The top 2 rising Cadets of the 104th found themselves in a rather unhinged situation. They had always been notoriously known for their insane physical strength and extraordinary capabilities as soldiers but a training excursion unexpectedly triggered their much darker, animalistic side which they kept hidden so well from the world. What began as a simple attraction escalated into a battle for dominance. ReinerxMikasa - Alternative Plot (AP) in Canon Universe.
A/N : I always had a hankering for these two after I got into the series. Although RivaMika was my first love without a doubt, I still could not get ReiKasa out of my head. I know this is a very rare, less popular pairing and would make more sense in a modern AU, yet I like to explore the canonical possibilities.
(This fic started out as a potential ReiKasaBert story but I decided to switch it to ReiKasa featuring Bertolt as the third person looking at their interaction instead). Twilight Blue is supposed to be a 10-pages one-shot but it escalated to 30 pages, therefore, to any closet ReiKasa fans out there, please enjoy this story! Also, very important to note that due to this site's strict guidelines against any mature content, this is the watered down NSFW version.
If you'd like to discuss more on this pairing, give me a buzz at my Tumblr : queenofidealism.
Chapter 1: Moonlight Temptations
XoXoX
It was Day 4 of their wilderness survival training and it had been four days four nights of her being separated from Eren and Armin as well. This wasn't her first time being away from her two loved ones. Absolutely not. They were placed in separate teams during their first wilderness exercise just a month before. But why did she feel as if there was an immovable blockade inside her heart?
The soles of her boots crushed a bunch of dry leaves and trudged on a couple of scattered stones along the forest pathway. Her two teammates were leading their movements through the canopies of tall birch and pine trees. Occasionally, the short and sweet music whistled by the spring birds lulled her senses to a temporary calm, soothing her inner turmoil.
It was a bright day of clear blue skies with warm rays of golden sun overlooking all cadets of the 104th military trainees batch under the watchful gaze of Keith Shadis, the most feared instructor and also the main source of nightmares for most of the aspiring soldiers. It was already two hours after their melee training began. Mikasa was sparring (and mostly coaching) with Armin along with the rest of the other trainees.
"You have to be quick and be ready to predict your opponent's pattern, Armin," she guided as she charged towards the other boy with a set of moves starting with several punches, kicks and ended with an uppercut while Armin helplessly tried to defend from Mikasa's advances. "Defend, Armin!"
"I'm trying, Mika. You're. Too. Fast!," cried the shorter boy. He was obviously struggling, albeit Mikasa practically held back her usual force by 50% during training. Out of the corners of her eyes, she saw Reiner speaking to Eren and from what she deduced, the taller blonde was egging her brother to challenge Annie for his sick amusement. Amongst the female cadets, Annie was one of the strongest and was considered Mikasa's closest rival when it came to strength and combat skills. Annie pulled an impressive move and leg-swiped Eren in a swift movement before walking away. But Eren, being her stubborn-idiot brother Eren, decided one humiliation wasn't enough, he had to provoke Annie for another round. 'That idiot'.
Armin yelped out of the blue, "I yield, Mika. I like my neck in one piece. Help..." Mikasa was shaken out of her reverie as she realized that she had subconsciously placed Armin in a chokehold. The latter almost suffocated. "Sorry, Armin. Let's take five, shall we?," she said, while helping the smaller boy up to his feet.
Soon after making sure poor Armin breathed properly again, she turned her gaze to Reiner Braun and Bertolt Hoover who were in the middle of their sparring and blatantly called out to the tallest young man of their group. "Bertolt, do you mind if we switch partners? I need Reiner's help with something."
Bertolt looked at his best friend and shrugged, "I-I don't see why not, Mikasa. I guess I could use a break with Armin myself." He walked towards Armin and settled on a spot next to him.
"You need my help, doll?" Reiner gave an inquisitive look towards the younger Oriental girl.
Mikasa's lips formed a tight smile and she stepped much closer to him, trying hard not to cringe at the nickname he decided to bestow upon her. She looked up from the strong frame of his shoulders all the way up towards his face. "I need your input with this particular counter grapple technique. Like this," she quickly positioned her back against Reiner's front while silently observing Eren and Annie's interactions at the same time.
"Grab me from the back," she ordered and Reiner pushed forward, precisely wrapping his arms around her chest and torso, totally mindful of their bodies' close proximity.
Mikasa initially planned to flip her current unsuspecting partner onto the ground before locking him into a yielding position. However, she was slightly taken aback when she saw how Annie body-slammed Eren into submission and was using her thighs to hold his head down. Her freaking thighs!
She was definitely oblivious to the fact that her sudden agitation caused her to squirm against Reiner's solid hard body, her derriere brushed against his nether regions suggestively, powerful thighs against another. He swallowed a lump in his throat upon the sudden contact, even more so with the way his arm rested against her soft breasts and tight abs.
'Get a grip, Reiner!' He took in a deep breath and whispered next to her ear, "As much as I enjoyed being in this position with you, Mikasa, I really don't think I should be having a hard-on while we're sparring."
Mikasa saw red.
