女型の巨人

Indie Annie Leonhardt - 18+ - Semi-Selective - Canon divergent at times - Follows back from fourteenthcommander

[mikasa-ackerhardt]

anihardt

It was a few hours after the hard fought battle between Annie and Mikasa, both appeared to be evenly matched with each other after the incident between the two and Eren during training. Luckily, before things got too bad, a couple of instructors managed to intervene. They got off lightly, only being forced to run a couple of extra laps around the compound before eating all that was left of the leftovers for dinner. Cold bread and soup. Could’ve been worse.

Annie let out a sigh as she looked in the mirror, a small graze on her cheek from a punch that barely missed her from Mikasa. She held her own well, much to the surprise and chagrin of the blonde. But somehow… For some reason, she couldn’t take her mind off the other. It didn’t matter in the end though, they both hated each other. She knew such emotions would be a detriment to the cause… But no matter how hard she tried to sirpress the small itch, she wanted to fight her again. Just the two of them one on one. No intervention.

“Dammit… Why did I almost lose to you, of all people?” She spoke to herself, holding back the punch she was about to give the mirror before turning around. Annie felt someone watching her, and it was none other than that same person she faced in the day. “Ackerman.” She stated plainly and bluntly, head down and arms folded.

Mikasa had been heading to the bathroom to clean up after the long day. She was tired, she was sweaty and she was vaguely shaken.The ‘sparring’ match with Annie had been too close for comfort. Mikasa rarely lost. In fact, she’d never lost yet. But the closest she’d come to that was during her fight with Annie. And it unnerved her. Mikasa was hoping a shower would help clear the thoughts out of her head. 

However, as she entered, that’s when she caught sight of the very person that had just been dominating her thoughts. “Why did I almost lose to you, of all people?” The words rang in her ears as she stared right at Annie. So, the fight had shaken Annie as well, it seemed. Mikasa’s shoulders squared up and she murmured, “Leonhardt.” She approached a locker to place her clothes in so that she could change into clean clothes once she was done in the shower.

She stayed silent for a time before she paused and noted, “You know, that was honestly the first time I ever doubted my moves.” It was said lightly- conversationally, almost. “I can respect your skill,” Mikasa admitted. 

[anihardt]

Annie took in the words of her earlier opponent and decided to relax for a moment, letting go of her folded arms and staring Mikasa straight in the eyes. For some reason, she couldn't move away. She was fixed on that spot just looking at her. Emotions were getting the better of her, she knew that. But why were they flaring for Mikasa. Why her? With an annoyed sigh to herself, she turned around to the mirror again and washed her face, rubbing the water on the graze on her cheek.

"How do you do it? How do you go from arguing and fighting someone so confidently to being able to just converse with them so easily and casually after?" She asked bluntly again. Annie always spoke her mind when needed, and while she hated being this forward, she felt the need to ask. Taking a deep breath, the blonde sighed once again before closing her eyes

"You did well fighting me today. I admit you did impress me. Your form is reckless however... Unpredictable. I'm sure Eren knows this first hand though, with the amount of beating that you may have given him when you were both younger..."

[anihardt]

A Storm Brews

It was a few hours after the hard fought battle between Annie and Mikasa, both appeared to be evenly matched with each other after the incident between the two and Eren during training. Luckily, before things got too bad, a couple of instructors managed to intervene. They got off lightly, only being forced to run a couple of extra laps around the compound before eating all that was left of the leftovers for dinner. Cold bread and soup. Could've been worse.

Annie let out a sigh as she looked in the mirror, a small graze on her cheek from a punch that barely missed her from Mikasa. She held her own well, much to the surprise and chagrin of the blonde. But somehow... For some reason, she couldn't take her mind off the other. It didn't matter in the end though, they both hated each other. She knew such emotions would be a detriment to the cause... But no matter how hard she tried to sirpress the small itch, she wanted to fight her again. Just the two of them one on one. No intervention.

"Dammit... Why did I almost lose to you, of all people?" She spoke to herself, holding back the punch she was about to give the mirror before turning around. Annie felt someone watching her, and it was none other than that same person she faced in the day. "Ackerman." She stated plainly and bluntly, head down and arms folded.

