Day 7, April 5th: End of the world | Saving the world
thank you all for participating this weekI'm very glad that I was able to draw my favorite ship of all againnow I look forward again next year to participate!
I’m really happy with how this turned out. It’s a series of short snippets that chronicle Annie’s pregnancy and how she and Eren deal with it! Enjoy!
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Reluctant parents/Expecting parents
Annie pulled her head out of the toilet bowl and groaned loudly. Weakly she reached for her phone and squinted as the light blinded her. “Five. Are you kidding me.” She sighed.
From the bedroom she heard a familiar voice. “You okay in there?” Eren yawned.
“Yeah I’m having a great time throwing up at five in the morning.” She snapped.
“I take it you’re not okay then,” Eren said as he stood in the bathroom doorway. “Any idea what it is?”
Annie rubbed her temples. “I don’t know. It can’t be food poisoning, we ate the same food last night.”
Coming to her side Eren sat beside her and rested a hand on her knee. “What can I do?”
“Kill me.”
Eren scoffed as Annie let her head fall onto his shoulder. “That bad?”
“I feel like I’ve been turned upside down and violently shaken.”
“That bad then,” As he did his best to soothe her Eren kissed her forehead. “It’ll be okay, you’re not going to be sick every morning. Whatever it is, it’ll pass.”
Annie’s eyes shot open. “What did you say?”
“It’ll pass.”
“I’ve been sick in the morning.”
Eren nodded. “Yeah, it’s okay. Just a bit of nausea.”
“Morning sickness.”
With a furrowed brow Eren nodded again. “Yeah, that’s what this is.”
Pinching her nose Annie sighed. “Could I be… you know… pregnant.” Eren froze in place with wide eyes. “Eren. Did you hear me?”
Swallowing the lump in his throat Eren took a deep breath. “Y-yeah. I heard you. Is it possible?”
Annie slowly shrugged. “I mean. Those things are never 100% effective.”
“Things?” Eren echoed.
“Oh come on. I know you get embarrassed.”
As it dawned on him Eren felt his chest tighten. “Those things?” Annie nodded. “I… I guess it’s possible.”
“I mean it’s probably not.” Annie added.
Eren nodded. “Yeah you’re right. But just to be sure you should do a test.”
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“Eren,” Annie moaned. “Your kid hates me.”
Eren stifled a laugh. “First of all. Our kid, second of all no they don’t.”
Lying down on the sofa Annie watched as Eren sat across from her. “Then why do they keep kicking?”
“They’re probably just excited to see you,” Eren shrugged.
“Easy for you to say,” Annie pouted. “You’re not being woken up all the time as a little monster kicks you from the inside.”
With crossed arms Eren leant back in his seat. “Have you ever considered you’re being kicked because you keep calling them a little monster?”
Annie took a moment to soothe her abdomen. “They know I’m a terrible mother.”
Hiding his excitement Eren said. “You’re not a terrible mother,” He huffed as he came to her side. “You’re just tired and cranky. Look, no one said being pregnant was easy. It’s difficult but you don’t have to face it alone and just think at the end of it we’ll have a kid. An actual kid who loves their parents.”
Taking Eren’s hand in her own Annie did her best to relax but with every kick her patience grew thinner and thinner. “Okay, in that case,” Annie said, taking a deep breath. “Our kid hates me.”
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It struck her in the middle of the night. While she wouldn’t admit it Annie knew it was her growling stomach that had woken her up. She did her best to ignore it, to push the hunger from her mind but it didn’t work. No matter how many times she rolled over, stretched or soothed her growing bump nothing could distract her from her newest hardship. Eventually she reached over to Eren and reluctantly woke him.
“Ann?” Eren groaned. “What is it?”
“I… I can’t sleep.”
Rolling over, Eren rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Okay. So you’ve woken me up because?”
Annie bit her lip. “I’m hungry.”
“For what?”
“Pie.”
“Pie?” Eren echoed. “Is this an Annie thing or a pregnant thing?”
“Both.” Annie pouted. “Look I’m sorry I woke you up but I really can’t sleep.”
Throwing the covers off of him Eren stretched as he stood. “Okay. Time to be a hero,” He smirked. “What do you need?”
