Part 6: Saturday Night's Alright
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a/n: THIS IS MY FAVORITE PART OF THE WHOLE SERIES! BUCKLE UP FOR THE PLAYLIST!
also this is the second to last part I have written, but that doesn't mean I won't come back and add to this later :)
Warnings: Idk Reiner is bricked
Here you stood, exactly as you did last week, fiddling with your scarf in the mirror as Mikasa sat impatiently.
“You’re nervous again,” she said, standing up, fixing the scarf for you, not giving you any more chances to stall.
“A little, but I’m always nervous before singing; you should know this.” You rolled your eyes as she stood in front of you.
“You shouldn’t be,” she sighed. The two of you made the same walk through dimly lit street lights toward all of the athletic buildings, meeting Annie and Armin outside. You waited in the same hallway for Connie to find you. The routine was identical, except for one small detail: the bag you handed to Mikasa had an extra item, the black Warrior Hockey hat. You followed Connie past the locker room, the bass thumping through you as you got closer to the door.
“So I have some competition, I hear,” Connie smirked as the two of you watched warm-ups.
“I don’t understand,” you frowned.
“Oh come on, you’re slowly becoming their new favorite,” he grinned.
“I could never replace you, Connie,” you smiled. You quickly located Jean and Reiner stretching along the boards where you were standing, their legs straddled, slowly rolling their hips to stretch their groins as they leaned on their hands. Your eyes grew at the spectacle, watching their legs glide back and forth.
“It’s pretty hot, right?” Connie nudged you, his teeth flashing a cheeky smile.
“Shut up,” you scoffed, but your eyes didn’t move; your mouth grew incredibly dry as you continued watching. Reiner looked back at you, a grin on his face, assuming Jean said something pretty similar to the suggestive comment Connie just made to you. You waved; he nodded, getting up from his position on the ground, slamming his back into the glass in front of you, before skating off.
“Interesting,” Connie ran his finger over his chin, an eyebrow cocked. You swallowed, trying to regain some sense in your mouth. As warm-ups concluded, you took a deep breath, following behind Connie as you did last week, singing again, taking in the same loud applause from the crowd. You went up the stairs, finding Mikasa, Annie, and Armin, saving you a seat. In front of them were Sasha and Pieck, wearing matching jerseys, sporting the numbers five and twenty-one.
“Okay! You’re amazing!” Sasha squealed.
“Agreed,” Pieck smiled. You took your bag back from Mikasa, starting in the chatter, the same group of girls in front of you as last week, doing the same thing: looking, laughing, and pointing; all of it too familiar, and you found your stalker, located in the middle of the group. Annie shifted around she somehow made the time to come to defend you; Armin’s arm lay across her lap, preventing her from moving.
The game started similar to last night; your team was down by one in the first ten minutes. Hitch arrived shortly after the goal.
“Sorry I’m late, oh shit, maybe I should go,” she laughed, clearly a little buzzed already. Pieck looked at you rummaging through your bag, a sly grin forming on her face.
“You have it?” she asked.
“Of course I do.” You pulled the hat out, resting it on your head, and it worked like magic. Eren scored in the last minute of the period, leaving the game tied at one before the second began.
“You can’t give it back,” Sasha scolded you.
“I have to; I told him I would,” you sighed.
“It’s magic, Y/N,” Hitch exclaimed. You looked at Mikasa, who shrugged as her way of approval, then at Annie, whose glare remained on the group in front of you. Armin was smiling, but his eyebrows showed confusion.
“I wore this yesterday when we were losing, then we came back and won,” you explained to him, sitting beside you.
“I’m not one for superstition-” he began.
“Bullshit,” Annie smirked.
“But it couldn’t hurt,” he smiled. You sat with your thoughts, surrounded by your friends' different opinions on the subject, making quick eye contact with some girls in the group in front of you, trying to brush off the judgment.
