Alright, sorry for both the cliffhanger and the delay for Awakening, though I did say I was going to reread the Marley Arc a few times to make sure everything I write was accurate as possible. Chapter 96 was intense, though I'm anxiously awaiting the return to Paradise Island, and possibley even Annie being awake. So my Monster Musume story Web of Hearts will hopefully be posted a day or two before this chapter is published. As usual drop a review. Let us begin.

Confessions of Monsters

"Annie..I Love You."

She'd heard him correctly, as she replayed it quickly again in her head. There was no doubt, no waver in his voice at what he said, and Annie found herself stunned. Sure she'd considered him having some sort of feelings for her since their meeting in the Crystal, but she hasn't given the thought that it might actually happen to her. She sat there staring at him with widened eyes, her mouth slightly open as Eren waited for a response to his confession. She tried to say something but the damn words were lodged like her crystal in her throat. He started looking down from her crestfallen, apologizing for possible making the situation awkward between them.

"I'm sorry if you don't feel that way, it's just..you asked and I-" But she stops him with a squeeze of his hand, that he now realized was in hers.

"No I.. I do feel something Eren, but I'm not sure how...I know how we were back then, that I was more open with you than the others because well...you intrigued me out of everyone there. Even if you were hot headed and rash, you still had a cause to fight for, even if it meant death. And I respected that quite alot, people who go against the flow. It's part of what made me want to teach you, that night you flipped Jean. You had that fighting spirit that made you get up everytime I threw you to the dirt.

And I know I wasn't so innocent either, especially that day with Reiner and Mikasa. But after the forest of giant trees I knew it would've been near impossible for it to even be a thought. After I saw you roaring at me in so much pain and rage, pain I caused because of my own selfish mission-" but he interrupted her self degradation with cool rationality, still driven by that positive attitude he had when near her.

"Hey it wasn't selfish, like you told me you wanted to help all of us. Even if it meant hurting and killing us at first, you still held back on me some." Her eyes widened at his analysis of knowing she didn't truly fight him either time. She asked him "You know about that?" He nodded, and elaborated.

"When we faced off in that Stohess courtyard, I kept trying to understand you. You always looked bored most of the time, like nothing ever mattered, and yet I heard that you saved Connie and risked your own life doing so with Jean too. That you said discouraging things to those who wanted to join the scouts, because you knew what would happen and wanted to spare them that.

You mostly looked alive when we fought, because it was something you seemed to enjoy. And so I kept asking you in my head, "What's your reason for fighting? What could possibly have been worth everything that's happened?" And after I found out my power, I thought I had my answer, no matter how much it hurt. But then I learned about the real truth to all of it in that basement, and I realized Your reason must've been different, because you didn't have a choice."

Annie nodded slowly and looked at the ground of her cell, away from his face. But he held her hand and brought her face back up to his. It seemed He really had learned to talk to girls, maybe even comfort them. Her.

"Just like Reiner and Bertoldt, you were raised to do it, and though it was your choice to do what you did after here on Paradise, I knew something was off with You. You wouldn't fight or do anything if it was bullshit, you never did. So I kept hope that you had something bigger in your head, and when I finally got through to you, I was happy for the first time in months. After all we'd faced nothing but Hell, never getting anywhere and losing so many.

I realized we not only had a chance to be free, but that you and I...even with all that happened between us good and bad, that we could be with each other. I've wanted to talk to you about it for so long, before everything that happened with the uprising... It just hurt so much, that I couldn't do anything. I failed my mom, I failed Hannes, I thought I failed Historia and everyone else...but it was after we took back the crown that it really settled in my head that I failed You."

Annie noticed his voice falter at the end, but before she could stop him and try to soothe him from saying whatever he was about to he spoke up. "If I hadn't fought you so hard in Stohess, if I hadn't nearly killed you, you wouldn't have been stuck in there for month-" but Annie interrupted him. "No, it was My choice to make. I chose to go into that because I failed myself and my father. Instead of doing things the way I wanted I went with what Reiner and Bert planned so that I could blend in still. I messed up, I failed to take you in The Forest, where I could've spared so many from having to be sacrificed to learn the truth. I killed when there was no reason to, because in the end I thought it would be worth it when I succeeded. But we both know how that went.

