Toilets were supposed to be white, right?
One of the worst duties that could have been assigned to Annie just had to be the one she got: Cleaning to toilets. Something about it just made her irk, but who wouldn't at the smell of feces and urine?
Getting down on her knees she started to scrub the outside of the porcelain bowl. She was lucky that she was wearing a ponytail and a white bandanna around her mouth because anything on these floors would have probably made her ill. But for some reason she already felt sick.
Her stomach churned during sparring practice and her usual kicks made her feel so weak. Luckily there hadn't been any attacks planned on the walls.
Just when she was about to get started on the inside of the toilet she heard the door of the bathroom open.
Who's there? I thought it was just me.
Hearing footsteps enter, Annie went inside a stall and shut the door quietly.
"Is anyone here?" Eren asked, walking inside. "Hello?"
Shit
She'd been trying to avoid the boy for the past month and a half now. After sparring one day one thing led to another so they fooled around in the stables and she had been hiding from him since.
One by one Eren opened the door of every stall in the lavatory in hopes of finding someone. When he reached the third door he flipped it open but heard an aggravated groan of pain. Only then did he notice the short blonde crunched down on the ground with her hands clenching her head after he had accidentally hit her with the door.
"Annie?" He asked scrambling to the ground to help her. "Are you okay!?"
"Well other than being hit upside the head by a door, yes, I guess you could say I am."
Eren shrugged, "Yeah...sorry 'bout that...will your head be okay?"
"Probably, don't worry about me though."
Eren raised his eyebrows, "Why shouldn't I?"
She looked up at him, "Because I can take care of myself. It isn't like you broke my skull or anything."
Eren sighed, "I know you can take care of yourself, Ann, but can't you let other people care for you? To be nice to you?"
"Having others care for you would be a bit weak wouldn't it?"
"I mean when you might want or need it? Like what if you get sick?"
"I do what normal people do and get medicine. I heal pretty quickly."
"And if you are too sick to get medicine?"
Annie hesitated, "I would think of something on my own. I don't have people like Mikasa or Armin to rely on."
Eren frowned, "What...what's that supposed to mean? They are my friends. Something you don't seem to have much of."
"What if I don't want friends? To me it just looks like a burden."
Eren smirked, shaking his head before giving a short chuckle and glancing up, "Then what would you call us?"
The short blonde sighed and looked back down to her hands, "Just a couple of fools." She muttered before pushing past him. She was heading for the door.
Eren turned to follow, "Annie, wait!"
She busted out into the sunlight, looking over her shoulder, "Why should I-" She skidded to a halt a few feet out the door.
Eren cocked an eyebrow, walking outside, "Annie?"
Before she knew it her hand clenched in front of her mouth and she dashed to one of the stalls, shoving the brunette boy.
Eren turned around and followed her, placing his hands on the stall door, "A-Annie?"
Annie had her head face first in a dirty toilet, emptying out the contents of her stomach. There goes my lunch, she thought to herself, wiping her mouth with her hand.
She looked over her shoulder to look at him, "W-What are you looking at?"
Eren sighed, looking at Annie, concerned, "Do you need help?"
Annie coughed, her throat sore, "Like I said before Eren, no."
He leaned against the stall, narrowing his eyes.
"Don't just stare at me all day, help me clean."
"Oh...you need my help?"
"Shut up and clean before I knock your block off again."
"Sure you can do that in the condition you're in?" He asked, snickering.
The blonde's eyes narrowed, "Condition? So what, that food was tainted. Just because I have a weak stomach doesn't mean anything."
Eren's eyebrows raised, "Oh, so there is a weak part of you?"
"Screw this," Annie retorted, turning around and heading towards the door again. "I don't care what Shadis says, I am not cleaning this shit hole with you."
He moved out of her way, cocking an eyebrow, as his eyes followed her out.
"Don't you have anything to say? I'm surprised you're not stopping me."
"My mother taught me when not to mess with girls...this seems like one of those times…"
"Well...What happened to Mr. I-Care-About-Everyone, huh?"
Eren wrinkled his nose and walked towards her, "Fine." He took a more fake pleading voice, "Please, Annie, help me clean this shithole?"
She paused but then her eyebrows became scrunched up, her eyelids were getting wet, and the corners of her tight lips turned down. "All this is your fault you prick! Just get away!"
Eren's eyebrows raised up, realizing he might've went too far, "Wait...Annie…"
The next moment she swiped under his legs and rushed out, leaving him alone on the floor.
He sat up, rubbing the back of his head, "Annie?"
