snow angel ᝰ annie leonhardt
𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 ⋮ annie leonhardt x reader | pure fluff | 2.6k wds
𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒 ⋮ winter training gone wrong? no worries — your angel is coming ۶ৎ
Each winter in Trost, there would be small flurries of snow blowing in from the north. Even so, some of your friends reacted like every time seeing it was their first. It was out of place, but it was also endearing. Seeing Annie and Reiner and Bertholdt — the most serious people you knew — drop their guards to play around in the snow was undoubtedly a highlight in your memories.
But alas, life in the military truly meant nonstop training, even through the most severe of blizzards. So soon enough, you found yourself and your friends bundled up amidst a mountain in Wall Rose, strapped to a heavy load of supplies with incredibly vague instructions.
“This is a survival test,” Shadis had announced prior. “Figure out a way to survive or you freeze to death.”
You huffed, watching your breath disperse through the chilly air. A scarf covered the majority of your face, shielding the worst of the storm away. And yet, it still wasn’t enough. You tugged your fur-lined hood down further, shivering as a particularly cold wind swept through the area. Snow blanketed the forest ground up to your knees, and every step proved to be as difficult as wading against a river current.
“Well, let’s get this over with.” Reiner sighed, looking toward where tendrils of smoke entangled with the distant sky. There was no guarantee that you would make it to the campsite before dark, and the last thing you wanted was to be outside all night.
Even the toughest solder would perish in these frigid conditions, regardless of their resilience or experience.
One by one, the cadets followed after the tall blonde in an effort to utilize his compacted footsteps. Two groups of three were ahead of you, no doubt the trios of Eren’s and Jean’s friends. Annie lingered near you, walking close to make sure you didn’t get left behind. Some other girls from your room trekked in the back, their breaths labored from the quick pace.
The sky grew darker as you descended the mountain, conversations likewise fading to silence. Your legs had become numb a while ago — had it been minutes? hours? — but you could not stop mechanically placing one foot in front of the other.
Your companion remained tethered to your side, but soon, you realized there was no one else around you. A sudden snowstorm had appeared, worsening your vision while it blocked out the sun.
“Where did everyone go?” You mumbled, words muffled by your scarf.
Annie looked around, exhaling as she kicked more snow away from in front of her. You were creating your own path now, with the storm and darkness obstructing all view past your immediate radius.
“We’ll catch up,” she finally responded. She sounded as tired as you felt, which was rare given her incredible athleticism. Right — she must not be used to the icy conditions. You sighed, continuing to press forward despite your fatigue.
But just moments later, the unforgiving wind howled through the forest, sending piles of snow crashing down from branches above. You stumbled just enough to collapse, wanting to give up and sleep right there in the white undergrowth. You swiped at your face, eyes burning from the cold.
“Annie,” you called. “Can you pull me up?”
Silence.
There was no response except for the unrelenting snowfall, nature’s crude way of humor.
“Annie!” You shouted, louder and sharper. A hint of desperation blossomed in your heart when nothing happened.
You were cold; so, so cold. The snow compressed where you tried to grip it for stability, sending you tumbling back to the ground. Your movement was limited, joints frozen and aching for relief.
Was this it? Were you going to die far too young, buried under heaps of snow during basic cadet training? Your body most likely wouldn’t be recovered until the spring, and everyone would definitely laugh and jeer at you for dying in such a lame way.
Your thoughts grew hazy as time passed, and it wasn’t long until a thin layer of snow blanketed you as well.
“-me]! [Name]!” A distant commotion caught your attention. “Where are you!”
Your bleary eyes blinked open slowly, throat dry from the cold. “I’m here,” you croaked, mustering all of your energy to respond. “Please, I’m here.”
Seconds later, a pair of arms wrapped around your figure, pulling you into a seated position. However, you could barely feel the movement, fully limp from what you assumed to be hypothermia.
Gentle, gloved hands cradled your face, and you could just barely make out the worry shining in Annie’s crystal blue eyes.
“Annie,” you said, but no sound came out. Instead, your breath caught in your throat and you doubled over, wheezing painfully.
“I’m here. Let’s go, you’re freezing.” Annie looped your arm around her shoulders, effortlessly tugging you to your feet.
From there, she practically dragged you to camp on her own. Your frozen limbs felt utterly useless, though you tried your best to lighten her load. Little by little, you trudged along toward the smoke in the distance.
