Bertholdt had mentioned that he'd always hated riding the subway. People packed in so close, making way too much heat for him to be comfortable, causing his claustrophobia to flare up, along with his nerves. He apparently used to have panic attacks, though he said it'd been years. But he always felt on the verge when surrounded by so many bodies.
A train wasn't exactly the same, but it was pretty similar. Not as many people, but still too many, it probably felt stifling. Reiner hoped that bumping their knees together on occasion was helping, reminding him that he wasn't alone.
"So, these guys we're going to see-" Reiner began. Bertholdt rolling his eyes. They'd been over this a few times already, and he knew that Bertholdt knew that he knew exactly where they were going, and who they were going to see. But it was a distraction.
"Jean and Marco." He supplied, earning a nod.
"Right. John and Mario." Reiner replied. Bertholdt snorted. "They're old friends of yours?"
Bertholdt slid down a bit in his seat, expression conveying that he was ready to just arrive in Trost already. Reiner watched as his train of thought derailed, his face going from amused to terrified in the span of a few seconds. He wondered what he was thinking about.
"Bertl? Are you thinking weird things again?" He wondered. The one in question straightened back up, eyes wide and guilty.
"S-Sorry." He offered, frowning sheepishly. "I hate trains." He offered. Reiner gave him a sympathetic smile, then, thinking better on it, leaned over to plant a kiss on his cheek. A blush bloomed.
"Better than a plane." The blonde pointed out, to which Bertholdt nodded quickly.
"A million times better. I hate flying. Oh my gosh, I'm nervous just thinking about." He admitted, hands wringing where they lay in his lap. Reiner reached over and stole one of the appendages, lacing their fingers together and letting them fall upon the armrest between them.
"You're fine." The blonde promised, smiling. "No planes."
Bertholdt took a breath, visibly relaxing as he let the words sooth him. Reiner was getting really good at that, in his opinion.
"Thank you." Bertholdt mumbled, earning another kiss to his cheek.
"No thanks needed." The other returned quickly, craning a bit to shuffle some stuff around in his bag, finally managing to produce a little package of cookies that he opened with his teeth, since one of his hands was occupied. "Want some?" He offered the bag, and while he usually would refuse, Bertholdt apparently needed the sugar. He reached in and took a couple of the miniature chocolate chip cookies, putting one in his mouth.
They munched in companionable silence, ignoring the looks they earned. Truth be told, it was probably quite a sight; Two rather large, in their own respective ways, men, fingers laced as they ate their way through a bag of sweets. Reiner's pink as hell duffle bag covered in pride buttons probably wasn't helping matters.
Reiner gave it the side eye, smiling fondly. He got the feeling Bertholdt wasn't a fan, but he couldn't really hate the garish thing, no matter how much he tried. Not since Reiner had added a trans pride button to the mix, just for him. He sighed happily at the memory of the brunette discovering the little thing one time when Reiner came to visit. The blonde had received one hell of a blowjob in return that night.
He grinned at the thought, glad no one could read his mind as Bertholdt took another cookie, and he ate another absentmindedly.
"Thanks for coming with me." The taller blurted, examining the seam of his jeans. His companion laughed, but it was in good humor.
"As if I'd let you leave me alone for a week." He shot back. Bertholdt smiled, his face getting red yet again. "You left for, like, three days, and I was crawling up the walls. Literally." He added. Bertholdt chuckled.
"I hope you learned your lesson." The other admonished. Why Reiner had thought he was Spiderman, regardless of how drunk he'd been, he would never know. How he managed to dodge a concussion even after smashing his head against a coffee table was an even more baffling mystery.
"I learned that I do not have spidey powers." He replied with a shrug. "I could still be a superhero, though. Like, Batman or something. I'd have to fly down to Florida and off my parents though, and I don't think that was part of their retirement plan." He laughed. He neglected to mention that he likely had no part in any of their plans, let alone the retirement ones. That would be too much of a downer.
"Or you could just be plain old Reiner. That's the one I like best." Bertholdt commented. That shut down any negative thoughts pretty quick, and his lips were instantly busy attaching themselves to Bertholdt's.
"Or you could just never leave." Reiner retorted.
"You're sweeter than the cookies." Bertholdt complained, ducking his head to break the eye contact. Reiner chuckled, stealing one more kiss before settling back into the seat, fully prepared to doze off for the remainder of the journey, but Bertholdt nudged his shoulder.
"We're the next stop. Don't go to sleep." He warned. Reiner made a disgruntled noise, sitting back up.
"Already?" He questioned, earning a nod.
"We've been on the train for five hours."
Oh. That was sort of a surprise. But, upon checking the time on his phone, he found it to be true.
"I'll be damned. Well, alright. You got your bags?" He inquired. It was needless, for he knew Bertholdt rarely forgot anything, considering he checked that he had all of his belongings about a hundred times a day. He still checked to make sure he had his two bags though.
"Yes." He replied, sitting one in his lap and the other at his side, as if he wasn't going to check them again at least twice before they disembarked the train.
It had taken a while to get used to the mild OCD. There had been a few signs that first night, but in his haste to get into Bertholdt's pants, Reiner hadn't paid them much mind. Little things like checking his pockets every hour or so, or fiddling with the hem of his shirt even though it hadn't shifted. That first night had turned into a first week, then a first month, and now it'd been nearly four months, somehow, and it was a lot more noticeable.
Checking that the lights were out four times before leaving the apartment. Getting up way too early for something but still running late because he'd go back to check that the oven was really off, even though he hadn't used it in days. Getting up a few times in the night to assure himself that the door was really locked.
But he was getting used to it. He was getting used to a fifteen minute wait anytime they left the apartment. He was getting used to compensating for the lateness by telling Bertholdt an earlier time. He was getting used to falling back asleep after Bertholdt curled back up in his arms for the third time that night.
At least he never had to worry about burning the apartment down or getting robbed.
Sure enough, by the time the train pulled up to the station, Bertholdt had patted himself down and peeked inside his bags twice, and he did one more pat down before joining the line of people filing off the metal monstrosity.
