A/N: ...because why not. Arkevil made the cover art at my approval (I regret everything *uglycrey*).

Wildflowers

An Annie x Mina one-shot by: Euregatto

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The feeling is like a toxin seeping into her veins, a virus that's gradually consuming her from the inside out, working its way through her nervous system and into her brain. It devours her thoughts, engulfs her mind, overwhelms her body like it turned every sensor along her spinal column to stone. There's no appropriate way to describe it, to label it by the symptoms that possess her and the tingling it produces in her chest; it's a plague, a drug, an illness.

She knows this feeling is foreign to her. It dwells outside the void of her conscious, lingering in the form of a face, a being, a solid shape – framed by onyx hair and amplified by obsidian eyes. It comes with a name that rolls off of the figure's tongue fluidly, with the gentle nature of a small stream that washes over her with all the intensity of a waterfall.

This feeling is foreign, but it is not new.

"I'm Mina Carolina," the figure says, hand taking hers. It's like being touched by butterflies… graceful insects, adorned by multicolored wings that ignite her skin with the fires of the sun. "We met yesterday at orientation. I'm your sparring partner today!"

She watches the figure, Mina, skip a few steps back, picking up a wooden sparring dagger from the dirt. Her tongue is like sandpaper in her mouth, gluing itself to the roof of her sealed lips; the spark still zips around her, weaving through the air beat by beat. Finally she forms words, a phrase, a full blown question that bubbles up from the anxiety in her chest. "Do you know what to do?" She asks, her tone much quieter than intended, and the atmosphere compressing her small lungs.

"No," Mina admits shamelessly, "I was hoping you would know… and teach me, if you don't mind."

She doesn't want to spar. Sparring doesn't count on her record. She shouldn't waste her time with this girl. That pipsqueak. She should walk away while she still has the chance. Go find some other sap to spar. Or don't spar at all. Fuck it.

"I'm Annie Leonhardt." She raises her fists. "Let's begin."

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The feeling comes and goes as the summer ebbs into winter back into the summer, a dreadful, prolonged cycle that repeats itself until it's the spring of their third year. She has not been able to place her finger on this feeling. This plague. Drug. Illness. And it is still so foreign to her she wants to stab herself where it hurts most until the torment stops its restless assault.

She knows, for a fact, that she only feels this way around one person – the girl she sits next to in their theory class, a trainee she shares a top bunk in the girl's cabin with, this wide-eyed wonder with the patience for Annie's bitch-fit attitude, and one of her four only friends: Mina Carolina. And it is because she only shares this feeling with said soldier that she tries not to watch her too often, avoids her when possible, doesn't go into the details of her personal life.

But Reiner Braun has known Annie for far too long now, and notices – always, always, always, these little details that usually go over her head – what's been going on.

He sits beside her during the graduation dinner in the grand hall when Annie is alone, after the fight between Eren and Jean was broken up, and Mina excused herself to make sure Jean was alright (even though she dug her knuckles into his bruises and told him he deserved every hit). Despite the smug grin etched into his features his voice is thick with concern. "You should tell her how you feel."

She goes rigid in her seat. "I have no idea what you're talking about." Lies. Blatant, obvious lies.

He smells musky, she notes, of the cigarettes he's been smoking like a burning building lately. Mina's scent is light and airy, wildflowers, the ones that grow in the forest (untamed and free), and the odor of blood, sweat and dirt collected from the day never clings to her. Fucking hell. Back to Mina like she's the most interesting thing this side of the planet.

"I noticed a while ago," he continues like she actually cares, "you're not very good at hiding from me, so don't deny it either."

"Screw off."

"You're getting defensive. Means I'm right." He stares down at her but her sapphire glare is locked on her mug on the table top, and his smirk falls flat. "Annie… there's nothing wrong with how you feel. Everyone holds back until it's too late. That's how it always is. So, you should tell her before someone else snaps her up; would you rather ruin your friendship or regret keeping it?"

She grits her teeth but remains silent.

He exhales an exasperated, defeated sigh. "You don't have to do it now… just think it over, will you? We're picking our divisions soon and you know she's been talking about the Scouting Legion." He gets up to return to his original seat at the table across from her. "See you later."

"Whatever," she utters under her breath.

As soon as he disappears from her line of vision a set of arms wrap around her neck, familiar cheek pressing up against hers. "Aw my little Annie's got a crush!"

"No I don't," she denies, such a bluff it might even be a blunder, "at least, not on him."

"Oh?" Mina muses, perching at her best friend's side. "I assume you're not gonna tell me then." Annie presses her lips into a thin line and Mina laughs, a gentle timbre like that of a flute, her wildflower scent wafting into her friend's senses, and the blood immediately rushes to Annie's cheeks. "Fine, I'll have to guess… is it Bert? He's been looking at you a lot lately."

"No."

