About the fact that besides the other warriors - besides only Reiner, pretty much - he never actually had friends.
Reiner's story is tragic because he got lost in the idea of having friends and equal allies, and then had it ripped from him.
But Bertholdt? Even living among other Eldians that didn't look down on him as a demon... None of them liked him.
Sure, none of them disliked him. His sleeping positions turned into an inside joke, he was seen as an equal and even pretty capable ally.
But no one ever went out of their way to talk to him. No one sought him out without Reiner's presence. I'm not confident there's a single scene in the manga where he speaks to someone without Reiner there. There's running jokes in supplementary materials where people just... Forget his existence. Forget he was ever in the room. When discussing the possible identities of the titan shifters, Eren says "Setting aside Bertholdt, who never talked much, Reiner is like everyone's big brother".
Time and time and time again, all we see is that Bertholdt wasn't actually friends with anyone in 104'th. Not really. They were on fine terms, sure, and yet if Bertholdt were to die, it wouldn't mean much to any of them.
And still, STILL, Bertholdt considers those days to be his highlight.
He cries about betraying them, begs them to save him. He laments that he considered them his friends, and that his camaraderie with them wasn't a lie. He's so devastated to lose people who hardly even paid attention to him, to hurt them, to have to betray them.
And isn't that just so fucking gut wrenching? To care so much for people that hardly even noticed you? To have known so little respect and friendship that you take the notion people tolerating your presence and cherish it?
Can you picture, for a moment, being so starved for human kindness, for companionship, that these basic scraps of human decency become the highlight of your whole life?
bertholdt with a size kink loving the way his hands seem to overlap yours, and how his sweaters seem to drape over you with loose fitting
but also bertholdt with a size kink loving how you struggle to take every inch of him, even when he reassures you that “it’s not that big” and “you can take it”
he loves the feeling of you wrapped around his cock so tightly. he just wants more. it causes him to fold you over until your knees touch your chest and fuck you fast and rough.
you can barely make out the words to tell him to slow down because of how good he feels hitting your sweet spot over and over again. his tip brushes against your cervix with each breathtaking thrust until he’s filling your insides with his cum.
it’s also when he realized he loves the sight of you leaking with his seed. he’ll continue to fuck you until you’re too full to even speak a sentence or form a coherent thought.
can I request a reiner x berthold x reader threesome? I would looove to hear your take on that! You write everyone so in character, it's ridiculous but Reiner especially, SO PERFECTLY omg I LOVE reading your works 💕💞💕💞
good girl
summary- porn with no plot. a semi-filthy threesome with reiner and bertholdt.
warnings- threesome, oral, vaginal, unprotected sex, slight cursing, some facefucking
a/n- WHEW that was something to write, might be one of my favorite reqs so far. also thank you for the compliment, i love to know that people enjoy my works :)
*this work is a part of the 500 follower minestone special
“swallow, darling.”
you were on your knees in front of reiner as he released on your mouth, the salty liquid filling you up. you coughed as you tried to swallow his load only to find that it may have been too much for you. he put a calloused hand on your cheek and rubbed away a little bit that managed to escape your mouth.
the ache between your legs was beginning to get painful. you had been with reiner for twenty minutes while bertholdt was in the corner observing you as he lazily jerked himself off. it felt like there was a balloon ready to burst.
“that’s a good girl”, he cooed. “now why don’t you go show bertholdt how good you are, yeah?”
you nodded and crawled your way over to bertholdt, who was palming his cock watching as you were giving reiner head. his cheeks were flushed red and his face was covered in a bit of sweat, cock standing up at attention with the tip an angry red. his heart began to race when you came crawling over, reiners release still coating a bit of your face and chest.
you sat next to the edge of the bed as bertholdt nervously removed the hand that was covering his cock, letting you gain access. it was clear that he had never really gotten any sexual experience in his lifetime by the way his eyes clenched shut when you grabbed his aching length.
reiner sat behind bertholdt as you began to pump his cock, making a string of curses escape from his mouth and speed up his breathing. amused, you giggled which sent vibrations straight through berts cock and made him moan. loudly.