He looked uncomfortable, shoulders stooped and head down as he was bumped and herded through the small space, and Reiner couldn't help but reach a hand out and capture the other male's, squeezing softly to let him know he wasn't being fondled by a random stranger. Bertholdt squeezed back, sending a thankful glance over his shoulder.
Once they managed to get through the doors, the crowd dispersed, and Bertholdt visibly relaxed, his long legs slowing to something more leisurely as he led Reiner towards a gate, looking like he knew where he was going.
"Okay, we're going to have to walk a few blocks, but it's not that far. A taxi's more trouble than it's worth." He promised, gesturing to the left before walking in that direction. Reiner was pleased to find their fingers still tangled, knowing Bertholdt wasn't big on public displays of affection. It was a rare treat.
They'd been walking for several minutes before the taller man made a rather distressed-sounding noise. Reiner gave him his attention.
"Um, so, I should warn you-" He began.
"Uh-oh." Reiner grumbled, but he nodded to show he was listening.
"S-sorry. It's just… Well, it might seem kind of… Strange." He said, cheeks getting red. It wasn't hard to embarrass the tall man, but he'd hardly even said anything yet. Reiner quirked a brow.
"What might?" He prompted. He could see Bertholdt sweating, poor thing.
"U-um, well… It's sort of hard to explain without it sounding bad, but I promise we don't mean anything by it, and Jean knows, but it's going to be weird to you, which is why I'm trying to warn you, but god, I'm babbling. Um, to get to the point, Marco and I-" He was cut off by a squeal and a blur of what was probably a human form.
"BERTL!"
And suddenly there was some freckled guy kissing Reiner's boyfriend.
It took his brain several seconds to discern all of the things wrong with the picture; The first and foremost being the fact that someone else was kissing his boyfriend.
And Bertholdt didn't look too displeased about it.
Bertholdt was, in fact, wrapping his arms around mystery freckles.
It was almost comical how long it took for Reiner's mind to suggest he ought to get angry. His brows had just begun to furrow when another voice interrupted.
"Oh my god babe, get your tongue out of Bert's mouth! You're freaking out his boyfriend."
His gaze snapped to another man, this one a bit smaller, his hair two different colors. If he wasn't so busy getting angry about someone else making out with his boyfriend, he'd have asked about it, but at the moment, his mind was a little preoccupied.
The first guy snapped back, mouth forming a surprised 'O' as he turned his attention to the blonde.
"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!" He blurted, eyes wide. He made a point of peeling himself away from Bertholdt before offering a sheepish look. "I forget how weird we are, sorry! Did Bertl not warn you?" He wondered, brows knit.
Bertholdt sighed, taking a few steps back to lace his fingers with Reiner's, squeezing in what was probably meant to be a reassuring gesture.
"I was trying to, when you pounced on me." He explained. The man frowned, expression apologetic.
"Oh god, no wonder you look like you're about to punch me. Um, so-" He began, but Bertholdt cut him off.
"As I was trying to say, Marco and I have kind of… A weird relationship. We're not romantically interested in each other, but we're more than friends? I don't know how to put it, really. But I promise, we don't mean anything by it." He promised, squeezing again.
There was a beat of awkward silence, then the freckled guy took a step forward, offering his hand to the blonde.
"So, um, I'm Marco, and this is my boyfriend, Jean." He gestured to the guy with the weird hair, who offered a nod of acknowledgement. "Sorry to surprise you like that, but it's nice to finally meet you. Bertl has been talking about you nonstop for ages now, so it's good to put a face to the name."
Reiner wanted to hate the guy, all things considered, but with his friendly smile and extroverted qualities, it was already proving pretty difficult. Reiner got the feeling he was the type of guy that pretty much everyone liked, at least a little.
He finally shook the hand that was still waiting, nodding.
"I'm Reiner. He's talked about you guys too." He replied. Marco quirked a brow, shooting Bertholdt a glance.
"All good things, I should hope."
Bertholdt chuckled nervously, taking a half-step towards Reiner, fingers twitching in a gesture Reiner had come to recognize as awkwardness. Bertholdt, of course, always felt awkward in social situations, but there was a difference between feeling awkward and feeling uncomfortable, and he was teetering on the brink.
Reiner had opened his mouth to say something that would hopefully come off as comforting, but Marco beat him to the punch.
"Oh, quit fretting you lanky thing. I'm just kidding." He proffered, waving his hand dismissively. Reiner could feel Bertholdt relax beside him.
In that moment, Reiner realized something; Marco was a challenger.
As far as he knew, Bertholdt didn't keep many friends, seeing as he was socially inept and, in his own words, it was more troublesome to have a lot of friends. He preferred to have to a few that were close to him. Those friends, apparently, consisted almost exclusively of Jean and Marco, or so he'd heard. And since they lived hours away, Bertholdt rarely interacted with anyone outside of Reiner.
Call it petty, but Reiner had begun to pride himself on his ability to keep his boyfriend comfortable, to recognize the signs of rising anxiety and nip it in the bud before it could get much worse than just a bit of sweating and nervous laughter. He thought himself the only person to know Bertholdt well enough to pull it off.
But, apparently, he'd thought wrong. Marco, from that small interaction, had proven that he too recognized the signs and knew how to deal with the situation.
And, somehow, that made the blonde more jealous than the kiss had.
He could see Bertholdt turn to look at him out of his peripheral, but he didn't offer any explanation as to why he'd squeezed the brunette's hand so hard. It was petty, and he didn't want to worry Bertholdt with it, so he opted to simply simmer for the time being, fingers laced carefully with the other man's.
"As much as I want to catch up, we probably ought to move out of the middle of the sidewalk." Marco suggested, nodding in the direction he started walking, reaching out for the other man's hand as he went, the two walking side by side as Reiner and Bertholdt fell in line behind them.
