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dudewhy3 · 5 days ago

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Who painted the sky?

Chapter 24: Bennie and the Jets

Annie yawns again. She folds her arms on top of the table and buries her face in them, letting her eyes close for a moment.

They’ve been waiting for the kids to get there for what feels like an eternity. The sun is starting to burn her back, and the birds’ chirping, as relaxing as it might have been at first, is getting annoying.

Something hits her foot. She snaps her head up just in time to see Dexter retrieve the ball from her feet and run back to Pieck, his tail wiggling excitedly.

The girl squats down, getting the bottom of her brown skirt in the dirt. She scratches the puppy’s head, a smile growing on her face.

“Good boy!”

She proceeds to throw the ball again, and Dexter runs after it as if it were his life’s entire purpose.

Pieck straightens up and stretches her back. Annie can’t help but let her eyes linger on her– her orange shirt is no longer as saggy as a few weeks ago, and her black circles have shrinked noticeably.

She must've felt her eyes on her, for she offers a quick smile.

“He's getting bigger.”

Annie stares at her for a second, the words not really registering. She blinks once, twice, tilting her head to the side ever so slightly.

Pieck plops on the bench in front of her. “Dexter, I mean. He's been getting bigger. He's starting to chew everything, too.”

Annie hums, nodding her head the slightest bit. He has been chewing on their shoes for the past week, so much so that Connie's sneakers got so worn out that he had to get new ones. Marie warned that, if the puppy even dares touch her furniture, he’s no longer welcome in the house. He can stay outside, she said, where all the other dogs are.

Dexter comes back with the ball between his teeth. He deposits it by the bench’s foot and sits, looking up at them with the biggest eyes, wiggling his tail back and forth.

Pieck picks it up and throws it again, giggling as the puppy runs after it without a second thought. Annie’s lips pull into a smile as she follows the puppy stroll behind the toy, in no particular rush to catch up to it. The ball rolls on the ground until it bumps into a pair of worn out shoes that’s all too familiar to her. Her gaze shifts higher as if under a spell, as if the sight of his face was everything she ever needed, barely processing the pitch of lemonade or the colorful plastic cups in his hands. The smile on his face though– that, she was seeking. She hasn’t seen it in a solid twenty minutes and was starting to miss it.

Flashes of their previous endeavors flash before her eyes in bits and pieces. That smile of his, always so comforting, always waiting for her to open her eyes, yet only growing once she’d mirror it. As if a mere glance of hers was enough to make him happier.

Armin kicks the ball right back. Dexter barks in protest, but runs after it nonetheless, his ears flopping with the wind.

“Are the others not back yet?” he inquires as he sets his treasures on the table.

Annie clicks her tongue, taking the cup of lemonade he hands her. It’s sweet and cold, perfect for such a summer day.

“Sasha and Connie haven’t returned yet. Jean is probably taking a beauty nap.” Pieck scowls at her lemonade, but downs it anyway. “And I honestly don’t even want to think about what Hitch and Reiner are getting up to.”

Annie rolls her eyes, sipping on her lemonade. Armin scoffs, but agrees with Pieck that he’d rather protect his peace. Then he finally sits down next to Annie, his knee brushing against hers, making her skin tingle the slightest bit.

Dexter soon comes back and scatters under the table, collapsing by their feet.

Annie leans over the table again, resting her head on top of her folded arms. But her eyes don’t leave Armin as he falls into casual conversation with Pieck– a conversation she cannot be bothered to even pay attention to, let alone participate in. For she’s way too endorsed in the way the sun hits his face just at the right angle, making his hair look more golden, and the faint tan lines his glasses have left on his complexion.

He must have sensed her stare, for he steals a glance at her, his lips twitching up the tiniest bit. Annie holds his gaze for a moment, searching for God knows what. But then his hand settles on her thigh, almost making her jump. And she curses herself for choosing shorts this morning, because his fingertips leave burning trails behind them as he draws patterns on her skin.

The front door snaps open, revealing an absolutely beaming Hitch. Her hair is perfectly curled and her camp shirt spotless, tucked into a white miniskirt. Reiner is trailing behind her, looking equally pleased.

“We got it!” she beams, skipping over to their table.

Annie narrows her eyes. Armin’s touch disappears, leaving her feeling rather disappointed. But she has no time to think about it, as Hitch claims monopoly over the lemonade pitch.

“Got what?”

“Well, we haven’t exactly gotten it yet,” says Reiner as he sits down.

