Chapter 40

Willow smiles and thanks everyone for their hospitality as Reiner assists her with placing her overcoat on and they prepare to brace the storm to her apartment. Once they wave goodbye to everyone, they leave the apartment and head for hers. Within seconds they're drenched, but neither seem to mind.

Willow glances up at Reiner as he holds her close to his chest, trying to shield her from the rain, but failing to do so.

"Reiner," she begins, "Please tell me you were joking back there?"

Reiner looks down at her, and she can see the hard look in his eyes. "Now's not the time," he warns her, glancing up ahead as the muscles of his jaw pulsate at her words.

"Please tell me you know it's all bullshit," she begs with a whine in her tone.

He stops walking, grabbing her viciously by the arms, and squeezing them past their pain tolerance. "Don't speak like that," he whispers to her between gritted teeth, eyes darting between one another to make sure she's understanding him. "You're tired from a long journey home. You need some rest," he implants in her head as he lets go of her arms, only to take her hand in his grasp as he crushes it while pulling her to her apartment.

"Come on, Reiner, you know it's true. Your story about that Potato Girl said it all. If you really thought they were devils, you'd tell them about—"

Before she can finish, Reiner turns on his heel and looks at her with the most infuriated eyes she's ever seen from him. He grabs onto her chin with vicious force that scares her as her eyes enlarge at his tightening grip. His fingers dig into her cheeks and jawline, squeezing her face while his palm presses firmly on her chin. "You speak another word, and I will have no choice but to report you to the Marleyan officers. They will strip you of your Titan before you can even think to transform," he threatens her as his face narrowly touches hers.

Willow's chest lifts and falls with wild breaths as she looks into his feral eyes. "Whom then shall they give her to? If I remember correctly, Gabi is first in line to inherit a Titan," she threatens back. "Then all your efforts to force the Armored onto Falco will be for nothing."

Reiner gasps, blinking at her and releasing his harsh grip on her. Realization seems to strike his face, as his hard expressions begin to fall for a mortified one. She wonders if he had another episode, having been more or less stabilized for the past four years, she questions if time with his family and reliving memories he's abandoned seemed to trigger something.

"I'm sorry," he staggers away from her, a prominent frown taking over his face.

She can't tell him that it's alright, because it's not. She's unsure if he's fully indoctrinated in their beliefs, or if there's a part of him that battles these ideals, lost in one of the many boxes that he hides in. But no matter the case, she begins to come to the realization that she cannot speak as freely with him as she had initially believed.

"Your apartment is just ahead," he says with a saddened look in his eyes, seeing the distrust building inside her.

He leads the way, walking a few paces ahead of her as she compliantly follows behind him. Her head is down as she watches the raindrops create ripples in the pooling water, allowing the tranquil sound of waterdrops to sooth her beating heart.

After a few moments, they enter the apartment as Reiner steps back to hold the door open for her. She looks around the small room, noticing a couch, table, and bed tucked in the far-right corner of the room, and a small kitchen tucked to the left. Her eyes survey every inch of the room until they reach Reiner who stands in the doorway.

"Reiner, I—" Before she can say anymore, he presses his index finger to his lips, shushing her without a sound, then points to his ear. Of course they're listening in here. She would be foolish to believe she's been granted the luxury of privacy. "Would you like some tea?" she asks instead and he nods at her.

She tugs off the drenched overcoat and places it on the coat hanger at the door, while Reiner does the same. He sits himself at the table in the middle of the room while Willow rummages around the kitchen cabinets to find some tea and a kettle.

After a moment of locating everything, she begins heating the water. They both sit there in silence; Reiner sitting at the table and Willow standing in the kitchen with her arms crossed over her chest. She's unsure what he's thinking about, knowing that he can't speak his mind with everything being listened to.

The crying of the kettle screams through the silence and makes Willow jump. She unlaces her arms from her chest and turns to the kettle. She pours the hot water into two cups, placing in chamomile tealeaves and sugar for Reiner.