"Reiner." Bertholdt whispered, leaning over so only the blonde could hear. Reiner made a noise to show he was listening. "I'm sorry for not saying anything about Marco. I should have told you sooner. But I'm really not lying. He and I used to date for a while, but we decided that we weren't meant to be together that way. But…" He paused, pursing his lips. "But I still love him, in a way. Not a romantic way, but definitely not platonic." He made a whining noise, brows knit upward. "I'm sorry, this is so hard to explain. I can't think of a way to make it not sound bad, but I promise, I'm not cheating on you or anything."
Reiner cut him off by giving a gentle tug on his arm, lowering him just enough to plant a kiss on his lips.
"I know, Bertl. I can't say I understand, but I trust you." He promised. Bertholdt's face warmed up to a pretty red color, his strides becoming stiff with pleased embarrassment. Reiner couldn't help but smile at the expression on his boyfriend's face, pleased that he had that effect on the lanky man. And as much as he might have been a bit jealous of the freckled man that was glancing back at them with some sort of knowing grin, he was confident that Bertholdt was his.
They eventually made it to a cute little house, the paint chipping but otherwise in good repair. Marco led the way inside, holding the door for the other three, then closing it behind them.
"So, Reiner!" He began, gesturing towards the hallway. "It's time for the mandatory tour of the house. Jean rolled his eyes, nodding towards the first room.
"I'll take care of it, if Bertholdt starts dinner." He bargained. Bertholdt laughed, rubbing the back of his head while his face got hot, and Marco shuffled him into the kitchen, sparing a wink at the two remaining men.
It felt a bit awkward to be left with Jean. While he didn't know Marco any better, the freckled man had a more extroverted personality that made it feel like he'd been your friend for ages. Jean, however, came off sort of standoffish, and stand off Reiner did, clearing his throat awkwardly.
Jean gestured for the blonde to follow, taking him first to the living room.
"Marco's tours are unreasonably long." He claimed, pointing down the hall. "Bathroom's that way, and the kitchen's across the hall." He explained, heading for the stairs. "He likes to spend at least ten minutes explaining how we got each piece of furniture. Regardless of how uneventful the story might be."
The entered the second story, and he opened the first door.
"This is our bedroom." He allowed Reiner to peek inside before moving to the next door. "Bathroom." And then across the hall. "And this is you guys." He finished, actually stepping inside this one and beckoning the bigger man inside.
"It's nice in here." He observed, looking the room over. It wasn't overly furnished, only a bed, a nightstand, and a small desk. But it was well kept, and the blankets looked soft.
"Yeah, Marco cleaned up. It's usually a wreck. Usually when he visited, Bert would just sleep with us. But, you know…" He trailed. Reiner stiffened, turning to glance at the other man. "That's actually why I offered to give you the tour." He admitted.
"Because Bertl used to sleep with you?" Reiner asked dumbly. Jean shook his head.
"Er, well, alright, that's part of it. But I thought it might help if you heard this from me. I've been dating Marco for a few years now, and I'm used to the way they act around each other now. But I remember the first few times that Bertholdt came to visit." He began, sitting on the bed. After a moment of contemplation, Reiner joined him, tilting his head a bit with curiosity.
"At first, it really pissed me off. They're super affectionate with each other. Like, they still kiss and stuff. It looks an awful lot like they're still together, if you don't know better. I was hella jealous." He admitted, frowning briefly.
"It does take some getting used to, but they really aren't serious about each other, not in that way, anyway. The best way that I can explain it is that they still love each other, but they can't work around each other." He offered. Reiner's brows furrowed in confusion as he tried to decipher the meaning. Jean made a noise of distress as he reworded his thoughts.
"It's like, uh… They still want to kiss, and cuddle, and fuck, but only once in a while. I guess it's sort of like friends with benefits, in a way. But they don't want anything long-term to come out of it. They're fine together for a week or two, but then they start getting on each other's nerves. One time we had this huge snow storm come through while Bert was visiting, and he got stuck here an extra few days, and I'm pretty sure they were about to kill each other. Thank god they finally got the roads plowed enough to get Bert to the station." He laughed, disappearing in his remembrance for a while before remembering the initial purpose of the conversation.
"Oh, so, uh… Yeah. I understand that you're probably jealous, and I don't blame you for being uncomfortable with the way they act around each other, but I just wanted to let you know, from experience, that it doesn't really mean anything. And they'll tone it down if it makes you uncomfortable." He promised, standing up.
"Now I'm going down to see if I can get Marco out of the kitchen before he ruins dinner." He announced, scurrying out of the room and down the stairs.
Reiner took a moment to ponder the new information. It did shed some light on some things, but it also sowed several more questions.
Bertholdt and Marco fucked? How often? And Jean just let them? Did he watch? Did he participate? How was he supposed to even bring that sort of thing up? And how was he supposed to just accept that his boyfriend wanted to kiss and cuddle and fuck some other guy? He didn't think that was normal.
He sighed, getting up and heading down the stairs as well, heading back for the front door and grabbing all of their bags before heading for the guest room again. He got a start when Bertholdt stepped out of the kitchen and headed his direction.
"Hey you." He greeted, smiling in that unsure fashion he always did as he held out his hand to receive his bags. Reiner only let him have one, the lighter one.
"I thought you were making dinner?" The blonde proffered, and Bertholdt gave a little laugh.
"Marco messed it up, and Jean is doing damage control. He's better at salvaging Marco's disasters than I am. More practice." He replied. Reiner quirked a brow.
"He's that bad at cooking?"
Bertholdt smiled fondly, following behind his boyfriend as they reached the stairs.
"At cooking, yes. He always finds a way to mess it up. Even microwave dinners." He agreed. "But he can bake like a professional pastry chef." He added.
Reiner made a face, and he only laughed a bit more.
"I know, he's a weird one. But you learn to love his quirks." He suggested. Reiner didn't know if he could agree, but he nodded anyway, opening the door to what was their bedroom and depositing their bags in one of the corners. Bertholdt did the same after shutting the door. He checked to make sure it was shut twice before turning back to Reiner.
