AN: And chapter four is here! So this one's inspired by the song "Flaws" by Bastille. I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far (though it is far from being happy) and are somehow checking out the songs I'm suggesting. Maybe I should write down the playlist at the end of this fanfic? Hmm. Anyway, read on!

Disclaimer: I do not own Attack on Titan. If I did, everyone would have had superpowers.

Chapter Four

Powerful footsteps shook the district of Stohess, reverberating through Annie's chest like a second heartbeat, loud and nerve-wracking. She turned around just in time to meet Eren's massive fist smashing through her jaw, sending her flying backwards into the wall.

They fought and fought and fought. Eren was unstoppable, and it didn't help that he knew pretty much all of her moves. She realized now just how big of a mistake it was to have him as her training partner. If only she hadn't let her pride get the best of her back then, she wouldn't be facing this problem now.

Looking back on it, the reason for her being paired up with Eren during training was pretty stupid. I should have sticked with Armin, she thought ruefully. I took his bets way too seriously for my own good.

Armin worked hard for the next three weeks; that was all the time he had left to prepare for their first ever face-off every two months. He practiced his punches as Annie watched on from a nearby tree, wondering how on earth could he possibly think that three weeks was enough to improve his lousy fighting skills.

Annie thought back on the wager they had made, and she can't help but think that Armin was taking it way too seriously. It wasn't that big of a deal -- all he would ever get from it if he won was Annie's cold company. How someone could consider that as a prize, she had no idea. Armin had always been a little off, and she gave up a long time ago trying to figure him out. Why bother anyway? She was sure he was going to lose, and when that happens she would not have anything to do with him anymore.

Armin had stopped practicing to catch his breath. All around them, the other cadets continued to spar with their partners, no doubt trying to learn as much as they could before the much anticipated test. Annie knew not working with Armin was unfair on his part, but a deal's a deal, and she would not help him win a bet where she was his opponent.

The bell chimed just as the sun went down, dismissing them. Annie walked briskly towards the cafeteria, where she and Armin still had a week's worth of kitchen duty. Putting on her apron, she noticed that almost everyone was avoiding her, and some, like Mikasa and Jean, were looking at her with distaste. She wasn't stupid -- she knew this had something to do with the incident a week ago. They now think she really was some dangerous, unfriendly bitch. Well, they were thinking about it all along, but now they felt perfectly justified.

Although she usually did not care about what people thought of her, it annoyed Annie that they would think that she actually enjoyed fighting with Ymir and punching the light out of Armin (accidentally, if she may add).

When Armin stood next to her, soup laddle in hand, she was already in a particularly sour mood.

They distributed the meals in silence. Armin had tried to talk to her after he got discharged from the infirmary and during training, but she ignored him. He insisted that he would keep on talking to her even if she wouldn't reply, since the deal was that he would only stay away if Annie won, and that was yet to be determined. He was nothing if not persistent, Annie discovered with a mixture of awe and irritation.

Once the 104th had finished eating, Eren and Mikasa walked over to the counter where she and Armin were, with the former giving Annie a small nod and the latter acting as if she wasn't there.

"Let's go, Armin," said Eren. "We don't have much time."

Armin nodded, turning to her. "Yes, of course. Annie, is there anything else you need help with?"

"No. You should go."

"You sure?"

She gave him a flat stare.

"She said no," interjected Mikasa. She huffed through her red scarf. Annie wanted to choke her with it. "Let's leave."

"Oh, um -- okay. See you tomorrow, Annie." said Armin, hanging his apron on a hook.

The trio left, and Annie hated the small part of her that was annoyed that they weren't going to be closing the cafeteria together.

The weeks dragged on, and Annie continued to watch Armin's progress in her usual spot under the shade of the tree. He seemed to be doing quite fine, but she doubted that that would be enough. Besides, what are the chances of him winning against opponents like Reiner and Mikasa, or even Sasha? Absolutely zero.

Annie also picked up a new way to pass time during training, when she had nothing to do aside from studying him. She counted out all his flaws. She would think about all the negative things about him, and she found out that she could list a lot of them.

Annie disliked how much he smiled. He seemed to get along well with people, just like Christa. Those two were like two sides of the same coin, though Annie never found Christa as intelligent as him. No one was as intelligent as Armin, period.

He was clumsy and awkward. He cannot throw a decent punch if his life depended on it. He often dropped his things whenever a small noise startled him. He always stumbled whenever Shadis made them run, and his endurance was weak. No wonder he always came up last. Annie wondered why he just wouldn't accept rest just like the others.

She hated the way he shared about his dreams of going to the outside world. He would tell to anyone who would listen all about these mysterious lands, and the ocean which he so desperately wanted to see. She hated how stupid and naive he was for thinking that he would survive the Titans long enough to reach these things. But no one had the heart to tell him this, not when his blue eyes sparkled with the mere mention of the land beyond the walls.

Armin yelled with all his might as he lunged at an imaginary partner. Another one of his flaws: he never knew when to give up.

