~ Admittance ~

Matias did not want to admit it but in the silence of the house he was starting to feel lonely and then pathetic because of that loneliness. Annie had wanted to go home, that was what was important here. 'Your feelings were just hormones!' That's what he said over and over to convince himself and over and over again he found that it didn't work.

'But what might is some alcohol.' He glumly thought on his way down to the kitchen from his rooftop garden where he heard the sound of a window opening. Matias was quick to check it out with a mixture of hope and dread in his heart, the idea that it could be Annie both exciting and scaring him. She could be coming back to see him again or be coming back because she's been forced to by a military officer.

As it turns out both were correct, the man's eyes widening as he stared at Tona and Annie.

He did not even have time to be angry as Annie blatantly lied to his face because now there was a much bigger problem.

This beautiful innocent girl knew about Annie.

A novice in these types of situations would probably assume that this was a good thing, the girl was on their side and was willing to work with them but he knew better than that. This girl was a problem because she was weak, weak enough to get asked a few questions too many and crack under the pressure.

Glancing at Annie, he could tell that she wanted nothing more than to kill this girl and get rid of the problem entirely. It honestly wasn't a bad idea and had he been a colder man probably would have went through with it but he wasn't that man. Matias ran a hand through his hair. He was going to have to be blunt about this.

"Listen, Tona. I know that you want to help Annie but I'm going to be very blunt. You shouldn't. In fact this whole, reunion, is something you should forget as soon as possible."

Tona looked shocked and hurt at the complete rebuttal to her help but the former military officer didn't stop nor allow her a chance to interject with her own opinion.

"Everything inside the walls is going haywire with the Survey Corps rebellion, the Garrison and Military police will be looking for any excuse they can find to get the people on their side. One such strategy will be finding..." He was about to say "Female Titan," but stopped as he looked at Annie. What if she didn't know? He turned back to Tona and decided to leave that bit out.

"…A fugitive like Annie. They'll use that leverage to put the people on their side and if they see you acting weird or coming around these parts. You'll risk exposing everyone. Do you understand?"

Tona responded by simply nodding rather pitifully and swallowing. "I understand. I'll pretend this never happened."

"Good. Now get out of here before someone notices you."

Shakily and looking to be on the verge of tears, Tona nodded and then looked at Annie with a glance before running out the door.

Matias watched her go and silently thanked the heavens above for allowing nobody to be outside his home at that moment. If anyone did see her behind his home they'd probably think there was a bad breakup. She probably wouldn't mention this either considering she did seem to be attached to Annie.

"I will see you around Tona" Annie smiled at her softly as the girl left. She bit her lip and turned to Matias.

"So why'd you run?" Matias turned to Annie with the question, the tension between the two rising as they stared at one another. "It must've been worth putting everyone in danger."

"You did not have to scare her like that. She was a… is a friend of mine." Annie spoke simply. "She is trustworthy, although stupid; she might be able to help."

"I did not run away. I am not some little girl running away from her father after an argument. I'm a warrior, I simply moved on." Crossing her arms, Annie looked at him firmly.

"My question to you is why did you stop to speak to those military police, them pointing in the direction of the house where I'm hiding." Annie stared back at him, glaring through her long fringe.

"I'm sure you'd love to get back into your place in the hierarchy by handing me over." Annie turned her head to the side and mumbled in a low tone, hoping he did not hear as she said it.

"…To think I was wanting to sleep with you".

"The problem is…" She turned to face him before he could comment on her mumbling. "...they're looking for the Survey Corp at the gates. I can't go that way without a passport and papers. Either I need to sneak through, which is hard enough because of the walls or steal a 3DM set and go over the walls." she suggested out loud.

"So I came back and ran into Tona." Annie explained. "I couldn't exactly tell her the truth could I?"

It was ridiculous how stupid and inexperienced Annie still was even AFTER getting caught. Stupid? You're going to trust someone that's stupid? It was unbelievable that she was even trying to argue that against him.

He was going to say as much until she stopped him with the talk about being a warrior and the single question. All time seemed to stop around him and his face blanked out, anything that was said after her confession like white noise. His anger slowly began to rise and bubble to the surface, expression crinkling into a stressed fury that she wouldn't be able to stop. He grabbed at her shoulders and pushed her against the wall near the table in the kitchen. It was ridiculous!

"Are you fucking kidding me, Annie? Are you SERIOUS?!" His voice was barely below a yell but it was just as intense as full on screaming.

"After saving you, nursing you back to health and then even taking you outside? You think that I'm trying to rat you out?! Annie. Those people wanted to come into this house and I LIED my way through it to successfully lead them away. But of course you didn't think about that. Just like you haven't bat a blind eye to trusting someone STUPID! Do you know what stupid people do, Annie?! They DON'T keep secrets!" His hands squeezed her shoulders even tighter.

"They tell people or they end up doing something worse! But whatever right? She's your friend. You trust her, right? More then me." Admitting all the anger and frustration in his voice, the sudden emotion of genuine hurt was heard. His hands that had been squeezing her shoulders released and the green eyes that'd been staring into her blue with an intense fury look down at the ground with a sudden exhaustion.

"Even though I've done nothing but worry about you. Kissed you and even fallen..." He bit his lip rather then actually finish his statement and closed his eyes. He released the younger girl and with a sigh took a seat on the chair with hunched posture.

"Do whatever you want for the rest of the night, Annie. I'll be here." His hands covered his face as he spoke, making his voice somewhat lessened but the exhaustion and raw emotion could still cleanly be heard.

Annie stared as he yelled at her, gripped her shoulder, she even whimpered as he pushed her back against the wall with enough force for her head to smack back against it. Staring at him with wide eyes as he yelled at her, she watched as he turned and sat down on the chair away from her. She was speechless, actually speechless.

Annie did not know what to do, should she go like he asked? Should she say something, argue back. He had said he 'even fallen…'. Did he almost say he'd fallen for her? Something in her chest hurt, she put her hand on her breast and squeezed to try and stop it from hurting, a physical pain in her chest.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled quietly, tears starting to dribble down her cheeks. "I'm sorry." She repeated, stepping forward, a shaking hand going to his shoulder as she walked up and placed it on his shoulder. It still shook as she stood there, one hand on his shoulder and the other holding her left breast tightly.

"I… I'm sorry." She repeated again, not knowing what else to say. Slowly going to her knee's as she looked up at him, sat in front of her, she took several deep breaths before speaking.

"I… I don't want to see you upset. It's my fault, my fault you are in this mess, and I… I don't know why I am feeling this. I think I like you but… I… It's more than that." She admitted. Looking away, down at the ground, Annie continued to cry.

"I just want to go home." She added almost childlike. "I want to see my father. My family. but I will never go home will I?" She asked him, finally looking at him. "They will kill me when I go back, to pass on the power. The MP's find me, I'm dead. The Survey Corps find me, I'm dead."

Her head fell on his lap, crying into it. "You're the only person I got left, please, don't be angry at me." Annie whimpered into his lap, breaking down just like he had, while hers was not in anger but sadness.