“what’s wrong, you liking that?” reiner teased.
bertholdt couldn’t even make words out of what he was feeling. all that came out from his lips was incoherent babbling, which gave reiner a low chuckle. the mighty colossal titan holder had been reduced to a horny mess.
you grabbed hold of his length and teased the tip around your lips, feeling the warmth of it on the flesh of the outside of your mouth. a bead on pre sat on the tip, and you gave it a gentle rub before placing it in your mouth. bertholdt basically malfunctioned right on the spot, gripping the sheets while his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
you started to bob your head on his cock, reiner smirking as he saw you struggling to take all of it in your mouth. tears formed at your lash line as the tip repeatedly hit the back of your throat, causing you to choke a bit. bertholdt was in his own world right now, and he didn’t notice how you were struggling.
adding a bit of suction to your movements, you sucked inwards which seemed to send bertholdt right over the edge, making about three spurts of his own cum sputter into your mouth.
bertholdt fell on his back into the bed, trying to catch his breath. his stomach rose and fell with each breath. you and reiner could agree that he looked so pretty like this, all fucked out from the activity.
“don’t get too comfy, we aren’t finished yet”, reiner warned him. you giggled and got on your hands and knees on the plush of the mattress, ass in the air for the men. “hey bert, i’ll take the back if it’s alright with you.”
“y-yeah..” bertholdt whispered. he was barely audible at this point.
reiner got behind you while bert crawled over to your head, dark eyes wandering over your body. he looked so impossibly big right now, tall figure towering over yours even though he was on his knees right now.
you could feel reiner gripping your ass from behind you, an indication that he was about to go in. his rough hands weren’t gentle on your behind, you could still feel his fingers digging into your tender cheeks.
he lined himself up at your entrance as bertholdt tilted your head up so you could see him, and gave you a warm smile as he grabbed himself and placed his tip near your mouth once again. you opened up and let him slide in, making him gasp.
reiner entered on the other side, his fat cock filling every inch of the space inside of you. you couldn’t stifle yourself from letting out a moan around bertholdts dick, making him shudder with the vibrations that were sent through him.
reiner started to thrust into you as you continued to suck bertholdt off. he smirked knowing how full you were with him, how there was a little bulge in your belly that pocketed his cock. bertholdt on the other end was being extra grabby with your hair, pulling your head in to get a better angle.
“fuck- you like that, y/n?” reiner asked breathlessly. in response, your walls clamped around him, making him throw his head back. the blondes grip tightened on your ass, making you gasp a bit.
bert was babbling again. perhaps this was a habit of his during sex. mutters of “oh fuck”, “holy shit” and “my god” made you even more eager to make him cum for the second time. but you didn’t even have to do anything, since bert began to roll his hips against your mouth.
reiner reached a hand down to rub at your tiny clit to aid in your orgasm, something you could feel approaching very quickly. your legs started to tremble as that familiar knot began to form in your stomach.
without a warning, bertholdt came in your mouth. his release landed on your face, cheeks and everywhere in between. you tried to pull away to cough, but reiner didn’t let you get away so easily. so you laid there, cum littering your face as he continued to fuck into you.
the sensations started to become too much. the stimulation on your clit plus reiners thrusts made you almost scream as the warm wave of your orgasm washed over you. your legs were twitching and walls were spasming around the blonde as he threw his head back and groaned deeply, reaching his own climax with you. his seed shot inside of you rapidly before he pulled out and dumped the rest onto your back with a few pumps.
bertholdt gave your head a little rub before getting up to go to the bathroom to grab a towel for you all to clean up with. reiner tried to catch his breath while he did this.
“well? how was it?” reiner asked.
“g-good”, you whisper. “w-we should do this again.”
bertholdt came walking back now with a dry grey towel, and started to wipe off any left over spit or cum from his toned body. he then proceeded to wipe you off with the towel, starting in between your thighs, then working up to where he came on your face.
“i wasn’t too rough, was i?” bertholdt asked timidly. “i know i got a little carried away at one point...”
“no, it’s fine” you respond. “it was actually nice.”
bertholdts cheeks turned pink once again. “good. happy to hear that.”
for the rest of the night, you all stayed in and helped each other clean up. reiner massaged your legs to help them be less sore in the morning while bert attempted to make dinner only to fail and nearly set the kitchen on fire. but it was all okay, all that mattered was that you were here with them.
