Warrior |J.Kirstein

𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝟷.𝟷𝟸

┌──❀*̥˚───❀*̥˚─┐
PARADIS YEAR 850
└───❀*̥˚───❀*̥˚┘

"Pick up the pace", You heard Shadis yell out as you all ran through the muddy terrain. The rain continued to pour down your battered bodies, but with his consistent screaming the last thing you wanted to do was falter, "Run, you lead-footed laggards!"

You had been keeping a steady pace alongside Jean and Marco as you watched Armin in front of you continue to fall back from his own group.

You couldn't help but feel bad for the boy, but there wasn't much you could do other than watch as he continued to fight his way forward.

"What's your problem, Arlert?! You're dragging your feet", Shadis called out as the boy almost toppled over from the bag that hung around his back, "Too heavy for you?! Maybe you'd prefer I let you drop your gear."

The constant mocking from the commandant couldn't have been helping him as he continued to pant along side everyone.

Armin always seemed to be at the receiving end of Shadis and his insults especially when it came to physical tests, and today was no different.

"If this were a real mission, you'd be Titan food by now!"

You continued to watch as Reiner picked up the pace from behind to catch up with the blonde before grabbing the boys bag, "Damn...Give it here! You're gonna fail out at this rate", he huffed.

What the hell is he doing?  

"We're being graded today! You'll get points marked off if you do that", Armin exclaimed looking over at the boy as if he were crazy.

"Then make the grade without getting found out! Before I change my mind", he yelled back, continuing to run forward.

You couldn't figure out the purpose of Reiner stepping in to help Armin, especially if it meant getting in trouble. It wouldn't do the group any good if he started breaking the rules—It wasn't like you weren't already pushing your luck with the commandant already, having another member walk the line could be risky.

It was hard enough as it is keeping your secret from everyone, you didn't need the group "Leader" to follow in your bad footsteps by making a spectacle of himself.

It seemed like there was a simple solution to your problems, but deep down you knew revealing the truth would only put you and everyone else in danger. So instead you continued to try and keep your distance from the three Marleyean warriors, by keeping busy with your training.

Although, having the same friends as them made it a lot harder to ignore. It didn't surprise you that the Eldians befriended the other warriors so quickly. Reiner put on a good show, as he acted like a guy you could count on—The big brother type.

Similar to Marcel. He seemed to be taking over the boys personality as if it were his own. If you hadn't known him since early childhood, you too would fall for the games he was playing.

Either way, with his new found confidence it was difficult for you to appear indifferent towards him—Especially when he still found ways to get under your skin like he did in Marley.

┌──❀*̥˚───❀*̥˚─┐
FLASHBACK
CADET TRAINING
└───❀*̥˚───❀*̥˚┘

"So, I heard you have a sister", Reiner called out randomly as you lifted your head to meet his gaze, "She lives in another district though right? Along with the rest of your family?"

He was always so curious about everyones life story, acting like he truly gave a damn about any of them, but right now you knew he was messing with you—Why? You weren't sure, but it seemed to be a game he liked to play from time to time.