A/N: I had recently come back from a month long vacation and I'm like, slowly getting back into my writing game, very slowly, since I have other personal matters to also focus on, I figured I could do a fluffy one shot before I update anything else. stay tuned for more (hopefully)!


PDA


When he rested his head on her shoulder, both sitting on the four o' clock bus back to the suburbs, she froze, feeling the little wisps of his long wild brown hair tickling at her cheek, listening to his evened breathing.

Since than she thought many times about publicly displaying affection for one another. It had been a year or so since they'd started going steady. Eren Jaeger was a naïve, boisterous, and hot-headed young man. Everything she was not. But despite their obvious differences; they'd been drawn to each other.

Annie Leonhardt wasn't the type of girl who considered intimate relationships a priority. In fact, she was sure she could have lived her whole life without sharing it with anyone else. Safe for her precious feline roommate, and her father, randomly dropping by most days. Though they were family so it couldn't count.

But Eren…Well, Eren had entered her life in a typhoon of dare-devil grins, too-big hoodies, early 2000's pop punk bands, constant bed-hair and various bags of sour gummy worms.

And Annie…Well, Annie always did have a soft spot for people who spoke their mind, and could give less of a shit about what the world thought about them. She was reclusive, but also the type to silently admire anyone who went against the natural flow society demanded. She figured, a little anarchy never hurt anybody.

But, Eren had his faults too, of course. All humans did; sometimes he was too loud, too in her space, too stubborn and in constant need of attention.

Sometimes he grated on her nerves so bad, they would have shouting matches in the middle of the street. She'd be left wondering why she ever chose to be with someone who was her opposite. She'd lock herself in her bath room, pulling the roots of her ashen hair, just wondering. Why. Him?

Then he'd show up at her apartment at two o' clock in the morning holding a box of donuts, sporting uncombed hair to match with his big green puppy eye's, and as much as she'd glare him down, Annie knew he wouldn't leave, and he knew she wouldn't let him.

Three midnight donuts later, he'd sweep her off her feet, cackling like a mad man while spinning around, and they'd both fall into her couch, out of breath from laughing, and she'd forgive him.

That was them. That was Eren and Annie.

There was only one rule in their relationship; one she'd firmly bestowed herself, because Eren was the second person she had ever been in a romantic relationship with, and the reason why her first had ended was because of this rule.

Absolutely No PDA.

No kissing on the lips while they were out; no embracing each other like lovers, no cuddling on public transport, no tender gestures, or sweet talk. It just wasn't Annie's style. As an anti-social, solitary girl; she'd like to keep everything private. That included showing affection for her significant other. Eren never questioned Annie about her reason for laying down this rule. He cared too much about her to pry into her personal conflictions.

She appreciated his understanding. Besides, in the enclosed walls of her studio apartment, Eren knew she could be as affectionate as she wanted to be. Their intimacy held no bounds, only when it was just the two of them.

And yet…Annie found herself in turmoil.

It's just hand touching. Just casual friendly physical contact. Just her hand, enveloped in his own. Not an ounce of anything more than platonic closeness would be shown from their body language.

Was she over thinking it?

There wouldn't be anything romantic about it. Friends held hands all the time. But, Eren was so much more than a friend now, only to her. Others didn't know of their relationship. Privacy was a virtue.

But…the very thought of them holding hands as they strolled idly down the city park made her cheeks color pale pink, and her palms feel clammy. Her gut coiled itself into a knot of anxiety, just thinking about initiating intimate contact with him in public.

Annie hoped he didn't notice her embarrassingly red face, or how she distanced herself from his side. A whiny part of her wished he did.

They'd spend their Friday night's going for a jog in the park. But this time they had stopped short, because Eren just had to pull a muscle from being too careless. So instead of running, they walked. They'd gone around the park in eight steady laps, and they were on their ninth now.

The sun was slowly fading on the horizon, night's purple sky was edging forth. Children were being picked up by their parents, mostly dog-owners, and elderly wandered Rose Park during this hour.

Eren pointed at some ducks who waddled frightfully back into a small pond as they neared, "Look, Annie, baby ducks!"

Annie followed his finger, spotting two dark feathered ducklings trying to catch up to their mother. Then her gaze slid back to his hand, the feeling in her stomach tightened, she swallowed, turning away.

"C'mon, we've got one more lap left." She continued walking down the dirt path, stubbornly ignoring the awkward churn of her gut.

Eren dropped his arm, his attention taken by the ducklings for a little while more. But one name call from Annie had his legs catching up to her in two long strides.

