#bertolt fluff

[marisoil]

𝑰𝐍 𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐇

summary: taking care of bertholdt while heʼs sick </3

an: hello?? why is nobody writing for my husband anymore .·°՞(≧□≦)՞°·. stop this madness i beggg

genre: fluff

word count: 1,865

bertholdt hoover is dying, or at least that’s what he’s convinced himself.

he’s spread out on the bed like a wilted fern, blankets wrapped somewhere near his ankles, his cheeks are sweltering with a rouge so pronounced it appears to radiate heat, an almost wrathful vermilion. perspiration grips his pores in uneven tracks, weeping down the line of his jaw until it pools at the hollow of his throat. his hair sticks to his forehead in a matted constellation of ink and sweat, each strand entangled by the molten fever devouring him from the inside out.

the illness has robbed him of his grace; it has transformed him from a man of deliberate tranquility to a disheveled, breathless mess. his chest stutters unevenly, and you try not to count the seconds between each rise, try not to let your concern wrap itself too tight around your ribs, but it’s no use. his breathing hooks into you like barbed wire, pulling every composed thought to pieces. the air is heavy with sickness, wet and sour. nose red and raw from tissues he’s half-heartedly tossed to the floor that youʼll have to clean up sooner or later, everything in his head feels indistinct, every square inch feels like itʼs been stuffed with dense cotton.

he canʼt think, he canʼt breathe. he’s miserable. absolutely, profoundly miserable.

“you’re not dying.” bertholdt groans. his arm flops over his face in what he most likely believes is a tragic display of distress. his flaked lips part, but whatever retort he was working on tangles in his throat, collapsing into a pitiful whimper. he lets his arm which is suddenly as heavy as stone descend unto the bed, that small gesture costing him something he can’t spare.

he blinks up at you, his glazed eyes lazily wandering along your features. “i can’t breathe,” he wheezes, voice shredded by congestion. “it’s over for me. tell reiner… he can have my star destroyer lego.” you bite back a laugh, dipping the washcloth into the bowl of cool water you’ve set by the bed. his dramatic tendencies are endearing, really. he always leans into the absurd when he’s out of his depth, and now, with his fever tugging at the strings of his lucidity, he’s in a rare form.

“you’re gonna be fine,” you coo, wringing out the cloth and pressing it to his forehead. he shivers at the touch. “you don’t know that,” he whispers.

“actually i do. because you’ve just got a bad cold, and bad colds don’t kill people.”

“you say that,” he mumbles, “but “it’s not… just a fever. it’s—” his hand weakly reaches out, awkward fingers fumbling for yours. “—the plague?” you cut in. his hand finds yours, and you take his sweaty grip, cradling it between your palms. “then i guess weʼll die together,” you reply lightly, brushing back damp strands of hair from his forehead.

“don’t say that!” his voice cracks, and it’s hilarious how genuinely horrified he looks. “i don’t want you to get sick. stay away from me. i’m—i’m toxic.”

“you’re not toxic,” you reply, leaning down until your nose brushes his. “and i’m not going anywhere.” he tries to protest, tries to scoot away from you, but he’s too weak, too exhausted. instead, he slumps back into the pillows with a squeak, looking up at you like you’ve just confessed to a crime. you don’t care that he’s sick, that every exhalation is a cloud of germs, that you’ve probably already doomed yourself to catching whatever he has. none of it matters. you’ll take care of him, hold him together when he feels like he’s falling apart, and if you get sick, you’ll survive.

“you’re gonna get sick,” he nods, “then you’ll hate me. then you’ll leave me.” “never,” you say, without hesitation. you press your lips to his temple, ignoring the way his skin burns against yours. his breath hitches, a soft sound caught between disbelief and something far more fragile.

“you’re too close,” he croaks, “too close, yn. you’ll…” the rest of his sentence melts into the heat of his fever, ecstasy coursing through him in the way your lips press against the side of his head.

“bertholdt,” you interrupt, your voice low and certain, “shut up.” something in him jolts, sharp and immediate. his heart stumbles, then picks up, drumming erratically in his chest. it’s embarrassing, dizzying, and so utterly him. he shouldn’t like the way you say it, shouldn’t revel in the dominance of your voice, but he does.

“you’re like… the sun.” your hand pauses mid-stroke, the damp cloth pressed against his temple. “what?”

“you’re…” he blinks up at you, his glassy eyes catching the soft glow of the bedside lamp. his mouth is dry, the words sticking to his tongue, but he forces them out anyway, clumsy and slurred. “you’re warm. but not… not too warm. just right. like… like sunlight.” you stare at him, your expression unreadable, and he feels a fresh wave of heat rush to his cheeks. it’s not the fever this time; it’s the realization of what he’s just said, the absolute absurdity of it. he wants to crawl under the quilt and never come out again, but your lips twitch into something close to a smile, and it stops him cold.

“you’re delirious,” you say, but there’s no bite to your words, no mockery. it makes his chest ache in a way that has nothing to do with his fever. your palm lies flat against his cheek, and he leans into your touch without thinking, his body betraying him. “but i guess it’s sweet.”

he huffs out a laugh, or something close to it, but it breaks down into a cough that wracks his entire body, making you wince. your hand is there instantly, guiding him back with a tenderness that makes his heart ache. “easy,” you whisper.

“see? this is what happens when you talk too much,” you chide gently, easing him back against the pillows.

“sorry,” he whispers, but you can tell he doesn’t mean it. “goodness, bertholdt. i honest donʼt know what to do with you.”

“you’re…” he tries to speak, but his throat is too dry, his mind too foggy to form more coherent thoughts than he already has. he swallows, the effort sending a fresh wave of pain through his body, and you’re there immediately, lifting a glass of water to his lips with steady hands. “drink,” you command, and he obeys without question, the cool water soothing the fire in his throat. when he’s finished, you set the glass aside, your fingers brushing against his as you pull away.

“you’re cute.” your breath stills, the faintest laugh escaping you. “say that again,” you coax, your fingers trailing along the line of his jaw, pulling his gaze back to yours. his cheeks deepen in their flush, though fever alone cannot take the blame.

“i didn’t mean to—”

“you did. say it again” you counter, your tone light, teasing. he groans, burying his face in the pillow. “you’re cruel.”

“maybe,” you admit, your lips ghosting over his ear. “forever and always, bertholdt hoover,” you whisper, your words laced with warmth. “even when you’re sweaty and gross.” his breath stirs faintly against your neck, soft and uneven.

“you’re ridiculous.”

you shift slightly beneath him, trying to adjust the pillow to give him more comfort, but bertholdt doesn’t let you move far. his hand suddenly slips to your waist, his grip featherlight but firm enough to keep you close. “stay, don’t go.”

“i wasn’t planning to.” his eyes are heavy-lidded as they search yours. there’s something desperate in the way he looks at you.

“you’re so… so good to me,” he breathes.

“you deserve it,” you say simply, and his breath hitches like the words are something fragile and unattainable. you feel his fingers flex at your waist, his gaze flickering down to your lips.

“can i…” he starts, his voice trailing off as his eyes meet yours again. he doesn’t finish the sentence, but you understand him anyway, leaning in before he can lose his nerve. his lips are chapped, rough against yours, but the unpolished texture only makes the kiss feel more real, more him—raw and unguarded. but then you kiss him back, your hand slipping to the back of his neck to pull him closer. the fever has made him pliant, his usual hesitations melted away, and he responds with an urgency that surprises you. his mouth is warm, and his kisses are clumsy, desperate, as though he’s trying to memorize the feel of you.

you don’t pull away, not even when his breath catches or when his fingers tighten against your hip, grounding himself. instead, you let him pour himself into you. it’s feverish, messy, and utterly perfect, the taste of him lingering on your lips like something you’ll never forget.

when you finally part, it’s only because you can feel the way his body has gone slack, his head falling back onto your chest. he gives you a small, blissed-out smile that makes your chest tighten.

“you’re…” he whispers, his voice trailing off as his eyelids grow heavier. “perfect.”

[levithestripper]

part two of how the members of the survey corp and marley warriors would train with you

masterlist

warnings: gender-neutral reader, marco lives! au, marcel lives! au, suggestive in some areas.

included characters: eren yeager, armin arlert, jean kirstein, marco bodt, connie springer, bertolt hoover, and porco galliard.

length: 3.6k || read on ao3 || join my taglist

part one || part two [you're here!]

request: [anon] Would you be willing to do another part of "how the members of the survey corp and marley warriors would train with you" but with gn!reader winning this time. Maybe it's luck, maybe they cheated (tickles ? Unfair move?), or one time vicrory only ? If you're up for it of course ! Loved it :>

a/n: i loved writing a part two of this for you, nonnie! i hope it's everything you wanted :) if you guys have any other requests for hcs, please send them my way! i find the guys easier to write, so i just did them! and if i didn't include one, it's probably bc the reader already won in p1 or i couldn't think of a scenario for them. if you want me to write for the ones i left out just lemme know :) sorry it took almost a year for me to get to this lmao.

— Eren Yeager

As much as Eren likes to show off and impress you, he still takes training seriously. If he doesn’t take it seriously, how will he get strong enough to achieve his goals? He has gotten rather good at the basics of it, but he still has a lot to polish and work on, just like you, so it makes you two a good pairing. Eren has the wooden prop knife this round, and he’s winning so far. Every time you lunged at him, he’d dodge out of the way, leaving you out of breath and frustrated. You’re all for winning fair and square, but in this instance, you’re not afraid to play dirty to get what you’re after.

“Hey, Eren!” you call out to him, a conniving look spreading across your face. 

He raises an eyebrow at you with suspicion. “What is it?” He stalks you, circling you slowly, watching your every move.

You circle him as well, walking sideways, legs crossing each other. “I heard about your most recent spat with Jean the other day.” Eren doesn’t respond, so you continue with your little scheme. “Connie told me Jean decked you right in the face, giving you a black eye.” You watch as Eren touches his black and blue cheekbone with his free hand. “‘Parently you lost,” you snark. 

“I did not lose to that horse face!” Eren yells at you, gritting his teeth. “Mikasa pulled me off of him before I could defend myself! You know she always does that!”

You smirk at him. He had fallen into your trap, hook, line, and sinker. “Oh yeah? That’s not how Connie told it. He told me—well, told everyone, really—that you laid there and let him win.” You know your boyfriend well, saying the exact things guaranteed to make him snap. “Maybe Jean is better than you at sparring, too.”

That’s the straw that broke the camel’s back. Eren charges at you with all his strength, yelling as he does, giving you precisely what you want. Sidestepping him and sticking out your foot, Eren unceremoniously trips and faceplants in the dirt with a groan. Smugly, you crouch down to pluck the knife from Eren’s grasp. “I win, Ren.”

“Fuck you,” he groans, still facefirst in the dirt. 

You sit crisscross beside him, your expression a mix of a smile and a smirk. “Maybe later.”

Eren looks up at you out of the corner of his eye. “I hate you.”

“You love me,” you tease, giggling. 

“You’re so fucking annoying.” Eren’s voice has no malice behind it as he sits up., rubbing the dirt and blood off his face. A rock must’ve scraped him when he fell. You’ll never admit it, but he looks hot with blood trickling down his forehead.

You kiss his dirtied cheek with a soft giggle. “You wouldn’t have it any other way.”

A faint dusting of blush reddened Eren’s already ruddy face. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Regardless, he returns the gesture, kissing the tip of your nose. 

— Armin Arlert

The more often you ask Armin to train with you, the more comfortable he gets. He’s less worried about hurting you, as you’ve proved to him that you’re more than capable of holding your own. It’s not that he views you as weak; he just views your safety as his top priority. He pulls his punches but comes at you in full force without you having to insist upon it this time.

Armin isn’t the best fighter, but he still puts up a good fight. You have the prop knife this round, and you’re winning. He may not have the brute strength of Reiner or Eren, but instead, he uses his brain to fight, aiming primarily for your legs and remaining defensive. All his efforts are for naught, as you’ve pinned him in the blink of an eye. Armin yields to you, just like he had in the past rounds.

“You win again,” Armin says with a smile, accepting your outstretched hand, and you pull him to his feet once more. “I lasted longer this time, though!”

You return his smile with a squeeze of your hand. “We’re both improving, aren’t we?” Armin nods. The sun has started its descent below the horizon, painting the sky a beautiful orange color. You tilt your head up to look at it. “It’s getting late. We better get going to catch a shower before suppertime.”

Armin nods again with a hum. “You know, it’ll be quicker if we shower together.”

“Oh, yeah?” you tease, turning to walk with him towards the showers. 

“Mhmm,” he smirks. To imaginary onlookers, Armin looks like he’s innocently messing with you, but the glimmer in his eyes tells you his perceived innocence is merely a facade.

— Jean Kirstein

Winning against Jean is a challenge. You’re both evenly matched in talent, so it comes down to technicalities and skill to beat him. And when that doesn’t work, you resort to playing dirty. Today’s exercise is to wrestle the other to the ground and keep them there until they tap out. Something Jean is excellent at, unfortunately. So you have your work cut out for you.

The two of you were the only ones left in the training yard, the sun setting beyond the trees. Everyone else had gone to shower and change for supper, but you were determined to beat him, even if it meant you’d both sit down for supper in sweaty uniforms. Jean has pinned you twice now, and his victories made him cocky. Perfect. 

It’s the beginning of the round, so you’re circling each other from a small distance away. Jean’s hair is ruffled, giving him an almost disheveled appearance that suits him well. You hate how he still looks good after hours of training. “Say, Jean-bo,” you say with a smirk. 

Your expression tells Jean you’re up to no good, and he isn’t even slightly surprised. “No, no, no, you’re not gonna trick me! Not this time!” 

“Awwww, do you not trust me, Jean-bo? Since when have you so little confidence in me?” you tease.

“You know when!” Jean inches closer to you. 

You shake your head no, feigning innocence. “No, I don’t think I do, Jean-y. Enlighten me, hm?”

Jean waves his hands as he speaks. “Last week, when you got me so worked up, you somehow managed to get me all tied up in my ODM gear!” You giggle at the memory. “Heyy, no laughing at me!”

“I can’t help it! You were hanging upside down!” 

“Only because you spun me around and twisted my lines!” Jean exclaims, eyes fiery. “Captain Levi made me run laps ‘till I dropped!”

Your grin is filled with attitude, knowing exactly how to effectively press Jean’s buttons and irritate him. You watch as he stalks closer and closer to you. He watches you closely, eyeing you up and down. You imagine he’s trying to piece together whatever you’re planning. Having fallen to your schemes more than he’d care to admit, Jean’s learned not to underestimate you. But you still have a few tricks left up your sleeve that Jean hasn’t cracked just yet.

“I bet it was hard coming back and finding out our superiors surprised us with meat for dinner, too,” you snark. Unbeknownst to Jean, the squad captains promptly changed their minds when Sasha practically launched herself into the ceiling. There are nail marks left over to prove it. 

Jean’s eyebrows furrowed in frustration. “You didn’t even save me any, either!” 

You answer by sticking your tongue out at him, playing innocent. You let him get within grappling range, his actions playing right into your evil plans. He quickly knocks you on your ass, giving Jean an easy win if he can keep you there. But his frustration made him sloppy, leaving holes in his attack for you to latch onto and exploit. 

Turning the tables, you slide out from below him and kick Jean’s legs out from underneath him. You straddle his waist before he has the chance to retaliate, pinning his arms behind his back, rendering him immobile. “I win, Jean-bo,” you grin with a laugh, reveling in the glory of your success.

“You only won because I let you!” he argues, face flushing red.

You chuckle at his reaction. “I won because you got sloppy, Jean-y.”

He rolls his eyes, scoffing, but he holds no resentment against you. “Not my fault I got sloppy; you were goading me!”

“Not my fault you fell for it!”

Jean huffs. “Will you let me up now?”

“Maybe. I think I deserve something for winning, don’t you agree, Jean-bo?” you tease.

He does his best to look at you from the corner of his eye. “If you don’t let me up, you won’t get any kisses. How’s that for your prize, idiot?” You hurry off him, not eager to discover if Jean would hold true to his threat of withholding kisses from you. Jean stands and dusts off his stained pants, pouting at you cutely with a huff. “If anything, I’m the one who deserves kisses after that.”

You roll your eyes affectionately, but you kiss him anyway. “You’re so dramatic.”

— Marco Bodt 

Marco watches as you approach him, his signature smile plastered across his features. He’s sitting in the mess hall with Jean, helping the slightly shorter man with what appears to be paperwork. Jean looks up from his work when he notices your presence, kicking Marco’s leg with a knowing smirk.

You sit down across from them, mirroring Marco’s smile with a sweet one of your own. “Hey, Marco, Jean.” Jean gives a halfhearted wave. “Whatcha up to?” you ask, leaning over the table to look at the paperwork between them.

“Not much; Jean needed help writing his debrief report, so I offered to help him with it.” Marco looks at you with a stupid amount of affection, so much you can practically see it radiating off him. Since joining the Survey Corps, Marco has let his hair grow out, his bangs falling in his eyes, giving him even more of the boyish cuteness he already possesses. He claims he’ll cut it short again, but you like to believe Marco keeps it long because he knows how much you like it this way. 

“How soon until you guys finish?” 

Jean groans at your question. “Not fucking soon enough. It’s making me wanna rip my hair out.” Marco giggles quietly at his reaction.

“Not long.” He smiles at you, nudging your foot with his. “Something you need?” 

“I was hoping you’d have some free time to spar with me, Marco,” you hum, nudging him back. 

Jean, being the dick he loves to be, makes a gagging sound at the both of you. “C’mon, guys, cut it with the sappy romantic eye fucking, already. Go and spar with them, man; I’ll be fine to finish up on my own.” He sticks his tongue out in fake disgust, hurriedly shooing Marco off the bench.

You roll your eyes with a soft chuckle, taking Marco’s soft hand within your own. He waves goodbye to his friend as he leaves and holds the door open for you as you exit. “What exactly do you want to practice? Anything in particular?” he asks, swinging your arm cutely. 

“Hand to hand, mostly. I practically got my ass handed to me by Reiner the other day, and I don’t want a repeat of it.” As you walk towards the edge of the training yard, the sun is high in the sky, surrounded by a pretty shade of light blue, not a cloud to be seen. “What about you?”

Marco shrugs, happy to go along with whatever you prefer. “Nothing comes to mind. I’m happy with whatever you want to do.”

“Okay,” you smile at him, reaching your destination quickly.

By the time you have Marco on his back and yielding to you, the sun has started to set. You help him up and dust off the dirt from his shirt. “So, you finally have enough?”

Marco nods, exhaustion written all over his face. “I don’t think you’ll have a problem holding your own against Reiner, that’s for sure,” he says tiredly, rubbing his eyes.

— Connie Springer 

Connie loves hanging out with you, even if that means he gets his shit rocked while doing it. He thinks it’s hot when you show off how strong you are, so he’s more than happy to seriously train with you instead of just goofing off.

Today’s training is melee fighting with a rifle. Something Connie hates. He’s never been good with rifles; they’re large and clunky, and he can never get an accurate shot with them during target practice. Sasha’s excellence at it drives him up the wall, so he’s adamant about improving his skills, no matter how much he hates doing it. 

“You gonna keep losin’, or should I start putting in some effort?” you tease, standing upright, holding your rifle diagonally across your chest.

Connie drags himself off the ground, white pants stained brown with dirt and mud. “You’re not gonna be winning for much longer, babe,” he says with an evil-looking grin, not giving you any time to prepare before he lunges at you, thrusting the training bayonet towards your chest. 

“Oh, yeah?” You easily dodge his attack, striking the backs of his thighs in retaliation, earning yourself a yelp of surprise and pain. “Doesn’t seem like it, babe,” Connie growls in frustration, darting behind you to land a blow on the weak points of your knees, making your legs buckle, falling to your knees. 

“You wanna take that back?” He stands over you, pointing the fake bayonet between your shoulder blades.

You turn your head to look at him, returning his smirk. You shift your rifle to your other hand and sweep it in an arch behind you, just barely knocking Connie unstable enough for you to escape the compromising position. With Connie off balance, you return the favor, kicking him in the back of his knees, and he lands flat on his face. “No, I don’t think I will,” you chuckle triumphantly, pinning him there with the heel of your rifle. “Maybe next time, love.”

Connie responds with a groan. “I swear, you and Sasha are conspiring against me.”

“Why, I have no idea what you mean! I’d never do something like that!” It’s clear that you’re lying; you and Sasha get along like a house on fire, so that’s something you both would one hundred percent do just to annoy him. 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, just let me up, idiot,” Connie grumbles, shifting to lay on his back so his face isn’t in the dirt anymore. 

You hum to yourself, tapping your chin with a finger. “Hmmm, I don’t know, should I? I kinda like seeing you underneath me like this.”

Connie’s face flushes a deep shade of red. You notice his pants have tightened slightly, and you move the heel of the rifle to sit just below his belt. “Shut up.”

“What if I don’t want to? What then?” 

“Then I won’t share my dessert with you,” he goads.

You sigh defeatedly and help Connie up. “Dessert tonight better be good.”

Connie kisses the corner of your mouth, holding your free hand in his. “Maybe you’ll get two desserts.”

“Oh? I do like the sound of that,” you smirk, properly kissing him back this time. You hear Jean yell in disgust, and you both flip him the bird.

— Bertolt Hoover

“Are you sure you want to keep going? It’s dark out!” Bertolt whines, looking utterly exhausted. 

“I just wanna get this trick right!” you reply, sweat dripping down your forehead. 

He sighs. “You know I love you, but wouldn’t you fare better if you weren’t this tired?”

You ball your hands into fists and position them like Annie does. “Just one more time, Bertl, please?” you plead, and he caves quicker than you expected him to.

“Just one more, then we’re headed inside, okay?” 

You nod in agreement, and Bertolt rushes toward you. You angle your body so your side faces him. You lift your arm and fold it so your wrist touches your shoulder. When Bertolt reaches you, you grab his sleeve and pull his arm longways across your folded one, and you turn your body again so your back is flush against his chest. In the blink of an eye, you’ve got Bertolt off the ground and over your shoulder, quickly throwing the taller man to the ground. It knocks the breath out of him, but you both have a smile on your face despite it.

Between heaving breaths, Bertolt congratulates you. “You did it! Finally!”

“Finally!” You collapse beside him in a fit of giggles, ecstatic that you’ve finally gotten the hang of the move you’ve been trying to learn all day. “I’m so tired, Bertl.”

“I tried to tell you that, love.” He smiles at you sweetly. “But you had to do it one more time,” Bertolt says with a chuckle, kissing your sweaty forehead. 

“Oh, shush,” you giggle again and kiss his nose in return. “You like training with me.”

Bertolt’s tan skin darkens with a flush of red across his cheekbones. “Never said I didn’t, honey.” He kisses your forehead again. “Let’s go take a shower, yeah?” 

You nod, groaning as you sit up. As the adrenaline fades away, you begin to feel the toll the training had on your poor muscles. Everything is sore and vaguely hurts, making you even more eager for the boiling hot shower in your near future. “The baths should be empty by now, so we can take one together if you like.” Your words cause Bertolt’s blush to worsen, only serving to make you giggle again. “You’re so cute, y’know.”

“Shut up,” he whines, hiding his face from your watchful eyes. “Let’s just go take a shower, okay?”

“Okay, okay,” you grin, kissing the backs of his hands before standing up. You offer him a hand, which he accepts, even though he most likely doesn’t need assistance. “I hope there’s extra food left over from supper.” 

Bertolt keeps his hand within yours as you walk back to the bathhouse. “Probably not. You know how Sasha gets.”

“I can always try to bribe one of the cooks. They love me,” you say as your grin widens with a cute smugness.

He chuckles and shakes his head. “They’re gonna stop loving you if you keep pestering them for extra food like this, love.”

“Impossible.” You open the door to the bathhouse, but like the gentleman he is, Bertolt holds it so you can walk inside first.

— Porco Galliard

When he’s training with you, Porco’s cockiness is oftentimes the reason for his downfall as well. He knows you’re also an excellent soldier and fighter, but that doesn’t matter to him when he’s determined to beat your ass into the dirt. But that also gives you a slight advantage as well. He doesn’t underestimate you per se, but he does think he’s hot shit, which opens up plenty of opportunities for you to get him angry, then beat him at his own game once he’s let his guard down. 

“Hey, Pock,” you grin at him while he cocks a suspicious eyebrow at you. 

“What?” he questions between panting breaths. “You trying to talk your way outta this ‘cause you’re afraid of losin’ again?” Sweat drips off his chin and down his neck, making him look stupidly attractive, at least more than should be allowed for this situation.

You smirk at him. “No, dummy. I was just gonna say you look hot, but I guess you don’t wanna hear it,” you say with a shrug, watching to see if your plan works, which it does. 

Porco’s brain lags for a few seconds, giving you all the time you need to dart behind him and wrap him in a headlock. Porco yells and claws at your forearm, but you only tighten your grip on him, forcing him to either struggle or surrender. “You cheated, asshole!” he curses you out, gritting his teeth as he fruitlessly tries to break free of your hold.

“Not my fault you fell for it,” you snark back, teasingly tightening your arm around his throat. “You should’ve kept up a stronger guard, Pocky.”

“God, don’t call me Pocky. Pock is bad enough,” he groans, his short-cropped nails leaving little crescent marks in the meat of your forearm. His words say he’s angry, but the way he’s pressing against your front tells you otherwise. 

You rest your chin on his free shoulder, digging your chin into it just to fuck with him more than you already were. “Oh? You don’t like it? But it’s so cute, Pocky.” 

Porco growls at you with frustration, but he stops trying to escape your grip. “If I yield, will you stop calling me that?”

“Maybe,” you giggle, drawing out the ‘A’ sound. “Only if I get to brag to Marcel about beating you.”

He huffs and rolls his eyes, ensuring you know of his despair. “You and your demands are gonna kill me one day, and I’ll enjoy the silence I get from being free of your nagging.”

You pout cutely, but unfortunately, Porco couldn’t see it. “That’s such a long way to tell me you love me, Pocky.”

“Mmm, I wonder why,” he snarks, swallowing thickly. “Will you let me go now?”

“Can I brag to Marcel about your crushing defeat?”

Porco groans dramatically. “Fine, you can brag to him, I guess.” You pepper his cheek with kisses before you free him. “I’m never hearing the end of this from either of you, am I?” 

“Nope!” you giggle, kissing his cheek again before backing away.

taglist: @myglitteringstardust, @alicchis-badonkadonks (sorry if this isn’t you, it’s the only blog that popped up when i typed in the user from my taglist form), @nxuvillette, @killeva, @aestosia, @aangze, and @fantasy-and-love.

[luvbugs-blog]

one bed? - featuring the aot boys

today we have: jean, bertholdt, and reiner

in which: there's only one bed? lmao have fun! note that in reiner's part, you are a warrior that escaped back to marley with reiner after the shiganshina arc.

warnings: none. i have extreme paranoia when it comes to me writing smut, so you will not see some from me until i get better (i am literally touch-starved, so i feel like anything i write will be cringe)!

author's note: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know what to write next. i'm literally out of ideas. either in the comments, or in my messages. i will appreciate ANYTHING.

jean

"alright everyone," hange says, "go to your respective rooms. we'll meet back up in the morning and explore some more!" she turns to leave with onyankopon and levi who were staying in a nearby hotel as to not draw too much attention.

you look around for jean, sasha, and connie who were also staying in this hotel with you. as soon as you went to grab sasha to room with, connie swooped in, and the two were so excited that they were going to have a "sleepover". you heave a small sigh.

"don't sound too disappointed." jean says, giving you a small smile. "sad you're stuck with me tonight?"

"never." you say, bumping your shoulder with his. "it will just be much harder to keep an eye on those two." jean's smile slowly slides off his face.

"oh yeah." not much you can do about it now. you grab jean's hand and pull him to go find your room.

"this is actually so interesting, being in marley. i can't believe they have actual cars!" you say excitedly, smiling while looking out the window. you couldn't believe how advanced this place is.

