"Put that down!" Reiner scolded his little cousin as she ran around with the picnic basket in her arms, chasing the poor Falco who was already sweating bullets even though the weather wasn't even that hot.

Pieck and Porco walked over with the other two little warriors. In Udo's hands were refreshments such as a whole liter of apple juice and a gallon of water. The blonde girl stuck close beside Pieck, conversing nonstop about how Gabi would always tease Falco.

Your attention was suddenly brought to the sound of Falco shouting for help. Gabi grabbed the blond by his sleeve and tossed him onto the ground, snickering mischievously. "You're too easy Falco! What kind of man are you?"

He puffed his cheeks out and brushed off his shirt, shooting his rival a small glare. "This isn't training you idiot! We're here for a picnic."

"That's enough you two." Falco's older brother walked towards the two and grabbed them both by the back of their shirts. They squirmed in his grip and whined. "Y/N was nice enough to even invite all of us."

A small smile curved on your face as you watched Reiner point and laugh at the two who were getting scolded. This was a sight you'd truly miss, his sweet genuine smile.

"That's enough Colt!" You giggled "But Gabi seriously, the sandwiches I made are going to get ruined if you continue running around like that."

The nine year-old glanced at you with her large brown eyes before nodding slightly disappointed. "Fine." She sighed before trudging her feet towards the picnic blanket laid out. Gabi slowly bent her knees, placing the basket on the ground in front of you.

Falco and Colt trailed behind Gabi. The resemblance between the the was amazing. They truly did look alike and acted the same in many ways.

Pieck seated herself behind you and poked at your shoulder. "Are you sure you didn't want me to make anything?"

You shook your head and smiled "I've got enough food for everyone." You opened the basket and revealed all the different variances of small sandwiches. "See? I've made sure to make lots so that we all get full."

"Woah," Porco's eyes lit up as he peered over your shoulder, eyes glued to the contents inside the basket. "Who's wife are you? Do you mind if I marry you?"

"Not a chance," Reiner and Pieck deadpanned, shooting the slicked-back blond a cold stare.

Porco's shoulders sunk as he raised a hand up in defeat. "You guys are no fun." He frowned.

You flashed the boy a sympathetic smile, offering him the first sandwich. That frown on his face disappeared immediately and was replaced by a wide grin. Like a child who had seen candy being offered to them by the elderly. It was awfully cute.

"Thanks Y/N!" He exclaimed with joy "I'm so happy to the point where I could kiss you!" Porco immediately took a bite out of the sandwich, humming with delight at the taste.

Reiner scoffed, rolling his eyes in slight irritation. "I'd pummel you to the ground if you made a pass on Y/N." He popped open the gallon of water and poured himself a cup of water.

"I'm with Reiner on this one Pock." She crossed her arms over her chest. Pieck's hand gravitated over towards the basket filled with fruit. She took out a red apple and bit into it.

"Oh hush Reiner, here have a bite of this." You picked up a sandwich and raised it up to his mouth. "Say ah~" You smiled.

His cheeks flushed a soft shade of red as he followed your command. Reiner partially opened his mouth, staring into your E/C irises slowly getting lost in them. Once you had put part of the sandwich in his mouth he didn't bite down until you placed your finger under his chin, pushing it up.

You tilted your head, leaning in closer to his face curiously. "So? How is it? Is it too sweet? I tried making a fruit sandwich instead of something savory... it's more like a dessert but I was just dying to see you taste it!"

Reiner chewed slowly trying to come up with a way to describe the taste. He swallowed what was in his mouth before speaking. "It's really good. The cream filling you put inside along with the fruit really makes it delicious. Did William teach you?"

"Him?" You chuckled shaking your head "No. He's bad at making sweets.. usually somehow his sweets end up being really salty? Everything here was my own doing. But I'm so glad you liked it!"

Within seconds both Falco and Gabi had devoured two sandwiches on their own. But that wasn't all, they were also scarfing down the small sugar cookies you had baked this morning. Colt grabbed the two and jerked them back causing one of them to nearly choke on the food in their mouth.