“Apple pie, but we don’t have any and it’s three in the morning.”
Eren double took as he left the bedroom. “Three!?” He gawked. “I’m sure I can figure something out.” Eren sighed.
Annie wasn’t sure exactly how long Eren was gone for but as time passed she felt increasingly guilty about waking him for something like pie. Laying back Annie looked down at her bump and sighed. “You’re lucky you’ve got someone like him for a dad. He’ll look after you better than I ever could,” There was a slight kick in response. “You could make things easier as well. Why pie? Why not something simple like… anything other than pie.” She groaned. Ready to give up, Annie pulled the covers back over herself when a particular smell hit her nose. Taking a deep breath her mouth quickly grew wet as the smell of cooking apples and cinnamon floated up from the kitchen.
Sneaking downstairs Annie did her best to remain silent despite her growling stomach. She followed the smell and peered around the doorway to see Eren standing over the oven tapping his foot impatiently. “Does it have to be caster sugar?” Eren hummed as he looked down at his phone.
“Are you making apple pie at three in the morning?”
Doing his best to hide his surprise and the mess he had made Eren turned around. “Y-yeah. We had most of the ingredients so I thought I could improvise.”
Annie giggled as she looked past him. “And how many ingredients did you get on the floor, wall and ceiling?”
“The recipe said to thoroughly beat the eggs so that’s what I did!”
“Well it smells good so you must be doing something right,” She said planting a light kiss on his cheek. “Plus I think it’s calmed our little monster down as well.”
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Annie was dreading this day almost as much as her due date. As she opened the door to a sea of beaming faces she thought she was going to throw up. “Y-you’re early.” She stuttered.
Hitch stepped forward and threw her arms around her. “Well some of us, totally not me, were just really excited to see you. Also I think Sasha was going to eat your present if we didn’t get here quick enough.”
Calming the anxiety that pooled in her stomach Annie led Hitch, Sasha, Mikasa, Ymir, Historia and Pieck inside. As she did, Annie sent a text to Eren.
‘How long do I have to keep this up?”
She didn’t have to wait long for a reply.
‘I’ll check up on you and if it gets too much I’ll find a way to get them out.’
With all the strength Annie could muster she made her into the living for her baby shower. When Hitch had found out she was pregnant Annie pleaded with her to reign in some of her more outlandish ideas and after weeks of begging it seemed to have worked. “I didn’t think you’d be the first one to get pregnant.” Ymir hummed as Annie walked in.
“It wasn’t exactly planned. It just happened.”
Ymir snorted. “So I take it you’re having a great time then?”
“Judging by the rings under her eyes I’d say pregnancy is just a little difficult.” Mikasa added.
Historia shook her head. “Don’t be mean. Annie is growing a baby in her. Cut her some slack.”
“Please don’t remind me,” Annie sighed. “I try not to think about it.”
“Why not?” Pieck asked.
“It’s just… weird. Me being a parent. I didn’t think it would happen.”
Pieck laughed. “True I didn’t think it would either but it looks like you won’t be able to ignore it much longer.” She said gesturing to Annie’s swollen abdomen.
A lump formed in Annie’s throat.
“At least you have Eren with you,” Mikasa shrugged. “Knowing him he’ll be doting on you… more than usual.”
Annie smiled. “He’s been amazing. He’s so excited I think he’s sleeping as much as I am. I wouldn’t be able to do this without him.”
As Annie talked with Hitch and the others Mikasa’s eyes darted to the door. Standing up she excused herself before leaving and with crossed arms leant against the doorframe in the corridor. “Eavesdropping now?”
Eren rubbed the back of his head. “I was curious, I’ve never been to a baby shower before.”
“You’re not missing out on much,” She shrugged. “How are you coping?”
“I’m fine.”
Mikasa narrowed her eyes.
“Okay, okay. I’m tired, excited, worried and just really tired.”
From inside they heard Sasha presenting an apple pie Nicolo made.
“I didn’t think Annie would have a baby shower. Too many people.”
Eren laughed. “Yeah but we couldn’t hide it forever.”
“Were you ever going to tell me or did I have to have Hitch tell me?”
Feeling his heart sink Eren sighed. “I’m sorry. We only wanted to tell people when Annie was ready.”
