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Chapter Text

Chapter Text

I need this sometimes.

The warmth of another and the slide of slick skin against slick skin (or cloth against cloth when we need to be fast). The way this perfect creature kisses my neck when he peaks, or how he hugs my body to his and sighs against my shoulder briefly afterward. The way he pants my name and the way his face lights up with pride when I keen against or beneath him...

I need this because the weight of what I've been assigned to do is often too much for me. My job here doesn't allow me to feel. And sometimes you need to feel. So what can you do when you need to feel, but you aren't allowed to feel? He helped me figure it out a while ago. What we have isn't perfect, but it works...somewhat. It's not emotional either, what we do together. And he understands that, he knows what I ask of him isn't supposed to be out of love or even desire. He uses me the same way I use him, we both understand that we can't afford any more than what we give at this moment in time. We risk too much otherwise.

But I am not content with just using him. I want it to be more, because as time goes on I find that I feel less human without him. Each time we come together and he fucks me against a wall or into a bed, like the surprisingly feral lover he is, it's harder for me to wear my mask of apathy. Harder for me to remind myself that I can't need him more, that I can't afford to feel anything towards him.

And yet, even now as he comes in me and I murmur his name as I follow suit, I decide to forget the rules. The rules can go to hell, and so can my mission...just for now. I don't let him leave me, not now and hopefully never again. I grasp his hand and keep him from pulling away. He pauses, a droplet of sweat collecting on his forehead and gliding down his nose to drop down to my heaving breast. He is right to be confused, as I have always pushed him away after every coupling we've had.

"Please." I whisper, tugging him back and wiping sweaty, blonde locks aside from where they are plastered to his skin. He looks inquisitively at me with those sapphire eyes I am not allowed to adore, but do so anyway, and I feel my own eyes attempt to water. So I pull him to my body in a tight embrace, so he won't see any tears...because no one should see me cry. "Stay." I plead, and I whisper so quietly I'm certain he doesn't hear, "Help me feel human."

He shuffles and rolls us so we are side by side, and he pulls back from my neck to wipe at my cheek, at the tears he's not supposed to see. "Okay." he says, and to my surprise, he kisses me.

We don't kiss. We never have, because a kiss can be tender, it can mean love, and we aren't supposed to be in love. We aren't supposed to feel passion and desire when we share a bed. But despite all the rules, and my true reasons for being here, I decide that when it's just us, we're allowed to love, and we're allowed to comfort. He's allowed to see me cry, and I'm allowed to ask him for help. I decide that I'm allowed to love him. I decide that the risk is worth it.

Because right now, I need this more.

Chapter Text

'Why did I take this assignment again?'

Annie Leonhardt didn't usually question her choices, but tonight was a rare exception. Not in any way due to the nature of her mission: infiltrate and acquire (by any means necessary). She had done that more than once. It was rather the setting she was forced to surround herself with and blend into in order to accomplish said mission.

She had never been one for fancy, pompous galas, and she had most certainly never been one for tight dresses that hugged her hips and kept her knees together. It was a pain to walk in, especially with the damned heels Reiner insisted she wear with the dress. Apparently boots or even flats wouldn't be on par with the standards of high society. Go figure. Her thighs chafed and slicked with uncomfortable sweat. She damned herself for the hundredth time that evening.

She tugged at what felt like a wedgie for the fifth time since she put on the floor-length, powder blue dress. Luckily she hadn't entered the party yet, and Reiner was the only person who could spot it. He flicked his finger against her bare back in a warning not to do that. And she flashed him an icy scowl over her shoulder.

"Focus on your mission." Reiner whispered, lips barely moving.

"Fucking dress." she mumbled under her breath and handed her false invitation to the butler, or was he staff? She didn't care, she only nodded her thanks as she was waved inside. She stepped aside and adjusted her white gloves, checking both earrings and her tiny, hidden ear mic to assure herself they were still there, and then her fingers resorted to fiddling with her loaned diamond necklace while she waited.

