life if it wasn't for this shit dump with self-important teachers and obnoxious classmates pestering me," Annie tries to distract from the truth with sarcasm. "It would be so boring."

"You always look like you're bored anyway."

They both pause. Annie could've easily dismissed the comment if it wasn't for that "always" sticking out like a neon coloured warning sign. It sounds like Eren has been paying attention to her even before their encounter yesterday. She doesn't know how to respond and the way he avoids her gaze fills her with the uneasy feeling that her suspicion is right.

"Anyway, I brought you something," Eren changes the topic and places his phone on the table in front of her.

Welcoming the distraction, Annie goes along with the prompt, though she gives the device a skeptical look. It seems he has the habit of dropping fragments of a conversation without giving a clue about the context. It's unnerving. "This better not be a setup to exchange numbers or I'll have to damage your property."

Eren stops rummaging in his pocket and looks at her with wide eyes. "What? No. I've never even heard of that one before."

"You'll have to pay me to get to use it then," Annie decrees. "Though I wouldn't recommend you try this on any girl."

"Didn't even cross my mind," Eren assures her and there's an air about him that she — for lack of a better word — would describe as innocent. It seems he isn't here to hit on her which would be one disaster averted. That still leaves her with the general issue of him trying to interact with her — and at this point she's afraid she let herself get roped in too far to pull out of the conversation. (How did he manage this? How did she let it happen?)

Finally Eren seems to have found what he was looking for, because he's producing a set of tangled up headphones from his pocket. As he's working on straightening out the cable, Annie furrows her brows together. "You…brought me your phone and a headset?"

"Music," Eren declares as he plugs in the headphones. "I brought you a song to listen to."

"Why?" The word is over Annie's lips as soon as it pops into her head.

"Because I like this song and—" He presents her with an earbud, but she doesn't move to take it from him. "Come on, what's the deal?"

Annie hesitates to answer. She never gave it much thought, but suddenly she feels a little uneasy to admit: "I don't really listen to music."

It's one of those things she knows must make her odd to her peers. She grew up in a home without media that has audio. There's no TV or stereo; the old laptop she owns is only meant for school assignments and it was hard enough to convince her father of its necessity. He has been sound sensitive for as long as she can remember, and it only got worse since his discharge from the military. He taught her how to fight and take care of herself, he even encouraged her reading, but music is something she never learned to enjoy.

"Oh, I see." Eren lets his hand sink and seems disappointed. "You…don't like it? At all?"

"I guess I never bothered to get into it." Because by the time she was old enough to maybe save up for a CD player, headphones and some CDs, it didn't seem worth the effort. The music she hears playing in stores or blasting from a passing car's open window is nothing but background noise to her. Besides, she wouldn't have known where to start anyway.

"Would you want to try changing that?" Eren sounds tentative as if he wants to avoid being pushy while still trying to convince her to do it. "At least give it a shot."

Annie holds back a sigh. This unwanted conversation has taken an unpredictable turn. At this point she feels like she should just get it over with and listen to his damn song. It's just a couple of minutes and then she can tell him that she isn't interested in any further audio samples and maybe he'll leave her alone for good. "Whatever."

"Okay…" To her surprise Eren puts away his phone, but if he misinterpreted her response as a no and can actually take it she isn't going to clear up the misunderstanding. "I'll have to give this some thought before I pick the songs to introduce you to first."

"What was that?" Now this sounds like the exact opposite of what Annie wanted.

Eren gives her a smile. "I can't start you off on just anything. What if you don't like it and then I get stressed and forget all the other good songs I could show you instead? I wouldn't want that to happen."

Annie wants to tell him him not to bother but she's speechless. He's getting carried away with the idea and his dedication is impressive as much as his persistence is annoying. She tries to think of a witty remark to shut him down, but maybe she's too hung up on wanting to be clever about it that she doesn't get to turn him down at all.

"Give me…a day or two and I should have a nice selection prepared for you," Eren announces and somehow that is what he finally takes as his cue to leave her to it — after the damage is already done.

Bewildered, Annie can only stare after him as he returns to his own seat. Crap.

Suggesting that it may take him two days must have been an attempt to seem casual, because Eren has a giddy air about him when he catches up with Annie during lunch break the next day. She hoped to avoid this by hiding away from him once the morning lessons end, but he seems to have just waited for this moment and his long legs give him an edge over her unless she wanted to make her escape attempt obvious and started running.

"Hey Annie, are you free?" Eren greets her, though it seems more of a formality because he answers his own question in her stead. "Well, from what I can tell you're always free during breaks."

Though he's right, Annie doesn't like the idea of him making assumptions about her. "Actually, I was just about to sneak off for a smoke in the girl's bathroom."

"Yeah, right." Eren snorts. "As if you'd be dumb enough to do that in the bathroom when there are more suitable places for it."

Damn, he's better than she thought.

Before Annie can come up with another story to put him off, Eren holds up his phone and announces: "I think I have a good selection from various genres for you to find at least one song you like."

Annie looks away, wondering how she got herself in this mess. Her eyes land on Mikasa who is standing next to the classroom door and glaring at her. Though they had some minor clashes during a few matches in PE lessons, she didn't think Mikasa's dislike for her was this bad. Though she's getting the feeling that it might be related to Eren talking to her. There are some rumours she couldn't avoid hearing about…

"Let's go," Eren declares, unaware of their witness and grabs Annie's hand.

She didn't expect him to be this forward so she gets dragged along for a couple of steps before she starts to resist. His strength and obliviousness make it difficult for her to slip her hand out of his grip, so when telling him to let her go doesn't do the trick, she decides to fall back on more drastic measures. Taking advantage of him having his guard down, she starts twisting his arm until he stops in his tracks and releases her hand.