“Ignore them.” Pieck put her hand on your thigh. The buzzer signalling the start of the second period interrupted your thinking, and like yesterday, the team looked brand new. The period started with two goals from Jean and Porco giving you a 3-1 lead; your little fan section erupted in cheers, singing along to the goal song, Saturday Night’s Alright - Elton John
“Saturday! Saturday! Saturday night’s alright!” You all yelled, pumping your fist as they celebrated in a hug. As the period wound down, everyone on the team felt electric; the energy was there, everyone was getting along and focused. The other team saw this and got chippy, playing dirty. The checking became more frequent and aggressive, shut down quickly by Reiner and Porco getting tangled up in a brawl at the boards. Reiner came out unscathed this time; the bruising on the bridge of his nose was all that remained of his last tussle. You watched with less adrenaline this time, more concern. You didn’t want anything to happen to him as the player latched onto his collar and attempted blows to the head, knocking his helmet off, but before he could land a clean punch, Reiner hit him clean square in the jaw, forcing him to let go. The building filled with cheers as he threw his hands up again, gesturing for more, as your eyes met; his twisted into the same daring gaze he showed you frequently. You stood cheering, clapping, as your friends cheered around you. Hitch looked at you, biting her lip, holding back whatever comment was going to come out. Sasha held you, picking you up slightly, startling you, before putting you down.
“It’s exciting.” She was glowing; the adrenaline rush had hit your whole group. The period ended, and you sat during intermission singing along to the words of Sweet Caroline, waiting for the third period. It began; your team was still up 3-1, and your team played on defense. The other team was rapid-firing shots after the scrum between Reiner and their player, but when the opportunity presented itself, your team took it. Jean skated down the ice, Eren and Colt at his sides, Reiner and Porco trailing behind, trying their best to get the goalie out of position. Reiner and Porco were in ideal positions to score, but both kept passing back and forth to Jean and Eren while Colt sat low in front of the goalie. Reiner had the puck, looking to pass again.
“SHOOT IT!” The entire bench yelled. Reiner, with full force, sent the puck soaring towards the net; the clang of the post rang through the building, followed quickly by the sound of the goal horn. His teammates quickly came to embrace him. As he emerged from the hug, he glided on one knee, shooting an imaginary bow and arrow with his stick, shouting before heading to the bench for a line of high fives from all his teammates. As he took his seat on the bench, he looked back at your beaming grin as Hitch shook you by your shoulders, screaming in your ear. The group in front of you stared at you in disgust, watching you in the center of the group be embraced. The game ended in a 6-1 win; Jean netted himself a hat trick, with all three assists from Eren. Your group rushed down the stairs to the hallway beside the locker room, waiting for the team to come off the ice. Jean ran off first, rushing into the locker room quickly, throwing his helmet and gloves down before making his way back out, cheering the whole way.
“That’ll do, cap,” Sasha yelled as he found your group; his already beaming smile grew wider, hugging her.
“Not bad, horse face,” Hitch smirked.
“Can’t let me have one moment of happiness,” Jean smiled, pushing her back by her forehead; his attention shifted to you. “Y/N, wonderful singing again,” he gave you small applause before pulling you into a smelly hug, your face puckering as your head met his damp shoulder. You saw Reiner, a small smile across his face, as you flashed your teeth; he nodded, heading into the locker room.
“Thank you, Jean,” you pulled back. “But I hear you are quite the singer yourself; will I get to see any of that tonight?” You raised an eyebrow; he looked at Pieck, who shrugged innocently.
“Oh, hell yeah.” he left your group, heading back into the locker room, as your nose finally caught some clean air.
“Do you get used to that smell?” You smiled.
“Never,” Mikasa sighed as Eren approached you, smelling rank as well. You stepped back, avoiding getting caught in the dirty air, leaning against the wall as the speaker started pounding through the wall, playing Sex on Fire like the last home victory. You took pictures of the couples as they got off the ice, Hitch at your side, pouting, telling you how unfair it was that you weren’t in any. Slowly, after the noise in the locker room started dying down, the guys began to file out in the same suits as last week. Porco came out first; he and Pieck walked out arm in arm, Hitch left with Armin and Annie; Connie, Sasha, Jean, and Niccolo went off together. You and Mikasa waited for Eren alongside the group of girls still waiting for their potential suitors. Floch was out next, flashing a teethy smirk in your direction before entertaining the ‘puck bunnies’. You and Mikasa rolled your eyes, watching these girls pity him for his terrible attempted flirting. At long last, Reiner and Bertholdt came out with Eren and Colt behind them.
“Hey,” Eren hugged you before moving to Mikasa, smelling much cleaner than before. Bertholdt pushed Reiner toward you, his face pink at the sight of you in his hat. Eren and Mikasa stood watching the three of you interact.
