Attack on Titan College AU
In which Bertolt and Reiner drag Annie into a party.
Once at the bus stop, Annie flinched at the address on her phone when she received Bertoldtâs text. She had never even gone close to that area.Â
Bertold and Reiner would have to make up for this, sheâd make sure of that.
For a fancy street, the house indicated in Bertoltâs message wasnât as big as Annie had imagined. The streets were clean and clear of holes, well-illuminated, but the house wasnât anything out of the ordinary. Even so, Annie hesitated another moment before she knocked on the entrance door. She listened to the beating of some rap music slamming the windows, the loud chanting of a group of men, and a chill ran down her spine. What the hell were her friends doing in a place like that?
With a deep breath, Annie knocked, and the door was wide open in a second; a tall man with narrow eyes and a smug smile standing at the threshold with a drink in his hand.
âHey,â he sneered, scanning Annie from head to feet with a smirk.
âHi,â Annieâs voice was dry, her shoulders stiff. âIâm looking for a friend.â
âWell, youâve found one,â he grinned, leaning with a hand over the threshold. âWanna come in?â
Another voice came from behind him; a shorter, angry-looking guy pushed the tall one aside, deep green eyes glaring at him. âStop letting random people into my house, Jean!â
âRelax, Jaeger, sheâs not a ârandom personâ. I know Annie, she was in my political science class with Professor Smith.â
Annie couldnât recall Jeansâs face, yet nodded regardless.
âJust come in,â the one called Jaeger said with a sigh, and Annie followed him. âIâm Eren, by the way. Thereâs drinks at the bar, make yourself at home.â
âIâm only here to pick up a friend,â she clarified, and dodged a group of people chugging their drinks in a scandalous way.
âReally?â Eren said casually, his mind was somewhere else. Even from a distance Annie could smell the alcohol on him. âWhich friend?â
âReiner Braun.â She looked around searching for her friends, feeling several eyes on her as they walked across the large room, suddenly aware of how her gym clothes were so out of place with the rest of the girlâs outfits.
Eren paid little attention to Annie, too busy keeping watch on his parentsâ house.
âHey! Sasha! Connie! Get off the table!â Eren yelled, alarmed at the sight of two people climbing onto the furniture. He excused himself and rushed towards her.
Annie was then left in the middle of the room, alone with nothing but an awkward feeling. Reiner and Bertold would pay for this, she told herself, looking for an empty corner to stand at and look for them. What did people even do in these parties? She watched more people drinking, some of them dancing. After rejecting drinks several times, Annie headed to the bathroom. If Reiner was drunk and wasnât anywhere around, it could only mean one thing: heâd probably been sick.
The bathroom door opened, and Annieâs eyes widened at the sight of a short, blonde girl kissing another taller girl. She stood there frozen with a hand still on the doorknob; the girls recoiled as soon as they saw Annie staring at them.
âWhat?â Growled the taller one, darker skin flushing under her freckles. âYou got a problem?â
âYmir donât-â The other girl gasped, holding her arm to stop her.
âI honestly couldnât care less. You do your thing,â Annie said with a straight face now, and closed the door again. Where the hell were Reiner and Bertolt?
After searching most of the house, Annie decided they must have gone out to buy more drinks or something like that. She decided to wait for a few more minutes, and looked for a quiet place to sit. At the end of the living room, a lonely girl sat quietly on a couch with a plastic cup in her hand.
That was it. That was her spot.
âHi,â Annie gave the girl a brief and polite smile as she took a seat.
The girlâs gaze was lost somewhere. As though she didnât hear Annie, the girl rose to her feet and moved towards the table. From there, Annie admired her black dress and high boots, as black as her hair and nail polish. A second later, the girl came back with another plastic cup and offered it to Annie.
âOh, I donât drink, but thanks.â
âItâs apple juice,â the girl said. Unlike her tough appearance, the girlâs voice was surprisingly sweet. âI donât drink either.â
Annie thanked her and took a shy sip from it with relief. It was indeed apple juice.
