IMPORANT A/N: A special thank you to Arkevil for cheering me up at my worst Borderline moments... and annoying the fuck out of me to get this done. She inspires me to keep going when I'm too lazy or despondent. So does Prima Malum... when he isn't distracting me with Guilty Crown and Kill la Kill you wonderful, heartless bastard.
Not so important A/N: And to Salaeren, who was not present at all during the making of this chapter because he was too busy tossing his salads.
Follow me on tumblr if you want to see some updates I'll be posting during the progress of the next chapter (link is on my page). And thank you for so many reviews and favs last chapter, I'm sorry this took so long! Every review made my day ^_^ Let me know what you thought of this chapter!
...Gahddammit Sue...
Inside the Red Zone
An Eren x Annie story-full-of-obvious-procrastination by: Euregatto
Annie has always had poor experiences with the things that go bunk in the night (such as the time she thought the thunderstorm outside was an actual monster, or when that guy tried to mug her while she was walking home later than normal – needless to say, he limped off with two broken arms and what was left of his pride), and as a result, she has a childish phobia of thunderstorms backed by her fear of the dark.
She figures she should give Eren a personal kick for making her trek through the midnight hours by herself, but she's been itching to get even with Reiner, and as a heavy sleeper moving now when he wouldn't stir to them would be better than never.
Her sapphire gaze turns up to view the sky above her; it's an obsidian void painted with stars, and even the full moon can't illuminate through the trees. Nighttime, she tells herself as she tosses her hood up over her head and steps into the nearest spot of light ignited by the torches lining the path. Somewhere in the back of her mind she tells herself to keep calm.
It's just the dark… it's just the dark…
An owl hoots so suddenly she jumps, biting back a scream. Her immediate reaction is to turn in a random direction and break into an Olympic sprint, but she forces herself to take a deep breath, relax, and press on after giving the feathery bastard nearby her middle finger. It coos again.
You're Annie Leonhardt. A Lion Heart. Like Dad. You aren't afraid of the dark, the dark is afraid of you…
A shadow skirts across the path in front of her.
She goes rigid. "H-hello?" Her fingers reach down reflexively for her swords – which aren't there. I am just making this worse for myself. She's certainly not prepared to slay her stalker, but if need be she'll floor the assailant and keep going. "Hey, is anyone there? If you don't come out now I'll snap your spine!" This time, nothing happens. Shaking her head, she tromps on.
Something scuffles across the dirt behind her.
"Who is that?!" She barks, whirling around. Despite her irritated expression her heart is slamming into the cage of her chest. "Sasha? Mina? This isn't funny!" The shadow darts to her left again.
This is exactly why I'm scared of the dark.
She immediately turns towards the boy's shack and breaks into a sprint; her torso flares up but she presses forward, weaving around the cabins she can just barely avoid in the darkness. Eren's silhouette takes shape, much to her relief; he's poised at the foot of the steps, toeing the dirt with his boot patiently. She doesn't even think – she just launches into his arms, nearly knocking them both to the ground.
"Annie!" He gasps, hands on her shoulders. "What the hell?"
She's heaving as the adrenaline surge and overwhelming relief take hold, and stares up at him, body trembling as the fear ebbs into sheer jubilee. "Sorry, sorry… I was heading over and then – and then there was something following me…"
"It's just your imagination," he reassures her, patting her gently on the back. "What, scared of the dark?"
"Uh…"
"…Holy shit. The one and only Annie Leonhardt is scared of the dark."
She cringes at that. "And maybe thunderstorms."
"OK, that I didn't expect." He pulls back briefly and she cranes her head around to check for the foreign shadows. Eren watches her carefully before sighing reluctantly. "Look, we don't have to do this. I'll walk you back and we can call it a night. I'll just come up with some other plan to get even with Reiner – that hopefully won't include after curfew hours."
"No!" She exclaims and quickly shushes herself. The windows are open, she wouldn't want to wake anyone. "I mean… no, I want to do this."
He quirks an eyebrow. "Alright, only if you want to. Time to commence the plan!" He reaches down for the glass bowl at the edge of the steps, picking it up carefully to avoid spilling the water inside. "Good, it's still warm."