“Great game,” you smiled at both Reiner and Bertholdt.
“Thanks,” Bertholdt rubbed the back of his neck, nudging Reiner with his elbow.
“Thanks, you too- I mean,” Reiner stuttered. You laughed, watching Eren and Mikasa facepalm, exasperated by the two of you.
“It was great for me too,” you said, a flustered mess yourself, eyeing him in his suit, catching a glimpse of his erection, your face tinting as your eyes quickly moved back to his face. You slowly pulled the hat off your head as a distraction. “Here,” you held it out to him; he pushed it back, smiling.
“Keep it; it’s good luck,” he sighed, holding out his arm. You slid under it, hugging him from the side; your arm around his lower back, feeling the muscles under his suit flex at your embrace.
“Stay right there,” Mikasa said, holding her hand out for your phone. You handed it to her; the two of you smiled as she snapped the picture before the two of you were split apart by an arm sliding between you two. Floch, who else, stepped back as the two of you broke apart.
“Excuuuuuse me,” he smirked, the girls trailing behind him.
“Can’t wait to hear you at karaoke, Y/N,” your stalker called back over her shoulder. You and Mikasa wandered home; you tried your best to keep the conversation down, but she was too furious.
“I hate her. I know I said it already, but I do,” Mikasa, balled her fists.
“Yeah, me too. She has Floch wrapped around her finger is that not enough,” you scoffed.
“No one wants Floch willingly,” she sighed.
“Yeah, well, the two of them keep watching me eat lunch with Jean and the others,” you kicked a rock on the sidewalk in front of you.
“With Reiner,” she prodded.
“With Reiner once,” you corrected.
“Lunch once, North Green once,” she hummed. You were thankfully greeted by your front door, quickly changing before heading out to the address Pieck sent you. As you walked down the street, the sound of music increasingly got louder, picking up a few of your friends on the way. When you walked in, Jean was already on stage, queuing up his first song of the night; Pieck was not lying; he really was into it. He had sunglasses draped on his head, a flannel rolled up revealing his forearms, sporting a silver watch to match the chain that dangled loosely around his neck. You quickly found her and Porco at a table, taking one of the open seats.
“Did I miss anything?” you said quietly.
“He’s just about to start,” she shoved Porco beside her.
“Come on,” she pushed him out of his seat as Jean got on stage and the music began.
“Porco go,” you chimed in, letting the two of you have your fun.
Song 1: Save a Horse Ride A Cowboy - Big & Rich
Jean began, stomping his foot on stage, nodding his head, sending the sunglasses down to his eyes, swaying his hips to the beat, as his hands moved around his stomach, before taking the mic from the stand in front of him. You couldn’t tell if he was sober or not; Porco was not empty-handed, leaning on Niccolo beside him in embarrassment as Jean began entertaining. You cheered as Jean began; he was surprisingly really good, way better than you expected. He was waving Porco and Niccolo up to join him on the small stage, Niccolo quick to join, their arms draping over each other’s shoulders while Porco stood like a stick in the mud, sipping his beer, just like he did at the party. The two were persistent on getting him on stage, dragging him up by force as he stood there, not moving until the chorus.
“Save a horse,” Porco rolled his eyes, pointing to Jean, “Ride a cowboy,” he gestured his thumb towards himself, winking at you and Pieck.
“Did he practice?” You laughed, sipping a drink of your own.
“They do this song every time, Porco’s request,” she smirked.
“You’re kidding,” you said in disbelief. She shook her head. It was clear this whole scene was not new to any of them, Jean flashing a smile at random girls in the crowd, sending them into a frenzy, before making his way around the different tables, singing the words, stopping at yours giving you a sly smile as he continued his way around the bar back on stage with Porco and Niccolo.
“We’re up next,” Sasha snuck up behind the two of you.
“You two, me and Hitch- come on, trust me,” Sasha smiled, tugging at your shoulders. You scanned the room; Mikasa was sitting with Eren, Armin, and Annie at the table beside you. Hitch was at the bar sipping a drink, painfully flirting with the bartender, twirling the straw in her cup. Reiner, Bertholdt, and Colt were just coming through the door; Floch and the girls were sitting at their own table towards the back. You briefly made eye contact, sipping your drink once more before looking back at Sasha.
“Okay, I’ll do it,” you sighed, “Pieck?”