"Hey." He said again as he wrapped his arms snugly around the blonde's neck, moving in almost close enough for a kiss, but only staring.
"Hey." Reiner returned, a brow quirked as he wondered what the tall man was up to.
"I'm sorry, again, about Marco. I asked him to try and be less affectionate. I'm sorry if he slips up, though. We're used to being that way around each other, but I understand why that would bother you." He babbled, looking way too solemn for the occasion. Reiner's hands found his cheeks, tilting his head back up till he had to lift his eyes and meet Reiner's, and then he pressed a kiss to pursed lips. They relaxed into the affection after a moment, and Bertholdt's posture relaxed a bit.
"You don't need to apologize. Jean sort of explained it to me." The blonde offered, and Bertholdt made a noise of surprise.
"Oh, really? That was nice of him. And I guess it means more coming from him, since he's sort of in a similar position." He mused. Reiner nodded.
"I mean, I still don't think I really understand. Do you guys, like, fuck?" He asked.
He should have realized that that was a little too blunt for the sweaty giant, for his boyfriend's face went crimson and he spun around, covering his face with his arms.
"Oh my god." Bertholdt breathed, and Reiner could hear him taking a few deep breaths before working up the courage to turn around. "Um, we have. But if you don't want to, then we'll respect that. I know that poly isn't everyone's cup of tea, and-" He was talking quickly, but Reiner still caught it and stopped the man before he could continue.
"Wait, poly?" He prompted. Bertholdt looked surprised.
"Um, yeah. Polyamory." He clarified, brows knit. Reiner frowned at that. "Er, maybe not the way you're thinking. We don't really do a triad, where everyone dates each other. We just sort of get together sometimes."
Oh. So threesomes. Jean did participate.
Wait.
He'd said 'if you don't want to.'
Which meant…
"Hold on, you want to have a foursome?"
Well, if Bertholdt was blushing before, it was nothing compared to the red that flared up now. It took him a good three minutes to calm down enough to even stutter.
"I-I mean, um, it's not l-like we're pressuring you or anything!" He finally squeaked, covering his face with long fingers. "If you d-don't want to, no one is expecting it of y-you, seriously!" He promised, still refusing to reemerge. Reiner just stared, mind still trying to process what he was hearing.
"B-but if you want to…" Bertholdt added, his voice quiet enough that Reiner wasn't sure if he was meant to hear it at all. It was kind of mind blowing to think that, judging by the way that he was talking, the other three had already considered the possibility. Discussed it even. When on earth had they had the time?
But it definitely changed his perception of the other two. Marco was no longer much of a threat, and more of a fun time waiting to happen. By including Reiner in his plans, he'd removed himself as an object of jealousy. And now that he wasn't a competitor, Reiner could consider his attractiveness without bias.
Jean and Marco were an attractive couple, and he'd noticed that immediately. Now that he was seriously giving it thought, he deemed them entirely fuckable.
Bertholdt was still freaking out, so he pulled him down for a kiss, since that always seemed to calm his nerves, and it worked, as always.
"I'm game." He promised, grinning. "If they are, anyway." He added. Bertholdt's eyes were wide, but he nodded quickly.
"O-oh yes, they both like you, so far. But you can spend some time getting to know them. It's not like you have to make a choice now. U-um, sorry, wow, I didn't think you'd say yes." He admitted. Reiner chuckled, shrugging.
"I've had a three-way before, and it was pretty fun. And at least they're people you trust." He proffered, kissing his boyfriend again. Bertholdt nodded, still a bit anxious, but he calmed down when Marco called them down for dinner.
The food looked edible, so apparently Jean had been able to save whatever disaster Marco had caused, and they sat down to eat. Marco, as it turned out, was a great conversation partner, and between him and Reiner, dinner was pleasantly chatty. When he wasn't trying to convince himself to dislike the guy, he was great company.
Bertholdt offered to help Jean in the kitchen with the dishes after dinner, and Marco smiled at the remaining blonde, nodding towards the living room and then patting the spot on the couch next to where he sat. Reiner took it, looking at the brunette expectantly.
"I just wanted to apologize for earlier." He offered sheepishly, smiling that unreasonably friendly smile that made Reiner want to protect him forever. "I'm sure Bertholdt said something, but I think it was mostly my fault. I sometimes forget that we're pretty weird. I seriously didn't mean to freak you out, but I think I succeeded anyway. So I wanted to say that I'm sorry, and I don't blame you if you're angry, or hate me, or never forgive me."
Reiner sighed, this whole speech feeling pretty repetitive.
"Don't worry about it. Jean and Bertholdt explained it to me a bit, so I sort of get it." He explained. Marco lit up, his relief apparent in his smile.
"I'm so glad! A bit surprised Jean bothered to explain anything, but glad!" He laughed, ignoring the look of scrutiny he received from his boyfriend as the other two finished the dishes and joined them in the living room. Reiner made room for Bertholdt by his side, and Jean planted himself in Marco's lap as if he owned the deed.
"I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm offended." Jean announced, earning scoffs from everyone gathered.
"You're always offended, Jean." Bertholdt commented, chuckling as Jean face twisted in offended disbelief.
"Excuse you, I am offended that you would say such a thing."
"Game, set, match." Marco laughed, his giggles rising in volume as he was 'viciously' tickle attacked by his lover.
They settled down and decided to watch a movie, bickering for a long while about genre before agreeing that they should just watch a Disney movie and call it a day. Since he had the remote, Jean made the eventual selection of Treasure Planet. Bertholdt got up to make popcorn, and Marco got drinks, a process which took forever since Marco managed to drop a cup twice, and Bertholdt popped about five bags of popcorn.
By the time the movie was over, they were covered in popcorn, limbs tangled in some strange, vaguely human-shaped cuddle-puddle. Reiner wasn't even sure who's feet were in his lap, but they were covered with batman socks, so he got the feeling they were probably Jean's. Marco had fallen asleep at some point, neck craned so he could rest his head on Bertholdt's shoulder while his hand remained twined with Jean's. Bertholdt had pressed himself against Reiner's side, and the blonde had thrown an arm over his shoulder, fingers just barely brushing Marco's hair.
