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-
Annie knows that, objectively, she is not bad-looking. The color of her eyes is not a common kind of blue, it's cold, icy, sometimes shining in silver. Her hair is a pale shade of blonde and straight, easy to keep. Her shoulder-length locks frame her expression, with crispy bangs covering her right eye. The shape of her face is overall sharp, from the lines of her jaw to her set eyebrows, which gives her a stern and indifferent appearance. Her nose is fairly common in Marley, yet not so much in Paradis so it kind of makes her stand out for better or worse.
Even though she is on the short end of the height spectrum, her body is strong and has well-defined muscle. After years of training, the lines of her arms and legs bulge with her every move. She might not be a titan shifter anymore but habits remain and all her life she's known nothing but strict training and discipline. And yet, with all the build of her physique her chest is still supple, her hips round.
Annie would not go as far as to describe herself as pretty, but she knows she is not hard on the eyes either. That being said, it certainly does not mean she wants to bring attention to herself.
Of course, Hitch being Hitch, she differs.
"No"
"Annieeee."
"No."
Hitch pouts and uses big puppy eyes, hazel shining in the orange sun rays of the afternoon. "Come on, you promised!"
"When did I promise this? I'm absolutely sure I never agreed to this." Annie’s face is unable to disguise the deadpan blossoming from Hitch's antiques.
"You said you would do whatever I wanted for my birthday!"
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Annie sighs. Why is she friends with Hitch again? "Hitch, I asked you for an idea of what the hell to give you for your birthday."
"It's the same thing."
"No. Me agreeing to buy you whatever you wanted, within reason , is one thing. Having you play doll with me is off-limits."
The baby blue fabric in Hitch's hands mocks Annie, the velvety finish of it delicate and smooth. The other woman swings the flowy dress side to side and Annie wonders what's Hitch even thinking. There is this problematic, wicked smile adorning Hitch's pink lips and it’s probably scarier than most of the stuff Annie has fought in her life.
And that includes hundreds of titans and the whole Survey Corps.
"It's not playing doll!" Pursing her lips, Hitch steps closer to Annie and instinctively, Annie takes a step back, "You would look so good with this at my party!"
"Who says I am going to your birthday party?"
Hitch's jaw falls open and she looks so stricken that Annie might have as well slapped her, "Annie Leonhardt, that's breaking the best friend agreement!"
"Are we best friends?"
"You are awful. To think I kept your ass accompanied for years."
The pang of guilt slams her hard, mainly because it is true. For whatever reason Hitch never left her alone, even knowing everything Annie had done. So, Annie does what she does best, and scowls at the other woman, "It's unfair you pull that card."
"Best games are played dirty." Smug and sultry, the former Military Police soldier winks at Annie before poking her tongue out.
It makes Annie fidget, "That sounds wrong in so many different ways."
Popping her lips, Hitch smiles again and somehow it’s even more menacing this time. The dress gets shoved into Annie’s face, the blonde swatting it away. "There is one simple thing you can do for me to leave you alone."
Annie stares at Hitch, hard. The seconds tick infinitely slow and the awaited surprise this is an awful joke! never comes. "You can't be serious."
"Dead serious. You don't even have to buy the dress, I'll give it to you!"
"Aren't you the one that should be getting gifts? Why do you want me to wear that?"
With the usual confidence Hitch exudes, she saunters toward Annie, dress in her hand. With her free one, she grabs Annie’s and places it over the fabric. “Because someone needs to give those hoodies of yours some rest. And, it could be a nice surprise for everyone! That'll cheer some spirits up. Jean, Connie, Pieck, Reiner, Armin… and Mikasa… might enjoy seeing you in a different light.”
-
“I'm home.”
“Hey.”
The thing is Annie doesn’t remember exactly how it happened. It was almost two years after the war, the titans and Marley's fall that Annie decided to pick herself back together somehow. Her wounds healed yet her mind was in shambles, she desperately needed something to do with herself.
Those part of the Alliance found a place to live and hide near the ruins of Shiganshina. Small towns started to appear outside the walls and it was the perfect opportunity for them to disappear. They might have saved the world, but the world thought otherwise. For some, they were heroes, for some they were the remnants of monsters and demons that took part in a major catastrophe. Thanks to Historia, they could nurse their pain far away from prying eyes, living as nobodies in an unknown town.