"Ouch!" Eren rubs his arm and gives her a shocked look. "Damn, Annie, what was that for?"

"I told you to let me go," Annie informs him, unfazed by his pain.

He averts his eyes with a sigh, his hand coming to rest on his upper arm. "Sorry, I got carried away. I won't do it again."

That surprises Annie. She figured he'd be more standoffish and make an argument about how her measures were uncalled for, but he just accepts it. It's hard for her to tell if he has less backbone than she thought or if this is his way of acknowledging that he overstepped her boundaries. In case of the former she would be disappointed, in case of the latter she would be appeased and maybe a little impressed.

As it stands she doesn't know how to react so she considers to just walk away. Yet when she turns around debating her options, she realises they still can be seen from the classroom and Mikasa is now regarding her with open hostility. Suddenly she's looking forward to returning for afternoon classes even less than usual.

Heading back in that direction is out of the question now so Annie faces Eren and remarks: "Looks like your girlfriend officially hates me."

She makes it sound as if the thought didn't unsettle her at least a little. Mikasa may be a grade A student, but that doesn't mean she's beyond giving Annie a hard time. If her spikes are anything to go by she's a heavy hitter and Annie would prefer to avoid a confrontation.

"My what now?"

Not wanting to draw Eren's attention towards the classroom in a way that could be noticed, Annie decides it's simpler to just spell it out for him: "I mean Mikasa."

"She's my sister," Eren corrects and if the disgusted look on his face is anything to go by, he doesn't like her suggestion at all.

Annie doesn't drop the topic nor does she apologise. It may be petty of her, but she still hasn't given up on trying to get him to leave her be. If she makes him regret associating with her in the first place he might move on from this silly idea of getting her to listen to music. So what if it hurts him a little or she ends up offending him? It's a price she's willing to pay. "Didn't you hear the rumour about the two step siblings in our grade who are dating? It's all over the school."

Without waiting for a reply, Annie starts walking. At this point she doesn't care she's walking in the same direction in which Eren originally dragged her and that it might come off as if she's complying with his plans. She doesn't want to give people anymore reason to stare than they already are, she doesn't want to make a scene out of this. If she's moving the odds of someone listening in are at least lower.

Once again, Eren has no difficulty catching up with her. While matching her pace with ease, he clarifies: "First, Mikasa is adopted; second, I didn't think you'd care about stuff like that."

"If I had my way I never would've heard about it, trust me, but it's hard to blend out when Hitch is gossiping in the seat next to me."

The fact that he doesn't outright deny it is curious to Annie and yet she doesn't comment on it. Something about dredging up this whole rumour business doesn't sit right with her and the longer it stays a topic the less willing she is to use it for her agenda to get rid of him.

"Still your choice if you believe everything you hear," Eren points out and he has her there. The thing is that she doesn't believe it — she knows better than to buy into unfounded gossip making its rounds. He could leave it at that and she would drop the topic, because she feels bad already for bringing it up, but it he has to up the ante. "I, for my part, don't believe that Willy Tybur was just minding his own business when you decided to break his arm."

That's it, the nail in her coffin, Annie lost this fight. No one doubted Willy's statement and all her father wanted to know about the matter was how she handled herself. As if her using the skills he taught her to defend herself was all that mattered, as if it was irrelevant that she shouldn't have needed to defend herself in the first place. Yet here is Eren, a boy she's been in a class with for maybe three weeks who is turning out to be obnoxiously persistent about talking to her and didn't even know her at the time — and despite the official account of the incident he doubts that she acted without good cause.

Annie doesn't know how to respond. A lump is forming in her throat. It reminds her of all the reprimanding and stigma she endured in silence to appear as if it didn't matter to her and now there's someone who believes in her. She isn't used to such kindness, yet breaking out of her stoic character now might have greater consequences than she can anticipate — she won't risk it. She's bearing a heavy burden and she didn't ask for help, so she can offer no gratitude.

"Why does Mikasa cling to you then?" To distract herself from her inner turmoil, Annie brings up a question that fits the topic at hand. The way Mikasa sticks around Eren whenever possible was was one of the first things she noticed while observing her new classmates. It struck her as unusual and she couldn't help but wonder about it.

"She's protective," Eren admits. "She lost her parents in a horrible way and— It's complicated."

That's not the kind of explanation Annie would have expected — it's not much of an explanation at all — but she isn't going to pry. Her individual issues with Mikasa aside, this sounds like the kind of personal matter she has neither a right to know about nor is it her place to judge. Eren already told her more than he should have.

"Alright," Annie offers and with that the topic is done for good.

There's a sense of awkwardness in the silence that unfolds between them — or maybe Annie is just imagining things. She let herself get dragged into a verbal exchange with Eren thrice by now and it feels weird when there is nothing to say. She can hurl cutting or abrasive remarks at him, but when she doesn't have that she realises she doesn't know how to be around him.

As they're strolling across the schoolyard Annie finds herself scanning it for a quiet spot where they can listen to music without getting disturbed. She resigned herself to that fate somewhere between trying to get rid of him and backing off on the topic of Mikasa. Eren is one step ahead of her however, because he guides her around a few corners to one of the most remote areas of the school grounds. The irony of cigarette buds being scattered on the ground from the students who are daring enough to come here for a smoke isn't lost on her.

"Do you really smoke?" Eren asks as he brushes off one of the benches standing around — a symbolic gesture considering that the wood is showing the first signs of decay and small patches of moss are growing here and there. Having little concern about dirtying her pants, Annie follows suit as he takes a seat.

"No," she answers honestly. "But I have an image to maintain."

"What? You like being considered a delinquent?"

"It keeps people away which suits me just fine." That's only half the truth but she told him too much already.

