In Love With A Monster (Armin X Annie)

~Chapter Five~

Instead of Annie being hidden this time, she was sat right beside Armin as he opened his eyes. They were both below a large tree, in the shade. She was sitting upright, looking out at the meadow before them while Armin found himself laying on his back, staring up into the sky. He sat up and faced Annie, she was calm, unlike before. She looked better, like she had rested, she wasn't hurting anymore. Armin let her sit like that for a couple of second. He hadn't seen her rested for a while, he always thought she looked in pain in her Crystal. There was a breeze that was blowing through her hair and Annie looked as gorgeous as she usually did to him.

"Have they noticed I'm gone yet?" Annie asked, her tone was cool and at ease like she wasn't scared about being found again. She didn't even turn to face him, she knew he was there though, he was listening. He always listened to her.

Armin nodded in response, his eyes were still locked onto her. "They've been searching for you all day."

"I see." Annie took in a deep breath. She stared down at her hands, they were clasped together. "Thank you, Armin."

"For what?" He asked.

"I'm in peace now, I'm finally free. That was all you." She turned to face him finally. Armin was conflicted, Annie's escape was his fault. There was always a part of him that thought something had happened to let her escape on her own, it had nothing to do with him. But on the other hand, this was what he wanted. He wanted her to finally be free, to finally live a life where she wasn't trapped.

"Where are you, right now?" Armin asked her, he didn't expect an answer. She would still be weary of the last time she trusted him, the last time she trusted anyone. As he expected, her answer was hesistant.

"Are you going to do what you did last time? Are you going to lead the scouts right to me?" Her tone was still cool, it was hard to tell if she was truly angry at him or simply asking a question.

Armin gave an exasperated sigh and leaned his back against the stump of the tree. He was hoping she wasn't upset about that but she had every right to be and in her situation, he would be too. This just meant that it would be harder for her to trust him, harder for him to find her. He would have to get to her the difficult way, which could take weeks, maybe even months.

"Annie, please!" Armin reached over and grabbed her hand in his own. He held it to his chest, he wanted her to know that he was being sincere. Her hand felt real in his own, he could feel her soft, cold hands, they clashed with his own warm hands which were covered in bruises and cuts from the other night, but he liked the feeling of their hands together. He wasn't going to lie to her, not anymore. He didn't want to feel the guilt he was carrying around. Annie was startled, she didn't expect physical contact, she hadn't felt it in months.

She still wouldn't give in though, she wasn't ready for her freedom to be endangered yet. So she didn't give in yet, and she dropped his hands. Both their hands fell to the soft grass beneath them, they were still touching however, his hand sat close beside hers. The air was now filled with an awkward silence, or maybe it was a peaceful silence. They both did like the quiet, Annie never saw silence as awkward, she always saw it as a reprieve, a calming. They both took in the sounds of the leaves rusting in the wind and the birds in the sky. How long has it been since there was a peace like this?

Annie began the conversation again however, which was very uncharacteristic of her. She would usually be the one to end the conversation, never to pick it up again. "The scouts really aren't prepared for an intruder, are they? They seem smarter from the outside."

Armin felt insulted, was she disrespecting them? "What do you mean?"

"I was able to break out and steal one of their horses in the dead of night. What if a Titan attack happened during the night, would you all be prepared then or would you be asleep?" She continued.