They both continued to drink in silence, awkward at first, then almost comforting. At least they were alone together.
âIâm looking for a friend,â finally said Annie. âDo you know someone called Reiner or Bertolt?â
The girl looked up at the ceiling as if trying to reach for something in the back of her mind. âOh,â she gasped, and pulled out her phone to show her something.
Annie stared at the painting on the girlâs screen with a puzzled look.
âBertolt painted it,â the girl explained.
âHe did?â Annieâs eyebrows raised in disbelief, and tilted her head to take a closer look. He was actually talented, she hated to admit.
The girl nodded, and scrolled down the screen to show Annie another painting; a completely different style but equally stunning.
âDid you paint this one?â Annie asked, and the girl nodded again; a slight reddish gleam burning on her cheeks.
âItâs nice.â Annie said, and she meant it.
The girl put the phone away, and offered her hand.
âIâm Mikasa,â she smiled, âBertolt and Reiner are my classmates.â
âNice to meet you,â Annie shook her hand. For once, she was genuinely glad to meet someone new.
âHave you seen them? Do you know where they are?â
Mikasa pointed to the other end of the room, and Annie followed her finger with her eyes across the sea of people to find Bertolt and Reiner drinking from a keg of beer. Her jaw dropped.
âCome,â Mikasa grabbed Annie by the wrist and dragged her across the room through the crowd.
Annie didnât protest, but her face became more and more red with every step she took, until she was stomping her way towards her friends.
Reiner was the first one to see her, and his face quickly shifted into one of concern. Bertolt only turned to her when he felt Reinerâs elbow digging into his arm; his face serious now as well.
âI thought you were drunk.â Annie hissed, arms folding, eyebrows raising.
âWe are,â Bertoldt rushed to say.
âAnd yet you keep drinking.â She accused. âSo you called me for what?â
She turned to Reiner now, her piercing glare had him shuddering. Reiner had always been the easier one to break.
Reiner gulped, a drop of sweat running down his face. He searched for Bertolt with anxious eyes as though pleading for help.
âHe made me do it,â Reiner finally burst out. âHe made me lie so you would come to the party.â
âReiner, seriously?â Bertolt gasped, throwing his hands up in the air with frustration. âYou didnât even try, canât you keep a secret for once?â
Reiner shrugged and Annie cursed under her breath.
âWhatever, weâre already here,â Reiner said, âSince you are here, too, letâs have fun.â
Annie sighed. As angry as she was, she had to admit this was better than staring at her ceiling at home.
âIf I stay, will you promise I wonât have to drag you home all drunk?â
âPromise,â they said in unison, and raised their cups to cheer.
âYou canât cheer with an empty hand,â Jean barged in between the two, handing Annie a cup. She rejected it with an awkward smile, and Jean shrugged before he chugged the cup himself.
âSheâs not interested,â Eren said in a condescending tone, patting Jean on the back, harder than heâd meant. Too unstable to keep his balance, Jean nearly fell forward, and a second later they were both exchanging senseless insults and aimless fists until they both landed on the floor.
âEren, stop bothering him, youâll get your ass kicked again,â Mikasa ran to restrain him. Another guy pulled Jean to keep him away from Eren.
âMarco, let go!â Grunted Jean, even though the only reason he was standing was Marco holding his arm.
The meaningless argument carried on for another moment, and as everyoneâs attention was drawn to them now, Annie used that opportunity to slip away for a moment. Hell, she needed a moment of peace. Through the corner of her eye, she sighted a door that led to the backyard, and with smooth steps she sneaked out.
As soon as she stepped outside, a nice breeze blew against her face; the fresh air filling her lungs, and she sighed in relief. She moved towards the railing of the deck, and leaned against it, looking up at the sky; a perfect clear night above her. What was wrong with her? She wondered. Everyone had been so nice, yet there she was, alone in the backyard with a lingering feeling of unease in her chest. Or so she thought.