He takes out his cigarettes and lights one up, letting the smoke float away as they all look at him expectantly. Pieck scowls and waves the smoke out of her face. Hitch’s grin only grows.

“We got a viewing for an apartment.”

“We diiiid!” Hitch throws her arms around his neck, beaming with joy. He leans his head back against her shoulder, his own smile growing.

“That’s so great,” Armin chimes in. “Good for you, guys!”

“Congrats,” Annie adds. She can’t help but feel happy for them. They’ve been talking about it all summer, and they do look genuinely excited about it.

“Again, it’s not ours yet, we’re meeting with the landlord next month,” Hitch says, though her excitement is obvious in her voice. “But we’re quite optimistic about it.”

“You can’t just say that and not show us the place,” Pieck muses.

“Right!”

Hitch takes her designated seat on Reiner’s lap, crossing her legs. His arm circles her waist for support as she looks through her phone. She angles her phone towards the three of them, and they huddle together to get a better look as Hitch scrolls through the pictures. The place is rather small, though she supposes it’s just right for the two of them. It looks clean, and it somehow already fits Hitch’s personality. Though the door frames look a little low for Reiner to be able to go from one room to another without having to crouch down.

“I call shotgun for the couch,” says Armin, a playful smile playing on his lips.

“You’re always welcome,” Reiner says, breaking into a smile himself. He looks around the bunch of them, and if she didn’t know him better she’d say there are tears brimming in the corners of his eyes. “You all are.”

Hitch rolls her eyes, though her smile gives her away.

“Aw, look at you guys, being adults and all!” Pieck jokes, slapping Reiner’s back just as he’s taking a drag of his cigarette.

He coughs out the smoke, scowling at her.

Annie finds herself smiling at their shenanigans. It downs on her then, that once the summer is over, she’s going to miss them and their antics.

But before she gets the chance to dwell on it, a watermelon is slapped on the table right in front of her.

She stares at it for a second, the conversation simmering down. She blinks once, twice, to make sure it’s not just the product of her imagination, but then Sasha’s voice confirms that she is, in fact, staring at an actual watermelon.

“We got it!”

When she looks up, she’s met with Sasha and Connie’s shit eating grins. They’re both wearing their orange camp shirts and matching khakis. Jean trails behind them with a comically big knife in his hand, his hair disheveled as if he’s just woken up from a nap. Which he might have.

“You got a watermelon,” Annie says, raising an eyebrow at them.

“From the kitchen,” Pieck adds, cutting the air with her hand.

Connie nods thoroughly. “Yes.”

“Yes.”

“So you stole from the cook.”

“Again,” adds Annie, remembering the chicken soup incident. The little thieves.

Sasha rolls her eyes. “We borrowed it.”

“You know, borrowing implies actually giving the thing back once you’re done with it,” Armin chimes in.

“We can give the peel back.”

Jean rolls his eyes. “Will you stop whining and let me cut the damn thing up?”

No one has any complaints. Truth be told, Annie was carving a little sweet treat– and what better treat for the middle of the summer than a watermelon. So Jean cuts it up, and they all share the delicious fruit until there’s nothing but the skin left.

“You absolute bastards!”

Annie snaps her head up, only to be met with the angry figure of a tanned, freckled girl who looks no older than the bunch of them, her dark hair tied in a low ponytail. She wears a scowl so angry that Annie feels the color drain from her face. She looks back at the table, all that’s left from the watermelon being the skin scattered around the table, and then back up at the girl approaching.

“Why the fuck do you keep stealing my damn food? That was for the children!”

“Well the children aren’t here, now, are they, Ymir?” Connie shouts back, a smug grin on his face.

Somehow, the girl’s scowl only deepens.

“When I fuckin’ catch you, Springer– wait, what do you mean they’re not here?” She checks her watch, her expression shifting from one of anger to that of confusion. “They were supposed to be here an hour ago. They’re scheduled for lunch right now.”

Annie narrows her eyes at Ymir, at her ripped jeans and dirty shirt, that was once the same shade of orange as hers. Who is this girl? And why does she seem so familiar with their schedule?

“That’s the cook,” Armin mutters in her ear, his breath tickling her ear.

Her scowl only deepens. “Wait, you’re the one who’s been burning our eggs all summer?”

Ymir stops in her tracks for a moment. She looks Annie up and down, then her scowl turns into a grin. “I have my bad days,” she says with a shrug. “You are the ones who keep stealing my fucking food.”

Sasha raises her hands above her head. Jean scowls at her antics. “It was just two times, today included.”

“It fucked up my entire plan!”