"So, do you find anything cute?" He asked, out of the blue. They came to a curve on the path, almost at their finishing point. Annie, used to his constant pestering shrugged in response. "Depends."

He smiled, "On what?"

"I don't know, what kind of animal it is, I think cats are pretty cute."

"That's because you own a cat." He snorted, "A cat that hates me, by the way."

Annie gave a roll of her eyes. Up ahead, an elderly couple strolled leisurely down the opposite path. The older man hobbled with a cane in one hand, and his wife in the other. Annie was taken by their presence as they giggled together like teenagers in their prime, her eye's fell to their intertwined hands, and the woman's large stud of a wedding ring. She swallowed again.

"Hey." Eren bumped his arm against hers, his eye's shone with concern. "You okay?"

Not really. The elderly couple hobbled pass them, Annie caught a glimpse of the husband leaning in to peck his wife on her cheek, and the wife patting his arm affectionately with her free hand.

Not okay.

"Hey," Eren stole her attention, lightly grabbing a hold of her shoulder, he halted, making her stop along with him. "Come on, no silent treatments, you've been looking down a lot, what is it? Are you hungry?"

Annie avoided his wide worrisome eyes, pouting, because she'd been so transparent.

"It's nothing, I'm just tired."

"Nah, don't give me that. I know what a tired Annie looks like and this," He shook his head, gesturing to her, "is not tired Annie. Really, just tell me what's wrong, and I'll fix it."

She sighed; this was something he could fix, but she didn't—couldn't even go through with it. She just couldn't. She was agitated, and it showed when her clear as crystal eyes met his green gaze. But Eren wasn't put off by that. He cocked his head, leaning down so he could meet her height, his tousled fringes fell to his cheek bone.

"Is it because I messed up our running schedule?"

Annie scoffed. "No!"

"Then what?"

Her teeth sank into her bottom lip, she chewed, bothered with the words she wanted to tell him, threatening to spill, and god—it shouldn't be so difficult. Why was it so difficult?

"Annie?

"I—um…" Her fingers fidgeted, she laced them behind her back. He picked up on her nervous ticks. Eren may not be the brightest, but he was observant, especially of his girl, despite what she thought of him. Annie's attention was on her trainers, he was going to change that.

She wanted something from him, that much he knew. So, he leaned down further until his lips touched the outer shell of her ear, and he whispered. "Sweetheart, tell me what's wrong."

He got the exact reaction expected from Annie, which was rounded sapphire eyes, a cute blush on her cheeks, and furrowed eyebrows, she sputtered, taking a step back, away from his invasiveness, "C-cut it out."

Eren chuckled, shrugging with his arms open wide like he was asking for a hug. "C'mon! I need to know, tell me!"

Annie stubbornly shook her head, folding her arms against her chest. "No, I was going to tell you but not anymore."

A half lie that was.

Eren dropped his arms, pouting childishly. "Tell me, pretty please?"

"No."

"Tell me, Annie, C'mon…Tell me, Tell me baby girl cause' I need to know!" He shouted in a sing-song voice, Annie ducked her head, arms tightening, her face burning, as she started to walk away from him at a brisk pace, but he followed her with his hands in his sweat shirt, breaking into a musical number. Irritating her to no end.

"Can you quit it?" Annie seethed a group of bikers zoomed by, ringing their signal bells, yet Eren continued singing, the Spanish version… a vein pulsed in her temple.

"Nah, not until you tell me what's wrong with you!"

"… Fine." She turned sharply, nearly colliding with his chest. Annie drew in a breath, "I… I want to… I want to hold hands… with you."

Annie received the exact reaction she'd expected, Eren blinked, dumbfounded, and then snorted, like she'd just told him a horrible pun.

"I'm sorry, what?" He smirked, "I didn't hear you, the bells and all."

He was trying to get on her nerves. But Annie had had enough, so instead of telling him again, she showed him, reaching out to grab one of his hands from his sweater pocket, she brought his hand up to her chest, and enlaced her fingers within his.

"There." She huffed. "Moron." She added. Eren's mischievous expression softened considerably, as if he hadn't expected for her initiate contact with him in public herself, being Annie and all. He stared at their intertwined hands and Annie's adorable blushed cheeks… and then her bowline lips, pink and soft. He just felt compelled to ask.

"Can I get a pass on kissing too?"

Annie scoffed, going redder than before. "Don't push it."

Though as they continued their nightly stroll around the park, she said much later him. "Maybe, we'll work on it."

Eren's grin shone brighter than the stars.