Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/824193.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage, No_Archive_Warnings_Apply
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Shingeki_no_Kyojin_|_Attack_on_Titan
  Relationship:
      Reiner_Braun/Bertolt_Hoover
  Character:
      Reiner_Braun, Bertolt_Hoover
  Additional Tags:
      complicated_relationship, Established_Relationship, Mostly_Pwp, possible
      spoilers_if_not_reading_the_manga, relationship_dynamics
  Stats:
      Published: 2013-05-31 Words: 2304
****** Embittered Exhortation ******
by kheradihr
Summary
     Bertholt always follows Reiner but sometimes he gets frustrated with
     him.
Notes
See the end of the work for notes
The ceiling was nothing but dead wood stretching out to conceal the sky. He
followed the whorls and knots as if they were the wind flying freely across the
land. No matter what path he chose he found it terminated just as he was able
to lie to himself about where he was and the imprisonment he chose. It seemed
like the universe was determined to remind him that he chose captivity when he
could be living free. Free of the stink and stupidity of chattel. Free to be
himself without judgment and fear. It was frustrating, he thought as he lifted
his hand to the ceiling, denying what he was. He was made for other things,
great things but instead he chose a frail life fighting to die.
There was a creak in the floorboards.
But some things were worth the frail life.
He shut his eyes, feigning sleep with one hand flung open to the empty pallet
next to him and the other, the one that reached for freedom, draped over his
eyes. Footfalls came closer and became quieter until there was nothing. They
may lie but when they were alone, together, they were honest. Only he could
hear the approaching footfalls because he knew the tremor of them even when the
one approaching lacked the dense mass that made him beautiful. He could feel
his heat, so unlike his own, close and intimate. He wanted to reach for him but
the frustration was too much, too fresh simmering in his veins. So he waited
for him to make a move.
Breath bathed his face and he restrained a small smile. “Bertholt.”
Bertholt lay there reveling in how close he leaned in. It was a balm of spice,
soothing and inflammatory at once. There was the sound of cloth shifting once
twice before dry, chap-chewed lips brushed against his own. He couldn’t hold
back the smile any longer.
“Reiner.”
“You weren’t at the point.”
Bertholt could hear the frown in Reiner’s voice. They always met at a jut of
stone amidst the forests inside Wall Rose near the training center. It was
their time to be apart from the others, to share each other without Connie or
Eren interrupting them. But today the feel of the wind plucking at his hair and
clothes as if to coax him to run free angered him. So he fled to the
dormitories to imagine he was following the wind without the reminder he was
imprisoned behind walls. Reiner’s presence, the sheer thought that he sought
him out flared something inside him that he let lie dormant for years. Reiner’s
calloused hand against his cheek had him moving to catch it at the wrist.
“I couldn’t,” he answered with his eyes still closed. He knew what was above
him. Reiner, still frowning, still beautiful with all that strength and speed
hidden away. His teeth clenched against the desire to bite the thin flesh at
Reiner’s wrist. The desire for blood hot in his mouth and folded steel-hard
flesh against his own coupled with the frustration he was feeling was too much.
He felt his temperature spike. He shoved Reiner aside to scramble up in a
sitting position away from him. The chipping plaster lump on the wall became
his focus as he remembered to breathe deep and cycle the heat inside him to
energy.
Bertholt could feel the give of the boards as Reiner moved closer. His body
temperature flared as the Reiner’s cooler body braced him, reaching for that
familiar temperature to mutually warm and equalize. Boots came alongside his
bare feet and his hands found the harness straps, tracing idly. He knew them as
well as he knew Reiner. It was something that tied their bodies together
despite their differences, the same bruises and chafes in the same formations
crisscrossing over muscle built for running, not jumping. Reiner’s torso,
heavily muscled and full of power leaned against his thinner, taller back and
Bertholt dug his thumbs into the dense muscle causing Reiner to lurch forward
with a hiss, further into him. He could feel those lips curl through his shirt
and ached.
“You’re still upset.” When Bertholt didn’t answer Reiner continued to speak,
mouth right against the nape of his neck. “I promise once this is over we’ll be
free. I promise, Bertholt. It’ll just be you and me.”
A twist and Reiner was on his back, Bertholt pinning him down. Bertholt’s eyes
were too bright, his skin too hot even through Reiner’s jacket and shirt. It
had been too long for both of them; the jump in Bertholt’s temperature woke
something deep in Reiner. Bertholt’s lips twist viciously.