Ayo there! Can i ask some bert x fem tomboy reader oneshot uwu? The concept i was thinking bout is like reader is marleyan but doesnt hate eldians. As a child (lets say shes a bit older than him) protected bert from bullies and bought for him some food from a store he wasnt allowed to enter. Then she started hanging out with the warrior squad yea. When he returned form their misson safe and sound they started dating and shit. HAPPY END. Im cringe sorry dont get lost while reading this crap lmao♥
BATTERED - BERTHOLDT HOOVER X READER
Warnings : one innocent kiss, one curse word, this is a canon-divergent AU, at the end Bertholdt is 18 and the reader is 21, reader is female!
Genre : just wholesome fluff
Word count : 3.5K words (I can never stop writing for Bertholdt holy shit)
Synopsis : Bertholdt's never quite understood why he was so taken by the girl with the scabs and bandages.
Additional notes : I can't even begin to tell you how much I've enjoyed writing this. Your request was so wholesome, and I'm in love with the childhood friends to lovers trope! Hope you enjoy this, I'd love to hear your feedback!
Requests : Are open! Check the rules over here.
Want to support me financially? Here’s my CashApp!
Masterlist
He shouldn't have stepped outside the walls. He really shouldn't have ventured past the iron gates, not in broad daylight at the very least.
The young boy internally berated himself as he slowly trudged across the path, trying to seem as inconspicuous as possible as he clutched his bag and curled into himself while walking, hoping he'd look as small as he could, even if it was physically impossible for a child as tall as himself.
Really, the glares that bore holes into his yellow armband, the demands to go and jump off the nearest rooftop, the viscious insults and curses thrown at him at every turn---it was all too much for the eight year-old Bertholdt Hoover. It's not like he was breaking any laws; he'd already long shown his permit to leave Liberio to any guards that bore their teeth and hissed at him.
The fact still remained though; it wasn't his birth right to live. He shouldn't have been born; shouldn't have done anything other than make himself scarce---and every single Marleyan outside of the internment zone served as a reminder for him; an order to perish. Tremors climbed his spine, anxiety taking over.
All he'd wanted was to buy some fruits that the clinic's doctor had prescribed for his father's illness; they definitely weren't as effective as the medication he needed (the same medication that was the reason his son wanted to shorten his own lifespan for him to receive), but they were meant to fortify him and his immunity, at the very least. And of course, for Eldians like himself, such expensive fruits were never sold behind the gates, and were only made available to the general public of Marley, which meant that he was forced to take a quick trip outside of Liberio if he wanted to see his father's health improve at least the tiniest bit.
That's the only reason why his shaking form stood in front of the glass door of the large grocery shop, cowering under the glare of the pot-bellied man with graying hair.
"Did you not hear me? Are you too daft to understand, Eldian scum? A place like mine isn't for bastards like you to taint," the man yelled, face screwed up in anger and only causing Bertholdt to tense up even more.
"B-but I have a permit!" he stammered, "And a-a doctor's prescri---"
"Speak more and I'll make sure my garden fork pierces your filthy skin just right," the man snarled, towering over him and thrusting the sharpened tool in his direction, eyes glinting maliciously.
"Please!" Bertholdt begged frantically, arms raised in defense, "My...my father, he needs them!"
"Like hell do I care!" came the roar in reply, swinging the fork upwards, causing the young boy to whimper and screw his eyes shut in terror, but before he could land the dealing blow, an angry yell stopped both the man and Bertholdt in their tracks.
Before he could scurry off at the sight of the scruffy-looking Marleyan girl that proudly bore bruises and scrapes like they were military badges, her next words brought him to a halt.
"What do you want more from him?" she shouted, hands on her hips, her frown looking almost comical with the huge bandage that covered half her cheek, "He's got his permit, he's got every right to be here just as I have!"
Whipping around to face her, the middle-aged man swelled with fury, "You again! Do you not see that he's the spawn of the devil?" with a disgusted expression, he picked up Bertholdt's arm despite his cry of pain, tugging at the loosened armband, "He'd ruin my shop's reputation if anyone found out he even set foot inside!"
Puffing her cheeks angrily, she stomped over, smacking the man's arm, and only after he stilled in shock was she able to drag Bertholdt away by the shoulder, completely ignoring the way he trembled in her hold.
Pointing an accusatory finger at the shop owner, she growled at him, "And your reputation would go down the drain once they know that you got locked up after displeasing a Marleyan citizen who alerted the guards of your lack of professionalism," arching an eyebrow, she huffed, "Need I remind you that you threatened to kill me once because you couldn't tell that I wasn't Eldian?"