The next thing she (and everyone else) remembered was Reiner's heavy build flying across the field towards Eren, with Annie jumping away in the nick of time avoiding the unfortunate landing.
"Why are you here, Reiner?," Eren cried out in pain as he tried to move the larger guy from on top of him.
'She's crazy strong but that was fucking hot,' uttered Reiner internally as he tried to still the heartbeat thundering against his ribcage.
"Hey, Annie," came the source of his agony, walking tall and poised like she owned the ground she walked on. "Mind teaching me that move too?"
The shorter, fair-haired girl chuckled in response. "That move was meant to be used on a human. I highly doubt that move would work on a beast."
"Oh? We shall see…." Mikasa broke into a fighting stance, hands held up to accept Annie's offensive strike. Their fellow trainees had gathered to witness the most anticipated fight amongst the 104th cadets. Some were already placing bets on the potential winner.
"Who do you think will win? They're both like the strongest females."
Marco chimed in, "I think Annie could win."
Much to Jean's annoyance. "I bet all my dinner on Mikasa!"
Even Reiner, who had recovered from his previous fall decided to coax Eren into choosing a side. "So, Eren, who do you think it's gonna be?" Never realizing the underlying meaning of his own question.
"Listen here, you retards!" Instructor Shadis suddenly appeared out of nowhere, interrupting the sparring even before it began and causing most of the cadets to actually jumped off their toes.
Nevertheless, they all responded with their salute to the Instructor.
"Before you start slacking off on your jolly asses, all of you pathetic pile of turds will start your next wilderness training tomorrow. You will be divided into three-men teams. For seven days, you will walk, run, eat, breathe and even shit with your team members. Once teams had been announced, there will be no switchings allowed! For each day, your team must travel to the selected terrains with limited supplies and only your wits for your survival."
Shadis' assistant, an unidentified auburn-haired lady, took over the briefing and shared the team segregation information. "Attention Cadets. The first name mentioned for the team will be the appointed leader. Team 1 : Kirschtein, Blouse and Wagner. Team 2 : Bodt, Arlert and Lenz. Team 3 : Floch, Ymir and Carolina. Team 4 : Yeager, Leonhardt Springer. Team 5 : Braun, Ackerman and Hoover…"
'Kill me.' Was all that Mikasa's inner voice could say.
Day 1 and 2 had been tolerable. Mikasa kept silent most of the time. Only Reiner and Bertolt talked to each other during their journey from one particular terrain to the next. Reiner the leader, Bertolt the record keeper and Mikasa, the other team member. It was an amicable arrangement, at least to her. It was enough for them to survive through this training without her having to have an imposed camaraderie with her teammates. It didn't stop Reiner from trying to get her attention from time to time though and that was starting to make her feel uneasy. It felt like he genuinely cared about her thoughts, her feelings and it scared her a little bit.
Meanwhile, day 3 was borderline irritating. Apart from the dwindling condition of the weather, from sunny to light drizzle out of a sudden, the change of the environment caused an unforeseen shift onto their planned route. While they were standing still in the middle of the slightly muddy pathway discussing an alternative passage, another team passed by and it was none other than Eren's group.
What a curious coincidence indeed.
A short exchange occurred between the two teams before parting ways soon after. As much as Reiner noticed Bertolt's uneasiness upon witnessing Eren and Annie's developing bond, he couldn't help but sympathize as Mikasa stood dumbfounded after a minor tiff with her adopted brother. Reiner settled his hand on the top of her hooded head as a furtive show of support.
She didn't even respond in any form at all.
Reiner cleared his throat as he turned his head towards Mikasa and Bertolt, breaking her train of thoughts when they come upon a distant clearing, about few feets away from the nearby riverbank. "I think we've combed through more of our targeted distance today. We can set up camp here. I'll try to scour the forest for our dinner. Bertl, you can set the tent up and help Mikasa set up a fire." He left, heading south of their camp's location, intending to find edible games for the night.
It was already late afternoon and in a few hours, the sun would be setting. Mikasa sent a silent hand signal to Bertolt, informing him that she was making her way into the woods as well to gather dry branches for their fire pit.
To be honest, she just wanted to be alone for a while, just so she could gather her thoughts. She had been in different groups from Eren several times before, but why did the mission this time around made her feel uneasy?
Was it because this time the group was much smaller and it made her feel even more conscious around her current teammates, who were still potential candidates in surpassing her for the top spot?
Or was she hurting because Eren swatted her hand away so carelessly when she just wanted to ask whether things had been okay with him for the past few days? It was a taunting coincidence by the universe. What were the odds that their teams would cross paths with each other yesterday?
"You're not my mother, Mikasa. Stop it!"
"I'm just worried about you, Eren."
"If you want to know so badly how I've been these past few days, well it had been GREAT because I can really breathe without you hanging over my neck for the first time."
"Eren….."
"Jeez, can't you last a few more days without treating me like a child? It's like breathing underwater when I'm with you," exclaimed Eren with ire marring his face as he looked towards the two older guys behind her. "Reiner, Bertolt, sorry if my sister's been a handful to you guys. Let's go, Annie, Connie."