Settling and blending in, life kind of moved on. The shifters were not shifters anymore, there was no fight to be fought, no next mission. Freedom as to what to do is bestowed upon them. Some decided to stay in touch with politics, Armin and Jean writing to Historia as often as possible trying to help to restore whatever peace that could be reached. Others, like Reiner and Pieck, went for a quieter approach. After all, they were no longer warriors and Falco and Gabi were their responsibility now.
Annie bounced. Everywhere. Wounds are not only physical, her mind paying consequences after her doings after her time cased away. Restlessness never stopped, insomnia plagued her and her anxiety exploded if she didn’t channel it into something.
Mikasa sympathized with it. She was living the same.
“I want to build a cabin, just outside the city.” The words were blurted out from the Ackerman’s lip, late at night, one of the many they spent side by side after beating the crap out of the other sparring.
It took a long minute for Mikasa to start coming back to herself and to her friends. Being so close to the town she called home in her childhood, close to the place Armin and her chose to put the memory of Eren to rest, it all crashed inside. For months she hid inside walls where nobody could see her, where nobody could reach her. Yet time was merciful and slowly her strength returned, bit by bit.
There was no more animosity between Mikasa and Annie, and the resentment about what they did to each other could be tamed away by remembering what they lost. They understood what it was like, to have their mind broken and their spirit cracked. What it was like to lose the most important person in their life.
The Ackerman was the first to reach Annie to keep their minds occupied with what they knew best how to do, what they had been created for. In their daily sparring, friendship could be found in hopeless places and even though shaky at first, that relation was there.
“What does Armin think of that?” The throb on Annie’s shoulder was starting to subdue, so she rotated it to assess if it was still in place.
“Armin wants to stay in the city.” Mikasa was flat on her back, hands folded over her chest, eyes locked into the nocturn sky, “It’s not far, so I can always walk to visit him and he could go over. He thinks it might be good for me.”
“It’s not a bad plan. Are you going to build it by yourself?”
“I have nothing better to do these days.”
“Need a hand?” Blue eyes found gray ones flickering to them, Mikasa sitting up to watch the blonde closely as if to assess if she was serious. Shrugging, Annie averted her eyes, “I have nothing better to do either.”
It took months and the help of the others from time to time. But slowly, the cabin gained form before their eyes. It reminded Annie a bit of the one his father had in the woods of the Interment Zone, the one she spent a part of her life in. Probably it had the same effect on Mikasa.
“Move in with me.” Was the first thing Mikasa said to her when they were finished.
“Okay.”
Eventually, then, the cabin in the woods became home. Annie hated cleaning and Mikasa disliked cooking, so they made it work. Mikasa would chop wood for the fireplace and Annie handled small repairs here and there. Their shaky friendship turned into companionship and after a while, it was rare to see Annie without Mikasa or vice-versa. Their friends would visit and they’d have dinner together and when they left, Mikasa and Annie remained in the same space, comfortable with each other. Surprisingly enough, it wasn’t difficult.
Without realizing it, small smiles returned to Mikasa’s lips and Annie’s nightmares could be reigned in with the other woman around. Talking about trivial stuff, sharing memories and pain, simply enjoying sitting quietly one next to the other were everyday occurrences. The first time Mikasa made Annie chuckle, the younger woman was so flabbergasted she dropped a flower vase she had just bought. Annie had a first heart attack the day Mikasa decided to curl up with her while reading during a snowy afternoon in the winter.
And that’s what Annie doesn’t remember when and how it happened: exactly when and how she started to fall for Mikasa Ackerman.
The raven-haired woman set the book in her hand down, placing it on the small tea table by the fireplace. Her usual smile at Annie’s return to their home greets the blonde, twisting something inside her chest, “I was wondering when you were going to be back. How did it go with Hitch?
“It's Hitch, you can imagine.”
Mikasa bit her lower lip, almost unnoticeable, standing up and giving her back to Annie as she walked to the kitchen, “Not really, we are not that close. What did you guys do?”
Without much thought, Annie follows her. She should get started on dinner, anyway. “Me, suffer. Hitch, laugh.”
“What did you get her?” Something is off in the way Mikasa tries to sound nonchalant and pointedly avoids finding Annie’s gaze. However, her question reminds Annie of the whole ordeal with the dress and how it was basically the curiosity as to what Mikasa would think of her in something so different that tricked her into accepting Hitch’s stupid idea. Heat creeps into her cheeks and that’s the moment Mikasa decides to face her. Her eyes widen at the reaction, “Oh. So you got her something special?
