~ Honesty ~

Annie had watched him carefully as he lifted her off the bed, even as she tried to entice him. Back on the bed, she looked at him with a glare. Obviously annoyed her little trick did not work.

"What is your problem? A girl is in your bed, naked and you simply re-dress me, make the bed and then ask me if I need anything else?" Annie crawled to the end of the bed and glared at him. "I'm right here at your mercy and you wont even try to take advantage of me? I mean, I freely just offered myself to you and you don't want that?" She looked confused.

Annie had tried pretty much everything to get something from him, to get his REAL reason why he was doing this with her, keeping her safe and hidden. She did not realise that he actually might want to keep her safe.

"Fuck me already!" She yelled, a little too loudly. "Slap me around a bit, punch me, yell at me for being a shifter! Anything. Why are you being so nice to me after I killed so many of your people.. your friends!" Annie yelled in annoyance

Matias stared at Annie with an unflinching stare as she questioned him for not taking advantage of her. As she continued to rant at him and demand why he hadn't done a single act that could be considered violent, the military officer grew that much more exhausted.

When she reached the end of her rant, he closed his eyes and released the longest sigh yet. "I should've expected this." He dropped the sheets on the ground and then knelt down onto the ground to put the tray on the ground where it would stay for the night.

Getting up on the bed with his legs crossed in front of the titan-shifter, green eyes watched her despite the prevalent exhaustion still holding that strong ire to them. "Annie. Do you know what I saw on the day that you crawled to my doorstep with missing limbs and a missing eye? I saw a scared girl, a subordinate and friend that I'd lived with for weeks. So I saved her."

His eyes lowered to the bed and the exhaustion in his expression begins to seep into his tone. "Since then I've learnt about plenty of secrets that I honestly didn't want to know. Endured headaches brought on by stress and the weight of my own betrayal. Honestly I thought that it'd drive me crazy but I held on because of what I saw and what I see now." He looks back up at Annie with that same sharpness he's shown time and time again in the face of her questions and accusations.

"I don't see a shifter or some monster. All I see is a young girl that's been given a responsibility to big for anyone to handle. Someone that can't trust a simple act of genuine sincerity because they've been raised to trust nobody." He moves his hands to her shoulders and scoots forward to close the distance between the two.

"Annie. You can trust me. You can relax around me. I'm on your side and… " He paused and smirked despite himself. "I think I always will be."

He was right, she did not trust anyone, she watched for people's reasons, looked out for their little cue's that would reveal their true intentions. She would lie to people, she would kill people just to get what she needed; to complete her mission.

When he told her he saw a scared girl, a 'friend'. She was actually speechless, she stared at him, still shaking from her outburst but she had started to shake a little more now he revealed all this to her. She actually began to cry, tears fell down her face as she continued to shake.

"No one's ever... called me... their friend." She mumbled quietly. "Or.. said anything... like that... Only my father.. said... something like that... to me.." She stammered as she stared at him, her single eye wide, tears falling down her face in thick streams.

For the first time since she left her home on the last day they were allowed to meet their family, she hugged someone.

Leaning in and hugging him, she held him tightly and just wanted to be held too, crying into his shoulder.

"I just want to go home" she whimpered almost silently, the young girl that never was peeking out a little.

Matias was momentarily stunned as Annie began to cry, but he was quick to recover as she began to open up about her father. He could only watch as she began to cry and when she hugged him he was quick to return it. His arms held her tight as she cried into his shoulder and when she whispered to him about the want to go home he was honestly a little speechless. It'd be heartless to deny her, but he couldn't lie about her situation either.

So with a heavy heart he simply ran his hand through her hair and slowly ran his hand in a circular motion along the small of her back.

"I know, Annie. When you get better we'll figure something out and..." He sucked in a breath and then spoke quietly. "If it doesn't work out, you'll always have a place here with me."

