Annie got home and was pleasantly surprised to see her father's car in the driveway. It was rare to have him home so early on weekdays like this. She wasn't complaining, though. She parked her car and made her way inside, smiling happily when she saw her father in the kitchen.

"You're home early. I didn't expect you to come home till later." She walked around and hugged her father, which he accepted happily.

"Just came home for a little while! Thought I'd have some dinner with my daughter before heading back to work to finish a big project we're working on. I bought us some steaks! I'm preparing them right now!"

Annie observed the steaks nearby and licked her lips, already imagining the flavor on her taste buds. Unfortunately, her craving was cut short when she realized that Mikasa would be over soon and that there wouldn't be anything for her to eat.

"Looks good, but I sort of... invited Mikasa to come over and she might be here soon. I don't want her just sitting awkwardly while we eat, so I'll go grab her something from the nearby market..."

The mention of Mikasa's name seemed to bring light to Annie's father's face. Annie didn't understand why Mikasa had practically spent every day at her house during the summer. It wasn't like her father hadn't seen Mikasa in forever or anything.

"Mikasa is coming over? Why didn't you tell me sooner, Annie? I would've bought more food... Here, you two can have the steaks! I'll fry up some chicken for myself. How soon until she gets here? Maybe you can finish the steaks before her arrival."

"Last time I spoke to her, she said the football coach needed to speak with her. That was a while ago, though, so I doubt I'll be able to finish the steaks in time. I will start working on them though, just so we can eat with you."

Annie went to the sink and washed her hands before grabbing a pan. She turned on the stove and placed her pan over the open flame, letting it heat up before she threw in her ingredients. Standing beside her, her father did the same as they both stood in comfortable silence, just listening to the soft sizzles and subtle pops as their food cooked. It was moments like these that Annie was grateful for; her father was hardly home, so these interactions were everything to her.

"Hey, Dad... What was it like when you and mom found out she was pregnant? Were you scared? Happy? Was mom happy?"

Mr. Leonhardt stared at his food, taking a moment to think of a response before replying.

"Well, it's been eighteen years, but I can still remember the joy I felt when I heard that your mother was pregnant. I mean, I was a bit scared, of course, but that's only natural when it comes to parenthood. As for your mother, oh, she was ecstatic to finally have her own child. You were all she could talk about once we found out you were coming... She enjoyed being a mom during the time she was here."

He smiled and Annie couldn't help but join in. Hearing stories of her mother only helped convince her that she made the right choice. Yes, she knew this whole thing was going to be extremely hard and that she'd have to give up certain things... But if her mother was so happy to be a parent, then there had to be something extraordinary about it. Annie just hoped her father wouldn't react badly to finding out the news. She might have had Mikasa's support and all of her friends with her, but Annie wasn't sure she'd be fine if her father turned her away. That was for another day, though. She still had time to keep it a secret.

"Oh, I think Mikasa is here. I'll open the door for her. Keep an eye on my chicken, Annie."

Her father pulled away to open their front door. She couldn't help but snicker when she heard him greet Mikasa so enthusiastically. If only he knew what Mikasa had done to his daughter. If he did, then his happy greetings would be more of an ass-beating. Once she heard the door shut, Annie decided to peek over her shoulder, catching a glimpse of Mikasa walking in and setting her backpack on the table.

"We're already cooking everything up, so I'll say we'll be done in ten minutes or so."

"Sounds great, . I'll just start on some homework in the meantime. Thank you for letting me in for dinner. I appreciate it greatly."

Annie got butterflies when Mikasa talked for some damn reason. She was convinced it was the baby's fault, even though it was way too early to feel any type of moment. It was either that, or she really did have some lovey-dovey feelings for Mikasa, which made Annie's face scrunch up. She couldn't start acting extra affectionate with Mikasa after saying they were only "dating & talking." It would defeat the whole point of taking it slow. Annie shook her head and knew this was going to be messy for them. At least they had all the time in the world to work on their wonky relationship.

Dinner went well. It was less awkward than Annie thought it was going to be. Mikasa and her father conversed rather well, which left Annie on her own. She didn't mind it, though. Annie actually used the time to think about Mikasa. Well, their relationship to be exact. She stated earlier that getting overly affectionate with Mikasa wasn't a good idea. It would defeat the purpose of taking it slow, and Annie wanted to keep her word. She was still angry that Mikasa was so inconsiderate and impulsive last Friday, yet she wanted to cuddle with the dumb Alpha.

'I mean... people can cuddle and kiss when they're in the dating stage... It'll technically be taking our relationship slow... I'll just tell Mikasa that we're still in the dating phase, nothing more.'