"you sound like hange now! keep it down before your dumbass gets us caught." you give jean a little smack.

"oh shut up." the two of you finally reach the room, and as jean opens the door, he stops halfway into the room.

"hey! get out of my way, horse-face!" jean turns to look at you, his face a little red.

"i think they gave us the wrong room." confused, you look around jean to see there is only one bed in the entire room.

"oh." the thought of spending the night with your best friend in the same bed also made you a little pink. much to your relief, jean didn't see because he was too busy hurrying to use the bathroom. in reality, he was trying to calm himself down, but you didn't know that.

your stomach was swirling as jean finally came out of the bathroom, his face wet, like he had washed it. you had to look away. of course you were nervous. you've had a crush on the man for quite a while now. but you'd rather die than admit that.

an awkward, uncomfortable silence blanketed the room. until jean spoke up. "I honestly think we should just share it. it's pretty big. and we've grown up together. it won't be awkward."

that's a relief. "yeah. as long as your big horse feet won't kick me in the middle of the night."

"hey! my feet are normal shaped!" you giggle, the previous tension gone. "yeah yeah."

the two of you chat a little bit before calling it a night. you tuck yourself under the covers, turning your back to jean. "i hope you don't snore."

"guess you'll find out tonight." the two of you try sleeping, and for a few hours, it was successful. until the room got incredibly cold. you shuffle closer to jean, but it wasn't helping all that much. you turn around, facing jean, who looked fast asleep.

"hey." silence. "hey!" nothing. so you start poking his face, and he flinches. "what?" now you're embarrassed.

"nevermind."

"oh no. you didn’t wake me up for nothing." he pokes your face. "what do you want?"

"can you hold me?"

"what?!"

"i'm cold!"

"oh. alright then, come here."

"really?"

"yes, y/n. now hurry up." so you weasel your way into his arms, sinking into his chest. he is so warm.

and in the morning, when he wakes up before you, he'll let you sleep, with your leg around his waist and his arms around you. maybe he will finally work up the courage to ask you out.

bertholdt

you were shaken. of course you were, you were kidnapped. the last thing you remember is walking away with armin on the wall, and you could faintly hear hange talking to moblit about titans that could dig. but you wake up on a tree, in the forest which was surrounded by titans. you see ymir awake, scowling at two men up on higher trees. is that eren over there? you have to blink because it's so bright, but when it finally comes into focus, you realize it's reiner and bertholdt. oh yeah. the traitors. you start breathing heavily, thinking about how it's your lover up there. ymir tries to calm you down, her eyes wide, but it doesn't work. how could he do this to you. was everything fake? were your friends still alive. why were you here? you start feeling faint, and feel hot tears pooling at your eyes. you faintly hear the screeching of odm gear coming closer, and you hear bertholdt talking to ymir, but it's too late, and you pass out once again.

when you awaken a second time, it's night. you have to adjust your eyes to try to figure out where you are. but all you see are stars. you're on the wall. you feel a hand on your shoulder.

"y/n?" you turn your head without moving your body and see him. bertholdt, who's eyes are red and swollen. you reach your hand up to hold his face but then think better of it. you let your hand fall.

"i'm so sorry. y/n, i'm so sor-"

"bertholdt!" you recognize reiner's voice and lift your body up, with his hand on your back. you shove his hand away, ignoring the hurt look on his face. you see reiner and ymir coming your way. while bertholdt and reiner whisper to each other, ymir comes to check on you.

"are you alright?" you shrug. which earns a sad smirk from ymir. shortly after, bertholdt returns to kneeling next to you, but not saying anything. after a while, you find your voice.

you turn your head to bertholdt and ask, "how did i get here?" he flinches at your strained tone, but softly explains what happened while reiner and ymir set up sleeping bags they found in the district below. you also find out the truth about bertholdt's background. about him being from marley, his mission, why he decided to become a warrior. he explained about his sick father and the oppression he received just because he was eldian.

and suddenly, your heart was conflicted. there was life outside of the walls. but they weren't free. they had the same blood you did, and they were being tortured for it. but they killed so many innocent people from inside the walls. those people didn't know what they were dying for. they didn't deserve to die. you wanted to yell and scream at him, but you also wanted to comfort him. so you cried. you cried and cried and fell into him because you were weak, and despite hating him for all he had done, you loved him. and he held you as you cried, and eventually he started crying with you. so the two of you cried until there were no tears left. in the silence left behind, you whispered to him, "take me with you. take me home with you." too weak to argue, he agreed. he placed a soft kiss on your forehead and wiped away your tears.

"ok."

what felt like hours later, reiner came to drop off the sleeping bag.

"i'm sorry, but we could only find three." while bertholdt starting insisting you take it, you just stand up and take the sleeping back from reiner, giving the man a hug, which surprised him.

"thank you. one is enough. we can share." and so you did.

you held onto his long ass body and just held each other, oozing comfort the both of you needed.

reiner

while porco and pieck were mocking him from behind, you were at his side, giggling at his little pout. you intertwined your arm with his and put your head on his shoulder, causing the two goons to laugh and mock even more. but the two of you didn't care. you guys were considered pretty close before, but after returning from paradise, the two of you were inseparable. the two of you walked along the festival, reiner occasionally having to stop to pay for gabi and the others, but never separating from you.

"oh, reiner!" pieck says, "don't forget about the meeting we have tomorrow." the both of you sigh.

"we haven't forgotten pieck," he replies. you detach yourself from reiner when you see porco beckoning to you. while reiner and pieck chatted, you were able to talk a bit with porco. the two of you wandered for a bit before reiner came to pull you away, looking a bit jealous, which porco wouldn't let him live down.

the two of you follow the children around until they get too tired and full from all the festival food. while reiner is dragging gabi around, the two of you talk about the trek you will have to make for the meeting.

"we should rent a hotel room. that way we won't have to get up too early tomorrow to travel."

"good idea!" so after dropping off the children at their respective homes, the two of you hitch a ride to the hotel nearest to HQ where the meeting was taking place. when the two of you check in, you only ask for one room, but two separate beds.

however, when the two of you went to go to sleep, there was only one bed. although, it didn't bother you two that much, as the two of you often slept over together.

so when it was time for bed, the two of you crawled in together, immediately cuddling together. you lay your head on his chest and he holds you. this was how you often found comfort when the two of you first got back from the island, often crying about bertholdt, annie, and the comrades you considered friends. and the two of you haven't stopped this little routine, even years later.

but this time felt a little different. reiner was holding you more tightly than usual. but you couldn't bring yourself to ask why because you were too tired. as you were falling asleep, you hear him whisper, "I love you." not that you would know this, but he had been telling you this for a long time when you were sleeping. so it quite surprise to him when you opened your eyes and smiled.

"I love you too." you slowly press a kiss to his lips and he graciously returns it.

author's note (again): will there be a part two? idk yet. let me know if y'all want one in the comments section. (and i know you saw my author's note up top. *suspicious side eye* you better tell me what to write next)

[hanjisungslag]

attack on titan headcanons #8

## - when they get jealous

genre - angst & fluff

pairing - aot x reader

word count -

warnings - none!

notes - i might start uploading more than once a month.. christmas specials coming soon😈

EREN JAEGER -

lil’ bro gets soooo mad. jean was chit chatting to you about something you guys had in common and there was too much laughing, giggling and jean was FAR too close. like he doesn’t need to be making you laugh first of all, but then being all up in your business?!? nahhh, eren was NOT having it.

“‘that’s it. i’m going up to him, how DARE HE—” then he feels a tug on his shirt and gets yanked back right into his seat.

“you need to learn how to chill out, eren.” reiner says, lecturing him “i know it looks bad, but it’s gonna be embarrassing for you and y/n if you go up there and cause an argument.”

god, he’s right. eren knew he was. but, he was SO angry, he needed to let out his anger somehow! the only option was to go to the dorm and just start punching shit.

MIKASA ACKERMAN -

silence suddenly took over in mikasa and sasha’s conversation. sasha slowly turned to her left to see what had mikasa in such shock and there you were with none other than ymir. ymir had her arm right above you, looking down on you. what the fuck did she think she was doing?! mikasa was furious and you could tell she was just by her energy. it was pure silence but those looks could kill.

sasha decided it was probably best for her to step back a bit.. she was also terrified that mikasa would kill her with one glance although she wasn’t doing anything bad..

ARMIN ARLERT -

as armin was strolling around town, he sees you! he starts walking over, shouting your name through the busy crowds of the town centre when he sees you and bertholdt.. laughing, bumping shoulders, looking through what seemed to be like some sort of gift shop. armins never really the jealous type, he doesn’t like to get worked up over things like that but something about this made his stomach turn.

he decided to head back to the dorms.

eventually, when you and bertholdt came back from your little shopping trip - you obviously, go to go see armin! you knock on his door and gently start pushing it open,

“hey babe~ whatcha doing?”

“oh nothing, just uh, sharpening my blades ready for tomorrow” he tried to put on a smile because he really doesn’t want to start anything. he just wants to act like nothings happened.

“oh.. well then. i- erm, i got you something today..”

“w-what?” he swung his head around to face you

“yeah! i know you’ve been wanting those maps of the outside world but i didn’t know where to find them but bertholdt did, so he took me to the shops!”

armins jaw dropped. first of all, maps of the outside world?!? that’s incredible! but also.. that whole situation that made him so jealous, was about buying something for him? god. he feels SO silly.

SASHA BRAUS -

honestly, this queen isn’t the jealous type. i feel like she doesn’t care over little things like touching, laughing, spending time with others - it’s the BIG things like if someone’s trying to flirt with you. but even then, she doesn’t feel jealous. she loves you and you love her and that’s enough for her.

there was a celebratory party with the military after you guys finally caught the female titan. this include the whole military obviously the survey corps but even garrisons and military police.

a girl from the garrisons, whom you’ve never met before, makes her way over to you and strikes up a conversation. you think nothing of it until she starts laughing, shoving you away by your shoulder and then.. she started flirting. as you were about to calm the situation down before she got any ideas, your girlfriend walks over.

“hey babe” sasha exclaims

“oh, sasha!” you say in shock, you really hope she isn’t upset.

“hey i’m sasha, i don’t think we’ve met before!” she puts her hand out to the girl, “by the way, this is my s/o. i don’t mind you guys talking but boundaries! thanks.” she giggles slightly.

“oh god— this is so embarrassing. i’m so sorry, i have to go.” the girl says before she runs off.

“sasha, i’m so sorry. i was just about to tell her” you quickly explain yourself

“it’s fine! honestly, i know that you love me and i love you. i trust you” she says, giving you a tender smile.

CONNIE SPRINGER -

he tries to act soo nonchalant. but omg he’s so jealous because, he sees armin as this insanely intelligent, witty, incredible leader and you, also being crazy smart, tend to help armin out with plans for the survey corps.

“i already sent some soldiers to do some scouting around that area, they’ll be back in a couple of hours”

“god armin!”

“what..”

“it’s like you read my mind! i was literally gonna ask to go do that.” you giggle slightly at the coincidence. armin lets out a sigh of relief and says ‘y/n!! don’t scare me like that, i thought i did something wrong!” you both giggle at armins fright but as you two were laughing away, little did you know, a mr. connie springer was watching from the crack in the door.

connie quickly walked off after he realised he was literally eavesdropping on you and armin. ‘why am i feeling so jealous? god, get a grip connie.’ he thought to himself and he stomps down the corridor, getting far away from you two in that room.

eventually, you find connie chilling outside, “connie!!” you run towards him in excitement. “i’m so sorry, i’ve been stuck in that room planning with armin all day. but i missed you so much” you say before wrapping your arms around him.

“ugh, babe. it’s fine, seriously!” he says hugging you back, slightly too tight.. “connie. cant. breathe.” he quickly lets you go, “shit, sorry.”

you raise an eyebrow and ask “are you sure you’re okay..?” “what?! what a preposterous accusation!” he says defensively “okay now i know somethings wrong. since when do you say ‘preposterous’?”

he sighs in defeat, he cant lie any longer “okay fine. i just got a bit.. jealous.. when you were with armin today, okay? armins super smart and so are you, so maybe you two should just marry each other and have super smart babies” he says, as he slides down a post, hitting the ground with a thud.

“connie…” you slide down to sit next to him, “connie, i know you think me and armin are super smart but, i think YOU’RE super smart. you’re so emotionally and socially intelligent. i love that about you and not even just that, i love everything about you! and if i’m gonna get married and have super smart babies with anyone, it’s gonna be you.” you say as you give me a sweet, genuine smile.

thank god you know him so well or else he would’ve never had said anything.

JEAN KIRSTEIN -

is that what jean think he just saw? y/n, HIS partner with eren jaeger?? oh wow. greatttt, no it’s fine.

IT IS NOT FINE. why were you talking with him and why did you both seem so happy? this jealous anger that was building up inside of jean quickly switched so sadness. this man was so heartbroken.

his ego just felt it got crushed by a 100 buses. his first instinct was to fight eren as usual but, it had been a while since their last fight honestly and if anything.. jean looked up to eren. sort of. he really appreciated his boldness, his strength and his willingness to keep going no matter what. although, he was still a suicidal maniac.

jean already felt like second place to eren in most things but now his partner? really?! jean couldn’t take it anymore so he decided to go on a walk in trost, maybe even pop by his house and have his mum make him an omelette.

after you were done talking to eren, you go to find jean but.. he’s no where to be seen? and after EXTENSIVE searching for the whole place - you knew where he had gone. you get to trost as fasttt as possible and end up at his house, talking to his mother. she lets you inside, of course, offers you tea and omelette, which you politely decline and head straight for jeans childhood room.

you slowly open the door, the old creaking letting jean know of your presence before you even said a word. “hi babe..” you say slightly awkwardly, “so, how come you ended up here?” you ask and you slowly make your way towards the bed. jean stares at you as he chews his omelette, which he eventually swallows and continues to stare at you. “why were you with eren?” he eventually asks after some silence “oh jean! really? that’s what this is about?” you ask, slightly annoyed.

“yes it is!” he exclaimed and jumped off his bed in anger “do you know how—” he begins to choke up “how much i hate yet respect eren? he’s so much better than me in so many aspects and he has some god awful traits but also some incredible ones that people could only DREAM of having.” tears begin to stream down his face and before he says another word, you jump up and wrap your arms around him.

you guys stand there momentarily. while still hugging, you say to him “i’m sorry, jean. i didn’t know you felt like that. i just- i hope you know how much i admire you more than anyone else. it’s not just because we’re together, it’s because you’re an amazing person.“ you slowly pull away from him “you may look up and respect eren, but i look up to YOU.” you wipe his tears gently “and so do so many other people.” you smile tenderly at him.

he’s such a lucky guy to have someone like you.

REINER BRAUN -

big bro does not get jealous. sorry but, this man is too perfect. he doesn’t get jealous because why would he? he knows you love him and that’s more than enough for him. he genuinely trusts you with every fibre of his being however, he doesn’t trust other people.

it’s less of a jealously thing and more of a protective one. he doesn’t get jealous if someone’s flirting with you, he gets protective over you. like get the fuck away from my s/o, bro!!

ANNIE LEONHART -

hot take: annie gets so jealous and so insecure when someone she believes you could like gets too close with you.

the ONLY REASON she would ever get so jealous or insecure is because you guys are in a relationship. this cold demeanour that she keeps up with around everyone else is not a thing when she’s around you, she just feels so herself and so authentic around you and the thought of that getting taken away scares the ever living shit out of her.

so, when she sees you chatting it up with sasha, she shits herself. now usually, sasha wouldn’t faze her but sashas bright, outgoing personality seems like something that you would like and that’s terrifying.

however, annie doesn’t say a WORD about how jealous she’s feeling. she’s already scared enough but she’s more scared to piss you off by saying something. but, that’s your mfing girlfriend!! you know when there’s something wrong with her, so obviously you asked,

“annie, are you okay? you’ve been really off lately.”

she looks at you confusingly “what? i’m fine.”

no she’s not.

“i know when somethings wrong, so just tell me!”

she doesn’t even look at you. she cant bare to face you right now. while she’s ignoring you, you think long and hard about what could be wrong and you finally come to a conclusion..

“omg. you’re not jealous i’m spending them with sasha, are you?”

annie’s eyes widen in shock, how did you know?! well, now you’ve said something, i suppose there’s no point in lying.

“yes, i am. you caught me.” annie puts her hands up in defeat.

“annie~ you silly bugger! there’s no need to be jealous, it’s just sasha, she’s just my friend. as great as she is, i could never date her..” you say reassuringly.

annie smiles slightly, “i appreciate that, y/n..”

BERTOLT HOOVER -

connie springer. most people wouldn’t be jealous of a 5’2 teenage boy but this 6’3 teenage boy is. connie is just so outgoing, bright and funny and bertolt is scared that you may just find him better than him.

so when he sees you two acting really close, he starts freaking THE FUCK OUT. he’s soooo flipping scared, he’s genuinely scared to face you again.

when you you over to him after being with connie, he just freezes and you’re so confused, “bertolt, what’s up with you?” you ask “o-oh, um, it’s nothing. i just couldn’t sleep last night.” he says, sounding very unconvincing. for the next week, he does EVERYTHING for you, just hoping that that’ll be enough to override connie’s impeccable humour.

“hey y/n, you can have the rest of my food! i don’t want it.” he says as he holds out his plate to you.

“bert.. why do you keep giving me your food? and making my bed? and washing my clothes? and just doing everything..?”

oh my god, he’s fucked it. HES DONE TOO MUCH, WHAT DOES HE DO NOW??

“i- umm. well—” he freezes.

you pat the seat next to you “come here, what’s wrong?”

he sighs “well.. you’ve been hanging out with connie a lot and i don’t know, he’s just a great guy..”

“bert..” you say sorrowfully, “connie may be a good guy, but you’re the greatest guy i know! there’s no need to ignore me or try to impress me. i love you just the way you are.”

bertolt puts his head in his hands “god, you’re right. i was being silly wasnt i?” he said sheepishly

you giggle at his embarrassment “yes, very silly.”

LEVI ACKERMAN -

brother, this man has been through enough shit. honestly, he doesn’t get jealous - the worst that could happen to you is you dying. which happens to everyone he loves. if for someone reason you were to cheat or break up with him and move on to someone else, at least he knows you’re happy and loved.

“hey levi, i’m going to help erwin with something, will you be okay on your own?” you ask

“yes, i’ll be fine, y/n.”

“i’m sorry if i’ve been with erwin more often lately, it’s just that-”

he cuts you off, “y/n, it’s fine. i seriously don’t mind you spending time with him for whatever reason.”

you look at him sweetly “okay.. sorry. i’m gonna go now, i love you!”

“yeah, yeah.”

“I SAIDDD.. i love you” you say as you give him a wide smile

he sighs “i love you too.”

ERWIN SMITH -

nile dok. always going around trying to take erwin’s partners man😭.

you’ve been in wall sina with the military police a lot lately, dealing with all the shit they’ve got going on and therefore, you’ve come in contact with their former commander, nile dok, A LOT.

although erwin had chosen the secrets of the titans over marie, doesn’t mean he wasn’t lightly suspicious and jealous when you kept mentioning nile. however, this is erwin smith, he’s a grown and mature man and what do grown and mature men do? talk about their problems!!

“y/n?”

“yes..?”

he chuckles slightly before speaking “gosh, this is going to sound so silly now i’m thinking about it. but, is anything happening between you and nile?”

you burst out laughing “what?! me and nile? erwin, come on now!”

he rubs his forehead “i knew it was silly.. i was just feeling a bit jealous, that’s all.”

you sympathise with him very quickly “aww erwin” you go into hug him “i’m sorry, i know i’ve been there a lot but i promise, there’s nothing happen, just pure innocent work.” you say as you rub his back.

you both pull away “i do know that, i think i just wanted some reassurance that’s all.” he says.

HANGE ZÖE -

what is y/n doing.. talking to mr. levi ackerman? aha.

now.. hange wouldn’t think much of this, but they could see what people would like and appreciate levi, especially after seeing how petra was with him - for someone reason, they can’t shake this feeling of jealously! what does one do when they’re jealous? get angry? cry? talk to their partner?

nope. hange is going to distract themselves until they simply forget. they begin to get super indulged in their work like i’m talking, you’ll leave the lab and they’ll say they’ll be another 5 minutes then you go back in the morning and they’re STILL there. researching titans over and over, taking any mission they possibly can, yapping about random stuff over and over, and eventually, you reach a breaking point.

“and then i said YOU CANT DO THA—”

“OKAY HANGE. hange..” you yelled

hange looked shocked at the sudden outburst and quickly shut their mouth.

“hange, what on earth is going on here?! why’ve you been indulging yourself in your work more than usual? you’re spending hours and hours on work and random stuff and i feel like i haven’t been able to get a word into our conversations lately!”

hange stops and reflects, oh my god. has it really been that bad? hange just wanted to do a little more work than usual, to distract themselves but clearly it’s been much more.

“i-i-” hange is speechless for once. “i-i’m sorry. i’m sorry y/n, oh my god!! what have i been doooiiinnngg..?” they slam their head on the table in front of them

“i don’t know, what have you been doing? i wanna know!” you ask, feeling slightly frustrated.

“god, y/n!! i’ve been so stupid, i was JEALOUS over you and LEVI, OUT OF PEOPLE?!” it’s like it all hit them at once, how crazy and silly they’ve been.

“i am soooo sorryyyy, snuchems” they say, pouting. “please, tell me a really long story so i’ll finally shut up for a few hours, i’m begging you. im sick of hearing myself at this rate!” they say with their hands clasped together, pleading with you.

“first of all, forgiven. second of all, LEVI ACKERMAN REALLY? third of all..” you look mischievous.

“okay so it started when i was 13 right and i was still living—”

[aruanimess]

