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flailingkittylover · 4 years

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Crossroad

[Archive of Our Own]

A/N: Not enough Pieck/Annie interacting scenes so I had to do it myself :(

Characters: Annie Leonhardt, Pieck Finger, Connie Springer, Armin Arlert, Reiner Braun, Bertholdt Hoover, Gabi Braun, Falco Grice

Tags: Gen Fic, Pieck + Annie + Gabi talk, all ships mentioned are one-sided, Warrior cadets + 104th talk

Summary: “Is it true you beat Eren Yeager when you were my age?” Gabi asks, “He could never defeat you? And you even took on a member of the Ackerman clan?”

“...how do you know about that?”

“I asked Armin and Connie about you. I remembered your hand-to-hand score being the highest in the Warrior program but I never knew you were as good as they said you were.”

[xx]

“Hey...is it true you beat the usurper Eren Yeager when you were my age? He could never defeat you? And you even took on a member of the Ackerman clan?”

Annie blinks rapidly at the reddish-orange sky through the round window. Her head turn is sluggish as she aims her sight upon the small girl who sits next to her, “Come again?”

“Is it true you beat Eren Yeager when you were my age?” Gabi repeats herself, “He could never defeat you when you were all in training? You took on a member of the Ackerman clan too?!”

The older girl squints out of confusion, “…how do you know about that?”

“All of that isn’t too surprising, honestly,” Pieck chimes in. On the bed she sits on, the holder of the Cart Titan leans until her back hits the wall. Annie knows that arch in the laughably small girl’s brow—it’s when she’s intrigued and amused at the same time, “It was like a warm-up when you tossed the Galliards, Bert, and Reiner around. To find out an Ackerman was on the island…you must have been excited to have an actual challenge.”

Annie snorts at her fellow Warrior. She didn’t appreciate Pieck’s dissecting eyes back when they were children and she doesn’t appreciate it now. Her attention transitions back to Gabi, “How?”

“I asked Armin and Connie about you,” this young girl’s eyes twinkle alarmingly bright, a little too much positivity for Annie in an otherwise bleak time, “I remembered your hand-to-hand score being the highest in the Warrior program but I never knew you were as good as they said you were,” the side of the small girl’s face scrunches, “But you’re not as short as Connie said you’d be. He said you were my height and aimed for the knees.”

Annie’s eyelids droop. She contemplates kicking the crap out of either Connie’s mouth and his knees later.

“Connie tends to exaggerate things,” Annie continues to stare out the window to see the ocean, possibly the only landscape in this world which will have life once the Rumbling is complete. Though now Annie is curious. She swishes around a question in her head, “What exactly did they tell you?”

Pieck appears just as interested as Annie and tilts her head. Gabi is far more interested in her hands while thought crinkles the bridge of her nose, “A lot has happened since then...let me think...it started when we were camped out after leaving Ragako Village…”

[xx]

The silence hovering between people from two separate worlds is beyond uncomfortable. The night sky looming above is darker than any pitch-dark room Gabi’s bunched herself in to be alone and let emotion escape. Falco at her side is transfixed by the flame-tendrils rising higher as Connie adds another log to the campfire and Armin takes a bite out of the dry rations they brought.

“So…” Gabi fills in the silence. “Um, can I ask you two a question?”

Blue and gray eyes which house the same kindness the Blouse family extended to her fall on Gabi, “Of course you can,” Armin answers.

“I’m still confused by what happened earlier. You looked shaken up about something else when I told you about Reiner’s armor peeling off. Why were you?”

The dry rations in Armin’s grip jerks. Connie sitting next-door glances at Armin then diverts his attention back to the grass.

“Oh, that...um, well…”

The apparent distrust she hears brings a split-second flash of Kaya—hurt and wielding a knife over hearing Sasha is gone because of her. They hugged each other goodbye…but Gabi wonders if hate will linger in a girl who was so friendly to her, “...I understand if you don’t trust me considering what I’ve done, “Gabi remarks, downcast. “I was just curious...”

A shadow comes over the face of the soldier sitting in front of Gabi. Armin sighs, “We’re in no position to be even thinking that, Gabi. You just caught me off guard is all,” He glances over at Connie who has his hand over his mouth—Magath does the same thing when he is trapped in thought. Gray spheres roll to Armin before he nods, “Reiner’s armor falling off means any form of Titan crystallization would be undone. We...had a prisoner who was crystallized—another Warrior. She encased herself for the past four years when we uncovered her identity. I realized that now that the walls have fallen and any form of crystallization being undone...she’s likely out now.”

