You ran the dense comb through the mane of your beloved horse, hearing her sigh with a fierce shake of the head. You shushed her down, gently stroking your fingers down her nose.

The smell of hay and spruce-wood stables intoxicated your nose as you groomed your horse more, finally feeling her begin to calm down in your touch.

You smiled, slowly gazing out of the window.

It had been four days since you had become Reiner's 'girlfriend', and you'd barely spoken since. Your conversations had been scarce: restricted to only meal times - otherwise, you stayed far away from each other.

You tidied away your brushes into a small drawer on the other side of the stables, before beginning to replace the hay and water of both your horse and the others in the Calvary Stable.

You wiped your brow, stretching your arms out as the muscles in your body tensed.

You looked over your shoulder as you heard someone open the thick, wooden doors: Reiner Braun raising his hand to acknowledge that he was there.

"Y/N?"

"Reiner?" You raised a brow, taking off your rubber gloves, "What do you want?"

"I have the day off so I decided to explore the Survey Corps Barracks and stumbled in here," He casually shrugged, "What are you doing in here, anyway?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" You dusted off your clothes, gesturing towards your childhood horse that you were carefully brushing.

"Watch it." The blonde replied whilst beginning to wander closer to you, "You're meant to be my girlfriend - that means you should cut the bitchiness."

"What have I told you about calling me a bitch?" You snapped, pointing your index finger in his direction as Reiner grinned with satisfaction; "There's no one else here right now, so I can talk to you how I would like. I'm only your girlfriend when there are other people around."

"Sometimes I wonder why I'm the only man you treat like this. You're kind to Jean, and especially kind to Eren." Reiners full, muscular figure perched against the wooden arches of the old fashioned stables, "I've heard that some girls are only mean to men that they have feelings for - you don't have a crush on me, do you?"

"I never realised you had such a sense of humour."

Reiner approached you and your horse, lifting his fingertips closer towards her nostrils: "May I?" The blonde asked for your permission to touch her mane as you nodded, his long, slender fingers caressing through her silky hair.

Reiner feebly smiled as your horse nestled her hand in the palm of his hand.

Chuckling in amusement, you whispered: "She likes you."

"That makes one of you," Reiner whispered back, "What's her name?"

"Sunshine."

Reiner cringed with a tired laugh, "Sunshine?"

You sighed through your nose, running your fingers through her soft mane once more: "I named her when I was eight, give me a break."

"When you were eight years old?" He asked, leaning his broad shoulder against a wooden post: "You had your own horse when you were that young?"

"My father wanted me to train in horse-back riding from a young age. He insisted that it was a skill worth mastering, especially if I were to become a Scout. That, alongside hunting."

"I suppose you really can do anything if you have money." The blonde sighed whilst perking his brow, "The things I would give to have grown up as a spoilt, rich-girl."

The hairs on your nape suddenly rose as you felt your chest tighten: "Excuse me?"

"What?" Reiners shoulders carelessly shrugged once more as if oblivious to what he was saying to you: "I only said that you're spoilt."

"I am not spoilt. I may be a lot of things, but spoilt is not one of them." You defended yourself: your tone growing sharper with offence.

The blonde laughed as you felt your apoplexy increase - his cackle was genuine and unforced, it fell naturally from his soft lips.

"Smith." He smirked, "Your daddy is the Commander of the Survey Corps, and he bought you a pony when you were eight. It's okay to be spoilt - just be honest about it."

"I had a horse because my father was training me to be a soldier!" You snapped, your fingers curling upwards, "Don't act like you know my life - you know nothing about the way I was raised."

"Do you even realise how ignorant you sound right now?" Reiner stepped towards you, all whilst bending his knees to meet your eye-level, "I would give anything to swap places with you. To have your life, instead of mine."

You sighed defensively: your body overwhelmed with flooding emotions and sensations - this argument had appeared out of thin air.

"Just because my struggles are different, doesn't make them any less significant than yours!" You placed a foot on the saddle of your horse, heaving yourself up onto her back with ease, "I had a difficult life - it's not my fault that you refuse to understand that."

Too tired to argue with him anymore, you sped away on your horse for an early-Afternoon ride: you needed to release the energy from your small argument with your fake boyfriend.

"Y/N."

You ignored his voice, hearing him calling out your name numerous times, as you set off on your own.

"Y/N!"

༺♰༻

'Sunshine' slowly trotted along the dirt roads of the forest, basking beneath the Spring sunlight that was seeping through the oak trees.

You sighed, gazing upwards at the cracks of bright-blue between the dark green leaves of the large trees.

Your thighs ached from riding as your fingers tightened around the reigns of your horse, beginning to charge forward through the thick trees: you could the hear low, distant grunts of your horse as you raced through the forrest.

You brought your wrist up to your brow, wiping off your sweat; you raised your shirt slightly, fanning your chest and stomach to draw off any heat.

Suddenly, a figure leapt from a large growth in the land. Your horse neighed sharply whilst leaping up; her legs kicking out defensively. You sharply shrieked, your hands tightening around her reigns to keep yourself on her saddle.

You ordered for her to calm down, caressing her mane as your eyes began to focus on what was in-front of you.

Your face contorted with even more anger than before as you clenched your jaw: "Reiner?"

His eyebrows were furrowed sternly, a cold demeanour fixed on his chiselled face. He was riding his own horse, his hands gripping ahold of the reigns with an apoplectic expression.

"Why would you jump out of the hedge? You scared my horse; you could have gotten me killed!"

"Why did you run off like that?" Reiner muttered in the usual cold tone he used towards you, "I was calling your name, and you ignored me - why?"

You childishly ignored Reiner's question, turning 'Sunshine' towards the opposite direction to ride away from him. The blondes hazel eyes rolled back into his skull with a groan before he swiftly followed after you.

You refused to meet his eyes as his gaze stayed fixated on you. You didn't speak; move; even your breaths had become shallow with petty anger.

"I didn't mean to offend you." Reiner finally broke the silence that was shared between you both.

"Well, you did offend me. Congratulations," You replied with fatigue, "It's not the first time, and it certainly won't be the last."

Reiner tilted his face upwards as the shattered sunlight highlighted his features; speckles of gold reflected off of his pale skin. The sunlight brought out the deep-bronze in his eyes.

"If this plan is going to work," His deep voice hoarsely spoke, "Then we need to find a way to get along."