“What?” The question finds Annie unprepared for it and she can only cock her head.
Tucking a strand of short hair behind her ear, Mikasa reaches for a pot and hands it to Annie, “Nothing. It's late, come on, I’ll help you cook.”
-
Hitch Dreyse decided the Military was no longer of her interest when it took a hard right after the war. If Hitch disliked it before everything, the new posture it took was off boundaries for her. So when Annie told her she would be leaving to live outside Paradis, she packed her bags and went along.
That meant, again, that Hitch found her way around her new life with the ease of someone as charming as her. Annie still didn’t understand who lent the town’s dance hall to host Hitch's birthday party. Nor did she know Hitch had so many acquaintances in town. Music and the sound of chit-chat came from inside the building the awaited night and Annie stood outside the back door, absolutely petrified.
“I don't want to go in.”
“What?”
“I won't go in. This is a terrible idea.” Her hands anxiously tug the skirt of the dress, to then play with the sleeves of the cardigan she threw over her as it was just too much to have her arms not covered.
Why had she let herself do this? What’s wrong with her? The cold air hitting her legs makes her shiver and the shoes are uncomfortable. Even when she tried to argue against them, Hitch talked her into using flats, as boots would clash with the clothes. Being self-conscious enough as it was, Annie panicked and went with what Hitch said.
After years of knowing Hitch, she really should know better.
“Annie, don't be shy.” Hazel orbs square on her the moment Hitch stopped checking her makeup on the mirror, an slightly worried moue reaching her. The compact disappears inside of Hitch's cleavage and the blonde is mortified.
Planting her feet, Annie decides this is more of a flight than fight situation, “Let me go change.”
“No!”
Or maybe she’ll have to fight and knock Hitch out to run away, “You can't tell me what to do.”
“It's my birthday! So I can!”
“Hitch, please, this clothing is too weird for me.” The word please is alien in her mouth but it’s not beyond her to shut up her ego and do what’s needed to survive. With all certainty she is going to die if anyone else sees her like this.
“Annie Leonhardt saying please, that's a first.”
“I'll say please again if I can get the hell out of here.”
“Let me think about it…” Hitch makes a show of placing her index over her lips, tapping on them while she thinks. Hips cocked to the side, the apricot, off-shoulder dress on her fits her fine. It’s a hundred percent Hitch. Annie feels zero percent Annie Leonhardt. But being at the mercy of Hitch never worked on her end, “Noup!”
Not even years of training brace Annie to avoid being wrench inside the building by the door, Hitch having her hand in a vice grip the blonde may not have given her any credit for, “Hitch!”
Stumbling inside, they survey the people in the hall. Most of them are unknown faces to Annie, probably people she should recognize from markets or the like. Sadly, they don’t stay around strangers for long because Hitch gasps excitedly, yanks Annie's hand and speeds to the other side of the room.
“Hey guys!”
Oh no.
Three pairs of eyes gawk at her and Annie wills herself to be swallowed by the ground right there and then. Hitch has a horrible and cheeky twinkle in her eyes as she places both her hands on Annie’s shoulders and exhibits her as if she was a marionette. Some unbearable flush creeps from her ears all the way to her neck as Armin, Reiner and Mikasa are simply speechless.
Always the first to come up with how to handle a situation, Armin grins in that gentle way only he can muster in such a ridiculous situation, "You look very pretty, Annie."
Hitch squeals, pleased, "Doesn't she look gorgeous? I’m proud of my handy work.”
Tucking some strands of hair behind her ear, Annie sets her gaze on the floor. The dress, the shoes, her hair down and the smallest amount of makeup known to humankind has her on edge. Visiting Hitch in advance before the party, the other woman had a blast while getting her ready. That little liar had played doll with her.
She’s brought back out of herself at Hitch’s voice, “…Reiner you look at a loss of words”.
The man is blinking fast, as if trying to prove himself this was a dream, "Well, I've known Annie for almost 20 years now, and not once have I thought it would come the day I'd see Ann in a dress." His hand reaches back, scratching his nape while narrowing his eyes, "Of course, you don't look half bad. It was a given you'd look good, you have a fine as-"
"You so much as say something else and I'll knock your teeth out." Annie's blood pressure is probably spiking through the roof and there is so much she can take before this turns violent.
However, Reiner smiles brightly, eyebrows hitting his hairline, "There's our Ann."
