Unwavering | Annie Leonhart x Male Reader

26. Utopia

A sudden cool breeze washed over you as you looked up, your eyes drawn towards the sound of a man loudly haggling with a nearby street vendor. Disinterested in his attempts to talk the man down, you wiped a thick bead of sweat from your brown returned your gaze down at the the horseshoe laying on the anvil in front of you.

"All things considered, I'd call this a good deal. Of all the jobs I could've found to help us blend it, this has to be the best fit." You lifted the warm piece of metal, twisting it and turning it to inspect the quality "Even years later I don't think I've really lost a step, Andre would be proud."

Three days had passed since you arrived in Utopia and each one had only done more to nurture your hope of finding the normal life you craved. Both you and Annie had found jobs to help strengthen your cover and concocted new identities to avoid any unneeded attention.

"James, how's it going out here?" You gently laid the shoe down before turning towards the source to see a man closing the shop door behind him "Hell, you've got that order completed already? By the gods, I haven't ever seen work so well made come out this fast."

He was an older man; short and stout with gray hair still covering his head and attempting to form a beard on his face. He fixed his dark eyes on you before taking the piece of metal in his hand, calloused and battered from a lifetime of work.

"Thank you sir, just doing the job." The man handed the horseshoe back with a smile on his aged face "The credit should go to my dad though, if you think these are good then his would've blown your mind."

"I don't doubt it, I'm sure he'd be proud to see what you're capable." After a quick inspection of the remainder the man put an arm around your shoulder as he ushered you towards the street "Why don't you go ahead and head out for the day? You already finished it all, I'd say that calls for some extra time off."

"I can't argue with that." You turned and exchanged a quick handshake before tipping your head to him "Thank you again sir, I'll be back for another round tomorrow."

"You better not. And Kirstein..." He gave you a wave, arcing his eyebrow at you as you began to turn away as he chuckled "... you call me sir again and I'm cutting your pay."

"Heard... Loud and clear." You turned back with a brief, sarcastic smile before turning onto the street "Have a good night Even."

Noticing that the sun still had time before it would dip behind the walls of Utopia you decided to follow up on Evan's lead from the day prior. Heading deeper into the city, towards the gate to Wall Rose's interior, you carefully observed the hectic traffic in city as it moved around you.

"It's strange, I would've thought news of sightings and the escape of two Titans so close to the capital would've been big news, but word doesn't seem to have even made it here yet... Not that it's disappointing." You glanced at a scrap of of paper that you'd pulled from your pocket before looking back to the street in front of you "Either way...This is the street, now which is the house?"

You had tried at least once a day since arriving in the city, but to you dismay you hadn't had any luck in your search. Despite your best efforts to bring them back, memories of your grandparents' house had continued to elude you but this time you had real headway thanks to Evan.

"He sounded at least a little confident when we talked about it, he had at least known of them well enough to have an address." The house numbers continued to ascend as you walked farther down the street and away from the city gate "He said it had been a few years, but he had helped deliver a new furnace to them once. I just hope they wouldn't have needed to move since then."

One by one the houses came and went as your footsteps grew louder, the commotion of the city proper fading the farther you walked. Several dozen later, just when you'd nearly convinced yourself you'd made a mistake, your eyes finally fell on the house number you'd been looking for.