Jean groaned as the credits rolled, reaching futilely for the remote.
"Ugggh. I don't wanna get up." He groaned, stretching his fingers more, still in vain.
Bertholdt chuckled, sitting up a bit more.
"We really ought to. Marco's neck is going to hurt something awful if we let him sleep like this." He commented, poking the freckles on the man's cheeks gently. Jean sighed in what appeared to be agreement, for he nodded shortly after.
Bertholdt smiled, shaking Marco's shoulder gently till he stirred, giggling as the other man blinked groggily.
"Oh, come on. You were only asleep for ten minutes." He pointed out when Marco swayed sleepily. This earned more tired blinking, and a yawn. Reiner chuckled as well, nodding his assent when Bertholdt glanced his direction. He could tell the tallest man was asking permission, and he felt more comfortable when they kissed this time, knowing he'd given it.
That woke Marco up, at least enough for him to get words out, and he made a whining noise.
"Bertl, noooo." He cried quietly, looking as gravely serious as someone practically drunk on sleep can be. "Don't kiss me!"
This earned three quirked brows, and all eyes were on him.
"Don't kiss me, or your boyfriend is going to hate me, and we'll never have a foursome, and he'll never let you come back. And what's life without a foursome, Bertl? Terrible, that's what." He reasoned, frowning deeply.
Jean looked utterly shocked, apparently mortified that his boyfriend had brought the subject up. Reiner, however, fell into an obnoxious giggle-fit, and Bertholdt had to fight to hold in his own laughs. The other two seemed a bit confused, even as Marco gained more cognition.
"Oh Marco, you've really got to work on filtering yourself when you're tired." Bertholdt admonished, shaking his head. "You're lucky we already talked about this." He added.
Now he was the one getting stared at, and Reiner could see the sweat begin to form at his brow as he became the center of attention.
"What?" Jean finally asked.
"U-um, I m-mean, we, um, we…" He trailed, hands coming up to wring together. Reiner reached out and quickly stole one away, squeezing it gently.
"Bertl brought it up earlier, when he was trying to explain everything to me." He offered. Bertholdt's posture relaxed when he realized he didn't have to do the talking, and Reiner paused for a moment to press a kiss to his cheek. "Said you guys are into the poly thing."
It had been tense for a moment, but everyone visibly relaxed after that, and Marco smiled amiably.
"Well, that's one way to put it, I guess." He agreed. "I didn't think Bertl would bring it up on his own though. And so soon! Gosh, you probably think we're sex-fiends or something-" He began, Jean cutting him off with ease.
"What he's beating around the bush to ask is; Wanna fuck?" He deadpanned. Marco choked, eyes wide, then narrowed in a glare that he sent over to his boyfriend.
"Oh my god, you are so shameless! Don't be so vulgar!" He cried.
"I'm not vulgar, just blunt." Jean shot back, rolling his eyes. "So, what's it gonna be, blondie?"
And now it was Reiner's turn for a stare down. But he took it in stride, grinning.
"I already told Bertl, I'm game." He replied. Both of the other men seemed to light up at that, shooting grins at each other as if they'd just snuck a peak at their Christmas presents and knew they were getting something good.
"I officially approve of your new boyfriend." Jean announced, shooting a cocky grin in Bertholdt's direction. Bertholdt laughed anxiously, and Reiner laughed whole-heartedly.
They fell into a silence that quickly became awkward as they realized that no one was really sure how to proceed from there. Getting from point A to point foursome was easier said than done. It was Reiner that eventually couldn't take the silence anymore.
"So, like, now?" He blurted. And, if nothing else, it got everyone to laugh, albeit nervously.
"Um, if you want to." Marco agreed, nodding. "But we should probably go over boundaries before we do anything." He added, and Jean and Bertholdt both nodded. "Jean and I know Bertl's, and he knows ours, be we're going to have to learn with you."
Reiner agreed quickly, lacing his fingers with Bertholdt's as they got down to business.
"Alright, well, to start with, we'd like to know how far you're okay with us going with Bertholdt. We don't want to make you jealous, since that would kind of ruin the fun." Marco pointed out.
Reiner pondered that, not really able to decide where his limit laid, since different things had different values to him. Marco smiled sympathetically.
"Would you be alright with us kissing him?" He began. And Reiner could agree to that pretty easily. "What about oral? Giving and receiving."
It was at this point that he realized that Bertholdt's face had gone crimson, and he gave his hand a squeeze.
"If he's alright with that, then yeah." He agreed. Both Jean and Marco seemed pleased at the prospect.
"Alright. Fingering?"
Well that was forward.
"Er… That's up to Bertl. I guess… I'm alright with pretty much anything, as long as he is. It's his body, and I don't really have a right to tell him what he can do with it. But I think I'd rather if you didn't, you know… Uh… The penetration thing." He admitted, looking down at his lap.
"Oh, that's totally understandable. That's a trust thing, and we understand that we pretty much just met, so no worries. I think the same goes for us too." Marco replied, smiling that friendly smile like they weren't hashing out the details of group sex. "In fact, I think that's a good set of rules for all of us to follow. Anything else?" He wondered, head tilted.
"Condoms." Berthodlt squeaked.
"Oh, yeah, that's important." Reiner agreed, rubbing hopefully soothing circles in his boyfriend's back.
"Definitely. We have plenty, so that's no problem." Marco promised.
A few more things were ironed out, and then it was time for the torturously awkward trip up to Jean and Marco's bedroom. Once inside, they all lingered, stealing glances at each other. It was Marco who made the first move this time, reaching a hand out to brush against Bertholdt's cheek. He turned to Reiner as the tallest man shivered.
"It okay if I borrow him for a while?" He asked, smiling when Reiner nodded. He helped the brunette with his pants, and his shirt, then led him towards the bed, pushing him down gently as his lips began pressing kisses to just about every exposed inch of skin they could find.