Spluttering, the man's face paled as he tried to find an excuse, and as he remained distracted, she lifted her chin up high, snatching the list from the speechless Bertholdt, and taking it upon herself to pay for them after picking the best fruits by hand.
Only when the entire scene was over and he stood with bags of fresh produce in his hands did he become fully aware of what had just gone down.
"Why would you..." he gaped at the girl incredulously, only earning a kind smile in turn.
With a shrug, she kicked a pebble as she walked alongside him on his way back to the gates, "I don't like it when people bully the innocent."
Clenching his fists in frustration, he looked at his shoes, "But I'm Eldian, at the end of the day. My ancestors stained the lands with blood."
She hummed, scratching at her battered cheek and wincing as blood began to seep through the bandage, "That might be true, but what do I know?" she waved gayly at a bunch of rowdy boys, before they wrinkled their noses upon realizing that Bertholdt was strolling beside her, "At any rate, I know you haven't harmed anyone. Hell, you look like you can't hurt a fly," she laughed, nudging him playfully and earning a shy, wary smile from him, "I can't hate someone simply for living."
Her words sunk in, and Bertholdt stilled, the gates in sight, looking at her incredulously, "So you don't hate Eldians?"
"Nope," she popped the syllable, "No use in hating someone that doesn't differ much from myself. I'd rather help them out instead," they stood in front of the guards, and she puffed her chest proudly, pointing her thumb as she smirked, "I might be eleven, but if you need any help, call for me and I'll kick everyone's butts!"
Blushing, he thumbed his bag's strap, "Actually, I'm three years younger than you are."
"No way," she gasped, eyes shining, "You're that tall already? That's so freaking cool!"
"I don't know about cool, it just feels weird," he admitted half-heartedly, "Like my body's too big for me."
Patting his shoulder in a friendly manner, she smiled at him, "You'll grow into it, I bet. Have the heart of a lion, you're gonna be a warrior," she enthused, gesticulating excitedly, "I'm sure you'll grow up to be really brave."
Looking off to the side, Bertholdt remained quiet about his doubts; after all, he wasn't about to tell a stranger who'd shown him a rare ounce of kindness that he felt rather pathetic compared to the other candidates.
Looking down at her scratched up navy blue watch, she frowned, "It's getting late, and I promised my little brother I'd play football with him before supper," looking up at him, she quickly gave her name, "And what's yours? So I know who to ask for whenever I can!"
"Bertholdt Hoover," he meekly replied, "And that's alright, you don't have to---"
"Shush," she pointed her finger to her lips, before winking cheekily, "Expect me whenever!"
And just as fast as she came, she was gone as the breeze picked up.
***
"This is so boring," she moaned, a scowl etched onto her face as she stared up at the sky, "Don't tell me you guys haven't gone outside of HQ since the morning."
"Does it not suit your elite tastes?" Annie snapped, rolling her eyes in annoyance as she squashed another bug that made an attempt at climbing her leg, leaning against the wall non-chalantly.
"C'mon, Annie, I think we've been friends for long enough to know that that's not what she meant," Marcel's calm voice cut before the other girl could quip a smart reply, "She has a point though, sitting around waiting for us while we train can't be too fun, especially when she's not supposed to be here."
"No way," the girl crossed her legs and leaned in as she inspected them, "You guys had been training all this time? No breaks even?"
"No," Bertholdt sighed, rocking on the soles of his feet as he had a faraway look in his eyes, "I kept daydreaming throughout, though..."
With a shake of his head, the shorter blonde boy turned away from his friend, "You really shouldn't. We need to focus on becoming the best."
"You're one to talk," Porco scoffed, jumping off the low branch he'd been watching them from, "Like you can do crap eitherways."
"Now, now," Zeke's chuckle came from near the window sill, his hand busy with twirling the baseball bat that fascinated the girl with the scraped elbows on the ground beside him, "Stop bickering, only the top brass decide who inherits which titan and when. No need to fight when we're all gonna find out eventually."
With a wave of goodbye, the oldest of the bunch went off, no doubt to play some more baseball with the man he was supposedly most likely to inherit the Beast titan from, leaving the others scrambling about in an attempt to pick sides in the fight.
The Marleyan amongst them only laughed as she watched them bicker back and forth, before tugging at Pieck's skirt, "How old was Zeke turning, again?"
"15, why? You got a crush on him or something?" the black-haired teenager cheekily smirked at her, "He's only two years older, might wanna give it a shot."