Gabi tilts her head, “Another Warrior? A girl too? But who else besides Pieck…?” The borders of the young girl’s eyes enlarge. Her hands slam down onto the grass as she leans forward, “Wait, do you mean Annie Leonhardt?!”

Armin and Connie pull back a bit.

“You know her?” surprise is clear in each of Connie’s words.

Falco sheepishly rubs the back of his neck, “Her hand-to-hand fighting score is kind of legendary in the Warrior Unit. Our general would hound us that a small girl who weighed nothing beat the top score in our regiment. The same is with Bertholdt Hoover’s marksmanship...and none of us beat their scores.”

“Hey, I almost beat his score.” Gabi defends.

“Almost doesn’t mean you did.”

“You try hitting the same bullet hole in the middle of the target three different times! Hoover didn’t make beating his score easy!”

A smile curls Armin’s lips, “Is that so? If they were talented back in Marley, that would explain why Bertholdt, Reiner, and Annie were so good in basic training.”

“Bert was a marksman?” Connie’s cheek presses further into his hand, pleasantly stunned, “Wow...I knew he had potential, but that’s impressive. Those Marleyan guns were really hard for me to shoot the first time I got my hands on one. And he shot the same spot three different times?!”

Gabi is even more confused now, “How did you guys train then if you didn’t have the latest weaponry? We were always told this island only had technology from a century ago.”

“And it showed,” Connie is the first to criticize, “I didn’t realize how uncomfortable my underwear was until the volunteers showed us new methods. I didn’t even know you could bathe every day. Do you realize just how much everyone here stunk?!”

Armin releases a deep sigh, “Connie, that isn’t appropriate…”

“Eh, whatever. Marleyan food is better then. Let’s go with that.”

Armin shakes his head although it doesn’t halt his small smile from rising. When his focus returns to Gabi, the warmth in sea-blue returns, “It was certainly different to how you all trained. We used backpacks too and you all seemed to have similar terrain but we’d train with long rifles with only one shot. We also trained with our maneuver gear in the forest and fought hand-to-hand with wooden knives,” The fire dances off Armin’s face during his pause, “That…was another area where Annie, Reiner, and Bert really shined too.”

Gabi leans forward, “How so?”

The side of Armin’s lip twitches up and Connie’s grin grows to his earlobes—Reiner does the same thing when she asks him questions when she’s excited, so it’s weird.

“Annie flipped over Reiner and Bert more times than I can count,” Connie answers her, sounding near laughter, “She did it to everyone too. See, I played it smart and tried to stay away from her—fighting didn’t matter anyway since we only had titans to worry about back then. Plus, when I was stupid enough to ask her to spar, Miss. Short-Stuff would just hit my knees to make fun of my height and strength. But Eren...Eren charged in after her all the time.”

Gabi’s grin lowers, “Eren? You mean Yeager? She fought against the Founding Titan?”

“He didn’t know he possessed the Founding Titan back then,” Armin enters the conversation now, “None of us did. But regardless, Annie defeated Eren over and over again. It didn’t change as we got older either as Eren could never win against her in hand to hand combat. She also fought better than anyone we’ve seen fight against the number one ranker in our regiment, my friend who saved you earlier — Mikasa Ackerman.”

Gabi’s eyes may as well be the size of dinner plates, “I heard rumors that you had Ackermans on this island...but I didn’t know if it was true. A normal human actually lasted against one of the Ackerman clan in hand-to-hand combat?!”

Connie and Armin both nod, “Annie was the only one in training who put up a decent fight against Mikasa. Even Bert was able to hold Mikasa off and in all my years of knowing her, I’ve never seen that happen. She’s always been amazingly strong. It wasn’t until we found out about the outside world and the Ackerman clan that the reason behind it was…experimentation.”

“What made her crystallize then?” Falco asks, “Only Reiner came back. But Hoover and Leonhardt...we were told their status was unknown.”