Mikasa offered him a warm smile. “Well if you ever need a babysitter I’ll let in on a secret. Pieck and Ymir are really eager.”
“Ymir!?” Eren echoed.
“Bertholdt and Pieck want to have kids so I’m sure they want some practise but Ymir just really loves babies, but don’t let her know you know or your kid will grow up without a dad.”
Blinking back his confusion Eren nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good, now I gotta get back in there before Hitch starts coming up with names.”
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“Let’s go over this again,” Eren said as he examined the large duffle bag. “Spare clothes, towels, toothbrush, slippers, pillow… anything else?”
Annie looked at the bag and felt her chest tighten. “I-is this all really needed?”
“The book said to pack a lot of things so that’s what we’re going to do.”
Annie bit her lip. “I’m not ready for this.”
Putting the bag down Eren came to her side. “I know it doesn’t feel like it but I know you are.”
“It just feels really real now.” Annie scoffed.
“And it hasn’t for the past seven months?” Eren laughed as he took her in his arms. “Just think, it won’t be long before we can finally spar again.”
Annie let herself relax in Eren’s embrace. “I’m really looking forward to beating you again.”
“That’s more like it.”
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Eren winced as Annie gripped his hand with all her strength. “Save some energy for pushing Ann.” He chuckled dryly.
Between her accelerating contractions Annie looked up at Eren from the hospital bed. “You make one more joke and I’ll throw you out the window.”
“I’d believe her if I were you,” The midwife laughed.
Minutes turned into hours as Annie’s cries echoed through the ward but Eren never left her side, never let go of her hand. “When this is all over you’ve got to tell me how you’re so strong?” Eren’s was choked up.
Annie rolled her eyes. “Because for the past nine months you’ve been telling me that I can do this now I’ve started to believe you and in myself.”
With tears welling up in his eyes Eren scoffed. “You’re amazing Ann, you’re doing amazing.”
“Would now be a good time to think of baby names?” Annie asked.
“You want to do that now?” Eren gawked. “I mean you’re doing all the work, maybe you should choose.”
“How about Jean?” Annie laughed.
“So you’re allowed to make jokes?”
Annie screamed with the contractions. “I’m allowed. I’m giving birth. How about Gabi for a girl, Falco for a boy?”
“Yeah,” Eren nodded. “I like those names now hurry so we can meet them.”
It was barely an hour later when Eren finally held his daughter in his arms. He stood speechless looking down at his child with tears now freely streaming down his cheeks. “You did it Ann, you really did it.”
With a heaving chest Annie lay back in the bed. “H-how is she?”
Doing his best to steady his voice Eren cleared his throat. “She’s amazing, and loud,” He scoffed over Gabi’s wailing. “Do you want to hold her?”
“Am I ready?”
Eren nodded. “I think you already know the answer.”
Gingerly Annie reached out as Eren passed the screaming baby to her. Annie could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she wrapped Gabi in her arms. “So you’re the little monster that’s been causing me so much trouble. It’s nice to meet you at last.”
Prompt for day six of Ereannieweek2020! Hope y’all enjoy! This might have a second part if enough people like it.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Annie, a young goat satyr, finds her territory invaded by a young wolf going all on his own. One headbutt later, he is head over heels- figuratively and literally -over her.
Her hoofs clicked over the rocks and soil, ears shifting as she followed the intruding noises carried by the winds. Snarling, soft steps, swishing of a tail, she listed down in her head, jumping down from ledge to ledge with swift, precise steps.
Something had entered her territory, someone. From the earthly musk she picked up, it became clear whoever it was came from the forest not far from her ground. Peeking from above a rock
If I didn’t know any better, I’d think- oh, fuck me. Yes, she was seeing right. A little less than twenty feet below her, a young hunter with claws and teeth as sharp as they could be. His fur and his hair dark, thick and long, fit for a hunter of the night, or so she assumed by his various battle scars.
She adjusted her top, calm as her fingers moved the blonde locks away from her face. Careful steps taken as to not alert him, she made her way down and around the mountainside until he was closer, and she was very, very close.
He was taller than she originally thought, so she stood with her head high and her chest out. The clinking of her iron weave necklace made his ears turn back. He glanced around and tilted his head, confused as to why he didn’t see anyone, until a soft ahem! came from under his sight.
