The Country Boy: Annie X Reader

Chapter 13: True words spoken

Y/N's POV: 

"So..." She began, trying to get rid of the awkward tension. "I heard you and Mikasa are going out." 

"Wait-" The atmosphere tensed instantly. 

"No! Shut up!" She suddenly yelled at the top of her lungs. "I saw you and Mikasa together in that coffee place that day!" Her eyes were now red with fury. She crossed her arms as she pouted furiously, leaving me not even an ounce of breath to explain. "Come on Anne-" Unfortunately, Mikasa was cut short and Annie pushed Mikasa out of the way and stormed off to her room. 

"Oh man..." I slammed my palm against my forehead. "What's going on? I thought Annie was the bad person? You said she kiss-" At that point, tears were already welling up in my eyes. Mikasa just coldly placed her finger on my lips to keep me from talking. "Just stop okay?" she whispered. Her eyes were turning to Bertholdt's , signaling him to leave. "Yea, Annie is just trying to manipulate you into feeling bad...Don't fall for that." After which she made a tsk sound out of displeasure before grabbing my hand and leading me out of the house as she pushed through Bertholdt with ease. 

"But like shouldn't we clarify with her-" 

"Ssh" She hushed once again and this time she looked like she was starting to get annoyed. "Annie's mad right now and she'll not listen." 

She took out a hairband from her pocket and held it in her mouth as she held her hair into a perfect position. "I thenk we sshood waet till she cuuus duwn." Her words were slurred. 

"Huh?" I raised my eyebrow trying to comprehend the incoherent words. She took out the hairband from her mouth and tucked her hair neatly into a pony tail in one swift motion. "I said I think we should wait till she cools down." Mikasa sighed and dusted off the bench next to her before seating down. "Here" She patted the sit beside her and I intuitively sat next to her. "Let's talk." 

Mikasa's POV: 

Y/N was shifting nervously in his seat and he looked like he was a wreck. "Hey" My hands cupped  his as if by instinct, "Everything is going to be fine." I comforted, feeling bad that he was in this situation.

After a deep moment of silence, Y/N began. 

"Could I tell you something?" Y/N sniffled. "Yea?" I leaned in. "I think it's better if I don't go out with her." 

I almost jumped from my seat, fully taken aback by what he had just unleashed on me. 

"Wait why not?" I probed, half hoping that he wouldn't give up on Annie. 

"Well...I feel like I don't understand her enough ya know?" Y/N mumbled in guilt. "Feels like we're from 2 different worlds. She's quiet and cool and I'm dumb and stupid." He ranted. "And now Bertholdt got her wrapped around his thumb...maybe it's for the best." He buried his face into his hands. "It's probably fate." 

"Why'd you say that?" I pried. "Why'd you think of yourself like this?" 

"Well...you know as a country boy, I don't go to school and well...I'm probably not going get a well-paid job." He twiddled his thumbs and bit his lip in frustration. "I mean...you know...I thought that maybe we would make a good couple and all..." He went on. "But I feel like I'm-" 

"Not enough?" I cut in, no stranger to that feeling. 

"Yea" he answered solemnly. And there was a long pause between us. For a few minutes, our eyes were darting back and forth and occasionally when they met, our faces would turn away in symphony. 

Finally, I decided to break the cold silence that hung over us. 

"Well...you know..." My face was now beet red. "I think you're enough and that's all that matters." At that moment, I could feel the steam engine in me pounding in my chest at full force. It felt as if someone had thrown more coal into the tender of the locomotive and now the steam train was whirring at full speed. 

It instantly reminded me of the feeling I had when I was in a match and was close to being knocked out. But now instead, my head was giddy with excitement. 

"Thanks" He said which made my stomach churn. I couldn't control myself, the steam engine now travelling faster than a bullet train. 

DON'T HOLD IT IN. LET IT ALL OUT. The voice screamed in my head and I at the corner of my eye, I spotted several mini whirlpools forming. 

I brushed my hair behind my ears and took a deep breath, trying to regain my usual calm and collected composure. "I-" my tongue was tied right after I began. But Y/N turned to look at me with his beautiful E/C eyes and his hair tussled in the passing breeze. "Thanks for being a good fr-" 

LET IT OUT. 

The whirlpools started to grow and it began to consume everything around me like a blackhole. Slowly but surely, it was coming for me. 

"I have something I need to tell you" I blurted out as fast as I could trying to hide my embarrassment as I hung my head low. "Are you okay?" He asked tenderly as his face was leaning closer and closer to mine. "I'm-" Just as I raised my head, our nose brushed against each other. "Woah" I let out a small shriek. His brows were now furrowed and he looked like he was trying to decipher what I was thinking. 

My eyes were now fixated on the tiles of the park's floor was breaking off and falling into deep space. 

"Go on..." He nudged, which snapped me out of my day dream. 

"Ok." I huffed and sat up straight trying to muster every ounce of courage for what I wanted to say. I could already feel the insides of my stomach peeking through my throat. 

I rubbed my eyes hard, hoping the whirlpools that dotted my surroundings would vanish. But there it was, tugging on the leaves of the trees with so much force that it felt that the entire earth beneath me was going to be sucked in. 

I held my right hand to my mouth to not just stop myself from puking but also to guard myself for what was going to come out of my mouth next. 

SAY IT...SAY YOU LIKE HIM . The voice started to rattle my brain and the whirlpools have gotten to the size of a dinosaur. 

"I..I like you okay?" The words were squeezed out of me as I said that in the most ugliest voice I have ever heard. 

The voice was now gone and everything was normal. I gave a quick glance to my surroundings. Trees checked. Tiles checked. Everything was back to normal. 

Sensing him in disbelief, I quickly apologized. After which, I got off the seat and bolted away from the park bench where we sat at. 

"Wait-" I could faintly hear Y/N calling me as I ran but I just didn't care. I had no energy to deal with his rejection. No more. I'd had enough. I'd always hid in Annie's shadow. Even in school, nobody remembers me as Mikasa. Only as Annie's friend. This was it. I was finally going to become someone. My legs felt lighter and lighter and I thought I could almost fly. 

To a certain extent, the nervousness that had been released, turned into ecstasy. But there was still a part of me that felt like a monster for taking advantage of Y/N's vulnerability as well as Annie's relationship with Bertholdt. But then again, desperate times calls for desperate measures. 

It was only until my legs were limping and I was panting deeply did I finally stop in my tracks to take a breather. I leaned on the railings that ran along the sides of the stairs and just collapsed onto it like a ragdoll. 

I finally did it! I thought to myself. Today was the day where I finally walked out of her shadow.  I smiled through the pain and stared into the moon into the distance. The moon was bright and round tonight and no longer was it hiding behind the clouds...