Stockholm || Reiner Braun x reader ||✔

Chapter 4

The blond stared at her with wide eyes drowning in confusion, realising that he had responsibilities before this ordeal. That picture... Y/n was holding his child in that frame and he gave it to her? "We were the happiest family- us three." She gulped, her reddened eyes glistening with tears. "But we couldn't live normally in that town."

"Why...?" The more he stared at her the more nervous he became due to the belief she was hiding something, something worse than the town she'd dread to talk about.

"They..." she choked on her words at the thought of making him sadder than he needs to be. Y/n knew there was no way she'd recite all the humiliation and torment their town put them through, the last thing he needs is misery.

"They were just horribly mean, Rein." She shut her eyes tight and cried, as if reliving the memory. The stones being thrown at them, Reiner holding her away from the direction it would be coming from.
How he'd develop bruises in his body, people would laugh at him as if he were a circus animal. Despite all of it he'd come back home with a reassuring smile and pretend everything was okay.

Two hands slithering up to her face caused her to softly snap out of it. Reiner wiped her tears with his thumb, tearing up himself. "Please don't cry...-" he shakily said. "When you cry, m-my chest hurts,"

"Oh Reiner," She wasted no time in hugging him closer, tucking him safely to the crook of her neck. "What about mummy?" He asked as his hands softly squeezed her sides. "Why isn't she here? Wasn't the town mean to her too?"

Y/n let out a calming exhale. Her nose was blocked and her eyes ached from the sobbing routine, inside her mind, she chanted that this would be the last time. And not even a question about her dead mother in law would phase her. She had to be strong, for him and Mihai.

"We can't see your mummy anymore."

A muffled whine caused her heart to skip a beat, he's not going to have a good reaction to this and Y/n predicted he was going to have a tantrum, begging and protesting for his mother. She had to tell him the truth no matter how badly he'd take it. But not now. She wasn't prepared.

"Why not?!" He cried. "That's unfair! You can't keep me locked up here, mummy wouldn't want that!"

Not having the energy for this, Y/n suddenly unwrapped her arms around the man and hopped off the bed, leaving to go get ready for the day as the blond continued to wail at the top of his lungs.

The taste of toothpaste was sourly mixed with salty tears streaming down her face. Her eyes were puffy and her face was tired from the breakdown she stupidly showcased to Reiner. She cursed herself as she knew she overwhelmed him, which was the thing the doctor advised most against.

Now she could hear him from all the way to his room, his deep voice emitting cracked groans and broken sobs like a baby.

Y/n patted her face dry and frantically rushed to his room, a small part of her insisted he may be self harming since the noises he was letting out were all sounds of excruciating pain. He must miss his mother so much. Y/n couldn't help but wonder if this is how he felt through out their relationship after his mum passed away.

Was he holding all of this emotional baggage in? Was he keeping his night terrors a secret every time he woke up without a sound, taking the silence as an advantage to not bother her with his issues.

"Reiner." She alerted the broken man of her presence. He was curled up in a foetal position, hugging himself. "You're leaving me..." his voice croaked.

"I'm not. I never would."

"But you just pushed me off and ran- ran away!"

Her heart sank at his fragility. He really was going to be harder to take care of than she thought. Even leaving him for a few minutes made him bawl.
"Reiner. Listen, I'd never abandon you." She softly squeezed his arm before rolling him onto his back.