"It doesn't suit you, you're far too sincere for it," Eren notes as he's pulling his phone out of his pocket and places it on his thigh.

Annie doesn't like how he acts as if he knows her. "You sure have a high opinion of me for no fucking reason."

"I wouldn't say it's for no reason," he counters while trying to untangle the cable of his headphones. The annoyed glare she shoots him is lost on him.

"Keep telling yourself that if you want but don't blame me if you end up disappointed," she notes in a dismissive tone, doing her best to hold in her anger. She hates it when people act like they have her all figured out — especially if it's after such a short time. To distract from the feelings swelling inside of her she changes the topic. "Now what about that music? We don't have all day."

"Here you go." Eren presents Annie with one earbud and a smile. She nearly rips it out of his hand and then berates herself for it because it infringes on the impassive facade she's trying to project.

Considering how rarely Annie slips up like that, the frequency of it happened over the past three days is concerning. The suspicion is forming in the back of her head that it has something to do with Eren specifically, but she's pushing it aside for now. She cannot afford to start pondering the effect he may have on her while she's with him. Terrible timing.

Luckily for her, Eren is eager to jump into things. He starts out with something mellow Annie is sure she heard in passing before, but soon dives into the guitar heavier sounds once he's made sure that she doesn't mind it. Out of a sense of pride, she's reserved about giving feedback, but she finds herself liking the music far more than she would have expected.

Before each track Eren gives a little introduction for it by sharing something about the artist, the release, or what he likes about it. Annie isn't particularly interested in all the exposition and the artist and song names don't stick with her, but she finds herself listening to him regardless. It gives the whole thing a bit of a personal touch and she can appreciate that (though she would never admit it).

Yet after a few songs Eren still hasn't mentioned the track that started this all. Annie expected him to bring it up by now, so she asks: "What about the song you wanted to show me the other day?"

"Oh that." Eren begins navigating the music player on his phone. "It's something I discovered recently. Just figured I'd give you some time before we got to it."

"Don't hold back now, you brought it up so you're obliged to show me."

"Alright, I'll play it to you."

Eren seems to have found it, because his thumb comes to a rest. However he doesn't press start yet, since he doesn't like talking over the music — that much Annie has picked up on by now. "The song is called Breaking The Habit and is originally by the band Linkin Park, but I wanted to show you the cover version by Affiance; I found it's good to vent some frustration."

Once again Annie doesn't point out that she's going to keep exactly none of those names, but just waits quietly for him to play the song. As the music sets in she realises that this is the most personal thing he shared with her up until now, not because of the track in particular — she wouldn't go as far as to read anything into the lyrics — but because he hinted at having the need to release some negative feelings.

They way she sees him interact with others and smile a lot, Annie considered him to be carefree and easygoing with his temperament sometimes getting the better of him. Yet she may have misjudged the difficulty of his life. She doesn't show her troubles to the world either, maybe they have just different ways of hiding these things.

Annie makes a mental note of it and focuses on the song. From what she can tell, the lyrics tend to be as important to Eren as the music itself, though she hasn't quite figured out the pattern yet. As she listens to words being sung she isn't sure how close they hit home for him. But in general she can see what he meant about the track being good for venting frustration. She wonders what else there is to him which she would never have suspected until hearing him talk about his favourite music.

Once her curiosity is woken, Annie finds herself willing to spend more time with Eren. It becomes a habit for him to approach her with new tracks to listen to and for her to go along with it. He will tell her about how or when he discovered it and she will take it all in — it's part of the ritual. When she likes a song in particular she will let him know and he will introduce her to more of the same artist. That's how they end up listening to most of the discography of Arctic Monkeys and Foals (both names she commits to memory due to the increased exposure).

As far as Annie is concerned, things can stay like this. She finds herself enjoying the company more than she initially thought, but there's also no forced commitment or pressure for her to lay herself bare. Most of the time they talk about music and whatever else comes up is only as personal as she allows it to become. She doesn't have to talk about her father and how she feels so stuck in this hellhole of a town. Neither does Eren share much beyond little anecdotes related to some songs and though she is intrigued to see more of what's beneath the surface it isn't like her to pry.

But a couple of weeks into their arrangement, Eren changes up the game by inviting Annie over to his home. He says he bought a new CD he wants to play to her and though he cannot give her a proper answer to why he doesn't just load it onto his phone like all the other music he shares with her, she ends up agreeing. She isn't sure why she did and she has two whole days to ponder it. By the time Eren picks her up after work the next Friday she still doesn't have her answer however.

The area Eren lives in seems less cramped than Annie's neighbourhood, the two story houses lining the road creating a different atmosphere from the rundown tenement blocks she is used to. When she realises that his family seems to be able to afford their own house a sense of intimidation creeps up on her. It's like she doesn't belong in a place where families might interact in a different way from what she's used to from her father. She isn't prepared. What if Eren's parents are the type that want to meet whomever he brings home with him? It didn't occur to Annie before so she didn't ask, but now she's getting worried and a little nervous.

While Eren digs for the key in his bag, Annie remains a few feet away from the door. As if he could guess her concerns, Eren looks over his shoulder and notes: "I don't think anyone's home. Mikasa should be at therapy and my dad is abroad."

"What about your mum?" Annie asks and strolls closer. Knowing that she doesn't risk running into Eren's adoptive sister is already a load off her chest since she's still on Mikasa's bad side.

Eren has found his keys and unlocks the door. "Hasn't been around in years."

The way he says it Annie isn't sure if his mother is dead or just left them. She doesn't dare to ask. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"Yeah...don't worry about it," Eren tells her as he pushes the door open. Though he's facing away from her, she catches a glimpse of the grimace on his face as he turns on the light inside. By the time he steps back and holds the door open, he has already caught himself however and gives her a smile. "So anyway, we've got the whole place to ourselves."