âItâs nice, isnât it?â A strangerâs voice jolted her out of her thoughts, and Annie turned to find a young man sitting on the floor. Wide blue eyes fixed on the sky and a warm smile.
Annie followed his gaze to search for what he was looking at.
âFunny how they seem like they twinkle, when itâs actually just the Earthâs atmosphere that makes that illusion.â
Annie said nothing, but her eyes widened as she stared at the brightest, shiniest star she could find. âEven that one?â she pointed, a hint of skepticism in her voice.
âYou mean Sirius,â he chuckled in amusement, âeven that is an illusion.â
Annie now turned to him, watching him get on his feet to move closer to her, carrying a cup with him, eyes still on the stars.
âThat other one is Regulus,â he pointed at another star and his smile widened as he stared at Annie with eager eyes, as though waiting for a reaction.
What else was she supposed to say?
He let out an awkward smile, and his pale cheeks turned suddenly bright red. âNot a Harry Potter fan, I guess.â
What a nerd, she thought.
âNot particularly,â she said instead.
They stared at the sky for another moment, until Annie felt the need to fill that unbearable silence.
âWhy are you out here?â she asked without turning to him. âToo crowded inside?â
âYeah, something like that.â
Annie could now feel his eyes on her, and the slightest feeling of unease gathered in her chest. She couldnât help but to subtly turn to him, only to look away again the next moment.
âDo you smoke?â he offered her a pack of cigarettes, and Annie shook her head in reply.
âYeah, neither do I,â he sighed, putting them away. âThese are Erenâs, really. Mikasa asked me to hide them from him.â
âMikasaâs a talented artist.â Surely if he knew Mikasa he couldnât be such an ass, could he? Annie turned to him again. He was close. Closer than a moment ago, and still staring at her, bright blue eyes reflecting the silver gleam of the stars. She ignored the feeling in her guts and refused to look away.
This seemed to amuse him. He lowered his gaze now with a shy smile, and took a long sip from his drink with a deep grunt.
âGod, this is so bad. How can people drink this?â He squeezed his eyes shut and pursed his lips, making Annie laugh.
âIt canât be that badâŠâ She sneered.
âYou see for yourself,â he handed her the cup, eyes still shut hard in disgust.
Annie stared at the plastic cup with curiosity for a long moment.
Was she actually considering his offer?
He quickly looked around, as if expecting to find someone, yet nobody else was around.
âFuck it,â she sighed, taking the cup and giving in a small sip without thinking about it any further. As soon as the bitter liquid slid down her throat with a slight burn, she regretted her decision.
âSo badâŠâ She winced.
It was now his turn to laugh. A sound so sweet and soothing to her ears, that Annie almost wondered if there had been something in her drink that made her heart skip and her stomach twist. A rush of blood crawled up to colour her cheeks, and Annie now shook in silent laughter.
The stranger now turned to her, and as their eyes met, a sudden spark flashed between them, holding them both in thrall.
Annieâs body loosened, and as the overwhelming warmth faded, she could finally realize what that feeling gathering in her chest was. Fear. She shuddered in fear. Something she hadnât expecience in a long time. But it was a strange kind of fear, the kind that made her heart flutter and her stomach drop. She moved even closer, as though drawn by some magnetic force, until she could feel his breath on her.
A sudden voice came through the door and they both recoiled instantly; a drunk Eren struggling to walk straight outside âHave you seen my cigarettes?â
âNo, Eren, I have not seen your-â
Before he could finish his sentence, Eren lay flat against the floor.
âShit, sorry,â the stranger excused himself, moving towards his friend. âGotta go, but it was really nice talking to you.â
Annie watched him pick Eren up from the floor and disappear behind the door. It wasnât until she saw Reiner and Bertolt come looking for her that she realized she hadnât caught the strangerâs name.
From: When the Stars Blink Twice
Read full chapter here:Â https://archiveofourown.org/works/32434150/chapters/80968576#workskin
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