“Do I really have a choice?” she held out her hand; you took it. The two of you followed behind Sasha as she dragged Hitch from the bar, waiting on the side of the stage watching the guys finish their performance. Jean came off first as the bar erupted in applause, cheers coming as you smirked. Sasha quickly embraced Niccolo, whispering something in his ear that turned him bright red. The four of you slowly made your way onto the stage, gathering around the two microphone stands. You stood with Hitch, bobbing back and forth as you quickly recognized the music that started playing.
“You ready?” Hitch grinned.
“I should be asking you that,” you nudged her already tipsy body, which was running purely off the alcohol high.
Song 2: Lovefool - The Cardigans
You held back, letting Hitch and Sasha have their moments, Hitch pointing at the bartender as she sang shakily, who looked at her with nothing but annoyance, like it was nothing he hadn’t seen before. You looked at Mikasa and Annie, who looked at you, disappointed; you had been here maybe ten minutes, and they had already roped you in. ‘Stop,’ you mouthed to the pair, as Eren and Armin thought it was great getting an idea of their own two have the two of them go up and sing; both looked painfully uncomfortable at the thought.
“This is embarrassing,” Floch scoffed.
“She’s not even that good,” the girl said. The table in front of their group was quickly occupied by Reiner, Colt, and Bertholdt. Colt looked back, shooting a glare their direction, strictly water for him as the designated babysitter on these types of nights, and because he couldn’t legally order a drink for himself yet.
“Problem, Rook?” Floch snapped at Colt’s glare.
“No problem,” Colt’s eyes narrowing before facing forward, leaning an elbow on the table, watching the four of you. Connie was already waiting at the stage beside you, grinning from ear to ear, adjusting his baggy pants and hoodie, his hands running over his buzzed hair, as if to straighten it. He shot you two thumbs up, gesturing for you to focus. You shook your head, waiting for this painful experience to come to an end, yes you sang, but a karaoke night at a bar, getting drunk with your friends, was not exactly your ideal performance setting, and you were not drunk enough to be singing a song like this.
“Finally,” you sighed as the song came to a close, making your way towards Connie.
“Wish me luck,” he winked.
“Like you need it,” you grinned. He got up on stage, dramatically searching the crowd until he found Colt, pointing at him, twisting his wrist slowly, gesturing to him to join with one finger.
“Is this what the stomping in your room has been?” Reiner asked him.
“Uhh, what? Sorry, gotta go,” Colt waved, getting up from the chair, racing toward the stage. You made your way down as Jean went crazy cheering; Sasha stopped at the two, bowing playfully before latching onto Niccolo’s arm. You stopped at the table made up of your friends.
“That was rough,” you sighed.
“Oh, just wait for this next one; you guys were great,” Eren said. It was all so familiar for everyone here, completely unfazed by everyone’s crazy grand performances.
“Connie and Colt?” You asked.
“It’s bad,” Annie rested her face in her hands, her eyelids drooping in embarrassment. You left the four heading back to your table, which was now empty as Pieck and Porco sat at the bar, talking to the bartender. Your head told you no when you saw the nearest open seat beside Reiner, but your heart was telling you yes. You stopped one of the waiters ordering a stronger drink to loosen you up for the night and ease your nerves before sitting down.
“Can I?” The pair nodded at your question; you took your seat, feeling all the eyes behind you staring.
“Y/N,” who else could be calling your name right now besides her? You turned to face her standing beside you.
“That was my seat.” She pointed.
“Right,” your eyes darted around looking for the waitress with your drink; she was making her way over before the waitress could even take it off the tray, you took it from her. You felt a hip press firmly against you; you covered the top of your drink with your hand, trying not to spill.
“What the hell?” You glared at the clear source of the motion; the two of you stood, the seat between you, you sat, shoving her back gently.
“Reiner you’re better than a meanie like her,” she pouted. He smiled, his head tilting toward the table behind him.
“Floch, come get your girl,” he called out. She stormed off in a tantrum, going back to Floch, who draped an arm over her shoulders as she sat. She quickly brushed it off, breathing heavily through flared nostrils with her lips pursed.
“Thank you,” you sighed, sitting, taking a big swig from your glass.
“You’re not going to want to miss this,” Bertholdt smiled. You felt Reiner’s knee brush against yours under the table; you didn’t move; you breathed deep at the touch. He shifted in the seat beside you, putting his leg in a better spot to rest against yours comfortably, looking at you out of the corner of his eye.