What's done is done Eren, and you can't change that. Just like I can't wipe the red stains from my hands, you can't go back and change any of it. And even if you could, would you really? What if things turned out possibly even worse, what if you or I were killed before anyone knew the existence of Marley? But that doesn't matter right now, what we and everyone else has now is a future to fight for. And that's more than enough to make me fight, what about you?"

Eren looks at her impressed, his demeanor becoming more uplifted at the shocking amount of optimism in her somewhat blunt declaration. "Your right. There's nothing I can do to the past, but there is all the chance to change the future. You know that I'll fight for it Annie, for freedom...but I also want to fight it with you, for You. Do you think that it would be possible now?" She looked at him in thought, after all there's nothing really holding either of them back.

They were both Eldians, both shifters, both fighting for the same cause. They already had something of a history with each other, even before they discovered each other's powers. He'd actually made her smile a few times during her time on Paradise. She taught him how to fight, he taught her that even the impossible could be done. It wasn't that the thought was unappealing, to her she actually wanted to return his affections.

The thing holding her back was whether or not she was even capable of such emotion, or if it would even be accepted considering everything that's happened because of her directly. She didn't want to make things harder for him after he did so much to help her, to give her a second chance. Right here, right now she had to make a choice.

All her life she had to make hard decisions, did what she had to in order to complete her mission, even if afterwards she regretted quite a few of them. Transporting Reiner and Bert to the walls years ago, the scouts on the 57th expedition, Marco, Stohess, it all came down to her making choices. Just like now she had two options before her, either distance herself like she had attempted years ago or openly return his sincerity.

It was almost ironic that if she in fact chose the first, she would be wondering till she died about how the second might've played out. She wonders if she would've been more successful, or if Eren would once again break her walls that she tried to set up to stay safe and alone. In a way it was almost as if she didn't have a choice, but it didn't anger her at all when it normally would. After all no one's lives would be directly affected by this choice, but theirs.

Annie knew what her decision was.

"Eren..." she began and could see him looking at her with a hint of anxiety, waiting to hear her answer. But she noticed his posture, it showed her that even if she would've rejected his love in the lightest way possible, that he would understand, that he would forgive her again. It brought a small smile to her lips as she marvelled at his heart, his maturity, at Him.

"I know that even if I say no, that you would still forgive me, and I respect that a lot. The truth is...I do have feelings like that for you. The only thing holding me back is..." She stopped as Eren waited with wide eyes. She swallowed as she admitted the truth, to both him and herself. "I'm scared. I don't know much about this sort of thing, and I worry that it would be hard on you because of me. Love emotions in general aren't my strong suite, you know that. I don't want you to feel as if I dont care about you, when I'm fact I actually do. I'm just not great at showing it. If you could manage that...then I'll be with you."

She sat and waited for his reaction, and was once again a little surprised when that famous Jaeger smile presented itself on his face. He took both of her hands this time, as she watched him with wide eyes as he told her "I understand, and if that's all, then I accept. I knew this would be hard to ask, and your right. Even if you said no I would still understand and forgive you. Because even with a you just said, to me your worth it. So will you be with me, now that you know?"

She looked at him and like one of the few times she'd ever done so in her life, Annie smiled. "I will" she told his happy ears, and walked over to him as he stood. They pulled each other into an embrace that wasn't a combatitive one, for once, and just held each other. His head resting on hers, her face in the crook of his collarbone, peaceful.

The road ahead and outside her rooms door would be hard and unforgiving. Like her father had said, they'll despise her, they wouldn't understand. The world hated her and her kind without regret, and in turn she hated them without a moments worth of hesitation. But right here, right at this moment, she didn't care about that. One person didn't despise her, they understood her fine enough to accept her with welcome hands. Someone did care and She had him, and He Her.