We're here with chapter 38! I really enjoyed writing this one, it was loads of fun! I want to say a BIG thank you to Forevershine. Your kind review really got me through this chapter so this one is for you! Read on and enjoy!

As Annie led him inside Eren took note of the dim candles that were scattered across the dining room. "What's with the candles?" Eren asked as he followed Annie towards the stairs.

"You need to be relaxed for this to work as well as possible," Annie shrugged. "Candles are relaxing." In the dim, flickering light Eren let a small smile spread across his lips as Annie disappeared upstairs.

Upstairs Eren found Annie waiting outside her door holding the bucket in both hands. "What's the bucket for?" Eren asked pointing to the container.

Even in the dim light Eren could see Annie roll her eyes. "You stink so your taking a bath."

Narrowing his eyes Eren made his way towards the door. "Is it that bad?" He whispered under his breath.

"Yes." Annie curtly replied before following Eren inside.

Inside Annie's room Eren's eyes were immediately drawn to a large wooden tub, a thick column of steam was steadily rising from the water that Annie had spent nearly an hour preparing. "That for me?" Annie nodded.

"Take off your shirt and trousers and get in before it gets cold," Annie ordered as placed the bucket by her feet. Eren gingerly reached for the hem of his shirt and as he began to lift his shirt he noticed Annie was still looking at him.

A pink blush crawled across Eren's cheeks as Annie's gaze didn't falter. Eventually Annie realised that Eren wasn't moving, cogs quickly began turning in Annie's head. She rolled her eyes and pointed to a folded screen.

"Thanks." Eren mumbled as he pulled the screen across him. With Annie out of view Eren quickly pulled shirt over his head and threw it to the floor, followed by his trousers and socks.

The moment Annie heard Eren getting in the water she moved the screen out of the way and pulled a stool out to sit behind Eren. "How's the water?"

Eren hummed in pleasure as his muscles relaxed under the hear. "Thank you Ann." Eren didn't even realise that he had used Annie's nickname until she flicked cold water onto the back of his neck.

As he turned around Eren could see the remnants of a smile on her lips. "Did you bring that bucket just to splash me?"

"Only if you annoy me," Annie cooed as she wet a cloth in the water. "Lean back." Without any smart comments Eren leaned back against the wood, his eyes widened suddenly when he felt Annie's fingers comb through his hair.

The softness with which Annie ran her fingers across Eren's head, behind his ears and over his crown startled Eren.

Even during training, Ann was never this… gentle. Eren thought to himself.

"How do you get so much dirt in your hair?" Annie sighed as she dipped her hands in the cold water.

Eren turned his head slightly so Annie could see the smirk on his lips. "Maybe if someone didn't throw me into the dirt so much…"

This time Annie splashed a handful of cold water across his face. "Maybe if you actually learned how to fight you wouldn't end up in the dirt."

After wiping the water from his eyes Eren fround up to Annie. "I can fight!"

"Anyone who isn't me," Annie smirked. "And what about the other thing I tried to teach you?"

"Other thing?" Eren asked.

Annie let her hands drop from Eren's head and into the hot water. "So you still haven't learned how to talk to girls."

Eren laughed and turned around completely to face Annie. "I always thought you were joking about that."

"I was to begin with," Annie hummed. "I was teasing you."

"Never saw you as a tease Ann." Eren scoffed.

Although he couldn't see it Annie had a rare, wide smile on her lips. "Well it's so easy to mess with you. How could I not?"

"Is it that easy?" Eren groaned as Annie began to rub the hot water into Eren's hair.

This time Annie scoffed. "Don't you remember Jean teasing you about the Survey Corps?"

Eren's brow immediately creased. "I do now," He sighed. "He just wanted to laze about with the military police!" Eren's comment was quickly met by a splash of cold water. "What was that for?"

"I may be reading in this but I think Jean admires you in way."

This time Eren rounded entirely on Annie his jaw wide open. "What are you talking about?"