“Well, sorry, I needed to make my sick friend soup to cure him!” she gestures towards Armin.

His cheeks go pink, and he raises a sheepish hand in a weak wave. “Hi.”

Ymir scans him up and down, raising a judging eyebrow. Armin basically shrinks, hiding behind Annie’s back, the intensity of the cook’s stare too much even for him.

“I could have made your damn soup,” she barks through gritted teeth. “That way, the kids might have actually had some better diet.”

“I’ll know to ask next time.”

Ymir rolls her eyes, muttering a tight whatever under her breath. She plops on the bench next to Reiner and reaches for his cigarettes.

“May I?”

But she doesn’t wait for an answer, for she takes a cigarette out and lights it up before the blond gets the chance to say anything. She takes a drag and lets the smoke out in big clouds. Pieck scowls and waves it out of her face, but when the brunette does it a second time, she full on stands up and sits on the other bench, next to Annie, scowling at the cook with resentment.

“At least save me the peels,” Ymir says, scanning the skins thoroughly. “Some good jam could come out of this.”

Annie raises an eyebrow at her. “Watermelon-skin jam?”

“Yeah, it’s a thing. I didn’t believe it either at first, until my…” she stops for a second as if reconsidering her wording, then takes another drag of her cigarette, “until my idiot girlfriend showed me how it’s done.”

Hitch raises an eyebrow at her. “You don’t seem so happy about that,” she notes, stealing a drag from Reiner’s cigarette.

The cook scoffs thoroughly. “She’s a fucking idiot,” she spits. “But for whatever reason I can’t seem to get over her.” She takes another drag and lets the smoke out slowly. She shakes her head slightly, her expression softening the tiniest bit. “I do love her, you know, and her stupid watermelon jam.”

Silence falls over them then, the kind that usually finds its way in conversations with strangers.

“Where are the kids anyway?”

As if on cue, the hosts storm out of the main building, both in their camp shirts, both wearing serious expressions. Marie has her hair tied in a low bun, her glasses taking up most of her face, and Hannah– well. In the less than twenty four hours since Annie’s last seen her, Hannah has chopped her hair to shoulder length, and dyed it a light shade of purple. Had she not been in uniform, wearing a name badge and trailing behind her partner as she usually does, she wouldn’t have recognized her at all.

She switches her gaze across the group as if analysing them thoroughly. Hitch climbs off Reiner’s lap, sitting beside him instead, and attempts to palm the cigarettes in order to hide them from view. Though the hosts don’t seem to care. Hannah crosses her arms across her chest, tilting her head to the side slightly.

“We have news,” Marie says, stopping right in front of them.

Annie narrows her eyes at the two of them. This must be about the kids, she thinks, it must be. Why else would the hosts look so grim? But the longer they postpone breaking the news, the more Annie worries that something must have happened to them. The roads here are slippery, wild animals are quite literally roaming the streets and highways. Her heart sinks into her stomach, and her mind takes her to the most terrifying places.

“So our kids got lost,” Hannah says at last.

Annie feels a weight lifting off her chest.

“How could they get lost?” Pieck asks, narrowing her eyes.

Marie scoffs, exchanging a look with Hannah, who rolls her eyes profusely. “Apparently there are two sites with the same name,” the latter says.

Hitch raises an eyebrow. “And they got the wrong one?”

“Yeah.”

Annie presses her lips together, staring at the hosts in disbelief. Silence falls over the bunch of them again, only to be broken by Sasha’s giggles.

“Well, that’s just stupid,” says Ymir, putting her cigarette out.

Marie sighs and shakes her head, though she ultimately agrees.

“We’ll probably rename the place at some point.”

“Maybe next year,” says Hannah. “We have quite a lot to take care of before that.”

Marie hums in agreement, exchanging a look with her co-host. The tiniest of smiles sneaks its way onto her lips, and her eyes seem to soften, if only briefly.

“Wait, how far is this other site?” asks Hitch, her eyes narrowed.

Hannah clicks her tongue. “Four hundred kilometers.”

Annie finds herself blinking in disbelief at the host. “That's at least five hours.”

“Yep.” Hannah moves her weight from one leg to the other and pinches the bridge of her nose. “So all of today's activities will be delayed. We'll hold the ceremony when they get here and you guys can show them around, but that's it.”

Annie presses her lips together. That messes with their schedule big time, pushing them by at least a day. But that's an issue for later.

Ymir clears her throat. “Lunch is ready if you guys want to eat before they get here.”

Sasha jumps to her feet, thrusting her fist into the air. “Sold!”