"Don't hang around me." Reiner instructed, "Go find your target and see about following him home. Avoid the alcohol." he said as he left. He was only here as surveillance, to get her out if she was compromised. He was also the getaway car driver.

~"He's in the other room, to your right."

The hushed voice in her ear was Bertholdt.

"Thanks." Annie murmured quietly. She dodged overdressed guests and waiters or waitresses and made her way to the table that sported food on the opposite side of the correct room. In her casual act of collecting tiny tarts to her plate, she scanned the room expertly.

'Blonde hair, blue eyes, short but taller than me...'

She repeated his description to herself at least a dozen times before she believed she had spotted him. She took a dainty, practiced bite out of a more savory cheese tart, eyeing him up and down and judging the best way to a approach him. He was short, but she was much shorter, by at least half a foot, not including the added height of her heels. He seemed somewhat introverted, and yet he spoke quite casually with his companions.

His name was Armin Arlert, and while he wasn't as high up in the military as Commander Smith or his captains, his position still afforded her organization an opportunity. Her mission tonight was to make it to his house, preferably invited, and to rob him of some rather crucial documents. Their sources indicated that he had been entrusted with them barely two days before, and that they were cycling out of his hold the morning after tonight. It was crucial that she bagged this one, not that she had ever failed before.

She didn't expect him to glance her way, as if he sensed that she was studying him. To mask her surprise she schooled her face into a soft smile, one that indicated she was interested in him, yet not quite enough to seek him out for conversation. He seemed to pick up on her somewhat seductive vibe rather quickly. She watched with amusement as his companions, (a young, brown-haired man and a young woman who appeared to be half-Asian), seemed to convince him over the course of several minutes to approach her.

She turned and smiled slyly as she grabbed a champagne flute.

~"Watch the alcohol!"

She nearly jumped at the sound of his voice, "Shut the fuck up!" she hissed, hyper-aware of her target's approach.

~"Just don't get drunk, damnit."

"I know what I'm doing." she said as she turned around again, giving a theatrical jump when he ended up being closer than she had anticipated. "Oh shit!" she gasped, chuckling softly and pressing a gloved hand to her chest.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you." he said with a tentative smile.

'We got a newbie here. Only makes this easier.' she thought to herself, eyeing him once more up close. He had an impressive build, if not a bit lanky. He had a handsome face, despite some of his features being a bit babyish. If he weren't her target she might consider dating. His hair was blonde and long enough to brush against his shoulders framing his face and adding to how young he appeared despite his true age. His eyes were a deep, sapphire blue, and incredibly expressive, reflecting a strange, perplexing mixture of shyness and confidence that threw her slightly off guard.

"It's fine, no harm done." she said, waving her hand and placing her plate down. She sipped delicately at her champagne, cringing inwardly at the taste she had never quite gotten used to.

"I don't believe I've seen you at one of these galas before, though I can't claim to know everyone here." he said, leaning against the table and scooping up a flute of his own.

"I'm not a party-goer if I can help it. I was dragged here, my friend didn't want his extra on the invite wasted." she said, gesturing to the room vaguely.

"Oh you have a date?" he seemed to deflate a little at the thought.

'Don't you worry your pretty face just yet, Arlert.'

"No." she gave a show of dismissal, waving a hand and chuckling, "No. I'm not a very close friend of his, just the only one available." she placated.

"I see. Um...good." he added in a murmur, and she giggled softly.

"I heard that." she informed him, gracing him with a coy smile, "Is that your way of asking me for a dance? Perhaps more?" she implied the latter with a purr and a not-so-subtle glance at his body.

He seemed to panic for a moment, glancing at his companions for silent support only briefly before he composed himself. "Erm...yeah." he said, clearing his throat, "To both."

"Might I know your name before I go home with you tonight?" she asked, not bothering to hold back anymore, he had practically offered her objective to her on a silver platter. It was almost too easy, nearly enough to be suspiciously easy. But his nervous, awkward demeanor told her he nearly (or just) as novice as she had initially determined.

"Armin Arlert." he said, offering his hand for her to shake, and she did so gladly.