Annie shrugged. "Towards the end of training Jean changed. You were probably too caught up in your dreams to realise," Annie said waving her hands. "But Jean seemed more focused during drills."

"Hm… He seemed just as petty to me." Once again Eren was met with an icy wet slap.

"That's because you never pay attention," Annie sighed as she rolled her eyes. "Anyway, how do you feel?"

Eren rolled his shoulders and groaned as he felt swollen muscles loosen. "Much better."

"Good, do you think you're ready?"

Taking a deep breath breath Eren thought back to the last time he and Annie had Unravelled. "It won't be like last time right?"

Annie caught the gasp in her throat before Eren could hear her. "No. Last time we fought so we saw memories linked to fighting."

"Well I'm in a bath," Eren chuckled dryly. "Does that mean your going to see my memories of bathing?" Eren's joke was quickly met with a gentle slap of cold water.

"Don't get any weird ideas," Annie moaned. "Just leaned forward and close your eyes." Eren did as he was told, leaning forward to expose his back to Annie. He shivered when Annie's palms pressed against him.

Annie too took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she focused entirely on Eren.

Are you ready Ann? Greif cooed from the shadows. Annie didn't give any answer to the snake, instead she took one final breath.

Annie's eyes shot open only to be immediately blinded by a harsh orange light. What shocked her however wasn't the light. It was the sense of falling that caused her stomach to flip. Suddenly Annie realised that she was flying, looking down she saw a floor of trees and leaves that spanned on for a far as she could see.

Only then did Annie realise what was happening. I remember this day. We were training in the woods with the 3D gear. Annie thought to herself as she plunged through the layers of foliage that separated her from the ground. This must be what Eren finds relaxing. Most people would consider this terrifying… Annie then found herself laughing. Of course then it only makes sense Eren would enjoy this. Before she had a chance to laugh at her comment Annie heard a loud laugh coming from behind her.

"Looks like Eren's going to beat you this time Jean." Annie instantly recognised the voice as Connie Springer and upon turning her head she saw the bald boy trailing far behind her.

Connie's comment was quickly met with a piercing sound and a cloud of white gas as someone rocketed past her, someone with mouse brown hair and a sly smirk.

"Not gonna happen this time Jeager!" Jean bellowed. "I'm going to be the first out of this forest and then you'll be on toilet duty for a week." And with a flick of his wrist Jean accelerated into a blur as he disappeared beyond the trees.

For a second Connie was left dumbstruck but quickly regained his childish smile. "You gonna let him get away with that Eren?"

What happened next Annie would remember as one of the strangest feelings in her life. Before she even realised it words were traveling up her throat and out if her mouth, yet it wasn't her voice.

"I'll make horse face eat his words!"

Eren's voice… He always sounded so strong and confident. Annie thought to herself as she flew through the trees and branches. Hmph. I could get through here much faster and I wouldn't use as much gas. She bragged to herself and Eren guided her among the giant trees.

Despite his apparent inefficiency Eren managed to navigate his way through the woods without crashing. Weaving his way through the trees Eren eventually saw the wall of light that signified the end of the course. After landing on the lush grass Eren's eyes locked onto Jean who was lying on his back, chest heaving.

Suddenly a thought burst into Annie's mind. I remember this!

"I was wondering who going to get here first." Eren looked up to see Reiner standing over him with a bold, wide smile.

"What!? I didn't see you pass us. How did you beat us?" Eren asked.

Reiner looked to Bertolt who was sitting by the cart that would take them back to the dorms. "We got here ages ago."

Eren was about to reply when an all too familiar voice filled his ears. "Maybe if you weren't so focused on beating Jean you would have noticed us overtaking you." Eren turned to see Annie leaning against a tree.

The shade covered her almost entirely, only her feet were in the light but Eren knew that only Annie could speak with such ice.

To Annie however she looking at herself through Eren's eyes, she felt Eren's lips tug into a smirk as Annie emerged from the shadows.