Soft prompts- berumin where Armin tries to zip up Bertholdt’s jacket 🤭

Quiet acts of love prompts

Hello, anon! Thank you for the prompt. I honestly loved writing this! Sorry it took a while, life got a little crazy lately 😅

~~~

His fingers are shaking with jittery nerves as he unlocks their apartment door, keys tinkling softly in his grasp. He pauses at the threshold to listen. Water is running, wet splashes echo as it hits the tiles, and a deep voice is singing the jingle of a cereal commercial. Armin smiles; Bertolt is showering. 

Perfect. 

He slips inside, hiding the Package™ behind his back, even though by now he knows he doesn't need to. His sneakers are off next, tucked carefully on the rack by the entrance. He tiptoes to the bedroom, tucking the Package behind the bed frame, pulls the party horn out of his pocket and sits crossed legged on the mattress to wait patiently for his boyfriend. 

Bertolt emerges fifteen minutes later. His hair is neatly combed, and he's already dressed in a clean pair of joggers and a plain white tee. The scent of aftershave is filling the air. 

Armin smiles to himself. His boyfriend is so proper he won't walk around naked even in his own home. 

He blows the party horn. Hard. 

Bertolt jumps in surprise. He actually jumps a few centimeters off the ground in an adorable little hop that reminds Armin of a startled giraffe. 

Armin beams at him proudly. "Happy Birthday!" he cheers. 

His expression settling into that of pleasant surprise, Bertolt smiles softly. "Hello," he says, approaching the bed and giving Armin a little kiss on the forehead. "I didn't expect you to be here so soon."

"I wanted to be the first to wish you," says Armin. He loops his arms around his boyfriend's neck and allows himself to be pulled upwards while Bert straightens his back. Dangling awkwardly from his neck, he plants his knees on the bed to prop himself up. 

"You're out of luck then," Bertolt murmurs in his hair, hugging Armin's waist tightly. "My mom called me at midnight. So did Reiner." 

"Rats," curses Armin playfully. He peppers Bertolt's jaw with kisses to make up for the late well-wishing. "I got you something," he whispers into the hollow of his throat. 

"Really?" Bertolt sounds surprised. He shouldn't be, but he's always had trouble accepting good things. 

Armin nods. He disentangles himself from the embrace and goes to retrieve the Package.

Before he hands it over, though, he waivers. "Um, it might be a tad presumptuous of me to get you this present. It was a bit of a gamble really, but I thought, what the hell, you really deserve something special, right?"

Bertolt shoots him a wary glance. "Is it like... a sexy present?" 

Armin presses his lips together. "Uh, not exactly... Here. See for yourself."

With slow hesitant movements, he starts opening his gift. Armin bites his lip in anticipation as Betrolt takes his sweet time to undo the sellotape and carefully peel the wrapping paper back. He fidgets with the excess skin on his knuckles while he waits. He should have foreseen this. Bertolt is not the type of guy to ruin somebody else's work, even if that's some amateurish wrapping job Armin hastily threw together because he didn't like the look of the shopping bag.

Finally, the present is revealed. Bertolt holds it up at arms length to inspect it and blinks owlishly at it as if he can't trust what his eyes are showing him.

"A leather jacket?" he asks, his voice a mix of confusion and surprise.

Armin blushes furiously. Damn, he messed up, didn't he?

"Look, um, I know it's not really your style, but um... I saw you eyeing it the other day at the mall, and then you told me that story about playing Putzie in your high school's production of Grease, and you said you loved the outfit, and you made that joke about only tough guys wearing leather, and I thought... Well, why should it be like this? It's just an article of clothing, right? If you want to wear it and you like the look of it then you should wear it! But, um, I now realize that I might have overstepped. It's ultimately up to you to decide if you want to change your style or not. I'm sorry. I've kept the receipt. We can change it if you hate it."

He's too scared to look up and meet his boyfriend's eyes. What was he thinking? A present like that has implications. Bertolt is probably convinced that Armin doesn't like him the way he is, that he's trying to change him, to turn him into some stereotypical version of a bad boy. It couldn't be further from the truth of course, but actions have meaning and the meaning of this action evaded him until now.

A warm hand engulfs his own. Armin raises his eyes.

Bertolt is smiling. His cheeks are bright red, but his expression is soft and gentle. "I don't hate it," he says. "I don't know if I'm bold enough to wear it outside, but... I really like it!"

Relief floods Armin's chest. "Really?"

"Yeah." Bertolt nods. He takes a step backwards to have some space and slips the jacket on. He does a little twirl. "How does it look?"

Armin beams. "Amazing!" His eyes dart to the zipper. He points to it. "Can I do the honors?"

Bert lets out an airy giggle. "Of course!" He comes closer again, within Armin's reach.

With a huge grin on his face, he brings the ends together and drags the pull up, watching mesmerized as the teeth align, up and up his boyfriend's torso, hugging his chest in the tight black fabric. He's a little breathless by the time he has the jacket closed.

Bertolt must notice because he's peering at him quizzically. "What- what is it? Is it bad?"

Armin avoids his eyes. "No, no! It's great! Just-" he hesitates. "I guess it's a bit of a sexy present after all..."

Bertolt gapes at him. "Oh," he manages to say after a while. Then his expression turns devious. "I can't blame you. Comes with the territory when you're dating a bad boy."

"Right," laughs Armin. "Tough guys are known to have this allure."

"Are you doubting me?" teases Bertolt.

Armin pauses and takes a moment to look at his boyfriend. Really look at him. He stands a little taller, he notes, a little prouder. His grin is relaxed, and he's joking with him without stuttering at all or shying away. He's lovely like this.

"No," he says. "No, not at all." 

[aotnumber1fan]

Confessions at sunset

Bertholdt x fem!reader

a/n: Almost cried while making this, bertholdt has such a special place in my heart ilhsm

warnings: slight angst-fluff-heavier angst, (safe for angst dislikers like me), sfw, sort of ooc? Things go from 0 to 100 fast and like rereading this he's a bit ooc so sorry if it bothers you! 😭

"And this one means longevity..." I traced the small line that crossed the top of his palm, ending as quick as it started. "Looks like you won't be living a long life." I playfully smiled, but when I turned around to look up at him, my smile faltered.

We were seated by the ledge of the cabin, my legs hanging off and his, firmly set on the ground. He was leaning back, hand supporting him. I say hand because his other was firmly grasped by mine, my fingers taking the chance to trace every plunge and curve of his palm.

"Bertholdt?" His face was stuck in place, brows un-furrowing at my call of his name. I blinked a few times, trying to erase the uneasiness by focusing my gaze on his palm, which started to curl inwards.

"Oh would you look at that..." He shuffled his head above my shoulder, as I showed him my right hand. "Mine is long." He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes, I coughed.

"And.. Uhm.." I took his left hand, placing my right on his pinky side, "The gaps.. we have the same gaps." his short line connected and continued onto mine, that stretched farther and darker than his.

"About the longevity thing.. I made it up.." I pursed my lips in an akward smile that he luckily, couldn't see. "My mom didn't teach me nearly as much as I told you she did." I noted how much warmer his palm was, and brought my other hand to hold his with.

"She didn't excatly.. live long enough for that. You know, with the whole collosal breaching the wall stuff.." I murmured out, looking at the spaces between our three defining lines. Furrowing my brows in thought.

What I didn't know, is that he did the same. What I didn't feel, was him tensing up, the way his teeth clenched. His right hand was placed by his knee, balled up, as his left one was held, trembling ever so slightly more than seconds ago.

"I'm sorry if I brought up any bad memories.. I tend to talk without thinking and–"

"It's okay."

Bertholdt wasn't the type to start things. He wasn't one to meddle in them, wasn't the type to end them either. He was an important piece that only had ears, it seemed like. Maybe that's what made him stand out to me.

I felt him nudge me softly as I sprung back to reality, a small smile and string of 'sorrys' leaving me with a turn to his attentive face.

"The space.. Between the lines." He muttered, eyes skimming over me. "You talked about them, what did you want to say?"

I looked at our hands. "Oh! It means heartbreak. The farther the lines are from eachother.. Signifies heartbreak." My tone died out as I finished the sentence, ending flatly, a silence ensuing.

Bertholdt's hand interlocked with mine, a small, breathy, shaky sigh leaving his lips. "Then I hope your mom's readings are wrong." My head turned to right, and I was met with his pink face averting mine. "Sorry."

Though.. I didn't get a good look. I turned away quickly too. "Don't be... I don't really believe in her readings. They've been proven false... Many times."

I kissed my teeth, remembering how she'd talk about what her life had in store for her. She was right. Life had one hell of a surprise for her. I wasn't sure she liked it though.

Bertholdt hummed, watching me as I let go of his hand, deciding bring myself in and hold on my legs.

"Only a fool would break your heart anyways." He murmured, but I heard him.

"I don't care about mine." I murmured back, but he heard me. He paused, and he stared at me. Well I didn't see him but god did I feel it.

"I.." I closed my eyes with a sigh, hoping he didn't notice the goosebumps on my arms. "How are you and Annie going? You manage to finally woo her?"

Silence ensued. I didn't want to turn around.. to look at him, though that pink face was nice to look at... It was a fluke. Only one person can make him blush like that.

It was still quiet. Did he not hear me? "H-"

My words got lodged in my throat as I felt his hand slither around my waist, pulling me back, next to him.. Also a bit closer. "I can't see your face if I'm behind you." My heart pumped, thundering against my ears.

"Did.. D-Did you hear my question?" I cringed at my stutter but he didn't make much of deal about it. I looked at him from the corners of my eye, but his face was pretty blurry. It faced down, away from me... It was hard to decipher his expression.

He was hard to decipher.

"I did."

I looked down. "Then why didn't you answer?"

"What were you going to say? Before you mentioned Annie." His tone was firm, unusual, but still overwhelmingly him.

"I'm not sure.. Forget about that just–"

"Please?"

His plea shut me up. And I only realised how frustrated I was when I felt a tear land on my thigh, another on my hand, that I fisted harder than what was considered to be normal.

His thumb wiped the tear off my knuckles, shuffled to face me.

He placed his hands on my cheeks and lifted my head, averting my eyes as he wiped the tears off my face, sliding his worn, thumbs under my eyes.

"I'm sorry." It was a tender, a barely heard apology. He didn't do anything wrong. Loving someone else wasn't a crime. I wanted to tell him. But the look on his face made me doubt that's what he was talking about.

It's not like I knew, anyway.

"You shouldn't be... I'm being dumb." I smiled and took his hands, placing them down infront of us. "I don't want your heart to get broken, because I know how it feels like, and it feels like shit." I paused. "That's what I was going to say."

"The present."

"Huh—"

"You spoke in the present."

He was an important piece that only had ears.

"Yeah. I guess I did." It was tiring, keeping secrets from him. I didn't want him to know the hold he had on me but what was I to do when he noticed how I bended at his every word.

I let go of his hand and looked back infront of us, to the field where we stood in line and first met eachother. Well, first met Shadis. I still remember the beat down he gave me. Verbal of course, but it still felt very physical.

"Who's the guy?"

"You don't want to know." It was a sign for him to drop the subject. But it seemed like he just didn't want to.

"Why is that?"

I froze and turned my head, he stared down at the ground, not even lifting his head up for a second. I needed to find an excuse.

"You won't like him."

"Who is he?"

I didn't want to lash out, or raise my voice, but it was getting hard to stay patient with his constant prodding. He knew he was prying, but maybe he just didn't care. Maybe the answer was just that important.

"I'm not telling you."

"Why?"

"For fucks sake Hoover—Why won't you just drop it?" I didn't yell, my voice stayed the same, but my tone was a bit harsher than I meant it to be. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Because I like you."

My words jumbled up together and flew out my mouth without being pronouced, giving place to my gaping jaw. I closed it quickly, and it opened it again, coughing up a small fit.

"What." It didn't sound like a question. It wasn't. Didn't stop him from responding.

"I like you."

"Say it again." I was the one to move from my spot, and turn to look at him this time. He was the one to avoid my gaze, clenching his fists while staring at the ground, face oddly blank.

"I like you." He was a bit louder with each reiteration of the short sentence, like he was confirming it for himself as much as me.

"Again."

"I like you."

"Just one m—"

"Are you toying with me, Y/n?"

His glare transfered over to me, and I flinched, but in seeing that, he didn't hold it long. "Please don't. Please don't do that." A crack in his voice struck something within me.

"I'm not!" I rushed out, choosing my next words carefully.

"I like you. I'm in love with you. I like you romantically and I thought you liked Annie so that's why I lashed out earlier–and by the way, sorry about tha—"

"What." I focused on his face, and for once I could discern something. Confusion, mixed with shock, and... Something else.

"I thought you like Annie, so I lashe–"

He shook his head. "No.. The liking me part. Can you say it again?" His face was yet again, neutral, but his eyes held hope.

"No." His lips twitched to say something, but I cut him off with mine. On his.

I felt a push and I backed away, eyes wide. "Shit I'm sorry. I'm sorry Bertholdt I thought–I should've—"

He placed his hand on my waist and the other on my cheek, leaning in again to kiss me. It was a juvenile, quick, short, and confused kiss. A test, an introduction, the first kiss.

But then we kissed again, and it was longer, softer, deeper. And then again; we got warmer, and we took our time, breaking apart every few seconds to breathe and reconnect. We stopped, eventually. My lips tingled, like the butterflies that inhabited my stomach flew and landed on my lips,

as weird as that sounds.

His lips were swollen. Red, warm to the touch–I assumed. His cheeks were in the same boat. The tips of his ears as well. A couple seconds passed and I realized that his eyes were aswell. Tears starting to spill out, they were becoming red and puffy.

My hands stuttered and I brought his head to my shoulder, propping myself on my knees so that his back wouldn't ache.

Soft, almost soundless sobs left him, my shoulder getting damp. His hands clutched my white button down as he continued to cry, and I started to smile.

"Are you that happy?" It was presumptious of me to assume that he was crying of joy, but I pressed my lips shut and cupped his cheeks, wiping his tears like he did me.

"I'm... sorry." His voice whispered, and it wavered, and it might've been the weakest I've ever heard him. I leaned in and left a kiss on his forehead, nervously smiling.

"It's okay."

This didn't seem to satisfy him, as he looked to the ground. His soulders slumping forward, and hands clenching and opening up repetedly.

"I'm... Really, sorry. I'm sorry—I'm so, sorry.." It was like a chant that he repeated, each one quieter than the last. His body leaned into me, facing the floor. He was tired. Like he was bearing the whole world on his shoulders.

Something felt off with his apologies. Like they weren't for me. But if they weren't, who would they be for?

No, that wasn't the right question. I rested my chin on his head, and thread my hands through his hair, gently patting the unruly parts down.

The question, was what were they for. He hadn't done anything wrong. Yet he continued apologizing, under his breath. He paused.

You were right earlier, that he didn't want to know. He shouldn't have pushed it.

"Please... Don't hate me."

[luna-eclipse2000]

Baby, You’re a Firework

The AOT boys meeting you for the first time at the Fourth of July/Canada Day firework show

Ft. Eren, Armin, Jean, Marco, Levi, Reiner, Bertolt, Connie

Eren

- He didn’t really care for fireworks as a kid

- He just didn’t get the appeal

- But when he got older, he loved going as it symbolized freedom

- Now he gets dressed up in those Old Navy flag shirts and wears a pair of red shorts

- He goes with Armin and Mikasa, obviously

- It’s so crowded that they definitely can’t get close to the front

- “Hey, let’s go up that little hill.” Armin says, pointing behind them

- The three friends climb the hill that has some people sitting on it

- They choose a spot where a tree isn’t blocking their view and sit down

- Armin starts to talk about how old fireworks are and that’s when Eren checks out

- He pulls out his phone and starts scrolling on twitter

- Then he hears a laugh

- It catches his attention somehow which us odd because the waterfront is absolutely packed

- So he looks up and watches as you stumble down the hill from behind him

- You literally take his breath away

- You look behind you to tell whoever you’re with that you’ll be right back

- But you trip on your own foot, causing you to fall down and roll to the bottom of the hill

- Eren is up in a flash and runs down after you

- “Hey, are you alright? That was a pretty nasty fall you took there.”

- “Yeah. I’m fine.” You say, sitting up. “I’m just a little clumsy”

- He holds out his hand and pulls you up

- He finally gets a good look at your face and to say he thinks you look stunning is an understatement

- “Hi. I’m Eren”

- “(Y/N). Thanks for helping me up”

- “No problem. You want someone to walk with you wherever you’re going?”

- You look a bit unsure but when you see your friend shooing you with a smile on her face, and two people sitting just below her and looking pretty ecstatic, probably Eren’s friends, you agree

- You also think he’s incredibly handsome and you’ll probably stay with him near where you’re going so your friend doesn’t start mocking you until you’re ready

- The fireworks begin to go off so you look up excitedly

- He looks down at you with admiration in his eyes

Armin

- Armin loves fireworks

- He loves how something so magical is real

- Plus the show always takes place by the water, so he’s happy about that

- “Did you know that England uses to have someone called the ‘Fire Master of England?’” He asks his friends

- “Really?” Mikasa asks

- “What the hell is that?” Eren asks

- “So Queen Elizabeth the First loved fireworks so much that-“

- “Baby!” A voice squeals as a body throws itself into his side

- Armin grunts as he’s caught off guard

- He looks down at you just as you look up. “I was looking everywhere for you! You said you’d be by the water!”

- Armin blinks a few times. Were you drunk? Were you confused and in need of medical attention? Did he look like your boyfriend? You were super cute, though, so he wasn’t complaining. Just confused

- Then he sees a large male figure walking up to them

- And he understands

- He wraps his arms around you in a hug. “Ah, I’m sorry! I saw Eren and Mikasa and came to say hi. Didn’t realize how long we were talking for.”

- You look so relieved that he understands what’s going on

- You look over at his friends. “Oh, hi! It’s so nice to see you again!”

- Eren’s so fucking confused

- Mikasa catches on right away. “You too. It’s been forever.”

- Armin looks at the guy. “Darling, who’s this? I didn’t think you were bringing any friends.”

- “Oh, he’s no one.” You say and cling to him tighter

- “Ah, well it was nice seeing you.” Armin says, giving a smile to the guy. “Have a nice night.”

- “Ain’t no way you bagged that.” The guy says and then scoffs. “I’m not buying it.”

- Now Eren understands, and he’s ready to throw hands

- But Armin kissing the top if your head catches him off guard

- He lets you go and steps forward. “I suggest you leave my girl alone. You really don’t want to know what I can do when I’m pissed. Do you know exactly where to hit to make you seize up?”

- The guy suddenly looks scared. “No? I do. Now, please. Take your leave, or else you’ll be leaving in a body bag.”

- The guy scoffs and walks away

- Armin breathes out to calm himself down when he feels you wrap your arms around him again

- “Thank you! Thank you, so much! He wasn’t leaving me alone and I got really bad vibes from him.”

- Armin turns around and holds you again. “It’s alright, no need to thank me. Are you alright? He didn’t hurt you did he?”

- You shake your head as you pull away. “No. I saw you and just felt like you’d know what was going on.”

- “Alright, well you’re gonna stay with us, ok?” Armin says. “We’ll bring you wherever you need to go.”

- You nod thankfully. “You’re my hero. Seriously.”

- Armin’s face erupts into a giant blush. “H-Hero? No, please, I was just doing what any sane guy would do!”

- Eren smacks his shoulder. “Armin. You’re her hero.”

- Mikasa gives him a thumbs up

- “Armin? That’s your name? I like it. I’m (Y/N).”

- “Well I like your name as well, (Y/N)”.

- The fireworks start going off, causing Armin to break out into a huge smile

- “Did you know that fireworks originated in China around 2000 years ago?”

Jean

- He’s there with Sasha and Connie

- Marco couldn’t make it as he had to go on vacation to see his family from overseas

- Sasha and Connie are loud

- They’re play fighting, screaming, and just being their usual idiotic selves

- Tonight, however, he can’t take it

- His social battery is already getting drained by all these people so him babysitting them is not gonna happen

- So he decides to take a walk

- It’s difficult to walk though since there’s so many damn people around

- “Hey! Knock it off!” He hears a voice shout

- He instantly looks around and sees you with a guy who’s obviously drunk

- “I said, leave me alone!”

- Jean instantly runs over, barreling over literally everyone

- He pushes the drunk away

- “I think you need a hearing aid, buddy!”

- “Why don’t you mind your own business?” The guy says grabbing Jean’s shirt

- He looks down at the hands, then back up at the guy

- He’s been in this exact same position more times than he can count

- It doesn’t even take that hard of a punch to get the guy to go down

- He’s not knocked out, surprisingly, but he’s definitely reeling

- Jean turns to you and his heart breaks as he sees you shaking

- He notices how pretty you are but pushes that thought away for now

- “Hey, are you alright?”

- You nod. “Th-Thank you.”

- “Don’t worry about it. Do you want me to stay with you in case that dumbass tries anything again?”

- You nod

- “Alright. Then let’s go. He’ll have a harder time finding finding us if we walk away”

- He gently takes your hand and pulls you away

- “I’m Jean, by the way.”

- “(Y/N)”

- You’re still shaken up so when you stop walking away, you wrap your arms around Jean’s waist

- This sets something off in his mind

- You feel safe with him

- You only just met yet your clinging to him like you’re a koala

- Now it’s his goddamn duty to protect you

- He wraps his arm around you to pull you even closer

- “I’m not going anywhere. Don’t worry.”

- You nod, feeling yourself calm down

- He’s nice and warm, even though it’s a warm night

- You feel like you’re meant to be pressed into his side

- Like his side was made specifically for you

- The fireworks start going off and you gasp in delight, completely forgetting everything that happened mere minutes ago

- Jean can feel his phone go off in his pocket, but he ignores it

- He’ll answer Sasha and Connie later

- When he has your number tucked securely into his contacts

Marco

- He’s there with his parents and little brothers

- They’ve always gone to see the fireworks

- They found out last year that his youngest brother has some issues with loud sounds so they made sure to bring along some headphones for him

- Marco’s always secretly hoped he’d find someone while watching the show

- He finds the idea romantic, ok?

- One of his brothers starts to say that he needs the washroom so Marco grabs his hand and pulls him through the crowd towards the indoor event space

- He’s standing in line with his brother when he watches you get into the other line (either for the female washroom or the gender neutral one, he doesn’t know)

- He knows it’s weird, seeing a random stranger get in line to use the washroom and think they’re gorgeous

- But he looks at you nonetheless

- You feel someone looking at you so you turn your head and notice Marco

- You wave slightly and find it adorable how he blushes and looks away

- You’ve actually seen him before but never got the chance to say hello

- You work at a local toy store and so you see him and his family come in often to buy gifts for the youngest children

- He’s never noticed you before so he never read your name tag

- He feels embarrassed that he was caught but pushes the feeling aside as he eventually makes it to the front of the line

- As they exit the washroom, he sees you standing by the exit door

- You’re probably waiting for someone

- There’s no way someone like you came here alone

- “Hi there.” You greet

- He stops in his tracks. “Me?”

- “Who else could I be talking to?”

- Marco stays silent. He can’t believe you’re talking to him

- “I was wondering if you were here with anyone.” You look down at his brother. “I mean, anyone else.”

- “Oh, uh. Just my parents and my other brothers.”

- “Oh, ok. Sorry.” You say. You then fish into your bag and pull out a pen. You grab his arm and write down your number. “Text me when you get a chance. My name is (Y/N), by the way.”

- Before he can form a sentence, you’re already gone out the door. He looks down at his arm and sees your pretty handwriting

- He immediately fishes his phone out of his pocket and adds your name and number to his contacts

- He then quickly sends a text

- “Hey, there. You just gave me your number. My name is Marco”

- It doesn’t take you long to respond

- “Hi, Marco. If you want to join me, I’m sitting on a checkered purple blanket by the play structure :)”

- He instantly rushes his brother back to his parents before running off to join you

- He practically slides on the ground to sit, he’s so excited

- He’s never had someone so into him that they write their number on his arm like he’s in a romance movie

- He’s now just realizing that his fantasy is coming true as the fireworks go off

- You lean against him and he just about faints at the contact

Levi

- Despises fireworks

- Hates them

- They’re loud, bright, annoying and make the air smell like shit

- He’s also surrounded by strangers and kids

- And what do those two things have in common?

- Germs

- And germs brings colds and sickness, which he absolutely cannot stand

- He only came because Hanji was going and we all know how much trouble Hanji can get in when by themselves

- He cringes at the sight of all the people standing around

- It feels like a cult to him

- All these people flock to one place to watch this big event in dedication to this one moment in history

- “I wanna get close!” Hanji says as they begin to push through the crowd

- Levi grabs their ponytail. “No, we’re not going in that cesspool”

- “Aw, c’mon, Levi! We need to get good spots!”

- “Don’t care. Not going in.”

- Hanji grabs Levi’s hand out of their hair and starts dragging him

- Knowing damn well that Hanji consistently forgets to wash their hands, he struggles to pull out of their grasp

- “Stop being so stubborn!” Hanji exclaims, gripping their friend tighter

- Levi grabs their wrist and yanks himself out

- But the force causes him to stumble backwards

- Tripping right over your legs as you sit on a blanket

- “Oh, my god, are you ok?” You ask him, his legs laying right over yours

- “Yeah. Fine.” He grumbles. He’s about to stand up and beat the living shit out of Hanji for making him tumble over a stranger but then he meets your concerned gaze

- He stops moving and wonders if he stopped breathing for a second

- “Seriously, that was a bit of a nasty fall. Did you hit your head?”

- “Uh… No. No, I’m fine. Sorry.”

- “Don’t be sorry, you didn’t mean to.”

- He nods and stands back up

- He looks around for Hanji but they seem to have abandoned him

- Levi clicks his tongue in annoyance “Damn, four-eyes”

- “Can’t find your friend?” You ask

- “No. Probably didn’t even realize that I fell.”

- “You can stay with me until they come back.” You offer

- He looks down at you patting the empty spot on the blanket

- He doesn’t know where that blanket’s been

- Hell, he doesn’t know where you’ve been

- But for some reason, he can’t say no to that sweet face

- So he sits down and crosses his legs

- “I’m (Y/N)”

- “Levi”

- You pull out a small thing of hand sanitizer and put some in your hand before holding your hand out to shake his

- Yup, he’s instantly star struck

- He takes your hand and shakes it. “I see you like your cleanliness, too?”

- “Mhm. I have a thing with germs. Just the thought creeps me out”

- The fireworks start going off and suddenly, he’s seeing them in a new light

- Maybe they’re not so bad after all

Reiner

- He doesn’t mind fireworks

- He’d honestly prefer to be at home and watch them from his backyard but the city banned backyard fireworks this year so he was forced to go out

- He doesn’t go with anyone

- He had a barbecue earlier in the afternoon so now he’s unwinding from having to talk to people

- It’s not that he doesn’t like people, he just likes not having to entertain them all the time

- He’s still a depressed bean so keeping up face is exhausting

- This is his time

- His time to be alone

- His time to-

- His head whips around as you pass him

- He can’t take his eyes off you as you push through the crowd

- So he turns and starts to follow you

- He doesn’t mean to be creepy

- He just hasn’t felt like this in years so he doesn’t want to let it go so quickly

- It’s like you’re a magnet and he’s metal

- Or a witch and you’ve casted a spell on him

- He follows you to the back of the crowd and watches as you walk over to a group of people

- A group that contains other guys

- The feeling washes away immediately and is replaced by more depression

- There’s no way in hell you aren’t here with one of those guys

- “Hey, looks like you’ve got an admirer.” Your friend says as he points to Reiner

- You turn around and see him

- You think he’s incredibly attractive with those broad shoulders and tall stature

- He starts to walk back into the crowd

- You feel your friend push you

- “Go get him! Bring him over!”

- You nod and quickly run back

- “Excuse me!” You grab his shoulder and when he looks down, his eyes widen

- He can’t believe it

- You stopped him

- “I was wondering if you wanted to join me and my friends.”

- “Friends?” He repeats. “Not your boyfriend?”

- You chuckle. “No. I don’t have one”

- He feels his heart leap for joy. “I’m Reiner.”

- “(Y/N)”

- You bring him back and introduce him to your friends

- They all seem jealous that such a fine man wants to talk with you

- You just smile smugly and grab his arm

- He’s so touch starved that he almost gets on his knees for you

- The show starts and you all watch as the sky lights up in different colours

- You rest your head against his strong arm

- He’s pretty sure he feels his nose start to bleed

Bertolt

- He’s afraid of fireworks

- The sound and light brings back bad memories

- Whenever someone sets off fireworks, he immediately turns on a movie, putting the sound on full blast and hiding under the covers

- He does this during thunderstorms, too

- But his therapist wants him to do exposure therapy

- It’s easier for thunderstorms

- He just has to sit by the window in silence

- But fireworks?

- Those only come around every few months

- And his therapist wants him to go to the show

- He only agreed to go if he brings someone with him

- So Reiner and Annie step up to the plate

- She’s pretty nonchalant while Reiner us praising him up and down

- “You got this, Bert!” “Look at you! You’re doing so good!” “You’re gonna own these bastard fireworks in no time!”

- This helps but he’s still nervous as all hell

- The amount of people isn’t making it any easier

- With all the people buzzing with excitement, it’s just churning his stomach

- They opt to stay on the outside of the crowd

- As the clock strikes ten, Reiner puts an arm around his friend’s shoulder

- He feels a bit more confident

- But when that first firework goes off, he’s no more than a small dog

- He basically becomes a mouse

- He just wants to run and hide

- But with Reiner there, he can’t

- Another firework goes off, so he covers his ears

- Another, he closes his eyes

- And when the fourth one goes off, all that churning comes bubbling to the surface

- He pushes Reiner off and runs away, holding his mouth closed under the bile is too much in his mouth and he lets it out into the grass

- “Oh, sweetie, are you ok?” A soft, sweet voice says from behind him

- He tries to look up but he can’t as his stomach continues to empty

- He feels you start to rub his back comfortingly. “Here. Wipe your mouth”

- He takes the tissue out of your hands and wipes his mouth clean

- As he stands up, he turns to you but keeps his gaze down. “I- Um- I’m sorry”

- “Don’t be sorry.” You say. “Are you alright?”

- He finally looks up at your face and instantly wishes he didn’t

- You’re so beautiful that it makes him almost puke again

- Why did he have to be sick in front of someone like you?

- He opens his mouth to answer but a very loud ‘boom’ sounds off

- He drops the tissue and covers his ears

- You can see the poor boy shaking in his boots

- “Oh, sweetie.” You coo and run over to your bag. Your friend was supposed to join you, but she had to go away for the weekend. You just never removed the noise cancelling headphones from your bag

- You hand them over to him. When you see his eyes closed, you gently touch his arm. He finally opens them and looks at the headphones