She sets the cup down in front of him when he asks, "Can I have—"

"Three cubes of sugar," she finishes. "They're in there," she assures him.

A small smile touches his lips as he takes the mug, "You know how I like my tea?"

"More like I know how you like your sugar," she corrects him. "It's hardly tea at that point."

"Shit's bitter without it," he grunts as he takes a sugary sip. "Not sure how the hell you can take it plain."

"It defeats the purpose of drinking tea," she says to him with a soft smile touching her lips.

They sit there for a moment, seated across from one another as they enjoy their drinks in silence. Reiner steals glances here and there, but Willow keeps her eyes on the wooden table before them. He watches her carefully, wishing he knew what was going on in her mind. She has been good about keeping her thoughts to herself, and playing the part of dutiful Marleyan Warrior when she needs to, but he fears that one day, she will say the wrong thing in front of the wrong people, and that fear drives him closer to her, charging him to make her understand.

He finishes his tea and lifts himself from the table, the chair screeching as it scrapes against the floor. She lifts herself up as well as they both stiffly stand across the table from one another. Reiner makes the move to step towards her, towering over her as he breaks the proximity between the two of them. She looks up at him with furrowed brows as he stares down at her with contemplation taking his gaze.

He places his hand gently on her cheek, wrapping his fingers down the nape of her neck. His jaw tenses as the muscles dance against his skin while he looks into the pools of her eyes. "I don't want to lose you," his voice is barely a whisper that he doubts anyone could hear other than her.

She frowns at him, closing her eyes as a tear falls down her cheek and understanding the importance of keeping her thoughts to herself, knowing that she will be punished for her defiance, and in turn, so will Reiner and Zeke for advocating for her.

She opens her watery eyes to look at him, and before she can process his face, he presses his lips to hers with a hungry force, prying open her lips and forcing his tongue forward with a feverish kiss that begs to be returned. He turns her face to the side and draws their kiss with a deeper desperate passion. Tears fall down her face freely at his hopeless kiss, knowing that it is driven with the fear that he will lose her and this will be their last moment together.

Willow grabs onto his face, pulling his lips off of her to look him in the eyes as she says, "You won't, I promise."

That is all the reassurance that Reiner needs as he backs her into the table, lifting her up to sit atop of it as he hikes up her olive-green skirt. He digs his hands under her skirt, ripping her legs apart to find the fabric of her underwear and tear them down her legs with a hungry force.

She glances at him, knowing that the Marleyans will hear them being intimate, and if Theo never pieced it together over the year that they were together under his supervision, it will be undoubtable after tonight. But that doesn't seem to bother him as he brushes his fingers against the soft skin of her inner thighs when they climb up to her folds.

Her voice hitches as the pad of his thumb meets her sensitive flesh. He begins swirling his thump in circles against her clit as she shuts her eyes at the building sensation. He grabs the back of her head with his free hand, tilting her face up to his as he takes her lips in a hungry kiss. She feels his lips vibrate as his chest rumbles at the sound of a building moan from their touch.

Willow props herself upright on the table with her left hand as her right explores Reiner's chest, grabbing at the fabric of his collar, wishing the button-down shirt was discarded on the floor.

Reiner pulls away from her kiss, and his fingers move from her folds, leaving a ghost of a sensation at his movements just moments ago. She looks at him with furrowed brows, almost whimpering at him for an explanation for why he stopped.

He smiles at her devilishly as he steps down to fall to his knees. She clenches at the sight as he looks up at her with a lopsided smile on his face. Her shaky hand grabs her skirt, pulling it up to her waist as Reiner's face moves between her legs.

His breath is hot against her folds, and when his lips make contact, she contrasts with her nails digging into the wooden table. Reiner quickly introduces his finger, resulting in her back arching and a feeble attempt at a thrust against him. He begins pumping his finger inside of her, exploring her wet walls as his tongue supplements the sensation against her clit.