Before she can open her mouth again, an arm curls over her bicep, hugging it, having Hitch flushed against Annie's side, "Say, Mikasa, what do you think?"
It should have probably been a good idea to give Mikasa a heads up about this whole thing. Annie had fled their home without much explanation, only calling over her shoulder she would see her at the party when Mikasa asked if they were heading out together. A myriad of emotions flash on gray eyes and Mikasa seems caught like a deer in headlights as everybody turns and waits for her to say something. Her attention flickers from Hitch's tight grasp over the blonde to the woman herself and Annie feels like squirming in place at the subtle blush dusting Mikasa's cheeks. Is she imagining things?
With far less grace than what people expect of her, Mikasa stumbles on her words, "You do look pret-".
"Wooo! Annie, rocking the new clothes!" Connie joins the group interrupting the Ackerman mid-sentence, mouth drawing a huge grin, fist-bumping the air. He seems genuinely happy and excited and Annie has half the mind to punch him square in the nose to change his mood.
"Huh? Annie?" Jean trails not far after, perplexed at what he is seeing. This is the reaction appreciated the most because nobody here should be happy about this, "What did Hitch make you do?"
Hitch only winks over her shoulder towards him, and Jean grimaces, worried.
Another set of hands find Annie's other side, and Pieck's mirthful expression might be just as bad as Hitch's, "Back in Marley I used to tease her all the time about her being lovely. And I was right all along," With a tired, cheeky grin, Pieck pokes Annie at her jaw, "you look lovely tonight."
That's it. Annie shakes both women off her, smacking Pieck away, "Shut up, Pieck."
Try as she might to make herself smaller and disappear, it is to no avail. Her friends openly start talking and reach out to include her in the conversation but Annie just wishes none of them were paying any mind to her. A fire burns her neck and glancing up, she finds Mikasa equally as quiet, her entire attention on Annie. Not even Armin manages to break her focus and Annie fidgets in place, not sure of what to do with that.
The party follows its course and people start spreading around. There is music and food and overall the ambiance is gleeful. Connie is in the middle of the place, twirling Gabi to the beat of the music. Pieck is dragging Jean next to them, Jean searching for help on Reiner who apologizes showing his palms to the other man. Hitch has abandoned them, visiting some of the guests, which left Annie alone with Mikasa and Armin.
A free bench near the food is a strategic location to have access to snacks and remain far off the people dancing. Annie, however, feels trapped sitting by Armin, on the opposite side Mikasa is. The blond man babbles, his persona filling the quietness of Mikasa's tendency to sit back and listen, a quality she shares with Annie. Yet, Annie is aware that every few seconds Mikasa stops listening to Armin as she regards her.
Beyond her attempt earlier, Mikasa has not said a word directly to Annie and it’s both a blessing and a curse. For one, Annie is not sure what Mikasa could say about this or if she wants to hear it. On the other hand, Mikasa is someone Annie depends on a little too much to survive social situations just like this one.
The twentieth time gray eyes zero on her, Annie decides she needs something to drink. Standing up, she doesn’t bother to excuse herself before beelining to the bottles of wine at the edge of the table.
“You look like a fish out of water.”
“Reiner, if you value your life, do not piss me off.”
“You're already pissed off, you always have been. So, mind telling me about this change of heart and fashion?”
Annie decides to stall answering, hiding behind the rim of her cup. Taking a huge swig of her drink, she’s aware of Reiner’s patient stance, “Hitch brainwashed me.”
“That is fairly obvious, but why?”
“She was driving me crazy saying this is what she wanted for her birthday until I conceded.”
“Annie Leonhardt conceded?”
“Would not be the first time.” To his credit, Reiner only nods in silence.
Both go back to their drinks, Annie finishing hers off probably way too quickly. Getting drunk is not the best idea, but it’s also not the worst so her cup is filled up again, and downed without even flinching.
“What did Mikasa say about this?”
At the question, Annie repeats her action before responding, “I didn’t… tell her.”
“Huh? You should’ve. Mainly if Hitch was behind all of it."
Reiner frowns as if it was a given that was the right thing to do. Of course, Annie doesn't have the first clue about his insistence, “Why should I have…”
“Annie! So, what do you think, enjoying yourself so far? You should be dancing! It's a party!" Arms tickling her sides from behind, Hitch pokes her head over Annie's shoulder, taking advantage of the extra inches she has over the blonde. Her hands play catch against Annie's, who's trying to free herself from her octopus grasp. Reiner is of no use, shifting unsure about what to do. "Come with me, I chose the next song-”
“Sorry, can I cut in?”