The smiles immediately fade from the two men’s expressions. Armin’s especially is overcast and sorrow-filled, “Bertholdt... Bertholdt, well,”

“Armin ate him.” Connie states bluntly, “Reiner, Zeke, and Bertholdt attacked when we were retaking territory and Armin was gravely injured. He was chosen to inherit the Colossal.”

An old habit of being excited that such a power was granted to a soldier spreads in Gabi until the root dies—Falco inherited Mister Galliard’s titan against his will and it seems Armin has too...

“I once thought of it being an honor to inherit one of the Nine Titans,” Gabi says, “Especially a powerful one like the Colossal… but that’s different now.”

“An honor…” the words leave Armin in a sharp, breathless rush, “I... wish I could have seen it as an honor. But…” Thin strands of blond bangs swing back and forth from his headshake, “Anyway. A month after our training was over and we chose where to go, we went beyond the walls and that led us to discover Annie’s identity. We trapped her...I led her into a trap and when she couldn’t run, she crystallized herself. Ever since that day we went beyond the walls...it’s been a mess.”

Gabi shares Falco’s tendency to get lost in the firepit where threads of fire thrash around, “…you two must really hate all of us from the continent then.”

“I already told you, Gabi...we’re in no position to be diverting the blame or complaining. Least of all me,” Armin rolls up the packaging from his eaten dry-rations and tucks it into his cloak, “We’ve all done horrible things to each other and despite all of that...I’m glad I got to know them—Annie, Bertholdt, and Reiner.”

That last sentence has Gabi raise her head quickly, baffled, “You do? Why?”

“I looked up to Reiner, “Connie speaks, his tone far-away, “He was strong and reliable—everyone wanted to be like him and I did too. He was my support when I doubted myself and he kept pushing me forward. He saved me from getting eaten by a titan too...and so did Annie. I probably wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for either of them. Annie also saved Jean and worried about Armin and I when we decided to join the Scouts…” Connie pauses and the storm clouds in thoughtful gray orbs grow, “I always thought Annie was some emotionless recluse, but she helped me—she barely even knew me. And it was all thanks to Bert’s callout that Annie even knew that I was in trouble…”

Connie’s silence lingers and Armin fills in the gap, “Annie had the chance to kill me twice. She would have succeeded in capturing Eren if she did and she would have likely made it home too—she’s smart enough to figure it out. But she didn’t. Her test scores were as good as mine so I’m still struggling to understand why she did that. But as Connie explained...there’s more than she let on—she was kind in her own way. She even helped Eren learn to fight. If she hadn’t...he would have been far weaker when using his titan—Annie gave Eren an advantage.” Armin’s eyes are grieved as he joins the others in getting lost in the alluring fireplace. When eyes which are duller than Gabi remembers roll up to her again, he wears a light, weak smile, “I understand why Bertholdt admired her so much. If she was great here, I bet she must have been just as great in Marley—all of them must have. They proved as much…when they were with us.”

For the next few moments, the Scouts who she once viewed as irredeemable devils have tightly closed eyes and bowed heads. Seeing these familiar expressions—this regret and sorrow which is so visible, it spears the chest—has Gabi further understanding the depth of what Reiner said:

“The days I spent there...truly were hell.”

“Let’s go to sleep,” Connie stands and deviates his attention to the line of trees surrounding them, “We got a long ride tomorrow and you kids need to rest. I’ll take the first watch.”

“I can-”

“No,” Connie sternly denies Armin, “I’ll do it. It’s…” he doesn’t say anything, “I need to do it.”

The midnight breeze is brisker and Gabi tucks herself into her camping bedding to flee from it. Minutes or hours pass—Gabi isn’t so sure; she can’t sleep and there’s too much bouncing around in her head. She twists around in her bag before sneaking a glance over her shoulder.

Connie monitors one side of the camp while Armin sits on the other side; both perimeters are protected while she and Falco sleep. His neck swivels around and when their eyes meet, Gabi freezes. The blond soldier smiles knowingly; Gabi wonders if he knew she’d still be awake. He transfers his sight to Connie, then back at her—his fingers on one side of his mouth pull over until he reaches the other—an invisible zipper over his lips saying he won’t say a word.

Gabi rolls back around and adjusts herself against her pillow. These people and what they just shared…it’s no wonder Reiner was so tired all the time. She decides the next time she sees her cousin, she’ll hug him harder than she ever has before. He suffered for four years with no one to hear or understand his pain...but Gabi does now.