- “Here. These should help”

- He gratefully takes the headphones and puts them on

- “Thank you”

- He calms down almost instantly. But you can still see him shaking

- So you gently grab his hand and smile up at him

- His hand is sweaty, but you don’t mind at all

- “It’s ok to be scared. I’ll stay with you until it’s over, ok? I’m (Y/N)”

- “I’m Bertolt.”

- Reiner and Annie watch the whole ordeal go down and tease him about it later

- Only he could pick someone up by blowing chunks in front of them

- Safe to say though that you exchanged numbers and talk all the time

Connie

- This boy goes crazy for the Fourth of July/Canada Day

- He’s wearing a hat, face paint, flag shirt, matching shorts, flags in both hands, and even has celebratory crocs with matching Jibbitz

- Safe to say he stands out

- And in a crowd of thousands, that’s hard to do

- He’s there with Jean and Sasha, Sasha being dressed up too but not like him

- Jean in that moment really starts to question where he went wrong in life to get Connie and Sasha as his best friends

- Connie, even though his get up seems finished, needs more merch

- So he leaves Sasha and Jean to man their spot as he pushes through the crowd and up to the stand selling just about everything he could hope for

- Is part of him doing this to annoy Jean more? Abso-fucking-lutely

- He looks at all the items on offer when he notices someone walk up beside him

- He’s mesmerized but not just because you look amazing, but because you match his vibe

- You are wearing a light up hat and a necklace that’s singing the national anthem

- And don’t get him started on your makeup

- It’s way more elaborate than the painted stripes he did on his cheeks

- You look at him and smile widely when you see how decked out he is

- “I thought I was the only crazy one here!”

- “Crazy? Baby, you haven’t seen crazy yet”

- You laugh in response

- He wants to hear you laugh again

- No, scratch that. He needs to hear you laugh again

- So he buys the bubble wand and presses the button so bubbles start shooting out

- He starts screeching the anthem at the top of his lungs like a damn seagull

- You laugh so hard you nearly fall down

- Connie catches you though, so you end up laughing into his chest

- You’ve finally found another person who’s as insane as you are

- Connie knows how rare it is to find another person like him, so he knows he can’t just let you go

- “Are you here with anyone?”

- “Yeah, technically.” You sigh. “But they all thought I was being annoying and left. I was gonna buy something to cheer myself up”

- “No need.” Connie says, linking your arm with his. “You have new friends. Sasha’s like us and Jean actually tolerates our craziness. Pretty sure he secretly likes it”

- You giggle and hold his arm tighter

- “Then take me to thy leader!”

- He laughs and begins to lead you back. “I’m Connie.”

- “Nice to meet you, Connie. I’m (Y/N)”

- Sasha and Jean give each other a look as you two approach. They’ll leave Connie alone for now

- But once you’re gone? They’re mocking the living shit out of him

- Titanic references. Singing ‘A Whole New World’. Humming the wedding tune. Making kissing noises- the whole nine yards

- As the fireworks start going off, he starts screaming the national anthem

- Jean covers his ears and then his jaw drops as you join him

- People start giving you looks

- “Oh, god. Now there’s three of them” Jean says

[screpa]

Sweet Bertolt

The top of your head was Bertolt's favorite pillow. The sweet, gentle giant just loved to hug you from behind. You felt so soft in his arm, every curve of your back settled nicely on his ripped body. You smelled so good, the feminine combination of spring flowers and green apples. To him, you were perfect and he still couldn't believe that you chose to be with him, that you too loved him tenderly and passionately.

For as long as he could, he'd hold you like this, letting your warmth wash over. He wanted his body to remember you. Because he'd never know, if the time which you'd have to let him go was drawing near......

---

More artwork on my Instagram

[tortellimi]

hi my lovelies, please please please feel free to leave requests and ideas in my ask box! i’m super new to writing and im so shocked that all of my original posts to far have gotten over 10 notes

🫶🫶

i’ll credit you ofcs unless you ask to stay anonymous but it’s summer in the states and no school until the fall- give me something to do!

love you lots 🌞🌷

thinking about how postwar!levi would wake up next to you, awoken of course by his face being peppered with kisses. if he dared to question you, he’d be shut up with soft kisses to his pillow soft lips. because why would he complain when he could let you love him?

[coveholdenmyluv]

R. Braun - Honey Soaked Promises

synopsis. In which you reminisce on your quest for revenge, irrigated with broken promises and fermented with betrayal, allowing you to act as the judge between life or death for yourself and the viper dressed in the skin of the love of your life.

- or alternatively, in which you make the stupid decision to fall in love with the wrong person on your journey to freedom...

Oh well, you'll just have to kill him now.

series masterlist

chapter warnings. Fluff. Cute slight flirting. Slight foreshadowing. That’s it!

chapter synopsis. Aptitude test time! And nightly escapades?

A/N: enjoy these back to back chapters of nonstop fluff, while you can. They might be a bit shorter than the rest but full of important content nonetheless! Updates might be a bit slower because classes started up again and I might start a new job soon :/

VI| Promise I. Word count. 11.2k

“In her own way, Annie had tried to warn you, attempted to throw crumbs of the truth in hopes you would have backed off and saved yourself the trouble of the future.

But it had already been too late.”

It surprised you how adequately your gear had seemed to slip onto your body like a glove. The straps hugged your thighs, chest, and torso flawlessly and did not apply excessive pressure onto the skin underneath your garments. Though you had already worn the short tan jacket the day prior, you still would have preferred to forgo it. The heat waves that sunk through the cloth had made themselves at home and burrowed deep within your body, causing your chest to perspire slightly.

So when the soldier secured the practice gear to your waist, you internally groaned at the extra layer.

"First, we'll evaluate what you have! Anyone unable to do this can't even serve as a decoy, you'll be shipped straight to the fields!"

You had never been in the audience of a user of ODM gear before, therefore you had zilch experience and understanding of how to employ or control the equipment. You knew that your goal was to stay upright and accustom your body to hanging in the air, but that was all. While you didn't expect to completely fall over and bust your head open, you certainly did not foresee the results you exhibited.

"Look at you go, Y/N! You're almost as steady as me!" Connie praised you.

You turned to your left and there he hung, with his arms slightly flailing every five seconds to regain his balance. You met Connie earlier that day, and he thanked you for your sacrifice the day prior — referring to the redirection of the commandants wrath during the enlistment ceremony, which you took as light teasing. Connie had hazel eyes and thin brows that were always contorted into some kind of emotion, which you found that you admired him for. All in all, he was a homely person.

"Connie, y'know this isn't a dance competition, right? Why're your shoulders moving to a non-existent beat?" You quipped in return.

"It's not non-existent, it's the beat of my heart which pumps for you!" He replied.

"Oh really? Well, can you shimmy yourself towards Sasha and let me know how she's doin'?"

At that, the girl in topic projected her voice, "I'm doing so good, it's almost boring!" She exclaimed. Connie moved his head so that you could see her proving her point. True to her words, she seemed almost as steady as yourself, though with an additional pout.

"No fields for you then." You informed her lightheartedly. In truth, you were relieved. Not that you didn't think of her as capable, you just didn't want her to go away. "Tell Jean, I asked how the ground tastes." You chuckled.

Sasha and Connie both guffawed at your teasing. Jean had performed his examination at the time as you did, though you couldn't properly see how well he functioned since he was beside Sasha, which meant you had both her and the boy next to you in the way.

"He said some very mean words that I cannot say!" She responded.

"I can! He said to fuck off and that his skills would wipe the floor with yours!" Connie told you.

"How did he say all that with dirt in his mouth?" You jested, to which Connie responded.

"He's used to talking with his mouth full." He snorted.

"Ew, Connie..." You grimaced as you attempted to withhold the giggles that threatened to flee your mouth.

"Cadet Y/N!" The soldier that inspected your form called out. They approached you and began to lower your wires so that your boots gently touched the ground. "Passed exceptionally. You were as durable as stone, are you sure you haven't done this before?" They asked and moved to free you from your straps.

Their words of praise unexpectedly caused your face to warm slightly, "I'm sure." You replied.

"It's surprising to see such potential when you're still so young, congratulations." They continued and dismissed you to the rest of your class.

You moved into the crowd of cadets that had either already completed their evaluation or had yet to begin, and stood beside Marco, who had stayed to watch your own. "Great job, Y/N!" He praised you with a bright smile and raised his hand for a high five.

Your hand smacked his upon arrival. "Thanks, you too. You passed so quickly." You praised him in return, which he waved off dismissively.

"Yeah, but I didn't get nearly as much commending as you did from your examiner. Really, you were amazing."

You grinned at the boy because, how could you not? Marco was a beacon of light, you didn't doubt that even on the darkest of nights his presence alone could have acted as a lantern. "Thank you, Marc."

"Jean isn't doing bad either, he's a natural." He added. At the mention of the boy, you turned to check on his progress.

He really had done excellent, perhaps he did have a slight quiver to his movements, but that was most likely a side effect of first day jitters. You knew he hadn't been as confident as he had presented himself to be that morning. His examiner wasted no time to lower him back onto the ground, which you presumed was to give him the news.

"Here he comes." You said as you watched him approach you two with his head held high, a telltale sign of his prideful results.

"I might just become the next Captain Levi... MP edition." Was what he had the audacity to utter with both of his hands on his hips.

"More like his horse." You quipped.

Jean ignored your comment and continued, "Marco, did you see me wave? I waved at you man." He asked the boy.

Marco grinned as radiantly as he did with you, "I did! I waved back." He responded with a bob of his head.

"Thanks. Say, Y/N, did you see me up there too or did this guy hog all of your attention?" He jutted a thumb towards his friend.

"I saw you, Jean." You replied impishly. "Since when were you such an attention whore?"

"Since I did so well on a test that Jaeger is failing miserably at!" He replied, which caused your brow to raise questioningly.

"He's what?"

Jean gestured towards where Eren had been assigned to undergo his aptitude test, and the sight had baffled you. Eren hung upside down limply while his arms dangled from their shoulders, and he donned a pitiful expression.

"What is your major malfunction, Jaeger? Straighten yourself up!" The commandant ordered.

You winced at the sight. He had seemed to have an obscene amount of ambition and drive that would have surely propelled him a lengthy way, perhaps not to kill all the Titans in the world, but far enough that the effort would have counted. You couldn't fathom how he was able to dwindle his chances, so grievously, that he toppled over, literally.

"That's weird." You commented. Even if he didn't have the skills or physical competence to excel on the wires, you doubted that would be enough reason for him to lose his balance completely.

"Sheesh, that's a horrible sight." Said a sudden voice beside you, one that you had immediately recognized. "Kind of feel bad for the guy."

Reiner stood under the spotlight of the sun with his arms crossed over his chest. That was the very first time you had ever seen him under the vivid light of day. Your previous meetings had always been at moments when the clouds had slightly obstructed the sun's blaze or when the sun had fled for rest and was replaced by the moon. His hair mimicked a golden halo and his amber eyes shone resplendently. He was true gold. You adored the color gold.

"You? Feeling sorry for someone? Reiner you don't fool anyone." Jean joked lightheartedly.

Reiner threw his head back in a hearty laugh, "Is that really what you think of me? Geez, I'm not some kind of cold hearted monster."

"That face he's making is enough to make any monster wince anyway." You said.

"A real contradiction to those two, right?" Marco said as he gestured towards Sasha and Connie who had yet to be lowered from their positions. You surmised it was less of a lack of ability and more of the fact that the examiners were helpless in conjuring a way to do so safely, considering the pair were oscillating like a pendulum to reach each other's hands. You did not know their reasoning and to be honest you weren't quite sure if you desired to.

"We should try that." Reiner suggested with a playful smirk.

You scoffed, "In your dreams, big guy."

You hadn't noticed the companion beside him, until they peeped in surprise. It was a boy with dark brown hair and pale green eyes, his nose was sloped in the way Annie's was, and he was taller than the blonde. You didn't think much of him on your first meeting, but you did remember noting how gentle he had seemed at the time.

Appearances can be very deceptive.

"Let me guess... Bertolt?" You asked the boy to which his eyes widened in further surprise.

"Did someone talk about me?" He asked hesitantly as his eyes briefly glanced at his friend.

You chuckled, "No, not exactly, though I think you were mentioned in passing." You replied. In truth, you had simply recalled the name that Reiner had uttered in shock on your first meeting. Bertolt was the friend that ventured into the snow to find him.

"I'm guessing you're Y/N?" He hypothesized and offered you a palm to shake.

You took it and pointed a suspicious look at Reiner, "Did someone talk about me?" You asked.

The blonde interjected hastily, "Briefly. Very briefly." He said sternly and you didn't know whether to believe his claim or not. Nonetheless, it forced a smile to form on your face.

"Sure."

"Attention!" The commandant called out suddenly, immediately causing each cadet to straighten their posture. "Anyone who has completed their aptitude test and passed will go ahead and break in their own gear for themselves, today! Don't get yourselves killed." He announced, which caused an uproar of cheers from the crowd of cadets.

"Poor Eren." You mumbled as you watched him lug himself towards his friends on the verge of tears.

"Whatever, he'll live." Jean rolled his eyes apathetically, he clearly did not harbor any sympathy for the brunet. "Let's go so that I can wipe the floor with you for all that shit talking you were doing earlier!" He declared and slung one arm around your neck, the other having done the same to Marco.

"Sasha! Come on!" You called out to the girl as you began to walk with the crowd. She bounded towards you with a grin, not willing to get left behind.

"Connie, we're not waiting for you!" She informed the boy who nearly leapt out of his restraints in response.

"Don't be fake, slow down!" He insisted.

You all made your way towards the woodlands that the commandant instructed you to use for your training. It was a short trip and one filled with bets on who would 'eat shit' first. The verdant fields and arrays of brindle patterns were spellbinding and the rich smell of the light moss filled your nostrils. The trees were perfect for your equipment.

After a brisk but thorough lecture and guide as to how to operate your gear, you tightened the belts on your waist and slightly hopped to acquire a feel as to how the extra weight would affect your agility.

"Remember to angle your hips and aim your grappling hooks before you fire! Then, unleashing the gas should propel you forward. Your landing technique is going to be entirely on your part, just remember you have two legs, so don't be afraid to use them. We're starting here, and ending just up this path. Take your time, don't rush, and be careful!"

"It's a little bulky, but I don't think it'll be too hard to stay in the air." You commented as you assessed your equipment.

If you aimed near the lower branch attachments, your legs would pay the price in painful skids, as well as your speed. On the other hand, if you tried at the apex, your velocity would increase, but so would your use of gas, which was a detail you were directed to conserve as much of as you could. The central body of the trees would be your ideal targets, and give you the ability to work your way up.

Your posture was also another detail you took into consideration. For example, your legs and torso — if you were to thrust the latter but keep the former conjoined at the knees, your body would have interfered with the flow of the air around you. Opening your legs wide would have given you a slight boost and allowed for them to cut through the thick wall of air that awaited you, but in terms of velocity, you would fare far greater if you combined the two techniques and left a small air pocket for the air to glide through your legs, which would slice through flawlessly. Bending them at your knees and thrusting your upper body forward would also prove to benefit your agility.

For the first practice round, you were to forgo your swords and focus on your movements. Your fingers gripped your handles and you experimentally applied light pressure to the top trigger, which operated your wires, and as you had expected, nothing came out of the action. That had meant that the triggers weren't sensitive, which was a positive in your eyes, as less accidents were prone to happen. You reminded yourself that your core muscles were the key to success, as long as you used them to stay upright, the rest would be up to your aim and quick thinking.

"What are we standing around for? That last to arrive at the finish line is Titan fodder!" Sasha exclaimed and bursted ahead with a giggle.

"Oh, Sasha... that's not..." Jean began before he was interrupted by another boisterous voice.

"There's no finish line! But, I'll be damned if I let potato girl beat me!" Connie yelled and followed after.

Jean simply rolled his eyes in response and sighed in disapproval. Hypocritically, he then shifted his head to look back at you and Marco. "Well... I'm not losing either, see ya!" He announced and leapt off his feet.

"Be careful! This is your first time, you shouldn't be so confident!" Marco scolded and began to chase the three, though he did not forget to bid you well before he fled. "Good luck, Y/N! Break a leg! Or, actually don't! Don't do that!"

You snickered at his words as you watched the four bound off. Turning towards the two behind you, you taunted, "Make sure not to choke on my dust, alright?" And then proceeded to launch yourself into the air with the use of your hooks.

Reiner cackled and Bertolt gaped. "They're just going for it, huh?" The brunet uttered, mostly towards himself, though his friend had found his words amusing.

Your pace began steady as you accustomed yourself to the feeling of your body being jerked forwards and downwards. The higher you propelled yourself, the clearer your sight became. It was as if your eyes had built in aiming reticles, for every tree you gazed at the most ideal strength spot had seemed to glow. Your body moved on its own, twisting and warping itself as you gained speed. You quickly caught up to the others who had attained a head start, and Reiner and Bertolt had not seemed far behind either.

It was when you were at the peak of a curvet that the world seemed to decelerate for you once again. Your senses heightened and you felt the wind card its delicate fingers through your hair as the sun pawed at the skin of your face. The sage leaves, the color of Stefan's eyes, were illuminated gorgeously by its rays and crisp as they flew every which way due to the branches being ruffled by your movements. Pellucid and invigorating oxygen filled your lungs, and caused a buoyant sound to flee from your lips. You were falling, willingly, but you felt as though you had grown feathered wings and were given the chance to chase your freedom.

The whirring of the wires from nearby cadets drew your consciousness back and your gaze drifted to the bodies surrounding you. Most were rigid in their movements, which affected their fluidity, but they were adaptive and seemed to learn quickly.

Curiously, you peered behind you and there you found Reiner. He looked to have complete control of his body and did not waver. You were shocked at his maneuverability, considering his broadness, though it was a pleasant surprise. You almost praised him, until-

You gasped, "Wait Reiner, look out!" You warned, though your words were all for naught.

In his advances, he failed to notice a thick branch that protruded from a tree right before him. You attempted to thwart the collision, but at the speed in which he flew, there wasn't much you could have done before his stomach slammed directly into it. He groaned at the contact and his body folded in on itself, forcing his grappling hook to stray from its course and flail without purpose. He began to slip from his position and descended towards the ground.

You reacted quicker and spun around to head in his direction, sending your anchors to seize ahold of the tree he collided with. You arrived in seconds, released one of your gear handles and ran down the bole to reach him before he could plummet. Your palm gripped his wrist just in the nick of time and halted his decline.

Everything had happened in succession and quickly, so you didn't have time to register your movements until they had already been done. You heaved in the aftermath of your momentary panic with wide eyes, "What the hell?" You said. "You scared the shit out of me, what happened?"

He gaped, "I-I don't know. I was distracted, is all."

"What distracted you so heavily that you didn't see that big ass branch in your way?"

He didn't reply, only sputtered incoherent phrases as his cheeks tinted lightly, which caused you to raise your brow. Though you soon relented and ceased your questioning.

You scoffed lightly, "I should let you go for scaring me like that." You said with a smirk.

"Please don't." He mumbled guiltily.

You chuckled at that, "I promise, I won't let you go. I'll catch you when you fall."

His eyes softened as a boyish smile formed on his lips at your words, "Always?"

The genuine question had caught you off guard and you felt your insides and cheeks warm at the sincere, almost intimate, tone of his voice, "Y-yeah, sure." You cursed yourself internally for such an awkward response. "I promise, Reiner."

His hair was tousled slightly, though its length couldn't have given much away. His cheeks remained a baby pink, which you told yourself was from the adrenaline of the fall, and his golden eyes stared into your own. There was a minute amount of astonishment in them, as if he were processing newfound information, information you were ignorant about. Though, the slight dilation they experienced was cute, in some way, to you.

"Reiner." Stated a firm voice.

Your heads pivoted in their direction, and you caught sight of Bertolt on the tree directly across from the one you both dangled from. What surprised you was his stare. It flickered between the two of you repeatedly and hastily, almost in a panic. It was, in every way, utterly opposing to the warm and courteous one he had directed at you earlier that day.

It had been borderline baleful.

"Ooh! What a compromising position we have found you in, Y/N." Sasha purred as she perched on a tree, effectively diverting your attention from the other brunet.

Looking her way was a mistake on your part, for you should have known better. Connie sat beside her with his arms wrapped around himself and his lips puckered as he smooched the air. The sight caused both you and the boy you gripped to gasp in horror.

"We're not even doing anything!" You defended.

"Yeah, whatever. C'mon love birds, you're gonna lose the race." Jean said with a yawn as he zipped past you. He seemed to have grasped the hang of the controls pretty quickly and struggled minimally. The obnoxious sounds of Connie and Sasha's faux smooches did not falter even as they too rejoined him.

With a sigh you muttered, "They're not wrong, we'll fall behind."

"Right... my pride could not handle losing to those idiots." Reiner admitted.

You chuckled, "I'm gonna let go now. You should ready your anchor."

He agreed and followed through, granting you a mellow smile, "Thanks by the way, hero... Also, let's not mention this ever again though, alright?" He said with a wounded ego, and with one last spare glance, he took off.

You laughed airily to yourself, and prepared to follow, but as you searched your surroundings for a fit area to anchor your self to, you saw that Bertolt remained immobile from his position. He continued to glare at you for a few moments longer, before he glanced in the direction of his friend and followed.

"What's his sudden problem?" You whispered to yourself, fully expecting no reply, but being startled when you were granted one.

"Maybe he's jealous."

You visibly jumped, before you relaxed at the sight of the girl you came to know. "Holy shit, Mikasa. We need to get you a bell." You told the girl as you recalled her first sudden appearance the day prior. "What are you talking about?" You asked.

The girl stood on another tree and moved herself nearer to the one you stood on. She shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. That's just the vibe I got, but I think that's mostly due to personal experience. You enforce that feeling onto a lot of people, y'know?" She told you, though there was no malice laced in her tone. She had genuinely felt that way.

Her words puzzled you because, what did she mean by that?

"What?"

"Never mind that." She shook her head. "I came because I need your help... or- more like Eren does." She informed you.

"Eren needs my help?" You asked.

She nodded briefly, "Apparently so. Come with me?" She asked.

You had guessed it had to do with the aptitude exam, considering how painfully he had bombed it. You didn't blame him for reaching out. "Yeah, sure. We have to finish this practice run first though." You agreed.

She hummed in agreement, before her gaze turned sly and slid into your own. "Would you like to race?" She asked with a slight smirk present on her features.

The wind whipped through your hair at the mere ferocity in her irises. It was playful in the way that whoever lost would have the fact hung over their head for the rest of their years as a cadet.

It excited you.

Your eyes matched hers and you grinned cunningly. "You're on."

At your words, both of you remained stagnant for three seconds before you hooked your anchors and zipped away in unison.

You allowed your body to do most of the work as your legs and arms moved on their own accord. It was as if there was prior knowledge ingrained into your bones, the formula to success hidden in your marrow. You dodged person after person and surpassed the pinnacle of their speed. There was no reasoning involved and no resistance met. If your body required you to apply acrobatics and preform several flips to thrust yourself further, you did just that, experience was insignificant.

By the time you spotted the clearing, the sun casted an orange hue and you threw your legs forward so that you could reach the area first. The both of you landed with a skid on the dirt layered with light gravel. Your chests heaved slightly and neither of you dared to speak until you regained your composure. When you finally allowed yourself to glance up, your eyes met hers and you saw the adrenaline she harbored from your intense race. It mirrored your own.

The state of torpor that engulfed the atmosphere broke as you heard a clack on the ground. You looked towards the sound and found the soldier stationed at the end mark, their clipboard and papers scattered below them. Their expression was broad and stupefied as they gaped at your forms.

They exhaled heavily before asking, "Names?"

"Y/N."

"Ackerman."

They scrambled to gather their belongings, before they hastily scribbled on their clipboard.

"You're dismissed..." The soldier informed you both.

"Where's everyone else?" You asked as you searched your perimeters and found it vacant.

"...You're the first ones to get here." They informed you.

Both of you cocked your heads in perplexity. Even though you had both lingered behind everyone else and engaged in conversation, you had completed your training before they had.

"Well, which one of us won- I mean, landed first?" Mikasa asked.

The soldier hesitated before they responded, "I-I don't know. I'm afraid, my eyes couldn't keep up." They stated. "Your celerity, maneuverability, momentum and velocity are supreme. I haven't seen anything like it in a while, if ever."

"This is our first time on ODM," You informed them of the obvious. "Why are you tryin' to flatter us?" You asked as you crossed your arms.

"I'm just stating it as I see it-"

"Booo!" Sasha jested as she approached the end of the woods. She was behind Jean and Marco but in front of Connie, though not by much. "How'd you get here so fast?!"

"W-when did Mikasa get here?" Jean asked as he landed on the ground and dusted himself off hastily. "And when did you get in front of us?" He directed his question at you.

"Congrats on the win, Y/N! No Titan meal from you this time!" Marco beamed.

"I need the proof! Did you take a short cut or something?" Connie questioned you suspiciously.

"No way, I won fair and square." You stated vehemently.

"No you didn't, they said they couldn't tell which one of us won." Mikasa reminded you.

"Well, out of us two I didn't. But, out of the four of them, I am not the Titan fodder." You stated. "Where're the other two, by the way?" You asked. Reiner and Bertolt had yet to make their appearance and you doubted they would have strayed far behind the rest of you.

The four shrugged their shoulders in response, before the soldier from before garnered your attention once again. "I'm going to need your names, please come this way." They instructed the others.

"We should go, too. Eren is waiting and I'm sure Armin is growing tired of his whining, though he won't admit it." Mikasa told you. "We shouldn't waste anymore daylight."

"Right, lead the way." You agreed and headed off towards a separate walkway so that you wouldn't interfere with the other cadets in the midst of their training. You decided you could question Reiner about his disappearance later that day, if you were granted the opportunity.

You engaged in light chatter with the girl for the rest of your journey. She seemed to have had warmed up to you marginally since her initial hostile attitude towards you. She appreciated your effort on the wellbeing of her hair and mentioned that it proved effective in her first day of training, which placed a smile onto your face. You informed her of your thoughts of leaving your hair be, in regards to the length, and she offered to teach you how to braid it, should the need arise, considering you had no prior knowledge towards that subject.

You had quite enjoyed that conversation.

Upon arrival at the wire mechanism training grounds, you spotted Eren already strapped and ready to continue his attempts. You had to commend the boy for his persistence, especially so when he had already been humbled by most of your class. He was not alone, for a familiar blonde was at his side, his tender expression comforting the brunet.

Once he had noticed your presence, he perked up dramatically and hope filled his expression. You could feel his desperation from where you stood, and it caused you to wince slightly for you weren't sure if you were to be of much aid and you hoped you didn't disappoint.

"Y/N, thank god you're here." Eren exhaled in relief. "I'm desperate, and I heard you got one of the best scores in our class."

"I'll help as well as I can, Eren, but I can't promise anything." You told him.

"I totally understand that, I'll take anything at this point. Any pointers you have, you can lay them on me."

At that, the blonde stepped forward and introduced himself, "Hello, I'm Armin. Thank you for helping Eren, he needs all that he can get." The boy stated with a gentle smile. He had meant no harm with his statement, but his friend begged to differ.

"Armin." Eren gritted. "It's fine when I say it."

The blonde giggled, "Sorry, Eren."

"Y/N, and no worries, Eren's no stranger to me, so I don't mind." You replied to which the brunet grinned.

"We should get started soon." Mikasa stated.

"Right." You agreed. "Alright, so tell me what you've been doing in terms of your body, so far."

"Well, I've been doing what Mikasa and Armin have been telling me. Which is, keeping a loose but balanced stance." He replied.

You hummed in thought, "That's correct, but those are things your body should already be performing for you. In my opinion, the secret is at your core. As in, your core strength. " You explained.

"My core strength? Like, my gut?" Eren asked.

"You could say that. What I mean is, you should keep yourself relaxed and balanced, like what Mikasa and Armin mentioned, but while also clenching your gut slightly. Oh! And keep your torso elevated."

"All at the same time?"

"Yeah, I know it might seem like a lot, but..." You pondered on a method to simplify your words. "Think of it like, as if you were holding an egg." You reiterated.

"An egg?" He repeated.

"Yeah, yer holding an egg, but'cha start to run with it."

"Oh no, don't drop it Eren!" Armin warned his friend.

"Exactly, don't drop it Eren. And let's say, you're going to cook it later, but ya hate scrambled eggs."

Eren nods insistently, "I do hate them scrambled! I love runny yolk."

"Good, so don't shake it. Otherwise, you'll scramble the yolk. Are ya picking up what I'm putting down?" You asked.

"Run with the egg, but don't scramble or drop it... do you hate scrambled eggs too?" He asked hesitantly.

