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

The Last 5 Years.

I look at the people around me confused. "What do you mean? Didn't you already do that with Magath?" I ask. Reiner nods. "Yeah, but I want you guys to hear it from me. Before any report gets sent out." I look over to Porco nervously. He shrugs. "Alright, I guess that makes sense." I say timidly. Porco gestures to the spot beside him and I take a seat. "Okay. I guess I'm ready."

Reiner begins, a solemn look on his face. I'm not sure why he wants to do this. I can't imagine it would be easy for him to relive the last 5 years, regardless, I sit up with anticipation and wait for him to start. "When we made it to Paradis, we immediately started towards the walls. We used the resources we were given to make our way there. We avoided the pure titans for the most part. We were about a one days walk from the wall when a Titan came out of nowhere, it just appeared from the ground, as if it had been buried there for years."

Reiner stops, as if this is hard for him to talk about. I feel my palms become slick with sweat. I look down at my hands as if to distract myself. I can feel Porco tense beside me. "Keep going." Porco says sternly, I clench my eyes shut and brace for impact. "Okay - uh. Th- the Titan was reaching for me, its mouth wide open. It was going to eat me. It- it would've but-." He stalls again. Porco sits up straighter. "But what?" He is nearly yelling. "Porco." I hear Pieck say under her breath, almost a plea. "But Marcel pushed me out of the way."

I let out a deep breath and then place my face in my hands. The couch shifts when Porco stands up. "So you're telling me that Marcel didn't even make it to the walls?" He shouts. I hear something smash against the wall. I look up and see Reiner, he is looking at the ground and Porco has his hands in his hair, staring down at him. "Look at me, asshole!" Porco yells. "Tell me!" Reiner looks up at him, his eyes void of emotion. "No, Pock. Marcel didn't make it to the wall."

"That titan was the girl you brought with you?" Pieck asks. "Mhm, her name is Ymir." Reiner replies quietly. "I can't listen to this." Porco states. He starts stomping towards the door. I shoot up. "Pock-." "STOP calling me that." He cuts me off. "All of you! Enough! I don't want to listen to this son of a bitch say another word! Fuck this!" I look at Porcos face and my heart breaks. I see Reiner stand up. "Don't yell at her. If you're pissed then be pissed at me. Not her." Reiner gestures to me. "I am pissed at you! Y/N knows that. Don't worry about us Braun, we've been just fine without you!" Porco yells and storms out of the room. I feel Pieck sit down beside me. We all sit in silence for a few minutes, I'm unsure if Reiner is going to continue. "Go on, Reiner." Pieck suggests. "Okay." He replies.

He goes on to tell us about how they breached the wall, Bert kicking a hole in the wall and Reiner ramming the gate. He doesn't give much detail, just the broad strokes of what happened. He tells us a bit about his time in the 'cadet corps' apparently he trained for 3 years to become a scout. He told us a bit about the people he was with, a boy named Eren Jaeger, who he, Annie and Bertholdt discovered holds the founding titans power. I shudder at the revelation. He doesn't mention much about the way the islanders acted towards him, and when I ask he gives vague answers. I wonder if they're as evil as we've been told.

"They figured out Annie was the female titan and staged a trap to capture her. She almost managed to get away but Ere- the founder, stopped her. He was going to eat her but she encased herself in her armour in time. She's been there ever since, there was uh- no way to get her out."

At this, I feel my heart drop. I remember the way her hand felt in mine on the day they left. There was no way to get her out? No way at all? I know I shouldn't be thinking like this but it's hard to imagine Reiner just leaving her behind like that. I am starting to feel sick. "We need to go back for her." I say. "What?" Reiner asks. "For Annie. We need to get her. She's stuck in Paradis in a dungeon, we need to get her." Reiner gives me a look that looks a whole hell of a lot like pity. "Y/N. it's complicated, just- let me finish, okay? Then we can talk." "Sure." I say with more attitude than needed.

He continues on, telling us about how not long after Annie was taken to the dungeon, Zeke showed up. I remember finding out Zeke was leaving to go offer back up, I thought at the time that that meant they would be home soon. All of them. I was so so wrong. He doesn't mention much about missions, he talks a bit about a plan to use Zekes spinal fluid to plant some titans inside the wall to distract the Scouts. He tells us about a girl named Christa, who he later found out was the rightful queen of the walls, and whose real name was Historia. He even adds how she was 'pretty cute.' I roll my eyes at that.

"Not long after Zeke showed up, Bert and I uh- we told Eren who we were, that I was the Armour and Bertholdt was the Colossal. We asked him to come with us." Reiner says. "'We?' You and Bertholdt both told him?" Pieck asks. Reiner sighs. "Well, I told him. It kind of just happened. It felt like the right time." I scoff. "Felt like the right time? By the way you've talked about this Eren guy, he sounds like a bit of a hot head. And you just decided to tell him one day?" I can feel my anger rising. I haven't gotten mad yet. I've felt almost all stages of grief, except anger. "Y/N just let me finish." I oblige.

"Eren, obviously declined to come with us. So we fought. It was a tough fight but we managed to capture Eren and Ymir. We hid out in a forest trying to wait it out until night time, but the Scouts caught up to us. They ended up getting Eren back. But we got Ymir. After that we went and hid out in the town we first showed up at on Zekes orders. He didn't want us to leave without Eren, and we knew that he had to come back there because that was his hometown." It's breaking my heart realizing how long Bertholdt was alive for, just weeks ago he was still breathing. I know Reiner is going to tell me about his death soon and I try to prepare.

"After a few weeks, the scouts finally showed up. I was waiting inside the wall and Bertholdt was in a barrel waiting for the signal to transform. Zeke made a barrier of titans and was throwing boulders at the soldiers. I got over run, I was so close to death and I heard Bertholdt tell me to lay down on my back, presumably to protect my nape. I don't know why he didn't transform. The next thing I remember was being rescued by Zeke, who was in rough shape, and Pieck." "What happened to Bert?" I ask. "Y/N I-." I cut him off. "I know that you know, even if you weren't awake to see it. So tell me." He doesn't speak. "TELL me. Reiner. Pieck. Someone. I need to know." Pieck looked over at me. "I'm not sure of the specifics, but Eren and one of his comrades tricked him, made him think he had beaten Eren when he hadn't, when Bert had used most of his steam Eren took him out at the nape, and then they turned one of their comrades titan and he - he." "He ate Bertholdt.' I finish for her, emotionless.

We sit in silence for a few moments, I try to take in everything Reiner just told me. I suspect there is still things he is leaving out but I don't really care at the moment. All I can think of is Bertholdt being eaten alive by a bloodthirsty titan. "So Bertholdt and Marcel are dead. Annie is captured and you're the only one to make it back in one piece." I say to Reiner, looking at the floor. I feel the floor shift as Reiner stands up and walks towards me. "Y/N I'm so-." "Don't. Reiner. Don't say you're sorry. Annie is alive and in enemy territory. What if they break her armour? What then? We need to get her we have-." My voice cracks, I know I am being unreasonable but I am too angry to care. I stand up, tears streaming down my face. "When you guys left, Marcel was your captain. When he died, the captaincy would've been passed down to you. Everyone you left Marley with, is dead. You failed, Reiner." "Y/N"  Pieck speaks up. "It's fine Pieck. I am done here." I stride towards the door, the picture of Annie frozen in a dungeon, of Bertholdt screaming for his life in my head. I take one look back. "I don't want to ever speak to you again, Reiner. You have 8 years left with your power, but you are dead to me."

I've already slammed the door and started walking down the hall before I can hear whatever Pieck says to me.