That seemed like it was easy enough to do and not go back on. When they finished their food and cleaned up, Annie invited Mikasa up to her room like usual. But before going up, she hugged her father goodbye and wished him luck on his work. Once he walked out the door, that was when Annie started walking upstairs with Mikasa close behind her. She entered her room and patted the desk she had in there.

"Here. Sit so you can finish up your homework."

"Oh no, I'm good. I just had a few questions to finish up. I usually make sure to finish all my work in my free period before practice. So… You wanted to talk more about the baby... Um, I'm assuming you haven't told your dad yet, right?"

"If I did, I'm sure he wouldn't have had such a wonderful dinner with you." Annie plopped onto her bed and patted the seat next to her. "Like I said last Friday when we talked, we can tell our parents after everything dials down. They're going to be the toughest part to work through, so we really shouldn't rush."

Mikasa removed her jacket before joining Annie on her bed. Since their new relationship terms were a bit... different... she awkwardly sat against the head frame for a second before Annie made her lay down. Mikasa gulped out of anticipation, wondering what would come next. What did happen next wasn't all that extreme. Annie just laid next to her and set a hand on Mikasa's chest.

"People that date can cuddle and kiss, Mikasa. Stop acting so awkward when it comes to being around me. We have a baby on the way, for God's sake."

"See, you say that, but every time I think something is good, it ends up not being what you want. So I'm just being cautious around you, okay? I'm not trying to anger you again."

"That was mostly in regards to you always saying things before thinking them out. But, you already apologized for that and said you'll work on it, so I trust you... Do be wary though because I will call you out on your bullshit."

"Wary I am."

Mikasa softly chuckled and turned onto her side so she could see Annie face to face. She looked into her beautiful blue eyes and felt herself become even more infatuated by Annie. Since Annie said to stop being awkward, Mikasa did just that. She leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Annie's lips. However, Mikasa didn't push her luck and broke the kiss after just a few seconds. When she saw that Annie's facial expression didn't change into one of anger, she went in for another one, and then another one after that. They continued until Annie found her hands tangled in Mikasa's hair and the Alpha's mouth now on her neck.

"People that are dating each other can also have sex, right?" Annie asked as Mikasa bit into her flesh, causing a loud moan to escape the Omega.

"Uh... yeah, I've heard of people fucking on the first date," Mikasa said against Annie's neck as her hands began unbuttoning the blonde's pants.

"Yeah, you're right. Great thinking, Mikasa."

Annie helped speed up the process of removing her jeans but shimmying out of them. She then started working on Mikasa's pants while she tried to remove Annie's shirt. Unfortunately, Mikasa failed because Annie immediately slapped her hands away and glared at her.

"Oh come on, what did I do wrong now?"

"Nothing! I just..." Annie pulled away from the raven-haired girl and let out a sigh.

"I just remembered last time when you basically called me fat and I didn't want a repeat of that. It's stupid, I know, but like... everyone called me fat earlier that day and when you said it, I sort of... lost it. That's why I didn't even give you time to explain yourself and just kicked you out."

Annie looked away from Mikasa, feeling embarrassed that she let such a little thing affect her so greatly. Mikasa didn't know how much that incident had actually messed with Annie. Now that she was aware, she felt like shit too. She immediately wrapped her arms around Annie and pressed a loving kiss to her lips. Mikasa instantly released calming pheromones over Annie and maintained eye contact with her when she pulled away.

"I'm deeply sorry for that, Annie. I truly didn't have any malice behind my words. I was just making a little joke about it to see if you were comfortable with continuing. I now see that my words affected you greatly, and I promise I won't make any comments about your body. Especially since I know pregnancy is going to put your body through so many changes. I'm going to still find you attractive no matter what, okay?"

Mikasa held Annie's face in her hands as she said each word, making sure the blonde woman knew she actually meant everything she said. Annie wasn't much of a compliment type of girl, but she accepted Mikasa's words happily. Something about hearing Mikasa being so passionate did it for Annie. Maybe it was the fact that Mikasa was her baby's sire or maybe she just found the woman genuinely amazing. Annie allowed herself to remove her sweatshirt and showed everything to Mikasa.

The Alpha at first didn't look at her body right away but instead pressed a kiss to Annie's lips before moving down to tenderly kiss her stomach. This caused Annie's inner Omega to squeal like a little child. She was practically glowing from the attention of having an Alpha kiss her pregnant stomach.

"I have no idea how you're doing it, Mikasa, but I've never wanted to fuck you as hard as I do now."