They trek up the porch and into the cabin, creeping by the snoring soldiers until they reach Reiner and Connie's shared upper bed. Reiner sleeps on the outside near the ladder, on his stomach, one hand under the pillow to support his head and the other against the edge of the railing. Annie steps onto the headboard of the bottom bunk shared by Thomas and Nack to hoist herself up, taking the bowl Eren passes her and tucking it against the railing. She takes Reiner's hand –
"Don't you dare."
Eren and Annie freeze in synch, shackles raised, his grasp suddenly on her waist, but her grip on his wrist never leaving. Reiner shifts his head over, nestling back against the pillow, snorting into his sleep.
"Don't you dare take my lunch, Sasha… I'll kill ya…"
Annie exhales her held breath quietly, dipping his fingers down into the warm water, and Eren sets her down by her waist. "Let's go," he whispers. They turn to leave when two figures suddenly stand in the doorway, shadowed out by the firelight across the path. "Shit!"
"It's them!" Annie squeaks quietly, gripping his sleeve. "They were following me!"
"Stop right there," Jean demands. "If you move we'll be forced to take you down."
"What the hell is with you?" Eren seethes, glancing between him and Mikasa.
Mikasa steps forward and they immediately move back. "I'm sorry Eren; I promised Mom I would watch over you. And this thing you have with Annie is going to be the death of you. I don't know what she's put into your head, but this is coming to an end, even if I have to end it myself."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Annie retorts.
"Shut up!" Jean snaps, "You're the one who devised this whole plan!"
Eren furrows his brow. "Actually, I'm the one who came up with it…"
Mikasa gasps, obsidian gaze widening with shock and horror as the brother she had grown up with – the boy who saved her life, taught her to survive in this unforgiving world, gave her a family when she had lost hers – admits to her face his ghastly plot. Gradually her astonishment ebbs into a hardened determination. "I'm sorry Eren, but I must stop you, even if it costs me my life."
"What the actual fuck, Mikasa?!" Eren snaps. "What did Jean tell you?!"
"It's not what he told me," she counters, "it's what she told you. What do you see in her, Eren, hm? What do you see in her that you feel the need to ruin your own life?"
He parts his lips, glancing between them quizzically. "I'm in love with her?"
"In love enough to kill for her?"
"Uh… sure?"
Jean scoffs grimly. "I knew it. This has to end."
Annie wags her head. "Look, I have no idea what you two are trying to say, but it sure as hell isn't making any sense. What do you think is so bad about our relationship? It's healthy. We don't fight and we don't hurt each other. You're acting like we're creating a conspiracy to kill someone."
"But you are!" Jean barks, "And we're going to stop you!"
"Will you guys shut the fuck up?!" Millius snarls from a bottom bunk. "You're having a soap opera in the middle of the night and we're trying to sleep!"
"Holy shit, Reiner! You wet the bed, man!"
Connie's shout stirs the rest of the cabin awake and Reiner sits up with a start, the front of his pants stained with a massive puddle that smells faintly like piss. "What the hell?!" He exclaims, glaring down at the bowl his hand is still wet from, and then turning his gaze to the dating duo below. "You." Eren and Annie immediately glance at each other, hearts in their throat, realizing they are blocked off from escape by Jean and Mikasa at the door (who seem to suddenly realize, together, that maybe assassination wasn't the initial plan). "You two are dead!"
"Run!" Eren exclaims, grabbing Annie's hand and sprinting for the window. They launch through, him after her, landing on the grass in synch. Instead of heading for the girl's cabin Eren takes her wrist and guides them down the vast field into the forest, sprinting into the darkness of the nighttime hours, disappearing into the shrubs and out of Reiner's sight.
Eren draws them around a tree, back against the trunk and her against him as they catch their breaths. "Holy shit," he utters breathlessly, "that was… probably a bad idea."
"Probably?"
"Well I didn't expect my sociopathic sister to show up! It's not like I planned her appearance!" He peers around the division cautiously before pressing back again, the rigid bark prodding at the thick material of his shirt. "Alright, he didn't follow us."
