From the Start (Reiner Braun X Reader)

7 [Smith's]

[F/N] is going to be here in an hour. When they get here, I need you to help them with some chores. I don't want to hear that they did it all themselves when I get back. Falco and I are meant to arrive back at 6PM, so be sure everything is done by then. I want the place clean.

And don't fucking break anything.

- Levi

You could not help but laugh as you read the letter over a few times before handing it back to Gabi. It was short and to the point, just as you would have expected from him. The two of you were meant to help out around Levi's shop and to take care of some things he is not capable of doing by himself. With a smile on your face, you turned to the teenage girl and told her what was on the to do list for the day. To your standards, there had not been a lot that your old captain had asked you to do, so, with Gabi's help, the rest of the afternoon would most likely pass by quickly.

When the dust had settled after the Rumbling, Levi was forced to retire from the Scout Regiment. With Hange gone, Armin took over in their place. Of course, the Scouts were no longer needed for killing titans, but they became a military. A real military. Unfortunately, due to his disabilities, Levi resigned. You were soon after, though for your own reasons. It was more than a hard decision for him, and everyone knew it. He talked about the current state of the Scouts often. He kept in close contact with Armin, wanting to know the details of almost everything that went on in his absence. Now living in Marley, he had decided to live the quaint and peaceful life he had always truly wanted. With help from a few of his former soldiers and townspeople, he was able to open Smith's, a cafe near the beach.

Luckily, the new location had been a hit. People loved it. Although some of the locals were still weary about the infamous Captain Levi, others were excited to see what he had to offer. You frequently find yourself stopping there anytime you would have a job near the beach. To see his former soldiers was nice to him, though you knew he would never admit that.

A few days ago, you had received a letter in the mail from Levi asking if you could come down to fix up a few things. The shop was going to be receiving new chairs and a few new decor items, so he wanted everything to be perfect when he returned with them. Gabi, who frequented the shop often to catch up and help out around the establishment, found the letter taped to the back entrance, where she would always enter from. It was amusing to her that he knew when she would arrive and where to leave the note where she would not miss it.

"First thing's first," you started with a small smile, "bathroom faucet is leaking. Want to wipe down the countertops while I fix that up?"

"Sure," Gabi nodded, reciprocating your expression. Soon enough, the two of you split up and began your work in separate rooms.

It was work like this that you truly did not mind doing. Helping out an old friend was something you enjoyed, and to be able to bond with someone while doing it was even better. Gabi and you were not terribly close, but you did not resent her. You did not hold any grudge over what she had done in her past. Afterall, considering the circumstances, it was what you would have done if you were in her shoes. War is complicated. Was she meant to allow who she thought was the enemy to get away, or fight for a country that claimed to be in the right? To turn her back on everything she was taught simply on a whim?

As you walked to the bathroom, you found yourself becoming lost in thought. There had been a lot that the two of you never really discussed, but that was understandable. Because of your history with her cousin, you had been inadvertently ignoring her, too.

Opening up the cabinet to the bottom of the sink, a few memories popped into your head. When you first met her on the airship, then meeting her again when Niccolo was threatening to end her life. When the war had ended, you remember having a few short conversations with her here and there. On her sixteenth birthday, however, you remember the conversation that really solidified how you felt towards her.