That caused both of them to laugh since neither of them was used to hearing Annie speak in such a shameless way about sex. Nonetheless, Mikasa was feeling just as eager as Annie. However, she wasn't going to go any further until Annie made a move. She knew that this was hardly "taking it slow," but Mikasa still wanted Annie to pace everything at her own speed. Mikasa softly kissed her cheek then began to remove her own shirt and pants, leaving them both in only their underwear.

Annie glanced down at Mikasa's stomach, envious of how in shape she was. She brought her hand up and gently grazed her fingertips against the flesh. Mikasa subtly stiffened under Annie's touch but allowed it nonetheless. She watched the blonde closely, studying her eyes for any type of mood shift. Annie was fine, only focusing on one thing.

The Omega slid her hand down Mikasa's abs and into her boxer briefs. Mikasa's hips immediately jerked into Annie's hand, wanting more friction right away from her blonde lover. Annie obliged immediately by gripping the base of Mikasa's cock and pulling it out of her tight briefs. Mikasa's lovely grey eyes fluttered shut as Annie began to slowly stroke her length. Her breathing subtly quickened, but Annie took notice and made sure to touch all the right spots.

Her hand stroked ever so gently from the base to the tip, giving a little more attention to Mikasa's swollen head as a special treat for the Alpha. She leaned forward and caught Mikasa's lips in a slow yet sloppy kiss as she jerked her off. Annie slipped her tongue into Mikasa's mouth and explored each section of her mouth. Mikasa didn't mind one bit and allowed it, even parting her mouth more so Annie could continue.

"Annie!"

Mikasa pulled away suddenly and her face scrunched up as she came all over Annie's hand. Her cheeks immediately went red, already knowing that she came rather early compared to the other times they've had sex. Annie glanced down between them to examine the mess and let out a soft chuckle. It was by no means a teasing one; it had more of an adoring tone to it. She reached over to her nightstand and wiped her hand before cleaning Mikasa up.

"Don't feel embarrassed. I know we haven't had sex in months… Your stamina isn't what it used to be, but I am pleased to know I can still make you cum."

Annie tossed the dirty rag aside and grabbed Mikasa's face, giving her a gentle peck before laying down. Mikasa touched her lips after such a gentle kiss and felt like she needed to return the favor. She opened her mouth to ask if Annie wanted her to, but the blonde just patted her pillow, wanting Mikasa to lay with her. Once she was laying down, Mikasa asked the question anyway.

"Do you not want me to return the favor? I might not be able to get hard for a bit, but I can use my mouth or fingers."

The Omega shook her head and trapped Mikasa under the blankets. She pressed their foreheads together and sent out calming pheromones, which seemed to heavily affect Mikasa. Within a matter of minutes, the Alpha was knocked out. Annie found it hilarious yet adorable at the same time. It caused her heart to warm with an extreme sensation, something she hadn't felt since the first time they interacted during the summer. This further confirmed that she had feelings for Mikasa before she was even pregnant… Yet Annie still couldn't bring herself to confirm if those feelings were still around. She didn't want to confirm anything without an unclear conscience or until their child was born.

Annie felt guilty about not knowing if her feelings were true or not, even more so when she was acting in such a romantic and sexual way with Mikasa. Annie felt as if she was leading her on, despite already telling Mikasa they weren't official and just dating… Also, they were supposed to take it slow, but here she was giving Mikasa a hand job right after she said that.

"Agh!"

Annie grabbed her pillow and released a small scream along with a frustrated groan. Once she was done, she removed the pillow and just laid still, staring up at her ceiling.

'Remember, Annie, take it slow. No need to try and examine your feelings right now… The baby above all comes first and always will.'

She had to remind herself of this once more so her stress wouldn't eat her alive. The situation still irked her, but at least everything would be calm for a while. Annie let out a deep breath, not even knowing she was holding it. She sighed and closed her tired eyes, then opened them a second later when she felt larger arms wrap around her waist. Mikasa pulled her close and Annie allowed it, but not without sending a questioning stare the Alpha's way.

Annie brushed it off, even pressing a kiss to Mikasa's sleepy face before joining her in getting some rest. Annie was sure Mikasa's parents wouldn't mind if she were to spend the night here.

Actually, Mikasa's parents did care that Mikasa decided to stay the night at Annie's house. They were understandably angry, but thankfully, Annie's father swooped in and saved Mikasa's ass with some lame excuse. It turns out that excuse was that the girls were up late working on a project and it would've been better if Mikasa stayed the night to avoid driving home sleepy. Once it was put that way, Mikasa's parents lightened up on their anger but still were upset with their child for not contacting them about it.