@mikasa-ackerhardt

[anihardt]

{Tumblr Avatar shared with @mikasa-ackerhardt, my guardian angel ❤️}

[anihardt]

{Hello everyone, I thought now was an amazing time to ressurect this blog and mess around with people. I'm sorry I've been gone for a long time but I will try to be on a lot more. <3}

[anihardt]

{Hello everyone, I thought now was an amazing time to ressurect this blog and mess around with people. I'm sorry I've been gone for a long time but I will try to be on a lot more. <3}

[mikasa-ackerhardt]

Mikasa always had to be careful on the nights of her transformations. Even though the heavy bass of the music covered the sound of her body shifting, she still had to be sure that she wouldn’t cause a bigger ruckus that might alert her new girlfriend to what was going on. It worried Mikasa- she couldn’t be sure what Annie would actually think if she saw what she truly was. 

Still, after several hours of being transformed, the havoc it was wreaking on her appetite grew to be too much and she slunk out of her room, ears twitching and swiveling, listening intently for any signs that Annie was out and about. But, thankfully, the door to Annie’s room was shut and she could hear faint conversation. 

With that, Mikasa headed into the kitchen and nudged the door of the fridge open with her nose. The squeak of plastic was sharp to hear ears as she managed to get a package of steak between her jaws. But then, panic set in. She turned and saw Annie staring at her. Her ears laid back, eyes widening. ‘Not good, not good, not good…’

@anihardt

[anihardt]

"Mina... I'll call you back okay? Something's come up that I have to deal with."

With a click of her phone, Annie stated directly into the eyes of the Wolf before her. The grey gave it away, and the expressions and the lack of growls. Yup, this pup was Mikasa alright. The blonde's eyes were equally as wide, mouth agape in shock. But after a couple of seconds, Annie regained composure and cleared her throat. As much as she wanted to not like this... Mikasa meant a lot to her.

"So... When were you gonna tell me that you were part Wolf then, Ackerman? Also, that steak in your mouth right now was very expensive. I was gonna cook it tomorrow night for us both too. Guess that's out of the window." God, she felt like an owner scolding her pet. And that wasn't what she was going for. A sigh left her before she walked towards the Wolf and began rubbing the fur on her gently before kissing the snout gently.

"Keep the steak, eat it then you can come back upstairs and sleep. But... You're on the foot of the bed for now okay? At least until I get used to this. Such a cute and good girl though..." Annie had said reassuringly, scratching gently behind the ear and on the chin.

[mikasa-ackerhardt]

“Oh, Dr. Zoe! Yes, I’m familiar with her work!” He beamed. “I hope that I can strike a deal with her. I’d love to learn more about all the things she does.” As he was just finishing up his work on Mikasa’s augments, his eyes wandered over to Annie’s cybernetic arm and for a brief moment, he looked shocked but then his eyes narrowed. “Oh. Got into a fight with Mikasa, huh?” 

Mikasa’s cheeks flushed slightly and she pointedly looked away when Armin glanced at her. “We fought, yeah.”

“I recognized your handiwork,” he muttered. Armin scooted over to take a look at Annie’s arm. “Thankfully you took care of most of it…but I can certainly fix up the cables and stuff.” While he continued to work, he looked worriedly at Mikasa. “So…why are you leaving Japan? You’ve never left the country before.” 

The silence was long enough that, for a moment, Armin looked ready to apologize. But Mikasa interrupted, “My family gave me augments that I didn’t give them permission to install.” Her hands balled into tight fists. “So, I’m leaving.” 

Armin’s face was apologetic. “Oh…I’m…I’m sorry, Mikasa.” 

[anihardt]

Annie listened carefully to Mikasa, and when she replied to Armin's question, the German closed her eyes and looked down. She knew Mikasa was telling the truth, but it wasn't the whole truth. The assassin sat there quietly as the jet flew cleanly in the air, watching Armin carefully and intricately seal her arm. When the two finally stopped talking, that's when Annie decided to change the subject to make things less awkward.

"Hange was stationed in Tokyo on government business for a week. If you tried, you probably would've found her, not that she would've appreciated uninvited guests walking into her lab in Tokyo." A small smile was on Annie's face as she looked at Armin, an equal marvel at augments when it came down to it.