Mikasa didn't miss the sympathizing look on Annie's face as Eren tapped her back and walked away together. She swore she could hear her heart breaking at that particular time. Her figure stood still, stunned that her brother would disregard her so coldly.
"How's the collection going?"
"!" She made a quick turn towards the source of the intrusive voice only to find herself staring at her team leader. A look of concern reflected on his face. In his hands, she saw the games he had hunted successfully. Embarrassed that she was caught in the middle of her thoughts, she answered while lifting the bundle of branches she managed to collect earlier in her hands, "Most of the woods were still wet from the rain last night but I think we have plenty for tonight."
"That's good enough. We'll think of something else. Chances are it might rain again tonight so all the extra woods might no longer be useful. You want me to carry those?" Reiner offered his hand to help but she shook her head.
"Don't worry. I've carried a lot more when I was 10. This is nothing."
Of course, he was VERY aware of how strong she could be. She was the reason he could 'fly' across the training yard effortlessly.
Nevertheless, he nodded and together, they headed back to their campsite a few feets away. Side by side, their walk was a silent experience until they saw Bertolt perched on top of a tree stump, seemingly writing down their recent happenings of the day in a designated log.
Reiner paused his steps and looked at the younger girl. "I hope you didn't take what Eren said to heart yesterday. He still has a lot to learn."
She grunted and glared at him in response. "Why are we talking about it now?"
"Because you've been so quiet since we saw them yesterday. I enjoyed the peace and all but it's shaking up our team's dynamic, Ms. Grumpy-Pants."
"Please drop it, Reiner. I apologize so please, just let it go." Mikasa let out a defeated sigh.
XoXoX
Later that night, the three of them sat together around their fire pit after having a dinner of roasted rabbits and grilled fish, courtesy of Reiner's hunting and Bertolt's fishing skills. The two young men sipped on their coffee and talk about the findings of the day.
Bertolt could be seen continuing his writing on the journey log. Once in awhile, he snuck a glance towards their female teammate. He initially thought being on a smaller team with Mikasa might be an intimidating experience but he found out it was quite the opposite. It made him wonder though, why Instructor Shadis decided that the three of them should be grouped together. They were, after all the top three candidates on the current performance ranking.
Bertolt had an inkling nonetheless; it might have something to do with Mikasa's extreme attachment to Eren and how that attachment might cloud her judgment during battles. She was a natural genius when it comes to 3DMG manipulation and hand-to-hand combat, on top of her extraordinary strength but it didn't escape his observation that Mikasa had troubles working with people she wouldn't trust. If one day they were deployed into the battlefield, she might charge ahead of her own team like a loose cannon and place her own teammates in danger lest she managed to have a better grip on her emotions.
Across from where he was sitting, the girl in subject was staring at the dark canvas above, also dwelling in her own thoughts. The soils were wet, the smell of after rain permeated through the air in a way only nature's perfume could do. Mikasa loved the scent and she felt like she couldn't get enough of it. She looked up towards the black sky, adorned with stars and it brought up a very melancholic feeling within her. 'The moon will be full tomorrow. I missed the nights when Papa would settle a blanket outside the house when it was a full moon and tell amazing stories of brave knights and warriors.'
Reiner, who was using his survival knife to carve a makeshift pike, looked up from his work. Out of the blue, he suddenly felt the need to address the silence. "Mikasa, I hope you won't let what happened yesterday to bother you too much that it affects your focus on our team. You need to learn in letting go of Eren sometime. He needs his own space to grow. He won't be able to learn if he never makes any mistakes because you are always there to make sure he doesn't make one..."
"Seriously? We are doing this again?! God, Reiner. You can play Eren's 'Big Brother' but not mine. Just drop it." Mikasa retaliated abruptly, she noticed that her leader had no understanding of the word 'boundary'.
Reiner held back on his irritation. 'Trust me, doll. I would not be having perverted thoughts about you if I am playing the role of a Big Brother here'.
"What would you even know about letting go, then?" Without a doubt, there was a challenge in the tone of her voice.
"Believe me, we do." There was a pause as he caught Bertolt's eyes in a silent understanding. "It was hard leaving behind people we care about but if parting ways meant a greater good for both sides involved, wouldn't that be the best course of action?"
Mikasa went still and the two young men just continued sipping on the hot coffee inside their tin mugs, eyes never leaving her solemn face. Her hands instantaneously reached up towards the crimson scarf looped loosely around her neck, pulling it up to cover the lower half of her face; a soothing mechanism she had subconsciously adopted whenever she felt insecure.
"All I ever wanted was just to be by his side. To know that no matter what, he will always need me to be there right next to him. He's the only family I have left."
"Don't you think of anything else in life besides Eren? Who is Mikasa Ackerman besides being Eren Yeager's sister, really?"
Her lips and eyes widened slightly in concealed shock. "Why do you even care about who I am, Reiner?"
"It hurts to know that there are other people who grew to care about you, doesn't it? It bruises your pride to be taken care of once in awhile instead of you, taking care of others? We're your teammates, give us a bit of credit. Rely on us for once."
"You can't force me if I don't want to."