Following a spontaneous inspiration, Annie tilts her head at him. "Isn't that when all the indecent stuff happens?"

"What?" Eren looks perplexed, either because he doesn't catch her drift or because what she's suggesting never occurred to him.

As she walks up to the door she suppresses a smile. "At least that's what my grandma always told me."

"Well, I don't know about your grandma, but I think you can handle yourself either way," he comments and lets her cross the threshold and walk past him into the hallway.

"And here I was worried you didn't get what I meant."

"Of course I got what you meant, but— it was never my intention—" Eren shuts the door and turns towards her. He seems a little flustered. "Did you...expect it to turn out like that?"

The idea seems to have thrown him off balance and Annie feels a little sorry she brought it up. But his reaction is way more amusing than expected and she cannot hold in a soft laugh. "I was just teasing, no need to stumble all over your words."

Eren stares at her, dumbstruck. It makes Annie worry that she may have crossed a line or something. Becoming unsure about her joke and also a little self-conscious from being blatantly looked at, she prompts him: "What?"

"You...laughed."

"Yeah, so?"

"It's just—" Eren shakes his head as if he has to pull himself out of a stupor— "I've never seen you do that."

"And you'll never see it again if you're gonna make such a big deal out of it."

"Sorry. It was just...unexpected. And nice."

"Will you shut up already?" Annie glares at him.

Though he looks as if he's about to say more, Eren closes his mouth and complies. He moves past her through the hallway — which is smaller than Annie would have guessed from the outside — and gets onto the stairs, signalling her to follow him. Since he doesn't take off his shoes or jacket, she doesn't bother either though it makes her feel rude.

As she walks after Eren down the hallway of the second floor, Annie notices all but one door standing open. It seems odd to her, considering that it's almost winter. Her father is strict about keeping all doors in the flat closed so the warmth from the rooms won't escape into the cold hallway and drive up the bills. But maybe Eren's family is rich enough to not worry about saving heating costs.

Eren's room is at the end of the hallway and looks like something that Annie would describe as organised chaos: worn clothes are piling up on a chair, messily folded laundry takes up most of the space on a small couch, and the shelves are cluttered with things she doesn't bother to identify. It's like everything has its place but isn't put there in an orderly fashion.

"You can sit on the bed," Eren offers and throws his coat on top of the chair that's already overflowing with clothes. He holds out his hand in her direction and Annie takes it as her cue to slip out of her own jacket and hand it over to him. As expected he puts it on top of the pile.

Not used to wearing street shoes in the bedroom and thus feeling bad about it, Annie takes off her sneakers and leaves them standing at the foot of the bed. Once again she notices Eren's eyes on her and she shoots him a dark look to make him stop.

"You've got better manners than you let on," Eren points out, though he still averts his gaze.

Annie leaves it uncommented. By now she knows she cannot stop him from taking in her supposedly good qualities. It's like he made it his task to take note whenever she does something that doesn't fit into her image as a delinquent. She has given up on trying to contradict him.

As suggested, Annie sits down on the bed and waits for Eren to turn on the stereo — because of course he has one of those — and put in the CD.

"I discovered this band recently and they make really nice music," he explains and picks up the remote control from the shelf. Then he takes off his boots and leaves them lying on the floor by his desk before he comes over to the bed and lets himself drop onto the mattress beside her. Only then does he bother to press play as if it was impossible for him to do all those little things while the first song was already on.

Annie is a little surprised that this is all the introduction she gets. After all Eren had her come over to his place just to listen to it — she expected things to be a little grander. But as the first tunes can be heard she realises that maybe this isn't the kind of music that needs a lot of exposition. It's mellow and relaxing and seems to speak for itself.

Beside her, Eren has draped his arm over his eyes as if covering his own field of vision helped him hear better. It occurs to Annie that this is the first time they're hanging out together that he isn't paying her at least some degree of attention. For once it's her who gets to have a closer look at him.

Annie lies down next to him, because the music sounds like it's best enjoyed that way and because it allows her to better take Eren in. The upper half of his face is hidden from her view by his hand, but what she can make out of his features appears unusually soft. It's different from when his lips curve upwards in a smile or he frowns when deep in thought. Instead it's almost as if he's asleep and leaving himself completely unguarded.

It feels strange and intimate. Annie isn't sure whether Eren would be bothered if he noticed she was watching him or whether he wouldn't care. Yet she cannot shake the thought that she's being intrusive simply because she wouldn't want anyone to look at her like this either. So she averts her eyes and tries to focus on the music.

Judging by the lyrics, the first few tracks could be considered love songs, though maybe not in the typical sense. The word "love" isn't dropped once, but Annie knows there are other ways to get the message across. She isn't sure how she feels about the topic, but the sound sure sets the mood for lying on the bed in a dimly lit room while it's dark outside. She just wishes she wasn't hyper-aware of Eren's presence, because for some reasons it's putting her on edge.

"This is the first single," Eren notes at the beginning of the fourth track and Annie is surprised that he would talk over the music. "I heard it on the radio and then decided to buy the whole album."

When Annie rolls onto her side to better look at him, she finds that he has taken his hand from his eyes and is facing her. She thinks she should pay particular attention to this song since Eren commented on it, but she cannot. There's a question that was forming inside of her mind ever since he asked her to come to his house and it has only become more pressing since she arrived. "Why did you ask me to come over for this."

"I don't know." Eren shrugs, the movement a little obstructed from lying on his back. "You know those stories from the last century where the characters listen to LPs together in a bedroom? I kinda wanted to do that for once."