Song 3: I Want You Back - *NSYNC
“Oh, this should be good,” you smirked with sarcasm, already feeling the buzz of your choice beverage kicking in. Connie and Colt stood back to back, posing with a mic in each of their hands in front of their mouths. As the first lyrics flashed across the screen in front of them, Connie moved first, pointing towards the crowd, more importantly at you, as you sat shaking your head, smiling. Colt moved at the next lyric, clearly rehearsed by the two of them. They continued building off of each other as the song continued. They nodded to each other as the chorus approached, pulling out a whole choreographed dance routine. They moved with insane synchronization and precision for two goofy college guys, managing to hit every beat in perfect unison. You couldn’t help but cheer watching the two of them; others joined in once your cheer started.
“They’re great,” You laughed, leaning into Reiner slightly.
“They’re…something,” he leaned back in his chair, sipping from his bottle, his gaze lingering on you rather than on what was going on around you.
“Go, Colt!” You encouraged him, watching him bite his lip with focus as Connie sang, before the two traded places, different spins, kicking motions; everything was going perfectly. Colt’s eyes picked up at your cheer, as you continued hollering praises, waving from your seat beside Reiner, who leaned on the table, staring at you; he couldn’t care less about what you were looking at, and you were fully aware he was doing it, and it felt wonderful.
“You’re missing the show,” you pushed his leg with yours under the table, matching his leaning, giving him back the same look he was giving you.
“I’ve seen it all before,” he grinned. Bertholdt took the social cue, excusing himself to join Jean and Niccolo.
“What about you? Are you going to get up there?” you smiled, tapping your fingers along the tabletop.
“Not really my thing,” he shrugged, “but it is yours.”
“That was nothing,” you said, “all Hitch and Sasha, just there for support.”
“Which means you still have another chance to go up again,” he said.
“Why so persistent?” You wrapped your lips around your straw, hiding your smile, as you were fishing for the same compliment he gave you earlier in the week.
“Because you sound beautiful.” The tips of his ears turned red as he said it, finally breaking eye contact with you.
“Mhm,” you hummed, leaning back in your chair, your arms crossed, your lips twitching with glee, watching the end of the two’s spectacle. The two of you began clapping; Reiner whistled through his fingers beside you, smirking as you looked toward the noise. Connie and Colt bowed, waving as they slowly stepped off the stage, Colt making his way over to sit in front of you two. Your drink was kicking in now, as you ordered another.
“Coltie, you were amazing,” you cooed, tousling his hair.
“And you’re drunk,” he smiled, looking at Reiner beside you, who sat in awe, staring at the stage.
“There’s no way,” he said. Your focus shifted past Colt to the stage, watching Eren and Armin push Mikasa and Annie up there, both looking visibly uncomfortable.
“Yeah, Annie,” you heard Hitch call out from somewhere.
“Mikasa won’t,” you grinned, but the music started, and the two of them stood up there as stiff as boards. You looked toward Armin and Eren, who exchanged a high five, smiling beside the stage, encouraging them to go. Mikasa’s eyes met yours, shaking her head as a warning. You smiled, watching the two of them share the same expression of hatred toward their partners.
Song 4: Spiderwebs - No Doubt
“Oh my god, Annie loves this song,” you said. “When she finally got used to my noise, she asked me to learn this.”
“Annie, really?” Reiner asked.
“Yes, really, shh, they’re about to start,” you settled back into your chair, your face hurting from smiling so much watching the two of them. Annie began with the first verse quietly, glaring at you. ‘I hate you,’ she mouthed between phrases; you made a heart with your hands back at her as she continued, rolling her eyes, her attention shifting to Armin, lightening her face up slightly at his proud look. Mikasa came in next, looking at Eren as she gripped the mic stand with a matching look, before looking at you. You sat in your seat, singing along to the words, tapping your free leg on the floor. Reiner and Colt both looked at you, smiling, before looking back at the stage. You pointed at Annie with dramatic gestures as you continued singing from your seat, clutching your chest as if you were singing the song directly for her. Armin and Eren took notice of you, pointing and laughing.
“Okay, now you have to go up again,” Reiner smiled, watching your little personal performance. You shook your head, waving your finger in his face as you continued singing.