You hadn't been sure if he was genuinely curious about your preferences or if he had truly not understood your analogy. "No- Eren, I'm talkin' about that stiff feeling in a certain part of your body as you run with somethin' as fragile as an egg. That's how your core should work while you're up there." You explained.

"Oh! I get it now! You're saying I should keep my gut steady for balance but the rest of my body should react normally, as it should instinctively try to keep me steady." He says.

"Yes!" You exclaimed, before you hastily reeled your enthusiasm back into your throat after your unexpected outburst. You realized you had grown more invested than you previously thought yourself to be. "That's it, just picture yourself with the egg and you'll be fine." You reassured the boy.

He nodded resolutely and the fierce determination that lived in his irises returned, he did not plan on failing any longer, and if he did, you had no doubt that he would continue to try, come what may. "Pull me up, Mikasa." He demanded.

The weight on his feet gradually lightened and he enforced all of your tips as best as he could have. To your surprise, and his, he remained upright for what had seemed like the very first time, considering the reactions it garnered. You saw the relief and gratitude flood into his pupils, the beacons of hope had been lit... until he began to tip forward once again before any of you could even think to move. His head hit the ground loudly and he squawked in pain.

"Eren!" Both Mikasa and Armin yelled in unison. They ran forward to lift the boy up, which revealed the bloody gash on his forehead.

You grimaced, "You'll have to get that looked at."

"Ugh, I don't know what's going wrong." He groaned in frustration and affliction.

"Me neither, you should not be failing this miserably." You stated.

Mikasa glared at you in response, "Y/N." It was a warning to shut your mouth.

You shook your head, "No, truly. I don't mean any harm by that. There's genuinely no explanation to what this does to his body - as in, physically throw him forward."

Armin piped up in your defense, "I agree, the only thing I could think of is faulty equipment but I highly doubt the commandant would forfeit a thorough examination." He elucidated.

"We need to get Eren to the infirmary." Mikasa asserted, and Armin aided her in unstrapping the leather before they began to drag him forward.

"That's it. I'm done?" Eren muttered as if it physically tormented him to annunciate his thoughts. "I can't accept that. I won't."

"We can only hope that it will come to you tomorrow, Eren. Don't lose hope." Armin reassured. "Maybe a good nights rest is what you need." He suggested.

"And if not, then that's fine too." Mikasa added sternly.

Eren looked at her as if the mere notion had appalled him, "Mikasa, how could you say that? You of all people should best know the reason that I can't give up." He scolded.

"Sometimes you have to face the brunt of the truth, Eren. She's not here to sugarcoat the situation for you anymore, and I won't attempt to be that person. Sometimes, the only way to live is to be realistic, and it'll be over my dead body that I don't see you live a long life." She explained with furrowed brows.

Mikasa spoke aloud her true thoughts and they were not words spoken impetuously, they were hand plucked from the stem of her heart. She was not cruel with him, she was telling him what she deemed necessary for his ears in order to force him to prioritize his life, just as she always had.

"I don't need you to do that! If you're not going to baby me with your words then don't baby me with your actions. I don't need a new mother!"

That was definitely a conversation that you would have preferred to have not been present for, it seemed to have emanated from a personal level, one you had yet to reach.

"Guys!" Armin quelled their impeding disagreement, "Calm down. Eren, I think what Mikasa means to say is that it's fine too if you want to take a break! Maybe we can use that time to ask some others for help? Though, who would we ask?" He continued.

You decided that if you didn't prove to be of any yourself, that didn't have to mean the same for the others. "Try asking Jean, his hubris isn't so illogical considering how cognizant he seemed to be on the reigns of today's training." You suggested.

The bruised boy grimaced, "That pragmatist? He would never give me the time of day." He shook his head.

You hummed in agreement, "You're probably right. Though, you should still ask. I would recommend Connie, or maybe even Sasha, but I don't know if they would be willing or much help." You surmised aloud, before a thought crossed your mind, "Oh, you could ask Reiner. Bertolt and him were pretty proficient with the controls."

'Even if he did have a slip up that needed rescuing.' You diverted internally.

"Reiner and Bertolt? The big ones right? Yeah, that could work." He mused.

A small stream of blood ran its way past his forehead and towards his brow, before he scrunched the skin in discomfort. "I should let you guys go, you need the infirmary more than I thought. Geez Eren, is your head steaming?" You questioned and cocked your head for a better angle.

"It's not that bad." He said as he attempted to clutch his hairline.

"Sure it's not, tough guy." You shook your head in amusement at his determination to underplay his wound. "The next time we see each other will more than likely be tomorrow when you preform for the commandant, so good luck." You told him and then turned towards one of your many roommates. "I'll see you later, Mikasa." You threw a minor wave her way, and lastly focused on the third of the completed trio. "It was nice to meet you, Armin."

"Same to you! Thank you for your help." The blonde expressed his gratitude. "Have a safe trip." He joked, which caused you to chuckle.

"You too." You responded and pivoted on your foot to wash up for supper.

You enjoyed the company of those three. Their characters collaborated well and they seemed to stabilize one another. It wasn't an alliance of competition or circumstance, they were meant to fight beside each other. If one was down, there was minimal condemning, and instead, the others would pick up the slack. They took each other's frequencies and studied their vertex's in order to accommodate themselves in a solicitude manner.

In an agonizing assessment, you realized they mirrored your wonder trio.

A what if scenario personified right before your eyes, and it tormented your mind.

"I need to fuckin' piss so bad." You muttered to yourself as you laid under your covers.

It had been late into the night, though midnight had yet to arrive and you were nestled into your comforter, in the process of dozing off, before your bladder began to cry for release. It was unexpected, as it was not a regular occurrence for your body.

"Just go." Annie whispered harshly. She laid across from you and was inevitably the only girl submitted to your whining. "We have outhouses for a reason."

"But, it's late." You reminded her, though what you had meant to say was that it was dark and that intimidated you, but of course, you wouldn't allow yourself to admit the fact aloud. "Plus, what if the commandant decides to check in on us like he did yesterday? We only made it by a hair, and even then he was still suspicious."

"That was because it was our first night. Besides, if he catches you, you can just tell him that you needed to relieve yourself, he isn't that big of an asshole. Just be quick."

"That's true, I guess..." You relented.

Truthfully, you would have usually had no qualms with sneaking your way into an outhouse, but venturing alone at the hour it was had proved to be daunting to you. You had never really grown out of the fatuous fear of the dark, there was no reason to since Stefan was around. Though, even through the two years you had spent alone in the refugee camp, there was never an instance in which you had to conquer your fear considering your focal dilemma was surviving your nightmares.

Even so, you acquiesced and slipped on your brown jacket before you padded lightly down your ladder to voyage into the night. Like you had expected, there was minimal glim from the man made light sources surrounding you, though the moon proved to be faithful in your temporary endeavor. The rusty hinges on the wooden door of the outhouse screeched when you entered and the sound frightened you momentarily. You accomplished your goal, hastily so, and were on your way back to the barracks, when the guiding light of the moon swelled and caught your attention.

Instinctively, you moved to gaze at the sky. The captivating, dusky, and starry night sky that beared the burden of your profound stare coupled with the weight of the moon. It was ethereal in an ineffable manner, in a way that was inconceivable to your mind when you pondered on your ability to number each and every detail it flaunted. The stars were by no means symmetrical, whether they were measured by their width or the size of the space inbetween them, but even then, they were so imperfectly perfect; it was a heavenly facet of the life you allowed yourself to live.

The sky reminds you of someone. — Someone you had recently found you pressured yourself to contort into a haze in your amygdala.

You did not want to, but you saw his eyes, his lashes, his button nose, his dark brows, and his fluffy hair in everything from the wispy clouds to the constellations that formed his features. And it should have brought peace upon your mind but in reality it brought tears to your eyes, because all it did was force the resurfacing of his weeps, shrieks, and cries of your name to your ears. He asked why you had failed to protect him, what was the reason for your abandonment, and if his memory ever wrung your remorse and penitence. He had already beared a prolonged list of derelict promises, and you cleaved your name with your bare hands directly at the bottom.

Your initials made it to the record of people he had lost and in turn, his own had made it to yours.

"Hey, this might sound crazy but... I think I know you."

The sudden voice had startled you and you hastily fluttered your tears away. It came as no surprise to you who had made their abrupt appearance, as the universe had no qualms with parading around the amount of amusement reuniting the two of you had brought upon it. It never crossed your mind to complain, though.

"We've really gotta stop meeting like this. It's getting repetitive." You said with a gentle smile.

Reiner laughed in the way that caused his shoulders to shake, "We do, or else I'd have no choice but to think you're stalking me."

You chuckled, "You wish," It was only then that you noted his attire which consisted of his normal garments, but with the addition of the dark green hood thrown atop. "Did you go somewhere?" You asked with a curious tilt to your head.

"Yeah, I just got back. I had to help a friend." He replied with a nod and then observed your own choice of clothing. "Did you sneak off somewhere?" He asked curiously.

"I had to piss." You stated and motioned towards the outhouses that stood aways behind you.

"Shadis lets you guys go after curfew? Bertolt did the same yesterday and the verbal beating he got was no joke." He said, though his words held no remorse, if anything he had seemed amused by the memory.

"What the commandant doesn't know won't hurt him." You replied with a shrug.

"That so?"

"Mhm."

"Sooo, you'd be down to accompany me somewhere really quick?" He asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Though, with Reiner it was as if that glint never fled his pupils.

You crossed your arms defensively, "I don't let just anyone kidnap me, y'know? Where would we even be goin'?"

"I just wanna show you something, it's not far."

You pondered the thought for a moment, though it admittedly took little to no effort to persuade you. Your pause had been for dramatic effect. "Fine."

He hummed in amusement, what it was exactly that he had found amusing, you didn't know. "That was easy." He stated and pivoted on his toes to begin your late night journey.

You scoffed at his words, "I am not easy." You told him as you began to trail after.

"Doesn't this remind you of the first time we met?" He deflected.

"I don't really remember that day." You lied.

"That's a lie." He pointed out. "Either way, they're very much alike."

"How?"

"I'm taking you somewhere you haven't been," He stated and then smirked at his next words, "Somewhere you begged me to take you to."

"First of all, I never begged you, the first time nor this time, so don't flatter yourself." You reminded him.

"So you do remember? Either you're indecisive... or you're nervous." He teased.

He led you into the outskirts of the camp, there was less moonlight guiding you through and you reached what looked to be the beginning of a grove. "There's hardly anything to be nervous about." You said.

"I'd beg to differ." He rebutted.

"Are you saying I make you nervous?" You asked and gasped in faux amazement, "Reiner, am I intimidating to you?"

His face looked appalled, "Okay, I said nervous not intimidated, back up." He reminded you.

"Is this your attempt at flattering someone? Telling them that they make you nervous?" You asked.

"It's hard to make a guy like me nervous, take it as a compliment."

"Shadis would disagree."

He groaned, "Okay miss expert, do you think you can one up me?"

You laughed at his dare, "At flattering someone? No shit." And then pondered your words before you spoke them aloud, "Your teeth are like stars."

His brows furrowed in confusion, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"They're yellow and far apart."

He chortled suddenly and clamped a hand over his mouth, "Are you serious?!" He cried, though his voice was heavily muffled. You snickered at his response, which only made his other hand rise to join the one on his face.

You couldn't contain your giggles any longer and allowed them to flow out freely, loud as they were. He attempted to mutter further complaints, though you didn't catch what exactly they were. "I'm kidding! I swear."

"I don't believe you." He mumbled.

"No really," you reassured him and your smile grew mellow, "You have a nice smile." You said unexpectedly.

His palms slowly dropped from his mouth and as if you purloined his breath with mere words, the only thing he thought to exhale was, "Oh."

Your compliment registered only seconds after, and the sincerity at which you had admitted such a thing made you panic, "Well, I meant I like your smile." You said and that statement did not help your case. "I mean! Everyone does, actually!" You forced yourself to laugh in an attempt to ease the situation. "Like not just me specifically, I'm sure everyone else does too. Because saying that about just myself would be real creepy, right?" At that point you had rambled in an effort to save your pride, because if you knew Reiner, you knew that flattery such as that would simply inflate his ego.

Though, his response was a contradiction to your thoughts, for he simply shrugged lightly and reassured you softly, "I don't know, I mean... I like your smile too." He said those words whilst his eyes stared wholeheartedly into your own, and you had no other option than to believe him. "I like a lot of things about you, actually." He added.

You heard yourself exhale in surprise and there was a pillow of warmth that coddled the inside of your chest, a warmth that you felt spread to every crevice of your body, and your fingers met to fidget together. "Oh." You murmured.

He tittered breathily, "Yeah," His eyes flickered from your face to the scene before him, before he hastily spoke, "Oh, look! We're here!" His voice was an octave higher than the usual deep tone it resided in, and his words were more boisterous than he had intended. You also hadn't fully arrived yet, there was still a few feet needed to stand on the land he had taken you to, though you guessed it was his panic that forced him to say so.

The sight was no disappointment.

You arrived at a small clearing in the center of the grove you walked in and the trees parted before your eyes. The verdant field that laid there was by no means vast, the crowns of the trees still shielded most of it from the moon, though there were thick shafts of light that lit up the center most points. Surprisingly, the greenery paired with the celestial glow was not what pilfered the oxygen from your lungs.

The plethora of rows upon rows of rich bundled daisies that sprouted and stood nobly at attention were entrancing. Their milky petals glowed under the stray rays of moonlight, and their golden center sparkled like a million fragments of champagne zircon. The leaves that stemmed beneath them were thriving and curved beautifully, though slightly ruffled by the refreshing breeze that swept past.

You stepped slowly through the small field and scanned the flowers you walked by, just like the stars they were so asymmetrical; so imperfectly perfect. "Daisies." You whispered as you recalled their names — kudos to a twelve year old blonde with dreams that were bigger than he had ever had the chance to grow.

"I thought you might like this," He said as he followed closely behind you, "Even though they're classified as weeds." He mentioned with a small grimace.

"I guess even weeds can be beautiful," You said as you sat on your calves and reached over to pet the tops of the petals. "And apparently have great skincare." You mentioned as you felt their silky white faces.

He let out an airy laugh at your words and joined you on the ground, "I saw this earlier, when I was out with some others. Call it cheesy but, it reminded me of you." He stated and you had thought he was finished but, considering how quiet it was out and further from the cabins, the whisper that followed made your ears strain but allowed the words to be received. "A lot of things remind me of you."

Your heart rate sped up in response and you kept your face directed at the plants below you in an effort to conceal the smile that fought to form itself onto your lips, "So, you think of me a lot." You teased lightly.

He sputtered momentarily before he found his voice, "Well yeah- but I stop afterwards. Like, it's not all the time, that would be... creepy, huh?"

You looked at him and recited his earlier response, "I don't know, I mean... I think about you a lot too."

He hummed in nervousness as his sculpted, no longer as youthful, cheeks tinted and his palms patted at the ground around him almost as if in search for something. Suddenly, his hand briskly found its way directly in front of your face, obstructing your view of his own. You tilted your head and allowed your eyes to adjust to the sudden change in proximity.

A flower.

He had offered you a flower that sat delicately in between his index and thumb, the stem only wilted slightly due to the weight of the corolla. Your eyes broadened at the sweet gesture, and you were reminded of the loving exchange you had two years prior with the two other boys that never left your mind, though it had been different then. When they had done it, it made you feel secure and content, and it only further solidified your love, but when Reiner offered you a daisy — a daisy he held before him to shield your view of his rosy cheeks and hopeful eyes that shined alike a million fragments of champagne zircon — the feelings were contrasting.

Where the former sealed your adoration with cement into your heart, the latter created an alien and tender sensation that blossomed like a flower bed in spring, as if there was frost that previously coated their roots and the fresh adoration that bloomed inside of your chest had caused it to melt; and the liquified ice only acted as the irrigation to further aid in the sprouting of the sowed seeds inside the garden of your chest.

That familiar warmth spread throughout the nooks and crannies of your body, the one that caused you to play with your fingers. You halted those actions to instead, pluck the flower from between his pale fingers and your eyes flew to your lap.

You gulped, "Yer so cheesy." You whispered and dared yourself to glance back up to his gentle face.

The tint had still sat nestled into his skin, though he too had dared himself to chance a glance at your face and when your eyes met his, they did not leave. "I don't hear you complaining." He whispered with the same amount of demure laced in his tone.

You giggled airily, "Thank you. For the flower I mean."

He hummed in acceptance to your gratitude and moved to gaze at the moon that the trees had partly cumbered with their branches and leaves. "I've uh- always wondered," He began as steadily as he could have, though you had a feeling he had only spoke to divert from the minor overtone of his offering. "Did your wish ever end up coming true?" He asked.

"My wish?" You asked in confusion.

"From the forest, on our second meeting with the matches." He reminded you.

The realization dawned upon you then, he had meant the birthday wish for Stefan and Cielo. "Oh, I never made a wish. Although, it could probably be classified as one? Either way it'd be too early to be able to tell. Well, that and I don't think I meant it as a wish, really." You told him. You had wanted to make them proud on your own accord so that if it ever was to happen, it would be due to your actions and not because of some silly strings of fate.

He nodded in understanding, "Well, there's always next year... or is it this year?" He pondered to himself. "It's actually coming up in the late winter isn't it?" He asked.

"Yeah, it is." You said and it delighted you that he had remembered. "Wait... next?" You uttered after his words had registered.

"Why not? Birthdays are a yearly occasion, you know." He stated.

You furrowed your brows in thought. You hadn't considered the possibility of doing so, and a year prior you most likely would have shoved the idea away without a second thought. Though, at the mental state you were at in that moment, you found yourself pining for a chance to show the boys that you indeed still thought of them, that their memory had not been forgotten. Your earlier thoughts on Cielo had secured that desire, as you felt guilty that your mind continually forced you to obscure his face in your mental, in fear of the melancholy and culpability it transpired within you.

"I guess I... wouldn't mind that, it'd even give me a reason to celebrate something rather than doing nothing. I don't want to spend those days cooped up in a forest anymore, I want to actually celebrate it, not mourn it." You spoke your thoughts aloud, before a mellow grin found its way onto your face. "And if the others find me or something, I'll just tell them I'm celebrating my own birthday, hell- they'd probably enliven it." You said as you thought of their rumbustious natures.

He chuckled in amusement, "That's true." He agreed and then he glanced at the sky once more, "We should probably start heading back, or else Bertolt might end up sending a search team for me soon." He said, almost guiltily.

You snorted, "That or he would just come armed and ready to look for you himself." You added as you lifted yourself from the ground.

Reiner followed and threw his head back in a laugh. You began to walk down the path you had came from, and the mention of the tall brunet forced you to ask what you had been curious of earlier that day. "Hey, Reiner?" You called.

"Hm?" He hummed to indicate that he had heard you, though he kept his trek through the trees.

"Why did you guys take so long to finish the race we had on ODM earlier?" You asked.

His breath visibly halted briefly before he steadied himself and responded, "We uh... the race, huh? You mean Bertolt and I?" He clarified.

"Yeah, everyone got there before both of you guys, and I don't recall either of you struggling with the gear. Sasha even told me earlier that they ended up having to wait even longer after they checked in, for the two of you." You stated curiously.

He nodded in understanding, "We stopped to help some others, it took longer than expected. There were a few collisions." He explained.

"Oh, mister nice guy all of a sudden?" You teased.

He scoffed lightheartedly, "I was always benevolent, didn't I help you see that frozen river-lake thingy the first time we met?" He reminded you.

"Not without a few terms and conditions of your own." You reminded him in return which he simply laughed off. "Not so benevolent anymore, huh?" You said which caused him to laugh harder.

"They were valid terms!"

"'Tell me why you're out here.' Or 'Take off your hood.'? Those are valid to you?" You asked incredulously.

"I had to make sure you weren't a Titan." He defended himself.

You laughed at his audacity, "Okay sure, funny guy."

"I sure am." He agreed pridefully.

You spent the rest of your walk back to the barracks bantering amongst one another, and when there was a brief moment of silence, it was never uncomfortable. If anything, it gently laid itself in between your bodies and kept you warm for your journey. You made it back in what felt like minutes, which was probably so, but you had a feeling that it did not matter whether you spent hours or days with the blonde, it would never feel enough.

You stood by the steps that led to the girls cabin, where the two of you were required to part. "Good night, Reiner. I'll see you tomorrow." You said.

He nodded his head in agreement, "Good night, Y/N. I look forward to it." He responded and turned to walk towards his own sleeping quarters, though not without one last fleeting glance in your direction.

You watched him leave momentarily, before you quietly turned the knob on the door and entered the dark cabin. Upon closing the door, you sighed in relief that you had made it back safely and without being caught by your intimidating commandant. The slight grip of your fingers called your attention and it was only then that you noticed that you had yet to let go of the daisy Reiner had gifted you. You smiled at it fondly and twirled on your toes to lean against the door before you sighed affectionately.

It was safe to say that exchange had not fled your mind and it did not plan to anytime soon.

You blew air into your own face and calmed your heart rate, you decided that you needed to slide yourself into bed and not dally any longer. You tiptoed through the middle walkway and towards the back where your bunk had laid, squinting your eyes in search of your ladder, before the sound of a match igniting fluttered through the air. The moment your head turned towards the noise, the low glow of a small candle caused you to halt your movements.

"That was a long piss." Annie said as she sat on Sasha's bed.

"Did you like- get stuck in the outhouse or something, Y/N?" Sasha asked with a yawn. The brunette had also been awake, though there had been a noticeable struggle to keep her eyelids open.

"That happened to me earlier too, it's true." Ymir added. She sat on her own bottom bunk across from the others with Krista at her side,

"You should've told one of us to go with you, Y/N." The small blonde suggested.

"That'd be embarrassing, I would have stayed until I could figure it out myself too." Mikasa stated. She too had stayed in her bed, beside Sasha.

"Geez, are all of you awake? Why?" You whispered and gestured towards the flame in Annie's hands. "And turn that off, you'll wake everyone else, more than you already have."

"I didn't wake them up, they were nosey on their own accords." She whispered in return. "And I don't believe the story of you getting trapped... who were you with?" She asked suspiciously. "Was it Eren?"

"It was who? Y/N, was it Eren?" Mikasa asked, suddenly very attentive to your response.

"What? No, why would it be Eren?"

Sasha piped up next, "Ohhhh, I wouldn't be surprised if she was with Reiner!" She whispered as best as she could have with excitement laced in her tone. Your eyes widened in response and that forced the others to voice their surprise as well.

"The big blonde?" Ymir grimaced and shook her head. "I expected better from you, Y/N."

"Oh, I've seen him before! He's kind of nice, sometimes." Krista added excitedly.

"The one you held hands with earlier?" Mikasa asked, which caused the rest to turn their heads towards the ravenette in surprise. "What?" She responded cluelessly.

"You did what?" Annie asked, her brow was furrowed in concern.

"I didn't hold hands with him. Mikasa's confused, I just saved him from fallin' onto his ass, and grabbed his wrist, not his hand." You defended yourself.

"But you still went out with him tonight?" Ymir asked dubiously.

You sighed, "No-"

"What's that in your hand?" Sasha asked and you would've shut her mouth with that very hand before she could have finished, if you had the chance to. In unison, all five of their gazes slowly drifted towards your fingers, where the daisy laid limp.

You swiftly moved it behind your back and uttered, "Nothing." You said hastily.

"Was that a- did he give you a flower?!" Krista asked as she cupped a dainty hand onto her mouth. "That's so nice of him."

"You like flowers?" Ymir genuinely asked the girl beside her, but then she redirected her questioning gaze to you once again, though that time it was as if the thought had never crossed her mind. "Wait, YOU like flowers?"

"Is that so unbelievable?" You asked.

"Well.. kinda, you just don't seem like the type." She stated and you didn't know if she had meant it in that way but it almost felt insulting to be considered as anything but a person who adored blossoms.

"Which means?"

"Nothing serious," She replied.

"Did you know the commandant came to check on us?" Mikasa asked suddenly.

"He did what?" You responded. The idea frightened you and you looked to the other girls in search for confirmation. "Did he?"

Sasha snickered, "He did, and guess what... Annie had to pretend to be you! She did the voice and everything!"

"It was pretty convincing to be honest." Ymir commented to which Krista nodded in agreement.

"Annie, for real?" You asked the girl.

"I don't wanna talk about it. It was embarrassing as is." She stated and blew out the candle before she placed it on the small table. "We should go back to sleep, we have early training tomorrow." She instructed and began to make her way up the ladder.

"Okay but, I want all the details tomorrow, Y/N. I need to find out everything, got it?" Sasha said and although she had phrased it like a question, her tone had indicated there was no negotiation to be had on the matter.

You stuck your tongue out at her momentarily, which she returned, before you followed the blonde to your top bunks. Once you had arrived, you placed your daisy beside your bed, having nowhere else to lay it, and slipped into your covers. "Thank you for covering for my ass, Annie." You said as you turned to face her.

She had laid in her own sheets and had already been facing you, though her gaze was elsewhere as she pondered her response, and she had no qualms taking her time. "Did Reiner really give you that flower?" She asked hesitantly as she picked at the frayed linen. "Is that truly who you were with?"

You studied her expression and found that the furrow in her brows had indicated her distaste in the notion, which had unexpectedly caused guilt to bloom in your chest. You didn't know why, but you almost did not want to answer. "It's not that serious, we were just hangin' out. Who else was he gonna to give it to if we were the only ones out, y'know?" You reassured the girl.

Her brows furrowed even deeper and she gulped as her fists clutched the fabric she had previously been picking at, "You shouldn't have taken it." She stated.

"Why not?"

"Just-..." She began before she forced her self to inhale deeply, "I don't know if he's someone you should be hanging around. If you're too careless, someone is going to get hurt far more than they already had to be." She continued.

Her phrasing should have risen the suspicion to your mind, and it did, albeit slightly. Though, not enough to delve into the true meaning behind her words. In her own way, Annie had tried to warn you, attempted to throw crumbs of the truth in hopes you would have backed off and saved yourself the trouble of the future.

But it had already been too late.

The flower you received that night had been the hook tied to the interlacing strings of fate that directed your paths onward, and it did not plan on letting go.

"You should relax, I'm being careful. Besides, it's nothing serious yet, I don't think so anyway." You reassured her once again.

Her eyes closed in resolution and she turned to face the wall behind her before she muttered a quiet, "Yet."

"Good night, Y/N." She finished and that ended the discussion.

You stared at the back of her head for a few moments as you attempted to unravel what she might have been feeling at that moment, searched for a single hint at her emotions, before finally, you relented and responded in turn, "Good night, Annie." You whispered and closed your eyes in a chase of slumber.

Though, even through the hours you endured of Sasha's snoring, the warmth in your chest never fled. It kept you bundled in its security throughout the late hours of the night and the fond smile embroidered onto your lips only furthered the butterflies in your tummy.

Because, Annie was only a little paranoid, and maybe slightly protective towards you, right?

Fun fact: As her own way of coping with her guilt of your friendship, Annie made a list of sweet deserts she would have liked to share with you, had you met in another life.

[quills-of-freedom]

Short story ~

First time with Reiner Braun 🌺

Female-bodied reader X Reiner Braun

Reiner had been acting strange since the two of you shared an interrupted kiss a week ago - and now you're partnered together on wilderness training. What could possibly go wrong?

Includes: Confession of love. 18+ only ~ fluff ~ smut

Reiner had been acting weird all day, but you couldn’t really blame him. The last time you were alone together, you'd ended up locking mouths in a steamy kiss. You hadn’t spoken about it since – You hadn’t really had the chance. Between training and having your classmates around, it was a perfect cover to avoid a potentially awkward conversation.

When Shadis announced that for this exam, you would be teamed up together, you both internally groaned.

You had another two years of training, and you were bound to wind up alone together again at some point. You'd both made sure that during the entire hike, you didn’t let one silence befall the conversation, which would force you to talk about the inevitable subject of the heated kiss.

It was quite comical, actually.

Constant talking either about your task, your friends, or at one point even pondered and speculated if a person got a sunburn in front of a cannibal; would the cannibal start watering at the mouth?

Anything to not talk about the kiss.

It’d been a whole week since the incident and it wasn’t like you didn’t want to address it. The both of you just didn’t want to know the other's thoughts on the matter. You both had serious reservations about it; you were totally focused on training and not fooling around, unlike some others in their class.