She throws her head back, releasing an audible moan as her walls clench around his finger, begging for more. He introduces another finger, and her hips buck as he stretches her. "Ah!" she cries out as her fingers dig deeper into the table. He begins pumping harder and deeper inside her, as his tongue swirls against her exterior.

Reiner curls his fingers inside her, digging into her deeper as he searches for her core. He feels her clenching against her fingers as she pulls her head back, lifting her right arm off of the table and entangling her fingers in his golden hair. She tugs lightly on his hair, guiding his head to the position she needs him in to reach her peak.

She can feel Reiner smile against her folds as she begins panting against his strokes, the heat rising in her as her stomach begins twisting in knots. Her legs begin shaking at the stimulation and Reiner begins pumping harder into her core, feeling the slippery spot against the tip of his fingers. She jerks at this and he begins pumping at that spot harder and harder.

She matches his thrusts with her hips, bucking against his lips as the sensation grows. The sound of the tea cups clinging against their small dishes mix with her pants and moans to make a symphony of their heated passion. Willow finds herself smiling at all the sounds they're making, thinking of whoever was tasked to listen in on her and how embarrassed they must feel to have to listen to this. If she's going to be listened in on, she might as well get some fun out of it.

Willow's eyes tighten shut as she focuses on the feeling of Reiner's rough fingers pumping inside her core, against his soft tongue and lips massaging her exterior. The sensation builds and she begins jerking and contracting against his movements. Reiner smiles against her folds as she pulls her head back. "Right there," she whines as he quickens his face and that's all she needs to spill over the edge.

Her back arches as her chest lifts to the sky and her moan breaks in her throat. Her legs threaten to clamp shut, but Reiner uses his free hand to pry them open and keep them from closing in on him. He continues to pump inside her, lifting to her highest point as she shatters into a quivering mess before him. He feels her pulsating around his digits and he begins to slowly let her down from her high, expertly bringing her down so not to overstimulate her.

He pulls away from her heat, looking up at her as their eyes meet. He lifts himself to his feet, placing his two fingers in his mouth and licking up the cum from his digits, neither once losing eye contact. She shivers at the sight and he quickly moves to her, lacing his arms behind her knees and lifting her from the table as if she were weightless.

She squeaks with shock at his quick movement as he walks her to the bed in quick strides, moving to the edge of the mattress and lowering her down on her back. She looks up at him, watching as he works on his belt to alleviate the tension that built in his pants.

She quickly moves to her shirt, hands shaking as she unbuttons her top and discards it, along with her bra to the floor. She slips off her skirt swiftly and moves to his shirt, wanting him to be bare with her. They make quick work of his clothes and when he is stripped of them, he moves atop her, backing her up against the mattress.

Willow parts her legs to welcome him between them, and he can feel the heat emanating off of her. His hands grab onto her knees, digging his fingers into her skin as he separates her legs and presses them to the mattress. Without needing to guide himself in, he plunges into her wet core.

He fills her walls as they squeeze and tighten from their previous stimulation, hugging around him as they milk him. He finds himself laughing incredulously at the feeling of her around him, feeling her contracting against him more so than previous times he's had her.

He begins thrusting against her, digging her deeper into the mattress as his hips drive into her with penetrative force. She lifts her arms up to touch him, but he lets go of her knees, grabbing her wrists quickly and digging them into the mattress on each side of her face.

Her face lightens up with a hot blush as he positions himself over her, digging deeper into her core while he presses his tip against her sensitive spot. Her legs begin quivering once more against him as he builds her up once again.

Her brows tangle together as she looks up at him, his golden eyes hard on hers as he watches her face scrunch and form against each pleasuring move of his body. He loves the looks she gives him when he's inside her. He loves the way her nose wrinkles when he hits her core, or the way her brows press against each other when he quickens his pace, or the way her mouth remains agape with each release of moans that she can't contain. He loves the way she sounds when he's thrusting against her. The low moans in her throat when he begins to lift her up, the high-pitched cries when she's climaxing, the panting 'ah's that he pushes out of her with every shove of his hips.

