Ackie!!!

Day 4 - Vampires

Note : This is a purely self-indulgent little one shot of Reiner with my oc Logan. (not a reader !) It made me happy to write it so I hope it can make a few other people feel good too :'3 It's been a long time I haven't write anything so I hope I'll be good enough. Also, little note that Reiner and Logan are both around 15 year old at this point of their training, so I can't help but imagine them with baby faces haha. Summary : A simple end of day where Logan Cole and Reiner Braun talk for the first time. Tags : sfw, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, they're both brats, awkward flirting

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“If you’re done cleaning the cannon, put the rag and the oil back in the box, Logan.”

The teenager held back a dramatic sigh when he heard the deep voice behind him. Just one second. All he wanted was one second of peace. Sitting right on the edge of the dizzying drop that might as well have been the end of the world, he let his legs dangle into the air, heavy as if his soles were made of lead.

 “I’ll be there in a minute,” he muttered. “My feet just hurt from running around all day.”

 While he expected the young man behind him to walk off, indifferent, like the other recruits who were already putting the gear away after their meticulous maintenance session on the Rose Wall cannons, he instead stepped closer.

 Reiner Braun leaned against the forward artillery piece to Logan’s left, maintaining a respectful one-step distance. His square jaw was clenched like a stuck latch, and his brows were permanently furrowed into a serious expression. He was probably about to launch into one of those moralizing speeches he was so good at. Of course Reiner Braun had been appointed squad leader—just like in three-quarters of their team drills. Maybe because of his natural charisma... or more likely because of that massive stick up his ass.

 Logan wanted to roll his eyes but was honestly too tired to pick a fight, especially if it meant ending the day with disciplinary action for insubordination. Hard to believe, but even Logan was willing to follow some rules if it made life easier. He’d nod at whatever Reiner said with a polite smile and let out a big sigh once he finally left.

 “You alright? You’re not hurt or anything?”

 He raised an eyebrow at the genuine concern in his comrade’s voice instead of the scolding he was expecting. He echoed mockingly: “Hurt? Carrying crates? Worst case, I broke a nail—think I’ll pull through.”

 Reiner let out a breath of a laugh, almost like a light cough.

“It’s just... I don’t remember ever seeing you this down. Kinda surprising after such a calm day.”

 The teenager thought “down” was a bit of a stretch. Tired. Cranky, maybe. Gloomy at most. And since when was Reiner keeping track of his mood swings... that was mildly creepy.

 He shrugged lazily and turned his blue gaze back to the green fields where nature had taken back the land all the way to the horizon.

 “It’s just my chronic laziness catching up with me. I’m afraid it’s terminal. With a bit of luck, some pushover will clean up before I manage to find the motivation to move,” he said dryly, gesturing to the brushes and rags strewn around him on the ground.

 He didn’t expect Reiner to get the humor in his tone, but he could strangely imagine him smirking a little out of the corner of his eye. Surprising, for a teacher’s pet who played top of the class with so much zeal. But the strangest thing was that the tall blond hadn’t left—he just stayed there. He even crossed his arms in that stiff posture he always seemed to think made him look cool.

 “So I’m supposed to be the pushover?”

 “I’m not giving names, so if anyone happens to see themselves in that description, that’s not on me.”

 Okay, maybe Logan had gotten the wrong idea about the guy—he actually seemed... likable? Well, Logan knew Reiner Braun was nice to everyone in their class, always helping anyone who struggled and offering advice to recruits who hadn’t exactly been blessed by nature. But Logan had always found that supposed perfection annoying. A young man who was talented, good-looking, helpful, and kind? Too good to be true—it had to be hiding some massive hypocrisy. That’s why he’d never really tried to strike up a conversation, even though they were the same age and technically the seniors of the group. If he could sit at a table with people more open with their emotions and easier to mess with, that was better. Jean Kirstein, for example. Jean was fun to watch when he started growling and flailing after a well-placed jab.

 Reiner had never seemed particularly interested in him either. Neglectful and cheeky — Logan probably looked like the poster boy for the bad soldier in his eyes.

 Some personalities just weren’t made to get along.

 So why was his comrade still standing there? Everyone else had packed up for the day by now—he could easily head back to the barracks a forest away and take a well-deserved shower, or do whatever else it was that Reiner Braun did in his free time.

 He must have noticed Logan’s suspicious sideways glance because he added: “You shouldn’t lean out so far. Imagine falling from that height... we wouldn’t even be able to recover what’s left of you.”

 Ah. So he was sticking around to watch him. How flattering. Logan placed a hand theatrically on his chest and closed his eyes, leaning forward a bit more.

