In Love With A Monster (Armin X Annie)

~Chapter Fourteen~

Armin returned later that night, Annie said nothing of Bertholdt and Reiner's visit to him. She desperately wanted to tell him what happened to her, she wanted to scream and cry and beg him to help her. She had thought out all the possibilities of what might happen if she told Armin about Bertholdt and Reiner then she would have to tell him the full story about their mission and about their real home. Annie knew Armin would feel compelled to give this information to the scouts, to turn Bertholdt and Reiner in, Annie would surely be put in a cell and Armin then would still be put on trial for working against the government and hiding Annie from them. They'd both be safe from Reiner and Bertholdt but their safety couldn't last long. It couldn't be completely certain that Armin's life would be spared even if they did give Bertholdt and Reiner's identities away. Even if they somehow agreed to keep both Annie and Armin alive, Annie would be forced to tell the whole truth of where they came from. She would have to expose the power of the Titan shifters, she would risk everyone in the walls finding out the world beyond. She would risk the life of her father and everyone outside. There was no winning for her.

Annie cleaned up the room before Armin got back late that night and she was wrapped in bed when she heard the front door open. She wasn't asleep however, how could she sleep after such a disaster of a day. She heard his footsteps coming up the stairs and the bedroom door open.

"Annie?" He whispered to see if she was still awake, she was turned towards the wall, she couldn't even face Armin, she wouldn't be able to speak to him without the lump returning in her throat, so she pretended to sleep.

He bought it and got undressed as quietly as he could, climbing into bed and gently wrapping his warm arms around her back. His touch was comforting to her, like a blanket that let her rest if only for a moment but now his touch only felt like a load of guilt and pain now but still, she couldn't pull herself away and could only let herself rest in his arms. Only then was she able to drift off to sleep.

Her sleep wasn't much comfort however, her dreams had now turned into nightmares once more, the haunting images of innocent civilians being killed by the falling walls and tumbling buildings. She could see herself in her Titan form mercilessly killing scouts and trampling over innocent people. Everything she suppressed, everything she feared was now coming back to her. Because as much as she didn't want to, she had to return to the harsh reality she was born into. Annie awoke abruptly in the early morning, finally breaking out of her nightmares. Armin was still sound asleep, all Annie did was watch him for a few moments, she remembered all the good that had happened the past few months. How much joy he had brought her, she finally felt happy for the first time in her life, she felt like life was worth living. She laid back onto her side, facing Armin. She just looked at him as he slept, she admired the small things like his nose, his hair, his hands. Everything she adored about him, everything she'd soon have to run from. It would be a lie to say she hadn't thought of what their life could be like if they just hid away forever, if Annie never had this ticking time bomb attached to her life. She thought of a future where they could have children, a boy and a girl was what she hoped for. She never cared much for children in the past, in fact she found them very annoying and a burden but after seeing Armin with the children in the village, she couldn't help but want that future for them. Annie traced her hand along his cheek gently as she could but it wasn't gentle enough for Armin to not wake up.

"Good morning..." He groaned in the sleepy voice that Annie loved, it took him a moment to wake up and realise that Annie was just laid on her side with her gaze fixated on him. For a moment he just laid there too with her, as their eyes connected.

"What is it?" Armin asked, Annie had never been like this before, so boldly starting at him. He didn't know if something was wrong or if she was just indulging in his appearance. As much as she had opened up in the past few months, she was still hard as ever to read.