And yet…

The kiss only fanned the flames of the huge crush Reiner has had on you since day one. The crush that, over the last twenty months, had developed into something a lot deeper. He’d kill for you. He thought about that only earlier when you had made a joke about something and it really tickled him to the core; resulting in a loud belly laugh. So, when the sun was starting to set and you had found a good place to camp for the night… that was when things would inevitably go south.

“Hey Ba- uh, y/n?” Reiner called out in a chilled horror. Not only from the slip of the tongue but also from what he had discovered in their shared backpack.

You were only a few feet away, starting a campfire when a small laugh left your sweet lips. “Did you almost call me Bertolt?”

No. I almost called you “babe”

“Uh, yeah. Sorry. But we have a problem.” “What is it?” You frown, heading over.

He pulled a large, folded bit of material out of the pack. “…We only have one tent.” You looked at him like he spoke another language. “So? It’s not the first time we’ve had to share a tent with a partner during training. I had to share one with Jean last year.”

I bet Jean would have loved that…

It was a running joke amongst the men about when they had to share sleeping quarters with the women, and how they’d lie on the very edge, all limbs tucked in and never once touching them for fear of a testosterone-induced erection.

“Yeah, but I’m a big guy.” He lied, not once being concerned about that at all. “Get over yourself.” You chuckle, nudging him playfully as you returned to what you were doing.

Reiner solemnly obeyed and began to set up the tent, his frown pulling at his face the entire time. He will not get any sleep – being so close to… you. Alone… Miles away from anyone. After you'd kissed. He swallowed hard as he fumbled with the poles, wanting to be out of this situation. Reiner Braun was desperately in love with you and he was supposed to be keeping away. If you kiss again, he’s a total goner. There would be no way he could reject you if you reciprocated his feelings, even in the slightest. Luckily, the kiss had been interrupted so he didn’t know how you truly felt. He thought that if he never knew, it’s a problem he would never have to face. His fingers clumsily began to fix things together; you already had the fire going and preparing dinner. His eyes almost began to water at the thought that he was about to get your famous, amazing cooking. Sasha had been furious he was paired with you. His chest tightened and his head became fuzzy. He wished he didn’t have to be in such a complicated situation; he would just ask you to marry him already.

“You need help?” your voice called over after he dropped the pole fixtures for the third time. “Huh? Uh, no I got it.” He wavered a hand dismissively without turning around.

What the hell am I going to do? He panics in silence.

Eventually, the sun had set and the tent was erected, the two of you sitting by the fire after you'd eaten. The warm orange glow of the flames encased the two of you cosily, as Reiner sat back and patted his stomach in awe.

“Amazing. As always.” He smiled. “Thank you.” “I’m glad you liked it.” You beamed beautifully.

Surrounded by the trees under the stars and being embraced by the warm glow of the flames; You now began to feel weird about the intimate moment you'd had. It wasn’t very often you had time alone and your feelings for him remained the same since. The pair of you sat back, gazing up at the stars in comfortable silence.

“It feels like we haven’t stargazed in forever,” You commented quietly. “I bet Marco is looking at them now too.”

“Yeah, he will be.” Reiner marvelled.

Another silence.

He noticed you had been pretty quiet since you began relaxing by the fire. You were wondering why he hadn’t mentioned the kiss. He’d had plenty of time now. Maybe he regrets it? You bite your lip at the thought, eyes lowering to the flames sadly. God, he’d grown on you a hell of a lot and you resented that fact. It hurt to think he didn’t feel the same. Reiner noticed this.

Shit, she looks sad. Is it because he hadn’t mentioned the kiss?

Should he ask? There’s no way he would ever stand for you feeling down, let alone because of him.

What the hell should I do?!

His brain hurt. More so, his heart. You flinch a little in surprise when he slowly crept his hand across the ground and intentionally skimmed his skin across your fingers. He didn’t look at you though. It was his way of sending an impossible telepathic message of; Don’t be sad. I can’t say it but God, I love you. You, however, assumed it was an accident.

Ah hell. I’m going to have to mention it. I can’t see her feeling down.

He took a deep breath.

“You alright? You look a little down.” His usual façade of serious, concerned solider coming out.

“Oh? I’m fine.” You lied.

He knew you were lying. He knew you too well.

“It looks like it’s going to rain though.” You noticed the thick clouds that were rolling in, beginning to block the view of the stars. “We should get some sleep.” “R-right.” Reiner nodded, deflated. He didn’t know what he expected. His heart, body and soul ached for your lips against his again, but his mind screamed to stop being an idiot. As you go inside to get ready for bed, he stood and began to snuff out the flames of the fire, along with any hope he’d had of being with the woman he was so desperately in love with.

Sure enough, as you lay facing away from one another, the sounds of soft pattering began to tap the tent above your heads. You lay back-to-back with as big of a gap between you as possible; what the small tent would allow anyway. Reiner’s arms were tucked up around his chest and his eyes were wide. You had your limbs tucked away too but that was for a different reason – as always when you camped out, you were freezing. It didn’t matter the season. As soon as that sun sank below the horizon, your body temperature would drop. Reiner on the other hand was like a big insulated heater, sleeping in just his underwear under his sleeping bag. His heart thudded harshly against his large chest.

She’s just there! Kiss her! Talk to her! Tell her how you feel…

He’d been close to telling you a few times over the course of the last month or so. He couldn’t help it. Even before you shared that kiss, his feelings would bubble up to the surface and almost spew out of his mouth. He’d always managed to stop himself though, although it was getting increasingly more difficult each time. You were just so… perfect. And he had to say something before Eren sinks his claws into you. It was evident how he felt about you, too. Heck, half the class had some sort of crush on you. Not only were you extremely attractive and half of his classmates wanted you, but you were strong. Smart. Funny. Caring… His eyes closed in a frown as he listed the endless attributes he loved about you in his head. He was fighting a losing battle, and he knew it.

Bertolt. Annie. Marcel. I’m sorry. I tried… I really did.

He glances back and that’s when he noticed you curled up in a ball, shivering. His eyebrows furrowed. “…You cold?” “Y-yeah.” He instantly turned onto his side to face you, his sleeping bag rustling against the fabric of the tent.

“You should have said something. ‘C mere.”

With a sigh, he sat up and began unzipping your sleeping bag. “What are you doing?” your teeth chatted. “Helping you warm up. I doubt you wanna get sick and miss training.” You averted your eyes away from him when he unzipped his bag and fastened them together into a double. You knew he slept in his shorts. Your breath catches in your throat as he wraps his big, strong arms around you and pulling you back against his warm chest; heat rolling off him and encasing you like a huge bear was holding you. His scent rolled off him and embraces your sense of smell, relaxing you immediately. He kept his pelvis away from you, his manhood already stirring awake and he didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.

“T-thank you.” She whispered, still trembling. “Don’t mention it.” He sighed, silently kicking himself.

I definitely won’t be getting any sleep now.

Your heart almost stops when his head rested and lay between your neck and shoulder, his hot breath blanketing your skin. Rushes of unexpected heat ran down your body to in-between your legs and seemed to just pool there. His brows furrowed behind you; inhaling the intoxicating scent of you silently. Although he was trying his hardest not to brush his hips against you, he still felt so comfortable having you in his arms like this, like you were supposed to be in them. He was meant to protect you. To care for you. To love you. His mind flutters back to how he’d almost told you he loved you before. He’d hinted so hard but you just looked at him like he was crazy, not understanding what he was trying to tell you. When he was around you, it was like all of his troubles just melted away. Colours seemed brighter, his worries were brushed aside and life was just… amazing. You made him laugh, he could tell you anything (almost) and you always knew what to say to make him feel better after a particularly rough day.

But to him, the best part of it all was how excited you got him for the future. One that was bleak and full of sorrow was spun upside down and into a promising one, brimming with all possibilities.

“I have something I need to tell you.” He said softly, not able to stop himself this time. Maybe it was being this close to you that sent him over the edge. Or maybe it made it easier that you were facing away from him.

“Hm?” you hummed softly; your eyes closed and enjoying the warm embrace.

“…I love you.” That was it. It was out. There was no way to suck those words back into his lungs.

The tense, pregnant silence within the tent was only filled by the light tapping of the rain against the material that covered you both. He felt you tense in surprise, eyes flying open. You swivelled around to face him, eyes searching his narrow golden orbs for any sign of deception. But there wasn’t any. A crimson flush washed over his cheeks.

“I… I mean, you know –” he began before you silence him by pressing your lips against his. Both of your eyebrows pulled back as if pleading above closed eyes, his hand cupping your face, thrilled to be kissing you once more.

You pull away, your own pink hue colouring your face. “You… Love me?” you ask, voice soft and sweet.

He pressed his head against hers, closing his eyes and nodding. “ y/n, I’m crazy about you.” He whispered in honesty. “I always have been.” “…How crazy?” you teased, trying to tear away any awkwardness or negative feelings in his confession. He smirked. You know just how to make him comfortable. He grinned slyly, looking in your eyes. “Oh, absolutely insane. I should be getting carted away to the asylum, with Sasha and her potatoes behind me.” You laugh beautifully, heart swelling with joy. Even that dumb little exchange, confirmed to you that you definitely felt the same.

“So, you don’t regret that kiss…?”

“Of course not.” He replied, eyes returning to a desperate pleading. “I was just having a hard time accepting that I’ve come to cadets to be a soldier and…. Ended up meeting the woman I wanna marry.”

Every word that left his lips felt like a warm pleasant jab to your heart. “You… Wanna marry me?” you whisper, totally blown away by the intensity of this confession. “I do.” He admitted shyly. “You don’t deserve anything less. It’s just how I feel… Sorry” “You know…” you whisper shyly. “It’s more efficient to share body heat when you’re both naked.” His eyes enlarged and his breath caught in his throat, causing him to cough. You let out a cute giggle. “That’s if… You’d want to.” You added adorably. “Are you sure?” he whispered, praying you would say yes. You nod in reply. “I want you, Reiner.” You breathe. “I love you too. I want… you to make me yours. I want to be yours.”

Reiner was bombarded with emotion. Elation. Excitement. Arousal. Not to mention he was beginning to wonder if this were a dream. If he were going to cruelly wake up next to Bertolt and his weird sleeping positions. There’d been countless times he’s imagined you uttering those words in his head; sometimes while stroking his own cock. He’d lost count of how many times he’d furiously tugged himself while you occupied his mind. But as his feelings for you deepened, they became less and less so; guilt always creeping into his conscience. He just respects you too much.

He propped himself up on his elbow, running his now trembling fingers through your hair. “I don’t want to hurt you.” He breathes. “You won’t.” You shake your head. “I mean, it’s okay if you don’t want to, I under –” He put his arms under the sleeping bag with great speed and shuffled a little, before pulling his shorts out and throwing them to the side. You let out a laugh when he returned to his original position with haste. He returned your laugh.

“Okay…” You muttered shyly. “Look over there for a moment”

He turned around obediently as you begin to nervously undress under the now warm sleeping bag. All he could hear under the movement of you undressing yourself was his heart pounding in his head.

There’s no way this is real and happening.

His cock was already hard at the thought of you undressing inches away from him. His previous reservations about being teamed up with you quickly washed away as you threw your clothes to the side, before nestling back down and hiding under the cover.

“Alright… You can come back.” You inform him. At the speed of a firing bullet, he turned back around; painfully keeping his eyes glued to yours. His arm flinched, about to pull you back into his embrace but he hesitated. “Are… you sure?” He asked again, not able to believe the situation. “Yes.” you giggled, nervously. His arms snaked around you, his narrow orbs keeping their gaze on your eyes as he pulls your now naked form against his.

His eyes enlarged and jaw slackened when he feels your satin soft skin against his, bare breasts pressing against his hard chest and your lower stomach and groin against his solid erection. A gasp parts your lips as you feel, not only how hard he is, but how big.

“R-Reiner…” you couldn’t help but stammer, your face heating up as well as your insides. A pink hue raises over his cheeks, not having really thought through the situation.

He was nervous. He was excited. He was close to hyperventilating.

Your lips softly press against Reiner’s once more, fingers grazing across his scalp, your breathing heavy and needing. His arm snakes around your stomach, his brow pulled down and creased while his nose pushes out a blow of air, his heart hammering and his cock leaking with pre-cum. You could feel it weeping against your flesh as it throbbed and danced against your lower stomach.

You pull back for a moment; “Reiner. Only take me if you’re going to cherish me. This won’t be a one-time thing for me…”

He catches your gaze, lips parted and eyes still hungry. “Of course. I meant what I said.” You smile - elated at his words as you return your kiss, hands roaming his ridged, solid muscles. His mouth moves down to your neck, with slow and tender kisses - each one sending jolts of searing hot electricity through your entirety.

Reiner’s breath is deep; quivering and panting as he tries to hold back his eagerness and excitement.

“I’ve wanted you for so long…” He groans, his large palm pushing your arm above your head as he hovers over you a little, his fingers interlocking with your own, still kissing you deeply.

The pink hue across his face was deepening to more of a crimson, his eyes heavy-lidded and jaw slack the entire time. The way he kisses you is with such compassion, such tenderness. He grazes his large nose against yours, hands caressing your hair as he keeps himself steady over you, before gingerly rolling on top of you completely, keeping himself suspended with his forearms. He made sure every single graze, every grope was as gentle as possible - afraid of his lumbering huge form would somehow break you as you explore one another’s bodies, tongues entwining in a slow dance within your mouths. Deep, short groans vibrated his throat and chest from time to time, and not once did that furrowed look of desperation leave his face.

The only sounds that could be heard were the kisses, whines and groans as well as your laboured breath and the pattering of rain against the tent. He suddenly stops the kiss, placing his head against yours and rubbing his large thumb across your cheek, back and forth.

“I’m happy to just do this.” He breathes, wanting to prove to you that he really was just so happy you felt the same. “We don’t have to do anything else.” “I want to…” You reply, the snake coiled within wrapped far too tightly to be ignored now. “I want you to make me yours. Really, make me yours…"

He nods - returning his kiss, his top lip folding as his lusted haze results in him missing his mark slightly. God, it was hard for him not to touch you between her legs. But he’s a gentleman. He didn’t want to unless he knew one hundred per cent that you were sure.

Taking his fingertips, he nervously and slowly grazes them down your stomach to your pubic bone, pausing before taking a leap of courage - his calloused pads grazing down your clitoris and to your soaked lips. You both gasp at the sensation. The feeling of his warm, large fingers against your most intimate area was indescribable. And for him, your thick slick was heavenly.

“Is this all for me…?” He whispers in awe and disbelief, his shoulder flexing with his movements as he continues to slowly stroke you. You nod, biting your lip. He swallows hard, eyes closing for a moment before returning to yours. “It’s my first time. I won’t last long.” “I don’t care.” You groan, pulling him by his head for another deep kiss.

As much as he wanted to enter you, he refused to allow himself yet. Instead, his lips trail down your body, your eyes locked onto his broad back, flexing with every tiny movement as his head moved, his lips connecting with every inch of skin it could find - his hands gently rubbing and massaging - memorising every single gasp from your mouth. Every hitch of breath. He would remember where he’d been when you'd made those noises and made sure he damn well took it all in. His kisses remained so gentle, so tender…

He lets out a gasp as his hot breath caresses your skin - it was satin soft and felt better than he'd ever imagined. “Reiner…" You breathe involuntarily, fingers running through your own hair. A groan vibrated his entirety hearing you say his name in such a way. Your tone, desperate. Wanting him. Needing him. All things he'd day-dreamed about for two whole years. And it was actually happening. He felt like the luckiest man in the world. He was going to savour this moment. He leans back with shaking breaths, his fingertips gently grabbing your calf and lifting up your leg, his eyes not leaving yours as he grazes his lips down your inner thigh. Before you knew it, your back was arched in such wonderful pleasure as he leans down and encases his mouth over your bloom.

You watch the muscles in his shoulders and back flex under his skin as he slowly and sensually makes out with your slit, placing your leg up over his shoulder. "Ah~~" You melodically sing, eyes clasping shut. He grunts into you, the vibration of his vocals only adding to how good it all felt.

He tries to ignore his aching cock, now so hard it was dancing in rhythm of his pulse, begging for some friction as he watched the love of his life bare and vulnerable in the most beautiful way for him.

His tongue pin-points your bundle of nerves and he begins to flick it and roll his warm, wet muscle against it.

The deep cherry hue across your cheeks darkened further as he relentlessly invades your most sensitive spot.

How can this feel so good…? Your legs began to shake and you try your best to stifle your moans, biting down on your finger.

Reiner continues, slowly massaging the insides of your legs as he works you, his brows still furrowed and desperate, eyes now closed as he drinks in the moment. Something primal was taking over him and it was all so new. This was his woman. He'd die for you. He was made to protect you, make you happy and feel good. He whimpers into you, unable to handle all of these feelings and emotions.

He begins to rock his head up and down, his mind flashing of how jealous every single one of his friends would be if they knew. But he wasn't going to tell them. This moment was sacred to him. Your fingers run through his hair as it felt as though you were being pushed higher and higher.

"R-reiner…" You whimper as you reach realms of pleasure you didn't even think were possible. He picks up his pace thinking about how he hopes and prays you would use him for all of your needs in the future. If you're ever feeling fired up, he'd be more than happy to just have you ride his face into bliss and nothing else.

The golden moment approaches as he relentlessly keeps flicking his tongue until you go higher and higher and… Your legs tense and begin to shake, eyes close as you rides your huge orgasm through heavens gate.

Shit… Reiner thinks, totally now boarderlining into feral territory of arousal, having his love come undone into his mouth.

He slows to a stop when he feels your legs relaxing, his mouth not stopping and trailing kisses hungrily back up to your stomach, breast, neck and lips.

"You're so perfect." He whispers heavy lidded between kisses and burying his head into your neck. "I love you. God, I love you…"

Tears pricked both sets of eyes at how heightened and intense everything was.

"Make me yours…" You whisper back before nipping his earlobe with your teeth. He instantly returns to your face, cupping it and his muscular back hunches - his free hand grabbing the large base of his shaft.

“You ready for me, baby?” He breathes. You nod. He lines up his gleaming, pulsing head before pushing gently, your tiny entrance being invaded by him as he hisses, your finger returning to your teeth to stifle how amazing you feel.

He pushes harder. “ Y-y/n…" He whimpers, totally overwhelmed both with physical stimulation and emotion.

He gently removes your hand from your mouth. "Don't try to be quiet… I want to hear you. I want to hear how good I can make you feel…" He pushes again, a little firmer, his head popping in past the first hurdle. You cry out in surprise, pleasure and a little bit of pain.

“You okay?” He asks, sounding like he’s just finished sprinting a whole cross-country race. He paws your head gently. “Yeah…” He pushes again, your tight insides slowly ingesting him like a snake with a large meal - your ridges massaging him as they spasm with glee around him - his moans now a lot louder than before, as he jitters to a stop at the hilt.

“Fuck…” His tone sounds like he’s about to burst into tears as he slowly starts to pull out and slide back in again.

He's always tried his best not to curse around you, but this time it just poured out of him from how good it all felt. It felt like he had to fight the urge to burst into tears of joy just from how amazing it all felt. Encased snuggly, deeply inside of the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

The full feeling of Reiner Braun was better than ecstasy, his girth pushing and stretching you, his cock bending up slightly at the tip, already pushing against your g-spot as he trembles above you. With each slow thrust, your pleasure being pushed to an impossible new high, your nails sinking into his large back as you clung onto him for dear life - tears pooling at the corners of your orbs from how amazing it all felt. Like the only two people in the world were you and him, souls connected and swirling around the cosmos in the eternal dance of lovers.

His fat head that curved up slightly kept hitting a spot you didn't even know you had, making each slow drag of his king cock feel even better. The full feeling of him was beautiful, his short pubic hair also friction against your previously licked sweet spot.

Reiner didn't know what to do - it was all too much but in a good way. He'd never felt such pleasure like it and his hands roam your body; breasts, ass, hips, legs, face… he's spoilt for choice.

He pushed himself right in and stopped, his heavy breathing steaming up the air as he presses his forehead against yours. Your tunnel spasmed and clenched around him, massaging and milking him with strength.

"Urgh…" He groaned loudly as he feels your insides gripping him and trying to pull him in further. "S-so beautiful…" He runs his fingers through your hair gazing into your eyes. He pulls back and thrusts, this time more firmly. Your breasts bounced and eyes closed, your lips parting.

"Look at me…" He husks.

Your eyes open and lock onto his in a haze.

"I want you to keep looking at me…" he swallows hard as he painfully slowly drags himself out, before pushing in again.

"Ah ~ ! Reiner ! I can't take it, it's too good…" You beg, not really knowing exactly what you're begging for.

"Let me do this…" he pulls out slowly. "Whenever you need me to… please…" He thrusts harder.

"Ah ~!" His hand gently takes your chin. "Promise me you'll let me fuck you forever."

Thrust.

"Yes! Yes! Reiner, I - I'm going to���"

“Oh, baby…” He groans, eyes rolling as he plunges a little faster. “Me too. It feels so - n’urgh. So good…”

“Reiner!” You sob hysterically as you snap, coming undone around him as your legs tremble and head throws back. As you unravel around him, your name leaves his lips over and over and over again, each time louder than the last, as his thick and large cum shot explodes inside of you, his atomic detonation causing mass devastation as his legs quiver and eyes cross.

He leaves himself buried inside of you as he catches his breath, desperate whimpers escaping his vocal chords as he plants frantic kisses against your neck and cheek.

You stare into the void, the violent after shocks of your orgasm sending shivers throughout your entire body, the spasms of your insides squeezing and releasing Reiner's slowly softening dick.

"That was... amazing..." You hear him from somewhere below you as you're still floating in the clouds of satisfied haze. "I - I told you I wouldn't last long."

You silence him by running your fingers through his hair.

It didn't matter.

You were together now and nothing was going to take this high away from you.

[oivsyo]

[It's only a few hours before arriving in Odiha, we need to take some rest]

Initially I wanted to draw it as a random cuddling because I really love drawing fluff with Reiner and Bertolt, espesially post timeskip BertRei one. After making the sketch I put this drawing away for quite a long time and all this time I was thinking over Bertolt survived AU. Headcanons warning.

I needed a moment when Reiner and Bert can finally have the TALK after RBA reunited in the forest. And at some point I realised that this scene should happen on the way to Odiha and it will be a rather bitter-sweet one.

They didn't have a chance to talk earlier. Last night, in the forest around the campfire, RBA reunites. They haven't seen each other for 4 long years. For 4 years, Reiner and Bertolt grieved thinking that the other was no longer alive.

There is a short break to rest before arriving in Odiha. And this is the very moment when the characters can have privacy and finally talk, say what they failed to say to each other before the battle for Shigansina and enjoy a long-awaited reunion.

However, at this point in the story, no one knows that they will eventually be freed from the curse of Ymir. So the happiness from their reunion is overshadowed by the realization that they only have around 2 years left.

Even if they somehow survive tomorrow, in a destroyed world they won't be able to live the rest of their lives peacefully. The realisation crushes them down. It makes them hold on to each other tighter and not let go.

Too much of their precious time has already been taken from them, and they have even less of it left. Now they don't want to waste a single moment. Unfortunatly duty calls and they still don't belong to themselves.

They are too exhausted both physically and emotionally, so being overwhelmed with emothions they just fall asleep in each other's arms, promising each other that they will survive tomorrow or die fighting shoulder to shoulder.

Spoiler: in this AU they will survive and will be freed from the curse, so they will have a chance to live long life.

[possumbylight]

Letters From the Future

A/N: hello hello this is also cross-posted on ao3 so you can check it out there too if you wanna! i don’t know if there’s any demand for bertolt content but if there is i am here to provide. hope you enjoy ;)

Summary: A pile of letters, tied in red ribbon and addressed to her from a man now dead.

Warnings: Angst. Fluff and Angst, meaning fluff on the way but angst on the end. I’ve never written angst so I don’t know if i’m any good at it but it made me sad writing it so maybe that means something

This bad boy is over 12k words. Please set aside the appropriate chunk of time if you would like to read it all in one sitting.

Pairings: Bertolt Hoover/Reader

“Y/n?”

There was no response when Jean knocked on the door. She had been in her room for the last day now, only appearing in brief intervals to accept meager portions of food or take a trip to the communal bathrooms. Everyone who saw her gave her at least ten feet of clearance, as though she were going to combust, as though she were going to sink her teeth into her own hand and transform before their eyes.

“Y/n, I know you’re in there. I have something for you.”

“No, thank you.”

“Too bad. If you don’t open the door, I’m bringing Mikasa to break it down.”

He had wanted to threaten that he would break down the door himself, but Mikasa carried a certain weight around the barracks that he simply could not attain.

Jean balanced the weight of the letters in his hand. There had to be at least two dozen in the pile, likely more, and some of them were several pages long. When he had pulled them out of the wall, they had been wrapped neatly with a red ribbon and kept in a simple leather pouch that tied shut with a drawstring. Bertolt’s other effects were in various states of disrepair, showing signs of water damage, wrinkling, or general wear and tear”

The letters were pristine.

He had taken one look at the letter on top of the pile before averting his gaze. The words were not meant for him. Every single letter was addressed to the same person, who was now in the middle of reluctantly shuffling towards the door before Jean could call in reinforcements to smoke her out.

“What do you want?”

“Don’t be rude. I brought you something,” he reiterated, shoving the pile of letters in her direction before she could refuse them. “Mail for you.”

“My family is dead. No one sends me mail.”

“You’ll want to read these.”

She scrunched her brow but finally accepted the letters and slammed the door in Jean’s face, purposefully ignoring the indignant, “you’re welcome,” that he shouted through the door. She carefully pulled open the red ribbon and let the pile fall out all over her desk. As she scanned the words, it became incredibly obvious why the letters had been given to her and not kept for evidence.

Dear y/n,

I doubt you will ever see this letter. It’s hard to remember how many years of my life I have left, but if I do succeed in returning to my hometown, it won’t be long before I will have to pass on my power to the next generation of warriors.

I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again, but I don’t think you would want to. I’m sure you probably hate me now, and I don’t blame you for that. I can’t even bring myself to say that I regret what I did, but I know that I am not proud of myself.

I remember looking down and seeing you during the breach of Trost, and then again before Reiner and I deserted. I remember the terror in your eyes. I remember the way you ran away from me, instead of running towards me, like you always did when I would see you out on the training grounds. I hate myself for making you feel afraid. I never wanted that.

If you do someday see this letter and you don’t immediately burn it, I would like to clear up a few things.

I don’t think you’re a filthy devil. I don’t think any of you are, but especially not you. I don’t know how anyone could look at you and find a single thing wrong. You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. You’re the kindest person I’ve ever met. I wish I had known you before Zhiganshina fell. I can’t promise that it would have changed things, though.

I was raised to do exactly what I did. I was given a mission, and I did it to the best of my ability. I was only a child, then. I was a child when I inherited this power at all. I won’t try to justify myself to you. I don’t deserve forgiveness for what I’ve done, but know that there are reasons why I did it.

I love you. That is the most important truth I want to convey to you. If you ever loved me, I’m sure that it has run out. A happy ending was never possible for me, but it can be for you, if you keep surviving as you have for so long. The fight ahead will not be easy, but I hope you come out alive on the other end. I hope you can find peace and happiness. I love you, and I want you to be happy, even if I am not there to see it.

Please, please survive.

All my love,

Bertolt

~

“Hoover! You’ll take your head off if you keep swinging that close. Your height can be an advantage on the ground, but when you’re in the air, you have to watch it,” Shadis screamed. The man’s lung capacity was perpetually astounding. It was a miracle that he awoke every day with his vocal cords still intact, after having shrieked his head off at the cadets the day before.

Bertolt took the advice in stride, however, keeping his head ducked as he lifted off from the ground below a tree branch. When he made it to the treetop, Reiner was already there, surveying the territory from above.

“If we take out the small titans in the clearing, we likely won’t have any competition,” Reiner began strategizing aloud, “but if we take out the larger ones by the creek, we’ll rack up more points.”

“I’ll follow your lead.”

“Alright. Let’s take the creek, but—wait, where are the other two?”

Just as Reiner turned to look for the other two members of their team, a hook thwapped into the trunk just below his feet, sending y/n hurtling upwards towards him until she landed, butt-first, on the branch beside him.

“Sorry,” she apologized, out of breath and clearly a bit embarrassed about flopping onto the tree like a large fish out of water. “Connie ran into a tree.”

Connie, who landed harshly beside her after a few moments, indignantly retorted, “You ran into a tree too, y/n, don’t blame me.”

“If you hadn’t gotten your lines tangled in a bush, neither of us would have run into a tree.”