Earth moves drastically to the side, threatening Annie to trip over when someone dashes and pushes her out of Hitch's arms and away from the others. Feet fumbling on uncomfortable shoes, she is stopped by hands that spin her in place, meeting Mikasa face to face. “What the fuck?
“Dance with me.”
Annie is absolutely sure she is hallucinating by now, as there is no way Mikasa Ackerman had just asked her that, “What?"
“Dance with me.”
Gray eyes flash with stubbornness not unusual for the woman. Meaning she is being serious about this, “Did you just ask me to dance with you?”
With a curt nod, Mikasa worries her lip, “Yes.”
“Why do you want me to dance with you?”
“Because.” Spending so much time together works against both of them, Annie reading in Mikasa’s strained expression this is not something just because. A pale brow hikes up, Annie’s unimpressed gaze taunting Mikasa to speak up. The other woman holds her silence until Annie crosses her arms under her chest. “Hitch was going to take you out to dance.”
“So?”
“I didn't want that.”
That stupid twist in her gut appears again and Annie fights to not let it show in her voice, “Why?”
“Because it was Hitch.”
“You don't like Hitch?”
Mikasa ducks her face, hiding behind her bangs, “Not when she is all over you.”
“What does that even mean?”
After a mute minute, Mikasa sighs deeply, “Forget it. Just come with me?”
Annie figures out too late that her right hand has two fingers hooked into Mikasa’s left one. That hideous warmth invades her face one more time and she wonders if there is any way for her to leave this night with some dignity left.
She weighs her options: Mikasa never asked for anything, not for herself. Not in all the time they've been on better terms. So Annie’s natural response was to agree, in virtue of her being a hopeless idiot, but, “I don't know how to dance.”
The Ackerman’s expression shifts in an instant, a mix of curiosity retouched with the sympathy she sported getting to know the differences among their stories, “Have you ever?”
“Never in my life.” Neither her father nor the Military in Marley ever gave her space or chance to. Paradis in her youth or after the war found things of the like unfathomable. Celebrations were not common in Annie's twenty-something years so no, she hasn’t. Ever.
Not what Annie would expect Mikasa to do, the taller woman flashes her a small smile, “It's not hard.”
Music played live marks the beat Mikasa walks backward, her hand still holding Annie’s and towing her behind. The spot they occupy near the center is not crowded, and when Mikasa is sure Annie won't flee she drops her hand.
At the exact same moment, she blinks confused and freezes.
Annie waits.
And waits.
Yet Mikasa only stares at her with big, unfocused eyes, wide and abashed and the blond is simply starting to lose her cool, “Mikasa, I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure you have to take my hand.”
This kind of drags Mikasa back to this plane of existence, and she mouths silent words before voicing one, “Right.”
Once more, her left hand finds Annie’s right, and she steps to be directly in front of Annie. Their height difference forces Mikasa to gaze down, and being under such scrutiny Annie prays she’s not turning scarlet.
Mikasa is barely breathing, even less daring to do a single move. Grinding her teeth, Annie reaches over and takes Mikasa’s right hand, shoving it over her waist and valiantly fighting her urge to run away, “And your other hand goes here.”
Half choking, half gulping, Mikasa bobs her head up and down, “Yes."
With all her might, Annie nibs at the inside of her cheek while placing her own hand over Mikasa's shoulder, “And then?”
“Then what?”
“What are we supposed to do?”
It dawns on Mikasa all at once, it seems, that she has Annie less than arm's length from her. Her hand, poised on the other woman’s waist, snakes all the way to the small of her back, a firm and steady hold on it. She studies the way they are near together and Annie is three seconds away from passing out. Luckily, Mikasa comes to, “Follow my steps.”
With that, her foot glides forward, guiding Annie with her.
The rhythm is fast and festive and whatever people dance here consists in spinning in circles and skipping side to side. The blonde does her best to keep up the pace, the overload of kinetic information a lot to take in, “Don't look down.”
The chastise has Annie looking up, scowling at Mikasa that doesn’t stop while talking, “How the hell am I supposed to follow your steps without looking at your feet?”
Mikasa uses the moment they have their eyes locked to change the step, Annie falling into place with it at the change of balance, “You can perceive the movement in the way I pull and push. It's the exact same as you guessing my next move while training.”
