Citadel Nook (Mikasa x Annie One Shot)

Final

Disclaimer: I do not own Attack On Titan or any of its characters. All copyright belongs to their rightful owners.

School starts in five days. I'm dying, and uh, stress writing. Hope you enjoy ^^

The citadel hung over the city like a mountain made of chiseled stone and reinforced with steel outposts. Back and forth, up and down; those assigned to guard it were to patrol once every hour watching for signs of enemy pursuers or other threats where those below could not see. Annie was known for her steadfast honor and pride in being a citadel soldier. Twice she was the one who warned and prepared the capital city from potentially lethal attacks.

Some would call that heroism. Others called it doing her job. But, she didn't care about how people viewed or labeled her. The citadel was important to the city, but that was neither here nor there. For Annie, it was her life.

This night was a quiet one. The clouds overhead had scattered and dispersed away leaving a starry quilt blanketing the land. The speckles of light twinkled and slowly walked across the sky leaving a trail of stardust and comets in their wake. Annie was reaching the peak of her patrol, a turning point where she reached the top of the fortress and would slowly make her way back down. But, this brief moment was enough for her to slip away from everyone else who was too tired to notice that she had slipped away.

In the nook of the hallway was a small groove in the wall that dipped enough for Annie to slip her hand between the bricks and flip a small lever. Silently, the wall pressed forward and swiveled letting her walk to the other side. Annie shut the hidden door and took a deep breath. It wasn't by any means a pretty spectacle, just a small rectangle room with nothing except a balcony window overhanging the city.

And there, Annie found someone waiting for her.

The feminine figure sat leaning against the frame with a leg propped up looking at the city below. From here, she could see every single rooftop and traced an invisible map inside their mind. Which routes could help her escape? Which places would be safe from the guardsmen? Which homes held the rich valuables that could help her gain fortune to bleed into the poor?

She was a thief, and this vantage point was her mantra, the infamous prowess of the one they called Mikasa, and Annie's secret lover.

This familiar stranger couldn't help but smile as she faced Annie. Mikasa reached a hand out and linked their fingers together, pulling Annie closer as they shared a kiss. The soldier and the thief were enemies under daylight, but in the dead of night, it was akin to perfection.

And love.

Annie couldn't be gone for long, and neither could Mikasa stay for the whole night. Each of them had an agenda, but the next week they would meet again. And the week after that, they would continue this secret dance. For a rendezvous in the dark was as rich as the trust they had in each. Words could never comprehend.

And thus, they bid farewell, a final moment in each other's arms. Mikasa turns and scouts her path before plunging out of the window and prancing as a deer does across the tiled roof, yet silent in her pursuit. Annie would hear about her endeavors in tomorrow morning's town crier. And her for, she had to return.

Pressing an ear to the false stones, she listened for footsteps but found none. And as easily as she had disappeared, Annie opened the hidden door and closed it once more. In a hurried pace, she found the rest of the guard still completely unaware she had even left in the first place. Blending back in, the soldiers marched on.

And just like that, the citadel fell into a routine rhythm. It hung over the city, looming like a mountain. Inside of its walls walked those assigned to guard it, trained soldiers who were bound by duty and loyalty. But, between its confines, it kept its secrets close, stories and people seeping in the walls and breathing in its peace no matter who they may be.