After running far enough from where he was she slowed down, tiring herself out, which was strange because usually she could run for a while.
She slumped down on a nearby tree, starting to feel sick again. "Shit. This isn't possible. It shouldn't be. Whatever happens I'm not telling him."
The sound of heavy footsteps were heard as Eren ran her way, "Annie!"
The blonde looked his way in confusion and stress, sighing, "What could you possibly want now!? I kick you to the ground and insult you and your morals, but all you do is come back! Why are you so stubborn!?"
Eren stopped in front of her, bending over to breathe, "Uh...runs in the family, I suppose."
"Well...Just leave me alone. You've already caused enough trouble as it is right now. I'm like this because of you."
The brunette nodded, "I know, and I am sorry. I shouldn't have pushed your buttons. Please forgive me."
"What do you want from me, Eren!?" She almost yelled.
He placed his hands on her shoulder, "For you to not hate my guts. That's one."
Annie stared at his feet, "I don't hate you. Why would we have that time in the stables if I hated you?"
Eren sighed, "I just...I'm sorry Annie…"
"Now do you get why this is your fault?"
"Because I am a prick or…?"
"...Are you really that blind Eren?" She deadpanned.
His mouth was a straight line of knowing nothing. He blinked.
"For fuck sake… Let me spell it out for you. I'm sick, I threw up, my mood is going bat shit insane, I want to fucking faint every time I kick someone, and...it's just awful. Get it?"
Eren rested his hand above her head on the tree, "Are you saying that you're...with child?"
"No, I just got food poisoning-Obviously I'm...w-with child!"
His eyes widened, "M-my child?"
"Well seeing as how I was a virgin before...the stables... yes."
Eren sighed, "Oh god...I am so sorry…"
"That isn't going to change anything Eren...and it's not just your fault, it's mine too."
"I'm...I'm not going to leave...you know that…"
"Why would you want to stay?"
"Because leaving would be what cowards do...and I am not weak…"
"For the first time in my life I'm scared Eren."
Eren didn't know what else to do. He wrapped his arms around the short girl and pulled her close to him, "I'm here…"
She closed her eyes and loosened up a bit, "Thank you...for not leaving me."
He held her, nodding, "No problem…"
"Oh wait...what do we do now? It's going to become pretty obvious, isn't it?"
Eren let go of her, taking a step back to look at her, "Well, I mean...you're a small girl...so yeah...pretty obvious. I think we should talk to Shadis in private, see if he can help."
"We are so fucked."
"I know. But at least we are fucked together."
Annie smirked and play punched him in the shoulder. "If it gets too hard for you I understand if you-"
"No...I won't...no matter what…"
"Just remember I said that when you tell your sister who sees me I'm her enemy."
Eren's eyes widened, "Oh...fuck…Mikasa…"
"Don't forget Armin."
"But he is understanding...Mikasa is Mikasa…do you have any idea the lecture I am going to be getting? Mother level of lecture."
She stared at him for a second and sighed, "I'll tell her. I'm not afraid of her."
"That's not gonna stop her from running to me and lecturing me."
"If she tries I'll be there."
Eren smiled and leaned in to kiss her on the forehead, "Thanks, Annie."
"The only thing I'm worried about is Bertholdt and Reiner."
"I will handle them. Man to men…"
"Are you sure about that?"
"Y-yeah...yeah…"
Next thing she knew, Annie was tightly hugging him. "...you smell good."
Eren cocked an eyebrow, "Th-thanks Annie…"
"Why did I just say that….? Anyways, let's head back. I feel hungry."
"It's already starting, huh?"
"Huh? What is?"
Eren pointed to her stomach, "Pregnancy...shit…"
"Oh," She blushed subtly and covered her midsection, "I guess…"
"When should we talk to Shadis?"
"Let's see how long we last. Maybe we should see how long it takes to notice."
"You really want to test that? How do you know Shadis can't smell your hormones?"
"His nose isn't like mine Eren."
The boy laughed, reaching out to poke her nose, "You got a good nose."
"My nose is normal…"
"Try asking other people about it. Try asking Mina about it. It's not normal."
Annie cocked an eyebrow, "Mina doesn't know what she's talking about.."
"Then ask Mikasa, she is horribly blunt."
"I'd...rather not."
He smirked, reaching over to take her hand, "So...food?"
"Uh yeah," She confirmed and tightened her grip around his hand, not letting go any time soon.
Eren smiled, beginning to walk back, "I will be by your side, through all of this."
And that was one of the rare moments when Annie Leonhardt smiled.
