𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑳𝑨𝑺𝑻 𝑩𝑨𝑻𝑻𝑳𝑬 ⇢ 𝘙𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘹𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

a born soldier

You turned to face him, "And how do you expect us to do that?"

The older boy turned his face back to the dirt-track road infront of you as you felt a warm wind glide through your body.

He was wearing his usual Survey Corps uniform, including his favourite form-fitting, forest green shirt that hugged his thick muscles. The fabric clung to every curve of his muscular frame, your eyes becoming glued to every feature.

The prominent Adam's-apple on his neck.

His sharp collar bones.

His thick, muscular forearms.

The sharp outlines of his thighs.

Your pupils slowly steered downwards at his admirable silhouette, before you forced them to tightly close. You felt disgusted in yourself as you realised that you had been staring at Reiner with pure-lust, loathing how flushed your body suddenly felt.

"Y/N," Your pupils met with his as an electric shock ran through your body, "Maybe we should get to know each other better."

You felt your lips curl up into a wide smile - a gentle chuckle slipping out. Reiner raised his brow with a confused stare, unsure on what he had said that was so funny.

"Why are you laughing?" The blonde asked obliviously.

"It's nothing, really." You beamed, your voice still wobbling from giggles: "The day before the Battle of Trost, after you shoved me in that hallway, Marco insisted that if we got to know each other more: we could become great friends."

Reiner offered a subtle, yet genuine, smile: "What did you say back to him?"

"I laughed in his face." You let out your last, short giggle before sighing slowly, "If Marco knew of this plan we're taking part in, he would have lectured me for hours on end about the consequences of deceiving our friends."

"Marco was always caring for his friends. He was one of the most genuine people I've ever met." With the same soft beam staining his lips, he sympathised: "I'm sorry about Marco."

"You already gave me your sympathy after approaching me at the fire pit - you don't have to repeat it."

"Still," The blonde hesitated as you realised he was now suddenly unable to look you in the eye, "I can't help but feel guilty of his death."

"Guilty?"

"Yes, guilty." He repeated himself, ducking his head lower with his gaze averted onto his lap, "I was in the same Squad as him during the battle of Trost. I could have stopped his death if I had tried: if I had been watching over him."

"You could've also gotten yourself killed by your own distractions." Your head shook fiercely as his piercing gaze stayed fixated on the ground, "If there's one thing I've learnt from my father, it's to never blame yourself for another Soldiers death."

"What a role model." Reiner Braun responded in a way that seemed both genuine and sarcastic.

"I've had people calling me spoilt my entire life. They assume that because my father is the Commander of the Military, I've grown up in a life of luxury - but they couldn't be more wrong."

Reiner curiously scrunched his nose, asking: "How so?"

Your voice softened as you began to explain the tribulations of your youth to your childhood rival, "After my mother left us, the Barracks became my home. You couldn't-"

"I couldn't what?" Reiner questioned.

"You could never imagine, or understand, the horrors I witnessed. Regular funerals for soldiers I had become familiar with, and being left alone with the knowledge that my father was fighting for his life in battle." You felt yourself hesitate, biting down harshly on your bottom lip, "One of my worst memories as a child was being confronted by a Scout with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She was convinced that I was a titan who needed to be eradicated: thankfully, Levi was there to prevent anything from happening. But my situation only got worse after Shiganshina was attacked."

You weren't quite sure why you were admitting this to the boy you hated most - but it was too late to turn back. The lid of childhood memories had been lifted, and the contents were spilling: flooding every thought in your brain.

"I'm sorry," Reiner's gaze softened whilst you spoke; he sympathetically nodded in between sentences as he closely listened, "That sounds difficult."

"There was no escape from my fathers work. That's why it irritates me so much when people call me spoilt - but I don't expect you to understand."

"You're being closed minded - even more so than me." The blondes golden eyes rolled back as his voice gained a familiar harshness, "You don't know anything about my childhood, either."

"Go on then," You gestured out your hand, "Explain away."

Reiner offered a deceitful and menacing glare: his slender eyebrows becoming crooked as if offended by what you had ordered. "I don't owe you any response - you don't deserve an explanation about what I've been through. About what has led me here." He muttered.

"That's your choice, but it was you who suggested that we get to know each other more."

Reiner turned his face away from you, "You may not appreciate Erwin all of the time, but at least you had a father figure in your life."

Your stomach fell with guilt as you nervously mumbled: "You didn't?"

"He left my mother before I was born." He slowly inhaled a shallow breath: "I became a soldier in hopes of earning his respect - I would have done anything for him to be apart of my life." A self loathing expression penetrated through to his exterior as his lips twitched downwards, "But, as it turns out, he was not as interested in a relationship with me, as I was with him. It was all for nothing."

"I never knew that about you."

"Be grateful for Commander Erwin. As well as Levi, and Hange, and the other people in your life who have truly cared about your well being." His stern voice grew coarser, "You may have been raised to become a Soldier one day, but so was I!"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed that-" Whilst in the midst of an apology, you found your mind fixated on the last sentence of Reiners tirade: "What do you mean 'you were raised to become a soldier'?"

You raised a brow whilst watching the blondes expression slowly drop, horror filling the white-void of his eyes as he realised what he had blurted out.

"Did your family train you to become a Scout, too?"

Relief flushed his face at your final question as Reiner shook his head with a sigh: he lifted his face up to the sky as the shattered sunlight reflected off of his cheekbones and eyes.

"Something like that." He responded.