“No. You cannot promise that. We came here to die. You chose this to be our
graveyard, Reiner.”
That hand, that too perfect hand reached up to cup his cheek. “At least we’ll
die together. Just you and me, Bertholt. Our death will be ours, no one
else’s.”
He hated Reiner in that moment. Hated how well they fit together. Hated how
that damned hand could hold his entire essence as if it were nothing. He was
strong; he was more. He was nothing without Reiner. The frustration boiled
over.
Reiner’s shocked gasp was swallowed by Bertholt devouring his mouth. He never
indulged like the others, eating to glut. But Reiner was his and he took all he
hungered for and Reiner offered all Bertholt would take. Eventually Bertholt
wrenched himself away from Reiner to strip.
“No.” Bertholt ground out when Reiner reached for the buckles in his harness.
“Keep wearing that.”
Fear clogged Reiner’s throat. Only Bertholt could scare him, awaken the primal
fear programmed into his DNA. Nodding he simply leaned back and watched
Bertholt bare himself. He was different, skin covering the muscles he knew so
well and enjoyed watching as they bunched and moved with each effort. Now they
surged toward him, bowling him over onto his back so Bertholt, burning hot and
naked covered him again.
One hand shoved roughly up Reiner’s shirt as the other unbuckled the waistbelt
on the harness so Bertholt could open his pants. Stroking Reiner to full
hardness was easy, he knew each spot on Reiner’s body that would lower his
excellent defenses. It was what Bertholt was good at; he was a siege engine
after all. It was Reiner’s words, breathless with need and love that set
Bertholt alight. That and his damned hands, one over his heart, the other
around the nape of his neck, trying to pull him in.
“God, Bertholt. Please.”
“No,” Bertholt snarled. Reiner’s face frozen in shock and fear as Bertholt
leaned down and bit the muscle that joined his neck and shoulder. He dug his
teeth in hard enough he could almost taste blood, marking Reiner who shuddered,
cock bouncing in the circle of Bertholt’s hand. “No,” he repeated, face still
buried in Reiner’s neck. “You’re mine.”
“Yours, always yours.”
“Good.”
Hooking Reiner’s knees over his elbows, Bertholt folded him in half, back
curved enough that his knees we near his ears. Both hands reached to the back
of his belt and with one sharp tug, tightened the entire 3D harness to keep
Reiner in place. Despite no longer being a warrior, Reiner struggled against
the restraints. Bertholt watched the belts dig further into his flesh, fingers
following to press in deeper. As he expected, Reiner only swore and bucked into
the air. Disappointed, Bertholt worked Reiner’s pants off of his ass as far as
the harness would let him. It was still enough. He stroked himself watching
Reiner rock along the curvature of his spine idly. When he got bored with
watching Reiner struggle he stood on his knees, skin flushed blood red. He
wondered what was going through Reiner’s mind when he laid eyes on him. All he
saw was his asshole clench and throat bob. He hoped that the saucer-sized eyes
on him held a little fear. He wanted fear from Reiner right now.
Tightening the harness one more time, Bertholt sank into Reiner, centimeter by
centimeter, wrenching a high note from deep in Reiner’s throat. When there was
no further to go Bertholt rested his forehead against Reiner’s. The desire to
hurt Reiner died as he realized something.
“You’re loose.”
“I waited for you,” he choked out, shoulders writhing. It was the only thing
that could move; Bertholt had him that tight.
Bertholt didn’t reply, simply pulled himself out of Reiner all the way before
slamming back inside. The impact was so strong there was nothing inside Reiner
to cry out in pleasure with. True to his nature Bertholt was a piston created
to drive force through unbreakable things. Even Reiner could not withstand his
onslaught. The wooden bunks creaked ominously.
“Harder,” he gasped, forcing each sound out in the space between each thrust.
“No.”
Utterly denying him anything, Bertholt moved as if a metronome set his pace. He
didn’t speed up or slow in the relentless drive he pounded into Reiner. He was
gasping, scrabbling for any part of Bertholt he could reach and hold onto.
Bertholt was too hot, too much. He was going to burn from the inside out.
“Please, Bertholt, harder.”
“Not unless you change.”
Reiner froze. “You don’t mean…”
“Harden or I won’t let you come.”