"Oh, I know! Eren!"

"No."

"Well damn, you two would be perfect." She tucks her knees up under her chin, mouth thinning as she ponders every possible trainee Annie has ever held a conversation with – that didn't conclude with a broken nose, of course. Love was tough but Annie made it hurt. "How about… Millius?"

"No."

"I get it, you're not that kind of girl… so it's Mikasa!"

"What the hell, Mina?"

"No?"

"No."

"Uhm… Ymir!"

"I'm not desperate."

"Oh, you're in to older men then!" She moves onto her knees, face a little too obnoxiously close to Annie's, the latter instantly wishes she could sink under the table and die. "So you're totally crushing on Shadis!"

Annie ascends to her feet and steps over the bench. "This conversation is done. I'm going to get some fresh air." She shuffles outside and Mina darts after her, hooking their arms together. Annie flinches in her touch. "What are you doing?"

"Coming with," she chirps. "You look sad so I'm going to cheer you up whether you like it or-!"

Annie fists the front of Mina's shirt and jerks her forward, colliding their lips and setting the entire forest within Annie's chest ablaze. The feeling slams into her brain and shatters its way through the network of veins in her body, exploding into lightning, dissolving to ashes. The warmth spreads through her torso, to the tips of her fingers, weaving into her lips as she moves with the other girl almost instinctively.

Suddenly, and without warning, she parts, wiping the dribble of saliva from her swollen mouth with the back of her sleeve. Mina is staring back at her with her jaw hung open in awe, uncertain of how to proceed, whether she move or breathe or speak or blink –

"Don't follow me," Annie hisses after a beat, turning on her heel and storming off down the street, head hung against her chest.

"Wait," Mina whispers, mostly to herself, her stubborn feet plastered to the cobblestone walkway.

Annie doesn't look back.

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They don't talk about the kiss after that, but every time Mina attempts to speak to Annie the blonde dodges into the crowd of soldiers, the same way she avoided Shadis, and practically vanishes into thin air. Annie will just watch her from ten bodies away and try her damned hardest not to cry in front of everyone else, especially not Reiner, who always, always, always finds her and always, always, always comforts her –

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Trost is burning to the ground somewhere behind the safety of the wall and Annie has her head in her hands, telling herself again and again and again that Eren and Armin weren't the only survivors, that Mina was going to slide her arms around Annie's neck just as she always used to and tell them all it's going to be alright. The feeling is replaced by a deep sorrow bordering anguish. Her mind is sizzling with guilt and denial.

Reiner guides her and Bertholdt behind a building where no one can see and, after making sure no one is around to watch, touches her shoulders. "Annie, you know we–"

"This is your fault!" She snaps, driving her fist into his gut as she catches him off guard. "Are you happy now Reiner, huh?!" She thrusts her knee up into his stomach, slams her elbow across his face, kicking out his knees and knocking him to the ground. "Tell me if this is what you wanted!"

Bertholdt hooks his arms under hers. "Annie, stop!"

"IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED?!" She rams her heel back into his shin so he releases her and turns, connecting his face with her fist with enough force to send him sprawling back against the ground. Steam erupts from her body, from the blood dripping from his nose as the bones reseal themselves, from the crack in Reiner's lower lip. Monsters. They're all monsters. "Fuck you and fuck this whole mission!"

Reiner balls his hand into her jacket and brings her down with him, slamming her into the wall. "Get a grip!" He roars, pinning her wrists on either side of her head. "You know we have no choice! I've lost friends too, Annie! You're not the only one!" She bucks against him but he smacks his forehead into hers and rams her against the tier again. "We accepted this life already! You knew this was going to happen!"

Bertholdt clambers to his feet, grasp suddenly on Reiner's forearm. "Enough! Guys, calm down!"

Annie sobs against the pain in her skull. "I just… I wasn't supposed to…" The tears erupt from the dam in her eyes, spilling out in rivulets along the plane of her cheeks, streaking across the dirt and ash from the battle. Reiner gradually loosens his grip on her wrists, moving one hand behind her throbbing head and gently pulling her against his chest. "I didn't want to give up so much…"

"I know," Reiner mutters quietly, "we didn't either."

She cries into the thick fabric of his shirt, lets herself break – just this once – right in front of them… because she lost her Mina, because she killed her Mina, because she knew what she was getting in to.

Now she doesn't know how to get out.

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A new feeling has replaced the old. It is like a toxin seeping into her veins, a virus that's gradually consuming her from the inside out, building off of what remains, working its way through her nervous system and into her brain. It devours her thoughts, engulfs her mind, overwhelms her body like it turned every sensor along her spinal column to stone. There's no appropriate way to describe it, to label it by the symptoms that possess her and the tingling it produces in her chest.

It's like a plague. A drug. An illness. It is foreign, but it is not new.

It tastes like death.

It smells like wildflowers.