[closed] This blood on my teeth is far beyond dry

[warrioreidlos]

Characters: Reiner Braun and Armin Arlert; Reiner Braun, Bertolt Hoover and Annie Leonheart.
Date: Throughout the latter part of January
Location: Various
Situation: Various
Warnings/Rating: Spoilers for the AoT manga

[ooc: Just a catch all post for several scenarios. No open starters at this time, but if you'd like to plot something, you can always contact me.]

Comments

[isnotokay]

[ Clearly Reiner needed nailed in the head with a piece of fruit.

And now Annie is helpfully obliging. ]

[warrioreidlos]

[Thank god he's got a thick skull.

Rubbing the back of his head, he glowers at her.]

What the hell, Annie?

[Totally siblings.]

[wreckingbert]

[Idiots. Idiots, both of them.]

[But they're his idiots, and Bertolt sighs quietly.]

No one would question a brother and sister staying close to each other.

[isnotokay]

You're that desperate, aren't you?

[ Yes, she's just ignoring Reiner as she slips off the counter to go fetch her apple. ]

It's too complicated.

[wreckingbert]

[Thus chastised, Bertolt looks back down at his plate, ducking his head to make his hair fall over his eyes.]

It wouldn't benefit me at all. Just the two of you.

[Okay, he's done, no more talking this morning, only eating.]

[isnotokay]

Same hometown?

[ There's no shift in her tone when she says it. ]

The three of us.

[warrioreidlos]

Lets go with that.

[he agrees, resting his hand across Bertolt's for a moment, brushing over his knuckles in silent support.

Without moving his hand, he glances over at Annie, grinning.]

I guess we could be cousins. I can share my good looks with you to that degree.

[isnotokay]

[ She has the apple in hand again, Reiner. Stop that.

She squeezes the bruised fruit briefly as if she were tempted to pitch it again before wiping it off on her shirt. Making an aggravated, quiet sound, she sits heavily in the chair across the table from her comrades. ]

Distant.

[warrioreidlos]

Twice removed. At least.

[With a last squeeze to Bertolt's hand, he goes for his apple again, not really sparing the core. What sort of idiot would throw away perfectly fine food?]

[wreckingbert]

[Bertolt has laid waste to most of the food on the table, and while he's still hungry, he's also starting to be aware of how bad he smells. He glances at Reiner, then back at his now-empty plate.]

Is there any water around here?

[He's going to need at least three or four buckets to stop smelling like something died in his shirt.]

[warrioreidlos]

[Lets just burn that shirt.

There have been many discoveries in this place, but things like indoor plumbing and the showers they have here are definitely amongst the best. Almost as good as the ice box.]

Just wait until you see where we can wash here.

[It's private! And it doesn't run out of warm water.]

[wreckingbert]

Will you show me?

[Reiner and Annie can fight all they want, once Bertolt is busy getting himself clean.]

[warrioreidlos]

Sure, I gotta shave anyway.

[He rubs his cheek with a wry grin. He isn't the only one that has to shave here, and he doesn't even care about shaving in the same room where Bertolt is showering. He's seen him too often in the buff to care.

He glances at Annie for a moment.]

We'll talk more later, okay? There's probably some other things we need to discuss.

[isnotokay]

[ Annie just makes that same short, sharp aggravated sound in response as the last time. She might even finish her fruit and go get dressed while they're busy, but for now she's just going to ignore them until they leave the room. ]

[wreckingbert]

[Bertolt rises to his feet, slowly and creakily, still stiff from his long sleep. He looks at Annie for a moment, opens his mouth to speak… and then changes his mind. He'll just quietly follow Reiner out of the room, trailing him like a ghost.]

[warrioreidlos]

[Reiner waits for him to catch up, slinging an arm around his shoulders then.]

We already bought you some spare clothes too.

[For everybody's sake, he really shouldn't be wearing these clothes again.]

We're running low on funds now, but we can discuss that later too.

[wreckingbert]

Thank you.

[Bertolt leans against Reiner, just a little; Reiner is about the only person alive with unspoken, explicit permission to touch him whenever he likes, and Bertolt drinks it in like a plant seeking sunshine.]

I'll help however I can.

[After he cleans up. No one would give him a job looking and smelling like he does right now.]

[warrioreidlos]

[Reiner hums lightly in response. He honestly wasn't expecting anything else. Bertolt had always fallen in line with him without struggle. Annie was going to be a bigger problem.

He guides Bertolt to the bathroom, pushing open the door before giving him a forward little shove.]

Lemme go grab the stuff we got you, okay?

[wreckingbert]

[It's probably a bad idea to leave Bertolt alone in the bathroom; it's so completely different from what he's used to that he simply stands in the door, gaping, until Reiner comes back.]

[warrioreidlos]

[It isn't too long before Reiner returns, a clean change of clothes for both of them draped over his arm. When he spots Bertolt standing transfixed in the open door, he laughs for a moment, though he completely gets it. He had stared much the same himself.

Giving him a shove, he pushes him into the bathroom.]

Nothing like home, right?

[He isn't even talking about their village, not really.]

[wreckingbert]

What is all this?

[Bertolt stumbles inside the room when Reiner pushes him, still gawking like a little kid.]

Where does the water come from?

[He doesn't see any buckets, where are the buckets they're going to use to haul the water in?]

[warrioreidlos]

[He shrugs.]

Just go with it.

[He's quickly coming to understand that in this place he'd not going to understand a thing. And he figures he can either agonize about that, on top of all the other things he needs to keep in mind, or he can just use it to his advantage.]

Here, watch.

[Dumping their clothes on the closed lid of the toilet seat, he pulls Bertolt closer to the shower, reaching in to turn the knob and turn on the water.]

[wreckingbert]

Reiner!

[Bertolt snakes his arm in around Reiner, imitating his movements and first turning the water up higher before turning it off, soaking the sleeve of his shirt and sweater.]

What are you doing, you're going to waste it!

[He wasn't ready yet! By the time he got his clothes off, the water would be gone!]

[warrioreidlos]

[Despite all they have done and all they have become, messing around with Bertolt in the same way they have done since the time of their childhood is always easy. Reiner grins as he turns the shower on again, this time shoving Bertolt forward under the spray.]

Relax, it doesn't run out at all.

[wreckingbert]

[Bertolt yelps when Reiner pushes him forward, and then the water is spraying in his eyes and he needs to blink rapidly to clear them.]

It's so hot.

[His clothes are soaked and clinging to him, but he's too interested in this device now. He peers up at the shower head, looking at the little bullets of water pounding down on him.]

Where is it coming from?