"Annie Leonhardt." she said, not particularly worried about giving her true name away. She operated under Lioness after all, no one in her world usually knew her true name. She gestured to the dance floor, "I hope you dance better than you pick up girls, Mr. Arlert."

She sensed his tension more than once as he drove her to his house. His fingers would flex until the skin flushed with white around the steering wheel and his jaw would clench every so often. She didn't comment on it for now. He wasn't a womanizer, that much was obvious, just as much as him possibly being a virgin was obvious. She wasn't going to scare him away with unnecessary comments, but it did give her pause when she pondered it. She understood being nervous, but he was more tense than nervous...the reasoning was just something she couldn't fathom.

His house was modern and sleek, yet not as big as one would expect such an important man to live in. He seemed to be continuously proving her observation of him being a simple man quite true.

She entered with a courteous, thankful nod when he unlocked the door, gazing around the subtly decorated two-story. There was a staircase immediately on the right, leading up to what looked like a loft or maybe a couple rooms, a living room on her left and a kitchen on her right. There were various paintings of the ocean adorning the walls in a stylish manner, colors coordinated with the sparse furniture. There were also several bookshelves. She smiled at the sight, having a love of books seem to fit him. Overall, the environment blended together well and the colors were soothing.

~"I'm turning this off, page me when you're done with this, Leonhardt."

Annie scoffed at Bertholdt's insinuation and shook her head slightly. While he wasn't wrong, he didn't need to keep rubbing the details in like he had all night. She suspected jealousy from him sometimes. Irrational of him, but expected, as they were an item back when they first joined the cause.

"My room is-ah...I mean, want to see upstairs?"

She turned on her heel and smirked, "I know why I'm here, Arlert. You don't need to beat around the bush with me." she lifted a foot and tugged her uncomfortable heel from it, following suit with the other and stepping on the cold hardwood floor with pantyhose laden feet. "You haven't done this before, I presume?"

He seemed offended, "I've brought a girl home before." he scoffed.

"Then prove it, Arlert." she placed her heels down and beckoned him forward with a gloved finger.

He seemed to gain confidence at her words, and upon the end of a short pause she was a little surprised to be so suddenly accosted with his tongue invading her mouth and a hand pressing her pelvis into his. She gasped when he started to push her, and she stumbled back until her back collided harshly with the wall. 'That's more like it.' she thought with a smirk, slowly beginning to gyrate her hips against his growing erection.

She moved to hike her leg over his hip, but the tight confines of her dress restricted her movement to a pathetic kick.

With an irritated groan she pulled away, and he chased after her lips for a moment, "One second, I'm not doing anything until I get out of this damned dress." she pushed him off of herself gently, pulling the tie of the neck of her dress out and immediately pushing the irritating fabric down her torso and past her hips with a slight wiggle. "Next time I'm wearing a loose skirt." she said begrudgingly as she kicked the dress away, nary minding the widening of his eyes as she bared herself so suddenly.

She was being led by the hand up the stairs within seconds of ridding herself of her attire. Her only clothing being the jewelry, gloves, and stockings she wore, and the sheer, lace panties that came with those (she was planning this after all). Of which he was delicately removing as soon as he had lain her against a plush bed in his large bedroom. She pulled her gloves off, not wanting to dirty them.

She clutched her knees to her chest while he tugged the panties down her legs, quite aware the view of her cunt she was affording him, of which she promptly slid a finger into. Both to tease him and to warm herself up. "It's hardly fair that you are still dressed." she poked a toe at his tie and bit her lip appreciatively as he obliged her request, slowly grinding on her finger while she watched. He revealed himself to be just as pleasing to the eye as his build suggested. Watching him take his clothes off was probably the highlight of her night so far. Indeed, this would not be hard at all.

He finished baring himself and tugged her hips onto his knees, gently pulling her hand away and then faltering when she sucked her essence off of it with a wink. "Fuck!" he hissed to himself, one hand supporting the small of her back as he pressed his cock against her. Her breath quickened in anticipation, though she found the urge for a last quip before they truly began. "Excited? If I weren't on the pill I'd chide you for forgetting a condom." she said, watching in amusement as his eyes widened in embarrassment.