"Damn you, Mikasa!"
"Screw you, Reiner!"
Bertolt chimed in, nervously, "G-guys! Th-this should be off the record right?"
"YES!!" Both of them agreed unanimously.
Mikasa squinted her eyes at Reiner and bitterly said, "However, you could note that your team leader is an asshole who puts his nose in things that are not his business to start with!"
"Bertl, try writing that Ackerman here is an immature, one-track minded, stubborn girl who is too proud to accept that she's not perfect. And also, disrespectful to the team leader."
Her glare intensified at the blonde-haired cadet but nevertheless, she stood up and turned around in the opposite direction. "I'm out of here."
"Don't walk away, Mikasa."
"I never realized that I need your permission to pee, 'Team Leader'?" With a huff, she left and headed into the darker parts of the woods west of their campsite.
Bertolt's jaw hung open in surprise upon the turn of events that just took place in front of him. "Reiner, what just happened? Why did you start a fight with Mikasa?"
"Please don't tell me her shitty attitude doesn't bother you? She's even more insufferable than Annie."
"You can't blame her after what happened with Eren yesterday."
"There's more to her life than just Eren. Why can't she get it through her thick head and ego?"
Bertolt lowered his voice. "I think you're taking this 'overprotective Big Brother' role too seriously."
"Like hell, if I am seeing her as a 'sister' I need to protect!"
"And also, seems to me, it sounds like you're a bit jealous of Eren," the sentence drawled out of Bertolt's mouth in an afterthought, to which Reiner had no response to that himself because a part of him couldn't deny the truth behind his best friend's words.
Bertolt continued offering his opinion. "It must have been nice to have someone who cares so fiercely about you the way she does with Eren."
They both returned to their own respective tasks in silence, mutually agreeing to stop broaching the subject before it got deeper. However, after quite some time, there was still no sign of Mikasa's return. Reiner stood up, brushed off the lightly damp leaves plastered on his pants and said, "I'll just check on her and see if she's alright."
Bertolt watched as Reiner walked away with concern. 'Just be more patient with her, Reiner. She's a broken one, just like us.'
In the dark of the night with only a lantern to guide him, Reiner walked quite a distance amongst the lush canopy of trees. His eyes scanned his surroundings every time he heard the rustle of leaves or curious noises from the nocturnal animals. His steps came to a halt when he spotted the unmistakable figure of a young woman.
From where he was standing, his vision lingered on Mikasa's slightly slumped figure sitting on the edge of the riverbank, legs folded and her face buried against her knees. Underneath the moonlight, he couldn't help but envision her as an angel with a pair of broken wings; yearning to return home somewhere amongst the stars.
They were the same. They both wanted to go back to where they came from. Back before all this 'hell' happened. His heartbeat increased rapidly as he slowly made his way to settle beside her. Sitting down to her right with a knee up, his larger build was a stark contrast next to her smaller one.
"I'm sorry. For being a jerk just now."
It took a while for her to lift her head up and respond. Her voice cracked in a low whisper, "I'm sorry too. For being a bitch to you."
"I shouldn't have meddled in things that I have no business with. I just wanted to get to know you better."
"So you can identify my weaknesses and use it against me?"
"Goddammit, woman. Must everything be a competition with you?"
"Sorry. I don't know how to describe what I'm feeling right now. It just feels lonelier without Eren. I guess it hurts a little bit when I saw that he's actually fine without me or in a way, he doesn't need me as much anymore. Maybe it's just the inner monster inside of me that's instigating all these uneasy feelings." Her steely orbs projected the sorrow brewing inside her when she looked up towards him.
"We all have a monster sleeping deep inside our heads. Waiting to be awakened by desperation, longing, jealousy and perhaps, loneliness. Sometimes, you need to let that monster out in order for you to live normally. Only certain people would be able to witness your inner monster and still love you just the same." There was, without a doubt a solemn glint in his eyes as well when the words flowed out of his mouth.
"Only Eren has ever witnessed the worst and lowest moment in my life. His family gave me a home and he gave me hope to keep on living the day I lost everything. That's why my life has been all about protecting him."
"I understand that feeling…," Reiner stopped himself before Mikasa caught on and changed the direction of their conversation at once. "How about yourself? Who's taking care of you when you're busy taking care of others?"
"Reiner, stop. Why are you doing this-thing you're doing?"
"Like, genuinely caring about you? Why is it so hard for you to accept that?"
"You didn't see me-I mean I didn't see you bond with Thomas who was our team lead like this, the last time we were sent for outside training. Besides, we never talked much to each other. You don't know me well enough," uttered Mikasa in uncertainty. Her slender fingers grabbed her crimson scarf slowly to cover the lower half of her face. She was nervous for no apparent reason and she couldn't find the answer why.
His hazel eyes glinted underneath the moonlight. The corners of his mouth lifted into a playful smile. "Obviously, Ackerman, I don't find Thomas that attractive." There was a slight paused as he let out a deep chuckle, a sound which Mikasa had grown accustomed to for the last few days. "I know that beneath the mask you put on every day, is a gentle but lonely soul who deserves more love than anyone else. We're the same; you and I, Mikasa. I really like to get to know you. Inside..." His face inched closer and closer to hers, "...and out."
