So here's the second chapter. I got a positive review, so thanks for that, made my day. AGain, this is my first fic so I'm sorry. Plus Annie is really hard to read and therefore, hard to write. I'm doing my best, guys. :P Here goes:
Chapter 2:
Eren was back in Shiganshina, thrown over Hannes's shoulder as the man ran away. He could feel the tears rolling down his eyes as he screamed.
"Hannes! It's gonna get her!" He begged the Garrison soldier. "Hannes, we have to go back for her! We can't leave her!"
Hannes kept running, ignoring Eren's pleas.
"Hannes, please! Save my mom!" Eren screamed, with the desperation of a dying animal.
Eren could see the titan's eyes continuing to watch the them bolt off in the opposite direction. The blank smile, ear to ear, was still plastered across its otherwise emotionless face. It was standing at the rubble of Eren's house.
No, Eren thought. Please, no.
The titan stooped down low and brushed away the rubble that was trapping Eren's mother as if it was made of dust.
"Stop it!" Eren screamed as the titan picked up the frail figure of a screaming Carla Yeager. "Let her GO!"
The titan, as if mocking him, continued to smile its stupid grin and lifted Eren's mother up.
Eren could see her flailing around and hitting the titan's hand, desperate to be released from it's grasp. Unaffected, the titan raised it's other hand and brought it to its screaming victim's upper half.
"NO! STOP IT!" Eren begged. But it was too late. The titan had snapped his mother's back.
Eren could feel his heart crawling up into his throat. He watched in horror as the gargantuan monster brought up his mother's limp body to its mouth.
It bit down.
Eren sat up in his bed in a cold sweat. He had that nightmare again. He could feel a tear on his cheek and swung his legs over his bed to stand up. Fresh air would help, he figured. He pushed open the door, slowly enough that it wouldn't creak, and stepped outside into the chilly night air.
His feet led him down the ramp and into the training yard. Eren collapsed into a heap on the cold ground and looked up at the stars. He liked to pretend that his mother was among them somehow, watching over him and smiling, but he knew in his heart that it was childish.
Because Mom's dead. He thought to himself. Mom's dead and no amount of wishing will ever bring her back.
You can't change the past. All you can do is let it drive you now.
Eren gazed over to where the girls' cabins were and thought again about Annie. Something about her drew Eren to her, like a bee to a flower. There was something so mysterious about her, so... Intense. It gave Eren a bit of a rush. He thought back to training earlier. Though she had thrown him to the ground, there was something exhilarating about sparring with her.
Annie Leonhardt. He thought. What a beautiful girl.
Realization hit him like a brick. Eren brought his palms up to his eyes in resignation. I have a crush on Annie.
A short distance away, Annie lay awake in her own bed, unable to sleep. It had been two weeks since she met Eren Yeager, and during those two weeks, he was all she could think about. Her thoughts of him made her unusually energetic. What was the word? Giddy? Annie wasn't sure whether or not she liked this feeling. It was her first time ever having a crush on anyone and didn't know what to think. Where was she supposed to go from here? Was it going to be like in fairy tales, where the prince and princess ride off happily into the sunset? Or was it going to be short lived, meeting its end in the mouth of a Titan?
Annie sighed quietly. She thought back to what her father had told her. Shortly before she left for the Trainee Corps, her father had a change of heart in regards to what he wanted for her. He must have realized all the grief he had put her through.
Annie, I'm sorry. He had told her, I don't expect you to forgive me, so just... Please just never give in. Even if the whole world hates you, never give in! They won't understand, but I promise, I always will... Your father will always be by your side. Promise me... Promise me you'll come home!
Nothing about the mission. Nothing about the other Shifters. Just an apology, reassurance, and a request.
It was the closest he had ever come to saying "I love you."
She had promised, in the end. She promised that if it was a choice between the mission and coming home, she would choose coming home.
I wonder if you would understand this, Annie thought, these feelings I have for Eren.
The mess hall the next morning was unusually cheery. Annie walked over to where Mina was sitting. "Why's everybody in such a good mood?"
"Oh, good morning, Annie!" Mina said, "Shadis is sick today, so we have the day off!"
"I see." Annie said simply. Turning to the left, she saw the serving station. She walked over to where the line ended and faced forward, bored.
"Hey, Annie." A voice said behind her. Annie turned to see a familiar pair of happy emerald eyes and mess of brown hair.
