Born from staring just a liiittle too long at a picture of Annie. That nose...


The night is cool and quiet, the sky clear and the moon full. Eren wraps his arms tighter around the girl in his lap, nuzzling into her hair and pressing his nose behind her ear.

"Eren..." she breathes, shifting in his embrace and tilting her head back to expose her neck.

"Annie..." he responds, lips moving delightfully against her skin. For a moment she luxuriates in the feel of his love before twisting round to straddle him. She presses her forehead against his, staring into his eyes.

"What will you tell me tonight?" she asks. It's become a tradition between them, what they do now. It starts with her question.

Eren half-closes his eyes, pretending to think. He already knows the answer; he's been thinking about it all day.

"Your nose," he murmurs, and she blinks in expectation. "It's so beautiful and perfect, so pert and pointy..." he leans forwards and nips it gently between his lips; it's part of their tradition to kiss whatever part he praises that night. She closes her eyes and smiles. All that's left is one last compliment before they can start.

"It reminds me of diamond," Eren says softly.

The word jars her from her anticipation, breaks the happiness. Diamond. How ironic. She cannot keep the full-body flinch at his words down, memories of her past flooding her mind, the truth Eren unwittingly touched on.

"Annie?" he asks, worried. "What's the matter?"

She doesn't reply for a moment, too busy pushing the thoughts down, guilt burning in her gut.

"Annie?" Eren repeats.

"Sorry," she says, smiling weakly down at him. "Sudden indigestion, don't worry." His eyes are not convinced, but when she leans down and kisses him hard, they close and no more is spoken that night. Not in words, anyway.

Months later, charging after the Female Titan, light shattering off the diamond covering her nape, Eren understands.