"Why are you two eating like it's a competition?" He growled, narrowing his eyes at the younger pair. "You two are about to give me a headache.. so calm down!"

Reiner stared at Gabi with an unamused look on his face. His lips curling into a slight scowl. "Gabi, will you just enjoy a calm picnic with your friends? I know it's tempting to always challenge Falco but we're here to relax."

Udo and Zofia exchanged crooked smiles before bursting out into a fit of soft laughter at their two friends. Falco flashed the two a small glare before puffing his cheeks out. He swatted away Colt's hand and crawled over towards Udo, seating himself beside him.

Suddenly, you remembered the candy William had brought you the other day. You fished out an unopened bag of circular sweets called "bon-bons", they were strawberry flavored. Usually this is what you would eat while reading if you had a headache. You tore open the packet and grabbed a handful, offering it to the group of children.

Zofia's eyes sparkled at the sight of candy. She hesitantly moved her hand towards yours before grabbing one piece. She quickly popped it into her mouth with her mouth immediately curving into a wide smile. Udo raised an eyebrow suspiciously before grabbing a piece. Falco turned away, feeling embarrassed.

"Gabi," You called her name in a soft voice and smiled "want one? They're really good! I promise it'll put you in a good mood. I'll tell Reiner off for scolding you so harshly." You gave her a small wink.

Her brown hues lit up as the ends of her lips tugged up. Gabi gave you a firm nod before grabbing not only one, but two pieces of candy. She threw them both in her mouth at the same time.

Reiner rolled his eyes and huffed. He wrapped his arm around your waist, pulling you close to his side. You flashed him a tiny grin before intertwining your hand in his. You lifted his hand up to your lips and planted a soft kiss on his knuckles. With that his cheeks began to grow a deeper shade of red.

He used his other hand and grabbed the back of your head. Reiner gently pulled your head back so that you were now directly looking at his face. He drew his face closer, capturing your lips in his. He stayed that way for thirty seconds before pulling away. His shoulders heaved up and down unevenly as he caught his breath. A shy smile played on his face. You stared at him, completely stupefied for a couple of seconds.

Fortunately no one noticed. Pieck and Porco were too busy bickering about something random while the children were talking amongst themselves about the skills they've improved on recently.

"Let's do this again one day, just the two of us." He breathed out leaning on his the palms of his hands as he gazed up at the clouds. "Although I doubt it'll be soon as I'll be getting busy helping Zeke prepare for his mission."

You sighed and laid your head on his shoulder, bringing your attention to the cerulean sky that was covered with clouds as if someone had painted them on. Y/N you're cruel.. You told yourself as the thoughts of leaving came flooding back in. Would there be a next time for a day like this with Reiner?

"I love you." You muttered softly, out of the blue.

Reiner leaned his head on yours and let out a tiny chuckle. "That was so random.. but I love you more than anything." Your heart ached at his words knowing that he probably would take his words back as soon as you told him. He would probably regret saving you.

—

Zeke shoved his hands in the pockets of his coat, holding the lit cigarette in his mouth. He looked over towards the horizon at the scarlet sky, as if someone had used the sky as a canvas and started painting over it with strokes of red, blue, purple, yellow, and orange. Yelena stood behind him in the doorway with a clipboard in her hand.

"What is it?" Zeke sighed, taking the cigarette out of his mouth. He turned around and leaned against the railing. Like a child, he fidgeted with the cigarette between his fingers. Spinning it as if it were a pen.

"There's someone who's caught onto our plan." Her gaze was fixated on the ground. Her fingers dug into the back of the clipboard making tiny indents.

The blondes eyes slightly widened at what he had just heard. "Who?" He tossed the cigarette on the floor and pressed the ball of his shoe onto it, dousing the death stick.

Yelena withdrew a deep breath before talking. "Warrior Candidate Colt Grice." She reached into her pocket and revealed a folded up piece of paper. On the paper was Zeke's name written in dark ink.

Twenty-nine days.

—
authors note;
first of all... thank you all so much
for 2000+ reads. im overjoyed to
see so many people checking
out my story

second of all, i apologize
for being so slow with this update
as a senior in high school
i have my work cut out for me
T-T
so please bare with me.