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

Negotiating.

"We're trapped! The boat is grounded!" Onyankapon yells. Fear filling his eyes. We are all frozen where we stand. Nobody knowing was to do next. Is it over now? Have we lost already?

One of the mechanics walks over. "Don't give up. It will fly if we can get these holes filled." He says. 2 other mechanics run to grab welding tools and they start to work on the holes. Just as they're about to start working, the ground starts to shake underneath us. I look over to Reiner instinctively. He's running out of the hangar, I follow behind him and a feeling of pure terror courses through my veins at the sight before me. The rumbling is here, we've run out of time.

The rest of the group joins us outside and we all watch as the colossal titans grow nearer and nearer. "We only need 1 person to stay behind. I could do it, I'll buy us some time." Armin suggests.

"No. We're going to need you against Eren." Reiner says. "I'll stay, hold the rear while you guys get the boat going." I shoot daggers at him. "No fucking way." I say. Reiner opens his mouth to say something else but Hange speaks before he gets the chance.

"If we're going to stand a chance, we're going to need all of our titan power. We wouldn't be facing this situation if it weren't for me, I dragged you all here over the bodies of your comrades. It's time I made it right." We all stare at them in shock. "Commander?" Armin says.

Hange walks toward him. "Armin Alert. I now appoint you 15th commander of the scout regiment." Armins eyes shoot open as Hange tells him about the importance of being commander.

I look up at Reiner, I know he can see me out of his peripheral but he doesn't look back. Hange finishes speaking with Armin and walks towards Levi. We all watch as Hange exchanges goodbyes with Levi and flies off in their ODM gear.

Hange knocks one titan over and that causes multiple to trip over its body. I can't look away from the scene unfolding before me. They take down another one and just as the next group of titans trips over it, Onyankapon gives us the okay to get on the flying boat.

Reiner and Jean push the boat into the water and Jean almost doesn't make it on if not for Conny pulling him up out of the water. We watch in horror as Hanges burning body falls from the air and speeds down to the ground. I look away before I see them make impact. Armin, Mikasa, Conny and Jean are distraught.

I place my head in my hands and fist my hair. Why must we lose someone at every turn? I didn't know Hange that well, but they were one hell of a commander, and skilled fighter.

We all sit in a solemn silence on the flying boat. Nobody knowing where to go from here. We're so close to what could be the last battle of our lives, but after so much loss, it's almost too much to even try anymore. But if we don't try, all the losses are for nothing.

Finally, Armin shows his first initiative as Commander and speaks with Pieck and I about what the founder looks like. He draws a diagram that looks similar to what I saw. "If this works like most titans, then Erens is controlling it from its nape." Pieck says. Levi speaks up. "The war hammers power is in play now, so that changes the game." I nod in agreement.

"We can't be sure where Erens body is. But as a last resort, we have a weapon that can annihilate the entire thing." They look up at me.

"It's the same weapon that took out the port in Liberio. We could drop you down on it." Armins eyes squint. "We could. It's a sure fire way to destroy the founder, but I want to try plan A first. If we can't convince Eren to stop the rumbling, then I'll be our last resort."

"Hange had a theory that if we take away the beast titan, the rumbling will stop." Levi says. "That could work, but we'd have to find Zeke first." I add.

"We will go into that bone heap and pull the hairy bastard out." Levi sighs and takes a deep breath. "We'll find him, and I'll cut him down. With your help. Are we agreed?" "Got it Captain." Jean agrees.

"Reiner." Conny starts. "We had to shoot Samuel and Daz at the port, I carved up people I've known since we were cadets. They died cursing my name, calling me a traitor, while I told myself I was saving the world. Was it the same? For your team, you Bertholdt and Annie. Is this what it felt like?" Reiner looks down at Conny, sadness all over his face. "Yeah. I know my sins are beyond redemption, I doubt I'll ever forgive myself, even if we save what's left of humanity."

Conny tilts his head down, tears streaming down his face. Reiner places his hand on his friends shoulder. "Still, we've got to try, even knowing it will never be enough. We need to make the deaths of our comrades mean something." Reiner looks over at me and I offer a small smile. Conny looks up at Reiner. "I needed to hear that."

Out of nowhere, we're thrown back into the place that's covered in sand. The same bright light shining from the horizon. Armin starts to shout for Eren, he's trying to reason with him. Talking about non aggression treaty's, and peace proclamations. I feel Reiners hand land on the small of my back. I look up to him, worry written on his face. They're all trying to get through to him now. Jean, Conny, Mikasa. Even Levi is trying to get him to talk.

"The rumbling will not stop." A booming voice says from all around us. I grab onto Reiners arm to stabilize me. "And the future of the island of Paradis, will not be left to the whims of fate. I will keep moving forward." I huff out a desperate breath. There's no getting through to Eren. The only way to stop the rumbling is to kill him.

"Over there." Levi points. We all look and I can barely make out a small boy standing by the bright beacon of light. Armin, Mikasa, Jean and Conny start sprinting towards him. I stand with Reiner, Pieck and Levi.

"This is fruitless." I say, exasperated. "I don't see any other way to stop this that involves Eren staying alive." I don't miss the way Levi looks down at the ground when I say that.

"I know." Pieck replies. "But I also know, that if it was Porco, I would exhaust every possible option first, and even then I don't know if I could stand by and watch him die." I sigh. "Yeah, I know." I agree. We hear footsteps approaching and see the 4 scouts who were just running away from us, running towards us.

"You are free to oppose me, and defend the world's freedom. Just as I am free to move forward." Eren says into the void. "I brought you here to say, there is nothing to say. You will only stop my advance, if you stop me from breathing." I grab Reiners hand and squeeze hard. A second later we are back in the flying boat. On then our way to Eren.

"Guess it's safe to say we're done negotiating." Levi says. "So commander, what's next?"

We all look to Armin. He squeezes his eyes shut for a second before regaining his compsure. He takes a deep breath and begins. "The beast titan is priority number 1. Destroying him could end the battle in one shot. If we can't get to him, Pieck will have the explosives strapped to her back. Once we explode the nape, everyone needs to get as far away as possible so I can drop the colossal onto him." Armin takes one last look at us.

"It's time to stop the rumbling."