"So how is Grandpa Arlert? Still kicking ass somewhere or has the old man finally retired?" Teased the Lion further.

[mikasa-ackerhardt]

“Already way ahead of you,” Armin chimed. He pulled a little further down the airstrip to the last hangar. There, pulling out of the hangar was a reasonably sized jet. The young man chuckled a little. “Sorry if it’s a little ostentatious. Gramps wanted me to have the jet for this visit. But we’re all cleared and ready to go. The pilot is a trusted friend of mine. She’s great." 

Mikasa nodded, keeping her rifle close. "It’s appreciated, Armin. We need to get going. I’m not exactly in top physical condition right now,” she admitted.

As they boarded the jet, Armin glanced at her worriedly. “Are you all right? Do you need me to check your augments?" 

"Might not be a bad idea,” she muttered. 

They took off relatively quickly and after they had reached optimal height, Armin got up and got his tool kit out. “I’ve got a few upgrades leftover. I saved them in case you wanted any." 

"Maybe just take a look at my augments and see if anything needs to be fixed. Annie did emergency fixes a couple nights ago,” she replied.

“Ok, no problem,” he responded. As he got to work, a small smile curled his lips. “You did a pretty good job fixing up the damage to her augments,” Armin said, “it looks good." 

[anihardt]

Annie holstered her pistols, a sigh leaving her as she took a look at Armin watching over Mikasa. An appreciative smile was on Annie's face when Armin complimented her work, taking off her jacket and removing the belt that held her guns, she tossed both aside and sat down. "Armin, you of all people should know that I've worked with Dr. Hange Zoe. Everything she knows, I know... Well mostly everything she knows I do... She doesn't give away any of her experimentation stuff."

When she finished talking, the blonde removed the clips that held her hair in place and relaxed as her hair slowly drooped down. Her cybernetic arm was still damaged from the earlier fight with Mikasa and was slightly sparking after the encounter with the clan but Annie was surprisingly calm.

"When you're done with her, help me out with this. I've fixed the internal damage, it's just the outside is exposing all the cables and I'm afraid that some lucky bastard might stop this arm from working completely..."

[mikasa-ackerhardt]

Perhaps she was just imagining it but Mikasa could’ve sworn they were much closer than she had initially thought. She was close enough that, had she leaned in just a bit more, she could’ve easily kissed Annie- Mikasa shook her head. She shouldn’t think like that, not when she just got back to having Annie as a friend. Instead, she gently smiled and replied, “Yeah, don’t worry. We’ll talk about nice things, I promise." 

As Annie sat down, Mikasa busied herself with making tea. It was a routine she was comfortable with and it made her smile. As she returned with their tea, she murmured, "There you go. Your favorite one." 

"I can’t wait for it to be strawberry season again,” she suddenly announced. “I love strawberries…" 

[anihardt]

Annie accepted the tea with a thankful sigh, followed by an adorable smile. The blonde was glad to be alive, even more so now that her and Mikasa were friends again. She probably wouldn't be able to handle it without the support that she had been given from her captain. It was thanks to her that she is still alive. Thanks to her that she was allowed to build her trust with the Scouts.

At the mention of strawberries, Annie chuckled gently, a genuine smile on her face as Mikasa described her love for the fruit and for the season of which they grow. Annie took a small sip from her tea before replying.

"You know... I don't mind strawberries. I prefer blueberries. There's a lot of blueberries at my home. Father would make delicious cakes from them all the time, he got the recipe from mother."

[mikasa-ackerhardt]

“Thank you, Annie, really,” Mikasa whispered softly, wiping at her eyes. “I appreciate it. It’s…been weird…not talking to you.” She added quietly, “I’ve missed you. Armin has been been really busy lately. He’s been trying to find a cure for the Curse of Ymir. He thinks he’s on the brink of something…we just have to wait and see. Both Armin and Hange are being frustratingly tight-lipped about it." 

There was a small pause before she gently squeezed Annie’s hand. "How…how about I make some tea for the both of us? And I can finish up the report while we just…talk,” she offered.