"SHIT." he scoffed at himself, "Sorry, I-I'll get one."

"No, it's fine." she wasn't in the mood for waiting, and there was a purpose behind the pill in any case. She used her hooked ankles around his back to pull him towards her, giving a pleased moan when he breached her. "Just fuck me well and I might forgive you." she said coyly, more than happy to see a spark of euphoric desire in his eyes.

He seemed happy to oblige, and she found her hands suddenly gripping the sapphire sheets tightly enough to break a carefully manicured nail. "Oh shit...unhh!" she moaned, back arching up and thighs clenching his sides. Strange that she didn't have to fake it, as per usual, but he was actually proving to be pretty damned good in bed, despite his virgin demeanor. Perhaps it was his comfortable girth, skillful gyrations of his hips, or her subtle attraction to him. Whatever the cause, she didn't care, he was good, and that was all that mattered.

"Wait..." she suddenly sat up in his hold, halting him and using her hidden strength to flip him on his back. "Like this." she said as explanation, in honesty she liked being in control. He gripped her waist and thrust up to meet her as she rode him roughly, and she reached her fingers into her slick folds to rub vigorously at a delightfully swollen and pulsing clit.

"Ahh!" he gasped upon seeing her pleasure herself like that, and she felt his cock throb inside her in response. His fingers pressed into her hips hard enough that she briefly wondered if he would leave bruises. His lips parted with a soft groan, and his eyes screwed shut as he thrust up to meet her.

"Touch me." she demanded, though a soft whine soon betrayed the need she was trying to mask with her words. He blinked those sapphire eyes open, pupils blown wide with arousal as he reached up to palm at her breasts, of which bounced lightly with her movements. And she rubbed frantically at her clit while he sat up to take a hardened nipple in his mouth.

She cried out, voice breaking and back arching, and he laved heavily at her breast while she came. "Shit..." she gasped, burying her opposite hand in his long hair.

"Roll back." he said in his own little demand, biting her nipple enough for her to hiss, though her sensitive, pulsing cunt gave a soft jolt of arousal at the motion.

"You didn't finish." she murmured to herself, surprised and slightly impressed at his stamina.

"Not yet." he said, hands kneading at her ass roughly as his lips made their way up to hers. She moaned when he flipped them back to their previous position, his tongue delving deeply into her mouth and battling with hers in a passionate vie for dominance.

He thrusted aggressively, his cock throbbing noticeably inside her with each of them. And she rolled her hips into his just as vigorously, her moans and cries reaching a fever pitch far more quickly due to her overstimulated nerves. "Ahh! Shit..." he groaned as he slammed his hips into hers once more and stilled. She slipped her fingers back between them and rubbed as vigorously as she could while he released, and she cried out as she came for a second time.

"Oh God...oh my God." she whispered, voice quivering and body sagging with relief. "Fuck."

"You alright?" he panted, pulling out of her and laying beside her.

"I'm perfect." she chuckled, 'In fact, I think I'll stay the night.' she thought to herself, a soft sigh escaping her as she replayed their coitus in her head. "That was really good." she breathed.

"Really?" he asked, seeming a little shy again.

"If a man fucks me well enough to make me vocal, you'd best believe it. I'm not vocal, ever." she said, in no way less than dead serious.

"Wow." he said with a slight smile. Why did he look sad at that comment?

"I hope you get a girlfriend soon, or maybe a few, women shouldn't miss out on you." she said to distract herself, rolling to throw a leg over him. "And yes, I think I'm waiting as long as it takes for round two." she said, though she was pretty tired already.

"An hour maybe." he sighed, eyes drifting closed as his chest heaved with exertion.

"Well, I'll go to the bathroom then." she said with a smile, clenching her legs together to keep his spill from dribbling down her legs as she got up and walked into the bathroom. Closing the door, she turned the fan on to mask her voice as she tapped the mic in her ear. "Bert?" she whispered.

~"That was fast...and I had to mute you, by the way."