 “Oh no! And to think we wouldn’t even get to bury our secret top asset, so close to reaching his full potential? With any luck, maybe they’d remember me as the soldier with the dumbest death in human history. Although… do you think I’m tough enough to survive a fifty-meter fall? You, maybe—you’ve got the muscles. I’d be more worried about the ground taking damage.”

 Reiner cracked a faint smile, tinged with irony.

 “You’d be surprised...” He gave a small shake of the head and added, “But even if a regular human could survive that kind of fall, a Titan would grab them in a second, no matter how jacked they are—so not much hope for survival there.”

 “Damn. I’m counting on you to write my memoirs then.”

Logan leaned forward a little more, resting his chin between his fingers with theatrical languor, wrinkling his sun-freckled nose. His pupils scanned the horizon, perplexed. The sky was turning a faded shade of pink and white as the minutes passed.

“By the way… Isn’t it weird we haven’t seen any Titans around since we started training here?”

 “I don’t think so,” Reiner shrugged. “They probably swarm closer to the cities, but here? We’re in the middle of nowhere. Not much reason for them to be drawn to a bunch of teenagers sleeping over a kilometer from the border.”

 “Mmh…”

He thought for a moment.

 “I wonder what they actually look like. Someone told me they’re like giant chubby babies.”

 Reiner gave a start. Was that a nervous snort or a jolt of shock? Even staring at him, Logan couldn’t be sure—his comrade’s face was as unreadable as a fortress wall.

 He straightened up suddenly, as if remembering something. “Crap… You’re one of the refugees from Wall Maria, right? I forgot, sorry. Now I feel like an idiot.”

Reiner’s blond hair gleamed like golden thread in the setting sun. He shook his head, his brow furrowing deeper.

 “It’s alright. I get that it slipped your mind.”

His lips thinned as he stared at the cottony clouds. His features looked carved from stone, like a hero of old. His broad chest sank with a deep sigh.

“Giant babies, huh?... That’s not exactly how I remember them. Who told you something like that?”

Logan bit the inside of his cheek, cursing his mouth for running off before his brain had a chance to check it. Not only was the guy a refugee—he had probably lost people right before his eyes. And Logan had just reminded him of that with a poorly timed joke.

He himself remembered the carnage those monsters had caused… That body laid out on a slab, an arm torn off, ribcage exposed, a leg twisted at an impossible angle…

“Someone…” he said vaguely, throat tight. Then, after a brief pause, he admitted: “My mom, actually.”

 He didn’t particularly like dredging up the past, but it felt like the least he could do after accidentally opening up a wound. A way to even the scales.

Reiner looked intrigued, maybe even confused.

 “She was from Wall Maria too?”

 “No, not at all,” Logan chuckled. “She was in the Survey Corps.”

To his surprise, Reiner gave a short laugh—which vanished instantly when he met Logan’s icy stare. He blinked twice.

 “Wait, seriously?”

 “What’s so funny?”

 “I thought that was another one of your jokes… I never would’ve guessed you… I mean… you…”

The way he looked him over said more than words. Logan raised an eyebrow.

 “What? I don’t make the cut for soldier material?”

 “That’s not what I meant… You’re far from bad. I’d bet you could make top ten if you really tried. I just figured discipline wasn’t exactly your thing. So I wouldn’t have pegged you as coming from a military family.”

 “Shows what you know. I can be disciplined—when I feel like it. And my mother was hardly a model soldier. She was a total airhead who did whatever she pleased… Case in point: here I am. Honestly, no clue how she made it to captain. Maybe that’s what makes a good soldier in the end. A touch of madness.”

Reiner seemed to ponder that, as if considering whether to add it to his definition of the ideal soldier.

 “Maybe it takes that bit of madness just to enlist at all,” Logan added.

 The tall blond tilted his head slightly.

 “Do you regret signing up?”

 “I never said that. It’s just an observation. I’m not sure our batch is exactly a shining example of mental stability.”

 “I can see it with some of them… but do I look crazy to you?”

 “Oh, the craziest of the bunch.”

His comrade chuckled softly. The amusement faded into thoughtfulness. His voice grew distant as he asked:

 “Your mother… Did she die during the fall of Wall Maria?”

Logan shook his head no, and Reiner’s shoulders seemed to drop an inch in relief.

 “She died a year ago, during a mission to reclaim Wall Maria… Actually, today’s the anniversary of her funeral.”

 “Oh… I’m sorry. I can leave you alone, if you’d prefer.”

 “No, it’s fine. I’ve got it handled. It comes with the job when you’re in the Survey Corps—I was prepared for it.”

Logan wouldn’t admit it out loud, but talking about it openly felt oddly good. Since he’d buried her, he’d done everything to stop thinking about it. To move on. But he still remembered the ceremony like it had been just days ago. The mangled body they’d shown him before sealing her in a box and covering her with mud. The stench of decomposition still clung to his nostrils.