[anihardt]

"Yeah... Yeah, tea would be nice... Thanks." Annie said gently squeezing Mikasa's hand back. She hadn't realised how close their faces were, she was still so caught up with emotion that Annie's lips were merely inches away from Mikasa's. But she was too much of a coward to seal the deal as she pulled back with a slight hue of red on her cheeks. Annie chuckled gently, still keeping her hand wrapped around Mikasa's however.

"You know how I like my tea at this point, let's just talk about... Talk about nice shit. None of the Titan, scout or depressing crap that we have to deal with everyday." She requested, a frown on her lips as she said it. Annie had been through enough for now to be able to talk about official business as she finally let go and took a seat.

[mikasa-ackerhardt]

Armin was a surprisingly good driver in a chase and he was maneuvering much better than Mikasa expected. However, she knew what she had to do and she stuck her torso out of the sunroof, taking careful aim at the chopper. She knew she had to get the shot right because the chopper was decked out with the latest tracking missiles- she’d been there when the idea was pitched and voted on. 

The bullets flew right into the cockpit, taking out the pilot and co-pilot. Mikasa smirked; perhaps her clan had done too good training her. “Chopper’s out,” she confirmed as it wavered and started to fall, colliding with the side of a building before tumbling to the ground in a crash. Then, she started in on getting the other ones chasing them under control- Mikasa’s shots were deadly and each one provided cover fire for Annie’s revolver. 

“Armin, how much longer?” She shouted over the roar of engines and gunfire.

“I can lose them up ahead, I think!” He hollered back. “Just hang on!”

Thankfully, they’d thinned out their enemies enough that when Armin took a sharp corner and then another, they lost sight of the remaining Azumabito assassins. Mikasa sank back into the backseat and heaved a sigh. 

[anihardt]

Losing sight of the assassins, Annie rolled her revolver outside of the car, releasing the empty cartridges before bringing it back inside and loading it up with bullets again. Now that was a thrill ride through Tokyo. She turned to look at Mikasa with a small smirk on her face. "Good job, clean up for the government is gonna be annoying though... But seeming as it's the Azumabito, they've just lost a lot of boys and girls as well as an attack chopper. They really bought out the big guns this time."

When they finally got to the airstrip, Annie stepped out first, pocketing the revolver and taking out her dual pistols. Better rate of fire and quicker to load and control. She looked around to see if there were any threats.

"Seems quiet. I think we're in the clear for now... We'll need to move fast, get the plane ready and positioned. Any clan members get in the way, me and Mikasa will handle it."

[mikasa-ackerhardt]

He looked slightly uneasy as Annie announced who she was. “Oh. A Leonhardt. Yes, I’ve heard of your family…” Armin watched her as she got the book and returned. “Yes, we should get moving. We can talk more on the flight to Germany,” he stated, “I’ve got my car outside." 

Mikasa agreed, giving a nod in Annie’s direction. "Sounds good to me. Let’s get going.” As soon as they were out the door, Mikasa had her rifle slung across her body and at the ready. She wasn’t about to take any chances. 

[anihardt]

Annie already had her revolver out and twirling it over her finger as she stepped into the inconspicuous car. Her augments whirred to life as she nodded at Mikasa from the front of the car. As Mikasa had the long range weapon, Annie let het take the back, giving her access to the sunroof opening. The blonde chose which arm augment to use for this situation as they drove to the private airfield. Her arm slowly transformed and a grapple hook was now visible on her wrist.

Of course, as things always went, when they were near their destination, they were greeted by Azumabito assassins, zooming on cars and motorbikes. Annie sprang to action.

She took aim with her revolver, shooting a bullet cleanly through both the passenger and the driver, causing the vehicle to crash into a motorcycle driver behind them.

"Mikasa, chopper! Take it down!"

[mikasa-ackerhardt]

Mikasa found it hard to sleep, even despite her wounds. She instead spent the night cleaning and preparing her weapons. The assassin had her kwaiken sitting out on her lap after she finished cleaning the rifle and reassembling it. Her fingers traced over the blade gently, going over the small prayer engraved in the blade. It was a little thing, commissioned by her mother for Mikasa’s eighteenth birthday and formal initiation into the clan.

