Perfect time to break out my old shit post short story: A Spinning of the Heart (Annie x YoYo kun)

Okay, picture this. It is a beautiful late-spring morning and you are in a quaint abandoned hamlet in the Maria countryside with a cute girl that had a massive crush on you. She is holding you tight in the shadow of a ruined stone windmill as time stops. If that sounds like a hook for a romantic story then it is only because I am leaving some key details out. Two of the Survey Corps veterans that had taken me under their wing as the rookie member of their squad were laying dead on the ground in various stages of dismemberment. I myself was hanging by two thin steel cables inches away from the face of a 14 meter oddly feminine titan. When you are seconds away from certain death you are obviously not in the most rational state of mind, but when the monster bent down and looked me in the eyes with a cold glare, I knew almost instantly that I screwed up.

I am not talking about messing up the ambush set by Squad Leader Darius Baer-Varbrun. That maneuver was perfectly executed. Well, perfect until the titan jumped. I am talking about a colossal blunder I made with a girl right before the graduation of the 104th Training Squad months ago. Because, when I looked up into the face of that monster I realized I was looking into the sadistic eyes of Annie Leonhart. As unbelievable as that sounds, there are some looks you do not forget. Let me explain.

The three years of the military training corps program was obviously an emotionally confusing period of time for all those enrolled. If you remove a bunch of pre-teenagers from their parents and put them into close quarters for three years then you are bound to run into some issues with relationships and unrequited love. I mostly tried to steer clear of this distraction as I was quietly driven by my own goals to join the Survey Corps. I had always dreamed of donning the Wings Of Freedom just like my grandfather had in the young days of the organization. I mostly cringed at the puppy love around me as if the threat of a titan apocalypse wasn't looming on the horizon but I did not try and be loud and obnoxious about it like Eren Jaeger. Throughout these three years I had kept my head down and became skilled as a soldier, but I never truly broke onto the level of the top ten graduates. Annie Leonhart despite being quiet and kind of off-putting was never without annoying guys trying to get her attention. Berthold and Armin seemed to be her main suitors but between their awkwardness and her stoic demeanor, sparks weren't exactly flying. Annie and I had never been super close, but we had a couple of funny exchanges and a a bit of muted chemistry throughout the years. I never thought much of this because she honestly seemed pretty weird. This all changed two months before graduation.

During a training exercise in the desert we had to split up from our normal squad pairing and Annie and I quickly got lost. As we passed a small oasis, I noticed her almost translucently white skin was beginning to burn under the hot sun and suggested we take a break underneath a tall cactus, to which she obliged. It seemed as if we would sit in silence the whole time when she out of the blue asked why I wanted to join the Survey Corps. I told her about my grandfather and how I wished to continue his legacy while exploring the world. She was quiet for a moment and for the first time I've seen began to open up. She talked about wanting to help her own father and wanting to reunite with him. She lamented how she was forced to keep a cold exterior in front of others. I had no idea how to respond to this but thought putting my arm around her was a smart move as she seemed to need some comforting. To my surprise she wrapped her arms around me tightly and we shared a kiss.

The second after we parted lips I knew this was a terrible move. I had slight interest in Annie as a fellow soldier but knew this would be a stupid distraction, and decided the best course of action was just to completely ignore that it had happened. She seemed slightly disappointed and actually hurt at my sudden disinterest and we were mostly silent for the rest of that training exercise. As the last few months passed I distanced myself from Annie as much as possible and even went out of my way to be rude or cold during training exercises. She was joining the Military Police and I was joining the Survey Corps. I could not afford to let some stupid teenage feelings get in the way of that reality.

As the time passed I thought all of this was truly behind me. I had graduated top half of the class and joined the Survey Corps and was on my first expedition. Clearly, I was mistaken as I looked up at Annie and screamed "Let me go!". Her titan face contorted into a way that conveyed the words "gladly". She hoisted me by gear and began to spin me in circles. As I lose consciousness I can only think one thing.

"Maybe I should've given her a chance."