Annie is familiar with the concept, she came across it in a book or two. Still, it feels like such a random reason to her — she doesn't know if she should be disappointed or relieved. After all it means that he could have asked anyone and this isn't about her. She isn't anyone special to him and she doesn't understand why a part of her wanted to be when attachment is something she always dreaded because of the expectations tied to it. Talk about being illogical.

"Besides," Eren adds, "I wanted us to discover something together."

There's a dull feeling in her stomach and for a moment Annie's brain blanks. The part of her that wanted this to have some kind of meaning rejoices, the rest of her seems to sink into some kind of muted panic. She isn't sure what to make of this — and less so of her reaction. It's uncharacteristic for her.

On the outside she continues to uphold the calm front, though she cannot take her eyes off of Eren. She wonders if her staring is becoming obvious, though he's holding her gaze just as consequently. It's like they entered some kind of contest: whoever is the first to look away loses.

"You're strange," Annie notes to dispel the tension she feels rising inside of her. "I don't know what to make of you."

That last part got away from her without her wanting to say it. It seems like too much of an admission and she's glad when Eren doesn't address it.

"Strange, huh?" A thoughtful expression spreads across his face and his eyes trail away from her. "Never had anyone call me that before."

For the second time tonight Annie worries that she crossed a line. Words can be hurtful and she's far from the best person when it comes to using them. But while in general she doesn't care how what she says affects other people, this time she does. With Eren it's different in so many ways — because she spent time with him and he turned out to have way more to offer than a few obnoxious comments — so she wants to apologise, but for some reason her tongue is tied.

"Still, it might be closer to the truth than anything else people concluded about me," Eren muses and Annie knows even less what to say now. Is he hurt or is he unaffected — she cannot figure it out.

Eren rolls onto his side and now they're face to face, less than an arm length apart. He seems so much closer than before. "Why did you choose to be on the outside, Annie?"

"What?" The question came out of the blue, leaving Annie perplexed. She cannot tell what he's getting at.

"I'm hanging out with people and fit in just fine, they think I'm just like them but—" Eren breaks off and his eyes fall onto pattern on the duvet which he starts tracing with his finger. "Something always feels a little off, like I'm just a bit out of sync with the world around me. There's so much I don't share, because I think that they won't get it. Not even Mikasa gets it and we're supposed to be in this together."

Annie looks at him, stunned. There is the revelation she has been waiting for, a part of Eren that she was curious about peeking through the cracks of his carefree facade. It's not what she expected — though she didn't know what to expect at all — and now that it's coming out into the open, she isn't sure how to respond. There's definitely some context she's missing, but it feels too intrusive to ask.

"I'm just wondering if you made the better decision by staying on the sidelines," Eren continues and looks over to her again, his eyes drawing her in like they're emitting some kind of magnetic force. "I'm wondering if it's more honest."

"It's not," Annie retorts and rolls onto her back. She needs to break away from the pull she feels towards him. "What I'm doing isn't about honesty."

"But maybe about being true to yourself."

"You're making assumptions again."

"That's all you're leaving me with, because you show so little of yourself."

"That's the idea." Annie sits up. She is tired of lying around and her hair is bothering her, so she undoes the bun on the back of her head to retie it.

"There ain't no way to know me…," Eren mumbles and she doesn't want to give him the pleasure of responding. But she also wants to know what he's on about, so she shoots him a questioning look as she brushes through blonde tresses with her fingers. "It's a line from a Mando Diao song. You reminded me of it."

"Mando...Diao? What does that mean?" Annie questions, glossing over the fact that he just hit the nail on the head with a hammer and got so close to driving it in.

"It doesn't mean anything, just some made up words from a dream of one of the band members I think." Eren pushes himself up into a sitting position. He sounds tired all of a sudden — or maybe resigned. "I'll play them to you another time, you might like them."

Annie finishes tying up her hair and regards him for a while, the way he's hunched over and leaves his shoulders hanging. "Are you disappointed?"

"No?" Eren drags out the word, but that only makes it less convincing. "I get it, there are things about yourself you don't want others to see — a lot of things. I have that, too. I just thought...we were going in a direction where we could maybe open up to each other a little.

"So you are disappointed."

"Maybe a little?"

Annie sighs. This is what she's been fearing and — up until now — successfully avoiding. She should have known better than to let it come this far. She should have said no when Eren invited her over — even sooner, she should never have let Eren playing music to her become a habit. Yet didn't she, too, grow curious about him the way he's interested in her?

She got her wish — whether she wants to admit it or not — but she's aware that it takes two to build mutual trust. How can she expect Eren to open up when she isn't willing to do the same? She knows it and yet— The reality of revealing these parts of herself that she kept well hidden for so long is frightening.

"It's...not so simple," Annie admits and pulls her legs closer.

"I know." Eren ruffles his hair. "Sorry for pressuring you. ...I guess I just want us to be friends."

Friends. Annie never thought of them along the lines of that term. But then again she didn't think much about the type of relationship they were building and it's coming back to bite her. She tries to instigate a compromise without having to commit too much. "We're hanging out, isn't that what friends do?"

"I mean real friends," Eren clarifies. "The kind that share personal things with each other like—"

He breaks off, appearing to draw a blank when trying to think of an example, so Annie does him the courtesy of filling in: "...like how we feel that we don't really fit in with everyone else."

"For example," Eren confirms. When Annie doesn't respond he adds more tentatively: "We can take it slow."

There's a lot Annie wants to say, like how she doesn't know if she's cut out for forming friendships and how to her the concept of it is filled with so much pressure. It was easier when they were just listening to music without trying to put a label on it. As much as she's growing to like Eren, that's the part that has her worried the most. There's a lot she wants to say, but the words don't make it to her mouth. She doesn't know if it's concern over how he might take it or something else she cannot quite pinpoint.