“I’ll avenge you, Mama. I promise,” she whispered softly. She kissed the hilt gently before strapping it into the sheath on the back of her belt. It was then that she got up and entered the living room to see Annie getting ready.  “He wants to meet at the little bookstore around the corner. It’s inconspicuous and it’s a place that we both frequent." 

They made their way to the bookstore in relative silence. "He’s German-and a very good friend of mine. He became a contact for me when I needed help with my initial augments,” she explained. Thankfully, the pair made it to the bookstore with no trouble and as they entered, Mikasa was able to immediately spot her contact. “Armin,” she chimed.

“Mikasa,” the young man replied with a smile. His blonde hair was pulled back in a little ponytail and he wore glasses that perched on the bridge of his upturned nose. He blinked, looking surprised at the sight of Annie. “Ah. You didn’t mention that your friend was foreign.” He asked, “Are you German as well?”

[anihardt]

Upon seeing Mikasa's contact, she was quite surprised. Approaching him, she activated her HUD and scanned him for a moment before it retracted. When she asked if she was German, she replied in her tongue. "Yes, I am. Annie Leonhardt. What's a fellow German like you doing in Tokyo at a time like this? We're not exactly liked around here..." A small smile was on her face as she spoke, raising a hand to shake his before looking around.

"We better move, I'm sure Mikasa has warned you of the situation at hand? We'll need to get her out of the country before the Azumabito claim both our bounties and place our heads on spikes." Annie stated bluntly before picking out a book that she wanted. She couldn't write in Kanji but she was experienced enough to read it. She chose an old novel, bringing it to the front and paying for it.

"Judging by your fair complexion and the shade of your hair, you must be an Arlert. My brother used to work for your family."

[mikasa-ackerhardt]

As soon as their foreheads touched, Mikasa’s eyes shut and she felt an overwhelming wave of relief. Annie was right- she wasn’t him, she wasn’t going to intentionally break Mikasa’s spirit. She wrapped her arms around Annie, eagerly accepting the hug. Her whole body started to tremble as held onto her friend. “Thank you,” she choked out. “I’m sorry I misunderstood-" 

The tears continued to fall but they were starting to ebb as she felt more secure with Annie, knowing that their friendship was still ok. She whispered, "Sorry I just…kind of fell apart. I thought you were going to die and then- I almost- I fucked up-” She shook her head. “I’ll try harder. I promise." 

[anihardt]

Hearing her apologise was a heavy weight lifted from her shoulders. She was glad that Mikasa didn't hate her, even more so now having someone to talk too again. Annie held onto her for a while, refusing to let go as they shared their pain but also their joy together. "I'm sorry too... Maybe I should've held off on the sarcasm... But I forgive you, everything''s fine now. I'm fine now."

Annie pulled back slowly, picking up her crutch again and leaning gently on it. She had a soft smile on her face as she faced her closest friend. "We're neighbours for a reason. Doors are always open, Mikasa."

[mikasa-ackerhardt]

She nodded her understanding. “I am a good shot. Better than the rest of my clan.” Mikasa had trained from a young age to become an assassin for the family- at first she hadn’t understood why but when it became apparent, she only trained harder. 

“I’ll cover your six,” she said. “So don’t worry. I’ll be on it." 

The rest of their day was spent getting ready and then resting to conserve energy. Admittedly coming out a little worse for wear from their fight, Mikasa did need the rest. 

[anihardt]

When the next day came, Annie was lready preparing to leave. She had unplugged everything from its electrical socket barring the fridge freezer. If Mikasa had woken up, she would've been able to watch as Annie got changed. Her angel wing tattoos were in full view as well as a lion on her right calf, that looked neon in colour thanks to her augments. Putting on a fresh black shirt as well as bulletproof lined undersuit, the blonde then put on her black trench coat and gun holsters.

She sheathed and unsheathed her blade multiple times, testing to see if the release was broken or not before testing the glasses that displayed her HUD putting them on and off again. "Systems up, augment test." Once she said that, the sound of whirring filled the room as her leg augments and her cyber arm came to life before powering down slowly.

