Traitor (Reiner x Reader)

Chapter 23: Puzzle Pieces

~~~3 days later~~~

There were flashes of lights like lightning. Big clouds of dust followed, you couldn't even see your hand in front of your face. There was a loud rumbling sound and a burst of wind that forced the dust to clear. When you looked up you saw the Colossal titan peering over the wall at you. Your heartbeat sped up. You wanted to turn to run, but you couldn't will your legs to move, they felt like lead. That's when the Armored titan came running through the hold the Colossal had made with his foot. He ran straight towards you, yet you still couldn't move. You tried to call out for help, someone, anyone, Reiner, but your voice wouldn't work either. Just when the Armored titan's foot was about to come crashing down on your head-

You woke up.

You gasped as you sat straight up in your bed, a sheen of cold sweat over your body. You try to calm your breathing as you look over to see Annie still asleep in her own bed. You let out a sigh then grab your jacket from the nightstand and head out into the hall, closing the door quietly behind you. The walls of the bedroom suddenly feeling too claustrophobic for you. Stepping out into the courtyard, you look up to the night sky, the full moon looking down at you.

"Can't sleep?" A voice comes out of nowhere and you nearly have a heart attack. When you turn to see the owner of the voice, you give him a soft smile and nod your head. You were surprised that he was able to sneak up on you like that, usually, your senses are much sharper. That dream really must have gotten to you.

"No, I just wanted to look at the moon. It's a beautiful night tonight." He lets out a puff of a laugh then steps up next to you.

"You know you don't have to lie to me, (y/n)." He had a point. Since when have you ever kept secrets from Reiner. The two of you never kept things from each other. You lean into him with a sigh.

"Just a bad dream." He wraps his arm around your shoulders and runs his hand up and down your arm to comfort you. "We won a great victory the other day, but I still feel like we're stumbling in the dark. I don't like it."

"I feel the same. There's still so much we don't know about them. Hopefully, the Scouts can find out more now that they have Eren. Maybe we can get a leg up on the bastards."

"I hope so." You turn in his arm to face him. "Something's still bothering me though."

"What's that?" He asks putting both hands on your shoulders and bringing one hand up to caress your cheek.

"Marco's death." Reiner pauses in his motions then lets his hands slide down your arms to hold your hands. "I just can't get his face out of my head. I've been thinking over all of the possibilities, Reiner, but they all lead to someone purposefully putting him in harm's way." Reiner was quiet for too long. When you looked up at him, he wasn't looking at you, but past you, as if he was looking at something that wasn't there. "Reiner?" He shakes his head then looks back down at you. "You wouldn't happen to have any ideas about it would you?" His eyes widen at that and he shakes his head.

"No of course not, why would I?" He asks then lets go of one hand to cover a yawn. "It's getting late, we should head back." He starts leading you back to the barracks without another word. You thought about his strange reaction the whole walk back, short as it may be. When you get to your door, Annie is also going in. You raise your brow at her.

"Where were you?" You ask her.

"Bathroom." Was her short reply then she went back into the room and to her bed. 'Okay...' You look back to Reiner and he leans down to give you a peck on the lips.

"Goodnight, (y/n). I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Reiner." He smiles at you then heads down the hall to his own room. You don't enter yours until you see him disappear behind the door. You head into your room and sit down slowly on the bed, taking off your jacket and throwing it back on the nightstand. When you lay back down on your bed, you stare at the ceiling, going over the last few days' events and conversations, trying to piece something, anything together that makes sense. Nothing comes to mind and before you knew it, the sun was shining through your window and it was time to start another day. You heard Annie get up first, pulling on her uniform, followed by her boots.

"Get up." She says flatly, not unkindly, just her way. "You don't need to miss breakfast." Without a response from you, she leaves the room closing the door behind her. You let out a sigh, exhausted, but it wasn't for the lack of sleep. Physically you were fine, mentally, however, that was a different story. Your mind hadn't gotten any rest since retaking the wall. There was just so much going on. So much to be put together. So much you couldn't see. So many puzzle pieces to be put together from the inside out without the use of the edges, or a guide to reference for the end goal to work towards.

~~~Flashback~~~

"One piece at a time, dear." Your mother's sweet voice sounded from the kitchen. You had been working on a puzzle that felt like it was taking an eternity to finish. You let out a groan and lay your head down on the table.

"This is taking forever, and I can't find the piece I'm looking for." Your mother let out a small laugh, then put down her washrag and walked over to stand beside you.

"Sometimes-" she says gently, looking over your puzzle. "The piece that you need isn't always the one you're looking for." She reaches over, grabbing one of the pieces, and puts it in its place on the puzzle. You lift your head to see what she had done, a smile growing on your face. The piece she put down matched the one in your hand that you were trying to place. You put down your piece and your movements started to flow as you placed another and another until the puzzle was finished, a beautiful image of a bird looking back at you. Your mother put her hands on your shoulders and kissed the top of your head. "Just have patience. Know that ask the pieces will fall into place."

~~~End Flashback~~~

There were more than a few tears in your eyes after that sweet memory. Her advice would come in handy now, it wasn't just about actual puzzles, it was about life too. You knew that now. 'Patience, (y/n)' You told yourself. 'Let all the pieces fall into place.' You wipe them away as you stand up to get dressed for the day. With your uniform dawned, minus your jacket, you fix your hair in place and head to the door. When you open it, you're met with Reiner and Bertholdt at the threshold. They looked like they had been having a hushed argument.

"Good morning boys, everything alright?" You are crossing your arms and tilting your head up at them, man they were tall.

"Morning (y/n). Yeah, everything's fine." Reiner gives a confident smile. "Just talking about how Bertholdt should ask out Annie." Your brows raise as you look at the brunette.

"Yeah- Wait, what? No! That's not-" Bertholdt denies, flustered, his hands waving in front of him. He was as red as a tomato.

"It's alright, Hoover. I knew you'd realize your feelings for her sooner or later. Everyone else already has." You give him a smirk. "Annie's not here though, she already headed down to mess, lets go catch up with her." The whole time, Reiner had a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Yeah, Bertholdt, let's go find her." He takes your hand and kissed your cheek then you both head down to the mess hall, a stuttering Bertholdt behind you.

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Thank you so much for reading this chapter of Traitor!!! The next one will be out on Sunday! BONUS: IF THIS CHAPTER GETS 50 VOTES THERE WILL BE A SPECIAL FANART BY ME IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! (make sure to go back and vote on the other chapters as well) Much love guys!

-K {anime tiktok: kennikei_ (22.7k)}