‘‘Wolf,’’ her eyes tracked up to his, but her words got lost for a second, last she expected was to meet with a green pair more gorgeous than any emerald she had ever encountered. ‘‘you… seem to not know where you are, why don’t you take a guess?’’
He was calm, no expression or emotion. Easily he towered over her and yet, he could read no fear in her. ‘‘I believe to be in the Gempeak or nearing it, since I stopped to talk to you.’’
‘‘Not the full answer, however.’’ She corrected, take a step back, then another.
‘‘Is that so?’’ His hand reached to move his hair back, a little display of power wolves are known for as it displayed their muscles, but, with a terrible timing this once. He created an opening for her.
‘‘You are,’’ she paused as her stance lowered, lining head with his stomach and drawing her foot on the ground. ‘‘in my territory.’’
‘‘W-Wai hold on a- ahhh!’’ Her horns and head struck right in the center of his body, draining him of almost all air, having butted him off the road and hoping he’d keep going that way down the cliff.
She snorted and puffed, pale blue eyes moving down with remnant anger as her back turned from the scene. Her fists were clenched and so was her jaw, trying to shake the feeling off so she could go back to her daily routine.
Then she heard his claws digging. She turned around and he was there.
He did not fall; he latched onto a ledge and had quickly made his way up again.
With his breaths turned into panting and his muscles tensed, the wolf struggled to get up for a second, a hand resting on his abdomen. ‘‘That- phew! -was quite the hit…’’ His fangs bared on his smile; a heavy gulp went down her throat, ready to go at him once more.
‘‘You are downright wonderful.’’
Until that.
‘‘W-What?’’ she understood everything he said, loud and clear, but he caught her with her guard down in every emotional sense. Her cheeks flushed pink and her ears lowered as much as they could.
‘‘I’ve never seen anyone take me down so easily, that ledge? Pure luck.’’ His whole body language shifted; he wasn’t trying to intimidate her anymore, not in the slightest.
‘‘Huh...?’‘
‘‘I didn’t expect that headbutting at all though I should’ve, you’re a satyr!... And a very beautiful one, what’s your name?’’
Is he flirting?! She glanced around, unsure if he was leaning because of the pain, or because he was getting a better look at her.
‘‘I’m Annie, wolf.’’
‘‘And I’m not wolf, I’m Eren.’’
He took her hand into his, the great contrast of his dangerous claws and killer hands holding it ever so gently. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t like it, that big strong wolf named Eren, bowing to kiss her hand.
A minuscule smile crossed her, and it quickly faded when she took her hand away. ‘‘Get up, Eren. I don’t want you bending down for me.’’
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So, it had begun. Annie had found her way mingling with him, someone she shouldn’t be, someone that would’ve killed her if his appetite had asked first. And he was there with her almost every day, someone that could pummel him against a wall at the slightest threat or danger he could pose, or if her instincts believed so.
But there they were, under the shadow of the trees and among the flowers and bugs that- thankfully -were not crawling on their skin.
His lips trailed the skin of her neck, tender and careful with his fangs. ‘‘How long has it been?’’
‘‘Weeks,’’ Annie replied, blonde locks moved away from her neck by his hand. Her flesh, soft and exposed, Eren couldn’t hold back from placing dozens of kisses on it. ‘‘have you told your pack yet?’’
She felt his grip around her waist turn strong; his fingers soon wrapped around her wrists and pinned her to the ground. ‘‘Not my pack, just my two closest.’’
‘‘That beta Armin and the fox, Mikasa, right?’’ She looked away from him, clutching her fist. ‘‘So, am I your secret now?’’ Her body struggled under his, heart racing in her chest as his lips came closer.
‘‘I don’t want secrets either, but if my packs finds out-’’
‘‘I don’t care about your pack,’’ if she could, she’d be growling. Her eyebrows furrowed in her fair face. ‘‘you said you wanted to claim me and that I’d claim you- Mmf!’’
His fangs dug into her exposed shoulder, not with the intent to hurt her, but it did send the blood rushing to her face and her nails claw his back with the blissful pain. ‘‘What d-did you do…?’’
