Nest & Wings (Annie Leonhardt x Male Reader)

Chapter 23: An Unforeseen Result

"Y-yeah, it's great!" You say reluctantly, trying to avoid suspicion.

Hange pauses for a bit and says, "You witnessed the attack on Shiganshina first hand, right? Mind if I ask you some questions?"

"Of course, go ahead, Captain!" you respond.

"After the Colossal Titan kicked down the gate, how long did it take for the other titans to start coming in through the breach?" She asks.

You think back and try to remember the incident. "Hmm... maybe a minute or two? I can't remember exactly, but it didn't take long."

She says, "Right, now compare that to Trost and tell me which was faster."

You answer, "After the wall was breached, Eren had a brush with the Colossal Titan before it disappeared and we spoke on top of the wall afterwards. It took a while before we saw titans making their way towards the wall, so I'd say Shiganshina was considerably faster!"

"That's it! We might be onto something here." Her curiosity seemed to have cranked to eleven.

You ask, "What about it Captain?"

"Remember when the Female Titan screamed and attracted all those titans towards her? I have a theory that it was probably the Female Titan who brought all the titans to Shiganshina. This feeds into another theory that Commander Erwin has had since the attack five years ago." She elaborates.

You ask, "Wait, but... didn't they immediately eat her back in the forest? Why would she take a risk like that just to lure the titans when they would've made their way into Shiganshina by themselves either way?"

"Think... how many civilian casualties were there in Trost?" She asks.

You've never thought about it till now, so you're shocked when you realize, "None...?"

"Exactly! Part of the reason was the Garrison's quick response. But the main reason is that they had enough time to evacuate whereas in Shiganshina, titans swarmed in and started eating people immediately." She explains.

"So... you're saying the the Female Titan is responsible for all the civilian casualties in Shiganshina? I don't get it... What could she possibly gain by killing all those people?" You ask.

Hange explains, "This is where the Commander's theory comes into play. He believes that the enemy used the panic and confusion to infiltrate the walls. Accounting for the casualties made a mess out of the citizenship data, so it was the perfect opportunity to forge an identity."

You were shocked hearing that as you recall something Annie said. It was along the lines of 'having no choice but to cause people pain.' Perhaps you were meant to feel hatred towards Annie after hearing that, but all you could think about was how painful it must've been for her to carry all that guilt.

Hange thanks you for helping out and heads back. With that, you head back to attempt the impossible task of preparing for tomorrow's operation after learning that its target was none other than Annie.

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You spend all night trying to convince yourself that it has to be done for all of humanity's sake. You remind yourself what Hange said and how she's the one that brought the titans into Shiganshina. It was her that caused you all that pain and suffering.

But you couldn't stop thinking about how Annie missed when she punched you. "Annie would never miss. Did she hesitate after recognizing who I was? Did she do that on purpose?" You kept wondering.

You were never the type to seek revenge. As you've iterated before, your motivation for joining the military had nothing to do with exterminating the titans— unlike Eren and the others. To you, killing titans was only a means to an end, which was to reclaim your home.

Until recently you had your mind set on Shiganshina, but after the last time you sparred with Annie, you've realized that home isn't necessarily a place, but rather the people who understand you and make you feel like you belong. In your case, it was Annie, without a doubt.

Despite all of that, you remind yourself that it was for something bigger than yourself. Capturing Annie was crucial for the survival of all humanity. As you kept trying to build your resolve, Jean walks by and sees you contemplating.

He walks over and says, "It's about Annie, right? Are you okay?" He immediately knew what it was about.

"Yeah, I'm alright... It has to be done, right?" You answer him.

"It does, but who are you kidding? It must be difficult for you... I mean, she's important to you, isn't she?" He sees right through you.

"Well... it's not what you think, but yeah... she is important to me. I'm a terrible soldier, aren't I? Feeling bad for an enemy..." You admit the way you feel.

Jean puts his hand on your shoulder and says, "It's okay to feel like that, so take it easy, alright? The last thing you want to do is stress yourself out at a time like this. Besides, the fact that you're even considering it makes you a good soldier the way I see it. If it was Mikasa instead... I can't even imagine what I'd do."

Afterwards, he walks away and gives you some personal space to think about it and make up your mind. Jean's words help you cool off a bit. Knowing that he could relate to the way you felt makes it easier for you to accept the circumstances you were in.

You remind yourself that it is in fact just a capture mission and slowly build up your resolve to help the scouts.