[xx]

As Annie listens, she hopes she doesn’t look as dumbfounded as she feels.

“You, Reiner, and Bertholdt managed to be in the top ranks even on this island,” Gabi finishes her story off, “Like an Honorary Marleyan except on Paradis. That’s something I wanted a lot...not too long ago.”

Annie puts great focus into reading the lines grooving her hand. She’s shaking and she wonders if it’s the effects of the Curse’s end approaching like she saw happen with Tom Ksaver, the former Beast titan, “It comes at a price, as you well know. You should be happy you didn’t inherit one of the Nine Titans.”

Pieck extends to Annie a glance then transfers it to the sleeping Falco. The wrinkling on the side of her eyes grows more pronounced as do the upturning of her brows—naturally, she’s concerned for him; Pieck always was much softer to others than Annie ever was.

“Yes, I should be…” Gabi mumbles, “But now Falco has inherited one—I’ll lose him in thirteen years. I told him not to come with me and he did it anyway. He’s an idiot and I don’t get why he bothered. I don’t understand why he...” Annie and Pieck don’t offer any filler words. They wait for the warrior cadet and the noise from the waves pushing and pulling against the boat is all that is heard, “It’s weird to me,” Gabi starts up again, “There’s this way Falco looks at me — I thought he stared because he was frustrated with me, I thought he was trying to steal the Armored Titan from me. He always tried to say how it would be him to get the Armored and not me. But…” silence again, “I don’t know what to say to Falco about that.”

Lines of yellow bunch together, “What are you talking about?”

There’s that giggle and Annie’s fierce, pale-blue dart to Pieck. Her long, black hair sways with her head moving side-to-side; she’s more than amused. Meanwhile, the pre-teen is flustered—shifts uncomfortably— and Annie fears she managed to make a kid uncomfortable without even knowing.

“I don’t know what Falco sees in me. I’ve always been mean to him and I was even crueler to our enemies. I saw him as a rival so I challenged him all the time and went out of my way to outdo him and tease how I was better than him. I kept getting into trouble and putting him in horrible situations and he kept trying to protect me. Now since then, General Magath is gone and Liberio…” Gabi finds a fascination with the knees she’s slid up to her chest. The three girls join Gabi in ensuring the young boy is still asleep, “I still don’t know if I should answer Falco. I don’t even understand why he hung around me let alone likes me. I don’t even know if I can think of a response by the time we reach the Colossal Titans or if I even should...” a child whose eyes are desperate for an answer rise up to Annie, “Do you think I’ll ever get the chance to think about it more clearly and tell Falco my answer? That...if, I feel the same? I’m asking you because when Armin talked about you…he looked like how Falco looks at me.”

Pieck’s eyes dart to Annie, laser-focused and Annie fights to not visibly flinch. She doesn’t know what’s more embarrassing—that she’s talking to a child about feelings she hardly understands or that she is as emotionally stunted as this twelve-year-old. She’s at a loss for words and her lacking in a quick response must expose the fact.

Annie pivots her attention to the blanket on a nearby bed. She grabs and tugs it off, throws the sheet over the girl’s flustered face, “You shouldn’t be thinking about such things at your age. There’s enough to worry about right now so why don’t you just rest for a bit. We all need to be alert for when we reach Odiha.”

Pieck giggles again in the background but Annie ignores her. Gabi pulls up the blanket until it covers half her face and body. Curious brown spheres are locked on the older girl’s, curious for an answer still. Annie doesn’t have one but wholeheartedly, she wished she did—then maybe she’d understand what’s happening within herself right now.

There’s a sudden shimmer in the brown of young girl’s eyes and an amused hum escapes the warrior cadet.

Annie pursues her lips, “What’s that for?”

Gabi’s amusement takes its form in a tiny smile, one which is so childish and genuine, Annie inches back a little, “You know, you remind me a lot of my friend Zofia. She was quiet - she liked to poke my buttons too - but she was kind, like Armin said you were. I’m happy that you’re like Zofia. Sitting by you…it feels like she’s still here…” the smaller girl quiets, “Actually, now that I think about it, even Armin reminds me of Udo except he doesn’t have glasses. That’s kind of weird...but it’s nice to have reminders. I miss them...” she turns around in her spot on the bed until she’s comfortable, “I know you said I shouldn’t but I want to think about my answer to Falco more. I don’t get it...but maybe I’ll think of something. Thanks, Miss Leonhardt.”