Just like magnets with two opposing sides, his lips pulled to hers in a slow, languid kiss. His thin lips nudged open hers teasingly, stealing her breath away. Mikasa was in a helpless daze, her guards lowered, eyes closed and she surrendered to his spell, involuntarily. His right hand tilted her chin, his thumb brushing against her defined jawline, immersing himself in the taste of mint leaves and the very soft scent of wild lilies from the girl he was kissing.
Her hands trembled as they latched onto his broad shoulders while Reiner took the hint and deepened the kiss. In that particular moment, there were nothing else but the moon, the calm chirping of the crickets, the smooth evening breeze and the peaceful streaming of the river in the twilight blue as their silent witness.
Lips nipping, breaths mingling, they both withdrew to catch their breaths after a few more seconds. The moonlight cast a mystifying luminescence on her porcelain face, pulling him even deeper into a sensual abyss. Reiner's voice was a provocative whisper against her luscious lips. "God, Mikasa, you're so beautiful. I'll be damned if this is your first kiss." He rested his forehead against hers, both of them heaving for the breaths they lost, heartbeats thundering in their ribcages. Who knew a simple lip touching would be as thrilling as running a few laps on the tracks?
"...First kiss…," trailed Mikasa in the aftermath of the lip-locking, still in a trance. How many times had she envisioned her first kiss? None that she could ever remember, not when she was so busy trying to survive in this hellish world. In another world, it would have been perfect; under the moonlight, by the riverside and with none other than the only person she'd wanted to spend the rest of her lifetime with ever since the day he came into her life. 'Eren…'
However, when she opened her eyes, it was not the emerald green she had been yearning for but a pair of intense amber irises looking back at her with the same degree of longing. She stood up hurriedly, intending to walk away only for her forearm to be caught in Reiner's tight grip. "I'm sorry, Mikasa. I didn't mean to-"
She cried out bitterly. "Reiner, please let me go. I can't-do this. My heart has no more space to care about other people." She stormed off as quickly as her legs could take her, wanting to push away the gnawing emotions inside her heart. She loved Eren, but she knew Eren wouldn't be able to comprehend her feelings for him as something potentially beyond family relation. Her heart ached. She couldn't possibly open her heart to care for others the way she did with Eren and Armin. The more people she cared about, the more it would hurt her when they left.
Was she that lonely to have been caught in the moment with Reiner?
Was he that lonely to have been caught in the moment with Mikasa?
Reiner looked up towards the dark blue canvas of the night sky, sighing at his own impropriety. "You can't or you won't, Mikasa?..."
The question was left unanswered in the cold night air and he laid back on the ground, silently hoping the stars would shed some light to soothe his internal chaos.
XoXoX
The next day, Mikasa was the first to be awakened right before sunrise. She didn't even realize that she had fallen asleep at all the previous night. She did, however, remember avoiding Bertolt's questioning glance when she came back from the riverside and all the time while she retreated into her sleeping bag with her face buried in her scarf wordlessly. She tried to forget the feel and the taste of Reiner's persistent lips. She wanted to dream of emerald greens but a pair of sad amber eyes was all she could remember before sleep took over.
It was day 5 of their survival drill and it had been two days since she crossed path with Eren. She managed to avoid Reiner's gaze for the rest of the journey and it seemed like he had the same notion as she did. Bertolt, who had always been the more quiet one in the team apparently became the chattiest person that day.
It was best if they stayed as far away and communicated as little as possible with each other.
However, only a few hours into the afternoon, an unpredictable downpour threw a wrench into their plans to push ahead into the next terrain, much to Mikasa's chagrin. This delay, combined with the inexplicable tension between her and Reiner since the starting of their journey (which was amplified after the 'incident' last night) had caused her to snap at poor Bertolt. The tallest boy in their team had walked onto her back by accident and she elbowed his ribs by reflex right after letting out a loud, irritated wail. Poor Bertolt was traumatized for the rest of their journey to the next available pit stop; a small clearing at the foot of a hill. He was also caught in the unpleasant silence between his best friend and his female teammate for reasons he was unaware of, unfortunately.
Later that night, the rain picked up its pace. Thunders struck and echoed in the night sky, one after another. They had no choice but to abandon the fire pit and reinforce their tent under the heavy torrent from above.
Bertolt sprinted into the tent to spark a fire for their lanterns using his stone and flint. He managed to concentrate on the ignition well enough before his focus was broken by the sounds of high strung voices coming from outside. Even with the deafening roar of the heavy rain, he was still able to make out the angry words exchanged between his two teammates.
"Stop with all of this bullshit, Mikasa! We're a team and if it means we have to huddle together in the tent like a bunch of hobos just so we could stay warm, that's exactly what we'll do!" Reiner's voice took on a venomous tone as he glared at the raven-haired girl, who refused to budge from the already dead fire pit.
"I refuse. Being stuck in a tent with you won't even be the last thing I would do." She didn't spare a single glance at him. She needed to put a distance between them.