Bertholdt shuddered, laying back against the pillows and spreading his legs so Marco could fit between. Reiner watched as his eyes fluttered shut, those ridiculous lashes casting pretty shadows on his ridiculous cheekbones.
Jean took a few steps to stand beside the blonde, nudging him with a grin.
"Trust me, you're not going to regret this. These two are fucking hot together." He promised. Reiner just grunted, returning his attention to the two on the bed just in time to watch Bertholdt arch his back as Marco pressed a kiss through his underwear. He stifled a groan.
"Mmm, Bertl?" Marco cooed softly, getting the other's attention. "Can I take this off, or do you want to keep it tonight?" He asked, fingering at the hem of his binder. Bertholdt nodded, lifting his arms to give the other man access to the hooks along the side. Marco undid them with a practiced ease that had Reiner wondering just how often the two had gone at it.
Bertholdt took a few sharp breaths when the article came apart, filling his lungs fully and stretching his arms above his head to make sure everything was still in working order. Marco waited till he was done, then his lips were roaming the newly exposed flesh, paying special attention to the indents left behind by the seams of the binder, making the taller man writhe almost effortlessly.
As much as he wanted to be jealous about how responsive his boyfriend was being to someone else, he was a bit too caught up in the sounds of his moans and the arousal stirring in his pants. Jean apparently noticed, chuckling.
"Told you." He teased, grinning. "But just wait. I'll bet you anything you want that Marco's gonna suck him off, and I promise you, that's one of the hottest things you're ever going to see."
Reiner just made a noncommittal noise, shifting his weight a few times before just sitting on the edge of the bed. Standing was pretty hard when you're… Hard.
Jean followed suit, but their actions went unnoticed as, sure enough, Marco began sliding Bertholdt's underwear down, stroking his thighs for a moment before slotting his mouth over his cock.
Bertholdt cried out, the sound sharp after the soft sighs he'd been giving prior, and Reiner couldn't silence his own little moan as he watched his boyfriend's face contort in pleasure. Marco was good, that much was obvious. He clearly had more practice with this, because he knew what to do without even concentrating. Reiner, though he tried, was definitely still learning how to push all of Bertholdt's buttons.
So seeing his muscles shaking and spasming, entirely out of his control, was a sight to behold. He wanted to learn how to do that. And just watching Marco at work was giving him some ideas, things he hadn't thought to try on his own.
Where had Marco learned his tricks? The way they all talked about it, it sounded like he and Bertholdt hadn't been together for very long, surely not long enough for him to know how to make the tallest man go entirely limp, unable to move beyond rippling shudders.
Bertholdt seemed to realize he was being watched, and he cracked his eyes open, locking his gaze with Reiner's for a moment. His cheeks got redder, but he weakly held his arms open, beckoning his boyfriend over. And who was Reiner to say no?
Careful not to get in Marco's way, he let their lips meet, sighing as he felt Bertholdt's arms around his shoulders, felt his sharp little breaths against his lips. He drank in the moans as they came, coaxing Bertholdt into making out, though it wound up sloppy since he could barely breathe with Marco still working him over.
Everyone seemed to remember Jean at the same time, for they all stopped what they were doing to look in his direction. He froze at the sudden attention, looking sort of guilty to have been caught with a hand pressed against the crotch of his jeans.
Bertholdt received one more kiss before Reiner extracted himself and left his boyfriend in Marco's care, sitting down again, next to Jean this time.
"Hey." He greeted, feeling about as awkward as Jean looked.
"Um… Hey." Jean replied quietly. Marco had already returned his attention to Bertholdt, so the conversation was just between them.
"I know that we're kinda new to each other, but if you want, I could…" Reiner began, nodding downwards. Jean looked a little surprised by the offer, and he seemed to consider it a moment, but he eventually nodded.
"If you don't… Mind." He added sheepishly, but already he was moving closer. Reiner hoped his smile was reassuring, and he supposed it was, because Jean didn't flinch or anything when he undid the button and zipper of his jeans.
It felt strange to know that he was about to touch someone else with his boyfriend not even two feet away. But then, he'd gotten used to seeing Marco sucking him off, so he was sure he'd get used to this too. One more breath, then he slid his hand inside.
And froze.
The feeling was familiar, but not as familiar as he was expecting. His eyes were wide.
"Wait, holy shit!" He gasped, fussing with the underwear until he could pull it out and, sure enough, in his hand was a packer. Everyone had turned to look at him, Jean looking much like a deer in the headlights. Reiner just stared at the object, wrapping his mind around what it meant. "Holy shit, you're trans too!" He announced.
There was a long beat of silence, then Marco and Bertholdt both broke into powerful giggles, a few snorts finding their way into the world. Reiner looked dumbfounded, and Jean looked horrified.
"Oh my god, you really didn't know?" Marco managed, balancing himself on Bertholdt's thighs. Reiner received a sympathetic look from his boyfriend, but no other assistance. He turned back to Jean, who was red all the way down to the collar of his shirt.
"Fuck, no, I had no idea!" He admitted. Although it made Jean redder, he also looked a little pleased beneath it all. Reiner realized that was probably a compliment.
But then, that really explained a few things. Why Marco was so good at what he did, why there was a cluster of silicone dicks on the shelf of the nightstand that had gone unmentioned during the tour, why there was a fucking trans pride flag in the living room-
"I'm so fucking stupid, holy shit." Reiner groaned, shaking his head. Bertholdt made a noise of distress, leaning over Marco to pull Reiner into a kiss.
"Not stupid, just oblivious." He corrected, lying back down. Reiner allowed himself to chuckle at his own expense before looking at Jean again. "Well, shit, sorry. I didn't mean to make a big deal about it, you just surprised me. I can still… You know. If you want." He added.
Jean was still beet red, but he nodded, standing up for a moment to shimmy out of his pants, then he sat down again. Bertholdt and Marco had the good graces to go back to their own activities, almost as if nothing had happened.