Annie could feel her face getting hot again. "Oh... Hi, Eren." Annie looked down in embarrassment. The tingling in her stomach was back.
"How'd you sleep?" Eren asked, making small talk.
Annie hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night, having been kept awake by thoughts of her father, as well as of Eren. "I didn't, really. I had a lot on my mind."
"Yeah," Eren replied, looking off to his right and bringing his hand up to the back of his neck. The gesture compressed his muscles and flexed his arms. Annie could see the definition in his biceps, his developed body. "I didn't really get much sleep either."
"Oh." Annie muttered. "Why's that?"
The shine in Eren's eyes dulled instantly and the smile faded from his mouth. Suddenly, he seemed a million miles away. "I have nightmares."
"What about?" Annie asked, earning a frown from Eren. Annie realized that it may have been a bit personal of a question. "Uh, I mean... If it's okay for me to ask, that is."
Eren looked back at Annie and gave a slight smile. "No, it's okay, it's just... A little difficult for me to talk about, is all."
It was Annie's turn to get food. The server scooped a small amount of stew and poured it into a bowl, and stuck a loaf of hard bread inside. He passed the bowl to Annie.
"Hey, why don't you sit with me, Mikasa, and Armin today?
Annie could feel herself blushing again. "Are you sure?"
Eren smiled and grabbed his own bowl. "Of course."
Annie could feel a hand on her wrist and realized that Eren had grabbed her. Suddenly, she felt the need to take off her hoodie. The temperature seemed to have jumped twenty degrees. Warmth spread from her wrist and through the rest of the her body, settling in the middle of her chest, right where her heart was. Her mind went fuzzy.
Eren is holding my hand. She thought.
He led her to a table where Mikasa and Armin were already sitting.
"I brought Annie today, she's gonna sit with us."
"Hi, Annie." Armin smiled from where he was sitting. Annie had regained her composure and managed to nod, acknowledging Armin's greeting.
Mikasa, on the other hand, did not seem as open. Annie could feel Mikasa's eyes digging deep into her. She felt self-conscious.
Mikasa turned back to her bowl. "Hey." She said simply.
Annie breathed a silent sigh of relief. Eren released her wrist, much to Annie's disappointment, and sat down.
"So, uh... Where are you from, Annie?" Armin asked.
Annie felt uneasy talking much about herself. "The same village as Bertholdt and Reiner," she said simply.
"So you've seen them too, then?" Eren asked. Annie turned, and the boy had gone from his cheerful self to a much more downcast, serious-looking self. "The titans, I mean."
"Yeah," Annie answered. "I have."
Eren looked down at his untouched food. Something was taking him back to Shiganshina, she knew. She wondered again, faintly, what had happened to him. He looked so pained, so distraught. Annie wanted to help him. She wanted to reach out and place her hand over his, tell him that it was okay, and that they weren't going to hurt him anymore.
But she couldn't lie, not to him. The mission, her mission, had no room for sparing humankind from any more grief. And, like it or not, that included Eren.
So she dipped her spoon into her bowl and took a bite of her stew. Bland, flavorless stew.
"Eren," Armin implored, "you're getting worked up again. Please calm down."
"I'm sorry, Armin." Eren apologized. He turned again to Annie. "So, what branch do you want to join when we graduate, Annie?"
Annie thought for a minute. "The Military Police, probably. You guys?"
"The Scouts," Eren answered automatically, smiling again.
Annie looked across the table at Armin and Mikasa. "Wherever Eren goes, I go." Mikasa said simply. Annie wondered if there was anything more to their pseudo-familial relationship, and felt annoyed. Jealousy perhaps?
"I'm joining the Scouts too." Armin answered.
This boggled Annie slightly. She could understand an ace like Mikasa joining the scouts, but Armin? "Don't you think your intellect will be of more use within the walls? Why don't you join the Garrison?"
Armin looked at his own food. "I'm tired of other people sacrificing themselves in my stead."
"I see." Annie replied.
The four ate the rest of breakfast in silence. When they went to get up though, Eren tapped on Annie's shoulder and motioned for Armin and Mikasa to go on ahead.
What does he want to talk to me about? Annie wondered. Her heart fluttered inside her chest, and she hoped she wasn't blushing.
"Annie?" Eren asked.
"Yes, what is it?"