With that done and dealt with, Mikasa and Annie resumed their rather calm morning. Annie didn't have much clothing Mikasa could wear, so they dug around in her father's old closet to find something. Thankfully, Annie found a plain white shirt and some blue jeans that looked to be in Mikasa's size. Mikasa didn't have any objections and got dressed. It was an interesting sight to see when Mikasa showed off how she looked in those clothes, so Annie snorted and teased the Alpha girl.

"You look like a dad who works in construction."

Mikasa rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile at Annie's words. She picked up her jacket and threw it over her white shirt, now looking more like herself.

"To be fair, I do have a child on the way and I also work with my dad in remodeling houses… So you're somewhat correct with that statement, you know."

"I guess I am… It's weird to hear you talk about our baby… Honestly, it's weird to talk and hear about in general… It's… comforting, in a way."

The Alpha smiled at her Omega and reached out to gently drag her fingers against Annie's stomach. This small action sent a little tingling sensation throughout Annie's body. It made its way to her heart, instantly making Annie's chest completely warm. It was that same damn feeling she experienced the night before. Annie couldn't lie; these feelings were starting to scare her, so she removed herself from Mikasa's touch and played it off by picking up her duffle bag.

She then put the bag back down because she remembered the situation with Hitch. She frowned, hating that Hitch had this power over her. Annie knew she couldn't try and go against it. She didn't need her secret getting leaked just yet. After today, though, there were only three games left. Just three more. After that, everything would go back to normal… Somewhat normal, anyway…

"Do you want me to take your duffle bag down? You shouldn't be picking up anything heavy while pregnant."

Mikasa was immediately by her side and reaching for the duffle bag, not even waiting for Annie's answer. Annie grabbed Mikasa's arm and gave her a stern look.

"No, Mikasa. I don't need you to take my bag down. I'm not helpless, okay? I'll tell you when it's too much for me and then you can help. Also, I don't need it today… I'm not going to attend my game today…" Annie contemplated telling Mikasa her situation. She didn't, though, knowing Mikasa would irrationally lash out and go after Hitch.

"I'm just not really feeling it. My back got hit yesterday and my body is still recovering. I already emailed my coach when we woke up, so I have everything taken care of."

"Oh… so you're free today? After school? If you don't already have any other plans, would you want to hang out with me? I was going to hang out with Eren and Armin. If you're free though, then I'd like to be alone with you."

"You should hang out with your friends, Mikasa. They're probably going to start missing you soon."

"Why do you say that?" Mikasa asked while she picked up her bag and car keys.

"I'm just assuming now that we've made up and worked things out, you'll be bugging me all day. If you're not, then okay, we can hang out later. But if you're going to be around me twenty-four-seven during school hours, then you should hang out with your friends instead."

Mikasa went quiet, slightly offended that Annie assumed these things. She was completely right, though. Mikasa was indeed going to be around Annie as much as she could. Maybe it was selfish, but she didn't really have it in her to care if she couldn't hang out with her friends. Mikasa was only focused on being near Annie all the time.

"I mean… You're my…" Mikasa thought of what to say. "You're, um… I'm dating you and you're the mother of my child, so it doesn't really concern me if I can't hang out with my friends. You're my main priority."

Annie let out a sigh as she picked up her own backpack. She had to admit. It was flattering that Mikasa wanted to spend every waking second near her. No matter how flattering it was, though, Annie didn't want to be the reason why Mikasa's friendships died. Even if the Alpha wanted to only be around her, Annie would step in and make sure she socialized with others.

"We'll compromise since you want to spend extra time with me and I still want you to hang out with your friends. I'll come along so you can hang out with Armin and Eren. Sound good?"

The expression on Mikasa's face told Annie that she wasn't a fan at all. 'Jeez, has she always been this stubborn?' Annie secretly asked herself as she witnessed the Alpha grow closer to throwing a tantrum. Mikasa didn't though; she gave a soft nod whilst still maintaining that facial expression. With that out of the way, they could finally get going.

"You're driving us to school and you better get rid of that look. If you don't, then you're not allowed to come over after we're done with the boys."

Mikasa immediately listened at the prospect of potentially having Annie all to herself. Her expression changed to the neutral one she usually held and Annie was pleased.

Annie didn't have time to tell her friends that she and Mikasa had made up. She didn't think it would be much of an issue since it could be handled with a simple conversation. But when break time came around and Reiner caught a glimpse of Mikasa walking next to her, all hell broke loose. Annie couldn't stop him in time as the 6'1 man who weighed about 215 pounds came running full force and slammed into Mikasa. The smaller Alpha quite literally flew back and fell limp. A small groan left her mouth and Annie was immediately on Reiner.