"I am not going to let you die because of hypothermia, Ackerman. Get in here!" Reiner made a surprise lunge towards the unsuspecting younger girl and saddled her like a sack of rice on his shoulder as he walked towards the entrance of the tent with Mikasa literally hissing and legs thrashing about in annoyance. He unceremoniously dumped her bottom first onto the floor of the tent. Angry raindrops snuck into the opening as Reiner quickly took off his boots to get inside the standard military tent, almost running over her in the process. All three of them, especially him and Mikasa were practically drenched in rainwater.
Reiner gritted his teeth in annoyance as his slightly bent form found a dry, comfortable spot inside the tent. His hands rummaged through a backpack, probably his, and found a small white towel to dry himself. Legs crossed, his hands quickly went to work by wiping excess water away from his face and neck. "Great. It's almost flooded in here and all because of Ms. Deadweight here-yes, deadweight since that's what you've turned into after we came across Eren's team 2 days ago - decided to wallow in self-pity by sitting in the rain. Look, Ackerman, I don't give a shit about what you want to do with yourself but if it involves you turning into a dead body, it'll be me and Bertl's head on the line."
"I'm fine. Mind your own business, Braun."
"Fuck this shitty attitude of yours up your ass, Ackerman. You're just grumpy that you're stuck with us instead of your precious Eren and Armin. Well, guess what? The feeling's mutual. We'd rather get stuck with Annie than a pain in a butt like you. You might be the strongest but don't ever think you could look down on the rest of us from your pedestal."
She snapped back in response, "Oh, I'm pretty sure you're the one who likes things shoved up your ass instead, Reiner."
Bertolt was getting more anxious as tempers flared due to the already maxed out stress between his two teammates. "G-guys, p-please calm d-down," his voice came out like a slow whimper instead. The tent might be big enough to shelter three people but apparently not wide enough to accommodate the ego of these two bull-headed cadets. It was a matter of time before the tent metaphorically exploded once these two started to get at each other's throat.
They're both too headstrong, too dominant in their personalities that even the slightest jeer could trigger a fire in their interaction. This puzzled Bertolt tremendously since Mikasa was anything but temperamental as witnessed during their previous surveillance training when they helped save Eren and Marco's team from a band of black market thieves. She was the epitome of zen and calmness, so very different from the girl sitting in front of him right now.
Reiner's spiteful words broke Bertolt out of his musings. "You might look beautiful from the outside but deep inside you're a horrible monster. No wonder Eren got so sick of you. I bet he's so relieved to be without you and that he and Annie are screwing each other's brains out right now."
"Reiner!!" Both Mikasa and Bertolt retorted in shock at the same time. Their eyes widened. Mikasa's were in anger while Bertolt's were in confusion. The latter's face cringed at his longtime friend's words. "Rei-reiner, you don't have t-to be so mean to Mikas-sa."
Reiner sighed as he wiped away most of the water droplets from his drenched blonde hair. "Face it, Bertl. We got stuck with Miss Boring-and-Rigid here while the other guys get the more fun and cuter girls like Krista or Potato Girl. Hell, I bet Ymir is more fun."
He continued, "This is about last night, isn't it? Why do you need to shut everyone else who are not Eren and Armin out from here?" His right hand shot up to tap the area further up of her left breast.
Bertolt scratched the top of his head and tried to calm the two brewing storms inside that very tent but could only sweat profusely instead. 'What exactly happened last night between them?'. His fearful eyes glanced back and forth between Reiner and Mikasa, feeling imposed to be the referee of a potential deathmatch.
There was, however, something inside Mikasa that broke into two as she started to see everything through rose-tinted glass upon hearing the painful words that came out from the taller blonde's mouth. She was not oblivious to the words exchanged amongst the other cadets; that she was a stoic, unsympathetic Ice Queen that didn't give a shit about others except for her childhood friends. Her fellow cadets whispered as she passed by them in the mess hall, during drills, and during duties. She might have appeared unaffected but she had a porcelain mask plastered as a facade to hide the vortex of sacred emotions inside her. After all this while, the people who labeled her as 'The Beast' like they own the right to judge her, forced her to hide her human part inside a locked box.
Until last night.
She was so used to distancing herself from the others before they shun her first, so it would hurt lesser when they do. Somehow, there was a man who wanted to come closer, knowing perfectly well he might get burnt along the way yet, still persistently trying to tear down the walls guarding her heart.
She could feel her porcelain mask cracking into a million tiny pieces, her heartbeat escalated just like every time she was almost pushed to the brink of ruin, her instinct compelled her to do one thing: Fight.
On bended knees, she peeled the drenched brown jacket off from her body slowly, then tossed it to a corner, followed by the leather straps of her currently non-existent 3D Maneuver Gear, as if preparing herself to strike akin to a wounded prey's survival attempt in front of a vile predator. The only source of lighting that came from the lanterns illuminated her powerful figure. Her soaked white button-up shirt clung tightly to her frame, curves desperately straining against the now see-through material. All while never taking her gunmetal eyes off from Reiner's muscular form in front of her, causing a breath to hitch in his throat; he had an inkling he might have gone too far with their altercation. If Mikasa's dirty looks were any indication, he somewhat expected to be thrown out of the tent into the heavy downpour. Soon.