"Good, everything's in working order." She said to herself as she holstered her two pistols as well as pocketing the knife, grabbing a revolver that she hid in her drawer and held onto it tightly. All of the ammo she needed was stored in her pockets or in her arm. Turning slowly, she looked over at Mikasa and smirked.

"Get ready, we're going on the move. Where does your contact want to meet?"

[mikasa-ackerhardt]

The corporal furiously wiped at her eyes, trying to clear away the tears. She snapped, “I take it back- you’re still a fucking shit head.” Mikasa turned, not even pausing to look in Hange’s direction. “I have to go do paperwork. We managed to map out more of the island.“ 

Mikasa paused in the doorway but didn’t look back. “Leonhardt. As soon as you’re fit for duty, report to my office. I need to report the incident in your file.”

Then, with that, she marched out of the room. Mikasa’s shoulders were squared and there was an odd burning in her chest- though, truthfully, she knew what it was. She was embarrassed. Her more concerned, sensitive side had come out and to have it noted in front of Hange of all people…

[anihardt]

Annie’s smile faded as Mikasa suddenly changed completely in front of her and then the insults were thrown out and she had no idea why. She laid there for a moment in quiet as she was given orders by her commanding officer and who she thought was her friend. When Mikasa left, Annie looked down and began shaking slightly, gritting her teeth. And once she was left alone by the medics and Hange eventually left, she let herself cry for a moment…

It took a few more days and the visits were quiet and nonexistent. Alone again. When she was finally discharged, she limped slowly through the headquarters. Stumbling gently and leaning against her crutch, she eventually made it to Mikasa’s office.

Opening the door, she walked in and saluted before closing the door behind you. “Get on with it then, I won’t waste your time.”

[mikasa-ackerhardt]

The coldness was back then.

Mikasa could feel it. She wanted to cry again but she tried to rein it in. The corporal started to write down the incident, remaining silent until finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. “Annie…”

She put her pen down and sighed heavily; in fact, she had to push the paper away, just so that if she did cry, it wouldn’t be stained with her tears. “I can’t take this anymore- I’ve been sleepless ever since you returned on a stretcher and seeing you almost lifeless, it-” Mikasa pinched the bridge of her nose. “I meant what I said, Annie. I don’t want to lose you, I don’t want to lose anyone else that I care for.”

“But…I…” This was the hard part- the part she’d been dreading. “I felt like you weren’t taking my concern seriously. I felt like I could be vulnerable around you- like I could trust you. And it just felt as though…you were making fun of that.”

She raised her head to look at Annie, finally letting the tears fall. “I thought I could just be me around you.”

[anihardt]

Annie stood there listening to Mikasa for a moment, eyes closed as she took in every single word she said. When she opened her eyes and looked at her leader, the blonde saw the tears streaming from her face. She felt bad about the whole thing, what she let out as a small joke to make her smile… Was misunderstood as an insult, or a sign of being made fun of. She was slightly hurt that Mikasa thought that Annie would ever abuse her in such a way.

Folding her arms, she slowly made her way over to the desk and took out a pocket hankey from the front and placed it on Mikasa’s desk. Annie looked away for a moment before speaking.

"Why you would ever think I would make fun of you in such a way makes me very upset. I was joking, I appreciated the fact that you were so happy and shed tears for me. I heard every word you said while I was comatose. How you didn’t want me to leave you. And I held on.” Her tone was hopeful and happy but then it shifted to a cold one again as she spoke her next few words.

“Then you called me… Whatever the hell it was you called me. You stopped visiting. You made your intentions clear… And all I wanted was someone to be my friend and accept me for who I was.” Annie grit her teeth again, refusing to cry in her presence. She turned completely from Mikasa as she closed her eyes, her hands shaking.

[mikasa-ackerhardt]

She jumped to her feet the second that Annie started to turn away, hand shooting out to grab Annie’s wrist. The tears were still falling and the was a horrible tightness in Mikasa’s chest. She knew this feeling; she was about to be abandoned- again. "Wait-!”

