Author's Notes: It's safe for anime-only watchers; but some dialogues are based on Chapters 32, 33 and 44.

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Spark

by kanae

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Jean and Connie carry on snoring even as Eren rises and groggily gets dressed. He shoots them envious looks from time to time, half-wishing he could have the luxury to stay in bed like the rest of them.

Lazy bastards, he chides, reaching out for his boots. He has barely put one on when a grimace breaks across his face. "Ow, ow, ow!"

Still lying in his own bed, Armin gives Eren a concerned look. He has not missed the purple prints all over his friend's calves. "Those bruises don't look good, Eren… are you sure you two aren't overdoing it, training today as well?"

Eren frowns lightly, pondering Armin's words.

It's Sunday, the only day where the 104th Trainee Squad is not required to rise at dawn and eat dirt until noon. But Eren got really, really close to pulling a move he has been working on for the whole week during yesterday's HTH combat training, and Annie suggested they carry on today.

Not like there's anything better to do around here, she said, arranging a misplaced lock of hair behind her ear. Stunned, Eren was quick to agree.

He does have other things to do; like getting some proper sleep, for a change. Or catching up with the shitload of reading material they were assigned in the strategy course. But Annie is not the type to willingly give up on slacking off, and that was enough for him to not turn her down.

Besides, he does want to nail that move.

"Heh, are you kidding, Armin?" Eren grins, rising from the bed and standing proudly. "These are the wounds of a Soldier!"

His attempt at reassuring his best friend seems to be yielding results; but Armin has just begun to return his smile when a voice speaks from the doorway.

"…Annie could go easier on you."

It's Mikasa. She is leaning against the threshold, Eren's old scarf covering half her face.

She really needs to stop barging into the boy's shack as if this were our house, he thinks, slightly irritated at her antics. He is just about to give her a reminder when Mikasa carries on.

"There is no point in getting this hurt during training, Eren."

She has a point; that much he can't deny. Since anti-personnel techniques do not factor into their scores, hardly anyone takes them seriously. And Annie definitely could be a little gentler… but she wouldn't be Annie if she were.

She sucks at holding back. Just like him.

So Eren snorts and puts on his jacket. "Pft, why would I want her to pamper me? I'm no pushover!" the mere notion of being babied and looked-down upon makes his blood boil, and it shows in the gaze he aims at Mikasa.

The girl obviously wants to protest, but Eren's look makes her hold her tongue in check. "… Why do you like sparring with Annie so much, Eren?" is what she ends up muttering; her gaze sharp.

"Huh?" Eren echoes, dumbfounded. There is something odd in Mikasa's tone; a hue he can't put his finger on. But that is not what gives him pause.

Really, why does he…?

"Eren really wants to learn Annie's techniques, Mikasa," Armin chimes in with a pacifying smile.

For some reason, Mikasa does not look convinced. "…Are you sure that's all there is to it?"

Eren frowns, not quite seeing what brought all this on. "Huh. What are you getting at? If you've got something to say, say it."

Mikasa parts her lips, but whatever she is about to say gets drown out by Reiner's voice. "Oi, you lot, can't you keep it down? We're trying to sleep here!"

Armin apologizes, but Eren's eyes widen with horrified realization; Mikasa's words all but forgotten.

"Crap, I better get going or I'm dead meat!"

Annie is already at the field when he arrives; she has discarded her uniform for one of her hoodies and a pair of sweatpants. All by her lonesome, she looks no less bored than she does when she is surrounded by all the trainees. The sight makes an amused grin draw itself across Eren's lips, and he speeds up his pace.

"Sorry I'm late, Annie!"

The blonde simply cocks her head to the side, making it impossible for Eren to tell whether she's annoyed or if she couldn't care less. "I thought you would back out."

"Are you kidding?" Eren smirks, craning his neck. "I've been so focused on that damn move I think I even dreamed about it!"

"Oh?" an amused look passes through Annie's eyes, the matching smirk her lips will not show. So she isn't angry, then? Eren has to bite back a sigh of relief. Annie can be terrifying when she gets pissed. "Let's see what you got, then."

Annie takes her usual stance and Eren wastes no time in charging at her, eager to prove his improvement. He expects Annie to counter him once she has made sure he has managed to pull the move correctly, as she usually does; but the girl barely lets him touch her.

One moment she's there, and the next she is leaking like water from his hold and striking with a roundhouse kick. He falls face-first on the ground, his poor attempt at breaking his own fall ending up futile due to Annie following up her kick with some binding.

Scratch that. She is angry, after all!

"Ugh, Annie—"

"What was your undoing?"

"H—how the hell am I supposed to know!?" it's hard for him to even think, what with her pining him down like that; her knees digging into his ribs and his arms locked in her hold.

Annie shows no mercy. She pulls on his arms as she leans forward, her lips nearly brushing his earlobe. "…What was your mistake, Eren?"

A shiver runs down his spine. Either from the pain or from her breath tickling his ear, Eren is not sure and neither can he afford to care. "Ugh…! I was too hasty, I guess!" he groans, struggling in her hold. "Damn it, let go, Annie! You're gonna break my arm!"

She ignores him for a couple of long, agonizing seconds. "… Making the first move is not always the smart choice", she mutters, letting him go at last.

"Huh…?" Eren catches his breath and rolls his eyes; sarcasm dripping from his voice. "It's not like you'll do it. You always wait for me to charge at you."

"I already told you…" Annie starts, and something changes in her demeanor. Eren cranes his neck only to find her giving him one of those rare, barely noticeable smiles that he never knows how to read. "…I'm just a frail, weak maiden."

She rises to her feet as Eren snorts. There she goes with that bullshit again.

"Weak my ass."

"Ha?" the look in Annie's eyes is nearly playful as she takes her place. "…You're stronger."

"Funny. Sure as hell doesn't feel like it."

Eren imitates her, getting up and readying himself for another round; his eyes never leaving Annie's as the girl adopts the stance he was unable to beat.

Yet, while he is frustrated with himself for falling short, the adrenaline running through his veins is not out of anger but excitement. Annie gives him a chance to pinpoint his own mistakes and learn from them; the chance to refine his technique, all while teaching him the moves she so claims to hate.

He knows better, though. No matter what Annie tells him—no matter how much she wants to pretend otherwise, Eren knows.

She wants to teach him and he wants to learn; that's why both enjoy it. It's partly the reason why they have become sparring partners.

But that isn't why Eren came to the field on a Sunday, ready to get more bruises and eat some more dirt.

Both spurt into motion simultaneously this time. Annie does not bother to block and Eren manages to put her in an arm clinch. He doesn't have enough time to feel victorious though, because in less than the blink of an eye Annie is turning in his hold and gaining the upper hand with a new counter.

He is losing his footing before he knows it; but despite the pain that comes with her foot-thrust, Eren's mind is still holding onto the glimpse he got of Annie's eyes.

Of that expression she gets whenever she is able to show her moves off like this. The only times where he gets to see the usual serious, morose Annie liven up.

That spark is not yet fully gone from her eyes as she brushes her hair back and asks, "Think you can pull it off?"

And so, Eren picks himself up from the ground and gives it another go.

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.end

The dynamic between Annie and Eren has been taking over my muse lately; hopefully I'll get a hang of them soon. I also apologize for any grammatical mistakes; English is not my native language. Thanks a lot for reading!