“It doesn’t matter whose fault it was,” Reiner interjected, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “We’re going to clear out the large titans by the creek and then move into the inner forest. Understood?”

“Yes sir!” y/n and Connie both saluted with questionable levels of reverence.

It was a group training exercise, which Bertolt appreciated and dreaded in measure. He was glad to have Reiner on his team, but that necessitated the presence of two other team members whom he did not know very well. Y/n and Connie seemed nice enough, but his nerves did not yield to nice.

Annie’s team was already perusing the area around the creek, having taken out three large titan standees, the feathers and dirt from their nape-bags busted all across the ground. Bertolt would have been content to have avoided all competition and settled for the middling points they could have acquired in the empty clearing, but Reiner was determined to take first place.

Y/n and Connie seemed content with not smashing into anymore trees.

“Reiner, how do you do that move where you pick your legs up mid-air and turn?” Connie called above the sound of pulleys and wires and extending blades.

“It’s about core strength, Springer. You’ll have to actually participate in conditioning if you want to learn how to do it properly.”

“What? I’m a master of conditioning. You could teach me right now, and I could—”

“Connie, you did seven push-ups this morning and were convinced you were bleeding internally,” y/n corrected as she zipped past the conversation. Once she was in the air, she found, she was quite fast. It was taking off and landing where she had to watch out.

“I—shut up.”

By the time they arrived at the creek, there were four standees left, which they divvied up between them and took down with relative ease. It wouldn’t be long before graduation, and y/n was happy to be on a team with three top-ten-hopefuls, even if she was only number 14 herself. She had planned to go into the Scouts, anyway, but the idea of having the option of living in the Interior was enticing.

She arced around the standee, spinning once to rip open the bag at its nape before picking out a decent landing spot on the ground, one where she was sure to avoid casualties even if her feet failed her again. Unfortunately, just as she began her uneasy descent, a figure flashed into her periphery—tall, dark, and wielding two razor-sharp blades.

“Bertolt! Watch out!”

She was too late in warning him. Before he could even turn his head to witness her grand descent, she was already flying towards him, landing on top of him in a massive heap of limbs and wires. She could be grateful, at least, that her own blades were already sheathed, and that he had loosed his grip on his, sending them tumbling away before either of them could experience impalement for the first and final time.

“Oh, shit,” she groaned as she shifted herself off of Bertolt’s flattened back. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Bertolt. My landing really needs work.”

“It’s alright, it’s okay,” he assured her, somewhat unconvincingly. The impact had squished him flat on the ground, and his long arms were crumpled uncomfortably beneath him. Not to mention the knot on his head that had immediately surfaced after he had landed face-first on the ground and smacked his forehead against a rock.

“Oh, my god,” she breathed. “I am so sorry.”

“It’s fine, really,” he muttered as he reached up a wary hand to skim over the goose egg now bulging like an alien was trying to break out of his skull. “It was an accident.”

“Yeah, but it was a stupid accident. I should know better by now. I have to get better at landings.”

“Bertolt, are you alright?” Reiner stepped into the situation with a furrowed brow.

“I’m fine, Reiner. Just a little run-in.”

Even though Bertolt was adamant in assuring y/n that he was okay, she eyed him warily for the rest of the day, watching the knot swell to a disgusting size as big black and blue splotches gathered around it. He was checked for a concussion, but his brain seemed to be in proper working order, so he kept a cold pack pressed against his forehead in hopes that the lump would shrink down by the next morning.

“Heard you and Bertolt had a fun afternoon,” Jean remarked, so smug that it boiled y/n’s nerves. “That’s a real nice bump on his forehead. Did you land like a dying duck again?”

“Shut up, dumbass,” y/n argued. “I feel terrible about it. He kept saying he was alright, but that thing can’t be comfortable. It’s embarrassing.”

“How the hell are you number 14?” Jean doubled down as he took the seat right beside her. “Your academic score must be almost as high as Armin’s for you to be so high in the rankings.”

“My hand-to-hand combat score is in the top four, so if you would like to keep talking, I would suggest doing it at a distance, Kirstein.”

“Leave her alone, Jean,” Eren agreed quite loudly, obviously trying to weasel his way into the conversation so he would have a reason to battle with Jean again. Y/n appreciated the back-up, but the constant bickering between the two was getting on her nerves.

She excused herself from the table and walked outside into the evening air. The sound of hammering footsteps in the distance signaled that Sasha was making the rounds again, and the sound of haughty flirtation meant that Ymir was in the middle of another wooing session with Krista. Two more figures stood shadowed at around the corner, sheltered between the sloping roof of the mess hall and the high walls of the barracks.

Y/n knew immediately from the sheer heigh of the figure on the left who it was.

“Y/n,” Reiner called to her, flagging on hand in her direction to pull her into the conversation. “You saw Bertolt’s performance this afternoon. What did you think?”

“Oh, I—”

“Y/n, you don’t have to answer that,” Bertolt interjected hurriedly. As he turned to face her, she could only focus on the swelling knot on his forehead. “I’m sorry, Reiner just—”

“Bertolt is saying that he doesn’t think his performance is enough to secure his position in the top ten. What do you think?” Reiner entirely waved off Bertolt’s protest and y/n’s obvious distraction, crossing one arm over his chest and bringing the other hand to rest on his chin as though deep in thought.

“Um… Bertolt is really talented, I think. He seems to be a really well-rounded soldier. I think he’s more than worthy of being in the top ten.”

“You see? I told you, I—” Reiner began with a heavy clap to Bertolt’s shoulder, but before he could further embarrass his companion, someone called his name from afar. “I’ll be right back. You two keep talking.”

“Reiner!” Bertolt called in a sort of whispered shout before turning to y/n, praying that the shadow of the alleyway would mask the red of his face. “I’m sorry that he pulled you into this. Thank you for your kind words, y/n.”

“You’re welcome. I meant them, too. I wasn’t just saying it because Reiner was around. You’re really talented, Bertolt. I, on the other hand, could use some work.”

“What? You’re close to the top ten yourself. You’re doing a great job.”

“Bertolt, I landed on top of you today. I smashed you flat like a pancake. Have you looked in a mirror recently? There’s a knot on your head the size of a small titan.”

“Oh, I—well, that’s nothing. It was an accident.”

“Yeah, but it’s an accident that’s happened too many times before. I can’t land for shit. Last week, I nearly took out Eren when I tried to land beside him. I can’t imagine what would have happened to me if Mikasa had seen.”

Bertolt didn’t respond immediately. He could practically hear the proud thump of his heart in the uncomfortable silence that followed, but the proper words would not come to him. He didn’t know y/n very well, but she was friends with nearly everyone else in the 104th. She was helpful when she could be, and she watched her teammates backs when she had the chance. He wouldn’t mind getting to know her.

But he couldn’t. He wasn’t there to make friends. Bertolt remembered clearly the mission for which he had been selected, whether or not Reiner always did. Then again, with Reiner dipping in and out of conscious understanding of their situation, it would be nice to have someone else to talk to.

“Well, I should get back to the mess hall,” y/n began awkwardly, just at the same time as Bertolt asked, “Would you like me to help you?”

“Help me?” she clarified. “You mean with my landings? You don’t have to do that, I wouldn’t want to waste your time.”

“It wouldn’t be a waste of my time. We could go out into the forest tomorrow, and I could show you a few tricks.”

“I would really appreciate that, Bertolt, thank you.”

~

Dear y/n,

I have thought about my family a lot in the past few years. I haven’t seen them since I left my hometown to complete the mission to destroy the walls. They don’t even know that I’m still alive. I suppose that I don’t know that, either. They could have all died in a house fire, and I would never know.

I told you the truth about them. Everything I said to you about my family was true, except for the place I grew up in. I did stay in the mountains inside Maria for some time, but that is not where my family is.

I was born in a place called Liberio. I wish I could show you sometime, but I fear what they might do to you if they found out you were from Paradis. I would never want to put you in a dangerous situation like that, but there are so many beautiful things about my hometown that I wish I could share with you.

There’s a market at the center of town where farmers and artisans gather to sell their products. Along the boardwalk are little shops that sell all kinds of things, from food to jewelry to books. You would love to see it all. I can see the light in your eyes, the excitement in your voice. It would be so lovely to spend a day with you there.

Sometimes, I dream of bringing you to dinner with my family so they can meet you, so they can see how wonderful you are. You changed my perspective on everything. I’m sure you could change theirs, too.

I doubt we will ever make it to Liberio together. I doubt that I will make it there myself before I die, but if you do get the chance to visit, please say hello to my family for me. Maybe they can take take you to see the ocean, if I never get the chance to.

All my love,

                                                                                                                            Bertolt

~

“Congratulations, Hoover,” Jean said with a thump on his back, jolting him forward with the unexpected force of it. Bertolt felt that he was constantly getting thumped on the back, or clapped on the shoulder, and he wasn’t sure how to stop it. It was all very friendly—he appreciated the camaraderie of it all—but he did not like the suddenness of it.

“Thank you, Jean. Congratulations to you, as well.”

“You beat me this time, but you’d better watch out. I’ll surpass you one of these days.”

“Yeah, okay,” Bertolt laughed uncomfortably. He was unaware of any soldier-ranking system outside of cadet training, and he doubted that Jean could realistically surpass years of his rigorous warrior training, but he wasn’t sure what else to say.

“I suppose it won’t matter too much, once I’m safe in the Interior. Where do you plan on going?”

“Oh, I guess I—”

“Bertolt! Think fast!”

Bertolt whipped his whole body around and just barely managed to catch y/n as she hurtled through the air towards him, her arms wrapping around his neck and her legs around his torso. For all his hatred of sudden movements and touches, he had become quite accustomed to this odd ritual.

It had started as a joke, when he had first ventured deep into the woods with her for extra training. He had intended to teach her all his tips and tricks for landing with ODM gear, and though this task had been accomplished somewhere along the way, they had ended up exchanging advice for different types of training, opinions about other cadets, and even stories about their families and hometowns.

‘I wish I could teach you something in exchange,’ y/n had told him one afternoon, pouting as she kicked as a pile of split-open training bags. ‘Are you sure there’s nothing you need to work on?’

‘You don’t need to repay me. I’m happy to help. My reaction times could always be quicker, but—’

‘Maybe if your reaction time had been quicker, I wouldn’t have flattened you like a pancake,’ she had said with a laugh. The bump on his head was nearly gone at that point, but he remembered the smack of his skull against that rock and wished that he had seen her inbound before the collision. ‘Is there something I can do to help with that?’

He hadn’t been able to think of anything in the moment, but by the end of their training session that day, she had obviously come up with something on her own.

The first time she had run at him full-force, yelling, ‘Bertolt, think fast,’ he had not, in fact, thought very fast, nor had he caught her before she latched onto his back and sent them both tumbling onto the ground. This time, there was no rock for him to smack into, much to the relief of the both of them.

“I caught you,” he mumbled into her shoulder. Usually, she clambered off of him immediately after the reflex test was over, but this time, she was obviously quite excited to hang onto him.

“Good job, Bertolt. You caught me. And, you made number 3 of the top ten.”

“It’s thanks to you, probably.”

She scoffed as she finally set her feet back onto the ground, saying, “Don’t lie. I just attacked you a few dozen times. You were the one who got me from number 14 to number 12. That’s a pretty impressive leap.”

“It’s because you worked hard, y/n. Accepting help doesn’t mean that I did all the work for you. You had to really put in the time and effort. I’m proud of you.”

“I’m proud of you, too, Bertolt,” she returned, extending her hand for a high-five. “Do you think you’ll choose Military Police? I know that before, you said you weren’t really sure where you would go, but the appeal of getting in the top ten is that you can go live in the Interior. You have to promise you’ll send me a souvenir, though. Like some of those expensive cakes that they eat in Mitras. I don’t even know if you can send those by mail, but you’d better try.”

“I don’t know if I’ll go to the Interior, honestly. Reiner’s been talking about the Scouts, so maybe I’ll go with him.”

“But where do you want to go? If you want to go to the Scouts, you should go, but if you want to go to the Military Police, you should do that instead. You don’t have to do what Reiner wants to do.”

He did have to do what Reiner wanted to do, not only because he and Reiner were working towards the same goal, but because Reiner had not been entirely stable as of late. The far-off look in his eyes that appeared from time to time was concerning. The amount of times Bertolt had brought up their hometown, only for Reiner to assume that he was talking about Wall Maria, frightened him considerably. He not only needed to stick with Reiner for logistical reasons, but for personal ones. If Reiner was unwell, Bertolt needed to keep an eye on him.

“I’ll consider it,” was all he replied, and y/n seemed content with the answer, though he doubted she would drop it entirely. “What about you?”

“I think I’m going to join the Scouts.”

“I was hoping you had changed your mind about that,” he murmured aloud, more to himself than to her. “If this is because of Eren making all those speeches, then you should reconsider.”

“No, it’s not just because of Eren and his speeches. I don’t think I’d do well in the Garrison. I don’t like to just… sit around. Not that there aren’t engineers in the Garrison who do perfectly good work, but, you know.”

“Yeah, I guess I can understand that.”

He did understand. She had that type of personality, that natural curiosity that drew her to explore the outside world. It didn’t mean that he was happy about it, or that he didn’t wish she would accept a boring but ultimately safe life in the Garrison. Aside from the massive death toll characteristic of each mission outside the walls, Bertolt was unsure when he and his fellow warriors would be launching a new attack, and he couldn’t promise that he wouldn’t have to fight his friends in the Scouts directly.

This was why he hadn’t necessarily wanted to make friends, but with y/n, it had been natural. She hadn’t been warded off by his shy temperament, nor had she been intimidated by Reiner’s constant presence in his life. She had directed her curiosity towards him, and he had found that he did not mind the attention, when it was from her.

“You’ll be safe though, right?” he asked her, and her face lit up.

“Of course I will. I have to be alive to respond to all the letters you send me, right?”

“Right, good.”

~

Dear y/n,

Do you remember the battle for Trost? I’m sure you do. It would be hard to forget something like that. I was so nervous that day, and yet, I was so sure that I was doing the right thing for the people of my homeland. When I looked down and saw you running away, tears in your eyes, I hated myself for it.

I did what I could to keep from hurting you. As soon as the wall was breached, I looked for you. When I found you, and you were unhurt, I was so glad. I was so happy to know that I hadn’t hurt you. When I’m all the way up there, I can see everything, except for the small things, except for the things that are really important.

I don’t want to manipulate you into thinking that I’m not a bad person. I am. Or, maybe I’m not. I’m not even sure of it myself. This world is so cruel, and I have had to be cruel to survive it, but does that justify the lengths to which I have gone to survive? Does that justify the cruelty I have enacted upon others? I don’t know.

I wish I could talk to you about this in person. You were always so comforting. You were always so kind. When I was with you, I felt like the world was alright. I felt like whatever I had done did not matter as much as what I was going to do in the future. You have such a beautiful perspective on life. You have such a lovely soul.

If we meet again, I want to thank you for changing me. You may not recognize that I have changed for the better. I’m sure that from the outside, it looks as though I am a villain. Perhaps I am, but I do not have that hatred in my heart.

If you are reading this letter, I hope that you do not hate me. I would not blame you if you do, but if I am allowed to be selfish, I would want you to love me.

All my love,

                                                                                                                                Bertolt

~

She knew she was going to die. There was no way she would survive this, for a second time. The first time she had seen the Colossal Titan, rising tall even above the 50-meter walls outside of her hometown, she had barely made it to the boat before the bridge had risen, before the Armored ran through the breach and breathed a stream of smoke and steam so hot she could see it bristling over the surface of the water.

Y/n tried to look for her family—her brother was dead, she knew that as soon as she saw the roof of his bakery smashed underneath a massive, pot-bellied titan with yellowing teeth, dripping fresh blood and bits of organs from its jaws. Her mother and father were nowhere to be seen, but the Garrison soldier who dragged her to her feet gave her no time to look back before she was thrust onto the boat along with the last wave of passengers.

Now, staring up at the Colossal once again, she felt that same fear rush through her body like a crashing wave. She was older now. She was stronger now, and she should have steeled herself to face the oncoming threat, but as it shifted its huge bloodshot eyes to look in her direction, she felt like a frightened child again.

“No, no, no,” she said over and over like a mantra, like a prayer that this was all a terrible dream. “Please, not again.”

She did not stick around long enough to watch as it lifted its massive, sinewy leg and took down the gate just as easily as it had five years before. Y/n took off towards the district supply building, awaiting new orders, but she took one last look at the monster, at the expression on his face.

If such a disgusting mass of muscle and bone could express anything, she swore she saw some discomfort in its clenched jaw. There was an uneasiness behind its eyes. All titans somewhat resembled humans, despite obvious physical distortions and the lack of certain organs, but part of their terror was their sheer similarity. It was the emptiness behind a titan’s eyes that marked them as other, that separated them from the humans that fled from them.

The Colossal Titan did not have that emptiness. It was smarter than the rest, she was sure, but she dared not think that it could feel.

Y/n turned on heel and took off, searching for her friends amidst the chaos.

“Annie, have you seen Bertolt?”

“I don’t know,” Annie responded, without so much as turning to look at y/n as she spoke.

“I can’t find him, I—I hope he’s okay.”

“Bertolt is strong,” Armin assured her, though the look in his eyes suggested that he didn’t quite believe himself. “I’m sure he’ll be alright.”

“I hope so.”

It was hours later when she finally found him, descending from a rooftop after felling a 10-meter. When she spotted him, she ran, not even giving him the courtesy of a think fast as she tackled him to the ground.

“Y/n, oh my god,” he huffed as they hit the ground. “You’re safe, you’re okay. God, I’m so happy to see you.”

“I didn’t know where you were, Bertolt, I was so worried.”

“I’m alright. But how is it that I always end up on the ground when you show up?”

She giggled as she moved off of him, saying, “Sorry. I just got excited to see you. I just… I’m just really happy that you’re safe. I was afraid I would never see you again.” She went to stand up, but his hands pulled her back down to the ground to sit beside him, if even for just a brief moment of peace before another titan clouded the sun above them.

“I’m sorry I worried you. I was worried about you, too. I’m glad you’re safe. I want you to always be safe.”

His admission was far too tender for the circumstance. She felt it warm her, lifting her expression into a genuine smile, but neither of them had time to assess the feeling. There were far more pressing issues to deal with.

“Let’s stick together, Bertolt. Okay?”

“Of course.”

~

Dear y/n,

I am so sorry.

I grieve every day for the life I could have had if I had not been born in Liberio, if I had not set out to become a warrior, if I had never received this curse. I grieve every day for the life we could have lived together. I am sorry that I can never give to you all that I want to.

Most days, I try to think of you in sunlight. I try to imagine you alive, with your head held high. I imagine you happy, surrounded by friends, never wanting for anything. I imagine you without me, because a future where we are together can ever come to pass. I know that I have to let you go, so I think of you living a fulfilling life where I am not present.

I can’t help that I dream of you, too. I can’t help that after I fall asleep, I see a future where we can be happy together. I dream of you on quiet rainy days, lying in my arms and reading a book. I dream of you visiting my hometown and meeting my father. I dream of him telling me how proud he is that I found someone so perfect to love.

I grieve every day for the happiness we could have had together, but I hope that you can still find that happiness without me. I know that you will. I know that you are strong.

All my love,

                                                                                                                                Bertolt

~

When she found him, he was trying his best not to be found. He had crouched to sit on a small box in the storage room, his height reduced by more than half as his knees rose to meet his chin. It was almost comical, had he not been in obvious distress. His face was pressed into his palms, his elbows digging uncomfortably into his knees.

“Oh, sorry, Bertolt,” she muttered absentmindedly, focused intently on locating the shipment of gas canisters she had been assigned to find. When he didn’t respond, she peered at him from behind a storage shelf. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m sorry,” he answered quickly, pulling himself together and sitting upright, though it was hardly convincing. “I just needed a moment.”

“I hope I’m not intruding on your moment. I just need to find a box, and then I’ll be out of your hair. Unless you want to talk about it, in which case, I’m happy to stay and talk.”

“I don’t want to force my problems onto you.”

Bertolt was sincere in his statement, but there was an underlying deception that only served to further sadden him. He did want someone to talk to, but y/n could not know the full truth. He could only share so much.

“You’re not forcing them. I’m the one who offered to listen. Do you want to talk about it?”

He did not speak, but bit the inside of his cheek and nodded as she came to sit down beside him, pulling up a box that was a bit bigger than his.

“There,” she spoke as she settled uncomfortably onto the crate. “Now I’m the same height as you. We’re on the same level. That means we can talk about anything you’d like to talk about, and I won’t judge you for any of it. If it’s someone else who’s made you upset, though, I can’t promise I won’t kick their ass.”

“Thank you, but there’s no need to beat anyone up over it. I’m just worried about the future, I guess.”

“Anything in specific, or just the future in general?”

“When I joined the military, I didn’t think I would make any friends other than Reiner and Annie. Now that I know everyone, it’s hard to go into battle and think that anyone might die at any time. After Trost, I realized that I wouldn’t know what to do if you got hurt, or if you didn’t come back.”

“Hmm, I see. I understand what you mean. It’s hard to watch your friends go out and risk their lives for this. The world is cruel, but we’ve all made the same decision to do something about it. It helps to know that everyone knew what they were signing up for. It’s not like we were tricked into joining the Scouts. If I die out there, I will have died in pursuit of something I believe in.”

He couldn’t look at her as she spoke. Her confidence was enviable, but it was more than confidence. Connie and Jean were confident, but they were brash and loud. Eren was confident, but he was reckless. Y/n was sure of herself, and it showed in the even tone of her voice. It showed in the way she so casually spoke of her own fate, and in the way she looked at him unabashedly when he couldn’t even bring himself to make eye contact.

“I’m worried about Reiner,” he admitted, rushing the words out as though if he spoke fast enough, she might not hear it. She was a good listener, though, and as comforted as he felt when she accepted his fears with no judgement, he felt equally as vulnerable when he spoke about himself.

“Reiner is strong. He scored above you at graduation, remember? I’m sure Reiner can take care of himself. I know that you’re good friends, and it’s good to feel protective of the people you love, but if you truly trust him, you can trust that he will defend himself when the time comes.”

“I’m not worried about that. He’s… different. I don’t think he’s feeling well.”

“Oh. I see. Do you think he’s sick?”

Bertolt shook his head, becoming increasingly more desperate as he gained momentum.

“There’s something wrong with him, I think. Sometimes, he acts as though he’s a different person. He forgets things about our hometown, and about why we’re here.”

“Do you think it’s just his personality that’s changed, or do you think it’s some kind of mental illness?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen him act like this before. I don’t even think anyone else notices it, because no one else has known him as long as I have. I try not to call him out on it, because I don’t want to startle him or embarrass him, but I’m afraid that he’ll forget who he is. I know I have to help him somehow, but I don’t know how. If I can’t help him, what will happen to him?”

Y/n’s brow furrowed as she hummed in thought, resting her chin in her hand and idly looking across the shelves, as though the answer to all of their problems could be found amongst the rations. Bertolt was innately nervous—he called himself a coward, but she could hardly agree to that—so it wasn’t uncommon for him to express his anxieties to her. Usually, a bit of honest reassurance and a few jokes would lighten his mood, and he would be back on track.

The look on his face was concerning. His lips downturned, his eyes watery and wavering, his arms clutching over his stomach—he looked as though he was going to be physically ill. She wasn’t sure if he wanted someone to listen, someone to advise, or someone to take action.

“Bertolt, I have to be honest with you,” she eventually settled, extending an open palm towards him as though coaxing a frightened animal. “I don’t know what to do in a situation like this. I don’t know Reiner like you do, but I know that you are someone he trusts implicitly. If you think it would help to talk through it with him, you should at least try.”

“Hmm,” Bertolt grunted. He wished to say something more astute, but the words would not come to him.

“But something else that you should consider, is that you are not fully responsible for Reiner.”

“But I—”

“You’re his friend. You’re a fellow soldier. If you want to help him, that is very admirable. I’m sure he’s grateful to have a friend as caring as you. But ultimately, if this is some kind of mental or medical issue, you’re not a doctor. You can help him and encourage him, but you can’t cure him. Do all that you are able, but don’t feel bad about what you can’t do. I’m sure Reiner would understand.”

“There has to be something I can do,” Bertolt uttered weakly. His voice broke as he spoke, and he felt pathetic.

He wasn’t only a soldier, but a warrior. He had surpassed dozens of other children his age, trained and studied ceaselessly, so that he might keep his father safe and make his homeland proud of him. He had been granted the power of the largest titan. With his transformation alone, he could destroy entire cities. With a single step, he could crush thousands.

What was he, when all of that was taken away? Bertolt Hoover was a whiny, nervous young man with no ambition. At least Reiner had the confidence to be a proper soldier and a proper friend. Even when he wasn’t armored, Reiner was strong beyond belief. The only reason Bertolt had made friends at all was because of Reiner. What would Bertolt be, if Reiner was no longer Reiner? Annie was in the Interior, and Marcel was dead. He would be alone. He would be only Bertolt, and that was certainly nothing impressive.

“Look at me, please,” y/n whispered as she took her outstretched palm and gently tapped her fingers on her underside of his chin. “Bertolt, you’re so sweet. You’re so good. We’re all so lucky to call you a friend. I think that might be the best thing you can do for Reiner. Be a good friend to him, like you already are. Don’t blame yourself. It might be hard to watch your friend go through something like that, but it’s not your fault. Understand?”

“I… I guess so.”

“That’s not a solid answer, Bertolt,” she admonished him with a laugh. Her hand still rested under his chin, and he found himself seeking the warmth of her palm like a cat leaning into a pet. “Try again?”

“It’s not my fault. I understand.” He wasn’t sure how, but he knew in his heart that he meant it.

“Good. I don’t know if I’ve actually helped you at all, but if you ever want to talk like this again, I’m always happy to talk to you.”

“Yes, you helped,” he rushed to tell her as she stood to finally gather the gas canisters. “I’m sorry I kept you so long. I hope you don’t get in trouble.”

“Ah, I doubt it,” she said as she stood and rolled her shoulders, cracking her arms behind her back. “I know I just spent the last few minutes telling you that other people aren’t your sole responsibility, but if I could borrow your height for a second—”

“Oh, of course!”

He hurried to his feet and carried the box down to her from the top shelf. Once it was safe in her arms, she gestured for him to lean down, so he did, learning to his right as though preparing to hear a secret. Instead of speaking, she planted a kiss on his cheek.

“Goodnight, Bertolt. Sleep well!”

“Oh, I—goodnight, y/n. Sleep well.”

She was already gone before he could reply. He was glad, though. He could not see his face, but he knew that it had to be bright red.

~

Dear y/n,

                 I don’t remember exactly when it was that I fell in love with you. It was a collection of little moments, I think. Maybe it was the first time you fell on top of me during training and flattened me like a pancake. I always thought it was funny how you described it the same way every time. “Flattened like a pancake” was such an odd phrase to me, but I grew to love it the more I heard you say it, and the more you actually did it.

I miss the times when I would hear you call out my name before running to leap on top of me. It was the first time I felt like someone was truly excited to see me. That was something that made me fall for you, too—physically and metaphorically, if you’ll pardon my bad joke.

I remember the morning I slept through breakfast, and you covered for me when Shadis yelled at me. You saved me one of your rolls from your breakfast so I wouldn’t be hungry during training. I remember asking you how I could repay you for your kindness, and you said that you didn’t do it in exchange for anything, but because we were friends.

There was the day we did training in the forest, and even though we were on opposite teams, you cheered for me when my team won more points than yours.

You listened to me every time I spoke to you, and you always gave me thoughtful advice. You knew when I needed to hear something serious and heartfelt, or when a joke would cheer me up. You knew when I needed space, or when I needed to be held. I could never understand how you knew what I needed without asking. When you said it was because you loved me, everything made sense. I knew what you meant, because I loved you too. I still do.

You are the only thing that has ever been mine.

When you said that you were mine, I couldn’t believe it. I don’t deserve to have you, but you told me over and over that you were mine, and that you would choose to be mine every day. You said that you would choose to be mine, even if I wasn’t yours. I didn’t know how to feel about that. I thought you must be crazy to think like that, but I accepted it, because I wanted you to be mine.

I gave up my body for my homeland, cut my life short so that my father could live in peace while I fought for a country that hated us. I dedicated my mind to my studies and to strategy. Every drop of my blood that was shed was shed for someone else. When I became a warrior, I no longer belonged to myself. When I became a soldier again on Paradis, I signed away my life and pledged devotion of my heart, but I never gave it. How could I, when you could take much better care of it?