To demonstrate her point again, she changes speeds and Annie is able to follow, surprising herself. By the fourth time the Ackerman varies their movements, Annie starts to get the hang of it by herself. More and more folk gather on the dancing circle, the routines higher in complexity.
As if it was rehearsed, some of the pairings start changing partners, following a choreography they only seem to know in their heads.
“You so much as think of switching partners and I swear you'll be upside down so fast…” There is so much Annie can stand and having to dance with a random stranger, or worse, one of her friends, is truly out of boundaries.
To her surprise, Mikasa drowns soft laughter behind a smirk, “I'd like to see you try. Don't worry, I don't intend to switch partners.”
“So Hitch can’t dance with me?”
Mikasa rolls her eyes, but does not contradict her. Snorting, she shrugs, “That and because this… is fun.”
Fun. Mikasa thinks this is fun. Not even providing a warning, Mikasa's left arm rounds up and right, forcing Annie to spin in place. Before she falls face first, the Ackerman gets a hold of her. And now, she openly laughs.
To Annie's demise, she has to admit it is one of her favorite sounds in the world.
"Plus," this time, when Mikasa goes back into stance, her hand doesn't hesitate to find purchase on Annie's back, "I don't think Hitch could reign you into dancing."
Despite everything, Annie can't avoid the arrogance flowing out of her, "And you can?"
"I'm doing it, am I not?" Annie doesn't let herself be fooled twice and when Mikasa goes to twirl her again, she side steps, changing the momentum, having Mikasa be the one to trip on her feet while spinning. She's perplexed to be caught in her own game, but her eyebrow hikes up, as if this only gave her the reason, "You need someone to keep you on your toes."
The air is a little tense, the way Annie can't escape from being face to face with Mikasa unnerving. Mikasa changes her grip, having Annie stand on the ball of her feet, only for show. Huffing, Annie narrows her eyes, "If that's a height joke…"
She'll give it to Mikasa that at least she bows her head and shakes it sheepishly, "It’s not, cross my heart."
-
Among the multiple happenings Annie can't find a why and how, the fact that she's been circling around the same spot, pacing in time with the strings of a bass and the melody of flutes and guitars has to be in the top three of unresolved questions. Neither can she pinpoint the instant her face started to fight off a smile, the quirk of her lips hushed. But Mikasa beams at it, she knows Annie too much. This is Annie being happy, and they are happy together.
Time is a weird concept and Annie can’t be certain if it has been minutes or hours from the moment Mikasa dragged her to dance. Her ankles protest at the lack of support from the shoes, and her hair gets in her face. Still, this ridiculous situation has her stuck in a loop she encounters impossible to break. Mainly because she doesn’t want to.
Wooden staccato from people moving around reduces its intensity as the bass and melody mellow down to a lazy song. Some use this as a cue to sit down and eat, others join the people in pairs, instead. It could be the little amount of alcohol in her system the responsible of the shift in the ambiance. Probably ought to be related that Mikasa has stopped them altogether.
“This is different. It’s slower.” Annie wants to smack herself at the obvious observation.
“It is.”
“What, um, what’s the difference?”
Mikasa takes her time before she articulates something, as if the situation had her deep in thought, “Well, we can just… sway in place.”
After the more energetic display earlier, this crashes in high contrast. Annie is not completely socially inept. Things like this she’s seen once or twice, of people that liked being together cashing the chance to just be together. Annie might want that, “Do we keep this distance?”
“Usually couples, er- dancing partners, get closer.”
Annie can't blame anything else but herself as her mind and the alcohol inhibition trick her into taking this opportunity. Her hand resting by Mikasa's shoulder brushes all the way to the back of her neck, digits trailing at the base of her skull. Being shorter, it's easy to tuck herself under the other's jaw, barely leaning her head against Mikasa's chest. "Like this?"
Clearing her throat, Mikasa breathes heavily, "Yes."
Once more, the hand by Annie's waist curls tighter, leaving no space between their bodies. No sudden twirls nor moves, they simply shift the balance of them from leg to the other. As most of whatever they do together, this is not bad, not at all. It's quite simple and pleasing, actually, music playing in the background, the fast beat of Mikasa's heart lulling Annie in.
Without meaning to, the blonde finds herself shutting her eyes closed. Like this, it's terrifying how comfortable she feels. Not one to openly seek contact, a part of her is hungry for this kind of touch where Mikasa is concerned.