“Come on, Y/N, you’re a natural,” Colt smiled, moving around the table to the other side of you.
“One more drink and she’s ready,” Pieck said, handing you a shot glass.
“Come on,” she whined, holding one of her own. You quickly downed the glass, slamming it on the table as your face puckered, the taste twinged through your head, and you blinked a few times.
“There we go,” Colt clapped.
“Mikasa already picked a perfect song,” Pieck smiled.
“Oh, she did,” you felt Pieck’s hands on your shoulders.
“Yup, I’m stealing her,” she grinned, pulling you up from your seat, as you were already very tipsy, shaking your head in protest. You watched the rest of Mikasa and Annie’s performance, the two of them fleeing the stage as soon as they finished.
“Your turn to embarrass yourself,” Mikasa laughed, pushing you up with Pieck.
“No, you guys were great,” your words slurred together.
“And you’re going to be even better,” Annie chuckled, draping Armin’s arm around her.
“Guys,” you whined, but it was too late; the music started.
Song 5: Juno - Sabrina Carpenter
If you were sober, you would be hating the three of them right now, but in your tipsy state, the shot really did its job, giving you the extra boost. You looked around the audience; Bertholdt had taken your seat; Pieck and Porco were back at their table; Jean and Connie were looking at you from the bar; you had everyone’s attention, including the table of your nightmares. You looked at the screen in front of you like the lyrics would help, but you knew the song too well. You rolled your eyes, shaking the embarrassment off, yanking the mic off the stand, pulling your hair down from the knot you had it tied back in as you began to sing, tossing it back and forth.
You paced the stage back and forth as the words spewed clearly from your mouth, pointing at Mikasa and Annie when you were on that side of the stage, leaning down, taking Sasha’s hand at the table she sat at, spinning her as you slowly stood back up. Moving to the other side toward the bar where Jean and Connie were giving Jean the same smirk he gave you during his performance, your gaze driving him mad, as his face turned a deep shade of red. You moved back to center at the chorus, your eyes surveying the room, meeting the table of your enemies, singing as loud as you could before your eyes darted to Reiner, who was infatuated by you.
“Have you ever tried this one?” you smirked, getting on one knee, shooting the imaginary bow and arrow like Reiner did after he scored. Your eyes remained on him as he shook his head, wiping his brow, with a smile on his face as Bertholdt and Colt smiled beside him and began to talk.
“Stop it,” Reiner blushed.
“Reiner, come on,” Bertholdt said, bumping his shoulder. Reiner nodded, his attention on you as you continued singing. You blushed at the bridge, thinking about your interaction at the rink, catching him hard, your face turning pink now; alcohol always got rid of your filter; sober you would never imagine doing something like this. As the song came to a close, you bowed, stumbling off the stage as Sasha, Hitch, and Pieck surrounded you immediately.
“Oh my god,” Hitch squealed. You peeked through their embrace at Reiner, whose mouth hung slightly open, quickly shutting it, looking away from you when you found him.
“Where’s Mikasa?” You pushed through the two of them, going to their table, wrapping your arm around her neck.
“What the hell?” you sneered in her ear.
“You’re welcome,” she grinned, pointing at the table you had left to go and sing. A visibly flustered Reiner sat with Porco behind him, shaking his shoulders, the table behind them in distress. Floch and your stalker in a clear argument over what just happened; she stormed to the group of you.
“Ouch, that’s no way to treat a performer,” you bit your lip.
“Just stay away from Reiner,” she scolded you, stomping out of the bar Floch quickly chased after her, shooting you a pair of dagger eyes.
“Freak,” Sasha laughed. You were completely absorbed by everyone, praising you with compliments; even Annie had nothing but nice things to say, besides calling you an idiot for doing your little confession performance drunk.
“So Y/N, what do you guys think?” Jean made his way to the table with Reiner, Porco, Bertholdt, and Colt, a flustered smirk of his own across his face.
“Are you dumb?” Porco said.
“What?” Jean pulled up a chair, straddling it, leaning on the back, playing with the stubble that decorated his chin.
“Hello, that was for Ripp, dumbass.” Colt smacked the back of his head.
“Huh, really?” Jean said, unfazed.
“Yes, really,” Porco sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Who knew?” Jean shrugged.
“Everyone but you, apparently, even Connie.” Colt laughed.