"And next time I come on too strong you get to punch me," Eren offers and it chases away some of the tension that has taken hold of her. The idea is quite amusing, she even lets a rare smile spread on her lips.

"You know I could hand your ass to you."

"I don't doubt that." Eren chuckles and then holds out his hand to her. "Friends?"

Annie considers his outstretched hand, working to overcome her doubts. When she wraps her fingers around it she still leaves herself some leeway in the agreement by saying: "We'll see how it goes."

Apparently pleased with the outcome, Eren gives a smile and releases his grip. He uses his hands and feet to push himself backwards on the mattress until his back is leaning against the wall. "Seems like we got distracted from the music."

It's true, Annie has no idea for how many songs they talked or how any of them sounded. She regrets having missed out on them, because the beginning of the album sounded really nice, so she decides to do something about it. Leaning over Eren's cocked up legs, she grabs the remote from the pillow and settles down beside him, her back comfortably supported by the wall.

"Guess we have to backtrack a little bit," she suggests and starts pressing the back button in search for the last song she paid attention to.

"Are you sure you have that much time left?" Eren questions with concern.

Annie peeks at her watch and determines that it's 8 o'clock — enough time to wrap this upon even if they listen to the whole CD from the start. "Relax. I have to be home at 10, so we still have one and a half hours, that's plenty."

#nakamatoo #writing requests #annie leonhardt #eren yeager #ereannie #ereani #shingeki no kyojin #annie x eren #writing tag #text heavy #profanity #-i wrote this in the course of a week while also working on the kuroizu request and i think i need a little break-#-one request left after this *cracks knuckles*-#-also i was undecided about which country to set it in so i was as vague as possible about it haha-#-this better show up in the tags unlike the last post *squints at tumblr*-

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pickalilywrites · 7 years ago

Text

For @imperfecteclipse who wanted to know what happened before this.

What Was Lost

Jeankasa. Reincarnation AU.

3210 words.

She hates waking up. It’s always the worst part because her dreams, whether good or bad, always leave her with a hollow feeling in her chest when she leaves them.

Most people insist that you don’t remember your dreams. Maybe just a fraction of them, but you’re supposed to forget them once you wake up. Mikasa remembers every one of them in vivid detail and at times she doesn’t know if it’s a blessing or a curse.

There are two boys. There are always two boys, one with blond hair and eyes like the ocean and another with dark hair but eyes like burning emeralds. Sometimes they’re children but other times they’re older, wielding sharpened blades in their callused hands. Why are they fighting?

The dark-haired boy – Eren, she remembers, that’s his name - talks of monsters that lurk outside the Walls, that he’s going to kill all of them. He’ll join the military and become the fiercest soldier, ridding the world of the horrible beasts outside the Walls. Most people love the Walls, even worship them, because they keep them safe from the outside world, but Eren sees them as a barrier that keeps him from the freedom that he craves.

The other boy doesn’t say anything, just traces lines in the ground, but Mikasa knows he wants to leave too. Whenever Eren talks about escaping, the boy’s eyes light up before looking down. But she hears them sometimes – Eren and Armin, the dark-haired boy and the boy with the ocean eyes - whispering amongst themselves about the beautiful ocean that exists beyond these walls.

She doesn’t understand why they want to leave so badly. What’s so wrong about being here? Isn’t it better here where they can be safe together?

Mikasa thinks Eren will never touch the outside world. His mother is against it and he’s so young, too young to understand what it really means to risk his life. He and Armin can stay inside the Walls with her. She’ll protect them here.

But Walls fall.

She breezes through military training, but the other two struggle. She thinks that Armin should be the one having the most difficulty – he doesn’t hold up very long when they run long distances or carry weights up hills and through forests – but even he’s decent at the basics. Eren fights to stay upright when they’re introduced to 3DMG. There are nights he’s so frustrated she can see him wiping tears from his eyes, but he turns away from her whenever she gently suggests that perhaps he’s not made for the military, that none of them are. Maybe she shouldn’t have said a thing. She knows her words only make him more determined to succeed.

Another trainee, tall with a long face, jeers at Eren as he flips over once again on his 3DMG, dangling upside down instead of staying upright like he should. “Having a little trouble with your 3DMG, Jaeger?” the boy sneers. She remembers him too. Jean Kirstein. “Looks like you’re not as tough as you though you were. Maybe you should quit the military entirely. You’re only going to end up as Titan fodder at this rate.”

He speaks the truth. She thinks the same, although perhaps in different words, yet hearing them from his mouth sparks a light in her and she grabs him by the wrist, twisting his arm behind his back. “You don’t talk to him that way,” she hisses through her teeth as he yelps in pain.

She expects him to scamper away, eyes full of fright, but he takes a second to stand there with a look of awe in his eyes after she releases her grip on him. It looks as if he’s about to open his mouth to say something to her, but he thinks better of it and simply walks away, rubbing his wrist.

Eren’s sitting on the ground, slack-jawed at her little outburst. He’s seen her angry before, but he’s never expected her to come to his defense, especially if it meant supporting him with this dangerous dream.

She hates herself for the words she says next. “Why are you sitting there for? You want to fight, don’t you? Get up.”

Jean approaches her the next week, nervous and shaking. She thinks that he’s scared, perhaps offering her an apology for how he treated Eren last week, but instead he mumbles, “Your hair. It’s nice. Beautiful, actually.”

She’s never really considered her hair. She cuts it when she needs to, usually when Eren insists that it’s too long and will get in the way of her 3DMG, She holds up a lock of hair and observes the ends of it, noting a few split ends that she hadn’t noticed before. Does he really find it all that beautiful?

She looks up to thank him, but he’s already disappeared, sitting on the opposite side of the room with another trainee.