But now Reiner felt like he needed to make the whole thing up to Jean, and he figured pleasure might be enough to get his mind off of it. And now that he knew what he was dealing with, he had an easier time picking a position.
He settled next to Bertholdt, pulling Jean up against his chest and reaching around. It would be easier on his wrist, and would give Jean something to lean against. Win-win, in his book.
He hesitated a moment before letting himself really touch, rubbing at Jean through his underwear for a while. Jean was a lot more responsive than he'd anticipated, letting out a moan after just a few tight circles from Reiner's middle finger. Just a few seconds and he was already arching his back into the touch, thighs fighting to stay open.
Reiner worked him over that way till he'd thoroughly soaked his underwear, and he was trembling with sensitivity.
"Okay if I take them off?" The larger man asked, earning a hasty nod. Jean lifted his hips to help the motion, sitting back once they were off. It took a moment and a bit of coaxing, in the form of smooth circles rubbed into his thighs, to get Jean to open his legs.
Reiner didn't give him time to think on it, finding his pattern again. He'd quickly learned that Jean was more of an up and down guy, compared to Bertholdt who came for circles. And he liked it harder.
At some point, Jean's moans caught the attention of the other two, for before Jean or Reiner had noticed, they'd separated and come to watch.
Jean blushed fiercely, trying for a moment to close his legs, but Reiner's had a grip on one, and he didn't have much success. And he couldn't really protest while he was moaning like that. So they got away with staring for a moment.
But that apparently wasn't enough for Bertholdt, who gave Reiner a look. The blonde pulled his hand back, grabbing Jean's other thigh and pulling his legs apart a little more. He needed to make room, because Bertholdt was on a mission.
Jean practically screamed when Bertholdt licked at his cock, subconsciously scrambling to close his legs, but Reiner kept a grip on them, holding him in place. From his position, the view was even better than when they'd watched Marco. And if he thought Marco was good…
Bertholdt was a pro. Reiner had noticed he was gifted at sucking cock, but this was on another level. He supposed Bertholdt had an advantage, seeing as he had a similar body. But the way Jean shook against his chest… Too much of this, and he might come in his pants even before Jean got off.
He got a bit of a start when Marco put a hand on his shoulder. The brunette offered him a placating smile, though, and he returned it.
"Bertholdt can do things with his mouth that a porn star would be jealous of." He whispered, leaning down so only Reiner could really hear. The blonde just nodded in agreement, for he knew it to be true.
"And Jean moans like one." He laughed. Marco chuckled as well, nodding.
"He's always been super vocal." He offered, settling his hands on Jean's shoulder. The smaller man jumped, glancing up to see his boyfriend for a moment before Bertholdt did something that had him groaning again.
Marco, with some skillful maneuvering, got Jean's shirt over his head. The binder followed after quickly, but Reiner didn't miss the way that Marco's fingers paused at the clasps, not undoing a single one till Jean gave a small nod.
Once that was taken care of, he put his hands on Reiner's shoulders in turn, squeezing there almost like there was a massage to follow.
"You too?" He asked, waiting for a nod before tugging at Reiner's shirt. As soon as it was off, Jean leaned back, his skin hot where it touched Reiner's.
The blonde was suddenly thankful that Marco had helped him out of his shirt, because the skin to skin contact was doing amazing things for him. Bertholdt was still hard at work, currently lapping up some of the cum that was starting to spill onto the bed from the source, causing rippling shudders through Jean's core that Reiner could feel against his chest.
His hands found the smaller man's hips, squeezing there as he leaned down to speak at his ear.
"It okay if I touch up here?" He asked, hands moving up toward's Jean's chest. There was a pause, but he nodded.
Reiner wasted no time, sliding his hands up and over the soft flesh. Jean was a bit bigger in the chest than Bertholdt, and perkier. He probably hadn't been binding as long. It wasn't a bad thing, though. Reiner could appreciate the feeling, and it seemed that Jean could too, for he let out a breathy sigh.
Apparently, Reiner and Bertholdt had good timing. Just as Bertholdt's tongue slid back up to Jean's cock, Reiner pinched at his nipples. Jean really cried out then, the sound hiccupping into sobs when the sensations didn't stop. He could only fight back tears and quiver as his body was overstimulated. Marco took some pity, though, covering his lips with a kiss and muffling the sounds, holding his face in place with gently cupped hands.
Reiner could tell when he came; the way he arched was unmistakable. He was definitely flexible, to say the least. Bertholdt spent some time licking it up, making Jean shudder with aftershocks. When he was done, Reiner helped the blonde lay down, petting his hair before leaving him alone to recover.
He was surprised, when he turned, to find lips on his own. And they weren't familiar, although they were certainly pleasant.
Marco was smiling when he pulled away, a hand coming up to run through the short hair at the top of Reiner's head.
"I can see why Bertholdt likes you." He commented, kissing him again, big brown eyes shut with lashes that were somehow even more ridiculously long than Bertholdt's. And Reiner found that he really didn't mind. Now that he'd sunken into the groupsex-mentality, it was coming much easier.
Bertholdt moved back a bit, making room for Marco to climb onto the bed in front of Reiner, watching for a moment as the two just kissed.
Reiner had to admit, the brunette was a fantastic kisser. And, thinking on it, he felt sort of bad. Out of all of them, Marco had received the least attention. He still had all of his clothes on, even. Reiner made a grab for his shirt, taking if off easily enough. He allowed himself a glance, humming approvingly at what he saw.
Marco wasn't built as big as Reiner, but he was definitely thicker than wiry Jean and lanky Bertholdt. Where Reiner's muscles were pretty big, Marco's were lean, covered in a healthy layer of chub. It was pretty cute, even Reiner had to admit. He could see himself using that tummy as a pillow.
But he had more important things to do than contemplate the advantages of a little pudge. Especially when Marco leaned in to whisper in his ear.
"Want to make Bertholdt scream?"
