AN : You can read my notes at the end of each chapter (if there's any).

Chapter 1

Annie was playing with her food – a foul stew that made her want to gag – as she was obliged to listen to the other girls chatting loud from the table behind hers. They were laughing like woodcocks, telling gossips of the day and confessing disgusting secrets that Annie would have never wanted to hear if she'd been able to. That was exactly why she sometimes regretted not being deaf. And that was why she didn't want to mingle with them neither; because she perfectly knew it wasn't her place.

Annie was a discreet girl, but mostly she had nothing to do with it. The others, she didn't like them much anyway.

But they were friendly though, for the majority. They had tried several times to make her loosen up a bit. They took an interest in her by talking to her, trying to play with her and eventually invite her to hang out together. But still, Annie refused every move her comrades did, pretending she need some peace or had no time. So after a moment, the girls turned away from her to finally turn their attention on the new attraction in the camp : two boys from Shiganshina, Eren Jaeger and Armin Arlert, and the young Eurasian who was with them, Mikasa Ackerman. They were ones of the minor survivors of Wall Maria's Titans attack. Everyone was talking about those three new recruits, and even if she was high above all that, Annie couldn't help but feel intrigued by these people there, especially one of them.

"She's cute, huh ?" a muscular blond boy discreetly said to Annie as he leaned over to her.

"Hm ?" the girl breathed, taken away from her reverie. "What ?"

"The Eurasian. She's pretty."

Annie looked at Reiner, an eyebrow upper than the other, then at the girl he was talking about. The Asian was seated with her adopted brother, eating her plate in silence. She hadn't even taken the time to remove that red scarf she always wore around her neck.

What do people find at this one ? She had nothing extraordinary. Four days since she's here, and she spent most of her time to follow the Jaeger boy like a watchdog. Poor girl.

Mikasa suddenly raised up her head. In a brief blink of her eyes, she found herself being looking on Annie's blue orbs, and locked her slanting eyes with hers. The blonde quickly turned her gaze away in reflex, her heart beating violently as she returned to her ceramic plate, trying to conceal as much emotion as she possibly can from her face. She inhaled deeply. "If you say so," she finally answered to her friend, pretending to care not.

"Come on," Reiner teased, rubbing his strong shoulder against hers to tap her gently, causing Annie to breathed irritatingly. "I can see how you look at her."

"I'm not looking at her."

"And now you're bluuushiiing !" he sang with a stupid smile. "How cute, my Annie has a crush !"

"S-Shut up !" she spat in denial. "I'm not interested."

"Reiner," growled a voice less grave than the blond. "Leave her alone, would you ?"

A tall boy with brown hair sat down with them, a tray of food in his hands.

"But Bert, our little Ann's a big girl, now !"

Bertholdt smiled at the comment, taking his cutlery in his hands to prepare himself to eat. "That's precisely why you should leave her alone, then," he said before putting the food into his mouth, eyeing both Annie and Reiner carefully as he was chewing.

Reiner put his hands on the table, leaning towards his friend to lower a tone. "Man, that girl has two left hands, I can't let her fuck that love story up 'cause of her damn temper !"

"Hey !" Annie spat, turning her head vigorously to Reiner as she strove not to cut his throat. "I'm still here !"

"Yeah, and how ?" Bertholdt asked, ignoring her as if he thought that the girl was a lost case and that she, in fact, needed some help.

Reiner shut his eyes and took a serious look by crossing his arms on his chest as he was thinking. "Won't be easy, but I've got an idea..."

"Hello, this is Earth calling !" Annie said, mimicking a phone call to interfere. "I don't have any..."

Annie's end of sentence faded away as she realized that nobody was listening to her anymore. The boys were completely ignoring her, already too far away in thoughts now, imagining a whole bunch of stratagems to put an end to Annie's boundless celibacy. It was useless to lose energy to interrupt them with words, but there was something she could do that would always worked.

"Enough !" Annie shouted as she took Reiner by the neck before taping his head violently on the wooden table. "Just go on like this and I'll fucking tear your tongue away !" she blurted out with anger.

All eyes were now posed on her, but she was too upset to even noticed that.

"Oye, Ann..." Reiner said in a feeble voice, grimacing. "I was just kidding, okay ? Let me go," he pleaded with a nervous smile.

"I don't have any fucking crush on anyone, you get it !?" she yelled, the blood into her veins boiling her entire body as she was at the mercy of wrath.

And it was then, when her words came out of her mouth, that she realized the silence in the place. The eyes on her. The many dilated pupils that looked at her with an obvious amusement.

Annie swallowed hard, her throat hot and dried as she faced the judgment in their eyes, more shameful than satisfied to defend herself from such a lie... Why was it so annoying that Reiner talked to her about this Eurasian girl ? She didn't know, but now, she just felt weak and awful, so she was there, standing on her feet almost lifeless, because she dared not to move a finger.

Sounds of footsteps drumming heavy on the ground and the door of the Regiment's self opened with a noise that made everyone jump from their seats.

"What's going on here, cadets ?" Keith Shadis's voice spat in annoyence before his tall body appeared in the middle of his soldiers. All the young recruits stood up to put their hands on their chest in salute as the man's eyes were scrutinizing the place carefully before instantly locked on the blonde girl that still had her hands on Reiner's neck. He send daggers to her, making Annie released the boy, and faced at him foolishly.

"Leonhardt," Shadis said, moving slowly to her as Reiner was coughing. "What were you doing to your comrade ?"

Annie swallowed painfully – she really had some respect for that man – before she took a deep breath and spoke. "I was trying to strangle him, Sir," she replied, making everybody's eyes widened. It was useless to lie. How could she ? He saw her with her hands around his neck ! "But not to death," she specified.

The man breathed noisily. "I see that you have some energy to spend... I think that twenty rounds of the training land and fifteen pumps will you make you some good then." Annie rolled her eyes. She could have finish his sentence. "Now go before I kick your ass ! On the double !" he shouted at her ear sadistically.

Annie rushed outside, pursued by the man who was still screaming at her.

The others took back their places, mocking and gossiping, and Reiner sighed in relief. "Jesus..." he breathed as he massaged his hurted neck, eying at Bertholdt to find some compassion from him. "That girl's a tornado..."

But the brown haired boy shook his head and sighed. "Don't look at me," he replied, shuting his eyes in annoyance. "You totally deserved it, man," he paused, smirking arrogantly. "I already said to you to leave her alone."