The cruelty and resolution in Bertholt’s voice sent shivers through his spine
and he nodded. His skin hardened easily with the ache of Bertholt inside him, a
thick shell that protected him no matter what he did formed. Bertholt’s fingers
ran along the seams that helped with articulated movement. Nothing but awe and
love and fierce pride was in his touch and on his face. Raining kisses on
Reiner’s face he murmured gratitude and love as his hips jerked in aborted
thrusts, body still searing hot.
“Bertholt. Bertholt, let me move,” Reiner whimpered. The harness was too tight.
He couldn’t harden enough with the restraints like this. If he hardened any
more he would break the harness and that was too difficult to explain. “I
can’t—”
His voice finally broke through to Reiner and he blinked, back to himself. He
choked out an apology as he unbuckled the harness. The straps snapped free.
When Bertholt pulled back to give Reiner space to breathe he was stopped,
Reiner’s legs now free caged him in, kept him close and buried inside him.
Bertholt trembled as he felt the hardened plates of skin scrape against his own
very fragile skin. He had to move, had to get Reiner more comfortable. Moving
slowly, he coaxed Reiner to follow him upwards until Reiner was straddling him.
Reiner’s back popped as it realigned itself and impaled himself on Bertholt.
But it was Bertholt gently removing his shirt that had Reiner hissing. The
harness had left the skin tender and already bruising. Bertholt’s hands against
his skin were sheer pain laced with pleasure and his body reacted, hardening
his skin further to protect him from assault. Bertholt pressed further, knowing
the exact amount of pressure needed to stimulate the nerves so Reiner could
enjoy the cocktail of sensations exploding inside him despite his hardened
skin. It was then that Reiner took Bertholt’s face in his hands and kissed him
thoroughly.
“Move.”
He couldn’t disobey. All the frustration that had built up inside him bled out
with the appearance of Reiner’s true skin. Middle and ring fingers of each hand
on the double thigh straps ligatures and thumbs in the crease of Reiner’s inner
thighs, Bertholt rocked into him. Shuddering, Reiner angled his hips and drove
down with each upward thrust. This, not the brutal pounding that Bertholt gave
earlier had his temperature ratcheting even higher as the pressure of orgasm
built in him painfully subtle.
Terrified he would change, Bertholt opened his mouth and steam slithered free
only to be inhaled by Reiner. It was Bertholt’s turn to shudder helplessly as
Reiner, still moving on him, fitted his mouth against his and inhaled, taking
it all in until there was no heat left in him. Now Reiner held all his heat and
swallowed.
He had to move. This was not what he planned or wanted. He didn’t deserve
Reiner, his anchor. Fingers dug in as he thrust harder and reached for Reiner’s
untouched erection only to be swatted away.
“No. I’m close.” Reiner leaned away, smiling a challenge.
Bertholt grinned and gave in, following him as he always had. Reiner leaned
back enough for Bertholt to get his feet underneath his ass before leaning back
in.
It didn’t take long; Bertholt’s perfect defense-shattering thrusts met by
Reiner’s relentless driving had them both at the edge. Reiner went over first,
grinding down hard before his insides clenched tight as orgasm ripped through
him. He came hard, come spurting high enough to splatter on Bertholt’s jaw.
Then as if he had Reiner’s power, Bertholt rocketed them forward until Reiner’s
back was once again on the palette. One, five, a million erratic thrusts later
Bertholt came, teeth imbedded in the mark he made earlier. They stayed locked
together like that until Reiner’s skin softened and Bertholt shivered from the
cold.
They dressed quietly, cleaning quickly from long practice. Free time would end
shortly and the dormitory would soon be full of boys. Bertholt helped Reiner
into his harness, pulling it tight just to hear him hiss. He nuzzled the bulge
in Reiner’s pants, a promise for later.
Exiting the dormitory, Reiner looked over the mass of humanity in the yard. He
had his warrior’s eyes on, Bertholt realized.
“Who knows, we may find who we’re looking for here. The sooner we find them,
the sooner we can go home.”
Bertholt shivered. He couldn’t tell if it was from the cold or something else.
But he hoped Reiner was right.
He always was.
Right?
End Notes
     This story is for Justin (ukiiukii) who put up with me one night as I
     tipsily gushed about how much I love relationship dynamics in
     Shingeki no Kyoujin and then proceeded to send him random paragraphs.
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