“Now you’re just making shit up,” Jean scoffed in disbelief. Reiner slowly stood up from the table.
“Where are you going?” Porco called out, “We weren’t done here.” Reiner looked back, giving Bertholdt a knowing look.
“He’s got this,” Bertholdt told the group. Reiner took a deep breath, scrolling through the screen beside the stage, surveying the song catalog, his finger shaky as he found a choice. He took a few deep breaths, looking back at his group that all looked at him with support.
“God, he better not fuck up,” Porco sighed, taking the seat previously occupied by Reiner.
“He won’t,” Bertholdt smiled, giving Reiner one more affirming nod as he slowly made his way on stage, clearing his throat.
Song 6: The Craving - Twenty One Pilots
“She’s in love,” Sasha sing-songed, re-enclosing you in your circle with Hitch and Pieck. Music started in the background; the overwhelming praises of your friends kept you occupied.
“Well, now he has to ask you out; if that wasn’t enough, then he’s dumb,” Hitch said.
“She has a point; something has to happen now,” Pieck said. Your friends' different opinions filled the air around you. The voice of whoever was singing began; you tried to look around them to see what was going on, but you were trapped.
“Guys,” you pushed at them. They wouldn’t budge, continuing their discussion. You eventually broke through, pushing through another crowd of people until you finally had open space, taking a look at the stage, freezing where you stood. Reiner. Reiner was singing. After telling you it wasn’t his thing, he matched your involuntary grand gesture with one of his own. Your face felt warm as you slowly made your way to the table with the boys clutching your chest before pulling up a chair beside Jean, who rubbed your shoulders as tears started welling in your eyes. Reiner was incredible, not that you were expecting anything less from the guy that had been occupying your mind the past week. His eyes finally picked up from the screen, finding you, the tension in his broad shoulders releasing, as he ran a hand through his hair, flashing you a teethy grin.
“Did you-” you began to ask the table; they all shook their heads.
“All him,” Bertholdt said. You leaned into Jean, covering your mouth, trying to keep your overwhelming feelings in, watching Reiner continue. You swayed back and forth to the music, letting the happy tears slowly fall.
“Sorry,” you blubbered to Jean.
“You’re happy; it’s okay,” he laughed, squeezing your shoulders gently. You quickly wiped your eyes as the song was coming to an end; your table erupted with cheers, Jean, Porco, and Colt all stood clapping, hollering. You sat smiling, clapping, letting out a small broken shout. Reiner slowly approached your table; Jean offered his seat beside you, heading back up towards the stage, dragging Connie along with him.
Song 7: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye
Connie and Jean strutted on stage, arms linked like a happy couple, quickly finding their song of choice. You laughed as the music started playing, watching them twirl each other around, singing to each other as if they were madly in love, Connie finally living his dream. You finally spoke up to Reiner, who sat next to you watching the two of them act like fools.
“Not your thing, huh?” You paused as he shrugged. “You were incredible,” you exclaimed. He draped his arm over the back of your chair, his leg resting against yours immediately as he sat.
“I had a tough act to follow,” he smiled, leaning closer to you. “You still sound beautiful,” he breathed into your ear. You looked at him, the closest his face had ever been to yours, examining his features.
“Your eyes are beautiful,” you giggled, reconnecting with your tipsy state.
“And you’re still drunk,” his nose scrunched at the smell of booze coming from your mouth.
“Maybe I am, but I still sound beautiful,” you poked his scrunched nose. He shook his head; he wanted to tell you how he felt when you would be fully aware of what was happening. He grabbed the bottle in front of him, sipping it to try and match your energy. You watched Jean and Connie, standing up at some point, finding Sasha and attempting to copy their dancing, laughing as both of you stumbled around the tables.
“You didn’t tell her,” Colt said.
“Look at her; she’s drunk,” Reiner gestured toward you.
“I think she’d remember that,” Porco said. Reiner continued to watch you dance around with Sasha, humming low, thinking maybe they were right. The bar closed a few moments after Jean and Connie’s grand finale; you walked out between Reiner and Bertholdt, your hands brushing against each other as you laughed, recapping your night outside of the bar, deciding on what your group would do now; however, no one was in the mood to do anything else.
“I’m staying at Eren’s,” Mikasa finally pulled you aside. “Be safe,” she gripped your shoulders tight.