At last, two months had passed. The cadets lined up as Shadis called off who would be fighting who in the occassional switch. Annie rubbed her hands as the drill sergeant announced that it would be Berthold versus Thomas first, and she followed the others as they cleared an area for the match.

Armin sidled up to her. He seemed nervous, but he did a good job at hiding it.

"Is the deal still on?" she asked. The crowd clapped as Berthold was declared the winner.

"Yes," he said. "You know I'm serious about it."

"I guess it would be pointless to tell you that this whole thing's stupid," she said.

He watched as Eren and Mina faced off before answering. "No, it's not."

She did not respond. She would prove her point once he loses in his approaching match.

Annie's name was called, and it really did not bother her that much when she was paired up with Reiner. She made sure to end the fight quickly, so they would move on to Armin already. A nice dodge of his arm and a quick wrap around his neck and torso, and Annie flipped Reiner's whole body weight to the ground. Shadis nodded his approval, and Annie went back to her place amidst the cadets awe-filled whispers.

"Armin Arlert and Connie Springer!"

Armin walked confidently to the front, taking his military jacket off as Connie stood opposite him, a sly grin on his face. Sasha whooped, wishing the two the best of luck. Annie saw Mikasa and Eren watching eagerly, as if they intended to interfere in case Armin needed help.

Annie tried not to snicker. Connie, huh? It seemed like Armin was luckier than she thought. The two of them were almost equally matched in terms of body structure, with them being almost the same height and weight, although Armin was leaner than Connie was. Still, his chances of winning wasn't all that impossible, and Annie can't decide whether that was a good or bad thing.

She wanted him to lose, sure, but there was also another side of her that wished to see him be congratulated.

You need to get him out of your hair, she reminded herself. He is a threat. If he becomes attached to you, he might know your secret.She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts as Connie aimed a kick to Armin's side, which he dodged. He then followed it up by slamming his hand on the bald cadet's nape, which made him stumble, but not enough to make him fall.

Annie's eyes were wide. That move...it was one of her many techniques. She watched them, and noticed that Armin was obviously replicating her style. How could she be so stupid? Armin was weak, but he was smart. Of course he had memorized her moves during their training. She wouldn't lie; Annie was impressed.

Still, memorizing something was not the same as knowing it. Although Armin had the steps, he still did not have the proper strength to execute it, and in the end he was overpowered. As Connie helped him up and shook hand after the fight, Annie could only see Armin's disappointment behind the usual smile.

Armin kept his end of the bargain. He never bothered Annie again. He would still nod at her whenever they passed each other around camp and say the madatory greetings, but he never tried to force himself into her personal space. Their kitchen duties came to an end, and during training, instead of sparring with one another they opted to practice separately. This set up continued for three months (Armin lost spectacularly to Jean in his second match) until Shadis noticed their unusual training regimen.

"Arlert, Leonhardt, what do you think you're doing?" he asked one sunny afternoon, when he saw Annie throwing kicks at the tree.

"Training, sir," she answered calmly.

"Don't give me that bullshit. You two haven't been working together these past few weeks, and I want to know whether or not there is a problem." he said.

"It's my fault, sir. I asked Annie to let me practice alone until the time that I could finally keep up with her," answered Armin. What was he doing? "I'm sorry for my incompetence, sir. I did not want to slow down my partner by being a burden."

It was only half of the truth, and Annie knew Shadis could see right through it. He stared at them, and they met his gaze, not wanting to break eye contact just in case he called out their bluff.

"Do you want to change partners, then?" he surprised them by saying. "If this is not helpful to the both of you then I suggest you separate. I want my soldiers to be in good, working condition once they graduate and join the military."

"Well..." said Armin. His eyes flicked over to her. "I'll respect whatever decision Annie makes."

What? Annie looked at Armin, but he was staring straight ahead. Should she do it? Say yes, she wants to switch pairs and just him off to someone else? Perhaps he thought that this was what she had always askes for, him staying away from her forever. If she said no, what would he think? That she wanted him to still be her partner after all, or that she was so cruel that she did not want to let him go where he was obviously better off?

She hated how much he made her confused. She would definitely add cunning to her long list of Armin Arlert's Unending Flaws.

"Okay," she finally replied. "Let's do the switch."

Shadis nodded and called out: "Anyone want to change partners?"

She wasn't surprised when Eren and Marco volunteered. In the end, she got paired up with the brunette while Armin walked off with Marco, who would now become his training buddy for the remainder of hand to hand combat.

Annie did not know how to feel. Sure, her training was going much more smoothly now that she had a competent partner, but she can't help the constant prick nagging at the back of her head everytime she saw Armin having fun with everyone else. She told herself she had made the right decision when Armin finally got his first victory (although it was with Christa, so it was pretty easy) and was now being his usual self again.

Another one of his flaws, Annie thought bitterly: He moves on quickly.

As she and Eren continued their rampage inside Wall Sina, all she could think about was her wrong answer during Shadis's one time offer.

Her biggest flaw -- she could never make the right decisions like Armin does.