Work Text:
Annie could remember it so clearly, the first time Mina sat across from her at dinner. She’d been the first person to approach her at the empty table, smiling a bit nervously.
“Hi, you’re…Annie, right?”
The blonde looked up from her food, a bit surprised that someone had come to talk to her…of course, this surprise wasn’t the least bit evident in her expression. She answered with a simple, “yea.”
“Would you mind if I sit here?” She motioned towards the bench across from Annie.
“Go ahead.”
“Thanks. It’s just getting a bit too lively, over near Eren and Jean...” Mina shot a glance over her shoulder, just in time to see Mikasa sit her brother back down. Nobody wanted to think about what kind of havoc those boys would cause if Mikasa wasn’t there… “Oh, and my name is Mina, by the way!”
“Mina. Got it.”
Thinking back on their meeting, Annie was amazed that the girl wasn’t immediately put off by her less than friendly attitude. Being rude or intimidating hadn’t been her intention, but she knew well enough that people often interpreted her words as such. It was beyond her, why Mina continued sitting with her every day. She sometimes asked questions, which Annie generally answered in very few words. Sometimes she’d talk about herself or their training, and Annie would listen quietly, nodding on occasion. Mostly, though, they just ate together quietly.
This night in particular, Mina was especially quiet. Annie eyed the girl’s plate; just some bread and a small pile of salad, which she pushed around on her plate with her fork more than she did eat.
“You haven’t eaten much.” She commented plainly, watching Mina finally spear a bit of food with her fork, only to sigh and put the utensil down.
“Yea…I’m not feeling very well.” Mina didn’t look like she was going to eat anymore, putting her hands in her lap and staring down at the plate. Her face was a bit pale, Annie noted.
“All the more reason to eat. Your body needs it.” Her tone was less apathetic than usual, almost stern. When the girl looked down at her plate of greens and bread with a weary frown, Annie pushed her bowl of soup across the table and said, “have this. Should go down easier.”
At first, Mina was hesitant to accept it, but something told her that she wouldn’t be able to get away with turning it down. She thanked Annie shyly before sipping at a spoonful. It was definitely better than forcing any more stale bread down her throat, and it seemed to appease the girl across from her, who looked back down to her own meal. All through dinner though, Mina noticed her glancing up to make sure she was still eating…she only excused herself from the table after finishing the bowl.
Figuring that the cool night air might help her feel a bit better, Mina leaned against the wooden rail outside the mess hall to look up at the stars. Unfortunately, it did little to distract her from the growing ache in her head or the fatigue creeping up on her. It was rather early to go to bed, though…and she didn’t like the thought of being all alone in the barracks. Sighing, she slumped more of her weight against the railing and listened to the idle chatter of passing trainees. Before long, Annie came to join her.
Being in Annie’s company outside of their meal times was new. She wasn’t really sure what to say, or if she should bother saying something at all – she was already well aware that her friend wasn’t much of a talker. But that was okay, she decided, because at the moment she was a bit too tired for conversation. The two stood in comfortable silence for a while, until Mina felt a hand on her forehead.
“You have a fever.” Annie murmured once she’d taken the hand back.
“I guess I’m getting sick…” Mina sighed, not looking forward to tomorrow’s training.
“You should get some rest.” Though the blonde didn’t sound especially worried, the simple fact that she’d said such a thing in the first place was evidence enough of her concern. And since she was already beginning to walk towards their sleeping quarters, Mina followed along. She wasn’t all that eager to find out what an argument with Annie would be like, considering how frightening she looked when she was angry.
Once inside the barracks – which was empty, as expected – Mina shed her uniform and changed into her sleepwear. It felt a little strange…embarrassing, almost, undressing when it was just the two of them, even if Annie wasn’t actually watching her. She just stood with arms crossed, waiting for the girl to crawl into bed. After settling in and pulling her blanket over her, Mina looked over and asked with a playful smirk, “so do I get a bedtime story?”
To her surprise and disappointment, Annie simply went back outside. She hadn’t actually been expecting a story, of course, but just some company would have been nice. Suddenly feeling terribly lonely, Mina tugged her blanket up further and rolled over. Even knowing how little Annie spoke, it hurt a bit that she’d left without some kind of reply. She didn’t have a lot of time to dwell on it, however, as Annie reentered the building, carrying a rag and pail of water. Mina watched curiously as the blonde sat beside her on the bed and dunked the rag in the water.
“It’ll be a bit cold.” Annie warned her as she finished wringing out the rag and motioned for Mina to lay her head back down. Indeed, the damp cloth was cold – colder than she’d expected, but it was soothing nonetheless as it was laid against her forehead. With that done, Annie mumbled, “sorry, but I don’t know any stories.”
Mina laughed and assured Annie that it was fine, that she didn’t really need any bedtime stories. She was content enough just having the other girl sitting beside her. So content, in fact, that she began to doze off…she wasn’t sure how long she’d spent drifting in and out of a light sleep; probably not long, since nobody else had come to bed yet. She could still feel Annie’s weight off to the side, and was vaguely aware of a hand combing through her hair, pulling the damp strands out of her face. As she came out of her state of groggy half-consciousness, the hand moved away. She almost thought it was out of shyness, or embarrassment, but Annie had never struck her as shy in any way…
“Thank you, Annie,” Mina reached for Annie’s hand, mumbling sleepily, “for taking care of me.”
“It’s not a big deal…” Her fingers closed lightly, nervously around the hand. She seemed to be avoiding eye contact.
“Are you embarrassed?”
“No. I’m not.” Most people might have thought Annie sounded perfectly composed, but Mina could hear the slightest bit of defensiveness in her tone.
“I guess I’m just imagining things, then.” The girl laughed, but she couldn’t bring herself to press the matter further. Instead, she laid her head back down and wriggled herself just a bit closer to Annie. As she began to fall asleep once more, she could have sworn she felt her hand held just a bit tighter…