"What in the ever-loving fuck would cause you to do this?!"

Annie grabbed Reiner's ear and gave it a harsh tug to get his attention. He groaned while she quite literally controlled him by his ear. She pulled him down to her eye level which was a foot downward. Reiner's face contorted into one of pain and discomfort.

"I'm just making sure Mikasa wouldn't be bugging you! You told her not to come around! I was just trying to help! Agh! Ow ow ow!"

"Next time, how about you ask me why she's here instead of jumping to conclusions and tackling her like the gorilla you fucking are!"

She released his ear and went to examine the damage done to Mikasa. Nothing was severe; she was only a bit winded and had a headache setting in. Annie sighed and helped Mikasa sit up, staying close to make sure her Alpha was okay. 'Your Alpha…' Annie immediately backed away when that little voice invaded her thoughts. She gulped nervously and only helped Mikasa from a respectable distance.

"Wasn't my first time getting slammed into by Reiner, but it was the first time without football padding on." Mikasa slowly got back to her feet and used Annie for balance.

Despite being a little spooked from that little voice earlier, Annie still allowed herself to pump out calming Omega pheromones to take care of Mikasa. Annie held back a smile when she noticed Mikasa's body reacting to her pheromones. She also noticed the subtle blush growing across Mikasa's cheeks and couldn't help herself from placing a kiss on her cheek, which only caused a more noticeable blush to spread.

"Made up? Jeez, Annie! I know you're pregnant, but you change your mind quicker than a toddler. Anyway, unlike our gorilla of a friend, I'm not going to tackle you." Ymir walked towards them and offered a gentle smile, offering a hand to Mikasa so that they could have an actual introduction.

"Oh, please. Like you can talk about how to act in a relationship. You literally haven't dated a girl for more than three months." Annie shot back.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever you say big- You know what? No… I don't feel like getting abused by you today. It looks like we're going to see more of you around here, Mikasa. Let me officially introduce myself officially. The name's Ymir. Best friend to your grumpy ass Omega. I'm telling you this now before you get any ideas. I'm appalled by everything Annie does, so you don't have to worry about me trying to fuck her."

Mikasa raised a brow at Ymir's vulgar language, not completely used to it. She wasn't so sure she'd completely warm up to it either, but if Ymir really was Annie's best friend, then Mikasa would try and make an effort to befriend her. So she took Ymir's hand and gave it a firm shake.

"Ah, don't worry. Considering Annie chose me as a partner and not you… I see where her taste in partners lie and you're not a threat at all."

Ymir was surprised by Mikasa's boldness during their introduction, but she wasn't angry. She enjoyed having yet another person to throw insults with. The Alpha couldn't help but laugh at the situation before speaking once more.

"I like this one. I honestly thought she was going to be stoic all the time. Looks like we're going to get along well, Mikasa… I'm going to warn you though. If you're going to bust out the teasing, then prepare to receive it ten times as worse. If you can handle it, then great. If not… well then, cry."

Ymir patted Mikasa's shoulder then escorted them to their usual hang out spot. Mikasa took a deep breath and released it slowly, getting a little too overwhelmed with the interesting… introductions. Thankfully, Annie's constant pheromones washing over helped ease that feeling away. She was still a bit on edge to meet Annie's last friend, who was Bertholdt. It was laughable considering all she had heard about Bert was that he was an awkward giant. Mikasa couldn't be so sure what to expect though, since she'd already been slammed into and told that Ymir wouldn't fuck her girlfriend. Who knows what Bertholdt had in store waiting for her.

Once she finally arrived at the spot and went to introduce herself to Bertholdt, Mikasa was met with a cold stare from the man and she knew he didn't want her there. She didn't understand why. Surely Reiner already informed him that she and Annie had made up. There shouldn't be any reason why Bert would act in such a way. Mikasa was going to hold off on talking to him for now, but Bert made the decision to stand and walk over to them. He continued the cold stare towards Mikasa's, then as if it never happened, changed his expression to a happy one when he greeted Annie.

Mikasa caught the shift in expression and everything clicked in her head. Subtle jealousy grew within her, and without thinking, she unconsciously grabbed Annie's hand and held it tight. The same cold glare he had sent her way earlier came back. She resisted the urge to do anything else, already knowing that Annie would hate her if she caused another scene.

However, it was obvious that Ymir wasn't the threat to her relationship with Annie. Bertholdt was.