Connie runs after her, yelling for her to save him some of the food too, and Jean soon scatters behind them, yelling for them to wait up. Ymir rolls her eyes, though a small smile plays on her lips as she stands and follows the bunch of them. One by one, the volunteers each jump to their feet and head for the cafeteria.

But as Annie’s about to follow after them, Hitch grabs her hand. She turns back to her roommate with a raised eyebrow. Hitch smiles sheepishly.

Annie furrows her brows.

“Do you mind if I have the room to myself tonight?”

“I mean, this calls for a celebration,” her roommate coos, nodding slightly towards Reiner, who’s leisurely walking away.

And that’s when the shoe drops for Annie. She scoffs slightly, shaking her head a little at Hitch, whose face is slowly picking up color.

“Of course.” She bumps her shoulder slightly. “Have fun.”

Turns out, Ymir hasn’t burnt their food this time around. They end up lurking around the canteen the entire afternoon, rethinking their plan and adjusting their schedule.

When the kids get there, they’re way too tired to do anything, barely paying attention to Hannah’s welcoming speech or Marie’s rules for the week. Annie’s pretty sure her and Armin’s group doesn’t hear half the things they say, so they call it a night early.

“That was, by far, the quickest welcoming ceremony,” Armin says as they head for the Big House.

The sun has long set, leaving room for the moon to work its magic, and the cicadas are out like they've never been, their song making it difficult for her to hear him.

They fall into a steady step, walking side by side. Her hand bumps into his, so she takes a hold of it before he gets a chance to apologize and draw it away.

“It really was,” she agrees.

Annie intertwines her fingers with his, swinging their hands slightly through the air .

“Can I stay over tonight?”

Armin’s eyes widen slightly, though his smile only boardens.

“Sure, yeah. I’d love that.” He squeezes her hand a bit. “What do you wanna do?”

Annie wiggles her eyebrows, making him huff out a laugh. “I have a couple ideas.”

“Well,” he pulls on the door and keeps it open for her, “I’m down for anything.”

Annie smiles to herself as she ascends up the stairs. She knew that much.

“But we probably shouldn’t stay up very late,” she reasons. “We start early tomorrow.”

Armin hums behind her.

They reach their floor and, when Annie turns to face him, his eyes are sparkling, a smile playing on his lips. He steps closer to her, the tips of his shoes touching hers. His hands find their way to her waist, pulling her closer.

“How about a movie?”

Annie tilts her head to the side, her lips arching up. Her chest feels warm, as it usually does around him. She pecks his lips, lingering millimeters from there for a second more, but ultimately draws away.

“Let me just get my pajamas.”

When she makes it to his room a couple minutes later, in her yellow donut pjs and slippers, she finds Armin sitting criss-crossed on his bed, his laptop already open in front of him. He’s turned off the big light, leaving only the fairy lights on.

Armin snaps his head up when he hears the door click closed, welcoming her with a gentle smile that makes her heart melt in her chest. He’s changed out of his camp uniform and into a shirt she hasn’t seen before, a sage green one with “leaf me alone, I’m bushed!” written in big letters on the front. She scoffs at it, though she must admit it does him justice, clinging to his arms just right.

“What do you wanna watch?”

Annie climbs next to him, stealing a glance at his screen. But she doesn’t let her eyes linger there, for she has more important matters to attend to right now. Like his lips, that she’s barely tasted today.

She cups his face in her palms and brings it closer to her own. His eyes are wide open when she meets them, though they glisten with something she could not name, but is getting better at recognising. Her eyes flicker down almost instinctively, studying his lips momentarily before finally capturing them with her own.

“How about one of your rom-coms?” she asks between kisses.

Armin smiles against her lips, his hand finding its way to the small of her back. “Sure.” He kisses her again, pulling her closer, closer, closer, until even the clothes between them seem like too much of a barrier. But it’s short lived.

“Have you watched 27 Dresses?”

She thinks he might actually throw a fit when the answer is negative. He argues it’s one of the best movies out there and wastes no time in streaming it for her. She does end up liking it, although the acting seems a little exaggerated at times. It’s a fun little watch. And when Bennie and the Jets comes up, she finds herself humming along.

Armin gives her a cheeky smile, his eyes glistening with the beginning of an idea. He scrambles to his feet, bringing her with him, amidst her yelp of surprise. She finds herself standing face to face with him as he sings along, silly dancing to the song.

“Your lyrics are worse than theirs!”

He scoffs, though he doesn’t stop dancing. “Yeah, well, you sing if you think you know the lyrics better!”

