Chapter 27

About 10 minutes earlier

Right now Reiner and Bertholdt watched as Annie left the mess hall. Seeing how Eren and Mikasa stayed behind, they knew it was the perfect time to confront Annie and have a meeting.

Getting up from the table, they threw away their trash and walked out of the mess hall to catch up with the female titan shifter.

"Annie!" Reiner called out to her, but not loud enough for anyone inside the mess hall to hear.

Annie herself was walking to the girls cabin when she heard a familiar voice call out to her. She could guess what they wanted to talk about. The three Titan shifters haven't had a meeting in a while and it was because she didn't talk to them much lately.

Shes been hanging out with Mikasa and Eren, as well as training herself more, so she didn't really have time to do so.

Or she just didn't want to.

"What do you want?" Annie said with her usual voice as she turned around to look at them.

"We need to talk." Was the straightforward reply that came from Reiner.

Annie didn't really feel like talking to them right now. Especially when all she wanted to do right now was sleep, but if she didn't talk with them now, they'd start bugging her.

'Better to get this over with now then later.' She thought to herself as she sighed, letting the two boys know that this was something she did not want to do at this time.

She already knew from their recent interactions how this conversation will probably go.

"Then lead the way." Annie said to the two of them. Seeing them walk into the forest, she followed behind while taking careful glances around the area making sure nobody witnessed them.

It would be a major headache if word got out that the three were having suspicious meetings in the woods.

'It will gain the attention of the teachers and instructors and I can't have that. We can come up with a suitable lie like we have always done since invading this island, but more attention to myself is highly unneeded.'

'Eren will probably be suspicious too. He's smart and observant. I can't have him knowing this secret of mine. I can't.'

Annie thought to herself with a unreadable expression on her face when thinking about the only male other than her father that has brought her ever a sight sense of joy.

'Forget about such useless things right now Annie, you have more important stuff to worry about.'

As Annie recomposed herself, Reiner and Bertholdt were unable to notice the slight change of expression on their fellow warrior's face.

After a couple minutes of walking, they arrived at a slightly open area with bushes around. The three sat down and not even seconds later, Reiner turned to Annie and asked her "So? You've been avoiding us lately. I hope you remember what we're here for?" Reiner said in a commanding tone with Bertholdt nodding In agreement.

Annie stood silent, thinking of the correct answers she should say, but she knows she shouldn't have to worry.

She finds it laughable when Reiner uses that commanding tone of his to try and intimidate her. All she sees within him is the weak little boy that could barely get through the warrior training back in her homeland.

"I know perfectly well what we are here for, Reiner." Annie said.

Reiner and Bertholdt couldn't help but slightly flinch. When seeing those blue eyes stare right into his own with obvious distaste, Reiner frowned.

He was not surprised. It was known between them that Annie held a strong dislike for him. They never talked about it, but that was probably for the best.

Fake coughing, Reiner stared back and said "Your recent actions say otherwise, Annie."

"Recent actions? I'm doing what you have been doing Reiner. I don't see any problem. Unless you care to elaborate." Annie said, almost daringly.

'Don't be a hypocrite Reiner.' She wanted to say, but refrained herself. She knew that if he spoke about her friendship with Eren and Mikasa, she would be called out on his hypocrisy.

Surprisingly the quiet and nervous one out of the three asked Annie something that almost made her roll her eyes and scoff.

"You're only getting close to them as a benefit right Annie?" Bertholdt asked with a slight awkward laugh, trying to ease up the tense atmosphere.

To him, it was getting a little uncomfortable. Unfortunately his awkwardness did little to ease his secret crush and Reiner.

"And what do you mean by that Bertholdt?" Annie asked the tall boy. A tint of anger leaked out into her voice when saying this that caught Bertholdt off guard, and it wasn't just him, but Reiner and Annie herself as well.

Annie was always darkly sarcastic and would most of the times intimidate them, but this was different.

Reiner knew the girl in front of him was always the calm type. The only actual time he has seen Annie lose her shit or be completely mad at him was when she beat the crap out of him when he urged them to continue the mission after a unfortunate accident.

That was around the time they had caused terror and broke the walls.

Obviously she wasn't as mad as that time before from his point of view. What surprised him was Annie actually getting even a tad bit angry at a small question.

'This is not good.' Reiner thought, unknowingly sharing the same thoughts as Annie.

Annie herself didn't know why she was being so defensive. She didn't know what was wrong with her as she was always calm in these situations.

'Calm down. It's obvious why.' Annie had realized. This was the the first time she had actual "friends". Maybe she disliked the thought of Bertholdt suggesting her to be using them.

She was conflicted. Something that was of the norm lately ever since she has been hanging out with Eren and Mikasa.

These feelings of hers. The genuine slight happiness or even enjoyment she felt when spending time with Mikasa and especially Eren in this cruel world were throwing her off guard.

She wasn't used to this at all.