Solitude where we are least alone

Part nine: Suspision

Eren was speechless.  Never had he loved someone so much in his life.  He wanted to marry her right there and then.  And for the record; she felt the same.  He grabbed her and held her close kissing her deeply before saying, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For today.  For training me in cadets. For coming out of that crystal.  For giving me something to live for." Eren replied.

"No." Annie said. "Thank you.  Thank you for melting my ice heart and teaching me how to be happy again.  Thank you for giving me a second chance. Today was one of the most fun days of my life."

"Me too."

Eren held Annie tight like he was never letting her go no matter what happened.  "Goodnight Annie."

"Goodnight Eren."

The next day

"Good morning sleepy." Had he died in his sleep?  Because sitting in front of him was a golden haired, blue eyed angel.

"Mmmmmmm" Eren groaned.

"You slept well last night." Annie teased smiling.  You're even pretty when you sleep. Annie thought to herself.

"I do my best." Eren said teasingly.

Annie turned the color of a fire truck at realizing that she had said that out loud.  She just called the overconfident suicidal idiot pretty to his face?  Like he needed any more confidence in himself.

"Shit!  I'm gonna be late!" Eren realized panicked.

"Go get dressed.  I'll make you some breakfast."  Annie told him.

"Thanks." Eren said as he pulled his shirt on.  The last thing he needed would be further questions on where he was last night.  His fellow scouts?  They would leave him alone.  Levi?  Not so much.  Eren pulled on his jacket and headed into the dining room to get some toast with bacon that Annie had made for him.  He wolfed it down before heading to the door to leave.

"Thanks Annie." He said before starting to close the door.

"Wait!" Annie yelled jogging to the door.  Eren looked back and was met with a quick kiss on the lips and a smile.  "Have a good day Eren."

30 minutes later at the training grounds

"Where were you last night at dinner Eren?" Mikasa asked suspiciously.  "Word just got out that the Titan Bitch escaped.  I assume you had nothing to do with that even though you were gone last night and the night that she escaped?"

"Mikasa.  Give me a god damned break." Eren replied.

"Where. Were. You?" Mikasa insisted.

"I was in the fucking Trost red light district!  Needed some, okay?!?!" Eren replied angered.

Mikasa's jaw dropped, clearly believing the lie which hurt Eren's feeling a bit that she actually believed that he was out all night banging hookers like some old pervert. "Eren!  You have really been horrible recently.  I can't believe that you would do such a thing." Mikasa cried. "If you really needed it that bad you could have asked me." She mumbled the last part.

"Eren!  I got you some water." Floch said as he handed Eren a water bottle.  Training was brutal today and it was a good 32 degrees outside.  Eren felt like he was melting from the heat.

"Thanks Floch."  Eren didn't know how to feel about Floch.  He was just transferred from the Garrison Regiment to the Scouts and he kind of just followed Eren around like a little brother.

"Can we talk about this later, Mikasa?" Eren asked.

@ 22:00 that night

Mikasa heard someone in the stable.  She was having a hard time sleeping so she decided to go out on a walk.  She followed the noise and when she looked in the stable, she saw Eren saddling up his horse.

Where could he be going? Mikasa wondered.  She pressed herself up against the barn.  She was wearing a black leather jacket with black jeans so all she did was lean with her face towards the stable and she was completely hidden in the dark due to her raven hair.

She quickly saddled her horse and followed him.  He was going fast, but slow enough as to not be that loud.  He always made sure to leave when Jean was on evening guard duty because he was always asleep at his post.  Mikasa noticed this as she rode past.  Actually she heard it before she saw it.  He's snoring like a horse. She thought to herself.

She had been following Eren for what was at least 45 minutes when he eventually stopped.  He hitched his horse to a small abandoned shed in the woods and began running.  Seeing this, Mikasa did the same but on a tree about fifty yards away.  She followed him with her own run.  He was quite easy to keep up with.  Mikasa had always been faster than him.

After about ten minutes of running, they arrived at a small town in the woods.  Mikasa remembered seeing this town on maps and knew that is was almost completely shut off from the government of the walls, only going to trade in Trost around twice a year.

Mikasa followed Eren through town until he stopped at a small, cute house.  He no nocked on the door with three quick wraps and two hard ones.  Mikasa was hiding on the other side of the house, peeking around the corner to watch and see who answered.  Was Eren buying drugs?  Perhaps meeting a mistress for some indecent behavior? Worries clouded Mikasa's mind as she worried about what her only love was doing.  The door opened and out stepped the worst case scenario.

Mikasa dropped to her knees with a hand over her mouth because standing in that door was Annie Leonhart, and she was kissing Eren.