She had respect for Reiner. She accepted his leadership, albeit reluctantly at the beginning. She just refused to accept the way he blatantly implied that Eren would be so dishonorable. Although she knew she was powerless to control who Eren bonded with, hell even attracted to but to hear the painful truth from someone else, it actually really hurt. It bruised her ego to admit that he was right.
She had never harbored any ill intentions towards anyone in her whole entire life but at that very moment in time, all she could think about was how badly she wanted to slice his neck the way she would to a Titan. Oh, she was in denial indeed. She desperately tried to justify her desire of wanting someone other than Eren by using her anger. She liked the kiss she shared with Reiner but she hated the fact that she loved it.
Her inner beast was clawing inside its cage, demanding to be released that very instance. It was ravenous for blood and blood was what it would get. Fuck everyone and fuck their opinions.
Reiner's hazel eyes widened in surprise when Mikasa charged at him with her survival knife brandished from her back strap. He held his left hand up in reflex as a defense to protect his nape and gritted his teeth when the piece of cold steel sliced his skin, drawing a vertical line on his muscled forearm. Her left hand seized the back of his head in a solid grip. 'Shit. That was close. This girl would definitely be the end of me one day'. Reiner shuddered and exhaled the breaths he had been holding. He knew no matter what the circumstances might be, he would never transform and compromise their cover or jeopardize their mission.
Now with Mikasa practically straddling his lap and only a mere distance between their faces, he saw how the water droplets from her drenched hair slowly slid all the way down her face until they dropped into the crevice between her porcelain skin. That delicious bit of skin underneath her slightly undone white top. Her breasts heaved against his chest with uncontained anger, a wild rage brewing like a molten fire spilling through the edges of her bruised heart.
Her gunmetal eyes were clouded with something in between desire and hatred as she pulled his head closer to hers. "You asked for this, Reiner….I'll show you what kind of a monster I am." Her voice was extremely low like a growl, tinged with a sultry drawl before her tongue licked the blood that was starting to seep through the knife wound, transforming the cautionary gleam in Reiner's eyes to the ones of lust.
He gave a predatory grin in return as his right hand snuck underneath her soaked bodice. His warm fingers burnt against her shivering soft skin. "Good. Because mine had been aching to fuck yours, hard, since that day you threw me across the training yard, Mi~ka~sa." The way his lips played with the syllables of her name so languidly, triggered the first burst of stimulation inside her brain.
Damn. All logic in Mikasa's head exploded. Maybe because it was the way he said her name, or the way his chest rumbled against her when he said it or maybe because the way he shamelessly pronounced out loud of the wicked thing he had been wanting to implore on her virginal body or plainly in the way a simple touch of his skin against hers sent an electric jolt all the way down under. Never did she know that her own body could throb in places she wasn't even aware of.
That particular instance, she threw caution to the wind and her lips crushed against his in a desperate, searing kiss. Her anger, her frustration were combined and channeled into the kiss but it was Reiner who bit and sucked on her upper lips before their tongues clashed in a battle for dominance. Tonight, they both knew they were not going to hold back.
Bertolt, who was the ever silent observer from the beginning, eventually put the messed up pieces of the whole situation together: Reiner and Mikasa had been fighting off a different kind of tension from the very beginning of their journey. It wasn't professional rivalry as soldiers, it was personal. Physical. Both of them had never found themselves in this predicament. Their sexual attraction was mistaken as contempt towards each other. How could he had not realized this much sooner?
Oh wait, well, he did catch Reiner sneaking subtle glances towards Mikasa one or two times during training sessions before but he always disregarded it as Reiner, sizing up his top competitor for the ranks. There was also that time during their last wilderness survival training in the desert. Reiner's eyes were often glued to her back with a questionable grin on his face. Bertolt thought he was planning to pull a prank on Mikasa but apparently, that wasn't the case. No doubt Reiner had been fantasizing about dominating the top of their class in a much different way.
He personally thought that Mikasa was actually a pretty girl who'd have a cute smile when Reiner might seem indifferent towards her. Hell, he always thought that the soft-spoken, timid Krista would be more of Reiner's type instead of the quiet, exotic beauty who was currently making out with his best friend.
By this time, Reiner had already pushed Mikasa off of him towards the tent floor all while their lips were still locked to each other. Breaths mingled in between, her minty taste a delicious contrast against the aftertaste that lingered from the coffee he drank much earlier. The knife was long forgotten and her hands clutched tightly around the nape of his neck, while his hands moved shakily to the small button at the bottom of her white oxford shirt. The edges of her crimson scarf scattered in different directions. His lips paused as he whispered against her pink, swollen lips and said, "I want you, Mikasa. So damn much." He sucked on her upper lip and they continued kissing. His fingers undid the buttons all the way up her body nervously, exposing her toned abdomen and her busty chest wrapped in a black brassiere. Her nimble hands roamed under his dark green shirt, pawing at the muscles of his own ripped torso while slowly lifting the fabric up over his head, tossing it carelessly behind him.