He feels himself hardening around her clenching walls as he drives another climax out of her. She shuts her eyes tightly as her head digs into the mattress, covering her face in golden curls. He can't hold himself back anymore, and he begins quickening his own pace, roughly pressing against her as he drives her towards overstimulation.

She writhes underneath him as she begins twitching and clamping her legs around his waist, but he continues to press past her involuntary attempts to push him out and buries himself deeper inside of her until he's reached his high, turning quick paced thrusts into deep slow movements as she clenches around him in a tight pulsating hug.

He releases a groan as he spills inside her, his voice rumbling in his chest and throat as he lets go of her wrists and frees her.

Immediately her hands go to his chest, shaking against his skin as they touch his sweat glistened pecks. She looks up at him, smiling past misplaced strands of golden hair that fall before her face. He smiles back at her, leaning down to her face, brushing his nose against hers, before giving her a light loving kiss.

The following morning Willow lies in her bed, naked with the sheets to her chest. Blue eyes land on the sleeping blonde as he watches the subtle hint of a smile on her face, figuring she is peacefully dreaming. The room smells like sex, and their clothes on the floor corroborate just as much. He looks down at her—disappointed to say the least—as he pulls a cigarette from his breast pocket, placing it to his lips and lighting it with the matchbox from his pants.

He sucks in the nicotine, allowing it to dance off his nerves as his eyes never falter from her peaceful sleep. He blows out the remaining smoke, and it isn't long for her nose to wrinkle at the smell. She groans as the smell penetrates her senses and her sleepy eyes blink open.

Her lidded gaze looks around the room, trying to focus on the source of the smell when her eyes land on the blonde that watches her. It takes her a moment and a few blinks for her to register the sight of him and make sense of the fact that he is here in the flesh and not a dream.

She jumps up quickly, sucking in a surprised breath of air as her hands frantically claw at the fabric of her sheets to cover her naked form.

He scoffs at her shock, looking at her through the glare of his glasses. He blows another cloud of smoke in her face when his rough voice finally speaks up to say, "We're meeting with the other Warriors to discuss some things. You two should get dressed. You're already late."

Willow's heart races at Zeke's command and tone, that paints disappointment and distaste at the sight before him. He turns away from her before she can respond to him, and when he closes the door behind him, she glances over to see that Reiner is lying in bed next to her.

She watches as the blonde lifts himself onto his elbows, his bare chest exposed to see. Her eyes search the room at the abundance of evidence that they were intimate together that Zeke certainly noticed. She groans as she takes her head into her hands. "Fuck," she breathes at the realization that he knows of their intimacy together.

Reiner exhales deeply, "Don't worry, I'll talk to him," he promises her and she's not sure what that will do at this point.

"Get dressed," she commands in a flat tone as she pulls the covers off her naked body and searches the floor for her clothes.

They quickly get dressed and join the others in a room where Zeke has called upon them all. Willow's eyes search the room to see Pieck laying on a couch, Colt sitting upright and proper in his chair, and Porco leaning uninterestedly in his chair. Zeke stands before the table everyone encircles at with an uninterested look on his face. "Good of you two to finally join us," he sneers in a condescending tone.

All eyes are on them when they enter together, and a pink blush kisses Willow's cheeks in embarrassment. Colt's eyes dart from hers, as if sharing in the embarrassment, while Porco rolls his eyes and scoffs at the two of them, knowing fair well what transpired between them the night before.

Willow wants to escape from this room and die somewhere as each of their eyes focus in on her. Reiner doesn't seem to be too effected as he sits down next to Zeke, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in the chair he has chosen. Willow refuses to sit at the empty seat between Porco and Reiner, and decides to stand instead. She closes the door behind her and Zeke begins.

"So, why are we all meeting in your office, Zeke?" Porco finally speaks over the unspoken tension. "And where's the brass?" he asks as Zeke hands everyone some tea.

Willow watches as Reiner winces at his sip of tea, looking around for some sugar and giving up when there's none at the table. She keeps herself from smiling as she focuses on why Zeke would call them together.