"What...? You were supposed to have turned it off. You monitored me?" she hissed.

~"Of course I monitored you! What if something went wrong?"

She rolled her eyes, "Whatever, it's all part of the job, and I can handle myself. Oh and by the way, if I find out you fapped to that I will personally ensure you never fap again."

~"Um, ew. That would be gross. And no, I didn't."

"Better not have. Now where are these documents I'm after?"

~"How should I know? We don't have blueprints. Go search around, and be quick about it."

"Whatever."

She cleaned herself up. Taking a nice, warm shower to eat up some time, and then she toweled off and stepped out of the bathroom.

To her brief dismay he was asleep when she opened the door, so she helped herself to his shirt and took the liberty of scouring his house for her quarry while he dozed. It took her some time, and some thorough rummaging, but eventually it paid off, and she was tucking her rolled up prize into her little hand purse as best she could. "Mission accomplished." she muttered to herself with a contented smile.

She pressed one finger to her ear mic, "I'll need a car in the morning." she whispered so as not to wake her company.

~"In the...morning?"

"Um, yeah. It's not as if he'll notice it's gone until I leave. Give me a break." she said, turning toward the stairs and ascending quietly. He was still asleep, body lax and still quite naked as the day he was born. She crawled in beside him and allowed herself the rare liberty of snuggling up to another body. She stared at his face for a moment, taking in unusually long lashes and parted, rosy lips that no young man should have the right to own. If it weren't for his body she would say he was feminine.

'I wonder what sort of trouble he'll be in when I leave here tomorrow.' she thought to herself, tugging the thick comforter over them and rolling so her back was flush against his side. "Shame, you seem like a nice guy." she muttered to herself.

Armin woke up to the sound of movement, and with a start he sat up in bed, glancing around for the woman he had brought home the night before. It was early, the sun having not risen yet. He stepped out of bed, no concern for nudity at the time, and peered over the ledge of his loft, scoffing when he saw her tugging her heels on.

"I thought you wanted a second round." he said, and she merely glanced up at him.

"I'm afraid I have things to do this morning, and you were sleeping so soundly I didn't dare wake you." she said in explanation, though her movements were hurried and her mannerism skittish. Her behavior was suspicious, but he didn't comment on it, he didn't need to. She picked up her handbag and he observed how full it appeared to be.

"Well, in that case, I shouldn't keep you. Though..." he went to his nightstand, grabbing a piece of paper to scribble on and pulling on some shorts before he headed down the stairs. "I think we should keep in touch." he handed the paper to her with a soft smile, and she accepted it with a look of surprise on her face, though it was quickly replaced with a flirty grin.

"You think so?" she tucked the number into her purse, quickly so as to not let him see the contents. And he grasped her wrist as she made to leave, kissing her once more, another motion that seemed to surprise her, one that she didn't recover from as quickly. He pulled back, and he smiled softly while she merely blinked, lips parted.

"I do." he said as he opened the door for her, affording the sleek car that had pulled into his driveway one careful overlook, especially taking note of the number on the license plate.

"I'll think about it." Annie said, turning, hesitating, and then taking the first step outside. She waved over her shoulder as she approached the car, blowing him a kiss and twirling the purse with a triumphant flourish he wasn't meant to understand. Though unbeknownst to her, he understood quite well. He shut the door when the car drove off, and he pulled out his phone, calling General Smith.

"Hello sir, yes it's done, she took them." he said, biting his lip and checking the cabinet they had been kept in. "No, my part wasn't too difficult. Though I would like to ask that I don't receive assignments like that in the future." he said, honestly feeling a little guilty over his actions after meeting her.

He sighed and nodded, "Yes, I know, sir. I understand it was necessary." he ended the call on that note and sat down against the wall, running his fingers through his hair. He had known her intentions since the beginning, that's the only reason she had actually succeeded at her job. Because his superiors had ordered him to let it happen, and to plant a bug in those files...

Her organization was going to crumble because of what he had done. And for some reason, despite all they had done to his government...he didn't feel much satisfaction over it. As he should have.

