Attack On Titan Final Collection

(F) Staring: Nanaba x GN Reader

Warning: None

Prompt: Fluff with Nanaba! 

You watched her from a distance, eyeing the way she brandished her swords, the fierce look in her eyes, the way she attacked the dummy in front of her as if it were a real titan...everything about her was perfect.

"You're staring again," Petra nudged you softly. "At this rate, Nanaba will definitely notice your little crush."

You tore your gaze away from the blonde and looked over to where Petra was standing in front of you. The two of you were also supposed to be training, but you had gotten distracted. "Sorry! Was it obvious? I don't want to be creepy; I was just admiring her form!"

Petra smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry, you weren't being creepy. Just a little...dazed, maybe? C'mon, let's go through one last round before we go inside for dinner."

You nodded and focused on Petra, your firsts poised in front of your face. Even after all this time, you were still quite confused about why hand-to-hand combat was necessary for training. Who was going to punch a titan? Oh well, in the end, the commanders knew best.

You dodged a punch Petra threw your way, dust flying as you scrambled back. To be completely honest, you were ready for dinner. The quicker you beat Petra, the sooner you'd be able to go take a hot shower before heading over to the mess hall.

Petra didn't see your attack coming, and you were able to catch her by surprise. She let out a yelp, losing her balance as she stumbled backward. You weren't able to relish in your victory for long because you tripped, windmilling your arms for a few seconds before you finally fell.

Your body met the hard ground with a thud. A spike of white-hot pain went up your shoulder as your arm made impact with a jagged rock. For a minute, the two of you just lay there, sprawled out on the grass, breathing heavily. The pain from your new wound was far too strong for you to just roll over and be okay.

Come on, you urged yourself. You're a soldier. Get up! A small wound means nothing. Get up!

Your internal pep talk didn't work, and you grimaced up at the blue sky. A shadow fell over your face, and you looked up, curious. Soon, your curiosity turned into dread when you realized it was Nanaba who had walked over to you and Petra.

"Are you two alright?" Nanaba asked, slightly concerned. She held out a hand and pulled Petra to her feet. She then turned to you, extending her hand once more. You swallowed and reached out to slip your hand into hers, letting yourself get pulled up.

"We're...fine," Petra wheezed. It seemed as if the air had been knocked out of her lungs. "Just out of breath."

"(Y/N), are you sure you're alright?" Nanaba turned to you, her eyes trained on your arm. You followed her line of sight and winced, realizing that there was a gash on your elbow. Blood was soaking the shirt you had been wearing.

"I'm fine," you stepped back quickly. "I'm just going to go to the infirmary to get this cleaned up. See you later."

Before Nanaba could speak again, you turned around and left the training grounds. Your face burned with humiliation. Sure, you had technically won the fight, but you had also gotten injured. You'd been a soldier for two years now. These training sessions were just refreshers. You shouldn't have lost your balance.

Nanaba was one of the best soldiers the survey corps had to offer. Her power and strength were admirable. She would have never tripped and injured her arm. Nanaba probably thought you were an incompetent soldier now. You had been crushing on her for a while. The first time you had noticed her was during ODM training. She had been so poised, so smooth with her gear that it left you amazed. From then on, you noticed her in almost everything. She was so calm and collected and was definitely an amazing soldier. Not to mention, she was also really attractive.

All you had wanted was for Nanaba to see you in the same light. You wanted her to look at you and think, oh wow, (Y/N) is a great soldier. The only way you could have impressed her was with your skills, and you had probably failed at that too. Who tripped over nothing and busted their elbow?

The infirmary was empty when you finally reached it, not even the doctor was in sight. You sighed and walked over to where the nurses kept the gauze and antiseptic. The wound on your elbow stung, the blood soaked almost your entire sleeve now. You rolled back your sleeve slowly, hissing as the fabric came into contact with the wound.

"Do you need help?"

You froze. That voice unmistakably belonged to Nanaba. You turned to look at her slowly, trying to come up with something to say. Unfortunately, your brain was quiet, offering nothing.

"That looks like a nasty cut," Nanaba walked closer, gingerly taking your arm in her hand and inspecting the wound. "I told Gelgar to make sure the training field was free of obstacles and debris, but it seems as if he didn't complete his job."

"I'm fine," you cleared your throat. You would have pulled your arm back from Nanaba's hand, but her grasp on your arm was firm.

Nanaba ignored you and reached for the antiseptic bottle, gently cleaning off the blood that caked your arm. "This might sting, I'm sorry."

Your resistance to her help faded and you stood there, awkwardly staring up at the air. While Nanaba's hands might have been roughened due to years of training, her touch was soft and gentle. Strands of her blonde hair fell over her eyes as she focused on bandaging up your wound.

"Thank you," you said quietly once she finished.

"Yeah, no problem," she straightened, looking you in the eye. "We all get injured sometimes, (Y/N). There really is nothing to be embarrassed about."

You stiffened. "I'm not embarrassed."

"Then why did you run off like that?" Nanaba's voice had a slight teasing lilt to it.

"I did not run off!" You said indignantly. "I was going to go clean off my wound. I wasn't embarrassed or anything. Besides, I won the match anyway."

Nanaba chuckled. "If you say so. I thought your maneuver was impressive. Poor Petra hadn't even stood a chance against you."

You looked at Nanaba in surprise. "Really? I just implemented the technique you taught us a while ago. Your combat moves are always so impressive, even though we spend most of our time on ODM gear."

"You were always my best student," Nanaba said proudly. "Next time we have one of these training sessions for the new recruits, you should join me. They can learn a thing or two from you."

Your heart swelled from the praise Nanaba was giving you. She thought you had been her best student? That you were capable enough to teach new recruits?

"I don't think I'm that capable enough yet too—"

"Nonsense. You're extremely capable," Nanaba walked towards the door, motioning that you follow her. "Let's go eat dinner, I'm starving."

You nodded and followed her through the door and into the empty hallway.

"Oh, and (Y/N)?"

"Yeah?"

"Next time you're staring at me training, try to be more discreet? That way, the new recruits won't place bets on if you're going to confess anytime soon or not," Nanaba said lightly.

You froze. No way. Nanaba had noticed?

"I'm not complaining or anything..." Nanaba turned back to you, a small smirk on her lips. "Just do more of it in private. That's what I do."