Wrinkling her nose, the girl shook her head, "Nah, I just wanted to know the age difference between him and the other candidates."
"Bertholdt is one of the youngest of us, surprisingly enough," Pieck mused, eying the brunette who apologized over and over to Porco as he held Reiner back, "You'd never believe it, with the way he's almost as tall as Zeke."
"And he keeps growing too! It's so unfair," she groaned, before taking off to grab said boy's arm, who barely had time to grab his bag before he was whisked away, her enthusiastic voice ringing in his ear, "C'mon, Bertl! I want to play some football before I have to get home for lunch. Last one to the plaza gets to pay for the apples next time!"
***
With the wind flapping at her skirt, she looked uncharacteristically sad, in a way that had Bertholdt's heart clenching in his chest as he stood in front of her on the pier.
"You'll be gone for a while, yeah?"
He nodded, an unsure expression making its way on his face, "I'm not entirely sure how long our mission's going to take, but probably a couple of years. It's... really important."
"You can't divulge confidential military plans," she sighed, biting her lip anxiously, "I'll worry about you."
"I'll try to come back safely," he did his best to sound reassuring, but his words were anything but, "I don't want to... die, honestly."
Visibly distressed by his words and the sight of the huge ship that blasted smoke into the air, the now-fifteen year-old girl threw her arms around the taller (though younger) boy's neck, sending him into a state of shock where he didn't know what to do other than pat her back gently in hopes of consoling her.
"I'll miss you," she whimpered, resting her chin on his shoulder, "My brother sucks at all sports, and God knows when I'll be able to play them with you again."
He clutched her shirt tightly, giving her a solemn promise, with about as much bravery as he could muster, "I'll be back before you know it. And this time, we'll be able to climb the tree at headquarters all the way to the top, you'll see."
He didn't know why, but he felt a tug at his heart at the very prospect of leaving, and suddenly his mission didn't seem half as glorious when he was waving at her off the ship's deck, watching her disappear into the distance with every ocean wave they cut through on their way to the wretched island of devils.
***
When he came to, he found his hand clutched firmly in a strong hold. Slowly blinking his eyes open, he frowned, confusion taking over at seeing such a pretty girl hunched over in a seat beside the bed he was lying down on.
Shuffling a little to sit upright without shaking her hand off, he winced, the soreness of his muscles now apparent as he tried to move.
"Easy there, tiger," a raspy voice said, before she cleared her throat, eyebrows furrowed as she stood up, hands still entwined.
Gesturing for his water bottle, she handed it to him, giving him a minute or two to drink and blink himself fully awake.
"Where am I?" he croaked out, setting the bottle beside him carefully and using his free hand to wipe at his lips.
Scoffing, she ruffled his now-much-longer hair, the affectionate look in her eyes unmistakable, "Well, obviously you're in a Marleyan hospital, where else would you find me sitting beside your bed?"
He blushed, looking off to the side to glance at the window with the sunlight streaming in through the curtains, "And what's today's date?"
"Monday, fifth of June, 852," she replied, then thoughtfully added, "More than 5 years after having last seen me."
With a scowl, Bertholdt mumbled to himself, "That can't be right, we left Shiganshina in the year 850, I'm sure of it..." he drifted off, trying his best to ransack his memory for clues as to how this happened.
"Bertl," her voice was calm as she called his name, her hand reaching out to gently brush his cheek as she took a seat beside him on the bed, "You've been in a comatose state for the past almost-two years. Your body had completely shut down after being exposed to repeated physical trauma."
Gaping at her, his words began to fail him, "I---no, but---my titan powers---"
"You'd transferred your consciousness into your spinal cord, but your body took too much damage to heal using your powers," she shook her head, sighing, "In order for you to heal, you took months before you could regrow your limbs back. Even your organs had to be fixed using traditional healing methods and modern medicine before they could even begin to repair themselves. Not to mention your mental state's blow to your brain... "
Sitting still reeling in shock, Bertholdt could only stare wide-eyed as he inspected his arms, stretching his fingers and noticing how some lacerations covered the expanse of his skin, which looked like it was rubbed raw.
With a look of concern, the young woman peered at him closer, startling him and causing his cheeks to bloom an even brighter red as he managed to ask, "Is something on my face?"
"No, you just look a bit thinner. Not surprising, considering that you haven't had a proper meal in years, I bet," she pressed her palm against his forehead, only serving to fluster him more, before musing, "Strange, you're burning up. Maybe I should call in a nurse?"