Her body visibly shakes when she gasps, the crown of her head receiving the full lean of the Ackerman's temple. Her eyes open in one go, the trance she was in breaking, making her aware of the people around them. Reiner and Pieck have matching fond expressions, their gazes the first Annie registers inside the crowd. Not so far off, Jean and Armin talk to each other, eyes set on them.
"People are looking." Her voice is almost an unintelligible mumble, yet the way Mikasa squeezes the hand in hers confirms she heard her.
"Do you mind?" Mikasa sounds calm, genuinely worried about what Annie thinks.
"It's weird."
"Do you want to sit down?"
The choice comes unexpectedly, her comment not really intended for it. The extra attention is certainly not what Annie would prefer. And still, listening to the obnoxious hiss inside her head about being in the spotlight represents breaking this little moment, "...No, it's okay."
Humming in agreement, Mikasa barely whispers, "Just stay with me."
So Annie does.
-
For the most part, Annie has managed to remain calm. The trek home is not long, yet the night is chilly and even though she is not prone to be cold her fucking clothes are an excuse of fabric so she is aching to get to her bed and snuggle under the covers. However, a part of her is completely freaking out at how her hand fits with Mikasa's, who has not freed her fingers basically for the entire night.
Mikasa walks by her side as if it was nothing, as if this was normal. Nonetheless, it doesn't miss Annie how Mikasa has not said anything nor looked at her once from the moment they decided to get out of the party. For all her stoic demeanor, her clammy hand and the tight line of her mouth speak volumes.
The door opens and shuts behind them, finally cocooning them in their home. When they stand in the middle of their living room as idiots, frozen in place, Annie snaps, "Alright, that's it. Tell me what today was really about?"
All the muscles in Mikasa's body tense, "What do you mean?"
"Why, out of all the things possible, did you want to dance with me? In the middle of a room full of people?"
"It was nothing in particular."
Maybe it is hypocritical of her not being the one bending and acknowledging why this makes her mad, but she can't deal with her feelings anymore for today. Turning on her heels, she kicks off her shoes and walks away, heading to her room, "I call bull."
"Hang on, don't go!"
The warm touch on her wrist, Mikasa having reached out and caught her before being left alone, defeats Annie, "You drive me crazy, do you know that?"
With a tiny voice, Mikasa sounds unsure, "Why?"
"Because you do stuff like this as if it was nothing."
"Stuff like this?"
Annie sighs and glances over her shoulder "Whatever this is. You, holding my hand. Basically cradling me the whole night. Inviting me to live with you."
"Annie…"
Fire ignites in the pit of Annie's stomach and her tiredness only has her taking a rash decision, "Don't make me regret this."
"Regret what?"
Mikasa gets her answer in the weight of Annie's lips over hers, in hands yanking her down by the back of her neck. It's been enough, Annie can't do this thing where she pretends this is nothing for her no more. Probably it would be chivalrous to go for a chaste kiss, but Annie has never been delicate. Her tongue prods the other's mouth open and that finally earns her a noncommitted whimper from the back of Mikasa's throat.
"Oh." Mikasa's face is dusted all over in pink when they part, lips slack and met by the tips of her digits. Unfocused eyes return and the overall bashful expression can only be described as cute.
Annie's nerves can't handle the lack of further response, "Oh? Just oh? Fuck this, I'm leaving-"
"Again."
"Huh?"
The way Mikasa's hands trap each side of her face and stills her in place for a better angle to lock lips is way more forward than what Annie would have given Mikasa credit for. She should have imagined it, though, they've always been sides of the same coin. For all of Mikasa's shyness, she is not afraid to go all in.
The shock has Annie stupid, "Did you just kiss me?"
Her fingers returning to hover over her lips, Mikasa blinks while processing it, "You did it first. Why did you?"
There is no way Annie can put into words what she has in mind, "Why do you think? It's painfully obvious."
Gray orbs show knocked down walls as low as Annie has seen them, the vulnerability in Mikasa permeates her voice, "To me, it's not."
In the span of minutes, Annie has kissed Mikasa in three different ways, hoping this is the one that conveys what's inside of her. Never good with words, her palms and lips are wishful in translating everything she has to say.
And if Mikasa’s smile into the kiss means something, it's probably that she understands.
"So, you only like me like this?" Breaking the smooth bubble they are in, Annie goes the only road she knows to clear doubts in her head.