"They're not here in this room," he tells him. "Can't we all just meet for some tea?" he shrugs.

"Sure," Porco narrows his eyes suspiciously while Willow begins to understand.

They even have his quarters bugged. Well, that gives Willow a sense of relief that she's not the only one the Marleyans don't trust. Seems that no matter how many years you devout your life to their cause, an Eldian will never gain the privilege of privacy.

"Now then," he begins, "The battle of Fort Slava made it clear that conventional weapons are advancing fast. They'll soon be stronger than Titans. That's bad news on two fronts, we'll lose our tactical value as Marley loses her strength. This threatens the whole Eldian race; and there is but one solution: Marley must seize the Founding Titan's power, as well as the recourse of Paradis."

Willow tightens her stance in the room as a wave of heat overflows her body. She swallows hard and her eyes flash over to Reiner, who doesn't dare to look at her with this news.

"Before that, the world must be reminded of the terrible threat that island poses to us all, and every good story needs a narrator," he says pulling out a picture from his breast pocket and tossing it onto the table. Willow glances down at the photo to see it is of a family that she does not recognize. "The Tybur family will provide one for us," Zeke continues his sentiments.

"They're the keepers of the War Hammer, is that right?" Colt speaks up.

"Yeah, but the Tyburs have never once used the War Hammer Titan against an enemy state," Pieck begins, "They're known as the family that drove off King Fritz in the great Titan War. They aren't hated like most Eldians. If we speak through the Tyburs, the world will hear us out."

"Astute as ever, Pieck," Zeke speaks up, "You're exactly right."

"But, the Tyburs have been living lives of luxury and freedom; they've never fought for our country or their people," Porco grumbles, "Why should they get to play hero now?"

"I know how you feel, but the Tyburs are just as concerned about Marley as we are."

"Maybe, but they're—"

"If it saves our motherland, Marley, that's enough for me," Reiner jumps in before Porco can say anything damning. Willow wonders if his words are genuine, or if he knows as she does that they are being listened to. "Our duty as Warriors is to support the Tyburs and to serve as scaffolding as a new Marley is built," he continues with a convincing tone.

"I agree," Willow speaks up and Zeke stiffens, unsure if she's aware they're being tapped into. "Marley has given me a chance to understand the wickedness of the Eldians," her eyes reach Reiner's who watches her carefully. "If the Tyburs are needed to convince the world to see the evil that island possesses, I will do whatever is needed of me."

Zeke looks unimpressed with her performance and she smiles lopsidedly at him, knowing that she can play his game as well as he can. "Well said," he says for those listening. "Very soon a festival will take place here in Liberio. Foreign dignitaries and VIPs will be invited to hear this announcement from the Tyburs: we will conquer Paradis Island within the next year. The fates of the Eldian people and Marley rest on this plan; we cannot let it fail. For the future of our motherland Marley, we must join our hearts and minds as one."

They are all dismissed and Willow leaves the room with Reiner behind her. Her eyes meet his and he watches her carefully. The way he looks at her makes her feel like he is looking at a bomb, waiting to detonate before his very eyes. She can see the worry in them, and it hurts her to know that he thinks she's reckless in all of this.

She turns from him and to Zeke, who walks the courtyard as Gabi and the other Warriors fight with one another. "Good speech," she tells him as she walks past him. "Only next time, maybe not sound so rehearsed."

He watches her, unenthused by her tone with him. He notices that she's become more brazen with him, maybe the realization that he manipulated her when she was on that island to kill her Squad and not Reiner back all those years ago is finally striking her. "Your support in all of this will be very significant when we take down that island."

"It will," she says with a patronizing tilt to her head. "Because someone will need to distract the Scouts from your nape. Can't have a repeat of the last time you were on the receiving end of their blades," she says walking past him.

"Yes," he returns with the same tone, calling out to her as she walks away from him. "I'm sure Levi and his squad have been training for our return," he smiles, knowing his name brings a shiver to her core. "I am more than a little curious how that reunion will play out."