 It all seemed so far away now… In just one year, he’d left behind a home that no longer waited for him, joined the army, and thrown himself into intense training. He sometimes wondered where he’d be if his mother hadn’t stubbornly stayed in the Corps. Maybe she could have taken Keith Shadis up on his offer and become an instructor here. He shivered at the thought—part grief, part horror—at imagining his dead mother as a drill sergeant keeping tabs on him day and night.

Golden flecks shimmered in Reiner’s eyes, like sunlight dancing in a clear river—respect, and maybe a touch of admiration.

 “That’s pretty impressive, honestly. Having a parent who ranked that high. I’m surprised no one in the dorms talks about it. Is it some kind of secret?”

Now that he mentioned it, Logan realized he hadn’t told anyone since training started. Everyone had shared their little backstories, and he could remember most of them. But it was true—he’d always stayed vague about his own. He didn’t want people asking too many questions or shining a spotlight on him. Worse, someone might try to use him to curry favor with the Corps’ higher-ups—and he really didn’t have the face for that kind of role.

“No offense, Reiner, but if it were a secret, I wouldn’t exactly be spilling it to the first guy who talks to me for more than five minutes.”

 “Fair enough.”

“But I’d appreciate it if you didn’t go shouting it from the rooftops either. I’m trying to cultivate a mysterious, brooding aura.”

 “You’ve got my word. What’s said between us stays between us. But if I were you, I’d be proud of that legacy.”

Again, Logan wondered what he’d done to earn this sudden wave of friendliness. He’d never felt like Reiner was interested in getting to know him before. Maybe it was the new teal shirt. That must’ve caught his eye. He almost laughed out loud at himself when he realized he was running a hand through his messy curls at the thought, and quickly tried to hide the subtle warmth rising to his cheeks.

“So… you’re planning to join the Survey Corps too? Like Eren?”

 “You could say that… Even if Eren’s not exactly my main inspiration,” the teen grimaced. “And you? Let me guess—aiming for the Military Police?”

 “I need to find a way back to my hometown,” he replied solemnly.

Not exactly a straight answer. His hometown. Was he referring to the Survey Corps’ plan to reclaim Wall Maria?

If that was the case, it meant the two of them would be stuck together longer than Logan had expected. He might’ve been annoyed by that earlier, but now he realized their conversation had flowed effortlessly, with no awkwardness or tension, and Reiner even seemed happy to run with his random thoughts. They’d probably never be best friends, but at least they wouldn’t make each other miserable.

Logan swung his legs out over the void.

 “Cool, cool.”

 “And who knows… Maybe you’re meant to help me on that path.”

The smile Reiner gave him was laced with a certain mischief—Logan wasn’t quite sure how to read it. Despite the furrowed brow and constantly tense features, his almond eyes sparkled and held Logan’s gaze with quiet intensity.

 Logan blinked first.

 “Huh-huh… In my endless generosity, maybe I’ll spare a few of my talents to aid you in your noble mission, if we end up in the same regiment.”

 Reiner flashed a full-toothed grin. His presence glowed under the orange hue of the fading sunlight.

 “I knew you were nicer than you pretend to be.”

 “Reiner…”

They both turned at the same time toward the voice that had just pierced their bubble. Bertholdt Hoover approached awkwardly, arms dangling like he didn’t quite know where to put them. His grey eyes darted between Reiner and Logan before asking what they were talking about.

Reiner’s brow furrowed—and Logan could’ve sworn the warmth in his gaze iced over in a split second. But just as quickly, his features softened, and Logan decided he’d imagined it.

 He shrugged:

 “Nothing much. We were just getting to know each other.”

Reiner straightened up, pushing off the military artillery structure behind him with a stretch. He closed the distance to his friend in a few strides and gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder.

“Took you long enough. I was starting to think I’d have to go without you if I wanted hot water in the shower.”

 “Sorry, I was helping Minah and Armin adjust their cannon calibration.”

Oh.

Oh. Right.

 And to think he’d been dumb enough to believe, even for a moment, that Mr. Perfect was actually interested in him. That would teach him to be naïve.

Reiner turned back toward him and waved offhandedly at the mess beside him.

 “No rush to head back if you’re done, but don’t forget to clean up before you go, Logan.”

Too embarrassed to speak, Logan gave a slow nod. Not that it mattered—Reiner clearly wasn’t expecting a response. The moment he gave his instructions, he turned on his heel and walked off with his best friend, without so much as a glance behind.

Logan watched the two recruits disappear with a burst of vertical maneuver gear into a cluster of pine trees.

After a few silent seconds, the boy doubled over and buried his face in his hands, stifling a long groan of humiliation.

Turns out, he was the sucker all along.