"Well, I was wondering, since we have the day off... Do you maybe want to train me today?"
Annie could feel herself blushing. She was taken aback, to say the least. "Uh, yeah, sure. But why didn't you ask earlier, when Mikasa and Armin were around?"
Eren glanced at the door that his two best friends had just walked out of. "Well, you see, I was wondering if it could just be the two of us. And I knew that if I asked you in front of Mikasa and Armin, they'd want to come again too."
The two of us? Annie's heart nearly skipped a beat. She had been training Eren after dinner for a little while each day, but it was always with Mikasa and Armin around. She could feel her blushing worsen and looked at the ground. "Oh. Sure thing. If that's what you want, at least."
"It is." Eren reassured.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. Eren chastised himself as Annie led him to a secluded area in the forest, one where they could train in peace and quiet. You invite Annie to a one-on-one training session, and you don't have the slightest idea where to go from here.
Eren thought back to Marco's advice from last night, before the freckled boy had gone to sleep.
So wait, Eren, you like a girl? Marco has asked. Is it Mikasa?
No, Eren had replied. But I'm not really comfortable saying who it is. Not yet, at least.
Well, my advice would be to think of a way to get her alone, and then open up to her. Marco had said.
Well, Eren had gotten Annie alone. But what did "open up" mean?
The two cadets passed through the treeline and into the forest, and made it to their destination. Annie turned to face him and tugged uncomfortably at the collar of her hoodie.
"Okay," Annie said. "So you've already learned that technique I used on you the other day, so that's good..." Her voice seemed to trail off.
Uh oh, Eren thought, did I make her feel uncomfortable by asking her to train one-on-one?
"Well," Annie resumed, "we've gone over the basics, so let's work some more on ducking."
They went over delivering and evading punches. Annie threw jabs at Eren, who picked up rather quickly how to dodge them and use the opportunity to move towards Annie, too close for her to deliver another punch. Every time he got close, he could feel the butterflies buzzing around in his stomach as he noticed every detail of her, her movements, her grace. The way her hair fell down at the front of her hair and stuck out at wild angles in her bun, her cute, curved, funny-looking nose, her icy blue-gray eyes. The minutes turned into hours, slipping away. Eren didn't care about the time, he only cared about what he was doing right then and there, He only cared about the beautiful, deadly girl in front of her.
He stepped back and lowered his hands. "I think that's enough for one day, don't you?" He asked. "Now let's head back before the others start to get the wrong idea."
Eren didn't think Annie would be comfortable being the center of a rumor. He knew he wouldn't mind it, but he was afraid Annie wouldn't want to be around him anymore.
"Oh." Annie said simply. In her voice, was that... Disappointment?
"Oh?" Eren echoed. "What's wrong?"
Annie gripped her left arm with her right hand and looked away. "Nothing."
"Annie, are you okay?" Eren asked. With a cold outward exterior like hers, Eren was sure she didn't get asked that very often.
"Yeah, fine." Annie said, still not meeting his gaze.
Eren was scared. "You're not mad at me for dragging you all the way out here, are you?" he asked.
"No," Annie said, "that's not it. Don't worry about it, okay? Don't worry about me."
Open up to her, Marco told Eren.
Okay, here goes nothing.
Eren took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Annie," he began, "I do worry about you. I want you to feel comfortable around me, comfortable enough to tell me anything. I wanted to be important to you. And maybe that sounds stupid, but it's the truth." Eren opened his eyes, expecting to see Annie's fist heading straight for his nose, but she was blushing and looking down again.
"Why?" Annie asked. "I'm a terrible person. I've done horrible things in my life. I have secrets, Eren. Secrets that if you knew, you wouldn't like me anymore."
"I don't care." Eren said, taking a step forward and gripped her shoulders. Annie looked at him, and for once, her gaze wasn't expressionless. It was full of emotion. Fear, want, hope, regret, and a mix of other things Eren didn't recognize.
"What are you saying, Eren?" Annie pleaded.
"I'm saying I like you, Annie." Eren answered automatically. "No matter what your secrets are."
"Eren, NO!" Annie answered and shrugged off his shoulders, running away and bak towards the camp.
Eren looked down at the ground and felt a dull aching in his chest where the fluttering used to be. Lead where the butterflies used to be. He felt a wetness welling up in his eyes.
Well, Eren thought hollowly, it was worth a shot.