His eyes trailed over the smooth expanse of her exposed skin, hands caressing her long, slender legs clad in her tight white pants. From the sculptured muscles of her abdomen to those ample mounds on her chest, she was exquisite indeed. For a girl who had just turned fifteen, she had the physique of an irresistible young woman.
He took the time to appreciate the curves of her body, which only accentuated her beauty even more. The bruises on her shoulders from prolonged usage of the 3DMG's leather harnesses only served as a reminder that they were both humans who would bruise, would ache and comfort was what they both needed at that moment. A chance to feel alive by losing control of their reality, a chance to be less lonely: even if it was only for a night. In that very moment, they were not soldiers, but only a boy and a girl. It was just him and her and nobody else.
Mikasa's eyes closed in bliss upon the contact yet feeling slightly conflicted of letting a man touching her so intimately for the first time in her life.
Sensing her sudden stillness, Reiner voiced out his concern, "Mikasa, has anyone ever-?" To which she responded with a shook of her head and the reddening of her cheeks.
"Do you want me to stop?"
"No. I'll fucking kill you if you do." Her eyes were already darkened with a wanton, primal need.
A deep laughter rumbled from his chest. "Not planning to but if it gets too much, you should let me know."
Bertolt, who had been trying to make a quick exit before their heated tenacity escalated, directed his gaze towards the roof of the tent. He was desperately trying to avoid looking at his two teammates who were almost completely stripped bare and already engaged in intense foreplay.
He knew where this was going.
Reiner and Mikasa had it bad for each other.
Now, feeling less like a referee in a deathmatch and more of a third wheel in an ancient mating ritual, he pleaded to no avail. "Uhmm...G-guys. I'm still here. I could leave you guys to it b-but I don't think I can stay long in the rain."
He received nothing but only moans and grunts in response.
"Okay, I guess I can wait outside for a while then." Bertolt stretched his legs out towards the opening of the tent with his hooded cloak ready while carefully avoiding the half-naked Mikasa, sprawled on the tent floor.
"Bertolt?" Mikasa sat up and caught a glimpse of him, her back facing his direction just enough to preserve her modesty. Her face flushed with arousal yet slightly marred by guilt, possibly for causing discomfort to their other teammate. She turned her neck up towards his direction, lips quivering with some unspoken words. He could see the top of Reiner's blonde head, moving up from her breasts before lifting up towards his direction as well.
"Don't worry, Bertl. Mikasa's strong enough to take us both at the same time, if you know what I mean," said Reiner, licking his lips before he continued raining kisses and nips on her neck. Mikasa was too immersed in the sensation of his warm lips to even register the implication of his words.
Bertolt couldn't help but laughed. Reiner always had a good sense of humor regardless of his timing. "No, you both could use some privacy to work things out. Be selfish for once, Reiner and have fun." He smiled at his best friend just before he disappeared into the dark night, under the pouring rain.
XoXoX
A large tall figure slowly approached the already darkened tent, alerting Reiner of a new presence nearby. True enough, he could make out the outline of Bertolt's head as his friend peeped into the canvas' opening. In a hushed voice, Bertolt asked into the darkness, "Are you guys decent?"
Reiner exhaled in relief, "Yeah, Bertl. Just enough." He looked down towards the sleeping and very much naked young girl on his chest. Her long, slender legs entwined with his own underneath the blanket big enough for her decency. He guessed it had been quite awhile since both of them had fallen asleep since the scent of sex and sweat had dissipated into the night air.
Bertolt cheekily nudged Reiner's legs, not wanting to let an opportunity to grill his best friend for details to ever go to waste. "I guess, It was a very successful 'discussion' between you two?"
Reiner grinned as he tightened his embrace on Mikasa's sleeping form. He didn't need to see the inquisitive smile on Bertolt's face in the darkness. "You have no idea how mutually satisfying the outcome was, brother. Sorry, you had to ditch the tent for quite some time." The tips of his fingers stroked and squeezed endearingly against pale skin, causing the raven-haired girl to nestle closer into the crook of his neck while still in a tranquil slumber. Her warm breaths played a peaceful rhythm against his neck.
"Nah, I had a nice walk in the rain. It was a full moon tonight and Mikasa would've loved it but I guess she wouldn't miss it that much."
"I'll be insulted if she would."
"So, you guys are like together now?"
"Who knows? We'll see. Heh, go to sleep, bud," Reiner tried to shift and make space for his best friend inside the tent but Bertolt was very quick to protest.
"I have my sleeping bag outside. I don't think Mikasa would appreciate it when she wakes up with my face next to hers," said Bertolt, sheepishly while scratching the back of his neck. "See you both in the morning."
Reiner nodded and laid his head back on the floor. He nuzzled the top of Mikasa's hair, inhaling her natural scent before drifting off to his sleep once again. It'd be a few more hours before the sun rises and whatever the morning after might bring, he would be prepared for it.
XoXoX
End note : Thank you very much for reading! FYI, the complete smutty NSFW content is available on my Ao3 profile. If you're old enough, do check it out and enjoy the rest of the full story. Till next fic!