traitor reader x reiner

104 Cadet corps

"HEY GET BACK HERE!" The scruffy man running the food stall screamed after you as you ran clutching the bread you stole. The crowd parted as you made your way through, disappearing into a nearby ally. Your teeth tore into the slightly stale bread animalisticly, finishing it off within a few minutes, your stomach ached for more. Since you immigrated further into the walls food has been scarce, you don't remember the last time you ate a full meal.

After getting off the boat the pair you had been sitting with took off, leaving you alone. Everyone you could've relied on was gone, so you learned to rely on yourself subsequently hardening your exterior. You scrounged and fought for food, slept in the dirt, and for the next 2 years of your life, had yourself and only yourself. But this year was going to be different. You were now 13, old enough to join the Cadet Corps. That was going to be a nightmare on it's own but at least you'll have a bed and food.

"ALRIGHT YOU NIPPLE SUCKLING TITAN SLOP, FORM 4 STIRAGHT LINES FACING ME AND GIVE ME YOUR BEST SALUTE, DON'T FUCK THIS UP AND I'LL LET YOU LIVE FOR NOW" The commander's voice grated your eardrums, running into line you ended up next to a familiar face. Mikasa Ackerman. No surprise seeing her here she had always been tough as nails, but seeing her means Eren must be near by. You glanced around and sure enough Eren was in the row behind you, and so was Armin? You scoffed, Guy's built like a daffodil he wont last a day, you thought to yourself. Still you admired his bravery.

"HELLO CADET, PAY ATTENTION!" The commander yelled in your face, you felt a bit of his spit fall on your cheek, "Yes, sorry sir." You say stiffening up and looking him in his sunken eyes. Moving on from you he walked along the lines stopping periodically to yell at someone, this went on for hours.

"ALRIGHT CADETS, BREAK FOR DINNER" You sighed dropping your arms that were sore from staying in the same position for so long, and made your way to the mess hall. The smell of food wafted through the air as you got closer. You hungrily walked over to the food line and gave yourself a heaping serving of whatever the slop that they were serving was.
You looked around at the tables and you felt a wave of dread wash over you. There were no empty tables, you would have to sit with someone. Eyeing the tables, a familiar blond head caught your eye. It can't be, you thought walking over to the two boys sitting at a table casually conversing. "Can I.. can I sit here" you asked your voice came out a higher pitch than you intended. You had never been good at talking to people.
"Yeah sure" Reiner's rough voice replied, it had deepened quite a bit since you last heard it.
You remembered everything from that day, it had been replaying in your nightmares in gruesome detail. So of course you'd recognize these boys anywhere. Though they had grown they looked essentially the same.
You ate in silence for a while, overhearing their conversation on how much they dreaded training.
"Today was brutal, and it was only the first day!"
"Yeah, can't wait to see what they have in store for us tomorrow" Reiner said rolling his eyes, "what do you think they'll make us do?" He said turning his head to you. This caught you by surprise as you were mid bite, not expecting to be dragged into this conversation.
"I, uh, I'm not sure."
"Well whatever it is, I'm not looking forward to it. I'm Reiner by the way, I never introduced myself." He said putting on a smile placing his hand in front of you for a hand shake.
"Y/n, y/n l/n. And we've met before" you say putting your spoon down and sliding your hand into his, it was rough and calloused. He cocked his head slightly, "we have?"
"On the evacuation boat out of Shiganshina" you say looking down into your bowl of beige slop.
"Oh..." he said turning to Bertolt and then back to you, "I think I remember you, yeah, I see that cut on your lip scarred haha" you blush covering it. The scar was just an ugly reminder of everything that went wrong for you. "Oh no no, I didn't mean that as an insult. It doesn't look bad at all!" He said waving his hands, his face turning red from embarrassment as he tried to reword his statement. "Scars aren't bad, they're signs of a warrior!" He said triumphantly.

After dinner you made your way to your sleeping quarters, you were one of the first ones there. Taking off your uniform and folding it, you placed it at the edge of your bed and tucked yourself in for the night. As per usual you tossed an turned as your mind conjured the gruesome deaths you witnessed in a never ending cycle of night terrors.