That night she takes extra time to wash her hair. It’s silly when she knows she’ll be in battle soon enough, but she does like how silky and soft her hair feels after it dries.

He’s surprised when she comes to congratulate him on placing sixth out of all the graduates. They never interacted much during their trainee days, so perhaps that’s why he doesn’t expect her to talk to him before they go their separate ways.

“Are you really joining the Survey Corps?” he asks after he thanks her. He’s made his thoughts on the Survey Corps very clear when he first joined the military. She’s sure they haven’t changed.

“Yes. You’re still planning on serving the Military Brigade?”

“…yes.” There’s a hesitancy in his voice that wasn’t there before when he discussed joining the Military Police. Before he would always speak with such confidence and gusto whenever he spoke of joining the Military Police. “I’m a coward after all.”

She’s surprised to hear his voice so soft instead of cocky and self-assured like it always is, but when she turns he’s grinning like he’s joking.

“No,” she tells him. “You’re just smarter than the rest of us.”

There’s a part of her that wishes that she could choose the Military Police as well. Not to follow him, but to be safe with Eren and Armin. Eren would never allow that though. She has no choice but to follow him to battle. It’s the only way she’ll be able to protect him.

Armin’s trying to comfort her after the trial, but she’s still livid.

While Eren joining the Survey Corps is far better than dying at the hands of the Military Police, she hates the thought of Eren being under the thumb of that cocksure captain. She thinks it might have been better if they had decided to lock him up instead. At least he’d be safe that way, away from all the Titans.

“He’s a danger to everyone as long as he’s alive,” Jean says absentmindedly as they make their way to the trainee cabins for the last time. They’ll all be going their separate ways after this- either the Survey Corps, the Military Brigade, or the Garrison.

She’s exhausted but she opens her mouth to defend Eren only to have Armin speak first.

“He’s far more powerful than any other soldier we have in the military,” Armin says coldly. “What would be the use in having him dead?”

Jean’s surprised that they’re still willing to back Eren. “He may have sealed the wall and helped secure Trost, but you know he barely has that power under control,” Jean says. His eyes flicker to the small scar on Mikasa’s cheek. “If he can’t even recognize his allies in that form, it might be even more dangerous for us.”

She hates his words, but she knows they’re true. She’s about to lunge at him, growl at him to keep his mouth shut, but Armin grabs her by the arm and tells her not to bother. Jean’s never liked Eren anyway, he tells her. Just leave it. They have other things to worry about. They wouldn’t be seeing each other after today, so there’s no point in starting a fight.

That night she traces a thumb over her scar and wonders if any of them would make it out of this alive.

The night the new recruits step forward to join the Survey Corps, Mikasa is surprised when Jean takes a step with the rest of them, shaking as he places a fist over his heart. He looks so much younger than he did when they first joined the military, so confident that he’d be safe in the walls and away from the jaws of the Titans.

“You joined the Survey Corps,” she says to him one day.

He’s polishing his gear like the rest of them, but he looks strangely alone. She remembers that he’s normally talking to someone, but she forgets who.

He doesn’t even look at her. He just looks exhausted and shrugs, smiling wryly. “I did. I guess I’m just as stupid as the rest of you guys.”

He’s not stupid though, just practical. But joining the Survey Corps doesn’t seem like a practical decision even with their newly acquired weapon.

“What changed your mind?”

He looks up at her for the briefest second before turning back to his 3DMG, rubbing at an imaginary smudge with a rag. “There are people who genuinely want to join the Military Brigade and serve the royal family. I just wanted it for safety.” He stops and a tear falls from his cheek onto his gear. “But I don’t deserve it when there are innocent people dying.”

Marco Bodt. He landed in the top ten and she remembers the first day when he proudly came forth, claiming that he wanted to protect the king. It’s only now that she notices he’s not there and realizes that he must be one of those that had fallen in Trost.

And here she was, bitter that Eren had been taken away from her and angry that they all needed to wield blades to protect themselves. But at least they were alive.

“I’m sorry,” she says. Sorry for what? That Marco died. That he had to go through horrors too. That they would have to endure the deaths of more and more comrades if they didn’t die first.

“Yeah,” he says. “I’m sorry too.”

She’s never felt shy before, but she does now as she stands in front of him, fiddling with the end of her scarf.

“Thank you.”

He raises an eyebrow. “What for?”

“The Titan earlier. You saved me.”

It’s funny because it seems so long ago that he had sworn he’d never face a Titan. He’d live cozily behind the inner wall and never know death or danger. And yet he jumped in without hesitation to save her from the monstrous beasts he had tried to hard to avoid.

There’s something so nostalgic about the way he blushes, flustered like the day she had told him congratulations. Those days seem so long ago.

“You would have done the same for me,” he mumbles. “It was nothing.”

“Still. I don’t think you’re as much as a coward as you say you are.”

Jean looks up at her and smiles. It’s been a while since she’s seen anyone smile. She forgets that there are still beautiful things left in this world, but his expression right now is a gentle reminder.

It’s difficult to say who’s more nervous, her or Armin. She trusts Armin and his plans, but have the stakes ever been this high?

“He’s going to be fine,” Jean tells them. He’s putting a wig on over his hair so that he looks more like Eren, but the two look nothing alike. Eren is noticeably shorter and his face isn’t so long. The people searching for Eren and Historia wouldn’t know the difference though.

“Of course,” Mikasa mutters more to herself than anyone else. She fixes the buttons on Armin’s blouse, smoothing out the collar so that it’s less rumpled. “Armin’s plans always work out. You’re all going to be fine.”