“Ow, geez, I’m always safe,” you rubbed your arm where she was holding you. She looked at the pair beside you, a sharp look that if anything happened to you, it was on their hands.
“We got her,” Reiner smiled.
“Be safe,” she said again as a warning, letting go of you. You all exchanged goodbye hugs; you and Connie were clinging to each other.
“Good shit, Y/N,” he groaned into your shoulder.
“Teach me to dance like you,” you whined, slapping his back. The two of you finally got separated; you complained about not getting your dance lesson right now in the middle of the night on some random street on the outskirts of campus.
“One day,” Reiner smiled. You leaned into him, your eyelids heavy as you walked.
“She needs water,” Bertholdt said as the three of you continued walking down the street under the cover of darkness, the moon shining as your guide.
“I’m hungry,” you moaned into Reiner’s arm, tugging at it. Your walk continued, finding the one store that was still open on campus. You grabbed everything in sight that looked appealing: chips, packaged cookies. You went to get a slushie but were stopped very quickly.
“Y/N, be realistic,” Bertholdt took the plastic cup from your hand.
“You’re no fun,” you hugged the chip bag, pouting, as he put a water in your free hand. You checked out immediately, breaking open the bag of chips as you continued walking to your apartment. Bertholdt split off leaving the two of you. As you approached your door, you felt dizzy, quickly stashing your snacks on the counter before running to your bathroom.
“Y/N?” Reiner slowly followed you in, taking in your apartment; he could tell where you contributed versus Mikasa. You groaned from the bathroom, hunched over the toilet, all the food you had just ingested releasing from your body.
“Don’t look at me,” you cried, your head pounding as you knelt on your bathroom floor. He quickly took your bottle off the counter, grabbing one of the sleeves of crackers Bertholdt had bought, being the responsible one of the three of you.
“Alright,” Reiner humored you, pushing open the cracked door behind you, covering his eyes with his free hand, peeking at you through his fingers, sitting beside you on the floor. You turned to look at him, the opening in his fingers immediately shutting as he flashed you a smile.
“I’m gross,” you burped out before leaning back over. He settled closer behind you, pushing your hair back, holding it at the ends as you heaved again. He handed you the water when you picked your head up.
“You don’t have to stay,” you sighed, your buzz starting to wear off, Reiner by your side getting you through what would be a horrendous hangover.
“I’m not going anywhere, not until I know you’re okay.” Reiner rested his hand on your lower back, rubbing small, gentle circles. You took the water from the floor beside you, sipping it slowly, your stomach starting to settle again. After a few minutes of sitting on the floor, sipping your water and eating crackers, you were feeling better. You slowly got up from the floor, brushing your teeth as Reiner stood beside you, his golden eyes beaming with concern.
“I’m feeling better,” you said inaudibly through the toothbrush in your mouth.
“Are you sure?” He asked, his hand still resting against the small of your back, his thumb tracing your spine. You nodded as you spit; the two of you went to your living room, you sat on the couch draping a blanket over your lap, Reiner stood unsure in front of you holding your remedies.
“I’ll leave these here,” his head down in disappointment, you chewed at your lip watching him sink as he turned away.
“Where are you going?” you said. He turned around. You patted the couch beside you. “Stay,” you begged. He kicked off his shoes, rushing over to you with excitement, settling beside you as you draped the blanket over his lap as well, reaching for the remotes on your table. You changed the color of your lights to a dim deep blue, matching the deep shade on your TV as soft music played from the speaker below it. Your legs touching under the blanket, your hands resting on your lap, an invisible force was pulling your hand towards his, as the sound of your unsteady heartbeats filled the room. You met the side of his hand, your pinkies slowly intertwining; his breath hitched as he looked at you, the blue light hiding the shade of red that covered both of your faces, as you slowly closed your eyes.
“Good night,” you hummed through an unsteady breath as your head met his shoulder. Your pinkies disconnected as his arm slid out from under the blanket; your head picked up as he moved, resettling on his firm chest, listening to his unsteady heartbeat slow into a soothing rhythm. He pulled the blanket up further over the two of you, wincing at your arm draping over his stomach, before his arm moved to your shoulders, securing you to him.
“Good night,” he hummed into the top of your head, pressing a small kiss into your hair before drifting off.
vaporwave
romaincrisis
2087
dailybridgerton
pixelskylines
yousharknotpass
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