She spotted your head drooping, eyes threatening to close again. Annie’s grip around your arm tightened.
“Stay awake, [Name],” she warned, “If you sleep now, you won’t wake up again.”
So you fought against your own body, listening as Annie began to talk. Her voice gave you something to hold onto, linking you to this side of consciousness.
“Thank you, Annie.” You whispered, so softly that she would not have heard you, had her body not been pressed to yours.
“What for?”
You smiled, feeling your face tense with prickling sensations. “For saving me again.”
It felt like another eternity had passed before the familiar lights of base camp greeted the two of you. Annie’s steps had long slowed, and you could tell she was nearing her limit as well.
Fortunately, two figures stationed outside the cabin saw you approaching from the tree line, immediately rushing forward to assist.
“Krista?” The closer of the two said. “Oh, it’s [Name] and Annie. Go get Eren.”
The other cadet nodded and left, leaving the one who spoke — Ymir — to drape your other arm around her shoulders. Annie doesn’t react to her help, but the slightest loosening of her brows gave her relief away.
“Krista isn’t back yet?” She inquired, sensing Ymir’s inner turmoil.
Ymir shook her head, glancing back toward the forest you had just exited. “We got separated at some point and I haven’t seen her since.”
The three of you had barely made it a few steps before the cabin doors burst wide open, allowing a blur of movement to barrel toward you.
Eren grabbed you and ran as fast as he could back inside, noting how limp and cold you felt in his arms. Mikasa shouted after him to fully dress before going outside, but his first reaction to hearing you were back was to get to you — even if it meant braving the arctic-like conditions in his current attire.
And so, the cruel wind nipped at his very being as he raced against time to save your life. Your lips were blue and ghastly, and perfect thin crystals lingered on your lashes, reflecting off the warm lighting from within the opened doors. Hell, Eren couldn’t even tell if you were breathing.
Alarms blared loudly in his mind as he entered the cabin, immediately laying you on the ground by the fireplace. Eren’s chest felt tight, like the very image of your frozen body had punctured his lungs. Armin, who stood in waiting, wasted no time to alert some of your roommates to help.
Once Annie and Ymir arrived inside, the former was placed next to you. Together, Mikasa and Ymir helped nurse life back into you, one warm towel at a time.
You roused soon after, gaining back the ability to freely move your limbs. Well, little by little, so you were only able to move your finger first. Eren, who cradled your hand with both of his own, immediately turned away from his current conversation to check on you.
“— so I’m going to look for her now. Can you cover for me?” Ymir mused, a hand supporting her cheek as she leaned on an armrest. “Jaeger, you listening?”
Said boy was occupied, replacing the warm towel around your neck and tightening your blanket. He warmed your hands by rubbing them between his own. Eren’s attention returned to Ymir after another call of his name.
“That’s a bad idea,” he frowned. “It’s too dark and the storm isn’t stopping anytime soon.”
Ymir stood up, now pacing around the fire-lit room. “That’s exactly why she needs me, you idiot. Look at [Name] and Annie right now. Krista’s still out there, and she’s nowhere near them physically.”
“And what if you don’t come back?” Eren matched her attitude with his own, rising up to challenge the older girl. “Plus, [Name] and Annie need us now! You can’t just be selfish and go out on your own.”
They fumed at each other silently, a tense battle between two headstrong individuals who didn’t know when to surrender. Mikasa and Armin had long since gone to bed, so the tension crackled through the room until Annie spoke up, linking her gaze to Ymir’s.
“If you want to find Krista, then you should both go. Bring Reiner too. I’ll look after [Name].”
Eren paused, weighing the options. Annie was mostly recovered, and Ymir was already putting on her shoes. Turmoil brewed in his eyes; while you were gaining color back steadily, he couldn’t expel the memory of holding your limp and frozen body.
That was, until you reached out with a still-shaking hand and connected your fingers with his.
“Go, ‘Ren,” you urged, though your voice was barely above a whisper. “But come back to me?”
“Yeah,” he finally answered, turning to follow Ymir out into the midnight blizzard. “See you soon, [Name].”
And with that, Eren was gone. The only evidence of his presence was the swirling cold breeze as the cabin door slammed shut. Leaving you alone with Annie, who had relocated to the couch by the fire.