With that the embrace broke and the two were left staring at each other in silence. His green eyes starting at what he considered the true face of Annie Leonhart. To see who she really was for what felt like the first time sent surges of strong emotions through him. It made his heart beat faster than he wanted to admit and a little heat crawl underneath his skin; the sensation breaking the smile on his face. though he didn't frown and instead ran his hand along the back of his neck in a somewhat awkward fashion, the military officer even leaning a little back in his seat.

Honestly he didn't know what to say and the longer that he stared at her the more awkward things got for him. Not only were feelings that he'd tried hard to suppress trying to make their way to the surface but the girl's supple form in black lace underwear was starting to make certain urges come back to him.

If their was any a moment that he wanted Annie to say something it was definitely now. All he needed was an excuse to change the subject, so this moment between them wouldn't be ruined by something stupid.

Annie stared at him in silence, tears falling down her face as she continued to cry quietly as she tried to calm her heart.

The awkward silence set in, she felt his hand along her neck and playing with her hair, this was that moment right? The moment where two people are together and they start to kiss? She'd never done it before, never kissed anyone and never been in this sort of situation. She talked big but it was all a bluff.

Slowly she leaned forward, her full hand going to his cheek and rubbing it gently as she got closer, her face reaching up as she knelt on her knee's and lifted herself up to his face. Her lips met his, hers were cracked and dry but she replaced that awkwardness with enthusiasm.

She began to kiss him, rather sloppily, having never kissed anyone and only watched people do it. Her stump of an arm sat on his shoulder out of sight as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer; pressing her underwear only body right against his.

The entire world seemed to slow as Annie leaned towards him, the man's mind coming to a complete stop and then whirling into overdrive as her hand touched his cheek. He could tell exactly what she was going to do and didn't move an inch as she pressed her cracked and dry lips against his own.

It was quite possible the worst kiss he'd ever had, the sloppiness and stump on his shoulder certainly not helping the situation. However he still didn't lean away and allowed her body to press against his own, his head on the verge of twisting to kiss back.

However, the stump on his shoulder served as a reminder on exactly what the younger girls condition was. So he in a move that his mind approved and body disapproved slowly pushed Annie away with his hands on her shoulders.

"Did I do it wrong? Was I not supposed to do that?"

Her question made him sigh, but rather then look upset he smiled and shook his head.

"No. That was… fine, but I think we should wait to continue… this, until you've gotten…" His hand would gesture to the missing foot, stump still on his shoulder, and missing eye.

"These back in order. Then we'll continue." Embarrassed didn't even begin to describe how the now exhausted physically and emotionally male felt. But he still continued to stay upbeat and much like he'd been the first time they had ever met he decided to give his best smile.

"So get some sleep and get better. I'll see you in the morning." He slowly let go of Annie and got up to leave but just as he had turned around an impulse him; one that couldn't go ignored. Quicker than Annie could even expect he grabbed her shoulders and pressed their lips together in a kiss. It was quick, but unlike her attempt it wasn't sloppy as in the short time their lips were together she'd be able to taste and truly feel the softness of his lips.

"Sweet dreams, Annie." He playfully winked and then quickly made his way out of the bedroom with the tray in hand. The covers could wait another day. He shut the light on the way out, but made sure to aim a smile in Annie's direction before heading downstairs to clean up the kitchen for the night.

After that was done he went upstairs and much like he'd been doing with the military police and survey corps off their backs went to sleep in the guest room. The next morning he awoke completely refreshed and went through his normal routine without a care in the world. It wasn't until he was brining some fresh fruit and water up to Annie that the events of last night came back to him.

He stopped in front of her door and took a moment to stare at his clothing that consisted of some simple sweatpants and a white t-shirt. He had been thinking about going to work after delivering breakfast, but with the memory of his promise prevalent in his mind he had a feeling that work was going to get skipped.

"Takeo probably wouldn't mind anyways. Hell he'd congratulate me. Pervert." He muttered as he opened the door to take a look at how Annie was doing on this beautiful morning.