"Like there's anyone who could beat you." Eren scoffed.

Annie turned her head to the cart where a Mikasa was standing. "Funny you should say that. She got here way ahead of any of us."

Seeing Eren emerge from the trees Mikasa had stood from her seat and made her way over to Eren. As she asked him how he fared on the course Eren found himself staring at Annie with a childish grin.

Annie took note of his smile and rolled her eyes before returning a delicate smirk to Eren and as they made their way back to the base they knew they would be seeing each other that night.

Air flooded Annie's lungs as her eyes shot open, gone was the lush green grass and open blue skies, replaced by the faint glow of candlelight in the dark of night. She pulled her hands away from Eren's back and wiped her brow.

That was weird… The snakes groaned as Annie recalled what she saw and felt.

"Annie?" Eren croaked. "You okay?"

After wiping the sweat from her brow Annie answered. "Yeah, I'm alright."

Eren sighed a heavy, tired sigh as he turned to face Annie. "No matter how many times we do that its just as weird," Annie simply hummed in agreement as the fuzziness in her vision started to clear. After waiting a few minutes for the worst of the headaches to pass Eren eventually asked a question that had been plaguing him since Annie suggested they Unravel. "What did you see?"

"It was a day from training," Annie explained. "The day when you and Jean raced to finish the course but me, Mikasa, Reiner and Bertolt had already beaten you."

The encroaching darkness couldn't hide Eren smile as he thought back to the memory in question. "I never figured out how you beat us."

"Well all of us were in the top four." Annie pointed out.

Eren pouted. "Well, I was in the top five!"

Annie winced at Eren's harsh tone. "Not so loud, I'm still recovering over here."

"Huh?" Eren questioned with a raised eyebrow. "I feel fine."

"That's the point."

"Wait," Cogs started to turn in Eren's head as realisation dawned on him. "Does it hurt you?" Annie looked down. "Answer me Ann."

"Yes," She snapped. "When I untangle the memories I…"

"You what?" Eren's tone was sharp but it didn't hide the worry in his voice.

Clenching her fists Annie finally answered Eren. "It shortens my lifespan. Each time I do it my life shortens even more."

Eren's deep green eyes widened with horror. "What!? But you've done it three times now."

"I know." The ice had returned to Annie's voice with all the cold and venom she was used to.

"How much does it shorten your life by?"

Annie shrugged. "It's hard to say since it's only ever used as a last resort."

Eren stood from the water and balled his fists. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Annie took a moment to regain her composure before she faced Eren. "Would you have done it if you knew?" Eren opened his mouth to reply but found no words. "Exactly."

"We're not doing it again," Eren growled. "Even if I'm dying you're not doing it."

A small smirk picked at Annie's lips. "Even I think you can survive three days."

Eren's jaw dropped. "You're joking now?"

With a shrug of her shoulders Eren's jaw dropped even further. "There's no point being all serious. The damage's been done," Eren realised that Annie had point, the damage had been done, there was nothing he could do. "Take this." Annie sighed as she threw a towel to Eren.

Eren plucked the towel out of the air and began drying his hair. "Hey Eren," Annie asked as he dried his shoulders. "What did you see?"

"Hm… It was really blurry," Eren explained. "I think you were standing on the Walls after cleaning a cannon-" Before Eren could go on Annie cut him off.

"I remember, it was in Trost. Just before Bertolt attacked," Annie took a breath as she waited for Eren's inevitable outburst, but it never came. "I-I was looking out over the Walls-" This time Eren cut her off.

"And you were thinking of home." Eren said with a warm smile.

Annie returned his smile with one equally as warm. "Yeah, I was."

After drying himself Eren put on his shirt. "You really missed home didn't you?" Eren asked as he pulled his shirt over his head.

"We all did," Annie nodded. "Bertolt more than me and Reiner though," She explained. "He always had this vacant look in his eyes, from the moment we left all he could think of was home."