‘‘I marked you…’’ Annie saw him hesitate; his cheeks just as colored as hers. His head tilted away, his claws picking his hair and moving it away. ‘‘Now you do the same.’’
‘‘How?’’ She didn’t have the claws or the fangs he had. She glanced at her curved horns, and, carefully, used the ends to give him a ridged mark.
His body shivered at the sudden ache. A guttural snarl rose out of him, he whined in the slightest against her ear. ‘‘Y-Yeah, that’ll do.’’ His tongue licked where he bit, calming her pain pondering if she had it still. ‘‘This way, they’ll know without me having to tell them and-’’
‘‘And if anyone sees me, they’ll know too.’’
‘‘Yeah…’’ His licks turned into kisses, on her shoulder and her neck, as she felt him tug his knife-holder belt.
‘‘Eren?’’
He found no need to respond, rather easing into her as they met in a deep kiss. The same that steals your breath and yet you don’t want it to end. The same that left him with his head in the clouds and yet not wanting to ever leave from being on top of her, besides her or below her, no matter the way he was caught in her kiss, it was all worth the same.
She buried herself in his hold, caressing his shoulders, down to his biceps and holding onto his forearms. She pushed, gently to clarify, her forehead against his; her blush betrayed her attempts to conceal how much she adored him then, and every day.
‘‘Is that affection you’re showing?’’ His question was accompanied by a smirk, and a wag of his tail.
‘‘Quiet, Eren, or I’m headbutting you into that tree.’’
Her threat made him laugh and he drowned and quieted her with more of his kisses.
You’d think being in quraentine would give you plenty of time to write but alas I was wrong. Either way, enjoy day one!
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Birthday/Celebration
“What do you mean you have no idea? It’s tomorrow!” Ymir scoffed. “How does this happen every year?”
Annie swallowed the anger and embarrassment that rose in her throat and sighed heavily. “I’m asking for your help, if you’re gonna be an ass I’ll go ask someone else.”
Ymir leant back in her chair and threw her arms up. “Okay, okay. Since you asked so nicely. So. What did you have in mind?”
“Nothing,” Annie groaned. “That’s the problem.”
Resting her head on her hands Ymir hummed loudly. “Couldn’t go wrong with dinner, a movie and some drinks.” She shrugged.
“It’s not exactly a good birthday present is it.”
Ymir furrowed her brow. “I thought it was your anniversary.”
“It’s both. We got together on his birthday.”
“So it’s doubly important.”
Annie nodded. “So I want to make it… special.”
“Special or special?”
Blood rushed to Annie’s cheeks. “S-special I guess.”
“You’re not giving me a lot to work with.” Ymir sighed. “If it were Historia I’d walk up to her, pick her up and-”
Cutting her off Annie got to her feet. “I get it.”
“Just saying, some people like it when the other one takes charge.”
“That’s what you get for going to Ymir for advice.” Jean said as he cleaned the counter of his bar.
Annie let her head fall on the counter. “I just thought since she always does those big romantic gestures for Historia she might have some ideas.”
Jean shrugged. “She probably wants to keep those ideas secret. Besides you don’t need to do anything big like that. Eren’s head over heels for you.”
“I just don’t want him to think I don’t care or whatever. I want to do something nice, something really nice.”
“Knowing Eren,” Jean smirked. “He’d be happy spending an entire day sparring with you.” He scoffed. Taking a moment Jean stood to his full height and looked around the bar. “Listen, if it means that much to you then I can close early on a ‘random’ night for ‘maintenance’ or something and give you two some space.”
Picking herself up Annie shook her head. “I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
With crossed arms Jean offered her a warm smile. “The offer’s always there, I know you’re not a massive fan of big parties so this place is all yours if you need it.”
“Why are you being so nice?” Annie asked with narrowed eyes.
“It’s Eren’s birthday,” Jean shrugged. “Consider it me being nice.”
As she gathered her things Annie mirrored Jean’s smile. “Thanks, I’ll make sure not to tell Eren.”
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“So let me get this straight. You want me to plan a special not-party for Eren.” Reiner gawked as he sat down at his kitchen table.
Annie rubbed her eyes. “That’s not what I’m saying. I’m asking for… advice.”
Ignoring his friend Bertholdt cupped his chin. “You have a venue, so to speak, so what did you have in mind.”
