Unwavering | Annie Leonhart x Male Reader

5. Trepidation

Year 848 - Age 15

"Ok, so, out with it... What did you actually join the corps for?" You looked over at Annie as she continued fidgeting with her pockets "You definitely don't buy into the military's message, why go through all the trouble if you're not in it?"

"Honestly? I ask myself that more and more everyday." Her eyes met yours briefly before moving upwards towards the moon, almost longingly "After everything that's happened it just seems like only way I'll ever get to live a normal life... That's all I really want."

Silence fell over the two of you as her words marinated in your head, your brain trying to dissect every syllable. Over the last, nearly year and a half, you'd come to slowly know Annie more than you'd ever expected, even more so given that your nighttime meet ups had become a predictable norm. Despite that, this felt like the precipice to her truly opening up, something she'd never begun to do until now.

"How do you define normal though?" You playfully bumped shoulders with her "You can't be using anyone here as a baseline, I wouldn't think."

"I... You know what I mean."

"I genuinely don't think I do... You're probably the most normal person in my life right now, much more normal the cast of weirdos we have here." Seeing an unusual tenderness fill her eyes you cautiously placed your hand on her knee as her face rapidly reddened "Not sure why or how you view it so differently."

"I-I... I don't know. I just can't see it any other way. It's always been like this though, ever since I was a little kid I've just been different."

"Hmm, ya know... I don't think you've ever talked about little, sorry, littler Annie. What was she like, what made her such an alien?"

"That's-That's not really an interesting story..."

"It interests me." Her eyes quickly widened, almost like she was in shock "I'll trade you; a story for a story."

"It's... It's getting cold. We should probably head ba-" Letting out an exaggerated sigh you pulled off your hoodie and draped it over her head before placing your hand back on her knee as she fell silent.

"I'll manage to survive, somehow." You watched with a sly grin as she pulled it slowly over her head, her tiny frame nearly engulfed in it fully "Better now?"

"... Yeah. Ok..." A wave of heat rolled over your face as you felt her gingerly place her hand on top of yours "I have no idea why you care, I really don't."

You sat quietly by as she told you the story of her life; being orphaned at an early age, being taken in and raised in one of Wall Maria's factory towns, and about the strict, abusive even, training her father put her through. You barely moved a muscle as she spoke, feeling captivated and privileged as you clung to every word before telling her your story.

"I'm... I'm so sorry you've had to go through all that... I can't even imagine." Her hand tightened around yours as you lightly squeezed her knee "But I'm really glad you made it through it all."

"Me too. I-I heard about Shiganshina... I'm happy you made it out. I'm happy you're here."

"If you had told me back on that first day with the practice rigs that I'd be here..." A peaceful silence fell over the two of you as she slowly let her head relax against your shoulder "Luckiest break of my life, this... This feels right."