Chapter Text

He couldn't quite explain how they got in this situation, all he knew was that the tension between them had hit a breaking point. A point in their not-quite-relationship that could only logically be resolved in his head by pushing her up against the wall and kissing her senseless like his instincts were screaming for him to do. And he did. She was surprisingly pliant under his advances, perhaps tired of her usual overpowering demeanor. He was as surprised as she when he gripped the back of her neck and crushed her lips to his own.

As soon as he started, there was no way he could let himself stop unless she told him to. And she didn't. Granted she stiffened momentarily, but she just as soon melted beneath his advance. And they stumbled backwards in a graceless tangle of limbs until her shoulders pressed roughly against the wall. She gave a little pained grunt that had him parting from her lips just barely enough to mumble that he was sorry before he was back to kissing her again.

She hesitated when his tongue swiped along the seam of her lips, and he backed off, rather figuratively, to instead slow his advance and cup her face with his hands. The gentle coaxing seemed to relax her more so than she had been, and she reached her fingers up into his hair, pulling him back into leaning against her body.

He pressed against her eagerly, their heads tilting from side to side in tandem as their lips danced. They could only go on for so long, however. He pulled back, gasping as he finally pulled away from her lips, desperate for a breath of air. His chest heaved, forehead pressed against her shoulder, feeling his skin flush with fierce color as he realized what he had just done. They had kissed before, of course. He would never attempt such a passionate course of action with a person he had no prior experience with. But never had it been so rigorous. Annie was reclusive, shy, even. Just a simple conversation with her was an achievement in and of itself.

But he had gotten to know her, gradually. He sat at her table where she usually would be hiding away in solitude. He volunteered to be her partner when they were paired up. He told her his history, in doing so he noted how incredibly saddened she had been by the conversation. He sent her sweet smiles, thumbs up, cheered for her....

He had felt the strange tension between them maybe a week or so after he began unwrapping her tightly locked layers. She was a difficult girl to figure out, frustratingly apathetic. Over the past five or six months he'd socialized with her, she had tried to kiss him twice, and him four times as often. The ridiculousness of avoidance had culminated until he'd finally told himself to just fuck it and leaned forward that final inch needed to press their lips together.

Needless to say, things were a little awkward between them for about a week afterwards, and she had finally broken the newly-formed ice after said period of time. She had tapped his shoulder, grasped the lapels of his jacket, and tugged him in for a swift kiss. It was enough to show she was not mad at him, and in fact had reciprocated his advance. Afterwards the stunned Armin had watched her mumble an apology and stalk away, hugging herself. And he had been subject to explaining to a very confused Eren, Connie, and Jean, why on earth Annie Leonhardt had kissed him.

Now, panting against her shoulder, he was rather tense, uncertain of what her response might be....

"Annie, I-"

"What was that for?" she asked, the monotonous tone of her voice slightly inquisitive. She wasn't upset or apprehensive in any way, it seemed, but rather curious.

He looked up the moment she spoke, stepping back one step and running his hand over his face. "Um..." he chuckled nervously, how did he explain it?

The sun had been hitting her just right. She had looked like an absolute angel, her blonde locks haloed in a ring of bright, yellow light and her ice blue eyes reflecting the clouds in the distance. Her skin glowing with the highlights of a sunset, her lips full, pink, and absolutely begging to be kissed. How did one put that into spoken words?

"I just...felt like it. And you were looking pretty...and..." he mumbled, the description so much more awkward than what he had thought in his head. He blushed, glancing at her sheepishly from behind his hair.

She tilted her head, considering, and then, slowly, the slightest of smiles graced her lips. "Oh." she said, a hand grabbing at his jacket yet again to pull him in for one more kiss, chaste and tiny compared to how he had ravished her seconds ago. "Thanks."

He blinked at her, and then he grinned, the expression goofy and awestruck, to which she shook her head and walked away, her cheeks flushed and her demeanor shy.

Armin laughed again, breathless, and pressed his palm to his forehead, not quite believing what had just happened.

"Wow..." he sighed.