All that I was belonged to someone else, but my heart belonged to you, and you were mine.

All my love,

                                                                                                                                Bertolt

~

Y/n had experienced her fair share of injury, but none of it was ever quite so painful or humiliating as the day she got smacked right out of the sky by one of the smallest titans she had ever seen.

The titan looked a bit like Armin, if she was being honest—shoulder-length blond haircut, big blue eyes, unimpressive height. That didn’t take away from the uncanny grin it bore on its distorted face. That didn’t detract from the terror she felt as it ran for her on its wrong-jointed legs, catching her at the exact moment she had intended to restock her gas and blades.

“C’mon, c’mon, shit,” she swore. As long as she could replace her gas, she could get away. She didn’t need to kill it, just to evade it until she could get some space. As soon as she had slid the new canisters into her gear, she pushed herself up from the ground to reach a nearby ledge that would just barely clear the titan’s head, but the little runt was too fast. It whacked a pudgy hand through the air in an arc just wide enough to smack y/n clear out of the sky.

She landed face-first, head smacking the dirt with an uncomfortable thump that rattled whatever brain she had left inside her head. The titan didn’t pursue her, though, and y/n could only guess that some other Scout had stumbled upon her misfortune.

“You owe me, dumbass,” Ymir said as she made her landing just beside y/n, having split open the titan’s nape mere seconds before. “You’re going to let that fucking thing kill you?”

“Maybe,” was all y/n whispered before she blacked out.

When she came to, the sounds of voices blurred all around her. She couldn’t tell who was around her, or how many there were, but she could pick out at least a few distinct tones.

“I’m sure she’ll be awake soon.”

“She got hit pretty hard, though. Right Ymir?”

“Yeah, idiot got smacked out of the sky. She’s lucky I was there to take care of it.”

“Ymir, don’t be cruel. Accidents happen, and you’ve had your fair share of incidents with titans.”

“She’ll be okay though, right?”

“She’s not dead. Look, you can see that she’s breathing.”

“Right. But after that, what if she… she won’t be permanently hurt, will she?”

“No, but she’ll have one hell of a headache.”

She did have one hell of a headache, so much so that she didn’t want to open her eyes, but she figured that she would put her friends out of their misery.

“Look, she’s waking up,” Jean announced, a bit too loudly for her comfort.

“I’ll go get some painkillers.”

Krista rushed from the room, but every head remained fixated on the pitiful patient laid out on the medical cot, squirming uncomfortably at both the pain and the attention. Aside from Jean and Krista, Ymir was also there, as was Bertolt, who sat closest to her with his arms folded on the edge of her cot.

“Y/n,” he whispered, unsure of what to say but burdened that he ought to say something to her. “You’re awake.”

“Mmhmm, I am.”

“I was really worried about you.”

Bertolt kept his voice low. He knew that the others could hear him, but he wished they would all turn away. He wanted to be selfish in that moment, to have all of y/n’s time for himself. When Ymir had showed up at the base with y/n slung over her shoulder, he had panicked. She had looked dead. When Ymir had slung her down onto a medical cot, and he had finally found her pulse when he pressed two fingers to her wrist, he had nearly wept with relief.

“I’m alright,” y/n sighed dreamily, stirring only when Krista returned with the painkillers. “I got whacked.”

“You did, you got whacked. You hit the ground pretty hard.”

“Yeah, that hurt really bad. I got… I got flattened like a pancake.”

Despite the worry that still sat heavy right at the center of his chest, he smiled. He was so wrapped up in her that he did not notice the others, smiling knowingly at one another before leaving them be.

“How are you feeling?”

“Hmm, the painkillers are helping. I feel all stiff, though. I landed funny on my arms.”

She lifted an arm and for the first time realized that her hand was wrapped in gauze. Her other arm appeared unscathed, but the sting suggested that she had skidded heavily against some rocks before making her landing.

“They had to pull some twigs from your arm,” Bertolt explained to her, taking her hand in his when she winced at her own movement. “You were pretty beat up when Ymir brought you back, but thankfully, it’s nothing that they couldn’t fix.”

“I still have all my limbs?”

“You still have all your limbs, yes.”

His thumb rubbed soothing circles against the back of her hand as he peered at her, looking up through his pretty lashes. He was awfully pretty. His hair had grown in the last few months, but she liked it. The ends fell in front of his face and softened his sharp features. His nose was elegant, aquiline. He could have been a noble, living in the lap of luxury in the Interior, but instead, he was a soldier at her bedside, holding her hand and batting his eyes and looking at her as though she were the only luxury to covet.

“You need to be more careful next time,” he admonished lightly. “You could have died.”

“I’m alright, Bertolt. Just a stupid mistake. I’ll try not to do it again.”

“Please, don’t scare me like that. I don’t know what I would do if I lost you.”

“I’m sure you’d be alright. I’m nothing to get all worked up over.”

“You are. You mean so much to me, I—y/n, I can’t explain to you how much you mean to me. I care about you more than anything. I want to protect you, and keep you safe. I want… I want to do something stupid, y/n.”

“Hmm? What kind of stupid?”

“I don’t know. But it’s like you told me, weeks ago—confidence isn’t about always getting everything right. Confidence is about making a choice that I believe in, regardless of the consequences.”

“Alright. Should we get a healer first, then? Are you about to do something medically dangerous? I suppose it helps that we’re in the medical wing.”

He didn’t answer. Before she could question him further, he had already planted a soft kiss to her lips and backed away embarrassed.

“Wait—don’t leave, Bertolt, come back,” she called after him. He had already begun standing up, assuming the worst.

“I’m sorry, y/n, I shouldn’t have done that when you’re not feeling well. I probably shouldn’t have done it at all. I’ll leave you alone.”

“Bertolt, don’t leave. Please, come back.”

“You should rest. I did something stupid, and now I have to go figure out how I can make it right afterwards.”

“Bertolt, I want you to do it again.”

“What?”

He froze mid-step. Her bandaged hand was latched onto his shirt, lightly tugging at him like a small child, begging him to stay but not having the strength to force him. He stammered. He couldn’t process the fact that he had just kissed her, much less the fact that she wanted him to do it again.

Did that mean she liked it? Did that mean she liked him? Surely, there was no other reason to request a kiss besides attraction, but she had suffered a head injury earlier that day. Perhaps she wasn’t in her right mind.

“I want to go back to sleep, but I want you to stay here with me. Will you give me another kiss before I go back to sleep?”

“I—yes, if that’s alright with you.”

“It is. I’m the one who asked for it.”

“Okay, then.”

He took his seat beside her again, shaking with nerves but buzzing with the anticipation of it. The first kiss had been so brief that he could hardly appreciate it, but however brief, it had managed to make him feel like he was floating, drifting through the air unanchored and unburdened. The second kiss was a bit longer, a bit firmer, and she accepted it with a smile on her face.

“Thank you, Bertolt. Will you still be here when I wake up?”

“If that’s what you want.”

“It is. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, y/n. Sweet dreams.”

~

Dear y/n,

I don’t know how much you know about my homeland. I don’t know if you’ve ever even heard of it. There’s a lot more going on than you might think, and a lot of it is not pleasant. I am hated there, so is Reiner, so is Annie. The only reason we can live decent lives is by becoming warriors. If we use the power of the titans to protect our homeland, our families can live in peace.

The world is cruel. I doubt I need to remind you of this.

When you asked me about the ocean, I began to believe that the world was beautiful, too. I dreamed of taking you for a walk by the sea, watching you in the sunlight, watching you laugh as you played in the water.

I wanted to tell you that I have visited the ocean before, and that it is very real. All that Armin said about it is true, but words and pictures can’t capture the way it makes you feel. I took it for granted before I lived on Paradis. I should have appreciated it more while I had the chance.

I’m sure that you all will find it, someday. I wish I could be there to see the sunshine on your face. I know you will be beautiful.

All my love,

                                                                                                                                Bertolt

~

“Y/n, stay close to me.”

“I’m right behind you. And I also have my very own swords, so I’ll be alright.”

“I know,” Bertolt agreed reluctantly. When he turned to illuminate her face by the light of his lantern, she was grinning up at him. Even in shadow, she was lovely. “But it helps to know that you’re close. Stay with me, please?”

“I will,” she promised, quietly so that no one else could hear. “Lucky for me, you’re easy to find in a crowd.”

The length of their cloaks concealed their hands, held tight and swinging between them as they walked the perimeter of Wall Rose. Since their first kiss, they had come to the mutual decision that pursuing a steady relationship would be unwise. That didn’t mean that they refrained from holding hands whenever possible, and sharing the occasional kiss when circumstances allowed.

Bertolt knew he was living on borrowed time. The Survey Corps was closing in on Annie. Titans had appeared within Wall Rose, and though there was no breach to speak of in the wall itself, Bertolt was almost sure he knew exactly what had happened to the inhabitants of Ragako Village. He hadn’t been able to look Connie in the eye.

When he had watched Ymir transform, he knew that he was in the midst of a problem that he and Reiner could not handle alone. All the time he had spent idle, savoring the time he could pretend he was not a warrior, was long past.

It drove him mad to know that y/n was still holding his hand, despite all that he was, despite all that he would inevitably have to do.

Didn’t she know? Couldn’t she tell? She looked into his eyes so often, telling him that their color was so beautiful, that he seemed to hold so much love in just his eyes. Couldn’t she see behind it all? Surely, she could tell that behind all the love he held for her, there was a boiling mass of guilt that weighed his every action.

“That’s so strange,” she mused quietly as she lifted her lantern, illuminating yet another untouched portion of the wall. “I don’t see anything, do you?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Hold on—there’s a little spot up there. See it?”

“I think so. Right above that brick?”

“Yes, right there. Lift me up, please?”

He ducked down, allowing her to clamber on top of his shoulders, as she had done several times before. She liked to use him as a ladder at times, or as a step-stool, and he happily obliged just to feel her close, just to hear her giggle as he adjusted her to sit on his shoulders.

“Hmm, I think it was just a trick of the light. You can put me down now, Bertolt, thank you.”

He carefully hoisted her down, letting her stop on the way to place a grateful kiss to his nose. They walked in silence for the next few minutes, enjoying the calm of the evening after such a chaotic day, but Bertolt still could not quiet the unease that sat in his stomach.

“Y/n, I think that things are about to change,” he said, forthright and confident—he had nothing to fear in her presence. He did not have to dilute his worries in front of her. “Today was difficult, and I think it’s only going to get worse from here.”

As she turned to him, her face was broken into shadow in the low light, her furrowed brow and scrunched nose creating shadowed planes across her pensive face.

“Yeah, I think you’re right. I’m not even sure what to think about everything that happened today, honestly. It’s kind of scary. I guess that’s what we signed up for, though, right?”

“Yeah. Right. But y/n, if something happens to me, you’ll be okay.”

“What? Don’t talk like that, Bertolt. I don’t want to think like that right now.”

“Look at me, please,” he said, tugging on her arm to catch her attention. The dark sheltered them from the prying eyes of their friends, so he pulled her to his chest. “I’m not saying that something will happen to me, or that something will happen to you, but if it does, you’ll be okay.”

“I know. I will be okay. I try to be prepared for it. I know that it’s coming. Not all of our friends will make it out of this alive, and I know that, but it’s hard to think that it might be you. You’ll try your best to stay alive, though, right?”

“I will, if that’s what you want.”

“I do, but I want you to want that. You should stay alive for yourself, not for me,” she playfully admonished him, burying her forehead into his chest and relishing in the sound of his beating heart. “And if I’m the one who dies first, I want you to be okay.”

“I don’t even want to think about that, y/n, I… I love you. I love you, and I want you to be safe.”

“I love you, too.”

It was the first time they had exchanged those words, but it hardly felt out of the ordinary. It was more an observation that anything, as though recognizing that the sky was blue or that the sun was bright. Had they never said it aloud, it would not have made it untrue.

The world was cruel. Bertolt knew this as well as anyone. But as long as there was love to be found in the quiet corners of the world, he could find a reason to survive it.

~

Dear y/n,

I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry

~

“I’m the Armored Titan, and Bertolt is the Colossal.”

Reiner had well and thoroughly lost it, and no amount of damage control that Bertolt could muster would save them from the confrontation that would inevitably take place. He gritted his teeth and tried to convince his friends that Reiner was telling a poorly-timed joke, but the tension had already risen beyond breaking point.

He didn’t want to transform. His transformation wasn’t a pleasant experience, nor was the aftermath of it all, but for a brief moment, Reiner had been restored.

Reiner had turned to Bertolt, looked him in the eye, and told him that he intended to fulfill the mission for which they had trained for so many years. In that moment, he was Reiner Braun, Marleyan Warrior, hero to his family and his homeland. It had been enough to convince Bertolt to follow through.

“Are you a soldier, or are you a warrior?” Reiner had asked him, leaning in close before the wall erupted in a flash of light.

Now, all he could see below him was rubble and steam. Little figures buzzed around the wall like flies, but he knew that none of them could come close to him with the sheer amount of heat that radiated from him. He was disgusting, and he knew it. The Colossal Titan was not strong and terrifying like the Armored, or lithe and quick like the Female or Attack. He was a mass of open muscle and bone. He was ugly, and his actions were as well.

Through the chaos, he could not see the single figure that pressed forward towards him, held back only by her comrades.

“Y/n, you can’t get any closer, I’m sorry,” Jean yelled to her through the noise. “There’s nothing you can do.”

“No, no, please,” she gasped. The heat was sweltering on her skin, but she knew she could get closer. Even if she could get close enough to look him in the eye, maybe she could do something. “Let me go, let me see him.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Connie shouted. “He’s the enemy, now. He’ll kill you if you get any closer.”

He wouldn’t. She wanted to believe that, but she couldn’t she sure. If she was enough of an obstruction to his mission, would he crush her? Would he bury her in rubble and leave her to be eaten by a meandering titan?

“Bertolt!” she shrieked, but the sound did not reach him. He was too far away, and he was too far gone.

~

Dear y/n,

I think I am losing myself.

Do you remember what I told you about Reiner? He seemed like two different people at times. I couldn’t explain it to you properly then, but I understand it now. He couldn’t reconcile the respect he had for his fellow soldiers with the terrible things he had done. There were times that I looked at Eren, knowing that it was my actions that led to his mother’s death, and I wished that I could separate that from myself, that I could be an entirely new person who had never committed such atrocities.

I feel the weight of my actions now more than ever, but I do not have the luxury of losing my mind. I am all too aware of the things I have done, and the things I must do.

If there is ever a way I can make any of it right, I pray that I will have the courage to take that chance.

All my love,

                                                                                                                                Bertolt

~

Bertolt had been right about the ocean.

Even if he had tried to describe it, y/n was sure that nothing could compare to the feeling that bubbled in her chest, the way the sunlight shined like gold across the laughing faces of her friends. She couldn’t help but smile herself, despite the sadness that weighed heavy on her with every step across the shore.

They had been talking about eating Bertolt as though it was the only option. The Commander should eat Bertolt, Armin should eat Bertolt, someone had to eat Bertolt.

They could have let him live, she thought. They could have waited until he had woken up, tried to bargain with him. He could keep his life, if he would come back to Paradis.

She knew it was an untenable position. No one would have listened to her if she had spoken it aloud. She only would have been mocked as a lovesick fool, but she was alright with that. Being a lovesick fool had kept her alive that long; surely, it couldn’t hurt to live in that delusion a little longer, at least.

When Armin—the thing that was supposedly Armin—had crawled onto the rooftop, she had closed her eyes and covered her ears like a frightened child in a thunderstorm. She didn’t need to see how Bertolt fought to get away, or to hear how he cried out for help in his final moments.

“You’re thinking about him,” Mikasa spoke up from beside her. “Don’t.”

“I can’t really help it, can I?”

“You two were close. I’m sorry that things happened the way they did.”

Y/n couldn’t blame Mikasa for her nature. She wasn’t one to dilute her opinions or hold back her emotion, particularly where Eren was involved. Bertolt’s death was just another number in among the hundreds who had died to keep Eren safe, and while y/n couldn’t disagree with Eren’s importance, she wasn’t keen to look over the incident entirely.

“I know, Mikasa. I’ll try not to think of it too much. And if I do, I’ll only use it to push forward. That’s the only direction we can go from here, right? We can only go forward.”

“That’s… an admirable way to look at it.”

~

Dear y/n,

I can hear you outside the wall. Even when you’re shouting, your voice is so pretty.

I don’t know if I’ll live through the day, but I want you to know something important. Even after I am dead, my memory of you will live on in the next colossal titan. For thousands of years, anyone who inherits this power will see you in their memory.

They might not know who you are, or why they remember you, but they will know that you are brilliant and beautiful and kind. They will know that you are loved, and they will know that I loved you.

I hope that this will keep you safe. I hope that the next doomed fool who takes this power will recognize you, and will protect you.

The fighting outside is getting closer. I don’t know how this will end. I don’t know what I will do, even in the next few seconds, but I am reassured by the sound of your voice. As long as I can hear you fighting, I can know that you are still alive.

I hope that you will not have to see me as I die, but I want your face to be the last thing I see.

I have said it before, but I will say it again, and I will say it as many times as I can before I die: I love you.

I love you, and I hope

~

She tugged uncomfortably at the strap on her waist, the one that kept her skirts from falling to her ankles. It was a bit too snug, but she couldn’t afford to be picky, under the circumstances. She was already unaccustomed to wearing skirts at all, given that her usual attire consisted of knee-high boots and gear straps.

She stuck beside her group for the most part, not wanting to get lost or discovered in such a dangerous place, but she couldn’t help but linger around familiar places.

Y/n had never been to Liberio, of course, but she could recognize all the little details Bertolt had described in his letters. She had long since given up the wish that he could be there with her, but as she looked over the marketplace, the pang of yearning struck her suddenly.

“He loved you,” Armin said, low but clear even under the noise of the bustling street.

“Armin, I—”

“I mean, he really loved you. He loved you.”

“Armin, that’s—”

“He thought about marrying you, and spending the rest of his life with you. He thought about running away with you, and—”

“Armin, that’s enough. Thank you for whatever it is you’re trying to do, but every time I look at you, I have to try to forget that you consumed the love of my life, and you’re not making it any easier on me.”

“Oh. Right. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Just don’t do it again, please.”

Armin left her alone, but she could feel his sympathetic gazes on her for the rest of the day. She could never be sure exactly how much about her that Armin knew, or how much he felt for her. He didn’t seem to retain quite the same feelings that Bertolt had for her, but sometimes, when he looked at her, there was a curious softness to his eyes.

Armin didn’t love her, but he knew what loving her felt like.

Y/n clutched the roll of paper that she had hidden in her bag. She hadn’t told anyone that she had it, but it wasn’t their business anyway. She wasn’t even sure where she would put it—throw it in the ocean, perhaps, or leave it in a tree hollow. It would never reach its intended audience, no matter where she put it.

It wasn’t until they reached a quiet corner of the city, hidden away from the markets and the boardwalk, that she found the right place. A row of simple plaques set into stone, honoring the warriors who had given their lives for Marley, sat in the middle of an unimpressive garden, behind an unexciting building. It was clear just how little the Marleyans regarded Eldians, even when bestowed with the power of the titans, even when their blood was spilt on foreign ground and in lonely places.

She pulled the note from her bag and buried it just beside the stone, under a bush where likely no one would be digging it up.

Dear Bertolt,

I’ve made it to your hometown.

I read all of your letters, and there is so much that I want to say to you. I don’t know if I can ever express it to you in words. When we sat together in silence, that was always enough. None of the words I spoke to you ever meant as much as the time we spent together, as the unspoken conversations we had.

I don’t know that I will ever understand what you did or why you did it, but I don’t need to. By this point, I have done plenty of things that I am not proud of. I know now that in the coming days, I will have to do terrible things. I am doing it to survive, as I always have. I am doing it for the lives of my friends, and the lives of all those on Paradis. I know that if you could read these words, you would understand.

Liberio is beautiful. The people here are lively, and the market is full of little treasures that I would love to bring home with me. I’m sure I will leave with my pockets full of souvenirs. I understand why you would want to protect this place.

I wondered if I might meet your father while I am here, but I don’t think it would be wise to look for him. If he is still alive, he might still be in danger simply because he is Eldian. I am having a hard enough time concealing my own identity. I would not want him to be caught up in our schemes. I would like to tell him that he can be proud of his son. I would like to tell him that you died defending your friends and your home, and that even when lost in a land of strangers, you managed to find love and beauty and small moments of peace.

Most importantly, I want to tell you this: I loved you, I love you, and I will always love you.

Your sins are not so great that they could ever erase that truth from my heart.

I do not know what awaits any of us after death, but if there is a place where I can meet you again, wait for me there. I’ll come find you when my time is through. When we meet again, we can forget all of it. I will forgive all that you have done, if you promise not to judge me for what I now must do.

Until then, rest in peace, and know that my heart is yours.

                                                                                                                             All my love,

                                                                                                                                 Y/n

[mirandasidefics]

Attack on Titan Masterlist

💥Action/violence

💦smut/thirst

💔angst

✨️fluff

**Please note that all of these are quite old and originally written around 10 years ago. Some may have been updated in 2017/2018, but for the most part they're old so be gentle with them.

Life with Friends and Lover's-

Modern College AU, Poly Jean Kirstein x Marco Bott x Reader

Comfort 💔

Jealousy 💦

You’re beautiful 💔💦

Pitter Patter 💔

Memories ✨️

I Want to Be 💦✨️

Pitiful Creatures 💔💥

Bertolt Hoover x Reader- Summary

"Pitiful creature of darkness, what kind of life have you known? God give me courage to show you, you are not alone."- Phantom of the Opera

After making your escape with your fellow Warriors, your small party plans on how to get back home alive. How will others receive you upon your return? Especially since your mission is not complete. But after losing half of your friends and your lover in the process, you seek comfort that is long overdue.

Come Back Soon - Erwin x Reader drabble

Kitchen Mess- Levi x Reader one-shot ✨️

Tickle Attack- Reiner Braun x Reader one-shot ✨️

[writing-bakugo]

Attack on Titan Guys and Their Lovers

I've been working on some AOT fics and decided I'd post my ideas for their ideal lover to keep me motivated to work on their fics....

warnings: fluff, angst, language

contains: Eren, Armin, Jean, Connie, Levi

Eren

Mikasa. Sorry, don't make the rules...but...It would be a soldier like Christa (before she was Historia). They met as cadets and Eren admired her selflessness. It pisssed him off that someone so kind and gentle determined that to help as many people as possible, she should join the Scouts. She truly believed her death would aid in humanities battle.

It shocked Eren at how quickly she jumped in the face of a titan to save another soldier. And, when Eren turned out to be a titan shifter, she didn't treat him any differently.

"Eren, I don't care about killing anyone. I just want to see the sunrise every morning beyond the island."

"Then I'll make sure you can."

Armin

Ya'll be sleeping on this man's potential partner. This is one of my favs...

Commander Erwin had a daughter in her last year of training in the Cadet Corp when her father died. She learned that Armin was saved over Erwin, and decided, "yo, I should know the man that was worth more than my dad because that's wack."

She's very brutish with her words like Erwin, but it's what Armin needs to hear. Whenever he freaks out about not being the right choice and is insecure because he doesn't know what to do, she's right there to reassure him that even she would've chosen him over her father.

"I don't know what to do! I just...It should be Erwin standing here."

"Don't waste my dad's breath. Stand up and think, Armin."

Jean

I once hated this man and now I'm his hype woman so...here goes

Jean needs someone not tainted by war. Sure, he probably saved them when they were being chased by titans. He was their hero. But he saw that fear and that determination in their eyes and he didn't know what possessed him when he made them promise to never join the military.

Sasha and Connie walk up on him one day while he's sketching and they ask who he's drawing. He just grumbles that it's his imagination and slams the notebook closed. That's when he realized he had a little crush. That's also when he decides to hunt them down and he stumbled upon them working as a medic in a makeshift hospital.

"I got a serious injury."

"Huh? Where?"

"My heart."

Connie

I will forever and always die on the Connie deserves all the love in the world because have you seen him? Heard him? This is another fav idea:

Connie. Scrawny cadet Connie met her the first day of training. She was strong and sly and always winked at him and when anyone mentioned it, he'd brush it off. But for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why she, smart and witty, would be attracted to him, Class A Idiot. It annoyed him how much time she spent with Reiner and Bertolt, but at the end of the day, she'd always hang out with him.

When Reiner and Bertolt revealed themselves atop the wall and asked Eren to join them, she stood motionless. Pale face. Clenched fists. And when Reiner and Bertolt revealed themselves, they revealed her too. She escaped with them.

During the attack of Liberio four years later, she was in such a bad mental state that Marley officials had already decided a date for her titan to move to another warrior. They had to wait till the Festival was over, but all the plans were upturned when she was taken along with Eren and Zeke in the airship when Sasha died.

"Oh yeah, the idiot will fall in love with anyone?! I'm not that much of an idiot!"

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry? Sasha and my family are dead and my mom's a titan and you're sorry? I can't fucking wait till we're back and someone eats you."

Levi

This is above and by far my fav... enjoy

There wasn't a soldier alive faster than her. Fitting, since she was on Erwin's squad, with Miche, the strongest soldier. Their mission to take in the rats from the Underground was successful, and she was ordered to teach Levi, Isabel, and Farlan the ropes of ODM gear. Which proved useless because they were too prideful for their own good and the first scouting mission came too soon. When he crossed the gate to the walls, she smiled back at him and he saw the birds and grass and sun reflect off her eyes before he looked down at the vast land for himself.

When they both died, Levi was lost. She was the only one who showed an inch of kindness when she hugged him then and there on the battlefield (of course Miche stopped Levi from attacking everyone first). She told him to hold onto his memories and that's when Erwin stepped in.

When Erwin was promoted to Commander, he promoted Levi to squad leader and she was on Levi's team. He confessed to her, and her alone, that he could not read. After a little laughing, she taught him how and stayed by his side in all meetings and wrote his reports until he had a hang of it.

By the time the titan shifter had joined the Scouts, she was a squad leader in her own right. After Petra and his squad died, he found comfort in her again. Fast forward to the day Erwin died. How else could Erwin convince an entire army to ride to their deaths if not sacrificing himself and another strong pawn? It was between her or Levi, since Hange was focusing on the fight inside. They all knew who needed to live.

She was found hours later aa a pile of broken and ripped bones gasping through a dry mouth. He stared at her face. She wheezed and coughed and her wide eyes wouldn't stop moving back and forth. The golden sun blared into them and Levi collapsed on the ground. He'd failed her on two accounts:

he didn't get the fucking beast titan and he wasted the titan serum on Arlert.

"Is that you, Levi?"

"Yes."

"I can't see a thing."

"She's suffering," Hange said with tears dripping down their face, "if we even attempt moving her..."

"Leave. Everyone. Get out of here."

"I wish...I wish I could see the sunset. It's about that time, right?"

"The first time I saw open sky was in your eyes."

"Did we win?"

Levi punched the ground. He punched it again and again until his hand bled. She coughed. It sounded like a screeching eagle: full of misplaced air and urgency.

[aruanimess]

Chapter 15: A Day After by aruanimess

Chapters: 15/? Fandom: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan Rating: Mature Warnings: Underage, Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Armin Arlert/Annie Leonhart Characters: Armin Arlert, Annie Leonhart, Mikasa Ackerman, Eren Yeager, Reiner Braun, Bertolt Hoover, Jean Kirstein, Marco Bott, Connie Springer, Ymir of the 104th (Shingeki no Kyojin), Other Character Tags to Be Added Additional Tags: 104th Training Corps Arc (Shingeki no Kyojin), Pre-Time Skip, Canon Universe, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Close to Canon, Some Humor, Teen Romance, Sexual Content, Awkward Sexual Situations, Titan Lore, Existential Angst, Suicidal Thoughts, Canonical Character Death, Period-Typical Sexism, POV Alternating, Betrayal, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Bisexual Annie Leonhart, Bisexual Armin Arlert, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, some chapters rated E due to graphic violence, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Homophobia Summary:

“What about you, Annie? Why are you in training?”

The familiar lie was resting on her tongue—a comfortable life behind Wall Sina—but just as she was about to utter it, she spotted a shooting star out of the corner of her eye and faltered. A life behind Wall Sina would be the furthest thing from comfortable, and to claim otherwise here, under the eye of the entire cosmos, was a crime Annie couldn’t bring herself to commit.

From their carefree cadet days until after the world has ended, Armin and Annie have always gravitated towards each other. One moment of shared vulnerability opens up the opportunity for their connection to bloom.