Attack on Titan: A Blacksmith's Tale

Chapter 16: Into the Scouts

As the morning light shined through the windows, Dillon slowly opened his eyes. He felt worn out, like he ran a lap or two on the Wall. For a moment, he couldn't remember why he felt that way until he noticed Annie's head resting on his bare chest, her normally combed hair in a mess. Last night's events quickly came to mind, making his face flush red. He still couldn't believe that he and Annie had sex. There were so many things that happened, things that he couldn't understand, things that he actually freaked out over. It was awkward, to say the least, but there were some things to like.

Gently, he stroked her bare shoulder, causing her eyes to flutter open a bit.

"Morning," Dillon whispered.

For a moment, Annie just stared at him, almost as if confused by what was going on until she, too, remembered last night's antics. "Dillon? Did we really...?"

He gave a slow nod. "Yeah, we did."

Slowly, she got off him, purposefully avoiding his gaze as she stared at the ceiling. Her normally cold eyes were filled with shock and regret.

Whatever good things Dillon thought about vanished just by seeing that look on her face. "Annie, I'm-"

"Don't go there," she said quietly. "I just... I never expected this to happen."

"Neither did I," he admitted. "I didn't expect a lot of things last night. Sorry for freaking out."

"For what it's worth, I understand." Annie grimaced. "I thought it was bad when we had to sit through sexual education last year."

Dillon looked away, though his thoughts were broadcasted to her. I couldn't even get it right.

"That's not what I meant. I mean, you didn't do bad. It was just awkward. There were things I liked, and I know you liked some things, too."

"Maybe we should change the subject," he suggested as his face turned red again.

"No, we need to talk about this," Annie said, turning towards him. "I don't want to leave here thinking we made a mistake."

He was quiet for a moment, thinking about this whole situation. They had given themselves to each other, and there was no turning back from that. They were far from being masters of something like this, but still... "It wasn't a mistake. I'm glad we did it."

"Because got the chance to see me naked?" she asked.

"Because it was with you and not someone else," he answered.

Now, Annie was blushing, too, though sadness crept into her expression. "I'm going to miss you, Dillon."

"I'm gonna miss you, too, but I'm going to make it back." He stroked her bare shoulder. "And when I do, I'll take you out on a real date."

In took her a bit, but Annie closed the distance, pressing her lips against his. "I'd like that very much."

They stayed in a bed for a little longer before hitting the showers. It was the longest they ever had, but the hot water in Wall Sina felt much better than the water during Training. After the shower, Dillon and Annie quickly got to work on the bedroom to remove as much evidence as they could of them being there. It took about an hour, but they managed to remove all evidence of them being there. However, Dillon was dreading the eventual conversation he would have with his parents regarding their... actions. They were smart enough to put two and two together.

Once that was finally done, the two took a carriage back to Trost. Upon arrival, they went their separate ways. Annie had to pack up her room for her eventual move to the Interior, and Dillon wanted to speak to a few of his comrades. Trost was still undergoing repairs, but the city was slowly getting repopulated. The talk among the civilians was how a Titan saved their lives and how the idea of retaking Wall Maria didn't seem so out of reach anymore. Some went far as to start praying to the Rogue Titan for deliverance from the evil monsters beyond the Walls.