“I’m not sure, Ymir usually does these big gestures but that isn’t me.”
Bertholdt smiled. “How many years have you two been together now. Five years?” Annie nodded. “I think this is a good opportunity to have a talk.”
“A talk? Are you pregnant?” Reiner interrupted.
Doing their best to ignore him, Bertholdt and Annie sighed. “I’m talking about your future together.”
“F-future? We already live together.”
“I’m thinking a little more in the future.”
Reiner groaned. “Are you talking about kids or not?”
“I’m talking about marriage!” Bertholdt snapped. “I think you should propose.”
Annie’s cheeks turned a deep red too fast for her to hide the rising blush. “Propose? What are you talking about?”
Reiner hummed. “No, he’s right. You should. It would be a great birthday surprise.”
“We’re not talking about a birthday surprise, we’re talking about marriage.”
Standing tall Reiner grinned. “You’re not saying no.”
Annie looked between her two friends. “Getting married I… I never really thought about it.”
Bertholdt shrugged his shoulders. “Think about it now then. What do you think?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“Do you love him?” Bertholdt asked.
Annie nodded.
“Do you like living with him?”
Annie nodded again.
“Do you want to be with him long term?”
Once again Annie nodded.
“So,” Bertholdt said with a deep chuckle. “Do you want to marry him?”
And Annie nodded.
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Annie stared at the rings in front of her with no idea what she was looking for, she was surrounded by shelves stacked with gold and silver, she was flanked by rows of gemstones to the point where Annie could feel herself getting dizzy. She was silently begging for someone to come and ask her if she needed help.
“Annie? What the hell are you doing here?”
Turning on her heels Annie felt relief immediately flood through her body. “Hitch,” She sighed. “I’m… shopping.”
“For what? You getting married or something?” Hitch snorted.
Annie shrugged. “Maybe.”
Hitch froze in place, as if a bolt of lightning had struck her. All she could muster in response was a stuttered, “W-what?”
“I’m going to propose to Eren.”
“You?”
“Yeah.”
Hitch pushed her hair back. “Like down on one knee and everything?”
“That’s the thing,” Annie shrugged. “I don’t know yet.”
Before answering Hitch pulled out her phone, typed a number and held it to her ear. “Marlow, we’re gonna have to cancel lunch,” She paused. “Something came up, something big.” She paused again. “I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.”
“What are you doing?”
“Dropping everything to help you get married, isn’t that obvious.”
After that Hitch attached herself to Annie, together they scoured each and every ring, band and stone. Annie was worried that she would quickly become overwhelmed and exhausted but Hitch’s seemingly endless supplies of energy and optimism kept them both going.
“See, I think you want to go for a green stone, it’d match his eyes. Then you could get a blue one for you.” Hitch explained.
Annie blinked back her surprise. “You’ve put a lot of thought into this haven’t you?”
“Of course I have! If I plan my best friend’s wedding it’s perfect practise for when I get married. And I want you to have a perfect moment.”
“Thanks, I think.”
Hitch shook her head. “You can thank me by making me the maid of honor and throwing that bouquet my way.” She said with a wink.
The two of them spent what felt like hours going around various stores with Hitch taking the lead while barraging each and every employee with a seemingly endless list of questions. During one of Hitch’s interrogations Annie’s eyes wandered to a shimmering, icy blue stone fixed between two weaving silver bands. Reaching over she grabbed Hitch’s shoulder.
“I think I found it.”
Following her friend's gaze Hitch hummed. “I thought you were going to get him one that would match his eyes.”
Annie shook her head. “I’ll get him one that’ll match my eyes and I’ll have one that’ll match his.”
For a moment Hitch was stunned silent. “That's… actually a really good and romantic idea. Who are you?”
Annie couldn’t stop herself from smiling as she looked back to the topaz stone.
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After buying the rings Annie could suddenly feel the weight of her decision looming over her shoulders with each step. As she walked back to the bar a seed of doubt planted itself in her chest and with each step it grew and spread through her entire body.
“What if this is too much?” She whispered to herself. “I’m just assuming he’ll say yes.”
