Venus and Rose

Chapter Twenty: Realizations

So sweet, so serene. Sunlight trickled down through the apple tree's leaves and you sighed in pure contentment. The chest you were leaning back upon also rose with a sigh and strong arms snuck around your waist to hold you closer. Humming quietly, you traced invisible patterns into his large forearms and he chuckled before nuzzling your hair.

"My Venus," Reiner whispered in your ear, "I love you."

The words were sweet, however they sent a chill through your body. You opened your mouth, but paused when you oddly couldn't say the words back to him. Puzzled, you tried to say the words again, and again your voice caught in your throat.

"Don't you love me?" His question and broken tone hurt you. However, hard as you tried, you could not answer him and you were beginning to feel the onset of panic. But why? You were safe with Reiner, so why were you suddenly afraid?

Leaning up, you turned to look at him but froze at the sight behind you. Blood soaked the front of his shirt with splatters of blood contrasting across his pale face. A gaping wound above his heart was pouring blood and another wound covered his abdomen's side in gore. Reiner cocked his head at you and made a sweet innocent smile that had his eyes crinkling. "Venus? Why don't you love me?"

Reiner ignored your wordless stare and simply pulled you back to him. Now, the scent of blood became overwhelming and you could feel his hot blood soaking through your shirt. Clinging to his arm tightly, you tried to pry off his grip on you, but he only chuckled darkly at your feeble attempts. You tried to squirm in his hold, yet his arms pulled you so tight it began constricting your breaths.

As darkness tinged the edges of your vision, Reiner whispered in your ear. "I need you to stay with me, I can't lose you too." You were suffocating in his grip and your struggles lessened along with your senses as you faded into darkness.

You blinked your eyes open to be met with complete darkness and felt the huge amount of pressure around you, as if you were being squeezed from all sides. It was warm... and slimy. Where the fuck am I? you thought. This had to be a nightmare, this can't be real. However, you gradually remembered what happened at the top of the wall. Reiner turning into his titan form...his hand reaching for you... Eren turning into his titan...and Reiner... Reiner eating you.

That bastard ate me?! You tried to thrash out in fury, but due to the tight compression you merely wiggled about which only intensified your anger. You didn't feel any pain, so you assumed you weren't injured aside from your pride.

You didn't have long to mull over your circumstance when the pressure suddenly increased and you began moving. Bright sunlight was blinding as you were finally coughed out of your disgusting prison. Grass tickled your cheek and you blearily opened your eyes to see an unconscious Eren lying beside you. He was laying still, but your gaze snapped to where both his arms were missing. Pulling yourself shakily towards him, you felt for a pulse on his neck and sighed in relief when you felt a steady thrum. A loud hiss sounded behind you, before quick footsteps hurried to your body.

"Y/n! Venus, are you alright?!" Reiner suddenly pulled you onto your back to look at your face. For a second, you both stared at each other until the moment was broken when you punched him straight in the face. His nose cracked under your knuckles and he reared backwards, clutching his face while you sat up. A deadly calm had washed over you and you watched him holding a bloody and broken nose with sick satisfaction.

Your gaze flickered around, taking in your surroundings. A few meters away, lay the steaming body of the Armored Titan with Bertholdt standing beside it with an unconscious Ymir in his arms. Bertholdt refused to meet your venomous gaze and began striding away towards massive tree trunks, and you realized that you had returned to the Forest of Giant Trees.