Reiner shivered, somehow managing to get even harder in his pants. He nodded quickly, feeling Marco's smile against his cheek. The brunette reached over, and Jean wordlessly handed him a foil package, as if he knew exactly what they were planning. Marco leaned over to kiss him before turning back to Reiner.
"Need these off." He urged, tugging on the belt loops of Reiner's pants. The blonde stood to comply, dropping his underwear as well, glad for the relief of pressure. Marco whistled.
"Bertl always did like them big." He commented, shaking his head and getting to work on opening the little packet, rolling the condom on for Reiner once he got it open.
Bertholdt just watched all of this, clearly unsure of what was going on but too socially anxious to ask. When Reiner leaned over to kiss Marco again, he wondered for a moment if they were breaking the no cross-penetration, but no, they were just kissing, and whispering some more.
Then they both turned to look at him, and he had the coherency to jump, eyes going wide.
Reiner grinned, moving up behind his boyfriend, tilting his head back till he could slot their lips together, deepening the kiss and keeping close till Bertholdt was gasping.
"Hey, handsome." He greeted when he finally pulled away, drinking in the brunette's panting. Bertholdt whined at the comment, shifting to press back against Reiner's body. The blonde groaned, kissing him again. "Yeah, I'm working on it, sweetheart." He promised, grabbing the darker man's hips and hoisting him up, his erection sliding between his legs.
Bertholdt moaned, rolling his hips back again. Reiner gritted his teeth, carefully holding his boyfriend up while lining up at the same time. And, with as wet as Marco had gotten him, sliding in was almost too easy.
Bertholdt cried out, lurching forward, relying on Reiner's arms to keep him mostly upright. Luckily, Reiner was built for this, with the strength and stamina of an ox. It definitely came in handy between the sheets.
He hefted the man up, so that he was leaning back instead, exposing him in the front. Marco was quick to move in and take advantage, stealing a quick kiss before sucking a nipple into his mouth.
And now the tallest man was moaning, for real. His breath stuttered as Reiner rocked into him, Marco licking and sucking and pinching him into oblivion. He lost any coherency when the freckled man trailed a hand down, rubbing tight circles against swollen flesh.
He was screaming, but no sound came out. And that was almost even more rewarding. All that came out were stuttered breaths and the tail end of moans. He writhed as much as he could in the confining position, but there was no chance he could get away.
"P-Please-" he gasped, but it was doubtful that even he knew what he was asking for.
Before he could even manage to find something for his hands to grip onto, he was coming, muscles tense and hands fidgeting, still looking for purchase until he collapsed.
Reiner held him up, but he was mostly goo, so it took a bit of effort. He chuckled at the blissed-out look on the brunette's usually worried face, giving him a few kisses before shifting to lay him down next to Jean who promptly wrapped an arm around him.
Reiner smiled fondly. He loved seeing Bertholdt at ease like that. He was always anxious about something, so it was rare to see him truly relax. He was glad he could make that happen for him.
Marco drew his attention away, though, wrapping a hand around him and stroking a few times.
After all the time he'd spent teasing Jean and fucking Bertholdt, it was getting painful, so he was glad for the attention. The freckled man pulled the condom off easily enough, tossing it towards the little trashcan in the corner of the room. It was doubtful that it made it, but neither of them really cared.
Marco offered a small smile, leaning in for another kiss, easily finding a rhythm with the blonde. But still, he hadn't had any attention. Reiner decided it was time for that to change, and he pulled back.
"Let's get those off." He said, gesturing to the jeans that the man, for whatever reason, still had on. Marco looked down, as if he was surprised.
"Oh, right." He laughed, sounding sheepish. "Sorry, I always worry about other people first. I've always liked giving pleasure a bit more than receiving it." He added. Still, he stood up and did as asked, climbing back into bed. Reiner nodded his approval, not hesitating to reach out and give the man a few strokes. Marco shuddered, likely hypersensitive from neglecting himself, biting his lip.
To think that, just a little while ago, Reiner had been jealous enough of this man to want to dislike him. It hadn't worked, of course, considering how ridiculously nice Marco was, but he'd definitely resented him at least a little. And now, here they were, rocking together with Marco's hand around them both.
Reiner wrapped his hand around what Marco's hand couldn't, finding the right pattern and copying easily enough. It was only a matter of seconds before, crashing their lips together, they came. Reiner could feel it dripping down his hand, but he was too fucked-out to really care.
Marco, after a few shaky breaths, had the good graces to grab some tissues, helping Reiner clean up before wedging himself between Jean and Bertholdt. Reiner squeezed in behind Bertholdt, an arm draped over his waist, fingers resting over Marco's ribs. His pinky finger pressed against Jean's arm, which was folded under Marco's, hand finding a home at the curve of Bertholdt's waist.
"God damn, your bed is huge." Reiner commented, voice gravelly. Marco chuckled, kissing Bertholdt's forehead.
"Yeah, it's the one thing we actually felt alright spending a lot of money on." He replied. "What with how much Bertholdt comes over." He added. Bertholdt made a noise.
"Glad it's big enough for four." Jean murmured.
That made Reiner's heart feel just a bit warmer. They'd treated him well, and he was glad that they'd accepted him as easily as they had. Not only had they let him participate, they were apparently planning to include him beyond the actual sex. It made the whole thing feel a lot more natural to him, and he grinned.
"Me too." He agreed.
A/N: I know it took forever, but in my defense, it's hella long!
So for those who might have just read this one, that's fine, but it is part of a series. The first one is called Today for You, and it's a prequel to this one. You don't really have to read that one to enjoy this one, but it would help you understand a little about how Reiner and Bertholdt met.
This was a lot of fun to write, though it was just as hard as it was fun. Four people is a lot to keep track of at one time, but hopefully I did alright. Honestly, I've had a headcanon that these four hook up for a long time. But there's surprisingly little material about it. So, you know, two birds, one stone. Trans representation, and a foursome, all in one~!
Alright, well, I've got to head to work, but thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed, and I'd love to get some feedback. Regardless, thank you so much!
KuroRiya
九六りや