For a moment she considered returning the rings and calling the whole thing off. As she was about to turn back Annie allowed herself to think of the future, of her future with Eren. When the two of them were together Annie felt like she could do anything, her insecurities and worries vanished in his warmth and confidence. As hope swelled in her heart Annie took a deep breath and reached for her phone.
“Eren, are you busy tomorrow night?” She asked with all the strength she could muster.
“I mean it’s our anniversary so not really.”
Annie rolled her eyes. “And your birthday.”
“Yeah but that’s not as important.”
Eren could hear her smile as she responded. “Either way, be at Jean's bar tomorrow night at seven.”
“Have I done something wrong? Why are you taking me to Jean’s?”
Annie bit her lips as she calmed herself. “Just be there. I’m staying with Hitch tonight. I’ll see you there.”
Once she hung up Annie let out a shaky sigh before making her way to Hitch’s home.
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“So what’s your battle plan?” Hitch asked as she handed Annie a steaming mug of coffee.
After thanking her friend Annie hummed. “I’m not sure, getting down on one knee seems-”
“Cliche, I get it,” Hitch interrupted. “Given your… attitude I’d go for something straightforward and simple.”
Annie narrowed her eyes. “Simple meaning?”
“Take out the ring and ask him to marry you.” Hitch shrugged.
“Very simple then.”
Hitch shrugged. “You gotta think about Eren here as well so yeah. Very simple.”
“Doesn’t sound very romantic.”
“It doesn’t have to be romantic,” Hitch explained. “It just has to be special and that’s different for everyone. If you open up to him then I’m sure he’ll understand what you want.”
Annie sighed. “That sounds difficult.”
“With other people? Sure, you struggle,” Hitch said as she sat next to her friend and rested a hand on her shoulder. “But Eren’s different. Normally I wouldn’t say this to you, but be yourself.”
“Thanks… I think.”
“You’re welcome!”
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The wait outside the bar felt like it would last forever as Annie poorly attempted to calm her shaking hands. She wasn’t sure if it was the cold, nervousness or excitement but Annie knew she was ready.
“Ann!” Looking down the street Annie watched as Eren ran towards her. “Sorry I’m late.”
Annie offered him a thin smile. “You’re here now,” She said, pulling him down by his collar to kiss his cheek. “Happy birthday.” Taking his hand in hers she led him inside while clutching the rings in her other hand.
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Once inside Annie reminded herself to thank Jean once she got the chance. The place was completely empty, the normally bright lights were dark, replaced by a series of candles that spanned the length of the bar and around each table.
“I… like what Jean has done with the place but don’t tell him I said that.”
Annie giggled. “Don’t worry, he’ll never know.” She said, taking him to the bar and sitting down.
“So what are we doing here?” Eren asked as he sat next to her.
Still holding his hand Annie took a deep breath “I wanted to go somewhere quiet. Somewhere we could talk.”
“Talk about what?”
“Our future.”
Annie felt Eren go tense. “Good future or bad future?”
“Good, I hope.”
Eren sighed. “Okay, since it’s my birthday could you be a little more clear, you had, or still, have me kinda worried.”
“I’ve been talking to everyone,” Annie explained. “I was wondering what to get you for your birthday and our anniversary. I wanted it to be special. Ymir said I should take charge, Bertholdt and Reiner helped me figure it out, Hitch helped me plan it out and Jean gave me a venue. They all helped me figure it out.”
“Figure what out?”
“What I want. From you, from this relationship,” Annie said as she reached for the ring. “I want to marry you,” Once again Eren tensed up, as if his blood and frozen in his veins. He remained still as Annie revealed the shimmering blue stone and woven metal band. “Are you going to say anything or have you finally run out of things to say?” Annie asked with a nervous laugh.
Eren swallowed the lump in his throat. “You asked first?”
Annie nodded. “Yeah, like I said everyone helped me figure it out.”
“I guess I should thank them.” Eren said, his eyes still fixed on the ring.
“Even Jean?”
Eren’s eyes widened. “Yeah,” He sighed. “Even Jean.”
“You know you still haven’t technically answered.”
With shaking hands Eren held out his hand as Annie put the ring on his finger. “Is that a good enough answer?”
Annie felt her heart swell as she nodded. “Although I have one last question.”
“Anything?”
Annie laughed. “Are you okay with Hitch planning our wedding?”