“…you can just call me Annie.”

Gabi falls asleep quicker than Annie expected. Like everyone here, the kid must be exhausted. She should leave her with Pieck and buzz off already but there’s this odd pull to remain by her side, ensure Gabi is watched over.

“Congratulations, Annie,” Pieck’s speaks with an edge of sassiness, “Looks like you had more than Bertholdt as an admirer. And a Paradisian too—how…controversial, I’d say. Even for you who never listened to Marley.”

“Be quiet already.”

“Once again, you keep impressing me—you’re even worse at dealing with your feelings than this child who killed soldiers and an enemy convoy. It warms my heart. It’s like you never left Marley at all!”

“You assume something happened. Nothing did. If that’s how Armin and Bertholdt felt, that’s their own problem. My time on Paradis was solely focused on the mission.”

Pieck loses her playfulness and regains her seriousness. Straight-faced, she answers, “The last thing I ever doubted was your drive. As I expected, Reiner was the one who was more impacted by the mission. I suspected you’d be the least compromised out of you three. Although, considering Gabi’s story...it’s interesting; you’ve left behind quite a ripple effect on that island. Even your fighting style which Magath praised indirectly helped our enemy—Eren Yeager. Had he been a worse fighter, the Warhammer Titan could have captured him at Liberio and we may not have been in this mess.”

“If you want to send me to the gallows for trying to blend in with the enemy, the titans or the Curse will be the first to end me. That should bring you some comfort since Marley can’t punish me.”

“It’s just an observation, Annie. Nothing more.”

Annie’s not so sure about that so she refuses to speak more. Ever since she’s broken free from her crystal, she’s been tossed into uncomfortable situations such as now—where she is around people from the past and she is unsure of what to do except flee to the farthest corner of the room. Pieck and her were never really close though it didn’t stop the girl from trying to pull the big-sister act like she does with these two kids.

“Where will you go?” Pieck’s tone is strangely soft.

The other female Warrior shifts uncomfortably in her spot, “Where can any of us go? The steam from Colossal swimming will likely boil us alive. There’s no guarantee they’ll stop walking even after the world is crushed. There’s nowhere...to go.”

Pieck exhales deeply. She nods and her attention never leaves the sleeping children, “I understand. Marley…is gone and I’m nervous for when Falco wakes up. He’s already lost his brother. Now to hear what’s become of the rest of his family…” a small hand runs through her thick, disheveled hair, “I’m not looking forward to telling him…but I have to.”

“You always imposed the big sister title upon yourself too much.”

“Ever the realist regardless of the sensitivity of the situation, aren’t you?”

It’s the truth but a sharp one at that and Annie responds with silence. Pieck means well though Annie’s never been one to receive pleasant demeanors well. Father hardly showed it—if he was not punching into her his homeland’s martial arts, he was stoic and reserved. She had dreams of him laughing some days, even ones where he had held her and sang her to sleep. They happened more on Paradis after Father unexpectantly pulled her into his arms. Perhaps that’s the culprit to when she felt something more, when she was getting…

Compromised.

Annie recalls Bertholdt’s worry, Hitch’s teasing, Eren’s rage, and Armin’s sorrow. Each one spoke to her to some degree. Even Mina, the small, pig-tailed girl, came to her lunch table with no invitation and smiled—she always smiled at her before sitting down. To this day, she doesn’t understand why—why any of them would even want to talk to her.

There’s nothing redeeming or interesting about her—she’s cruel, murderous, and to some degree, takes pleasure in the fact that her fighting skills paired with her titan form turns her into a virtually unstoppable force. Then there is what she’s done currently: she criticized Armin and his friend’s plans to speak to Eren which she still believes is foolish. But in times like these where other options are foggy or non-existent, foolish reasons may be the last chance to lead to unforeseen results. It’s all their banking on and she does not envy the choice they will make when Eren proves how he will not be spoken down; Annie would even bet Eren was never able to be spoken down the minute he decided to activate the Rumbling—his determination is the reason she bothered to teach him anything.

