Birds in a Cage (Male Reader X Attack on Titan) Book 1

A Normal Life

Y/n Pov~

The evening sun glows a warm orange throughout the training grounds, the entire camp is in a state of quiet since training is over for the day and it's everything one could want for a peaceful evening after a hard day of training. But before I can enjoy the scene anymore, an insanely fast kick slams into the side of my face and sends me flying into the air, spinning like a top until I crash into the dirt. I groan loudly as I hold my sore cheek and rub my tailbone that hit the ground really hard, "Damn Annie, didn't have to hit me so hard" I whine and sit up to see the blonde cadet Annie Leonhart standing over me with an unamused look on her face. "It's your own fault for getting distracted" she shrugs nonchalantly, I stand up and run a hand through my hair in embarrassment. "Yea, yea. Still..." I grumble in annoyance while she takes the same fighting stance as always. Ever since I've been back, Annie has been a lot harder on me during our training than I thought she'd be, doing more knocking me on my ass than teaching me. "I still don't know why you go so hard during our training sessions, did I upset you somehow or something?" I ask as I get back to my feet, she seems amused by my question and rolls her eyes, "Just now realizing? I thought you were supposed to be smart" she scoffs at my obliviousness. "I've noticed for a while, I just didn't bring it up until now" I shrug, she lunges towards me, sending multiple kicks and jabs while I counter and block them with the techniques she's taught me. "Might I ask why?" she questions while she aims a heavy kick at my face which I duck under at the last minute, "Dunno, I'm not very good at reading people and I didn't want to assume anything" I explain as I send a heavy kick of my own towards her exposed rib, which she blocks with ease. "What's changed? Why bring it up now?" she asks, she's a lot more engaging in conversation today, I wonder what's wrong? I ponder. "I guess it's because it's our last training session" I shrug, she sends multiple punches at me, but each punch seems slower and with less effort than the last after I say this. "Right..." she says under her breath and stops attacking me all together, she just stands in front of me with her gaze to the ground, "Annie? Everything okay?" I ask as I try to get closer to her. "Course everything is okay.... it's fine...." she says in an unconvincing tone, steps away from me, grabs her left arm and holds it tightly, something I've noticed she only does when she's upset. "Let's sit down for a bit, take a break?" I suggest, I sit down and put my hands behind me to rest my weight on. Annie seems hesitant but sits down beside me, crossing her legs but still holding her arm. "You excited about graduation next week?" I try to make conversation, "Should I be?" she questions coldly but also in a curious tone as if she doesn't know if she should be or not. "Everyone else is" I shrug, she looks at me curiously and tilts her head, "Were you?" she raises an eyebrow. I think back to my own graduation if you could call it that, it was more of a funeral than a graduation, there was only 5 of us left out of the original 35 cadets in the 102nd so there was no top 10 and we hadn't even began our third year of training but after the failed base operation, the higher ups decided to graduate us early as a "reward" for fighting before we were ready but in reality they just wanted to bribe us with higher ranks and promises of never having to face titans again so we wouldn't abandon our duties or speak out against them. "Not really" I chuckle, she seems surprised by the fact that I'm smiling while talking about my time as a cadet, a topic that usually makes me depressed or angry. "Why didn't you go into the military police?" she blurts out of nowhere, with the most genuine interest I've heard out of her. She usually is indifferent about pretty much everything but when it comes to the MPs, she shows as much interest and determination as Eren when he talks about the Scouts. "You too huh?" I chuckle in surprise from her sudden question, she tilts her head in confusion of this, "Ymir and Jean have asked me the same question" I explain and for some reason this seems to make her smile a bit, like the fact that she has the same questions as other students in her head makes her happy. "Well how come? Don't tell me you're like that suicidal maniac and want to "exterminate every last one of them" she rolls her eyes at Eren's goals that he makes sure everyone knows. "I mean exterminating the titans is something to strive for obviously-" I start to say, and this causes her to scoff and look away in annoyance, "But-" I continue, making her look back to me in surprise that there is a "but" in there. "I'm not like Eren, I know I can't kill every single titan with my own hands. But I could never be an MP because they don't fight" I explain, "They keep the peace, some would see that as fighting" she suggests, "I don't want to keep the peace, I want to attain it. Don't get me wrong, we need the Military Police but I'd go insane if I was with them" I admit, "Why's that?" she questions. "Because I have to fight, there isn't a bone in my body that doesn't belong on the battlefield" I explain, she seems surprised, looking into my eyes with her own entrancing eyes that remind me of a color of blue that I haven't seen since I was a kid, "What makes you think that? Why waste your life fighting an endless horde when you could live the easy life in the interior and just be.... normal?" she trails off at the end, telling me that this question is a delicate matter with her, something I shouldn't take lightly. I look at Annie and see her looking at me with a distraught look on her face, an attitude I never thought I'd see her have. "Because I can" I simply say, making her furrow her eyebrows in confusion, "You...can?" she stammers, "I can fight. I can kill titans. I can help preserve humanity. If you can do those things, you do them." I explain, "I can fight. I'm good with ODM gear and I can help preserve humanity. Does that mean I should join the Scouts too?" she questions with a tone that tells me she's been juggling this question for a while now, she looks to me with a pleading look in her eyes, like my answer could end her debate between joining the Military Police or the Survey Corp.