After drying and getting dressed Eren and Annie went downstairs, looking around Eren realised that no one was around. "Where is everyone?"

"I imagine Ymir and Historia are catching up with everyone."

"What about your dad?"

Annie stretched her arms over head and sighed. "I'm don't know but it looks like we have the place to ourselves."

"How do you feel?" Eren asked as he stepped towards Annie.

As if on cue Annie winced and reached for her temples. "I think I have your headache now." She chuckled dryly.

Eren rested his hands on his hips as Annie took a seat at the table. "Maybe you should get some sleep."

Annie shook her head. "I don't think I could get to sleep with this." She moaned pointing to her temples.

A comfortable silence fell on the two of them as Annie leaned back in her chair and Eren went about lighting the fire place, eventually Annie could tell that something was bothering Eren. Whenever he walked by her he would avoid eye contact, his fists were balled, more than usual and would bite his lip on the rare occasion their eyes met.

"Eren what's wrong?"

After piling up the firewood Eren hung his head and sighed. "I… I just have a question, Ann."

"What is it?"

Eren stood and turned to face Annie. "W-what's going to happen when all this is over?"

Annie raised an eyebrow. "All this?"

"The walls, Titans and everything," Eren sighed. "When this is all over what happens to you?"

Annie's eyes fell to the floor. "Assuming I still have enough time to think about the future-"

"You can come to the ocean with us." Eren interrupted.

"Eren, we've talked about this. Mikasa doesn't want me within ten feet of you."

"You saved my life. Mika will understand that," Eren protested. "This can be a fresh start for us."

Ann… Grief hummed. Are you really considering this?

"Eren are you serious? Do you really think it can work?" Annie made sure to keep her eyes on the floor to keep Eren from seeing the hope in her eyes.

"Of course I do! Think about it, we can travel to the ocean on my Titan. It could take a while so we'd have to switch between my Titan and yours to get there quicker," Before he could stop himself Eren was explaining the plan he had been building in his head for days. Annie tried to catch the laugh that rose from her chest but Eren heard her. "What?"

This time Annie looked up and faced Eren despite the hope that filled her eyes. "You've put a lot of thought into this."

"Of course I have! In a few days I'm gonna be free to go where I want," Eren explained. "And I can go with who I want."

Annie raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And who might that be?"

Chuckling deeply Eren stepped towards Annie. "You… if you want."

"You'd take a fragile maiden like myself all the way to the ocean?" Annie giggled as she faked weakness.

A wide smile grew across Eren's lips as he knelled in front of Annie. He slowly reached out and took Annie's hands in his own, for a moment he waited to see if Annie withdrew herself like she had so many times. Eren's chest swelled when Annie kept her hands still and looked into his eyes.

"Haven't you ever wanted to see it?" Annie struggled to hold back her smile at seeing Eren so energetic. "The ocean, think about it! More salt than all the merchants in the world can sell."

Annie could no longer hold her laugh in. "Okay, okay. I get it. The ocean sounds amazing."

Eren gently pulled Annie to her feet and gave her a gentle smile. "Will you come with us? With me?"

"You're not giving me much of a choice Jeager," Annie hummed. "You going to carry me there?"

Eren scoffed. "I doubt you'd let me."

Annie's smiles spread even further across her lips as she pulled Eren's arms around her frame. For a moment her breath hitched when Eren's arms stiffened, her worries were quickly abated when Eren pulled Annie against him.

"B-been a while since we've been this close." Eren whispered as he rested his head on top of Annie's.

"Shut up," Annie cooed. "Less talking. More…"

"More what?" Eren chuckled quietly.

Annie responded by cupping Eren's cheek and guiding him down to her lips.

"Just more."Was all Annie had time to say before she sealed her lips onto Eren's and as she lead Eren upstairs a single thought passed through Annie's mind.

Maybe Eren did learn to talk to girls.