“Annie…listen…you know I’m no good with words. I want…I want to be your friend. And I guess I just…misconstrued…” Mikasa started to get the hiccups as her grip on Annie remained strong but gentle- there was no anger behind it. She looked at her, lip quivering. “I’m…sorry. I don’t want to be alone. I don’t want you to leave me too. Please…”

[anihardt]

A light gasp left Annie as her wrist was grabbed. The blonde was still too weak to react to it, her intentions being to pull them away, so she was forced to listen. Lucky for her, the injury may have been a blessing in this case as she heard her speak, taking in every single word as she just stood there watching the strong young woman. She was brave to open up, not a lot of people could do that... And so once she apologised, Annie turned to face Mikasa and gently pulled her close.

The blonde leant her forehead against the other before speaking gently. "I'm not him. I would never leave you." With those words, she pulled her forehead back and hugged Mikasa, closing her eyes as a smile appeared on her lips.

[mikasa-ackerhardt]

The corporal furiously wiped at her eyes, trying to clear away the tears. She snapped, “I take it back- you’re still a fucking shit head.” Mikasa turned, not even pausing to look in Hange’s direction. “I have to go do paperwork. We managed to map out more of the island.“ 

Mikasa paused in the doorway but didn’t look back. “Leonhardt. As soon as you’re fit for duty, report to my office. I need to report the incident in your file.”

Then, with that, she marched out of the room. Mikasa’s shoulders were squared and there was an odd burning in her chest- though, truthfully, she knew what it was. She was embarrassed. Her more concerned, sensitive side had come out and to have it noted in front of Hange of all people…

[anihardt]

Annie’s smile faded as Mikasa suddenly changed completely in front of her and then the insults were thrown out and she had no idea why. She laid there for a moment in quiet as she was given orders by her commanding officer and who she thought was her friend. When Mikasa left, Annie looked down and began shaking slightly, gritting her teeth. And once she was left alone by the medics and Hange eventually left, she let herself cry for a moment…

It took a few more days and the visits were quiet and nonexistent. Alone again. When she was finally discharged, she limped slowly through the headquarters. Stumbling gently and leaning against her crutch, she eventually made it to Mikasa’s office.

Opening the door, she walked in and saluted before closing the door behind you. "Get on with it then, I won’t waste your time.”

[mikasa-ackerhardt]

The coldness was back then.

Mikasa could feel it. She wanted to cry again but she tried to rein it in. The corporal started to write down the incident, remaining silent until finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. "Annie…”

She put her pen down and sighed heavily; in fact, she had to push the paper away, just so that if she did cry, it wouldn’t be stained with her tears. “I can’t take this anymore- I’ve been sleepless ever since you returned on a stretcher and seeing you almost lifeless, it-” Mikasa pinched the bridge of her nose. “I meant what I said, Annie. I don’t want to lose you, I don’t want to lose anyone else that I care for.”

“But…I…” This was the hard part- the part she’d been dreading. “I felt like you weren’t taking my concern seriously. I felt like I could be vulnerable around you- like I could trust you. And it just felt as though…you were making fun of that.”

She raised her head to look at Annie, finally letting the tears fall. “I thought I could just be me around you.”

[anihardt]

Annie stood there listening to Mikasa for a moment, eyes closed as she took in every single word she said. When she opened her eyes and looked at her leader, the blonde saw the tears streaming from her face. She felt bad about the whole thing, what she let out as a small joke to make her smile... Was misunderstood as an insult, or a sign of being made fun of. She was slightly hurt that Mikasa thought that Annie would ever abuse her in such a way.

Folding her arms, she slowly made her way over to the desk and took out a pocket hankey from the front and placed it on Mikasa's desk. Annie looked away for a moment before speaking.

"Why you would ever think I would make fun of you in such a way makes me very upset. I was joking, I appreciated the fact that you were so happy and shed tears for me. I heard every word you said while I was comatose. How you didn't want me to leave you. And I held on." Her tone was hopeful and happy but then it shifted to a cold one again as she spoke her next few words.

"Then you called me... Whatever the hell it was you called me. You stopped visiting. You made your intentions clear... And all I wanted was someone to be my friend and accept me for who I was." Annie grit her teeth again, refusing to cry in her presence. She turned completely from Mikasa as she closed her eyes, her hands shaking.