𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 - BRAUN, R.

·  ·  ·  · 𝙁𝙄𝙁𝙏𝙀𝙀𝙉

   "You there." Zeke called out to the tall blond who was currently carrying a stack of papers. Colt froze mid-step and turned his head slightly to get the War Chief in his peripheral vision. "Colt Grice.. wasn't it?"

He quickly spun around and bowed his head. "War Chief!" Colt stammered, quite shocked by the presence of Zeke. He lifted his head and swallowed the nervous lump in his throat.

The platinum blond heaved a heavy sigh before approaching the boy. His gray hues pierced into the teenagers soul causing him to tremble slightly. "You know about Y/N don't you?"

"Vice Chief Braun's girlfriend?" He brought one hand to the back of his neck, scratching at it timidly. "Is she really from Paradis? Are you really going to use her as bait for the enemy?" Shockingly the questions just came pouring out without him even thinking.

Zeke dropped his gaze to the floor before slowly nodding. He pushed his circular glasses up the bridge of his nose before returning his focus to his face. "Yes. Do you have any objections to that?"

Colt instantaneously reacted by waving his hand as a cold sweat trickled down the side of his face. "Of course not! But Vice Chief.. there's no way he'd allow this— but she's an enemy to us."

"That's why this must remain confidential between only us. I know you're a good man and you know how to follow orders. That's why you happen to be the candidate I favor the most." He ran his fingers through his blond locks and sighed.

Colt's face lit up at the War Chiefs praise. He bobbed his head up and down in acknowledgement. "As long as it's for the good of Marley then you have my full support, sir."

"Good. If you need anything feel free to drop by my office any time." Zeke dipped his head slightly, shoving his hands in his coat pockets before turning the other direction. Without another word he disappeared down the corridor, making a hard right at the end of the hall to make his way to his own office.

The boy stood awestruck for a moment before snapping back to reality. He inhaled sharply before returning to the task he had at hand. That task was to deliver papers to the Vice Chief's desk.

—

   A small defeated frown sat on your face as you watched Reiner knock down your last chess piece. You threw your arms back with exasperation evident in your eyes. "Ugh forget this game! It's boring." You kicked your foot against the wooden floorboard.

"You were always bad at this, so don't be too hard on yourself." He stifled a soft chuckle and began putting the chess pieces away into a wooden box.

You narrowed your eyes at him and scoffed. "Then why'd you ask me to play this?"

"Because seeing you frustrated over a game is funny. It's actually really cute too, the way your cheeks puff out whenever you try to come up with a strategy to turn the tides. But in the end you are completely stumped." He grinned with satisfaction, shutting the box.

You pressed the palm of your hand on the wooden surface and rose from your seat, leaning your body over the table. "So you find it amusing, huh?"

Reiner simply nodded, propping his elbow up on the table. He rested his cheek on the palm of his hand with an entertained look in his eyes. "I guess you could say I do." He replied nonchalantly.

"Oh you'll regret saying that Mr. Braun!" Without hesitation you moved the table aside and lunged at the blond.

"What ever shall you do Ms. Y/N?" He challenged your threat with a strained voice. But as soon as you lunged at him his chair fell backwards causing his back to hit the ground.

The ground slightly rumbled as you began wrestling with Reiner. Soft fits of breathless laughter escaped the both of you as you continued to dig your fingers into his sides, causing him to laugh uncontrollably. He replicated your exact movements. You held your stomach in little pain as the blond continued to tickle you mercilessly.

"S-stop!" You giggled, gently pounding on his chest. Tears of pure joy trickled down the side of your cheek as your breathing patterns became unsteady at the loss of breath.

Reiner's larger frame hovered over yours. He finally stopped and palmed the ground on both sides of your face. He breathed heavily, attempting to catch his breath after so much laughing. "You're the one who started it silly." He went down on his forearms, lightly pressing his forehead against yours.

Your cheeks grew hot at the sudden skin-to-skin contact. You thought it must've been because of the warm air circulating the room but that wasn't the case. Your heart was running wild, beating at such a fast pace. "You're the one who tempted me to." You retorted.

Without allowing you to peep another word he pressed his lips against yours, giving you a small peck. "So now you're blaming me?"

In exchange you cupped his face in the palms of your hands bringing his face down. You gave him a quick kiss. "That's right! Because it was your fault."

"My back is in pain because of you." He replied with a face that was slightly contorted into pain. "Are you still going to try putting the blame on me? You physically hurt me!"

Your mouth gaped at his remark. He did have a point. You rolled your eyes in disbelief before pushing his body away from yours. "If you had not pushed my buttons maybe it wouldn't have happened."

Reiner groaned in pain as his back made contact with the hard floor once again. "Playing chess brings a vivid memory to my mind." He breathed out before sitting up.

You perked your head up with interest. "Really? Now I'm intrigued."

He smiled weakly and looked down at the ground. "It was back on Paradis when we were still training to become Scouts. The boys shared a cabin and there was this one boy who approached both me and Bertholdt. He looked pretty hopeless at the training so he sought for our help since we were one of the top cadets. It was while Bertholdt and I were in a match of chess." A sullen look clouded over his eyes as the memory flashed through his mind.

"I have so many regrets," He continued, placing a hand against his forehead. "But I can't erase my past. When you're fighting for your people and seeking for approval nothing seems wrong to you. That's until you actually go through with the plan. Then it finally hits you."

You gently placed your hand on his shoulder before giving it a reassuring squeeze. "All of us have regrets. What's done is done. I can't say that those you've hurt can forgive you, but you have to move on in order to live."

Reiner's shoulders trembled as the tears began spilling. Once again, he felt great remorse for deceiving so many of those who had once considered him as a friend. To the point where he even had to get both his two warrior friends involved. He's the reason why Bertholdt and Annie never made it back home.

"Am I even allowed to live?" His voice wavered as he sucked in a deep breath to suppress the sobs coming up his throat. "I've stained my own hands with the blood of not only men and women— but children too. Those people who did nothing wrong."

You quickly pulled him into a tight embrace, combing your fingers through his blond strands of hair while your other hand rubbed small circles on his back. "What kind of question is that? Of course you're allowed to live."

"Because you were born into this world."

Twenty-five days.