Annie notes that, in this kind of setting, Eren's a little more attractive than normal. His lips are parted, warmth radiating through his clothes and into her chest, legs tangled with hers. She slides her fingers along the crevice of his chest to his neck, leaning up and guiding him down to meet her. There's an aching in the cage of her chest she can't quite put her finger on as he moves to her familiarity, rocking to the motion of her swaying body, sliding his hands down to her hips.
Without warning he wraps his arms around her slender frame and lifts her up, pinning her against the tree with his body, scraping his teeth along her jawline. She gasps in pure surprise but reflexively hooks her legs around his waist to keep herself suspended.
Eren draws his head back. "Sorry, did I hurt you?"
"No… I'm just a little on edge tonight." She peers over his shoulder into the darkness of the forest, the creeping shadows bleeding along the leaves, the eerie chorus of noises from the insects.
"Look at me." She does, briefly, but her gaze immediately reverts elsewhere to the sound of a falling twig. Eren slides his thumb along her cheek, tucking her loose bangs behind her ear with his wandering fingers, and lowers his voice to a whisper. "Annie, look at me." This time she locks her anxious orbs with his and he smiles, stroking the exposed plain of her neck. "There's nothing to be afraid of."
She leans her head forward, towards his swollen lips. A small smile plays with her features. "Take my mind off of it. Please, Eren… just for a little while."
He wordlessly, and gladly, obeys. His deep kisses are insistent, firm, intent, and she can't do any more than give in to him; let him touch her, allow his hands to freely slide under her sweatshirt, moan as his thigh arcs up to support her by the heat of her torso. "Okay," he says finally when he breaks off for air, fingers popping open the top three buttons of his shirt. "You can have anything and everything you want."
"I want you."
"Then you can have me."
She tosses her head back, gliding her fingers through his hair, moving his skull forward so his scorching lips meet the elongated flesh of her pulse point. "I want you to make me yours."
"Then I'll make you mine." He sucks on the sensitive point of her skin in the crevice of her shoulder. It has her keening against him, arcing her back to press her chest to his, moaning quietly under her breath. "Right here, right now."
"Okay," is all she responds with, and they leave it at that.
Annie Leonhardt will always be scared of the dark, but at least Eren Jaeger will always guide her through.
Annie doesn't remember when she returned to bed that night, but when she's stirred awake by Mina the next afternoon, she can only groan at the ache between her legs and roll over, pulling the sheet over her head. "Come on you deadbeat," Mina coerces, pulling her bunkmate towards the ladder (which is the equivalent of rolling one hundred-and twenty pounds of Jell-O cooked with molasses), "we have an evening free session with the 3DMG! You can't sleep the day away and not practice with us!"
Annie grumbles something incoherent and sighs into the pillow, struggling to remember how her body operates.
"Come oooonnn," Mina whines, dragging Annie by her wrist. "Let's go to lunch at least! You should eat!"
After another ten minutes of Mina's nagging Annie finally complies and lazily dresses, tailing her bunkmate out the door and to the dining hall. The place is in its usual afternoon uproar, but Eren isn't fighting with Jean for once – Reiner has the shorter boy in a headlock, knuckles dragging back and forth through chocolate hair, Eren flailing helplessly against the brute force. "Lemme go!" He snaps, muffled by the forearm hooked around his face. "Owowowowow Reiner stop!"
"I'm gonna scalp you, you little prick!"
"It was a joke!"
"And I'm going to make this as painful as possible! How's that for a joke?!"
Annie exchanges this 'of course they are' kind of look with Mina and reluctantly steps up to them, fingers curling into Reiner's shirt. The blond immediately loosens his hold on the boy in his arms. "Break it up before I break your spine."
"Thank you!" Eren snaps, abruptly yelping when Reiner literally drops him to the hard wood floor. "Son of a shit!"
"I'm getting back at you," Reiner declares, pointing down to the trainee, "so you better watch yourself, Jaeger!" He shoves by Annie with his shoulder and disappears out the door, fists buried in his pockets, irritation settled like a cloud over his head.
"What's his problem?" Eren hisses.
Annie shrugs offering out her hand to him. "In all fairness to him, it was a really bad idea." He smirks up at her, accepting her gesture and letting her help him to his feet. "Don't worry, he'll get over himself in about a week."