Annie raises an eyebrow. She’s not one to back down from a challenge, he must know that much by now.

“Say, Candy and Ronnie, and some guy named Jet, but they're so spaced out.”

Armin huffs out a laugh, and Annie finds it hard not to laugh herself, extremely aware of how off key she sounds. She must be more off than those on the screen.

But he joins in regardless, drumming in the air.

“Be-Be-Bennie and the Jets!”

His voice sounds so affected when the next verse hits that Annie bends over laughing, holding her stomach.

“Oh but they're weird and wonderful! Oh Bennie she's really cool!”

She didn’t know he could hit such high notes.

“She’s got electric boots!”

He thrusts his fist forward as if holding a microphone up to her mouth, his grin only growing.

“And Mohair shoes!”

“You know I read it like a magazine!”

Annie throws her head back when she laughs, tears starting to brim in the corner of her eyes.

He takes her hand in his and spins her around for whatever reason, though the song doesn’t necessarily call for it. She thinks he might do it again, had godforsaken Jane not laughed so loud.

When Jane kisses Kevin on screen, Armin's hands find her waist again, pulling her closer in one swift move. Annie lets a huff of surprise out and her eyes widen, yet she wraps her arms around his shoulders all the same. Armin kisses her then, his lips moving against hers with such fervour. His hand sneaks up to her face, tilting it up the tiniest bit. She parts her lips, allowing him better access, and she sighs when his tongue caresses hers, dragging against it in a slow, delicious motion, making her entire body warm.

Before she knows it, her back is pressed against the matters, Armin’s hands toying with the hem of her tee as he breaks away for air. His face is flushed deliciously, and he's panting as if he were struggling to catch his breath.

Annie props herself up on her elbows, pecking his lips shortly, before leaning over to shut the laptop down and set it aside. She liked the movie, but she has more important matters at her hands. Like getting those annoying shirts off.

She pecks his lips again, letting her hands rest on his shoulders. “I want to be on top this time.”

Armin scoffs, though he does comply. If anything, he seems as eager as she is, wasting no time in disposing of all of those annoying layers of clothing between them.

He sits back, his hands settling on her hips, and lets her take the lead. He lets her make a mess of him, and his perfect hair, and his perfect skin. He lets her scatter sloppy kisses all over his face and his neck and his chest, his touch never leaving her. His hands travel from her hips to her back and up her sides, tracing her body in such delicious ways that she can’t help but press against him, leaning into his touch in hopes of getting more. Her name is ever on the top of his lips as she rolls her hips against his, each little ministration earning her another little sound. Her movements become more erratic as pressure starts building into her lower abdomen. Armin’s hand sneaks between their bodies and she sighs into his skin as he finds that sweet spot. She captures his lips then, and their lips dance together as they come undone.

Her chest is still heaving when she collapses next to him. Annie curls up under the blankets as Armin disposes of the condom. He soon joins her again, laying on his side next to her. His hand settles on her hip, drawing slow patterns on her skin, eliciting a little sigh from her. He brushes the hair out of her face, places a kiss on her forehead, and she lets her eyes close, basking in his warmth and his proximity. A comforting kind of silence falls between them.

Until Armin breaks it. “I like sleeping with you,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper, a childish kind of innocence behind it.

Annie's eyes snap open. Her body heats up at the statement, her heart skipping a beat. She finds him looking back at her with a gentle smile on his face, and for a second she thinks she's misheard him.

“I figured that much,” she says when he doesn't provide any further explanation.

Pink creeps into his cheeks, his eyes widening the tiniest bit as he seems to realise what he's just said.

“No, I mean, literally sleeping with you,” he blabbers. Annie arches an eyebrow at him, the corners of her lips pulling up. “Sleeping next to you, sharing a bed. I like that a lot.”

Her expression softens. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He lets his hand fall in the space between them. “It's comforting, having you here. You’re comforting.”

Annie scoffs, though her face heats up. “I've been called many things in my life, but comforting is not one of them.”

Armin’s expression softens. “Well, you are. I feel much more at peace when you're next to me.”

Annie hums and presses her lips together, unsure of what to say. Warmth overtakes her entire being again, and her heart melts like it usually does when Armin showers her with such words. She lets her hand rest next to his, her pinky touching his, and she smiles when he brushes it against it.

She smiles, fully intertwining their fingers, and finally finds it in herself to look up at him, only to find his eyes already on her, filled with such love.

“I guess the feeling is mutual.”

#self rb #wpts #aruani fic

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