“I hope so.” Armin’s mumbling, his hands balled up into fists the way they do when he’s anxious. He adjusts his wig one last time, pulling the ponytail over one shoulder before frowning and putting it over his other shoulder instead. “Jean, let’s go over the details one last time with Captain Levi before we head out.”

“Fine,” Jean says gruffly. He begins to follow Armin out but before he leaves he turns around. “Mikasa, Eren’s going to be fine, so don’t worry.”

She’s grateful for his words, but it’s strange at the same time. “I thought you didn’t like Eren.”

“I don’t,” he replies. He doesn’t say it scathingly; it’s just a fact. “But you like him, don’t you? So I’ll help you protect him. Him and Armin.”

She’s too surprised to say thank you right away but when the words finally leave her mouth, he’s already gone.

She watches Armin as he continues to sleep. It’s strange to think that he can sleep so peacefully after falling from such a height and suffering severe burns. She’s always known the Titan power to be incredible, but it’s still something she can barely grasp.

Mikasa should be sleeping herself. Eren’s already fallen asleep, but she can’t shake the feeling that Armin’s breathing might slow before stopping completely. So she sits there in the dark, listening to his shallow breathing.

“Is Armin okay?”

She blinks at the figure who takes a seat next to her and it takes her a second to realize that person next to her is Jean. “Yeah, he’s…he should be fine.” They sit together in the dark, watching Armin and Eren. “Are you…okay?”

He sits there in silence for so long that she’s not sure he heard her. Just as she’s about to repeat he question again, he clears his throat. “Yeah. I mean…I guess I’m as okay as anyone can be under the circumstances.”

They should be resting. After all, the enemy has retreated for the time being. They shouldn’t be returning for a while. And yet Mikasa and Jean are both awake while the rest of their comrades sleep.

She lays her head on his shoulder, tired but still wide awake. “Is this okay?” she whispers. She’s never found it necessary to seek solace in another human being, but right now she wants to be close to someone and he’s the only one who’s awake.

“This is fine.”

They’re all different than they were before. Historia on the throne while the rest of them look out onto the ocean, the water licking their feet. The sea, the sky, and the future stretch out before them.

“What happens next?” Jean asks aloud as they look ahead.

Stay here. They could stay here and be safe. Bigger monsters live beyond the waters. But she knows the answer that lies on Eren’s lips and finds the words roll off her tongue instead.

“Move forward.”

Most of them are hesitant, but Eren insists this is the best move. Armin’s reluctant to pursue war with the Marleyans on the mainland, but Eren it’s the only way.

“If we make it out, what are you going to do?” Jean asks one night. Their meetings stretch out later and later into the night, but they’ve found that it’s been harder and harder to sleep so it doesn’t matter all that much.

She wants it to be the same as always. It’ll return to the way it was, her together with Eren and Armin, but she’s not sure all of them will make it out alive. “I don’t know,” she finally says. “What are you going to do?”

Jean doesn’t respond and she thinks at first that it’s because he hasn’t thought about it yet. It’s only when he leans down, presses his lips to hers, that she realizes that maybe it’s because he doesn’t think he has a future to think about.

“You’re going to be fine, Mikasa. All of this…you’ll be okay.”

They’re the words she should be saying to him, but he’s the one holding her and she’s the one crying.

The dream where she dies is the one she hates the most. Not because of the pain that shoots through her entire body, the pain remaining even as she awakes, but because of the way he looks at her when he holds her. She hates the way his voice sounds, panicked and desperate as he begs her to keep her eyes open, please, just a little while longer.

She reaches for his mouth, her thumb tracing his lips and leaving a smear of blood where she touches him. “You’ll be fine,” she tells him, echoing the same words he told her so long ago. “You’ll be okay.”

“Mikasa, you can’t…Armin and Eren are still here.” Jean attempts to stop the bleeding on her side, but it’s useless. The wound is too large and she looks as if she’s in more pain when he applies pressure to it. “You said you were going to be with Armin and Eren, didn’t you? When you first started? You can’t just…”

She’s too exhausted to stay awake. She just wants to close her eyes, to wake up and find herself back in Paradis with her loved ones, to escape this battlefield. But she doesn’t want to leave him, not when he’s so distraught. Through heavy lids, she looks at him. “And what about you?” she asks because she knows she can’t stay there for very long anymore.

He’s supposed to say that he’ll be fine. That they’ll both make it out. That it’s almost over.

“I don’t know.”

“Bad dream?” her roommate asks when she finally stumbles out of her bedroom.

“Just the usual,” Mikasa mumbles. She pours herself a glass of water and takes a long sip. “It was…strange. Like I lost something.”

“Really?” Her roommate is only half-listening to her. She’s browsing through shows on Netflix right now, deciding on whether she should rewatch a show or start a new one. “Have you tried retracing your steps? Or just looking where you last had it?”

She doubts that’ll help. When she wakes up, she loses everything. But it’s just a dream, isn’t it? Eren and Armin, the monsters, the blood and the fallen soldiers, and Jean. They weren’t real.

“I’m going out,” Mikasa says, heading to her room to change. “Do you need anything?”

Her roommate doesn’t even look at her when she responds. “This this Indian place opened up the other day and I heard it’s really good. Could you get takeout from there for me? Since you’re going to be out anyway. It’s probably a little out of the way from where you’re going but…”

She regrets ever asking, especially when she gets the address and finds out that it’s on the other side of the city. It’s worse that she’s taking the bus and there’ll be stops all along the way. But maybe it’ll be good for her to get out. It might help her forget about her dreams, she thinks, at least until she falls asleep again.

#jeankasa #reincarnation au #snk #jean kirstein #mikasa ackerman #it technically has a happy ending?#if you read the first one anyway #oh ya i read the tags all the time #so if ppl comment about wanting to know what happens before/after #lol #i start writing

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