Eren brushes down his pants. "Let's just avoid him until then, shall we?"
"Speaking of avoiding people"—Anne jabs her thumb over her shoulder to Eren's usual table which is, surprisingly, devoid of Jean and Mikasa's presence—"where the hell are Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dumb?"
"First of all," Eren seethes, "It's Mikasa and Tweedle-Dumb, thank you. Secondly, a certain instructor of ours went to see what all the commotion was in the boy's cabin last night and now they're running laps."
She arcs her eyebrow in piqued interest. "Oh?"
"Whole length of the training grounds until they drop."
"Oh."
He nods absently, turning his attention to the window. "They should be coming around in three…two…one… now." Annie diverts her gaze to the panes of glass, waiting patiently for a figure or two to cross through her vision, but after several seconds Eren sighs and moves to his tray sitting in his vacant spot at the table. "They collapsed. Let's go get them before the vultures find them first."
He picks up a loaf of bread and glass of water, moving for the door with the blonde in tow.
Using the tracks that have been embedded in the dirt they follow the prints counter-clockwise for almost ten minutes (Annie at one point makes an inquiry about the duo possibly being dead) before they find Mikasa and Jean sprawled out on the forest floor. Eren kneels down to Mikasa's side, uncapping his canteen and unceremoniously spilling the contents across her face.
She sputters, turning over onto her side and coughing through her raspy throat. "You okay?" Eren asks sympathetically, helping her sit upright and pressing the canteen into her hands.
Mikasa massages the mild ache in her head. "Yes, I'm alright. I didn't realize I passed out."
She gradually sips at the rest of what's in the canteen and Annie moves over to Jean, hands on her knees, gazing down at him apathetically. The blonde picks up a stick and prods the boy's cheek. Jabs his nose. Wedges it into his lips. "I think he's dead."
"Good," Eren returns, handing Mikasa the bread. "You wanna explain what last night was about?"
Mikasa flushes behind her scarf, pressing the loaf against her lips. "I'm sorry about that. I was mistaken… during the camp out last month I saw Annie making a gesture about shooting Reiner, and I thought your thing was that you two were going to murder him and kill yourselves afterwards."
Annie rolls her eyes skyward. "It's called sarcasm."
The Eurasian casts her gaze to the ground. "I know that now, at least. I'm more disappointed that I dragged Jean into this."
"He deserves everything that happens to him," Eren declares, trekking over to the collapsed figure and spilling the canteen's liquids over the boy's face.
Jean sits up with a start. His chest heaves for air and he scrambles to his knees, immediately up-chucking the acids in his stomach to the ground. Eren offers him the canteen and he snaps it up with a desperate "give me that!" and downs what's left of it as fast as possible. He wipes his lips with the back of his sleeve. "Son of a bitch, Eren! I just went through hell because of you!"
"You made it out in one piece," Eren seethes back, snatching the empty canister back. "And it's your fault for listening to Mikasa of all people."
"I said I was sorry."
Eren returns to his sister's side, kneeling down and offering her his back. "Come on, I'll carry you to the dining hall." She wordlessly hooks her arms around his neck and he hoists her up, tucking his arms under her legs. "Ugh, you're heavier than you look, you know. Why must you always be a pain in my ass?"
Mikasa lowers her chin to his shoulder. "Because your ass always needs to be watched." She immediately wishes she could inhale her words back in her lungs. "Wait, that's not what I meant!"
Annie scoffs behind her hand. "We know. You've been watching Jean's ass instead."
Jean picks his head up intently.
"Can we just go please?" Mikasa requests quickly, lifting the scarf over her the bridge of her nose.
Eren shrugs. "We're just fucking with you. Let's go."
"Is no one gonna help me?" The trio turn their quizzical gazes to Jean. "I twisted my ankle before I collapsed," he continues, pointing to his foot. It does look a little out of place. He diverts his gaze to the blonde.
"Don't look at me," she responds defensively, "a frail girl like myself can't possibly carry you."
"Wait-!"
They start off into the forest thicket. "Sorry Jean!" Eren calls back, "We'll send you help!"
"Maybe!" Annie adds.
"…Annie?"
"Hm?"
"I love you."
Well, that was certainly unexpected.