Scrambling to get away from her touch, he shook his head furiously, "N-no, it's fine, it's nothing, I---"
Laughing at the way Bertholdt had become so flustered at one small action of hers, she settled back down beside him on the bed, nudging his shoulder very gentle in aversion of causing him any pain, "We've known each other for so long, and yet you still can't tell when I'm messing with you," her smile turned a little sad, "Maybe all these years apart have affected your memory of me."
"Not really, no," he said, a small smile making it's way onto his face, "I remember my challenge to a tree climb as soon as I got back."
She snorted, "Well, you're not in any state to climb trees any time soon. You've missed out on so much, and you need to recuperate after such a long time being bedridden."
Curiosity lingered in his eyes, and Bertholdt couldn't help asking, "Speaking of hospital stays, how come you were there?" she arched her eyebrow at his question, and he hurried to correct himself before she could take any offense, "I mean, you can't have been waiting every day."
"Nah, I just make sure to visit on Mondays, right after I'm done with work," smirking at him, she teased, "You would like that, though, wouldn't you? Having me cry over your unconscious self, day in and day out?"
If it was possible for him to grow any redder, he did, and he was tempted to hide his face into the pillow out of his sheer embarrassment, but he tried his damned best to muster up all the remaining courage he had and whisper a short reply while averting his gaze, "Can't blame a guy for wanting the girl he loves to care for him like that."
With an exasperated chuckle, the 21 year-old knocked on his temple with her knuckle, "If you think this is where I'll push you away after rejecting you, then you're sorely mistaken."
Snapping his head back to face her, Bertholdt's doe eyes grew wide, "What?" he breathed out, a distinct glint of hope in his questioning stare.
"Honestly, I've had a crush on you ever since we were kids!" she admitted, wrapping a tentative arm around his shoulder, mumbling a worried, "Does this hurt?"
Still dazed, he shook his head, before he found his voice, "But then why didn't you say anything?"
"Because I was a kid, and I didn't want to get my parents in trouble," a regretful look crossed her face, and Bertholdt found himself wanting to wipe it off immediately and console her when she continued, nuzzling her face into his long neck, "I loved being your friend, but I wasn't daft. I knew what I was doing was against the law, and would only backfire in my family's face. I'm sorry."
"Don't be," he quietly said, absent-mindedly snuggling closer to her, "You didn't have a choice."
"But now I do," she sounded much more lively as she quipped, "I live by my own, so I can face the repercussions with full confidence, knowing that I can handle them myself."
Bertholdt's distress and apparent worry seeped through his words, "The laws haven't changed since then, though, I'm sure of it!"
"They haven't," she cheerily confirmed, before giving him a firm squeeze, "But that doesn't mean I give a single fuck. You're too precious for me to care," her teeth playfully tugged at his earlobe, turning him into a stuttering mess as she whispered in his ear, "Plus, you've gotten a lot more handsome, Bertl. Can't blame me for wanting to sneak around with you."
"You're shameless," he groaned, face burning, and yet giving that sweet smile of his despite his efforts not to, "You do realize that I can't just march out of Liberio to meet up with you?"
Shrugging she closed her eyes, a content grin on her face, "Guess we've got the time to figure things out now. We'll come up with something. You've always been the astute one out of us two, haven't you?"
Staying quiet because he knew all too well that if he did speak he'd blurt out something embarrassingly sappy, he just clung onto the scraped arm around his torso. His momentary distraction while settling down in her embrace gave the girl the opportunity to sneakily press her lips to the corner of his mouth, sending him into overdrive, giving him a sudden rush of blood to the head and heart palpitations that he couldn't even bother trying to settle down.
The 18 year-old felt like he was a child once again, meeting her for the first time and trying to figure out why he was just so enraptured by the girl with the scabs on her knees and the bandages on her face. But now that she was practically cuddling him (rather loosely though, so as not to pull at any muscles that were sore), he was perfectly capable of finding a name for the emotion that was raging in his chest: pure, unadulterated adoration, and the satisfaction that came with having it returned as well.
As big and awkward as his body had always felt, for some odd reason, it was the first time Bertholdt found himself thinking that it was the perfect size for having her nestled against him, even if his heart was thrumming against his ribcage and she surely felt it against her arm---at the very least, if all else was lost, he still had her, and that single thought, in and of itself, was as grounding as could be.
