the other side of the sea - reiner braun x reader.

5 years later - 850

My hair is messily blowing in the wind as I rush to the dock as quickly as I can. We just received word that Zeke and Pieck are heading back with the warriors. Porco and I are hand in hand running down the streets. We have been waiting for 5 years to hear from the soldiers who set sail to eradicate the island devils. Nobody knows if they're alive or dead and we're about to find out.

"Porco, there!" I shout and feel his pace quicken as he pulls me along. I see the ship float next to the dock and watch as the deckhands tie it up. We reach the guard rail and I feel myself shaking with anticipation. "Oh my god, I see Pieck." I feel Porcos hand leave mine as he waves at the small black haired girl "Pieck!! Over here!" He yells from beside me. She gives him a look that can't mean anything good. My heart sinks. "Pock?" I say, my eyes locked on the door to the ships cabin. My hands are gripping the railing tightly as I watch the door swing inward. I watch nervously as Zeke walks out.

I feel the air reenter my lungs as I see a boy - no, a man now, who is much taller than he was when I saw him last. It's Reiner. He is just as handsome as I remember, my heart flutters in my chest at the sight of him. We were just kids when he left, but I'm 17 years old now, basically an adult. I secretly wonder if he's as happy to see me.  I sigh in pure relief and wait for Bert, Annie and Galliard to follow. Instead of my friends, a tall girl with brown hair lets Reiner lead her out. Who is that? I don't have time to care as I wait with bated breath for the rest of my friends.

"Pock, Y/N." I don't hear Pieck say our names, my eyes are glued on the door. Where is everyone? What is taking them so long? "Porco, what is going on?" I say barely above a whisper. I see Porcos head turn towards Pieck in my peripheral vision. "Where is Marcel? I hear him ask. I rip my gaze away from the ship and towards Pieck. "Porco, I - I'm so sorry." Pieck mutters. Tears immediately fill my vision and I suck in a breath. I feel the world spin. I can see Porco running towards the ship, his lips are moving but I can't hear the sound coming out. Tears are streaming down his face and he looks so angry.

My heart has split in two. There's no way Reiner is the only one to return. I look back at Pieck, her eyes filled with tears. "Pieck?" Is the only word I'm able to get out. I know that whatever she says next could destroy me. I hold onto the morsel of hope that Bert and Annie are just busy and that's why they haven't walked out the door yet. I want to live in this moment forever, because I know what she's about to say and as soon as she does all hope I have will shatter to the earth. My heart will fall out of my chest and that will be it.

"It's just Reiner." Pieck says. Theres no time to brace for the impact of those words. I huff out a breath. My lungs are collapsing. It's not true. It's not true. I stumble towards the ship, using the guard rail to help hold me up. My legs risking to give out beneath me. "Annie? Bertholdt??" I yell. I fall to my knees beside Porco. I can't breathe, I can't see, I can't hear. The only thing I can feel is Annie's hand in mine, Galliards elbow playfully nudging me, and Bert's long arms holding me tight on that day 5 years ago. I stare down at the water. It's a beautiful day today. A polar opposite to the weather 5 years ago.

A large shadow looms over me, blocking out the sun. I don't have the mental capacity to see who it is. If I move from this spot I fear I will be truly moving forward without my friends. If I stay here in my grief forever I can melt back into the ground and be with them again. I faintly feel a large hand on my shoulder. I think I hear the sound of my name but I don't pay attention. I dig my nails into my thighs, and close my eyes. Desperate to remember the details of Bertholdts face, the sound of Annie's voice, the way Marcels laugh carried through rooms in the soldiers training facility. I never really tried to remember because I never truly thought I would ever forget. I believed they would come back home, come back to me.