"No, this is nice and all but your normal clothes suit you better."
"You think?"
Thumbing the material of Annie's cardigan, the Ackerman has a twinkle in her that's new, "You are comfortable in hoodies, shirts and pants. I like whatever makes you feel comfortable. I won't say the hair down doesn't look nice though." Hand stretched, pale locks of blonde hair are combed back, long fingers smoothing fly hairs out.
There is no denying it, Annie is probably blushing so hard her skin may never return to its usual pale complexion.
"So this means…"
Cutting to the chase is the reason Annie is considered blunt and this is not meant to sound demanding. What this entails to them is quite a bizarre concept. To put a label to it oversimplifies their context, as they happen to have a lot of history in between.
For what it seems, Mikasa thinks the same, "No idea. But maybe it's not necessarily something to figure out tonight." Leaning down to kiss Annie anew, she hums content. This evolution of their interactions is one hell of an improvement, and one that comes to them all too easily, "We live together, so honestly, there's not much to talk about, we are quite a few steps ahead."
That works for Annie.
They are still standing like idiots in the middle of the living room, so Annie might as well retreat to her room, as it appears that's the right thing to do. Just a minor detail, "Help me take this off, I can't reach the back."
"Here," A sly yet timid grin beams in the Ackerman, as her hands remove the baby blue cardigan off Annie, undoing the buttons Annie can't reach from the back of the dress. Both of Mikasa's palms rest on the naked skin and their warmth has Annie sighing. Which then turns into a groan as Mikasa closes her fists, running nails down Annie's spine, "Wait, how did you put it on in the first place?"
Crap. Who could have guessed Mikasa had a somewhat jealous nature to her? As much as it amuses Annie, it gets her in trouble in the first few moments of their new relationship "...Hitch helped me."
There is a drag of quietude that's obtuse. It ends with Mikasa's hands on her waist, guiding her to turn and meet the other woman halfway into a searing kiss.
Driving her backwards without stopping to breathe, they stagger directly into Annie's room, "You know what? I'll help you take that off you."
Okay, so apparently the right thing to do here is to kick the door closed behind them.
-
"Well?"
“Well what?”
Hitch purses her lips in complete exasperation. The teacup in her hand is placed in the saucer, both of the other girl’s fists supporting Hitch’s face. “Aren't you gonna spill?”
Annie agreed to meet Hitch during the afternoon only under the oath of donuts and sweets. She didn’t mind tea so Hitch chose her favorite tea shop, bringing along a bag of treats. Right now, the treats are translating into bribing, “The hell are you talking about?”
“You disappeared with Mikasa last night.”
Of fucking course this would be Hitch’s angle, “We live together.”
Clicking her tongue, Hitch hikes her brow up, lips curling down, less than impressed at Annie’s come back, “Mikasa was three seconds away from beating the shit out of me every time I went near you, didn't leave your side the whole night after she snatched you away and I caught you holding hands when you left. Nothing escapes me, schnookums.”
Had Hitch thought about it, she could be a good investigator. Or gossip columnist. “Were you watching over me?”
“Of course, I did all that work for something.”
“What work- Wait,” a thought starts formulating inside Annie’s mind, and it’s twisted enough she would not put it past Hitch, “All of that, was on purpose?”
“Bingo. I had to prove a point.”
“Elaborate.”
Finger cradle the teacup handle daintily, the object disguising a Cheshire grin, “Let's just say it was exasperating seeing you two tiptoe around the slowest slow burn in history, and Jean and Armin thought they knew better.”
“I’m afraid to ask what about.”
“They said it was best to leave it alone. I disagreed, Mikasa and you run the same speed and would never take the first step if not prompted.”
The dress, the insistence on taking Annie to the party, Hitch’s clinging to her, “So you were setting me up?”
“It worked, didn't it?”
For all intents and purposes, it did. Sooner rather than later, two rooms will become one to many in the house. Hitch doesn’t need to know that, “You are the weirdest person I know.”
“I'll take that as a compliment.”
“Why did you know all of this?”
As if it was absolutely astounding Annie had to ask, Hitch puffs her chest out, hand over her heart, “I'm invested in you!”
The statement is honest and even when the methods are unorthodox and Annie would appreciate knowing what Hitch has in mind beforehand, she has to say not many people in Annie’s life have cared so much about her well-being, “Thanks, I guess.”
“Did you just say thanks?”
“Don't make me regret it.”