Her hair was let loose, cascading down to her collarbones. Though she constantly left it like so back in Trost, she rarely kept it down once you started cadet training. You liked it like this — her like this — brilliant blue irises framed by platinum locks. She looked ethereal and soft, an alternate side to her that she kept hidden to the world.
And so, you valued these small moments of vulnerability. Whether it be during regular mornings, when only the two of you lingered in the shared dorm, or recovering from a near icy demise, you were always overjoyed when Annie trusted you enough to let her hair down.
There was no doubt that you missed Trost for its memories, but you longed for Shiganshina even more. But if the walls had never been disturbed, maybe you never would have even met Annie. And yet a small what-if nagged in the back of your mind: a wishful montage of you meeting Annie and introducing her to your mother and friends. Of you and Annie doing daily tasks together.
It was so endearing and domestic, but the regret of cutting short your childhood innocence would always plague your heart.
Sure, you had Eren and Armin and Mikasa, but they had been close for so long before you came into the picture. Meeting Annie was possibly the best thing that had happened to you in your life. She gave you a second — and now a third — chance at life, along with the confidence that there was someone who would always choose you first.
“Annie,” you called. She hummed in response, prompting you to continue. “How are you feeling?”
A beat of silence passed, before Annie began to shake, shoulders slightly convulsing. Only when she spoke did you realize, awestruck, that you had made her laugh.
“You almost died of hypothermia,” she gasped for air, “and you’re worried about me?”
Your cheeks began to burn, slight embarrassment creeping in. “You were out there too! I was just doing worse...” You trailed off. “And I got scared when we got separated during the storm.”
“You shouldn’t have. I found you in the end.”
“Yeah, I guess…” You sighed. “I couldn’t move at all. I thought I was really done for, to be honest.”
Annie’s voice returned sharper, with an edge that hadn’t been present before. “You promised to not give up, ever.”
“Yeah, and that’s why I was scared,” you groaned.
“Of dying?”
“Of letting you down.”
Annie paused, letting your words hang in the air for just a moment longer. Her hands dragged up along her face and through her hair. You watched as her fringe reset itself, cascading back to frame her jaw.
“You won’t let me down, it’s just…” She inhaled deeply, holding her breath for a second. “I just … never mind, forget it.”
“It’s okay, I understand,” you replied in a teasing tone. “I’ll try to stay alive just for you.”
You waited for her snarky remark, but it never came. Instead, she just exhaled again in faux amusement, sinking further into the velvety cushions.
Sparks flew rhythmically from the fire-pit, a capricious source of warmth during the snowy night. You closed your eyes, allowing the brevity of the moment to overcome you.
And for that fleeting moment, it almost felt like home. Like the countless hours spent by the campfire in Trost; like your mother’s embrace. Funny enough, she used to joke that you were a little moth: always flocking to the most brilliant source of light.
Sitting by the fire brought a gut wrenching sense of nostalgia — one that carved you open from the inside with claws of suppressed grief.
You shivered, wrapping the blanket tighter around yourself in an attempt to dispel the sudden frigidity, but it did nothing to stop the sinking feeling in your heart.
Annie noticed, of course. She always noticed.
“What’s wrong, [Name]?” She questioned, piercing eyes watching from her spot on the couch.
“Nothing,” you mumbled. “Just cold.”
“Come here.” She responded after a moment, clearly weighing the best options to help you.
You swiveled your head back from your spot on the ground, cocooned in a mess of blankets. Annie scooted further into the cushions, leaving a sizable space for you to join her. So without further ado, you beside her, settling down with a contented sigh.
“Better now?” She asked, though her body was now as stiff as a board. She fixed your blanket pile, making sure you were snug up to your chin in fleece.
You hummed in response, rolling slightly to rest your head on her shoulder. Annie stiffened more — if that was even possible — but you were too tired to care, already slipping into sleep. Soon, the full weight of your body had relaxed into her, and Annie was left staring at the ceiling.
Outside, the unrelenting wind rattled against the base camp, sending flurries of snow to swirl about the night air. But inside, it was warm and quiet, a stark contrast to the brewing snowfall. The fire crackled occasionally, dim lighting flickering across the space, filling it with waves of heat and fragrant pine.Slowly — oh so slowly — Annie leaned her head on yours as her eyes closed as well.
۶ৎ