“…I’m sorry, Pieck.” Annie whispers so quietly, Pieck’s face contorts, like she isn’t sure she heard Annie right, “I wish I hadn’t failed. My time on that island...I couldn’t finish it and if I had never gone, if Marcel survived, we might have brought back the Founder. All of this could have been avoided. I’m...sorry...”

Pieck’s eyes are hidden from Annie, “…maybe. Maybe not. All I know is it’s done and these are the cards we have left now. We have to deal with it. But Annie,” those dark, forever-sleepy eyes fall on Annie. They’re sincere enough for the fighting-extraordinaire to want to shy away, “You’ve never been this open to me before. I don’t know if it’s because we’ll be dead soon or it’s because of your experiences on that island but I’ll take it. We never talked much back then but it never seemed like you had a chance to be you—I always wondered when you’d be able to. On that island…did you have that chance?”

Annie can’t meet her counterpart in the eye, “…it’s because I was myself that I failed and we’re in this mess.”

Pieck registers her words before a gentle laugh escapes her, “Then maybe the mission was always meant to fail. It was clear you didn’t believe what Marley taught us and Reiner was far too emotional to send off—I never understood why the brass chose him, let alone sent kids. Bertholdt was probably the only thing keeping you three together, wasn’t he?”

Bertholdt—another casualty to Annie’s failure. She’s had four years of being tormented by the murders she’s committed and indirectly caused, of the death of who she could have been. She doesn’t want to talk or think about this anymore.

“…That kid will wake up soon,” Annie says. Even by trying as hard as she can, she can’t remove the thickness from her voice, “I’m sure he’ll be more than confused and it’s better if you handle it then me.”

Pieck nods in time with Annie twisting around in her spot. The call out of, “Annie” stops the small Warrior in her tracks.

“We may not have a lot of time left but I’m glad you’re being yourself more. It never looked like Mr. Leonhardt let you…and maybe you can be who you are now, even if there’s little time left.”

Annie swallows thickly. She’s not so sure what to say so she resorts to, “…save your big sister advice for the kids, not a grown woman like me.”

A chuckle laced with sweetness and minor condescension shakes Pieck’s chest, “You’re twenty but you’re the same as these kids. Maybe when you leave, you’ll finally figure that out. By the way, just so you know and to make you uncomfortable again, those kids Gabi mentioned—Udo and Zofia. I had a feeling Udo liked Zofia like Falco liked Gabi here. It’s a little uncanny how two people like Udo like you too. Funny even. You always pegged me as a magnet for dorks, tall and short alike. I’m almost jealous.”

Annie’s cheeks flare in sync with her scowl. She stomps out of the room with Pieck’s soft chuckling singing behind her and heads for the upper deck—she needs air.

This life outside of her mission has left Annie disoriented. She’s been stuck on one road for so long, she’s encountered a crossroad where thick mist hovers over each one, hides what she can expect on the other side. And beneath the numbness and despair, there’s this tangled mish-mash of feelings in her chest and she can’t decipher any of the threads. She remembers how Gabi looked at a sleeping Falco, the curiosity in Bertholdt’s gaze on the rare moments their eyes locked, the determination of Eren to find her to train, the admiration in Armin’s voice when she heard him tell Hitch about her fight with Mikasa. She never meant to make an impression yet she also impacted Hitch who woke her up nearly every morning and Mina, who practically sang “Hello” when she sat at her lunch table. She fought to keep away, forced her mouth shut to preserve her disguise, yet spider-thin threads bond to Annie anyway, has her strongly remember people who she swore she would have no attachment…and here she is, mourning them.

Annie releases a pathetic grunt which sounds more like a whine. This is a little too similar to Gabi’s situation for Annie’s liking and one pitifully stupid time more, she’s not sure what’s happening in her life.

She fiddles with the metal ring on her finger, thinking deeply. Maybe if the kids remain behind and Gabi figures out her feelings—finds out how to dig deep enough in oneself to finally understand—…she can help Annie understand herself too. She’s always thought of the what-if and perhaps she now has a chance to find out what she really wants.

#annie leonhart #Annie Leonhardt #snk #Pieck #gabi braun #falco grice #connie springer #armin arlert #reiner braun #Bertolt Hoover #set between 131 and 132 #Confused Annie & Gabi #All ship implications are one-sided #pieckan

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